FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[amh63]

PolarCat....you shop at Atkins too?  You are a person with fine tastes!  The apple orchards in the past surrounded the then smaller Atkins facilities.  For the Kennedy information interested posters, the late Ted Kennedy had his small plane crash among the Atkins Orchards while campaignning.
The Amherst website featured a Kennedy event this weekend on campus.  In Oct. of 1963, President Kennedy gave one of his famous speeches in what is now know as the Coolidge Cage, prior to dedicating the Frost Library....Robert Frost read a poem at Kennedy's inauguration.  I came back to Amherst for the event. Soon afterwards in Nov., Kennedy was assassinated.

[ColbyFootball]

Colby loses yet again. Another feather in Michaeles'' cap. I know it's the players.

I was at the game, and I thought the Mules play calling was quite good.  Too many overthrown / dropped passes and too many missed opportunities.  Some really sloppy special teams play, including a couple of snaps that Baron miraculously fielded on the bounce and still managed to get decent punts away.  The game featured two very good kickers on teams that don't give them enough opportunities to shine, but if Bates won the kicking game today it was because of the snaps and the holds.

I just don't see any way a Colby parent can hang this on the coaches.  The Mule players didn't step up and make the plays when they needed to. It looks like it was just that type of year for the Blue and Gray.

Uh oh....here we go again....

I agree the play calling was better. But if you can't do a better jon against a poor defense who is your rival, all really is lost. And they scored 24 points against a team that gave up an average of about 43 points per game.

They failed to stretch the field vertically yet again. Few plays thrown over 20 yards. And they have the WRs, but you need to put them in and call the plays.

Last fact to drive home the point. Driving to get kick a field goal to tie it, or a TD to win it, we through a 4 yard pass on 4th and 10. Game over. Why have a check down play called to anyone, let alone your 6'4" guy.

[PolarCat]

I would guess they didn't throw the ball long for 2 reasons.  First, from my limited exposure to Colby football, your QB doesn't appear to have the arm for it.  Second, the coaches probably watched a lot of film, and saw that one Bobcat CB has a penchant for playing 10-plus yards off his receiver.  Every other opponent has beaten up on him with quick slants and bubble screens, so I would expect nothing less from Michaeles.  Particularly after that "poor" defense picked you twice.

But what do I know?  I wonder if the Krafts share your complete disdain for the coaching staff? 

[westcoastDad]

Polar Cat,

The game saving tackle was made by.........the kicker in the Saints game!

Also, Joshua Tree was great.  Love downtown Tufts.  Saw the Trinity scouts at the Amherst game.

Who picked Amherst 4th place at beginning of season?  Heck, who picked em to finish 0-3? 

Speak!

Ollie is making things happen for the offense with both arm and feet. 

[ColbyFootball]

I have "no comment" on the Colby QB's ability to throw the ball downfield.

As for a Bates CB playing 10 yards off, inviting the quick slant. Not many quick slants were thrown, and Colby has a couple of WRs that would have thrived with that play. I've been screaming for it all season without luck. Total lack of offensive imagination. The most exciting play of Colby's day on offense was O'Brien running for a TD.

Regardless of what the Kraft family feels, and I doubt they really care, Michaeles has not earned the right to be renewed. By all accounts he has lost the locker room. And he 0-7.

[amh63]

Completely ignorant of the Colby football " stadium....so, I went to the Colby website to see if I could evaluate PolorCat's comments better.  Two bits of info I gathered.
First, there is no overview of the stadium or the present football facilities.  Lots of info on the 100 million dollar new athletic facilities to be completed in two years.  Maybe the Kraft family can chip in for better stands, etc, sooner.
Second, Colby has announced the public part of the largest Capital Campaign by ANY Liberal Arts College.  Wow!  The 750 million goal is even larger than the present Williams Campaign.  Am I correct, Nescac1?  I know it is bigger than any Amherst's Campaign.  Over 300 million plus in the "bank"...so to speak.  Maybe there is money/plans for a stadium upgrade at Colby...without any more Kraft money. 
Tufts upgrade of athletic facilities May have helped the rise of sports at Tufts in recent years. 

[ColbyFootball]

Completely ignorant of the Colby football " stadium....so, I went to the Colby website to see if I could evaluate PolorCat's comments better.  Two bits of info I gathered.
First, there is no overview of the stadium or the present football facilities.  Lots of info on the 100 million dollar new athletic facilities to be completed in two years.  Maybe the Kraft family can chip in for better stands, etc, sooner.
Second, Colby has announced the public part of the largest Capital Campaign by ANY Liberal Arts College.  Wow!  The 750 million goal is even larger than the present Williams Campaign.  Am I correct, Nescac1?  I know it is bigger than any Amherst's Campaign.  Over 300 million plus in the "bank"...so to speak.  Maybe there is money/plans for a stadium upgrade at Colby...without any more Kraft money. 
Tufts upgrade of athletic facilities May have helped the rise of sports at Tufts in recent years.

Colby's visitor stands are not worthy of a second rate HS program.  And, the visiting tailgate is across the street in the parking lot next to the athletic center making it difficult to socialize with friends from other programs.

[JEFFFAN]

Only thing that matters to these schools is endowment per student.   Amherst has the highest endowment per student in America for a college at $1.1 million per student.  Williams is at $1.0 million per student.   Colby at $389k per student, so presumably their campaign is intended to get this number up to a higher level.

[P'bearfan]

Just back from Parent's weekend at Wake Forest so I just saw the stats from the Bowdoin v Wesleyan game.  Disappointed in the score, but encouraged by the following stat:

Passing yards:  BOW: 317;  WES: 259

Would not have guessed that prior to the game.  Hopefully, that's something for the team to build on.

[polbear73]

PolarCat: Congratulations; kickers ARE football players.

[amh63]

PolarCat....my congrats too!  A little slow checking on football news in the proper places.  Your son must take after his mother...lookwise .

[PolarCat]

The game saving tackle was made by.........the kicker in the Saints game!

What about the Bills game?  Former Midd K Steven Hauschka not only got the tackle, he got the STRIP from your Raiders.  From Coach Sean McCoy's post-game press conference:

Q: How long do you spend teaching your kickers to strip the ball?
A: [laughs] That was a great play, wasn't it? [Stephen Hauschka] is an athlete. That was a great play.

[PBPOP20]

Just back from Parent's weekend at Wake Forest so I just saw the stats from the Bowdoin v Wesleyan game.  Disappointed in the score, but encouraged by the following stat:

Passing yards:  BOW: 317;  WES: 259

Would not have guessed that prior to the game.  Hopefully, that's something for the team to build on.

Very encouraged by Bowdoin's performance.  Game was closer than final score.  Bowdoin got screwed on one really bad 'no catch' call, played pretty strong D and had some great drives.  Young QB developing some rapport with the receivers.   Two more OL go down in the game, but the Polar Bears are moving in the right direction.

[TheHerst2and4]

My apologies if this has already been posted and any staleness since it was published in late August, but thought this was a pretty interesting piece on Amherst Sr. Elijiah Zabludoff that hits on some recurring themes for seniors considering the NESCAC https://www.si.com/college-football/2017/08/22/elijah-zabludoff-walk-ons-division-iii-scholarship

[middhoops]

Great article.  Thanks for posting.
Probably a more common story that most of us would guess.