FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[K-Mack]

RMC defeats Guilford
Catholic defeats EHC
W&L defeats BC

Current ODAC standings:

   Team          Won           Lost            Pct.           Games Back
    RMC             4             0          1.000                ---
    HSC             4             1           .800                0.5
    W&L             3             2           .600                1.5
    BC               2             2           .500                2.0
    E&H             1             3           .250                3.0
    CUA             1             3           .250                3.0
    GC               0             4           .000                4.0

With today's results final, the ODAC championship will go to HSC or RMC and will be decided on November 10 in Ashland.  Randolph-Macon's game against Bridgewater next week will not affect who is the ODAC champion.

It still seems possible that Bridgewater or W&L could get an at-large bid if they win out and finish 8-2.  It also seems possible that Randolph-Macon, should they lose to HSC, could get an at-large bid if they beat Bridgewater.

I did these calculations myself as soon as I saw today's results, and quite honestly I could not be more thrilled.

This will be the most important The Game since 1993. Obviously the first time the ODAC title is on the line since then, but deciding a playoff bid will be a thrill.

Obviously the Jackets can't look past next week.

My guess would be an ODAC would have to be 9-1 to feel really good about its at-large chances. The 8-2 at-larges would very likely have to have played a lot of teams who went on to have very good seasons or have another win over a regionally-ranked team or something, and I can't think of any ODAC non-con games that would qualify there.

Jacketlawyer, we gotta talk ...

[CNU85]

Olinemom - thanks for the Brownies - they were a hit. When Jeremy got out of  the truck at the tailgate, the first words out of his mouth were, "got my brownies?"

Although CNU lost, the brownies brought good fortune to the Bradshaws...Jesse set a school record for receiving yards with 10 catches for 272 yards and 2 TDs.

Oh - say a quick prayer for CNU coach Kelchner......wasn't feeling well and heart rate wasn't right at halftime. Taken to hospital in an ambulance.

Glad the brownies were a hit!  And that Jesse did well.  What's the latest on Kelchner?  My prayers are with him and his family.

Olinemom - Coach Kelchner is home and is ok. His blood pressure  at halftime was elevated to the point that the docs wanted to send him to the hospital to check it out more.

[K-Mack]

BC is not the dominant team it once was [...]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I watched W&L absolutely dominate Bridgewater this afternoon. Take away our three "big" plays (31-yard TD run by Carter; 26-yard fake punt run by Ruebush; 21-yard TD pass to Copeland), and we had 134 yards of total offense on 61 plays. That's just under 2.2 yards a play.

As much as we like to say the play in the ODAC has gotten better, I think W&L's 42-point loss in the first round of the playoffs last year showed it hasn't gotten better on a national scale. I'm convinced BC is simply not as good as our championship teams. We're still good (can't complain with 14 wins out of 18 games in the last two years), but we can no longer win games on talent alone.

Oh, and when was the last time the Eagles had no turnovers and lost a game? That's how bad the Generals defense made our offense look.

Our 35 seniors have some soul searching to do. It's going to be mighty hard to finish the season 8-2, knowing that it won't get you a conference title or playoff appearance. Kudos to them if they can do it.

I will say that our defense played one heck of a game. They've carried us this year.

Congrats again to the Generals!

Very interesting post.

I think the ODAC is up across the board, but yeah, up sometimes means "more competitive" or "parity," which means you don't have one dominant team that can make a deep playoff run.

I think it's pretty evident that there are no more gimme games in the ODAC.

The IIAC, NJAC and a couple other conferences have been in similar situations this year. It's nice from a fan's perspective, but I wonder about the playoffs.

If R-MC were to finish 9-1, they'd be the first playoff team since 1984, but it'd almost be the best finish since my senior year at 8-2. You'd think there'd be some mixed emotions, but not very mixed. The more R-MC wins, the better.

[BCeagle79]

One of the things that the BC teams of late seem to lack is attitude. In the past it was never a question if we would win or not it was we will win and they found ways to do so. There was a confidence on the team that went all the way through from the coaching staff to the players. You could see it in the eyes of the players when they came out.

Eagles, find the spirit again! Seniors, you have two games left. Show the ones behind you how to go out winners. Next year's legacy starts now.

GO EAGLES!!!

[yellow jacket]

Thank god for my 2 tailgating spots at R-MC on November 10th...I don't know where I would have parked otherwise.

[ehcwasp00]

Toughts about E&H Football,

The best the Wasps can do is  to finish 6-4 and there is a good chance they may go 4-6. Monty recently made a statement to the Bristol,Va newspaper that Wasp football had made the turnaround. He made the same statement last year right after the Guilford win.Is going 6-4 or 4-6 this year making the turnaround? I think not. There was a great deal of pre-season hype by E&H that this could be the year.
Again I think not. Last season .Monty stated after going 1-9 the year before, "the
kids have to buy into my system".Looks like no one has bought into his system.
Don't dare blame the players.....they are not responding for a reason. The E&H coaches need to fix whats broke and take a good look in the mirror and ask WHY?

Looks like Mt. Union football ain't in SW Va. yet.I don't care how big and fast you have gotten in the pre-season if the coaches aint coaching the players up....YOUR
Not Going To WIN!

Looks like the Wasps are on the road to Neuterville.

E&H Dad

I am sorry, but as a longtime Wasp supporter, I have to say that I totally disagree with this post.  It is obvious that they have made the "turnaround" under Monty - is it like it was in the prime of Coach Wacker's era - not yet, but the program is in better shape today than it was 3 years ago.  The kids have bought into his system - they wouldn't have beat some of the teams they have in the last 2 years if they hadn't bought into it.  Also, as a BC fan stated above, "players probably dictate success more than the plays do" - that is a great statement, and one that some fair weather wasp fans should take to heart.  And finally, they have struggled at times due to their inexperience - that isn't an excuse - that is a fact; but that is also what will make them better in the future. 

Come on EHC supporters - don't start pointing fingers because we have lost a few - things have gotten better, and they will continue to get better!!

[ODACfan4life]

Wow, if you love the HSC/RMC rivalry, this year's THE GAME is heaven.  And two weeks to hype it even more than usual!!  Any estimates on what the attendance will be??  Is there any chance THE GAME will be videocast on the internet??

[K-Mack]

Thank god for my 2 tailgating spots at R-MC on November 10th...I don't know where I would have parked otherwise.

The Smokey Pig maybe?

Hey, the fellas are always interested in getting together for homecoming and the H-SC game ... very glad I skipped the former as now the latter is looking like a GREAT idea.

Maybe we can even get a record crowd with two weeks of buildup. (Would be nice if they both won next week too just to keep the mo' going)

[CNU85]

The Smokey Pig maybe?

Is that place still there? I love that place. It's been at least 7-8 years since I was last there.

[K-Mack]

As far as I know. I haven't eaten there in a few years myself, but it's basically an Ashland landmark, along with the Ironhorse and now the coffee shop, so it has to be.

They did change it up a little bit last time I was there.

Anyway, sorry for repeating the same two-week thought as the guy before me, hadn't read that post yet. I think R-MC needs to beat Bridgewater still for that game to maintain full-hype status, but it should be raucous either way.

Good thing too, Wabash-DePauw and Cortland-Ithaca aren't gonna have as much on the line this year. Had no idea where I'd go this week if not The Game. Central-Wartburg maybe?

Good for Pedro and Marty too.

Does not look like The Game is in the webcast plans:

http://www.odaconline.com/09.25.07_fball_videocasts.htm

You're gonna wanna be there anyway.

(is in full hype mode)

[TheEHC52]

Toughts about E&H Football,

The best the Wasps can do is  to finish 6-4 and there is a good chance they may go 4-6. Monty recently made a statement to the Bristol,Va newspaper that Wasp football had made the turnaround. He made the same statement last year right after the Guilford win.Is going 6-4 or 4-6 this year making the turnaround? I think not. There was a great deal of pre-season hype by E&H that this could be the year.
Again I think not. Last season .Monty stated after going 1-9 the year before, "the
kids have to buy into my system".Looks like no one has bought into his system.
Don't dare blame the players.....they are not responding for a reason. The E&H coaches need to fix whats broke and take a good look in the mirror and ask WHY?

Looks like Mt. Union football ain't in SW Va. yet.I don't care how big and fast you have gotten in the pre-season if the coaches aint coaching the players up....YOUR
Not Going To WIN!

Looks like the Wasps are on the road to Neuterville.

E&H Dad

I am sorry, but as a longtime Wasp supporter, I have to say that I totally disagree with this post.  It is obvious that they have made the "turnaround" under Monty - is it like it was in the prime of Coach Wacker's era - not yet, but the program is in better shape today than it was 3 years ago.  The kids have bought into his system - they wouldn't have beat some of the teams they have in the last 2 years if they hadn't bought into it.  Also, as a BC fan stated above, "players probably dictate success more than the plays do" - that is a great statement, and one that some fair weather wasp fans should take to heart.  And finally, they have struggled at times due to their inexperience - that isn't an excuse - that is a fact; but that is also what will make them better in the future. 

Come on EHC supporters - don't start pointing fingers because we have lost a few - things have gotten better, and they will continue to get better!!

I've got to disagree with you, ehcwasp00.  While I posted earlier that Monty stated repeatedly that the turnaround was made after my class graduated last year, he's stated in the past few weeks that the program is still turning.  I personally find that to be offensive, contradictory, and degrading to what last year's seniors and the whole team that was able to accomplish so much. We don't need Mitt Romney type flip-flops from the Coach-in-Chief. I know that the tradition was reinstated by my class.  In Friday's BHC he said the team might need to suffer some "tough losses" to learn character.  A 1-9 season was enough character building to last for a long time.

As for your comments about the team being inexperienced, that's pure hogwash.  6 starters returned on offense and 9 on defense.  Not only that, many of the guys that are rotating in have seen significant playing time at the JV and varsity levels the in Monty's first two seasons.  Next I imagine that you'll pinpoint the offensive woes on Booher (who apparently has been playing with a hernia the past four weeks).  Besides the fact that he's one player, he played a full slate of JV games last year and performed remarkably.  He also had the opportunity to run the offense versus Marshall Doss and the starting D last year (with the exception of the team period when the first and second offenses worked against the scout D and vice-versa).

I've seen all three home games thus far and listened to every away game on the internet.  The difference between the team that dominated Ferrum and NNA and beat H-SC in a close one and the team that lost to RMC, BC, and now Catholic, is a lack of intensity.  The program is in place and the players have faith in it, but intensity (as opposed to overconfidence) comes from the top-down.  Excuses about still turning the program around, needing to lose some close games, and inexperience are a bunch of crap. 

[TheEHC52]

And before anybody jumps my back:

"We came out a little flat again," Montgomery said. "And that's the third straight week we've done that."

http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/sports.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-10-27-0020.html

I decided to see if the article was up right after I made my post.

[Menowannalickee U.]

I also congratulate the Gennies.  They took it to us on both sides of the ball.  It is not only our seniors that need to do some soul searching.  It goes all the way to the coaching staff and the paucity of plays on the offense and the skill levels on both sides of the ball.  WE used to bring good athletes in and coach them to get better, but today it seems they come in and they don't improve like they used to.  That needs improvement.  Oh and I'm sick of off tackle to the left, off tackle to the right , throw on third and punt.  We need to use the talents of the personnel we have --it's a sin to have so much talent and not to improve on it or use it effectively.

I really agree with this.  Not to take anything away from the teams that have beat BC in the past couple years, but really, when was the last time a team was surprised by a play the coaches called?  And I know its easy to criticize play calling after the fact so I don't mean to trash the coaches.  They do a great job to keep BC competitive.  But not long ago we were more than competitive and it just seems that like Olinemom said...everyone in the stadium knows its run run pass.  One way to spot insanity is to do the same action over and over and expect different results.  I hope the players keep their heads up and honestly I have a lot of respect for all the coaches, but try mixing it up a little bit.

[HeardEnough]

Hey TheEHC52, remember this post you made???

"Catholic at Open - Ricca still throws five picks in the off-week.  Only two are returned for TDs though.  I kid, I kid."

Bet you wish he was your qb yesterday, huh!

E&H qbs threw as many passes to Nick Olivero (3 INTs) as they threw to any of their receivers (E&H threw 5 INTs in 22 attempts.)

P.S. Hope you didn't injure yourself leaping off the Coach Montgomery bandwagon, wonder if he'll welcome you into anymore film studies? I kid. I kid.

[D3Waterboy]

Every D3 fan has to see the Trinity Tiger's last second victory play over Millsaps. I saw it on ESPN tv, saw it again on www.espn.com, then saw it a third time here, D3football.com (top of front page, "Daily Dose"). An amazing 15-lateral play that has generated a lot of D3 pub.