FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Texas Ole]

I've been lurking the last few weeks.  It sounds like everyone is excited about a new season of MIAC football.  I thought I would opine on a few recent topics.

First of all with St. Thomas potentially moving to D2 or even D1.  I am not sure the Gophers would appreciate the move or even some of the larger Catholic schools in the Midwest, but I think it would show how much St. Thomas has grown in recent years.  That move would show that school like St. Thomas needed to leave the MIAC.  It should have never come down to even a discussion that would lead to a vote.  At some point you just outgrow your peers and it is time to move forward.  I am still interested to see what St. John's does moving forward.

I personally don't think the Tommies will do anything stupid with sportsmanship this year.  They have nothing to gain.  Doing anything could jeopardize their next move.  You don't need to add to controversy.  That being said there is a whole lot of stupid in the world, and well you just can't fix stupid.

I did enjoy the tailgating discussion a few weeks ago.  With dove season opening in Texas on Saturday it leads to some great food.  I am partial to the BBQ especially a brisket smoked the day/night prior.  I was a little taken aback by how cheap some of the tailgating was in the MIAC.  I go to quite a few TCU and SMU games.  Some of those set ups are out of control with the large patio set ups and multiple tvs each with a different game playing some of which are practically inside the stadium.  One of my friends eventually taught me that the tickets are secondary to your tailgate spot which I still struggle to believe.  Hopefully I will get up for a few games this year with a cooler full of Texas BBQ.

The transfers don't really bother me.  There are always a few that seem odd, but I don't really care.  Now if I see a QB turn down OU for St. Thomas I might wonder.  Is Jalen Hurts going to make 3 in a row for them?  Kids transfer all the time for different reasons.  Sure when a player drops from D1 to D3 or through several schools it feels odd, but it doesn't matter.  I try to make it a point to never talk poorly about a player or make it personal about the kids.  They are young, and some of them probably do read these boards.  They don't need to read something that could be hurtful to them.  The coaches and other leaders well when you cashed that paycheck you signed up for the criticism.  Which coach gets for sale sign in their front yard first this year?

As for the nerd calling I am wondering when the Adams College Atoms joined the conference.

Lastly I did see the preseason rankings.  At least we know the games will still be played or we hope.  Here is to a good season the Oles and a fun year all around.  While I know I probably won't see a great year from my team one can always hope.  I know the rebuild will take some time.

Also if anyone wants to see how psychotic football is in Texas please look up the new facilities for high schools this year.  You may want to have a bucket ready for the vomit.

[bleedpurple]

I personally don't think the Tommies will do anything stupid with sportsmanship this year.  They have nothing to gain. 

This could very possibly be the most outlandish prediction for the 2019 season that we will see on any of the boards all year long.

[Tesomas]

Will we have to pay for a subscription again this season to watch St John's home games?

I'd be willing to drop 10 for Bethel or St Thomas. It's a bit much to watch the backups smack around Gustavus or Augsburg on a mediocre stream, no disrespect to those schools

[hazzben]

Fun time at the Bethel Gridiron Club BBQ on Saturday. Got to take in practice and eat with the team.

Not much new to report. Offense will need to put up some points while the D settles in, IMO. And for that, the Oline needs to gel quickly and new starters need to play well from the jump. 51, Daniel Munoz looked really good on the Oline. Great feet, quickness, and power.

[AO]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/videos/4626678-Authorities-investigate-suspicious-death-of-former-Vikings-Concordia-football-player-wife-Adopted-son-IDd-as-person-of-interest

Scary and sad news regarding former Cobber/Viking, Barry Bennett.

Heartbreaking stuff. Prayers for the Bennett kids as this is just gut wrenching.

Barry was my HS phy-ed teacher and his daughter is a friend.  He was very easy-going at school, always making jokes.  If he had played his 10 years in the NFL in a more recent era, I doubt he'd have to find another job after retiring.  We were very fortunate to have him as a teacher.  Hopefully Dylan turns himself in soon and we get some answers.

**Update
Dylan was arrested in Cancun and extradited back to Long Prairie. 

I did some more research on Barry.  I believe he is the fourth highest NFL draft pick in MIAC history (1978 Round 3, 60th pick).  The three other higher picks were from the 40s and 50s and none of those players ended up playing a down in the NFL.  Barry was a 3-time national champion wrestler at heavyweight and an All-American DT in 1977.

[sjusection105]

Thanks AO, this is truly a sad situation.

[DuffMan]

I'm a little nervous who Erdmann is going to throw to this season.  Gone are Gillach, Essler, Streit, Auger, and Eckhoff, who accounted for 180 catches in 2018.  VanErp (41 catches in 2018) returns, but other than that, no other returning player had more than 4 catches.  I hope that Gary restocked the cupboard!

[jamtod]

I'm a little nervous who Erdmann is going to throw to this season.  Gone are Gillach, Essler, Streit, Auger, and Eckhoff, who accounted for 180 catches in 2018.  VanErp (41 catches in 2018) returns, but other than that, no other returning player had more than 4 catches.  I hope that Gary restocked the cupboard!

If he really wants to give himself the best chance at the NFL, I know a team that might need a QB and has gotten some pub on ESPN recently. Also, we've got a few decent receivers, highlighted by Gabe Green coming back.

[57Johnnie]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/videos/4626678-Authorities-investigate-suspicious-death-of-former-Vikings-Concordia-football-player-wife-Adopted-son-IDd-as-person-of-interest

Scary and sad news regarding former Cobber/Viking, Barry Bennett.

Heartbreaking stuff. Prayers for the Bennett kids as this is just gut wrenching.

Barry was my HS phy-ed teacher and his daughter is a friend.  He was very easy-going at school, always making jokes.  If he had played his 10 years in the NFL in a more recent era, I doubt he'd have to find another job after retiring.  We were very fortunate to have him as a teacher.  Hopefully Dylan turns himself in soon and we get some answers.

**Update
Dylan was arrested in Cancun and extradited back to Long Prairie. 

I did some more research on Barry.  I believe he is the fourth highest NFL draft pick in MIAC history (1978 Round 3, 60th pick).  The three other higher picks were from the 40s and 50s and none of those players ended up playing a down in the NFL.  Barry was a 3-time national champion wrestler at heavyweight and an All-American DT in 1977.

Thanks AO

[faunch]

I'm a little nervous who Erdmann is going to throw to this season.  Gone are Gillach, Essler, Streit, Auger, and Eckhoff, who accounted for 180 catches in 2018.  VanErp (41 catches in 2018) returns, but other than that, no other returning player had more than 4 catches.  I hope that Gary restocked the cupboard!

I agree but have heard that some believe there could be more receiving talent on the team than there was last season.

[DuffMan]

I agree but have heard that some believe there could be more receiving talent on the team than there was last season.

Fingers crossed.

[jamtod]

Aside from the obvious conference powers (St John's, Bethel, St Thomas) what is the most likely loss on your schedule?

I've been having panicked visions of a loss to an up and coming UW-Eau Claire squad. Night game, on the road, they beat Oshkosh last year.

[hazzben]

I'm a little nervous who Erdmann is going to throw to this season.  Gone are Gillach, Essler, Streit, Auger, and Eckhoff, who accounted for 180 catches in 2018.  VanErp (41 catches in 2018) returns, but other than that, no other returning player had more than 4 catches.  I hope that Gary restocked the cupboard!

I agree but have heard that some believe there could be more receiving talent on the team than there was last season.

Gillach isn't an easy guy to replace. That said, elite QB's have a tendency to make average WR's good and good WR's great. Give me a returning AA QB and new receiving corps over the opposite scenario.

I think the really interesting thing is that UST, BU, and SJU all graduated a lot on D. Both in quality and quantity. My gut says UST and SJU are better positioned to reload than BU. But we'll see how it all plays out.

[hazzben]

Aside from the obvious conference powers (St John's, Bethel, St Thomas) what is the most likely loss on your schedule?

I've been having panicked visions of a loss to an up and coming UW-Eau Claire squad. Night game, on the road, they beat Oshkosh last year.

With a relatively young D, any team with a competent offense and returning QB makes me a little nervous. But specifically, I'd say GAC and Concordia. GAC is good enough to beat any top team that doesn't bring their A game. And Concordia usually isn't down for two years in a row.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Aside from the obvious conference powers (St John's, Bethel, St Thomas) what is the most likely loss on your schedule?

I've been having panicked visions of a loss to an up and coming UW-Eau Claire squad. Night game, on the road, they beat Oshkosh last year.

With a relatively young D, any team with a competent offense and returning QB makes me a little nervous. But specifically, I'd say GAC and Concordia. GAC is good enough to beat any top team that doesn't bring their A game. And Concordia usually isn't down for two years in a row.

Agreed.  I'm glad BU has 4 games to tune up before SJU, though I don't like our chances with so many relatively inexperienced guys going on the road against a veteran stud QB, new receivers or not...

Having UST as the last game could potentially help the defense to have developed more, but on the flip side, whoever the new QB is for UST will in theory be at their best also...being on the road @ UST doesn't help.