wcugrad95 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 23, 2023 12:53 pm
I think most posts by WCU fans were simply saying a healthy Reid could have made some difference. Many of the posts I saw went as far as to say they didn't think it would mean the outcome would be different, only that he is a difference-maker that could maybe have allowed us to run it more and possibly had some of all those drives on the Furman side of the field contine giving us more plays. Western really only tried to be pretty balanced between the run and pass on 3 drives. Two of those drives ended in TDs, and the other ended up with us at your 9-yard line and forcing a throw that ended in an INT at the 1. Score there and WCU would have been up 21-20 with 3 mins left in the 3rd.
I also saw a comment on here about seeing how explosive even an injured Reid was on the few plays he was in the game. An 8-yard burst on his first carry, and then a really nice play turning a short pass into a 39-yard gain. FUBeAR also had multiple posts heading into the game about how good Reid is. Taking the absolute best player off the field for any team is tough, but you gotta play with who you have. Reid is elite, and I think our backup RB is very good. There is a big difference in those two things and what other teams have to do to stop one versus the other.
Bottom-line is Furman won and Western lost. And the narrative will always be different on the winning team vs the losing team's boards. I think FU will go on to be 10-1 and possibly get the #3 seed in the playoffs. I am hopeful that WCU can go 9-2 and possibly sneak in and get seeded as well.
Good luck the rest of the way.
Well, if we’re gonna swing this thread to a be a bit Reid-centric, FUBeAR has a strong opinion to assert or an assertion upon which he would like to opine, whichever you prefer.
DESMOND REID’S NEXT TIME IN A FULL WCU FOOTBALL UNIFORM SHOULD BE IN A PLAYOFF GAME
95 is correct. FUBeAR is extremely impressed with Desmond Reid’s talent and he would have made a difference last Saturday. That said, Furman’s Defensive Players are, by far, the best group of Defensive Players WCU has seen since they played a game vs. an SEC Team.
WCU - Rushing @ Arkansas
Player Att. Gain Loss Net TD Lg. Avg.
Reid,Desmond 11 21 10 11 1 8 1.0
WCU - Receiving @ Arkansas
Player Rec. Yds. TD Long
Reid,Desmond 3 35 0 23
So…yes, a difference. Enough to change the outcome? Doubtful. Furman’s Defense is a whole lot more like an SEC Defense than they are Samford’s.
Mercer’s Defense, like Furman’s, is also EXCELLENT.
SoCon Defense - Rushing Defense All Games - including an FBS P5 SEC Opponent
SoCon Rank Team G ATT YDS AVG TD YDS/G
1 Furman 7 221 687 3.1 8 98.1
2 Mercer 8 277 915 3.3 8 114.4
Would a reinjured, now possibly worse injured, Reid make a difference in WCU’s game with Mercer? Maybe. Will that difference be enough to change the outcome? Doubtful.
If WCU is going to beat Mercer, they will do so by doing what Chatt was able to do, eliminate Mercer’s running game and then contain the passing game…and score 1 more point than Mercer’s Offense can muster. As the Mocs proved, scoring the same number of TD’s and kicking FG’s to make the difference will get it done. If the Catamounts can’t do that on Defense, they will not outscore the Bears. As much as they think they invented Offensive Football, their Defense is the key to winning their Homecoming game.
Now, some may say….ol’ FUBeAR is just saying Reid shouldn’t play cuz he wants Mercer to win over WCU. Partially true, FUBeAR does want Mercer to beat WCU for the 8th consecutive time, but FUBeAR is fairly confident that WCU is going to be a Playoff Team even if they lose to Mercer and FUBeAR wants a WCU Playoff Team to do really well in the Playoffs. FUBeAR would love nothing more than for Furman to defeat WCU in a rematch in Frisco (unless Mercer sneaks in the Playoffs…then he wants Furman & Mercer in that game). And, FUBeAR doesn’t want to see a 19 year old kid with a promising future risk that to enable someone else’s aspirations.
FUBeAR tried to lay it out clearly for y’all last week. Hammy’s don’t heal in 2 weeks. Reid’s 3 touches against Furman probably set his full recovery back by 2 additional weeks from what it would have been. If he plays against Mercer, FUBeAR would set the odds at 50/50 that he will re-injure and have to shut it down for the rest of the season…or longer. OTOH - treatment & rehab for 4 weeks - WCU is easily good enough to defeat Woffy, ETSU, and VMI with Adams taking over the RB duties. FUBeAR doesn’t think a 9-2 WCU gets a seed, but he does think an 8-3 WCU (if they happened to lose to Mercer) gets in the field…and with a FULLY RECOVERED Reid could make a nice run.