FB: Centennial Conference

[badbadman]

norton,

I know you were speaking tounge-in-cheek, but Gettysburg just beat McDaniel (despite injuries) so they probably are improved from their early season level.  They are also a better team in 2005 than they were in 2004.

HSC may have been overly maligned for their performance against GC.  I think the bigger problem was not the margin of victory, but rather giving up 40 pts to GC.

[bulletsalum]

To paraphrase myself, the scoreboard is what matters.  It did seem like JHU was the more productive team last night because they had more scoring opportunities, but if you take away one long pass (pretty well defended and almost broken up -- obvioulsy almost does not matter), the stats are virtually identical (yes, per Lombardi, stats are for losers).  This is the point, either both teams now have very good defenses or they each have offenses that make defenses look good.  I think it is the former.  Hopkins is now the favorite in the CC, but the Blue Jays will not be #1 in November without more offense.
As for JHU/HSC, it will be an interesting game with two very different teams.  The Gburg/HSC game offers no value in predicting now what will happen.  Gettysburg is a very different team than the one it was in the fist half against HSC -- which is when they were beaten.  HSC is a big play team and will likely put up a lot of points because of their passing game (I suspect Hopkins' run defense is better than its pass defense -- although last night was not necessarily proof of that).  Having seen both teams play, I think JHU is better than HSC, but the Tigers' wacky offense (and the home cooking of the refs in Farmville) will make it tough for Hopkins to win there -- but I certainly hope they do.

[norton]

Badbadman - I was just pointing out that some felt that a 16 point HSC win over Gettysburg meant that HSC wasn't very good...I said at the time that the Bullets were improved over last year...there is no doubt that JHU can play d, but they need to score more than 14 points to beat HSC...and I don't think Gettysburg's d is better than HSC's...they were not in September, but they are playing better now (as is HSC).

[badbadman]

Good luck against W&L.  I hope HSC stays focused on this weeks game and comes into the JHU game with just the BC loss.  It should be a good game on 11/5.

[wr22]

F&M loses to Union on a 4th down, 45 yard hail mary pass for a TD with 40 seconds left in the game.

[gogreenterror]

comments on today?
*@^&^#    &$@$@% #^*!!$^@       ##^#$---#%^@    !#$%@%6@%@  thats about all I have to say....

oh yeah and ...Come on McDaniel get your act together and show up for once will ya'?  This is getting pretty hard for us old guys to watch.  Please save your season, by not messing up so $@#%$% much.

[patcummings]

Hard to believe the Dickinson win...first win over McD in YEARS.  I hope whoever voted McDaniel as #25 last week doesn't do it again...

Man o man...head-scratching in the CC.

Not to forget...JHU's offense should have their fans a bit worried.  Two big plays against Gburg...an 80 yd td pass and a punt block TD return...not what I would call a major threat on the o side of the ball.

[mandfense]

Hard to believe the Dickinson win...first win over McD in YEARS.  I hope whoever voted McDaniel as #25 last week doesn't do it again...

Man o man...head-scratching in the CC.

Not to forget...JHU's offense should have their fans a bit worried.  Two big plays against Gburg...an 80 yd td pass and a punt block TD return...not what I would call a major threat on the o side of the ball.

That Dickinson score is a shock!!  I'd been sympathetic to the Terror injury problems, but wow!!!

As far as JHU is concerned, in addition to the problems Pat mentioned, don't forget a dropped TD in the 1st Q, and almost 100 yards in penalties against Gettysburg.  Take those away and it's a blowout.  The JHU O is a concern, but the talent is there.

Seriously, the NCAA bid is JHUs for the taking.  They can basically lock it up with a win this weekend.  Depends how much they want it.

It's going to be like grammar school in Allentown this weekend.  First to 10 wins.  If the Blue Jays can get the Muhlenberg monkey of their back, it's smooth sailing to their 1st NCAA bid.

EDIT:  After today's result in the ODAC, hopefully the H-SC backers will stay off our board.  I'm still trying to figure out the Mid-Atlantic.

[badbadman]

Listened to the end of the F&M and Dickinson games on the web.  Wow, what a weekend.  I thought F&M represented the CC well against an undefeated Union team.  Apparently, they held the Union offense in check all day until that last drive.  Dickinson played well enough to win and could bounce back from a rough start.

Muhlenberg wins with a 74 yard TD on a fake punt with 3:54 left in the game.  If the fake fails, Ursinus has the ball in FG range and wins the game.  Will the rest of the CC finally anticipate and defend those Muhlenberg gadget plays?  Hard to believe they keep winning with that kind of play.

The JHU vs Muhlenberg game next Saturday looks like it could be critical to the CC championship.  If JHU beats Muhlenberg, they will have taken a huge step towards the NCAA bid.   

[Pat Coleman]

I did admire the JHU defense when I said I didn't think Gettysburg could have scored in four more quarters.

But you can't tack on the dropped TD pass on top of one of the missed field goals. Those happened on the same drive, I believe.

[mandfense]

I did admire the JHU defense when I said I didn't think Gettysburg could have scored in four more quarters.

But you can't tack on the dropped TD pass on top of one of the missed field goals. Those happened on the same drive, I believe.

Fair enough.  Thought I'd mention it anyway, Pat.  :-)

I guess the main question for Pat is, is the JHU defense good enough in your eyes to make them a top 25 team in the country???

JHU can all but lock up the NCAA bid next weekend with a win and a Ursinus loss to Gettysburg.

[Pat Coleman]

They won't be on my ballot, no. Like I said, the offense has to score. Defense can't do it all. I think Muhlenberg learned that in unpleasant fashion last November as well.

[mandfense]

They won't be on my ballot, no. Like I said, the offense has to score. Defense can't do it all. I think Muhlenberg learned that in unpleasant fashion last November as well.

True, but I think BBM will agree with me, Muhlenberg wasn't the best team in the CC last season, and JHU would have fared MUCH better against SJF.

Anyone want to know who the CC champ is playing on November 19th at home???  It's a lock.   

[badbadman]

mandfense,

Yes, I agree that Muhlenberg wasn't the best rep for the CC last year.  On the other hand, no team in the conference really EARNED the NCAA bid since there was a 5 way tie.  JHU needs to earn the bid this year and not rely on tiebreakers.

Regarding Pat's comments on the JHU offense, they need to earn his respect.  As you point out, the talent on that offense is there.  However, the execution is not what it needs to be.  Drive killing mistakes need to be eliminated.  Even more importantly, the JHU O needs to get nasty.  With aggressive, athletic, smart play, this offense will perform well. 

Hope they can break the Muhlenberg jinx this week.  Like JHU, Muhlenberg also has a good defense so it should be a good game.      

[mandfense]

Hope they can break the Muhlenberg jinx this week.  Like JHU, Muhlenberg also has a good defense so it should be a good game.      

I seriously think whoever scores 10 points will win this game.