Looking Ahead

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 12:50 pm

Since this board is basically dead after Saturday's win (though I have no idea why), I thought I would post my thoughts on the rest of the season games, hypothetically speaking. I am going to guess at what ranking we will have each week.

1ST up, we travel to NAU.
(20)MSU @ NAU
- I think we are very capable of beating this NAU team. They have played tough against tough teams, and their only conference loss was to red-hot EWU. The key here will be able to contain their aerial assault, and not get behind early. If we get pressure on Murietta, I think we can walk out of NAU with a W, but it will be a close contest.
MSU 24 NAU 21

2ND, we travel to CSUS.
(18)MSU @ CSUS
- This should be our "easiest" contest left for the year, as we travel to Sac St to battle a struggling Hornet team. They big stat I have noticed is their starting QB has been sacked an amazing 28 times. And I am confident we can get 4-6 more against a suspect offensive line. Bobcats should walk away pretty easily from this one, our only convincing win of the season.
MSU 31 CSUS 14

3RD, our final home game vs EWU.
(20)EWU @ (16)MSU
- EWU should have only 2 tough contests left. They face presumably undefeated Cal Poly (wow they continue to win), and that will be a huge game for the Eagles, and they face the Cats in Bozeman. I think EWU will lose to Cal Poly, then come into Bozeman a little frazzled. This contest pits two pass happy offenses against each other, and whichever defense shows up wins the day. We snuffed the #6 passing team in the nation, ISU, and I think we can do it again.
EWU 22 MSU 27

Finally, the big showdown is HUGE once again.
(12)MSU @ (4)Montana
- I see no reason that the Griz can't go undefeated in conference, just as I predicted we can. Thus the final showdown pits the only two undefeated teams in the BSC against on another. Assuming we stopped EWU's passing attack, we should be able to contain the Griz as well. The Griz defense has improved, but is still one of 1AA bottom feeders in pass defense. As the Cats become more and more pass heavy (Lulay is currently(as of 10/23) 3rd in yards behind Hetherington and Meyer), I think we can deal some damage to a still suspect Griz defense. We fall behind, but come back in dramatic fashion to win on a cold, cold day in Missoula.
MSU 21 UM 17

Montana falls 2 spots in the poll and we move up 3, so the Griz are #6 and we finish #9. We win the autobid, and the Griz get in with their ranking. We get one homegame, and that is as far as my predictions will go.

Wishful thinking? Definately. Possible? You bet.

Keys to winning out in the Sky. DL continues to force bad plays by opposing QBs. Fuller has to step up big. I thought he did much better against a capable SDSU team, but EWU, NAU, and UM receivers are much better. Domineck needs to hold onto the ball (see my thread on Domineck). But as stated before, we stopped a very good passing team in ISU. And the only reason PSU ripped our secondary apart is we simply got nowhere near their QB once the whole day. We have a good chance, but we could lose at NAU, UM, and lose at home to EWU. But this team has too much confidence and heart, and never consider themselves out of a game until the final whistle blows.

Bigtime75 · Post by **Bigtime75** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:03 pm

You obviously have a much more optimistic outlook than I do. While I concede that it is possible that we win the next 3 games prior to the Brawl, I also believe that if we continue playing as we are right now it is probable that we will lose 3 out of 4 to close the season.

Anyone who thinks that our current level of play will cut it against EWU is nuts. While we have been squeaking by the softest part of our schedule, EWU has been absolutely destroying the rest of the Big Sky (with the exception of Montana). IF we play @ all like we have been playing up to this point, Eastern will beat us by 3 touchdowns. You can counter with- if Montana can beat them why not us?-First of all, despite Travis' performance this week, our offense has not yet proved it will be able to score enough points to keep up with Eastern. Montana beat them by keeping their D off balance with the run (Fact:Lex Hilliard is/will be the best running back in the Big Sky. He is a man among boys. WHY DIDN'T WE RECRUIT THIS GUY A LITTLE HARDER!). Our running game, while steady, has yet to show it can take over a game. Until that point, we will be hard pressed to put up enough points to keep up with an Eastern.

I think that this team is definitely capable of stepping up, but right now we are nowhere near where we need to be to beat Eastern or the Friz. We need improvement in both execution and strategy, hopefully Krames and Bailey (God Help US!!!) and the players step it up or our playoff chances will be slim to none come december.

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 3:13 pm

Keep in mind we held the #3 passing offense in the nation to 13 points. They also averaged only 50 yards a game less total offense than the Eagles. Hetherington has the most yards of any QB in the Sky, while Lulay has the third most. I am not going to say this is going to be an easy contest, not by any means. It will be the toughest of the year so far. Not only do we have to worry about the pass, but Washington is having a great year as well. But I know we are capable of snuffing out any offense, we have a great D coordinator and a talent group of DL and LBs. My main concern is, what you said, putting up points. We HAVE to keep our defense off the field. If we get behind like we have this season, we won't see a great comeback. We have to control the clock.

MSU01 · Post by **MSU01** » Sun Oct 24, 2004 4:59 pm

I love the optimism, but if we go 4-0 the last four weeks I'll show up to our home playoff game in a pink dress...it will likely be worn under 4 or 5 layers of winter clothing but I will have the dress on!

I think 3-1 is a definite possibility if the team continues to improve, but you have to think they'll lose one somewhere in there. We aren't going to blow out NAU, EWU, or UM and this streak of last second/come from behind wins can't continue forever....or can it?

suckitgriz · Post by **suckitgriz** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:43 am

CelticCat, apparently, besides myself, you are the only true Cat fan on this thread. My God- what a bunch of retards- you guys are the ones who pull this program down by focusing on all of the negatives instead of looking at the good things and points of the game that we are improving on every week. Our offense is gaining strength every week and our young secondary has come on and played decent in most situations. Of course they are going to make mistakes- they are young and new to college football. We have a QB that refuses to lose and the best D-Line in the nation-as far as i am concerned. I have an idea, why don't you bunch of winers stay home and cheer on the jizz who you think are Gods gift to the BSC- I do not want to hear this sh** from True Cat Fans- pull your heads out!

Eastcoastgriz · Post by **Eastcoastgriz** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:04 am

suckitgriz wrote:CelticCat, apparently, besides myself, you are the only true Cat fan on this thread. My God- what a bunch of retards- you guys are the ones who pull this program down by focusing on all of the negatives instead of looking at the good things and points of the game that we are improving on every week. Our offense is gaining strength every week and our young secondary has come on and played decent in most situations. Of course they are going to make mistakes- they are young and new to college football. We have a QB that refuses to lose and the best D-Line in the nation-as far as i am concerned. I have an idea, why don't you bunch of winers stay home and cheer on the jizz who you think are Gods gift to the BSC- I do not want to hear this sh** from True Cat Fans- pull your heads out!

Nothing wrong in being realistic when discussing your team. You are probable the only personal in all of cat nation that thinks you have the best d line in all of football. The stats don't back up your belief. I fully hope the Griz win their remaining 4 games. Is this possible? ABSOLUTELY. Is it realistic? Maybe not. GO GRIZ. By far the best team in the Sky.

Cat-theotherwhitemeat · Post by **Cat-theotherwhitemeat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:05 am

MSU01 wrote:I love the optimism, but if we go 4-0 the last four weeks I'll show up to our home playoff game in a pink dress...

How about 3-0 going into the Brawl...would you show up in Missoula wearing it?

Robcat · Post by **Robcat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:07 am

I agree with "Suck", why dwell on the negative. I saw a lot of talent this weekend, and a team that has the ability and the heart to be BSC champs once again. This team plays with a lot of heart, is cool under fire and are winners. We could spend all day picking apart the details of the mistakes made this last weekend and the prior weeks, but the bottom line is this team finds a way to win. The Red Head is a leader and the team will rally behind him. The coach for SDSU said he is excited about becoming a part of the Big Sky, but not until Lulay is gone. That says it all!!!

Have we made a lot of mistakes this season, yes, but week by week I see corrections. I predict this next week you will not see as many personal fouls, that alone will win the NAU game. Lets all show up for the EWU game and be so loud that we will not able to hear ourselves think. The CATS are the best team in the BSC. GO CATS.

CARDIAC_CATS · Post by **CARDIAC_CATS** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:35 am

I noticed a lot of smack coming from EGRIZ this week on the Bobcats. Lots of Cat Envy. That should be SURE proof that they know this team is growing and getting better every week. All they have to do is look at the box score and they can see our offense pushing closer to the 500 yards a game threshold. And yes, our front 7 is hands down the best DL in the Big Sky for 4 QUARTERS! Portland State I'd give an honorable mention too, but thaat is only for 2.5 quarters, they aren't in shape like our guys are.

Believe me, when the CATS play the Griz coming up. THey all know that this could be there last game of the year if they don't win it. Everything will be on the line and they will play their GUTS out. Our DL/OL are as good or better than the last 2 years and we have more weapons on offense to spread the ball around. The Griz better be ready for a LARGE dose of WOLF over the middle ... he'll be eating their DB's for lunch when they try and tackle him. Who needs Walden? When you have a WOLF!

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:49 am

I will say this, this year's offense is one of the best I've seen in recent years, and I'm only including the last 3 games. I think the passing game has come around nicely, and if we can get the running game up to par, then I think we will have one of the best offenses I can remember for the Cats. Domineck will come around, just like every player on the team. He missed a game, and the first game or two he played, he was kind of shuffled in and out with Milton. So in game experience, he is a few games behind the other new guys, such as Gatewood, Guinn, etc. Once Domineck becomes the stable workhouse RB I know he can be, I see no reason why we can't win the Sky. I won't say we'll win out the rest of the games, but I definately don't see us losing more than 2, worst case scenario.

MSU01 · Post by **MSU01** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:29 pm

Cat-theotherwhitemeat wrote:
MSU01 wrote:I love the optimism, but if we go 4-0 the last four weeks I'll show up to our home playoff game in a pink dress...
How about 3-0 going into the Brawl...would you show up in Missoula wearing it?

Nah...GGG has already outdone me with his homecoming gown

By the way, if being a "true fan" means predicting a win every single week, then I don't want to be a true fan. Should a true fan also predict a lopsided victory over Oklahoma State next year? I hope they prove me wrong, but 4-0 the next 4 weeks seems highly unlikely from my point of view.

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:44 pm

MSU01 wrote: I hope they prove me wrong, but 4-0 the next 4 weeks seems highly unlikely from my point of view.

After our lackluster start, 5-2 seemed highly unlikey too, sir. =]

94VegasCat · Post by **94VegasCat** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:17 pm

If history repeats itself, then people better lookout for the CATS. Kramers teams are consistently slow starters. If this year has been a slow starter, then I am overflowing with enthusiasm for the next four weeks.

I am gonna be at the NAU game, hoping to maybe drive home for the EWU game, and fly into msla for THE GAME.

I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED I CAN HARDLY SLEEP AT NIGHT

El_Gato · Post by **El_Gato** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:25 pm

I'm sorry, but speaking your mind doesn't make you less of a Bobcat, even if you feel the Cats are going to lose a game or 2. I know I was the same Bobcat during the 0-11 season as I am now or have been the last 20+ years.

Being able to ANALYZE a matchup or a game does not mean you're not always pulling for your team.

Of course we all want the Cats to go 4 and 0 the rest of the way & roll into a couple of home playoff games with HUGE momentum; and I know I speak for all Cat fans when I say we will all be rooting for them to do so. But OBJECTIVELY analyzing the games, I find it hard to believe that many informed fans would pick us to do so.

If we play to our potential, I'd say the odds are good for a sweep. But to this point in the season, although our record is good, I don't think we've achieved better than maybe 75% of our that potential. I am hopeful that the coaches & players will find a way to get that closer to 100%; if so, we are the 3 time Big Sky Champions, with 3 straight over the Griz, and with an 8 game winning streak rolling into the postseason!

GO CATS!!!

suckitgriz · Post by **suckitgriz** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:15 am

That's more like it! Why not us- that is all I ask you. Even if you do "analyze" the games and upcoming opponents, you can still put us on the list to win 4 straight. That is fine if you think we are going to lose, but I, on-the-other-hand, do not. I may be wrong, but keep that garbage to yourself and get behind the CATS! You seem like a smart enough guy- so act like it.