FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[SaintsFAN]

I think Franklin, 84, is probably the best HCAC has had in a couple years going into the playoffs (offensively).  Though, MSJ also had the best ground game in their years going to the playoffs. 

Whats everyone think?  Great topic. . . Best team in the HCAC in the last 5 years and why?

[70_dc_alum]

it is a good debate.  to be successful in the playoffs you have to play D.  the D is not on the same level as Franklin's O.  it is good enough to shutdown HCAC offenses but not sure if that gets you ready to be blunt.

the offense will have to roll with huge numbers to make a dent in the playoffs.  i think a better playoff team would be some of the ones from MSJ with dominating defense and running games.  Hanover did not have much success in years they scored a lot other than the easier against the MIAA.

[fc_alum_84]

I would tend to agree somewhat.  Franklin brings a powerful offense (better balance and scoring than MSJ in the past) and a decent defense (not as stifling as MSJ in the past). However, certainly not the disparity that Hanover used to have with all offense and limited defense. I would rank this FC team in the top 2 in the last 5-6 years. maybe not the best.

[dc_has_been]

I'm going to go w/ the 2002 Panthers.  They played some good comp., & had a tough battle in the playoffs too. 
On regards to Franklin, they still have to beat DC & that will not be as easy as fc_alum_84 thinks.  If DC's defense continues to put up a solid game & DC's offense doesn't sputter like they did last week, then it will be a much better game than most anticipate. 

[KYGrizzly]

Typed all this in once and somehow did not get it posted.

So here goes again. I did not get to see the Hanover 2002 & 2003 teams but did get to see the last three MSJ teams. I used some of the HCAC conference statistics only for my rankings.

1. 2002 Hanover - Lost to Wittenberg in the playoffs 34 - 33, in the HCAC stats they were ranked #1 in both scoring offense and scoring defense and #1 in total offense and #4 in total defense.

2. 2004 MSJ - Lost to Wheaton in playoffs 31 - 7, in the HCAC stats they were ranked #1 in scoring offense & #2 in scoring defense and #2 in total offense & #1 in total defense.

3. 2003 Hanover - Lost to Baldwin-Wallace in the playoffs 54 - 32, in the HCAC stats they were ranked #1 in scoring offense & #4 in scoring defense and #2 in total offense and #4 in total defense.

4. 2005 MSJ - Lost to Mount Union in playoffs 49 - 6, in the HCAC stats they were ranked #1 in both scoring offense & in scoring defense and #4 in total offense & #2 in total defense.

5. 2006 MSJ - Lost to Wheaton in playoffs 42 - 28, in the HCAC stats they were ranked #2 in scoring offense &  #1 in scoring defense and #3 in total offense & #2 in total defense.

I left this years Franklin team out because the seasons is not vore and I did not want to Jinx them. At this point in conference play the are ranked are ranked #1 in scoring offense and #3 in scoring defense and #1 in total offense and #3 in total defense. This team can put up points so quickly that it is scary. Also, I believe their defense is better than what some teams give them credit for. About half the points they have given up in conference play have been when the starters were out of the game because the games were out of reach at that point.

If Franklin goes out takes care of business the rest of this year then I think you could rank them right up there with #1 or #2. This is just one persons opinion.

[fc_alum_84]

DC is going to face a full out passing attack to go along with a solid run game.  I look for DC to put up a great fight thru the first half and FC pull away in the second half. Similar to MSJ game.  Based on what I know of DC, FC is deeper. That and having the game at home with everything on the line, I see no let down.  Remember FC put up 28 on MSJ on the road. (273 yards rushing to boot).  I still say it will be somewhere in the 35-17 range.

[SaintsFAN]

nice post, KY Grizzly.  . i agree with you. 


I believe the ability to score quickly makes Franklin a scary team.  Though I'm not buying the defensive argument here.  FC has played one playoff team, though they amassed 447 yards of offense that day....they also gave up 550.  On one hand, thats early on in the season, but on the other hand its exactly the type of offense they'll face should they complete their 2007 run through the HCAC. 

I'm not going off the points given up during conference play this year.  Frankly, I think you can throw all the games out except against MSJ and DC.  The HCAC games have been contests where Franklin has been able to assess their talent in their youngsters. 

They gave up only 19 points to MSJ and we'll see about DC.  I believe the Jackets are going to make FC earn their points and yards.  Its not going to be the basketball games that took place against Manchester, Bluffton and Anderson. 

[Adam Sayer]

I know I'm biased, but the best MSJ team was our 2004 team. Not only because we went 10-0, but I think that team was the most complete. We had a senior led O-line, great running game (two 1st team HCAC runningbacks), Andy Wellendorf, and a bada$$ defense (would have been nice to keep Big E and Pat). I realize it could have been a lot worse, but give us an average QB and we play with Wheaton!

We averaged over 176 yards per game on the ground. That doesn't seem like much, but Coach Mac didn't start running a run-first offense till the 4th game of the year. Starting with Hanover (last 7 games), our lowest Run total outside of Manchester (Our JV's were playing by halftime) was 185 yards against Franklin. We rushed for over 200 yards five times and 300 yards twice. What makes that more astounding is everyone knew exactly what we were going to do....Pound The Rock and we still did it.

Comparing the FC run game this year against ours in 2004 is rediculous. FC has better balance and overall offense, but we had the better run game and better defense.

[fc_alum_84]

We will see on saturday.  I am standing on 35 points against DC for Franklin and over 150 yards rushing.

[SaintsFAN]

Comparing the FC run game this year against ours in 2004 is rediculous. FC has better balance and overall offense, but we had the better run game and better defense.

PTR mofo. . I'd have to agree.  When a team can impose its will on teams that KNOW what they are going to do. . its something entirely different. .

[70_dc_alum]

gotta hit the road for a few days so i wont be able to get into my normal banter.  Franklin can kiss my arse what do we have to loose...besides our manhood behind a 50pt whoopin.  might as well treat it lik a brawl and bring the a game and go grab a ring too.

screw Franklin this one is not wrapped up yet!!


that should help get it going

[victorybell_57]

any team with jourdan and deitz deserve some recognition for sure. hard to cover that passing combo, and if you did you were burned elsewhere. great combo.

i think this year's FC team has a solid defense with some high powered offense to go along with the D. they should represent the HCAC well if they can get past DC. if they do finish strong, look for a good showing in the playoffs to make the HCAC proud.

i still would have liked to see MSJ win a few playoffs games, i thought they were awful tough.

[Adam Sayer]

11 more days SaintsFan...11 more days 

Recaping the Bengals...

1. I think Marvin needs to go. He has failed to build a respectable defense in the 4 years he has been here. I know they are struggling with injuries this year, but the previous 4 years have been just as bad. I also believe he fails to get the most out of this team. We have an All Pro QB, the best recieving trio in the NFL (once Henry comes back), and until now, Rudi has been Mr. Dependable. To finish 8-8, three of fours years is unacceptable. Then again, it just relates the message of how bad our defense has been.

2. This team is really hurting with injuries but every team has injury problems. You gain depth by using the draft effectively. The Bengals haven't done that. David Pollack was a freak accident, but there is no excuse to be starting pracice squad LB's in an NFL game. The same goes for the O-Line. They did bring in a replacement for Willi Anderson (Whitworth) but he has failed to become anything more than a replacement. Bobby Williams is too fat go get into a stance and our center is too undersized to block larger NT's.

3. At the very end of the game, when the Steelers were running out the clock, there was a 3rd and 2. The Bengals defense got penetration but were blown back by the RB to give up the first down. Effort. There isn't much of it. I looked at my buddies and said that play symbolizes the whole Bengal's season.

4. They are also lacking basic fundamentals. I have said for years Justin Smith isn't very good. Everyone disagrees. Watch him play. He's not quick enough to be a pass rush DE, he consistently loses contain, and can't stay in a pass lane. He has never accumulated double digit sacks. They don't break down, can't tackle well, and can't persue...they screw stuff up you learn in youth football. Ben side-stepped blitzes time after time because the rusher didn't break down and we missed tackle after tackle.

I believe someone said Notre Dame could score on the Bengals defense. I'll take it further. Temple or Duke could score on the Bengals defense. Hell, Navy might stand a chance. All they do is run and we can't stop the run.



I heard an announcer say Tom Brady is single handedly changing the philosophy of the NFL. Wow. I want to almost agree.

[Adam Sayer]

Speaking of Navy...Could this be the year? And if it is, how will the Notre Dame faithful treat Charlie Weis?

[fc_alum_84]

What is Tom Brady doing that Peyton Manning hasn't been doing for the last few years? Brady finally has three good receivers at the same time to go with a solid defense.  So does the Colts?  East Coast media bias maybe??