FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Seven CCIW Offensive Player of the Year awards have been won by wide receivers. The most recent was Peter Sorenson of North Central in 2014.

[USee]

Titan WR Healy should be a candidate for POY.  Throw it short or long and often to the 6'5" receiver.  Seems like a very simple offensive plan for success to me.  Has any WR ever earned a CCIW POY award?

Healy is a 1st Team All CCIW caliber receiver and has a chance to have an all american type year. That said our conference is loaded with top quality offensive players and with defenses seemingly down a bit, CPOY will be a very competitive honor. Here is a list of players to watch:

Broc Rutter, Andrew Kamienski, NCC
Nico Stepina, Jordan Smith, Gerald Perry, Millikin
Philip Nichols, Stone Watson, Curtis McWilliams, Wheaton
Brandon Bauer, Morgan Alexander, Jack Healy, IWU
Emanuel Engerman, Johnny Davidson, WashU

My bet will be on a battle between Stepina and Rutter as the most likely candidates. Those two will be relied upon for the majority of their team's respective offense and most likely be in position to win the award.

[USee]

I am quietly optimistic about this group, even as it heads into the very tough CCIW for the Bears' inaugural season.  I think 6-4 is a good possibility, maybe 7-3 if the team stays healthy (especially Davidson, since he is the key to both the offense and special teams as a punter).  WashU took its lumps with one of the toughest schedules in D3 last season, finishing 3-6 while struggling early to find an effective QB.  A lot of players saw action, and hopefully that tough year of experience will pay dividends and flip last year's record 180 degrees.  We will see if that is true beginning this Saturday night, as WashU hosts Chicago for the annual Founders Cup game to start the season.

The schedule is favorable for WashU as they get Carthage, IWU and Wheaton in St Louis. They do play @NCC and @Millikin. The other 5 are winnable and they will be favored in most of them I would think. 6-4 is a real possibility. It really depends on how good Engermann actually is and if Johnny Davidson can have a much better year, but it wouldn't be a shock to see them at 6-4/7-3. 

[USee]

Reports I have heard: Scrimmage @Loras Wheaton "wins" 31-3. Wheaton did not play many key starters (as likely did Loras). No significant injuries so all are full go for Monmouth at E. McCully this weekend.

[79jaybird]

Reminder-  Those wishing to participate in the Pick Em's  post your picks on the Pick Em's board.   There are some early games this week so keep that in mind.

[matblake]

Thanks, jaybird.  If you haven't played before, give it a try.  It's a lot of fun.

[Titan Q]

Come on, people, wake up.  The season is here.

Millikin 25
Hope 21

[kiko]

Come on, people, wake up.  The season is here.

Millikin 25
Hope 21

In our defense, this is not a discernible downtick in the volume of Millikin-related posts from seasons past...

[Gregory Sager]

Today's slate:

UW-Oshkosh @ Carthage, 12 pm
Lakeland @ Carroll, 1 pm
Augustana @ Coe, 1 pm
Monmouth @ Wheaton, 1 pm
Anderson @ North Park, 6 pm
Washington @ Chicago, 6 pm

Elmhurst, Illinois Wesleyan, and North Central all begin their seasons next Saturday, while the other seven teams take their bye weeks.

[USee]

It's a nice road win for Millikin against a team that will likely finish 8-2/7-3. Should help SOS.

[Gregory Sager]

UWO leads Carthage at the half at Keller Field, 7-6. The Red Men definitely look like they belong on the same field as the Titans, even though their starting QB, Kyle Friberg, got knocked out of the game very early.

[Gregory Sager]

Final from Keller Field:

#4 UW-Oshkosh 20
Carthage 9

[Pat Coleman]

Final from Keller Field:

#4 UW-Oshkosh 20
Carthage 9

Pick-six on the final play sealed it for UWO.

[Gregory Sager]

The game in Kenosha was dramatically closer than the final score indicates. Carthage took a 9-7 lead on a Lance Unland 44-yard field goal that bounced on the crossbar and fell in with 12:14 to go. But the Titans finally managed to grind down the Red Men defense with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took about five and a half minutes off the clock and culminated in a four-yard TD rush by Cody Moon with only 1:25 to go. Lots of woulda-coulda-shouldas on that drive for the CC defense; they kept it alive by having a defender line up in the neutral zone on a 3rd and 1, and set up the first-and-goal with a pass interference call. At one point on that drive, a Titans receiver made a catch and then fumbled; with two Red Men defenders in the vicinity of the ball, it was nevertheless another Titans WR who sprinted eight or nine yards and slid into the ball to recover it and keep the drive alive.

Carhage did manage to drive into UWO territory on the final drive, but backup QB Billy Dury threw a 70-yard pick-six on the game's final play to account for the final score.

Carthage outgained UWO, 329-206, but that and three bucks will get you a coffee at Starbucks.

[Gregory Sager]

Wheaton 32, Monmouth 7 at McCully.

Augustana 26, Coe 7, in Cedar Rapids.