LurkingDog
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from Jacksonville University... ""I leave you now, 1981Drakefan. You will interpret it. That's your right. But as I leave you, I want you to know: just think how much you're going to be missing. You don't have Nellie to kick around anymore. Because, 1981, this is my last press conference." https://judolphins.com/news/2019/12/3/jacksonville-university-discontinues-football.aspx
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LurkingDog
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JU had some talent this season. PFL Defensive Freshman of the Year Ethan Hull comes to mind. Will Stetson be able to grab the best transfers? Long term, the Hatters will be in a stronger position without the JU program.
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LurkingDog
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I'm going to send a rare AD email on this one: with JU gone, Dartmouth now has an open date for 9/19/20. Coach Teevens' sister-in-law is a Drake grad. He and Ash were rumored to have planned a game at Soldier Field about 20 years ago...according to urban legend, the game fell through because Drake balked at the cost. Can we postpone the Lindenwood shindig to accommodate Dartmouth? A couple years ago, when JU dropped Penn on short notice, Penn had to settle for Ohio Dominican. We can offer something better. Maybe use some of the $200k+ from the North Dakota State game to get them to Des Moines?? As everyone knows, Drake has never played an Ivy League football team.
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mnbulldog
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I like your thinking Lurking!
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LurkingDog
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+xI like your thinking Lurking! All are welcome on this train. I encourage you to send an email of your own. Brian Hardin's email: [email protected]
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1981Drakefan
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It will be interesting to see what the PFL does with next season. Each team in the league has one PFL team that it does not play per year. For Drake it was Stetson this year.
I think Stetson is off the schedule again next year, I'm not 100% sure on that. Maybe they just plug in the "off" opponent in place of Jacksonville. It's not perfect, but it might be the best short term solution.
Stay tuned.
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LurkingDog
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The North Florida meat market is open. Here's a partial shopping list: --Logan Langemeier, right tackle, 6-4, 280. 3.91 GPA. Perfect replacement for The Baconator? He started six games this year as a true Freshman. He's from Lake Tahoe, so he's been around cold weather. He is already in the transfer portal. [12/16 edit: Bacon will return for the 2020 season as a postgrad at Drake; Langemeier will play at a Sun Belt Conference school.] --Ethan Hull, linebacker, 6-0, 220. 4.0 GPA. A native of Kentucky, he is this year's PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. He redshirted in 2018.
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LurkingDog
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+x+xI like your thinking Lurking! All are welcome on this train. I encourage you to send an email of your own. Brian Hardin's email: [email protected] No need to send those emails. Mr. Hardin informed me that Drake is booked up for three non-league games. Dartmouth will not be one of those games. Drake will play 8 PFL games next season. Total of 11.
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LurkingDog
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+xThe North Florida meat market is open. Here's a partial shopping list: --Logan Langemeier, right tackle, 6-4, 280. 3.91 GPA. Perfect replacement for The Baconator? He started six games this year as a true Freshman. He's from Lake Tahoe, so he's been around cold weather. He is already in the transfer portal. --Ethan Hull, linebacker, 6-0, 220. 4.0 GPA. A native of Kentucky, he is this year's PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. He redshirted in 2018. JU players may have low viscosity blood. Early transfer announcements include Langemeier to Georgia Southern and Calvin Turner to Hawaii. I would not be surprised to see a few more go FBS. After that, black colleges (NAIA through FCS) will likely pick up of many of Dolphin football's 65+ freshmen and rs freshmen looking for a team.
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InsiderInformation
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Did Hardin express any interest in doing a home/home or even away/home/away with an Ivy League school?
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LurkingDog
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He did not mention Ivies specifically, nor will I press him on the subject. Coach Stepsis, whom I copied on the email, replied to express his enthusiasm about playing an Ivy or two. He left it at that. At this point, most of us understand that scheduling Ivy Leaguers will remain nothing more than a fantasy for the foreseeable future. Home & home is a non-starter. And neither side will be offering adequate guarantee money for a one off. Paychecks are Drake's priority. The Ivies don't see many reasons to play Drake. This last paragraph is my opinion only.
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InsiderInformation
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Death, taxes, paycheck games...
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LurkingDog
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Dartmouth announced the Sept 19th replacement game for JU: New Haven (D-II).
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InsiderInformation
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If there was an open week for both teams do you think Drake could ever play a home/home with an MIAA school? I know the MIAA schools only play conference games, but I would love to see Drake compete against the best D2 conference. My thought if D2 went to 12 games this could be a possibility or my pipe dream.
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LurkingDog
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+xIf there was an open week for both teams do you think Drake could ever play a home/home with an MIAA school? I know the MIAA schools only play conference games, but I would love to see Drake compete against the best D2 conference. My thought if D2 went to 12 games this could be a possibility or my pipe dream. Technically, Drake was doing that in 2001-2003, back when Truman and Rolla were in the MIAA. Now--with two mandatory paycheck games-- Drake is apparently insisting on D-II opponents at home, so that the team isn't on the road three straight weeks to open the season. Not sure how many MIAA teams Drake could hang with these days. Lincoln is probably a safe bet. Northwest Missouri is a different story: they beat Lindenwood 63-7 in the 2019 playoffs. If the Bulldogs are going to lose ugly, I'd rather it be against FCS competition.
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InsiderInformation
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Yeah, I knew they played teams like that in the early 2000s but since that was almost two decades ago I was wondering if that option was ever revisited. Yeah, I agree Drake could hang with the lower MIAA schools but the Northwest, Fort Hays, Washburn, Emporia State's, etc. they would struggle against. Although, you never know based off Drake vs. ISU; I was just trying to think of an option Drake could do without playing top FCS schools only to get obliterated,
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LurkingDog
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Drake-Morningside would be the ideal small college series, but that's not happening in this paycheck environment either. Besides, as noted in another thread, Morningside probably won't be playing nonconference games once Mt. Marty starts its program.
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DawgsRus1132
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+xDrake-Morningside would be the ideal small college series, but that's not happening in this paycheck environment either. Besides, as noted in another thread, Morningside probably won't be playing nonconference games once Mt. Marty starts its program. That's great and all...but how about play a mid level FCS school and see how Drake competes or better yet a Patriot League team?
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1981Drakefan
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What is the big deal with scheduling? Drake is going to play two money games on the road against scholarship programs to financially support the program, and a winnable game at home before the conference schedule. That is the way it's going to be. Playing an Ivy League team, Patriot League team, Big Sky team, NAIA National Champion, or anybody else isn't going to make any difference as far as attendance, interest, financial support from boosters, or ranking. Why get all beat up with three tough games before the conference starts, and ruin your only viable way to make the FCS playoffs? Exactly zero PFL teams have gotten an at-large bid to the playoffs.
Also, the teams you are all talking about are going to want, at minimum, a home-home series. That would either take away a money game or mean 3 road games to start the season (and only 4 home games total for that season). I'm sure there would be room for some of you on that bus ride to Easton, PA to play Lafayette. It will leave on Thursday, and be back on Sunday night/Monday morning.
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DawgsRus1132
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+xWhat is the big deal with scheduling? Drake is going to play two money games on the road against scholarship programs to financially support the program, and a winnable game at home before the conference schedule. That is the way it's going to be. Playing an Ivy League team, Patriot League team, Big Sky team, NAIA National Champion, or anybody else isn't going to make any difference as far as attendance, interest, financial support from boosters, or ranking. Why get all beat up with three tough games before the conference starts, and ruin your only viable way to make the FCS playoffs? Exactly zero PFL teams have gotten an at-large bid to the playoffs. Also, the teams you are all talking about are going to want, at minimum, a home-home series. That would either take away a money game or mean 3 road games to start the season (and only 4 home games total for that season). I'm sure there would be room for some of you on that bus ride to Easton, PA to play Lafayette. It will leave on Thursday, and be back on Sunday night/Monday morning. It would be a flight to Easton, PA and the difference is that it does no good to play a DII school and even less if Drake loses (Truman St) while no at large bid, in order to get past a SD or Dayton is to play some real competition... while playing a NDSU or SDSU, etc is all fine and dandy it's not apples to apples... those are $ games and not home at home series.. and a big stretch to pull off a victory. Playing a team that can be competitive and help prepare Drake for some of the tougher teams is a good measuring stick. Candidly there are enough lower level teams in the PFL currently that you can count on 4 wins a year as things stand now... let's change things up a bit and elevate the program
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