FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Hawk196]

https://www.ctinsider.com/colleges/nhregister/article/Yale-s-Steve-Cepalia-a-hit-on-the-field-on-the-14562841.php?_ga=2.261740749.1395686682.1572098689-339377117.1572098689#photo-18500240

My other offensive lineman

[ColbyDad]

-Colby-Bates game yesterday turned out to be a good one. Colby dominated the first half but took a breather late in the half with a 23-0 lead. With Colby executing a lot of premature cheers and celebratory stuff on their sideline with the big lead Bates kept ginding. QB Costa threw a great 47 yard TD as time expired in the half. The Bobcats gained some momentum. Bates then came out in the 2nd Half with 2 unanswered TDs while holding Colby scoreless. With the score  23-20 Costa put together another great drive late in the fourth quarter. Costa capped the comeback with a beautiful throw to end zone for an apparent 26-23 lead but the play was called back by a phantom holding holding call on the other side of the field totally away from the play.
Congratulations to the Mules but they were very lucky to get the W. Coach Cosgrove is a legend in Maine but the defensive adjustments by Coach Hall shut down the Mules in the second half and had Colby retreating on their heels and barely hanging on with an effort riddled with mistakes. Great coaching job and adjustments by Bates Coach Malik Hall against the revered Maine legend Coach Cosgrove on both sides of the ball.

1st year Coordinators figuring things out at Colby. Should have been a 30+ point win. Talent is there. Can't run the clock out for 2.5 quarters.

[ColbyFootball]

Lumber, when did Colby's visitors tailgating area shift to its current location? Do the visitors prefer it to the original area near Colby's tailgate? Just curious.

It was 3-4 seasons ago. I don't recall exactly. I enjoyed when the visitors were near the home team tailgate. When I attended Colby homes games I enjoyed seeeing friends I had on the visitors side. All I had to do was walk a few feet to hang with them for a while. They then pushed it into the parking lot across the field next to the Athletic Center. Very inconvenient to mingle with friends. I never understood why they moved it.

[SpringSt7]

Bantamweight hit the nail on the head with that analysis:

-Hats off to Coach Raymond for bringing the house and dialing up some blitzes after 6 games of mostly conservative defensive playcalling--6 sacks and 13 TFLs speaks for itself--but there were no adjustments made at any point in the game by Trinity. #25, Luke Apuzzi was completely unchecked all game coming off the edge--would assume the OL is told to slide to the right as it is Lambert's preferred side, but he must've been hit by Apuzzi on 10+ plays, either finishing off a read option or after a throw.

-Harris seems like a talented runner, but again the playcalling did him no favors. Every single run design was the exact same--an off tackle run to the outside out of the shotgun. With a LB corps like Williams that is elite at moving and tackling in space, that is never going to work. More experienced and knowledgeable Trinity fans of the board can correct me if I'm wrong, but between the Cerberus of WRs and other talents on the offense, shouldn't there be a little more creativity that comes with that?

-If I'm not mistaken, the play was for Harshbarger to throw to Maimaron a la "Philly Special" but Maimaron was covered and so he kept himself. Pretty sure he played baseball in high school (if Mr. Harshbarger is still checking the board maybe he could inform us) so they trusted his arm, but either way a tremendous play. Wish the Trinity/Williams highlights on the EphSports YouTube page didn't consist of cellphone videos from the sideline this week and we could check it out for ourselves.

[nescac1]

Much better highlights on the weekly football show:

https://vimeo.com/369405074

[lumbercat]

Lumber, when did Colby's visitors tailgating area shift to its current location? Do the visitors prefer it to the original area near Colby's tailgate? Just curious.

Grid-

I'm with you. traditionally the tailgates were adjacent up towards the hill behind the home stands on the grassy area.
I think the move we saw on Saturday was a relatively new wrinkle.

I know there is a lot of paranoia among ADs and campus security types about positioning opposing tailgates near one another. If at all possible they prefer to separate the groups.

Thats why I don't understand this stupid trend to seat everyone on the same side. And I don't care how good the view is at Middlebury. Bates people don't want to sit near Bowdoin and Colby folks and Im sure they feel the same.
And we know without question that Amherst could never tolerate sitting with or near Williams and vice versa.

[Nescacman]

I missed basically the entire first half of Trin-Williams (in hindsight, bringing a pair of two year olds to the game wasn't the brightest move, as I spent much of the day chasing them around campus). It was a disappointing afternoon as Trinity couldn't close out the game after coming back from an early 14-0 hole. Special teams was an issue again for Trinity as was the offensive line. Lambert was sacked 6 times and Trin averaged an appalling 1 yard per carry. I'll have to check but 42 rushing yards has to be the lowest single game output in several decades for the Bants. Williams is a very good team and I'd be surprised to see them lose either of their next two games, but Wes keeps surprising me so you never know! Either way, Midd can lock up the league title with a win on Saturday over those plucky Continentals.

Sepaking of Hamilton... I'm sorry, but I just can't let this one slide:

btw, us "dimwits" were on HAM early.

Haha, seriously Nescacman?! Let's take a look back, shall we?

NESCACMAN 2019 Preseason NESCAC Weekly Power Rankings
8 . Hamilton (Final 2018 record: 3-6; projected NESCACMAN 2019 record: 2-7)

But to say you were on Hamilton early is just patently false.

Hs4-3....sort of like claiming Hartford State NESCAC titles prior to 2000???

[Nescacman]

It was a disappointing afternoon as Trinity couldn't close out the game after coming back from an early 14-0 hole. Special teams was an issue again for Trinity as was the offensive line. Lambert was sacked 6 times and Trin averaged an appalling 1 yard per carry. I'll have to check but 42 rushing yards has to be the lowest single game output in several decades for the Bants.

The biggest issue is that there isn't any sense of urgency. Perhaps winning 3 in a row has led to apathy, but it's time to ramp up intensity.

Maybe time for an HCOF change in Hartford???

[lumbercat]

Trin 8-0
Good time for the gif. It's been a while, let it fly.

[DC 53]

Colby Football:
"If Hamilton can go 5-4 beating either Middlebury or Tufts and Bates, I think Murray deserves COY. I've liked his coaching style since seeing him in his first year at Hamilton. It was immediately obvious to me that his players did not quit, and that's a big achievement to build a program around. Don't quit no matter the score, keep on grinding and good things will eventually happen. I just can't help feeling Tuft is going to have it's hands full with Hamilton this coming Saturday. I'm all in for the Continentals."

Colby Football, totally agree about Coach Murray. Someone on this board mentioned that he has been "overhyped" by some on here. Not true. He took over a trainwreck, and along with his staff he has quietly raised the bar at Hamilton, moving the program forward, sometimes with fits and starts. I've mentioned before that I regret that my son only got to play for him for one year. Murray is a solid football guy who treats his players with respect and dignity. It has probably taken them longer than they wanted, but this league is a very unforgiving minefield. Also, much credit should be given to assistant coaches Matt Wright, Jeff Friedman, and Terry Stanimer, holdovers from the Steve Stetson staff, who held the team together through the tumult of the disaster that was the reign of Andrew Cohen. It's great to see smiles on their faces again! If the Conts can win the next two games there's no way that Murray isn't Coach of the Year. If I know him he'll give all the credit to his staff and his players. It's always nice to see good people win.

[bantamweight]

there were no adjustments made at any point in the game by Trinity. #25, Luke Apuzzi was completely unchecked all game coming off the edge--would assume the OL is told to slide to the right as it is Lambert's preferred side, but he must've been hit by Apuzzi on 10+ plays, either finishing off a read option or after a throw.

Agreed. It's all zone steps, but you can bring the RB across for backside edge pickup. Trin didn't do that and the speed of #25 off the edge was too great.

-Harris seems like a talented runner, but again the playcalling did him no favors. Every single run design was the exact same--an off tackle run to the outside out of the shotgun. With a LB corps like Williams that is elite at moving and tackling in space, that is never going to work.

Trin ran a lot of zone, both inside and outside. Gap plays would have helped. They have to have power and counter in the playbook, right?

[ColbyFootball]

Colby Football:
"If Hamilton can go 5-4 beating either Middlebury or Tufts and Bates, I think Murray deserves COY. I've liked his coaching style since seeing him in his first year at Hamilton. It was immediately obvious to me that his players did not quit, and that's a big achievement to build a program around. Don't quit no matter the score, keep on grinding and good things will eventually happen. I just can't help feeling Tuft is going to have it's hands full with Hamilton this coming Saturday. I'm all in for the Continentals."

Colby Football, totally agree about Coach Murray. Someone on this board mentioned that he has been "overhyped" by some on here. Not true. He took over a trainwreck, and along with his staff he has quietly raised the bar at Hamilton, moving the program forward, sometimes with fits and starts. I've mentioned before that I regret that my son only got to play for him for one year. Murray is a solid football guy who treats his players with respect and dignity. It has probably taken them longer than they wanted, but this league is a very unforgiving minefield. Also, much credit should be given to assistant coaches Matt Wright, Jeff Friedman, and Terry Stanimer, holdovers from the Steve Stetson staff, who held the team together through the tumult of the disaster that was the reign of Andrew Cohen. It's great to see smiles on their faces again! If the Conts can win the next two games there's no way that Murray isn't Coach of the Year. If I know him he'll give all the credit to his staff and his players. It's always nice to see good people win.

I agree completely. Murray is a class act, a one heck of a coach. I know his assistants Wright and Friedman well, class acts as well.

I honestly think the Conts can beat the Panthers Saturday if, and only if, they don't take damaging penalties, and protect the football. Penalties and turnovers are the key.

Who would have predicted that in week 8 Hamilton would be playing such a big game. I love it!!!

[nescac1]

Glad to see the love for Apuzzi (#25).  He's a senior converted safety (hence the speed) who has been overshadowed by two other all-league Eph LBs, but he's been massive all year and in my view should be all-league himself this season. 

Seniors Apuzzi, Anthony, Subjinski, Unobsky, Horihan, MacArthur and Pruss deserve a ton of credit for sticking with the program and helping turn it around from the disaster it was when they were recruited.  They are a really tough and often unheralded (none have been all league yet, although that will surely change) group of players who are all about winning.  Each of them have been 3-4 year contributors who do whatever is asked of them.  Pruss has been a TB, HB, and OT; Horihan has lined up all over the field on all three units; and the other four guys have each started  at multiple positions over the course of their careers.  Team-first unselfish leaders.  They will be missed next year. 

[Trin9-0]

Trin 8-0
Good time for the gif. It's been a while, let it fly.

Well, since you asked...


I wonder, now that the home team is along that near sideline on Pratt Field, if the referee would still be as patient with the whistle.

[MidDay]

Colby Football:


I honestly think the Conts can beat the Panthers Saturday if, and only if, they don't take damaging penalties, and protect the football. Penalties and turnovers are the key.

Who would have predicted that in week 8 Hamilton would be playing such a big game. I love it!!!

I fully expect Hamilton to make it a great game and make the Panthers earn the Old Rocking Chair and the league title.  I don't expect to get help from Williams.