University Athletic Association

[79jaybird]

Coach Maloney usually puts a good team together. I  know UC is going to be much better this year. You could see them putting the right pieces together the last couple of years.

[ExTartanPlayer]

This is probably the most "open" that the UAA has been at least in the past three seasons for one reason.

Whalen has graduated, and no one is really certain if CWRU's success over the last three seasons was a product of a few above-average recruiting classes buoyed by one extraordinary player OR a product of top-to-bottom improvement of the roster.  Has CWRU improved the talent across the board so much that they are head-and-shoulders above the other three squads?

My gut tells me that the answer is somewhere in between.  I think CWRU's overall talent level is notably better than the pre-Whalen era, but the dominance of the last few years was in large part due to Whalen's extraordinary play.  This is not to disparage CWRU's fine accomplishments in any way; it's just my viewpoint.  FWIW, I felt that I was an average UAA ballplayer on an average UAA team that rode the coattails of a few superior guys (Sivek, Gimson, Lewis in particular) to a couple of decent seasons.  Since those guys have graduated, CMU fell back to the .500 mark and stayed there.  I think CWRU might be in a similar position right now.

IF - and this is a big IF - Case's new QB is 90 percent of the player that Whalen was, they are still the heavy favorites.

If he is an average-ish UAA quarterback, then CWRU falls back to the field and everybody is jockeying for position.  During my career at CMU (2004-07) all four teams won the UAA title one time - and I think that kind of parity is the norm in the UAA rather than the exception.

[ADL70]

It's usually me who stirs the pot, so good to hear from WashU, UChi, and CMU.  Hope you'll continue to contribute throught the year.

There has been little news of late from The Circle and I wasn't going to reply to snide reply #2079.  But now from famine to feast, as Kickoff came out on Tues (and anyone posting here should pony up the $10), CWRU's roster got posted on Weds, and the media guide on Thurs.

Thirty-two freshmen (including the nine I had previously posted about), three new upperclassmen, and two previous players returning are new to the Spartans this year.

Trevor LaBarge, a transfer from Colorado where he was a preferred walk-on could be the answer at FB.

Running: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRW-GhTRG0M

Run Blocking:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep7Mpepu-rs

Pass Blocking:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-19BETbKHxw

Receiving:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct_d03xkG94

Also sophomore Jake Bell (6-3 290) from Ravenna an All-Ohio lineman who attended CWRU last year but didn't play football, will suit up this year.

High profile freshmen include:

    LB Shay Baker (6-0 235 on the roster, but 6-2 225 on hs one) 2nd Team All-Dist

    LB David Charles 3rd Team All-Ohio

    DB Jake LaFleur 2nd Team All-Dist

    LB Austin Webb 2nd Tean All-Dist

As I anticpated Kyle Snyder is moving from CB to QB.  The most interesting switch is DE Christian Anderson to FB.

The d3 gurus have the Spartans (#76) right behind Allegheny (68) and Wooster (74) and just ahead of John Carroll (81) and Rochester (87).

The other UAA teams are 121-Chicago, 134-WUStL, and 146-CMU.

Amen to the 7-0 comment!

It's hard to quantify Baum v Whalen.  I think he's proved to be a better than average UAA QB.  He played about 3/4 of a win v Kenyon in 2008 and started in a win against Rochester that year too.

It's a shame Parks' career has been plagued by injuries.

Wow, this might be a first--posts from all four teams in the same day--certainly so for a non-game week.

[DagarmanSpartan]

ADL70,

What is your prediction for the CWRU v. JCU game?

[Raider 68]

ADL70,

What is your prediction for the CWRU v. JCU game?

MajorSpartan,

For what is worth, the majority of posters thus far picked CWRU to beat JCU by 6.5 or more on the OAC Pickem's. ADL70 may or may not agree!

[DagarmanSpartan]

Well, I hope that that's true, but I'm going to refrain from picking a CWRU victory at this point.

I have a feeling that it'll be hard for us to recover from Whalen's graduation, but hopefully, I'm wrong.

GO SPARTANS!!!

[matblake]

Just a heads up that the CCIW pick ems have started for this year.  If you wish to participate, the more the merrier.  Come join us!

For the rules, you can see Mugsy's post #672 on the CCIW pick em page.  Please note:  Picks are due this week by Friday at 5 PM (Central Time) due to the Friday Night Augustana game.

[ADL70]

PD re CWRU v JCU
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2010/09/fast-rising_case_western_reser.html

Short memories there.  CWRU is 1-0 v OAC with an 11 point win by a 6-4 CWRU v 3-7 Otterbein in 2003.

I'll go out on a limb and predict CWRU by 9.

Go Spartans, Tartans, Bears, and Maroons!!!

[DagarmanSpartan]

I guess I'll pick CWRU, simply because I hate picking against my alma mater, but I'm not going to give any more than one point.

On another note, one of my other alma maters, the University of Houston, begins its march to BCS busting immortality today.  The Cougars' QB, Case Keenum, begins his Heisman bid today as well.

[jam40jeff]

CWRU 23 JCU 7 start of 4th

[seventiesraider]

Nice game Case. Looks like the OAC coaches weren't wrong to pick JCU to finish near the bottom

[DagarmanSpartan]

Gosh.

I would have never guessed that the game would be that lopsided.

Is JCU that bad, or is Coach D simply a genius?

[seventiesraider]

I want to be careful not to minimize a great game by Case Western, but the Coaches Pre-Season Poll picked JCU to finish 8th in the conference of 10. I watched the whole games on live video and was very impressed with the game the coach laid out and the game they played.

The Blue Streaks on the other hand, tried a Pro-set, I, option and God knows what else but they didn't execute anything well. If it wasn't for Frank Ross, they wouldn't even have looked as good as they did, which was "no so hot".

I'll give the Spartans the benefit of the doubt and say congratulations, you had Regis and Arth scratching plays in dirt.

[Raider 68]

Gosh.

I would have never guessed that the game would be that lopsided.

Is JCU that bad, or is Coach D simply a genius?

The majority of posters were correct in picking CWRU to win by 7 or more! Not surprised at all. It will be a long year for JCU and maybe a good year for CWRU, we'll see!

[jam40jeff]

Much to my surprise, CWRU's linemen dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball.