FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[formerd3db]

I am almost speechless - note the key word "almost", my friends - however, most of you know that is probably impossible since I tend to be so "long winded" on here at times.   Also, to Mr. Ypsi, I did see the students practicing for the Pull on Friday before our team bus left for Wisconsin - don't worry, we won't use you for the rope!  Despite being for "that other team" you're still my/our friend!

Nice little stadium for WLC - iron gates, bricked iron fencing, nice sign entrance to their athletic complex, synthetic field turf, nice permament home stands and press box and lighting (for the size of the school and crowds they can expect to get - both of which are small).  Fantastic huge bricked electronic scoreboard that any DI, DII or DIII school would love to have - only problem is they need to build a visitors locker room at the one endzone for visiting teams - a tent doesn't make it , not even at the h.s. level, although it is my understanding that is in the next phase.  Weather for the game actually turned out just fine.  After raining hard all morning, by game time it stopped, was pleasant and in the 4th quarter, the sun came out and it started to get humid.

Now to the main aspects: this has got to be the most disappointing point in Hope's program for many years.  Taking nothing away from WLC, our friend WLCAlum, congrats to your team.  I was impressed by the size of their players, several starting linemen in the range from 294, 297, and 304 and those guys were not slow.  The DB's were DI size safeties, hard hitters.  WLC is a good team - average I'd say and certainly tremendously improved from when they were in the MIAA and... they deserved to win the game - they came right back when Hope went ahead and did what they needed to do to win it.  However, Hope had its chances to win and could easily have been 2-0 right now.  After being behind 10-0 for 3 quarters, Hope came back to go ahead 14-10 with about just under 6 minutes left in the game.  Yet, mistakes allowed WLC to score with 2 min left (a 49 yrd run); Hope drives down to the 15 yard line, misses a TD pass (receiver falls down) and then misses on a 3rd and 4; sets up for the FG which would send it into OT and the kick is blocked right up the middle, the same as last week 3 times against IWU.


I have to say this:  it is NOT the coaching staff.  Overall, the players just don't seem to have that "desire to do what it takes to win", unfortunately.  The skill players are not making the plays and great players i.e. above average players make those plays.   You have to do that in order to win - you can't depend on lucky beaks here and there to win those close games.  I realize the "losing or disappoingting" mindset (attitude) is extremely difficult to change when a team is in a losing mode for such a long time - example is Northwestern and even our Olivet before their improved streak until the recent last 3 years - but it can be done as those teams demonstrated.  However, as much as I hate to say it, I think it will be a very long time before we get back to the level that Hope has known in the past - and part of that is due to the recruiting barriers (for which there are many various reasons that I will not go into here) even though one might say that Hope is in the same predicament at the DIII level that any DIII school is- although we all know in reality, that is not true as each school facdes its own challenges and difficulties in that regard.

The bottom line is, as much as I hate to say it, it could very well be another long season for Hope (of course, I hope that doesn't happen).

I was also surprised to see how bad Alma lost.  Trine score - not a surprise to me because Bluffton, while improved om what little I know of them and have heard, is not a very good team.  Still, as we all know, anything can happen in the MIAA race itself.  No one should take anyone lightly.  Talk to you all later.

[WLCALUM83]

Thanks for the accolades, this is the 8th yearl that WLC's utilized that facility. (Wasn't enough land availabe right at the main campus for a gridiron field.) Truth to tell, this poster thought it'd be another few years before WLC would ever knock off Hope. An overall record over .500 would be great for WLC's program. (have yet to beat Benedictine and Lakeland yet, and we know Concordia-Chicago will be gunning for us big time).

Good luck the rest of the season! 

[BOYA87]

formerd3db, you are right.  Changing a teams losing attitude can prove to be a daunting and time consuming task.  But it all starts at the top...the coaching staff.  I cant speak for Hope and their experience in this difficult time but I can speak for myself as I was a part of the Tri-State/Trine transition from 0-10 to 10-0.  I can tell you that although the coaching staff did a great job of recruiting young classes they did not come into a situation with a great number of players, great quality of players, or great size of players.  But what they did do is find those players that were going to sweat and bleed and work.  those that were going to buy into the idea that the past is the past and that we could create a new future.  They insipred and they also found players and students that could inspire.  Never underestimate the power of attitude.  It is always nice to have competitive conference play so I hope Hope finds out whatever works for them to become competitive again. 

And as for WLC, I remember playing at that nice field.  I agree about the locker rooms though.  We played them over 6 years ago and they still have those tents up?!  Hopefully they get something figured out there.  So how has WLC been doing in their programs history.  I know when we played we were both teams at the bottom of the barrel.  How has time treated you guys over these past 6 years?

[WLCALUM83]

Since WLC moved over to the NAthCon our in-conference record has been better than it was our last 2 years in the MIAA, we still have yet to have a season with an overall record better than .500 however. (We still have yet to beat Lakeland, Concordia-WI and Benedictine, and we figure Concordia-Chicago will be gunning for us big time this year.)

Yeah, it's better, but not nearly as good as Tri-State/Trine!

[sflzman]

Sitting in St. Louis looking at the scores - while my WSOC Scots dropped a heartbreaker to #3WASHU - I remembered exactly why I hate Trine.

Why would you beat someone 76-6? It goes against every bit of the word sportsmanship. The worst part is this is D3. It in the end means nothing. D3 doesn't mean beating someone 76-6. It's just absolutely ridiculous.

[LetItRain]

If you didn't see the Trine game then you don't know what was done to prevent the score from getting that high.  2nd and 3rd string players for the entire 2nd half.  Not returning punts.  Taking a knee on the last two possessions.  What would you have had Trine do?  Not playing is also disrespectful to the other team. 

It's easy to criticize when you don't know the facts.  No one was happy about this score.

[Uncle Rico]

Sitting in St. Louis looking at the scores - while my WSOC Scots dropped a heartbreaker to #3WASHU - I remembered exactly why I hate Trine.

Why would you beat someone 76-6? It goes against every bit of the word sportsmanship. The worst part is this is D3. It in the end means nothing. D3 doesn't mean beating someone 76-6. It's just absolutely ridiculous.

The score does not tell a complete story.  Trine had all their starters out after the first half.  Should they have taken them out after the first quarter?  Bluffton played the first quarter tougher than the score indicated.  After the first half, Trine played 2nd / 3rd / 4th string / etc...  Even those players played well.  Trine is very deep with talent this year, and I suspect a lot of the 2nd and third team kids could start on other teams, and they were also eager to show what they can do after sitting on the bench.   If I am a 2nd or 3rd string player I am not going to let up...I want to show the coach I should be in and can play also.  I do not think you should tell kids to drop passes, miss tackles, etc... etc....  Most of the plays were run up the middle.   Bluffton also had turnovers and other miscues that did not help, including 5 fumbles.  Bluffton also had the ball for 33 minutes vs 26 for Trine.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

only problem is they need to build a visitors locker room at the one endzone for visiting teams - a tent doesn't make it , not even at the h.s. level, although it is my understanding that is in the next phase. 

The visitors locker room has been the "next phase" for years, I cant believe its still not done.  We played there back in 2005 and they had a tent, word then was the visitors locker room was the next step.

That being said I was shocked to check the MIAA scores and see WLC pull off the upset of Hope, its been a while since Ive seen WLC but beating Hope is a big win either way based on past history.  Hope seems to be on very hard times now for quite a stretch, amazing to see as they were the model of consistency in the MIAA.

As for Trine vs. Bluffton, Bluffton is a bad football team, the school doesnt invest the resources to win, or compete at this point, the coaching staff is under paid and under manned and that hurts all phases of the program from recruiting on down.  No one should be mad at 2nd and 3rd string players for scoring, they want to play the game too and if Bluffton coudlnt stop third string football players they need to reevaluate where they are with there program and where they are going.

[OnAirThunder]

It was tough talking about the game. I tried to put myself in Bluffton's shoes and remembered that Trine was in that same exact place 6 years ago when Albion came down to Angola and stomped on the Thunder 73-0 at homecoming.

I believe the halftime score was 44-6. They really did take out quite a few of their starters... even #11, Brock Reinig, moved from DE (he recorded a sack) to 3rd string QB at the end and just took knees and handed the ball off.

The fact of the matter is, if Trine wanted to run up the score, it could have been 120-6.

[section7]

Random Thoughts (something must change):

Have the Flying Dutchmen taken on the look of the Detroit Lions?

18 game losing streak in non-MIAA games dating back to 2004 season.

Dean Kreps, career non-MIAA record, 10-38, .208 winning percentage, 3-23 (.115) since 2002 season.

Unacceptable?

I have updated my post from this time last year, 10-40, .200 winning percentage, 3-25 (.107) since 2002 season.
I know that I will get ripped repeatedly for this post, but them the facts!
Formerd3db, I love your posts and respect your insight, but I must disagree with your assessment of players vs coaches, many players have changed since 2002, many losses have not and coaches have not.

[Raider 68]

If you didn't see the Trine game then you don't know what was done to prevent the score from getting that high.  2nd and 3rd string players for the entire 2nd half.  Not returning punts.  Taking a knee on the last two possessions.  What would you have had Trine do?  Not playing is also disrespectful to the other team.  

It's easy to criticize when you don't know the facts.  No one was happy about this score.

A huge whitewash of a game, does not do much for either team IMHO. For the victors a change to play about eveyone. The team who lost, a real quandry as to where is their program. You cannot fault a team who plays all the  players and still wins big. Buflton needs to determine many things, but keeping your head up and moving on will be the real coaching challenge, the other factors will take more time.

[sac]

Why would you beat someone 76-6? It goes against every bit of the word sportsmanship. The worst part is this is D3. It in the end means nothing. D3 doesn't mean beating someone 76-6. It's just absolutely ridiculous.

The scots didn't exactly backdown in the Scotgun when things were clicking with that offense.

[Pat Coleman]

I don't see a huge difference between 76-6 and the 64-7 that Alma beat Olivet with in 2001.

[miaafbfan]

I was at that Alma/Olivet game in 2001.  As others on here have already pointed out, a lopsided game does little good for either team.  Starters were pulled of course, just as I'm sure Trine did on Saturday.  Pretty much any school that has been around football awhile has been involved in a whitewash, on either side of the outcome.  Prejudice aside, I think those of us with the MIAA should be happy for the fact that Trine is a strong program this year.  Let's not be too critical of each other's respective teams for something that is often tough to avoid, only makes a few fans on the winning side happy, and most schools could be accused of at some point in their history.  I for one wish Trine continued success.  They seem to be carrying the banner for our MIAA this year.

[sflzman]

Why would you beat someone 76-6? It goes against every bit of the word sportsmanship. The worst part is this is D3. It in the end means nothing. D3 doesn't mean beating someone 76-6. It's just absolutely ridiculous.

The scots didn't exactly backdown in the Scotgun when things were clicking with that offense.

The last blow-out win for the Scots (2009 51-3 over Rockford) After the 1st quarter no TDs were scored throwing the ball.