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A very disappointing end to an otherwise strong season and incredible post-season. The "next man up" concept will be critical as Shepherd will lose a significant amount of talent to graduation/eligibility.
A couple of interesting questions to find answers going forward as Shepherd tries to return to the national semi-finals and ultimately more appearances in the national championship:
Defense - this unit lacked the playmakers and shut-down play it enjoyed back in 2015-2016. It struggled to get stops against Kutztown in the regular season, gave up a 21-0 lead to the Golden Bears in the Quarterfinals, had the offense playing from behind, and simply looked inept against Ferris State. There once was a time when Shepherd would have late season leads and the Shepherd defense would pin its ears back and make the opposing offenses hate life. Defense wins championships--or at least gives you more than a fighting chance to reach the national championship and compete against the best. What's the missing piece(s)?
O-Line/D-Line - Shepherd has always recruited for speed over size. This becomes evident in the playoffs, particularly when facing programs from the midwest. Speed can wear down the big guys, but it was certainly a factor against Ferris State. Was it due to weather conditions, did it just not work out this one time, or is Shepherd due to re-assess what it looks for in linemen? I remember a while back when first and goal meant Shepherd was going to score a touchdown, and they were going to do it by handing the rock to the RB because the line was a dominant force. Does size matter?
Scholarships - Shepherd's not fully funded (where can scholarship comparison data for D-II schools be found?). When you have a school with 4,000-5,000 students going against schools with 14,000-20,000 students ... the funding gap between the respective schools' continues to grow apart exponentially--due to lower home attendance figures and the alumni/donor base. Shepherd does an amazing job given its limited resources. I can't speak to other states, but I believe WV prohibits state funds from being used for scholarships--a disadvantage if that isn't a universal practice across the nation. But "money talks," and "follow the money" applies ... get more of it and the potential talent pool likely increases.
Concerns Coming Up - I envision more parity in the PSAC and a conference that eats its own leading to strong teams with 2-3 losses praying for a playoff spot. Throw in a Frostburg State program that will be playoff eligible sooner than later and a GMAC conference with its own share of solid programs (Ashland, Findlay, OH Dominican) and playoff spots will be hard to come by in the future. I could easily see a Super Region 1 bracket that only has two spots for PSAC teams--NDC and Frostburg, two GMAC, one NE-10, leaving two PSAC teams.
A couple of interesting questions to find answers going forward as Shepherd tries to return to the national semi-finals and ultimately more appearances in the national championship:
Defense - this unit lacked the playmakers and shut-down play it enjoyed back in 2015-2016. It struggled to get stops against Kutztown in the regular season, gave up a 21-0 lead to the Golden Bears in the Quarterfinals, had the offense playing from behind, and simply looked inept against Ferris State. There once was a time when Shepherd would have late season leads and the Shepherd defense would pin its ears back and make the opposing offenses hate life. Defense wins championships--or at least gives you more than a fighting chance to reach the national championship and compete against the best. What's the missing piece(s)?
O-Line/D-Line - Shepherd has always recruited for speed over size. This becomes evident in the playoffs, particularly when facing programs from the midwest. Speed can wear down the big guys, but it was certainly a factor against Ferris State. Was it due to weather conditions, did it just not work out this one time, or is Shepherd due to re-assess what it looks for in linemen? I remember a while back when first and goal meant Shepherd was going to score a touchdown, and they were going to do it by handing the rock to the RB because the line was a dominant force. Does size matter?
Scholarships - Shepherd's not fully funded (where can scholarship comparison data for D-II schools be found?). When you have a school with 4,000-5,000 students going against schools with 14,000-20,000 students ... the funding gap between the respective schools' continues to grow apart exponentially--due to lower home attendance figures and the alumni/donor base. Shepherd does an amazing job given its limited resources. I can't speak to other states, but I believe WV prohibits state funds from being used for scholarships--a disadvantage if that isn't a universal practice across the nation. But "money talks," and "follow the money" applies ... get more of it and the potential talent pool likely increases.
Concerns Coming Up - I envision more parity in the PSAC and a conference that eats its own leading to strong teams with 2-3 losses praying for a playoff spot. Throw in a Frostburg State program that will be playoff eligible sooner than later and a GMAC conference with its own share of solid programs (Ashland, Findlay, OH Dominican) and playoff spots will be hard to come by in the future. I could easily see a Super Region 1 bracket that only has two spots for PSAC teams--NDC and Frostburg, two GMAC, one NE-10, leaving two PSAC teams.
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