Colby ekes out a 1 point win against a frisky Suffolk team. Something to note - Max Poulton has played 21 minutes in each game under Coach Rutgliano so far and has scored just 12 points on 14 shots. Doesn't appear to be much of a focal point for what the Mules are trying to do

Williams moves to 2-0 with a sleepy 60-53 win over Alfred. The big story was that Alex Lee hurt his knee in the opener vs. SUNY Morrisville and was on crutches today. If he is out for a while they are in big trouble.

Jackson Rein was again the offensive bright spot with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Coach App appears to be rifling through the bench in hopes of finding the rest of his rotation as 12 guys got into the game. I have no problem with it if they can get by experimenting while still winning the nonconference games and eventually trimming that down to maybe 8 or 9. One of those 8 or 9 will definitely be FY big EJ Sommers. He looks like he is right off the Karpowicz/Karren line of skilled Eph centers that have come through under App. He had 8 points in 16 minutes tonight and 13 points the night before on 5-7 from the field. He moves well, the ball comes off his hand really nicely, and he clearly has a frame that can continue to physically develop. It is not inconceivable that this team's best lineup features him playing the 5 by the end of the season

So looking at Tufts schedule they started the season by playing:

Friday 11/14 @ Babson
Sunday 11/16 @ Endicott
Tuesday 11/18 vs. Suffolk
Thursday 11/20 vs. Emerson
Sunday 11/23 vs. Yeshiva
Tuesday 11/25 @ MIT

Ignoring the fact that they play some pretty good teams because that isn't my gripe - why are they playing every other day for two weeks? They don't get to practice back to back days over this entire unless they choose not to take an off day (against NCAA rules, not the end of the world if they break it but pointing it out) or just don't practice the day before a game which also seems strange. But I don't know how you are supposed to improve early in the season with very limited practice time if you schedule games like that

Tufts is 0-2

Williams starts the season 1-0, returning to opening their season with their customary opening tip off tournament slog, an 89-67 win over Morrisville St. They got off to a hot start, fell asleep for a while, and then put the game away late, but it was a little clunky.

The man of the match was sophomore wing Jackson Rein who paced the team with 19 points and 8 rebounds. I know a lot of people are high on his classmate Aidan Yates but I personally think Rein just oozes potential. He was 5-9 from 3 and I think he has future shooting performances like that in his future but his game is so solid, he can get to the rim, he has a little bit of a post game, just very Williams wing prototype that they have not had for a few years.

Onyeraluobu Chibuogwu deserves a shoutout as well. The senior guard who was essentially a walk on got his first career start and really his first career minutes and had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, with no turnovers. I don't know that his game seems tight enough to translate over to higher level opponents after New Years but it was cool to see and he deserves to be celebrated. I hope I'm wrong too!

It will take a few weeks for the team to gel like it always does and App clearly does not know his rotations yet - 12 guys played in the first half, perhaps in part because Hudson Hansen was under the weather and Sammy Cooley is injured - but they have a few pieces, so we'll see. I have cautiously optimistic hopes that Rein and Yates can take big leaps but we'll have to go one game at a time.

I'm sure the anti NESCAC brigade will flock to this one so to be clear, I really don't care if Tufts wins or loses just about any games this year. But man, at Babson against a team that is playing their 3rd game of the season, started practice a week earlier, and gets to participate in real scrimmages, is a tough first game of the year. I don't know that I'll be reading that much into this one given the circumstances, not to mention Babson shot the lights out (14-29 from 3) and you got maybe Morakis' worst game in 2+ years? Not the start they wanted but I'll wait and see before any grand proclamations

Just another incredible chapter in the Wesleyan torture chamber for the Ephs. Up 28-14 with 6 minutes left it looked like potentially the best win in the post Maimaron era for Williams. Two scores later, then a blocked FG in OT for good measure, 34-28 final. Somehow maybe the worst Wesleyan loss, and there have been a lot of bad ones. Woof

For once, I actually think Williams effectively ranked 26th is too high. I am relatively pessimistic on this group. Alex Lee is a good player and will produce around all league level but his limitations against good teams have been shown over the years and I am not sold on Hudson Hansen as a full time center although I also expect him to have a better year. But the App era has largely been defined by its stars and I don't know that these two have enough to carry the rest of the group.

The rest of the aforementioned group has a lot going for them but unless Yates and Rein (both, not just one) go up a level this year they just don't seem to have enough players to really make it work. I am really high on Rein in the long term and actually think he will be better than Yates when it is all said and done but it seems like a year too soon. Will go in depth another time

Tangentially, I would be surprised if Johansen wasn't the QB over McHugh next season. He has been better and it just seems like Raymond's MO. Plus, while I don't know what McHugh's timetable to pitch this season is considering he tore his UCL in May, he is probably in line for using his 5th year (medical redshirt) at the scholarship level as a pitcher if his velocity is the same as it was pre injury, so my guess is he prioritizes that. But he chose Williams over UMass Lowell so he could do both, clearly football is of importance to him. He would make a great slot WR...

Quote from: nescac1 on October 18, 2025, 06:52:41 PMA few thoughts on Bates-Williams:

Has any NESCAC receiver ever had better back-to-back weeks than Zach Falls just did??  10 receptions for 332 yards and 5 TDS plus a two-point conversion, including 84 and 76 yard TDs, from three different passers, when all other receivers combined from an injury-riddled unit accounted for a grand total of 80 yards over those games (so by himself, over 80 percent of all receiving yards).  He is definitely a - gulp - D1-caliber receiver, and only a sophomore.   

Just for fun and out of curiosity more than anything - these don't all eclipse Falls' excellent excellent two weeks where the Ephs have really needed him.

Frank Stola opened the 2019 season:
Week 1 vs. Middlebury (part of me still can't believe they lost this game): 6 catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs
Week 2 vs. Tufts: 13 catches, 233 yards, 4 TDs

Also opened the 2018 season:
Week 1 at Bowdoin: 8 catches, 82 yards, 2 TDs
Week 2 vs. Trinity: 5 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs

Aaaaand closed the 2018 season:
Week 8 vs. Wesleyan: 9 catches, 129 yards, 2 TDs
Week 9 @ Amherst: 5 catches, 88 yards, 2 TDs

One more for the road!
2017 season (freshman year)
Week 4 vs. Bates: 7 catches, 172 yards, 2 TDs
Week 5 @ Middlebury: 11 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD (some of you might remember that play)

Pretty good player!

4 way tie for first at the midpoint of the season, trending towards one of the best finishes in recent league memory, and we are doing "Is Devanney actually a good coach?" and Trinity admissions talk. There are like 40 weeks of dead air to fill starting in a month, can we wait a little?

Appreciate the support from dear friend NM although it is worth noting I joined the boards in an official capacity in 2019. Fear not, I will not be reporting said comment to the moderators.

As for the Ephs on the whole, I think we in the purple valley are a little startled by the start and the landscape of the league. I had 5-4 as my prediction with an outside shot at 6-3 but they certainly look good so far despite the less than stellar competition (worth noting the Hamilton game was not a blowout but was also not as close as it looked).

I think a few things can be true at the same time - Williams does not have an explosive air attack and will struggle to play from behind (2+ possessions) but they also appear to be outstanding at controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides and will win or dominate TOP in probably every game this year if they stay healthy. I don't know what to expect on Saturday or beyond but I do know that during the Maimaron years they went 3-1 against Trinity with a points differential of +50. This team does not have that level of talent on either side of the ball but if Raymond is at least in the fight it seems like he gets them ready for the Bantams.
The last time they beat Trinity they won 42-3 and Maimaron was 4-7 for 62 yards.

If I had to make a back of napkin prediction I think they go 7-2. The rest of the league is down but there are a lot of good teams they have to play. They have Trinity, Wesleyan, and Middlebury at home but Trinity is Trinity and the other 2 have their number. They will probably beat Bowdoin and Bates but those are two long bus rides. If they can go to Tufts and win I like their chances to play for something very meaningful in Week 9 but until then we take it one game at a time.

I said it last week but I think 7-2 could win the league this year. It does feel weird to say because I didn't have title charge on my bingo card but Williams gets Trinity, Wesleyan, and Middlebury at home this year, which could be the difference. I am not quite buying them as the favorite because it's too early and I just think you have to be able to pass to beat the big boys but they are nasty on both sides of the ball and certainly have a recipe that should be pretty consistent from week to week

A couple random thoughts as I simply have not been that into the board or football in the offseason but am now rounding into form

-Colby vs. Williams is all of a sudden a massive game for the Ephs, who do not look that good, but have Trinity, Middlebury, and Wesleyan at home in a year where 7-2 could get it done. The offense is not pretty but most have forgotten that it has never really been that pretty. Even with Maimaron it was a lot of power run, they had better WRs but never aired it out

-Trinity will be fine but probably won't win the league. We have seen this movie before when the QB play just isn't where it needs to be, they will be competitive but it feels like the Vazzano year to me.

-Bates has a good thing going even if they don't win a ton more games Coyne seems to have them respectable and about the right stuff

Quote from: HansenRatings on July 25, 2025, 09:15:57 AMI put together a "Preseason Magazine" style preview for the NESCAC this season. It's easily the most balanced conference in the country, with 7/10 teams projected 0.500 or better, no team projected with fewer than 2 wins and no team projected with fewer than 2 losses.

(If you right-click and open in new tab, the image resolution will be much easier to read)

Nice work - Jordan Atkinson transferred from Trinity to Georgetown, it was a spring transfer but was wondering if it is 100% accurate otherwise in regards to outgoing players