FB: Midwest Conference

[fulbakdad]

Hey everyone.  We're on the road tomorrow at 0400, (4am for you civilains!) heading to Chicago.  Start of camp is Sunday.  It's starting all over again!  And I can't wait.

Hope everyone else is as excited as we are.

[scottie]

Drive safely, everyone.  As F-Dad would say, stay in between the lines.   

[Maverick]

Drive safely, everyone.  As F-Dad would say, stay in between the lines.   

+k for you scottie.

[fulbakdad]

Just got back from our Chicago trip.  Saw the team and the energy and I am definately excited for the season to start. 

Scottie, of course I stayed between the lines.  Is there any other way?  Oh yeah, if I played for that other team, I would have been hovering in the breakdown lane in case I saw a bad guy, so I could duck off!

[scottie]

Let's see....when is Monmouth's Homecoming?  Oct 12-14.  Who do we play??  Lake Forest.

I N T E R E S T I N G . . . . .   V E R Y   I N T E R E S T I N G .......

[rome]

From the MWC site:



RIPON, Wis. – The 2011 Midwest Conference (MWC) Championship came down to the wire between Monmouth and Illinois Col. with the Fighting Scots claiming the title and much of the same is expected this season as both were favored to win the conference in the 2012 MWC Preseason Football Coaches Poll. The Fighting Scots and Blueboys each earned 93 points to headline a field of teams that welcomes back a familiar face in 2012.

Monmouth earned five first place votes while Illinois Col. captured four to edge out St. Norbert (85 points) and Carroll (72) who each had a first place vote each and were ranked third and fourth, respectively. Ripon was tabbed for fifth with 64 points while Lake Forest (50) and Grinnell (47) were separated by only three points for sixth place. Beloit (37), Cornell (33), Lawrence (16) and Knox (15) round out the poll.

Cornell rejoins the league after playing for the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) since 1997. The Rams are a charter member of the MWC and won at least a share of the MWC Championship in 12 different years, the last coming in 1995.

There will be plenty of fresh faces on the field this season as only 29 of the 69 All-MWC award winners return which include the loss of both the Offensive Player of the Year Alex Tanney (Monmouth) and the Defensive Player of the Year Mike Dziewit (Carroll). Headlining the returnees is Monmouth running back Trey Yocum who led the league in rushing and Knox linebacker Mike Hendrick who led all of Division III in tackling last year with 15.7 tackles per game. Other All-MWC First Team award winners coming back this year are Cecil Brimmage (Illinois Col., RB), Keith Lane (Illinois Col., OL), Jacob Gahart (Ripon, K), Keith Hunter (Illinois Col, RS), Josh Zank (Carroll, DL), Austin Arts (St. Norbert, DB) and Brik Wedekind (Monmouth, P).

Voting is done by the MWC head football coaches. Each coach votes for the ten other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (ten points for first, nine for second, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own teams.


2012 MWC Football Preseason Coaches Poll

Place   Team (First Place Votes)   Points
t1    Monmouth (5)    93
t1    Illinois Col. (4)    93
3    St. Norbert (1)    85
4    Carroll (1)    72
5    Ripon    64
6    Lake Forest    50
7    Grinnell    47
8    Beloit    37
9    Cornell    33
10    Lawrence    16
11    Knox    15
































Team Previews:

t1.  Monmouth Fighting Scots 
2011 Record: 10-2, 9-0
Base Offense: No Huddle Multiple 
Base Defense:  Multiple
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense): 2/2

Monmouth and Head Coach Steve Bell enter the 2012 season as reigning MWC Champions and aim for the schools fourth football championship in the last five years. Last season the Fighting Scots rolled through the conference schedule without a blemish before falling to St. Thomas in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs. Monmouth will have to retool as the team will be without record setting quarterback Alex Tanney and league leading receiver Mike Blodgett. Tanney, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, threw for 3,867 yards and 38 touchdowns and have an experience quarterback in Brik Wedekind who completed 9-of-13 passes for 118 yards. Despite losing Blodgett (126 rec, 1,867 yards, 18 TD) the Scots return  Austin Peterson (28 rec, 447 yards, five TD) and Spencer Brown (27 rec, 406 yards, four TD) to lead a strong receiving core. While Monmouth went to the air they also were able to pound the ball on the ground as Trey Yocum averaged almost 120 yards per contest and scored 21 rushing touchdowns, both tops in the MWC. With the offense earning the accolades the defense was just as strong finishing in the top three in the league in both scoring defense and passing defense. Ryan Flannigan and Jacob Wilson each had five interceptions for a defense that led the league in that category with 21.

t1.  Illinois C. Blueboys   
2011 Record: 9-2, 8-1
Base Offense:  Spread Coast 
Base Defense:  4-3
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  4/2

Garret Campbell and the Blueboys became the first team in MWC history to earn an at large bid to the NCAA Playoffs in 2011 after a nine win regular season where the team's only loss came to conference champion Monmouth. Illinois Col. had the second best offensive team in the league behind the third best rushing attack and fourth best passing game. Michael Bates threw for 3,129 yards (second in MWC) with 30 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions all while completing almost 62% of his passes. Despite the loss of leading receiver Brock Thompson (75 rec, 952 yards, 13 TD) the Blueboys welcome back Colin Duling (42 rec, 689 yards, six TD) and Kevin Wallace (36 rec, 469 yards, one TD) to lead the passing attack. Cecil Brimmage will once again carry the load in the running game after averaging just over 100 yards a game in 2011 (third in MWC), rushing for 1,101 yards and scoring 11 rushing touchdowns. Carter Cox made 86 tackles which included eight tackles for loss while defensive back Dylan DeFauw had five interceptions and seven pass breakups and 57 tackles in 2011.


3.  St. Norbert Green Knights 
2011 Record: 7-3, 7-2
Base Offense:  Multiple-I   
Base Defense:  4-2
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense): 2/3

The Green Knights finished with seven wins in 2011 and fell two games short of winning back-to-back MWC Championships under Jim Purtill who enters his 14th season. The Green Knights used a stifling defense to lead the way as they led the conference in total defense (314.1 yards/game), rush defense (76.3 yards/game) and scoring defense (16.1 points per game).The defense held opponents under 100 team rushing yards seven times last season while limiting two teams to negative rushing yards. Adam Nitsche made 56 tackles with two sacks while Justin Johnson intercepted five passes in his freshman year with 49 tackles. On the offensive side of the ball the Green Knights have to replace graduated quarterbacks Mike Fabrizio and Kevin Hansen as no other quarterback on the roster threw a pass in 2011. Craig Fagan returns as the top ball carrier after finishing the year with 718 yards on 140 carries and scored three touchdowns while Austin Williams carried the ball 40 times for 267 yards and four touchdowns. Joe Green will be the top target for St. Norbert after hauling in 63 passes for 911 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.


4.  Carroll Pioneers   
2011 Record: 7-3, 6-3
Base Offense:  Pro   
Base Defense:  4-2-5
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  0/3

Mark Krzykowski enters his first season at the helm of the Carroll football program and brings back one of the best defenses in the league. The Pioneers finished second in total defense last season giving up just shy of 340 yards of total offense per game while leading the league in pass defense. Defensive end Josh Zank topped all defensive players with ten sacks and was second with 15.5 tackles for loss to go along with 55 tackles. Marcus Radue and Neal Layng anchor the defensive backfield after each intercepting three passes and breaking up four more last season. On the offensive side of the ball the Pioneers have to replace the conference's second leading rusher, Joe Beckstrand, after he accounted for over 103 yards per game on the ground and 12 touchdowns. Justin Butterfield will be under center after throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns while also coming back as the team's leading.

[rome]

5.  Ripon Red Hawks   
2011 Record: 6-4, 5-4
Base Offense:  Slot Bone   
Base Defense:  3-3-5
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  1/0

Ripon finished the 2011 season with a 6-4 record behind one of the best running games in the nation and a strong defense and will strive for the school's first MWC Championship since the 2001 season under 22 year Head Coach Ron Ernst. The Red Hawks averaged 337 yards on the ground per game last season and had six games with 350 or more rushing yards highlighted by rushing for 455 yards in a win over Lawrence on November 5, 2011. In 2012 the Red Hawks will have to look for the production elsewhere as only one of the team's top-five leading rusher's return, that one player being Michael Crusan (71 car, 573 yards, three TD). Tom Sawyer will take over the quarterbacking duties after Matt Miller graduated after the 2011 season. Sawyer completed 10-of-23 passes for 121 yards and a score last season while rushing for 223 yards and four touchdowns. Ripon held the third best overall defense last season giving up only 376.3 yards per game and allowing less than 26 points per game. The defense will be revamped as Ripon lost its top-5 tacklers from last season with Konrad Korth headlining the returnees with 44 tackles and two interceptions in 2011. Jacob Gahart will handle the place kicking duties after setting a new Ripon record for career field goals (31) hitting 15-of-16 chances which included a 54 yarder against Lawrence on November 5, 2011.


6.  Lake Forest Foresters   
2011 Record: 3-7, 3-6
Base Offense:  Multiple   
Base Defense:  3-4
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  2/0

Jim Catanzaro leads the Lake Forest football program into action for the fourth season and brings back an offense that was ranked as one of the best in the entire MWC. The Foresters finished the year third in the league in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense and scored at least 30 points six times. Pete Scaffidi directs the offense after throwing for 2,910 yards and 31 touchdowns while completing 62% of his passes during an outstanding junior season. Top receiver Kevin Davis (77 rec, 1,286 yards, 11 TD) was lost to graduation but Austin Sobey (55 rec, 752 yards, 11 TD) and Al Mitchell (42 rec, 229 yards, TD) return to stabilize the high profile passing attack. Mitchell carried the load in the running game with 940 yards on 201 carries and seven touchdowns in 2011. Linebacker Jordan Cruz made 68 tackles last year and had a pair of interceptions while defensive lineman Taylor Holzmeyer had seven sacks and ten tackles for loss to lead the Lake Forest defense.


7.  Grinnell Pioneers   
2011 Record: 5-5, 4-5
Base Offense:  Pistol   
Base Defense:  3-4
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  0/1

After winning only two games in the 2009 season Grinnell has 11 wins over the past two seasons, including five in 2011, thanks to one of the best passing attacks in the MWC. The Pioneers trailed only Monmouth in terms of throwing the football and return signal caller Mike McCabe to lead the offense for one more season. McCabe threw the fourth most touchdowns in the league (23) while throwing only ten interceptions and averaged over 236 yards per contest. The Pioneers have big holes to patch in the receiving core as they lost 1,000 yard pass catcher Robert Seer and Logan Granera who caught 55 passes for 676 yards. The duo also combined for 22 of the team's 29 touchdown receptions. Cody Weber is the top receiver coming into the season after making 42 grabs for 398 yards and three touchdowns, and also led the team on the ground with 474 yards on 109 attempts and six touchdowns. The Grinnell defense was stingy against the run last season and ranked fifth in the league in both total defense and scoring defense. The Pioneers only surrendered 152 yards per game on the ground led by defensive lineman Brian Taylor who had 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Andrew Clark shared the conference lead with six interceptions and secondary partner Drew Blumberg had 85 tackles to lead the team.


8.  Beloit Buccaneers   
2011 Record: 2-8, 2-7
Base Offense:  Spread   
Base Defense:  4-3
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  1/1

The Buccaneers enter the season ranked 8th in the preseason poll after only winning a pair of games in 2011 under Head Coach Chris Brann. Beloit has to replace one of the league's top offensive pass catching tandems as quarterback Brian Maughn and receiver Derek Carrier both were lost to graduation. Carrier caught 75 passes for over 1,200 yards last season which led to a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders. Dillon Hess finds himself playing time at multiple positions as seeing action at both quarterback and receiver last season catching 26 passes for 276 yards and also threw for 101 yards and a touchdown. Zach Draus takes over for the departed Terence Steward as he ran for 466 yards on 68 attempts with four touchdowns. Will Mack leads a defensive backfield that was fourth in the league against the pass with a pair of interceptions. Linebacker Zack Bock finished in a tie for fifth in the league with 8.5 tackles per game and seven tackles for loss.


9.  Cornell Rams   
2011 Record: 3-7, 1-7 IIAC
Base Offense:  Run and Shoot 
Base Defense:  4-2-5
Returning All-IIAC (Offense/Defense):  0/1

Cornell plays its first MWC football game since the 1996 season when the Rams won the MWC South Division with a perfect 5-0 conference mark. Under Head Coach Vince Brautigam the Rams finished their final year in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) with a 3-7 overall mark and were led by quarterback Juan Flores. Flores led the team in both rushing and passing as he gained 563 yards on 135 carries with six touchdowns while throwing for 2,100 yards and ten touchdowns, completing over 62.0 percent of his passes. James Scully was Flores' favorite target catching 45 passes for 675 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Justin Cox caught 38 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman campaign. Myron Seabrook finished second in the IIAC with six interceptions and had five more pass breakups to lead the Cornell defense. Geoffrey Miller returns as the leading tackler after having 89 a year ago with six tackles for loss and an interception from his linebacker position.


10.  Lawrence Vikings   
2011 Record: 1-9, 1-8
Base Offense:  Run and Shoot 
Base Defense:  4-2-5
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  1/0

Lawrence ended the season on an eight game losing streak but first year Head Coach Mike Barthelmess aims to improve on the one win season the Vikings had in 2011. Luke Barthelmess contributed to the offense in almost every way last season as the quarterback threw for 2,721 yards and 22 touchdowns for an offense that ranked fifth in the MWC in passing offense. Barthelmess also was the top rusher with 356 yards on 148 carries and four touchdowns with Tyler Mazur also back after finishing the 2011 season as the top receiver with 63 catches for 878 and 11 touchdowns. The Vikings graduated their top defensive player, Mats Jonsson, after he led the team in tackles (67) and interceptions (three) but return Andy Paider (49 tackles, 9.5 TFL, three sacks) and Alex Schmitt (38 tackles, 6.5 TFL, three sacks) who were the Vikings top pass rushers.


11.  Knox Prairie Fire   
2011 Record: 0-10, 0-9
Base Offense:  Pistol   
Base Defense:  3-4
Returning All-MWC (Offense/Defense):  2/2

Knox enters the season on a 14 game losing streak and looks for its first win since a 31-21 victory over Grinnell on October 9, 2010 but boasts a strong running attack and one of the best defensive players in the conference for the 2012 season. Head Coach Chad Eisele has Mike Hendrick back to headline the defense after leading the country in tackles (15.7 per game) which included a 26 tackle performance against Beloit on September 24, 2011. Hendrick accumulated eight sacks and 16 tackles for loss en route to being named a preseason All-American by D3football.com. Derek Mortensen led the ground attack on the offensive side of the ball with 795 yards on 207 carries with 11 touchdowns while Drew Diaz will be under center after throwing for just over 1,500 yards and rushing for 309 yards and accounting for 18 total touchdowns. Dustin Armstrong comes back as the top target on the outside after a year where he caught 20 passes for 296 yards and a pair of scores for the Prairie Fire.

[rome]

NOTE:

Cornell Last season in the MWC was 1997 not 1996...

[hickory_cornhusker]

NOTE:

Cornell Last season in the MWC was 1997 not 1996...

I believe they left in the summer of 1997 so there last football season in the MWC was in 1996.

[rome]

They played the MWC schedule but were not allowed to play in the conference championship

[scottie]

Well, it's been about a week since the players arrived to campus and no posts in the last five days.   

R E A L L Y ! ? ! ? !

I guess it might have something to do with still being sleepy after navigating through rome's cut & paste dissertation above.   

R E A L L Y ! ? ! ? !

[Redhawk Sighting]

2012 MWC Football Preseason Coaches Poll

Place   Team (First Place Votes)   Points
t1    Monmouth (5)    93
t1    Illinois Col. (4)    93
3    St. Norbert (1)    85
4    Carroll (1)    72
5    Ripon    64
6    Lake Forest    50
7    Grinnell    47
8    Beloit    37
9    Cornell    33
10    Lawrence    16
11    Knox    15

What I find really funny is that Cornell is predicted to beat the Larry's and knox and Cornell was the worst team in the IIAC.  Now I understand that the IIAC is a stronger conference, but still, our own coaches don't have confidence in the two teams who have been in this conference for a long time. haha.    

On a side note, I was actually on the field when Cornell won it's last Conference championship (I wasn't playing).. Now that was an amazing team to watch play that year.  Matt Miller was QB and they had one of the strongest running games in the nation!  Ran the same offense that Ripon runs now if I remember correctly...  Ahh the good 'ole days!

[rome]

Scottie,

Harsh my friend....harsh...

Yes, the cut & paste did not turn out as I planned, but the info was quality and I did note it came from the MWC site.

Anyways, thought it might stimulate a little conversation...like I do not see Beloit finishing this high with a returning core of underclassmen and lossing someone that is now on a NFL roster...

I hope I am proven wrong....

It will be interesting in contrast to see how Monmouth does...Tanney was exceptional, will the Scots take a step back (1 or 2 losses) by lossing such a talented player?

[gbpuckfan]

Redhawk - good observation. I think it just goes to show how impressive those bottom have been (unfortunately).

[gbpuckfan]

Local TV station on the start of SNC's camp. They also will have some coverage during the upcoming trip to Ireland.

Season preview:
http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/sports/snc-football-ready-to-return-to-the-top