Like a fly on a rhino

Big Sky hurdle champion

I’ve never heard anyone talk so slow and say so little as the UCLA guy

I loved the Tulsa player who cramped up after flexing his muscles showing off.

I suppose the lone safety is usually Venable. On the plus side, he’s still involved in a lot of tackles, leading the team. Which leaves unanswered if the scheme allows too many intermediate depth passes. Against a team with really dangerous after the catch runners, allowing that catch result in big plays. Idaho had some dangerous receivers though, as did Weber.

After the San Diego game the critique of the performance is that we didn’t have an impressive ground game. After Dixie it was we didn’t have a good passing game and that our pass defense was suspect. We easily won both games. . Not much can be gleaned from those games, and they inflate our scoring average. Its probably best to disregard those two games.

In the Tulsa, Weber and Idaho games we outscored the opponents 63-51.

Our wins showed that we can hold good offenses under twenty points, and our offense can opportunistically score and can run out the clock at the end of games. We aren’t an offensive juggernaut, except against weaker teams. We’re not a shut out defense either, we’re more bend and get turnovers. Both offense and defense have ability to turn it up in spots. We have reason to think the team will get better on both offense and defense due to the youth we have.

Having watched a bit of ISU against North Dakota, Sac State and NAU, they repeatedly look like they’re competitive and then something happens.
Against North Dakota it was trying four runs at the goal line and not getting any points, against Sac State they shifted their defensive line just before the snap on a punt and got called for having a man over the long snapper, which is apparently against the rules. Against NAU they were in the game until they collapsed in the second quarter largely due to interceptions, thrown by their backup QB. If they don’t shoot themselves in the foot they can be a threat, their game against Sac is more indicative than their NAU game.
The mobile true freshman NAU QB looked good, too bad he’s too short just like our guys.

What’s with Winston Williams not having a roster number? He seemed to be one of our most offered recruits. The game notes by the way list everyone, not just the traveling roster.

You know that series following the disputed catch at about 12 minutes to go in the fourth quarter where we forced Idaho to punt? After Idaho picked up nine yards on first down with a pass, they tried to send their heavy running back,, Carter up the middle on 2nd and 1. Suani was at nose tackle and he dropped Carter for about a one yard loss, looked like an unassisted tackle to me, Then they tried up the middle again and there’s a crowd there, but I think Suani was in the middle of it. He’s turned into a very effective nose tackle. He’s not just hard to move, he gets penetration.

I wondered why Gunnor Faulk almost never gets any mention of his quarterbacking a divisional state championship team in Georgia. Its the kind of thing you might expect Scott Marsh to mention. But, it turns out it’s due to the roster bio! Gunnor only played one year at Christian Brothers the prior accomplishments were at Pace Academy in Georgia.

Here is the roster bio:

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HS '18: Played football all four years, baseball and basketball for one... With Faulk on each team's roster, Christian Brothers won football and basketball state championships during his sophomore year... Focused on football throughout his final two years on campus... Threw for 1,000 yards, and ran for another 400 during his junior season... Ended his senior season with 1,500 passing yards, 550 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns.

Gunnor, by the way broke most of the Christian Brothers high school passing records previously held by the Idaho State QB Tyler Van Der Waal.
Gunnor was 13 of 15 with a touchdown as a high school sophomore in the state title game.

I guess they know what TT can and can’t throw from practice. My belief is if he can’t make most of the throws he would already be a safety. Way back in the sixties there were quarterbacks like Billy Kilmer and Joe Kapp who didn’t throw the prettiest passes but could get the ball there. Kilmer was about Tompkins size.

Going back in time to see what recruiters thought about TT. Here is an article where his coach talks about the not using laces. The quote is by his high school coach Kyle Biggs

Tompkins doesn't look like your traditional quarterback. He doesn't throw like one, either. Unlike 99.9% of QB's, he doesn't even grip the ball by the laces.

“We have fought that forever," says Tod. "I don't get it. Every coach doesn't get it. You know, like, ‘you don't use the laces? How do you throw the ball?’”

Biggs, a former star high school quarterback himself, adds,“It's weird. It's just weird, like, I've never seen it. I can't explain it. I mean you do it in short yardage stuff and you know you can get away with throwing a hitch or a slant. But you know he's putting 15 yard dig routes on the line with no laces and it's just...I can’t explain it.”

https://kmph.com/sports/local-sports/central-qb-trent-tompkins-will-go-down-in-history-as-one-of-valleys-greatest

Indoors

https://boardofed.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ISU_campus_pano_homecoming_2016.jpg

This year we have more depth than usual because of the COVID extra year of eligibility, but it is very anomalous that we’ve seen virtually nothing of our 2021 high school recruits.

. JM game vs Weber would have been a different game without the crazy play by the Weber quarterback handing the ball off to the turf. They are solid everywhere but don’t blow you away with eye popping talent. I think they might be easier to beat than Eastern WA.
I think the biggest improvement needed is in defense. We are a bend but not break kind of defense, we have to evolve that to less bend. The style we played in the last quarter against Idaho with more pressure is the direction to go.

Today’s press conference was interesting. Had the inside linebacker coach on. I’ve been wondering how they can divide up a position and have an inside linebacker coach and an outside linebacker coach, and a position called Rush which has Dl and LB members in the depth chart.
alot of the players at middle linebacker play weak side linebacker also, and you can tell that Sharetg, Buchanan, Hansen, Smalley Mouisett,and others are his room . My guess is that inside linebacker coach coaches the Mike and Will linebackers and outside linebacker coach coaches the SAM and maybe the Rush position,

Not only was Rodrigues suited up for the Idaho game he was jumping and chest bumping with other players at halftime. So I’d be surprised if he’s not starting

Thanks guys for the streaming radio help.
Amazon Alexa uses Tunein, and I can play other radio stations by just saying Alexa play whatever, but while it knows KHTK is KHTK 1140, it’s been unavailable each time I try it. I could listen on my iPad or phone but better speakers are paired with the Echo dot.

The last few weeks KHTK isn’t available when I ask an Amazon device to stream it during what should be the pregame show. Need a special app or something? It worked before.

That’s a real gotcha!