FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacman]

Surprised by both Wesleyan and Bowdoin wins--congrats to both.  With Bowdoin's streak now over the CBB will be more interesting in Waterville next week.

The difference in the Wes/TTUN game was the battle won in the trenches by the Wes D-line against the overmatched TTUN O-line....-8 yards rushing (on 31 attempts), 3 sacks, numerous hurries, and 13 tackles for loss spelled doom for the Ephs...Wes soph Jackson Eighmy was in full on beast mode with 3 sacks and 5 TFL....he should get strong consideration for defensive potw...

We"re sure we'll hear all about the injuries that TTUN has and that is why they lost, but to compete in the NESCAC at a high level you need a full 75 (76) man roster and HCOF Raymond has no one to blame but himself for not having the depth...as was predicted, this is coming back to haunt him late in the season as the Ephs lose their 3rd game in their last 4...next week will be a big challenge for the Ephs on the road against the Lord Mammoths, especially if Maimaron and Dozier (who did not play yesterday) are unable to go...

[Nescacman]

Surprised by both Wesleyan and Bowdoin wins--congrats to both.  With Bowdoin's streak now over the CBB will be more interesting in Waterville next week.

Congrats to HCOF Wells on his first win since 2015...As we said, Costa out and Richam in was the difference in this one...it's interesting with these poor teams how much of a difference one player makes...the addition of injury reports in the NESCAC next year will make a big difference in our picks...

While Richam made a huge difference, the return of tight end Bo Millett also gave the Polar Bears a much needed offensive weapon.

And let's not forget, UBates essentially played without a QB in this one...

[polbear73]

Surprised by both Wesleyan and Bowdoin wins--congrats to both.  With Bowdoin's streak now over the CBB will be more interesting in Waterville next week.

Congrats to HCOF Wells on his first win since 2015...As we said, Costa out and Richam in was the difference in this one...it's interesting with these poor teams how much of a difference one player makes...the addition of injury reports in the NESCAC next year will make a big difference in our picks...

While Richam made a huge difference, the return of tight end Bo Millett also gave the Polar Bears a much needed offensive weapon.

And let's not forget, UBates essentially played without a QB in this one...

True, and it was evident, although Bates' improvised wildcat was pretty effective. Credit the Bates players for playing hard and hanging in there. But it's still a win for Bowdoin and no one offered any excuses last year when Bowdoin had 2 quarterbacks down.

[GoBlue61]

Great day to be a Polar Bear!  Happy for the team and the Seniors in particular.  Richam and Millett accounted for 200 yards of offense.  Last year, Costa ran for 150 plus yards in the game, so him being out was a big factor.  Bowdoin still had to play defense and make plays on offense.

Regarding injuries -- maybe with the exception of Trinity and Amherst, all these teams are dramatically impacted if key players get injured.  Look at Williams when a few key players went down.

[JEFFFAN]

Now, now ... I am no Bowdoin fan, but everyone has injuries and Bowdoin has had a ton of them.  I get that Bates wasn't playing with a viable QB (as best I can read), but the defense gave up all of the points not the offense.   Bates fans might not be happy to read this but lets give credit to Bowdoin for breaking the streak.

[Trin9-0]

Umm, didn't Trin 8-0 predict a Trinity win decided on a last minute play?
Chipouras explosive run cemented the Bantam win.
Not too bad as predictions go, nescacmen.

Thanks Canvas, though I think most reasonably minded observers had a similar expectation. The defacto NESCAC championship game was as advertised with two great defenses (despite the combined 732 yards allowed) and a myriad of playmakers on offense battling it out. Amherst controlled the game via field position early but a blocked field goal attempt by Trinity and then a blocked punt (which set up the Bantams first score) changed the momentum. There was an astounding 5 combined blocked kicks in the first half (two field goals, two extra points, and the aforementioned punt).

You could tell how badly both teams wanted this game. In the end Trinity just made a few more key plays when it mattered most.

The player I was most impressed with (aside from the legendary performance by Max Chipouras) was the Mammoths' Bo Berlutti. He did a little bit of everything for Amherst. Andrew Yamin was impressive as well. It turns out Trinity's quarterback "decision" the past few weeks was a little more straightforward than we all thought as Vazanno was on the sideline in street clothes. Lambert, as expected, had a tougher time against Amherst than his previous starts against Bowdoin and Midd. But for a freshman making only his third career start a stat line of 55% with 160 yards and two TDs with a pick was more than serviceable, especially when you've got an all-time NESCAC tailback having an all-time performance.

I'll admit that I was pleasantly incorrect about the outcome of the JV game in Williamstown. For a team that has struggled with their identity all year that was a nice win for Wes on the road, albeit against a Williams team that's a shell of what they were in September. Although I don't recall placing any bets and I certainly won't endorse Nescacman's corny monicker for the premier football program in the NESCAC.

Though for Nescacman's sake I will try to temper my excitement on Saturday as I watch Trinity celebrate clinching the NESCAC championship on Andrus Field for the fifth time since 2002.

[gridiron]

Having seen each of the teams this year in person at least once, one of the things that jumps out at me most---the eyeball test---is the sheer size of the Trinity and Tufts players. No comparison to the rest of the league, including Amherst, regardless of what roster heights and weights may say.

[lumbercat]

Now, now ... I am no Bowdoin fan, but everyone has injuries and Bowdoin has had a ton of them.  I get that Bates wasn't playing with a viable QB (as best I can read), but the defense gave up all of the points not the offense.   Bates fans might not be happy to read this but lets give credit to Bowdoin for breaking the streak.

No question Bowdoin deserves credit. They jumped on a great opportunity to end their losing streak with the attrition at Bates. Congratulations to the Black and White.

Without Costa, the handwriting was on the wall.  The Bobcats had some surprising  success with the Wildcat and some of the "alternate' schemes that OC Patterson drew up. They kept it interesting and their effort should be commended. Bates maintains their  Boiled Owls title on the Bowdoin palette.

All Garnet faithful look forward to the next leg of this home and home night series next year at Garcelon Field.

The rest of the NESCAC can say what they want but this rivalry is as intense as it gets.

A tip of the hat to every player on both teams who left nothing on the field. Intensity, hitting, grit and great pride on both sides.

[polbear73]

Very gracious and well said, Lumber, and I'm sure reciprocated in Brunswick.  Saturday night's game reminded me of Bowdoin's legendary and long time assistant coach, Phil Soule who was asked if he was a candidate to fill the then vacant Bates head coaching job.  Phil's famous answer:  "Why would I do that?, I hate Bates!". Certainly apocryphal and if said, it was with the utmost respect, of course, but typical of the rivalry, the third longest in all of Division 3. 

[frank uible]

I bet the players would prefer to play during the day rather than a Malne November night.

[lumbercat]

Frank-
Temp was about 48 though the wind made it feel colder but overall it was not a frigid night. I think it was special for all the players on both sides to play in the first night game at Bowdoin. A good crowd on both sides contributed to a great atmosphere.

They will do it again at Bates next year though it won't be Bates first night game. Bobcats hosted UMass in a night game in 1949.

The strange thing is what they have done with the seating at Whittier Field. After about 10 games on the new side of Whittier (traditionally the visitors side) the home team has moved back to the old home side. Unfortunately they removed all of the peripheral stands that surrounded the old grandstand. They now have only the 650 seats in the grandstand on the home side so most of the Bowdoin fans stood along the sidelines.

[polbear73]

Frank-
Temp was about 48 though the wind made it feel colder but overall it was not a frigid night. I think it was special for all the players on both sides to play in the first night game at Bowdoin. A good crowd on both sides contributed to a great atmosphere.

They will do it again at Bates next year though it won't be Bates first night game. Bobcats hosted UMass in a night game in 1949.

The strange thing is what they have done with the seating at Whittier Field. After about 10 games on the new side of Whittier (traditionally the visitors side) the home team has moved back to the old home side. Unfortunately they removed all of the peripheral stands that surrounded the old grandstand. They now have only the 650 seats in the grandstand on the home side so most of the Bowdoin fans stood along the sidelines.

Very poor planning on Bowdoin's part.  Maybe with a few more wins, they'll re-install the seating around the grandstand. 

[nescac1]

Very tough blow for Bobby Maimaron and the Ephs with what looked like a pretty serious leg injury suffered vs. Wesleyan.  The latest in a long line of bad injury luck for Williams this season.  I can't imagine that Maimaron will be able to go vs. Amherst, especially with running the key to his effectiveness, and I do very much hope that he can be at 100 percent for the start of next season. 

Before the injury, Williams' defense had played very well, but the offense and special teams were absolutely KILLED by penalties.  Big play after big play were negated in the first half by holding / blocking sort of penalties (and even an offensive pass interference).  No way to tell how legit the calls were or not from watching online, but cleaning that up will need to be a point of emphasis in preparing for Amherst.  And those constant penalties put the Ephs in 1st and 2nd and very long situations, which prevented Williams from ever getting into much of an offensive rhythm at all and surely changed the game plan away from what has been a run-heavy attack.  Credit to Wesleyan's defensive front as well which no question gave the Ephs a lot of problems for the second straight season, but man, there is just no way to get going on offense when you are constantly moving backwards.  No Dozier again on offense, and it's a shame that the epic year he was having at RB was cut short, it seems, by injury as well.

Jackson Bischoping certainly added a lot of excitement to the Eph aerial attack when he played.  I'd call him the young-Brett-Farve of NESCAC -- he has huge arm talent and limitless chutzpah throwing the ball, which leads to a lot of big plays both for the offense AND the defense.  He clearly has the physical tools to be an elite NESCAC QB in the future, just has to work on his decision-making, including learning to throw the ball away a bit more liberally as well as to read the free defenders on the big downfield throws.  But he sure can drop the ball deep on a dime deep down the field and he is a fun player to watch.  With (gulp) first-year back-ups playing at QB, TB, and two WR positions, the Eph offense is really gonna need a few miracles to compete against the fearsome Amherst defense, but hey, crazy things can happen in Williams-Amherst games, and the Ephs can play with a sense of nothing to lose as, surely, huge underdogs. 

In all events, the Ephs continue on a solid trajectory towards the future with a lot of very talented underclassmen players thrust into key roles sooner than would normally be ideal. 

[Nescacman]

Very tough blow for Bobby Maimaron and the Ephs with what looked like a pretty serious leg injury suffered vs. Wesleyan.  The latest in a long line of bad injury luck for Williams this season.  I can't imagine that Maimaron will be able to go vs. Amherst, especially with running the key to his effectiveness, and I do very much hope that he can be at 100 percent for the start of next season. 

Before the injury, Williams' defense had played very well, but the offense and special teams were absolutely KILLED by penalties.  Big play after big play were negated in the first half by holding / blocking sort of penalties (and even an offensive pass interference).  No way to tell how legit the calls were or not from watching online, but cleaning that up will need to be a point of emphasis in preparing for Amherst.  And those constant penalties put the Ephs in 1st and 2nd and very long situations, which prevented Williams from ever getting into much of an offensive rhythm at all and surely changed the game plan away from what has been a run-heavy attack.  Credit to Wesleyan's defensive front as well which no question gave the Ephs a lot of problems for the second straight season, but man, there is just no way to get going on offense when you are constantly moving backwards.  No Dozier again on offense, and it's a shame that the epic year he was having at RB was cut short, it seems, by injury as well.

Jackson Bischoping certainly added a lot of excitement to the Eph aerial attack when he played.  I'd call him the young-Brett-Farve of NESCAC -- he has huge arm talent and limitless chutzpah throwing the ball, which leads to a lot of big plays both for the offense AND the defense.  He clearly has the physical tools to be an elite NESCAC QB in the future, just has to work on his decision-making, including learning to throw the ball away a bit more liberally as well as to read the free defenders on the big downfield throws.  But he sure can drop the ball deep on a dime deep down the field and he is a fun player to watch.  With (gulp) first-year back-ups playing at QB, TB, and two WR positions, the Eph offense is really gonna need a few miracles to compete against the fearsome Amherst defense, but hey, crazy things can happen in Williams-Amherst games, and the Ephs can play with a sense of nothing to lose as, surely, huge underdogs. 

In all events, the Ephs continue on a solid trajectory towards the future with a lot of very talented underclassmen players thrust into key roles sooner than would normally be ideal.

Unfortunately, the officials got way too involved in the game on Saturday as noted by Nescac1....what our friend Nescac1 didn't mention is that the poor officiating actually went both ways...while the Ephs were penalized a lot (10 times for 90 yards), Wes was actually penalized MORE (14 times for 118 yards)...we would argue 24 penalties for over 200 yards in game #8 of the season is a red flag to us that we had an overzealous officiating crew working the game...not sure why but that was definitely the case...we hope one or both of the HCOFs lodged a complaint with the appropriate level of supervision at the NESCAC and/or the ECAC...

[PBPOP20]

Frank-
Temp was about 48 though the wind made it feel colder but overall it was not a frigid night. I think it was special for all the players on both sides to play in the first night game at Bowdoin. A good crowd on both sides contributed to a great atmosphere.

They will do it again at Bates next year though it won't be Bates first night game. Bobcats hosted UMass in a night game in 1949.

The strange thing is what they have done with the seating at Whittier Field. After about 10 games on the new side of Whittier (traditionally the visitors side) the home team has moved back to the old home side. Unfortunately they removed all of the peripheral stands that surrounded the old grandstand. They now have only the 650 seats in the grandstand on the home side so most of the Bowdoin fans stood along the sidelines.

Very poor planning on Bowdoin's part.  Maybe with a few more wins, they'll re-install the seating around the grandstand.

The seating around the grandstand was removed to accommodate the wider track.. so track can host official D3 events where previously the track was insufficient.   If you recall, those stands extend well in front of the old grandstand as well.   I do not think we'll see the return of those supplemental stands.

After a year of b**ching about the grandstand NOT being the home side, they finally switched it back.   It's not an issue.  Mostly students standing and that level of attendance will be once every other year for the next night game.