Coming back in from the ledge

[MAD Doctor]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).

Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

[sixtoes9134]

I'm not in from the ledge, but this is the post of the year.

[APPSTATE83]

i hope the fact that there is no chance to collect some bling this year doesn't affect effort....

[RankinApp]

i hope the fact that there is no chance to collect some bling this year doesn't affect effort....

There's still a thing called pride. I hope our team still has that, regardless of the ability to collect a ring or banner. Every team left on the schedule is going to want to send the future FBS team out on a losing note. Next week is the start of not letting that happen.

[DaphneUrquhart]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).

Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I struggled last night with wanting to make an effort at counterbalancing the "throw the season out the window" posts. After cheering for our team the whole game, I was just too wiped out.

As always, I will continue to believe that the 18-22 year olds on the field don't like losing any more than I do. As always, I will stay from kickoff to 0:00 cheering for our guys.

There is too much right with our Mountaineers for me to give up on them after one game.

Go App! Beat A&T!

[firemoose]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).

Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

Thanks MAD. I made the mistake of trying to be reasonable and offer some options and hope when everyone was still upset. That was my fault and I should have known better. Thanks for posting this today. I know plenty are still upset but your timing is excellent. Congrats on a great post.

[Gonzo]

I've steered clear of the MMB for the most part to avoid posting something I would regret. I don't think it was the L itself that has us all dooming and glooming, it's the manner in which we lost.

Offense was our alleged strong suit. I'm sorry but I'll be sitting with my legs over the edge until I see something that resembles what we're capable of with these players. And blowing out A&T next week won't be sufficient to ease my despair.

[appst89]

I've steered clear of the MMB for the most part to avoid posting something I would regret. I don't think it was the L itself that has us all dooming and glooming, it's the manner in which we lost.

Offense was our alleged strong suit. I'm sorry but I'll be sitting with my legs over the edge until I see something that resembles what we're capable of with these players. And blowing out A&T next week won't be sufficient to ease my despair.

Agreed. The fact that we lost is way down on my list of disappointments from last night. I still have faith in these players and the coaching staff, but there are a lot of questions now that no one thought we had to answer. I feel really bad for Satterfield because he only got one chance to make a first impression as a head coach and it was a resounding thud. There is a lot of season left to get things fixed, but we won't learn anything from playing A&T.

[firemoose]

I've steered clear of the MMB for the most part to avoid posting something I would regret. I don't think it was the L itself that has us all dooming and glooming, it's the manner in which we lost.

Offense was our alleged strong suit. I'm sorry but I'll be sitting with my legs over the edge until I see something that resembles what we're capable of with these players. And blowing out A&T next week won't be sufficient to ease my despair.

Agree with you and 89. Although A&T did have one of the top D-backfields last year so it should be a good test to see if we can recover. We have got to RUN THE BALL. I saw some hope from our backs, let them loose. Jamal is tweeting he will be ready to play but I hope he is more comfortable and sets his feet. Other than that we really won't know anything until after the bye, and if Elon plays like yesterday, not until the next week. I never said I wasn't walking along the cliff. Just that, until some of these freshmen and sophomores get some game experience, I'm not quite ready to jump.

[canes_mj]

I've steered clear of the MMB for the most part to avoid posting something I would regret. I don't think it was the L itself that has us all dooming and glooming, it's the manner in which we lost.

Offense was our alleged strong suit. I'm sorry but I'll be sitting with my legs over the edge until I see something that resembles what we're capable of with these players. And blowing out A&T next week won't be sufficient to ease my despair.

Exactly.

[vegattk]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).

Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

*sigh*

[scatman77]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).

Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

Yours is one of the few sane and rational posts I've read in the last 24 hours. I tried the chat room last night and left early in the second half due to some who I thought were about to slash their wrists at the complete demise of the team and season. All your observations are spot on; I noted the O and D lines getting pushed around like grandma's china during the 1st quarter. We're going to be fine; I have no doubt. As I told folks today at church, we didn't lose --- we got beat. The better team won and the Apps learned some valuable lessons. On to NC A and T and I'll be a raving lunatic in the 211 as usual! Give 'em Hell, Apps!!

[Double A]

Though the disappointment and frustration of last night still lingers, and most analyses and criticisms on the board are right on the mark, our team needs us to stay on board.
Consider:
* We could have played a very good game and still lost last night.
* Last night didn't cost us a national championship, playoff spot, or conference championship.
* We were never going to go undefeated this year.
* Lessons were learned and changes will surely be made. We have a month before the Citadel to straighten the ship.
* The conference is awful, and our mythical "conference championship" should still come down to a Black Saturday showdown with the Stink,
* Our youngsters, and hopefully, coaching staff, who will lead us into the FBS got some valuable experience last night
* Talking about how badly Georgia or Michigan would beat us is not constructive. The fact is, last night we sent an inexperienced team, with a new coach, new defense, undersized offensive and defensive lines, a gun-shy QB coming off an ACL surgery minus his number one receiver, into the loudest, most difficult environment, to play a revenge minded football power whom we've never beaten at their place (even with a Sr. Armanti Edwards).
Even our title years included disappointing losses, so let's get back on board, support the boys, and see just how much better we can get. We've got a lot of football left to play.

Give 'em he'll APPS. We are STILL behind you.

Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough... The Apps kick ass!!

Give "Em Hell Apps!

[1ASU78]

* "We could have played a very good game and still lost last night."

Like when Brian Q. dropped the pass in the end zone.If we had gone toe to toe nail to nail and lost well.... but we were told take your FBS butts back to Boone and we'll call you.

World is not ending & season isn't over we do know for sure where we stand 1st week in comparison to other top FCS programs. Young, inexperienced, 1st year coach, top WR suspended, I had to watch on ESPN 3, ...deep sigh. I do not believe this showing is our ultimate fate.

We may at least have a field goal kicker!

[rbarthle17]

I admittedly don't pay as close attention to the football team as I used to, so I was completely stunned at how awful our O-line played. If you just watched the line, you'd think every playcall was a jailbreak screen because the entire Montana DL was in the QB's face immediately. It was just atrocious. And since I would bet that the DL's we play next year and going forward are going to look an awful lot like Montana's, that does not give me any confidence in our transition.

I figured the defense would struggle switching to a 3-4 with ill-suited players for the front line, just like pretty much any team that has made that switch does in year one. Add that with getting no time off from the offense and this outcome was all but assured on that side of the ball.

If we don't learn how to block, this outcome will be repeated at least 4-5 more times this year is my guess. It's good in that sense that we have nothing tangible to play for this year, it wouldn't be the worst thing to have a rebuilding and teaching year while we transition up.

[hapapp]

I admittedly don't pay as close attention to the football team as I used to, so I was completely stunned at how awful our O-line played. If you just watched the line, you'd think every playcall was a jailbreak screen because the entire Montana DL was in the QB's face immediately. It was just atrocious. And since I would bet that the DL's we play next year and going forward are going to look an awful lot like Montana's, that does not give me any confidence in our transition.

I figured the defense would struggle switching to a 3-4 with ill-suited players for the front line, just like pretty much any team that has made that switch does in year one. Add that with getting no time off from the offense and this outcome was all but assured on that side of the ball.

If we don't learn how to block, this outcome will be repeated at least 4-5 more times this year is my guess. It's good in that sense that we have nothing tangible to play for this year, it wouldn't be the worst thing to have a rebuilding and teaching year while we transition up.

Who do you think is ill-suited?

[Gonzo]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

I wish Saturday night's game was a "Germany bombing Pearl Harbor" moment. Since that never happened and all...

[DaphneUrquhart]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

I wish Saturday night's game was a "Germany bombing Pearl Harbor" moment. Since that never happened and all...

Animal House reference.

[rbarthle17]

Who do you think is ill-suited?

The entire defensive line. The 3-4 is predicated on the 3 down linemen being able to take up multiple blockers and leave the attacking to the linebackers. At a minimum the NT needs to be that. We have nobody on the roster capable of being that guy right now. The largest is a freshman at 285, so maybe he will grow into it. That was very evident at Montana, there was zero push up front to stop either the run or the pass.

Now perhaps other FCS OL's will be smaller and more of an equal match for us. But similar to the Montana DL being much more FBS-like, I think the Montana OL was as well. I'm not thinking about this year, or even next year. In order to consistently compete at teh FBS level with a 3-4 defense, they have got to upgrade the push from the interior DL against opposion OL that will be as big or bigger than what Montana has.

We probably won't get embarrassed on the front lines again this badly until Georgia. But that in no way means we are on the right path to being ready for FBS caliber linemen on both sides of the ball. I do not believe that those players are on the roster right now (from a quick look), the next 2 years recruiting will tell the story.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

I wish Saturday night's game was a "Germany bombing Pearl Harbor" moment. Since that never happened and all...

Animal House reference.

I think we should put Gonzo on double secret probation for not getting the reference.