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Messages - hamgrand

#1
I absolutely agree that Shane Hurd has been one of the biggest difference makers and a huge part of the improvement in Hamilton this year.  I agree 100% with all that DC53 said, but I would add the biggest kudo's to Shane Hurd.  The offense and play calling is night and day different than the past.  You have to give Dave Murray credit for making that change.  The old OC was a long time assistant for him that he brought with him to Hamilton from Alfred.  It must have been a tough decision, but that is what good Head Coaches need to do.

It will be a great game in Middlebury.  Unfortunately I will be heading to NC on a college visit with my daughter, but I sure would love to be at that game.  Having had a son play at both Hamilton and Middlebury, it will be tough to choose sides.  Would really love to see Midd go 9 - 0!  Would also love to see Hamilton take that next step in the league and end up 6 -3!

Here's to a great game for both teams!

 
#2
The 2019 Middlebury team is a great example of how an good football program with an experienced and great coaching staff develops kids over their careers.  My son's last season was 2017 when the current Midd Seniors and Juniors were sophomores and freshman.  You could tell that many of those kids were talented, but needed to develop - and they have!  2018 was probably considered a down year for Midd by many (injuries to some key players on defense did not help), and the pundits expectations for 2019 followed suit. But that talented group continued to improve - as should be the case as their college careers progress. They have developed into a very good, solid team.

Will Jernigan contributed mostly at kick returning and RB his freshman year.  He did get a few snaps at QB and you could tell he had potential.  He got thrown into action his sophomore year after a career ending injury to the senior starter and he has continued to develop and improve each game.  He could always run, but his passing has improved greatly with more experience too.  I look forward to more great things in the future.  Cosolito is a rare talent and has been outstanding since his freshman year.  Midd always has some talented receivers on their roster and this year is no different.  Midd's running game has greatly improved with contributions from Maldjian, but as importantly - great play from the offensive line.  I thought Midd had a pretty good O-line in 2017, but this group is also impressing me.

Midd's air attack offense has always gotten the attention in the past, but the defense has always been an underrated part of Midd's game.  Martin Williams has been outstanding in the middle since his freshman year, And the D-line in general seems very solid.  The LB's have also really stepped up their game and have gotten some well deserved attention from this board.   But the secondary is also pretty talented and really deserves some recognition.

All-in-all, it has been fun to watch this 2019 Middlebury team and I hope they continue the push to a NESCAC Championship.  They need to focus on being 1-0 each week, but I think they do have the talent to make it happen this year!  Best of luck with Colby today!

As for me, I am going to Williamstown to watch Hamilton (where my older son played) take on the Ephs.  It is a shorter drive and easier on my recent hip surgery.  Plus I would like to see Hamilton pull off an upset.  Should be a nice day for watching football in the NESCAC!
#3
B Ritter Jr. Has proven himself to be a pretty good Corner in this league!
#4
Let me apologize for my post last week and some of my comments that went way to far.  I realize that there is pretty good talent in all D3 leagues and my comments inferring that the talent comparison was not close, and the Best 11 vs 11 remark were way overboard.  I am certain there are many very talented players throughout the other D3 leagues.  I do not speak for other NESCAC posters so it is all on me.  I was reacting in frustration to comments from Non-NESCAC posters a few pages back (and made often in the past) regarding the NESCAC having less talent and not being competitive because they did not participate in playoffs.  I should have counted to 10, and I apologize if I offended anyone.

I will stand by some of my personal observations comparing the other D3 teams I saw (only) vs the NESCAC.

The 2016 Alfred team appeared as good as any NESCAC team I have seen and their successful 12 - 1 season would seem to support this.

With regard to QB play, the RPI QB in 2015 was pretty good and Tyler Johnson was very good.  I saw him play in HS and in 2016 against RPI.   But I do think the NESCAC has attracted some pretty good QB talent  especially compared to the other D3 teams I have personally observed.

Yes, I saw Hudson Valley in a scrimmage in 2015.  At that time it was my first non-nescac D3 action observed in a few years.  HV did not put their best foot forward and RPI dominated them in every aspect.

I haven't seen all the D3 schools in action, but I do believe that the top NESCAC teams would have competed well with the teams I did observe over the last 3 years.  And IMO the fact that the NESCAC teams do not go to playoffs does not impact the talent or competitive brand of football they play.

And finally, with regard to kickers, Franks was obviously very good and the current kicker at RPI is very good too.  Appears better than any I have seen in the NESCAC.

Again, I apologize for any comments that went overboard in my prior post. 


           
#5
Former Maine high school standout quarterback Austin McCrum will transfer from Lafayette to Bowdoin this upcoming Fall.


This is one big difference between the NESCAC and the other D3 leagues.  Seems there are many D1 transfers into the NESCAC but i do not see that in the other D3 programs or leagues.

To be clear, I am not talking about Mount Union, Whitewater, etc. ... frankly that league they play in could be considered D1 talent and I am sure most of the teams in that league could beat many of the New England D2 teams.

What I am talking about is the Liberty League and other NY, New England and East Coast D3 teams. My nephew starts for RPI who won the Liberty League and went to the D3 playoffs last year. He was a first team All Liberty League player and 1st team district COSIDA All American.  So he is a very good player and great kid!   But he did not really get recruited in the NESCAC.  Also, RPI's best WR played with my son in HS so Iknow first hand the type of player he is.  Very Good player for sure,  but not recruited in the NESCAC.

I have watched hmy nephew play a couple games in each of the last three years, and now that my sons have both graduated from the NESCAC I will spend next fall watching and supporting him.  I even bought an RPI hat and T-shirt in anticipation of the event.  So In addition to spending the last 7 years watching the NESCAC, I have seen RPI play several times against, Union, MIT, Alfred, WPI, William Patterson, Norwich, Hudson Valley.  I can confidently say that None of these teams (except the Alfred team I saw) would compete in the NESCAC.  The Alfred team reminded me of the big powerful Trinity teams, but the rest of the teams would finish at best ahead of Bowdoin and Colby.  While they do have much larger rosters, they lack size and speed  IMHO.  The roster size hurts the NESCAC, because the Liberty League has so many more "second string" players on their rosters.  But best 11 vs best 11and the NESCAC wins 8 times out of ten.

The biggest differences in my opinion is size of the lineman, and QB play.  The RPI team that won the Liberty League last year did not have any big lineman and was fairly slow in my opinion.  While many of the top NESCAC teams have decent size O-lines and several border line D1 players.  They also get D1 transfers as evidenced many times over. 

And the QB play is much better in the NESCAC in my opinion.  Look at all the good QBs currently on NESCAC rosters fo the last few years. The Liberty league does not have close to that talent.  The RPI team that won the liberty league last year would be competitive with Hamilton.  But would get beat by at least 20 by Trinity, Middlebury, Amherst, Wesleyan, Tufts and Williams.

Obviously my opinion can be debated to the end of time, but I have watched a lot of college football in person over the last several years, and feel confident that the NESCAC is a very competitive brand of D3 football. 

And it sounds like it is getting more competitive each year.  Certainly 2017 seemed like a nice competitive season.  I hope this transfer helps the Bowdoin team get to the next level.  It will make the NESCAc even more enjoyable to watch in the future.
#6
Merry Christmas everyone!

This latest discussion is pretty humorous.  I think many of us are saying the same thing in different ways.  Lets not forget that the NESCACs are some of the best schools in the world and the average student population is much more gifted than the normal population.  Even the tipped athletes are pretty smart and much above the average.  And I think the 1,100 SAT tipped athletes are the exception - not the rule.  Although below the average NESCAC student, besides being pretty bright, most of these athletes have some other qualities that often far offset the small difference in smarts ... like Leadership and Grit!

I have first hand knowledge of an athlete that needed a tip at every NESCAC including Trinity.  Might have even ranked very near the bottom of his NESCAC graduating class with a 3.0 GPA.  And he is excelling on the bond desk of a major investment bank.  Obviously many of these tipped athletes do extremely well in their careers!

The discussion brings back a memory from my college days.  The Cornell - Harvard Hockey games were always very spirited and there is quite a rivalry between the schools in that sport. Of course no one can doubt Harvard's outstanding reputation - but urban legend is that its the hardest IVY to get into and the easiest to stay in.  Likewise - legend says Cornell is the easiest to get in and hardest to stay in.  Who knows - but I remember the Harvard students cheering STATE SCHOOL ... STATE SCHOOL ... STATE SCHOOL at the Cornell student body.  The Cornell faithful would chant back ...  It's alright, its OK, your going to work for us someday!

I guess my point is - I would personally hire many of these NESCAC athletes - tipped or not - over many of their more academically advanced classmates.

#7
I agree 100% that head to head matters - but does that mean Midd would be champs if Amherst beats Williams and ends at 8 - 1???  Obviously joking!

With regard to 9 - 0, of course its the goal that all the top teams strive for ... but the goal also changes based on circumstances and perspective.

Middlebury has to focus entirely on beating Tufts and getting to 7 - 2.  But if they can achieve that, then I am sure they would rather be 7-2 and tied for first, than 7-2 and either tied for second or third.

The team has to take care of its own business, but I'm sure most Midd fans are cheering for Williams and Wesleyan wins!


#8
If Williams beats Amherst
And wesleyan beats Trinity
And Middlebury beats Tufts

Then 4 teams would finish with a 7-2 record and 4 way tie for the top. 

Just saying ....

#9
In just 9 short days and 2 games, it will be the end of a 15 year/season stretch of coaching or watching by boys play football.  Certainly was an era that brought a ton of fun and created many good memories.  Hard to believe, but NESCAC Football spanned 7 of those seasons.  It sure goes fast!

Thought I would share a few random thoughts as my NESCAC experience nears its end, but first a few thoughts regarding last weeks Midd-Trinity game.

Trinity plays the game with passion and a killer instinct.  They are well coached, hard nosed and play hard to the end.  Sometimes that killer instinct attitude can come off as in your face arrogance, and sometimes it is.  It is funny how perspective differs when you are viewing from the inside (#1 son's freshman year) versus outside in.  But regardless of perspective, you have to admire how hard they play!

Having said all this, this years Trinity team is certainly very beatable and not nearly as dominant as last year.  While the Midd score looked a little lopsided because they didn't score a TD,  the stats tell a much more balanced story.  Even without Lebo, Midd got in the red zone 5 times and only walked away with 5 points.  Kudos to the Trinity defense, but you have to find a way to score especially when you get down to the 1 yd line twice.  Midd scores on those drives and maybe it's a different game.  Also a different game with Lebo under center.

More random thoughts -
Heart goes out to Lebo who couldn't play last week.  Seasons are so short, that missing any games is tough - especially for seniors. #1 son had sr season cut short due to injury.  Very Tough when one minute you are playing hard scraping for yards and the next minute your playing career is over.  #1 son played the game with passion and loved every practice, every sprint, every minute playing the game.  Hamilton and The NESCAC provided him a wonderful opportunity, experience and education.

I have seen the best (Ritter, Murray, Devanny) and the worst (Cohen) of NESCAC coaching, but I have certainly seen much more good than bad coaches in my NESCAC experience.  Most of the coaches work extremely hard and do a great job with the kids.  I feel lucky that my boys have been able to be mentored by some of these men.

Coach Ritter, Mandingo and the entire Middlebury staff run an outstanding program and you feel like they really care about the players.  Not only do they build a competitive program, but they make it fun for the kids.  Very glad #2 son chose to attend and play at Middlebury.  He also loves the game of football and has been fortunate to have a great career, made many great friends and will also walk away with a great education!

Hamilton has one of the best home tailgates in league.
Middlebury has the best view!
Trinity has the best strength coach and weight program.
Wesleyan and Tufts also have and play with that killer instinct.
Raymond is instilling that killer instinct and done a heck of a job at Williams.
Hamilton will continue to rise under Murray's leadership.
Amherst is a class outfit from top to bottom.  I'm a Mills fan.
Despite the standings, There is definitely more parity in the NESCAC now versus several years ago.
Bowdoin has every advantage and opportunity to build a good program.
Bates has great fans, but needs a new offfense.
Colby - great campus, bad visitor stands-  probably needs a new coach.  :)
Despite the pundits rankings to the contrary, NESCAC football is definitely a grade above Liberty League and other New England D3 leagues.
My buddy DC53 has some of the most eloquent posts!

This board has been a blast to follow!  Best of luck to all the teams and all the NESCAC fans!








#10
Last post was from iPhone at Gippers.  I apologize for the typos.  Still sometimes long for my Blackberry!
#11
Polar cat,  didn't get your post until II made it to Gippers.  Looking for the Lumbercat pic but not seeing any Bates pictures near the door. A good one of Lewiston football with the Alabama numbers on the helmet. But nonBates stuff.  Interesting place.  Actually ate at Fish Bones because a customer wanted to go there. Pretty good meal!  Stopped at Grittys for a beer before and gippers after.  Half priced appetizers after 10pm.   Anyways, good luck tomorrow.  Hope to meet you and Ljmbercat at the game!
#12
lumbercat, Thanks for the suggestions.  I will definitely have to check out Gippers and peruse the Bobcat memorabilia.

#13
Heading to Lewiston tomorrow.  Staying at Residence Inn.  Anyone know a good place for dinner Friday night.  Doesn't need to be fancy, just good food and local beer. Suggestions?

Looking for Midd to bounce back strong Saturday after last weeks heart breaker.  They needed to win out to win championship - and that still goes - so position hasn't really changed. Hope they keep the gas on offensively and don't get conservative late in game.  That and a conservative prevent like defense has hurt them in second half.  Wes and Williams mounted their comebacks by targeting 80% of their plays as short passes and running plays towards the boundary corner playing several yards off the line.  That and some well timed QB scrambles gave them fits.

Looking forward to another fun weekend of football!  And tailgate!  Good luck to all.  Go Midd!


#14
‪anyone catch what happened at the Hamilton and Trinity game when they almost cancelled the national anthem due to technical difficulties with the equipment.

Everyone on Both the Hamilton and Trinity teams sang the National Anthem.

Check out this tweet:

@marcusgut19 @trinitycollege @HamiltonCollege ‬

Pretty cool and classy!
#15
Amh63,

Are you planning on attending or watching the video cast?