FB: American Southwest Conference

dballa · October 23, 2005, 10:21:17 AM

Bill , as much as i love college football, college basketball is my life

I figure if you're going to be a successful program you should make the Pre. and Post. season part of your Regular season.

(for those that have to pull out a dictionary everytime they see a word with more than one syllable, i'm using this definition for the word regular: customary, usual, or normal)

jmnaseum · October 23, 2005, 11:26:56 AM

Heck of a UMHB - HSU game. Atmosphere was great
Saw last weeks game against SR and UMHB just did enough to get by, almost making HSU think they could beat UMHB. Great coaching ploy by Coach Pete.

sethhpu · October 23, 2005, 12:51:48 PM

Coaching ploy by UMHB. I defintely don't think that UMHB purposely only did enough to win agaisnt SRSU. Was it a coaching ploy that UMHB lost to HPU? I don't think so. I have never known a coach to ask there kids to only do enough to get by.

Weak Safety · October 23, 2005, 01:00:01 PM

Great coaching by Pete "Where are we ranked in the polls?" Fredenburg. The game plan was perfect. Seems like UMHB's defense pretty much could have lined up and ran our offensive plays. You would think they had been watching us on film all year! Oh wait.

No doubt who the dominant team was from opening whistle to closing whistle. It's been a long time since HSU has been popped in the jaw like that. Like I said, the UMHB defense was incredible which forced our defense to be on the field way too long in some bad situations field position wise.

Only one thing bothers me about UMHB, and it's not the players' fault. Why with the game well in hand in the 4th quarter are you still playing almost all first teamers? If there is any game to get younger guys some experience, it would be against your rivals. Blow out or not, these guys definitely would have loved the chance to play in the game. The game is wrapped up, what are you afraid of? HSU might score 14 points instead of 7? How do you keep reserve players around for practice dummies and a chicken fry if they make the travel squad? It's not just this game, but a recurring theme every year. Scoring on Mississippi College with a minute left in a game that is already 54-0 is another example. Your quarterbacks are surprisingly mobile for not having any knees.

We were definitely outcoached Saturday, but I would take our coaches over any in the conference on any day. I'm just as proud to be a Cowboy fan today as I was Friday.

Cowboys, it's time to focus and win out.

Karma that!

Ralph Turner · October 23, 2005, 01:21:19 PM

I do have a question about the conference rules on the numbers of players that may make a road trip.

Is there a limit? ASC? D3?

If the coach is maintaining a game-long substitution pattern among 2 and 3 strings of players, then he may be playing everyone who traveled.

Weak Safety · October 23, 2005, 01:28:14 PM

Ralph,
There is a limit on how many can make a trip. Not sure if it's conference rules or Div III rules. It's been too long since I played, but the numbers 47 and 52 are sticking out in my mind. Somewhere in that ballpark.

Ralph Turner · October 23, 2005, 01:56:17 PM

Weak Safety, my thoughts about the 52 players are these.

1st string offense = 11
2nd string offense= 11
1st string defense= 11
2nd string defense= 11
Kicker, punter......= 2
11th O-lineman.....= 1
9th D-lineman.......= 1 (4 man front, you know what I mean)
3rd QB................= 1
9th DB................= 1
Total..................= 50

Two slots left over for special teams, receivers, linebackers. That is stretching it!

Weak Safety · October 23, 2005, 02:01:57 PM

Ralph,
It's definitely a tough decision each week for the coaches. There are almost always players that get left home that would normally play on Saturday at a home game. When it gets really tough is when you play a passing team and have to use a dime package and have to take extra DB's that you normally would not take. When you get into the playoffs, you can only suit up a certain number, home or away.

Ralph Turner · October 23, 2005, 02:13:13 PM

For us long-suffering McMurry fans (hey the 'Stros and Chisox are in the World Series too), there are 3 weeks left in the season and we control our destiny for co-champs status.

If McMurry runs the table (HSU, UMHB and ETBU, yeah I know but the 'Stros and the Chisox...

) , then they would do no worse than tie HPU (who must defeat TLU, LC and MC), HSU (who plays McM, AC and TLU) and UMHB (who plays ETBU, McM and AC).

The McMurry and HPU records would be 2-1 against the tied teams. HPU would be win the head-to-head over McMurry. (UMHB would be 1-2. HSU would be 1-2.)

http://www.americansouthwestconf.org/pdffiles/policy-tiebreaker-allsports.pdf

Now we need TLU (which is still mathematically in the race) to defeat HPU. Then McMurry would have the head-to-head, unless TLU knocks off HSU, then we would need...

Yeah, it is just "what-if's" now, but this is a great time of year for us.

And a great time of the year because 7 teams are still mathematically in the chase for a co-title!

CruAlum39 · October 23, 2005, 02:15:32 PM

The ruling for the number of players you can take on a road trip comes into effect in the post season. Then a team is only allowed to bring their 52 best players. It is a very tough decision for coaches to make. Do you bring the senior that runs down on kickoff but has been with the program for 4 years, or the underclassman that can help u in more ways than just a kickoff? But as to my knowledge this dilemma only occurs when the post season rolls around.

CONGRATS to UMHB on a huge win and good luck to Hardin Simmons through the regular season! I was happy to see my boys on defense come up with such a huge game. Hope UMHB and HSU meet again soon, should make for an interesting game!

Weak Safety · October 23, 2005, 02:18:46 PM

Ralph,
Congrats to McMurry on the season thus far. What a turn around. As an HSU fan, I must admit I'm a little nervous about Saturday night. It's a shame you won't have Sellers again next year. He looks like the real deal. I've also been impressed with Witt over the years and it looks like Villegas is also quite an athlete. Should be a great game under the lights at Shotwell (as much as I hope it won't!). McMurry used to challenge for the championship when I was playing, and it looks like they are back to the caliber of football they played back then.

Ralph Turner · October 23, 2005, 02:28:10 PM

Weak Safety, I wish this game were on campus! I remember getting cell phone updates from a friend of mine from the 1998 OT game (at Shelton?) which has to be the best McMurry game of the last decade!

dballa · October 23, 2005, 02:34:14 PM

Hey Ralph i like your little set up there wouldn't that be nice...if you wanna put a little more what if in there...if HPU had beaten ETBU on the scoreboard like they did all over the field, HPU would be tied for first place right now and could very well be co-conference champs, provied HSU wins out and HPU were to win out.

HSU of course would win that tie breaker since they beat HPU...

right now there are two teams tied for first and 4 teams tied for 2nd just one game behind the leaders. I would say this conference is getting more and more competitive.

CruGuy · October 23, 2005, 02:35:04 PM

Hopefully this next weekend will clean up alot of these "what if" possibilities...If HSU beats McMurry and UMHB beats ETBU, then the picture should be pretty clear...of course if McMurry did beat HSU, then UMHB would be back in the saddle to win the conference....hmmm I really hadn't considered that possibility...it would also mean the students would have a reason to show up for the UMHB-McMurry game other than to see the Homecoming Court presented at half time. Looks like the crusaders will be Indian fans next Saturday.

Weak Safety · October 23, 2005, 02:38:37 PM

Ralph,
I played in the 1996 overtime game at Shelton (30-27) and then in a close game (34-25) in 1997. 1997 was my senior year, but I was in attendance for the OT game in 1998 at Shelton. That game definitely goes down as a classic.

CruAlum,
Thanks for the well wishes. Good luck to UMHB from here out as well. UMHB will be tough to beat when playing mistake free, smash-mouth football like they did Saturday, but I would welcome the opportunity for a rematch in the playoffs! As strange as it may sound, the HSU loss may have some benefits. There is a lot of pressure involved with trying to keep an undefeated record. There is a focus, but not the same focus of being in a must win situation. I think that showed Saturday. Now we join UMHB in having must wins from here on out. Hopefully we can focus and win out (tough games ahead against McMurry and TLU).