FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[firstdown]

Good luck to the Little Giants this weekend.  I remember how excited the Wabash fans were in Alliance in 2002.  The cheers were as loud at the end of the game as they were at the beginning.  I except no less in Whitewater on Saturday. 

[wally_wabash]

Good luck to the Little Giants this weekend.  I remember how excited the Wabash fans were in Alliance in 2002.  The cheers were as loud at the end of the game as they were at the beginning.  I except no less in Whitewater on Saturday. 

That's how we roll.   

I'm very interested to see how the lessons learned from that quarterfinal game in Alliance in 2002 have manifested themselves over the last five years.  We learned during that game that if Wabash was going to take the next step that they were going to have to 1) get a lot faster at every position on the field and 2) get a lot bigger on the lines.  One recruiting cycle later, I think Wabash has done both of those things.  Have they done enough to be competitive with the very upper crust of D-III?  Who knows, but I'm excited that Wabash now has the chance to find out. 

[firstdown]

Wally - I agree.  The lessons learned in Alliance were hard ones, but you could see some of what we learned in last week's game with CWRU - hit hard early and often when facing a less experienced opponent. 

The Warhawks are truly an impressive program.  Whatever the outcome on Saturday, Wabash will come to play.  The Little Giants are on the way to reaching the next level.  Unfortunately, the little 25 year hiatus from the playoffs didn't help.  However, the lessons learned in 2002 and 2005 have not been lost. 

[WAF78]

I think the other thing we learned from the playoffs...specifically playing in Alliance...is that you can't bring anything other than your A game at this level of the playoffs. As I recall...the Wabash punter was suspended for the game...and the back up punter muffed the first snap...MU swarms him under and MU takes over with a very short field and scores right off the bat. Hey, if you bring your A game...and get beat...so be it. However, with our loss at MU and our loss to Capital in 2005 (with the 10 dropped passes) we've been beaten without playing our A game.
Wabash played it's best football of the season for the first quarter and a half of the CWRU game. They need to keep that kind of intensity, focus and fire for the whole game. I think the only game they came close in doing that was the Wittenburg game....As I've said...we haven't seen the full potential of this team yet. I hope this is the game we get to see it.
Just looking at the rosters...UWW doesn't appear to be that much bigger than we are. The only back that has even come close to what we'll see in Beaver is Marks from DePauw. I'm really looking forward to the game...and I hope all the Wisconsin and Chicago alums can really make a point of coming.

[smedindy]

The punter and kicker were just suspended for the first quarter for missing breakfast, but yeah, Ryan Short had to become the punter and it didn't work out very well.

[wally_wabash]

I think the other thing we learned from the playoffs...specifically playing in Alliance...is that you can't bring anything other than your A game at this level of the playoffs. As I recall...the Wabash punter was suspended for the game...and the back up punter muffed the first snap...MU swarms him under and MU takes over with a very short field and scores right off the bat. Hey, if you bring your A game...and get beat...so be it. However, with our loss at MU and our loss to Capital in 2005 (with the 10 dropped passes) we've been beaten without playing our A game.
Wabash played it's best football of the season for the first quarter and a half of the CWRU game. They need to keep that kind of intensity, focus and fire for the whole game. I think the only game they came close in doing that was the Wittenburg game....As I've said...we haven't seen the full potential of this team yet. I hope this is the game we get to see it.
Just looking at the rosters...UWW doesn't appear to be that much bigger than we are. The only back that has even come close to what we'll see in Beaver is Marks from DePauw. I'm really looking forward to the game...and I hope all the Wisconsin and Chicago alums can really make a point of coming.

"A" game or not, Wabash wasn't going to beat that 2002 MUC team.  They were better at pretty much every position on the field.  IF memory serves, that MUC team went on to beat down their next two opponents (in the semis and the Stagg Bowl) harder than they did Wabash.  '02 was one of those years when MUC wasn't realistically beatable by anybody else in D-III. 

Now 2005 I think showed us a glimpse of Wabash's progression as a program since the '02 regional final.  Wabash was tooth and nail with Capital and despite the slight miscues that we've mentioned in this game (a few drops, a few overthrows, a very uncharacteristic fumble), Wabash was one heck of a great interception in the end zone away from winning that thing at the end.  Capital played MUC to the wire the following weekend (I think MUC actually needed a bit of a 4th quarter rally in that game). 

So the LGs have clearly gotten closer.  It's two years later now and we'll see how much more progress has been made.   

[firstdown]

Wally - in 2002, the position match ups weren't that  dramatically different with two exceptions - the greatest difference was in the speed and ability of the DB's that Mount had.  Their DB's were superb.  I don't think that I have ever seen a better matched set of DB's or more disciplined group at any level of college football.  They took away and shut down passing game and the resulting 3 and outs and poor field position stressed the LG defense.  Further, when Mount subsituted, there was absolutely no drop off in talent.  Due to injuries during the season, we the LG's had to sub, there was often a noticeable drop off at times.  (The unfortunate situtation with the punting unit is one small example). I agree that even with the A game that day, the day was  clearly Mount's.   They were every bit as good as advertised and then some.

It was great to see the 2002 team honored at the Wittenberg game this year.  Those guys are rightfully proud of all they accomplished (from the Monon Miracle to getting to the field at Alliance),  and they have a great respect for Mount Union.  Moreover, I have never heard a one of them say they left anything in the locker room.

Nonetheless, it will take four quarters of nothing but A game this weekend.  Whether that will be enough remains to be seen, but anything less will the LG's heading home to C'ville and the Warhawks moving on.

[firstdown]

We all know the story of Ralph Lee Wilson.  The Little Giants will show up in Whitewater this weekend and play with that spirit.  To get to play in December, they would play in leather helmets if the had. 

[wabndy]

If you haven't heard it already, Jim Amidon's Chapel talk on the history of Wabash Athletics is a must-hear.

http://caleb.wabash.edu/podcast/Amidon_10_18_07.mp3

The story of Coach Cayou is amazing.  Telling his players at halftime when they were down 11-0 that he wouldn't put in any man in the second half who didn't take him by the hand and promise that they would not leave the field without a victory - priceless.

[BashBacker#16]

Firstdown,

#91 and #54 a lock for Whitewater...I hope?

Also - can you pull out some ole Bash gear for them, NO RED in round 1 was tough.

Amidon is a great speaker.  Thanks for posting that.

[WAF78]

Wabndy,

Thanks for posting that link to Amidon's speech. I knew a lot of that stuff...but heard stuff I hadn't heard before. Thanks.
I especially liked the reminder of the 1907 season when we played the University of Michigan...and Grantland Rice covered the game and used the term "Little Giants" that had been used of the team for the last few years. The nickname stuck permanently. Small in stature, but not in heart. Go Little Giants.

[wally_wabash]

16 -

Give me a call re: the hotel...I may be confused or the hotel may be confused.  Either way there is some confusion.

[smedindy]

I've spent time in Janesville - it can't be THAT confusing!

[Wabash Hokie]

Just finished looking at pics of "the Perk" on the Warhawk football website.  Looks like a great facility and.... it  has seating on the Visitors side of the field!  Best of all, they were kind enough to put a "W" in the middle of the field - too bad it is purple.  In my younger days, armed with a backpack sprayer, that would be turned RED late on a Friday night, much like a certain DPU field was decorated with a W back in the 80s (but that is another story).

Have received many notes from Wisconsin area alums regarding tailgating.  Should be fun.  I may bring a portable firepit to keep us warm as well.  This will be my first time seeing the Little Giants in person.  Looks like we may have a great turnout.

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Exerpt from a Wisc Newspaper reporter who was at the UWW-NCC game....

To be blunt, the Warhawks appeared on the verge of losing this game Saturday at Perkins Stadium, until quarterback Danny Jones and wide receiver Matt Gifford combined to produce the defining moment with a 70-yard touchdown pass that was so simple, it appeared as if the two were alone on a practice field.

"It was huge," said Jones, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, both to Gifford. "They had the momentum. . . . When you can make a big play like that, it kind of takes a lot out of the other team."

North Central (9-3) didn't go down for good until Whitewater (11-1) scored three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes 22 seconds, but it was the 70-yard bomb in the third quarter that allowed the Warhawks to regain control.

Whitewater will host Wabash (Ind.) College (11-1) at noon Saturday, with a berth in the national semifinals at stake.

"Momentum is huge in football," North Central coach John Thorne said. "We had it and we let it slip away."

            MAKE IT HAPPEN