Expectations for the rest of the season?

[ISUCC]

ok, so now that ISU's best chance for a win has gone by the wayside, what can we expect for the rest of the season? How do we measure progress?

8 games left (4 home, 4 away) and the schedule just got exponentially 10x more difficult. I can't see any wins on the schedule.

according to the Trib Star article it sounds like Dowdell is going to continue to start while "the future" sits on the sidelines. If Dowdell continues to make mental and physical mistakes and bad decisions how long before Miles hands off the reigns to "the future"? How long does he put up with the turnovers caused when Dowdell is playing?

so do we hope ISU's defense holds opponents under 50 points and 500 yards per game? Is that reasonable, possible? SEMO wasn't exactly a power team, even Illinois State isn't that good, but they are way better than SEMO.

Will ISU score many more touchdowns the rest of the season?

How is the morale on the team after an 0-4 start. Losing was tough, but are they really going to remain in good spirits and not get weighed down by never winning? It has to have some effect, but hopefully Miles and the other coaches have a plan to keep morale up and keep the team thinking they can possible win.

There are no more off weeks, so the next 8 weeks will be quite interesting. It'd be interesting to hear from some of you who go to the games and know what's going on with the team/program/coaches.

 

[BlueSycamore]

I still think they will beat somebody this season. A team that comes in expecting a walkover (which could be anyone we play) & getting a team that eliminates the mistakes for a day, makes a couple of big plays at "game-time" & still plays hard for the duration. The "streak" will end yet this season!

 

[IndyTreeFan]

I'll go with Dr. Lou, and say that if we're seeing a team that competes for 60 full minutes, doesn't take plays off (let alone entire quarters), and plays with reckless abandon, we'll be moving in the right direction. Gotta start somewhere, and lots of baby steps are in our future.

I also think that we'll beat someone this year. Wouldn't surprise me if it was someone ranked (we'll certainly have our chances), and it'll almost certainly be at home. If we can keep attracting crowds in the 5-6,000 range, that'll most certainly help.

BTW, we should all be doing backflips over the attendance at Saturday's game. That has to be a DIRECT result of all that Coach Miles has done to endear this team to the community. Getting out and making people connect with the program - not just sitting there waiting for it to happen. Hope the rest of the athletic department is watching...

Good things are just around the corner...

:sycamores::sycamores::sycamores:

 

[Ong Hop]

Our team IS improving with each game. At this point in our developement we need Dowdell at QB. He's talented & athletic . He's a runner. Our O Line and receivers have not YET developed to the point that we can switch to a passing QB. Dowdell needs however to call the formation sent in and change his hand positioning on hand-offs. We saw some very good football Saturday especially in the 1st half by both the O & D. Remember, we have a Freshman Head Coach, a Freshman Coaching Staff (1st season togather), a new system and a team composed primarily of Freshmen. All things considered we are doing very well. With our talent ( coaching & players) our losing will soon be a thing of the past.

 

[country123a]

... If we can keep attracting crowds in the 5-6,000 range, that'll most certainly help....

Agreed. The crowd was into it most of the game and you could tell the players were charged by it.

 

[BlueSycamore]

I disagree about the QB situation Ong Hop. Way too one dimensional, very poor decision maker and "chronic fumbleitis" in every game so far?

 

[new sycamore fan]

Improvement each week is what I'm looking for. The turnovers need to stop, and the kids need to learn how to finish. Tough loss, but better times ahead.

 

[ISUCC]

I agree with you Blue, "drive killer", it seems, has done very little to change the way he carries the ball and has been awful at passing and decision making during the games, sure he does well in practice but it has not been translating over to game situations.

I would be much more comfortable with "the future" in there, even if he did throw some interceptions. Dowdell has talent and I am sure Miles and Co. could find a good role for him in another offensive position.

the rest of the games from here on out are going to be against teams of EIU's caliber and higher, and we all know what EIU did to ISU. If Miles sticks with Dowdell full time I predict ISU will not win a single game until mid 2009, if then.

I disagree about the QB situation Ong Hop. Way too one dimensional, very poor decision maker and "chronic fumbleitis" in every game so far?

 

[Ong Hop]

You Missed my point. I never said Dowdell should be our QB. My point is Dowdell is the best option at this time with this O line and receivers. A running QB that can pass. As the O line developes, holds the pocket and gives the QB 3-3.5 seconds and our receivers start running precise routes with a purpose then we can switch to a passing QB that can run.

 

[ISUCC]

makes sense Ong, we'll see how everything goes on Saturday. Hopefully a little better once again.

You Missed my point. I never said Dowdell should be our QB. My point is Dowdell is the best option at this time with this O line and receivers. A running QB that can pass. As the O line developes, holds the pocket and gives the QB 3-3.5 seconds and our receivers start running precise routes with a purpose then we can switch to a passing QB that can run.

 

[IndyTreeFan]

You Missed my point. I never said Dowdell should be our QB. My point is Dowdell is the best option at this time with this O line and receivers. A running QB that can pass. As the O line developes, holds the pocket and gives the QB 3-3.5 seconds and our receivers start running precise routes with a purpose then we can switch to a passing QB that can run.

Good point. I hadn't thought about it that way, but it makes sense. Could someone please teach him how to protect the ball, though!!!ray:

 

[bent20]

Let's keep in mind that Schmidtke is a scrambler, too. He ran for 10 touchdowns his senior year of high school. From what I saw at the NIU game he can move quite well. I like the idea of moving Dowdell around, but our offense is still too young and inexperienced to get tricky. I think Schmidtke needs playing time now. He's the future at the position. The Dowdell fumbles are a concern, but the late TD toss was nice to see.