Commentary about Saint Francis PA

[aceinthehole]

Opar was a good young coach, and it looks like SFPA got another one. But reading this just highlights everything we knew about that job. It could be the hardest FCS school in America to coach and win.

Good luck, as I'd be happy with .500 seasons from them.


St. Francis University has a good reason to be optimistic.

The athletic department hired a very qualified individual to take over a football program that flat out stinks.

Chris Villarrial - an 11-year NFL veteran - replaces Dave Opfar after one year as his offensive coordinator.

The Red Flash saw improvement with Villarrial in charge of the offense, and there's no reason to think he won't do a better job having the entire team under his control.

But this is St. Francis we're talking about - a school built around education, not football.

An enrollment of 1,500 undergraduate students. A small Division I-AA - I mean FCS - program with no tradition. No winning history whatsoever. In the middle of nowhere. A life-size snow globe in the winter months.

Who could possibly want to play football there? Unless, of course, you are already from Cambria or Blair County and have dealt with the area your entire life.

It's just not ideal with options like Penn State, Pitt, IUP, and Cal Pa. all within 100 miles.

Those are just a few of the reasons why Villarrial will have a difficult time, not only with recruiting, but with winning.

It's not his fault. It's not any other coach's fault. It's not the university's fault. It's just what everyone has to deal with having a Division 1 program in Loretto, Pennsylvania.http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/525388.html

[Lehigh Football Nation]

God what a douchebag writer. With writers like that it's no wonder anyone wants to play there.

[Redwyn]

It seems pretty honestly written. Maybe a little blunt, but I like that in a sea of pretty massive PC writers.

St. Francis has its own destiny, as do all of our programs. We may not approve of the other's direction, but it's more a consequence of our own environment than our ambitions.

[Go...gate]

Like Georgetown and some others, St. Francis is trying and they deserve a lot of credit. Fordham struggled and began to find its way over time. The Red Flash, if they keep working at it, will do the same. I did not realize they were only 1,500 in size. They should probably schedule a PL school or two, as they are peers in institutional size. Very old and distinguished Fransiscan school.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Why do horrid sportswriters insist that each of their brainless utterances be separately paragraphed, no matter how brief, tasteless or insipid? It's good for St. Francis, and for the Altoona/Jamestown region, that no one cares what Nate Foreman thinks.

I take it that this guy never in his career went to Fr. Zeis to ask why St. Francis has a football team, and how that team serves the needs of his community and the students at the college. Lazy, caustic, banal opinions are a very poor substitute for journalism. Were Villarrial to punch this jerk in the nose some dark night, I would volunteer to act as his alibi.

[blukeys]

I have to agree with all of the above starting with Chuck and ending with Bogus. I've got to say that this writer's logic defies rationality.

Does this writer really believe that St. Francis is competing with Pitt or Penn State for prospects???? If so (and I really don't thinks so) I would rather be St. Francis offering a specialized Catholic experience as opposed to the mega secular schools. At least St. Francis offers something different. For the kid wanting the St. francis experience, Notre Dame is bigger competition than Penn State.

As for competing with IUP and Cal. Pa, does this bozo really think there is less snow at either school in the Great Lake snow belt??? IUP and CAL. Pa are still limited in scollies. If St. Francis gets to 30+ scollies they should get some good kids.

This guy just slaps together a bunch of assumptions and biases without doing any real research. He gathers no facts and just slaps together a column based on his own prejudices. He should move to the East and work for the Morning Call. xsmiley_wix

[DFW HOYA]

Left unsaid is the tendency for writers to view college programs like high school programs in terms of classifications--if you're a 2A school by enrollment you can't compete with a 4A school.

And, in an unfortunate way, that's a trend across college football. Aside from a few legacy schools, can you be considered a legitimate "big time" program with a smaller enrollment?

If PL schools were all 20,000 student universities, would the soft bigotry of low expectations still apply?

[Wildcat80]

UNH got a taste of his offense this year. And SFPa appeared to be competitive all year. There is alot of talent in Pa that does not get a scholarship opportunity. The right coach could get them competitive fast. UNH knows all about recruiting kids to a less urban region. You CAN do it. xrotatehx

[Pard94]

UNH got a taste of his offense this year. And SFPa appeared to be competitive all year. There is alot of talent in Pa that does not get a scholarship opportunity. The right coach could get them competitive fast. UNH knows all about recruiting kids to a less urban region. You CAN do it. xrotatehx

Yeah but Durham is a quaint college town which caters to the students located 45 minutes from Boston, 10 minutes from the beach (be it what it may), 2 hours from the White Mountains, etc. etc. It's also one of the better college football programs in the country playing in arguably the best league at the FCS level. There is no comparison to be made between the schools when it comes to football.