FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[nike]

Have two NCAC teams ever made the tournament in the same year?

Didn't see that you had gotten an answer to this question, but 2009, we got two teams in. Witt won the AQ, while Bash got in as a Pool C.

Wabash played Illinois Wesleyan to the bone in a high-scoring Round 1 loss. (I briefly talked to IWU's coach on the sidelines at the Stagg Bowl that year, and he said Wabash impressed him a lot.) Wittenberg made it to the regional finals and hung with eventual national champs UW-Whitewater through almost three quarters. Gave the conference some cred with that performance.

Thanks.
Did not remember that it had been so recent.
So, an AQ is the goal, but 9-1 might get a second NCAC team in.  Still some good football to be played.
Have heard rumblings in Wooster about talent level and coaching concerns, but Wooster is not quick to fire coaches, unlike DePauw.  Our basketball coach has been there at least two decades and has a great program.  Two finals games, I think.
Schmitz has been here at least 10 years, had the Sutton years and a couple other decent years.  Still, nothing beats being in contention for the league title late in the season.

[wabco]

B 16

Agree with all you said about GrizBacker spew.  It reminds me of the HS students holding up newspapers when the opposing team is introduced and saying "whose he" .... just before their team gets polished ... AGAIN.  Both Witt and Wabash have earned their spirs.  I predict both teams will again make the playoffs.  Franklin ... has to bank on its weak conference up and down the list for an AQ.  Then will get polished in the first round.  As I put my newspaper down ... does Franklin require SAT or ACT scores in their application processes?  Anyone anyone ...?

[BashBacker#16]

WashU game notes for Wabash this weekend:  http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Sports/Content/Pages/fb10-8-12.aspx

Wabco - agreed.  It would be different if their 2 losses were respectable.  They weren't.  I applaud a school for strengthening their non-league schedule but in this case, it really doesn't mean a lot when you get rolled & then roll through your weak conference.

BashDad - I know, I know, 2nd post and wasted time but the dude struck a nerve.   

WAF!

[smedindy]

Only a couple of NCAC / UAA games on tap (the penultimate week for this scheduling arrangement) and the everyone else plays a conference game. Let's go:

NCAC / UAA

Chicago (3-2) @ Wittenberg (4-1) - Certainly, the Old Tigers showed their mettle against the Little Giants, even in a loss. They are tough on both sides of the ball and it took will and fortitude for Wabash to escape Ohio with a win. Chicago's defense looked strong against Allegheny, but even with Dee Brizzolara they've been inconsistent in scoring points. Decent teams like Elmhurst have shut them down. Wittenberg normally bounces back from a loss with vengeance and malice, and I think that trend will continue.

Wabash (4-1) @ Washington U. (1-4) - Some would say this is a classic Admiral Ackbar ("It's A Trap!") game. Two years ago, it was for Wabash. Not this year. The Little Giants have no margin for error; even an out-of-region second loss puts their "C" chances in jeopardy if they would need to go that route to make the playoffs. A renewed running game has been the offensive catalyst and that will continue. The Bears have struggled, beating only Kenyon, though they started off with some pretty stout opponents (Whitewater and Coe among them). Wash U. threw three picks against a DPU defense that had been shredded by passing teams before, and Wabash's stout defense won't give them any relief. It may not be a total blowout, because the Bears seem to always keep it close, but it won't be an upset, either.

NCAC

Denison (2-1, 2-3) @ Oberlin (0-3, 1-4)- The Yeomen's numbers problems are coming home to roost. Even though they scored 13 in the second half against Kenyon they were just worn down by the Lords. Denison's two-pronged attack of Paulus and Fioroni should find ample room to operate. For Oberlin to compete, they need to run the ball well against the Big Red (CMU's rushing attack shredded Denison's defense) but with a tired and thin offensive line, that may not happen.

DePauw (0-2, 1-4) @ Allegheny (2-0, 3-2) - The New Tigers can do their arch-rivals a huge solid by knocking off the Gators. Easier said than done. While Allegheny was putrid (to say the least) against Chicago and lackluster against Oberlin, they have some talent on offense as Wabash found out. The key for Allegheny will be to contain Justin Murray as the young signal caller for DePauw seems to have found himself over the past couple of weeks. It's not going to be a blowout, since 'Gheny doesn't play that way, but the New Tigers will need to keep at their recently elevated level of play to win.

Hiram (0-3, 0-5) @ Wooster (0-2, 1-4) - The season has turned dark and dismal for the Scots, but a game against the Terriers may be the tonic. Wooster's modus operandi seems to be fall behind and almost come back, but I doubt that'll be needed against Hiram. Good news for the Terriers is that they are scoring points (24 against the Bishops two weeks ago). But they need to stop giving up massive amounts of points and yards in order to compete.

Keynon (2-0, 3-2) @ Ohio Wesleyan (3-0, 5-0) - Yes, I put forward a nightmare scenario where the Lords could plausibly win the NCAC title this year because they avoid Witt and Wabash. It can happen, but I think the buck will stop here against OWU. The resurgent Bishops have a backloaded scheduled, but momentum is a funny thing. Going into the rough part of the year with a guaranteed winning season will make a program seem fearless, and that can be scary. That being said the Lords have a lot more confidence than in the past and definitely a nothing-to-lose everything-to-gain type of spirit. This may be entertaining, and I'd say it'll be one to keep an eye on.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Quick picks:

Witt pounds Chicago easily.

Wabash handles WashU comfortably, but not a total blowout.

Denison outscores Oberlin (Paulus/Fioroni were impressive against CMU).

Allegheny vs DPU - I have no idea, but it seems like Gheny is due for a good game after two lackluster efforts, so I'll take the Gators with some trepidation.

Wooster ends their string of close losses vs. Hiram

Agreed with your basic assessment of Kenyon vs OWU (before the season, would anyone have the combined record of these two teams going into this matchup as 8-2, or even 5-5 for that matter?).  I think OWU's quite a bit better, but they've generally been winning games by outscoring opponents, their defense hasn't really shut anyone down yet.  Kenyon can score a little, but it's hard to imagine them outscoring a pretty good looking OWU offense.  I'll call it 35-14 OWU, still competitive at halftime before OWU pulls away later.

[wally_wabash]

DePauw (0-2, 1-4) @ Allegheny (2-0, 3-2) - The New Tigers can do their arch-rivals a huge solid by knocking off the Gators. Easier said than done. While Allegheny was putrid (to say the least) against Chicago and lackluster against Oberlin, they have some talent on offense as Wabash found out. The key for Allegheny will be to contain Justin Murray as the young signal caller for DePauw seems to have found himself over the past couple of weeks. It's not going to be a blowout, since 'Gheny doesn't play that way, but the New Tigers will need to keep at their recently elevated level of play to win.

Murray's last two games:
vs. WUStl: 22-31, 213 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD...not awful, not great, and WUStl is not good
vs. OWU: 21-46, 164 yards, 4 INT, 0 TD...this is not a good game

I'd say the key for Allegheny is to just sit back and wait for Murray to throw them ball.  Because he will. 

[bashbrother]

Wabash weekly release -   http://sports.wabash.edu/documents/2012/10/10/ReleaseOct102012.pdf?id=97

Congrats to ER on his 100th career victory as a head coach.....  How sweet that it was against Witt.

WAF!

[jaybird44]

For those who want to watch our Internet video broadcast of the Wabash-WashU game, here is the link:

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/wustl.portal#

Should be windy and warm Saturday, with a forecast high of 79 degrees.  Storms are expected to roll in around 5:00 p.m. CST, some of them could be severe.

Looking forward to calling a fun game!

[smedindy]

DePauw (0-2, 1-4) @ Allegheny (2-0, 3-2) - The New Tigers can do their arch-rivals a huge solid by knocking off the Gators. Easier said than done. While Allegheny was putrid (to say the least) against Chicago and lackluster against Oberlin, they have some talent on offense as Wabash found out. The key for Allegheny will be to contain Justin Murray as the young signal caller for DePauw seems to have found himself over the past couple of weeks. It's not going to be a blowout, since 'Gheny doesn't play that way, but the New Tigers will need to keep at their recently elevated level of play to win.

Murray's last two games:
vs. WUStl: 22-31, 213 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD...not awful, not great, and WUStl is not good
vs. OWU: 21-46, 164 yards, 4 INT, 0 TD...this is not a good game

I'd say the key for Allegheny is to just sit back and wait for Murray to throw them ball.  Because he will.

You are right. I didn't have time to research as deeply as I wanted to as my hotel wireless was cutting in and out and had to catch the train to the airport. So I winged it.

[formerd3db]

smedindy:

That's okay, friend.  While I know you and most all of us try to ideally research our information before we post something, indeed, sometimes the circumstances are such that we have to "just wing it" as you mention.  I think that most posters (well, not all, but usually most ) realize and understand that without any major problems.  Anyway, "no harm/no foul" as that saying goes.

P.S. I hope you made your train and plane okay and that it wasn't one of those "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" experiences that Steve Martin and John Candy (uh, I mean Del Griffith ) had in the movie.

[smedindy]

Oh, it was a situation where the conference was over in the morning and check out was at noon, but my plane wasn't until 4:30 and my company wasn't going to pay the $50 change fee for stand-by. So I could have a lunch and take the train from the Loop to Midway. I was hoping to see some baseball there but none of the bars had the MLB network. Alas.

[formerd3db]

Oh, it was a situation where the conference was over in the morning and check out was at noon, but my plane wasn't until 4:30 and my company wasn't going to pay the $50 change fee for stand-by. So I could have a lunch and take the train from the Loop to Midway. I was hoping to see some baseball there but none of the bars had the MLB network. Alas.

Now that is interesting, but strange that none of those establishments would have the MLB on, especially for a town that loves its two ML baseball teams.  One aspect though...I, too, hate those "down times" when you have a a few hours inbetween flights.  It can be boreing and tiring, however, at the same time, you can get an entire newspaper and/or magazine or part of a book read.  The "people watching" aspect isn't bad sometimes either (although sometimes it can be, if you what I mean! ).

Anyway, you had better dress warm and wear your coaching rain suit this Saturday as the current extended forecast predicts rain for the Midwest region most of the weekend and certainly on Saturday (although temps might be in the low-60's they say).

[BashDad]

Looks like change is on its way at Depauw. I just hope they do enough to get back into the arms race.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012121008036

http://www.depauw.edu/athletics/news/details/29033/

They didn't need to fire Long to accept this money and get the new athletic campaign going.

True, but I feel the school had an idea that they were coming into some money and wanted to make a coaching change to coincide with the campus upgrades. They probably think they can get more $$$ for upgrades if they have a coach that the alumni feel they can get behind.

I think you're onto something. I could definitely imagine a scenario--this is complete and absolute theorizing, but I'm just trying to connect the two dots that DePauw has given us to play with--where the "administrative duties" that were cited in Long's firing had to do with fundraising tasks, maybe. Smeds? First down? Y'all probably know a lot more about capital plans than I do. How involved is a head coach? Obviously, if your(ish) theory is true, Breck, how do you find a head coach who really wants to call donors when he should be calling recruits?

Depauw < Wabash

[smedindy]

From my experience at the D-3 level:

A head coach may be asked to come along to help in a solicitation or cultivation, or to attend some fundraising functions, much like some faculty. They would be accessories to the fundraising professionals. If they had a good relationship with a donor, they MAY make the ask but under the direction and strategic oversight of the fundraisers. They also can be asked to assist in making sure students thank donors for scholarship monies that the student earn.  But he wouldn't be on the phone to donors all the time since they have professional fundraisers that do that.

Some schools may want their coaches to do more of this than others - much like some schools want their faculty to be more involved in fundraising. It is possible he stepped in it when he was talking to a donor on a couple of occasions and that may be an issue with overall university relations and development issues. He also may have been asked to come along to close this gift and he brusquely said no without a good excuse.

One thing to note - if the gift was made in exchange for his firing then that's no longer a charitable gift. A gift can't have strings like that attached and pass IRS muster. (If you want the nitty gritty, see IRS Publication 526) But if donors say, "I think we need to move the football program in another direction" without direct quid-pro-quo or a solicitation from the fundraisers (we'll can him if you all give), then that may be part of it.

[sigma one]

I  think you guys are barking up the wrong tree when you connect Long's firing with any fundraising campaign.  I have no evidence.  I have my own theory, also completely speculative, but we will have to communicate privately for me to share it.  Not being coy, just cautious.