FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[purple]

 Although I disagree with D3.Com's Coach of the Year selection I can respect it. The assistant coach of the year award should go to Coach Kieth Wakefield ,the offensive line coach at Mount Union. The WWW coach who thought he could get away with man on man coverage on Cecil Shorts,even after getting burned, is my choice for Stagg Bowl "coach of the game." HS Coach..please feel free to point out  how right I am about Coach Wakefield.

[wesleydad]

to all the mount guys i have met this season.  the 101st air assault unit of the u s army returned safely last evening.  i would like to thank you guys for your words of concern about my son each time we met.  i passed on your words of thanks and appreciation for their service .  it was the best xmas present we could have received.   merry xmas and happy new year to all of you.

[seventiesraider]

WesleyDad-As a veteran and a Dad, Merry Chrismas and a heart felt Thank You and Welcome Home to your son

Reality Check - You have my sincere sympathies. Thank God my continuing employment is between me and my AD who understands that it sometimes takes a generation of school kids to change attitudes and turn programs around. I've only ever met one coach I didn't think cared at all. Sorry about your situation.

[Desertraider]

I have watched this game 4 times since Saturday and finally feel I can post. First, the officiating was bad - but at least it was bad both ways. Yes, the roughing the kicker call was blown, but so was Micheli's fumble (sorry but his butt was down). I think that UWW played a more consistent game - but Mount destroyed them in the 1st qtr. Mount's D was unimpressive (for the most part) - by that I mean that they came up strong when they absolutely had to, but played to soft for most of the game. UWWs D is perhaps the best tacklers in DIII. They hit - they wrap - they finish. Nate could not bounce off and rumble for more and for that UWW should be complemented.

I have read some sorry posts (both here and in the Daily Dose) but the saddest one yet was the one by "neutralobserver" decalring Mount had won their last one for a while and the dynasty is dead. Really? Are you seriously that boneheaded? I have heard the "death" comment so many times in the last 10 years and yet...........BAM! Here they are again, and again, and again. Next topic.

As for who won and who should have won and all of that crap - I liked the comment from the UWW kid (I do not remember his name) after the game. He said Mount did what UWW preached all year: ot wasn't that we (UWW) had a bad start but they (MUC) got out to a great, fast start. He closed it with "and they won". Done and done. Contrast that with the kicker from Troy on ESPN slamming his helmet, then throwing it, then slamming it again, then crying - all while the cameras rolled - after his fieldgoal was blocked. UWW's players are not making excuses, or pissing and moaning about it - it speaks volumes for their character.

As for who outcoached whom and who deserves COY...who really cares? Both coaches did a great job and both coaches would trade COY honors for Walnut and Bronze. Mount has it - UWW has COY. I think LK is very happy with that. The only thing that bugs me is all the talk of LL getting it because LK had an easier path with home games. Really? Are we penalizing a coach for winning and getting home field? Every team had a shot at hosting the games - all they had to do was win. It is ridiculous to say that "Mount hosted and UWW didn't so LL was more deserving". It makes it sound like if Mount had lost a regular season game, and had to travel in the playoffs while UWW hosted then LK would be COY. I mean UWW should have WON that game - but they didn't. LK wins the games he should - AND the ones he should not. Whatever, I guess I'll check LLs record in 21 years and see the percentage.  Or, better yet, I'll check his record after he "Keeler's" (i.e. leaves UWW in 3-5 years for another division).

Too all the Raider and Warhawk faithful: have a Merry Christmas and enjoy what has happened the last 4 years. Regardless of anything - we get to enjoy the fact that our champion is determined by the best system available: head to head competition. We have no questions about who the champion is.

[reality check]

... but so was Micheli's fumble (sorry but his butt was down).

As much as I'd like to agree, the call looked correct to me.  I thought he broke the plane of the goal for a TD before losing the ball at first but if you look at the two angles in slow-mo, you can see that the ball is jarred from his hands well before he hits the ground and then it comes flying out a half second later when his butt hits the ground.  Micheli was juggling it for a half second before it finally flew out of there and into the middle of the endzone.  The sideline angle makes that hard to see but the aerial shot shows it more clearly the he loses possession on the hit that came from his left and he's definitely still airborne at that time.

I also didn't notice until the third or fourth viewing that Nate Kmic was sitting all alone in the back corner of the endzone after running a swing route and was ten yards from the nearest defender.  If Micheli could have spotted him on the scramble he could have softball lobbed it without any worries.

But what's done is done.  And thankfully all these calls I and others have been nit-picking didn't make or break the game.  Both teams were on the wrong end of calls and it was bad both ways as previously discussed.  Of course, the average DIII official doesn't have to deal with replay from multiple angles to point out these bad calls.  Who would have spotted the holding on that roughing the kicker?  Who would have argued the two sideline catches?  Who could have argued for or against Ely's possible INT?  In a normal DIII game, we would have had one chance to see it, in real time, and the game would have moved on.  I think that's worth pointing out too.

[rscl70]

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all you OAC faithful (and anyone else lurking here)!

Here's to next year in Salem!  Let's go do it again!!

[raiderpa]

Surprise surprise....a new QB transfers into Delaware....hahaha  KC Keeler, "a leopard who never changes his spots"....hahah

Merry Christmas to all on the Board and thanks to Pat, Keith, and Co., for another great year of service to we who love d3football....
you guys are super....

[Small but Slow]

kd - I understood what you intended, just commenting on the response it received.  I'm just adding that its difficult questioning a man with a 92% career winning percentage and ten rings! 

rc- The administration demonstrated their "love" for the staff, their families, as well as the players with the timing of their decision.  I can empathize with you and your hc.

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas to all posters on the OAC board and all d3 football fans!

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

SBS, I know, that is why I put the wink.

Happy Holidays to all and also:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[HScoach]

Breaking news from AZ....

Just got word tonight that my head coach, who has spent the last three seasons resurrecting a dead program in a dying school district, has been let go as head football coach.  Horrible timing, horrible decision by the administration.  This man poured his heart and soul into turning this program around and building character, academics and respect amongst young men that knew nothing about these attributes and he's let go because the administration says they didn't think he cared or loved the students enough.  We all love these kids and I know for a fact that many of my players saw all of us as the only positive male figures in their lives. 

Since it's too early to say or do anything regarding the situation close to the homefront, I had to vent somewhere.  I feel horrible for Coach because the reasons cited for his termination are the very reasons he should be the leader of this program.  I feel bad for his current and former players because they will be lost without him.  These kids are so fragile that they may not persevere to see if another coach can have a similar impact.  The administration just made a mistake they won't live down for years and they cheated about 60 hard-working kids heinously.  I'm shocked. 


Now back to your regularly scheduled D-III programming...

That sucks.   Athletics can be a great teacher of young men, as long as the parents and adminstrators stay out of the way.  

Good luck.

[seventiesraider]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Now I need to teach HURFMUC how to do this

[HScoach]

Although I disagree with D3.Com's Coach of the Year selection I can respect it. The assistant coach of the year award should go to Coach Kieth Wakefield ,the offensive line coach at Mount Union. The WWW coach who thought he could get away with man on man coverage on Cecil Shorts,even after getting burned, is my choice for Stagg Bowl "coach of the game." HS Coach..please feel free to point out  how right I am about Coach Wakefield.

You're 100% spot on about Coach Wakefield!  He did a great job with those guys this year which is evidenced by their increasingly better play as the season went along.  And come playoff time, they played great.  Especially in Salem.   He has the perfect demeanor for an O-line coach.

I also agree with your point about WWW trying to cover Shorts one-on-one.  That mistake could have cost them the game.  Thank goodness Mother Nature cooperated and allowed Mount to use it's full array of weapons.  

[HScoach]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Now I need to teach HURFMUC how to do this

Good luck. 

You'll need it............

[HURFMUC]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Now I need to teach HURFMUC how to do this

I'm game to learn anything new

[HURFMUC]

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Now I need to teach HURFMUC how to do this

Good luck. 

I thought you had more confidence in me coach, I'm disappointed

You'll need it............