Well ths season closed out and we finished slightly ahead of expectations. We predicted a 4-9 finish, but we finished at 5-8, thanks to our upset win over Ferrum. This provides a good foundation going forward.
Alex Young proved to be our more efficient quarterback last season. While Michael Wilson threw for more yards (2387), Young was more efficient, throwing 19 TDs and only 6 ints. Wilson threw 9 TDs against 12 INTs. Wilson, of course, has graduated. Young will return next season, and may get most of the reps, depending on how recruiting turns out.
Our top WR was freshman Herman Ochoa. He caught 55 passes for 732 yards and 5 TDs. Junior Edward Fleming also had a great season, but he was slowed down due to injury. He finished with 49 catches, 731 yards, and 8 TDs.
On defense, DL Thomas Bryant was our top player, making a team-high 94 tackles. He was a senior, though, so he will not return next season. Our impact freshman was LB Mark Melton, who made 63 tackles. He'll look to play an expanded role this season.
Given our softer non-conference schedule and some comings and goings within the conference, we expect to win either 9 or 10 games next season. We will also need to fill 12 scholarships. We'll be looking for two QBs, three WRs, 2 OLs, 3 DLs, 1 LB, and a kicker. Hopefully we can improve upon the foundation we've set.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Big Finish!
The Buffalo State Bengals closed out their non-conference schedule in a major way by pulling off a big upset win over Ferrum College! The Bengals went into the game as 12.5 point underdogs. At halftime, we were up 17-7. Being up at halftime against better teams is nothing new for us. However, this time, things were different. In the second half we outscored the opposition 21-7 to wn 38-14.
Neither QB was especially efficient, however, QB Alex Young was on the mark for 4 TDs and just one interception (while completing just 44.4 percent of his passes). WR Edward Fleming also continued his strong season, catching five passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Finally, DB Jonathan Keith performed well, netting two interceptions in the game. This may be in part to Ferrum's kicker throwing 19 passes, however, it is still impressive.
Over the non-conference schedule, two players stand out. Alex Young has completed just over 51% of his passes on the season for 478 yards, with 10 TDs and 4 INTs. Edward Fleming has been playing well at wide-out, catching 26 balls for 413 yards and 3 TD so far. Hopefully both are able to keep it up!
We begin our conference schedule against #6 Rowan. We expect that to be a long day for us.
Neither QB was especially efficient, however, QB Alex Young was on the mark for 4 TDs and just one interception (while completing just 44.4 percent of his passes). WR Edward Fleming also continued his strong season, catching five passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Finally, DB Jonathan Keith performed well, netting two interceptions in the game. This may be in part to Ferrum's kicker throwing 19 passes, however, it is still impressive.
Over the non-conference schedule, two players stand out. Alex Young has completed just over 51% of his passes on the season for 478 yards, with 10 TDs and 4 INTs. Edward Fleming has been playing well at wide-out, catching 26 balls for 413 yards and 3 TD so far. Hopefully both are able to keep it up!
We begin our conference schedule against #6 Rowan. We expect that to be a long day for us.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
We just got our first win!
After much frustration in our first three games, we finally picked up our first win, defeating Trinity (TX) 24-17 at home. For the first time this season, we were not leading at half time (it was tied 10-10), and for the first time this season we scored in the second half, putting up 14 against Trinity's 7.
While none of our QBs played exceptionally well, WR Daniel Coates played a fine game, catching five passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, he has 286 yards on 17 receptions with four TDs.
Our is against Ferrum, so we will expect to return to our losing ways.
While none of our QBs played exceptionally well, WR Daniel Coates played a fine game, catching five passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. On the year, he has 286 yards on 17 receptions with four TDs.
Our is against Ferrum, so we will expect to return to our losing ways.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
More of the Same
That's right. Game #3 was more of the same. Make it to half time with a one point lead, only to be outscored 17-0 in the second half. That makes it 0-57 for the season in the second half.
Biggest problem may have been turnovers. Michael Wilson played especially poorly, completing just 44% of his passes and throwing two interceptions. Alex Young wasn't a heck of a lot better, completing just 50% and throwing 2 INTs, although he also had a TD pass.
On the bright side, Daniel Coates caught six balls for 113 yards and and a touchdown. Coates now has 12 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
We'll try again tonight against Trinity (TX). I think we actually have a pretty good shot at winning this one. We penciled this one in, so if we want to get four wins, we'll need to take it.
Biggest problem may have been turnovers. Michael Wilson played especially poorly, completing just 44% of his passes and throwing two interceptions. Alex Young wasn't a heck of a lot better, completing just 50% and throwing 2 INTs, although he also had a TD pass.
On the bright side, Daniel Coates caught six balls for 113 yards and and a touchdown. Coates now has 12 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
We'll try again tonight against Trinity (TX). I think we actually have a pretty good shot at winning this one. We penciled this one in, so if we want to get four wins, we'll need to take it.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Tale of Two Halves
We didn't expect to win either of our first two games and we didn't. We lost them both. Somewhat encouraging, however, is the fact that we went into halftime with the lead in both games (21-20 last night).
Sadly, we have NOT played well in the 2nd Half of games. We have yet to score any points in the final two quarters of a game, while we've given up 40 points in just two games. Not sure what it is, but we continue to come out flat after halftime.
No one played especially well in Game #2 (against Maryville), however Senior Daniel Coates did catch five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Tonight's game is against Worcester State. We are 21.5 point 'dogs in that game, so we don't expect to win that one either. However, given the current trend, don't be surprised if we take a small lead into halftime.
Sadly, we have NOT played well in the 2nd Half of games. We have yet to score any points in the final two quarters of a game, while we've given up 40 points in just two games. Not sure what it is, but we continue to come out flat after halftime.
No one played especially well in Game #2 (against Maryville), however Senior Daniel Coates did catch five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown.
Tonight's game is against Worcester State. We are 21.5 point 'dogs in that game, so we don't expect to win that one either. However, given the current trend, don't be surprised if we take a small lead into halftime.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Close Call
Our first regular season game is in the books and we actually performed a lot better than I thought we would. We played against #23 Grove City and fully expected to be blown out of the water. To our surprise (and delight!) we actually lead the game at half time, 21-14.
Unfortunately, the second half did not go as well. Grove City featured a deliberate running attack and their drives easily took more than seven minutes each. As for us, we were unable to score at all in the second half and lost the game 28-21. We had some chances in the second half, but just could not finish.
Junior WR Edward Fleming had an excellent game, catching eight balls for 157 yards and a score. True Freshman Rodney Barrera also played well, catching two touchdown passes of his own.
This was probably our most winnable non-conference game, but then again, we didn't expect to have a shot at that one. Next up, we'll take a shot at Maryville.
Unfortunately, the second half did not go as well. Grove City featured a deliberate running attack and their drives easily took more than seven minutes each. As for us, we were unable to score at all in the second half and lost the game 28-21. We had some chances in the second half, but just could not finish.
Junior WR Edward Fleming had an excellent game, catching eight balls for 157 yards and a score. True Freshman Rodney Barrera also played well, catching two touchdown passes of his own.
This was probably our most winnable non-conference game, but then again, we didn't expect to have a shot at that one. Next up, we'll take a shot at Maryville.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Rebuilding Buffalo State!
Well, this is the first entry in my blog on rebuilding the Buffalo State Bengals in Leahy world. The team isn't the usual trainwreck that I am used to working with, but it is still going to be a lot of work.
In the 55 seasons of the Leahy, they have NEVER made the playoffs. In all of those seasons, however, they have only been under Sim AI control for four seasons (including the last three). They are coming off of a 4-9 record.
I want to build this team around a passing attack. I am not sure what they were running last season, but whatever it was, it was not very successful. There is some decent talent, but I need to get better players before they will be ready to contend for a playoff spot.
At QB, I am inheriting Senior Michael Wilson. He is decent, but not spectacular. He doesn't have the kind of stamina that I need from a QB in this pass-happy offense, so he'll only be working about half of the offensive downs. He is backed up by Junior Alex Young. He is also decent, but has a similar stamina issue. Finally, rounding things out, is Sophomore Vincent Brown. Brown has major stamina issues and is not a great player. He will be cut at the end of this season. With three QBs already on roster, we did not recruit any this season. We will plan to recruit two next season.
RB is not a position that we get carried away with. This can be an expensive positions, so we look to save money here. Moreover, we look for players with not traditional RB skills, but WR skills. Junior Billy Stewartlooks decent, but we recruited an even better youngster named Michael Mason. Mason will start for us this season. He's got great hands and a lot of speed, which is what we want.
At WR we have two talented Seniors: Robert Delarosa and Daniel Coates. Coates tore it up during the pre-season catching 27 balls for over 500 yards and 6 TDs in only three games. We recruited four WRs this season, the best of which is Jack Lopez, who will receive a redshirt. None of them have overwhelming skills at this point, but all have tons of potential. The other three are Richard Young, Rodney Barrera, and Herman Ochoa. Should be a talented group.
At TE, we don't have much. Sophomores Joel Perez and Robert Pope are at about the same level, not excelling at anything. We recruited a TE, Larry Miller, with excellent hands and great potential. Miller will receive a RS this season and likely start next season.
OL is another place where we skimp. With a passing attack, you are looking to score quick and don't need to grind it out. We recruited two players: Jeffrey Morrison and Christopher Petersen. Both have great blocking skills, but poor strength. They are both big on potential, though, so they should be serviceable before it's all said and done. As for this season, we have two decent seniors in George White and Jerome Larson. Should be good enough to get the job done.
On defense, first at DL, two players stand out: SR Richard Pineda and JR Steven Smith. Everyone else is a tier down from them. We're happy that Smith will return next season. This season, we recruited three players at this position: Benjamin Starr, Richard Gibbs, and Samuel Alvarez. All three are good tacklers, if just a little weak. Starr will receive a redshirt, since he has better potential than the others, even if their base-level skills are a little stronger at this point. At the end of the day, Starr should be the best of the group.
Hard to say what we have at LB. As most teams like to run, those are the skills we are looking for. Our best run-stopper at LB is going to be Sophomore Jeff Cherry, followed closely by SO George Andrews. We recruited three players at this position: Andrew Moore, Mark Melton, and Steven Reyna. None of them are knock your socks off type players, but all have good potential as run stoppers. Melton looks to be the best of the bunch.
Finally, at DB, we have a talented Junior, Kenneth Jones, as well as Sophomores Michael Brown and David Ballard. This is the position where we made the biggest splash, signing Jack McLaughlin. He is going to start as our #1 DB immediately and should be a true impact player by his Senior Season. We also recruited three more: Duane Murphy, Jonathan Keith, and Philip Miller. All have good potential, but none look as good as McLaughlin.
Overall, our team is okay, but will still not win all that many games. I project a 4-9 season this time around. We start off with two ranked teams, and then get two more ranked squads in conference play. Hopefully our young guys will improve and we'll be more competitive next season. I've scheduled a soft non-con schedule for next season, so that should help us get closer to 10 wins (my goal).
That's all for now. I hope to check back in once the regular seasons gets going!
In the 55 seasons of the Leahy, they have NEVER made the playoffs. In all of those seasons, however, they have only been under Sim AI control for four seasons (including the last three). They are coming off of a 4-9 record.
I want to build this team around a passing attack. I am not sure what they were running last season, but whatever it was, it was not very successful. There is some decent talent, but I need to get better players before they will be ready to contend for a playoff spot.
At QB, I am inheriting Senior Michael Wilson. He is decent, but not spectacular. He doesn't have the kind of stamina that I need from a QB in this pass-happy offense, so he'll only be working about half of the offensive downs. He is backed up by Junior Alex Young. He is also decent, but has a similar stamina issue. Finally, rounding things out, is Sophomore Vincent Brown. Brown has major stamina issues and is not a great player. He will be cut at the end of this season. With three QBs already on roster, we did not recruit any this season. We will plan to recruit two next season.
RB is not a position that we get carried away with. This can be an expensive positions, so we look to save money here. Moreover, we look for players with not traditional RB skills, but WR skills. Junior Billy Stewartlooks decent, but we recruited an even better youngster named Michael Mason. Mason will start for us this season. He's got great hands and a lot of speed, which is what we want.
At WR we have two talented Seniors: Robert Delarosa and Daniel Coates. Coates tore it up during the pre-season catching 27 balls for over 500 yards and 6 TDs in only three games. We recruited four WRs this season, the best of which is Jack Lopez, who will receive a redshirt. None of them have overwhelming skills at this point, but all have tons of potential. The other three are Richard Young, Rodney Barrera, and Herman Ochoa. Should be a talented group.
At TE, we don't have much. Sophomores Joel Perez and Robert Pope are at about the same level, not excelling at anything. We recruited a TE, Larry Miller, with excellent hands and great potential. Miller will receive a RS this season and likely start next season.
OL is another place where we skimp. With a passing attack, you are looking to score quick and don't need to grind it out. We recruited two players: Jeffrey Morrison and Christopher Petersen. Both have great blocking skills, but poor strength. They are both big on potential, though, so they should be serviceable before it's all said and done. As for this season, we have two decent seniors in George White and Jerome Larson. Should be good enough to get the job done.
On defense, first at DL, two players stand out: SR Richard Pineda and JR Steven Smith. Everyone else is a tier down from them. We're happy that Smith will return next season. This season, we recruited three players at this position: Benjamin Starr, Richard Gibbs, and Samuel Alvarez. All three are good tacklers, if just a little weak. Starr will receive a redshirt, since he has better potential than the others, even if their base-level skills are a little stronger at this point. At the end of the day, Starr should be the best of the group.
Hard to say what we have at LB. As most teams like to run, those are the skills we are looking for. Our best run-stopper at LB is going to be Sophomore Jeff Cherry, followed closely by SO George Andrews. We recruited three players at this position: Andrew Moore, Mark Melton, and Steven Reyna. None of them are knock your socks off type players, but all have good potential as run stoppers. Melton looks to be the best of the bunch.
Finally, at DB, we have a talented Junior, Kenneth Jones, as well as Sophomores Michael Brown and David Ballard. This is the position where we made the biggest splash, signing Jack McLaughlin. He is going to start as our #1 DB immediately and should be a true impact player by his Senior Season. We also recruited three more: Duane Murphy, Jonathan Keith, and Philip Miller. All have good potential, but none look as good as McLaughlin.
Overall, our team is okay, but will still not win all that many games. I project a 4-9 season this time around. We start off with two ranked teams, and then get two more ranked squads in conference play. Hopefully our young guys will improve and we'll be more competitive next season. I've scheduled a soft non-con schedule for next season, so that should help us get closer to 10 wins (my goal).
That's all for now. I hope to check back in once the regular seasons gets going!
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