Lumberjacks76
September 7th, 2005, 12:30 AM
I have several suggestions which I believe will prove
helpful against Arizona. Having watched Montana State
stay close against Oklahoma State (as well as NAU's
strong performance last year against the UofA), I
believe that the following suggestions could give the
Wildcats a tough game (even a loss):
Jason Fyda, the Oregon State transfer, is big enough
to block effectively against the bigger Arizona
defensive line. Running the ball to the right side
(Fyda's side) will gain 4-5 yards per carry under the
right circumstances. I would run "Speedy" Anthony and
Ryan Williams on the right side, while using Philo
Sanchez on the left. Carries up the middle will not
gain very much against the UofA.
UofA has a tough, physical defense. The only way to
defeat such a defense is to use their physical nature
against them. What I mean by that is to let their own
over aggressiveness over-run plays. They will miss a
lot of tackles going for the bigger hits. UofA plays
soft in the middle. They can be exploited in the
secondary on 15-20 yard passes.
On a couple of trick plays, use Lance Kriesien on
offense. He has tremendous speed for a quarterback.
Cycle Kriesien and Jason for a few plays down near the
goal line. Jason threw a couple of bad interceptions
and Kriesien's speed would really help turn a
potential 4th down into a touchdown.
Kawon Walker, Alex Watson, Simirone Wade and Kory Mahr
are all excellent wide receivers. Wade should get some
great catches against the UofA secondary. Obviously,
using Mahr in the red zone is crucial to NAU's
success.
NAU cannot rush for 188 yards against Arizona, but
they can halve that amount if they use running backs
wisely. A good goal for NAU is to rush for 100 yards
total against the UofA. For passing, a goal of 250
yards would be a great measure of success in future
Big Sky Conference games.
Jason seems to still be forcing some of his throws. He
needs to just be patient and let the offense come to
him. He is a Division I-A talent playing at the
Division I-AA level. He has all the tools and the
ability to led NAU to not only a Big Sky Title but a
National Title as well.
Arizona will blitz often. Pick up the blitz by using a
second RB to protect the quarterback. If running the
offense from the shotgun formation, use screens and
draws to keep the UofA blitzers off of Jason.
On defense, NAU will not hold Arizona to anything less
than 21 points. UofA is much improved this season on
offense, and Kovalcheck is a good college quarterback.
My concern is Bell. Bell has the breakaway game speed
to really frustrate an opponent. I saw him get 7, 8, 9
yards a carry on some plays against Utah. To limit his
effectiveness, use a 4-2-5 or a "46" bear defense with
an extra down lineman. Employ a 5-2 on all rushing
situations inside the 20 yard line.
Kovalcheck makes the mistake of often overthrowing his
receivers. K.J. Gerard and others can intercept his
passes by playing the receivers tight in the secondary
and drawing the secondary in towards the middle of the
field. Funnel UofA's plays to the outside at all
times. Keep them near the sidelines to prevent long
plays.
If NAU loses by a score of 45-10 or something worse,
that does not mean they cannot compete for a Division
I-AA playoff berth. Oregon State blasted NAU 45-10 one
year when NAU made the playoffs, so it is not an
indication of how good or bad NAU is. Same goes for
21-3 last year. I thought NAU would really be good
after that showing in Tucson, but they stumbled to
4-7. The only true indicators are the plus/minus
turnover ratio, yards given up, yards gained and
penalties. Time of possession only matters if it is a
big difference.
It is possible for NAU to defeat Arizona, but they
must believe they can for it to happen first.
Defeating Tulsa 18 years ago was a good start, and I
think NAU can continue to schedule and remain
competitive against Division I-A competition for the
foreseeable future.
I will be donating more money to NAU football as times
goes on. I'd love to see this program compete for a
National Title on a regular basis. I am very proud of
what the program as a whole has accomplished in just
the 10 years since I started college in 1995 (I
graduated in 2002). 4 playoff berths and a playoff
victory in 10 years is something to really cherish and
be very proud of.
Good luck against Arizona. As a fan of both Arizona
State and NAU, I look forward to the UofA losing in
this one. Go Jacks! :)
Paul
helpful against Arizona. Having watched Montana State
stay close against Oklahoma State (as well as NAU's
strong performance last year against the UofA), I
believe that the following suggestions could give the
Wildcats a tough game (even a loss):
Jason Fyda, the Oregon State transfer, is big enough
to block effectively against the bigger Arizona
defensive line. Running the ball to the right side
(Fyda's side) will gain 4-5 yards per carry under the
right circumstances. I would run "Speedy" Anthony and
Ryan Williams on the right side, while using Philo
Sanchez on the left. Carries up the middle will not
gain very much against the UofA.
UofA has a tough, physical defense. The only way to
defeat such a defense is to use their physical nature
against them. What I mean by that is to let their own
over aggressiveness over-run plays. They will miss a
lot of tackles going for the bigger hits. UofA plays
soft in the middle. They can be exploited in the
secondary on 15-20 yard passes.
On a couple of trick plays, use Lance Kriesien on
offense. He has tremendous speed for a quarterback.
Cycle Kriesien and Jason for a few plays down near the
goal line. Jason threw a couple of bad interceptions
and Kriesien's speed would really help turn a
potential 4th down into a touchdown.
Kawon Walker, Alex Watson, Simirone Wade and Kory Mahr
are all excellent wide receivers. Wade should get some
great catches against the UofA secondary. Obviously,
using Mahr in the red zone is crucial to NAU's
success.
NAU cannot rush for 188 yards against Arizona, but
they can halve that amount if they use running backs
wisely. A good goal for NAU is to rush for 100 yards
total against the UofA. For passing, a goal of 250
yards would be a great measure of success in future
Big Sky Conference games.
Jason seems to still be forcing some of his throws. He
needs to just be patient and let the offense come to
him. He is a Division I-A talent playing at the
Division I-AA level. He has all the tools and the
ability to led NAU to not only a Big Sky Title but a
National Title as well.
Arizona will blitz often. Pick up the blitz by using a
second RB to protect the quarterback. If running the
offense from the shotgun formation, use screens and
draws to keep the UofA blitzers off of Jason.
On defense, NAU will not hold Arizona to anything less
than 21 points. UofA is much improved this season on
offense, and Kovalcheck is a good college quarterback.
My concern is Bell. Bell has the breakaway game speed
to really frustrate an opponent. I saw him get 7, 8, 9
yards a carry on some plays against Utah. To limit his
effectiveness, use a 4-2-5 or a "46" bear defense with
an extra down lineman. Employ a 5-2 on all rushing
situations inside the 20 yard line.
Kovalcheck makes the mistake of often overthrowing his
receivers. K.J. Gerard and others can intercept his
passes by playing the receivers tight in the secondary
and drawing the secondary in towards the middle of the
field. Funnel UofA's plays to the outside at all
times. Keep them near the sidelines to prevent long
plays.
If NAU loses by a score of 45-10 or something worse,
that does not mean they cannot compete for a Division
I-AA playoff berth. Oregon State blasted NAU 45-10 one
year when NAU made the playoffs, so it is not an
indication of how good or bad NAU is. Same goes for
21-3 last year. I thought NAU would really be good
after that showing in Tucson, but they stumbled to
4-7. The only true indicators are the plus/minus
turnover ratio, yards given up, yards gained and
penalties. Time of possession only matters if it is a
big difference.
It is possible for NAU to defeat Arizona, but they
must believe they can for it to happen first.
Defeating Tulsa 18 years ago was a good start, and I
think NAU can continue to schedule and remain
competitive against Division I-A competition for the
foreseeable future.
I will be donating more money to NAU football as times
goes on. I'd love to see this program compete for a
National Title on a regular basis. I am very proud of
what the program as a whole has accomplished in just
the 10 years since I started college in 1995 (I
graduated in 2002). 4 playoff berths and a playoff
victory in 10 years is something to really cherish and
be very proud of.
Good luck against Arizona. As a fan of both Arizona
State and NAU, I look forward to the UofA losing in
this one. Go Jacks! :)
Paul