While theoretically a team with 80 players can challenge in the D3 playoffs, certainly John Hopkins demonstrated that it could get deep into the playoffs this year.  However, it takes depth to play a 15 game schedule.  I recall a playoff game between Wabash and Wisconsin Whitewater a few years ago that was close deep into the 3rd quarter.  However, in the later stages of that game, Whitewater's greater depth let them put fresh legs on the field late in the game and that made the difference. Whitewater also had a D-1 transfer at wide receiver that went on to play with the Green Bay Packers.  His talent, speed and height eventually wore down the Wabash defensive backs, and while that starting defensive backs had some success early, there wasn't enough depth to keep fresh legs on the field the whole game.

There is a roster limit for the D-3 playoffs.  Primarily because the NCAA pays for travel to these games.  Buses are used for travel up to 500 miles or so.  While North Central and Mount Union only had 58 on the sidelines for the Stagg Bowl, these school likely have up to 150 players or so on the team.  This results in significant depth for these programs. 

Quote from: NESCACFball24/7 on November 24, 2024, 05:23:30 PMAm I the only one wondering how these coaches are supposed to run a college practice with 85 players? That seems like a recipe to get kids hurt

Go ask Mount Union and North Central how they do it routinely with 140+ players.

The quality of the officials in the NESCAC is somewhat better this year. The glaring exceptions were the blatant missed calls in the Wesleyan Bowdoin game.  The video shows that Poy's return of the fumble was called a incomplete pass when the throw in question was clearly a lateral.  The SEC has the best refs in the country and the number 1 squad missed the interference call in the Texas Georgia game. Thank goodness the call was reversed.  Unfortunately, the NFL refs who had the experience to make calls have retired and the idiots in strips are so reliant on replays and calls from NFL headquarters, they can't make a call 5 feet in front of their faces.  The NESCAC refs on Saturday don't have replay or common sense, and the blew the fumble call by a mile.  These refs need to be better trained.  All the players in the NESCAC deserve to have their games called fairly and professionally.  That clearly did not happen on Saturday.

The only thing missing from the Wabash game at Oberlin on Sunday was the interpretive dancer at half time.

The old grandstands at Bowdoin not only have a nostalgic feel, but they provide nice shade on the sunny fall days in Maine as well giving shelter on the rainy days.  The new training and locker facilities are to notch and as nice as you will find at the top Division I schools albeit on a smaller scale.  All in all, Bowdoin is a great venue to enjoy a football game. Congrats to the AD, the alumni donors, and the others who planned the new stadium facilities.  The mix of the old and the new is unique, but a very good venue for spectators.

It would be difficult for the NESCAC to compete head on with some of the D-3 power houses given the caps on the number of players 75 or 82 or 84.  These schools have larger squads to have enough back up to play a 15 game schedule. (The regular season plus the playoffs.) The NESCAC has good players, but if it decides to compete on a more even footing with other D-3 schools by adding a 10th game against an out of conference opponent, and participating in the D-3 playoffs.  The squad caps will also need adjustment as well.  Who knows if such a day will ever come.  NESCAC teams do well in various D-3 playoffs.  It is a shame to see football treated as the unwanted child by NESCAC.  At least there is an opportunity for some spring practice which is so important to have a time to work on the skills needed for the various positions. 

John Wesley's Ghost is correct.  Teams like Mount Union, Wisconsin Whitewater, North Central etc. have rosters of 140 plus players. Wisconsin Whitewater is a state school with around 20,000 students.

I agree with Wabashcpa.  I have had an opportunity to watch all 4.  Liam didn't have the hard hat defense that the others had.  Jake had one or both of the Hammers on the d-line all four years. Jake's sophomore year he had both, and they combined for 20 quarterbacks that year.  In the playoffs in 2002, Blair Hammer caused a strip sack of the Witt QB and recovered the fumble. Jake then threw a TD on the next play. After the kickoff, Blair Hammer was in the Witt QB's face again and took the ball away, and this ran it in for a TD. 14 points in less than 30 seconds.  Jake could make the big plays because he had knew he had great receivers, a fine running back in Chris Morris, and had a defense he could rely on. 

Just think of what Liam would have done with a great defense to close out those close games.  The game at Dennison this year come to mind. 

Sadly the referees in the Bowdoin vs Wesleyan game did a very poor job.  From time to time, mistakes will be made, but there were just too many mistakes by the officials on critical plays.  First, the refs were using the Division 1 clock rules which they admitted was their mistake.  On the blocked field goal, the defender had crossed into the neutral zone long before the ball was snapped giving him an advantage than led to the block.  Later, when the Polar Bears were driving deep in the Cardinals end, a defensive lineman ran onto the field late and was in the Polar Bears backfield when the ball was snapped and was in the wide receiver's way.  These two uncalled encroachments and/or illegal substitution led to a 10 point swing in the score.  The clock mismanagement also disrupted the Polar Bears attempt to come back in the 4th quarter.  The poor job by the refs is unfair to both teams.  The job of being a ref isn't easy, but missing big plays that have a material impact on the game is just unacceptable.

The Colts lost a close game yesterday when the refs called pass interference in the end zone with a few seconds left when the ball was well over the receivers head and clearly uncatchable. ( A 10 foot tall receiver would not have been unable to get to the ball.)  Missed calls lead to questions about the integrity of the refs in Colts game, and whether something untoward was underway to cover the spread.  The NFL has replay to help correct obvious mistakes.  The refs for D3 don't have this luxury, so they need to be extra watchful and not leave themselves open to outrageous mistakes.

The days, with gambling on games at all levels being widespread, the officials leave themselves wide open to questions about their integrity with bad calls on key plays.

Quote from: Whitecarrera on October 21, 2023, 12:19:24 PM
Doc - sometimes signature lines get overlooked.  I think you and I are on the same page.

Whitecarrera

I must have missed something.  Coach Neathery is a great defensive mind.  Coach Hammer obviously benefitted from their time working together,
but also drew from  his experiences on the field and from other coaches that he worked with.  Wabash has some great teams in the ER days.  The Purple teams had a bit more depth and could outlast them. (But the LG's are a small school of 900 students and gave a good accounting of themselves nonetheless.)

Quote from: Whitecarrera on October 18, 2023, 10:46:04 AM

Quote from: smedindy on October 17, 2023, 11:12:51 PM
We should give some credit to Neal Nethery for instilling the Hard Hat D mentality when he was an assistant coach under Creighton. He named EMU's defense the same, and I notice their D is lacking since he retired.

https://emueagles.com/news/2022/12/19/football-emus-neathery-announces-retirement-from-coaching

Yeah, because the defense's were terrible before Neathery, and BJ learned everything he knew from him.

Coach Hammer worked with Coach Neathery one year and no doubt learned quite a bit from him.  However, Coach Hammer worked with several others as well and he spent 3 years as defensive coordinator with Coach Carlson in California where he was able to hone his approach.  During the years when Coach Hammer returned to Wabash with ER, the Little Giant Defense ranked in the top five in D3 several years and one year they led all the Divisions in College football in several defensive categories.  One key is speed.  At Wabash, Coach Hammer had a number of speedy linebackers, defensive linemen, and a couple of defensive backs who could run 4.3 forties.  These guys handled the great wide receiver from Hampden Sydney, and played well against the wide receiver from UWW who went on to play for the Green Bay Packers although they gave up several inches in height.

Congrats to the Bowdoin Polar Bears for opening the season with a win on the road.

In other football news from Bowdoin, a generous commitment by Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish '82 will allow Bowdoin College to endow the position of head football coach. B. J. Hammer becomes the first coach to hold the position of Fish Family Head Coach of Football.  Strong alumni support is an important part of the football program.

Lumbercat
Bowdoin is fortunate to have 2 experienced quarterbacks in camp along with an exciting freshman quarterback from Texas.  Football in Texas and the rest of the South is a religion.  Football under the Friday night lights is incredible in small towns and large.  There are high school stadiums that seat 25,000+ and fill the stands up.  They have jumbotrons and sky boxes.  There is nothing like being in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on a Saturday night with Alabama coming to play.  Or try Kyle Field in College Station, or where Texas plays in Austin, or try Tuscaloosa when 'Bama has a home game.  Athens and Knoxville are also crazy on a Saturday, along with the Swamp in Gainesville, or the party in the Grove in Oxford before an Ole Miss game, and many other venues across the South.  Bowdoin will enjoy Ramos bringing some of that Texas football spirit with him to Brunswick. 

Quote from: NESCACFball24/7 on August 01, 2023, 01:00:22 PM
Phil lutz went abroad last spring before his senior year skipping spring practices and was just fine coming back. Each program is going to approach it differently but guys know it will affect playing time and take that into consideration. Let's not over complicate it. The way the nescac operates for football is archaic and everyone knows it. Baseball and lacrosse have fall ball and spring practice for football is no different.

I also think as schools start to recruit outside of New England these old school nescac rules(no playoffs, no spring practice, etc) are falling out of favor quickly especially when trying to get kids from states that frankly value football more.

Your points are well taken.  An upper classman can miss spring practice.  Underclassmen really need the time to work with position coaches coming out of the COVID era.  How many internships occur in the spring and not the summer?  Those doing the semester abroad, tend to be upperclassmen so missing a spring football session can occur without an adverse impact on the team.

As the Nescac recruits players from areas of the country that place a high value on football, it does hurt recruiting.  Most players in D3 don't expect to be playing in the NFL, but winning a championship and/or  playing the playoffs is the reward that culminates their football careers.  I know a number of Wabash players who made the playoffs in 2002 after a 23 year hiatus, and they take great pride in this accomplishment.