FB: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Ron Boerger]

OK, poll fixed.  Vote away. 

[Ralph Turner]

If the Millsaps players are buying into the Coach Dubose's platoon system, then you have 50 + guys at high intensity getting frequent quality reps, so that the entire level of play improves over the seasons.

That also means that 50+ guys know that they are seeing action and rooting for their teammates.  While they are on the sideline watching the other guy, they can see what adaptations the opponent is trying to make while his teammate is playing, kinda like tag team.  What is more, the intensity of practice is higher, because you basically have the "first" team practicing against the "A" team on both offense and defense.  There is very little difference in quality at this level, such that, given equal repetitions over the season, both players develop.

Two posters whom I respect very much give me for objective reasons to think that the Millsaps/DuBose system will be very successful.

Ron Boerger has probably seem more South Region (ASC/SCAC) ball than anyone who frequents these boards.  He believes that the Majors are second best in the South.

We have also read Frank Ezelle's assessment of the Majors.  I have "known" Frank from the Hoops and Baseball boards in previous seasons.  He is not some "Millsaps homer" with rose-colored shades!  Frank gives very good opinions of what he sees, and he likes this Millsaps team very much.

It behooves me to hear to what they are saying.

DePauw is seemingly putting it back together after a few seasons of turmoil.  DPU plays quality football.  As for the Fan Poll, I don't think that the ordinal nature of the voting is accurately describing what we are seeing.

If I may, I think that the power ratings on a scale of 0-100 thru 4 games are:

1)  UMHB  96
2-8 ) Bridgewater, Millsaps, MissColl, Salisbury, Trinity, Wash & Jeff, and Wesley, 80-90 (alphabetical order)
9)  HSU 76
10) DPU 74

The HSU at Miss College and Millsaps at DPU play favorably with home field advantage working in favor of the teams who need to prove themselves.  This is a great weekend for football!

[Ralph Turner]

Big C,

In the ASC, where HSU is traveling 600+ miles by bus, and any trip involving SRSU, 4+ points.

In the SCAC where a plane flight is involved, 4+ points.

IN both conferences where there is a 3-4 hour bus ride, (and I will include Sherman to Trinity because Texas kids are just used to long football trips up and down the interstates), 3 points.

[Pat Coleman]

Just that kid,

I suggest you look closely at Pat's message and then look up the difference between "personnel" and "personal" in a dictionary.  Respectfully, RooCru

And people claim grammar and spelling isn't important on a message board? Sheesh.

[Warren Thompson]

Just that kid,

I suggest you look closely at Pat's message and then look up the difference between "personnel" and "personal" in a dictionary.  Respectfully, RooCru

And people claim grammar and spelling isn't important on a message board? Sheesh.

Pat, you got that right. Even for teachers at the college level, trying to stress the importance of vocabulary and spelling is often akin to tilting at windmills. "Sheesh," indeed.

[exmajor]

Come on guys, I think he gets the point and I am sure he will pay more attention to his post next time.

[Ralph Turner]

B-SC AD Joe Dean, Jr is featured in the Double AA Zone Campus Connection today.

Trackback URL:

http://www.doubleazone.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-t.cgi/1215

[golden_dome]

I said it earlier, if the over/under on total points scored is in the twenties, Depauw can make a tight game of it. If we slip above 40, I think Milsaps will be tough to beat.

Gotta agree with that. The reason Millsaps won the SCAC last year started with their defense, but it gets overshadowed because the offense has been putting up points. DePauw can win if they make it a defensive game and the score is in the teen's. After watching Millsaps in person once this year, I think DePauw has a better chance of stopping the offense than they do of putting a big number on the defense.

[Just_that_kid]

First: I don't need a dictionary. I apologize (note sarcasm) for a simple mistake. I was in a hurry and wasn't paying attention. In the future, though, I will make sure my writing proficiency is up to par with the spelling and grammar guru's of the board (again note sarcasm).
Bringing a simply mistake to my attention was warranted (a genuine thank you Roocru), but the extra comments-- I thought I left that in high school. It's almost humorous that it became a conversational piece. Please, if you're going to make childish pokes, make them a little more creative... and actually be funny.
Thank you Ex Major. It's nice to know that football is what someone wishes to discuss, and not each other. Although, discussing each other and belittling the opinion, character, and intelligence, it seems, is much more compelling to some.
And please.. If you don't like this, you don't agree, your feelings are hurt, you don't like me, you think I'm not to your intellect... please don't make it a board topic. If you have something further to say, please send me a message. Some of us are here to discuss football, and not each other. Topic over. (can't wait to see my karma after this one!)

Second: In my humble opinion, I don't think this game will be within two scores. I will gladly eat my words if I'm wrong, but Ron might be one of the few who isn't grotesquely underestimating Millsaps. If they come to play, and play their game, there might be a few more box scores looking like the last few opponents Millsaps faced. We'll see. Time will tell.

[Pat Coleman]

No offense, but editing and the English language is how I make a living. I will defend grammar and spelling until the day I die.

[HunterT]

Well I'm glad to know that my comments about the offenses sparked so much conversation.

I agree with what was said about reading a few well respected posters about the two teams (Thank you Ralph for that post). I may not know the most about Millsaps and Depauw and the depth they have at their positions. What I do know is what comes up on the board here, and what I see in the stats every week.

The argument was that Millsaps held a few teams to low stat totals including points and yards when those teams turned around and produced high totals in following weeks. I will use Austin College as my rebuttle example for this, sorry roocru. Austin was held to very low offensive stats against Millsaps, then turned around and took it to their next opponent, and then turned around again and was held to less than 100 yds at Centre. This to me says inconsistant. The same with Rhodes' offense. Held to no points and embarassing stats at Millsaps, after proving their inconsistancy in the first two games.

Unfortunatly, I can't really comment much on Depauw's defense because there hasn't been an argument against my statement.

As for the offenses... you guys are the ones at the games, so why do I only hear about Marks and Joseph??? If other guys are doing their part and playing hard, where's their credit??? That is where i based my argument that it comes down to how those two players perform.

I could be wrong, and I hope I am. I hate to see a situation where one player dictates the direction of the whole team. That defeats the purpose of a TEAM game.

As for the poll results, I find it almost funny that nobody has picked DPU to win if it's under 20 pts, and only 2 have picked Millsaps to win in a low scoring game. So everybody agrees that there will be no defensive battle. Also, the same amount of people have picked Millsaps to win if it's over 40 total that have picked DPU to win if it's 20-39. So if defense plays a factor, Depauw wins. If not, Millsaps wins (which is what I picked and originally stated). What does that say about the Majors offense? Does it say that if DPU stops Joseph they have the best chance of winning?

I apologize for the length of my posts, I can only post late at night after work. So I get one post a day to say my peace. I will say that I am enjoying the amount of support and activity being shown from more people representing more schools. It is a shame that people spend their time attacking the higher powers that be that are the ones that give us this message board and the privelage to say what we want and support our boys.

In other news, Rhodes 14 - Wash U 13, we block a PAT and win. somehow.

[Ralph Turner]

Hunter, good post and worthy of the length...

I think that few voters see a 10-9 or 13-7 score in the DPU-'Saps game. 

(Thanks for the acknowledgment.)

[Pat Coleman]

In other news, Rhodes 14 - Wash U 13, we block a PAT and win. somehow.

For Rhodes/Wash U, that's practically a shootout!

[consultant]

I figured I'd revisit the Millsaps vs. DePauw game from last year.  Besides the score (Millsaps 31 - DePauw 7) the only glaring differences in statistics were in the fumbles-fumbles lost and interceptions categories.  Collectively, there were 8 turnovers in the game.  Millsaps fumbled twice and lost only one of them, and the Majors threw a lone interception.  DePauw did not fumble at all, but the Tigers threw 5 interceptions (three of which were in Millsaps territory).  Millsaps scored two touchdowns and one field goal off those interceptions.  

I've seen many of these Millsaps/DePauw games.  The Majors have NEVER won nor played well in Greencastle since DePauw joined the SCAC in 1998.  In fact, DePauw has hung 50+ points on Millsaps each of the last two times the Majors have visited the Tigers.  

But the Majors were BAD, BAD then and the Tigers were pretty darn good.  The Tigers are pretty good now, but the Majors have some weapons that Frank, Ex-Major and I have never seen before (at least not in the last 11 years....Frank can go back a little more than Ex and I can).  The newbie Major fans need a history lesson.  To be sure, DePauw hasn't seen this Millsaps football team either.  

My take: Millsaps is going to score points.  DePauw will need big plays to rattle the Majors or the Millsaps D will wear the Tigers down.  Both teams will need to protect the football or risk giving up some easy scores.  Millsaps opponents have wanted to run at the Majors.  It hasn't worked, and statistics show that the passing game against Millsaps is ill advised.  DePauw will use Marks to spark the Tiger offense, but he won't be enough this time.  Millsaps wins 27-10.

[Matt Gaunt]

As for the offenses... you guys are the ones at the games, so why do I only hear about Marks and Joseph??? If other guys are doing their part and playing hard, where's their credit??? That is where i based my argument that it comes down to how those two players perform.

I could be wrong, and I hope I am. I hate to see a situation where one player dictates the direction of the whole team. That defeats the purpose of a TEAM game.

So... what you're really saying is how well their offensive lines perform?  You did say TEAM and to give credit where it was due, and it's not like backs or receivers generate the yardage magically from pixie dust.  I've seen what happens when the blocking isn't there-- it sure as hell isn't positive yards.  As for the lack of notoriety of the front five (or seven), I can only blame what I see as an appalling trend in sport media coverage that surely boarders on some form of discrimination. 

Anyway, I had to vote for the "21-39 points - DPU wins" category.  I've got to imagine scoring 28 or more points a game is still a weekly team goal for the DPU's offense, and if the defense stays as stingy it will be enough to get the job done.  Very faithful here, but I'm going with history.

How many people are planning on making it to Greencastle this week?