1. We have a true freshman in Trumbetti and in Rochelle an inexperienced sophomore at our defensive ends.

 

2. We have a former walk on at linebacker and a converted wide receiver in a Onwualu-who played safety in the spring- starting at outside linebacker.

 

3. Collinsworth has been burned his entire career and Redfield, though athletic, still cannot be trusted calling the defense.

 

4. Luke and/or Butler are raw as corners. Riggs, a transfer seems to be the best of the lot.

 

5. With inexperienced and questionable personnel, we're also running a new scheme.

 

We all wish for the best, and maybe VanGorder can make a big difference, but this is not a defense which inspires a lot of optimism.

 

We'll see. I hope I'm wrong.

The only issue I see with the DL is experienced depth. Big teams can possibly wear out the front 4.

 

Losing 2 player to NFL, Schwenke, Springman etc is a reason for concern but moving to a 4-3 with our player should be okay.

 

Cage looks big and needs to handle 5 to 10 snaps per game as well as others helping out.

 

The D should be more disruptive and cause more turnovers etc and be less of a war of attrition.

 

Luke is KR of last year.

Edited August 21, 201410 yr by Domer Dude

If we were still operating out of a 3-4, I would be panicking right now. However, we're in a 4-3 now fellas. The middle is going to be occupied by Day and Jones, which I feel very comfortable with,

 

 

The problem is that they have nobody coming in after them. This is where losing Springman really hurts. Move Rochelle inside? He's already starting at end and is going to need a break sometime. One of the Freshmen? Not saying they can't come out and play at a high level for 10-20 snaps a game, but it just doesn't seem likely to me. None of these Freshmen are as ready to play as Lynch or Tuitt was a freshman, and even they both had their struggles. I hope we can find 7-8 quality DLineman, I just dont see it happening.

Well on paper, Rice should give us more of a game than Purdue. Last year Purdue took us down to the wire a week or so after they needed a miracle stop to beat lowly Indiana State.

 

So.... I'm not gonna GTFO, but I'm not going to write that game off. I hope I'm wrong and we can outscore them to the moon, but we'll see..

 

Anything can happen on the field.

 

Just say we could go 0-12 and be done with it then. Jesus. If we can't chalk a win against Rice, let's just quit. Shut the program down.

 

It's Rice. No, not the food. The school with zero football pedigree from the BS conference of garbage football teams. A team that has notched wins against Charlie Weis dumpster fire in Kansas, Danny Hope's terrible Purdue and a 0-11 Duke team, as their only wins against BCS conference opponents in 20+ years.

Just say we could go 0-12 and be done with it then. Jesus. If we can't chalk a win against Rice, let's just quit. Shut the program down.

 

It's Rice. No, not the food. The school with zero football pedigree from the BS conference of garbage football teams. A team that has notched wins against Charlie Weis dumpster fire in Kansas, Danny Hope's terrible Purdue and a 0-11 Duke team, as their only wins against BCS conference opponents in 20+ years.

 

LOL. Not hardly.

 

Same was said when we scheduled NWestern and Air Force in the early-mid 90s and we lost.

 

I'm not trying to take on the players "one game at a time" and "every opponent is important" company philosophy but, I don't really feel comfortable sleeping on anyone on our schedule until I see that we can flat out embarrass teams with our offense.

 

I was embarrassed how bad we played in our opener last year. Rice would have really given us a game with that effort.

Just say we could go 0-12 and be done with it then. Jesus. If we can't chalk a win against Rice, let's just quit. Shut the program down.

 

It's Rice. No, not the food. The school with zero football pedigree from the BS conference of garbage football teams. A team that has notched wins against Charlie Weis dumpster fire in Kansas, Danny Hope's terrible Purdue and a 0-11 Duke team, as their only wins against BCS conference opponents in 20+ years.

 

Rice > Tulsa? I kinda feel like that was the most embarrassing loss in a long time. At least Navy had a "high powered" offense and won some games.

LOL. Not hardly.

 

Same was said when we scheduled NWestern and Air Force in the early-mid 90s and we lost.

 

I'm not trying to take on the players "one game at a time" and "every opponent is important" company philosophy but, I don't really feel comfortable sleeping on anyone on our schedule until I see that we can flat out embarrass teams with our offense.

 

I was embarrassed how bad we played in our opener last year. Rice would have really given us a game with that effort.

 

That 1995 Northwestern team was the greatest team in school history. They went 8-0 in the BigTen and went to the Rose Bowl. They are also a BCS conference school.

 

I got nothin' for you on Lou Holtz losing to AF in his final season. Other than Air Force beat freakin' Rice 45-17 that same season.

 

Rice is garbage. Tulsa at least has 4 double digit win seasons in the last 7 years. Rice has 2 in their history. Tulsa beat Rice, the season they beat us, 64-27. Do you guys not realize how ****** Rice is?

What teams with a pulse do to Tulsa:

 

2013

TAMU 52-31 with, literally, half their starters sitting out the first half

Miss State 44-7

 

2012

UCLA 49-24

 

2011

Texas 34-9

Baylor 56-31

Houston(?) 73-34

Northwester(?) 28-6

 

2010

Texas 34-17

Northwestern(?) 30-13

Baylor 30-13

Tulsa(?) 64-27

 

2009

Texas Tech 55-10

Okie State 41-24

Navy(?)63-14

Houston(?)73-14

Didn't someone die a day or two before Tulsa. Why are we going there.

 

The team got a mulligan for that one.

Didn't someone die a day or two before Tulsa. Why are we going there.

 

The team got a mulligan for that one.

 

Usually you try to win one for the deceased. DC also tore his knee in this game, but it is still Tulsa.

Usually you try to win one for the deceased. DC also tore his knee in this game, but it is still Tulsa.

 

The kicked the crap out of

 

Utah

Army

USC

Miami

 

after the Tulsa game.

 

They played inspired ball.

The kicked the crap out of

 

Utah

Army

USC

Miami

 

after the Tulsa game.

 

They played inspired ball.

 

I am not downplaying the accomplishments of the team given the circumstances, just saying that I felt like the loss to Tulsa was the most embarrassing loss I can think of in recent memory. You could say that is the point in which TR became a crutch for BK and say that game was the turning point into misery of ND for years to come. But that is a leap. Either way, that game just strikes me as the most embarrassing loss in recent history. USF was no joy either.