FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[K-Mack]

........allsky7 awakens from his D3 slumber. 

Hey folks....hope everyone has had a good summer. Football seasons just keep coming and going, huh? Don't have a lot of scientific data like all you smart people, but I just don't see the ODAC moving up the "food chain" very much any time soon. Nothing would make me happier than to be wrong though. I have said it before and will say again...a W in the first round of the playoffs, can be considered a banner year for an ODAC school. Will there be exceptions.....certainly, but in the 30+ years of the ODAC, only two schools on a couple occasions each have advanced past the first round. So, unless ODAC schools slash tuition in half and start letting athletes in with SAT scores like mine  , I think we will see more of the same in the near future. Some might argue that ODAC basketball has been able to elevate...why not football? That's certainly a valid question, but my gut is football will have a tougher roe to hoe.

They might have a tougher row to hoe too!!!  WHEW.....glad I caught that before Hasa got to it. 

I did see where Hasa made the point that a good basketball program requires fewer kids to get going and to sustain. I think there's truth to that ... good strong conferences with good coaches and good facilities usually do well across the board, but there's definitely a very different checklist that goes along with success in football. At least sustained success.

I think for 98% of the football schools in Division III, having access to the playoffs year in and year out with the chance for a truly special team to make a deep run is like winning the championship. There's such a fine line between winning and losing, especially in the playoff games between similar seeds in the early and middle rounds, that I think sometimes we read a little too far into playoff success or lack of it.

Losing, say, 44-42 in the first round of the playoffs one year doesn't preclude a team from being a final eight team the following year. Might not be a whole lot of difference between those two teams except that things broke right for them the second time around, and yet we look at the round advanced in the playoffs as representative of the entire conference's strenghth.

That's a long way of saying skim the top teams off the D3 pile and the 50-75 bottom ones, and there are a whole lot of teams that aren't that far apart ... maybe just one great group of upperclassmen, a special talent and good fortune as far as injuries go, and a deep playoff run can happen.

No reason why an ODAC team can't do that this year.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

But there's been a theory I caught wind of last year (talking to St. John's OC Jimmy Gagliardi last year it became really clear to me).

In Division III, there are elite programs who can compete every season. Most D3 coaches tell you its a numbers game; recruit a lot of kids, let the cream rise to the top. Then you have some teams who hit a special season once in a while, a lot of seniors and a good group equal a nice run one season.

But if you look at the last handful of D3 champions, they've each had one special player who was far and away the best guy on the field. MUC has had Chuck Moore, then Dan Pugh, then SJU had Blake Elliott and Linfield had Brett Elliott. Then Pierre Garcon, Nate Kmic and Micheli for Mount Union, and Justin Beaver for UW-W.

To win a Stagg, you probably need to catch lightning in a bottle to some degree. You've got to have an experienced group, preferably with the depth to withstand injuries, and then maybe those one (or three) special talents to put you over the top.

Interesting point K-mack.  Worthy of more discussion.

[dcrmc]

Does anyone have any info on the RMC/NCWC scrimage yeaterday?

[hasanova]

Hasa
"Newport News Apprentice School scored two defensive touchdowns in a 32-13 victory at Guilford College".

Sounds like the offensive side will be spotting people which as you know usually does not work. If the clipping is to be believed they had 15 yards rushing. 15 yards!!

Balanced? Sitting on the edge of the event horizon.....

Hey abnrgr - I only caught the end of the scrimmage when all the damage was done.  "Two defensive TD's" is correct:  one an INT and one a blocked FG.  The 15 yards rushing is, I hope, a typo - maybe 115?  I mentioned it earlier - big holes to fill on both OL and DL.  To NNA's credit, however, they have some horses on their OL.

[wasper68]

Anyone running a pickem this year?

[hasanova]

Hasa
"Newport News Apprentice School scored two defensive touchdowns in a 32-13 victory at Guilford College".

Sounds like the offensive side will be spotting people which as you know usually does not work. If the clipping is to be believed they had 15 yards rushing. 15 yards!!

Balanced? Sitting on the edge of the event horizon.....

Hey abnrgr - I only caught the end of the scrimmage when all the damage was done.  "Two defensive TD's" is correct:  one an INT and one a blocked FG.  The 15 yards rushing is, I hope, a typo - maybe 115?  I mentioned it earlier - big holes to fill on both OL and DL.  To NNA's credit, however, they have some horses on their OL.

It's been confirmed ... the 15 yards was correct.    I should've known Guilford's SID, Dave Walters, was on top of this.  So ... room for improvement!

[billt101]

Does anyone know why Pickle Nuckols left the RMC football?
http://www2.newsvirginian.com/wnv/sports/high_school_prep/high_school_football/article/nuckols_picks_randolph-macon/38642/%20target=

[abnrgr]

Wasper
"The Kid" ran the best one.....

[Ralph Turner]

Llamaguy, please send me a personal message or an email.

[wasper68]

Wasper
"The Kid" ran the best one.....

agreed.. 

There was some talk about Ryan running one. 

[Snakehandler]

Does anyone know why Pickle Nuckols left the RMC football?
http://www2.newsvirginian.com/wnv/sports/high_school_prep/high_school_football/article/nuckols_picks_randolph-macon/38642/%20target=

Not sure why he left, but I heard he enrolled at BC and is not playing football.

[pakownr97]

Does anyone know anything about University of Maryland's 2nd string QB named Jamar Robinson?  I have a friend who is in the Terp club and he keeps telling me this guy is listed on their roster as from Bridgewater College.  I never heard of him, so I don't think he played on BC's football team.  Any insider info from Llamadude, Snakehandler or the other BC faithful.

Speaking of BC faithful, are there any plans for the Station this weekend?  I was on campus this past Saturday to drop off my baby girl (boo hoo), she is a Eagle freshman this year, and I noticed they cut off about half of our tree!  Can they do that without the express written consent of Stone Station?

We will be there Saturday.  Let the games begin.

[hasanova]

Does anyone know anything about University of Maryland's 2nd string QB named Jamar Robinson?  I have a friend who is in the Terp club and he keeps telling me this guy is listed on their roster as from Bridgewater College.  I never heard of him, so I don't think he played on BC's football team.  Any insider info from Llamadude, Snakehandler or the other BC faithful.

Speaking of BC faithful, are there any plans for the Station this weekend?  I was on campus this past Saturday to drop off my baby girl (boo hoo), she is a Eagle freshman this year, and I noticed they cut off about half of our tree!  Can they do that without the express written consent of Stone Station?

We will be there Saturday.  Let the games begin.

No mention of BC in Jamarr's bio on the U. of Maryland site, but there was a year lag between HS and his matriculation at College Park:

http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/robinson_jamarr00.html

[Ryan Tipps]

Does anyone know anything about University of Maryland's 2nd string QB named Jamar Robinson?  I have a friend who is in the Terp club and he keeps telling me this guy is listed on their roster as from Bridgewater College.  I never heard of him, so I don't think he played on BC's football team.  Any insider info from Llamadude, Snakehandler or the other BC faithful.

Speaking of BC faithful, are there any plans for the Station this weekend?  I was on campus this past Saturday to drop off my baby girl (boo hoo), she is a Eagle freshman this year, and I noticed they cut off about half of our tree!  Can they do that without the express written consent of Stone Station?

We will be there Saturday.  Let the games begin.

No mention of BC in Jamarr's bio on the U. of Maryland site, but there was a year lag between HS and his matriculation at College Park:

http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/robinson_jamarr00.html

Could the guy in the Terp Club be confusing Robinson with Anthony Green?

[pakownr97]

Does anyone know anything about University of Maryland's 2nd string QB named Jamar Robinson?  I have a friend who is in the Terp club and he keeps telling me this guy is listed on their roster as from Bridgewater College.  I never heard of him, so I don't think he played on BC's football team.  Any insider info from Llamadude, Snakehandler or the other BC faithful.

Speaking of BC faithful, are there any plans for the Station this weekend?  I was on campus this past Saturday to drop off my baby girl (boo hoo), she is a Eagle freshman this year, and I noticed they cut off about half of our tree!  Can they do that without the express written consent of Stone Station?

We will be there Saturday.  Let the games begin.

No mention of BC in Jamarr's bio on the U. of Maryland site, but there was a year lag between HS and his matriculation at College Park:

http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/robinson_jamarr00.html

Could the guy in the Terp Club be confusing Robinson with Anthony Green?

Yep, I'll bet you are correct.  I think Green is the 3rd string QB, Wayne probably confused the two.  I will check with him as soon as I see him.  Thanks.

In any case, it seems strange to me that a guy who was redshirted as a Freshman at Div III BC could make the team at D1 UMud.  And since he was redshirted a year at MD also, he still has a few years of eligibility left, so he could eventually become their starter.  I sure do wish we could have kept him.