FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

Just a quick thought on a different topic. Coach Favret retiring from H-SC after the season.

Mixed feelings here. Coach Favret is an amazing coach. As an offensive coordinator at Catholic he helped take them to heights they have yet to revisit. He almost immediately turned around a moribund H-SC team and turned them into an ODAC power. Many of his offenses in the mid-naughts through early teens were juggernauts. He deserves every accolade H-SC, the ODAC, Virginia Writers and more have bestowed on him.

But since the mid-teens, it's been more of a struggle. How much of that has to do with outside factors I'll never know. But changing over coaches, provided they can bring in the right one, might reinvigorate the program, or narrow the challenges that shifted H-SC's path since 2014.

Interestingly, it leaves Coach Arruza at R-MC as the lone ODAC coach of a school's most recent "glory days". R-MC seems, of course, still well in the midst of theirs. But Coach Clarke was gone from Bridgewater after the '20 season, Coach Abell left W&L after '17 for Davidson, and now Coach Favret is leaving. That leaves only W&L's Coach LeRose (1-2021), other than Coach Arruza (4 and counting, but not counting the COVID season, sorry), as active coaches with an ODAC title. The last time someone besides Favret, Arruza, Clarke, Abell or LeRose won a conference title was 2006, W&L's Coach Mirriello. Before that you have to go back to 2000 and E&H's legendary Coach Wacker.

It has been a changing of the guard for the ODAC, we will see how the newer coaches stack up. So far Coach LeRose has one title and Coach Lemn was knocking on the door last year after a rebuilding in 2021.

Perhaps whoever takes on the difficult task of following Coach Favret will set the ODAC up to be an even bigger brawl week in and out.

[jknezek]

And one more post just because I'm having fun today.

W&L, all-time, is 547-550-39. The Generals are 3 games away from .500. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is. The last time W&L was .500 over it's history, was more than 50 years ago, in 1971 when they were 295-295-35. At one point, in the early to mid-2000s, W&L was 43 games below .500. So in the last 20 years, roughly, we have been +40. I'm really hoping to see the Generals break that .500 mark for all time.

So what changed? Well, we started playing more option, eventually going almost all option. I know some people hate the option. Hate watching it, hate playing against it. But running the option has given W&L a big boost, especially in ODAC play. It allows W&L to recruit athletes differently, and it has been a smart choice.

For many years W&L failed at trying to be better by going strength on strength. It hardly worked. Being better by being different... that has been a different story. Will it get W&L to the top of D3? I very much doubt it. At some point, teams have the athletes to simply smother the option. It's also challenging to win the first game of the season, or a game where a team is coming off a bye, as they get extra practice against the scheme. But for most weeks of the season, it has proven an advantage.

Sometimes the Generals capitalize on it, almost 40x more than they haven't over the last 20yrs. Sometimes either the other teams smother it or the playmakers just aren't there for a year or two. But overall, I enjoy W&L being different, and I certainly have enjoyed the winning that has come with it.

[R-MC Guy]

jknezek, thank you for the posts. I always enjoy reading about your thinking. Of course, I don't always agree, but a always appreciate it.

[y_jack_lok]

SU easily handles Juniata 48-7. It was 42-0 at halftime.

Then there's this: https://twitter.com/sportingnews/status/1705681551055368246

For those not on X/Twitter, here's what it says:

"Haley Van Voorhis became the first female non-kicker to appear in an college football game.

"She plays safety at D-III Shenandoah University."

Here's a short article: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-football/news/haley-van-voorhis-female-safety-ncaa-football-shenandoah/2bd4c807b5c63617f9edb08b

Also, Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/09/23/haley-van-voorhis-football-player/?fbclid=IwAR0bnQeRf0D4wuGDQd7T5h2DAwsdLn4Q3dXmZF41j8okANM1DeJMZgR7Hfk

Kudos to SU.

[HSCTiger74]

  Down to the wire game at Hampden-Sydney, with Bridgewater getting a two point conversion with less than 30 seconds left to win it. Not much defense to speak of while I was watching, but the offenses sure were were clicking.

[jknezek]

I have not watched much W&L football this year but I must be bad luck. Watched the first 2 drives against Salisbury, both fumbles. Watched a fumble against Apprentice, watched penalties kill drives against Methodist. Watched the first 2 drives today against Everett, both fumbles. I think I need to stop watching. They are 3-1 and all I've seen are lowlights.

[jknezek]

Well... R-MC looked pretty unstoppable by anyone in the ODAC yesterday. They dismantled an Eagles team, on the road, that holds wins over H-SC and Shenandoah. Going to be a big uphill climb for Shenandoah, W&L or H-SC to knock them off, and what I saw from Ferrum yesterday has me thinking R-MC can beat them with their 2s. Across the ODAC, Shenandoah spotted Guilford 13pts before rolling away. W&L blew out Ferrum until the 2nd/3rd team started to get some reps late, and H-SC gets past Averett, despite allowing a late rally.

W&L's schedule gets much more difficult now, with trips to H-SC and R-MC the next 2 weeks, followed by home against Bridgewater and back on the road at Shenandoah. 5-1 now, but I doubt Methodist, Apprentice, Averett, Guilford and Ferrum compare all that well to the brutal finish. I'll check my math, but I think W&L is now above .500 as a program for the first time since the early 70s! Whether they can stay that way over the next 4 games will be interesting.

[jknezek]

Just going to leave this here.... Bridgewater had 9 first downs and 105 yards of total offense yesterday. 48 plays, averaging 2.2 ypp. Oh... 24 rushing yards, total, on 27 plays. That's less than 1 yard per play.

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ Once again, turnovers benefitted RMC -- three INTs and a fumble recovery. Two of the INTs and the fumble recovery were by the same RMC player, who very deservedly has been named ODAC defensive PoW. And, yes, after that game it's hard to see RMC losing, though W&L always presents a challenge.

Averett very nearly pulled off OT vs H-SC. AU led 17-7 at one point, then gave up 21 unanswered to trail 28-17 at halftime. They then held the Tigers in the 2nd half, while scoring a FG and TD w/2pt conversion to tie it, before giving up a FG with 43 seconds left. But after the kickoff AU managed to advance to the H-SC 36 yard line with seven seconds left. They tried a 53 yard FG which was on line, but short. However, the Tigers were offsides. The subsequent 48 yd FG attempt was short and left. If the first FG attempt had been from 48 yards it might have snuck over the crossbar. Tough loss for Averett.

[jknezek]

W&L at R-MC next week. W&L's defense has been stout when not put in bad spots. But I think RMC wins this one by 14-21 pts. W&L's best shot is to control the clock and win a turnover battle I think. Suspect R-MC is on another level and they will roll through to the playoffs.

More interested in whether the Generals can take Bridgewater and Shenandoah and finish second, getting a home game in the Chesapeake Challenge. Would love for them to host Wilkes, my parents' alma mater.

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ I'd say RMC's best shot is also to control the clock and win the turnover battle. The Jackets have lost two fumbles and thrown three interceptions in 158 passes. The Generals have not been intercepted (89 passes), but have lost 12 fumbles.

[jknezek]

^^^ I'd say RMC's best shot is also to control the clock and win the turnover battle. The Jackets have lost two fumbles and thrown three interceptions in 158 passes. The Generals have not been intercepted (89 passes), but have lost 12 fumbles.

Fumbles killed W&L early against Salisbury. And they let Averett and Apprentice stick around longer than they should have.

W&L's defense will be good. The offense is far from the best I've seen from them. If the offense can't stay on the field, I don't think the defense will be enough.

I'm sticking to my 14-21, but I lean toward the 21...

[y_jack_lok]

The thing I recall from past W&L games (in pre-Covid years) that's burned the Jackets defense is passes over the middle on 2nd or 3rd and short. RMC was so focused on stopping the run that receivers could get into the secondary and the Jackets defense wasn't ready, which resulted in good gains and even a TD or two. The Jacket defense does seem improved since then, but anything can happen. RMC does have a pretty balanced offense, with four good running backs and four good receivers, so the Generals will have to be on their toes at all times.

[y_jack_lok]

https://richmond.com/sports/college/pedro-arruza-an-unlikely-college-football-coach-has-rmc-rolling/article_ccf73ffa-7267-11ee-a56a-af82ed2bf9bf.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

[y_jack_lok]

W&L at RMC was a close game in every way except on the scoreboard. A couple of gambles by the Generals on 4th down that didn't work out, giving the Jackest decent field position after which they drove for TDs, were big factors in RMC's win.