FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[formerd3db]

Gregory S:

Do you think that having the "bye" weekend so early in the season will be a detriment to NP?  I realize that "someone" i.e. some teams have to have their "bye" weekends early in the season, however, I personally prefer when those are at mid or late season.  The later dates for a break usually tend to be more needed for rest, recouping from injuries, staleness, etc.; conversely, it also seems to me that having the break early would have the possibility to derail some building confidence, etc.  Yet, again, obviously, every team can't have their "bye" later in the season.   I was just curious as to how you see this might affect NP after your observations/assessment of their first two wins.

[Gregory Sager]

NPU always takes its break during the third week of the season. I don't think that it's a strategic move at all; it's more a matter of custom.

I wouldn't mind if NPU took a later off-week this year, inasmuch as the Vikings have both momentum and health at the moment. There doesn't appear to be any serious injuries for the Vikings, aside from the preseason loss of senior RB Jake Chvatal to a torn ACL. But you can't anticipate relative health, or lack thereof, prior to the season.

Wash U appears to be a more solid opponent than either Aurora or Benedictine proved to be, so all-in-all, I don't mind the idea of NPU having an extra week off before it faces the Bears. And Wash U doesn't get an extra week to prepare for the NPU option, as it has to deal with a ranked team -- Wittenberg -- next Saturday.

[iwu4ever]

Blocking by TE's was outstanding (J.J. Clark and Hunter Thorson).  Thorson plays with some attitude (like his dad).

Clark has some genetics, too. Dad (Mike) is long time Strength and Cond. Coach currently in NFL, but also many years in D1.

[formerd3db]

Thanks for your reply Sager!

[Pat Coleman]

Gregory:

For the record, I sit up and take notice. Those are two nice wins for North Park.

[Titan Q]

IWU's stats through 2 games...

http://www.iwusports.com/custompages/Football/FB2011/HTML/teamstat.htm?path=football

What jumps out at me here in the early going is the contribution IWU is getting from some "newcomers":


* T.J. Stinde (So - special teams last year) has rushed for 254 yard (5.1 per carry) with 2 TD's

* Tate Musselman (Jr transfer) has 166 receiving yards with 3 TD's

* Alex Garvey (So - injured last year) is averaging 49.4 yards per punt, and on kickoffs has opponents starting on the 23 on avg

* Tony Angelos (Fr) is 7-7 on PAT and 1-2 on FGA

(I mention the last two because of how much IWU has struggled in the kicking game in recent years.)


Stinde seems to have a very big upside.  As a senior at Lexington H.S., he set IHSA single season records for rushing yards (3325) and TDs (46).  If he is going to have a big year running the ball, it does a ton to anchor IWU's offense and buy time as soph QB Rob Gallik settles in.

[AndOne]

Stat of the week?

North Park completes ONE pass (for 53 yards) in the entire game, and still puts up 38 points.
Of course, when you pound out 377 rushing yards, who needs toi pass much?

[Gregory Sager]

Stat of the week?

North Park completes ONE pass (for 53 yards) in the entire game, and still puts up 38 points.

The phrase "stat of the week" implies something unusual, or something that at least sticks out. And NPU completing only one pass, for 53 yards, while putting up 38 points does not stick out. Why? Because last week NPU completed one pass, for 80 yards, and put up 34 points.

North Park runs the option, Mark. Option offenses very rarely throw passes. And, if done right, they can be very, very successful at moving the ball down the field and scoring points without putting the ball in the air. In other words, NPU completing only one or two passes in a game while still putting up a lot of points should be a commonplace, if -- and this is a big "if" -- the Vikings are having success running their option.

[Gregory Sager]

Somebody should be posting the scores here. I noticed that several CCIW games didn't even get a mention here yesterday.

@ Central 31, Augustana 23
@ Carthage 38, Lakeland 0
@ Elmhurst 64, Olivet 14
Illinois Wesleyan 17, @ Alma 9
Millikin 51, @ Greenville 13
@ North Central 70, Bethel TN 26
North Park 38, @ Benedictine 20
@ Wheaton 54, Albion 34

[Tailgater]

Hey all! Long time no chat. Haven't seen much about Carthage on the board so far this year so thought I'd report in. First off, enjoyed the home opener in the newly refurbished Carthage Stadium. I think all who visit will be impressed by the new facility. I venture to guess that Carthage now offers the best and most comfortable visitor stands in the CCIW. (was formerly the home seating section). The newly refurbished side of the field is outstanding. The building houses the press box, VIP boxes, 4 different restaurant options and a Barnes and Nobel book store. There is an outside walk up window where attendees can get Starbucks coffee, juice or water. Very nice, comfortable and not a bad seat in the house.

As for the game....not a typical Carthage/Lakeland game. No question as to the outcome of this one after the first quarter. This was not the typical Lakeland team I've grown accustomed to. I believe this will be a long tough year for the Muskies. On the same note.....this is not a typical Carthage team either. It is apparent that the RedMen are still searching for a new identity. The absence, through graduation, of QB Evan Jones as the field leader is evident. No longer is the pass the dominant offensive weapon. Carthage had 49 running plays in the game with no less than 12 different players carrying the ball. Their were 5 different QBs that took the helm throughout the evening. Mind you that 2 of them were used 2/3rds of the way into the third quarter as the reserves took over for the starters at that point in the game. Regardless, for week one and two Carthage has used 3 QBs to run the offense from the start of the game. It is apparent that a leader is being sought during the non-conference schedule.

The defense did a fine job as they held Lakeland to 97 total yards for the game. They also scored a couple TD's by interceptions. Not sure if this is a sign of overall solid defensive play or a less than impressive Lakeland offense. Looks like the RedMen suffered a few injuries, but I'm not sure how this impacts the depth of talent. All-in-all anyone would take a 2-0 start no matter how they got their. I'm thinking Carthage should be able to run a clean 3-0 non-conference schedule after facing Concordia (Wis) next weekend and then start the long tough CCIW conference march starting with NCC. Yikes!

[formerd3db]

Tailgater:

So, in your opinion, does Hope have chance in beating Lakeland when we play them in two weeks? (Understanding, of course, that you have not seen Hope and thus not familiar with them - so purely going on what you observed about Lakeland.

[Tailgater]

Tailgater:

So, in your opinion, does Hope have chance in beating Lakeland when we play them in two weeks? (Understanding, of course, that you have not seen Hope and thus not familiar with them - so purely going on what you observed about Lakeland.

The obvious answer would be...of coarse anybody can win on any given day given that all things get executed as designed. To be more specific.....this is the eighth Lakeland team I have seen in action. It is my observation that this was the least talented of all those teams. This is in no way intended as a disrespectful comment toward any specific Lakeland athlete. I'm speaking of overall team strength. At this point Lakeland is 0-2 and has yet to put any points on the board against Carroll or Carthage and has yeilded an average of 25 points per game to their opponents (51 points total). If you can't score, you can't win bottom line. Carthage looks to be experimenting offensively to find a combination of skill possition players that will click consistantly and managed to put 24 offensive points on the board in doing so. If Hope can execute, limit mistakes, convert Muskie mistakes and control the clock I'd say you're in good shape.

[Tailgater]

Gregory S:

Do you think that having the "bye" weekend so early in the season will be a detriment to NP?  I realize that "someone" i.e. some teams have to have their "bye" weekends early in the season, however, I personally prefer when those are at mid or late season.  The later dates for a break usually tend to be more needed for rest, recouping from injuries, staleness, etc.; conversely, it also seems to me that having the break early would have the possibility to derail some building confidence, etc.  Yet, again, obviously, every team can't have their "bye" later in the season.   I was just curious as to how you see this might affect NP after your observations/assessment of their first two wins.

I've always liked how Carthage has their schedule slated. They play their 3 non-conference games, then take the bye week before starting the CCIW portion of the schedule. This gives them the opportunity to look at personnel, experiment with formations and play packages, then get two weeks to let everyone heal up before the CCIW grind.

[AndOne]

North Central is following the same game plan this year. The 3 non conference games, then an off week before beginning the CCIW games. Don't know if this has been the past pattern for the Cardinals or not. Sounds like a good idea.

[shepherd]

Freshman Ryan Kent TB from North Central went 9 caries for 176 yards with a long run of 75 yards.  Any comments from the North Central fans on your freshman TB?