THE IUP Football Thread

[Matt Burglund]

And, talking about adjustments, the Lakers have not scored a second half point against IUP in the Tort Era.

Even further ... In the last 10 games between IUP and Mercyhurst, the Lakers have scored a grand total of 31 points in the second half.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Some interesting numbers looking deeper in to Mercyhurst:


This year:

Opponent	MU 1st Half Points Scored	2nd Half Points Scored
AB	31	14
Lock Haven	6	43
Kutztown	24	7

Last (4) games against IUP:

vs. IUP	Lakers' 2nd half points scored
21	0
19	0
18	0
17	0

This years results are showing you're going to get one really strong half from Mercyhurst (offensively). Kutztown figured something out at halftime. The Lakers were moving the ball at will in the first half. KU scored 33 of its 50 points in the second half. Mercyhurst was (amazingly) losing to Lock Haven at halftime, 7-6. Then, of course, exploded for 43 in the second half. My hunch is they showed up for LH, went through the motions and then got the riot act at halftime from the HC. Both of their first two opponents were awful so those games can only tell you so much.

So, the question is can this years team put together a full 60 minutes? We haven't seen it yet. But, they've been very strong for half of each game.

And, talking about adjustments, the Lakers have not scored a second half point against IUP in the Tort Era.

[EyeoftheHawk]

The other side of the coin is also interesting. The teams that get the most penalties called on their opponents tend to be (but not always) the bad teams. Through 3 weeks this season, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Seton Hill benefit the most from penalties (IUP is 5th) while Slippery Rock is 9th, Kutztown is 15th and Shepherd is dead last.

I researched this once and found that for many years, the team that had the most penalties called on their opponents was either Lock Haven or Cheyney.

Maybe someone else can conclude otherwise, but to me, this says that the refs sometimes feel bad when a team is down 49-0 in the third quarter.

I agree with this and the numbers seem to prove it. I think it’s human nature to flag the leading team when a game is getting out of hand.

[Ship69]

The other side of the coin is also interesting. The teams that get the most penalties called on their opponents tend to be (but not always) the bad teams. Through 3 weeks this season, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Seton Hill benefit the most from penalties (IUP is 5th) while Slippery Rock is 9th, Kutztown is 15th and Shepherd is dead last.

I researched this once and found that for many years, the team that had the most penalties called on their opponents was either Lock Haven or Cheyney.

Maybe someone else can conclude otherwise, but to me, this says that the refs sometimes feel bad when a team is down 49-0 in the third quarter.

Well, Ship might be benefitting from penalties, but they've been hit with 95, 120, and 70 yards in their first three games, so it's not like the refs have been afraid to flag the Raiders.

[Ship69]

Not to jinx it but I've been very impressed with IUP's kickoff coverage team. They cover well, make the tackle and get off the field.

Past years we'd see the obligatory in-you-face taunting -- constantly ... which drew many of those flags.

They did a number on the kid from Ship we kept hearing about.

They did cover the kicks impressively. Douglas (KR) also contributed by not fielding several of the kicks cleanly. That kid has a good burst, and I think he'll have some other good returns before the season ends.

[Fightingscot82]

Not to jinx it but I've been very impressed with IUP's kickoff coverage team. They cover well, make the tackle and get off the field.

Past years we'd see the obligatory in-you-face taunting -- constantly ... which drew many of those flags.

They did a number on the kid from Ship we kept hearing about.

Exactly what I was referencing. It was a hallmark of the latter part of the Frank Sr. tenure.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Obviously, you don't want to have unnecessary penalties. 5 penalties against the OL in the first game was definitely bad. The bottom line is whether you win or lose, though. Interference calls are often related to not being in position to make a play. That's bad.

It would be interesting to break down the types of penalties IUP has had. Clearly, the unsportsmanlike calls over the years have got to go.

IUP has also played very aggressively, especially on defense, which has inevitably led to some penalties. A few of those aren't necessarily a bad thing.

Not to jinx it but I've been very impressed with IUP's kickoff coverage team. They cover well, make the tackle and get off the field.

Past years we'd see the obligatory in-you-face taunting -- constantly ... which drew many of those flags.

They did a number on the kid from Ship we kept hearing about.

[Fightingscot82]

Obviously, you don't want to have unnecessary penalties. 5 penalties against the OL in the first game was definitely bad. The bottom line is whether you win or lose, though. Interference calls are often related to not being in position to make a play. That's bad.

It would be interesting to break down the types of penalties IUP has had. Clearly, the unsportsmanlike calls over the years have got to go.

IUP has also played very aggressively, especially on defense, which has inevitably led to some penalties. A few of those aren't necessarily a bad thing.

I remember a lot of those Frank Sr. teams were notorious for personal foul calls. Some of that is what we now consider swagger, some of it just ego and overly aggressive play.

[iupgroundhog]

The other side of the coin is also interesting. The teams that get the most penalties called on their opponents tend to be (but not always) the bad teams. Through 3 weeks this season, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Seton Hill benefit the most from penalties (IUP is 5th) while Slippery Rock is 9th, Kutztown is 15th and Shepherd is dead last.

I researched this once and found that for many years, the team that had the most penalties called on their opponents was either Lock Haven or Cheyney.

Maybe someone else can conclude otherwise, but to me, this says that the refs sometimes feel bad when a team is down 49-0 in the third quarter.

Obviously, you don't want to have unnecessary penalties. 5 penalties against the OL in the first game was definitely bad. The bottom line is whether you win or lose, though. Interference calls are often related to not being in position to make a play. That's bad.

It would be interesting to break down the types of penalties IUP has had. Clearly, the unsportsmanlike calls over the years have got to go.

IUP has also played very aggressively, especially on defense, which has inevitably led to some penalties. A few of those aren't necessarily a bad thing.

[IUPalum]

The other side of the coin is also interesting. The teams that get the most penalties called on their opponents tend to be (but not always) the bad teams. Through 3 weeks this season, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Seton Hill benefit the most from penalties (IUP is 5th) while Slippery Rock is 9th, Kutztown is 15th and Shepherd is dead last.

I researched this once and found that for many years, the team that had the most penalties called on their opponents was either Lock Haven or Cheyney.

Maybe someone else can conclude otherwise, but to me, this says that the refs sometimes feel bad when a team is down 49-0 in the third quarter.

A lot of truth to this also. I've seen it many times but in a blow out nobody blinks an eye at it.

[Matt Burglund]

Amazingly, the 2018 team -- by far Tort's most undisciplined -- had one of the lowest numbers. I'd also bet a huge chuck of those (2018) came from the kickoff coverage unit. That group had more stupid personal fouls than I've ever seen.

Obviously, Tort's last two teams (19 and 21) had high numbers.

The other side of the coin is also interesting. The teams that get the most penalties called on their opponents tend to be (but not always) the bad teams. Through 3 weeks this season, Shippensburg, East Stroudsburg, Millersville and Seton Hill benefit the most from penalties (IUP is 5th) while Slippery Rock is 9th, Kutztown is 15th and Shepherd is dead last.

I researched this once and found that for many years, the team that had the most penalties called on their opponents was either Lock Haven or Cheyney.

Maybe someone else can conclude otherwise, but to me, this says that the refs sometimes feel bad when a team is down 49-0 in the third quarter.

[Ram Tough]

The refs then have to deliberate after each call. On the game tying field goal Shep had 4.2 seconds to snap the ball once the clock was started. The ref told the long snapper to take his hands off the ball until the clock started. The LS refused and snapped the call when he heard the whistle blow. Smart move!

Those refs seemed to like the attention. I tell you one call that went Shepherd's way. Cal looked to have maybe completed a pass inside the 5 in OT. The side judge runs down to the spot with hand up like he is going to signal catch and mark the ball. He gets to the spot, pauses for dramatic effect and then signals incomplete. He gained no more knowledge or information with his 20-yard run down the sideline, but it seemed like he sure wanted everyone to know that he was making the call.

[Fightingscot82]

YEAR	PENALTY YARDS PER GAME	PSAC RANK
22	100	LAST
21	81.2	14th
19	89.8	13th
18	70.4	6th
17	75.4	11th
16	62.5	7th
15	70.5	5th
14	73.6	12th
13	91.6	LAST
12	78.7	14th

Amazingly, the 2018 team -- by far Tort's most undisciplined -- had one of the lowest numbers. I'd also bet a huge chuck of those (2018) came from the kickoff coverage unit. That group had more stupid personal fouls than I've ever seen.

Obviously, Tort's last two teams (19 and 21) had high numbers.

Thanks for running that. I guess penalties are just something you have to live with but jeez that's a free giveaway of 75-100 yards a game.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

YEAR	PENALTY YARDS PER GAME	PSAC RANK
22	100	LAST
21	81.2	14th
19	89.8	13th
18	70.4	6th
17	75.4	11th
16	62.5	7th
15	70.5	5th
14	73.6	12th
13	91.6	LAST
12	78.7	14th

Amazingly, the 2018 team -- by far Tort's most undisciplined -- had one of the lowest numbers. I'd also bet a huge chuck of those (2018) came from the kickoff coverage unit. That group had more stupid personal fouls than I've ever seen.

Obviously, Tort's last two teams (19 and 21) had high numbers.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

The league is a flag fest. Tort’s 2017 team had I believe a few games with zero and one penalties. Shepherd / Cal game last week had 238 combined penalty yards with another 10 declined. Now u tell me the refs don’t have issues. They are over officiating instead of just calling the OBVIOUS FOULS…Referring 101…just sayin

Add to it not all crews are created equal. That, my mind, is the biggest headache.

In basketball, the IUP fans know the crews. Granted, they are much closer to the fans. So, I can tell you before tip-off how the game is going to go -- i.e. will they be allowed to play or will there be a foul called every 30 seconds. The inconsistency from one crew to the next is mind-baffling. It drives coaches bonkers.

Some of these officials actually think we are there to see them.

The first thing I do now is look back after any big play ... I'm almost expecting to see the yellow flag on the field.

Other side of the coin, I suppose, is the rules have tightened up soooooooooo much in football. Depending on ones age, things that were 'normal' plays 20 years ago are penalties now.