FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Vandy74]

2015 Week 5 NESCAC Weekly Power Rankings

We think Amherst and Trinity are on a collision course playing for the 2015 NESCAC Championship on November 7th.   

3.   Middlebury (LW #3): Good bounce back win for Middlebury against the Ephs on Homecoming. To prove our point on the predictability of their offense, of the 282 offensive plays they have run, 167 have been passes (nearly 60%) while only 115 have been runs. Those 115 are only the second fewest in the league (tied with Hamilton) to Bowdoin's 98 runs. Middlebury's runs have yielded the second fewest amount of yards (214) while they have averaged a pathetic 1.9 YPC. Until they get a running attack, they will not challenge for the league title in 2015 or any other year (unless they have the second coming of Mac Foote at QB).

Nescacman.......The surface value of statistics can be deceiving.  They tell you that Middlebury gained 21 yards rushing on 26 attempts against Amherst for an average of .8 yards per carry.  Pretty lame, I admit.  By checking other statistics, however, it appears that Diego Meritus gained 35 of those 21 yards.  Panther QB Matt Milano was sacked 5 times for -40 yards and those statistics are included in the game total.  It likely was not Milano's intention to be a running back on any of those plays.  Those -40 yards don't really apply in the same way as Meritus' +35.  The Panthers certainly did not run effectively after their first possession of the game but the truer statistics are 61 yards on 21 attempts, 4 of which are the times Milano was tackled but not sacked.  He gained 9 yards on what were probably broken plays.

On to the Williams game.  Meritus is a freshman.  He's been brought along slowly and in game four of the season he just may have shown what Middlebury fans can expect from him.  118 yards on 22 carries for an average of 5.4 per.  Not too shabby.  And I liked the in-your-face attitude he displayed on one particular play that anyone who saw the game remembers.  He is a freshman.  He is, for the most part, a one man threat.  No one else, used sparingly, has shown any consistency as a second running option, but it looks like the beginning of a credible ground game. 

Bates has Middlebury at home.  They are much better than their record and they have never beaten Bob Ritter's Panthers.  If a one-dimensional offense shows up to play them and sputters an upset could be possible.  If Diego Meritus shows that last week was not a fluke the rushing statistics of Middlebury's first three games become meaningless.

Of the 20 games remaining on the 4-0 and 3-1 teams' schedules, 10 are between themselves.  Two others are Wesleyan and Amherst's games with Williams.  Only those outside the Little Three fan base will be taking the Ephs lightly. 

It should be great fun.

[RetiredMule]

Well Colby chalks up a win against a Hamilton team that remains winless for over two full seasons. It was an impressive first half for the Mules going into the locker room at 10-0. But the second half goes rocky as Hamilton out scored Colby 19-14 with a missed PAT and 2 point attempt. As a Colby fan, I am wildly excited to have won a game regardless of circumstance. As a poster, I am going to point out we did not know the win was goin. To happen until :25 seconds left In the game. Last year, an equally matched fame had Colby up by 40 and sitting starters in the first half. Noticably, hamilton's ability has appreciated this year, but I think Colby's has depreciated as well. (Insert my old rant about coaching here). All said, congrats to Colby, I will be celebrating all day.

[NewtoNescac]

Great game in some cold weather. Colby needed a win and got it. Now we need to build on it. Tremendous effort and show of heart by Hamilton. Murray is doing an outdtanding job holding those kids together. My hat is off to him, his coaches and those players.

Congratulations, Mules! Now bring on Bates!

[AmherstStudent05]

Great Homecoming win for Amherst yesterday.  For the second straight week Amherst won a game by multiple scores despite being handily outgained. To make matters worse, Wesleyan decisively won the turnover battle (which doesn't even include a punt we had blocked) and Amherst racked up over 100 yards in penalties.

So how did the Jeffs pull it off? To be honest, it is still hard to say.  We were completely outplayed in the first half. Our first two drives ended in interceptions (our first four drives ended int, int, three and out, int), Hawkins was killing us with his scrambling and we got burned on a 50 yard flea flicker.

Fortunately, in the classic bend but don't break fashion that has been the hallmark of Coach Mills's defense over the years, we somehow largely kept the cardinals out of the end zone and held them to just 12 first half points.  Our lone first half TD came on a 40 yard strike from Foy to Mcgonagle that was set up by a nice Boehm return that started us off in Wes territory.  Unlike Wes, we couldn't move the ball, but we were efficient with our chances.

Efficiency really was the word of the day for the resilient Amherst team. Wesleyan's lone turnover came on their opening possession of the second half when Hawkins fumbled the ball. The very next play Foy found McGonagle in the end zone again for a 33 yard strike.  After a Wes three and out (perhaps their only one of the afternoon) we went on a two play drive that was capped when Foy found Boehm uncovered streaking across the middle of the field for a 65 yard td. In the blink of an eye we went from being thoroughly dominated to having a commanding two score lead which we managed to hang on to.

Credit to Coach Mills and Coach Ballard for sticking with Foy and staying aggressive even when EVERYTHING was going wrong early in the first half. Not so long ago, I think Coach Mills may have been more inclined to look for a change. But Foy has proven to be a resilient QB and our offense feeds off of his knack for making plays.  Mills's faith was rewarded with some big time throws.

Speaking of which, Jackson McGonagle is quietly developing into one hell of a receiver. He was pretty well covered on both his long TDs. He just has a special knack for going up and attacking the football -- coming away cleanly with what should be jump balls.  Also, it was very nice to see Nick Kelly back in action.  That guy is an absolute beast.  Kind of reminds me of a bigger Eric Bunker.  Hopefully he can get and stay healthy the rest of the way.

Big game against Tufts this week. While I am all for efficiency, hopefully we will give ourselves a little more margin for error. 

[polbear73]

AmherstStudent05:  I echo your comments about Jackson McGonagle and have thought him to be a big time receiver for a couple of years now.  Of course, I may be biased because he has absolutely killed Bowdoin, but he has proven to be a tough, athletic receiver, particularly in the clutch.  Not a bad punter, either. 

[JEFFFAN]

Want to read about other games but a few last words on the Amherst game.   The defense survived a brutal onslaught of ineptitude on the part of the offense, giving the Jeffs a chance to stay in the game and then win it.   Where the Jeffs won the game was at two skill positions - wide receiver and defensive back.   McGonagle and the WRs torched the Cardinals at the end of the first half and most of the second half with the long receptions being wide open ones.   (Kudos to Foy for sucking it up after he played awful in the first half to keep his head in the game for the second half.)  And no one can get by those defensive backs.  Wes moved the ball nicely, especially on the ground, but the pass defense of Amherst was really good.   Three three-year starters will do that.  Last thought - if Amherst plays like this against Tufts and Trinity, they come out with one if not two losses.

[PolarCat]

Another superb effort by the best 0-5 team in college football.  The official summary put it best: "Middlebury College defeated the injury-depleted Bates College football team 41-27 Saturday at Garcelon Field, despite Bates' season-high 444 yards of offense".

This was a totally different Bobcat team than the utterly predictable offense and porous secondary we saw at the beginning of the season.  Rather than sticking doggedly to the triple option, OC Harriman mixed up the plays beautifully, allowing Patrick Dugan to air it out on first, second and third down, and even pulled off a fake punt on 4th and 8 from their own 38 (a gorgeous 23 yard completion from Trevor Lyons to FY safety Joe Frake).

Bates led twice (0-3 and 7-10), dominated time of possession (38 minutes to 22), net yards rushing (204 vs. 68) and third down efficiency (52% vs 33%).  Bates kept it a one or two score game all afternoon.  A touchdown with under 4 minutes remaining brought the score to 35-27, and the Bobcats attempted to reprise their successful onside kick from the week before.  Unfortunately, a FY member of the hands team jumped offsides on the onside attempt, and reserve QB Jared Lebowitz caught the 'Cats sleeping on the very next play, with an untouched, 40 yard scamper to put the game away.

Injuries played a huge part for both teams, with Bates losing one of their starting WR's and both starting slot backs early in the game, and multiple other players from both teams limping off the field.  By the end of the day, loyal Bobcats fans were jumping on their cellphones, checking the online roster, to determine who all these new players were.  (Hopefully, none of the injuries are season-ending - otherwise Coach Harriman may be forced to recruit players from the MLAX and squash teams to finish out the season).

On a side note, it was great to see Panthers' OC Dave Caputi looking so relaxed, and clearly enjoying his winning season.  He looks like he's dropped 40 pounds, and is having the time of his life.  Very happy for him, and his family.

Now, time for a wee bit of a gripe.  There were plenty of Bobcat parents and fans in the stands, but almost no students, since  Bates was on its fall break.  Given that each school only gets to play FOUR home games each year, don't you think NESCAC could have arranged the Bobcats' schedule to allow them to play those four games when the school is actually in session?  I mean, how difficult could that be?

[polbear73]

Nice post, PolarCat.  Even with the injuries, I doubt that Bates will be winless much longer as they head into the favorable part of the schedule.  If there was ever a team that doesn't deserve to be without win.......Also, very happy to hear about a healthy and happy Coach Caputi. 

[amh63]

Spent some time reading the write-ups of the Nescac games and came to the conclusion that stats can often be misleading...like TOP.  Not much on the "strange" Amherst game...others have covered it well...maybe later in the week when I get home.
First, congrats to Colby!
Just some bits and pieces of game info I picked up.  Met the parents of DL senior Singer at the game...seems the player from Ohio went to Wes before transferring to Amherst.
Met the parents of QB Foy...first game? For them...may have impacted their son early.
My son in law sat on the Wes side on the 50 yard line...more room and to annoy me...did it at the Williams game too.  Anyway, he informed me that the Wes fans were as annoyed at the refs as the LJs fans. Normally well behaving nose tackle was called early for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Must have been some trash talking going on.  Explains a little how Amherst had more penalty yds than conf leading Cardinals...strange game.
Soucy, the 3-yr CB starter did not play..injured in the Colby Game. Drew Bryant, soph from LA was at the corner.  Nice to see Kelly back after missing two games.  Oh yes, Daughter's Odd year class won the battle of the classes during halftime.  Did I mention that Amherst does not have a Pep band...therefore we have huge beach ball events!

[maineman]

Another superb effort by the best 0-5 team in college football.  The official summary put it best: "Middlebury College defeated the injury-depleted Bates College football team 41-27 Saturday at Garcelon Field, despite Bates' season-high 444 yards of offense".

This was a totally different Bobcat team than the utterly predictable offense and porous secondary we saw at the beginning of the season.  Rather than sticking doggedly to the triple option, OC Harriman mixed up the plays beautifully, allowing Patrick Dugan to air it out beautifully on first, second and third down, and even pulled off a fake punt on 4th and 8 from their own 38 (a gorgeous 23 yard completion from Trevor Lyons to FY safety Joe Frake).

Bates led twice (0-3 and 7-10), dominated time of possession (38 minutes to 22), net yards rushing (204 vs. 68) and third down efficiency (52% vs 33%).  Bates kept it a one or two score game all afternoon.  A touchdown with under 4 minutes remaining brought the score to 35-27, and the Bobcats attempted to reprise their successful onside kick from the week before.  Unfortunately, a FY member of the hands team jumped offsides on the onside attempt, and reserve QB Jared Lebowitz caught the 'Cats sleeping on the very next play, with an untouched, 40 yard scamper to put the game away.

Injuries played a huge part for both teams, with Bates losing one of their starting WR's and both starting slot backs early in the game, and multiple other players from both teams limping off the field.  By the end of the day, loyal Bobcats fans were jumping on their cellphones, checking the online roster, to determine who all these new players were.  (Hopefully, none of the injuries are season-ending - otherwise Coach Harriman may be forced to recruit players from the MLAX and squash teams to finish out the season).

On a side note, it was great to see Panthers' OC Dave Caputi looking so relaxed, and clearly enjoying his winning season.  He looks like he's dropped 40 pounds, and is having the time of his life.  Very happy for him, and his family.

Now, time for a wee bit of a gripe.  There were plenty of Bobcat parents and fans in the stands, but almost no students, since  Bates was on its fall break.  Given that each school only gets to play FOUR home games each year, don't you think NESCAC could have arranged the Bobcats' schedule to allow them to play those four games when the school is actually in session?  I mean, how difficult could that be?

Bates did have a well balanced attack and really outplayed Middlebury for a good part of the game, especially in the first half.  The Middlebury defense could not get off the field on third and long all afternoon.  Number 85 Riley for Bates was open all afternoon and made catches for first downs all game.

Middlebury's running game didn't materialize like it did against Williams and Meritus only gained 35 yards on 22 attempts.  Minno had another strong performance with 10 catches and 2 TD's.  He needed to with Conrado Banke going out due to injury.  How serious, I wonder?  Milano put up the yards and have 5 TD passes, but also 3 INTs.  Backup QB Jared Lebowitz came in for the last two or so series and rushed 40 yards for a TD on his first play on a read-option.  That proved to be the winning score.

[Trin9-0]

I was able to take in my first Trinity game of the season on Saturday and enjoyed the win over Bowdoin. The Bants may not be spectacular in any one area (aside from rushing defense) but are solid all-around. My biggest takeaway is how talented their underclassmen are. The two-deep roster is filled with Freshman and Sophomores at nearly every position. I don't know if Trin has what it takes to win back-to-back road games against Midd and Amherst but if they can, they'll be ahead of schedule as they try to reclaim the top spot in the NESCAC.

I also, found out that the turf and track at Jessee-Miller Field will be replaced following this season and they will be fundraising for a complete overhaul of the facility to take place in two years. The initial design plans call for the current visitor seating and press box to be replaced by a hill with all seating moved to the current home sideline. The grandstands will include coaching boxes, press boxes and luxury suites, as well as home and visitor locker rooms, meeting rooms, concessions, etc. and the opposite side will provide seating for the women's lacrosse/field hockey fields. The drawings looked very impressive and The Coop will certainly have a new feeling in a few years.

Finally, if you haven't seen this video of Jay Civetti following the Jumbos win over Williams on Saturday, you need to. A MUST WATCH, haha!
http://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/tufts-coach-jay-civetti-getting-turnt-after-beating-williams/

[NewtoNescac]

Watched Civetti. In that short clip you can see and feel the enthusiasm, and affection for his players. And his players for him. That's what football is all about, and that's what a winning program is all about. Loved it!!!!

[amh63]

Trin8-0...thanks for the info....especially wrt to facility plans!  Also nice to hear from you.  Seems Trinity is also upgrading the BBasketbal facility.  Wow, Lux suites! The Coop is going to a new level.
So have you put a deposit on one of the suites?
Meanwhile, Amherst is rebuilding its Baseball field and finally adding dugouts.  On the football topic, the new Facilities at Pratt field was officially re-named....Lehrman Stadium.  Sam Lehrman is the father of the outstanding DL Max Lehrman.  The father was a major donor and was deeply involved in the details of the stadium.  He wanted the visitor stand to be symmetric to the home stands...as an example.  I point that out as the majority of the football facilities in the CAC have much smaller visitor stands And/ or share a single side seating arrangement....just an observation only.
Still working on a GIF.

[NewtoNescac]

This looks like the most difficult week to make picks thus far. Some of the games look too close to call. But, in the interest of stirring up some conversation, here goes:

Wesleyan 27  Bowdoin 14
In my estimation, probably the easiest game to pick this week. But, you never know. Bowdoin is at home, and Wesleyan is just not that good. Yet. So, anything can happen. But, I doubt it will happen this week.

Trinity 24  Middlebury 17
Trinity's defense will be able to slow down Middlebury's one dimensional offense. Middlebury will defend the home turf for a while, but Trinity will wear the Panthers down to win by 7. Trinity's just too physical for Middlebury.

Amherst 31  Tufts 21
I love what Civetti is doing with his Tufts team. They are everything I think an up and coming program should be. The key phrase is "up and coming". Amherst is there, and time after time I see Mills' teams take over in the second half. A testament to great coaching. I think that will be the case again this week against Tufts. But, watch out for Tufts next year and beyond.

Colby 17  Bates 14
Expect this to be a hard fought battle of "cross town" rivals. It really can go either way. What this comes down to for me is a slight edge going to Colby since they're playing at home, and it's Parents weekend so the crowd should be decent. The other thing I sense with Colby is that Michaeles is starting to settle in running the offense and thinking more outside the box, though not as boldly as most would like. Including yours truly.

Hamilton 14  Williams 10
Hamilton simply does not quit, and sooner or later it's bound to pay off. So, I'm betting it's this week against a Williams team that knows Kelton is done. Which, barring a miracle finish of 3 straight wins, he is. Hamilton deserves a win, is ready for a win, and will out work Williams for the win. Congratulations in advance, Coach Murray.

[P'bearfan]

Wesleyan 27  Bowdoin 14
In my estimation, probably the easiest game to pick this week. But, you never know. Bowdoin is at home, and Wesleyan is just not that good. Yet. So, anything can happen. But, I doubt it will happen this week.

I'm hoping for an upset.....why?.......why not?  I just think the P'bears will put together a complete game.