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2015 season


darell1976

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The offensive and defensive lines concern me the most.

Offensive line: there are two new starters and questions whether they can start off the season like they ended last season. Fullback is an extension of the offensive line and run blocking, and the suspension to Dustin Iverson is troublesome. 

Defensive line: huge unknown right in the middle at NG. Also, suspension to Tank Harris doesn't help. 

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The offensive and defensive lines concern me the most. Offensive line: there are two new starters and questions whether they can start off with season like they ended last season. Fullback is extension of offensive line and run blocking, and the suspension to Dustin Iverson is troublesome. Defensive line: huge unknown right in the middle at NG. Also, suspension to Tank Harris doesn't help.  

There will always be new starters...but all got game reps last year.   Maybe the OL coach this year will do some rotations this season to keep players fresh and also allow depth to gain field experience?

 

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The offensive and defensive lines concern me the most. Offensive line: there are two new starters and questions whether they can start off with season like they ended last season. Fullback is extension of offensive line and run blocking, and the suspension to Dustin Iverson is troublesome. Defensive line: huge unknown right in the middle at NG. Also, suspension to Tank Harris doesn't help.  

FB and TE both are extensions of the line and need to be good blockers for the run and pass game.  IMO both have been a little weak at blocking role in the past.  Concerned about the game suspensions. 

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The offensive and defensive lines concern me the most. Offensive line: there are two new starters and questions whether they can start off with season like they ended last season. Fullback is extension of offensive line and run blocking, and the suspension to Dustin Iverson is troublesome. Defensive line: huge unknown right in the middle at NG. Also, suspension to Tank Harris doesn't help.  

Actually, the only unknown of the d-line is the backup nose guard.  Woodsmall started last season until he was injured and played well even though he was a little light.  From all accounts he is back to being close to 100%.  

All the d-ends have logged Big Sky minutes and 3 of the 4 played pretty well last season and should be improved.  Greely and Dranka could both be all conference quality guys and made big plays last season as true freshmen and Corruthers has seen time since his freshman season and I believe started a few games last season.  

The big question will be can Corruthers and Greer give 20-30 solid plays at the backup NG position to give Woodsmall a break on occasion.  

 

I agree with the questions on the o-line.  That position group has performed well below expectation for too many seasons for me to have confidence going in to this year.  

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I am actually quite happy with how Bubba is handling these players. He did a huge favor to Hinojosa this summer when it could have been handled far differently and was very fair with Iversons' suspension. We will be fine at both positions with the depth and coaching we have.

 

On a side note, how much faster and athletic is this team from 2 years ago, wow!

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Maybe but he's coming off a major injury and no clue if he's even back to 100% yet.

He is healthy enough to play.   Has been left on the 3rd team all fall, so not getting as many reps and few with the ones.  Surprised cuz those who have been at practice and scrimmage said good things about him except neither he nor Studsrud had done anything to distance themself from the other. Everyone had both of them ahead of  Bartles.  He worked hard to rehab, acheived a 4.0 this spring and has continued to be positive hoping he would get a shot.  Had some soreness this fall mostly the non-injured side but nothing he couldn't have played with.   Seemd clear they were going with Studsrud from the start of spring ball when they moved him  ahead of Bartles who had outplayed him last fall. To be fair to Studsrud, they are going to have to be patient and let him play through his mistakes. If he has to be afraid to make a play cuz he could get pulled, it will be a long season.  I can't see both Mollberg and Bartles wasting their last year on the bench. Not sure how Mollberg dropped to three but I am not at practice.  Have to trust coaches. They are the ones at practice everyday and I don't think they are going to start someone they don't think gives them the best chance of winning.

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I am actually quite happy with how Bubba is handling these players. He did a huge favor to Hinojosa this summer when it could have been handled far differently and was very fair with Iversons' suspension. We will be fine at both positions with the depth and coaching we have.

 

On a side note, how much faster and athletic is this team from 2 years ago, wow!

I would like to think fast and athletic enough to make the playoffs.  I real excited too.  We definitely need to stay healthy for that to happen.

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There will always be new starters...but all got game reps last year.   Maybe the OL coach this year will do some rotations this season to keep players fresh and also allow depth to gain field experience?

 

The offensive line is not set by any means, at least in terms of just assuming they'll be dominant. They came on towards the end of the season last year, but they still have to prove they're up to the task. The 2015 squad is going to run the football a lot - the difference between averaging 3 yards versus averaging 4 yards is huge. Lets see how they do. 

Knauf won't rotate offensive linemen; I don't even care if there was sarcasm in that. 

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I still want Mollberg as QB. I like Studsrud but Mollberg showed something special right before he was knocked out against PSU.

Don't overlook the injury; Achilles tendon injuries are tough. I think Mollberg showed some good things last season, but he also showed some poor things (overthrows, bad decisions/interceptions, etc.). I think Studsrud's athleticism is what Bubba and Rudolph are looking for. 

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Don't overlook the injury; Achilles tendon injuries are tough. I think Mollberg showed some good things last season, but he also showed some poor things (overthrows, bad decisions/interceptions, etc.). I think Studsrud's athleticism is what Bubba and Rudolph are looking for. 

Haven't seen a minute of fall camp and the young man undoubtedly has improved since he was thrown into the fire last year as a true freshman, but a starting QB who has connected on about a third of his pass attempts in game situations and finished last year with an efficiency rating of 58 leaves me feeling a little anxious.

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The offensive and defensive lines concern me the most.

Offensive line: there are two new starters and questions whether they can start off the season like they ended last season. Fullback is an extension of the offensive line and run blocking, and the suspension to Dustin Iverson is troublesome. 

Defensive line: huge unknown right in the middle at NG. Also, suspension to Tank Harris doesn't help. 

suspensions?

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I think we all need to remember there are many more factors that go into determining the starters/backups than physical performance. We get to see the players out on the practice field and how they preform, and don't get me wrong, performing is the most important aspect, but we don't see everything. The coaches also have to take in to consideration how the players are in the locker room (leader or non-leader), film room, and their overall character. The coaching staff sees EVERYTHING. These guys took a 3-8 team that had holes left in it from transfers and managed to get 5 wins out of them. I have complete confidence that their evaluations are the correct ones! 

 

Also, concerning the QB situation. The coaching staff recruits players that they think are or could be better than the players they currently have. If they aren't, they aren't doing their jobs. They brought in Studsrude with the thought that he could be better than the QBs currently on their roster and obviously they are at the point where they think he is. I like the decision.

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I am actually quite happy with how Bubba is handling these players. He did a huge favor to Hinojosa this summer when it could have been handled far differently and was very fair with Iversons' suspension. We will be fine at both positions with the depth and coaching we have.

 

On a side note, how much faster and athletic is this team from 2 years ago, wow!

Not sure what Iverson or Harris did too get suspended, but this is the first I've heard about a situation with Hinojosa. Either way a clean program is what we as a fanbase should demand first and foremost. Wins are great and we should expect wins but some of these programs that win big at all costs make me sick. You're going to have some hiccups. It happens, kids are kids. I just want things getting corrected quickly. Second chances are then earned. Not talking about any programs in particular. Just simply stating and agreeing with Csonked on how it appears Bubba is running things.

End rant, 

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Not sure what Iverson or Harris did too get suspended, but this is the first I've heard about a situation with Hinojosa. Either way a clean program is what we as a fanbase should demand first and foremost. Wins are great and we should expect wins but some of these programs that win big at all costs make me sick. You're going to have some hiccups. It happens, kids are kids. I just want things getting corrected quickly. Second chances are then earned. Not talking about any programs in particular. Just simply stating and agreeing with Csonked on how it appears Bubba is running things.

End rant, 

I didn't hear anything on Harris, but I do know what happened with Iverson. It was nothing major but you can probably all figure out what it was. As with Hinojosa, I do know what happened but because the coaches want to keep it in house, I will respect that and not put out in public what happened. I will say that I was shocked he made it through 2014 and was even more surprised that they announced he left on good terms. He has some inner demons and character issues that need to be resolved before football is a priority and I appreciate that the staff is keeping it private.

The reason I am bringing this up is because at the end of the day these are Student-Athletes. Bubba puts a lot of importance into that and you must earn the right to wear the school colors. He is turning these boys into men and going about it in such a classy way. This team is the tightest it has been in a long time and it is refreshing to see a coach who goes about things in all the right ways.

Edited by Csonked Out
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With the QB battle it is mental more than anything.  Studsrud is the smarter, more cerebral QB and makes better, quicker decisions.  

He isn't smarter. He hasn't made better quicker decisions in games yet cuz he hasn't done much. Joe is an excellent student and completed last semester with a 4.0. The thing I believe makes people uneasy is that Studsrud hasn't done anything yet.  He completed less than 40% of his passes last fall even though we were finally getting something out of our running game and the oline.  He did nothing in the spring game and didn't separate himself this fall.  This is a big year for the program and this staff.  I'm not sure how he moved ahead of Bartles before practice started this spring.  Once there however I assume neither Mollberg or Bartles did enough to displace him.  I'm a Gene Murphy disciple so I believe that you go with the veteran until the vet shows that he  can't get it done or until the younger guy is clearly the choice. Neither of those things have happened.  The other school is to go with the younger guy and let them play through their mistakes.  My job doesn't depend on these decisions.  Bubba's does so you gotta trust him and his staff.

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He isn't smarter. He hasn't made better quicker decisions in games yet cuz he hasn't done much. Joe is an excellent student and completed last semester with a 4.0. The thing I believe makes people uneasy is that Studsrud hasn't done anything yet.  He completed less than 40% of his passes last fall even though we were finally getting something out of our running game and the oline.  He did nothing in the spring game and didn't separate himself this fall.  This is a big year for the program and this staff.  I'm not sure how he moved ahead of Bartles before practice started this spring.  Once there however I assume neither Mollberg or Bartles did enough to displace him.  I'm a Gene Murphy disciple so I believe that you go with the veteran until the vet shows that he  can't get it done or until the younger guy is clearly the choice. Neither of those things have happened.  The other school is to go with the younger guy and let them play through their mistakes.  My job doesn't depend on these decisions.  Bubba's does so you gotta trust him and his staff.

If i'm being nice with how Studsrud played last year, I will steal a quote from the movie Moneyball, "the nice way of saying it is he lacks confidence". He consistently missed open men and rode the legs of our running game. I can't support a quarterback who can't show that they can make the easy throw in game. Molberg looked very calm and collected before he got hurt, and I think some people are forgetting that because it has been awhile. 

I am expecting the 2 deep at quarterback to change this year.

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I didn't hear anything on Harris, but I do know what happened with Iverson. It was nothing major but you can probably all figure out what it was. As with Hinojosa, I do know what happened but because the coaches want to keep it in house, I will respect that and not put out in public what happened. I will say that I was shocked he made it through 2014 and was even more surprised that they announced he left on good terms. He has some inner demons and character issues that need to be resolved before football is a priority and I appreciate that the staff is keeping it private.

The reason I am bringing this up is because at the end of the day these are Student-Athletes. Bubba puts a lot of importance into that and you must earn the right to wear the school colors. He is turning these boys into men and going about it in such a classy way. This team is the tightest it has been in a long time and it is refreshing to see a coach who goes about things in all the right ways.

Encouraging report, Csonked.  Good to hear that character is not just being talked about but is actually being practiced and taught.  That is the intangible that may win us an extra game or two this season.

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Haven't seen a minute of fall camp and the young man undoubtedly has improved since he was thrown into the fire last year as a true freshman, but a starting QB who has connected on about a third of his pass attempts in game situations and finished last year with an efficiency rating of 58 leaves me feeling a little anxious.

Improvement is more than possible.

If it wasn't, then why not just throw every true freshman into the games, and if they perform poorly, assume there's no hope. If that low completion percentage improves and is well over 50%, and he's throwing more touchdowns than interceptions, I think Studsrud will have a good sophomore campaign. Let's keep everything realistic. No reason Studsrud can't complete 50% of his throws and have more TDs than INTs...

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