FB: Empire 8

[bleedpurple]

Dang - Mount Union just got Mount Unioned by Whitewater.  They lost by 38 points which is unheard of.  I think it's safe to assume that the matchup between the top 2 teams (this year) took place last week in Belton, TX between Whitewater and UMHB.  I personally felt after watching that game they were two evenly matched teams.  I also felt like Fisher wasn't too far behind either squad after seeing them stack up against Mary Hardin Baylor.  I know the final score was a 3 touchdown loss...but it was so definitely closer than that.  So frustrating that the final score doesn't reflect that!  Because people will forget in the future when just looking at the final score.  Especially when you are down 8 with a few minutes to go, our offense out gained them in yards, etc.  In hindsight I kind of wish we weren't calling timeouts late in the 4th quarter.  It gave UMHB the extra possession that they then scored the final touchdown on with a minute to go.  Don't get me wrong, Mary Hardin Baylor was the better team that day.  Their defense was pretty sweet.  But Fisher was no slouch.   

     

I think tonight's game was a bit of a fluke in the final score.  Obviously if Mount Union and Whitewater played 10 times UMU isn't getting blown out like that every time.  Especially when you consider that was their biggest loss in 4 decades.  But I do wonder how Fisher would have fared against Whitewater tonight.  It's fun to think about.  It's not out of the realm of possibility to suggest it could have been close, or at least closer.   

Maybe you need to watch the game again. There is nothing fluky about the final score and most Mount fans would agree. Except maybe that Mount could well have had only 7 points instead of 14. UW-W punched them in the mouth big time. Of course UMU doesn't get blown out THIS badly every time if they play 10 times. But that doesn't mean the final score of THIS game was a fluke.

I think a better question would be how Fisher would have fared against Mount Friday night. I have no idea. But they don't come close to UW-W. Not on that night they don't.

[Bombers798891]

Yeah, this wasn't a fluke. One dimensional teams don't often beat teams who are elite on both sides of the ball. And as crazy as that sounds, Mount's defense wasn't all that good once you look past the dregs of the OAC. They allowed 36 PPG to the seven NCAA playoff teams they played this season.

Here's a great stat: Mount Union gave up more points in their final three playoff games than Whitewater did all season.

Fisher could have given them a game and a half. Ithaca might have hung around a bit, given how they hung around at Wesley

[boobyhasgameyo]

That's what I meant.  If you kept playing them I doubt they would get blown out that badly every time.  I didn't mean to imply that Friday night's game itself could have went either way.  Thanks for telling us how Fisher would have fared though.  I was curious but you definitively answered the question. 

[bleedpurple]

That's what I meant.  If you kept playing them I doubt they would get blown out that badly every time.  I didn't mean to imply that Friday night's game itself could have went either way.  Thanks for telling us how Fisher would have fared though.  I was curious but you definitively answered the question.

I guess I did, didn't I? Didn't mean any disrespect. I'd ask that you cut me a little slack. I admit to being a bit euphoric after UW-W's performance on Friday night. 

[boobyhasgameyo]

No worries.  If Fisher won the national championship in monkey stomp fashion I would be on cloud nine for the rest of my days.  It was a really great and emphatic win. 

[Pat Coleman]

Mount's defense wasn't all that good once you look past the dregs of the OAC. They allowed 36 PPG to the seven NCAA playoff teams they played this season.

Agreed. The young OAC, with five new head coaches, was exposed a little bit in this year's playoffs. The OAC had already slid from 2 to 4 in Keith's conference rankings in October and I'd expect it will be lower when we do it again for Kickoff in August.

[D3viewer]

Hard to criticize a coach and team that went to the finals..BUT..since some are scrutinizing MU a little harder now. Here goes ..Is Vince Kehres "Tommy Boy ?"..only time will tell. "That's one apple who fell way off the tree". He chews gum like his father. He was the DC before (and we know how he got that job.) but being HC is different. HE is young and it looks like he is older than most of the main assistant coaches. They look almost all to be in their 20s.
Or a political spin/joke if you like..  " I knew Larry Kehres..and you sir...are not Larry Kehres."   Anyways..a few thoughts about him that crossed my mind. LK seemed a special coach with a unique style. Not sure if Vince has "it"..we'll see.

[jaypeter]

No, Vince is no Larry.  For all of our bluster, so much it came from the fact that we as fans had Larry Kehres on the sideline.  We've been saying for years, even as it became obvious that Vince was the heir apparent, that we did not know what to expect once Larry finally stepped down.  We recognize that nobody is likely to see that type of run of success (although Leipold is off to a good start).  We recognize how good we have had it.  Some fans even remember what it was like before this run. 

We didn't expect Vince to be Larry because we don't expect anybody to be Larry.  In some ways, Larry was so successful that it actually helps Vince.  Had Larry won "only" 3 or 4 championships, we might has expected the same no matter what.  Since he won 11(!), we have no expectation that Vince will be able to do the same.  Look at it this way...Vince lost one game this year and won 14.  In terms of average number of losses per season, he's already fallen behind his predecessor.  But, that doesn't mean that Vince wasn't ready or only got the job because he is the son of the former coach and current AD'.  He was the very good DC of the top program in the country for the previous 8 years...a unit that carried the team countless times. 

[wesleydad]

Dang - Mount Union just got Mount Unioned by Whitewater.  They lost by 38 points which is unheard of.  I think it's safe to assume that the matchup between the top 2 teams (this year) took place last week in Belton, TX between Whitewater and UMHB.  I personally felt after watching that game they were two evenly matched teams.  I also felt like Fisher wasn't too far behind either squad after seeing them stack up against Mary Hardin Baylor.  I know the final score was a 3 touchdown loss...but it was so definitely closer than that.  So frustrating that the final score doesn't reflect that!  Because people will forget in the future when just looking at the final score.  Especially when you are down 8 with a few minutes to go, our offense out gained them in yards, etc.  In hindsight I kind of wish we weren't calling timeouts late in the 4th quarter.  It gave UMHB the extra possession that they then scored the final touchdown on with a minute to go.  Don't get me wrong, Mary Hardin Baylor was the better team that day.  Their defense was pretty sweet.  But Fisher was no slouch.   

     

I think tonight's game was a bit of a fluke in the final score.  Obviously if Mount Union and Whitewater played 10 times UMU isn't getting blown out like that every time.  Especially when you consider that was their biggest loss in 4 decades.  But I do wonder how Fisher would have fared against Whitewater tonight.  It's fun to think about.  It's not out of the realm of possibility to suggest it could have been close, or at least closer.   

Maybe you need to watch the game again. There is nothing fluky about the final score and most Mount fans would agree. Except maybe that Mount could well have had only 7 points instead of 14. UW-W punched them in the mouth big time. Of course UMU doesn't get blown out THIS badly every time if they play 10 times. But that doesn't mean the final score of THIS game was a fluke.

I think a better question would be how Fisher would have fared against Mount Friday night. I have no idea. But they don't come close to UW-W. Not on that night they don't.

having been at the game and seeing how it played out I don't think Mount wins a game against this UWW if they played 10 times.  The score was close at half but the game was not.  UWW is better.  I don't think anyone other than UMHB would be close.  I know Linfield lead 17 - 0, not really sure how based on what I saw Friday, but they wilted under the pressure that UWW brings.  They are big and fast, more so than anyone I have seen all year.  Would Fisher have a chance, if you consider being in the game a chance, then yes they would.  Do I think they get beat as bad as Mount, possibly.

This Mount team was not that good in the end.  They were able to win games because the Qb was that good and refused to lose.  They have a lot of work to do to remain at the top of D3.

By the way, if Wesley had made the final they would have gotten beat just as bad as Mount.

[Mr. Ypsi]

wesleydad, I may be wrong (it does happen, once in a blue moon ), but I don't think NCC would have lost that badly.  It's impossible to know for sure, but under 'normal' conditions, I think NCC beats UMU (fortunately an increasingly severe 'blizzard' is not 'normal' conditions ).  (And they only lost by one, IN Alliance - isn't the usual rule of thumb that home field is worth 3+ points?)  I just think NCC matched up better (strength to strength and weakness to weakness) with UWW.  I doubt NCC would have won, but I think they would have still been very competitive in the 4th quarter.

All speculation - we will never know.

(BTW, I'm not even an NCC fan - I'm an IWU fan - but am a CCIW fan.)

[sjfcards]

I don't know if I will be back on the boards before tomorrow, so happy holidays to all the E8 posters. Enjoy!

[fisheralum91]

+k

Merry Christmas All!!

[wesleydad]

Merry Christmas to all the E8 fans.  Good season for Fisher and Ithaca.  Next year will be interesting to see if they can keep moving forward.

[Bombers798891]

Hope you fellas has a great Christmas!

I bought my father the 1988 Stagg Bowl DVD (Central vs. Ithaca) and we watched it. Fantastic experience. All the things that make it so 80's (mullets everywhere, no scoreboard on the screen) where great to watch. And, holy god, Ithaca's backfield might have been the greatest I've ever seen.

It's so weird because Mike Scott only had 298 regular-season carries as a Bomber, and Paul Parker probably less than that, since he only played one year. So it's really easy to see Scott buried on Ithaca's all-time lists and Parker almost nowhere to be found, and forget how good they were. But they were unreal. Ran for 300 yards in the game on just 37 carries, and Scott added an 84-yard kick return for a score.

And what's really cool is that they were in the backfield together. Heck, they're out there throwing blocks on the other guys' carries. That's just something you don't see anymore. This also led to a fantastic touchdown dance involving the two of them after one of Parker's scores. God, I miss the 80's

[Jonny Utah]

Hope you fellas has a great Christmas!

I bought my father the 1988 Stagg Bowl DVD (Central vs. Ithaca) and we watched it. Fantastic experience. All the things that make it so 80's (mullets everywhere, no scoreboard on the screen) where great to watch. And, holy god, Ithaca's backfield might have been the greatest I've ever seen.

It's so weird because Mike Scott only had 298 regular-season carries as a Bomber, and Paul Parker probably less than that, since he only played one year. So it's really easy to see Scott buried on Ithaca's all-time lists and Parker almost nowhere to be found, and forget how good they were. But they were unreal. Ran for 300 yards in the game on just 37 carries, and Scott added an 84-yard kick return for a score.

And what's really cool is that they were in the backfield together. Heck, they're out there throwing blocks on the other guys' carries. That's just something you don't see anymore. This also led to a fantastic touchdown dance involving the two of them after one of Parker's scores. God, I miss the 80's

Sadly bombers,  I don't think anyone who posts on these boards knows who these great players are (including the few IC posters left).  I've only heard stories, but know that Paul Parker is one of the best running backs in the history of IC.