FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[BashDad]

Does anyone know whether the game saturday will be webcast?

[BashBacker#16]

3,

R u kidding me?  Does it matter if you are sitting high on the 45?

BashBro already set it up.

So, NO the game will not be shown.

16

[BashBacker#16]

Ok, so I have to ask...

Mike Schmitz over Erik Raeburn for NCAC Coach-of-the-Year?

...anyone??

[Mr. Ypsi]

I've asked the same question on the CCIW board: Wabash and Wheaton scrimmaged in week one - can either team learn anything useful from that, or is that too long ago and too different from a playoff game?

[BashBacker#16]

Official word:  no webcast this weekend for Wabash game.  Hometown is doing all of the Indiana state championship games.  Joe Emmick doing play-by-play on Teamline...should be an excellent broadcast.

[BashDad]

Trying to get there, but changing a flight to the sunday that everyone is flying home from turkey day is tough going.

[DPU3619]

I've asked the same question on the CCIW board: Wabash and Wheaton scrimmaged in week one - can either team learn anything useful from that, or is that too long ago and too different from a playoff game?

I doubt it, personally.  I do know that some teams share their scrimmage film with their early season opponents, so that might prohibit them from pulling out a lot of the bells and whistles in the scrimmage.  Don't know if Wabash or Wheaton does that or not. 

I've always felt the scrimmage is more about getting in the game day routine than the on-field execution.  Everybody's good with working with the play clock.  You can find the right coach on the sideline for the play call.. so on and so forth.  A lot of coaches are trying to keep things pretty base and pretty vanilla on both sides of the ball just to get in the "game mode".  You run some basic stuff off the passing tree, easy stuff in the run game, and some base zone defense with maybe a blitz or two sprinkled in.  That said, I didn't see that scrimmage.  I don't know if that was case.

Honestly, I imagine both teams learn dramatically more from the films that they trade than from the scrimmage they played 3 months ago.  There may be some personnel stuff that you can pick up, but that might be about it - i.e. "Hey, that Sobecki kid is really tough to tackle, we couldn't bring him down at all" or "We just don't have anybody that can cover LeMond one on one.  We're going to have to roll to his side."  Although, they could probably solve that mystery pretty easily without the scrimmage just by watching film.

Just my two cents.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Wes, that would be pretty much my take, though linemen may have learned something of the tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses of the guy directly opposite them.  (Unless, of course, linemen have changed positions in the intervening weeks. )

[bashbrother]

16 -

Not looking good for this weekend.

Mr. Ypsi -

I think the main thing is both teams learned that the other is tough and can beat one another on any given day.  This should be a great game between two friendly programs with some history and past connections.  Neither team will look past the other.  Should be a hard fought, good game.

WAF

[wally_wabash]

Alright sports fans...Wabash is hosting a second round playoff game for the first time since 2005.  That second rounder vs. Capital drew (drumroll) 1585.  Not gonna be good enough this time around.  I realize that it's a holiday weekend.  We'll all be spending the extended weekend with our friends and family.  Buy them an early Christmas present from the bookstore and bring 'em with you.  Family wants you to stay in for the weekend?  Do whatever favors, as unsavory as they may be, necessary to get there.  There are eight D-III games happening on Saturday and we're lucky enough to have the opportunity to be at one.  These games are precious...don't miss a chance to see something great on Saturday! 

[Joe Wally]

Joe Wally and the junior wallies will be in attendance, assuming a reasonable weather report.

If there is a threat that the junior wallies will be turned into walliesicles, it will just be me.

Don't want my kids to be able to recount the story of the Thanksgiving that Dad gave them frost bite.

[Li'l Giant]

Ok, so I have to ask...

Mike Schmitz over Erik Raeburn for NCAC Coach-of-the-Year?

...anyone??

I have no problem with it. Before the season both the media and coaches picked Wabash and Witt to be on top with Wooster third.

Wabash ended up where we expected them to. For Wooster to end up a solid second, and beating Witt in the process, with their only losses to playoff teams Wabash and CWRU, I think that's worthy of COY.

Does that mean ER wasn't deserving? Absolutely not, but I wouldn't view the nod to Schmitz as a miscarriage of justice or anything.

[FightinScot]

Ok, so I have to ask...

Mike Schmitz over Erik Raeburn for NCAC Coach-of-the-Year?

...anyone??

look at the teams each coach inherited...Wabash coming off a championship with most the team returning, and Wooster coming off a 4-6 season with only 3 (or was it 4) all conference players and even more importantly, only 12 returning starters. Schmitz did more with less this year.

I want to know what you all think about Kennon getting defensive POY...in my opinion there were more deserving candidates. I don't think he was even the best defensive player on his team- Lange was much better and the stats prove it. DeGrand here at Wooster had one of the best seasons I've ever seen, and McKinley at Witt wasn't far behind. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think DeGrand should have gotten it- this sounds like a case of giving it to a longtime performer on the championship team...

[Li'l Giant]

I'll bite on that one.

The NCAC has shown time and again that these awards aren't always about the best stats. And, yes, I think being a senior might have something to do with it. DeGrand has another year, McKinley two. And they're only going to get better.

Having only seen Witt and Wooster play against Wabash, I admit that this isn't the most informed opinion, but I think DK has a bigger impact on Wabash's defense and the offenses that it faces than anyone else in the league.

Not to say DeGrand or McKinley are chopped liver. But without DK Wabash's defense is a completely different animal. And for him to stand out the way he does, even with Lange on his same team means something too.

[wally_wabash]

We should ask Dan Whalen if he thinks Kennon is the best defensive player on Wabash's team.  He's still running from #11. 

Kennon is manimal.  Plain and simple.  Lange is also a beast, but step 1 for anybody's offense vs. Wabash this year was to block Kennon.  Lange, Whyde, and Gangloff all had good seasons and benefitted greatly from the attention that DK drew.  When DK couldn't get to the qb, he was knocking passes down.  This is kind of a sick stat...DK's 6 pass breakups are good enough to lead 7 teams in the NCAC and are good enough to be 1st or 2nd on EVERY team in the NCAC.  From the DT position.  That's just nasty.  He's plenty deserving of the award. 

My take on Coach of the Year:  Raeburn beat Schmitz by a pretty fair margin h2h, won a championship, and Wabash was not selected by the coaches (who also vote for these awards) to win the conference.  Wooster exceeded expectations by one place, Wabash exceeded expectations by one place but won a championship.  I don't think either team beat anybody that they weren't supposed to beat (unless you want to count Wittenberg who was picked ahead of both teams but that was assuming a healthy Huffman).  If we want to be awarding this thing to the guy who did more with less, then we need to give it either to Coach Keesling at Earlham (t-3rd in the NCAC) or Coach Fletcher at Denison (also t-3rd).