FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[ITH radio]

Midd as the top Nescac team was a bit surprising to me, but being 2-0 with that win over Williams is the best current resume, which appears was the tack these coaches/pollsters took. I still think they're probably below Amherst and Trinity by season's end, but as my preseason "dark horse" pick, and my dad's alam mater, it's good seeing the Panthers get some early recognition.

[amh63]

Ah, another poll.  The D1 within conferences games have provided surprises...like the slap down of higher ranked UMich...with the Midd like helmets...by the Badgers of UWis-Mad.
See the cited D3 poll has MIT ranked.  Remembered the days when MIT started football and wore uniforms bought from another school that had dropped football.  Uniforms had non MIT Colors!
Biggest prior football news was the prank MIT pulled on Harvard during halftime, etc.  Have kept up with MIT sports...Nescac schools are scheduling MIT sports like the Amherst vs MIT field hockey game in Cambridge on Wed.  Am a MIT alum....two grad degrees.  Would not be surprised if MIT joins the Nescac.

[nescac1]

A few random Williams notes:

Kyle Horihan is the very definition of an unsung hero - if you watch the highlights vs. Tufts, he makes a key block on nearly every big play.  He is a versatile and smart football player, as he started his career as a LB and is now playing a hybrid FB / HB / WR role.  He does a great job of locating defenders with an otherwise-free shot at the QB and fighting like heck to sustain his blocks.  He is also good for a reception every now and again.  The offensive personnel (as per the usual with Raymond) doesn't change a ton throughout the game, but the team can give a lot of different looks in large part due to Horihan's versatility.  He really helps out versus the outside pass rush, which may be a vulnerability considering the Ephs are currently playing a frosh LT and a senior newish to the position at RT.   

Williams has a really nice connection going with Duxbury H.S., not surprising since Bobby Maimaron's father is the head coach there.  In addition to Maimaron, I believe (although he's not a listed starter) that sophomore Eli Peters, who starred on the OL for Duxbury, has shifted to defense and is now the Ephs' starting NT.  Frosh LB Michael McCutcheon had strong HS credentials and has already seen some early action as well. 

On defense, Luke Apuzzi can get lost in the shuffle playing alongside two all-NESCAC linebackers, but he has always made a ton of big plays with exceptional speed for the position and this year he is off to a massive start ... so far this year (in part because of how he is used) he is the only Eph defender who has regularly been making plays in the offensive backfield, with two sacks, two forced fumbles, and 3.5 TFLs overall already.  The Ephs' all-sophomore defensive line seems substantially bigger overall than last year's group, but lacks much game experience and I think that is where the greatest potential for growth over the season lies.  Ian Devine seems like a player to watch at DE. 

To me the most impressive frosh on the team so far (and there are three frosh starters overall, and one more who had been projected to start before injury, so clearly there is some good talent in the class) has been safety Drew Michalek.  He looks like he will be an all-league player and maybe even early in his career.   

I'd still love to see the Ephs develop a second consistent receiving threat beyond Stola, but that just may not be in the cards for this season ... time will tell. 

[Nescacman]

Ah, another poll.  The D1 within conferences games have provided surprises...like the slap down of higher ranked UMich...with the Midd like helmets...by the Badgers of UWis-Mad.
See the sited D3 poll has MIT ranked.  Remembered the days when MIT started football and wore uniforms bought from another school that had dropped football.  Uniforms had non MIT Colors!
Biggest prior football news was the prank MIT pulled on Harvard during halftime, etc.  Have kept up with MIT sports...Nescac schools are scheduling MIT sports like the Amherst vs MIT field hockey game in Cambridge on Wed.  Am a MIT alum....two grad degrees.  Would not be surprised if MIT joins the Nescac.

lmh63....the notion of MIT joining the 'CAC has certainly been kicked around over the last couple of years...

[PolarCat]

Would be curious to hear from the rest of the board if they felt that the streaming services have hurt non student attendance as well. Why drive 35 minutes when you can watch online? Look no further than an Amherst Williams b-ball game now as compared to 10 years ago attendance wise.

Sounds like someone has never suffered through trying to watch a game on NSN.  Banal announcers, inexplicable signal drops, hit-or-miss camera work.  Unless you have a 70-year-old prostate and need immediate access to the bathroom at all times, even an avowed agoraphobe would rather attend a game in person.  (And if you can believe it, the NSN broadcasts of other sports are even worse: undergrad announcers trying to call a WLAX game using WBB terminology?  Painful).

The one saving grace was always Tufts with their mullti camera, instant replay JumboCast.  Even better than Monday Night Football, with that annoying Booger character.

[Nescacman]

NESCACMAN 2019 NESCAC Weekly Power Rankings-Week 3

We are off to a pretty confusing start to the season....Wes, Amhurst, and the C-B-B+HAM are all pretty much where we expected them to be...we are still evaluating Hartford State, Tufts, TTUN, and MID. Here are this week's rankings:

1). Amhurst (2019 record: 2-0; LW Rank: 1): Workman-like win as expected against the Mules....have done what they had to do in their first 2 games...this week should be an interesting test against the Jumbo's... LMs only 3 of 9 in the red zone...Next game: @Tufts.
2). (tie). Wesleyan (2019 record: 2-0; LW Rank: 3-tie):  Defense has been impressive playing without pre-season all-American Taj Gooden...he'll be back at some point which will just make them better...lead NESCAC in INT's, sacks, defensive TDs (granted, they have the only defensive TD thus far in 2019), and turnovers...they have been doing what they are supposed to do against the less competitive part of their schedule..Wes, despite being almost perfectly balanced in run v. pass, does not have a rushing TD yet...Next game: UBates in Middletown. 
2). (tie) Middlebury (2019 record: 2-0; LW Rank: 5):  Turns out their win against the Ephs may have been more impressive than we first thought...defense has been very good leading the NESCAC in points against...offense seems to be reverting back to days of old; pass first/run second...have only forced one turnover on defense...big test Saturday...Next game: Hartford State in Middlebury.
4). TTUN (2019 record: 1-1; LW Rank: 6): Big win last Saturday...apparently all 22 of their injured starters were able to play against Tufts ...this week's game against the Polars won't tell us whether this team is "Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde"...TTUN is first in the NESCAC in 3rd down conversions...Ephs are second in the league in TOP...Next game: Bowdoin in Willytown.   
5). Tufts (2019 record: 1-1; LW Rank: 2):  Hopefully, this week we find out what Tufts is all about...are they the team that upset HS in game 1 or the team that got blown out in Willytown last Saturday...the Jumbo's haven't scored much (third to last in the league) or shown much of a potent offense (7th in yards, 2nd to last in first downs, last in red zone percentage)...frankly, based on their stats, not sure how they are 1-1...looks like FY QB Trevon Woodson is their new guy at Q...Next game: Amhurst in Medford.
6). Hartford State (2019 record: 1-1; LW Rank: 3-tie): We know, we know, how can you rank Hartford State 6th in the NESCAC...well it's sort of tough to rank them ahead of a team that beat them (Tufts) and ahead of the team that crushed the team that beat them (TTUN) and ahead of the team that beat the team that crushed the team that beat them (Middlebury) and then you have the 2 other 2-0 teams that have looked fairly impressive in going 2-0, so there you have it...plus the Staters only win was against a team that would lose to Conn College..this week is a real test...at the end of the day, we expect HS to be in the mix...Next game: @Middlebury. 
7). Hamilton (2019 record: 1-1; LW Rank: 7):  Lead the league in rushing...hung in there for a while against a tough Wes squad...we give Kenny Gray a ton of credit...despite 4 sacks and numerous hits, he lasted almost the entire game against Wes...definitely a gamer playing behind an O-line that might get him killed by game 9...he deserves a purple heart for putting up with 4 years of pure punishment...Next game: Colby in Clinton.
8). Colby (2019 record: 0-2; LW Rank: 8):  Has passed the ball fairly well...still looking for their first sack of 2019..this week will be their last chance for a win until late October..Next game: @Hamilton.
9. University of Bates (Lewiston Campus)(2019 record: 0-2; LW rank: 9): Took a step back last week...so let us understand this, pre-air raid/triple option era they would be last in the league in passing but lead the league in rushing...with the air raid, they are last in passing and near the bottom in rushing...seems to be a real improvement...they better call Mike Leach for some tutoring because clearly UBates missed something in class...2nd to last in the league in defense...no sacks...lead the league in penalties...Next game: @Wesleyan.
10. Bowdoin (2019 record: 0-2; LW Rank: 10):  As bad as UBates is, Bowdoin is actually worse...last in total offense, last in total defense...they have not gotten one single turnover in 2019...HCOF Hammer is going to have to be the Urban Meyer of D3 to right this ship...Next game: @Williams.

[nescac1]

Yet another Duxbury star headed to Williams: senior TB Tim Landolfi.  Quite a pipeline the Ephs have going there!

When was the last time Trinity was below .500?  Probably it's been more than a decade ... there is a legitimate threat that they will be after Saturday.  But I'm guessing that Midd will have a tough time containing that dynamite group of receivers and Trinity will rise quickly up the standings / rankings, especially with a three game stretch ahead after Midd during which they should cruise. 

[lumbercat]

Nescac1-

No question about it. The Ephs have developed a great relationship with one of the best HS coaches in the state in Dave Maimaron.
It's a great fit because Duxbury is also one of the top public high schools around in terms of academics.
And it also doesn't hurt when the coach's boy is the Purple QB.

[Trin9-0]

When was the last time Trinity was below .500?  Probably it's been more than a decade ... there is a legitimate threat that they will be after Saturday.  But I'm guessing that Midd will have a tough time containing that dynamite group of receivers and Trinity will rise quickly up the standings / rankings, especially with a three game stretch ahead after Midd during which they should cruise.

Prior to the season opening loss at Tufts, the last time Trinity had a losing record at any point in a season was following a 28-10 loss at Amherst in the 7th game of the 2001. season which dropped the Bants' record to 3-4. In the last 40 years Trinity has had just 1 losing season.

[nescac1]

Whoops, somehow I wasn't considering that Trinity was below .500 after week one ... but in all events, 17 years without at any point in the season being below .500 is pretty wild.  I have a feeling that the Tufts game will be looked back on as an aberration, but Trinity has to beat Middlebury to assuage doubts since beating up on a Bowdoin team in transition doesn't mean a ton it seems this year.   

[Bucket]

Cross-posting this w/ Hoops board.

Middlebury Magazine pays tribute to Russ Reilly—former hoops coach and AD and PA voice of Panther football—w/ this video, "The Voice of Reilly":

http://middleburymagazine.com/videos/the-voice-of-reilly/

[SpringSt7]

Landolfi's father is also the DC at Duxbury...don't know who the OC is or what his kid's SATs are but I wonder who will come knocking when it's tine...

[lumbercat]

Cross-posting this w/ Hoops board.

Middlebury Magazine pays tribute to Russ Reilly—former hoops coach and AD and PA voice of Panther football—w/ this video, "The Voice of Reilly":

http://middleburymagazine.com/videos/the-voice-of-reilly/

Bucket-

Thanks for posting that piece on Russ Reilly.

Russ had a great run at Middlebury which will be his great legacy but he is remembered and loved at Bates as well.

For those who had a chance to meet and know Russ it was a privilege.
Bates extended a nice tribute to Russ before the game last Saturday which was nice to see.

Russ and ex Bates coach Web Harrison coined the phrase "It's a great day to be a Bobcat"

One of the nicest guys we will ever meet.

[Hawk196]

OK, I have a decision to make...my older son goes to Yale and plays Guard, but got a slight concussion at practice and is being held out of this week's game. My other son at Tufts is a freshman olineman and did see some 4th quarter playing time in that debacle against Williams.

My wife and I decided to go to all of my older son's games as this is the end of his football career and the other guy has 3 more.

Here the question, do I drive the 1.5 hrs to Yale and tailgate, support the team and see my son after the game OR drive the 3hrs to Tufts and MAYBE see my son play(and see him after the game)

Decisions, decisions.....

[Jonny Utah]

OK, I have a decision to make...my older son goes to Yale and plays Guard, but got a slight concussion at practice and is being held out of this week's game. My other son at Tufts is a freshman olineman and did see some 4th quarter playing time in that debacle against Williams.

My wife and I decided to go to all of my older son's games as this is the end of his football career and the other guy has 3 more.

Here the question, do I drive the 1.5 hrs to Yale and tailgate, support the team and see my son after the game OR drive the 3hrs to Tufts and MAYBE see my son play(and see him after the game)

Decisions, decisions.....

Yale.