AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 2022

[WPHB]

I had heard Augie is close to announcing the new OC, possibly by the weekend.

That's great news. Hope it holds. Would be good timing with the end of J Term, can start getting those kids going on the system and familiar with new OC's style of play.

[AU guy]

I had heard Augie is close to announcing the new OC, possibly by the weekend.

[Matt Witwicki]

I guess I should start a new thread seeing how it is 2023, but has anyone heard anything heard how the hunt for the new O-Coordinator is going?

I am a bit surprised that nothing has come across my radar (or here) about that..but I'm wondering if the AFCA convention (this week) brings some activity with that.

[WPHB]

I guess I should start a new thread seeing how it is 2023, but has anyone heard anything heard how the hunt for the new O-Coordinator is going?

[vikingfaithful]

At halftime of the USF men's basketball game, Jeff Fylling interviewed coach OJ. The subject of James Schrenk abrupt departure was never broached, most discussion was about recruiting. OJ is justifiably proud of Augie's high retention rate of recruits. He acknowledged the effect the transfer portal has had on college football, bringing up the DL guy from NSU, don't look for many transfers at AU as their philosophy is developing young freshmen. He claims they have half of his 2023 class done.

[Augieholic]

Matt Zimmer is reporting that Augie has parted ways with James Schrenk.

https://twitter.com/argusmattz/statu...oKH532wBQ&s=19

This will be a good thing for Augie. The offense was brutal to watch at times this season.

[vikingfaithful]

He got erased quick. Hey there are some jobs across the street if he’s interested.

That may be the reason he was sacked or quit.

[USFIllini]

He got erased quick. Hey there are some jobs across the street if he’s interested.

[MrMustang]

Schrenk has been erased from athletic site webpage. Other than this past season his offenses have been effective. Have spoken with him twice and found him to be a good man. I wish him the best of fortune.

Yeah, they have had very good offenses for a long time. Interesting to say the least. And the 2 QBS they played this year certainly were highly regarded.

[vikingfaithful]

Matt Zimmer is reporting that Augie has parted ways with James Schrenk.

https://twitter.com/argusmattz/statu...oKH532wBQ&s=19

Schrenk has been erased from athletic site webpage. Other than this past season his offenses have been effective. Have spoken with him twice and found him to be a good man. I wish him the best of fortune.

[AU Vikings]

Matt Zimmer is reporting that Augie has parted ways with James Schrenk.

https://twitter.com/argusmattz/statu...oKH532wBQ&s=19

[vikingfaithful]

Agreed. This is arguably one of the most talented Augie squads in years, even with the losses at RB. Tough to block when the defense and fans know what play you are running next. Shrenk has showed this lack of creativity and play calling ability over the years, so this could have been considered in predictions and I think its time to try someone new there. In only his second year, we couldn't have predicted how Sipple was going to demoralize his squad, he just needs to find a new career.

Our quarterbacks seemed to lack pocket awareness and held onto the ball to long ending up getting sacked. I disagree with you on Schrenk and Sipple, coach OJ is a sharp man, I think he would fire them if they were subpar.

[BIGvikingFan]

Actually fellas..I think Augie was correctly ranked preseason considering all the returning starters and such. As mentioned, Augie was 9-2 last year and brought back just about everybody but Saddler and Engel. Truthfully, considering the bodies on the squad..this shouldn't have been that big a deal. Winning the conference was a realistic goal..and the Vikings were returning more starters than just about any of the top teams in the conference.

You can never assume a team will get a lot of injuries..and to key players, so the judgement placed on the team preseason looked accurate - before a slew of hurt fellas started to change their path. Frankly, the OL didn't perform as well as expected..given their tenure and upside....and the QB position created some uncertainty instead of having a true answer. The thought of having a xfer from Montana State coming in at QB..given the size and everything else..it made most people think "here we come"..but in 2022, that wasn't how things went.

Agreed. This is arguably one of the most talented Augie squads in years, even with the losses at RB. Tough to block when the defense and fans know what play you are running next. Shrenk has showed this lack of creativity and play calling ability over the years, so this could have been considered in predictions and I think its time to try someone new there. In only his second year, we couldn't have predicted how Sipple was going to demoralize his squad, he just needs to find a new career.

[Blue Ridge Viking]

Actually fellas..I think Augie was correctly ranked preseason considering all the returning starters and such. As mentioned, Augie was 9-2 last year and brought back just about everybody but Saddler and Engel. Truthfully, considering the bodies on the squad..this shouldn't have been that big a deal. Winning the conference was a realistic goal..and the Vikings were returning more starters than just about any of the top teams in the conference.

You can never assume a team will get a lot of injuries..and to key players, so the judgement placed on the team preseason looked accurate - before a slew of hurt fellas started to change their path. Frankly, the OL didn't perform as well as expected..given their tenure and upside....and the QB position created some uncertainty instead of having a true answer. The thought of having a xfer from Montana State coming in at QB..given the size and everything else..it made most people think "here we come"..but in 2022, that wasn't how things went.

Matt, as usual, is spot on. The O-line, especially, has failed to perform at a level conducive to success at advancing the ball down the field. (How's that for being diplomatic.) Augie is averaging only 3.7 yards per rushing attempt and ranks 11th in the conference in sacks allowed.

I'd add one more item. Augie ranks dead last -- 14th out of 14 teams -- in red-zone defense. When opponents get inside the 20, they come away with points nearly every time, converting on 26 out of 29 opportunities, or 89.7 percent. By comparison, the best red-zone defense (Winona) only gives up points 48.4 percent of the time. Augie's bend-but-don't-break approach is breaking way too often.

That said, the Vikings will finish above .500 even if they lose to SMSU and found a way to beat what I believe is the best team in the conference, Bemidji, and another team likely bound for the postseason, Wayne. Sure, it's disappointing to miss the playoffs, but there still were some bright spots to enjoy.

[WPHB]

Witt, I stand corrected. You are right, based upon the information available at the time, the ranking was correct. My thought on it was not expressed clearly. It is like the regional rankings. More of a snapshot in time and I (biasedly) placed final season expectations on a pre-season outlook.

I like the pre-season rankings. I appreciate the preseason rankings. No one foresaw the issues that the team went through. I will double down on the fact that being in the national conversation for 80% of the season was pretty cool. Ultimately, it wasnt the way things went, but it sure was a pretty neat ride while we were on it.

Oh and Happy Veteran's Day to everyone!