FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[nescac1]

Agreed Nescacman especially re: Rothmann.  He was all over the field, especially v. the pass, and has to be the best defensive player I've seen in NESCAC who failed to ever win DPOY (but for a fair number of injuries, I imagine he may well have won at some point, but when he was on the field, he was always the best player on some very good Eph defenses ...). 

And because of the important of QB play, Berlutti alone makes Tufts a contender for this year and the next two seasons, even though Tufts will lose a ton of offensive weapons and I think the entire OL after this year.  He's that good. 

[The Mole]

Coach Coyne from Bates with Noontime

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/noontime-sports/id1524845530?i=1000582295305

[Nescacman]

Coach Coyne from Bates with Noontime

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/noontime-sports/id1524845530?i=1000582295305

Can't wait to listen....made us think about the Wes coaching tree..a shot that within the next two years 40% of the NESCAC HCOF's will either be Wes alums or very strong Cardinal connections:

1. Coach Dice: Current Wes Head Coach
2. Coach Matt Coyne: Former Wes D Coordinator, Wes Grad, and Current UBates HC
3. Coach Doug Mandigo: Former Wes D Coordinator, brother of Coach Bill Mandigo-Wes alum, current MID women's hockey coach and probably the greatest college women's hockey coach of all-time, Current Mid D Coordinator/Associate HC and potential future Mid HC
4. Coach Shea Dwyer: Current Colby O Coordinator, Wes Grad, and potential future Colby HC

We're sure that warms many of your hearts! #rollcards
 

[SpringSt7]

I've felt all along that Rothmann is the bigger loss than Maimaron. Maimaron would've made this team a lot better no doubt but there are still no vertical weapons for anyone to throw to and the OL has dropped off as well.

Rothmann played with all of these guys and made a lot of them all league. They are still here and don't look anything like what they were last year. He covered so much ground in the flats, in coverage, and could pursue and tackle as well as anyone. You don't get those types at this level.

[The Ghost of John Wesley]

Ummm, kind of an interesting Twitter exchange here.  However he ends up as a football player, this kid is surely a class act and I say that as a Williams fan:

https://twitter.com/dbagatelle/status/1579189895842926592?s=46&t=f37coF4yQarplPFnVHKePQ

What a strange response from Bagatelle. As far as I can tell, the kid didn't even receive an offer from Wesleyan, or any other school for that matter. Maybe I'm missing something.

He did the same thing to my son who is a Freshman Defensive lineman at Hamilton. What grown adult trolls a 17 year old kid?

I missed the tweets--it appears that user deleted his account. What did it say?

Also, who is Bagatelle, and what relationship (if any) does he have with Wesleyan? I'd hate to think someone affiliated with the school would be disparaging or otherwise trolling high schoolers (seriously, WTF?). That's a terrible look. Totally classless.

I can't imagine the actual coaching staff or administration at Wes wants someone affiliated with the school (if they indeed are) acting this way. Perhaps that's the reason the account/tweets were deleted? Or is this person a reader of D3Boards?

[The Ghost of John Wesley]

Coach Coyne from Bates with Noontime

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/noontime-sports/id1524845530?i=1000582295305

Can't wait to listen....made us think about the Wes coaching tree..a shot that within the next two years 40% of the NESCAC HCOF's will either be Wes alums or very strong Cardinal connections:

1. Coach Dice: Current Wes Head Coach
2. Coach Matt Coyne: Former Wes D Coordinator, Wes Grad, and Current UBates HC
3. Coach Doug Mandigo: Former Wes D Coordinator, brother of Coach Bill Mandigo-Wes alum, current MID women's hockey coach and probably the greatest college women's hockey coach of all-time, Current Mid D Coordinator/Associate HC and potential future Mid HC
4. Coach Shea Dwyer: Current Colby O Coordinator, Wes Grad, and potential future Colby HC

We're sure that warms many of your hearts! #rollcards

It's a bit of a stretch to include Mandigo in this Wes coaching tree. He had a 3-4 year stint in Middletown with the prior regime (Hauser, et al), during which time the teams were abysmal (.500 record in '07 being the high water mark). He's had great success as the Midd DC, of course, but he's not a product of the current Whalen/DiCenzo coaching tree and it would be the mother of all stretches to attribute his current coaching success with the dreadfully painful years at Wes in the late aughts.

[nescac1]

John Wesley, the thread was indeed (widely) deleted.  Basically it was mocking / denigrating the decision to commit to Amherst.  Regarding your other questions, while folks here largely know who Bagatelle is, saying any more would violate this site's anti-doxxing policy. 

[Nescacman]

Coach Coyne from Bates with Noontime

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/noontime-sports/id1524845530?i=1000582295305

Can't wait to listen....made us think about the Wes coaching tree..a shot that within the next two years 40% of the NESCAC HCOF's will either be Wes alums or very strong Cardinal connections:

1. Coach Dice: Current Wes Head Coach
2. Coach Matt Coyne: Former Wes D Coordinator, Wes Grad, and Current UBates HC
3. Coach Doug Mandigo: Former Wes D Coordinator, brother of Coach Bill Mandigo-Wes alum, current MID women's hockey coach and probably the greatest college women's hockey coach of all-time, Current Mid D Coordinator/Associate HC and potential future Mid HC
4. Coach Shea Dwyer: Current Colby O Coordinator, Wes Grad, and potential future Colby HC

We're sure that warms many of your hearts! #rollcards

It's a bit of a stretch to include Mandigo in this Wes coaching tree. He had a 3-4 year stint in Middletown with the prior regime (Hauser, et al), during which time the teams were abysmal (.500 record in '07 being the high water mark). He's had great success as the Midd DC, of course, but he's not a product of the current Whalen/DiCenzo coaching tree and it would be the mother of all stretches to attribute his current coaching success with the dreadfully painful years at Wes in the late aughts.

Mr. Wesley, welcome to the Board!!!

Not to correct a fellow Cardinal, we were careful to not call it the "Whales/Dice" coaching tree (which we agree and it's a fact that Doug was not part of), but rather we said Wes Alums or strong Wesleyan connections...between Doug's years coaching at Wes and his brother being an alum, we would consider that a strong connection, although you can certainly choose to disagree...

As far as Doug's years at Wes, we would (strongly) place the blame on Doug's lack of success (and Coach Hauser's as well) on the shoulders of the Wes administration at the time...it's tough to win games in this league without any institutional support to speak of...we know other Boardsters can certainly relate to that issue...to bring up a Frank U. quote (think it was Frank although it might be the Boston area HS Coach that chimes in periodically)...."It's all about the Jimmy and Joe's, not the X's and O's"...

***And btw, as active alums, we share the blame and are committed to never having it happen again...shame on us for not doing something about it until it was too late...

[Nescacman]

Ummm, kind of an interesting Twitter exchange here.  However he ends up as a football player, this kid is surely a class act and I say that as a Williams fan:

https://twitter.com/dbagatelle/status/1579189895842926592?s=46&t=f37coF4yQarplPFnVHKePQ

What a strange response from Bagatelle. As far as I can tell, the kid didn't even receive an offer from Wesleyan, or any other school for that matter. Maybe I'm missing something.

He did the same thing to my son who is a Freshman Defensive lineman at Hamilton. What grown adult trolls a 17 year old kid?

I missed the tweets--it appears that user deleted his account. What did it say?

Also, who is Bagatelle, and what relationship (if any) does he have with Wesleyan? I'd hate to think someone affiliated with the school would be disparaging or otherwise trolling high schoolers (seriously, WTF?). That's a terrible look. Totally classless.

I can't imagine the actual coaching staff or administration at Wes wants someone affiliated with the school (if they indeed are) acting this way. Perhaps that's the reason the account/tweets were deleted? Or is this person a reader of D3Boards?

We know who he is, realized he made a big mistake, apologized to the kid, wished him (and his parents) the best of luck (whether at Amherst or some place else), and removed the Tweets. Says it won't happen again.

[lumbercat]

Don't overlook the Wesleyan connection of current Hamilton OC Kevin Spencer. Spencer was HC for 4 years at Wesleyan before Frankie Hauser and the subsequent "Whale ERA". While he didn't experience a great deal of success at Wesleyan, he went on to an impressive 25 year career in the NFL Very respected guy in NFL circles as a special teams guy.

Currently in his first year as Continental's OC.

[Nescacman]

Don't overlook the Wesleyan connection of current Hamilton OC Kevin Spencer. Spencer was HC for 4 years at Wesleyan before Frankie Hauser and the subsequent "Whale ERA". While he didn't experience a great deal of success at Wesleyan, he went on to an impressive 25 year career in the NFL Very respected guy in NFL circles as a special teams guy.

Currently in his first year as Continental's OC.

Good one Lumber....totally forgot about Coach Spencer...great catch...he's got his work cut out for him at Hamilton but he can only do so much...."Jimmy and Joe's..."

[Nescacman]

In case anyone wants to watch the "overrated" Cards v. The White Mules, here you go....

https://twitter.com/wes_football/status/1579971153816276992?s=46&t=Yl5qarNH7dcbCkIdCw0emg

[Nescacman]

2022 NESCACMAN Week 4 Power Rankings

1). Hartford State Bantams (4-0; Last Week: 1): Bants rolled as expected against the Conts...didn't miss the injured Reid at WR...5th in the nation is rushing defense...travel to Middlebury for a key game among 4-0 title contenders this week...winner is in the catbird seat...

2). Middlebury Panthers (4-0; LW: 2): Cole Kennon steps in at QB in his first career start, not only wins the game but is named NESCAC offensive player of the week...Tauber might be out of a job...23 unanswered points by MID against the Ephs...#3 in total D but #1 (tied with Hartford State) for scoring D seems to prove out MIDs bend but don't break season thus far defensively...further proof: they have only allowed 2 scores out of 11 opposing trips into the red zone; by far the best in the league...this week presents one of last major obstacles for Middlebury's dreams of an undefeated season in HCOF Ritter's last season...

3). Tufts Jumbo's (3-1; LW: 3): Tufts offense is on a roll with a number #1 ranking in the NESCAC...looked very solid in a win on the road in Williamstown...Since the 1st half of game 1 against Hartford State, one could argue that Tufts has been the best team in the league... Berluti still the best player in the NESCAC in 2022 thus far...Tufts WR's have been excellent and will present a big challenge for the Wes secondary this week in Middletown ...defense is only ranked 7th in the NESCAC while offense is #1...Hard to believe that after all these years (4 games into his 11th season), HCOF Civetti is still 8 games BELOW .500 as a HCOF...should be a fun "play-off" game atmosphere on Andrus Field this week, the longest continuously used college football stadium in America...

3). Wesleyan Cardinals (3-1; LW: 3): Second game in a row where they have looked very good...Wesleyan is one of the more balanced teams in the league ranking #1 in scoring offense and #2 in total defense....they lead the NESCAC in offensive TDs with 17...Wesleyan has been very good at home, especially against Tufts winning the last 4 games at home dating back to 2005 and have won 6 of the last 8 games against the Jumbo's...should be a fun Saturday night...

5). Colby Mules (2-2; LW: 5): Trounced by Wesleyan...21 yards rushing on 20 carries is not going to get it done...only 189 yards of total offense...1 of 12 on third downs...only 22 minutes of time of possession...Wes managed to triple the number of sacks the Colby O-line allowed year-to-date and were in QB Hersch's face all day...things will get a bit easier this week as they play the Lord Mammoths in the friendly confines of Waterville...

6). Williams Purple Cows (1-3; LW:6): Secondary continues to be an issue...this week they gave up 273 yards in the air after giving up 400 yards in the air the prior week...Williams is last in the NESCAC in pass defense after leading the league in pass defense last year and only has one interception all year...they lead the league in run offense, they are last in pass offense...made the QB change at half-time last week which did not seem to make a difference...all hope of repeating as league champs in 2022 are gone...now they are fighting for a winning season...should get a little easier at home v. the Continentals this week...
 
7). Bowdoin Polar Bears (1-3; LW: 7): Not going to win many games giving up 551 yards which is exactly what Bowdoin gave up to Tufts...second game in a row that the running game was not effective...4 turnovers did not help the Polars either...wonder if something is wrong with Bowdoin's talented RB Andre Eden??? Bowdoin welcomed back Colton Fahey on offense who responded with a 5/150 effort...Drew Ortiz continued his stellar season and now has 5.5 TFL and 3 sacks as a D-lineman....travel to UBates for a C-B-B battle this week...

8). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(1-3; LW: 9): Congratulations Coach Coyne on your first collegiate win as HCOF...Great job by UBates defense limiting the Lord Mammoths to 216 yards of total offense...have done a nice job converting on 3rd down (2nd in the NESCAC)...battle for 7th place in the league this week as they face the Polars...

9). Hamilton Continentals (1-3; LW: 8): Bad football team...9th in total offense, 10th in total defense...still looking for their first sack in game 5 (really)...lucky that Amhurst is playing worse, and they somehow beat them...just what the doctor ordered this week for the Purple Cows...

10). Amhurst Lord Mammoths (0-4; LW: 10): Offensive troubles continue...only 16 points generated by their offense (TD on interception return), and 216 yards of offense...one of their last chances in 2022 for a win on the road against Colby this week...don't hold your breath...

NESCACMAN's Picks (winners):
2022 Season: 14-6 (4-1 last week)
2021 Season: 33-12
2020 Season: 0-0
2019 Season: 33-12
2018 Season: 36-9
2017 Season: 35-10
2016 Season: 32-8
2015 Season: 30-10
2014 Season: 30-10
2013 Season: 32-8
Career: 275-85 (.764 winning percentage)

[Charlie]

Raymond is a great coach, and has coached a lot of great talent (Stola being one of the best, of course), so I'm not trying to diminish any of that, but it just shows how critical the QB position, and just how incredibly talented Bobby Maimaron was as a player and a leader (far, far better than his stats reflect, and his stats were great), that Raymond is now 1-12 with someone OTHER than Maimaron as his starting QB, and 27-7 WITH Maimaron as QB (excluding the one loss where he was injured half-way through the game).  Truly one of the greatest winners NESCAC has ever seen. 

That's not to say that's the ONLY reason the Ephs have struggled to start the year, but it's certainly the biggest one by far.  Losing two top receiving targets and two elite offensive linemen, plus losing some great coaching talent on the offensive side of the ball, had really hurt.  The defense has also really missed the elite LBs who graduated but has, frankly, underperformed based on the talent on hand.  At times the D has played well, especially vs. the run, but it has struggled with blown coverages from week one, it's just crazy how open receivers have consistently been at critical points in games.  Three first years (due to a combo of injuries and performance) have gotten more and more time in the secondary which might be a good sign for the unit's future but is generally not where you want to be at this point in the season.  Hopefully the Ephs can figure out who their QB is this week vs. Hamilton and have a bounce-back week. 

One concern for the Ephs long-term is that the last few recruiting classes have been small.  The Ephs have only 54 non-seniors on the roster, so next year's roster (assuming some natural attrition) is likely to be well below 75 guys.  Tough when some other schools have over 90 .... but still, there is enough talent on hand that if the Ephs can develop or find another great QB (easier said than done!), they can be back in the NESCAC mix after what's turning into a disappointing year.  Especially with Amherst still struggling and some absolutely LOADED senior classes departing Tufts, Wesleyan, Trinity, and maybe others after this season ... 

As for Amherst, the Mammoths have also struggled mightily at the QB position the last few years.  But Amherst has rarely had elite QBs (usually more the very solid game-manager type); usually they are, however, absolutely loaded at the OL and TB positions, which no longer seems to be the case.  Amherst seems to have an especially weak senior class, very few senior starters, so not inconceivable they can bounce back, especially if they can improve at QB as well.

While I agree with your assertions about Williams. I cannot think that poor recruiting and Coaching vacancies have really hurt this program. In addition the many misses they have had at QB. You can say what you want about Trinity and some of these other schools you have to always recruit for your future. The fact that they took one QB and then made him a tight end and then took another QB who is not a College caliber QB tells me they are missing the mark on their recruits.

I will say last year Midd had Jernigan at QB and while a down year for Middlebury at least stability at that position. At least they have Kennon a Junior playing and Tauber a Senior playing. Both have played well enough to lead Middlebury to a 4-0 record.

I cant give a pass to Williams they should have been developing QB talent. This is why I say the extra game , preseason game or even JV team would be helpful to develop this young talent. Since NESCAC wont approve this you have to be spot on for your recruits especially the small number of recruits at Williams.

[Nescacman]

NESCACMAN Special Report: 2022 NESCAC Football Championship

As we head into the last 5 games of the 2022 NESCAC football season, there are 4 teams with a legitimate shot at the 2022 NESCAC Football Championship: Hartford State, Middlebury, Tufts, and Wesleyan. Middlebury and Hartford State both lead the pack at 4-0. Of course, one of them will have a loss after Saturday. Tufts and Wesleyan are close behind at 3-1. One of them will have 2 losses and will probably be eliminated after they face each other Saturday. For one of them, that will be their second loss of the year. That will essentially leave a three-team race between Middlebury, Hartford State and either Tufts or Wesleyan. Either Middlebury or Hartford State will be undefeated, the loser of that game will have one loss, and the winner of Tufts/Wesleyan will have one loss. 

Strength of schedule seems to slightly favor Wesleyan while Middlebury has the hardest remaining schedule:

Hartford State: 10-10 2022 record of remaining opponents
Middlebury:  11-9 record of remaining opponents
Tufts: 10-10 record of remaining opponents
Wesleyan: 9-11 record of remaining opponents

As far as head-to-head remaining games, Middlebury and Hartford State have the edge headed into this week:

Hartford State: Has Middlebury and Wesleyan to play. Beat Tufts. 1-0 record head-to-head.
Middlebury:  Has Hartford State and Tufts. Beat Wesleyan. 1-0 record head-to-head.
Tufts: Has Wesleyan and Middlebury to play. Lost to Hartford State. 0-1 record head-to-head.
Wesleyan: Has Tufts and Hartford State to play. Lost to Middlebury. 0-1 record head-to-head.

Lastly, we give you the tiebreaker information directly off the NESCAC website since two or more teams could end up with one (or more) loss:

"Football Tiebreaker
The NESCAC champion will be the team with the best conference record. In the event that two or more teams finish the season with identical conference records at the end of the season, each team will be recognized as a conference champion."

To beat many of you to the punch, head-to-head games is not a tiebreaker and does not come into play.