Leatherneck Nation

Story about the game as seen on the Cedar Rapids-Waterloo television stations:

From KCRG-TV (Cedar Rapids): http://www.kcrg.com/subject/sports/uni- ... s-20151017

From KWWL-TV (Waterloo): http://www.kwwl.com/story/30287494/fiel ... iowa-24-19

Brett Taylor, getting his second MVFC defensive player of the week award: http://goleathernecks.com/news/2015/10/ ... 54738.aspx

Coaches can say what they want about preparing "one game at a time" but I'm not buying it. Just as our effort last year against the Bison exceeded all of our expectations even in the loss, so too did the Yote effort against them this year. I think work on game plans against the top teams starts several weeks in advance. That extra prep time is essentially what gets the players on a completely different emotional and confidence level.

ST_Lawson wrote:Brett Taylor, getting his second MVFC defensive player of the week award: http://goleathernecks.com/news/2015/10/ ... 54738.aspx

Went and looked at the article on MVFC website: http://www.valley-football.org/news/def ... -the-week/
and apparently they're also doing Offensive Lineman of the Week too, which went to our Center, Jacob Judd. Also some honorable mentions. I've copied the descriptions for everyone below:

Defense
LB Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, So., 6-2, 230, Macomb (Ill.) High
Taylor recorded a game-high 12 tackles, including 11 solo stops, as Western ended a four-game losing streak to the Panthers. Taylor made a key stop inside the 10-yard line, keeping UNI out of the endzone and forcing a field goal instead. Taylor, who added a tackle for loss, registered his fifth 10-plus tackle game this year and third consecutive. The victory also marked the first win at the UNI-Dome since 2006, and in the process ended a four-game losing streak to the Panthers. Western's victory was the second in as many years over a 'Top 15' ranked opponent on the road.

Offensive Lineman
C Jacob Judd, Western Illinois, So., 6-3, 290, Clinton, Iowa
Judd played a big role on the offensive line, as the unit did not allow a sack for the fifth straight game. Facing a UNI defense that ranked 23rd in redzone defense and 27th in tackles for a loss, Western went 3-for-4 inside the redzone with the only miss on the final drive as they ran out the clock. Western also had a 100-yard rusher for the fourth consecutive game as the offense rolled up 396 yards.

Offensive Honorable Mentions
RB Nikko Watson, WIU -- Rushed a career-high 35 times for 115 yards and a TD in the program’s first win at UNI since 2006. His 35 attempts were the most by a Leatherneck running back since Dre Gibbs’ 39 attempts versus Missouri State in 2009. Watson registered his fourth straight 100-yard rushing game.

Defensive Honorable Mentions
DB Aaron Diggs, WIU -- Diggs set a UNI-Dome record with his 95-yard interception return for a touchdown, staking Western to a 7-0 lead. It was the second-longest interception return in WIU history.

Newcomer Honorable Mentions
WR Stacey Smith, WIU -- Caught a career-high six passes totaling 56 yards, rushed for a season-high 16 yards on four attempts, and added 98 kickoff return yards to help Western defeat UNI. Smith totaled 170 all-purpose yards. He’s now averaging 87.8 all-purpose yards per game.

Looks like the coaches poll has us rated at #23 in nation now. Little higher than I though I was thinking like between 15 and 20, but at least it is some recognition. I think strong play this week with even a close game and we will stay in that position. If we win expect a huge jump to perhaps closer to between 10 and 15. Gonna be a tough game coming up and I will be giving us a 50/50 chance on this one. Show up to play and keep everything clean with at most 1 turnover we can come away with a win. Need to continue to strengthen special teams and keep rounding out the entire team to continue the success.

Honestly, I put VERY little stock in the Coaches poll. It's supposed to be a poll of the actual coaches, since they're "supposed" to know the game the best. Problem is, Div. I coaches are too busy managing their own team and keeping an eye on the next couple of opponents (as well they should) to pay attention to any other teams out there, especially if they're not even in their conference....so, the duties of filling out the poll often fall to some assistant or student worker. Essentially, nobody directly involved in a Div. I football program has the time to pay attention well enough to accurately rank anyone. I think the STATS poll is a bit more accurate, as is the AGS poll, although the AGS poll does have (I think) a little bit of a MVFC bias to it right now...although that hasn't been entirely unwarranted over the last few years.

I also know that the Gridiron Power Index (GPI), which hasn't been updated for this week yet, but had us tied for 13th with Montana last week, has been for quite a few years the most accurate predictor of playoff inclusion. We stay in the top 20 of the GPI, then I'm about 95% sure we'll be in the playoffs. We can lose one or two more, but for the most part, we gotta keep winning to stay up there.