FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[formerd3db]

Diezel1:

I know what you mean.  While Hope is not a great team obviously, still they could have easily won any of those first four games they lost had they "just made the plays when they needed to".  Good teams do that, although I will say, in the two wins in the last two weeks, they have done just that and...the overall attitude is so much better. Of course, one can argue that always is the case when you win! Yet, had Hope won those first four games, I can just imagine how, perhaps, some people would have been saying how great a team they were.  I said this many tiimes here in the longterm past (as have some others) that I still personally believe (as I'm sure many others do), that until we can turn the corner and win those non-conference games, we'll not have much chance in progressing in the playoffs when Hope gets the latter opportunity in any year they end up winning the league title.  Still, by playing a tough non-conference schedule, I think in the long run (pun intended ), it does help a program, although, admittedly, it is no fun not winning.  You have to win those games - at least some of them for "for the sake of saving your sanity"!

Regardless, as you, Bored, and the others have said, no one in the MIAA who is contending for the title (in any year) can take for granted any MIAA team.  Aside from Albion's ten year or so run in the 1990's, the MIAA race has always been one that, for the most part, comes down to the latter portion of the season.  As such, people better be ready.

Anyway, good luck to everyone's team tomorrow (except Albion against us! ). I'm sure we'll have some good topics to talk about after tomorrow's game results.  Also, you people be careful and drive safe if you are going to the games (too many very sad auto related deaths of several young people in our home community region here this past week ) .  

[sac]

Here's some notes about the Hope game from Albion's side of things:
http://www.albion.edu/sports/mens-sports/football/3884-football-team-prepares-to-tackle-hope

It also looks like they will have live video of the game:
http://www.albion.edu/sports/mens-sports/football/varsity-schedule/1174


There is also a video called 'Inside the Briton Huddle' which talks mostly about last weeks game.  My computer hated it and decided it could go on no longer, and I had to stop it about 1/3 in.

http://www.albion.edu/sports/


I also didn't know that before 1976 teams had to walk 3 blocks from the locker rooms at Kresge Gymnasium to the stadium. 

[formerd3db]

sac:
Thanks for the Albion info.  Very informative. BTW, (and I'm "dating" myself here , although I can still knock some people around on a field! ), I remember those pre-and-post 1976 times well.  I played in that 1975 Hope/Ablion 10-10 tie down there - the one which was saved in the last 10 seconds of the game when our tallest player receiver Dave "Duff" DeZwaan batted the ball down at the goal post in a driving wind and snowstorm to prevent us from losing.  That year, it was us that ended up in the top ten NCAA Div. III national rankings, but, like Albion the next year in 1976 as was noted on the web site article you linked for us, we could not accept an invitation to the playoffs then due to the (ridiculous ) MIAA ban on post-season play at that time.  That was unfortunate because either year, '75 and '76, both us and Albion would have had a great chance at advancing in the playoffs, IMO.

That year was the last for Alumni Field in that form - i.e. the field is in the same place and the bleachers were up on the hill where the permanent brick/concrete homestands are now and close to full field length of bleachers (4 sets) on the visitors side, with the early 1900's concrete athletic field fencing as it is today, gave (and still does) the stadium a really neat, closed in feeling.  Of course, the current stadium which was then built the following year in 1976 as you noted with locker rooms there instead of at Kresge, is very nice and has been expanded as far as facilities in recent years, although Albion needs to enlarge/renovate and update the pressbox (with a covered top for the photographers/video crews on the top to protect them from the weather!).  In 1977, we lost a tough game down there, which was the year Albion went to the NCAA playoffs, being the first team to do so since the 1960 ban on post-season play.

My apologies if I've bored anyone with the above "trip down memory lane", but I thought I would just share those with all of you in response to the comment about Kresge on their campus as well as, again, in reference to the discussion several of us have had this week here on our board as to what a tough place it is to play down there at Albion.  It's never been kind to us.

[Raider 68]

Formerd3db,

Any prediction on the Hope/Albion game, what will be the deciding factors?

[formerd3db]

Raider68:

Of course, I hope we win, however, as I've mentioned previously here, it is always a tough situation for us when we play down at Albion.  I personally think that we tend to get "psyched out" in that way i.e. that we're in for a tough time, although obviously if you think that way, then negative things tend to happen.  Anyway, it is hard to predict.  Albion has had a good running game of recent it appears, so if Hope can shut that down, that will be a key.  Certainly, our secondary needs to not give up the big pass play and they've done a good job of that the past two weeks.  If they falter in that, I think we're in trouble.  Finally, Hope just needs to make the plays when they have to i.e. we can't be missing extra points, or blocked field goals or not scoring a TD when you are in the red zone as happened in the first four games.  Overall, I expect a close game, but as always in a Hope/Albion game, there is that possibility (fear ) of a blowout happening - it only takes a few short minutes for the game to "get out of hand" and that somewhow seems to occur late in the game (say end of 3rd quarter) - which makes for "playing catch-up" in the last minutes a very tough task.  We'll see what happens.

BTW, it will be interesting to see how your Mount Union responds today (at least after reading the posts in discussion from you and your colleagues over on the OAC board).  Have a great time if you are going to the game.  Looks like the weather will be nice today - at least not that horrid humidity we had last Saturday (although I'll take that over rain any time. )

[Raider 68]

Raider68:

Of course, I hope we win, however, as I've mentioned previously here, it is always a tough situation for us when we play down at Albion.  I personally think that we tend to get "psyched out" in that way i.e. that we're in for a tough time, although obviously if you think that way, then negative things tend to happen.  Anyway, it is hard to predict.  Albion has had a good running game of recent it appears, so if Hope can shut that down, that will be a key.  Certainly, our secondary needs to not give up the big pass play and they've done a good job of that the past two weeks.  If they falter in that, I think we're in trouble.  Finally, Hope just needs to make the plays when they have to i.e. we can't be missing extra points, or blocked field goals or not scoring a TD when you are in the red zone as happened in the first four games.  Overall, I expect a close game, but as always in a Hope/Albion game, there is that possibility (fear ) of a blowout happening - it only takes a few short minutes for the game to "get out of hand" and that somewhow seems to occur late in the game (say end of 3rd quarter) - which makes for "playing catch-up" in the last minutes a very tough task.  We'll see what happens.

BTW, it will be interesting to see how your Mount Union responds today (at least after reading the posts in discussion from you and your colleagues over on the OAC board).  Have a great time if you are going to the game.  Looks like the weather will be nice today - at least not that horrid humidity we had last Saturday (although I'll take that over rain any time. )

Formerd3db,

I think the Hope/Albion game will be a close one. On the Mount Union game, Mount should come back with a strong game at home against Heidelberg, but probably missing their best player today WR Cecil Shorts with a toe issue last week. I'll watch the game on tape delay, since our children bought us tickets(anniversary) to see "Blue Man Group" at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. Heard the show has done well!

Maybe your new Helmut logo on this board will bring Hope some magic! +k

[sflzman]

So far, no good on that helmet logo for Hope....

The Scots surprisingly were only down 17-0 at the half to Trine, although it looks like Trine didn't really play "full-out"...Alma should get beat pretty badly, so many injuries.....

[Uncle Rico]

So far, no good on that helmet logo for Hope....

The Scots surprisingly were only down 17-0 at the half to Trine, although it looks like Trine didn't really play "full-out"...Alma should get beat pretty badly, so many injuries.....

QB Eric Watt was hurt and missed most of the game.  Hargraves did a good job in relief, and the defense stepped it up.

[sflzman]

So far, no good on that helmet logo for Hope....

The Scots surprisingly were only down 17-0 at the half to Trine, although it looks like Trine didn't really play "full-out"...Alma should get beat pretty badly, so many injuries.....

QB Eric Watt was hurt and missed most of the game.  Hargraves did a good job in relief, and the defense stepped it up.

Oh, Watt was hurt...I didn't know that...I assumed Watt didn't play because Trine figured with all of Alma's injuried they would roll over and Trine could win without Watt - that way saving him from injury.

Do you know how serious?

[LetItRain]

Not serious.  He should be back for the Hope game this weekend.  I think they just decided to rest him after he was injured.  I agree with Uncle Rico - Hargraves did a good job of stepping up during the game.

Lots of injuries in the NFL yesterday.  It's been a crazy year for injuries.  Lions may have to rotate back to Stafford again!   

[Uncle Rico]

So far, no good on that helmet logo for Hope....

The Scots surprisingly were only down 17-0 at the half to Trine, although it looks like Trine didn't really play "full-out"...Alma should get beat pretty badly, so many injuries.....

QB Eric Watt was hurt and missed most of the game.  Hargraves did a good job in relief, and the defense stepped it up.

Oh, Watt was hurt...I didn't know that...I assumed Watt didn't play because Trine figured with all of Alma's injuried they would roll over and Trine could win without Watt - that way saving him from injury.

Do you know how serious?

Sflzman ... Alma didn't seem to roll over, and played the game with some hard-hitting.  

[bleedpurple]

HELP WANTED:

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[formerd3db]

Well, obviously the chance for a "match-up of the league unbeatens" went down the drain on Saturday with Hope's very dismal performance in the loss to Albion.  I give Albion credit as they are a much better team than people have indicated (although, obviously, they had the chance to improve since the beginning of the season).  I will say, though, that I was surprised we collapsed as we did.  We crushed Alma, but Albion struggled to beat them (according to all the Albion people I talked with the game on Saturday) and then they end up crushing us.  Go figure - I guess, perhaps, that is some of the parity overall that the MIAA has shown the past 3-4 years or so (similar to like that in NCAA DI as we've all seen).  But, again, it shows what I was talking about all last week here on this board about how tough it is for us (Hope) down at Spankle-Sprandal Stadium/Morely Frazer Field.

Beautiful day for the game on Saturday - perfect fall football weather, nice crowd at the stadium.  It was nice to see that Ron Vanderlinden received his award/induction into the Albion Athletic Hall of Fame.  I remember playing against him.  He currently is a full-time assistant on Paterno's staff at Penn State since 2002; prior to that he was head coach at the Univ. of Maryland, prior to that Def coordinator at Northwestern with Barnett, prior to that with him out at Colorado, and priior to that 10 years with Denny Stolz at Bowling Green, and 1-2 years at Albion after his graduation.  A great coach and career. So congrats to Vanderlinden on his award.

I guess that we can only hope for an upset against Trine this Saturday at Homecoming.  Would be nice to meet you Trine guys even if only for a few minutes.  So if Uncle Rico, LIR and Bored, and colleagues are going to be there as I'm sure most of you will, let me know and we can try to at least say hi for a minute or so and "put a face to a name" of fellow posters here all of us.    

[sflzman]

So far, no good on that helmet logo for Hope....

The Scots surprisingly were only down 17-0 at the half to Trine, although it looks like Trine didn't really play "full-out"...Alma should get beat pretty badly, so many injuries.....

QB Eric Watt was hurt and missed most of the game.  Hargraves did a good job in relief, and the defense stepped it up.

Oh, Watt was hurt...I didn't know that...I assumed Watt didn't play because Trine figured with all of Alma's injuried they would roll over and Trine could win without Watt - that way saving him from injury.

Do you know how serious?

Sflzman ... Alma didn't seem to roll over, and played the game with some hard-hitting.  

I sure would hope we wouldn't roll over....even if you think you don't have a good chance of winning, you always want to be the team who upsets the top 25 team, and shakes up the conference....

[formerd3db]

I forgot to mention:  I saw on the main page here on D3fb.com that that college in PA Mesericordia is adding football, to start in 2012.  Very interesting.  I thought I new just about everything (well...a fair amount anyway ) about the majority of small colleges that participate in DIII athletics, but I had never heard of this school before.  Perhaps that is because they've never had a football team before and my intereste/research in the past regarding college football with regard to DIII has essentially been confined to those schools who have had programs from the either the beginning of the college game or have had teams for a long time. 

Anyway, it is good to see them adding the sport and being in the CC in PA.

Of course, we'll have the two new programs of Concordia-Ann Arbor and Siena Heights starting next year, although they will be NAIA scholarship programs.  Still, a Siena Heights/Adrian College game cross-town rivalry will be neat to see.