FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[matblake]

Rumor has it that the Augustana offensive line has shown up on google video.  Watch carefully for the Vikings.  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5627694446211716271

[CardinalAlum]

I have to watch what I post this week.  Don't know if any Elmhurst coaches are lurking!   

[Mugsy]

I don't think Kniss gets the ample time Saturday which forces the Cardinals running game to step up if they are to beat Elmhurst.

Isn't this exactly what was said about Wheaton prior to last Saturday's game?  Didn't I (and other Wheaton posters) also say we were surprised at how well NCC's o-line protected Kniss?

I don't think it is a forgone conclusion that Elmhurt's d-line will have Kniss running for his life.  That said I haven't seen Elmhurst play yet.  You have and you have also seen Wheaton's defense play.  You know how strong Wheaton's defensive front is.  I'm telling you right now, there were a significant number pass plays last Saturday where Kniss just sat in the pocket with all kinds of time to find the open receiver against Wheaton.  

For me it was one of the biggest surprises of the game.

[Mugsy]

Rumor has it that the Augustana offensive line has shown up on google video.  Watch carefully for the Vikings.  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5627694446211716271

LOL... brings back memories of my time living in England.  I would often watch Monty Python & the Black Adder at lunch.

[Mugsy]

I have to watch what I post this week.  Don't know if any Elmhurst coaches are lurking!   

Ah... I sure do missing Coach Harris.

[ncc58]

Usee-- I have yet to see an offensive line (exception Augie-- because all they do is run the ball all day)  be able to handle Elmhurst's defense consistently.    The point I was making is that in the recent years, the difference in EC/NC games has been Kniss being able to sit in the pocket and find Spencer or Stuedemann, etc.  downfield.  Elmhurst didn't have the D-line that they have today.  I don't think Kniss gets the ample time Saturday which forces the Cardinals running game to step up if they are to beat Elmhurst.

It's a nice little discussion. NCC has shown more balance on offense this season than in the two previous seasons relying less on downfield passes, as evidenced by Sulo's 90 yards in the first half against Wheaton's stonewall defense.. The passing game is more a short passing game instead of Kniss finding Spencer downfield. NCC has faced two strong DLs against Concordia and Wheaton. Should be fun.

[ncc58]

I have to watch what I post this week.  Don't know if any Elmhurst coaches are lurking!   

If the Elmhurst coaches are lurking, they probably have cancelled today's practice. With all the discussion about dissension at NCC, Elmhurst should be completely overconfident.

[CardinalAlum]

I have to watch what I post this week.  Don't know if any Elmhurst coaches are lurking!   

Ah... I sure do missing Coach Harris.

Careful... don't use his name!!   

[79jaybird]

c'mon guys there were 2 coaches that were on the board. hehe,  not the safest place to be, especially during the season!   
I agree that the EC/NC game should be fun... really it always is because the crowds are usually great and the games are usually pretty close.  Also, many of the players are going against guys that they went to hs with.
Mugsy, I still think Wheaton's D-Line is the best in the CCIW.  That game vs. Albion first week of the year, really opened my eyes that the Thunder have something special on the D-LIne front.
I have not seen North Central play so I can't comment on their O-line.  I know most of the games thus far can be attributed to Elmhurst D-Line really reaking havoc on the offense.  Augie being the exception, but their offense is unique and kind of isolated.

[usee]

c'mon guys there were 2 coaches that were on the board. hehe,  not the safest place to be, especially during the season!   
I agree that the EC/NC game should be fun... really it always is because the crowds are usually great and the games are usually pretty close.  Also, many of the players are going against guys that they went to hs with.
Mugsy, I still think Wheaton's D-Line is the best in the CCIW.  That game vs. Albion first week of the year, really opened my eyes that the Thunder have something special on the D-LIne front.
I have not seen North Central play so I can't comment on their O-line.  I know most of the games thus far can be attributed to Elmhurst D-Line really reaking havoc on the offense.  Augie being the exception, but their offense is unique and kind of isolated.

JB,

you would do well to actually believe what you have seen and others have attested to about NCC. I, like Mugsy, haven't seen the elmhurst dline play. perhaps they will be light years better than any dline ncc has seen. I simply think you will be on here telling us all on sunday how good kniss and the oline for ncc is and how surprised you were at how easily they moved the ball against your defense.

In fact you should figure out how to work that into the pickems this week.

[79jaybird]

Usee- maybe, then again maybe not.  The thing that I look at is how can North Central play such a fine 1st half, then completely fall apart in the 2nd half? 
The only team that I have been "surprised" by that has caught my eyes this year,  has been Wheaton's D-Line.  Everybody else and every other team appears equal to me.  "Big Andy"  in Orange/Blue is the only defensive figure that appears head over heels above everybody else.
"In fact, you should work that into your pick em's this week"   
Not sure what you mean by this comment.  My picks are solely based on how well a team is or isn't playing at the time.  Last week, EC had momentum at 4-0 and Augie was 2-2, so I picked EC that was playing well.  Augie stepped up, capitalized on their opportunities, and won a good ball game.  Still at 4-1 I think Elmhurst is playing very well right now.  North Centrals 2 losses CUW and Wheaton,  should have and could have been Cardinal W's.  While there are many reasons/possibilities why the Cardinals lost these 2 games, I think it is A) inconsistency  or B) lack of execution. 
I see a good battle on Saturday with the key focal point being Kniss and how much time he will be given in the pocket.  If he has all day to throw the ball, then NC has a great shot.  If the Bluejays defense is in his face all day and the NC plays can't get developed, then I think EC has a great shot.  By no means is one team "twice as strong" as the other.

[Mugsy]

The thing that I look at is how can North Central play such a fine 1st half, then completely fall apart in the 2nd half? 

I see a good battle on Saturday with the key focal point being Kniss and how much time he will be given in the pocket.  If he has all day to throw the ball, then NC has a great shot.  If the Bluejays defense is in his face all day and the NC plays can't get developed, then I think EC has a great shot.  By no means is one team "twice as strong" as the other.

NCC didn't completely fall apart in the 2nd half from an offensive standpoint - specifically in terms of pass protection.  I view it more as Wheaton took over the game.  There is a subtle difference. 

Wheaton held the ball for almost the entire 3rd quarter due to finally establishing the running game with Chaz Black.  Black had over 170 yards rushing in the 2nd half.  This kept Kniss & Co. off the field.

NCC still had 120-130 yards of offense in the 2nd half, almost exclusively in the 4th quarter.  By then Wheaton had opened up a 31-13 lead.  Kniss still had more than enough time to throw the ball on more occasions than not.  Wheaton's defense made some big plays at key times to keep NCC from scoring more, particularly a knocked down pass by Studebaker on 3rd - 6 inside the Wheaton 15 yard line.  It forced a NCC FG attempt that resulted in no points due to a bad snap.

The 2nd quoted paragraph is almost verbatum what I said last week as to why I thought Wheaton would win relatively easily.  Turns out Kniss wasn't running for his life and Wheaton found other ways to win, aka running the ball and timely defense.  You say you think Wheaton's d-line is the best in the CCIW, yet they were only able to get to Kniss for 3 sacks in 40 attempts (all by Studebaker).  Studebaker did have 5 other hurries, which is absolutely scary to think of how many sacks he could have had.

Summary:  Wheaton had difficulty generating consistent pressure on Kniss due to great pass protection.  The key to the "Bird Bowl" may be the ability of Elmhurst's d-line to generate pressure, but they may have difficulty in doing so and Kniss was quite effective throwing on the run.  Flushing Kniss out of pocket does not necessarily equal success.  He can still hurt you bad.  It'll be interesting to see.

[Mugsy]

To this point Wheaton has been very successful at stuffing the run.  If Wheaton is able to continue this trend and reduce NCC's offense to one dimension (ie. the pass), then Wheaton can unleash their very strong, quick defensive line to pressure Kniss.  If Studebaker & Co. are in Kniss' face all day, the bell returns to Wheaton.

If Wheaton is able to rush for 130-150+ yards against NCC, they will continue their balanced offensive attack.

It was mentioned earlier, but in my book the key match up is NCC O-Line vs. Wheaton D-Line. 

I really feel that the game is going to come down to the NCC O-Line being able to handle what seems to be a very dominant Wheaton D-Line.

jaybird,
These are a few of the quotes from last week regarding the keys to the NCC game -  very similar to yours.  Turns out the NCC o-line did very well, with exception to Studebaker whom no one has stopped yet this year.

[TrueAugieAlum]

Similarly, Augie had a few mysterious non-conference losses but has appeared to drop into "good ole' steady Augie" form

This team has the talent to dominate CCIW, but Coach JohnsEn is stuck in stupid!

Good ole' steady Augie is right.  Unfortunately, the offense is being led by old decrepit Coach JohnsEn.   Their offense would be unstoppable if he knew how to use the talent he has on the team, however, he continues to play his picked ineffective offense that gets lucky because of Augie's D.

Hopefully, Coach Barnes will wake up and smell the fact the offense is wasted with this assistant.

[usee]

well said Mugsy. I agree with your points.

Jaybird, this year you are believing it is Elmhurst year. Every week you say "I like our chances". I have, for the most part, agreed with you. After your loss at home to Augie I now disagree. My suspicion is that Elmhurst isn't as good as you want them to be this year. I will know based on how well you play on the road against NCC. My suspicion is the game won't be too close. If I am wrong I will return here and admit that. At this point I see Elmhurst at 7-3 this year. I could be wrong but I don't think thats too far off based on what we know now.