Melrose vs MUS, Week 0 @ the Liberty Bowl

[mschaefer]

on that long kickoff return the melrose kid definitely started pointing to the stands at about the 30 when he thought he was home free(which he should of been) not only was it his fault for that, he had a convoy of blockers down the sideline who let a guy come all the way across the field, block him in the back, and still let him make the tackle. if mus punches it in and makes it 16-0 before halftime i dont think any of this would matter, but from that point on in the secong quarter until the late mus drive melrose owned the game. too many stupid penalties cost melrose dearly in this game...melrose out gained mus 259-159 but had 100 yds in penalties. mus' discipline won them this game

[kwc]

OMW:

 

You will like what you see and hate what you see at the same time. After all of the mental mistakes that Melrose made ... they still had an opportunity to win the game. Not only does Holloway return the ball 84 yards, and yes ... he got full of himself AS he was returning the ball, and he should have scored THEN. But during this critical juncture with time running out, in the RED ZONE ... what does your beloved team do? They BLEW UP is what they did! Both the coaches AND the players! The COACHES blew up when they didn't immediately go to the shotgun and go with what was winning the game for them ... Toney's arm and those great receivers. The MUS coaching staff must have breathed a collected sigh of relief when they saw the QB go under center. Yes Melrose scored on a toss sweep earlier, but the young man running the ball is a compliment to the passing game ... not the feature element. The PLAYERS blew up when they got 2 costly penalties ... BACK TO BACK. Both were delay of game penalties I think. They did all this ... and STILL had a shot at it. They will improve ... They have a Very good defense. Your boy ... the middle LB ... I can't think of his name ... He's the real deal ... tall, fast, and mean.

 

There is no QB controversy either ... the sophomore is the QB ... Courtney needs to either be satisfied with being the back up or move to WR or DB. Toney is the REAL DEAL. HE is a QB that coaches dream of having ... strong arm, good height, poise, and calm under fire. (Case in point ... MUS blitzes him and he hits his man in the seam, OVER THE MIDDLE, before the LB's can get to him ... it was a thing of beauty) He can make the touch throw, or the bullet pass. He threw a perfect TIMING pattern pass to Holloway to score the first TD ... That was a thing of beauty as well. He can scramble if need be, throw from the pocket, or throw on the run. He has EXTREME confidence in his abilities ... you can tell ... he's a good QB, and he's a smart QB. To top it off ... he is a leader ... the team responds well when he is in the game. To make matters even better he has 3 QUALITY receivers to throw the ball to ... #19 Kizer, #2 Stone, #13 Holloway. All have speed, speed, and more speed. Holloway has the best HANDS of the group. Holloway kind of reminds me of a receiver who played under Spurrier when he was at Florida ... his name was Jack something or another.

 

I don't know who #8 is ... yet ... but I will find out ... that boy is in the spirit and image of Fullilove. He hits like him. Were on earth do you guys find all of the hard hitting DB's? My goodness ... do you guys have a cloning device hidden on campus? You have another crop of hard hitting speedy DB's. Your defensive line is good again and you LB's are fast ... as always. The team will go far, again.

 

Here is a story in todays CA by Jason Smith that kind of sums it up:

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/preps/...4932079,00.html

 

This week they play my boys ... Whitehaven ... and I can't be there! I SHOLE HATE IT! When you get the film from ya brother ... tell me what you think yourself OMW.

 

Holla back atcha boy ... Peace!

Edited August 21, 2006 by kwc

[Solomon]

Melrose will have more talent on the field, but I am going to have to go with MUS. Nothing against the Melrose at all, but MUS will be more disciplined and fundamentally sound in most to every area of the game. That is how every D2-AAA team wins these games and why I will never be convinced that raw talent can beat a well-coached team alone.

 

However, if Melrose is going to a solid spread offense, that may throw a wrinkle into it. I don't know how many of the Super 7 (8, 10, whatever) teams have gone up against a true throw-it-around-the-field spread team with the talent Melrose will throw at them. That may end up being a factor. However, on Monday, I will still have to go with MUS.

 

I do wish I could see this one in person though, as it should be a heckuva game.

 

From the reviews I have read, sounds like I was pretty accurate in my assessment. MUS' discipline was the deciding factor, and when Melrose was shotgun spread, it caused fits.

 

Good luck to both teams this year.

[orangemoundwest]

OMW:

 

You will like what you see and hate what you see at the same time. After all of the mental mistakes that Melrose made ... they still had an opportunity to win the game. Not only does Holloway return the ball 84 yards, and yes ... he got full of himself AS he was returning the ball, and he should have scored THEN. But during this critical juncture with time running out, in the RED ZONE ... what does your beloved team do? They BLEW UP is what they did! Both the coaches AND the players! The COACHES blew up when they didn't immediately go to the shotgun and go with what was winning the game for them ... Toney's arm and those great receivers. The MUS coaching staff must have breathed a collected sigh of relief when they saw the QB go under center. Yes Melrose scored on a toss sweep earlier, but the young man running the ball is a compliment to the passing game ... not the feature element. The PLAYERS blew up when they got 2 costly penalties ... BACK TO BACK. Both were delay of game penalties I think. They did all this ... and STILL had a shot at it. They will improve ... They have a Very good defense. Your boy ... the middle LB ... I can't think of his name ... He's the real deal ... tall, fast, and mean.

 

There is no QB controversy either ... the sophomore is the QB ... Courtney needs to either be satisfied with being the back up or move to WR or DB. Toney is the REAL DEAL. HE is a QB that coaches dream of having ... strong arm, good height, poise, and calm under fire. (Case in point ... MUS blitzes him and he hits his man in the seam, OVER THE MIDDLE, before the LB's can get to him ... it was a thing of beauty) He can make the touch throw, or the bullet pass. He threw a perfect TIMING pattern pass to Holloway to score the first TD ... That was a thing of beauty as well. He can scramble if need be, throw from the pocket, or throw on the run. He has EXTREME confidence in his abilities ... you can tell ... he's a good QB, and he's a smart QB. To top it off ... he is a leader ... the team responds well when he is in the game. To make matters even better he has 3 QUALITY receivers to throw the ball to ... #19 Kizer, #2 Stone, #13 Holloway. All have speed, speed, and more speed. Holloway has the best HANDS of the group. Holloway kind of reminds me of a receiver who played under Spurrier when he was at Florida ... his name was Jack something or another.

 

I don't know who #8 is ... yet ... but I will find out ... that boy is in the spirit and image of Fullilove. He hits like him. Were on earth do you guys find all of the hard hitting DB's? My goodness ... do you guys have a cloning device hidden on campus? You have another crop of hard hitting speedy DB's. Your defensive line is good again and you LB's are fast ... as always. The team will go far, again.

 

Here is a story in todays CA by Jason Smith that kind of sums it up:

 

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/preps/...4932079,00.html

 

This week they play my boys ... Whitehaven ... and I can't be there! I SHOLE HATE IT! When you get the film from ya brother ... tell me what you think yourself OMW.

 

Holla back atcha boy ... Peace!

 

KDub,

 

I am really excited about the upside of this team. They are very young and Coach Alexander has been at the helm for only a couple of weeks. When these kids develop and better understand the game, they could be special. Coach will do wonders for developing the passing game over time.

 

MUS's website posted earlier by rollredroll has very specific stats including the kids names, numbers, individual, and team stats.

 

(http://www.musowls.org/sports/sports_football/Varsity%202006/Stats/MUS-MEL.HTM

 

I feel for Courtney. He seems to be running into some of the same problems as last year. He is a real good kid who is quick and mobile but does not have a big arm. From all accounts I have heard, he was unable to maintain his footing on several occasions which takes away his long suit. I hope he can find playing time somewhere as he is an asset to the team.

 

Toney came from Airways Jr. High and was highly touted. It's good to see the future is bright.

 

Number 8 is Lamarcus Betts.

[TraderB]

Congratulations MUS on your victory. A drive like the one put on by MUS to win the game shows championship character...

 

Normally the most improvement occurs between the first and second game of the yeare and I hopw that is the case with Melrose.... did the Melrose kicking game show any flashes.

OMW,

 

The one thing Melrose needs to improve on most is DISCIPLINE!

 

Countless penalties and silly, untimely mistakes sealed Melrose's fate vs. MUS. The sad part of it is that this same issue has plagued Melrose, year in and year out. Yet, the problem still ain't gotten solved! Given that trend, I honestly don't see Melrose improving in that area (Believe me, OMW, I hope I'm wrong), anytime soon. Definitely not by next game. It's not impossible; I just don't see it happening.... Sorry--I just don't!

 

As for Melrose's kicking game...Melrose's QB (Toney) kicked 2 extra points. They looked pretty good--strait, just enough leg, decent leverage. Melrose never attempted a FG, though they had an opportunity in the 3rd QTR, IMO: It was about 4th and 3, on MUS' 10 or 12 yard line or so. That represents what--about a 30 yard FG?...Instead of attempting the FG, Melrose went for the 1st down, but failed to convert.

 

OMW, at the end of the day, it looks like Melrose has a good, talented team. Although they lost a hard-fought game to MUS, I truely believe that this losing experience will help Melrose become more focused. They should improve; I'm just not sure it's gonna be in the area needed most--discipline.

[orangemoundwest]

OMW,

 

The one thing Melrose needs to improve on most is DISCIPLINE!

 

Countless penalties and silly, untimely mistakes sealed Melrose's fate vs. MUS. The sad part of it is that this same issue has plagued Melrose, year in and year out. Yet, the problem still ain't gotten solved! Given that trend, I honestly don't see Melrose improving in that area (Believe me, OMW, I hope I'm wrong), anytime soon. Definitely not by next game. It's not impossible; I just don't see it happening.... Sorry--I just don't!

 

As for Melrose's kicking game...Melrose's QB (Toney) kicked 2 extra points. They looked pretty good--strait, just enough leg, decent leverage. Melrose never attempted a FG, though they had an opportunity in the 3rd QTR, IMO: It was about 4th and 3, on MUS' 10 or 12 yard line or so. That represents what--about a 30 yard FG?...Instead of attempting the FG, Melrose went for the 1st down, but failed to convert.

 

OMW, at the end of the day, it looks like Melrose has a good, talented team. Although they lost a hard-fought game to MUS, I truely believe that this losing experience will help Melrose become more focused. They should improve; I'm just not sure it's gonna be in the area needed most--discipline.

 

TraderB,

 

I can't argue with your thoughts regarding the dicipline aspect. I really hope that Coach will tighten the screws and make kids more accountable for the bone headed variety of mistakes that plagued Saturday night's effort. Eliminating half of the big mistakes we made on Saturday would make a lot of difference. The difference between winning...........and losing. I really believe we can get there.

 

As far as the kicking game, with the exception of last year, there has not been any confidence in it. I am at a loss as to why we did not attempt the FG from the 11 yard line that you are talking about . It was only 8 yards longer than a PAT.

 

Experience is the best teacher and we got a good lesson Saturday.