FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[GRIZ_BACKER]

GRIZ gave up TD with 35 seconds to play  24-17 Bluffton.  You just never know.

[Joe Wally]

Franklin turns it over again driving to win the game. Bluffton hits a bomb to lead 24-17 with :35.

Insert worn out cliche here:____________.

[GrizFan]

GRIZ are in trouble!  Linville banged up, Pasquale out, Cole out & Hession out!

[DPU3619]

Franklin got it to midfield, but took a sack and ran out of time. Bluffton 24-17. That does not bode well for the GRIZ playoff wise. Probably still in, but 7-3 is gonna be a rough draw. May be going right back to Alliance. Have to win the Victory Bell next week just to get in.

[GRIZ_BACKER]

Franklin turns it over again driving to win the game. Bluffton hits a bomb to lead 24-17 with :35.

Insert worn out cliche here:____________.

Congrats to the Beavers.  They made to most of their opportunities.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Franklin got it to midfield, but took a sack and ran out of time. Bluffton 24-17. That does not bode well for the GRIZ playoff wise. Probably still in, but 7-3 is gonna be a rough draw. May be going right back to Alliance.

They're still in via AQ unless they lose again next week and Rose-Hulman wins. Still, I think it's safe to say that the Bluffton/Franklin result is the most puzzling D3 result of the season.

[Wabash Hokie]

1:57 in the 3rd...Wabash is getting beaten like red headed step children.  Gross, feeble, weak, and pathetic play by Wabash all around. The coaching is equally pathetic. 

I have a great deal of respect for CP Porter, but he has run like a grade schooler today.  Why has Raeburn not been running Klembara more??  WTF?

Putko has been anemic at best.  He is a weak QB....and I am not the first one to bring this to the table. I don't give a rats ass that he is a sophomore.

Gross, gross, gross...

Franklin would beat Wabash 60-0 today.

Just telling it like it is....hate me if you want.

Just telling it like it is

The question I have is whether Wittenberg is really good or has Wabash's competition this year been really really bad.  I  think that Witt is good. The reason being is that Wabash and Witt have been winning by similar scores.  Both have been whomping their competition. 

If we played this game 100 times, Wittenberg would win a majority of them.  Even if Wabash did not have the special teams breakdowns, bad penalties and the one turnover, I don't think the outcome changes. The score may have been closer but Witt thoroughly kicked Wabash's butt today.  Witt showed no weaknesses out there today. Congrats to the old Tigers. 

[Schwami]

Kudos to Witt for an impressive win today.  The Tigers came ready to play, and starting 18 seniors (who had not beaten Wabash since they were freshmen), they were especially determined today.  Even have to say (and it hurts to say) that the old Tigers played with much more poise and self-control than the LGs throughout.

How big was losing the opening coin toss?  Wabash immediately lost control of field position and could do nothing to change it in the first half.  Special Teams miscues really hurt, and the Wabash Defense was constantly a half-step too late.  Putko was actually pretty good today, despite the naysayers.  Just couldn't match Reed Florence, your certain NCAC OPOY.

Let's hope the conference overturns the Hodges suspension --- just a bad, bad call (unlike the one on #9).

[GrizFan]

Franklin got it to midfield, but took a sack and ran out of time. Bluffton 24-17. That does not bode well for the GRIZ playoff wise. Probably still in, but 7-3 is gonna be a rough draw. May be going right back to Alliance.

They're still in via AQ unless they lose again next week and Rose-Hulman wins. Still, I think it's safe to say that the Bluffton/Franklin result is the most puzzling D3 result of the season.

Winner of HCAC now has a long road, likely to NC or a Purple Power, in the first round.

[wabndy]

Tale of two halves in Crawfordsville today. Wabash finally settled down and gave a respectable half but it was way too little too late. Hats off to Witt- they clearly deserved the win and the conference championship.

I'm rethinking my feelings about witt's decision to schedule butler. I think today showed that Wabash is capable of hanging with a quality opponent - but waiting until week 10 to play a top notch opponent is an awfully tall order. You can argue about scheduling matchups that boost playoff profile- but you still need to get the team ready. Wabash wasn't clicking in this game until a few minutes in to the second half.

Oh well- at least we have bell week. WAF

[smedindy]

Next year Wabash won't have to wait to play a quality team. HSU is usually good to great; the ODAC is a meat grinder and everyone knocks off everyone.

[smedindy]

I'm quite disappointed and frustrated by Wabash's performance for the most part. This was a chance for the LG's to back up the chirping we've all done and they spit the bit. Now, job #1 is winning the Bell Game (always job #1) and we have now put an 11th game in the hands of others.

Franklin losing doesn't really help since they'll still be an "A". The chance of a Framingham crossing over to a "C" won't happen since many Pool B teams imploded as well.  I don't know if Illinois College will be highly ranked enough in the West to merit consideration, but that's a team to watch.

Right now, it looks like, on a gut: JCU (or Mt. Union, because JCU looked that good today), PLU (unless they lose to Whitworth), the WIAC runner up, Illinois Wesleyan and either Wabash, Thomas More or Illinois College, or depending on rankings, St. Thomas. I could see them jumping Wabash for a two-loss St. Thomas or St. John's team because of the strength of the MIAC. St. John's SOS is weak, though. I'd watch for the Tommies if they jump a two-loss team in there.

Remember, it's how these teams shake out in the criteria and the RR's. I await Wednesday's rankings with baited breath.

[wally_wabash]

I think I'll start with a hearty congratulations to Wittenberg- 2013 NCAC Champions.  It was a championship game and they absolutely played like it from the get go.  Wabash was a little late to that party today.  Mishandled kickoff, block in the back, 3 and out, give up a good return on the punt and add five yards because the formation was wrong.  That's how the thing started and it didn't get better for the entire first half. 

Quick recap on a lot of the things we talked about going in to this week. 

Field position- Witt dominated that aspect.  Wabash had the long field all day long.  Witt started their first possession on the LG 29.  There were some other short fields created from turnover on downs later on, but Witt won this part of the game. 

Turnovers- One for Wabash, Zero for Witt.  Wabash had Witt put the ball down a couple of times, but Witt recovered both of those chances.  Wabash had one almost INT in there, but the end story here is that Wabash didn't take it away at all.  They needed to. 

LGs Rush game- Not good.  Wittenberg did a tremendous job of keeping Wabash's run game in check until such time as the score dictated that Wabash abandon it entirely.  Witt gets a check-plus grade on this. 

3rd down play- Wabash had 3rd and long allllll day.  I mean all day.  That's not Wabash's game.  Witt had better situations for the most part, but- and this as much as anything is where I think the game was won- when Witt did get into 3rd and long, Reed Florence made huge plays.  None bigger than a 3rd and long toward the end of the first half (more on this later). 

So basically, all of the things that Wabash had done superbly all season (takeaways, 3rd down D, rush offense) they did not do well today. 

I want to talk individuals for a second.  The player of the game, IMO, was Sean Gary.  Gary was a beast and gave Witt a dimension that I never thought they would have against Wabash.  Gary ran out of a lot of tackles today.  Yes, Wabash missed some tackles today, but we have to give Gary credit for running out of a lot of tackles as well.  We wouldn't be giving that kid the credit he deserves if we just say that Wabash missed all of those tackles. 

The stats will tell us that Reed Florence was just 16-31 today, but so many of those 16 were in clutch spots.  3rd and longs.  Wittenberg handled the Wabash pressure well and gave Florence time, but even with time he was throwing darts.  Not one bad throw when he had to have it.  He's a senior and a great player...showed both today. 

Brendan Cunningham had a magnificent day against the Wabash secondary as well.  9 balls, 145 yards.  Huge day for Cunningham. 

And then it was just one of those days where things didn't go right for Wabash.  At the end of the half, Wabash takes timeouts so that they can get the ball back or at least force Witt to punt (maybe block a kick, maybe get a return....any chance for a spark).  It's the right move, I believe.  But then on 3rd and 12, Zac Wilson gets loose up the seam, Witt converts to the tune of 45 yards and winds up punching it in.  When stuff like that backfires on you so profoundly, it just isn't your day. 

One more number.  50.  50 is the number of passes Wabash threw today.  Wabash had thrown 155 passes total before today.  50 pass attempts was not in the game plan. 

So where is the silver lining?  All of the things that had to happen today for an NCAC runner up to have a reasonable shot at a tournament invitation DID happen.  The CCIW and OAC will not have ties.  Concorida-Moorhead lost.  Those are the big ones.  Texas Lutheran lost in spectacular fashion, but I'm not sure whether or not that domino is going to matter or not.  I'm not sure Illinois College losing matters or not.  Franklin losing doesn't...they were either going to be in Pool A or out.  But the big things that needed to happen for the NCAC runner up, did.  So we hope that Wabash beats DePauw by 80 next week and then wait anxiously until Sunday night. 

[DPU3619]

At the end of the half, Wabash takes timeouts so that they can get the ball back or at least force Witt to punt (maybe block a kick, maybe get a return....any chance for a spark).  It's the right move, I believe.  But then on 3rd and 12, Zac Wilson gets loose up the seam, Witt converts to the tune of 45 yards and winds up punching it in.  When stuff like that backfires on you so profoundly, it just isn't your day.   

That play really bothered me. It's 3rd and a mile from deep in their own end. Yeah, maybe you expect Wittenberg to run to keep the clock moving (I don't remember if Wabash had another timeout or not.) If they do throw, what are they gonna do? 4 verts. Total no brainer. How, in the 9th game of the year, against the best passing team you've faced all year, can you not handle 4 verts? That's just not acceptable.

[WABCOL86]

Wes-

From watching the game replay, that was Wabash all day long...  Wabash, for whatever reason, was not prepared to play this game.  I really just don't understand it.