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Bears vs Rams in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. LR -8, O/U 54.
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Rams fans, I've gotta ask. What is up with the loss to the 3-8 team? -
I said it in the other Playoffs thread, but Shepherd is a true enigma. Very young team, only had 3 seniors for senior day this past weekend. Pretty talented bunch, but they definitely played up and down to competition for most of the season. The loss to Bloomsburg, (the 3-8 team) was flabbergasting. So was the week after playing 8-1 3/4 seeded at the time ESU and the Rams played their most complete game of the season, blowing them out the stadium. If they show up focused and can limit turnovers, this will be a great game.Originally posted by BEARS View Post
So to answer your question, I guess they just sucked that afternoon and got caught.
Rams have a ton of playoff experience as a program, even for a young team. 2 deep runs to the final 4 the last 2 years, so hopefully that experience rubs off a bit and they put a good showing out for the SR2 crowd.
LR has deeper resources and I'd consider them the favorite for sure. Shepherd is going to have to play their best game of the year most likely.Comment
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Any weaknesses on the LR team? Looks to be a pretty balanced offense with a stout/stingy defense.Comment
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We had a bit of an issue at QB to start the year. Sean White wasn’t very convincing and got benched in favor of Jalen Ferguson who has a huge arm and much more accurate. Jalen got injured a few games back and Sean came in and has looked a totally different player since. Jalen is supposed to be healthy for Saturday, but honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Sean has played his way into the starting role.
Apart from that a good part of the fanbase has been unimpressed by coaching, especially in big games. We tend to have one or two big coaching mistakes that have cost us in big games (Wingate the past two years and Newberry last season).
Defense is elite but has struggled against “special” players like Noller/Stewart for Limestone and Anderson (now at South Carolina) for Newberry last season. If Shepherd has difference maker players offensively, they can probably have a big day against the defense. If it’s just a run of the mill, average offense then LR can easily have one of those 120 yards of total defense type games (like we’ve had against Catawba, Barton etc). Watch for number 1 and 32 on defense, they’re the studs.Comment
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This is no doubt a big big game for both Lenoir Rhyne and the SAC. I hope that most of the seats are filled. Anything less than actually 4,250 in attendance will mean that the the stadium will have been only half filled, or half empty, depending on how you look at things. To big of a game not to have the fans not coming out and supporting the team.
Also, will this game be unavailable for most people (including family, friends, fans, and potential recruits) to watch via video-feed without paying for a subscription?Comment
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Bummer!!!!Comment
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Shepherd opened the season at home against So. Connecticut State, who finished this season 4-6 and Shepherd blew away on the road in 2022, 48-7. This year, the Rams required some very, very last minute heroics for a come-from-behind victory with less than 30 seconds left in the game. Shepherd also struggled against Shippensburg, who per their fans on this message board, have been at a program low point this year--so couple that with the Bloomsburg loss, and the Rams struggled against the PSAC-East doormats this season.Originally posted by BEARS View Post
The Rams have simply been incredibly inconsistent. The loss to Kutztown was total self-destruction where I lost count of the number of turnovers--and Kutztown turned the ball over a lot in that game as well giving Shepherd plenty of opportunities to escape that StinkFest with a win.
I don't expect Shepherd to go undefeated every year--the PSAC is a tough conference and the PSAC-East has a few teams on the rise. But one expects the losses to come at the hands of Slippery Rock, IUP, Cal, Kutztown. Hopefully the loss to Bloomsburg was the wake up call this team needed.
I will be cheering hard for the Rams, and I hope they pull out the victory. But given the way this season has gone, this isn't the first time I've stated that I anticipate an early exit in this year's post-season.Comment
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What’s going on with West Chester? They use to be the cream of the crop up there in Region one. Big school with lots of funding for athletics and I think we played them in 2013 and 2015. 13 was for trip to national championship. 15 was at WC.
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For some reason, they've been mediocre the last few seasons. I have no inside knowledge about it, but some of the guys on our board say WC is not giving out a lot of scholarships and is largely relying on meal equivalents, grants, etc. to fund the team. Some guys on our boards sarcastically call them "Walk-On U." Whatever they've been doing it hasn't been working too well. Their longtime coach, Bill Zwann, retired after this season, so we'll see if a change of leadership makes any difference. It is ridiculous they haven't been better; they're by far the largest school in the PSAC and should have a flagship program. The PSAC East has been in a funk the last few seasons. East Stroud had a nice season this year, but former contenders such as Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Millersville, and West Chester have been piddling around. Millersville looked as if it was making progress, but regressed the second half of this season. Ship probably had the worse season we've had in 10-15 years. We've gone from having a Harlon Hill-winning QB who threw 54 TD passes in 2012 to a team that was dead last in the PSAC in offense this season. Lock Haven, the doormat of the division for years, brought in a bunch of transfers and actually won five games this season. We'll see if they can continue the momentum.Originally posted by Bearhof View PostComment
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Kudos to the Bears in the first half. L-R’s coaches ID’s Shepherd’s secondary as a key to victory—evidenced by the announcers awe over the number of passes by the Bears in the first half.
I’m hoping the script is flipped in the second half. But facilities look very nice and your announcers are doing a pretty good job—other than calling Kutztown a private school 😁.Comment
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I don't ever want to hear any Sean White slander again from Bears fans.periodComment
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I believe White has really found his rhythm the last three games and has earned his starting job back with his performance on the field. Very impressive game plan today by coaches and players. I believe the Bears will be a tough team to beat the rest of the playoffs.Comment
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Good news for LR is you'll only have to beat Valdosta or Delta, not both.Comment
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