FB: Northwest Conference

[Gig Harbor Cat]

Rocketman is #1

Welch--He can't carry Rocketmans gym bag !!

Prove it-- why yes we will--Thats all I got

GHC  out

[idalogger]

Spokane Saturday gametime forecast - 39 and snow showers, UPS vs. Whitworth. Football weather!

[MonroviaCat]

Aren't they all?   (Defensive struggles.)

Good point   But some defenses seem to struggle more than others....

[piodad]

Gig Harbor Cat   How can this one game prove who is the better QB?  Are they both playing against the same defense and same def coordinator?     The overall season performance might be a better measuring stick. comprende?

[Bearcat Press]

Spokane Saturday gametime forecast - 39 and snow showers, UPS vs. Whitworth. Football weather!

Someone from Idaho would think that!

Seriously, I think you'll love the Pine Bowl.  Never really got around to posting my thoughts about the place, but the setting is beautiful and the natural bowl is a football purist's dream.  Having now seen every stadium in the NWC, my rankings go like this:

1.) Maxwell Field - Linfield
2.) Griswold Stadium - Lewis & Clark
3.) Pine Bowl - Whitworth
4.) McCulloch Stadium - Willamette
5.) Lincoln Park Stadium - Pacific
6.) Sparks Stadium - Pacific Lutheran*
7.) Baker Stadium - Puget Sound

*Could change after visit this weekend.  

[piodad]

Most Gracious Fans @ Away Games:
Best: Tie between UPS and PLU

Most Ungracious Fans @ Away Games:
Without a Doubt: Wiliamette 

PLU 35  Willamette 7

[Gray Fox]

Most Ungracious Poster @ NWC Post Patterns
Without a Doubt: piodad.

[river]

Just a couple of thoughts-

I know this is old news but Willamette posters keep talking about how poorly their team played against Linfield.  Could that have been the defense of Linfield?  Great defenses force mistakes and take you out of your game. 

Regarding the stats of the L&C QB- There is no "I" in team.  Is it possible that Boehme's stats aren't quite as eye-catching because he has teammates around him to share the wealth?

Discuss.......

Great points, fbgcat.

Regarding question #1, my answer is "yes and no."  Yes, a lot (most) of Willamette's struggles against Linfield were due to the Wildcats D, especially the d-line, which outworked, outmuscled, and totally outplayed an overmatched Bearcat o-line.  So let me be very clear when I say that Linfield, top to bottom, has a better team than Willamette this year.

That being said - and I'm saying this with my D3football.com hat on, not my Willamette one - I do not believe that Linfield is four touchdowns better than a Willamette squad that beat Stevens Point and narrowly lost at Hardin-Simmons (a place the Wildcats have never won, either).  So in the end, I think it was a combination of Linfield really playing to their potential, coupled with a series of unforced Willamette errors (two missed FGs, a TD called back for a dumb penalty) that led to the blowout.

Question #2: absolutely.  Boehme's supporting cast is far superior to Welch's.  But I don't think anyone disputes that Boehme makes that offense run - Linfield's success over the last decade has been directly tied to their quarterback situation.  What's neat for L&C is that they've finally got a terrific player they can build around, and that sets them up for a lot of future success.

Anyway, that's my $0.02.

"Is it possible that Boehme's stats aren't quite as eye-catching because he has teammates around him to share the wealth?" 
     Boehme is a great quarterback.  The issue is how much of the "greatness" is because of the supporting cast.   If he is the key ingredient in making the offense run, then that should be recognized.  Would he be as good without the supporting cast?  Who knows.  What if Hedin and Gonzales were on the other side, which is what Welch will be facing.

"So let me be very clear when I say that Linfield, top to bottom, has a better team than Willamette this year."
       Linfield clearly has the better team this year (hey, they won big).  However, to say better "top to bottom" overstates the conclusion.   Willamette has individual players that are as good as or better than their Wildcat counterparts.  They should not be discounted because "the team" did not make it to the playoffs.

[D O.C.]

How can this one game prove who is the better QB?

LINFIELD did not recruit Welch 


All opinions expressed by me here are not the opinions of D3football.com

[speedybigboy]

exactly bbaddict, on all accords. The battle in the trenches killed the Bearcats in McMinnville. We simply just didn't come out to play our brand of football (3 tough games before that, and a bye left us sloppy IMO)

but, that doesn't matter. From people who have seen both teams play this season, what are some assumptions and predictions for the PLU/WU matchup?

Also, is Greg Ford healthy or out for the season or what? I'd like to see a battle of the NWC's elite receivers with him and Schoettgen. BCP and I will be making the trek north to Tacoma this weekend for what should be a tight game.

Haven't seen either team play, just listened on the radio.  Comparative scores, for what they are worth, slightly favor Willamette.  I'm a firm believer in home field advantage.  I say PLU wins a close one in a shootout.  Ford was dinged a few weeks ago.  He has played every game since.  I recall the week after the injury the radio color man saying he didn't look full speed.  Last week he caught 7 or 8 passes.  There is no indication on the school website that he is hurt.  Wish I could make the trek south and join you all at the game.
GO LUTES, ATTAWAY!

[wildcat11]

Couple of things...

---Someone mentioned Duncan White as one of the top QBs in the NWC.  I'm going to just have to disagree and say that I'd take every other starting QB in the NWC (sans Pacific) before I would take White.  I'm basing this on what I saw during the year but my ranking of NWC QBs (not just stats but based on composure and intangibles) I would go with: Boehme, Rasmussen, Eglet (yes, in a different system I think he could be pretty dang good), Widing, White.  (I'll see Welch this weekend and I'm sure he'll battle Rasmussen out for that 2nd spot.)  I just wasn't impressed at all by White's play.

---Willamette/PLU:  If played at WU I'd take the Bearcats in a heartbeat but I think this PLU team is a much better at Sparks and has elevated their play each time they have played a tough opponent.  I think this will be close but I wouldn't be surprised if PLU pulled it out.

---BCP...I think you're right on with you venue assessment.

---Is Linfield 4 touchdowns better than Willamette this season?  Well the scoreboard says 35-7 so I would say that 28 points sounds just about right. 

[piodad]

DOC: Yeah they didn't recruit Welch but it wasn't for academic reasons since I've seen Linfield's avg SAT scores.

wildcat11: I disagree with the negative opinion of White. When your running game only averages 2 yds a carry and every team knows you have to pass almost every down and you are still the conference leader in passing yardage, tied for first in passing completed percentage, 1st in TD passes and have the best TD/Int ratio for any QB who actually completed more than 57 passes! And didn't miss a game.    I guess I just don't have the incredible intangible sensor you have.


 

[D O.C.]

piodad....I do not know about the recruitment.      I figured he wanted to go where he would play and not sit behind someone like Boheme.

[piodad]

And I am sure Linfield would not have wanted him for the next three years.   

PLU 35  Willamette 7

[CatDad]

This has been extremely amusing but you know what they say about arguing on the internet.....(fill in the blank)..... i'm always amused at the disrespectful things people will say with anonymity of the internet

Two things to keep in mind.... nothing said on these boards will influence one bit on the decisions that coaches make...

and once again... what happens on the field is all that matters and the fact that Linfield gets at least one more game is what the boys all play for...

Now i'm sure that Archie Manning was an outstanding QB... up until Brees the best that New Orleans had ever seen... maybe even better than Joe Montana... who knows.... different supporting casts.... but I'd still want Joe leading my team.... just saying... :-)

As my days wear down as an active participant on the boards I want to thank all the guys on here that have made positive comments about all the men that play NWC football...

It's been a GREAT ride for my son and the experiences will last him a lifetime...

GO CATS!!!!