FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[firstdown]

Thanks to the Wabash alumni who helped fund last weekend's successful trip Hampden Sydney.  Make sure to visit the Wabash athletic website to see some of the photos of the team at the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Hearing Taps echo in the hills of Arlington will give you goose bumps.  There are other photos of the members of the team on the Mall in DC, and a photo of several players at the site of Dr King's "I have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial steps.  Not only was the trip a great win for the team, but  it provided some lessons in American History as well.

According to the NCAA website, Wabash's defense is number 2 in rush defense, and number 3 in total defense.  Not a bad start picking up where they left off last year.  WAF

[jknezek]

Thanks to the Wabash alumni who helped fund last weekend's successful trip Hampden Sydney.  Make sure to visit the Wabash athletic website to see some of the photos of the team at the wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Hearing Taps echo in the hills of Arlington will give you goose bumps.  There are other photos of the members of the team on the Mall in DC, and a photo of several players at the site of Dr King's "I have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial steps.  Not only was the trip a great win for the team, but  it provided some lessons in American History as well.

I love this. Awesome job by the Wabash community for making such an amazing experience out of this game. Very impressive.

[BashDad]

Brian Parks is my new favorite player. What a unexpected addition to an already top-shelf defense. Both he and Pettiford give up inches on the outside, but both are lights-out with their feet and always seem in the right spot. I thought Parks, even with the penalties, was awesome on Saturday. Our secondary is better than last year and that's something to get excited about.

The Rice/Putko thing continues to boggle the mind, but whatever. Someone else can make sense of that.

[wally_wabash]

I don't think that we should gloss over what Wabash's defense did on Saturday.  On the road against a Marty Favret team (I honestly don't get the hubbub, but I'm also very clearly in the minority and I've admittedly seen two games out of a couple hundred).  I'm looking back here for the last time a Marty Favret team was held to 3 or fewer points...there's one here in 2007 that is a 2-0 win over E&H but that can't be real.  It has to be an official forfeit or something.  And going back through the remainder of this site's archives...it hasn't happened. Not in the entirety of Marty Favret's time at HSC (2000-present) has his team been held to a field goal or less.  Really heady stuff from the LG defense on Saturday. 

[jknezek]

I don't think that we should gloss over what Wabash's defense did on Saturday.  On the road against a Marty Favret team (I honestly don't get the hubbub, but I'm also very clearly in the minority and I've admittedly seen two games out of a couple hundred).  I'm looking back here for the last time a Marty Favret team was held to 3 or fewer points...there's one here in 2007 that is a 2-0 win over E&H but that can't be real.  It has to be an official forfeit or something.  And going back through the remainder of this site's archives...it hasn't happened. Not in the entirety of Marty Favret's time at HSC (2000-present) has his team been held to a field goal or less.  Really heady stuff from the LG defense on Saturday.

E&H forfeited their 4 wins in 2007. They played an academically ineligible player. I can't remember the exact score of that game, but HSC wasn't shut out. So Wabash's impressive feat certainly stands out.

Digging further, E&H would have won that game 29-19 except for the forfeit, so certainly more than 3 points...

[wally_wabash]

Top notch, jknezek.  Thanks for the assist!

[sigma one]

I am joining with Wally.  H-SC had two plays go for 14 and 22 yards on their first drive.  After that their only significant play was a 16-yard gain off a fake punt:  well executed.
The game Saturday had some weirdness to it.  The longest Wabash play all day was 22 yards.  And Wabash had only 6 plays of 15+ yards:  15, 16, 17, 17, 18, 22.  Wabash also had the possession advantage, 38+ minutes to 21+ minutes.  And as someone pointed out earlier, Wabash rushed the ball 62X.  The LGs had a 21-play TD drive.  I saw the game only on the video feed, but H-SC's defense, despite the score was pretty respectable overall.  They just could not get off the field.
     It's hard for any team, including Marty's, to get going when they don't have the football, have someone in the QB's face almost every throw, and can't sustain any rushing attack.   It appeared that in the second half with one or two exceptions the Tigers threw quick routes to keep the QB upright.  And to no great effect.
     Great game for the Wabash defense.  Workmanlike game for the offense, which would have scored in the 40s if the endzone throw had not bounced off the receiver's pads leading to a fourth interception.  Oh, and what might have happened without those 4 ints?  i give Henry an A+ for his defensive backfield play.  Terrific effort from him.
     Solid debut on the road for Wabash.  Two weeks to work on their game before hitting the road to Meadville.  Then, Wittenberg at home in an early-season showdown. 

     

[bashbrother]

To hold Any team.... at any level....to only 84 yards of total offense is a true accomplishment...   At first,  I considered that we possibly saw history happen with that defensive effort.  Thus, I did some digging and found that the last games in which a Wabash defense held an opponent(s) to 84 or fewer total yards in a game were:   

2013 - Hanover  - 45 yards
2013 - Allegheny - 55 yards
2013 - Hiram -  58 yards

Many might consider the 84 yards to a winning program like HSC as the most surprising of the 4 results listed.

Bravo Little Giant D!  WAF!

[wally_wabash]

Still bummed they wouldn't let that 2013 team into the tournament.  smh

[badgerwarhawk]

I am joining with Wally.  H-SC had two plays go for 14 and 22 yards on their first drive.  After that their only significant play was a 16-yard gain off a fake field goal:  well executed.
The game Saturday had some weirdness to it.  The longest Wabash play all day was 22 yards.  And Wabash had only 6 plays of 15+ yards:  15, 16, 17, 17, 18, 22.  Wabash also had the possession advantage, 28+ minutes to 21+ minutes.  And as someone pointed out earlier, Wabash rushed the ball 62X.  The LGs had a 21-play TD drive.  I saw the game only on the video feed, but H-SC's defense, despite the score was pretty respectable overall.  They just could not get off the field.
     It's hard for any team, including Marty's, to get going when they don't have the football, have someone in the QB's face almost every throw, and can't sustain any rushing attack.   It appeared that in the second half with one or two exceptions the Tigers threw quick routes to keep the QB upright.  And to no great effect.
     Great game for the Wabash defense.  Workmanlike game for the offense, which would have scored in the 40s if the endzone throw had not bounced off the receiver's pads leading to a fourth interception.  Oh, and what might have happened without those 4 ints?  i give Henry an A+ for his defensive backfield play.  Terrific effort from him.
     Solid debut on the road for Wabash.  Two weeks to work on their game before hitting the road to Meadville.  Then, Wittenberg at home in an early-season showdown. 

     

When I saw the TOP it didn't look right because football games are 60 minutes long.  So I checked the box and the LG's TOP was actually much more significant than 7+ minutes.  It was almost 17 minutes (38:42 to 21:58) which would mean the LGs controlled the ball for longer than an entire quarter more than HSC. 

[MasterJedi]

I am joining with Wally.  H-SC had two plays go for 14 and 22 yards on their first drive.  After that their only significant play was a 16-yard gain off a fake field goal:  well executed.
The game Saturday had some weirdness to it.  The longest Wabash play all day was 22 yards.  And Wabash had only 6 plays of 15+ yards:  15, 16, 17, 17, 18, 22.  Wabash also had the possession advantage, 28+ minutes to 21+ minutes.  And as someone pointed out earlier, Wabash rushed the ball 62X.  The LGs had a 21-play TD drive.  I saw the game only on the video feed, but H-SC's defense, despite the score was pretty respectable overall.  They just could not get off the field.
     It's hard for any team, including Marty's, to get going when they don't have the football, have someone in the QB's face almost every throw, and can't sustain any rushing attack.   It appeared that in the second half with one or two exceptions the Tigers threw quick routes to keep the QB upright.  And to no great effect.
     Great game for the Wabash defense.  Workmanlike game for the offense, which would have scored in the 40s if the endzone throw had not bounced off the receiver's pads leading to a fourth interception.  Oh, and what might have happened without those 4 ints?  i give Henry an A+ for his defensive backfield play.  Terrific effort from him.
     Solid debut on the road for Wabash.  Two weeks to work on their game before hitting the road to Meadville.  Then, Wittenberg at home in an early-season showdown. 

     

When I saw the TOP it didn't look right because football games are 60 minutes long.  So I checked the box and the LG's TOP was actually much more significant than 7+ minutes.  It was almost 17 minutes (38:42 to 21:58) which would mean the LGs controlled the ball for longer than an entire quarter more than HSC.

It happens, just rarely. More extreme example was last years Stagg Bowl: 40:20 to 19:40 which is just crazy as well.

[Ray Finkles]

Most extreme example I've seen came in last year's First Round playoff game between Texas Lutheran and Mary Hardin-Baylor. TLU won time of possession 48:22 to 11:38, but UMHB scored on a punt return and three drives of under two minutes in a 27-20 win.

[wally_wabash]

It happened in last year's Wabash/HSC game also.  Wabash had a 37:30 to 22:30 TOP edge.  Really, the two games played out pretty similarly.  The one glaring difference is that last year Holton Walker won a couple of jump balls and scored and this year HSC didn't have a player who could win those balls.  Otherwise, it was really kind of the same game. 

[bashbrother]

The 21 play - 9:50 - 80 yard scoring drive in the 2nd Qtr.... it was crazy long

Reminiscent of the 16 play 9:32 4th qtr. drive to seal the victory against Witt in 2012..... 

[sigma one]

Thanks, Warhawk.  Got my twos and threes mixed up  (28 plus to 38 plus).  Nice corrections.  I'll fix it in my post.