FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[WahooThunder]

Unbelievable play! My heart was beating through my chest! What a way to start the season!

[Mugsy]

Hopefully the victory doesn't overshadow the improvement needed by the Cruthunder.

True... but Bethel is a very good team that already had one game under their belt.  Beating a very solid team, on the road, with one game played and a very, very young defense.  I'll take that any day.

I didn't have huge expectations that the Wheaton D would stop Bethel.  Other than special teams and some rough edges by the offense, that is a very good win for Wheaton.

[Gregory Sager]

After one quarter RHIT leads NPU, 17-7, with the Vikings facing a second and goal at the Engineers' three yard line. Both teams have run back kickoffs for touchdowns (North Park's came on a reverse: Pantaleo for the first ten yards, Gant for the last 83). Looks like this game might be a wild one.

[Gregory Sager]

Rakim Jones ran it in from the three. It's now Rose-Hulman 17, North Park 14, with 14:55 left in the half.

[Gregory Sager]

Pantaleo forces a fumble, Vikings recover. NPU ball on the RHIT 44.

[Mugsy]

Pantaleo forces a fumble, Vikings recover. NPU ball on the RHIT 44.

Wow... NPU making some big plays. Good sign. 

[Gregory Sager]

Pantaleo forces a fumble, Vikings recover. NPU ball on the RHIT 44.

Wow... NPU making some big plays. Good sign.  

Unfortunately, the Vikings then got it down to the Engineers' 29 before turning it over on downs. Looks like Coach Pethtel isn't going to use Nottoli for anything longer than a 45-yarder or so.

[Mugsy]

One last thought on the Wheaton game before I run out for dinner.

How many times has Coach Swider made the gusty call at the end of a game to go for the win?  I can think of several Wheaton/Augie games...

Granted the troubles with the snap and hold on FG's and X-Pt's might have influenced his decision a bit. But under 10 seconds in the game at Bethel's 5 yard line and opting to run a play instead of attempting to kick a FG to send the game into overtime... gutsy!

[Mugsy]

Pantaleo forces a fumble, Vikings recover. NPU ball on the RHIT 44.

Wow... NPU making some big plays. Good sign. 

Unfortunately, the Vikings then got it down to the Enginees' 29 before turning it over on downs. Looks like Coach Pethtel isn't going to use Nottoli for anything longer than a 45-yarder or so.

Definitely early in the season for kicking... mistakes all over at all levels of NCAA play thus far.  Wheaton and Bethel each had FG's blocked, Bethel missed 2 x-points, Wheaton 1.  Bethel had a botched punt snap.  Wheaton gave up a fake punt.  Sloppy at best.

[Gregory Sager]

Rose-Hulman marches down the field and scores on a 25-yard run. It's now 24-14, RHIT, with 7:49 left in the half. The Vikings are not playing the kind of defense today that they played against Carroll last week. Then again, Rose-Hulman is clearly a more potent opponent than were the Pioneers.

[Gregory Sager]

Rose-Hulman kicked a 30-yard FG on the last play of the half, so at halftime it's the Engineers 27, the Vikings 14.

It's amazing that the Vikings are still within two touchdowns, as they've been thoroughly outplayed thus far. RHIT has amassed 289 yards of total offense to NPU's 85. The only things that've held back the Engineers are some costly penalties and poor special-teams play. The Vikings certainly aren't holding them back with their defense.

[Gregory Sager]

After North Park's Fred Flihan recovered a Rose-Hulman fumble on the Engineers' 27, Bryn Nottoli kicked a 37-yarder to bring NPU to within ten. However, the Vikings once again failed to stop the Rose-Hulman offense, as the Engineers marched down the field and scored on a ten-yard pass completion. With two minutes and change left in the third quarter, RHIT leads NPU, 34-17.

[Gregory Sager]

A 63-yard TD run by Rose-Hulman at the start of the fourth quarter, and it's turned into a rout. RHIT 41, NPU 17.

[Gregory Sager]

Final from Terre Haute:

Rose-Hulman 48
North Park 17

The Vikings were pasted today. RHIT outgained them by a huge margin, 541-194, and had more than twice as many first downs, 24-11. The Engineers ran roughshod over the NPU defense, with two RHIT rushers logging 100-yard days and the team as a whole averaging seven and a half yards per carry.

This should lead to a more realistic appraisal of the Vikings in this room. Granted, Rose-Hulman appears to be a very, very good team, but I doubt that the Engineers are as good as North Central or Wheaton. I still think that the Vikings are heading in the right direction overall, but there's no mistaking that they still have a long way to go.

[Mugsy]

Hmm... 2nd week in a row where Elmhurst has a rather pedestian win over a team you would think it should beat by a wider margin.

Elmhurst 17, Olivet 9