FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[usee]

couple more notes on the games this weekend:


for NCC they have struggled the most this season on the road in big games. fortunately for them they didn't have many of those this year. they were nowhere to be found in the second half vs wheaton after dominating the first half. they needed some late game heroics to pull out a win in decatur and cruised down in bloomington vs IWU. They need to prove they can play well for 4 quarters on the road and this will certainly be the platform to that. for them they will see on film Cap vs. Baldwin wallace, muskingum and Mt Union.  those films will be very useful for NCC. Cap sees ncc vs carthage, IWU and Augie. I think only the carthage tape is any good. IWU will give them a feel for how NCC defends the spread formations. I expect some points to be put up in this game and turnovers will be key. If NCC can get to pentello with their front 4 they will win. If ncc has to blitz I think they are dead because pentello is too good. I think the same is true for Cap vs Kniss. the other key will be NCC's ability to run the ball. If NCC wins, Sulo is as likely a reason why as kniss.

Excuse me, but didn't NCC do EXACTLY that by not only winning a PLAYOFF road game, but CRUSHING a team that had previously beat them this season? 

Beating CUW up in milwaukee in a rematch game was indeed important. However, CUW is a middle of the pack CCIW team in many opinions. The fact that CUW beat them in Naperville in early september merely tarnished the reputation of the CCIW around the nation. Avenging that loss was one of the steps in rebuilding the perception that the North region and the CCIW are still a force. NCC lost last year @ Augie, this year @ Wheaton. They haven't proven they can beat a top tier team on the road in a big game. They get that chance again saturday in columbus.

A win by one or both of the CCIW teams in Ohio restores the reputation of the CCIW and solidifies the North as more than a 1 team/1 conference region.

[rscl70]

For what it's worth (which in this case probably isn't even two cents), I like your "Thunder" mascot.  It's unique and denotes great power.  Well chosen.

[CardinalAlum]

interesting thing about this bell game....I don't think anyone thought much about it before Thorne became coach. for the 20+ years before that NCC was a middle of the pack CCIW school and the bell game didn't mean that much. 

Usee,

I have to disagree with you there.  The Wheaton game has always had  special meaning for those of us around the NCC program.   The problem was that we weren't winning many of those games.  I , and many others around NCC, could give you details of the 1987, 1997 and 2005 victories.  This game does and always has meant a lot to the program and the school.  This game usually is a measuring stick for how the team will do and that's a credit to Wheaton.

It has only recently become a hated rivalry because of the success of both schools. thats my impression.

Do you really feel it has become a "hated rivalry"?  I feel it is at least a respected rivalry.  Hate is usually saved for the likes of the Weenies.  Maybe that is the feeling coming from the Wheaton side now that we have at least become a little bit of a more formidable foe.  If we can maintain the level of play that we have had recently, I could see the rivalry continue to heat up.

[usee]

interesting thing about this bell game....I don't think anyone thought much about it before Thorne became coach. for the 20+ years before that NCC was a middle of the pack CCIW school and the bell game didn't mean that much. 

Usee,

I have to disagree with you there.  The Wheaton game has always had  special meaning for those of us around the NCC program.   The problem was that we weren't winning many of those games.  I , and many others around NCC, could give you details of the 1987, 1997 and 2005 victories.  This game does and always has meant a lot to the program and the school.  This game usually is a measuring stick for how the team will do and that's a credit to Wheaton.

b]hated rivalry [/b] because of the success of both schools. thats my impression.

Do you really feel it has become a "hated rivalry"?  I feel it is at least a respected rivalry.  Hate is usually saved for the likes of the Weenies.  Maybe that is the feeling coming from the Wheaton side now that we have at least become a little bit of a more formidable foe.  If we can maintain the level of play that we have had recently, I could see the rivalry continue to heat up.

I agree "hated" is too strong a word for the rivalry. but that is really my point. it has certainly heated up since ncc's resurgence but it has never been as much passion over this rivlarly as there has been for augie and IWU over the years. this is still an hors devours rivlary.

[usee]

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all!! we have much to be thankful for during this holiday season.

[Mugsy]

I dunno, Mugsey, that bell in the trophy reminds me of Christian churches, especially those of the Spanish missions. Perhaps it's time to start thinking of renaming the Buzzer Trophy.

lol, here comes the stream of PC comments...

Bell, Buzzer, Kazoo... doesn't matter.  It would still be sitting in the Wheaton football offices year after year. 

[Mugsy]

Ric,  I agree w Mugsy. Its a good topic to cover. Some of us former "crusdaders" have an attachment to athletics that is hard to break. Other than that my onlyl concern was being renamed "the fighting sheep" which would have been painful.

If you are that interested there is a direct connection to all of this with the football team. the team goes out together every spring break on a ministry with some former football alums serving as missionaries. they travel to senegal, west africa, Romania, and most recently Indonesia for a week of service every March. there is a link to it on the football page of the wheaton athletics website. this is where the nickname "crusaders" would cause the most friction presumably and has a direct connection on the guys playing in alliance this saturday.

Like usee, while I understood the mascot change and respected the decision, I had a difficult time letting go of the Crusader mascot.  Playing and coaching for 9 years as the "Crusaders" there was an attachment.

What horrified me more that anything were the final 10 options on a replacement mascot.  There was a period of time where alum and students could submit and nominate some options.  On the final list of 10 there were some absolutely horrible options, that if selected might have caused me to break all affiliation with the school.     I don't remember them all, but the one that stuck out the most was the Cherubs!  AHHHHHHHHH!

Can you imagine?  "And now taking the field, welcome your Wheaton College Singing Cherubs"  Followed by 10 minutes of rolling laughter...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherub

http://images.google.com/images?q=cherub&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

[Mugsy]

I agree "hated" is too strong a word for the rivalry. but that is really my point. it has certainly heated up since ncc's resurgence but it has never been as much passion over this rivlarly as there has been for augie and IWU over the years. this is still an hors devours rivlary.

Again from a player/coach perspective, the NCC game was always right up there with the Augustana game.  Augie game was huge because they were the team to beat.  Even when North Central struggled, playing for the bell made it a huge game.

That said there can be no denying the fact that the game has become even bigger now that NCC has become a top dog in the CCIW.  Not only are you playing for the bell trophy, but you are also in large part playing for the CCIW trophy.

[formerd3db]

Wheaton friends: Good luck to your team this weekend.  I suspect they'll have a much better showing against Mount that we did and you never know, perhaps an upset.   

[RedmenFB44]

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all! Enjoy the time with friends and family 

[theaprof]

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Safe travels this weekend.

[cardinaldad]

Is it Saturday yet?
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Enjoy your families and friends!
Safe travels for everyone going to Ohio!
Go Thunder and Cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make the rematch happen!

[ncc58]

interesting thing about this bell game....I don't think anyone thought much about it before Thorne became coach. for the 20+ years before that NCC was a middle of the pack CCIW school and the bell game didn't mean that much. 

Usee,

I have to disagree with you there.  The Wheaton game has always had  special meaning for those of us around the NCC program.   The problem was that we weren't winning many of those games.  I , and many others around NCC, could give you details of the 1987, 1997 and 2005 victories.  This game does and always has meant a lot to the program and the school.  This game usually is a measuring stick for how the team will do and that's a credit to Wheaton.

It has only recently become a hated rivalry because of the success of both schools. thats my impression.

Do you really feel it has become a "hated rivalry"?  I feel it is at least a respected rivalry.  Hate is usually saved for the likes of the Weenies.  Maybe that is the feeling coming from the Wheaton side now that we have at least become a little bit of a more formidable foe.  If we can maintain the level of play that we have had recently, I could see the rivalry continue to heat up.

All I know is that during my four years, NCC had possession of the bell for 3 of them. Maybe it wasn't important to Wheaton then because they forgot what the bell looked like.  But it was important on the NCC end.

[ncc58]

will certainly be the platform to that. for them they will see on film Cap vs. Baldwin wallace, muskingum and Mt Union.  those films will be very useful for NCC. Cap sees ncc vs carthage, IWU and Augie. I think only the carthage tape is any good. IWU will give them a feel for how NCC defends the spread formations. I expect some points to be put up in this game and turnovers will be key. If NCC can get to pentello with their front 4 they will win. If ncc has to blitz I think they are dead because pentello is too good. I think the same is true for Cap vs Kniss. the other key will be NCC's ability to run the ball. If NCC wins, Sulo is as likely a reason why as kniss.

I'll disagree with part of usee's comments. I think the Augie film will be very important, especially since NCC kept the ball for most of the first half. The NCC offense was clicking from play 1 with extreme short pass precision and a strong running game. The 26 play drive that consumed a lot of the clock early in the game should be important to Capital. That tape would convince Capital that NCC has developed a crisp, short passing game from the spread formation. Then, you take two plays from the Carthage game --- 30+ yard passes to Welch and Stuedemann TDS to prove that NCC can go down field as well. Last year, NCC had more of a downfield passing attack.

The Carthage film will also show NCC's vulnerability on punts.

In the IWU game, Ceisel was able to make a couple big plays. Capital might be able to see where he exposed the NCC defense.

The CUW tape would have been interesting. Jeff Thorne has some pet plays that he just loves, going back to his days at Wheaton Warrenville High School. However, the CCIW have caught up to Jeff and taken those plays away. He went back to some of those plays last week, and we could them again this weekend.

[usee]

interesting thing about this bell game....I don't think anyone thought much about it before Thorne became coach. for the 20+ years before that NCC was a middle of the pack CCIW school and the bell game didn't mean that much. 

Usee,

I have to disagree with you there.  The Wheaton game has always had  special meaning for those of us around the NCC program.   The problem was that we weren't winning many of those games.  I , and many others around NCC, could give you details of the 1987, 1997 and 2005 victories.  This game does and always has meant a lot to the program and the school.  This game usually is a measuring stick for how the team will do and that's a credit to Wheaton.

It has only recently become a hated rivalry because of the success of both schools. thats my impression.

Do you really feel it has become a "hated rivalry"?  I feel it is at least a respected rivalry.  Hate is usually saved for the likes of the Weenies.  Maybe that is the feeling coming from the Wheaton side now that we have at least become a little bit of a more formidable foe.  If we can maintain the level of play that we have had recently, I could see the rivalry continue to heat up.

All I know is that during my four years, NCC had possession of the bell for 3 of them. Maybe it wasn't important to Wheaton then because they forgot what the bell looked like.  But it was important on the NCC end.

I don't think there's been much of a chance for anyone at Wheaton to forget what the Bell looks like. your comments date you back to 1977-1982 when NCC held the bell for 6 seasons. Other than that, NCC has never had the bell for more than 2 years in a row and of the now 61 years of Bell history wheaton has held it for 45 of those years (the game wasn't played in 1965, 1968 and 1969). So for you cardinal math whizzes thats 44-14 for the bell in the series. (actually the record is 43-14-1 in favor of the Crusaders/Thunder but a tie is kind of like the Ryder Cup so Wheaton keeps it) So it makes sense you ncc folks might want it a little more because you really don't see it that much. I don't see that changing any time soon. 

And a Happy Thanksgiving to you too.