University Athletic Association

[ADL70]

Tiny sliver of silver in today's gray cloud...still 2-0 in-region.

[mustang]

Didn't think of it that way, not sure I should come in off the ledge though. That was a tough one to watch.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Tough weekend all around for the UAA.

Chicago pounded by Elmhurst.  I know that Elmhurst is from a tough conference, and that's usually a tough game, but it has to be disappointing for the Maroons (considering that they did beat Elmhurst last year).

WashU gave a decent fight against a pretty good Coe team, and they certainly didn't quit (scoring to make it 20-14 with a minute to go), but it's tough to drop to 0-3.  Looks like they pulled a QB switch midway through the game, too.  Wonder if that will be permanent, since it looks like the backup had some more success and led that last TD drive.

Bad loss for CWRU.  Tough to lose by the margin of a missed PAT, but looking at the box score it looks like they were outplayed by more than that margin.  Looks like Sicre put in a yeoman's effort, and surprised to see Olson struggle that much in the passing game.  Thoughts from CWRU gang?

CMU looked very good on Friday night vs. Catholic.  QB continues to be very efficient and we have two WR's with some deep speed, making us much tougher to defend than we've generally been the last few years.  With an experienced OL, deep backfield, and just-good-enough defense, I'm starting to feel good about this CMU team.  We'll know a lot more after the next two weeks, but CMU definitely is off to the best start in the UAA.  Whether that translates into the best finish remains to be seen.

[mustang]

Observations from the Case game:

The Frosty Oline had a clear size advantage, several 300 lb guys who weren't slugs. Case linemen and lb's were getting sealed at the point of attack and tackles were made 4-6 yards downfield because of it. Case also got caught blitzing where the playcall was perfect against it.

The Frosty QB did a good job using his feet to get out of trouble. Very mobile, very smart.

The Case offense wasn't bad, they just didn't finish drives. Olson was the victim of a couple of dropped balls on key plays but they have to find a way to overcome that. My personal pet peeve in football is backs and recievers who don't know where the first down marker is. It does you no good to run a 5 yard in on 3rd and 8.

That being said Case had a chance to put the game away with less than 5 minutes left in the game and couldn't seal the deal.

All in all a winnable game against an unknown opponent at home. We'll see how they respond in the coming weeks.

[ExTartanPlayer]

My personal pet peeve in football is backs and recievers who don't know where the first down marker is. It does you no good to run a 5 yard in on 3rd and 8.

FWIW, while a lot of fans & commentators latch onto this point as a lack of receiver awareness, some coaches are sticklers for running the pass route precisely as it's drawn up.  Believe it or not, there IS a reason for it - running a route deeper or shorter than it's designed can screw up the spacing needed for the play to succeed and might a) bring you closer to a defender's path or b) take a defender into a path of your teammate that might have otherwise been open.  So don't just assume that the kids run a route short of the first-down marker because they're dumb.  They might be following coaches' instructions.

I'd also argue that running a 5 yard in on 3rd and 8 can be a big play if you catch the ball with room to run.  Just saying you have to throw the ball past the first-down marker ignores the fact that it's often easier to complete a short pass and get some YAC than it can be to complete a pass 12-15 yards down the field, especially in the Division III game where QB's may not have the arm strength that Division I QB's have.

[SpartanMom_2016]

The Frosty Oline had a clear size advantage, several 300 lb guys who weren't slugs. Case linemen and lb's were getting sealed at the point of attack and tackles were made 4-6 yards downfield because of it.

I think this was the biggest issue of the day.  OL was blown away every single play.

The Case offense wasn't bad, they just didn't finish drives.

Not finishing drives is a really big deal.  I think they miss Riordan.

[SpartanMom_2016]

OOPs.  Meant to say DL not OL.

[casefldad]

Case could not control either line.  FSU marched up and down the field most of the game and that is evident in the significant variance in time of possession. 
I agree that we miss Kenny, he was having a good year and is a very good runner BUT the defense just could not stop the plays.  FSU's quarterback seemed to have quite a bit of time with little pressure from the d-line..
OWU seems to have a passing team, the defense needs to step up and have a good game and must apply pressure to the quarterback.

[ADL70]

Welcome fldad!!!

OWU's linemen won"t be as big as Frostburg's.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Good UAA vs. NCAC matchups.

Case vs. OWU intrigues me.  Case has owned the lower-to-mid echelon teams in the NCAC the last few years, but a) Case had a disappointing loss to Frostburg and and b) OWU looks improved to start this year and is probably viewing this game as a chance to make a statement that they've made enough progress to contend for the 3rd-4th spot in the NCAC.

WashU vs. Kenyon has a similar dynamic.  WashU is 0-3 (although they've played some very tough teams) and just needs a win, while Kenyon is a surprising 2-1 (although the wins against two of the worst teams in Division III, they are still WINS for a team that didn't have any for a while).

Chicago vs. Oberlin: the Maroons, likewise, need a win to stop the bleeding after a tough close loss two weeks ago and a whitewashing against Elmhurst.  Oberlin has been generally plucky the last couple years with a very small roster and can never really be overlooked.

CMU vs. DePauw: on paper, this might be the UAA's most favored matchup given that CMU is off to a nice start and DePauw is in some turmoil (just fired their coach for "administrative reasons" two games into the season, see NCAC board for a lot of discussion).  With that said, DePauw is only two seasons removed from a 9-2 playoff team and their losses in the first two weeks have come against traditionally powerful teams, so CMU really has to play well to win this one.

[casefldad]

Hopefully Case will use OWU as a warm up for our next game.  I have heard that the Homecoming Game should be the toughest competition this year, although CMU has certainly looked good so far.
Here is hoping that the OL and DL play up and we get back on the winning track...

[ExTartanPlayer]

I know that I'm splitting hairs with your word choice here, but I certainly hope that your players aren't viewing a road game at OWU as a "warmup" of any type.  Yes, Case (and for that matter, the entire UAA) has beaten up on the lower half of the NCAC for the last few years, but this is one game I would not be taking for granted at all - not a week after giving up 400 yards and losing at home to a team that hasn't finished with a winning record since 2005.

Honestly, I hope CWRU wins by four touchdowns - I root for all of the UAA teams because it raises everyone's profile for our conference to do well in nonconference play - but I'm expecting that to be a close-ish game.

[casefldad]

I agree with you and my 'choice' of words were poor indeed.  I am not taking OWU lightly (and am sure that neither is Coach Debs).  I meant to say that hopefully they use this game to play up to their potential and make all necessary adjustments prior to the next game against Wittenberg.
I am going to go (hope) with your CWRU winning by four touchdowns quote below, but we can't take anything for granted. 
BTW, it appears to me that OWU 'is' a passing team...they have almost twice as many yards passing as they do rushing. On the other hand, rushing defense has not been as strong as their passing defense. 
We'll see, I'm sure Coach Debs has the boys ready to go....

[wally_wabash]

BTW, it appears to me that OWU 'is' a passing team...they have almost twice as many yards passing as they do rushing. On the other hand, rushing defense has not been as strong as their passing defense. 
We'll see, I'm sure Coach Debs has the boys ready to go....

You are correct, sir.  OWU is sitting on about a 2:1 pass:run ratio so far this season.  The OWU quarterback is a big kid who's been starting pretty much from day 1 as a freshman.  He's had obvious talent from the beginning, now it seems that he's got experience and is playing quite well so far in 2012.  The Bishops are going to try to ride Espinosa back into relevance in the NCAC.  This weekend will be a good test to see how far along they've come in just a few short weeks.   This is the game of the week for me tomorrow.  I think we'll learn a lot about both of these teams tomorrow night. 

[ExTartanPlayer]

The Bishops are going to try to ride Espinosa back into relevance in the NCAC.  This weekend will be a good test to see how far along they've come in just a few short weeks.   This is the game of the week for me tomorrow. I think we'll learn a lot about both of these teams tomorrow night.

One thing that's gotten lost in our enthusiasm about OWU's potential improvement from last year...they are 2-0, but the wins did come against two teams that they beat last year, and the margins of victory are also somewhat comparable.

That's why I bolded the two quotes that I did - tomorrow is a chance for OWU to show that they are actually something more than they were last year.  Perhaps I've gotten a little carried away thus far, but OWU can prove it on the field.  Likewise, CWRU needs a solid performance and a win here to show that they haven't fallen all the way back to the pack.