FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[79jaybird]

formerd3db-  I will look forward to your email and hope we can meet next week @ Wheaton.
Elmhurst is off next week with an odd Week 2 bye week.  They resume in 2 weeks @ Chicago  6pm at Stagg Field.

This game was hard to judge.  Elmhurst looked very good and my congrats to the team,  however I don't know what to think of Benedictine.  EC scored on their first 4 possessions and were not really tested.  I think NPU and NC should fare well against IBC in the weeks to come. 
I think the Chicago game and (especially) the Olivet game are going to be strong tests for Elmhurst leading up to their CCIW opener against Carthage.

[formerd3db]

jaybird:

Just a reminder that Hope doesn't play Wheaton until Sept. 22nd.  After our second consecutive home game this upcoming weekend's game against Central, IA (Hope's fellow RCA school ),   Hope has a "bye" weekend on Sept 15th before the Wheaton game.  I would like to make it down for the Wheaton game, originally planned to, but now not sure.  I am going to try and work it out - it would be a "blast" trip for me as I would have to return back the same evening.  I can update you in the future.

Thanks for the follow-up on your Elmhurst team.  Always tough to play that next game after a "bye" week.  In that regard, both Hope and Elmhurst are in the same situation and it will be interesting to see how both teams respond.

[usee]

Wheaton moves up to #10 in the D3 poll as previous #10 and #11 lose. Interestingly, Wheaton jumps Capital even though The Thunder did not play and Cap won. NCC also jumped 3 spots to #15 (going over idle whitworth) and Augie moved up 2 spots to #18

[Pat Coleman]

The unimpressive nature of Capital's win probably left doubts in a lot of voters' minds.

[devildog29]

Going solely off the Pantagraph article, box score, and the 'Kickoff' predictions (anyone have a first-hand account of the Coe-IWU game?), I'm VERY cautiously optimistic that the Titans will beat the 7th place coaches' poll prediction and  challenge strongly for 4th or (dare I dream?) even higher.

Playing AT (Kickoff's) #50 Coe (in comparison, Wheaton [13], NCC [18], and Augie [20] were well above, but Elmhurst [58] and Carthage [66] were slightly below), it appears that IWU (at least the defense) more than held their own.  The 24-6 score appears to be rather misleading.  Coe scored first on a fg after a 6-play, 10-yard 'drive'.  They then had tds on a 51-yard punt return, a 92-yard interception return, and (with 30 seconds left in the game) a 7-play, 29-yard 'drive'.  Sounds like NONE of this is really the fault of the defense.

Overall, IWU led in first downs (16-11) and offensive yardage (256-170).  As has been the pattern at least since IWU fell out of 'the big 4', special teams play stunk.  In addition to the punt return td, they gave up 252 yds on their 5 kickoffs - talk about the defense having to fight a short field!  IF these problems can be corrected, I think the Titans will be a threat to anyone.  If not, it's gonna be another long season in Bloomington.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, IWU also had a punt blocked in the second quarter, giving the Kohawks the ball on the Titan 8 yard line - the defense held them for no score!  With our defense, we could challenge for the title; with our special teams, we could challenge for the basement.

Chuck, unfortunately I feel like this has become all too common of a situation in Bloomington.  It kills me and I hate to sound so pessimistic, but they keep making these same mistakes over and over and over again.  I know you point out that if these mistakes can be corrected that the Titans can be a threat to anyone, and I definitely agree.  Unfortunately, that is a HUGE if, and judging by the last 4 years or so, they haven't found a way to fix it yet.

I used to think that Norm would have his job until he retired.  Reading the comments in the Pantagraph though, there's more and more calls for Dennie to do something every day.  I don't know.  I guess it's just frustrating to me because when I was there, it was unthinkable to play this poor, so maybe I'm just venting.

[Son of Tailgater]

The Carthage vs. Carroll game reminded me of the first time we played them in 2004. They really did not have any play makers and judging from last years 2006 Carroll team I thought that they would battle with Carthage. Not to take anything away from Carthage as they executed very well through out the entire game (especially for a first game). The young guys on the team with a past years experience played smart and quick. The defense was swarming with the DB's and Linebacker core. O'Boyle and Debouf made huge strides in improving in the off season as well as the receiving core. Some notes on key players:

- Donovan Moore (DB/P) was all over the place on Saturday and picked up where he left off in 2005. He has gained some size but has not lost his speed and aggressiveness. He pinned a couple of punts inside the 5 yard line and averaged 44 yards per punt. He also added 3 solo tackles for the day.

-Matt Denny (K) averaged 35 yards per kick off and was 5/5 on PAT's for the day. Look for a 1st team all-conference selection out of him this year.

- Danny Hernandez (LB) has developed into a top tier linebacker over his career at Carthage. He is always around the ball and is always there with the big hit. Opposing offenses will be looking to run and throw away from him all year this year but it won't matter because he will find his way to the ball. He added 3 solos and an INT on Saturday.

- Tom Debaker (LB) who was previously one of Carthage's best DB's was moved to outside linebacker and led the team in tackles with 6 and also added a sack for his first start at linebacker. He is one of the most versatile defensive players on the team and a play maker for that defense.

- Mark Januszewski (DL) is one of the most physical D-Lineman I have seen to date. The guy has a motor and a nose for the ball. A converted LB to DL he has not missed a beat and is going to give interior offensive lineman problems all year.

- Franko Shenault (DB) has also returned and was right on beat even after being out all last year. He is a very difficult guy to keep away from the ball and another guy who will keep QB's throwing away from all year.

- Dan Deboeuf (QB) made the best of his opportunity in the second half. This guy is probably one of the most improved players for the Red Men. He went 9-16 on the day and also had a TD pass. He is very quick and commanding in the pocket.

- Bryan Bergman (TE) is one of the best TE's in the league and if not in the country. The guy works hard and improves his game week to week. He had 56 yards on the day with a TD and he is also a very good blocking TE.

[79jaybird]

formerd3db  Thank you and I did get my dates confused.  On the 22nd we have a home game vs. Olivet and then I plan to go to Wheaton after the Olivet game concludes at EC.  I still hope we can meet in person.
Hope everybody has a safe Labor Day and I look forward to next weekend's games which have a few interesting matchups to look at.

[Tailgater]

A great start to the new season by the Red Men. They performed surprisingly well tonight and controlled Carroll from start to finish. I agree with SOT's observations for the game. I too thought that Carroll did not look as competitive as they have the past couple of years. This is not to slight Carroll at all, but may explain in part why Carthage ran so smooth in all areas of the game. The scoring was spread out amongst all units. 3 TD's through the air by the offense, 1 TD by the defense on an INT returned by LB Hernandez, 1 TD scored by special teams on a punt snap fumble that was scoped up and run in. Special teams also returned a kick-off for a TD, but it was called back because of a couple penalties. Well balanced game. Defense looked fast and aggressive. Carroll's only scoring drive was aided by several penalties. I was surprised to see that the running game looked pretty good. Nice job of hard running by Jake Smith (fr) and Andy Bures (Jr. transfer RB) The offensive line did a sufficient job up front to help move the offense. QB Dan DeBoeuf (So) looked composed and confident as he took over the offense for the second half of the game. Moore put 4 punts inside the 20 yard line. Denny averaged 65 yards per kickoff and converted all 5 point after TD. A lot of players got a chance to be on the field tonight. This playing experience is valuable for a young team. Biggest concern I came away with was 13 penalties for 126 yards. This needs to be worked on.

[Tailgater]

Congrats to Carthage on being able to keep forever the Carroll/Carthage "Musket". This trophy, a Cival War Musket, has been claimed yearly by the game victor over the history of the rivalry. This was the last contracted game between these two schools. Next season Carthage picks-up Hope College for their opening game of the schedule. The Musket can rest peacefully in the Carthage trophy case for eternity??

[usee]

where are the NCC scrimmage reports?

[Charlie Kohawk]

Going solely off the Pantagraph article, box score, and the 'Kickoff' predictions (anyone have a first-hand account of the Coe-IWU game?), I'm VERY cautiously optimistic that the Titans will beat the 7th place coaches' poll prediction and  challenge strongly for 4th or (dare I dream?) even higher.

Playing AT (Kickoff's) #50 Coe (in comparison, Wheaton [13], NCC [18], and Augie [20] were well above, but Elmhurst [58] and Carthage [66] were slightly below), it appears that IWU (at least the defense) more than held their own.  The 24-6 score appears to be rather misleading.  Coe scored first on a fg after a 6-play, 10-yard 'drive'.  They then had tds on a 51-yard punt return, a 92-yard interception return, and (with 30 seconds left in the game) a 7-play, 29-yard 'drive'.  Sounds like NONE of this is really the fault of the defense.

Overall, IWU led in first downs (16-11) and offensive yardage (256-170).  As has been the pattern at least since IWU fell out of 'the big 4', special teams play stunk.  In addition to the punt return td, they gave up 252 yds on their 5 kickoffs - talk about the defense having to fight a short field!  IF these problems can be corrected, I think the Titans will be a threat to anyone.  If not, it's gonna be another long season in Bloomington.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, IWU also had a punt blocked in the second quarter, giving the Kohawks the ball on the Titan 8 yard line - the defense held them for no score!  With our defense, we could challenge for the title; with our special teams, we could challenge for the basement.

Before you get too excited, here's a bit of reality:
Coe's offense returned only two starters, and one of those was the all-conference quarterback who missed virtually all of last year with a torn ACL. Nine offensive starters were new, several of which had never seen varsity action before.
Coe returned exactly zero points from last year's team -- I'm not just talking offensive points. I'm not just talking the kicking game. ZERO points.
IWU had not one, but two punts blocked (and an extra point). The blocked punts came on back-to-back possessions as the Titans recovered the first. Coe was setting up for a return on both occasions.

I'm not saying IWU's defense is bad, in fact I was quite impressed. I'm just sayin the jury is still out. Coe traditionally has a high-powered offense and will before all is said and done. But they weren't clicking in the season opener. I will agree with you though that the Titans' special teams have some work to do.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Thanks, CK.

[themadswede]

where are the NCC scrimmage reports?

Wait a minute.  You're not serious.  Are you?

[usee]

where are the NCC scrimmage reports?

Wait a minute.  You're not serious.  Are you?

Oh My!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

tms,

usee gave a report on the Wheaton-Wabash scrimmage longer than some term papers I've received (just kidding, usee - actually, alas, I'm not ).  I'm sure he was dead serious!

Personally, I'd like to hear an NCC update, as well (especially since they rose from #18 to #15 without even 'playing')!