FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[nike]

But where does solid coaching about the fundamentals come into play with regards to wins and losses? Or making adjustments at half time? Or mixing up the run and the pass efffectively?
At the Carthage game Schafer was obviously hurt early in the game. It was reported in the papers that he had sustained a concussion during the game. But he was playing poorly as a result of early hits he took. So would every coach have left him in there? Would some have had a ready back up? Will CC have the Wabash quarterbacks better prepared than another coach would have?  I was at the game against Carthage and if something is not working, then do something different. This game sticks out in my mind because the atmosphere and excitement was the highest of any game at Papp I have ever been to. Maybe any game period.  And Mt. Union was next.
My own opinion is that with the backup qb in we win that game. Because he would not have committed the turnovers. Schafer was hurt. 
Kehres has a bunch of championships with many different players. Is it the players or him? And if it is more the players, then doesn't the coach deserve credit for bringing those particular players together? 
I enjoy the coaching matchups as much as the games. Like a chess game.  Can the Scots beat Witt? We'll see.

[smedindy]

It all depends on whether Schafer said he could play, and how much faith the coach had in the backup. How many reps had he had in practice? In the playoffs the backup may have had to run the scout team all during practice with the NCAA roster limitations.

I remember when Chris Ings got knocked into next week against DePauw and he tried to hang in there but really couldn't.

A Schafer at 50% may have been better than the backup at 100%, at that point in time. I mean, would you trust your NFL team to J. T. O'Sullivan, or name-your-Billy Joe??

[wally_wabash]

I think we're all aware just how highly Schmitz thought of Schafer.  In the playoffs, I think you go with your #1 qb until he can't stand up.  If you're going to lose in the playoffs, you ought to do it with your best players on the field. 

If I can recall testimonials from the fans at that particular game, Carthage was pretty much teeing off on Wooster's qb all game long.  Schafer was a pretty slippery guy back there...I'm not sure Reiff (or whoever the backup was that year) wouldn't have been lit up just as bad. 

It seemed to me that Carthage's front 7 just had speed that Wooster hadn't seen all year.  When you're taken by surprise by how fast a team is, you're pretty much doomed.  It's not as easy as a simple halftime pep talk...if you're playing against guys that play at a speed that you haven't played at all year, then you're pretty much in big trouble.  I won't forget Wabash's trip to Alliance in 2002.  MUC had team speed unlike anything I've ever seen before or since.  Wabash was a damned good team that year, and the LG's weren't even playing on the same planet as MUC....which is nice segue into your comments about Keheres. 

Kehres is an outstanding coach.  Make no mistake about that.  He also has the ability to recruit superior athletes.  I tend to believe that about 87.6% of winning in college football is about recruiting.  If you have better players, you will win far more often than not.  When you combine the ability to recruit superior athletes with outstanding coaching at the D-III level, then you get Mount Union.  I think Kehres coached teams with average players would be pretty good teams.  I think Kehres recruited teams with an average coach would be really good teams.  Kehres coached and recruited teams turn out to be the single greatest dyansty in college football history. 

[nike]

Well said, both of you.
Just for the heck of it:
                    Carthage: 46 rushes 38 yds
                    passing attempts 19 competions 4 for  22yds               
                    Wooster  41 rushes 138 yds
                    passing attempts 32 completions 6 for 73 yds 2 ints. I think, I think 3 fumbles.(all Schafer) 
My point-Schafer was hurt early and should not have been in there. Others at the game felt the same way right then, not days later. But also, does a great coach run shorter pass routes the second half, slants, shorter drops by quarterback, screen plays to try and spring Sutton, etc.
What does Creighton do at halftime?  Would you Wabash people consider him a great coach?
Something to think about.

[ScotLass]

Is this a trick question? Or maybe my screen is just stuck...

[wally_wabash]

What does Creighton do at halftime?  Would you Wabash people consider him a great coach?
Something to think about.

I'm not sure what CC does at halftime, but one way to measure how well a team makes adjustments is to check the third quarter score.  In 68 games with CC as head coach, Wabash has outscored their opponents in the third quarter by a grand total of 603-286.  I'm honestly not entirely sure what to make of that stat, but it looks pretty good to me. 

Is CC a great coach?  I guess it depends on how you measure greatness.  His record at Wabash in 6+ years is 55-13 (.809 win %).  In his first six years as head coach he has won or shared the conference championship three times.  He coached a Gagliardi finalist (Harbaugh) and recruited another (Mitch Tanney who transferred and did great things at Monmouth).  Creighton is pretty clearly really good at his craft. 

[wooscot]

Nike,

Good points about the Carthage game, but that is certainly a painful memory to relive.  I was at that game and what stood out the most to me were two things.  First, Wooster had no answer for Carthage's barrage of blitzes.  Schafer had no time to sit in the pocket, however, his receivers had man coverage most of the game (aka they were breaking open down field).  It was frustrating watching Schafer get nailed every time he tried to pass, however, there were in fact open receivers that he simply missed.  I did not realize he was playing with a concussion, so that explains a lot IMO.  Second, the last 5-6 minutes of the game when Wooster had a couple opportunities to come back, Sutton was IMO not utilized enough.  It wasn't like Carthage was really shutting him down, but the last part of the game, the ball was not put in his hands.  This was equally frustrating.

[smedindy]

Well, adjustments can be negated by any adjustments the other team has done. It may be a case where the looks that Carthage were giving in the second half negated any adjustments that Wooster had made, so they went to plan A.

Basically, my thinking is that in the playoffs you need to stick with what has worked all season. It's about your team making plays, and the team that makes the most plays wins. Just making the playoffs shows that the team and the coach has talent.

[ScotLass]

I'm not sure what CC does at halftime, but one way to measure how well a team makes adjustments is to check the third quarter score. 

Hmmmm......Woo hasn't scored a single point in the 3rd qtr so far this year, yet the bulk of the points scored against them have come in the 3rd and 4th qtrs (62 of a total 99 points).
Points for and against in the 1st and 2nd qtrs are about dead even.

[roadtrip]

BB16 - low blow but I can handle it.....Thanks to everyone (including BB16) for pointing me in the right directions...wings and beverages and whatever in the parking lot on saturday...Go Wabash!!

[bashbrother]

I think much of Creighton's magic actually takes place off the football field.   

Sure, he and his staff are great at coaching the game of football and recruiting quality players from all over the country that fit the system.   The difference, I personally believe, is in all of the other things that CC and Wabash Football are about.

CC is a master at team building and does a great job of creating a tight family atmosphere among his players every year.

Summer trips with the team around the world and the fall camp retreat that is held off site every year are big parts of his team building strategy.

Having had the pleasure of watching a brother spend 4 years with CC and Wabash Football.   I truly hope we can keep him at Wabash long-term.

They may not always win, but I honestly think most/all players come out of this program as special people with a quality education.

[nike]

And we know that long term, that is what it is all about anyway.
Will be interesting to see if Wooster attempts anything different this week. Maybe a qb change or new schemes to try to get Sheppard untracked. It certainly will not be easy.

[smedindy]

The NCAC is 9-19 in non-conference play. OK, 9-15 without the games against Case.

Still, it may be a .333 batting average if OWU can't beat Case in their season finale.

If we don't step up, the NCAC will continue to be placed in tough situations in the post season and justify the people who denigrate the conference. And I guess we've got nothing to say, "Hey, wait..." right now.

[Schwami]

Wabash also has to beat DePauw for the conference to finish above .333 - or is that a foregone conclusion?    DePauw appears to be playing well.  I would not be surprised if they beat Millsaps this weekend.

[wally_wabash]

Wabash also has to beat DePauw for the conference to finish above .333 - or is that a foregone conclusion?    DePauw appears to be playing well.  I would not be surprised if they beat Millsaps this weekend.

Color me unimpressed by crushing Anderson and Centre.  DPU had to come from behind and hang on to beat Sewanee.  We'll find out exactly where Depauw stands over the next few weeks as they play host to Millsaps and Trinity and head out to the Rockies for a game at Colorado College.  Trinity appears to be playing quite well this year and Millsaps has been crushing people over the last few weeks and were it not for Dubose's moronic coaching move in week 1, they'd be undefeated and probably pretty highly ranked right now.