FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[amh63]

Ahh...the Star Wars  saga term..."dark side" . Love it!   
Nice Response Trin 8-0. 
At my  55th Class Reunion this Spring, one Harvard MD classmate, who may still practice up in Williamstown, wore a Mammoth pin on his white sports coat/purple tie outfit at our formal dinner.  I remarked about the pin and he with a smile stated..."I have turned to the dark side".  I laughed at his response. The dinner opened with the singing of the Lord Jeff based fight song.  Many of us wore provided baseball caps with Lord Jeffs on it.  One of the class speakers stated that we need to get our LJ feelings out before the school Prez dropped by.  There was a large ice carved Mammoth in the lobby.

[Nescacman]

Ahh...the Star Wars  saga term..."dark side" . Love it!   
Nice Response Trin 8-0. 
At my  55th Class Reunion this Spring, one Harvard MD classmate, who may still practice up in Williamstown, wore a Mammoth pin on his white sports coat/purple tie outfit at our formal dinner.  I remarked about the pin and he with a smile stated..."I have turned to the dark side".  I laughed at his response. The dinner opened with the singing of the Lord Jeff based fight song.  Many of us wore provided baseball caps with Lord Jeffs on it.  One of the class speakers stated that we need to get our LJ feelings out before the school Prez dropped by.  There was a large ice carved Mammoth in the lobby.

Have no fear amh63, when the NESCACMEN sing "The Old College Medley", you are still the Lord Jeffery Amhurst's to us...blankets and all...

BTW, our early pick is the Lord Mammoths overt the Jumbo's in the second annual "Battle for the Ivory" (just to continue the political incorrectness theme)...

[lumbercat]

Looking with interest at the Bowdoin unofficial starting lineup for Saturday against the Purple. JB has made some changes following a very good recruiting campaign. Ive got to respect Wells and his commitment to winning at Bowdoin.

At QB it looks like Stalcup is the guy by a whisker. Kudos to the Green Mountain Kid who evidently beat out the D1 transfer who was said to be the favorite for the job.
Reports that Stalcup throws it every bit as good as McCrum but gets it out quicker and is more mobile must be true. I'm sure McCrum will be breathing down his neck but thats competition...... and competition is good......unless you don't have a defined 1st string QB.

Believe JB will not let let the competition fester with the end of pre season....I bet JB picks a guy, doesn't look back and sticks to it.

Wells can coach and recruit but this is a big year for him.

No questioning JBW on the OL- thats his expertise and he's made some changes this year. Captain Mansilio moves from center to guard and JB starts Freshman Bussgang from Milton Academy at RG. . Monti who has some experience moves to center.  JB drops another Frosh into the starting mix with Brendan McNeil at left tackle. Won't question Wells on the OL but wondering where is the the bight light from Governors??......Palmer was the best Bowdoin OL in the Bates and Colby games last year.

Bowdoin will be much better this year and could upset the Ephs on Saturday or at least make it interesting.

To put things in a very long term perspective, JBW would be first in line right behind Civetti if the Utopian coaching job at Trinity should ever open up. Don't count on it, It's the best job in D3 and Jeff isn't letting go......Priore might take it back if he could.

[Nescacman]

NESCACMAN 2018 Preseason NESCAC Weekly Power Rankings

Welcome to the 2018 NESCAC season in the "league where they pay to play"!!! Should be an exciting year with 2 new head coaches in Maine, new starting QBs at Hartford State and Middlebury, a new stadium at Bowdoin, several new uniforms and logo's, new players....should be fun. One big change this year in NESCAC...this league used to be "the have's" and "the have not's" (C-B-B plus Hamilton). We now have three tiers: "the have's", "the wanna be's" and "the have not's". For those of you new to the Board, here's what to expect each week expect from NESCACMAN....weekly power rankings generally on Monday or Tuesday every week and our popular weekly picks game by game picks on Friday (the most accurate NESCAC picks in the country) and we will also throw in a few special features during the year to keep everyone wildy entertained. Here we go....

1 (tie). Amhurst (Final 2017 record: 7-2; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 8-1): Coming off another "Mammoth" 2017 campaign we expect another big year for the Lord Mammoths in 2018. With everyone back on D, including all everything defending NESCAC Defensive POTY Andrew Yamin, and most of their key players on O, the LMs will use the early part of their schedule to warm up for Wes, Tufts (the Battle for the Ivory), Hartford State (HS), and The Team from Up North (TTUN) the last 4 weeks. Fortunately, they start the year with 3 scrimmages which should help them build their confidence. What we like: Stellar defense that led the NESCAC in 2017 in yards allowed. Experience at key skill positions. Well coached. What we don't like: Steady but not flashy performers on offense. Can they score enough to win? They won't need to score alot, however. Tough end of the season schedule.

1 (tie). Hartford State (Final 2017 record: 8-1; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 8-1): HS will again contend for the league title in 2018. Give them credit...they reload every year with an excellent recruiting class typically filled with "juco" transfers, ex-cons, and former ISIS operatives. The big question on the offensive side of the ball will be replacing all league QB Sonny Puzzo. They return 7 starters on D and 6 on O. We hear they got enough JUCO guys to fill out the starting 11 on both sides of the ball. What we like: Led the NESCAC in 2017 in points scored and points against. They have a big edge in recruiting since they seem to use all of the TIPS HS is allocated for football and reload every year. One of these year's, they will get caught napping. This year will not be the year. This team is also well coached and has a huge home field advantage to boot (no one hates that rooster "cockledoing" more than we do). What we like: Ability to win recruiting battles against the likes of Alabama, Michigan and Notre Dame. Well coached. Talented on both sides of the ball. Huge home coop advantage. What we don't like: New QB, although he is the D1 transfer everyone SHOULD BE talking about. Awful mascot....what's a Bantam anyway (we know, little chicken). Every other NESCAC schools top recruits "safety school". Bad school location.

1 (tie). Wesleyan (Final 2017 record: 6-3; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 8-1): Wes returns the preseason OPOTY fave QB Piccirillo and defensive POTY candidate LB Morris. They have a solid group of returning starters, a few returning injured players, and an excellent recruiting class led by Safety AJ Lanton and Athlete North NJ HSPOTY David Estevez. If they can get off to a 2-0 start after hosting MID and playing the OG Elephants under the lights, they will be off to the races. What we like: Lots of returning starters on both sides of the ball, best QB in the league, possibly best front 7 in the league, coaching, play the Lord Mammoths and Hartford State at home this year, and game day atmosphere (probably best in the NESCAC). What we don't like: Tough early season schedule, inexperience at RB and need to replace 2017's offensive POTY Mike Breuler...look for WRs Hull, Scancarella, and converted RB Highsmith together with TEs Earle and Patterson and slot Estevez to fill the void.

4. Middlebury (Final 2017 record: 7-2; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 6-3): Clearly at the top of the "want to be" category is Middlebury. "Broken record" time...balanced offense wins championships. MID will go into 2018 the same way they have since Ritter became HC, with a throw first, no huddle, limited run offense run by "new" starting QB Jack Merservy. They will rack up yards against the lower echelon teams. However, they are going to have to run the ball a bit against the upper echelon with a group of new, unproven RBs to have chance to win against HS, LM and Wes. The defense should be adequate with a number of returners back from a decent 2017. What we like: Key returners including WR Banky who might be the best in the league, proven offensive scheme, well coached, coolest uni's in the conference and a winning tradition. What we don't like: Lack of balance on offense, inexperience at RB, and QB beginning his first season as the starter.

5 (tie). Tufts (Final 2017 record: 5-4; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 5-4): We think the OG Elephants are clearly in the middle tier. Could they potentially upset a few teams and surprise an upper echelon team or two and move into the top tier? The answer is yes, but unlikely. This Team has some nice pieces on offense starting with their QB, Ryan McDonald. We are very high on McDonald as a dual threat QB. He will need to limit his interceptions in 2018 for Tufts to be a contender. The problem here is their defense where they return less than half their 2017 starters. What we like: McDonald is the 2nd best QB in the conference, they are well coached, and have the resources to contend every year. What we don't like: Someone other than the QB has to step up on offense, their pass defense has to get better in 2018, and they had a knack for losing some close games last year.

5 (tie). The Team from Up North (aka Williams)(Final 2017 record: 6-3; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 5-4): Big strides in 2017 by Coach Raymond and the TTUN. Shows how important having a competent signal caller is in the NESCAC, just like the NFL (hey Colby and Bowdoin, are you paying attention?). As we have said before, Coach Raymond is getting this program back to respectability after the years of damage done to the program by the former HCOF, Aaron Kelton (where's Waldo btw?). We still think this Team is at least two years away from being able to consistently compete with the upper echelon of the 'CAC. The primary reason is depth. Look at their roster...it is still light on depth and if they lose their QB for any extended period of time, they are in deep trouble. We expect this Team to beat the "have nots", be competitive with the "wanna be's" and struggle against the "upper echelon". The TTUN will continue to play a lot of underclassman who will learn under fire what it means to play in the 'CAC. Estimated time of arrival: 2020. What we like: Coach Raymond, QB Maimoron, and the youthful exuberance of the program. What we don't like: Lack of depth, experience at key positions, and this Team needs to do better in the red zone than they did in 2017 (63% scoring percentage and 2nd to worst 47% TD percentage).

7. University of Bates (Lewiston Campus)(Final 2017 record: 2-7; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 2-7): Bates is once again the best of the worst. Bates is our pick to win the 2018 version of the annual pillow fight also known as the C-B-B. What we like: We like Bates defense which played hard and had success in 2017, we like QB Costa and his athleticism, and we like the fact that UBates thought out of the box and brought in a young, aggressive, Ivy League assistant who happens to be African America...applause worthy...even if he was their 10th choice. What we don't like: Let's start with the new uni's...just awful...and on the field, although we were not fans of the triple option, the QB they have happens to be the perfect QB for that system and it was effective...not sure Costa is well suited for the new "Air Raid" system (worked at Texas Tech with strong armed QB's, we're a little skeptical that it can work at UBates) especially after completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing more INTs than TDs in 2017 in limited pass attempts. This team MUST do better in the red zone in 2018 than they did last year.

8 (tie). Colby (Final 2017 record: 1-8; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 1-8): Complete rebuild of the program underway with new Coach Cosgrove. Formerly HCOF of the Black Bears in Orono, Coach Cos takes 2 steps down the ladder to take over the Mules program from the Board's most recent favorite whipping boy, Jonathan Michaeles. Problem is 1). Colby is not UMaine on just about any level and 2). The cupboard is pretty bare coming off a horrible 2017 season. What we like: We like the idea of bringing in an established guy like Cosgrove to run this moribund program. With relatively few returning starters, they will be able to get some of the new blood lots of experience in the trenches. We also like RB Jake Schwern and his athleticism. What we don't like: Cosgrove....here are the negatives: he's an older guy coming out of "retirement" to be a HCOF in a sport that has become a younger guys game (rumor has it he still uses Myspace and has an aol.com email address)...he's never had to recruit at an elite NESCAC school like a Colby (UMaine is definitely NOT Colby)...he was able to recruit outside of New England and students of color at UMaine...we are skeptical he will be able to do that in Waterville. We are also not thrilled with the QB position and their offensive line...the O-line was an issue a year ago and they only return two starters this year.

8 (tie). Hamilton (Final 2017 record: 3-6; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 1-8): We think the Conts were prepared to take a big step forward in 2018, until they lost LB Tyler Hudson. They could end up beating the lower tier teams, but they will struggle against the better teams in the conference. What we like: We think QB Kenny Gray can play and WR Joe Schmidt is a stud. They are going to have to establish a semblance of a running attack for the offense to be at all effective. What we don't like: Their defense is going to struggle without their best defensive player. The running game needs to get better in order for Hamilton to not look like a poor's man's version of Middlebury.   

8 (tie). Bowdoin (Final 2017 record: 0-9; projected NESCACMAN 2018 record: 1-8): We are going to repeat what we wrote in 2017 about Bowdoin's football program with some updates since we think it is worth repeating: When thinking about the state of the Bowdoin Football Program, we think about what factors are important in building a successful NESCAC football program. In no particular order, we came up with the following factors: 1). Location of the School (including weather) 2). Academic Standing/Admissions Policy (generally an inverse relationship) 3). Coaching 4). Recruiting (tied into coaching but too important to be lumped in) 5). Facilities (relative to football) 6). Diversity 7). Football Tradition/Importance 8). Student Support of Athletics 9). Game Day experience 10). Teammates/Players;  11). Admissions Support 10). Intangibles (includes food, uniforms, frats, alumni support, etc.). Then we looked at Bowdoin relative to these factors in an attempt to explain to those Board neophytes why the PBs will never win. Location: F; Academic Standing: A+; Coaching: C; Recruiting: F; Facilities: A; Diversity: F; Football Tradition: F; Student Support: F; Game day experience: D; Teammates/Players: A; Admission Support: F (we need to see evidence on the field); Intangibles: C. We rest our case (and btw, we think Bowdoin is possibly the best academic school in the CAC, they are just football challenged). What we like: Not much. This is a weak team that is going to struggle particularly upfront on offense. We like Coach Wells but we wonder how often he second guesses his decision to leave Endicot for "greener" pastures. A lot has been written about Lafayette transfer QB Austin McCrum, supposedly #2 on the Bowdoin depth chart. But if he couldn't beat out incumbent Noah Nelson, how good can he be? If we had a nickel for every D1 player that transferred to the NESCAC and was going to be the next coming of Joe Shield, we'd have about two bucks. What we don't like: They have a lot of young guys who have played a bunch the last year or two plus their recruiting class looks to be an improvement over past years "on paper". However, everyone else in the league is also stepping up their game so for the PBers to catch up they have to actually exceed what the competition is doing...good luck with that.

Final 2017 NESCACMAN Weekly Power Rankings

1. Hartford State (final 2017 record:8-1)
Record against upper tier (Top 6): 4-1
Predicted 2017 Record: 8-1

2. Amhurst (7-2)
Record against upper tier: 3-2
Predicted 2017 Record: 8-1

3.  Middlebury (7-2)
Record against upper tier: 3-2
Predicted 2017 Record: 6-3

4. Wesleyan (6-3)
Record against upper tier: 2-3
Predicted 2017 Record: 8-1

5. Williams (6-3)
Record against upper tier: 2-3
Predicted 2017 Record: 2-7

6. Tufts (5-4)
Record against upper tier: 1-4
Predicted 2017 Record: 5-4

7. Hamilton (3-6)
Predicted 2017 Record: 1-8

8. University of Bates (Lewiston Campus) (2-7)
Predicted 2017 Record: 4-5

9. Colby (1-8)
Predicted 2017 Record: 3-6

10. Bowdoin (0-9)
Predicted 2017 Record: 0-9

[lumbercat]

Nescacman-

Great read- really enjoyed your forecast and thanks for your efforts.

Trivial thought- why the slam on Bates unis- let us know if you still don't like them after you see them in person. better than you think, good Under Armor look.....rumors of a third jersey (secret design) coming later under the new regime along with white game pants to supplement the new look. Bates won't look like orphan ragamuffins anymore on the field. And look for the Bobcat coaches to be well dressed instead of looking like like 8 guys showing up to paint a house in old wrinkled clothes and old faded hats.

If you don't think Bates QB Costa has an arm because he was in the Triple O you're making a mistake.  Everyone assumes the kid couldn't throw when he was in an offense that threw 10-12 times per game. Javelin champ in High School, arm strength not a problem and a good release. You'll see.

On paper Bowdoin has the best personnel in the CBB this year. RB Nate Richam could be one of the very best in the conference if he can avoid injury.

Cosgrove has a challenge ahead with that roster but he will over achieve. Might get 2.

Look forward to your next piece- this one was really good.

[Nescacman]

Nescacman-

Great read- really enjoyed your forecast and thanks for your efforts.

Trivial thought- why the slam on Bates unis- let us know if you still don't like them after you see them in person. better than you think, good Under Armor look.....rumors of a third jersey (secret design) coming later under the new regime along with white game pants to supplement the new look. Bates won't look like orphan ragamuffins anymore on the field. And look for the Bobcat coaches to be well dressed instead of looking like like 8 guys showing up to paint a house in old wrinkled clothes and old faded hats.

If you don't think Bates QB Costa has an arm because he was in the Triple O you're making a mistake.  Everyone assumes the kid couldn't throw when he was in an offense that threw 10-12 times per game. Javelin champ in High School, arm strength not a problem and a good release. You'll see.

On paper Bowdoin has the best personnel in the CBB this year. RB Nate Richam could be one of the very best in the conference if he can avoid injury.

Cosgrove has a challenge ahead with that roster but he will over achieve. Might get 2.

Look forward to your next piece- this one was really good.

Thanks Lumber...appreciate the compliment.

Just to clarify, our comment on Costa relates to any D3 team running the "Air Raid" O. It is not designed for lower level college or HS programs. We are not debating Costa's arm strength but rather his accuracy which is crucial in the Air Raid. Stats don't lie. He completed less than 50% of his passes and threw 7 INTs in 136 attempts. In the Air Raid O, if you extrapolate that INT rate, it would mean 15-20 INTs in a 9 game season. That's not going to work. Our two cents, move Costa to TB and get a Middlebury-like guy that can toss the ball around a bit. If you are out recruiting and can tell an incoming frosh that you are the man and you get to throw 300 times, you'll get someone decent, trust us.

We won't believe anyhing about Bowdoin until we see it. Richam is OK but let's see how he does running behind that line. LMs, HS, and Wes all have stud front 7's so he won't do anything against those 3 teams. Let's see how he does against the other 6. I keep thinking about their QB situation. They have two guys who are mediocre at best, they bring in a supposed stud transfer from Easton and he can't beat out two lower tier NESCAC signal callers? What's the problem here? Bottom line is we are from Missouri when it comes to Bowdoin (or any of the have not's for that matter). Raymond/TTUN have proven that they have the goods, they have a plan and they are executing said plan. When Wells or Murray or Cos or Hall do that, we will be the first to give them credit and upgrade our assessment. Until then, call us skeptical....

As far as the uni's....just our opinion but they do matter and those new Bates threads are UGLY with a capital "U"...just ask Deion...haha.

By the way, we're going to be talking a lot about the Air Raid offense in 2018. If you want a primer on what it's all about, here are a couple of interesting links:

https://www.cougcenter.com/air-raid-offense-playbook-mike-leach

http://smartfootball.com/offense/the-air-raid-offense-history-evolution-weirdness-from-mumme-to-leach-to-franklin-to-holgorsen-and-beyond#sthash.94OGEwOc.dpbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKbslFXgvgY

[NBC93]

Amherst posted the roster on their site but the link to the roster still points to the 2017 roster so here is a link that takes you straight to it:
http://athletics.amherst.edu/sports/fball/2018-19/roster?view=list

From what I saw firsthand around the players at the beginning of preseason and the players I know personally, it doesn't look like FY's weights are correct, but otherwise it looks good. I know Amherst is stacked with Upper-classmen talent but they are taking 4 FY's to Bates with high expectations from some young Linemen and at least one skill-position. Competition has been high at RB to take up the slack and fill the Hasani Figuroa void and complement Jack Hickey's hard running style.
I see Luke Mallette has joined the team as a junior after two years on Amherst's LAX team. Good size at 6'4", 200lbs. Also, some more young talent at WR with FY Dolan, whose HS film was impressive and Huff who was moved from RB to WR. If one of these guys, or others on the team, can step up and have an impact, then Amherst will have a solid 1-2-3 punch in the receiving corps with Berluti and O'Regan. There's no reason to think that QB Eberth hasn't gotten stronger and will only improve his ability to spread the ball around and add some potent scoring. Couple that with an already stingy defensive team and the Mammoths could have a very strong year if things progress as expected.
Can't wait for my first NESCAC season kickoff tomorrow!

[nescac1]

I think Nescaman's projections are solid, except for the usual caveat that (as in the past three years) Wesleyan will likely win 1-2 fewer games than he projects.   I will gladly take the over on how many losses Wesleyan/Amherst/Trinity combine for (3) considering that 3 is the very LEAST they could collectively have, and Tufts, Midd, and Williams will combine for 1-2 wins vs. that group, maybe more. 

On paper, Amherst's defense is easily the most dominant in the league.  But it was a bit strange that a very green Williams offense, with an O-line that didn't have any all-league guys and was missing one key guy to injury, basically pummeled the Mammoths in the trenches last year to end the season.  I wasn't shocked Williams won that game, but I was surprised they won it the way they did, winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.  Maybe that will provide the motivation Amherst needs to be that much tougher overall on D this season.   In all events, that was only one game, and the Jeffs look like co-favorites with Trinity - any team so loaded with senior talent figures to be a force to be reckoned with. 

I agree that Williams is still a bit thin at many spots with a final roster (yet to be posted) likely to be around only 60-65 guys.  As I mentioned earlier, the D-line size and depth is a particular concern, and the depth at O-line and TB is also suspect.  The Ephs did bring in two interesting frosh QB this year, plus they still have Jansen Dunham and last year's frosh back-up, but I agree that if anything happens to Maimaron, the season could go downhill fast.  He makes everything work for the offense.   Williams is most dynamic when he is running the ball, but at the same time the team has to protect him and not expose him too many times, especially early in the season. 

The Ephs have the front line talent to compete with anyone (as they showed last year in beating Midd and Amherst and playing just about even with Trinity), but the second string is not where it needs to be yet and the first string is still very young.  I think though that 2019, not 2020, is the year the Ephs will be a legit contender with a bit of good fortunate.  Williams only has four senior starters, none on the offensive side of the ball, and none of those guys have been all-NESCAC players (although I think DeMarco and one of the corners could be this year).  Next year, the Eph offense will be loaded and ridiculously experienced (and likely much deeper), and the D will have most of its key guys back as well, plus Raymond will have three recruiting classes on campus and finally (I'd expect) a 75-man roster to work with, or very close to it.  Meanwhile, Wesleyan, Midd, and Tufts all will be losing star QBs to graduation, among other key players, Trinity loses Chipouras and other major pieces, and Amherst loses Yamin, Hickey, and several major contributors up front on both sides of the ball.  I think 2019 and 2020 could both be big years for Williams if the current program trajectory continues.  This year, a winning record would again represent a very successful season. 

A few interesting names on the Amherst roster: Bryce Lauletta, QB, brother of the NY Giants' rookie QB Kyle, and Matt Schiano, LB, son of former NFL head coach Greg Schiano.  (Amherst also has another Schiano listed, perhaps also related?).  I noted earlier that Williams has the son of a former MLB baseball star joining its roster this year.  So some interesting pedigree in the Little 3. 

[Former CAC Coach]

the Schiano boys are twins

[Nescacman]

I think Nescaman's projections are solid, except for the usual caveat that (as in the past three years) Wesleyan will likely win 1-2 fewer games than he projects.   I will gladly take the over on how many losses Wesleyan/Amherst/Trinity combine for (3) considering that 3 is the very LEAST they could collectively have, and Tufts, Midd, and Williams will combine for 1-2 wins vs. that group, maybe more. 

On paper, Amherst's defense is easily the most dominant in the league.  But it was a bit strange that a very green Williams offense, with an O-line that didn't have any all-league guys and was missing one key guy to injury, basically pummeled the Mammoths in the trenches last year to end the season.  I wasn't shocked Williams won that game, but I was surprised they won it the way they did, winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.  Maybe that will provide the motivation Amherst needs to be that much tougher overall on D this season.   In all events, that was only one game, and the Jeffs look like co-favorites with Trinity - any team so loaded with senior talent figures to be a force to be reckoned with. 

We always respect nescac1 and thank him for his compliments despite his unfortunate allegiance to TTUN...

One comment on the LM/TTUN game of last year. What makes the dominance of the TTUN's O-line against the Lord Mammoths stellar front 7 that much more unbelievable was how poor TTUN's O-line performed the week before the LM game against Wes in week 8...Maimaron was literally running for his life the entire game agains the Wes D as they completely dominated the Ephs O-line all day. It's been 10 months, but if our memory serves us correctly, TTUN did not cross the 50 into Wes territory until the last drive of the game. In some ways, the 35-0 beating last year in Middletown was even more of a pounding than the 2016 59-14 win by Wes in Willytown the year before....

[nescac1]

Ahh, interesting Former CAC Coach!

Yup, Nescacman.  I don't think Wesleyan and Amherst were really that different in talent level last year, and while home vs. road makes some difference, it certainly doesn't account for how dramatically different the outcomes were.  Everything went wrong for Williams in the Wesleyan game, it was indeed a bloodbath, just sort of spiraled out of control from very early in the game after a few atrocious plays (from an Eph perspective), and Wesleyan seemed to be everywhere on the field at once.  Whereas against Amherst, things went very well early and I think the Williams front really started to build its confidence and rhythm over the course of the game, and were able to wear Amherst down.  Maybe Amherst was a bit overconfident after the result vs. Wesleyan, too, who knows. 

I also give credit to the Williams coaches for making a key adjustmenet which helped turn the tide (and one they probably could not have done in anything but the final game of the season).  Maimaron was the Ephs' best runner last year once Conor Harris went down (and maybe before), but obviously you can't have your QB carry 30 times EVERY game if you want him to survive.  In the Amherst game, Williams switched to Pruss, who is a beast, in the backfield for most of the game -- he softened up the middle of the defense with some tough runs up the middle, but mostly, served as Maimaron's personal protector / battering ram, almost adding another offensive lineman to the formation.  That really helped create some breathing room for Maimaron after he had been murdered all day by not only Wesleyan, but also Tufts. 

In all events, I'm hoping the Ephs' far more experienced O-line shows major improvement this year.  The offense last year relied too much on a combination of trickery (again, credit to the coaches for a LOT of creativity after the moribund WR-screen offenses of the Kelton era) and Maimaron's individual heroics.  This year the team needs to win more battles at the line, and also to have all those young receivers learn to get open faster. 

[Nescacman]

2018 Week #1 NESCACMAN Preview

Welcome to Week 1 in the NESCAC...in "the league where they pay to play". Last year we went 35-10 (.778 winning pct.) for the season with our picks and are 159-46 in our 5-year career picking NESCAC games (.776 winning pct.). We will definitely improve on that winning percentage this week given the one sidedness of the schedule.

Amhurst at University of Bates (Lewiston Campus): Welcome to the NESCAC, HCOF Hall. UBATES faces the best D in the league in the first test for the Air Raid O. Look for multiple pics by QB Costa and a big day from Eberth, Hickey and Berlutti. The only reason that this game does not become a complete blow out is Bates D is somewhat competent and Coach Mills is a gentleman.

Amhurst 28 Bates 7
Weather: Partly cloudy; high of 78.

Tufts University at Hamilton College: Look for Tufts to play with 5 deep and dare Hamilton to run the ball. They won't be able to and QB Gray could end up throwing 40+ passes in this one. We think McDonald starts out strong for the Jumbos in this tune up for their week 2 night tilt against the Cards in Medford. This will be a mismatch in a match-up of a former also ran vs. a permanent also ran.

Tufts 28 Hamilton 14
Weather: Chance of afternoon showers; high of 81.

Hartford State at Colby College: Yikes...welcome to the NESCAC HCOF Cos. Not sure this would be a game if Cos suddenly showed up with the Black Bears instead. HS is loaded and Colby, well, they are just not very good. HS by a landslide.

Hartford State 38 Colby 7
Weather: Partly cloudy; high of 78.

TTUN at Bowdoin College: We sure have come a long way in a year. TTUN clearly on the road back after seven-year slide (no thanks to the HCOF himself). TTUN may take a step back this year before they move forward. PBers may be marginally better, but so is everyone else, including TTUN. Nice road win for the young Ephs at brand new Whittier Field.

TTUN 24 Bowdoin 10
Weather: Mostly sunny; high of 71.

NESCAC Game of the Week

Middlebury College at Wesleyan University: Clearly best game on the schedule this week. Great first week match-up. Winner of this one is on their way to a great year. Loser may be out of the NESCAC title picture early. Last year, it came down to the wire. This game will come down to how the Wes D does against the new MID QB Merservy and if wes can establish a consistent running game (something they struggled with all of 2017) against a decent MID D led by former Wes D Coordinator Doug Mandigo.

Wesleyan 24 Middlebury 17
Weather: Partly cloudy; high of 80.

NESCACMAN's Picks
2017 Season: 35-10
2016 Season: 32-8
2015 Season: 30-10
2014 Season: 30-10
2013 Season: 32-8
Career: 159-46 (.776 winning percentage)

[lumbercat]

TTUN ??
LM ??
I think it's Williams- Amherst stuff ?
Fill me in

[Nescacman]

TTUN ??
LM
I think it's Williams- Amherst stuff ?
Fill me in

Williams=TTUN (The Team from Up North)
Amhurst=LM (Lord Mammoths)

[NBC93]

TTUN ??
LM ??
I think it's Williams- Amherst stuff ?
Fill me in

TTUN= That Team Up North
That's what Woody Hayes from Ohio State used to call Michigan rather than pronounce the name of the evil one.
I'm guessing that's what Amherst and others call Williams.