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Post by bear38 on Sept 20, 2014 21:10:40 GMT -5
This may be the biggest game yet for the Bears. On the road against a SoCon opponent. I suspect the Bears may be small(?) favorite but they've got ti continue to exceed expectations every week.
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Post by BearDownMU on Sept 20, 2014 21:59:57 GMT -5
The spread will be interesting. I don't know how much our last two weeks have shown us, other than we can beat teams we are supposed to beat. VMI game is at their place, and I don't know what kind of support they get. I'll have to take a look and see if they are as fired up in Lexington as they do in Macon. Either way. Big game. We need to be ready and go get that first SoCon win.
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Ghost
Baby Bear
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Post by Ghost on Sept 20, 2014 22:40:21 GMT -5
VMI is an awesome game day atmosphere. if you get the chance to go its a cool experience. Last time I was there was their homecoming and Dick Chaney was there. Stealth Bomber Fly over was a nice touch.
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Post by BearDownMU on Sept 20, 2014 22:46:18 GMT -5
I hope Dick Cheney isn't there. And if he is, I hope he doesn't have a shotgun, as we might all be wearing orange. History says that might not work out well for us.  |
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Post by bear38 on Sept 20, 2014 23:04:28 GMT -5
VMI is an awesome game day atmosphere. if you get the chance to go its a cool experience. Last time I was there was their homecoming and Dick Chaney was there. Stealth Bomber Fly over was a nice touch. In 2013 VMI averaged 5,000 per game. |
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Post by bear38 on Sept 20, 2014 23:06:40 GMT -5
Davidson put up over 500 yards on VMI, so that tells you their defense is struggling. They seem to have a good QB and can throw the ball.
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Ghost
Baby Bear
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Post by Ghost on Sept 21, 2014 14:58:31 GMT -5
Historically VMI has been terrible. Used to be your typical military school triple option offense and in recent years have moved to the spread. Their defense has yet to catch up to their offense and I don't think scoring points will be a big problem for Mercer. Remember, VMI is a military institution that has a strict regimen for each weekday the students schedule is planned from the moment they wake up to the time the hit lights out. Its very hard to recruit to a place like that when the athletes know they aren't going to get a lot of free time. They are a historically great educational institution with famous alumni all over the higher ranks of the military and even some politicians also NBA star Reggie Miller(watched him play in person. and he was good...). The infamous Ratline is a tough gauntlet for the first few months for freshman and if you have the time, read up on some of the history between VMI and neighboring Washington & Lee university. Its really cool. I have the utmost respect for they type of men and women that come through there but its a tough place to succeed in football because of the standards initially going in.
On a side note I'd love to do a study on recruiting for the military academies and see why Navy and Airforce have been predominantly better in athletics than places like Citadel, VMI and West Point.
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Post by BearDownMU on Sept 21, 2014 15:17:26 GMT -5
I'm sure a big part of the answer to that question is because they are in FBS. If a kid is going to deal with all that regimen, might as well play in the biggest CFB division.
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Post by bear38 on Sept 21, 2014 15:57:46 GMT -5
I'm sure a big part of the answer to that question is because they are in FBS. If a kid is going to deal with all that regimen, might as well play in the biggest CFB division. I think you mean FCS vs. FBS. I don't know why the NCAA changed it a few years ago, but it is still confusing to most. |
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MU22
Baby Bear
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Post by MU22 on Sept 21, 2014 16:07:01 GMT -5
VMI is an awesome game day atmosphere. if you get the chance to go its a cool experience. Last time I was there was their homecoming and Dick Chaney was there. Stealth Bomber Fly over was a nice touch. I concur. If you go, make sure you are there with plenty of time to tailgate and get to the stadium early prior to the Keydets marching in. My last trip up there was in 2001 shortly after 9-11. Won't make it this year, but maybe 2016. |
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Post by BearDownMU on Sept 21, 2014 16:16:49 GMT -5
I'm sure a big part of the answer to that question is because they are in FBS. If a kid is going to deal with all that regimen, might as well play in the biggest CFB division. I think you mean FCS vs. FBS. I don't know why the NCAA changed it a few years ago, but it is still confusing to most. No, I meant FBS. Ghost said he wondered why Navy and Air Force have had traditionally better athletics than Citadel and VMI. I was saying that Navy and Air Force have a recruiting advantage because they are FBS. |
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Ghost
Baby Bear
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Post by Ghost on Sept 21, 2014 16:55:51 GMT -5
I was more curious as how Navy in particular has had relevant success in recent years vs. Army's struggles. and How Citadel has had relevant success vs. VMI's struggles in their respective classifications. Sorry I didn't word that well. What does navy do differently, how much PT do athletes go through on top of athletics training. etc.
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Post by FUBeAR on Sept 21, 2014 18:55:47 GMT -5
Historically VMI has been terrible. Used to be your typical military school triple option offense and in recent years have moved to the spread. Their defense has yet to catch up to their offense and I don't think scoring points will be a big problem for Mercer. Remember, VMI is a military institution that has a strict regimen for each weekday the students schedule is planned from the moment they wake up to the time the hit lights out. Its very hard to recruit to a place like that when the athletes know they aren't going to get a lot of free time. They are a historically great educational institution with famous alumni all over the higher ranks of the military and even some politicians also NBA star Reggie Miller(watched him play in person. and he was good...). The infamous Ratline is a tough gauntlet for the first few months for freshman and if you have the time, read up on some of the history between VMI and neighboring Washington & Lee university. Its really cool. I have the utmost respect for they type of men and women that come through there but its a tough place to succeed in football because of the standards initially going in. On a side note I'd love to do a study on recruiting for the military academies and see why Navy and Airforce have been predominantly better in athletics than places like Citadel, VMI and West Point. You have a large enough sample size right there in the Drake Field House to conduct the Air Force portion of your study.  |
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Post by bear38 on Sept 21, 2014 22:59:16 GMT -5
I think you mean FCS vs. FBS. I don't know why the NCAA changed it a few years ago, but it is still confusing to most. No, I meant FBS. Ghost said he wondered why Navy and Air Force have had traditionally better athletics than Citadel and VMI. I was saying that Navy and Air Force have a recruiting advantage because they are FBS. My bad. |
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Post by bear38 on Sept 21, 2014 23:11:50 GMT -5
I was more curious as how Navy in particular has had relevant success in recent years vs. Army's struggles. and How Citadel has had relevant success vs. VMI's struggles in their respective classifications. Sorry I didn't word that well. What does navy do differently, how much PT do athletes go through on top of athletics training. etc. Interesting question. We went to both Army and Navy on a recruiting trip. Army seems to have an unlimited football budget and their facilities are amazing. But if I were choosing (let's pretend and roll that clock back several decades), Navy would come out ahead. West Point just seems so isolated and in the middle of no where. I also thought Navy did a much better job marketing their "education and potential majors" while Army seemed to focus on their traditions. But this is just one example and may not be the case for everyone. |
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