FB: Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference

[D3MAFAN]

Framingham State looking to get another score...34-9!

[7express]

Octavias McKoy!!  Beast mode today.  455 yards (single game record for all divisions), 5 TDs, 55-35 win over Worcester.

[D3MAFAN]

Octavias McKoy!!  Beast mode today.  455 yards (single game record for all divisions), 5 TDs, 55-35 win over Worcester.

That is a great accomplishment, I don't care what level you play, that is a great performance. I looked at the box score and Western Connecticut, need every bit of those yards and touchdowns.

[Knightstalker]

Octavias McKoy!!  Beast mode today.  455 yards (single game record for all divisions), 5 TDs, 55-35 win over Worcester.

That is a great accomplishment, I don't care what level you play, that is a great performance. I looked at the box score and Western Connecticut, need every bit of those yards and touchdowns.

He is one of the stories on the yahoo headline scroll.

[ECoastFootball]

Post Week 8 MASCAC Power Rankings

In case you were wondering ya boy went 4/4 last week with picks.

1.     (LW # 1) Framingham State (6-1, 4-1)
Framingham finally put up a somewhat large number this last week, beating Plymouth 41-9, they'll need another big # on Maritime for a win this week. The 2 burning questions here are #1 - Is Silva done for the year? (That's a real question, if you know please answer) and #2 - Does a close game v MMA remove them from playoff contention?

2.     (LW # 3) West Conn (5-2, 4-2)
West Conn has arrived in the MASCAC. I think the success is 1 part Oktavious McKoy and 2 parts Joe Loth. Coach Loth has done this at Kean in the competitive NJAC, and Otterbein in the ultra-competitive OAC. The fact he is doing it in the MASCAC (a league probably somewhere between the NJAC and OAC)* should not be surprising. 

3.     (LW # 6) Bridgewater State (5-3, 4-2)
This last win was a big one for BSU, as a loss would have driven them down into the bottom half of the league. A game that could have gone either way may be the one that lets the Bears into an ECAC game.

4.     (LW # 2) Westfield State (4-3, 3-2)
A tough loss for Coach Marino. A win here could have led to an ECAC birth and a shot for Marino to retire at 7-3 or 8-3. Westfield should get back on track this week with a trip to Worcester.

5.     (LW # 5) Mass Maritime (4-3, 2-3)
Maritime did what BSU and Woo State could not do, held on in the second half against a resilient UMD squad. Impressive when you look at the stats and do not see Gustafson's name and you see limited touches for Bennett. Hats off to the Maritime D for gutting out a win.

6.     (LW # 4) UMass Dartmouth (3-4, 3-3)
They almost did it again, trailing 27-20 they just couldn't get over the hump. It's important to remember they came out firing after their last 2 losses. After being embarrassed at Westfield they smoked Plymouth. After losing a competitive game @ Framingham they ripped off wins over BWater and Worcester. Mr. McKoy and Co. await.

7.     (LW # 7) Fitchburg State (3-4, 2-3)
Big game this week at Westfield coming off their bye. It will be very interesting to see if the young Falcons can move the ball against the older more experienced Owls. This game will be a good barometer of things to come in the next couple of years for Fitch.

8.     (LW # 8) Worcester State (3-4, 1-4)
I think McKoy just scored again.

9.     (LW # 9) Plymouth State (1-6, 0-5)
Plymouth hosts Worcester this week. The problem for Plymouth is the 8 v 9 game in a conference should be competitive, but I don't think this one will be.

Picks coming later today.

[D3MAFAN]

Post Week 8 MASCAC Power Rankings

In case you were wondering ya boy went 4/4 last week with picks.

1.     (LW # 1) Framingham State (6-1, 4-1)
Framingham finally put up a somewhat large number this last week, beating Plymouth 41-9, they'll need another big # on Maritime for a win this week. The 2 burning questions here are #1 - Is Silva done for the year? (That's a real question, if you know please answer) and #2 - Does a close game v MMA remove them from playoff contention?
2.     (LW # 3) West Conn (5-2, 4-2)
West Conn has arrived in the MASCAC. I think the success is 1 part Oktavious McKoy and 2 parts Joe Loth. Coach Loth has done this at Kean in the competitive NJAC, and Otterbein in the ultra-competitive OAC. The fact he is doing it in the MASCAC (a league probably somewhere between the NJAC and OAC)* should not be surprising. 

3.     (LW # 6) Bridgewater State (5-3, 4-2)
This last win was a big one for BSU, as a loss would have driven them down into the bottom half of the league. A game that could have gone either way may be the one that lets the Bears into an ECAC game.

4.     (LW # 2) Westfield State (4-3, 3-2)
A tough loss for Coach Marino. A win here could have led to an ECAC birth and a shot for Marino to retire at 7-3 or 8-3. Westfield should get back on track this week with a trip to Worcester.

5.     (LW # 5) Mass Maritime (4-3, 2-3)
Maritime did what BSU and Woo State could not do, held on in the second half against a resilient UMD squad. Impressive when you look at the stats and do not see Gustafson's name and you see limited touches for Bennett. Hats off to the Maritime D for gutting out a win.

6.     (LW # 4) UMass Dartmouth (3-4, 3-3)
They almost did it again, trailing 27-20 they just couldn't get over the hump. It's important to remember they came out firing after their last 2 losses. After being embarrassed at Westfield they smoked Plymouth. After losing a competitive game @ Framingham they ripped off wins over BWater and Worcester. Mr. McKoy and Co. await.

7.     (LW # 7) Fitchburg State (3-4, 2-3)
Big game this week at Westfield coming off their bye. It will be very interesting to see if the young Falcons can move the ball against the older more experienced Owls. This game will be a good barometer of things to come in the next couple of years for Fitch.

8.     (LW # 8) Worcester State (3-4, 1-4)
I think McKoy just scored again.

9.     (LW # 9) Plymouth State (1-6, 0-5)
Plymouth hosts Worcester this week. The problem for Plymouth is the 8 v 9 game in a conference should be competitive, but I don't think this one will be.

Picks coming later today.

No, you have to look at how they matchup against other Pool B candidates, if they are fortunate based upon the criteria, then they will be in, if not, then they have to schedule stronger OOC or wait until Pool C elgibility starts.

Ultra-competitive, I don't know, but Top-Heavy competitive, sure.

[ECoastFootball]

^^ Week 9 Power Rankings above^^

MASCAC Week 9 Predictions
My 4-0 tally last week brings me to 25-11 (.694) for the year.

Fitchburg State (3-4, 2-3) – 17
@ WESTFIELD STATE (4-3, 3-2) – 31
Westfield let a solid Bridgewater club sneak away with a dub last week. I think the young Falcons will press Westfield in this one, and may be the better team in the near future, but I think the Owls control this game with their running game and defense.

WEST CONN (5-2, 4-2) – 27
@ UMass Dartmouth (3-4, 2-3) – 13
Based on UMD's track record this year, I would have taken them against any team in the conference other than Framingham and West Conn. They have played very well coming off of an L this year, but I think they will be simply outmatched here. Solid D may keep it close but I don't see the young Corsairs scoring much on Mike Lacaria and the WConn D.

WORCESTER STATE (3-4, 1-4) – 47
@ Plymouth State (1-6, 0-5) – 21
I want to say Plymouth will hang with the 8th placed team in the league, but I can't think of a way for it to happen. They may grind out some points on WooState, but there is no way they slow them down. I don't care if it's Bumpus or Viencek slangin the rock, Hippert and Scerra are going to rip this D apart.

Mass Maritime (4-3, 2-3) – 27
@ FRAMINGHAM STATE (6-1, 4-1) – 40
Maritime has not seen a D like this, and I may be being kind with 27. If Gustafson and/or Bennett do not play, I change this prediction to 35-7. Framingham is going to shove the ball right down MMA's throat. For the second week in a row, the aspect of this game that I am most intrigued by is whether or not Matt Silva is playing.

[D3MAFAN]

^^ Week 9 Power Rankings above^^

MASCAC Week 9 Predictions
My 4-0 tally last week brings me to 25-11 (.694) for the year.

Fitchburg State (3-4, 2-3) – 17
@ WESTFIELD STATE (4-3, 3-2) – 31
Westfield let a solid Bridgewater club sneak away with a dub last week. I think the young Falcons will press Westfield in this one, and may be the better team in the near future, but I think the Owls control this game with their running game and defense.

WEST CONN (5-2, 4-2) – 27
@ UMass Dartmouth (3-4, 2-3) – 13
Based on UMD's track record this year, I would have taken them against any team in the conference other than Framingham and West Conn. They have played very well coming off of an L this year, but I think they will be simply outmatched here. Solid D may keep it close but I don't see the young Corsairs scoring much on Mike Lacaria and the WConn D.

WORCESTER STATE (3-4, 1-4) – 47
@ Plymouth State (1-6, 0-5) – 21
I want to say Plymouth will hang with the 8th placed team in the league, but I can't think of a way for it to happen. They may grind out some points on WooState, but there is no way they slow them down. I don't care if it's Bumpus or Viencek slangin the rock, Hippert and Scerra are going to rip this D apart.

Mass Maritime (4-3, 2-3) – 27
@ FRAMINGHAM STATE (6-1, 4-1) – 40
Maritime has not seen a D like this, and I may be being kind with 27. If Gustafson and/or Bennett do not play, I change this prediction to 35-7. Framingham is going to shove the ball right down MMA's throat. For the second week in a row, the aspect of this game that I am most intrigued by is whether or not Matt Silva is playing.

Framingham State wins big, keeps their Pool B/C hopes alive.

[LECFAN32]

Nice to see western succeeding again in football. During my 4 years and change on campus it was painfully obvious they were not meant to be in the njac with accepting to my first year (fall 2005). The old liberty league they had been in was probably the best match but the Mascac is a good place to start.

Just funny how a team of mostly the same guys can preform so much differently In a year, maybe they can get into an Ecac tourney so McKoy can be seen by more people and have a chance to go out with a title.

[AUPepBand]

Nice to see western succeeding again in football. During my 4 years and change on campus it was painfully obvious they were not meant to be in the njac with accepting to my first year (fall 2005). The old liberty league they had been in was probably the best match but the Mascac is a good place to start.

Just funny how a team of mostly the same guys can preform so much differently In a year, maybe they can get into an Ecac tourney so McKoy can be seen by more people and have a chance to go out with a title.

Yeah, it's funny the same thing happened at Norwich when the Cadets dropped out of the Empire 8 and joined the Eastern College Football Conference back in 2009. The Cadets (2-8, 0-6 E8 in 2008) performed much differently in 2009 (8-3, 6-0 ECFC).

Nevertheless Pep believes Western Connecticut is indeed a better football team today. Coach Joe Loth has a proven record of turning around the fortunes of football programs and, were the Colonials still in the NJAC, they certainly would have fared better this year than in recent years. If they can get past Westfield State, an ECAC bowl invitation is likely.

[Knightstalker]

Nice to see western succeeding again in football. During my 4 years and change on campus it was painfully obvious they were not meant to be in the njac with accepting to my first year (fall 2005). The old liberty league they had been in was probably the best match but the Mascac is a good place to start.

Just funny how a team of mostly the same guys can preform so much differently In a year, maybe they can get into an Ecac tourney so McKoy can be seen by more people and have a chance to go out with a title.

Yeah, it's funny the same thing happened at Norwich when the Cadets dropped out of the Empire 8 and joined the Eastern College Football Conference back in 2009. The Cadets (2-8, 0-6 E8 in 2008) performed much differently in 2009 (8-3, 6-0 ECFC).

Nevertheless Pep believes Western Connecticut is indeed a better football team today. Coach Joe Loth has a proven record of turning around the fortunes of football programs and, were the Colonials still in the NJAC, they certainly would have fared better this year than in recent years. If they can get past Westfield State, an ECAC bowl invitation is likely.

Yeah, they might have won two conference games this season.

[ECoastFootball]

Post Week-9 MASCAC Power Rankings

1.     (LW # 1) Framingham State (7-1, 6-0)
After a few close games in a row Framingham has outscored opponents 99-21 over the last few weeks. The defense held Gustafson under 100 and probably benefited from the absence of EJ Bennett, but the story of the day was the offense. Framingham returned to an actual top team with the return of Matt Silva at QB. He went 15-24 for 300+ and 4 TDs. With the passing game moving Malikke ran for 200 plus, 9 yards a carry and 2 scores. Framingham again looks like a possibility for an at large.

2.     (LW # 2) West Conn (6-2, 5-2)
West Conn heads into their bye week coming off a solid road win vs UMD. Octavious came back to Earth (probably as much because he played a real defense as anything else), but the offense did enough to win somewhere that road teams have had trouble this year. They will come off their bye to face a very tough Westfield team, with an ECAC bid on the line.

3.     (LW # 3) Bridgewater State (5-3, 4-2)
The Bears had a bye week; they probably have an equal chance of getting a win this Saturday when Framingham comes to town.

4.      (LW # 7) Fitchburg State (4-4, 3-3)
Absolutely huge win for the young Falcons. With Plymouth remaining they are basically assured a .500 finish in the league. If they can win what will be a slugfest with UMD Saturday, the Falcons could secure their first winning season since 2005.

5.     (LW # 4) Westfield State (4-4, 3-3)
Another tough loss for the Owls, whose season looked so promising just two weeks ago. They should be a heavy favorite at Worcester this weekend. That win can get them to 5-4, 4-3 heading into a match up with a tough WestConn team to close out the season.

6.      (LW # 6) UMass Dartmouth (3-5, 3-4)
UMD seemed to fight again this week, but lacked offensive fire power as neither the Fr. RB Ruffin or So. WR Aborishade played. The D did hold Octavious to human numbers, which is something to build on. They travel top Fitchburg this week to finish up their year with a winnable game. A win here would give the very young team a 4-4 conference record, a ton to build on following a 1-9 campaign last year.

7.     (LW # 5) Mass Maritime (4-4, 2-4)
It seems as though MMA needs Bennett. Since he has gone down they have scored 19 points in 6 quarters. Granted, they ran into a fully loaded Framingham team trying to grab a bid, but 12 points isn't going to cut it when you don't play defense.  Maritime takes on a rejuvenated Plymouth State team this week which I think will be a very interesting game. The styles couldn't contrast any more.  Plymouth's 1937 O v MMA's 2013 hurry-up spread.

8.      (LW # 9) Plymouth State (2-6, 1-5)
I was shocked to see Plymouth beat Worcester, but talk about needing a win huh? The Panthers THREW THE BALL on 17 plays and finished with 141 passing yards. I think Plymouth will compete the rest of the way.

9.     (LW # 8) Worcester State (3-5, 1-5)
What a disappointing season for Worcester. After starting 3-1, Worcester will finish at 3-7 and 1-7 in league play in all likelihood. Coming off an 8-3 and 6-4 season, they thought this was their year. Instead, Bumpus has been on and off the field all season with health issues and the defense only stops people when games have already been decided.

[ECoastFootball]

Framingham debuts at #6 in the NCAA East Regional Rankings:

1   Hobart   7-0   7-0
2   Ithaca   7-1   7-1
3   Gallaudet   8-0   8-0
4   Rowan   6-2   6-2
5   Lebanon Valley   7-1   7-1
6   Framingham State   7-1   7-1
7   Alfred   6-2   6-2
8   St. John Fisher   6-2   6-2
9   Salve Regina   6-2   6-2
10   St. Lawrence   6-2   6-2

For the record, if I had to rank these same 10 teams, I would rank them like this:
1   Hobart   7-0   7-0
2   Ithaca   7-1   7-1
3   Lebanon Valley   7-1   7-1
4   Alfred   6-2   6-2
5   St. John Fisher   6-2   6-2
6   Rowan   6-2   6-2
7   Framingham State   7-1   7-1
8   Salve Regina   6-2   6-2
9   St. Lawrence   6-2   6-2
10   Gallaudet   8-0   8-0

If I were ranking from the entire eastern field, I would probably not rank Salve or St Lawrence and definitely not Gallaudet.

[ECoastFootball]

Week 9 MASCAC Predictions

FRAMINGHAM STATE (7-1, 6-0) – 35
@ Bridgewater State (5-3, 4-2) – 14
The #6 team in the East Region continues its quest for an at-large bid with a trip to rival Bridgewater. While BWater would love to play spoiler, I do not think they have the ability. I don't think there is a team in New England that can play with a healthy Framingham except for Wesleyan. Silva throws for 250 and MVA rushes for 150.

WESTFIELD STATE (4-4, 3-3) – 35
@ Worcester State (3-5, 1-5) – 17
If you can't beat with Plymouth you can't beat anyone. Unlike Plymouth, Westfield throws it and runs it.

Plymouth State (2-6, 1-5) – 21
@ MASS MARITIME (4-4, 2-4) – 41
That was a nice feel good game for the Panthers last week, but they are going to get spanked on Senior Day down in Buzzards Bay as the Bucs senior's chase a winning season.

UMASS DARTMOUTH (3-5, 3-4) – 20
@ Fitchburg State (4-4, 3-3) – 17
After everything the Corsairs have been through this year, I just can't see them finishing by dropping 3 strait. These two teams are probably about even, but I give the edge to the team coming off 2 losses and playing their final game of the year. UMD may find themselves in an ending similar to their BWater and Worcester finishes.

[ECoastFootball]

Post Week-10 MASCAC Power Rankings
UMD/MMA flip spots, everything else stays the same.

1.     (LW # 1) Framingham State (8-1, 7-0)
Framingham State just squeezed by BWater, in a game I thought they would win by 2 td's. Margin of victory shouldn't be an issue here, as they travel to Worcester. Next stop NCAA's, where they pray Gallaudet gets seeded as a 4 and Fram gets to travel down as the 5. Long shot scenario, but the only way I see Fram winning a game.

2.     (LW # 2) West Conn (6-2, 5-2)
Bye week. That's why the MASCAC board is dead. Had they played and beaten someone we would have been blessed with all the sky-is-falling LL and E8 posters.

3.     (LW # 3) Bridgewater State (5-4, 4-3)
I am actually shocked by how well they played Fram. Finding themselves down 27-14 and rallying back to a 28-27 lead is even more impressive. Unfortunately the next drive Silvia went 3-3 w.30 yds and MVA went 4 carries for 30 yds and a TD.

4.      (LW # 4) Fitchburg State (5-4, 4-3)
How about this Fitchburg team? Another gritty win as they defeat UMD 25-20. It will be fun to watch Dellechiaie grow up over the next 3 years.

5.     (LW # 5) Westfield State (5-4, 4-3)
Ahh, if you could only play Worcester State every week.

6.      (LW # 7) Mass Maritime (5-4, 3-4)
It's like I make fun of their D and they one up every week with a "actually it's worse than that." 44 to Plymouth State? MMA must have been thrown off by Plymouth's offensive diversity and creative play calling.

7.      (LW # 6) UMass Dartmouth (3-6, 3-5)
I'm sure they would disagree, but a nice season for the young Corsairs. And I do mean young. Freshmen started all over the place and the team is led by a beast of a linebacker Derek Tarpey, a Sophomore.

8.      (LW # 8) Plymouth State (2-7, 1-6)
If I told you 5 years ago Plymouth scored 44 and lost a game you would tell me I was crazy. You'd be right, but that's beside the point. Tough L for the Panthers, but it is nice to see them playing teams competitively.

9.     (LW # 9) Worcester State (2-7, 1-6)
You hear that sound? That's the sound of Coach Brien Cullen banging his head against his desk in the office.