FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[amh63]

Been on the road shopping for new Apple toys for my wife...upgrades really.  No iPhones available in Verizon stores....had to go to DC Apple Store in Georgetown....expensive location.
Oops this is a football board!   Sorry
Must be Monday...talking around the subject....trying to understand recruiting and admissions, etc.  Not an easy topic.  Still have not nailed down the question of a nine game season!?  Still do not know about an upgrade to Bowdoin's storied football field.  It took a longer time for Williams to upgrade their facilities...let 's see...'95 to '15.  Yes, the new Library project was a major cost item as well as the upgrade to the theater.  Priorities...every CAC school has them...the new theater and arts faciilities at Hamilton is another example. Heck, the new science center at Amherst is costing a bundle...over 200 Million plus.  Has given enjoyment watching the construction progress..lots of dirt being moved around.
Better get off, going off topic again.  Looking at the bright side....lots of new posters and this football board is generating pages.

[PBPOP20]

If, in fact, Whittier Field is renovated, it will include turf, locker rooms and lights and it will be as part of a master athletics facility plan to include other sports, including football (God forbid, it would be initiated by an exclusive desire to improve the football program).  As of now, Ryan Field is the only turf field at Bowdoin and the fact that Whittier is used only four times per year plus track requirements points  to underutilization of a major facility while Pickard Field is running out of space and the newly acquired Brunswick NAS land is far from the central campus.  There are recurring rumors of Whittier's imminent renovation pending final donors, but they have been around for at least a year.

Hate to say it, but maybe it's time Bowdoin faced reality as far as football is concerned. 1 winning season since 2005, 2 winning seasons in the last 28 years and on the way to an 0-8/1-7 2016 season tells me the administration has little to no commitment as far as having a competitive program. Bowdoin should drop football and when the NESCAC expands to a 9th game in 2018, the rest of the league can play 8 NESCAC games and one game against a traditional non-NESCAC rival, like in the old days (Wesleyan-Coast Guard, Middlebury-Norwich, Williams-Union, etc.).

Maybe I'm being naive...but, having just gone through the recruiting process w/ my son, and watching the first two games.  I believe the future is bright.  Both HC and AD have indicated there is alignment w/ administration on building a winning program.  I can't image Wells would make the move if that wasn't in place.   In addition,  the young talent the Polar Bears are fielding has been impressive IMO....  FY names called all day in critical roles, particularly on D...   Wells and Co. put a good class together that is getting early playing time.  If they can string a couple classes together... they should be able to make some noise in a couple of years.  My son chose Bowdoing bc of the staff, the opportunity and the great education...  he passed on the top teams in the CAC and a couple of FCS offers to do so...  If it can be done, I believe Wells is the guy to do it.

As to the field/facility... it is my understanding the Whittier is having turf installed by 2018 season.   There is also a plan for a new athletic facility to the right of the stands...  I believe that to be just a plan at this point, not scheduled or funded. 

[middhoops]

Great post PBPOP20.  We need more input like yours.
+k

[PolarCat]

Sure you aren't looking at Kentucky Wesleyan or somesuch PC?

I was looking at the Princeton Review, which I assume is accurate.  However, I accidentally searched for Wesleyan COLLEGE, not Wesleyan University, and got the wrong results.  Mea culpa.  Per the Princeton Review, the Wesleyan UNIVERSITY acceptance rate is 22% and the ACT range is 29-33.  I will correct my prior post.

http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/1023852/college/wesleyan-university

[Canvas Hightops]

PBPOP20, you make a great case for the realistic rebuilding of programs. 
I went through similar experiences with two sons. 
Good luck to your family.

[PolarCat]

PBPOP 20, I sincerely hope things work out that way.  It's been "reported" on this board for two years that Wells was "promised" a new stadium when he was recruited / hired, and that hasn't happened yet.  And judging from the silence emanating from Brunswick, it doesn't appear to be imminent.  And the buzz coming from the program certainly is muted this year - no more "Watering the Bamboo" and "Boil the Owl" Tweets, but maybe that's due to losing a bunch of players to the reported plagiarism incident. 

There were high hopes among the faithful when Wells was hired, but his results to date are not better than what Dave Caputi was able to accomplish.  It would be wonderful if the College Administration was truly on board, but Clayton Rose strikes most of us as being far less supportive of athletics than his predecessor. It would not surprise me if the negative press the College received last year in the wake of the Tequila Party and other nonsense hurt fund-raising efforts.  Things seem a lot calmer on campus this year, so maybe they will be able to rope in the donors.

But you are absolutely correct in noting your son will get a fantastic education, and the chance to get playing time as a FY is a definite plus.  Almost none of our kids will play ball after they graduate, so the chance to suit up, travel and play for a full 4 years is pretty special.  Regardless of the condition of the field.

[RetiredMule]

A little Colby talk in a few ways. With regards to the Midd performance, it is the same issues that you would have expected this season. While there were some positives like a 0 turnover margin and null penalties. The secondary did not do much to stop Lebowitz from throwing near at will. Despite one interception, he threw 17-25 (68%) for 320 and 5 scores. That means he was throwing for 12.8 per attempt and 18.82 per completion. It is hard to win while allowing 12.8 yards per drop back. The rush defense showed better holding them to 95 on 29 attempts (3.3 per touch). But Midd is a pass first school and a young secondary looked just that, young. On offense, a team that needs to get the ball moving on the ground was held to <3 yards per carry. No rusher with significant touches positively broke that margin. They completed 45.2% of their passes, taking no pressure away from the run game. The offensive line allowed consistent pressure while aiding an All-NESCAC running back to sub 3 yards-per-carry. While the offense improved under Sparacio (v. O'Brien), he turned the ball over twice and completed 10-23. If you have an offense that cannot strike a balance to taker pressure of one aspect or the other and a young secondary exposed by a very good quarterback, you generally end up on the losing end of the battle.

Turning towards Wesleyan, it is generally one of the games that Colby lines up better for schematically. Colby has generally been a stout run defense under Tom Dexter, and Wesleyan is a power running team that relies on heavy formations and run to set up play action. That is why you have seen a boom-bust cycle with Colby and Wesleyan in recent years that if Colby shwos up it is a very tight game.

[RetiredMule]

A quick word on the haves and have nots, the major factor (in my opinion) is the relationship with the administration. Some schools have had historically or newly accommodating administrations. View Middlebury around the time of the new athletic center, Wesleyan with the new hires at coach and president with pressure from the board. View Colby under ex-president "Bro" Adams who did not support the athletics and did not allow targeted large form donations to specific teams or athletics. Couple that with Colby having one of the smallest (and ever-changing-est) coaching staffs, there are definite limitations to some of these programs. Is it impossible to rise? Of course not, look at Tufts and Hamilton coming up in very recent times. But like Carl Spackler taught us, it is tough to come out of your back swing when you cut the hamstring on the back of the leg right at the bottom.

[lumbercat]

Retired Mule
Enjoy your insights as a recent Mule player but don't understand your comments on the coaching staff. I think they have a very good NESCAC staff from top to bottom with emphasis on their latest hire. Their new OC spent 7 or 8 years at UMaine running the Black Bear offense. Almost any team in the NESCAC would kill for a guy like that. Seems to me like a huge commitment by Colby to Football. I'm sure, given his resume, that he is higher on the pay scale than most NESCAC assistants. He is maybe the top OC in the conference in terms of his experience and credentials. Thought Colby really made a statement bringing him in.

[PolarCat]

RM, +K and Goonga Galoonga for the Carl Spackler reference.

[westcoastDad]

Don't let those "admissions" numbers fool ya.  Lots of these kids are either transfers or have gone to prep schools prior.  The numbers seen on the Internet are for the incoming freshmen "straight outta high school"

[quicksilver]

PBPOP 20, I sincerely hope things work out that way.  It's been "reported" on this board for two years that Wells was "promised" a new stadium when he was recruited / hired, and that hasn't happened yet.  And judging from the silence emanating from Brunswick, it doesn't appear to be imminent.  And the buzz coming from the program certainly is muted this year - no more "Watering the Bamboo" and "Boil the Owl" Tweets, but maybe that's due to losing a bunch of players to the reported plagiarism incident. 

There were high hopes among the faithful when Wells was hired, but his results to date are not better than what Dave Caputi was able to accomplish.   . . .

It seems a little unrealistic to expect JB Wells to produce results that are better than Caputi's when Wells is just in the early part of his second season and has only one class of recruits (this year's freshmen) on board . .  After all, Jay Civetti was given the latitude to put up 3 consecutive 0-8 seasons in his first 3 years at Tufts. He did not start to turn the corner until 2014 with a 4-4 record in his 4th year. .

[PBPOP20]

There were high hopes among the faithful when Wells was hired, but his results to date are not better than what Dave Caputi was able to accomplish. 

PolarCat,  he's had ONE full recruiting class...  he came in in January the year prior when most recruiting was over with...  have to give the guy at least 3 recruiting classes before comparing him to Caputi...    I would say his results to date far exceed Caputi given that there are 6-7 FY starters and up to 10 getting significant playing time over what Caputi had put in place.

I understand the long, dark history... but, there's some light, let's let it grow... 

[gridiron]

Additional Colby football comments.

As Retiredmule indicates, Colby traditionally plays Wesleyan close.  In fact, three of the last four seasons were tight games that might have gone Colby's way.  Wouldn't be surprised if the same is true this season.

Regarding coaches, Colby has a fewer number of coaches than many of the other NESCAC schools.  Adding one more this season was a step in the right direction for sure.  Four different offensive coordinators in four years is difficult for all.  The new coach is a welcome addition and hope leads to some more stability.

Agree with one of the posters the admissions figures can be misleading.  Some schools are more creative with respect to the bands than others--just the way it is.

More parity in the league would make for more interesting seasons. However, as several posters have indicated, it really is all about the boys getting a great education and having the opportunity to play football at the college level four more years.  Wins and losses are important but not the reason NESCAC players are going to college.

[PolarCat]

Don't let those "admissions" numbers fool ya.  Lots of these kids are either transfers or have gone to prep schools prior.  The numbers seen on the Internet are for the incoming freshmen "straight outta high school"

Afraid I am not following you.  Both my kids went to prep school, and both went through the exact same Admissions process as their public school peers.  Please elaborate on how you think their process was somehow different?