114th Annual Monon Bell Game

[smedindy]

Kind of an interesting matchup in this one - Wallies are 9-0 without having played anybody over the last eight games

Now, I wouldn't call Wittenberg a 'nobody' - they still have an outside shot at a "C" bid Lord willing, the creeks don't rise, and some teams win whilst others lose.

[WAF78]

C'mon Wes...
You surely know that the first game of the year can be rough...seeing who can play and who can't, etc. ...and a team that has one game under its belt has a bit of an advantage when playing a team that is playing its first game. So, while there doesn't need to be a lot of emphasis on that...I think it is important to note. That's all.
Also, I stand corrected about Keith's comments. I seemed to have read something last year where he didn't think it was any different than R-M/H-S or any other big rivalry. I've slept since then...so maybe I didn't read that right.
An example of fan participation...my first Monon Bell game...I was a senior in high school and was being recruited by DPU. I was visiting DPU for the Monon Bell weekend, sitting on the DPU side. Sometime during the first half...while the teams were on the field, this guy runs from the DPU sideline, across the field to the Wabash sideline...waving something over his head. The Wabash sideline goes absolutely nuts....everyone's standing and cheering...What was the guy waving over his head?...it was the Tiger's tail from the DPU mascot uniform...he had relieved the Tiger mascot of its tail and ran across the field to the joy of the Wabash crowd. Halftime came...and the DPU band took the field. As the DPU band took the field...the whole Wabash student section emptied...and went to the West endzone at Blackstock. They had signs, guys on guys shoulders and all of them had kazoos. After the DPU band had done a couple of tunes...the Wabash men took the field...while the DPU band was still there...doing their kazoo tunes. I was amazed because I had never seen anything like this. I laughed so hard...there were other things that day as well...but I'll keep it to this.
Hey...the rivalry is what it is...and it's a great one. With today's political correctness and litigious society...and the loss of a sense of humor in college leadership...I realize these things don't happen anymore.
One more note...my senior year...and I'm bypassing all the stuff that happened during the previous three years during the games...it's Thursday before the DPU game and we're coming to the Monon Bell Chapel. Across the front of the chapel...some Wabash guys have stolen the huge DPU sign that marked the DPU exit off of I-70 and have leaned it up against the pillars of the chapel. The Wabash community then wrote their names on the sign (I have no idea what happened to that sign). A great picture in the yearbook that year is the president of the college, President Seymour, leading a Wabash yell...standing in front of the DPU sign before going into chapel.

[wally_wabash]

and Franklin had a one-game head start on Wabash. 

I'm not sure why the Franklin game is always clarified with that statement.  It's like you're trying to make the result sound better.  I don't understand.

It's important to the context of that particular game.  If you subscribe to the theory that teams make their biggest improvement from game 1 to game 2 (I do and I'm far from alone on this), then it is important to keep in mind.  The win over Franklin was good, the win over Franklin with a game under their belt already is even better.  

[wabco]

Two comments on the rivalry:


1965 ... Poster tacked all over DPU as well as DPU President's door: 
"Congratulations to President Crudspatter on:
1) Winning the No Bell Prize, snf
2) Granting $20,000 in Scholarships to Needy Wabash Students"


In 1962 when I was a senior in HS and attending the GAME at DPU ... sitting on thew Wabash side, two events had an impact on my decision to choose Wabash:

1)  While walking to the stadium, we were passed by about 20 Wabash Men carrying what looked like a 2' by 12' long board with cross p[ieces nailed to it (looked like a chicken run into the chicken coop).  All of a sudden they turned, slapped it against the fence, and all ran up the chicken run and into Blackstock stadium, getting lost in the crowd and leaving the Dannie constables to collecting the chicken run.

2) Later in the game, DPU chose to announce "give a hand to the DPU seniors playing in their last game".  Suddenly, up from the stands on the Wabash side came 3 large poster hands (about 4 feet in size) with ... you guessed it ... the middle finger appropriately raised in salute to the DPU-ers.  (By the by, my wife ... unknown to me at that time and a DPU Freshman ... was sitting on the DPU side and (as I later found out) found this quite entertaining.   She already was on her way to being a Wabash fan.

These are a couple of stories from the rivalry and fun which (... by the way ... DPU more than Wabash but Wabash is also not without blame) has been stifled somewhat by all the security fencing and gestapo guards (which may be needed to protect our borders but are not necessary to protect "us" against antics by our next generations of doctors, dentists, educators, lawyers, and business leaders.

[DPU3619]

It's important to the context of that particular game.  If you subscribe to the theory that teams make their biggest improvement from game 1 to game 2 (I do and I'm far from alone on this), then it is important to keep in mind.  The win over Franklin was good, the win over Franklin with a game under their belt already is even better. 

Fair enough.  I see your point.  But, at the same time, I know many a coach who would say that they'd like the extra week of their defense preparing against a similar (and probably better) offense in practice instead of having to get prepared for a middle of the road team.  Then you've only got 5 days to prepare for the best team on your schedule.  Just a difference in opinion from person to person.  *shrug*

I don't think I'd put myself and my football team in a situation where I open against a top tier football team.  I mentioned as much when I was talking about Witt opening @ Capital.  It's a risk you take, I suppose.  It cost you last year and you were rightfully upset about it.  But, it may pay off this year with a high seed in the North if you win on Saturday.  Especially since Wheaton lost.  You've got a good shot at the 2 seed.

[wally_wabash]

I don't think I'd put myself and my football team in a situation where I open against a top tier football team.  I mentioned as much when I was talking about Witt opening @ Capital.  It's a risk you take, I suppose.  It cost you last year and you were rightfully upset about it.  But, it may pay off this year with a high seed in the North if you win on Saturday.  Especially since Wheaton lost.  You've got a good shot at the 2 seed.

I've roasted Witt for their schedule several times, but to be fair when Witt locked in that four game series with Capital I don't believe that Witt would have figured they were signing on to play a top 10 team in the first week of the year.  They'll never say otherwise, but my guess is that if Capital were perennially as good as they were during the now-concluded Witt series, Witt doesn't schedule those games.  I think it's important for quality teams to schedule challenging games, but not unwinnable games.  To the point with Wabash/Franklin, I don't think anybody knew Franklin would be this good this quick under Mike Leonard and if that were known I don't think that game would have been scheduled with the built-in advantage Franklin had.  But that's neither here nor there now...it was a great challenge which Wabash met and that game really set the tone for the season that the LGs have had this year. 

[old wabash]

As the DPU band took the field...the whole Wabash student section emptied...and went to the West endzone at Blackstock. They had signs, guys on guys shoulders and all of them had kazoos. After the DPU band had done a couple of tunes...the Wabash men took the field...while the DPU band was still there...doing their kazoo tunes.

i think i was in that all-kazoo band at blackstink stadium.
what a great time, even though the gendarmes did not believe wabash had such a band.
let's hear it for student initiative!!

[BashBacker#16]

How about Darryl Kennon...#2 in the nation in QB SACKS!

  #2 Darryl Kennon, Wabash                       Sr.    DL               9 games        12       1        85 yds

How about the company with Hudson (#4) in Passing Efficiency leaders...Rupp (Franklin), Micheli (Mount), and Swallow (Wash & Jeff)!!!

Wabash up to #7 in the AFCA poll.  Just think, DPU could be #7 if they played our schedule.  Dangit!   

[joepieters]

These are a couple of stories from the rivalry and fun which (... by the way ... DPU more than Wabash but Wabash is also not without blame) has been stifled somewhat by all the security fencing and gestapo guards (which may be needed to protect our borders but are not necessary to protect "us" against antics by our next generations of doctors, dentists, educators, lawyers, and business leaders.

As a student of Wabash in the late eighties, I enjoyed four years of the rivalry without fences and guard towers without significant incident, and I would hope that one day we would be able to tone down security.  But in this age of liability fear, I suspect that that is unfortunately not to be the case.

[smedindy]

Well, of course there was the fracas that I saw where Dave Weir had to get stitches (I think he did - his head was pretty bloody!)

[WAF78]

Smed,
Yeah...there have been some unfortunate incidents concerning the rivalry. When I was a freshman it was so hard to concentrate on the game cause there was so much stuff going on around the field. During the first half of my freshman year, there was a riot in the east endzone at Wabash...many/most of the student bodies of both sides emptied out and got into a fracas on the track...a couple of my frat brothers had glasses broken and some injuries...but...they didn't sue or press charges...it was all just a part of the deal back then.
The swat team gestapo tactics are so regretable...they are now at Wabash as well as DPU. Bring back the days where the students stood all around the field sometimes 10 deep.

[WAF78]

BB16,
Yeah...and Kennon is such a great guy. Got to meet him and Hudson and a couple of the other guys after the Wittenburg game. I'm really impressed by the character of the Wabash teams. The team cheers louder than the fans do many times.
Have they done any remodeling to Blackstock in the last 30 years...they had the worst visitors locker rooms...
My favorite Wabash/DPU stat. In '77 Dave Harvey, the all American Wabash QB throws 6, count em...6 interceptions during the DePauw game...and we still ended up pounding them 30-6.

[BashBacker#16]

Wally,

Marks is obviously a huge factor in this game, if they cannot run, they are in trouble.  In his previous 3 Bell games, what do his numbers look like?  I do like the fact that our run D is a strength of ours.  You have to think #40 for Wabash may be keying on #31 for DePauw!  I am more concerned about him catching screens out of the backfield.

Thoughts???

[WAF78]

Old Wabash,
"i think i was in that all-kazoo band at blackstink stadium."
LOL...now that is a typical Wabash man....he thinks he was there...but not sure...it was all a bit blurry with all the TWR that he had consumed...lol.

BB...another concern for me is...does Dick run well? We've had a hard time with running QBs this year. If we can shut down the run game and put pressure on Dick...I think we'll win. But I also think that our offense, specifically our passing game will be the key on Saturday. If the O Line can protect...then Hudson will make the plays and our awesome receiving corp will make the catches.

[wally_wabash]

Ask and you shall receive...Marks' numbers in the last three games:

2006: 24 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD, 3 recpetions, 11 yards
2005: 19 carries, 31 yards, 1 TD, 1 reception, -1 yard
2004: 20 carries, 87 yards, 0 TD

Marks is definitely a big, big factor for DePauw.  He's been beat up this year though.  How healthy is he?  I really do think that it's going to be important for DePauw to establish Marks and sustain drives as I don't think DePauw's defense is equipped to keep a handle on this Wabash offense.  NN knows this and I'm sure Adi will be keyed in on Marks.  Marks has only caught 5 passes this year (four were against Trinity), so I'm not really sure how much they use him as a pass catcher out of the backfield.  I would think NN allows about one such screen pass before he has somebody spying Marks at all times.