FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[formerd3db]

I am somewhat surprised as to how quiet it has been here on our board this week especially in regards to our Adrian fans/posters.  No one has any comments to make about the game?  I wish Adrian all the best as they go against a very good Mount Union team.  IMO, the potential chance I think they have is if they strike first and hard i.e. "the shock" value and then maintain while keeping that forward intensity up.  Back in 2006 when we (Hope) played Mount Union at their place in the 1st round game, per that philosophy, I truly thought we had a chance by doing that and it seemed we just might have at first when we were at the 1 yard line in the first couple of minutes of the game.  However, as we all know, that is difficult to do, particularly with a team like Mount Union and specifically since it is them.  They were shocked that we struck so fast like that, but then they stuffed us at the goal line and within then next 4-6 minutes, we were behind 21-0.  Not a great day.  BTW, that was P. Garcon's senior year and he was the big difference in the game.

Anyway, good luck to Adrian, our MIAA representatives.  Hope the Adrian fans can enjoy some of the atmosphere down there and I also hope the weather is decent. 

[waxx]

I am somewhat surprised as to how quiet it has been here on our board this week especially in regards to our Adrian fans/posters.  No one has any comments to make about the game?  I wish Adrian all the best as they go against a very good Mount Union team.  IMO, the potential chance I think they have is if they strike first and hard i.e. "the shock" value and then maintain while keeping that forward intensity up.  Back in 2006 when we (Hope) played Mount Union at their place in the 1st round game, per that philosophy, I truly thought we had a chance by doing that and it seemed we just might have at first when we were at the 1 yard line in the first couple of minutes of the game.  However, as we all know, that is difficult to do, particularly with a team like Mount Union and specifically since it is them.  They were shocked that we struck so fast like that, but then they stuffed us at the goal line and within then next 4-6 minutes, we were behind 21-0.  Not a great day.  BTW, that was P. Garcon's senior year and he was the big difference in the game.

I agree, with a team like Mt. Union, it will be difficult to come from behind a large deficit. I will say, that Adrian does play a style of football that could keep them in the game if they are successful at running the ball. Eat the clock, wear out the defense, and capitalize on scoring opportunities are a must. As is the case in most games, this one is going to be on the offensive and defensive line. If Adrian can consistently get penetration and disrupt Mt. Union's play makers from the start, we will have a chance. Give them time to pass or gaps to run through and it will be 21-0, just like that.

Anyway, good luck to Adrian, our MIAA representatives.  Hope the Adrian fans can enjoy some of the atmosphere down there and I also hope the weather is decent. 

I was going to offer that this would be one of those games were we hope for a wet, sloppy field, as it supposedly slows everyone down to similar speed, but the dang kids all got field turf these days. Anyway, I hope for good weather as well and a good showing by Adrian. I'll post my thoughts on the game afterwards.

[rscl70]

I am somewhat surprised as to how quiet it has been here on our board this week especially in regards to our Adrian fans/posters.  No one has any comments to make about the game?  I wish Adrian all the best as they go against a very good Mount Union team.  IMO, the potential chance I think they have is if they strike first and hard i.e. "the shock" value and then maintain while keeping that forward intensity up.  Back in 2006 when we (Hope) played Mount Union at their place in the 1st round game, per that philosophy, I truly thought we had a chance by doing that and it seemed we just might have at first when we were at the 1 yard line in the first couple of minutes of the game.  However, as we all know, that is difficult to do, particularly with a team like Mount Union and specifically since it is them.  They were shocked that we struck so fast like that, but then they stuffed us at the goal line and within then next 4-6 minutes, we were behind 21-0.  Not a great day.  BTW, that was P. Garcon's senior year and he was the big difference in the game.

I agree, with a team like Mt. Union, it will be difficult to come from behind a large deficit. I will say, that Adrian does play a style of football that could keep them in the game if they are successful at running the ball. Eat the clock, wear out the defense, and capitalize on scoring opportunities are a must. As is the case in most games, this one is going to be on the offensive and defensive line. If Adrian can consistently get penetration and disrupt Mt. Union's play makers from the start, we will have a chance. Give them time to pass or gaps to run through and it will be 21-0, just like that.

Anyway, good luck to Adrian, our MIAA representatives.  Hope the Adrian fans can enjoy some of the atmosphere down there and I also hope the weather is decent. 

I was going to offer that this would be one of those games were we hope for a wet, sloppy field, as it supposedly slows everyone down to similar speed, but the dang kids all got field turf these days. Anyway, I hope for good weather as well and a good showing by Adrian. I'll post my thoughts on the game afterwards.

Forecast for Alliance tomorrow:  Saturday A chance of showers, mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Southwest wind 11 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Umbrellas are not permitted in Mount Union Stadium, so if you are coming bring appropriate rain gear.

[purpled]

Hey Adrian fans! Pew Waxx...I think it will be tough for Adrian to run the ball consistantly and on a day like this you're going to need that to be successful. We have a number of weapons on offense  and your DB's will need to be on their toes.

[sac]

A fast start would not have helped.

[formerd3db]

A fast start would not have helped.

You are right.  Although I was obviously rooting for Adrian in representing our MIAA, I am shocked that they got so pummeled as they did.  At the same time, I think it would not have mattered who our MIAA representing team was today against Mount Union.  In reality, none of our teams were overpowering anyone this year and that was actually even more evident in actually seeing them play the league games in succession.  Great competition among our own league members, however, the MIAA still has a long way to go to be more competitive on a consistent basis in the playoffs.  Anyway, congratulations to Adrian for a fine season.

[waxx]

Only listened to the first quarter and a half. It was a pretty dissappointing end to the season, although not too unexpected.

[RuleBritannia]

I think 40+ point losses are going to be the norm for MIAA playoff teams for a while unless 1. A team plays a weak(ish) non-con slate and runs the table in the conference. Or 2 (less likely), a team lands several prep players of a significantly higher caliber than that MIAA norm at key positions.

Since Albion won the national championship 20 years ago (today's MIAA players were likely no older than 1 or 2 when this occurred), only Trine has won any playoff games, that run was fueled by Trine having a few players of above-average caliber, but especially through the efforts of Galigardi trophy winner and offensive-do everything QB Eric Watt. Trine's decent but unspectacular performance subsequently I think shows how much that particular group of players fueled Trine's run.

That said, this years MIAA performance in the non-conference, especially in our CCIW challenge showed that probably at least 5 MIAA teams could have at least challenged low-mid caliber playoff teams. The intra-compeitiveness of this league, combined with at least 1 out of conference loss by every league member meant that no team was going to take a "shiny" 10-0 record to the playoffs, and given the MIAA's reputation, that meant that an MIAA school with any other record was probably going to be one of the last 4 seeds in the playoffs, and play against a team, that is not only far above the caliber of any MIAA team, but truly, far above the caliber of all but a few of the teams in D3 football.

That said, while I'm sure we would all want the MIAA to be more nationally competitive, the likelihood of that happening for multiple MIAA teams at once seems slim, and I think the competitiveness of this league, the fact that at least 5/7 teams had fairly legitimate championship aspirations this season, is something to be cherished, and makes this league a more compelling one to follow than leagues (like the OAC) where the league champion is essentially a forgone conclusion on September 1st.

[formerd3db]

I think 40+ point losses are going to be the norm for MIAA playoff teams for a while unless 1. A team plays a weak(ish) non-con slate and runs the table in the conference. Or 2 (less likely), a team lands several prep players of a significantly higher caliber than that MIAA norm at key positions.

Since Albion won the national championship 20 years ago (today's MIAA players were likely no older than 1 or 2 when this occurred), only Trine has won any playoff games, that run was fueled by Trine having a few players of above-average caliber, but especially through the efforts of Galigardi trophy winner and offensive-do everything QB Eric Watt. Trine's decent but unspectacular performance subsequently I think shows how much that particular group of players fueled Trine's run.

That said, this years MIAA performance in the non-conference, especially in our CCIW challenge showed that probably at least 5 MIAA teams could have at least challenged low-mid caliber playoff teams. The intra-compeitiveness of this league, combined with at least 1 out of conference loss by every league member meant that no team was going to take a "shiny" 10-0 record to the playoffs, and given the MIAA's reputation, that meant that an MIAA school with any other record was probably going to be one of the last 4 seeds in the playoffs, and play against a team, that is not only far above the caliber of any MIAA team, but truly, far above the caliber of all but a few of the teams in D3 football.

That said, while I'm sure we would all want the MIAA to be more nationally competitive, the likelihood of that happening for multiple MIAA teams at once seems slim, and I think the competitiveness of this league, the fact that at least 5/7 teams had fairly legitimate championship aspirations this season, is something to be cherished, and makes this league a more compelling one to follow than leagues (like the OAC) where the league champion is essentially a forgone conclusion on September 1st.

Well said and I agree with your overview.  I, too, enjoy seeing the competitiveness in our MIAA title race as even teams who have extremely down years, like Alma and Kalamazoo can have a huge part in determining the outcome, even if they are eliminated early on.  Concerning the MIAA overall becoming more competitive in the playoffs, that is unlikely, other than some occasional years (streaks) like Trine had.  I agree with you that most likely the only way that even the latter will happen is when some of the schools are able to recruit a group of higher caliber players from time to time-players who have talent enough to play at the other NCAA levels, yet for whatever reason choose an MIAA school.  However, that will be few and far between because the "climate" has changed from the era of Albion's 1994 Stagg Bowl National Championship, both in our region but overall nationally.

Many of us have discussed the various reasons why here in the past on this board and the other boards.  At least for our Michigan and tri-state area region, one of the main reasons in the mix is the now more availability of scholarship football (and most of the MIAA head coaches are in agreement with this) at the DII and NAIA levels and that obviously also ties into the tuition costs despite the scholarship $ not being as much as a DI level program.  Plus that of the high tuition costs at the MIAA schools.  If parents can't afford the higher costs of the MIAA schools and they don't qualify for enough need-based financial aid (or their son isn't awarded a community or church or some other type grant/scholarships), those players are either going to the DII programs (if they are talented enough to play there) or choosing to not play football, even if they are not quite at the level of DII talent although above the average high school player talent level.

Nonetheless, all the above doesn't mean that our MIAA teams (and us as alums, fans, etc.) don't want to see the continued striving for getting to the next tier of competitiveness on a regular basis in the playoffs.  While the chances are slim, one of our teams just might have that surprising year and progress further into the post season as Trine did during their recent period.  Yet, again, it is great to see the intense competition during the season leading up to the AQ for our league each year.  As you mentioned, that is one of the aspects that helps the MIAA standout among some of the other conferences from a consistent standpoint.         

[Raider 68]

I think 40+ point losses are going to be the norm for MIAA playoff teams for a while unless 1. A team plays a weak(ish) non-con slate and runs the table in the conference. Or 2 (less likely), a team lands several prep players of a significantly higher caliber than that MIAA norm at key positions.

Since Albion won the national championship 20 years ago (today's MIAA players were likely no older than 1 or 2 when this occurred), only Trine has won any playoff games, that run was fueled by Trine having a few players of above-average caliber, but especially through the efforts of Galigardi trophy winner and offensive-do everything QB Eric Watt. Trine's decent but unspectacular performance subsequently I think shows how much that particular group of players fueled Trine's run.

That said, this years MIAA performance in the non-conference, especially in our CCIW challenge showed that probably at least 5 MIAA teams could have at least challenged low-mid caliber playoff teams. The intra-compeitiveness of this league, combined with at least 1 out of conference loss by every league member meant that no team was going to take a "shiny" 10-0 record to the playoffs, and given the MIAA's reputation, that meant that an MIAA school with any other record was probably going to be one of the last 4 seeds in the playoffs, and play against a team, that is not only far above the caliber of any MIAA team, but truly, far above the caliber of all but a few of the teams in D3 football.

That said, while I'm sure we would all want the MIAA to be more nationally competitive, the likelihood of that happening for multiple MIAA teams at once seems slim, and I think the competitiveness of this league, the fact that at least 5/7 teams had fairly legitimate championship aspirations this season, is something to be cherished, and makes this league a more compelling one to follow than leagues (like the OAC) where the league champion is essentially a forgone conclusion on September 1st.

Well said and I agree with your overview.  I, too, enjoy seeing the competitiveness in our MIAA title race as even teams who have extremely down years, like Alma and Kalamazoo can have a huge part in determining the outcome, even if they are eliminated early on.  Concerning the MIAA overall becoming more competitive in the playoffs, that is unlikely, other than some occasional years (streaks) like Trine had.  I agree with you that most likely the only way that even the latter will happen is when some of the schools are able to recruit a group of higher caliber players from time to time-players who have talent enough to play at the other NCAA levels, yet for whatever reason choose an MIAA school.  However, that will be few and far between because the "climate" has changed from the era of Albion's 1994 Stagg Bowl National Championship, both in our region but overall nationally.

Many of us have discussed the various reasons why here in the past on this board and the other boards.  At least for our Michigan and tri-state area region, one of the main reasons in the mix is the now more availability of scholarship football (and most of the MIAA head coaches are in agreement with this) at the DII and NAIA levels and that obviously also ties into the tuition costs despite the scholarship $ not being as much as a DI level program.  Plus that of the high tuition costs at the MIAA schools.  If parents can't afford the higher costs of the MIAA schools and they don't qualify for enough need-based financial aid (or their son isn't awarded a community or church or some other type grant/scholarships), those players are either going to the DII programs (if they are talented enough to play there) or choosing to not play football, even if they are not quite at the level of DII talent although above the average high school player talent level.

Nonetheless, all the above doesn't mean that our MIAA teams (and us as alums, fans, etc.) don't want to see the continued striving for getting to the next tier of competitiveness on a regular basis in the playoffs.  While the chances are slim, one of our teams just might have that surprising year and progress further into the post season as Trine did during their recent period.  Yet, again, it is great to see the intense competition during the season leading up to the AQ for our league each year.  As you mentioned, that is one of the aspects that helps the MIAA standout among some of the other conferences from a consistent standpoint.         

formerd3db, RuleBritannia,

I agree with you. In my case I follow the MIAA for two reasons, my friend formerd3db and that I am alum of Central Michigan
along with Mount Union. We lived in Western Michigan for 3+ years and our son graduated from Portage Central ( A great school).

formerd3db has been at a Mount Union playoff game and he will just verify what you are saying. In Michigan, IMHO, the D2
schools seem to attract the best athletes which makes it really tough for recruiting for the D3 schools. Regarding the Adrian game,
the final result is what I expected. Mount Union leads D3 in Offense and Defense, so the game was not competitive.
Hopefully the MIAA can continue to raise its game despite the many outside competitive obstacles.

[formerd3db]

Thanks for your own insight on the topic Raider68.  Also, for our colleagues here, indeed, I had a great experience both times I've been at a playoff game at Mount Union, even though we i.e. Hope lost in 2006 and I was "working" at the game; the other time was a couple of years ago with my friend Raider68, who was a gracious host.  It was a very neat atmosphere.

[formerd3db]

Although this is not a football topic, congratulations to our Hope's women's volleyball team as they won the NCAA Div. III National Championship two nights ago against Emory!  A great accomplishment for them.  As many of you know, this is only the 3rd NCAA national championship Hope teams have won (2 women's national BB titles, this one, although the men's BB were runners-up twice in the national title game). 

Anyway, I wish all of you a safe and blessed Thanksgiving holiday with your families. 

Your fellow MIAA'er,
formerd3db

[Raider 68]

To all the MIAA posters, have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

[SaintsFAN]

formerd3db:

I thought I'd answer you here, given how busy the OAC Board is.

I actually STILL haven't been to the Stagg Bowl -- though I work with a guy who was a part of the Wabash team in 1977 that played Widener for the Title in Alabama.  Our recently departed VP of Sales (just yesterday, actually) is a JCU graduate.  We have a Regional Sales Manager who was a barefoot kicker for Dubuque.  Our Sales Training Manager graduated from St Thomas.  Finally, I have a customer in Iowa who was a pretty good RB for Dubuque.  So there's quite a bit of D3 talk in the office, which is cool. 

I'm still planning to head to the Stagg Bowl -- it will probably be a couple years since Cora is now with us (she's 8 months and stole daddy's heart from day 1)  Anyhow, how are your daughters doing?? 

Never did I think on October 2nd, 1999 that I'd meet a friend from the opposing sideline -- of course, I also didn't think I would be completely knocked out like that... But I did have it coming with some of the "talk" going between myself and that defense.  They had hit me quite a few times before that and I wasn't happy about it.

I still get migraines from that day and a few before it -- namely a game against Osh Kosh in 1998 where I attempted 50 passes and was hit on probably 45 of them. 

Hope all is well for you and your family.

[sac]

Hope released its schedule for next season and league schedules for 17/18 http://athletics.hope.edu/sports/fball/history/future_schedule     Happy to see the Albion game moved to back end of the schedule.

I think the only game that is new or not known for next year is playing at Elmhurst.  Seems like I remember the league offering a news release on all the MIAA/CCIW games last year.