FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[KYGrizzly]

So you see another 9-1 season?

Are you saying that MSJ is going to win the Bridge Bowl next year?

[SaintsFAN]

So you see another 9-1 season?

Are you saying that MSJ is going to win the Bridge Bowl next year?

ha... I think they lose too much defensively to close the gap THAT MUCH on Thomas More.  The blowout win for Thomas More should be felt in the recruiting war in the Cincinnati area this offseason. 

Now that I think about it, I believe the conference will come down to a tiebreaker around Franklin, Defiance and Mount St. Joe.

[KYGrizzly]

Just trying to ease a little tension.

My wife and I would like to wish everone on here a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and hope that everyone that is traveling has a safe trip.

[altor]

If W&J leaves the PAC for the NCAC, do you see Defiance agreeing to a Home and Home with Thomas More?

Not in the foreseeable future.

As I said a couple weeks ago, with the economy as it is, I will bet they will continue to schedule Adrian and Trine as their two non-conference games.

[dc_has_been]

If W&J leaves the PAC for the NCAC, do you see Defiance agreeing to a Home and Home with Thomas More?

I would like to see that but agree with altor. 

[70_dc_alum]

If W&J leaves the PAC for the NCAC, do you see Defiance agreeing to a Home and Home with Thomas More?

only if DC hires a full time special teams coach to focus on PAT's!

would love to see it but likely the easy bus rides of Adrian and Trine win out.  Adrian has a flavor of a rivalry, no real history with Trine except the recent.   they are not too shabby competition wise.  granted the MIAA tends to be on par with the HCAC on "national dominance" but at least they are the top 2 teams in the MIAA vs. playing the bottom dwelers of other conferences.  picking up earlham means we will loose the non conference game against Muskingum which would be the only one i could see them wanting to switch to another team where TMC would be a good fit.  Earlham does not change the historical SOS over Musky (althought Musky finished a lot better in the OAC than they typically do)

[Adam Sayer]

10-0 next year.

Defensively, MSJ does lose Harbin, but return 7 starters and I believe the HCAC defensive player of the year as well. As I said before, they return 8 offensive starters incuding all the skill positions. MSJ will be a lot better next year than they were this year. In all honesty, the team they will have next year will probably be the best team MSJ has ever had...they definately have the potential to be.

If I'm not mistaken, TMC loses some very key individuals on offense. That's a lot of stats and leadership gone. You'll make the argument that Hilvert played a lot of younger guys at the end of games this year. Ok, so be it, but garbage time doesn't equal 1 year of playing...not even close. How much growing up the newcomers do at TMC will determine if they win next year (PAC and the Bridge Bowl). Next year's game will be decided by 7 points or fewer (a little like the 2003 game was - heck of a game if I might add). Is TMC the favorite, sure, they won last year and this year, plus their defense will always be top-notch while Jim Hilvert is coaching, but I think it will be a vey winable game for MSJ and a very big disspointment if they don't win.


With that said, good luck to TMC this week. I wish I could attend the game and watch a few friends and old coaches in action, but I'm with the inlaws (at which point am I allowed to start calling them outlaws??) in Columbus. Hope they represent the Cincinnati/Northern KY area well tomorrow.

p.s. UC has a very large "trap" game today.

[Adam Sayer]

The big reason for TMC's success is due to our old friend M & L who posted here a while back. He's the DL coach at TMC.

[SaintsFAN]

If you want to listen to the JHU/TMC game tomorrow, I will be on the call with Richard Skinner of The Two Angry Guys:

http://www.d3football.com/audio.php

[Adam Sayer]

Gamble is much more funny.

Not to knock on Boise State and the WAC (they did beat a good Oregon team), but watching the game against Nevada last night showed me why the WAC, Mountain West, etc. should not receive automatic bids for BCS bowls. Boise went up quick, but allowed Nevada to make a game of it before ultimately wining 44-33. This is the same Nevada team that God-Awful Notre Dame beat 35-0. Keep in mind Notre Dame's defense has given up 30 or more points in 5 games this year and this just in...still doesn't know how to tackle...AND MICHIGAN BEAT THEM!!! The WAC teams may be able to rise up and play great football against a top-notch team for 1 game every couple years (Boise against Oklahoma and Utah last year against Alabama), but if these teams competed in a BCS conference, even the Big 10 or Big East, they would probably finish in the middle of the pack.

[Adam Sayer]

TMC started the game down 21-3. I think it took them awhile to get accustomed to JHU's team speed

[formerd3db]

TMC started the game down 21-3. I think it took them awhile to get accustomed to JHU's team speed

Tough loss for TMC, losing by a field goal in the last seconds as noted on the front d3fb.com page.  Still, they had a very fine season.  It will be interesting to see how far JHU can go now.

[BashDad]

Team speed! Team speed!

[SaintsFAN]

Absolutely BashDad.  They were Faster than JHU, but JHU was better on this day.  Way to post with class.  Where were you today?

[SaintsFAN]

Jhu played better than TMC today.  Great effort from a physical team.  It won out over the speed of TMC. 

BashDad, way to be classy.  I'd still take the TMC speed advantage over whatever you would root for.  As I said, way to be classy. 

And btw, where we sat in Press Box the speed was evident again, but the strength of JHU up front was the difference maker.