SmellyCat said:

I thought Wright was fine Saturday but could've been much better on putting the pass on the money. I don't expect perfection, but there were a few plays that were like three-yard gains or incompletions that a slightly better pass would've resulted in more yards. These aren't major things in Game One, but it's something to keep an eye on. My sense is he hurried a number of his throws, but as he gets more comfortable that will be better.

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And he didn't throw an interception.

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SmellyCat said:

I thought Wright was fine Saturday but could've been much better on putting the pass on the money. I don't expect perfection, but there were a few plays that were like three-yard gains or incompletions that a slightly better pass would've resulted in more yards. These aren't major things in Game One, but it's something to keep an eye on. My sense is he hurried a number of his throws, but as he gets more comfortable that will be better.

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He was definitely high on some sideline routes. Do that over the middle and you get picked.

There were two shots downfield where the pocket got pushed in, and he was not able to follow through. Those throws were rainbows that fortunately veered out of bounds or away from defenders.

He threaded the needle a few times. They were good, lower throws. He is certainly not afraid to try to fit the ball into spots.

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rogerkim said:

For others in the endzones (north or south) - how high up do you feel you have to be to see most of the field? Also, is being more towards the left or right side of the endzone seats preferable?

For context, our seats are in the 5th row and were almost center of the endzone. Feels like I made a rookie mistake - I've never had seats in the endzone before, so really didn't consider the obstructed view factor...

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I can tell you the field is perfectly clear from up in row 45! Only problems were 1) no down and distance visible from the north end zone and 2) couldn't hear the PA very well, which meant that if you looked away from the field for even a brief moment you could lose track of the game, especially if the play was on the south part of the field.

Sadly I can't make the Duke game but I anticipate a smoother experience for EIU.

I was surprised by just how bad D.J. Uiagalelei was. Watched him last week too. He's just not a great QB, especially for a guy who has been leading teams for years.

FanatiCat said:

I was hoping for more of a successful coming out party for a new look offense, but I am biased by memories of sitting in the stands for the 2000 opener against NIU where we exploded on the scene and everything went right with an easy 35 points. However, that was with a seasoned offensive minded head coach, a new but more experienced OC (who I believe had already worked with RW), QB who’d been in the system a year already and an NFL quality RB. I think Lujan is still figuring out his personnel and what he can do with them.

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Touchdown, Eric Worley!

NJcatsfan said:

I encourage people to watch his press conference. His reputation is strong, he seems to understand where college sports are headed, and I think he looks like a BIG upgrade in this critical position. From key folks I’ve spoken to, the department is thrilled, and coaches are very happy. Time will tell, but I’m thinking this was a very good hire.

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I think this is an exceptional hire because like you, I think he understands where college athletics is headed.

I loved hearing him talk about using RF to the maximum and to be creative with it and try to have as many events (within the Evanston limitations). Saw that reported from the press pool he did after...

But beyond that, the most important thing is to understand that we will be competing with schools that are paying players huge amounts of money and to bring in the talent that we'll need moving forwards, we'll have to as well. So the revenue/financial side and understanding that is where he has to be aggressive (and given what he's said, we can expect that).

The old era of amateur athletics is done. It's over, players expect to get a cut of the revenue and will moving forwards. The new era of professional athletics is here, and we have to be able to prove that we belong in the conversation here especially as a Big Ten school.

It's why getting RF rebuilt was so important right now; we have to get that final major facilities piece out of the way so that financially the decks are cleared to focus on NIL and competing financially on that.

Given he's from Villanova, I have 0 doubt he understands how important the money sports (FB/MBB and WBB to a lesser extent) are.

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One of his goals is to maximize revenue from the new Ryan Field. I truly hope he can do this within the limits imposed by Evanston. My concern remains that the renderings of the stadium’s playing surface suggest that it is not big enough to support international soccer and rugby. The 2031 Rugby World Cup will be in the United States and a 30K stadium would be ideal for some of the pool games. I know there are limits on concerts but maybe “games” circumvent Evanston’s regulations

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That FSU tomahawk chant sounds like a billion drunken cicadas.

"Attendance: 34464"

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I was hoping for more of a successful coming out party for a new look offense, but I am biased by memories of sitting in the stands for the 2000 opener against NIU where we exploded on the scene and everything went right with an easy 35 points. However, that was with a seasoned offensive minded head coach, a new but more experienced OC (who I believe had already worked with RW), QB who’d been in the system a year already and an NFL quality RB. I think Lujan is still figuring out his personnel and what he can do with them.

Think we've beat this to death sufficiently.

I encourage people to watch his press conference. His reputation is strong, he seems to understand where college sports are headed, and I think he looks like a BIG upgrade in this critical position. From key folks I’ve spoken to, the department is thrilled, and coaches are very happy. Time will tell, but I’m thinking this was a very good hire.

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hdhntr1 said:

Well, were any of the coaches other than Fitz initially fired or reprimanded? Were they even held accountable for failing to report anything that they saw? Gotta think that NU would have a lotta liability if they kept anyone that was involved in any way... So you gotta ask yourself. If no other coach had anything to do with such events and none failed to report and there appears to be no evidence of Fitz being made aware of such events. So with all of that, how did we get where we are?

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I think we got to where we are because Job One at NU was to get the stadium done to open up a massive new revenue stream. So make the hazing accusations go away as quickly as possible. When a two week suspension fails and the faculty might rise up against football which is the entry point for the new stadium, fire the coach. Make it go away before the stadium vote. Keep Gragg until he can get the stadium passed through City Council. Do what we need to do to get the stadium done. The stadium is Job One. Let the lawsuits drag out until everyone forgets. There is no longer a Chicago Tribune sports section. No more Sun-Times reporters to poke around. Get the stadium done. We need that revenue.

And here we are.

fcmchi said:

He sees the new stadium as an enhanced revenue generator. So tickets may be even higher than what was mentioned in that questionnaire the athletic department sent to season ticket holders a few years back.

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That’s primarily what it is!!

If they can more than double ticket prices for a “high school” style stadium with its pretty views of the lake but compromised sight lines of the game, prices at its elite, fan-friendly new venue will be out of this world.

(I was listening to Dave and Ted on Saturday when the NU offense was at the north goal. Dave had trouble calling the action down there and Ted said it was because they had a bad perspective from where they were sitting on the south end of press row. Dave quickly corrected him that they did not have a “bad” view but a “different” view. Mr. Catpaganda.)

But games are only a small trickle of the new stream. Get ready for a plethora of paid events, headlined by many concerts, large and small.

It’s all about the bucks.

Some of you need to put down the pipe. If this guys fails it won’t be because he is unqualified for the job.