FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[GroundandPound]

NM, I am not sure the numbers support your assertion that Candido "rate at the top or near the top in every key statistical category at [his respective position]"
He is No. 1 in TDs, but he has had one more game than the other top 3 QBs.  Here are his current rankings:
Completion percentage: 6th
Passing efficiency 4th
Passing Yards per game 4th

[GroundandPound]

NM, I am not sure the numbers support your assertion that Candido "rate at the top or near the top in every key statistical category at [his respective position]"
He is No. 1 in TDs, but he has had one more game than the other top 3 QBs.  Here are his current rankings:
Completion percentage: 6th
Passing efficiency 4th
Passing Yards per game 4th

[GroundandPound]

Candido is No. 1 in TDs, but he has had one more game than the other top 3 QBs. 
Here are his other current rankings:
Completion percentage: 6th
Passing efficiency 4th
Passing Yards per game 4th

[GroundandPound]

Lastly, Wesleyan's offense is 5th in points per game with 22 points per game (213 - 30 points scored by defense). 

[MammothDad]

Ground and Pound, oh wise sage of NESCAC predictions ...

... what's you feel for Williams AT Amherst?

Any home field advantage?  Any recent win momentum to help?  Any hope in Piazza to finish strong???

PLEASE say so.  The kids need optimism and hope this offseason to catch up and be competitive next year.  Going out with wins against Bowdoin and Williams could help a lot!

[GroundandPound]

NESCAC TOP QB Stats So Far:
Wins: 1) Kennon/Fetter/Berlutti/Candido (6 Ws for all)
Passing Yds per game: 1) Kennon, 2) Boel, 3) Fetter 4) Candido
Total Offense Yds per game: 1) Kennon 2) Berluti 3) Boel 4) Candido
Completion Percentage: 1) Fetter 2) Boel 3) Kurzman 4) Berluti
Efficiency 1) Fetter 2) Boel 3) Berluti 4) Candido
Passing TDs 1) Candido (20) (one more game than others) 2) Fetter/Berlutti tied (19); 4) Kennon (16)
Fewest Interceptions: 1) Fetter/Berlutti tied w/3; 3) Kurzman w/5; 4) Candido w/6

[Nescacman]

NESCAC TOP QB Stats So Far:
Wins: 1) Kennon/Fetter/Berlutti/Candido (6 Ws for all)
Passing Yds per game: 1) Kennon, 2) Boel, 3) Fetter 4) Candido
Total Offense Yds per game: 1) Kennon 2) Berluti 3) Boel 4) Candido
Completion Percentage: 1) Fetter 2) Boel 3) Kurzman 4) Berluti
Efficiency 1) Fetter 2) Boel 3) Berluti 4) Candido
Passing TDs 1) Candido (20) (one more game than others) 2) Fetter/Berlutti tied (19); 4) Kennon (16)
Fewest Interceptions: 1) Fetter/Berlutti tied w/3; 3) Kurzman w/5; 4) Candido w/6

We'd say very selective stats by you. Niko leads the conference in what matters...TD passes, total passing yards, total completions, and is right at the top in interception %. Plus we'd put him right at the top in terms of toughness with Berlutti, Kennon, and Boel (we all know Fetter is soft)....he was sacked 8x against the Ephs and was hit another 12-15 times and bounced up every time. He's a tough kid. Glad he plays for the red and black.

[Nescacman]

2023 NESCACMAN Week 8 Power Rankings

As the 2024 NESCAC football season comes to an end, the last few weeks look to be exciting. We definitely have a league of "have's" (MID, Hartford State, Tufts, Wes) and "have not's" (everyone else in the NESCAC)...We only had one upset last week as the Lord Mammoths continued their mastery over the Polars...big weekend coming up as the four remaining teams with a shot at the NESCAC title all play each other: Middlebury hosts Tufts and Hartford State visits Wesleyan.

In last week's action, besides the Lord Mammoths beating the Polars, we saw Wesleyan come from behind in the fourth quarter defeating the Ephs for their first back-to-back Little 3 Titles since 1969/1970...Hartford State cruised to a win over UBates...Tufts beat up the Colby Mules, and Middlebury crushed Hamilton.

NESCACMAN goes 4-1 with our weekly picks...We are now 28-9 on the year.

Here are our NESCAC rankings for Week 8 based on our poll of league wide correspondents:

1). Middlebury Panthers (10 first place votes)(6-1; Last Week Rank: 1): So much for the "hot" Hamiltonians...Middlebury wins for the 27th time in a row over Hamilton...this one was not close as MID rackeed up 502 yards of total offense and they even ran the ball effectively rushing for 194 yards and 2 TDs...QB Cole Kennon was impressive throwing for 308 yards and 3 TDs...now the fun starts; two remaining games as they host the Jumbo's this week then travel to Waterville to finish the season against Colby....Middlebury wins out and they clinch at least a tie for the league title.

2). Hartford State Roosters (6-1; Last Week Rank: 2): Annual Hartford State beatdown of UBates....what comes around, goes around...524 yards of offense for HS versus 183 for UBates...HS led 31-0 at the half and never looked back....The Roosters need to win their last 2 games on the road to have a shot at a tie for the NESCAC title....Hartford State travels down Route 9 to face Wesleyan in the annual Turducken Bowl this week.

3). (Tie) Tufts Jumbo's (6-2; Last Week Rank: 3):  Tufts bounced back in a big way against the Mules....Complete domination by the Jumbo defense; besides the shut out, only 5 first downs and 70 yards of total offense for Colby...Colby QB's were 3 of 15 for 28 yards...Offense was workman like and was led by a rushing offense that had 168 yards on the ground...DT Ed Iuteri had a strong game for the Tufts defense (4 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 force fumble, 1 pass knock-down, and 1 QB hurry)... Tufts o-line actually doubled their sack total for the year giving up 2 sacks...Tufts travels to Middlebury this week needing a win to have a shot at the NESCAC title.

3). (Tie) Wesleyan Cardinals (6-2; Last week Rank: 3): Wes beats the Ephs in a major come from behind win in the fourth quarter...Great game for Gold Helmet winner Niko Candido who is the third Cardinal winner of a Gold Helmet this year.. Wes wins the Little 3 for the second straight year, third in the last four years and 5th time since 2013..DB Wesley Abraham is the NESCAC DPOTW for the 2nd time this year; he leads the NESCAC in INTs and pass break-ups and is in the running for DPOTY....Wes had 4 turnovers and Williams had their chances early to open up a big lead...kudo's to the Wes defense that kept the Ephs out of the end zone and kept the game close; Great job by DC Sheeks and his assistant coaches...complete melt down by the Ephs in the 4th quarter...Wes hosts Hartford State this week in Middletown with a chance to share in the 2023 NESCAC crown....they will be rooting hard for the Jumbo's.

5). (tie) Colby Mules (3-4; Last Week Rank: 5):  Mules travelled to Medford and got absolutely destroyed by the Jumbo's....Mules have scored 35 points in their 4 losses this year...very difficult path for Colby to have a winning season in 2023...could very easily finish the season at 3-6 with Bowdoin and Middlebury ahead on the schedule the last two weeks...need to generate more than 5 first downs and 70 yards of total offense to have a shot at winning ANY game...will be curious to see what direction this program goes in the off-season...with the investment that Colby has made in athletics, the football program seems stuck in the mud...obviously, Waterville is not an ideal location to recruit to but given the College's commitment to athletics and presumed admissions support, they should be able to get some student-athletes who want to play football for the Football Mules...Colby hosts Bowdoin this week with the winner taking home the 2023 C-B-B crown.

5). (tie) Amwurst Lord Mammoths (3-5; Last Week Rank: 8): Lord Mammoths bounce back with a win on the road in Brunswick...LMs have beaten the Polars 16 of their last 17 meetings...back-up QB and former starter Mike Piazza had a career day against the Polars and wins the NESCAC OPOTW...good things the passing game was working, LMs only had 43 yards rushing on 22 carries...Most points scored by Amwurst since game #1 of 2021...LMs defense came up big with a goal line stand to preserve the win...Lord Mammoths host the Ephs in the Little 3 consolation game this week.

7). Bowdoin Polar Bears (3-4; Last Week Rank: 5): We are still shocked that the Polars lost to the Lord Mammoths this week in Brunswick...guess we should not have been all that surprised given the Lord Mammoths mastery over the Polars historically...now the Polars need to win both of their last two games to record their first winning season since 2005...will not be an easy task as they face rival Colby this week and then finish up against Hartford State...Starting QB Boel was injured in the loss which could make the last two games that much more challenging...back-up QB Robbie Long, who is more of a running QB than Boel, did well filling in but a terrific goal-line stand by the Lord Mammoths sealed the victory for them....Bowdoin travels to Waterville this week to play Colby in the C-B-B championship game.

8). Williams Purple Cows (2-5; Last Week Rank: 9): Ephs in an epic collapse against Wesleyan on their annual Senior Day and last home game of 2023....2021 undefeated season is a distant memory...second losing season in a row for the Ephs...seem to have the building blocks for the future but definitely need more playmakers on both sides of the ball...Wes scores last 22 points to comeback to win in 4th quarter....some really confusing play calling by the Ephs in the 4th quarter...Ephs travel to Amherst to face the Lord Mammoths in a meaningless Little 3 game this week.

9). Hamilton Alexander Hamilton's (2-6; Last Week Rank: 7): HAM winning streak comes to a grinding halt at two...only 199 yards of total offense for HAM including 51 yards rushing... ...Alexander Hamilton's travel to Lewiston to face the Kitties in Ham's final game of 2023.

10). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(0-7; Last Week Rank: 10): UBates lost in the Coop at Hartford State....turnovers and sacks sunk the Kitties...should find the competition a bit more to their liking this week as they host Hamilton after 3 straight road games....Will this b

[GroundandPound]

NM,
Total Passing Yards
Candido - 2074 after 8 games (260 yards per game) 2,334
Cole – 1929 after 7 games (averages about 270 per game) 2,469
Boel – 1918 after 7 games (same) 2,458
Fetter – 1878 after 7 games (same) 2,418
Do you really think Candido will be top 2 or 3 in this stat when the season is over?
It looks likely he will rank 4th in this stat based on past averages.

Total Completions:
Candido – 147 after 8 games (18 per game average) 165
Fetter – 138 after 7 games (19 per game average) 176
Boel 128 and Kennon 127 after 7 games (18 per game average) 164
It looks like Fetter will likely be on top at the end of the year on this stat as well.

Total TD Passes
Candido – 20 after 8 games (2.5 per game) = 23 (rounding up)
Fetter – 19 after 7 games (2.7 per game) = 24 (rounding down)
Kennon – 16 after 7 games
Yes, Candido could finish at the top of this stat when the season is over, but w/ two games left, I think Fetter will most likely end up #1 in this stat.

[Nescacman]

NESCAC Week #8 Turnover Statistics

             Total Takeaways   Total Turnovers   +/-
Amwurst          13                     13                  0
UBates             4                      13                  -9
Bowdoin           9                      13                  -4
Colby               6                       8                  -2
Hamilton          8                      14                  -6
Middlebury    17                       17                  0
Hartford State 17                       8                  9
Tufts             14                        7                   7   
Wesleyan       16                     15                  1
Williams        16                     12                  4

[Nescacman]

NM,
Total Passing Yards
Candido - 2074 after 8 games (260 yards per game) 2,334
Cole – 1929 after 7 games (averages about 270 per game) 2,469
Boel – 1918 after 7 games (same) 2,458
Fetter – 1878 after 7 games (same) 2,418
Do you really think Candido will be top 2 or 3 in this stat when the season is over?
It looks likely he will rank 4th in this stat based on past averages.

Total Completions:
Candido – 147 after 8 games (18 per game average) 165
Fetter – 138 after 7 games (19 per game average) 176
Boel 128 and Kennon 127 after 7 games (18 per game average) 164
It looks like Fetter will likely be on top at the end of the year on this stat as well.

Total TD Passes
Candido – 20 after 8 games (2.5 per game) = 23 (rounding up)
Fetter – 19 after 7 games (2.7 per game) = 24 (rounding down)
Kennon – 16 after 7 games
Yes, Candido could finish at the top of this stat when the season is over, but w/ two games left, I think Fetter will most likely end up #1 in this stat.

Well since Boel's season/career appears to be likely over (feel bad for him), it appears likely that Niko will come in first, second or third in most of these categories. What's interesting is that Berlutti is not mentioned at all above and he will more than likely be the OPOTY in the NESCAC (as we predicted before the season started).

What matters most to us (and we are 100% sure Niko feels the same way) is that he plays his best game of the season this Saturday on Andrus and we come away with the win. Stats and awards are totally secondary to beating Hartford State.

[GroundandPound]

Please refer to the first stat of my "selective stats": team wins. 

[GroundandPound]

Mammoth Dad,
I do believe and predict that Amherst will beat Williams.
Last week I predicted Bowdoin would defeat Amherst, however, so do not put too much weight in my predictions.
Regards,
GandP

[BigKat]

NM,
Total Passing Yards
Candido - 2074 after 8 games (260 yards per game) 2,334
Cole – 1929 after 7 games (averages about 270 per game) 2,469
Boel – 1918 after 7 games (same) 2,458
Fetter – 1878 after 7 games (same) 2,418
Do you really think Candido will be top 2 or 3 in this stat when the season is over?
It looks likely he will rank 4th in this stat based on past averages.

Total Completions:
Candido – 147 after 8 games (18 per game average) 165
Fetter – 138 after 7 games (19 per game average) 176
Boel 128 and Kennon 127 after 7 games (18 per game average) 164
It looks like Fetter will likely be on top at the end of the year on this stat as well.

Total TD Passes
Candido – 20 after 8 games (2.5 per game) = 23 (rounding up)
Fetter – 19 after 7 games (2.7 per game) = 24 (rounding down)
Kennon – 16 after 7 games
Yes, Candido could finish at the top of this stat when the season is over, but w/ two games left, I think Fetter will most likely end up #1 in this stat.

Well since Boel's season/career appears to be likely over (feel bad for him), it appears likely that Niko will come in first, second or third in most of these categories. What's interesting is that Berlutti is not mentioned at all above and he will more than likely be the OPOTY in the NESCAC (as we predicted before the season started).

What matters most to us (and we are 100% sure Niko feels the same way) is that he plays his best game of the season this Saturday on Andrus and we come away with the win. Stats and awards are totally secondary to beating Hartford State.

NM, there is no doubt you will have the grass 4-5 inches high and cow pies littered aplenty on that field. Lets hope a better version of the Red Birds show up and compete on Sat....the pebble fight they had with the purple cows won't cut it vs the dirty chickens. and Yes Amherst will beat Williams and they'll get to stroll into the sunset knowing they have one more game left

[MammothDad]

Mammoth Dad,
I do believe and predict that Amherst will beat Williams.
Last week I predicted Bowdoin would defeat Amherst, however, so do not put too much weight in my predictions.
Regards,
GandP

After your Middlebury over Trinity prediction, you are my Sam "Ace" Rothstein NESCAC handicapper.

On a sad, serious admission ...

... is there really a sportsbook that offers lines on NESCAC football?

Asking for a degenerate friend of mine.