FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[amh63]

Was going to have a quiet day watching golf...lots of comments here...so decided to clear a bunch of thoughts in my head...on the games I followed yesterday.
First, on the subject of Foote, his stats, etc....I am glad that this is his last season!  He is one talented competative player.  Tough too...got hit hard a number of times.  His parents should be proud of him.
I did not know about his Amherst ties until Amherst Coach Mills mentioned them on the "podcast".  Thought he maybe related to the legendary Asst.AD at Midd'.  Challenged by a poster, I did some research and found out that his parents were in school with one of my kids! 
Due to the late start of the Amherst game,  I did catch a little of the Williams game.  Read the posted writeup and seems I missed the "hook & ladder" play.  Saw Williams run the play last week in the Trinity game.  The one against Bates was more elaborate.  Editorial comment...seems to me that using that type of play often indicates offensive weakness.
Now to the Amherst game.  Continuing on the strange play thread.  Amherst is ahead and there is a trick play inserted.  Lippe pitches to his back who swings right and laterals to Ragone going the other way...all in the backfield.  Ragone cannot make the corner and throws a pass downfield to Lippe. Incomplete.  I now know that Ragone is left handed.  Why the play?  There was another sequence near the end of the first half, I believe...when a FY OB was put in.  Question raised by the announcer about Lippe's condition.  I started to wonder about the status of the normal backup QB.  Associate both surprising offensive moves to what the HFC calls work in progress wrt to the offense.
Middlebury ran 100 plays!  I repeat...100 plays, 50 per half.  Amherst plays better in an up tempo offense.  Amherst ran 68 plays.  I give much credit to Amherst coaches to continuously refreshing the defensive players...inserting a number of young players.  Several key defensive players that played well in the previous games were not in the game.  The defense stepped up big time.  I believe people are under estimating...yes under estimating an acknowledged GOOD defense.  Bowdoin's best runner ran for over 90yds against the Panthers.  The same runner ran well against Tufts.  In the Amherst game, that same runner netted 16yards in 16 attempts. 
Apologize for my rambling thoughts.
Edit:   The Bowdoin runner Zach Donnarumma had only 13 yds on 13 carries.  He was selected today as the offensive player of the week for his efforts against Tufts....gaining 4.7 yds per carry and gaining over 130 yards.

[gridiron]

For Middlebury to throw the football 84 times borders on irresponsibility.  I know there is a strong desire to run up Foote's stats yet again this season, but it should be about winning football games, which by the way, in some people's minds, should continue to be a team game.  His/their stats have been tarnished by the over-the-top number of pass attempts.  Midd had best lead the league in every single passing stat, as should all individual receivers, given that approach to the game.  And yes, the seven interceptions to date leads the league as well, I believe.

[lumbercat]

Great account of the Bates Williams game by Warriorcat who saw the game in person while I struggled with the Williams Internet feed.

This was a great win for the Bates program. 2 years ago the Bobcats outplayed mighty Williams in every phase of the game in Williamstown an left the Ephs wondering what hit them.

Last year, in Lewiston, Bates totally dominated Ephs with a punishing ground game for a bowout win.

This year was to be the revenge of the Purple at home. They would avenge the 2 prior fluke losses.

Bates rode into Williamstown again the underdog and grinded out a win despite the loss of their QB Dugan and their best linebacker Durkin. Also they lost their big DL Comstock in the first quarter. Lucky for them they got Sammy Hundley, a bull on their DL back from injury and he came up big for the Garnet.

After a long period of frustration this Bates team is getting some well deserved respect they deserve it. On both side of the ball they are well prepared and physical---sometimes it's nice to see the underdog have their day.

Wesleyan looks like the best in the league and will be a challenge on the road for Bates, we will see their very best despite some key injuries.

[lumbercat]

Gridiron-
The only thing bordering on irresponsibility is your implication that Middlebury puts Footes stats above winning. That's absurd, that's a fine program and coaching staff at Middlebury. They are making the calls that they feel will give their team the best chance to succeed.

Tufts is throwing it 70 times a game.....Bates is running it 70 times a game. Are they "irresponsible" too?

In each case a coaching staff is making calls based on their strengths and abilities that they feel will give their team the best chance to win.

Guarantee Ritter would take a 3-0 win over any loss with big stats and passing numbers.

[gridiron]

Lumbercat, point well taken regarding winning-I should not have implied otherwise--my bad.

However, chasing passing stats has been going on for a long time up there, in the opinion of many.  And you are absolutely correct---stats are not worth more than wins.  The point I was attempting to make.

[AlDavis]

Great account of the Bates Williams game by Warriorcat who saw the game in person while I struggled with the Williams Internet feed.

This was a great win for the Bates program. 2 years ago the Bobcats outplayed mighty Williams in every phase of the game in Williamstown an left the Ephs wondering what hit them.

Last year, in Lewiston, Bates totally dominated Ephs with a punishing ground game for a bowout win.

This year was to be the revenge of the Purple at home. They would avenge the 2 prior fluke losses.

Bates rode into Williamstown again the underdog and grinded out a win despite the loss of their QB Dugan and their best linebacker Durkin. Also they lost their big DL Comstock in the first quarter. Lucky for them they got Sammy Hundley, a bull on their DL back from injury and he came up big for the Garnet.

After a long period of frustration this Bates team is getting some well deserved respect they deserve it. On both side of the ball they are well prepared and physical---sometimes it's nice to see the underdog have their day.

Wesleyan looks like the best in the league and will be a challenge on the road for Bates, we will see their very best despite some key injuries.

Great job Bates....I was calling out this Bates win over Williams in the summer....Stick a Fork in Williams....Bates going to get a beat down this week though....in two weeks Amh63 will poop his pants.....and Wesleyan might go for 70 when Williams comes for their reckoning.....next year will be worse  , so good times are here and the oooooh snaaaap the haters are going to hate and this is the way its going to be for now on......have a great Monday everyone.

[Vandy74]

Great account of the Bates Williams game by Warriorcat who saw the game in person while I struggled with the Williams Internet feed

After a long period of frustration this Bates team is getting some well deserved respect they deserve it. On both side of the ball they are well prepared and physical---sometimes it's nice to see the underdog have their day.

It's good to see the Bates football program enjoy some success.  I believe the senior class of '68 might be the only one in the school's history to witness a winning team all four years.  My best friend from high school entered Bates as a member of the freshman class of '69 and enjoyed 4 wins while matriculating there.  3 of them that freshman year.  Bates did welcome back football by going undefeated in 1946 after a 3 year wartime hiatus and played in a bowl game.  They lost by a respectable score but I wonder if any other NESCAC team has bowl game experience.  Here is the link for the disbelieving.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_Bowl_(game)

[AlDavis]

free money

Hamilton          46
Bowdoin        - 6 1/2

Bates               56
Wesleyan        - 27 1/2

Amherst         - 16 1/2
Colby               47

Trinity            - 29 1/2
Tufts                45

Williams             62
Middlebury       - 12 1/2

next week 0 - 4 Tufts at  0 - 4 Williams    and   4- 0 Wesleyan  at  4 - 0  Amherst where I get to meet Amh63 , can't wait to take a dump at that new field.

[lumbercat]

Vandy-
Right on about the Glass Bowl. Bates was undefeated that year and were invited to Toledo to play in the inaugural Glass Bowl Classic. They lost but held their own. Proceeds from that game were significant to Bates by 1946 standards when capital was scarce following the war. Old timers in Lewiston insist that monies from that game were instrumental in campus expansion that took place in the post war era.

Believe Bates is the only NESCAC team with a bowl game in their history.

Bates added Toledo to the schedule and returned for an encore with all their travel expenses paid by Toledo the following year. They were beaten soundly and may have decided to return to their New England scheduling cocoon thereafter.

The postwar era through the mid-late 60's were the best days for Bates football. Vic Gatto of Harvard fame rebuilt the program in the mid 1970's but the program deteriorated into a very bad situation thereafter prior to Coach Harriman's arrival from Harvard. He has struggled with the remnants of an administration that frankly did not support athletics. Bates has recently had some administrative changes, a great new AD and most importantly a new President who appreciates the role of Athletics in a balanced liberal arts environment

The football program has shown great improvement amidst these changes at Bates and I would expect that it will continue which is a good thing for Bates followers who have suffered in recent years.

Bates Football history in a nutshell.

It doesn't get easier for the Garnet  as the best team in the league lies in wait for the Bobcats down in a central Connecticut think tank called Wesleyan.

[AlDavis]

that's some cool history , many of the teams have some history , I believe Tufts played some big games back in the day and Wesleyan actually beat Michigan....actually this subject would make a great coffee table book all The Nescac teams football history.....listen Lumbercat there is bad news though this week as that Bates Caveman offense will have very few first downs , very few yards and no points like Colby....Kukesh is a flat out beast though and can see him teeing up some routes and statting up some tackles , but other than that this game will be a strait beatdown.

[lumbercat]

Al-
No question Wesleyan has a wagon this year. I've given them credit all along and predicated from the beginning that the Whale would build a winner. They lost 4 guys in transfers to 1a or 1aa programs which is indicative of the caliber of athletes they are recruiting.....and getting through admissions.

To use your terms years of "beatdowns" to Trinity has led to their resolve to find a way to win. I respect that and have wished them well in th process.

Relative to Bates you are correct that Kekesh is among the very best in the conference. In your words he is a "beast" and your description is accurate. You are overlooking 2 other beasts on that team who I have spoken about before, RG Berstein 306 and RT O'Neil 310. Each is big and extremely athletic, neither is the prototypical "soft" 300 pounder OL that we sometimes see on NESCAC rosters. These guys are the key to the Bates offense which runs the football- caveman style.

I am sure The Whale and Siedlecki will put 8 in the box and give the Bates ground attack a challenge but I guarantee you Bates will pound the ball with more success than Colby and the game will be competitive---- no 41-0 shutout this week.

I won't predict a Bates win- they are badly banged up and have a very "young" passing attack but I can't go along with your call that it will be a copy of the Colby game for Wesleyan with Bates being shut out and making very few first downs.

I enjoy your posts and spirit as a great addition to a sleepy board this year. Lets hope for good weather on Saturday and enjoy the game.

P.S. If I need to use the bathroom I'll stay on the Bates side.

[Vandy74]

that's some cool history , many of the teams have some history , I believe Tufts played some big games back in the day and Wesleyan actually beat Michigan....actually this subject would make a great coffee table book all The Nescac teams football history.

A great book indeed.  Wesleyan actually beat Michigan?  Very cool.  I've found sites that listed games played back in the 30s and several NESCAC schools played present day D1 teams back then but I never saw reference made to a game that any of them actually won.  I also found a link to defunct bowl games and agree with lumberjack that Bates has the only bowl game experience. 

Over on the basketball board last winter there was a thread concerning the 30 year period between when the NESCAC was established and began enforcing rules governing things like post season play and finally became an actual playing conference.  Traditional rivals were discussed and while the Maine schools and the Little Three were basically unaffected by NESCAC control Middlebury lost some of their most meaningful games particularly in football.  We often played Wesleyan, Williams and Bates but we also usually played RPI, WPI, Union, Norwich and even UVM until they gave up the sport.   It was possible to link Middlebury's schedule with virtually any team in the country.  I happened to find a list in an old scrapbook where I had jotted down the 1981 connection.  Midd played Norwich, who played Springfield, who played Northeastern, who played Lehigh, who played Colgate, who played Syracuse.  Syracuse played Illinois, Maryland, Penn St, and Navy whose schedules linked up with the SEC, Big 8, Big 10 and Notre Dame.  Those days are gone now with the homogeneous NESCAC schedule requirements and the 75 player roster limit would keep even the best NESCAC teams from being competitive beyond the first round of the D3 NCAA tournament should the rules ever change allowing them to compete.  It's exciting to see Bates finally making some noise and Wesleyan putting a team on the field that could remind Amherst and Williams that it's the Little Three not Two but olde tyme Middlebury fans would love to see Norwich back on the Panthers' schedule.

[Vandy74]

  I also found a link to defunct bowl games and agree with lumberjack that Bates has the only bowl game experience. 

Apologies to "lumbercat"

[PistachioX]

I agree with Lumbercat.  Bates' defense likely won't win the game for the Bobcats, but they will certainly narrow the exaggerated PF/PA spread Wesleyan has enjoyed after their first three contests.

[gridiron]

Having watched Wesleyan up close, they are big (really big) and talented in the trenches and at running back.  The way to beat them is to get a lead and force them into a passing game/catch-up situation.  Easier said than done, admittedly.  Their passing game is average at best, but the run game (and defense) has more than compensated.  While Middlebury won't play them this year, Wesleyan is the better team and would prevail.  However, it would have been interesting to see what might have happened had Middlebury been able to get a couple of touchdown lead on them.

Bates will play their power game but will get ground down over the course of four quarters.  Would like to see the upset but too much horsepower with the Cards right now.

And to earlier posters' comments, yes, much of the battle is won during off-season recruiting (with assistance by admissions for sure).  Coach W pitches to recruits he "runs a D1 program that happens to play in D3."  Could help explain the recent transfers to other D1 programs.

With the exception of perhaps Amherst (haven't seen yet myself), no one will stop them for their November showdown with the Bantams.