Maine

[TMC]

This has the potential to get real ugly. The Black Bears ran the ball on a big Delaware squad in the Hen house. We had trouble with a non-scholarship running game.

I can't fault the defensive players in the coming weeks. In fact I feel for them. They are being asked to do the impossible for the remaining stretch. You can't give up 30 lbs a man week after week. The O and Specials have to step it up and give the D a fighting chance.

[Uncle Buck]

BS Chuck, i can fault the defense, not becuase of size, but lack of technique. All i saw yesterday was our defense magnitizing (if that's a word) on blocks and not getting off of them. Maine will run the ball because they have some good talent and have always played a physical game, defense will have to show something they haven't all season...consistency up front.

My bigger concern, the Maine defense which is physical and looks to me like they will completely overmatch our offensive line. They get after it and this could mean big problems for CC who still takes bad sacks and holds the ball too much.

Our only hope, Maine's QB Farkes went down with an injury and the Black Bears might have to use their second string QB who at one time was a starter. He looks very athletic, but he didn't look as good throwing the ball. If the defense could rise to the challenge, forcing Maine to the air might be our only hope.

[TMC]

I'm not giving the D a pass up to this point. It's the remaining stretch against much bigger CAA squads I'm talking about. The schedule is brutal. NE is the only glimmer of hope.

I'm well aware of the short comings (no pun intended). I sat there with you watching a lack of containment, large cushions, poor angles and the like. I just think even if you correct these things, they will still get blown off the ball and warn down by mid 3rd qtr.

[Uncle Buck]

I'm with you Chuck, it's just frustrating to see how $hitty we are at keeping contain. All of Bucknell's yards came on option plays or failure to contain the QB. From what i saw last night with Maine, they're pretty athletic on both sides and we will have our hands full. The schedule definitely does not get any easier, Cohen and Co. will have their work cut out for them. I just want to see how we respond to Maine's physical level of play. They looked more physical than JMU did IMO and we rolled over down there.

[Bull Fan]

Hofstra has been killed on the option for years, this should be nothing new. How much option did Bucknell throw at them?

[HU76]

This has the potential to get real ugly. The Black Bears ran the ball on a big Delaware squad in the Hen house. We had trouble with a non-scholarship running game.

A quick point about this "non-scholarship" thing. Exactly how many players at Bucknell do you think are paying to go to school? Certainly none of the key players. The Patriot and Ivy Leagues like to appear that they have a more pure academic environment than the rest of the NCAA by saying they do not give athletic scholarships. Instead they just package the players with other grants and they get a free ride anyway.

[TMC]

76,

I know about the grant and aid game. Don't try to compare Patriot League to CAA. Bottom line, they don't have near the equivalent of a full CAA boat of rides. We shouldn't give up 31 to a mid level (1-2) PL team.

[JoeAlum]

A quick point about this "non-scholarship" thing. Exactly how many players at Bucknell do you think are paying to go to school? Certainly none of the key players. The Patriot and Ivy Leagues like to appear that they have a more pure academic environment than the rest of the NCAA by saying they do not give athletic scholarships. Instead they just package the players with other grants and they get a free ride anyway.[

Absolutely correct. My daughter played soccer for Brown. No quality Ivy player pays full freight. They just call it something else. Not to say the Patriot League is up to the CAA in F'ball talent but they do have ways to get the players that they really want.

[Uncle Buck]

While scholarships do make a difference, teams from the Patriot as well as other "non-scholarship" leagues just call it need based aid. They always figure out a way to get their player. We did pretty well as a "non-scholarship" team back in the mid 90's, my concern lies more in the fact that we just don't seem to stretch out running plays. This is a problem against any team. I see Maine playing more smashmouth off tackle than anything else. Our d-line better eat their wheaties, they'll need them this week.

All in all, we let up way too many rushing yards to call it an acceptable effort. The game should have been put away in the third quarter and we almost let them back in. We've yet to play a complete game with all three phases working. Hey, at least we didn't have any kicks blocked, though the snaps were consistently low.

[HU76]

76,

I know about the grant and aid game. Don't try to compare Patriot League to CAA. Bottom line, they don't have near the equivalent of a full CAA boat of rides. We shouldn't give up 31 to a mid level (1-2) PL team.

You're right. My point is that they aren't exactly Marist either. I guess I just got tired of the guys on BisonVision mentioning about a hundred times how they didn't have scholarships. Football in the Patriot and Ivy Leagues is very well funded.