DII-AA State Semifinals

[Twing]

Ensworth will not beat themselves. My concern for Ensworth is that Ensworth may play the game offensively too conservatively. Corn has fumbled alot all season and of late. I have been reading the posts on this thread and I do agree with Owlbooster about fatigue affecting the Ensworth defense late in the game. Ensworth does have alot of key players who play both ways. I look for the Ensworth defense to blitz in an effort to get Rodgers out of his comfort zone throwing the ball. Both teams have 2 weeks to prepare for the game so look for a few wrinkles and tricks for both teams. MUS should improve the personnel used on the kickoff coverage team - if not, Ensworth will score returning a kick. Ensworth has the best team this year. They should win by 3 TD's.

[baylorbigdog1976]

I appreciate your enthusiasm for your team but the fact of the matter is Ensworth is the clear favorite in this game. Your defense this year has given up almost double the points as Ensworth has and even though the play of the game was close ( Ensworth still outplayed MUS in the first game) MUS had 2 net rushing yards the entire game. Ricky Bowers will prepare as he always does and he knows MUS will pass. I am not sure how many rushing yards MUS had against BA but it was not that many. Ricky will prepare for what he knows MUS will do. I am pulling for MUS as I am not an Ensworth fan but as of now in my head I see Ensworth having more success in stopping MUS than vice versa. I hope I am wrong but they are the clear favorites in this matchup. MUS has a shot because of their passing game but they are very one diminsional against good defensive teams. I watched the olive branch game as well and MUS had nothing on the ground. I think Ricky is too good of a coach to not figure out a way to limit MUS's passing offense this second time around.

 

 

1. MUS offense and team has gotten a lot better as has Ensworth.

2. MUS, without fumbles, beats BA 46-22. Ensworth was only up 14-0 the whole game and got a last second touchdown to make it 20.

3. I also have lots of friends close with the MUS program and nobody thinks that at all that we don't have a shot. Everybody knows it should be a good game.

And Baylorbigdog the only time ehs outplayed MUS was in the third quarter, rest of the game was either MUS playing better or pretty even.

Owlbooster, if MUS takes care of the ball it will be a matter of who gets big stops when they need them. 2 much improved teams since the first game but just not sure how you are counting them out and comparing this to the South Panola game. Not even close to the same situation.

[baylorbigdog1976]

plus using games against other opponents to analyze a victory or defeat in high school football means very little in my mind. Here is why....MUS beat CBHS in a close game....MBA beat CBHS...and Ensworth drilled MBA 35-7 in playoffs. ....what does all that mean? NOT MUCH and I DONT KNOW....We are down to the final 2 teams and so its best to look at the matchup on both sides of the ball.....I could also argue that BA-EHS is a comparable game to MUS-CBHS as far as what it means to both schools. So the level of play is always high and the games are close. So I dont think MUS can run effectively on EHS..if they win..... they pass. I dont think MUS will be able to shut down EHS's offense. If they contain corn they will just find a way to get him the ball via a slant or a screen. No one can predict anything with certainty....people spend countless hours analzying everything....sports included....alot can happen in a football game ( like 9 or 10 fumbles by MUS ) So for now, on paper Ensworth is the favorite but all that could change when the pads hit the field on the 29th.

[TriState]

1. MUS offense and team has gotten a lot better as has Ensworth.

2. MUS, without fumbles, beats BA 46-22. Ensworth was only up 14-0 the whole game and got a last second touchdown to make it 20.

3. I also have lots of friends close with the MUS program and nobody thinks that at all that we don't have a shot. Everybody knows it should be a good game.

And Baylorbigdog the only time ehs outplayed MUS was in the third quarter, rest of the game was either MUS playing better or pretty even.

Owlbooster, if MUS takes care of the ball it will be a matter of who gets big stops when they need them. 2 much improved teams since the first game but just not sure how you are counting them out and comparing this to the South Panola game. Not even close to the same situation.

You had some credibility up to the point when you posted paragraph #2 above. Please, please, please tell us how you arrived at that conclusion.I have heard enough of this crap.

 

I am going to let you all in on a little known fact. BA is up by 2 with somewhere around 5 min. or so in the 4th qtr. BA qb throws for a first down, but SURPRISINGLY, an illegal man down field penalty was called. BA receiver confirmed with BA coach, when watching film, that he ask the ref if he was far enough off the line of scrimmage. Ref gave the receiver a thumbs up, which was seen on film by BA coach. When ref threw the flag, BA receiver went up to him and said "you gave me the ok as to where I was lined up." Ref said "sorry, no I didn't."

 

BA wins that game. Inordinate amt of big plays called back on Eagles in the 3 years I have been watching them!

[owlfan2012]

Ill agree with everybody ensworth is the favorite. But tri state, what about when they returned a kickoff for a td that was a clear touchback? Mus beat BA with 11 fumbles. So there isn't anything you really can say.

[owlfan2012]

And MUS was up 24-7 on cbhs and let up and ran the ball for the last 2 quarters. Game was in MUS control score made it seem way closer

[Twing]

BA lost the game vs MUS primarily due to poor secondary scheme and execution (not because of a bad call). MUS could not run the ball at all vs BA, but BA could not keep MUS from making timely big plays in the passing game. BA gave up nearly 100 points in their games vs MUS and McCallie. Not good.

[TriState]

BA lost the game vs MUS primarily due to poor secondary scheme and execution (not because of a bad call). MUS could not run the ball at all vs BA, but BA could not keep MUS from making timely big plays in the passing game. BA gave up nearly 100 points in their games vs MUS and McCallie. Not good.

The point is not BA lost on a bad call. The point is BA lost on intentional calls. I agree about BA's defense, however. Edited November 22, 2012 by TriState

[owlbooster]

I also have lots of friends close with the MUS program and nobody thinks that at all that we don't have a shot......just not sure how you are counting them out and comparing this to the South Panola game. Not even close to the same situation.

 

For the last time please. I and my colleagues don't think that MUS doesn't have a shot and are not counting them out. My wording is precise and means exactly what it says. Stop trying to read into it.

 

If you go back and read exactly what I said, the comparison to the S Panola game was my expectation that we would lose. But we ended up winning. The analogy should be obvious, i.e. we can win this game. If McBride had played, I considered that game a tossup. With him out, I put our chances at 10% - If we played that game at SP 10 times with the same players, my opinion is that we lose 9 of them. But we won the game that was played on that day and that's all that counts. I'm not pacing the same odds on the upcoming game. We are not favored to win. Means nothing after the opening KO.

[owlbooster]

I am going to let you all in on a little known fact. BA is up by 2 with somewhere around 5 min. or so in the 4th qtr. BA qb throws for a first down, but SURPRISINGLY, an illegal man down field penalty was called.

 

For what it's worth, Barry Ray, a former MUS football coach, now the Principal and one of the MUS broadcast crew, IMMEDIATELY after the flag was thrown called the infraction as an "illegal receiver down field" Don't think he just pulled that out of his hat. For what it's worth....

 

As for the 100yd KO return, I have watched that replay numerous times and have decided that NOBODY other the the ref standing at the goal line could make that call and that he almost certainly got it right, i.e., that the ball did not "cross the plane" (even though Sanders was behind the goal line)

 

These are all moot points. Time for all to stop nitpicking and move on....

Edited November 22, 2012 by owlbooster

[owlbooster]

Ill agree with everybody ensworth is the favorite. But tri state, what about when they returned a kickoff for a td that was a clear touchback? Mus beat BA with 11 fumbles. So there isn't anything you really can say.

 

11 fumbles? And you criticized me for not getting the facts straight? Very funny indeed. LOL

[owlfan2012]

Yes 11. Including bad snaps, the muffed kickoff that we recovered, and the 3 fumbles in the second have that we recovered. 11.