FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Mr.MIAC]

No joke. I heard Johnnies like to f**k sheep. True story...

Come on -- gotta be more creative than that.

It's the directness that makes it funny.

Did you grow tired of using disabled as your punchline? You need to start mixing in cancer and burn patients in to your material.

Okay, Nellie. Thanks for the tip.

[jamtod]

No joke. I heard Johnnies like to f**k sheep. True story...

Come on -- gotta be more creative than that.

It's the directness that makes it funny.

Nah. Not your best work.
You can do better. You coming for the game this year?

Yep, flying in and heading out the next day. You?

I'll be there with a group of 10, up in the nose bleeds with the commoners. Daddy wouldn't let me use the trust friends to buy my friends tickets in the champions club.

[Mr.MIAC]

No joke. I heard Johnnies like to f**k sheep. True story...

Come on -- gotta be more creative than that.

It's the directness that makes it funny.

Nah. Not your best work.
You can do better. You coming for the game this year?

Yep, flying in and heading out the next day. You?

I'll be there with a group of 10, up in the nose bleeds with the commoners. Daddy wouldn't let me use the trust friends to buy my friends tickets in the champions club.

I'm in the $35 section, not sure what it's called. I wonder if they'll allow any crossflow amongst the sections. On the Champions Club, I bet there will be plenty of needy Johnnies, struggling in a job market that requires regular bathing, at the game. You could hire a few as food and beer runners. A couple guys could stand there and fan your group if the mercury rises. It would be like sitting in the Champions Club, with the added benefit of helping out the less fortunate amongst us. All for the Common Good.   

[sjusection105]

I'm in the $35 section, not sure what it's called. I wonder if they'll allow any crossflow amongst the sections.

It's called the Delta 360 Legends Club.
No cross-flow, if your ticket doesn't match you can't get into the Champions Club or the Legends Club.

[art76]

MIAC Week 4 2017

With one week of conference play under our belts, this week's games are the better match-ups in the MIAC, when compared with the games from this past week. As we look forward to games yet to be played this season, this may also be the best week in the conference concerning parity amongst the 8 teams in play.  More on this later. Concordia has the bye this week.

Game of the week has to be the game at Target Field.  You have to be living under a rock to not know that the Johnnies travel down to play the Tommies in what may be the largest game in MIAC or NCAA D3 history, attendance wise. It might also be one for the history books, but we have to wait until the game is played to find that out. It'll be a close game and it is my opinion that the Tommie defense won't have the answer to the Johnnie offense, in the way the game will play out when the fortunes are reversed. From what we have seen so far this season, the Johnny D is, to steal a word, stifling. I just don't see Roberts and company getting a foothold against it.

The remaining 3 games also look close to me. Augsburg travels down to Carleton to take on the Knights. The Auggies come into town wanting to put the tough loss to Gustavus this past week behind them. For the Knights, they'll be trying to stop a 0 and 4 start for this season, and a seven game home stand loss streak that stretches back into last season.  Unfortunately, it looks to me like the Auggies have enough to pull off a close win - they sure gave it a good shot last week.

St. Olaf at Bethel will also be close, and BU is also trying to stop going 0 and 4 at the beginning of its season, and sporting a 3 game home stand loss streak, reaching back to their loss to St. Thomas last year. The Oles were spirited in their play and never really gave up in their loss to the Johnnies this past weekend. And Bethel is banged up pretty bad already, but I think they will figure out a way to score enough points to secure their first win of the season.

The last game in the MIAC this weekend has Hamline traveling down to St. Peter to take on the Gusties. Hamline had an extra week to lick its wounds after losing to Macalester in week two. The Gusties only loss was to UW River Falls. So both of these teams come in with a loss and at least one win and look remarkably even to me. I think this one is too close to call, but I'm sure the odds makers will find something about them to hang their projections on. This could be as good a game as the Tommie-Johnnie game on the field.

Looking ahead, but not getting ahead of ourselves, things are already interesting with the schedule of who plays who when, at least concerning the now top 3 teams in the conference. The Johnnies and the Tommies play each other this week. If the Johnnies win, they do not see the Cobbers until the last week of the schedule and the only way the Tommies have a shot at the post season is for them to beat the Cobbers when they meet in week 6 at St. Thomas.  If the Tommies win this week, then it has the potential to be a lot messier, especially if the Cobbers can close the deal this year and win against the Tommies. But all of that is "ifs and buts" and having plenty of candy come Christmas.
It really looks to be a fairly competitive week all around the MIAC this week.

[sjujohnnie]

I've been following this blog for awhile & finally resolved the email issue that was preventing me from registering. Appreciate the preview of this week's games! I read somewhere that much of St Olaf's coaching staff is former Tommie assistants? Is there a story behind that? How will those departures affect St Thomas? Also saw a mention on this blog to a Johnnie underground publication. Is there a way I could access that? Really missing the coverage Frank Rojakowski gave Johnnie football!

[DuffMan]

Also saw a mention on this blog to a Johnnie underground publication. Is there a way I could access that? Really missing the coverage Frank Rojakowski gave Johnnie football!

I just sent you a message.

[DuffMan]

Oh boy, this could be an exciting game.  Things that worry me in regards to the Johnnies chances:

1)  St. Olaf blitzed the heck out of SJU, and SJU had some problems with it.  Granted, it also lead to some big Johnnie plays, but we don't need our classy QB taking classless Tommie shots.

2)  Long snapping

3)  Fielding punts

[SJUrube]

Oh boy, this could be an exciting game.  Things that worry me in regards to the Johnnies chances:

1)  St. Olaf blitzed the heck out of SJU, and SJU had some problems with it.  Granted, it also lead to some big Johnnie plays, but we don't need our classy QB taking classless Tommie shots.

2)  Long snapping

3)  Fielding punts

Caught most of the 1st half on the radio. Can I also add extra points - didn't we have two get blocked?

Also wondering what the plan will be at QB. We have two good options but I'd prefer handing the reins over to one of them.

Oh yeah, also hope Clark is back after a week off.

[DuffMan]

Also wondering what the plan will be at QB. We have two good options but I'd prefer handing the reins over to one of them.

Erdmann started and took most of the snaps at St Olaf, but Alvord made some appearances, too.  I agree, though.  I am sick of the rotating QB saga.

[jamtod]

Oh boy, this could be an exciting game.  Things that worry me in regards to the Johnnies chances:

1)  St. Olaf blitzed the heck out of SJU, and SJU had some problems with it.  Granted, it also lead to some big Johnnie plays, but we don't need our classy QB taking classless Tommie shots.

2)  Long snapping

3)  Fielding punts

Caught most of the 1st half on the radio. Can I also add extra points - didn't we have two get blocked?

Also wondering what the plan will be at QB. We have two good options but I'd prefer handing the reins over to one of them.

Oh yeah, also hope Clark is back after a week off.

My understanding is that Erdmann is the guy, although I do see that Alvord was in a bit in the 2Q before Erdmann came back in? Did he get roughed up by the cheatin' Oles (can we just call them the Classless Tommies, south edition?)

Barwick was 2/2 on FG and 4/4 on EP, so he's fine. Your backup kicker got one blocked at the end of the game.

[miac952]

I've been following this blog for awhile & finally resolved the email issue that was preventing me from registering. Appreciate the preview of this week's games! I read somewhere that much of St Olaf's coaching staff is former Tommie assistants? Is there a story behind that? How will those departures affect St Thomas? Also saw a mention on this blog to a Johnnie underground publication. Is there a way I could access that? Really missing the coverage Frank Rojakowski gave Johnnie football!

Good first post. Good question.

Killian had built more offensive trust with Caruso in the last three years than any other OC in the decade Caruso has been here. He called plays exclusively the last two years, and the offense seemed to grow more diverse in that time. The SJU and Concordia games will tell us a bit I would imagine. We really only have 1 game of struggles to base this on, so I wouldnt call it a trend yet, but, if it continues, against big opponents, I would say the loss of Killian is a factor, along with not having a Waldvogel in the lineup for the first time in 8 or so years.

[miac952]

Someone please refresh my memory. What is the three-way tiebreaker in the MIAC? I am getting quite a ways ahead of things, but that is what fans do. With three solid teams right now I am curious what could play out.

[DuffMan]

My understanding is that Erdmann is the guy, although I do see that Alvord was in a bit in the 2Q before Erdmann came back in? Did he get roughed up by the cheatin' Oles (can we just call them the Classless Tommies, south edition?)

Barwick was 2/2 on FG and 4/4 on EP, so he's fine. Your backup kicker got one blocked at the end of the game.

I don't think Erdmann got roughed up, but the Johnnies like to mix things up by putting Alvord in the game.  He's a very different QB than Erdmann.

The kicking on PATs/FG was fine.  I think they blocked one, but SJU got a 2nd chance because of an offsides call (which is likely why they blocked it).  Barwick looks good.

[DuffMan]

...along with not having a Waldvogel in the lineup for the first time in 8 or so years.

Isn't there a Kaiser they could put on the field?