Really solid win for the Ephs on the road against Middlebury today.  Highlights for the Ephs:

- the D bent a little, but made huge play after huge play in big situations. Especially in the second half, which was the best the Eph defense has played all year, Midd could do very little.  Acheson, Moore and Mangini led the way from the LB position as they were all over the field and making bone-rattling hits.  The Ephs forced three huge turnovers and also stopped Midd on three fourth down plays.  The Ephs did a very nice job controlling McClellan, who has hurt them in the past, he didn't really break lose for any big plas. Finn Ryan had a huge play recognizing a ballsy fake punt play by Midd from deep in their own territory, shedding his blocker, and making a big hit which led to a fumble recovery by Kreakie, who also had a big day. 

- Drew Weiler proved that he is absolutely for real, he had an impressive day hitting 23-34 for 285, two TDs and no INTs against a solid Midd defense. Most of his passes were again right on the money into tight spaces, including a huge 40-yard pass on a dime to Falls from his own one yard line.  The only blemish was taking a few too many sacks, which seemed to be a combination of some protection breakdowns and also holding onto the ball a bit too long. The Ephs also continue to struggle a bit with the center to QB snap, although this week the one that was totally botched wasn't the center's fault. 

- This was the best game of the year by far for the Eph receivers.  I didn't see any drops and they made a lot of tough catches despite tough coverage.  In particular, it was great to see Zach Falls finally get on track with 7-128 and a TD< he looked like the Falls we saw last year, finally.  Weiler and TE Montessano continue to have a great chemistry as well especially in big situations. 

- The Ephs run game (with Fabiano still out) struggled today and they gave up too many sacks, so I imagine the offensive line will see some areas for improvement, but on the plus side, there were a lot of plays where Weiler had time to connect deep down the field. 

- For Midd, Aidan Moss had a solid game as he had to make a lot of plays on the run.  But he was much more effective in the first half than the second. WR Angstreich was awesome and gave the Ephs fits all day catching passes in space in the middle of the field.  Midd's star defender Matt Shaw had a strong day, and the Midd defensive line was rock solid, but Midd kept giving the Ephs a short field to work with which was the difference in the game. 

Yeah, I think Trinity probably has the most upside but is also relying on a ton of young (albeit high-end) talent.  To me, Wesleyan is the safest bet, since the guys they lost have obvious replacements on the roster.  I don't see any Nescac teams as pre-season top ten squads this year, more like three closely grouped in the 10-25 range.

If Amherst gets strong play in the middle from the huge duo of Hempfling and the F&M transfer, they could definitely be a sleeper contender in NESCAC next season. They finally figured out an identity last year with bigs who screen, space a bit, and defend, and everything running through dribble penetration from physical guards who were hard to keep out of the lane.  KJ Neville looked on the verge of being an elite player down the stretch, especially in the NCAA tourney, and figures to take a leap as a sophomore.  With him, returning do-it-all all-NESCAC guard Elias Chin, and spark-plug Garraud off the bench, Amherst should have one of the best guard rotations in the country.  The wing group isn't at quite the same level, but should be improved with Pabis, Woodberry, and Adnan far more experienced and able to be solid kick-out options for the guards.  The big question mark is who boards and defends the rim, so if their bigs (including Margolin, who looked like a physical player off the bench) are ready to provide that as a group, they could be a surprise team.  I'd still put them behind Wesleyan, Tufts and Trinity to start, but those three teams will each look very different this year and have a lot of question marks. 

I was just curious to check out if all the scrutiny of Amherst was based in any sort of statistical fact, and it is interesting to see that Amherst has led NESCAC in fouls per game (some years by a wide margin) every season from 2021 through 2026 (to date).  It also has accumulated, by a wide margin, the most yellow cards in the league over that time span, and the most red cards as well.  Of course, they've won a national title and finished second twice during the last five years, so the aggressive tactics have, at least until the last season or so, arguably paid off. But Amherst has been home to SO much high-level talent over that time (including this season, just look how many high profile transfers are on the team!) that you have to think it would have been inordinately successful regardless of tactical approach. 

Williams, meanwhile, continues to get little hype on the boards despite currently being first in NESCAC.  It hasn't always been pretty for the Ephs and they rarely seem to control the pace of play against other top teams, so maybe that is why.  But they have a star in the back in Jake Farmer, Kai Darrell has made some huge saves, and they have a slew of guys who can make things happen up front in Bethencourt, Appleton, Ruehlemann, Mitchell and Desmangles, among others.  Ideally they'd create more goals through longer build-ups rather than quick strikes, and there are a few too many easy opportunities for other teams, but the style does seem to be working out, so far, this year.  And it's scary for other teams to know how quickly they can turn a disadvantage into a goal.  At Wes, Tufts, and at Midd is a brutal end to the schedule, to they will need to play their A plus game going forward to hang on to first place. 

Some early thoughts on POTY possibilities:

OPOTY is easy/obvious: 1. Matt Fitzsimons, 2. Jaxon Carroll, 3. Marek Hill, 4. Luke Kurzum.  Great year for QB play at the top of the league, with Fitzsimons certainly the frontrunner as he has really been lighting it up so far (77 percent of passes completed through four games is insane), but it will come down to the games at the end of the season.   

DPOTY is much harder.  Some candidates I'd include: Angus Leary, Tommy Kilroy, Will Baker, Will Gale, Luke Pickard, and Matt Shaw, but no obvious frontrunner. 

Players on the watch list for ROTY: Jack Fabiano (hopefully he is not seriously hurt), Ace Etienne, Ryan Foley, Drew Weiler, and Nathan Rivera.

Speaking of Rivera, he was I think originally committed to Williams and then switched to Trinity, tough loss for the Ephs given that he is the rare FY starter for a loaded Trinity team.   It's pretty rare for an OL to receive a league-wide honor (I mean Thomas Perry never won POTY even if he was clearly the best player in the league) but this is the type of situation where it may actually happen. 

Looking at the NPIs, I think if Nescac has two teams with one or fewer losses, it seems very likely to get both in the tourney. In the highly unlikely scenario of three one loss teams, all could get in.  Of course the three undefeated teams play very back-loaded schedules, so we won't have any real sense until around week eight. 

On another note, WR Jadon Davis seems to be evolving into a big-time weapon on offense and ST for Amherst.  Amherst is still struggling to get consistent production at TB, but they have a really nice trio of speedy receivers this year with Davis, Alexander and Moore, with Davis looking like the scariest. Watching the game highlights, those guys combined to make some big time plays.  Davis looks the scariest to me and while I know Mills isn't usually huge on playing FYs, I'm very surprised we didn't see him at all last year. 

As usual, there are a lot of impressive receivers in NESCAC this year and it will be a huge battle for the all-conference teams: in addition to those Amherst guys, Ivatts is putting up huge numbers for Hamilton, O'Brien, Newcombe, and Kelly are all playing to their first-team all league form, McCaffrey has been a deep threat for Trinity, and Kearns has also been big for Hamilton.  Jack Nye and Keller Rogers could both break out as well. 

lumbercat / Nescacman, I don't mean to overhype Weiler.  He looked very good against an 0-4 team that surely wasn't prepared for Williams to play a spread-em-out deep-throwing style of offense.  But at the same time, I stand by saying he looks like he has the best tools as a passer since Pat Moffitt back in 2010.  That actually isn't saying all THAT much.  I don't need to belabor the Kelton years but obviously they were a total disaster in every respect.  Bobby Maimaron was an elite quarterback but not an elite passer - he was just REALLY great at every other aspect of the position (running, leadership, clutch play, IQ, misdirection) while being probably about an average NESCAC passer with an average sort of arm.  And since Maimaron, Williams has generally played alpha athletes at the position who were tough dudes and elite as runners but average at best (usually below average, frankly) as passers.  Really, other than one great three-game stretch from Johansen, Williams fans haven't seen a lot of great passing offense for the past 15 years!  Part of that is that the Ephs haven't had the sort of elite receivers that other NESCAC teams seem to have in droves, certainly nothing like the crew of guys we had back around 2010.

So that is really why Weiler popped so much to me as a passer.  He was putting the ball generally on target, with good velocity, 20-40 yards down the field, which is very impressive for a FY playing his first game, and especially striking to watch after the first three games of this season.  And clearly he has good escapability as well, and the ability to make plays on the run.  It's not shocking he didn't get an earlier look as he was behind three seniors, all of whom have started multiple games in their careers, including Johansen, who was all-league as a junior.  I'm sure he has a lot to learn about the mental aspects of the game (he did throw an interception on a pass he probably should not have thrown in the second half, and there was another that was almost picked as well).  But in terms of pure ARM talent, I do feel comfortable saying even after one game that he's (FWIW) the best-looking thrower of the ball we've had since Moffitt.  We will see just how for-real he is against a stronger team next week, and one that critically will have a chance to scout him before the game rather than prepping for a team that runs up the middle every play. 

Four of his top plays are in the highlights so folks can judge for themselves: https://youtu.be/okSQJ55L-TY?is=4c666Av1RSQ-QA5x

Edit: I just noticed, hell of a block by Bott immediately after flipping the ball to Stahelski on the reverse, great play by him.

A few more Williams-Bates thoughts:

First, I'm guessing a 79 point turnaround in a single week has to be a NESCAC record.  Kudos to the Ephs for bouncing back from a miserable performance at Trinity.  Nothing I'm seeing is changing my opinion that Trinity is going to be unbeaten this season, Wesleyan is the only team with a chance but Trinity's D is clearly much stronger than Wesleyan's.  The Maine teams seem really down this year.  Williams' upside is certainly a lot higher that I would have projected after last week! 

Second, Drew Weiler faced a bit more adversity in the second half as Bates did a much better job in coverage, but overall, looked fantastic both throwing and running the ball, what a first game.  The one area he can work on, unsurprising for a young QB, is getting rid of the ball faster especially when no one is open down the field, he's gonna take some hard hits against better front sevens if he keeps waiting for the big downfield plays (plays his arm can absolutely cash in on). He seems most comfortable throwing over the middle to Jimmy Montesano, who had a big day with 5-84 plus another TD catch that was nullified by penalty, Weiler unlocked Montesano after a quiet start to the season, and he is a unique athlete at TE in NESCAC.  Now that the team is featuring much more of a downfield passing attack, the Ephs will need a bit more from their wide receivers especially Falls who continues to be very quiet.  Owen McHugh looked promising in his first game as a WR and should grow into that role. 

The Ephs' defense certainly had its best game of the season, the secondary which has had some issues was really stellar today, completely shut Bates down.  Again, the upcoming games feature tougher opponents, but that should build some confidence for that unit. Will Baker and Will Gale utterly dominated the line of scrimmage today and have been stellar all year - both should be on the mid-season long list of candidates for DPOY in NESCAC. Gale is a presence like Kermit Fisher was for Amherst at NT last year.   

It looks like a long year ahead to Bates seeing what Williams did to them, after what Trinity did to Williams ...

Wow, yeah, FY or no, I'm surprised we have not seen Weiler before this point of the season.  Regardless of the strength of opponent, he is certainly the biggest arm talent Williams has had on the roster since at least 2010 (not saying a LOT, as the Ephs have generally gone with run-first QBs, but it ain't nothing, either).  Weiler was 9-18 for 189 in the half despite three drops by receivers and a pretty blatant uncalled PI.  He also was very impressive running the ball, very nimble for a big QB, ran for 8-53 (net is only 30 because of a huge loss on a bad snap that was in no way his fault).  The entire offensive approach is dramatically different (and a lot more fun to watch) as the Ephs have been spreading the field and abandoned the sluggish, conservative approach from the first three weeks.  They even scored on a clever reverse to Stahelski who's brought some badly needed speed to the offense. Weiler had 3-4 eye-popping plays, none more so than a 55 yard bomb on, I think, 3rd and 29 that he put right on the money to Stahelski; there is a zip on the ball when it leaves his hands that Eph fans haven't seen for quite some time. 

Overall a very impressive day for Eph FYs despite Jack Fabiano not playing (hopefully he is OK). FY tailback Aiden Clark looks good, he's like a bowling ball out there and feels like he's close to breaking a big one soon. Danny Montesano has done a nice job helping fill in for Ben Yedid, another key player who seems to be out, on the DL. Finn Ryan pops whenever he is on the field and is another guy who always seems close to making a game-changing play on defense, he's going to be heard from in a big moment this year.  And Will Machnik continues to do a nice job at CB. 

But the key guy in the class is obviously Weiler and his career could not have gotten off to a more impressive start. Please, please keep him upright, Ephs! 

Bates, I know they've been depleted by injuries this year, and they have definitely gone the wrong direction from last season. 

Williams' terrible play certainly helped to make Trinity look good, but I have to say, I am a believer in this year's Trinity team going 9-0 after seeing that game; they are so balanced across every phase of the game with no weakness that I could see.  On offense, if you don't key on O'Brien (him being healthy is a big difference this year), and let him get loose in space, it's huge trouble, but you can't key on him too much because they have a host of other receivers who are big, speedy downfield threats.  They have three starting-caliber TBs they can rotate in and keep fresh without missing a beat.  Jaxon Carroll seems improved and in command as a veteran QB now and was putting the ball in tight windows with pace. The OL is rock solid. 

On defense, and this is where Trinity really stands out from Wesleyan, Trinity has a ton of speed everywhere, they hung well with Williams' physical play up front which is the strength of the Ephs and then were a lot faster than the Ephs covering ground.  Teams are averaging one yard per carry so far vs. Trinity and they are going to be virtually impossible to run against going forward. 

Even on special teams, Trinity has a lot of plus players, led by O'Brien, and the kicking and punting game looks strong. 

Wesleyan will have the best chance to beat them, and as we saw last week Wesleyan has a real knack for pulling losable games out of its rear, but getting Wesleyan at home will make that harder for the Cardinals.  If you compare Trinity's first three games this year vs. its first three against the same opponents last year, it's night and day, they are now a much stronger team overall. In particular, there is simply no way that Wesleyan will do on the ground this year what they did to Trinity last year.  No one will.   

Round 1
1. Nescac1 - Kye Robinson - Mary Washington x1
2. FCGG - Josiah Butler - UW-Stevens Point x2
3. NCF - Sam Grieger- UW-Lacrosse x1
4. Greek - Deacon Judd - Oswego St x3
5. Ronk - Zach McLaughlin - ME-Farmington x1.5

Round 2
6. Ronk -Carvin Fish - Minnesota-Morris x3
7. Greek - Vinnie Adjahoungbeta - Elmhurst x3
8. NCF - Kaleb Nutifafa- Keuka - x2
9. FCGG - Jason Reynolds - Maine-Farmington 1.5x
10. Nescac1 - Jackson Rein - Williams 3x

Round 3
11. Nescac1 - Dominic Trelenberg - Elmhurst 3x
12. FCGG - Jay Randall - Mary Washington 1x
13. NCF - Ulysses Young - Mary Washington 1x
14. Greek - Jordan Cooper - Keene St 3x
15. Ronk - Aidan Yates - Williams 3x

Round 4
16. Ronk - Aidyn Boone - Elmhurst 3x
17. Greek - Andrew Deppe - RPI 3x
18. NCF - Matt DeVine - Williams 3x
19. FCGG - Seth Miron - UW-Stevens Point 2x
20. Nescac1 - Jevon Yarbrough - Hood 1x

Round 5
21. Nescac1 - Soren Richardson - Wheaton 3x
22. FCGG - Sammy Tornabene - Scranton 3x
23. NCF - Christian Nicholson - Montclair St. 2x
24. Greek - Michael Metcalf-Grassman - Oshkosh 3x
25. Ronk - Brendan Carr - Scranton 3x

Round 6
26. Ronk - Nick Ruisi - Scranton 3x
27. Greek - Justin Harper - Stockton 3x
28. NCF - Toa Hollenbeck - Christopher Newport 1x
29. FCGG - Jack Plesser - Union 3x
30. Nescac1 - Jackson Bell - Roanoke 1.5x

Round 7
31. Nescac1 - Carnegie Johnson - NYU 1.5x
32. FCGG - Mike Vuckovic - North Park 3x
33. NCF - Mason Funk - IWU 1x
34. Greek - Chris Bryant - Hardin-Simmons 3x
35. Ronk -Eli Yusavage - Drew 3x

Round 8
36. Ronk - Andre De Los Reyes - Drew 3x
37. Greek - Peyton Podany - St. John's 3x
38. NCF - Tommy Scholl - Stevens 2x
39. FCGG - Shea Fitzgerald - Vassar 2x
40. Nescac1 - Will Householter - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x

Round 9
41. Nescac1 - Reid Jones - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x
42. FCGG - Grady Thompson - Dubuque 3x
43. NCF - Jared Berry - Trinity, CT. 1x
44. Greek - Nathan Richardson - Olivet 3x
45. Ronk - Jackson Bowman - Coe 3x

Round 10
46. Ronk - Kanyon Bryte - Coe 3x
47. Greek - Christian Winn - Nebraska Wesleyan 3x
48. NCF - Ben Robinson - Scranton 3x
49. FCGG - Thomas Ferdinando - Babson 1.5x
50. Nescac1 - Myles Barnette - Gustavus 1x

Round 11
51. Nescac1 - Zach Wolinski - Wesleyan 1x
52. FCGG - Ethan Fauss - Emory 1x
53. NCF - Braylen Salters - Guilford 3x
54. Greek - Will Stuckey - St Norbert 3x
55. Ronk - Porter Kretschman - Olivet 3x

Round 12
56. Ronk - Conner Schipper - Olivet 3x
57. Greek - Kellon Smith - Denison 3x
58. NCF - AJ Harris - Emory 1x
59. FCGG - Tyson Henderson - Chris Newport 1x
60. Nescac1 - Tanner Overby - Willamette 3x

Round 13
61. Nescac1 - Tim Mulvey - Babson 1.5x
62. FCGG - Zyir Baskerville - Chris Newport 1x
63. NCF - Logan Murphy - Babson 1.5x
64. Greek - Travis Stickney - Hampden-Sydney 3x
65. Ronk - Caleb Franze - Roanoke 1.5x

Round 14
66. Ronk - Anujan Tennathur - Willamette 3x
67. Greek - Cal Krohn - Stevens Point 2x
68. NCF - Jared Townsley - Nebraska Wesleyan 3x
69. FCGG - Dylan Walker - Trinity (TX) 1.5x
70. Nescac1 - Peter Moye - Hampden-Sydney 3x

Round 15
71. Nescac1 - Dev Williams - Williams 3x
72. FCGG - Sawyer Butler - Franciscan 3x
73. NCF - Tugg Bizelle - Hampden-Sydney 3x
74. Greek - Brandon Beck - Oshkosh 3x
75. Ronk - Will Bronson - Trinity(TX) 1.5x

Round 16
76. Ronk - Dean Balo - Trinity(TX) 1.5x
77. Greek - Jayden Thomas - DeSales 3x
78. NCF - Malcolm Hodges - Randolph-Macon 1x
79. FCGG - PJ Scalisi - RPI 3x
80. Nescac1 - Collin Madson - Whitewater 1.5x

Round 17
81. Nescac1 - Alex McLeary Brown - NYU 1.5x
82. FCGG - Nasir Luna - Johns Hopkins 2x
83. NCF - Elijah Farrington - Mount Union 2x
84. Greek - Jayson McGhee - Oswego St 3x
85. Ronk - Steven Bradley - Oswego St 3x

Round 18
86. Ronk - Yechiel Stewart - RPI 3x
87. Greek - Justin Molen - WPI 2x
88. NCF - Kyan VanderWoude - Wheaton (Il) 3x
89. FCGG - Lane Thomann - Millikin 3x
90. Nescac1 - Shane Crissman - Mary Washington x1

Round 19
91. Nescac1 - Theo Rocca - WashU x1
92. FCGG - Zay Brown - Monmouth 3x
93. NCF - Nate Bledsoe - WPI 2x
94. Greek - Corey Thompson - St. Thomas 1x
95. Ronk - Kullen Robinson - Hood 1x

Round 20 (HALF WAY THERE)
96. Ronk - Jude Huseby - Hood 1x
97. Greek - Nathan Kongolo - St. Thomas 1x
98. NCF - Billy Feeks - RPI 3x
99. FCGG - Tanner Tedesco - Union 3x
100. Nescac1 - JJ Semanko - Augsburg x3

Round 21 (of 40)
101. Nescac1 - Connor Amorosi - Washington & Lee x3
102. FCGG - Mario Awasum - Emory 1x
103. NCF - Kellen Driscoll - RPI 3x
104. Greek - Ray Zamloot - Gettysburg 2x
105. Ronk - Jackson Lawson - Trinity (TX) 1.5x

Round 22
106. Ronk - Karron Mallory - Hood 1x
107. Greek Caleb Gillus - Gettysburg 2x
108. NCF - Ben Estis - Trinity (TX) 1.5x
109. FCGG - Jacob Williams - Dubuque 3x
110. Nescac1 - Max Hurray - Roanoke 1.5x

Round 23
111. Nescac1 - Wyatt Eglington Manor - Johns Hopkins 2x
112. FCGG - Juan Madrigal - Aurora 2x
113. NCF - KJ Neville - Amherst 1.5x
114. Greek - Hunter Barr - Transylvania 2x
115. Ronk - Jake Schmitt - Gustavus Adolphus 1x

Round 24
116. Ronk - Andrew Quam - Gustavus Adolphus 1x
117. Greek - Drew Marshall - Transylvania 2x
118. NCF - Bryce Williams - Anderson 3x
119. FCGG - Avery Lee - Vassar 2x
120. Nescac1 - EJ Sommers - Williams 3x

Round 25
121. Nescac1 - Josh Hopson - NYU 1.5x
122. FCGG - Jack Brockmann - Bethany Lutheran 2x
123. NCF - Malachi Hooser - Calvin 3x
124. Greek - Babacar Pouye - Bates 2x
125. Ronk - Kory Donlin - Maine-Farmington 1.5x

Round 26
126. Ronk - Charlie Houghton - Maine-Farmington 1.5x
127. Greek - Logan Baumgartner Stevens Point 2x
128. NCF - Gabe Parr - Trinity, TX 1.5x
129. FCGG - Joe Okla - Worcester St 2x
130. Nescac1 - Ricardo Nieves - Tufts x1

Round 27
131. Nescac1 - Ben Lyttle - Wesleyan x1
132. FCGG - Cooper Matthews - Franklin 3x
133. NCF - Tristan Davis - Trinity, CT. 1x
134. Greek - Cam LaClair - Oneonta 3x
135. Ronk - Gabe Michaud - Maine-Farmington 1.5x

Round 28
136. Ronk - Brayden St Pierre - Maine-Farmington 1.5x
137. Greek - Joe Thomson - Babson 1.5x
138. NCF - Brendan Cargill - Hope 2x
139. FCGG - Elias Chin - Amherst 1.5x
140. Nescac1 - Tyler Showalter - Randolph-Macon 1x

Round 29
141. Nescac1 - Charlie Hutchinson - Pomona-Pitzer 3x
142. FCGG - Joey Kennedy - Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 1.5x
143. NCF - -Jaalan Watson - Wesleyan 1x
144. Greek - Joey LaChapell - Oshkosh 3x
145. Ronk - Marcel Henry - Western Connecticut 3x

Round 30 (halfway there! Just kidding, stopping at 40)
146. Ronk - Eli Wolff - Gustavus Adolphus 1x
147. Greek - Arthur Foster - Oswego St 3x
148. NCF - Grant Jessen - Mary Hardin-Baylor 1.5x
149. FCGG - Aaron San Miguel - Concordia (TX) 3x
150. Nescac1 - CJ Highsmith - Marymount (VA) 3x

Round 31
151. Nescac1 - Miles Phillips - Marymount (VA) 3x
152. FCGG - Anariss Brandon - Concordia (TX) 3x
153. NCF - Daniel Cochran - Chicago 1x
154. Greek - Nicholas Cortez - Oneonta 3x
155. Ronk - Kenney Rogers - Westfield St 3x

Round 32
156. Ronk - Xavier Lewis - Westfield St 3x
157. Greek - Connor Pytleski - St. Norbert College 3x
158. NCF - Joel Davis - Cortland 1x
159. FCGG - Zach Oliver - Franciscan 3x
160. Nescac1 - Jaden Goodall - Pomona 3x

Round 33
161. Nescac1 - Alex Lee - Carnegie Mellon 3x
162. FCGG - Jai Guerra-Howard - St Thomas 1x
163. NCF - John Medley - Tufts 1x
164. Greek - Carter Combs - Stevens Point 2x
165. Ronk - Zane Miller - Puget Sound 3x

Round 34
166. Ronk - Hugo Rutherford - Puget Sound 3x
167. Greek - Chris Ketchum - Elmhurst 3x
168. NCF - Reese Kraft - Gettysburg 2x
169. FCGG - Gary McLane - Oswego St 3x
170. Nescac1 - Charlie Bell - Stockton x3

Round 35
171. Nescac1 - Eriq Campbell - Stockton x3
172. FCGG - Luke Smith - Elmhurst 3x
173. NCF - Jacob Dunkle - PS Behrend 2x
174. Greek - Parker Renault - Hampden-Sydney 3x
175. Ronk - Jason James - Westfield St 3x

Round 36
176. Ronk - A Z Allah - Westfield St 3x
177. Greek - Emmanuel  Domingo - Babson 1.5x
178. NCF - Brock Marino - Whitewater 1.5x
179. FCGG - Jack Margoupis - Salve Regina 3x
180. Nescac1 - Elijah Kinney - Endicott 1x

Round 37
181. Nescac1 - Ryan Johnson - Carthage 3x
182. FCGG - Logan Mckee - Stockton 3x
183. NCF - Matthew Garside - Union 3x
184. Greek - Gabe Garcia - Grinnell 2x
185. Ronk - Charles Nelson - Webster 3x

Round 38
186. Ronk - Cade Sullivan - Endicott 1x
187. Greek - Kai Te Huki - Grinnell 2x
188. NCF - Cade Brenner - Trine 3x
189. FCGG - Kaden Bates - Mary Washington 1x
190. Nescac1 - Aiden Harris - Ohio Northern 3x

Round 39
191. Nescac1 - Baiden Bean - St. John's (MN) 3x
192. FCGG - Percy Green - Concordia (TX) 3x
193. NCF - Theo Maag - Ohio Northern 3x
194. Greek - Max Raimer - Stevens Point 2x
195. Ronk - Trevon Hamilton - Puget Sound 3x

LAST ROUND, FINALLY!
196. Ronk - Charles Thornton - Drew 3x
197. Greek - Grant Manz - Stevens Point 2x
198. NCF - Ryan Cohen - Wash U 1x
199. FCGG - Jordan Spencer - Penn St-Harrisburg 2x
200. Nescac1 - Casen Lawrence - Illinois Wesleyan 1x

Those favorite lines seem crazy high in the aggregate.  Williams has not shown any sort of ability to put up 30 points in a game this year, the Ephs' passing offense is a total mess right now and if they win it's typically going to be in grind it out fashion like in weeks one and two.  I do not think Hamilton can stop Trinity, but Hamilton's passing offense is legit, loads of weapons around an elite QB.  They are averaging 29 ppg against a tough early season schedule, they should be able to put up a couple of TD's through the air especially if Trinity calls off the dogs early in a blowout.  Colby won't be competitive with Wesleyan I expect but a 37 point line is nuts after Wesleyan barely scraped by Hamilton.  And Amherst-Middlebury feels more like a pick 'em to me, especially with Hill's health in question.  Tufts-Bowdoin is the only line which seems reasonable.  I'll take five dogs and count my money. 

Horrible, unthinkable news about the death of Williams recruit Owen Coyne from a brain hemorrhage.  Condolences to his family, and to the Marblehead community:

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/marblehead-football-captain-dies-brain-hemorrhage/

Welp, Williams just had no chance against Trinity and this game was over from the beginning. About as outclassed as I've seen a Williams team since the Kelton era, Williams getting murdered in all four phases of the game (the fourth being coaching).  Williams can't cover the Bantams receivers (especially McCaffrey, who has been stellar) downfield, Trinity has made numerous huge plays on special teams, but the biggest issue is that the Eph passing game is an utter disaster.  There have been a few bad drops by receivers and the offensive line has provided very poor protection but also, you simply can't have QB play like that, two awful interceptions, one for an easy pick six, and also several passes that missed pretty open guys be several yards, meanwhile the Trinity QB zings it deep down the field almost perfectly on target every play. 

I think the Ephs are going to have to see what they have with the other QBs in the second half and going forward, and use McHugh more as a change-of-pace wildcard option, because this is just not a recipe for competing against any team you can't run the ball down the gut on. Through three games, despite going 2-1, this is the most incompetent passing attack I've seen from a Williams team that never exactly lights it through the air.   

I see Livitano is in at QB at Amherst, I assume Hill may be hurt?  He threw it for a pick six on his very first play, and then there was a strip sack on his next possession, but seems to have settled in since that time.

Sounds like an utterly crazy first half in the Wesleyan-Hamilton game with both teams' lighting up the other's defense.  That has to be a record for points in a half in a NESCAC game, right? 

Oh, and what's the story with the Bowdoin coach?  Was he fired??