Having a Connors bro to really hit the big backs would’ve done wonders

I haven’t been in person in a long time but the band cheers had started to disappear several years before the rebrand. I believe there was a staff director who didn’t like them a string of student directors who didn’t really understand the game.

I’m not sure they are definitively the better team. They were better today for sure but I think we were fairly even. Defense just wasn’t good enough and the offense had costly turnovers at bad times. Last year we were better. We were better than Rhode Island too. But I think these two teams were fairly even.

But that was a missed opportunity today to host a semifinal. And man it hurts. I get that going into the playoffs, every one of us would have been content with a QF loss knowing it likely would have come at the hands of NDSt. But the bracket really opened up with Tarleton losing too.

I believe there was an apparently malcontent band leader who moved on to DHS and helped bring the band down.

+1

How bad was the team - flu bug?

Surprised CP took a shove at an opponent late in the game.

We were watching Caden walking the side lines in the third quarter, head down. He looked defeated at that point. Pysk’s absence was apparent. The chatter in the stands was that the flu bug hit the team hard this week. I have no idea how accurate that is. Overall good season for the Ags.
We had several folks in our section planning to make the trip to Nashville. Maybe next year- it would have been fun.

pretty bad from what I’m told, several key guys struggling through it

the first guy moved to Davis HS, the next one to Oregon State. Both were problems. The next one was good, but he took the fall for what the OSU guy left. Don’t know the current director, but he’s been there 5 years and I have my thoughts as to the lack of growth and improvement.

yeah. I saw that too. I was in section 123 and he was sitting alone on the bench for a while. Hopefully he perks up and stays with hopes of being even better next year!

We were in section 123 as well. Pinnick was sitting alone. But when he got up, Plough was talking to him. Coach Plough is a great mentor. Just watched Plough’s emotional presser on KCRA. He loves this team. I hope Pinnick sees this and comes back for another season.
The Redbirds were the better team today. Illinois State knew the goal line play where Pinnick threw the interception. It was similar to last weekends Aggies touchdown against Rhode Island. Great season Aggies!

This press conference tells you everything you need to know about how special this football program is and how lucky we are to have Tim Plough as or head coach. I'm so very proud of this team.

Cute tshirts.

Me too.

He’s a special person. The type that you’d be proud to have a child or grandkid play for.

Incredible hurdle by Zack Jones:

Serious hops! Both number 3s had a great game today. It's funny when Jones and Richardson get confused for each other by the announcer at the stadium you can always see one of them reacting in a funny way to it.

Dangit. Tough game to watch. Defense gave up some bombs but there were also a bunch of missed opportunities in the redzone. Could've traded more scores. Special teams needs so much work and got exposed. That said, Illinois State is def better than the one the Aggies played last year. They beat NDSU!

Still a great year for the Ags. The competition only gets tougher the higher you go and the longer you stay in it. And I'm happy they got this far while still not putting together what coach would call "perfect game."

It was hella cold. My friends and I brought our kids. I wore my 9-month old in a carrier. It was a funny sight trying to use the bathroom with a baby on your chest and a beer in one hand.

I'll be back and will be happy to support the team next year.

hopefully you didn’t use the bathroom behind 123 - no lights! Urinal use by ear!!

I was thinking on the drive home that I don’t recall us ever substituting defensive groups during the game. Same approach whether it was 1st and 10, 3rd and 1 or 3rd and 15 - Coombs had I choice except keep the remaining healthy guys out there and play a pretty vanilla scheme. Losing Pysk, along with Sam’s limitations, was too much. That being said, take away that damned kickoff and convert in the red zone, and that puts a bit more pressure on QB.

Great season. Great group of players and coaches.

My profile pic is from the 2010 game at Cal. I've been bringing my son to games for over 15 years. Last night he got to reconnect with Gunrock. So many good memories! Enjoy the journey as a dad!

Great year, great effort in what could have been a rebuilding year after losing LL and MH. Injuries too much, too deep on defense. What can be done to limit those, less contact drills, more rest?

The Redbirds RB and WR were tough, and they had a senior QB who would make you pay.

I’m curious what ISU did on offense in the 3rd quarter to make our LBs vanish into thin air. They were out there, but nowhere near #5 as he ran right up the middle for 8 yards per carry it seemed. That was frustrating to watch. Could have been as simple as fatigue? It looked to me like a big team wore some sick guys down over the course of the game.

Getting deep into the playoffs has a lot to do with depth, conditioning, and a lot of luck (especially health-wise).

With all that, strange feeling that at no point in the game to me did I feel like the Ags were going to lose….then all of the sudden the season was over. Heartbreak!

Fun season to watch. Unstoppable offense at times and really good defense. So many talented, interesting and entertaining players. Just a really likeable program with so much potential. Looking forward to next year already!

I didn't expect a shootout to turn into a drought.

Interesting, a friend thought the fake field goal was an emotional turning point.

From the Sacramento Bee:

Those three possessions where we got no points, a fake field goal stopped on fourth down, and the interception on the goal line. That’s the game, right?” Aggies coach Tim Plough said. “If those three plays are touchdowns, then we got 53 points, and we win the game, right? So, those three plays are the difference for sure.”

[quote]Will Pinnick return?

Aggies redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Pinnick, a former standout from Del Oro High, threw for 402 yards and three touchdowns in the loss Saturday. He finished the season with 3,206 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air, plus 437 yards and another three scores using his legs.[/quote]

Pinnick has reportedly received multiple offers to play elsewhere next year, and he and Plough have already had discussions about his future in Davis. The transfer portal opens on Jan. 2 and closes two weeks later. If by then Pinnick has not accepted an offer, he will remain an Aggie.

Plough said he plans to talk to Pinnick soon, with the playoffs now over.

“I support Caden with whatever he wants to do, but if I was advising him, I think the best thing he can do is to continue to mature and learn the position from one of the best, I think, quarterback development schools in the country,” Plough said. “We plan on him coming back.”

To Plough’s point on quarterback development: Plough, on Cal’s coaching staff in 2023, served as something of a tutor to the Golden Bears’ then-third string QB Fernando Mendoza. Though Plough was Cal’s tight ends coach, Mendoza knew of his quarterback expertise and started to meet with Plough as a mentor.

Mendoza transferred after the 2024 season to Indiana. On Saturday, he won the Heisman Trophy, the honor given to the best college football player in the nation.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/sports/college/article313687259.html#storylink=cpy

it was a big turnabout especially when they hit us on a 93-yard TD. Huge swing

The beautiful long bomb and then fumble also hurt.

Lots of credit to the red birds. They started the playoffs unranked and have been traveling every week. They’re a well coached and greased machine. I won’t be surprised to see them in Nashville.
Darn, the way this bracket sorted out was a real opportunity for us.

FCS game reviews, they really skim over our game - which starts at 16:00.

https://youtu.be/7XOIQ5N8rR0?si=mLi76a7DWnARPz_N