FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[BoBo]

I was in a lousy mood when I woke up this morning then I turned on the TV and there is old KC Keeler coaching another bowl game on my screen. Hes winning too. 

Actually, his team got blasted by the 3 time defending Div I FCS national champions NDSU.  NDSU plays in front of capacity crowds in their nearly 30,000 seat FargoDome.  Their attendance regularly tops many FBS teams such as the MAC schools.  Amazing.  NDSU will probably be the favorites in the championship game next week versus the winner of the Illinois State/New Hampshire game today.  New Hampshire is ranked #1 in the country, however, they struggled a bit in their quarterfinal game win.  The game is on ESPNU today, same channel as the Stagg Bowl.

BTW, I couldn't find in the listings the channel on which the DII championship game is to be televised.  Does anyone know?  Thanks.

The FargoDome (technically, it's not a dome at all) has an approximate 19,000 person capacity in the football configuration, and the Bison usually draw in the 18,000-19,000 range for their football games.  The announcers even commented on it in the first half and the noise levels can make it feel like a crowd of 50,000. It can hold as much as 25,000 for concerts and similar shows. 30,000? - nope.

[SaintsFAN]

Better performing team won last night. Congrats to WWW.  They are the new "dynasty', but until they win 1 more than Mount, I won't call them the best ever D3 program.
Burke was human last night.  pressure, tried to force some things.
I thought the dropped pick six was huge and the int when Meacham was mugged over the middle was another big play.  Huge call on the screen for a TD.  Mount just scored and was going to bring the house to stop the first rush and bingo, its 5 on three to the end zone.  Great call,

I have to wonder now if WWW is in Mount Union's head and if the Raiders will ever play well against them.  They sure have not been themselves on the field against the Warhawks. But give credit to the WWW coaches and players, they make the plays....and Mount has lacked consistency to win the big one lately. 

I don't see Mounts picture as a terribly rosy one, as QB may be a crapshoot next year.  I would guess its Scott.

Congrats to Mount Union on a great season. Although I'm sure the final outcome is disappointing, I know I would be really proud of how they came back to take the lead in the third quarter.  Best possible wishes to the seniors. I have no doubt they will carry on the tradition of D3 athletes making a positive impact in the world. 

As far as the bolded sentence above, I can't imagine anyone in all of D3-land, including all UW-W fans, agreeing completely.  What Mount has accomplished and continues to accomplish can not and should not be detracted from.  Despite the many Stagg Bowl battles, there is still room for celebrating the accomplishments of both programs.  Personally, I hope both programs continue to get better.  IMO, it would be much better for D3 for other teams to join them at the top than for either program to regress.

Well said, BP.  And very sorry to hear of your loss.  My condolences to you and your family.

[bleedpurple]

Better performing team won last night. Congrats to WWW.  They are the new "dynasty', but until they win 1 more than Mount, I won't call them the best ever D3 program.
Burke was human last night.  pressure, tried to force some things.
I thought the dropped pick six was huge and the int when Meacham was mugged over the middle was another big play.  Huge call on the screen for a TD.  Mount just scored and was going to bring the house to stop the first rush and bingo, its 5 on three to the end zone.  Great call,

I have to wonder now if WWW is in Mount Union's head and if the Raiders will ever play well against them.  They sure have not been themselves on the field against the Warhawks. But give credit to the WWW coaches and players, they make the plays....and Mount has lacked consistency to win the big one lately. 

I don't see Mounts picture as a terribly rosy one, as QB may be a crapshoot next year.  I would guess its Scott.

Congrats to Mount Union on a great season. Although I'm sure the final outcome is disappointing, I know I would be really proud of how they came back to take the lead in the third quarter.  Best possible wishes to the seniors. I have no doubt they will carry on the tradition of D3 athletes making a positive impact in the world. 

As far as the bolded sentence above, I can't imagine anyone in all of D3-land, including all UW-W fans, agreeing completely.  What Mount has accomplished and continues to accomplish can not and should not be detracted from.  Despite the many Stagg Bowl battles, there is still room for celebrating the accomplishments of both programs.  Personally, I hope both programs continue to get better.  IMO, it would be much better for D3 for other teams to join them at the top than for either program to regress.

Well said, BP.  And very sorry to hear of your loss.  My condolences to you and your family.

Thank you Saintsfan. Definitely a surreal week. I appreciate your condolences!

[formerd3db]

I was in a lousy mood when I woke up this morning then I turned on the TV and there is old KC Keeler coaching another bowl game on my screen. Hes winning too. 

Actually, his team got blasted by the 3 time defending Div I FCS national champions NDSU.  NDSU plays in front of capacity crowds in their nearly 30,000 seat FargoDome.  Their attendance regularly tops many FBS teams such as the MAC schools.  Amazing.  NDSU will probably be the favorites in the championship game next week versus the winner of the Illinois State/New Hampshire game today.  New Hampshire is ranked #1 in the country, however, they struggled a bit in their quarterfinal game win.  The game is on ESPNU today, same channel as the Stagg Bowl.

BTW, I couldn't find in the listings the channel on which the DII championship game is to be televised.  Does anyone know?  Thanks.

The FargoDome (technically, it's not a dome at all) has an approximate 19,000 person capacity in the football configuration, and the Bison usually draw in the 18,000-19,000 range for their football games.  The announcers even commented on it in the first half and the noise levels can make it feel like a crowd of 50,000. It can hold as much as 25,000 for concerts and similar shows. 30,000? - nope.

Thanks for the correction.  I was misinformed by another person as to the total capacity-should have looked it up before posting.  Still, they outdraw some of the MAC schools on many occasions for home game day attendance.  According to the NDSU Media Guide, the largest single crowd for one of their home games was 19,065 on October 6, 2012 against Youngstown State.  Yes, despite the name, it is technically not a dome, rather an indoor facility.   I knew one of the assistant coaches who was there a few years ago right before and as they were transitioning to FCS.  Thanks again for setting the record straight.  Again, I should have checked the figures before posting, but was repeating what I had been told.

Anyway, it is neat to see the great following and support they have for the football program there and, of course, the huge success they've had the past 3 years in winning the FCS national championship.  Winning last night, they will now be going for their 4th straight title.  I think that Illinois State, which beat #1 ranked New Hampshire today, has the best chance of any of all the teams that were in the semifinals to defeat NDSU, however, it will still be a tough challenge I believe. 

[formerd3db]

bleedpurple:

I am obviously unaware of the loss you have sustained this week as SaintsFAN has alluded to.  However, I, too, wish to express my condolences to you and your family for whatever the situation is.  I was informed just this morning of the passing of an aunt of mine and my brother and I will overseeing the arrangements this week because no one really else around.  Anyway, hopefully you and your family can have some comfort during the holidays despite the recent happening. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

bleedpurple:

I am obviously unaware of the loss you have sustained this week as SaintsFAN has alluded to.  However, I, too, wish to express my condolences to you and your family for whatever the situation is.  I was informed just this morning of the passing of an aunt of mine and my brother and I will overseeing the arrangements this week because no one really else around.  Anyway, hopefully you and your family can have some comfort during the holidays despite the recent happening.

For anyone who didn't know (which included me until this past week), bleedpurple is the son of legendary coach Forrest Perkins, the winningest coach in UWW history and the namesake of Perkins Stadium.  Coach Perkins died the morning of UWW's semi-final game at the age of 94.

[formerd3db]

bleedpurple:

I am obviously unaware of the loss you have sustained this week as SaintsFAN has alluded to.  However, I, too, wish to express my condolences to you and your family for whatever the situation is.  I was informed just this morning of the passing of an aunt of mine and my brother and I will overseeing the arrangements this week because no one really else around.  Anyway, hopefully you and your family can have some comfort during the holidays despite the recent happening.

For anyone who didn't know (which included me until this past week), bleedpurple is the son of legendary coach Forrest Perkins, the winningest coach in UWW history and the namesake of Perkins Stadium.  Coach Perkins died the morning of UWW's semi-final game at the age of 94.

I did know that either. I appreciate the info, Mr. Ypsi. For sure, a difficult week of mixed emotions for bp and his family. Will be saying some prayers for them.   

[mr_mom]

Bleedpurple, despite Mount's credentials, I am unaffiliated.  So, my best wishes for you and your father.  A most ipmressive legacy.

[bleedpurple]

Bleedpurple, despite Mount's credentials, I am unaffiliated.  So, my best wishes for you and your father.  A most ipmressive legacy.

Thank you so much Mr. Mom and formerd3db. Appreciate it so much. And fd3db, very sorry about your loss. It's really great if you and your brother to step up and do the service for your Aunt. My prayers are with you as well. This week is definitely a perspective builder and I need to do a better job of remembering we all have way more important things in common than the differences created by our football allegiances.

[footballfan413]

Sorry I am a tad late but congrats to the players, staff and fans of Raider nation.  I caught the first half of the Welsey game a few days ago and was pretty terrified of Burke and Co., and rightly so.  Kevin Burke in an outstanding, highly accomplished young man and has nothing to hang his head about.  With the different roads these two programs travel during the season and post season, it is always hard to know how the Stagg will play out. But with maybe the exception of 2013, every meeting has been an excellent, close contest between two heavy weight programs and, without question, immensely talented and completely deserving participants.  Congrats again on another terrific season and best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday and a happy and healthy new year!   

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

This was posted on the Mount Union Facebook site:

A note to Raider fans from Kevin Burke

This moment right here is one of the worst moments in my life. Giving my absolute best and still coming up short is a gut-wrenching, heart-breaking feeling that I'll never forget. Yeah it's just a game and life goes on, but to devote so much time and work so hard for so many years and end it with a brutal loss is devastating. I failed, but I am not a failure. It was a great run and I cannot thank raider nation enough for some of the best years of my life. I hope y'all had as much fun as I did.

[formerd3db]

bp:

You are welcome and thank you for your own kind words in return.  Also, your other statement says it all for all of us and I need to do the same-so thanks for the great reminder.  All the best to you.

[wesleydad]

late to the discussion, moving all day Saturday and Sunday.  I saw the game and in the end UWW made more plays than Mount did.  If I compare this game to the Wesley game, Mount was not as sharp and missed many opportunities that they did not miss the week before.  A large part of that would have to be credited to UWW for showing up and playing a solid game.  The game was fun to watch and some of the people I was hanging with enjoyed what they were seeing.  Good luck to both teams next year and I am sure they is a chance that Wesley will face one of them at some point in the playoffs.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

I heard some shocking news this morning. There will be a lot to talk about when it eventually comes out.

So, when is this news coming out?

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Returning Players for Mount Union (2015 Year in Parenthesis):

2014 Starters in Bold.

QB: Scott (Sr.), Namdar (Possible Jr.), Peyakov (Jr.)
RB: Mitchell (Jr.), Nemeth (Sr.), Johnson (Soph.)
WR: Scott (Sr.), Namdar (Possible Jr.), Kennedy (Jr.), Gainer-was a starter in 2013 (Sr.), Hargrove (Jr.), Clark (Sr.) Ruth (So.)
OL: Frank (Sr.), Presutti (Sr.), Doraty (Jr.), Jenkins (Jr.), Padrick (Jr.), Baker (Sr.), Vasquez (Jr.), Miller (Jr.)

DL: Lally (Sr.), Alarms (Sr.), Hubble (Jr.), Brown (Jr.), Furda (Sr.)
LB: Gonnell (Sr.), Spencer (Sr.), Beech (So), Luke (Sr.), Deerr (Jr.)
DB: Kocheff (Sr.), Hiteshue (Sr.), Rodriguez (Sr.), Jones (Sr.), Kainrad (Jr.), Brown (So.), Sullins (Jr.)

The Defense should be as good or better than 2014.  The biggest missing link on D is Pogorelc.

The Offense has the task of finding the next great MTU QB (I would guess that Taurice Scott is the front runner).  They also have to replace two Offensive Lineman although Jenkins started a handful of games at LT and LG during the 2014 regular season.