FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

Comment posted in reply to today's "Snap Judgments" column:

"Only a matter of time until Allegheny drops football. The administration and the new AD obviously view football success as incompatible with their "progressive" agenda. A proud football tradition with a D3 national championship and numerous playoff appearances is being dishonored by an administration whose ambivalence (at best) toward the program is now driving results on the field. Actually it would be the humane thing to do to pull the plug now, and spare Coach Matlack and the young men the pain of competing on a field that is not level -- and just think of the Title IX bonus points that could be reaped!"

It's hard to understand what an administration could have done to have such a devastating effect on the program since last year.  It appears that they attracted 44 recruits this year. 

The new AD came from Lake Forest, which has a football program and her undergrad degree was from Trinity (TX), which has competed quite successfully in football.

Glad that anonymous commenter doesn't overreact or anything.  Good grief.  I can't imagine that is a representative sentiment...really comes off as somebody who maybe just doesn't like Allegheny's AD for whatever stupid reason. 

[sigma one]

Whatever is going on at Allegheny, and what the president's view of football is, or the Trustees', the AD is married to a football coach.
He coached at Wabash and is now coaching at Gannon.  I can tell you that she is pro-sports and loves football.  I talked to her on Saturday, and she expressed embarrassment.  I can't imagine really that Allegheny would think of dropping football.  I can understand the post from a frustrated supporter after the Gators' start this season'
     Having said this, I repeat what I posted earlier.  The current Allegheny team is a surprise, I 'd guess to all of us, and certainly to themselves.  No QB with experience:  they started smallish freshman QB in their first game, and when he went down Saturday the reason was obvious why he was elevated to #1 so quickly.  I'm not saying he will always be what he is now, but he is what he is now.  I'm just going with two observations here--watching them on their internet feed v. Kenyon and in person v. Wabash.  They are undersized at some positions, showed no ability to stop the run or move the ball (yes, against a very good defense out for retribution), showed no flair, (and I think expressed no positive emotion from near the beginning of the game--I hope I am wrong about this, and did not read them correctly), and did not evidence better than average abuility at any of the skill positions.  Obviously, they have problems on the lines as well.  My question is not about the Administration so much as about how they cannot find at least some of the horses they used to recruit from the rich territories of western Pa. and northeast Ohio.  They brought in more than 40 freshmen, so it's not like the Administration has cut their numbers. If I recall, Emigh, one player who might be called a difference maker, has not played this year.  Is he injured?  On the team?  Walking into the stadium on Saturday, I saw a woman wearing an Emigh #4 jersey.  So I'm supposing he is injured.  But even Emigh is small, and he would not make up for the deficiences they show.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Whatever is going on at Allegheny, and what the president's view of football is, or the Trustees', the AD is married to a football coach.  He coached at Wabash and is now coaching at Gannon.  I can tell you that she is pro-sports and loves football.  I talked to her on Saturday, and she expressed embarrassment.  I can't imagine really that Allegheny would think of dropping football.  I can understand the post from a frustrated supporter after the Gators' start this season'

Having said this, I repeat what I posted earlier.  The current Allegheny team is a surprise, I 'd guess to all of us, and certainly to themselves.  No QB with experience:  they started smallish freshman QB in their first game, and when he went down Saturday the reason was obvious why he was elevated to #1 so quickly.  I'm not saying he will always be what he is now, but he is what he is now.  I'm just going with two observations here--watching them on their internet feed v. Kenyon and in person v. Wabash.  They are undersized at some positions, showed no ability to move the ball or stop the run (yes, against a very good defense out for retribution), showed no flair, (and I think expressed no positive emotion from near the beginning of the game--I hope I am wrong about this, and did not read them correctly), and did not evidence better than average abuility at any of the skill positions.  Obviously, they have problems on the lines as well.  My question is not about the Administration so much as about how they cannot find at least some of the horses they used to recruit from the rich territories of wester Pa. and northeast Ohio.  They brought in more than 40 freshmen, so it's not like the Administration has cut their numbers. If I recall, Emigh, one player who might be called a difference maker, has not played this year.  Is he injured?  On the team?  Walking into the stadium on Saturday, I saw a woman wearing an Emigh #4 jersey.  So I'm supposing he is injures.  But even Emigh is small, and he would not make up for the deficiences they show.

Thanks for sharing this information.  Makes the comment on the column sound kinda silly.

Re: the second bolded comment, I also saw them in person against Carnegie Mellon and thought essentially the same.  I'm really not trying to bash the kids' spirit or effort, but I just think they looked, well, small and slow...at virtually every position, lines included, and their RB's just look like regular guys, not difference makers.  I did think WR Andrew Niklas looked like a pretty decent player but their QB's just struggled to get him the ball.  Watching CMU against Geneva two weeks later, the difference was really striking (and Geneva really is just an OK-but-not-great team).  Geneva was more competent at every single position.

It is hard to figure how they fell off the cliff so quickly from last year's still-reasonably-average team to this train wreck.  What's really amazing is that they were ranked a respectable #107 in Kickoff and supposedly returned eight offensive and five defensive starters.  I understand struggling with a new QB but as you guys have noted, they don't look competent in ANY aspect of the game - no rushing attack, no ability to stop the run, nothing.

[firstdown]

Per NCAA stats for games through this past weekend, Wabash is Number 1 in Total Defense.  Great job LG's.

[smedindy]

Allegheny's sports program is seemingly stuck in neutral the past few years. Their basketball program went through a hellish season a couple of years ago and is now getting rebuilt but they still finished last in the league. They were 6th in last years' All-Sports and 5th the year before, with success in baseball, cross country and softball.

I think it's a cycle.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Allegheny's sports program is seemingly stuck in neutral the past few years. Their basketball program went through a hellish season a couple of years ago and is now getting rebuilt but they still finished last in the league. They were 6th in last years' All-Sports and 5th the year before, with success in baseball, cross country and softball.

I think it's a cycle.

Well, this I can appreciate - teams are bound to go through up and down cycles, after all, everyone can't finish first.  What's stunning is just how bad the football team looks right now.  Yes, by logic someone has to finish in last place in the league, but they've been thoroughly beaten by two teams that they were light-yearsbetter than even two seasons ago.  I'll give Hiram and Kenyon a lot of credit for that, to be sure, but Allegheny looks downright incompetent all over the field.

[Pat Coleman]

Allegheny's sports program is seemingly stuck in neutral the past few years. Their basketball program went through a hellish season a couple of years ago and is now getting rebuilt but they still finished last in the league. They were 6th in last years' All-Sports and 5th the year before, with success in baseball, cross country and softball.

I think it's a cycle.

I think it's far more likely that the previous AD had some impact on where things are with football than the current one did.

[waf56]

I know this is late, but my wife and I stayed in Pittsburgh on our way back home to VA from the Gheny game and I could not get to my computer until now. As it is likely the only game I will see live, unless I can convince my wife that a trip to Wooster this weekend would be nice, here are a couple things I noticed during the game:

1. I feel bad for Gheny's QBs and RBs, they had little if no protection all day as evident by the multiple players at each position. The Wabash D took advantage of a weak O-line and were in the backfield all day. There were multiple times where the QB was knocked down/hit hard on 3-step drops, ouch.

2. It is hard to make extremly positive statements after this game due to Gheny's performance, but (with that grain of salt) the back-up QBs for Wabash all looked great. Andy played pretty well, a good, solid performance, pretty much what I expected out of him. Did Connor Rice look fast on his one run or what! Looks like we have several good athletes who I hope will get to have some playing time somewhere on the field.

3. Macdougall looked good on all of his kicks. 2/2 on FG and 7/7 on extra points and all of them were on target. Hopefully he can carry this level of success throughout the rest of the season.

4. The Wabash defense plays very fast and very physical and does not make many mistakes.

On a more personal level. I was able to speak to Tyler Holmes after the game and he is some Little Giant. He was upbeat and excited about the way his teammates played. He was not moping on the sidelines or at home, but activly involved in the game cheering on his replacements. I hope, that if I was in his shoes, I would show the same kind of maturity and understanding of what truly matters as he does. He truly acts the part of a captain and a senior leader on a great team.

[smedindy]

Allegheny's sports program is seemingly stuck in neutral the past few years. Their basketball program went through a hellish season a couple of years ago and is now getting rebuilt but they still finished last in the league. They were 6th in last years' All-Sports and 5th the year before, with success in baseball, cross country and softball.

I think it's a cycle.

I think it's far more likely that the previous AD had some impact on where things are with football than the current one did.

That was the point I was trying to make without just right out and saying the old AD was somewhat responsible.

Matlak also has to take a hit too. He recruited this bunch that can't seem to block or tackle or run or pass or catch...

Reminds me of what we used to say about some old DBs, "They're short, but they make up for it by being slow..."

[91Bishop]

A couple of things from last night's business in Delaware. First, Miles Mackenzie missed three field goals and an extra point. Any of those kicks wins the game.  He's supposed to be money and he's not been money so far this year.

Second, I was impressed with OWU getting the ball down the field. Really the first time I've seen them try to get deep on any kind of regular basis. And it worked.

Third, OWU can't run at all. Your TE can't be your go to guy when you want to run.

sigma one told us in august that one of the he too three here would lose to somebody not in the top three.  Spot on.

ETP also told us that OWU wasn't as great as we thought. And I'm ready to say that he's right. I thought OWU would have another gear in that offense this year, and they just don't seem to have it. Coupled with a defense that isn't as stout as last year, and OWU is basically what ETP thought they were. Also spot on.

I'm kicking myself today, but I was watching the game online while also watching OSU/WIS.  When I turned off OWU/DEN, I thought OWU had just scored to go up 7 with just a minute or two left.  Could someone tell me how the 4th quarter ended?  Maybe I wasn't watching OWU/DEN closely enough, but I thought OWU had the game in the bag.  Did DEN run back the kickoff or something?     Thanks in advance - the highlights weren't on SportsCenter yesterday. 

[sigma one]

The game ended with Denison responding in the last minute + by driving down the field and throwing a TD pass.
Denison ran for 326 yards on Saturday night, with two backs (including the QB) well over 100 yards.  I recall that they ran for about 130 yards v. Wabash with the two longest runs Wabash has given up this season--admittedly one by a Denison reserve against Wabash reserves.  Wabash has given up 15 and 3 net rushing yards in its other two games.
     The game ended in two OTs.  Both teams scored TDs in the first.  In the second, OWU was stopped.  Denison took over and scored in several rushing plays.  The early money would have been for the Big Red to set up for a FG.   The way they were
advancing the ball on the ground, they obviously thought a FG too risky, so they kept rushing, scoring on a run around the right side. 
     So, what did the Denison coaches see in the OWU defense?  Or once the game started did it just play out that way?  Is the OWU rush D soft?  Is Denison developing the offensive character we will see for the rest of the year?  Or was it just one of those games? 
     Other numbers to add to the rushing yardage.  Denison rang up 33 first downs, 25 on the ground.  They were 50% on third down and perfect (3 for 3) on fourth down.  In addition to its kicking woes, OWU was terrible on third down, something like 1 conversion for the game.   
      Besides those two Denison runs, Wabash's defense has not surrendered a run of more than 10 yards so far this year.  Allegheny's longest run in the first half was 3 yards.   The LGs have not faced high-octane offenses, but that is pretty good.
   
[/quote]

[wally_wabash]

A couple of things from last night's business in Delaware. First, Miles Mackenzie missed three field goals and an extra point. Any of those kicks wins the game.  He's supposed to be money and he's not been money so far this year.

Second, I was impressed with OWU getting the ball down the field. Really the first time I've seen them try to get deep on any kind of regular basis. And it worked.

Third, OWU can't run at all. Your TE can't be your go to guy when you want to run.

sigma one told us in august that one of the he too three here would lose to somebody not in the top three.  Spot on.

ETP also told us that OWU wasn't as great as we thought. And I'm ready to say that he's right. I thought OWU would have another gear in that offense this year, and they just don't seem to have it. Coupled with a defense that isn't as stout as last year, and OWU is basically what ETP thought they were. Also spot on.

I'm kicking myself today, but I was watching the game online while also watching OSU/WIS.  When I turned off OWU/DEN, I thought OWU had just scored to go up 7 with just a minute or two left.  Could someone tell me how the 4th quarter ended?  Maybe I wasn't watching OWU/DEN closely enough, but I thought OWU had the game in the bag.  Did DEN run back the kickoff or something?     Thanks in advance - the highlights weren't on SportsCenter yesterday.

The Big Red went 73 yards in 7 plays in 46 seconds to get the tying score.  Plays went as such: incomplete, incomplete, 37 yard completion, sack for -4 yards, 40 yard completion for a TD.  So while Denison ran and ran and ran all game, when they had to have it late in the 4th quarter, they hit two big pass plays and tied the game up. 

I can't find an immediately obvious link to an archived copy of that broadcast.  If I find one, I'll post it. 

[The_Bishop]

In addition to its kicking woes, OWU was terrible on third down, something like 1 conversion for the game.   

I missed the entire game and am bummed that I did - can you elaborate on the kicking problems?  That's been a strong point for the past 4 years and I'm shocked to hear it may have cost the game.

[wally_wabash]

In addition to its kicking woes, OWU was terrible on third down, something like 1 conversion for the game.   

I missed the entire game and am bummed that I did - can you elaborate on the kicking problems?  That's been a strong point for the past 4 years and I'm shocked to hear it may have cost the game.

Mackenzie is 3-9 on field goals for the year.  I can't say if he just has the shanks or if OWU isn't executing properly pre-kick.  I do know one of those FGs on Saturday night was blocked.  But still, 3-9 is not good.  It's not good to the point where you probably have to start thinking twice about putting that field goal unit on the field in 4th and short situations. 

[bashbrother]

In addition to its kicking woes, OWU was terrible on third down, something like 1 conversion for the game.   

I missed the entire game and am bummed that I did - can you elaborate on the kicking problems?  That's been a strong point for the past 4 years and I'm shocked to hear it may have cost the game.

Mackenzie is 3-9 on field goals for the year.  I can't say if he just has the shanks or if OWU isn't executing properly pre-kick.  I do know one of those FGs on Saturday night was blocked.  But still, 3-9 is not good.  It's not good to the point where you probably have to start thinking twice about putting that field goal unit on the field in 4th and short situations.

Wasn't Mackenzie -  Adam Vinatieri last year?