THE IUP Football Thread

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Danielson will be a monster next year was ruled ineligible this year, best defensive player his senior year in the wpial.

We've been hearing about this dude for years. He graduated TJ in '19. The 2020 season was lost. So he was hurt in 2021 and ineligible in 2022?

The 2023 season will be his fourth year at IUP but I guess he'll be a freshman eligibility-wise?

That's great news he's still around. Being ineligible is another topic. We aren't talking Harvard here. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

[Fightingscot82]

We've been hearing about this dude for years. He graduated TJ in '19. The 2020 season was lost. So he was hurt in 2021 and ineligible in 2022?

The 2023 season will be his fourth year at IUP but I guess he'll be a freshman eligibility-wise?

That's great news he's still around. Being ineligible is another topic. We aren't talking Harvard here. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

Yep. Half-assed my way through high school. My first semester at Edinboro I was pledging a fraternity by Labor Day weekend, working 10 hours a week on campus, and drunk 2-3 nights a week and still managed a 2.2 GPA.

[IUP24]

We probably don't have the greatest crews in the PSAC, but officiating most sports is very hard. Basketball has changed so much over the years, with the athletes getting quicker and playing above the rim, that you have to be on your toes on all times. Even reffing YMCA and summer leagues games, you can run into a variety of situations that call for a split-second decision. I learned that I would not be a good basketball official because I tend to pause for a moment before I make a decision, and any delay you make as an official has fans ready to pounce because they take it as a sign that you don't know what to call. Even in baseball or softball, you get bang-bang calls on the bases that really could go either way. I had several calls like that in a slow-pitch softball game once, and one of the teams was about ready to stomp me (didn't help that the home plate umpire was a prima donna jerk who overruled me on one call despite the fact that I had a much better look at it than he did).

I can be as hard on officials as the next person, but sometimes we really need to tone down the abuse a little, especially at the youth level. Stories are legion about parents threatening officials, getting into physical scuffles, etc. There was a near riot at an elementary school-age wrestling meet near Harrisburg not long ago. Our major area athletic conference, the 36-team Mid-Penn, can't play all of its football games on Fridays because they only had about a dozen qualified football officiating crews last year — do the math. My primary worry in the future is not whether the officiating is good or bad, but whether we'll have enough officials to play the games at all.

Great post.

I've often made these same comments to people within this discussion. When you look at who we have officiating games, it's mostly older folks. That's not taking a shot at anyone, that's just the way it is. Every sport. At every level. Guys 50+ in most cases. Things slow down and get harder at that stage. And as you mentioned, sports aren't slowing down. Athletes are getting bigger, faster, quicker, more athletic, etc. Bad calls could very well be a product of officials, in some cases, simply not being able to keep up.

I think the instant reaction to things nowadays makes officiating very difficult, and mostly unappealing to a large faction of people who may be in a position to want to do the job. Every play and call is reviewed. If you mess up, millions of people see it on camera. Everything is under a microscope within the confines of social media. Officials at the college and pro level are eviscerated by fans at every turn. Why would anyone actually want to do that job? Everyone always complains about officiating, but nobody ever signs up to do the job and put their self-proclaimed abilities to work for the good of the sport. So now you deal with a shortage of officials, so guys who should be phasing out, are the only ones we have doing it.

I miss the days where we didn't have the number of reviews and replay angles we have now. You accepted human error as part of the sport. You dealt with it and primarily moved on. It was part of it. Gambling has a ton to do with why these games take so long and why everything is reviewed. I kind of feel that replay has ruined the spontaneous joy we can get out of watching sports. Great catch in the end zone? No use celebrating, because it'll get reviewed for the entirety of a three and a half minute commercial break, only to be overturned because the ball moved ever so slightly on a zoomed in replay. I am a Pitt football season ticket holder, so I go to a lot of Division 1 FBS college football games. The length of these games is just maddening. Most approach 4 hours. Many run longer. Going to a game is a full-day event. It was nice and refreshing going to the IUP game on Saturday. Game was finished in under 2.5 hours. Now that's also in part due to there not being a media timeout at each change of possession. But that also is because there were not reviews for targeting, fumbles, touchdowns, etc. But I didn't feel like the game was poorly officiated at all. I think most crews do a fine enough job. With no reviews, I didn't feel cheated as a fan; and I don't think any Ashland fans did either. I thought the game was called well.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Indiana High School got b-slapped all season, you’d think the locals would cue up behind the local team that wins.

I think the local resentment factor towards the school and students plays in too…the locals need to get over it. You are a college town whose economy is married to the school for better or for worse. Without the campus you are just a slightly bigger version of Punxsutawney but instead of a giant rat you have a statue of a dead actor to rest your laurels on…liberal college towns tend to embrace their schools.

I think this is overplayed. It’s a small fraction of the community that doesn’t like IUP, and it won’t surprise you that most of them don’t even live in town. If you follow the Indiana Gazette on Facebook you’ll see the same tired losers on there *****ing about everything.

[EyeoftheHawk]

That's largely from a bygone era. I don't sense a resentment factor any more in Indiana. IUP is a shell of itself. I don't think most people even realize anymore when campus is in session versus when it's on break. The enrollment is so down that the off-campus housing market is all but dead. The students almost all live down in the immediate circumference of campus now. It's like their own little world and the two (campus and Indiana) don't really mingle or run in to each other much. It's not like the boom era of the 80/s90s when the enrollment was double and students were mixed in to neighborhoods all through town. The slum houses of that time were all sold by the 'lords' due to having no clients. The vast majority were flipped in to single family homes.

There was certainly a time when many in Indiana would have preferred to build a "Berlin Wall" type structure around that campus. But, that was a long time ago.

The IUP many of us knew is long dead. I mean, of that 8,800-some enrollment, a big chunk are commuters and online students. I don't even think two of the newer dorms even opened this year.

Truth…spoken by a person who lives in this community like I do. The noise comes from people who never set foot on a college campus who’s minds are so small they can’t help themselves from projecting their make believe perception about IUP.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Great post.

I've often made these same comments to people within this discussion. When you look at who we have officiating games, it's mostly older folks. That's not taking a shot at anyone, that's just the way it is. Every sport. At every level. Guys 50+ in most cases. Things slow down and get harder at that stage..

Hey now, you just wait. I have to take half a Viagra just to keep from pi**ing on my shoes, and I’m in damned good shape for my age, LOL.

[IUPNation]

I think this is overplayed. It’s a small fraction of the community that doesn’t like IUP, and it won’t surprise you that most of them don’t even live in town. If you follow the Indiana Gazette on Facebook you’ll see the same tired losers on there *****ing about everything.

It doesn’t surprise me. The people in PA who make the biggest stink about crime in Philadelphia never see foot in Philadelphia.

Im failing to understand why locals aren’t embracing a team that has consistently won for 40 years that literally represents their town. I mean I support anything without a second thought that represents Philadelphia. I don’t get it.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It doesn’t surprise me. The people in PA who make the biggest stink about crime in Philadelphia never see foot in Philadelphia.

Im failing to understand why locals aren’t embracing a team that has consistently won for 40 years that literally represents their town. I mean I support anything without a second thought that represents Philadelphia. I don’t get it.

I'm telling you IUP tanked it.

They market free cookies in the basement of Leonard Hall more than they hyped up that game.

No buzz at all.

I honestly think many didn't know they were (A) playing and (B) playing at home.

I'm talking casual fans ..not us dorks.

Have I mentioned yet that the band wasn't there? Lol

[GregD]

I'm telling you IUP tanked it.

They market free cookies in the basement of Leonard Hall more than they hyped up that game.

No buzz at all.

I honestly think many didn't know they were (A) playing and (B) playing at home.

I'm talking casual fans ..not us dorks.

Have I mentioned yet that the band wasn't there? Lol

The band's absence was not due to something IUP did.
If you want to know why the band was not there, ask the members themselves.

[iupgroundhog]

I'm telling you IUP tanked it.

They market free cookies in the basement of Leonard Hall more than they hyped up that game.

No buzz at all.

I honestly think many didn't know they were (A) playing and (B) playing at home.

I'm talking casual fans ..not us dorks.

Have I mentioned yet that the band wasn't there? Lol

No buzz at all? I guess things really have changed then. When I was at IUP it seemed like everybody was buzzed.

Hope there is a large raucous crowd on Saturday.

[Monte's Catering Co.]

No buzz at all? I guess things really have changed then. When I was at IUP it seemed like everybody was buzzed.

Hope there is a large raucous crowd on Saturday.

Yup, we'll supply the crowd! 😆

[IUPNation]

I'm telling you IUP tanked it.

They market free cookies in the basement of Leonard Hall more than they hyped up that game.

No buzz at all.

I honestly think many didn't know they were (A) playing and (B) playing at home.

I'm talking casual fans ..not us dorks.

Have I mentioned yet that the band wasn't there? Lol

How can anyone living in Indiana not know there was a game? Nobody reads the Gazette. It wasn't mentioned on any of the sports segments on Yinzer TV channels?

The band not being there is a non issue. If the school didn't accommodate students who live on campus to open the dorms and the food service early from break, how can you make them come back?

I mean in the 1987 season opener at West Chester, the IUP band made the trip but the WCU band was not there for their home game...and played taped band music over the PA. When we went back to Farrell for the State Game...the IUP band teed off on that when the WCU band would play and they would chant "Is it West Chester...or is it Memorex". (a reference that will go over the heads of millennials and zoomers). It is a bad weekend for games. Shepherd outdrew Grand Valley who draws north of 10K for their home games and they are located outside of Grand Rapids...a area that is far more populated. If the Lakers couldn't sell out for Northwest Misery in a big playoff game...are we really going to have their crisis because IUP didn't draw vs Ashland? The Penn State game had low energy too. The student section was pretty empty...it was not the usual atmosphere.

[IUPNation]

Yup, we'll supply the crowd! 😆

Hopefully y'all behave better this time...we hear your fans are known to taunt. :-)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

How can anyone living in Indiana not know there was a game? Nobody reads the Gazette. It wasn't mentioned on any of the sports segments on Yinzer TV channels?

The band not being there is a non issue. If the school didn't accommodate students who live on campus to open the dorms and the food service early from break, how can you make them come back?

I mean in the 1987 season opener at West Chester, the IUP band made the trip but the WCU band was not there for their home game...and played taped band music over the PA. When we went back to Farrell for the State Game...the IUP band teed off on that when the WCU band would play and they would chant "Is it West Chester...or is it Memorex". (a reference that will go over the heads of millennials and zoomers). It is a bad weekend for games. Shepherd outdrew Grand Valley who draws north of 10K for their home games and they are located outside of Grand Rapids...a area that is far more populated. If the Lakers couldn't sell out for Northwest Misery in a big playoff game...are we really going to have their crisis because IUP didn't draw vs Ashland? The Penn State game had low energy too. The student section was pretty empty...it was not the usual atmosphere.

Yinzer TV covering IUP football? Lol. No chance. They'd cover Tomlin taking a pi$s long before they'd cover IUP.

Young people don't read newspapers. The only generation that still does ... well, they did attend the game.

[Ram040506]

Hopefully y'all behave better this time...we hear your fans are known to taunt. :-)

Can’t take dem hillbillies no place.