FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[CNU85]

CNU85 - well thought out, reasoned response.

I think 85 might have been being a bit facetious!

ya think?

[musupporter]

You seem like you are up to speed on things so maybe you can answer a question for me.  Since the new way of doing things is walk throughs, helmet only practice, no contact, and basically "preparing for the next game", how is it a coach uses this level of competition to determine one player is suddenly better than another?  Is it really possible to gauge a players ability at this low level of intensity or is it just who the coaches favorite is for the week?  Not being a wise guy, just wondering.

Even as far back as 10 years ago, when I played my senior year at Thomas More, we had Mondays like this.  They were much needed.  It WAS a change from the previous coaching regime ... our previous head coach was there from 1990-1998. 

I think we hosted Methodist that year also, in KY.  My memory is foggy without looking it up because a few of my OL had no business being in the starting lineup and as a result --- concussions were the theme for my junior and senior seasons.

Thanks for all the feed back.  I guess the point I was trying to make is that with all the glaring problems MU is trying to overcome, off days just seem like time that could be spent trying to fix things.  I know I heard "their killing us with all this practice"  more times than I can count.  In the beginning of the season, MU was awful on both sides of the ball.  Now the offense is getting things done and the defense can't stop the run.  The skill set required for a successful program is something that has to worked on week in and week out.  MU doesn't have the gas in the tank to finish the race.  There are ways to fix this.  It just has to be done.

musupporter,

What happened to Jerry McCombs who transferred from Averett to Methodist and coached there a couple of years. I thought I saw him post on here one time this year but don't see his name on the coaches list any more. Do you know where he went or is he still at Methodist.

I am not sure where he went.  He is not at Methodist and I have not seen him on here either since he gave me what for when I questioned coaching philosophies.  I think he logged on as usaguruor something like that

[WFU34]

CNU alums - we can continue going around on the "discussion" which started out by my opinion/observation was that while CNU has established an outstanding record in conference since 2000 - it hasn't translated into being considered a contender for a national title as of yet.

No one is agruing with the goals and aspirations of the program to accomplish that.  It's a worthly goal.  I believe the writer of the article today on the website made a similar observation, that at this point in time, CNU's nonconference record has been less than stellar.

As former players of the program, you've obviously have an emotional investment into the program (as well you should) and take a great deal of pride in the part you played in building your program.  I have the same attachment to the college programs I played and coached at.  In this case, I just look at the numbers.

Let's just say we see things thru different paradigms and leave it at that. 

[Allen C]

Here are the Pick Em games for this week




Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport

Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

[Allen C]

Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport

Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

Tough week for the visiting teams.

[Bishop64]

Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport
Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

[AUPOP]

NCW

CNU

AU ( need to put pedal to metal on offense and keep it there)

Greensboro

[narch]

Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport

Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

[crazylegs33]

WFU34,

Here are some words which you may have forgotten that you typed. When referring to CNU:

"Out of conference is now 14 - 21 or .400 winning percentage and there aren't any Mt. Unions on that schedule."

I take issue with this line. Mary Hardin Baylor is one of the BEST year in and year out. At least a 3rd of the other teams were ranked in the top 10. 50% in the top 25 of 225+ teams. That means we were playing a team in the top 10% half the time. Further more there is only one Mt Union. So the fact that you suggest a team could play multiple Mt Union caliber teams shows that you are unfamiliar with D3 football and its ruling powers. I challenge you to find one person on this board who is willing to call CNU's out of conference schedule weak.

Your quote has the numbers right but but you gotta check the names on the schedule before you say who was on it. We played some of the best. We beat some of the best. I'll wrap it up because I know you will only read what you want anyway.


Your response?

[WFU34]

Crazylegs - no one is saying CNU's out of conference record has been weak.  However, to achieve CNU's aspirations and expectations (at least those who post here) of being a contender for a national title year in and year out, some of those nonconference games need to be won.

While CNU has played an ambitious nonconference schedule and no doubt that playing those games has helped you in conference play.  Playing Mary Hardin Baylor and beating them once is a tremendous accomplishment, and CNU should take pride in that.  However, winning a game like that does not necessarily put a program on the national map if the recent overall body of work doesn't have similar results. 

An analogy to the MHBC victory that might resonate with you is that Mississippi beat Florida last year but it is extremely doubtful that anyone is equating that program on the same level of Florida in competing for a national championship year in and year out.  Once Mississippi was a considered a national power and it might be again over time but not right now.   As time goes on, that victory will carry less significance if they don't leverage that win with future victories against top competition (and this year they haven't).

Florida on the other hand has maintained it over the last several years and is always in the discussion with the South Cal's, Alabama's, Texas', and Oklahoma's of the world.   Equating that to the DIII world, that's like being mentioned in the same breathe as Mt. Union, UW-Whitewater, Wesley, Rowan, etc.

The numbers say that you've got a .400 winning percentage in those nonconference games and a lower one in playoff games (but at least CNU's had the opportunity to play in them, which is acknowledged that many of other teams in the conference haven't and would welcome the chance to have the same record). 

I'm not saying that any of the other USAC teams would have done any better with such a nonconference schedule, Averett learned that with the several games it played against Mt. Union and Wesley for example.  Possibly CNU's  success in nonconference games will change in the near future thus bringing it into the debate regarding national championship contenders (and that again, is not to say you shouldn't have those goals within the program).

You could make a comparision to Ohio State.  They typically dominate the Big 10 year in and year out, just as CNU has with the USAC.  But their performance against non-conference foes, i.e., PAC-10 or SEC has not been as successful in recent years.  That is why, despite playing the LSU's USC's, Texas's, etc., their performance, i.e., wins, against those teams has not been that good.  Until they demonstate that they can beat those types of teams consistantly, they are now not viewed as a true contender (even though they recently played in a couple of on BSC title games).

[kickerdad]

Results from Week 9 PickEms as follows:

AUPOP                                4-0
Moshergc9                          1-0 (only picked the Greensboro game)
Narch                                 2-1 (didn't pick the Greensboro game)
ProudFightingScot                2-2
Allen-C                               2-2
Kickerdad                            2-2
WFU34                               2-2
NaturalSelection                  2-2
Crazyleggs33                       Did Not Pick
Rockett                              Did Not Pick
GC Gullett                           Did Not Pick

Bishop64                             1-3

[WFU34]

Picks:

NCWU
CNU
AU
Greensboro

[kickerdad]

Totals for the year thru Week 9

Allen-C                                     29-19
ProudFightingScot                      28-20
Kickerdad                                  25-23
AUPOP                                      24-16
Bishop64                                   22-19
Narch                                       16-14
Crazyleggs33                               9-9
WFU34                                       8-8
Moshergc9                                  5-3
Rockett                                      4-4
NaturalSelection                           2-2
GC Gullett                                   6-7

[kickerdad]

Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport

Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

[NaturalSelection]

Shenandoah @ NC Wesleyan

Maryville @ Christopher Newport

Averett @ Ferrum

Methodist @ Greensboro

This week is a must win for averett to keep their hopes alive for a chance at conference. i also think methodist may win if their offense plays like they did against greensboro but with their defense i dont think it will matter. Greensboro is too much for a young and poorly coached methodist defense. you cant rely on your offense to outscore every opponent, defense has to do something.