FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[formerd3db]

Toph and Raider68:
Put me in that category, too.  I was certainly off on the prediction as I also thought Johns Hopkins would give Mount a much better game and that the score would be closer than the large margin that you (Raider68) and your Mount colleagues predicted.

In addition, as to the officials for the game, I had mentioned in a post back on 11/22 in response to Ric's about which crew would be officiating the game i.e. from the MichIAA (it was our understanding from what Ric had posted).  While I was obviously not at the game Saturday, from what you say about it not being one of the better officiated games, that doesn't surprise me for the reasons I said.  Although nothing cost anyone "the game" from the score and what you all have summarized, and while I do not believe whatsoever that any crew member would deliberately/intentionally make wrong calls against any team, my point was that many of us in our league (from fans to coaching staffs) have been disappointed in the quality of the officiating crews this year, which seems to have regressed.

Anyway, hopefully, there will be better crews for you in the remaining games. Good luck to your team in the next round.  It will be interesting.  My $ is on Mount!

[SaintsFAN]

Just my 2 cents, but I hope MHB is looking ahead and doesn't take Wesley seriously.   I like our odds of returning to Salem much better against Wesley than MHB.

From a fan's perspective, I definately want to see MT vs. MHB.  Nothing against Wesley as they certainly are worthy of playing in the semifinals, it's just MHB provides something new and intriguing in many ways. 

In the past I would use the term "they haven't seen a team like..." when debating against Mt (which of course would elicit strong responses from 70's).  However, IMO the phrase is now directed at MHB should there be a game vs. Mt.  It just doesn't seem to me that MHB, with all their success and skill, has seen a team that can do what Mt does on defense and offense.  If the game happens, I'll be surprised if MHB is within stiking distance in the 4th. 
Sorry, now I've gone and jinxed Mt.

Agree but I'll take this a step further.  I don't think Mount Union OR MHB has seen a team like eachother.  It would truly be the game of the year and worth a trip to Alliance. 

[section13raiderfan]

Last time UMU played HMB it was a tale of two halves. UMU did much better in the first half. Was it brilliant half time coaching adjustments, or did Mount believe they had it won and all they had to do was play not to lose it? Im still not sure what happened. What changed so drastically in the second half? Any former players want to fill us in? Was Monty unable to adjust on the fly second half? Overconfident? Out coached? Did LK go conservative with the offense?  Was it a case of MHB refusing to lose? One thing I know....prevent defense SUCKS! No pressure on the QB = no win. These players did not experience this game first hand. Maybe that replay should be mandatory viewing after Saturdays game. That game still irks the crap out of me. Whatever it was....look for more of the same this time around.

[Ray Finkles]

The 2004 game was 14-14 at the half. But it was 35-21 Mount Union at the end of the third. UMHB controlled the fourth quarter. I'm not sure halftime adjustments were as big a factor as you describe.

[emma17]

Just my 2 cents, but I hope MHB is looking ahead and doesn't take Wesley seriously.   I like our odds of returning to Salem much better against Wesley than MHB.

From a fan's perspective, I definately want to see MT vs. MHB.  Nothing against Wesley as they certainly are worthy of playing in the semifinals, it's just MHB provides something new and intriguing in many ways. 

In the past I would use the term "they haven't seen a team like..." when debating against Mt (which of course would elicit strong responses from 70's).  However, IMO the phrase is now directed at MHB should there be a game vs. Mt.  It just doesn't seem to me that MHB, with all their success and skill, has seen a team that can do what Mt does on defense and offense.  If the game happens, I'll be surprised if MHB is within stiking distance in the 4th. 
Sorry, now I've gone and jinxed Mt.

Agree but I'll take this a step further.  I don't think Mount Union OR MHB has seen a team like eachother.  It would truly be the game of the year and worth a trip to Alliance.

You raise a good point Fan and I agree with you.  The difference as I see it is overall speed on both sides of the ball.  I'd imagine MHB will be faster than anyone Mt has played this year, but I do believe (could be wrong of course) that Mt has the speed and skill to do well against a team like MHB.  As long as MHB isn't super strong on the O-Line, then it seems to me that Mt has the players to combat MHB's skill.  If MHB has a dominating O-Line, then this is a real toss up. 
Anyway, I'll try to stop looking ahead as there is much that has to happen yet. 

[The_end_of_overlook]

Section 13,
I played that day against MHB, let me first start by answering your questions... I don't think it was any big half time adjustment by MHB (give their coaches credit they beat us), did we as players think we had won it all? Not even close, one thing Coach Kerhes teaches you is to respect every opponent and all the time. As an offensive player never once did I or our team mates think it was Coach Monty or the defensives fault. We won as a team and we lost as a team. BY no means did LK go conservative with the offense.

I may get blasted for my beliefs, but here goes. First things first, when you don't perform, look in the mirror. Offensively we struggled the entire third quarter. You can't win big games like that. At one point I personally snapped the ball on the wrong count and hit a receiver who was in motion, the ball bounced past the O-line and the defense recovered, that was a critical moment to make a mistake. I remember an interception and a TD catch that MHB players made that the ball bounced off of Mount players into the hands of a MHB player laying on the ground. MHB didn't beat us by luck, they beat us on the field. For 55 straight games before that the ball bounced our way, on that day it didn't, we didn't' get many breaks, and we shot ourselves in the foot. As a group of players we were heart broken, we felt as though we had let the program, the school, and the purple raiders of the past down. At the same time when I look back at it, that group over achieved. we graduated a lot of starters from the year before, for a mount team we were very undersized, but we did what all Mount teams had done, we worked hard and we played as a team. That day we just didn't come out on top. When we get together we still don't like to talk about it. It hurts, and some of us left the field that day feeling like many Purple Raiders before hadn't felt, like we had let Coach Kerhes and our teammates down.

[HScoach]

Just my 2 cents, but I hope MHB is looking ahead and doesn't take Wesley seriously.   I like our odds of returning to Salem much better against Wesley than MHB.

From a fan's perspective, I definately want to see MT vs. MHB.  Nothing against Wesley as they certainly are worthy of playing in the semifinals, it's just MHB provides something new and intriguing in many ways. 

In the past I would use the term "they haven't seen a team like..." when debating against Mt (which of course would elicit strong responses from 70's).  However, IMO the phrase is now directed at MHB should there be a game vs. Mt.  It just doesn't seem to me that MHB, with all their success and skill, has seen a team that can do what Mt does on defense and offense.  If the game happens, I'll be surprised if MHB is within stiking distance in the 4th. 
Sorry, now I've gone and jinxed Mt.

Agree but I'll take this a step further. I don't think Mount Union OR MHB has seen a team like each other. It would truly be the game of the year and worth a trip to Alliance.

I agree 100%.   What worries me about MHB is that they're so much different than anything we see in the OAC regular season and the first 2 rounds will have done nothing to prepare Mount for that game.  The only tests Mount got was weeks 8, 9 and 10 of the regular season.  The first 2 rounds were like playing Muskingum all over again.  I sur ehope I'm wrong, but I get the strong feeling that Widener will be John Carroll with a lesser defense.  Ughh.

At least most of the listening audience will be gone at halftime and won't have to listen to Ric and I screw everything up

[purpled]

MHB and Mount would/could be a great game...we owe them one. But isn't anyone taking Widener seriously? Looks to me that they have a great passing game or is that overblown? One game at a time, eh?

[Craft_Beermeister]

LK made it to the second round in the fan poll-bracket that tries to determine the best college football coach of all time.  This round Larry is up against the winningest coach in Div II, Ken Sparks of Carson-Newman.  The voting goes on until this Friday and you can re-vote every ten minutes.


http://www.azcentral.com/sports/colleges/articles/20121121best-college-football-coach-pollbracket.html

[wesleydad]

Section 13,
I played that day against MHB, let me first start by answering your questions... I don't think it was any big half time adjustment by MHB (give their coaches credit they beat us), did we as players think we had won it all? Not even close, one thing Coach Kerhes teaches you is to respect every opponent and all the time. As an offensive player never once did I or our team mates think it was Coach Monty or the defensives fault. We won as a team and we lost as a team. BY no means did LK go conservative with the offense.

I may get blasted for my beliefs, but here goes. First things first, when you don't perform, look in the mirror. Offensively we struggled the entire third quarter. You can't win big games like that. At one point I personally snapped the ball on the wrong count and hit a receiver who was in motion, the ball bounced past the O-line and the defense recovered, that was a critical moment to make a mistake. I remember an interception and a TD catch that MHB players made that the ball bounced off of Mount players into the hands of a MHB player laying on the ground. MHB didn't beat us by luck, they beat us on the field. For 55 straight games before that the ball bounced our way, on that day it didn't, we didn't' get many breaks, and we shot ourselves in the foot. As a group of players we were heart broken, we felt as though we had let the program, the school, and the purple raiders of the past down. At the same time when I look back at it, that group over achieved. we graduated a lot of starters from the year before, for a mount team we were very undersized, but we did what all Mount teams had done, we worked hard and we played as a team. That day we just didn't come out on top. When we get together we still don't like to talk about it. It hurts, and some of us left the field that day feeling like many Purple Raiders before hadn't felt, like we had let Coach Kerhes and our teammates down.

end of overlook, well spelled out for those of us who were not involved in the game.  losses are always tough.  +1 for the explanation, a very honest one at that.  very classy accepting failure without pointing fingers, something tells me you are probably doing well in life.

[formerd3db]

I realize those of you here on your board have been concentrating on the upcoming next playoff game and you have had some great discussion on that.  However, just for a quick break, I'd like to pose this question to all of you.  I posted this over on our MIAA board, so would be interested to hear your own thoughts on this, especially since most of you are not only former college players, but currently coaches as well (or at least have been regarding the latter).  The post was as follows:

Here's an interesting question/dilemma for everyone to comment on in regards to your opinions on this.  I realize this is a DI issue, however, it still is intriguing.  One of Alabama's star receivers is now out indefinitely with a fractured leg sustained in this past weekend's game against Auburn (he had surgery today it was reported and it is unclear whether he will be able to return for whatever bowl game Alabama ends up going to).  So with him out, Alabama is down to 4 or 5 receivers and it is reported that Saban is considering using their top freshman receiver prospect, who was to be redshirted this year.  He has been practicing this fall and getting a lot of reps the past 3 weeks apparently.

So the question is...if you were that player, would you sacrifice basically an entire year that you were to be red-shirted to play in two final games of the season and then only have 3 years left?  I think that most of us would answer they probably would if the head coach asked them to, however, that would still be a very difficult decision to make.  You would really be sacrificing for the good of the team, but giving up much.  I think at this point, however, that certainly a head coach could also not be faulted for not playing him and saving his red-shirt season.  If Alabama plays in the National Championship game, I'd bet that Saban would persuade the kid to play, obviously because of the high stakes.  On the other hand, if it is another bowl game and not the title game, then I would think not wasting the red-shirt year would be the better choice i.e. the better part of valor.  But...who knows with Saban!

Anyway, it is an interesting dilemma and I am interested to hear your thoughts/comments/opinions on the same.  What would you do if you were the Head Coach and what would you do if you were the player?

[Pat Coleman]

Agree but I'll take this a step further.  I don't think Mount Union OR MHB has seen a team like eachother.  It would truly be the game of the year and worth a trip to Alliance.

Grr ... I am having semifinal jealousy. Maybe I shouldn't be trying to find flights to Oregon. 

[Raider 68]

Section 13,
I played that day against MHB, let me first start by answering your questions... I don't think it was any big half time adjustment by MHB (give their coaches credit they beat us), did we as players think we had won it all? Not even close, one thing Coach Kerhes teaches you is to respect every opponent and all the time. As an offensive player never once did I or our team mates think it was Coach Monty or the defensives fault. We won as a team and we lost as a team. BY no means did LK go conservative with the offense.

I may get blasted for my beliefs, but here goes. First things first, when you don't perform, look in the mirror. Offensively we struggled the entire third quarter. You can't win big games like that. At one point I personally snapped the ball on the wrong count and hit a receiver who was in motion, the ball bounced past the O-line and the defense recovered, that was a critical moment to make a mistake. I remember an interception and a TD catch that MHB players made that the ball bounced off of Mount players into the hands of a MHB player laying on the ground. MHB didn't beat us by luck, they beat us on the field. For 55 straight games before that the ball bounced our way, on that day it didn't, we didn't' get many breaks, and we shot ourselves in the foot. As a group of players we were heart broken, we felt as though we had let the program, the school, and the purple raiders of the past down. At the same time when I look back at it, that group over achieved. we graduated a lot of starters from the year before, for a mount team we were very undersized, but we did what all Mount teams had done, we worked hard and we played as a team. That day we just didn't come out on top. When we get together we still don't like to talk about it. It hurts, and some of us left the field that day feeling like many Purple Raiders before hadn't felt, like we had let Coach Kerhes and our teammates down.

The _ end_of_overlook,

Your post was extremely candid and your perpective was exceptional. Well done!
I hope you will post more often and share your experiences as a player. Mine are from a time when winning the conference was a rare occasion.

[reality check]

"Extremely candidate"

Have you been listening to Ric and Mark too much?

[HScoach]

^  nicely done