FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Ryan Stoppable]

Wheaton over Benedictine 43-0 at half.  437 yards in first half, multiple big plays both running and passing.  Olateju with 170 yards rushing on 8 carries.  McWilliams at QB was 6-9 for 183 yards and 2 TDs.  Wheaton averaging 12.1 yards per rush, Benedictine 0.0.  Wheaton 14.6 yards per play!   

Yeah, BU is ready for D-2....

Give the Bennies several dozen scholarships with which to recruit, and you'll see things change pretty darned quickly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Benedictine's possible D2 future will be determined by what it's doing right now in D3, hamstrung as it currently is in an inferior league on this level. Benedictine has the facilities to be a solid destination for D2 prospects.

They've only won that league once in the past five years, so the conference isn't the problem. What is the problem is the glut of powerful D3 schools in the nearby area; on the other hand, there aren't that many D2 programs close by.

[DBQ1965]

Wheaton over Benedictine 43-0 at half.  437 yards in first half, multiple big plays both running and passing.  Olateju with 170 yards rushing on 8 carries.  McWilliams at QB was 6-9 for 183 yards and 2 TDs.  Wheaton averaging 12.1 yards per rush, Benedictine 0.0.  Wheaton 14.6 yards per play!   

Yeah, BU is ready for D-2....

Give the Bennies several dozen scholarships with which to recruit, and you'll see things change pretty darned quickly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Benedictine's possible D2 future will be determined by what it's doing right now in D3, hamstrung as it currently is in an inferior league on this level. Benedictine has the facilities to be a solid destination for D2 prospects.

They've only won that league once in the past five years, so the conference isn't the problem. What is the problem is the glut of powerful D3 schools in the nearby area; on the other hand, there aren't that many D2 programs close by.

From the "For whzt its worth department":  Davenport University (Grand Rapids, MI) made the move from NAIA to D2 this year with a program only 2 years old.  Playing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with that likes of Grand Valley State and Ferris State, they will be in for a string of hard seasons. They might have been better off in D3, but with an enrollment of 8,500, I don't know if the MIAA would take them, or if they even applied.  What I saw last Thursday against Concordia of Michigan was not much more than a glorified high school contest.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton over Benedictine 43-0 at half.  437 yards in first half, multiple big plays both running and passing.  Olateju with 170 yards rushing on 8 carries.  McWilliams at QB was 6-9 for 183 yards and 2 TDs.  Wheaton averaging 12.1 yards per rush, Benedictine 0.0.  Wheaton 14.6 yards per play!   

Yeah, BU is ready for D-2....

Give the Bennies several dozen scholarships with which to recruit, and you'll see things change pretty darned quickly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Benedictine's possible D2 future will be determined by what it's doing right now in D3, hamstrung as it currently is in an inferior league on this level. Benedictine has the facilities to be a solid destination for D2 prospects.

They've only won that league once in the past five years, so the conference isn't the problem. What is the problem is the glut of powerful D3 schools in the nearby area; on the other hand, there aren't that many D2 programs close by.

Football is one sport. The NACC sponsors nineteen sports -- and Benedictine's regularly at or near the top of most of them. BU has won the last couple of NACC men's All-Sports trophies, and I'm willing to bet that BU has been close to the top in the years in which it didn't win.

[Pat Coleman]

Wheaton over Benedictine 43-0 at half.  437 yards in first half, multiple big plays both running and passing.  Olateju with 170 yards rushing on 8 carries.  McWilliams at QB was 6-9 for 183 yards and 2 TDs.  Wheaton averaging 12.1 yards per rush, Benedictine 0.0.  Wheaton 14.6 yards per play!   

Yeah, BU is ready for D-2....

Give the Bennies several dozen scholarships with which to recruit, and you'll see things change pretty darned quickly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Benedictine's possible D2 future will be determined by what it's doing right now in D3, hamstrung as it currently is in an inferior league on this level. Benedictine has the facilities to be a solid destination for D2 prospects.

Give Benedictine several dozen scholarships and they'll be in violation. The max is 36 for football.

[Gregory Sager]

Shows you how closely I follow D2 football.

[badgerwarhawk]

Question:

What's the story behind the burning torch at IWU's football stadium? 

[79jaybird]

Very surprising loss for Elmhurst.  I am not as much shocked that Loras beat Elmhurst,  but very surprised at the lopsided margin of victory.  The mark of a good program though is how quickly returnees can step up.   Loras also was aided by some short fields.   
Elmhurst is going to have a long year and struggle not just against the top 3 of the conference.   I think equating 500 of last year is going to be a stretch.   Would like to see the D-Line get a little more penetration and the linebackers get smarter.   

[Gregory Sager]

Question:

What's the story behind the burning torch at IWU's football stadium?

Didn't you know? They re-buried John F. Kennedy's casket beneath Tucci Stadium, because Arlington National Cemetery ran out of room.

[badgerwarhawk]

Question:

What's the story behind the burning torch at IWU's football stadium?

Didn't you know? They re-buried John F. Kennedy's casket beneath Tucci Stadium, because Arlington National Cemetery ran out of room.

So the over the top celebration afterwards was a hundred or so football players dancing on Kennedy's grave? 

[Gregory Sager]

Shameful, isn't it?

[GoIrish7]

Very surprising loss for Elmhurst.  I am not as much shocked that Loras beat Elmhurst,  but very surprised at the lopsided margin of victory.  The mark of a good program though is how quickly returnees can step up.   Loras also was aided by some short fields.   
Elmhurst is going to have a long year and struggle not just against the top 3 of the conference.   I think equating 500 of last year is going to be a stretch.   Would like to see the D-Line get a little more penetration and the linebackers get smarter.

1st time poster who hopes to be at various d3 games this year. I have not been to a game in a few years now but with a recent change in work schedule I look forward getting out and watching a few games in the Chicago burbs this season.

Thoughts from this game. Loras is a very talented ball club who was plagued with injuries last year, much better than a 1-9 club, I think they may be a sleeper this year in the IIAC. Huge Offensive line, and a list of skill players from the Chicagoland area who are set to have a good year.

Elmhurst just didn't seem to have an answer for the Loras Defense. From the stands it appeared that Elmhurst lacked big play ability. Seemed like every drive they were trying to nickel and dime their way down the field with short passes, 1 man routes, and screens. Their run game lacks a break away back, and relies on the QB to do alot of the running. I was impressed with their OL play, with Loras running alot of line games and pressures the OL did a good job picking them up. I was hoping to the Gaines get the ball in space, or with some downfield routes and show his skills as I had heard alot of good things about the young man.

It is tough to put together the 10-12 play drives that Elmhurst was requiring their players to do in order to be successful.... especially come conference play. It will be interesting to see how the Bluejays respond this next week with Olivet. Hope they can bounce back and get in the W column.

[79jaybird]

GoIrish7-   Welcome to the board.   It can be a very challenging board at times so hope you have a good, sturdy backbone.      You make some good points.   Elmhurst lost a lot of talent to graduation.  I too, agree that Elmhurst should have made some more (and/or better) adjustments in that second half, when it was pretty clear Loras was winning the battle.  *But* I think Elmhurst lost this game on defense.  Giving up 41 points to Loras and at home, doesn't vote well for the Jays vs many teams in the CCIW this year.   Granted it's week 1 and there are many changes being quickly adapted to by EC, but this was (IMO) kind of an embarrassment.   

Big win for IWU. Everybody is talking about WC & NC and will good reason,  but watch out,  IWU could be that 3rd man in that nobody wants to dabble with.

I don't know if it was discussed earlier,  but what in the world-  St. John's 98 St. Scholastica 0      This even made the WGN radio news Sunday morning.   There are a lot of issues with this,  but running up the score like this is in two words,  not good.   

[Pat Coleman]

In what way did SJU run up the score, 79? I think you don't know anything about that game other than the score, so assumptions are not a good idea.

[AndOne]

Congrats to the CCIW Players Of The Week for the 1st week of the 2017 season:

Offense
Austin Breunig - North Central

Defense
Trevor Staley - IWU

Special Teams
Stefan Knoerr - Wheaton

http://www.cciw.org/news/2017/9/5/north-centrals-breunig-illinois-wesleyans-staley-wheatons-knoerr-named-cciw-football-players-of-the-week.aspx

[kiko]

So can someone who has a good sense of the answer please fill in the blank on this:

North Central is to Wheaton as Robert Morris-Chicago is to D3's ___.

Just trying to calibrate this weekend's results in my mind's eye a bit.  Thx.