FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[art76]

Bethel has a lot to clean up this week before SJU. Special teams didn't look sharp. Secondary is 3/4 awesome and 1/4 vulnerable. And the Oline/commitment to the running game wasn't what it needs to be. There are a lot of positive things Coach Mac has brought in. But you can also tell there are things they are still ironing out in terms of new identity. That takes time, and against a better opponent in UWEC it revealed where the work needs to happen.

It's easy to take for granted the continuity of special teams, run game/offensive identity you had with Coach J. I think new coaches and their fresh ideas will be a plus in the long term. But right now we are still finding our rhythm in too many little areas.

You sound a bit like a Baptist Lou Holtz there, Hazz! 

Did not see the whole game but there's tons of talent on that roster and a solid culture.

Plus I'm wary of former SJU QBs named Cooper ... both of them. Your new guy looks like he knows how to get the ball to Kidder and is more mobile than the Wartburg kid.

Was out of town this weekend camping with my younger son, so didn't get to see the game until last night. I concur with Hazz - BU has a lot of things to hammer out. Somewhat reminds me of the nursery rhyme that goes something like: "When they were good, they were very, very good, but when they were bad, they were horrid." The up tempo is growing on me, but that may be because I am still intrigued with the new sets and what can be run from them.

[hazzben]

Was out of town this weekend camping with my younger son, so didn't get to see the game until last night. I concur with Hazz - BU has a lot of things to hammer out. Somewhat reminds me of the nursery rhyme that goes something like: "When they were good, they were very, very good, but when they were bad, they were horrid." The up tempo is growing on me, but that may be because I am still intrigued with the new sets and what can be run from them.

Yep, and to clarify, the team has done a lot of things really well. A brand new offense is averaging 50 pts  a game. But there's about to be a major jump in level of competition, stressing these new features and coaching responsibilities more acutely than they have been through two games.

Keys for Bethel as I see them from the cheap seats:
1. Contain Syverson, Wheeler, and Co. - There's some elite talent in the secondary, but we gave up a lot of yards to UWEC. The chess match of getting good on good, and or doubling and taking away weapons will be crucial for Bethel. Syverson with a ton of time and the matchups he wants will make for a long day.

2. QB Poise - Cooper's done about all you could have asked thus far. But SJU will get pressure from their front 7. We really haven't seen yet how he performs when things are sped up. He's done a good job going through progressions. Can he do that, hit the hot route, and avoid mistakes when his former teammates are breathing down his neck.

3. Oline/Run Game - I felt like we got a little pass happy Saturday. We had some injuries up front this summer and in camp as well. Ellingson and Geebli are two really great weapons, don't forget about them as runners. I'd wager we might struggle to run a bit early as the Oline settles in, but we can't abandon that or the Johnnie D will pin their ears back and it will make Point 2 a lot harder.

[Ice Bear]

Was out of town this weekend camping with my younger son, so didn't get to see the game until last night. I concur with Hazz - BU has a lot of things to hammer out. Somewhat reminds me of the nursery rhyme that goes something like: "When they were good, they were very, very good, but when they were bad, they were horrid." The up tempo is growing on me, but that may be because I am still intrigued with the new sets and what can be run from them.

Yep, and to clarify, the team has done a lot of things really well. A brand new offense is averaging 50 pts  a game. But there's about to be a major jump in level of competition, stressing these new features and coaching responsibilities more acutely than they have been through two games.

Keys for Bethel as I see them from the cheap seats:
1. Contain Syverson, Wheeler, and Co. - There's some elite talent in the secondary, but we gave up a lot of yards to UWEC. The chess match of getting good on good, and or doubling and taking away weapons will be crucial for Bethel. Syverson with a ton of time and the matchups he wants will make for a long day.

2. QB Poise - Cooper's done about all you could have asked thus far. But SJU will get pressure from their front 7. We really haven't seen yet how he performs when things are sped up. He's done a good job going through progressions. Can he do that, hit the hot route, and avoid mistakes when his former teammates are breathing down his neck.

3. Oline/Run Game - I felt like we got a little pass happy Saturday. We had some injuries up front this summer and in camp as well. Ellingson and Geebli are two really great weapons, don't forget about them as runners. I'd wager we might struggle to run a bit early as the Oline settles in, but we can't abandon that or the Johnnie D will pin their ears back and it will make Point 2 a lot harder.

Nice breakdown Hazz. Unless Geebli is hurting you absolutely cannot leave him out of the equation. Way too much talent there to not put the ball in his hands.

[jakeMN91]

Bethel safety Matt Jung was on D3football.com's team of the week.

More interesting for me, the MIAC was also represented by Gustavus RB De'Marion Brown (freshman, 5-9, 185 lb). "Brown rushed 25 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-10 Gustavus victory at UW-Stevens Point." I'll be watching to see if this is a fluke or if they get consistent output from Brown. This appears to be Brown's first collegiate game (no stats vs. Whitworth). 

At the start of the year, I figured that Gustavus' chance of success mostly boiled down to their ability to get the ball in the hands of Breitbach. A solid rushing attack would definitely make them a more dangerous competitor.

[art76]

Another bright spot (albeit, just after two games) is that BU is leading the nation in Rushing Defense with an average of -34.5 yards per game. If the D line can continue shutting down the run, the Johnnie offense could also become one dimensional. That's lots of ifs and buts. I'm hoping I can find parking as I am scheduled to work until noon. If you can believe the forecast out four days, it's supposed to be 84 and sunny on Saturday. It'll be a great day to take in a really good game between two contenders.

[BiggieSmalls]

Another bright spot (albeit, just after two games) is that BU is leading the nation in Rushing Defense with an average of -34.5 yards per game. If the D line can continue shutting down the run, the Johnnie offense could also become one dimensional. That's lots of ifs and buts. I'm hoping I can find parking as I am scheduled to work until noon. If you can believe the forecast out four days, it's supposed to be 84 and sunny on Saturday. It'll be a great day to take in a really good game between two contenders.

Few stats for comparison after only 2 games FWIW. SJU clearly with a much stronger game 2 opponent than Bethel so not an apples to apples comparison.

Rush Offense: Bethel/36th at 200.5/game and SJU/105th at 141.5/game
Rush Defense: Bethel/1st at -34.5/game and SJU/8th at 35.0/game

Pass Offense: Bethel/46th at 264.5/game and SJU/8th at 331.0/game
Pass Defense: Bethel/205th at 270.0/game and SJU/145th at 214.0/game

Total Offense: Bethel/29th at 465.0/game and SJU/25th at 472.5/game
Total Defense: Bethel/30th at 235.5/game and SJU/40th at 249.0/game

3rd Down Conversion % Offense: Bethel/92nd at 40.0% and SJU/4th at 61.9%
3rd Down Conversion % Defense: Bethel/97th at 35.5% and SJU/5th at 15.8%

Turnover Margin: Bethel/13th at +4 and SJU/44th at +2
Sacks: Bethel/9th at 9 and SJU/2nd at 11

[DuffMan]

...the Johnnie offense could also become one dimensional.

I mean, we're fairly used to having a one-dimensional offense. 

[AO]

WEEK 3 STANDINGS
You cannot view this attachment.
WEEK 4
Carleton @ Hamline (+10.5)
St. Scholastica (+35.5) @ Concordia
Gustavus @ Augsburg (+7.5)
#5 St. John's @ #24 Bethel (+10.5)
St. Olaf @ Macalester (+28.5)
#15 Carnegie Mellon @ Washington & Jefferson (+3.5)

[Ice Bear]

Another bright spot (albeit, just after two games) is that BU is leading the nation in Rushing Defense with an average of -34.5 yards per game. If the D line can continue shutting down the run, the Johnnie offense could also become one dimensional. That's lots of ifs and buts. I'm hoping I can find parking as I am scheduled to work until noon. If you can believe the forecast out four days, it's supposed to be 84 and sunny on Saturday. It'll be a great day to take in a really good game between two contenders.

Crazy number, even after only two games.

[hazzben]

Another bright spot (albeit, just after two games) is that BU is leading the nation in Rushing Defense with an average of -34.5 yards per game. If the D line can continue shutting down the run, the Johnnie offense could also become one dimensional. That's lots of ifs and buts. I'm hoping I can find parking as I am scheduled to work until noon. If you can believe the forecast out four days, it's supposed to be 84 and sunny on Saturday. It'll be a great day to take in a really good game between two contenders.

Crazy number, even after only two games.

UNW game skewed this severely, and UWEC clearly was all about passing, especially once they got behind. SJU will be a stiffer test for our rush D.

[GoldandBlueBU]

WEEK 3 STANDINGS
You cannot view this attachment.
WEEK 4
Carleton @ Hamline (+10.5)
St. Scholastica (+35.5) @ Concordia
Gustavus @ Augsburg (+7.5)
#5 St. John's @ #24 Bethel (+10.5)
St. Olaf @ Macalester (+28.5)
#15 Carnegie Mellon @ Washington & Jefferson (+3.5)

Yikes - I'm off to a brutal start.

Hard to figure out what to do with BU - SJU...I think it would probably have to be 14.5 to get me to go with BU.  Assuming a MIAC Championship re-match later this year, I think that game could have potential to be much closer. (not that SJU won't also improve over the year, but I think BU's gap, given a new QB, new coaching staff - is larger).  Hoping I'm wrong and BU can keep it close!

[art76]

I lifted Keith's top 12 from the latest top 25 discussion and put it below. To me, this is very refreshing to see because it shows me that the 25 pollsters that are casting ballots seem to be thinking through "the process" and trying to interpret results conscientiously. While the 25 may not agree "lock step" with their selections, when banded together into the poll, the conglomerate becomes statistically significant. Thanx to all that contribute. 

D3Keith Mod All Original 3 days ago

Mine, for comparison's sake:

1 Cortland
2 North Central
3 St. John's
4 UW-Oshkosh (beat Wheaton & Linfield, though crushed by D2 Michigan Tech.)
5 UW-La Crosse
6 Salisbury (three wins of 21+ over playoff-caliber programs)
7 Grove City (dominant vs. bad competition)
8 Susquehanna (just played Cortland to a near-draw)
9 Hardin-Simmons
10 Mary Hardin-Baylor
11 UW-Whitewater
12 Mount Union

[hazzben]

Stat that may interest only me. Jung for BU has now been named to the D3 TOTW 5 times if I'm reading things correctly. All time best are a handful of guys who had 6 or 7 weekly honors.

Jung is only a redshirt sophomore 

[Pat Coleman]

Not quite only you for sure -- it caught my eye when I was updating that list this week.

[repete]

Just when I was starting to like  "In the (d3) Huddle," they drop today's show.

Thought about doing a poll on what was worst:

1) "Augsberg"

2) Bethel's upset of SJU last year.

3) JB's hair product.