FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

Watched both Titan games closely.  Agree with Q, the D has not been normal IWU quality D against the run, so far.  Both opponents to date put up a lot of yardage against the Titans, also vulnerable over the middle to passing plays.  The D has some work to do, can't always rely on big plays, TOs by the other team to bail you out.  O is a pleasant surprise so far, esp. Warner and the very talented group of receivers in all positions.  IWU seems to always come up with a good contingent of sticky-handed, tough receivers, year after year.  O line struggled today and the running game was almost non-existent.  Give credit to Albion's front and LBs.   Gotta clean that up too, or go for the edges or trickeration more often.  IWU's D pressure always seem to come through late in the game, wearing down the other team's protection.  Some big plays on D today to create the 5 TOs.  Let's hope that continues.  Still, a good road win against a pretty darn good team.  A win is a win, even whilst showing what needs to be improved and worked on for upcoming games.  Simpson will be another good test on the road, then the bye week, before the CCIW campaign starts.  Sure pretty much looks to me like NCC still quite far ahead, then WC and IWU competing for second.  Others may surprise, esp. NPU.  Looking forward to seeing all the remaining home games here at Tucci at Wilder Field, perhaps even travel to see the MU and WC games (if I can find a ride).  Homecoming in mid-October hosting Augie this year. 

I hope IWU got out of Albion with few or no injuries.

IWU70

[markerickson]

Alma has in-time video and a comfortable lead in the 4th qtr.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Alma 31, NPU 7, Final.

The MIAA won the series today, 4 to 3.  In football, with these two conferences, that should NEVER happen.

[sac]

Alma 31, NPU 7, Final.

The MIAA won the series today, 4 to 3.  In football, with these two conferences, that should NEVER happen.

NEVER is such a strong work MrY.  With NCC not participating the match-ups were in the MIAA's favor. 

MIAA vs CCIW
4 vs 8  won by Adrian
1 vs 2  won by IWU
6t vs 4t won by Alma
2t vs 4t won by Hope
2t vs 3 won by Wheaton
5 vs 4t won by Elmhurst
6t vs 7 won by Trine

Match-up 1 v 1, 2 v 2, and this wouldn't be much of a contest

[wally_wabash]

Alma 31, NPU 7, Final.

The MIAA won the series today, 4 to 3.  In football, with these two conferences, that should NEVER happen.

NEVER is such a strong work MrY.  With NCC not participating the match-ups were in the MIAA's favor. 

MIAA vs CCIW
4 vs 8  won by Adrian
1 vs 2  won by IWU
6t vs 4t won by Alma
2t vs 4t won by Hope
2t vs 3 won by Wheaton
5 vs 4t won by Elmhurst
6t vs 7 won by Trine

Match-up 1 v 1, 2 v 2, and this wouldn't be much of a contest

This is interesting.  If you matched these leagues up based on last year's standings you'd get:
NCC vs. Albion (score one for the CCIW)
IWU vs. Hope (there's another for the CCIW)
Wheaton vs. Kalamazoo (we don't need to speculate on this one, although today's result was hardly a whitewash)
and now it gets fun...
Augustana vs. Adrian
Elmhurst vs. Olivet (competitive ballgame today)
North Park vs. Trine
Millikin vs. Alma

Based on today's results, I don't think this thing swings much farther than 4-3 for the CCIW- I don't think we can say with any degree of certainty that Augustana, North Park, or Millikin would win those games.  Obviously you're trading a loss for a win by kicking Carthage out and playing with NCC instead, but after that, even if you run the match ups based on the previous year's standings, you're going to wind up with 4-3 one way or the other.   

[sac]

The better way to look at how these teams stacked up or were "seeded" if you will is look at the end of season results and league placement.

For instance, there's no guarantee this years North Park will finish tie for 4th or that Alma is actually the MIAA's 7th best team this year.  For all we know Alma may be vastly improved when they aren't playing D3  playoff teams like Heidelberg and NP might not be as good as last year.  That was one of the two seeding advantages the CCIW supposedly had.

What on paper might look like a seeding advantage to the CCIW might have actually been an advantage to the MIAA.


I also think where these games are played makes a difference.  The MIAA had the decided home field advantage in all of these contests.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park looked absolutely horrible last night. It was as if the Vikings had turned back the calendar a month and were back to the first few days of camp, as though there hadn't been several weeks of practice, a scrimmage, and another game played already. Players missed assignments, plays weren't executed properly. NPU took three steps backwards last night, and by that I mean three big steps.

The offense sputtered and never came to life. The Vikings managed only eleven first downs for the entire game, seven in the first half and a mere four in the second half. It was just one long string of three-and-outs, and, while the NPU defense was mediocre, it had at least kept the Park in the game going into the fourth quarter by holding Alma to only 17 points, in large part due to three fumble recoveries (one of them on the NPU 1 and another on the NPU 22). Two of the fumbles were strips, the third was a busted fake jet sweep in which the receiver knocked the ball out of the QB's hands. But because the NPU offense couldn't stay on the field for more than a couple of minutes at a time, the Vikings D was gassed and gave up big runs in the fourth quarter that eventually led to two Alma touchdowns that sealed the game.

T.D. Conway probably had the worst game of his life. His accuracy was badly off (a shocking 14-41), and he really wasn't even pressured all that much. In a sense, it's actually easier to write off last night because of that, because he's obviously too talented a quarterback to have that kind of a game again. That's not to say that he won't have any more off-days, but I figure that any off-day he'll have in the future will be the result of a high-quality defense playing well against him. I expect him to be back to his old form next week. He had lots of help last night, though, in terms of the futility of the offense. A number of his passes that were on target were dropped by the receivers, and the O line, although it protected T.D. fairly well, did nothing to open up running lanes for D.J. Jones or Drew Walkington. It was just a collective bomb of a game by the offensive unit.

It'd all be easier to take if Alma was a good team, but the Scots really aren't. They're certainly not as bad as Heidelberg made them look the week before, but they're very undistinguished by normal D3 standards -- certainly by CCIW standards. Concordia (WI) is definitely a better team than Alma, and the Vikings took CUW right down to the last play of the game a week ago. And yet NPU made Alma look like ... well, not like a purple, but at least a purplesque team last night. In Alma's defense, the Scots really executed well, sticking to a basic game plan that was very effective and continuing to utilize plays that worked until the Vikings proved that they could stop them. But the talent level of the Scots is certainly nothing to write home about. That's what makes such a bad loss even more embarrassing. It was perhaps the toughest game I've ever had to call, because, while I've called NPU blowout losses before, they've always been to teams that had significantly better and deeper personnel than did the Vikings. Last night I kept wanting to say on the air, "How the heck are the Vikings stumbling so badly against this team?"

It was certainly a long bus ride home last night, both literally and figuratively. I hope that this was not just a wakeup call for the Vikings, but a fire-truck siren of a wakeup call. Win or lose, I definitely expect them to play a much, much better game next Saturday in St. Louis against Wash U.

For instance, there's no guarantee this years North Park will finish tie for 4th or that Alma is actually the MIAA's 7th best team this year.  For all we know Alma may be vastly improved when they aren't playing D3  playoff teams like Heidelberg and NP might not be as good as last year.  That was one of the two seeding advantages the CCIW supposedly had.

I don't know just how bad Alma was last year, but the current edition of the Scots really isn't very good at all. And, while I have no idea if the Vikings will finish fourth again this season, I know that NPU has a more talented team this year than it did last year. That's what makes last night so mystifying. I'm not saying that NPU was supposed to be bullet-proof going into Bahlke Field on Saturday night, but there's no way in the world that the Vikings should have lost 31-7 while only amassing a measly 184 yards of offense.

[Pat Coleman]

What on paper might look like a seeding advantage to the CCIW might have actually been an advantage to the MIAA.

Except that nobody in the MIAA had to play North Central, which is the CCIW's best team for many years running. So it's like a tennis match where the other team's No. 1 singles player is out and everyone else is playing up a level.

[Mr. Ypsi]

What on paper might look like a seeding advantage to the CCIW might have actually been an advantage to the MIAA.

Except that nobody in the MIAA had to play North Central, which is the CCIW's best team for many years running. So it's like a tennis match where the other team's No. 1 singles player is out and everyone else is playing up a level.

Which is fortunate - I hate 80-0 games!  The CCIW is (and has been for several years, excluding Elmhurst's one brilliant season) a 3-team league: NCC, Wheaton, and IWU (who are always in or near the top 25).  I was surprised by the Elmhurst win over Olivet (as well as Hope and Alma beating Augie and NPU respectively), but not greatly surprised; the bottom five in the CCIW have become middle-of-the-road D3 teams (which beats the hell out of what NPU used to be!)  When Elmhurst broke thru, I thought the CCIW might rise all the way to #2; now I am not sure they are even top 5.  But even at middle-of-the-road, they should not lose 4 of 7 to the MIAA, even when they all have home field.

A disappointing day, even if my Titans did win.

[sac]

What on paper might look like a seeding advantage to the CCIW might have actually been an advantage to the MIAA.

Except that nobody in the MIAA had to play North Central, which is the CCIW's best team for many years running. So it's like a tennis match where the other team's No. 1 singles player is out and everyone else is playing up a level.

Stated as much

Alma 31, NPU 7, Final.

The MIAA won the series today, 4 to 3.  In football, with these two conferences, that should NEVER happen.

NEVER is such a strong work MrY.  With NCC not participating the match-ups were in the MIAA's favor. 

MIAA vs CCIW
4 vs 8  won by Adrian
1 vs 2  won by IWU
6t vs 4t won by Alma
2t vs 4t won by Hope
2t vs 3 won by Wheaton
5 vs 4t won by Elmhurst
6t vs 7 won by Trine

Match-up 1 v 1, 2 v 2, and this wouldn't be much of a contest

[AndOne]

Of all the CCIW games yesterday, I was most surprised by the North Park loss. After Alma's game last weekend, I was ready to bet the farm on NPU last night. From Greg's write up, it sounds like T.D. Conway just had an off night rather than withering under a ferocious defense. I'm sure this was a game which NPU fans had put in the W column prior to the kickoff.

[sac]

Alma 31, NPU 7, Final.

The MIAA won the series today, 4 to 3.  In football, with these two conferences, that should NEVER happen.

NEVER is such a strong work MrY.  With NCC not participating the match-ups were in the MIAA's favor. 

MIAA vs CCIW
4 vs 8  won by Adrian
1 vs 2  won by IWU
6t vs 4t won by Alma
2t vs 4t won by Hope
2t vs 3 won by Wheaton
5 vs 4t won by Elmhurst
6t vs 7 won by Trine

Match-up 1 v 1, 2 v 2, and this wouldn't be much of a contest

Too further carry my point that the match-ups favored the MIAA this weekend.  Massey had the MIAA favored in 5 of the 7 match-ups. 

Massey correctly had IWU and Wheaton winning but had Olivet beating Elmhurst.

[Langhorst_Ghost]

Big congrats to Coach Planz on his first NCAA victory as a head coach!

In the Jays' come from behind effort Saturday, Josh Williams had quite an afternoon...

Williams shattered the Elmhurst single-game rushing mark, carrying 40 times for the Bluejays for 306 yards. He averaged 7.7 yards per carry. He also hauled in three passes for 49 yards and a score to finish with 349 total yards in the game. The previous record was 255 on 32 carries set by Derek Walker during the 1995 season. Williams' 40 carries is the second-highest single-game total in school history.

[79jaybird]

Indeed congratulations to Ron Planz and Elmhurst on their first (of what we hope will be many) win of the year.  Something to build on.  If it wasn't for Williams,  Olivet would have coasted to a large victory.  Elmhurst is going to need guys like Williams to step up, throw the team on his back and make plays.   

[Mugsy]

For those who aren't aware, Wheaton's victory on Saturday marks the 150th with Mike Swider as Head Coach.  Huge milestone and accomplishment.

Today's victory marked the 150th career win for veteran head coach Mike Swider. Swider is now 150-43 in 19 seasons as Wheaton's head coach. His 77.7% career winning percentage is ranked 11th among all current Division III head coaches and he is ranked among the top-50 NCAA football coaches in college football history (all divisions).

As proud as I am as an alum at the on field success this represents over a 19 year span, I'm just as proud of how Coach Swider and his staff have run the program to impact the lives of young men, encouraging young men to make a difference in whatever vocation they take on after football, as husbands and fathers, leaders in the community, and to be men of integrity.

Congrats Coach.