FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Augie6]

Sorry i havent been able to post on this matter sooner, my account was waiting approval. I am a current player at Augie, and i would just like to add my 2 cents to all this. First, i would like to say that i have the utmost respect for any alum of Augie, you guys created a great tradition that i hope to carry on. Second, it seems that many peoples opionion of Barnes on this board is not quite the same as the players. I do not want to bash my former coach in any way but the players honestly no longer had the same respect for him. Any one who attended the Wheaton game would understand why. Alot also goes on behind the scenes. Barnes however did bring an unprecedented amount of passion to the game, and i wish him the best. Augie was going on a downward slope though and change was necessary. The decision on what happened came a great deal from the seniors who all met with our AD. The AD also sent out surveys to all the players. The decision for change came from the players directly. That change is the hiring of a new head coach. This of course was Cushman. Coach Cushman has brough something amazing to augie. This defense plays inspired at all times, and i personally have never respected a coach as much as i do Coach Cushman. Now many of you said you saw this as a quick fix. Wasnt that necessary though? Say Augie goes on a long nation wide search. Where does that leave the players and recruits. Waiting? that would have been saying to us that we care more about rebuilding than the present. Dont get me wrong there is some rebuilding that needs to be done. However the team that will take the field next year will be very talented and lead by many playmakers. It will be our task to get the job done, and i have no doubt that Coach Cushman will have us ready. As far as recuiting make no doubt about it he will get the job done. He may not have area highschool ties. But coach cushman is a tremendous recruiter, and he is the reason i picked Augie over many other CCIW teams.

RandomPlayer,

Not sure where to begin on this.  Probably not the greatest idea as an active player at Augie to post this message.  I understand you are trying to shed some light on the situation from a player's perspective, but, in my mind, this paints a terrible picture of the Augie program.   My guess is Coach Cushman, or any coach for that matter, would not be happy with this type of info being shared by someone currently playing.  When the players are calling the shots on who should be the coach (as you indicate), that speaks volumes about how far the Augie program has fallen.  The last time I checked, it wasn't Coach Barnes giving up 10 turnovers in two straight losses to Wheaton and Elmhurst this year.  If the Elmhurst game was an example of Augie's D playing inspired at all times, I would hate to see them when they are uninspired.  

I don't think anyone was asking Augie to go on a long, protracted search for a head coach.  But 1 day doesn't qualify as a search at all.  I think it's very fair for Augie alumni to question this.  No one is asking to spend months looking for a coach and losing valuable recruiting time.  However, adding a least a few weeks to the process to vet potential interested candidates is certainly within reason.  From your description of the situation, you make it sound like since the players were able to get rid of Coach Barnes and make Coach Cushman the Head Coach, Augie now, somehow, becomes an instant contender for the CCIW championship and in the playoffs.  Sorry, but I just don't see it.  

You say Coach Cushman has brought something "amazing" to Augie.  My question is what?  It's certainly not anything creative from a defensive standpoint.  Has Augie been decent on defense the past 3 years?  I would say yes.  Have they been in the same ballpark as amazing?  Clearly not.  If you think your defense is anywhere close to where it needs to be to compete in the playoffs, I can speak with absolutely certainty (from personal experience) that it's not.  The fact that it had one good year statistically as the #7 scoring defense in 2008, doesn't give it credibility.  It's a bend but don't break defense that has given up plenty of yards over the past 3 seasons (about 300 yards per game every season).  The D is not particularly good at getting to the QB (84th in sacks in 08, 119th in 09 and 53rd in 10) and it doesn't generate a significant amount of turnovers, ranking as high as 37th in the country in 2008 in turnovers gained, but coming in at 97th in 08' and 105th in 10'.  I get that the players like Coach Cushman and that's great.  That still doesn't change any of the concerns that have been brought up by Augie alumni and others on this board about the change that occurred at Augie.  

Again, I am not trying to bad mouth Coach Cushman.  I hope he is the person that can bring Augie back to prominence, first in the CCIW and then, on a national basis.  But the concerns that have been voiced on this board are valid and, unfortunately, the information you included in your post makes my concerns about the program much more profound.

Good luck as you prepare for next season.  Go Augie!  

[Augie6]

Good luck to Wheaton and NCC tomorrow in the playoffs.  I would like to be able to go to the Wheaton or NCC game, but I will be down at U of I cheering on WWS to a second straight IHSA 7A title.  Go Tigers, Thunder and Cards. 

[Mugsy]

Sorry i havent been able to post on this matter sooner, my account was waiting approval. I am a current player at Augie, and i would just like to add my 2 cents to all this. First, i would like to say that i have the utmost respect for any alum of Augie, you guys created a great tradition that i hope to carry on. Second, it seems that many peoples opionion of Barnes on this board is not quite the same as the players. I do not want to bash my former coach in any way but the players honestly no longer had the same respect for him. Any one who attended the Wheaton game would understand why. Alot also goes on behind the scenes. Barnes however did bring an unprecedented amount of passion to the game, and i wish him the best. Augie was going on a downward slope though and change was necessary. The decision on what happened came a great deal from the seniors who all met with our AD. The AD also sent out surveys to all the players. The decision for change came from the players directly. That change is the hiring of a new head coach. This of course was Cushman. Coach Cushman has brough something amazing to augie. This defense plays inspired at all times, and i personally have never respected a coach as much as i do Coach Cushman. Now many of you said you saw this as a quick fix. Wasnt that necessary though? Say Augie goes on a long nation wide search. Where does that leave the players and recruits. Waiting? that would have been saying to us that we care more about rebuilding than the present. Dont get me wrong there is some rebuilding that needs to be done. However the team that will take the field next year will be very talented and lead by many playmakers. It will be our task to get the job done, and i have no doubt that Coach Cushman will have us ready. As far as recuiting make no doubt about it he will get the job done. He may not have area highschool ties. But coach cushman is a tremendous recruiter, and he is the reason i picked Augie over many other CCIW teams.

RandomPlayer,

Not sure where to begin on this.  Probably not the greatest idea as an active player at Augie to post this message.  I understand you are trying to shed some light on the situation from a player's perspective, but, in my mind, this paints a terrible picture of the Augie program.   My guess is Coach Cushman, or any coach for that matter, would not be happy with this type of info being shared by someone currently playing.  When the players are calling the shots on who should be the coach (as you indicate), that speaks volumes about how far the Augie program has fallen.  The last time I checked, it wasn't Coach Barnes giving up 10 turnovers in two straight losses to Wheaton and Elmhurst this year.  If the Elmhurst game was an example of Augie's D playing inspired at all times, I would hate to see them when they are uninspired.  

I don't think anyone was asking Augie to go on a long, protracted search for a head coach.  But 1 day doesn't qualify as a search at all.  I think it's very fair for Augie alumni to question this.  No one is asking to spend months looking for a coach and losing valuable recruiting time.  However, adding a least a few weeks to the process to vet potential interested candidates is certainly within reason.  From your description of the situation, you make it sound like since the players were able to get rid of Coach Barnes and make Coach Cushman the Head Coach, Augie now, somehow, becomes an instant contender for the CCIW championship and in the playoffs.  Sorry, but I just don't see it.  

You say Coach Cushman has brought something "amazing" to Augie.  My question is what?  It's certainly not anything creative from a defensive standpoint.  Has Augie been decent on defense the past 3 years?  I would say yes.  Have they been in the same ballpark as amazing?  Clearly not.  If you think your defense is anywhere close to where it needs to be to compete in the playoffs, I can speak with absolutely certainty (from personal experience) that it's not.  The fact that it had one good year statistically as the #7 scoring defense in 2008, doesn't give it credibility.  It's a bend but don't break defense that has given up plenty of yards over the past 3 seasons (about 300 yards per game every season).  The D is not particularly good at getting to the QB (84th in sacks in 08, 119th in 09 and 53rd in 10) and it doesn't generate a significant amount of turnovers, ranking as high as 37th in the country in 2008 in turnovers gained, but coming in at 97th in 08' and 105th in 10'.  I get that the players like Coach Cushman and that's great.  That still doesn't change any of the concerns that have been brought up by Augie alumni and others on this board about the change that occurred at Augie.  

Again, I am not trying to bad mouth Coach Cushman.  I hope he is the person that can bring Augie back to prominence, first in the CCIW and then, on a national basis.  But the concerns that have been voiced on this board are valid and, unfortunately, the information you included in your post makes my concerns about the program much more profound.

Good luck as you prepare for next season.  Go Augie!  

Augie6,

Like almost every post from you, solid as ever.  I would love to see Augie turn things around (with in reason   ), if not to boost the competitive level of the conference even higher, but to get more insight and solid perspective from the Augie faithful (grounded in a tradition that all other CCIW teams are striving for).

K+

Amazing that we are talking about Augie "turning it around" when they are still having winning seasons.

[shepherd]

Also, I am done for now on this topic. Good luck to ncc and wheaton tommorow.

I'm not policing what topics we can and can't post on.  It is an intriging story.  Just find it odd there is very little discussion on the games tomorrow.  I suspect that'll change in 14 hours or so.   

Since both Wheaton and Bethel have good defenses scoring may be hard to come by.  Special teams, penalties and field position will be very important in this game.  With similar winds as last week remember both teams had trouble moving the ball in Wheaton against the wind.  I am very impressed with Wheatons O-line this year.  New O-line coach Geoff Dartt is doing a great job.  I look for Wheaton to "pound the rock" first to open up the pass.  Hopefully Roberts is as elusive as he was last week and gets his share of rushing and passing yards.

Good luck to both Wheaton and NCC tomorrow.

[Mugsy]

Also, I am done for now on this topic. Good luck to ncc and wheaton tommorow.

I'm not policing what topics we can and can't post on.  It is an intriging story.  Just find it odd there is very little discussion on the games tomorrow.  I suspect that'll change in 14 hours or so.  

Since both Wheaton and Bethel have good defenses scoring may be hard to come by.  Special teams, penalties and field position will be very important in this game.  With similar winds as last week remember both teams had trouble moving the ball in Wheaton against the wind.  I am very impressed with Wheatons O-line this year.  New O-line coach Geoff Dartt is doing a great job.  I look for Wheaton to "pound the rock" first to open up the pass.  Hopefully Roberts is as elusive as he was last week and gets his share of rushing and passing yards.

Good luck to both Wheaton and NCC tomorrow.

Problem is Wheaton doesn't really "pound the rock" as much as they used too.  It is more counter/misdirection out of the spread formation.  Yes every now and then they line up in wildcat formation with at least one TE (if not 2), but even that uses a misdirection/ball fake scheme instead of lining up and "punching you in the mouth".

Makes me wonder if the scheme along with injuries has led to Rocky's reduced impact.  I know injuries has been the primary reason, but I'm left wondering if this offensive scheme doesn't fit him as well.  Just a thought...

I do agree that Wheaton needs to run the ball well tomorrow and continue the balanced attack.  I also agree that the Wheaton offensive line, particularly the OT's, have played very well this year.  They need to do even better from here on out.  

[Augie6]

Mugsy,

Winning seasons are fine, but losing to Wheaton 9 of the last 11 years and dropping 5 straight (I think) to NCC will definitely get us old Augie alums a little fired up  .  I do find it a shame that this happened at a time we have two great CCIW programs looking to advance to the quarters.  Definitely has distracted from that discussion.  Hopefully, I'll be able to better participate next season.  I definitely keep up to speed on the CCIW by reading the posts on this board and appreciate the knowledge and even-mindedness that you always bring to the discussion.  Next season, I should have a little more free time to attend more than the one CCIW game I made it to this year. 

[nccfac]

Also, I am done for now on this topic. Good luck to ncc and wheaton tommorow.

I'm not policing what topics we can and can't post on.  It is an intriging story.  Just find it odd there is very little discussion on the games tomorrow.  I suspect that'll change in 14 hours or so.  

Since both Wheaton and Bethel have good defenses scoring may be hard to come by.  Special teams, penalties and field position will be very important in this game.  With similar winds as last week remember both teams had trouble moving the ball in Wheaton against the wind.  I am very impressed with Wheatons O-line this year.  New O-line coach Geoff Dartt is doing a great job.  I look for Wheaton to "pound the rock" first to open up the pass.  Hopefully Roberts is as elusive as he was last week and gets his share of rushing and passing yards.

Good luck to both Wheaton and NCC tomorrow.

I'll be at the NCC/ONU game rooting for the Cards. I also hope that Wheaton advances and having seen them play against NCC and couple of games online, I hope they can avoid the killer penalties that seem to plague them this year. As long as they don't self destruct, I think they will come out on top.

[Mugsy]

Mugsy,

Winning seasons are fine, but losing to Wheaton 9 of the last 11 years and dropping 5 straight (I think) to NCC will definitely get us old Augie alums a little fired up  .  I do find it a shame that this happened at a time we have two great CCIW programs looking to advance to the quarters.  Definitely has distracted from that discussion.  Hopefully, I'll be able to better participate next season.  I definitely keep up to speed on the CCIW by reading the posts on this board and appreciate the knowledge and even-mindedness that you always bring to the discussion.  Next season, I should have a little more free time to attend more than the one CCIW game I made it to this year.  

What I would have done to beat Augie just once!  That was such an all pervasive focus when I played.  "Beat Augie!" was the war cry.

Thought we did in 86', but I guess that is a matter of perspective (and the actual scoreboard).  

I guess I can take some solice in that I played a very small role in building the program to the point where we could beat Augie as often as we have (but in some of the more exciting games year in and year out in the CCIW).

[Augie6]

Mugsy,

Winning seasons are fine, but losing to Wheaton 9 of the last 11 years and dropping 5 straight (I think) to NCC will definitely get us old Augie alums a little fired up  .  I do find it a shame that this happened at a time we have two great CCIW programs looking to advance to the quarters.  Definitely has distracted from that discussion.  Hopefully, I'll be able to better participate next season.  I definitely keep up to speed on the CCIW by reading the posts on this board and appreciate the knowledge and even-mindedness that you always bring to the discussion.  Next season, I should have a little more free time to attend more than the one CCIW game I made it to this year. 

What I would have done to beat Augie just once!  That was such an all pervasive focus when I played.  "Beat Augie!" was the war cry.

Thought we did in 86', but I guess that is a matter of perspective (and the actual scoreboard).  

I guess I can take some solice in that I played a very small role in building the program to the point where we could beat Augie as often as we have.

I think we had the 86' game discussion a few years back and I'm not going to touch that one again.    As a DB, I always loved the Wheaton games because we knew the ball was going to be in the air a bunch of times.  Always a great match-up. 

[Mugsy]

Mugsy,

Winning seasons are fine, but losing to Wheaton 9 of the last 11 years and dropping 5 straight (I think) to NCC will definitely get us old Augie alums a little fired up  .  I do find it a shame that this happened at a time we have two great CCIW programs looking to advance to the quarters.  Definitely has distracted from that discussion.  Hopefully, I'll be able to better participate next season.  I definitely keep up to speed on the CCIW by reading the posts on this board and appreciate the knowledge and even-mindedness that you always bring to the discussion.  Next season, I should have a little more free time to attend more than the one CCIW game I made it to this year.  

What I would have done to beat Augie just once!  That was such an all pervasive focus when I played.  "Beat Augie!" was the war cry.

Thought we did in 86', but I guess that is a matter of perspective (and the actual scoreboard).  

I guess I can take some solice in that I played a very small role in building the program to the point where we could beat Augie as often as we have.

I think we had the 86' game discussion a few years back and I'm not going to touch that one again.    As a DB, I always loved the Wheaton games because we knew the ball was going to be in the air a bunch of times.  Always a great match-up.  

As a LB I always loved facing the Augie wing attack.  Studying film for hours to learn the "tells" based on slight variation of alignment, line splits, wing or RB depth, etc... I always felt like I knew what play was coming before the ball was even snapped and I'm guessing 85% of the time I did.  

The challenge was to know what variation of blocking scheme or even more so... beating the man in front of you.  Always had the feeling Augie didn't care if you knew what was coming or not... "Go ahead... if you think you're better, then whip us and show us.  Otherwise give it your best shot, lose and we'll see you next year"

Made me a better player and us a better team.

[usee]

'86 Augie game!!!!!!*@#$%**@#........where is my blood pressure medicine?? back to my anger managment class........

[Mugsy]

'86 Augie game!!!!!!*@#$%**@#........where is my blood pressure medicine?? back to my anger managment class........

My 1st start ever as a way, way undersized sophomore LB replacing our team captain.  Big shoes to fill for sure...

Someone going to start playing "Glory Days" by Springstein soon?

[CardinalAlum]

'86 Augie game!!!!!!*@#$%**@#........where is my blood pressure medicine?? back to my anger managment class........

My 1st start ever as a way, way undersized sophomore LB replacing our team captain.  Big shoes to fill for sure...

So one going to start playing "Glory Days" by Springstein soon?

Ugh, don't want to think about our '86 game against Augie!!    .   OUCH!

[Mugsy]

'86 Augie game!!!!!!*@#$%**@#........where is my blood pressure medicine?? back to my anger managment class........

My 1st start ever as a way, way undersized sophomore LB replacing our team captain.  Big shoes to fill for sure...

So one going to start playing "Glory Days" by Springstein soon?

Ugh, don't want to think about our '86 game against Augie!!    .   OUCH!

What? Not quite an 18-17 affair determined on the last play of the game?   

[Viking Mike]

random player,

Not following you...... are you saying the players were given a survey questioning whether a coaching change was needed? Or a survey regarding thoughts on the best replacement for Barnes?  In other words, was the survey given before or after the coaches resignation?

Also, in regards to the events of the Wheaton game, are you referring to Barnes poor game management at the end of the game or was there something else that cost Barnes his players respect?

I can appreciate your passion to play for Cushman and truly hope he is the best man for the job.  We alumni are all just a little discouraged at how things have played out.  Unless you have a son who plays, we are not aware of the dynamics (good or bad) that go on behind the scene.   It seems like a week or two of interviewing several candidates, including Cushman, would not have hurt anyone (players, recruits, etc)  and would have made it seem like some effort was put into the search.

Hoping the change is good for everyone involved!