2024 Week 12 - at Southeast Missouri State

[NewNeck]

I was at the Basketball game so I didn’t see a ton of the game but to me we need to work on our defense we all know that. But we also have to work on discipline and emotions we got way to many emotional penalties yesterday. 

 

agreed. Can't give a top 10 team multiple 15 yard penalties.

All in all 45 points on the road should win you most games.
500+ yards, 34 points (2 turnovers) = L @ ISU
700+ yards, 38 points (3 turnovers) = L @ Lwood.
400 yards, 38 points (0 turnovers) = L @ EIU
500+ yards, 45 points (3 turnovers) = L @ SEMO

 

[ST_Lawson]

Question:  does the OVC have guaranteed rivalry games between teams that must be played every year like the MVFC does?
I guess with 9 teams you do play every one.  Will cross that hurdle if'/when they add a team or two down the road.

I want SEMO always guaranteed.  
 

They don't need one with the current setup, but yeah, they could do something like that if they add enough teams to need to do that.
SEMO already has a conference rivalry/trophy game with Lindenwood though: https://lindenwoodlions.com/news/2023/9 ... valry.aspx
They also have their non-conference rivalry game with SIU.

I'd much prefer our guaranteed rival in the OVC be Eastern Illinois. We just have too much history with them for it to be anyone else in the conference.
It would kinda depend on who gets added, but in the current group, I'd think: SEMO & Lindenwood, WIU & EIU, Charleston Southern & Gardner-Webb (since they're the only Big South teams, although if we add a few more, we wouldn't need them for football), then pair up a couple of the Tennessee teams. If Austin Peay somehow decided to come back, that'd be perfect to pair up with UT Martin and have TTU and TSU be a pair as well. We currently have 9 football-playing teams though, so there's going to be an odd one out unless we get to an even number.

[NewNeck]

Question:  does the OVC have guaranteed rivalry games between teams that must be played every year like the MVFC does?
I guess with 9 teams you do play every one.  Will cross that hurdle if'/when they add a team or two down the road.

I want SEMO always guaranteed.  

 

They don't need one with the current setup, but yeah, they could do something like that if they add enough teams to need to do that.
SEMO already has a conference rivalry/trophy game with Lindenwood though: https://lindenwoodlions.com/news/2023/9 ... valry.aspx
They also have their non-conference rivalry game with SIU.

I'd much prefer our guaranteed rival in the OVC be Eastern Illinois. We just have too much history with them for it to be anyone else in the conference.
It would kinda depend on who gets added, but in the current group, I'd think: SEMO & Lindenwood, WIU & EIU, Charleston Southern & Gardner-Webb (since they're the only Big South teams, although if we add a few more, we wouldn't need them for football), then pair up a couple of the Tennessee teams. If Austin Peay somehow decided to come back, that'd be perfect to pair up with UT Martin and have TTU and TSU be a pair as well. We currently have 9 football-playing teams though, so there's going to be an odd one out unless we get to an even number.

 

There is one for the TN schools... https://ovcsports.com/news/2024/11/11/f ... nship.aspx
 

[rocki]

Yeah, we didn't win, but I have to admit I was pleased with the team's play Saturday. The way everyone was talking, I was expecting to get smoked, but the guys hung in there. I didn't see the stats on the penalties, but the game seemed to get pretty chippy. Even after it was over............

[wiu712]

Western had 6 Penalties for 45 yards.  SEMO had 9 Penalties for 88 yards.

[NewNeck]

High praise…wonder if anyone at WIU will listen. https://youtu.be/OolXGocPXWM?si=06_sUSVMIRVihCYK

[rocki]

High praise…wonder if anyone at WIU will listen. https://youtu.be/OolXGocPXWM?si=06_sUSVMIRVihCYK

 

I think they will. He has broken the winless spell, and most of the games we didn't win, we were in there until the bitter end. I don't actually know anyone in the program, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how well the players (of whom most were new to Western) bought into his system. Yeah, yeah, defense still needs major help, but program rebuilding takes time. With the glimmers of hope we have seen, I think Coach has bought himself that time.

[ST_Lawson]

I think they will. He has broken the winless spell, and most of the games we didn't win, we were in there until the bitter end. I don't actually know anyone in the program, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how well the players (of whom most were new to Western) bought into his system. Yeah, yeah, defense still needs major help, but program rebuilding takes time. With the glimmers of hope we have seen, I think Coach has bought himself that time.

 

The biggest change I have noticed is that last year, we had that heartbreaker loss to Lindenwood in mid-September, and then every game after that we were pretty much blown out. It's like the team as a whole just gave up. The closest games after that point were when we lost by 20 at Southern Utah (who went 6-5 last year) and by 21 at Indiana State (who were 1-10....we were their only win). Every other game was like 30...40...50 point losses.

This year, we break the losing streak against a DII team, but then beat 2 conference opponents (with a chance at 3) and nearly all the games we don't win, we were in it until the end. In many of them, the only reason there was as much of a spread was because we were down by maybe one score and had to get creative with some higher-risk plays to try to pull out the win. We were already at 3-7, with pretty much zero chance of winning the conference or making the playoffs, but we played a top-15 FCS team at their place and were only down by 5 until about 5 1/2 minutes left in the game. That is not a team who has given up.