FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Kovo]

Good game Cards. Mobile QB and experienced secondary was the difference in this one. Was puzzled by the lack of running plays by Wheaton and by continuously going after an all American defensive back. The Thunder will now need to go computer era of the BCS on the rest of the conference.

Here is the reality.  Wheaton is a heck of a good team.  Several experts picked the Crusaders to win the whole thing, the coaches picked them to win the conference, and the panel picked them to win this game.  With that said, NCC walked in and won by two touchdowns in their house.  No disrespect intended, as I think that should Wheaton run the table they belong in the playoffs and could make a deep run.

However, how do you not vote NCC #1?!  What do they need to do? Win a National Championship?  Beat a ranked team by 50 points? (did anyone notice that Aurora won by 70 today?) Knock off a top 5 team on the road by two touchdowns?  Seriously?!  I could make a case that these are the two best teams in the country.  Somebody make the case that there is a team out there that should be ranked in front of NCC.  I would love to hear it.

As far as the rest of the NCC schedule, since sports betting is now legal in Florida, I will take the Cards to win out and give anyone who wants it the field for a $100 a pop.  Just send me a personal email if you want a piece of the action. (Maybe Pat can hold the money and we could talk him into a 5% vig instead of the usual 10%).

[Augie6]

Augie loses to Millikin in OT 27-21.  Absolutely awful loss with Augie missing extra point length FGs in the 3rd Quarter and at the very end of regulation.  Augie misses another FG of 42 yards in OT and then Millikin scores on a 3 and 9 from the 24 yard line on a nice catch to win the game.  I have a feeling this is going to be another long season for Augie with another sub .500 finish. 

[lfter]

Just my take! Fun game to watch at Wheaton tonight. Robinson, NCC's stud tight end, missed the game due to COVID, and Wheaton had Greenfield's number. My favorite aspect of the NCC offense was that they showed several weapons to choose from and were still very effective; on the bad side, they need to handle the turnovers and mistakes (dropping a duck of a pass at the 3-yard line). On defense, NCC was all over the field making plays, rushing the passer, and stopping the run, several gang tackles.  The poor kicking game will be a big concern.  Wheaton was tough, and if a couple of breaks go their way, it might have been different.  Their O and D line played tough, which appears to be their strength. NCC didn't have as much inside run game as I would like and struggled at the goal line. Not much pressure on the QB either.  I am glad NCC won, but it's a long season, and both teams will get better just like last year. Both will be serious contenders to win the crown.  It would be great to have an all CCIW Stagg Bowl!

[kiko]

Stating the obvious, I know, but with those defenses, both of these teams are capable of making a deeeeeeeep run in November/December should they make it into the playoff field.  Great knock-down drag-out game tonight.

[CardinalAlum]

Wow. Incredible battle in Wheaton with the Cards making just enough plays to win.  Wheaton's front 7 is the best I have seen in my time. NCC's defensive back 4 were outstanding as well. I echo the comment matblake mentioned.  I thought Wheaton could've run the ball more also.  This officiating crew was in way over their head.  Extremely poor officiating was unfortunate. Cardinals shot themselves in the foot a few times but just found a way.  Greenfield and Kamienski came through when needed the most and I thought Lehnen was outstanding making his first road start against that defense.  He managed the game and made enough throws. Yes, he had a couple of mistakes but he hung in there. I had forgotten what the Bell looked like but it was good to see it up close again! Check back in November for the rematch. This one will have an encore. 

[WashedUpCard]

A couple of thoughts on tonight's game:

1. I agree on the previous remarks about the officiating.  It was really unfortunate for a game of this caliber.  But I thought both teams were impacted about equally.

2. I'm really impressed by Lehnen.  As others have mentioned, his running ability was perhaps the deciding factor tonight.  He also hit some big throws when it mattered.  This young man has the potential to be a really, really special player... perhaps the best in program history (and that would be no easy feat).

3. I'm also really impressed by Pryor and Maples.  I don't think most people understand how talented they must be to come in as 18-year-old freshman and hang in there against Wheaton's front 7.

4. Wheaton deserves to be in the playoffs. It wouldn't be fun to play them again, but they are clearly one of the top 5 teams in the country.

5. I thought it was classy how the Wheaton players and coaches hung around to shake hands until NCC broke their post-game team huddle.  Many of those young men must have been heartbroken.  It was an incredibly classy act by a classy program.   

6. I'm so happy for the NCC seniors that came back to play this year.  This game was clearly a motivating factor in that decision.  A very special moment for them that they will remember forever.

[WashedUpCard]

Cool video of Sharmore Clarke vs. Dallas McRae on the goal line.  Not many men could move McRae like that.

http://twitter.com/NCC_Athletics/status/1439388892592054274

On a side note, I noticed that McRae ran out onto the field to congratulate Andrew Kamienski as he came to collect the Bell.  Great sportsmanship by him...

[Stagg Again!!]

A couple of thoughts on tonight's game:

1. I agree on the previous remarks about the officiating.  It was really unfortunate for a game of this caliber.  But I thought both teams were impacted about equally.

2. I'm really impressed by Lehnen.  As others have mentioned, his running ability was perhaps the deciding factor tonight.  He also hit some big throws when it mattered.  This young man has the potential to be a really, really special player... perhaps the best in program history (and that would be no easy feat).

3. I'm also really impressed by Pryor and Maples.  I don't think most people understand how talented they must be to come in as 18-year-old freshman and hang in there against Wheaton's front 7.

4. Wheaton deserves to be in the playoffs. It wouldn't be fun to play them again, but they are clearly one of the top 5 teams in the country.

5. I thought it was classy how the Wheaton players and coaches hung around to shake hands until NCC broke their post-game team huddle.  Many of those young men must have been heartbroken.  It was an incredibly classy act by a classy program.   

6. I'm so happy for the NCC seniors that came back to play this year.  This game was clearly a motivating factor in that decision.  A very special moment for them that they will remember forever.

I couldn't agree with your comments more WashedUp, but would add a couple more.  I have had the pleasure of watching a lot of DIII football over the years and would tell you that last night's game at McCully Stadium ranks right up there.  It was a "D3football.com instant classic" heavyweight bout between two programs near the top of the division.  There were no less than ten DIII pre-season All-Americans (though I would expect more from both rosters by the time the season ends), the defending DIII COY, and the defending DPOY on the field.  At stake included the Little Brass Bell as well as pole position in the CCIW and Region 5... and the men on both sides of the field played their hearts out!!  While I will make a few comments on the game later once I have had a chance to want the replay, I wanted to salute those NCC players who broke ranks during the team celebration to walk over and congratulate the WC coaches and players for their hard-fought efforts.  I also want to thank the WC players who stood by and patiently waited while the NCC players celebrated the moment... respect!  This is the type of game that keeps bringing us all back to DIII football and I am thrilled that Pat Coleman was in the house last night to get a taste of what CCIW has to offer.  For others who occasionally read the CCIW posts and are looking for a game to watch before the playoffs, you should definitely add this one to your list as both NCC and WC will be in the playoffs and both teams have the talent that it takes to make deep runs in 2021.  I have no vote on the D3football.com poll, but after watching a number of the top teams play already this year, I agree with Kovo... NCC should move (back) to #1 or #2 and WC should remain in the Top 5. 

Closing comment... I just watched Luke Lehnen put up 288 yards on 12/19 with 1 TD/O INTs and 66 yards rushing against one of the best defenses in the country with three DIII pre-season All-Americans (after putting up 264, 13/24, 3/0, 7 in more limited action against AU).  Now that Lehnen has played in TWO college football games against high caliber competition, how good he will be after he gets eight more regular season games under his belt with the NCC coaching staff and this talented offense?  This is my question for those D3football.com and other voters who have discounted NCC in their ballots/algorithms simply because the team lost the 2019 OPOY Broc Rutter at QB.

[SpartanHouse]

Only buzz kill about last nights game is that neither team will be challenged the remainder of the regular season.

Seems to be a down year for the rest of the conference.

[robertgoulet]

Only buzz kill about last nights game is that neither team will be challenged the remainder of the regular season.

Seems to be a down year for the rest of the conference.

Just hope they can both avoid the injury bug. And the Covid bug.

[Kovo]

Only buzz kill about last nights game is that neither team will be challenged the remainder of the regular season.

Seems to be a down year for the rest of the conference.

Just hope they can both avoid the injury bug. And the Covid bug.

I'm not sure that I would call it a down year.   I think that the CCIW has two top five teams.  Show me the conference that has a third or fourth best team that can challenge a top 5 team.  In fact, outside of the top seven in the rankings go ahead and make the case for anyone else beating NCC or Wheaton.  I don't see it.

[kiko]

Only buzz kill about last nights game is that neither team will be challenged the remainder of the regular season.

Seems to be a down year for the rest of the conference.

Just hope they can both avoid the injury bug. And the Covid bug.

I'm not sure that I would call it a down year.   I think that the CCIW has two top five teams.  Show me the conference that has a third or fourth best team that can challenge a top 5 team.  In fact, outside of the top seven in the rankings go ahead and make the case for anyone else beating NCC or Wheaton.  I don't see it.

For me, the 'down year', or whatever you call it, for the rest of the conference stems from the idea that (1) the rest of the conference went 2-6 in their non-conference games, and (2) there likely won't be a third or fourth CCIW team sniffing the lower echelon of the top 25 rankings or the ORV column.

In 2018, as one example, there were four teams in the conference that ended the year with one or two losses.  We're not likely to repeat that this year.

[USee]

First, congrats to North Central for their win last night. I agree it sure looked like 2 teams at the top of the division battling it out.

Wheaton's first drive couldn't have been better. They had 5 runs and 5 passes and moved the ball down the field, finishing with a TD. I don't think anyone thought that would be the only points they scored. The rest of the game the Thunder had 22 runs and 39 passes and I thought that was the key to the game. For whatever reason, the Thunder coaching staff continually challenged the Cardinal veteran secondary and, in particular, Jake Beesley. Spencer Peterson caught that first TD over Beesley but the Thunder were largely not successful on their deep shots or against Beesley the rest of the game. Wheaton average 4.4 yds per rush but Giovanni Weeks only had 13 carries and the Thunder, who are usually pretty close to 50/50 run vs pass, were 35 run/65 pass for the game.

On the other side, North Central, who has always been 60/40 run pass over the last 15+ years that a Thorne has run the sidelines, came into the game with just one game in the last 6 years having called over 50% runs. Not coinciadentally they had rushed for over 100 yds just 1x in the last 6 games vs the Thunder. The Cardinal game plan was well constructed. They stubbornly stuck to the run, even though Greenfield was ineffective and they averaged just 3.2 yds per rush, less than half their average. Lehnen broke free a few times but Wheaton played the run quite well. The Cardinals 41 rush attempts vs just 19 passes was typical of the Cardinal formula for success and I believe it opened up a few of the big pass plays they ended up with.

In the end, I thought North Central stayed true to who they are this year. A defensive team with a strong running game and efficient pass game. And Wheaton, a balance offense, tried to win through the air more than usual and it just didn't work. That was the different to me.

Credit the North Central defense, which is the current strength of their team, in particular the secondary who I believe have to be one of the very best in the country.

[USee]

I am not the expert, but the 2-6 CCIW record in the non conference, combined with Wheaton's 1 non con opponent is going to really hurt the Thunder should they win out this year. The SOS for Wheaton is going to be atrociously bad and with only 5 at large spots, if there are a bunch of 1 loss teams in other conferences with stronger profiles, I am not sure the Thunder are guaranteed to make the playoffs.

CCIW coaches and fans will say its ridiculous that a 9-1, top 5 team wouldn't make the field, and they might be right, but the numbers are gonna be bad, really bad.

[SpartanHouse]

Only buzz kill about last nights game is that neither team will be challenged the remainder of the regular season.

Seems to be a down year for the rest of the conference.

Just hope they can both avoid the injury bug. And the Covid bug.

I'm not sure that I would call it a down year.   I think that the CCIW has two top five teams.  Show me the conference that has a third or fourth best team that can challenge a top 5 team.  In fact, outside of the top seven in the rankings go ahead and make the case for anyone else beating NCC or Wheaton.  I don't see it.

I believe NC/Wheaton are 1/2 in the country. Can't wait to see how it plays out and hopefully we get a rematch in Naperville or TX.

With that said:
IWU lost to Carroll
Millikin lost to Greenville
Augie lost to Millikin

The rest of the conference is down and it has nothing to do with the dominance of the top 2
teams. I'd bet NC doesnt have another game within 40 points until the playoffs.

I never said the 3/4 teams should be able to beat the top of the conference. Most years IWU gives great games to NC & Wheaton. Carthage and Millikin have a team every 4 years that compete. Augie and Elmhurst should be able to produce programs that compete. They all seem to be down this year. Just my thoughts after two weeks.