FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[lumbercat]

I'm not usually one to rush to Trinity's defense, but while Kirby may be a great back who would start at many NESCAC schools, he was, I believe, Trinity's third-string tailback on Saturday.  If you are going to argue that they piled it on, "eight straight running plays featuring the third-string tailback" is not going to support that argument.  What is Trinity supposed to do, kneel the ball for an entire quarter?

Kirby is no third stringer.

[nescac1]

Kirby is not a third string talent but as it happens he was (looking at the play by play) the third RB in Trinity's rotation on Saturday. He had one first half carry!  Trinity alone among Nescac has that luxury.

[Nescacman]

Kirby is not a third string talent but as it happens he was (looking at the play by play) the third RB in Trinity's rotation on Saturday. He had one first half carry!  Trinity alone among Nescac has that luxury.

Rooster backfield is comprised of "1a, 1b, and 1c backs"...all 3 could start for any team in the League other than maybe over Fischetti with the Ephs...they can all run the ball behind an FCS-sized line...

[lumbercat]

Kirby only played in 7 games last year and was fifth in the league in rushing. He's a stud by NESCAC standards. Not a guy you typically inject in a game with 5 minutes left winning by 30 for 8 consecutive carries unless your'e looking to punish somebody.

[Gate90]

Word out of Trinity is that Fetter's non-throwing hand is broken and in a cast. Guess the coaching staff will take a look at how it affects his ability to handle/throw the ball before making a decision on sitting him.

[GroundandPound]

https://nescacfootballreport.com/game-recaps/

good game summaries and team observations

[Nescacman]

2023 NESCACMAN Week 1 Power Rankings

Great first week of action in the NESCAC...Hartford State looked unbeatable...Tufts, not so much...Amwurst's offense looks like they haven't solved their problems from 2022...is Middlebury's defense that good or is the Lord Mammoth offense that bad...Wes solid in the opener and took care of business despite a 5 hour same-day bus ride....UBates will be the team to beat in '25...same old story for Colby; good D and challenged on offense...did the Ephs solve their QB issue...can't tell much about Bowdoin playing the hapless Hamilton "Alexander Hamilton's"...

Here are our NESCAC rankings for Week 1 based on our poll of league wide correspondents:

1). Hartford State Roosters (10 first place votes)(1-0; Last Week Rank: 1): Big opening week win for the Bants...Looked dominant with QB Spencer Fetter and WR Sean Clapp leading the way...Tough to say if they are that good or Tufts is overrated (more on that later)....28-0 at the half and game was never in doubt...almost 500 yards of total offense and 26 first downs for the Roosters...HS defense made Tufts QB Berlutti look very average...one observation about Rooster QB Fetter: we sat right behind the HS bench and watched him verbally abuse, berate, and yell at his fellow teammates throughout the game...we understand that leaders do that at times to motivate their teammates, however, what we observed was definitely not "leadership" or motivational in any way, shape or form...it was not what we would expect from an experienced, 5th year, All-League QB (and Captain).

2). Middlebury Panthers (1-0; Last Week Rank: 3): Congratulations to HCOF Mandigo on his first win as a collegiate HCOF...Great defensive effort by the Pants in week 1, although that may have been more a function of an inept Amwurst offense...offense was a bit sluggish but they  did enough to get the job done...MID DL Tomas Kenary had an epic game (4.5 sacks/4.5 TFL) in winning NESCAC DPOTW...should more challenging this week for MID as they travel to Middletown to face the Cards in their home opener.

3). Wesleyan Cardinals (1-0; Last week Rank: 4): Cards clearly have a lot of talent...congratulations to QB Nico Candido for winning the NESCAC OPOTW...great game by Wes WR Thomas Elkhoury (12 catches for 147 yards)...big test this week as they host the Pants in their home opener...should be a great atmosphere at the best game-day experience in the NESCAC.

4). Tufts Jumbo's (0-1; Last Week Rank: 2):  Our observation, they did not appear ready to play...completely overmatched by Hartford State...defense was not very good and special teams were horrible...Tufts was forced to punt on their first 7 possessions...QB Michael Berluti looked very ordinary throwing passes behind his receivers and into the ground...should be interesting to see if they can right the ship in week #2.

5). Williams Purple Cows (1-0; Last Week Rank: 5): Have the Ephs finally found their QB of the future?...The running game is as advertised with Mario Fischetti running for 119 yards and a TD...Run defense was good on Saturday...jury still out on the pass...secondary will have a test on Saturday as they travel to face the Polars.

6). Colby Mules (0-1; Last Week Rank: 7): Not a good start for the Mules as they try for their first winning season since 2005...New Colby QB provides the Mule faithful with a glimmer of hope...need to generate more of a running game to provide balance...Defense was typically decent...Mules will have their hands full this week as they face Hartford State at home.

7). Bowdoin Polar Bears (1-0; Last Week Rank: 8): QB Andrew Boel looked healthy and strong albeit against one of weaker teams in the NESCAC...Not sure what is going on with the Polars running game and RB Andre Eden...playing Hamilton is not a good way to assess your Team...Williams should be a better test this week.

8). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(0-1; Last Week Rank: 9): Other than losing, good start for HCOF Coyne and the young Kitties...QB Colton Bosselait did a good job protecting the ball...Need to generate more offense...Defensively they need to do a better job against the pass...they will win a few games this year.

9). Amwurst Lord Mammoths (0-1; Last Week Rank: 6): One of the worst offenses in league history in 2022 does not look much better in 2023...The question is will the defense keep them in games...Played two young QBs but the position continues to be a question mark for the Lord Jeffs....should get a win against the woeful Alexander Hamilton's at home this week, but if they don't, ouch.

10). Hamilton Alexander Hamilton's (0-1; Last Week Rank: 10): Here we go again; not clear what the direction of this program is...scored 2 meaningless TDs in the 4th Quarter...were down 26-0 at that point of the game...QB Matt Banbury was most of their offense but he was replaced late; wonder if he was injured?...Defense gave up a ton of yards and was bad against the pass...if they don't get the win against the Lord Mammoths, might have a tough time finding one this year.

[Bantam4life]

Word out of Trinity is that Fetter's non-throwing hand is broken and in a cast. Guess the coaching staff will take a look at how it affects his ability to handle/throw the ball before making a decision on sitting him.

Hearing this is False and Fetter will play Saturday.

[Nescacman]

Word out of Trinity is that Fetter's non-throwing hand is broken and in a cast. Guess the coaching staff will take a look at how it affects his ability to handle/throw the ball before making a decision on sitting him.

Hearing this is False and Fetter will play Saturday.

With all due respect to the Mules, Hartford State is playing at Colby this Saturday so we're not sure it matters who plays QB...

[SpringSt7]

I felt like Williams handled Colby pretty comfortably on a by play and by possession based - really it was two short fields and one big play that contributed to all of Colby's scoring - and I'm comfortable in saying that Trinity will handle them as well. But they look like they will be a lot closer to a 4-5 win team than a 2-3 win team at the moment. Miles Drake was very impressive for a debut - 22-32, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT - and they just seem to have guys on both sides of the ball that are on par physically and athletically with a .500 NESCAC football team. Julian Young had 14 tackles and looks like a repeat 1st teamer and Nick Donatio (2022 2nd team) was everywhere in the secondary as well - you can just tell when a guy is a little bit faster and a little bit more explosive than the other guys on the team.

The difficult thing for them is that they have to go to Amherst and to Bates, games which could be the difference again between 2-3 or 4-5 wins. Hamilton and Bowdoin at home I think they would be favored right now and then they would have to steal one somewhere else.

[Nescacman]

I felt like Williams handled Colby pretty comfortably on a by play and by possession based - really it was two short fields and one big play that contributed to all of Colby's scoring - and I'm comfortable in saying that Trinity will handle them as well. But they look like they will be a lot closer to a 4-5 win team than a 2-3 win team at the moment. Miles Drake was very impressive for a debut - 22-32, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT - and they just seem to have guys on both sides of the ball that are on par physically and athletically with a .500 NESCAC football team. Julian Young had 14 tackles and looks like a repeat 1st teamer and Nick Donatio (2022 2nd team) was everywhere in the secondary as well - you can just tell when a guy is a little bit faster and a little bit more explosive than the other guys on the team.

The difficult thing for them is that they have to go to Amherst and to Bates, games which could be the difference again between 2-3 or 4-5 wins. Hamilton and Bowdoin at home I think they would be favored right now and then they would have to steal one somewhere else.

Spring, NESCACMAN had the Mules at 4 wins, FYI....still feels about right to us..

[Trin9-0]

Kirby only played in 7 games last year and was fifth in the league in rushing. He's a stud by NESCAC standards. Not a guy you typically inject in a game with 5 minutes left winning by 30 for 8 consecutive carries unless your'e looking to punish somebody.

Kirby had just one carry in the first three quarters and yet you honestly believe that Trinity put him in the game to "punish" Tufts? Sure, the Bantams have talent and depth at the position, but I disagree with your notion that their third-string running back is too good to play. If a senior role-player can't get a few carries to help his team close-out a game late in the fourth quarter, then when exactly should he be allowed on the field?

As for accusations of Devanney running up the score; in the 4th quarter Trinity had 18 offensive snaps. They ran the ball EVERY SINGLE PLAY. 

[nescac1]

Amen, Trin9-0, and well-stated. 

I mean, I guess maybe Trinity could have just gone to the victory formation every play for an entire quarter, but personally I think that would be a lot more humiliating than giving a senior who has been a bit pushed aside through no fault of his own (and who may well be needed for a bigger role later in the season) some real opportunities to carry the ball during the first game of the season ... it's almost like there is a need to create controversies where none exist, and if THAT was what pissed Civetti off, the dude needs a thicker skin. 

[The Ghost of John Wesley]

Word out of Trinity is that Fetter's non-throwing hand is broken and in a cast. Guess the coaching staff will take a look at how it affects his ability to handle/throw the ball before making a decision on sitting him.

I've never played quarterback, but I imagine it would be pretty hard to take a snap under center or even in the gun wearing a cast.

[The Mole]

Ghost, I am going to agree with Nescacman on this--they could have the scout team QB hand the ball off to their deep stable of 4 running backs behind their Patriot League line and they will pummel the Mules into submission.

Word out of Trinity is that Fetter's non-throwing hand is broken and in a cast. Guess the coaching staff will take a look at how it affects his ability to handle/throw the ball before making a decision on sitting him.

I've never played quarterback, but I imagine it would be pretty hard to take a snap under center or even in the gun wearing a cast.