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Post by BearDownMU on Oct 31, 2017 22:05:58 GMT -5
Homecoming for the Bears.
Samford coming off of a bad loss to Chatt. The Bears coming off of a bye week.
Obviously, Sammy throws it. Like, a lot. Only averaging 75 yards or so per game rushing and have had struggles on defense.
This will be the Bears 4th ranked opponent this season.
81 degrees and sunny with little to no wind, as of the forecast on Tuesday.
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 1, 2017 13:22:48 GMT -5
Mercer is a two point favorite in Saturday's game. Meaning we'd likely be a 4 point dog if we were playing in Homewood.
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ursus
Spires Bear
Posts: 222
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Post by ursus on Nov 1, 2017 14:13:39 GMT -5
I think we need to stick to the gameplan we had after the 1st quarter last year on the defensive side. It's hard to get to Hodges because he gets the ball out quickly. On offense, we gotta stay in between the chains and take our time with drives. The fewer chances Hodges has to get down the field quickly the better. I think 27-24 for us would be about right.
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 1, 2017 14:40:04 GMT -5
The reality is, assuming he plays, we've got to find a way to deal with Kelvin McKnight. I know their receiving corp is talented and others can hurt you, but he's got 912 yards receiving and 11 TD's this year. Averaging 114 a game. He's not very big, 5'9", 188, so maybe we can get physical with him early. But he's a beast and if we can keep him from going crazy, it will help.
Last year, they had two WR's account for 290 yards. The year before that, 3 guys for like 340. We did a good job limiting scoring last year, but we are just going to have to try to keep the big plays to a minimum, because they are going to throw it all over the yard.
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Post by jackal on Nov 1, 2017 15:22:02 GMT -5
I think we need to stick to the gameplan we had after the 1st quarter last year on the defensive side. It's hard to get to Hodges because he gets the ball out quickly. On offense, we gotta stay in between the chains and take our time with drives. The fewer chances Hodges has to get down the field quickly the better. I think 27-24 for us would be about right. I look at Samford's offense not terribly different than playing against an option team. It is just a different sort of ball control offense, but still requires defenders to focus on their assignments and not get caught up guessing where the ball is. Hodges stirs the drink, though. He can throw from several different arm slots and does a really solid job being able to move around in the pocket while still keeping his eyes downfield. I think the focus of the guys rushing the passer is less about getting to the QB and more about closing off throwing and running lanes. |
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Post by FUBeAR on Nov 2, 2017 6:41:41 GMT -5
TALE OF THE TAPE
Samford HT/WT Averages
Starting Offense = 6-1/232
2-Deep Offense = 6-2/235
Starting O-Line =6-5/291
2-Deep O-Line = 6-5/292
Overall Offense = 6-1/224
Starting Defense = 6-1/232
2-Deep Defense = 6-2/230
Starting D-Front (DL & LB's) = 6-2/253
2-Deep D-Front (DL & LB's) = 6-2/249
Overall Defense = 6-1/218
Overall Roster Mean = 6-1/218
Overall Roster Median = 6-1/205
Mercer HT/WT Averages
Starting Offense = 6-2/248
2-Deep Offense = 6-2/242
Starting O-Line =6-3/293
2-Deep O-Line = 6-3/288
Overall Offense = 6-1/234
Starting Defense = 5-11/222
2-Deep Defense = 6-0/224
Starting D-Front (DL & LB's) = 6-0/241
2-Deep D-Front (DL & LB's) = 6-1/244
Overall Defense = 6-0/226
Overall Roster Mean = 6-1/227
Overall Roster Median = 6-1/218
Samford is exceptionally "long" in the O-Line. They are also a bit taller and bigger than Mercer on D.
Perhaps, a few interesting facts....#1 UGA has a starting Left Tackle, who is 6-1. If we assume the rest of Georgia's O-Line is similarly listed (taller) on the roster as the Left Tackle, then the average Starting O-Lineman for the #1 Georgia Bulldogs is UNDER 6' 3".....UGA is #10 Nationally in Rushing the Football in FBS @ 284 yards/game.
Samford's OL averages over 6'5". Samford runs the ball for 75 yards/game
Samford played UGA earlier this year. Samford's O-Line AVERAGES 2 - 3 inches taller than Georgia's O-Line. Georgia ran for greater than 5 times the Yards/Carry that Samford did in that game.
But, hey...you can't Coach height...and those guys are 6'5" EVERY Play.
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Post by chez23 on Nov 2, 2017 8:32:12 GMT -5
Mercer is a two point favorite in Saturday's game. Meaning we'd likely be a 4 point dog if we were playing in Homewood. 2 pt fav... Nice shows me once again that MU should be winning this conference. To be Fav over #16 tell you MU is better them its record. |
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 2, 2017 8:56:06 GMT -5
Mercer is a two point favorite in Saturday's game. Meaning we'd likely be a 4 point dog if we were playing in Homewood. 2 pt fav... Nice shows me once again that MU should be winning this conference. To be Fav over #16 tell you MU is better them its record. That's means Mercer would be an underdog on a neutral field and in Birmingham. So they really aren't favored. Also, Samford is coming off of losing last weekend to a team that we beat by 3 touchdowns and had one conference win. Sammy losing to Chatt was a much worse loss that our loss to ETSU. And the ETSU loss was a bad one. I also have no idea why being a 2 point favorite over Samford means you should be a conference champion. lol |
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Post by jackal on Nov 2, 2017 9:50:30 GMT -5
I'm told Samford does a lot of ball control drills. #coaching.
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Post by chez23 on Nov 2, 2017 18:10:31 GMT -5
if your a fav over a conference foe who is ranked #16 then that is saying your team is better or equivalent to that #16 team. If you are favored to beat a #16 ranked team then you should be better then 3-3....which MU should be 5-1.
Lost - #9 Wofford by 1 - late in 4th
Lost - Furman is receiving votes - 4th quarter loss
Won - Citadel (#17 at the time) who is receiving votes -
Those scores show you why MU is favored against #16 Samford....and how close MU is from being a top 10 program.
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Post by jackal on Nov 2, 2017 19:54:03 GMT -5
if your a fav over a conference foe who is ranked #16 then that is saying your team is better or equivalent to that #16 team. If you are favored to beat a #16 ranked team then you should be better then 3-3....which MU should be 5-1. Lost - #9 Wofford by 1 - late in 4th Lost - Furman is receiving votes - 4th quarter loss Won - Citadel (#17 at the time) who is receiving votes - Those scores show you why MU is favored against #16 Samford....and how close MU is from being a top 10 program. Again, you have a conclusion and are pulling unrelated information to support that conclusion you already are convinced exist. |
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 3, 2017 7:58:14 GMT -5
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Post by chez23 on Nov 3, 2017 8:15:46 GMT -5
More support that MU could be 5-1.... and winning this conference!
Mercer’s three SoCon wins have come by an
average of 21.6 points.......while its three SoCon
losses are by an average of 3.6 points
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Post by jackal on Nov 3, 2017 8:58:42 GMT -5
More support that MU could be 5-1.... and winning this conference! Mercer’s three SoCon wins have come by an average of 21.6 points.......while its three SoCon losses are by an average of 3.6 points I don't know why I feel compelled to keep responding to you. But I will. What exactly is your point? If you are advocating for a coaching change, why not just say it? It seems just a waste of everyone's time to keep suggesting that if things were not as they were, then things would be different. It would be a far more compelling argument to say "I think we need a coaching change and here is why" than just continue to act like reality doesn't exist. Yes, if Mercer won more games they would probably be in first place. This is a competitive league, and the margin of error is quite small. One or two plays over the course of a 60 minute football game are often the difference in winning and losing. I watched Furman play Mercer a few weeks ago. It was a highly competitive and entertaining game. Let's not pretend, though, that Mercer somehow lost that game based on coaching mistakes or lack of preparation. The Paladins largely outplayed the Bears for most of the game, made plays down the stretch, and Mercer didn't. In fact, Furman (not Mercer) made the biggest mistake of the game by fumbling deep in their own zone. That fumble was likely the difference in Mercer hanging around late with a chance to tie it. Again, the margin for error is small. |
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Post by BearDownMU on Nov 3, 2017 9:35:29 GMT -5
I watched Furman play Mercer a few weeks ago. It was a highly competitive and entertaining game. Let's not pretend, though, that Mercer somehow lost that game based on coaching mistakes or lack of preparation. The Paladins largely outplayed the Bears for most of the game, made plays down the stretch, and Mercer didn't. In fact, Furman (not Mercer) made the biggest mistake of the game by fumbling deep in their own zone. That fumble was likely the difference in Mercer hanging around late with a chance to tie it. Again, the margin for error is small. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.... lol |
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