Just throwing out a congrats to all of the Tiger Fans today.  I got to listen to a lot of the game on the internet.  I must admit that it was much closer than I thought it would be, and I am very happy to hear that.  I am never happy to hear that GC lost, but I think HSC was the team to beat this year.  I am hopeful that the GC players now know they can hang with anyone in the ODAC.  I will go on to say that I think HSC shouldn't have much trouble with RMC.  However, Tigerfanalso has already summed it up.  We may see some gambles on RMC's end, but we'll have to wait and see how that plays out. 

Hopefully, if Guilford goes in to the E&H game prepared we will see another good one.  E&H is doing great this year and they appear to have turned things around.  We are mulling over being able to make the drive up there, unfortunately the list of tasks around the house has mounted.

JK,

I think your Gennies gained a lot of valuable experience this year, so watch out, they may be right back in the mix next year.  Sometimes folks tend to forget just how valuable experience is when it comes to football.  However, I know I'm just repeating things that you already know.   

Abnrgr,

I sure did.  He was a few years ahead of me.  He was a great interior defensive lineman.  I had a few classes with him as well.  I hope he is doing well.  Yeah, we still try make it to get when we can because we live local.  The atmosphere at GC sure has changed over the years, but it's been for the better. 

I can remember being a player and reading the boards back when the Bridgewater crew was posting on a regular basis.  I always enjoyed reading everyone's posts even though I didn't participate.  Football teams usually run in cycles, right now, GC may be on an upswing, but I plan on staying around even for any potential downswing. 

HSCTiger74,

I think I will keep your idea in mind, but I better use these last two weeks as practice before I step into that arena.  Thanks for the heads up on it though.  Never crossed my mind until you brought it up.

JK,

Hopefully I will get better with the pick'ems over time.  I'm still relatively new, but I have already observed that you are the authority when it comes to this area.  Your expertise is always enjoyed.  Also, you are right, these kids give a lot just for themselves and each other.  One of the great things about DIII is the kids are there because they want to be, they know that in most cases they will not play at the next level.  I think they realize this and they give so much to try and make the most out of their experience as players.  We are all proud of the programs, coaches, and kids at our schools, so we all share a common thought process. 

TFA and Hasa,

I agree with both of you guys, the E&H coach does deserve the COY honors.  It seems as if the Wasps have improved dramatically in just one year.  Also, TFA has a great point, the if the Wasps keep their players in school they will be a force to be reckoned with In '15 and '16.

Abnrgr,

I guess we are the two realists out of the crew as far as our thoughts on the HSC/GC game.  I am hoping for a different outcome, but history makes me nervous.  Also, on a personal note, I played a few seasons with your son at GC.  He was a great player and an all around good guy.  I hope he is doing well these days.

TFA,

I'm just hoping for a really good competitive game from both sides.  I know HSC will be ready to go, but I'm hoping that GC will be mentally prepared for this game.  Coach R is a great coach, and he has done wonders with the GC program, so I know that he will do his best to prepare his players from a game plan stand point, and also from a mental stand point. 

Wasper,

I would love to see a winner take all next week as well, however, you know as well as I do that GC must take it one game at a time.  We all know that overlooking any given ODAC opponent from week to week can be a disaster.  Hopefully, GC can make a game out of it.  I don't mean to sound like a pessimist, but I'm just looking at what history tells us. 

Hasa,

I hate missing games too, but it seems like every family engagement that I have is usually during football season.  I think my input on that issue is mostly ignored...

TFA,

Right off I know HSC will be angry due to last week's game at BC.  I think the fact that it is in Farmville will help HSC.  I don't get to see HSC often but I see them trying to get vertical on GC and do it quickly.  I don't know how solid HSC running game is this year, but trying to stop Nance and Walker will be quite the task.  GC has to protect Pawlowski better than they did last year.  GC has a good running ge but they also like to go airborne quite a bit. 

With all that being said GC has the best chance if they can get some pressure on Nance and they need their offensive line to be firing on all cylinders.  I just don't know for sure, but I think GC has some type of mental block they have to overcome to be able to compete with HSC.  I am not taking away anything from HSC though.  HSC has such an explosive offense....GC will have to force turnovers to have a chance. 

Personally, it pains me to say this, but I think HSC will pull it off by 21.  I believe that GC can make it more competitive than I am predicting, but until they show me otherwise this is how I see it paying out this weekend.  I know you like my prediction, but I hope it is much closer than my pick.  I want GC to show me the mental toughness and grit that it will take to beat a team as good as HSC. 

Anywho, I am excited and I wish I could make the trip this weekend.  Hopefully all of you guys, along with hasa and his crew have a great time and you all get to see some great football.

Thanks for the insight on Coach Favret guys.   Pat, good suggestion on the bios...I might say I was being ignorant but just this once I will chalk it up to being exhausted from everything going on lately.

JK,

I enjoy your pick 'ems so much that I attempted a weak imitation last week.  It didn't work so well but I did try.   I guess that makes you an original.  By the way, have a little faith in the Gennies...that game in DC this week may be a fun one to watch.  I think when guys are playing just for pride sometimes it makes for great football.  I have played on some teams that weren't good but I always wanted to win.  The young Gennies should keep their heads up...it may not mean much but I think they are a better team than their record would indicate.   Also, i don't think the CUA Cards have anything to be ashamed of, from what o heard they came out to GC last week and went for broke.  At the end of the day that's all you can ask of your guys.   

CUACARD,

Thanks for the love on the commentators.  Hard to believe that those two actually called a couple of high school games I played in a good while ago.  I am actually from the county next to Guilford County.  So I am guessing these two might be homegrown in Davidson County NC.  On a side note, I got to visit a breathtaking Catholic Church while I was in Savannah Georgia last week.  I spent the next bit trying to tell my wife about the even larger more awe inspiring church on the campus of CUA.  I even pulled up a few pictures to show her on my phone.

On the other hand, I too did not know Coach Favret inherited a losing program at HSC. He has truly done a great job building a program that is always in contention for the ODAC title and winning it numerous times.  It's fair to say that each of the last nine or ten years the road to the ODAC title goes through Farmville.  Can one of you clarify for me, I had heard that Coach Favret was a player at Penn State?  Is there any truth to that?

I am sorry to hear of the events that have unfolded for the HSC community over the past few days.  Personally, my thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.  I can relate by saying that most of us that attend small colleges are more like family than anything else, so when we lose someone it really hits home.  I know the HSC family will endure through their loss and be strengthened by these unfortunate events. 

TFA,

I know your question was directed at Hasa, but I have been to three of the games this year and I have been able to follow some of them online as well.  As far as your question goes, I think the GC defense is getting better as a whole this year.  They have recently stepped up against the run.  However, safety Satir Stevenson sticks out as one of the better players on this defense.  He is a senior and like a lot of safeties he seems to be relentless and always near the ball and ready to make a play.  I have also been impressed with defensive backs as a whole.  I believe that Jamario Gooch has made some big plays with 5 or 6 interceptions this year.   

Offensively, of course Pawlowski and Smith have been making plays.  Josh Schow and De'Eric Bell have been coming along nicely.  Schow is not a big back, but he runs hard and has the ability to fight for extra yards.  Bell has been a nice surprise as he is only a freshman.  He really had a big game against W&L I think it was, with over 150 on the ground and 90 in the air.  Bell is more of a speed back.  I can't forget Hayden Read, he reminds me a lot of a Welker or Amendola (sp?) type of receiver.  I don't know what makes him a playmaker, whether it is precise route running or speed, but he has the ability to make things happen.  Guilford has a couple of tall receivers as well who are developing and they could be problems for teams in the future. 

Lastly, kicker/punter Tyler Hunt is normally on his game.  Some people don't think about punters but I think they are a crucial part of the game due to the favorable field position they can provide.  On the other hand, if the punter is off of his game it can be a disaster. 

Good scouting report odacsuperfan, sounds like good info.  This week will be tough for GC, no doubt.  Granted, every week of ODAC play makes me very nervous, however, the next two weeks will be the stiffest tests to date.  BC certainly had a great game plan and must have gotten after Nance with heavy pressure.  I just remember last year's GC/HSC fiasco in Greensboro.  I felt like HSC dominated every facet of the game...obviously, taking the game by a 52-0 count.  Odacsuperfan said that HSC has a small and slow defensive line, last year they did appear to be smaller than the norm, however, they more than made up for it by ringing Pawlowski's bell for the duration of the game. 

Not to take anything away from HSC because they are a good football team with a lot of tools, but sometimes I wonder if GC has a bit of a mental block when they play HSC.  I'm not saying GC should go out and be able to romp HSC, I'm merely under the impression that the games between these two schools could be a little more competitive. 

Well, I'm just hoping to see a good game by GC this weekend.  I probably won't be in attendance, but I will be able to stream it over the laptop and use the airplay feature on Apple TV to watch the game on the big screen.  Also, I'm hoping I will still be watching it in the second half. 

Sorry about that HSCTigerFan, I meant to clarify that I will just be streaming the audio of the game.  Thanks for looking out for me though.  And a big thank you for the congrats.   Sounds a little more like football weather in Harrisonburg.  Every day in Savannah this week has been about 80 degrees.

Superfan,

GC isn't sandbagging.  I am happy to see them doing well but I fear the old GC will show up at any given time and on any given weekend.  Also, they have played a few weaker teams this season, but o don't think they try and run the score up.  A few of the games that I have seen this year could have actually could have been much worse.  During the Greensboro and W&L games I watched them gear down in the 4th quarter and keep the ball on the ground.  I just don't agree with sandbagging and running up scores.  For all we know the old GC could show up today and barely move the ball past the fifty.  I hope not, but then again, anything is possible.

I was hoping to make it to the GC/CUA ge tomorrow, but unfortunately I will be driving back from my honeymoon in Savannah.  Hopefully I will be able to stream the game live while I am on I-95 for what seems like eternity.

After catching up on the board I observed CUAcard59's comments about the term letdown being unfairly distributed.  I have learned as a player and as a fan that anything can happen.  I think GC is going in to the weekend expecting to play well.  With that being said, I can almost gaurantee that CUA can cause GC big problems if GC is lax and CUA executes their game plan. 

I also thought I would join the pick'em crowd just for giggles this week. 

I will take GC over CUA by 14.  GC's offense appeared to be better last week.  Also, I have witnessed GC improve against the run this year.

HSC over BC by 21.  HSC has that explosive offense and BC is solid but apre vanilla team.  If BC has a chance they will have to slow this game tempo way down and grind it out.

SU over RMC by 14.  RMC appears to have some trouble in the air and SU is an up and cong talented team.  Also, SU will be effective running the ball this weekend.

E&H by 14 over W&L.  I personally think E&H is the most improved team in the ODAC this year.  W&L is still young and learning but I believe they will get a few yards on the ground and put a few points on the board. 

HSCTiger,

Ahh, Bublavi and Singh, excellent football players...capable of giving any secondary nightmares.  I remember the Ricca to Singh connection quite well.  Though I think the second coming of Ricca in a CUA uniform was after my time. 

Hasa,

We noticed Schow was not playing in the W&L game, but the good thing is that Bell has been doing a nice job filling in and getting good experience for a freshman.  We also kicked around the idea that Pawlowski had a rough outing against SU and there might be some mental doubt or hesitancy there.  It seems as if GC has a group of capable receivers so at times we got frustrated.  I definitely got tired of seeing a running back in motion pre-snap and just seeing that swing pass.  It wasn't all that effective.  The good thing is that GC showed a little versatility being able to change up the offensive game plan and still be effective.  They did have a couple of nice draw plays along the way.

Well, I can tell you guys without hesitation that I didn't plan the wedding during football season.     When I was informed of the date of the wedding I just stood in the kitchen and looked at her like she should know better...

Sounds like you guys got to a decent compromise JK, I found a good one though because she thought of the laptop.  Not to mention that she wants to go to a lot of games during the fall.  This just happens to be the one fall that I have missed a considerable amount of football...which in my mind is unacceptable.   As for dancing, this guy is not the most fleet of foot or agile...so I will be readying my excuses this week so that I am prepared. 

As for football, I just checked the schedule and all of the games look interesting.  I think the one that interests me the most is the HSC/SU game.  I do know that SU pulled off an upset last year, and I am guessing it was at HSC, which makes it seem double tough. 

I think the GC/RMC game will be close.  I haven't heard much about RMC, once again though, if they run the ball between the tackles and they are successful with it, then it might spell a long day for GC.  I was just proud of GC this week for stepping up and stopping the run when it counted the most.  I noticed the GC offense looked more run oriented than usual this week.  I'm not why, it appeared that most of the passes thrown were types of swing passes out of the backfield and short slants.  It just didn't seem like Guilford tried to get as vertical as they normally do.  Maybe Hasa can help me with some insight on that one.

I think W&L can hang with BC.  Don't get me wrong, BC is a solid football team, but I think the W&L run game could give them problems.  BC appears to be pretty big up front on both sides of the ball, and their run defense was suspect at times against GC. 

I haven't heard much from CUA this fall, but I am sure they played hard against SU.  It sound like E&H is much improved and they have a very good offense. 

Overall it'll be fun to see how these games turnout.

And thanks for the congrats guys...you are all much more optimistic than my co-workers.