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FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

Its one thing if he runs for close to 300 yards as part of a comprehensive pro-set and then have 30 or 40 points on the board

Its another if he runs for 300 yards, literally the entire offensive output, and they only manage 17 points (against a sun belt team)

He got the ball on nearly every play so of course hes gonna rack up yards.  Yards dont win games though.

We simply dont have the mental confidence, skillset, experience, or offensive style to win in a game of nonstop downpour.  We started out ok because we were confident, but the mistakes that were made brought desperation and you could see Rusty getting pissed and frustrated and his play only got worse.

We need our stadium so we can negotiate 1 for 1 or 2 for 1 deals because lets face it, we NEED home field advantage if we are going to try and beat a BCS team.

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

We cannot "Pin" this on the rain. We should pin this on the fact we are a one dimensional team.  That one dimension obviously did not function in the rain.  That's on us, not mother nature.  It does make for an easy excuse, however.  Sorry to say this, but if Rusty cannot play in the rain, the NFL will not be calling.  Last time I checked, it rains almost everywhere.  Let's bounce back next week in Minny (in a dome).  No excuses, please.  I felt the defense did play a lot better.  Was it because the rain kept MSU from scoring more points or did we really improve?  I hope we really improved.  We will find out next week.  I don't really care if the guy runs for 900 yards, I only care about the points on the scoreboard and we didn't have any.
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

fauowl said

We cannot "Pin" this on the rain. We should pin this on the fact we are a one dimensional team.

EXACTLY. We are a one dimensional team and our one dimension doesn't work in bad weather. Michigan State is also pretty one dimensional, but their dimension works in bad weather. Had it been a beautiful sunny day we probably would have had much more success moving the ball. So the fact is that the weather did impact the game and it exposed us as a one dimensional team.

GO OWLS!!!

2017 and 2019 Conference USA Champions
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

owlfan1 said

fauowl said

We cannot "Pin" this on the rain. We should pin this on the fact we are a one dimensional team.

EXACTLY. We are a one dimensional team and our one dimension doesn't work in bad weather. Michigan State is also pretty one dimensional, but their dimension works in bad weather. Had it been a beautiful sunny day we probably would have had much more success moving the ball. So the fact is that the weather did impact the game and it exposed us as a one dimensional team.

GO OWLS!!!

I don't get this notion that we have been "exposed".  Exposed how?  It was no secret that we rely heavily on the passing game.  Everyone we play knows it.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Usually it doesn't matter since we are good at it.  It only becomes an issue when we play in a driving rain the entire game and it isn't like that is an every week occurrence.

I didn't hear anyone complaining about being "one dimensional" last year when we were winning the Sun Belt or a Bowl game.  This is our offense.  It has worked for Coach for decades, I don't think he is changing now.  Plus, but I didn't see anyone complaining about our running game last week.  Against teams we match up with talent-wise, like UAB and the SBC, we run the ball fine.  Going against a good BCS team like MSU, we have to rely on our strengths to win.  When that was taken away today, we struggled.

You all can drive yourself nuts going over what went wrong if you like, but I'm going to look on the bright side.  For some reason it seems like there has been nothing but negativity around here for weeks and I'm tired of it.  I think it started with some people's unrealistic expectations heading into the Texas game.  I would have LOVED to win the Texas game or today's game.  But going into the season, I didn't think either was a likely win for us.  Right now we are exactly where I thought we'd be.  If we start losing Sun Belt games, I'll be right there with you worrying about this season.  But until that happens, nothing has changed for us.  Our realistic goals are still intact.  Before the season I wanted to win one more OOC game then we did last season.  If we win next week in Minnesota, we will have done that.  Then I want to win the Sun Belt and go back to a Bowl.  That is still very much a possibility.

Everyone just needs to relax and realize that the season has just begun.  We ran into some bad luck today with the weather….and I'm not using it as an excuse.  More then likely, we still wouldn't have won this game, but it did greatly impact what we do and that can't be denied.  It happens. But we did accomplish something today.  We competed late into a BCS road game for the first time.  I also saw the defense make positive strides.  It was ugly, but we had a chance and that's all you can ask on the road against a BCS team.  We'll bounce back…we always do.  Ok…enough of my rant.

Go Owls!!
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

A few thoughts after attending the game…

~~~RAIN….SUCKS…enough said!  Never stopped raining and is STILL pouring here @ 1:20 am… BLAH..

Though I grew up a University of Michigan fan, I have to hand it to the MSU fan base, as they were very respectful and quite fun to be around. Many were excited to see Rusty and our "high powered" offense. It's too bad they were not able to show it off.

Spartan Stadium is great and is something I would like to strive for! Start with a field…build up…this was reflected in the recently constructed suites and sky boxes!

The game was a wash out for both teams. I hate to say it, but had the weather been clear, I still feel that Ringer would have ran us over, possibly for even more yards, as he was unstoppable.

On the positive side, we did it! We are here competing @ this level! It made me so proud to think that just seven short years ago I was watching us get debut against Slippery Rock. We are going to be just fine and for now should focus on winning the Sun Belt and bringing home another New Orleans Bowl victory!

Here's to the Owls….and a dry set of clothes!!!


GO OWLS
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

FAUALUM2005 said

The game was a wash out for both teams. I hate to say it, but had the weather been clear, I still feel that Ringer would have ran us over, possibly for even more yards, as he was unstoppable.

I don't buy the "if there was no rain, Ringer would have put up way more points" line. It's not like he's was trying to score and the ball slipped out because it was wet… or he was trying to run but slipped and fell on his ass.

Really, think about it. The only thing that would have changed is that Hoyer may not have fumbled the ball as often and so Ringer would have had a handful more opportunities to run the ball.

Unbelievably (considering how we played in the first two weeks), our defense stopped him. That's why he didn't score more than 17… not the rain.

Had it not rained, we would have won this game. That's what would have been different.

But it's in the past now.
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

plain and simple. we sucked. there's no reason why could not have won that game.
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

fauowls44 said

owlfan1 said

fauowl said

We cannot "Pin" this on the rain. We should pin this on the fact we are a one dimensional team.

EXACTLY. We are a one dimensional team and our one dimension doesn't work in bad weather. Michigan State is also pretty one dimensional, but their dimension works in bad weather. Had it been a beautiful sunny day we probably would have had much more success moving the ball. So the fact is that the weather did impact the game and it exposed us as a one dimensional team.

GO OWLS!!!

I don't get this notion that we have been "exposed".  Exposed how?  It was no secret that we rely heavily on the passing game.  Everyone we play knows it.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Usually it doesn't matter since we are good at it.  It only becomes an issue when we play in a driving rain the entire game and it isn't like that is an every week occurrence.


I don't mean it exposed us like it let the cat out of the bag and now other teams suddenly know we are one dimensional. I mean that the bad conditions highlighted our one dimensional offense.

I think the run game has been a weakness since this program began and most people have made mention of it. So to say that we were all content with the offense last year isn't true. We were happy with the passing offense, but to be a complete team we need to develop a viable second option in a ground game.

GO OWLS!!!

2017 and 2019 Conference USA Champions
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

owlfan1 said

fauowls44 said

owlfan1 said

fauowl said

We cannot "Pin" this on the rain. We should pin this on the fact we are a one dimensional team.

EXACTLY. We are a one dimensional team and our one dimension doesn't work in bad weather. Michigan State is also pretty one dimensional, but their dimension works in bad weather. Had it been a beautiful sunny day we probably would have had much more success moving the ball. So the fact is that the weather did impact the game and it exposed us as a one dimensional team.

GO OWLS!!!

I don't get this notion that we have been "exposed".  Exposed how?  It was no secret that we rely heavily on the passing game.  Everyone we play knows it.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Usually it doesn't matter since we are good at it.  It only becomes an issue when we play in a driving rain the entire game and it isn't like that is an every week occurrence.


I don't mean it exposed us like it let the cat out of the bag and now other teams suddenly know we are one dimensional. I mean that the bad conditions highlighted our one dimensional offense.

I think the run game has been a weakness since this program began and most people have made mention of it. So to say that we were all content with the offense last year isn't true. We were happy with the passing offense, but to be a complete team we need to develop a viable second option in a ground game.

GO OWLS!!!

Is our passing game better then our running game?  Of course.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Our passing game is very good and it wins us games.  The fact is though, when we play teams more "our own size", our running game is fine.  Against SBC opponents last year: MTSU - 216 yards, 5.1 y/c, NT - 216 yards, 5.1 y/c, ULL - 126 yards, 3.0 y/c, ULM - 128 yards, 3.9 y/c, Ark St. - 105 yards, 2.7 y/c, FIU - 238 yards, 7.6 y/c, Troy - 141 yards, 3.8 y/c.  Against CUSA: UAB - 196 yards, 7.8 y/c…Memphis in the bowl - 115 yards, 3.5 y/c.

That is 9 games against teams on our level of college football…8 wins, 1 loss(in 3OT).  All of those teams knew we wanted to throw the ball and we did.  We also mixed in the run effectively enough.  I don't see why that would change this season when the offensive talent is better and more experienced then last year.

I know that the running game can get better and it will need to get better if we are going to consistenly beat BCS schools.  The good news for us though is that we aren't trying to win the Big Ten or Big 12 this year.  We are gunning for another SBC crown and there is no reason to believe that we can't accomplish that. 
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Re: FAU @ MICHIGAN STATE POST GAME THOUGHTS

Cant wait til Stinson can get some touches, excited to see what he can do on the field

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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