FB: American Rivers Conference

[DutchFan2004]

The great thing about the conference season starting is all the questions will be answered a week at a time.  The answers start coming this weekend.  There may be more questions to ask but some of the answers are coming (faster than we think) 

[the_mayne_event]

Congrats to Ben McMahon on being IIAC Player of the Week by the way. I'm excited to see if his stellar play continues as we enter conference play. I think the Coe game will be a good measuring stick to see if we are legit this year in the IIAC.

good to see ben get some recognition... he's a burner.. known him for a long time

[sc_stormchaser]

IIAC Standings

Central 0-0 1-0
Simpson 0-0 2-0
Dubuque 0-0 1-1
Loras 0-0 1-1
Wartburg 0-0 1-1
Buena Vista  0-0 0-1
Coe 0-0 0-2
Cornell 0-0 0-2
Luther 0-0 0-1

We haven't even hit the first week of conference play and we only have two teams with perfect records.  Could the powers that be know that the conference championship should be decided on November 15 when Simpson comes to Pella? 

I wish.  Both of us will have their hands full this weekend.  But for the good of the cause, I suppose every other team could just roll over for us so that we can have a shot at two teams in the playoffs!!!

Wouldn't that be great! I was at the Grand View game and please trust me when I say going 9-0 heading into the Central game is wishful thinking...big time. The D gave up over 300 yards, but the offense looked okay for the first game. In my opinion, the weakest link is the kicking game. The kickoffs were absolutely brutal. You know it's bad when we have a linebacker handling the kickoff duties. The PK is a freshman and you could tell. I see he missed a couple of FGs and a PAT in the NW game.

There are many question marks coming in for both Simpson and BV. It should be a good game. It's public knowledge that BV passed on Coach Glo last year...that probably won't play a factor in the players' minds, but you know deep down coach wants to show what they missed out on...it's human nature. Simpson is 18-2 in the last 20 games, so hopefully the trend will continue.

[doolittledog]

I wouldn't be surprised if coach Glo is making darn near double at Simpson than what he would have made at BV from what I have heard Osty was making there before leaving for Loras.  So from a pride point of view you are probably right.  From a checkbook point of view...I bet he is pretty happy to be coaching at Simpson. 

[Klompen]

Wouldn't that be great! I was at the Grand View game and please trust me when I say going 9-0 heading into the Central game is wishful thinking...big time.

Central has just a few challenges ahead too, starting Saturday with a big one.  

[coocooforcoekohawk]

All I have to say is Cornell sucks

Actually, Cornell swallows!

[Floyd in Iowa City]

[On Saturday Dubuque has an opportunity to do something they have only done twice before...beat Luther for a 3rd straight year!!!  The Spartans won 3 straight from '47-'49 and again from '79-'81  There have only been 3 times Dubuque even won 2 straight against Luther '21-'22 and '87-'88 along with the last 2 seasons.  Overall Dubuque stands 18-48-6 against Luther...so they need to go on a looooonnnnnggg winning streak to get this series back to a respectable W-L record

I think this is the year they do it.  The Norse fans don't seem overly impressed with what they have seen this year.  Then again, maybe it is the year.  WB fans have never been this silent during Central-Wartburg week.  Kind of takes all the fun out of it. 

Your right. But just wait for all the "I knew it, and I told you so." comments that start coming in Saturday night. Last year there was a total of 198 points scored opening weekend. I have a feeling, that total will be a lot less this year. I can honestly say I'd love to be at all four venues Saturday.

Thunderbolt,
I assume you are talking about the Knight fans on the "I knew it" stuff.  I am hoping the Norse Defense plays well against the Spartans for the first time since 2005!  The Luther Offense has averaged over 33 ppg against Dubuque the last 6 years, but has lost the last two (51-34 in 2006, 34-31 last year).  I would be impressed if the Norse Offense broke out and went over 30 points again this year, but I am hoping more for the Norse Defense to have a strong day while the Luther run game improves from the Ole game.

[Thunderbolt]

[On Saturday Dubuque has an opportunity to do something they have only done twice before...beat Luther for a 3rd straight year!!!  The Spartans won 3 straight from '47-'49 and again from '79-'81  There have only been 3 times Dubuque even won 2 straight against Luther '21-'22 and '87-'88 along with the last 2 seasons.  Overall Dubuque stands 18-48-6 against Luther...so they need to go on a looooonnnnnggg winning streak to get this series back to a respectable W-L record

I think this is the year they do it.  The Norse fans don't seem overly impressed with what they have seen this year.  Then again, maybe it is the year.  WB fans have never been this silent during Central-Wartburg week.  Kind of takes all the fun out of it. 

Your right. But just wait for all the "I knew it, and I told you so." comments that start coming in Saturday night. Last year there was a total of 198 points scored opening weekend. I have a feeling, that total will be a lot less this year. I can honestly say I'd love to be at all four venues Saturday.

Thunderbolt,
I assume you are talking about the Knight fans on the "I knew it" stuff.  I am hoping the Norse Defense plays well against the Spartans for the first time since 2005!  The Luther Offense has averaged over 33 ppg against Dubuque the last 6 years, but has lost the last two (51-34 in 2006, 34-31 last year).  I would be impressed if the Norse Offense broke out and went over 30 points again this year, but I am hoping more for the Norse Defense to have a strong day while the Luther run game improves from the Ole game.

I was just generalizing about the winning teams fan bases. I wish they had the Ole game archived so I could have another look at what I saw in person. Some times things look a little different a few days after the fact. The good things they did on defense, 260 total yards, two turnovers and no plays over 14 yards, will be hard to duplicate against Dubuque. I hope they can improve on the things they didn't do well, making third and fourth down stops. I mentioned after the Ole game that I thought they looked a little slow. I hope it was just a case of tired legs after a tough training camp, if not, this weekend will be a real challenge.
The offense didn't show many formations or run many different plays, so it's hard to know what to expect. I do think they will run the ball better this week, and I'm anxious to see where the Freshmen QB picks up this week.

[LCNorse]

[On Saturday Dubuque has an opportunity to do something they have only done twice before...beat Luther for a 3rd straight year!!!  The Spartans won 3 straight from '47-'49 and again from '79-'81  There have only been 3 times Dubuque even won 2 straight against Luther '21-'22 and '87-'88 along with the last 2 seasons.  Overall Dubuque stands 18-48-6 against Luther...so they need to go on a looooonnnnnggg winning streak to get this series back to a respectable W-L record

I think this is the year they do it.  The Norse fans don't seem overly impressed with what they have seen this year.  Then again, maybe it is the year.  WB fans have never been this silent during Central-Wartburg week.  Kind of takes all the fun out of it. 

Your right. But just wait for all the "I knew it, and I told you so." comments that start coming in Saturday night. Last year there was a total of 198 points scored opening weekend. I have a feeling, that total will be a lot less this year. I can honestly say I'd love to be at all four venues Saturday.

Thunderbolt,
I assume you are talking about the Knight fans on the "I knew it" stuff.  I am hoping the Norse Defense plays well against the Spartans for the first time since 2005!  The Luther Offense has averaged over 33 ppg against Dubuque the last 6 years, but has lost the last two (51-34 in 2006, 34-31 last year).  I would be impressed if the Norse Offense broke out and went over 30 points again this year, but I am hoping more for the Norse Defense to have a strong day while the Luther run game improves from the Ole game.

I was just generalizing about the winning teams fan bases. I wish they had the Ole game archived so I could have another look at what I saw in person. Some times things look a little different a few days after the fact. The good things they did on defense, 260 total yards, two turnovers and no plays over 14 yards, will be hard to duplicate against Dubuque. I hope they can improve on the things they didn't do well, making third and fourth down stops. I mentioned after the Ole game that I thought they looked a little slow. I hope it was just a case of tired legs after a tough training camp, if not, this weekend will be a real challenge.
The offense didn't show many formations or run many different plays, so it's hard to know what to expect. I do think they will run the ball better this week, and I'm anxious to see where the Freshmen QB picks up this week.

I expect(hope) to see a lot of different packages this week from the norse...trying to get the ball in Kent's hands who is prob their best playmaker and it will let the fresh qb run around a little. D definitely has its hands full.

slow board tonight...ridicules comment to get some action on the board: Wartburg and Central both finish with 2 losses and don't win the conference, beat each other up on first conference game of the year...

[davedevine]

The Wart fans have always been very gracious when they lose to Central.  I can't remember what they are like when they win.

it has been 3 years too long.  You also could have been in a coma during the 4 year stretch the knights won.

I posted results of halftime scores in this series and found it very interesting that Central hasn't led @ halftime in the past 9 games.  possibly 10.    Obviously the final score is only thing that matters.

I just thought it was interesting in this evenly split rivalry Central has never led going into half-time.   7 of last 10 winners  were also decided by 14+ points.   

Coach Willis is 5-4 in the series.  I like him to be 6-4 after Saturday.   I'm expecting another fairly low scoring game. 
WB 17- Central 14-  I'll stick with the recent trend of close games.  The winning streak turns back to where it belongs. 

courtesy of IIAC website:
07-@ Wartburg..        17-14 Central          WB led 7-0 @ half
06 @ Central              13-7 Central in OT   0-0 @ half
05@Wartburg..           37-20 Central          14-10 WB @ half
04 @ Central...           14-10 Wartburg     14-10 WB @ half
03 @ Wartburg           29-3 Wartburg        WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
02 @ Central               14-0 Wartburg        0-0 @ half
01@  Wartburg           31-7  Wartburg       guessing WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
00 @ Central                24-10 Central       10-0 WB @ half
99 @ Wartburg             40-23  Wartburg    21-21 @ half
98 @ Central-in snow    24-10? Central      I think it was tied @ half?  I'm going off memory

[DutchFan2004]

The Wart fans have always been very gracious when they lose to Central.  I can't remember what they are like when they win.

it has been 3 years too long.  You also could have been in a coma during the 4 year stretch the knights won.

I posted results of halftime scores in this series and found it very interesting that Central hasn't led @ halftime in the past 9 games.  possibly 10.    Obviously the final score is only thing that matters.

I just thought it was interesting in this evenly split rivalry Central has never led going into half-time.   7 of last 10 winners  were also decided by 14+ points.   

Coach Willis is 5-4 in the series.  I like him to be 6-4 after Saturday.   I'm expecting another fairly low scoring game. 
WB 17- Central 14-  I'll stick with the recent trend of close games.  The winning streak turns back to where it belongs. 

courtesy of IIAC website:
07-@ Wartburg..        17-14 Central          WB led 7-0 @ half
06 @ Central              13-7 Central in OT   0-0 @ half
05@Wartburg..           37-20 Central          14-10 WB @ half
04 @ Central...           14-10 Wartburg     14-10 WB @ half
03 @ Wartburg           29-3 Wartburg        WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
02 @ Central               14-0 Wartburg        0-0 @ half
01@  Wartburg           31-7  Wartburg       guessing WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
00 @ Central                24-10 Central       10-0 WB @ half
99 @ Wartburg             40-23  Wartburg    21-21 @ half
98 @ Central-in snow    24-10? Central      I think it was tied @ half?  I'm going off memory

So you are saying to the Dutch faithful don't worry about being behind at half as you will come back to win in the second hald as usual?   

[the_mayne_event]

The Wart fans have always been very gracious when they lose to Central.  I can't remember what they are like when they win.

it has been 3 years too long.  You also could have been in a coma during the 4 year stretch the knights won.

I posted results of halftime scores in this series and found it very interesting that Central hasn't led @ halftime in the past 9 games.  possibly 10.    Obviously the final score is only thing that matters.

I just thought it was interesting in this evenly split rivalry Central has never led going into half-time.   7 of last 10 winners  were also decided by 14+ points.   

Coach Willis is 5-4 in the series.  I like him to be 6-4 after Saturday.   I'm expecting another fairly low scoring game. 
WB 17- Central 14-  I'll stick with the recent trend of close games.  The winning streak turns back to where it belongs. 

courtesy of IIAC website:
07-@ Wartburg..        17-14 Central          WB led 7-0 @ half
06 @ Central              13-7 Central in OT   0-0 @ half
05@Wartburg..           37-20 Central          14-10 WB @ half
04 @ Central...           14-10 Wartburg     14-10 WB @ half
03 @ Wartburg           29-3 Wartburg        WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
02 @ Central               14-0 Wartburg        0-0 @ half
01@  Wartburg           31-7  Wartburg       guessing WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
00 @ Central                24-10 Central       10-0 WB @ half
99 @ Wartburg             40-23  Wartburg    21-21 @ half
98 @ Central-in snow    24-10? Central      I think it was tied @ half?  I'm going off memory

kind of says sometehing coaching staffs, doesnt it?

[DutchFan2004]

The Wart fans have always been very gracious when they lose to Central.  I can't remember what they are like when they win.

it has been 3 years too long.  You also could have been in a coma during the 4 year stretch the knights won.

I posted results of halftime scores in this series and found it very interesting that Central hasn't led @ halftime in the past 9 games.  possibly 10.    Obviously the final score is only thing that matters.

I just thought it was interesting in this evenly split rivalry Central has never led going into half-time.   7 of last 10 winners  were also decided by 14+ points.   

Coach Willis is 5-4 in the series.  I like him to be 6-4 after Saturday.   I'm expecting another fairly low scoring game. 
WB 17- Central 14-  I'll stick with the recent trend of close games.  The winning streak turns back to where it belongs. 

courtesy of IIAC website:
07-@ Wartburg..        17-14 Central          WB led 7-0 @ half
06 @ Central              13-7 Central in OT   0-0 @ half
05@Wartburg..           37-20 Central          14-10 WB @ half
04 @ Central...           14-10 Wartburg     14-10 WB @ half
03 @ Wartburg           29-3 Wartburg        WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
02 @ Central               14-0 Wartburg        0-0 @ half
01@  Wartburg           31-7  Wartburg       guessing WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
00 @ Central                24-10 Central       10-0 WB @ half
99 @ Wartburg             40-23  Wartburg    21-21 @ half
98 @ Central-in snow    24-10? Central      I think it was tied @ half?  I'm going off memory

kind of says sometehing coaching staffs, doesnt it?

It tells me that Central never gives up.  That and the fact that the coaches make great adjustments.

[Klompen]

Thunderbolt,
I assume you are talking about the Knight fans on the "I knew it" stuff. 

I was just generalizing about the winning teams fan bases. I

This member of a winning team fan base is on record as saying I don't know what to expect on Saturday, only that I hope my belief in the Dutch will hold true.  So feel free to beat on me if I come back and say I knew it.  I just hope I don't come back and say I was afraid of that.   

[Klompen]

I posted results of halftime scores in this series and found it very interesting that Central hasn't led @ halftime in the past 9 games.  possibly 10.    Obviously the final score is only thing that matters.
I just thought it was interesting in this evenly split rivalry Central has never led going into half-time.    7 of last 10 winners  were also decided by 14+ points.   

Coach Willis is 5-4 in the series.  I like him to be 6-4 after Saturday.   I'm expecting another fairly low scoring game. 
WB 17- Central 14-  I'll stick with the recent trend of close games.  The winning streak turns back to where it belongs. 
courtesy of IIAC website:
07-@ Wartburg..        17-14 Central          WB led 7-0 @ half
06 @ Central              13-7 Central in OT   0-0 @ half
05@Wartburg..           37-20 Central          14-10 WB @ half
04 @ Central...           14-10 Wartburg     14-10 WB @ half
03 @ Wartburg           29-3 Wartburg        WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
02 @ Central               14-0 Wartburg        0-0 @ half
01@  Wartburg           31-7  Wartburg       guessing WB led @ half- breakdown not on site
00 @ Central                24-10 Central       10-0 WB @ half
99 @ Wartburg             40-23  Wartburg    21-21 @ half
98 @ Central-in snow    24-10? Central      I think it was tied @ half?  I'm going off memory

Given that Central has had back-to-back undefeated seasons while many times losing the battle of the stats and coming from behind in the 4th, I think the fact that the final score is the only thing that matters, is obvious.  We agree on something!

I'm not so sure I would say it is an evenly split rivalry though with the all time record between the two schools being 40-16 in Central's favor.  I also find it interesting how people pick their time periods to review.  Recent history is the most important, what happened decades before doesn't matter, but it is still interesting.  You started with 1998 when Central won 27-12 per Central's website.  What about the ten years before that in this evenly split series?
1997 - 35-6 Central
1996 - 33-26 Central
1995 - 27-0 Central
1994 - 14-13 Central
1993 - 21-14 - Wartburg
1992 - 31-21 Central
1991 - 10-6 Central
1990 - 27-0 Central
1989 - 28-7 Central
1988 - 66-7 Central

Wartburg gets credit for improving their program into one of the top two in the conference, but I would hold off on calling it an evenly split series, saying that Central has NEVER lead going into half, or claiming that the winning streak somehow belongs to Wartburg.  That said, I think the Knights should be the favorite to win the game this year.  And I won't be surprised if they do, disappointed yes, but not surprised.  Now a Central blowout would surprise me.  Anything else, including Wartburg winning by a big margin, which I would hate to see, would not necessarily surprise me. 

Dutch - Shock me come Saturday!  Go Dutch!