I'm still All In with IUP and I'm hoping they can land a couple new OL and a RB. Maybe even a LB. I think it will be an exciting season in '25.
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Originally posted by CUlater View Post
This is incredibly well said and logical. Fairest assessment I’ve seen on here about where the program currently stands, from an IUP faithful anyway. I do think that they are setup fairly well to bounce back this year tho and if you look at the last 10 years, this is a team that rises up every 3-4 years…just when you think they are dead. So we’ll see what happens.
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Originally posted by EyeoftheHawk View Post
I’ve gotten called negative on here by some fellow IUP posters for trying to be logical, LOL. The current trend for IUP is to do what you said, and that’s put a dominant team on the field every 3-4 years. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s also not being a power. If someone said I’d win $1 million by picking which team between IUP and East Stroudsburg would make more playoff appearances over the next five years, I’d really struggle to pick and I wouldn’t feel good about either choice after I made it.
That’s kind of my point. IUP doesn’t have the advantages it used to. Other programs have gotten better and there’s more parity overall in the conference. Some teams that have historically struggled have improved and recruited very well this year, Clarion being one of them. Slippery Rock and Kutztown have annually made the national playoffs and won when they got there. The same was true of Shepherd not long ago. The only team to give Ferris State a competitive game in the playoffs last year was Slippery Rock. I’m not talking about whether or not IUP is a solid program because it is. That’s far from being what I would describe as a power, at least how I define it anyway. Others will have different definitions.
It is my honest opinion IUP has not had a 'talent' issue during the past (7) seasons. Like any team, some years they've been more loaded up than others. The 2017 team, for instance, was incredible.
Tort has won 76% of his games -- and lost 8 games in the final minute (after leading), and 1 due to the biggest disaster you'll ever see.
My guess would be no other team in the country has lost 8 games in the final 60 seconds during said stretch. The 'timeout fiasco' is still unexplainable (and forever will be). So, that's 9 games.
Last year's 7-3 team, for instance, didn't have a lack of talent. It had Cal, Edinboro and SRU dead in the water with 90 seconds left. Each (somehow) drove nearly the length of the field on IUP in under 2 minutes. Each converted 4th-and-game (some a couple times).
Why does 'that' keep happening?
Figure that out ... and this conversation wouldn't be taking place. It's nearing the Groundhog Day philosophy ... i.e. it unfortunately 'does' keep happening.
Last year was painful. So close. So far. That was a good team.
Like others, I think this is a pretty loaded up (older) team Tort has upcoming in 2025. These guys have played a lot of games at IUP. He added some really good transfers. Frank Jr. should revive the vanilla offense we've seen the past few years. Some others may be down a bit, too, which always helps.
It used to be IUP couldn't start games. Lately they can't finish games. Hopefully it all comes together this season. I can promise, talent will not be an issue.
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Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
It is my honest opinion IUP has not had a 'talent' issue during the past (7) seasons. Like any team, some years they've been more loaded up than others. The 2017 team, for instance, was incredible.
Tort has won 76% of his games -- and lost 8 games in the final minute (after leading), and 1 due to the biggest disaster you'll ever see.
My guess would be no other team in the country has lost 8 games in the final 60 seconds during said stretch. The 'timeout fiasco' is still unexplainable (and forever will be). So, that's 9 games.
Last year's 7-3 team, for instance, didn't have a lack of talent. It had Cal, Edinboro and SRU dead in the water with 90 seconds left. Each (somehow) drove nearly the length of the field on IUP in under 2 minutes. Each converted 4th-and-game (some a couple times).
Why does 'that' keep happening?
Figure that out ... and this conversation wouldn't be taking place. It's nearing the Groundhog Day philosophy ... i.e. it unfortunately 'does' keep happening.
Last year was painful. So close. So far. That was a good team.
Like others, I think this is a pretty loaded up (older) team Tort has upcoming in 2025. These guys have played a lot of games at IUP. He added some really good transfers. Frank Jr. should revive the vanilla offense we've seen the past few years. Some others may be down a bit, too, which always helps.
It used to be IUP couldn't start games. Lately they can't finish games. Hopefully it all comes together this season. I can promise, talent will not be an issue.
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Originally posted by iupgroundhog View Post
All true. Plus, I am not speculating whether Frank, Jr. could take over the program in the coming years (it's way too early for that speculation) but I do think these coaching/sideline issues will be helped by Frank, Jr. Is the OC up in the booth or on the field?
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Originally posted by iupgroundhog View PostFor the record, the conversation started when the topic was whether the PSAC East was stronger overall than the PSAC West. I posited that the West had 3 "power" teams, i.e. SRU, Cal, and IUP, while the East seems to have Kutztown, although some programs appear to be on the upswing and a couple teams with long traditions are stumbling. In my mind, that was a fair assessment. That discussion will always be based on conjecture, though.
The convo turned to IUP when a Shepherd poster (who thinks that serious NCAA violations are easily swept under the rug) insisted that IUP was no longer a "power." So, regardless of the definition of "power", I think most conference observers see SRU, Cal, and IUP as the dominant programs in the West.
Luckily, this will all play out on the field.
Simply calling it as it is and provided actual records for you as to why IUP is not a power in this context, which you disagree with simply because that's your opinion.
And yes, I probably am not taking the NCAA violations too seriously. How can you when the ultimate punishment is 2 years of probation (which means what exactly?) and a $5k fine?
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Originally posted by iupgroundhog View Post
Dude, I'll see you in September.
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Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
It is my honest opinion IUP has not had a 'talent' issue during the past (7) seasons.
I can promise, talent will not be an issue.
There were some on here that didn’t like Mak Sexton but I don’t think they realize just how talented that kid was. By most accounts the new kid in town is cut from the same cloth but is a little bigger. That alone has me thinking IUP is good for at least one if not two more wins this year. None of that solves the other consistent problem though of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. That goes deeper than the roster but it’s a big part of the equation that can’t be discounted. Can IUP exorcise that demon? That will be the difference between playing in the post-season or not.
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Originally posted by EyeoftheHawk View Post
Ahh, a discussion all its own but I agree. The one exception being the last two years at QB and I think we can all agree it was a miss and that’s a position you absolutely can’t miss on. When I say that I’m not blaming anyone in particular. A ton of teams wanted him. In his first year IUP’s O-line was awful and he ended up getting hurt. In year two the O-line was better but they couldn’t run the ball consistently and ended up being short handed at WR. Hunter’s game was never about being a drop back passer so he needed a running game to succeed. Larry didn’t do them any favors with his play calling. There were a number of factors that went into it not working.
There were some on here that didn’t like Mak Sexton but I don’t think they realize just how talented that kid was. By most accounts the new kid in town is cut from the same cloth but is a little bigger. That alone has me thinking IUP is good for at least one if not two more wins this year. None of that solves the other consistent problem though of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. That goes deeper than the roster but it’s a big part of the equation that can’t be discounted. Can IUP exorcise that demon? That will be the difference between playing in the post-season or not.
Larry called plays on egg shells and was so vanilla and predictable. Karst was the complete opposite style QB than how they used him.
Karst was at his best rolling out, etc. He wasn't a drop-back passer.
Frank Jr. has his hand-picked, big arm QB so hopefully things change in a hurry.
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Originally posted by EyeoftheHawk View Post
I’ve gotten called negative on here by some fellow IUP posters for trying to be logical, LOL. The current trend for IUP is to do what you said, and that’s put a dominant team on the field every 3-4 years. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s also not being a power. If someone said I’d win $1 million by picking which team between IUP and East Stroudsburg would make more playoff appearances over the next five years, I’d really struggle to pick and I wouldn’t feel good about either choice after I made it.
That’s kind of my point. IUP doesn’t have the advantages it used to. Other programs have gotten better and there’s more parity overall in the conference. Some teams that have historically struggled have improved and recruited very well this year, Clarion being one of them. Slippery Rock and Kutztown have annually made the national playoffs and won when they got there. The same was true of Shepherd not long ago. The only team to give Ferris State a competitive game in the playoffs last year was Slippery Rock. I’m not talking about whether or not IUP is a solid program because it is. That’s far from being what I would describe as a power, at least how I define it anyway. Others will have different definitions.
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Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
Clarion may have recruited well but retention is a different subject. Some dawgs left town recently.
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Originally posted by CUlater View Post
Na retention and development has been solid. Their significant loss came from Tate after the fall as he moved up to D1 but they’ve addressed that through the portal, all other departures were not significant contributors in 24 and minimal overall. This is as optimistic as I’ve been since 2015 going into a season. By IUP logic this is a team that easily could have won 7-8 games last year…or only two lol. But they return the core of that roster that will now be RS Jr’s and SR’s. Much like everyone else they have a few holes to sure up through the portal over the next couple weeks but I like where they are at right now.
I'd set the over/under gambllng line for Clarion at 3.5 wins. Not a knock on them but the schedule is challenging. The back half is really tough. Getting Shepherd and ESU in crossover games doesn't help, either. That 3-game road trip mid-season is interesting.
Wheeling is a toss-up but they better win it.
at WVW should be a cake walk.
Ship will be a battle.
Shepherd likely loss.
at Edinboro will be a battle.
at Gannon will be a battle.
at Cal likely loss
Seton Hill will be a battle
at SRU likely loss
IUP likely loss
at ESU likely loss
IUP was the only team to destroy them last year (31-0). I don't know how their QB was still standing after that game. They were in most of their other losses (for the most part).
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Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
I still believe firmly Larry had no idea how to use Karst.
Larry called plays on egg shells and was so vanilla and predictable. Karst was the complete opposite style QB than how they used him.
Karst was at his best rolling out, etc. He wasn't a drop-back passer.
Frank Jr. has his hand-picked, big arm QB so hopefully things change in a hurry.
Things changed in a hurry.
Im just keeping things in perspective. Hope it works out.
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Originally posted by IUPbigINDIANS View Post
I'd set the over/under gambllng line for Clarion at 3.5 wins. Not a knock on them but the schedule is challenging. The back half is really tough. Getting Shepherd and ESU in crossover games doesn't help, either. That 3-game road trip mid-season is interesting.
Wheeling is a toss-up but they better win it.
at WVW should be a cake walk.
Ship will be a battle.
Shepherd likely loss.
at Edinboro will be a battle.
at Gannon will be a battle.
at Cal likely loss
Seton Hill will be a battle
at SRU likely loss
IUP likely loss
at ESU likely loss
IUP was the only team to destroy them last year (31-0). I don't know how their QB was still standing after that game. They were in most of their other losses (for the most part).
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