The Feeling of Impending Doom

[Wick250]

I'm as frustrated as all of you. Yet we must remember that, with the exception of a few transfers, all of the seniors, juniors, and many of the sophomores were recruited by Pelini. How many of them can play at this level? 20%? 10%?.

The big problems now are fundamental. How can we recruit any good players when the team is so bad? And how can we sell tickets next year when the product causes pain rather than pleasure?

[IAA Fan]

I think the Tressel move to Florida will do everyone some good. Folks he has not coached here in over 20 years. The game is changed. We can no longer schedule our way into the post season, then reinvent ourselves. We have to play in a conference. So if you have to talk about "Tressel years" then you have no credibility. I will forget about this season on August 31, 2022, when the kicker's foot connects with the ball.. Just like I have forgotten about every season for the past 40-years. Your AD has nothing to do with the day-to-day performance aspect of our teams. I will remind you that Ron Strollo played in 3 championship games as a Penguin; so you think he does not feel the pain of a fan? Yet,  you people act like he does everything. So if you are upset about the performance of our teams, then ask the staff.

Also, as I have said 100 times. NDSU is the "Ohio State" of North Dakota. Funds going to the state of ND are divided among 3 DI schools, with one not really even fielding competitive sports. Ohio has 16 DI programs, with ALL of them boasting scholarship athletics, 12 full-scholarship football.. Ask yourself an honest question. If both the Bison and the Buckeyes played each other at full strength, just what do you think the outcome would be? I seriously doubt that NDSU would even score a touchdown. ESPN thinks the same way, that is what potential viewers think.

Now if you want to hold Strollo to task for something, turn on your TV and watch the replay of our game on ESPN+.  Then send an email to the Department and ask him why I am watching the terrible Bison announcers call a PENGUIN HOME GAME. This is something I expect Strollo to tell me. Does the conference have that little respect for us, or can we not get a crew together? Either way I am ashamed and upset.

[guinpen]

So what is the Tressel move to Florida?

Yea I had someone tell me that the ESPN announcers' were one sided but I could not believe that they could be bison folks since it was at our house. Would love to hear how that happened.

About Strollo I think that he has strong points and not so strong points. He has done good in some areas but is not so strong in others, unfortunately he is weak with some of the high profile sports which most folks are looking at.

[Kandrase]

I think the Tressel move to Florida will do everyone some good. Folks he has not coached here in over 20 years. The game is changed. We can no longer schedule our way into the post season, then reinvent ourselves. We have to play in a conference. So if you have to talk about "Tressel years" then you have no credibility. I will forget about this season on August 31, 2022, when the kicker's foot connects with the ball.. Just like I have forgotten about every season for the past 40-years. Your AD has nothing to do with the day-to-day performance aspect of our teams. I will remind you that Ron Strollo played in 3 championship games as a Penguin and think her does not feel the pain of a fan? Yet,  you people act like he does everything. So if you are upset about the performance of our teams, then as the staff.

Also, as I have said 100 times. NDSU is the "Ohio State" of North Dakota. Funds going to the state of ND are divided among 3 DI schools, with one not really even fielding competitive sports. Ohio has 16 DI programs, with ALL of them boasting scholarship athletics, 12 full-scholarship football.. Ask yourself an honest question. If both the Bison and the Buckeyes played each other at full strength, just what do you think the outcome would be? I seriously doubt that NDSU would even score a touchdown. ESPN thinks the same way, that is what potential viewers think.

Now if you want to hold Strollo to task for something, turn on your TV and watch the replay of our game on ESPN+.  Then send an email to the Department and ask him why I am watching the terrible Bison announcers call a PENGUIN HOME GAME. This is something I expect Strollo to tell me. Does the conference have that little respect for us, or can we not get a crew together? Either way I am ashamed and upset.

NDSU has won six straight games against FBS opponents, including Power 5 programs like Kansas, Minnesota, Kansas State and Iowa State... The 2021 Bison probably aren't as good as past teams and  They obviously wouldn't beat Ohio State, but I'm pretty sure they'd score and at least be competitive for a bit.

Ma$$ey computer rankings (which used to be part of the BCS, so it's fairly respectable) predicts the mathchup to be 37-14 Ohio State which I think is pretty fair. That ranking puts the current Bison at #65 in all of D1 Football which is just ahead of Maryland, Florida State, and Coastal Carolina

[ytownchief22]

Phillips got the job because of one local man and his money and because he's buddies with JT. No either reason. Especially not for his football resume. This is the result you get...

[guinpen]

Phillips got the job because of one local man and his money and because he's buddies with JT. No either reason. Especially not for his football resume. This is the result you get...

At this point it does not matter how or why he got the job, he has the job.

The worse thing that we can do is fill social media with negative comments that may find their way to possible recruits. When the season is over it is up to DP to look at the job his coaches did and respond as he deems necessary.

Same thing for the AD, I would think that at some point after next Sat, he would meet with DP and compare notes on how things are going.

[IAA Fan]

So what is the Tressel move to Florida?

Yea I had someone tell me that the ESPN announcers' were one sided but I could not believe that they could be bison folks since it was at our house. Would love to hear how that happened.

About Strollo I think that he has strong points and not so strong points. He has done good in some areas but is not so strong in others, unfortunately he is weak with some of the high profile sports which most folks are looking at.

Yes, It was those two guys and woman from Fargo TV. Same ones that do all the Bison games. I Would expect them to be bia$$ed, just as I expect ours to be the same.  The move to Florida came out during the halftime interview with Mark Dantonio. I was surprised they did not question Tressel during the second-half of the interview. Dantonio says they are going to be neighbors as he and Tressel are both building homes in Florida.

[Double ET]

DP is now the coach and I really care less how he got the job. I am more interested in whether he is or will be able to do his job.

Wofford could still be her if he were to make changes in his defensive coaches. He didn’t. The rest is history.

Can DP learn from the history? Stay tune…..

[ytownchief22]

It does matter how he got the job. He was not even CLOSE to being qualified for the head coaching job here. Have you seen recruiting? Stay tuned for more 2-3 win seasons.

[Double ET]

Chief, what I am trying to say is that the results are more important. If his record is 8-2, we won’t be having this discussion.

[Penguin Nation]

Jimmy...keep your anti-science, health-hating mask mandating a— the f—- out of FL.

We’ve been fine here for 20 months and counting...except for those who...you know...

[goodnews]

Like someone said earlier DP along with his staff is on the cheap.  Its clearly on-the-job training.  And another thing, we aren't ever and repeat ever going to be talking about this staff at 8-2. 

[IAA Fan]

Tressel was on-the-job training as well. Although he had a bit more position experience than Phillips. I also remember thinking JT was gone, as my father thought that and he was on the athletic committee. They did not renew JT a year early, which was the expectation. I was on the boarder, would not have cried had they let JT go, or kept him. So many of the people had wanted Rutigliano (Browns) or especially Faust (ND), when they eventually hired JT, that Tressel had a harder time getting support (his first few years) than he should have. I remember my dad and I talking on the way to the vote, knowing we were going independent would have made it very hard to find a quality candidate, while going into the MAC would have made it a breeze. Kind of 'the perfect storm'  scenario. As I recall, the vote to keep Tressel was very much in his favor at the end, like my dad said, more of a formality.

As to Phillips, I do understand that he had to field a team quickly and in hindsight, maybe skipping that spring season would have been a smarter move for YSU, but we had to have enough teams in the conference to keep schedules. Perhaps a winter in the weight room and Wedgewood Pizza, along with a good spring at practice might make the difference. This final game is going to mean a great deal to me. I am not convinced that Phillips offense will be that successful (with smaller backs and #10 at QB). When you only run with a single-back set, you cannot have both the faster and larger backs in together. So many fans are impressed by Davidson's arm strength and height advantage. Mitch is not completely immobile, as we were led to believe. Phillips will have to use much more in the way of 2-back sets this week if we are to have any chance at success and Davidson taking snaps. It's puts me in mind of  Ray Issac / Nick Cochran. Cochran was a better pa$$er, but a drop-back guy. Isaac was really under fire in 1991, after we had lost to Akron, Liberty and Delaware State.

[goodnews]

Youngstown and the surrounding area has had a significant population decline over the last 30 years.  Tressel had a fertile  area (State of Youngstown) as it was known to recruit. Phillips doesn't have the luxury and if he can't recruit, he can't win.  Regardless  of the inept staff that has proven they're probably in over their heads.  End of story!

[peteonastick]

OK...time to chime in.  As with all coaches, I will give DP the time that it takes to build a program from scratch since that is basically what happened - three years. BP left the program in shambles as we all knew during his last year with the team, the product that was on the field could care less about winning or YSU football - a reflection on the coach and the staff that he assembled.

Many of you have short memories of the team folding and quitting on a regular basis.  DP walked into a program in demise and under NCAA violations. Regardless of how he got the job, I remember only one other viable candidate that is a graduate of YSU and current high school coach and many of you are complaining about lack of college experience of our current coach and staff??? This is who we have, this is who applied - plain and simple.

This team lacks depth, a problem inherited by DP! We have, maybe, 10-15 players that can play at this level and in this conference. That is not his doing. I will not pass judgement until I see his recruits and if he hits the portal for some transfers that can make an impact.  It will be difficult, but I do believe that the staff has been hitting the recruiting hard and doing it the right way - better than what we have had in the past several years where there was little recruiting and that players were expected to want to come play for BP. This program will get turned around in the off season if it gets turned around at all. Let's give him a full off-season to see if there are improvements with O and D line play!!  Strength, agility, feet, and just a damn hard nosed attitude is what is needed on the line.

Football in general has declined to lowly levels in this area.  Just look at the watered down divisions and the small schools that are still in the playoffs - if we have to rely on Springfield, South Range and West Branch for our recruits, we deserve to lose.  Nothing against those programs, but they might produce one player every 10 years that can play at this level.  Gone are the major big schools in Ytown, so forget the State of Youngstown, it is long gone. Have to make the university attractive to out of state players and with what has been happening on campus, that is starting to happen.  Tear down Kilcawley, redo buildings, make the place somewhere to come to and play football. The people in the area know what YSU has to offer, but people outside the state do not.

Budget - we have always been a low budget program, get over it. Too bad the money that came with DP didn't just go to the football program!!  That is what we have prided ourselves on for years - we are not the big dog in the game but we will give you a Youngstown Tune-up when you come in here - have to get that back.

Keep the players out of the tailgate lot before the game!  If you do allow it - don't let them wear headphones - interact with the crowd!! - pissed me off!!

GO GUINS