FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[PistachioX]

I agree they were out coached, as much as anything. 

Lots of  '...coulda, woulda, shoulda there, Banfan.  That's exactly why I suggested Amherst was the better team yesterday. Trinity simply didn't deliver a complete game when it counted most.

[amh63]

Several random comments before I turn to another "football" game this noon between Trinity and Amherst at Amherst....soccer that is.
Banfan.....rather than giving you such remarks as "Time will heal" or "There is next year", or ask you the question of ....did you find the game interesting in spite of the lost? .....did you get to park on the field? in spite of the Amherst early warning of no parking.  Tried to look for you and your dog via my computer screen.  Did see cars parked behind the visitor's stands along with the buses.  Surprised to see so many fans...Trinity fans?....standing on the sidelines and near the endzone area.  Were the sight lines that bad from the stands?
Anyway, talking about stats....Midd. crushed Hamilton with the return of QB Foote.  I was curious to see if Foote had thrown for 300-400 yards.  The official stats for the game had Hamilton for more total yards than Midd.  Hamilton had more rushing yardage and even net passing yards than Midd.  Alas, the only number that counts is the scores and based on those, the game was not even close.
It really comes down to the play of the players during the game.  Amherst QB ran the ball well and early in the game threw a pick on a poor pass.  In Amherst's last big drive (the one which led to the blocked field goal), Amherst's QB completed two third and long passes to keep the drive and the clock going.  Amherst's OB lost about a dozen yards when he took two knee-downs and ran for a lost in the last series to keep the clock running.   Amherst's Sr. Safety, K. Heller got a penalty called on one hit on a receiver.  He however came up with the bat away in the end zone when your Bunker tried a pass.
I believe in my humble opinion, along with several from the announcers of the game (who are former football players, I believe) that the play from both defenses caused both coaches to try different options.  One of your touchdowns in the red zone was on a pass to the TE.  Another was due to the ability of Eric Bunker from within the five yard line.  The play with a heavy formation (TWO TE'S) to the right was stopped by Amherst, but Bunker cut back to his left and overpowered the defensive man into the end sone.
Your QB ran for a great 56 yard TD at the start of the 2nd half.....totally unexpected.  He was not contained partly due to the TE block, and partly due to the "mistake" of Amherst's soph. OLB that went for a sack and took an inside route and left his cover area.  In short, it is why they play the game and when 18-22 year old players play, things happen....both good and bad.
One last observation.  The game between Midd. and Hamilton was for "The Old Rocking Chair".....really. Please ask your wife if she knows anything about that......NO Jug or other symbol?

[frank uible]

Some people who are knowledgeable certainly about football and arguably about life take the position that one is what the scoreboard says one is.

[frank uible]

amh63: At my stage in life I like the Rocking Chair better than the Jug.

[banfan]

gee frank, and where is the score board in life?  hold that thought frank, cause I really don't care.

[banfan]

amh63, the atmosphere was fine, since you asked.  It was hard to tell but it almost seemed as though there were more Trinity fans that Amherst.  Can't tell who was in the end zone and the sun is on the visitors which makes it nicer but there were fewer on the home side than the visiting side.  Also, the grass field was in fine condition but the lining on the field was poor and they don't have tent markers on the 10, 20, 30, etc. so it was very hard to know what was being gained or lost on the field.  That leads to the score board which had to be referred to in order to know what happened on the play.  From the visiting stands, it is not easy to see the score board.  It needed to be just a few yards to the left of where it is.  I hope you are not offended by my honest answer.

Now look fellas, I'm a big boy and I don't post pabulum.  If you have something to add about football, great.  If you want to talk about character than maybe a little chat about the disgusting reaction by the Amherst bench to a seriously injured Trinity player who was staggering around the field, out on his feet.  Now maybe you, amh63, did not see that in the broad cast or maybe frank did not even attend the game or watch it.  But, that is just another reason why I came away a little more than disappointed.  Did the best TEAM win?  I gave you plenty of statistics and I said statistics are for losers.  But I will tell you that if we played 10 games under the exact same conditions Trinity wins 7.  IMHO  And by the way, I am not running for congress.  I am a football fan who supports Trinity football.

[TheHerst2and4]

Perhaps they should put an asterisk next to the outcome

[formerbant10]

Was at the game, there were plenty of Amherst fans until halftime.  Trinity looked flat and the Men's soccer team was down 1-0 so a lot of the students left to go watch that game.
Great Trinity support and they got much louder in the 2nd half.
Huge Deja vu moment with another dropped punt inside the ten...happened twice in the last game at Pratt to help the Jeffs.  Guess that's karma after the "not-downed" punt that Trinity took back for a score some time ago.

Yes, the announcers both played football at some point in their lives....but they coach other sports at Amherst.

I don't know if Trinity wins 7 out of 10 at Pratt playing without Fallas.  I thought the 2-minute offense worked very well to get down the field until a somewhat badly thrown ball was intercepted by a very, very good defensive player.

[Doid23]

Sorry, but the better team did not win yesterday.  The better coached team.  The more disciplined team.  The best team we played this year.  OK

Trin ran the ball for 286 yards.  Except for a 75 yard up the gut td by Bunker in the 3rd qrtr, Amherst would have lost and Eric would not have had 100 yds on the day.

I'm sorry, but coaching, discipline, etc. are part of how you define a team.

And I love when people say "we would have won if they didn't have that kickoff return", or "if they didn't call that penalty, we would have won". You can't "take away" a 75 yard TD run. It happened, was part of the game, and you can't discount it. 

[amh63]

Another post of random thoughts as the season comes rapidly to the end with games between "Old Combatants".  Yes Frank U., I would join you on the porch.
The sports heavy weekend is pass and I am behind in my chores...so to speak.  It closed on Sunday with Amherst battling Trinity and Williams teams for conference championships.  Now I can focus only on the football game ahead.  I really like the idea of a "symbol trophy" game between schools. The rocking chair is a great one....for me who dwell on interesting trivia.  Why is there no trophy to pass back and for each year for games between Williams and Amherst (the 3rd or 4th oldest football on-going contest in the land), or one for the Trinity vs. Wes. game; or for that matter for the CBB winner or the "Little Three" winner?   Unanswered questions to pursue.
Maybe the symbol trophy for the Williams vs. Amherst game should be "a library book"....sort of inside joke that William grads take too seriously.
During the half time broadcast of the Trinity game, a Trinity grad and star athlete, who is related to the Chicago Bears Halas family, made a prediction for the outcome of the game...it was 35-17.  It is also an example of how players and grads of conference schools are intertwined with each other after graduation in a positive manner.  For example, the team doctor for the Williams football team is an Amherst grad.(is he still employed?....didn't see him go on the field when a Williams player was injured during the Williams vs. Trinity game) The new head baseball coach at Amherst is a Midd. grad.  Last year, while watching a Trinity vs. Amherst MBB game at Amherst, the wife of the new Trinity head coach was on the Amherst side among the family members of the sr. star point guard, Meeham......trying to stay neutral,IMO,(I was sitting behind her among the family members, by chance).
In the upcoming post season....NCAA tournament period, fans are going to be charged a fee...NCAA rules.  What a shame and how much money do they collect for expenses at Div.3 regional events?  At Amherst, I believe, students are free, and children of a certain age.  I hope other conference schools follow that practice.
Oh yes, the LSU vs. Alabama football game.  I watched it for awhile and found the fans in the stands more interesting than the game on the field.  As my guru, John Feinstein, wrote in the Wash. Post today on football, "The game was awful.  The punters were on the field more than the quarterbacks."  It was rather a harsh column on football in the BCS.

[amh63]

It is midweek, finished raking up the front yard this Indian Summer day...to no avail as leaves continue to fall.  Wife returned and wondered why I had not finished raking.   Now, I have fled to do some mischief by posting on this board.  I'm crossing my finger that the end of the week will be dry.  Don't want a repeat of the Nov.ll, 1995 (was it that long ago?) game.  That 110th meeting between Williams and Amherst in Williamstown is now referred by the press as the The Mud Bowl.  A game played basically in mud with the ball standing on end at times.  Amherst entered as the underdog.  I pulled out the 4 day featured coverage of that game by the NYT. To quote the Times on Sunday, Nov. 12, 1995....lead in...."Down in the mud and blood and the sawdust, on a squishy surface at Weston Field that looked like an aerial view of the Okefenokee Swamp, Amherst College accomplished the impossible today.(written on Nov.11) It beat the undefeated Williams, 0-0."
This upcoming Sat., that won't happen.....since today we play OT games and Sat., the unbeaten will be the visiting Amherst team.
It is hard to beat Williams at home!  In any sport, especially in football.  Have to refer to the 2009 game, to gain some confidence.  I have a copy of the Amherst produced DVD of that game and season to review.  In that Dvd, it was stated that seven previous times, Amherst, entered Weston field 7-0 and left with a lost.  I watched the DVD.  Not so surprising was the key plays of two particular players that will play their last football game on Sat. (I enjoy watching games thru the play of particular players that I have followed over several seasons)  The players are Eric Bunker and Kevin Heller.  This season, Eric is a starting RB and Kevin is the starting SS.  IMO, both are "impact" players at their positions.  In the 2009 game, both played different roles and only part time.  However, their play strongly impacted the outcome of the game.....a win for Amherst and an 8-0 season.
In the 2009 game, Eric played on special teams, including being on the field during punting situation.  It was E. Bunker who picked up a loose ball on a blocked punt and made a long run for a TD.  It was a key play as it helped Amherst overcome a deficit.  Kevin Heller was playing as a back-up WR in 2009.  He made two long catches during two long drives that led to first downs and then TDs.
I expect that whatever the outcome is on Sat., Eric and Kevin will continue to be impact players and help lead their teammates towards their goal at the start of the season.....an 8-0 season.

[amh63]

Seems, I am the only poster this week..so far.  For those interested, the Amherst vs Williams preview is now posted on the Amherst website.  As stated before, it is a "fair and balanced" writeup giving past games, and expected lineups.
Read a Wash. Post column today by George Will, a Trinity graduate who writes good books on baseball and political related columns that I can understand sometimes.  Today, he wrote a column about the state of affairs of BCS football.  Interesting trival posted related to the LSU and U. of Alabama schools.  Both BSC schools paid around 4 million dollars to their head football coaches, while the schools presidents are listed as having salaries one-tenth that of the football coaches.  I know that at least two conference school presidents have salaries greater than LSU and Alabama heads!....and this is NESCAC where the largest school is Tufts and the rest is under 3000 students.

[banfan]

amh why would you expect posting, I have not written anything for folks to get high and mighty about. tic, sort of.

However, if you want to talk about everything but FOOTBALL let's chat about the sickening culture at Penn State.  This is why we don't have 9 football games.  It's easy to look at college football as evil when, wait   a   minute..... it is evil.

Does anyone have an opinion on child rape and cover up so that the football team doesn't look bad and our gravy train can keep on chugging?  "Joe Pa for Governor!"

Maybe that will get the ball rolling.  But I doubt it.  A lot of knee jerking and not much reading round these parts.

And when are you going to move that score board? 

[amh63]

Banfan.....took the bait.   First, change the rotation of the scoreboard?  Amherst, wants to be a good host.  The school puts the visitor's stands on the SUNNY side. On a very cold day in the Fall, with the wind blowing, one is tempted to leave the shady side and sit on the warmer side!  You want to see the score too?  Know what's happening?  Next thing, you will expect Amherst to roll over in a game and be the perfect host.
The local papers and top sports columnist have covered the "situation" in Happy Valley for days!  The news channels on politics, cable sports have gotten every one to offer a view/opinion.  Many that have given/written comments should not have done so, IMO.  The Wash. D.C. area has a very large Penn State fan base....so it is big news.   First, I enjoy watching Penn State football and their defensive play.  I am and remain a Joe Pa fan.  I have been to Happy Valley and stayed over a number of times....for business. 
There was even a front page story on the Penn State firing of Joe Pa.  It was written by Tom Boswell, now the paper's senior sports writer and one of the best around, IMO. The stories have dwelled on "not being a bystander" when you see bad things happen; on what is the right thing to do, the "moral" things to do.  I am tired of reading about it.  Stories have brought in the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America.  It is a human tragedy story, that too often is repeated.  Football enters the picture because Joe Pa is involved, it is his huge name that carries the news story for so long and to the level it has reached....or should I say, because football is so big in happy valley.
Now to connect it to this board.  Tom Boswell is an Amherst grad.  One of Amherst football greats in the 70's...Freddie Scott, a walk-on player, went on to play WR for the Detroit Lions and entered the College Hall of Fame, has a Penn State connection.  His son, who he couldn't recruit for Amherst, went to play for Joe Paterno at Penn State.  He left Penn State early to enter the NFL.  I believe, he did not make it in the NFL.   More triva.  This is my last post here until after the games on Sat. 
Good luck to all the posters, enjoy your games.....except for the Williams people.  Just kidding.  You can enjoy the game when your team is losing.....badly.

[TheHerst2and4]

Congrats to the Jeffs on an undefeated season and an outright NESCAC title. Had to hold my breath a bit until the final whistle, but glad they made it out.
Also congrats to senior Kevin Ferber on taking the school sack record.