FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[70_dc_alum]

Yet another game we rush for over 200 yards and lose. 27-21 in double OT.  It was 4th and 5/6 in OT and we called a hitch and go. Instead of getting the 5 yards for a first down, we go for it all. I'm not a happy man right now! I think I said hitch 5 times during the course of the time out, a play which we ran 2 times in the game for over 5 yards each time. Their corners were 8 yards off and bailing at the snap, plus they were double covering with a S/S over top (to our single WR side in trips)....and we call a hitch and go  

In the course of the 4th quarter and OT, we stopped running our speed option, a play which accounted for about 150 of the 230 yards rushing because they started playing a 50 with an overhang end. A situation we've talked about during the week and had solved with the tackle blocking Big on Big (on call), and the guard blocking the LB (optioning overhang end). Even if the LB was to get free, he's not fast enough to keep up with our tailback. We never ran it once they went to a 50 (we made 1 mistake and corrected the mistake immediately after). I may be mistaken, but if a team is having a hard time stopping a play, keep running it? If they stop it once, run it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Maybe I'm the idiot.

Could be worse. It is not like you lost by two td's to Manchester

[wabashcpa]

Or to Anderson by 1 pt.

Anderson 10
MSJ 9

Say it ain't so, Joe.

[KYGrizzly]

Looks like two new players in the race for conference champions with Franklin, as RHIT and Anderson both are also undefeated in conference play.

Franklins matchuip with Anderson Next week looks to be a bigger game next week than the one against MSJ in two weeks. 

[dc_has_been]

Considering MSJ has two conferences losses I would say next weeks game for Franklin is much bigger than the one against MSJ in two weeks.

I can't believe MSJ lost to Anderson!  At least they get to follow up against DC next week to recover from the loss.  Hopefully DC will be able to at least but a one in the wind column or possibly two.

[R-HIT]

Looks like all roads don't point to the Oct. 25th game against MSJ & Franklin...depending on the outcome of next week AU/FU game...the first two weekends of November should be pretty eventful in the HCAC.

Congrats to Anderson....hopefully all the mount crew will stop making excuses now and realize it is in fact a down year.

Rose has a running back that went over 100 yards rushing for the 4th straight game....but thier defense must improve, if they want to contend for the rest of the way.

[SaintsFAN]

wow...

well whatever Anderson did defensively, to limit MSJ like they did is now on tape.  You bet that they'll see some of the same looks in the next few weeks. 

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks in the HCAC.  Honestly, I hope to God that Franklin wins this conference... I don't think the other two contenders will represent the conference in the playoffs as well as Franklin will. 

Do we need to start thinking about the soccer-equivalent name for Defiance?  Has Manchester United shed theirs?  We'll see..

[SaintsFAN]

Congrats to Anderson....hopefully all the mount crew will stop making excuses now and realize it is in fact a down year.

By the way, welcome to the board.  Not sure where you got your info on the MSJ crew making excuses, but whatever. 

We see MANY, MANY posters come as their teams start to do well --only to disappear when their team does.  Hopefully you stick with us through the good, and the inevitable bad. 

By the way, how is Drew Christie doing?  Haven't seen much on him lately... is he recovering?

[Adam Sayer]

I think I made him mad by saying the MSJ loss to RHIT was a fluke...which it was. RHIT's opponents are currently 9-21, including MSJ and Manchester who are both 3-2, and their only win by more than a TD was against the worst Hanover team the college has ever fielded. Yes, the win vs MSJ was a fluke (Which is ok, flukes happen - see USC against Oregon State and Stanford and Oberlin beating Wooster a few years back). RHIT will finish with an 8-2 record because the HCAC as a whole this year is probably one of the 3 worst conferences in D3football.

I only saw the last quarter and a half. MSJ didn't convert the PAT when they went up 9-3, and that was the difference. Special Teams. People take them for granted, especially the PAT, but it means the difference between a win and loss. We play McNick this week and they've lost 2 games this year cause they've failed to make a PAT (Norwood and Chaminade-Julienne). And the coaches thought I was a little harsh when I told the linemen at Purcell if they ever gave up a block kick on PAT, they would have 20, 100-yard sprints (I was never allowed to follow up with it either when 1 was blocked). The QB also threw 2 interceptions in that span of time...which doesn't help at all (I think 1 was when MSJ was close to scoring - cant remember though).

MSJ isn't the superior team anymore in the HCAC and that happens. You can't be good forever. That's part of the deal in all sports (Unless your the Atlanta Braves...they seem to win all the time with the exception of this year). They still have 2 tough games against Franklin and Thomas More and if they don't step up, it may be a long 2nd half of the year...which would be unfortunate, cause right now, they could just as easily be sitting at 5-0.

[Adam Sayer]

Kevin, I was told the play was called because the WR told him the DB would bite on the hitch fake. I guess our WR didn't notice the Corner sitting at 8 yards and bailing on the snap of the ball. I'm over it. Just letting out some frustration Friday night and I hate losing with a passion. We've now had 4 losses by a TD or less and another was a close game against Carroll which we were in until they went on a 9 minute, game ending drive. Our only 2 blow outs were against Alter and Badin, which is infinitely better than last year. We only have 5 or 6 seniors and I return 6 linemen with experience. Now if they would all grow 3-4 inches taller and gain 20-30 pounds


Another crazy year of college football with some interesting officiating calls yesterday (ie the Red River Rivalry and Notre Dame).  How about Herbstreit and his "the officials need to put yellow cards in their pockets instead of yellow flags" comment. That was good.

[fc_alum_84]

I am sure glad FC is playing in the HCAC or we might not be able to win a game. (lol)

For the record FC's non conference opponents combined record is 11-4 including a 5-0 and a 4-1 team and a team in the OAC.  Not until the last two weeks has the level of competition hit rock bottom  DC and Bluffton are a combined 1-9.

While Bluffton is certainly not a conference contender FC got things rolling early (35-3 at the half as I recall) and never looked back.  FC's second string laid the wood from the the mid 3rd QTR on.  The running game actually arrived as well.

I am looking forward to a good game next week at Anderson.  The Ravens will be jacked up.  The next three weeks will all be critical games as FC faces AU, MSJ, and RHI in order.

[Adam Sayer]

I hope the run game showed up against Bluffton, cause if it hadn't, you'd want to start worrying.

It won't be a tough couple of weeks. FC is the better team right now than the others (that hurts to say).

[SaintsFAN]

Adam,

I think the MSJ team still has a chance... they need help though, especially with them not having played the best on their schedule yet.  I believe Franklin and Thomas More are going to make RHIT look like a HS Team.. just my opinoin.   Franklin is Franklin with Rupp and I believe you're going to be suprised at the kind of team Thomas More has morphed into in one years time. 

The calls yesterday were horrible... my favorite...the play at the end of the ND game when Floyd "fumbled" after he was ruled down with :03 left.  Should've been 1st down, clock stopped.  And btw, I don't believe that Notre Dame is back yet (by back I mean early to mid 90s back), but they are close.  They have great young skill guys...and even though I hate him, Clausen is the real deal.  He's set career highs in att's, completions and yards the last 3 weeks, it seems.  They will be a juggernaut next year and National Title Contenders in 2010. 

I went on a date on Friday to the Cathedral/Moeller game... first the game.. Moe is terrible.  Cathedral has a very quick QB  that ran for 95 yards and put the ball on the money to his receivers.  Moeller couldn't tackle or consistently move the ball.  We sat with some friends of my dad ... who won the city title 2-0 in their senior year in 1963.. fun talking football with those guys.  The girl is very cool, it was her idea to see the game, she wanted to play Golden Tee in a bar after that (I let her win) Not only that, but she's the exact same as me politically.  She wants me to have a Sean Hannity viewing party for her tonight... stay tuned.  (do you have to ask, Adam... of course she's highly attractive)

fcalum,

I think you can go ahead and throw away the Bluffton tape.  It was a glorified scrimmage, as it should be.  I do think Franklin should be commended on their pre-conference schedule though, it seems to have them at the top of the HCAC again (yes I'm predicting it).

By the way, I hated playing Anderson (not because we lost to them).  They played that crappy "hit of the time" rock music to get jacked up in pregame.. then their 5'6 LBs would try to "bark" at me when they got into their 46 defense.  I LOVED talking $hit to them after my audibles to the trap option, and 3 step game (slants, fades) burned them badly. 

Worse, they looked like burnt turds in their black jerseys, black pants and orange helmets (which made their short defenders seem shorter).

Do they still wear that color scheme?

[fc_alum_84]

I think the Ravens have better uniforms now.  FC is getter better each week on defense and the running game is improving.  The sophomore from South Carolina is starting to run north and south and getting more touches every week.

FC is also starting to gel on defense and flying to the ball.  With some of the new faces at the start of the season, they just weren't as sharp as a unit.

As someone said earlier Rupp is Rupp and I am glad he is on our side. 

I will say this:  for Anderson to win they are going to have to find a way to score more than 7 points in the first 59:54.  MSJ plays stout defense but 10 points won't get it done against FC.  Anderson will need 30 points or more IMO.

[Adam Sayer]

MSJ needs a lot of help. I was told they were young upfront and it looks like it. I didn't see the whole game, but what I did see, didn't look good. I know they are capable of playing better, but on October 12, Franklin is the better team.

You're absolutely right about the schedule. MSJ's nonconference schedule isn't bad other than Wilmington. I'd like to see a Wittenberg, Wabash, Capital, ONU type game on there though.

[tepee]

Sayer,

McNick is soft.  They have raised tuition so much the blue collar kids can't afford to go there anymore.