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Post by DetroitFlyer on Oct 30, 2023 10:36:51 GMT -5
Epic football game this weekend, let’s just call it the Battle for the Basement.
Mighty Dayton comes in at 0-5 in the PFL.
Mighty Valpo also enters the fray at 0-5 in the PFL.
Dayton has scored a whopping 73 points in their PFL contests this year, while Valpo has scored an even more impressive 93 points. Just for giggles, Davidson has scored 226 points in their PFL contests enroute to a 5-0 record. On the defensive side of the ball, Dayton has given up 148 points while Valpo has given up only 139 points. For even more giggles, Co-PFL leader Drake, (5-0), has given up 71 points.
The numbers and home field advantage seem to clearly favor the Crusade, I mean Beacons….
Gritty storyline: Valpo head coach and former Dayton defensive coordinator Landon Fox may have an even bigger chip on his shoulder this week as he sees the results of the new coaching staff at Dayton and continues to wonder why he is not the Flyers head coach….
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Post by Lurking Dog on Oct 30, 2023 11:59:40 GMT -5
Given where Valpo is, do you think Dayton regrets that they didn't promote Fox?
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Post by Lurking Dog on Oct 30, 2023 13:52:14 GMT -5
This league has had mixed results with head coaches named Fox (Rick/Landon). Then there's the Red Fox:  What's his career record against Georgetown? |
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Oct 31, 2023 15:52:10 GMT -5
Given where Valpo is, do you think Dayton regrets that they didn't promote Fox? Well, I suppose that one could argue that Landon Fox could not do any worse than the current crew at Dayton…. I’m a bit surprised that Valpo is not doing better. It seemed like they were headed in the right direction and fell off a cliff again this season…. I’m not certain that Fox is the right guy for the Dayton job, but I am having serious doubts about the current hire. According to a pre-season press release, Dayton returned 13 starters, six on offense and seven on defense. On special teams, the primary kickers, (FG and kick-off), returned along with both long snappers. All from a team that was 8-3 and just missed the playoffs by 24-23 loss to Davidson in the last game of the season. Perhaps one could have expected some drop-off, but to go from an almost playoff team to perhaps the worst team in all of FCS with a coaching change is almost unbelievable. The problems on the current team are too numerous to mention. Suffice it to say that offense, defense, and special teams are all dismal, in fact downright embarrassing. If someone kept track of mistakes/game, I have no doubt the Flyers would be leading FCS by a wide margin, not even counting the coaching mistakes. I have thought that in general, Dayton’s overall talent level has been declining for years. Still, the previous staff seemed to be able to get the most out of the talent available. This current staff does not seem to have a clue on how to do that…. The QB situation is a perfect example. Instead of finding/developing a QB from the six, (last time I looked), on the roster, they tried to go with a two QB solution because those two guys had serious flaws in their skillset. The guy starting now at least seems to have developable talent and an upside. Mainly, I’m looking forward to this season being over…. |
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Post by ValpoLB on Oct 31, 2023 17:55:47 GMT -5
In Valpo’s case, between last season (with some real positives leading into 2023) and this one, Fox had to replace all but two of his staff and that included both the OC and the DC and all position coaches except one. With the exception of the incoming class, the players had more experience in the program than 12 of the 14 coaches.
Coaching turnover, probably due to budget constraints, has gotta be the culprit. And it is reflected more on the O side, especially this season, cuz this is Fox’s D and that’s been pretty consistently decent. Coaching turnover has also impacted recruiting continuity. By my count, Fox is on his third recruiting coordinator in less than two full seasons. Hard to build a program under those conditions.
Yet, it’s a far cry from the Carlson era when holding PFL teams to only 40 points in a game was a moral victory.
So, the Battle For The Basement for Valpo comes down to whether Valpo can generate any offense to go along with a pretty decent D. If the D can get off the field without giving up too many scores, and the O, under a RS Freshmen QB in only his second start, can sustain some drives there’s a chance we’ll go into OT tied 0-0. 😜
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Nov 2, 2023 6:54:22 GMT -5
In Valpo’s case, between last season (with some real positives leading into 2023) and this one, Fox had to replace all but two of his staff and that included both the OC and the DC and all position coaches except one. With the exception of the incoming class, the players had more experience in the program than 12 of the 14 coaches. Coaching turnover, probably due to budget constraints, has gotta be the culprit. And it is reflected more on the O side, especially this season, cuz this is Fox’s D and that’s been pretty consistently decent. Coaching turnover has also impacted recruiting continuity. By my count, Fox is on his third recruiting coordinator in less than two full seasons. Hard to build a program under those conditions. Yet, it’s a far cry from the Carlson era when holding PFL teams to only 40 points in a game was a moral victory. So, the Battle For The Basement for Valpo comes down to whether Valpo can generate any offense to go along with a pretty decent D. If the D can get off the field without giving up too many scores, and the O, under a RS Freshmen QB in only his second start, can sustain some drives there’s a chance we’ll go into OT tied 0-0. Follow the money! Like most things,you get what you pay for. We will never know, but it would be very interesting to see the total coaching spend per PFL team. Whatever Dayton is currently paying, the return on investment is horrible. |
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Post by ValpoLB on Nov 2, 2023 10:37:47 GMT -5
I hear ya. This is 5th+ hand and probably just rumored, but I’ve heard where Valpo’s budget is 10th among the 11 PFL programs. No facts to back that up though. And no one has a breakdown of which buckets have what funding allocations. From the coaching TO lately, that bucket may need to be reevaluated — or how it is divided needs to be looked at. Landon needs to find and retain a really good OC to complement his defensive acumen. IMO, the focus should be a retained (read, decently paid) core of, maybe, 6 experienced assistants to stabilize the program. That core can be supplemented by GAs and 1st and 2nd year coaches looking to gain DI experience, who will usually move on to greener pastures after a year or two. But for all I know they might be trying to do that already. IDK.
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Post by Lurking Dog on Nov 2, 2023 13:38:27 GMT -5
Not the current year, but here are football operating expenses from 2021 (ope.ed.gov/athletics):
1. Marist $1.109,661
2. St. Thomas 848,617
3. San Diego 625,288
4. Drake 589,031
5. Davidson 534,867
6. Dayton 448,971
7. Presbyterian 435,208
8. Morehead State 426,576
9. Valparaiso 414,743
10. Butler 408,435
11. Stetson 397,390
League AVG $567,162
It's worth keeping in mind that there are large cost-of-living differences between San Diego and Morehead...really between San Diego and most of the league. Also some schools spend more on travel than others.
Years ago, there was a suggestion that San Diego gets a travel subsidy from the other members. I don't know if that's still the case, and I don't know how that would be reflected in the numbers.
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Post by Lurking Dog on Nov 2, 2023 13:45:16 GMT -5
Travel in/out of San Diego is reasonably inexpensive, considering the distance.
Travel in/out of Poughkeepsie is difficult and expensive.
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Post by Lurking Dog on Nov 2, 2023 14:36:02 GMT -5
Straying off topic a bit...I wondered which schools could theoretically pay for their football programs with ticket sales from five home games (assuming $15 per ticket). Several PFL stadiums (e.g. Marist, San Diego, Valpo, Davidson) are too small, but some schools could do it. Morehead nearly gets it done today. Butler would have to approach sell outs every week. Drake would need to triple its attendance. ...but taking guarantee money is easier than scheduling for attendance, isn't it?  |
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Post by Lurking Dog on Nov 3, 2023 12:49:43 GMT -5
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Nov 4, 2023 13:12:21 GMT -5
Dayton's special teams fumbles punt return. Valpo 7 Dayton 0.
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Nov 4, 2023 13:49:35 GMT -5
Dayton's mighty offense generated a massive 18 yards in the first quarter. Really hard to watch such a bad football team.
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Nov 4, 2023 13:54:31 GMT -5
Valpo now up 14-0.
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Post by DetroitFlyer on Nov 4, 2023 14:34:31 GMT -5
Two exceptionally bad football teams. Dayton finishes the first half with 44 total yards and 2 first downs. I have run out of words to describe the stench that is the Dayton Flyers.... Valpo 14 Dayton 0 at the half.
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