FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[jknezek]

All the ODAC schools are similar size liberal arts schools. I don't think there is much of a "mission and vision" difference at all. I think the biggest difference is W&L is a top 20 liberal arts school (my opinion since I think the vast majority of rankings that come out aren't worth the paper they are printed on) and the lower academic schools in the ODAC are probably more like the 40-50th percentile liberal arts schools. I couldn't tell you academically who would be the lowest, not even sure what criteria I'd use to define lowest, and I'm really not sure it matters in terms of sports championships.

W&L has a good hook going by being the best academic school in the ODAC. We exploit that hook very well. While we don't always compete in the big team sports, football, basketball and baseball, we almost always compete in one out of three. Lately it's been football with basketball being more competitive. When I was there it was lacrosse and baseball. But with the improved facilities, I think all the programs have gotten better in the last decade, with the possible exception of some backsliding in lacrosse and men's soccer. Swimming, men's and women's tennis, volleyball... W&L is almost always strong. W&L might be attractive to the new conference, but I'm pretty sure the conference, while full of great teams and even traditional rivals (Sewanee and Centre especially), would be more of a travel nuisance than any kind of benefit.

[jknezek]

I'd agree with you about the triple option; it's an offense that I'm surprised isn't used more often as I think defenses have gotten so focused on spread offenses that it's hard for them to adjust to type of assignment defense required to play an option team like us or W&L.

I'd agree, but you are seeing more of it. I think there was an ATN column last year about the increasing number of teams going to option, triple option, and spread option offenses. Everything goes in cycles. Option, I, pro-set, spread, just about everything but the wing-t comes and goes. You need the players to run the option, and that can be difficult. Wide receivers don't want to play in the system, tight ends become mostly blocking linemen, qbs have to accept basically a "wildcat" role. Lineman have to be much more mobile than pass blocking.

So many high schools play pro style with spread sets these days it can be hard to get the kids. Small, academic schools that can do less recruiting to the system have to have a coach flexible enough to adapt to the talent on hand.

Sewanee seems on the up for the triple option, and I think that's great because I enjoy watching it done well. It's great to watch a game like the W&L vs Centre game where you had two different styles being equally successful. Unless, of course, you are the d-coordinator!

[ExTartanPlayer]

Everything goes in cycles. Option, I, pro-set, spread, just about everything but the wing-t comes and goes. You need the players to run the option, and that can be difficult. Wide receivers don't want to play in the system, tight ends become mostly blocking linemen, qbs have to accept basically a "wildcat" role. Lineman have to be much more mobile than pass blocking.

The Wing-T is still alive and well at Carnegie Mellon!  (*Note: Much of what I'm about to say also goes for the triple option and single wing)

The Wing-T gave us an advantage in games vs. opponents that were "new" on our schedule and consequently had "never seen" the Wing-T.  I recall several games where we racked up a ton of rushing yards against opponents that certainly had the talent to stop us, but they just weren't used to seeing our offense (we ran for 500+ yards against now-defunct Colorado College in 2005 and 2006; we ran for 260 yards against Millsaps in the 2006 playoffs; and, since jknezek is a W & L alum, we racked up 315 rushing yards and 39 points against W & L in 2007).

Specifically, I think it made a huge difference in that Millsaps game.  I honestly believe that their defense was more talented than our offense, but they had played an entire season vs. spread offenses (and maybe 1-2 option teams? SCAC folks?) - they were used to defending primarily zone-read running plays, not the old-fashioned Buck Sweep and Down plays that we kept running.

On the flip side, teams that played us every year often had a much easier time defending us.  In 2006 (same year as the Millsaps game referenced above) a mediocre WashU team held us to 126 rushing yards because they saw us every year and knew our offense.  Grove City always gave us a pretty hard time, even with teams that went 2-8 or 3-7, because they ran the same offense that we did & their defense could "read" us pretty well.

I think that the triple-option and single-wing will survive if just a few schools run them because of that element of "unfamiliarity" - they're just hard to prepare for on a week's notice, but if you play 3-4 teams a year that run a triple-option, it becomes a lot easier to defend.

There was a an article on Grantland.com a few weeks back about the variety of offenses that still exist at the college level, pointing out that it can be fun to watch those games because NFL teams essentially look the same to the untrained eye.

[jknezek]

That's fantastic! I had no idea CMU still ran a wing t. And I completely agree. W&L is finding it much harder sledding with the option through the ODAC this year, even though I think we are executing better, than when we played last year. Defenses certainly are more prepared and though we still get the yards, we aren't getting the points as teams bend but don't break. However, when you look at our non-conference games, man we wracked up yards and points. So yes, familiarity is a problem.

I'm going to have to find a Carnegie Mellon game to watch me some wing-t football!

[awadelewis]

I'd agree, but you are seeing more of it. I think there was an ATN column last year about the increasing number of teams going to option, triple option, and spread option offenses. Everything goes in cycles. Option, I, pro-set, spread, just about everything but the wing-t comes and goes.

Part of that is the give and take between offenses and defenses.  With so many programs going to nickel variations like the 3-3-5 or 3-3 stack to deal with the spread, it becomes a lot harder to effectively defend option football.   Those formations make it a lot harder for the corners and safeties to focus on the pitch than in more traditional defensive formations like a 4-3 or 3-4.

You definitely see cycles in the sport.  I chuckled a bit when everyone made such a fuss about the Wildcat formation when it got real popular a few years ago given how it's just the old single wing offense run at modern speeds.  I'll know we've come full circle when I see someone come out in a game using the Notre Dame Box.

[Ron Boerger]

Congratulations to the SCAC Players of the Week:

• Offensive:  Tyler Ostermann, Centre:  A season-high 300 yards passing on 18-of-26 including two TDs in 45-20 win over previously undefeated Birmingham-Southern.
• Defensive:  Greg Blasiar, Millsaps:  A career-high nine tackles, one for loss, and a 65-yard pick six that helped the Majors secure their come from behind victory against Rhodes to stay in the SCAC conference hunt.
• Special Teams:  Mario Warren, Millsaps:  His first career blocked punt was scooped up and recovered for a TD which gave Millsaps the lead for good against the Lynx.  He also had three special teams tackles.

This week's SCAC games:

• #23 Trinity (6-0) at LaGrange (2-4):  Panthers are 0-3 against SCAC teams so far, with losses to BSC, Millsaps, and Rhodes.   Last two games have shown improvement including the most recent effort, an OT loss to 5-1 Trine.   LaGrange has had two weeks to prepare for this week's Homecoming game.
• Sewanee (3-4, 0-3) at (RV, "#28") Centre  (5-0, 2-0):  Colonels look to stay atop the SCAC against improved Tigers. 
• Austin (0-6, 0-3) at Rhodes (2-3, 0-2):  Kangaroo death march hits the road to Memphis, where one team will get its first SCAC win of the season.

[K-Mack]

Yes there was an ATN about triple-option last year. Ripon, Maine Maritime, Salisbury, SUNY-Maritime maybe were the featured teams. They talked about how recruiting is affected, but they treated it as an advantage.

Definitely Ripon mentioned no one seeing it and then having 4 days to prep for it as a factor. The first game of the year they have all offseason to prep though.

Personal experience against the old Gettysburg Wing-T in mid-90s, we gave up 27 points the first time we played them and shut them out the next year. We were more talented both times but we gave one or two long fullback dive TDs the first year by misplaying the option. So I think familiarity is a major factor.

Also I was at the Carnegie Mellon/Millsaps playoff game, and while the Majors had trouble with the offense, it was really the fact that the CMU defense shut out that Millsaps offense (which would go on to be a juggernaut the next two seasons) that changed that game. 21-0. REALLY good safety for the Tartans that year.

[ExTartanPlayer]

Also I was at the Carnegie Mellon/Millsaps playoff game, and while the Majors had trouble with the offense, it was really the fact that the CMU defense shut out that Millsaps offense (which would go on to be a juggernaut the next two seasons) that changed that game. 21-0. REALLY good safety for the Tartans that year.

So you're sure that the difference wasn't the stellar play of CMU's left tackle and that Wing-T offense?

You're certainly right, Keith, in that our defense was the "real" key to the game, and the safety you reference is a former D3football.com All-American (Aaron Lewis) who probably could have played up a level from Division III (perhaps as a linebacker, he may have been a touch slow for a safety at the I-AA level).

With that said, they did struggle with the wing-T (a couple of times on our "criss-cross" play the the Millsaps LB's were still running the wrong way with the ballcarrier five yards downfield), and that was the origin of this discussion - the difficulty of preparing for teams playing old-school offensive sets.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity coach Steve Mohr, suffering from pneumonia, will not accompany the team to Georgia this week.  DC Jim Dawson will serve as acting coach.  A full recovery is expected.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/the-local-scene/2011/10/ailing-trinity-football-coach-will-sit-out-this-week/

Get well soon, Coach Mohr!

[Ron Boerger]

Keith features the SCAC, present and future, in this week's Around the Nation.

What a shame that with all the love the guys are showing the conference, not many of its supporters seem to be around any more.

[D3Navy]

Still here!  Glad to see TU in solid form.  Don't post much, but follow much.  Here in Hawaii I wake up to the video stream.  SCAC doing well and getting attention rarely exhibited during better times.  D3 football is great and I enjoy the camaraderie and passion.  - T

[Ron Boerger]

Update from the SAEN on Steve Mohr (as well as a bit about today's game at LaGrange).  As of the time this article was written (yesterday), Coach Mohr was still in the hospital but is expected to be released "soon." 

[Ron Boerger]

Not a good start in what's seeming more and more like a trap game.  Trinity goes 3-and-out after the opening kickoff, then LaGrange drives 76 yards in 16 plays, mostly on the ground (!) to take a 7-0 lead, 3:50 to play in opening quarter.   LaGrange QB 4-for-4 on the drive.   

Another 3-and-out and LaGrange has the ball again at their 31.  Nyk McKissick an unlikely 1-of-4 (1 yd) so far.

[Ron Boerger]

Already 2nd quarter in Georgia.  LaGrange at Trinity 30. 

Finally an incomplete pass from a guy who's missed more passes than he's completed (42%) this year.  Panthers get a 33 yard field goal to increase the lead to 10-0, 12:58 before halftime. 

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity finally gets a pass completed only to fumble it at midfield.  Oy vey. 

LaGrange converts a 4th and 4 at the Trinity 31 by keeping it on the ground.

Trinity gets a big sack on 3rd-and-6 at their 22, pushing Panthers out of field goal range.  Punt into end zone.  Granchelli's 3-yd gain on first down is biggest gain on ground for Tigers so far.   But two more rushes net a total of two yards and it's punt time again.   Lagrange will start at their own 46.