FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[OzJohnnie]

04 was a very down year-don't kid yourself.

And yet at the beginning of this year we would have taken 7-3 with enthusiasm.  Funny how perspective changes.  Now 8-2 will be ok and 9-1 will be great.  7-3 will be a let down.  No one said that pleasing fans was easy.

[sjusection105]

04 was a very down year-don't kid yourself.

But,the Johnnies turned a 4th string Freshman QB into something to watch for the next 4 yrs. Perhaps we are seeing a RB emerge as well as a punter,a kicker and some defenders from this revitalized Johnnie program.

[SagatagSam]

04 was a very down year-don't kid yourself.

And yet at the beginning of this year we would have taken 7-3 with enthusiasm.  Funny how perspective changes.  Now 8-2 will be ok and 9-1 will be great.  7-3 will be a let down.  No one said that pleasing fans was easy.

What really crawls under the skin of the folks on the corner of Cretin and Summit is how this season was supposed to be a coronation for the Toms. Here we are six weeks into the season and the Toms already have two conference losses and could realistically miss the playoffs.

Have you ever put down a horse?  I have and it quivers and shakes, looking for anything to grasp on to both physically and mentally.  That's what we have here.

I love it.

[SJUrube]

04 was a very down year-don't kid yourself.

And yet at the beginning of this year we would have taken 7-3 with enthusiasm.  Funny how perspective changes.  Now 8-2 will be ok and 9-1 will be great.  7-3 will be a let down.  No one said that pleasing fans was easy.

In defense of Don the 2004 SJU squad lost 3 more games than the previous team. Even if UST finished 7-3 this year they'll only have 2 mores losses than last year. It would take a 6-4 season to march the '03-'04 drop. That's what happens when you finish a season undefeated. Your margain for error is considerably less to achieve similar levels.

[D O.C.]

LINFIELD was certainly out of sorts 2006-2008, but mainly because the all important conference game was lost by few points while out gaining Whitworth twice. They were good and we were getting used to a new coach but, stuff happens.
If you don't remember, the johns trained LINFIELD in 2002 & 2003 on how to win a championship by doing what they needed to win a close game.

[OzJohnnie]

Have you ever put down a horse?  I have and it quivers and shakes, looking for anything to grasp on to both physically and mentally.  That's what we have here.

I love it.

First prize.  You must have bookmarked that for just this moment.  If you remembered it and went back and found it then Gary Kasparov is lucky you don't play chess.

[BDB]

First prize.  You must have bookmarked that for just this moment.  If you remembered it and went back and found it then Gary Kasparov is lucky you don't play chess.

Quite certain this is the first Gary Kasparov reference on the MIACPP. +k

[SagatagSam]

Have you ever put down a horse?  I have and it quivers and shakes, looking for anything to grasp on to both physically and mentally.  That's what we have here.

I love it.

First prize.  You must have bookmarked that for just this moment.  If you remembered it and went back and found it then Gary Kasparov is lucky you don't play chess.

No bookmark. Let's not waste my time with Gary Kasparov. Bring on Deep Blue.

[DuffMan]

And if we finish 7-3 this year, well that will be on par with SJ1's 2004 record, so can't be that down of a year.

But SJU brought home the walnut and bronze the year prior.  The same can't be said for U$T. 

[GoldandBlueBU]

I'll second that. That second loss is a death wish this season. It'll be strange to see UST and Wesley out of the post season this year (Much like UWW last year).

Not really, in the case of St. Thomas.  They're a relative newbie, first appearance being 2009.
[/quote]

Good point
[/quote]

Perhaps not strange in that it will mean that a team who has been there for years and years will be gone, but I agree with you, in that it seems odd to me.  I think that most on this board thought that they would probably win the conference, and overall be an improved team over last year's 2nd place squad.  To go from those expectations to being essentially out of the playoffs in October is quite a swing, even if it isn't on the same level as UWW's playoff miss last season.

That coupled with SJU's rapid return to relevance, and even Gustavus' level of competitiveness has made the MIAC much more interesting than I had expected this season.

[sfury]

Yeah, figured the question people would be asking about Caruso this year was: Will he leave for another job?

Instead it might be: Has the game passed him by?

[badgerwarhawk]

Yeah, figured the question people would be asking about Caruso this year was: Will he leave for another job?

Instead it might be: Has the game passed him by?

No offense intended and I know many like to pile on St Thomas but that is just silly.

[wartknight]

Yeah, figured the question people would be asking about Caruso this year was: Will he leave for another job?

Instead it might be: Has the game passed him by?

I heard he was leaving for an NESCAC school. Guess he doesn't want to compete in the playoffs any more.

[retagent]

Hey bw. Think about what has been posted for x number of years about a certain legendary coach, even before he won his last Stagg Bowl. Understand the context.

[AlmostEx]

Yeah, figured the question people would be asking about Caruso this year was: Will he leave for another job?

Instead it might be: Has the game passed him by?

What can be said with certainty is the recruiting challenge (or lack there of) of the past several years no longer exists.  As I said when the SJU coaching staff and responsibilities were announced, I would love to be in some of the metro area high schools when Coach C and staff suddenly run into the SJU staff.  I could script any number of conversations, but all of them end with GC and staff saying, at least to themselves, "well that sucks!"