FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wally_wabash]

This game is a big deal to Allegheny.  If it doesn't become a big deal to Wabash for the last three quarters, this is gonna go way sideways. 

[smedindy]

Kenyon almost clipped DPU , taking a 37-32 loss. 

Ian Robertson - 7 catches, 243 yards, 3 TDs.

[sigma one]

Just about every first down, Wabash into the line; Allegheny with eight in the box, four down d-linemen and four tight linebackers.  Gotta continue to wonder. 

[cave2bens]

Just about every first down, Wabash into the line; Allegheny with eight in the box, four down d-linemen and four tight linebackers.  Gotta continue to wonder. 

Oh, and our corner gets "toasted" yet again... then Penola makes another big gainer.  Gotta bet he's got the best yds/play for the LGs "O".  Maybe a clue?? 

[Wabash1]

Really?!?!

[Wabash1]

Damn shame how much this program has degenerated in the last 2 years. It's really hard to watch.

[Li'l Giant]

Damn shame how much this program has degenerated in the last 2 years. It's really hard to watch.

[Little Giant 89]

Until this time next Saturday only one thing matters: Win The Bell!

[cave2bens]

Hand-wringing aside among the Scarlet faithful, Allegheny played a whale of a game today.  Honestly, had Murphy not been ruled down, Wabash may well have lost as playing from behind late has not proven successful.  Congratulations Gators as well as the LGs for pulling it out in the end.

[sigma one]

Agree.  the Gheny offense is very good.  Hammer is making a difference.  When the defense gets better, watch out.  Victor is a special player.
      All criticisms of Wabash aside for the moment, the NCAC as a whole appears much improved. With the exception of Witt, the league is clustered near the middle.  A result of Wabash dropping off and others catching up.  With one or two exceptions, even Kenyon has put a scare in people--see today's DPU result.  The QBs can "spin it," as they say.  Some fine receivers and running backs.  As for the results so far, a combination of offensive prowess and defensive deficiencies.
     Witt is clearly the king.  Solid, if not spectacular on offense, and impressive on defense.   

[BashBacker#16]

https://twitter.com/littlegiantad/status/926905324908531712 - what?  What a great win.

A trend?  Seriously look at these scores:

2017 Wabash 48 Allegheny 41
2016 Wabash 59 Allegheny 7
2015 Wabash 54 Allegheny 0
2014 Wabash 63 Allegheny 0
2013 Wabash 65 Allegheny 0

What?  Everything is good...  We're 7-2.  Times have changed.

BJ Hammer is doing a great job but does that surprise anyone?  Not me.  Congrats BJ!

[Li'l Giant]

Hand-wringing aside among the Scarlet faithful, Allegheny played a whale of a game today.  Honestly, had Murphy not been ruled down, Wabash may well have lost as playing from behind late has not proven successful.  Congratulations Gators as well as the LGs for pulling it out in the end.

This is true. As Wally pointed out above Gheny played hard and it showed that they really wanted this game. And they almost got it. They didn't have replay capability so I don't know but watching it live I thought that was a fumble.

      All criticisms of Wabash aside for the moment, the NCAC as a whole appears much improved. With the exception of Witt, the league is clustered near the middle.  A result of Wabash dropping off and others catching up.  With one or two exceptions, even Kenyon has put a scare in people--see today's DPU result.

And this is the thing. The rest of the NCAC can be getting better and Wabash can be falling back. Those are not mutually exclusive. That's not to take credit away from Gheny, Denison, Kenyon, et al. Not at all. They're better and that's good.

However, you know who isn't feeling that? Witt. They're doing to the league what is expected of them. It seems like we stopped treating Witt like the benchmark and made the benchmark the rest of the league.

A trend?  Seriously look at these scores:

2017 Wabash 48 Allegheny 41
2016 Wabash 59 Allegheny 7
2015 Wabash 54 Allegheny 0
2014 Wabash 63 Allegheny 0
2013 Wabash 65 Allegheny 0

One can do this same exercise with scores against Oberlin, Wooster, and OWU. Funny how something seems to have changed in 2016...

[wally_wabash]

https://twitter.com/littlegiantad/status/926905324908531712 - what?  What a great win.

Brutal tweet from the AD.  If Wabash was in a game where 90 points got scored and there was over 1,000 yards of offense, something went  horribly wrong.  Not that he would know or understand that.  Does he know the last time Wabash gave up 41 in a game was 2009?  It took IWU two overtimes to get 41 on that day.  Does he know the last time Wabash gave up 41 in regulation was in 2008- in the tournament to a national semifinal team?  Or does he know the last time Wabash gave up 41 against a regular season opponent was in 2006 vs. Franklin (also in OT)?  Or does he know that the last time Wabash gave up 41 in the regular season in regulation was in 2004?  The answer is he doesn't know any of that history and I doubt that he cares and that's kind of a root cause situation, iyam. 

1,000 yards of offense?  Hey, this historically great defense just got LIT UP!  Let's tweet about it.  Get all in or stick to Microsoft Paint parking diagrams.   

[Dr. Acula]

I watched roughly the last quarter and a half of that game and I had two thoughts:

Those look, on the surface, like two teams trending in opposite directions.  That game was an overturned INT call away from being very dicey for Wabash.  The Gators would have had the ball, all the momentum and an offense that Wabash wasn't having much success stopping.  Wabash was still up a TD so by no means am I saying Gheny wins if that call stood.  Just saying it would have been a very interesting (and different) game down the stretch.

Ike James is really good.  What would 2017 look like had St. Joe's not shut down?  There is talent other spots on the offense, but that kid carries the mail.

[wally_wabash]

Ike James is really good.  What would 2017 look like had St. Joe's not shut down?  There is talent other spots on the offense, but that kid carries the mail.

It's a good question- I think the obvious answer is that Wabash would have lost a lot of games this year without Ike James.  But do remember that Ike James' arrival made it possible to move Matt Penola (an all-NCAC RB last season) to an H-back position where I think he's been forgotten.  Penola- again, an all-NCAC RB- has touched the ball 17 times this year.  Less than two touches per game for, you know, an all-NCAC RB.  Those 17 touches have produced 234 yards (13.8 ypt) so only good things happen when he gets the ball in 2017.  They're just not exploiting it enough and missing out on a great piece of the offense.  Knoche is way more comfortable smashing Ike James into an 8-man box 20 times per game than deploying other capable offensive weaponry. 

I digress.  I think Wabash would have been ok actually because the Penola-Avant combo would be very good also.  By ok, I mean the end results would probably have been similar.