Millikin Schedule is up for next year and they show 2 night games. Looks like they are going to get that new turf, I wonder if it will be blue, and obviously lights. I sure am going to miss the crown of that field , though I really enjoyed the mud bowl versus the green weenies last fall.

I saw something that said Coach Adams at Elmhurst is joining the Syracuse staff. Big blow to Elmhurst if this is true.

Wheaton loses a good coach

http://www.footballscoop.com/the-scoop

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 14, 2013, 04:17:48 PM

Quote from: CardinalAlum on November 14, 2013, 10:57:47 AM
On an unrelated topic.....what about this week's football games??? .

NPU will be saying farewell to its largest senior class in many years on Saturday afternoon. That means a very long pregame Senior Day ceremony, but that's a nice problem to have. Seventeen NPU seniors, including seven starters, will make their swan-song appearances at Hedstrand Field on Saturday.

They're quite a group of young men. They aren't necessarily any more talented as a class than their predecessors were (although the fact that there's a lot more of them than usual is significant in terms of their impact), and they haven't suffered any more adversity than have their predecessors, either. Lots and lots of North Park classes have come and gone without producing any success on the field upon which they could hang their hats. But that doesn't mean that the adversity that this year's seniors have endured should be taken lightly, either. It's hard to imagine putting in all the time, effort, sweat, and blood that these guys contributed over their first three seasons with absolutely nothing to show for it apart from some modest non-conference wins and a pair of agonizingly close CCIW losses when they were sophomores. And it's hard to imagine facing your schoolmates, your old high-school friends, your acquaintances, and everybody else and knowing that they think of you as the guy who plays for the college football team that never wins a conference game.

But this class is noteworthy not only because so many more of them than usual stuck it out for four years, and not only because they stuck it out in spite of the coaching change, but because they somehow managed to dig down deep enough to squeeze a little bit more out of themselves than previous Vikings classes had been able to do. Mike Conway's motivational skills have something to do with that, but in the long run their overachievement this season is really a testimony to their own dedication, preparation, and tough-mindedness.

Mike Conway is already calling them "the cornerstone class" of the program turnaround that he envisions. More than anything else, I'm happy that these guys were around to see some of the fruit of their labors by winning three CCIW games and finishing in what will almost certainly be a tie for fourth place, shattering all sorts of ugly negative streaks along the way. In terms of talent, they're a very ordinary bunch of football players by CCIW standards.  But in terms of the effort that they put out and the example that they set, they are nothing short of extraordinary.

Let's be honest: Wheaton is going to whip North Park on Saturday. The talent disparity between the two programs is very wide. NPU's three CCIW wins and Wheaton's status as only the third-best team among the contenders don't change the basic equation in terms of the respective football programs of the CCIW's two evangelical schools. That talent gap isn't going to change North Park's modus operandi on Saturday, though; the Vikings seniors will go out and play like it's their last game ever, not just because it is but because that's the way that they always play -- and the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen will rally behind the seniors' banner. The Vikings will not lie down and go out meekly. Nobody will hang their heads on the sidelines; nobody will tune out the coaches; none of the coaches will stop coaching; and nobody will be intimidated by, or take any crap from, a player wearing a 'W' on his helmet. No matter how badly the Vikings lose -- and it's feasible that the final margin could be pretty dire -- the Wheaties will know that they've been in a football game.

  #2 Tyler Krebs
  #5 John Barnabee
  #6 Nate Lawler
#17 Andy Bridge
#20 Chris Broadway
#25 Zach Bates
#30 Taylor Simental
#33 Jordan Bevilacqua
#37 Darius Dacanay
#40 Bennett Dettlinger
#43 Zach Greco
#57 Jose Guevara
#60 Joseph Mimms
#67 Zach Curl
#70 Tyrone Saunders
#80 T.J. Rodriguez
#88 Nick Weinstein

These guys are the Cornerstone Class. Every North Parker, past, present, and future, should be proud of them.

The only thing I coul think off Saturday while watching the game was the Buddy Epson connection between The receiver Barnabee and the running back Jones.   

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 11, 2013, 06:24:46 PM
NPU's win over Millikin may not have merited a story in the Decatur Herald-Review -- despite the rather insulting pregame article in that paper to which oldnuthin linked -- but it did get mentioned in this USA Today piece.

Also, congrats to NPU's Noah Moore on being named CCIW Special Teams Player of the Week for his game-winning field goal on Saturday.

Greg, traditionally the H&R does not due articles on the football team after a loss. I did not find the aricleto be insulting,but I am on the other side, and the author's son played at Millikin and graduated last year if I remember correctly.

As for the game Saturday, I was very impressed with the heart and determination of the Vikings. Even though TD Conway thru 4 picks, his toughness was present on every play. I saw him take some hits that would have left a lesser player on the turf, and needing to be carried off. Your RB Jones, how tall is he? He was a ton of fun to watch. I hope Magwood is ok, another tough runner.

No excuses for Millikin, but to be inside the 10 and only score 3 points was disconcerting to say the least. Congrats on the win, and in my post before the game I hoped for a good show. It was that and more.

http://herald-review.com/sports/millikin/millikin-trying-to-avoid-history/article_f4cdec06-4908-11e3-933b-001a4bcf887a.html

Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 08, 2013, 05:19:17 PM

Quote from: oldnuthin on November 08, 2013, 02:52:49 PM

Quote from: markerickson on November 08, 2013, 11:40:48 AM
My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

From your lips to God's ears. I hope that Millikin just feeds the rock  to Dunning and Brooks and foregoes the pass altogether. Millikin's line is bigger then Elmhurt's, so we have that going for us.

The problem, as I said in my conversation with LGhost earlier this week, is time of possession. The inability of Mike Conway to spell his defensive starters due to a lack of second-string competence is exacerbated by the fact that NPU's spread offense leads to shorter possessions for the Vikings. Even when the Park is successful at moving the ball, the fact that the offense is passing on most downs shortens the amount of time that the Vikes take off of the clock when they have the ball.

And, as I said earlier, Mike is caught between a rock and a hard place in terms of overall team approach. His personnel on offense are clearly tailor-made for a spread offense attack. But his defense lacks the depth to complement that offense, because the fact of the matter is that even good spread offenses frequently lose the time-of-possession battle. And as for the D-line size issue, Mark left out the most glaring size disparity on the D-line, which is that freshman DE Patrick "Meat" Goodall is only 6'0, 205. Goodall has actually played quite well this season, and I like his future with the Vikings. But it'll probably be a future that includes a move to linebacker unless he bulks up dramatically, because he tends to get steamrolled on running plays by tackles who have 60-80 pounds on him.

Quote from: oldnuthin on November 08, 2013, 02:52:49 PMAs for the defense, I have been impressed with the 2 freshman corners play. The ability to run on Millikin has contributed to fewer passes being thrown, but I like the way the corners have covered when given the opportunity. The other Freshman safety, Neal, has been good in coverage also, but without a pass rush, I fear the Pennsylvania Passer will have too much time and that will negate the corners cover ability. Millikin needs to dial up pressure, like Stanford did to Oregon last night, in order to keep the Prolific Park Passer from getting comfortable, and establishing a rhythm.

It's more than just T.D. Conway, though. I've been very impressed by NPU's young receiver corps. Those guys should create all kinds of problems for Millikin's secondary in and of themselves. And Marquis Magwood is a very good young running back as well, although I do agree with LGhost that the NPU coaching staff needs to call Magwood's number more often for rushes that will keep opposing defenses honest. I thought that they struck a really good balance in the Augie game, and I'd like to see that type of mix again on Saturday in Decatur.

I don't know what side DE Goodall plays, but he will be giving up between 70 and 110 lbs depending on which side he lines up on. With all the injuries for Millikin, 24 players out for the year, they will have the same problem with their d-line rotation, which is further exacerbated by the loss of 2 of their 3 starting line backers. It will be interesting to see how the DBs match up with receivers who live in a pass oriented office. We will see how much the freshmen have grown up this year. As for the running game, the Millikin stats speak for themselves, hopefully Millikin shortens the game with a strong running game, and some good stops on d early, which will nulify the Parks ability to have a balanced attack. Either way I am hoping for a good show tomorrow.

Quote from: markerickson on November 08, 2013, 11:40:48 AM
My gut feeling is that Millikin's running game will wear down the Viking D-Line on Saturday.  Last week's loss to Elmhurst was painful to watch.  I sat in the front row behind the Viking squad among Blue Jay fans.  The Vikes had confidence going into halftime.  I believe both of the Viking DTs, Leibforth and Corrigan, played every defensive snap.  They busted their tails out there, but did need some sideline relief, especially since they weighed at least 25 pounds less than their counterparts.  The two BlueJay tallies to pull away were due in large part to running the ball.  The Vikings were tired, and that is not meant to be a criticism.  Circling back to Millikin, if the Vikes have fewer than 3 TOs, which I'm suggesting is a factor that would give their defense some rest, my gut feeling is that they will win.

Prior to the Jays securing their second half lead, their fans screamed repeatedly that the refs were missing calls and making bad calls, and all of the refs' call hurt the Jays.  After Elmhurst took the lead, their fans were almost mute, except for one guy who approached the rail to encourage his former teammates.  Prior to RB Williams scoring the last BlueJay TD, I chatted with his brother who is known for winning a rather prestigious award.  Scottie Williams is a class act.

From your lips to God's ears. I hope that Millikin just feeds the rock  to Dunning and Brooks and foregoes the pass altogether. Millikin's line is bigger then Elmhurt's, so we have that going for us.

As for the defense, I have been impressed with the 2 freshman corners play. The ability to run on Millikin has contributed to fewer passes being thrown, but I like the way the corners have covered when given the opportunity. The other Freshman safety, Neal, has been good in coverage also, but without a pass rush, I fear the Pennsylvania Passer will have too much time and that will negate the corners cover ability. Millikin needs to dial up pressure, like Stanford did to Oregon last night, in order to keep the Prolific Park Passer from getting comfortable, and establishing a rhythm.

Some nice pub for the CCIW and D3 in general on a very well thought of coaches  website.

http://www.footballscoop.com/news/11321-these-d-iii-games-are-worth-a-road-trip-this-weekend

Quote from: thunder38 on October 23, 2013, 01:29:49 PM
USee nailed it by pointing out that the number one match-up in this game will be the Wheaton WRs vs. space. The set of wide outs has struggled to get separation at times this season and has crippled the passing game because of it. Against a fast, veteran group of defensive backs for the Titans, that could result in a loaded box against the run game. IWU's inability to guard Mark Hiben was the biggest factor in Wheaton's victory last season, not a problem this year.

I am also going to be watching how Illinois Wesleyan handles Brandon Dykstra in the middle of the line. Wheaton's success in stopping the run will be predicated on the Titans need to spend two guys on Dykstra. If they can handle the big man with only one blocker than the Titans will be able to have success running the ball as it gives them another man in the second level. Wheaton's Defensive 1's haven't given up a touchdown since the Benedictine game and that has been a large factor in their success.

This game could easily turn into a special teams battle for field position.

Millikin ran a lot of unbalanced sets against IWU using both tackles on one side which allowed them to rush for 167 yards against IWU, more then double their yards against as stated above. I dare say that if Brooks had not been injured in the 3rd quarter, it would have been at least 200 yards and would have relieved some of the pressure on QB Pippin at the end of the game. With Brooks in, it kept the IWU defense from keying completely on Dunning. That being said, I thought with Veiling on the roster, IWU would be at a disadvantage, without him I agree that it is a toss up, having only seen some of Wheaton against Elmhurst.

Presented without comment.

http://herald-review.com/sports/millikin/defense-running-out-of-options/article_b3014c74-3881-11e3-bb99-001a4bcf887a.html

A little his late with this but for general consumption. I thought these kind of injury bugs only hit Wheaton and IWU, at least over the past few years.

http://herald-review.com/sports/college/millikin-hurting-on-defensive-side/article_ab3829ca-33c4-11e3-a66c-0019bb2963f4.html

What a difference a week makes. Big Blue D came out inspired and stayed that way the whole game. Good pressure on the quarterback, caused a pick with a big return that set up a score. Even though they gave up over 200 yds on the ground, it  was a complete 180 from last week. IWU was able to move the ball, but did not score at will like Aurora was able to do. Due to injuries, Millikin was starting 7 freshman by the end of the game. Galick found that the much improved first year players were much harder to throw on, along with TJ Sullivan, the lone senior in the D Backfield. 3 year starter Jake Hazelton left with what looked like a serious knee injury, but the D refused to quit. The remaining non freshman defenders, Rosner, Beach and Flood showed great leadership and an incredible will to win working with 7 freshmen. They were stout on the line and ate up blocks that the young freshman LBs  and DBs were able to finish off though not always in a timely fashion.

  On offense QB Pippen played flawlessly for 51 minutes, not forcing anything and taking what the IWU defense gave him. Unfortunately he threw 2 picks in the final 9 minutes that sealed their fate. Nothing to hang his head about. RB Brooks, also left the game early with a leg injury, which left the running load to Sean Dunning. The same IWU defense that gave up 80 yards to Hope gave up over 100 to Dunning alone. The o-line was great and really deserves alot of credit. All in all a great effort with great emotion and attitude, one of the funnest D3 games for me to date.

A little something for your Saturday reading. Millikin upset IWU in 2009,  ball control and a staunch Defense are the ingredients for another upset today. Go Big Blue.

http://herald-review.com/sports/millikin/dunning-leads-big-blue-into-cciw-showdown/article_bf4ab342-2d84-11e3-bec5-001a4bcf887a.html

Two for three on player of the week. That Shreve does have one hell of a leg! If we can get two of three this coming weekend, I think we will come out with a win.

http://www.cciw.org/news/2013/9/30/FB_0930134713.aspx