FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Crawford]

NCAC football might have a winning record after the first week !

[DePauwalum05]

Thanks to Sigma for sharing the pre-season program outlooks. Excitement continues to build around the DePauw program Brett Dietz is building. 65 freshmen and 150 on the roster with depth at OL, which had been a modern era recruiting challenge for numbers.

Solid 33-21 win over a gritty and well-coached Rose squad that always gives the Tigers a tough test. Impressive OL play and downhill running game with Baumgartner for 122 yds, a speedy Whitehead adding another 80, and Butler transfer Mencer also looking good but on limited carries. Tough to tell if the Tiger line is that good, if the Rose D is down a bit or both. McCahill was good in the passing game with some big plays and balance for a run-oriented offense.

Plenty to improve on, including a couple dropped passes in the end zone. Defense was strong, but had a letdown in the 2nd quarter in giving up all 21 points.

The Tigers look talented, deep, and poised to compete for a third consecutive league championship.

[sigma one]

This Saturday in the NCAC--

Linfield (0-0) at DENISON (1-0)  The Wildcats travel cross country to face the Big Red.  Linfield is a perennial playoff team; they have lost only two games in the last two seasons.  Props to DEN for scheduling them.  Last week, DENISON beat Capital, 45-35, a misleading score.  Cap scored the last three TDs, two of them in the fourth quarter.  Fabrocini was his characteristic self, rushing for 153 yards and 2 TDs.  New QB Stines threw for 386 yards and 4 TDs, as the Red totaled 668 yards of O. 
The game will be played Saturday night.  This is a chance to see how one of the best of the NCAC can compete v. a nationally-ranked opponent.  Linfield should win handily.  How close?  Not very, somewhat, ?.
Anderson (0-1) at DEPAUW (1-0)  Last week v. Rose-Hulman the NEW TIGERS trailed 21-20 at halftime, only to pull away after that.  Anderson was mauled by Trine.  61-0.  DEPAUW can name the score.
Likely, another Shutout for the Ravens as the DPU ground game and passing game produce big numbers,  and the D dominates.
HIRAM (0-1) at Mount St Joseph (1-0)  Hiram gave up 68 last week, while the Lions won v. Baldwin-Wallace 46-33.  This will not be close as the top of the HCAC pummels the bottom of the NCAC.
Kalamazoo (1-0) at KENYON (0-1)  K'zoo comes off a win v. Oberlin; KENYON lost to Bluffton 51-35.  Kenyon is breaking in a new QB and WR corps, having lost the top two receivers from last year (one who  led the NCAC in receptions, the other in TDs and receiving yardage).  The OWLS have yet to prove that they can play D; the offense seems to be capable.  As a side note, Xavier Reyero, who played QB for the last two years at Hiram was the QB for Bluffton as the Beavers put up 35 points in the first half.
Concordia-Chicago ((0-1) at OBERLIN (0-!)   The  Yeomen threw the ball 60X last week v. Kalamazoo and held the ball for almost 42 minutes while running 100 plays and producing 449 yards of O.  K'zoo--in the 18 minutes they possessed the ball produced 42 points.  Concordia comes in following a 41-14 loss to Greenville.  I'd like to say that OBE has a chance here, but I just can't.
UW River Falls (1-0) at OHIO WESLEYAN (1-0)  The BBs led Otterbein 7-0 at the half last Saturday and scored 21 points in the 4th quarter.  River Falls, led by former DePauw coach Matt Walker, impressed v. Mary Hardin-Baylor 42-14.  It does not look good for OWU.  What else can I say?
WABASH rests after a close call  at Hampden-Sydney 29-28 on a late TD and two-point PAT.  They face Butler next week.
WITTENBERG also rests after returning home with a one-point win at Dubuque in Iowa.  Dubuque missed a 3rd quarter PAT; the OLD TIGERS, trailing 27-14, produced 14 4th quarter points to get the victory.
Olivet (1-0) at WOOSTER (0-1)  The Comets got by Franklin 35-32 last Saturday and gained 327 yds. rushing.  The FIGHTING SCOTS got off to a bad start by losing to Wilmington 63-43.  That they lost to a middling at best OAC team (though one vastly improved over the past two seasons) and allowed 63 points in the process has to be concerning, if only because the Quakers ran for 384 yards.  A bright spot for WOO was Brazos Gadler (great name!) catching 6 passes for 146 yards (36.5 ave). WOO might be pumped up breaking in a new field and logo, but if they give up big numbers again the odds are long. 
     

[D O.C.]

Yes, thanks to DEN  for scheduling an Island Team who had Simon Fraser University of British Columbia Canada cancel a game.
Sigma One, thank-you for what info you posted about Denison.
Fans in attendance will likely see crisp LINFIELD warm-ups. Seems they run everywhere during their insane ,60+ year winning streak.

[Crawford]

Thanks D3 for the article about Liam Thompson.  Had heard he attended, but didn't know in  what capacity. 

[sigma one]

All teams play this Saturday-----

DENISON (1-1) at OBERLIN (1-1)  The Big Red played Linfield tough last week before losing 28-14.  Oberlin got a home win--the first in several years.  The DEN Dbacks were impressive, especially Jaylin Epps, who had 4 pass breaks and was named to the D3FB Team of the Week.  The Yeomen outplayed Concordia-Chicago 37-35, as Drew Nye, who converted from WR to QB this year, amassed 386 total yards, including 160 rushing (8.8 ypc), and 4 TD passes. He is this week's POW in the NCAC.    DEN has to be considered a big favorite.  How well OBE plays them at home will tell more about their improvement.
HIRAM (0-2) at DEPAUW (2-0).  Hiram lost to Mount St Joseph 62-21, giving up 42 1st half points.  They've allowed 130 points
in their first two games.  The New Tigers overwhelmed Anderson 68-19, scoring 44 points by halftime, and playing the reserves in the second half.  They returned the opening KO for a 92 yard TD.  Another big win for DPU.
KENYON (0-2) at WITTENBERG (1-0) The Owls went down to Kalamazoo 48-16 and are yet to show much offensive muscle.  They were 11/29 passing for a paltry 124 yards, and ended up with 270 yards total O.  WIT rested last Saturday after a come from behind win at Dubuque, where they scored 14 4th quarter points to pull out a win 28-27  The jury is still out this year on the Old Tigers, but they should win easily Saturday night at home.  (Next week they play their 2nd OOC game v. Alma, a playoff team last year.)
WOOSTER (1-1) at OHIO WESLEYAN (1-1).  Another Saturday night game.  The Scots pulled out a 24-22 win last week v. Olivet.  They led 21-0 at the half.  The Comets scored with under a minute remaining, but WOO denied the 2-point PAT to secure the win.  The BB's lost to UW River Falls 37-10, falling to a team that will end up near the top of the WIAC.  This game should help determine which of the two might be closer to the top of the conference. OWU should win at home, whether by a big number or in a close game (?)
WABASH (1-0) at Butler (1-1).  Whoa.  I'd like to say that the Saturday night game could be competitive, but no. . .  .The LGs were off last week after their close win at Hampden-Sydney 29-28, the game saved by a 2-point conversion late of a reverse pass to Liam Thompson.  Butler opened with a long road trip to U. of Montana--one of the top teams in FCS, and
trailed only 21-20 at halftime. They ran away from Taylor (NAIA) last week 41-13.  Really,  the best WAB can hope for is to hold the score close.  But I'm not predicting this will happen.

[wabashcpa]

Only lost 35-20 to Montana, that is a pretty impressive result for a Butler team that hasn't been great recently.  Looks like maybe they have turned a corner.  I just want to come out of this game healthy.

[Crawford]

That was my thought too, "...come out of this game healthy."  I get the point of scheduling a game so you get better, but I'm not sure how you get better just by playing Butler.  Seems you can also get better by playing a team of equal strength and allowing your team to grow into the challenge.

[Li'l Giant]

Now that it's over with lets never do that again.

[CollegeGolf18]

Now that it's over with lets never do that again.

It was a very respectable outcome too. Liam was very solid.

[Whitecarrera]

Agreed - in games like that you can usually point to 4-5 plays that pretty much set the table, and it's typically the better team that benefits:

Wabash's dropped pass at the goal line, followed by the missed FG, allowed a 7-7 game to flip to 0-14.

The squib kick before halftime was the right call, but it didn't turn out as well as it might have. No fault there, but the defensive call on 1st and 65 was unfortunate (I'm trying to be really kind). The base front put the DBs in a terrible spot. The pass defense was only a step away, but that's where the better team made a play, and there was absolutely no reason to handicap the secondary with that call in the first place.

Butler's d-line was always going to test the pass protection more than any other opponent this year.  The Wabash QB was solid, but the pressure contributed to the interception, and then Butler turned it into an even bigger play and TD.

A lot of credit to Wabash. I was sitting in the middle of the Butler crowd, and there was a lot of appreciation.

Final thought is that if Wabash doesn't come up with a valid response to 3/1 or empty, it's gonna be another season, with every week simply being a question of whether we can outscore people.

[HCAlum86]

Toughhhhhhhh first four games on the schedule for the Terriers. Heidelberg, MSJ, Depauw, and Denison... Yikes.

[sigma one]

This week in the NCAC-----

DENISON (2-1) at HIRAM (0-3)  Last week DEN rolled over OBERLIN 70-0, leading by 35 at the end of the 1st qtr and 49-0 at the half.   Fabrocinini was his usual self:  5 TDs, 8.9 ypr, 180 yds.  HIRAM managed only 270 total yds of O; I think DEN plays really good D.  This shouldn't/won't be close as the BIG RED rolls and probably once again plays mostly reserves after halftime.
OHIO WESLEYAN WESLEYAN (2-1) at DEPAUW (3-0)  OWU opened its NCAC schedule by defeating WOOSTER 49-20--35-6 at the half.  The NEW TIGERS more than controlled Hiram 49-0.  This game is intriguing.  On the one hand, DPU is so good on D that they may run away;  on the other, the BB's have shown that they can throw the ball effectively.  DEPAUW will win, but maybe by not a much as expected.
KENYON (0-3) at WOOSTER (1-2)  The OWLS have given up 149 points, and last week were trounced by WITTENBERG 56-17.
The FIGHTING SCOTS were handled by OWU.  This may be entertaining as both teams will score points, with WOO emerging handily.
OBERLIN (1-2) at WABASH (1-1)  After winning the previous week, the YEOs took a beating last Saturday, managing only 120 total yds at DENISON.  WABASH did perhaps better than most expected v. Butler, and trailed by only 10 at halftime before falling 47-21.  This is Homecoming in C'ville and the LGs will be looking to produce big numbers after two tough OOC games.
ALMA (3-0) at WITTENBERG (2-0)  The SCOTS are ranked #20 in this week's DIII FB poll.  They have outscored their opponents 180-21.  But the teams they've defeated have combined for only one win.  This is the final OOC game this year in the NCAC.  WIT will be by far Alma's biggest challenge so far, and the game may help determine how good the Scots can be.  WIT, always tough at home, will have to slow down a high-powered O while finding a way to control the ball and score points.
WIT's winning would be a surprise; the outcome may hint at whether the OLD TIGERS can improve over last year's 5-5 record.       

[Crawford]

Looking forward to the Witt / Alma game.  In a convoluted comparison Alma beat Ohio Northern 52 - 7.  Ohio Northern beat Capital 40 - 7.   Dennison only beat Capital 45 - 35.  So far it looks like Dennison and Depauw are the team to beat in the NCAC, if that is the case, it looks like Witt will have a tough game today.  Go Old Tigers !

[Crawford]

Interesting that Depauw has two crews calling the game at the same time, they did that last week too.  The students who commenting on the game do an excellent job.