catdaddyp

I’m not sure. Could be a blessing in disguise if they do receive medical redshirts.

Injury Report is growing. Scholarship players listed below. OUT: WR - Polk WR - Walker OL - Fox OL - Lyons DE - Graham DT - Brockington DT - Lavea LB - Cooper CB - Proby S - David S - K. Johnson QUESTIONABLE: WR - Adams

Week 9 Starters for new team: WR - Jasaiah Gathings (UCONN) = 67 snaps. 2 receptions for 23 yards. WR - Oran Singleton (Eastern Michigan) = 70 snaps. 10 receptions for 97 yards. RG - Tony Georges (Kent State) = 66 snaps. RT - Jordan Daniels (Western Carolina) = 75 snaps. RT - Xavior Gray (Liberty) = 74 snaps. RT - Nate Williams (San Diego State) = 69 snaps. DE - Curtis Fann (Western Carolina) = 47 snaps. 1 tackle. DE - Ryan Johnson (Southern Miss) = 35 snaps. 2 tackles and a sack. LB - Luke Bauer (Morehead State) = 49 snaps. 3 tackles. CB - Tyson Durant (Washington State) = 60 snaps. 8 tackles and 1 PD. S - Corey Thomas (Virginia) = 74 snaps. 6 tackles and 1 PD. S - Jaden Woods (East Tennessee State) = 32 snaps. 3 tackles. Backups for new team: WR - Anthony Williams (Alcorn State) = N/A TE - Caleb Anderson (Alcorn State) = N/A S - KJ Martin (NC State) = N/A DNP: QB - Ryan Jankowski (UMASS) QB - Dijon Jennings (Weber State)* QB - Steele Wasel (Oklahoma) RB - CJ Price (Jackson State) RT - Ronan Chambers (Auburn)* OL - Ka’Marii Landers (Baylor) OL - Alex Robarge (Southern Illinois) LB - Andrew Behm (Southern Illinois) LB - Jaharon Griffin (Alcorn State)* DB - Rishad Hence (Eastern Kentucky) All caught up now.

Week 8 Starters for new team: WR - Jasaiah Gathings (UCONN) = 63 snaps. 7 receptions for 75 yards and a TD. WR - Oran Singleton (Eastern Michigan) = 61 snaps. 4 receptions for 23 yards. RG - Tony Georges (Kent State) = 53 snaps. RT - Jordan Daniels (Western Carolina) = 55 snaps. RT - Xavior Gray (Liberty) = BYE RT - Nate Williams (San Diego State) = BYE DE - Curtis Fann (Western Carolina) = 27 snaps. 2 tackles. DE - Ryan Johnson (Southern Miss) = 44 snaps. LB - Luke Bauer (Morehead State) = N/A CB - Tyson Durant (Washington State) = 45 snaps. 4 tackles. S - Corey Thomas (Virginia) = 79 snaps. 7 tackles. S - Jaden Woods (East Tennessee State) = N/A Backups for new team: WR - Anthony Williams (Alcorn State) = 10 snaps. TE - Caleb Anderson (Alcorn State) = 12 snaps. S - KJ Martin (NC State) = 10 snaps. DNP: QB - Ryan Jankowski (UMASS) QB - Dijon Jennings (Weber State)* QB - Steele Wasel (Oklahoma) RB - CJ Price (Jackson State) RT - Ronan Chambers (Auburn)* OL - Ka’Marii Landers (Baylor) OL - Alex Robarge (Southern Illinois) LB - Andrew Behm (Southern Illinois) LB - Jaharon Griffin (Alcorn State)* DB - Rishad Hence (Eastern Kentucky) Ill try to get Week 9 up today as well.

Bump for updates. The portal is just around the corner…

We actually haven’t been on the list for several weeks. McGee saw us play live against South Carolina and took us off his bottom 10 a week or two after. I’m with you, 3-1 OOC seems very realistic next season. I guess if that comes to pass we’ll have to find someone else to fire…

Lembo gushes about Akron for about 7 straight minutes starting around the 3 minute mark. He talks more about Moorhead and the MAC later on too. Entertaining presser.

I’ve been as critical of Bullock (as a QB) as anyone here, but we definitely don’t win that game without him. Multiple 1st down conversions and the 2 touchdowns were a difference in the game. He’s given the offense a needed boost in this role.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Brown-Demery work his way onto the two deep as a freshman.

Bump for update. Removed some players that won’t realistically make it unless they have a few massive games to finish out the season. If that happens, I’ll add them back.

Bump for update.

I doubt he gets drafted, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him work his way onto an NFL roster similar to Zach Morton.

Hopefully, it gets cleaned up. We’ll see. A number of recruits were at the game for the win. We have a chance to really create some momentum.

I didn’t actually see what Nunnally did, only heard about it. I know Reed was about to do something similar back at Nunnally, but then realized it wasn’t the smart thing to do and stopped. I did see coach Wart giving Nunnally an ear full once he came off the field. Bullock certainly seems comfortable and is playing with confidence. I think almost everyone was surprised when he didn't convert that 4th down. His positional flexibility has definitely given the offense a boost. I’d still prefer him to stay in this type of role and maybe used a little more like you mentioned, though I don’t want to see him as QB1. We ran a number of 6 man blitzes against EMU, but the LBs just aren’t getting home. Cooper was so good in that role last year. We’re finally in a good spot with depth on the roster, but we are losing 4 keys players on the DL and 1 (maybe 2?) key on the OL. The portal and JUCO will be important again. Players who will exhaust their eligibility: DL DE - Nunnally DE - Adler DE - Richards DT - Lavea DT - Kapongo OL LT - Blanchard RT - Thomas LT - Fields

Game thread and preview. QB: CJ Ogbonna is the starter after being used almost exclusively in run packages in 2023. Ogbonna has thrown for 1,317 yards and has completed 56% of his passes this season. He has taken care of the football when passing as he has an 8 TD to 2 INT ratio. However, he is one of the nation’s leaders in fumbles. Ogbonna completes 61% of his passes when kept clean compared to 38% when pressured. RB: Junior Al-Jay Henderson has received the bulk of snaps during conference play and has 455 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year. Redshirt freshman Messiah Burch has become the top backup with 145 yards and 2 touchdowns. Burch has a similar running style to Jordon Simmons. WR: Former Nevada transfer Victor Snow is the top receiving option. Snow has 30 receptions for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns. Columbia transfer JJ Jenkins is second on the team with 17 receptions for 225 yards and a touchdown. TE: Former UMASS transfer Jake Orlando is the starting tight end, but he is mostly used as a blocker. OL: Buffalo’s OL has struggled with consistency. The Bulls have given up 17 sacks this season, with 9 of those coming in conference play. LT - Henry Tabansi (R. Fr.) LG - Trevor Brock (Jr.) C - Dom Polizzi (Grad.) RG - Tyler Doty (Sr.) RT - Caelan Shepard (R. Sr.) DL: Samford transfer Kobe Stewart starts at one end spot and is 2nd the MAC with 5 sacks. He also has 19 tackles. Opposite Stewart will likely be Monmouth transfer Antonio Colclough. Colclough has 10 tackles and a sack. Washington State transfer Tristan Souza and redshirt sophomore Cornell Evans start on the interior. They have combined for 17 tackles. LB: Buffalo boasts one of the best linebacker corps in the MAC. Shaun Dolac transferred back in after a brief stay with Utah State and leads the MAC with 108 tackles. He’s also added 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Redshirt sophomore Red Murdock is 2nd in the MAC with 96 tackles. Murdock has also collected 2 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. The third backer is sophomore Dion Crawford who has 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks. DB: Sophomore Charles McCartherens starts at one CB spot and has 19 tackles, 4 pass deflections, and 1 interception. Former Colgate transfer Marquis Cooper starts opposite McCartherens and has amassed 41 tackles, 4 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions. Former Minnesota transfer Solomon Brown is one starter at safety and has 41 tackles and 3 pass deflections. Opposite Brown is senior Jalen McNair. McNair has 39 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception. K: Alabama transfer Upton Bellenfant is 13 for 13 on extra points and 10 of 11 on field goals. P: Old Dominion transfer Ethan Duane is 2nd in the MAC in punting. He is averaging 43.3 yards per punt with a long of 63 yards. Breakdown: Offense - Buffalo wants to run the football and will force the issue on the ground. Buffalo isn’t any better upfront than who the Zips have already faced and Akron has been decent at stopping the run during conference play. Defense - Buffalo has oddly struggled to rush the passer and defend the pass in MAC play. The defensive backs are aggressive and can get beat for big plays due to often being over aggressive. The Bulls strength is in their linebackers and against the run. The LBs rarely miss tackles. Summary: This is another winnable game. At times, Buffalo has looked liked one of the best teams in the MAC and at other times they have looked like one of the worst teams in the MAC. Buffalo will attempt to assert their will in the run game and if Akron can stuff that early, it’ll force Buffalo into an uncomfortable situation. The Zips have yet to amass any interceptions during MAC play, but have been excellent (sans WMU game) at creating fumbles. I imagine Zips defenders will be punching at the ball every time they make contact with Ogbonna. Special teams play should be excellent from both sides.

QB: The utilization of Finley and Bullock was effective again. Finley was excellent outside of maybe 3 throws. The interception could have been a touchdown had Finley gotten enough on it. Instead, the ball hung up in the air and the EMU safety was able to run underneath it. I recall two other times Finley had a wide open receiver and just missed him. Outside of that, it was a great day for Finley. Bullock threw a strike across the middle on one of his passes and was a difference maker in the run game. He also lined up at multiple positions. RB: Simmons collected 109 yards rushing on just 16 attempts. Kellom had 65 yards on 5 carries. The backs pressed their blocks well, ran hard, and protected the football. They were also solid in pass protection. WR: Outside of Golden dropping an easy pass, the wide receivers played well. EMU blanketed Norton for much of the contest, which gave the other wideouts an opportunity against man coverage for much of the game. Norton came up big when he finally had a chance and scored the go-ahead touchdown. TE: I think we used more two tight end sets than any other game this season. Newell was mostly utilized as a blocker, while Cravaack displayed his pass catching ability. Cravaack looks like he’s finally healthy and has that same smooth stride he displayed in high school. He’s one to watch as the season wears on. OL: The offensive line deserves all kinds of praise. They gave the quarterbacks plenty of time, while also opening up holes in the run game. I noticed RG Davis and RT James manhandle some EMU defenders a few times. The OL also did a nice job of consistently climbing up to the linebackers. DL: Despite not collecting a sack (and the foolish “branding a weapon” penalty) I thought Nunnally had one of his best games. There was one play in-particular where Nunnally played both the QB and RB on the mesh and managed to quickly adjust and tackle the QB for no gain. Cheatom also flashed similar ability on a play later in the game. Our interior depth was really tested and it showed in the 2nd half. Neither Lavea or Murphy played. EMU’s offensive pace kept our DTs from subbing as much as usual and that led to diminished effectiveness. Moore and Kapongo played over 55 snaps, which is way too much for 300 pounders. LB: The linebackers were excellent in the run game. However, two of EMU’s passing touchdowns were busts by the LBs. Benenge and Spriggs played their most snaps of the season and are coming along well, but with youth comes mistakes. We are missing Cooper’s ability to rush the passer and cover in space. DB: Golden-Nelson and Reed started again at CB. Reed’s play carried over from last game and he is looking more and more like a player that could be special. EMU went after him a lot and found little success. DeWalt had a few good moments when he came in the game. Hunter’s missed one on one tackle led to an explosive play. We are still thin at safety. P. Lewis and Anderson played nearly every snap with D. Lewis sliding from NB back to safety for depth. Anderson deserves a game ball for all of his hustle plays. He’s the defender that knocked the ball loose around the 2 minute mark and made several other touchdown saving plays. ST: This group was excellent in all phases. Book is proving game after game why he is the best punter in the MAC. Coaching: As usual, the staff had great gameplan coming into the contest. Unfortunately, untimely penalties are still showing up and could have cost us the game. This is the type of win a program can build on. As difficult as it was to see another lead evaporate, it may prove beneficial that the team now knows they have the ability to overcome such a situation. Let’s see if multiple wins can be strung together next week against an inconsistent Buffalo squad. QB: Finley Bullock RB: Simmons Kellom WR: Golden Rush WR: Polk Granger WR: Norton TE: Newell Cravaack LT: Blanchard Shor LG: Morris C T. Williams RG: K. Davis Burrell RT: James D. Thomas DE: Nunnally Cheatom Richards DT: Kapongo Madden DT: Moore Brockington DE: Adler Dall LB: Fish Benenge Summers LB: McCoy Spriggs NB: D. Lewis Greenwood CB: Reed DeWalt CB: Golden-Nelson Hunter S: P. Lewis D. Lewis S: Anderson D. Lewis Top 5 Players Offense: RG - K. Davis RB - Simmons WR - Norton RT - James LG - Morris Top 5 Players Defense: S - P. Lewis CB - Reed NB - D. Lewis DE - Adler S - J. Anderson

Probably because of EMU’s soft schedule and that we should have beaten WMU in our last outing. Also, we only lost by 3 in double OT last year to EMU and by 6 in 2022.

Yes, injured and has been out since week 3. From what I’ve gathered, he was replaced by a freshman who has played well.

It’s that time again. Offer out to Cornell OL. Starting LT in 2023 and started/played in 2 games this year.

I agree Texas has a territorial advantage. As do the states of Georgia and Florida. However, there is enough talent to recruit in Ohio and the surrounding states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. I know the staff mostly sticks to a 4 hour radius, but certain coaches on staff - like our OL coach - have personal connections to other states like Florida. Talent should never be the issue. It was under the previous staff, but now there is enough talent on this roster to win some games. Hopefully, that starts on Saturday.

Week 7 Starters for new team: WR - Jasaiah Gathings (UCONN) = BYE WR - Oran Singleton (Eastern Michigan) = 69 snaps. 4 receptions for 23 yards. WR - Anthony Williams (Alcorn State) = 4 snaps. RG - Tony Georges (Kent State) = 67 snaps. RT - Jordan Daniels (Western Carolina) = 56 snaps. RT - Xavior Gray (Liberty) = 63 snaps. RT - Nate Williams (San Diego State) = 65 snaps. DE - Curtis Fann (Western Carolina) = 65 snaps. 7 tackles. LB - Luke Bauer (Morehead State) = 56 snaps. 2 tackles. CB - Tyson Durant (Washington State) = 64 snaps. 5 tackles and 1 interception. S - Corey Thomas (Virginia) = 37 snaps. 4 tackles. S - Jaden Woods (East Tennessee State) = 57 snaps. Backups for new team: TE - Caleb Anderson (Alcorn State) = 25 snaps. DE - Ryan Johnson (Southern Miss) = 49 snaps. 3 tackles. S - KJ Martin (NC State) = 10 snaps. 2 tackles. DNP: QB - Ryan Jankowski (UMASS) QB - Dijon Jennings (Weber State)* QB - Steele Wasel (Oklahoma) RB - CJ Price (Jackson State) RT - Ronan Chambers (Auburn)* OL - Ka’Marii Landers (Baylor) OL - Alex Robarge (Southern Illinois) LB - Andrew Behm (Southern Illinois) LB - Jaharon Griffin (Alcorn State)* DB - Rishad Hence (Eastern Kentucky) I’m giving it a few days to update snaps for this past week’s games and will post Week 8 results soon.