A Sea Of Red

I wanted to toss this out there.

What are your early thoughts on next year?

Which game will be the hardest? Easiest?

Which one are you looking forward to the most?

I am thinking our toughest game will be the Season Finale against Elon.

The easiest are obvious (Greenville, NC Central, and VMI) but I think that GW ought to be an easier game at home.

The one I am most looking forward to is AT PRESBY! I can't wait! Slap those hose.

Which one are you looking forward to the most?

Away game at VMI.

ToTheLeft wrote:I am thinking our toughest game will be the Season Finale against Elon.

I think 3-time national champ Youngstown State might have something to say about that. Elon, at least, is coming to us.

VMI in Lexington is never easy but I'm thinking Presby's not going to be much better than they were this year.

RagingTireFire wrote:

ToTheLeft wrote:I am thinking our toughest game will be the Season Finale against Elon.

I think 3-time national champ Youngstown State might have something to say about that. Elon, at least, is coming to us.

VMI in Lexington is never easy but I'm thinking Presby's not going to be much better than they were this year.

To each his own. Those are clearly our toughest games, tho. Those two, and WCU.

I think visiting Coastal will be tougher than visiting WCU.

Also, I just checked VMI. We're their Senior Day. Again.

RagingTireFire wrote:I think visiting Coastal will be tougher than visiting WCU.

Also, I just checked VMI. We're their Senior Day. Again.

That should be cool for my first time going to Lexington. Sounds like a unique experience.

I'm really looking forward to the Stony Brook game. We're their first taste of the Big South -- I think -- and they're a complete unknown at this point.

And I think that is going to be Homecoming?

Youngstown will be the hardest game. Here's how I'd rank it:

at Youngstown
Elon
at Coastal


Playing at VMI won't be easy, especially at the end of the season when they have no worries but it's VMI.

Stony Brook and Western are unknowns for next year.

Yes Stony Brook will more than likely be homecoming.

WCU should not be a tough game, they have been bad the past couple of years, and have a new coach. Plus we play them early on in the year, which should be good for us since they will probably get better as the year progresses.

Youngstown St, Elon, and Coastal will be our toughest games.

The rest we should win.

WCU is like Liberty when Rocco first got here. They've got the talent, they just didn't have a coach who was competent enough to help them win a game. They can turn that program around pretty quick.

Western's non-conference schedule for next year:

8-28 (NAIA) Shorter College
9-6 @ Florida State
9-13 Liberty
9-20 @ Presby

RagingTireFire wrote:Western's non-conference schedule for next year:

8-28 (NAIA) Shorter College
9-6 @ Florida State
9-13 Liberty
9-20 @ Presby

So we get them a week after a trip to FSU?

I like that, and I hate it.

They will be beat up, but ticked off.

Or if they pull off the Miracle, they wil be inspired.

If we lose to WCU, it will be a dissapointment. Let's just put it that way.

jcmanson wrote:If we lose to WCU, it will be a dissapointment. Let's just put it that way.

Any loss would be a disappointment. WCU would be more than just a regular disappointment.

A loss to WCU would keep us home in December, unless it is our ONLY loss.

I meant to put "major" in front of dissapointment. A loss to Youngstown is not a major dissapointment as long as we play well.

It'd be a major disappointment, but I'm not saying we're going to lose, just that it could be tough.

Which game will be the hardest?
YSU without any other game even close. Youngstown is arguably the toughest FCS place to play outside of Missoula or Boone.

Easiest?
Tough call between CSU & North Greenville. VMI & WCU are right there with them but they are on the road.

Which one are you looking forward to the most?
I hope to be at homecoming once again so if that turns out to be Stony Brook then I have awinner. Otherwise the Penguins game is clearly the highlight as far as I am concerned.

I agree with YSU being the hardest by quite a margin. I have plans to attend that game with a pair of Penguin alums, so I hope we kick their butts.

Easiest, I don't really care.

Most looking forward to, is all home games. Hopefully we will have a great year, but we have lots of holes to fill.

Not lots of holes - 2 holes (OL and WR).

jcmanson wrote:Not lots of holes - 2 holes (OL and WR).

Not really?

We were VERY deep at O-Line, and WR is deep too.

DB has been and will be our issue.

When you lose 3 out of 5 starters and 2 of the top 3 WRs, they are holes. I agree we are deep in both spots, but they are still holes.

We return everyone in our defensive secondary except for Dickerson. Yes it's a concern, but not a hole to fill.

jcmanson wrote:When you lose 3 out of 5 starters and 2 of the top 3 WRs, they are holes. I agree we are deep in both spots, but they are still holes.

We return everyone in our defensive secondary except for Dickerson. Yes it's a concern, but not a hole to fill.

I suppose that's true.

I am worried about the OL we lose at least 50% and need some time to gel as a unit, witness last year.

Lose Stevei Ray and Vince Redd at LB maybe more?, BIG loss.

DL has never been a strength at LU, hopefully this will change.

DB as well.

WR is still a concern, but see a lot of talent waiting in the wings that could take up the slack.

Don't want to appear negative, we retain some great players, be we have lost some very good performers and normally the replacements are not "prepared day one".