FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[formerd3db]

Sorry to hear that Trine lost this afternoon to Witt 34-17.  Witt is always tough and, recalling the Witt/Alma playoff game back in 1999, you can't spot them 2-3 TD's in the playoffs as it is just tough to come back against that.  Regardless, Trine had a great showing for themselves and the MIAA; so my congratulations to them for a fine season.  As many of you have said, they should be the "team to beat" in the MIAA again next year.

We'll await hearing further details on the game from some of Trine supporters who were there (once you've had a chance to return from the trip, of course).

[maripp2002]

I watched the Trine v. Witt game on the Wittenberg website, and I just wanted to say congratulations to Trine on a great season. Matt Land was my HS wrestling coach and off. coordinator and of course as a Little Giant it was difficult to root against the NCAC. With that said, Trine never ever gave up and refused to let Witt really finish it off. Even if the MIAA aren't making deep runs into the playoffs people around the nation are taking notice that Trine isn't an opponent to look forward to. Once again, congrats on a great season.

[BOYA87]

This game was heartbreaking!  I wish I could use all the excuses of "the refs sucked" or "we didnt play our best game" but I can honestly just say that Wittenberg was a phenominal team!  I am sure that Trine could have done some things better in this game, but Wittenberg earned everything that they got.  Congrats to them and good luck on the rest of their playoff run!

In the first couple drives of this ball game I thought it was going to be an extremely close and exciting game.  Wittenberg scored with a very impressive drive down the field on their first offensive posession followed by a Trine 3-out.  When things began to look similar to starting the game down 14 pts just like at Case, Trines defense stepped up huge and stopped Witt on 4th down when they were in 4 down territory.  Having the defense step up like this for the O is a huge deal and it gave them the confidence to drive down the field on the #1 ranked defense in the nation.  On that drive, Trine made Witt's #1 Defense look just like any other defense.  Sadly from there on, that defense looked pretty dang good and Trine was not able to put another drive like that together almost the whole game.

What was really heartbreaking was one of the side notes on such a big game.  Trine's running back, Kent Biller, only needed 4...FOUR rushing yards to become the 3rd running back in Trine/Tri-State history to rush for over 1000 yards in a season.  Wittenberg held him to -2 rushing yards.  Kent Biller is one of the nicest guys I know and definitely deserved to achieve that milestone.  It was sad for me that he could not achieve this feat.  He is only a sophomore though and as he continues working on his speed for track season (2 sport athlete) I can only see him becoming more explosive for next year.

Like I said before the game I thought the key to Trine's victory would be to establish the run on the offense.  They obviously could not do this as -2 rush yards for Biller illustrates.  The offense simply seemed out of rhythm all day as a result of this.  Passes that were made a million times during the season in games and practices were just off today.  Not having a run game caused some abnormal play calling and took the offense out of their comfort zone.

A great amount of credit to Wittenberg's defense for this as they showed up and proved to be worthy of the title "#1".  I am proud of all my Trine boys and as painful as it is, I know they will come back next year with even higher goals and expectations.  The sky is the limit for the MIAA and I cant wait for the future!

[Raider 68]

This game was heartbreaking!  I wish I could use all the excuses of "the refs sucked" or "we didnt play our best game" but I can honestly just say that Wittenberg was a phenominal team!  I am sure that Trine could have done some things better in this game, but Wittenberg earned everything that they got.  Congrats to them and good luck on the rest of their playoff run!

In the first couple drives of this ball game I thought it was going to be an extremely close and exciting game.  Wittenberg scored with a very impressive drive down the field on their first offensive posession followed by a Trine 3-out.  When things began to look similar to starting the game down 14 pts just like at Case, Trines defense stepped up huge and stopped Witt on 4th down when they were in 4 down territory.  Having the defense step up like this for the O is a huge deal and it gave them the confidence to drive down the field on the #1 ranked defense in the nation.  On that drive, Trine made Witt's #1 Defense look just like any other defense.  Sadly from there on, that defense looked pretty dang good and Trine was not able to put another drive like that together almost the whole game.

What was really heartbreaking was one of the side notes on such a big game.  Trine’s running back, Kent Biller, only needed 4…FOUR rushing yards to become the 3rd running back in Trine/Tri-State history to rush for over 1000 yards in a season.  Wittenberg held him to -2 rushing yards.  Kent Biller is one of the nicest guys I know and definitely deserved to achieve that milestone.  It was sad for me that he could not achieve this feat.  He is only a sophomore though and as he continues working on his speed for track season (2 sport athlete) I can only see him becoming more explosive for next year.

Like I said before the game I thought the key to Trine’s victory would be to establish the run on the offense.  They obviously could not do this as -2 rush yards for Biller illustrates.  The offense simply seemed out of rhythm all day as a result of this.  Passes that were made a million times during the season in games and practices were just off today.  Not having a run game caused some abnormal play calling and took the offense out of their comfort zone.

A great amount of credit to Wittenberg’s defense for this as they showed up and proved to be worthy of the title “#1”.  I am proud of all my Trine boys and as painful as it is, I know they will come back next year with even higher goals and expectations.  The sky is the limit for the MIAA and I cant wait for the future!

Sorry to hear that Trine lost this afternoon to Witt 34-17.  Witt is always tough and, recalling the Witt/Alma playoff game back in 1999, you can't spot them 2-3 TD's in the playoffs as it is just tough to come back against that.  Regardless, Trine had a great showing for themselves and the MIAA; so my congratulations to them for a fine season.  As many of you have said, they should be the "team to beat" in the MIAA again next year.

We'll await hearing further details on the game from some of Trine supporters who were there (once you've had a chance to return from the trip, of course).

BOYA87, Former3db,

Just saw the Trine-Witt score, was on a plane back to Ohio.

You are correct, cannot spot a good team a couple of TD's since it is tough
to come back.

Great season for Trine representing the MIAA, now come on the OAC board and support the Raiders!

[Diezel1]

Wow.  Wittenberg's defense does not disappoint.  If they play well against UWW I think they have a shot at an upset.  But congrats to the Trine guys on a very good season.  They have a lot of key players coming back next year and I can't wait to watch them play again.  Hopefully the coaching staff can have a great recruiting class to bring in some more athletes that can contribute so they can get past the second round of the playoffs next year.  And hopefully, since all teams in the MIAA are done playing, we can keep some good conversations going on here throughout the off season

[BoredatWork56]

Diezel - You pretty much wrapped up my thoughts rom the game with "Witt's defense did not dissapoint".  They sounded like the real deal as I was hunched over a radio listening to the game.  I hope they give UWW all they can handle. 

Looking back on the game, Trine can hang their hat on a few moral victoies.  The Thunder did gain more yards against Wittenberg than any other team all season with 260, and Trine became just the third team to score in the first half on the Tigers. The 17 points allowed were also a season-high for Wittenberg (pulled off d3football.com)  They also scored two rushing touhdowns on a defense that gave up 3 all season.

Congrats to them on a great season, especially to the seniors.  It is always bittersweet to end a playing career.  But I dont think it is to early to look to next season.  I think this returning group is primed to make some serious noise in the national spotlight.  They are returning 12 all conference players.  They will have a lot of seniors who have been starting since freshman and sophmores, along with the coaching staff that is entering their 5th season together and will continue to get better.

I wish good luck to all the MIAA teams for a good offseason in the weightroom and in recruiting, and cant wait to see this conference continue to get better.

[Diezel1]

Bored,

What in the heck are you living in the 1950's for?? The game was on Wittenberg's website. It was probably much more impressive to watch live than listen to on the radio.  But, we will see how good they are this weekend

[BoredatWork56]

Diezel-

In laws house + dial up internet = resorting to the technological ice age 

[D306]

A lot of names being thrown around for Olivet job

Dean, Sparks, Haygood.

Should be interesting to see whom they decide on.

Glad to see an extended search indifference to a quick, in-house hire.

The program was been up and down dramtically recently, there needs to be a program installed, set a target and a student ahtlete profile you wish to recruit and move form there.

[blb]

Although he might just be what OC needs, especially being an alum, I doubt Olivet can match what Dean is making as a a public school teacher-coach with a dozen or so years in at Lowell.

Haygood has a grand total of four years' coaching experience, none as a coordinator much less as a head coach. Can OC take a chance on somebody who's never written a practice plan much less managed a game?

Sparks was defensive coordinator for teams that went 1-19 last two years and ranked last or next to last in MIAA in every defensive category. Are they going to hire someone who evidently was "part of the problem"?

[formerd3db]

Although he might just be what OC needs, especially being an alum, I doubt Olivet can match what Dean is making as a a public school teacher-coach with a dozen or so years in at Lowell.

Haygood has a grand total of four years' coaching experience, none as a coordinator much less as a head coach. Can OC take a chance on somebody who's never written a practice plan much less managed a game?

Sparks was defensive coordinator for teams that went 1-19 last two years and ranked last or next to last in MIAA in every defensive category. Are they going to hire someone who evidently was "part of the problem"?

blb:

Good points on the first two, although, respectfully, I don't agree with you on the third.  Admittedly, I don't know anything about Dean.  Yet, I'm sure that it would be a dilemma in giving up a pretty good salary with some established "tenure" in the school district for anyone.  On the other hand, for someone who might have the desire to be a head coach in college, as that old saying goes, one has to start somewhere and be given a chance.

As far as Haygood, while he doesn't have the experience per se as you mention, again, sometime one has to start somewhere and be given the chance, if they are the chosen finalist for such a position.  However, another aspect that is just as viable a possibility is that I'm not sure he would want to go to the DIII level after being at DII Saginaw Valley State (even thought SVSU has recently not been the caliber of teams they've had there in the past) as well as the fact that he apparently is being considered as a candidate for an assistant coaching position at now DI Western Kentucky it is reported.  Being a former Big Ten player and with WKU now attempting to go "big, big time" like South Florida, unless Haygood wants to leave the state, I can't imagine he would turn down such an opportunity if the situation (i.e. $ and postion) is "right" if offered to him (you know that old saying..."the right position at the right time" or so it goes).

Regarding Sparks, I would disagree with you for a few legit reasons.  He has head coaching experience (unlike Haygood), he has been in Olivet's system for 9 years now, so he knows what the College and program is looking for, being a coordinator is different than being the "head guy", he's a former MIAA player and thus, knows the league, the various coaching styles/programs' intent and how they're run (especially his alma mater Hope).  Also, did you see Olivet play this year?  While they were obviously winless, they were not that bad of a team, and, in fact (despite statistics perhaps) their defense was not that bad - actually pretty good when I saw them play - some good players.  The "problem" was the offense not being able to cash in on oppotunities and put up points to "win the games" when they had the opportunity in some.  In that regard, very similar to Hope - in fact, Olivet almost beat Hope.  So, again, I would disagree with you that he was not "part of the problem" as you relate.  Overall, I think Livedoti did a good job at Olivet in his second tenure (he and Sigler got them back on track to be competitive), you forget Livedoti had a championship and NCAA playoff berth just three seasons ago (actually two years ago 2007).  They also lost quite a few players who did not return to school, had a very young team this year.  Regardless, I think that Sparks would be a good, young candidate to lead Olivet.

Kubiak, might also be a good choice (Olivet grad, head coaching experience, coordinator, etc.), although I haven't heard his name being mentioned as being in the candidate pool nor if he is even interested (yet, I would probably be surprised if it turned out he isn't interested).  Of course, Smith has been rumored to have been the "person selected in waiting" for the job when Livedoti decided to retire, that being a rumored reason why Smith was hired away from Holt two years ago.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see who they select.  I'm sure there is quite a pool of candidates that are on their list and being interviewed that we don't even know about.  Keep us posted on anything you might hear, although as we all know, anything any of us might post on here is probably speculation, unless we have legit "inside sources" and/or authorization to relate info , yet that doesn't preclude anyone of us from posting our opinions on here for discussion.  

[sac]

It never occurred to me the Mike Sparks at Olivet was the same Mike Sparks that was a classmate of mine at Hope.   


When Mike Smith left Holt High School after 31 years to go to Olivet, I was sure it was because he would be next in line for the job.  I don't know if he's a candidate but it wouldn't surprise me.


from his Olivet bio.
Mike Smith is in his second season as an assistant football coach, working with the tight ends, and is the special teams coordinator. He also serves the college as a retention officer.

Prior to joining the Olivet staff, Smith was a successful teacher and coach at Holt High School for 31 years. At Holt, he served as the head varsity football coach for 14 years. Smith was also the head football coach at Dansville and Eaton Rapids. In 18 years as a head coach, he compiled a 133-57 record.

Smith played football at Michigan State University (MSU) from 1971-74. He earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from MSU in 1976.

[blb]

db,

Good points all.

Let me clarify: It's hard for a college's administration to sell alumni and fans that they're serious about winning when they hire internally from a staff that has done poorly (one win) the last two years. It's about perception to a large degree.

Sparks, Smith, and Kubiak all have things in their background that would recommend them for the job. And any of those three would probably do as well as anyone from the outside could. Players of course almost always want a current staff member promoted because like all human beings they are resistant to change. "The devil that you know..."

And yes, I know about Irv's success and the Comets making the playoffs in 2007. Which makes the precipitous descent back to the MIAA basement all the more alarming - and hard to comprehend - if you're an OC grid supporter.

[BOYA87]

When Tri-State was looking to make a change in coaches I remember feeling upset for the exact reasons you stated, fear of a change.  I dont know why I would ever fear that change since it could only be a change for the better (0-10 my freshman year).  So the interview process began and the administration was nice enough to allow current players to have an opportunity to interview the candidates.  One of those candidates was a current coach which I am sure a lot of the older players wanted to keep as a coach.  However I think the administration made an extrememly wise decision in their hire with Coach Land (hindsite makes that easy I suppose).

In situations like these, a program NEEDS an outside hire!  They need someone who is not biased by how things WERE done because ultimatly that way is not the way it should be done.  They need someone who is going to come in and assert himself and his vision. 

A little note to those teams getting new outside hire coaches...tough it out...those first couple of months and possibly even the first year are going to be tough!  But thats exactly what needs to happen to turn programs around.

Good luck to those teams in their search for coaches (including ND)!!!!!

[adidas28]

Boya87,

I couldn't agree more with what you said, the easy thing for the players to do is back the giy that is already on staff, but sometimes the easy thing isn't always the best thing.

Trine got it right with the hiring of Land and I'm glad you hung around and finished your career at Trine. It was a pleasure to watch you play. I don't know how many times I used you as an example of what I thought my sons should look to strive to become as football player and a person.