FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

If Warner really does have mono, the season is kaput.

[USee]

USEE:  Why is amassing >330 yards as an individual something negative?

It resulted in 10 points. Against a team that gave up 40 to Adrian.

When He said.  Plus they lost.

[izzy stradlin]

Wheaton started sophomore QB Andrew Bowers yesterday coming off the bye week.  Swider had talked about Bowers in the preseason as being in the competition to start with Butler and Peltz.  He played the majority of the first half with Butler taking a series or two.  It looks like this was a long term change in plans at QB as highly touted sophomore QB Peltz was moved to WR. 

The Wheaton offense really clicked with Bowers at QB with TDs on 4/5 drives in the first half.  He sat the entire second half.  The Wheaton announcers were hoping that this wasn't due to injury but it was never clear.  What looked like a blowout in the first half became much more of a competitive game in the second. 

 

[Gregory Sager]

I'm going to suggest to the scoreboard operator at Hedstrand Field next week to put a '3' in the quarter space on the scoreboard and then keep it there for all four quarters. Perhaps playing four third quarters next week against North Central will allow the Vikings to play better.

The first half was a disaster for the Vikings yesterday, the first quarter in particular. It was evident that they were just not prepared to deal with a running QB on defense, as Wheaton's much quicker backup saw the majority of the playing time in the first half against NPU and ran roughshod over the Vikings. That, plus their inability to match up with WC receiver Thorson and a whole lot of the discouraging arm-tackling syndrome that used to be the signature of North Park defense, spelled a scoreboard-spinning first half -- and it was only spinning for the bad guys. It was as ugly by NPU standards as was last year's first half at Illinois Wesleyan. Add to that Wheaton's run defense stifling NPU rushing plays and a couple of first-quarter interceptions that were on the WRs (one was off of a catchable but tipped pass, the other came when the WR ran the wrong route), and the Vikings offense got very little done in the first half. The Vikings did manage to score a touchdown in the second quarter, but it came off of a short field caused by a muffed Wheaton punt.

The third quarter was much better for the Park, as T.D. Conway and the offense finally started to click. With Dakota Conway still out, senior Dan Anderson and junior Anthony Burton stepped up their games as wideouts, and freshman Devin Childress caught a TD pass for the third game in a row. The Vikings picked off a couple of Wheaton passes and held the hosts scoreless. Unfortunately, any nascent comeback petered out as the Vikings were unable to sustain momentum into the fourth quarter. The only consolation that NPU got from the game was that the spurt of offense in the third quarter led Wheaton coach Mike Swider to keep in his starters on both sides of the ball all the way to the end of the game, perhaps because he had that first-week contest against Coe in the back of his mind.

I didn't expect anything close to an upset, but it was disappointing to see NPU fall down on its face so quickly. The encouraging thing is that the Vikes didn't quit and actually managed to put together a respectable second half against a much more accomplished team than they were. Alas, it's hard to hold out much hope that next week against NCC will be any better in terms of a result.

[79jaybird]

I am still shocked at the IWU result especially in Bloomington where for many schools (i.e. Elmhurst 1985 last W) B-town is a tough spot to get a victory.  I agree with some earlier posters that strong teams should be able to have the depth and will to be able to overcome a loss.  It is not like IWU was playing NC or WC which are most likely to finish in the top 3.

As for Augie- IMO, Augie has been on a downhill slide since the Schmulbach era.  Barnes had a couple of good years yes,  but it didn't seem (from a non Augie person) that he was able to recruit as well as his predecessors could.  Then once Barnes left, it was very visible to see the holes in the Augie program.  Just look at their mindset and choices for attack on both sides of the ball?  Augie was always focused on TOP with that grind it out, (boring), rush left rush right style of offense.   Then on defense I always remember strong LB's that could stuff the run, and drop back to take away the passing lanes.  Even on defense, they are not as strong as they were.   
-Much of this is coaching sure,  but also factoring in this is the uprising of the local schools (NC/WC/EC) that are increasingly more flattering to the IHSA recruiting pool. 

[79jaybird]

Congratulations to Elmhurst also.  Augie at one time held a 49-3-1 advantage and was the 1 school in my 10 years of PBP for Elmhurst radio, could never say we beat.  Now 3 of the last 4 have gone Elmhurst's way. 

[USee]

The Thunder started out the dominant team I expected them to be vs the Park on Saturday. They scored on 4 of their first 5 possessions in the first half. They started Andrew Bowers at QB and he was electric. His first play he almost broke for a TD run and the second play Wheaton ran he did break for a TD and 7-0 lead. Bowers ran 7x for 57 yds in the first half and threw it effectively as well. Surprisingly Wheaton made two changes on the offensive line during their bye week as well. Christian Hollinger started at left guard and Ben Pettway, a freshman, started at right tackle. They also moved Johnny Peltz to WR signalling the move with Bowers is likely permanent.

After the break Bowers did not play and I am concerned he was hurt. The Thunder offense is much more explosive with Bowers than I have seen with Butler. If they want to win the conference, I think Bowers is the guy they have to lean on. On Defense the Thunder moved Adam Dandsdill to inside LB which enables Caleb Ashby to be on the field at OLB full time. This is also a good move since those are their leading tacklers. Dandsdill continues to have a major impact in every game, he now has 58 tackles in just 4 games. He is a Wenger type LB in terms of instincts, speed and explosiveness. I would like to see him be a little more physical when he tackles. He tends to try and tackle ball carriers up high and ride them to the ground rather than go through them.

North Park is better than they were even if the results don't show it. TD Conway made several throws that were big time and you won't see many qb's make at the D3 level. He also made some bad decisions that hurt the Vikings. On the whole I would definitely take him on my team as he is a talented qb. The two throws he made on 3rd down and long and then 4th down for the Park's 2nd TD were as good as any qb would make at any level. No NP running game to speak of and TD really struggled into the wind (which was fierce).

Wheaton plays @Augie this week and needs to take care of business as they head down the CCIW slate. Next week is @Millikin before they host NCC for the Bell and all the marbles....not that anyone is looking ahead.

[02 Warhawk]

I would be very surprised if UWSP loses to Platteville.  I put the UWEC v Platteville game as a toss up.

49-0

UWSP v UWP will be the toss up...I think UWP will win that one

[USee]

I would be very surprised if UWSP loses to Platteville.  I put the UWEC v Platteville game as a toss up.

49-0

UWSP v UWP will be the toss up...I think UWP will win that one

It's amazing what dominating defeat (to NCC) and two weeks of preparation will do for you isn't it?

[devildog29]

According to a Titan fan post on the North Region Fan Poll, Warner was out sick.  But if IWU is any good, they should be able to have a tuba player at qb and still beat Carthage.  Inexcusable.

http://www.d3football.com/seasons/2014/contrib/20141004id5rld

I know he has played qb before but the next best QB you have backing up a true freshman is your starting corner?

I don't disagree with the fundamental point that good teams should have the depth to overcome this injury against the lower ranked teams, but for context, the gentleman who would've been the #2 abruptly left the team after losing out to Warner as the starter. Granted, this still says nothing as to whether Bolden is better than the preseason #3.

[MasterJedi]

I would be very surprised if UWSP loses to Platteville.  I put the UWEC v Platteville game as a toss up.

49-0

UWSP v UWP will be the toss up...I think UWP will win that one

It's amazing what dominating defeat (to NCC) and two weeks of preparation will do for you isn't it?

And then you have UWSP almost losing to UWRF after UWRF turned the ball over 6 times! WIAC is crazy.

[Mugsy]

The Thunder started out the dominant team I expected them to be vs the Park on Saturday. They scored on 4 of their first 5 possessions in the first half. They started Andrew Bowers at QB and he was electric. His first play he almost broke for a TD run and the second play Wheaton ran he did break for a TD and 7-0 lead. Bowers ran 7x for 57 yds in the first half and threw it effectively as well. Surprisingly Wheaton made two changes on the offensive line during their bye week as well. Christian Hollinger started at left guard and Ben Pettway, a freshman, started at right tackle. They also moved Johnny Peltz to WR signalling the move with Bowers is likely permanent.

After the break Bowers did not play and I am concerned he was hurt. The Thunder offense is much more explosive with Bowers than I have seen with Butler. If they want to win the conference, I think Bowers is the guy they have to lean on. On Defense the Thunder moved Adam Dandsdill to inside LB which enables Caleb Ashby to be on the field at OLB full time. This is also a good move since those are their leading tacklers. Dandsdill continues to have a major impact in every game, he now has 58 tackles in just 4 games. He is a Wenger type LB in terms of instincts, speed and explosiveness. I would like to see him be a little more physical when he tackles. He tends to try and tackle ball carriers up high and ride them to the ground rather than go through them.

North Park is better than they were even if the results don't show it. TD Conway made several throws that were big time and you won't see many qb's make at the D3 level. He also made some bad decisions that hurt the Vikings. On the whole I would definitely take him on my team as he is a talented qb. The two throws he made on 3rd down and long and then 4th down for the Park's 2nd TD were as good as any qb would make at any level. No NP running game to speak of and TD really struggled into the wind (which was fierce).

Wheaton plays @Augie this week and needs to take care of business as they head down the CCIW slate. Next week is @Millikin before they host NCC for the Bell and all the marbles....not that anyone is looking ahead.

I recall a play late in the 1st half where Bowers got caught in the pile and took a good shot to the side of the head.  He got up slow, but my immediate reaction is that it was the kind of hit that takes players out of the game these days with possible concussion implications.  Especially someone his size... 180lbs or so.

[AndOne]

Mugsy's observation and analysis is very likely why the starting WC QB did not make a 2nd half appearance. Nowdays, it seems like in all sports at all levels, possible concussion syndrome injuries receive the highest level of precautionary medical scrutiny, and rightfully so. That, of course, is due to the oft delayed manifestation of the most serious result of the injury/blow, which in medical terminology is often contracoup in nature where the damage occurs on the opposite side of the organ/appendage from which the trauma was received. A hit to the right side of the head thus results in a left side brain rupture/injury as the blow causes the brain to slam into the left side of the head.
The first stage of diagnosis/treatment now usually consists of a series of "field" tests. If these reveal any signs of possible concussion at all, a return to competition is prohibited. After an initial period of treatment/rest, the usual protocol is that the player first has to undergo a computer based cognitive test. If the computer test is passed, the athlete is sent to a neurologist for a physical examination. Even if the computer test was passed, the neuro may still withhold permission to return to action based on what his more extensive exam reveals. Bottom line is no neuro referral until the computer test is passed, and no return to play until approved by the neuro. This often results in a rather lengthy absence.

[Gregory Sager]

As for Augie- IMO, Augie has been on a downhill slide since the Schmulbach era.  Barnes had a couple of good years yes,  but it didn't seem (from a non Augie person) that he was able to recruit as well as his predecessors could.

How the heck can you throw Jim Barnes under the bus like that, Mark? For crying out loud, the guy won three CCIW titles in eleven years. That's not chicken feed. His .727 winning percentage in CCIW play ranks him seventh all-time (and one of the guys who is ahead of him only coached four games, winning three of them). No, his tenure wasn't as illustrious as those of his two predecessors, but it's totally unfair to compare him to Reade and Schmulbach and come to the conclusion that he was unsuccessful, or that the Augie program was on a "downward slide" thanks to him. Nobody can compare to Bob Reade, and, in terms of Tom Schmulbach's head coaching legacy, he ironically had the virtue of only putting in five seasons at the helm -- which means that he benefitted from the small sample size of a short tenure. (In fact, Augie won the CCIW title in his final season as titular head coach, 1999, in spite of the fact that Schmulbach was sidelined with cancer that year and the team was run in his absence by acting head coach Larry Johnsen.)

North Park is better than they were even if the results don't show it. TD Conway made several throws that were big time and you won't see many qb's make at the D3 level. He also made some bad decisions that hurt the Vikings. On the whole I would definitely take him on my team as he is a talented qb. The two throws he made on 3rd down and long and then 4th down for the Park's 2nd TD were as good as any qb would make at any level. No NP running game to speak of and TD really struggled into the wind (which was fierce).

As I said yesterday, only one of the three picks T.D. threw was his fault. The NPU running game was indeed nonexistent, which was mostly due to excellent run-stuffing by Wheaton's front seven. On the other hand, Wheaton came into the game leading the CCIW in sacks, while NPU was the league's worst team in terms of sacks given up. Those two rankings didn't change after Saturday's games, but, nevertheless, Wheaton didn't get a single sack against the Vikings. In fact, Wheaton started sending blitzes against Conway & Co., something I did not expect to see at all. The first North Park touchdown pass from Conway to Anderson came against a blitz, which RB Filo Langklide read and blocked.

Mugsy's observation and analysis is very likely why the starting WC QB did not make a 2nd half appearance. Nowdays, it seems like in all sports at all levels, possible concussion syndrome injuries receive the highest level of precautionary medical scrutiny, and rightfully so. That, of course, is due to the oft delayed manifestation of the most serious result of the injury/blow, which in medical terminology is often contracoup in nature where the damage occurs on the opposite side of the organ/appendage from which the trauma was received. A hit to the right side of the head thus results in a left side brain rupture/injury as the blow causes the brain to slam into the left side of the head.
The first stage of diagnosis/treatment now usually consists of a series of "field" tests. If these reveal any signs of possible concussion at all, a return to competition is prohibited. After an initial period of treatment/rest, the usual protocol is that the player first has to undergo a computer based cognitive test. If the computer test is passed, the athlete is sent to a neurologist for a physical examination. Even if the computer test was passed, the neuro may still withhold permission to return to action based on what his more extensive exam reveals. Bottom line is no neuro referral until the computer test is passed, and no return to play until approved by the neuro. This often results in a rather lengthy absence.

North Park has already lost a couple of starters to concussions this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if other teams are starting to accumulate concussion losses as well. The diagnosis and treatment of concussions -- including lengthening the time spent out of pads when necessary -- is greatly improved now over years past. Regardless, the danger of cranial trauma is still acute in football, and neither helmet design nor rules changes have ameliorated that threat. The future of this sport is in serious trouble.

[USee]

I saw the interception where the receiver ran the wrong route. I thought the other two were bad throws. His first one was against a blitz and he threw to a covered hot receiver. He threw it too hard and the window was small for the receiver to catch it. The ball popped in the air and was intercepted.

Wheaton blitzed Conway in part because they say on film that pressure makes him less accurate because he tends to have happy feet when you move him off his launch point. When he can step into a throw with confidence he throws it as well as anyone. His first TD pass against the blitz was a laser and perfectly placed against good coverage. Wheaton really didn't blitz much in the 4th quarter with a sizable lead.