FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[omaha]

There was an article in the Omaha paper a week ago about the Midland program describing how the coach (a former assistant at Nebraska) turned the program around a year ago and how he expected the team to be much better this year.  He stated the size of the team increased from about 90 players last year to 160 this year. (They had about 50-60 players during the North Park game that were not suited up but were dressed in shorts on the sideline--this was their JV team). 

After reading this article I was concerned about the game.  As Mark stated Midland dominated last year  and I was afraid it would dominate again this year. 

I went to the game and was very impressed with North Park. North Park outplayed Midland for the first three quarters. Their defense shut down Midland for most of the game, despite the fact Midland had some big players on the offensive line.  Unfortunately a fake punt that resulted in a first down was a turning point in the game as Midland went on to score, gained momentum and eventually won the game.

One of the parents told me the North Park team bus broke down on the way to Fremont and they were stalled on the side of the road for 5 hours---I am sure that did not help.

[Gregory Sager]

Midland totally dominated NP in Chicago last year, winning 42-24.  I attended that game, and saw Midland RB Deon Ransom thrash the Viking D for 140 yards.  He was better than any CCIW RB I saw last year.  Ransom's eligibility has since expired, which is probably the primary reason NP competed yesterday.  Maybe NP's defense is more stout too.

Midland didn't seem to have the various big-play weapons (Ransom included) that it had last season, but there's no doubt that NPU's defense looks better this year than it looked last year. Three Vikings defenders in particular have really impressed me thus far this season with how much they've improved:

* Sophomore CB Dalton McKay not only has two interceptions, he's also broken up a bunch of passes in the first two games and has looked outstanding; NPU has two plus cornerbacks now with McKay and junior David Simmons;

* Senior KJ Joseph is finally coming into his own this year at DE. He's been a big playmaker and rushing threat, and having a pass rusher play that caliber of ball is helping to free up Chaun Maiava; and

* Sophomore LB Uluao Letuli, who had a steep learning curve after having been moved over from RB in the preseason last year, is now coming into his own as well ... and he, too, is helping to free up Chaun Maiava.

As for Maiava, he leads the CCIW in tackles by a big margin. He has 28, with Augustana's Cassin Wolfe second at 19; his 14.0 tackles per game is four ahead of North Central's Derrek Warkenthien and Carroll's Cameron Cassaro, who are tied at 10.0. He also leads the league in both sacks and sacks per game, and he's tied for first in tackles for loss. Thing is, his stats are actually undercounted, as Anderson's spotter took away a few of his tackles (and half of a sack) in Week One and gave them to other players, something which was pointed out to me later by an NPU coach. Maiava is playing at a level I've never seen from an NPU player. He might be the best Vikings defender since the great Chuck Burgoon, who had a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Vikings in the early '70s.

There was an article in the Omaha paper a week ago about the Midland program describing how the coach (a former assistant at Nebraska) turned the program around a year ago and how he expected the team to be much better this year.  He stated the size of the team increased from about 90 players last year to 160 this year. (They had about 50-60 players during the North Park game that were not suited up but were dressed in shorts on the sideline--this was their JV team). 

After reading this article I was concerned about the game.  As Mark stated Midland dominated last year  and I was afraid it would dominate again this year. 

I went to the game and was very impressed with North Park. North Park outplayed Midland for the first three quarters. Their defense shut down Midland for most of the game, despite the fact Midland had some big players on the offensive line.  Unfortunately a fake punt that resulted in a first down was a turning point in the game as Midland went on to score, gained momentum and eventually won the game.

One of the parents told me the North Park team bus broke down on the way to Fremont and they were stalled on the side of the road for 5 hours---I am sure that did not help.

Yes, which also took some of the sting out of not traveling with the team to Nebraska for me.

[Mugsy]

As for Maiava, he leads the CCIW in tackles by a big margin. He has 28, with Augustana's Cassin Wolfe second at 19; his 14.0 tackles per game is four ahead of North Central's Derrek Warkenthien and Carroll's Cameron Cassaro, who are tied at 10.0. He also leads the league in both sacks and sacks per game, and he's tied for first in tackles for loss. Thing is, his stats are actually undercounted, as Anderson's spotter took away a few of his tackles (and half of a sack) in Week One and gave them to other players, something which was pointed out to me later by an NPU coach. Maiava is playing at a level I've never seen from an NPU player. He might be the best Vikings defender since the great Chuck Burgoon, who had a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Vikings in the early '70s.
ch also took some of the sting out of not traveling with the team to Nebraska for me.

GS, Not to throw water on the growth & improvement of the NPU individuals you highlight above, I do think there is a minor caveat to highlight regarding the statistics.  Isn't that always the case with statistics?   

Maiava's leading the CCIW in tackles should take into account that NCC and Carroll have only played one game, and while Wheaton has played 2 games, the defensive starters have only played approximately one game cumulatively given both games we blowouts by halftime.  Obviously as the season progresses further, this will normalize and we'll get a better relative picture.

[79jaybird]

Elmhurst losing both games at home do decent, not stellar, teams hurts.   Orlando nearly willed the Jays to a victory Saturday.  He unfortunately, just doesn't seem to have a good supporting cast with him at times. 

[Gregory Sager]

As for Maiava, he leads the CCIW in tackles by a big margin. He has 28, with Augustana's Cassin Wolfe second at 19; his 14.0 tackles per game is four ahead of North Central's Derrek Warkenthien and Carroll's Cameron Cassaro, who are tied at 10.0. He also leads the league in both sacks and sacks per game, and he's tied for first in tackles for loss. Thing is, his stats are actually undercounted, as Anderson's spotter took away a few of his tackles (and half of a sack) in Week One and gave them to other players, something which was pointed out to me later by an NPU coach. Maiava is playing at a level I've never seen from an NPU player. He might be the best Vikings defender since the great Chuck Burgoon, who had a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Vikings in the early '70s.
ch also took some of the sting out of not traveling with the team to Nebraska for me.

GS, Not to throw water on the growth & improvement of the NPU individuals you highlight above, I do think there is a minor caveat to highlight regarding the statistics.  Isn't that always the case with statistics?   

At the D3 level, yes. A couple of the staff that work in the NPU press box during football games also work Northwestern games, and they've told us that Northwestern has up to seven spotters working games at Ryan Field. At NPU we have one dedicated spotter, and the rest of us (including me, as I talk on the air) chime in with our two cents after every play in order to help out the live stats operator and the P.A. announcer. We're pretty good at getting it right when identifying North Park tacklers (which is not easy to do, given the ridiculous color combo that NPU uses for home unis), but we're not 100% accurate, and we could sure use at least one more spotter in our already-overcrowded press box. But Anderson doesn't even have a dedicated spotter; the live stats operator, who is also the SID, spots for himself and makes the call aloud for the benefit of the P.A. announcer, who sits immediately to his left. (The Heartland as a whole apparently lags well behind the CCIW in terms of game staffing and resources, which doesn't surprise me one bit.)

But I called that game at Anderson, and I was saying Maiava's name a lot more than the Anderson SID was. So did the Anderson broadcaster, who was sitting immediately to my left. (One more sign of an under-resourced program using a pitifully tiny press box is when they're forced to seat the respective broadcasters for the two teams right next to each other in the same room.) More importantly, the NPU coaching staff goes over the game film with a fine-toothed comb -- and they're the ones who told me that Maiava's stats were undercounted in the Anderson game. And keep in mind that it was not a matter of their trying to boost Maiava, either, as every stat that they could credit him for (if NPU had the power to revise those stats, which it doesn't) would have to be taken away from another Viking.

(Side note: Owen Handy, Wheaton grad and former Wheaton assistant basketball coach who is now the head coach of the Anderson basketball program, was the clock operator for that football game. That makes two D3 head basketball coaches that I know of who work in their school's press box for football games, as Carthage basketball coach Bosko Djurickovic is the P.A. announcer for Red Men home games at Keller Field.)

Maiava's leading the CCIW in tackles should take into account that NCC and Carroll have only played one game,

I did take that into account:

As for Maiava, he leads the CCIW in tackles by a big margin. He has 28, with Augustana's Cassin Wolfe second at 19; his 14.0 tackles per game is four ahead of North Central's Derrek Warkenthien and Carroll's Cameron Cassaro, who are tied at 10.0.

I know as well as anybody that counting stats are useless in the context of a league in which not everybody has played the same number of games, unless they're backed up by per-game stats.

and while Wheaton has played 2 games, the defensive starters have only played approximately one game cumulatively given both games we blowouts by halftime.

That has always been the case with stats, and always will be. Everybody's aware that teams that win a lot of blowouts play their regulars less than do other teams. That's true in most ball sports.

That's why you didn't read me making any qualitative statements regarding Maiava's abilities as compared to other CCIW defensive players. I merely pointed out the quantitative facts, as opposed to the qualitative facts (which I kept in-house, comparing Maiava only to other NPU players over the years).

Obviously as the season progresses further, this will normalize and we'll get a better relative picture.

Of course.

[CardinalAlum]

Midland totally dominated NP in Chicago last year, winning 42-24.  I attended that game, and saw Midland RB Deon Ransom thrash the Viking D for 140 yards.  He was better than any CCIW RB I saw last year.  Ransom's eligibility has since expired, which is probably the primary reason NP competed yesterday.  Maybe NP's defense is more stout too.

I have a hard time believing too many were better than Sola Olateju from Wheaton.

[79jaybird]

Greg- You're lucky.  In my 10 years we had 0,  yes 0 spotters and had to rely on our own eyes (which were not always effective) to call it correctly.       Especially  Benedictine night games, having to look to the west prior to sunset,  it was blinding.

[Gregory Sager]

Midland totally dominated NP in Chicago last year, winning 42-24.  I attended that game, and saw Midland RB Deon Ransom thrash the Viking D for 140 yards.  He was better than any CCIW RB I saw last year.  Ransom's eligibility has since expired, which is probably the primary reason NP competed yesterday.  Maybe NP's defense is more stout too.

I have a hard time believing too many were better than Sola Olateju from Wheaton.

Deon Ransom rushed for an average of 112 yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry last season while playing in one of NAIA's better leagues (the GPAC had the #5, #7, #16, and #18 teams in the end-of-regular-season NAIA poll last year; those four teams were the ones that beat 7-4 Midland). I put Ransom right up there with Olateju and Bruenig.

[iwu70]

Big opening weekend game for CCIW play -- IWU at NCC.  Titans will have to play error free, play as tough and hard as they played vs. WI WW to come close in this game.  Last few years, IWU just could not match the athleticism and speed of NC.  Perhaps this edition will have a better chance as they do rely more on speed, skill, than overall size and strength.  Should be a good one.  I'd love to see IWU really stay close with NC this weekend and make a close game of it.  IWU O has played well, esp. vs. Nebraska Wesleyan.  No major injuries so far.  Bauer and the new RB combination for IWU make for a very good, balanced combination.  Receivers improving week by week.  IWU D has to play their best game to keep NC in check.

Game is under lights -- 6 p.m. at NCC.  I'll likely drive up to cheer on my Greenies. 

Go TITANS!

IWU'70

[USee]

I have to think Maiava is a lock for 1st team all CCIW and has an outside chance at DPOY. Having watched him the last 2 years he is the real deal.

[Mugsy]

I have to think Maiava is a lock for 1st team all CCIW and has an outside chance at DPOY. Having watched him the last 2 years he is the real deal.

I wasn't questioning Maiava's ability, at least that was not my intent. 

I was merely trying to give my opinion that I think it is too early to say his 14 tackles per game won't be surpassed by others when key players from Wheaton, Carthage or NCC play 4 quarters in CCIW games. 2 games into the season, only one for some CCIW teams.

[USee]

I wasn't questioning your post either Mugsy. I don think his tackle totals at this point in the season mean anything. I just know he is a 1st team all CCIW caliber player.

[Mugsy]

I wasn't questioning your post either Mugsy. I don think his tackle totals at this point in the season mean anything. I just know he is a 1st team all CCIW caliber player.

On that there seems to be agreement.

[izzy stradlin]

New Top 25 out: http://d3football.com/top25/2017/week2

Wheaton #4
North Central #5
Illinois Wesleyan #16
Carthage - ORV

Can't recall ever having 3 CCIW teams so highly rated at the same time, with a fourth receiving votes.  Granted this won't last long as there are big games in the next several weeks between each of these teams - starting with this Saturday.

Carthage @ Wheaton
Illinois Wesleyan @ North Central

BIG week of CCIW games!

Too bad these games are at the same time.   Right down the street it would otherwise be a nice doubleheader.

[Ralph Turner]

In memory of 9/11, Todd Beamer's son is playing for Wheaton, his parents' alma mater.

https://pjmedia.com/parenting/2016/09/11/911-hero-todd-beamers-son-is-all-grown-now-and-hes-playing-college-football/