FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[mizzou_mafia]

I will note that Favret continued to go for it on 4th down in the 2nd half in similar situations as in the first half, and it did pay off twice... once when Ricca punted it and no one was back to return it (downed inside the 5), and the next time when BC sent Awkard out on the field to prepare for this fake, and HSC went for it and completed it (Awkard looked awkward trying to tackle Drew)...which led to a HSC TD.  

I thought talent wise, there wasn't a lot that seperated these teams.  HSC had better QB play, and BC got a big boost from their RBs, as Washington converted a pivotal 4th and short run unlike any HSC back in several attempts (not to mention Young...did anyone else catch that 7 yard leap in the 2nd half?).  

All in all, BC played close to mistake free, which I think was the difference.  

[religion_major]

Several questions come to mind after watching the BC/HSC game.  First on the HSC side of the ball, you would think after getting stuffed in the tight formation 4 times by the BC defense that the coaching staff might think about spreading the field and either then trying to run the ball or maybe throwing a screen pass.  Second, why would you continue to go for fouth down in standard punting situations?  The main punter had a very strong leg and Ricca managed a very effective pouch punt.  Those choices by Coach Faveret shocked me.  I am no football coach, but generally common sense tells you not to try the same thing and expect a different result.  On the BC side of the ball, I have a hope more so than a question.  I hope Lewis will relax and play the game.  He looked very shell shocked until he threw that TD pass in the third quarter.  All in all great game.  

To you Sydney fans and players,
Win out and we'll see ya in the playoffs.

[Jeremybozz]

   Guilford is the next BC opponent.

[Llamaguy]

Back at Llamaville!
What a great day!

Pregame enjoyed meeting HSC2 & Norton, class guys and another example of how postpatterns can bring together even rival fans.

Excellent game as always when these 2 lock horns. Atmosphere was awesome and there had to be close to 5,000 fans at the game. The early fumble was big and agree the two 4th down calls basically gave BC 6 pts in the first half. As for the funky looking passes from Lewis in the first half, was told BC was using new balls and the turf was wet. I can attest as I was on the field taking photos. Second half went to old balls with much better control. Lewis made enough plays and didn't turn it over after second series. Bottomline, he used the hawses around him just like he is supposed to. Finally the Awkard juke and score would definitely be worthy of a Top 10 play in the ODAC at BC. The kid makes plays at winnin' time!

HSC was a class act and played their hearts-out. It just seemed that Favret had decided before the game to go for it on 4th down regardless of the situation. Had it worked he'd be a genius, since it didn't, looks a little like despiration to beat BC. HSC is plenty good enough to run the table and finish 9-1. HSC, make the committee leave you out this time, with 1 loss this year odds will be in your favor to get in.

BC, capitalize on the real-estate you gained today. Get healthy next week, no letdowns in the ODAC! Great heart and great job Gentlemen, way to do the damn thing!  

[hurley]

Great game....phenomenal atmosphere... no sense bashing Favret about 4th down tries. H-SC is the most aggressive team in the nation in those situations. Bottom line: they converted 5 of 7. The two failures leading to 6 pts. and the makes leading to 14. Punting to Awkward is also factored into the decision making.

[Llamaguy]

Great game....phenomenal atmosphere... no sense bashing Favret about 4th down tries. H-SC is the most aggressive team in the nation in those situations. Bottom line: they converted 5 of 7. The two failures leading to 6 pts. and the makes leading to 14. Punting to Awkward is also factored into the decision making.

No bashing intended! Just interesting that you go for it inside your own 40 yd line twice. With the quality team HSC has at the skill positions I would rather see him play field position and let Ricca, Dull, Rolander, Junes, etc work their magic the rest of the season. With the punter you had, Favret could have told him to kick it out of bounds 45 yrds downfield easily the way he was punting today. I know hindsite is 20-20, but thats just my 2-cents worth. Why allow a momentum swing when HSC is playing well at both those junctures?

[mizzou_mafia]

Bottom line: they converted 5 of 7.

hurley,
As a fan, it just seemed weird to see HSC going for it on 4th down in their own territory, at their own place when they had the lead.  Favret may have been trying to play some odds that he thought he held an advantage with, but why take that gamble when he did?  I wouldn't have bet that BC's offense would have only walked away with FGs.  My feeling during the game was similar to what Llamaguy has posted... it seemed like an act of desperation from a coach tired of losing to BC. 

Another Bottom Line:
HSC 4th Down Conversions in their own territory (with the lead): 0-2

HSC 4th Down Conversions in BC territory (while tied or behind): 5-5

I give Favret plenty of credit for those first two 4th down calls in the 2nd half (1: Ricca punt to 2 yard line.... 2: Getting Clark to send Awkard in and then passing it near Awkard for the 1st down).  Great coaching!

The only 4th down attempts I question are the ones in HSC territory, with the lead.  The others...hey, you're in BC territory, you're tied or behind...I understand that.

[mizzou_mafia]

I'm curious to know...

What does it take to get credit for a sack?

Several times at the HSC-BC game, I saw Ricca go back for a pass, find no one, and start trying to run it.  He'd get tackled for a loss, and the announcer at the game would announce: 'Ricca tackled on the keeper.'  I didn't expect the home announcer to scream out "Sacked!" But I was surprised to only see 2 sacks listed in the game stats.

Maybe the more telling stat is Ricca's rushing totals:
16 carries, 13 yards (including 7 carries for loss or no gain).

[mizzou_mafia]

One final question of ignorance...

What's the rule on kick catching interference?  If a member of the kick returning team pushes a defender into the kick returner, is there a foul on the play? How do the refs determine how many penalty yards to add on (such as the 23 yard penalty today)?

[religion_major]

I do know that most fouls on special teams are enforced from the spot of the foul.  Most likely they marked 15 yards from the infraction not the spot of recovory.  That is all I know.  Generally it is considered a judgement call as to whether the player on the coverage team was pushed by the blocker.  If the player on the coverage team was pushed then there is no foul, but like most other calls that is considered a judgement call.

[e h dad]

Just got back from the E&H/Methodist game and I'll tell it like it is -----WE SUCKED!!!!!! How many ways can you describe ugly. We looked the best we have all season in the 2nd quarter, but after that it was all down hill. FENJR was on the money when he said we lacked intensity.We all know it takes 11 guys to execute and get the job done.When only a few give 110% and the rest slack off, you ain't going to win jack!!! Don't get me wrong the were a few bright  spots today,some guys on the O/L,some recievers, a couple on defense and Todd Woods,but he is only one player.It is going to be HELL on the E&H practice field next week. I still believe with a case of "WANT TO" from the team,Coach Monte &staff,and a little"DIVINE INTERVENTION"we can turn this season around. E&H may not win the ODAC, but  we can still win back our "PRIDE". These players have to remember three things: football is not a contact sport,football is a collision sport;it is easier to deliver a blow,than take one:and I would much rather be a hammer than a nail!!! PEACE--- I'm the E&H Dad(pissed off,but I"ll get over it) and still SKOALTRAINS step Pappy, Congratulations B.C.

[Jeremybozz]

  Guilford plays BC after 2 very close games with HSC and Greensboro.

[narch]

eh dad - outcome aside, i hope you enjoyed your trip to fayetteville - the thing i was most impressed by with ehc was the way they stayed in the game after going down 27-0...they could have easily folded up, but woods & co. staged a bit of a comeback, and the monarchs needed a big play late in the half to get to the 30-14 half-time margin - the 3rd quarter really killed ehc...they had negative six yards of offense in the 3rd quarter and the monarchs had over 100 (and the 97 yard kick return) - i felt like the wasps rolled over a bit in the 2nd half and the effort wasn't really there - if the ehc team that played the 2nd quarter shows up on a regular basis, they could surprise some folks and win some games - if the team that played the 1st and 3rd quarters shows up, you're in for a VERY LONG season as a wasp fan - the wasp defense played well in spurts and limited mc from mounting sustained drives, but they gave up a lot of big plays...the monarch offense is a big-play offense, though, having scored on 9 or 10 plays of 40+ yards in 4 games this year - i was really impressed with the db #17 for ehc...he's big, quick and plays well in run support in addition to being a solid cover guy and the ehc receivers are all big with great hands...stewart in particular is a nice target - he and woods have a nice connection, but he didn't catch a ball in the 2nd half when the monarchs decided to double him

[bcsportswriter]

well...i heard i missed a good one today.  wish i would have seen awkard shake 'em out of their shoes.  BC prevails again and Blackwell comes through.

[Rugby Guy]

Regarding the catch interference on the punt....

If the coverage is blocked into the return man, it's not interference.  If he's not blocked into him, he cannot interfere with the returner's opportunity to catch the ball.  I don't think college has the halo rule that they had before, but I may be mistaken.  On the play in question though, I was right there on the sideline, and it was a REALLY tough call.  Video replay may prove me wrong, but from my vantage point it looked like the contact with the blocker was initiated by BC's cover man.  He was certainly not 'pushed' into the return man.  It's a tough call on that play because it was VERY close, but I have to say that it looked to me like the right call was probably made.  Having said that...it was extremely frustrating to watch them mark off a penalty when no flag was ever thrown on the play.  I would have thought that the conversation would have been whether or not to pick up a flag on a play like that, not whether to enforce a penalty that hadn't even been called.