Week 3 Recap/Thoughts from throughout the UIF

So, the road woes continue as Omaha falls on Saturday night to River City, 36-18. Here are some thoughts I have at the 3 week mark for the Beef, and around the UIF, in no particular order:

-Take everything I say Xs and Os wise with a grain of salt, but I really think McNear needs to think less and run more. I know a lot of Saturday had to do with an incredible pass rush from the River City from 3 (and sometimes Bevis), and perhaps the orders are coming from Coach Warren/Williams, but McNear having 0 carries 2.5 quarters into the game is baffling to me. He averaged over 8 yards a run coming into the game and was really doing the River City defense a favor, in my mind, by staying in the pocket for multiple reads and 5 step drops. I think a few designed QB draws might have slowed down the D-End speed rushes, as well.

-Staying on the topic of McNear; I'm sure the topic throughout the Beef boards all week will be stemming around football fans favorite player, the backup QB, but just say no! Nothing at all against Schmigel, or Bartik, or anybody else, but McNear has to be the guy. James said it best last week after the Bloomington win that he can't be a rookie forever, but by the same token, he's also a humanbeing. One bad game doesn't change the future of McNear, and the inconsistency can't cloud the ceiling that this young man possesses. I don't blame a Beef fanbase starving for a consistant powerhouse to want to press the panic button, but if you sit back and let James play his way through the ups and downs of a UIF season, you are going to be very, very glad you did. This won't be the last subpar game McNear has, but if the coaching staff shows the confidence in James to allow him not to constantly look over his shoulder like years past, the consistancy will come.

-Shame on me for doubting that River City team coming into Saturday's tilt. I saw 2 teams, whom I think are probably the 2 weakest in the UIF, and a pair of underwhelming wins, 7 and 1 point, respectively. I talked about it a bit on the air, the UIF as a whole is really an offensive league, so when you see those 28-27 type scores, you can't help but be a bit turned off. Reminds me a bit of the Tony Bennett Washington St. hoops teams that fans continue to overlook because they don't have the sexy 20 point scorer or 80 PPG offense. I'm not so sure you can expect that type of efficiency from Fisher week in and week out, but that defense is absolutely for real. They will be a force to be recogned with in the Eastern Conference, not that you needed to hear that from me, considering they are at 3-0 and alone in first place in the conference.

-Didn't get a chance to watch the Billings game, yet, but my god is that an impressive team. Seems like the early bye week really did a number on their momentum. How does 47 first half points sound? And that's a much improved Sioux City team, too. Whether the streak remains in tact or not, I just don't think Sioux Falls goes into Billings and wins. Chris Dixon doesn't need weapons to be a productive QB in this league, the fact that he has so many is downright scary.


I have plenty more rambles about the Beef, among other things, but I'll keep them for another post. Overnight busrides (we got back around 6 AM) can greatly shorten the desire to rant!

Hope everybody had a Happy Easter!
Matt