FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Ok, we've completed the non-conference portion of the schedule, so we now have a little better picture of where each team is at and some initial indications of strengths & weaknesses.

So... what are the prognostications for the CCIW portion of the schedule?

Here is my guess on how things will play out:

1. North Central: 7-0
2. Illinois Wesleyan: 6-1
3. Wheaton: 5-2
4. Carthage 3-4
    Augustana: 3-4
5. Millikin: 2-5
6. Elmhurst: 1-6
    North Park: 1-6

Mugsy, I hope your Oct. 1 IWU and Wheaton projections end up accurate.

[NCF]

Since his NCC prediction was wrong, let's hope the others are wrong also.

[robertgoulet]

I'm already sick to my stomach about having to cheer for a Wheaton win this weekend.

Ugh. I haven't seen anything like this since the Anita Bryant concert.

[Mugsy]

Ok, we've completed the non-conference portion of the schedule, so we now have a little better picture of where each team is at and some initial indications of strengths & weaknesses.

So... what are the prognostications for the CCIW portion of the schedule?

Here is my guess on how things will play out:

1. North Central: 7-0
2. Illinois Wesleyan: 6-1
3. Wheaton: 5-2
4. Carthage 3-4
    Augustana: 3-4
5. Millikin: 2-5
6. Elmhurst: 1-6
    North Park: 1-6

Mugsy, I hope your Oct. 1 IWU and Wheaton projections end up accurate.

Believe me... just because that was my guess on Oct 1st, it is not how I hope things turn out.  

Lost in the initial discussion of the IWU/Wheaton game is a pivotal game this week between NCC/Augie.  It is in Rock Island.  Will Fanthrope and the other NCC players banged up during the IWU game be available to play this week?  After last Saturday, the NCC/Augie game is not a lock for NCC by any means...

There are still other key games on Nov. 14th that will play a roll in deciding the AQ and CCIW champs.  Carthage could play a spoiler role against Wheaton, if Wheaton does happen to win this week.  Carthage beat Wheaton at McCully field 2 years ago to start the 2 game skid resulting in Wheaton losing the CCIW championship and playoff bid.  While NCC should be a reasonable favorite over Elmhurst, an upset there would not be outside the realm of feasible.

[Son of Tailgater]

Ok, we've completed the non-conference portion of the schedule, so we now have a little better picture of where each team is at and some initial indications of strengths & weaknesses.

So... what are the prognostications for the CCIW portion of the schedule?

Here is my guess on how things will play out:

1. North Central: 7-0
2. Illinois Wesleyan: 6-1
3. Wheaton: 5-2
4. Carthage 3-4
    Augustana: 3-4
5. Millikin: 2-5
6. Elmhurst: 1-6
    North Park: 1-6

Mugsy, I hope your Oct. 1 IWU and Wheaton projections end up accurate.

Believe me... just because that was my guess on Oct 1st, it is not how I hope things turn out.  

Lost in the initial discussion of the IWU/Wheaton game is a pivotal game this week between NCC/Augie.  It is in Rock Island.  Will Fanthrope and the other NCC players banged up during the IWU game be available to play this week?  After last Saturday, the NCC/Augie game is not a lock for NCC by any means...

There are still other key games on Nov. 14th that will play a roll in deciding the AQ and CCIW champs.  Carthage could play a spoiler role against Wheaton, if Wheaton does happen to win this week.  Carthage beat Wheaton at McCully field 2 years ago to start the 2 game skid resulting in Wheaton losing the CCIW championship and playoff bid.  While NCC should be a reasonable favorite over Elmhurst, an upset there would not be outside the realm of feasible.

NCC with definitely have to have a short memory with traveling to Augie this week. They did recover very well after the first Ohio Northern loss but this might be a little more difficult with injury bug that NCC seems to have. Does anyone know what starters are definitely out for this week since compared to their week one roster?

[NCF]

The injury bug was not a factor on Saturday. They have plenty of depth to pick up the slack. Question is-How bad do they want it?

[Mugsy]

The injury bug was not a factor on Saturday. They have plenty of depth to pick up the slack. Question is-How bad do they want it?

There is a difference between using the "injury bug" as an excuse vs. saying it was not a factor.  Yes, NCC has depth.  Yes, the backups have filled in very, very well.  But you should not dismiss that it has made an impact on the NCC team.  You can't just dismiss the experience, maturity, athletic ability and leadership of a Wenger, Sulo tandem, Champion, and Fanthrope.  Can you honestly tell me NCC's chances would not have been better with that group in the line up?  It doesn't make a win against IWU a certainty, but saying it does not have ANY impact or played a factor is taking it a bit too far.  

I know you are trying to make it clear to avoid excuses and to highlight the efforts of the backups, but to say it made NO impact is somewhat of a slight to Wenger, the Sulo's and Fanthorpe.  Regardless of NCC's depth, you don't replace All-Americans with immediate All-American candidates.  All-American players are not sitting on NCC's bench right now.  There are freshman and sophomore players on NCC's bench who may be All-American someday, but not for the 2009 season.

Case in point...

Fanthorpe was 8-10 for 129 yards and 1 TD.  Stanek filled in admirably for NCC in the 2nd half, but was 8-22 for 120 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.  80% completion rate, no INT's, plus leadership vs. 36% completion rate and 1 INT.

NCC should not use this as "an excuse" for the loss, but I like NCC's chances in the 4 quarter and OT a lot more with Fanthorpe at the helm than Stanek.  The coaching staff and players must move on and focus on getting it done with the players they have... they can't dwell on who they are missing.  But fans have a bit more latitude to recognize the impact injuries MAY have played on the outcome.

[Titan Q]

Somewhere here I saw Fanthorpe's injury referred to as a concussion (maybe someone posted that is what WONC reported).  This article says it was a hip...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/illinois-wesleyan/article_5d561536-c691-11de-b29b-001cc4c03286.html

Just FYI.

[NCF]

The fans in the stands said it was heel spurs.

[Mugsy]

Congrats to Augie's Blaine Westemeyer on being a finalist for the Campbell trophy.

http://www.d3football.com/notables.php

Augustana offensive lineman Blaine Westemeyer and Hardin-Simmons wide receiver ZaVious Robbins were named finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame (NFF). As finalists, they will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship and have a chance to win the HealthSouth endowed Campbell Trophy, previously known as the Draddy Trophy. They were selected from a pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA.

Candidates are nominated by their schools, must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.

Blaine Westemeyer has started for three years on the Augustana offensive line and has helped the Vikings lead the CCIW in rushing for three years. Westemeyer has a 3.93 grade point average as a biochemistry major, was awarded the Augustana Summer Research Fellowship in 2008 and received a grant from the University of Utah earlier this year to perform cellular protein research. Westemeyer is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and an active participant in the Athletes-Giving-Back community outreach program. He also serves as a hospice volunteer.

3.93 GPA as biochemistry major along with his on the field play and off the field service, impressive young man to say the least.

[Mugsy]

The fans in the stands said it was heel spurs.

newcardfan,

One request/suggestion... when responding directly to a post, use the "Quote" button at the top, right-hand side of the post instead of the "Reply" button at the bottom of the post.  Using the Quote option preserves the context of the post.  After clicking on "Quote", go to the bottom of the message window to type in your response (below the "[/quote]" tag).  

This will make it easier for us to understand which post you are responding too.  Thanks.

[NCF]

The fact is that Wenger was injured during the first game of the season, not last week. His replacement has been outstanding. Injuries are part of the game and good teams find ways to overcome them, not lean on the "what could have beens". Why would fans want to play the "what if.." game? The high expectations this team had from day one could be over with the loss on Saturday. It is now time to prepare for the next two weeks (and beyond). What if's, what could have beens and any other "excuses" you want to discuss are pointless. They don't have those guys that are injured. The players that are  #2's have a chance to show what they're made of and get a leg up on some positions for 2010. I'm sure none of them playing would blame their two losses on the loss of any one player. I'm lookiing forward to seeing all the injured return and play a full, healthy season next year. I'm sure this is not the way they saw their senior season play out.

I would, but I hate seeing the same post 20 times before the new one. By the way, could I at least be a -10(round numbers are nice)?

[Son of Tailgater]

The injury bug was not a factor on Saturday. They have plenty of depth to pick up the slack. Question is-How bad do they want it?

There is a difference between using the "injury bug" as an excuse vs. saying it was not a factor.  Yes, NCC has depth.  Yes, the backups have filled in very, very well.  But you should not dismiss that it has made an impact on the NCC team.  You can't just dismiss the experience, maturity, athletic ability and leadership of a Wenger, Sulo tandem, Champion, and Fanthrope.  Can you honestly tell me NCC's chances would not have been better with that group in the line up?  It doesn't make a win against IWU a certainty, but saying it does not have ANY impact or played a factor is taking it a bit too far.  

I know you are trying to make it clear to avoid excuses and to highlight the efforts of the backups, but to say it made NO impact is somewhat of a slight to Wenger, the Sulo's and Fanthorpe.  Regardless of NCC's depth, you don't replace All-Americans with immediate All-American candidates.  All-American players are not sitting on NCC's bench right now.  There are freshman and sophomore players on NCC's bench who may be All-American someday, but not for the 2009 season.

Case in point...

Fanthorpe was 8-10 for 129 yards and 1 TD.  Stanek filled in admirably for NCC in the 2nd half, but was 8-22 for 120 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.  80% completion rate, no INT's, plus leadership vs. 36% completion rate and 1 INT.

NCC should not use this as "an excuse" for the loss, but I like NCC's chances in the 4 quarter and OT a lot more with Fanthorpe at the helm than Stanek.  The coaching staff and players must move on and focus on getting it done with the players they have... they can't dwell on who they are missing.  But fans have a bit more latitude to recognize the impact injuries MAY have played on the outcome.

I do not think the question is "How bad to they want it?" I don't even think that that needs to be questioned at this point and I am not sure if you are serious or joking???

Injuries do happen and teams can recover but as Mugsy stated: "I like NCC"s chances in the 4th quarter and OT a lot better with Fanthorpe at the helm than Stanek." Not even being from an ability standpoint  I would like to look more into the leadership end. When you lose a play maker, team captain or regular starter there is often a void that is tough to replace even with equal skill and depth. A 4 year starter might have the same "skill sets" as a 2  year start but the leadership and comfort level of that 4 year starter is much more advanced. For example:

I noticed that in my 3rd year as a starter I was able to rally behind the defense and skilled positions players in more in serious situations. When I was starting for the first year as a sophomore I was really more concerned with my own play and just concentrating on the next play.

[Son of Tailgater]

By the way, could I at least be a -10(round numbers are nice)?

I assume you are talking about your Karma. The +- typically reflects the quality/ knowledge of information at hand of your comments that you add to this board or others. Let's stick with talking about CCIW Football in a respectful way instead of debating Karma hits/adds.

[ncc58]

The injury bug was not a factor on Saturday. They have plenty of depth to pick up the slack. Question is-How bad do they want it?

There is a difference between using the "injury bug" as an excuse vs. saying it was not a factor.  Yes, NCC has depth.  Yes, the backups have filled in very, very well.  But you should not dismiss that it has made an impact on the NCC team.  You can't just dismiss the experience, maturity, athletic ability and leadership of a Wenger, Sulo tandem, Champion, and Fanthrope.  Can you honestly tell me NCC's chances would not have been better with that group in the line up?  It doesn't make a win against IWU a certainty, but saying it does not have ANY impact or played a factor is taking it a bit too far.  

I know you are trying to make it clear to avoid excuses and to highlight the efforts of the backups, but to say it made NO impact is somewhat of a slight to Wenger, the Sulo's and Fanthorpe.  Regardless of NCC's depth, you don't replace All-Americans with immediate All-American candidates.  All-American players are not sitting on NCC's bench right now.  There are freshman and sophomore players on NCC's bench who may be All-American someday, but not for the 2009 season.

Case in point...

Fanthorpe was 8-10 for 129 yards and 1 TD.  Stanek filled in admirably for NCC in the 2nd half, but was 8-22 for 120 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.  80% completion rate, no INT's, plus leadership vs. 36% completion rate and 1 INT.

NCC should not use this as "an excuse" for the loss, but I like NCC's chances in the 4 quarter and OT a lot more with Fanthorpe at the helm than Stanek.  The coaching staff and players must move on and focus on getting it done with the players they have... they can't dwell on who they are missing.  But fans have a bit more latitude to recognize the impact injuries MAY have played on the outcome.

I agree completely with Mugsy. Some players have played well but not what Wenger, Dominic Sulo, and Derek Sulo are capable. NCC has better depth than a few years ago, but Hayes and Rossberg are not All-Amercans.

I was a little surprised at the gentle treatment of Stanek on this board. After seven years of Fanthorpe and Kniss, 8-22 is not what NCC expects from their QB. You can say it was a good performance for a freshman. However, it's not what you need when you are fighting for a CCIW championship and a D3 playoff berth.