THE IUP Football Thread

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It’s amazing how many times this has happened to the running back room. In spring ball IUP has an embarrassment of riches at the position and we talk about how they’re going to spread the ball around. By the third week of the season we’re talking about who can move over from the defense to run the ball if necessary. Anyone have any specifics on Houser’s injury? I hate to be down on the kid because maybe it’s just terrible luck but he has been the most unreliable running back I can remember in terms of staying on the field. Monaco is still getting his sea legs and Younger has always been better as a change of pace back, not the feature.

If IUP doesn’t have a serious threat of running the ball, they can’t beat the better teams. This isn’t a throw it around the field kind of offense. Hunter needs to have a running game to help his passing game. They’re lucky to have Millersville and then Clarion on the schedule heading into Rock week, but I still don’t think it sets up well. Being healthy is part of being good and as of 9/24, I think Slippery Rock is a double digit favorite.

Houser has a 'hip injury' ... read in to that as you wish but that's never a good thing for a RB. I'd guess he's out at least another month. He was hurt early in the Ashland game and then early in the Lock Haven game, so, yes, he's barely played this year. He would be a medical redshirt candidate at this point if he still wants to keep trying to play.

Tort didn't go to either of his hyped true freshmen RBs last week. It could be simply because they didn't make the travel list. The deep bench RB they played (a regular special teams guy) in the second half didn't show much (hardly anything, actually).

It's not fair to completely evaluate this team yet. We haven't actually seen it yet. But, what we have seen on the offensive side hasn't been too impressive. That said, it's been a patch-work, hodge-podge of players at WR, TE and RB. Add to it the starting QB has missed half the season so far (1.5 games).

I'm not sleeping on Clarion. They have a history of getting pretty 'up' to play IUP. Tort's teams have laid some duds in home openers -- and, of course, we all know what is coming the following week. Coaches can yap about not looking ahead but that's all they are doing -- yapping. Teams look ahead.

Clarion should be 3-1 and had a chance to be 4-0. They were down 14-9 at Shepherd, with the ball and had 6 minutes left. They then tossed a pick six (and then another one) to make the final a deceiving 27-9. Their defense is fairly solid (and IUP's offense right now isn't too hot). Loses are loses but Clarion being in a game -- at Shepherd -- with 5 minutes to go is impressive for them.

Flipping the script, IUP's defense has been very good (aside from two plays at Lock Haven). Clarion's offense was pretty good its first three games but stalled against the Rams. Also of note, this is Clarion's third straight game on the road. Typically by the third game of a three-game road trip, it starts to drag the team down a bit. We saw it with IUP last week.

I don't see this weekend being some work of art. I'd guess IUP wins in the 20-10 range.

[IUPNation]

What?

Letting a 34 time convicted felon, rapist, insurrectionist and grifter on our campus might end up cursing our teams.

Are they still de lousing the KCAC?

Did any checks get cashed?

[EyeoftheHawk]

If Karst doesn't play this weekend then I think things get a little dicey. I'm not sure I'd want him making his return start against SRU if he hasn't played in 3 weeks. That's not exactly a 'get back' type of game. He'd likely be rusty at that point.

I 'think' he's going to go this week. There was talk of him possibly being cleared (he may have been, actually) last week but I got the impression they didn't want to rush him back. Given Millersville wasn't really a threat it was the right call - cleared or not.


As for RB, I'd guess Younger starts this week and then they make the switch to Monaco the following. I suspect regardless of who starts Monaco will see a big workload jump this week. He got his feet wet last weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not real confident we'll see Adam Houser again this year. If we do, it will be late in the season. Washington can't play RB with a cast on his right hand. It sounds like it will be on for several weeks. We may soon see the debut of Amir Major.

It’s amazing how many times this has happened to the running back room. In spring ball IUP has an embarrassment of riches at the position and we talk about how they’re going to spread the ball around. By the third week of the season we’re talking about who can move over from the defense to run the ball if necessary. Anyone have any specifics on Houser’s injury? I hate to be down on the kid because maybe it’s just terrible luck but he has been the most unreliable running back I can remember in terms of staying on the field. Monaco is still getting his sea legs and Younger has always been better as a change of pace back, not the feature.

If IUP doesn’t have a serious threat of running the ball, they can’t beat the better teams. This isn’t a throw it around the field kind of offense. Hunter needs to have a running game to help his passing game. They’re lucky to have Millersville and then Clarion on the schedule heading into Rock week, but I still don’t think it sets up well. Being healthy is part of being good and as of 9/24, I think Slippery Rock is a double digit favorite.

[IUPalum]

You better hope we haven’t been cursed.

What?

[IUPNation]

Football??? Anyone???

You better hope we haven’t been cursed.

[ShoNuff]

Wow, that's huge.

Yes, that is HUGE NEWS!!!

[iupgroundhog]

All I have are doses of reality.

Good one!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

All I have are doses of reality.

Let's hope this edition of Team Tort doesn't have the Miller blues like the past couple have had. He even commented on the lackluster performances inside Miller on his show last night.

We may all need some of that Xanax if it happens again.

Pitt is off and PSU plays at 7:30 p.m. I fully suspect they get in the neighborhood of 5,000 through the gate (regardless of whatever made up number they spew out afterward).

[IUPNation]

Can you PM me a bottle of Xanax?

All I have are doses of reality.

[iupgroundhog]

You will if they get in office and it's non stop retribution. Remember when he was in office and didn't care one bit about Kollyfornia after they had those bad wildfires that destroyed towns and killed people. He was about they didn't rake the forest and they were mean to me so why should I help them.

Can you just imagine his admin if he wins. The absolute worst human beings on two feet will be in positions they have no business being near....Three Toes Marjorie...Pervert Gaetz...Gym Jordan.....

People need to take this seriously.

Can you PM me a bottle of Xanax?

[IUPNation]

I'm not losing sleep over it. I live in a state that is going to vote blue, even if the candidate is a leprechaun. All I can do is hope they do a good job. See if Nation will share a Xanax with you so you can get through these next few months.

You will if they get in office and it's non stop retribution. Remember when he was in office and didn't care one bit about Kollyfornia after they had those bad wildfires that destroyed towns and killed people. He was about they didn't rake the forest and they were mean to me so why should I help them.

Can you just imagine his admin if he wins. The absolute worst human beings on two feet will be in positions they have no business being near....Three Toes Marjorie...Pervert Gaetz...Gym Jordan.....

People need to take this seriously.

[Ram040506]

If Karst doesn't play this weekend then I think things get a little dicey. I'm not sure I'd want him making his return start against SRU if he hasn't played in 3 weeks. That's not exactly a 'get back' type of game. He'd likely be rusty at that point.

I 'think' he's going to go this week. There was talk of him possibly being cleared (he may have been, actually) last week but I got the impression they didn't want to rush him back. Given Millersville wasn't really a threat it was the right call - cleared or not.


As for RB, I'd guess Younger starts this week and then they make the switch to Monaco the following. I suspect regardless of who starts Monaco will see a big workload jump this week. He got his feet wet last weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not real confident we'll see Adam Houser again this year. If we do, it will be late in the season. Washington can't play RB with a cast on his right hand. It sounds like it will be on for several weeks. We may soon see the debut of Amir Major.

You'd think running backs can't play with a cast on their hand. Shepherd is trotting out a back with a full cast on his hand, results have been poor thus far. He shockingly fumbled last week too. Wild.

[Ram040506]

It does matter to you. A lot. That's what people are not understanding. If Trump were to be elected, all of our lives would be changed. We will all be screwed. This does mean what they say it means. Pretty much all that we have taken for granted during our lives would be out the window. The USA will no longer be the USA it has been for the last 248 years. This is not wild talk. It's real.

I read that one of the things he said last night was that if he is elected and if someone criticizes the Supreme Court they would be jailed. I'm assuming the people in the audience cheered. If you sat there and didn't get up and walk out , you are not an American.

Look, he has said he'd be a dictator on Day One. People cheer. Trust me, they do not want to live in a dictatorship. None of us do. The bread lines will be online but there will be bread lines like back in the USSR. Trust me.

Maybe the most immediate danger is his trade and tariff talk. The President imposes tariffs unilaterally, he will do what he says, and the world will likely plunge into a global depression. So, it has to matter to you.

(I apologize for the politics but I don't want to be sorry in a few months and say I should have spoken up more.)

I'm not losing sleep over it. I live in a state that is going to vote blue, even if the candidate is a leprechaun. All I can do is hope they do a good job. See if Nation will share a Xanax with you so you can get through these next few months.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It will be interesting to see who starts at QB and RB.

If Karst doesn't play this weekend then I think things get a little dicey. I'm not sure I'd want him making his return start against SRU if he hasn't played in 3 weeks. That's not exactly a 'get back' type of game. He'd likely be rusty at that point.

I 'think' he's going to go this week. There was talk of him possibly being cleared (he may have been, actually) last week but I got the impression they didn't want to rush him back. Given Millersville wasn't really a threat it was the right call - cleared or not.


As for RB, I'd guess Younger starts this week and then they make the switch to Monaco the following. I suspect regardless of who starts Monaco will see a big workload jump this week. He got his feet wet last weekend. Unfortunately, I'm not real confident we'll see Adam Houser again this year. If we do, it will be late in the season. Washington can't play RB with a cast on his right hand. It sounds like it will be on for several weeks. We may soon see the debut of Amir Major.

[iupgroundhog]

Not to interrupt talk of The Donald, but, ...


It sounds like the only three players 'highly unlikely' to play this Saturday are Hilton Ridley, Adam Houser and Randy Okungu. Obviously, these are three very important players. But, that means several others in the walking wounded club are set to return -- including star DL Terrell Williams (who will make his season debut), TE Cole Laney and QB Karst Hunter.

Just a guess but I think they want to make sure Okungu is as close to 100 percent as possible for the following week. He is a clear difference-maker on the defensive front. Paired with a healthy Williams, and IUP is going to be very dangerous up there.

Randy Washington could play this week but it will not be at RB. Tort said he will have a cast on his hand and will primarily play special teams for the next several weeks.

Last nights player guest on The Tort Show was WR Maurice Massey. He was one of the more entertaining guests in the past several years. Tort revealed he was on a 'pitch count' at Ashland which is why he only played 15 snaps. He had a foot injury last season and is just now getting back to near 100 percent. Massey was also only in camp about 10 days prior to the Ashland trip. He does have this year and next year at IUP despite being a grad student. I was just waiting for him to answer a Jack question with 'just gimme the damn ball'.

Speaking of big WRs, there has still been no mention (or sighting) of T'Mahdae Penn. He has yet to play this season. If Tort ever gets a healthy WR group, he will have a great combination of size and speed. Massey (6'4", Penn (6'4") and Ridley (6'3"), burners like Cy Clark and Isaiah Houser, and a solid possession receiver like Deabner will make things challenging for defenses.

It will be interesting to see who starts at QB and RB.