FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[bashbrother]

Lets call it like it was -

ER got totally out coached in the 1st half.... (having your team ready to play off the bus is a coaching responsibility).

The QB rotation... did not work at any time during the day.   We scored two touchdowns.... one in the back of the endzone (Burke) and one with Horn getting behind the defense (Belton).

I hope he thinks twice about rotation in the Bell game...

[wabashcpa]

Assuming Witt beats Wooster next week (not a given, to be sure), they are going to be a tough out for somebody in the playoffs.  They look very solid today in all phases.

[aueagle]

Final from Savage Stadium.....
Oberlin survives....
Yeoman 16 - OWU 12

[wabashcpa]

Lets call it like it was -

ER got totally out coached in the 1st half.... (having your team ready to play off the bus is a coaching responsibility).

The QB rotation... did not work at any time during the day.   We scored two touchdowns.... one in the back of the endzone (Burke) and one with Horn getting behind the defense (Belton).

I hope he thinks twice about rotation in the Bell game.

All that said, the better team won today.

[bashbrother]

I agree.   The Witt team that we saw scare UWW last year in the playoffs showed up today....   Everyone was seeing the close games with Oberlin, Gheny and CMU and became hopeful that something was wrong with them.

They were the better team today.

[Li'l Giant]

Congrats to Witt. They were clearly the better team. I know they still have to beat Wooster but I think this Witt team is clearly the best team in the NCAC and will have no problem getting that done.

For next week against Depauw I hope to see better 3rd down defense and one QB play the whole day.

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Witt's coach...great every game I have seen him...even when they have lost...

[pennstghs]

Good win for Witt today and good chance to move WAY up in the regional rankings with Case losing, Baldwin Wallace losing and then most likely Wheaton losing.

Wabash had no answer for Witt's offense today as they piled up 500 yards of total offense

[wab64]

Goodness! *&)## That was something to remember- missed the video; missed the life stats; and had to turn off the radio announcer before I threw up. Tyler Wade had some things to say and kept his partner in the ball game-but he muttered. The other guy-for crying out loud-had no idea what to say and when he said it he brayed like a donkey. I don't think he identified a single defensive player, the whole time I was listening; whether tackling, intercepting, or drawing a penalty. It was just frightful.
     If those two guys are going to announce the Bell game,I may have to drive to minneanapols to watch the TV. Get Emmick-get Brent-get Maxwell-get someone in there that can follow a game for us.

[wally_wabash]

I'm not sure I get the coach bashing that's going on here.  Can he catch passes for the WRs?  Can he throw in front of receivers instead of consistently behind them?  Can he pressure Zoeller on 3rd down and long?  Wabash had chances today...plenty of them.  Wittenberg made more plays today.  Sometimes that happens when you're a really good team.  I'm not sure it's fair to pile on the coach just because the score isn't right.  Sometimes, you just get beat by a better team.  Right now, and especially this afternoon, Wittenberg is better.  

Wabash is sitting with 7 wins right now, with an 8th win available next week.  It wasn't THAT long ago that 7 or 8 wins in a season was phenomenal.  If 7 or 8 wins constitutes a "down year"...then Wabash isn't doing all that bad.  Look around D-III and find the number of teams that would love to be 7-2.  There's no need to get all apoplectic over losing a road game to a top 10 ranked team.  ER took a team with two returning offensive starters from a year ago and played for a conference championship in week 10.  It could be a hell of a lot worse, fellas.  

I guess it's time to start thinking Bell Week. But after today, it will be hard to get excited...

7-2 or 9-0 or 0-9....if you can't get excited about the Monon Bell...if you can't get excited about 54-53-9....if  you can't get excited about 120+ years of the best rivalry and tradition in football, then you just don't like the sport.  

Wabash Always Fights!  Let's keep the Bell!  

[Fat Frank]

Don't worry as all you missed was "drop 8 and rush 3 on 3rd and long" and give them a first down like we have done every game except the last 2 for the past 2 seasons. Our Defensive plan is to not lose the game rather than to take charge. I have no problem trying anything, but if it hasn't worked for 2 seasons, CHANGE the damn strategy. Maybe we don't have the creativity to change our long down strategy? Who knows. Maybe we like to be passive? We have way too much talent on D to take the game totally away from the players with such predictable play calling. They are frustrated! Now the Mom's in the stands can even call offensive plays against us on 3rd and long. Wow. Look at Witt's first half 3rd down conversions and look at the time of possession. Our offense almost has to score every time we get the ball against a good team because our D can't get off the field on 3rd and long. Opponents know what we always do.

Oh well, let's keep the Bell next week. Witt looked good. It is always tough to accept a loss when you expect to win every game. We can't forget that many programs would love to "expect to win" every game. Witt played better today.

Congrats Witt.

We must change our predictable 3rd and long defensive play calling next week..............WAF. Let's keep the Bell!

[bashbrother]

I may have been, actually I know I was, a little to outspoken on my frustrations of what I was seeing in today's game and the post board was my outlet.  

No one can put an optimistic or positive spin on the issue of the rotation of Qb's in today's game.  MY OPINION is that the Quarterback position is one of the only positions on the field that you can't mess around with in big games.  Pick your best and go with him.  In defense of both quarterbacks today, they did not have a chance to get into any rhythm whatsoever.  

After both threw nice TD passes (one of the highest moments of confidence for a QB)  They were replaced on the next possession.   By the time they got back on the field again, they were cold.  Timing, rhythm, feel for the speed of the game etc.  

Onward and Upward.......  Keep the Bell!

[wally_wabash]

Don't worry as all you missed was "drop 8 and rush 3 on 3rd and long" and give them a first down like we have done every game except the last 2 for the past 2 seasons. Our Defensive plan is to not lose the game rather than to take charge. I have no problem trying anything, but if it hasn't worked for 2 seasons, CHANGE the damn strategy. Maybe we don't have the creativity to change our long down strategy? Who knows. Maybe we like to be passive? We have way too much talent on D to take the game totally away from the players with such predictable play calling. They are frustrated! Now the Mom's in the stands can even call offensive plays against us on 3rd and long. Wow. Look at Witt's first half 3rd down conversions and look at the time of possession. Our offense almost has to score every time we get the ball against a good team because our D can't get off the field on 3rd and long. Opponents know what we always do.

A couple of things...first, football moms are savvy.  Let's not knock the moms.  Second, I'm not sure what ER could have done differently today on defense in 3rd and long.  In the first half, Wabash dropped everybody and Witt had time for receivers to get open and for Zoeller to pick his target.  They converted the 3rd downs, but they didn't get any big plays.  Wabash dialed up some blitz pressure in the second half and Witt hit some bigger plays over the top and through the middle.  It's a risk/reward situation and in this case, Witt had the advantage.  Their QB and WRs are good enough to take advantage of either situation and today they did.  Wabash relies heavily on the DL crushing the pocket.  It worked last week against Allegheny.  it did not work this week against Witt. 

No one can put an optimistic or positive spin on the issue of the rotation of Qb's in today's game.  MY OPINION is that the Quarterback position is one of the only positions on the field that you can mess around with.  Pick your best and go with him.  In defense of both quarterbacks today, they did not have a chance to get into any rhythm whatsoever.   

I don't like rotating QBs either.  But I had all week to think about it, all game to think about it, and the entire ride home to think about it and I can't decide who should have played the position.  Burke can be inaccurate but has pretty good pocket awareness.  Belton appears to be the better passer but struggles with pocket awareness.  We saw the strengths and weaknesses of both today.  Ceteris paribus, I'm inclined to prefer Belton, but prior to today Belton hadn't taken a snap in 3 weeks.  I'm really not sure what the right choice is.  But there are a lot of things other than quarterback play that hurt Wabash today. 

[bashbrother]

Wally -

Agree totally on that there were plenty of other breakdowns and issues.

and regardless of who we had at QB, Witt was the better team today.  I just don't buy that there is as big a difference between the two teams as what was shown today.

Pass drops, very little pressure on Zoeller even when we blitzed (Witt's O-line was very solid), Zoeller had our defensive backfield off-balance all game (reminiscent of #3 vs. Albion '05).  Zoeller is impressive.

We ran up against a rested Witt team that is really good.  Hope they represent our conference well again this year in the Playoffs.   Film day on Monday will be rough, but ER and this talented coaching staff will get things straightened out!

On to Bell Week!

WAF!

[nike]

It was a great game today, spoken from a Wooster guy.  Witt is the better team, but the game was closer than the score indicated for most of the game.
Now we get a big time game at Papp next week.  Not since Sutton days have we had such anticipation.
Cannot recall ever, I mean ever, remember seeing quarterbacks rotated every series.  To me that is questionable coaching.  I think ER outwitted himself and over thought the qb issue.  If Belton was too hurt to play the whole game or rusty, then go with Burke.  But if Belton was O.K., then give him the keys.  He is a very, very good quarterback and was having a great year until he got hurt the first time.  And we thought he was just shaking off the dust when he rolled a bit and hit Horn, I believe it was Horn, in stride for the seventy yarder.  A beautiful play.  My guess is Witt liked the rotation.
What a wonderful afternoon of football on a beautiful college campus.