FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[cave2bens]

Let's stick with this weekend, hope the weather Gods smile on Hollett and the Homecoming throng, and the LGs bash the Lords the whole game long... Toot, Toot, Tootsie - Goodbye.

[wab64]

        Congratulations Caves! It couldn't have happened to a more worthy poster (and friend) Even though you spent only 2 years at the  bash- they leave a veneer.   Wab64

[wally_wabash]

Happy 1000th page NCACers! 

With Kenyon coming to Wabash on Saturday, I will have completed the NCAC set as it were as Kenyon is the only team in the NCAC that I haven't seen play football.  This will also be the first trip Kenyon has made to Crawfordsville since 1978.  That game resulted in a 6-3 Wabash victory.  My keen insight tells me that Saturday's game probably won't resemble that 6-3 contest 21 years ago. 

[smedindy]

I hope this isn't a trap game. Kenyon is not in Wabash's league, talent wise, but they seem to be competitive in almost every game over the past two seasons. With Allegheny on the horizon (never a fun place to play), let's hope the LGs don't look past the Lords.

Maybe we should show the squad the game film from the 1997 Benedictine game??

BTW - I was thinking of calling Kenyon the Mt. Union of swimming, but actually, isn't Mt. Union the Kenyon of football? I mean, 10 for Mt. Union vs. 30 for Kenyon. And not just 30, but 30 IN A ROW!

[zed07]

I also worry somewhat about the trap nature of not only this week, but also next week.  Kenyon has enough weapons to make it competitive, especially if we are loose with the ball like we were last week.   I hope we come out with the pedal to the metal like we did against Denison and leave no doubt.

Allegheny's a tough trip, and if I recall correctly from last time we were there, it was  dogfight!

[wally_wabash]

I hope this isn't a trap game. Kenyon is not in Wabash's league, talent wise, but they seem to be competitive in almost every game over the past two seasons.

Kenyon has won two conference games since the start of 2007, both of them against Hiram.  Two conference wins in over two seasons...in THIS league.  There is no trap here. 

Last year Wabash beat Kenyon and Allegheny by 42 and 41 points, respectively.  Does anybody here honestly believe that either of those teams got 40 points better in one offseason? 

[BashDad]

No.

[zed07]

Trap in this sense doesn't mean defeat, but rather not playing to your potential due to a perception that the games will be easy.  We need to keep improving week to week.

[wally_wabash]

Trap in this sense doesn't mean defeat, but rather not playing to your potential due to a perception that the games will be easy.  We need to keep improving week to week.

After the second half sleepwalk in Chicago, I think the team is pretty focused on putting together a full 60 minutes this week. 

[smedindy]

I hope this isn't a trap game. Kenyon is not in Wabash's league, talent wise, but they seem to be competitive in almost every game over the past two seasons.

Kenyon has won two conference games since the start of 2007, both of them against Hiram.  Two conference wins in over two seasons...in THIS league.  There is no trap here. 

Last year Wabash beat Kenyon and Allegheny by 42 and 41 points, respectively.  Does anybody here honestly believe that either of those teams got 40 points better in one offseason? 

Yes, but:

1. Kenyon has been competitive in most every game the past two seasons. And they have improved. Last season they lost to Case  at home by 36. This year they lost at Case by just 12.
2. Allegheny at Allegheny is never easy. Wabash only beat the 3-7 2005 Gators 27-21. The players know that the Gators are usually a tough opponent that improved greatly as the year went on last season.
3. A definition of a 'trap' game is precisely this one. Team A, while more talented, has its mind wander to Team C down the road, whilst Team B sneaks up and takes it to Team A.

I'm not saying its going to be an upset. What I am saying is that it looks like a trap game, and Wabash needs to guard against that.

Also, the Wash U. game looks like a big ol' trap game with Wittenberg on the horizon the week after.

[wally_wabash]

Wabash played the same schedule last year, exactly, going into the Wittenberg game.  42 point win at Kenyon, 41 point win vs. Allegheny, 25 point win against Washington (who was better, apparently by a lot, last year than they are this year).  I can't say for sure if the team is "looking ahead" or not....they might be, they might not be.  Whatever it is that they're doing seems to be working for them.  Historically (by which I mean the NCAC era), Wabash doesn't lose to the lower tier of the league.  Ever. 

Since joining the NCAC in 2000, Wabash has lost to exactly three teams in conference play: Witt, Wooster, Allegheny.  That's it.  Every other team in the league over the same time frame has dropped games along the line to OWU, Oberlin, Kenyon, Denison, etc.  But not the LGs.  The LGs take care of their business in these games.  Always.  In fact, not only do the LGs not lose a game to these teams that they should be beating, they've won comfortably in all but one game (took a 4th quarter TD at home to beat OWU 17-14 in 2004...but of course 2004 was the worst year Wabash has had in a decade).  The last time I can remember that Wabash had a Benedictine type of bad loss is 2003 at Kalamazoo.  That game should not have been lost, even though the Hornets had some really good senior players and Wabash was more or less starting over after the great 2002 team graduated.  But that's really the last time and the only time in the last nine seasons that I can find where Wabash took a really bad loss. 

[formerd3db]

wally:

Please allow the following from an "outsider' here.  You are right.  But..."never say never, and never say always, and sometimes, you might be right" .  So far, you are right, and I belive that you are right on with your assessment of the upcoming game with Kenyon.  Yet, someday that will occur.  Using your logical thinking, then that should not have happend against Kazoo back in 2003 as you mention.  But it did.  So all I'm saying is that it can occur at times and does, however, as you have mentioned, it is unlikely to happen this weekend.

P.S.  Now if it were to beat the odds and happen, then both you and I will end up having "egg on our faces"

[wally_wabash]

I'm definitely not naive enough to think that Wabash is never ever going to lose a game to OWU or Kenyon or Oberlin or whoever else.  Of course it's going to happen eventually.  I'm just saying that I don't think anybody wearing Wabash red needs to lose any sleep Friday night about whether or not Wabash is going to have their heads on straight enough to ward off the Lords.  Staying focused on the week that is just hasn't been a problem at all for this group...there's no reason to think that this is the week that the bottom is going to fall out. 

And if it does happen this week, all things told, Wabash is better off to lose to Kenyon than they are to lose to Witt or Wooster.  Kenyon isn't running the table....

...or are they?!?  Just noticed that Kenyon doesn't play Witt or Wooster this year.  The rest of their conference games are all very winnable (OWU, Allegheny, Denison at home, Earlham and Oberlin on the road).  Good lords!  This is Kenyon's Super Bowl on Saturday.  Maybe I'm too quick to dismiss their chances...

[aueagle]

Congrats NCAC on The 1000 page!! Thanks to Pat and the staff for giving us all the forum to express ourselves.
Black n Gold.....Terhune is going to be a force in another year....needs to bulk up with 15-20 pounds and look-out.....
Ohio Wesleyan is playing with youth (again)....Where do all the upperclassman go?

[raiderguy]

Wally already caught it but congrats on 1000 milestone. Keep up the good posting!

Make sure you tip your bartenders and waitresses!