FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[aueagle]

wally wabash: You're right the Tigers.....Wittenberg at 10-0 and the NCAC Champ
is very impressive.......Great season Witt.....
Old Scot: I'll trade your "Dreams of a NCAC Championship" for my "Nightmare
of a situation in Delaware".......
Old Wabash: Good point in regards our conference strength in getting  2 teams
in the party...BUT, we must have Hiram, Ohio Wesleyan and Oberlin get their
programs to step up....because the world has already passed them by....
After the Bell banter I've read...and my quest to see the game....and to see it first in Crawfordsville with over 10,000.....I'd enjoy meeting Mister "Fripp 52" and see why he "hates" me so much....I'll be the guy wearing RED & BLACK........

[DadofBashWarrior..]

I am not, have not and will not get into some of the trash talking that goes on from time to time between Wabash and DePauw funs. I will however, take just a minute to tell you about something that happened after that game on Saturday that I found rather moving.  We were all down on the field after the game, celebrating getting the bell back. I remember only too well, being on that very same field, for the first time, when we lost the bell 2 years ago. We were not treated very well by some of the DePauw fans on the field, but after a few beers, some people have a hard time behaving, but it was really no big deal. This time though, we won and we were just enjoying ourselves hugging and talking to our son. We were there for quite a while, when I heard someone call out to my son by name. It was #2 from DePauw. He had politely stood back and waited for us to greet our son, before coming up to congradulate him on a good game. This kid had just spent the better part of an afternoon trying to knock my son out, and here he was waiting to hug him.....Now I don't know about you, but to me, that is what this whole D3 football thing is all about....

Wabash Always Fights!

Exactly!!!

[D3_DPUFan]

It was #2 from DePauw. He had politely stood back and waited for us to greet our son, before coming up to congradulate him on a good game. This kid had just spent the better part of an afternoon trying to knock my son out, and here he was waiting to hug him.....Now I don't know about you, but to me, that is what this whole D3 football thing is all about....

well said..

[aueagle]

Right On......

[DPU3619]

As I have said multiple times, Wabash deserved it Saturday. Made plays. No whining here.  But Wes, for you to post something like this is a bunch of crap. Gutless. You want to say anyone of those guys laid down and I will tell you that you are an idiot. Pathetic. I know this is a message board and things get thrown around but that is ridiculous. You talk about embarassment...for you to post something like that is an embarassment.

I'm glad you feel that way.  I really am.  I'm glad that there are DePauw fans that look at that game and thought that was the best effort they could possibly give.  I don't.  I'm sorry.  Like I said on the SCAC board last week, parents always take this particular situation different than anybody else.  I don't have a kid out there.  I'm still not exactly sure who your kid is and I really hope you aren't taking this personally.  I'm pretty much the only regular DePauw poster around here that doesn't have a kid out there.  I understand how you feel.  I've seen it before.  I caught a lot of the flack from a lot of parents at the time after I didn't like the effort they gave down the stretch in the 2003 Bell game.  Yeah, Wiethoff left that game with an injury, but it was very similar in that those guys almost acted like they were completely lost at times.

There's a lot of my friends on that team, on the staff, and in that entire department.  I don't like having to say it, but you could go right to the head coach and he'd probably tell you the same thing.  If you can't play smart football, you're going to get absolutely destroyed by good football teams.  That's a good football team we played on Saturday.  A heckuva lot better than I gave them credit for all season.  I talked to Bashbacker like he was pretty stupid last week because all he talked about was how crappy our defense was and how Hudson was going to eat them alive.  And all I said was they made him look absolutely ridiculous last year.  Well, they didn't this time.  I saw very little focus, very little intensity, and not a lot of knowing what was going on from the Tiger D.  I always blame it on nerves when a team comes out flat.  But I don't know how to explain it when you play so darn well and execute the gameplan to perfection for the first thirty twenty-nine minutes and then the second half goes so poorly.  EDIT:  That game was going so well right before the botched snap that I actually grabbed a Wabash media guide to try to figure out when the last time they got shut out was.  It took me so long to find it that by the time I figured it out, Wabash was in the endzone.

Don't pin that one on the offense.  Koors was a manimal.  Spud did all he could do.  He couldn't have done much more than he did other than the INT, which we've already argued about.  Would have liked to run the football better, but DePauw isn't winning or losing any week based on the rushing attack.

[zed07]

Now we have a DPU:DPU squabble taking place on the NCAC board.  Nice.

[wally_wabash]

Now we have a DPU:DPU squabble taking place on the NCAC board.  Nice.

One of the wonderful ancillary benefits of beating DPU in these games is the complete meltdown that follows.  And if it's bad enough you get some Dannie on Dannie violence...always a bonus.   

I don't for a second think that DePauw quit.  DePauw never quits, right?  I think they just got outgamed by a better team.  There's no shame there. 

[wabco]

You know Wes ... I do not remember a Wabash supporter ever turning on the team.  Pout, hang your head, feel bad for the whole situation, yes.  But I for one am proud of ewvery last Little Giant ... whether on the field or in the stands.

D3 DPU ... good for you.  While the "signature" Dannie is easy to dislike ... most Dannies I know are quite regular and good people.  Just had a bad choice of school to attend. (A joke).  Find it hard tpo stomach the spew from two of your breathern ... please do not take that from me or from others as an indictment on the DePauw folks.  You all have anj up is down administration which I don't think most of us will ever understand.  But that is your croass to carry.  Good luck in the playoffs.  Good luck to all 3 Indiana teams.  I like what that says about the level of HS football in Indiana and surrounding areas.

[bashbrother]

onto IWU.

What they did in the CCIW this year was tremendous.   To beat NCC and Wheaton in consecutive weeks is a true accomplishment and one that makes a big statement.

In looking at the Millikin game for clues, what i found was: key and costly turnovers and a big injury to their starting QB.   The Titans held Millikin to 8 first downs and very little offense, but still lost.

Seems to me, that it was a day in which the stars somewhat aligned against them.  The pick 6 the Big Blue got early had to give them a ton of confidence.

Wabash will have to play mistake free football.   No drive killing holding penalties, false starts, etc.  Just cannot afford these in playoff football against a CCIW champion.

Our defense backfield and their ability to mix coverages effectively -  I believe is a big key to the game. (pressure on the QB will also be huge)

Our offense will score.  The question is can they score enough.

That's my initial take.

Edit - Spartans has been changed to Titans...my bad.  Used to playing Case every year after the Bell Game I guess...   I was born near Ann Arbor...... I understand that completely.

[Mr. Ypsi]

IWU is the Titans, not the Spartans.

Since I am also a Wolverine fan, mistaking us for Spartans is an act of war!

[DPU3619]

You know Wes ... I do not remember a Wabash supporter ever turning on the team.  Pout, hang your head, feel bad for the whole situation, yes.  But I for one am proud of ewvery last Little Giant ... whether on the field or in the stands.

Turning on my team?  That's not turning on my team.  As an alum, I'm going to deliver praise where it's due, but I'm also going to deliver criticism where it's due, and it's certainly due after what happened on Saturday.  I refuse to pull a single punch about what I saw Saturday.  You go and fix it.  Right now.  Today.  Do not sleep another minute until you get it right.  If it takes all week, fine.  Do not, under any circumstances, let that effort, or lack thereof, be repeated again this week.  This next Saturday is what's it been about for the entire history of the program.  You do better.  Show up and do your job and you give a better effort than you've given any day of your entire playing career.

Furthermore, shame on you for questioning my loyalty to my program.  Just because I didn't like what I saw does not mean I do not care about this program nor does it mean that I'm turning on my program.  That was not good enough and it was not good enough by a fairly wide margin.  That doesn't mean I don't care.  I care more about this program than anything.  I grew up in this town and in this rivalry.  There aren't a lot of people here who filled their elementary school Saturday afternoons with DePauw football (or Wabash, you get the point....)  There aren't a lot of people here who committed to their college in the fifth grade.  This football game has been and will continue to be this single most important day of every calendar year.  I take losses to Wabash pretty hard.  But I take them really, really hard when we lose because we just flat got dominated.  When you don't play your best in this football game, then what the hell is there to play your best for?

Shame on you.  I may not have ever been as offended by anything any single Wabash person has ever said to me until right now.

[usee]

onto IWU.

What they did in the CCIW this year was tremendous.   To beat NCC and Wheaton in consecutive weeks is a true accomplishment and one that makes a big statement.

In looking at the Millikin game for clues, what i found was: key and costly turnovers and a big injury to their starting QB.   The Spartans held Millikin to 8 first downs and very little offense, but still lost.

Seems to me, that it was a day in which the stars somewhat aligned against them.  The pick 6 the Big Blue got early had to give them a ton of confidence.

Wabash will have to play mistake free football.   No drive killing holding penalties, false starts, etc.  Just cannot afford these in playoff football against a CCIW champion.

Our defense backfield and their ability to mix coverages effectively -  I believe is a big key to the game. (pressure on the QB will also be huge)

Our offense will score.  The question is can they score enough.

That's my initial take.

Another key point is that the IWU kicking game is really bad. They have a capable kicker but he is the Steve Sax/Ian Baker-Finch of D3 right now.

I wouldn't take this Titan defense lightly. That is the strength of their team. They held the #1 passing offense in the country (Carthage) to 173 yds and 16 pts. They also held NCC to 22 and Wheaton to 17. In my opinion, if you want to beat IWU you better try and get 3 scores and hold them under 20.

[zed07]

Wabash captain's Monon Bell Chapel speeches now available on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/WabashCollege#p/c/4983AAA18E1CE402/0/AnONP-lpa9c

Four great speeches by four great young men!

[gobash]

I've been primarily checking out the Monon Bell thread this year, and was wondering where all the vitriol of years past was.  I guess I found it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with what Wes mentioned.  I disagree about Spud being hurt, but calling out the problems that you saw with your team isn't turning on them.  It's constructive criticism that can be used to make them better.  It's refined loyalty.  I think we've all experienced Bell games where our team hasn't played to the capacity that you know they can.  There's nothing disloyal about saying that.  Bash didn't play to their capacity last year.  The fans didn't respond to their capacity, either.  It was a bad year for us, but I think it was erased by our showing this year.  It happens, don't harangue the guy for saying what he feels.  Harangue him for the injury thing

And Fripp, it bums me out if a Wally took a cheap shot at you, but you mention the Wabash coach that you waylaid after that play.  So a dude in pads takes a shot at you and he's a piece of crap, but you hit a coach, and that makes you the hero?  That's the kind of douchebaggery I've come to expect from the majority of DPU folks.  And it makes me more appreciative of those that aren't, like D3_DPU and Wes.

[HScoach]

HScoach,

I've seen your posts on other boards offering that IWU is the only team in the north bracket that can give UWW a ball game. What have you seen that would suggest they're that much better than Wabash? Or Witt, for that matter? Feel free to respond on the NCAC board...

BashDad:  In response to your post on the OAC page, the reason I believe Illinois Wesleyan is the only North Bracket team that could push Whitewater is because of their battles in the very physically tough CCIW will have partially prepared them for the strength of Whitewater at the line of scrimmage.  Whereas the rest of the north will be shocked by the size and speed that UWW brings at the point of attack.

The strength of UWW up front is amazing.   Which is what won them the '07 Stagg over Mount and made the other Stagg's very competitive.  Whitewater has won the battle in the trenches every year against Mount, but not always won at the skill positions.   

Other than getting lucky, to beat either Mount or Whitewater you have to be able to hold serve up front and let your superior skill people make up the difference.  And I just don't see how Witt, Wabash, Case, etc is going to be prepared in the trenches to face Whitewater after playing in the conferences they do.    IWU has the advantage of already playing some very physically strong teams in conference that the others didn't.