FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[formerd3db]

Okay, now that Franklin had the win they did yesterday, what do you Franklin fans really think their chances are against Butler?

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Honestly I think they have a shot, certainly not favored but get a couple good bounces and they could do it. Franklin has to get off to a better start than they did against Thomas More though because they're not going to come back from 3 scores down.
3 years ago coming off the near upset of Mount Union they lost by just 3, and in 2008 they did beat them. But last year didn't go so well with 4 fumbles and an easy Bulldog win.

[formerd3db]

Thanks FCGrizz for your reply and assessment.  It is a game that will be on my "watch" list for next week.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Grizzlies have Butler right where they want them... down by 21 on a couple occasions so far.
Was a slow start by both teams as neither did much on their first two possessions but since then the ball has gone up and down the field. Franklin had a short FG blocked on one drive. Butler just seems to be able to make the first guy miss and pick up an extra 2-3 yards and that is killing the Grizzlies.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

14-59 final score at the Butler Bowl. Butler had a couple late scores in the 1st half and Franklin couldn't recover in the 2nd half.
Franklin just couldn't get any of the little things to go their way. Down 28-14 late in the 1st half they almost intercept a pass on 2nd and 17, next play Butler goes deep and get a TD. Next Butler drive, Franklin tips a pass that falls right to a Bulldog receiver who runs it down to the 3. That made it 42-14 at halftime and Franklin had little hope after that.
The passing game was close, Butler slightly better there, but rushing was one sided. Butler had 254 yards on 39 carries while Franklin managed just 55 yards on 28 attempts.
It was definitely a game with 3 minutes left in the 1st half, but no 2nd half magic like last week.

Now 8 conference games in 9 weeks to try to improve before hopefully another conference crown and playoff appearance.

[dc_has_been]

On a somewhat positive note, the HCAC won their most non-conference games (5) since the 2010 season where they won 6.

[GrizFan]

Butler made the Grizzlies look like a middle school team.  Even tough there are no football scholarships at Butler, they have a national recruiting budget and red shirt almost all of their players.  Seems like it would be a hard sell considering you would need to pay for five years, but Butler (other Pioneer teams) have made it work.  Of course, Pioneer teams have no shot in the playoffs versus scholarship teams.

[formerd3db]

GrizFan:

Sorry your team had the showing they did against Butler.  I thought they would do better this year against them, especially after their first game win.  As far as the Pioneer teams, I agree with you that, in most situations, they usually will not go far in the FCS playoffs, however, you can never count them out.  Every once in a while, the top team will have a good chance at advancing, such as the Harbaugh team at San Diego, although the league wasn't a part of the playoff system yet that year as I recall.  Anyway, good luck to Franklin the rest of the way.

[SaintsFAN]

Outside of Franklin and Bluffton, is there a point to playing out the string over the next 9 weeks?

The Heartland seems to be a dumpster fire.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Regular season nonconference record
2010: 6-10
2011: 3-15
2012: 2-16
2013: 1-17
2014: 4-14
2015: 4-13
2016: 5-13

It was the best the conference has done in quite a while... so how would the past few years be described? A dumpster fire plus tire fire that expands next to a sewage treatment facility?

[SaintsFAN]

Regular season nonconference record
2010: 6-10
2011: 3-15
2012: 2-16
2013: 1-17
2014: 4-14
2015: 4-13
2016: 5-13

It was the best the conference has done in quite a while... so how would the past few years be described? A dumpster fire plus tire fire that expands next to a sewage treatment facility?

Driving an 18-wheeler into a nitroglycerin plant

[Adam Sayer]

Outside of Franklin and Bluffton, is there a point to playing out the string over the next 9 weeks?

The Heartland seems to be a dumpster fire.

Looking at the scores for 1 particular team, I don't think dumpster fire is a strong enough description. More like Death Star Explosion.

[SaintsFAN]

Outside of Franklin and Bluffton, is there a point to playing out the string over the next 9 weeks?

The Heartland seems to be a dumpster fire.

Looking at the scores for 1 particular team, I don't think dumpster fire is a strong enough description. More like Death Star Explosion.

You think?  I don't believe 16-6 is that bad, though if I were Weaver, I'd be looking to transfer.  He caught 2 for 10 yesterday.  I'd be throwing the ball to him 25 times/game at this point as nothing else seems to work.

[Adam Sayer]

16-6 isn't bad but their offense hasn't scored 30 combined points this year in 3 games. The hope they had to build a program left when Huster went to Davenport. He doesn't know X/O's but he can sell a bikini to an eskimo and they were 8-2 his last year. They had a ways to go before they would be able to beat FC but they were at least on a positive path. Based on the results the past 2 years, they seem to be going in reverse.

[FCGrizzliesGrad]

Franklin hasn't looked that great so far, defense especially. Bluffton up 17-14 at halftime.
I think this is the year the Beavers finally take the next step and make some noise by finishing in the top 2, they've been on the verge lately but haven't been better than 6-4 even though they've been at least .500 in conference play the past 5 years. Franklin is 48-1 in conference play going back to 2010, but that lone loss was at Bluffton in 2013.