FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[P'bearfan]

Can one of the Bowdoin fans explain what all this "boiling the owl" stuff is about?  The only use of the phrase I can find has to do with a nasty hangover, but I doubt very much JB Wells is urging the PBears to show up at Garcellon Saturday in that condition.

I honestly don't have the slightest idea what he's referring to.  I don't follow him on Twitter so when I first saw this I thought it meant that we were playing Temple this week.

[PolarCat]

First "Watering the bamboo" now "Boiling the owl."  Makes you wonder what's next.  Kind of makes you nostalgic for the days of "fix bayonets".  At least that made some sense.

[NothingButNESCAC]

First "Watering the bamboo" now "Boiling the owl."  Makes you wonder what's next.  Kind of makes you nostalgic for the days of "fix bayonets".  At least that made some sense.

JB uses Fixed Bayonets also. He's a fan of slogans for sure. The Boiled Owl idea though long precedes him at Bowdoin. I don't want to give away the story, but I can assure you that the connection to Bates and Bowdoin is pretty tenuous.
Adam

[lumbercat]

Oh Geez- Boil the owl goes back to the 1920's or 1930's when they cooked an owl at a Bowdoin pep  rally bonfire before their big game against Bates. it was said that they would feed the owl to the stealthy Bobcat which would open the door for the lumbering Polar Bear to pound Bates to submission.
Old stuff....silly, but maybe Wells as a slogan guy is getting some mileage out of it.
Either way it shapes up as a good matchup on Saturday in Lewiston........
The Bates tailgate area will packed with grey Cats.......now, if I could only get a reservation at DaVincis in Lewiston....great restaurant, tough reservation.

[polbear73]

The boiled owl was started in 1970 by legendary and beloved assistant coach Phil Soule of Bowdoin during Bates week. The Soule family is in the Bowdoin Hall of Honor-father Bill with sons Paul, Mort, and Jim were all Bowdoin greats and Phil was All Yankee Conference at Maine and coached at Bowdoin for many years.

According to Phil, a larger than life character, the Boiled Owl is the toughest thing in the world to eat and is appropriate during Bates week because it is the toughest, hardest hitting game of the year. The Boiled Owl Award is given annually to the toughest player of the year and picked by the coaches. It is a much coveted award.

Phil Soule, who tragically passed away in an accident a few years ago is synonymous with Bowdoin football as is the Soule family. The Boiled Owl means everything to a Bowdoin football alumnus who played after 1970 and symbolizes the way the game should be pkayed; the way Phil Soule taught the game.

[P'bearfan]

The boiled owl was started in 1970 by legendary and beloved assistant coach Phil Soule of Bowdoin during Bates week. The Soule family is in the Bowdoin Hall of Honor-father Bill with sons Paul, Mort, and Jim were all Bowdoin greats and Phil was All Yankee Conference at Maine and coached at Bowdoin for many years.

According to Phil, a larger than life character, the Boiled Owl is the toughest thing in the world to eat and is appropriate during Bates week because it is the toughest, hardest hitting game of the year. The Boiled Owl Award is given annually to the toughest player of the year and picked by the coaches. It is a much coveted award.

Phil Soule, who tragically passed away in an accident a few years ago is synonymous with Bowdoin football as is the Soule family. The Boiled Owl means everything to a Bowdoin football alumnus who played after 1970 and symbolizes the way the game should be pkayed; the way Phil Soule taught the game.

Stories like this are one the reasons I love college football!

[polbear73]

To add to the story, every day during Bates week each year, Coach Soule would hang the ugliest, nastiest looking stuffed owl from the crossbar of the practice field goal post to remind everyone of the intensity of the Bates game, regardless of the respective records.  In 1970, the inaugural season of the Boiled Owl, we had no idea that this would be perpetuated some 45 years later.  I think it would have to do with the lasting legacy of Phil Soule and what he has meant to his former players and the College in general. 

[PolarCat]

So the appropriate response to the Boiled Owl will be to make the Polar Bears eat crow...

Does the Bowdoin Orient know about this?  I'm surprised the NARP's aren't picketing Moulton complaining about a "misappropriation of Owl culture",  like their big dust-up over the Gangster Party last month, and the protest yesterday.

http://bowdoinorient.com/article/10624

[polbear73]

I shudder to think about what the NARPs would have picketed about in the early '70s PolarCat.

[maineman]

The boiled owl was started in 1970 by legendary and beloved assistant coach Phil Soule of Bowdoin during Bates week. The Soule family is in the Bowdoin Hall of Honor-father Bill with sons Paul, Mort, and Jim were all Bowdoin greats and Phil was All Yankee Conference at Maine and coached at Bowdoin for many years.

According to Phil, a larger than life character, the Boiled Owl is the toughest thing in the world to eat and is appropriate during Bates week because it is the toughest, hardest hitting game of the year. The Boiled Owl Award is given annually to the toughest player of the year and picked by the coaches. It is a much coveted award.

Phil Soule, who tragically passed away in an accident a few years ago is synonymous with Bowdoin football as is the Soule family. The Boiled Owl means everything to a Bowdoin football alumnus who played after 1970 and symbolizes the way the game should be pkayed; the way Phil Soule taught the game.

I had Paul Soule as a coach at Reading (MA) High.  As a cornerback,he was the last person cut from the Dallas Cowboys in 1967.

[lumbercat]

The Soule family was legendary at Bowdoin, even from a Bates perspective.
Jim Soule was a RB in the mid 70s. He was as good a back as the Nescac has ever seen. Fast and very tough.

They ran him behind 2 offensive linemen who were both drafted to the NFL. Diclk Leavitt by the NY Giants and Phil McCabe by the Washington Redskins. Believe Leavitt played a couple of years with the Giants.

Things have changed since the 70s but one thing will never change, Bates vs Bowdoin will always be a dog fight. Owls or no Owls the same intensity will be at a peak level on Saturday at Garcelon.

Come on out, admission is free, weather in the 60's and Bates vs Bowdoin. Doesn't get any better.

[amh63]

Is this the "strange" part of the season?  First Nescacman's bonus post, then the Owl tradition in the Bates-Bowdoin battle.  I'm all for symbolic traditions...but why the OWL?  Is there an Owl trophy like the ones in the Iron Bowl, the Bucket Bowl, etc. that the SEC and Big Ten have? Just kidding here.
Lost my train of thought....NOW NothingButNescac has a post on the best Hairdo in the CAC!
Seems that Bowdoin players have most of the "best" hair"....leading me to ask again...WHY?
Is it the water up in Maine...drinking water?...near Bowdoin.  Got me thinking about that old Broadway Musical, "Hair" and that professor at a Cambridge school.  "Strange Cultural Period" then.

[Nescacman]

2015 Week 7 NESCAC Weekly Power Rankings

Not much movement in the rankings this week.

1.   Amherst (LW #1): Game of the year this week as Hartford State faces the Purple Moose in Amherst for the 2015 NESCAC title. Did you know that...despite being at the top of the NESCAC in total offense and scoring offense, and being #2 in scoring defense they have turned the ball over as many times that they have taken it away. We should also become familiar with the definition of "moose" according to Webster's:
Full Definition of MOOSE
1:  a ruminant mammal (Alces alces) with humped shoulders, long legs, and broadly palmated antlers that is the largest existing member of the deer family and inhabits forested areas of Canada, the northern United States, Europe, and Asia
2 capitalized [Loyal Order of Moose]:  a member of a major benevolent and fraternal order
3 capitalized (Purple Moose): a nickname for the sports teams of Amherst College, a small liberal arts college located in Amherst, MA.

2.   Hartford State (LW #2): Has HS been watching Amherst? They took a page out of the Purple Moose playbook as they bent but did not break against Middlebury. They are going to need to get their running game going to have a shot against Amherst and Wesleyan. Did you know that...Trinity doesn't have a receiver in the top 8 in the league in receptions.

3.   Middlebury (LW #3): Tough loss HS at home last week as they led until 2:52 left in the 4th quarter. They dominated the game in terms of yards, TOP, penalties, and first downs. They also dominated the line of scrimmage sacking 'State QB Puzzo 5 times and holding HS to only33 yards rushing. How did HS win you ask? Inopportune turnovers by the Panthers. Did you know that...Middlebury is third to last in rushing YPG (and second to last in average rush per attempt at 2.2 YPC) and third to last in allowing rushing yards per game.

4.   Wesleyan (LW #4):  Despite ranking high in both total D and total O, they have struggled to put the ball into the end zone from the red zone. We think 2016 will be the year of the Cardinal as this young team matures. Did you know that....Wes has been in the red zone more than any other team in the NESCAC (29 times) and has the lowest TD percentage in the red zone (45%).

5.   Tufts (LW tie #4): We jumped on the Tufts bandwagon too soon. Worst showing of the year against the Moose as they only managed 161 yards of total offense. They allowed 25 unanswered points after leading the game with 5:34 left in the second quarter. Did you know that....Tufts leads the 'CAC in turnover ratio.

6.   Williams (LW #6): They are a distant 6th ranked team. We will go out on limb...the Ephs loss to Hamilton at home last week was the worst loss in the history of Williams football (134 years). This will be the last year for the HCOF. After they lose to Little 3 rivals Wesleyan and Amherst over the next couple of weeks, their record will be 2-6 for the third straight year. We would venture a guess that their record over the last 3 years if they lose the last 2 games (6-18) is the worst 3 year stretch Williams College football has ever seen. We have said it before and we will say it again, the HCOF did nothing to deserve this job (his track record at Columbia was less than stellar) and has proved that he was not the right guy for this job. A new era will begin next year. Watch out for the Ephs in 2019! Did you know that...Williams has the second lowest red zone scoring percentage in the 'CAC.

7.   Bates (LW #7): Nice first win against C-B-B rival, Colby last week. This week they try to wrap up the Maine Championship at home against Bowdoin. Did you know that...Bates has run the ball more than any other team in the NESCAC (304 attempts) while passing the ball the least (122 attempts).

8.   Bowdoin (LW#8):  FY QB Noah Nelson continues to throw early and often. After a fast start, his stats are amazingly similar to previous starter Drakely. Bowdoin has a chance to salvage their season with wins the next 2 weeks against rivals Bates and Colby. Did you know that...Bowdoin is first in the NESCAC in red zone TD percentage (65%; 11 of 17).

9.   Colby (LW#9): Tough loss for the Mules at home vs. Bates. Two more weeks and the nightmare that is 2015 is over. We think there is better than a 50/50 shot that a coaching change could be in the offing. Did you know that...Colby has only scored 9 offensive TD's in 6 games, only 1 of those TD's was via the pass and RB Jabir Hurdle-Price has 4 of the 9 TD's.

10.   Hamilton (LW #10): Congrats to the Conts in snapping their 25 games losing streak (and coach Murray on his first NESCAC win as HC). Another streak starts this week in Middlebury. Did you know that...soph QB Cole Freeman has thrown for 6 TD's and only 1 interception in the 4 games he has played (despite only completing 42.7% of his passes).

[amh63]

Nescacman....enjoyed your "witty" post with the STATS also.  Must be a Wes grad!  Too clever and imaginative for an EHPs .  Were you a Frat man?  One of the few remaining that has been ordered to be Coed or Closed...same thing.  Nice play on the Moose.  Let you in on something....that mascot will not happen.  Maybe an OWL?....does like meat.

[P'bearfan]

Did you know that...Bowdoin is first in the NESCAC in red zone TD percentage (65%; 11 of 17).

Hah!  I wouldn't have guessed that.  Seems all we have to do is get in the red zone a little more often (and keep the other guys out of it)