FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[NewtoNescac]

P'bearfan - For what it's worth, I'll be rooting for a Bowdoin win, as well.

[Nescacman]

Wesleyan is just not that good.

Really, wow, that's quite a statement. We try to stay as objective as possible so let's look at the facts. Wesleyan is 3-2 and could easily be undefeated losing to Middlebury by 3 points as a result of 3 missed xp's and losing last Saturday to the undefeated LJ's despite, IOHO, totally dominating the game (more on that in a second). Although Wes' wins were against less than impressive opponents, everyone on the Board recognizes that Bates is better than their record indicates and the games against Hamilton and Colby were not as close as the scores indicate. Wesleyan had 18 starters graduate (and 26 seniors) and replaced that group with 26 freshman and 18 fy starters. They are one of, if not the, youngest teams in the league. They are ranked number one in D3 in time of possession and #21 in rushing defense. They are #2 in the 'CAC in total defense and #3 in total offense. They have done this with a new HC, two new coordinators, a new offense, and a ton of new players. As far as the Amherst game is concerned, Wes had almost double the time of possession of the LJ's, half as many penalties as Amherst and was plus 3 in the turnover department. Wes was 4-5 in the red zone but two of those 4 were FG's. Wes also missed 2 xp's and a chip shot FG. 2 of Amherst's scores were long TD passes to Jackson Mcgonagle (who, ironically, had 2 Uncles go to Wesleyan) and another one to WR Boehm. Amherst was very lucky to keep their winning streak going. We have seen every team play at least twice this year (the beauty of the Internet) and Wes is right there with Amherst and Trinity. Wesleyan is a good, young team, that is getting better and more confident every week. They turn the ball over too much (the downfall of having a fy QB) and make too many stupid penalties. One of these weeks they will put it all together. This could be that week. One other thing, this group will be in contention for the league title in 2016 and will be the team to beat in the NESCAC in 2017.

[NewtoNescac]

Nescacman - You left out the next one word sentence, "Yet". I added that word for a reason. It was to point out in a word, what you pointed out in what seems like a thousand words. In short, Wesleyan is on the way.

[polbear73]

As much as I would love to see Bowdoin pull off an upset this weekend, I think Wesleyan, as young as they are, have too much for the Polar Bears.  It would be nice to have a surprise shake things up!

[Nescacman]

Nescacman - You left out the next one word sentence, "Yet". I added that word for a reason. It was to point out in a word, what you pointed out in what seems like a thousand words. In short, Wesleyan is on the way.

Respectfully, I disagree. Wes is still in the top tier of the league despite their inexperience and mistakes. Our opinion is thet will soon ascend to the top of the conference. Hats off to Coach Dice and his staff for doing a great job in a rebuilding year. And btw, if the Sideline QB Club in Willytown has any visions of trying to bring Coach Dice home to replace the HFOC in November, forget it. Our sources tell us he is locked up and happy (and is the only HC in all divisions in NE to work for an AD who was formerly the football HC). The Eph's are going to have to look elsewhere.

[NewtoNescac]

I do not think coach Kelton will get a new contract. It's anyone's guess who they will bring in.

If I were running the search I would reach out to Joe Early. I'm not sure if he'd want to relocate, after only being out of Middlebury and back in CT for a year. But he would be a great choice. Terrific recruiter, and highly successful OC. And a really nice guy.

So, my advice to Williams, hire Joe Early if he's interested .

[Nescacman]

I do not think coach Kelton will get a new contract. It's anyone's guess who they will bring in.

If I were running the search I would reach out to Joe Early. I'm not sure if he'd want to relocate, after only being out of Middlebury and back in CT for a year. But he would be a great choice. Terrific recruiter, and highly successful OC. And a really nice guy.

So, my advice to Williams, hire Joe Early if he's interested .

This is Kelton's second 3 year contract and he was basically told after last season that if he took another job for 2015, Williams would honor his contract so he could "double dip". The problem...he couldn't land another job. In any event, we are willing to bet any amount of money that the HCOF will not be back. Williams is headed for another losing season (3-5 or worse) and we know that their passionate alumni base is not happy.

As far as who is next, the bottomline is this is one of the most desirable D3 coaching jobs in the country and Williams will have their pick of the litter. The problem for the rest of NESCAC (and Amherst, in particular) is Eph Football with even moderately competent leadership will get back into to the top tier of the league rapidly. As we have said previously, one of the reasons that Amherst is so good is because Williams is no longer competition for players that they both used to fight over. Assuming Williams does not bring in another HCOF like Kelton, they will once again split those players with Amherst thus disapating the talent over 2 programs rather than it being concentrated over one.

[amh63]

Wow...lots of interesting opinion posts on games PLAYED and teams.  Was going to omit some comments wrt to the Amh-Wes game past....but decided to add some thoughts, info and a question.
First, the Amherst preview of the Tuft's game in Medford is up....has projected lineups, team stats comparisons, etc.  The Podcast with the head coach will be available on Friday.  Guess the coaches are working hard for a tough Tuft's....had to say that .
Nice preview of the games ahead NewToNescac.  Like both yours and Nescacman's!  Plus K to both of you...makes the board a lively one.
Based on the write up of Sr. WR McGongle, he does have fine bloodlines....his father is a Williams grad.  Two uncles at Wes too?  Seems he played soccer also...helped his punting chores.
OK, back to the " strange " game.  The kicking game/ special teams play by both teams was up and down, IMO.  Wes kicker had two missed extra points and a Blocked fieldgoal along with a "shank" of a punt.  Amherst missed an extra punt and had a punt blocked!  One kick-off went out of bounds resulting in a "Penalty" of 15 yards and a ball placement on the 50 yard line....vice the 20 yards line.
Question....does the bad out of bound kickoff resulting in a 30 yard movement of the ball go into the penalties ledger of the stats for the game?  I'm not good on such matters.
NothingButNescac mentioned that both Wes and Amherst's QBs...Hawkins and Foy may have the quickest feet on their teams.  Foy took two sacks when his running lanes were closed.  Hawkins danced all day and avoided sacks...actually made some fine runs.  One penalty avoided by Hawkins was when he was being chased and threw a pass after he crossed the line.  The refs picked the flag up!  Seems his throwing arm had not crossed the line while his feet were.  That was how it was explained to me by a fan...NFL influence?
Last comment on why TOP difference was so great.  Amherst's offence was primarily quick long strikes in the air, leading to TDs.  Wes decided to go for a number of fourth and short attempts...in the red zone...vice field goals.   

[Pat Coleman]

I do not think coach Kelton will get a new contract. It's anyone's guess who they will bring in.

If I were running the search I would reach out to Joe Early. I'm not sure if he'd want to relocate, after only being out of Middlebury and back in CT for a year. But he would be a great choice. Terrific recruiter, and highly successful OC. And a really nice guy.

So, my advice to Williams, hire Joe Early if he's interested .

This is Kelton's second 3 year contract and he was basically told after last season that if he took another job for 2015, Williams would honor his contract so he could "double dip". The problem...he couldn't land another job. In any event, we are willing to bet any amount of money that the HCOF will not be back. Williams is headed for another losing season (3-5 or worse) and we know that their passionate alumni base is not happy.

As far as who is next, the bottomline is this is one of the most desirable D3 coaching jobs in the country and Williams will have their pick of the litter.

I definitely think the job will be attractive to a lot of coaches, but I don't know about most desirable in the country. Lots of coaches want to compete for the playoffs and such.

[AmherstStudent05]

losing last Saturday to the undefeated LJ's despite, IOHO, totally dominating the game (more on that in a second).

Nescacman, I do have to quibble a bit with this statement.  Had you limited your statement to the first half then I would be in complete agreement.  But I don't see how anyone watching the entire game could come away thinking that Wesleyan was the dominant team.  Amherst effectively steamrolled Wesleyan in the 3rd quarter.  Yes, those touchdowns came as a result of big plays in the passing game, but I am not sure why that should diminish their value (you did not state this explicitly but you seemed to be implying that these long scores contributed to Amherst's "lucky" win).  These scores were not the result of bad calls or fluke plays. Reece Foy has been making big plays in the passing game all season, and Wes was hurt in a somewhat similar manner by the Panthers in Week 1.  Also, this week Wesleyan won the turnover battle and the penalty yards battle and still lost by multiple scores.

Wesleyan certainly played Amherst very tough last week -- tougher than I think most of us expected, frankly, in light of all the talent they graduated this spring.  Big credit to their coaching staff and to their players.  I think it is very clear that Wesleyan's rise to the upper echelon of NESCAC football will not be a blip on the radar screen.  That being said, I do not seem them being on the level of Amherst or Trinity this season.  While Wesleyan has racked up plenty of impressive statistics (as you rightly pointed out), the fact of the matter is that they are 3-2 and none of their three wins were by multiple scores (also, unfortunately due to the 8-game schedule that we all bemoan, we will be deprived of what would surely have been an interesting matchup between Tufts and Wes). 

[NewtoNescac]

For those yearning for a 9 game schedule, I spoke to an AD recently and he told me his school President was going to recommend it when the Presidents meet next. He really wants a 9th game tacked onto the schedule prior to the current start date.

He also told me he'd like to see the schedule juggled somewhat each year. But, they'd keep the end of year rivalries, ie. Williams-Amherst.

I'd love to see it.

[P'bearfan]

For those yearning for a 9 game schedule, I spoke to an AD recently and he told me his school President was going to recommend it when the Presidents meet next. He really wants a 9th game tacked onto the schedule prior to the current start date.

He also told me he'd like to see the schedule juggled somewhat each year. But, they'd keep the end of year rivalries, ie. Williams-Amherst.

I'd love to see it.

Many long time posters on this board have lamented that a 9th game just won't happen because the majority of Presidents are against it.   So I have to ask, "was this AD just displaying his considerable political skills?" 

[NewtoNescac]

For those yearning for a 9 game schedule, I spoke to an AD recently and he told me his school President was going to recommend it when the Presidents meet next. He really wants a 9th game tacked onto the schedule prior to the current start date.

He also told me he'd like to see the schedule juggled somewhat each year. But, they'd keep the end of year rivalries, ie. Williams-Amherst.

I'd love to see it.

Many long time posters on this board have lamented that a 9th game just won't happen because the majority of Presidents are against it.   So I have to ask, "was this AD just displaying his considerable political skills?"

He raised the topic. He was expressing his relief that it was going to be proposed by his President.

[AmherstStudent05]

For those yearning for a 9 game schedule, I spoke to an AD recently and he told me his school President was going to recommend it when the Presidents meet next. He really wants a 9th game tacked onto the schedule prior to the current start date.

He also told me he'd like to see the schedule juggled somewhat each year. But, they'd keep the end of year rivalries, ie. Williams-Amherst.

I'd love to see it.

NewtoNescac, do you have any sense if the 9th game and the juggled schedule would be considered a packaged deal?  Personally, I would want to add the 9th game without juggling the schedule -- I like Amherst's schedule very well just the way it has been. 

However, if adoption of a juggled schedule were somehow considered the "price" for finally adding a 9th game I would be fine with that deal so long as (i) the Williams game would always be the finale (this would surely be an absolute deal-breaker for Amherst), and (ii) the Wesleyan game was guaranteed to fall somewhere in the second half of our schedule (though not necessarily Week 5 of course).

I wouldn't love starting a season against Trinity or Middlebury, but I guess someone has to do it, so it is kind of hard to stand on principle on that one. 

[maineman]

If they do add a ninth game, and I emphasize "if', why would they mess with the CBB and Little
Three's mini schedule at the end of the season?  They don't need to and nobody would want it.  The other traditional, but less historic rivalries would be maintains such as Tufts-Midd, Trinity-Wes, Bates, Hamilton.  As far as not wanting to start your season against Trinity or Middlebury, be careful what you wish for.  It may not be too long before you would want to avoid starting it with a team like Tufts or Bates?