FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[westcoastDad]

Bowdoin player well despite the score.  The Amherst passing attack was the difference in the game. 

[amh63]

Bowdoin played better than last week and young players showed promise....two different QBs.  Amherst had some injuries and some interesting Personnel mixes throughout the game.
First PolarBear score the result of a pick and a nice return.....resulting in 3 points. Starting Amherst QB went out with a"rolled ankle" sort of injury in the early part of second half.  Starting RG also out due to ankle/ foot injury...did not return and several replacements entered and did OK.  Seems Amherst had a new Xpoint kicker...Rak....DB and used a FY kicker for kick- offs.  There was a FY WR that got a lot of time. Replacement Soph QB came in and got stronger as the game continued....threw a 40  plus yd beauty of a TD and several other nifty passes to move the offense down the field.  Late in the 4 th quarter, the FY QB from MA. was put in with basically the Third set of backs.  More two back formation plays.  Three big backs and two quick backs got time.  Kelly got more time and appears to be running better.  Amherst had the ball, in Bowdoin territory and took 3 knee downs to end the game.  Lots of players go experience but two injuries to starters is a problem....with a road trip to Middlebury next week.

[PolarCat]

Holmquist's warm up wasn't a fluke as he hit a 48 yard FG.  Also boomed a 60 yard punt.  Good to see him and the Bates kicker hanging out together at halftime.  Gotta love the camaraderie of NESCAC kickers.

Bates played well, and the game was closer than the score would indicate.  Plashkes showed he has an arm, and threw some gorgeous long balls.  For once Bates mixed up the offense, with good results.

Bates fans also outnumbered the Tufts fans, which was pretty cool considering it was Tufts homecoming.

Both Jumbo QBs played well, and Chance Brady is a beast.  Tufts will be hard to beat this year.

[JumbosMom]

It was a tough win but a win so we will take it. Weather was a huge factor, it was nasty on the field. Willie was amazing what a leg! And was truly a battle of the defense. But  about the fans, I have to disagree. I didn't see many on the other side our stands were full and there was also alumni watching from the Field house. We tailgated in a different area because of the rain also. Next stop - Maine.  How did the other games go?

[PolarCat]

But  about the fans, I have to disagree. I didn't see many on the other side our stands were full and there was also alumni watching from the Field house.

Perspective is a funny thing.  The Tufts stands were absolutely empty from about the 40 yard line all the way to the East end zone.  Maybe the field house was packed.  God knows a roof over out heads and a warm beverage or two would have felt good to the Bates faithful.

It's all good.

[lumbercat]

Watched a defensive struggle in Medford today in challenging conditions. Not the result the Garnet faithful were hoping for but the Bates defense played extremely well. They are not big but boy they get to the football- that bodes well for the Bobcats in the remaining 6 games.

I have been a great supporter of Bates LB Mark Upton. I hesitate to get on the soapbox again because I know the kid is humble and collectively with Bates coach Harriman they place total emphasis on wins relative to individual honors but I have to point something out.

No sour grapes here and no axe to grind with the Brown and Blue.......check that, Grey, Brown and Blue.

I stood in the rain today and watched a good game. Upton was the best defensive player on the field without question--totally dominant.

The "stats" tell a different story......The Tufts log on the game shows Upton with 11 tackles and 6 assists. We all know assists is kind of a subjective category but those numbers seemed "off" to me so I watched the game tape again when I got home.

Here are the real results for Upton: Tackles- 13   Assists-14   TFL- 3   Sacks- 1

No slam on the Tufts SID as it was muddy and numbers were not very legible today but I wanted to set the record straight.

The second best defensive player on the field was Tufts FY LB Holt. He will be a force in the NESCAC but his numbers today of 10 tackles and 10 assists were padded.

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

Lumbercat.... I loved your post given I feel total disdain for published reports for performance after last week.

For example... last weekend Wes loses at Tufts... I attended the game....

I was shocked to see in the weekly NESCAC write-up that the QB Picxxxxx (too complex to write out) and DL Stone were the 2 guys written up by Wes (and thus being positioned in the political NESCAC landscape for honors).

The QB totally sucked in the 4th quarter, and his lack of positive production was a major reason for the Wes loss.

And Stone's stats totally are either inflated or don't represent how he was a non-factor in the 4th
quarter, to include a KEY unsportsmanlike conduct penalty......

So I just refuse to believe the bs stats and write ups any more.....:

[mariner75]

Watched the game on Jumbocast and agree that Upton was outstanding.  Hits hard and exceptionally quick.  Couple of times he shot the gap on blitzes and the Tufts QB had no chance.  Hard fought win for the Jumbos.  Bates played hard.

[PolarCat]

Okay, Bowdoin faithful, inquiring minds want to know: Did Clayton Rose find his way to Whittier yesterday?

[amh63]

PolarCat.....I did not see Prez Rose....then I cannot remember what he looks. Like .
The grass field looked Ok...light drizzle may have caused some slippery conditions as a ref slipped down on his butt but had his eye on the ball.  During halftime, interview with the new men's hockey coach.  Caught some mention of a new hockey facility in the near future??  No mention of upgrades to the football facility.
Biggest question mark for me is where is Charlie Wall, the honored kicker.  He kicked off last week...averaged 60 TDs...where as two kickers kicked off averaging around 50 yards.  A DB Rak did the extra point kicking...all good.  Wall is a Jr. from Northern Va....near me.
Also no mention of the injuries...do not expect any.
Bowdoin's passing game is ok, but their running game averaged 0.3 yds...not good.
This coming Sat. will be the " Battle of the Titans" in the Green Mountain State....home of Grandma Moses and where Poet Robert Frost taught and has a family burial plot. 

[PolarCat]

Don't feel bad about not knowing what Rose looks like.  Few Polar Bears do, as he is rarely seen.  They've started calling him "The Yeti" on campus.

I hope Charlie Wall is okay.  The Nothing But NESCAC folks were brutal to him last week, in my opinion, unfairly so.

I think Bowdoin is planning a new FIELD HOCKEY field (as befits a perennial contender for the NCAA National Championship).  The Bowdoin rink (Watson Arena) is only 7 years old, LEED-certified, and state-of-the-art.  The rink and the weight room are among the best facilities in the CAC.

[polbear73]

If, in fact, Whittier Field is renovated, it will include turf, locker rooms and lights and it will be as part of a master athletics facility plan to include other sports, including football (God forbid, it would be initiated by an exclusive desire to improve the football program).  As of now, Ryan Field is the only turf field at Bowdoin and the fact that Whittier is used only four times per year plus track requirements points  to underutilization of a major facility while Pickard Field is running out of space and the newly acquired Brunswick NAS land is far from the central campus.  There are recurring rumors of Whittier's imminent renovation pending final donors, but they have been around for at least a year.

[Nescacman]

If, in fact, Whittier Field is renovated, it will include turf, locker rooms and lights and it will be as part of a master athletics facility plan to include other sports, including football (God forbid, it would be initiated by an exclusive desire to improve the football program).  As of now, Ryan Field is the only turf field at Bowdoin and the fact that Whittier is used only four times per year plus track requirements points  to underutilization of a major facility while Pickard Field is running out of space and the newly acquired Brunswick NAS land is far from the central campus.  There are recurring rumors of Whittier's imminent renovation pending final donors, but they have been around for at least a year.

Hate to say it, but maybe it's time Bowdoin faced reality as far as football is concerned. 1 winning season since 2005, 2 winning seasons in the last 28 years and on the way to an 0-8/1-7 2016 season tells me the administration has little to no commitment as far as having a competitive program. Bowdoin should drop football and when the NESCAC expands to a 9th game in 2018, the rest of the league can play 8 NESCAC games and one game against a traditional non-NESCAC rival, like in the old days (Wesleyan-Coast Guard, Middlebury-Norwich, Williams-Union, etc.).

[middhoops]

Respectfully, participation in sports is more than wins and losses.
Several NESCAC teams, both men and women, in multiple sports have losing traditions.
That doesn't prevent new student athletes from coming in every year to try to improve the situation.
Bowdoin's lack of success in football only tells part of the story.  I doubt any former players would agree with the idea of dropping football because of the records of their teams.  The experience goes so much deeper.

[polbear73]

Respectively, participation in sports is more than wins and losses.
Several NESCAC teams, both men and women, in multiple sports have losing traditions.
That doesn't prevent new student athletes from coming in every year to try to improve the situation.
Bowdoin's lack of success in football only tells part of the story.  I doubt any former players would agree with the idea of dropping football because of the records of their teams.  The experience goes so much deeper.

Thank you, middhoops. I could not have stated it better.  I doubt that even this Administration would consider dropping football. Too many benefits than wins and losses.