akriesman

The Sunbelt conference has improved by leaps and bounds. That is unfortunate for an NT team that is trying to scrape some victories together to show improvement. That Ohio loss really hurts. We had them.

If we get both Stradford and Cole, they should provide a big play presence that we frankly don't seem to have right now. We have some pretty good receivers right now. But, I just don't see much of a big play potential out of them at this point. Maybe they will surprise me as the year goes on

Personally, I would be pretty satisfied with a 4 or 5 win season. However, next year I expect us to be one of the Belt's top teams.

Just got back from the game and I am just sick over it. We had so many chances to win, but could not deliver when it counted. I never thought that Ohio would make that 4th and 15. And then, they had the guts to go for 2 (great call by Solich at the time). Lots of good things to be proud of. But, I sure don't feel like talking about them right now Kudos to all the fans that made the game in the rain, especially the students. That was about 3x the number of people that I was expecting, given the fact that it has been raining all day. It is obvious the students are behind the team right now. I wish the team could have delivered the win for them. I am proud of the team, but really upset at the loss.

Gentlemen. I think we have a new candidate for this list. Tonights game was about as frustrated as I have felt in a long, long time. We had this game in hand and could never deliver the knockout blow when the opportunity came up.

Unfortunately, the damage has already been done, even if the rain was to stop. I was so looking forward to a nice crowd tomorrow. Heck, even a few knuckleheads out there might have attended thinking that Ohio U was actually Ohio St

Rain will certainly hurt the attendance. But, this program is on the upswing. There will be plenty of chances for large crowds this season and next. My son and I will be there, rain or shine.

Those are some terrific photos....thanks for sharing.

First, I am thrilled with the progress of this team this year. They are obviously much, much better all around. However, I agree with Got5, that the book on Riley is now out. It will be much tougher to throw this week and we are going to have to prove that we can pass the ball deeper. That being said, our RB's could have a big day against Ohio's DL. On the defensive side, I expect a bit of a drop off this week. The Ohio QB's are more experienced and will not miss so many open receivers. UConn is a good football team. So, the fact that Ohio lost to them 23-16 last week is not anything to be ashamed of. I expect a dog-fight. Our team will come out fired up at home. But, Ohio has a pretty could FG kicker, which may be the difference. Ohio wins a 27-24 heartbreaker on a last second FG. At least we should see a very entertaining home game

Also, they have been very complimentary to UNT post game. They aren't making any excuses and they generally admit the better team one. Classy fans.

He was out before the ball got there. However, I think the refs said that he was pushed out.

"Cole and Stradford didn't play. We don't yet have a true deep threat. I want badly to corral my emotions because I know that playing like that only 3 games are odds on losses. " Tonight was awesome. I am so happy for the team and everyone here. This game was more than I even hoped for. However, things will get tougher for this team from this point forward. Eventually (probably next game), teams are going to start jamming our WR's more. At some point, we are going to have to take some shots deeper and be successful at it. Our current group of WR's played a great game and look like they can get the job done. But, I don't think they will install fear in the secondary like Cole and Stradford will have the potential to do in the future. The defense was just terrific. But, I would have liked to see a little more QB pressure in a perfect world. And, Page really missed some open receivers. That won't happen against most QB's that we face if we give them that kind of time. I hope Jeremy Knott just had a bad game. I am really nervous on even the chip shot FG's right now. There is so much to be happy about. But, I hope expectations don't run too high after this game. For me, the biggest surprise was the superb tackling by the defense. The tacking was just outstanding. I kept waiting for the big play from the Ball State offense or special teams and it never really came. What a great night.

Yeah, the kneel down was classy. As soon as TD realized that Ball State had thrown in the towel for good, he decided not to pour it on. The selfish part of me wanted another score But, they made the right decision.

I am about to lose my voice. I wanted them to win this game soooooo badly.

No. Not really.

Exactly.

They are getting good pressure. The minor problem, I think, is that they are letting the BS QB get to the outside on the roll outs. Stop the stupid penalties. Watch the rollout. Play the run just like we have been. If we do that, we win this one. What is stunning to me is that our tackling has been vastly improved (so far).

Is the chat room overloaded ? 38 users and it is now way behind in the posts.

Looking back at the scores from last season was even worse than I remembered. We actually had a chance against Arkansas St and got somewhat lucky against WKU. 10 of the losses were complete blowouts. 0-12 could have easily occurred last year. This year's team could end up with just 2 wins, yet be a lot more competitive than last year. To be honest, I am not going to base my judgement on actual wins and losses this season. But, we need to see lots of improvement from a competitive standpoint. Next year is the no-excuses year to start piling up some wins IMHO.

Thanks Harry. Sounds like a great experience.

What is the seating like at the Pourhouse ? Is it mainly a large room with a big screen ? Or, are there a lot of small monitors with scattered seating ? I have Uverse with ESPNU HD. But, it might be worth the 40 minute drive to enjoy the game with fellow fans.

I also think the Ball State game is very important this year, compared to most home openers. We don't necessarily have to win it. But, the team needs to look sharp to keep the confidence moving forward. Until I see the team against Ball State, the range for me is 2 to 7 wins.

Nice one

I first read this as "Im ready for SMU FOOTBALL" and got a little concerned

I really think that we will see some significant improvement in the defense this season, when it comes to reducing the number of big plays against us. Losing our 1 big weapon (Fitz) is a big concern for me, even though the new receiving core looks good on paper (especially if Stratford can play). Can Riley build a quick chemistry with the new receivers ? To me, that chemistry will be the difference between an OK season and another possible klunker. I do think the team will improve. But, it may not show up until late in the season.