Gridiron Dynasty - University of Puget Sound

[joannes3000]

6/22/2007 Texas Lutheran 8-43 w

6/23/2007 at #3 Mississippi 21-34 l

6/24/2007 Austin 6-42 w

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Texas Lutheran continues to languish. The score was 27-0 at the half and it was over from there. The ground game provided 268 yards and 4 TDs while the passing game put up 245 yards and 2 TDs.

Judgement Day was unkind this year. We were literally helpless on defense as we surrendered 438 yards on the ground as Mississippi ran the ball EVERY PLAY OF THE GAME. As of right now that total is 1/3 of the rushing yards we've allowed all season. We ran for 157 yards and 2 TDs while passing for 198 yards and 1 TD.

We ended the 1st quarter by forcing a turnover and had the ball at their 36. We opened the 2nd quarter by throwing a pick. We give up the lead with a TD drive and sensing the game was going to get out of hand, we went for it on 4th and 7 at their 16. An incomplete pass was the end of the game for us at that point.

Any hope of a comeback was dashed when we fumbled on the very first play of the 2nd half.

We got back on the winning track at home against Austin. We ran for 285 yards and 2 TDs, while passing for 214 yards and 4 TDs.

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I'm still upset over the loss against Mississippi. My post game interview with the ESPN Gameday crew was cut short when I started cussing out our defense due to their inability to stop the run. It was a long trip back to campus and I had a lot of time to assess what caused us to get absolutely manhandled.

Mississippi has arguably the best RB in the country in Dennis Smith, who is 3rd in the nation with nearly 2200 yards rushing. I felt our DL was better than their OL, though, which led me to believe we could contain him. 161 yards and 3 TDs isn't containment, however. We can and will get better at DL and LB because it was demoralizing to watch a team have it's way with us.

This was our first loss of the season and we are currently ranked 20th with one more tough road game against ETB left on the slate. Barring some sound game planning and a bit of luck, we might be looking at a 2 loss season and being out of the playoffs. Chances are, we'll sneak in as a 7 or 8 seed, but I would've liked our chances more if we would've beaten Mississippi and gotten to the CC. We'll see soon enough with only a few games left in the regular season.

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6/26/2007 Mary Hardin-Baylor

6/27/2007 Louisiana

6/28/2007 at East Texas Baptist

[joannes3000]

6/25/2007 at Hardin-Simmons 35-17 w

6/26/2007 Mary Hardin-Baylor 7-48 w

6/27/2007 Louisiana 18-48 w

6/28/2007 at #11 East Texas Baptist 28-31 l

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Our first tune up for ETB went ok for a road game. We ran for 251 yards and 4 TDs while passing for 165 yards and 1 TD. Our defense gave up 244 yards and 2 TDs through the air, however, and didn't force an INT.

Mary Hardin-Baylor offered little resistance as tune up #2. We ran for 331 yards and 3 scores and passed for 136 yards and 4 scores.

The final tune up against Louisiana was a route also. We continued to run well, grinding out 315 yards and 6 scores on the ground while passing for 195 yards and 1 score.

I hate home field advantage, that's all there is to say. There is no other way to explain 4 offensive penalties in the 3rd quarter alone plus 9 total penalties in the 4th quarter, including back-to-back holding penalties while ETB was on their game-winning drive. I'm honestly pissed about losing an imaginary game due to penalties.

The ESPN Gameday crew was on hand and I'm beginning to think if they're the cause of our bad luck on the road this season. I gave Lee Corso hell for bringing up our road loss against Mississippi 5 days ago. He struck a nerve when he suggested that I'm a choke artist when it comes to rivalry games, citing my 2-4 record against ETB since I took over at CMH. I told him that although ETB has had my number lately, only an idiot would use such a small sample to draw such a large conclusion.

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Much like the NBA draft later today, the CMH faithful are left to do nothing but speculate on what happens next. With only a field of 32 to draw from, you'd think we were a lock, as we have a strong case for the selection committee to look over:

*2 road losses against top 25 teams with what will be a combined 26-2 record after the CC.

*A #25 ranking in the coaches poll (only 2 loss team ranked) and 19 points shy of the #25 ranking in the press poll.

I don't like losing games late in the season, however, and I'm playing the part of the pessimist until the playoff seedings are announced in two days.

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Overall I'm still pleased with our results for the season. Offensively we passed for 2964 yards with a 63.8% completion rate (185/290) and had a TD/INT ratio of 30/6. Our running game produced 3240 yards and 49 TDs on 519 carries. Defensively we allowed 2796 passing yards with a 53.5% completion rate (198/370) and had a TD/INT ratio of 11/21. Our run defense allowed 1569 yards and 16 TDs on 405 carries.

Individual stars, with MVPs highlighted:

*QB John Brown (JR) - 2551 yards, 64.6%, 25/4

*RB Jerry Horn (SR) - 1792 yards, 7.3 YPC, 16 TD

*WR Carl Patterson (SR) - 44 rec, 832 yards, 10 TD

*TE Marvin Munoz (SR) - 48 rec, 878 yards, 6 TD

*DE Willie Clarke (SO) - 63 tkl, 4 FF

*LB Eddie Gunn (FR) - 34 tkl, 3 sacks, 4 INT, 10 PD

*DB Walter Fuller (SR) - 41 tkl, 3 sacks, 2 FF, 6 INT, 29 PD

[joannes3000]

In a complete and utter shock, I got the news today that CMH will not be in the DIII playoffs this year. Despite our best efforts and a great showing during the season, we simply couldn't impress the voters enough. When the National Tournament seedings were released, the entire CMH campus was in an uproar.

Here is a link to the Collegiate Insider report that breaks down the playoff teams for this season. Take note that we were the firs team on the 'bubbles burst' list. Also note that a 4 loss team (Trinity) snuck in solely on the merit of them winning their CC. Not to take anything away from Trinity, but if you put us on neutral ground for a playoff elimination game, I can all but guarantee that we would win. Hell, we'd play on their home field and give them a run for the money.

Our only two losses all year were to the eventual CC participants in the ASC, which you can argue is the most competitive DIII conference in the country. Those two teams would up with a #3 seed (ETB) and a #4 seed (MISS) in the tourney. We had a rally at the CMH campus this afternoon shortly after the seedings were released and I took full blame for failing to make the playoffs this year. We had all the opportunities to determine our own destiny and it was my shortcomings in those two critical road losses that put us at the mercy of the voters.

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Despite our lackluster finish, next season looks promising. While we will lose some key contributors, the cupboard is getting less and less bare each year. A little more creative roster management should get us where we want to be - averaging 12-13 graduates each season instead of having peaks and valleys.

Offensively we lose our top 3 rushers again, but we will be in good shape from here on out. Raymond Hoyt (SO) looks to be the next big thing at the RB position for us. We lose a good bit in the receiving department, with our top two TEs and top WR graduating, but we have some youngsters with a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Our OL takes the biggest hit, graduating 3 seniors, but after next season (3 JRs) we should be in good shape there as well.

Defensively we take a substantial hit on the DL, graduating 4 SRs. We will be very raw at that position for a season or two until we get our classes balanced out. We also graduate 3 DBs, but we are in much better shape with the recruits we had this year.

Overall we graduate 16 players, so this will be one of those peak classes. We will be redshirting the maximum of 3 incoming players to balance out this class. Depending on how recruits look, I'm hoping to RS 1 DL, 1 DB, and 1 OL. That will put us in good shape for future graduating classes.

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The road through the ASC doesn't look to get any easier in upcoming seasons, with so many strong recruiting classes coming in last year. ETB continues to have a sranglehold on the CC but we like our chances in any given season. The biggest factor at this point for us is how our scheduling shakes out. It's getting to the point now that the only games that we worry about are against ETB and MISS, and mostly if they are road games.

Nationally, Pomona-Pitzer and Menlo continue to lead the pack of CA schools but we aren't that far behind. If we continue to show progress, we should catch up to them in a few seasons. Pomona is the biggest threat in regards to recruting because they are literally next door to our campus, but we didn't have problems recruiting against them last year. Hopefully that trend will continue in the seasons to come.

[joannes3000]

There are rumors swirling that I am receiving some lucrative offers from DII schools this offseason. Unlike Nick Saban I've been very up front about my future plans ever since our playoff run last season.

As it stands, I have my eyes set on only a select few coaching opportunities at the next level and the CMH AD is fully aware of this. One such opportunity has become available and as of now, I have officially put my name on the list of interested coaches with no intention of withdrawing myself from consideration.

Honestly, I had no plans of leaving CMH for another few seasons, but I told the AD of my intentions at the conclusion of last season. We have a growing foundation at CMH and things only look to be getting better with time - we continue to win a similar amount of games compared to other area schools, our conference sends a healthy number of teams to the playoffs each season, and we have a realistic shot of winning the CC every season.

So why would I even think of stepping away? Economics. With diminishing returns on reward points at every coaching level except DIA, I need to get at least a handful of teams in separate worlds to the uppper levels so I don't have to pay to play GD. I haven't paid for any of the last four combined seasons with either of my two teams and I don't want to start now. I told my fellow ASC coaches that I will make my way back to DIII one day with plans to establish dynasties at every level.

[joannes3000]

I`m very sorry to hear about your decision to leave Claremont McKenna-Harvey, Coach. Thanks for all of your hard work during your tenure here and we wish you continued success.

Brendon Cowan

President

Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges

Sylvester Chapman

Athletic Director

Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges

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One door closes and another one opens.

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Welcome to Nebraska-Omaha, Coach! We are thrilled to have you leading our program and we are sure that you can lead us to great success.

Dewitt Hays

President

University of Nebraska at Omaha

Jackie Marshall

Athletic Director

University of Nebraska at Omaha

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Remember when I said that there were only a handful of jobs that I would readily leave CMH for? Nebraska-Omaha was one of them. Here is a breakdown of the team's 4 year history:

Season 29: 14-2, #11 ranking, CC, 2nd round playoff loss

Season 28: 14-3, NR, quarterfinal playoff loss

Season 27: 13-3, #14 ranking, 2nd round playoff loss

Season 26: 13-3, NR, 2nd round playoff loss

Given what I've learned thus far at DIII, I think I'm more than prepared to sustain the level of excellence that UNO has in place. I also have experience recruiting from the Nebraska area because my other team (Leahy, DII Wayne State) is located in Nebraska. I'm excited to get the ball rolling and it will start soon enough with recruiting set to begin on the 11th.

[AHF]

Looks like it is time to start a new thread!

Congrats on the new position.

[joannes3000]

Quote:

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Looks like it is time to start a new thread!

Congrats on the new position.

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Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. It'll be a lot easier to navigate with a thread for each division vs having one humongous one.