FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[westcoastDad]

Gotta love the broadcaster for the Trinity v Middlebury game.  He knows both teams well.  Gives good insight either way.  His excitement level is a 10. 

Trinity is clearly the class of the league as they lead 28-0 at half.

Amherst.  We look very ordinary.  Trail 6-0.  Berluti at QB is rusty.  Several overthrows.  Running game isn't consistent enough to scare anyone today.  Tufts QB and Chance Brady seem to be the difference in the two teams.

[BantamMom]

42 - 7 Trinity with 4 minutes to go in the third - this game is a snooze fest...

[amh63]

WCD....agree.  Amherst had a chance to tie...but the 36 yd kick went wide.  Amherst just quit when Tufts went up 20-10.  Yes quit!
Put this loss on the coaches!   Really bad OC calling and mistakes at critical times.  Had to settle for a field goal when on the goal line.   
Tufts played a solid game.  Coaches had a fine game plan, etc.  Congrats to the better team today!

[westcoastDad]

AMH63, couldn't say it any better....except to add that our defense has really surprised me this year.  Not nearly as physical as those in the past

[westcoastDad]

Wow, my Internet feed cut off with maybe 3-4 minutes to play in game.  Score was 20-10.  We gave up yet another score?

I'm seeing that we gave up over 240 yards rushing.  But had only 81 yards rushing ourselves.

That's the story of the game right there

[IslandTime]

WCD....agree.  Amherst had a chance to tie...but the 36 yd kick went wide.  Amherst just quit when Tufts went up 20-10.  Yes quit!
Put this loss on the coaches!   Really bad OC calling and mistakes at critical times.  Had to settle for a field goal when on the goal line.   
Tufts played a solid game.  Coaches had a fine game plan, etc.  Congrats to the better team today!

Knew the game was over when Amherst kicked the FG after having 1st and goal from inside the 5 TD line. I am now a believer , that outside of the lack of team speed, the biggest weakness from a player personnel stand point is our O-line. 4 plays to hammer out 5 yards. Not doing so, told the story.

I know injuries happen in football, but the loss of Reece Foy at QB looms large. He was such a playmaker last year and could buy time scrambling that just isn't there without him.

[frank uible]

The kind of kids that Amherst gets don't quit - they may disappoint, but they don't quit.

[jumpshot]

I agree Frank ---unfortunately some plague alums have far too much of their self-worth wrapped up in wins and losses.

Those of us who played multiple sports at now-NESCAC schools know "the game is for the players", and to call out coaches and amateur athletes is way out of bounds ....

These same posters have sinned in the past and likely will do so again ----even at their advancing age!

[JEFFFAN]

The kind of kids that Amherst gets don't quit - they may disappoint, but they don't quit.

As Bill Parcells said, "we are what [our] record says we are".  So no excuses for where Amherst is - congrats to Tufts for their continued ascension into the top of the NESCAC.  One poster - might have been nescacman or nescac1 - a few weeks back commented on the lack of a running game.  To say the least he was prescient.   No running game means increased pressure on a passing offense whose leader was hurt in August.   Loss of the great offensive line graduating class (Class of 2016) might have been understated pre-season.

I did wonder when checking scores what happened at the end but man that is a hard comment to make on kids who play for Mills.  No one is perfect, and maybe some of these kids didn't react well today (I have no idea because I didn't see the game), but if they did they will be watching the rest of the season from the bench.   The success of this program over the past ten years would suggest that quit isn't part of at least his vocabulary.  They always, always play hard.   This year the wins aren't there - it happens, and kudos to the victors - but I think it is extremely unfair to put that label on kids who play for Mills.

Call me old-fashioned, I'm good with that ...

[westcoastDad]

JEFFFAN are ya kidding?  Everyone on this board has been commenting on the lack of running game for the Lords of Amherst.  Island Time harped on it early.  I mentioned that the read option is whack without a dual threat QB.  We get on the goal line and seem to have little push and don't run wide.  Very primitive offensive schemes.
As someone above said, our fate was in trouble early in the game (end of half) when on first and goal from inside the 5 we settled for a FG (had 3rd and 2) already down 6-0. 

I didn't see the last 3 mins.  After we failed to score deep inside their 25 following an INTERCEPTION and unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Tufts....we threw 2bbad pass plays (1 the receiver was wide open for a first) and gained 1 yard on a basic hand off to our RB.   At that point we were only down 13-10.  Missed the 36 yard FG with backup kicker. 

Game over with 8mins left. 

We gave up 2 TDs in last 8 mins.  Smh.

Like I said, I missed the last 3mins because the Internet feed went blank.

AMH63 is pretty black and white.  For him to say that we quit......I gotta think is credibility should not be questioned as way off.   It is Family weekend for Amherst and these kids knew their chance of having a winning season fell on winning today.  They know Trinity is a tough out.  Plus, this is their 3rd loss in 4 games and first loss at home in 3 years. 

These kids are human.  The air may have just come out of their gills.   Even I was shocked to see 27-10.  Unless there was a pick 6 or something flukish.

They are college kids.  But, I'm not thinking anyone is attacking them personally.   Alums bleed purple and white.

YOU GUYS OUGHT TO BE HERE WHEN USC LOSES.  IT'S LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD.  THIS BOARD IS TAME BEYOND BELIEF IN THAT RESPECT.

AMH63 is Howard Cosell.....just telling it like he saw it.

[JEFFFAN]

Sure you're attacking them personally - you are saying that they quit?  What else could you say that is any more personal than that?

I have played college sports and watched three sons play a sport at a higher level then NESCAC.  I know how hard their teams worked.  If some Amherst players didn't bring it to the end, EJ will sit their butts for the rest of the season.  This has nothing to do with having gone to Amherst.  This is about posters accusing - yup, accusing - kids of quitting in a program that hasn't seen quit in forever.   I don't bow to anyone's stature, but Mills is nothing but a damn good coach whose kids play hard.

Take it back.  Go ahead.  It will feel better.

[PolarCat]

Can you guys hit the pause button for 20 minutes?  I need to run down to the store and buy some popcorn...

[westcoastDad]

Your probably a tad more sensitive than the norm.  If you're going to need a handkerchief anytime someone criticizes after a sporting event then good luck.

Alums are passionate.  Sometimes to a fault!  Unless you were watching, u probably are less credible at this point.

Frank?  Did u watch the last minutes of the game?  Anyone?  Not u Island Time.  We have kids on the squad and must stay neutral. 

Constructive criticism can be brutal.  I'm wondering what triggered that post.

[PolarCat]

Great game in Lewiston today.  Fans of the "haves" schools can snicker all they want about the Battle of the Midgets  but the Little People put on a very entertaining game.  The first half was (almost) all Bates.  Colby's John Baron hit a 43 yard FG in the first quarter, but other than that, the 'Cats showed off a well-balanced offense, and took a 21-3 lead into halftime.

The second half was all Mules.  Christian Sparacio came off the bench and totally changed the complexion of the game, leading 3 second half scoring drives: two passing TD's to Sebastian Ferrell (big, fast and has outstanding hands), and another Baron FG, this one 45 yards.  Sparacio converted third down after third down, and was leading the Mules on what would have been a go-ahead drive, when Bates' Trevor Lyons made a game saving knock-down on 4th down with 17 seconds remaining in regulation.

Like the last two Colby-Bates meetings, Special Teams had a huge impact.  Although he made those two long FG's, Baron had a third attempt  blocked by Trevor Lyons.  With 2:34 left in regulation, Colby scored to draw within 2, and went for the 2 point conversion, only to have Sparacio's pass tipped by Bates.  It was a game that easily could have gone either way, played by two teams who both faught hard till the final whistle.

[hamgrand]

42 - 7 Trinity with 4 minutes to go in the third - this game is a snooze fest...

Trinity was definitely the better team.  Disappointed it was not a better game.  Congratulations to the Batams!

P.S. As previously advertised on this channel - it was a long walk to/from the tailgate area - but the Jumbo-tron was a pretty cool touch at the beginning of the game.