FB: Northwest Conference

[GillCJ1]

I was out at dinner last night and was standing outside where I saw a woman wearing a Linfield pullover jacket so I struck up a conversation with her.  She was surprised I had heard about Linfield and we chatted about the school and she told me her son had played football there.  I believe she said he graduated around 2002 and his name was Eric Krom.  Very nice family and I enjoyed talking to both of them about my visits to Linfield and they couldn't say enough great things about their experience being football parents there.  The father was an old college baseball player and we had a great conversation about that.  Always neat to see some other D3 people out in the wild and getting a chance to chat with them.

I always enjoy chance encounters like this.  Whereabouts did this take place?  Seems like a good post for this topic: http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=5509.1350#msg1815846

[Jack Parkman]

I was out at dinner last night and was standing outside where I saw a woman wearing a Linfield pullover jacket so I struck up a conversation with her.  She was surprised I had heard about Linfield and we chatted about the school and she told me her son had played football there.  I believe she said he graduated around 2002 and his name was Eric Krom.  Very nice family and I enjoyed talking to both of them about my visits to Linfield and they couldn't say enough great things about their experience being football parents there.  The father was an old college baseball player and we had a great conversation about that.  Always neat to see some other D3 people out in the wild and getting a chance to chat with them.

I always enjoy chance encounters like this.  Whereabouts did this take place?  Seems like a good post for this topic: http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=5509.1350#msg1815846

Ah yes, it was in Lone Tree, CO.  Will dd it to the other location.

[wildcat11]

I was out at dinner last night and was standing outside where I saw a woman wearing a Linfield pullover jacket so I struck up a conversation with her.  She was surprised I had heard about Linfield and we chatted about the school and she told me her son had played football there.  I believe she said he graduated around 2002 and his name was Eric Krom.  Very nice family and I enjoyed talking to both of them about my visits to Linfield and they couldn't say enough great things about their experience being football parents there.  The father was an old college baseball player and we had a great conversation about that.  Always neat to see some other D3 people out in the wild and getting a chance to chat with them.

I played with Eric (I was 2 years older). Very good player (safety).  Hard nosed, tough, and a solid dude. 

[Wildcat'64]

No doubt the Rats have a talented QB and receivers this year however, I have confidence the Cats will show Saturday they're up to the task!  Our defense played very well against the Cru with the exception of a couple plays.  I'm betting the Cats come ready to play on Saturday!

[desertcat1]

IT'S RAT KILLING WEEK BOYS.   

GHC ,  fire up the G5 we need more Salt...

gO CATS
Go big D

[(509)Rat]

Linfield has better offensive and defensive lines than Whitworth. They need to control the line of scrimmage and they need to average 5-6 ypc to win IMO. But that's really the difference between the elite teams and the also rans in D3...OL and DL size/speed/strength/talent/etc. If I'm Linfield, I dont want to be in the position of relying on any of the Wildcat QBs to win a football game. Whitworth's defense is probably better than in years past...but when you play garbage in the early non conference schedule I'm not really sure how anyone (other than maybe coaching staff) can be sure. Whitworth can run the ball 10 times and still win this game, they don't need an effective ground game to move the ball. But they are going to have to take shots downfield if they want the WR screen game (which they often substitute for a traditional running game) to be effective. Linfield backers will get out to the flats in a hurry, they are a fast group from what I've seen. If you aren't keeping them in the box with a running game, then getting them out of the box chasing WR is important in order to be able to dump the ball behind or inside of them.

Should be a good game. I'm not giving any money to the Linfield athletic department so I'll be doing my best to listen on the radio.

[D O.C.]

How's the Whit kicker? Is he Worth the game winner?
I forsee many field goal attempts in this one.

[MonroviaCat]

Linfield has better offensive and defensive lines than Whitworth. They need to control the line of scrimmage and they need to average 5-6 ypc to win IMO. But that's really the difference between the elite teams and the also rans in D3...OL and DL size/speed/strength/talent/etc. If I'm Linfield, I dont want to be in the position of relying on any of the Wildcat QBs to win a football game. Whitworth's defense is probably better than in years past...but when you play garbage in the early non conference schedule I'm not really sure how anyone (other than maybe coaching staff) can be sure. Whitworth can run the ball 10 times and still win this game, they don't need an effective ground game to move the ball. But they are going to have to take shots downfield if they want the WR screen game (which they often substitute for a traditional running game) to be effective. Linfield backers will get out to the flats in a hurry, they are a fast group from what I've seen. If you aren't keeping them in the box with a running game, then getting them out of the box chasing WR is important in order to be able to dump the ball behind or inside of them.

Should be a good game. I'm not giving any money to the Linfield athletic department so I'll be doing my best to listen on the radio.

Good analysis Rat.  I think I might agree with you on all of it (except that I will be watching--already paid!).

[bluenote]

I haven't ever seen a great team without a great QB. All the teams that went deep for Linfield had great QBs.

[(509)Rat]

I haven't ever seen a great team without a great QB. All the teams that went deep for Linfield had great QBs.

Sure. But the biggest difference between recent (and not so recent) elite programs...UMHB, Mt Union, UWW, St. Thomas, St. John's, Oshkosh, Linfield...and everyone else in their conference who hasn't cracked into that upper echelon, is the ability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. A lot worse QBs than Andy Collins, Joe Callahan, and Alex Tanney have gone deep in the playoffs and won stagg bowls. The difference between Occidental, Wesley, and Monmouth in years where those guys were slingin' it and the teams who beat them was at the line of scrimmage. I think the same is true for the true title contenders in division I as well. Bama, Ohio St, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, Florida, LSU...plenty of good QBs (certainly not always "elite") winning titles with elite lines...especially on the defensive side.

Of course, all my opinion, and I'm frequently wrong so take it for what its worth.

[MonroviaCat]

I haven't ever seen a great team without a great QB. All the teams that went deep for Linfield had great QBs.

Sure. But the biggest difference between recent (and not so recent) elite programs...UMHB, Mt Union, UWW, St. Thomas, St. John's, Oshkosh, Linfield...and everyone else in their conference who hasn't cracked into that upper echelon, is the ability to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. A lot worse QBs than Andy Collins, Joe Callahan, and Alex Tanney have gone deep in the playoffs and won stagg bowls. The difference between Occidental, Wesley, and Monmouth in years where those guys were slingin' it and the teams who beat them was at the line of scrimmage. I think the same is true for the true title contenders in division I as well. Bama, Ohio St, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, Florida, LSU...plenty of good QBs (certainly not always "elite") winning titles with elite lines...especially on the defensive side.

Of course, all my opinion, and I'm frequently wrong so take it for what its worth.

Right.  Without a great line and great RBs/WRs a great QB is not going to look very good.  Likewise, an "ok" QB might look really good if he has great protection, a running game that softens up the defense, and WRs that make bad throws look like well placed balls.....  It's almost like success in football relies on having a good team......   

[bluenote]

"The Butcher" was pretty decent.... then in 2005 we had no running game and couldn't make 3 yards on the ground and run the clock out in the loss to UWW.

[RFB]

"The Butcher" was pretty decent.... then in 2005 we had no running game and couldn't make 3 yards on the ground and run the clock out in the loss to UWW.

Pretty decent? "The Butcher" got his nickname killing pass defenses for two years, so I would say decent should not be attached to his name in any way. Him and Andy Collins were the best QB's I've seen at the DIII level, and I played with an eventual Gagliardi Trophy winner who couldn't win the starting QB job at Redlands when I was there.

[MonroviaCat]

"The Butcher" was pretty decent.... then in 2005 we had no running game and couldn't make 3 yards on the ground and run the clock out in the loss to UWW.

pretty much my point. 

[wildcat11]

You could make a case that Micky Inns was not an elite level QB (or a sure thing) when he first took over in 2011 (his Jr. year) but developed throughout the season, had a healthy Josh Smith for the offense to lean on, and then blossomed his senior season. 

We just have to let these guys develop their own identity.  Linfield has been on an unprecedented level of success in the NWC since 2009 so I get that some Linfield fans are uneasy in being unsure where this 2017 team is headed.  I feel this could be a really dangerous team and it's unfortunate that the 'Cats road is so tough here to start.  You just have to keep faith in a staff that KNOWS what they're doing.