FB: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

[cardinalpride]

Great comeback by NCC!  Congrats to Franklin on a great season!  See you next month when the two square off in basketball.

[fc_alum_84]

Wild one at FC  NCC wins 44-42 on last play of game  20 yard pass for TD with 5.2 seconds left.  Great crowd, great atmosphere, great game!! Congrats to NCC. Both teams made some big plays.  Championship caliber football all around.

[victorybell_57]

i feel like crying right now, but i can't say enough for the direction leonard has taken this program. great season by franklin, hopefully a better one next year as well. they have been giving us something to cheer for, and are very thankful for that.

also, congrats to msj on another solid season, i imagine we'll knock horns again next year on the gridiron. i imagine it will also be another great game again.

[SaintsFAN]

Sounds like the FC/NCC tilt was a thriller....sounds like there might STILL be footballs flying through the air.


Nice seasons for both MSJ and FC.  Sucks the offseason is here now for all of us. 

Adam,

yes you were right. 

[Adam Sayer]

My day wasnt all bad. Beanie Wells rushed for 222 and OSU beat the state up north 14-3.  Could a Buckeye walk away with the Heisman again next year??? I'd always like a shot for the game but I'm kind of glad OSU has an outside shot at the BCS title game. I think they would get their clocks cleaned by LSU and Oklahoma. I think they could play with WVU, Kansas, and Mizzou.

We're sitting here waiting for the UC game. Go Bearcats!!!!

[WAF78]

Great effort today from MSJ. Your safety, #4...what a hitter. Great player.

[wally_wabash]

Just wanted to come in and give a congrats to MSJ for a well played game today.  I wasn't sure how Wabash would come back one week after losing to DPU, but the LGs resonded well and put together a good game.  Anything less than what Wabash gave today and MSJ would have left victorious.  Good, fun game today and I hope you guys keep on with the success you've had over the last handful of years. 

As for Franklin...tough loss, Grizzly fans.  I've got big big respect for what's going on in Franklin right now and I was pulling for you guys...drawing the CCIW champ is a tough pull for your first rodeo and I think Franklin acquitted themselves very well.  Get back to the dance next year and do one better! 

[cardinaldad]

Rupp is a special player and he and this Franklin team is far from being done with things.  Nice effort in the shootout with North Central!  A lot of respect for MSJ and Grizzley teams from Bashland.

How true bashbrother. Rupp is a special qb. He was very impressive. He can throw the ball on a rope and is exceptional at finding the open receiver....even when he is hurried. Franklin is a VERY good football team. Talking with a few Franklin fans after the game, they told me that they are not losing many starters to graduation. Agreed, they are far from being done!

[cardinaldad]

FC - congrats on a great season and a very hard fought game. Thanks for helping to provid one of the best games I've ever seen. I think any football fan, win or lose, would agree that that was a GREAT game to watch. Good luck next year!!!!

[Mr. Ypsi]

sounds like the NCC/FC game is tale of a team that is peaking now (NCC) vs a team that has been peaking all season. 

NCC blew out their last two opponents.   Two good teams in the rugged conference they play in....both finished 7-3.   FC hasn't been tested but twice this year because of their offense being so good. 

This game will be interesting. 

I think one HCAC plays it close and the other gets beat by 2 TD's

NCC blew out their last opponent (Carthage, which had given Wheaton their first loss of the season the week before), but did NOT blow out IWU.  Even the final score (23-7) does not indicate a blowout, but that score is deceiving.  IWU was down only 13-7 and driving for the go-ahead td midway through the 4th, when the bottom dropped out.  MSJ beat IWU worse than NCC did.

On the other hand, IWU's offense was VERY young, and they were a MUCH better team by the time NCC beat them than when MSJ did.

Bottom line, I'm not sure how the comparative scores regarding IWU should factor in to the NCC-FC matchup, but it should be quite a game.  I'll take NCC (overall, more tested), but in a close one.

Not sure if I should claim any prediction credit - would this count as 'a close one'?

Congrats to Franklin on a great season (and MSJ, too).

[wally_wabash]

I'm not surprised that FC/NCC was that close.  I've been saying since September '06 that FC was legit and they are.  I think they got a tough draw with the CCIW champ this year and I do think that they'll be back next year.  FC/NCC was the hardest game on the board for me to pick this week and the result confirmed that. 

[victorybell_57]

yeah, it was a tough draw. but you have to play who they put in front of you and i know leonard and staff will the grizzlies back again next year. i would also like to say that the fans from other conferences and teams are very classy. just wish we would have won of those hcac games today.

[Adam Sayer]

Since HCAC football is over, I have something to talk about. After church (I am half-way good) I was listening to the radio and the guy was talking about the most important position in football next to the QB. He had put Left Tackle at #2, but the players, polled by Sports Illustrated, ranked the Center #2. It was an interesting conversation.

Personally, I'd choose
1. Left/Right Tackle (depending on which arm your QB throws with)
2. Pass Rushing DE
3. Any other player on the O-line
4. Running back
5. Shutdown Corner


That would be my top 5.


And the Bengals are awful!!!!

[victorybell_57]

i don't know how much the LT plays into the college game anymore. it's important, but with teams using slide protection so much, it's not the man on man blocking scheme it used to be. Even in the pros there is so much slide pro to pick up all the blitzes, it's almost insert a guy who knows this protection.

in any event, here are mine:

1.) LT (i still think you need an animal at tackle)
2.) DT ( i like this guy because he is the guy on cut backs on the zones, or 2 gapping it front side. he is also the guy fighting off double teams on power plays. if he can move, he is a pass rushing nightmare more so than the DE. you have to slide to him, or block him man up which usually has the center doubling with the other guard. your guard better be able to move his feet, which they usually can't.)
3.) QB (i think this position is a lost art in football nowadays. quick drops, step and throw the damn ball. if you can't, go home.)
4.) RB (it's not difficult to read hats and make cuts up-field, but we see many having problems. we also do not see many durable backs in todays game, even with the weight room bonus we talk about.)
5. CB or Mike LB (shut down corner is great, but I like a guy like Andy Katzenmoyer. SOmebody who will knock people's heads backward, and not be afraid to fight the guerilla in the jungle. Did anybody see how many times OSU ran iso against Michigan? No mike backer, not like they used to have anyways.)

[M and L]

When will a HCAC team win a playoff game and advance to the second round?  Or are we just not that good enough?