FB: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

New $479,080 video screen for Abilene's Shotwell Stadium

[Ron Boerger]

US has to go OT [!] to defeat Japan in the finals today, 23-20 ... three fumbles hurt the US cause ... Josh Kubiak was the leading tackler on both sides with 7, Dustin Allen tacked on 3 more. 

http://wc2007.info/777/stats/stats09.html

[Bill McCabe]

It sounds like that was some game.  US had to make a long drive to put the game in overtime.  Wish I knew more about the Japanese team.  I read this was their first loss ever in the tournament.

[Ralph Turner]

The Japanese do have a sport in their culture that has translatable skills to American Football -- Sumo Wrestling.

The initial burst of a Sumo wrestler is much like that of a lineman. 

[Pat Coleman]

I read somewhere else this team has been playing together since spring and that american football was introduced there 70 years ago.

[Ron Boerger]

It was interesting to read the postgame writeup (http://wc2007.info/777/game9_rpt_e.html) - the Japanese players really thought they had a chance to win - and from the results it would seem they were right. 

"It's really hard to express how I feel right now,"[Japan head coach] Abe said at the post-game news conference. "We've always put our target on the United States since March, and thought we by any means wanted to play with them."

"As the whole defense, we were going to do everything we could do as entering this game," [Japan DB] Takayuki Terada said. "Me personally, even with the gap to them in body size, I had confidence we wouldn't get beaten. As defensive backs, we played good against the opponent's passing."

and

"No matter what kind of score it would be, we just wanted to be ahead of them even by one point in the end," [Japan QB] Tomizawa said. "While we have things we can win against the Americans, we have things we are superior to them."

I like the poll on the front page - what would Japan do against a US team such as MUC?  Given the very strong play by D3 ballers in this tournament I would think that the D3 champion would represent the US at least as well as did this team.

[Bill McCabe]

Ron,  Any idea how many D1 and D2 players were on the US team?

[Pat Coleman]

John Mackovic, obviously, is an excellent coach, but Mount Union is very well coached as well and has been playing together a lot longer than Team USA was.

[hustla33]

I wish lol... like i said could be a rumor but ive heard it a couple times

[Ron Boerger]

Bill, of the 45 players on the roster about 10 were D3 .. but thanks to the play of Kubiak and others they represented the division beyond expectations. 

[CNU85]

John Mackovic, obviously, is an excellent coach, but Mount Union is very well coached as well and has been playing together a lot longer than Team USA was.

I agree. Take any of the top 5 programs in d3 and they beat Japan without OT. Remember, the USA team first met each other June 20th. They brought it varying styles of play, football lingo, and from every level of collegiate football. We put a "team" out there to play.....if you put a "system" on the field, then we fare better.

Congrats to Kubiak for leading the team in tackles and for overall effort in the World Cup. I only saw him play once.....and that was enough!!!

[Zmotion10 out on 2]

I saw Kubiak play twice and he is a real difference maker.  What a great college career he had.

[Ralph Turner]

The NAIA Red River AC is still shrinking.

Houston Baptist University has re-applied to Division I NCAA.

[imad3fanatic]

ASC Pre-Season Poll

UMHB #1 HSU #2

americansouthwestconf.org/media0708/70723football-poll-ascpreseason.pdf

[golden_dome]

This year's Backyard Brawl between MC and Millsaps will be presented by CARA (Community Animal Rescue & Adoption), the largest NO-KILL animal shelter in the state of Mississippi. The partnership was actually worked out earlier this summer but we waited to release it closer to kickoff.
Here is a link to the story www.gochoctaws.com with poster.