Leatherneck Nation

I think if Cason Carswell started we would have won

Just so sad to go to these games. Walk up the literally crumbling steps. Sit on splintered benches. Watch the team barely compete (usually lose) in the weak OVC, all while trying to tell my kids how it used to be. The hills would be full of people, the pit FULL of tailgaters, peach blossoms making it fun, a cool cannon before kick off, churning out NFL players every year, and to top it off we competed with the best teams in the country in all of 1AA football. Pretty impressive downfall. 

HoosierNeck13 wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 6:43 pm I am concerned about the direction of this program; a change is needed

 

What? Unless you know something most others don't know, I think we have the right guy. Defense is still an issue, dumb penalties (mental mistakes) hurt. Then obviously a step down in QB this year and we lost some dam good receivers off of last year's team and their replacements aren't near as good. All are issues this year. I think if they can get a win, that will give them some confidence.

meganeck wrote: Sun Sep 28, 2025 10:11 am

HoosierNeck13 wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 6:43 pm I am concerned about the direction of this program; a change is needed


 

What? Unless you know something most others don't know, I think we have the right guy. Defense is still an issue, dumb penalties (mental mistakes) hurt. Then obviously a step down in QB this year and we lost some dam good receivers off of last year's team and their replacements aren't near as good. All are issues this year. I think if they can get a win, that will give them some confidence.

 

I saw your addendum about the change on Defense, but I think you have to stick with the DC and hope they can get some players on that side of the ball and then see some improvement
 

34blast wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 8:26 pm I think if Cason Carswell started we would have won

 

Agree.  14 penalties for almost 100 yards though...no explosive playmakers at WR, RB or returning any kicks.  Are they hurt? Hard to move the ball.  Defense...smh...

Just got back from Macomb about 300 miles home.  Thought Freshman QB looked good we had our flashes.  Seem to have tough time stopping run up middle seem to have injuries on DL.  I wish we would go back to grass field hardly any injuries for years.  Trendy thing now astroturf high schools are doing it.  My high school where I played football recently went to artificial surface.  I was never injured soft to land on grass. Isn't it like a million dollars to replace our surface.  Could use money for new West bleachers.  

NewNeck wrote: Sun Sep 28, 2025 12:54 pm

34blast wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 8:26 pm I think if Cason Carswell started we would have won


 

Agree.  14 penalties for almost 100 yards though...no explosive playmakers at WR, RB or returning any kicks.  Are they hurt? Hard to move the ball.  Defense...smh...

 

I have a feeling we won't see Demari again.  I hope I'm wrong, but worried he might be trying to preserve a year, so he can use his tape to transfer up next year.  Total speculation and he might still get a year anyways because of his Juco years.

This landscape is not good for most teams and really bad for us.

Going to also speculate Holden Grieger transferred out to Juco to save eligibiity.  He can show he won the starting left tackle job at an FCS school.  With his size and potentially 4 years left, he's going to get looks.  Maybe it was grade related, but a few days before the first game coach said he was starting.  Maybe he just wanted to get back home, but weird.

Might see other young guys not go over their 4 games to save years and anyone who does halfway decent will be looking to move up.

Hopefully I'm way off, but just seems to be how it's going to be and we might be in an un-climable hole.





 

letsgonecks wrote: Sun Sep 28, 2025 4:22 pm

NewNeck wrote: Sun Sep 28, 2025 12:54 pm

34blast wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 8:26 pm I think if Cason Carswell started we would have won



 

Agree.  14 penalties for almost 100 yards though...no explosive playmakers at WR, RB or returning any kicks.  Are they hurt? Hard to move the ball.  Defense...smh...


 

I have a feeling we won't see Demari again.  I hope I'm wrong, but worried he might be trying to preserve a year, so he can use his tape to transfer up next year.  Total speculation and he might still get a year anyways because of his Juco years.

This landscape is not good for most teams and really bad for us.

Going to also speculate Holden Grieger transferred out to Juco to save eligibiity.  He can show he won the starting left tackle job at an FCS school.  With his size and potentially 4 years left, he's going to get looks.  Maybe it was grade related, but a few days before the first game coach said he was starting.  Maybe he just wanted to get back home, but weird.

Might see other young guys not go over their 4 games to save years and anyone who does halfway decent will be looking to move up.

Hopefully I'm way off, but just seems to be how it's going to be and we might be in an un-climable hole.





 

 

 The NCAA will eventually renege on the unlimited transfers rule.  Lesson learned the hard way.
 

I think things will get worse. I think there might be 100 less D-1 football teams in 10 years.
The P4 have most of the money and most of the power now. Once the Supreme Ct ruled against the NCAA I knew things would get bad. I didn't think it would get this bad this quick. 

It seems as if kids across the board are using lesser programs as resume builders to land at a big time program.

What can the NCAA do? If the P4(and their media partners) feel like a ruling will cause them to make less money or have restricted access they will sue the NCAA and probably win.

I know this thread has drifted. I am guilty of being too negative for too long about this or that within the WIU sphere. The people in charge know the situation nobody needs my input.

However I will digress, WIU is in one of the "Have nots" D-I conferences. It is one thing to get decimated by P4s, and be competitive but still lose on the road at (In my opinion, which combined with $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks) a higher profile BigSky program. It is another thing entirely to lose two years in a row to an OVC member school and in state rival EIU that traditionally Western has dominated. They are in the same boat as us. EIU traditionally has been the lowest profile D-I program in the state of Illinois... ILLINOIS, Northwestern, NIU, ISU, WIU, SIU, EIU.

A once proud WIU program that churned out players that went on to the NFL, CFL, and AFL now is unequivocally the worst program in the state. 

Embarrassing