FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Desertraider]

I am glad Mount won. I am a fan. I bought more Mount merch today at the game. But I cant celebrate the win and anyone on here saying "eat crow" should can it (not canned crow - but you get it).

Mount played awful. 2 weeks in row they looked confused, unprepared, slow, unmotivated, and sloppy. 7 penalties - 3 15yard penalties. 5 TOs........5! Maloney is a great QB but he played terrible football for 59 minutes and 15 seconds. He didnt see wide open routes (#18 on the drive Mikey took the hit after his run), threw dangerous balls, forced passes when there was no need. The last pick! It was 2nd down! He had 3 timeouts, the 2 minute time out and it was 2 and 3. Why force it into coverage? Plenty of time.

Mount won - but there is nothing to celebrate...yet. It will get better - but it still is t good.

[Desertraider]

What is the thought on BW putting 84 on Bethany? Does BW have an OC? 😁

[BergAlum2]

Let's hope Mount plays bad next week too, so at least it will be an entertaining game 

Mount hasn't lost 2 games in a row since '88, which was the last time the Berg beat Mount 🤔

[MUC 2008]

Let's hope Mount plays bad next week too, so at least it will be an entertaining game 

Mount hasn't lost 2 games in a row since '88, which was the last time the Berg beat Mount 🤔

*in his best Lou Brown voice from Major League* "I have a hunch you're due."

[Desertraider]

Lets hope Mounts D gels over their performance and O put a few pieces of the puzzle together after their miracle. If Mount can eliminate 5 penalties and 5 turnovers - today would have been decided earlier. Maybe they take the boys for mani/pedis and a massage and bond. 😁

[Dr. Acula]

A couple thoughts from yesterday now that I got a chance to watch it this morning.

The thing that popped into my head last week and again this week is the absence of difference makers.  I didn't make a ton of it after Wheaton because that's a really good team on the road in game 1.  A lot of factors that could skew what your roster legitimately is.  But this week my takeaway is that Maloney (and maybe Ashby) are about it when it comes to difference makers right now.  I'm not sure who on defense it could be.  And when Maloney doesn't play well yesterday is how it's gonna look right now. 

I think the defense as a unit played pretty well both games, but by no means dominant to the eye.  And to be clear when I say difference makers I'm not expecting to have All-World guys Kaleb Brown or Rossy or Lally or Driskill all over the field every single year.  I'm thinking guys like Duke Hill, Danny Robinson, Isaiah Scott, Matt Fetchko, etc.  Just really, really good D3 defenders.  And I agree with the statement that the defense does not look as fast this year. 

Offensively I'm not sure what to make of things.  At Wheaton they looked abysmal in the first half, then looked good in the second half against a really good defense.  Then yesterday 5 turnovers against a decent team and looking disjointed basically the entire game until the end.  Just seems like a lot of stuff to work out.  I noticed in the box score that Caldwell did not play yesterday.  I'm not down on Minner and Bokman, but anyone local to the area probably shares my annoyance when I see a stud RB from their backyard looking like he's gonna be a star at BW in Boston Mulinix from West Branch.  142 yds and 3 scores on 11 carries in their opener.  Oh, and he's 5'8" 195 lbs so he is very comfortable running between the tackles too.  And yes, it already crept into my head the agony it would be if not only Mount somehow lost to BW, but lost with the sons of two M club HOF'ers playing key roles on their offense.  Luckily that's their 9th game so hopefully we'll be humming along by then.

[hsbsballcoach7]

Similar thoughts to others, but honestly, everyone within the program must get better at every position if they want to win the OAC.

There are many things to say, but you just need to get better.Period.

Let's point out some positives. Defense seems to be playing well as a unit (penalties were killer keeping drives alive). They started turning heads around in the 2nd half and made plays on the ball.

Offense looked smooth on 3 drives, but three others were sloppy. Running backs are likely going to need to be rotated and I think there's ability there. At receiver, Ashby looks like a guy to build around, but they need more to step up.

Opportunities are all still in front of the team, so just put your head down and improve every day! Go Raiders!

[Desertraider]

After last year's unimpressive showing at Berg, and the dumpster fire  so far this season - I am concerned about the Mount Berg game. We aren't "MOUNT" - and they aren't Heidi anymore. Thoughts?

[Dr. Acula]

I don't know if I am concerned about any one opponent outside of maybe BW right now, but I am very concerned that someone in that group of Berg/Etta/ONU could trip them up.  And since Berg is this week I suppose that makes them the most worrisome of that trio since I hope things start clicking more each week as the season progresses.

[Desertraider]

I don't know if I am concerned about any one opponent outside of maybe BW right now, but I am very concerned that someone in that group of Berg/Etta/ONU could trip them up.  And since Berg is this week I suppose that makes them the most worrisome of that trio since I hope things start clicking more each week as the season progresses.

For me the most worrisome issue is that there wasnt any real improvement (penalties, decision making, cohesion, consistency) on offense - and they actually added TOs to the mix. Those werent a problem week 1. D was marginally better (2nd half) but O seemed to regress.

[D3fanboy]

I don't know if I am concerned about any one opponent outside of maybe BW right now, but I am very concerned that someone in that group of Berg/Etta/ONU could trip them up.  And since Berg is this week I suppose that makes them the most worrisome of that trio since I hope things start clicking more each week as the season progresses.

For me the most worrisome issue is that there wasnt any real improvement (penalties, decision making, cohesion, consistency) on offense - and they actually added TOs to the mix. Those werent a problem week 1. D was marginally better (2nd half) but O seemed to regress.

The Raiders went from 13 penalties for 118 yards to only 7 for 75 yards.  That's quite an improvement in one week!  They'll be out of 215th place in the nation in penalty yards per game in no time!

[Desertraider]

And they added 5 turnovers! 1 TO in red zone and turnover on downs at the 3!

[D3fanboy]

And they added 5 turnovers! 1 TO in red zone and turnover on downs at the 3!

the standard is the standard....right?

[D3fanboy]

A couple thoughts from yesterday now that I got a chance to watch it this morning.

The thing that popped into my head last week and again this week is the absence of difference makers.  I didn't make a ton of it after Wheaton because that's a really good team on the road in game 1.  A lot of factors that could skew what your roster legitimately is.  But this week my takeaway is that Maloney (and maybe Ashby) are about it when it comes to difference makers right now.  I'm not sure who on defense it could be.  And when Maloney doesn't play well yesterday is how it's gonna look right now. 

I think the defense as a unit played pretty well both games, but by no means dominant to the eye.  And to be clear when I say difference makers I'm not expecting to have All-World guys Kaleb Brown or Rossy or Lally or Driskill all over the field every single year.  I'm thinking guys like Duke Hill, Danny Robinson, Isaiah Scott, Matt Fetchko, etc.  Just really, really good D3 defenders.  And I agree with the statement that the defense does not look as fast this year. 

Offensively I'm not sure what to make of things.  At Wheaton they looked abysmal in the first half, then looked good in the second half against a really good defense.  Then yesterday 5 turnovers against a decent team and looking disjointed basically the entire game until the end.  Just seems like a lot of stuff to work out.  I noticed in the box score that Caldwell did not play yesterday.  I'm not down on Minner and Bokman, but anyone local to the area probably shares my annoyance when I see a stud RB from their backyard looking like he's gonna be a star at BW in Boston Mulinix from West Branch.  142 yds and 3 scores on 11 carries in their opener.  Oh, and he's 5'8" 195 lbs so he is very comfortable running between the tackles too.  And yes, it already crept into my head the agony it would be if not only Mount somehow lost to BW, but lost with the sons of two M club HOF'ers playing key roles on their offense.  Luckily that's their 9th game so hopefully we'll be humming along by then.

where are these transfer WRs that we heard about in the offseason?  on a similar topic, former Raider (and Muskie) Davion Grant got into last weeks Valdosta State game and caught one pass, bringing his season stats to 1 catch for -2 yards.

I think the defense has played well as a unit, especially with the circumstances that the offense has put them in through two weeks (6 mins of possession in the Wheaton 1st half and the 5 TO's against GCC).  I am shocked at the secondary playing so well without their #1 corner since a handful of plays into the Wheaton game. 

[MUC 2008]

A couple thoughts from yesterday now that I got a chance to watch it this morning.

The thing that popped into my head last week and again this week is the absence of difference makers.  I didn't make a ton of it after Wheaton because that's a really good team on the road in game 1.  A lot of factors that could skew what your roster legitimately is.  But this week my takeaway is that Maloney (and maybe Ashby) are about it when it comes to difference makers right now.  I'm not sure who on defense it could be.  And when Maloney doesn't play well yesterday is how it's gonna look right now. 

I think the defense as a unit played pretty well both games, but by no means dominant to the eye.  And to be clear when I say difference makers I'm not expecting to have All-World guys Kaleb Brown or Rossy or Lally or Driskill all over the field every single year.  I'm thinking guys like Duke Hill, Danny Robinson, Isaiah Scott, Matt Fetchko, etc.  Just really, really good D3 defenders.  And I agree with the statement that the defense does not look as fast this year. 

Offensively I'm not sure what to make of things.  At Wheaton they looked abysmal in the first half, then looked good in the second half against a really good defense.  Then yesterday 5 turnovers against a decent team and looking disjointed basically the entire game until the end.  Just seems like a lot of stuff to work out.  I noticed in the box score that Caldwell did not play yesterday.  I'm not down on Minner and Bokman, but anyone local to the area probably shares my annoyance when I see a stud RB from their backyard looking like he's gonna be a star at BW in Boston Mulinix from West Branch.  142 yds and 3 scores on 11 carries in their opener.  Oh, and he's 5'8" 195 lbs so he is very comfortable running between the tackles too.  And yes, it already crept into my head the agony it would be if not only Mount somehow lost to BW, but lost with the sons of two M club HOF'ers playing key roles on their offense.  Luckily that's their 9th game so hopefully we'll be humming along by then.

where are these transfer WRs that we heard about in the offseason?  on a similar topic, former Raider (and Muskie) Davion Grant got into last weeks Valdosta State game and caught one pass, bringing his season stats to 1 catch for -2 yards.

I think the defense has played well as a unit, especially with the circumstances that the offense has put them in through two weeks (6 mins of possession in the Wheaton 1st half and the 5 TO's against GCC).  I am shocked at the secondary playing so well without their #1 corner since a handful of plays into the Wheaton game. 

More or less my take. Defense has played well to very well all things considered, even going back to the JCU loss. Offense had to overcome TOP issues against the Thunder and GCC had the ball a long time too. -4 in turnovers absolutely buries most teams, so the fact that Mount won shows they still have at least some of that mettle.

That all being said, naturally this year's squad is right now a long, long way from being a typical Mount team. For years fans took for granted the fact that the previous seasons crop of wideouts would be replaced. So far, that hasn't happened yet - the playmaker(s) so often that make a difference haven't shown up yet. Will they at all? I can't say. It's possible that QB15 was playing hurt, especially on some of his longer passes of the day - they lacked zip and velocity. It's been bandied about here that he's banged up, and some evidence in the film supports that, so that's a possibility too.


Pat had a great point on the podcast - if any other team had wholesale coordinator changes and wholesale roster turnover, no one bats an eye at a 1-1 start with a 1 point loss to a top 5 team on the road. That's the other thing many of us here (myself included, I'll own it) have taken for granted for so long - a coaching staff so well schooled in the minutia and finer things of the game that preparedness and sheer will can change the game. I don't think it's unfair for me to say that, at times, has not been seen by this head coach. LK and VK could take a team that was, on paper, outmatched by its opponent and win - sometimes by a surprisingly wide margin. With this staff, it seems to be the opposite: continually playing down to competition and lacking a killer instinct. Case in point, an end zone INT would, most other years, end in a Mount TD and a 14 point swing. Instead it's an immediate giveaway back. Having a lack of playmakers and "home run hitters" can lend itself to that, especially since no one has stepped up on offense yet.

There is still time and opportunity, of course, but it's on the players and coaches to show us what they can do. In my 25+ years as a Mount fan and alum, the players nearly always step up when you call upon them to do so. The coaching staff, since 2021 especially, is another story. But, with two new coordinators, there's still time for that too.