The Wrath of Khan (D2) – Conference Semi-Finals

We are down to the final four of the D2 playoffs. So far, there have been some exciting finishes, near upsets, and great overall performances. What did we learn from last weekend’s conference semi-finals? The Shockers were nervous in the opening minutes of their narrow escape over the Herd. The Click Clack defense is back. The Wolfpack strongly feel they are being disrespected by those who think they are a cupcake team. The Waterbuffaloes are the one team that no one wants to face, hello Shockers.

 

 

For the Shockers to barely scrape by the Thundering Herd, the football Gods must be on their side to win this tournament. Sure, it was not their best performance. But what I discovered about this team was their strength of character. Normally, they would have wilted under the early pressure. But this time they did not. Even being down by two scores to the Herd, they patiently played their way back into the game. As a result, it was the Herd who succumbed to the heat and lost the game.

 

Now, the Shockers are in the conference finals and will face the one team that no D2 club wants to challenge at this point. The Waterbuffaloes, who gutted out a 35-32 win over the imposing Messengers of Happiness. They can beat teams with timely passes, and key plays on defense. Craig O’Brien, even with his unorthodox throwing motion, has been able to guide this underappreciated team to the water fountain. Now, can they reach the D2 finals?

 

In their week 10 meeting, the Waterbuffaloes were able to able to spread the football all over the field. As a result, each Buffaloes player had at least three catches, with Pat Lanctot leading the way with three touchdown receptions. For the Buffaloes to be successful against the Shockers, they will need to continue to spread the wealth.

 

In their playoff victory over the Happiness, the Buffaloes were able to dictate the pace of the game. In fact, Chad Byers became the second quarterback option inside the redzone which opened up the passing lanes for the easy scores. This time, the Shockers will need to make the correct adjustments against this alignment because the Buffaloes had success against them in week 10.

 

Moreover, the roster depth of the Buffaloes may not be deep in bodies, but they have quality players that will make plays. Against the Happiness, six Buffaloes players caught at least one football which proves that it is an all around team effort.   

 

The Shockers will need to minimize their unforced errors. For starters, quarterback Mike McNair will need to cut down on his incomplete passes. From my observation, McNair has had a difficult time against agile defenses. This is not to say he (McNair) is a subpar player, because he has lifted the fortunes of this Shockers franchise. But the Thundering Herd was able to force McNair into 13 incomplete passes. Against the Buffaloes, he had 12 incomplete passes. Yes, McNair has had success with the deep ball, but he needs to be more consistent with his short passing game. Otherwise, going 8 for 21 will not win the game against a better opponent in the Buffaloes.

 

The piston that keeps this team moving forward is Andre Knights. He continues to put up excellent numbers, as he had two touchdown catches against the Herd. Furthermore, in their tilt against the Buffaloes, they had no answer in stopping him, as he had three touchdown grabs. However, there is only so much that Knights can do, and he will need his teammates to step up their game. Will the likes of Mike Godyn (1 catch for 18 yards against the Herd), Stephen Primeau (no catches against the Herd), and Karim Binette (3 catches for 38 yards against the Herd) be able to support Knights?

 

If the Shockers get off to a slow start, I firmly believe that the Buffaloes will pounce on their mistakes. I have yet to see the depth players of the Shockers raise their game-play on offense. The Buffaloes are a team of destiny. They have withstood the speed (Texas All-Stars) and the size (Messengers of Happiness). Now they have a chance to prove that they are the best team in Conference A. This game will close, but I like the Buffaloes to win.  

 

 

The Conference B finals feature a rematch of the two best teams in the division. Back in week six, the Wolfpack prevailed with a 31-26 victory. Keep in mind, Click Clack were shut out in the second half 18-0, as compared to the first half when they had a 26-13 lead. Both of these teams have learned a lot about themselves since then. Click Clack has become a dangerous team on offense that can score at any point on the football field. The Wolfpack have proven that they have one of the best offenses in the league.

 

If Click Clack is to stamp their ticket to the D2 finals, they will need to continue their steady play on both sides of the football. In their win over the Phoenix, they were able to get big individual performances. Click Clack rusher Daniel Calla, had a field day, making Phoenix quarterback, Martin Tougas look uncomfortable in the pocket with one sack, and consistent pressure. Sean Leroy, Phil Ede, and Nareg Yessayan combined for three interceptions. Add in the stable play of Danny Gentile who had four touchdown passes, and Yessayan’s two touchdown receptions, this was a well rounded effort by Click Clack.

 

Click Clack will need to utilize a lot of the play clock against Wolfpack. Gentile has done a wonderful job of incorporating the play action which has worked flawlessly inside the redzone for touchdowns. He will need to use the size advantage of George Papachristopoulos and Nareg Yessayan against a smaller Wolfpack team. The key for Gentile is his ability to identify the mismatches. If he is successful, Click Clack has a great chance.

 

For the amount of criticism that has been thrown towards the Wolfpack, they have been able to withstand the storm. Now, it is their golden opportunity to show that they are no fluke by potentially beating Click Clack for the second time this season. Everyone knows that the backbone to this team’s success is Quarterback of the Year, Pascal Murray. To prove how much he means to this squad, they suffered their lone loss against Notre Dame when he was absent from the lineup.

 

In their victory over the Pacmen, Murray had an incredible 300 passing yards and six touchdown passes. Furthermore, the Wolfpack’s depth was evident, as eight players had at least one reception. If they are to have any success, they will need to continue to exercise their depth on offense. This will make it difficult for the Click Clack to zero in on any particular player.  

 

No one should discount the big plays they have come up with on defense. The team produced three interceptions in their opening playoff victory over the Pacmen. If the Wolfpack are patient within their defensive schemes they have a great chance to win this game. Playing against a creative quarterback like Gentile might prove to be a problem for the Wolfpack defense. But if they do not cheat in their lanes, there is the potential to have a big day, like they did last Sunday.

 
For my final assessment of this game, I am confident that Click Clack will not have the second half collapse in which they were shutout 18-0. But the firepower of the Wolfpack might prove to be too much for Click Clack. Do they have enough ammunition on offense to keep up with the likes of Mikhail Davidson, Alain Rousseau, and Alex Cavanaugh? Will the Click Clack defense be able to create turnovers? Will the Wolfpack’s depth take over the game? I like the Wolfpack to win this game, however, it will come down to the last five plays.
 
Percentages%
 
100%, that Rehan Sarwar will not show up to this weekend’s playoff games.