FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[USee]

One key stat from the EC/AC game was Elmhurst 1 of 15 on 3rd down.  This tells me that the Jays were just missing that key "execution" at the right time,  to keep drives moving forward.  Plus,  that final rushing total was surprising.  I think if Elmhurst is going to win the close matchups (I.E Augie or IWU),  they cannot become 1 dimensional.  All facets have to be present for Elmhurst to succeed.  I thought going into this game, it would be a defensive struggle,  but certainly expected Elmhurst to score a few TD's.

JB,

I'm curious as to why you thought it would be a defensive struggle going into the AC/EC game.  There was certainly nothing in Augie's play the first 3 weeks that would give any indication of that.  Augie came into this game averaging just over 48 points a game, while giving up over 51.  EC was giving up 12 and averaging about 25 a game.  From my standpoint, there was nothing in the first 3 games that these teams played that would have led me to believe the final would be 9-3.  After watching Augie's game against Albion and most of it's game against Loras, I would have been happy if they held EC to 30 in this game.  That's how astonishingly bad Augie's defense was in the games leading up to this one.  The fact that they held EC to 221 yards of total offense with 6 turnovers and 3 points was absolutely shocking.  As I said before,  have to give credit to the Augie coaches and D players to improve the way they did from the first 3 games.

I think Augie was waiting until conference play to install their defense. They wanted the element of surprise.

[79jaybird]

Augie6- Maybe it was just me,  but I was starting to get the feeling Elmhurst was relying too heavily on Josh Williams.  I kept saying to myself, "What or how will Elmhurst operate, if/when teams neutralize JW and force Elmhurst to look at other players... who's going to step up?'   Maybe not this year, but Augie traditionally has had good LB's and IMO, felt it was going to be a lower scoring game.  I DID think Elmhurst would put up 14-21 points, so the inability to get into the endzone really surprised me.  Yes, tough to beat anybody with 6 turnovers.

[Augie6]

One key stat from the EC/AC game was Elmhurst 1 of 15 on 3rd down.  This tells me that the Jays were just missing that key "execution" at the right time,  to keep drives moving forward.  Plus,  that final rushing total was surprising.  I think if Elmhurst is going to win the close matchups (I.E Augie or IWU),  they cannot become 1 dimensional.  All facets have to be present for Elmhurst to succeed.  I thought going into this game, it would be a defensive struggle,  but certainly expected Elmhurst to score a few TD's.

JB,

I'm curious as to why you thought it would be a defensive struggle going into the AC/EC game.  There was certainly nothing in Augie's play the first 3 weeks that would give any indication of that.  Augie came into this game averaging just over 48 points a game, while giving up over 51.  EC was giving up 12 and averaging about 25 a game.  From my standpoint, there was nothing in the first 3 games that these teams played that would have led me to believe the final would be 9-3.  After watching Augie's game against Albion and most of it's game against Loras, I would have been happy if they held EC to 30 in this game.  That's how astonishingly bad Augie's defense was in the games leading up to this one.  The fact that they held EC to 221 yards of total offense with 6 turnovers and 3 points was absolutely shocking.  As I said before,  have to give credit to the Augie coaches and D players to improve the way they did from the first 3 games.

I think Augie was waiting until conference play to install their defense. They wanted the element of surprise.

USee - You could be on to something there.  A brilliant coaching move.

[Augie6]

Augie6- Maybe it was just me,  but I was starting to get the feeling Elmhurst was relying too heavily on Josh Williams.  I kept saying to myself, "What or how will Elmhurst operate, if/when teams neutralize JW and force Elmhurst to look at other players... who's going to step up?'   Maybe not this year, but Augie traditionally has had good LB's and IMO, felt it was going to be a lower scoring game.  I DID think Elmhurst would put up 14-21 points, so the inability to get into the endzone really surprised me.  Yes, tough to beat anybody with 6 turnovers.

JB -  I'll have to start calling you the Amazing Kreskin (probably aging myself a little with that comparison).  I have to admit, I thought the AC/EC game would be somewhere in the range of 70-80 combined points, with Elmhurst coming out on top.  Glad I was wrong and I'm hoping the first three games were the aberration for Augie's D and not the last game.  We'll find out soon enough against Wheaton this weekend. 

[New Tradition]

Sam Frasco/Josh Williams combined rush yardage  395 YDS
Elmhurst/Augie combined point total  79 PTS
Total turnovers   4 TO
Total punts in this game 10
Total penalties 14
Total rushing TD's by Frasco/Williams 6
Who has more yards? Millikin offense or Josh Williams rush yds?

I'll bite!

Sam Frasco/Josh Williams combined rush yardage  395 YDS OVER127 yds UNDER
Elmhurst/Augie combined point total  79 PTS OVER 12 pts UNDER
Total turnovers   4 TO PUSH7 TO OVER
Total punts in this game 10 UNDER 11 punts OVER
Total penalties 14 UNDER 17 Penalties OVER
Total rushing TD's by Frasco/Williams 6 OVER 0 rush TD's UNDER
Who has more yards? Millikin offense or Josh Williams rush yds? WILLIAMS 279 yds MILLIKIN

New Tradition,

Sorry man, tough week to be the lone participant in my OVER/UNDER contest. You both won and lost. The prize is you get to be the color analyst for the NCC v North Park game with Sager this weekend in Naperville. Congrats.

Wow...that absolutely sucked.  Lol.  Though, in fairness, the game turned out far differently than anyone (except possibly JB) expected.  As for color duty, I'll have to clone myself as I already have color duty for another broadcast of the same game.   

[Mr. Ypsi]

One key stat from the EC/AC game was Elmhurst 1 of 15 on 3rd down.  This tells me that the Jays were just missing that key "execution" at the right time,  to keep drives moving forward.  Plus,  that final rushing total was surprising.  I think if Elmhurst is going to win the close matchups (I.E Augie or IWU),  they cannot become 1 dimensional.  All facets have to be present for Elmhurst to succeed.  I thought going into this game, it would be a defensive struggle,  but certainly expected Elmhurst to score a few TD's.

JB,

I'm curious as to why you thought it would be a defensive struggle going into the AC/EC game.  There was certainly nothing in Augie's play the first 3 weeks that would give any indication of that.  Augie came into this game averaging just over 48 points a game, while giving up over 51.  EC was giving up 12 and averaging about 25 a game.  From my standpoint, there was nothing in the first 3 games that these teams played that would have led me to believe the final would be 9-3.  After watching Augie's game against Albion and most of it's game against Loras, I would have been happy if they held EC to 30 in this game.  That's how astonishingly bad Augie's defense was in the games leading up to this one.  The fact that they held EC to 221 yards of total offense with 6 turnovers and 3 points was absolutely shocking.  As I said before,  have to give credit to the Augie coaches and D players to improve the way they did from the first 3 games.

I think Augie was waiting until conference play to install their defense. They wanted the element of surprise.

USee - You could be on to something there.  A brilliant coaching move.

Three rumors I have heard:

The Augie DC was held incommunicado in a Davenport motel during the pre-conference season.

The player assigned to block the Elmhurst FG is now swimming with the fishes in the Mississippi River.

The Augie defense is now compared favorably to the '85 Bears.

Augie6, can you confirm any of these rumors?

[Pat Coleman]

The Augie defense is now compared favorably to the '85 Bears.

Well, sure -- how old are those guys now?

[Mr. Ypsi]

The Augie defense is now compared favorably to the '85 Bears.

Well, sure -- how old are those guys now?

  Pretty old, but I dare say they could still take down most D3 offenses!

And I suspect most posters (even those too young to have seen the '85 Bears), will know what I meant.

How about the '12 Ravens?

[79jaybird]

I do think that if Elmhurst is going to continue to think of themselves as a top team in the CCIW,  this past Augie game is a must win.  Every time you go on the road it is going to be tough, no doubt.. but the top teams (perennially) find ways to win this game.  Coaching, players executing, whatever is lacking,  this is a game that Elmhurst should have found a way to win.   Anyway,  this week's Carthage game could be interesting.  It is HC so a lot of extra hype,  Carthage played IWU well and should have beat them,  Elmhurst coming off a disappointing loss, etc.   the Jays better be ready to play.

[Gregory Sager]

Beyond this, focus group of one, the final NCC touchdown came at a point where I would have preferred that they instead take a knee.

PBP charts don't tell you everything, but ... yeah, when you're up by three touchdowns and you punch it in from the other team's one yard line on 2nd and goal with only 59 seconds left in the game, it has the distinct aroma of running up the score. Kudos to you for your candor about this, kiko. I had stopped following the NCC @ MU live stats at that point, so I never would've spotted it.

One key stat from the EC/AC game was Elmhurst 1 of 15 on 3rd down.  This tells me that the Jays were just missing that key "execution" at the right time,  to keep drives moving forward.  Plus,  that final rushing total was surprising.  I think if Elmhurst is going to win the close matchups (I.E Augie or IWU),  they cannot become 1 dimensional.  All facets have to be present for Elmhurst to succeed.  I thought going into this game, it would be a defensive struggle,  but certainly expected Elmhurst to score a few TD's.

I don't think 6 turnovers helped either.

I watched the whole EC @ AC game. Those six turnovers included five interceptions, and I can't remember a single one of them that wasn't a tipped ball that went off of a 'jays receiver. Perhaps there was one that wasn't, but I don't remember anything but lost tips. It looked to me more like a combination of EC quarterback Drew Domino not throwing on target and his receivers not showing good hands than of Augie DBs making great plays (as opposed to the heads-up, do-your-job, make-the-tip-drill-in-practice-pay-off competence demonstrated in grabbing a ball that had caromed off of the hands or body of a receiver). The whole game on that side of the ball was about Augie stuffing the box to bottle up Josh Williams and daring Elmhurst to win through the air. EC was unable to clear any space for Williams at the line of scrimmage -- Bluejays punter Brett Bayer was Elmhurst's leading rusher well into the third quarter, as a result of his 16-yard fake-punt scamper -- and the passing game of the 'jays was very unimpressive. That's not a surprise, since the  EC offense was only averaging 14 receptions and 114 yards per game through the first three games, and the next TD pass that Elmhurst completes this season will be its first.

What all that means is that, while Augustana certainly deserves credit for righting the ship on the defensive side of the ball and for shutting down the CCIW's most dangerous runner, a lot of what happened on the field on Saturday had to do with Elmhurst being exposed as a one-dimensional offense.

Augie6- Maybe it was just me,  but I was starting to get the feeling Elmhurst was relying too heavily on Josh Williams.  I kept saying to myself, "What or how will Elmhurst operate, if/when teams neutralize JW and force Elmhurst to look at other players... who's going to step up?'   Maybe not this year, but Augie traditionally has had good LB's and IMO, felt it was going to be a lower scoring game.  I DID think Elmhurst would put up 14-21 points, so the inability to get into the endzone really surprised me.  Yes, tough to beat anybody with 6 turnovers.

JB -  I'll have to start calling you the Amazing Kreskin (probably aging myself a little with that comparison).  I have to admit, I thought the AC/EC game would be somewhere in the range of 70-80 combined points, with Elmhurst coming out on top.  Glad I was wrong and I'm hoping the first three games were the aberration for Augie's D and not the last game.  We'll find out soon enough against Wheaton this weekend. 

Having seen both Wheaton and Augie, I'm pretty sure that the Augie defense is going to get a rude awakening next Saturday, whether it's Peltz or Bowers taking the snaps for the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance.

[formerd3db]

sager and kiko:

Just throwing this in for "fodder" for the discussion.  Regarding the scoring with 59 seconds left in the game, was this by the reserves (i.e. 2nd or 3rd string) or was the starting lineup still in?  But...at least they ran it in rather than passed.   Nonetheless, still taking a knee would have been the more diplomatic decision.

[CardinalAlum]

sager and kiko:

Just throwing this in for "fodder" for the discussion.  Regarding the scoring with 59 seconds left in the game, was this by the reserves (i.e. 2nd or 3rd string) or was the starting lineup still in?  But...at least they ran it in rather than passed.   Nonetheless, still taking a knee would have been the more diplomatic decision.

3rd running back with his third carry of the game for the TD.   

[kiko]

sager and kiko:

Just throwing this in for "fodder" for the discussion.  Regarding the scoring with 59 seconds left in the game, was this by the reserves (i.e. 2nd or 3rd string) or was the starting lineup still in?  But...at least they ran it in rather than passed.   Nonetheless, still taking a knee would have been the more diplomatic decision.

3rd running back with his third carry of the game for the TD.   

As I said, focus group of one.  YMMV on whatever benefits you perceive from trying to punch it in during that scenario.

From my perspective, a top-15 program that does this against a perennially challenged school that has already pulled its QB should not be surprised when they have trouble filling out the out-of-conference schedule.

[79jaybird]

Greg you illustrated my point very well.  I was wondering does Elmhurst have a 2nd and 3rd option, if/when they face an upper echelon defense that stops J. Williams.  I think if Elmhurst is going to compete with WC/NC/IWU this year, they will need to have multiple options to turn to.

[ExTartanPlayer]

One key stat from the EC/AC game was Elmhurst 1 of 15 on 3rd down.  This tells me that the Jays were just missing that key "execution" at the right time,  to keep drives moving forward.  Plus,  that final rushing total was surprising.  I think if Elmhurst is going to win the close matchups (I.E Augie or IWU),  they cannot become 1 dimensional.  All facets have to be present for Elmhurst to succeed.  I thought going into this game, it would be a defensive struggle,  but certainly expected Elmhurst to score a few TD's.

JB,

I'm curious as to why you thought it would be a defensive struggle going into the AC/EC game.  There was certainly nothing in Augie's play the first 3 weeks that would give any indication of that.  Augie came into this game averaging just over 48 points a game, while giving up over 51.  EC was giving up 12 and averaging about 25 a game.  From my standpoint, there was nothing in the first 3 games that these teams played that would have led me to believe the final would be 9-3.  After watching Augie's game against Albion and most of it's game against Loras, I would have been happy if they held EC to 30 in this game.  That's how astonishingly bad Augie's defense was in the games leading up to this one.  The fact that they held EC to 221 yards of total offense with 6 turnovers and 3 points was absolutely shocking.  As I said before,  have to give credit to the Augie coaches and D players to improve the way they did from the first 3 games.

I think Augie was waiting until conference play to install their defense. They wanted the element of surprise.

USee - You could be on to something there.  A brilliant coaching move.

Not seriously suggesting this was the Augie play, but a few years ago Millsaps (under Mike DuBose) did pull something like this.  I think it was mentioned in the Around the Region or Around the Nation column that year, although I can't find it immediately offhand...he punted on winning/losing their OOC games to play a bunch of guys and try different looks on defense, ended up losing the first three games, then ran off seven straight wins to take the SCAC (in its old form, a much different football conference than the one existing today!) and make the playoffs.

Not that they intentionally LOST the games, but they stuck to their plan of rotating guys and changing schemes within the game, regardless of game flow. 

I really wish I could find the original story.  I swear this is a thing that happened, haha.