FB: American Southwest Conference

[olddog]

Cru, any thoughts on your team next year. How will the D line be next year, loosing your big tackle...? I know several O linemen are back, I thought your O line was well coached, thoughts on the new position coach? ....People love to talk about the skills, but in D3 Football the shortage of very good players is up front, is the key to being elite is your linemen in D3... Huge difference between top 10 teams fronts versus a team like ours that has hovered in the top 32...Once you get past the Top 50 teams, pretty hard to watch at times.
I also think mentally it is easier for us to get ready to play MHB than your team since the Cru has out played us in 6 of the 8 quarters we played. Some could argue 8/8. Basically on offense we will be better...All but one lineman back. but even a couple back up had starts last year due to injury, QB back for second year and his first spring football, RBs back...but some WR will need to step up, top two gone. On defense, majority of back 8 are back, just inexperienced on the D line, but a couple talents...that could be all conference next year.

My early line is MHB by 14....I think we will play you even tougher than the first three quarters of the play off game.

I must admit to being pretty excited about the potential of this upcoming year. We did lose some big time players but a lot of young players played very well as starters or back-ups and hopefully we can assume they will only get better.

I never worry about our defense as we always seem to have players waiting in the wings to fill spots. We did lose some keys D-linemen but we had some younger studs too, I am more concerned with our secondary which was pretty solid but lost almost everyone.

On offense, I can't wait to see what our offensive coordinator Jeff Shinn and QB coach Cody Fredenburg have done with Zach Anderson over the off-season. Those coaches have been in those roles the last two years and I give them a lot of credit for how good we have been in those two seasons as LiDarral was a beast his senior year and I feel like they can do that with Zach.

I am not sure what new position coach you are talking about as our main o-line coach has been around for quite some time.

To speak specifically about the Redlands game, one huge advantage I think the Cru will have is simply it being our 2nd game of the year and it being your guys first. Getting on a plane and traveling across the country to play a top 5 team is hard, especially when its your first game.

Cru,

I agree you bring up a good point about this game being MHB second game of the season and gives some of those green horns a game to shake out some of the mental errors. Does MHB also do a controlled scrimmage against an opponent ? UR does not, I do not know why. I know the coaches have been asking for a 10th game for a while, it is a largest controversy in the conference. Our conference has not had enrollment problems recently (in fact schools are growing) due to the CA state budget issues. So basically the SCIAC have had their marketing way in CA and raised prices much faster than inflation rates.
I do not think UR's president is into sports as much as past so I doubt one will see any expansion in any sport.

[crufootball]

UMHB typically does have a scrimmage, the last few years it has been against some different schools from Mexico.

As far as support from the administration, UMHB coaches are living the good life, as our current President is a former UMHB baseball player 

[crufootball]

First post in a while, so it was good to see some banter already about the upcoming season.

If you haven't picked up your Dave Campbell's Texas Football, it has some great information about every division and conference. As DIII info is hard to come by, the restrictions the NCAA puts on us is ridiculous, it's always nice to see the info brought up in the magazine.

Returning offense for UMHB includes the QB Zach Anderson, RB's Michael Carpenter, Caleb Moore, and Malcom Miller. We return seven starters on O, including three not he line. Included in the 6 Defensive starters are Deshon Kinsey, Teidrick Smith, and Baylor Mullins. We do lose a bit of the secondary, so that scares me in a pass heavy league.

I did find it extremely interesting that the magazine said that McMurry withdrew its DII request, will return to the ASC, and Bellhaven will be joining the ASC also. Anyone out there familiar with that? What happened to McMurry?

Anyways, sounds very interesting, and I'd love to make the first game against Millsaps.

Here is a link from a local new station when McMurry announced they were living.

http://www.ktxs.com/news/updated2-mcmurry-university-board-to-consider-ending-scholarships-being-in-ncaa-division-iii/24205354

Pat, do you know since they didn't complete their transition to D2 how soon they will count for the ASC automatic bid?

[Pat Coleman]

No, I don't have that information. I suspect the NCAA has to create a one-off process for this. Otherwise McMurry wouldn't be eligible for four years, I believe.

[crufootball]

No, I don't have that information. I suspect the NCAA has to create a one-off process for this. Otherwise McMurry wouldn't be eligible for four years, I believe.

I am hoping for that, would seem harsh to punish a conference that obviously is actively recruiting new members and in fact will have 7 members as soon as the process clears.

[Toby Taff]

I'll see if I can find the article they had locally when McM announced they were returning to DIII, but I think the time table was 2-3 years b/c McMurry is honoring the agreements made over the last 2 years for recruits.

[Toby Taff]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

[crufootball]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

Have you heard anything about the amount of athletes leaving due to the decision?

[Toby Taff]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

Have you heard anything about the amount of athletes leaving due to the decision?

nothing official, but I talk to some of the players when they come in the store. A lot were looking to transfer out.

[Ron Boerger]

...which is typical for a school dropping scholarship athletics.     It's gonna be a painful couple of years for them.

2013 roster:  101. 

Spring '14 roster:  43.    Only 7 players on the '13 roster were listed as seniors so that's 51 who have decided to transfer or quit football altogether.


They'll add some in the fall, the question is how many given that their last coach left 'em to pursue another D2 assistant job in and they didn't hire his replacement until May.    They were only without a (non-acting) head coach for six weeks, so at least there's that. 

[Pat Coleman]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

Yes. That doesn't mean they will automatically be eligible for the NCAA postseason after that, however.

[umhb2001]

But the ASC will still have the AQ?

[Pat Coleman]

But the ASC will still have the AQ?

Unless the rules change or McMurry becomes eligible on a timetable of shorter than four years, the ASC will be in Pool B for football in 2016.

[Toby Taff]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

Yes. That doesn't mean they will automatically be eligible for the NCAA postseason after that, however.

My understanding is that they are looking at a 3 or four year window. I think the presence of Mumme at Belhaven may bring an interesting heat to the conference. I know there are McM folks that are waiting with pen in hand to circle those games on the calendar.

[crufootball]

http://m.ktxs.com/news/how-will-mcmurrys-return-to-division-iii-impact-student-athletes/24231406

This is a link to a story that says they are honoring agreements for the next 2 years and then no more scholarship

Yes. That doesn't mean they will automatically be eligible for the NCAA postseason after that, however.

My understanding is that they are looking at a 3 or four year window. I think the presence of Mumme at Belhaven may bring an interesting heat to the conference. I know there are McM folks that are waiting with pen in hand to circle those games on the calendar.

Well McMurry might be waiting on Belhaven, and I am too because it was a lot of fun playing the Mumme teams, but it seems like the whole conference will be waiting on McMurry.