If Arnaud cleans up some of his mistakes, I feel a LOT better about the team this year. This game wasn't as close as the scoreboard indicated.
I think the score at the end was a pretty good reflection of the game. NIU left quite a few points on the board too.
Obviously Arnaud has to better value the football for you to have a legit shot next week. Your D also looked porous against the run for the majority of the game which should play into Iowa's hands, then again I think I'm on the two deeps at both LG and C so who knows.
I do know this, you wont be able to jam up the box with your safties without consequences against Iowa. NIU's QB couldn't hit an open receiver down field and I don't think that will be the case next week.
I am thrilled with the double digit victory but I am still not thrilled about the offense, unfortunately. Not trying to be Debbie Downer, as we did some great things, but that lull in the 3rd quarter is exactly the same thing we did last year. We played very strong in the first half and going into half time with a 17 pt lead was remarkable considering how much we heard about the daunted NIU rushing attack. However, we came out a little flat.
I know NIU has a really good O-line, but I was really hoping to hear more from Parker and Neal being disruptive in the backfield. Over all, our defense played great and Knott is going to be a super star!!
I am a lot more confident going into Iowa City than I would be if we would have squeaked out a victory.
Some huge mistakes on offense that almost cost us the game really scares me. 2 huge offensive pass interference calls, a costly PF on the 15 yard line, 2 minutes left in the first half up 17-0 and a pick is thrown on your end of the field, wasn't smart football at all. Plays like those will cost us a lot of games this season. But comparing last year to this year is almost apples and oranges. Last year no expectations at all. This year we have a lot of Kool Aid drinkers so I'd say this game is more troublesome. Some great signs but a lot of people have very high expectations for this season. I'll be ecstatic if we get 6 or 7, but I do think there is a reason we were picked last in the North.
I think we look better then I expect, and honestly NIU looked worse then I expected also. Were there problems yes, but honestly isn't the biggest improvement in a football team between week 1 and week 2? I think we iron out a lot of our problems, and eliminate a lot of the mistakes we saw tonight. I still think beating Iowa will be an uphill battle.
Much better. When in synch the Offense looked good, and the defense was comparable to last year. That said, there was no rhythm to this game the refs were awful. Good to face adversity and win. Also, NIU is good. That Spann is on e of the better backs we will see.
"For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."
Feeling pretty good about the defense. The offense needs to clean things up. I thought Arnauds INTs were the result of impatience, or being too greedy in wanting to hit the big play. The WRs need to be aware at all times of their position on the field, especially at the line of scrimmage. The D gave up less than 300 total yards, an excellent effort on their part.
Feeling pretty good about the defense. The offense needs to clean things up. I thought Arnauds INTs were the result of impatience, or being too greedy in wanting to hit the big play. The WRs need to be aware at all times of their position on the field, especially at the line of scrimmage. The D gave up less than 300 total yards, an excellent effort on their part.
This
"Its time to roll up our sleeves, put on our hard hats and go to work together"
First half definitely exceeded my expectations, the second half met them. I knew Northern Illinois was a decent team -- a far cry from the pasties that most teams schedule to begin the year with -- so I was bouncing off the walls in the first half, especially after A-Rob took it home for 6. The second half came and went, and brought me back down to reality.
Like most said... all this team needs is some consistency, and if they can put together halves like the first half, it will be an exciting year.
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Originally Posted by jdoggivjc 
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