FB: Northwest Conference

[pdawg]

Nice article on the WOU/Linfield game:

http://www.oregonlive.com/ncaafootball/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1126436467240720.xml&coll=7

The writer is very complimentary to the CATS however he does point out that the "machine" needs a little "oiling" here and there. Duh! This was the CATS first game and the second game for WOU. All in all (beyond the normal first game jitters of having to defend a national title), the CATS were impressive. The passing game was outstanding. Elliott was tough as nails and the receivers tough to cover/matchup. Elliott missed a few early but never missed on third down. The running game needs to get in gear by next week or teams will start jumping routes and playing pass only. When the running did ignite it was late in the game against a very tired and dinged up WOU defense. The CAT D was tough and opportunistic, bending but not breaking in spite of the fact that one of its starters did not suit up. The kicking game will improve. Two of the primary snappers did not play and the heir apparent to Zac Fleming at long snapper was dinged coming in. In addition, Daily did sprain his ankle and did not kick off in the second half or punt. He kicked 2 of 3 in the endzone for no returns in his debut as the kick-off guy. So, all in all, things look bright for the CATS. The game Saturday will be packed and the CATS will be welcomed at home as the National Champions! GO CATS! 

[wildcat11]

Penn,

Now tell us what "F.T.L." means.....

BTW,  I came across this on foxsports.com.  Peter Schrager is a writer that covers college football and he came out with a list of All-Americans you need to get to know.  Guess who was on the list....

Get to know these All-Americans

My favorite Elliott quote:

On being the Big Man on Campus: "(Laughing) That's not me, man. That's our receiver Casey Allen."

[woufan]

Didn't see the game, went to OSU-BSU, drove through Monmouth early in the morning, saw some Linfield folks out tailgating early ... impressive.

Well, we weren't even close. I thought we'd lose, but not get blown out. I shouldn't have been so optimistic.

Of more concern to me than the loss is our decades-long problem of being a "cheap shot" football program. I'm not sure why I support football at WOU as this has been going on for years and years and I don't approve of it. 

Funny that we're recruiting the same athletes out of the same high schools in Oregon that Linfield is, yet Linfield's guys don't cheap shot. It has to do with being taught class and integrity. If this continues, I would advocate a coaching change and totally endorse not hiring anyone with WOU ties and getting someone new, who coaches totally different.

Meanwhile, I posted this on Oregonlive's board as I believe there are ways of dealing with it. Nice win Linfield, very impressive to be that sharp at this stage of the season:
____________________

I'm not a UO fan, but I like Bellotti and have been to quite a few of their practices. Bellotti rarely yells, but there is one quick way to get into his doghouse: Late-hit/personal foul penalities.
I've seen him grab a player's facemask and chew him out saying, "That's NOT how we play here!"

Oregon has the fewest late-hit/personal fouls I've seen of almost any D-I team, and I watch a lot of D-I football. And Oregon plays hard.

There's ways of dealing with it; obviously WOU doesn't deal with it in the appropriate manner.

I have another tremendous story on how John L. Smith (Michigan State) deals with it ... I saw him implement it in a practice when he was at Idaho. To make a long story short, he gave them a warning: "Next guy who late hits (in practice), we're all running as a team until you drop."

Sure enough, a late hit occurred, Smith ran them till they dropped and some puked.

Smith: "You have a chance to be a real good football team, but you want to do late-hit sh-t. I won't put up with it. I REFUSE to give up 15 yards because you want to be a punk."

Hmm ... perhaps there are ways in dealing with this decades-long WOU problem.

* At last look, Smith was the coach of Michigan State, Bellotti is still at Oregon. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for tiny WOU.

[Tuxguy]

O.K......So I'm in the public restroom at WOU before the game  when in walks half the wolves football team! Standing next to me is a 6'4" guy, I ask " Don't you guys have toilets in the locker room. "  "Welcome to DII "he says.  Classic!

[beancounter]

WOUfan.....I appreciate your willingness to call out your alma mater like you do on a consistent basis on this board.  The lack of discipline at Western over a long period of time is stunning.   Maybe Arne Ferguson ought to take note of the John L. Smith methods of improving team discipline.

[woufan]

The bathroom story is funny in a tragic way. Actually he should say, "Welcome to WOU athletics," not D2 as most REAL D2 schools have bathrooms. Some even have skyboxes (Pitt State). What an embarrassment.

If Ferguson can't clean up the cheap shots, I'd advocate cleaning out the coaching staff. I'm tired of it.

Funny how our basketball teams -- particularly under Boutin and then Hills -- are polar opposites to our football squads. Saw Hills yank his star player, Robert Day, a couple years ago at Western Baptist, for not being disciplined. Hills basically got in his grill and he didn't play the rest of the first half. That's how it's done, IMO. Boutin also didn't put up with low class or no class.

The football program needs cleaning up. I'd rather see them play right and lose, than play wrong and win.

[pennstlbu]

Penn,

Now tell us what "F.T.L." means.....

F.W.I.W. it stands for: For the Loggers

[wildcat11]

The second best quote on the day was when Linfield had the ball with about 4:00 to go in the 3rd and was on WOU's 15 yard line threatening to score again.

Well, Allen lined up to the left with #6 manned up on him....Elliott glanced over at Allen and you could see WOU's Linebackers look towards their cornerback and yell, "It's coming your way!!!!!!!"  As soon as he said that...Elliott hiked the ball and lobbed it up towards Allen, who just wore #6 like a coat and snagged his third TD of the day.  #6 had a long, long day.....

Penn,

I'm sure that the 'Lute faithful will buy what you're selling in regards to "F.T.L."!   

[woufan]

And No. 6 is out best athlete ... yikes! 

Actually, it's Jamil Wynn, a guy from Myrtle Point who was a great prep athlete and find athlete at WOU before he bolted school for a little while. Glad he's back. He leaped 24 feet in the long jump in high school, and has high jumped 6-7 at WOU.

Sounds like he's a bit rusty in the DB department. Did we play any zone defense? Not that it would've changed the outcome, just wondering.

* Correct on our 6-7 tight end, he's very good and underutilized. He could play I-AA. Also a solid center on our hoop team.

[wildcat11]

I just read this on the UMAC board and it made me want to puke.  

I want to congratulate our Trinity Bible College Lions for snapping the infamous 31-game losing streak that dates back to 2001.  New lion head coach Jim Dotson and staff have done an excellent job with the 30 players they have on their roster.

Trinity Bible College had 31 game losing streak that they broke this weekend with a roster of 30 players!

Lewis and Clark did you read that?  TBC has less players on the roster than you do but here they are playing out their whole season and trying to make something of it.....I still can't believe that L&C is taking their ball and going home.  They are leaving the NWC out the dry and it still makes me sick.

I hope and I'm sure that the conference members will hold onto this memory for a long time......

[pdawg]

WC11:
I totally agree and feel as though L&C could play on. I even feel that they could play a JV schedule in lieu of a varsity schedule in the NWC. I know Locey would like to have our JV play them more than once if possible. However, I learned today that one of the issues is that the PIOS only have seven lineman and being that means they are not even two deep in most positions also meaning they have to go both ways. This kind of a situation could get ugly for those guys as well as for the team as a whole. I cannot help but remember their lineman who injured his leg so badly last year... that image just sticks in my mind. I do think the example that you give of a team with a long losing streak with a short squad that did play on is a good one. I wonder what the actual situation was like. Probably some great stories. A final note: I also heard that L&C only recruited five new players this season which is a reflection of something going on at the coaching, administrative or institutional level. I enjoy all of the jewels you forward to share with us. Thanks

[woufan]

Regarding L & C ... I hope Pacific cranks up football ASAP and becomes a competitive member in the NWC. If they did and I was a player at L & C, I'd quickly transfer to Forest Grove.

I feel real bad for the Pio football coach, who is in his second year. Shouldn't the administration have given him a head's up on how bad it is, and the lack of commitment from the administration? Doesn't sound like their A.D. is a fighter either.

They can make it work ... if they want to.

[Ralph Turner]

Here is an article about promoting D2.

[pdxpio]

there is no support for football at all at L&C, not really for sports in general either.  there has been huge turnover (in womens bb, baseball, swimming to name a few) over the past two/three years.  I think that should be a huge concern for the athletic department leadership, but, I doubt they feel the same way. 

Saw that link to Trinity bible college, good for them, good to see them playing.  I imagine the L&C players would want to play the season but the coach/AD dont feel the same way.  Serious changes need to be made at L&C for athletics to continue.

FWIW, I dont think the 35 player total is correct, I think its closer to 28 players.

[woufan]

Good ideas on promotion, however, I think if the NCAA wants to stem the tide of schools jumping to I-AA/D-I is to make more stringent requirements to be D-I. Look at Portland State, they draw 4,400 or so a game for football and usually under 1,000 for hoops. What a joke. Half of the 330 D-I basketball programs shouldn't be D-I, they're just hoping for that one break to get into the Big Dance so they can lose by 30 and go home with some money. People are now playing to lose instead of playing to win. Gonzaga -- which pours millions into its hoops program -- is the exception, not the rule of the mid-major.

It appears to me that D3 is the lone NCAA division that actually has a semi-level playing field, and one's ability or inability to field a quality program is the institution's fault (see L & C).

* Western is D2 in name only. We do not resemble a D2 program in finances, facilities, or talent-level ... that's also our own fault.