Week 7 Cancellations

[formerfcfan]

BU's roster is 40. And they were definitely trying to get Whetstone or Ports. Notre Dame on the schedule, hard. So sticking to the schedule wasn't their plan from the get-go.

With other sports like girls' basketball, BU folks want the postseason preparation big time -- which is why you see BU scheduling in non-league big there. With football, it became apparent what side of the "to schedule, or not to schedule" debate BU landed on: keep the perfect season intact. Postseason demons have been really hard for BU to buck on the boys' side of sports. I talk to several in the community, including those with a close pulse on the team: there are folks who wanted to see Berne get an actual tune-up game before playoffs because they see what's likely to happen if their first 4-quarter war is against Trimble or any Region 27 blue-blood. There are also folks who just want the perfect season designation because they see that as the most-tangible accomplishment the junior-and-seniors are going to have in any of the three sports they play. It's just what happens when you have the inevitable matchup with Newark Catholic in literally every sport that has a postseason.

Knowing BU's coach, he was never afraid to schedule games that were likely losses. And that was with a league schedule 100x harder than what BU plays today, to boot. But, again, times are different. Too many people would have been screaming pissed, thinking that the perfect season was "taken away" by playing a playoff-preparation game that they don't see the forest-past-the-trees on. And there's basically not a whole lot coming up after this senior class graduates, either, so unfortunately it's not a situation where the train will keep rolling 2-3 years after the fact. If you win 2-3 games in the postseason, that still counts for a deep playoff run (not this play-in game -> 1-and-done crap.) Ideally that's the bigger boon to the program than the perfect season, since it kills the playoff demon.

[greygoose]

BU's roster is 40. And they were definitely trying to get Whetstone or Ports. Notre Dame on the schedule, hard. So sticking to the schedule wasn't their plan from the get-go.

With other sports like girls' basketball, BU folks want the postseason preparation big time -- which is why you see BU scheduling in non-league big there. With football, it became apparent what side of the "to schedule, or not to schedule" debate BU landed on: keep the perfect season intact. Postseason demons have been really hard for BU to buck on the boys' side of sports. I talk to several in the community, including those with a close pulse on the team: there are folks who wanted to see Berne get an actual tune-up game before playoffs because they see what's likely to happen if their first 4-quarter war is against Trimble or any Region 27 blue-blood. There are also folks who just want the perfect season designation because they see that as the most-tangible accomplishment the junior-and-seniors are going to have in any of the three sports they play. It's just what happens when you have the inevitable matchup with Newark Catholic in literally every sport that has a postseason.

Knowing BU's coach, he was never afraid to schedule games that were likely losses. And that was with a league schedule 100x harder than what BU plays today, to boot. But, again, times are different. Too many people would have been screaming pissed, thinking that the perfect season was "taken away" by playing a playoff-preparation game that they don't see the forest-past-the-trees on. And there's basically not a whole lot coming up after this senior class graduates, either, so unfortunately it's not a situation where the train will keep rolling 2-3 years after the fact. If you win 2-3 games in the postseason, that still counts for a deep playoff run (not this play-in game -> 1-and-done crap.) Ideally that's the bigger boon to the program than the perfect season, since it kills the playoff demon.

Good information, for me when I see a team literally run 18 plays with their starting offense in what I know is 2 of the 6 games that's just not good. There will come a time when penalties hurt and they have to overcome, not simply say oh well it's 1st and 25 we'll score on the next play. Because they have and they are this season, from the film I've seen they're a fun team to watch with that QB and RB especially and those kids look like they're really enjoying the game and they just get after it defensively. There's no one that can say those kids who put in all that work wanted a bye week or wouldn't welcome a challenge.

[Raider6309]

BU's roster is 40. And they were definitely trying to get Whetstone or Ports. Notre Dame on the schedule, hard. So sticking to the schedule wasn't their plan from the get-go.

With other sports like girls' basketball, BU folks want the postseason preparation big time -- which is why you see BU scheduling in non-league big there. With football, it became apparent what side of the "to schedule, or not to schedule" debate BU landed on: keep the perfect season intact. Postseason demons have been really hard for BU to buck on the boys' side of sports. I talk to several in the community, including those with a close pulse on the team: there are folks who wanted to see Berne get an actual tune-up game before playoffs because they see what's likely to happen if their first 4-quarter war is against Trimble or any Region 27 blue-blood. There are also folks who just want the perfect season designation because they see that as the most-tangible accomplishment the junior-and-seniors are going to have in any of the three sports they play. It's just what happens when you have the inevitable matchup with Newark Catholic in literally every sport that has a postseason.

Knowing BU's coach, he was never afraid to schedule games that were likely losses. And that was with a league schedule 100x harder than what BU plays today, to boot. But, again, times are different. Too many people would have been screaming pissed, thinking that the perfect season was "taken away" by playing a playoff-preparation game that they don't see the forest-past-the-trees on. And there's basically not a whole lot coming up after this senior class graduates, either, so unfortunately it's not a situation where the train will keep rolling 2-3 years after the fact. If you win 2-3 games in the postseason, that still counts for a deep playoff run (not this play-in game -> 1-and-done crap.) Ideally that's the bigger boon to the program than the perfect season, since it kills the playoff demon.

I mean Shadyside turned down a home game vs Trimble. No one in that region plays a tough schedule and probably best to get healthy for the playoffs in such a weird year.

[greygoose]

BU's roster is 40. And they were definitely trying to get Whetstone or Ports. Notre Dame on the schedule, hard. So sticking to the schedule wasn't their plan from the get-go.

With other sports like girls' basketball, BU folks want the postseason preparation big time -- which is why you see BU scheduling in non-league big there. With football, it became apparent what side of the "to schedule, or not to schedule" debate BU landed on: keep the perfect season intact. Postseason demons have been really hard for BU to buck on the boys' side of sports. I talk to several in the community, including those with a close pulse on the team: there are folks who wanted to see Berne get an actual tune-up game before playoffs because they see what's likely to happen if their first 4-quarter war is against Trimble or any Region 27 blue-blood. There are also folks who just want the perfect season designation because they see that as the most-tangible accomplishment the junior-and-seniors are going to have in any of the three sports they play. It's just what happens when you have the inevitable matchup with Newark Catholic in literally every sport that has a postseason.

Knowing BU's coach, he was never afraid to schedule games that were likely losses. And that was with a league schedule 100x harder than what BU plays today, to boot. But, again, times are different. Too many people would have been screaming pissed, thinking that the perfect season was "taken away" by playing a playoff-preparation game that they don't see the forest-past-the-trees on. And there's basically not a whole lot coming up after this senior class graduates, either, so unfortunately it's not a situation where the train will keep rolling 2-3 years after the fact. If you win 2-3 games in the postseason, that still counts for a deep playoff run (not this play-in game -> 1-and-done crap.) Ideally that's the bigger boon to the program than the perfect season, since it kills the playoff demon.

I mean Shadyside turned down a home game vs Trimble. No one in that region plays a tough schedule and probably best to get healthy for the playoffs in such a weird year.

That it is, Shadyside also beaten a 5-1 Barnesille, 4-2 WCC, and face off against currently undefeated Bellaire team next week. With any luck we'll see a little more normalcy next year and it won't be this week by week status for so many. It has definitely eased up but the beginning of the season was crazy, just like tonight with Gallia losing to CG, Gallia hasn't played in 3 weeks tough and what did we see Southeastern canceled for the next 2 weeks as well.

[formerfcfan]

...There will come a time when penalties hurt and they have to overcome, not simply say oh well it's 1st and 25 we'll score on the next play...

As someone who is familiar with a lot of the kids on their team: I can tell you in the mix of the stars and the quality players -- who do their jobs but get less of the obvious love -- there are some really down-to-earth and measured kids that keep their head down, but there is also a handful of kids who have horrid attitude problems. In other sports (trying to keep it vague), I've watched this group of kids self-destruct before my eyes on the big stage when they face adversity because the 'alpha' mentality types that try to jaw off to their opponents when things are going well immediately come back around to their teammates when things get tough. Throwing their guys under the bus, playing the 'blame game', acting out in front of the game-officials, seen it all with some of the kids. And it's cost them.

So what happens when they play a team that has dogs who'll bark at them with the bite to match? In football? Hell, I'll guess we'll find out week 12. I can tell you that the Cardinal isn't a league chock-full of competition where you can really hold your bad apples accountable when the birds you're playing are already clucked by the 10:00 mark of the 2Q. No real lessons to be learned from those games! No real lesson, either, there, playing the BYE.