FB: American Southwest Conference

[Bill McCabe]

A few weeks and we'll see if the Mumme crew can handle HSU. Good defense and hopefully a lot of air balls from MCM could prove to be a very exciting game.

After what TLU did to Trinity, I'm looking forward to seeing this weeks game.

Will TLU be able to keep the ball away from McM?  Can TLU stop McM?  This should be a fun game to watch.

When I first started reading D3, who would have thought we would be discussing TLU and McM.

[Toby Taff]

A few weeks and we'll see if the Mumme crew can handle HSU. Good defense and hopefully a lot of air balls from MCM could prove to be a very exciting game.

After what TLU did to Trinity, I'm looking forward to seeing this weeks game.

Will TLU be able to keep the ball away from McM?  Can TLU stop McM?  This should be a fun game to watch.

When I first started reading D3, who would have thought we would be discussing TLU and McM.

I'm trying to decide, its homecoming @ McM and HSU, should I go to the HSU game and support the graduate alma mater, or do I go to TLU- McMand watch what could be a shoot out?

[Kelly Boggs]

LC 62 HPU 28

Way to geaux Wildcats!

McLaughlin sets league record in win over HPU: http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20101017/SPORTS/10170339/1006/SPORTS/McLaughlin-sets-league-record-as-LC-wins-big

Congrats to McLaughlin & his Cat teammates for achieving a significant milestone.

[Ralph Turner]

The McMurry team that I saw on Saturday was definitely the best team since the Braxton Shaver era.

After an open date, we go across the railroad tracks to play HSU on Saturday October 30th.

[Bill McCabe]

The McMurry team that I saw on Saturday was definitely the best team since the Braxton Shaver era.

After an open date, we go across the railroad tracks to play HSU on Saturday October 30th.

Ralph, when was the last time McMurry beat HSU? 

[baddog]

McMurry has not beaten HSU in D3. That would be since HSU restarted their program in 1990. A history book I have shows the last game they played before that was in 1963 and that was a 21-21 tie. The year before (1962) McM won 8-6. So, if this book is correct, the last time McM beat HSU in football was in 1962.

[Ralph Turner]

McMurry has not beaten HSU in D3. That would be since HSU restarted their program in 1990. A history book I have shows the last game they played before that was in 1963 and that was a 21-21 tie. The year before (1962) McM won 8-6. So, if this book is correct, the last time McM beat HSU in football was in 1962.

Stated in another way, McMurry has not beaten HSU since the Kennedy administration.   

[bleedpurple]

HELP WANTED:

Looking for Pollsters for a "soon to be unveiled" D3 TOP 25 FAN POLL.

Publishing site: www.uwwfootball.blogspot.com

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Commit to submit a ballot ranking the D3 Teams 1-25 by stated deadline. I'm thinking that will be midnight on Mondays.
2. Research the teams and try to be as unbiased as possible in ranking them.
3. Think through your own philosophy as to how much to weigh previous ranking, won/loss record, your sense as to who would win head to head, national performances in recent years, quality wins, and whatever reasonable criteria you care to choose.   
4. Submit a ballot EVERY WEEK by the deadline. Missing a deadline will be cause to forfeit your spot. Create and submit your ballot BEFORE viewing the D3football.com poll. You can look at previous weeks polls to get you started if you are having a hard time filling out the last few slots.

PURPOSE OF POLL

This poll is to promote meaningful and fun discussion on d3boards.com.  It is simply something that will be fun to contrast with D3football.com's poll. D3football.com's poll is the one legitimate poll we have in D3 football in my opinion.  This poll is not even intended to become #2. I just think it would be an interesting point of comparison and discussion. 

HOW TO APPLY

Send me a private message. In your message indicate:
1. you are applying to be a pollster.
2. What team/conference you follow.
3. Whether you can submit a poll as early as this Thursday. (That is not mandatory, if everyone can we may do one this week).

WHO WILL BE CHOSEN?

The first 25 respondents will be our initial group of pollsters.  This group will remain the D3 FOOTBALL FAN POLL TOP 25 pollsters unless they resign their position or miss a deadline.  Pollsters, I will never post your names on the boards.  If you choose to, that is fine. If you are beyond the first 25 responses, your name will be placed on a "waiting list".  If there are fewer than 25 respondents by midnight on Wednesday, we will go with what we have and continue to have "open" slots to be filled.

Remember FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED! 

[btyndall]

I know  this doesn't mean a lot but mcm's jvs are playing hardin simmons jv's and I was wondering if anyone heard any news on the game yet?

[crufootball]

I was interested to see if UMHB pass defense would move in the rankings since they had a pretty good game against SOU (only gave up 165 yards passing) only to realize they are still the absolute worst in D3 at 313.5 yards. That is terrible and needs to get better and I think it is getting better slowly.

However while looking at the list I saw that UMHB was not alone at the bottom of this list, we are joined by many of our ASC friends. The ASC has 7 teams that are ranked 200th or worst in pass defense with the only teams not joining the party being HSU and McMurry.

I know the ASC has quite a few teams that like to throw a lot but does anybody have a clue on why our pass defenses are no where near as good as our pass offenses?

[Jerry Bawcom]

Way to go CRU and COACHES.  You put it all together at Oregon.  Great progress in pass defense!

[TxFight]

I think that UMHB looks as if it struggles on pass defense because they've played nothing but pass happy offenses to this point; also UMHB has had really good box players over the years so some teams don't even attempt to run the ball on them;

[CruGuy]

To this point in the season, UMHB's competition is averaging 30 carries a game, so I don't think that it is safe to say that anyone has abandoned the run against UMHB. (McM and LC who we think of as pass happy had 24 & 27 rushing attempts against UMHB). However, UMHB has been very stiff in run defense, while playing *ahem* porous pass defense. In the case of UMHB, I think that this has as much to do with team philosophy as anything else. Even when our defense was at it's best, it wasn't good enough at stopping the running game of UWW to progress to the national championship. I think that this lingering idea of needing a better run defense influences how the Crusaders play defense. Certainly (I hope) the Crusader defense will look better the next four weeks playing SR, ETBU, HPU, and TLU than it did playing HSU, LC, McM, and MC. IMHO, I believe that if UMHB or HSU wanted to move to a 3-3-5, they would be able to recruit the necessary athletes to greatly neutralize the passing game of MC, LC, McM, and HPU.

However, there lies the problem with playing defense in this conference. If you field a 3-4 or a 3-3-5 against UMHB or HSU, you will give up 500 yds of rushing offense and be wiped off the feild. You stand absolutely no chance of being competitive in those contests. If you play one of those defenses for 8 weeks out of the season but move to a 4-3 for the two toughest contests of the year, you are still not giving your team a very good chance to compete at the highest level. It is silly to expect a team to execute well in a foreign scheme against talented competition. Most teams are stuck building a defensive line that can attack the run, sepcifically the option, but then traning linebackers and safeties to tackle running backs and cover slot receivers: a very difficult proposition.

I think part of problem is also inherited from Texas High School football. In this state for the last twenty years, there have been prolific spread offenses at places like Stephenville, Ennis, South Lake Carroll, and Lake Travis. The success at these schools has sparked a disease like spead of the "spread". On any corner you can find 5'10-6'0 receivers who can run the spread and have no chance at playing at the D-2 level. However, if you are 5'10 and can defend against spread receivers and tackle, then you have a D-1 scholarship with your name on it. It's alot easier for the ASC coaches to find receivers to run these offenses than it is to find defenders who can stop them, IMHO.

[BTW60]

McMurry has not beaten HSU in D3. That would be since HSU restarted their program in 1990. A history book I have shows the last game they played before that was in 1963 and that was a 21-21 tie. The year before (1962) McM won 8-6. So, if this book is correct, the last time McM beat HSU in football was in 1962.

Stated in another way, McMurry has not beaten HSU since the Kennedy administration.   

Nor will they beat HSU this year.  You can wish in one hand and spit in the other, see which one fills up first!

[TxFight]

Crukid...i didn't realize that those teams had attempted that many runs against UMHB...but you said it best, UMHBs "weak spot" is in their secondary and teams are going to gameplan to try and exploit that weakness.  Perfect example is Mississippi college last weekend.  This season they have been a relatively balanced attack, and probably leaning towards running the ball more so than passing, and they busted out with what 475 passing yards against UMHB?  I know most of that comes from they were playing behind etc, but I listened to Coach Joseph's interview prior to the ETBU game and he said they had no intentions of throwing the ball around that many times, but they were just having some success throwing it, and little success running it so they stuck with it.