catdaddyp

Offer extended to JUCO DE Charles Perkins.

Agreed. I actually think it’ll be harder for NIU and Buffalo to get up for these games. Akron has been trying to get over the hump all season long and a win or two would be a confidence booster going into the offseason. These games will give opportunities for younger players like Landers and McCoy to gain more experience, which is invaluable. Strong showings could also give any recruits who are on the fence about committing a reminder what this program could be.

DB from Bucknell.

Recent offer to JUCO CB Gabriel Bryan. This staff is determined to improve the CB position. That’s now the 7th JUCO CB offered.

Yep, signing day is right around the corner. It seems like all of our HS verbals are solidly committed so I don’t expect many (if any) surprises. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out. There are no limits in how many players can be taken in the 2023 and 2024 classes as long as we are at the 85 scholarship limit. So if there ever was a time to nudge some players out the door, this is it.

DE Taylor Wein has committed to Oklahoma.

Recent offer JUCO RB Jeffery Pittman committed to Mississippi State. CB D’Angelo Ponds committed to James Madison. OT target Barrett Maddox is announcing on Friday. He has collected a few P5 offers since his Akron visit.

Offered another JUCO CB. Michael Coats Jr. Signed with Louisiana Tech out of HS. Now at JUCO.

Some more mass would help. Would like to see him get up to 185ish. Besides that, he has everything needed physically to be a really good corner. I suspect we’ll see a different version of him next year after an offseason with the staff and S&C program. I can’t speak to his mental state. His technique should improve as he gets stronger and gains more experience. I don’t think we’ve seen Threatt since he missed an open field tackle that led to a touchdown, but I can’t remember who against.

QB Taron Dickens committed to Western Carolina and DT James Thomas committed to Bowling Green.

Following up on Wein, he has gone from not ranked to a 3 star and collected offers from Virginia Tech and Ole Miss since this post.

Yep, you are correct. They probably present it as an athletic scholarship when in fact it’s just financial aid and assuring him a spot on the football team.

I’m not sure why he doesn't have more offers. He looks explosive from both DE and LB. Regardless of where he plays, we need more players with his ability on the roster. Assuming no one transfers we’re looking at a returning core of Johnson, Richardson, Thomas, Fann, and Lawson at the edge next year. That’s a solid group talent wise, but will they play up to it?

I missed this one over the weekend. Former Georgia Tech commit and current 3 star S Javion Clark committed to Toledo. And 3 star CB Antonio Smith committed to FAU.

Spriggs hudl film is linked to his profile. He fits the mold of the LBs this staff has been recruiting - physical and explosive when coming down hill. Spriggs currently only has one other offer and I hope it stays that way to increase our chances of landing him. I’m afraid we’ll be off Wein’s radar by the time it’s all said and done. A lot of times it’s like breaking a dam to a waterfall. Get a P5 offer from a well respected position coach and the offers start flowing in.

Our DC offered LB Melvin Spriggs on his visit last night. In other news, recently offered DE Taylor Wein has since picked up his first P5 offers from Oklahoma and Southern Cal.

Should have been ruled a fumble. Terrible miss by the officiating crew. Not only did it swing points on the score board, but the long run caused Terry to be taken out of the game. That led to poor edge contain the next play and a TD for EMU.

Any other notable seniors that did not walk last night? I’d like to think that means Bubba will be back next year. I think the offense we saw last night is more in line of what JoeMo wants to run on a regular basis. An effective run game opens up all kinds of options in the passing game. Our safety play has been solid and the tandom of Thompson, Martin, and Woods have really come on strong. It’s like night and day at that position from the beginning of the year. Cornerback has been the beast of burden. I’m disappointed that Hooks, Golden-Nelson, and Threatt did not fulfill their potential this year. Golden-Nelson and Threatt should be back next year, so I’d think an offseason with this staff will help. It’s telling that 5 2023 JUCO CBs have been offered in about a month’s time. I’m not as high on Jennings as others. I think he’s a great athlete but it remains to be seen how much QB he’ll play here. Of course, I’ve only watched his film and have never seen him play live. I expect we will take a bigger step forward than most expect next year. The fact this team has been competitive in conference play with the current roster leads me to believe another influx of talent will not only get us over the hump, but send us tumbling down the hill (in a good way).

OFFENSE - Great to actually see an effective ground game by the running backs. Part of that was due to the over aggressiveness by EMU’s front, part was due to alignment, part play-calling, and credit needs to go to the OL, Wiley, and the QBs. I throw the QBs in there because they didn’t goof any of the handoffs and 99% of the time made the right read to give (or keep). - Although Undercuffler did throw one nice deep ball, we witnessed the difference in arm strength and accuracy between the two QBs. Irons gets away with a number of those tight window and cross field throws, Undercuffler not so much. - I can’t heap enough praise on the OL after that performance. For a unit that has struggled all year in the run game, they looked confident and decisive. Even in pass pro they looked well prepared. Landers is going to be a monster by the time he graduates. Watching Williams block down and role up EMU’s LBs was fun. DEFENSE - Couldn’t always see what was happening in the secondary with the camera angles, but it looked like Hence and Durant played most of the snaps at CB. Thompson and Martin at S. Lewis at nickel. Woods may have been working in at both S and nickel, but I’m not sure. - I can’t say what the issue was with all the edge busts because I haven’t rewatched the game, but the TD play after we had Terry’s TD called back was a mixup with Jones and Boateng. Boateng was blitzing on the edge but took an inside angle and Jones looped over almost like he thought he was running a stunt. If I recall correctly, we were in Cover 3 and the CB was run off by the WR and one S was in the middle of the field. I believe the other S was lined up underneath on the opposite side. - At this point, any time a LB is in the game not named Bubba, Terry, or McCoy I think to myself “oh ****” Sometimes we get away with it, but often the other guys seem lost. - Despite giving up 155 yards rushing, that was probably the best game our DL has played in 2022.

I’d have to go back and rewatch, but on a number of those plays we trapped the DT and gave the DE free release. The entire OL would block down, while the OG and OT would work up to the LBs. The TE would pull across and chip the DT. The edge players were usually lined out so far they could only make it to where the QB originally was by handoff. *Editing and adding* that often due to their alignment so far out, the DEs essentially took themselves out of the play. So our OL & TE only had 5 guys to block in the box. We also had Whigan pulling on a number of plays and had some success there. That’s nothing new, but on first watch, it seemed we pulled him more than usual last night. Wiley breaking a few tackles helped too. He’s been brought down by first contact the majority of the year, but he kicked it into another gear in the second half. I was not impressed by EMU’s front. However, I was impressed with the talent they had in the secondary. I know they have the nation’s leading sacker, but I wouldn’t have even known it had it not been brought up before the game.

Nope. One nice deep ball and a few short underneath ones. Outside of that, pretty rough.

We were lucky there. Both Fish and Boateng were lost.

Another sack?!

Beautiful ball by Undercuffler. I didn’t know he had that in him.

Terrible the way all that just played out. That’s been this season in a nutshell.