FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[wabco]

DIII in VA

Not sure about Neatherly award ... but if not ... it should have been.

Staff is fine as I understands it.  Field newly sodded and looking good.  D will return to what is "the expected" for a Creighton / Neatherly team.  Last year young with some spots which took time to mature.  D at end of year was light years from D at start of year.  D will win games ... but should not have to do so as the only weapon ... Huff is back with one of the best receiving groups in Div III.  RB / J-Back is settled and will probably be platooned a little a la Creighton style.  You gear for the pass and our run should hurt you.  Not a good thought when trying to defense a Creighton team.

Believe toughest games will be first one (Franklin) and of course Witt.  Franklin will be a fine team ... good coach ... and for some reason we tend to come out slow in the first game.  That combo should make it interesting.  However, it is at Howlett.  My money ... Wabash will come to play and it will ultimately not matter what Franklin does.

Witt is Witt.  Fun to be there and watch 2 fine coaching staffs coach 2 fine teams.  I believe Wabash has the horses to get it done ... and again ... at Wabash (although over student break).

Other teams could creep in there.  I like Gheny grit and Woo has made noise (at least on this list serve) about recruiting.  Never sell OWU short.  They seem to cough up blood at times when you wish they would not ... and at other times play like champions.  Letsd hope it is blood time with Wabash and champion time against Witt. and the others.

My prediction:  Wabash will be the NCAC champion and will have a successful run in the playoffs ... which prediction is modified by events such as key injuries.

Firm predict:  DEPAUW TO HELL WE HAVE THE BELL AND WILL KEEP IT.

[wally_wabash]

Howlett...nice.   

A quick Google search tells me that Coach Neathery was a finalist for the 2006 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year Award (Division III).  The DB coach at Mount Union won the award.  Here is a link to the AFCA press release.

[DIIIinVA]

Thanks for the replies.  I think what I had seen was the list of finalists.  Not surprised to see Neathery on there.  Good luck to Wabash this season.  I wouldn't ever bet against a Creighton offense or a Neathery defense.  You have good coaches there.

[Superfoot Wallace]

You gear for the pass and our run should hurt you.  Not a good thought when trying to defense a Creighton team.

Gear for the pass?  Hurt by the run?

Just tackle'em in the backfield. 

Its all the same if the ball don't cross the line of scrimmage.


signed,
E.F. Schumacher

[INQBScout]

Its all the same if the ball don't cross the line of scrimmage.

Well put.

[wally_wabash]

Just tackle'em in the backfield. 

If football were that easy, nobody would ever score and the game wouldn't exist.  The Bash is going to be tough to stop on offense in '07...see you at the Hollett in October Macleod. 

[Superfoot Wallace]

The Bash is going to be tough to stop on offense in '07...see you at the Hollett in October Macleod. 

Tru dat, tru dat...  expect Bash to gleam the cube offensively.

Probably the reason am calling for defense in Springtucky. 

Two hillbillys in a pickup truck.  Where it's at. 

Don't know that the Tigers will be able to run that two linebacker nickel hybrid losing so many experienced safeties, but believe a linebacker and defensive tackle are good foundations for developing a scheme.

It is still college football and believe, while high flying acrobatics can win ball games, running the ball and stopping the run still separate the champions from the also rans.

Wally, with some luck and proper motivation will try and make that date at Howlett.   8)

Have enjoyed the development of the NCAC from top to bottom.  While the top has slipped a little, better parity enhances competition and conference competitiveness speaks to experience for whomever the representative might be come playoff time.  Has to make Coach Creighton happy to see his alma mater fairing better and better on the gridiron the last few seasons, much to the chagrin of the Big Red, Yeomen and Quake.

Congratulations to Rummel and Drushal on the pro prospects, now if the lineman brother of the Oxford lineman finds a roster tryout the NCAC will surely have matched best efforts to date regarding football advancement.

signed,
GATA

[lancer98]

http://athletics.wooster.edu/fb/news/2006/drushal_nfl.php

I'll be following his progress.  Hopefully he can make it to training camp and maybe make the practice squad.  That would be the best case scenerio I would think.

Good luck to Rick.

[wally_wabash]

NCAC Game of the Year isn't enough motivation for you, MacLeod? 

It's going to be a fun game for sure...wish it weren't happening during midsemester break, but such is life. 

Can't deny that Wabash will need to run a little better than they did in '06.  Despite the rushing stats being down, Wabash still averaged over 4 yards per carry and ran the ball on 46% of their offensive snaps (down from 53% in '05, but the average gain per rush in '05 was only 3.5).  I think Sobecki will provide an upgrade at the RB spot for Wabash this year...of course time will tell. 

[ADL70]

MacLeod

The Big Red and Yeomen beat the Lords last season, so they aren't too much chagrined as yet.

[Superfoot Wallace]

Doh!  Wry incongruity or ironic understatement.  One or the other.   

Have to  admit, the only thing I recall about Kenyon last season, aside from deleterious logic constructs concerning umpteen-way ties going into the last few weeks of the season were the mad scientist teaching devices employed by the Kenyon HC.  My kind of guy.

signed,
the Cretan from Spart (chagrinned)

[wabco]

Question:

Did "Ben the Face planter" graduate?  If so ... sell your stock in the Kenyonites.

[smedindy]

A couple o' t'ings:

I think Rummell is deserving of a tryout. He definitely could be kept on the practice squad, or at the least, signed to an NFL Europe team. For him to put up THOSE numbers with the help he had, it was pretty amazing.

Second, I'm quite pleased with the coaching staff here at Wabash. I was one that thought Creighton would jump soon after the first playoff season if a D-2 or D-1AA school came calling (and with his track record, why wouldn't they). Obviously, he likes it here, and his speech during Monon Bell Chapel last season made me want to go out and kick some Danny tail. So, I think if he's not a lifer, it will take a special job for him to move on.

[WallyFS4]

Smed,

Couldn't agree more.  I had the pleasure of being at the chapel during the 2005 season.  If you haven't had the opportunity to be there to experience Creighton during Bell week, I highly recommend it.  As always.

WABASH ALWAYS FIGHTS!

[smedindy]

Wallies!

The bar is on fire!

http://www.wabash.edu/news/displaystory.cfm?news_ID=4730