FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[ncc58]

A couple of stats jump out.

First, Elmhurst is committed to the run, which isn't surprising. They are averaging ~48 rushing attempts per game.

Wheaton only has 3 sacks in 4 games. Fortunately, they have 8 interceptions for the season, but the lack of sacks has to put a lot of pressure on the defensive backs. It may not be a factor this week, but could hurt them later this season.

It does appear that there has been a change in CCIW offenses. North Park and Carthage are run-oriented. Elmhurst is running more than passing, and NCC has become a run oriented offense. Quite a change for a few years ago when all these teams were pass happy.

[oldnuthin]

Millikin took a big step forward on Saturday. Last year augie scored near the end of the game and the offense just folded up, with the time that was left to even the score. Conversely, this past Saturday, they they pulled off an unbelievable come back in the final 26 seconds, something that last years team did not have the ability to do.. I think Coach  E and his new, and old,  staff  have really got the players believing in themselves and performing well. This Saturday they come home and have a chance to avenge a loss last year at Carthage,  where they gave up  something like 40 unanswered points after leading by 14. Keep it rolling

[Kovo]

MU and Carthage should be an interesting game.  I have not seen MU on the web, as of yet, but I do know that they are off to a good start.  And, as I said in a previous post, I was impressed with Carthage this past weekend, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. 

A big game for both squads.  Does anyone know if it is being webcast?

[Mugsy]

Wheaton only has 3 sacks in 4 games. Fortunately, they have 8 interceptions for the season, but the lack of sacks has to put a lot of pressure on the defensive backs. It may not be a factor this week, but could hurt them later this season.
change for a few years ago when all these teams were pass happy.

Lack of pressure by Wheaton's front 7 has been a surprise to me with who they had returning.  I thought we'd see Ramsey and East with a bunch of sacks. Hasn't happened.  I don't know if there are injuries that are impacting this or not.

As you note, the problem with the lack of pressure is that it puts pressure on the secondary, particularly the corners.  The corners were the question marks for the defense coming into the season, given the loss of experienced, All-CCIW seniors from last year.

Micah Markley is a senior and saw some action last year, but a bit on the small side (5'8" 170lbs - which means he is really 5'7" 160lbs)
Oskar Cadena is a sophomore, who obviously didn't see to much action last year.

Of the 8 INT's Wheaton has thus far, 5 have come from the stellar safeties.

[oldnuthin]

MU and Carthage should be an interesting game.  I have not seen MU on the web, as of yet, but I do know that they are off to a good start.  And, as I said in a previous post, I was impressed with Carthage this past weekend, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. 

A big game for both squads.  Does anyone know if it is being webcast?

here is the  link at the Millikin athletic site

http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/millikin.portal#

[79jaybird]

When I was at Elmhurst in the late 90's we were a pass first (and often pass only) offense, When Luna and now Williams have entered the picture EC has a solid running back to build on.  That and the O-Lines have been much better. 

[Mugsy]

When I was at Elmhurst in the late 90's we were a pass first (and often pass only) offense, When Luna and now Williams have entered the picture EC has a solid running back to build on.  That and the O-Lines have been much better.

Last year Williams stung Wheaton for 115 yards rushing in the 1st half.  In the 2nd half he had 35 yards on 15 carries.

Not to go out on limb here, but he will be a key for Elmhurts chances for a W at McCully Field.

[matblake]

When I was at Elmhurst in the late 90's we were a pass first (and often pass only) offense, When Luna and now Williams have entered the picture EC has a solid running back to build on.  That and the O-Lines have been much better.

Last year Williams stung Wheaton for 115 yards rushing in the 1st half.  In the 2nd half he had 35 yards on 15 carries.

Not to go out on limb here, but he will be a key for Elmhurts chances for a W at McCully Field.

Absolutely.  If the Thunder can't stop the run, they're dead.  Conversely, if the Thunder have to end up settling for field goal attempts, they will also lose.  They must score touchdowns.  I guess it is just basic football.  Stop the other guy and score points on offense.

[Augie6]

I think this is the year Augie's longstanding streak of consecutive 500 or better seasons comes to a close. Quite a remarkable and difficutl feat to accomplish.

I hope Augie is not too quick to cut Cushman's head off.  You have to give the guy (any HC) a couple of seasons to get a least one cycle of recruits through the system.  I fear Augie's "Must win at all costs" view of footbal and life might not be too generous with Cushman.

Not sure what you mean about Augie's "must win at all costs" comment, as that is certainly not the way it's ever been approached at Augie.  As for them getting rid of Cushman, I seriously doubt that will happen.  From all that I have heard, the current administration at Augie has demonstrated little to no committment to maintaining a strong football (and overall athletic) program.  As was commented at the time of Cushman's hiring (by myself and other alumni), his being given the job just one day after Coach Barnes resigned seemed like a quick fix by an administration who really didn't care about the success of the program.  How true that is turning out to be.  Hard to believe they are 0-4 and are probably looking at a season of 1-9 or 2-8 (maybe 3 wins,in a best case scenario).   

[Mugsy]

I think this is the year Augie's longstanding streak of consecutive 500 or better seasons comes to a close. Quite a remarkable and difficutl feat to accomplish.

I hope Augie is not too quick to cut Cushman's head off.  You have to give the guy (any HC) a couple of seasons to get a least one cycle of recruits through the system.  I fear Augie's "Must win at all costs" view of footbal and life might not be too generous with Cushman.

Not sure what you mean about Augie's "must win at all costs" comment, as that is certainly not the way it's ever been approached at Augie.  As for them getting rid of Cushman, I seriously doubt that will happen.  From all that I have heard, the current administration at Augie has demonstrated little to no committment to maintaining a strong football (and overall athletic) program.  As was commented at the time of Cushman's hiring (by myself and other alumni), his being given the job just one day after Coach Barnes resigned seemed like a quick fix by an administration who really didn't care about the success of the program.  How true that is turning out to be.  Hard to believe they are 0-4 and are probably looking at a season of 1-9 or 2-8 (maybe 3 wins,in a best case scenario).   

It is a shame, particularly for the players.

Just imagine how exciting CCIW football would be if Augie was competing anywhere close to their prior levels.  Every week there would be significant "pick-em" games where the outcome could drastically alter the standings.

[matblake]

I think this is the year Augie's longstanding streak of consecutive 500 or better seasons comes to a close. Quite a remarkable and difficutl feat to accomplish.

I hope Augie is not too quick to cut Cushman's head off.  You have to give the guy (any HC) a couple of seasons to get a least one cycle of recruits through the system.  I fear Augie's "Must win at all costs" view of footbal and life might not be too generous with Cushman.

Not sure what you mean about Augie's "must win at all costs" comment, as that is certainly not the way it's ever been approached at Augie.  As for them getting rid of Cushman, I seriously doubt that will happen.  From all that I have heard, the current administration at Augie has demonstrated little to no committment to maintaining a strong football (and overall athletic) program.  As was commented at the time of Cushman's hiring (by myself and other alumni), his being given the job just one day after Coach Barnes resigned seemed like a quick fix by an administration who really didn't care about the success of the program.  How true that is turning out to be.  Hard to believe they are 0-4 and are probably looking at a season of 1-9 or 2-8 (maybe 3 wins,in a best case scenario).   

It is a shame, particularly for the players.

Just imagine how exciting CCIW football would be if Augie was competing anywhere close to their prior levels.  Every week there would be significant "pick-em" games where the outcome could drastically alter the standings.

The hiring at Augustana was odd timing.  Don't know anything about the program, but from the outside it seemed weird.

The more good teams the better.  I think the conference is better over all with the improvement and being able to maintain that improvement of Carthage, North Central, Elmhurst, and Wheaton in the past 20 years. 

[izzy stradlin]

I think this is the year Augie's longstanding streak of consecutive 500 or better seasons comes to a close. Quite a remarkable and difficutl feat to accomplish.

I hope Augie is not too quick to cut Cushman's head off.  You have to give the guy (any HC) a couple of seasons to get a least one cycle of recruits through the system.  I fear Augie's "Must win at all costs" view of footbal and life might not be too generous with Cushman.

Not sure what you mean about Augie's "must win at all costs" comment, as that is certainly not the way it's ever been approached at Augie.  As for them getting rid of Cushman, I seriously doubt that will happen.  From all that I have heard, the current administration at Augie has demonstrated little to no committment to maintaining a strong football (and overall athletic) program.  As was commented at the time of Cushman's hiring (by myself and other alumni), his being given the job just one day after Coach Barnes resigned seemed like a quick fix by an administration who really didn't care about the success of the program.  How true that is turning out to be.  Hard to believe they are 0-4 and are probably looking at a season of 1-9 or 2-8 (maybe 3 wins,in a best case scenario).   

It is a shame, particularly for the players.

Just imagine how exciting CCIW football would be if Augie was competing anywhere close to their prior levels.  Every week there would be significant "pick-em" games where the outcome could drastically alter the standings.

I think if Augie was competing at their prior levels, it wouldn't be possible for NCC and probably IWU to have their programs where they are right now.   Outside of Wheaton, the strength of the CCIW football programs is a reflection of the available high school talent in the state of Illinois.  Right now these kids are looking at NCC first, then IWU, then Elmhurst/Augie, etc....    That's not how it used to be. 

When NCC first emerged, we saw IWU tank for several years.  I think Norm realized he had to really step up his recruiting- which he did.  Now it looks like Augie is the odd man out in attracting a finite talent pool.

There probably is an element of strong coaches, facilities, programs attracting more kids to play non-scholarship football, but really it's just that the good kids are going to different schools.   

[NCF]

I think this is the year Augie's longstanding streak of consecutive 500 or better seasons comes to a close. Quite a remarkable and difficutl feat to accomplish.

I hope Augie is not too quick to cut Cushman's head off.  You have to give the guy (any HC) a couple of seasons to get a least one cycle of recruits through the system.  I fear Augie's "Must win at all costs" view of footbal and life might not be too generous with Cushman.

Not sure what you mean about Augie's "must win at all costs" comment, as that is certainly not the way it's ever been approached at Augie.  As for them getting rid of Cushman, I seriously doubt that will happen.  From all that I have heard, the current administration at Augie has demonstrated little to no committment to maintaining a strong football (and overall athletic) program.  As was commented at the time of Cushman's hiring (by myself and other alumni), his being given the job just one day after Coach Barnes resigned seemed like a quick fix by an administration who really didn't care about the success of the program.  How true that is turning out to be.  Hard to believe they are 0-4 and are probably looking at a season of 1-9 or 2-8 (maybe 3 wins,in a best case scenario).   

It is a shame, particularly for the players.

Just imagine how exciting CCIW football would be if Augie was competing anywhere close to their prior levels.  Every week there would be significant "pick-em" games where the outcome could drastically alter the standings.

I think if Augie was competing at their prior levels, it wouldn't be possible for NCC and probably IWU to have their programs where they are right now.   Outside of Wheaton, the strength of the CCIW football programs is a reflection of the available high school talent in the state of Illinois.  Right now these kids are looking at NCC first, then IWU, then Elmhurst/Augie, etc....    That's not how it used to be. 

When NCC first emerged, we saw IWU tank for several years.  I think Norm realized he had to really step up his recruiting- which he did.  Now it looks like Augie is the odd man out in attracting a finite talent pool.

There probably is an element of strong coaches, facilities, programs attracting more kids to play non-scholarship football, but really it's just that the good kids are going to different schools.

Good kids are going to the schools that want them. If a recruit does not feel comfortable with a coach, school or potential teammates after a visit, they will keep looking until they find the school with the best fit.

[ncc_fan]

I think if Augie was competing at their prior levels, it wouldn't be possible for NCC and probably IWU to have their programs where they are right now.   Outside of Wheaton, the strength of the CCIW football programs is a reflection of the available high school talent in the state of Illinois.  Right now these kids are looking at NCC first, then IWU, then Elmhurst/Augie, etc....    That's not how it used to be. 

When NCC first emerged, we saw IWU tank for several years.  I think Norm realized he had to really step up his recruiting- which he did.  Now it looks like Augie is the odd man out in attracting a finite talent pool.

There probably is an element of strong coaches, facilities, programs attracting more kids to play non-scholarship football, but really it's just that the good kids are going to different schools.

...and UWW, unfortunately.

[Gregory Sager]

Confident that last week's problems won't affect us this time, I'm happy to declare that NPU football will be on the air tomorrow! Just click here for all the action as the Vikings travel to Elmhurst to take on the Bluejays tomorrow at 1 pm. I'll be bringing you the play-by-play, while former Vikings coach Rob Dubicz will be doing the commentary.

saw this post after  today's game was played and the broadcast was concluded.  so my question for mr. sager is this:  was there enough time between plays for you to be able to wax eloquent with play-by-play and all your observations?  if you are as verbose on the air as you are on the d3.com boards, i'm afraid that you won't be able to call the game...   ;-)

Always nice to see you living up to your name, 'rouser. Unfortunately, your reading-comprehension skills appeared to be a little off when you posted this, since I clearly stated that I do PBP and someone else does commentary.  And, since I don't do commentary and I have a partner who does, there is no room for logorrhea in my approach to football broadcasting. My partner, the very voluble and well-informed Rob Dubicz (a former football coach with a very long pedigree in the game), is there to do all of the talking in between plays. My job is simple: I'm there to tersely and quickly describe the play as it unfolds; set up the down and distance during the cadence; give the score and game clock at every opportunity; and read some ad copy (when Rob D. lets me get a word in) that will make our listeners say, "Gee, you know, I really could use a gyros plate from Charcoal Delights right about now."

North Park vs Elmhurst

After watching the first 2.5 quarters of the game it was pretty evident that North Park (although a nice non-conference story) are not yet ready to compete in the CCIW and I would be shocked if they won a game in conference.

This is a fair reading to take from what from a North Park standpoint was a complete debacle on Saturday. I would point out, though, that it does not match the outcome of the previous Saturday, in which NPU defeated a Wash U team that could compete in the CCIW (albeit as no better than middle of the pack). What you saw on Saturday was a classic "snowball effect" game in which things initially broke one way, the team that was doing well poured it on, and the team that was victimized early went into complete collapse. These things happen sometimes, especially when a relatively young team is on the bad end of it.

I'm not making excuses. I was highly impressed by Elmhurst, which definitely has both the athletes and the offensive scheme to make a lot of noise in the CCIW this season. And to be brutally honest, the jury is still out even for the most diehard NPU supporters as to whether or not the Vikings have what it takes to get over the hump and win that all-important streakbreaker this year. But I'm not 100% convinced that the Vikings are as bad as they looked on Saturday. The problem is, NPU sustained some injuries on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday that will make things tougher for the Park to compete with Illinois Wesleyan this coming Saturday at Hedstrand Field. In other words, the game of attrition -- which has never swung in North Park's favor before -- will probably be working against NPU this weekend as well.

I hate writing too many derogatory comments towards 18-22 year olds so I will try to be constructive here. The QB for North Park albeit a great runner when he may have a lane to run through is not yet developed in the passing game and continually threw an ugly ball into the wind when called upon.

Tyler Krebs, NPU's starting quarterback, played through a bruised throwing shoulder on Saturday. It definitely hampered his throwing; as anyone who had seen his (admittedly few) passes in NPU's first three games would attest, he actually has a pretty strong and accurate arm that belies his diminutive stature. The shoulder contusion is why he left the game in the second half in favor of Evan Rhoads; why make an injury worse when the game's already out of hand?

This could be an issue for north park as they play from behind and cannot stay with their wing running game.

NPU is not going to abandon the option, no matter what the score happens to be. End of story. In for a penny, in for a pound. That's the only way you can run the option, as any long-time Augie fan will attest.

As for my jays. A tipped pass early caused an INT on the first possession but after that it was pretty much just dominating NP on mostly ever snap. NP safeties looked to be playing cover 4 or a deep cover 2 scheme which left so much room between the safeties and the linebackers. The Jays o line was getting good leverage moving them off the ball and picking up linebackers so as soon as Williams broke through the line he was easily getting 6-8 yards a carry. When coming through untouched and williams was in the open field the safeties had no chance against Williams in the open field which lead to some 60 plus runs. How NP was playing with the secondary so deep there was really no reason to open up the passing game.

NPU did overplay the deep pass, as you said. Rob talked about it on Saturday during the broadcast. The big-play potential of Elmhurst's passing game (especially to Rodney Payton) was the one thing I think Scott Pethtel worried about over everything else, and he put his faith in his front seven to be able to stop a Scott Williams who really hadn't broken out thus far this season. Well, he's broken out now. His tremendous skill set had a lot to do with that, but I certainly agree with you that Elmhurst's blocking in front of him made it much, much easier for him to gash NPU for big gains.

NP did score on a reverse which had to be about a quarter of their total yards for the entire game.

Sam Cochiaro's TD run didn't constitute a quarter of the yards NPU gained, but it was over a fifth of them. A big part of the problem for the Vikings was the fact that those two catastrophic fumbles in the second quarter both blunted promising NPU drives, which leads to the next point: Those two long fumble returns of 58 and 55 yards for TDs was what broke NPU's back. Being down 21-0 is a bad situation, but the Vikings still could've settled down and made a game of it -- especially since the option was starting to soften up the Elmhurst defense. But on two consecutive possessions a Vikings runner had the ball stripped on the Elmhurst side of the field, the ball bounced upward on the trampoline-like surface of Langhorst's new Field Turf straight into the arms of an oncoming tackler who was already in full stride, and it was off to the races. There was a fluky element to that, especially since it happened twice -- although the 'jays get credit for creating their own luck by using the sound defensive practice of holding up a stopped runner with multiple tacklers long enough to have someone rip the ball out of his hands.

After that the Vikings were finito for the day; all you had to do was look at them on the sidelines to see that.

Saturday will be an interesting test to see if they've internalized that loss, or if they've shrugged it off as just a bad but forgettable day of football.