FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

Some observations:

Middlebury suffered a post Lord Jeff hangover!!!!!! 23 points scored by the Ephs?

Tufts coaches deserve a "D" grade for not switching QBs during their last drive at the end of the first half.  Tufts played that drive, then 24+ minutes of the second half, with no energy...... wasted time, no hurry up at the LOS, and the Soph #12 basically used the read-option to keep the ball out of the hands of the defending OPOTY.

Made no sense given the Jumbo O was basically inept....  and that includes the luckiest botched coverage and 70+ yard TD pass scored by the slowest WR in all of D3.

That QB Snyder wasn't inserted until 5 min left in mop up duty screwed Tufts.

And a C- grade to the Bantam staff for taking the pedal off the metal and making the 2nd half as boring an offensive half vs the exciting 1st half.

One HAS to think that Civetti being a former Bantam had something g to do with this ludicrous "let's not score too much" behavior.

Bottom line is this game should represent the reason for the good NESCAC teams to not stop scoring...... one never knows what might happen.

[lumbercat]

NESCACMAN-

Bates lost to a better team today but the Bates D played well regardless of what you are reading on the stat sheets. Bates special teams cost them the game and Bates O was terrible and stuffed by Wes all day. I think that is pretty much what Polarcat said.

Wes was handed the game on awful special teams mistakes.

Bates muffed punt snap- Wes ball on Bates 10
Wes long punt return- Wes ball on Bates 3
Wes blocked Bates Punt- Wes ball on Bates 23

No excuses, Bates handed the game to Wes today- they played awful. The better team won.

As for your comments on LB Upton you state you saw some of the game while channel surfing around a great day in the NESCAC. You need to get your facts straight. The official stats on Upton today were 4 solos, 8 assists. 1 sack and 1 TFL- not sure what you are looking at.  You are  watching bits and pieces of multiple games which will lead to these kind of mistakes.

By the way, since the Tufts game I've kept my own log in person, on Upton. Today I had him with 7 tackles and 6 assists, 1 sack and one TFL---you didn't see the game so no sense weighing on his performance today.

As a point of fact on Upton I looked at the Tufts film a few weeks ago to check the Tufts stats that padded FY LB Holt badly and missed a number of Uptons tackles. I was correct in my assertion. I believe that game tape is still available on the Tufts website--- watch it and tell me where I am wrong instead of making your calls based on watching a little bit of a game and stating that the numbers are incorrect. How do you know.

Are you related to Howard Cosell?

[polbear73]

Lumbercat, I watched the Bowdoin-Hamilton game and still can't figure out how the Polar Bears almost won it. It was one of the strangest games I can remember with big plays, turnovers at crucial times, weird penalties, and Bowdoin's defense being the epitome of bend a lot but coming up big most of the time.

An example of this whole game happened after Bowdoin scored to make it 25-20 with a little over 3 minutes to go. First, Bowdoin was hit with a celebration penalty, Bowdoin fumbled on the failed 2 point conversion during which Coach JB Wells was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct. The result was Bowdoin kicking off from their own 10 and giving Hamilton starting field position for their final drive on the B 42. From there, it was only a matter of time.

In general, it was a strange game played by two young, inexperienced,  and not particularly good teams. Both teams have some talent, but after watching Midd, Amherst, and Tufts, one has to wonder if either of these programs will ever have enough of it to be able to compete on a sustained basis.

[Grabowski]

As a Cards fan, I'll tip my cap to the Bates D.  They kept the Cats in the game despite struggles by the O and later the punt team.  Pretty good swarm by the front seven, but they could only do so much for so long.

Tackles is a lousy stat even in the NFL, even at that level they lack consistency from tracker to tracker.  SI did a good piece on this within the last couple years--same types of disagreement as we see here, and they pay people to track it.  Also, a LB gets the same credit for stuffing at the line as he does for getting tripped over 9 yds down field, and when he's on the field 38 mpg he is likely to get more of them.  It's a team deal anyway, easier to pile up the tackles when a Wilfork type occupies a couple blockers every play.  IMHO we can find better things upon which to disagree. 

[westcoastDad]

Well said Grabowski!

[lumbercat]

Grabowski-
I agree with WCD- well said.

[amh63]

Did a great deal of online "surfing" yesterday.  Lots of sports events at Amherst starting at 10:30am.  During the football game, the NSN would freeze on me so I would watch another game like the Bowdoin-Hamilton game, Midd-Will,etc.  The announcer at the Amherst game tried to get the game score of the Trinity-Tufts game but could not.  I tried too and failed.  Concluded the signal problem at Amherst was due in part to the number of contests being covered by NSN.  Read that some posters would like a home crowd view, etc.  Yes, I would too and also replay and maybe roving camera shots. Maybe it will come.  In the basketball games coverages some CAC schools like Tufts and Wes provide multi-located camera shots.  In MBB, in games outside of the conference, there are other networks providing coverage that have on the floor views, etc.  It requires money, etc.  For now, I just remember the days of no coverage and Pay to watch.  Only the NESN coverage of the Amherst- Williams game has coverage from the ground and in the announcer box side....and it cost extra funds.
One thing I observed in the Hamilton game...there are no longer any visitor stands.  Saw nice shots of a building and a few security people .  I left the game when the Polarbears scored late in the 4th.
The Midd-Williams game became interesting when Williams scored to make it 28-23?.  Left it to return to the Amherst game.  The Amherst game was only interesting for me..figuring out how many freshmen players were getting PT.  Did like the highly touted freshman QB from MA.  He does have good feet and is willing to run inside...only 190 lbs...but his one flare pass to his left was not good, IMO.   Did not like the Colby defender flip the Amherst QB...Morales...up and on his back.  Also did not like the end of the Amherst  men's soccer game when a Colby player made a sideline hit that brought several Amherst players too him....coverage stopped quickly.  Yes, emotion in a contest and  bias...still do not believe in unnesscary physical moves that could cause injury to a player.

[PolarCat]

There was a QB at the soccer game??

[amh63]

Please read my comments again....guys.  Unnecessary physical moves ...in the football game.  QB made a run...he was stopped...period.  The defender lifted the player and flipped him up and on his back.  No call on the stop.  My opinion on the matter.   Bias comment so stated.  Emotional action from both myself and the defender.  Now The second comment....in the soccer game as so noted...was in the last few seconds of the 1-0 win for Amherst.  Ball headed for the sidelines and an Amherst player was "hit"...my term...run into or challenged for the ball.  It brought two other Amherst players quickly to the scene.  Broadcast stopped.  Unnecessary emotional move by a player in a soccer game that was basically over.
Clear enough?  Could give another example of an unnecessary physical move  in last night's Intense Wisconsin vs Ohio State game but you may not have watched it.

[westcoastDad]

Um, our QB better learn to slide!  He's all we have maybe!  That highly touted 4th stringer QB....Won't scare anyone right now.

Our NSN was horrible.  We should pay someone to Facebook Live from the game.  Sheesh

[westcoastDad]

Oh, as for our telecast guy....Hugh Campbell? He needs help.  He kept saying he couldn't get a score update on the Tufts Trinity game.   All he had to do was click on nescac.com and click on the actual game to see the live action with scoreboard live and accurate.  I was searching to see if Campbell had a twitter.  He was off from the beginning.  He's clearly reading old starting lineups.  He didn't realize that Figueroa was starting at running back (not Hickey).  He didn't realize Derek Ward wasn't a starter.  Clearly he hadn't done his homework.

[PolarCat]

amh63, I say this with great affection, but sometimes you pack so much into a single post, it's hard to ferrett out the point(s) you're making.  Gotta cut us linear-thinking mere mortals some slack from time to time.   

[PolarCat]

WCD in your telecast guy's defense, most of us check NESCAC Scoreboard, which was not updated from about 5 minutes into the 1Q.

A combination of small phone screens and middle aged eyes makes it difficult for those of us in the stands to watch the webcasts.  It's easier when you're watching the webcast on your laptop from the comfort of your mancave.

[westcoastDad]

No excuses Polar Cat.  All he had to do at halftime of Amherst game was use his resources.  I was watching game via cell phone.  I'm sure he has one.

[amh63]

WCD.....don't get on the Amherst announcer on NSN  too much.  NSN was shorthanded as 3-4 games were being covered and  overlapped.....at several schools. Amherst's announcer did not seem to have an assistant.  If I remember right...flawed memory...he did the Ice Hockey coverage for years at UMass`Amherst....volunteered to cover Amherst ice hockey...for little or no charge.  All before NSN.  His voice is unique and he may have covered other sports now. The announcer for the field hockey seemed to be a young one and had a cold or allergies and was not really into the game.  Game coverages  in sports like basketball has at least two persons and the teams usually have 15 players.....not 75!
Cell phone/ smartphones...there are people like me that keep them off when driving, watching live events and online events.  Even ask guest and family to turn them off at a family gathering.