FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[consultant]

Hawks,
   Those black-caped kids were not really there.....simply a figment of your imagination.....just ghosts from the days when Sewanee played in the SEC.  Congrats on the Huntingdon win.

[Ron Boerger]

Quick thoughts from TLU-Trinity; more in the column next week.

- TLU had a big size advantage on the OL and was quick to the corners.  Trinity was back on their heels the first couple of series.
- Holt Storrie hit a 20yd FG to give TLU its biggest lead of the night, 9-3.  On second down before the kick, Sean Salinas appeared to have taken a pretty good lick and was replaced on third down, and as holder on the FG try.
- Trinity regained the momentum with some beautiful deep passing.  Good to see Robert Kelner get involved in the offense again.
- Just as things were looking really bad for TLU (they had given up a TD on a 2-play, 75 yd drive, gone three and out, and Trinity had the ball at midfield), lightning hit the area and everyone went to the locker rooms.  For an hour and a half.
- TLU got the momentum back going in to the half thanks to a huge play by McCoy, who returned an INT 50 yards for a score just before the half.
- TLU's offense struggled after the FG.  At one point the Bulldogs assayed 11 straight running plays spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters, with only one first down to show for their troubles.  When Salinas finally did start throwing the ball, he was not as effective as earlier, which made me wonder if he had his bell rung pretty well.  Then again, he was under a lot of pressure in the third quarter especially.
- Salinas and TLU started to get back into it when they abandoned a more deliberate style of play in favor of a hurryup offense in the fourth.  It may have been too hurried as there were several fumbles/INTs late that kept TLU from getting that last score. 
- Trinity was throwing a LOT of deep passes.  There were at least 3 or 4 perfectly good passes (maybe more) from Cannon that were dropped by the WRs, either due to contact or just because they couldn't hold on. 
- TLU was hitting a crossing route ALL NIGHT LONG.  Trinity finally started rushing only three guys to drop another guy back in coverage.  Salinas still kept hurting the Tigers with this play.
- The difference in the game came down to defensive line play.  Salinas was running for his life a lot, and while he got away a number of times, he also took five or six sacks.   They were even able to exert pressure only rushing the three guys.  TLU was unable to exert similar pressure, though they did get to Cannon a few times. 

[Ralph Turner]

Ron, specific questions that you may have already thought of for your column.

Did the extra week make a difference for TU?

Will we see them play each other in November?

Might a 8-2/8-1 (Tri-champion) TLU get into the playoffs as a 2nd Pool C bid?

How much as Salinas matured?

Thanks

[historymajor]

As predicted, TLU was tough... TU prevails 31-23... thunder, lightening, delays...  TLU will do some damage in the ASC.....

[Ron Boerger]

Ron, specific questions that you may have already thought of for your column.

Did the extra week make a difference for TU?

You have to think it did.  Jacob Cannon did a much better job of leading his receivers - last week the WRs were having to come back to the ball on deep routes.

Will we see them play each other in November?

Might a 8-2/8-1 (Tri-champion) TLU get into the playoffs as a 2nd Pool C bid?

I thought, of the three games against '04 playoff competitors, that this would be TLU's best chance to steal a win.  It will be very tough for them to go into Belton next week and defeat UMHB, and Hardin-Simmons will also be tough (though that is the one game they get at home).

That said, I've said all along that if TLU goes 8-2 that they will be a very strong Pool C contender.  Their QoW would be quite high.  Only the NCAA knows for sure.

How much as Salinas matured?

I did not see him play last year, but he is a leader and the team obviously believes in him.   During the third quarter/early fourth, when Trinity pretty much had their way, he did seem to get a bit of happy feet under pressure.  Some of that may have been trying to clear the cobwebs out, because once TLU went to the hurry-up offense, he was much more composed. 

BTW Sean set the all-time TLU passing mark last night. 

[consultant]

I've been digging for more information about the now infamous Concordia-Selma football program.....I found an NAIA website (NAIAfootball.net) that seems to indicate that Concordia-Selma is an NAIA provisional member.  The college is a historically black insitution located in Selma, AL, which is west of Montgomery. 

Concordia-Selma will play at Millsaps on Saturday, Sept. 17; it will be the Majors' first game of the 2005 season.  I have been under the impression (as we all have) that the game will not count in the standings for Millsaps.  However, there might be an argument that the game can count based on some information that I have found.

Concordia-Selma has played three games already, but their first game is the interesting one:
D II West Alabama (Livingston, AL) d. Concordia-Selma 34-12 on August 25 -- this game apparently has counted in the West Alabama standings as indicated on the West Alabama website and the Gulf South Conference website.  The stats are listed on the West Alabama website and the Gulf South Conference website.  Ummmmm................. 

Concordia-Selma d. Allen University (Columbia, SC) 25-6 on September 3 -- no other info available......

Concordia-Selma played at Atlantic College yesterday -- no score and no other info available and I'm not sure that an Atlantc College exists in the US.....there is an Atlantic College located in Wales, UK. 

I'm passing this info along to the powers that be at Millsaps and at the SCAC....if this game can count for Millsaps, then it ought to.  But I'm not holding my breath.

I'll post something when I hear something......

[Hawks88]

Whatever Atlantic College-Charlotte is, Concordia-Selma pretty much wiped the field with them 75-8. Here is a link to the game article:

http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/articles/2005/09/11/sports/local/sports%2000000000000001.txt

[consultant]

Ahhh...nice work Hawks !!!

[Ralph Turner]

A quick call to the NCAA to confirm whether the U West Alabama game counted should give us the answer.

Does Millsaps have the secondary speed necessary to cover Concordia-Selma?

Great job, Hawks!

[evacuee]

Am I to understand that Jacob Cannon, despite poor numbers that Trinity has not seen a qb post in many years, actually looked better vs. TLU than against AC?

[Ron Boerger]

Am I to understand that Jacob Cannon, despite poor numbers that Trinity has not seen a qb post in many years, actually looked better vs. TLU than against AC?

In some ways, yes.  If the receivers catch half of the passes they dropped he ends up completing 50% for 350-400 yards.  As Coach Mohr told me last night, Jacob is still very much a work in progress but there is a great deal of potential.  He threw some very pretty deep balls right where they had to be.   

Not that I am trying to sound like the president of the Cannon fan club, but it would also help him if the team could establish the run.  The OL struggled to open holes most of the night.  Their pass blocking, on the other hand, was quite good. 

[historymajor]

TLU was just as tough as I expected..... mucho quicks!  If/when Salinas gets comfortable behind that big line and mixes the pass with the run effectively, they should be a factor in the ASC race.  Bonzo was correct in his assessment of Jake.... his receivers dropped some well thrown balls, but also credit TLU pass coverage as more than a few of his attempts were broken up by outstanding defense.  I think the lengthy lightening delay disrupted the flow of the game more for TLU than for TU.  An unforeseen homefield advantage is the home/vistitor locker rooms in a situation like that.  Under most conditions there would be only a squad of 50-55 travelling to EM Stevens to play TU, but because TLU is only 30-45 minutes away, they brought everybody and those poor locker room conditions must have been unbearable.

[RFB]

Redlands fan here, looking forward to an exciting game this weekend when Trinity makes it out to Southern California. Any Trinity fans making the trip West?

[scaccommish]

Just got it straight from the NCAA...Concordia-Selma will be a countable game for Millsaps.

[exmajor]

Good news for the Majors, I am sure they will be ready to hit someone who is not wearing a purple or white unifrom come Saturday.