FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Ice Bear]

My take on MHB this year, and in previous years too, is pretty simple.  They're supremely athletic but not very well coached.  They win because they're simply bigger and faster.  Kind of like your best city high school teams.  Not clean or precise, just big and fast.  If you can stalemate them at the LOS and not get blown away over the top individually you'll be fine.  Otherwise it can get ugly.

Ice Bear concurs. Last week was the first time this season where Ice really watched UMHB closely. Ice says, kind of reiterating what hazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz said a few posts back, that the Cru was quite ****ing ****ing impressive. Before that Ice really felt that NCC would run away with it if the two teams met. Ice says now, not so much anymore...but then he thinks that NCC worked MUC the **** over while missing 3 O-linemen and an LB (please feel free to correct The Bear here if he is mistaken). Ice says it'll certainly play out on the field and his white haired ass will be watching.

Ice is mother****ing pumped for the game and will have his antenne jacked the **** up on top of his igloo for Friday night!

[CruFrenzy]

My take on MHB this year, and in previous years too, is pretty simple.  They're supremely athletic but not very well coached.  They win because they're simply bigger and faster.  Kind of like your best city high school teams.  Not clean or precise, just big and fast.  If you can stalemate them at the LOS and not get blown away over the top individually you'll be fine.  Otherwise it can get ugly.

Not very well coached? Seriously? Our athleticism is a strength no doubt but teams don't play in the Stagg Bowl 4/5 years running that are poorly coached, period.

[crufootball]

My take on MHB this year, and in previous years too, is pretty simple.  They're supremely athletic but not very well coached.  They win because they're simply bigger and faster.  Kind of like your best city high school teams.  Not clean or precise, just big and fast.  If you can stalemate them at the LOS and not get blown away over the top individually you'll be fine.  Otherwise it can get ugly.

Your best city high school teams must be very very good.

We can all argue about the strengths and weaknesses of players and coaches but it is a giant leap to say we only win because we are bigger and faster.

[USee]

My take on MHB this year, and in previous years too, is pretty simple.  They're supremely athletic but not very well coached.  They win because they're simply bigger and faster.  Kind of like your best city high school teams.  Not clean or precise, just big and fast.  If you can stalemate them at the LOS and not get blown away over the top individually you'll be fine.  Otherwise it can get ugly.

Your best city high school teams must be very very good.

We can all argue about the strengths and weaknesses of players and coaches but it is a giant leap to say we only win because we are bigger and faster.

So it's clear, HSCoach is a Mt Union guy and knows a thing or two about Stagg Bowls and MHB from up close. Doesn't mean any  has to agree with him but he's been right a lot more than he's been wrong over decades.

[robertgoulet]

In looking at the 2-deeps it appears that the main size disparity is on the MHB O-line. They're much heavier than I had expected.

Everywhere else looks about as expected and pretty similar to NCC, outside of the WR Jordan and their QB.

https://northcentralcardinals.com/documents/2021/12/15/fb_media_notes_121721.pdf

Also possibly of note is that NCC lists their usual starting OL and Wong at LB. Maybe hopes and dreams that they play or may be that they're actually good to go.

[WRMUalum13]

I don't think UMHB has a big enough talent gap to overcome poor coaching. Also if they were poorly coached wouldn't we consistently see blown coverage and missed assignments from their defense, or poor tackling? UMHB defenses always seem disciplined and fundamentally sound to me.

From a coaching standpoint I think UMHB typically suffers from overly conservative play calling on offense and maybe don't make the adjustments they need to, but I don't buy that they have enough talent to overcome coaching shortfalls on a consistent basis.

[Etchglow]

I don't think UMHB has a big enough talent gap to overcome poor coaching. Also if they were poorly coached wouldn't we consistently see blown coverage and missed assignments from their defense, or poor tackling? UMHB defenses always seem disciplined and fundamentally sound to me.

From a coaching standpoint I think UMHB typically suffers from overly conservative play calling on offense and maybe don't make the adjustments they need to, but I don't buy that they have enough talent to overcome coaching shortfalls on a consistent basis.

You hit the nail on the head. Coach Fredenburg was a defensive coach for 16 years (mostly for Baylor under Grant Teaff) before he became head coach at UMHB.  A lot of the time he still gets in that defensive mindset and will rely on the defense to win games. 

[kiko]

Catching up on this, but from the AFCA All-American article:

<snip>
Top Teams: Mount Union has been represented a total of 29 times by 27 players on the AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team since 1972.
</snip>

Without getting into who does and doesn't deserve recognition and focusing on just one data point, UMU having only 29 selections in the past quarter-century is as big of a red flag as there can be.

[bluenote]

North Central had the easiest road to the Stagg Bowl. I hope they get their butt kicked. Just my opinion ..... 

[bluenote]

Ice is mother****ing pumped for the game and will have his antenne jacked the **** up on top of his igloo for Friday night!

Ice Bear talks to himself or someone else I have no idea... But NCC is going down like a slurpy Ice cone.

[CardinalAlum]

North Central had the easiest road to the Stagg Bowl. I hope they get their butt kicked. Just my opinion ..... 

What time is Linfield playing Friday?.......oh right. 

[D O.C.]

No Friday night lights for LINFIELD.
NCC must play championship ball with few turnovers. That's pretty common in football, eh?

[blue_jays]

North Central had the easiest road to the Stagg Bowl. I hope they get their butt kicked. Just my opinion ..... 

Well as the defending champ who dominated the regular season, they should have the easiest road. That's one of the perks. Someone in the bracket has to have the easiest road, not their fault. That's a stupid reason to want them to lose. If you've got bracket gripes, take it up with the committee.
Also, it's not like they avoided Mount Union to get to the final. They beat Mount Union, and did it shorthanded.
I'm no NCC fan, but this is a great team and I'll always rep the region to go far.

[USee]

I wouldn't equate a "harder" route with "better" team. That would be a mistake.

[robertgoulet]

I wouldn't mistake a "harder" route with "better" team. That would be a mistake.

As flawed of a line of thinking as "we beat you when we played you (9 yrs ago) and we didn't beat MHB this year so you can't win"?