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Messages - Kira & Jaxon's Dad

#16
Quote from: D3fanboy on December 18, 2023, 01:55:08 PM
Quote from: Kira & Jaxon's Dad on December 18, 2023, 01:18:50 PM
Watching the National Championship Game, I was thinking that Athletically Mount Union could play with those two teams.  I think what is missing is teamwork and passion.

In the past, the team was very Self-Confident and showed it in their play.  Now that Mount has come back to the field a bit, and others have improved, you can't just step on the field and hope the other teams piss down their legs.

Mount needs to get some swagger back, as well as the focus that LK/VK had instilled in the team.  Coaches can give all the speeches they want, but the best "Culture" teams I have been around (as a Coach's son, a player and a Coach) have been player led.

Key Upperclassmen on Offense and Defense need to take the lead in the offseason and bring back the mojo of Raiders past.

I wish that "The Standard" would go the way of the "Welcome to the Machine" playoff banner.  Neither is true any longer and like you said nobody is scared to play these Raiders.  That could change back in the future seasons, but these kids need to earn it.  The swagger needs to be there against the best competition, not just the Wilmingtons and Otterbeins of the D3 landscape. 

I've joked with my buddies that covid might have killed the Mount program.  We've had basically the same really talented team for 4 years, but I'm not sure that they ever got much better over that 4 year stretch.  Kind of stagnant. Was is lack of player leadership?  Lack of toughness? Coaching not up to the program's typical level? Lack of institutional help, i.e. Hire a Strength and Conditioning coach?

It has been a weird era with covid-years in D3FB, hopefully its almost over and we'll be back to four year players instead of 23/24 year olds on the field.  But with the transfer portal, I don't know that we'll ever be back to true D3 football

Who has run the S&C program recently?
#17
Watching the National Championship Game, I was thinking that Athletically Mount Union could play with those two teams.  I think what is missing is teamwork and passion.

In the past, the team was very Self-Confident and showed it in their play.  Now that Mount has come back to the field a bit, and others have improved, you can't just step on the field and hope the other teams piss down their legs.

Mount needs to get some swagger back, as well as the focus that LK/VK had instilled in the team.  Coaches can give all the speeches they want, but the best "Culture" teams I have been around (as a Coach's son, a player and a Coach) have been player led.

Key Upperclassmen on Offense and Defense need to take the lead in the offseason and bring back the mojo of Raiders past.
#18
Quote from: bluestreak66 on December 18, 2023, 08:51:20 AM
Quote from: Kira & Jaxon's Dad on December 18, 2023, 07:13:10 AM
Quote from: edward de vere on December 17, 2023, 09:56:32 PM
Quote from: raiderpa on December 17, 2023, 09:24:31 AM
Congrats to Cortland!  What an exciting game. I still wonder why NC went for two on the conversion with three minutes to go.

Yeah, that was weird.  Has he stated his reasoning?

He did.  He said he thought they had the momentum.  They just had a 3 play 65 yard drive for a TD.  They hadn't shown many 2 pt Conversions on film this year and he had full confidence they could get 3 yards.  He said his only regret was the play call after the Timeout.
From my perspective, I didn't like the call because there was still so much time on the clock (at least with the way Cortland was moving the ball), and being up by one gets you no favors if the the other team gets into field goal range (which again, seemed like a real possibility with how Cortland's offense was moving), and missing and being down by one almost ensures a loss. Like if there had been 15 seconds left, you could chalk it up as high risk, high reward. But going for two with over a minute seemed like an unnecessary gamble.
For what its worth, I was watching the game at an official NCC watch party with several alums, and they all seemed to hate the call even before the ball was snapped
On a different note, in a weird way, Cortland winning the whole thing I feel like gives a certain sense of hope to the rest of the division. Like if a random team like that can win, maybe any random team (with in reason of course) can win!

I agree.  The Athletic Trainer for my HS is a NCC Grad and he and I were texting during the game.  I would have kicked the XPT and taken my chances with the remaining time in regulation and possible OT.
#19
Quote from: edward de vere on December 17, 2023, 09:56:32 PM
Quote from: raiderpa on December 17, 2023, 09:24:31 AM
Congrats to Cortland!  What an exciting game. I still wonder why NC went for two on the conversion with three minutes to go.

Yeah, that was weird.  Has he stated his reasoning?

He did.  He said he thought they had the momentum.  They just had a 3 play 65 yard drive for a TD.  They hadn't shown many 2 pt Conversions on film this year and he had full confidence they could get 3 yards.  He said his only regret was the play call after the Timeout.
#20
Quote from: D3fanboy on December 14, 2023, 12:09:00 PM
Quote from: raiderguy on December 13, 2023, 06:08:51 PM
Quote from: hsbsballcoach7 on December 11, 2023, 11:49:29 AM
Quote from: #1OacFan on December 10, 2023, 10:05:47 PM
LK's other daughter's name is Faith, which is what many of you need to have right now, Dartt winning % is .933!  For the record LK's winning % was .929 and was only .755 after his 1st 45 games. 

If we hire an OC we need to look at Wartburg's OC and Mount Grad Luke Summers.  Assuming he isn't the next HC at ONU.

I've heard good things about Luke throughout his playing time and through the years of coaching. To me, a huge perk to someone like him is his background in Strength and Conditioning, in addition to Oline coaching. Those guys just see things from a different perspective.rt

I just looked up Luke on the Wartburg sight and it said he spent 6years at FERUM before coming to Wartburg, Hmmmm? He was a member of three Natty's and captain his senior year and played on the international gold medal team in 2011 in Austria. Didn't Kevin Burke play on that team as well? He looks like a good prospect for the OC job except Wartburg has put a pretty good program together recently. They gave us a run last year in the semi's.

Burke was on the '15 Team USA (with Luc Meacham) that won the tournament in Canton

'11 Team also had Nate Kmic at RB, LK as the OC and Eric Raeburn as the OL coach.
#21
I don't think Kevin Burke is leaving an FCS Assistant Coaching position to come back to Mt Union.

I also don't think Mt. Union fires Coach Dartt unless there is a major fall off.

I'm excited to see what changes occur next season both on the field and if they bring in an OC.
#22
Quote from: D3fanboy on December 11, 2023, 01:48:28 PM
Quote from: Kira & Jaxon's Dad on December 11, 2023, 01:22:48 PM
Quote from: D3fanboy on December 11, 2023, 01:19:47 PM
Quote from: RaidersRGr8t on December 11, 2023, 01:14:58 PM
FYI, I heard a rumor and this is what I found:

https://ferrumpanthers.com/sports/football/schedule/2024

3-7, including a loss to Muskingum?  Four home games? WTF is going on in Alliance?

Limited Travel Budget and hard to find opponents who want to play them.

I used to say that about playing Defiance the past couple of years, but at least driving to and from NW Ohio in one day was pretty inexpensive.  Mount and Defiance agreed to play in '22/23 back in 2018, so are we supposed to believe that bussing and staying overnight in the middle of VA for a bottom of the barrel opponent was the best matchup that Mount could find in 4-5 years of trying?

We'll see when its officially announced if this is a one or two year SOS nightmare.  Why not have one of the scrambling TX schools fly up for '24 and then fill in '25/26 seasons with PAC schools when they open back up to OOC play.

In my memory, I've never seen a one year non-conference game.  No need to play a top tier team when they can win the OAC and make the playoffs.

I've seen them get 4/6 Home/games in past cycles.  I assume because they had to cater to the opponent.
#23
Quote from: D3fanboy on December 11, 2023, 01:19:47 PM
Quote from: RaidersRGr8t on December 11, 2023, 01:14:58 PM
FYI, I heard a rumor and this is what I found:

https://ferrumpanthers.com/sports/football/schedule/2024

3-7, including a loss to Muskingum?  Four home games? WTF is going on in Alliance?

Limited Travel Budget and hard to find opponents who want to play them.
#24
Someone mentioned Chris Kappas as a possible solution.  He was a long time DC at Mount Union and when Coach Darrt went to WKU Kappas moved from DC to OC in 2017 and 2018.  They won the Stagg in 2017 and went 14-1 and lost to MHB 24-16 in the Stagg.

He won Offensive Coordinator of the year as a DC and OC at Mount Union and also was FootballScoop D3 Coordinator of the year in 2015.

But, he moved from Austin Peay to Lousiville HS, so maybe he wants to coach HS and have more family time.  There is probably more $ in Teaching/Coaching HS than D3 Coordinator.
#25
Congratulations to Braxton Plunk on being named a Gagliardi Finalist!

https://d3football.com/notables/2023/12/gagliardi-finalists
#26
IMO next season will be the true barometer on if Mount Union has lost the Kehres Luster.

They have to replace a lot of key players on both sides of the ball (offensively more than on defense) and really need to figure out what they are doing with OC and creative play calling.
#27
Quote from: WRMUalum13 on December 07, 2023, 07:30:18 PM
On a different note. What is wrong with the OAC football schedule. Why can't they just let rivalry games happen at the end of the season?

I was just looking ahead to 2024 and saw Mount plays JCU right out of the gate and BW the week after.

The Cuyahoga Gold Bowl will take place on October 19th and Otterbein plays Capital  on October 26th.

It cannot be that difficult to just let rivalry games happen in weeks 10 and 11.

The PAC has less wiggle room with scheduling than the OAC and they still manage to preserve rivalry games... I don't get it.

They Flip/Flop Home/Away each season, and then every two seasons they flip/flop the order in reverse.  Mount will Play JCU/BW in the beginning or end of the season (depending on the cycle).

Very Lazy.
#28
Congratulations to the OAC players who were selected to the D3Football.com Region 4 Team:

Mount Union:
Rossy Moore - Defensive POY (Two Years in a Row)
DeAndre Parker - 1st Team RB
Wayne Ruby Jr. - 1st Team WR
Ben Lilly - 1st Team OT
Rossy Moore - 1st Team DE
Mason McMillen - 1st Team LB
Josh Jones - 1st Team CB
Braxton Plunk - 2nd Team QB
Duke Hill - 2nd Team DT
Johnny Papesh - 2nd Team ST
Giovanni Kennedy - 3rd Team OG
John Roland - 3rd Team S

John Carroll:
Matt Wrather - 1st Team OC
Matthew Ruzon - 2nd Team OG
Brennan Fugh - 3rd Team TE
Jahiem Peake - 3rd Team LB

Heidelberg:
Griffin Pendry - 1st Team S
Key Cunningham - 1st Team CB
Montavious Yearby - 2nd Team RB
Branden Steckel - 2nd Team K

Marietta:
Chance Knight - 1st Team DT
Harley Hopkins - 1st Team LB
Bryce Agnew - 3rd Team RB

Ohio Northern:
Dalton Tjong - 1st Team S
Josh Bever - 3rd Team DE

Muskingum:
Ja'Lin Goodman - 3rd Team RET
Connor Gurney - 3rd Team LB

Wilmington:
Lathan Jones - 2nd Team WR
#29
Quote from: ROCKISLANDRICK on November 29, 2023, 10:40:49 AM
Quote from: D3fanboy on November 28, 2023, 01:05:54 PM
Quote from: wally_wabash on November 27, 2023, 04:39:51 PM
Quote from: D3fanboy on November 27, 2023, 01:03:32 PM
Quote from: FIGHTINGSCOT on November 27, 2023, 12:57:36 PM
"a team like that" had a wonderful trip to Alliance.  Thank you for your hospitality.

congrats on the W, literally meant no disrespect. I'll be rooting for Alma to make a Stagg Bowl run.  It was a shot at the powers that be at Mount that allowed such a loss to even be a possibility.

Everybody loves a double backhanded compliment. 

I'm not sure the powers that be at Mount Union have much control over the great jobs being done at other programs.  Mount Union set a goal for literally everyone in the division to chase.  Teams are reaching that endpoint.  It's less that Mount Union is not as good now and more that other teams are also excellent.  I believe Mount Union will continue to contend for national championships, but the playing field is different now.  Stagg Bowls are not only Mount Union's to lose as they may have been in the glory days.  There are a lot of great teams in the division now- largely thanks to the bar Mount Union set.

It wasn't really a backhanded compliment.  This was probably the greatest upset in D3 playoff history, by far the worst loss in recent (30+ years) Mount Union history, it was a 20+ point spread by most metrics.  Alma is a fine team and found another gear in that 4th quarter, incredible win for the Scots.  The game last Saturday is one thing, but it is only a small part of the issue in Alliance right now.

Quote from: hsbsballcoach7 on November 27, 2023, 08:31:34 PM
Let me start with a huge, Thank You!!!!! to the Mount Union football program for giving me a fun team to root for every fall.  Thank You seniors for putting in the work to represent the university and yourselves in a great way.  Many of you faced challenges we don't know about as fans,  but continued to wear the purple, white and black proudly. I wish you all the best and hope you can look back at your time as a Purple Raider in a better light as time passes.

State of the program from my point of view (and a nobody at that):
Mount still has good coaches, players, facilities and a great program(look what they did to the OAC this year). They will be back next year, compete for the OAC (JCU and Marietta have big holes to fill as well) and will have a shot at the title.
I like the talent in the position groups still, but have a couple of observations...
Our championship teams always got pressure on the QB and usually without needing to send extra guys. Since they've gone to 3 down lineman, they haven't handled the top tier offenses as well. Alma QB had lots of time in the 4th Q to find open guys.
In order to beat the great teams, there must be a threat of running the football from the QB position (or a near perfect pocket passer) and make the defense think you might do something. Nobody fell for the play action game in this offense. I don't think I ever saw the QB pull an RPO to pass the ball either. There were also many drops that weren't on the QB from TE and WRs.
Our play calling used to put defenses on their heels and play mind games with them. I was hoping there would be more deep ball opportunities with the speed on the outside. Sanders just missed the one deep ball thrown (and a missed PI with the jersey pulled), but that used to be commonplace after a turnover or drawing the defenders into the box.
Creation of mismatches just weren't there.... get your playmaker the ball in space.
I hope Dartt hires a true OC, so he can manage players and the game.  It's not easy trying to do all of that and prepare an offense for each series and get a feel from your players on what they're seeing.

I see next year, there's still an opening for week 1. Who are we calling? It needs to be someone decent because the schedule flips again and JCU is week 2.

Just my rambling thoughts. Go Purple Raiders!


there 100% has to be an OC hired, and hopefully it is someone not currently on the staff.  The lack of creativity, lack of aggressiveness, etc over the past three years has been maddening.  If the drunk idiots in section 13 know which play is coming, I bet the defensive staff does as well.  And can we hire a full-time S&C coach?? 


if I'm the HC of a program on the rise, I'm calling up Mount Union to get that week 1 spot.  Mount will have a bunch back, but they will have a new QB and no NFL-bound WR.  There is not going to be a much better time to take your shot at a program building type victory.
CCIW fan here but huge supporter of D3 overall. I have been to Alliance and lost when The Machine was rolling, and admired the consistency of their program for a long time. I have also seen my team be the victim of NCC since 2006. I think the S&C part is the biggest piece missing from this program. If you look at their losses or close games the last couple of years the LOS is where they are lacking. The OL has length  and good frames just lack the overall mass. The bigger guys look a little soft in the mid-section. The one loss that it was glaring was 21 semis against NCC. The LOS was dominated in that game specifically on the last drive NCC had. Last year in the Championship it was a war but they just could not finish when it mattered the most. 
Coach Dartt has the impossible job of leading this team but has done a good job. It seems that there is an under current with some players on the team and recent alums with him. The biggest concern would be the culture in the locker room. The uproar on social media and finger pointing was the only alarming thing I have seen. Otherwise any program in the country would kill for a resume that Mount has had since Dartt took over. Mount will reload and refocus and the expectations will Champions or nothing. Hope my guys will one day have a chance to compete against Mount in the future.

Very good take.  Thanks for the look from the outside.  Darrtt is 42-3 so far, and lots of teams would love to have that success.  I guess the biggest thing is the lack of creativity on Offense and the instances of giving up the big plays on Defense.

Spoiled fan here (I graduated in 1994) but would obviously like them to get back to dominating nationally.
#30
Quote from: rscl70 on November 29, 2023, 08:29:09 AM
Quote from: MOUNT2019 on November 28, 2023, 04:17:16 PM
FYI...Beaudrie is coming back to Mount!

I suspected/hoped that this would be the case.  Really looking forward to seeing the Raiders with Beaudrie at the helm.


Makes sense with Plunk returning this year. Take a semester off and retain the year of eligibility.