How would you rate your team so far?

[darell1976]

With half the season gone how would you rate your team?

North Dakota 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the GWFC

Offense: C- UND is starting a lot of young kids and with the loss of Bamba at WR needed someone to step up and Hardin is the answer. Injuries are plaguing UND and our speedy pistol type no huddle offense is non-existant. Landry still sucks at QB has arm strength but is very erratic.

Defense: D- Its horrible teams are gaining so many yards on our team that every game is almost a track meet.

Special Teams: B+ Lots of blocked kicks by Belmore has kept UND in a lot of games.

Coaching: F Both Coordinators and Head Coach need to be canned at the end of the season. Mussman is I believe 14-13 overall and loves our D2 QB in charge. Too many excuses for the losses.

Team: D We are at 2-4 and winless in the GWFC I thought we could be at least 7-4 this year and possible GWFC champs. After the USD game and certainly after the SUU game this team is a 3-8 team at best. I see us with no prayer winning on the road at Cal Poly, Montana, and SDSU. We have UC Davis, and Lamar at home and hopefully can win 1 of those games. Scrap this season and hope for a better one as Landry will be gone due to graduation and as more D2 players filter out maybe we can re-group for next season in our last year possibly in the GWFC and without being eligible for playoffs....looking forward to playoffs in 2012!!!!xprayx

[Twentysix]

sorry to hear that, atleast you can root for ndsu

[Silenoz]

Passing Game A
Rushing Game C
Passing Defense B-
Rushing Defense B+
Kicking Game B+
Other Special Teams F
Turnovers F-
Penalties D+

That's without looking at where we stand nationally on any of those, so total gut feeling ranks

[darell1976]

sorry to hear that, atleast you can root for ndsu

I wish the Bison luck and if they make the playoffs I will cheer for them...I just hope I don't get banned when I visit Grand Forks.xsmiley_wix

[houtexan]

Lamar 3-3 Overall. (1-3 vs. FCS, 2-0 vs. NAIA/DIV II)

Passing Game C
Rushing Game C-
Passing Defense B-
Rushing Defense B-
Kicking Game D
Other Special Teams D
Turnovers F
Penalties C

[Mattymc727]

Defense: A- Offense: C-

[OL FU]

I would give them an incompletexeyebrowx:D

[AppAlum]

Defense: A- Offense: B-

[ngineer]

I see Lehigh at mid-term break as follows:

Passing offense: C- Inability to stetch the field and some bad drops. Too many missed reads.

Rushing offense C+ Plus goes to the effort by Campbell who gives his all, but you can only do so much with a small body. Colvin in the wildcat has been moderately successful. At this point in the year, I was hoping to see a B+ in this category.

Defense Passing C- Was considering a D+, but Lehigh does very good with sacks and rising up for 'the occasion' on occasion. However way too much being given up by this secondary that is experienced. I'd be more lenient with a lot of 'youts'...

Defense Rushing B Other than when forced to be on the field too long by an inefficient offense, no one has really run over the Mountain Hawks, and they have shown some good stoutness in goal line and short yardage situations.

Kicking B+ Punter Smith is very good, though he needs a little better 'touch' at times on the pooches. Still, better than a 40 yard ave. with good hang time.

Place kicking is better than expected. Perfect on PATs, and FG's are made within the expected range. Anything beyond 40 is less than a 50-50 shot, but within range, so far so good. Kickoffs have been good.

Special teams C+ have gotten better in KO coverage and good punt coverage. Long snapper has been on the money.

Turnovers B+ I think Lehigh is now a +4 on the year, so there has been improvement.

Penalties B- Lehigh has gotten better over the past few games after some 'bonehead' events earlier in the season.

So, overall, I'd give us a C+. We are where we expected to be at this stage of the season. No over achievement, but 'generally' meeting expectations with a lot of room for improvement that will have to occur or the year-end grade will drop.

[T-Dog]

Defense: A- Offense: B-

We're scoring 40 points per game (and fans are complaing about the "vanilla play calling") and give up 500+ yards to UTC and Elon. Sure you don't have that backwards?

[JMUNJ08]

James Madison - 4-1 (1-1 CAA)

Offense - D
We were only able to score on Morehead St so far this year. For an offense that is over 30ppg every year, the 21.2ppg avg (14.5ppg without Morehead St) is not a good sign...

Defense - A
The reason we are 4-1. The bend don't break model works better with better DB's right Mickey?

Special Teams - B-
Haven't heard/seen anything big hear yet. Need a new Scotty to make us electric again...

Kicking - D-
Poor inconsistent punting and missed FG's. Been our MO for a few years now. The missed FG cost us possibly going to OT with UD and the punting isn't helping our D or O in the field position game.

Overall - A+ - We beat Virginia Tech, how could we not be happy so far?

[Smitty]

Passing offense: C- Not able to have a QB stay consistent enough to have much of a passing game. However there is a spark every now and then of a decent catch.

Rushing offense D Offensive line is not holding holes long enough to get good run attacks. Most carries go for 2 yards with an occasional long run every now and then.

Defense Passing D The Defense is afraid of big plays so they hang back and allow receivers to complete the short passes.

Defense Rushing C We have been able to stop the run plays, that is until they throw through the air causing them to spread out.

Kicking B Haven't really botched a punt or missed too many field goals.

Special teams C We go for a few yards after kickoff, haven't really had an issue with fumbles for the special teams.

Turnovers D- Definitely having an issue with QBs throwing interceptions. The last game had 4 interceptions alone.

Penalties B- Haven't really noticed the Cats playing dirty. While we have had penalties, they haven't really torn our game apart.


Overall D+ Doesn't look good so far and doesn't look like it will improve either.

[UNHFootballAlum]

Defense: A- Offense: C-

Special Teams - C
Penalties - D

[Mattymc727]

Special Teams - C
Penalties - D

coaching - c (especially offensive play calling)

[panama]

Georgia State 4-2 Overall.

Passing Game A+

Drew Little has a passer rating of 142 and has thrown for 12 TDs and 4 INTs. He currently has 101 straight passes without a pic. Presently surprised and man enough to say I was wrong about him this spring.

Rushing Game B

Has been hot and cold. We have been rotating backs all season. When they are hot they are very hot and when they are cold they are frozen. Ironically our best RB is our backup QB Kelton Hill who has been running a Wildcat type package. Had 6 carries for 95 yards in the second half last week.

Passing Defense B

They have played well and have not allowed too many long plays. They really manned up agaisnt Moorehead State's 300 yds plus per game pass attack.

Rushing Defense C-

They have played better the last two weeks but have not been great. Our DL has gotten very little penetration. Safeties and Linebackers making the majority of tackles scares me.

Kicking Game A+

Has been a surprising bright spot. We have two excellent kickers. Ironic that Bo Schlecter came in as QB and voluntarily moved to WR and will go down in history as great punter. Ian Vance our field goal kicker is lights out. has missed one from 46 all season.
Other Special Teams D

Turnovers B-

Plus one for the season. The Lambuth debacle didnt help.

Penalties B-

Another area where we are improving. Perils of Freshmen and Sophs

[jlandrus23]

Indiana State is currently 3-2 and 1-1 in the MVFC.

Offense: A-
Defense: C+
Special Teams: B-
Coaches: A
Penalties: B-

[Mntneer]

Defense: A- Offense: B-

HUH? Is this a typo or have you not seen an ASU game this season?

[katstrapper]

Sam Houston (3-2 overall , 1-0 Southland)

Kats have made strides in the last 3 weeks by winning three in a row after dropping the first two against Baylor and Western Illinois. Here is how I would grade so far....

Offense.... SHSU offense has 2- freshman, 6- soph and 3-Juniors in the starting lineup and only two seniors in the offensive two deep.
Offense started off slow with inconsistent QB play and a new offensive system. But, after Coach Fritz tweeked the starting lineup a little, the emergence of a true freshman QB (Brian Bell), a transfer redshirt freshman at RB (Timothy Flanders) and an offensive line that now believes it can, Sam Houston is in top of the league in rushing with Flanders leading all RB's in the Southland Conference. Bell has managed the offense very well and limiting turnovers and is in the top half of the conference in passing efficiency.

GRADE: B

Defense

This group had a rough start in the first two games of the year against Baylor and W. Illinois. The secondary couldnt cover anyone, the defensive line couldnt pressure anyone and opposing offenses were strumming our pass defense like a cheap guitar.
BUT, in the 3 game winning streak, the Kat D has stepped up and played like they are capable of playing and starting to put the clamps on teams. Here are the defensive totals in the last three games..

-Only given up 63 total rushing yards
-Registered 20 total sacks (12 in one game against Nicholls St last week.)
- Only given up 31 total points
I want to give them a higher grade, but they still need to improve on pass defense.

GRADE: C+

SPECIAL TEAMS

-PK Miquel Antonio leads the Southland in kicking (scoring), FG pct, FG made, and tied for 1st in PAT's
- KR Brandon Closner is 2nd in Punt returns, 4th in kick returns in SLC
- Punting game is still lacking.

Grade: B+

COACHING

Coach Willie Fritz is in his first year as SHSU Head Coach, but not a stranger to the campus. He was an Asst Coach in the 90's under Coach Randleman. Coach Fritz has done a phenomenal job thus far having to change the mind set of this program after Todd Whitten left.
SHSU only has 7 seniors on the 2010 roster and 41 freshman (7 RS Freshman). What Coach Fritz and his coaching staff has done in a short amount of time is nothing short of amazing. After 5 games, I would have never thought SHSU would be 3-2.

GRADE: A

[SpeedkingATL]

HUH? Is this a typo or have you not seen an ASU game this season?

Offense = A - 40 points and around 500 yards per game. Better than expected with Presley at QB.

Defense = C -The pieces of an excellent defense are there, they just haven't jelled yet. To be continued.

Special Teams - Return game = B-, Coverage game = C-, Kicking game = B

Not qualified to grade the coaching. 6-0 record would tend to mean the coaching has done what is required.

[Houndawg]

You have to consider the context in the case of SIU. And when you do you see a hell of a coaching job.

3 of 4 starters from the best secondary in the FCS are gone for the year and so are two more CBs who get significant pt. RS freshman replacing a 1st team All-American FS. (And doing a helluva job so far).

Two best o linemen didn't play much the first 3 weeks

No seniors on the 2-deep o line chart

Four seniors on the defense 2-deep chart

Bad losses to SEMO and YSU

In spite of all that we sit in a 3-way tie for the MVC lead with UNI and WIU, having beaten UNI and getting WIU at home. We control our destiny. (And if we do beat the odds and win out we're likely to get a rematch with SEMO)
. So I'd rate us pretty good.

[SalukiJim]

You have to consider the context in the case of SIU. And when you do you see a hell of a coaching job.

3 of 4 starters from the best secondary in the FCS are gone for the year and so are two more CBs who get significant pt. RS freshman replacing a 1st team All-American FS. (And doing a helluva job so far).

Two best o linemen didn't play much the first 3 weeks

No seniors on the 2-deep o line chart

Four seniors on the defense 2-deep chart

Bad losses to SEMO and YSU

In spite of all that we sit in a 3-way tie for the MVC lead with UNI and WIU, having beaten UNI and getting WIU at home. We control our destiny. (And if we do beat the odds and win out we're likely to get a rematch with SEMO)
. So I'd rate us pretty good.

I would say for us, it depends on the week. One week we can't stop the run, one week we can't be stopped running it. Hanging on by a thread because with one more loss we become playoff-ineligible unless we win the conference. (no emoticon for nail-biting). And now that SEMO is off and running, that week 3 loss doesn't look as bad as it felt at the time.

[Houndawg]

I would say for us, it depends on the week. One week we can't stop the run, one week we can't be stopped running it. Hanging on by a thread because with one more loss we become playoff-ineligible unless we win the conference. (no emoticon for nail-biting). And now that SEMO is off and running, that week 3 loss doesn't look as bad as it felt at the time.

Nor does the U of I loss look as bad.

We are in charge of our fate. Win out and we're the AQ. If we get past the Jacks, hardly a given, we get a bye week after that and could be as healthy a we've been this year for the second half.

[appfan2008]

Offense A
Rush A-
Pass A

Defense C+
Rush B+
Pass D

Special Teams B-
Kicking A-
Punting B+
Kick Coverage C
Punt Coverage B-

Coaching B+
Offense A
Defense C

[SalukiJim]

Nor does the U of I loss look as bad.

We are in charge of our fate. Win out and we're the AQ. If we get past the Jacks, hardly a given, we get a bye week after that and could be as healthy a we've been this year for the second half.

xthumbsupxxthumbsupxxthumbsupx

Just wondering how that and the Western game will shape up.

[Canyoncat]

Montana State

Rushing Offense A
Passing Offense A+
Total Offense A+ 516 yrds per game & 44 points per game

Rushing Defense C
Pass Defense C
Total Defense C Played well the first 4 games, really bad against Sac State, but a little better against Portland State. Still giving up too many big plays.

[KiddBrewer]

Offense A
Rush A-
Pass A

Defense C+
Rush B+
Pass D

Special Teams B-
Kicking A-
Punting B+
Kick Coverage C
Punt Coverage B-

Coaching B+
Offense A
Defense C

yea, what he said! ^^^^

[Sycamore51]

Indiana State is currently 3-2 and 1-1 in the MVFC.

Offense: A-Defense: C+
Special Teams: B-
Coaches: A
Penalties: B-

I'm about where you are on everything else. I think with only scoring 7 points in 2 of our 5 games this might be a little high. I would give a solid B though.

[purplejacks]

SFA

Offense C+

Everyone raves about this group, but when you look at this year vs. last year, we are just above average. Very young receiving corps who are still making mistakes & our running game (what running game ??). This is the biggest disappointment this year. Jacks are very one-dimensional and teams are starting to load up on pass defense (see McNeese State)

Defense B

Solid group so far against the run and pass. Have been able to rush the passer with just 4 and getting great pressure. Problem now is injuries. Jacks have had several key defensive backs injured in last 2 weeks and are now paper thin. Could be big problems for rest of the season

Special Teams D

Nothing special about this group. Cannot kick field goals or extra points - have had 3 blocked in last 2 games and missed 2 chipshot FG's. Kick coverage is flip a coin..one time great, the next two you just hold your breath.

Lot of games left to play - so this team could go either way - but injuries will likely be the tale of the tape.

[SalukiJim]

I'm about where you are on everything else. I think with only scoring 7 points in 2 of our 5 games this might be a little high. I would give a solid B though.

Hey, is Fouch really as good as his 9-td to 1-int ratio? Are the Sycamores running the ball and putting him in better cirumstances/down-and-distance situations this year? Or is he airing it out really well?

[GannonFan]

At this point, everything at UD is top rate. Hard to find a flaw. It may come up when we play W&M, UMass, and nova in the last few weeks, but so far every test has been passed with flying colors. Great offense, great defense, great special teams. Still just 6 games into it, but so far so good.

[Brad82]

Rhody=improved

[Dane96]

Albany- Young, but improving week to week. I think next season will be a huge jump in wins, etc. The team is full of R-FR and Sophs at many key positions.

[sycamorefanboy]

Hey, is Fouch really as good as his 9-td to 1-int ratio? Are the Sycamores running the ball and putting him in better cirumstances/down-and-distance situations this year? Or is he airing it out really well?

well he got kinda lucky this past weekend as he had two passed hit off redbird defenders only to be caught by our guys for tds. but this kid is for real very patient and shakir bell is a stud!

[Ivytalk]

Harvard: B+. They sucked at Brown but have done well otherwise. And no, they were never at risk of losing to Cornell.

[blukeys]

Harvard: B+. They sucked at Brown but have done well otherwise. And no, they were never at risk of losing to Cornell.

Harvard made Lafayette look like a Pop Warner team. They are very good. Too bad the Ivy League idiots won't let them into the playoffs.

[Indianastate45]

Hey, is Fouch really as good as his 9-td to 1-int ratio? Are the Sycamores running the ball and putting him in better cirumstances/down-and-distance situations this year? Or is he airing it out really well?

Saluki Jim......Fouch is the real deal. He was Jake Locker's back up and started most of 2008 at Washington. He can throw and makes good decisions. We also have the luxury of having two feature backs who are averaging +/- 100 Ypg each. The line can block (big improvement) and Fouch has receivers who can catch. As for one of the deflections last weekend...the play was made by Justin Hilton when he saw the ball tipped and sprinted to it catching it full speed and scoring a 40 yard score burning anyone near him. The O is full of playmakers all doing their part. This season has been really gratifying to watch as a former player. BTW I got my first start in a ISU -SIU game back in the day.

[cmaxwellgsu]

Overall: B. We've been in every game, and we have put teams away in the victories. We're ahead of schedule, but the tough part lies ahead.
Offense: B. We're not turning it over, but we're not really explosive yet. We are improving.
Defense: B. Good play up front, but we need to be a little in the secondary.

[BlueHenSinfonian]

Delaware -

Offense -

Run Game: A+

AP can tear up any run defense, and the secondary backs can easily carry their own weight. Pierce is arguably already the best RB in FCS, and given that he is only a freshman, things can only get better.

Passing Game: B

Devlin is the name people like to throw around, and he can throw a great pass when things line up, but I'm not entirely sold on his accuracy, and this year he has been a bit injury prone (although a certain JMU player with a hitman complex may have had something to do with that). Against Maine he showed he wasn't afraid to run, even with the injured wrist, though his accuracy still isn't as good as past UD QB greats like Joe Flacco, Andy Hall, or Rich Gannon. The rustiness can be attributed partially to lack of playing time this season, the injuries have kept him off of the field a lot. Hurt QBs seem to be a trend in the top CAA teams this year, but at least Devlin is ready to take the field again next week, and Sasek looks to be a start in the making once he gets over the nerves. All in all the QB situation is good, but not great.

Defense:

Run Defense: B+

We are great at stopping runs up the gut, but Maine showed an ability to gain a couple yards per play by running to the outside, this needs to be addressed or future competitors may take advantage of it.

Pass Defense: B+

Delaware seems to be going for the 'Bend don't Break' approach this year, which is working so far. We have some good interceptions none-the-less, but we could have given away some key points if not for the errors made by opposing teams receivers. So far the passing D has worked, but I'd like to see the game stepped up a notch for our upcoming games against UMass, W&M, and 'Nova.

Special Teams:

Kick Returns: B+

Nothing to reports here, solid efforts, above average returns, but nothing earth shattering thus far.

Punting: A+

The Maine game was a showcase for punting ability. Let's hope we can keep that momentum going.

Extra Points and Field Goals: B-

This is a tough one. We've missed multiple extra points this season, and there is no excuse for that, the extra point should be a gimme, and be accurate and good 99.9% of the time. On the other hand, field goals, even from a distance, have had a good rate of success.

Coaching: A+

What can anyone say other than Keeler is one of the best, if not THE best, coach in the FCS. Tubby Raymond was great, he was a legend, but the future isn't in the Wing-T or the option, and KC has modernized the offense effectively while at the same time showing great skill at recruiting both new students and transfers. He may be an egomaniac and asshole at time, but the man knows how to win games, and he has taken UD to the NC game twice so far with another opportunity looming in the wings for this year.

[Sycamore51]

Hey, is Fouch really as good as his 9-td to 1-int ratio? Are the Sycamores running the ball and putting him in better cirumstances/down-and-distance situations this year? Or is he airing it out really well?
The answer is both. He is very good, but so is our running game. We've got 2 great backs, plus a heck of a short yardage game. If you pack 8 or more like you used to be able to do against us, he will pick you apart. If you drop 4 of 5, we have the backs and a line that has a lot of starters from freshman year on that can run.

[LeadBolt]

W&M has shown grit in the light of graduation losses and a spate of injuries. They have been steadily improving. Special teams are still a bit shaky, but the offensive line and defense have shown marked improvement. With Del, UNC, UNH, JMU and Richmond on the horizon we will see how far they can go. A bye this week should help prepare for the tough schedule ahead.

[appfan2008]

yea, what he said! ^^^^

Thanks!

I hope those defense grades can improve!

[Oldhen]

Delaware -

Offense -

Run Game: A+

AP can tear up any run defense, and the secondary backs can easily carry their own weight. Pierce is arguably already the best RB in FCS, and given that he is only a freshman, things can only get better..

I like AP a lot, and think he's got great potential. That said, we've struggled on the ground against JMU and Maine. I'd say B+/A-



Passing Game: B

Devlin is the name people like to throw around, and he can throw a great pass when things line up, but I'm not entirely sold on his accuracy, and this year he has been a bit injury prone

He's missed two games and KC was trying to get the OL/RB's ramped up first. Passing game is a little behind, and some of that is on the WR's. I say B+





Defense:

Run Defense: B+

We are great at stopping runs up the gut, but Maine showed an ability to gain a couple yards per play by running to the outside, this needs to be addressed or future competitors may take advantage of it.

I'm inclined to agree.




Pass Defense: B+

Delaware seems to be going for the 'Bend don't Break' approach this year, which is working so far.

We've played soft with a lead. W&M, UMass, and 'Nova will require our best.




Special Teams:

Kick Returns: B+

Nothing to reports here, solid efforts, above average returns, but nothing earth shattering thus far.

Punting: A+

The Maine game was a showcase for punting ability. Let's hope we can keep that momentum going.

Extra Points and Field Goals: B-

This is a tough one. We've missed multiple extra points this season, and there is no excuse for that, the extra point should be a gimme, and be accurate and good 99.9% of the time. On the other hand, field goals, even from a distance, have had a good rate of success.

Noting to quibble with there.




Coaching: A+

What can anyone say other than Keeler is one of the best, if not THE best, coach in the FCS.

I admire your enthusiasm. Two trips to the NC game in a four year span are nothing to sneeze at. KC's record has been one of highs and lows, and I think his learning curve in recruiting has been much, much steeper than he expected. That said, there are early signs he's stocking the roster for long term success. We'll know more about that by this time next year, when we see how UD does replacing some critical perfomers. He's also benefitting this year from some stability in his coaching ranks, with both Rapone and Hofher having been around a couple of years. That's really done wonders, particularly Hofher and Ginn with the passing schemes.