FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[amh63]

PolarCat....some comments wrt growing "foundness" for the US Naval Academy. 
The midshipmen players often are "prepped" at several schools...one in NE and the other in Md.  the one in Maryland...Bullis Prep in the high income area of Potomac in Mont. County...may have stopped the practice.  Bullis does send top players to Nescac schools.  One was the all Nescac kicker in the last Amherst 8-0 season.  The Bullis Prep kicker kicked multi-FGs in the win over Wes in Middletown.  Believe it was in wet conditions too.
The cadets of West Point are also a class act on and off the field.....and also have Prep schools that feed the football program.  My wife had a nephew that was " congressional selected" to West Point.  Congressional members can select two members to the academies each year, I recall.  The nephew left early and entered the priesthood. It was an interesting turn of events.

[JEFFFAN]

Stating the obvious, I am frustrated with Colby's 0-5 record, the margins they've lost by, and the boring offensive play. 135 total yards of O against Amherst with 10, yes 10, yards rushing. Rather than give my 2 cents, which is probably worth 1 cent in today's opinion market, I'd like to hear what your solutions are. The roster is what it is, as well as the injuries. So what would you guys do, if anything, to turn things around?

ColbyFootball - your posts to date read as an unhappy parent, which I completely get because I have three sons who played sports in college, but after seeing the Amherst game I see it differently.   Amherst is not so good that the game should have been the blowout it was.   You could very well have a coaching problem at Colby but there is, as you know, nothing you can do about it now other than to urge your son to keep pushing.  One of my sons played on two very weak teams and it was very difficult to deal with.   I would like to say that he learned lessons from being the leading scorer on two crappy teams, but suffice to say what he learned was that if a team doesn't have the horses you just suck it up and enjoy your friends and the camaraderie of the same.  But I feel your pain ...

[ColbyFootball]

Jefffan wrote:
"ColbyFootball - your posts to date read as an unhappy parent, which I completely get because I have three sons who played sports in college, but after seeing the Amherst game I see it differently.   Amherst is not so good that the game should have been the blowout it was.   You could very well have a coaching problem at Colby but there is, as you know, nothing you can do about it now other than to urge your son to keep pushing.  One of my sons played on two very weak teams and it was very difficult to deal with.   I would like to say that he learned lessons from being the leading scorer on two crappy teams, but suffice to say what he learned was that if a team doesn't have the horses you just suck it up and enjoy your friends and the camaraderie of the same.  But I feel your pain ..."

That game has been like most Colby games, and that's why I've gotten so frustrated. But at the end of the day my son is getting a great education, making lots of friends, and learning lessons about life the hard way on the football field. So "Life is Good!"

One parting shot because I can't resist. I don't know you or your background, but you can take over that offense today and have more success this coming Saturday than they've had. 27 points in 5 games.

I appreciate your post.

[413Local]

How the heck does a kid "transfer in from a prep school'   Do you understand the process? They apply the same as your child did.  And "boys will be boys" is a lame-ass excuse.   That picture reflects the character of the coaching staff, not to mention the inexcusable passing td late in the game.  The fact that Devaney tried to concoct some explanation speaks for itself. 

[Hamiltonian]

question for the group of old pros....  what about the fact that Tufts as 5500 students.  is that a comparative advantage in the same way as lower admissions standards?

[nescac1]

Weird random observation about NESCAC this year: doesn't there seem to be a surprising lack of senior stars across the league, in a sport typically dominated by upperclassmen? Consider: only two senior starting QBs in the conference (both are great, of course).  Of the top 15 rushers (all of this is going by statistics), only two are seniors (and one of those is a back-up).  Only one senior in the top 15 receivers.  The overwhelming majority of the top 20 tacklers / major impact players on defense are non-seniors as well.  Overall, across the conference, frosh seem to be making about as big an impact on the field, if not more of an impact, than the senior class.  There are more offensive linemen who are seniors, but it's not like any teams in the conference that I have seen have 4-5 senior starters even on the O-line.  All of this is bad news for the teams that are currently struggling, because it's hard to see many teams that look like they will be significantly hurt by graduation. 

From the top tier teams, Midd perhaps the most, because losing Lebowitz is a blow and they lose several of their strongest defenders from a unit that has been up-and-down.  But on the other hand, folks here have lauded Midd's QB depth, and with every significant skill guy back, likely better health in the skill position units, and the system they have in place, I doubt the Panther offensive machine misses a beat.  Wesleyan loses its superstar WR, which will hurt, and some good defenders as well, but the Cardinals have the bulk of their production on both sides of the ball returning.  Trinity and Amherst are unlikely to miss a beat and could be even stronger next year.  Williams, obviously, should only get better next year, as should Tufts.  And Hamilton is a very young squad that looks to be on the rise.  All three Maine teams are dominated by younger players as well, but unfortunately for them, no one in the league, with the POSSIBLE exception of Midd, really looks to be trending down at all next season ... it's almost like the current senior class was a big miss league-wide.

[amh63]

Tuft's Large enrollment has not been an advantage in the past....before Nescac ...and now.  Things may have changed  a bit presently with the improved facilities and the present generations of students that are attracted to more urban locations.  The number of admission "tips" for football players is the same for all Nescac schools now.  After Tufts, Wes and Midd, followed by Williams have the larger enrollments....with Hamilton, Amherst and the CBB all have enrollments around 1800.

[ColbyFootball]

Tuft's Large enrollment has not been an advantage in the past....before Nescac ...and now.  Things may have changed  a bit presently with the improved facilities and the present generations of students that are attracted to more urban locations.  The number of admission "tips" for football players is the same for all Nescac schools now.  After Tufts, Wes and Midd, followed by Williams have the larger enrollments....with Hamilton, Amherst and the CBB all have enrollments around 1800.

I'd guess enrollment matters, but other considerations are as, or more, important. Take a look at Wofford an FCS school, and smallest D1 school in the country, that has given FBS schools a real scare in some games. I'll take a coach who can recruit and retain his players as my top priority in a successful program.

[PolarCat]

TIPS only help you relative to the mean scores for the student body (what they call the Academic Index in the Ivies).  A more selective school (like Tufts) is going to have a harder time bringing in a dumb kid than some others in the CAC.

Admittedly, there is a statistical probability that you will get more and better non-tipped players in a 5,000 student school than in an 1,800 student school.  So there's that.

But I think location likely has a bigger impact.  If you grew up in an urban environment, you may have reservations about going someplace like Midd, where a fun Saturday night involves cow-tipping.  As an 18-year-old venturing out on your own, you might find Trinity or Tufts an easier transition.

Plus Tufts is a subway ride outside the best college town in the world.  Tough for Midd, Hamilton or the CBB's to compete with that.

[mariner75]

Tufts had generally some lean years athletically in some measure due to The lack of support from the previous president/administration.  Much of the recent athletic success, not just I football but in all sports, changed when the new president took over.  He understands the overall advantages of having a good sports program going hand-in-hand with world class education.  Some kids prefer the "woods", my son did not, hence his and others attraction to a campus closer to a major city.  Each student is different and hopefully they choose what fits them best in sports has most importantly in academics.

[mariner75]

btw, pardon my typos but hopefully you get my point.

[Vandy74]

btw, pardon my typos but hopefully you get my point.

No need to apologize mariner75.  Over at nescac.com football, Wesleyan QB Mark Piccirillo is twice identified as a Williams player and in the short blurb touting his accomplishments vs Bates they report it was the third game this season he's thrown for 3000 yards or more.  

[lumbercat]

I personally hope not but we may see the Oklahoma Rifle this Saturday in Lewiston. If Midd gets a lead we may see Leibowitz yanked and Meservey will get some reps.

[Monty]

Just want to say that I don't recall any bad behavior by Trinity in their game against Hamilton.  And Hamilton had them down 13-0 at one point.  They rolled up the points in the second half, but not egregiously, as I recall.  Their whole stadium vibe is obnoxious, what with charging for admission, and those annoying highlight clips on the scoreboard.  But the players seemed to be fine in their behavior.  Whereas there are some from the little three who really behave poorly, in my experience.  The Trinity parents are not so great, screaming for more offense and more defense right down to the last second of a 41-13 game.  But, hey, parents are parents.

Hamiltonian - The Trinity coach showed class against Colby this year. They were knocking on the door for another scored (I think inside the 5 yard line) with time running out and they took a knee. So the Bates situation must have been personal for some reason.  As for the admission charge, my guess it is to keep some people out that they think may pose problems because that area is pretty bad. Just my guess.

Perhaps the Trinity Coach just realized how foolish his post game speech justifying his poor sportsmanship was. I suspect that a guy that gives an explanation like that does not really change his behavior so maybe he was simply acting like Buddy Ryan when he threw that touchdown pass against Tom Landry's Cowboys after taking a knee on the previous play because he was pissed that Landry actually tried to win with his team of replacement players during the strike. The only real difference that I can see is that the Trinity coach was not as creative as Buddy and did not take a knee on the previous play!

[NESCAC.Football.Observer]

Tuft's Large enrollment has not been an advantage in the past....before Nescac ...and now.  Things may have changed  a bit presently with the improved facilities and the present generations of students that are attracted to more urban locations.  The number of admission "tips" for football players is the same for all Nescac schools now.  After Tufts, Wes and Midd, followed by Williams have the larger enrollments....with Hamilton, Amherst and the CBB all have enrollments around 1800.

I'd guess enrollment matters, but other considerations are as, or more, important. Take a look at Wofford an FCS school, and smallest D1 school in the country, that has given FBS schools a real scare in some games. I'll take a coach who can recruit and retain his players as my top priority in a successful program.

For any of you NESCAC buffs... The Wofford TE coach is BJ Connolly, Williams '84 and 3 year QB starter from Long Island and Choate PG..............