FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Toph]

Is there a chance that Bethel can defeat the almight purple raiders? 

As long as two teams take the field, there's always a chance.  In this case, I'd give Bethel the slimmest of chances.  If the offensive line is as good as advertised, it should make for an interesting matchup, as nobody has come close to shutting down Mount's front four.  The MUC D is averaging 4.3 sacks a game!

Bethel can stay in it the same way that I said SJF could stay in it.  
1.  Keep that offense off the field.  Have long scoring drives that eat up clock.
2.  Don't get behind early.  As SJF found out last week, things can snowball when you get down early against the Raiders.  With a run first offense and a QB (if Wetzell is out) that has only thrown 45 passes this year, if the Royals have to abandon the run, they're cooked.  If Mount comes out and scores 3 touchdowns on their first three posessions again...see you in Salem.
3.  Win the turnover battle.  Mount doesn't make many mistakes with the ball (+17 in TO ratio), but when they do, take advantage.  MUC TO's must turn into Bethel points.
4.  Contain Nate Kmic.  If you can do that, please let the rest of the country know how.  The problem, however, is that MUC has so many offensive weapons.  It's not often that Kmic rushes for less than 100 yards, but when he does, there are always other guys to pick up the slack.
5.  Keep the Mount D out of the backfield.  Again, easier said than done.  I said earlier, 4.3 sacks per game, and if the Raiders dominate the trenches as they usually do, this game is over.
6.  Don't commit stupid penalties.  Mount Union's biggest (maybe only) flaw is they are prone to committing penalties.  Don't do the same.  The Raiders won't need help moving the ball, or moving you back.

Finally, don't let your players get caught up in the Mount Union mystique.  As much as I've heard opponents say that it doesn't have an effect, walking in to the stadium and seeing National Championship banners in every corner, seeing (and in some cases hearing) Mount Union fans who expect to dominate game in and game out, and hearing Larry Kehres' record announced over the PA (259-20-3) has to be somewhat unnerving.

Raiderfan-Augie is the school you're looking for.

[Rugman]

Is there a chance that Bethel can defeat the almight purple raiders? 

As long as two teams take the field, there's always a chance.  In this case, I'd give Bethel the slimmest of chances.  If the offensive line is as good as advertised, it should make for an interesting matchup, as nobody has come close to shutting down Mount's front four.  The MUC D is averaging 4.3 sacks a game!

Bethel can stay in it the same way that I said SJF could stay in it.  
1.  Keep that offense off the field.  Have long scoring drives that eat up clock.
2.  Don't get behind early.  As SJF found out last week, things can snowball when you get down early against the Raiders.  With a run first offense and a QB (if Wetzell is out) that has only thrown 45 passes this year, if the Royals have to abandon the run, they're cooked.  If Mount comes out and scores 3 touchdowns on their first three posessions again...see you in Salem.
3.  Win the turnover battle.  Mount doesn't make many mistakes with the ball (+17 in TO ratio), but when they do, take advantage.  MUC TO's must turn into Bethel points.
4.  Contain Nate Kmic.  If you can do that, please let the rest of the country know how.  The problem, however, is that MUC has so many offensive weapons.  It's not often that Kmic rushes for less than 100 yards, but when he does, there are always other guys to pick up the slack.
5.  Keep the Mount D out of the backfield.  Again, easier said than done.  I said earlier, 4.3 sacks per game, and if the Raiders dominate the trenches as they usually do, this game is over.
6.  Don't commit stupid penalties.  Mount Union's biggest (maybe only) flaw is they are prone to committing penalties.  Don't do the same.  The Raiders won't need help moving the ball, or moving you back.

Finally, don't let your players get caught up in the Mount Union mystique.  As much as I've heard opponents say that it doesn't have an effect, walking in to the stadium and seeing National Championship banners in every corner, seeing (and in some cases hearing) Mount Union fans who expect to dominate game in and game out, and hearing Larry Kehres' record announced over the PA (259-20-3) has to be somewhat unnerving.

Raiderfan-Augie is the school you're looking for.

Probability of #1 25%, #2 50%, #3 25%, #4 25%, #5 25%, #6 50%, Not getting caught up in MUC mystique 90%:  Probability of all happening = .1% or 1 out of a thousand.  (and no I won't take dollar bets and pay off at one thousand)

Anyone who actually got past FR Calculus, feel free to correct my arithmetic here.  Probably should have weights on each factor in addition to probabilities.

[onearmedscot]

BU5758-
Would love a ride to Alliance but I am calling the UWW/MHB game as a guest of BU alum and UWW AD Paul Plinske.  I'm hoping he gets to watch his current team battle his former team in the Stagg!!  If it happens, I'll be there.

Who do the Turnquists cheer for this game?  Interesting.

Redtooth--I'm honored that my playing career is still referenced in rebuttals to my posts.  I certainly know what it feels like to be behind.  The point of my post was to try to get TDT to come out and just say congrats BU, go get 'em.  I just don't think he can admit BU is a better team this year than St. John's. 

Thanks for the comments on the webcast.  Fun to do it with Pat.  ( hour drive home, not so much fun.  Luckily we had the top 100 songs of every year since I was born in Ryan Coleman's iPOD.

-oAs  aka wet balls.

[cobbernation]

A little off of D-III football with this post.  After watching the entire monday night game last night, it looks like the patriots got some touchy calls towards the end of the game.  Not sure what to make of all the official comments made by ravens players but I don't think the patriots won the game.  Yes a win for the pats, but a moral victory for the ravens.

Anyone think officials are caught up in the pursuit to perfection to where they alter calls to benefit the pats?

[onearmedscot]

CONSPIRACY THEORY...that's a stretch.  After the NBA ref scandal I think refs want to play as little a role as possible.

Looks like the football high on BU's campus has affected the hoops team.  Unanimous pick to win the MIAC and they sit at 0-2.

Maybe they will copy the football team--lose the first couple and run the table all the way to the final four.  eh, doubt it.

oAs.

[retagent]

Kubes - It's not necessarily a rip on them, more a rip on ESPN. If you have an ACADEMIC All America team, maybe the ACADEMIC part should be important. I would hazard a guess, an educated guess, that some majors are more difficult to master than others. We need all sorts in this world, and I'm not making judgements on character or human worth, just acadamic rigor. (and spritual growth?)

As an aside, most of the recipients of this honor seem to pursue rigorous fields.

[DustySJU]

Holy Crap.....

Had our Golf League Christmas Party last night, and am struggling with a Level 2 right now! 

Have to present our school crisis plan to the staff at 7:30, but still trying to revive my liver

Holy Crap;  I begged my Bethel buddie for a seat on his private plane to the game on Saturday.... it's time to revive my brain! 

Developing....

[BU5758]

 Re: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
« Reply #38981 on: Yesterday at 10:31:23 pm » 

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Any Bethel fan looking for a ride to Alliance on Thursday coming back on Sunday or Monday?

Correction: Any Bethel fan looking for a ride FROM MPLS/ST.PAUL to Alliance, leaving early Thurs AM, returning Sunday or Monday?

[rscl70]

As far as the "eat up the clock" gameplan goes... there was a team a few years back who played Mount in the playoffs (I am drawing a blank right now on what school that was) who ran a possession offense.  If memory serves me, they attempted less than 5 passes a game the entire season and came into Mount and got destroyed.  Any posters on here who remember what I'm talking about and can help me out with the school, I'd appreciate it (Toph, this is usually your area of expertise).  With Mount's quick strike ability, I really don't think that possession offense is going to do the trick.  If you can keep the game close, then possession is a good plan, but you are putting an awful lot of pressure on your defense when using that gameplan.   

1999 vs. Augustana.  Mount had the ball less than 12 minutes.  Won the game 42-33.

[tmerton]

Want to join all the others in wishing raiderguy a speedy recovery.   And good luck to MUC and Bethel this weekend.  To quote the great orator, Tyronne Willingham, it's great to be playing in December - it means good things are happening for your program.  (Strangely, Ty was talking about UW's last game of the regular season (which they lost), so his statement was something of a head-scratcher when he made it - but it actually does apply in this case.)

[onearmedscot]

A little help for Steve Johnson to fire up the ROyals, thanks to Lou Holtz

oAs.

[AO]

I can't manage to get the link to work oas.

[tmerton]

I can't manage to get the link to work oas.

Same here.

[onearmedscot]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tUebmJjDuu8

[finsleft]

The ice fishing season is officially started, having spent the last 4 days on the lake. Fishing was pretty good. We get our news a little late up there, so sometime Sunday afternoon I discovered that Bethel beat Central. Congratulations Royals. Good luck Saturday, you'll need it.