FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[muchacho]

Marty Favret, 8th-year Hampden-Sydney Coach - "We need to get better on defense if we want to win in our conference.

And what would Marty's plan for improving on defense be? Ignoring them during practice while focusing exclusively on his offense. Or has he changed?

[muchacho]

Catholic
"We have 21 of 22 starters back."

Thats more of an explanation for why Catholic was so bad the last few years than it is a positive outlook for this season. With that experience coming back though, they should be improved. However, Catholic hasn't had a dominating win in half a decade, so improvement won't necessarily mean a good team.

[allsky7]

Catholic
"We have 21 of 22 starters back."

Thats more of an explanation for why Catholic was so bad the last few years than it is a positive outlook for this season. With that experience coming back though, they should be improved. However, Catholic hasn't had a dominating win in half a decade, so improvement won't necessarily mean a good team.

     Having 21 of 22 starters back is usually a good thing and usually better than having 0 of 22 starters back. However, talent is talent and 22 talented freshmen is better than 22 seniors without. The teams that consistently win generally have a high number of juniors and seniors AND have some talent to boot.  8)
     
     allsky7's words of wisdom to get you through the weekend. 

[allsky7]

Marty Favret, 8th-year Hampden-Sydney Coach - "We need to get better on defense if we want to win in our conference.

And what would Marty's plan for improving on defense be? Ignoring them during practice while focusing exclusively on his offense. Or has he changed?

     Well, he has a new D coordinator. Guess we will have to see how much difference, if any that makes. I know there are teams/coaches out there making a case otherwise, but I have always felt like championship teams start on defense. Marty has won with his high octane O BUT....how many championships has he won? I am a Tiger fan and mean no disrespect. I am just stating what is fact to this point. GO TIGERS!!

[allsky7]

Marty Favret, 8th-year Hampden-Sydney Coach - "We need to get better on defense if we want to win in our conference.

And what would Marty's plan for improving on defense be? Ignoring them during practice while focusing exclusively on his offense. Or has he changed?

     Well, he has a new D coordinator. Guess we will have to see how much difference, if any that makes. I know there are teams/coaches out there making a case otherwise, but I have always felt like championship teams start on defense. Marty has won with his high octane O BUT....how many championships has he won? I am a Tiger fan and mean no disrespect. I am just stating what is fact to this point. GO TIGERS!!

     One more comment on this. In fairness to Coach F and the Tigers, over the last 7 years, they have had pretty good success in the ODAC. However, they have had to deal with a BC team that in most cases, just had more talent. (IMO) There are always exceptions to the rule but as I have previously stated,( IMO) a few skill players are generally the difference between a good D3 team and a great one. Take the top 3 skill guys off the Stagg Bowl BC team. Are they still a good football team? You bet!! Are they in the Stagg Bowl? Probably not. 

[Llamaguy]

Marty Favret, 8th-year Hampden-Sydney Coach - "We need to get better on defense if we want to win in our conference.

And what would Marty's plan for improving on defense be? Ignoring them during practice while focusing exclusively on his offense. Or has he changed?

     Well, he has a new D coordinator. Guess we will have to see how much difference, if any that makes. I know there are teams/coaches out there making a case otherwise, but I have always felt like championship teams start on defense. Marty has won with his high octane O BUT....how many championships has he won? I am a Tiger fan and mean no disrespect. I am just stating what is fact to this point. GO TIGERS!!

An interesting point is that BC has a new Defensive chief, Mike Clark. We are all waiting to see that result with anticipation.

I totally agree about talent issues. I have spoken to THE QB at HSC during 4 of those years and he said the difference was game speed. You can't simulate it in practice if you don't have it. He said games 1-3 each year you could slowly watch the routes take shape then in game 4 against BC it would be throw it early or watch it from your back!

To take it a step further, Rex Grossman compared the NFL to College. In the NFL there is speed, size, and the defensive guys watch enough tape to already know where you are going with each formation. In his words, "most college defenses never really figure out what you are trying to accomplish on offense."

[abnrgr]

I just HSC's new grandstand,. Wow those Tigers will at least look good at home. That looks better than GC-Q's upgrade

[Llamaguy]

Helloooo... Helloooo... Helloooo...  quiet as a mouse in here!

Three weeks from now it will be late 4th quarter at your nearest D3 football stadium!

Are you ready for some football?


Fear the Eagle!

[allsky7]

Helloooo... Helloooo... Helloooo...  quiet as a mouse in here!

Three weeks from now it will be late 4th quarter at your nearest D3 football stadium!

Are you ready for some football?


Fear the Eagle!

     I just got in from yaking the James. Maybe everyone  has headed to water to kool off.  8)

[Llamaguy]

ODAC Prediction time!

Here is mine:

1. Bridgewater   (5-1)   ... wins conf. based off head-to-head tie breaker
2. Emory & Henry (5-1)
3. Guilford (4-2)
4. Hampden Sydney (3-3)
5. Washington & Lee (3-3)
6. Catholic (2-4)
7. Randolph Macon (0-6)

[Pat Coleman]

Your standings don't come to even -- this conference is 22-20.

[K-Mack]

Meant to say kid, the site's lookin' good these days. The Coach Clark blog and sponsors?!?!

Ronnie Howard(?) best BC back of all time, no? Or Davon Cruz? Or Winston Young? Wow, those are only the ones I know.

Already enjoying Coach Clark's recruiting insights. Not registered for the forums though ... yet ... I can't even keep pace here.

Thanks.  I was excited when Clark showed interest in doing the blog.

With 88 votes cast, Davon Cruz is leading with 46.  Robbie Howard is in third with 10 votes.

To look over the statistical comparison I put together, check this out:

http://www.bridgewater.edu/~mbarnhar/Top11BCBacks.pdf

As you'll see, other than Cruz, Howard, Winston Young, and Marcus Washington, the other seven are pre-90s.  One player - Marshall Flora - dates back to the 60s.  He's currently fourth in the voting.

I figured it was going to be tough for Howard since he was pre-powerhouse, which might equate roughly to pre-fanbase.

However, Davon Cruz / manchild = same, so I might vote for him anyway.

But given that Howard led them to the '80 title in the middle of all that Bridgewater futility must be a testament to how good he was.

Dare we do a best players in ODAC history list? I'll gladly handle the R-MC submissions. We've even got an NFL alum from the Rockne Bowl title team.

(lives in past, what with No. 7 predictions for the future. We're not good, but we're deep!)

     Hey K-Mack, are you talking about Howard Stevens? He was pre ODAC wasn't he?

     I nominate Tiger Jimmy Ferguson for the All ODAC team. His catch phrase could have been "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down" 

     BTW....one of our illustrious posters was Jimmy's blocking back. Gotta give those guys that never get any glory a little love. Take a bow Tiger.

Yes and yes. Howard Stevens did two years at R-MC, two at Louisville and nine with the Cardinals and Saints, if I got my stuff correct. He's also among the more famous fellas to have worn No. 26 for the Jackets.

(lives in past)

[K-Mack]

[...] But given that Howard led them to the '80 title in the middle of all that Bridgewater futility must be a testament to how good he was. [...]

[Ronnie] Howard played in the early 90s.

Okie doke, I guess I just don't know my Bridgewater history.

Didn't they have a great back in '80?

I used to have the ODAC record book practically memorized, from Remon Smith to Jody Kane to Junior Lord to Cetric Gayles(?)

I guess after all these years paying attention to other conferences, my ODAC memory is failing me.

[K-Mack]

[...] What does "our roster is the deepest it's ever been" mean, exactly? [...]

I think Coach Arruza heard all the other coaches say something positive about the last couple seasons, while he's looking at 2-4 (2004), 1-5 (2005), and 0-6 (2006).

I thought the most interesting comment was from Coach Montgomery.  Him saying over and over (and over) that his kids are "bigger and stronger."  Unless he means Mount Union big and strong, the fact that they're bigger and stronger means squat.

Regarding the R-MC comment though, I actually think having starting experience back tends to be a good thing. Pedro came from Wheaton, he knows a good team when he sees it, and he also knows his predecessor apparently left the cupboard rather bare.

Even though the coaches don't have R-MC picked very high, nor does Kickoff '07, nor do Pat and I have them ranked very high in the 1-238, and as much as I'm down on the program ... you have to believe this is the year they make a jump under Arruza if it's going to happen at all.

It might be small signs of progress, staying in more games, maybe pulling an upset or two, because wins in the ODAC are going to be hard to come by.

But with 19 starters back and kids in the program for four years now under the current regime, I feel like if it's ever going to happen with the current leadership, we've got to see those signs this year.

It takes time to build, especially if you have to gut from within and change the attitude of the whole program. I just wonder if we don't see some kind of sign from them this season, even if it's not a Bridgewater 98 to 99 type sign, if we're doomed to cellar-dwelling in a conference that frankly, right now, doesn't stack up all that well against most of the other 26-27 conferences in the nation.

I'm not saying pull the plug on rebuilding, and I'm not saying R-MC deserves to be picked to do anything ... you just think after four years under a coach we'd start to see the signs of progress become tangible on the scoreboard.

Thoughts? (basically that just means you Jacket Lawyer)

[K-Mack]

Coach Arruza saying that the R-MC roster being deepest it's ever been means that for the first time, a majority of the recruits that have been brought in are staying for their upperclassmen years.  My year (from a class of about 40) graduated with 7 seniors.  That's pathetic.  I'm glad we got picked 7th.  Now all the pressure is on the other teams to beat us.

Good to see ya, YJ.  Figured you'd show up.  Hope that Series 7 went well.

Yeah, that's more or less what I was getting at too. The experience = the talent/time to make a leap forward, and being expected to do nothing should only light the fire, and yet help the team play loose.

Loose doesn't win games though