FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Mr. Ypsi]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

[GRIZ_BACKER]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

Franklin was the lucky winner last year.   

[badgerwarhawk]

Let me be the first to welcome Albion fans to WHITEWATER.  If you have any questions about lodging, eating, etc. feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

Franklin was the lucky winner last year.   

Yeah, getting to host Thomas More is a bit more doable!

I'd been wondering whether Franklin or IWU would host the presumed 4/5 game in the 'North' - they solved the 'problem' by making them BOTH #4s in different regions!   You host a team that was undefeated right up thru week 8; we host the record-breaking QB from Monmouth.  Good luck to both our teams (though your reward for beating TM would be another trip to Whitewater ).

Good luck to Albion.  I have essentially no hope of actual victory, but at least do a Franklin on 'em!

[ThunderHead]

Albion v UWW - tough draw, real tough draw.

Good luck to Albion, represent. 

[formerd3db]

Raider68:
Thanks.  The 7-3 year was indeed a good year for Hope.  Yet, as I said previously, we are not "there yet" but have made tremendous improvement.  If we get a few more players to step in for some of the positions (including some who are graduating) that will be an even bigger "boost".  Good luck to your Mount in the playoffs.

adidas:
Albion definately got better each week.  Although Hope only lost to them 12-3, they controlled the game and could have scored at least another, maybe 2 TDs. However, Hope did not play well that game and I will say that if Hope had played like they did against Trine (and Adrian -before the last 4 minute breakdown in the 4th quarter), they would have beaten Albion.  As much as I'd like our MIAA representative to advance in the playoffs, I do not think that will be happening this year.  I agree with Mr. Ypsi - I will be shocked if Albion beats UWW - I think they'll crush Albion.  But...I've been known to be wrong before.

wised3fan2:
I don't pretend to know even the slightest details of the aspects regarding Trine's coaching staff that you are discussing.  However, if the situation as as you and ThunderHead say it is there, then indeed, there are problems.  I will say, however, that what you describe as far as "coaching" also can go the opposite way just as much.  Last year at Hope, many people were calling for Kreps and staff to "get the axe".  The problem was, was that it was not the coaching, but rather the play of the players.  When you instruct a player to react or play a certain way, teaching techniques, etc., etc. yet they continue to make the same exact mistakes week after week, that is not the fault of the coaches, that is on the player.  Anyway, I wasn't aware that Trine had that much turnover in the coaching staff this year - so what then was the difference/why was there such a change in response from players from essentially the same coaches if there was not a major turnover?   Just curious.

ACMIAAD3 and sflzman:
That is strange.  I will say (and this is only my opinion), I have thought for a long time that Alma might benefit from having a complete overhaul of their offense.  They have been running the "Scot Gun", which is essentially the original "Run and Shoot", which today everyone in big-time football calls the "open offenses"for almost 20 years now.  They were actually running it before the big schools started doing it.  Anyway, sometimes a change like that needs to be done.  I remember back in the early 1990's, former Head Coach Ray Smith at Hope made an offense change after many years.  Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Also, too bad about Mason, however, if you don't follow the rules, you don't get to play.  No excuses.

Good comments everyone! 

[ThunderHead]

Raider68:
Thanks.  The 7-3 year was indeed a good year for Hope.  Yet, as I said previously, we are not "there yet" but have made tremendous improvement.  If we get a few more players to step in for some of the positions (including some who are graduating) that will be an even bigger "boost".  Good luck to your Mount in the playoffs.

adidas:
Albion definately got better each week.  Although Hope only lost to them 12-3, they controlled the game and could have scored at least another, maybe 2 TDs. However, Hope did not play well that game and I will say that if Hope had played like they did against Trine (and Adrian -before the last 4 minute breakdown in the 4th quarter), they would have beaten Albion.  As much as I'd like our MIAA representative to advance in the playoffs, I do not think that will be happening this year.  I agree with Mr. Ypsi - I will be shocked if Albion beats UWW - I think they'll crush Albion.  But...I've been known to be wrong before.

wised3fan2:
I don't pretend to know even the slightest details of the aspects regarding Trine's coaching staff that you are discussing. However, if the situation as as you and ThunderHead say it is there, then indeed, there are problems.  I will say, however, that what you describe as far as "coaching" also can go the opposite way just as much.  Last year at Hope, many people were calling for Kreps and staff to "get the axe".  The problem was, was that it was not the coaching, but rather the play of the players.  When you instruct a player to react or play a certain way, teaching techniques, etc., etc. yet they continue to make the same exact mistakes week after week, that is not the fault of the coaches, that is on the player.  Anyway, I wasn't aware that Trine had that much turnover in the coaching staff this year - so what then/why was    Just curious.

ACMIAAD3 and sflzman:
That is strange.  I will say (and this is only my opinion), I have thought for a long time that Alma might benefit from having a complete overhaul of their offense.  They have been running the "Scot Gun", which is essentially the original "Run and Shoot", which today everyone in big-time football calls the "open offenses"for almost 20 years now.  They were actually running it before the big schools started doing it.  Anyway, sometimes a change like that needs to be done.  I remember back in the early 1990's, former Head Coach Ray Smith at Hope made an offense change after many years.  Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Also, too bad about Mason, however, if you don't follow the rules, you don't get to play.  No excuses.

Good comments everyone! 

To be fair, I have had issues with how things happened this year, as any fan of any program does when a team doesn't win. But I also want to be clear I'm not saying guys should be fired over it. The success Trine has had recently can be directly contributed to Coach Land, however if success rides so much with a coaching staff, then failure should as well. It's just part of the game.

The reality is Trine didn't schedule anyone that helped them prepare for conference play, they never made a move to attempt to re-tool the offense, as such them scoring only 14 points against Albion, 7 against Adrian, and 23 against Hope in their loses, wasn't surprising.

I've heard people say that it had a lot to do with the youth of team, and yet I am not sold on it. I think next year will play out much the same way. They will beat the teams they should, but struggle with the upper half of the MIAA. Is this coaching? I'm sure to an extent that's accurate, is it on the players? I'm sure that's true as well.

In the end I think the staff does a decent enough job, and I don't see any "real" problems at Trine. I do want to be clear about that.

And as for Albion not being good enough to beat UWW - I don't think anyone in the MIAA could beat UWW this season. As it stands, Albion has the best shot, if only because they play them.

[BoBo]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

Ah, Mr. Ypsi, have you ever been to Whitewater?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

Ah, Mr. Ypsi, have you ever been to Whitewater?

I love Wisconsin (I was raised a FIB), but have never been to Whitewater, no.  Is it worse than 'beautiful downtown Burbank'?!

[formerd3db]

ThunderHead:
I didn't advocate you were calling for the firing of the coaching staff.  I was just asking why the difference in performance, which you attribute to the coaching?  They obviously didn't change their coaching style.  I only brought it up (i.e. firing) to use as a comparison because there were definitely people (behind the scenes as far as the fans) callling for a coaching change at Hope last year - again, that would have been a huge mistake IMO (actually, I'm right in that one ).

Like you, I have always been a proponent of playing tough non-conference opponents (including DII schools) to help eventually make your team competitive (or at least know how to handle those type of teams and situations) for getting to that "next level", even though you obviously have a change over of players each year.  Of course, those who stay in to their senior year provide that attitude and leadership, their talent notwithstanding to make that happen.  However, that being said, I think you agree that even though you might do that i.e. play tougher non-conference teams, you still have to have the players of talent to do that.  Unfortunately, for a while Hope has not had that, however, I will say they seem to have started to do so this year.  So, while coaching without question has its effects or lack of and thus be responsible for a poor season at times - it comes down to the players (yes, I know that coaches motivate players and that is supposed to be the catalyst, however, however (double use intended ) there are definitely times where that is not the problem (as I have shared with you regarding Hope).  Just thought I'd add some additional comments/opinion to this, although again, admittedly as I said, I do not know what the details are at Trine like you and some of the others do in having more of the inside track regarding info.   

[BoBo]

Congratulations to Albion.

Your reward?  An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful Whitewater!

Ah, Mr. Ypsi, have you ever been to Whitewater?

I love Wisconsin (I was raised a FIB), but have never been to Whitewater, no.  Is it worse than 'beautiful downtown Burbank'?!

I lived there as a kid...didn't know what beautiful was then.  It's actually much better today than it was back in the day. They got a Culver's which helps make my trips back there more enjoyable.

[ThunderHead]

ThunderHead:
I didn't advocate you were calling for the firing of the coaching staff.  I was just asking why the difference in performance, which you attribute to the coaching?  They obviously didn't change their coaching style.  I only brought it up (i.e. firing) to use as a comparison because there were definitely people (behind the scenes as far as the fans) callling for a coaching change at Hope last year - again, that would have been a huge mistake IMO (actually, I'm right in that one ).

Like you, I have always been a proponent of playing tough non-conference opponents (including DII schools) to help eventually make your team competitive (or at least know how to handle those type of teams and situations) for getting to that "next level", even though you obviously have a change over of players each year.  Of course, those who stay in to their senior year provide that attitude and leadership, their talent notwithstanding to make that happen.  However, that being said, I think you agree that even though you might do that i.e. play tougher non-conference teams, you still have to have the players of talent to do that.  Unfortunately, for a while Hope has not had that, however, I will say they seem to have started to do so this year.  So, while coaching without question has its effects or lack of and thus be responsible for a poor season at times - it comes down to the players (yes, I know that coaches motivate players and that is supposed to be the catalyst, however, however (double use intended ) there are definitely times where that is not the problem (as I have shared with you regarding Hope).  Just thought I'd add some additional comments/opinion to this, although again, admittedly as I said, I do not know what the details are at Trine like you and some of the others do in having more of the inside track regarding info.   

I wasn't thinking you were saying that I felt the staff should be fired, I just wanted to clear that thought up because I'm sure some people think I think that's what I do think.

I agree with you on scheduling and your right, you always have to have the players to compete, however I think Hopes schedule helped them with Trine more then Trine's schedule helped them with Hope.

On a whole I think Trine and Hope had similar talent this season, and from what I know, I think Coach Krepps is a fine coach. So what made the difference this year with equal talent (when in the past perhaps that wasn't the case) - well I think one thing that made a difference was their non-conference schedule.

While that may not be the only thing, I think it was one of the things.

[formerd3db]

Well, I can understand and agree with you on that i.e. the non-conference schedule could affect a team a different way, such as it did for Trine this year as you believe.  That is to say I can see where that could affect a team in perhaps the opposite way that most people perceive what that type of schedule does for most teams i.e. by playing less talented teams and getting that "easy win".

Also, indeed, Coach Kreps is a very fine coach.  I was impressed even moreso this year and admired his courage because he did what was necessary to win i.e. for example he finally was willing to run some "trick"/gaget plays this year which opened it up when we needed that boost at times in some games.  I know he doesn't care for those type of plays in the overall "picture", but...he did go for it this year when needed i.e. not overboard but just the right mix and times.  But he is not only a fine coach with the actual "game", he is much more than that - a mentor to his players and truly concerned about them for what is eventually more important in life.  Unfortunately, that is not always the case with head coaches at some schools, even at the DIII level (although that is more frequent at the DI level, yet not always, of course).

[Uncle Rico]

Trine Football caught my interest last year after seeing the good game they played against UW Whitewater and the fact that one of our best high school QB's had decided to attend there. I posted and found myself arguing with Thunderhead about the QB he liked and our guy from Wi. Now that the season is over, I see how silly that arguement was. Both of these guys probably figured out the situation with-in days of arriving. In stead of being mentored they were most likely given the plays and thrown out to the lions. This shows them that they chose to play for very lazy coaching. Can you imagine the Badgers treating Wilson in this fashion?? I have not posted much since but have been reading your board. I now see that thunderhead is a very smart guy that really knows his stuff.
I read his posts and saw how critical he was about the coaching staff at Trine and now see that his statements were under statements. In my opinion this coaching staff walked in on a great bunch of players in the class of 2010 and took the credit for their success.
I read posters saying that the players on the sidelines were not cheering for the players on the field. This alone shows the failure of the coaching staff. Moral is one of the primary jobs of a coaching staff and after seeing one of their games was shocked, for this is what we noticed too.
People on this board need to listen to Thunderhead for he tells it as it is, even when  it is painful.
The class of 2010 not only won championships but created a strong recruiting envirnment. I think that the coaching staff not only lost games with probably the best team but also destroyed that edge in recruiting.
I think that the defensive coaches did ok, being very stiff especially in the red zone all year. However the offensive coordinator, O-line coach, and QB coaches are very bad. The calls often times made us laugh. They play like teams of the '50's and '60's. Its 2011!!!
The players were the bright spot, I think they did real well despite poor coaching.
We also feel that the best coach on the team was Ryan Hargraves. This kid did a great job this year. We thought he played scared but now feel that it is not the opponent he feared but was his own coaches.
D3 football is so pure because the players play for the love of the game, however it is very evident that this coaching staff steals that love, shooting themselves in the foot. Changes need to be made!
One  another note, the MIAA champs scored only 3 points against an average WIAC team this year.
Congrats to Albion but play-offs will be a very steep slope.
JUST MY OPINION!!!!

It is amazing to me that Eric Watt was able to overcome such horrific coaching and win the Gagliardi in spite of them.  The decision makers who chose Eric must have figured the coaching handicap he had and gave him extra credit.  I doubt very much they were instrumental in honing his skills. 

Also, there was a pent-up pool of talent just waiting to come to Trine, and coincidentally the new coaching staff showed up.  They had nothing to do with bringing them in.

If you are giving the players all of the credit for the past success (and not the coaches), then perhaps the players deserve some of the blame for a 7-3 season.

[sflzman]

I agree that Alma needs to change their offense. I've said from the beginning that alma should say were not gonna be the fastest or the most skilled but were gonna take advantage of our location an go after the tough hard nosed kids that norhern Michigan, the UP, and even as far west as into the iron range in Minnesota. You recruit them, and u say were going to control the ball, wear you out, and just beat you physically.

Honestly I think we can get the best kids from northern Michigan and the UP. Going down south we have to fight with all other miaa schools plus NAIA schools, but I think we should say were going to dominate everything from alma north and draw a line across the state.

Kids from northern Michigan and the up have a different attitude and a different toughness to them as the "underdogs" and the "misfits" the "underappreciated" and "unwanted" and they rakena sense of pride in who they are. They work hard and are tough in a different way than the rest of the state. A lot of northern states have that. Minnesotas another great example with the iron range schools. They may not be as fast or physically gifted as you but they're never gonna roll over and they're always gonna leave you sore Saturday morning when you wake up.

I really think alma should just go out and get away from this "pansy ball" as I call it. Run the ball. Beat people with your attitude, ball control and your defense.

IMHO of course....