FB: American Rivers Conference

dbljay21 · September 24, 2007, 02:23:38 PM

Quote from: Walston Hoover on September 24, 2007, 01:53:05 PM
Question for anyone who played/coached against the Knights D since '01-What made them so good? As an offensive player, I really only saw our defense in 1 on 1 stuff and other than going against Vinny K, most of us held our own. Was it the scheme? the players?

I think it was a couple of different factors:

1. Attitude--I would say that it bordered on arrogance and cockiness, but being on a team that only lost 1 in conference (not in the IIAC), I can't say anything bad about being cocky or arrogant. If you win as often as the Knights did and still do, you develop a swagger.
2. Players--There were some very talented players on those squads---McIntire (sp?) King, Zearley, Kelley, Hodapp, Hammes, Breitbach, Bouska, Hoskins, Winter, etc. Those are just some of the names that I recall talking about frequently during our game-planning at Luther.
3. TEAM--The Knights always played as a team. And they worked well together as an offensive unit or defensive unit.
4. Coaching--With a few exceptions, the Knights executed at a very high level, week in and week out. Very rarely did a Wartburg team beat themselves with penalties or turnovers. That is a credit to the coaching staff for having their team ready to play every Saturday.
5. Numbers--There were always a lot of names on the roster and Wartburg plays a JV schedule. That helps with depth and development of talent.

In my experience against the Knights, those are the factors that I would say that contributed the most to the success they had in the IIAC from 2001. I don't think scheme matters too much because there is always an answer or a way to beat any scheme. It is the execution of the scheme and the players in the scheme that make the difference.

And now, I need a drink...I just relived 3 years of rivalry football from the IIAC. 1 blowout, 1 close half, and 1 close game...all going to the Knights

dutchfan1 · September 24, 2007, 02:26:45 PM

WH -- have you seen my Orange Clad Former Co-Worker's baby girl yet? Adorable! When the wife lets him out of the house, we'll all have to meet for beer sometime soon.

Digger -- In case you hadn't noticed, this is a FOOTBALL board, not a board where the cheerleaders (or the band or anything else) is discussed at great length. Have you got anything to say about the Duhawk football team this season?

Oh, apology accepted! (Man, it's great to be back!)

DutchFan2004 · September 24, 2007, 02:29:52 PM

DF1,

Welcome back. We have missed your whit and charm on this board. I guess that is why all the hostility. Nice to have you back. Are you coming to Homecoming this week in Pella?

dutchfan1 · September 24, 2007, 02:39:27 PM

I think so -- some of the girls I lived with are having a reunion, so I'm pretty sure I'll be there.

Go Dutch!

Walston Hoover · September 24, 2007, 02:41:20 PM

The hardest team for me as a player was Central. A couple reasons- It was impossible to cut block their guys on D-When my helmet hit their knee, it was like I just dove head first into a tree. The other thing that made Central tough was the 3-5 they ran. That meant I had to block a LB which meant cut-block (see first point).
I always thought Loras had good DL as well, and UD had good LB's but their DL was bad so they were getting pushed into them all day.
Coe had the toughest scheme. They didn't seem to be too great personnel wise, but they blitzed and stunted from all over. Luther had good DL, but not good LBs.

dbljay21 · September 24, 2007, 02:49:40 PM

Walston,
What years did you play at Wartburg?

Walston Hoover · September 24, 2007, 03:03:01 PM

JV in '99
played 00-02

BeaverFan3208 · September 24, 2007, 04:02:33 PM

Haven't been able to keep up with the board much lately but whats the deal with Vance Shuring(sorry if I misspelled it)? Is his going to be ready for the game this Saturday or will he still be out?

Former Ram · September 24, 2007, 04:33:50 PM

Floyd - I was impressed with Hawkins when he had time to get rid of the ball. He's got a pretty good arm and didn't seem to force things. He did a great job of putting it where either his guy was going to catch it, or it was going to be an incompletion, which as far as I'm concerned is the #1 job of the quarterback. He made a few plays with his feet to buy himself time as well, he would really benefit from a more productive run game, but hey what QB wouldn't.

As for the Wartburg question, yeah I think they've got good schemes, but what I think really set them apart from 01 on is the explosivness of their front four. They seem to always have guys that have an ability to play faster than their opponents. Of course you have other schools like the Luthers and Simpsons that get their big boys in there and make plays that way too, but as an offensive player I always felt I had more of a chance to make plays when I wasn't worried about getting run down by a defensive lineman 8)

sportsknight · September 24, 2007, 04:46:51 PM

Wow, lot of action in the last 2 hours or so.

Digger, couple things...
1. I am SportsKnight. Walston-Hoover is someone else. Try to keep your quibbles with us straight. He wasn't the one that made the crack about the Loras cheerleaders. That was me. Bring it over here.

2. I was at the game on Saturday and did notice the section of bleachers on the bluff across the way. But until people actually begin using them, I'm not going to consider that area "seating." Just my personal way of thinking. From what I saw, the people that did choose to sit on that side of things brought along lawn chairs and didn't bother with the bleachers.

3. Its spelled Loras. If you have a child that goes to school there, I'd think you would realize that. Although I'm sure they will accept misspelled checks.

4. Not real sure where you're getting the idea that I didn't think Loras belonged on the same field with Central. Pretty sure I stated that Loras played Central very close and probably would have won the game if they had more time to work with at the end of the game. For the record, I'm a Wartburg alum that now works in Pella. Not sure I'd call myself a Central fan just yet, and I actually take a little bit of offense that someone - who has never met me and clearly can't properly read what I post around here - would try to identify me as such.

5. Here's a grain of salt. Take it with most of what you read around here.

Thunderbolt · September 24, 2007, 05:25:21 PM

I've been reading this board for a year now, and decided to finally chime in. I enjoy the friendly banter and the occasional over reactions. Mostly, its a good way to keep up with all the games i can't see and listen to. As i've seen several of the same games as Floyd, I'd say his takes are pretty straight forward and on the mark. Sportsknight- I think there should be more than one grain of salt in the starter kit.

DutchFan2004 · September 24, 2007, 05:32:57 PM

Thunderbolt,

Welcome and +k for chiming in. I hope you stay and have some more says once and a while.

Thunderbolt · September 24, 2007, 05:56:01 PM

Thanks DutchFan2004, I enjoyed my first trip to Pella last week. Made it to Waverly and Loras last year. Great venues for football. Looking forward to Mt. Vernon next.

coco · September 24, 2007, 06:00:59 PM

Sheesh, you guys were starting to get rowdy without the DutchFan here. DF1, that is. It's good that she's back and classing up this board again.

I wish we could go back to Iowa and see another game this season. We loved it there.

DutchHawk · September 24, 2007, 06:31:56 PM

Heys,
Im not going to compare outcomes for Central vs Cornell until they play. As for Loras I dont know what happened and I wasnt thrilled with it but Ill take the W.

Coe fans - whats the word on the Beavers this week?

Hopefully Schuring is back and it would be nice to not have to be looking to rely on him so heavily but the series he had against St Thomas looked good, just didnt see much action after that. Hate to see one of the best in the league sit out so much his senior season.