FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[miac952]

This should be fun. I was excited when I saw this bracket. Some new faces for UST to play. An up and coming South region team in Berry, a South Region Big Time Helmet school in UMHB, and Linfield, a squad that UST has battled with in 3 playoffs that I know there is a ton of respect for. UST has had a number of North Region and East Region visitors. But never the South.

A trip to Belton, if it's in the works on both sides, would be a fun one. I have a feeling Linfield and Berry will both bring it though. They both showed they are peaking at the right time with strong first round games.

[scottyeagle93]

Yeah, all those food options are excellent.  In case you haven't been provided enough options, here's some more (these are a couple of miles from campus, however): 

Red Cow has some fancier burger options that are quite good.
Punch Pizza on Grand.  Excellent Neapolitan-style pizza, and fast.
Some newer breweries closer to downtown, such as Waldmann (refurbished house from the 1850's with beer and German cuisine) and Bad Weather.  New Bohemia (downtown) will also give you beer and brats, and they have a massive tap list. 

[wm4]

FYI, full game between Berry and Huntingdon can be found here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF_LT6bo8uI

[D O.C.]

Is it the I-94 bridge they want to stay off?

[Pat Coleman]

I suppose so? The I-35W bridge is less than a decade old now. 

[D O.C.]

Yeah, that's the ticket, Pat. That one.

[miac952]

Yeah, that's the ticket, Pat. That one.

If you want to skip the bridges all together the F.A.M.I.L.Y can always #rowtheboat across the river

[OldAuggie]

Yeah, that's the ticket, Pat. That one.

If you want to skip the bridges all together the F.A.M.I.L.Y can always #rowtheboat across the river

Yes. Go to Dinky Town:  Al's Breakfast. 

[miac952]

After a quick (emphasis on quick) glance @ Berry's Saturday game here are my quick thoughts:

Offense:

Pistol Spread formation - very little personnel or formation change. Almost always 3 wide, 4th eligible can be a an H-Back, TE, or they bring in a 4th WR in long yardage
A slow no huddle with plays called in from the sideline to reduce / eliminate defensive substitutions.
Close to 50/50 run , pass mix.
Passing is quick releases. Nothing intricate. They try to hit seams with fly routes and go to the slant OFTEN. Some quick outs as well.
Finesse O-line. One biggin at RT, but not the size you see from MIAC/WIAC schools.
Running is downhill. Don't know that its a true "read" option, but it has the look of it. QB can run. RB's LOVE to bounce to the edge when the ends cave.

Defense:
3-4 - although often the look is a 4-3 or 5 -2 with a standup LB's on the edge.
DL is smallish. Plays a finesse style with lots of stunts and speed
LB are a little bigger. Similar size to DL. Move well to the edge
When blitzes do come its usually the edge LB's
DB's are SMALL across the board.

Special teams:
I only saw 3 punts, but each one was a nightmare. A 15 yard shank, a punt that hit the back of the protectors, and another short one. They go Rugby style

[jamtod]

Here's some fodder for complaining about from the game on Saturday:

* UST went for the 2 pt conversion 4 times out of 7 touchdowns. We failed on 3 of the 4. I believe all 4 involved odd formations and snaps to Stephen Wagner.
* Our 3rd EP kick was by Vinny Pallini, WR and punt returner.
* We went for it on 4th down 8 times. Of these, we converted 4. 1 failure was on a punt fake on 4th and 15 from our 45. Another was on 4th and 13 from our own 32.
* QB Jacques Perra punted 3 times with an average of 51 yards. Punter Robert Petitjean punted 1 time (in the 4th quarter) for 25 yards.
* Up 40-0 deep into the 3rd quarter, starting QB Jacques Perra passed multiple times and then UST went for it on 4th and 14 (this time from Eureka's 39) but did not complete.
* After a 54 yard kickoff return by Tom Loeffler for UST, several flags were thrown and the refs were seen consulting with Coach Caruso on the sideline for a length of time. According to some Eureka fans in the stands, the refs were asking Caruso's opinion on how they should call the game and whether the penalties should be against us or them. I believer they also confirmed dinner plans for Saturday night. Actually, it turned out they were checking with Caruso because all 3 flags were on Eureka and he accepted the 15 yard facemask. So I guess there wasn't any shenanigans at all but Caruso's reputation apparently made its way to the fine folks from Illinois.
* Backup QB Ronnie Jones passed the ball in the 4th quarter, up 47-8. (It was something of a swing pass to the backup FB on 2nd and 10 to allow us to run the clock out.) If I recall correctly, he was in for a few drives prior to that, but only handed off the ball.

Also of note:
Tucker Trettel did not start or play. Gabe Green was the starting WR alongside Iverson. Franzese was back and alternated with Chris Fondakowski at the 2nd CB spot (with Jordan Lundell filling Fonda's safety spot when Fonda went to CB). Michael Greene started at RG. The rest of the line was fairly standard.

[Mr.MIAC]

Here's some fodder for complaining about from the game on Saturday:

* UST went for the 2 pt conversion 4 times out of 7 touchdowns. We failed on 3 of the 4. I believe all 4 involved odd formations and snaps to Stephen Wagner.
* Our 3rd EP kick was by Vinny Pallini, WR and punt returner.
* We went for it on 4th down 8 times. Of these, we converted 4. 1 failure was on a punt fake on 4th and 15 from our 45. Another was on 4th and 13 from our own 32.
* QB Jacques Perra punted 3 times with an average of 51 yards. Punter Robert Petitjean punted 1 time (in the 4th quarter) for 25 yards.
* Up 40-0 deep into the 3rd quarter, starting QB Jacques Perra passed multiple times and then UST went for it on 4th and 14 (this time from Eureka's 39) but did not complete.
* After a 54 yard kickoff return by Tom Loeffler for UST, several flags were thrown and the refs were seen consulting with Coach Caruso on the sideline for a length of time. According to some Eureka fans in the stands, the refs were asking Caruso's opinion on how they should call the game and whether the penalties should be against us or them. I believer they also confirmed dinner plans for Saturday night. Actually, it turned out they were checking with Caruso because all 3 flags were on Eureka and he accepted the 15 yard facemask. So I guess there wasn't any shenanigans at all but Caruso's reputation apparently made its way to the fine folks from Illinois.
* Backup QB Ronnie Jones passed the ball in the 4th quarter, up 47-8. (It was something of a swing pass to the backup FB on 2nd and 10 to allow us to run the clock out.) If I recall correctly, he was in for a few drives prior to that, but only handed off the ball.

Also of note:
Tucker Trettel did not start or play. Gabe Green was the starting WR alongside Iverson. Franzese was back and alternated with Chris Fondakowski at the 2nd CB spot (with Jordan Lundell filling Fonda's safety spot when Fonda went to CB). Michael Greene started at RG. The rest of the line was fairly standard.

So why do you think we sat Trettel? To keep him healthy?

[jamtod]

Here's some fodder for complaining about from the game on Saturday:

* UST went for the 2 pt conversion 4 times out of 7 touchdowns. We failed on 3 of the 4. I believe all 4 involved odd formations and snaps to Stephen Wagner.
* Our 3rd EP kick was by Vinny Pallini, WR and punt returner.
* We went for it on 4th down 8 times. Of these, we converted 4. 1 failure was on a punt fake on 4th and 15 from our 45. Another was on 4th and 13 from our own 32.
* QB Jacques Perra punted 3 times with an average of 51 yards. Punter Robert Petitjean punted 1 time (in the 4th quarter) for 25 yards.
* Up 40-0 deep into the 3rd quarter, starting QB Jacques Perra passed multiple times and then UST went for it on 4th and 14 (this time from Eureka's 39) but did not complete.
* After a 54 yard kickoff return by Tom Loeffler for UST, several flags were thrown and the refs were seen consulting with Coach Caruso on the sideline for a length of time. According to some Eureka fans in the stands, the refs were asking Caruso's opinion on how they should call the game and whether the penalties should be against us or them. I believer they also confirmed dinner plans for Saturday night. Actually, it turned out they were checking with Caruso because all 3 flags were on Eureka and he accepted the 15 yard facemask. So I guess there wasn't any shenanigans at all but Caruso's reputation apparently made its way to the fine folks from Illinois.
* Backup QB Ronnie Jones passed the ball in the 4th quarter, up 47-8. (It was something of a swing pass to the backup FB on 2nd and 10 to allow us to run the clock out.) If I recall correctly, he was in for a few drives prior to that, but only handed off the ball.

Also of note:
Tucker Trettel did not start or play. Gabe Green was the starting WR alongside Iverson. Franzese was back and alternated with Chris Fondakowski at the 2nd CB spot (with Jordan Lundell filling Fonda's safety spot when Fonda went to CB). Michael Greene started at RG. The rest of the line was fairly standard.

So why do you think we sat Trettel? To keep him healthy?

Banged up. Don't know the details, but hoping he'll play next week. We'll see. Parks looked good. And Loeffler also, obviously. Molina has been a nice compliment running the ball, as has Wagner.

[Tom Thumb]

Here's some fodder for complaining about from the game on Saturday:

* UST went for the 2 pt conversion 4 times out of 7 touchdowns. We failed on 3 of the 4. I believe all 4 involved odd formations and snaps to Stephen Wagner.
* Our 3rd EP kick was by Vinny Pallini, WR and punt returner.
* We went for it on 4th down 8 times. Of these, we converted 4. 1 failure was on a punt fake on 4th and 15 from our 45. Another was on 4th and 13 from our own 32.
* QB Jacques Perra punted 3 times with an average of 51 yards. Punter Robert Petitjean punted 1 time (in the 4th quarter) for 25 yards.
* Up 40-0 deep into the 3rd quarter, starting QB Jacques Perra passed multiple times and then UST went for it on 4th and 14 (this time from Eureka's 39) but did not complete.
* After a 54 yard kickoff return by Tom Loeffler for UST, several flags were thrown and the refs were seen consulting with Coach Caruso on the sideline for a length of time. According to some Eureka fans in the stands, the refs were asking Caruso's opinion on how they should call the game and whether the penalties should be against us or them. I believer they also confirmed dinner plans for Saturday night. Actually, it turned out they were checking with Caruso because all 3 flags were on Eureka and he accepted the 15 yard facemask. So I guess there wasn't any shenanigans at all but Caruso's reputation apparently made its way to the fine folks from Illinois.
* Backup QB Ronnie Jones passed the ball in the 4th quarter, up 47-8. (It was something of a swing pass to the backup FB on 2nd and 10 to allow us to run the clock out.) If I recall correctly, he was in for a few drives prior to that, but only handed off the ball.

Also of note:
Tucker Trettel did not start or play. Gabe Green was the starting WR alongside Iverson. Franzese was back and alternated with Chris Fondakowski at the 2nd CB spot (with Jordan Lundell filling Fonda's safety spot when Fonda went to CB). Michael Greene started at RG. The rest of the line was fairly standard.

In Pallini's defense, he was an All State 1st Team kicker in high school. I believe he even had a few scholarship offers from D1 and D2 schools to kick, but he wanted to play WR.  I'm wondering if he will take up kicking duties after Steinsapir graduates.

[GoldandBlueBU]

After a quick (emphasis on quick) glance @ Berry's Saturday game here are my quick thoughts:

Offense:

Pistol Spread formation - very little personnel or formation change. Almost always 3 wide, 4th eligible can be a an H-Back, TE, or they bring in a 4th WR in long yardage
A slow no huddle with plays called in from the sideline to reduce / eliminate defensive substitutions.
Close to 50/50 run , pass mix.
Passing is quick releases. Nothing intricate. They try to hit seams with fly routes and go to the slant OFTEN. Some quick outs as well.
Finesse O-line. One biggin at RT, but not the size you see from MIAC/WIAC schools.
Running is downhill. Don't know that its a true "read" option, but it has the look of it. QB can run. RB's LOVE to bounce to the edge when the ends cave.

Defense:
3-4 - although often the look is a 4-3 or 5 -2 with a standup LB's on the edge.
DL is smallish. Plays a finesse style with lots of stunts and speed
LB are a little bigger. Similar size to DL. Move well to the edge
When blitzes do come its usually the edge LB's
DB's are SMALL across the board.

Special teams:
I only saw 3 punts, but each one was a nightmare. A 15 yard shank, a punt that hit the back of the protectors, and another short one. They go Rugby style

I'm trying to imagine how you even manage to hit the protectors when you're taking a few steps to the side for the rugby style punt?

[jamtod]

Here's some fodder for complaining about from the game on Saturday:

* UST went for the 2 pt conversion 4 times out of 7 touchdowns. We failed on 3 of the 4. I believe all 4 involved odd formations and snaps to Stephen Wagner.
* Our 3rd EP kick was by Vinny Pallini, WR and punt returner.
* We went for it on 4th down 8 times. Of these, we converted 4. 1 failure was on a punt fake on 4th and 15 from our 45. Another was on 4th and 13 from our own 32.
* QB Jacques Perra punted 3 times with an average of 51 yards. Punter Robert Petitjean punted 1 time (in the 4th quarter) for 25 yards.
* Up 40-0 deep into the 3rd quarter, starting QB Jacques Perra passed multiple times and then UST went for it on 4th and 14 (this time from Eureka's 39) but did not complete.
* After a 54 yard kickoff return by Tom Loeffler for UST, several flags were thrown and the refs were seen consulting with Coach Caruso on the sideline for a length of time. According to some Eureka fans in the stands, the refs were asking Caruso's opinion on how they should call the game and whether the penalties should be against us or them. I believer they also confirmed dinner plans for Saturday night. Actually, it turned out they were checking with Caruso because all 3 flags were on Eureka and he accepted the 15 yard facemask. So I guess there wasn't any shenanigans at all but Caruso's reputation apparently made its way to the fine folks from Illinois.
* Backup QB Ronnie Jones passed the ball in the 4th quarter, up 47-8. (It was something of a swing pass to the backup FB on 2nd and 10 to allow us to run the clock out.) If I recall correctly, he was in for a few drives prior to that, but only handed off the ball.

Also of note:
Tucker Trettel did not start or play. Gabe Green was the starting WR alongside Iverson. Franzese was back and alternated with Chris Fondakowski at the 2nd CB spot (with Jordan Lundell filling Fonda's safety spot when Fonda went to CB). Michael Greene started at RG. The rest of the line was fairly standard.

In Pallini's defense, he was an All State 1st Team kicker in high school. I believe he even had a few scholarship offers from D1 and D2 schools to kick, but he wanted to play WR.  I'm wondering if he will take up kicking duties after Steinsapir graduates.

Oh absolutely. I'm aware of that, but was trying to introduce anything that might get folks dander up. Thanks for ruining it for me, TT.
I think you are absolutely right. Carter Schmitz has the leg, but I've not seen anything to suggest that he gets the necessary lift on his FG kicks to be successful. Petitjean has handled some kickoffs also, but I don't think he's kicked FGs for us.