FB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[ACMob]

I agree that ROWAN IS WELL RESPECTED IN D3!  And nothing has given them more respect than beating "THE BIG PURPLE" in Alliance with a Stagg Bowl berth on the line. Add the fact they were three-time defending champs.  It's a good win, but MOUNT HAS MORE NATIONAL RECOGNITION than Robert Morris!!

[RU Fan]

Gordon

I think what 4merProf is saying is that when various analysts (skeptics in his words), you folks included, discuss RU, there generally seems to be, at times, some sort of disclaimer, intentional or not, which is a bit telling.  For example, after your fairly stated post about the Profs, you end with, "But we're not "skeptics" of Rowan.  We fully respect the Profs, even with their late playoff flame outs."

To have late playoff flame outs, you have to first get to the late playoffs which a lot of teams that are massaged here don't and/or haven't.

Some sensitivity from the RU faithful also stems from last year's playoff run when a number of people were saying that RU didn't belong there, the East is weak, the NJAC is weak, RU is seeded too high, etc., etc.  RU did very well in the playoffs until they ran into a better prepared Linfield team that was certainly the better team that day....as well as the following week in Virginia.

Regarding RU's ranking, pollsters really have no choice but to rank them appropriately or the poll would have no believability or legitimacy.   

The Robt. Morris game will stand out as such a big win because of the way they won it more so than who they played.  5 years from now, Joe Blow out in Idaho might not remember the RMU game if Rowan is mentioned but he might remember the Mt. Union game.  What's important is that it will be fondly remembered by the RU faithful as one he** of a comeback by a team that refused to lose.  What others think really doesn't matter.  Also, regardless of who Robt. Morris played previously, the RMU team that showed up in Glassboro was no cupcake.

I personally liked your yellow unis/green unis post.  All of that color would be a sight especially if they played the game on Boise State's blue field.

As I mentioned earlier, the yellow  Bus  just keeps on rolling.....

[gordonmann]

Fair enough.

I shouldn't have added the jab about the playoff flame out.  That was cheap and I apologize.

Perhaps I was just channeling my Raider fan anger at the apparent Eagle fan 4merProf.  Like the Raiders, I should be flagged 15 yards and forced to play both Superbowl teams on the road.

[RU Fan]

Gordon

No apology necessary.  Cheap is what makes this board fun! 

As a moderate Patriot fan, my very favorite team is any team that is beating the Eagles.

Playing both Super Bowl teams on the road within a few weeks says something about the NFL schedule makers.  Al Davis is probably out looking for a good lawyer to file suit.

Come on down to the 'boro sometime and watch the Bus roll.  8)

[JT]

I've been absorbing everything mentioned visa ve Robt Morris and RU.  Unfortunately it was one of the few games I missed, and I miss a couple each season.  I have no doubt of the fortitude of the Rowan football team. Two Rowan players are on my fantasy team.  I'd be interested in what people thought of the Robert Morris team talent wise.

I had them figured for about West Conn in talent or slightly above.  Was I wrong?  Why?

XGSC et all are welcome to reply.  I have to write a post game story.  I'd like it to be accurate.

It seemed like an epic battle and knowing the Rowan coaching staff as I do, I'd hate to face them in Texas Hold 'em.  I wish I was there to document it.  I almost scratched the D3 itch by going to the Salve Regina game, but the raw oysters were too damn good... best I've ever had. At $1 a shot... guess how many I ate?

Anyway your thoughts would be appreciated.

Dave... good job MSU great win for the NJAC.

njlinc - definately a class guy.  good luck the rest of the way

[gordonmann]

RU Fan:

Sounds good.  I'd like to see the Prof power in person again.

[phil]

4merprof
" ...I would imagine that this game will be out of hand by halftime.  However, I feel it will be a great opportunity for some of the younger Profs to get some playing time at home"

Wow, talk about counting your chickens. Even though TCNJ appears to have their weakest team in many years taking the Friday trip down to the cranberry bogs, I doubt that the Prof coaching staff is telling their younger guys to be prepared to play by the start of the second half. The last real blowout was in '99 when Cornelius White and the U. of Maryland...er...Rowan beat TCNJ 40-3. Even then it was only 13-3 in the third quarter. Rowan did go on to distinguish themselves in the national championship game after losing the NJAC title to Montclair.

The school bus analogy is cute, but Christian Dior coudn't design a uni to make those colors work.

Dave
Great win! Congratulations! I find it hilarious that Salisbury finally decided to schedule an NJAC team other than Kean or Paterson now that they deem their program "ready" – only to have this happen.

[gordonmann]

Ha!  Welcome back Phil!

[JT]

Hey Phil,

Good to have you back.  Someone dropped a note about the slow turnover of the NJAC page.  I said that's because Phil hasn't been around for the debate.

What do you think of the postings regarding TCNJ turning into women's college?

Some of the TCNJ alumni have been posting about how the academics make it hard to recruit playmakers on the football team.

What is your opinion on the turnover facing Eric Hamilton this year and possibly the year's ahead?

[RU Fan]

Phil

Welcome back!  I've missed you...... nobody to argue with! 

I don't know if I believe that Friday will be a blow out.... in fact, I hope that its a competitvie game.   

Remember, the wheels on the
8) Bus 8)  go round and round! 

And last but not least, its not the colors that work, its who's in them that's important.

Go Profs!

[luvapontiac]

Just wanna say nice win to MSU over the weekend against Salisbury. Like many others, I thought MSU had no shot at this game, and boy was I proved wrong in a big way. Gotta love college football!

[phil]

Gordon & JT
It's nice to be back ... but then again I haven't really been "gone".

JT
I remember when the "women's college" post was made. I wanted to comment – but I found it hard to form an opinion either way. Barron's Profiles of American Colleges included TCNJ in its list of the 75 "most competitive" colleges and universities across the nation. They were one of only seven state funded institutions to be recognized. The other state schools: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UCLA, Cal Berkeley, the University of Virginia, William and Mary, and the University of Florida. Obviously no public D3 school is on this list so it's tough to say what TCNJ must do to stay competitive in football. It depends on a number of factors – not the least of which is how many special admits are allowed into the program and how well TCNJ can do recruiting against the likes of Lehigh, Lafayette, Villanova, Rowan, Penn and Princeton. I'm sure it's very difficult – and getting more so every year. When you have a roster of 100 and a handfull of special admits, you have an awfully large contingent of kids who need to score 1200-1300 like every other student to get into the school. Of course, if you're a good football player and are putting up those sort of SAT scores there's going to be an awful lot of private schools offering you and your family some nice "packages"!

On the other hand, if you really, really want to have a good football team (like Middlebury likes to have a good ice hockey team and Williams a basketball team...), there are probably ways to accomplish it – I just don't know how willing TCNJ is to go that extra yard in admissions to get this done. Nor do I know if they should. This would be a good question to ask me in another two or three years. What I can't figure out is why the men's hoops team can't be competitive more than once every decade.

Meanwhile, TCNJ women's soccer, field hockey and Lacrosse continue to win national championships even after the NESCAC schools began raiding the fertile Jersey recruiting grounds (especially in Lax). All the Lax coach did was to begin recruiting heavily in Pennsylvania and New York. Should we insinuate something about the intelligence needed to succeed in women's sports vs. men's sports?

When Dr. Eikhoff beame president of Trenton State in '79 he changed the academics using the College of William & Mary as a model – right down to landscaping. Twenty-five years later TCNJ is in W&M's company. I don't know if an ultra-successful football team is supposed to be part of the mix – tho' I'd certainly like one. There's only one other college in NJ that has Barron's "Most Competitive" rating. They're about ten miles from TCNJ and don't have much more than an average football team either!

[4merprof]

I would just like to add, to my post about the TCNJ game this Friday.  I have enjoyed the epic battles taken place on Friday nights between these two squads for over twenty years...

That being said, along with all of the posts about the decline of TCNJ's program because of academics, and the fact of alot of the returning starters from last year... DIDN'T RETURN!!!  As well as actually watching TCNJ play on RU's off week, made me come to that conclusion.

TCNJ's program is having an off year, and I think that the RU program has actually fielded one of their better teams in recent history.

Now, I know that I don't make the point spreads for the NJAC pick-em, but if I was a betting man, I would definitely take the over...

That all being said, I still stick to my guns and truely believe that this game isn't going to be even close.  I respect the rivalry, and TCNJ, however the facts speak for themselves.

GO PROFS!!!

[Dr. xGSC]

The RU game Saturday was absolutely phenomenal. It was a prize fight that went the entire 15 rounds. The RMU squad played though as if it was a 10 round fight. They were gassed after 3 quarters and it showed in the 4th.

RU was fortunate with 4:55 to go and RMU with the ball, that they THREW two passes (both incomplete), which afforded RU more time than they should have had. RMU ran 4 plays and only took 22 seconds off the clock. Had RMU run the ball and at least gotten a 1st down, the outcome might've been different.

I don't question the play calling much, but in this game it was suspect on many occasions during the 1st 3 quarters. Thankfully, it wasn't in the 4th where RU shined on both sides of the ball.

Bring on TCNJ!  But let's not get too cocky as the records can get "tossed" as this will be a battle from the get go, even from when TCNJ gets off the bus and then gets under the bus as RU wins in a rout! Welcome back PHIL.

I wonder if the new board has anything to do with how slow this room is?

[njlincolnlion]

dpadavona and JT:

Thanks for your respose.  Good luck to your teams for the rest of the season.  JT, the comeback win over Robert Morris was great for Rowan and for d3 football overall.