FB: American Rivers Conference

[warthog]

The royal blue & white ..........gasp.............University of Dubuque TEAM hat is packed in the Wartmobile.  Take it easy on me Knight fans.  Coach Willis' dad already gave me hell about the hat at breakfast this morning.  Remember my fashionable new lid is in honor of former Knights and current UD coaches Kyte and Olsen.  I do wish them and the whole UD Spartan family all the best after tomorrow's contest.

After stopping at Flap Jacks in Maquoketa for breakfast in the morning Mr. and Mrs. Warthog will continue north to check out the fall color in and around Dubuque County before heading over to Chalmers Field. I'm thinking a trip across the river for some Spotted Cow might be a good idea.  Don't spill the beans to Mrs. Warthog, I'll tell her I heard the leaves around New Glarus are particularly beautiful this year.  That 4:00 kickoff causes some logistics problems.  Stopping at Breitbach's before the game is too close in time to our breakfast stop. Going there after the game would make our ETA at home later than I wish.  I guess we will make the meal at Balltown a stop for another trip. (Maybe on the way home from Luther in November)

OK Spartan and Knight fans, drive carefully.  The white tail deer and the John Deere combines will be sharing the road with us tomorrow.  We'll see you in Dubuque.

[OhIowa]

The royal blue & white ..........gasp.............University of Dubuque TEAM hat is packed in the Wartmobile.  Take it easy on me Knight fans.  Coach Willis' dad already gave me hell about the hat at breakfast this morning.  Remember my fashionable new lid is in honor of former Knights and current UD coaches Kyte and Olsen.  I do wish them and the whole UD Spartan family all the best after tomorrow's contest.

After stopping at Flap Jacks in Maquoketa for breakfast in the morning Mr. and Mrs. Warthog will continue north to check out the fall color in and around Dubuque County before heading over to Chalmers Field. I'm thinking a trip across the river for some Spotted Cow might be a good idea.  Don't spill the beans to Mrs. Warthog, I'll tell her I heard the leaves around New Glarus are particularly beautiful this year.  That 4:00 kickoff causes some logistics problems.  Stopping at Breitbach's before the game is too close in time to our breakfast stop. Going there after the game would make our ETA at home later than I wish.  I guess we will make the meal at Balltown a stop for another trip. (Maybe on the way home from Luther in November)

OK Spartan and Knight fans, drive carefully.  The white tail deer and the John Deere combines will be sharing the road with us tomorrow.  We'll see you in Dubuque.

Trying to decide who to cheer for in the Wartburg/Dubuque game is like a Bears fan choosing in a Packers/Vikings game.  For whatever sick reason, I am hoping to see the Spartans continue their run.  Yes, I was dropped on my head as a child.  As usual, I will be pulling for my Rams to put a complete game together against the Storm.  It would be nice to see Cornell get a run game going to help take the pressure off Flores a little bit and open up a solid passing game for the Rams.  We have been close the last few years, and unfortunately, the untimely lapses in giving up a big play or turnover have killed us.  Nonetheless, LET'S GO RAMS!!!!!

Warthog, I must say your choice in stopping at Flap Jack's in Maquoketa is a wise one.  I grew up there and spent many mornings there following a Friday night game.  It's a great place to sit and talk with the locals.  I'm sure they can help point you on some good Fall foliage routes.  If it's not out of your way, I would recommend taking the Caves Road through Canton and into Onslow.  A beautiful drive anytime of the year.

Good luck to everyone this weekend!

[Fannosaurus Rex]

I will root for Wartburg to beat Dubuque.  Just because that seems to give Central its best shot at the conference title after they win out.  Considering their recent history, I don't begrudge a good season to Dubuque.  If they plan to make a habit of beating Central though, they should can move to that Wisconsin conference.  If the New York Giants can play across the river in New Jersey, then a team in Dubuque ought to be able say they are in Wisconsin.

But more important, what's it going to take for Central to beat the Beavers?  The improvement I would like to see this week is for the Dutch defense to tighten up and throw a shut-out.

[CaliRamRL6]

I hear ya on the complete game from Cornell. It would be nice if they get the run game going and then let Scully go play jump ball with the Simpson DBs.

[Outside the Crate]

I was just catching up on the conversation, which I normally watch silently.  However, all the talk about Cornell leaving because of higher admission standards needs to be corrected. Cornell is a very fine college, but in no way better or more competitive than (in alphabetical order) Central, Coe, Luther, Wartburg.  I'm not sure it's more competitive than Loras or Simpson of late.  In my view, Cornell's biggest recruiting problem -- for all co-curriculars and not just football -- is the one-course-at-a-time curriculum.  This curriculum has its advantages, but in my experience a very small percentage of students are attracted by it.

I think this is partly why Cornell tends to graduate people in fields like psychology and economics.  Conversely, Wartburg is more of a science school (biology is the largest major) -- and can you imagine taking Advanced Inorganic Chemistry in 3.5 weeks?

I'm sure there are some stuffed shirts in the Cornell constituency who also like the reflected glory of being associated with Grinnell and Lawrence, which are the two high powered liberal arts colleges in the Midwest.  All the rest, however, are "normal" good colleges as Cornell will continue to be in its new conference:  solid, among the better liberal arts colleges.  Let me stress that Cornell is definately a place I would send my own children, and I hate to lose them from the IIAC.

Colleges have reputations for things they did 20 years ago.  It takes public perceptions a long time to catch up with reality.  A number of the Midwest Conference colleges do a lot of living on reputation.  Conversely, the IIAC has mostly "up and comers" -- colleges that have consistently improved over the past 20 years and grown in strength.  I don't think we sufficiently celebrate the high academic quality of the IIAC colleges.

Back to football.  Coach Willis said at the Booster Club Luncheon the other day that they have had 50 players miss time due to injuries.  Yikes.  Their sideline a couple weeks ago looked like an outpatient waiting room!

...back into my shell.

[doolittledog]

OK Spartan and Knight fans, drive carefully.  The white tail deer and the John Deere combines will be sharing the road with us tomorrow.  We'll see you in Dubuque.

I drove from Waterloo over to Iowa Falls, down to Marshalltown and then back up to the office in Reinbeck today.  Deer roadkill all over the place, one dead Coyote, I've seen loads of dead fox this year...not sure what's up with that, and I saw one burned up combine sitting in a field just west of Grundy Center.  I hope the driver was able to escape to safety. 

Let's all drive safely this weekend and keep all the players on the field healthy.  Looking forward to a great weekend.   

[Klompen]

Great to see the video of Chris Norton, and fun to see the video of The Miracle in the Mud and to hear Dutch Radio nearly lose his voice yelling "Dutch Win" over and over and over again.  Rex, you are right, Big Al did make some comments that you did not hear on that tape.  I thought I recalled him saying rather calmly, "I think we just won the game" and "I have to get down there".  At which point our own Dutch Radio went into excited overdrive, not that I blame him a bit.  As another fan that did not make it to the game, I heard, "I think we just won the game" and wondered how that could be since the kick never got off the ground.  Of course, at that time, I didn't have video to show that Central and a few Linfield players were still playing while the rest of the Linfield team was running onto the field.  I just remember a whole lot of arguing about the validity of the results that IMHO kept Central from being able to prepare for the next week and it showed. 

Good luck and stay healthy to all of the teams tomorrow.  Dutch just need to take it one game at a time and hope somewhere along the way UD gets beat, though it won't hurt my feelings if it doesn't happen tomorrow.     What can I say, I like the UD faithful.  Given the number of really down years that they had, their fans were with them through thick and thin, and I don't see a ton of new UD fans hopping on and shooting their mouths off about how great they are as some fans tend to do.  Where is ShowMe anyway?  Oh, and I wouldn't mind a little of the kool-aide from Idaho Soccer either. 

I think sleeping in, then going to watch my Dutch win over BV and coming home to catch some awesome UD video of what should be a great game, sounds like a good way to spend tomorrow.  Go Dutch and Spartans. 

[DBQ1965]

Back in my old stomping grounds.  Had dinner tonight at the West Dubuque Tap ... then an Alumni Social time at the DBQ Country Club.  Tomorrow morning breakfast at Peters Commons ... then a visit to the bookstore for more UD gear.  Lunch at the great Chalapaty facility where my good friend Dave Bacon gets inducted into the UD Athletic Hall of Fame.  Is it too much then to ask the Great Coach in the sky for a Spartan victory?  I think not!!!

GO SPARTANS!

[warthog]

Back in my old stomping grounds.   
Is it too much then to ask the Great Coach in the sky for a Spartan victory?  I think not!!!

GO SPARTANS!

The Great Coach in the sky must be in a quandary.  I understand, over on the hill held by the Lutherans about a mile from the UD campus, there is a prayer session going on this very moment by students and faculty of Wartburg Seminary.  I believe they are asking for a Knights' victory. 

[5 Words or Less]

Nice article about Wyatt Hanus

... head coach Stan Zweifel promised [Hanus] when he recruited him a few years ago.  "Coach Z came to me and said, 'By the time you graduate, you're gonna win a championship,"' said Hanus.

... Coe College and Dubuque wanted Hanus. He went to the Spartans because of the facilities and the coach, who didn't give his recruit a soft sell.  "Coach Z was fantastic," said Hanus. "He was a guy who was up in my face - the kind of guy I wanted to play for. He didn't come there and say ... 'We may or may not win.' It was, 'We are gonna win.' He really enticed me to play at UD."

[Ash Park]

That article states the Spartans are ranked for the first time. I could have sworn the Spartans were ranked in 2007 when they went on a pretty good run and ended up 7-3.

[AZDutchman]

Wow! I wouldn't even know where to start with what I'm seeing on the field? I could sit here and cherry coat on how they're trying hard and the ball is just not falling their way, but I can't. This is just plan hard to watch.

One of the things I used to tell my players is that you have young bodies....use them. Give the best the you can, play hard when your on the field and hustle on and off the field between plays.

I can't believe that I seen (multiple times) someone miss their block and they're running (more like a slow jog) off the field while Snead (qb) is still under the defense man that they missed??? Have you ever heard of helping your qb up?
I even seen players walking off the field? If I had players walking off the field, I would help them out by letting them rest on the bench. There's many coaches that I know that would sit their players in a heartbeat if they seen anyone walking off the field.

It also drives me completely crazy to see players stand flat footed, not ready or confused on their plays/coverage. Another thing I would point out is that you need to start with the basics and fundamentals of the game. Like tackling by wrapping the players, not trying to just knock them down.

I almost feel like I should apologize for this post, but I can't. This is not a case of armchair coaching. I know football and someone needs to get back to the drawing board. It's possible that they can pull this game off, but I'm not sure if I can keep one eye open to see if they do?



*I just seen three players WALK off the field after the last series.*

[AZDutchman]

A Big Congratulations to the BV team for their hustle, hard play and excitement in your play!

[Klompen]

I am with you AZD.  That was the hardest game to watch I have ever seen.  Congratulations to BV for taking advantage of the multiple Central mistakes and for being prepared to come and play the game.  You knew that the game had to be played before the outcome was decided--something Central clearly forgot.  Central was not ready to play today and I have never seen a Central team make so many offensive mistakes and by the experienced players no less.  Central did not deserve to win this game.  Yes, I'm glad they did, but as a team, they did not deserve it. 

That said, I would like to recognize freshman kicker Kevin Sheldon for making every point attempt where the ball got placed for kicking.  It was a day where the freshmen really showed up as my new favorite player, Josh Osborn, really came through with a beautiful 54 yard touchdown run to FINALLY get Central on the board.  I do have to give credit also to the defense that played a good game, considering how generous Central was with the ball.  Four fumbles, 2 lost, 2 interceptions, a punt blocked for a touchdown.  Hard to be happy about this win.  UGLY, UGLY, UGLY! 

AZD said it, we need some fundamentals, but it needs to be taught to the previously "best players".  I mean reallty, running into our own receiver as he is trying to catch the ball, forcing a fumble?  I know you were probably watching the ball, but really, on a short kick, you should know where your other receivers are.  For a team on a "dry" campus, you played like you were hung over.  Like AZD, I feel like I should apologize for this post, but reality is reality and Central got a reality check today.  This was not a Central win to be proud of.

[AZDutchman]

I am with you AZD.  That was the hardest game to watch I have ever seen.  Congratulations to BV for taking advantage of the multiple Central mistakes and for being prepared to come and play the game.  You knew that the game had to be played before the outcome was decided--something Central clearly forgot.  Central was not ready to play today and I have never seen a Central team make so many offensive mistakes and by the experienced players no less.  Central did not deserve to win this game.  Yes, I'm glad they did, but as a team, they did not deserve it. 

That said, I would like to recognize freshman kicker Kevin Sheldon for making every point attempt where the ball got placed for kicking.  It was a day where the freshmen really showed up as my new favorite player, Josh Osborn, really came through with a beautiful 54 yard touchdown run to FINALLY get Central on the board.  I do have to give credit also to the defense that played a good game, considering how generous Central was with the ball.  Four fumbles, 2 lost, 2 interceptions, a punt blocked for a touchdown.  Hard to be happy about this win.  UGLY, UGLY, UGLY! 

AZD said it, we need some fundamentals, but it needs to be taught to the previously "best players".  I mean reallty, running into our own receiver as he is trying to catch the ball, forcing a fumble?  I know you were probably watching the ball, but really, on a short kick, you should know where your other receivers are. For a team on a "dry" campus, you played like you were hung over.  Like AZD, I feel like I should apologize for this post, but reality is reality and Central got a reality check today.  This was not a Central win to be proud of.

I want to say that it's funny that you mentioned this because I was thinking the same thing,
but I find it hard to find any kind of humor with this game.