IUP Football 2021

[IUPbigINDIANS]

For sure. I am never in favor of not having an opportunity to put a win, or, I suppose, a loss on you total at the end of the year. Play a game. I don't care what your conference schedule looks like really. Play somebody. It certainly takes having a dance partner, but there are a lot of colleges out there at many levels. Surely somebody was willing to suit up and play a football game that weekend.

I've never been of the belief that you should be rewarded for playing less games. If Team A goes 9-2, I don't view them lesser than Team B that went 9-1 and didn't play an 11th game and has one fewer loss. The fact that Team A went out and played somebody holds more weight for me than whatever wonky SOS metric or calculation you can come up with. If it comes down to a 9-2 Shep or an 8-2 IUP, I hope IUP sits at home. Not a popular opinion, but it's the one I've always held. Play a football game. I wouldn't have cared if that extra win for Shepherd's came against the school for the blind. Fact is, they went out and played. IUP didn't. Play Point Park for all I care - and they don't have a football team. Should never be rewarded for ducking out of a potential loss on the basis of "we have a tough enough conference crossover schedule and therefore don't need to play this game." Again, it takes two. Maybe they tried. If they didn't that's BS in my opinion.

Tort talked extensively about this topic ... kept referencing 2018 when they finished 9-2 and got left home. That 11th game that year was a road win at Ashland that apparently carried no weight. Combine that with saving a bunch of coin and they said screw it.

Now, Tort didn't say it but several have said they did try to line up a cupcake in Week 1 but got no takers (three of said teams played other PSAC teams in Week 1 instead).

Water under the Bridge now. IUP's first playoff game is Oct. 16.

[ShoNuff]

Yep! A Frostburg win is the best case scenario. I really feel like NDC bounces back this week, though.

This is Frostburg State's National Championship Game. To win this game, they will all but win the conference, as a team that is not officially a D-II school. I think Coach Fitz will have these guys up for this game. I think Frostburg goes into Ohio and get the win.

[Big Hawk15]

Tort talked extensively about this topic ... kept referencing 2018 when they finished 9-2 and got left home. That 11th game that year was a road win at Ashland that apparently carried no weight. Combine that with saving a bunch of coin and they said screw it.

Now, Tort didn't say it but several have said they did try to line up a cupcake in Week 1 but got no takers (three of said teams played other PSAC teams in Week 1 instead).

Water under the Bridge now. IUP's first playoff game is Oct. 16.

[Ram040506]

Never understood why iup always plays Slimey pebble and then cal u right after...very interesting that the psac always schedules it that way.

[Big Hawk15]

[ShoNuff]

Tort talked extensively about this topic ... kept referencing 2018 when they finished 9-2 and got left home. That 11th game that year was a road win at Ashland that apparently carried no weight. Combine that with saving a bunch of coin and they said screw it.

Now, Tort didn't say it but several have said they did try to line up a cupcake in Week 1 but got no takers (three of said teams played other PSAC teams in Week 1 instead).

Water under the Bridge now. IUP's first playoff game is Oct. 16.

IUP was left at home for the playoffs in 2018 because IUP finished 8-3 ( https://iupathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/2018 ), not 9-2. In their last 2 games they barely won at Edinboro (13-6) and got crushed at IUP by Shippensburg (45-21). It also didn't help that IUP could not win the Coal Bowl against Cal U (36-24) thanks to that crucial-game-clinching pick-6 on the goal line, or their own Homecoming game against Slippery Rock (30-27). So I do not understand what Coach Tort is complaining about. IUP's only quality win that year was....ummmmmm....none! Unless you are counting Ashland (6-4) and Edinboro (6-5).

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It's been like that for at least the past several years. Huge disadvantage. So hard to get teams up and healthy for back to back big games. Shepherd saw that coming off IUP and IUP saw it coming off Kutztown. It's reality. Forget the coach babble.

I'd be shocked if IUP beats SRU that they'd turn around and then beat Cal. It's extremely tough.

For years we would play Clarion right after Cal/SRU. IUP would be dead and Clarion would be in Super Bowl mode. IUP had some real tight escapes.

[Big Hawk15]

It's been like that for at least the past several years. Huge disadvantage. So hard to get teams up and healthy for back to back big games. Shepherd saw that coming off IUP and IUP saw it coming off Kutztown. It's reality. Forget the coach babble.

Clarion gets it worse. They get SRU, Cal and IUP all in a row quite frequently.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP was left at home for the playoffs in 2018 because IUP finished 8-3 ( https://iupathletics.com/sports/football/schedule/2018 ), not 9-2. In their last 2 games they barely won at Edinboro (13-6) and got crushed at IUP by Shippensburg (45-21). It also didn't help that IUP could not win the Coal Bowl against Cal U (36-24) thanks to that crucial-game-clinching pick-6 on the goal line, or their own Homecoming game against Slippery Rock (30-27). So I do not understand what Coach Tort is complaining about. IUP's only quality win that year was....ummmmmm....none! Unless you are counting Ashland (6-4) and Edinboro (6-5).

They were dead before that last game in the rankings and knew it was over. Hence that debacle against Ship. Only time I ever saw an IUP team quit before the game started.

[ShoNuff]

They were dead before that last game in the rankings and knew it was over. Hence that debacle against Ship. Only time I ever saw an IUP team quit before the game started.

It was sooooooooo pitiful to watch the Shippensburg game. They no question laid down.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It was sooooooooo pitiful to watch the Shippensburg game. They no question laid down.

I left at halftime. Only time in 30 years.

[Ship69]

Tennis is a dying sport in the US. Half the time anymore when you see people using a public tennis court they're playing pickleball. Its last refuge is country clubs. A lot of college teams are predominantly international.

I think racquetball is probably the same. Its not a "joe public" sport.

The one that really surprises me is field hockey. That's not a sport kids grow up playing. Who is the target audience and when do girls start learning how to play?

You're probably right that it is not a "Joe Public" sport, and that is a shame. Relatively easy to learn, great physical exercise, and relatively inexpensive to play, especially if your town has public courts. Actually, programs for our young women aren't looking totally bad in the U.S. Men's programs are another matter. A lot of colleges, Ship among them, have women's teams and not men's. Same with volleyball and other sports. Field hockey is largely a Northeast sport in the U.S., which is why the PSAC is the dominant small-school conference in the sport.

[IUP24]

Do you care that Clarion plays some order of IUP, Cal, and SRU in back to back to back weeks? That's typically how their schedule falls. And that's been like that for years too.

[IUPNation]

Welcome to The Wonderful World of The Home Office In Lock Haven.

[Big Hawk15]

Do you care that Clarion plays some order of IUP, Cal, and SRU in back to back to back weeks? That's typically how their schedule falls. And that's been like that for years too.

I mentioned that clarion is never even a contender at this point of the season... but iup usually is.