FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacman]

Nice win by Wes today who easily should have had 2 or 3 more picks than the 2 they had. A couple of notes: if not for a late TD by Midd Wes would have covered, Justin Sanchez should be NESCAC defensive player of the week (12 tackles, INT for a TD, a sack and a tackle for a loss), Wes won the same way they went 7-1 last year winning TOP, penalties, and turnovers, penalties killed Midd including a roughing the punter with 1:50 left that would have given Midd the ball with the wind (which was a huge factor today) and a chance to tie,  Drew did not play, the new Midd QB looked very average to me although the wind was very tough going North to South on the field, Jesse Warren was his usual effecient and accurate.

Congrats to Tufts on the win today. They may be only the third worst team in the league (after the Conts and the P Bears). Looking forward to hearing other reports from around the league.

[PolarCat]

Amherst covers the spread...with luck and just barely.....beating Bates 14-6 at home.  It was 7-6 with less than 2 minutes to go.  Bates had scored near the goal...set up by a fine QB keeper play to the 2.  Bates goes for two points and a win.  Throw was intercepted in the back of the end zone on a deflection.  Amherst gets the Bates short kick around midfield.

The ending left a lot of us scratching our heads.  With Amherst favored, why not go for the PAT and the tie, then try an onside kick to win back the ball?  Surely a tie against a defending co-champ would have been a morale boost for the 'Cats.  Why roll the dice going for 2?

Bates has 3 K's on the roster, but when the time rolled around to try one in the game, they sent out their punter instead.  David Kurey had a SPECTACULAR game to that point (ridiculous distance and hang time), but his timing with the kickoff team was clearly off: at least one of the Bobcats jumped offside, and the kick itself trickled out of bounds, handing the Lord Jeffs the ball and tremendous field position with 1:20 left on the clock.

Easy to second guess the decision from the stands, but the 'Cats fought bravely all day (particularly Cannone, who not only had some beautiful, gritty runs, but impressed with his clutch passing in third and longs), and it was a shame to see the contest end this way.  Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

[warriorcat]

I will take the coach's side on the decision to go for two.  The Bates offensive had struggled all day to move the football.  Putting the game into overtime, provided they made the PAT and neither team scored in regulation, would have clearly have given Amherst the edge in spite of great play by the Bates defense.  Amherst's kicker showed great power (every kick went out of the end zone, he was kicking 45-50 yd field goals during halftime.  I think it was the smarter play to give the Bates offense one chance from the three to win the game rather than allow the Amherst kicker win with a field goal in OT . 

[lumbercat]

Polar Cat-
I hear you but agree totally with Warriorcat- Bates delivered a great defensive effort today but didn't find their rhythm offensively until the second half. Harriman saw some momentum and he went with it in going for 2. Gutsy call. No criticism here.

This Bates team has heart and their defense is scary. On the offensive side Cannone rivals Bates first Triple O QB Trevor Smith in toughness and that's key to to the the success of the their attack. At 220 lbs  Cannone can absorb blows but delivers his own to the D.

After slow start on the road Cannones best show today was the way he dealt with Amherst blitzes and pressure- he was able to feel the rush and step outside and deliver some nice gains.....He was actually better under pass pressure because he was able to recognize it, move and deliver some nice gains, running and passing....not a good idea to blitz this kid, he reads it and adjusts.

Amherst has great team speed and depth.

An enjoyable day at the beautiful new Pratt field but in seeing as many Bates fans on the visiting side as in the home stands I guess their must have been something else going on on campus.

[quicksilver]

Here's a link to a nice gallery of photos of the Williams-Bowdoin game that give a great sense of the new facility. It looks pretty sweet . .

[nescac1]

re: Caputi, you could say the father-son dynamic plays a role, but I would imagine the coach would do anything possible to avoid the appearance of playing favorites.  My guess is that they just wanted to build some confidence for the starting unit heading into future weeks, something that backfired when they still couldn't score (although moved the ball far more effectively) vs. a team of mainly frosh from Williams. 

Speaking of the Eph frosh, a few looked particularly promising.  Two at least seemed to get some reps with the first unit: Chris Hattar, a DT who played a lot and helped stuff the Bowdoin run game, and Connor Harris (confirmed that it was Harris out there -- a last second jersey number switch confused the announcers) at a scat-back role -- they ran a few fly sweeps for Harris and he looks like the Ephs' quickest back.  Frosh LB Michael Berry also looks fast out there, although he didn't get his chance until very late in the game. 

Overall, Williams seems to have really improved its team speed (especially on defense), which was badly needed after they seemed a step behind last year.  The CBs Davis and Scott are really quick closing to the ball, as is safety Harris.  Tom Cabarle and Jack Ryan both seemed to be all over the field.  On offense, Harris and Etienne both looked very quick backing up Scyocurka, though neither has his power.  The Ephs seem not to have a real burner at WR, but they compensate with savvy, hands and toughness (Kiesel) or size and overall athleticism (Sime, Hayes, Brown, Way). 

I think the Trinity game will be really interesting.  It appears Trinity is emphasizing the power running game once again, and the Trinity OL and RBs are in an entirely different league from Bowdoin's.  The safeties are going to be focused on the run putting a lot of pressure on the two young Eph corners. 

I think the Ephs are almost surely going to have a tougher time running the ball down Trinity's throat so I'd like to see them try to hit more plays down the field to Sime, Way and Hayes now that Lommen has built some confidence and rhythm, while still giving Scyocurka, who can make plays on his own, loads of touches.  The Ephs need to once again keep turnovers to a minimum, and certainly cut down on the penalties, if they hope to upset the Bantams. 

[ContinentalsMan]

While Hamilton fell to Tufts you can definitely tell there is a big change with the Continentals under new coach Dave Murray. Hamilton had almost 200 more yards of offense and played well defensively but was hurt by three long kickoff returns. Also, they had 115 yards in penalties including back-to-back personal fouls in the third quarter when the Conts were down inside the Tufts' 30 late in the third quarter.  Those are all fixable. For us Hamilton supporters it was impressive to see them do that well on the offensive side of the ball considering the system was put in less than a month ago. Also, the Conts finally have a kicker who hit both PAT's and a FG which has been a huge problem the past two seasons.  Was at the game which had a big crowd on both sides and impressed with the hosts who turned it into a great atmosphere and of course rushed the field when they won to snap their long losing streak.   

[amh63]

Some general comments on the games contested yesterday.  First a plug here for Jamie Spears, CB, of Amherst who has had a great career to date.  Jamie yesterday had two int., a block of a FG, and 11 solo tackles...several for a loss....but those are not in the stats.  The Junior CB moved over to L. Lewis side this season...but seem to switch sides during the game.  Great defensive efforts in many games yesterday.
Looked over the stats in many games and caught the flavor of the Mid, Ephs, and Trinity games online.  Just looking at the stats, the Midd vs Wes game appeared to be even.  Same with the Hamilton vs. Tufts game. 
Happy for the Tufts team and HFC to end their streak.  However, I must confess that I was pulling for Hamilton and their new HFC.  Saw them last season on their home field where Amherst also struggled a bit in the first game.

Back to the Bates game.  Coach's decision is why he is the HFC.  Reminds me of a game in Middletown when Coach Mills made a decision to go for it vice a FG..ended up that it led to a rare lost to the Cardinals.  As I posted earlier...too many TOs and mistakes by the LJs.  Starting QB Berluti had two picks early.  However he and the freshman QB both have strong arms..can throw the ball long accurately and with little effort.  The long ball game maybe in play this season for Amherst.  Both young QBs need game experience.
In response to the crowd on Pratt field.  Yes there were many other contests going on...campus and away.  An early Field Hockey game in the field below with Williams......and two soccer games with Williams on the grass fields.  Saw the men's soccer game in the second half....very large crowd that had to be controlled a bit.  All the contests with Williams were pivotal....even this early in the season...and yes they will draw crowds!
Oh yes....liked the way the HFC of Bates was the first to head over to seek out Coach Mills.

[banfan]

Well, once Trinity started to finish their drives, they looked pretty good on offense.

The defense looked pretty good too.

Maybe I expected more from Colby but other than the first half score (8-7) They were never in the game.

Trinity needs to work on kicking accuracy, not strength. They need to reduce the penalties. The QBs need to be able to throw the ball down field to keep the D honest. There were some big plays up the middle for some reason, but Trinity speed saved the TD. Trinity rarely sent more than their three man front.

Next week should tell a lot.

Last week fish chowdah, next week will be determined by the temp, maybe apple pies.

[AUPepBand]

While Hamilton fell to Tufts you can definitely tell there is a big change with the Continentals under new coach Dave Murray. Hamilton had almost 200 more yards of offense and played well defensively but was hurt by three long kickoff returns. Also, they had 115 yards in penalties including back-to-back personal fouls in the third quarter when the Conts were down inside the Tufts' 30 late in the third quarter.  Those are all fixable. For us Hamilton supporters it was impressive to see them do that well on the offensive side of the ball considering the system was put in less than a month ago. Also, the Conts finally have a kicker who hit both PAT's and a FG which has been a huge problem the past two seasons.  Was at the game which had a big crowd on both sides and impressed with the hosts who turned it into a great atmosphere and of course rushed the field when they won to snap their long losing streak.   

Keep the faith....the Continentals will continue to improve. Murray and staff create a positive learning environment for the players and one thing Pep observed over the past 16 years at Alfred was that the Saxons always came to play for Murray. Pep expects the same will be the case at Hamilton and the Continentals will surprise some folks before season's end.

BTW, ContinentalsMan, does Hamilton have a fight song? A pep band? Doesn't take much to start one....Pep started with five kazoos and, in fact, it was a four-piece kazoo band that led the cheers for the Saxons at Coyer Field Saterday in AU's surprising 29-21 win. 

On Saxon Warriors!

[Go Continentals!]

Hamilton's QB looked like he was injured most of the game.  Yet, despite his lack of mobility, was able to put up good numbers.  The receivers made big plays.  But, Hopsicker was the player who provided a lot of excitement doing just about everything.  He ran...he passed...and, he caught several passes.  Clearly, he was a player with something to prove.  It was fun to watch and the new coaches have brought with them an exciting playbook.  And, don't forget that the defense did an outstanding job!  Give this Coach a couple of games and Hamilton is going to surprise some teams.  Go Continentals!!!

[NothingButNESCAC]

Alright so we are trying a new thing on our site doing some statistics. They are basically the ones that the NESCAC keeps track of from game to game but does not tabulate over the entire season. As you can see the technology we are using is very limited (just copying and pasting from a spreadsheet) and if any of you have any ideas about improving that we would appreciate it. Additionally I know some of you are pretty statistically inclined and if you are interested in helping out and including more statistics or ideas please do. Send us a message or simply reply to this.

[ContinentalsMan]

Looks like the boys at Nothing but NESCAC didn't have much confidence in Hamilton in their fantasy league as they missed two of the biggest producers of the week in QB Rosenberg (30-for-50, 320 yards, 2 TDs and 62 yards on ground) and receiver Ensley (14 catches for 189 and a TD); both are sophomores. With a very capable head coach with a strong D3 background and his two coordinators this team will not be the league's punching bag for long.

[nescac1]

Williams-Trinity preview posted: http://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20140921r2jxno

A few notes.  First, I note that, over the years, Williams often lists veteran starters in these previews, even though younger players are effectively starting or at least getting most of the reps.  CB Mike Davis and LB (listed on the roster as a safety, but he is closer to a LB or at least a LB/S hybrid) Jack Ryan seemed to get most of the snaps over two senior players who are once again listed as starters. 

The only change in the Williams lineup is John Fives for Adam Datema at DT.  I noticed that Datema got injured last week, perhaps seriously, which would be a shame as he is a senior and an all-league caliber interior linemen.  Also particularly bad timing to lose the top run-stuffer on the team.  Hopefully Fives and frosh DT Chris Hattar can step up in his absence in what will be a serious test for the untested Williams interior linemen (the other starting DT is a senior, but he has seen limited playing time until this season).  James Howe is going to receive the bulk of the attention from the offensive line, but needs to make some big plays nonetheless given how green the guys next to him are. 

Meanwhile, looks like no changes for Trinity from week 1.

http://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/fball/2014-15/releases/20140921r2jxno

[NothingButNESCAC]

Looks like the boys at Nothing but NESCAC didn't have much confidence in Hamilton in their fantasy league as they missed two of the biggest producers of the week in QB Rosenberg (30-for-50, 320 yards, 2 TDs and 62 yards on ground) and receiver Ensley (14 catches for 189 and a TD); both are sophomores. With a very capable head coach with a strong D3 background and his two coordinators this team will not be the league's punching bag for long.

Good to know somebody is paying attention to our league! In the future maybe we'll even include some of you posters that are interested...
Very true that we missed on them in week 1. Hard to fault us on Ensley considering he had five receptions in 2013. Both have now been added onto rosters and will come into play this week though the Wesleyan defense is a slight step up in competition from Tufts.