FB: American Southwest Conference

[Cowboy2]

   

Current forecast is showing 37 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff. Hopefully that holds up.

[/quote]

I was at the Stagg Bowl in 2016 and it was 23* and windy at game time.  I was amused to see a few Wisconsin-Oshkosh players warming up before the game, topless.  Oh, the hubris of youth.  I don't know whether they intended to impress or intimidate, but the Crusader players just laughed at them.  And all they got for their trouble was a loss, and presumably, nipple frostbite.  Just line up and play.
[/quote]

Must have watched OBJ and the giants that year in the playoffs when the warmed up the same way at Green Bay in the playoffs.

[Toby Taff]

When I played OLine in college (back in the dark ages) we played a game in a freak blizzard in Texas. The field was covered in snow and sleet and cold mud (no turf back then) and the line markers were invisible. At a time-out our trainers would run out water in Coke bottles in those wooden cases (remember them?).  During one stoppage I grabbed a bottle out of the case and took a big swig, only to discover that one of the trainers had substituted some Southern Comfort for water.  I broke a finger that day, but had the most fun I ever had in a game.  OLine guys love bad conditions.

That's awesome! Great memory. Sorry about the break. What town? I tell people, having been all over and hunted in some brutal conditions, Texas gulf coast in high 30s to low 40s, with the wind and humidity, is one of the most discomforting colds one will ever feel. Cuts through anything you put on.

I find people never believe me when I tell them the most bone chilling cold I've ever felt was in Texas. Moist air, high wind, and single digit temps.I couldnt get comfortable in the house wrapped in a blanket.

[Cowboy2]

When I played OLine in college (back in the dark ages) we played a game in a freak blizzard in Texas. The field was covered in snow and sleet and cold mud (no turf back then) and the line markers were invisible. At a time-out our trainers would run out water in Coke bottles in those wooden cases (remember them?).  During one stoppage I grabbed a bottle out of the case and took a big swig, only to discover that one of the trainers had substituted some Southern Comfort for water.  I broke a finger that day, but had the most fun I ever had in a game.  OLine guys love bad conditions.

That's awesome! Great memory. Sorry about the break. What town? I tell people, having been all over and hunted in some brutal conditions, Texas gulf coast in high 30s to low 40s, with the wind and humidity, is one of the most discomforting colds one will ever feel. Cuts through anything you put on.

I find people never believe me when I tell them the most bone chilling cold I've ever felt was in Texas. Moist air, high wind, and single digit temps.I couldnt get comfortable in the house wrapped in a blanket.

I agree. Lol there's Nothing worse than February early season Track meets...taking the sweats off and having to run a 400m. Try to hurry around the track so you can put them right back in.  Seems like every last back stretch 100m was always into a wall of wind that would stand you straight up and throw a monkey on your back.

[UMHB03]

I am a Central College fan and I was at last Saturday's game at UWW.  Since it appears that conditions for this Saturday's game will be even colder, wetter, windier and later in the day, I feel compelled to offer some survival advice.  If I had to go to the game, I would bring an empty hot water bottle with me.  Then, when I got inside the stadium, I would go to the men's room on the visitors' side and fill it up.  The water that comes out of the hand washing spigot is scalding. You will probably need a cup or something since I don't know if a hot water bottle will fit in the basin.  Anyway, take your toasty hot water bottle up to your seat in the stands and stick it on your lap under your coat.  It won't save your face, feet, and hands from frost bite, but if you can keep the chill off of your core, it may save you from hypothermia. I don't want to sound like I spent the game in the men's room, but it is good to know that ones at UWW are comfortably heated.     

Current forecast is showing 37 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff. Hopefully that holds up.

Precipitation worries more than cold, as Whitewater's offense is tailor made for sloppy conditions, while UMHB's isn't quite as good at smash mouth and is more dependent on the passing game.

I don't feel this way at all. We have three capable backs and two capable QBs. I think we will play well in this environment. Our offensive line is also getting better with each game.

I don't think our OL is capable of just lining up against UWW's big DL and pushing them around without a passing threat. Not that UMHB's OL is bad, it just isn't built for that. In the trenches, UWW is known for that kind of football. Just my opinion.

Thankfully it doesn't look like the weather will be a hindrance to either aspect of the offense, we should hopefully be able to keep their defense off balance.

[Ralph Turner]

When I played OLine in college (back in the dark ages) we played a game in a freak blizzard in Texas. The field was covered in snow and sleet and cold mud (no turf back then) and the line markers were invisible. At a time-out our trainers would run out water in Coke bottles in those wooden cases (remember them?).  During one stoppage I grabbed a bottle out of the case and took a big swig, only to discover that one of the trainers had substituted some Southern Comfort for water.  I broke a finger that day, but had the most fun I ever had in a game.  OLine guys love bad conditions.

That's awesome! Great memory. Sorry about the break. What town? I tell people, having been all over and hunted in some brutal conditions, Texas gulf coast in high 30s to low 40s, with the wind and humidity, is one of the most discomforting colds one will ever feel. Cuts through anything you put on.

I find people never believe me when I tell them the most bone chilling cold I've ever felt was in Texas. Moist air, high wind, and single digit temps.I couldnt get comfortable in the house wrapped in a blanket.

I agree. Lol there's Nothing worse than February early season Track meets...taking the sweats off and having to run a 400m. Try to hurry around the track so you can put them right back in.  Seems like every last back stretch 100m was always into a wall of wind that would stand you straight up and throw a monkey on your back.

So, you got to stop after 1 lap?

I still had 3 more to go in a very thin nylon track singlet!  Not that the old fashioned cotton sweat suits did a very good job of stopping the wind.   

[Etchglow]

When I played OLine in college (back in the dark ages) we played a game in a freak blizzard in Texas. The field was covered in snow and sleet and cold mud (no turf back then) and the line markers were invisible. At a time-out our trainers would run out water in Coke bottles in those wooden cases (remember them?).  During one stoppage I grabbed a bottle out of the case and took a big swig, only to discover that one of the trainers had substituted some Southern Comfort for water.  I broke a finger that day, but had the most fun I ever had in a game.  OLine guys love bad conditions.

That's awesome! Great memory. Sorry about the break. What town? I tell people, having been all over and hunted in some brutal conditions, Texas gulf coast in high 30s to low 40s, with the wind and humidity, is one of the most discomforting colds one will ever feel. Cuts through anything you put on.

I find people never believe me when I tell them the most bone chilling cold I've ever felt was in Texas. Moist air, high wind, and single digit temps.I couldnt get comfortable in the house wrapped in a blanket.

I agree. Lol there's Nothing worse than February early season Track meets...taking the sweats off and having to run a 400m. Try to hurry around the track so you can put them right back in.  Seems like every last back stretch 100m was always into a wall of wind that would stand you straight up and throw a monkey on your back.

So, you got to stop after 1 lap?

I still had 3 more to go in a very thin nylon track singlet!  Not that the old fashioned cotton sweat suits did a very good job of stopping the wind.   

Was it uphill both ways? .  I think the coldest sporting event I ever participated in was a baseball scrimmage one year during one of those freak cold fronts.  Needless to say, I bought a long sleeved undershirt the next week.

[CruFrenzy]

I am a Central College fan and I was at last Saturday's game at UWW.  Since it appears that conditions for this Saturday's game will be even colder, wetter, windier and later in the day, I feel compelled to offer some survival advice.  If I had to go to the game, I would bring an empty hot water bottle with me.  Then, when I got inside the stadium, I would go to the men's room on the visitors' side and fill it up.  The water that comes out of the hand washing spigot is scalding. You will probably need a cup or something since I don't know if a hot water bottle will fit in the basin.  Anyway, take your toasty hot water bottle up to your seat in the stands and stick it on your lap under your coat.  It won't save your face, feet, and hands from frost bite, but if you can keep the chill off of your core, it may save you from hypothermia. I don't want to sound like I spent the game in the men's room, but it is good to know that ones at UWW are comfortably heated.     

Current forecast is showing 37 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff. Hopefully that holds up.

Precipitation worries more than cold, as Whitewater's offense is tailor made for sloppy conditions, while UMHB's isn't quite as good at smash mouth and is more dependent on the passing game.

I don't feel this way at all. We have three capable backs and two capable QBs. I think we will play well in this environment. Our offensive line is also getting better with each game.

Our offensive line is getting better you're right, but imo the passing game improvement has helped open up some bigger holes. Also I think UWW is more equipped to line up and play effective run stop D on us if we can't pass, from what I've seen they're a good deal more physical up front (and bigger) than Linfield was. However, I think we will have another advantage with our reciever's size and athleticism vs the UWW secondary. Good secondary but that should be our biggest advantage if the weather is nice.

[Cowboy2]

I am a Central College fan and I was at last Saturday's game at UWW.  Since it appears that conditions for this Saturday's game will be even colder, wetter, windier and later in the day, I feel compelled to offer some survival advice.  If I had to go to the game, I would bring an empty hot water bottle with me.  Then, when I got inside the stadium, I would go to the men's room on the visitors' side and fill it up.  The water that comes out of the hand washing spigot is scalding. You will probably need a cup or something since I don't know if a hot water bottle will fit in the basin.  Anyway, take your toasty hot water bottle up to your seat in the stands and stick it on your lap under your coat.  It won't save your face, feet, and hands from frost bite, but if you can keep the chill off of your core, it may save you from hypothermia. I don't want to sound like I spent the game in the men's room, but it is good to know that ones at UWW are comfortably heated.     

Current forecast is showing 37 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff. Hopefully that holds up.

Precipitation worries more than cold, as Whitewater's offense is tailor made for sloppy conditions, while UMHB's isn't quite as good at smash mouth and is more dependent on the passing game.

I don't feel this way at all. We have three capable backs and two capable QBs. I think we will play well in this environment. Our offensive line is also getting better with each game.

Our offensive line is getting better you're right, but imo the passing game improvement has helped open up some bigger holes. Also I think UWW is more equipped to line up and play effective run stop D on us if we can't pass, from what I've seen they're a good deal more physical up front (and bigger) than Linfield was. However, I think we will have another advantage with our reciever's size and athleticism vs the UWW secondary. Good secondary but that should be our biggest advantage if the weather is nice.

I think the OL will be okay. Yea UWW has some hogs but so does UMHB. Skill guys are pretty big too.. UMHB also had a gauntlet the first three rounds of some very physical DLs they've had to face. UWW really only had one test so far, and it was against a team where their passing offense was their strength. This week not so much.

I predicted UMHb  to win last week by 2-3 scores. I think this week will be tough game but there shouldn't be some huge change from what they have already seen in rounds 1-3 defensively. UWW will be very very very good, but I think if they can buy the QB  some time to so that he's not hurried, the Cru will win. Not sure if UWW has the speed outside to blanket all UMHBs skill players. If the Cru has any running game they win. UWW will have to keep an extra man in the box. Now if they stuff the run/box and get a decent pass rush, then UMHB may have a problem because I don't think the QB will be able to sit there and pick them a part going to 2nd or 3rd reads. Their passing game worked last week because Linfield had to honor the run.

They will need to get up early so that UWW cant sit there and pound it play after play and run the clock out. Should be a pretty evenly matched game. Just my thoughts

[BoBo]

^^ All I can say is wow cowboy - if you could read my mind, you'd be in tears!!

[bleedpurple]

^^ All I can say is wow cowboy - if you could read my mind, you'd be in tears!!

Saturday is going to be really fun. 

[jdlenzD3]

It's cool that the teams get to play at HoF stadium and all, but northern Ohio in late December can be a miserable place.  Why not put the game inside or at a better climate location???  I know Florida has no D3 football, but put it in Orlando, destination city with lots to do and easy to get there by plane.  And the weather should be much better than Canton Ohio.

All of these things were selling points to having the Stagg Bowl in the Houston area in 2018/19.  Things that happened:
2018 - cold and windy, really wasn't much different than a Salem Stagg Bowl, tbh; super limited attendance from Mount Union
2019 - cold and rainy, super limited attendance by both teams- yes, airports are abundant in the Houston area, but week-of tickets during Christmas week are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, even for fans traveling from another major travel hub (Chicago)

We learned that we can't guarantee good weather no matter where you go, the idea of convenient and accessible travel is pretty much a myth, and if there isn't a local-ish team involved in an area that is not a D3-heavy area, you can't count on walk up at the gate.  It might be cold in Canton on 12/17, but that game attendance is going to be over 1362 no matter which two of these four remaining teams advance because there are plenty of fans in the region that can and will get there.

Perhaps naively, I expected the same for the 2019 Stagg Bowl regarding attendance by D-III football fans in Texas.  How many times do you get an NCAA National Championship event in your back yard?  Even though UMHB didn't make it to the 2019 championship game, my wife and I went.  We sat on the home side, and rooted for North Central.  What a great game!  We saw just a few other UMHB fans on the North Central side.

It was our 4th Stagg Bowl in a row - two road trips to Salem and two road trips to Shenandoah.

For me, it's not just about supporting your team, it's about supporting the event.  We found this to be true at the 2017 Stagg Bowl in Salem.  Local folks sitting behind us were there supporting the event, not because of the teams playing.

[Etchglow]

It's cool that the teams get to play at HoF stadium and all, but northern Ohio in late December can be a miserable place.  Why not put the game inside or at a better climate location???  I know Florida has no D3 football, but put it in Orlando, destination city with lots to do and easy to get there by plane.  And the weather should be much better than Canton Ohio.

All of these things were selling points to having the Stagg Bowl in the Houston area in 2018/19.  Things that happened:
2018 - cold and windy, really wasn't much different than a Salem Stagg Bowl, tbh; super limited attendance from Mount Union
2019 - cold and rainy, super limited attendance by both teams- yes, airports are abundant in the Houston area, but week-of tickets during Christmas week are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive, even for fans traveling from another major travel hub (Chicago)

We learned that we can't guarantee good weather no matter where you go, the idea of convenient and accessible travel is pretty much a myth, and if there isn't a local-ish team involved in an area that is not a D3-heavy area, you can't count on walk up at the gate.  It might be cold in Canton on 12/17, but that game attendance is going to be over 1362 no matter which two of these four remaining teams advance because there are plenty of fans in the region that can and will get there.

Perhaps naively, I expected the same for the 2019 Stagg Bowl regarding attendance by D-III football fans in Texas.  How many times do you get an NCAA National Championship event in your back yard?  Even though UMHB didn't make it to the 2019 championship game, my wife and I went.  We sat on the home side, and rooted for North Central.  What a great game!  We saw just a few other UMHB fans on the North Central side.

It was our 4th Stagg Bowl in a row - two road trips to Salem and two road trips to Shenandoah.

For me, it's not just about supporting your team, it's about supporting the event.  We found this to be true at the 2017 Stagg Bowl in Salem.  Local folks sitting behind us were there supporting the event, not because of the teams playing.

Wasn't there some question about if Shenandoah was actually going to host the Stagg bowl? I don't remember if that was 18 or 19... I think they did a piss poor job of advertising. I know I went a couple of miles down the road to find some extra clothes in 18 and everyone I talked to didn't even know there was a game just up the road.

[02 Warhawk]

60% chance of snow, winds up to 20 mph, temps in the low 30s, and dropping fast since it's an afternoon game. Once the sun drops behind the stadium, it gets cold.

Going to be fun

[Ron Boerger]

Perhaps naively, I expected the same for the 2019 Stagg Bowl regarding attendance by D-III football fans in Texas.  How many times do you get an NCAA National Championship event in your back yard?  Even though UMHB didn't make it to the 2019 championship game, my wife and I went.  We sat on the home side, and rooted for North Central.  What a great game!  We saw just a few other UMHB fans on the North Central side.

It was our 4th Stagg Bowl in a row - two road trips to Salem and two road trips to Shenandoah.

For me, it's not just about supporting your team, it's about supporting the event.  We found this to be true at the 2017 Stagg Bowl in Salem.  Local folks sitting behind us were there supporting the event, not because of the teams playing.

Wasn't there some question about if Shenandoah was actually going to host the Stagg bowl? I don't remember if that was 18 or 19... I think they did a piss poor job of advertising. I know I went a couple of miles down the road to find some extra clothes in 18 and everyone I talked to didn't even know there was a game just up the road.

The folks in Salem have a decades-long history of supporting Division III championships.  It takes more than a year or two of an event showing up, in an area that has virtually no Division III presence (St. Thomas [TX] is the only one, and they're just now finishing up their transition, *and* they don't do football), for people to support championships.  And in a major metro area (Shenandoah is a bedroom community for Houston) it's hard to draw interest for D3 anyway, as any D3 school located in such an area will tell you.  Salem doesn't have that problem.

Regarding support for the Shenandoah event, the council that approved the contract with the NCAA turned over and the council in place when the championship actually happened was not as committed to the event (or maybe even aware initially) and the first year was rough as they actually went back to the NCAA and asked for some changes to be made to reduce the city's costs, as I remember.  Even so, the first one in 2018 (with UMHB) drew nearly 7,000, the most for a Stagg since 2001.  With the novelty factor exhausted and no local teams, the second one with teams nobody unfamiliar with D3 had heard of, attendance was the worst in Stagg Bowl history (1,362).  It will be interesting to see what Humble can do with the Stagg in 2024.

Edit:  there is a whole thread on the Shenandoah situation here.

[UMHB03]

For Stagg Bowls in Texas, they'd do well to schedule the game on Saturday, especially if it's going to be held near the 4th largest city in the nation. I would have been interested in driving over from Houston to watch the 2019 Stagg Bowl even though UMHB wasn't in it, as I'm sure others would have too, but I wasn't going to sit in bumper-to-bumper Friday evening traffic on I-45 for 2+ hours to watch a couple of teams that I don't really care about.