KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

W&M lost to WV only by a score of 17-24.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArtic ... =209247849

I watched this game and was very impressed with the coaching and effort.

Bear in mind that despite playing WVU to the wire, W&M went 2-9 last year. And their wins this season came against lesser opponents. This one could be a rock fight, similar to the Albany game. Hoping it has similar results.

The game is on necn. Cox doesnt carry necn. Anybody know a place where it will be shown?

rhodyrudder wrote:The game is on necn. Cox doesnt carry necn. Anybody know a place where it will be shown?

If you have Cox in RI you will not be able to see it, unless you have a full sports package that gives you CSN-Washington DC.

Sigh.

Steve sounds like he's using a tin can with a string tied to it.

615 on Verizon

Rain is helping Rhody

No score after 1.
Rhody put a drive together, but missed a 47-yard fg.

I don't get why they put it on channels that students don't get on campus.

No offense.

Rhody4012016 wrote:I don't get why they put it on channels that students don't get on campus.

URI has no control over what networks cover the game and what networks are available to students on or off campus.

This ain't the SEC

20-0 final

Cox is the provider for campus and they rarely have the channels the games are on included in the package.

W&M had 4 RBs that would start for URI. Why is that?

Ugh

Two shutouts in four games. Could a different quarterback do any worse? Many of the Albany points came from special teams or the defense.

I mentioned this on the site and on Twitter, but did anyone else notice that in Rhody's final three drives (all when down 20-0), the play breakdown went like this:

14 runs
11 passes

All three drives took place in all or part of the 4th quarter. Double-u tee eff.

Peavey for qb!

You guys make some great points.
Rhody has not had legit CAA RB since Ferrer-4 yrs. ago. They are a dime a dozen.
Play calling is cure for insomnia.
Need a change at QB for a spark/chance.

It seemed as if our goal was to keep it respectful, rather than to win. Especially in the last quarter. I can't put the blame on Bentsen for the play calling.

But you can for two big fat doughnuts in the scoring column , Bentsen has 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD and 635 total yards (158 per game) through 4 games. 2 interceptions as well. That's not enough from the QB, is it a WR problem?

Time/Score game management is sketchy with this coaching staff. Are they trying to make sure that losses are "closer" than the 35pt average margin of last season?

Coaching scared.

Rhodymob05 wrote:But you can for two big fat doughnuts in the scoring column , Bentsen has 1 passing TD and 1 rushing TD and 635 total yards (158 per game) through 4 games. 2 interceptions as well. That's not enough from the QB, is it a WR problem?

I did not watch the game this past weekend, but I don't really think it is a WR problem. I feel like we have decent enough talent there. Maybe I'm wrong. Can anyone comment more on the WR's?

Like everything on the team, the WRs could be better... but I wouldn't call them a "problem". Robbie Jackson had a monster game on Saturday (11 catches, 97 yards) but there wasn't much else to get excited about. Matos is solid for a freshman, but anyone else dying to see more from Jawaun Wynn? Every week during the pregame Steve and Terry say "they have to get him involved in the offense more" but it never seems to happen. Is he banged up? Guy is an FBS transfer (from Rutgers, no less) - would love to see him have a breakout game sooner rather than later.

I also think it might be time for a change at the QB position, although I wonder if the problem is play calling. Bentsen does everything that is asked of him. He runs the read options and the jet sweeps while still being a threat to run. He throws a ton of bubble screens and short, quick passes especially to the outside. We rarely see him stand tall in the pocket and throw the ball down field. Is it an arm strength issue? Is his height an issue? He is listed at 6'1, but that seems like a major stretch. Is it a protection issue?
Either way, I think something needs to change. Would going to a more pocket passed QB like Kolt force us to take more chances down field? As the QB, you are the team leader, and if it isn't going well, you losing your spot might be the change.

Those passes to the outside are worthless. Either the blocking isn't there or the defense reads the play way ahead of time. But they rarely get more than a yard or two and sometimes lose yardage. He seems to do better dumping the ball to a slot receiver.

There were at least four drops in the game, so the WRs, other than Jackson, did not play well.
URI had a fourth and goal from the 3 and ran the ball. Very bad call considering the talent at RB. I would've had Bentsen sprint out with a throw-run option.

Iggy1979 wrote:There were at least four drops in the game, so the WRs, other than Jackson, did not play well.
URI had a fourth and goal from the 3 and ran the ball. Very bad call considering the talent at RB. I would've had Bentsen sprint out with a throw-run option.

Yes, super conservative play calling (run up the middle) can't be used when we do not have typical talent distributed to all the primary "skill" positions on offense. Use what you have, as Iggy suggested, and make sure there's an option to keep the ball or throw it to maximize chance for success.

Bos8 wrote:I also think it might be time for a change at the QB position, although I wonder if the problem is play calling. Bentsen does everything that is asked of him. He runs the read options and the jet sweeps while still being a threat to run. He throws a ton of bubble screens and short, quick passes especially to the outside. We rarely see him stand tall in the pocket and throw the ball down field.

Agree with all of this. Is it possible that Trainer just doesn't have confidence in Bentsen to do anything else (other than what's mentioned above)?

When you are down 20 pts with 6 minutes left, it's no time to be conservative. Does it matter if you lose by 20 or 27? I don't think Bentsen made those calls.

I watched the game and if Trainer has no confidence in Bentsen, then he would have benched him already. On the flip-side, I wonder if the team has lost confidence in the coaching staff????
The play-calling during the second half was putrid, seemingly as if no adjustments were made at halftime. EVEN AFTER HALFTIME, FOOTBALL COACHES CAN MAKE ADJUSTMENTS!!!!!!
It was like watching a bad high school game, and granted the rain didn't help, but there was another team on the field too.

SmartyBarrett wrote:

Bos8 wrote:I also think it might be time for a change at the QB position, although I wonder if the problem is play calling. Bentsen does everything that is asked of him. He runs the read options and the jet sweeps while still being a threat to run. He throws a ton of bubble screens and short, quick passes especially to the outside. We rarely see him stand tall in the pocket and throw the ball down field.

Agree with all of this. Is it possible that Trainer just doesn't have confidence in Bentsen to do anything else (other than what's mentioned above)?

That's an interesting point. I would be surprised if this was true though. Didn't Bentsen take Steve Probst spot during the 2011 season. Probst lead the team to a respectable 5-6 in 2010 and was the starter in 2011 when he got hurt. Bentsen took over for Probst, and when he returned, Bentsen remained the starter, with Probst getting spot time in 2 of the final 3 games. Typically someone who starts at QB would have the coaches confidence if they are the starter for 2+ years. In that time Bentsen could have been beaten out by like 8 different guys who have been listed as a QB on the roster. (Not to mention coach could have brought in a Juco guy, transfer or even a freshman in after the 2011 or 2012 season that could have started)

Bentsen has regressed.
Much better player 2 years ago.
Bentsen is not a D1 QB.
Was told this out of HS and again by observers of last weeks game.

To place the blame on the QB for a terrible offense is the easy thing to do, but look at all of the other parts. No established running back, no tight end, not an exceptionally deep receiving corps, and then a high frequency of dropped passes. Judging by the way many of the overthrown and non-connecting passes look, they appear to be timing routes where Bentsen knows where the ball is going, and when to throw it. The ball is released but then the wide receiver makes a different cut, major communication problems, or just problems running routes.

On another note, starting this transfer is a slippery slope. A) Bentsen has been a starter for a good time now, and despite a lack of success in W/Ls, he was voted as a captain of the team. B) This transfer is from South Alabama, not Alabama. He was a backup quarterback on a 2-11 football team last year, and apparently their coaches had no problem with him leaving. Maybe he's not as good as we hope? I would imagine that if he were 'tearing up' practice, he would get a shot. The staff has proven they are willing to do that (ie Bentsen/Probst).

And if none of our players are any good, its not totally their fault. It was this coaching staff who gave them scholarships and has botched the task of developing them into CAA players.
Needless to say it is frustrating as a URI fan...

URI has a non-Div 1 QB and a handful of mediocre RBs. That's a major recruiting failure.

Well, in a way you could say this is our 1st year in the CAA. I know we never left, but from a scholarship point of view, URI had been removing scholarships for 3 years to position themselves for the NEC, and the main reason we were so good in 2010 was that we had Steve Probst and Hofstra got rid of football.

But didn't Coach play Bentsen over Probst in 2011 when Probst came back from an injury? And that was Bentsen as a sophomore.

Proust stunk in 2011.
He loved to try and force the ball.

If the guy from South Alabama was "that bad both on and off the field" then why did we take him? Central is not a great defensive team based on their first three games. Anything less than three touchdowns with the starting offense is unacceptable. Again, around three I would like to hear this team sing the fight song with the band. Go Rhody!

The pressure is on this coaching staff to bring in better talent, and soon.

Like I've said before, they've likely got 2 more years to produce results. By then, they should have at least the core of a decent CAA team. At all, if not most positions.

If not......what are they going to do, hire another coach? The leash is getting shorter......

2 more years? Trainer should have been fired at the end of last year.

I thought Trainer was on his last year? If so, that alone will hurt his recruiting.

Yeah I was wondering if this is Trainers last year or if he has one more left? I have heard people say both and I don't know who to believe.

http://www.independentri.com/sports/art ... 46732.html

Decided to google his contract. This article says he has one year left and the article was written at the end of last season. So is this Joe's last year?

He's got a sparkling 21% win rate at Rhody.

I don't see any way Trainer sticks around after this year.

Well, if they want a better coaching staff, they are going to have to upgrade a few things to get them. It's going to be a tough sell.

Maybe they are waiting to see how this year plays out, to see if they are going to keep football or not. To have a coach on his last year of his contract without an extension, tells us all we need to know about his, and the program's, status.

My guess is, he's gone, and the next coach will be the LAST coach unless he can turn this program around. URI may want to see results on the field, before committing to any program improvements. If they're going to spend money to fix Meade, etc. I would think they would keep football. Otherwise, why?