FB: Centennial Conference

Amish Allstar · November 14, 2005, 10:53:45 PM

Definetly a rough season for the Dips. I think the loss to Bethany really played a role in that. However, you have to give them credit because at prior to the Mcdaniel game they were 2-5 and could have easily thrown in the towel. But they finished strong with 3 consecutive wins to close out the season. I hope they represent the CC well in the ECAC game.

CC again had an interesting year. Didnt seem to showcase the offensive talent it had produced in the past. Triplin as POTY was a complete surprise but again noone else really stood out. Good luck to him and the Hopkins as they travel to Thiel.

localfan · November 15, 2005, 09:27:47 AM

Looks like this new "Pride of Maryland" tournament could be very interesting this weekend. Washington opens up against Hood College, which is only in its third year but has some good talent. Hopkins and McDaniels will open up against Salisbury and Frostburg, respectively. Good to see the Centenial teams facing some non-traditional teams. Could end up with an old fashion Hopkins/Goucher fight for the championship game on Sunday. I really don't think anyone is a clear cut favorite. Will probably be a few upsets, seeing as this is the teams first games.

Pat Coleman · November 15, 2005, 02:05:55 PM

You probably meant to post this on the basketball side?

badbadman · November 15, 2005, 09:28:34 PM

AA: a dips win would go a long way towards partial redemption and respect for the program and the CC. Likewise, a JHU win against highly regarded and 16th ranked Thiel would go a long way towards gaining respect for the CC.

GO HOP.

Amish Allstar · November 16, 2005, 01:14:28 AM

I don' t think you can lose respect for this program. Yes, they had a dissapointing season with the amount of returning players from last years 8-3 squad. But they still finished second place in the conference with a 4-2 record. Their out of conference schedule was top notch playing two playoff teams (Hobart and Union). They should have beat Union (4th down 10 conversion for the win with 47 seconds to go) but football is a game of woulda, coulda, shouldas and the Dips simply did not get it done that day.

At one point they were 2-5 and could have thrown in the towel as i said in an earlier post. But they didnt and they reeled off 3 straigh victories to close the year at 5-5. Which i believe is why they received the ECAC bid.

Was it a dissappointing season, no question but to lose respect for the program? i dont think so. A few plays here and there and F&M is representing the CC in the playoffs.

mandfense · November 16, 2005, 08:43:07 AM

Amish, you have to realize that most observers aren't as close to the program as you are so wouldn't look that deeply into the F&M season.

What they see is the prediction to go 10-0, finish 5-5 with a loss to Bethany.

Amish Allstar · November 16, 2005, 09:34:12 AM

Very true mandfense very true! The Bethany lose sure killed them as far as any outsider credibility is concerned. Still cant believe the Bethany loss.

badbadman · November 16, 2005, 06:24:52 PM

Read around the nation today.

Bad news - Thiel seems to be generally expected to win. They also said Hopkins isn't in the top 32 in the same article.

Good news - Mark Simon predicts a Hopkins upset and Pat Coleman predicts a close game. This was somewhat of a surprise to me since Thiel is the 14th ranked team in the current D3football.com poll.

Best news - it really dosen't matter what anyone says since the game will be decided on the field.

badbadman · November 16, 2005, 06:26:07 PM

GO HOP!

mandfense · November 16, 2005, 08:24:01 PM

I read it too. All biases aside, JHU/Thiel should be an evenly matched game. Two new teams to the NCAA tournament. That's what it's all about.

I think one of the big keys is how JHU comes out after the long road trip. In their overnight trips this year, they've started out slow and either held on for dear life (Rochester, Carnegie Mellon, Muhlenberg) or got blown out of the stadium (Hampden-Sydney).

If they come out and try to take it to Thiel from the opening kickoff and set the tone (ie. kickoff is at Noon, Blue Jays, not 1:00), rather than feel them out for a quarter or a half and let the game come to them, they can win the game. Thiel has too much offense for a team to feel them out for a half. If JHU waits until 1:00 to start playing, they'll already be down 4 TDs.

The fact that Carnegie Mellon put 48 on Thiel should hopefully give the offense some much needed confidence going into the game as well.

Looks like the weather may hold up. Now looking at sunny with a high of 44. Great weather for NCAA Playoff Football!!!!!

OldPhart · November 16, 2005, 10:27:01 PM

Quote from: badbadman on November 16, 2005, 06:24:52 PM
Read around the nation today.

Bad news - Thiel seems to be generally expected to win. They also said Hopkins isn't in the top 32 in the same article.

Good news - Mark Simon predicts a Hopkins upset and Pat Coleman predicts a close game. This was somewhat of a surprise to me since Thiel is the 14th ranked team in the current D3football.com poll.

Best news - it really dosen't matter what anyone says since the game will be decided on the field.

BadBad - I think you got the "Good" and the "Bad" inverted.

But clearly "Best" is in the right place. Don't be too surprised about Pat's prediction. I don't know whether or not Thiel and/or W&J finally made it onto his ballot - but he made it pretty clear several weeks ago that they weren't on his ballot then.

While I am predicting a Thiel win, the only prediction I am willing to make with confidence is a noon kickoff.

badbadman · November 17, 2005, 09:02:22 AM

mandfense - I think you are right about getting a quick start. I hope that JHU doesn't defer if they win the coin toss. An extra possession in the 1st half may end up being important.

Against and average team, go ahead and defer. Against a playoff team, take the ball. The Jays need to show some confidence in their offense. Maybe the ATN caption will motivate them.

Amish Allstar · November 17, 2005, 09:15:43 AM

Wishing Hopkins the best this weekend. Noone seems to think that they will get it done.

Same goes to F&M as they travel down to Salisbury, as they take on a very very good rushing offense. The Dips always seem to rise to the occasion in big games and i dont this one to be any different.

Good luck to both teams and represent the CC well.

Dutch12 · November 17, 2005, 09:37:37 AM

Quote from: Amish Allstar on November 17, 2005, 09:15:43 AM
Wishing Hopkins the best this weekend. Noone seems to think that they will get it done.

I think the guru's on the around the nation thread have given JHU a chance. They think JHU's defense is good enough to upset Thiel and at the very least force a very close game. Regardless of who wins, it's clear they don't think JHU or Thiel can win in the second round.

GoDips71 · November 17, 2005, 06:04:56 PM

Keep in mind that "gurus" also picked F&M to go 10-0 this season......and we all know that didn't happen..........

That said, it is my hope that Hopkins will represent the CC well in the NCAAs - win or lose. They are a program with a lot of class and a program that I personally respect quite a bit.

There is no question that this was a down year for the CC. Offenses were virtually non-existant and the teams lost key matchups against out-of-conference opponents. One can make the argument that with one break here and another break there (i.e. F&M-Union game) that things could have looked vastly different for the CC, but this is the unfortunate reality. I am afraid that any respect gained for the CC last year may have been lost due to the current season. I hope that this is not the case, but judging from the those voting in the poll and the opinions expressed by the Pat, Pat, Mark, et al. I think that whatever respect that had been gained quickly evaporated.

Winning against Thiel would be huge for Hopkins and go a long way towards garnering some much-needed (and deserved - IMO) respect for the CC. Similarly, a win for the Dips against a good Salisbury team would be enormous for the team and the conference. The F&M defense has been outstanding much of the season and should get some credit for the job they have done. The offense....that is a completely different story. The bright side for F&M is that they are still young and will have a lot of returning players next year. A win this weekend would be a good start though.

GO DIPS!

GO JHU! (Gotta admit that it is weird saying that...)