FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

iwu70, I was at our 40th in 2010 - at the half, IWU 28, NPU 0.  I left then to watch the top 5 nationally ranked women's soccer team (who won 3-0).  Where's the allure of having NPU for Homecoming?   I may well come to our 45th, but where's the allure of coming when WE aren't featured?!  (If I ain't pushin' up daisies, I'll definitely make our 50th. )

[Titan Q]

IWU/Hope game articles...

http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/college/football/late-interception-stinde-s-big-game-help-iwu-down-hope/article_3c21d75e-288c-11e3-aaa0-0019bb2963f4.html

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/sports_hope/x511630347/Hope-football-drops-first-game-to-Illinois-Wesleyan

http://www.mlive.com/smallcolleges/grandrapids/index.ssf/2013/09/hope_suffers_first_loss_of_sea.html

[NCF]

Final:

IWU 14
Hope 7

* T.J. Stinde: 17 rushes, 129 yards
* Alex Garvey: 8 catches, 105 yards
* Rob Gallik: 22-38, 227 yards, 2 TD/1 INT


IWU really struggled to get anything going offensively in this one (and not a very strong game by QB Rob Gallik), but the defense was outstanding.  IWU's defense should keep the Titans in every game this season -- need the offense to bounce back from this one, and I think it will.

Not quite sure what to make of IWU's performance in this one.  It sure looked to me like Hope is a good team.

They also struggled against Alma, a team Oshkosh manhandled yesterday. If IWU is going to be a contender, they cannot continue to start slowly. Let's see what happens next week, even though I know that game tends to be a battle.

[NCF]

Carthage and Millikin take notice-North Park is knockin' on the door and this could be the year they get one or two conference W's.

[Titan Q]

They also struggled against Alma, a team Oshkosh manhandled yesterday. If IWU is going to be a contender, they cannot continue to start slowly. Let's see what happens next week, even though I know that game tends to be a battle.

In fairness, IWU beat Alma 38-3.  The Titans had 409 yards of total offense to Alma's 100, and 23 first downs to 5.  I think you have to consider all 4 quarters before saying IWU "struggled against Alma."

As far as starting slowly, the Titans really didn't start slowly yesterday in my estimation.  I thought IWU played well overall in the first half yesterday.

And yes, IWU/Millikin games always seem to be tight.

[NCF]

They also struggled against Alma, a team Oshkosh manhandled yesterday. If IWU is going to be a contender, they cannot continue to start slowly. Let's see what happens next week, even though I know that game tends to be a battle.

In fairness, IWU beat Alma 38-3.  The Titans had 409 yards of total offense to Alma's 100, and 23 first downs to 5.  I think you have to consider all 4 quarters before saying IWU "struggled against Alma."

As far as starting slowly, the Titans really didn't start slowly yesterday in my estimation.  I thought IWU played well overall in the first half yesterday.

And yes, IWU/Millikin games always seem to be tight.

I'm not knockin IWU, I want them to be good! I'm looking forwerd to three great games later in the season!

[Gregory Sager]

Carthage and Millikin take notice-North Park is knockin' on the door and this could be the year they get one or two conference W's.

Man, I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing stuff like this.

Yes, Carthage and Millikin look bad this year, in what has shaped up to be a season in which the CCIW is extra-soggy on the bottom. And, yes, Olivet is a genuinely improved team from a year ago; the Comets team that NPU thumped in Michigan last season was almost completely made up of freshmen, but talented freshmen, most of whom stuck around and are now rounding into genuinely good football players.

But let's be realistic. NPU got outgained by about two to one yesterday. The Vikings' offense never really got untracked. And. although the defense did a great bend-but-don't-break job of holding down the Comets on the scoreboard, they got pretty banged up in the process -- and that's a serious concern for a defense that isn't loaded with depth and will probably be on the short end of time-of-possession in every CCIW game it plays (including against Carthage and Millikin). And, to be perfectly honest, what kept the game so close was Olivet's lack of discipline. The Comets are an underclassmen-dominated team, and it looked like it as far as penaties were concerned; 11 penalties for 157 yards, with several of those penalties being very costly on both sides of the ball for the Comets. Plus, NPU's lone touchdown was set up by an Olivet punt snap that sailed over the punter's head and gave the Vikes a gift-wrapped drive start at the Olivet 11.

The Vikings played with a lot of moxie yesterday, and had a legit chance to win it at the end. But they were still pretty badly outplayed by the Comets. And they will come limping into next Saturday's Homecoming game against Carthage with some pretty important players injured.

Every year people talk about how this will be the year that NPU gets a conference win. And every year I shake my head in disbelief, because they seem to make those comments without having actually seen the Vikings.

Nobody wants to see North Park win a CCIW football game more than yours truly. (Aside from the players and coaches, of course.) I think that that's pretty well established. But I'm being realistic. It's a banged-up 0-3 team that doesn't have much defensive depth, has a freshman QB and (mostly) underclassmen at the skill positions, and is still learning a new offense.

Can we please have a moratorium on the "NPU is gonna win a CCIW game this year" stuff for at least one week?

[AndOne]

Naperville Sun article on yesterday's North Central-UWSP game, and coach John Thorne's 100th win at NCC.

http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/sports/fbl_ncc-NAP-09292013:article

[NCF]

Carthage and Millikin take notice-North Park is knockin' on the door and this could be the year they get one or two conference W's.

Man, I can't tell you how tired I am of seeing stuff like this.

Yes, Carthage and Millikin look bad this year, in what has shaped up to be a season in which the CCIW is extra-soggy on the bottom. And, yes, Olivet is a genuinely improved team from a year ago; the Comets team that NPU thumped in Michigan last season was almost completely made up of freshmen, but talented freshmen, most of whom stuck around and are now rounding into genuinely good football players.

But let's be realistic. NPU got outgained by about two to one yesterday. The Vikings' offense never really got untracked. And. although the defense did a great bend-but-don't-break job of holding down the Comets on the scoreboard, they got pretty banged up in the process -- and that's a serious concern for a defense that isn't loaded with depth and will probably be on the short end of time-of-possession in every CCIW game it plays (including against Carthage and Millikin). And, to be perfectly honest, what kept the game so close was Olivet's lack of discipline. The Comets are an underclassmen-dominated team, and it looked like it as far as penaties were concerned; 11 penalties for 157 yards, with several of those penalties being very costly on both sides of the ball for the Comets. Plus, NPU's lone touchdown was set up by an Olivet punt snap that sailed over the punter's head and gave the Vikes a gift-wrapped drive start at the Olivet 11.

The Vikings played with a lot of moxie yesterday, and had a legit chance to win it at the end. But they were still pretty badly outplayed by the Comets. And they will come limping into next Saturday's Homecoming game against Carthage with some pretty important players injured.

Every year people talk about how this will be the year that NPU gets a conference win. And every year I shake my head in disbelief, because they seem to make those comments without having actually seen the Vikings.

Nobody wants to see North Park win a CCIW football game more than yours truly. (Aside from the players and coaches, of course.) I think that that's pretty well established. But I'm being realistic. It's a banged-up 0-3 team that doesn't have much defensive depth, has a freshman QB and (mostly) underclassmen at the skill positions, and is still learning a new offense.

Can we please have a moratorium on the "NPU is gonna win a CCIW game this year" stuff for at least one week?

I never said they "will" win, I said they "could" win. 'Nuff said .

[kiko]

New Top 25 is out.  Not a ton of movement.

North Central remains #4 and Wheaton remains #15.

The Titans gained only four points following their win over Hope and are still among the Others Receiving Votes (they moved from 31st to 30th.)

-----

Mount Union siphoned one first place vote from both Linfield and Mary Hardin Baylor.  I guess a 70-point margin of victory will lead to that sort of thing.

[formerd3db]

USee:

So it wasn't the large margin at all that you had predicted after all.   I guess I (and Mr. Ypsi) were right again about it being a close game.  That said, you and others have already acknowledged that Hope is a good team-much better than the 3-4 years.  Congrats to IWU.  I still think that it will be a race between your Wheaton, IWU and NCC most likely for the title.  However, obviously, anything can happen - we know that well in the MIAA, as Mr. Ypsi has nicely outlined.

[Mr. Ypsi]

New Top 25 is out.  Not a ton of movement.

North Central remains #4 and Wheaton remains #15.

The Titans gained only four points following their win over Hope and are still among the Others Receiving Votes (they moved from 31st to 30th.)

-----

Mount Union siphoned one first place vote from both Linfield and Mary Hardin Baylor.  I guess a 70-point margin of victory will lead to that sort of thing.

Yeah, I think 3-0 Hope was on enough voters' radar that a convincing win might have propelled the Titans into the top 25, but that was a rather 'blah' win.  Hope consistently does that to us - only once in the whole series have we won by more than a TD, even in years when Hope is downright bad.

I fear this week may be the same.  Don't know if it is still true (as down as they have been), but back in my day (late 60s) Millikin was the arch-rival, and we still sometimes have inexplicable results against them.  In 2009 we beat Wheaton, NCC, and Wabash in consecutive weeks before being destroyed by eventual Stagg winner UWW - our only regular season loss that year was ... Millikin (and only beat 3-7 Hope by 3)!  So voters may expect us to beat Millikin by 30 or look badly upon it; I will be happy with ANY win.

[Titan Q]

I fear this week may be the same.  Don't know if it is still true (as down as they have been), but back in my day (late 60s) Millikin was the arch-rival, and we still sometimes have inexplicable results against them.  In 2009 we beat Wheaton, NCC, and Wabash in consecutive weeks before being destroyed by eventual Stagg winner UWW - our only regular season loss that year was ... Millikin (and only beat 3-7 Hope by 3)!  So voters may expect us to beat Millikin by 30 or look badly upon it; I will be happy with ANY win.

I'll be very disappointed if the Titans don't dominate Millikin.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I fear this week may be the same.  Don't know if it is still true (as down as they have been), but back in my day (late 60s) Millikin was the arch-rival, and we still sometimes have inexplicable results against them.  In 2009 we beat Wheaton, NCC, and Wabash in consecutive weeks before being destroyed by eventual Stagg winner UWW - our only regular season loss that year was ... Millikin (and only beat 3-7 Hope by 3)!  So voters may expect us to beat Millikin by 30 or look badly upon it; I will be happy with ANY win.

I'll be very disappointed if the Titans don't dominate Millikin.

As will I (though relieved by any win); perhaps a butt-kickin' could curb those nightmares about 2009!

[Gregory Sager]

It sure looked to me like Hope is a good team.

Hope is a pretty good team.  Their QB is pretty darn good, made some good plays with his feet and with his quick release, even under pressure.  Yes, the Titans D got to him, but he still had a pretty good game.  Their little scat back also played pretty well.

It appears Hope is better than they have been in the past

Ahem.

Hope is very solid, particularly on offense. In his postgame interview with us, Mike Conway said that Hope returned all eleven starters on offense. If that's true, it would explain a lot. It was striking how the Hollanders managed to run their offense like a well-oiled machine, considering that it was the first game of the season. And they have two premier players in QB Mike Atwell and RB Shawn Jackson, both of whom would excel in any league in D3, plus several very good receivers.

[tap, tap] Testing, testing ... is this microphone on?