FB: American Rivers Conference

[warthog]

Thought for the day:

Win as if you are used to it, lose as if you don't enjoy the change.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Thunderbolt]

 Any and all doubts I had about Centrals running game, were put to rest Saturday, with authority. The running back and O-Line have made great strides from the past few years. Losing to the Dutch was no surprise, but watching the interior of the Norse defense get manhandled was. I think the Norse probably played about as well as they could for 3 quarters. They turned the ball over inside their own forty on an interception, blocked punt and on downs, in the fourth quarter. Not that the outcome was in doubt, but it would have been nice to see them keep mentally strong for four quarters.

[Charlie Kohawk]

The Knights do have a three year starter at QB that was touted to be the front runner for MVP.  That should be a lot of leadership IMHO.  

Good point. Yordi wasn't even the best player at his position in Walston-Hoover on Saturday, let alone a conference MVP candidate. Of course, the Kohawk defense might have had a little something to do with that.

[warthog]

Over the last ten years most teams in the IIAC have had some ups and downs.

The two worst regular season records for each IIAC team in the past ten years:
Buena Vista 3-7 & 4-6; Central 5-5 & 6-4; Coe 4-6 & 4-6; Cornell 0-10 & 2-8; Dubuque 0-10 & 0-10; Loras 2-8 & 3-7; Luther 1-9 & 2-8; Simpson 3-7 & 4-6; Wartburg 7-3 & 8-2.

It would probably be fair to predict Wartburg will reach a new low.  We know they will be at least tied for their worst record in ten years. The Knights' new low may not be all that bad when compared to conference foes.  I will predict the Knights end 2009 with a record equal to or better than the worst record of every other team in the conference over the past ten years.

The extended four week forecast:

The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being < 5-5.......1%    
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 5-5..........10%  
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 6-4..........54%  
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 7-3..........35%  

[DutchFan2004]

Over the last ten years most teams in the IIAC have had some ups and downs.

The two worst regular season records for each IIAC team in the past ten years:
Buena Vista 3-7 & 4-6; Central 5-5 & 6-4; Coe 4-6 & 4-6; Cornell 0-10 & 2-8; Dubuque 0-10 & 0-10; Loras 2-8 & 3-7; Luther 1-9 & 2-8; Simpson 3-7 & 4-6; Wartburg 7-3 & 8-2.

It would probably be fair to predict Wartburg will reach a new low.  We know they will be at least tied for their worst record in ten years. The Knights' new low may not be all that bad when compared to conference foes.  I will predict the Knights end 2009 with a record equal to or better than the worst record of every other team in the conference over the past ten years.

The extended four week forecast:

The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being < 5-5.......1%    
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 5-5..........10%  
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 6-4..........54%  
The chance of the Knights' 2009 record being 7-3..........35%  

Plus k for the forecast report.  Putting it into weather persons terms leaves you lots of wiggle room.  Then in the end if you left out the 3-7 and 4-6 predictions you can still keep your job.      I know that they fall in the 1% catagory but you know how the weather is in Iowa.  That 1% chance has a way of coming true.

[Klompen]

Congrats to the Kohawks,  Didn't think that Rick Willis' team would lose two in a row.  Coe deserves big kudos for the W against the Knights on their homecoming. 

Haha what, you make him sound like Chuck Norris.  Watch out or he will lose 3 in a row having to travel to Dubuque sporting a defense that can't stop much of anyone at the moment and the magical Z having 330 yards receiving. I might have to pick Dubuque....

Yeah, I don't give much credence to a Willis team not losing two in a row.  That may just be good scheduling that you don't hit the tough teams two in a row. 

But I do know from last year with the Dutch that this is the point where you start to count which teams you think you can still beat and the point where other teams start to realize you are not as mighty as they once believed you were.  Worse yet, they start believing they can actually beat you.  So Dubuque's performance against Simpson may be ill timed for Wartburg.  It can make for a long remainder of the year.  It will be interesting to see how it plays out.  Just so long as it has Central beating Wartburg at the end of our regular season.   

[footballdaddy]

I agree with Warthog's assessment of the Knights. I also see that Heys agrees with my assessment of BV.

Satuday's game was a tale of two halves. Wartburg was better than Coe in the first half more than the score indicated, but Coe was better in the second half much more than the score showed. 

[NewKnightDad]

I know I have not posted in awhile but the comment about scheduling brought a question up.  Do the Iowa Conference teams make their own conference schedule or is it done by the conference?

I have confidence that Coach Rick "Chuck Norris" Willis will not let this team quit.  Wartburg is still a dangerous opponent on saturday.  We have not been a good consistant team this year but have played well at times just not for four quarters in any game.

Someone posted awhile ago that Wartburg fans were not posting at the normal level telling people how good they were.  I think it is clear we didn't know how they were going to play this year. 

I hope whichever team or teams out of the IIAC make the playoffs make a good run in the post season.

Go Knights!

[Klompen]

Congratulations to Hansen and Zweifel on their records, those are freakish numbers!  Here I thought DZ might get player of the week again, well he isn't even in the running.  

Belated congratulations on a great game to Luther.  Reynolds knows how to scramble and the line did a great job of protecting him, even though I think there were some holding calls missed that kept Wong from recording another sack.  Luther played us better than I expected they would, which maybe means last year's drumming of Central was not as big a fluke as I wanted to believe.  This was the first game in a long time that I was nervous.  Luther hung close much too long to feel comfortable.  Finally in the fourth quarter I think Luther's O-line finally started wearing down just enough for us to hurry a lot of passes and the game's outcome started to solidify.  Reynolds is a good QB who reminds me a lot of DF04's son.  He doesn't get rattled, thinks well on the run, and will only get better with more experience.  Too bad he wasn't willing to compete with Snead and come to Central, that would have been a great competition.  Very happy with Snead, but it would have been nice to have both of them at Central.

And yes, I am greedy.  I would have taken Hansen and Zweifel (the player) at Central too.      Throw in Coe's QB from our neck of the woods while I'm at it. 

[DutchFan2004]

Funny stuff Klompen I would agree that having Hansen, or Boyle, or Reynolds would be a good thing.  But one thing my son told me is that a QB gets better with playing.  If you had Hansen, Boyle, Reynolds, and Snead all on the same team which would you play and who would be getting better.  That is what is great about small college football.  There is a stage so that many kids can get better and become or realize their potential.  Football is also a team sport.  The QB can not be as successful as he is if those "Rhinos" (5 lineman) don't do their jobs, and then the 5 other RB's or receivers do theirs.  Blocking, running routes, and catching are all big parts of the game that are lost many times.  If all 11 are not doing there job a team can look bad.  The trouble is that many times its the QB left getting the blame.  When all 11 are doing their jobs to much of the time the QB is the only one getting the credit.  Being the QB you are the hero or the goat to the fans. 

[New Storm]

Funny stuff Klompen I would agree that having Hansen, or Boyle, or Reynolds would be a good thing.  But one thing my son told me is that a QB gets better with playing.  If you had Hansen, Boyle, Reynolds, and Snead all on the same team which would you play and who would be getting better.  That is what is great about small college football.  There is a stage so that many kids can get better and become or realize their potential.  Football is also a team sport.  The QB can not be as successful as he is if those "Rhinos" (5 lineman) don't do their jobs, and then the 5 other RB's or receivers do theirs.  Blocking, running routes, and catching are all big parts of the game that are lost many times.  If all 11 are not doing there job a team can look bad.  The trouble is that many times its the QB left getting the blame.  When all 11 are doing their jobs to much of the time the QB is the only one getting the credit.  Being the QB you are the hero or the goat to the fans. 

Well  Said

[doolittledog]

It's been fun to see UD really pounding the rock this year, instead of that pass happy offense they ran previously

[doolittledog]

Hey spurrier.  How's Cincy doing this year?  They any good?   

Were you conflicted at all last week with your son on one team and your local team with your former coach on the other sideline??? 

[DutchHawk]

Cincy is having a good year, but no way should they be ranked ahead of the Hawks!

Only BCS Top 25 team to beat 3 BCS Top 25 teams.

Arizona
Wisconsin
Penn State

No other team can claim that. Hawkeyes #1?? Haha jk

[BoBo]

Cincy is having a good year, but no way should they be ranked ahead of the Hawks!

Only BCS Top 25 team to beat 3 BCS Top 25 teams.

Arizona
Wisconsin
Penn State

No other team can claim that. Hawkeyes #1?? Haha jk

Badgers are somehow #21 in the BSC standings  , but not Top 25 in any of the TOP 25 polls...do you really think they are top 25 worthy?  I don't.