FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[banfan]

frank, I was told by an AD that with the turnover in Presidents a "study" was underway regarding 9 games.  And it was not our HS AD.

I know, "study" is code for pacifier. 

[Doid23]

and nice bus ride back to Waterville for the Mules. 

I've gotta stop you right there. There is no such thing as a "nice bus ride" from Hamilton to Colby. Just not possible. Especially sober.

[amh63]

Still on the road, but have enjoyed the chat on the board filled with passion and humor.  Will hope to join in when I get home.  Meanwhile, some comments wrt to Amherst for now.
I spoke to the AD on the subject of a possible 9 game season for the conference.  She is on board with the subject.  Hope she talks with the president as she drives the president around to the various games on campus.
Actually, the football coach brought up the subject in his early morning talk with alumni/friends of football on Sat.  It seems that Amherst's planned starting QB was hurt in the William's scrimmage.  A 9 game season will do away to the silly scrimmage game.
The most experienced QB started his first game last Sat.... played ok in the first half and seemed to go "brain dead" in the second half for a period.  Wes.'s defense did step up in the second half.
Amherst's best center did not play on Sat.  It is hoped that he will return this week. 

[CBB Fan]

A very entertaining week in NESCAC football.

The Bates-Middlebury game was as entertaining a game as we've seen in a long time. Both teams executed superbly on the offensive side of the ball. Bates has been a very sound defensive football team but on Saturday could not stop Foote and his 3 outstanding receivers. Middlebury once again fields the best passing game in the conference. Foote threw the ball as well as any QB I have seen in 30 years of NESCAC football. That includes McKillop and any other NESCAC comtemporaries along with the Trinity QB's who made NFL rosters in the 70's and 80's, Foye from Williams and Hank Newman of Amherst one of the first great NESCAC passing QB's in the late 70's.

The Middlebury passing attack is well orchestrated with exceptional schemes, a great variety of looks and play calls. Overall it's all about great execution and they were flawless this week.
Does anyone know who works with the QB's at Middlebury and orchestrates that passing game, does Ritter run the offense? It's the best year after year and the guy responsible should be a candidate for a NESCAC head coach job or QB coach-offensive coordinator at a higher level.

If Middlebury can hold Trinity's production down a bit this week, they may have a shot but my guess is that Trinity will pound the ball on the ground with great success and keep Foote off the field.

Bates is to be commended for their offensive effort. QB Smith threw the ball very well and Bates fully utilized the great talent they have in 6'7" WR Squires who made 10 or 11 catches and a great TD grab. Squires is on a par with any NESCAC receiver. Bates ran the ball well without big tackle O'Neil, also among the best at his postition in the league.

Bates made the key mistake allowing a punt block for a TD and muffing a punt for another key turnover. As this team matures those mistakes will be eliminated. The Bobcats have made great strides this year and will be favorites in their last 3.

The best of the NESCAC season lies ahead---the CBB, The Little Three and all the great rivalries. It's a shame there are only 8 of these games. Lets hope we see a 9 game season in the not too distant future. It's over too quickly, these kids deserve another game.

One rumor heard from a friend that was making the rounds in Waterville last weekend had a plan on the table to extend the NESCAC season in this way:

The same 8 game schedule for all teams followed by the a 2 week play off involving the top 4 teams at year end. #1 vs #4 and #2 vs #3 with a NECAC "championship" game played between the winners the following week. This would extend the schedule for the top 4 teams. In this scenario 6 teams would play 8 games. 2 teams play 9 games and 2 teams play 10.

Can this be a viable plan for the conference? I like the idea of the additional play and a championship but not sure this makes sense relative to ultimately (hopefully) trying to position NESCAC teams for participation in D3 playoffs, another pipe dream for years within the conference that we will probably never see. Maybe this format takes D3 championship play off the table which is something that the NESCAC Prexys seem to have resisited from the beginning.

[banfan]

CBB the Midd kids are very good at throwing the ball.  I think that Bates blew that game.  Now that is exciting to say, isn't it?

Well, does Midd throw because they are always behind?  I don't know.  Is it because they don't run the ball very well (99 yds/game)?  Does the opposition run the ball well (223 yds/game) because they want to keep Foote off the field or is it more because the Midd run D is not very good?  I do not know, although they have been outscored in the first period 41-21.  I could dig in to the stats and probably find out but rather than do that I will see for myself in chilly northern Vermont.

I will say that they will not stop our run game and that we will stop theirs.  I also feel that Foote will be afoot a lot.  I expect that they will try and adjust for that but we will be putting them out of their comfort zone.  There will be more bad throws and bad decisions than in past games.  Will he get 300 yds? maybe.  Will they put up 40 points? nope.  Will they win? nope.  But I am excited for this game!

By the way, Bates coulda, woulda, shoulda been 4-1 and winning out been 7-1.  Big times in LA.

Regarding the additional games, I think that this is the kind of deal that might win support.  They will not allow ncaa's.  I don't think they will allow out of conference which would help us get "ranked" nationally which could add pressure for ncaa's.  This allows the big boys who have been complaining the loudest to have at it.  It also settles who is the champion.  I like it.

[frank uible]

If we all calm down and wait like adults patiently for about 2 1/2 weeks, we will actually know the outcomes and consequently won't have to get wet and otherwise risk injury to ourselves while engaging in wild speculation.

[nescac1]

Love the idea of a NESCAC championship, it would be a lot of fun.  Would be shocked if it happened, though; heck, nearly half of NESCAC was seriously contemplating abolishing football entirely, from what I understand, not that long ago.  For the teams perpetually at the bottom, it would only create more pressure and highlight the failure to make the tourney year in and year out.  And two of the teams perpetually at the top probably enjoy all of the media and, more importantly, alumni attention of ending the season with the biggest little game in America.  Two additional games would potentially dilute that.  IN short, as cool as it would be, I wouldn't hold my breath ...

I think a more realistic proposal might be replacing the scrimmage with a ninth game so that each team plays every other team each other.  That probably won't happen either, but it seems like a more realistic goal, since it would not extend the season for any team. 

[amh63]

If anyone can reduce the spacing of my last post, please do since I am inept at it.
Anyway, some more comments since I am home now.  With regards to a nine-game season, I was told that the cost of an additional game to Amherst will be less than 4K...mainly travel related costs.  I believe that the cost for the other schools in the conference will be in that ball park.....in short, cost should not and will not be a block to going forward on the issue.  The issue of "time" will be the area that will cause the most debate.....a week earlier for start of practice?....the length of the season?, etc.  In any case, talk of a post season and a playoff just provides reasons for some schools to back off on the question of playing a nine game season for a true championship.
After the game on Sat., met a friend who is also an Admissions officer at Amherst....a senior one.  He asked me what were my impressions of the game.  I simply stated that I felt that in the second half, it seemed to me that Amherst was looking for ways to lose.  My friend who is a better observer of the game than I, smiled and nodded in agreement (my friend was a former football captain at Williams.)
On Sunday, I chatted with the offensive coord. coach on a number of football related matters....such as possible upgrades to the football facilities, etc.  He asked me what I thought of the game.  I gave him the same brief response I gave my friend.  The coach supported my observations.  He is also puzzled about the play of his most experienced QB in the second half.  He felt that the QB at times was playing like a "rookie". 
Wes.'s FY running back impressed me not by his speed, but by his strength.  Most of his yards was made inside and after the first hit, rather than going outside.  He lines up deep in the backfield...alone.  the QB is low and behind the center.  After receiving the ball, the RB then picks his hole.  He is a player, but Amherst's Bunker had a great day...fewer carries and more yards.

[banfan]

Gee Father frank, I am curious what you think a NESCAC football board is for?  Comments like yours are made to suppress posting and that, my friend, is wrong.  If anyone wants to wet themselves, they can.  But my guess is that they are all adults and really don't need your hand holding.

[NESCAC JACK]

Banfan, while game situations obviously play a role, Middlebury throws the ball a lot because Middlebury throws the ball a lot—that's what they do. Look at the conference record books: recently graduated quarterback Donald McKillop is near the top in every passing stat, including attempts. (I'll also note Middlebury has run 50 more offensive plays than anyone in the conference, inflating the passing attempts stats a bit, and Remi Ashkar actually leads the NESCAC in carries with 129. It may be a pass-first offense, but it's not a pass-only offense.)

Your 'Foote will be afoot' line, in addition to giving me a good chuckle, made me think a little more about what we might expect when Foote goes to pass on Saturday.

Trinity does have a very good pass rush—they lead the NESCAC in sacks with 18, including five in the season opening win over Colby. However, a look at the numbers on the other side reveals an equally interesting story.

Foote has dropped back 283 times this year. (271 passes plus 12 rushing attempts, all of which are scrambles or sacks, because they don't call runs for him.) He's been sacked five times—that's under 2%. This is even though Middlebury has faced four teams in the top five in the NESCAC in sacks.

For a point of comparison, the rest of the league has dropped back around 1,328 times. (1,222 passes plus 106 sacks, and while this doesn't include scrambles, the numbers should approximate what we're looking for.) Those 106 sacks in 1,328 attempts are just shy of 8%.

Foote is therefore about four times less likely to get sacked than the average NESCAC quarterback. So, while the Trinity front is very good at bringing pressure, we can see the Middlebury offense is pretty good at repelling it. One thing we can agree on, Banfan: Saturday should be interesting.

[banfan]

Welcome JACK!

Somebody to talk football.  I appreciate the analysis.  As I mentioned, I did not dig in very much.  However, a few things. 

Remi Ashkar's carries may say more about the fact that you only have one effective runner.  He is in the top ten in total yards but his yards per carry is only 3.4.  So, he/they run a lot but not very well.  Are you saying that the O line is good at pass protection but not at run blocking?

I am not sure that making a broad brush analysis of the league half way through the season is reasonable.  After all, you observed that we had 5 sacks in our first game.  Whether a QB gets sacked has a lot to do with whether he gets rid of the ball and thus avoids a sack.  Some are much better at this than others.  Since you say that Foote is never asked to run can I assume he is not great at it?  Therefore, he may be smart about getting rid of the ball.

You do acknowledge that the Trinity defensive front is pretty good.  I will point out that the top six down linemen are equally good.  We sub a lot and always are fresh.  The linebackers are probably as good as any group in NESCAC.

Jack, I did notice that you didn't mention the Midd D.  The last three Midd games you surrendered 48, 48, and 43 points.  Amazingly enough the three teams that we just shut out, you have not played this year.

Anyway, we are looking forward to it.  My wife is class of '77.  It's her homecoming.  We are meeting a high school buddy and having lunch with our HS Hockey coach at the DKE house before the game.  Then we don't have to drive home.  Staying at Bob Newhart's place hoping to meet Daryl and Daryl or some other local dignitaries.

Keep posting.

[amh63]

Pat C......thanks for tiding up my posts!
The SIDs at Amherst have been busy due to the mid-week soccer matches that are critical to the seedings for the upcoming conference tourney.....therefore no preview of the upcoming football game with Tufts away yet.  With time on my hands, I must join in wrt to the Midd. v. Trinity game.  In an earlier post wrt the Amherst shootout with Midd., I observed that The Midd. QB has a quick release.  He makes quick decisions and the offensive line gave him time.  It is a big line for Midd.  Can't say much for its support of the running game since they didn't run much.  However, in the second half, Amherst carried a 13 point lead and put more pressure on the QB.  Amherst had three picks in the second half.  Thought the game plan for Midd. was to throw to catch up and to win.  Seems that Midd......based on games since Amherst doesn't run much and/or well.  Midd.'s QB passed for 400+ yds and still lost.
I believe that Trinity needs to get ahead in the first half.  Defensive pressure then can be more effective in the second half.  I will predict the fine Midd. QB will pass for over 400 yds, but Trinity will win.  If Trinity runs the ball well, then they can also control the time of poss. and prevent Foote from becoming a hero.  Midd. did have more poss. time and first downs than Amherst. 
Enjoy the weekend all posters

[Pat Coleman]

You bet, no problem.

[Trin9-0]

Middlebury quarterback, McCallum Foote, is out for today's game against Trinity. He apparently was injured on the final play of the game last week against Bates.

Tough blow for the Panthers but great news for Trinity.
This game could be over before it starts.

[amh63]

Amherst 30-Tufts 0  in a quick paced game.  It started to rain late in the 2nd quarter and it was raining heavy all through the 2nd half.  Amherst used 4 running backs and stayed mainly on the ground.  Amherst 21-0 at the half, and it was 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.  Amherst had a field goal and an touchdown by Bunker in the 2nd half....Amherst missed an extra point.....and maybe a field goal?  Tufts had an int. and several great punts of over 60 yards and maybe caused another turnover.....even got a sack.....only the 2nd of the season so far on Amherst.  Amherst's 1st string center played the first half but seemed to be limping a little in the second half.  New offensive line and even a new defensive line played most of the last quarter.  It was ugly for Tufts since they lost their starting QB early in the first quarter.  Used two other QB's for the rest of the game.  Absolutely no running game for Tufts and got most of their 1st downs on pass plays and penalties.   
This may seem to be a harsh post but the Tufts announcers were counting the number of punts by both teams...to see if the number of punts would tie or exceed the 17 touchdowns both teams made in last year's shootout.  The announcers continued to use the word "dominate" to describe the line play by Amherst over Tufts.....on both sides.
The good news is I believe no one was hurt on the Amherst team that could keep them out of the matchup game next week....with undefeated Trinity at home.  Awaiting the stats but that is not important.  2nd straight game the Amherst QBs' took a knee to end the game.  Amherst took the knee for the last 3 plays......the field was becoming very sloppy and therefore dangerous for the players.