FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

I think it will have some impact, but not a ton.  Most of the new DII schools are former NAIA schools so they could already give athletic scholarships (albeit fewer than in DII).  The DIII's have been fighting that "you can be a scholarship player here" thing for years in Ohio.  Partial scholarships are partial scholarships.  The presence of an upper echelon DII program is what will hurt the Mounts and Witts.  You will lose kids to an Ashland perhaps, but I doubt they lose many to the also-ran DII's just because of partial rides.   

Do you think you would lose a lot of kids to upper echelon D-II programs anyway? Are there a lot of kids who Mount Union usually gets who Grand Valley would actually offer? I don't get that impression.

[Dr. Acula]

I think it will have some impact, but not a ton.  Most of the new DII schools are former NAIA schools so they could already give athletic scholarships (albeit fewer than in DII).  The DIII's have been fighting that "you can be a scholarship player here" thing for years in Ohio.  Partial scholarships are partial scholarships.  The presence of an upper echelon DII program is what will hurt the Mounts and Witts.  You will lose kids to an Ashland perhaps, but I doubt they lose many to the also-ran DII's just because of partial rides.   

Do you think you would lose a lot of kids to upper echelon D-II programs anyway? Are there a lot of kids who Mount Union usually gets who Grand Valley would actually offer? I don't get that impression.

Oh no, I doubt there would be much overlap at all.  Upper echelon was probably poor wording on my part.  I didn't mean GVSU level good, I meant more like Ashland.  Not top 10 or anything, but good enough to play with and occassionally beat those teams, make the playoffs, etc.     

[The_Bishop]

2nd half highlights from OWU/Denison:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9e8Qk40hhQ&feature=youtu.be

[BashDad]

Thanks for posting that, The_Bishop. Gleaves looks really good in that first return. Don't know how much to attribute to those (totally badass) uni's, but it looks like OWU has some athletes. Can't really argue with Espinosa's numbers, but that release is hard to watch and I suspect will get him in trouble against good teams. Looks like he's whipping a wet towel every time he throws the ball. Paulus doesn't look much better, but--again--his numbers were sick. Some good offensive schemes around the league it looks like.

Am I using this video to try and get excited about the run of games we have coming up? Yes. Yes I am. Hell, maybe I'll watch it again. I hate this part of playing a weak schedule. Blow-outs become the expectation and anything less gets held under a very nervous crowd-sourced microscope. Worse, and despite that, we don't really learn much of anything about how good the team is. Oh, well. Franklin could say the same thing, I suppose. The Top-25 teams off the top of my head who, by virtue of their first couple weeks, have a head-start on the rest of us in terms of knowing where they stand: Mount (I guess, though that opening day win isn't looking as impressive as I wanted it to), NCC, Wesley, Salisbury, and... that's it.

[wabco]

You know, from what I watched this past Saturday, I think you will hear more from ND of Cleveland next year + as an "upper echelon " D II.  Their O is pretty good and has no seniors ... so will be back next year with an additional class.  AND they pushed Grand Valley around 640 yds.  D stunk up the gym.  My guess is that there will be a coaching adjustment or SOMETHING which should improve this aspect of their game.

So ... Ohio people, keep a close eye open for ND.  Now back to D III programing.

[bashbrother]

My take on Saturdays game:

Chase, except that one sack he took, was superb.   

The offensive line, didn't get the run block, but of any of the units on the field, this is the one that may take the longest to gel.   Look for marked improvement each week.   The talent is there, they just need some time.

Until the run blocking improves,  we may want to look to the running back in our stable that hits the hole the fastest.   I am sure there were some holes on Saturday, they just seemed to close before our backs could get there.   I may be way off here, unfortunately, I couldn't see much of the game.  (Plus Hanover after being shredded the week before, may have over-compensated on stopping the run.... only to get shredded by Mr. Belton and Co. through the air)

Question:  It has always been my thought that a young/inexperienced offensive line will always handle pass blocking a bit better that run blocking early on...  Is this a reasonable assumption?

Defense -   Awesome.  They could be a better overall unit than the 2011 version (by the end of the year).    Hope we get Diaz-Aguilar back soon.  Nice to see Freshman contributing and gaining experience.

Penalties -   No excuse, got to clean it up.

[1837Tigers]

DePauw - St. Olaf Video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5IlSJeOu-E

[BashDad]

What happened to Hester, '37?

[smedindy]

I always heard that O-linemen liked to run block better than pass block. Perhaps it's the schemes and technique for Wabash's O-line that may give the youngsters pause in game condition but many of these guys no doubt did some work in Red Squad games. At any rate, the running game and the penalty prevention need improvement.

[Li'l Giant]

DePauw - St. Olaf Video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5IlSJeOu-E

New look helmets. I remember in 98 DPU had the no logo faux-Notre Dame look to their helmets. Was that the last time the paw print wasn't on them?

[ADL70]

Someone at OWU needs to get the new helmet specs and logo to The Helmet Project.

Just a thought, wouldn't the "OWU" (at least I think that's what is) stand out better if outlined in white?

[bashbrother]

I always heard that O-linemen liked to run block better than pass block. Perhaps it's the schemes and technique for Wabash's O-line that may give the youngsters pause in game condition but many of these guys no doubt did some work in Red Squad games. At any rate, the running game and the penalty prevention need improvement.

Just posed this question to my best friend who was an All-Pac 10 Offensive Center/CFL Pro and now a High School coach.  He said that there really isn't a difference in timing of effectively picking up run block vs. pass block.   He said overall athleticism is more important for the run (to varying degree depending on the type of offense) He also said that the total time in coaching the run blocking scheme can have an impact on success.   Interesting question with I am sure more than one answer.

[Li'l Giant]

Someone at OWU needs to get the new helmet specs and logo to The Helmet Project.

Just a thought, wouldn't the "OWU" (at least I think that's what is) stand out better if outlined in white?

I'd kind of like to see the Bishop logo on the helmet.

[smedindy]

That's an angry bishop there. Fearsome. Looks like he's ready to cudgel someone.

[ExTartanPlayer]

I always heard that O-linemen liked to run block better than pass block. Perhaps it's the schemes and technique for Wabash's O-line that may give the youngsters pause in game condition but many of these guys no doubt did some work in Red Squad games. At any rate, the running game and the penalty prevention need improvement.

Just posed this question to my best friend who was an All-Pac 10 Offensive Center/CFL Pro and now a High School coach.  He said that there really isn't a difference in timing of effectively picking up run block vs. pass block.   He said overall athleticism is more important for the run (to varying degree depending on the type of offense) He also said that the total time in coaching the run blocking scheme can have an impact on success.   Interesting question with I am sure more than one answer.

Now, I was definitely NOT an All-Pac 10 Center, nor did I play in the CFL, but I did squeak out a decent Division III career at offensive tackle, and I'll offer a few thoughts on the subject.

smedindy: After a career spent in the trenches, I'll say that every lineman I played with definitely enjoyed run blocking more than pass blocking.  However, that doesn't necessarily make us "better" at run blocking - but I think one of bashbrother's points is part of this relationship: the amount of time spent coaching each technique in practice and its relative priority in the game plan.

At CMU, the run was the focal point of our offense.  Our best season was my junior year (2006), during which we rushed 628 times (producing two 1,000 yard rushers) and passed 149 times.  While our coaches made certain to include a live first-offense-vs-first-defense passing drill each week in practice, we definitely spent more time working on run blocking technique than we did on pass-blocking technique.  Makes plenty of sense: in a typical game, we might run the ball 60 times and pass it 10 times.  However, as a result, I was FAR more confident in myself as a run-blocker than as a pass-blocker.  If we called a traditional pocket passing play, I was nervous coming up to the line and just hoping that I wouldn't get beaten like a drum - frankly, I just didn't have the same belief in myself as a pass-blocker that I did as a run-blocker.

One other comment I'll note here: I don't know just how young the 'Bash offensive linemen are, but one thing I noted in the transition from HS to college ball was exactly what it took to be an effective run blocker in college vs. high school. 

In high school, our backs weren't very fast and our backfield execution was a little clunky.  As a result, the RB's are often fairly slow to the hole.  You really had to get some push on the line or a pancake block if you wanted the RB to get anywhere.

VERY generally speaking, college RB's are faster, the backfield action is smoother, and as a result the RB often hits the hole quicker than a high school running back.  While pancake blocks are nice, it's just as effective to get your hat in the right place and seal off your man because the RB should be through the hole quickly.

As a result, in college I took a much greater appreciation for positioning and technique - I almost never had an outright pancake block, but remained a fairly effective run blocker because I understood the value of getting on the correct side of my opponent and just sealing him off. 

If your kids are freshman or sophomores, they might not totally grasp this yet.  If they're upperclassmen...well, they still might not grasp it, we OL's aren't the brightest bunch.