FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Augie6]

Congrats to both NCC and Wheaton in advancing to the 2nd round of the NCAA playoffs.  Too bad that one of them will be knocked out after next weekend.  Might have to make the trip down from Wheaton on Saturday to watch what should be a great game.  Good luck to both programs.

[izzy stradlin]

I really hope the Wheaton coaches figure out a way to get JP11 on the field for extended periods during these playoffs. Never mind he is a senior captain with a lot of game experience,   I believe he is one of the best 11 players on offense and clearly can make plays at at least 2 positions. It doesn't make sense to leave a player as talented as him off the field.

Couldn't agree more Usee...

Bowers got the week 1 win but I don't see him beating this NCC team with Rutter.   Wheaton needs to keep the ball away from Rutter by converting on 3rd down with accurate passing and down hill running.  Cue the 2014 NCC tape where Peltz was basically QB1 and RB1 and completed 22-28. Now they also have a first team All-CCIW RB.  Find me a North Central fan or coach that wants to see JP11 come out under center on Saturday. 

I know the Wheaton fans have been asking for it all year and if I had to guess it will still be Bowers, but I wouldn't put it past Swider.

[CardinalAlum]

I really hope the Wheaton coaches figure out a way to get JP11 on the field for extended periods during these playoffs. Never mind he is a senior captain with a lot of game experience,   I believe he is one of the best 11 players on offense and clearly can make plays at at least 2 positions. It doesn't make sense to leave a player as talented as him off the field.

Couldn't agree more Usee...

Bowers got the week 1 win but I don't see him beating this NCC team with Rutter.   Wheaton needs to keep the ball away from Rutter by converting on 3rd down with accurate passing and down hill running.  Cue the 2014 NCC tape where Peltz was basically QB1 and RB1 and completed 22-28. Now they also have a first team All-CCIW RB. Find me a North Central fan or coach that wants to see JP11 come out under center on Saturday. 

I know the Wheaton fans have been asking for it all year and if I had to guess it will still be Bowers, but I wouldn't but it past Swider.

Not I...

I would have to think this year would have to cause some serious family strife around the Peltz/Swider Thanksgiving.  Peltz I believe gave up some offers from bigger schools.  There's no way this was how his senior year was supposed to go.   

[thunderdog]

It's awfully quiet in here considering the following:

Since 2002, 2 teams have dominated the CCIW, North Central and Wheaton. In the last 15 years, only once (Augustana in 2005) did NCC or WC fail to win at least a share of the CCIW crown. Here's a look at the 2 schools since 2002:

Overall Record - NCC 136-33 (80.5%) , WC 141-29 (82.9%)
CCIW Record - NCC 90-16 (84.9%) , WC 87-19 (82.1%)
Outright CCIW Championships - NCC with 5 (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016) , WC with 4 (2002, 2003, 2014, 2015)
Shared CCIW Championships - NCC with 4 (2006, 2007, 2009, 2012) , WC with 3 (2004, 2006, 2012)
Playoff Appearances - NCC with 9 (05-08, 10-13, 16) , WC with 9 (02-04, 06, 08, 10, 14-16)
QuarterFinal Appearances - NCC with 2 (2010, 2013) , WC with 2 (2003, 2008)
SemiFinal Appearances - NCC with 1 (2013) , WC with 1 (2008)

And now these 2 teams get to square off against each other in round 2? For a ticket the the QuarterFinals? The Thunder get an opportunity to avenge a loss on October 15th that broke a 27 regular-season game winning streak? Are you kidding me? It just doesn't get any better than this people.

Only once before have 2 teams from the CCIW faced off against each other. In 1989, Millikin defeated Augie 21-12 in the 1st round. (Note, Millikin also won the regular season game 33-8 over Augie that year... but that's a fact we can conveniently leave out if we choose too )

It's only Sunday night and my jets are already fueled

I'll repeat... IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!

[USee]

And all this in the "rematch" bracket. The other side of the bracket is a do-over of an earlier game with Linfield @MHB. If Linfield pulls off the upset, the winner of the Thunder @Cardinal game will likely host the quarterfinal game vs Linfield. That would be really cool.

[USee]

I know the Wheaton fans have been asking for it all year and if I had to guess it will still be Bowers, but I wouldn't put it past Swider.

You don't have to guess, it will be Bowers. If we go back to the discussions we had in the early season before the QB situation was decided it was for these playoff games that we needed an efficient QB. Bowers will have to be significantly better Saturday than he was in the first meeting where he went 16-32-1 and gained just 40 yds rushing. The OL was a big part of that as Billy Douds had a career day against our tackles. Andrew Jones has taken over the LT position and he didn't play in the first game. He will have to be much better as NCC harassed Wheaton consistently.

The other thing that has changed is Wheaton's run pass ratio and I think this will be critical in this game. Last time the Thunder had 33 rush and 32 pass plays. On Saturday against Huntington, Wheaton was 65/35 run pass for the 3rd straight game and it was very efficient. Wheaton needs to keep Broc Rutter off the field and in order to do that they need to run the ball and shorten the game.

I am sure both coaching staffs are looking at the tape of the first game and thinking of ways to adjust. The Wheaton game was NCC's worst output as an offense and I am sure they will be better prepared. Both of these teams are playing very well right now so this game will be about who makes more plays vs who makes more mistakes IMO.

[robertgoulet]

You don't have to guess, it will be Bowers. If we go back to the discussions we had in the early season before the QB situation was decided it was for these playoff games that we needed an efficient QB. Bowers will have to be significantly better Saturday than he was in the first meeting where he went 16-32-1 and gained just 40 yds rushing. The OL was a big part of that as Billy Douds had a career day against our tackles. Andrew Jones has taken over the LT position and he didn't play in the first game. He will have to be much better as NCC harassed Wheaton consistently.

The other thing that has changed is Wheaton's run pass ratio and I think this will be critical in this game. Last time the Thunder had 33 rush and 32 pass plays. On Saturday against Huntington, Wheaton was 65/35 run pass for the 3rd straight game and it was very efficient. Wheaton needs to keep Broc Rutter off the field and in order to do that they need to run the ball and shorten the game.

I am sure both coaching staffs are looking at the tape of the first game and thinking of ways to adjust. The Wheaton game was NCC's worst output as an offense and I am sure they will be better prepared. Both of these teams are playing very well right now so this game will be about who makes more plays vs who makes more mistakes IMO.

USee's early prediction is a Wheaton win 

[AndOne]

I really hope the Wheaton coaches figure out a way to get JP11 on the field for extended periods during these playoffs. Never mind he is a senior captain with a lot of game experience,   I believe he is one of the best 11 players on offense and clearly can make plays at at least 2 positions. It doesn't make sense to leave a player as talented as him off the field.

Couldn't agree more Usee...

Bowers got the week 1 win but I don't see him beating this NCC team with Rutter.   Wheaton needs to keep the ball away from Rutter by converting on 3rd down with accurate passing and down hill running.  Cue the 2014 NCC tape where Peltz was basically QB1 and RB1 and completed 22-28. Now they also have a first team All-CCIW RB.  Find me a North Central fan or coach that wants to see JP11 come out under center on Saturday. 

I know the Wheaton fans have been asking for it all year and if I had to guess it will still be Bowers, but I wouldn't put it past Swider.

As USee said above, it will be Bowers. There is no way in Wheaton that Swider is going to take down a starting QB who has led WC to a one loss season and an opening round playoff win.

Terrible thought, but would WC fans be happy with Bowers getting dinged to the point that Peltz had to come in?? Reading the posts over the course of the season, it would almost seem like the answer is yes.

The other side of the coin that it seems hasn't been given much consideration is, after a season of basic inactivity-at least under game conditions-how efficient would Peltz really be? How many repetitions does he get in practice? What type of "game condition" is he really in? Would Wheaton possibly actually have a better chance with Bowers running the show? Its not like he isn't a good player.

[USee]

Terrible thought, but would WC fans be happy with Bowers getting dinged to the point that Peltz had to come in?? Reading the posts over the course of the season, it would almost seem like the answer is yes.

The other side of the coin that it seems hasn't been given much consideration is, after a season of basic inactivity-at least under game conditions-how efficient would Peltz really be? How many repetitions does he get in practice? What type of "game condition" is he really in? Would Wheaton possibly actually have a better chance with Bowers running the show? Its not like he isn't a good player.

No way anyone wants Bowers to get hurt. That said, I don't think anyone on the Wheaton side would be worried about it 

I also think JP11 has practiced and played down the stretch enough that he would be fine coming in at any point of any game. His production in limited action the last half of the season was at a level he has played his whole career.  The kid is a senior captain with playoff experience in tight games, there is a lot of confidence should his number get called.

[robertgoulet]

As USee said above, it will be Bowers. There is no way in Wheaton that Swider is going to take down a starting QB who has led WC to a one loss season and an opening round playoff win.

Terrible thought, but would WC fans be happy with Bowers getting dinged to the point that Peltz had to come in?? Reading the posts over the course of the season, it would almost seem like the answer is yes.

The other side of the coin that it seems hasn't been given much consideration is, after a season of basic inactivity-at least under game conditions-how efficient would Peltz really be? How many repetitions does he get in practice? What type of "game condition" is he really in? Would Wheaton possibly actually have a better chance with Bowers running the show? Its not like he isn't a good player.

My favorite thing that you have ever uttered.

[AndOne]

Well, considering it is Wheaton, the word choices were somewhat limited. 

And, thank you.............I think!? 

[New Tradition]

It's awfully quiet in here considering the following:

Since 2002, 2 teams have dominated the CCIW, North Central and Wheaton. In the last 15 years, only once (Augustana in 2005) did NCC or WC fail to win at least a share of the CCIW crown. Here's a look at the 2 schools since 2002:

I still protest this.

[New Tradition]

I really hope the Wheaton coaches figure out a way to get JP11 on the field for extended periods during these playoffs. Never mind he is a senior captain with a lot of game experience,   I believe he is one of the best 11 players on offense and clearly can make plays at at least 2 positions. It doesn't make sense to leave a player as talented as him off the field.

Couldn't agree more Usee...

Bowers got the week 1 win but I don't see him beating this NCC team with Rutter.   Wheaton needs to keep the ball away from Rutter by converting on 3rd down with accurate passing and down hill running.  Cue the 2014 NCC tape where Peltz was basically QB1 and RB1 and completed 22-28. Now they also have a first team All-CCIW RB. Find me a North Central fan or coach that wants to see JP11 come out under center on Saturday.

I know the Wheaton fans have been asking for it all year and if I had to guess it will still be Bowers, but I wouldn't put it past Swider.

I was audibly nervous on air when Bowers had to come out for a play in the regular season match up and Peltz stepped in. 

[thunderdog]

Some random thoughts:

1) Love how the first thing the Wheaton players did after winning on Saturday was to go celebrate with the rest of their teammates (the younger guys that didn't get to dress for the game).

2) #78 Soph Andrew Jones (6'5" 280) from Minooka. What a beast! IMO, the offense has been playing much better since he was inserted into the starting lineup for the North Park game (I think ). Keep getting after it Andrew!

3) Opposing teams continue to struggle to run the ball against this stout Wheaton front. Another terrific goal-line stand against Huntingdon. 2 guys that don't get mentioned very often are MLB #36 Eric Stevenson and OLB #53 Luke Sahly. Despite leading the team with 85 tackles, Stevenson hasn't gotten much pub. But this young man has stepped into the shoes vacated by one of the legendary MLB's to play for Wheaton in Adam Dansdill and not missed a beat. He had a tremendously athletic pick 6 on Saturday that had this guy thinking "maybe he should get some reps at RB" ... only to find out in the post game press conference by Swider that Stevenson had indeed played RB in HS... keep it rollin' Eric! And how about Sahly? In just his first season as a starter, he's tied (with Ashby) for 2nd in tackles with 66. Love this guy's toughness. Not sure what happened to him Saturday, but there was 1 play where he got jacked up good... I could tell he was hurting, and hurting bad... he never once thought about coming out of the game. The ball got snapped, adrenaline kicked in, pain went away (momentarily  ), he does his job, play's over and then he goes back to being hurt... that's throw back stuff. He's got a whole Bill Romanowski-thing going on with the #53 and pinned up jersey and all, and I love it! Luke's done a fantastic job of filling the shoes vacated by Mikey Swider. Keep playing inspired football Luke!

3) The acceptance of new roles by the trio of CB #4 Tyler Sigler, S #12 Nick Blazek, and DE #1 J Moore. Sigler got moved from S to CB for the NCC game and has been there ever since. What a talented, versatile player this guy is. The move made room for JR S #12 Nick Blazek (6'1" 196) to jump into the starting lineup and he's played at a high level ever since. The move also pushed #1 J Moore to the bench. What does this guy do? Cry? Complain? Belly-ache? Nope, none of that... The creative D-Coordinator J Langs asks Moore to start rushing the passer from a DE position. He responds with a .5 sack in the NPU game, 1.5 sacks in the Carroll game, and 1 sack in the Huntingdon game. On top of being a kamikaze kickoff specialist. That's great stuff J Moore! Keep doing what you've been doing J!

4) Since were on the topic of acceptance of new roles... how about JP11 emerging as a trusted target for AB2? Just love seeing JP11 on the field. His senior, Captain leadership is felt when he's out there. He's got great hands. I think JP11 makes some big catches this Saturday. Keep leadin' us JP11!

5) In general, I see a different football team than what I saw just 5 weeks ago on OCT 15th in Naperville. I see a more cohesive team... a better team. I see a team that's found it's offensive identity. I see a team that will pound the rock & control the clock. It's not often that a team gets the opportunity to avenge a regular season loss in the playoffs. I think this WC team is chomping at the bit for Saturday to come. I know I am...

Let's Roll!

[thunderdog]

It's awfully quiet in here considering the following:

Since 2002, 2 teams have dominated the CCIW, North Central and Wheaton. In the last 15 years, only once (Augustana in 2005) did NCC or WC fail to win at least a share of the CCIW crown. Here's a look at the 2 schools since 2002:

I still protest this.

Can I ask you to expand on this? What do you mean? Augie beat NCC that year 20-17 and went undefeated in CCIW play. Is there something in the game itself you're still protesting?