FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[WithasilentK]

I really enjoyed the Royal game yesterday. 4 out of the last 5 isn't bad. I noticed the celebration is less and less every year for the Royals.

I truly feel that the whole Johnnie "NO" thing is starting to hurt them. St. John's will always have good football players, but looking at the teams yesterday the Bethel players were a lot more physical as a whole and everyone  could tell they had been in the weight room more than the Johnnies by just looking at them. Plus the tempo that the Johnnies play at drives me crazy. It can't help the team moral when everyone mozzies around out there. I hope for the conferences sake that the Johnnies can bounce back from this season, because I love when it comes down to having to play them for a shot at a conference title (I hate the Tommies). I do feel if they don't change a few things about how they go about their off season training they will be stuck finishing 3rd or 4th in the conference in the future. The game has changed within the last 10 years so that the strengh and conditioning of a program is extreamly important now.

Weird but when the Royals played Mount Union in the 2007 National Semi-Finals and lost 62-14 they (Bethel) must not have had a lifting routine. The weight room has sure helped them over the past 3 seasons 

For those on the outside of the SJU program looking in and thinking you've got it all figured out,the thing you are missing is there is no mandatory weight lifting,that doesn't mean there is no weight lifting.

Don't lose any sleep second guessing the SJU coaching philosophy- there are enough uninformed fair weather Johnnie fans doing that already 

With or without mandatory weightlifting sessions, the kids that want to lift will lift and the ones who don't will always find a way out.  As long as the means to improve are present (proper facilities, time, knowledge about lifting programs, nutrition, etc.), I don't really think it matters whether it is required or not.  I didn't hear any of this criticism last year when SJU was going undefeated in the conference.  Aren't there rules about required offseason workouts anyways? I know Carleton got burned when Brann was the coach, but I'm not sure what the specific circumstances were.

I agree, it's a philosophy and work ethic that the players must have, especially at D3. I can't imagine the SJU players don't have that mindset.

[BDB]

Great weekend.

Gophers are embarrassed again.  And I'm in Madison visiting my daughter who lives a block from Camp Randall.  Fortunately, she doesn't care and doesn't rub it in like my Tommie daughter did last week.

Johnnies lose any chance of a playoff spot.

Twins.  Never mind.

And, my wife backs into the side of a parked car in Madison.

Rough times ROR. Topped off with wife backing into a parked car. Mine likes to try backing out of the garage without opening the garage door. 

Here's a +k, please follow it up tonight with a Hamm's. 

[hazzben]

The only relevant part of that 'no' is the mandatory. SJU players, the ones on the field anyway, are getting in the weight room. Maybe a qb or wr here and there don't lift, but their other starters looked plenty built to me. I'm guessing with a roster of their size, the players are doing everything they can to stand out and working hard in the weight room during the offseason is just a reality in college fb today.

[DuffMan]

The only relevant part of that 'no' is the mandatory. SJU players, the ones on the field anyway, are getting in the weight room.

I can guarantee you that the guys playing are in the weight room plenty.  Of course, there is always a freak or two that gets by solely on natural talent, but that is not the norm.  Gary Fasching is good about putting together programs for guys that want them, and while I was there, he was outlifting the majority of the team 

[cobbernation]

Cobbers finally looked like a traditional concordia team.  Running the ball consistently for gains and using up the clock on scoring drives.  The defense showed up and allowed fewer than 35 points to a MIAC team for the first time this season.  I am hoping for a good game this saturday at auggie tech, since I am going to skip the pheasant opener to watch it. 

I know that everyone is shocked that SJU has lost more than 1 game during the regular season and we are used to seeing them ranked in the top 10 at this point in the season.  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

[sjusection105]

  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

John has always said that he will keep coaching as long as he is in good health and is having fun. The team has lost 3 games by combined 7 points in 2010- they could just as easily be undefeated- then there would be no discussion about second guessing if the "game has passed him by". He is 110 and 22 from the beginning of 2000 to this point of the 2010 season. He is 5 & 5 with Bethel,3 losses to Eau Claire,a couple losses to Concordia as well as a loss in the play-offs except in 2003-as National Champions and 2004 -missed play-offs. I would says that all but maybe a handful of coaches would swap records with him during this timeframe.

I would say this type of year makes John even more determined to continue coaching,just to spite all the naysayers 

[USTBench]

  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

- they could just as easily be undefeated-

Exact same quote Tim Brewster used before the Northwestern game.

[sjusection105]

  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

- they could just as easily be undefeated-

Exact same quote Tim Brewster used before the Northwestern game.

Fair enough Bench, the difference between Brewster & John is that John has  more knowledge about coaching football in his pinky finger than Brewster has in his entire body 

[GoldandBlueBU]

  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

- they could just as easily be undefeated-

Exact same quote Tim Brewster used before the Northwestern game.

I also enjoy how SJU fans continue to press the statistic of SJU and BU being 5-5 against each other in the past 10 years...sounds a lot nicer than SJU being 1-4 in the past 5 years.

[Willy Wonka]

GAC freshman Jeffrey Dubose, from St. Croix Lutheran, is quietly having a great freshman season. He was already fourth in the league in rushing...and he's got more than 200 yards today in what's looking like a big win over Hamline. That could bump him all the way up to second, behind scrubby's kid.

When was the last time my Gusties had a better record than SJU this late in the season, assuming Bethel holds on? 10 years ago? 20 years ago?

Wonka, how many points are you giving on 10/23?

Well, Dubose is now leading the conference in rushing as a freshman. I'm really not sure how my Gusties can lose!

[02 Warhawk]

 Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching?  

- they could just as easily be undefeated-

Exact same quote Tim Brewster used before the Northwestern game.

I also enjoy how SJU fans continue to press the statistic of SJU and BU being 5-5 against each other in the past 10 years...sounds a lot nicer than SJU being 1-4 in the past 5 years.

I didn't believe it at first, so i had to look it up myself.  not too many schools can say they achieved that vs. St. Johns....over any 5-year stretch.

[tommiegun]

  Since the playoffs are out of the picture, what are the chances of Gags to call it a career at the end of the season?  Does he have the fire to keep coaching? 

- they could just as easily be undefeated-

Exact same quote Tim Brewster used before the Northwestern game.

The difference, of course, being that it is true for SJU and fantasy for the Gophers.

[tmerton]

And, my wife backs into the side of a parked car in Madison.

Rough times ROR. Topped off with wife backing into a parked car. Mine likes to try backing out of the garage without opening the garage door. 

Just so you don't run over your dog or your kids (we have a friend who ran over his dog).  I think back-up cameras should be required safety equipment.

[tmerton]

Stopped by UST Saturday early evening on my way back to the hotel.  They sure are screwing up a very nice parking lot by the stadium.  That said, the new athletic center and the new (in progress) student center look very nice.  The physical facilities arms race has swept through Division I and now the Tommies are bringing it to DIII.  It certainly won't hurt their recruiting.

BTW, has anyone seen what the library expansion at SJU is going to do to the parking lot we use for the Saturday morning tailgating?   The construction phase will be the worst - I suspect they'll either block off the lot altogether or limit it to handicap parking. 

[Pat Coleman]

They may be bringing it to the MIAC, but believe me, the physical facilities upgrades have been going on for at least a decade in Division III.

Look at Kenyon if you want to see something pretty spectacular. Or Hope or Calvin for basketball.