Shepherd vs. Ferris State

[ShepFan1]

Ok, I will start this. I know Shepherd is a huge underdog on Saturday, kind of like Rocky vs. Apollo Creed. I am proud of the Rams for making it this far. Bagent is the best QB in D2 and he will always give us a chance, but I think if we slow the game down, run the ball and short passes to keep the time of possession in our favor we might have a chance. It will take a monumental effort to win, but there is always a chance. Congrats to Ferris, Valdosta and Co. Mines for making it to the final four.

[Ship69]

Their offense gives Shepherd a puncher's chance, but they'll probably have to be more ball control-oriented than usual to keep Ferris State off the field. They've done great to win three tough playoff games, but their defense hasn't exactly inspired a great deal of confidence against playoff-caliber foes. Hope Shepherd has a great game and represents the PSAC and our region well.

[CHIP72]

Schedule note:

The Shepherd at Ferris State game will kickoff on Saturday 12/11 at 3:30 PM ET and be broadcast on ESPN+.

[IUPNation]

Yeah....Ferris Bueller State is a different animal than getting last second wins over Region 1 competition.

But good luck anyway.....I'm hoping they can pull off the upset.

[CALUPA69]

Yeah....Ferris Bueller State is a different animal than getting last second wins over Region 1 competition.

But good luck anyway.....I'm hoping they can pull off the upset.

Having watched a bit of their game versus NWMSU, I have an odd sense that the best way to challenge the BULLDOGS is turn the game into a shootout. When everything goes frenetic and balls are flying, sometimes strange things happen. Going toe to toe with a champ sometimes results in a lucky KO. Maybe you, or just maybe the champ.

[ShepAlum]

The semi-final game vs. Grand Valley State was "David vs. Goliath" and David won. This will be the same situation. One thing Shepherd had going for it that year was hosting the game in Shepherdstown where I'm sure 5,500-6,000 of the 6,496 spectators were cheering on the blue and gold. I imagine that kind of support goes a long way in a game like this. This coming Saturday I would guess maybe 10% of that will make the road trip.

A few things that concern me going into this matchup:

- our top offense couldn't put the nail in the coffin with a 21-point lead and plenty of possessions (ball after halftime and subsequent drives) to do so
- our defense couldn't maintain a lead despite spotting itself 21 points
- the defense needs a few more playmakers that consistently disrupt the quarterback, shut down the run game, and shut down secondary (can we get Myles Humphrey, Howard Jones, Octavius Thomas, Tre Sullivan, CJ Davis some expanded eligibility due to COVID?)
- will the middle of MI, sandwiched between two Great Lakes, in Dec. provide cold and snow that impacts the pass-happy offense
- Bagent's touch on deep passes seems to have faded late in the season, and many errant throws seem forced

I'm not sure if this will be the end of the road for Shepherd or not. It's been a wild, magical ride thus far. It almost feels like we're playing with House money at this point. Part of me feels like Shepherd's luck has run out--another part of me wonders if the endings to the past two games is indicative of something between fate and divine intervention saying this year is meant to belong to the Shepherd Rams. Win or lose, I'm extremely proud of the efforts from the players and staff to get to this part of the season.

Go Rams!

[Ship69]

Having watched a bit of their game versus NWMSU, I have an odd sense that the best way to challenge the BULLDOGS is turn the game into a shootout. When everything goes frenetic and balls are flying, sometimes strange things happen. Going toe to toe with a champ sometimes results in a lucky KO. Maybe you, or just maybe the champ.

Well, IMO it HAS to be a shootout for Shepherd to win. A defense that has given up 65 points to Kutztown in two meetings is probably not going to stop Ferris State from scoring. Bagent and his receivers will have to be in tune, and maybe they can get a turnover or two. I think Shepherd tends to undervalue its run game. Ronny Brown is a very shifty back.

[wvftballfan]

[CALUPA69]

Optimism is a good thing, but can we hedge a bit and say " it MAY be fun to watch. The BULLDOGS average 45.7 to 19.3. They've been "held" to 35 twice, so you have to figure at minimum 5 TDs if your D is excellent. The good part is that the RAMS average 46.6 so they have the O. And if someone in SHEPHERDSTOWN has the time they may want to ask the coaching staff at Saggy Valley if they could borrow the tapes of the CARDINALS OT loss to FSU. That game ended at 47-45 only because SVSU couldn't convert a 2 ptr after their OT TD. Another important point SVSU kicked 3 FGs (27, 26, and 39yds) when drives stalled. Tell your kicker he's coming only for KOs and EPs at least until overtime.Good luck and do SR1 and the PSAC proud.

[boyblue]

If Valdosta is fortunate enough to get to the NC,
I would love to see a rematch of the 2018 NC game but, no one is giving Shepherd a chance so I thought I'd pull out my giant killer grand plan.

To win this game Shepherd has to shorten it. 4 yards per play is all you want and do not run out of bounds for any reason. Keep every play in bounds and run the clock down to 3 seconds on every play before snapping the ball. Once you've shortened the game you will have a chance. Shepherd's offense is good enough to sustain long drives. The goal on every drive is to run clock when you score that is a bonus. Every Shepherd drive has to last at least 5 minutes long whether you score or not. Every Shepherd 3 and out will add points to Ferris' total so three and outs are to be avoided at all cost. Shepherd will have to go for it on every 4th & 1 inside Ferris' 40. Every dropped pass will add 35 seconds to the game length so pass sparingly. Time is Shepherd's biggest enemy, a 9 minute drive that results in no points is better than a 2 minute touchdown scoring drive. Shepherd will score but it's extremely important to not score too quickly.

In terms of defense, Shepherd has to get some stops, if Shepherd can force 3 or 4 punts they may be able to keep the game close. Ferris will score, but if you can make them drive the length of the field and take 4 or 5 minutes on each drive, that's a good thing. This is one game where coach should be looking more at the clock than the scoreboard because the clock should be stopped as little as possible.

So there you have it. I just hope Mines doesn't see this and use this on our Blazers.

[Sec10-A-14]

You kicked my teams' butts all-over hell
BUT
Good Luck tp the Rams carry the PSAC banner to VICTORY

[Mk63NuclearBomb]

In my experience there are two ways to beat Ferris: 1. Get 6 turnovers or 2. Score 50.

I agree with boyblue outside of one thing: Shepherd needs to score touchdowns at every possible opportunity regardless of how long it takes. You can't settle for FGs and scoreless drives when there might be 100+ total points in regulation.

[DawgUp]

Shepherd needs to keep the game as close as possible in the first half and if they win the coin toss, defer to get the ball in the 2nd half. If Ferris goes into halftime with a decent lead AND gets the ball after half time, they will run the ball non-stop down your throat. You're defense will get worn out, they'll run the clock, limit your possessions and once you have no choice to pass, Bagent will be running for his life while you'll have to score on every possession to stay in it.

[Ram040506]

Shepherd needs to keep the game as close as possible in the first half and if they win the coin toss, defer to get the ball in the 2nd half. If Ferris goes into halftime with a decent lead AND gets the ball after half time, they will run the ball non-stop down your throat. You're defense will get worn out, they'll run the clock, limit your possessions and once you have no choice to pass, Bagent will be running for his life while you'll have to score on every possession to stay in it.

In the apparent unlikely event that Shepherd gets a quick lead... Has Ferris had there run game neutralized to where they have needed to throw yet this year? Seems like their run game is so impressive it sets up everything. I think the weather is going to loom large this weekend for this game. If it's an ugly weather day, maybe that helps Shepherd a bit as a neutralizer for their speed and getting to the edges?

[DawgUp]

In the apparent unlikely event that Shepherd gets a quick lead... Has Ferris had there run game neutralized to where they have needed to throw yet this year? Seems like their run game is so impressive it sets up everything. I think the weather is going to loom large this weekend for this game. If it's an ugly weather day, maybe that helps Shepherd a bit as a neutralizer for their speed and getting to the edges?

The only ones to come close was Grand Valley in our first matchup at their place, but that was more due to crowd noise (17k screaming fans) and us not being able to check out of a run as opposed to them just physically stopping us. The thing with Ferris is if you load up to stop the run, they'll hit you with play action and RPOs once your linebackers and safeties start coming down hill. NWMS had a top 3 defense when we played them..here's a number comparison of their D before and what we put up:

_____________NWMSU D_______Ferris
Rush..................57yds/pg...............245yds
Total yds...........207yds/pg.............413yds
Pts.....................10/pg......................41pts

As far as ugly weather, it was a snow storm for our first playoff game against GV and we put up 54pts, 532 total yds and 299 rushing. We're prone to fumbling, so best bet is if we turn it over, chew up as much clock as you can to keep the O off the field and score touchdowns.