The Aggies come in 3-3, far ahead of Hawkins' schedule, with a strong performance against EWU, but ultimately falling just short at home.
NAU is red hot, in their last three games they've scored at least 37 points, including a home drubbing of Illinois State. Most recently they traveled to Portland State and dropped 42 on the Vikings.
They currently sit No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll (ahead of Weber State @ No. 23) and are poised for another playoff run.
The Jacks' next three games include home games against UC Davis, Sac State then they travel to Missoula to take on the surging Griz.
Bear in mind, in 2015 the Gould led Aggies managed to put together a win vs. NAU @ home 38 to 24. Not a single Aggie turnover that game...and on the road, the takeaway margin will be huge.
I would say we've made great progress, but not yet 'far ahead'. We beat a non scholly, a decimated team, and another bottom of the BS team. You should win those. EWU would have been something big.
We dodge the Montanas this year. Beating NAU would probably be considered a big upset. Let's go get em!
Kind of an interesting place, named after j Lawrence Walk up (never thought of that as a last name. It's located on S. San Francisco St. Flagstaff gets some snow; that might be the reason for the dome.
Three weeks ago, beating NAU would not have been seen a big upset, but they have looked real tough the last few weeks. This now looks like the least likely win on the rest of our schedule. I think have made great progress, you list our wins, but the EWU loss shows progress as well. I think our offense is now a big concern to the teams we play. We may just need a little more athleticism to stop some of the big gains. Hard to win when you give up the long plays we have.
Are we heading there a day early to get acclimated?
Since the guys are essentially practicing at sea level, it takes at least 3 weeks to acclimate physiologically to high altitude. They will certainly be performing at some percent less then the athletes who are truly acclimated to the high elevation.
The new and scientific practice on these games is to come in right before the game as O2 acclimation issues do not start for 24-48 hours anyway. That way there is no acclimation issue physiologically at game time. Also, very clear air is a plus.
My wife and I were at altitude for two weeks in the Santa Fe (7200 ft) and I felt crappy for 2 days. As you say, the onset of symptoms were delayed until a couple of days after arriving. Today, we were hiking in Mesa Verde National Park at 7-8000 feet and I still huffed and puffed a little on the steep stuff but I think that's my age showing...
My experience is that it feels like alcohol hits you faster at altitude. At 7000 ft there's something like 20% less oxygen than at sea level so many people feel light headed even before having an alcoholic beverage.
Thanks ML. Great to hear that he's doing better. Seems like a terrific young man and an outstanding ambassador for UC Davis. Again, just glad he's on the mend.
this is gonna be a tough one. playing a really good offense with a hot QB on the road at 7000 feet. we'll have to get out to a good start, and put some 7's on the board. turnovers will be a key (although our 2 INT's vs. EWU weren't enough). I don't think these guys are as talented on offense as EWU, but they can score often and FAST. they put away Portland with 28 straight after it was 14-13 in the 3Q; that was a pick-6 and a couple 3 play drives on short fields. so, turnovers and field position! need big games from the running backs, and someone besides Doss. Getting Ryan P back should really help the defense, both against the run and pass. Keep him off of special teams!
On the flipside, they haven't seen an aerial attack like ours, and Plough and Brown should know them inside out. And we had rest, and time. Agreed, TOs key.
Hawk says good teams don't lose 2 in a row. Time for a truly statement Win.
Today’s game should be really interesting with coaching dynamics. I expect it to be lower scoring than we might all think. As this article suggests, it may be a bit of a chess game early on.
I do expect that the NAU players are looking forward to it...
Welcome to the board, I think the Aggies will be more than fired up for this game after losing to EWU in a game that a lot of us thought we should have won. Looking forward to it!
Yea that was a heartbreaker. I thought you guys were going to pull that one out. You’ve got a solid team and I think today’s game will be a tight one. That extra week of preparation by the staff has to make a difference.
And getting a few guys back. Hawk seems to keep a tight lid on injuries.
How NAU figures out how to limit Doss will be interesting, and you guys get a huge amount of TOs... but you haven't faced world beaters the past 4 weeks.
I'm looking forward to watching this game as well as the last 4 of this season. Now that I know the Aggies can compete...I'll be watching to see if they can win!