FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[NCF]

Epic, and nto always epic in a good way, game between Amherst and Middlebury.  For the coaches one wonders if it felt like a roller coaster ride. 
Both sides threw some pretty bad interceptions....which only served to make the game more dramatic. 
Did ANYONE think Middlebury could be this successful a month ago.  Anyone?
Colby Football wrote earlier that it's not that far from the middle of the pack to the top.  Until this year I may have taken issue with his statement.  But, CB is 100% right and Middlebury is the example.

In a word----yes.

[Vandy74]

So if memory serves this is the second consecutive surreal Panther early lead on Pratt Field resulting in a mammoth comeback effort by the LJs that just falls short.  This one I'll try to recall two seasons from now.  Today's slugfest more than lived up to it's Nescac Game of the Week expectations.  This season's best against the best.  Agreed Canvas Hightops: who knew? 

[amh63]

Did not enjoy the drama or the roller-coast ride of the game.  Congrats to Midd!  There were a lot of young players on both teams that played well today.  Amherst blocked the extra point after a Midd TD, only to have a flag thrown and another chance by the Panthers. 
Positives for Amherst was the play of the young LJs runners and linebackers. 
Seems that there were other interesting games around the Nescac.  Hamilton gave Trinity a scare in Hartford.  The CBB teams seemed to be developing/improving.
Jumpshot....I take my Coke with ice, thank you.   
Have to check the schedules to see if anyone can stop Midd's run for the title. 

[Nescacman]

Wow. Mindblowingly bad decision from Ritter to throw the ball on 2nd and 5 from inside the 15 with 30 seconds left and Carter Massingill ready to go. Amherst interception forces overtime.

HCOF Ritter is very fortunate to have been bailed out despite making one of the worst play calls we can remember in recent memory at a crucial time in an important game...but of course, he is a coaching genius...our correspondents are working on getting a view into his thinking...IOHO, dumb, dumb, dumb...HCOF Ritter did not deserve to win that game...nice job by the MID players coming through and persevering despite their HCOF's poor/boneheaded decision making....Ritter must have had the LM's and the points...shame on him.....as punishment, he will have to spend the 2020 season as HCOF at UBates...

[Zlax45]

Photos from the Middlebury and Amherst game https://www.foley-photography.com/Football/College-Football/2019-Season/Middlebury-at-Amherst

[Vandy74]

HCOF Ritter is very fortunate to have been bailed out despite making one of the worst play calls we can remember in recent memory at a crucial time in an important game...but of course, he is a coaching genius...our correspondents are working on getting a view into his thinking...IOHO, dumb, dumb, dumb...HCOF Ritter did not deserve to win that game...nice job by the MID players coming through and persevering despite their HCOF's poor/boneheaded decision making....Ritter must have had the LM's and the points...shame on him.....as punishment, he will have to spend the 2020 season as HCOF at UBates...
[/quote]


Football is a funny game.  Coach Ritter is "very fortunate to have been bailed out" by the same player whose ad lib interception turned an arguably questionable decision into a poor/boneheaded one.  He "didn't deserve to win that game" even though he continued to call the plays that won it.  It's a funny game.  Not funny ha ha, mind you, but funny.

I like your game beverage of choice amh63.  I run with the Classic crowd myself.

[Nescacman]

HCOF Ritter is very fortunate to have been bailed out despite making one of the worst play calls we can remember in recent memory at a crucial time in an important game...but of course, he is a coaching genius...our correspondents are working on getting a view into his thinking...IOHO, dumb, dumb, dumb...HCOF Ritter did not deserve to win that game...nice job by the MID players coming through and persevering despite their HCOF's poor/boneheaded decision making....Ritter must have had the LM's and the points...shame on him.....as punishment, he will have to spend the 2020 season as HCOF at UBates...

Football is a funny game.  Coach Ritter is "very fortunate to have been bailed out" by the same player whose ad lib interception turned an arguably questionable decision into a poor/boneheaded one.  He "didn't deserve to win that game" even though he continued to call the plays that won it.  It's a funny game.  Not funny ha ha, mind you, but funny.

I like your game beverage of choice amh63.  I run with the Classic crowd myself.
[/quote]

Vandy, although we concur with your comment, how was the "Genious's" play call an "arguably questionable decision"? One of our correspondents was watching the end of the game with a top current/former NESCAC HCOF and to quote them, "one of the worst play calls I have ever seen..."....but they won, they are still unbeaten, and the sun is shining this AM in Vermont...

[Jonny Utah]

HCOF Ritter is very fortunate to have been bailed out despite making one of the worst play calls we can remember in recent memory at a crucial time in an important game...but of course, he is a coaching genius...our correspondents are working on getting a view into his thinking...IOHO, dumb, dumb, dumb...HCOF Ritter did not deserve to win that game...nice job by the MID players coming through and persevering despite their HCOF's poor/boneheaded decision making....Ritter must have had the LM's and the points...shame on him.....as punishment, he will have to spend the 2020 season as HCOF at UBates...

Football is a funny game.  Coach Ritter is "very fortunate to have been bailed out" by the same player whose ad lib interception turned an arguably questionable decision into a poor/boneheaded one.  He "didn't deserve to win that game" even though he continued to call the plays that won it.  It's a funny game.  Not funny ha ha, mind you, but funny.

I like your game beverage of choice amh63.  I run with the Classic crowd myself.

Vandy, although we concur with your comment, how was the "Genious's" play call an "arguably questionable decision"? One of our correspondents was watching the end of the game with a top current/former NESCAC HCOF and to quote them, "one of the worst play calls I have ever seen..."....but they won, they are still unbeaten, and the sun is shining this AM in Vermont...
[/quote]

What happened.  What was the call?

[JEFFFAN]

The Amherst - Middlebury game was a hoot to watch.   Middlebury grabbed the huge 21-0 lead - has EJ Mills ever been behind 21-0? - but Amherst stormed back with 28 straight points to grab the lead.   Midd ties it and then wins on a great play by the QB in overtime.   Mistakes after mistakes after mistakes - seven turnovers between the two teams - but such is the beauty of D3 sports.

I do agree with the Middlebury posters that calling that pass down on the ten yard line was beyond idiotic.   Put differently, I was thrilled to see the kid drop back and then even happier when he threw the awful pass.   But I do put that on the coach.  All they had to do was run it a few times and kick a FG to end the game.

I was very impressed with Middlebury's offensive line.   When Amherst took the 28-21 lead, I sort of thought that might be it but Middlebury methodically marched down the field with the O line blowing the Amherst D line off of the ball time and time again.   Midd outgained Amherst by over 100 yards at Amherst, so this was no fluke of an ending.   The better team clearly won.

With all due respect to Wesleyan and I guess Tufts, IMHO Middlebury just won the NESCAC yesterday!

[Vandy74]

HCOF Ritter is very fortunate to have been bailed out despite making one of the worst play calls we can remember in recent memory at a crucial time in an important game...but of course, he is a coaching genius...our correspondents are working on getting a view into his thinking...IOHO, dumb, dumb, dumb...HCOF Ritter did not deserve to win that game...nice job by the MID players coming through and persevering despite their HCOF's poor/boneheaded decision making....Ritter must have had the LM's and the points...shame on him.....as punishment, he will have to spend the 2020 season as HCOF at UBates...

Football is a funny game.  Coach Ritter is "very fortunate to have been bailed out" by the same player whose ad lib interception turned an arguably questionable decision into a poor/boneheaded one.  He "didn't deserve to win that game" even though he continued to call the plays that won it.  It's a funny game.  Not funny ha ha, mind you, but funny.

I like your game beverage of choice amh63.  I run with the Classic crowd myself.

Vandy, although we concur with your comment, how was the "Genious's" play call an "arguably questionable decision"? One of our correspondents was watching the end of the game with a top current/former NESCAC HCOF and to quote them, "one of the worst play calls I have ever seen..."....but they won, they are still unbeaten, and the sun is shining this AM in Vermont...
[/quote]

Nescacman,

I stand by my choice of words.  "Arguably" means "in the face of all evidence probable, but not completely certain."  We're talking about the decision to call a pass play, not the play's end result. Yes it's probable that running the ball would have set up a chip shot FG attempt had it failed to gain first down yardage or a TD, but keep in mind that Jernigan, your proposed sure-handed middleman, had already coughed up two fumbles during the course of the game and the Amherst defense had knocked another ball loose as well.  The lack of certainty, however, was proven back in the third period with about six minutes remaining when following a failed attempt at 3rd and 1 from the 11 yard line, Massengill's ensuing FG attempt was blocked.   Besides, we both know that if that pass had gone for a TD "boneheaded" would be "gutsy," or maybe just "innovative."

I doubt that Bob Ritter considers himself a coaching genius: he knows he stepped in a pile and came out smelling sweet, and I know you use the term for sarcastic effect; but I once attended a football game in Nashville where coach Bryant made so many boneheaded decisions that the Commodores rolled back the Tide.  History shows the Bear's reputation remains untarnished.

There's still a lot of football to be played.  Go Panthers!

[MidDay]

Hey guys, long time, first time! 

I wanted to join the fray Friday to stand up for Midd, but it took two days to get Pat's approval,  I thought I had a pretty clean record.

Just wanted to reiterate Vandy74's comment about the rationale for the "boneheaded" play call at the 10 at the end of regulation. It obviously turned out horribly, but could have been an easy touchdown. Cosolito was wide open in the end zone, but the pass sailed and made everybody looked bad.  I'm sure the instruction was to eat it if there wasn't a wide open receiver. There was also a blocked extra point to go along with the blocked field goal. Amherst was getting good penetration on kicks, so the FG was far from certain.

Favorite stat of the week:  Midd had 4 interceptions last week against Trinity by 4 different players, including 2 linebackers.  Midd had 4 interceptions this week by the same 4 players!

[Pat Coleman]

Sorry -- on game day, I usually have a bunch of other things to focus on other than the message board queue.

[MidDay]

Sorry -- on game day, I usually have a bunch of other things to focus on other than the message board queue.

Just kidding Pat, I'm sure you do!

[SpringSt7]

If you had told me before the season started that the title race would essentially be over by Week 4, I would've told you that Amherst, Trinity, and Williams don't play each other until the last 3 weeks of the season, and so everything would still be up for grabs. Rather it is the team that has beaten all 3 of those, Middlebuey, who has already run away with the title—with all 3 Maine schools and Hamilton remaining, it is just really hard to imagine them losing to one of those schools as well as Wesleyan. Obviously the games will still need to be played.

In their 3 wins against Williams (1), Trinity (4), and Amherst (4), Midd forced a combined 9 interceptions, against arguably the top 3 preseason QBs. I still maintain that they have been far more lucky than good, but they sure know how to create their own luck. I wrote on Friday that I just couldn't see Amherst making more mistakes than Middlebury, but I evidently stand corrected. Amherst still seems unable to pick up enough easy yards on the ground to allow Eberth to be selective in picking his spots. Yesterday he had to make more throws than he's accustomed to making, and we saw what happened.

[Vandy74]

Hey guys, long time, first time! 

I wanted to join the fray Friday to stand up for Midd, but it took two days to get Pat's approval,  I thought I had a pretty clean record.

Just wanted to reiterate Vandy74's comment about the rationale for the "boneheaded" play call at the 10 at the end of regulation. It obviously turned out horribly, but could have been an easy touchdown. Cosolito was wide open in the end zone, but the pass sailed and made everybody looked bad.  I'm sure the instruction was to eat it if there wasn't a wide open receiver. There was also a blocked extra point to go along with the blocked field goal. Amherst was getting good penetration on kicks, so the FG was far from certain.

Favorite stat of the week:  Midd had 4 interceptions last week against Trinity by 4 different players, including 2 linebackers.  Midd had 4 interceptions this week by the same 4 players!

MidDay....welcome aboard.  It's good to have another Panther fan among us.  I appreciate your emphasis on specifics over generalities.