Villanova

Back-to-back PL champs 2016 and 2017.... but need to get back to relevance in the national FCS scene.
LUFAN
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Re: Villanova

Post by LUFAN » Wed Sep 01, 2021 8:31 am

Go Lehigh TU Owl wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 8:14 am Lehigh OL 293 vs Villanova DL 283
Villanova OL 317 vs Lehigh 253

'Nova should be able to pound Lehigh's defense into submission. Their QB is a really good athlete who will give the Lehigh "D" fits all afternoon. The more I think about this game the more I'm starting to believe a 51-10 type prediction might be closer to reality.

I honestly can't wait to see what type of team Gilmore puts on the field. This is Gilmore's 3rd year, Brisson's 8th year and Kashurba's 4th year on the staff. Time to show improvement.....
I would imagine Lehigh holds up better than 51-10 but who knows. Nova OL with a QB who moves well and a solid RB will be a challenge. Lehigh O continues to utilize less shifty/athletic players with an OL that seems unable to move people. Have to stop trying to play big and try playing fast. OC simply doesn’t understand the difference between game day and a controlled practice environment. Lehigh skill people have to make people miss…cannot hit the ground after first contact if they are to sustain drives.


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Re: Villanova

Post by LUopa » Wed Sep 01, 2021 9:38 am

Boy are you guys tough on this staff! 51 points? D-3 status? What's going to happen to Colgate at BC and Rams at Neb this weekend. I'm considering cancelling my flight up there for this weekend. But I won't...need to get out of house and tailgate a bit. I hope we all have eggs on our face Saturday if we do the impossible.
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RichH
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Re: Villanova

Post by RichH » Wed Sep 01, 2021 3:36 pm

Cant really be hopeful a W or even a close L. That said I cant be as dystopian as owl for this squad.I do not see that this "..will be Lehigh's worst season in 50+ years"
Couldvit devolve into one ? Possible if we get a plaguevof injuries.
The first month will tell a lot. Is there growth? Has team kept focus? LU fielding basically a squad of underclassmen.. Expect mistakes, inconsistent play. Will they keep their will.
Said before any success hinges on QB and OL.
OL was terrible for the last few years.Reasons for sure but still bad. New coach. New season. Lets see how it does first.
QB. Lots of ifs here. Nova will be an acid test.
Also a test for staff. A very difficult season for any LU team but particularly for this inexperienced group. Staff has a daunting task to teach and imporove players and units each week. We'll see.
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Re: Villanova

Post by TMH » Wed Sep 01, 2021 4:06 pm

Learned a lot today....some good, some bad...some not for public consumption.

Some tidbits:
There were only 9 days all of last year when the team had more than 6 healthy OL. There were times when we used DL on offense to fill the gap. That explains a lot.
I suspect that we forget that prior to the spring season, Wilkinson had played almost no football since 2017. He had relatively little time to acclimate to a new team, new recievers and a decimated OL. Expect significant improvement from the player we saw last spring.

Canelas is now DOWN to 6-9, #335#. He just needs a little time to acclimate to the college game.

Gilmore indicated he anticipates a recruiting class of about 18-19 this year. There are no surprises to who we know.

There are some injuries. None appear to be long term. The 2-deep is fluid.

Covid restrictions differ this year. If tested positive, they still need quarantine for 10-14 days. Contract tracing does not restrict athletes. They will continually need to be tested and if no positives, they can practice and play.
LUFAN
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Re: Villanova

Post by LUFAN » Wed Sep 01, 2021 6:15 pm

TMH wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 4:06 pm Learned a lot today....some good, some bad...some not for public consumption.

Some tidbits:
There were only 9 days all of last year when the team had more than 6 healthy OL. There were times when we used DL on offense to fill the gap. That explains a lot.
I suspect that we forget that prior to the spring season, Wilkinson had played almost no football since 2017. He had relatively little time to acclimate to a new team, new recievers and a decimated OL. Expect significant improvement from the player we saw last spring.

Canelas is now DOWN to 6-9, #335#. He just needs a little time to acclimate to the college game.

Gilmore indicated he anticipates a recruiting class of about 18-19 this year. There are no surprises to who we know.

There are some injuries. None appear to be long term. The 2-deep is fluid.

Covid restrictions differ this year. If tested positive, they still need quarantine for 10-14 days. Contract tracing does not restrict athletes. They will continually need to be tested and if no positives, they can practice and play.
3 returning OL started in the spring. 2 were named all-conference. Its not the OL.
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Re: Villanova

Post by TMH » Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:22 pm

Do you have any basis for that?

1.)Passarelli was hurt fairly early in the first game and didn't play after that. Fournier only played 2 games. Gurth was the only one to play all 3.

2.)Only 6 teams bothered playing in the spring (Georgetown did not). Colgate and I believe Holy Cross played 2.

3.) Fun fact: Lehigh's offense was atrocious and yet the coaches to allot 2 OL spots (2nd team) to Lehigh. The only 1st team PL selection was on defense (Leech) and Lehigh was 1st in total defense and 2nd in scoring defense. Go figure.

4.)Two decent OL will certainly not get the job done, especially when they have almost zero time together.
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Re: Villanova

Post by LUFAN » Thu Sep 02, 2021 6:30 am

TMH wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:22 pm Do you have any basis for that?

1.)Passarelli was hurt fairly early in the first game and didn't play after that. Fournier only played 2 games. Gurth was the only one to play all 3.

2.)Only 6 teams bothered playing in the spring (Georgetown did not). Colgate and I believe Holy Cross played 2.

3.) Fun fact: Lehigh's offense was atrocious and yet the coaches to allot 2 OL spots (2nd team) to Lehigh. The only 1st team PL selection was on defense (Leech) and Lehigh was 1st in total defense and 2nd in scoring defense. Go figure.

4.)Two decent OL will certainly not get the job done, especially when they have almost zero time together.
The basis is quite clear. The offensive slide began in 2018 with Mayes, Bragalone, Jorge, Bibbens, Fest, Gurth, Rosen, etc. Lehigh has cycled through countless bodies on the OL and none seem to be sufficient. Either bad recruiting, or it’s not the OL. I suspect the latter.
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Re: Villanova

Post by Doc Qb » Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:59 am

RichH wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 3:36 pm LU fielding basically a squad of underclassmen. Also a test for staff. Staff has a daunting task to teach and imporove players and units each week.
I dont know Rich, I count two sophs starting on offense, no frosh. For D, I count 4 sophs, no frosh, but two fifth year leaders. While there is a dozen more second team that are frosh and sophs, the first 22 doesnt look that young to me, been in the program awhile. Time to perform.

I think this is a critical year for the offensive staff. Hard to put blame on the OL for all of the lack of production. The OC did okay when he had an embarrassment of riches (gatlin, troy, Dom, and Mayes). Once he lost those guys at WR, Dom wasnt as productive and Mayes regressed some. Thats on scheme and coaching to me as much as an OL with some injuries. Again, time to perform.
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RichH
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Re: Villanova

Post by RichH » Thu Sep 02, 2021 11:08 am

Doc Qb wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:59 am
RichH wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 3:36 pm LU fielding basically a squad of underclassmen. Also a test for staff. Staff has a daunting task to teach and imporove players and units each week.
I dont know Rich, I count two sophs starting on offense, no frosh. For D, I count 4 sophs, no frosh, but two fifth year leaders. While there is a dozen more second team that are frosh and sophs, the first 22 doesnt look that young to me, been in the program awhile. Time to perform.

I think this is a critical year for the offensive staff. Hard to put blame on the OL for all of the lack of production. The OC did okay when he had an embarrassment of riches (gatlin, troy, Dom, and Mayes). Once he lost those guys at WR, Dom wasnt as productive and Mayes regressed some. Thats on scheme and coaching to me as much as an OL with some injuries. Again, time to perform.
Dont disagree about the need to perform for offense. There is enough experience and more than enough talent
I hope CW is more settled and effevtive this year but not convinced as yet. Bris must meet the challenge of adapting his O to work with this talent ..The 2 deep is not static over a season or even the rrliable game to game. A few injuries particularly at LB or OL. Overcthe course of the season I expect we will see many more soph and frosh on the 2 deep. Not necessarily a bad thing in the long run but a real challenge this year.
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Re: Villanova

Post by TMH » Thu Sep 02, 2021 1:09 pm

I'd like to address a few points.

There is a reason that the NCAA gave everyone an additional year of eligibility. Last year was a circus, more so for some schools than others. Veteran teams across the board fared better than others. Take very little from it.

This is now Gilmore's team almost by default. The vast majority of this team is made up of his 2 full years of recruiting. The first year was dedicated to the defense which was obviously the area of greatest need. By all accounts, this year is dedicated to restructuring the offense. You will see changes. They said that the defense was designed based on the personnel. This year you will probably see those kind of changes on offense.

As the season progresses, you will probably also see changes in the lineup. The freshman class is talented, but inexperienced and make some freshman mistakes. They will progress as the season wears on.

So how has recruiting done? It's tough to say since neither of his classes have yet to see a real season but the indications are very positive. In the spring season, the secondary was made up of almost all freshmen and they performed very well in what we saw. Wimberley was the only freshman to make all PL. Gaige Garcia was the #1 target in that class and now he is here with I believe 4 years of eligibility. OL George Padezanin may have been one of the most recruited individuals we ever got with 35 offers including most of the PL, Ivies, CAA and MAC. He missed the entire spring to injury. Cross Wilkinson was a 3 star recruit, ranked #3 in WV. He needed to get his sea legs under him again. This year he has the chance.
The next class needed offensive linemen and brought in a couple of 3 star recruits and another who was rated as the #6 OG in PA. They will eventually make their way into the lineup.

Have patience and enjoy a season. I missed not having one last year.
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