FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[jdean]

Augievike93
With Thanksgiving break coming this weekend and the long term forecast in the 20's for that weekend I would be surprised if Mount has more than 2,500 for your game.
Too bad if that's true because based on prior battles this should be a beaut.

[vikes35]

70's Raider,

Not only was there 4 HS football games for local teams, but there were also alot of Thanksgiving festivals and parades that might have taken away from the attendance. Also augievike93 is right. Students that live on campus have no place to stay and are not going to drive back for one game. I am a senior at Augie and I am one of the diehards, but there are very few like me. 818 was surprising, but I would have guessed that at max that number would have 1000-1250. I will say though the number but was small, but we sounded a heck of a lot louder than that number. The ones that were there were the loud ones and we did make some noise.

[vikes35]

dansand,

I would take from that game that Lakeland got a lot of 1st team offense on our 2nd team defense. Outside of a couple of lapses I thought the defense played well. They once again bent but they didn't break. I agree though that the long pass plays have to be defended better. Good thing the Lakeland QB didn't have an arm or that was 14 pts, and it will be next week. I have to say we did what we should of to Lakeland, beat them up in the 1st half and calmed it down in the second half.

Also I think Air Roe made a statement today. Maybe next week they open it up and see what happens, of course only if they need to.

[vikes35]

augievike93,

Yesterday was not Barnes first playoff win as Augie head coach. In 2001 he beat Defiance quite handedly before the Vikings bowed out to MUC the following week. Augie did not beat Wheaton that year, but they still made the playoffs as they already had the CCIW wrapped up.

[NCC_alum62]

I was really dissapointed this weekend to see my cardinals fall, several things really got to me.

Play-calling:  NCC had brief flashes of running the ball effectivly, some FB traps and quick options and tosses that gained ground when executed, they didn't stick with it and I think they should have even though passing is thier bread and butter especially after spencer went down.

The third and goal from the 2 where they passed the ball instead of lineing up and pounding it up the middle was unbelievable (I know Steve can get 2 when you iso up the middle, but they are committed to passing big surprise)

They didn't have Kam go to the short routes at all until the second half it seemed, or at least he wasn't completing them until the second half.  Capitals DB's played 8-10 yards off the ball and thier LB's were amazing at covering the flat, but the underneath routes looked to be there.

Kam had one of his worst days I have ever seen, he just didn't look good throwing the ball and that was a real killer expecially when tyke went down he missed alot of passes to his other great recievers Studeman and Earnst.

The Defense played inspired at the beginning and end of the game but unlike Capital our LB's couldn't cover the flats and no one collisioned the TE's off the line of scrimmage.  We also shifted with thier motion and allowed big plays away from the motion it hurt us big time.

Much respect to Capital and congrats to the Cards for thier first play-off appearance I was proud of them all year for the way they played football.  I hope the coaching staff balances the offense a little more for next year so that when we need or have to run we can because we just didn't do it consistantly this year at all.  Steve Holden was underused as a true TB which is what he is and now he will be gone...running may not be on either of the Thorne's minds right now, but I haven't seen a great team out there that couldn't run the football when it needed to (like third and goal from the 2)...good luck in the offseason and with recruiting graduation is gunna hit us hard.

I'm Out

[usee]

i am not sure what to think about the augie v. muc matchup in alliance. I certainly don't believe the skepticism coming from a few of raider nation. (hscoach has the game as a "pickem" on the oac pickem site) augie has been solid all year but i just don't see them being dominant in ways they have in the past. their offense is good, really good, but not dominant. their defense is also good, much better than last year but has given up weird yardage and points at times. while they were able to throw the ball v lakeland, this is the worst passing augie offense i have seen.

I do think this augie team has as good a chance to beat muc in alliance as anyone has but i would still favor the raiders by 7-10pts. i have been to alliance 4x to see playoff games and it is a special place. Augie can win but they will have to play mistake free football and figure out a way to slow down  the purple raiders. i think anthony can cover anybody, but if the vikings play man to man i think the other raider recievers will toast the augie dbs. I expect augie to play a zone on defense and muc is pretty good v a zone.

i guess in the end i think augie has some great players but muc still has more great players (maybe not as many more, but still a few more) and that may be the difference. I just don't have a feel for how this game will play out.

[RedmenFB44]

I really hope that Augie comes out of Ohio with a "W" over the Raiders. They have a solid chance of doing so. Mt. Union isn't the powerhouse they were 2-3 years ago but dont get me wrong, they still are one of the best in D3. They are beatable (as is any team). Last year we (Carthage) had a great chance to knock them off. It was 17-17 late in the 3rd quarter. Then the Raiders offense just exploded for 3 TD's. This raider team will not lay down (as im sure everyone knows). If Augie can play good defense and be ready for the Raiders "jail-break" screens and their offense takes care of business (like they have always done) this could be one hell of a game. I really wish I could make the trip out to Alliance again because that was one of the best experiences that I have ever had playing football. Great fan support for the Purple Raiders and just an overall great atmosphere there in Alliance. Good luck to Augie, beat Mt. Union!!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

usee,

Notice that hscoach has also received some ridicule for listing it as 'even'  IN ALLIANCE (and the picks are overwhelming for MUC).  In Rock Island, even or nearly so would be my call, but (though I'll be rooting for Augie), I just can't see the Vikes prevailing on Saturday.

Possible, sure.  Likely, I fear not.

[ncc58]

I was really dissapointed this weekend to see my cardinals fall, several things really got to me.

Play-calling:  NCC had brief flashes of running the ball effectivly, some FB traps and quick options and tosses that gained ground when executed, they didn't stick with it and I think they should have even though passing is thier bread and butter especially after spencer went down.

The third and goal from the 2 where they passed the ball instead of lineing up and pounding it up the middle was unbelievable (I know Steve can get 2 when you iso up the middle, but they are committed to passing big surprise)

The first couple of trap plays worked very well. But, Capital made a nice adjustment and there was no point to continue to try to run that play. I wrote previously that the entire 11 on defense were flying to the ball when option showed. Now, it would have been nice to have an option pass where Kniss sprinted down the line, stopped, and threw. It would have worked nicely the way that the Capital safeties were flying up on options. There was also a sequence where an option was well executed for a first down. On the next play, another option was run for a loss of 5 yards giving a 2nd and 15. It didn't make much sense to continue to run options either. I will agree that a couple of the tosses worked well. However, Capital had very good speed at DE and OLB and it didn't make sense to try to get outside of them.

Holden had 15 attempts for 31 yards, the team was 39 for 89. So, to run on 3rd and 2 would have been right at the average. However, on 1st and goal from the 2, they ran inside from the Maryland I. If you can't get yards up the middle with 7 blockers tackle to tackle, maybe you need to try something different.

Capital had 173 yards passing, 46 on one play. It wasn't like they were completing passes up and down the field. Capital did play most ball control in the 4th, although the 35 yards passing they did have come on key 3rd down plays.

I watched Jeff Thorne call this offense for 7 years now, when he first introduced it at the high school level. It's a predominantly pass first scheme. The use of the TB as a runner has diminished each of the last three years. But, a lot of that may be attributed to Kniss' development as a college QB.

[washdupcard]

In case no one knew, it takes 12 guys to stop the option.

[augievike93]

augievike93,

Yesterday was not Barnes first playoff win as Augie head coach. In 2001 he beat Defiance quite handedly before the Vikings bowed out to MUC the following week. Augie did not beat Wheaton that year, but they still made the playoffs as they already had the CCIW wrapped up.

You are right, my bad.  That MUC game was the one where the Raiders only had about 12 minutes in TOP right? 

[jdean]

The 2001 game was the year you beat Defiance and lost to Mount 32-7. The 1999 game was the one where Mount had less than 12 Mins TOP and won 42-33.

[augievike93]

I make this statement with the very obvious qualifying statement that I was not at the NCC/CAP game.  So, I do not pretend to know how things happen.  However, I have been witness to countless CCIW and DIII playoff games.  Unfortunately, the officials can be extremely inconsistant in signaling when the clock is to start.  I mean stupid stuff like winding the clock after penalties, incomplete passes and the like -- times when there should be only the play clock running, not the game clock.  The instances of starting the clock as well as stopping the clock are just as similar.  However, I know from talking to clock operators that they are obligated to start and stop the clock at the signal of the official and nothing else.  So, the operator may not be the one to be shot, beaten with reeds or slapped upside the head.  He may have only been doing what he was being told.

[vikes35]

augievike93,

I do not think the 2001 game was much better. I think that we had TOP on that one by a 45- 15 margain, or somewhere near there. Either way, ball control didn't matter, MUC just took to us and let us run ourselves out of time.

[dansand]

vikes35, augievike93,

The TOP in the 2001 game was just about even (Actually, Mount had it for 30:23). It was 13-7 at the half before MUC blew it open in the third quarter with a couple long TD passes. I think the key this week will be much the same as the last two times these teams have met. Can Augie control the ball well enough to keep the Raider offense off the field (although, as the '99 game showed, even that might not be enough). I'm also suspicious of the claims that Mount Union is "down" this year. For them "down" means they're not a lock to win it all. After watching what Augie did in the '80's, I have all the respect in the world for what they (MUC) have accomplished since. However, I think the Vikes have a chance, but I think no turnovers (and conversely forcing a few on defense) and no special teams breakdowns will be essential.