FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[nescac1]

If I'm not mistaken, one kicker missed an XP and a FG, and then a second kicker came in and (narrowly) made the short FG.  The kicking game was pretty rough last year (three or four different kickers were used at various times, which should tell you something), and now the top kicker (Cleary) from last year's team is spending all his energy (and rightly so) on QB'ing, so I would not be surprised if kicking was an issue all year long.  Amherst has one of the best kicking units you will ever see in D-3 , so I wonder if, down the line, that contrast could play a big role in what is usually a close game.  But Williams has a few months to work out the kinks between now and then ... unfortunately, Trinity awaits and the Ephs can't afford to lose any easy points (indeed, I believe either a missed or blocked XP with no time left cost Williams a win vs. Trinity a few years back, if memory serves) on the road vs. the Bants.   

As a side note, a top incoming recruit on the Eph hoops squad hit a 47 yard FG in high school, but apparently is concentrating his energy on basketball in college. 

[quicksilver]

Thanks, NESCAC1. I had not realized that Williams used two different kickers against Bowdoin. Definitely an aspect of the game that Williams needs to work on since, based on this past weekend's results, a fair number of NESCAC games are likely to be close this year.

[banfan]

Wow, now that the last conference in the country is well under way, this site is, wait for it, wait for it, DEAD.

Heck, Bates shoulda/coulda beat the vaunted Amherst Lords and the same goes for Bowdoin with the willies.  Of course the third team in Maine had little chance against lowly Trinity.  Hamilton won their opener for the first time in a generation?  Nothing?  And the team that really scares all Trinity fans, Weleyan, kicked Middlebury's (the wife's school) Ass 16-15!  Can I say ASS?  I hope that I do not need to add (tic) to any of the above.

Does anybody recommend another place to post, or is this just the norm for the NESCAC?

[creekboy]

banfan, why do I feel like a kid on a playground being dared to cross the line?  En garde! Seriously, I don't think the Hamilton fan base is quite ready to start talking trash on any online forum. That said, maybe it's coming in a couple of weeks. They have a pretty balanced offense. Their defense can play better, and they need to make big plays that can change game outcomes.  A win over Wesleyan would be sweet. A win over Trinity would be REALLY sweet. To quote little J. P. in Angels in the Outfield, "It could happen."

[banfan]

To quote Her Frankenstein, "It's alive!!!!"

Bravo Creekboy! 

After jr.  year I took my son out to Hamilton and Colgate.  Stayed at the Historic Utica Hotel.  Gave him the gift of a Hall Of Fame visit as well.

I thought both schools were great, him, not so much and that was in the summer.  I would never visit in the wintah.

Anyway, got a Hamilton tour from a Hockey/Football player.  He claimed that the food was the best in conference.  Football field was great and I love so close to campus.  I love Bates new field for the same reason.

Be my guest and kick Wesleyan's butt.  I am still not sure if it is alright to say ass.

See, 8-10 sentences and no trash talk about the willies (got that from Fat Bastard) who we get at home this Saturday.  Friendly chit chat can be done.  Anyone else?

[iamhuge]

To quote Her Frankenstein, "It's alive!!!!"

Bravo Creekboy! 

After jr.  year I took my son out to Hamilton and Colgate.  Stayed at the Historic Utica Hotel.  Gave him the gift of a Hall Of Fame visit as well.

I thought both schools were great, him, not so much and that was in the summer.  I would never visit in the wintah.

Anyway, got a Hamilton tour from a Hockey/Football player.  He claimed that the food was the best in conference.  Football field was great and I love so close to campus.  I love Bates new field for the same reason.

Be my guest and kick Wesleyan's butt.  I am still not sure if it is alright to say ass.

See, 8-10 sentences and no trash talk about the willies (got that from Fat Bastard) who we get at home this Saturday.  Friendly chit chat can be done.  Anyone else?

Also toured Hamilton...thought it was just gorgeous.  Of course that was in late April. 

[met_fan]

To quote Her Frankenstein, "It's alive!!!!"

Bravo Creekboy! 

After jr.  year I took my son out to Hamilton and Colgate.  Stayed at the Historic Utica Hotel.  Gave him the gift of a Hall Of Fame visit as well.

I thought both schools were great, him, not so much and that was in the summer.  I would never visit in the wintah.

Anyway, got a Hamilton tour from a Hockey/Football player.  He claimed that the food was the best in conference.  Football field was great and I love so close to campus.  I love Bates new field for the same reason.

Be my guest and kick Wesleyan's butt.  I am still not sure if it is alright to say ass.

See, 8-10 sentences and no trash talk about the willies (got that from Fat Bastard) who we get at home this Saturday.  Friendly chit chat can be done.  Anyone else?

Also toured Hamilton...thought it was just gorgeous.  Of course that was in late April. 

I loved the snow when I was there...until around baseball season and it was still covering large parts of the playing fields.  But if you don't like snow, it would not be the place for you.

[mariner75]

As we were visiting my kid said, "If we see one more car on blocks without tires on the front lawn, let's just turn around....please."

[Trin9-0]

I am still not sure if it is alright to say ass.

You can say ass but only when referring to Colby's albino mascot.

banfan, why do I feel like a kid on a playground being dared to cross the line?

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

This week's shameless self-promotion/preview of the Bants and Ephs showdown in Hartford:
http://athletics.trincoll.edu/sports/fball/2011-12/Blog2

*Side note: the original title was "We're going streaking!"

[banfan]

So, read the blog and wondered why the History class.  Fine, a little history is good.  But, why not some actual insight or analysis?  And why is the injury to our starting kicker not more clear.  If he is not done for the year than Colby players who said they heard cracking must be sick jokesters.

I will say the Trinity front seven is very strong with a lot of experience and Colby did nothing with the run.  The O showed nothing at Colby.  Twelve throws split between two QB's with different skill sets who could both start (not at the same time).  We have three quality runners.  Trinity did not have to show anything at Colby.  If I were the DC for the Willies I would not know what to work on this week except a lot of wind-sprints (tic).

[Trin9-0]

So, read the blog and wondered why the History class.  Fine, a little history is good.  But, why not some actual insight or analysis?

Ouch... same team Banfan, same team!?

The truth is I'm limited to:
a.) how long the posts can be
b.) the information that I'm allowed to share
c.) the information I actually have

I thought a little overview of the rivalry would be interesting to our alumni (the main target of the blog) especially considering the importance of this game within the greater context of the current home winning streak.

For some more in-depth analysis of the game check out http://trinitysn.com/. Sure it's a little Trinity biased but I get the sense you'll have no problem with that whatsoever.

Looks like Trinity's starting kicker and punter, Tim Costello, will be out for the season. Certainly a big loss for the Bants.
Any word from Williamstown on the injury to Scyocurka? Kristian Lapointe is listed as the starting tailback in the Trinity-Williams game notes.

[oldhamfan]

Seriously, I don't think the Hamilton fan base is quite ready to start talking trash on any online forum......To quote little J. P. in Angels in the Outfield, "It could happen."

Being a Continentals fan is like being a Sox fan before 2004 or after last night.  Expect your dreams to be crushed.  But I'll still record the game 
http://www.ezstream.com/broadcasts/index.cfm?fuseaction=affilbrd&broadcasterid=58301&Org=EZ&CFID=19550206&CFTOKEN=50928364
and watch it later. 

[nescac1]

Have not heard much of anything on Scyocurka but I think it's safe to say he won't be out there if not listed as the starter.  Perhaps Coach Kelton says something on the weekly football show this week (on Willinet, I haven't watched).  I'm just glad to see Lapoint is playing, given that he seemed to leave the game with some sort of injury as well. 

Seems to be a proliferation of NESCAC sports related blogs this year.  Here is another:

http://nescacinsider.wordpress.com/

Man, you would have thought that Trinity blew Colby out of the water (instead of it being a one score game at halftime) and totally dominated all aspects of play (instead of only having a four yard advantage in ball control) based on banfan's gushing analysis.  It sounds like Trinity's defense played well in the red zone, but Colby was certainly able to move the ball.  From how banfan describes Trinity, you'd think that they were wasting their time in NESCAC, and should be playing D-1 ball!  Of course, it's been three years since Trinity even won the NESCAC, so it might make sense to at least wait a few more weeks before annointing them as unbeatable ...

Williams certainly displayed some flaws in the Bowdoin game (as usual when they play Bowdoin, it seems), some of which will hopefully be corrected this week.  Missing an XP, a chip shot FG, and fumbling at the goal line going in for the clinching score are mistakes they can't afford to repeat this week.  The offense will have to be a lot more creative and explosive vs. Trinity.  As good as Trinity's running attack is, though, I think the Ephs may actually match up better vs. the Bants on defense than they do vs. Bowdoin's spread passing game.  Bowdoin's receivers really did play out of their minds last week.   

No Scyocurka hurts, but Lapoint looked tough last week, and the two other backs both had their moments as well (Wohlwender looked particularly good in short yardage and goal-line situations, and Hernandez is more of a boom-or-bust back with big play ability).  I think WR Tomas Kearney also missed the Bowdoin game (or certainly didn't play much), his return this week would also help. 

But Trinity also has some question marks, both in passing and defending the pass.  They have to be a slight (four point?) favorite, given that they haven't lost in many years at home, but I'd be surprised if the defending champs didn't at LEAST keep it close after two straight heartbreakers in CT, both of which were games the Ephs controlled until late game collapses (most noteably the missed XP which would have won the 2007 game, but also a successful onside kick by Trinity in 2009 to cap a manic comeback).  We shall see. 

[banfan]

8-0, I did not know what I apparently should have known.  Blog author?  Sorry, I was not trying to kick you in the nuts.  Sorry that I apparently did.

Keep up the so, so work....  I AM JUST KIDDING!!!!

How many more times may I use the "rookie" defense"?

[NESCACInsider]

Hey all,

I'm the founder and operator of the NESCAC Insider blog, an offshoot of the Tufts Daily student newspaper. Just wanted to introduce the blog on these forums and hopefully become a presence here as well. Long-time reader of the D3 boards.

If you have any suggestions for the blog (specific features you'd like to see on an all-encompassing NESCAC news site) or even want to contribute content to the blog (in any way, shape or form), please shoot me a PM. Looking forward to continuing the discussion and chatting NESCAC sports with everyone.

Thanks for your time guys.