FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Today's results should end any further conversations about three way tiebreakers in the NCAC this season.  Wabash and DePauw are alone at the top of the league at 4-1.  Wabash will host Hiram and Kenyon in the next two weeks.  DePauw is at Kenyon, then hosts Oberlin.  Then, of course, they will play one another in the Monon Bell Classic.  It's difficult to see any reasonable scenario here that brings any of the 2-loss teams back into play.   

[CollegeGolf18]

Today's results should end any further conversations about three way tiebreakers in the NCAC this season.  Wabash and DePauw are alone at the top of the league at 4-1.  Wabash will host Hiram and Kenyon in the next two weeks.  DePauw is at Kenyon, then hosts Oberlin.  Then, of course, they will play one another in the Monon Bell Classic.  It's difficult to see any reasonable scenario here that brings any of the 2-loss teams back into play.

I think the only way that a two loss team would come into play now is if both teams accidentally send their JV teams to the field in the next two weeks.

[sigma one]

I'm sure some others have noticed that in the Wabash/Oberlin game yesterday the 4th quarter was shortened to 12 minutes.  The score at that point was 66-20, and neither team scored another point.  I for one was unaware that shortening the game was permitted in a college game, so I looked up the rule.  Indeed, shortening is allowed by mutual agreement of the two coaches and the head official.  However, a running clock is not permitted.  Several Division 1 games have used the rule in recent years.   
     Live and learn.
Also, in the first half Ian Thompson completed 19 consecutive passes, a new Wabash record.  The old record was 17 by Russ Harbaugh.  Thompson finished 24 of 26 for 367 yards.  He left the game after the first series of the 2nd half.   

[CollegeGolf18]

Just watched the Wabash game from this weekend as I was out of town and could not catch live.

Good win. I thought the defense played well. They allowed one true drive down the field that was spurred by a few QB scrambles. One TD was on a Hook-and-Ladder play on 4th and 17 which can after a clear backward pass that was dropped and recovered by Wabash, but the officials called it a forward pass. It was about 2 yards of backward pass and pretty obvious, but nothing to really get worked up about.

The last TD was a 60ish yard run on the backup defense that the RB hit the right hole and was gone.

Wabash did have a chance to score again but kneeled the ball four times at the 5 yard line to give the ball back to Oberlin with about :25 left on the clock. I'm indifferent on that one as I think you just keep running and score the ball, although I see the reasoning behind starting to kneel with about 3 minutes left.

On to the next.

[Whitecarrera]

So, this is kinda cool:

Individual Total Offense
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/individual/11

Individual Passing Yardage
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/individual/453

Team Passing Offense
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/team/25

I did the search on KO Return Yardage, but next to last (239 of 240) just didn't look as good!

[wally_wabash]

So, this is kinda cool:

Individual Total Offense
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/individual/11

Individual Passing Yardage
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/individual/453

Team Passing Offense
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/d3/current/team/25

I did the search on KO Return Yardage, but next to last (239 of 240) just didn't look as good!

Holy moly, who is returning fewer kicks than Wabash? 

At some point, maybe when this season concludes, there's going to be a lot to unpack with Liam's 2022 season.  It's going to be off the charts historic for Wabash which says a whole helluva lot given the list of absolute dudes that have taken snaps at Wabash in the last 30 years.  If he stays anywhere close to his per game averages the rest of the way, many single season records are getting not just broken, but shattered.  And with a season still to play, most career records are in play.  Maybe not 116 TDs- that one seems pretty far off, but 11,213 yards is definitely reachable.  Not sure I thought Knott's career numbers  would get seriously challenged, but here we are. 

[Whitecarrera]

It would be interesting to look through Wabash's record book, and see which substantial marks have stood up for the longest time.

[smedindy]

Holy moly, who is returning fewer kicks than Wabash? 

Trinity (CT)

Concordia (Chicago) is averaging under 10 yards a return.

Wabash is averaging 26 yards per punt return. But they've returned one punt...

Macalester has not returned a punt this year.

[Whitecarrera]

In Macalester's defense, though, I'm not sure they've been able to force a punt yet this year 

[sigma one]

Most of the important offensive records at Wabash go back 20 years or more.  Knott owns almost all the passing records, and also the total offense.  His last season was 2002.  The rushing numbers are dominated by Zurek (most recently in the middle of the last decade), but D. Johnson from the early 80s and Kaiser from the mid-80s have some of the important numbers as well.  Receiving is dominated by Funk also from the 80s.  Thompson has a good shot at some of Knott's numbers, although probably not all of them. 

[Shamrock]

I remember the cheer well: "Kaiser Left!  Kaiser Right!  Kaiser Up The Middle!"

[sigma one]

Kaiser has the record for most rushing attempts in a career with 753.  No one else is close.

[Crawford]

Excellent interview with Wabash's Derek Allen Jr. on the Don Morel Show.

[sigma one]

This week in the NCAC:

DePauw (6-1)/Kenyon (3-4)  The new Tigers come off a narrow escape v. OWU last week; Kenyon comes back after a narrow win v. Hiram.
The Owls have been scoring points in the air.  DPU has to continue winning to set up the Bell Game in two weeks. The DePauw defense has slipped a bit recently but not enough for Kenyon to stay close.
Wittenberg (4-3)/Wooster (4-3)  Two teams with identical records playing for pride.  The Witt loss to Denison last Saturday might seem a little surprising (but the game was basically a toss up going in) and Wooster's easy time with Hilbert predictable.  This week keeps Witt from a fourth loss as they handle the Scots.
Ohio Wesleyan (4-3)/Oberlin (0-7)  The Bishops loss to DePauw last week shattered any hope they had for staying at the top of the conference.  Oberlin is, obviously, struggling big time, and last week their QB was injured.  Even if he returns the Yeomen are badly overmatched again.
Hiram (1-6)/Wabash (5-2)  The Terriers have lost their last two games by a total of 6 points while scoring over 30 in both, proving they are dangerous as they mature through the season.  The LGs have handled Witt and OWU (and Oberlin) and are poised to make a run for the conference championship.  Is this a classic trap game?  Probably not, but it would not surprise if Hiram stays reasonably close.
Denison takes the week off.

[wally_wabash]

Random ridiculous Jake Knott stat: Knott still holds the NCAC record for career touchdown passes (97).  That's a two-decade old career record- that he did without counting the 19 touchdowns he threw in his first year, while Wabash played in the HCAC.