FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[PolarCat]

Bates was in control late in the first half but one of the keys to the turnaround was a Tufts score late in the 1st half on a great passing drive scoring with less than a minute left. The drive was set up by a ticky "celebration" call after a Bates score that penalized Bates 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff. Most in attendance saw no infraction.

Yeah, it was kind of like the movie Madagascar: the Zebras were helping the Jumbo's.  Not only on that questionable "celebration" call, but the offsides on the kickoff they called agains Bates, and the really eqregious one they didn't call against Tufts.

Which is not to take anything away from Civitti and his team.  They earned their win.

[warriorcat]

Tufts deserved today's win over Bates because they were the better team on offense, defense, and special teams.  Even more they were the better team mentally.  They never let down even after the Bobcats took a 10 point lead with just two minutes remaoining in the half.  Yes, the celebration penalty opened the door.  It was legitimate.  The freshman took his helmet off as he celebrated his touchdown on the Bates sideline.  When Bates scored to go up 24-23 in the third Tufts could have folded but a long kickoff return immediately put them back ahead and Bates was never in the game again. 

I hope that this is the wakeup call for the Bates side.  They can not come into any game and just go through the motions and win. 

[lumbercat]

Well said Warriorcat- Bates is a better team than they showed today and Tufts is better than anybody thought they were. A lot of unexpecteds went against Bates but that's the way it goes sometimes- Harriman and his staff will grind it big time this week and have them ready for Williams. This Bates program is based on focus, intensity and toughness.....they are used to the underdog role and will bounce back at home in the Bobcat Den next week.

Skip Capone, an old Plymouth State guy, is their special teams coordinator and believe me this is not familiar territory for Bates special teams which have perennially been at the top of the NESCAC. Skip will fix things this week and I would expect some big plays on special teams next week at home and moving forward- Pride, performance and turnovers on Special Teams has been a legacy in Lewiston for a number of years so look for Skip's gang to bounce back with a vengeance.....I guarantee extended practice time on Garcelon Field this week until Skip fixes the problems. Late dinners for the Bates team and they better let Bates operations know that the lights may need to be on later than usual this week.

[hamgrand]

I know the score ended up as many would have predicted, but Hamilton played Wesleyan pretty tough in the first half.  The kids played tough all game, but at half it was 21 -14 despite a pick 6 and another INT returned inside the 10 setting up another score for Wesleyan.  Hamilton had some great drives on offense, controlled the clock, and the defense played very tough.  They had some great passes and super catches for scores to compliment a great grind it out running game in the first half.  The defense also caused and recovered a fumble.

Wesleyan is obviously a tough and talented team and they controlled the possessions in the 2nd half - especially the 3Q where it seemed like the Hamilton offense did not see much of the field.  A great play on a punt pinning Hamilton at the 1 yd line and leading to a safety helped Wesleyan's offense and field position for another score.

But this Hamilton team is more talented than people give them credit.  And the new coaching staff is outstanding.  The Continentals will definitely be very competitive and get their share of wins this season.  From what I see, they have a good chance in all 6 remaining games including against Trinity next week.  Go Blue!

[Trin9-0]

Wow, who saw that beat-down in Billsville coming? Not I.

Most had the Bants winning the game, but this was complete domination and tied for the most lopsided Trinity win over Williams EVER. I'm not sure if this means Trinity is even better than we thought or if Williams is still far, far away from once again being a NESCAC title contender; probably a little of both.

My sense is that Williams doesn't want to fire Kelton, but if he can't field a team that is at least competitive with the best teams in the 'Cac then he's going to be gone sooner rather than later.

Wesleyan has looked above average in two games but are a far cry from the juggernaut many predicted. They make the long trip to play Colby next week. I'll be interested to see if the Cards can put together a dominant performance against an 0-2 Mule squad.

[ContinentalsMan]

The Wesleyan-Trinity game should be for all the marbles and a great one as I was impressed with Wesleyan yesterday ... Hamilton gave the Cardinals some problems but good teams take advantage of mistakes and that was the big difference in the game ... I will say this for the Continentals: The new head coach and coordinators have totally been able to turn around this program in a few months ... they may be a year or two from competing with the best in the league, but what a dramatic difference in such a short time ... now the kids just have to learn to win ... it was also good to see Hamilton players upset after the game yesterday ... this means they are starting to get it, to understand that they can win if they put together a complete game ... it is also good to see Tufts win again ... it appears what is happening in the NESCAC is all 10 football schools are putting pieces in place to move in a positive direction ... too bad this conference's champion can't go to the D3 playoffs ... now that would be interesting ...     

[banfan]

Well, first, the Williams facility was very nice.
Beer and wine in isolated area, great. Bud and Bud Light, not so great.
A lot of rules and a lot of security to make us all understand the rules. Oh well.

The game was not much of a game. Trin scored in their first two possessions and the Ephs did nothing with the ball. Our field goal was seconds into the 2nd quarter, making it 17-0.

Trin 8-0, mentioned the depth of this win.  The Ephs are not very good. And they beat Bowdoin 36-0!

Trinity is, IMHO, better than last year and may be the best team in the last 4 years. The offense is more balanced than last year and, the running game is better. Crazy? maybe but it is a combination of O line and running backs with excellent vision. One thing that stood out in both of the first two games was Trinity's overall speed.

The defense could easily have two shutouts.

Why?  Blame it on Wesleyan!!! Since they hired Whalen, Trinity has responded. Williams has gone down a notch at Coach and Wes is the odds on favorite to win it all. Well, that did not work out last year and Trinity is going to do all it can to prevent it from happening this year. The difference between top two, next two and the rest is kinda big, no? All on Wesleyan. 

Seriously, kinda bummed that the league is tilted....temporary as ContinentalsMan has stated? Hope he is right!!

[jumpshot]

Trinity overall team speed, especially the running backs, was a significant factor with the ability to vary the point of attack from the same basic starting formation was impressive. Other opponents beware.

Trinity, like amHerst, divides its athletic program into major and minor sports, and football with the financial support of several alumni former players and an "optimistic" admission policy has certainly produced winning results for several years.

An 8-0 season is Trinity's to lose ....

[NothingButNESCAC]

This may be D3 and we aren't talking about Florida State or Alabama here, but that doesn't mean the student-athletes and coaches in the NESCAC don't want to win as much as their D1 brethren. It is the coaches job to recruit and put the best 22 players on the field to give his team the best chance to win. If the coach isn't doing that, he should be replaced.

Thought I would share some thoughts as a former player for Bowdoin about all the chatter. First Nescacman, the job of the coaches is not simply to recruit the 22 best players. It is to recruit the best players that fit the mold and character that Bowdoin requires of its applicants. Though the results on the field have not been great for Bowdoin, in other ways they have been. Besides Mac Caputi, Brendan Lawler and recently graduated player Ben Kekeisen have all taken part in the summer OCS training for the marines. The Polar Bears have also had players in the double digits on the All-Academic team the last couple of years, one of the highest rates in the NESCAC.

Lumbercat is completely right about the turnover in players as well. Looking in the stands yesterday I saw three starters from last years team that would have been very helpful for them. Clarence Johnson who made 2nd team All-NESCAC as a sophomore but can't play because of foot injuries, Kenny Skon who would have been the primary downfield target this year but has back and knee problems, and Mike Devin who would have been a returner at guard but would have needed back surgery in order to possibly play the last few games of the season. The reason Tyler Grant is the primary RB as a sophomore is because Trey Brown and Wilfred Ahoua are no longer on the team. Brown has suffered three ACL injuries (2 at Bowdoin) so he can no longer play and Ahoua left the school last year because of financial aid difficulties and now goes to Army. Ben Woo Ching who would also be a junior would have been an All-League player but he never even had a day of practice because of a really bad ankle injury during the first drill of conditioning day. Because Jon Fraser was out with injury yesterday, Bowdoin had to play sophomore Frank Elder and Allan Banks in large part because Henry Gleich and Jimmy Donnellan (both would be juniors) had to stop playing because of injury. Donnellan has concussion problems and Gleich has been unable to overcome hip issues. I know every team has injuries and problems like these but they are exacerbated at Bowdoin because the coaching staff is forced to bring in less players than other NESCAC teams do (besides Bates really).

Finally about the QB position. I didn't play last year but a lot of my friends are still on the team. They said last year that Drakeley was good as a freshman but that frankly Mac Caputi looked better in most practices. Also important to note that Caputi did show improvement near the end of the season so making the switch from him to Drakeley before the season would have been a very bold decision. Drakeley looked good in action against Amherst. He was composed and made the simple play. I don't know what the coaching staff is planning on doing this week for Tufts but my guess is that Drakeley will take the reins despite Caputi closing out the game with a touchdown drive. The thinly veiled accusations of nepotism are absurd and completely unwarranted.

[amh63]

Frank U....big weekend for me!  Saw a pic of the MooCow  MarchingBand..walking under the grandstands.  Also heard that Tufts had a Band at their game this weekend.  Do not know if it was just for Homecoming and if the band can march.  Note:  Harvard's band is NOT a marching band...Cornell has the only marching band in the Ivies...they play well, too
I have no knowledge of any other matching band in the conference.  Amherst has had small bands in the stands and has out sourced it's bands..local high schools...once in awhile.
Do you know if the Williams' band travel?
The late start of the Amherst Williams game at Homecoming is due to NESN availability...and the need to have the game broadcasted to Alumni gatherings around the World.  Parking/tailgating info to come for this year.  See that Williams also moved its home stands...to the Sunny side?

[frank uible]

amh63: The Williams Mucho Macho Moocow Military Marching Band travels sometimes - sometimes not. Not sure if they necessarily march when travelling.

[amh63]

NothingButNescac...to the Bowdoin writer...thanks for the inside type info wrt to the "problems" of the Bowdoin's team this season.  I believe you maybe a little too close to the team so that you may have missread  some of the chatter on this board.  Every conference team has had losses of players for many reasons.  Every school has the same issues that you cite/ infer wrt to admissions and school polices...i.e. Coaches must recruit players that are part of the school populations to put it simply.
Any limits you perceive Bowdoin has with recruiting numbers are due to Bowdoin's self imposed priorities within its sports programs.  Bowdoin has won National titles in other sports...Field Hockey for one. Bowdoin has the ONLY varsity women's rugby team, I believe.  Bowdoin and Tufts have varsity sailing teams.
Anyway, Weselyan, Tufts and Hamilton have had " bad" seasons over the years..yes even WES.  The Cardinals made a change in direction with school backing.  Tufts made a change and we are seeing the fruit of the change this season.  We are hearing on this board the changes at Hamilton..also with administrative backing.  I really cannot tell if Bowdoin's woes are short term or more programmatic.

[mariner75]

Been down this road before (starting 2002 for me).  NESCAC schools all vary their admit policies for various sports which might change for some, depending on the current administration.  It's a fact of life for all of NESCAC sports as much as it is for Alabama, FSU, ND., just a different level of athlete.

[colby96]

Colby AD forced into resignation effective in December. Good news for struggling program.

[lumbercat]

Nothing but Nescac-

Agree with your stance on the nepotism controversy at Bowdoin. I have seen Caputi play in person a number of times and on film as well. He brings some things to the table that are important. In the later part of the 2013 he threw the ball better and ran the Bowdoin offense well. No question he has stuggled this year but so has the entire program. Believe he gets the nod this week against Tufts.

Thanks for your input on the Bowdoin program,
For clarification Bowdoin does not bring in less FYs than other NESCAC schools and Bates does not bring in less than Bowdoin. In 2 of the last 3 years Bates has brought in more FY's than Bowdoin. The number of FYs at Colby, Bates and Bowdoin is generally in the 22-26 range with some variation from year to year. This is pretty consistent with the overall conference in terms of incoming football athletes.

You mentioned a number of Bowdoin guys with injury issues but there are several others from the class of 16 and 17 who were highly recruited but other NESCAC schools that didn't come back this year.

For clarity, you also mention Gleich, Ahoua and Donellen....each of these guys have not played since 2012.... so I am not sure where you are coming from there. My post made notation of 2013 players who did not come back this year so these guys were not included in the numbers I posted.

Thanks for your fine work on this board and on the Nothing But Nescac site.