FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

just returned from my trip to bridgewater.  thoughts on the game, Hampden is a little better than Bridgewater.  The eagles had chances to score but didnt so the game was closer than the final shows.  compared to the other teams I have seen play this year Hampden will have trouble beating most of them if they play them in the playoffs.  I know they still have to win out to win the ODAC, but they could do that.  So as not to ruffle any feathers I have seen Wesley, UMHB, Salisbury, Rowan, Del Val, Kean, and Brockport before today and that is my comparison level for Sydney and Bridgewater.

I don't think you'll ruffle feathers. Most of us who watch the ODAC know there isn't a real national players in the bunch right now. Hasn't been for a while and it would be nice to just pick up a playoff win. Been a lot of years since that happened for us. We'll see how it goes next weekend with W&L and R-MC. That is the first ODAC power matchup in my opinion. At the start of the year, I figured H-SC to be the class of the conference. But with the loss to Catholic I think they are going to be beatable by anyone who catches them napping again, let alone the other two title "favorites".

I don't think we have a karma sniper either, pretty civilized on this board, but I'll give you a +k for making the road trip and posting thoughts!

[wesleydad]

thanks jk.  friends with the stone station folks due to my son playing at wesley and i try to make a trip each year to hang with them.  homecoming is always a good choice since most or all of them will be there.  the odac like most leagues is just a step below the top level teams.  it was a good and enjoyable game and the weather was great for football and my roadtrip.  +k back to you.

[roocru]

thanks jk.  friends with the stone station folks due to my son playing at wesley and i try to make a trip each year to hang with them.  homecoming is always a good choice since most or all of them will be there.  the odac like most leagues is just a step below the top level teams.  it was a good and enjoyable game and the weather was great for football and my roadtrip.  +k back to you.

I hope all are doing well!  PM me and let me know if there is anything special I need to know.

[hasanova]

Quakers get a road ODAC win at Shenandoah today, 20-7.  Looks as though rookie QB Matt Pawlowski had an all-around good day.  Guilford moves to 2-3, 1-1 while SU drops to 1-4, 0-2.  BC in Greensboro Thursday night. 

Congrats Hasa! I thought your boys were going to be good enough coming off that 4th quarter last week. Definite improvement in that squad every week.

Big game next week as W&L and R-MC come in undefeated in ODAC play. Sadly it's Reading Days at W&L, so a long weekend with a lot of students off campus.

W&L does well to close out E&H 45-21. Over 500 yards rushing. 562 total offensive yards. Without the pick-6 fumble late, W&L played a great game. Got out to a hot start and never looked back.

Thanks.  I see the improvement as well, but ... and let's be honest ... Shenandoah has room to improve as well.  When you've been down a few seasons as Guilford has, however, a win is a win and it's welcome!

[HSCTiger fan]

thanks jk.  friends with the stone station folks due to my son playing at wesley and i try to make a trip each year to hang with them.  homecoming is always a good choice since most or all of them will be there.  the odac like most leagues is just a step below the top level teams.  it was a good and enjoyable game and the weather was great for football and my roadtrip.  +k back to you.

wesleydad, congrats on Wesley's big win yesterday.  I disagree with a your comment that the game was closer than it looked.  HSC in my opinion was a lot better than BC yesterday and the stats prove this - 24 first down to 14, 155 rushing yards to 89 (BC QB had 27 of those from scrambles), nearly 10 more minutes of possession, and most importantly a 17 point victory.  At no point in the game did I feel HSC was not in control.  That's a sound win against a previously unbeaten team. 

You were in town visiting as a BC fan and I was there for HSC. Funny how one's alligence to a team provides different perspectives. 

[wesleydad]

hsc, i am friends with the folks from BC but hardly a fan of the eagles.  ask them, I call it as I see it.  BC missed 2 field goals and moved the ball down the field on the first possession with relative ease.  not sure about the play call of the fade route that was out of bounds but caught.  if that play works BC leads 7 - 0 and the game changes.  as far as the QB running, I think they should have run him more than they did.  the BC folk did not think they would win and they are pretty honest about their team.  after teh game we talked about play calling and whether or not they had the right game plan.  from on high I would have picked on one of the corners all day.  he lined up 10 yds off and bailed on the snap.  BC also had some dropped passes that would have lead to first downs.  hampden got 24 and that was about all they were going to get with all the advantages in yards and TOP.  we will have to disagree, but the perspective from which I watch any game I go to is if a team can compete with the top teams in the country.  BC is a nice team that happened to be undefeated, but as their fans told me when I got there, it was more because of who they had played not due to how good they were.  Good luck the rest of the year, Hampden has a chance to make up for the Catholic loss by beating everyone left.  Not sure how the tie breaker would play out, but head to head with whomever they end up tied with should get them in the playoffs.  Thanks for the congrats on Wesley's big win, it was a good one from what I can tell.

[tigerfanalso]

HSC played better against BC but still has some work to do. If they can continue to improve each week the Tigers will have an opportunity to play for the ODAC Championship. It will be interesting to see the match up this week against E&H. The Tigers held on to beat them last year 38 to 36. Should be a good game.

I wish I could watch the W&L vs. RMC game this week. That should be a really good game.

Good luck to all this coming week.

[tigerfanalso]

Wesleydad

I think you are spot on. You are use to watching top D3 programs, the ODAC simply is not (not since the Bridgewater team of 2004 ?) a top tier football conference. We know the ODAC Champion is not going to compete with the top D3 teams in the country, not even close and not sure that is really a desire based on many factors. We are hoping for the ODAC to win a first round playoff game however, and that might be a possibility going forward based on pairing of course and site of contest. It appears the ODAC Champ is going to be either W&L, RMC or HSC and neither of those teams are going to make a run in the playoffs this year but perhaps could pull an upset in the first round. Good luck to Wesley the remainder of the season and best of luck in the playoffs should they earn a spot. It is really cool to see someone have the passion for D3 football the way you do.

[jknezek]

I wish I could watch the W&L vs. RMC game this week. That should be a really good game.

Winner of this game certainly has the inside track for the title. W&L gets both RMC and HSC at home this year, although the RMC game comes over Reading Days, so the campus will be a lot more empty than I would wish for this important of a game. Either way, W&L's offense has really grown every week, and the defense has come leaps and bounds from the first game. I think the Generals are in good shape, but it will depend on execution.

[wesleydad]

tigerfan, thanks for the compliment.  I like the ODAC and the way they play.  Got to see both Bridgewater and Hampden against Wesley when my son was playing.  Getting to meet the Bridgewater folk has been a bonus.  It gives me an excuse to take a nice drive to see then once a year.  I agree, depending on the seed and draw the ODAC champ could win the first round of the playoffs.  The south is really loaded this year, I think UMHB may be the best team in the country with Wesley not far behind them.  Louisiana College and Birmingham Southern have shown they are just below Wesley and then you still have Huntingdon, who likely wont get in the playoffs at all unless they can beat Wesley.  Throw in Johns Hopkins and probably CNU and it makes for a tough road for anyone to just win the South region.  I understand the differences in philosophy when it comes to "winning the whole thing" and respect any and all that go out and do their best.

[abnrgr]

JKNezak

Good analysis and you were correct about HSC. One atta boy for you

Road win GC-Q. HASA has to be doing doing the Curly spin on the floor

[jknezek]

JKNezak
Good analysis and you were correct about HSC. One atta boy for you

Thanks. My dad always says "Even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then." Guess it was my turn!

[narch]

it's too bad ecu has been banned...i would love his take on guilford after the quakers have won 2 of 3 (i'm sure it has nothing to do with gcq coaching )

there could be another win or 2 on the quakers schedule...if they win 4 games with [sarcasm] THAT coaching staff [/sarcasm], ecu's head will explode

[jknezek]

it's too bad ecu has been banned...i would love his take on guilford after the quakers have won 2 of 3 (i'm sure it has nothing to do with gcq coaching )

there could be another win or 2 on the quakers schedule...if they win 4 games with [sarcasm] THAT coaching staff [/sarcasm], ecu's head will explode

He was suspended, not banned I believe. And I do think he resurfaced briefly after the W&L game. Sometimes the axe we have to grind just doesn't work out for us. ECU may have a legitimate beef with the coaching staff for some reason, or he may not.

The point is, if he had been civil about it, he could have complained to his heart's content. We may have gotten bored of it, but it wouldn't have been any different than a whole slew of other topics we, as fans, beat to death. His arguments had probably run the course, but logic and internet message boards don't often mix.

Personally, from what I saw watching the W&L game, they are a better team this year than last. That's about all you can ask for from where that coaching staff got its start.

[DGPugh]

"logic and internet message boards don't often mix."
yep
that is a true a thang as i have heard in a bit
keep the faith