FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[nescac1]

I'll just ignore the trolling LewDogg's bait.

One other comment, Williams is not alone in having a lot more questions on defense than offense.  Look at last year's all-NESCAC teams.  There were only four seniors who were first team all NESCAC on offense, and six on the second team.  Meanwhile, there were eight seniors who were first team on defense, and another eight on the second team, including Fallas and Ferber, who are arguably the two best defensive players of the past decade in NESCAC, and Schultz, who has been the leader of the Eph defense for three years.  Statistically, only one of the top ten RB's, three of the top ten WR's, and three of the top nine QB's graduate.  Stars like Foote, Hartwell, Drew, Evan Bunker, Crick and most of the Midd receivers all return on offense, and last year's inexperienced QB's like Marske and the Bowdoin/Trinity QB groups should be vastly improved.  Meanwhile, six of the top ten (including four of the top five) tacklers graduate, as do the top FIVE guys in tackles for loss, and five of the top ten interceptors.  None of the returning defensive players are superstars.

Indeed, the only teams that look like they lose a substantial body of star-power on offense are Amherst, which usually is able to reload, and Colby, which was a bit of a mess by season's end in any event.  Every other team looks improved, on paper, on offense, some radically.  In sum, I'd expect a wide-open offensive year in NESCAC next fall ... closer to 2010's record offensive year, than 2011's more subdued offensive season (the average PPG per team declined by around five from 2010 to 2011, which is a pretty dramatic conference-wide decrease in scoring). 

[amh63]

Thanks all for ALL the football related info during a period of "down time" of sports for me.  Several comments.  First, until the new turf field is installed by 2013...Amherst will have a football field of grass not surrounded by a track.  Amherst's new field to be ready by the football season in 2013...will be the third turf field in the conference.
Second, there are solid returning players in the backfield for Amherst...both in size and speed.  The primary/key unknown....on the offensive side will be QB...and at WR.  The defensive backfield will have to replace some great players.  It is interesting to note that in D3, there are talented players that play several sports...as noted by Old Guy with the BB and baseball players.  That is a major reason that such students choose D3 sports.  Anyway, there are 3 players from the Amherst BB team that should contribute to football.  One is Gene Caray, a two-time all NY/LI running back in HS.  Max Lippe should compete at QB where he can use his 6'6" size and speed.  Then there is Landrus Lewis who was an all conference CB who could be selected as a football captain.
I had a nice discussion after Homecoming last year with the Amherst offensive coord.  Among the topics we talked about was the need for a new field house and practice field changes.  I met him again at the Amherst vs. F & M basketball NCAA game in Lancaster PA.  He had a very positive happy attitude at the time.  Little did I know that the feasibility study for a complete make over of the Amherst football complex was underway....and required funds were well in hand.

[nescac1]

The plans for the Amherst field look great.  It is really frustrating to me that the Williams project, which was slated to be completed three years ago but was put on hold due to the recession, has not resumed.  I am hoping that Amherst announcing its own plan will light a fire under Williams' butt to find to get this done following the 2012 season (I realize the library was a higher priority, but that is now well underway and on path to completion, and the Williams endowment has rebounded to pre-recession level of close to 2 billion).  The Williams plans I saw years ago looked very similar to the Amherst plan.  What is interesting is that I found this (more recent) proposal online:

http://arcusa.com/node/183

It is dated 2011.  I wonder if Williams has decided to make the track facility separate from the football field, as it appears to be in this plan, or if this is just one architect's unsolicited suggestion.  This plan looks pretty sweet, with one major caveat: no parking / tailgating area adjacent to the field.  I am torn because I would love to see bleachers adjacent to the field without an intervening track, but on the other hand, no adjacent tailgating area would be a major, major fail.  Any Williams folks have any knowledge about the state of affairs as regards the field situation? 

[frank uible]

Currently there are 5 NESCAC colleges with turf football fields (Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity) with Amherst coming in 2013 and Williams whenever it in its infinite wisdom chooses. The remaining three NESCAC football colleges (Bowdoin, Tufts, Wesleyan) may have something in the works unbeknownst to your correspondent. Artificial turf tends to favor teams with speed. Historically and for the foreseeable future Trinity has had and will continue to have the speed in the conference. Consequently the trend to artificial turf in NESCAC football benefits Trinity, ceteris paribus.

[nescac1]

Frank, speed is one component of talent (a huge one in football, exacerbated as you note by turf) certainly, but my sense was that Trinity's talent advantage (and they have had one in virtually every year in the past decade) was across the board ... for example, they've had stellar interior line talent, on both offense and defense, since Priori was the coach and began recruiting.  For whatever reason, though, Trinity has rarely had elite QB's, which tends to negate their talent advantage elsewhere to some degree (despite its huge run of success, only ONE Trinity QB has made an all-conference team during the past decade).  Still, despite that general talent advantage, which is unlikely to ever change in the near future for a variety of reasons, five of the last six NESCAC championships have been won by a team other than Trinity, and on four of those occasions the non-Trinity winner went undefeated (Williams x2 and Amherst x2) ... so the rest of the conference shouldn't just bury their heads and give up.  Especially when a team like Middlebury can bring in a transfer like Foote to play QB, that is a pretty bit equalizer ...

Have you heard any word around campus, Frank, on what is happening with the Williams football facility?  Its upgrade is now five years overdue ...

[frank uible]

No word to my knowledge.

[amh63]

Frank U. ....thanks for the corrections to my earlier post.  I was aware of the turf fields at Colby and Trinity.  Attended a game at Hamilton several years ago and did not even notice that the field in Clinton was artificial.  Attention was watching out for my grand child and enjoying the antics of the linesmen dressed in "cavemen" outfits...and the game somewhat.
It maybe a little early in the year....since exams are approaching and all......but I would be interested in any word about the possibility of a 9...yes NINE... game season in football.
You guys from Williams really keep late hours.

[frank uible]

We Ephs are early birds looking for worms. About 3 years ago the NESCAC ADs and coaches got tgether and recommended a 9 game schedule. The Presidents rejected the recommendation. I don't expect the subject to emerge again for several years.

[lewdogg11]

This is a serious question and in no way a poke at the NESCAC football 'special' situation...

Do people associated with the football programs get upset when they see teams like the baseball programs(This year Amherst and Trinity) able to show how they match up regionally and nationally in both the regular and post seasons? 

Trinity was a National Champ just a few years back, and I remember playing Williams in baseball way back when and they were loaded with studs.  I know a sport like baseball is a completely different animal than football, where it's probably easier to have a VERY strong team for at least a few consecutive years that could compete against anyone, but based on this, one would automatically think that the top football programs could be near the top of the heap regionally and possibly nationally.  Are there any 'sour grapes' from the football supporters, or has it just become something so old and ingrained that it isn't even an afterthought?

A part of me likes dismissing the NESCAC football programs because of how they do things, but it's very likely that they would be as good or better than the top teams in the East.

[PistachioX]

I don't know if my kid and his teammates feel slighted or not...being excluded from post-season play.  They can and do  look at defensive & offensive stats to compare themselves nationally - but never get the chance to prove their moxie on a bigger stage.  It would be nice to at least play everyone in the conference each season.  It is strange to me how the conference treats football different from other sports.

[amh63]

Frank U.....thanks for the info and time reference to the football topic on hand.  Since the "three year" reference, there has been at least three changes in college leadership....Bates, Tufts and Amherst.  Did the last decision include the new Prez at Williams?  In my count, the  new Amherst leader is more of a football supporter than the last one and the new Tufts prez seems positive to Sports....Tufts' new student workout facility was funded by an ex football player and President of the NY Giants.  There seems to be more of a climate change at Wes. and not to forget the time frame of the last decision......in the middle of the college recession.  Tufts was in the middle of their billion dollar campaign and Amherst was in the start of a Capital Campaign.  I also believe that Bates' new Prez is more inclined to sports....since success on the field tends to add money to the school.  In any case, with the turnover of leadership, it maybe a good time to have someone raise the question again...and again.  I am assuming that the leader at Conn. College does not have a vote....leaving 9 schools in the voting......and we have Hamilton now a FULL member...even though they did play football in the conference before.   Oh well, I maybe chasing windmills here....if you push at Williams, I will try to raise the question at Amherst.

[frank uible]

My advice is that you save your breath (and your other resources) for causes which have a chance of success. Incidentally Conn College does have a vote on this general subject, which in the past has gone against any expansion of football.

[quicksilver]

wow -- amazing that Conn College gets a vote on football matters even though it does not have a football team . .

[frank uible]

NESCAC works its wonders in mysterious ways (or possibly its mysteries in wonderful ways).

[TheHerst2and4]

not to detach from the repetitive "NESCAC doesn't go to the playoffs" conversation, but great story involving the Tufts football team
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/05/02/boy-with-cancer-signs-letter-of-intent-to-join-tufts-football-team/