Colorado State has a cool plaza/beer garden. I'm not UC-educated and can't figure out how to paste the picture, but here's the link: https://csurams.com/facilities/the-new-belgium-porch/2058 Would be cool to place above one of the grassy knolls.

Speaking of the grassy knolls, there may be no better entertainment in college football than watching the free for all that takes place every Saturday on either berm. Spectacular carnage with kids rolling, fighting, and playing ball!

Mercer game is screwing with us aside from the "no contest" decision. The NCAA is apparently counting that game against the Connors Bros. but not counting it on the scoreboard. Hoping the NCAA will act with some common sense, but why start now.

Agreed. If Marion gets the chance to elevate his brand and gets what he wants, he will GO-GO in a heartbeat. I can't imagine Oregon State pulling the trigger on that one though, I really can't. Chryst and the staff he can assemble represents stability and NW ties. That's the vibe I get from OSU in all their past hires, including Bray. Riley had ties, Erickson was a NW legend, Smith and Bray played there. Chryst coordinated there, seems a lot more logical than a journeyman coordinator with 3/4 of a season of HC experience under his belt.

Statistically speaking, this game appears to be a matter of stopping the run for the Ags. Idaho has two solid RBs and a QB that is not afraid to pull it down and go. They average 4.7 YPC (which is about what UCD gives up per carry) and they possess the ball longer than their opponents by five minutes on average, I'm guessing that Coombs and Co. would rather play this game than face a Run and Shoot-type outfit like Idaho State given the injuries in the Secondary. The Vandals have allowed 14 sacks on the season and are not an elite passing team.

Offensively, Davis has to eliminate untimely turnovers and sacks. Period. 22 QB sacks against is no bueno in modern, catch-and-throw football. The Ags do throw more than most teams and run a lot of shot plays off of play action protection which causes the QB to have to stand in there. Idaho will sit in a 3-down look quite a bit, maybe not against Davis, but that explains their paltry 10 sacks for the season.

All in all, this game will be very close, likely a field goal difference. Being a non-gambling man, I don't know the line but I'm guessing the Vandals are a home favorite by a couple points. If the Aggies can eliminate the turnovers and win the special teams phase, I like their chances. We are dealing with razor-thin margins down the stretch, and I think our guys are comfortable in close games. GO AGS!

Nickel and Safety positions are decimated. Hang in there fellas!

Chryst would be a good hire but not a splash hire. He's better connected, especially with the alums, and he has deep Riley ties to the program. He is not delusional and would understand what he is getting into.

The other guy is a good football coach, especially as an OC, and has a long way to go as a HC to match Chryst's resume. However, he would make a lot more noise and bring more attention to the program.

Harvard? Unreal. I don't buy it.

Happy to be here talking ball! I struggle keeping the threads straight, but I do remember saying that I supported CP as the starter 100%. I still do, because I believe he gives us the best chance to win. Grant positioned us to win the game at UNC but we played great defensively and on STs that week. That being said, the fact remains that:
a. Teams that get a punt blocked lost 90% of the time
b. Couple that with catastrophic turnovers as far as when they happened in the game and the fact we lost the turnover margin
c. Sacks are essentially considered turnovers by most coaches I've been around
= LOSS to inferior opponent

No excuses, but we can have some grace. CP practiced all week last week, looked great to start the game, and made some mistakes that inexperienced QBs will make. Part of the process, and part of being on the big stage. Growing pains. He's a big boy and there is nothing personal here, and I'm sure he has certainly heard it from his two QB coaches in film. No they've moved on. "You're either winning or learning." Tim Plough

I'm moving on to the Vandal thread, unless that's where I'm at right now. Love you guys, good night! GO AGS!

Great job on this! Thank you. Field Turf is definitely the industry standard.

I didn't see anything on Saturday to make me think the starter wasn't 100%. I saw a lot of what we've seen in previous outings, minus the turnovers/sacks. Bottom line, no matter the level of football: rarely can you go -1 in turnovers/-3 in QB sacks, and allow a punt to be blocked (for a TD no less) and expect to win the game. EVER.

All valid points above. It just seems odd the number of foot issues. Taping only goes so far. Turf toe often happens on bad synthetic surfaces (although not the only contributing factor), and Plough alluded to Vargas dealing with a nagging toe injury all season. Does anyone know the age of our turf? Or if Adidas cleats are actually any good? The things I ponder on a Tuesday afternoon

How many lower leg injuries have we endured this season? Many have come at home. Someone in the program should investigate two things: the playing surface and the shoes. Maybe there is nothing to it, but this seems odd to me. Not all of these "field turf" artificial surfaces are created equal, and not all of the sub work is done at the same high standard. Same with cleats. Some are great, some are real crap, and there are a bunch that fall somewhere in between. Feels to me like too many toe/foot/ankle/knee issues to be "bad luck" or "one of those years".

It is obvious by really reading your takes that you are knowledgeable regarding QB play, I appreciate that. It's good to chat with you. Looking at all the QB scenarios, here's my take:
1. I think CP gives us the best chance to win now. He won the competition and you're going to take some lumps with a young QB. ANY young QB. From where I typically sit, I know that he struggles with vision at times due to his height. He throws some balls blindly, but most of the time he is on time and on target. Other times, he pulls it down because he loses sight or something is covered, and that causes problems for the protection, etc. and he bails. Guys that can run tend to try to create space for themselves and don't like being squeezed.
2. I forget who mentioned the QB run game, and while CP is an outstanding athlete and can really go, any reliance on QB runs is going to equate to more hits which means more reps for the back-up. I would entertain some Q Draws, especially if Vargas is banged-up, but I would be cautious due to our QB depth being so inexperienced and young.
3. Looking further down the depth chart, you have the Cleeland kid who can really spin it and behind that, who knows. I saw Cleeland get reps in a scrimmage and he impressed me. Wrighster was the next in line as far as depth at Northern Colorado when CP didn't play, so not sure where that places Eason, who has some physical attributes it looks like. Now is not the time IMO to start messing around with QB depth, we need to win two of the final three games and hope is not lost. We need to focus on improved Special Teams play and taking care of the football.

Still in disbelief... I will admit that I was way off in my prediction and the inspired team that executed better won the football game. Working from the questions posed on the Aggie Pride Podcast postgame autopsy, "Why we lost" and "What we lost":

WHY WE LOST: Because we lost in all three phases of the game:

Great teams don't give-up Special Teams TD, especially blocked punts with a scoop and score cherry on top. TEAMS THAT BLOCK A PUNT TYPICALLY WIN AT A 90% CLIP. ISU did. Ags also had a PAT blocked. Unacceptable.

Defense got gashed in the 1st quarter, mostly by draw/delay run plays vs. a very light box. Our LBs played on the fringe of the box on many snaps, giving ISU an equal numbers advantage (5-on-5) at times. IDAHO STATE RUSHED FOR 111 YARDS ON 5 CARRIES IN THE 1ST QUARTER AND SCORED ON A 15 YARD RUSH ON THE FIRST PLAY OF THE 2ND QUARTER EN ROUTE TO 21 POINTS ALLOWED IN 16 MINUTES! When we finally settled in the second half, we were stunting our DL and playing heavier to the box with the LBs. Too little/too late. My guess is that ISU ran more than they showed leading into the game and we took the bait to stop the quick passing game which sacrificed run defenders. Who knows. Pass rush was non-existent. We adjusted eventually, but the damage was done and the Special Teams score happened.

Offense was sloppy. We all know about the turnovers, but two sacks are almost as bad as turnovers. Procedure penalties hurt. More slop. All contributing factors. What especially sucks is losing a game you should win because of self-inflicted wounds and bad football. I believe in CP. Is he perfect? No. Is he tall? No. Does he make mistakes? Absolutely. He is also a 20-year old kid playing the most difficult position in sports. He's going to screw some things up. But does he give UC Davis the best chance to win football games in 2025? ABSOLUTELY.

It felt like the Ags were waiting for the momentum to shift (maybe because they're so comfortable in close games) while the Bengals created momentum and made things happen. It came in spurts for Davis, especially in the second half (desperation, perhaps), but it felt flat. Nothing to do with injuries or crowds or coaches. That part has to come from the players.

WHAT WE LOST: A first round bye, and, most likely, any opportunity to host a home playoff game. Those of you who understand bracketology better than me can straighten me out, but I feel like we need to go 2-1 to even make the playoffs, and the possibility of hosting at, say, 8-3 is unlikely. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Sickening and maddening weekend.

So, per Coach Hawk II, the players are playing and not the coaches:

Teams that commit to running the ball at the Bengals have great success. Throwing out UNLV (FBS) and Lincoln (maybe the 2nd worse college football team in America behind Simpson up in Redding. Yes, there is a football team there), Southern Utah went for 323 on the ground, Montana State went for 328, and NAU with a very average rushing attack went for 200+. Against UNC, the Aggies looked to have a lot of success with an outside zone play. Great answer for all the 5 down fronts in the BSC. Pair that with their usual inside zone, gap schemes, and jet sweep packages, commit to 12-15 carries between the tailbacks, and we will win this game going away.

Conversely, teams that attempt 45+ pass attempts per game (removing the 20 attempts vs. hapless Lincoln) don't stand much of a chance to win vs. Top 25 teams especially. The Bengals QB is a dealer, but they don't play with Tight Ends, they throw it too much, and play with tempo which typically equates to a lot of opportunities for opposing offenses.

This game will go 3.5 hours+ in an Aggie ass whippin' of the Bengals...

That's the coolest part and great that Plough acknowledged that and spoke about how the guys rallied around him. He will never forget that day and that feeling. That is what it is all about, and like you said, GOOD FOR GRANT! Go Ags!

Two road scrimmages to start the season.
SMU is a wild matchup
JDur is correct, Stetson is a lame ass game
Schedule the Montana game for a noon or 1pm kickoff in September
The rest is very favorable
Sorry to see Sac State go but like Poly at the end

Go Ags!

Our back-up QB now has some real world experience heading down the stretch, whether we see him this week or need him in a spell for future games. Having 60 minutes under his belt will no doubt slow things down, plus he got to deal with some adversity, and most critically, LED THE TEAM TO VICTORY! Those things build trust and confidence w/teammates and coaches, and improve our depth at the most important position if nothing else.

Makes sense. I've never been a cramper so no idea what that feels like when trying to throw a football with people chasing me. Kudos to Harper for gutting it out

Run the damn ball, it makes life so much easier. If it is Harper at QB, it makes his life easier, it opens the play action game, and, like Coach said, gives you the read option aspect of the offense. Harper ran it well the other day, and even had one or two nice ones after the cramps started.