FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mugsy]

Hey CCIW teams, don't let your guard down against Wheaton. In lieu of Zach's misfortune, don't let the Wheaton posters lull you into thinking that they don't have a quality qb ready to play. You're not a perrenial power without having depth......and they are deep. They always have somebody step in and play. Zach will be sorely missed, but Wheaton will be competing for the conference championship when all is said and done. That Wheaton team will rally and dedicate themselves to win it for him.

Stink... My Lou Holtz impersonation didn't fool you, eh?

Just to clarify, I don't think by any means this takes Wheaton out of the picture.  With Ullrich I viewed Wheaton as the clear frontrunner.  Now they are in the pack of contenders.  It hurts their chances, but Wheaton is not a one player team. 

Wheaton has a great defense and special teams.  Not to mention they have rallied around adversity on more than one occasion.

A certain team in recent history comes to mind that had a below average offense, but a strong defense and special teams... that was enough to carry them to the Super Bowl.

[New Tradition]

A certain team in recent history comes to mind that had a below average offense, but a strong defense and special teams... that was enough to carry them to the Super Bowl.

A certain team from a certain town that starts wit a "C," ends wit an "O" and in the middle is hicag.

God I love the superfans!

[Gregory Sager]

Prayer is powerful. Let's everyone keep Zach in our prayers. This will be a long road for him physically AND mentally. As someone posted earlier, anyone who has played the game knows how it affects you mentally when you leave the game on your own terms let alone when the terms are not your's. He will need a lot of support.

This is very true, but I think that the bigger concern should be for his general health on an ongoing basis. Brain injuries are serious business, and their consequences can be long-term and insidious -- even if the injury was promptly and skillfully treated. I think that the larger portion of prayers offered on Zach Ullrich's behalf should be for a full recovery with no lingering ill effects.

[usee]

Prayer is powerful. Let's everyone keep Zach in our prayers. This will be a long road for him physically AND mentally. As someone posted earlier, anyone who has played the game knows how it affects you mentally when you leave the game on your own terms let alone when the terms are not your's. He will need a lot of support.

This is very true, but I think that the bigger concern should be for his general health on an ongoing basis. Brain injuries are serious business, and their consequences can be long-term and insidious -- even if the injury was promptly and skillfully treated. I think that the larger portion of prayers offered on Zach Ullrich's behalf should be for a full recovery with no lingering ill effects.

absolutely true Greg. It likely isn't clear what, if any, effect this has had on Zack so we should all be praying for a full recovery. Any notion of football for him and his family are not primary concerns right now.

[Gregory Sager]

The guy is referencing Michael Gardiner, who is indeed on our 2001 preseason team.

Yeah I checked him out on BU's records page 38 career sacks and 19 in a single season 2000 I think, probably why you all put him on the preseason team.

Gardiner also injured both NPU's starting center and backup center when he suited up for BU as a basketball player during the 1998-99 season. He shoved the Vikings' starting center, Chris Turner, in the back at midcourt after the whistle had blown, causing Turner to tumble face-first to the floor. Turner awkwardly attempted to break his fall and broke his wrist, ending his season. Shortly thereafter, Gardiner threw a blatant elbow that caught NPU backup center Mark Allen flush in the face and broke both his cheekbone and his orbital bone, ending his season. The refs immediately and wisely threw Gardiner out of the game, staving off a potential bench-clearing brawl. Allen was forced to wear a full-facial protective mask upon his return the following season. Needless to say, the two injuries wreaked havoc with NPU's rotation in 1998-99.

Gardiner may have been a great football player, but he was a goon on the basketball court.

[footballfan413]

So gentleman,
   Doing my pick em's for this week on the WIAC board.  What is the general concensus over here regarding how Augustana will fair against UW-Platteville this weekend?

[ncc58]

Wheaton still has two darn good playmakers on defense - they may be the best players in the CCIW. Whenever any team has an injury to a signficant player, the leaders need to step up. I expect they will.

Wheaton remainl the favorite to win the CCIW and the AQ.

[Comet 14]

D306- I want to let you know what a great post you submitted by breaking my karma cherry with some plus karma. We should all pray that Zach recovers to lead a full and productive life outside of football. If it were my son I would not want him playing football again, though as an adult it would be his choice. I think Wheaton will still be a ton to beat. There margin of victory won't be as big so some teams might have a chance to beat them with some mistake free football.                                                                                                                                       Footballfan413- I think the Augie vs. Platteville game will be one of the better games on the slate this weekend. Platteville beat a very good team in St. ambrose.

[usee]

So gentleman,
   Doing my pick em's for this week on the WIAC board.  What is the general concensus over here regarding how Augustana will fair against UW-Platteville this weekend?

I don't know much about UWP and early in the season its always hard to assess Augie. I see UWP has a great RB a Sr OLine and several playmakers on defense. I would expect this game to be close but I would give the edge to Augie playing at home. That said, there are rumors of unrest in Rock Island and it's not clear to me how that will affect their play early in the season.

[Titan Q]

My friend whose brother plays for the Thunder told me today that 5th year senior OT Tom Christner (a starter) tore his ACL in practice last night. 

[matblake]

My friend whose brother plays for the Thunder told me today that 5th year senior OT Tom Christner (a starter) tore his ACL in practice last night. 

If this is true, which I imagine it is since Q is the source, the injury caravan keeps rolling along for the Thunder.  All teams deal with injuries, it just seems that this seems to be Wheaton's year to be hit by them. 

[NCC_alum62]

That would be a tough blow.

I've noticed that the Thunder occasionally have "5th year seniors"  I know there is no redshirting in the CCIW aside from medical.  Do Wheaton students do year long mission trips or something like that (akin to BYU student-athletes that will take a year away from the school to do and then come back to play the sport)?  

I know the religious denomination is different, but it just seems as though Wheaton has either taken a few medical redshirts or is doing something else to keep kids for 5 years (although they can still only play 4)

As for Ulrich, absolutly brain injuries are very dangerous and I'm hoping he can make a full and permanent recovery, regardless of whether he will play football again.  Wheaton is indeed deep and while they will miss him, I still think they are definete contenders for the CCIW title and the NCAA play-offs.

[matblake]

The jury is still out on Wheaton's running game this year... the OLine has had some injuries, though the starters should be returning this week or next.  Can the OLine jell quickly?   Wheaton doesn't have the big, bruising RB's to get you the tough yards this year.  They have potential to be good/decent RB's, but if the OLine doesn't provide the holes, they aren't the kind of RBs to get you 3-4 yards out of nothing.

This is what has me the most concerned with the Wheaton offense at this point.  IMO, the Naperville School would have retained the Bell had it not been for Chaz Black and the OLine last year.  They controlled the second half of that game and the offense came alive.  We'll continue to see if the offense continues to improve. 

[matblake]

It will be interesting to see how the Thunder react to Ullrich's injury.  Will they be extremely fired up and emotional?  Will they suffer a letdown?  Will they demonstrate a workmanlike attitude?  I'm sure Coach Swider will have them ready to play, it will be interesting to see how that translates onto the field.

[Pat Coleman]

For what it's worth, if a player entered a D-III school and redshirted as a freshman in 2003, the last year it was legal to do so, then they would be a senior this year.

You can also redshirt outside of Division III and transfer in.

And yes, there are medical hardship waivers.