FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[shepherd]

First Rupp was incredible. Very accurate on his passes.  Great game by the Thunder.  You wouldn't be able to tell from the stats but Norris had a very good game passing.  Wheaton used a lot of short passes and the short passing game really fits Norris.   Wheaton's passing game did not look anything like it did during most of the season.  But strong wind conditions called for short passes and Norris made them for key first downs.  Ging ran great as was posted before.  Also a great job by the offensive line, they were in front of Ging when he was turning the corner.  Ging limped off the field in the fourth quarter.   Yet he was standing on the sidelines walking around.  Congratulations to the Thunder it was well worth the trip.
Also congratulations to Franklin on another great season.

[Mugsy]

Not like it was amazing insight, but I mentioned that keeping Rupp off the field would be key to a Wheaton win.

Possession Time...............    35:32    22:53
  1st Quarter.................     5:48     9:12
  2nd Quarter.................    10:39     4:16
  3rd Quarter.................     8:38     6:22
  4th Quarter.................    10:27     3:03

I'd say they did that and then some.

I also said that Gingg would need 22-25 for at least 125 yards.

Rushing              No Gain Loss  Net TD Lg  Avg
-------------------------------------------------
Gingg, Rocky         26  145    0  145  2 20  5.6

Bingo!  And that was in 3 quarters.

[CardinalAlum]

It's about time that Ittersagen started playing well.  I feel that he had an abysmal regular season, except for the Bethel game. 

I would like to nominate this post for "Idiotic post of the year"   

Great job Thunder!! 

[wheatie barefooter]

It's about time that Ittersagen started playing well.  I feel that he had an abysmal regular season, except for the Bethel game. 

I would like to nominate this post for "Idiotic post of the year"   

Great job Thunder!! 

I got it #1!!

[Blitz Creed]

It's about time that Ittersagen started playing well.  I feel that he had an abysmal regular season, except for the Bethel game. 

I would like to nominate this post for "Idiotic post of the year"   

Great job Thunder!! 
[/quote#

#12 did have a sub-par year compared to years prior... but boy did he step it up when the thunder needed him most. Congratulations to the Thunder, represent the conference well this week.





... I hate wheaten, even when we beat them, they still get the best of us...

[usee]

Does anybody know if Gingg is alright?  Why did he sit the 4th out?

after his 26-145 he took the rest of the day off. 

[burly]

From an article on Wheaton's website, below is an interesting tidbit about next weeks matchup.

"Next Saturday's game is Wheaton's first-ever appearance in the National Semifinal as the Thunder becomes the first CCIW team since 1988 to play in a National Semifinal, since Augustana played Central (Iowa) in the 1988 Semifinals."

[burly]

Does anybody know if Gingg is alright?  Why did he sit the 4th out?

after his 26-145 he took the rest of the day off. 

That's good to hear.  That kid has a bright future...

I've only seen him play once - he's built like Dan Price and runs North/South similar to Pedro Arruza. 

[HScoach]

Congrats to the Crusaders on earning their trip to Alliance once again.  I've always loved the toughness of the CCIW teams.  They've always provided a stern test for the Raiders and expect this one to be the same.

Good luck and health in this week's preparation and bring your A-game this Saturday.  Semi-final wipeouts like Bethel last season are no fun.

[Mr. Ypsi]

hscoach, you're calling it a 30.5 point margin, and scamming us with a 'stern test' crack?

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the line is to equalize picks from the OAC faithful - what's your 'honest' line?

[BTW, I'm still workin' on getting the game moved to Indiana - Wheaton is unbeaten there. ]

[Jim Matson]

hscoach is just being nice...his idea of a "stern test" is a close game into the 2nd quarter.  That's something Wheaton accomplished in the quarterfinals a few years ago.  The wheels fell off the bus about then.

The best game Wheaton gave them was their first one.  Even with the sickness and injuries, it was a contest well into the third quarter.  That certainly meets the "stern test" test, doesn't it?

It snowed a bit today in North Carolina...it is like Chicago all across the country.

[burly]

The best game Wheaton gave them was their first one.

You've got to throw 2002 in the mix.  If Wheaton hadn't given up 14 points on special teams and turned over the ball multiple times, that would have been a different game.  In addition, Dan Pugh was somewhat restrained with under 50 yards rushing in the first half.  Although I will say that the score was 21-0 at half and Dan had a huge second half.  Anyway, the Purple People Eaters consistently do two things better than any other team in the country: execute and expose their opponent's weaknesses.

Looking forward to this coming Saturday and expect the Wheaton coaching staff (which is extremely eager to beat Mount) to put a solid game plan together and for the players to put up a fight.

[thunderdog]

Congrats to the Wheaton Thunder for beating a very good Franklin team and advancing to the Semi-Finals.

I wasn't at the game, but I did listen to it on WETN.  It sounded as if the LB's for Wheaton (specifically Ryan and Pagh) were in the Franklin backfield all game long.  I believe D-Coordinator Sandberg deserves some props for coming up with a solid, aggressive game-plan to stop Rupp.  Keep bringing the HEAT Rocket-Man!

As far as the upcoming battle with MUC, I believe a HUGE factor will be, as it is for just about every opponent for MUC (minus Whitewater... maybe), managing the AWE factor.  What is the AWE factor?  Here's a taste:

Since 1993

-9 National Championships (93,96-98, 00-02, 05-06)
-214 Wins, 7 Losses (only 1 regular season loss)
-A Conference record of 143-1. Last conference loss coming in 1994. They have won 130 straigt since then.
-Of their 7 losses, only 1 during regular season, 1 in 2nd round of playoffs, 3 in the Semi-Finals, and 2 in the Finals
-A 55 game winning streak, and a 54 game winning streak... the 2 longest streaks in all of NCAA

After digesting those Nintendo-freaky-good stats, there is only 1 logical conclusion:

With almost half of their losses coming in the Semi's since 1993, CLEARLYthe Purple Raiders are VULNERABLE

In all honesy, the MUC AWE factor has pretty much beaten this old has-been into submission.  But that really don't matter at all.  All that matters is what is going on in that Wheaton locker room... Here's to hoping that the Wheaton coaches and players BELIEVE!

[burly]

-A Conference record of 143-1. Last conference loss coming in 1994. They have won 130 straigt since then.

2005 vs. Ohio Northern - 21-14 Loss.

[thunderdog]

-A Conference record of 143-1. Last conference loss coming in 1994. They have won 130 straigt since then.

2005 vs. Ohio Northern - 21-14 Loss.

My bad, don't know how I missed that one... must be the AWE factor.

Let me revise:

Since 1993:
9 National Championships (93,96-98, 00-02, 05-06)
213 Wins, 2 Losses (only 2 regular season losses)
Conference record of 142-2.
Of their 8 losses, only 2 during regular season, 1 in 2nd round of playoffs, 3 in the Semi-Finals, and 2 in the Finals
A 55 game winning streak, and a 54 game winning streak... the 2 longest streaks in all of NCAA