FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacman]

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.

Hs4-3...I will say this, that clip never grows old...btw, if you watch the video closely, the HS offense is coming onto the field as the punt return team is scooping up the ball for the TD...the officials could have easily called a penalty on HS for too many men on the field...but they didn't... 

[Nescacman]

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.

We mentioned earlier in the week that HCOF Murray at least deserves some consideration for COY....of course, if MID runs the table and is the first team in NESCAC history to go 9-0, it will be difficult not to give it to HCOF Ritter....perhaps Co-COY's??? We would support that....of course, these sorts of things have a way of working themselves out...Let's Go Continentals!!!

We are surprised that no one has mentioned Coach Shane Hurd as perhaps another big reason that HAM has taken a big leap forward this year... Coach Hurd was hired from Cornell in June where he was QB coach and passing game coordinator...he is the new O coordinator at HAM...he did a pretty good job at the Ivy level for the Big Red and HAM adding a Coach like Hurd was a great catch for them...if HCOF Murray wins COY, give the assist to Coach Hurd...

Maybe the deal in attracting Coach Hurd is that he is HCOF Murray's designated successor in waiting when Murray retires??? Would not be the first time we have seen a deal like that in the NESCAC...see Wesleyan with Coach Whales/Coach Dice...

[nescac1]

Interesting catch there on the too-many-man penalty, never noticed that.  Not all COULD they have, the refs absolutely SHOULD have called that penalty. 

[SpringSt7]

While Coach Murray and his Conts have been terrific this year, ask yourself this: If Middlebury's schedule was reversed and they were coming off big wins against Trinity and Amherst to go to 8-0, would we even be entertaining any other suitors? Feels like we've already forgotten about what a remarkable Middlebury season this has been---no one, I mean NO ONE, had them in contention this season.

In other awards news, is OPOY still Stola's to lose after two underwhelming weeks? Feels like Maimaron and Jernigan are creeping up on him.

[hamgrand]

I absolutely agree that Shane Hurd has been one of the biggest difference makers and a huge part of the improvement in Hamilton this year.  I agree 100% with all that DC53 said, but I would add the biggest kudo's to Shane Hurd.  The offense and play calling is night and day different than the past.  You have to give Dave Murray credit for making that change.  The old OC was a long time assistant for him that he brought with him to Hamilton from Alfred.  It must have been a tough decision, but that is what good Head Coaches need to do.

It will be a great game in Middlebury.  Unfortunately I will be heading to NC on a college visit with my daughter, but I sure would love to be at that game.  Having had a son play at both Hamilton and Middlebury, it will be tough to choose sides.  Would really love to see Midd go 9 - 0!  Would also love to see Hamilton take that next step in the league and end up 6 -3!

Here's to a great game for both teams!

 

[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.

We mentioned earlier in the week that HCOF Murray at least deserves some consideration for COY....of course, if MID runs the table and is the first team in NESCAC history to go 9-0, it will be difficult not to give it to HCOF Ritter....perhaps Co-COY's??? We would support that....of course, these sorts of things have a way of working themselves out...Let's Go Continentals!!!

We are surprised that no one has mentioned Coach Shane Hurd as perhaps another big reason that HAM has taken a big leap forward this year... Coach Hurd was hired from Cornell in June where he was QB coach and passing game coordinator...he is the new O coordinator at HAM...he did a pretty good job at the Ivy level for the Big Red and HAM adding a Coach like Hurd was a great catch for them...if HCOF Murray wins COY, give the assist to Coach Hurd...

Maybe the deal in attracting Coach Hurd is that he is HCOF Murray's designated successor in waiting when Murray retires??? Would not be the first time we have seen a deal like that in the NESCAC...see Wesleyan with Coach Whales/Coach Dice...

Why would Murray go anywhere, unless it was a step up to coach at a higher level? Even that isn't necessarily attractive. D3 has a defiinte comfort level if successful. And you can't compare it to Whalen at Wes. He was the HCOF and the AD. The plan was to resurrect the program and then concentrate on the AD job. And that's what he did.

[Nescacman]

Breaking NESCACMAN News: NESCAC Football Champion-Tie Breaker Rules Changed

Based on communication with Adele Burk, NESCAC Assistant Director for Championships & Compliance (read the last email first):

"Adele,

It appears it was taken down from earlier in the season:

https://www.nescac.com/sports/fball/tiebreaker

Thank You!

   "NESCACMAN"

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 29, 2019, at 4:11 PM, Burk, Adele M. <adele.burk@trincoll.edu> wrote:

NESCACMAN,

I don't see them on our site at the moment. Would you be able to describe to me where you are finding them so I can take that down?

Best,
Adele

-----Original Message-----
From: NESCACMAN
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 4:09 PM
To: Burk, Adele M. <adele.burk@trincoll.edu>
Subject: Re: Football Tie-Breaking Rules

Adele,

Thank you very much.

Will you be taking the tie breaker rules off the website?

Take care,

       NESCACMAN

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 29, 2019, at 4:01 PM, Burk, Adele M. <adele.burk@trincoll.edu> wrote:

Hello Mr. NESCACMAN,

That is correct. In the event of a tie in the football standings, co-champions would be named.

Sincerely,
Adele Burk

-----Original Message-----
From: NESCACMAN
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2019 2:26 PM
To: aburk@nescac.com
Subject: Football Tie-Breaking Rules

Hi Adele,

I have a quick question regarding the NESCAC football championship tie breaking rules.

I realize that the NESCAC put a mechanism into place a few years ago to break ties for the NESCAC football championship.

I heard a rumor that the NESCAC did away with the tie breakers and in the event of a tie, Co-champions will be awarded the NESCAC championship in football. Is that the case?

If you could clarify, it would much be appreciated.

Thank you,

         NESCACMAN

Of course, if Middlebury is 9-0, it doesn't matter one bit...but it certainly makes the Wes-TTUN game Saturday much more important...it basically becomes an elimination game for one of them (although it is mathematically possible that all 3 could end up 7-2)...

[DadintheStands]

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.

Here here Nescac1!  Ive had the pleasure of interacting with this group of Eph seniors since my son stepped on campus three years ago and they deserve their day in the spotlight. As noted they are the last class of the pre-'Coach Ray' days so they saw the dark days of the program but have stayed with it and are going out on a high note.  Raymond has always called out his seniors for their leadership and this group is living up to expectations with how they have carried themselves. Thats what team football is about.

[Nescacman]

2019 NESCACMAN Weekly Power Rankings-Week 8

Weekly highlights:

-Middlebury heads into the homestretch as the only undefeated team...can the Continentals or the Jumbo's ruin the Pants magical season?
-New tie-break rule and a MID loss, puts Wes and TTUN back into the NESCAC title hunt.
-Wes beat the Lord Mammoths in an instant classic on HC on historic Pratt Field.
-TTUN beats Hartford State to go 6-1 and stay in the hunt for the NESCAC title.
-Last two weeks with the NESCAC title on the line, a potential for the first ever 9-0 team in the NESCAC, the Little 3 title to be decided with Wes in the drivers seat and of course, the C-B-B title on the line with Colby in control.

Here are the coaches New England rankings for this week:

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/e/e/mz2i1grsh7s55l/Grinold_Chapter_New_England_Division_III_Football_Poll_Release_-_10-28-19.pdf

And here are this week's NESCACMAN rankings:

1). Middlebury (2019 record: 7-0; LW Rank: 1):  2 games away from history....can MID beat HAM and the Jumbo's???...Next game: Hamilton in Middlebury.

2). (tie) Wesleyan (2019 record: 6-1; LW Rank: 2-tie):  Big win for Wes in Blanketville...WR Simco and DB Banks are NESCAC OPOTW and DPOTW, respectively...can clinch the Little 3 title and a shot at the NESCAC title with their 7th straight win over the Ephs...Coach Dice is definitely TTUNs Daddy, never losing to his alma mater as HCOF....Next game: TTUN in Middletown. 

2). (Tie) TTUN (2019 record: 6-1; LW Rank: 2-tie): Big win in the COOP for TTUN...won despite Stola not making a catch...Stola, still won special teams POTW...TTUN defense was very good against Hartford State...Little 3 and a potential NESCAC title on the line for the Ephs this week...Next game: @Wesleyan.

4). Hamilton (2019 record: 4-3; LW Rank: 7): HAM on a roll (no eggs please)...Highest we have ever ranked the Conts....make that 2 in a row against the LMs and the Jumbo's...can they make it 3 against MID?...Next game: @Middlebury.

5). Amhurst (2019 record: 4-3; LW Rank: 4): Very disappointing Little 3 loss v Wes...4th place game this week against Hartford State...can they avoid a losing season?...Next game: Hartford State in Blanketville.
   
6). Tufts (2019 record: 3-4; LW Rank: 5): Lost to a surging HAM squad at home....will try to get back to .500 playing Colby this week...Next game: @Colby.

7). Hartford State (2019 record: 4-3; LW Rank: 6): Another loss, this time in the Coop to TTUN...a losing season is a possibility...need to get the O-line straightened out...Next game: @ Amhurst.

8). Colby (2019 record: 1-6; LW Rank: 8):  First win of the year against UBates and into first place in the C-B-B....Next game: Tufts in Waterville.

10. (Tie) University of Bates (Lewiston Campus)(2019 record: 0-7; LW rank: 10): 17 losses in row and counting...what's the over/under for attendance at the night game at UBates this week?...Next game: Bowdoin in Lewiston.

10. (Tie) Bowdoin (2019 record: 0-7; LW Rank: 10): Well either them or UBates will get their first win of the year..Next game: @UBates.

[Trin9-0]

I've previously mentioned the new Trinity football stadium project and have posted some images below from a presentation on the overall Trinity Athletics Fundraising campaign that took place at Homecoming. The total athletics campaign goal is $65 million with just under half of that total being allocated to an addition to the existing Ferris Athletic Center. The next largest bucket, $25 million, is going toward endowment (presumably for coaching positions), there is an Annual Giving goal of $5 million to offset operating costs, and finally $5 million for the stadium.







From a dollar perspective it's difficult to compare this project to the fairly recent upgrades to Weston Field (which had an estimated price tag of $22 million) and Pratt Field (estimated cost of $12.5 million) as both of those included additional facilities projects. Amherst also built a new field house, installed a new playing surface, and an 8 lane track. Williams similarly included a separate athletics complex and installed two new fields, and a track. Trinity has already installed their football playing surface and track.

As you can tell from the images, the new facility will provide seating for the adjacent field hockey/women's lacrosse field. There also appears to be a small amount of seating on the visitor sideline after all. In addition to relocating the press box to the home sideline, there looks to be some enclosed seating options, likely for VIPs in the event of poor weather. You can't tell from the photos, but I'm assuming they will either renovate or rebuild the concessions/bathroom facility (so long urinal troughs!). I'm still not sure what other facilities may be enclosed within the structure (locker rooms, training facilities, meeting rooms, etc). It's interesting that they chose a night game photo... a Saturday night game in The Coop would be wild.

Obviously, these are only renderings so the plans are likely not final, but I believe the construction will start after the season in order to be ready for the 2020 opener.


The other big news from Homecoming weekend was the induction of the inaugural class into the Trinity Athletics Hall of Fame. Here is a video featuring all of the inductees which included several Bantam football greats:

Ray Jones '97 (Football/Men's Track and Field/Wrestling)
The former NESCAC Football Offensive Player of the Year, Jones set numerous records on the gridiron and was also a New England Champion and All-American wrestler and a record-holding triple jumper for the Bantams.

Roger LeClerc '60 (Baseball/Football)
LeClerc was named a football Little All-American and was also the Dan Webster Team MVP award winner for Trinity's baseball team before going on to play in the NFL for the Chicago Bears.

Don Miller (Football/Softball, Coach)
The five-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, Miller was one of Division III football's most elite coaches during his time, retiring as the all-time winningest Division III Coach in New England history.

Joe Shield '85 (Football)
Shield threw for 6,646 yards before going on to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1985. He is considered one of the best football players to ever come out of the state of Vermont.

[bantamweight]

I've previously mentioned the new Trinity football stadium project and have posted some images below from a presentation on the overall Trinity Athletics Fundraising campaign that took place at Homecoming. The total athletics campaign goal is $65 million with just under half of that total being allocated to an addition to the existing Ferris Athletic Center. The next largest bucket, $25 million, is going toward endowment (presumably for coaching positions), there is an Annual Giving goal of $5 million to offset operating costs, and finally $5 million for the stadium.

Looks much better than the temporary bleachers at Wesleyan.

[JEFFFAN]

The Trinity plans look terrific.   Is it possible for these stadiums to be built without taking away the character of the spectator experience?  I feel like the Amherst stadium is very pretty and efficient but as a fan it frankly leaves me beyond cold. I understand why - they needed to build a track on the inside of the stadium rather than the formerly inept outside of the stadium track, but it still feels hollow.

[GameBall14]

The Trinity plans look terrific.   Is it possible for these stadiums to be built without taking away the character of the spectator experience?  I feel like the Amherst stadium is very pretty and efficient but as a fan it frankly leaves me beyond cold. I understand why - they needed to build a track on the inside of the stadium rather than the formerly inept outside of the stadium track, but it still feels hollow.

A common complaint heard at the Coop. Since the track was redone, fans have to stay outside the track. Some fans are allowed on the ends but the atmosphere isn't quite the same since the fans got pushed away from the field.

[GameBall14]

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.

I'll bet you, I've watched this gif at least a thousand times over the years.

[nescac1]

Best thing about the Williams renovation is that it went the opposite direction, removing the track.  The new stadium is far better than its predecessor in all respects.  And glad there is still the Hopkins Gate to provide a sense of history / continuity.  Now Williams just needs to focus on a long overdue upgrade to Chandler and the Field House, which now are really the only truly outdated major facilities of any kind on campus.