FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacman]

Catches: Lutz
TDs: Wood
Yards per  catch: Elkhoury
Yards: Lutz


In addition to leading the league in TDs, Wood leads in YPC among the top 19 receivers, is 2nd in yards and 3rd in catches.  Major playmaker.  Won't be surprised if he ends up leading all categories with Maldjian injured at RB and greater emphasis on pass game with Kennon healthy (he was injured in pre-season, though Tauber played very well in his absence for the first three games).

No doubt, Donovan Wood is stud, but, of course, he's no Devante Reid...      

Last Weekend Trinity V Middlebury (Reid/Wood) Head to Head:

Reid: 5 Catches, 39 Yards, 1 TD
Wood: 7 Catches, 138 Yards, 1 TD

Welcome to game day in the NESCAC...

A final comment from us on the current (stellar) crop of WRs in the NESCAC....not sure we've ever seen a more talented group of WRs in the NESCAC...besides the ones already mentioned, other stand out in our mind including Simco, Clapp, Richardson, Hoggard, Livingstone et al..in our nearly 45 years of following NESCAC football, we've never seen a better collective group...we're sure some of that has to do with the change in offensive schemes at the HS/college level and as a result, teams are putting their best athletes at WR....wow, can these student-athletes play...

Looking forward to a great day in Brunswick....#rollcards

[MidDay]

Catches: Lutz
TDs: Wood
Yards per  catch: Elkhoury
Yards: Lutz


In addition to leading the league in TDs, Wood leads in YPC among the top 19 receivers, is 2nd in yards and 3rd in catches.  Major playmaker.  Won't be surprised if he ends up leading all categories with Maldjian injured at RB and greater emphasis on pass game with Kennon healthy (he was injured in pre-season, though Tauber played very well in his absence for the first three games).

No doubt, Donovan Wood is stud, but, of course, he's no Devante Reid...      

Last Weekend Trinity V Middlebury (Reid/Wood) Head to Head:

Reid: 5 Catches, 39 Yards, 1 TD
Wood: 7 Catches, 138 Yards, 1 TD

Welcome to game day in the NESCAC...

A final comment from us on the current (stellar) crop of WRs in the NESCAC....not sure we've ever seen a more talented group of WRs in the NESCAC...besides the ones already mentioned, other stand out in our mind including Simco, Clapp, Richardson, Hoggard, Livingstone et al..in our nearly 45 years of following NESCAC football, we've never seen a better collective group...we're sure some of that has to do with the change in offensive schemes at the HS/college level and as a result, teams are putting their best athletes at WR....wow, can these student-athletes play...

Looking forward to a great day in Brunswick....#rollcards

Yeah, couldn't agree more.  There are a lot of playmakers at WR.  From Midd perspective, I didn't mean to leave Livingston out of the top tier WR discussion.  He definitely belongs there. He's the guy they go to when they need a first down.  He's had a great career and was a big contributor to the '19 undefeated season.

[MidDay]

Botched the quote feature on that last one yet again.

[nescac1]

Regarding all time receiving groups, it would be the last two seasons or the 98-00 group of Matt Perceval, Matt Sigrist, Matt Student, Jon Troy, Derrell Wright, Jason Coulie, Danny Noyes.  Loaded back then as well!!

[Scoops]

No disrespect to any other team, but if we're talking all-time WR groups, I think it's certainly worth mentioning Tufts current corps. All four starters have had dominant games with over 100 yards at some point this season. They must be a nightmare to practice against every day. Especially when you add in the talent of a guy like Berluuti calling the shots.

[nescac1]

I'd agree that for one team, the current Tufts group is as good as it gets.  I mean OJ Armstrong was a very good receiver in his own right and he was moved to CB because the unit was so loaded.  The 2006 Williams team that went unbeaten and untested was I'd say just as loaded at WR  ... Drenckhahn, Fulmer, and awesome depth behind them. 

[MidDay]

And down goes Wes!

I only saw the last few minutes, but it seemed Bowdoin was ahead most of the game.  How'd that happen?  Any given Saturday.

[SpringSt7]

For a while it looked as if Mark Raymond was primed to pull off his biggest shock win over Jeff Devanney and Trinity, somehow down just 16-13 heading into the 4th. Despite playing with their third string RB Dan Vaughn at QB and being outgained by almost 4 yards per play, the Ephs defense was getting off the field just enough on 3rd down to somehow stick around but there simply wasn't enough offensive talent to keep them in the game for a full 60 minutes.

[The Mole]

Give Polar Bears credit for winning the game. Handed them 3 scores with poor special teams play. 9 yard punt giving them the ball at the 19 yard line. Fielded a punt at 6 and fumbled it away for another score. Also, after intercepting them at the goal line, the next play--deflected pass and pick 6 for 10 yard score. Made it 28-14. Wesleyan scored with about 6 minutes left to make it 28-20, XP blocked! Got ball back and scored with 152 left and made it 28-26 and 2 point play stopped. Cardinals 502 total yards vs 261 for the Polar Bears.

And down goes Wes!

I only saw the last few minutes, but it seemed Bowdoin was ahead most of the game.  How'd that happen?  Any given Saturday.

[AmherstStudent05]

Amherst finally on the board! Huge credit to the Lord Jeffs for staying hungry even though this season obviously still hasn't gone the way we would have hoped. The Jeff defense was simply outstanding in holding Berlutti at bay for most of the game and the offense was the best it's been all season (an admittedly low bar unfortunately) in doing enough to set up a game winning field goal at the buzzer.

Despite the joy of today's win, it's obviously been a down year for Little III football. When was the last time Amherst and Williams were the bottom two teams in the NESCAC football standings? And when was the last time Wesleyan exceeded (or even met) the Preseason expectations of the Nescacman consortium? 

[The Ghost of John Wesley]

I did not see the Wes - Bowdoin game but what a disappointing outcome (if not unsurprising; I did call they would get ahead of themselves and overlook someone between now and Trinity--I just thought it would happen in two weeks against the Ephs). With all the hype and build up entering this season, I don't think we can consider this anything but underperformance and grossly failed expectations.

At this point I think Wes fans--particularly the ones putting the program in the same class as Trinity, Williams, and Midd--need to take a step back and objectively evaluate the last two seasons. With what many considered one of the most loaded rosters with unmatched talent (hell, a couple pages ago people were discussing how many Wes players were going to get NFL looks this year?!), the team has gone 6-3 in 2021 and is now 4-2 in 2022. There are three games left to play this season, a share of the league title is completely out of sight, and the team just lost to Bowdoin. Is this 2006??

Either this roster is not as deep with superlative talent as we've been led to believe, or this team is woefully under-coached. It can be both, but it can't be neither.

[Nescacman]

Give Polar Bears credit for winning the game. Handed them 3 scores with poor special teams play. 9 yard punt giving them the ball at the 19 yard line. Fielded a punt at 6 and fumbled it away for another score. Also, after intercepting them at the goal line, the next play--deflected pass and pick 6 for 10 yard score. Made it 28-14. Wesleyan scored with about 6 minutes left to make it 28-20, XP blocked! Got ball back and scored with 152 left and made it 28-26 and 2 point play stopped. Cardinals 502 total yards vs 261 for the Polar Bears.

And down goes Wes!

I only saw the last few minutes, but it seemed Bowdoin was ahead most of the game.  How'd that happen?  Any given Saturday.

Well Mole did a pretty good job of summarizing a very disappointing day in Brunswick...kudos to the Polars for capitalizing on mistake after mistake by Wesleyan...not much more to say other than we have two Little 3 games the next two weeks...Wes will try to salvage the season against their 3 biggest rivals and root for whomever Hartford State and Middlebury are playing...

Just to add...highlights of the day were getting to hangout a bit at our tailgate with Bowdoin star Drew Ortiz (who had a helluva day against us....5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.5 sacks), his dad (former Lord Mammoth player), and mom (fellow Cardinal and former softball captain)...Class A family and student-athlete...We also had a great dinner in Portland with Matt Simco's parents, Mike and Jillian....you can see why Matt is such a great kid...silver lining on a very dark cloud...

[P'bearfan]

Give Polar Bears credit for winning the game. Handed them 3 scores with poor special teams play. 9 yard punt giving them the ball at the 19 yard line. Fielded a punt at 6 and fumbled it away for another score. Also, after intercepting them at the goal line, the next play--deflected pass and pick 6 for 10 yard score. Made it 28-14. Wesleyan scored with about 6 minutes left to make it 28-20, XP blocked! Got ball back and scored with 152 left and made it 28-26 and 2 point play stopped. Cardinals 502 total yards vs 261 for the Polar Bears.

And down goes Wes!

I only saw the last few minutes, but it seemed Bowdoin was ahead most of the game.  How'd that happen?  Any given Saturday.

All I can say is that I am very happy for the Bowdoin players and coaches.  Bowdoin has struggled the last several years and this year it seemed to be on the verge of taking a step forward.  Hope they take time to celebrate this win and then build on the lessons and confidence from this game.  GoUBears!!

[Scoops]

2022 Amherst is (Ironically) very similar to 2021 Tufts. They are and have been way better than their formerly 0-fer record implied they were. The difference between 21 Tufts and 22 Amherst is the future of those programs. Like the '21 Tufts offense, the Mammoth defense is certainly steady and potentially on the rise. The question lies in the direction of their offense. The Tufts defense improved, allowing them to remain an upper-middle team. Can the Amherst offense do enough to keep them middle of the pack this year, and improve upon itself next year. I certainly hope so, as Amherst is always an interesting team to watch. 

Amherst finally on the board! Huge credit to the Lord Jeffs for staying hungry even though this season obviously still hasn't gone the way we would have hoped. The Jeff defense was simply outstanding in holding Berlutti at bay for most of the game and the offense was the best it's been all season (an admittedly low bar unfortunately) in doing enough to set up a game winning field goal at the buzzer.

Despite the joy of today's win, it's obviously been a down year for Little III football. When was the last time Amherst and Williams were the bottom two teams in the NESCAC football standings? And when was the last time Wesleyan exceeded (or even met) the Preseason expectations of the Nescacman consortium?

[jmcozenlaw]

Give Polar Bears credit for winning the game. Handed them 3 scores with poor special teams play. 9 yard punt giving them the ball at the 19 yard line. Fielded a punt at 6 and fumbled it away for another score. Also, after intercepting them at the goal line, the next play--deflected pass and pick 6 for 10 yard score. Made it 28-14. Wesleyan scored with about 6 minutes left to make it 28-20, XP blocked! Got ball back and scored with 152 left and made it 28-26 and 2 point play stopped. Cardinals 502 total yards vs 261 for the Polar Bears.

And down goes Wes!

I only saw the last few minutes, but it seemed Bowdoin was ahead most of the game.  How'd that happen?  Any given Saturday.

Well Mole did a pretty good job of summarizing a very disappointing day in Brunswick...kudos to the Polars for capitalizing on mistake after mistake by Wesleyan...not much more to say other than we have two Little 3 games the next two weeks...Wes will try to salvage the season against their 3 biggest rivals and root for whomever Hartford State and Middlebury are playing...

Just to add...highlights of the day were getting to hangout a bit at our tailgate with Bowdoin star Drew Ortiz (who had a helluva day against us....5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2.5 sacks), his dad (former Lord Mammoth player), and mom (fellow Cardinal and former softball captain)...Class A family and student-athlete...We also had a great dinner in Portland with Matt Simco's parents, Mike and Jillian....you can see why Matt is such a great kid...silver lining on a very dark cloud...

I had to ask a very good friend (and very successful Trinity grad, there are a handful, much to the shock of a few on this board) what the Hartford State moniker was all about. His best explanation was our trip to a Penn vs. Princeton basketball game years ago when the Quakers were boot stomping the Tigers and the Princeton yuppies in the crowd started a "that's alright, that's OK.......you'll be working for us someday". I almost lost my lunch and asked a couple of the young undergrads in the crowd if they were familiar with the world renowned Wharton School of Business.

I also mentioned that in most cases, you will all be working for a corporation, not an individual. The paycheck will come from PepsiCo, Fidelity, Amazon, etc.........and won't be signed by any person who happens to do your annual review.

I never saw such "book smart" kids, so utterly dumbfounded, without being high nor inebriated. I also did admit that I wasn't accepted by Princeton. It was a cute day though! I did tell them the "preppy look" did go out in the late 90's, at the latest.

Go Hartford State, Go West Philadelphia Community College (University of Pennsylvania) and, heck, while I'm at it, shout out to Harlem Junior College (Columbia University). I love a good pillow fight!!