FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[BashDad]

Awesome! Smitka was the truth. Remember him half-naked at the mount game that year? Nice job, Ripley.

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Great stories on the front page...

I happened to be at the game in the story of Win # 409 The story does not say which coach but it was a home game in Collegeville, Minn....and if that does not help you...there is an Extraordinary Trophy in D3 named for him.

My story about the same game...
My son had played football at Bethel but had switched schools...Bethel would be playing for the Conference Championship the next day on the final game of the regular season and bothe teams were unbeaten...On a whim and an impulse I said to my son..."Let's leave now and go to the game." His eyes lit up...we quickly took what we needed for the very cold weather predicted(including my fur flap hat ...see picture below) and 7 1/2 hours later we were in a motel room.

Game day broke with very very cold and cloudy weather...lots of snow on the ground but the field had been cleared. If you ever get the chance to attend a game in Collegeville you must do it...The field is in a natural bowl surrounded by a steep hill some with trees and some open...beautiful and way kewl and people sitting on the hill and extra seating brought in like Wabash does for the Bell (but this was a conference game). The coaching was outstanding all day...lead went back and forth several times...in the last minute the Johnnies won...will never forget Coach Johnson on 4th and 10 in the second quarter from his own maybe 25 or 30 yd line calls a fake punt.....YIKES...the play went for 18 yards and that is great coaching...and from the other side...the Johnnies ran a wide out dagged all the way across the field about 7 yds deep with a late throw and it was open all day...they must have run that same play 8 or 10 times...Bethel could not stop it.

The Hat...
Well seems that I cannot get the picture to print on here...

Finally...moments later we are walking out of the stadium and we are handed a preprinted several page paper about The Win...and The Coach...It was an amazing experience...I will never forget it!!!

Wabash will need another really cold Playoff Game for the Hat to come out...

[DPU3619]

Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that Trinity is anywhere near the caliber of team that they were 7-10 years ago when they were making semifinals every year?  Really?  They haven't won a playoff game since the semis in '02.  Do you really think they are the same beast?  Come on. 

So, DePauw is in the seat that Wabash was in around 2005 or so (EDIT: Or even 2008!)?  And you're scoffing at it?

[wally_wabash]

Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me that Trinity is anywhere near the caliber of team that they were 7-10 years ago when they were making semifinals every year?  Really?  They haven't won a playoff game since the semis in '02.  Do you really think they are the same beast?  Come on. 

So, DePauw is in the seat that Wabash was in around 2005 or so (EDIT: Or even 2008!)?  And you're scoffing at it?

No, by the end of 2005 Wabash had already won the league twice and earned a #1 seed.  DePauw still has a ways to go to get into that seat.  Even farther to go to get to 2008 when Wabash was capping off a fourth straight league title.  I'm not sure what you're getting at. 

[DPU3619]

That DePauw is currently the only good team in their conference... which I was I got out of your response to him.  DePauw isn't quite yet fortunate enough to be only good team in their conference for 5 years.  They're the only good team in their conference for 1 year.

[Fripp52]

A fourth straight league title in a weak conference followed by an ass-whipping in the Monon game.  I'm not sure what you are getting at either.  Why don't we move this banter over to the Monon thread?  It feels more appropriate over there.  Lots of angst over here given Wabash hasn't clinched the league title in week 5.

[D3_DPUFan]

No, by the end of 2005 Wabash had already won the league twice and earned a #1 seed.  DePauw still has a ways to go to get into that seat.  Even farther to go to get to 2008 when Wabash was capping off a fourth straight league title.  I'm not sure what you're getting at.

I wish DePauw were in that position. You're right. At the same time, if you want to make it an apples to apples comparison, put DePauw in the NCAC those four years. Don't know how that would have ended up...but I promise you, Wabash would not have won four straight in the SCAC.  

[D3_DPUFan]

A

fourth straight league title in a weak conference followed by an ass-whipping in the Monon game.  I'm not sure what you are getting at either.  Why don't we move this banter over to the Monon thread?  It feels more appropriate over there.  Lots of angst over here given Wabash hasn't clinched the league title in week 5.

Good idea.

[wally_wabash]

A fourth straight league title in a weak conference followed by an ass-whipping in the Monon game.  I'm not sure what you are getting at either.  Why don't we move this banter over to the Monon thread?  It feels more appropriate over there.  Lots of angst over here given Wabash hasn't clinched the league title in week 5.

Ok, but DePauw doesn't play in the NCAC.  How is the goal different?  You play to win the league and go to the postseason.  12 years (12!) and DePauw has failed each and every year.  Don't make excuses.  Do better. 

[D3_DPUFan]

Ok, but DePauw doesn't play in the NCAC.  How is the goal different?  You play to win the league and go to the postseason.  12 years (12!) and DePauw has failed each and every year.  Don't make excuses.  Do better. 

Judging by that laughable post, you clearly understand exactly what he's saying...sorry it stings so much...

[D3_DPUFan]

Hudson article that sounds pretty promising.  http://www.thepaper24-7.com/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=23&ArticleID=22791&TM=53444.94

That is good news....glad he's getting back.

[zed07]

Hudson's status confirmed.  It's a go.

[smedindy]

You play to win the league...

Thanks Herm....

[wally_wabash]

You play to win the league...

Thanks Herm....

Hello!

But you do play to win your league...unless, apparently, you're DePauw in which case you play to finish third and then whine about how tough the conference is. 

[smedindy]

Funny, DePauw's strength of schedule (144) at Massey is LOWER than Wabash's (121). Though Wabash does have a couple of dogs coming up.

Yes, the NCAC is weaker, traditionally, than the SCAC. But the SCAC also shed one weak sister this year (Colorado College) and has a new program (Birmingham Southern) and a recent import (Austin College) playing a lot better than expected. (Austin benefited greatly from the move from the ASC to the SCAC). Also, Millsaps has greatly improved since 2005.

The fact is that DPU has never been in the playoffs. They lost their best recent chance in 2005 when a hurricane knocked out their Trinity game. They beat Trinity for the first time this year. But they've also lost 4 times to Centre since joining the SCAC and are 1-3 vs. Millsaps in the DuBose era. So they have had recent struggles against the two top dogs of the SCAC and have had problems with another off and on.

Wabash is 57-10 in the NCAC all time. This despite the fact that four teams (Wittenberg, Allegheny, Wabash and Wooster) have represented the NCAC in the D-3 playoffs and has gotten two teams into the NCAA playoffs.

The SCAC has had just two teams make the playoffs (Trinity and Millsaps) since DPU joined, and never had an at large team since DPU joined.

The NCAC has a lot of dregs, but it usually has 4 to 5 competitive teams (and this year Kenyon's not horrific and somehow Earlham beat 4-3 Manchester). The SCAC may not have the dregs that the NCAC has but the top teams and the second tier are pretty evenly matched.

That being said, if Wabash and DePauw were suddenly thrust into the MIAC, WIAC, OAC, CCIW or even the IIAC they may find that they long for the days of Hiram and Sewanee and Oberlin and Rhodes. Oh, my.