FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[P'bearfan]

Good luck to the Polar Bears as they host Hamilton today.  Hope they can put together all the pieces are grab their first W of the season.

My wife will be at the game (she's really there for the MBB team cookout).  I hope to watch the web cast.

GoUBears!!

[NewtoNescac]

With all the pre-game critiquing and commentary nearly done. It's time to turn our attention to the actual contests. Have a fun day of football everyone, and may the games be competitive, and the players finish the day njury free. Enjoy!

[amh63]

Nice positive posts this early in the morning.
Nescacman.....thanks for the predictions and plus K for having the LJs trouncing the panthers...again
PolarCat....can't suggest anywhere close for a meal in Middletown.....tailgating is tough there for visitors.  Oh yes...there is the one next to the field house...upstairs....crowded.  I tried to sneak in once to the Wes football tent...but my companion in crime pulled me out in the nick of time.
Rainy weather hey....guess we will see how it impacts the games.  Plus K to all as I watch on the big screen .

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin leads Hamilton 15-0 at the half.  Tuned in with less than a minute to go and saw Hamilton move the ball into FG range with a hurry up offense.  However the kicker missed the FG both times - as Bowdoin called time to ice him on his first attempt when he hit the upright.

Strange that both teams are wearing white jerseys.  Don't think I've seen that before.

[P'bearfan]

No audio on the webcast from Brunswick since the first half ended. Not sure what the issue is.

[P'bearfan]

Bowdoin defeats Hamilton 30-20

Congrats to the P'bears on notching their first W of the season.  Any win is a good one but this was all the more special given the frustrations of the first games, the homecoming crowd and the beautiful NE fall weather.

[quicksilver]

Freshman Noah Nelson looked very good for the Polar Bears -- 28 of 43, 328 yards, and 4 TDs -- very composed and in control from the beginning.

I am surprised that Bowdoin was allowed to wear light gray shirts with white numerals instead of the usual black -- it was a little hard to keep the players straight but an excellent and very solid win for Bowdoin.

[middhoops]

Ok, you guys might not believe this, but a Middlebury running back had over 100 yds today.  No kidding.
Diego Meritus was a beast against a Williams squad that played inspired football for 2.5 quarters.
DM is an fy, so there may be hope for the Panthers to have a balanced offense.  Some day. 
Soon?

[oldhamfan]

"I am surprised that Bowdoin was allowed to wear light gray shirts with white numerals instead of the usual black -- it was a little hard to keep the players straight but an excellent and very solid win for Bowdoin."
I was at the game as well, and initially couldn't tell which team was which. It was a game of 4 qtrs, 3 (1,2,4) where Bowdoin excelled and 1 (3rd) were Hamilton did. I happened to overhear Coach Murray yelling at the team during halftime, saying "stop feeling sorry for yourselves, if you thought this was an easy win you're wrong" The azz-chewing seemed to work for 1 qtr, then HC lost their momentum. Was Rosenberg injured at QB, I thought I saw his shoulder wrapped in the 2nd qtr and Freeman went in for the 2nd half.
One coaching strategy question I had: the game started late, and BC elected to play with the sun and wind at their backs for the 3rd qtr, and face both for the 4th. In the end it didn't make a difference, but what if HC had kicked the winning points with the wind at the end. I talked to a HC player's mother, who said her son has NEVER been in a winning college football game. I'm not sure it will happen this season either.

[oldhamfan]

No audio on the webcast from Brunswick since the first half ended. Not sure what the issue is.

And yet they have to blast music onto the field in between the ball being snapped. This isn't Gillette Stadium, is this really necessary? It's a nice fall day, a nice NESCAC game, shouldn't that be enough entertainment? There were probably more alumni at the game than students, so who was that for? Damn I'm feeling old today.

[NewtoNescac]

Colby played a tough game today and should have been in the game until the end. Biggest play of the game IMO was a first half pick. Colby was in the red zone ready to make the score 10-3 or 10-7, when a ball was thrown up for grabs from the left side of the field to the right sidelines and picked off and run back to around the Çolby 39. Amherst went in and scored making it 17-0 at the half. Lack of offensive productivity and terrible plays at the wrong time have plagued Colby for the past season and a 1/2.

It is the same old scenario playing over and over with no end in sight. The fans and the players deserve more.

4 games this year without a TD pass. And 5 offensive touchdowns in 4 games. And another pick 6 in today's game. You cannot win with that type of production. I am totally exhausted and disgusted.

[PolarCat]

It was like Groundhog Day for the Bobcats again.  Another Saturday where they played gritty ball, led twice, but lost another tough one.

Every week, the 'Cats play better than the week before.  Every week, they show us something different (like throwing the ball THIRTY times today).  Every week, a couple of Bobcats step up to make thrilling, drive-saving plays.  Every week, they are right in there til the end.  (Well, maybe not week 1 against Amherst, but why ruin a good narrative?)  But every week (so far) they've come up just a wee bit short.

Lots of credit to Wesleyan, particularly the OC who kept throwing different looks at the 'Cats.  How about THREE different Cards (Hawkins, Piccirillo and Carillo) throwing a total of thirty-six passes, twenty-four of them for completions, for 252 yards?  Also some superb clock management at the end, worthy of that Card grad in the Hoodie.  Some superb running by Lou Stevens, who carried 12 times for 117 yards.  And veteran K/P Ike Fuchs, who got off to a bit of a rough start this season, but bounced back and was spot-on perfect today, including powering through a 21 yard FG in the third quarter that was blocked, but still had enough kinetic energy to pop over the crossbar.

There were plenty of good stories on the Bates side of the ball.  Starting with 3 interceptions: 2 by Brandon Williams, and one by Trevor Lyons, who returned it 24 yards in one of the best plays of the day.  The Bates K (who had never missed a PAT or FG in college before today) missed the PAT after the first touchdown, then came back and made a beautiful 34 yard FG into the wind, and one of the prettiest - and most successful - onside kicks you'll ever see, in the do-or-die 4th quarter.  FY safety Joe Frake continues to improve exponentially each week, making 4 unassisted tackles today, and joining in 4 more.  And Brandon Williams was on fire, making 10 solo tackles, in addition to his two interceptions.

Ultimately though, the 'Cats were doomed by their twin Achilles' heels: An offensive scheme that is utterly predictable, and being trampled by a herd of blind zebras.  (I know, I know, ALL the refs in the 'CAC are bad, and every team gets some horrendous calls.  But with Bates, those bad calls always seem to happen on crucial plays.  Today it was an egregious non-call for pass interference in the 4th quarter, when Dugan lofted a perfect pass to Mark Riley (6 catches for 54 yards on the day), who was brutally mauled on the 10 yard line by a Card who never turned back to look for the ball).  Unbelievably, the flags stayed in the pockets and the fat lady sang.

The challenge for the 0-4 Bobcats will be to stiffen their resolve next week when they host the Panthers.  The secondary has improved every week, so they do have a chance against pass-happy Midd.  If not, they will drop to 0-5, with only the hope of a CBB championship to redeem their season.

[amh63]

Very interesting day watching two other games beside the Amherst-Colby game.
First the Amherst game.....
The game was closer than the score, IMO.  It was a very physical game as players on both teams left the game...some for a few plays...others lost for the day.
It was also a game where both teams had key turnovers and drive stopping mistakes/penalties. For the second straight game, Amherst had too many false starts and lost two fumbles.
Colby had more total yards offense than Amherst; more TOP;more yards rushing and more passing yards.
Amherst's defense carried the day.  The pick 6 by the safety and the other Interception that was returned for 60 yards by CB Spears that set up a TD.  Fortunately, Amherst's kicking game stepped up.
Amherst's depth was evident.  a starting CB was lost early...Soucy...but was replaced without a drop in the level of coverage.  The last interception was by a freshman CB as Amherst did put in reserves near the end of the game.
Finally, the weather was changing...sunny, raining, windy, etc.  Announcer stated the rain came sideways briefly...even saw a rainbow!  The Mules has a great young RB and the OC called a nice game executed well by the two QBs used.  Colby will b a tough out in the second half of the season.

Saw the Midd- Williams game in bits and pieces.  It was close for a while...missed the parts where the Panthers took command.  Near the end of the game, I saw a tired Williams defense and a game EPHs offense.

The Tufts-Trinity game in the last quarter and OT was a lulu!  It was a shame that Tufts 3rd down throw into the end zone was short to a wide open receiver.  Tufts will be a Tough opponent at home for Amherst in two weeks.

[lumbercat]

Polarcat has done a very nice job in his well written summary of the Bates-Wesleyan game today--spot on.

The key play in the game was the nicely designed throwback screen executed by Wesleyan that caught the Garnet in a blitz scheme......great call? .....Maybe- or a well timed guess..... but that was a pivotal play in the game for Wesleyan. Credit to the Cards.

Maybe the smallest Wes team I can remember but QB Hawkins is outstanding- throws a great short ball but has trouble getting it down the field.....would be all world running the option at Bates.
He's a great athlete. Blue Chip QB recruit Piccorllo won't get on the field until his senior year barring injury to Hawkins.

Tough year so far but no quit in Bates---they play hard and bring it every down--Wes coaches affirmed that post game.

Mark Upton was outstanding today for Bates....he was all over the field living up to his stature as the best LB in the Nescac....old friend Amherst advance scout at the game today said Upton is maybe the best LB in the league....instincts, reads, quickness and toughness and bears a lot of responsibility in the Bates D.

[polbear73]

Interesting comments on Bowdoin's Arctic Ice uniforms-as football tradition has the home team wearing its colors at home, Bowdoin should actually be wearing white at home as that is its only official color.  This would require the visitors to wear their colors in Brunswick and, given the problems with identification yesterday, perhaps Bowdoin should have requested that Hamilton wear blue.

Good win for the Polar Bears, asking a freshman quarterback (328 yds passing, 4 TDs, no int) and freshman running back (106 yds rushing plus 54 receiving) to step up and play without offensive tackle Tevin Montgomery, who was also out.  Several young players stepped up on defense as the Polar Bears who showed significant improvement in all areas.  Not falling behind early was also critical. Finally, hats off to Coach Wells for imaginative and courageous play calling, especially in light of the inexperience mentioned above.

As for Hamilton, this must be a huge disappointment.  However, they did not quit as evidenced by the late touchdown and it's obvious that better days are right around the corner.