(04-30-2024 02:07 PM)7 Wrote:  From what I can tell Hammock isn’t following a single QB in the portal which is insane to me

I saw that too. Crazy.

Holst is going to be the starter after week 2. He will be fine.Dont give the ball up and our offensive production goes up. We will make another run for the MACC game. Veteran team, veteran O Line ...we will be tough to beat.

(04-30-2024 08:38 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Holst is going to be the starter after week 2. He will be fine.Dont give the ball up and our offensive production goes up. We will make another run for the MACC game. Veteran team, veteran O Line ...we will be tough to beat.

…what?

I am going to assume the starter is going to actually get some room for errors. WIU will be an easy W. Notre Dame will be tough if we can’t score. I can’t see a QB change because of a bad ND start

(04-30-2024 08:38 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Holst is going to be the starter after week 2. He will be fine.Dont give the ball up and our offensive production goes up. We will make another run for the MACC game. Veteran team, veteran O Line ...we will be tough to beat.

Week 2 might be ugly. I have to go just for the experience, but those beat down games can be depressing. Without some decent QB play there is going to be a whole lotta 3 and outs. Defense will be exhausted by mid 3rd qtr.

Which ever QB can run best should start that game.

(04-30-2024 10:16 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(04-30-2024 08:38 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Holst is going to be the starter after week 2. He will be fine.Dont give the ball up and our offensive production goes up. We will make another run for the MACC game. Veteran team, veteran O Line ...we will be tough to beat.

Week 2 might be ugly. I have to go just for the experience, but those beat down games can be depressing. Without some decent QB play there is going to be a whole lotta 3 and outs. Defense will be exhausted by mid 3rd qtr.

Which ever QB can run best should start that game.

Having watched Notre Dame a ton the past few seasons, I can say for fairly certain they aren’t the world destroyer posters on this board think. I think they are a well coached, well run, football program. I think they play hard and play smart for their coach. But they aren’t the insanely talented ND teams of the past who could put 50 on you. (Without Hartman - who was probably one of the more under appreciated college QBs of all time. The guy was an amazing college QB.)

I think keeping it within 24 is a solid goal. The ball bounces your way a few times and you don’t turn it over it’s even closer.

Running QB? That won’t save us. ND has a solid defense and that probably won’t bug them. A smart QB who will protect the ball is a better option.

(05-01-2024 07:48 AM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(04-30-2024 10:16 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(04-30-2024 08:38 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  Holst is going to be the starter after week 2. He will be fine.Dont give the ball up and our offensive production goes up. We will make another run for the MACC game. Veteran team, veteran O Line ...we will be tough to beat.

Week 2 might be ugly. I have to go just for the experience, but those beat down games can be depressing. Without some decent QB play there is going to be a whole lotta 3 and outs. Defense will be exhausted by mid 3rd qtr.

Which ever QB can run best should start that game.

Having watched Notre Dame a ton the past few seasons, I can say for fairly certain they aren’t the world destroyer posters on this board think. I think they are a well coached, well run, football program. I think they play hard and play smart for their coach. But they aren’t the insanely talented ND teams of the past who could put 50 on you. (Without Hartman - who was probably one of the more under appreciated college QBs of all time. The guy was an amazing college QB.)

I think keeping it within 24 is a solid goal. The ball bounces your way a few times and you don’t turn it over it’s even closer.

Running QB? That won’t save us. ND has a solid defense and that probably won’t bug them. A smart QB who will protect the ball is a better option.

ND is not top SEC level talent but their defense was #2 or #3 vs the pass. I dont think any QB on this Huskies roster is going to have any level of success throwing. So when we face 3rd and 5+, which is going to be very often, I think our best bet to pick up the first down is going to be the QB breaking contain and running for it. Or just getting out of the pocket and finding an open guy just freelancing.

If Hampton is the QB Im staying away from those long throws out to the flats. I'd hit Tewes underneath and Carter down the seam. We can afford maybe 1 interception. Any more than that and a sound beating turns into a thrashing.

Unless ND falls asleep or loses 3/4 of its team due to illness or injury, they will simply crush NIU.

I hope to be wrong, but IDK if the Huskies can hang for 4 quarters. ND is deep with the talent NIU has as stars. Let alone NDs elite stars.

We may get blown out by Notre Dame, but games where we are out gunned in terms of talent is where playing how Hammock wants to actually makes sense.

To beat ND you need o have some pros on your team and the more the better. That 03 team that beat MD, Bama and IA St had -2- OUTSTANDING NFLers in Turner and Free with many others that got contracts... PJ was one of the others. Not sure we have any skills that are NFL sticks, we might have someone in the line though. That safety V, definitely gets a hard look.

(05-01-2024 10:27 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  To beat ND you need o have some pros on your team and the more the better. That 03 team that beat MD, Bama and IA St had -2- OUTSTANDING NFLers in Turner and Free with many others that got contracts... PJ was one of the others. Not sure we have any skills that are NFL sticks, we might have someone in the line though. That safety V, definitely gets a hard look.

I don’t know that this team has a shot at beating ND. That said I would be curious how the offense works without Hartman.

Keeping it within 24 points is a solid goal. Some might call that a blow out - I would call it something this team can and should be able to do. It’s up to the coaches to make that happen. You can’t judge the staff on if they win or lose vs ND - but you can judge on how close the score is and how the team looks.

It won’t be acceptable to look like total ****.

(05-01-2024 12:09 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 10:27 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  To beat ND you need o have some pros on your team and the more the better. That 03 team that beat MD, Bama and IA St had -2- OUTSTANDING NFLers in Turner and Free with many others that got contracts... PJ was one of the others. Not sure we have any skills that are NFL sticks, we might have someone in the line though. That safety V, definitely gets a hard look.

I don’t know that this team has a shot at beating ND. That said I would be curious how the offense works without Hartman.

Keeping it within 24 points is a solid goal. Some might call that a blow out - I would call it something this team can and should be able to do. It’s up to the coaches to make that happen. You can’t judge the staff on if they win or lose vs ND - but you can judge on how close the score is and how the team looks.

It won’t be acceptable to look like total ****.

You can judge if the players screw up and the coach calls bonehead plays that make no sense. We’ve certainly seen that before.

(05-01-2024 09:59 AM)7 Wrote:  We may get blown out by Notre Dame, but games where we are out gunned in terms of talent is where playing how Hammock wants to actually makes sense.

I expect it to be no worse than when we played Kentucky a couple seasons ago.

They were damn good with Levis and we played with them the entire game. Do I expect a win, no. I expect a competitive game where it is within 2 scores at most. That was always the norm before Hammock came here, except maybe the Arkansas game with Hare?

TH said he expected to be competing for NY6 games, and haven't come somewhat close to even be ranked. These are the games that will show how good a team truly is as the MAC is typically horrible and the wins get inflated fast.

My opinion, I was not impressed with the offense at all after the spring showcase. Sure that was only one practice (but it was the culmination of 14 practices that took place before it) and maybe it was a basic playbook as Hammock said in the post-scrimmage article but the NIU defense is not going to be the best defense our offense faces. Last season was the best defense Hammock has had in 5 years. Was that an anomaly or can we expect more of the same? I hope it we have another top 25 defense.

I don’t think Notre Dame has to have a powerful offense to blow the roof off us. All they need is some pick 6s, fumble returns, or short fields to score easy points. I didn't think much of the Nebraska offense last season and it was 35-3 before we scored a garbage TD near the end of the game.

We need to be able to move the ball and if we can't it's going to be a struggle for our defense to be on the field the whole time and expect them to hold ND (or NC St) to 24 points or less. I'm sure the ND transfer QB, Riley Leonard, is better than any of our current QBs. He's a senior with 21 games of starting experience too.

(05-01-2024 12:18 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 12:09 PM)BigChilla Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 10:27 AM)NIU05 Wrote:  To beat ND you need o have some pros on your team and the more the better. That 03 team that beat MD, Bama and IA St had -2- OUTSTANDING NFLers in Turner and Free with many others that got contracts... PJ was one of the others. Not sure we have any skills that are NFL sticks, we might have someone in the line though. That safety V, definitely gets a hard look.

I don’t know that this team has a shot at beating ND. That said I would be curious how the offense works without Hartman.

Keeping it within 24 points is a solid goal. Some might call that a blow out - I would call it something this team can and should be able to do. It’s up to the coaches to make that happen. You can’t judge the staff on if they win or lose vs ND - but you can judge on how close the score is and how the team looks.

It won’t be acceptable to look like total ****.

You can judge if the players screw up and the coach calls bonehead plays that make no sense. We’ve certainly seen that before.

Exactly right.

(05-01-2024 12:45 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  My opinion, I was not impressed with the offense at all after the spring showcase. Sure that was only one practice (but it was the culmination of 14 practices that took place before it) and maybe it was a basic playbook as Hammock said in the post-scrimmage article but the NIU defense is not going to be the best defense our offense faces. Last season was the best defense Hammock has had in 5 years. Was that an anomaly or can we expect more of the same? I hope it we have another top 25 defense.

I don’t think Notre Dame has to have a powerful offense to blow the roof off us. All they need is some pick 6s, fumble returns, or short fields to score easy points. I didn't think much of the Nebraska offense last season and it was 35-3 before we scored a garbage TD near the end of the game.

We need to be able to move the ball and if we can't it's going to be a struggle for our defense to be on the field the whole time and expect them to hold ND (or NC St) to 24 points or less. I'm sure the ND transfer QB, Riley Leonard, is better than any of our current QBs. He's a senior with 21 games of starting experience too.

Spring practice historically, the offenses look bad at all schools. The amazing thing for me and has been for so many years is the speed differential between spring football and the actual games. When the lights come on and the juices are flowing its a completely different.

I love Hammock. But, as a coach, I am far from impressed. Over the last few years, we’ve seen some very questionable and bonehead calls. I have no confidence we will see anything different this year. Get ready for another season of heart-pounding games with calls that will make us scratch our heads. If you have hair, you may be pulling it out.

(05-01-2024 12:54 PM)NIU05 Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 12:45 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  My opinion, I was not impressed with the offense at all after the spring showcase. Sure that was only one practice (but it was the culmination of 14 practices that took place before it) and maybe it was a basic playbook as Hammock said in the post-scrimmage article but the NIU defense is not going to be the best defense our offense faces. Last season was the best defense Hammock has had in 5 years. Was that an anomaly or can we expect more of the same? I hope it we have another top 25 defense.

I don’t think Notre Dame has to have a powerful offense to blow the roof off us. All they need is some pick 6s, fumble returns, or short fields to score easy points. I didn't think much of the Nebraska offense last season and it was 35-3 before we scored a garbage TD near the end of the game.

We need to be able to move the ball and if we can't it's going to be a struggle for our defense to be on the field the whole time and expect them to hold ND (or NC St) to 24 points or less. I'm sure the ND transfer QB, Riley Leonard, is better than any of our current QBs. He's a senior with 21 games of starting experience too.

Spring practice historically, the offenses look bad at all schools. The amazing thing for me and has been for so many years is the speed differential between spring football and the actual games. When the lights come on and the juices are flowing its a completely different.

I hope so. I will admit, I don't attend practices and I've been to maybe three spring games/showcases in just over 20 years of following the program.

Just some of the the things I saw from Hampton are the same things I've seen from him in real games. I don't believe in him as our starting QB but maybe he turns into a decent QB once his 4th regular season at NIU officially kicks off in the fall.