FB: American Rivers Conference

[Klopenhiemer]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

I do not know if I would go as far as saying that Luther was better last year.  They lost their coach, key players, had players quit, suffered injuries, and still finished with the same record in the conference as they did last season.  This year they beat the Beavers in Storm Lake, which is something that the Norse seldom do.  I would make an argument that Luther is a damn good football team and took a step forward. 

[Klopenhiemer]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

I am not meaning to be a jerk here, but it seemed to me that SK was saying that if you look back a year ago the Central posters would have been singing the praises of a team that just found a way to win regardless of how it looked.  Now correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that was the mantra of the Central football program lately was screw style just win!

[Thunderbolt]

 My point was that BV, Loras, Luther and Coe all lost winnable games with QBs making their first start. And Dubuque may have suffered a similiar fate, had they not been playing Galena or Rock Grove or who ever that was the first game. I don't think that BV and Luthers mid season wins over Waldorf count for anything. Half way through the season new coaches and Freshmen aren't an excuse. Besides Storm Lake and Decorah High School would compete with Waldorf.

[Klopenhiemer]

My point was that BV, Loras, Luther and Coe all lost winnable games with QBs making their first start. And Dubuque may have suffered a similiar fate, had they not been playing Galena or Rock Grove or who ever that was the first game. I don't think that BV and Luthers mid season wins over Waldorf count for anything. Half way through the season new coaches and Freshmen aren't an excuse. Besides Storm Lake and Decorah High School would compete with Waldorf.

I believe it was the Rockford College:  School of the Blind

[Purple Heys]

You were also 2-1 on grass 

Actually, Coe was 2-0 on Grass.

And to me, Cornell was 10-0 on Sierra Nevada (me on SN that is...)   

[Purple Heys]

Wartburg vs. UW-SP is not a lock for Wartburg.  And vice-versa.

I think the general thought is that the 2nd round game could be an "easier" game for the winner of this game.

[Kohawk Krazy]

Throw out non-con games and you have a Coe team that went 4-4 in conference play this season.  Coe went 5-3 in conference play each of the last 2 years.  Throw in a coaching change and I think dropping to 4-4 from 5-3 the previous year isn't that drastic of a situation to be in. 

The Coe QB dilemma has to be a part of the equation, too, I'm guessing...

Not really sure the Coe quarterback Dilemma had much to do with their record in games.   By the end of the season, Coe had found a quarterback.  Maybe things would have been different if the freshman was the starter all along, but he was no where near prepared to start early on.  They did the right thing by starting the senior in Feller, but it was then proven he wasn't the man for the job. 

Look at the six losses and it's pretty easy to figure out why they lost those games:

Augustana - Offense could move the ball down field, but stalled inside the red zone.
Gustavus - See Above.  Four Field Goals kicked in that game, with 3 of them from 30 yards or less.
Loras - 49 yards of penalites on the final drive, allowing Loras to score as time expired or something like that.
Wartburg - Pretty good game.  Bad defensive coverage on the first play of second half, otherwise could have gone either way.
Central - Never in it from the start. 
Buena Vista - Still believe the 12 men on the field penalty killed all chances, as we stopped them on 4th down, yet allowed them to score off the penalty.

[sc_stormchaser]

Throw out non-con games and you have a Coe team that went 4-4 in conference play this season.  Coe went 5-3 in conference play each of the last 2 years.  Throw in a coaching change and I think dropping to 4-4 from 5-3 the previous year isn't that drastic of a situation to be in. 

The Coe QB dilemma has to be a part of the equation, too, I'm guessing...

Not really sure the Coe quarterback Dilemma had much to do with their record in games.   By the end of the season, Coe had found a quarterback.  Maybe things would have been different if the freshman was the starter all along, but he was no where near prepared to start early on.  They did the right thing by starting the senior in Feller, but it was then proven he wasn't the man for the job. 

Look at the six losses and it's pretty easy to figure out why they lost those games:

Augustana - Offense could move the ball down field, but stalled inside the red zone.
Gustavus - See Above.  Four Field Goals kicked in that game, with 3 of them from 30 yards or less.
Loras - 49 yards of penalites on the final drive, allowing Loras to score as time expired or something like that.
Wartburg - Pretty good game.  Bad defensive coverage on the first play of second half, otherwise could have gone either way.
Central - Never in it from the start. 
Buena Vista - Still believe the 12 men on the field penalty killed all chances, as we stopped them on 4th down, yet allowed them to score off the penalty.

Well, it works both ways. I could sit here and say that Coe could have been 2-8, if it wasn't for a last second 48 yard field goal against Simpson and a field goal in overtime against Luther.

I'm a Hawkeye fan, but I hate when people start saying, "Well, we lost 4 games by a total of 12 points." Let's see, we should be thankful that we somehow beat Penn State and Purdue had us on the ropes. So let's be thankful we're not 5-6.

[LCNorse]

My point was that BV, Loras, Luther and Coe all lost winnable games with QBs making their first start. And Dubuque may have suffered a similiar fate, had they not been playing Galena or Rock Grove or who ever that was the first game. I don't think that BV and Luthers mid season wins over Waldorf count for anything. Half way through the season new coaches and Freshmen aren't an excuse. Besides Storm Lake and Decorah High School would compete with Waldorf.

I think Galena or Rock Grove could probably beat RC...haha I know Dakota could...a little NW IL references for all you Iowans...

[Kohawk Krazy]

Throw out non-con games and you have a Coe team that went 4-4 in conference play this season.  Coe went 5-3 in conference play each of the last 2 years.  Throw in a coaching change and I think dropping to 4-4 from 5-3 the previous year isn't that drastic of a situation to be in. 

The Coe QB dilemma has to be a part of the equation, too, I'm guessing...

Not really sure the Coe quarterback Dilemma had much to do with their record in games.   By the end of the season, Coe had found a quarterback.  Maybe things would have been different if the freshman was the starter all along, but he was no where near prepared to start early on.  They did the right thing by starting the senior in Feller, but it was then proven he wasn't the man for the job. 

Look at the six losses and it's pretty easy to figure out why they lost those games:

Augustana - Offense could move the ball down field, but stalled inside the red zone.
Gustavus - See Above.  Four Field Goals kicked in that game, with 3 of them from 30 yards or less.
Loras - 49 yards of penalites on the final drive, allowing Loras to score as time expired or something like that.
Wartburg - Pretty good game.  Bad defensive coverage on the first play of second half, otherwise could have gone either way.
Central - Never in it from the start. 
Buena Vista - Still believe the 12 men on the field penalty killed all chances, as we stopped them on 4th down, yet allowed them to score off the penalty.

Well, it works both ways. I could sit here and say that Coe could have been 2-8, if it wasn't for a last second 48 yard field goal against Simpson and a field goal in overtime against Luther.

I'm a Hawkeye fan, but I hate when people start saying, "Well, we lost 4 games by a total of 12 points." Let's see, we should be thankful that we somehow beat Penn State and Purdue had us on the ropes. So let's be thankful we're not 5-6.

You are 100% correct.  What I was trying to prove was that switching quarterbacks wasn't the reason why our season was so bad.  Other than the Cornell win and the Central loss, Coe's games could have gone either way this season.  There is no question about that.

[DutchFan2004]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

I do not know if I would go as far as saying that Luther was better last year.  They lost their coach, key players, had players quit, suffered injuries, and still finished with the same record in the conference as they did last season.  This year they beat the Beavers in Storm Lake, which is something that the Norse seldom do.  I would make an argument that Luther is a damn good football team and took a step forward. 

Luther finished with a 6-4 record this year one more win than that had last year. 

[DutchFan2004]

If urgency is what has gotten WB through the past few weeks, I'm worried about their playoff longevity.  Urgency got them OT against Dubuque???  That sounds like a one and done forecast, not something I would be talking about in terms of the playoffs.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, Klompen, but a year ago at this time I'd be willing to bet that you'd be singing the praises of a team that "just found a way to win."  I don't think it would take a lot of effort to look back to last year's regular season to find games that Central probably should have won by a much larger margin than they did.

I am not sure that is entirely true.  I think that last year's IIAC was a much stronger conference as a whole.  UD was better, Luther was better, Coe was better, you can argue Wartburg was better and Central was much better.  So to say that Central should have won by larger margins I don't think you can say for certainty.  In the end Wartburg got it done, the rest of the league didn't is the bottom line.  The W's all look the same on the IIAC page.  There aren't pretty ones and there are no ugly ones just W's. 

I am not meaning to be a jerk here, but it seemed to me that SK was saying that if you look back a year ago the Central posters would have been singing the praises of a team that just found a way to win regardless of how it looked.  Now correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that was the mantra of the Central football program lately was screw style just win!

I was not being a jerk in anyway to SK just refreshing his memory.  A friendly disagreement.  If you read my other posts I kind of hit on the same subject that you addressed. 

[sportsknight]

All-Conference Team Released
http://www.iowaconference.com/news/2008-09/1120football.htm

BV's Anderson named Coach of the Year
Loras' McGrew MVP

[warthog]

Slice it, dice it, squeeze it in a jar; the bottom line is the IIAC wasn't considered to be that strong this year.  Witness the fact the conference winner hasn't been in the top 25 poll since week #4.  

Perhaps it will be a fruitless trip to Stevens Point.  That is yet to be determined.  Perhaps you feel Central won the IIAC last year because they are vastly superior in every way and know how to win the close games.  Perhaps you feel Wartburg won the IIAC this year because they are just lucky.  The only thing I know for sure is that this year Wartburg won more conference games than other teams in the IIAC and the Knights' lucky streak has lasted for 10 years or so. (Five #1, four #2 and one #3 finish since the 1999 season)

I'll hold out hope that Coach Willis and the coaching staff can come up with a good game plan.  I'll hold out hope that the players can execute the game plan.  I'll hold hold hope the Knights can win another close one because they are just lucky.  

The IIAC football race is like a dog sled, the view is always the same unless you are the lead dog.  

[dutchfan1]

All-Conference Team Released
http://www.iowaconference.com/news/2008-09/1120football.htm

BV's Anderson named Coach of the Year
Loras' McGrew MVP

Tradition holds -- Willis is screwed again. So was Yordi. Interesting. Anti-Wartburg bias at work again?