Shepherd in Semi-Finals

[IUPalum]

I think West Liberty actually has the most. Not quite working out.

IUP could be fully funded and it still might not make a difference nationally. The recruiting area in the NE is so dense with schools on all levels that it’s hard to get the top recruits. In the Midwest, they get guys on D2 rosters that are D1 bench players but go D2 bc they want to play/they’re aren’t enough D1 close to home for them to go to.

[IUPNation]

IUP could be fully funded and it still might not make a difference nationally. The recruiting area in the NE is so dense with schools on all levels that it’s hard to get the top recruits. In the Midwest, they get guys on D2 rosters that are D1 bench players but go D2 bc they want to play/they’re aren’t enough D1 close to home for them to go to.

Correct.

But IUP could print the coupons for them to play here instead and go to a better school on top of it...

I mean Sexton could have played closer to home after he left Pittsburg Without The H State but came to IUP.

Obviously IUP has something to offer and the stadium isn't turning them off.

I mean they just lowered out of state tuition by 20%.

PRINT THE COUPONS!!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I think everyone is getting a bit ahead of themselves.

The MIAA and the GLIAC are two team leagues. Look at the MIAA for the last 30 years...either Northwest Misery or Pittsburg We Can't Afford The H State have won the league title...and it's been most Northwest Misery, Most of the GLIAC doesn't stand a chance past Grand Valley and Ferris Bueller State. Saggy Valley makes some noise now and again but the rest of that league is basically Clarion.

Division 2 is no different than FBS in the fact that there are a handful of elite teams each year that have the real chance to win the title. Even when they go to a 12 team playoff, you will see the same imbalances between the 12th seed and the top. The BIG this year was two strong teams....one decent team...and the rest was dreck. The SEC is the same...a lot of their lower teams aren't scaring anyone.

The Pee Sack is the American Athletic in the D2 World. The top teams can get into the rankings but when they face the elite of the perceived better conferences...they get rolled.

The region format isn't going anywhere. Yes it is sad that the MIAA and GLIAC are in the same region but the GLIAC is tiny now and why they got put in with them. The Northern Sun seems a better geographic dance partner but they are a big league and they got put in with the tinier LSC and RMAC. Taking the GMAC away from Region 1 and putting in the further away GLIAC doesn't make sense for the purpose of regional playoffs. Region 2 is basically the GSC. The fact that West Flori-duh was a three seed when the other leagues in that region are not that strong. It's almost a given each year the Region 2 winner is going to be a GSC team.

It's not like IUP can't be a national heavyweight. We already were one before. They were almost National Champions in 1993 if only Michael Mann turned around in the endzone when the ball came sailing his way. IUP was down 24-0 to West Flori-duh 5 years ago and rallied to pull within 3 in the fourth quarter...it wasn't a blowout.

Your lines in D2 are the most important. If you can win the trenches...you win the game at this level. There are no shut down secondaries....those players are in FBS/FCS. Mines won because they got to Bagent. Rivers got shut down because he was disrupted. Jimmy got blasted at GV his Harlon Hill season because he was facing a D Line that bowled over the ESU O Line.

It's not rocket science. Pee Sack schools need to be able to either get funding from Harrisburg for scholarships like Northwest Misery and Grand Valley get from their states...or they should just be allowed to print coupons for athletes like the privates do and write it off.

Alumni like to give money to schools that win things. Printing coupons for athletes is probably cheaper in the long run..

Mines did something yesterday that nobody in SR1 dared all year. They were baiting Shepherd to go deep all day - and didn't seem to care. They brought the house all day and at times had their safties just 7 yards off the line of scrimmage.

SR1 teams defended him as if it was Dan Marino. They'd drop so many guys that there would be no pressure. He'd sit back there and make magic happen. DBs can only cover WRs so long before somebody gets open. Mines said forget that. We're going after him. Granted, they have an endless supply of stud DL and LBs. That helps.

Their defensive schemes also were so advanced compared to what we see. There were times (several) Bagent had no idea where the pressure was coming from.

[IUPNation]

Mines did something yesterday that nobody in SR1 dared all year. They were baiting Shepherd to go deep all day - and didn't seem to care. They brought the house all day and at times had their safties just 7 yards off the line of scrimmage.

SR1 teams defended him as if it was Dan Marino. They'd drop so many guys that there would be no pressure. He'd sit back there and make magic happen. DBs can only cover WRs so long before somebody gets open. Mines said forget that. We're going after him. Granted, they have an endless supply of stud DL and LBs. That helps.

Their defensive schemes also were so advanced compared to what we see. There were times (several) Bagent had no idea where the pressure was coming from.

He can't play in the rain either. :-)

You remember the IUP defenses of Frank's heyday...they absolutely obliterated opposing QB's....and nobody touched ours.

Not so much today.

[Fightingscot82]

IUP could be fully funded and it still might not make a difference nationally. The recruiting area in the NE is so dense with schools on all levels that it’s hard to get the top recruits. In the Midwest, they get guys on D2 rosters that are D1 bench players but go D2 bc they want to play/they’re aren’t enough D1 close to home for them to go to.

I think you're on it. Fully funded would help IUP in the region but they'd still lose out on depth because there are so many options for good players in IUP's recruiting territory. Sometimes playing time trumps money, too. I think you see the fallacy of being fully funded with LitAF and Mercyhurst. They have money to throw around but that doesn't result in depth or wins.

The lowered out of state tuition helps athletics more than anyone. I can tell you SRU athletics uses their similar discount as much as possible. I don't think 20% is enough to make a mark in overall enrollment, but that discount is like Tort has a gift card to BiLo and a bunch of things on his list are on sale.

Until the MEC allows someone to publish scholarship numbers nobody will know how much Roger Wailaele is charging Gary West on sugardaddy.com.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

He can't play in the rain either. :-)

You remember the IUP defenses of Frank's heyday...they absolutely obliterated opposing QB's....and nobody touched ours.

Not so much today.

Tort gets too scared of big QBs. But, that's a different discussion.

[Ram040506]

Mines did something yesterday that nobody in SR1 dared all year. They were baiting Shepherd to go deep all day - and didn't seem to care. They brought the house all day and at times had their safties just 7 yards off the line of scrimmage.

SR1 teams defended him as if it was Dan Marino. They'd drop so many guys that there would be no pressure. He'd sit back there and make magic happen. DBs can only cover WRs so long before somebody gets open. Mines said forget that. We're going after him. Granted, they have an endless supply of stud DL and LBs. That helps.

Their defensive schemes also were so advanced compared to what we see. There were times (several) Bagent had no idea where the pressure was coming from.

83, 81, 0 were the WR’s yesterday for Shepherd. At least 5 dropped balls and they are all true freshman or a first year juco. None were the starters or even in the top 4 all year prior to the PSAC championship game. They played like freshman yesterday too.

Shepherd needs to get back to being a balanced offense and get off this 70/30 pass run ratio on offense. Before we joined the PSAC that is the type of team we were and frankly we competed in the final 4. Now that we lean too far one way we get rolled. Those teams have more talent and can take away one or the other schematically, balance is paramount to keep them guessing to even the playing field somewhat.

[ShepFan1]

As I said previously, beating IUP was our Super Bowl. Very hard to compete against the big boys after that.

Having our top two WRs out didn’t help. We needed to win the turnover battle and obviously that didn’t happen. We hung tough for a while, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Still proud of what we accomplished this year.

[IUPNation]

As I said previously, beating IUP was our Super Bowl. Very hard to compete against the big boys after that.

Having our top two WRs out didn’t help. We needed to win the turnover battle and obviously that didn’t happen. We hung tough for a while, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Still proud of what we accomplished this year.

Beating IUP is everybody's Super Bowl.

[Ram040506]

Beating IUP is everybody's Super Bowl.

No. IUP was in the way to a region title, that’s the reference. If it were Ashland, then they were the Super Bowl.

to be honest I don’t like the reference of Super Bowl. Rams should win the region most every year, one of these years they will break through. They will continue to get better and work to get to the levels or the other regions.

[Ship69]

Beating IUP is everybody's Super Bowl.

I doubt it's Ferris State's Super Bowl.

[IUPNation]

I doubt it's Ferris State's Super Bowl.

We haven't played Ferris Bueller State in 22 years.

IUP leads that series 3-1.

:-)

[IUPbigINDIANS]

We haven't played Ferris Bueller State in 22 years.

IUP leads that series 3-1.

:-)

Good Lord. I was at the last meeting. Getting old.

[IUPNation]

No. IUP was in the way to a region title, that’s the reference. If it were Ashland, then they were the Super Bowl.

to be honest I don’t like the reference of Super Bowl. Rams should win the region most every year, one of these years they will break through. They will continue to get better and work to get to the levels or the other regions.

No IUP should be winning this region most every year. The fact that we do not is unacceptable.

[IUPNation]

Good Lord. I was at the last meeting. Getting old.

Aren't we all?

You think IUP fans are frustrated right now? We pale in comparison to the GV fans who are sick and tired of Ferris Bueller State. They really thought their good old days were returning this season and they were close...