FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[RooBro]

Sorry guys, I said sad, but I guess the better word would have been disappointed. This team has gotten so much better and their record just does not show it. The players showed so much heart all year long and the way it ended does feel a little sour. I by no means ment to drag anyone through the dirt , just frustrated that any of this had to happen.

[wabashcpa]

Pat has some interesting playoff projections, including sending DePauw West to face Central in the first round.  This game, while not easy, would at least be winnable, as opposed to drawing one of the two 800-lb. gorillas in D3 - Mt. Union and Whitewater.  Indiana should have three playoff teams (DePauw, Wabash, Trine) - it would be great if all three can get through at least one playoff round.

[Tex]

To the Roo fans, nice stadium, pretty campus.  My only complaint about yesterday would have to do with wishing AC would open up the building behind us so we could have used the bathroom there.  I managed to work my way in thru the trainers room that was left open, but most fans wouldn't have walked thru there.  I figued no one would mind.  Nice facility from what I saw as I wound my way to a head.

I've posted about 2000 photos.  Granted they are Tiger-centric, but there are some decent shots of the AC kids in some of them.  I've not had a chance to edit out the ones out of focus yet, but I'll do that later this week.  http://tigerpics.smugmug.com/2009-Season/Trinity-University-09

I'm sorry about the young men that couldn't play yesterday.  Rules are rules.  Last game of a senior year to miss because of a beer is a damn shame.  I guess if they were over 21, I'd have just scolded them or punished in some other way (clean up the stands after the game or something).  ****ty way to end your career.  But, you can bet your bottom dollar that the coach has the attention of the underclassmen.  He probably also has more of their respect.  Too often we see coaches make exceptions for their playmakers when something like this happens. 

With all that being said, I'm not sure having a different QB in there would have changed the outcome much.  The TU defense was in the backfield all day long.  The AC draw play was the only thing really that seemed to be able to slow the Tiger down some.

I was also happy that TU had a chance to play a lot of kids in the 2nd half.  The seniors that weren't starters got a lot of playing time and I"m happy for them and their families. 

Young Mr. Baer will be missed from the TU standpoint from here on.  I hope to see TigerDad at some games in the future.  He had to put up with a rather young O-line trying to find it's identity the first half of the season.  He took a pounding a few of those early games.  I was 10 feet from a collision he had with the Roo's DB number 1 on his jersey.  It was a bone crushing hit and both guys felt it hard.  I could see it in both their faces.  I was backing the heck up to keep from getting run over so I don't have it on film.  Now take that hit and multiply it by several hundred.  Young Mr. Baer has earned his retirement.  I wish him great success in his future endeavors. 

Rooski, thanks for taking the time to come down and find me on the sidelines.  I wish we'd have had more of a chance to talk.  I heard you say to the reporter that your'e son wasn't playing yesterday.  I hope he's okay. 

I had this game circled on my calendar when the season started.  I know it was going to be tough game.  Lots of hard hard hits in this game.  It was a good way for the Tigers to end the season.  The Roos played tough the entire game.

Lastly on the subject of Grandpa kicking.  I was thinking it a joke when we talked about it last week.  But, joke or not, I saw the congratulations his teammates gave him as he was mobbed coming off the field.  That tells me all I need to know.  Gramps came out and was warming up trying to kick some extra points at half time.  He was barely clearing the bar with no one in front of him.  His kick in the first quarter was probably his best ever. 

[Ron Boerger]

DePauw gets to travel to undefeated and #10 (last week) Thomas More, possibly the best result they could have hoped for.    TMC's best win was 14-7 against W&J, the last team to get a playoff bid this year. 

[wabashcpa]

DePauw going to Northern Kentucky to play Thomas More - should be a pretty competitive game, and not too far to travel.  If you can get past the Saints, your second round matchup appears winnable as well (winner of Johns Hopkins/Hampden-Sydney).  

Looks like we're going to Bloomington to play Illinois Wesleyan, with the winner going to Whitewater, WI.  Yikes.  Like I said earlier, welcome to the playoffs.  Good luck to all.

[SaintsFAN]

Looking forward to Saturday with Depauw coming to the KY.. My pick is whoever wins this 1st round will also win round 2. 

The TMC defense will be tested by Spud Dick, it sounds like.

[DPU3619]

Could not be happier with the draw.  As I said earlier in the week, I thought for sure that if DePauw lost yesterday, they were going to be an 8.  Guess I'm a little surprised they made 1 loss W&J an 8 and 2 loss DPU a 7.

Also, any time you can get in a bracket with no UWW & no Mount, and a South bracket with no UMHB, I think you take it.

[Fripp52]

B Bear and Danny Boy, nice to get to meet you and the other guys on Friday night.  Thanks for the hopitality.  I came by later, around 6 I think, looking for you guys and no one was around.  Hope you had safe travels and see you next year.

[BlueRebel94]

DePauw gets to travel to undefeated and #10 (last week) Thomas More, possibly the best result they could have hoped for.    TMC's best win was 14-7 against W&J, the last team to get a playoff bid this year. 

Actually from a pure seeding standpoint, the TMC 42-17 win over MSJ (9-1), 7th seed in the tourney, on the road, was a better win given that they (MSJ) were ranked #3 in the North region going into that game.     

[Ron Boerger]

Actually from a pure seeding standpoint, the TMC 42-17 win over MSJ (9-1), 7th seed in the tourney, on the road, was a better win given that they (MSJ) were ranked #3 in the North region going into that game.    

So noted - thanks for the correction.  I'm not much on HCAC teams.

[Pat Coleman]

D3football.com Pick 'em is up.

http://www.d3football.com/pickem/

[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.

The above post isn't the one I was trying to find, but I quoted it anyway because it seemed somewhat interesting and accurate.  What I was looking for was another post from August 9 which contained this more accurate prediction:

"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."

---------------

Will had 17 tackles in his last game to tie for first in the SCAC this season with 102 tackles.  That doesn't necessarily mean he is even the best defender on the Millsaps team because stats can be misleading, especially on a team with a lot of talented defenders, but it's not bad for a guy who was spending last spring earning the best offensive player award in SCAC baseball.

[Ron Boerger]

It does not appear that TMC does live video, but there will be live stats for the game here.  TMC also doesn't appear to have audio, but the good folks at WGRE are planning to broadcast the game.

Edit:  updated incorrect WGRE link (from DPU football site) with correct one.

[BlueRebel94]

It does not appear that TMC does live video, but there will be live stats for the game here.  TMC also doesn't appear to have audio, but the good folks at WGRE are planning to broadcast the game.

Edit:  updated incorrect WGRE link (from DPU football site) with correct one.

That is correct.  With the program still under the legal drinking age, we are just happy to have 1) on campus facilities complete with tailgate zone 2) nice and relatively new turf field and 3) the start of a nice pressbox and seating (aluminum bleachers still but will be replaced/upgraded by next year).

[TigerDad]

Well, besides the Indiana Tigers' playoff run ... hope it's long, men ... the SCAC season is pretty much done.  It's been a few days, so here's my take on the 2009 TU Tigers:

Congratulations on another fine season, Trinity!  You survived a brutal opening run of road trips, falling only to Millsaps on a day that the Majors were unstoppable.  You regrouped well and defended home turf against all (reasonable) opponents.  At DePauw, they simply had our number and it wasn't our day.  Then, y'all showed what you're made of, de-throning Centre and fending off up-and-coming Austin on their home turf to finish strong.

Alot of great moments come to mind, but in tribute to K-Mack and the guys at D3Football.com (God Bless, 'em!), here's my Top Ten Trinity Tiger Twenty-Oh-Nine Testaments:

1 ) RB Al Furlow alertly stripping the ball from the McMurry defender who was surely headed for the winning TD.  Bravo!

2 ) First-year kicker Garrett Biel hitting the game-winning FG at TLU in only his second game as a Trinity Tiger.  And, he finished the regular season #1 in NCAA Division III.  Well done!

3 ) First-year punter Kyle Trella consistently pinning opponents deep in their own territory, or helping the Tigers win the battle of field position.  And, he also finished the regular season #1 in NCAA Division III.  Way to go!

4 ) TU's all-new offensive line coming together as the season progressed.  Protecting the QB's and opening some big-time running room for the backs.  You guys consistently improved from week-to-week and it showed in the offensive numbers, especially the last two games.  Fine job!

5 ) OL Josh Hooten who patiently moved from G to C this season and did a helluva job.  And, against Centre, he marched back to the locker room and put on his pads when his team needed him, despite a mild concussion the week before.  TU "only" put up 260 yards rushing that day ... about half of them behind #50, I think.  Man-up, Hoot!

6 ) The Black Flag defense was aggressive and flocked to the ball all year.  Folks, they gave up more than 26 points only ONCE all year ... and that to a scholarship school.  HooAhh!

7 ) Despite a consistent revolving door at the QB position, the Tiger offense managed an average of 160 yards rushing and almost 200 yards receiving per game, and finished third or fourth in the SCAC in almost every offensive category.  Aw-Fence!

8 ) Tiger receivers not only caught most everything thrown their way, but provided GREAT downfield blocking for the QB, RB's and each other.  All of them really put some hats on their coverage and helped the whole team get the extra yardage all season.

9 ) Senior WR/KR Caleb Urban who passed his older and famouser brother, Jerheme, for the most return yardage in TU history.  It's not enough to be just fast, you gotta be a little crazy to run as fast as you can toward eleven guys who'd like to take your helmet off without removing the chinstrap.  Fine job!

and finally,

10 ) A certain RB who shall, for the sake of modesty, go nameless but can be easily identified by his number and stats.  This guy has put up big numbers for eleven years (three at TU) and really wasn't sure he wanted to do it again this season.  Instead of complaining or dodging it, he helped encourage the young QB's and linemen as they developed and reaped the benefit of their learning curve later in the season.  Some guys lead with their mouths, but this one leads with his helmet and shoulder pads.  The last two weeks, he really took the ball across the goal line in every way possible.  It was fun to watch.  For his career, he finishes in the top ten in pretty much every Trinity offensive category possible.  Very proud, I am.


Lest I forget to mention, it was great to meet Rooski up in Sherman last weekend.  Very sorry for him that things worked out like they did, but he showed real class to come over to the visitors' side and meet us to chat for a while.  We do all have alot in common, we SCAC and D3 fans.  It was no surprise, but a pleasure to confirm that in person.  I salute you all!

So ... I'm officially retired as a D3-Dad.  Right now, we're just tired and need a rest.  Next August and September, I will be missing the game, I'm sure.  But then, we'll going to football games as an option.  Who knows, I might even get to see some teams I haven't yet seen in some stadiums I've always wanted to visit ...

Good luck to DPU this week and congrats to all the SCAC teams on another great year, especially those Tigers in Maroon, Silver & White.