FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[RollConts18]

When did we all get so soft on here

You're right. We should probably do more trolling of 20-year-olds who play DIII football in a hermetically sealed 10-team conference. That's constructive and big-brained.

As a former player in the league as of last year who religiously read these boards, 20-year-old DIII football players are not too phased by what is written about them on these boards and gives themselves, their friends, and their teammates lots of laughs. If a player gets offended by the criticisms they receive from someone on this board, I would suggest they prepare themselves better for life after liberal arts college where it isn't all rainbows and butterflies and it isn't a crime to offend someone with their words.

When did we all get so soft on here

You're right. We should probably do more trolling of 20-year-olds who play DIII football in a hermetically sealed 10-team conference. That's constructive and big-brained.

As a former player in the league as of last year who religiously read these boards, 20-year-old DIII football players are not too phased by what is written about them on these boards and gives themselves, their friends, and their teammates lots of laughs. If a player gets offended by the criticisms they receive from someone on this board, I would suggest they prepare themselves better for life after liberal arts college where it isn't all rainbows and butterflies and it isn't a crime to offend someone with their words.

Agreed. We always found it funny that people (especially people like NM) even cared enough about NESCAC football enough to troll online about it. trolling high school seniors is definitely a little odd, but at the end of the day people on this board talking about how the kids played and acted while they played is exactly the point of the board in the first place. As long as it's not personal attacks, who cares. I never took offense to anything negative anyone said on here about Hamilton when I played (which was a lot). If anything, it was motivation to prove them wrong.

[lumbercat]

I think the Ghost is a little thin skinned and fixated on PC. Is he gonna follow these young student athletes after graduation to make sure they are protected from any future criticisms? They are not children.
I agree with RollConts. As long as there are no personal attacks these are well balanced, intelligent young men who don't need to be insulated.

[westcoastnescac]

Couldn't agree more Back2Back

[MapleBBQChicken]

I guess I'm in the middle ground here. I don't mind accurately critical comments on play or even conduct, but we all draw the line somewhere different. I think the jab at Perry struck a nerve for me because I know that he is the epitome of humble and has never said or done anything to antagonize anyone. I had zero issue with the taunting aimed at me, I just felt like he (or any other humble player for that matter) was the wrong target. I also disagreed with the assessment of his play, but I digress.

To Nescacman and anyone else I have clashed with this week, I'm sure this won't be the last time we don't see eye to eye, and that's part of what this board is for. I'll buy you a beer next time we find ourselves at the same NESCAC game.

Back to football. Roll Pants.

[Trin9-0]

In an attempt to get the board back on track I'll share some of my observations along with a few notes I found interesting from Devaney's weekly film breakdown:

With two new coordinators in Waterville the Bants weren't exactly sure what to expect from the Mules on either side of the ball. They had prepared for Colby to run a 4-4 scheme defensively (which is what DC, Liam Hobbins, had typically run in his previous positions). However, the Mules played mostly an odd front which necessitated some in-game adjustments by Trinity.

The Bants shot themselves in the foot on more than a few occasions with either turnovers and/or costly penalties. This is probably to be expected with such a young team but hopefully they can work it out of their system before taking on some of the higher caliber teams. Credit is due to Colby however; the Mules play a physical brand of football and were not pushed over by Trinity.

Zebrowski played well and delivered a few strikes downfield. The biggest change in the Trin offense was predictably his ability to run the ball both on designed carries and scrambles. The Bants' WR corps was as advertised and will be a strength for Trin. One surprise was how well sophomore RB, Jack Tosone, ran the ball. He looked to be a more than capable second option in the backfield to compliment DiNapoli.

The Mules' lone score happened with 1:14 left in the game. It would have been nice statement for a Bantam defense that returned only two starters to kick off the season with a shutout but it's a strong showing none the less. I'm interested to see if they can work out the remaining kinks against those "frisky kitties" in Lewiston on Saturday.

[Charlie]

I believe an interesting game will be this weekend will be Williams v Colby for a few reasons. Williams from last weekend was well balanced 12 Pass to 10 runs. They averaged 4.9 yards per carry and had 459 yards total offense. I understand it is Hamilton however they probably have the largest OL in the NESCAC maybe not the most talented but certainly size wise. If the theory is to ground and pound and use play action with high percentage passing they are going to be tough to beat.

The reason I find this game intriguing that Colby was successful running between the tackles at Trinity at the start. Colby had an opportunity early in the game for a quick strike TD but QB overthrew WR. Colby got away from run and tried passing turned the ball over and for some odd reason and Trinity Blitzed and gave the various QB many different looks.

However if Williams can improve on their performance from last week against a good front seven of Colby then they will be showing the league that they are on to something. I think it will make the match up the following week against Trinity a huge game.Trinity did not run that well against Colby but passed well. I think Williams OL is big and physical and I don't think Trinity front 5 on defense especially up the middle are as stout as last years group. Lastly I do not think that OL of Trinity can handle the larger DL of Williams. So this week will be an interesting match up and set up a great week 3 matchup.

I think Trinity does have better Coaching and depth but this game will be won in the trenches.

Definitely watching this game as well as game of the week Wesleyan & Tufts should be a big scoring affair.

[The Mole]

Welcome back Charles. You have been a big advocate of JV games in the NESCAC. Did you catch the Wesleyan vs Trinity JV game this Sunday? Pretty competitive game. Would like your thoughts on the Middlebury @ Bowdoin game as well. 

[MikeJones50]

Score predictions for this week:

17-7 Amherst over Hamilton
35-10 Trinity over Bates
21-17 Midd over Bowdoin
28-7 Williams over Colby
35-31 Tufts over Wes

[Charlie]

Welcome back Charles. You have been a big advocate of JV games in the NESCAC. Did you catch the Wesleyan vs Trinity JV game this Sunday? Pretty competitive game. Would like your thoughts on the Middlebury @ Bowdoin game as well. 

I did not catch the JV game. Glad to see both schools see he value in these games so these kids dont waste years riding the pine waiting for there opportunities.

As far as the game really depends on Bowdoin's QB and Coaching staff. Last week was tough loss they had this game in there grasp and really dont understand the play calling at the end of the game especially since they could have pounded the rock kicked the field goal and headed back to Maine with a win. This was tough loss would have really helped Bowdoin's football program beating what some consider a top echelon program in Tufts.How they respond this week might signify how there season will turn out.

[The Ghost of John Wesley]

Everyone is welcome to behave as they see fit, and others are welcome to call them out for it. That's personal freedom of expression, and I support that 100%.

I'm not advocating for people to be silenced. Say what you want, but don't be surprised when someone calls you out for being a man-child. You are responsible for your words and actions.

I've said my piece. Onward to football!

[nescac1]

I think that Nescacman knows after week one that Wesleyan should be ranked first and is strategically avoiding doing so until after they beat Tufts (which certainly does not warrant a number one ranking based on either last year's performance, this year's week one performance, or just how many key players they are down from last year) handily this week.

I think a ranking like 1. Wesleyan, 2. Trinity, 3. Williams, 4. Tufts, 5. Amherst, 6. Bowdoin, 7. Midd, 8. Colby, 9. Hamilton, 10. Bates is more reflective of where things likely stand right now.  Maybe a bit high on Williams and a bit low on Middlebury considering last year's records, but Midd faired very well in close games last season and Williams very poorly, which may have them a bit overrated/overlooked, respectively, coming into this season, as those things do tend to even out over time.  And not many teams who get flat demolished like Midd just did end up finishing in the top half of the league.   

One big reason for optimism about Wesleyan is like the other post-COVID league champions, they are simply loaded with seniors or grad students at virtually every key position, and most of those guys have been playing a lot of snaps for years at this point. Candido, Wilson, Eng, Abraham, Carbeau, Rowan, Donatio, Edwards, Boujoukos, nearly the entire O-line, and so on, those guys feel like they've around forever.  Similar to the Maimaron class at Williams or last year's Trinity team which was flat loaded with star grad students (in particular) and seniors. Just about the entire league is relying heavily on good senior classes in this last double-senior year, but Wesleyan seems to be, by a fair margin, the most reliant on stars in their last year of eligibility, which is historically a good recipe for success. One thing is for sure - next year will be the most unpredictable in NESCAC history, with so many teams losing heavy senior groups and a big turnover at the QB position (especially among the stars) for the league as a whole.   

[rolltide123]

@nescacman What do you base you're weekly picks on?

[Back2BackBantam]

One big reason for optimism about Wesleyan is like the other post-COVID league champions, they are simply loaded with seniors or grad students at virtually every key position, and most of those guys have been playing a lot of snaps for years at this point. Candido, Wilson, Eng, Abraham, Carbeau, Rowan, Donatio, Edwards, Boujoukos, nearly the entire O-line, and so on, those guys feel like they've around forever.  Similar to the Maimaron class at Williams or last year's Trinity team which was flat loaded with star grad students (in particular) and seniors. Just about the entire league is relying heavily on good senior classes in this last double-senior year, but Wesleyan seems to be, by a fair margin, the most reliant on stars in their last year of eligibility, which is historically a good recipe for success. One thing is for sure - next year will be the most unpredictable in NESCAC history, with so many teams losing heavy senior groups and a big turnover at the QB position (especially among the stars) for the league as a whole.   

Let's not forget this Wesleyan team also got absolutely walloped at home in their mud pit to the in-state "rivals". I understand being high on a team with a lot of returning players, but those same returning players have shown to not be reliable in many situations last season. Kudos to the Cards for their big win at Midd last weekend, but it does remain to be seen how formidable the Panthers truly are this season. I assume we will have the answers to both questions on the Pants and Cards this weekend.

[Charlie]

The bottom line is that Wesleyan should and needs to beat Tufts. If they do then yes they should be one of top 3. If Tufts wins sadly unless other teams screw up this will be a disappointing season for Wesleyan. They need to beat Tufts its a must win. If they win only 2 teams stand in their way Trinity , Williams.

[BantChamps]

The bottom line is that Wesleyan should and needs to beat Tufts. If they do then yes they should be one of top 3. If Tufts wins sadly unless other teams screw up this will be a disappointing season for Wesleyan. They need to beat Tufts its a must win. If they win only 2 teams stand in their way Trinity , Williams.

I feel this board gives Wesleyan way too much credit. To say that the rest of their schedule should not even be looked at is a bit ridiculous given their track record since covid. They have yet to have a season where they beat everyone they "should have".

2021 they lost to Amherst (The first year of their downhill decline)
2022 they lose to a 3-6 Bowdoin team
2023 they lose to an anemic Colby team and get trounced by Tufts

I feel this same rhetoric around the team gets built every year and they always fail to deliver. To why that is I do not know. Is it the player's losing their sense of urgency thinking they will coast against teams they are "supposed" to beat? Is it coaching not able to handle pressure? I am not one to make assumptions on it. But until they prove they can compete every week like all championship teams in the past have done I will not say they are contenders.