Staff Blog

Simpson Preview

We need to be more consistent and more disciplined. That's what coach Paul Hefty told me yesterday as the Norse get ready for its home finale Saturday against Simpson at Carlson Stadium.

Last week against Coe, we saw some good things at times both offensively and defensively but not consistent enough. The penalty situation needs to change as well. 15 flags and nearly 150 yards in penalties the last couple of weeks. Unacceptable. The Norse had 28 penalties in the first four weeks and 15 the last two. Against Coe, it was not only the number of penalties, but they also came at real bad times. It's not that the squad can't play discliplined. That's key number one against the Storm this weekend.

I can't get a good feeling on the Simpson defense. Jay Nieman, the head coach at Simpson, usually thrives on the defensive side of the ball. Nieman came to Simpson six years ago having previously served as defensive coordinator at UNI. As coach Hefty put it, UNI doesn't lose too much. That said, the statistics on defense look like the Norse could make some money offensively. The Storm comes in averaging giving 24 points per game, (8th in the league) and 347 yards per game (5th in the league). Some of those rankings probably increased last week when Wartburg won 41-5. To go along with that, Simpson gives up 150 rushing yards per game. So statistically, I like the matchup. But stats don't win games. And the offense needs to play a lot better that it did last Saturday. Run game, fine. But the Norse can't be one dimensional and need to take care of the ball better.

I do like the matchup between the Luther defense and Simpson offense. Simpson is last in the conference in total offense, seventh in rushing and sixth in passing. By comparison, Luther's defense is fourth in the league overall and against the run and fifth defending the pass. What the defense needs to do is make some plays. They had many opportunities to do last week, but Coe quarterback Andy Tekippe was able to elude the defense many times. A lot of it was Tekippe, but as Jerry brought up on the broadcast, defenders need to run through the offensive player. Often last Saturday a Norse defender would get to the Coe player, but not get through them and bring them down. Of course that's easier said than done with an elusive QB. Look for improvement in that category Saturday. Third down defense needs to better as well. The Norse let the team that worst in the league on third downs get well over fifty percent last week. The defense needs to get off the field and let the offense do its thing.

The Norse showed some bright spots on special teams last week, blocking two field goals and Luther's punt coverage was solid. In fact the punt return team has cut the average opponent return in half since the beginning of the season. Simpson is a good team on the special teams front. Their punt coverage unit averages 9.9 a return, kicker and punter Bill Nelson is one of the best in the league and the kick coverage unit is the best in the league. On paper, special teams give the Storm a slight advantage.

So, long story longer, let's break down the keys to success Saturday.
1. Less penalties, play more disciplined.
2. Take better care of the ball. Three games of negative turnover ratio this year, all three losses. No coincidence at all.
3. More consistency on offense. That means getting more people involved and not being one dimensional. In all four victories, a variety of people have gotten involved on the offensive end. In the losses, the Norse have been one dimensional. Quarterback Justy Feldt needs to manage the game better and bottom line play better. That happens Saturday, chances of win increase expenenatly.
4. Breaking down and making plays on defense. Too often last Saturday, the Norse were in position to make plays to not get it done. Those plays need to be made Saturday.

27 seniors will play for the final time at Carlson Stadium. While many teams in the Iowa conference and in division three having 12-15 seniors, it says a lot about the program and the seniors themselves about sticking with football. And it takes a lot of kids who don't see a lot of varsity time to have a number like that. In a perfect, this group would go out at home with a victory Saturday.

Also congratulations to the Norse JV. With a win over Dubuque on Monday, they finished the season undefeated. So the future looks bright for Luther football.

Published Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 7:57 AM by Darin Svenson

0 Comments:

<-- Back to Blog Home | Post a Comment

Staff Blog

Simpson Preview

Archives