FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[hasanova]

Got a question for current and former D3 players or parents of players.  My son left a 1-AA team this year because of the time requirements.  His day began with a 7:00 AM workout and generally didn't end until after study hall at 9:30PM.  Throw in games on Saturdays plus Sunday evening workouts and there was no time for anything but school and football.  What's a typical D3 player's day like?

I didn't play college football, but I played college soccer.  It's a commitment regardless of the sport ... and regardless of the NCAA classification. 

We typically practiced about 2 1/2 hours on days we didn't have a game and were expected to do a lot of running and conditioning on our own or with teammates all year round.  Most college soccer programs play 18-25 games or so, depending on playoffs.  Often, a little over half of those are typically road games ... and, unlike football, many are mid-week.  You just have to learn to manage your time and prioritize:  read on the bus while you travel, schedule time in the library away from all the noise in the dorms, etc.  I always remember something Coach Lou Holtz said about his priority order for a college athlete:

God, family, studies, football and social life.

Now, it's up to every person to make their own choices and I'm not sure a DI football HC always truly believes football is 4th, but I guess it sounds good to a recruit's family.  lol 

It's four years - if you want it, you just have to learn to adapt ... and that's as true in DIII as it is in DI.  Good luck to your son.

[georgiahokie]

Thanks for the great responses.  I assumed it was similar but have seen articles about people leaving D1 to play D3 due to the time committment and was curious about the reality.  You gotta love the game to play.

[allsky7]

Thanks for the great responses.  I assumed it was similar but have seen articles about people leaving D1 to play D3 due to the time committment and was curious about the reality.  You gotta love the game to play.

   
     When there is an athletic scholarship involved, in effect, you are being paid to play a sport. When someone is paying you to do anything, dynamics and expectations are a bit different. That doesn't mean that the commitment is any less but perhaps a little different. On one level, if you are being paid to play, there might be a sense of obligation to be committed. However, I also think you could make a sound argument that playing on the D3 level takes even more of a commitment. There are fewer resources and systems in place at the D3 level so you must be more adept at time management, discipline, etc. It is cliche, but you really do play for the love of the game. IMO, either way, your heart better be in it or it probably won't work.  8)

[crazylegs33]

Last time CNU met W&J:

"Washington & Jefferson earned the victory despite being outgained by a 454-181 margin"

Turnovers kill. That game made me sick.

If any current CNU players are reading this, think about the way you felt after that game. Let it sink in. Let it linger inside and piss you off. Let it build up so much rage that when you step on the field saturday, W&J will begging for the game to be over. Hit em in the mouth. Knock em down. Put the QB in the dirt every play. Hit anyone that even thinks about catching the ball. Im talking big, nasty, bone shattering hits that will make them think twice about catching a pass ten years from now. I want our fullbacks being the meanest SOBs those linebackers have ever seen. Im not talking about just giving them a head ache. I want em hurting so bad they can barely walk the next day. I'm talking about mean and nasty, smash mouth football. Everybody. Every Play. 60 minutes.

Saturday we get our REVENGE.

[narch]

georgiahokie - it seems like a few have decided to rip your son a bit, but there is NO QUESTION that the off-season and even in-season TIME commitment for a d3 student-athlete typically isn't what it is for a d1 athlete - that's part of the reason that d3 exists....to give student-athletes who want a more balanced experience that opportunity - it's not fair for anyone to rip him and suggest that he play intramural flag football because he wants to have a life outside of football and have time to enjoy the college experience off the field

i agree with allsky's assesment of personal commitment, however...if your son isn't sure that he's "all-in" for playing college football, then he shouldn't play college football

it's important that he really explore why he stopped playing...is it because he lost the passion for football or did he truly feel like football was interfering with the other reasons he was in college (ie: academics, etc.) - if his answer is the latter, a d3 school might be a good fit...if it's the former, then intramural flag-football might be just what the dr. ordered

[narch]

time for my annual evaluation of the all-conference selections:

starting with qb (this might really get the crazyone riled up...i'm using STATS [conference only] to compare players...imagine using individual statistics to compare individual performance ):
jordan is a clear-cut first teamer...he had a fantastic year and probably would have been opoty if tunde ogun hadn't been so beastly

gotta disagree on the gc qb as a 2nd teamer...he put up big yardage numbers but his completion rate was barely over 50% and he threw just 7 td's in 290 conference attempts...not good - when gc and mu played, i don't think more than 3 or 4 balls went beyond 10 yards in the air...everything was a short crossing route or a screen - lowe had 8 catches for 20 yards in the first half, if that tells you how often they went deep - i had him pegged as a 3rd teamer

also gotta disagree on hunt as a 3rd teamer - he threw for 70+ ypg less than teague and had a lower completion rate than teague, as well...but teague isn't an all-conference qb, in my book...i would have put mayo in as my 2nd team all-conference qb - he threw as many td's as hunt (5) in 80 fewer attempts and didn't have a single int...additionally, he was the 6th leading rusher in conference with 447 yards (6.6 ypc) and 3 td's - when you total his rushing and passing attempts he had just 30 total yards less than hunt on a team that finished 2nd in the conference

rb - can't disagree with any of those picks

fb - it's hard to argue against any of the three picked, but i've gotta give big props to jason layton from mu...that kid crushes people...he's a 3a-teamer

wr - this is where i'm really confused:
webb is a no-brainer as a first teamer and i understand that torrey lowe is a guy you have to account for, despite averaging just 8.6 ypc...i can live with them both as first teamers - if lowe had a qb and system that got him down field, he'd be the best in the conference

the 2nd teamers just mystify me...maybe they're great blockers or something...idlette was 5th in the conference in receiving yards and catches, yet he's a 2nd teamer?  spradlin was 7th in yardage and wasn't even in the top 10 in receptions and he's a 2nd teamer, as well?  both had just 2 td's (fewer than at least 4 other receivers) - i clearly think that chris peoples had a much better season than either of those guys - he was 2nd in the conference in yards/game and third in receptions/game while hauling in 4 td's and catching passes at a 15.2 ypc clip...and he was an adequate blocker - squallini would have been a better choice as a 2nd teamer, as well, based on the td's alone (5), but his yardage numbers (334) and ypc (10.5) weren't as attractive as idlette and spradlin...i can live with him as a 3rd teamer, but i just don't understand how peoples is a 3rd team guy

the rest of the offense is agreeable, to me

on the defensive side i was a little surprised to see glover as a 2nd teamer - i know he made a lot of tackles, but on that defense he made a lot of plays 5-7 yards down field...i thought he'd be a 3rd teamer, but i wasn't overly impressed with the way crowder played against mu (again, lots of tackles down field) and he was a 1st teamer, so maybe that's about right

bartee might have been a 1st team guy if he hadn't been injured the last 2 games of the season...he was really the brightest spot for mu on defense, although i think there are a couple of young lineman (doyne, covar, mewborn, especially) and a few young db's (mcmillan) who played well late in the season...maybe the fact that they started to come on late is a good sign for the monarchs

[CNU85]

Personally, I think Jake Preli should be in the mix at FB for an all-conference selection. In fact, I would have him ahead of Barnes. Preli didn't go out to catch the ball....but he was like another lineman. At 5-9 250 lbs he did some damage when he hit somebody, clearing the way for Ogun.

[SaintsFAN]

Last time CNU met W&J:

"Washington & Jefferson earned the victory despite being outgained by a 454-181 margin"

Turnovers kill. That game made me sick.

If any current CNU players are reading this, think about the way you felt after that game. Let it sink in. Let it linger inside and piss you off. Let it build up so much rage that when you step on the field saturday, W&J will begging for the game to be over. Hit em in the mouth. Knock em down. Put the QB in the dirt every play. Hit anyone that even thinks about catching the ball. Im talking big, nasty, bone shattering hits that will make them think twice about catching a pass ten years from now. I want our fullbacks being the meanest SOBs those linebackers have ever seen. Im not talking about just giving them a head ache. I want em hurting so bad they can barely walk the next day. I'm talking about mean and nasty, smash mouth football. Everybody. Every Play. 60 minutes.

Saturday we get our REVENGE.

Hitting Swallow is part of the plan to success... play physical upfront and take away the running game... cover 3 behind it. 

Swallow is damn good though...

[kickerdad]

Last time CNU met W&J:

"Washington & Jefferson earned the victory despite being outgained by a 454-181 margin"

Turnovers kill. That game made me sick.

If any current CNU players are reading this, think about the way you felt after that game. Let it sink in. Let it linger inside and piss you off. Let it build up so much rage that when you step on the field saturday, W&J will begging for the game to be over. Hit em in the mouth. Knock em down. Put the QB in the dirt every play. Hit anyone that even thinks about catching the ball. Im talking big, nasty, bone shattering hits that will make them think twice about catching a pass ten years from now. I want our fullbacks being the meanest SOBs those linebackers have ever seen. Im not talking about just giving them a head ache. I want em hurting so bad they can barely walk the next day. I'm talking about mean and nasty, smash mouth football. Everybody. Every Play. 60 minutes.

Saturday we get our REVENGE.

Hitting Swallow is part of the plan to success... play physical upfront and take away the running game... cover 3 behind it. 

Swallow is damn good though...

Its called playing with "reckless abandonment" for 60 minutes. (not a second less).

Good luck Captains.

[roocru]

Kickerdad,

It looks like you've got that quote thing down!   

[footballfan12]

All of you CNU fans, I am wondering how you rank this years CNU team vs. the CNU teams of the past that played against W&J? I have seen all of the past team plays and I am just wondering what you guys think. I feel that your team in 2006 was pretty scary both on the offensive side and defensive side.

Also, I believe that this years W&J team has a much better defense than in the past. The offense has a great QB but not one individual is the key to the offense. I think this is one of the most balanced W&J teams in awhile.

Also, I have heard some ranting about how this is about revenge.. I would love to hear some predictions on the game?

[crazylegs33]

Narch,

maybe they factored in the special teams impact Spradlin brought to the game? Im not sure. I know in the games I saw, he had a significant impact on the game. He is a good blocker as well.


Football Fan,

CNU is good this year. Better than years past? I don't know. While we did go undefeated in conference for the 1st time, we also look a lot different than past CNU teams. As always we are a very physical team. Other than that, you will have to get the rest of the details we you see us on the field.

[Bishop64]

Congrats to Bo Jordan and the other All Conference selections. Good Luck to CNU this Saturday. You know who W&J will be keying on, so surprise us with a passing game. Concentrate on wide outs... We'll be pulling for you all the way. Represent the USAC Well, guys.........

[CNU85]

Football Fan,

Not sure I can rank this year's CNU team against previous years. This team is different.  This year's team is hard to explain. They just win.

[moshergc9]

I just ready that GC will announce its new coach friday.

I was on the team last time they had a coach search.

It took two months.  Must be In House.

Roll Pride