FB: Conference of New England

[D3MAFAN]

First two games in the series both were classics. Last years game was set to come down to a game tying field goal at the end of regulation until a pick six ended it.

Love the offense and grit of the team. Could've easily have given up after the fumble for a TD by Springfield to go up 11. They have some concerns on the defensive side, especially the secondary, but if Ward ends up being the answer at QB that he appeared to be last night then that offense is going to carry them into NEFC contention.

Jackson, any idea how the secondary struggled. I know traditionally Springfield runs the option and then throws the occasional play action pass. Were there bigs plays given up or simply one on one plays?

[jackson5]

First two games in the series both were classics. Last years game was set to come down to a game tying field goal at the end of regulation until a pick six ended it.

Love the offense and grit of the team. Could've easily have given up after the fumble for a TD by Springfield to go up 11. They have some concerns on the defensive side, especially the secondary, but if Ward ends up being the answer at QB that he appeared to be last night then that offense is going to carry them into NEFC contention.

Jackson, any idea how the secondary struggled. I know traditionally Springfield runs the option and then throws the occasional play action pass. Were there bigs plays given up or simply one on one plays?

Bit the play fake too often. WNE had 7-8 in the box most plays with one on one receivers. Too many times in passing downs Springfield would have a read option that the corners would bite on and leave the receivers wide open. Granted I think all the safeties are new and the DBs are only sophomores so that's something that can be changed with experience. Which is better than just having them not be fast enough to keep up. But its still a concern that needs to be worked on.

[D3MAFAN]

With MIT being 3-0, I don't know what to say of the NEFC, did Salve implode due to the close losses to both William Patterson and Montclair State. It appeared from the box score that MIT was clearly the better team heading into the half, then Salve made the score respectable in the second half. So, is MIT the real deal. I think both WNEC and Endicott will have something to say about that. I think Endicott and WNEC are currently my picks to the crown of the NEFC with MIT most likely coming in third. Any thoughts?

[jackson5]

Can't get a good read on the conference. Haven't gotten a chance to see Salve yet. I expected them and Endicott to be Tier A with WNEC, MIT and Curry Tier B. So far it looks like MIT is the team to beat. When WNEC's offense gets going its the best in the conference. Other than the Maine Maritime game though they haven't played at that level at full 60 minutes. I'm concerned with them not facing a real opponent yet though. Like Endicott but the fact that they struggled the first half against Maine yesterday is a red flag for me. After this weekend we'll have a better idea, but right now I'm guessing it'll be MIT 7-0 WNEC 6-1, Endicott 4-3 and Salve 4-3.

[D3MAFAN]

Can't get a good read on the conference. Haven't gotten a chance to see Salve yet. I expected them and Endicott to be Tier A with WNEC, MIT and Curry Tier B. So far it looks like MIT is the team to beat. When WNEC's offense gets going its the best in the conference. Other than the Maine Maritime game though they haven't played at that level at full 60 minutes. I'm concerned with them not facing a real opponent yet though. Like Endicott but the fact that they struggled the first half against Maine yesterday is a red flag for me. After this weekend we'll have a better idea, but right now I'm guessing it'll be MIT 7-0 WNEC 6-1, Endicott 4-3 and Salve 4-3.

Yes,

I wasn't to able to watch many games yesterday in all of Division III due to my travel schedule, however after going through the box scores and the old comparative verse opponents, I can say that MIT is looking really go right now, but I think WNEC had some key turnovers in the game (not taking anything away from Coast Guard) that probably prevented the wider spread. As for Endicott, I think the strong test against two conference favorites in that of Framingham State and Hobart may continue to help them in the confidence category. Right now I have WNEC at number 1 and MIT and Endicott at #2. As you aforementioned, we will see what MIT is in three weeks and WNEC in two weeks when they face off against a struggling Union team that has had some tough losses over the course of the season. 

[Boxer7806]

Can't get a good read on the conference. Haven't gotten a chance to see Salve yet. I expected them and Endicott to be Tier A with WNEC, MIT and Curry Tier B. So far it looks like MIT is the team to beat. When WNEC's offense gets going its the best in the conference. Other than the Maine Maritime game though they haven't played at that level at full 60 minutes. I'm concerned with them not facing a real opponent yet though. Like Endicott but the fact that they struggled the first half against Maine yesterday is a red flag for me. After this weekend we'll have a better idea, but right now I'm guessing it'll be MIT 7-0 WNEC 6-1, Endicott 4-3 and Salve 4-3.

Yes,

I wasn't to able to watch many games yesterday in all of Division III due to my travel schedule, however after going through the box scores and the old comparative verse opponents, I can say that MIT is looking really go right now, but I think WNEC had some key turnovers in the game (not taking anything away from Coast Guard) that probably prevented the wider spread. As for Endicott, I think the strong test against two conference favorites in that of Framingham State and Hobart may continue to help them in the confidence category. Right now I have WNEC at number 1 and MIT and Endicott at #2. As you aforementioned, we will see what MIT is in three weeks and WNEC in two weeks when they face off against a struggling Union team that has had some tough losses over the course of the season. 

My only grudge against MIT is the strength of schedule so far. They have beaten 3 winless teams and Salve, but they have had Salve's number in the past, beating them 2 years ago when Salve went to the NEFC championship game as a 5-5 team. MIT always seems to play them tough. At least WNEC has what I believe to be two quality wins against Springfield and Westfield. Even though we don't know how good Westfield is until they play Framingham this week, they are traditionally a solid program. Springfield looks to be a contender in the LL and we will know for sure after this week when they play Hobart. Endicott has lost a close game to Framingham who looks to be legit, lost by ten to Hobart, a top ten team in the nation, and beat Kean of the NJAC. I still think this conference comes down to the Endicott vs WNEC game again and I'm leaning towards WNEC again. I think WNEC is going to handle Union this week, and the more I've looked into WNEC the more I like them. I like their running back Cook and I think some of the secondary concerns from the Springfield game are just nuisances of playing triple option teams. But if secondary is truly the weakness of WNEC then they will have a tough time versus Endicott because Ferdette is good.

[jackson5]

Can't get a good read on the conference. Haven't gotten a chance to see Salve yet. I expected them and Endicott to be Tier A with WNEC, MIT and Curry Tier B. So far it looks like MIT is the team to beat. When WNEC's offense gets going its the best in the conference. Other than the Maine Maritime game though they haven't played at that level at full 60 minutes. I'm concerned with them not facing a real opponent yet though. Like Endicott but the fact that they struggled the first half against Maine yesterday is a red flag for me. After this weekend we'll have a better idea, but right now I'm guessing it'll be MIT 7-0 WNEC 6-1, Endicott 4-3 and Salve 4-3.

Yes,

I wasn't to able to watch many games yesterday in all of Division III due to my travel schedule, however after going through the box scores and the old comparative verse opponents, I can say that MIT is looking really go right now, but I think WNEC had some key turnovers in the game (not taking anything away from Coast Guard) that probably prevented the wider spread. As for Endicott, I think the strong test against two conference favorites in that of Framingham State and Hobart may continue to help them in the confidence category. Right now I have WNEC at number 1 and MIT and Endicott at #2. As you aforementioned, we will see what MIT is in three weeks and WNEC in two weeks when they face off against a struggling Union team that has had some tough losses over the course of the season. 

My only grudge against MIT is the strength of schedule so far. They have beaten 3 winless teams and Salve, but they have had Salve's number in the past, beating them 2 years ago when Salve went to the NEFC championship game as a 5-5 team. MIT always seems to play them tough. At least WNEC has what I believe to be two quality wins against Springfield and Westfield. Even though we don't know how good Westfield is until they play Framingham this week, they are traditionally a solid program. Springfield looks to be a contender in the LL and we will know for sure after this week when they play Hobart. Endicott has lost a close game to Framingham who looks to be legit, lost by ten to Hobart, a top ten team in the nation, and beat Kean of the NJAC. I still think this conference comes down to the Endicott vs WNEC game again and I'm leaning towards WNEC again. I think WNEC is going to handle Union this week, and the more I've looked into WNEC the more I like them. I like their running back Cook and I think some of the secondary concerns from the Springfield game are just nuisances of playing triple option teams. But if secondary is truly the weakness of WNEC then they will have a tough time versus Endicott because Ferdette is good.

The secondary is much improved from the first two weeks. Alot of one on one coverage on deep passes yesterday and the DB's didn't get beat. Etuka is very good as is Olson at Safety. Coast Guard had alot of issues with the rain yesterday which lead to a ton of dropped passes and prevented their offense from functioning. Still WNE had a 70 or 80 something TD yard run by Cook called back because of a questionable block in the back call. The drive then ended two plays later on a fumbled snap.

This weekend's game against Salve should give us a pretty good idea of how the conference is going to be for those two teams. I hadn't considered MIT having Salve's number lately. Thinking about it that does make more sense as the MIT-Salve result was pretty unexpected. Unfortunately for Endicott their three games come the final 3 weeks, with two of them being on the road back to back. 

[D3MAFAN]

Salve really gave WNEC everything this past Saturday, it was a really a barn-burner outside the turnovers. I think the turnovers really killed Salve, otherwise it could of easily been a win for Salve, but you have to play the game. I think Salve was the better team, they were more balance than WNEC. Looking forward to the WNEC game against Union this upcoming weekend, Union continues to struggle, I thought they would have gotten their first win against WPI. Hopefully WNEC can continue to be opportunistic and continue to play well and hopefully remain undefeated, a loss this upcoming week will not look to well for the conference.

[jackson5]

Salve really gave WNEC everything this past Saturday, it was a really a barn-burner outside the turnovers. I think the turnovers really killed Salve, otherwise it could of easily been a win for Salve, but you have to play the game. I think Salve was the better team, they were more balance than WNEC. Looking forward to the WNEC game against Union this upcoming weekend, Union continues to struggle, I thought they would have gotten their first win against WPI. Hopefully WNEC can continue to be opportunistic and continue to play well and hopefully remain undefeated, a loss this upcoming week will not look to well for the conference.

Salve looked good, but the game didn't come down to turnovers. Salve has great line play on both sides which caused issues for WNE, but WNEC looked better at all of the skilled positions. Honestly it was a 3 minute span at the end of the first half and start of the second that kept it close. The touchdown off the fumbled punt return and the TD to start the second half when WNE didn't wake up yet kept that close. Without those two scores its a 37-20 game. And not to blame the refs, but they let alot of holds both by the lines and corners to uncalled. That gave Salve an advantage that they wouldn't have had if it was a closely called game.

That said Salve is still a very good team. They're not a 2-4 team that the record would make you think. They'll give Endicott a run for their money and blow out curry, Maine and Cost Guard.

For WNEC, I had some doubts before this week how good they really were. Yeah they were 4-0, but Springfield came down to a last minute score, they didn't really blow out Westfield and Coast Guard was played in a rain storm that prevented Coast Guard from running the offense that they wanted. After yesterday I'm feeling pretty confident choosing them as the favorite in the league. They are legit this year, their QB play is much improved than it was last year along with offensive line play. They also don't have the issues in the secondary that they had last year and the beginning of this year.

[Boxer7806]

I feel wnec will easily handle union this week. That loss to wpi was bad for their program. If union lulls it out though......... it would be a huge step back for the conference

[UfanBill]

Don't ever underestimate Union.  They have talent,tradition and desire.  They will put things together this weekend and  beat WNEC. 

[dlippiel]

I feel wnec will easily handle union this week. That loss to wpi was bad for their program. If union lulls it out though......... it would be a huge step back for the conference

WNEC throws the football well and that always spells trouble for a Dutchmen D that has not had strong play from their secondary in years. That is simply the recipe to beat the Dutchmen, throw the football. With that said, and with Dlip being a fan of this WNEC team (having watched their win over Springfield) he will echo UfanBill's thoughts. This Dutchmen team has a lot of talent at the skill positions on offense as well as some excellent defenders. As of right now this team is a mess, however with the talent they have they should not be underestimated. Dlip see's a possible two TD WNEC win this weekend however, with that being said Dlip would not be shocked if the end result was flipped.

[Boxer7806]

I feel wnec will easily handle union this week. That loss to wpi was bad for their program. If union lulls it out though......... it would be a huge step back for the conference

WNEC throws the football well and that always spells trouble for a Dutchmen D that has not had strong play from their secondary in years. That is simply the recipe to beat the Dutchmen, throw the football. With that said, and with Dlip being a fan of this WNEC team (having watched their win over Springfield) he will echo UfanBill's thoughts. This Dutchmen team has a lot of talent at the skill positions on offense as well as some excellent defenders. As of right now this team is a mess, however with the talent they have they should not be underestimated. Dlip see's a possible two TD WNEC win this weekend however, with that being said Dlip would not be shocked if the end result was flipped.

WNEC can throw, but I think the best part of their game judging by the box scores is their ability to run the ball. I think you might be suprised with how well they do on the ground. I will be watching this game on the live feed this week. I don't think I've ever been more intrigued by a matchup of teams with such a polar opposite record this late in the season. But as you Union guys have been saying, I wouldn't be shocked if Union wins this game outright. I'm just not counting on it.

[jackson5]

I feel wnec will easily handle union this week. That loss to wpi was bad for their program. If union lulls it out though......... it would be a huge step back for the conference

WNEC throws the football well and that always spells trouble for a Dutchmen D that has not had strong play from their secondary in years. That is simply the recipe to beat the Dutchmen, throw the football. With that said, and with Dlip being a fan of this WNEC team (having watched their win over Springfield) he will echo UfanBill's thoughts. This Dutchmen team has a lot of talent at the skill positions on offense as well as some excellent defenders. As of right now this team is a mess, however with the talent they have they should not be underestimated. Dlip see's a possible two TD WNEC win this weekend however, with that being said Dlip would not be shocked if the end result was flipped.

WNEC can throw, but I think the best part of their game judging by the box scores is their ability to run the ball. I think you might be suprised with how well they do on the ground. I will be watching this game on the live feed this week. I don't think I've ever been more intrigued by a matchup of teams with such a polar opposite record this late in the season. But as you Union guys have been saying, I wouldn't be shocked if Union wins this game outright. I'm just not counting on it.

Cook is a beast who would start on every Liberty league team. Only one that he might not start on would be Hobart. He's definitely the load of the offense. If it was a paper, he'd be the part that gets you to a B+. Where WNE excels though is their QB's ability to improvise, along with two great wideouts in Ellis and Walz. Their offense is beating you down with the running game until you have to recognize that you need 7,8 guys in the box and have to respect the run. Once you do that, then they spread the ball out with the passing game for a couple deep plays. Once you start to forget about the running game though and sag the DB's back, they start running the ball down your throat again for 7-8 yards each play. 

Honestly the best way to beat them is to have a defensive line that's stronger than their offensive line to prevent Cook from getting any room and taking the running game out of the equation. If you can do that with just the defensive line and linebackers and allow the secondary to just worry about the receivers, you have a chance at stopping them. Salve and Westfield were able to do this in spurts to keep them in the games, eventually both of them broke though which allowed WNE to do what they wanted in 4th quarter drives to take the lead that they needed.

[dlippiel]

Dlip is excited to see what cook brings to the table. Union has a solid d-line (even though it almost always consists of a three man front, hence little pressure) and two excellent LB's in Thomas Hayes and Jake LaRovera. The D's strength is stopping the run so it will be a great match up for sure. Like Dlip has said before. If you can throw the ball well, even if Union knows it's coming, they struggle to contain the passing game of quality offenses. To Dlip, WNEC Looks like a VERY quality O.