FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[NewtoNescac]

Game Day!

Let's hope today's games are competitive and fun to watch. But most important, that at the end of the day it finds all of the players safe.

Enjoy!

[P'bearfan]

Good luck to the Polar Bears as they travel to Medford today.  Hope they can surprise everyone and pull off an upset!

GoUBears!!

[amh63]

Maybe....just maybe it is a local handcraft brew.....like Steinbrew.  Like a feed back if possible?
My oldest son and his wife now live in Brooklyn.  Seems the local alum group is sponsoring an evening out to learn how to make your own brew...at a nearby Brooklyn location.  My son who is a foodie of sorts and appreciates good beer from around the world...much in common with PolarCat...was notified by me to check out the event.  He doesn't keep in touch much with the Amherst info flow.
In any case, there should be a chill in the air for all the games with the leaves turning...Fall.  Good time for watching football Live.  Enjoy all. 

[P'bearfan]

Midway through the 2nd period and Bowdoin trails Tufts 7-20.  Tufts jumped out to a 0-17 lead but the P'bears got on the board early in the 2nd.  However, the defense just can't seem to stop the Jumbos.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin calls a flea flicker for a 38 yard completion and set themselves up on the goal line.  Nice pass by Drakeley.  Unfortunately Bowdoin was unable to punch it in despite even trying a half back pass.  Had to settle for a FG to narrow the score to 10-20.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin trails at half time 10-27.  Telling stats:  First downs 9 for Bowdoin vs 17 for Tufts.  Tufts and Bowdoin have been equal through the air with both teams compiling just over 150 yards.  However, the Jumbos have been rolling on the ground amasing 119 yards vs the P'bears 36 yards.

Hopefully we can make some adjustments at halftime.

[PolarCat]

Halftime in Willytown, with the Ephs leading 13-7.  Bates again hampered by mysterious play calling.  This must be the easiest offense in the universe to defend.  Run on first down, run on second down, then pass on 3rd and 8.  Over, and over and over again.

Even more puzzling, Bates only sends one receiver downfield, so of course he is double teamed.

Bates defense is stopping the run, but Lommen has made some beautiful deep throws.  Neither of the FY CB's who were torched so badly last week are playing, but we have a different FY DB in the game.  Oy.

On the plus side, it's a gorgeous fall day in Willytown,and the Eph marching band is entertaining.  As one Bates dad put it, "it feels like an actual college football game."

[NewtoNescac]

I will not give my opinion after Colby's loss at Wesleyan today. I will just give a few facts to digest.

Since last year Colby's record is 2-9. Colby scored 2 TDs it less in 9 of the 11 games.

Enough said.

[polbear73]

Tyler Grant did not play for Bowdoin today-no reason given. Not that it would have made any difference as the Polar Bears could stop nothing and couldn't get a running game going. Hats off to Tufts for a dominant win. Bowdoin showed bursts of improvement in the passing game, but little else.

[P'bearfan]

Polarbear73 - I didn't get to watch all of the second half but I have to agree with your summary.  The defense struggled to get a stop.  The passing game while not perfect is improving.  Drakeley can clearly throw the long ball which has added punch that we lacked last year.  I didn't see his first INT but the second one he just tried to squeeze into tight coverage. Need to get the run game going.

[P'bearfan]

I also liked the play calling on offense. Bowdoin wasn't afraid to take chances - a flea flicker and 2 half back passes.

[quicksilver]

Definite sparks in the Polar Bear passing game -- both Drakely and Nelson looked good -- they combined for 381 passing yards. I was impressed with how confident Nelson seemed in moving the team although perhaps he was playing against back-up defensive players. But the Bowdoin D is struggling so much this year. . . .

[JEFFFAN]

Pretty impressive win today by the Lord Jeffs.   Were able to stop the Middlebury rushing offense completely, forcing Midd to pass virtually all day long against one of the best defensive backfields in the current (and maybe historic) NESCAC.   On offense, the three-headed running back core was highly effective - someone tell me how they are going to keep Hickey off of the field when Kelly returns full speed.  As good as Kelly is, this kid Hickey has a different burst of speed as evidenced by the three long touchdown runs he has had so far this season.   And Foy is just a revelation, a multi-faceted quarterback who can run and throw.   Remember - THIS was supposed to the game that broke the streak!

[AmherstStudent05]

Great win for Amherst today.

Key sequence of plays came at the end of the 3rd quarter.  Leading 10-7, we fumbled a punt at our own 34 yard line, which seemingly put Midd in a great position to either tie the game or take the lead outright.  But, on the very next play, Coach Mills sent Evan Boynton on an A gap blitz which resulted in a 9-yard sack.  The Panthers were subsequently forced to punt despite the outstanding field position.

Then, on our ensuing punt, Midd fumbled and we recovered at the Panther three.  The Midd defense held firm for the first three plays, but Coach Mills (wisely) went for it on fourth down.  A rare empty set apparently caused some confusion in the Midd defense and Jackson McGonagle was left uncovered for a critical TD that put us ahead 17-7.

JEFFAN, I agree that our secondary played well today, but, in truth, I am not sure they have quite developed into the dominant force that many predicted.  Even today, there appeared to be several blown coverages.  Surprisingly, for whatever reason, Midd was rarely able to take advantage.  Again, they have played well -- and still have time to play better -- but I don't see them as some historically good outfit at this point.

The area where Amherst has been outstanding is the front 7.  As you noted, they completely shut down the Panther rushing attack.  They were also constantly harassing Matt Milano.  Even when we were only rushing 3 -- which we often did on third and longs -- we were usually able to do enough to fluster Milano.  Evan Boynton, who missed all of last year with an injury, has been having a sensational season.  He was the best player on the field today.  12 tackles, 2 sacks, and a pick.  He was all over the field and should be a strong contender for DPOW honors.

Completely agree with your assessment of Foy.  He has shown great ability as a dual threat QB.  He also appears to be willing to take chances while also being poised enough to know when and how to pick his spots.  The Midd secondary is very good and made us earn everything we got in the passing game.  Foy had to be on the money with his throws -- and for the most part he was.  Penalties are still a problem which I am sure Coach Mills will be eager to correct.

Anyway, great win today.  Congrats to the players and coaches.  Now it is time to prepare for another trip to Maine. 

[PolarCat]

The second half was "better" for the Bobcats, but not quite "better enough".

Despite the offense's difficulty moving the ball - 3 and out, 3 and out, as evidenced by a NINE MINUTE difference in time of possession - the Bates defense stiffened in the second half, and made some outstanding stops, including a crucial stop on the Bates 14.  Williams was forced to settle for a FG and a 9 point lead in the 4th quarter.

Bates returned the resulting kickoff 30 yards, and the Bobcats did their trademark 3 and out.  But Trevor Lyons got a pick on the next play, and Bates had the ball again at midfield, only to have that drive stymied by another fumble (Bates had 6 on the day, losing 2 of them). 

On the ensuing series, the Bobcat defense dug deep, and held the Ephs to a 3 and out of their own.  Bates marched the ball 34 yards in 9 plays to score, narrowing the lead to 2.

Once again, the defense stiffened, and Williams had to punt.  With 3:06 remaining, we finally had a ballgame on our hands.  The Bobcats drove from their own 37 to the Ephs' 30 (about 5 yards beyond FG range).  Dugan threw what should have been a great strike to Mark Riley at the 8, but Riley was absolutely mauled by a defender, and the ref didn't throw the flag.  On the next play, Dugan threw a wobbly pass on an out pattern, and Riley managed to keep both feet inbounds, laying his body out almost horizontally for an NFL-highlight-reel-quality catch on the 18.  Which the ref called out of bounds.  (I know, bad calls are legion in the 'CAC.  but this one really hurt).  A disgusted Riley spiked the ball and was ejected.

The penalty pushed the 'Cats out of field goal range, Dugan ran one desperation play on 4th and 25 from the 45, the Ephs got the ball with 16 seconds left, and the fat lady sang.

This is two weeks in a row where Bates lost a close contest that was within their grasp.  The 'Cats are a better team than their 0-3 record would suggest.  But the Ephs are also a better team than most on this board would admit.  Lommen has a great arm, and Pomella and Sime are very solid receivers.  Their run game isn't there yet (FY Noah Sorrento had 27 yards on 10 carries, while Connor Harris had 19 yards on 13 carries), but they are a solid team, and may well go 5-3 this year.

There WAS a beer tent under the scoreboard, the WBB coach was cooking hotdogs and burgers under the grandstand, the foliage was first rate, the security was nowhere near as intrusive as rumored, there was a sweet, alumni Dixieland band performing for the Williams tailgate, and the marching band was pretty darn good.  All Farley-Lamb Field needs is some hot, non-bovine cheerleaders, with bodacious pom-poms and it could be the best venue in the 'CAC to watch a game.