FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[DoubleO]

Sad news out of UST this a.m. Monsignor James Lavin, who devoted his entire life to serving the St. Thomas community, died earlier today. Rest in peace, Monsignor Lavin!

Really puts things in perspective coming off of a solid victory in Collegeville on Saturday.

[sjusection105]

Sad news out of UST this a.m. Monsignor James Lavin, who devoted his entire life to serving the St. Thomas community, died earlier today. Rest in peace, Monsignor Lavin!

Really puts things in perspective coming off of a solid victory in Collegeville on Saturday.

RIP Monsignor Lavin

[hazzben]

It will be interesting to see how Bethel & Concordia with their ground game stacks up against UST run defense.

Any thoughts from UST-Bethel or Cobber fans?

As far as Bethel is concerned, I'm just not all that certain Brandon Marquardt is the guy to crack the code against UST, but it appears their passing game will be somewhat more existent this year so you never know.

Bethel's Oline is a work in progress at this point. They've got a couple of All-Region, All-American caliber lineman and then some guys with serious potential. But I think they're still trying to find their groove together.

As for the running game. It's hard to say right now. Phenow's only played 1/2 a game and he'd be the bigger threat against a UST type D. Marquardt has only played about one full game as well. He got banged up against Wartburg and was out early against BV. Walbillig has looked good. And the freshman Marshall Klitzke is a guy the coaches are high on who looked good Saturday. Each of these guys brings something different and I'd anticipate a running back by committee approach. There's no Porta or Flannery in this group, but no one in the league has a guy like that right now. I'd expect Phenow and Marquardt with a steady dose of Walbillig is what we'll see most of the year. The depth is nice to have and if the Oline continues to gel it'll be a potent group.

That said, this offense is much more balanced than years past. That's the real story. You won't see the rushing numbers of the last decade because they'll be getting more yards through the air. Peterson has impressed so far. Wartburg's D was a tough road test out the gate for a guys first start and he did well. BV didn't put up much fight and got zero pressure, but he did what you'd like to see there. The WRs/TEs are big and talented: Hallstrom 6'2" 211; Hilbrands 6'6" 210; Schmidt 6'6" 282; Ulstad 6'3" 238; Schultz 6'2" 211.

This is the real challenge IMO. This will not be a Bethel team a D can stack the box against. Teams did this in the past and Bethel would just keep pounding away. Now they'll stretch the field if you bring a safety down. So I'd expect the rushing numbers to be down a bit, but the offense as a whole should be more explosive.

And the D is looking scary good so far. Before BV starters put together an 85 yd scoring drive against the 3rd string D in the final 2 minutes they'd been held to 72 yds, with the 2nd string playing from the mid-3rd to mid-4th.

[cobbernation]

It will be interesting to see how Bethel & Concordia with their ground game stacks up against UST run defense.

Any thoughts from UST-Bethel or Cobber fans?

The cobbers ground game looks to be gaining steam as they hit the MIAC schedule.  As long as the cobbers are averaging 250-300 yds rushing per game it's a good thing.  I believe the last time CC averaged those rushing yds was in 04 and 05 coincidentally the Cobbers won the MIAC both of those seasons.  UST is beatable and it doesn't necessarily mean BU or CC will do it.  Just look at UWW this weekend.  Losing at home to Buff state?

Who is buff state and how did they hold UWW to 6 points?  Replacement refs?

[USTBench]

Sad news out of UST this a.m. Monsignor James Lavin, who devoted his entire life to serving the St. Thomas community, died earlier today. Rest in peace, Monsignor Lavin!

Really puts things in perspective coming off of a solid victory in Collegeville on Saturday.

Very sad to hear about Monsignor Lavin. His last years in Ireland Hall were when I was a freshman and sophomore. He needed help carrying his oxygen up and down the stairs, but still made sure there was a full spread of PB & Js every Thursday night. Some of my fondest memories of UST were seeing this man rough it in the dorms with the rest of us hapless freshmen, lending the few homesick out-of-staters among us a sense of familiarity and camaraderie.

[GoldandBlueBU]

It will be interesting to see how Bethel & Concordia with their ground game stacks up against UST run defense.

Any thoughts from UST-Bethel or Cobber fans?

As far as Bethel is concerned, I'm just not all that certain Brandon Marquardt is the guy to crack the code against UST, but it appears their passing game will be somewhat more existent this year so you never know.

Bethel's Oline is a work in progress at this point. They've got a couple of All-Region, All-American caliber lineman and then some guys with serious potential. But I think they're still trying to find their groove together.

As for the running game. It's hard to say right now. Phenow's only played 1/2 a game and he'd be the bigger threat against a UST type D. Marquardt has only played about one full game as well. He got banged up against Wartburg and was out early against BV. Walbillig has looked good. And the freshman Marshall Klitzke is a guy the coaches are high on who looked good Saturday. Each of these guys brings something different and I'd anticipate a running back by committee approach. There's no Porta or Flannery in this group, but no one in the league has a guy like that right now. I'd expect Phenow and Marquardt with a steady dose of Walbillig is what we'll see most of the year. The depth is nice to have and if the Oline continues to gel it'll be a potent group.

That said, this offense is much more balanced than years past. That's the real story. You won't see the rushing numbers of the last decade because they'll be getting more yards through the air. Peterson has impressed so far. Wartburg's D was a tough road test out the gate for a guys first start and he did well. BV didn't put up much fight and got zero pressure, but he did what you'd like to see there. The WRs/TEs are big and talented: Hallstrom 6'2" 211; Hilbrands 6'6" 210; Schmidt 6'6" 282; Ulstad 6'3" 238; Schultz 6'2" 211.

This is the real challenge IMO. This will not be a Bethel team a D can stack the box against. Teams did this in the past and Bethel would just keep pounding away. Now they'll stretch the field if you bring a safety down. So I'd expect the rushing numbers to be down a bit, but the offense as a whole should be more explosive.

And the D is looking scary good so far. Before BV starters put together an 85 yd scoring drive against the 3rd string D in the final 2 minutes they'd been held to 72 yds, with the 2nd string playing from the mid-3rd to mid-4th.

Nice analysis Hazzben...I sort of had the same feeling about the line.  I thought that Marquardt looked to be of Porta / Flannery caliber last year early on when he was healthy and the line was playing well, but this year he doesn't seem as impressive.  He wasn't great in his time vs. Wartburg (partially attributable to a solid Wartburg D), and even against BV he didn't do all that much, which would seem to point to the line not giving him the opportunities to be as explosive as he is with all of his speed.  Hopefully you're right, and they will gel more with time, they certainly seem to be a large enough and athletic enough group, and Johnson definitely knows what he is doing in terms of coaching that position.

As far as the passing game, I'm certainly excited about it, but I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm.  Peterson and the receivers looked good against a Wartburg team that was essentially playing its first game (I doubt the 73-0 game vs. MacMurray did much for them), and then very good against a weak BV team.  I'm interested to see how they look as the season progresses, but having a legitimate passing threat will certainly make them tougher to defend, and will help the ground game.

[OldAuggie]

Gotta give some love to Augsburg. Just like against the Johnnies last year, they win on the final play of the game, this time on a 48-yard pass.

http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2012/9/15/fb091512.aspx?path=football

Poor choice of pictures on that story.  The picture on the page is of Alex Powell intercepting a pass vs the Auggies a couple of years ago.

They fixed it to include a photo of the actual final play. I think they just needed a photo of Bourne-McFarlane there for the weekend.

[Pat Coleman]

Gotta give some love to Augsburg. Just like against the Johnnies last year, they win on the final play of the game, this time on a 48-yard pass.

http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2012/9/15/fb091512.aspx?path=football

Poor choice of pictures on that story.  The picture on the page is of Alex Powell intercepting a pass vs the Auggies a couple of years ago.

They fixed it to include a photo of the actual final play. I think they just needed a photo of Bourne-McFarlane there for the weekend.

I might note, too, that Augsburg is a man down as Don Stoner was hospitalized last week after a mild heart attack. He's been discharged and is resting but just so you guys know.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Sad news out of UST this a.m. Monsignor James Lavin, who devoted his entire life to serving the St. Thomas community, died earlier today. Rest in peace, Monsignor Lavin!

Really puts things in perspective coming off of a solid victory in Collegeville on Saturday.

RIP Scooter.....and thanks for the Lavin burgers!!!!!!!!!!

[Retired Old Rat]

RIP Msgr. Lavin.  You were a one of a kind gem.

[hazzben]

I thought that Marquardt looked to be of Porta / Flannery caliber last year early on when he was healthy and the line was playing well, but this year he doesn't seem as impressive.  He wasn't great in his time vs. Wartburg (partially attributable to a solid Wartburg D), and even against BV he didn't do all that much, which would seem to point to the line not giving him the opportunities to be as explosive as he is with all of his speed.  Hopefully you're right, and they will gel more with time, they certainly seem to be a large enough and athletic enough group, and Johnson definitely knows what he is doing in terms of coaching that position.

As far as the passing game, I'm certainly excited about it, but I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm.  Peterson and the receivers looked good against a Wartburg team that was essentially playing its first game (I doubt the 73-0 game vs. MacMurray did much for them), and then very good against a weak BV team.  I'm interested to see how they look as the season progresses, but having a legitimate passing threat will certainly make them tougher to defend, and will help the ground game.

My take on Marquardt is that he's a very fast, explosive back, but he's not the kind that will create for himself. If there's a clear hole he can hit it and if he gets to the second level you're in trouble. But he's not shown himself to be nearly as instinctive as Porta or Flannery between the tackles. And I haven't seen as much as I'd like in terms of breaking tackles.

And yes, we definitely need to see the passing game against bigger competition. The tools seem to be there, but we need to see them under some late game pressure, especially Peterson. I like what we've seen and how it's got to be building their confidence. But they haven't faced anyone that's really pushed them in the 4th quarter yet.

The run game will probably be a bit different just from the standpoint that our tackles probably aren't athletic enough to run a steady diet of counter-sweep. They weren't last year either. That play was our bread and butter from 04-10. If you've got a more powerful tackle, but who doesn't have exceptional feet, that play is tough to run. But other plays can be more effective as well.

[AO]

Week 4 Pick-Em's
Week 4 Sep. 22

Rivalry: 4pts
Augsburg @ Hamline (+14.5) "The Hammer" Hamline leads all-time series 41-30-2

Conference: 3pts
St. John's @ Concordia (+3.5)
Carleton (+35.5) @ #11 Bethel
Gustavus @ St. Olaf (+16.5)

West Region: 1pt
Macalester (+14.5) @ Lewis and Clark

National: 1pt
Alfred (+15.5) @ #19 Buffalo State

Name	W1	W2	W3	W4	W5	W6	W7	W8	W9	W10	W11	Overall
USTBench	14	13	11									38
miacmaniac	11	10	12									33
hazzben	13	8	9									30
Repete	12	5	13									30
FCGrizzliesGrad	10	5	15									30
sju56321	10	9	10									29
RoyalBU	7	11	10									28
GoldandBlueBU	9	10	7									26
WashedUp	8	10	8									26
smedindy	13	7	5									25
SagatagSam	9	11	5									25
finsleft	11	4	7									22
jayhawkdaddy	12	10	-									22
OzJohnnie	10	12	-									22
Retired Old Rat	9	10	2									21
raiderguy	12	-	9									21
AO	5	7	8									20
02 Warhawk	4	7	9									20
AlmostEx	6	10	1									17
stanbob	7	-	-									7

[hazzben]

Name

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

W11

Overall

USTBench

14

13

11

38

miacmaniac

11

10

12

33

The top of the standings is very disconcerting, way too much purple 

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

Name

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

W11

Overall

USTBench

14

13

11

38

miacmaniac

11

10

12

33

The top of the standings is very disconcerting, way too much purple 

looks OK to me....just need to reverse the order 

[sju56321]

Trying to figure out how CC is a 3.5 dog to SJU. Looking at it objectively, CC has votes in the D3 poll and SJU does not, CC is 3-0 and SJU is 2-1, CC is playing at home, so that is worth 3 points (-3 points). In essence the line says that SJU is a TD favorite-not sure about that.