The Thiel-Grove City game is for the Mercer County Cup.  My view is that if we could only win one game of the season - please let it be against GCC.  Beating W&J is definitely a plus - but it would not cleanse the stain of losing to GCC.

Some claim that GCC doesn't stand for Grove City College - but rather God's Country Club.  A transfer to Thiel set me straight that it really stands for God's Concentration Camp...

Quote from: SaintsFAN on October 31, 2008, 09:56:53 AM
The one "X Factor" will be the zebras tomorrow.  I know they hate W&J and TMC ...probably even equally.  Maybe we'll get a good game out of them too.

Any thoughts about the reffing outfit that the PAC contracts with?  The Thiel games that I have attended this year plus what I hear about other games suggest to me that there SHOULD be a better outfit to contract with than these - uhh, "gentlemen."  The saving grace, from my perspective, is that they seem to be CONSISTENT in making questionable calls.
 

Anyone at the Westmin/Bethany game?  The play-by-play shows Westminnie pulling it out on a field goal after they stopped the clock by using their "fourth" timeout for the half!!  Is the play-by-play wrong or is it yet another case of the "quality" of the refs that have been employed by the PAC this year showing through  

W&J faces Oberlin this weekend.  Not likely to be a "test" for the Presidents.  That said - does anyone know what W&J is going to do for the non-conference part of their schedule?  While Hanover hasn't put up much of a challenge lately I am expecting that they will still be on the schedule.   The NCAC teams - including Allegheny - have not reliabally made a game of it with W&J.   Certainly, W&J hasn't dodged talented teams entirely in recent history - Salisbury springs to mind.  But I am wondering what the non-conference outlook for W&J is now that there are so few spots to fill.

Quote from: SaintsFAN on September 18, 2007, 12:16:13 PM
by the way,

has anyone been to the Geneva website?  go to their page and then click on "winning tradition" and tell me what you think.   

My thoughts are that everyone does PR as best as they can to sell themselves to recruits.    I am guessing it is factually correct - although some of the rankings quoted seem to be a bit contrived. 

I look at it as similar to W&J's "History" which notes "they have played in two Division III National Championship games in the past 10 years (1992, 1994)"  (hmm - somebody might want to change that to 15 years now...).   It sells the program as best as it can to the public and by extension to prospective players.   Why not?

An FYI for Thiel watchers.  Albion is streaming video from http://media.albion.edu/sportsvid

Quote from: PittTBCW on September 12, 2007, 11:17:17 AM
I hope that Thiel will rebound this week. I am sure that Coach Leip and his staff is dissappointed and that he is taking full blame for the stuggle. Saying that I think the team and staff will work hard at fixing the mistakes and preparing and will be better this week. About competing for the PAC title I think they have this week and one more week before they get back into PAC action and aslong as they get things rolling in those two weeks they will be a factor in the PAC race even with a loss to Geneva.

Albion is the last non-conference for Thiel before opening PAC play with Thomas More at home.  The Geneva loss doesn't apply for crowning a PAC champion since they have not fully converted to D3. 

E8 pick 'em has Thiel as a 9 point dog to Alfred.  My hopes are that it is a low scoring affair.  While I would love to see the O comes alive I am picking Thiel's D and special teams to pull out a nail-biter 9-7. 

PAC folks likely remember Julio Fuentes' injury from last season's Tomcat/Saxon matchup.   Here is an update that I "borrowed" from the E8 board so you wouldn't have to track down AUPepBand's post on your own:

Quote from: AUPepBand on September 07, 2007, 10:23:55 AM
Just read a piece on Julio Fuentes in the Olean Times Herald's Football Preview. He says the support he has received has impacted his daily life.

Quoting the article here:

Fuentes says he never wonders, 'Why me," and on the rare days he feels a bit down, "I pray, though probably not as much as I should."

Still he admits, "I feel better every day and can see the improvement... hopefully, eventually, I'll come all the way back."

Meanwhile, Fuentes, who's always been chided for being vertically challenged, hastn't lost his sense of humor.

"I played football at 5-2," he said. "But since they took out a vertebrae, I think I'm only 5-1 1/2."

As for the future, Fuentes has a plan.

"We've put in for a van to help get me around," he said. "Then, I want to go back to school (at Alfred). I'm not going to go this fall, it's too soon.

"But I would like to return in the spring. I wouldn't be able to live on my own, I'd need an aide, but that would be available to me."

And when he goes back as a first-semester sophomore, Fuentes will have a different major.

"I was in business," he said of his freshman year, "But after this experience, I'd like to change it to counseling.

"I think I have something to share and give back to people."

Quote from: South Willy on September 04, 2007, 02:22:10 PM


Looking forward to BC getting started this week and should have a good chance of a win at Hiram. A more experienced wide open offense from last season but the defense will need to improve consistency to be competitive even with mid level PAC foes.  18 starters back which will help.

My view is that, barring extraordinary circumstances, a BC win is pretty much foreordained.  But the margin of victory is worth discussing.  The NCAC pick 'em line has the Terriers as 28.5 point dogs.  Even so, the majority of picks favor Bethany.  The NCAC board has given me no reason to think that Hiram is making any kind of turnaround.  I think that anything LESS than a 17 point win by BC should worry Bethany followers. 

Quote from: PittTBCW on September 02, 2007, 10:12:46 AM
Minton only had 20 yards on 17 carries as well!

Hopefully they can have a good week of practice and get back on track!

It didn't look like Minton, Hess, or Bova were doing that poorly - it genuinely looked like an O line problem to me.  The only way the QB had the time or the RB had a hole looked to be when Thiel was holding - whether it was called or not.

Thiel D gave up a LOT of yards but a lot of those came on the two long TDs from Geneva - one where the middle screen worked to perfection against a Thiel blitz and the other where the D "thought" the runner was down - but apparently had rolled over the pile and trotted off to the end zone for an easy score.  The only red zone score against the D came off of a drive that only stayed alive due to untimely, and quite avoidable, penalties on 4th and 3rd downs.    Despite being thoroughly outplayed, take those two penalties and the corresponding points away from Geneva and Thiel's late game drive (stalled within Geneva's 10) using the two-minute offense could have put the Tomcats in reach of stealing the game away from Geneva. 

My thoughts is that the D is fixable by playing smarter and making some adjustments - a couple of penalties and giving up the two big plays made a HUGE difference.  The O line needs work.

Other thoughts about the conference: is perennial NCAC "top half" school Allegheny having a down year or is Westminster ahead of where we thought they would be?  Coach Hand has a way of bringing along a program quickly, but I was looking to 2008 being the breakout year for Westmin. 

Any thoughts as to CMUs chances for playoffs?  While 10-0 is a lock, I figure with the schedule this year a 9-1 record MAY get them in - but I think 8-2 will be a knockout here. There will be too many 8-2 with better SOS.  I know that a 9-1 Thomas More was denied in the past (lost to a very weak Thiel team) but I think 9-1 here should do the trick.   Any thoughts?

BTW - couldn't help but notice CMU has more PAC games this year than UAA games!

Quote from: Cleveland Cartel on September 16, 2006, 04:32:36 PM
24-20 albion over Thiel

and 21-20 TMore over GCC

Close games surprised  at the Tmore score in being so close, but I am also shocked with the Albion victory over Thiel at Stober field.  I felt Thiel would have to fight this one out to the end and I guess Albion had enough in the tank to pull out a solid victory on the road.  Anyone who was at games today any posts would be appreciated....

Thiel's special teams mistakes 1) TC onside kick touched before going 10 yards 2) gave up an Albion 4th down fake punt conversion deep in Albion territory allowing Albion to stay alive 3) Darious Thompson supposedly touched  (not really a muff) a deep punt and allowed Albion to recover it setting up an easy Albion TD. 

Take any one of those miscues away and I think Thiel would have come out the winner.  Got to give Albion credit - they didn't make as many mistakes.

BTW - there was a fund raiser  at today's game to help with medical expenses not covered by insurance for the Alfred U TB Julio Fuentes who was injured at last weeks game the crowd came through for over $350 and the Thiel president chipped in to bring it up to an even $1000.  Check out the significant injuries board if you are interested. AUPepBand has additional info there.

Quote from: AUPepBand on September 09, 2006, 04:45:19 PM
Great to see Thiel cheerleaders and fans making it to today's game at Merrill Field. Your noise added to an exciting atmosphere. You've got a VERY TOUGH team. Best of luck on the rest of your season!

Sorry I couldn't be there - it sounded like an exciting and hard fought game from my radio perspective.  Is there any word about your starting RB?  It is a scary proposition any time you strap somebody to a board and cart them off the field.

Alfred 14 Thiel 0 FINAL a battle of defenses where a Thiel fumble on their own ten plus an inability to put a run game together dooms the Tomcats.  Alfred was not an offensive powerhouse in the game - but didn't make many mistakes. Thiel did.

CC - I am a bit puzzled by your predications for this week re Thiel/Alfred 

The board has gone through a bit of a kerfuffle over top 25 rankings and Thiel's departure from it.  Your voice was one that was grousing about Thiel's drop in the ratings, yet you predict that Thiel will lose this weekend to an unranked team with fewer poll points.  If Thiel really SHOULD be listed in the top 25 shouldn't they be able to handle Alfred?  Or is it your thought that Alfred should be a top 25 team also?   Or have you just reevaluated Thiel's situation and your position and have determined they really SHOULDN'T  be a top 25 team.

I'm not trying to goad you - but I am stumped since your Thiel/Alfred prediction seems to be at odds with your position that Thiel should be a top 25 team.