FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

['gro]

Could d3football.com have been disingenuously flattering to NESCAC? My estimate is that Mt. Union is very roughly 30 points better than any NESCAC college.

From what I took from the broadcast PC generalized that the top NESCAC team would be competitive vs. the bottom end of the D3.com top 25.

[pg04]

I guess we'll never know, unfortunately. 

[Pat Coleman]

Could d3football.com have been disingenuously flattering to NESCAC? My estimate is that Mt. Union is very roughly 30 points better than any NESCAC college.

Sorry we missed each other, too.

What we said on the air was that this Williams team could be competitive with the top teams in the Liberty League. In my mind, that's the No. 20-25 range.

Mount Union is roughly 30 points better of nearly everyone.

[Senor RedTackle]

Mount Union is roughly 30 points better of nearly everyone.

30 Points, Guru?? Ouch.....how about we go out and call one of those games to get a look see?

[tmerton]

To me, as surprising as the Williams-Trinity result, if not moreso, was the Middlebury shut-out of Colby.  Anyone on the board see that game?

[cruiser]

midd played extremely tough on defense, and colby couldnt move the ball at all...add the fact that middleburys punter was stunningly good at pinning the mules inside their own 10, the mules couldnt get anything going and fell to a team that they could have/should have beaten. congrats to midd on the big upset

[Trin9-0]

A big congrats to the Ephs and Bants. I was in Williamstown to see the game and was very impressed with the Williams game plan and how they executed it. Excellent play calling on 1st and 2nd down consistently gave the Ephs a very convertable 3rd and short. Lucey played an almost flawless game and did an excellent job of spreading the ball to their talented play-makers.

Defensively they shut down the Trin running game, something I haven't seen in 4 years. The decision to punt on 4th in short is debatable, however it was the shanked punt and lapse in coverage that really cost them. If not for those big plays by Williams the Bants could have remained in the game.


This game and the results of the rest of the games in the league, most notably Midd over Colby, seems to prove that there may finally be parity in the NESCAC. Something that has been missing for decades. Although we could also be witness to the return of a Williams/Amherst dominated league.

Hopefully they Bants can get past this game and finish out 7-1, which would give this years senior class the best 4 year record in school history (tied with last years seniors) 31-1.

[Col. Partridge]

Longtime lurker, first time poster.  So Trin loses one game, and all of the sudden there is parity in the league and there will be Williams/Amherst dominance (again)? 

I have been following the NESCAC for almost a decade and a half now, and I would argue that there always was parity for 3rd-7th place (if we assume standings based upon records in years when the league did not keep standings).   I know Ostendarp had some great Amherst teams back in the day...but in the time period nescac.com shows season records (1988-present), Amherst has never been undefeated.  Additionally, Williams-Amherst have finished alone at 1-2 only once during that time period, in 2001.  In the early nineties, Amherst was a league doormat until their alumni had enough and admissions standards were relaxed.  The football teams improved, but the faculty revolted and Amherst has more or less leveled off.  I point this out not to slight Amherst (obviously a great school with a solid football program), but to illustrate that for almost two decades the league has been dominated by Williams and Trinity to a much greater degree than Williams-Amherst.

Additionally, since 1988 every school except Bates, Bowdoin and Hamilton have at least tied for best league record.  My point:  this league is cyclical and longtime observers would not be surprised if Colby and say, Wesleyan both go 4-4 while Middlebury goes 6-2.  Admissions offices are fickle and past performance is not always the best predictor of success.  That being said, Trinity does have a winning tradition and unquestionably lower admissions standards which should prevent it from drifting too far from the top of the pack.

[Pat Coleman]

Archived broadcast from Saturday.
http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/d3football/d3football093006-1.asx

[dirtybirds30-0]

Well I guess I have to change the screen name to Bantam8-0 (showing our record my senior year).  Congrats to a solid Williams squad that unleashed four years of pent up aggression on a overly confident Bantam sqaud.  I can not even remember the last time our defense let up 41 points!  I hate to say it but I think Williams takes home the championship this year with an 8-0 season, and I really think the Bantams might lose another game if they continue to make mistakes as a younger football team.  Middlebury is a sleeper...with upsets like this they could become dangerous...what a great season it has already become!

[Trinity 8(5)0]

   I think you might want to include Amherst in the hunt for the title.  They have a good group of kids at the skill positions.  Biggest Little Game will as usual be the most entertaining game of the season. Congrats to Williams knocking off the league renegades and, most of all, their misguided and out of control admissions office. While congrats are usually in order for team amassing such an impressive winning streak as Trinity, I find little commendable in a team whose ill-gotten "achievements" are largely the result of a standards-free admissions office, while their opponents are forced to toe the line to a higher standard. I'm not just talking about tips which all schools have but the number of tips, and more importantly Trinity's lower overall standards which allow them to admit players in greater numbers than any other league school can admit.  The "parity" I hope the league strives for in the future won't be limited simply to the play on the football field but in the form of an athletic index that insures a more level playing field in general. I feel the league can and should aspire to a higher standard academically with such a measure.

On another note, I came across the following article on Ted Rogers who played at Williams in the early 90's. He may not have played much but has any other guy in the league won a Super Bowl ring as a player?

http://www.williams.edu/athletics/news.php?id=9900
   

[frank uible]

Jack Maitland, Williams '70, with the Colts in 1971; Doug Swift, Amherst '70, with the Dolphins in 1973 and 1974.

[Ephmen1991]

Trinity 8(5)0.  It's time to let that topic die about Trinity being inferior academically or their letting in students who couldn't get in anywhere else.

Williams was able to beat them because they have some very good players, especially on offense, that got a lot of experience in their freshman and sophomore years.  Hopefully they also emulated the work ethic that Trinity has as well.

I've worked with a few Trinity players in business and they are just as smart as anyone else.  It was a great game and great to end the streak but please don't try to overanalyze with the academics, "parity" or whatever else.  Success is a combination of a whole lot of things.

[bant551]

You must be in the Dave Barnard fan club.  Didn't know you guys still made excuses and cried like babies even when you win!!!  Unbelievable!

Another distinction of note here:  read the Trinity posts... all you will see are congratulations to the Williams football team.  No crying.

You give Ephmen a bad name.

[RHFandyouknowit]

looks like others beat me to the bunch but oh well, im posting my vent anyway..



Not sure what your agenda is in bashing the trin record.  I see you are a first time poster Trin 8(5)0, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but before you come on here blazing away with that garbage, you should read the past posts. 

That being said...you are trivializing the hard work and commitment of dozens of young men who worked there tail off to achieve that streak.  Trinity raised the bar in the league in terms of work ethic, coaching, and talent.  While I am sad to see the streak end, I am glad that a great team like Williams worked hard in all the aforementioned areas to achieve success.

As far as your rational for not congratulating Trinity, it is full of holes and exposes your deep ignorance and elitist attitude toward the issue.  Here is just one of the many issues discussed on this board you should ponder before spouting off the repulsive BS:  If Trinity has such a huge advantage, why has it not been the permanent powerhouse of the conference?