Idaho State

[dragon]

Next up is Idaho State. They are 0-2 with losses to FBS San Diego State and Utah State. Will we play well on the road or lay an egg and blame it on higher elevation?

[BCPanther]

They're one of the worst scholarship FCS programs. We'll start getting the ship righted.

Seven wins and a playoff berth is absolutely still in play. It's not like we got beat by a bad team yesterday regardless of how frustrating it was.

[English77]

Certainly agree with BC. There is time to salvage the season. But likelihood is a very different thing.

I have a minor question (in the grand scheme of things), but would football experts weigh in on this? Multiple times yesterday when Weber State punted, our punt receiver watched the ball drop in front of him and then bounce forward another 15-20 yards, while he, the rest of the team, and fans watched in frustration. Late in the game, when the punt receiver apparently thought, “enough of this,” he tried to field the bouncing punt and, of course, it was too hot to handle. Huge turnover. Why doesn’t our punt receiver run forward, signal a fair catch, catch it, and be done with it?

And, no, we won’t ever have “full houses” at the Dome again unless locals realize something special is brewing that makes us relevant nationally. Others have more than adequately explained why that won’t happen with the current leadership. It was just *tough* sitting in the stands yesterday, and few besides the Ever-Loyals are likely to do so going forward.

[FOTY]

I have a minor question (in the grand scheme of things), but would football experts weigh in on this? Multiple times yesterday when Weber State punted, our punt receiver watched the ball drop in front of him and then bounce forward another 15-20 yards, while he, the rest of the team, and fans watched in frustration. Late in the game, when the punt receiver apparently thought, “enough of this,” he tried to field the bouncing punt and, of course, it was too hot to handle. Huge turnover. Why doesn’t our punt receiver run forward, signal a fair catch, catch it, and be done with it?

Great question! We were asking the same question. It’s as if our intent is to never return a punt or are afraid to attempt to catch a punt. I’m sure the lack of a special teams coach is partly to blame.

[BrockLesnar]

Fifty point loss to the Aggies. Absolute must win.

[havok58]

Idaho state threw two pick sixes and a fumble that led to a TD. That allowed Utah State to score 20 points in just over one minute. Idaho State has managed to score 28 points in each game, something UNI has failed to do in even one game. I wouldn’t count this game as a sure thing for the Panthers.

[Neighbor]

I have a minor question (in the grand scheme of things), but would football experts weigh in on this? Multiple times yesterday when Weber State punted, our punt receiver watched the ball drop in front of him and then bounce forward another 15-20 yards, while he, the rest of the team, and fans watched in frustration. Late in the game, when the punt receiver apparently thought, “enough of this,” he tried to field the bouncing punt and, of course, it was too hot to handle. Huge turnover. Why doesn’t our punt receiver run forward, signal a fair catch, catch it, and be done with it?.

I am far from a football expert.

We aren't ignoring your question. The practice of not fair catching the punt is baffling to us all.

[BCPanther]

I am far from a football expert.

We aren't ignoring your question. The practice of not fair catching the punt is baffling to us all.

For some reason the world has decided you can't put two guys back which I'll never understand. We never set up a return so why not drop two guys so that the ball gets caught and there isn't a chance for a roll. Nobody does it so I'm sure there's a reason but I've never had a coach be able to truly explain that to me.

['70 Grad]

I am not an expert, so be forewarned....

Looked like they had a "sidewinder" punter - directional & funny bounce. The Australian thing. The one we fielded was trouble.
Yes, they got a lot of net yards on the others, but no turnovers.

[UNIAlum95]

There's a coach on the sideline positioning Schnee on punt returns. I noticed that in Ames Schnee was backing up and the coach came running down and pulled him up another 10-15 yards. ISU's punter proceeded to punt it a mile over his head. I don't fault Sam on the one that he fumbled. The ball was rolling right to him and instinct just took over. He needs to be better positioned to field those and that is on the coaches. Otherwise just put everyone up at the line and go after it. The tale of UNI in finding new ways to dig yourself into a hole.

[English77]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. ‘70 Grad, is it fair to say that a punt receiver should *not* try to catch a sidewinder’s kicks on the fly? Are his chances of fumbling a fair catch too great? Or is he not likely even to be able to get to the ball before it hits the ground?

[BrockLesnar]

We haven't figured out how to block for pass protection upfront or run blocking. So, to be perfect we can't set up for kickoff or punt returns either. Hence, we're not going to the playoffs at 6-5.

[pnthr53]

Had to be 2-1 out of first 3 games....didn't happen.

[DomeIsHome]

Just win baby

...idk, it's been a busy morning

[BCPanther]

Gotta get it done.