FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[CNU85]

MC announces captains and new alternate uniform.
http://mcscots.com/sports/fball/2015-16/releases/201508201tuyic

Saw a picture of the haze top with white pants. Looks sharp.

Very nice!!

[hasanova]

Soup's ready!

Nineteenth annual Soup Bowl will be played September 5 at 7 pm in Jamieson Stadium at Grimsley HS in Greensboro (home field for the Greensboro College Pride).  Admission is usually free with a donation of nonperishable food items for a local food bank (I assume the same this year).  The two schools compete both on the field and to see which school raises the most donations.  Football, food and fun in this intracity rivalry now standing 10-8 in favor of the "visiting" Guilford College Quakers!

[Scots13]

I know we talked about this extensively last year, but good Lord Methodist. 224 players reporting to camp? 130, 150, 155 seems pretty normal for USAC teams these days. I saw NCWC had 190 and almost fell out of my chair.

224. That's literally enough for 10 strings.

[jknezek]

I know we talked about this extensively last year, but good Lord Methodist. 224 players reporting to camp? 130, 150, 155 seems pretty normal for USAC teams these days. I saw NCWC had 190 and almost fell out of my chair.

224. That's literally enough for 10 strings.

Got to keep the college lights on apparently. I can imagine after a few days of practice the coaches have narrowed down anyone with promise and the others just get limped along until they quit. There is no way you can have a coaching staff with the ability to work with all those kids. Not enough money for enough coaches.

159 freshman.  28 sophomores. 25 juniors. 12 seniors. Kids learn quick when they've been sold a bill of goods about their odds of playing...

[Hawks88]

I have to disagree with one thing in Kickoff. They make it seem like CNU was in the way of Huntingdon winning conference championships the last two years but that really wasn't the case as we beat them in '14 and didn't play them in '13. It was the losses to both Methodist and LaGrange both years that have kept us from at least sharing the title. Still can't figure out how we are 6-0 against LaGrange in games that have been non-conference games but 0-3 as conference foes. We are going to have to get that turned around soon.


Go Hawks!

[scottiedoug]

The idea that a D3 school would recruit and admit far more players than could ever play, take their money for at least one term (and maybe more), and "limp them along until they quit" does not offer a pretty picture.  If by chance any of those young men are from poor families and/or are African-American and they incur debt and experience some degree of failure, the practice is even more unseemly.

It is not an uncommon practice.  It is especially ironic when it is in place at "Christian" colleges and universities. 

[hasanova]

The Ferrum Panthers scrimmage the Quakers at 4 pm tomorrow, 27-August, at Armfield Stadium on Guilford's campus in Greensboro.  Yay, football!

[Scots13]

The Ferrum Panthers scrimmage the Quakers at 4 pm tomorrow, 27-August, at Armfield Stadium on Guilford's campus in Greensboro.  Yay, football!

Keep us posted if you're attending!

[hasanova]

The Ferrum Panthers scrimmage the Quakers at 4 pm tomorrow, 27-August, at Armfield Stadium on Guilford's campus in Greensboro.  Yay, football!

Keep us posted if you're attending!

I work about 30 miles from the game and have some duties later this afternoon, but I'll try to go and report later tonight.

[hasanova]

Guilford over Ferrum 22-0 @ half in scrimmage.  Quakers dominating so far ... one TD running, one TD passing, two FGs and a safety.

[hasanova]

GC 30-3 over FC in scrimmage ... Quakers solid on both sides ... rare 2 safeties.  I didn't see a lot of offensive threats out of Panthers, but, as expected, many players in for both sides.

[Scots13]

If they did the game in a full game format, then the 1's and 2's were in the first half, and the 22-0 score isn't surprising. Ready to see what happens in the OOC USAC/ODAC schedule.

[hasanova]

If they did the game in a full game format, then the 1's and 2's were in the first half, and the 22-0 score isn't surprising. Ready to see what happens in the OOC USAC/ODAC schedule.

That's pretty much the way it went.  I'm looking forward to the season.

[narch]

The idea that a D3 school would recruit and admit far more players than could ever play, take their money for at least one term (and maybe more), and "limp them along until they quit" does not offer a pretty picture.  If by chance any of those young men are from poor families and/or are African-American and they incur debt and experience some degree of failure, the practice is even more unseemly.

It is not an uncommon practice.  It is especially ironic when it is in place at "Christian" colleges and universities. 

and exactly why is incurring debt and experiencing some degree of failure unseemly specifically for african-americans? if they meet academic standards, want an education and want to take out loans for that investment, shouldn't they be allowed to just like their caucasian, asian, native-american and hispanic counterparts? i'm not sure why the color of skin is relevant in any way? do you think that BECAUSE they are african-american, they are more likely to experience failure?

many children in poor families are the most willing to take on loan debt for their education...because they realize that education is a way out - as a first-generation college student, i personally was more than willing to take on pretty significant debt...and i've never regretted it - because of my education, my life is very different from most others in my family...income, benefits, insurance, work-flexibility...you name it, i have it in spades vs. most in my family and it's all  because i've got a piece of paper - many of those poor and/or african-american kids will get that piece of paper that will allow them to break the cycle...i know MANY who have - some will not - it's sad, but there aren't many schools in the country where everyone who starts there gets a degree, and most students (poor and/or african-american or otherwise) incur some level of debt

mu has a full jv staff and a full jv schedule - i believe that every one of these kids knew exactly what he was getting into when he made the commitment - i don't believe that mu will "limp them along until they quit", as you say...why else make the commitment to a jv program? to be honest, i have a bigger issue with a school bringing in 130 - 150 with a staff of 6 - 8 and a half-assed jv program that is little more than a couple of glorified scrimmages than i do with a team bringing in 224 with 16 coaches and 9 jv games - not many schools can boast a 14:1 coach:player ratio, not many schools can tell kids they'll get 9 jv games, including 4 road games

the big roster model isn't for every school, but there are some pretty darn successful d3 programs that have similar models (see mt. union, as exhibit a) - i think as long as the model is supported with staff, facilities and a legitimate jv program, why not?

[jknezek]

the big roster model isn't for every school, but there are some pretty darn successful d3 programs that have similar models (see mt. union, as exhibit a) - i think as long as the model is supported with staff, facilities and a legitimate jv program, why not?

You can quote Mt. Union all you want but they don't have a 75% dropout rate. They have 75 on their first year roster and have 45 returning sophomores. I think that number is pretty steady, whether its because they have a cut down at either level I'm not sure, but the upshot is a 40% drop rate. I know Methodist had at least 125 first years last year and they have 28 sophomores. Justify it however you want, but that's atrocious. These kids know something is up, and the most likely thing is they were recruited to play and reality is they aren't going to. Every school has some drop, of course. I'd expect less than 50% of first years play as seniors, probably closer to 25-40%. But to lose 75% in year 1? No, the only thing that explains that is everyone with a pulse interested in playing football was told to come and recruited to play. Reality then set in.

The only benefit to the school for this strategy is the admission dollars. Are first years at Methodist required to be in dorms? Pay for a meal plan? Go to the 100 level classes which are always the largest classes? All this stuff goes away as they become upperclassmen. Colleges make their most money off first years, so having a ridiculous amount of first years is a sound business strategy, even if it takes a lot of story telling to get the kids on campus. Hopefully these kids, despite dropping football, stick around to get a degree. I'm guessing schools aren't going to release that information.

Is Methodist the only school to do this? Of course not. But the only way to defend is it to know that even if these kids drop football, they stick around for a degree. Hopefully that is the case.