WCU Game Thread

[PaladinGooner]

Is Clay gonna pull a Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Nick Saban? Kidding aside it’s gotta be frustrating dealing with the new rules of the road at a place like FU.

I mean, haven't we benefitted from the transfer portal thus far? I recall we had a tight end from Michigan State, and then a tightend from a D2 school. Also WCU transfer portal issues don't seem to be hurting WCU and Chatt.

[gofurman]

Is Clay gonna pull a Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Nick Saban? Kidding aside it’s gotta be frustrating dealing with the new rules of the road at a place like FU.

I mean, haven't we benefitted from the transfer portal thus far? I recall we had a tight end from Michigan State, and then a tightend from a D2 school. Also WCU transfer portal issues don't seem to be hurting WCU and Chatt.

PaladinGooner, Absolutely. We have. Mason Pline last year was the D2 TE - now with the 49ers !!! Great pickup. But based on our academics it is MUCH harder for us to use the portal. Just recently an OL came in and then had to leave.

[gofurman]

WCU, I am not sure I buy your about-ism.
Concerning Furman playing back-ups, due to injuries and such, Furman played a heavy dose of backups the entire game. By my count, 27 freshmen/redshirts participated yesterday, and seven started.

One bright spot—I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it—is Trevor Short's getting his first PT at Bandit. He made several nice plays and showed his athleticism.

Astro, hope you are doing well !!!

However , this message above about us playing so many backups … that’s because Furman HAS TO play those guys / backups. As you say due to injuries. We HAVE TO. CCH is not CHOOSING to play those guys. That’s not a voluntary choice by a Furman coach to play these backups. Given the choice - if Luke Clark and Xavier Stephens etc were healthy - we wouldn’t have gone so far down the depth chart.

When Luke Clark etc were healthy they played and Trevor Short did not. Or whatever. You get it. I’m just saying we can’t juxtapose our playing youngsters vs Western when we - and every team - plays their oldest or best guys until injuries force otherwise. Just saying it’s not like we are playing these freshman “out of the goodness of our heart” even if it causes us to lose.

The freshman like Short - who I hope will be good! - are only out there because of Necessity.

Now whether WCU ran it up I don’t know. Had to quit watching mid q4? Went out to Cafe and then some

[apaladin]

hello all, just a little PR work..

if you are like SD and like the positivity of winning in Dins sports, given this is a rebuilding year for FB, check out these other Dins sports that have excellent teams this year ( in no particular order)

Mens Soccer
Womens Soccer
Ladies and Mens Golf
Ladies and Mens XC (ranked in top 25)

Do have to note that Mens Soccer play is excellent plus the ladies play very hard and are fun to watch especially live

In all due respect, that doesn’t help at all.

well, Ladies soccer beat down Woofy today 4-0. Its soocer world, a complete blowout.

Any W vs woofy should help some...

All well and good but put it in the soccer section but of course no one reads the soccer section. Doesn’t help here.

[gofurman]

I am sure I'll get several "FUs" and "get off our board" but I'd add something a little different.

If WCU hadn't been backed down inside the 1 yard line, I am not sure Cole goes back out there. I have no doubt Bell wanted him to get 500 yards passing, and he did that on the previous posession. His last TD came on a very simple screen pass and our RB just made a big-time run to get in the endzone from nearly 50 yards out. So that is not exactly slinging it all over the yard. The other part is our offense is built on the RPO and the QB has a lot of say in those plays. Gonzales has a penchant for taking what Ds give him, and Furman was giving up passing yardage. If he is in the game, he is going to make plays.

When we put the backup in, it was really the first any of our other QBs have played this season. That series Western originally ate up yards running the ball a few times, but when it was a 3rd and 9 the QB threw a pass. Not sure if you guys saw us miss the playoffs last year because our backup QB was not in any way ready to play in the last game against VMI. Our backups need reps, too.

I totally get how it feels. Believe me - WCU has had plenty of games where the score has been run up against them. But with the game in hand, did Furman take their starters out? Did you guys quit trying to throw the ball and shorten the game? Would it have been ok if WCU just ran it down your throat and the problem is we threw the ball? Lots of the blowouts against Western fans can say "we just ran the ball" but of course for years that was what killed Western so it wasn't much solace.

I personally wanted Cole to come out a series before he did because I didn't want to risk injury, but again as I mentiond I think based on Bell's comments on his show earlier last week he wanted our team to develop a different mentality. So this felt as much a message to our team as it was to anybody else. And I also think that most non-WCU fans don't like him. I prefer that vs everybody liking our former coaches who weren't very good.

Sorry for writing a book here. Your board and it should be about your team. Just trying to at least add a little additional perspective that most probably wouldn't think of.

WCUGrad, I’m glad you came here pre and post game. We need more posting and activity here.

Just some perspectives on what teams do well and what they struggle with. Though next time I expect you to be more honest instead of saying “first one to 24 wins”.

If you all make the playoffs I’ll be pulling for you. I’ll be pulling for any SoCon teams in postseason. Good luck the rest of the way !

[PaladinGooner]

Is Clay gonna pull a Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Nick Saban? Kidding aside it’s gotta be frustrating dealing with the new rules of the road at a place like FU.

I mean, haven't we benefitted from the transfer portal thus far? I recall we had a tight end from Michigan State, and then a tightend from a D2 school. Also WCU transfer portal issues don't seem to be hurting WCU and Chatt.

PaladinGooner, Absolutely. We have. Mason Pline last year was the D2 TE - now with the 49ers !!! Great pickup. But based on our academics it is MUCH harder for us to use the portal. Just recently an OL came in and then had to leave.

Interesting, which OL was that?

[gofurman]

Is Clay gonna pull a Jay Wright, Tony Bennett, Nick Saban? Kidding aside it’s gotta be frustrating dealing with the new rules of the road at a place like FU.

I mean, haven't we benefitted from the transfer portal thus far? I recall we had a tight end from Michigan State, and then a tightend from a D2 school. Also WCU transfer portal issues don't seem to be hurting WCU and Chatt.

PaladinGooner, Absolutely. We have. Mason Pline last year was the D2 TE - now with the 49ers !!! Great pickup. But based on our academics it is MUCH harder for us to use the portal. Just recently an OL came in and then had to leave.

Interesting, which OL was that?

Check your private messages. Thanks !

[FUTex]

I got back home this evening and about an hour ago I pulled up the UFFP to read what all you guys were saying. There's one poster who seems positively gleeful we don't have the usual solid Paladin team this year. Lighten up, Francis.

Look, Western only lit us up for 801 yards. That's it. Its not like they tagged us with something outrageous, such as 850 yards. I think SidBream has the right take on this.

Somebody posted we're basically playing with a JV team. Yeah, I can see that.

Its not about Furman's inability to recruit some of the better players, folks. Back in the 80's when Furman was destroying the opposition the "big guys" on the team were guys like FUBear. Oh, he's a largish man awright, but he was nothing like what the opposition had. And Ernest Gibson, they greatest DB ever in the history of football, looked like Joe Pesci out there. What they lacked in raw talent they made up, and more, with badassery.

What I saw on Saturday was not a bad team. They just need some more XP to level up a few more times, so they can put more points into badassery.

Now as some of you know I think the issue is spiritual; that is to say, the Paladins straighten out spiritually and the remaining aspects of football will fall into place over time. That's why we need to be Orthodox, which would mean reverting to the Full House or Straight T offensive formation. The reason I know this is "ortho" is Greek for Correct, and "dox" is Greek for Opinion. Its a solid plan, well thought out.

Oh, and I should add I was wrong that the Western game would tell us more about our team. That ended up not being true. Its the VMI game. That's where we'll know what kind of team we have. And we're going to wipe the floor with them ne'er-do-wells.

[AstroDin]

WCU, I am not sure I buy your about-ism.
Concerning Furman playing back-ups, due to injuries and such, Furman played a heavy dose of backups the entire game. By my count, 27 freshmen/redshirts participated yesterday, and seven started.

One bright spot—I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it—is Trevor Short's getting his first PT at Bandit. He made several nice plays and showed his athleticism.

Astro, hope you are doing well !!!

However , this message above about us playing so many backups … that’s because Furman HAS TO play those guys / backups. As you say due to injuries. We HAVE TO. CCH is not CHOOSING to play those guys. That’s not a voluntary choice by a Furman coach to play these backups. Given the choice - if Luke Clark and Xavier Stephens etc were healthy - we wouldn’t have gone so far down the depth chart.

When Luke Clark etc were healthy they played and Trevor Short did not. Or whatever. You get it. I’m just saying we can’t juxtapose our playing youngsters vs Western when we - and every team - plays their oldest or best guys until injuries force otherwise. Just saying it’s not like we are playing these freshman “out of the goodness of our heart” even if it causes us to lose.

The freshman like Short - who I hope will be good! - are only out there because of Necessity.

Now whether WCU ran it up I don’t know. Had to quit watching mid q4? Went out to Cafe and then some

Your post - I guess you're tryin' to educate me. It makes ZERO sense.
First, my post was tongue-in-cheek.
But it doesn't matter if Furman has to play back-ups or not.
The truth is, Furman, going into that game, was already playing backups in many positions.
The original (WCU) poster, IMO, tried to justify Bell leaving his first-team offense late in the game because Furman wasn't playing backups, and how dare they, still trying to score. Sorry, I call that just home team bias. Heck, I might even have said the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. I've been to enough Furman football games and watched Furman take its foot off the gas over and over.

Like it or not, that appears not to be in Bell's coaching style.

Back to Our Depleted D Line, it played everyone it could without risking burning redshirts on two players: Demetris Baldwin and Bruce Knauber. We can expect both of them to be in a mix of the final five games.

[AstroDin]

WCU, I am not sure I buy your about-ism.
Concerning Furman playing back-ups, due to injuries and such, Furman played a heavy dose of backups the entire game. By my count, 27 freshmen/redshirts participated yesterday, and seven started.

One bright spot—I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it—is Trevor Short's getting his first PT at Bandit. He made several nice plays and showed his athleticism.

Astro, hope you are doing well !!!

However , this message above about us playing so many backups … that’s because Furman HAS TO play those guys / backups. As you say due to injuries. We HAVE TO. CCH is not CHOOSING to play those guys. That’s not a voluntary choice by a Furman coach to play these backups. Given the choice - if Luke Clark and Xavier Stephens etc were healthy - we wouldn’t have gone so far down the depth chart.

When Luke Clark etc were healthy they played and Trevor Short did not. Or whatever. You get it. I’m just saying we can’t juxtapose our playing youngsters vs Western when we - and every team - plays their oldest or best guys until injuries force otherwise. Just saying it’s not like we are playing these freshman “out of the goodness of our heart” even if it causes us to lose.

The freshman like Short - who I hope will be good! - are only out there because of Necessity.

Now whether WCU ran it up I don’t know. Had to quit watching mid q4? Went out to Cafe and then some

Your post - I guess you're tryin' to educate me. It makes ZERO sense.
First, my post was tongue-in-cheek.
But it doesn't matter if Furman has to play back-ups or not.
The truth is, Furman, going into that game, was already playing backups in many positions.
The original (WCU) poster, IMO, tried to justify Bell leaving his first-team offense late in the game because Furman wasn't playing backups, and how dare they, still trying to score. Sorry, I call that just home team bias. Heck, I might even have said the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. I've been to enough Furman football games and watched Furman take its foot off the gas over and over; I would take your bet Furman wouldn't be throwing 30-yard passes that late in the game and up by that many points.

Like it or not, that appears not to be in Bell's coaching style.

Back to Our Depleted D Line, it played everyone it could without risking burning redshirts on two players: Demetris Baldwin and Bruce Knauber. We can expect both of them to be in a mix of the final five games.

[The Jackal]

I am sure I'll get several "FUs" and "get off our board" but I'd add something a little different.

If WCU hadn't been backed down inside the 1 yard line, I am not sure Cole goes back out there. I have no doubt Bell wanted him to get 500 yards passing, and he did that on the previous posession. His last TD came on a very simple screen pass and our RB just made a big-time run to get in the endzone from nearly 50 yards out. So that is not exactly slinging it all over the yard. The other part is our offense is built on the RPO and the QB has a lot of say in those plays. Gonzales has a penchant for taking what Ds give him, and Furman was giving up passing yardage. If he is in the game, he is going to make plays.

When we put the backup in, it was really the first any of our other QBs have played this season. That series Western originally ate up yards running the ball a few times, but when it was a 3rd and 9 the QB threw a pass. Not sure if you guys saw us miss the playoffs last year because our backup QB was not in any way ready to play in the last game against VMI. Our backups need reps, too.

I totally get how it feels. Believe me - WCU has had plenty of games where the score has been run up against them. But with the game in hand, did Furman take their starters out? Did you guys quit trying to throw the ball and shorten the game? Would it have been ok if WCU just ran it down your throat and the problem is we threw the ball? Lots of the blowouts against Western fans can say "we just ran the ball" but of course for years that was what killed Western so it wasn't much solace.

I personally wanted Cole to come out a series before he did because I didn't want to risk injury, but again as I mentiond I think based on Bell's comments on his show earlier last week he wanted our team to develop a different mentality. So this felt as much a message to our team as it was to anybody else. And I also think that most non-WCU fans don't like him. I prefer that vs everybody liking our former coaches who weren't very good.

Sorry for writing a book here. Your board and it should be about your team. Just trying to at least add a little additional perspective that most probably wouldn't think of.

You're always welcome.

I look at it this way, Furman has won these games more often than lost them. Sometimes these things have a way of settling themselves out on the field. It won't be this year, but there may come a day when Bell regrets that decision.

I will say that if Cole Gonzalez was injured late in the fourth quarter up four scores trying to stat pad, WCU fans would be righteously livid. Even in a blowout, Gonzalez took some shots Saturday. Furman's down a bunch of guys, but they still had some guys in the lineup that will pop you.

[The Jackal]

WCU, I am not sure I buy your about-ism.
Concerning Furman playing back-ups, due to injuries and such, Furman played a heavy dose of backups the entire game. By my count, 27 freshmen/redshirts participated yesterday, and seven started.

One bright spot—I'm not sure if anyone else has mentioned it—is Trevor Short's getting his first PT at Bandit. He made several nice plays and showed his athleticism.

Astro, hope you are doing well !!!

However , this message above about us playing so many backups … that’s because Furman HAS TO play those guys / backups. As you say due to injuries. We HAVE TO. CCH is not CHOOSING to play those guys. That’s not a voluntary choice by a Furman coach to play these backups. Given the choice - if Luke Clark and Xavier Stephens etc were healthy - we wouldn’t have gone so far down the depth chart.

When Luke Clark etc were healthy they played and Trevor Short did not. Or whatever. You get it. I’m just saying we can’t juxtapose our playing youngsters vs Western when we - and every team - plays their oldest or best guys until injuries force otherwise. Just saying it’s not like we are playing these freshman “out of the goodness of our heart” even if it causes us to lose.

The freshman like Short - who I hope will be good! - are only out there because of Necessity.

Now whether WCU ran it up I don’t know. Had to quit watching mid q4? Went out to Cafe and then some

Your post - I guess you're tryin' to educate me. It makes ZERO sense.
First, my post was tongue-in-cheek.
But it doesn't matter if Furman has to play back-ups or not.
The truth is, Furman, going into that game, was already playing backups in many positions.
The original (WCU) poster, IMO, tried to justify Bell leaving his first-team offense late in the game because Furman wasn't playing backups, and how dare they, still trying to score. Sorry, I call that just home team bias. Heck, I might even have said the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. I've been to enough Furman football games and watched Furman take its foot off the gas over and over.

Like it or not, that appears not to be in Bell's coaching style.

Back to Our Depleted D Line, it played everyone it could without risking burning redshirts on two players: Demetris Baldwin and Bruce Knauber. We can expect both of them to be in a mix of the final five games.

Sure, some of it is Bell. He's a guy that has bounced around to a bunch of different jobs and he is what he is at this point.

I watched a blowout in a middle school game a few days ago. I asked a high school coach friend of mine why the blowout and running up the score was necessary and he told me, "you don't understand, it's all about recruiting now." Even in middle school.

Look at it this way, many SoCon schools do not have a lot of opportunities to beat Furman. They see Furman, the SoCon's marquee program right now, down and are taking that opportunity to get their punches in. They know we're down. We know we are down. They are going to sell that to recruits.

Kerwin Bell also is a guy that relies more heavily than most on the QB position. They are going to pad Cole Gonzalez's stats. They want to sell that to recruits and transfers.

[AstroDin]

I am sure I'll get several "FUs" and "get off our board" but I'd add something a little different.

If WCU hadn't been backed down inside the 1 yard line, I am not sure Cole goes back out there. I have no doubt Bell wanted him to get 500 yards passing, and he did that on the previous posession. His last TD came on a very simple screen pass and our RB just made a big-time run to get in the endzone from nearly 50 yards out. So that is not exactly slinging it all over the yard. The other part is our offense is built on the RPO and the QB has a lot of say in those plays. Gonzales has a penchant for taking what Ds give him, and Furman was giving up passing yardage. If he is in the game, he is going to make plays.

When we put the backup in, it was really the first any of our other QBs have played this season. That series Western originally ate up yards running the ball a few times, but when it was a 3rd and 9 the QB threw a pass. Not sure if you guys saw us miss the playoffs last year because our backup QB was not in any way ready to play in the last game against VMI. Our backups need reps, too.

I totally get how it feels. Believe me - WCU has had plenty of games where the score has been run up against them. But with the game in hand, did Furman take their starters out? Did you guys quit trying to throw the ball and shorten the game? Would it have been ok if WCU just ran it down your throat and the problem is we threw the ball? Lots of the blowouts against Western fans can say "we just ran the ball" but of course for years that was what killed Western so it wasn't much solace.

I personally wanted Cole to come out a series before he did because I didn't want to risk injury, but again as I mentiond I think based on Bell's comments on his show earlier last week he wanted our team to develop a different mentality. So this felt as much a message to our team as it was to anybody else. And I also think that most non-WCU fans don't like him. I prefer that vs everybody liking our former coaches who weren't very good.

Sorry for writing a book here. Your board and it should be about your team. Just trying to at least add a little additional perspective that most probably wouldn't think of.

You're always welcome.

I look at it this way, Furman has won these games more often than lost them. Sometimes these things have a way of settling themselves out on the field. It won't be this year, but there may come a day when Bell regrets that decision.

I will say that if Cole Gonzalez was injured late in the fourth quarter up four scores trying to stat pad, WCU fans would be righteously livid. Even in a blowout, Gonzalez took some shots Saturday. Furman's down a bunch of guys, but they still had some guys in the lineup that will pop you.

Roll the play… Here you go, Gonzales, still in, passing at the 7-minute mark of the 4th Quarter. Bell risks Gonzales for some stat padding, and DiMaggio lays the wood.

[gman84]

Yep...Bell the TOOL!

[tim]

No Sale. Punk move.

I'll say it more straight forward, so even you can understand.

It was a football game. WCU's job is to score when on offense, Furman's job is defense when WCU in on offense. So it it WCU's job NOT to score? or is it Furman's job to keep WCU out of the end zone?

Time to man up, take the loss, quite crying and look forward to next year in Cullowhee. We certainly looked forward to Travelers Rest this season, after last year's loss in Cullowhee...

I had rather look forward to your upcoming games with Mercer, UTC,Samford,Etsu. You have 3 losses so don't FU.