FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[reality check]

Ypsi

To clarify, OTT's media guide said he redshirted his freshman season.  Thus he did not see time in games.  Then he played a second season (his sophomore year academically, his redshirt freshman year athletically).  He held for kicks in his redshirt freshman year.  Therefore he used one year of eligibility at WKU according to the media guide and that one year he played was the 2005 football season.

I don't claim to know anything about the rules and stipulations of the 5 year window.  I don't know if the window starts when he came to division III or what.  I also don't know that he would need a third year to get an MBA at Otterbein in 2009.

[JK]

Well, the Steelers bite it too.  Wondering what I did that was so bad that I pissed off the football gods?

In terms of Redshirts/ Rafferty/ Rocky, etc...

Whomever mentioned that you have five years to play 4 seasons is correct.  It's the same in all divisions of the NCAA.  

Hence, if you go to a D1 or D2 school and get "redshirted" your first year, you can still play for four years.  You would then be, in order, a RS Frosh (2nd year in school), a RS Soph (3rd year in school), a 4th year Junior (4th year in school), and then a 5th year senior.  However, to be eligible that 5th year, you still have to be a full time student.  For some that is grad school, for some it is still undergrad.

There are only a few ways to get a sixth year.  One is to have a medical issue during any of the other 4 years following your redshirt year, the other is to have been a "grayshirt."  Todd Boeckman at OSU is an example of this.  THis means you sign a letter of intent in Feb. with your class, but don't report with them, only go to school part time, and then start school in earnest in the spring or the next year.  Boeckman signed in the same class as Smith and Zwick, went to OSU part time that fall and became a full time student in the spring.  So, that year doesn't count.  The next year Boeckman was redshirted.  This is officially when his 5 year clock started.  So now, he's a frosh for eligibility in his second year, a RS Frosh in his third year, a RS Soph in his 4th year, a 4th year Junior in his 5th year, and a Senior (eligibility wise) in his sixth year.  The other applies to "partial qualifiers" academic wise in D1.  I believe Darryl Clark, the QB from Penn State (via Youngstown Ursiline HS and a year in "prep school") is an example of this.

As for Rafferty, he went to WKU for the 2004 season and was redshirted.  Basically, that counts as a year NOT PLAYED if he leaves the school.  THis applies directly to D3 because the only "redshirts" we have in D3 are medical.  So, it's almost like he took a year off.  He played, as the holder, at WKU in 2005.  That started his "clock."  So, his 5 years are 2005, 06, 07, 08, 09.  WKU in 05, did not play in 06.  Came to OTT in 07 (I believe) and split time with OldOtter, playing this year in 08, and has one year left in 09.

Rocky's story is esentially the same, except he also had a medical redshirt year, his first year at CAP when he blew out his knee halfway through the first quarter of his first game at Cap.  Rocky graduated in 00, I believe.  He went to Toledo and was redshirted for the 00 season.  THen I believe he took a year off.  When he transferred to a D3 school, that year in 00 didn't count as a year of eligibility nor did the 01 year when he didn't go to school.  SO his clock never officially started.  It officially started in 02 when he came to Cap.  Then he got hurt that season, so he got the medical year.  He played 02(injured), 03, 04, 05, 06 seasons at Cap.

Although not directly mentioned, I believe Assmann may get last year back because of the injury...

[JK]

sorry JK...The Steelers go down...another weekend for Mrs. JK to hide the sharp objects...

A coupe questions:  Can all DIII football teams continue to practice as long as the playoffs are going on?
                   and...are Ohio high school football teams allowed to practice until the end of the playoffs , if they are not involved in the tournament?

Good thing I am 1500 miles away from Mrs. JK. 

As for your questions: No, and No.  I can't quote the exact regulation for D3, but I know the No to the second question is the right answer.  Both my parents were Athletic Directors, my Dad for 20 years and he was on the OHSAA regional board his last 5 years or so.

Here is the rule from the OHSAA:

B. SPECIFIC REGULATIONS — Grades 9-12
1) Coaching and instruction may begin — July 31, 2008.
2) First game —August 18, 2008.
3) Coaching and Season end — Conclusion of last regular season or tournament game.
Coach — No Contact Period Begins on first day after last game and ends after 28th day

[reality check]

I hope Assman gets a hardship waiver for last year but having played 4 games he's in that very uncertain area.  The waiver reads the athlete should not have played in more than 20% of the contests for the team in that athletic season.  He may not be granted the waiver but getting injured this year might sway the vote per se.  Jason Trusnik was in a similar spot when he broke his foot his senior year.  I hope he gets it since he's had two major injury situations these last two seasons.

[ADL70]

Ironically I found this earlier in the NCAA Statistician's Manual while looking for something else.  Didn't know I would have reason to use it later.

"If a player appears in a game only to hold the ball on kick attempts, he is not charged with a game played. If, however, he becomes statistically involved (e.g., runs, passes or kicks after an aborted kick attempt, recovers a fumble, or makes a tackle) he is charged with a game played."

Rafferty carried the ball eight times for WKU in 2005, however.

[OldOtter]

I talked to Marty and he said he was pretty sure he was going to get a redshirt for last season. I know it's not a given that he will get it but he had been told by his coaches he would. Hopefully he does. Like i said before, great football player and an even better person.

Rafferty played running back his first year at WKU. I didn't realize he got any carries while there. I thought all he did was hold on FG's. I know his sophmore year he left and i'm pretty sure he went to UK and didn't play football. He transferred into Otterbein during the winter quarter of 06/07.

I never really understood how the whole eligibility thing worked in DIII. Hell, my freshmen year i had a 35 year old on the team.

[JK]

You are correct that Rafferty went to UK.  Although he didn't play intercollegiate football that year, he sure beat the heck out of my ROTC kids in an intramural flag football game. 

Every one of my Cadets on that team had played HS football, and Rafferty made them look silly.  We had won our first game by 3 TD's and thought we were pretty good.  We had heard rumors that there was a kid that was a QB at WKU playing on one of the teams.  We had no idea it was him when we warmed up for that second game.  On the first play of the game he threw the ball nearly the length of the field and hit a wide open receiver in stride.  On about the third play of their next series he juked two of my kids and ran untouched about half the length of the field for another TD.  I think his team scored 6 TD's and he was responsible for all of them.  He was pretty good on defense too, we just threw away from him.  They "mercy ruled" us (a 5 TD score, we scored once when they were ahead 4 TDs), and I think they "mercy ruled" just about everyone.  It was pretty apparent HE was the kid from WKU.  Of course they don't keep stats, but if I remember he only threw like 2 incompletions.  I was really impressed and remember thinking "this kid should be playing SOMEWHERE."

I had no idea it was him until I read a story on him in the preseason.  It was pretty easy to put 2 and 2 together then.

[cufan]

Great win for the Otters.....I knew it would be tough without Marty and Ronnie Smith but when it was 14-9 I thought Cap had a chance.  The difference was Otterbein made the big plays when needed and Cap did not.  The better team won on Sat.  Be sure to take care of business next week and good luck the rest of the year. 

[reality check]

OldOtter

OC has a knack for pulling guys off the scrap heap ala "Necessary Roughness".  There was a player who was two years ahead of me in high school.  He played mainly JV even as a senior.  Never thought much of him.  Then I heard that he landed at Urbana and was a beast some years later on defense.  Even later still, I read OTT's media guide to find out he transferred there to finish his playing career.  He graduated two years ahead of me in high school and still managed to finish his playing career a year or two after my four years of college ended.  I think you played with him.  Chris Rush.

[OldOtter]

hahaha Chris Rush. Haven't heard that name in a while. Yea, he was a senior during my freshmen seasons. He would always have dance-offs against Matt Lisi in the locker room. Hilarious

[Toph]

JCU's offense has been anemic, but I'm not worried.  They just don't want to show anything before the Mount game.

Just wait.   

Final score:
Catholics:  A little,  Convicts:  A lot

I'll be there to witness the carnage...if only because if and/or when JCU eventually does knock off Mount (it could be 30 years from now or longer) I don't want to miss it.

[OU#25]

At least they're giving the other 4 votes to a team that has proven to be a worthy opponent.  It's not like they're voting for a NCAC team.

Actually it's 9 other votes not 4 and it's nearly 25% of the voters.  I did not know that being a"worthy opponent" was the grounds to vote a team #1?  And again...that matchup was from LAST YEAR.  The Browns proved to be a worthy opponent to the Giants but they're not going to be ranked #1 anytime soon?

Maybe I just don't understand how the voting works?  I thought is was based upon current performance???

Gee...I hate to quote my own previous comments or tell you that I said so... but WWW went down this past weekend.  At the time they were receiving nearly 25% of the 1st place national vote... I hope it is now apparent how overblown the confidence was in them...and that it's not about what you did last season. 

[runyr]

MTU vs JCU History:
Anybody know why Mount Union doesn't count the 1920 game with John Carroll in their stats?
John Carroll counts it.  The school was still called St. Ignatius College in 1920, but it was same school located in same place as team Mount played in 1931 and counts, though it had changed its name by then.  JCU didn't move across town to University Heights until 1935.

It can't be just because of a name change because Mount counts their games against Akron with its original name (Buchtel College) in the Akron stats column, but not JCU as St. Ignatius College.

Am I missing something?  Is this prejudice against Jesuits or what?  

[frank uible]

Don't worry, be happy. In my experience Jesuits can pretty well fend for themselves.

[pradierguy]

MUC's JV team lost to Ashland last night.