A couple of questions I thought of randomly and thought I'd ask😃

1.  Does the MIAA still sponsor JV football?

2.  Do other conferences in D3 have JV football currently or did they but no longer, or never had?

Stay healthy everyone!😃

A couple more tough personnel losses as well for tomorrow.....at least they are not season ending like Jackson's (Tough break for a senior, but I believe he can medical redshirt this year still if he chooses).  I think the cut off is 3 games???

So it's a good chance for other's to step up and rise to the occasion!


http://www.mlive.com/smallcolleges/grandrapids/index.ssf/2012/09/injuries_are_hitting_hope_coll.html

Great news indeed for Hope!  Given the facility (athletic and academic) improvements Hope has done over the last 5 to 10 years, this really will put the icing on the cake so to speak!  Another great example of the unique relationship between Holland City and the college.

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x720908727/Nathan-Ricketts-Holland-High-football-player-picks-Central-Michigan-University

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/feature/x1761817199/Hope-College-Holland-and-Holland-Public-Schools-plan-stadium-co-ownership-improvements

Great news for Hope Football and another example of the great relationship that the City of Holland and Hope College share!

Just as an fyi for anybody who may not be aware Hope's individual game highlights can be found at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HopeCollegeFootball

Enjoy!

While not D3, did anyone notice the GLIAC teams that made the playoff's?  Hillsdale won the league outright and didn't get in.....Wayne St. and Saginaw Valley did get in while both tying for 2nd place with GVSU........(all the 2nd place teams had 3 loses (Hillsdale had 2)) and GVSU destroyed SVSU this past Sat.......very odd I would say.

I was just looking at the Albion stats verse Depauw, was there a reason that Orr and Krauss didn't play?  Injuries?  That clearly had a huge effect on the offense with Albion putting up 3 points.  Will they be playing on Saturday/ the playoff's I wonder?

Mr. Ypsi,

How do the pickems work/ where are they posted?  I'd like to give it a shot.

Hope's 2011 pre-seaon outlook from their website:

The Flying Dutchmen approach the season faced with a schedule identical to the 2010 campaign. The 102nd year of Hope football will find coach Dean Kreps' Flying Dutchmen trying to shake off the affects of three consecutive 3-7 campaigns.

The pre-season roster includes 39 players returning from the 2010 squad. The strength of the team would appear to be its defense which could return as many as nine starters from a unit that allowed only nine rushing touchdowns over 10 games, among the best in NCAA Division III. The offense faces a major rebuilding job with the return of just two starters.

The co-captains of the team will be senior Josh Droppers of Portage (Portage Northern HS), junior Brian Lynn of Holland (Holland HS), Ben Van Ausdall of Hudsonville (Unity Christian HS), and Kyle Warren of Grandville (Unity Christian HS). Droppers and Warren are two-time All-MIAA first team honorees, Droppers at offensive tackle and Warren at defensive back.

Droppers and senior guard Alex Doman of Royal Oak (Brother Rice) are the only returning offensive starters. Among the returning players who saw considerable action last season is sophomore tailback Shawn Jackson of Granger, Ind. (Camden Frontier HS) who in five games as a freshman rushed for 397 yards on 81 carries, a team-best 4.9 yards per carry average. His accomplishments included a 93-yard touchdown run, second longest in school history.

Bringing experience to the defense are five players who have lettered for three seasons – back Dan Karam of Grosse Pointe Woods (Warren DeLaSalle HS), end Jared Kimber of Bedford, Ohio (Bedford HS), end Jordan Morse of Sparta (Sparta HS), back Chris Schmelz of Chelsea (Chelsea HS), and back Kyle Warren. Morse, who is a fifth-year senior, was named to the All-MIAA second team in 2010. He led the team in quarterback sacks (5.5) and tackles for a loss (12.5). Warren has been in the starting lineup since his freshman year while Karam, Morse and senior back Marcus Bradstreet of Grandville (Grandville HS) have been starters the past two seasons.

The Flying Dutchmen return experienced special teams players. Sophomore punter Aaron Thompson of Imlay City (Imlay City HS) was named to the All-MIAA second team as a freshman. Twice during the 2010 season he was named the MIAA's special teams player of the week. He averaged 37.2 yards per punt, had none blocked in 63 attempts and had four punts go over 50 yards, including one covering 70 yards. Placekicker Evan Finch of Ann Arbor (Pioneer HS) was a perfect 16-for-16 on PATs and made 2-of-3 field goals. Chris Schmelz was among the NCAA Division III punt return leaders ranking 20th nationally with an average of 12.7 yards on 17 returns.

The Flying Dutchmen, who will be seeking their first non-league victory since the 2004 season-opener, open on the road at Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, Sept. 3. The home opener will be the traditional Community Day game against Wisconsin Lutheran on Saturday, Sept. 10. A season highlight will be a night home game against longtime MIAA rival Kalamazoo on Saturday, Oct. 8. Homecoming will be a week later with the Albion Britons coming to town.

I'm a homer but I got to say Hope will be a contender again this year.

Hope is used to being in the hunt for a league title every year and this 3 year drought going 3-7 each year (6 first and 6 2nd place finishes from 96 - 07) is about over in my mind.  The defense returns about everybody (either 8 or 9 guys that had significant playing time if I remember correctly) so they should be solid, but the question for Hope will be the offensive unit as they will almost all be completely different players than last years starters.   Even though Hope has struggled with wins the last few years, don't forget that Hope lost to Trine on a blocked extra point late in the 4th qtr in 08 and by 3 in 09.  On top of that they hung with some quality CCIW non conference opponents as well the last few years.  So they have been a tough oppenent overall, but they need to start pulling out more wins clearly.  I think it will happen this year as long as the offense gels and gets a good start and the defense steps it up as the leading vetern unit on the team. 

Just my thoughts.....

Diezel1,

Thanks for your comments and I couldn't agree more with the below points more in regards to the 4-3, 4-4, and a standard 4-2-5!  Those are some of the major reasons I like the 4-2-5 so much the way Hope runs it.  I would only like to add with Hope's defense the difference between a standard 4-2-5 and Hope's D is they have 2 and not 1 "rover" or hybrid linebacker/ safety positions and they play them throughout the game as both db's and lb's throughout the game as needed.  This eliminates the ability for a offense to quickly read the defensive coverage.  Which also gives them the ability to adjust as needed into 3-4, 4-3, and 4-4 coverage sets quickly and without warning.  To me a good defense its kinda like fishing, there is no one magic lure or bait to always catch fish, but the right bait or lure at the right time with the correct presentation and its dinner in the frying pan....no different than 1 defense set can cover/ stop it all - which is why I personally like the versitially of Hope's defense so much and why I feel Hope has had so much success over the years - again just my thoughts as well.  If poster's on this board remembers Matt Beaver (All - MIAA 2003) or Matt Rugienstien (All American 2006) of Hope Collage (DE's) they would understand the way the 4-2-5 allows for some extreme versatilty with the right athletes given they would be playing in a two point on the end of the line one play in a 4-2-5 , the next they could be in coverage as an outside linebacker with the same personal in a 3-4, and another they could be lined up in a 3 point in a 4-3 or 4-4, the options are endless!  The toughest defensive sets I ever went against were in practice as an OL at Hope in route to back to back MIAA titles as a junior and senior.  I hope everyone sees what I'm getting at which is the 4-2-5 isn't anything special nor is the 3-4, the 4-3 or the 4-4, its the way a coordinator choices to utilize his defensive playbook which is the real key.  I appreciate everyone's comments on this!



Being a Trine graduate, I am now partial to the 3-4. I think you can disguise your look much easier in the 3-4 than you can in the 4-3, 4-4, or even the 4-2-5 and heres why:

1.)In the 4-3, most outside linebackers are limited in what they can do in this system. You are either good at filling gaps or quick enough to get out in coverage, which causes a mismatch in either the run game or pass game.
2.) In the 4-4, your main objective is fill the box and get the ball out of the qb's hand quick to make short pass plays where most of your defenders are. Problem is with spread offenses you don't have enough speed on the field when they stretch you out.
3.)In the 4-2-5, it is very easy to designate the "rover" or whatever the team chooses to name it. And once again, at this level most rovers' skill sets are one way, pass or run. This now creates a weakness because you have to scheme on how to cover that up. If the rover plays back, you audible to a run or something quick. If he is in the box, you go to the other side of the field because you are out leveraged.

I know if you look at each defense they are all basically the same thing just lining up differently and with different personnel but with the 3-4 you can apply a ton of pressure on the qb or still stop the run, the outside linebackers have speed so they can rush off the edge or drop in coverage which helps tremendously against a spread attack. Just my two cents on the topic 

Thunderhead thanks for your thoughts -  you are correct its more of a hidden 4-4 based on stopping the run (when the game calls for it), which I consider part of the advantage, but again it can go back to a 4-2-5 just as quickly (Which I also consider part of the advantage).  The same personal can run the 4-2-5 or the 4-4-3 the way Hope runs it.  Its ability to adapt quickly (as the play is unfolding) is what makes it special in my mind.  Also yes of course, anytime a blitz or stunt play is called there is the risk/ reward factor for a defense regardless of the formation so that doesn't make Hope's hybrid 4-2-5 different, but what the defense does do is help mask or hide those exposed gaps to create those blitz advantages, no different in theory than Trine's/ Alma's/ Kzoo's offense running a type of spread that is trying to create space - as the spread advantage is putting guys all over the field and making defenses try to create a formation/ game plan that can stop a variety of play's/ formations - so too the 4-2-5 Hybrid that Hope runs creates match up problem's for offenses as the options that can come at you are many.

Great conversation, I really appreciate your comments and these of course are just my humble opinion's as well - its nice to share them in a mature setting!  Is it football season yet?!!???

I hear ya sflzman and I totally agree that throughout each game the situation does/ can change and the defense needs to adapt (which is why I like the way Hope runs the 4-2-5 and I'll try to explain below). 

Moving to a 4-3/4-4 with complete ease is another reason I like the 4-2-5 and think its as flexible/ unpredictable as a defense can get.  I say that b/c Hope doesn't use 5 true DB's in the back-field, two of the players are linebacker/ DB hybrids if you will (how they are used and their size, speed, etc).  Meaning they can drop into any coverage needed (They are listed as safety's) but at the same time they can set up in the box to help stuff the run, making the defense a 4-3 or 4-4 without changing personal or being threatened to expose the pass defense verses putting in a more standard linebacker type that can only cover the flats more or less on a pass play.  This also can confuse offenses/ blocking schemes as they could line up in a 4-4 but fall back into a cover set or on the other end of the spectrum they could be set up in what appears to be a pass coverage set but the play call for them is to play the run and be linebackers, etc....This also give additional options for various stunts and blitzes as these guys can cover the gaps left by linebackers and D-lineman doing blitzes and twists/ stunts. 

Just my two cents.......

Thanks for the response!  Hopefully someother guys will weight in also.

I have two MIAA related football questions that might spark some interest....

1.  Why does Trine often use a formation with an extra O-lineman on one side of the line and then put 1 O-lineman and a tight-end on the other?  What is the benefit of that?  I have my ideas, but I would like to hear other's thoughts....

2.  Most of the MIAA schools run a traditional 4-3-4 defense.  Hope runs a 4-2-5 defense which allows for everything a 4-3 does and more (moving players around more creating assignment confusion by the offense, covering up/ hiding various stunts/ blitzes, covering the spread better etc....).  You may call me biased, but I went up against every defense in the league and Hope's every day in practice (I was on the OL) and in my humble opinion the 4-3-5 is much more un-predictable/ tougher to play against and flexible to what an offense throws at them than a 4-3-4.  Please do not think I am bashing the 4-3 either - that is not my intention. 

Have a great weekend all!