Good Defense....What Happened (Not Smack)

VictorG · Post by **VictorG** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:06 pm

I heard one of CP TD's came on a INT so unless there was something else, you gave up 17 defensive points which is pretty damn good to a team like CP. What happened?

MSU01 · Post by **MSU01** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 5:53 pm

The offense played slightly better than last week, but still horrible. Our o-line couldn't do anything at all, therefore no running game. WR's still dropping way too many passes and Lulay had another bad game. Bad performance all around pretty much. Secondary was awful, they play 10 yards off the WR's and then can't make tackles when the other team throws short routes.

Basically the whole team sucked today. Injury to Marudas did not look good at all.

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:13 pm

Gatewood can't catch. We need to realize this and move on-at least until he learns how to catch. The rest of them can catch about half the time. Guinn did play better today.

Domineck needs to pull up the plow or play fullback. We ran one screen pass to him, it could have been timed with a sundial. Milton is faster, but he like Domineck, seems to just run into the waiting arms of the defense and fall down. Very few broken tackles.

The offensive line is relatively young, small, and short. This unit is probably a year a way with Hirst back and Jensen adding a few more pounds. They were dominated today.

The defense wore down. Cal Poly ran it right down their throats at the end. It was sad to watch. We really softened up after Marudas got hurt. We could be in big trouble here.

Lulay played better, and things started to open up a bit in the second half. But the offense was stalled by random dropped passes and Don Bailey's desire to lose 3 yards on every first down by giving to Dominek.

We had a lot of chances to be up in this game, but this offense can't take advantage of its opportunities.

We're probably looking at 1-3 going into homecoming. I'm not too optimistic right now.

GavinDonos · Post by **GavinDonos** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:15 pm

Wow... Our o-line sucks! Sure, they may be young and inexperienced, but everyone knows that:
Young + Inexperienced = Sucks

I've tried to be optimistic about our offense finally "gelling" since week two of LAST SEASON... Dropped balls, wild passes, terrible blocking, uninspired running... it gets old after awhile and I'm tired of trying to convince myself every single week that marked, consistent improvement is on the way. Our O has been a joke for a long spell, now... and it's a really bad joke at that.

I don't think I'll be posting until I cool down, so I'll talk to you all in a few weeks!

VictorG · Post by **VictorG** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:35 pm

Well don't feel to bad. I'm watching the Griz now and at half time and the last tackle they made was last week!

Cat-theotherwhitemeat · Post by **Cat-theotherwhitemeat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:40 pm

Right now, the Griz are proving that the #1 ranking was a bunch of crap. Why did they send the B squad??

BelgradeBobcat · Post by **BelgradeBobcat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:46 pm

It looks like the league race will be really interesting this year-a tight race between a bunch of mediocre teams.

VictorG · Post by **VictorG** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:52 pm

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:Right now, the Griz are proving that the #1 ranking was a bunch of crap. Why did they send the B squad??

My thought was how in the world do you rank a team #1 when they are giving up over 400 yards a game?

Answer is you really shouldn't as someone will and now has figured out how to score points along with those yards!

"Learning day for Montana teams!"

HelenaCat · Post by **HelenaCat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 9:50 pm

Cat-griz game this year could match the 1-AA's worst offense against the !-AA's worst defense. As bad as the Cats offense looked, the griz defense looks just as inept. I expected the griz to have trouble with good passing teams, but am surprized at how easily Sam Houston ran against them.

As far as the Cats go, a lot of things look bleak. Largest among them is NO PLAYMAKERS. Whether catching a big pass, making a big run, making a big tackle, etc we have no one stepping up. The offense just looks terrible-every possession is a struggle and we have no real threats. Even a good play only nets < 10 yards. No one has any abilty to make people miss or break a tackle. Line is not strong, backs are slow.....

The defense is solid, but not spectacular. Our corners lay off 10 yards and don't seem to close fast. I heard on the radio that Marudas has a broken fibula-out for the year-that won't help much.

Losing next week at CSU is a given. But I still have some hope for the conference, only because it looks pretty weak. If anyone in the Big Sky looks to have a worse defense that the griz, it looks like Idaho State. They only gave up 42 to Northern Colorado today, who was shutout by Maine last week.

It could also just go downhill pretty fast. I hate being pessimistic after what we have done the last few years, but I am getting tired of watching us stumble every year early and seeing the fan base dwindle. I also think its time to get a new O-coordinator and offensive recruiters. Get some young O-lineman and develop that as a team strength. A good O-line makes mediocre backs and receivers look pretty good. And find some more Scott Turnquist types-may not be the fastest, but he found ways to get open and caught the ball.

94VegasCat · Post by **94VegasCat** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 10:24 pm

$\:D/$

$\:D/$ The griz looked like kaaa kaaa!!!! Worse than the CATS tho? The griz cant play defense. Our young corners seem to be a little better than theirs, but still need to mature.

MR BAILEY, YOU NEED TO GET SOME IMAGINATION.

MR KRAMER, R. GATEWOOD NEEDS TO SIT DOWN. HE CAN'T CATCH A FREAKING COLD. HE SUX ASS!!!!

RBs RUN WITH SOME AUTHORITY. HIT THE HOLE LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

snake · Post by **snake** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:14 am

BelgradeBobcat wrote:It looks like the league race will be really interesting this year-a tight race between a bunch of mediocre teams.

Are you sure about mediocre teams? Cal Poly is a good team. BSC is the stongest conference in 1-AA. I believe all of us have had our humble pie and now it is time to go out and play like championship/playoff bound teams.

BozoneCat · Post by **BozoneCat** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:40 am

Going into the season, I would have certainly vouched that the Big Sky was going to be the strongest conference in the country. Right now, we would be lucky to be considered in the top 10. Our teams are not playing well at all. Good teams from good conferences win these tough games, especially when a lot of the games are at home. The Big Sky's collective preseason record is ridiculously abyssmal.

Game thoughts:

If Ricky Gatewood can't catch a cold, then I am not sure Brandon Roosevelt could catch Ebola. Guinn actually played pretty well today, much better than last week, but I don't like watching him throw up his arms and yell every time a play doesn't go right. Even if he is in the right (hard for us to know), it looks bad and doesn't do a whole lot for team morale.

RBs looked terrible. Not sure if this is their fault or the O-line's... probably a good bit of both. Domineck just looks slow.

On the surface, I would say the defense had a sub-par game. Duh. But, think about a few things: They forced 4 turnovers, and we only capitalized on the first one. That has to be pretty disheartening for the D. They looked really tired out during that last drive, not necessarily unexpected when your defense has been on the field the entire game... gee, sounds vaguely familiar. I still think the way Cal Poly pounded the ball up the middle is yet another example of why we need some big guys on D to plug up the middle - we just don't have the beef to stop that play against really good teams.

I thought Cooper played poorly today. He looked so much slower than usual. I wonder if all the NFL attention is getting to him - not saying he is getting a big head, because I think he is a really nice and humble young man, but it definitely looks like it may be a distraction from his game preparation. I hope I am wrong about this and he just didn't feel well or something. He is going to have to step up and lead this defense even more so with Marudas out now.

I don't like what we are doing with our corners. Give them a chance to make some plays. Our entire defense is predicated upon man cover, and it works best that way. I know we are employing a little more zone this year, but I never fully understand giving a guy a 10-yard cushion. If I am calling plays against that, I'll throw quick outs 5 yards downfield on every play until the corners come up. Anyone have any idea why Henderson isn't playing? He looked really good from what I saw in fall camp.

I've tried to be optimistic about our offense finally "gelling" since week two of LAST SEASON... Dropped balls, wild passes, terrible blocking, uninspired running... it gets old after awhile and I'm tired of trying to convince myself every single week that marked, consistent improvement is on the way. Our O has been a joke for a long spell, now... and it's a really bad joke at that.

I think you summed up my feelings quite succinctly, Gavin. Couldn't have put it any better myself.

Okay, here is the kicker... Lulay looked terrible AGAIN today. Why is he not getting pulled??? I don't understand why Kramer defends this guy and doesn't make him accountable. I feel like Lulay has a free pass out there to play like sh*t, and not worry about being pulled. Even for a series or two, just to let him get his head on straight. Actually, Lulay looked really sharp early on, then progressively got worse as the game went on. I say, give Coppack a chance to go out there, we certainly can't play any worse offensively. Mark my words, if Cory Carpenter wasn't out for the year, I think he would be playing.

Okay, it is 2:00 AM, and I am still fuming about this game. I need to go to bed and cool down. The only way I am going to be able to sleep is with the knowledge that the griz got their asses beat worse than we did!

jagur1 · Post by **jagur1** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 9:56 am

Griz & Cats everybody knows a lose or 2 would happen along the way. It Sucks but time to move on.

I saw the game on Omega and I agree with the honest cat posts. Only I don't think the cats lost tim of Pos. Didn't the cats win the clock game or get close? I just think your front 7 can't take the pounding. Also, the RB that played the most DJ or JD is slow.. the play that broke for 15 yards should have been taken to the house. Well life sucks today, will get better next week for the Griz...bet you guys wish you could skip a bodybag game and play somebody at home

. Looks like the BSC is not very good this year.

Helcat72 · Post by **Helcat72** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 11:37 am

BozoneCat wrote:
Okay, here is the kicker... Lulay looked terrible AGAIN today. Why is he not getting pulled??? I don't understand why Kramer defends this guy and doesn't make him accountable. I feel like Lulay has a free pass out there to play like sh*t, and not worry about being pulled. Even for a series or two, just to let him get his head on straight. Actually, Lulay looked really sharp early on, then progressively got worse as the game went on. I say, give Coppack a chance to go out there, we certainly can't play any worse offensively. Mark my words, if Cory Carpenter wasn't out for the year, I think he would be playing.

The problem is not Travis Lulay...the problem is inexperience in the recievers and O-line. If the receivers would start making some of the catches they should, then I think Trafis would start to throw better. I think to bench Lulay would be counter productive in the long run. It would say that the coaches have lost confidence in him and then put the huge weight of getting the thing going on a young kid who's confidence is not yet scratched. It would only serve to soothe the aggravation of disgruntled gans. Obviously the coaches feel that Travis can shoulder the criticism as well as praise. When they benched Tyler Thomas he gladly gave the reigns to Travis who accepted the job with enthusiasm. If we bench Travis I'm not sure Coppack would feel like "now everything will start to click" Travis had Junior and Ryan and a decent O-line...Coppack would have the present cast to back him up.

Bleedinbluengold · Post by **Bleedinbluengold** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:12 pm

You know what folks? If the receivers make those catches (ESPECIALLY Gatewoood), that's a whole different game. Lulay would have been 27 for 38, 300+ yards, and 3 or 4 TD's. Then, we would be saying he played great.

The Cats would have had 30+ points, and CP wouldn't have been running over our guys because we would have been fresh.

I think everything bad that happened yesterday stemmed from not being able to catch a pass. Until the receivers make plays, the Cat O will be inept, and the Cat D will wear down.

Gatewood should be benched - he needs some time to get his head screwed on. He's killing the offense.

WYCAT · Post by **WYCAT** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:18 pm

Why not try another receiver than Gatewood? From the looks of the depth chart, their are plenty to try. Eddie Sullivan and Kellen Alley come to mind?

jagur1 · Post by **jagur1** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 12:33 pm

Will you guys get it in your head. Your D didn't wear down. (27min TOP for Cal Poly) The D got out muscled with the power game.

WYCAT · Post by **WYCAT** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:53 pm

Amen Jagur1. Last year's dominant D is now no better than adequate (with a worse offense).

CARDIAC_CATS · Post by **CARDIAC_CATS** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 2:01 pm

Bleedinbluengold wrote:You know what folks? If the receivers make those catches (ESPECIALLY Gatewoood), that's a whole different game. Lulay would have been 27 for 38, 300+ yards, and 3 or 4 TD's. Then, we would be saying he played great.

The Cats would have had 30+ points, and CP wouldn't have been running over our guys because we would have been fresh.

I think everything bad that happened yesterday stemmed from not being able to catch a pass. Until the receivers make plays, the Cat O will be inept, and the Cat D will wear down.

Gatewood should be benched - he needs some time to get his head screwed on. He's killing the offense.

I'm as down at the loss as anyone and not trying to sugarcoat anything.

1) Cal Poly HUGE line ran it down our throats at the end when we had the ability to still win the game. Kudos to their OL, they played awesome yesterday along with their huge MOOSE RB.

2) The past 2 weeks our 'new' offense has played two very tough defenses. The offense did make improvements yesterday against an even tougher defense so I think we are making strides their. I mean come on, the whole OL/WR/RB core is new. That takes time to gel and against a good defense your going to take your lumps. That is just the way it is. I don't think we will see a tougher defense all year to prepare for than Cal Poly. That flex is all over the place. I think we will be JUST fine when we hit the Big Sky Conference games. By then our offense should be 'improved' by 50% and we shoudl be going against lesser defenses from what it looks like (especially after seeing the Griz defense get picked apart like mice in a swiss cheese factory last night).

3) And I disagree that Cooper looked slow yesterday. They pretty much NULLIFIED him by running away from him or up the middle the whole game. He flat out saved 2 TD's yesterday by catching the RB from behind in the 2nd half ... he WAS THE ONLY one making tackles out there. With the injury to Marudas, I think Cooper may be going back to his middle LB spot I bet this week.

4) Our corners need to get up and play the WR closer. WAY TOO MUCH CUSHION. That why we are getting burned on quick out passes/screens because too much cushion and they are having trouble tackling as well. That one TD Cal Poly got on one of those plays SHOULD NOT HAPPEN! Way too many missed tackles.

Anyway, we are gonna go through some growing pains I think this year, but I can see us being a competitive team when conference starts this year. I think any Big Sky team can beat any Big Sky team on a given day this year.

farmcats · Post by **farmcats** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:01 pm

After reading all of the comments on game here are my thoughts
1) In spite of the loss the offense played better this week against a stronger defense than last week.

2) Lulay needs to play within himself and not try to shoulder the haul load. His Freshman year he played much looser. Last year and the first two games this year he looks like he is playing tight, not letting the game come to him. Granted his Freshman year he had a couple of receivers in Adams and Hill. But he put the ball where they could and would make some great catches. Last year and especially the first two games this year, a lot of his pass have not been where the receivers could make a outstanding play. Then when he makes a good pass the receivers are not catching the on a regular bases.

3) Lulay can not make the long pass. His accuracies really goes down hill if he throws the ball over 15 yards down field. The biggest share of the pass completions are in the 5- 15 yards down field. Granted he has to have time to make the long pass but when he has time he doesn’t make it happen.

4) The running game will come around. CP defense is designed to strop the run and they did. They had 6 to 8 guys up on the line of scrimmage on every play. It is had to run with that may guys on the line. Until we start to complete those short passes we will be seeing a lot of 8 man fronts.

Good Defense....What Happened (Not Smack)

Good Defense....What Happened (Not Smack)

The game