Bohls defense stayed the same all game

[godhateswalmart]

Gee, I love defensive plays like bohl's where we stay in the same defense all night and never adjust.

It was why we lost, lose the prevent defense b4 halftime too

[bisonsupporter]

i think the piss poor effort in tackling may be an issue.

[silkamilkamonico]

Defense adjusted and played much better after their first drive of the second half and gave up a FG the rest of the way.

NDSU offense was absolutely pathetic and stayed the same the second half. Very disappointing.

[BisoninNWMN]

All of the above.

Maybe it was me, but it seemed like we never tried to get pressure with blitzes. That no-huddle killed us last night. Our Tampa-2 just sat back and let them march all over us.

The offense wasn't too bad in the 1st half but that last drive to end the half was pathetic. Should have been a 21-10 game and then DJs fumble when we would have probably scored was another killer.

[BisonNeil]

NDSU has never done well against teams that run and pass well, basically a 50:50 offense. The 'guins rushed for 214 yds and passed for 237.

What really hurt us was the inability of the defense to stop them between the tackles. I have harped on this all season, but the Bison are soft in the middle. Perry is not a Gratzek talent wise, not yet anyway, and Drevlow/Juckem are not a Frick/Fairbairn, and Evans/Olson are never going to be a Mays. The best way to beat the Bison is to establish the inside run game, and everyone will attempt to do that from here on out.

[godhateswalmart]

How do we stand there and let YSU get a look at our defense, then look to sidelines to get a play. Why not disguise something first, I dont get it.
We pissed away a #1 seed, homefield, espn game yesterday!

[CaBisonFan]

How do we stand there and let YSU get a look at our defense, then look to sidelines to get a play. Why not disguise something first, I dont get it.
We pissed away a #1 seed, homefield, espn game yesterday!

We have the look of a cyborg robot staring at the sideline. I don't understand it.

[DjKyRo]

We pissed away a #1 seed, homefield, espn game yesterday!

I agree with some of your points but don't get this one. Win next week and we still get seeded, and play strongly regardless of where we're at and we can still very much get more than a few home games and on ESPN. Some people are acting like the season is a trainwreck after this loss, which I don't get. We're still a top-5 team and will be well-positioned to succeed in the playoffs.

[westnodak93bison]

How do we stand there and let YSU get a look at our defense, then look to sidelines to get a play. Why not disguise something first, I dont get it.
We pissed away a #1 seed, homefield, espn game yesterday!

Our defense looked confused often last night.

[4mcruenomore]

Defense did give up a hell of a lot of yards and points, but we still could have outscored them. I blame this game on the offense imo.

[BisonTeacher]

Defense did give up a hell of a lot of yards and points, but we still could have outscored them. I blame this game on the offense imo.

YSU had one of the top offenses in the country. Yeah...defense did not have their best game. We scored 3 points in the second half.

[tjamz]

I agree with some of your points but don't get this one. Win next week and we still get seeded, and play strongly regardless of where we're at and we can still very much get more than a few home games and on ESPN. Some people are acting like the season is a trainwreck after this loss, which I don't get. We're still a top-5 team and will be well-positioned to succeed in the playoffs.

I'm with you on this. The loss sucked and our team sucked yesterday, but I REALLY think that for the long haul this wasn't a horrible, end of the world, OMFG we are bottom feeders, etc... ordeal. Especially if it reignites the hunger in the players. They now know what losing feels like. I'm pretty sure they will do everything that they can to make sure that they don't feel that way again.

[godhateswalmart]

no one wants to defend bohl and our defense for staying in the same package the entire 2nd half?

[BadlandsBison]

All of the above.

Maybe it was me, but it seemed like we never tried to get pressure with blitzes. That no-huddle killed us last night. Our Tampa-2 just sat back and let them march all over us.

The offense wasn't too bad in the 1st half but that last drive to end the half was pathetic. Should have been a 21-10 game and then DJs fumble when we would have probably scored was another killer.

We ran blitzes but they weren't effective. And really, they haven't been all season. The blitzes always run right into the opponents protection from what I see. Whether they know whats coming or its just how the scheme is, I don't know. It would be nice to start getting some consistent pressure

[344Johnson]

no one wants to defend bohl and our defense for staying in the same package the entire 2nd half?

I shall give it a go.

The defense gave the offense opportunities to win the game in the 4th quarter. The defense that people are now bashing for having a consistent approach (Tampa 2), were not bashing this same defense the first 9 games. Does this defense have its flaws? Yes. All defenses (LSU and Bama aside) have flaws that in some major/minor way, can be exploited.

Was it a bad game? Is this going to be a trend we continue to see going into the playoffs? I have no idea. I sure as hell like all of us hope it was just a game where a few things went wrong. Hopefully in film analysis Bohl and Co. figure out what went wrong schematically on both sides of the ball.

That said....

This loss is a team-effort. This game was not lost on DJ McNorton's fumble, it was not lost on the Penguin drive following DJ's fumble. The game was not lost on Brock getting sacked when we were on the fringe of field goal range. The game was lost because over the course of 60 minutes, Youngstown State scored more points than the Bison did.

That said....

I have a weird feeling that NDSU will not play on the road in the playoffs. I have a feeling that via an upset, the road to Frisco still sidetracks to Fargo (I am a homer).

[BisoninNWMN]

I agree with some of your points but don't get this one. Win next week and we still get seeded, and play strongly regardless of where we're at and we can still very much get more than a few home games and on ESPN. Some people are acting like the season is a trainwreck after this loss, which I don't get. We're still a top-5 team and will be well-positioned to succeed in the playoffs.

#1 or #2 gives us 3 home games if we keep winning. A win yesterday would have definitely helped our resume for those 2 postitions.

Now if Montana State loses.....Georgia Southern will lose....then we still could get a top 2 seed.

It is just that we had a lot to play for on saturday and we let it slip by.

1st round bye will be nice to have.....rest up some of the injuries.

[X-Factor]

NDSU has never done well against teams that run and pass well, basically a 50:50 offense. The 'guins rushed for 214 yds and passed for 237.

What really hurt us was the inability of the defense to stop them between the tackles. I have harped on this all season, but the Bison are soft in the middle. Perry is not a Gratzek talent wise, not yet anyway, and Drevlow/Juckem are not a Frick/Fairbairn, and Evans/Olson are never going to be a Mays. The best way to beat the Bison is to establish the inside run game, and everyone will attempt to do that from here on out.

Good point. It is tough having a few of our key defensive guys injured. Juckem just didn't look like starter status to me. I saw a few plays where he didn't even engage a lineman. Tough to get pressure dancing around like that. But of course, I have never played the position so I can arm-chair it all I want after 450+ yards! haha

[56BISON73]

YSU o-line KICKED our D-lines ass. They were bigger and stronger. They had OVER 150 yard more total offense. Still with even that if DJ doesnt fumble we tie and or win the game. We get the 1st down when it was 4th and one we win or tie it.

Fact is we have won a few games in the same manner. We cant continually expect the D to score points. The offense has to do it. We put up 24 points and still lost.

[yellowstreak]

in the 1st half our offense was off the field way too much. while YSU was slowly marching down the field, we were getting great kick returns and our offense was hitting the endzone fast. as much as our D was on the field, I don't know how we can expect them to play well.

why did Buddy Ryan punch Kevin Gilbride?

[CAS4127]

Just an observation--don't kill the observer--but what happened to ALL the depth most of u were jizzing over??!! I never saw it--and I am not seeing it??!!

[Fightin' Bison]

YSU . . . had OVER 150 yard more total offense.

I learned on Bisonville last week that this stat is irrelevant and it only matters what the final score is. Based on what I learned last week, YSU probably had more yards because our defense constantly gave us a short field, although I didn't see this game, but those guys sounded like they knew what they were talking about.

[thundarsdaddy]

First thing I have to say is I support the coaching staff, but the YSU game really showed a major deficiency!!
YSU runs a no-huddle offense, but theirs is very unique, in that the YSU sideline will tell the offense a signal as to what formation they need to set up in right after each play is over, as the players are lining up. Then the QB will look over our defense as he calls out signals, then he might snap the football. Seldom does he actually snap that ball though at this point, most times he would put his arms down and look to the sideline for signals from them, then turn and call out signals to his offense(probably calling the play at that point), then snaps the football.

The problem is, our Defense wasnt able to settle in and simply play defense, as they are so capable of doing! If you noticed(as our section of fans noticed) that the Bison players on defense would be looking at the sideline for THEIR signals from the coaches...CONSTANTLY!!
Including on many occasions their heads were still looking at the Bison sideline as the football was being snapped!!!
not just once or twice, or a "few" times, but throughout the first half!! The coaches were obviously playing a "cat'n'mouse" game by waiting as long as possible to NOT show the YSU offense what defense the Bison were going to run for that play!
Well after about 360+ total yards in the first half, our coaches finally realized that this strategy wasnt working!!!

YSU only had 17 points in the first half though, so that was a concession, but this practice made the Bison sideline look like a junior-high school squad!!

I realize that defending a no huddle offense isnt easy, but at some point you have to trust in your players on the field, and simply let them play!!
Coach Bohl summed it up nicely by saying.."we got out coached"!!!

Now as I said I support him and all the Coaches fully, but they better not let this happen again! Let the players on the field determine the outcome, by NOT over coaching!!!

[tony]

First thing I have to say is I support the coaching staff, but the YSU game really showed a major deficiency!!
YSU runs a no-huddle offense, but theirs is very unique, in that the YSU sideline will tell the offense a signal as to what formation they need to set up in right after each play is over, as the players are lining up. Then the QB will look over our defense as he calls out signals, then he might snap the football. Seldom does he actually snap that ball though at this point, most times he would put his arms down and look to the sideline for signals from them, then turn and call out signals to his offense(probably calling the play at that point), then snaps the football.

The problem is, our Defense wasnt able to settle in and simply play defense, as they are so capable of doing! If you noticed(as our section of fans noticed) that the Bison players on defense would be looking at the sideline for THEIR signals from the coaches...CONSTANTLY!!
Including on many occasions their heads were still looking at the Bison sideline as the football was being snapped!!!


Heh, back in the 1980's, it seemed that almost every play the offense was lining up while our defense was still in the huddle... used to drive me crazy.

The defense got better results in the second half so if the scheme didn't change, maybe poor execution in the first half was the problem. I can't remember the Penguin scoring drives in the second half but was the TD set up by a bomb where their WR pushed Dudzik to the ground for an obvious (but uncalled) offensive pass interference?

[CAS4127]

Heh, back in the 1980's, it seemed that almost every play the offense was lining up while our defense was still in the huddle... used to drive me crazy.

The defense got better results in the second half so if the scheme didn't change, maybe poor execution in the first half was the problem. I can't remember the Penguin scoring drives in the second half but was the TD set up by a bomb where their WR pushed Dudzick to the ground for an obvious (but uncalled) offensive pass interference?

First paragraph: I see what you did there.

Second paragraph: Yes, clearly an uncalled offensive interference penalty, although Dudzik's play has declined in the last 2-3 games IMO.

[tony]

First paragraph: I see what you did there.

Second paragraph: Yes, clearly an uncalled offensive interference penalty, although Dudzik's play has declined in the last 2-3 games IMO.

Hehe, I wasn't trying to be clever on that first thing. Honestly, it used to drive me crazy. Weird thing is that it never burned the Bison - you'd think that some team would have just quick-snapped the ball and run a QB sneak while NDSU was still getting in position, but it never happened... er, it might have happened in the '90s (can't remember the game but I think it was a southern team like Valdosta) and they ran the QB sneak multiple times and got about 8 yards a pop on it.

What kills me is that Dudzik was that he was in perfect position for an interception. I can't comment on the level of his play otherwise* but, on that play, he could not have possibly done better.

* KVLY did get a great shot of the play which they showed in the replay - so nice work on that! Despite the nice camera work, this might be the play I switched off the video because of Hammer and Timmerman - it was definitely a contributing factor.