• Week 4: Idaho state at UC Davis
    Some of the player participation reports not listed correctly either. Pretty odd. At Weber they started out with 4 DBs (King, Perryman, Venable, Thomas), yet it is White, the nickel who was not in the first play, listed in lieu of King. The D started out against Poly in the nickel, so the PP report doesn't even have the right positions for the lineup (DT, DT, End, 3 LBs, 5 DBs). Assume this is a result of fewer SID folks in the box to pay attention to such details this season.
  • Week 4: Idaho state at UC Davis


    Not exactly. King has started every game at the field corner and Perryman has started every game at the boundary corner. White is the nickel corner. The depth chart they post doesn't align with the defense that they're actually running.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    High profile is a relative term but remember that two of the first guys to get scholarship money did not win starting positions and ended up at UCLA.
  • Week 3: Cal Poly @ #21 UC Davis
    Poly has a roster that's stuck between two vastly different schemes. Baldwin will do a good job there with time. The biggest takeaway here is overall depth and what an improvement a modern defensive scheme has brought. Prepare for Hawk to be in the market for another DC very soon as its unlikely they will be able to pay Coombs. On Marsh -- while he's been around the program forever, he's prone to hyperbole and really doesn't have his arms around the personnel or the conference. Scott Barry was a breath of fresh air. Too bad Buzzard didn't keep the pxp job. Maier had a great junior year but is not on the four deep for the all-time QB.
  • Week 3: Cal Poly @ #21 UC Davis


    Fugawe has it right. Has always been a bus trip. Chartering from Sac to Santa Maria isn't much of a time saver and comes at great expense.
  • Week 2: #23 UC Davis @ #2 Weber State


    He's been almost exclusively rushing the passer and has not been able to get home. Gutsy effort by the defense but Weber abused some of the freshmen. Cody is too reliant on the Plough playbook. When Harrell has a 12 yard cushion, rather than running that jet sweep just toss him the ball and take 8 free yards. Too much reliance on misdirection.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    Biggs was a very good recruiter but he didn't have $ for a legit recruiting operation to organize and augment the efforts of the coaching staff. The D2 comp is a little off the mark. Yes, kids like to play for a winner. But more than that, they want a scholarship. The challenge with the transition was moving from an unlimited roster size in D2 to ~105 guys at the FCS level. The D2 program was built on self-motivated kids surviving the process of attrition. That was ultimately a killer with a smaller roster and kids that had a different level of expectation.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    It came down to $$$. The program had a nice bump in buzz when it moved up but was underfunded, understaffed and did not have a real recruiting operation. A lot of the recruits were fringe I-AA quality and much of the staff had become accustomed to playing only trusted upperclassmen. Many of the higher profile guys washed out because they didn't want to wait around for 3 years. These days, a good number of the recruits are fringe G-5 caliber players or better. The program has more money, more to sell, recruits more aggressively and they get the young guys on the field.
  • Week 2: #23 UC Davis @ #2 Weber State
    Looks like a couple hundred seats are available for the game. Cheap flights to SLC, which is ~ 35 miles from Weber State.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    Agree. Give them credit for actually knowing their roster and having a decent handle on Davis' personnel. More than can be said for most of the conference.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    He wasn't on the field much after the first series. I was only watching on a mobile device but looked like they flipped to the 4-2-5 (good move), which means you have the two tackles and your ends are really hybrid outside linebackers depending on personnel grouping. The UCLA transfer, Smalley, played a bit but it seems like the young guys + Trimble and Airey are the best group.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    What are your thoughts on Hawk Jr's debut as playcaller? That first half was rough, but he did seem to adjust which is something that Plough did not do last year.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    Chubba was awesome. Davis historically has not played a lot of true freshman on D and for him to play nearly the whole game with that size is impressive. He was a very good player at Long Beach Poly and had some MWC offers. An inch taller and he'd be at Cal. Cloyd played well also, but he's a second year guy that was originally a PWO at Oregon State. Good to have a healthy Trimble back.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    Good scheme on d and lots of young guys playing well. Had a tough time on third down in the first half but there's a lot of potential on that defense. Good mix of size, length and athleticism. Cody called a better game in the second half aside from the botched reverse. He's got enough talent to work with that they shouldn't be overly reliant on trick plays and that inside flip to the tight end.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho
    Cody needs to get out of his own way with all the misdirection and tricks. Run the damn ball.
  • Week 1: UC Davis @ Idaho


    Not waiting for gameday, just some gamesmanship. The offense will look pretty similar. The defense is a whole different story. It was time to modernize that side. First game in a new system can get a little rocky but with limited attendance the young guys shouldn't have trouble getting the calls.