A very entertaining week in NESCAC football.

The Bates-Middlebury game was as entertaining a game as we've seen in a long time. Both teams executed superbly on the offensive side of the ball. Bates has been a very sound defensive football team but on Saturday could not stop Foote and his 3 outstanding receivers. Middlebury once again fields the best passing game in the conference. Foote threw the ball as well as any QB I have seen in 30 years of NESCAC football. That includes McKillop and any other NESCAC comtemporaries along with the Trinity QB's who made NFL rosters in the 70's and 80's, Foye from Williams and Hank Newman of Amherst one of the first great NESCAC passing QB's in the late 70's.

The Middlebury passing attack is well orchestrated with exceptional schemes, a great variety of looks and play calls. Overall it's all about great execution and they were flawless this week.
Does anyone know who works with the QB's at Middlebury and orchestrates that passing game, does Ritter run the offense? It's the best year after year and the guy responsible should be a candidate for a NESCAC head coach job or QB coach-offensive coordinator at a higher level.

If Middlebury can hold Trinity's production down a bit this week, they may have a shot but my guess is that Trinity will pound the ball on the ground with great success and keep Foote off the field.

Bates is to be commended for their offensive effort. QB Smith threw the ball very well and Bates fully utilized the great talent they have in 6'7" WR Squires who made 10 or 11 catches and a great TD grab. Squires is on a par with any NESCAC receiver. Bates ran the ball well without big tackle O'Neil, also among the best at his postition in the league.

Bates made the key mistake allowing a punt block for a TD and muffing a punt for another key turnover. As this team matures those mistakes will be eliminated. The Bobcats have made great strides this year and will be favorites in their last 3.

The best of the NESCAC season lies ahead---the CBB, The Little Three and all the great rivalries. It's a shame there are only 8 of these games. Lets hope we see a 9 game season in the not too distant future. It's over too quickly, these kids deserve another game.

One rumor heard from a friend that was making the rounds in Waterville last weekend had a plan on the table to extend the NESCAC season in this way:

The same 8 game schedule for all teams followed by the a 2 week play off involving the top 4 teams at year end. #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 with a NECAC "championship" game played between the winners the following week. This would extend the schedule for the top 4 teams. In this scenario 6 teams would play 8 games. 2 teams play 9 games and 2 teams play 10.

Can this be a viable plan for the conference? I like the idea of the additional play and a championship but not sure this makes sense relative to ultimately (hopefully) trying to position NESCAC teams for participation in D3 playoffs, another pipe dream for years within the conference that we will probably never see. Maybe this format takes D3 championship play off the table which is something that the NESCAC Prexys seem to have resisited from the beginning.

Thanks Starter for a nice rundown of yesterdays games.
I'm making my first post. I enjoy the site as a close follower of NESCAC Football for many years.
I have immense respect for Amherst and Williams as 2 of the finest academic institutions in the country who maintain athletic programs that are consistent with their academic excellence. I also greatly repsect Trinity and the great commitment they make to athletics and to Football in particular.
The passion of all the posts made on behalf of these 3 Football Programs makes the site a good source for NESCAC news and discussion. I follow it closely and enjoy it a great deal.
Today, however, I want to give to a tip of the hat to a team who gets little attention on this board, the Bates College Bobcats. No one in the NESCAC has played harder this year. The Amherst game was closer than most may think. They handled Tufts with ease.
Yesterdays game with Williams was not as close as the score may appear. Bates dominated the game. With a 35-14 lead in the fourth quarter Bates made 2 key turnovers. First a fumbled punt by Bates gave Williams the ball at the Bates 19 resulting in a Williams TD. A few posessions later Bates fumbled on their own 18 resulting in another Williams TD making the score 35-26 which is where it ended.
In the post game, coach Kelton lived up to his reputation as a dignified and classy coach when he gave the credit to the Bates team and the effort they brought to Williamstown. Yesterday Bates stuck it to the Ephs and they deserve some accolades. No disrespect to mighty Williams, one of the finest D3 Football programs in the country, but instead a well deserved compliment to an underdog. This post, if nothing else, makes that statement for The Garnet Bobcat.
It's been a well known struggle at Bates for many years. However, with the construction of the new stadium and admissions procedures that are more cosistent with the conference as a whole, they seem to be turning the program around. While the search commences for a new President heres hoping that the new leader will support the ongoing advancements that are underway within the Bates Football Program.