FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[sjujohnnie]

Some interesting scores around the country! #11 Platteville with a 28-7 win over #4 River Falls, #6 Hardin-Simmons over #13 Mary Hardin-Baylor 44-21, unranked Stout over #10 Whitewater 29-27, & #20 Oshkosh over #12 La Crosse 34-33. UMHB has struggled since their head coach retired a couple seasons ago. Does St John's hold onto #3 or do they fall because of their performance?

[sjusection105]

Some interesting scores around the country! #11 Platteville with a 28-7 win over #4 River Falls, #6 Hardin-Simmons over #13 Mary Hardin-Baylor 44-21, unranked Stout over #10 Whitewater 29-27, & #20 Oshkosh over #12 La Crosse 34-33. UMHB has struggled since their head coach retired a couple seasons ago. Does St John's hold onto #3 or do they fall because of their performance?

Probably stay where they are. River Falls will drop as will Whitewater & La Crosse. The WIAC is a slug fest, a 3 loss team could win the conference. This is very entertaining!

[TheChucker]

Every decent Cobber team in the 2000s gives up a massive play to end the game against conference contenders. Every...single...time... in over two decades. Seems like a trend one would try to correct.

[SagatagSam]

Question for the football officials out there. I've been doing chain crew for a couple high school teams this fall. I've noticed that the officials almost always spot the ball at a hash mark regardless of where the player should have been marked down. Yesterday during a game the offensive team literally either gained a half yard or lost a half yard on every spot, as the officials always placed the ball at the front of a hash mark. As the guy on the box it made it really easy for me but it just seemed odd to me. Are officials trained to do that?
Thanks

High School linesman here.

There is no black letter rule about always spotting it on a line, rather a crew practice that has become normalized up and down the ranks of football.

Here's how we handle it on my Friday night crew—-we spot the ball on a yard line unless one or more of the following exceptions apply:
1) the end of the play is within a yard of the line to gain (we may flex that exception out to two yards if it is a tight game)
2) we are inside the three yard line

The philosophy is that 2 & 7 is practically (and statistically) no different than 2 & 6 2/3 or 2 & 7 1/2.

It increases pace of play because it is a lot easier for the umpire to spot the ball on a yard line every time rather than have to remember "oh yeah, we are at the 46 1/3 yard line".

Plus, on many grass fields the lines aren't exactly—-how you say?—-straight.

Most people don't even notice that it's been done that way for a while.

[corn horn]

Every decent Cobber team in the 2000s gives up a massive play to end the game against conference contenders. Every...single...time... in over two decades. Seems like a trend one would try to correct.

Agreed, and it is aggravating, but it is seldom the same danged thing....Cobbs have found very creative ways to tank it in the end of the hot contests. Today it was a matter of an inch or two that was the difference between a big SJU touchdown or a sweet interception. I say just play hard and don't let it come down to a make or break moments.

In other matters, why are the SJU faithful so skiddish about GAC? They seem a little off so far this year IMHO.

[DuffMan]

Because GAC knocked us off last year.

[Redtooth]

For those SJU fans not in attendance today in Moorhead (that watched the video feed or listened to Mark and Brian) pump the brakes on the doom and gloom about this SJU team.  There are/were several items that haven't been mentioned or discussed on this board that should probably be addressed. 

At the top of the list is the fact that Concordia has a senior QB that started his career at SJU (transferred once it was apparent that Syverson was the starter for the foreseeable future)...Cooper Mattern is tougher than a $2 steak and knows our players and scheme (he ran scout QB the entire 21 season)...he is also the son of the best high school coach in the state of North Dakota and is an absolute gamer... in his career at Concordia he has thrown for 5,142 yards and 58TDs and rushed for 1,349 yards and 9TDs...his passing stats would be the 7th best all-time at SJU.  The kid is a great player and certainly had a profound impact on the game today and what SJU was doing on defense.

Second item to point out; our offense is playing with a level of consistency and efficiency that is generational.  Kole has incredible command of what he wants the defense to pay attention to and Aaron is LEADING at a very high level.  Balance is beautiful.

SJU football teams are always works in progress; sometimes things look messy and incomplete, other times everything is a masterpiece......our National Championship team in 2003 had three games that were less than magnificent (and near losses)...John used to talk about championship teams having to be like champion fighters that get off the canvas and keep swinging.  Today's team did just that.

I have brought up this topic before, but at some point MIAC officiating needs to dramatically improve...judgement calls are one thing but the last two crews that have officiated SJU games have exhibited numerous (and blatant) administrative errors, procedural lapses and disregard for the rule book...in one sense it would be great to have replay, but the games would last forever with all the overturned calls that would accompany replay.

Last topic for SJU fans at home and on the road, it is 2024 and its beyond time to get your a$$e$ out of the hard seats and bleachers and actually yell and cheer for our team when they need your help...ie 3RD downs.  This team deserves more from you as a fan...this isnt golf or soccer where quiet decorum is the norm.  There are fanbases at all levels that don't seat down the entire game...could you imagine how much more home field advantage we would have at Clemens Stadium if the opposing offense could not hear their cadence every 3rd down?

Off my soapbox

[corn horn]

Because GAC knocked us off last year.

SJU survived their trap game today. I suspect they will beat GAC by a couple dozen. Look what Bethel did to them in St. Peter.

[Pat Coleman]

There are a few conferences who have replay and the coaches are rapidly realizing what all of us who watch D-III have known all along -- the video broadcasts at this level don't provide a lot of opportunities to overturn calls on the field.

[Redtooth]

There are a few conferences who have replay and the coaches are rapidly realizing what all of us who watch D-III have known all along -- the video broadcasts at this level don't provide a lot of opportunities to overturn calls on the field.

Pat, my comment was not advocating for instant replay in the MIAC (for the exact reason you listed).  When I was in the replay booth at Montana we had between 10-16 cameras depending on who was doing the broadcast and we still missed calls with poor camera angles or production quality.  My replay statement was more in jest that if MIAC officials (with all their on field errors) had their work checked by officials "in the sky" the games would last forever as the clock would be stopped constantly for review.

[Pat Coleman]

There are a few conferences who have replay and the coaches are rapidly realizing what all of us who watch D-III have known all along -- the video broadcasts at this level don't provide a lot of opportunities to overturn calls on the field.

Pat, my comment was not advocating for instant replay in the MIAC (for the exact reason you listed).  When I was in the replay booth at Montana we had between 10-16 cameras depending on who was doing the broadcast and we still missed calls with poor camera angles or production quality.  My replay statement was more in jest that if MIAC officials (with all their on field errors) had their work checked by officials "in the sky" the games would last forever as the clock would be stopped constantly for review.

I understand that you know better, but for the rest of the board, I provided real-world context from NCAA Division III football.

[sjusection105]

St. Olal is off to a 5-0 start. Saturday they will host St. Scholastica and will be 6-0. Their final three games are on the road visiting Augsburg, Gustavus and SJU. How will the Oles handle the last three road games of the regular season?

[faunch]

St. Olal is off to a 5-0 start. Saturday they will host St. Scholastica and will be 6-0. Their final three games are on the road visiting Augsburg, Gustavus and SJU. How will the Oles handle the last three road games of the regular season?

1-2 or possibly 0-3

[carletonknights]

St. Olal is off to a 5-0 start. Saturday they will host St. Scholastica and will be 6-0. Their final three games are on the road visiting Augsburg, Gustavus and SJU. How will the Oles handle the last three road games of the regular season?

0-3. I wasn't able to watch the whole game but was unimpressed by St. Olaf. The parts I watched Carleton played terribly making mistake after mistake, and still had four chances from the Oles six-yard line to at least tie, if not win the game outright. Including a wide open WR in the endzone who got his feet tangled up and couldn't make the catch. All this after the starting QB went out with injury early in the game. That being said, I thought the backup had some really impressive throws. He threw some on a rope 20 yards down field while sprinting out to his right. He had a really nice throwing layering one in between a LB and a safety. He just cannot throw a fade worth a darn. Maybe that will improve with more reps, if the starter is out any extended period.

Disappointing season for the Knights thus far, the loss of their previous OC had a bigger impact than I thought, given he inherited a pretty full cupboard.

[hazzben]

Those first 7 games for St Olaf are shockingly weak competition. Luther is a bit of a rivalry so I give a pass there. Olaf couldn't control how poor they'd be. But man they don't play anyone.