FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[D3_DPUFan]

Walker took a lot off the plates of everyone else because he did not have a position to coach.

fripp...actually he coached receivers. i am wondering who they get, or could get at this late date to come in?

[Ron Boerger]

Damned shame if Walker isn't leaving on his own terms, let's hope that's not the case.  It would seem to fit the available evidence, tho.

Poll results, pre-termination:

Who's going to win the SCAC this season?

Austin -0 (0%)
BSC -0 (0%)
Centre -1 (3.7%)
DePauw -7 (25.9%)
Millsaps -6 (22.2%)
Rhodes -0 (0%)
Sewanee -0 (0%)
Trinity -13 (48.2%)

I've reset the vote totals so feel free to change (or not) and re-vote. 

[smedindy]

Wow. I've known the Walker family all of my life. Walker's Dad has eight of my teeth in his collection (bicuspids for braces and my wisdom teeth - which were in my mouth all cattywhompus), and I've known both of his sons since they were little runts. (Ok, I was a runt, too...)

Just wow....

[bearmo17]

Smedindy,
Aren't you on the wrong site? I agree with you I have known the walker family forever and am still trying to find out what really happened.

I take it you must be doing better... If I remember right you took some time off didn't you?

Take care and will I see you around something this football season?

[smedindy]

Bearmo! Feeling better. Was out for three weeks.

Don't know if I will be back in Indiana for football season, but I will try.

[frank_ezelle]

While the coaching change at DePauw adds an odd twist to the discussion, I don't see how a person could pick anyone except DePauw as the preseason favorite.  That's not to say that they will win or that I've lost faith in my Millsaps Majors, but look at all the things DePauw has going for them this year:

---41 returning lettermen including 17 starters from a team that went 8-2 in 2008.
---Millsaps and Trinity lost senior quarterbacks.  DePauw brings back a senior quarterback who led the SCAC last year in passing yards per game.
---DePauw lost 2 games last year:  at Millsaps and at Trinity.  Those games will both be home games this season.
---Millsaps will be traveling to Indiana the week after hosting Trinity.  It will be difficult for Millsaps to be at their physical and mental peak for that road game.
---DePauw has a bye the week before the Trinity game while the Tigers will be hosting the Tigers of Sewanee.
---And last but not least is motivation.  DePauw has been in the SCAC since 1998 and they have a piece of a tri-championship (2000) and a co-championship(2005), but no outright championship.  I suspect they had guys working just a little harder than usual in the offseason knowing they will never have a better situation for winning the title.

As mentioned above, that's the situation here in the preseason and it doesn't take into account outstanding recruits, injuries, players deciding not to return to a school, a bench warmer in 2008 becoming a star in 2009, and all the other unpredictable things that can and will happen in a football season.  Logically, I have to say that DePauw is the SCAC favorite at this time--in my heart I still think it will be Millsaps that comes out on top.  Speaking of which, I have a Millsaps post I'm going to add after this post.

[frank_ezelle]

First regarding Millsaps, they have two new coaches and one is a name that should be familar to many of you.  Former player Ronnie Wheat has moved up from a student assistant coach to the full time coach of the outside linebackers.   If Ronnie can get this year's outside linebackers to play at anywhere near the intensity and effort that he showed as a player then the outside linebackers will be just fine this year.

Brett Borden was hired to coach the inside linebackers.  You can read more about him at this link:  http://www.gomajors.com/news/2009/8/2/FB_0802090356.aspx .

Speaking of linebackers, maybe I shouldn't single out anyone in particular because I know Millsaps has a lot of good ones coming back, but keep and eye on Will Hawkins this year ( http://www.gomajors.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=381&path=football ).  Some of you know Will's name from baseball since he was the Offensive Player of the Year in the SCAC in 2009.  As a freshman Will seemed to be in on every tackle after a Millsaps kickoff.  As a sophomore Will had solid stats (5th on the team in tackles).  It just seems to me that he could be a Adam Hay type player next year with the speed to make tackles all over the field.

Back to the Millsaps team.  The first 5 games for Millsaps are at Mississippi College, Belhaven (a local NAIA team), at Austin, Trinity, and at DePauw.  Millsaps is a question mark to their opponents right now because of the departure of Juan Joseph.  How many of those questions do you think Coach DuBose is going to want to answer prior to game 4 against Trinty?  From what I've seen in the past, not many.

I'm not going to be surprised if Millsaps starts out 0-2 this season.  Playing MC and Belhaven on back-to-back weekends has the potential for being about as tough as the Trinity-DePauw combo, especially if Millsaps doesn't want to put all its cards out on the table.  If that happens, Millsaps fans need to remember 2006 when the first few games looked like a repeat of 2005, but things changed when SCAC play came around.

And finally, let me end this long post by mentioning that I will be posting very little or not at all during football season.  Most of you know that in September, October and November I'll be taking photos of Millsaps football, JV football, mens and womens soccer, cross country, volleyball, and maybe fall baseball.  Somewhere in there I'll also be working a full time job.  I'll definitely be reading, and should be back to post for basketball and baseball, but there are plenty of Millsaps fans who can and will fill in the gap during football if I don't post.  Plus, those folks actually know something about football so that's a bonus.

[D3_DPUFan]

While the coaching change at DePauw adds an odd twist to the discussion, I don't see how a person could pick anyone except DePauw as the preseason favorite.  That's not to say that they will win or that I've lost faith in my Millsaps Majors, but look at all the things DePauw has going for them this year:

---41 returning lettermen including 17 starters from a team that went 8-2 in 2008.
---Millsaps and Trinity lost senior quarterbacks.  DePauw brings back a senior quarterback who led the SCAC last year in passing yards per game.
---DePauw lost 2 games last year:  at Millsaps and at Trinity.  Those games will both be home games this season.
---Millsaps will be traveling to Indiana the week after hosting Trinity.  It will be difficult for Millsaps to be at their physical and mental peak for that road game.
---DePauw has a bye the week before the Trinity game while the Tigers will be hosting the Tigers of Sewanee.
---And last but not least is motivation.  DePauw has been in the SCAC since 1998 and they have a piece of a tri-championship (2000) and a co-championship(2005), but no outright championship.  I suspect they had guys working just a little harder than usual in the offseason knowing they will never have a better situation for winning the title.

As mentioned above, that's the situation here in the preseason and it doesn't take into account outstanding recruits, injuries, players deciding not to return to a school, a bench warmer in 2008 becoming a star in 2009, and all the other unpredictable things that can and will happen in a football season.  Logically, I have to say that DePauw is the SCAC favorite at this time--in my heart I still think it will be Millsaps that comes out on top.  Speaking of which, I have a Millsaps post I'm going to add after this post. 

You lay it out accurately, Frank...but we all know about playing games on paper. Your Majors and Trinity will be very tough games, in Greencastle or whereever they would be played...and don't forget teams like Centre, Rhodes and an improving Austin club. As others have said, I think this could be a very interesting season in the SCAC!  

[DPU3619]

Rumor is starting to make it's way around that Walk may have left to accept a new position.  I've gotten it from a couple of different places this morning.

[rooski]

As peculiar as the timing of the latest the developement at DPU is on the surface I wonder if it is actually better for the football players than if it had happened sometime earlier.

-This close to the season perhaps the head coach spot will be the only one seeing a change. No time or need to shake up the staff.
-A solid, familiar, popular assistant head coach is taking the helm after a fair period alongside a very respected head coach. The transition could  be fairly seamless.
-IMO the young men at these intitutions are very resilient and highly motivated to succeed. If the players at DPU needed one more "reason to succeed", this may be it.
-Unless there has been some behind the scenes turmoil within the staff the coaches may also be a bit more determined and unified for 2009 as well.

I don't know... the Tigers already looked really good on paper going into the fall of 2009. Now they might be flat out dangerous. We appreciate you guys close to the DPU program keeping us informed. We are interested in the facts.

Anyway, it has been a strange, at times difficult offseason in the SCAC. I'm really glad we're about to all be back on the field.

[D3_DPUFan]

As peculiar as the timing of the latest the developement at DPU is on the surface I wonder if it is actually better for the football players than if it had happened sometime earlier.

-This close to the season perhaps the head coach spot will be the only one seeing a change. No time or need to shake up the staff.
-A solid, familiar, popular assistant head coach is taking the helm after a fair period alongside a very respected head coach. The transition could  be fairly seamless.
-IMO the young men at these intitutions are very resilient and highly motivated to succeed. If the players at DPU needed one more "reason to succeed", this may be it.
-Unless there has been some behind the scenes turmoil within the staff the coaches may also be a bit more determined and unified for 2009 as well.

I don't know... the Tigers already looked really good on paper going into the fall of 2009. Now they might be flat out dangerous. We appreciate you guys close to the DPU program keeping us informed. We are interested in the facts.

I hope you're right, Rooski. I will tell you this, interim Head Coach Robby Long has the respect and attention of the team; OC Dustin Ward and the rest of the staff have been together and wrere preparing together for the upcoming season. Perhaps this provides another rallying point for a team that already has lots of motivation heading into 2009. We'll see.

[smedindy]

I find it funny that there's more talk about Walker on the NCAC board than here! 

[RooBro]

I will proudly be the first homer on the board to vote AC!

[Ron Boerger]

SCAC announced today it will hold its first-ever football media days ... Aug 24-27!

[D3_DPUFan]

SCAC announced today it will hold its first-ever football media days ... Aug 24-27!

Nice effort...