FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[seventiesraider]

Booby-The second score came on backups in garbage time as did most of their second half yards. My undeucated eye says both Alfred and Del Val were probably better TOTAL teams. I'm trying to picture a conference in football you could win with that talent and those plays. I kept waiting for somebody besides 5 to carry the ball. He took a lickin' and kept on tickin'

[usee]

3.  Bethel's offense SUCKS.  How in the world did that team win the West Region?

Here Here! Glad that's in the open....Hope this does not ill prepare Mount for the much greater foe ahead.

The biggest difference between West region teams and UMU is Cecil Shorts. No one who played Bethel has that speed. IF he isn't playing for UMU that is a much closer game (though still a UMU win IMO) today.

[Raider 68]

Some of the comments on the Game Day blog think UWW is clearly the better team and favorite. IMHO, I do not see it that way. This year's match up will be high scoring and a turnover or defensive stop will decide it. The stats say that it could go either way, while each team has great players and both play well in Salem. It is clearly at toss up!

[seventiesraider]

Based on what I saw last year, I think this Mount team beats Wesley by 21 to 27 points. Given like 9 turnovers, I'm at a loss to why the score was so low. Mount's defense is totally sick and the sudden emergence of Piloto gives the offense a lift. Whitewater is NOT the dominating team they have been in years past. This is going to be a football game.

[formerd3db]

What was the attendance today at the Mount Union/Bethel game?  It is not listed on the boxscore on Mount's website.

[seventiesraider]

What was the attendance today at the Mount Union/Bethel game?  It is not listed on the boxscore on Mount's website.

I can't find one in any article. Educated guess? 2750

Beacon Journal Article

[drt]

The emergence of Piloto may be "sudden," but it was not unexpected by people who have seen him play in game situations.
Not to take anything away from LK's sublime coaching, it just illustrates the depth of Mount, which is the result of a school who gives carte blanche to a program to recruit and fund the number of players they keep on their roster (and keep off their competition's rosters.) 
I saw a Mount JV team play at BW this fall that could have given 80% of the D3 teams in Ohio, or anywhere else for that matter, a really hard time.
Many of those kids have since quit football completely, or have transferred, minus 2 years of eligibility, out of frustration over lack of playing time or not being given the opportunity they have been promised.
Based on what I have seen, and based on conversations with kids in the program, virtually any position, with a few notable exceptions,  has 2-3 kids who are equal in ability, and could produce similar results to what are put up on the field on Saturdays. 
They might just not have come from the right high school.......

[sfury]

Bethel had a knack all year of winning very tight games, often at the end. When they get ahead they can be tough because they would grind out long drives, converting third down after third down. For instance, against SJU, the Johnnies outgained them by 150 yards but TOs, including a pick for a score, killed them. Bethel certainly isn't a come-from-behind team.

I did think Bethel messed up by punting when it was 7-7 and they had it at the Mount 33. You know you're going to have to score at least three scores. Might as well go for it in that situation, instead of punting, which gained them 13 yards. Then again, it might have been just a one-yard run on fourth down so it probably wouldn't have mattered.

As always, it comes up to matchups with each team. Bethel doesn't match up well with Mount (obviously pretty much no one does, but they're particular tough for the Royals, because of their style). But using a good matchup to denigrate a region or conference is usually misguided. I'd say the West Region - with 5 titles from four programs since 1999, compared to, uh, zero for anyone else not named Mount - shows there is some good competition there. And same thing with the conference. Bethel would be fourth in the OAC! Sure, maybe. Or maybe not. Comparing scores never works, no matter the sport. If it did, in 2003 we could have said Mount would have finished fourth in the MIAC, since Bethel and St. Thomas gave Saint John's much tougher games than the Raiders. 

[trafficman]

Piloto came to Mount Union to play football. I hope he get's the chance to play more and fine tune his skills. It would be a shame to waste the 2 years of eligility that he has left or loose him to another program. Piloto was 3rd string most of the year and only moved up to 2nd string the last few games which gave him more practice reps. Would have been nice to see what Shorts and Piloto could produce if they had been on the same rotation all year long. You have a WR that can break loose and a QB that can reach him. 

[bushman]

He may get his chance to play more in a big way.   GO RAIDERS                          oh and thanks 70's for the up date on 77.   Big dude

[jaypeter]

I sure am glad St. Thomas didn't win last week.  The NY Giants got stranded in Kansas City trying to get to Minneapolis and then the game gets delayed by a day anyways.  Mount Union wouldn't have been leaving until sometime Sunday night probably.

Although, maybe they could have just taken a detour on the way back and scheduled a scrimmage in Whitewater for the teams to prepare for Saturday.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

QB #13 at Mount Union:

Brad Petro
Jim Ballard
Greg Micheli
Matt Piloto

Not too shabby!

[rscl70]

Interesting comments by LK. http://www.cantonrep.com/college/x615396840/Mount-Union-beat-Bethel-to-reach-championship-game

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Interesting comments by LK. http://www.cantonrep.com/college/x615396840/Mount-Union-beat-Bethel-to-reach-championship-game

LOL

"On a humorous side, he usually throws three or four incompletions in a row in practice," Kehres said of his strong-armed, 6-6 quarterback. "I said let's hurry and get these out of the way."

"We were like, what can he do well? Well, he can throw the deep ball. So let's throw deep."

"And all heck broke loose there for a little while."

[docgrad2005]

The emergence of Piloto may be "sudden," but it was not unexpected by people who have seen him play in game situations.
Not to take anything away from LK's sublime coaching, it just illustrates the depth of Mount, which is the result of a school who gives carte blanche to a program to recruit and fund the number of players they keep on their roster (and keep off their competition's rosters.) 
I saw a Mount JV team play at BW this fall that could have given 80% of the D3 teams in Ohio, or anywhere else for that matter, a really hard time.
Many of those kids have since quit football completely, or have transferred, minus 2 years of eligibility, out of frustration over lack of playing time or not being given the opportunity they have been promised.
Based on what I have seen, and based on conversations with kids in the program, virtually any position, with a few notable exceptions,  has 2-3 kids who are equal in ability, and could produce similar results to what are put up on the field on Saturdays. 
They might just not have come from the right high school.......

I don't like the "promises" made during recruiting.  D1 material just wasting time. Just wanted to make a difference