FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[westcoastDad]

Can't wait to check out the Jumbotron next week.  My Amherst troops are now in the spoiler role. 

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

No offense to all the posters on this list re quitters, quitting, etc....  ...

But I attended the Amherst game today, was standing in the scoreboard end zone with a current Amherst parent who commented, as Brady was finishing the last 49 yard TD dagger into the LJs running towards us,"they (the Amherst D) just quit".....

Funny part is he took the words out of my mouth.

Bottom line is the LJs did quit today...... it was OBVIOUS to anyone at Pratt Field today that the LJ balloon has popped.

[westcoastDad]

Thanks N.F.O.!  It does hurt to hear it and glad that I didn't see the last few minutes.  But, AMH63 is true to what his eyes saw. 

JEFFFAN and Frank probably owe him a mea culpable.

More importantly, let's see what happens for those remaining two games.  You guys know the coaches better than I. 

[frank uible]

Like all of us are from time to time, amh63 was, in the heat of the moment, mistaken.

[westcoastDad]

Mistaken how Frank? 

N.F.O. was an eyewitness and validates what AMH63 stated   

[JumbosMom]

Tufts won so it was because Amherst gave up not because Tufts played well or has a great Team. Really have to wonder why we seem to be the under estimated red headed step child of the NESCAC. It's ok though keep predicting our losses it's working well for us.

[Grabowski]

The Wes kicker, apparently working on his "real football player" creds, played safety throughout the fourth quarter yesterday.

[westcoastDad]

JumbosMom?  Did u read all of the threads?  Or do you just not understand the post game obobservations given? 

Jumbos having a phenomenal season

Tufts won so it was because Amherst gave up not because Tufts played well or has a great Team. Really have to wonder why we seem to be the under estimated red headed step child of the NESCAC. It's ok though keep predicting our losses it's working well for us.
[/quote]

[Nescacman]

Tufts won so it was because Amherst gave up not because Tufts played well or has a great Team. Really have to wonder why we seem to be the under estimated red headed step child of the NESCAC. It's ok though keep predicting our losses it's working well for us.

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[PolarCat]

Pretty sure she understands.  And 100% certain she understands how to post on a message board withou insulting other posters.

[Nescacman]

The Wes kicker, apparently working on his "real football player" creds, played safety throughout the fourth quarter yesterday.

From our Wes correspondents...a few intersting things about Kicker/Safety Fuchs (last week's 'CAC special teams POTW)...he came to Wes as a QB and in addition to kicking was a back up at that position before moving to the secondary this year. Fuchs Dad, Ken, was Wes class of '83 and is an Emmy Award winning Director. He currently directs Shark Tank and The Bachelor.

[PolarCat]

NESCACMAN +K for the scoop.  Want to be nominated to take over former Mule Billy Bush's job? 

Maybe Fuchs senior could meet uo with WCD for a couple of beers and they could debate who is, and isn't, a real player?

Maybe Fuchs could even get WCD on The Bachelor?  Sort of Chad v.2?

[Nescacman]

A few random week 6 observations from around the league as we head into the home stretch...Hartford State cements their #1 ranking with a thrashing of MID....Amherst heading to a 4-4 record after two straight 8-0 seasons...for those wannabe "have's": AMH is a good football team and they are going to be 4-4; just sayin' it's a lot harder to breakthrough the "turf ceiling" than you think...Williams heading to their (we believe) first 0-8 season ever as they lose to HAM for second straight year...MID one dimensional offense exposed...Is a coaching change imminent at COL as Mules lose to Bates...WES shows up in the second half and gets ready to try and win their second LITTLE 3 title in 4 years...league settling into 3 tiers: top tier (HS, WES, TUF), second tier (MID, AMH), bottom tier (UBAT, COL, HAM, BOW, WIL)...league title to be decided in 2 weeks in Middletown (for the potential tie with either MID OR TUF)...BOW will have to 17-7 over the next 3 seasons for the class of 2020 to have a winning record; that's funny....more to come

[lumbercat]

A good one in Lewiston yesterday in tough weather conditions.

The fine performance of QB Spqaracio in the second half against a tough Bates defense takes me back to my query early in the year on this board relative to developments following the injury of starting QB Harrington.

Reports had Harrington and Sparacio battling for the starting job going back to last year. In preseason they seemed to sharing reps with the First O.

When Harrington went down with injury they seemingly demoted Sparacio and inserted FY O'Brien who seemed to be  3 or 4 on their QB depth chart.

O'Brien will be a fine QB but based on yesterdays performance that was a mistake. Sparacio ran the Mule offense very and threw the ball deftly. If I were a Mule I would optimistic with this guy as my QB going forward.

The Bobcats have seen the best passers in the league this year---Puzzo, Piccorillo, and Leibowitz.
After being inserted at the start of the 2nd half Sparacio threw the ball and ran his offense as good as any of the top guns....maybe better.

Don't think there should be any question for the Blue and Grey that 16 is your starting QB for here out. It should be his job to lose but wonder why it took so long. Someone in the stands said they had moved him to RB for a while??

Does anyone know of the status of Hurdle-Price?  Thought he was going to be one of the top RB's in the league this years but he seems to be getting diminished playing time.

Retired Mule:   Is he injured?

[amh63]

Was checking a number of scores around the conferences....in football...and caught as much of the other games ongoing at Amherst and elsewhere.  Multitasking?  Nah, just interesting in the Amherst teams in soccer, field hockey and volleyball competing for CAC titles and possible seeding in the post- season.  After reading the posts here, I will make some comments and some will be responses to others.
First, PolarCat, must give you credit on reporting on the Bates vs Colby game.!  Plus K. A little disappointed on the lack of news wrt to the tailgate...menus, etc.
JumboMom....My pregame comments in an earlier post was based on last year's results in Medford. Tufts had high hopes and was "crushed".  This year's Jumbo team is much improved and alas, Amherst' s team has continued to show it's weaknesses.  They have been scouted well.
Specific observations I observed.  QB Berluti appeared to be running ok straight forward, buT seems to have lost some quickness avoiding tackles in the backfield.  The offensive line has NOT been rebuilt...or anotherway to put it...I underestimated the impact of the OL of last year...in particular the left side.  Amherst's QB would slide to his right to gain time for passes.  He may have been a little rusty, but I believe he was under pressure and threw to avoid picks.
Offensive sets.....some nice runs by the smaller and quicker RB Gaines.  Full backfield with both big backs...Hickey and Kelly, with the  senior Kelly featured.  Yes, Kelly seemsmTo have lost a step, but runs hard hitting the line.  This brings up the matter of speed and quickness in the offense formations.  Did anyone else notice that a freshman TE was used in a run play going from left to right.  First thought was he is quicker and has fresh legs than the returning TEs. 
Now the Amherst defense.  At the start of the season, the defensive backfield had to be rebuilt.  There is talent on the team....but in the recent losses, it looks like the rebuilding is still ongoing.  Yesterday, the Tuft's QBs..plural...made key completions to keep drives going. 
Tufts used two QBs and they kept the Amherst front 7  guessing all day with their running.  Star RB was kept in check for the most part and was used as a decoy during a number of series.
Did anyone notice that twice in drives in the red zone, Amherst put in the QB that some thought was the favorite at the start of the season.  Yes, I would have tried to score with a run by the big backs like Hickey.  Last week, the Cardinal QB on a last play threw a pass to a tall WR in the end zone.  Jumped up to make the pass.  AD Whalen called it the "Tebow" play, after the Florida All-American QB.
Last comment, wrt to the game that I saw. 
Like WCD, my feed online froze.  The score was 20-10 with less than 4 minutes to go and Wes may have had the ball.  I had conceded the game was a lost...yes much like the soccer game at Wes last week in the rain and Amherst one player down.   Went to the check on several scores around the conference and hopes to watch a few of them.  Came back and hit stats.....saw that Brady had run for a 49 yard TD!  I posted my first thoughts.  A great RB made a great run....but he was kept in check for most of the game.  Some of his longer runs were after being hit in the backfield or at the line and breaking away.  Someone pointed out that the LBs may not be as physical as in past years, etc.  maybe the defensive players are on the field too long....though there were a number of times that players were sifted on and off the field...both on the offensive and defensive sides.
Amherst has become an one dimensional team like Midd.  The problem is that the passing game is not as good as Mid's.  Tuft's running game opened up with the better running QB.  Then their passing game revealed the inexperienced backfield of Amherst. 
The games ahead? ....Trinity at Hartford is always tough.  Trinity's coaches saw the weakness of Amherst and like Tufts will plan accordingly.  Williams will plan accordingly, but the EPHs do not have the players yet to take advantage...I hope.
Heard a band playing....were there cheer leaders and some students playing?