FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[kiko]

Who says we are getting to 3rd and long?   

Not iwu70 that's for sure! 

I'm pretty sure I quote this every year, but I rather like this:
"Chapman (1912) refers to the cardinal as "rather a clumsy fellow. His body appears to be stiff, as if it were made of wood, different in every way from the pliant, lithe body of the Catbird, for example. He hops about on the ground with tail held well up out of harm's way, and comes heavily down upon his feet, as if his body were really very solid. In fact, he is not at all a graceful bird."

Thomas S. Roberts (1932) says: "It is a rather restless, uneasy bird, moving constantly about, and when disturbed, registers its annoyance by elevating the crest to the fullest extent and accompanying its rather feeble chip by quick jerks of the long tail."

Some observers have stated that cardinals seldom bathe, or that the male rarely does so."

See the whole article here

Soooooo..... how is that different from IWU70 posting the same thing six times?   

[matblake]

Who says we are getting to 3rd and long?   

Not iwu70 that's for sure! 

I'm pretty sure I quote this every year, but I rather like this:
"Chapman (1912) refers to the cardinal as "rather a clumsy fellow. His body appears to be stiff, as if it were made of wood, different in every way from the pliant, lithe body of the Catbird, for example. He hops about on the ground with tail held well up out of harm's way, and comes heavily down upon his feet, as if his body were really very solid. In fact, he is not at all a graceful bird."

Thomas S. Roberts (1932) says: "It is a rather restless, uneasy bird, moving constantly about, and when disturbed, registers its annoyance by elevating the crest to the fullest extent and accompanying its rather feeble chip by quick jerks of the long tail."

Some observers have stated that cardinals seldom bathe, or that the male rarely does so."

See the whole article here

Soooooo..... how is that different from IWU70 posting the same thing six times?   

Timeframe my friend, timeframe.   

[AndOne]

I'll say North Central 28  Wheaton 17  I just think NC is too balanced and stacked for Wheaton this year. 

Since I am dominating the CCIW pick'ems, you can pretty much chisel this in stone:

NCC - 49
Wheaton - 24

That seems like a bit too much in the way of scoring. I think it'll be more like NCC 31, WC 14.

I'm SO glad all you guys are SO smart. 
I hope one of you is right. 
Actually, I don't really care what the score is just so the Cardinals end up with at least one more point than the No. DuPage Crusaders. 

[markerickson]

My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

[AndOne]

Most of you are probably well aware of the playoff possibilities for the northern region in general, and the CCIW teams in particular. If not, he is some information from D3Football columnist Keith McMillan which I found helpful.

And one final thing to keep in mind. Twenty-four of the 32 playoff spots are automatic, meaning they go to champions of conferences with seven or more members who have been in existence for longer than two years. This is referred to as Pool A. So the regional rankings, and the playoff selection committee, really only puts eight teams into the field. These, however, are the eight most hotly contested bids.

Here are Wednesday's rankings, republished with expected automatic qualifiers omitted:

North

- Wabash/Witt loser
5 John Carroll/Heidelberg winner
6 Illinois Wesleyan 7-1 7-1
8 Wheaton (Ill.) 7-1 7-1

In the North, Wittenberg and Wabash, John Carroll's two big games, and Wheaton's game against North Central will change things. Wheaton only stays in the picture if they beat North Central. North Central would likely still win the CCIW AQ on points-differential among h2h tiebreaker with IWU and Wheaton. If North Central wins as expected, and Mount Union finishes unbeaten, the JCU/Heidelberg loser is out.

[AndOne]

Here is a North Central 'Red Zone' feature on You Tube that talks about NCC's win last week over IWU, followed by Coach Thorne's analysis of the Wheaton game, and then a historical perspective on the Little Brass Bell featuring highlights of last year's Wheaton win.
Coach Thorne's discussion of the game starts at the 8:30 mark, and the segment about EC's win last year follows at about 12:55.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmkzhpXzEdE#t=916

[oldnuthin]

My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

From your lips to God's ears. I hope that Millikin just feeds the rock  to Dunning and Brooks and foregoes the pass altogether. Millikin's line is bigger then Elmhurt's, so we have that going for us.

As for the defense, I have been impressed with the 2 freshman corners play. The ability to run on Millikin has contributed to fewer passes being thrown, but I like the way the corners have covered when given the opportunity. The other Freshman safety, Neal, has been good in coverage also, but without a pass rush, I fear the Pennsylvania Passer will have too much time and that will negate the corners cover ability. Millikin needs to dial up pressure, like Stanford did to Oregon last night, in order to keep the Prolific Park Passer from getting comfortable, and establishing a rhythm.

[cardinaldad]

I do not agree to conflating militarism with intercollegiate athletics.  Postsecondary institutions, especially D3 schools, should not succumb to the gimmickry.

Oh, I couldn't agree more.  I'm tired of universities that glorify the military and people that are known for their ferocity and war-like tendencies, such as the North Park Vikings.  Universities should all change their nicknames to innocuous creatures or phenomena that can be found in nature.  C'mon CCIW board, join the crusade! ...thunder?
The fundraiser is not about "militarism" as you put it.  Elmhurst and other programs are doing something noble to support charities such as The Wounded Warrior Project.  Under no circumstances should supporting those who have protected and SACRIFICED for our (AND YOUR) freedom be considered "gimmickry".  Get real.

Well stated NT! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[cardinaldad]

Oh yeah..............GO GET THE BELL CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gregory Sager]

My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

From your lips to God's ears. I hope that Millikin just feeds the rock  to Dunning and Brooks and foregoes the pass altogether. Millikin's line is bigger then Elmhurt's, so we have that going for us.

The problem, as I said in my conversation with LGhost earlier this week, is time of possession. The inability of Mike Conway to spell his defensive starters due to a lack of second-string competence is exacerbated by the fact that NPU's spread offense leads to shorter possessions for the Vikings. Even when the Park is successful at moving the ball, the fact that the offense is passing on most downs shortens the amount of time that the Vikes take off of the clock when they have the ball.

And, as I said earlier, Mike is caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of overall team approach. His personnel on offense are clearly tailor-made for a spread offense attack. But his defense lacks the depth to complement that offense, because the fact of the matter is that even good spread offenses frequently lose the time-of-possession battle. And as for the D-line size issue, Mark left out the most glaring size disparity on the D-line, which is that freshman DE Patrick "Meat" Goodall is only 6'0, 205. Goodall has actually played quite well this season, and I like his future with the Vikings. But it'll probably be a future that includes a move to linebacker unless he bulks up dramatically, because he tends to get steamrolled on running plays by tackles who have 60-80 pounds on him.

As for the defense, I have been impressed with the 2 freshman corners play. The ability to run on Millikin has contributed to fewer passes being thrown, but I like the way the corners have covered when given the opportunity. The other Freshman safety, Neal, has been good in coverage also, but without a pass rush, I fear the Pennsylvania Passer will have too much time and that will negate the corners cover ability. Millikin needs to dial up pressure, like Stanford did to Oregon last night, in order to keep the Prolific Park Passer from getting comfortable, and establishing a rhythm.

It's more than just T.D. Conway, though. I've been very impressed by NPU's young receiver corps. Those guys should create all kinds of problems for Millikin's secondary in and of themselves. And Marquis Magwood is a very good young running back as well, although I do agree with LGhost that the NPU coaching staff needs to call Magwood's number more often for rushes that will keep opposing defenses honest. I thought that they struck a really good balance in the Augie game, and I'd like to see that type of mix again on Saturday in Decatur.

[oldnuthin]

My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

From your lips to God's ears. I hope that Millikin just feeds the rock  to Dunning and Brooks and foregoes the pass altogether. Millikin's line is bigger then Elmhurt's, so we have that going for us.

The problem, as I said in my conversation with LGhost earlier this week, is time of possession. The inability of Mike Conway to spell his defensive starters due to a lack of second-string competence is exacerbated by the fact that NPU's spread offense leads to shorter possessions for the Vikings. Even when the Park is successful at moving the ball, the fact that the offense is passing on most downs shortens the amount of time that the Vikes take off of the clock when they have the ball.

And, as I said earlier, Mike is caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of overall team approach. His personnel on offense are clearly tailor-made for a spread offense attack. But his defense lacks the depth to complement that offense, because the fact of the matter is that even good spread offenses frequently lose the time-of-possession battle. And as for the D-line size issue, Mark left out the most glaring size disparity on the D-line, which is that freshman DE Patrick "Meat" Goodall is only 6'0, 205. Goodall has actually played quite well this season, and I like his future with the Vikings. But it'll probably be a future that includes a move to linebacker unless he bulks up dramatically, because he tends to get steamrolled on running plays by tackles who have 60-80 pounds on him.

As for the defense, I have been impressed with the 2 freshman corners play. The ability to run on Millikin has contributed to fewer passes being thrown, but I like the way the corners have covered when given the opportunity. The other Freshman safety, Neal, has been good in coverage also, but without a pass rush, I fear the Pennsylvania Passer will have too much time and that will negate the corners cover ability. Millikin needs to dial up pressure, like Stanford did to Oregon last night, in order to keep the Prolific Park Passer from getting comfortable, and establishing a rhythm.

It's more than just T.D. Conway, though. I've been very impressed by NPU's young receiver corps. Those guys should create all kinds of problems for Millikin's secondary in and of themselves. And Marquis Magwood is a very good young running back as well, although I do agree with LGhost that the NPU coaching staff needs to call Magwood's number more often for rushes that will keep opposing defenses honest. I thought that they struck a really good balance in the Augie game, and I'd like to see that type of mix again on Saturday in Decatur.

I don't know what side DE Goodall plays, but he will be giving up between 70 and 110 lbs depending on which side he lines up on. With all the injuries for Millikin, 24 players out for the year, they will have the same problem with their d-line rotation, which is further exacerbated by the loss of 2 of their 3 starting line backers. It will be interesting to see how the DBs match up with receivers who live in a pass oriented office. We will see how much the freshmen have grown up this year. As for the running game, the Millikin stats speak for themselves, hopefully Millikin shortens the game with a strong running game, and some good stops on d early, which will nulify the Parks ability to have a balanced attack. Either way I am hoping for a good show tomorrow.

[oldnuthin]

http://herald-review.com/sports/millikin/millikin-trying-to-avoid-history/article_f4cdec06-4908-11e3-933b-001a4bcf887a.html

[Langhorst_Ghost]

Bluejays will host the 1-7 Redmen in the 2013 home finale at Langhorst (the last of just 4 homers for the Jays) this afternoon.

Jays are looking for their 3rd straight CCIW victory, and Carthage will be hoping for their first.

The game plan for the Jays should be simple...pound the rock, take care of the football, limit big plays...take care of these line items, and Coach Adam and his Jays in their final home game should have a satisfying senior day at Langhorst.  Carthage is dead last in the conference in offense by most measures (averaging just 10 ppg and 239 ypg in CCIW play) and near the bottom in most significant defense markers.  EC should be able to keep the pedal down and grind out another blue collar victory. 

Last football broadcast of the year at http://www.bluejaytv.com/ - kick-off is at 1:00 pm.  As mentioned a few pages prior - it is Military Appreciation Day at Langhorst, and the team will be honoring our brave veterans today.

[matblake]

Awesome job by North Central.  Enjoy the one year rental of the Bell!

Kudos to the Cardinals.  They controlled the second half.  Good luck in the playoffs.

Wheaton again could not get off the field on 3rd and Long situations, especially in the second half.  Stanek is as advertised.  I wouldn't be surprised if he got his 4th player of the week. 

Wheaton just didn't have the horses.  North Central controlled the game. 

Was annoyed at the last touchdown because it made iwu70 prediction correct.     I'm sure the Green Fans are relieved.

Wondering if you can still consider Wheaton as part of the national picture year after year.  They haven't been to the playoffs since 2010. 

[Gregory Sager]

Elmhurst 10, Carthage 9

Illinois Wesleyan 24, Augustana 10