FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

IWU wins ugly, wins lucky again, -- 2nd week in a row -- over CC 13-9.  But, a win is a win -- 8-1, and looking toward the final home came of the season.  Carthage played very well, esp. in the first half.

NCC wins big over Wheaton -- 27-7 at last look.

IWU70

[cardinalpride]

Final from naperville...Cards 33 wheaton 7!!! Cards keep the bell ringing by the riverwalk! Congrats to the seniors for going undefeated against the thunder in their careers! Tremendous accomplishment!

[outofstatefan]

Elmhurst beats Augustana 28-27 in Rock Island.    Augie marched 95 yards in final minute to score TD and misfired on fake PAT.    Would love to hear what Augie alums think of the decision not to go for the tie.

[emma17]

I haven't seen Wheaton play prior to today so I don't have perspective on their typical game.
I attended the game today and besides being surprised by a lower attendance for such a big game- I was surprised with how flat and mistake prone Wheaton was. From punting to poor play against the option there were unforced errors that created such a score disparity.

[AndOne]

Head tells me 28-16 SoDup.

Heart tells me 19-17 Wheaton.

Making the 7 mile trek to the south with my 7 year old boy.  I'm hoping for a classic "Battle for the Bell" that we'll be talking about for years to come and for safety for all players involved.

Mugsy--

As those of us posters/fans here in SoDup Naperville are concerned with your health, and value your ability to continue your   participation here on the boards on into the basketball season, we have arranged for you to be seen in the Cardiology Department at Central DuPage at 9 AM on Monday. 

[izzy stradlin]

It's starting to feel like Mount Union joined the conference.

[spencer1988]

Was at the North Central game.  Never felt like a game.  Complete domination.

[thunderdog]

7-33 loss for the Thunder today... Score does not indicate how lob-sided the game was.  By the end of the 1st it was 0-21 bad guys and it was clear that SoDup was "bigger, faster, stronger... better".  I'm shocked as to how much of a gap SoDup has created between itself and Wheaton.

[Stagg Again!!]

Final from naperville...Cards 33 wheaton 7!!! Cards keep the bell ringing by the riverwalk! Congrats to the seniors for going undefeated against the thunder in their careers! Tremendous accomplishment!

Total domination in Naperville today:  500+ total yards - 250 yards; 35 mins. TOP - 25 mins. TOP.  WC and its coaching staff are ALWAYS prepared for kickoff and make excellent in-game adjustments.  Today, however, it looked like WC couldn't keep up with all of the different schemes and rotations that were being thrown at them.  But for two trips into the (Cardinal) Red Zone where NCC came away empty, the final could have looked a bit more like 47-7.  And to think, Fiedorowicz wasn't even on field (nursing injuries, but will be ready for the playoffs).

NCC looks a lot like a Top Two or Three team to me.  They have ripped through IWU, EC, and WC by a combined score of 108-17; improved a LOT since week #1; and have developed tremendous depth at the QB slot going into the playoffs and next year.  Last year's schedule was a bit weaker, but folks can't complain about games against four Top 20 teams and very good CC and MU teams.

One last point:
NCC d. Bethel 70-26; and Bethel d. UWEC 26-21 -- net +49 over the #5 WIAC team while UWW d. UWEC 37-22 (+15).
NCC d. WC 33-7; and WC d. UWP 23-14 -- net +35 over the #2 WIAC team while UWW d. UWP 34-14 (+20).
I know circular math doesn't always work, but I believe NCC is a better overall team NOW than they were heading into the playoffs last year.  As I noted, they have more overall team speed everywhere on the field; have weathered the storm (zebras at Redlands and cancer in Naperville); and have MUCH MUCH better overall QB play than they did in the playoffs (w/ Stanek) last year.  IMO.

[iwu70]

Anyone have a NPU score?  Did the streak end?

IWU70

[iwu70]

Found it.  The streak lives.  MU 33, NPU 21.  Final. 

IWU70

[ncc58]

So who had Brad Crackel as the leading rusher in the game (7 carries, 131 yards)?

There had been a lot of talk about what happens in Wheaton jumps to an early lead. Dicken and Kabba took care of that on North Central's third offensive play.

I'm still shocked about how poor the Wheaton rushing game has been all year. In previous seasons, they were more balanced. Overall, I though that Meadors did play well.

NCC clinches at least a share of its 6th straight CCIW title. NCC clinches sixth playoff bid in seven years and wins Little Brass Bell for fourth straight season. NCC's longest win sreak vs. Wheaton since 1977-82.

[AndOne]

With a victory, we often see the majority of the accolades going to the QB, the running backs, or the receivers---those that throw for or score almost all the points. Linemen, especially those on the offensive side of the ball usually receive little or no praise. Today saw the North Central Cardinals soundly take down the D3Football #13 team in the country, in large part due to a more than 2 to 1 advantage in total yards gained.

My understanding is that this was done with BOTH of the usual starting offensive tackles out. Kudos are certainly due to the big bodies on both sides of the ball, but especially to today's starting LT Alex Mann, and RT Greg Whalen, who did a most admirable job. Both Alex and Greg are only sophomores.

[iwu70]

What's with the CCIW.org sports website?  It never seems to work properly . . . always sends a "no response" signal back.  Needs some work, some attention, me thinks.

Two shockers in the Big Ten today -- Iowa over Michigan, and, believe it or not, Northwestern over Nebraska. 

On to the "game of the century."   Please!!:!:!

IWU70

[Titan Q]

I posted the following after NCC hammered IWU on 10/22...

Watching North Central play, it's very evident how much their program has separated from the rest of the CCIW.  I think they have 7-8 scholarship school transfers on the roster (several from D1) to complement their homegrown guys, who are outstanding D3 players.  In my opinion, North Central is not quite at UW-Whitewater/Mount Union level, but I think they are closer to those schools than they are the "next tier" of the CCIW (Wheaton, IWU this year).  John Thorne has really built a powerhouse program in Naperville.  This will be 6 CCIW titles in a row...that's hard to do.

The more North Central plays, the more evidence we get of how much they have completely separated from the CCIW pack as a program.  The Cardinals have now won 14 CCIW games in a row by 20+ points.  Looking at the last 5 years, the "next tier" isn't really even in the ballpark with NCC...

CCIW record, 2007 - 2011
North Central, 32-2 (5 titles)
Illinois Wesleyan, 24-10 (2 titles)
Wheaton, 24-10

The only thing I might reconsider about what I posted back on 10/22 is the statement "North Central is not quite at UW-Whitewater/Mount Union level..."  There is a very good chance that NCC is right there with the big boys.