Dane96

The game is chippy, from both sides, as expected with so much on the line.  I absolutely expect W&M to come out firing in the second half.  That last offensive PI that nullified the TD was nonsense.  Some of the penalties should have been offsetting (W&M with equal unsportsmenlike) but the reality is, our guys should be keeping there cool.  Defensively, we've been insane. Offensively, maybe 50% of what we could be.  

Right now, we are miles ahead of W&M...however, I'd expect that gap to close.  We need to keep doing what we are doing defensively and on offense, don't play conservatively but play on the border of aggressive offensive, within our skillset.  I will not feel comfortable until we are up 20 or so (not saying that is possible).  

3 hours ago, cwdickens said:

As I recall from previous postings by others here, The Hall of Fame Room will return to its previous location in Broadview Center once work is completed in University Gym.

Correct.  It is the temporary site of sports medicine.   My understanding is the expanded sports medicine facility will be in the area the basketball teams are currently practicing, and will start renovations once the teams are out.  Upon completion, the Hall of Fame Room goes back to Broadview.  No major updates to the entrance that I am aware of and if any are planned, which is unlikely, it's probably part of Phase 3.  Remember, Phase 3 puts a whole new entrance on Broadview (if completed), with team stores, ticketing, other gathering areas, two (maybe 3?) decks, and I believe some expanded seating / potential club or box areas on the Eastern side of the building closest to Casey Stadium.  

50 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

Based on the pictures shown and things said elsewhere, the Broadview Center appears to be finished however; I have not seen the MBB and WBB Locker Rooms.  Are the locker rooms holding up use of the Broadview Center?

Certificates of Occupancy take time.  Also, there are definitely punch list items that need to be finished.  Yes, on the lockerroom...most of it is substantially complete, I've seen photos.  Looks great!

WOW!!!

Photo Credits to Michael Christakas

1 hour ago, HOF2013 said:

Saw that, How can Villanova be ranked ahead of us??????   I don't think rankings actually mean much.  We have to continue to win.  I think Monmouth will be a tougher game than many think.  Gotta take care of business this weekend.

They mean a lot.  The rankings are used as guidance by the playoff committee.  Our ranking is a pre-disposed bias to the early season expectations.  It's ludicrous.  In my mind, we are a 14-18 team. 

Arena looking good.

52 minutes ago, dslyank said:

I assume that is a SEASON parking pass. The second lot of $85 is only $10 more than UA. Wonder what the individual game day parking prices?

Nope...that is the homecoming weekend pricing. Always has.  They get like 20000 people in the parking lot partying. It's wild...and fun. 

10 hours ago, BestDaneSinceHamlet said:

Im sorry..thats the highest parking ive ever heard.  NY, LA, anywhere

 

A) It's homecoming....the have a notorious homecoming. 

you should see the charges in Boston. 

That said, it's an obscene cost. Straight up money grab.

8 minutes ago, MRuler 79 said:

Not that the offense didn't do well, they did fine but the 3 TO's made this closer than it should of been. As great as our D is we cant always lean on them this much. Between Morgan State and Towson we need to give them a week off so to speak. That last drive had to be exhausting having them go all the way down to the 1 and stopping them!! That game should of been at least 27-9 or 27-17. I love that this year we are bitching about wins hahahahah!

Or we just stay the Bing out of the State of Maryland.  I am all set with that state for the time being.  LOL.  We clearly don't like playing there...

THat was a gritty, hard hitting game.  We lost our LG early in the game, and that had an impact on pass protection...with Scotty out as well.

We lose that game the last three years...every time.  Good teams find a way to win, and they did.

I think we are all set going to Maryland for a bit...two of our four FCS games were there this year...and they were the hardest, most physical games we have been in. 

3 hours ago, S-money said:

Is that the new floor or old floor? Would be surprising if they’re using all that equipment over the new floor. 

New.  Equipment like that is used all the time in arenas around the world.  Is not an issue. 

CW, what's so funny about my post?  

1 minute ago, B9j2j6s said:

Had a similar issue viewing it.  Went to AE board and saw it easily.  D96 and Paul thanks for posting and taking the picture.  It looks amazing.  Can't believe it is the same Arena.  Much needed upgrade can't wait till December or January to see it in person.  Concept pictures aren't doing it justice.

Yeah, this board has limitations at times.  I reposted it above, using a link instead of a drop.

My only complaint, and this is super minor, is I was hoping the tunnels (where it says UAlbany) were going to be dasher boards for game day use.  I would presume four of them would run in the 500k range, if not more...so that is going to have to be a donation.  That is about the only thing that I would say would have been a "cool add".  

Otherwise, the place is stunning. 

Link?  It's just a photo...you can't see it?  It is showing on my computer

Credit to Paul Grondahl:

Entire CAA was after him and I know he had an offer from UMASS.  Other schools involved at some point: William and Mary, Villanova, Elon, Monmouth, Georgetown, Temple, Cornell, Rutgers, Delaware, Lafayette, Lehigh, Harvard, UConn, Fordham, Columbia, Brown, Duke, Penn, Holy Cross & Princeton

Very nice pickup by the staff today, QB Van Weber.  6’4 185 lbs. 

From a recruiting service:

 A tall platform, able to survey the entire field. He plays with strong confidence in his game. Smooth delivery. Very good arm strength and vision downfield. Will continue to add bulk onto his frame.
ACCURACY:
Van's right on the mark with his throws, they come across with high velocity and precision. Great instincts as he displays good anticipation and timing of his receivers routes.
ARM STRENGTH:
He fires the ball with a flick of his wrist, getting the ball out in a hurry. High velocity throws that pierce a secondary, with laser like speed. Strong vertical passing game, holding defenders with pump fakes.
RELEASE:
A perfectly thrown ball, made with an over the top delivery. Able to generate increased momentum upon release. Solid footwork prior to set up.
THROW ON RUN:
Good mobility getting to the outside. Able to zero in on his target, squaring up with his intended target. Strong forward momentum throws.
FOOTWORK:
Very good footwork on his drop backs and set ups.
POISE:
Van's a very confident QB who controls the flow of the game with his playmaking ability. Good patience in the backfield as he waits for his receivers to break on their routes.
POCKET PRESENCE:
Does a nice job working around traffic, creating additional space for himself. He’s very agile, able to swing in either direction. Good read of the defensive pressure.
DECISION MAKING:
An intelligent QB who has a knack for finding big play opportunities downfield.
TOUCH:
Van can hit his targets with soft tosses or fire it into tight windows of space. Very good at making adjustments to the velocity of his throws

The CAA is wild, as is the rest of the college football world...all due to the portal.  Towson, at home, is the favorite.  They are always tough at home.  I give them a +2 edge due to the home game. If the D continues as is, we will do enough offensively to win.  

This seems to be a perfect marriage on paper, and is EXACTLY the hole that needed to be filled.  Whether Killings did this on his own or was politely nudged to do so, ultimately he made the call and it is the right one.  I think this has some good potential to help DK learn about being a HC and maybe fill some gaps in his background.  Good stuff, and DK should be commended for making the hire. 

So, at the end of the out of conference stretch, we are exactly where we should be at 2-2.

Couple of things to discuss:

1. Winston is a massive loss for us, quite frankly we would have a dominating secondary in the CAA if he was playing.  So, from the OOC, this is the biggest negative.  

2. Hall is absolutely special...what a lockdown corner.

3. Show me a better DL in the CAA, and I will listen...but question it.  We are dominant up front.

4. Poff- I am not concerned, but a bit worried.  It started with the Hawaii game and continued vs. Morgan St.  He has made some "wtf are you doing plays".  He is a gunslinger, it comes with the territory.  Honestly, if he played better vs. Hawaii we may have won.  Yesterday, tough game to judge due to the weather.  However, I think he needs to take a breath and manage the game a bit more as we start the CAA season.  The CAA is looking better than expected this year and right out of the gate, 'Nova is going to test him.  If he dials it back just a bit with the forcing of passes and, at times, just throwing the ball away instead of scrambling to extend a play...he will be just fine.  But he will be tested, and tested strongly next weekend. If he gets back to the Poff we know, we will be very good.

5. Not sure how I feel about Aden.  Frankly, I think he's the #2 RB at this point and by seasons end, Larkins or Woodell will be the starter, which I am not sure is a good thing.   Aden takes a lot of time getting to the hole, seems to be slow twitching.  Woodell and Larkins are VERY good #2's and I think Woodell will be a very, very good four year player...just not a top CAA RB.  It's the first time in a long-time that we haven't had a clearly dominant RB.  It's a negative of the offense.

6. Marshall- is looking to be sharing the top of a really crowded heap of the Sun Belt.  The top teams are in the East, plus Troy in the West.  The Sun Belt is the top G5 conference this year, and it's not even close.  Our performance at Marshall is not only encouraging, but also indicates what can happen with the transfer portal, using it wisely.  We hit the portal and did very well.  Marshall just took down an average Va Tech team...but they are likely mid-pack ACC...and that's nothing to stick your nose up.  

7. Hawaii- the team will rue this loss, and should.  This game was winnable.  However, take pride in this as well...anyone making that trip knows it is not easy.  Hawaii is interesting...they got smoked at Oregon...but Colorado was smoked equally as badly.  Vanderbilt is a terrible SEC team this year, however they are an SEC team...and Hawaii played them tough. They lost to Stanford, who is an absolute $iena of a football team.  They skated by an absolutely atrocious New Mexico State team, however Hawaii is saddled with injuries.  In short, Hawaii is trash compared to Marshall however, they are an FBS team...and quite frankly, I think Albany is at the same level this year...we would be a 115-133 ranked FBS team, which is exactly what the top of FCS would be on a normal year; capable of beating those lower FBS teams.

8. Fordham- hasn't played anyone of value but for Buffalo, and Albany would beat Buffalo this year...maybe even running away.  Buffalo is trash this season.  Not sure how to evaluate the Fordham win...meaning, how good Albany really can be.

9. Morgan St- irrespective of the weather, that is an insanely tough, athletic, and well coached football team with really good players.  They would be mid-pack CAA, no doubt in my mind, anywhere from 8-12 in the conference.  I do think we are better than them, which brings me to my next view:

10. Right now, we are probably anywhere from 6-12 in the league, dependent on all the above items.  I think our realistic "bottom" is 11.  I think our realistic top is 4.  We can go higher if Poff puts it together, we figure out a running back, and we get continued dominance from our Defense.

The Villanova game sets the tone for the entirety of the CAA season.  A win, catapults us in so many ways...a loss...is recoverable, however we'd have a tough road.  

I am going with a win for 'Nova, due to home cooking and being positive.  With that, this is what I see"

Nova- Close W

Towson- W

UNH- Close L 50-50

URI- Close L, potential for W if the defense balls out...they have a heck of an offense

Maine- W, if we bus up there early...it kills every team.  But Maine is REALLY bad this year. 

W&M- Close L

SBU- W

Monmouth- W

Puts us at 5-3.  I can see us going 6-2 or 4-4.  This would put us at 7-5 (and depending on how Marshall, Hawaii, and Fordham finishing, potentially as the last OOC team in the playoffs).  If we are 8-4, we are in with the schedule.  6-6, clearly out.  However, all the above are light years about last year.  That said, this team IS CAPABLE of going 9-3.  

NM