FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[washdupcard]

Cards had to settle for a FG.  Made it....Roughing the kicker....New set of down for the Cards.  This is crazy.

[washdupcard]

TD Holden.

Cards up 2 scores

[washdupcard]

Cards D returns a INT for a TD, with under 2 min left.

This one is  over.  Whew.

Sloppy 2nd half for the Cards, but wow did they step it up the last 6 min of the game (helped by stupid Carthage penalities).

Cards 43- Carthage 24.

[blue_balls]

Millikin beats North Park 31-24......Well a win is a win...that's all I have to say.  As usual Wallick runs wild.

http://www.millikin.edu/athletics/headlines.asp?ID=19224

[Jim Matson]

The Wheaton/Elmhurst game was a good one to watch as it was close into the 4th quarter.  The Elmhurst defense impressed me - they stopped Wheaton's offensive many times and took away any consistency Wheaton was trying to establish.  Elmhurst also caused 2 Wheaton fumbles that were clearly the work of aggressive tackling.  But Elmhurst also had a problem with turnovers themselves, giving up a few fumbles and a few tips for interceptions.

While this was fun to watch as a generic football fan, it was not great as a Wheaton fan.  Our failure to move the ball on offense concerns me.  I know Elmhurst's defensive line is good, but I felt like Chup should have had more in the way of completions.  As the guy next to me pointed out, the Wheaton offensive scheme this year looks different from 04 and doesn't seem to be as effective, especially in setting up for a pass play.

I will say that Wheaton's defensive line was yet again impressive.  Passes were batted down a couple of times and Dema was on the run quite a few times as well.

Overall it was a fun afternoon in Elmhurst.  Good game and a nice 24-7 Wheaton victory.  Elmhurst has a good team this year and they should be proud of their 5-1 record.

[Jim Matson]

After seeing today's scores, I get the feeling that North Central can and will win this conference.  If the Cards bring their A-game to the Augie battle, they will win based on their ability to score quicky and force Augie into a catch-up game.  The Wheaton/Carthage game will make this thing a lot clearer.  If Wheaton can get a consistent offense developed, I think they take Carthage and Augie out of the picture - if they don't, they may beat Carthage, but they won't beat Augie.

It would be meaningful to get a 2nd team into the NCAAs this year (for the second year in a row).

[washdupcard]

Unbelievable ending to Notre Dame/USC and Penn State/Michigan.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Washdup,

You said it!  And the Minnesota-Wisconsin, Northwestern-Purdue, and BC-Wake Forest finishes weren't exactly 'chopped liver'.  WILD day in d1!

[robertgoulet]

quick thoughts on the North Central/Carthage game......

i'm unsure whether to say that the score was indicitive of the game......North Central dominated the first half....then fell asleep for the first 3/4 of the 2nd half......then turned it back around.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, i don't believe anyone in the cciw can stop North Central's offense. in the 3rd quarter and beginning of the 4th when they didn't score....it wasn't for lack of opportunities, it was due to penalties. they'd convert a 2nd or 3rd down......only to have a penalty on the play and the play get negated.

i dont know if carthage has always been like this, or if this was just a one time deal.....but they seemed to play really dirty. a lot of late hits and trash talking by their players throughout the game....and it seemed most of them happened when they were losing. i can count at least 4 blatant late hits/cheap shots by the Carthage team throughout the game.

i think the big play of the game came after carthage took their first lead. on the ensuing kickoff North Central returned it 49 yrds and got great field position.

finally...carthage's punter = amazing. that kid can boot it. pinned North Central inside their 5 yd line 4 times (i think....may have only been 3). carthage has a heck of a kicking game.

other than that, GO CARDS!!!

man that USC/ND game was NUTS! WOW!
wow.......what a weekend of college football!!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

I never thought I would see anyone short of Mount Union or Linfield putting up 43 points on Carthage - WOW!  It MAY well be true that no one can stop the NCC offense but NCC!

In the pickems, I will DEFINITELY be picking NCC in 3 of the final 4 games - AT Augie is so far still undecided.

Surprisingly close in Decatur - is NP THAT much improved or is Millikin really just 'the best of the rest'?  (Or was this just 'one of those games' that really doesn't indicate anything?)

[irish21]

Hat's off to NCC.

I am heartbroken about the irish! But...they proved they can hang with the big boys! ND football is back!

[robertgoulet]

i dont know if i should say this (but i highly doubt.......well......i am almost 100% positive.....that my brother would read this......cuz he would give me a "beat down" as terry boers would say).....here goes.......

i am starting to like notre dame.....the charlie weis regime change has got me interested......and, dare i say, excited.......

the reason i say that i would get a "beat down" is because my older brother went to purdue....and i've been a huge purdue fan ever since he was there in the 90s.....and now the tide is turning......uh oh........

[Mr. Ypsi]

robertgoulet,

Remind your big brother that Purdue lost to Northwestern(!), while ND lost to "the best team ever" only because of the flukiest play I can ever recall - USC won BECAUSE Leinart was stripped of the ball (otherwise the clock expired before the winning TD).  STRANGE day in d1!

[NCC_alum62]

What a game today...

NCC's offense didn't put up 43...the defense returned one for 6 at the end and there was a tremendous punt blocked for another 6 in the first half.  Still a great offensive performance, but I thought the D really played well most of the game.  Both side made mistakes, including some muffed punts on special teams that were recovered by NCC but didnt help field position.

Carthage's punter was good...but the punt COVERAGE was truely amazing.  The first punt they got inside the one was becasue one of thier guys hustled down there and picked it up just before it went in the endzone.  The special teams of Carthage had three huge miscues...the blocked punt in the first half for a TD, the 49 yard return to set up the go ahead score for the cards in the fina quarter and the fumble after that go ahead TD to seal the game.  They did kick a hellofa field goal in the first half though

And yes Carthage was dirty...they have always played like that.  But thats what I have become accustomed to.  They hit hard through the end of the whistle and sometimes (like today) they hit afterwards.  They had the chance to only be down two points except for some personal fouls near the endzone. 

[NCC_alum62]

and by the way...

I WAS TOTALLY WRONG ABOUT PLAY ACTION PASS AND AUGIE...wow 0-1 and one pic.  Jeeze they got it done completly on the ground and with solid Defense.  I guess they just passed better...sort of... when I played for NCC they certainly ran the score up a couple of times aginst us but today was all rushing.  Hats off to the Vikings...