FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacman]

A few interesting tidbits re: Wesleyan v. Middlebury tomorrow:

-Wesleyan leads the all-time series over the Panthers 26-24-2.
-Wesleyan has won the last 2 games in Middletown, 3 of the last 4, and 6 of the last 8 games on Andrus Field.
-Two years ago, Wesleyan won 24-0 over the Panthers.

[nescac1]

Utter and complete domination by Bowdoin in every phase in the first half.  Boehl has been firing great balls deep and his receivers have made some tremendous catches.  Bowdoin D had been too fast for Williams' physical offense and also are all over every play call.  Other than Fischetti Williams can't do anything right on offense.  For second week in a row Williams gifted a team seven after turning it over with a bizarre play call on fourth down in its own territory.  McHugh has returned to earth after a great week v Colby, a bit less accurate today, but to be fair it's not like he's been put in many situations to succeed.

[The Mole]

They had a rude awakening this afternoon vs a "cough cough" mediocre Wesleyan team

Watching the Amherst V Midd Game, some things are certain:

Amherst Offense is absolute garbage. Absolute terrible offensive efficiency, O-Line is non existent (although Midd's D-Line is a force), and horrible run game. Pretty sure the local high school team could've put up a better offensive front than Amherst did.

Midd Defense is solid. D-Line remained a force with Kenary and Filias racking up sacks and shredding through the Amherst Offense. Secondary also looked decent with a few pass breakups and small holes that weren't too damaging.

Midd Offense is terrible. Now this is the most mind boggling to me. Coming into the season, Midd O looked to be one of the top 3 offenses. Now, they do have a new OC but still the performance but up on Saturday was one of the worst I've ever seen on any collegiate level. The first quarter looked as usual for Midd, with a strong opening drive and we're absolutely crushing Amherst' defense but after the first quarter. Oh boy. Bad. Not just bad terrible. Let's go over the stats after the first quarter:

*Per drive* -3 yards, 17 yards, 22 yards,17 yards INT, -12 yards FUMB, 3 Yards, 3 yards, 20 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards, 2 yards

Keep in mind that NO scoring was made during any of these attempts. It was baffling to watch, the team went from a locomotive train, to a 8th grade JV team in a matter of minutes. Kennon threw for only 130 yards 11/22 (avg 305 per game last season). There seemed to be no connect with the receivers and Kennon the entirety of those quarters. Passes were either underthrown, overthrown or just plain not thrown when open.

Conclusion:

If Amherst didn't have the worst offense in the entirety of the United States of America, Midd would have lost that game. Their offense isn't up to par with that of last year and the tools they have are being underutilized or plain out neglected. They need to get it together before Saturday or else they will have a rude awakening vs a mediocre Wesleyan team

[SpringSt7]

UNH - Delaware coming to an end as we speak, great FCS game. Logan Tomlinson leads the game on both sides with 11 targets - he has 6 catches, 57 yards, and a TD. Don't think Phil Lutz has seen any time for UDel.

Only football game I watched today. Weird that they cancelled all the NESCAC games.

[Nescacman]

They had a rude awakening this afternoon vs a "cough cough" mediocre Wesleyan team

Watching the Amherst V Midd Game, some things are certain:

Amherst Offense is absolute garbage. Absolute terrible offensive efficiency, O-Line is non existent (although Midd's D-Line is a force), and horrible run game. Pretty sure the local high school team could've put up a better offensive front than Amherst did.

Midd Defense is solid. D-Line remained a force with Kenary and Filias racking up sacks and shredding through the Amherst Offense. Secondary also looked decent with a few pass breakups and small holes that weren't too damaging.

Midd Offense is terrible. Now this is the most mind boggling to me. Coming into the season, Midd O looked to be one of the top 3 offenses. Now, they do have a new OC but still the performance but up on Saturday was one of the worst I've ever seen on any collegiate level. The first quarter looked as usual for Midd, with a strong opening drive and we're absolutely crushing Amherst' defense but after the first quarter. Oh boy. Bad. Not just bad terrible. Let's go over the stats after the first quarter:

*Per drive* -3 yards, 17 yards, 22 yards,17 yards INT, -12 yards FUMB, 3 Yards, 3 yards, 20 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards, 2 yards

Keep in mind that NO scoring was made during any of these attempts. It was baffling to watch, the team went from a locomotive train, to a 8th grade JV team in a matter of minutes. Kennon threw for only 130 yards 11/22 (avg 305 per game last season). There seemed to be no connect with the receivers and Kennon the entirety of those quarters. Passes were either underthrown, overthrown or just plain not thrown when open.

Conclusion:

If Amherst didn't have the worst offense in the entirety of the United States of America, Midd would have lost that game. Their offense isn't up to par with that of last year and the tools they have are being underutilized or plain out neglected. They need to get it together before Saturday or else they will have a rude awakening vs a mediocre Wesleyan team

Very "mediocre" effort indeed Mole. Another fine effort by your son btw. We think the Board will be very quiet this week...other than the occasional chirp from Roosters and maybe a roar or two from Polars.

[Scoops]

I think it's pretty clear that the road to the NESCAC championship runs through CT this year. I will eat my words and say that the Cardinals are legitimate (which I'm sure will delight Mole and Nescacman). They have a pretty solid chance at finishing 2nd in the CAC. Trinity is clearly the best team in the league. Their second half against a good Colby defense was an absolute clinic. Barring major injuries, I don't see anyone beating the Bantams this season.

[Nescacman]

I think it's pretty clear that the road to the NESCAC championship runs through CT this year. I will eat my words and say that the Cardinals are legitimate (which I'm sure will delight Mole and Nescacman). They have a pretty solid chance at finishing 2nd in the CAC. Trinity is clearly the best team in the league. Their second half against a good Colby defense was an absolute clinic. Barring major injuries, I don't see anyone beating the Bantams this season.

Appreciate that Scoops and agree with you on Hartford State. They are for sure, a very good NESCAC team. With all due respect to them, we don't think they are as strong as they were last year, however. For example, although we like Clapp a ton (and he's on his way to a first team All-NESCAC spot), he's not going to stretch the field like Reid and Girard (2 years ago) did at the WR position. Although MID or Wes would absolutely have to play their best games of the year to have a shot at a win, HS is not invincible, IOHO. Keep in mind, HS has played two flawed teams thus far in 2023. Tufts defense is not great, which HS exploited, and Colby's offense is probably the worst in the league, outside of teams based in Amherst, Mass, and Clinton, NY.

A lot of football over the next 7 weeks. Let's take it one week at a time. However, after two weeks, we have a clear favorite for the the league title.

[Zlax45]

Photos from Hamilton at Amherst

https://www.foley-photography.com/Football/College-Football/2023-Season/Hamilton-at-Amherst/

[Nescacman]

Photos from Hamilton at Amherst

https://www.foley-photography.com/Football/College-Football/2023-Season/Hamilton-at-Amherst/

Who was Amherst High School playing? 

[Nescacman]

2023 NESCACMAN Week 2 Power Rankings

Week #2 confirmed a lot of our beliefs about the League...Hartford State looks like the clear favorite in 2023 through two weeks followed by Wesleyan, who had a big showdown win over Middlebury...Tufts bounced back as expected at home over UBates...We're not sure yet if the Polars are for real but they are 2-0 for the first time since 2005 and are tied for first place... Amwurst benefited from playing the Alexander Hamilton's and got win #1...Ephs look like they are in trouble getting skunked by the Polars for the first time since 1979...

Here are our NESCAC rankings for Week 2 based on our poll of league wide correspondents:

1). Hartford State Roosters (8 first place votes)(2-0; Last Week Rank: 1): Roosters looked dominant again with WR Sean Clapp leading the way...Nearly 500 yards of total offense for HS (and 27 1st downs) and held the Colby Mules to 123 total yards of offense...only 9 net yards rushing for the Mules on 28 carries...HS only led 9-7 at the half...Colby gave up 39 unanswered points in the 2nd half; was HCOF Cos napping???... Roosters recorded 6 sacks and the HS defenders were in the face of Rookie Colby QB Miles Drake all day (also led to 2 INTs)...Big day for HS LB Michael Masse with 3 TFL and 2 sacks...Roosters back home this week to face the Lord Mammoths. Good luck to HCOF EJ.

2). Wesleyan Cardinals (2 first place votes)(2-0; Last week Rank: 3): Cards move up in the rankings after big win in NESCAC GOTW in Middletown...forecast tropical storm conditions held off until after the game...Wesleyan never trailed in this game...Story of the game was Wesleyan defense (4 turnovers, including a pick 6, and only allowing 14 first downs) and the Cards offensive line (only allowed 1 sack, 147 yards rushing, and 409 yards of total offense)...Great game by All-NESCAC DL Mike Rowan (8 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, and ended the game with a strip sack of Mid QB Cole Kennon)...Wes benefits from their second straight home game as they host Hamilton this week in Middletown.

3). Middlebury Panthers (1-1; Last Week Rank: 2): First loss of the HCOF Mandigo era...Panther defense found out the hard way that they weren't playing the inept Lord Mammoths this week...QB Kennon was inconsistent (threw for 231 yards and 1 TD but threw 3 picks including a pick 6)...MID DL Tomas Kenary was kept in check by the Wes offensive line (6 tackles, 1 TFL, and no sacks)...Pants longest play from scrimmage was only 33 yards...too many turnovers (4) and only 6 of 15 on third downs...Middlebury returns home this week to play the unbeaten Bowdoin Polar Bears.

4). Tufts Jumbo's (1-1; Last Week Rank: 4):  Jumbo's bounce back as expected against the young UBates Kitties...Tufts running game explodes for 329 yards...Jumbo QB Berlutti only had to throw the ball 19 times (for 140 yards)...Tufts longest pass play was only for 22 yards...Tufts punter, who was so active in week #1 against Hartford State, did not have to punt all day against UBates, which is a good thing given their snapping issues the week before against Hartford State...Jumbo RB Chartellis Reece ran for 178 yards and two scores and is probably your NESCAC OPOTW...Tufts O-line performed well as evidenced by the rushing yardage and did not allow a sack...Tufts hosts Williams this week in Medford.

5). Bowdoin Polar Bears (2-0; Last Week Rank: 7): Break up the Polar Bears!!! Bowdoin is 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2005, albeit against subpar competition thus far...held the Ephs to 236 yards of total offense...Defense forced 8 punts, had 6 sacks, and held the Ephs to 2 of 14 conversions on 3rd down... This is the highest we have ever ranked Bowdoin...Koy Price and Max Jacobs both had stellar games on defense for the Polars each recording 3 TFL and 2 sacks...big test this week as the Polars head out on the road to face Middlebury in Vermont.

6). Williams Purple Cows (1-1; Last Week Rank: 5): Back to the drawing board for the Ephs...Historically bad loss to Bowdoin in Brunswick...Passing game needs to be better than 10 of 29 for 134 yards and an INT (plus 6 sacks)...2 of 14 on third downs does not help....won't get any easier for the Ephs this week as they travel to Tufts.

7). Colby Mules (0-2; Last Week Rank: 6): Another "stellar" start to the Mules season...they need to win five of their last seven games for  first winning season since 2005...New Colby QB Miles Drake threw 2 interceptions and was sacked 6 times...9 total yards rushing...will need to generate more of a running game to provide balance......Mules will try to bounce back this week as they travel to Lewiston to face their archrival UBates in the first game of the C-B-B, also known as the "greatest pillow fight in America".

8). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(0-2; Last Week Rank: 8): Tough spot for the Kitties....home opener and homecoming night game against Tufts on the road...some bright spots for the Kitties but need to tighten up against the run...need to run the ball better on offense to open the passing game...back home this week to face the Mules at night in Lewiston in a big rivalry game.

9). Amwurst Lord Mammoths (1-1; Last Week Rank: 9): "Huge" crowd of 357 die-hard fans witness the battle for last-place in the NESCAC...The Lord Mammoths prevail 17-14 over Hamilton...Take away the 63 yard run to open the game and Amwurst had 40 yards rushing on 25 attempts ...The question is will the defense continue to keep them in games...Longest pass play on the day was 16 yards...tough one for the Lord Mammoths this week as they face Hartford State on the road.

10). Hamilton Alexander Hamilton's (0-2; Last Week Rank: 10): Not sure where their wins will come from at this point...with QB Matt Banbury out, FY Luke Kurzum from Caldwell, NJ (one of the top public school programs in NJ) continues to fill in...bright spots on the day were RB Nate Wildman who ran for 119 yards and two TDs and the Alexander Hamilton's defense...face Wesleyan this week on the road.

[BigKat]

Their win should come vs the Bobcats. Very small team physically with limited weapons. Can't imagine they win a game in the league this year but hope they prove me wrong. Fells like the bottom teams are further separated than the middle ones vs past years? probably too early to tell.

[Nescacman]

Their win should come vs the Bobcats. Very small team physically with limited weapons. Can't imagine they win a game in the league this year but hope they prove me wrong. Fells like the bottom teams are further separated than the middle ones vs past years? probably too early to tell.

Kat, We've watched both the Conts and the Kitties play, the latter in person. We'll let you know further thoughts after we see the Alexander Hamilton's this Saturday in person, but our initial thoughts are the Kitties beat the Conts head-to-head.The Kitties have some talent, they are just young and inexperienced.

As far as the NESCAC this year, we're not sure there is a middle tier anymore. Maybe Bowdoin and Colby are there, but still not clear. Looks like a league of have's (Hartford State, Wes, MID, and Tufts) and have not's at this point in the season.

[The Mole]

Are Middlebury, Wesleyan and Tufts getting the recruits that Williams and Amherst used to get ?

2012 to 2022

Trinity 74-16 no losing seasons, 25% (4) of losses in 2019
Middlebury 63-27 2021 only non-winning season at 3-6
Wesleyan 62-28 all winning campaigns
Amherst 59-31 19 of the losses 2019 until now
Tufts 44-46 20 of the losses from '12-14 (40-32 since)
Williams 41-49 30 of the losses from '12-16
Bates 28-52 almost half (13) of the wins from '12-14, 7 losing years in a row
Colby 27-53 best year was 4-4 in 2013
Hamilton 20-70 25% of the wins in 2018 (5-4)
Bowdoin 15-75 but are 4-2 in last 6 games....

[Nescacman]

Are Middlebury, Wesleyan and Tufts getting the recruits that Williams and Amherst used to get ?

2012 to 2022

Trinity 74-16 no losing seasons, 25% (4) of losses in 2019
Middlebury 63-27 2021 only non-winning season at 3-6
Wesleyan 62-28 all winning campaigns
Amherst 59-31 19 of the losses 2019 until now
Tufts 44-46 20 of the losses from '12-14 (40-32 since)
Williams 41-49 30 of the losses from '12-16
Bates 28-52 almost half (13) of the wins from '12-14, 7 losing years in a row
Colby 27-53 best year was 4-4 in 2013
Hamilton 20-70 25% of the wins in 2018 (5-4)
Bowdoin 15-75 but are 4-2 in last 6 games....

A couple of observations and some questions for Mole:

-Only two teams have not had losing season during that stretch, Hartford State and Wesleyan. Very interesting and probably not what most boardsters would have expected.
-Only 4 teams (HS, Wes, MID, Amwurst) have had winning records over the last 10 years. Certainly, the trend is not going the right way for the Lord Mammoths. The Lord Mammoths are 12-17 since 2018.
-If you factor in 2023, Wes has now tied MID for second place to the mighty Roosters from Hartford.
-The Mules and the Polars have not had a winning season since 2005 and UBates last winning season was 2012.
-This analysis clearly shows 3 tiers from 2012-2022: Tier 1 would be Hartford State, Wes, Middlebury/Tier 2 Would be the Lord Mammoths, Williams, and Tufts/Tier 3 would be Colby, UBates, Bowdoin and Hamilton.
-What is the Ephs winning % from 2011 without Bobby Maimaron at QB?
-How have the Top 3 Teams done against each other since 2012?

All in, nice job by our friend, The Mole. #rollcards

[The Mole]

2012 to 2023

The top six of Trinity, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Williams, Amherst and Tufts records versus each other (includes games first 2 weeks 23). Wesleyan, Middlebury and Tufts crooked numbers due to schedule rotations in 8 game seasons

Trinity 38-13
Amherst 30-21
Wesleyan 24-22
Middlebury 21-24
Williams 15-35
Tufts 13-34