FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[raiderguy]

hscoach

Your right, but it appears he looks for the players to fit his system as apposed to revising the system. All the posturing about their success in the '80's means it must still be a good in 2000+?
Current results don't support that unless they are content with 2nd round and out. And maybe that is OK. They do certainly perform at a higher level than a lot of D3 schools.
Don't get me wrong as long as MUC can continue to defeat them I don't care if the "Waterboy" carries the ball. LOL

[reality check]

We should all care if Augustana signs Bobby Boucher.

[Ric]

I'm interested to see who LK selects first in the OAC at Wednesday's football media day.  Will he pick ONU, who beat him last year, or will he pick CAP, who took him to the wire in the playoffs? Or will it be someone else?

[Ric]

Augustana did just fine against Mount in the playoffs last year until they decided to throw the ball.  All down hill from there.

[reality check]

I'm interested to see who LK selects first in the OAC at Wednesday's football media day.  Will he pick ONU, who beat him last year, or will he pick CAP, who took him to the wire in the playoffs? Or will it be someone else?

I think it has to be CAP or ONU but I don't know who I'd pick if I was LK.  I'd honestly like to say CAP but I think they have as many questions as ONU does when it comes to filling holes to graduation.  Who does Rocky throw to?  How do the front seven stack up?

ONU  has similar questions regarding their O-Line and receivers.  They also have a couple holes on defense and questions about Trusnik and Alexander on D.

[crusader26]

I think Cap will be fine.  All the questions everyone keeps asking, are the same questions everyone kept asking last year.  I am not sure if anyone heard of Howes & Kraft until midway threw last season.  As long as Rocky is healthy, their offense will always be a threat.  This will be another fun & exciting year.  October will be the deciding factor to Cap's season, as they have to go to JC, ONU, home against The Bein, and then to MUC.

As for LK's vote, it has to go to CAP; eventhough ONU beat them on their home field.  CAP has to have the advantage coming off the season they had last year, in addition to Rocky coming back for his senior year.

[usee]

hscoach

Your right, but it appears he looks for the players to fit his system as apposed to revising the system. All the posturing about their success in the '80's means it must still be a good in 2000+?
Current results don't support that unless they are content with 2nd round and out. And maybe that is OK. They do certainly perform at a higher level than a lot of D3 schools.
Don't get me wrong as long as MUC can continue to defeat them I don't care if the "Waterboy" carries the ball. LOL

raiderguy, i will say again augies lack of success in the playoffs has a lot more to do with their inability to play defense than their wing t offense. you need look no further than each of their losses in alliance to see that. they haven't/can't/won't stop muc.

[e_lee]

I don't think Rocky will have a difficult time finding someone to throw to.  Matt Cesaretto is back after sitting out last year with an injury.  I believe that had he been healthy he would have put up better numbers than Kraft and would have been the definite number two receiver.  I look for Niedzwiecki(sp) to be the number two receiver.  Those two along with the depth Aaron Basha and Graham Holmberg bring. 

Jeremy Mulkey is set to be the man at RB and I know they brought in a few freshman RBs that could see time this year.

Capital's offense will be fine.

The linebacking corps due to the losses of Sickmeier and Sparhawk concerns me.  But I think that things will be fine as Capital is getting to the point where they reload as opposed to rebuilding.

Also whoever steps in at LB will be helped by how deeply talented those in front and behind him are.  The defensive backfield will be amazing.  They return five guys who saw extensive action and multiple starts.

Go Cap!

[HScoach]

Very interesting question concerning who LK will vote for in the coaches poll.  For years, Jim Collins was the opposing OAC coach that Kehres respected and feared the most.  But that was pre- Dean Paul.  I don't know how LK will vote, but if I was voting I would pick Ohio Northern.    Here's my thinking (or lack thereof):

Capital and ONU return a ton of talent but also have some holes to fill too.  So there isn't one team that stands out as having "everyone returning" or as "losing everyone".  In order to beat Mount, you have to play defense because you won't out score them in a shootout, especially this year.  So I'll focus on defense.  Capital has questions LB, as I think Sickmeier will be their biggest loss overall (more so than Kraft and Howes).  In fact I thought Sickmeier was the best LB in the OAC last year.  ONU has questions too, but returns the best player in the league (Trusnik) from injury to a defense that was already very good which makes them only better.  Where as Capital has to fill holes defensively just to remain at the same level as 2005.  Offensively, I expect both Capital and ONU to be very similar to 2005.  They both return senior QB's and good RB's with enough team speed and depth to easily fill any remaining holes.

But if I had to pick which team is most likely to beat MUC, then it's Capital.  I know ONU won last year and should be better this year, but I have a real hard time believing ONU is going to win back-to-back on MUC's home field.  Maybe it's just a hunch, but I bet you see a very focused Raider team take the field against ONU this fall.  

I expect MUC to be in Salem again, but undefeated this time.  But I could also see a scanario where ONU, Capital and MUC are all 9-1 and in the playoffs.  Now wouldn't that be fun?

[ace]

Better yet, will this be the first time in a long time that MUC is not picked to win it all? Sure can see arguements for ONU and Cap as many have stated.
Could JCU be so pissed off that they vote against MUC?
My pick would be MUC. But that is me. Last years experience for second and third teamers in blow outs may be what wins games this year.
Will other teams be afraid of the "wrath of LK"?
What a great way to start off the year.

[raiderguy]

What exactly is the Wrath of LK? Is that a new Star Trek movie?

[seventiesraider]

I seriously doubt that Larry (or any other decent coach) cares a wit about polls; preseason or otherwise. The game is played on the field not in the newspapers. I think he would be quietly happy to not be picked number one.
As for Larry's pick: Mount lost to ONU and Dean Paul is one of his boys-Advantage Northern

PS I have always thought the Mount Union-Widener Semi-Final game in 2000 could have been called the Wrath of Kehres

[D3 Poster]

2005 Completions & Interceptions

BW 117 & 10
Ca  279 & 14
He  180 & 24
JC   206 & 16
Ma  170 & 12
MU  294 & 13
Ms   18  & 14
ON  145 &  6
Ot   211 & 13
Wi   110 & 18

[ace]

70-0 is the wrath of LK.

[beenhit2hard]

The wrath of Kehres is self imposed by not being ready to play when you step on the field against his teams. The Wrath comes when you play a style of "d" that is not sound and his "O" takes advantage of that,,,as Widener found out. The JCU score was as much JCU's  fault by the way that they played on that day,, .  I believe it was Lou Holtz who,,when asked about his teams high score vs an opponent,,said it is the other teams job to keep it close,, not his ,,,,,or something like that !!