FB: American Southwest Conference

[umhb2001]

Hopefully, we can get by without KJ again. No need for him to come back this week. I think we will be fine. I would love to see more jet sweeps, inside pitches, or crossing routes for Sims. Yes, he can go deep, but lets use his legs to make some short passes into something too.

[QB Jock Itch]

I agree, we can't get ultra conservative. I saw lots of frustration from WRs and QB especially in second-half. We've got to many weapons and it would be a way to get the starters out of the game, if you could get a big enough lead. Berry is a big team. They have a 6'4"  235 LB. I watched Berry's game against Maryville and Trinity, I think we match up good against them. Not trying to give bulletin board material but I could see a shutout from our defense.

[HSUCowboy2015]

Hopefully, we can get by without KJ again. No need for him to come back this week. I think we will be fine. I would love to see more jet sweeps, inside pitches, or crossing routes for Sims. Yes, he can go deep, but lets use his legs to make some short passes into something too.

I think y'all could benefit from the play we run with that inside pitch to Evans or Childress, except yall would use Sims. Get him in some open space and let that track speed takeover. Your receivers can block and the o-line can move. That would be dangerous.

[DFWCrufan]

HSU we used to see that with our 2016 Championship team, Jackson to Wilkerson and it was damaging, don't know why the Offense have veered away from it, I could easily see Sims or KJ Miller in that role could you imagine KJ Miller in that role?

[Ralph Turner]

The ASC is 26-15 in the playoffs thru the first round of the 2018 season since the 2009 playoffs.

2011 McMurry lost to UMHB in the second round.
2102 Louisiana College lost to UMHB in first round
2015 HSU lost to UMHB in the first round
2018 HSU lost to UMHB in the first round.

That makes the "non-conference" record 22-11. (.667).

[umhb2001]

Imagine what it would be like if we actually didn't have to play ourselves in the first round. HSU would be able to play with most of the teams in the 1st round.

I get that the essence of D3 is somehow embedded in the structure of the tournament, but really, isn't it going against that same essence when conferences or schools are placed at a disadvantage year in and year out?

[umhb2001]

How can we see the video of the NCAA post game press conference?

Some schools post these regularly. I have begged and pleaded with the Cru Sports department to post these on YouTube, but they rarely do that. There are lots of things that I would like to see done differently, but, I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be heard.

Well, I will admit, I spoke too soon. Here it is! Sorry.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsE-sIHR0apaiXd-wQ226AA

I see I picked up another negative critique. Please explain...

[umhb2001]

Here is the post-game interview from Berry's game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p62ck1bTy9Q

[D O.C.]

And now on to the Bigtop!

I've watched this A&E series on The Circus. One of the most popular 1920s acts in the States was a young lady who did an elevated act that required her to dislocate her shoulder every time she completed a revolution - of which fans counted out loud 77straight  times that she did it.
I don't know about the wear and tear on her ACL, but I completely tore the acromioclavicular joint in 1968 and it pained me to watch her.

[QB Jock Itch]

How can we see the video of the NCAA post game press conference?

Some schools post these regularly. I have begged and pleaded with the Cru Sports department to post these on YouTube, but they rarely do that. There are lots of things that I would like to see done differently, but, I don't know, it just doesn't seem to be heard.

Well, I will admit, I spoke too soon. Here it is! Sorry.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsE-sIHR0apaiXd-wQ226AA

I see I picked up another negative critique. Please explain...

Thank ya sir, appreciate it.

[Coolrey]

Hardin-Simmons is a very good team.  It's disappointing that they had to face UMHB in the first round, but it was a good test for the Cru.  I think if HSU was on the other side of the bracket, they could have eventually been in a position to match-up in the semi's.  I think they are that good.  I felt the same way about TLU back in 2014.  They gave UMHB all they could handle in round 1 and just fell short at the end.  They could have done some damage in the playoffs.  The NCAA needs to re-examine how they set their bracket, but I'm wise enough to know that they won't.  This was a game the Cru needed.  They needed to face some adversity.  They are going to need this down the road when games get tight.  It's very challenging to manage tight game situations when you are never faced with them during the course of the season.  Winning by 50, 60, 80 points doesn't always serve a team well and there is really no way to adequately practice those types of situations.  I'm glad HSU was challenging and I feel it may be beneficial for UMHB to face some tough opponents along the way.  This program is about winning the National Championship, not just getting there or making a deep run, so playing the best teams along the way, like HSU, St. John's and UWW, can prepare this team for MU if they are fortunate to make it through, so long as they don't get beat up with injuries (but that's always a possibility regardless of who a team is playing).  If MU continues to blow the rest of the teams out on their side of the bracket, they will be faced with a tight game challenge in the final that they might be a bit unprepared for.  We'll see...should be fun.

[wally_wabash]

I get that the essence of D3 is somehow embedded in the structure of the tournament, but really, isn't it going against that same essence when conferences or schools are placed at a disadvantage year in and year out?

What is UMHB's disadvantage?  Exactly- what is it? 

Every year UMHB lives in this bracket where every team that they play for four rounds has to travel 1,000+ miles to play them.  You know who travels like that in D3?  Nobody.  Ever.  In a game where routine is so important, nobody gets thrown out of their weekly routines harder than every team that has to go to Belton.  For as much as you whine about how the bracket is unfair to UMHB, from this angle, I don't know if anybody in the field gets a bigger advantage every single year than UMHB does. 

[umhb2001]

I get that the essence of D3 is somehow embedded in the structure of the tournament, but really, isn't it going against that same essence when conferences or schools are placed at a disadvantage year in and year out?

What is UMHB's disadvantage?  Exactly- what is it? 

Every year UMHB lives in this bracket where every team that they play for four rounds has to travel 1,000+ miles to play them.  You know who travels like that in D3?  Nobody.  Ever.  In a game where routine is so important, nobody gets thrown out of their weekly routines harder than every team that has to go to Belton.  For as much as you whine about how the bracket is unfair to UMHB, from this angle, I don't know if anybody in the field gets a bigger advantage every single year than UMHB does.

In my previous post, I was speaking more to the ASC and HSU. Even Pat and Keith see it as a detriment when the committee bounces one Texas team early when you have the championship in Texas. I think also if you go back and look at other posts, I haven't been whining as you put it. You know, for someone who is looked as an aficionado of sorts, you do a lot of name calling and mud slinging towards people. I don't really respect that very much. Your point about UMHB having a bigger advantage than, say, Mt. Union is laughable. Show me a bracket consistently year in and year out that has the toughest road given to anyone but the ASC. Let UWW play Oshkosh in the first round, UMU play John Carrol in the first round, and so forth, consistently over the years, and let me know how you feel then. The ASC routinely has the toughest opening or second round matchup.

[bluestreak66]

I get that the essence of D3 is somehow embedded in the structure of the tournament, but really, isn't it going against that same essence when conferences or schools are placed at a disadvantage year in and year out?

What is UMHB's disadvantage?  Exactly- what is it? 

Every year UMHB lives in this bracket where every team that they play for four rounds has to travel 1,000+ miles to play them.  You know who travels like that in D3?  Nobody.  Ever.  In a game where routine is so important, nobody gets thrown out of their weekly routines harder than every team that has to go to Belton.  For as much as you whine about how the bracket is unfair to UMHB, from this angle, I don't know if anybody in the field gets a bigger advantage every single year than UMHB does.

In my previous post, I was speaking more to the ASC and HSU. Even Pat and Keith see it as a detriment when the committee bounces one Texas team early when you have the championship in Texas. I think also if you go back and look at other posts, I haven't been whining as you put it. You know, for someone who is looked as an aficionado of sorts, you do a lot of name calling and mud slinging towards people. I don't really respect that very much. Your point about UMHB having a bigger advantage than, say, Mt. Union is laughable. Show me a bracket consistently year in and year out that has the toughest road given to anyone but the ASC. Let UWW play Oshkosh in the first round, UMU play John Carrol in the first round, and so forth, consistently over the years, and let me know how you feel then. The ASC routinely has the toughest opening or second round matchup.

In fairness to Wally, he's a guy whose team (if the get to the 2nd round) always does go to UMU and Whitewater, so they have a tougher draw than someone like UMHB (who gets a team from the NWC or SAA) in rd 2. I think the problem is that there is an inherent way the NCAA schedules playoff games that has nothing to do with UMU, Whitewater, or anyone else. They will avoid the flights whenever possible, and it is just a fact that that over half the field is within 500 miles of UMU. That is just a fact. If there were no other teams around them, you can bet they'd be playing the OAC runner up in the first round every year. But it can be avoided, so it usually is. Sometimes, the NCAA policy leads to quirks that seem unfair, like ASC first round matchups, MIAC 2nd round matchups (even though in recent years UST and SJU were both very highly ranked), or Husson always getting a weaker 1st rd opponent than their standing warrants. It has nothing to do with staking the bracket in a certain way for UMU or against UMHB, and everything to do with the 500 mile rule.

[UMHB03]

I get that the essence of D3 is somehow embedded in the structure of the tournament, but really, isn't it going against that same essence when conferences or schools are placed at a disadvantage year in and year out?

What is UMHB's disadvantage?  Exactly- what is it? 

Every year UMHB lives in this bracket where every team that they play for four rounds has to travel 1,000+ miles to play them.  You know who travels like that in D3?  Nobody.  Ever.  In a game where routine is so important, nobody gets thrown out of their weekly routines harder than every team that has to go to Belton.  For as much as you whine about how the bracket is unfair to UMHB, from this angle, I don't know if anybody in the field gets a bigger advantage every single year than UMHB does.

Aside from the #2 team in the country playing the #7 team in the country in the FIRST ROUND, when the next highest ranked team to play another ranked opponent in the first round was #17 (against #24)?

Well, how about the fact that UMHB was placed in a position to run a gauntlet in which they have to beat three top 10 teams (#7, #3, #5), not to mention #20, on the way to the Stagg Bowl. The pairings involving top seed teams are as follows:

UMHB - #7, #20, #3, #5
Mount Union - unranked, #24, #8 (which lost), #4.
Whitewater - unranked, #12 (which lost),  #9, #2.
Brockport - unranked, unranked, #6, #1

If the NCAA wants to insist that they're forced to match #2 vs. #7 in the first round due to the money/geography issue, they could have at least attempted to offset and make up for it by making the path a bit easier the rest of the way. Instead, they stack the deck even further by setting up the most difficult quarterfinal and semi-final match ups available.

As I've said before, it's an obvious attempt to eliminate an "island" team as early as possible in order to limit the long trips that you just mentioned. Is that really so difficult to believe, considering the kind of unfairness and inequitability that they already OPENLY engage in to save a few almighty dollars? There's no rational explanantion other than that, and certainly no rational explanation that could justify it.

Seriously, do you work for the NCAA, or are you friends with/related to someone who is? That's the only reason I can think of for your constant, strident attempts to defend the NCAA's indefensibly inequitable practices when it comes to D3 football.