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Re: University Of Sioux Falls 2018
Hey there, first time posting here, but I have been following the forum for a couple of years now. College football in general is a very big interest of mine and I like to follow along with the conference as a whole and really enjoy taking in the high quality football the NSIC offers. USF is a team that I've been following recently (due to having friends and family attending) and I have become a fan of the Cougars. The first year I followed the Cougars was in 2015, which happened to be the first season of 3 straight D2 playoff appearances for USF. Lucky timing huh? Getting spoiled in watching the dynamite duo of Papilion and Mickey followed by the dominant defensive unit of 2017 sure made it a fun time to be a fan of the Coo. Not to take anything away from the 2018 squad, who carried on the winning tradition and pushed USF's consecutive winning season streak to 25 (!!!!) years. The season for the Coo could have been flipped around dramatically with wins instead of losses in a few games, such as BSU, SCSU, Winona, but that's why they play the games.
Offensively, USF continued with the power run game that has worked very well and boy oh boy did they get a bruiser in Mr. Gabe Watson. The blend of power and speed he has was a treat to watch as he got to run behind a very talented offensive line as well. Leading the nation in rushing is no small feat and Watson was on the brink of breaking a couple of conference records too. Quite simply, very impressive debut by Watson in his first year with the Coo. The passing game lacked the explosiveness needed to really stretch defenses, similar to 2017. Nate Johnson and Michael Maxwell both had very fine seasons and showed glimpses of what could be in the passing game. Unfortunately, both of their seasons were cut short. Clint Sigg at tight end was another bright spot for the offense and he had one of the huge moments in the season with that touchdown catch vs CSP to win the game. As I previously noted, the offensive line had a very impressive year and they were a strong unit once again. 3 seniors to replace up front is never a fun thing to do, it'll be interesting to see who steps into those starting roles. The most intriguing player, IMO, was the QB Walters. Martin was named the starter, in a sort of surprising move, for the season opener and he never seemed to get on track. Walters stepped in for the second half and never looked back for the rest of the year. He sparked the team to come back and win the game against a very improved CSP team and I think the coaches saw something right away. The most interesting thing about Walters for me is that he is a decent runner that wasn't utilized as much. Not saying he's a gamebreaker with his feet like Papilion was but he has some skills to make some plays. I wish the coaching staff would try and create a better balance for the offense. When the pass game is non existent, defenses can just tee off on the running game and it'll make for a long game every time. With Walters, Watson, and Johnson back next year, the Coo should look to have another solid season on offense. The question is, will they grow into a unit that will propel them to a playoff berth? Time will tell.
Defensively, the Coo were young and had to break in many new starters at positions. While a majority of the players were mixed into the rotation last year, starting every down is a different experience and I feel like many players stepped up and showed great promise. Hakeem Johnson, for starters, is a very imposing CB based off his stature and his game is nothing to scoff at either. I believe he held Zylstra of MSU to 3 catches and 60 yards or so. It's only one game, but he proved he can play with anyone in the conference. Look for him to have two more very successful years of being the main shutdown corner. The rest of the secondary saw production from many players. Nate Durfee and Parker Gregston are two other defensive backs that will look to become a force next year. Linebackers had another solid season, without having a standout performer. Brody Grantham solidified the linebacking unit with a solid season while the defensive line seemed to struggle to get consistent pressure. 3rd down defense was a killer at times, but I feel like the youth of the defense will continue to mature and become one of the top units in the conference next year.
Special teams improved as the year went on, but it was most definitely hairy pretty early on. The Winona came was one of the low points for the group, although punting seemed to remain a consistent bonus for the team. I look for both players to improve and hopefully they can also develop a long snapper who can be consistent.
Overall, the 2018 season had highs (stomping Augie at the KO, Watson's success, 25 straight winning seasons) and it also had the lows (missing playoffs, losing 3 games by a combined 8 points) but the Coo were competitive and they continued to show they will be a constant threat to be a top tier program in the NSIC. With that being said, my hope is that the program is able to be a top contender for the title every year. Seeing as USF and Mankato play near the end of the year, it would be kind of cool for them to play every year for a South title if both teams can put themselves in the position. Kind of long winded, but I'm planning on being more involved moving forward!
Onto basketball season with some very intriguing conference teams this year!
Hey there, first time posting here, but I have been following the forum for a couple of years now. College football in general is a very big interest of mine and I like to follow along with the conference as a whole and really enjoy taking in the high quality football the NSIC offers. USF is a team that I've been following recently (due to having friends and family attending) and I have become a fan of the Cougars. The first year I followed the Cougars was in 2015, which happened to be the first season of 3 straight D2 playoff appearances for USF. Lucky timing huh? Getting spoiled in watching the dynamite duo of Papilion and Mickey followed by the dominant defensive unit of 2017 sure made it a fun time to be a fan of the Coo. Not to take anything away from the 2018 squad, who carried on the winning tradition and pushed USF's consecutive winning season streak to 25 (!!!!) years. The season for the Coo could have been flipped around dramatically with wins instead of losses in a few games, such as BSU, SCSU, Winona, but that's why they play the games.
Offensively, USF continued with the power run game that has worked very well and boy oh boy did they get a bruiser in Mr. Gabe Watson. The blend of power and speed he has was a treat to watch as he got to run behind a very talented offensive line as well. Leading the nation in rushing is no small feat and Watson was on the brink of breaking a couple of conference records too. Quite simply, very impressive debut by Watson in his first year with the Coo. The passing game lacked the explosiveness needed to really stretch defenses, similar to 2017. Nate Johnson and Michael Maxwell both had very fine seasons and showed glimpses of what could be in the passing game. Unfortunately, both of their seasons were cut short. Clint Sigg at tight end was another bright spot for the offense and he had one of the huge moments in the season with that touchdown catch vs CSP to win the game. As I previously noted, the offensive line had a very impressive year and they were a strong unit once again. 3 seniors to replace up front is never a fun thing to do, it'll be interesting to see who steps into those starting roles. The most intriguing player, IMO, was the QB Walters. Martin was named the starter, in a sort of surprising move, for the season opener and he never seemed to get on track. Walters stepped in for the second half and never looked back for the rest of the year. He sparked the team to come back and win the game against a very improved CSP team and I think the coaches saw something right away. The most interesting thing about Walters for me is that he is a decent runner that wasn't utilized as much. Not saying he's a gamebreaker with his feet like Papilion was but he has some skills to make some plays. I wish the coaching staff would try and create a better balance for the offense. When the pass game is non existent, defenses can just tee off on the running game and it'll make for a long game every time. With Walters, Watson, and Johnson back next year, the Coo should look to have another solid season on offense. The question is, will they grow into a unit that will propel them to a playoff berth? Time will tell.
Defensively, the Coo were young and had to break in many new starters at positions. While a majority of the players were mixed into the rotation last year, starting every down is a different experience and I feel like many players stepped up and showed great promise. Hakeem Johnson, for starters, is a very imposing CB based off his stature and his game is nothing to scoff at either. I believe he held Zylstra of MSU to 3 catches and 60 yards or so. It's only one game, but he proved he can play with anyone in the conference. Look for him to have two more very successful years of being the main shutdown corner. The rest of the secondary saw production from many players. Nate Durfee and Parker Gregston are two other defensive backs that will look to become a force next year. Linebackers had another solid season, without having a standout performer. Brody Grantham solidified the linebacking unit with a solid season while the defensive line seemed to struggle to get consistent pressure. 3rd down defense was a killer at times, but I feel like the youth of the defense will continue to mature and become one of the top units in the conference next year.
Special teams improved as the year went on, but it was most definitely hairy pretty early on. The Winona came was one of the low points for the group, although punting seemed to remain a consistent bonus for the team. I look for both players to improve and hopefully they can also develop a long snapper who can be consistent.
Overall, the 2018 season had highs (stomping Augie at the KO, Watson's success, 25 straight winning seasons) and it also had the lows (missing playoffs, losing 3 games by a combined 8 points) but the Coo were competitive and they continued to show they will be a constant threat to be a top tier program in the NSIC. With that being said, my hope is that the program is able to be a top contender for the title every year. Seeing as USF and Mankato play near the end of the year, it would be kind of cool for them to play every year for a South title if both teams can put themselves in the position. Kind of long winded, but I'm planning on being more involved moving forward!
Onto basketball season with some very intriguing conference teams this year!
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