FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[sigma one]

Wally's list of nine performances about sums it up for me. Digging a little . . .
     Matt Hudson was two-time offensive player of the year in the NCAC.  Of his games, I'd mention 6 TD passes v. Denison in 2008, and 5 v. CWR in the playoff game of 2007.  Also, his 15 of 16 for 277 yds. v. Oberlin in 2008 (only one TD pass though).
     Pynenberg's 21 tackles v. OWU in 2007 is impressive; the Wabash all-time record is Kilbane's 23 tackles in a single game.  Lange and Kennon also had some impressive games in terms of tackles for loss, as did Adi.

[firstdown]

Blair Hammer in the 2002 play off game with Wittenberg.  A sack and a strip of the Witt quarterback, and then Knott throws a TD. Wabash kicks off to Witt. Hammer gets the Witt quarterback for  another sack and a strip, but, this time Hammer kept the ball, and ran it in for a TD himself to save Knott the trouble.  2 TD's in less than 30 seconds to break the game open.

BJ Hammer's duel with the great running back from Allegheny - Shane Ream in 2000.  The highlight was when BJ relieved Shane of the ball on the Wabash 4 yard line and ran it back 95 and one-half yards to the Allegheny one-half yard line tripping from exhaustion, or as BJ said "I wanted to give the offense another opportunity to score, and let the defense rest for an extra play before the kickoff."

BJ Hammer and Blair Hammer both ending their playing careers tied with 27.5 quarterback sacks each, a new record at the time. 

Tyler Burke's amazing game in relief against North Central in the 2011 playoffs.  I was standing next to Casper who caught the "Monon Miracle" Pass at the North Central game and asked him to rank the two catches.  He said, with a big grin on his face  (no doubt reliving and savoring the moment of the Monon Miracle) that the extra point catch in the North Central game finale was even more amazing than his "Miracle" catch.

[BashDad]

Tyler Burke. Best individual performance ever. Period. No contest.

[BashDad]

Burke's game is the kind I would use to double check an advanced metric stat.

"Is Tyler Burke #1? Oh, he is? Okay, the formula works."

I have a lot of love for a lot of players over the years, but there was no better game played by a Wabash offensive player than that one.

[wally_wabash]

A few "best of the era" performance nominees from some other squads...

Justin Rummell (ERL) vs. Manchester, 2005: 22-28, 476 yards, 7 (seven!) TDs.  You remember that game.  We all remember that game. 

Justin Rummell (ERL) vs. Manchester - redux, 2006: He couldn't possibly do it again, right?  Wrong.  30-39, 507 yards, 7 TDs.  That happened.

RV Carroll (OBE) vs. Kenyon, 2006: 38 rushes, 338 yards, 5 TDs. 

Raphael Sanchez (KEN) vs. Grinnell, 2007: 357 yards of total offense, 6 total TDs.

More to come...I need to sort through Witt's stuff.  McKee caught a zillion touchdowns in one game.  Zoeller had a bunch of filthy stat games.  Tristan Murray too. 

[BashDad]

Reed Florence Vs Heidelberg 2012

[D3MAFAN]

Reed Florence Vs Heidelberg 2012

One of the wildest games I've ever seen, that was one of the greatest second half performances I have seen in the most recent years.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Can I cast a vote for Josh Mandel and Robin Witjes (OBE) combining for 403 passing yards vs. Wabash 2012?

Mandel: 22-40, 353 yards, 4 TD
Witjes: 7 catches, 165 yards, 2 TD plus throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass

There have been bigger stat lines but considering the undermanned squad and nature of the upset, I think they qualify as pretty memorable performances.  2012 Oberlin over Wabash is on my short list of "D3 upsets that I specifically remember being shocked by" (behind Buff State-UWW, of course).

[BashDad]

Can I cast a vote for Josh Mandel and Robin Witjes (OBE) combining for 403 passing yards vs. Wabash 2012?

Mandel: 22-40, 353 yards, 4 TD
Witjes: 7 catches, 165 yards, 2 TD plus throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass

There have been bigger stat lines but considering the undermanned squad and nature of the upset, I think they qualify as pretty memorable performances.  2012 Oberlin over Wabash is on my short list of "D3 upsets that I specifically remember being shocked by" (behind Buff State-UWW, of course).

Totally.

[sigma one]

With all respect to some fine Wittenberg teams, and one or two other efforts, that Oberlin game against long odds--and by those two specifically--the best performances I've seen v. Wabash in the last decade.  (I've seen in person every game but one over that stretch.)  They really had it going.  Ittersagen of Wheaton had an amazing playoff game but the Oberlin upset trumps all.

[wally_wabash]

I've dropped a lot of gaudy stat games out there so far, which I think are important, but certainly context should matter here also.  That's why Tyler Burke's game is better than Dustin Huff's game or whoever else (definitely agree that Tyler Burke's game was the best one I've seen...not just from 2003 on, but since I started paying attention in 1996).  Reed Florence's comeback on Heidelberg in the postseason should probably beat out some other great regular season games from Witt players. 

Excellent call, ETP, on the Oberlin players.  Those two in particular were outstanding.  The result is/was shocking on paper, but in the stadium, watching it unfold...it wasn't shocking.  They were that much better than Wabash on that day.  On a day when Wabash was basically playing at home in a win-and-in situation, they whooped Wabash's butt.  Wasn't luck, wasn't a fluke...those dudes could ball and they put on a show.  They did that to the defense that shut out the Flyin' Espinosas seven days earlier.   I'm having a hard time thinking of performances against Wabash teams that were that dominant.  Dan Pugh in 2002 wasn't stoppable.  Jamal Robertson from ONU in 1999 basically did whatever he wanted.  Justin Beaver in 2007.  What those guys at Oberlin did was in that class...the kind of thing where guys are standing around kind of helpless wondering what the heck just happened. 

[ExTartanPlayer]

Excellent call, ETP, on the Oberlin players.  Those two in particular were outstanding.  The result is/was shocking on paper, but in the stadium, watching it unfold...it wasn't shocking.  They were that much better than Wabash on that day.  On a day when Wabash was basically playing at home in a win-and-in situation, they whooped Wabash's butt.  Wasn't luck, wasn't a fluke...those dudes could ball and they put on a show.  They did that to the defense that shut out the Flyin' Espinosas seven days earlier.   I'm having a hard time thinking of performances against Wabash teams that were that dominant.  Dan Pugh in 2002 wasn't stoppable.  Jamal Robertson from ONU in 1999 basically did whatever he wanted.  Justin Beaver in 2007.  What those guys at Oberlin did was in that class...the kind of thing where guys are standing around kind of helpless wondering what the heck just happened.

And I just found that game on YouTube...I've never seen it before (I was following the game on my brand-new iPhone that day, maybe saw a highlight or two a few days later but that was it).  Definitely watching this someday when I get a chance.

[Li'l Giant]

Can I cast a vote for Josh Mandel and Robin Witjes (OBE) combining for 403 passing yards vs. Wabash 2012?

Mandel: 22-40, 353 yards, 4 TD
Witjes: 7 catches, 165 yards, 2 TD plus throwing a 50-yard touchdown pass

There have been bigger stat lines but considering the undermanned squad and nature of the upset, I think they qualify as pretty memorable performances.  2012 Oberlin over Wabash is on my short list of "D3 upsets that I specifically remember being shocked by" (behind Buff State-UWW, of course).

"It's a celebration, Witjes!"

That was a game I took my Wabash hat off for a minute and felt really happy for Oberlin. All time D3 upset in my books.

I feel a little bad because when I said "best individual game" I was thinking for the teams not players but I wasn't clear. Great thoughts from all, though.

Bonus points to Wally for breaking out the Rummell 7-TD games. That kid could sling.

[wally_wabash]

Oh.  Whoops. 

47-0 vs. Depauw in 2010 immediately jumps to mind for the best single game by a Wabash team in this stretch.  That was a NSFW beatdown of one of Depauw's best teams ever.  I don't really know what else Wabash could have done right in that game. 

[ADL70]

Any Scots fans out there may be interested to know that All-American Dan Terhune is coaching DL for CWRU.