FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[OU#25]

Congratulations Raiders on a great performance!  Everyone on this board is proud of your accomplishments and appreciate your efforts and passion for the game.  Best wishes to all the teams and fans this holiday season.  I'm looking forward to another exciting season in '06.

[runyr]

Amazing Purple Raiders and Amazing Coach Larry Kehres:

How do you top eight national championships?  If you're LK & Co, I suppose you start thinking about the next one!  Congratulations to everybody who ever took part in the Mount Union program and also every Raider fan - new and old. 

Merry Christmas to all. 

70's,
All the schools out here are on break already!  Don't work too hard.

[Tezbaseball]

Congrats the MUC. Great season. WWU overlooked you guys. Merry Christmas to all and heres to a Linfield-MUC match up next year.

[wrighthall220]

Congrats to MUC from a Bridgewater fan.   There are not enough words in a dictonary to describe how great the MUC program is!  WOW! 

[JT]

Great game on Saturday.  Nice job for #8. 

[jdean]

In case no one noticed, the finla top 25 are posted:

Mt Union, UWW, Linfield, Rowan and Capital.

Super job Cap--you're deserving of a higher ranking in my eyes.

[sidney porter]

Congrats to MUC on number 8.

Has the NCAA trophy changed? I remember it having more of a NCAA logo at the top this one had a football

[Ajwassup]

What a game!!  It was my first Stagg Bowl apperance and it wont be my last as long as Mount is there.  Thanks to all that i met out there, 70's, mtfan, etc.
btw, burgers were awsome (and u r right, as a college kid, we dont turn down food)

70's:  would of liked to talk to you on the ride home, but i didnt see you on the bus.  Maybe because most of us were too tired after going on 30 minutes of sleep the night before, but maybe next year (now that i know who you are)

It was amazing to see how many MUC people were there tailgating, everywhere i looked, it was basically MUC fans.  We def wont the tailgating game, and of the course the real game too.

As the grass at Salem always been that bad?  I was sitting in the second row and it was terrible.  They def need to get improvements to that.

Anyone that saw Ross Watson go into the stands after the game was over, whre did he go?  I am assuming he went to his parents but couldnt tell.

To me the difference in teh game was two things: 
1)  Whitewater too many dropped balls, esp that TD in that was dropped.  That def made a difference.
2)LK and the coaching staff.  The adjsutments that were made in the beginning of the 3rd qtr gave us the lead that we needed.  It took WW a long time to make some adjustments before slowing us down on offense and scoring on are defense.

8 is great!!!

Again thanks to all that i met out there and hope we can do this again next year!!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

[rscl70]

AJW

Ross went to see his parents.  It was a heart warming moment to witness.

[ohiofootball]

Aztec Bowl

Ohio Northern defensive back Wes Hostetler scored three touchdowns and the United States defense and special teams rolled up 375 yards in interception, kickoff and punt returns as Team USA rolled to a record-setting 53-15 win over Mexico in the 2005 Aztec Bowl.

Hostetler alone accounted for 223 return yards as he scored on an 86-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, a 75-yard interception return in the third quarter and a 54-yard punt return in the third quarter to earn Team USA MVP honors.

[Pat Coleman]

The trophies changed in 2002, I believe.

For those interested, the Stagg Bowl airs on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET today. It will likely be an edited version, since it's crammed into a three-hour time slot.

[seventiesraider]

Ajwassup-Sorry, Kevin and I caught the express home with Theaprof. I don't like to think I'm getting old, but I couldn't face another 8-9 hours in that bus seat. Glad to have met you and really sorry we didn't get a chance to share on the bus. Next Year.

[HScoach]

Realize this is a little late in coming, but the list of honey-do's was a long one after being in Virginia for the weekend.  So here's my take on the Stagg Bowl:

1   Great win for the Mount Union program to regain the throne after everyone thought they were done.  The loss to ONU helped Mount in so many ways.  First and foremost I think is the removal of unrealistic expectations on a young offense and even younger coaching staff.  The loss took the pressure off the team and caused them to come together even tighter than before.  LK has said numerous times that he doesn't get too high after the wins and not too low after the losses.  Right after the loss he said that there was still a lot of football to play.  Boy, he wasn't kidding.

2.   Congrats to the OAC for preparing the Raiders for another run to Salem.  Maybe with ONU's win in Alliance and Capital's playing MUC closer than anyone else in the playoffs, the rest of the nation will start to realize how good of a conference the OAC is.  I might be in the minority, but Capital played MUC tougher in the Regional Finals than WWW did in the Stagg.  Whitewater was a great team, but so was Capital.  The only area where WWW had a distinct edge over Capital was in the strength of the O-line.  But  Capital's QB and WR's were much better than WWW.  I would have expected a very close game between Cap and WWW.  We were discussing on the way home just how close the 2nd place OAC team is to winning a title.  Stay with it guys, you'll get one pretty soon.

3.   What a game from the defense!  The numbers might say they gave up 400+ yards and 28 points, but they stopped a great running back and made plays when they needed it.  The goal line stand and the INT by Rose were huge.  When the best RB in D3 gets only 125 yds on 30 carries, you've played well.  The D-line contained the inside running game and the LB's and secondary pursued very well.  Beaver was a load, but I can't remember one play where he broke a tackle that he didn't get immediately hit by someone else.  Team defense is fun to watch.     

4.   Player I was most impressed by?  Mike Jorris.  Mike played consistent, made good decisions, avoided the rush and put the ball where the WR and RB's could do something with it.  For MUC to win, Mike had to play well and not turn the ball over in costly situations.  And his bomb to Garcon was a thing of beauty.   Absolutely huge throw when MUC needed a big play to get in the game early.  And the crisp short passing game on the final drive was clutch.  Way to go Mike!

5.   Seems odd to say it this way when he's only a freshman and has started only a handful of  games, but Kmic was simply Kmic.  He's brings back memories of Chuck Moore with his running style and vision, the 95 yard TD run from the exact same spot on the field cement's it.  This kid's going to be fun to watch the next 3 years.  Also love how he runs with both arms on the ball in traffic. 

6.   Garcon is an absolute stud.  Glad he kept bugging the coaching staff last spring for a chance to come to Mount.  As great as he is as a receiver, I love watching block even more!  Nate doesn't make it 95 yards without Garcon running interference for him.  The funny part is that while Kmic is busting hump downfield, Garcon looked like he was out for an afternoon jog.   Nate's last TD was also set up by Garcon's blocking.  Great job from a position that is not usually known for its toughness.

7.   Surprise of the Stagg?  Mount finding the TE again.  Was nice to see Scott Campbell come thru with 3 big catches after spending much of year as a blocker.  Could easily tell that LK was calling the plays again as the tendencies built thru the year under the young guys was broken by LK calling the plays which really crossed up the WWW defense.    Second surprise?  WWW trying to go deep on Ross Watson time and again when the short passing game was effective.    Seems odd to keep testing a senior All-American when there's back-up sophomore starting on the other corner.

8.   Most telling stat comparison?  Completion Percentage.  Jorris 71.4% (new Stagg record beating Smeck's 70.4%) versus Jacobs 46.8%. 

9.   Second telling stat? Big Plays.  MUC's 2 longest plays were 95 by Kmic and 63 reception by Garcon.   Whitewater's were 16 yds for Beaver and a 31 yard pass to Schmidt in the final seconds.  Mount made the big plays, WWW didn't.  Beaver got his years, but never hit the bid play that WWW needed.

10.   Felt great for the seniors to leave Mount regaining the title that they all came to Alliance to get.   Congrats to Ross Watson, Scott Casto, Justin Stickley (assuming he doesn't use his red-shirt), Robert McDavid, Kelechi Ibeh, Mike Gibbons, Sam Vucelich, Marcello DeAngelis, Tom Manning, Jeff Goodwill, Greg Brauer, Scott Campbell, Buddy Wolf and Jesse Wells for a great ride.  It was a blast watching you guys and you'll all be missed!

11.   This was my 8th Stagg Bowl and maybe the most enjoyable and most satisfying for me ever.  It was great to shut up all the national talk about The King being dead.  There were many doubters this year after Monty left, but the defense was better than ever.  Many doubted the offense (myself included) without LK at the helm 100% of time, but they lead the nation again and came thru with clutch drives against Capital and WWW in the 4th quarters when the team needed it the most.  The doubters grew with the loss to ONU, but the team never quit on themselves and for that I'm thankful.  It's been a great ride thru the playoffs and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Sometimes as a fan we forget how hard it is to win a championship, at any level, high school, college or pro.  Over LK's 13 year dynasty, he's made it look a lot easier to win than it really is.

12.         Most heart warming moment?  Seeing Watson sprint to the stands to find his folks.   Second most?  Seeing Aaron Robinson be the first player to hug Kmic after his 95 yard TD.  Would have been very easy for Aaron to be pissed about the emergence of Nate, but by all accounts he's handled like a true team player.

13.         Here's hoping LK and Crew have another trip to Salem in them before I'm too old to care!




General random thoughts:

1.   The turnout by the MUC faithful was impressive.  Reminded me of the mid-1990's.

2.   The reception at the Wyndham was a blast.  Talked to tons of people, including Dean Paul's dad who is a class act and is as big a MUC fan as you can get.  Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him to tell his boy to take it easy on us next year!

3.   Very impressed with the job by LK and the staff did in getting the players focused and ready to go.  That was a darn good football team that Mount beat on Saturday.  Loved hearing the 'rumors' about the LK playing up the underdog card.  Saw numerous players throughout the Friday nights festivities and they looked very relaxed.  The familiarity of being in Virginia again has to help the coaches and players.

4.   Have to send a huge THANKS to Llamaguy, Kid and SkoalTrain at Stone Station.  Couldn't be there for the chicken, but loved talking to you guys again.   I have no hesitation in saying that the B'Water guys are the best bunch of D3 fans that I've ever met. 
         
5.   Huge thanks to Ric and Harry Paidis for the opportunity to do the radio broadcast with you guys.  It was a blast!

[jcullerlb42]

this is only my second time posting, but a long time reader...  i have spent my last 5 years at mount union, the past year as a student coach and the four before that as a player.  i cannot say anything other than those last 5 years have been some of the best times of my life both on and off of the field with the team...  i have learned so much from my fellow teammates, players and coaches that it is unexplainable.  firstly i would like to say thanks for all of the support from those fans, posters, and parents.  the feeling that one gets from the support reading, playing, and coaching is the very best in the nation... even if some of our fans have been collecting social security for 20+ years *hahaha* it still means the world, and i can say that from my very own first hand experiences.  i tip my hat to the players this year... they were a great TEAM.  those guys could have folded after the ONU game, but came back the sunday after on an absolute mission.  the practices after that game leading up to the stagg bowl were some of the best practices i have ever seen since i have been here (and i have been here to see the chuck moore and dan pugh eras).  those guys came back on a mission and DID accomplish some things that have never been done here at mt union, and i congratulate them for that.  i give special thanks to the oline mother from bridgewater for the brownies (i think they were gone in about 10 minutes). that is just one of the small gestures of hospitality from the great people from virginia... every time i have had the chance to make the trip (and i think this was my 4th, once as a player, once as a coach, and twice as a fan), it has only gotten better.  i have the utmost respect for coach larry kehres and his staff.  lk has not only taught me a great deal about football, but mostly about god, family, and life in general.  he is a great man and deserves much more than he is given...  i am moving on now (i have received a teaching/coaching position in the warren city schools, thanks to muc and lk), but at heart i will always be a purple raider.  raiders-keep up the hard work and great support, thats what makes the MACHINE!!!!!

[Cap99Fan]

Saw an article (I think it was an AP) that said that LK was drawing up plays on the sideline. I guess he did a pretty good job of that. I think the run by Kmic worked to perfection  .

Heres what he said: 2nd and eight Hmmmmmmmmm let me see now  Jorris, I think you should hand the ball to Nate, Nate you take the ball and run like HELL.