FB: Centennial Conference

[WR#1]

Ill be catching this game but Juniata is a little out of my way so im not going to make that one.  This week will show if UC is ready to be the conference contender the coaches expect them to be.

[labart96]

Hobart-Dickinson game notes are up:

http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/football/2007notes/dickinson.pdf

[BITMAT.24CB]

Results after week 2.
Out of a total possible 14
PLAYER                                    Wins         
BITMAT.24CB                               10                     
MURPHY                                       8                                 
BTExpress                                    8                                 
WR#1                                          8                                 
BULLDOG                                      7                                 
OLD ENDS                                    5
RESERVED SEAT                            3

Week 3 Schedule   
Dickinson @ Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg @ John Hopkins
Ursinus @ Juniata
Catholic @ McDaniel
Union @ Muhlenberg
Lebanon Valley @ Moravian

[BTEXPRESS]

Winners week #3

Dickinson
Gettysburg(upset special)
Ursinus
Catholic
Mulenberg(not sure on this one)
Moravian(they have been impressive)

[Pat Coleman]

How about something about the games you saw this weekend instead of just picks? I don't think a few people making picks really is conducive to a conversation.

I listened to the last couple of minutes and OT of the Dickinson/Hobart game and I wonder about the defense that allowed a rookie quarterback to make that game-tying drive in the final 60-plus seconds.

[WR#1]

The Ursinus and Lycoming game went into overtime, but it didnt seem like either team wanted the win.  It was a back and forth game with both Ursinus and Lycoming spoiling good field position because of inefficient offenses.  In my last post before the game, I commented on how Ursinus will have to throw the ball to be successful.  They did try and air it out but it resulted in multiple interceptions, one almost went back for a TD if not for a penalty on the Warriors for an illegal block.  Both defenses were stout against the run but neither team was overly impressive on either side of the ball.  Ursinus won after stopping Lycoming's OT posession on fourth down.  Lycoming either didnt have faith in thier kicker or just didnt have one i guess.  UC gain a few yards during thier posession before kicking the game winning field goal.
The offense still remains the question mark for UC, while the defense is definately the strength of this team.  UC needs to get thier offense clicking before this weekend, being that Juniata can put up some points if thier previous game are telling of thier team.         

[WR#1]

Dickinson @ Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg @ John Hopkins
Ursinus @ Juniata
Catholic @ McDaniel
Union @ Muhlenberg
Lebanon Valley @ Moravian

[splik]

Went to the Juniata-FDU game.  first time I had been to FDU in quite a while.  Their field certainly has improved though their away stands are still pathetic. 
I was impressed by Juniata's wide receivers and qb, but the running game was weak.  Althought it may help, the size of your offensive line should not determine if you can run the ball.

[BITMAT.24CB]

 Week 3 Schedule   
Dickinson @ Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg @ John Hopkins JHU gears up for next week with Moravian
Ursinus @ Juniata This one could be UGLY
Catholic @ McDaniel The Green Terror goes 0-3
Union @ Muhlenberg
Lebanon Valley @ Moravian  UPSET SPECIAL
[/quote]

[BITMAT.24CB]

Went to the Juniata-FDU game.  first time I had been to FDU in quite a while.  Their field certainly has improved though their away stands are still pathetic.  I was impressed by Juniata's wide receivers and qb, but the running game was weak.  Althought it may help, the size of your offensive line should not determine if you can run the ball.

I have never seen any away stands that are worse than MUHLENBERG. I sat there for a total of thirty seconds. You cannot see over the visiting team. there are about 4 rows of seats 

[BTEXPRESS]

Speaking of stadiums, here is how I would rank the Centennial conference stadiums in terms of facilities, condition of home and away grandstands and atmosphere,etc.
1. Gettysburg (usually great crowds)
2. Dickinson
3. McDaniel
4. Johns Hopkins(nice stadium, terrible atmosphere)
5.Moravian
6.Ursinus
7.F & M
8.Juniata

What is veryone's opinion.

[WR#1]

I played in this conference and I can be a better judge of the field conditions and atmosphere than the stands and what not.  In reference to the playing field and atmosphere here are my rankings.

1.  McDaniel (The field as a natural surface was best I've ever been on, since switching to Nexturf the conditions have stayed the same. Also as an away team walking through the parking lot of fans for both teams and down the hill painted by the Greek life on campus is a great experience)
2.  Gettysburg (The field is in good shape and the stands for both sides support a multitude of fans for the game.  The college campus is immaculate and the surroundings give a genuine college football feel.
3. Dickinson (The natural turf is kept in decent shape and the field is tucked into a small town which gives the surroundings a unique high school type feel)
4. Johns Hopkins (It was the worst field to play on when it consisted of astroturf, but they wisened up and the field turf here is in excellent shape)
5. Ursinus (The natural grass here is in fairly decent shape, but due to the number of games played in the rain over the past few years this field has slipped down my list.  There is a great atmosphere with plenty of seating and loud fans, plus being the only college field with a tree in the endzone adds some character to this stadium)   
6. F & M (This field always seemed to be chewed up when I played there.  Uneven spots and divots could be found all over the field.  I give the school credit for staying with the natural surface, but you never knew what you were getting when playing on this field.)
7. Muhlenberg (Quite possibly the worst place to play a football game.  The astroturf surface is unforgiving and impossible to make clean cuts on without the worry of ending your career due to a blown knee.  Playing on this surface felt unnatural and foreign to me.  The facitlities and atmosphere at this stadium were well below average and I see it as an eyesore to the conference.)


As for Juniata and Moravian, I have never played there so I can not provide an honest opinion on thier facilities     

[Pat Coleman]

#1 -- you should've seen Scotty Wood stadium before they upgraded it. Just unfortunate timing that they did it a couple years before FieldTurf/Sprinturf/NexTurf/etc. became all the rage. But the current stadium is an absolute improvement.

[BTEXPRESS]

Pat, agree Scotty Wood is not a bad stadium, it's the turf that is bad with the OLD STYLE carpet instead of the newer style turf. It is an upgrade from the the original field. Not sure of the life expectancy of the turf, but I would have to think the school would not even consider replacing it for another 5 or 6 years at best.

[patcummings]

Dickinson's Biddle Field is practically a historic landmark.  It was modeled after Philadelphia's Franklin Field - the brick facade specifically - and constructed in the early 1900s. 

Following Jim Thorpe's monster performance in the Stockholm Olympics, the celebration to welcome him back to country.  I'm a fan.

Hopkins' stadium is one of the largest in D3, and it naturally loses that aura considering it's never filled for football.