FB: New Jersey Athletic Conference

[@d3jason]

Wesley's biggest problem imo is undisciplined play that they can get away with in the regular season but not when they play a quality team like Mt. Union. The silly penalties including the plethora of personal fouls game after game are inexcusable in my view and is something that is on the players. Also, shoddy special teams play has been an issue.  Wesley has as good skill as anybody in America but they will get smacked down by Mount Union if they don't clean up these issues.  I also don't think Johns Hopkins will be a walk in the park. I'm not optimistic about advancing past Mount but I hope I'm wrong and will gladly eat crow if I am.

Respectfully, I don't remember silly penalties being a factor in any Wesley postseason loss. Their playoff losses are Mount Union (4x), UWW (3x) and UMHB (3x.)

You don't win as many games as Wesley in the playoffs as an undisciplined football team. I think this stereotype is unfair to the players and coaches.

[thewaterboy]

Wesley's biggest problem imo is undisciplined play that they can get away with in the regular season but not when they play a quality team like Mt. Union. The silly penalties including the plethora of personal fouls game after game are inexcusable in my view and is something that is on the players. Also, shoddy special teams play has been an issue.  Wesley has as good skill as anybody in America but they will get smacked down by Mount Union if they don't clean up these issues.  I also don't think Johns Hopkins will be a walk in the park. I'm not optimistic about advancing past Mount but I hope I'm wrong and will gladly eat crow if I am.

Respectfully, I don't remember silly penalties being a factor in any Wesley postseason loss. Their playoff losses are Mount Union (4x), UWW (3x) and UMHB (3x.)

You don't win as many games as Wesley in the playoffs as an undisciplined football team. I think this stereotype is unfair to the players and coaches.

Agree. You don't have the sustained success that Wesley has had as an undisciplined program. There have been some games where penalties have hurt the Wolverines (see this year's loss to Salisbury and the tight game with Hobart in 2011-- 13 penalties for 157 yards), but against good teams, Wesley steps up to the task in that respect.

Looking back on Wesley's playoff losses since 2010:
2014: v. Mount: 4 penalties for 45 yards
2013: v. Mount: 11 for 110
2012: v. UMHB: 5 for 39
2011: v. Mount: 7 for 49
2010: v. UWW: 2 for 10

And some of the wins against solid opponents in the playoffs dating back to 2010:
2014: v. Hobart: 8 for 81
2013: v. JHU: 1 for 10, v. Ithaca: 3 for 29
2011: v. Linfield: 4 for 30, v. UMHB: 6 for 52
2010: v. UMHB: 1 for 5

[D3MAFAN]

Wesley's biggest problem imo is undisciplined play that they can get away with in the regular season but not when they play a quality team like Mt. Union. The silly penalties including the plethora of personal fouls game after game are inexcusable in my view and is something that is on the players. Also, shoddy special teams play has been an issue.  Wesley has as good skill as anybody in America but they will get smacked down by Mount Union if they don't clean up these issues.  I also don't think Johns Hopkins will be a walk in the park. I'm not optimistic about advancing past Mount but I hope I'm wrong and will gladly eat crow if I am.

Respectfully, I don't remember silly penalties being a factor in any Wesley postseason loss. Their playoff losses are Mount Union (4x), UWW (3x) and UMHB (3x.)

You don't win as many games as Wesley in the playoffs as an undisciplined football team. I think this stereotype is unfair to the players and coaches.

Agree. You don't have the sustained success that Wesley has had as an undisciplined program. There have been some games where penalties have hurt the Wolverines (see this year's loss to Salisbury and the tight game with Hobart in 2011-- 13 penalties for 157 yards), but against good teams, Wesley steps up to the task in that respect.

Looking back on Wesley's playoff losses since 2010:
2014: v. Mount: 4 penalties for 45 yards
2013: v. Mount: 11 for 110
2012: v. UMHB: 5 for 39
2011: v. Mount: 7 for 49
2010: v. UWW: 2 for 10

And some of the wins against solid opponents in the playoffs dating back to 2010:
2014: v. Hobart: 8 for 81
2013: v. JHU: 1 for 10, v. Ithaca: 3 for 29
2011: v. Linfield: 4 for 30, v. UMHB: 6 for 52
2010: v. UMHB: 1 for 5

When I played, my coach always preached, "one is one too many, that one can change the whole game," granted these days there are some phantom calls and no calls.

[D O.C.]

Kinda hoping LINFIELD and Salisbury can get opposite in the second round.

The All Northwest Conference backfield was all LINFIELD guys.
Like to see how they handle an option team.
They back up All-NWC General Chaos Alex Hoff and Zach Grate at DL.

[Teamski]

Kinda hoping LINFIELD and Salisbury can get opposite in the second round.

The All Northwest Conference backfield was all LINFIELD guys.
Like to see how they handle an option team.
They back up All-NWC General Chaos Alex Hoff and Zach Grate at DL.

Yeah, I am really curious to see how those two teams would match up.  From what I see of Linfield in their games, they look like one athletically talented team!  I likes what I saw.  '

-Ski

[pg04]

I really am not sure what to expect from Cortland/Salisbury game. Cortland seems wildly inconsistent, as do the gulls at time. Just based on the offense, Salisbury is pretty the more interesting opponent for Linfield. This will be the hardest game to predict involving eastern teams IMO .

[AUPepBand]

I really am not sure what to expect from Cortland/Salisbury game. Cortland seems wildly inconsistent, as do the gulls at time. Just based on the offense, Salisbury is pretty the more interesting opponent for Linfield. This will be the hardest game to predict involving eastern teams IMO .

Interesting that this is a match-up of two of the teams in the big 2015 NJAC-Empire 8 trade-off.
Question: Had they not switched conferences, would Salisbury have won the Empire 8 this year and Cortland State won the NJAC?

[D3MAFAN]

I really am not sure what to expect from Cortland/Salisbury game. Cortland seems wildly inconsistent, as do the gulls at time. Just based on the offense, Salisbury is pretty the more interesting opponent for Linfield. This will be the hardest game to predict involving eastern teams IMO .

Interesting that this is a match-up of two of the teams in the big 2015 NJAC-Empire 8 trade-off.
Question: Had they not switched conferences, would Salisbury have won the Empire 8 this year and Cortland State won the NJAC?

No and No

[Teamski]

I really am not sure what to expect from Cortland/Salisbury game. Cortland seems wildly inconsistent, as do the gulls at time. Just based on the offense, Salisbury is pretty the more interesting opponent for Linfield. This will be the hardest game to predict involving eastern teams IMO .

Interesting that this is a match-up of two of the teams in the big 2015 NJAC-Empire 8 trade-off.
Question: Had they not switched conferences, would Salisbury have won the Empire 8 this year and Cortland State won the NJAC?

No and No

I concur.  I think Salisbury is going to take care of business Saturday.  I can't see Cortland State matching up especially against Salisbury's run/pass capabilities.....

-Ski

[Div3Fan]

Imagine... an NJAC National Championship Game: SU v. Wesley. There must be a <1% of this happening, but it'd be glorious. The other regions would probably boycott the game. 

[pg04]

Imagine... an NJAC National Championship Game: SU v. Wesley. There must be a <1% of this happening, but it'd be glorious. The other regions would probably boycott the game. 

On the contrary, I think many would be so happy that neither Mount or UWW made it to the final.

[jknezek]

Imagine... an NJAC National Championship Game: SU v. Wesley. There must be a <1% of this happening, but it'd be glorious. The other regions would probably boycott the game. 

I don't think we have to worry about it but I wouldn't boycott it either. I love option offenses, so I'd definitely watch. And I have some affinity for Wesley having seen them play in AL 3x. As I said in a thread about St. Lawrence and UMU, until the final whistle there is always a non-zero probability of something happening. The fact that I have to use the term "non-zero" is a pretty good indication of reality...

[D3MAFAN]

Imagine... an NJAC National Championship Game: SU v. Wesley. There must be a <1% of this happening, but it'd be glorious. The other regions would probably boycott the game. 

Not necessarily, I think many would enjoy it, both teams would have to knock off Two Top 9 teams along the way, each would have at least 3 road games. The only thing that matchup would indicate is that each one of the teams earned it and that east region can play with the big boys, which is all the other regions really want.

[Teamski]

Imagine... an NJAC National Championship Game: SU v. Wesley. There must be a <1% of this happening, but it'd be glorious. The other regions would probably boycott the game. 

I don't think we have to worry about it but I wouldn't boycott it either. I love option offenses, so I'd definitely watch. And I have some affinity for Wesley having seen them play in AL 3x. As I said in a thread about St. Lawrence and UMU, until the final whistle there is always a non-zero probability of something happening. The fact that I have to use the term "non-zero" is a pretty good indication of reality...

Unfortunately, I think Mount has the easiest path to the Stagg with how the seedings fell.....

-Ski

[thewaterboy]

54 degrees and partly cloudy for game day in Dover. That's the early forecast. Hopefully the rain stays away! Last few games I have seen in Dover have been pretty miserable. The Salisbury game, the Hobart game last year was nasty, HSC game was freezing!