We are seeing a team grow up

[homer]

I went to the game Saturday. It started off horribly. First play, lost fumble on our own 20. Suddenly find ourselves down 13-0 after a Towson RB runs a mile for anTD after everyone in the stadium thought he was down.

Never did I see a sign of panic on the sidelines. Never did I See Skrosky lose his cool.

And they fought back. Offense, defense and special teams all fought back.

This group has resilience. And as they continue to mature, they're gonna be darn good.

CC never gets flustered, even when a soaked ball slides out of his hands - twice. The receivers are getting open and hanging on to the ball. (I know there were a couple drops, but I'll give credit for that to the rain.) We even got a hint of a running game going.

And the D is the D. Strong.

These next four games are brutal. But these guys will compete. Just watch.

[elon78]

I agree homer! I was there as well till the soggy end and loved the fight in this team. The offense started going vertical for a change which I think opened up the run a bit. CC is a baller who is going to get better as experience and talent around him grows. Gentry ran hard on the TD and Tarek made a great catch for the first TD. The D was dominate after the first quarter and came up big on critical 4th downs. I have to say I have never sat through a worse weather game and the officiating crew made it longer by going to replays often and taking their sweet time. But it was all worth it to see the jubilation of the team and the staff once the game was declared over. A great victory for the team and staff! Lets go for two CAA wins in a row at NH.

[Deleted]

I was there till the final rain soaked play as well. I've never been happier to endure such waterlogged conditions. Happy to see so many offensive players step up: Connor, Tareak, Malcolm, Gentry, Tre, Doug, etc, etc. that's exactly what we've been needing. The defense was massive. Mitchell and Silas are a fearsome pair. The D line is also a force to be reckoned with and our secondary was there every time we needed them. Enormous effort by the entire team.

[fc4life]

Great to get a win and see the kids happy.

The D was outstanding overall. The game ball should go to the whole unit.

We have a LONG way to go on offense. We have to get better. Our run game is really not cutting it Our receivers need to catch the ball. So many drops this year

We are about to face a brutal three game stretch. Gotta clean up the mistakes.

[KeeptheFaith]

Great win! D was awesome and the offense hung in. They could have packed it in midway thru the first quarter. The guys deserve a great amount of credit battling through the early adversity.

As critical as I have been about our coaching and play calling, the Towson staff should be arrested for impersonating football coaches. Who in the world goes for it on 4th down, 9 times?? WTF!! Good for us!!!

Need to clean a number of things up on offense. if the D and special teams continue to deliver it is going to be an interesting year. Our special teams has been a bit underrated. They have been really really good this year.

Question for the group....

When Daniel Thompson is ready to play, do you play him? How soon?

Also, I dont get the platoon at center especially in a driving rain yesterday....

On to New Hampshire!!

[Deleted]

On the DT issue, I personally think you stick with CC and try to get the redshirt for DT. Regardless of how it happened, DT has a serious condition that could be aggravated by a hard hit. In addition, I think the similarity between the two with the added dimension of the read option with CC allows the coaching staff to not rush to get DT back. IMO you don't play DT again unless there's a serious injury to CC.

[Deleted]

Sept 27, 2015 16:28:19 GMT -5 fc4life said:

Great to get a win and see the kids happy.

The D was outstanding overall. The game ball should go to the whole unit.

We have a LONG way to go on offense. We have to get better. Our run game is really not cutting it Our receivers need to catch the ball. So many drops this year

We are about to face a brutal three game stretch. Gotta clean up the mistakes.

Regarding the run game, I think yesterday had the making of a turning point. Unfortunately Malcom got his bell rung and couldn't return after a pretty impressive number of plays. Gentry also did a pretty good job in his newfound role. So, right now I'm optimistic with regard to the running game.

[elonpride]

Towson was also #33 in the AGS poll.

Nice comeback win, and I can't wait until the offense kicks it into gear!

[Simpson]

When Daniel Thompson is ready to play, do you play him?

Curious on your thoughts Homer.

[homer]

Since you asked...

I would tend to agree with Fightin. Messing with a brain issue scares me, regardless of what doctors might say. Do they know the cause of the fluid on his brain? I'd much rather be safe than sorry. He can get his redshirt back, no problem. But stick him in there again and it's lost this year.

On the other hand, if it had been a normal short-term injury, I would say give him another shot. If they were 50-50 before WF, nothing in that game showed me DT should have lost enough to make it 70-30 for CC.

I will also say this, though. The offense has improved each week. Not a pick thrown through four games. When was the last time that happened at Elon? They established an embryonic running game against Towson, and I think it was in large part because Towson focused on containing CC. DT does not present the running threat, and that would be a major step backwards. Each game has seen passing numbers increase, and when you can increase them in Saturday's weather, you're doing well.

It seems there is a rhythm that is beginning to be formed. I'd hate like heck to set that back even a little bit. Especially with these brutal four games coming up. We need all cylinders firing - or as many as can fire.

So, if I were the coach, I'd stick with CC 100% for the reasons listed. But... I can understand bringing DT back into the mix because he did nothing to lose that spot.

How's that for a long non-answer?

Wait, one final thought. It was clear to me that there is something special between DT and CC. The way they interacted during the game was a treat to see. I have no idea what was said between them, but clearly they like each other. And, to DT's immeasurable credit, he seemed to be working with CC to help him. That alone says a LOT about DT. We are blessed, I think, to have them both. I know Skrosky says that a lot, but I saw a little of that with my own eyes Saturday.

[homer]

I would be interested to hear from Fightin about the sense he got on the sideline. What did he feel, see and hear? Anything to think the offense needs significant adjustment?

[Deleted]

My seats are nowhere near the sideline, Whoa was the one with sideline passes, but since you asked, I think I can see what Skrosky is trying to do and I pretty much agree with him. This is a long drawn out answer, but here goes: Lembo was nothing short of genius in his ability to assess his manpower and develop a scheme that would allow a team to thrive early on. He did this with Elon and also with Ball State. The great thing about this strategy is that you look like a genius in the first few years of your tenure and it helps you get another job at the next level quickly. The not so great thing about it is that unless you are as adroit at recruiting and at gaining respect from your coaches and players as you are making an initial assessment, the cupboard can become a little bare as the seasons go by. This is also what you saw at Elon and Ball State. I think Skrosky will be a little better than Lembo at keeping a staff together and replacing staff as they leave. I think Skrosky will garner a bit more respect from the players than Lembo. I have heard that Lembo was quite high strung and may have burned some bridges over the years. Therefore, I think Rich will be more successful than Pete in recruiting and building a program for the longer term future.

As for Skrosky, he has said from day one that he loves Elon, he loves central North Carolina and he plans on staying at Elon for the long haul. Rich is in his mid 50's and is making good money here. His wife is a professional and also commands a good income and they have no kids. In addition I think Suzanne has family somewhere in the general area, maybe southern Virginia. Therefore, I don't believe money or advancement are primary concerns. I think Rich is building a program for the long haul. My guess is that he has already discussed his strategy with Blank and Lambert and they have probably given him a "no cut" contract.

So, while we bellyache about why he's not playing more experienced guys and running more complex plays, Rich is methodically putting players and a system in place to compete for a conference championship for the 2017 season and beyond.

So, do I think the offense needs any "significant" adjustment? No, not really. I think our run blocking needs to improve. I think a couple of our running backs need to work on their balance and technique. I'd like to see a couple of our receivers watch the ball into their hands a bit better. And, yes sometimes I scratch my head at play calls, but I do not think the offense needs any "significant" adjustment. It looks to me like Skrosky's got a good plan and is working it well.

[fc97]

Fightinchristian, I lurk here a lot but think this is one of the best posts ever. Your assessment of Lembo is on the money, couple that by following up with Swepson and gosh, the state of the program was terrible.

I think your right on Skorsky, I think he knows tho year is another wash, he's aiming for 2017. He's aiming for long term success.

Its like any company. A private company really answers to know one ad can invest how they see fit. A public company faces tons of open scrutiny for everything....the same as a program. Fans want results now, like shareholders, and don't have the patience to wait a few quarters For returns.

[elonpride]

Well, I said I had a "good feeling about this weekend."

fightinchristian, your post is well stated, and I retract my harsh post from a couple weeks ago. Patience is a virtue, and I just haven't had much of it after Swepson.

I'm anxious to see how well the team responds on the road, versus a top 25 team.

[elonfirefighter]

Sept 28, 2015 7:00:20 GMT -5 elonpride said:

I'm anxious to see how well the team responds on the road, versus a top 25 team.

I think Towson was receiving votes in the AGS poll. Not a top 25 but not a cupcake (Rhode Island)