FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Titan Q]

Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore was big for the Titans yesterday:

* A 93-yard kickoff return TD to put IWU up 14-7 in the 1st
* A 55-yard TD run put IWU up 21-7 in the 4th

I think he will continue to get better down the stretch.  I would like to see the Titans put the ball in his hands as much as possible - for me, 9 carries is just nowhere near enough for a guy with his playmaking abilities. 

I'm a big fan of IWU's trio of junior LBs - Sean Garvey, Luke Roth, and Tyler Fahey.  They are fun to watch make plays.

Still not 100% sure where the Titans stand relative to Wheaton and NCC, but I'm pretty sure those will both be very close games.

[Gotberg]

North Park 24
Elmhurst 14

I don't care if EC didn't have Josh Williams ... the Vikings hadn't beaten Elmhurst since 2000 (or at home since 1999), so we're not giving this one back.

The game turned on a blocked Brett Bayer field-goal attempt by Vikings frosh David Simmons, as his fellow freshman starting CB Robbie Hillier scooped up the ball and ran it back 76 yards for a score. That made the score 10-7 NPU midway thru the third quarter, and the Vikings never looked back. EC did manage a late touchdown, but, all in all, the Bluejays mustered very little offense today against a pretty stout NPU defense.

Mike Conway is now 3-0 for NPU Homecoming games. I doubt that NPU had won three Homecoming games over the last thirty years total before he was hired.

I had a chance to watch the final 3 quarters yesterday.  The kicking game has really improved compared to last year - kudos to Noah Moore for leg strength improvement.  Defense is young, but extremely solid and I like the future....

[USee]

Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore was big for the Titans yesterday:

* A 93-yard kickoff return TD to put IWU up 14-7 in the 1st
* A 55-yard TD run put IWU up 21-7 in the 4th

I think he will continue to get better down the stretch.  I would like to see the Titans put the ball in his hands as much as possible - for me, 9 carries is just nowhere near enough for a guy with his playmaking abilities. 

I'm a big fan of IWU's trio of junior LBs - Sean Garvey, Luke Roth, and Tyler Fahey.  They are fun to watch make plays.

Still not 100% sure where the Titans stand relative to Wheaton and NCC, but I'm pretty sure those will both be very close games.

I agree on Shoemaker-Gilmore. From what I have seen I would be giving him at least twice as many touches as he got yesterday.

[Pat Coleman]

Wheaton game is at 6:00pm not the 1:00 central time on D3football.
I rushed to get to the game after getting off work and nobody was there.
Luckily I live in Wheaton.
No harm no foul.
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/schedule.aspx?path=football&

Yeah, sorry! That was the game time when we posted it. It was one of the first schedules we got, back in January. If a game time changes at a non-Presto school, we don't have an automatic feed that updates it.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park 24
Elmhurst 14

I don't care if EC didn't have Josh Williams ... the Vikings hadn't beaten Elmhurst since 2000 (or at home since 1999), so we're not giving this one back.

The game turned on a blocked Brett Bayer field-goal attempt by Vikings frosh David Simmons, as his fellow freshman starting CB Robbie Hillier scooped up the ball and ran it back 76 yards for a score. That made the score 10-7 NPU midway thru the third quarter, and the Vikings never looked back. EC did manage a late touchdown, but, all in all, the Bluejays mustered very little offense today against a pretty stout NPU defense.

Mike Conway is now 3-0 for NPU Homecoming games. I doubt that NPU had won three Homecoming games over the last thirty years total before he was hired.

I had a chance to watch the final 3 quarters yesterday.  The kicking game has really improved compared to last year - kudos to Noah Moore for leg strength improvement.

Punter John Gieseking had a great day as well. He averaged 43 yards per punt, which is more impressive than it sounds; for most of the game, Elmhurst eschewed a punt returner, instead sending all 11 men in on the block attempt. The 'jays came close on two or three occasions, but Gieseking always managed to get off the punt, even though he had to jump up in the air to snag one punt snap and had to field a couple of others off of the bounce.

Defense is young, but extremely solid and I like the future....

Its certainly is a young defense -- with junior CB Mike Harris out due to injury, the NPU defense now features five sophomore starters and three freshman starters, and all but one of the players who rotate in are underclassmen as well -- but the Vikings haven't had this much raw talent on the defensive side of the ball since I was a North Park student (which was a very, very long time ago).

Freshman CB David Simmons forced a fumble and then recovered it, broke up a pass, and, as I said yesterday, blocked the FG attempt on the play that turned the game around. At 6'2, 185 he's been called upon to cover the big horse among the opposition's receiver corps, and he's acquitted himself well. Sophomore OLB Chaun Maiava has reached the point with his play that Mike Conway has to move him around the formation, because opposing OCs are game-planning for him. Yesterday Maiava did everything but make the popcorn at the concession stand; he had 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and blocked 2 passes at the line of scrimmage. I can't figure out where his ceiling lies, because I really can't remember a North Park linebacker who could do the things he can do.

You're right ... this is a defense that has an exciting future.

[iwu70]

Was up in RI yesterday to watch the Titans ruin the AC Homecoming.  It was a hard-fought win for the TITANS and the O didn't play as well as it has in recent weeks.  But, IWU could have won this game by 28 or even 35-7.  Titans drove and had an INT on a tipped ball in the end zone, and Tyrell Bolden ran a punt back about 65 yards for a TD, only to have it called back by a penalty.  Yes, the TITAN O does try to do too much with AC15, though he's made some pretty big plays all year.  I'd love to see more touches, runs and bubble screens to Maurice.  His runs on Saturday were electrifying, though you have to give credit, as he did in the Pgraph, to his blockers, setting up some pretty good lanes.  The run he scored on from scrimmage was incredible, with his speed just slicing through the Augie D, with acceleration you rarely see in D3.  Titan D played well, having several key stops in the redzone, esp. the one before the half.  Agree with what has been said about the Titans D backs and linebackers.  They are very good, very active, very experienced.  Warner would do well to spread the ball around a bit more and give up on high-risk trickeration plays, especially in the flats, perhaps throw the ball down the field a bit more.

I, too, am not sure where the TITANS stand vs. NCC and WC, though I know the games will be good ones.  I said earlier that I thought the TITANS looked like 7-3.  Perhaps now I'd say 8-2.  Of course, we hope to find ways to get to 9-1 or 10-0 for a truly special season.  The schedule lines up well for IWU. 

I think one key season-ending injury for the TITANS -- on a very bad, illegal chop block by Augie #1 early in the game -- he was penalized but should have been ejected, IMHO.  The Zebras did not have a very good day, esp. missing a number of obvious jumping line off-sides by the Augie D.  Hard to imagine that they couldn't see and call these infractions. 

Any road win in the CCIW is a good win.  We'll take it and hope for the needed improvements going forward.

I did find Legend's Corner and had a very nice corned beef sandwich, along with a lovely brew from my beloved Hawaii -- Kona Brewery, Big Surf.  All good with a bunch of very friendly Augie alums back for Homecoming.  I took several IWU international students -- from China and Indonesia -- to the game.  And, it was a great "experience" for them, on a lovely sunny Fall afternoon at Augie Homecoming  -- not having any knowledge or much interest at all in American style "football."  They were more interested in seeing Illinois, seeing the prairie and walking along the shores of the Mighty Mississippi.  Good fun had by all!

Go TITANS!!!

IWU70

Congrats to NPU on their win over EC -- a bit of a surprise.  EC now in free fall?  ms

[iwumichigander]

Wheaton game is at 6:00pm not the 1:00 central time on D3football.
I rushed to get to the game after getting off work and nobody was there.
Luckily I live in Wheaton.
No harm no foul.
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/schedule.aspx?path=football&

Yeah, sorry! That was the game time when we posted it. It was one of the first schedules we got, back in January. If a game time changes at a non-Presto school, we don't have an automatic feed that updates it.

PrestoChango

[USee]

The next three weeks will decide the CCIW as the top 3 play each other.

Wheaton @Naperville this week
Naperville @IWU next week
Wheaton @IWU in 3 weeks

This schedule definitely favors the Titans with both games at home after these two play each other. Naperville has the advantage of hosting the Thunder and the only solace Wheaton has is not having these two game back to back. IWU can play with both these teams. My questions on each team would be: Is Naperville's defense capable of slowing down Wheaton and IWU and can they get consistency at QB? Can IWU compete with the other two up front? On offense to more consistently move the ball and on defense to slow down the run, which has become each teams calling card. Will the Thunder be healthy enough to play at the high level it will require to beat these teams on the road. Can the Wheaton receivers match the physicality of the Titan db's?

[markerickson]

I like Viking Hunter Corrigan.  He typically plays DE, but yesterday played DT.  (He's listed at 235 lbs.)  Yesterday, he had numerous hurries, several tackles-for-loss, two complete and clean QB smackdowns, and at least one batted ball.  And yes, Conway threw deep to Childress, and three were caught.  Both Viking kickers are seniors, and they will be missed.

I sat at the edge between Viking fans and parents of Jay players.  They are fuming at their coach's inexplicable decision to not have someone field punts.  This decision is not limited to yesterday's game.  The tactic has yielded only one blocked punt this year.  Yesterday, I believe the Viking punter punted with the intent of having a roll.  And those punts rolled for considerable extra yardage, which definitely helped tilt the field.  I've never seen the "strategy" of not having a punt returner in the first, second, and third quarters.

Neither team had a single holding or PI penalty, which is something I also do not ever recall witnessing.

[SaintsFAN]

The next three weeks will decide the CCIW as the top 3 play each other.

Wheaton @Naperville this week
Naperville @IWU next week
Wheaton @IWU in 3 weeks

This schedule definitely favors the Titans with both games at home after these two play each other. Naperville has the advantage of hosting the Thunder and the only solace Wheaton has is not having these two game back to back. IWU can play with both these teams. My questions on each team would be: Is Naperville's defense capable of slowing down Wheaton and IWU and can they get consistency at QB? Can IWU compete with the other two up front? On offense to more consistently move the ball and on defense to slow down the run, which has become each teams calling card. Will the Thunder be healthy enough to play at the high level it will require to beat these teams on the road. Can the Wheaton receivers match the physicality of the Titan db's?

Excellent breakdown, USee.  +K

[Mr. Ypsi]

I like Viking Hunter Corrigan.  He typically plays DE, but yesterday played DT.  (He's listed at 235 lbs.)  Yesterday, he had numerous hurries, several tackles-for-loss, two complete and clean QB smackdowns, and at least one batted ball.  And yes, Conway threw deep to Childress, and three were caught.  Both Viking kickers are seniors, and they will be missed.

I sat at the edge between Viking fans and parents of Jay players.  They are fuming at their coach's inexplicable decision to not have someone field punts.  This decision is not limited to yesterday's game.  The tactic has yielded only one blocked punt this year.  Yesterday, I believe the Viking punter punted with the intent of having a roll.  And those punts rolled for considerable extra yardage, which definitely helped tilt the field.  I've never seen the "strategy" of not having a punt returner in the first, second, and third quarters.

Neither team had a single holding or PI penalty, which is something I also do not ever recall witnessing.

Agreed, though occasionally even having a returner doesn't matter.  Michigan's punter is an Australian rugby player.  He managed to get it just over the MSU return man and after flight and roll of EIGHTY yards, Michigan downed it on the one!  Alas, Blake O'Neill (the punter) is probably having a miserable day today anyway: his fumble of a punt-snap was returned for the (MSU) winning TD with no time remaining (the snap was lower than expected, but definitely catchable).

[markerickson]

Being a foreigner, that could explain why he did not fall on the ball after the bungle:  lack of experience.  I do not think I ever saw a game end in that fashion.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Being a foreigner, that could explain why he did not fall on the ball after the bungle:  lack of experience.  I do not think I ever saw a game end in that fashion.

Yeah, I don't recall where they were on the field (the shock of the play erased most other memories ), but unless they would have been within the MSU kicker's 'money-in-the-bank' FG range, falling on the ball was obviously the correct move (and they presumably were not, since the MSU player was credited with a 38-yard fumble return, and I think the fumble went mostly laterally).

[AndOne]

The next three weeks will decide the CCIW as the top 3 play each other.

Wheaton @Naperville this week
Naperville @IWU next week
Wheaton @IWU in 3 weeks

This schedule definitely favors the Titans with both games at home after these two play each other. Naperville has the advantage of hosting the Thunder and the only solace Wheaton has is not having these two game back to back. IWU can play with both these teams. My questions on each team would be: Is Naperville's defense capable of slowing down Wheaton and IWU and can they get consistency at QB? Can IWU compete with the other two up front? On offense to more consistently move the ball and on defense to slow down the run, which has become each teams calling card. Will the Thunder be healthy enough to play at the high level it will require to beat these teams on the road. Can the Wheaton receivers match the physicality of the Titan db's?

Wheaton drops from 7th to 8th, North Central jumps from 17th to 16th, and IWU moves up from 20th to 19th in the new D3football.com Top 25 poll.

[Neverwas]

In depth analysis...

Ring the Bell - Beat Naperville