What's up MIAC board...

I'm a long-time D3Boards reader and a somewhat experienced poster on the NESCAC board, having played football at Middlebury College in Vermont. I moved to Minnesota in the summer and recently accepted a (non-football) job at Carleton. I am planning to adopt the Knights as a second D3 team, and I am looking for some info from you all.

First, does anyone have realistic hopes to win the conference in the future other than St. John's and Bethel? Second, I understand that this was a solid season for Carleton, and I am aware of Jack Curtis's incredible story. What else should I know about rooting for the Knights? And is there anything else I should know about the conference as a whole?

Thank you, and I look forward to joining the discussion.

Quote from: lumbercat on November 18, 2025, 11:00:18 PMMcClellan is an all conference player but not OPOY. Ryan Lynskey had a better RB year last year before injury this year and he got very little attention for OPOY.
The OPOY should be Fitzsimmons who carried the NESCAC champs all year long. He made their RBs and receivers better. Never saw other skill position guys get so much better as the season advanced than they did at Wes this year. Fitsimmons was the glue, the offensive leader that made that team so good.

Fair enough, Lumber. I was glad to see McClellan land on the first team.

Interesting that Colby won CSOY. Not sure I would've picked them, but certainly not crazy, and I'm just glad there weren't co-winners

Put me solidly in the anti "everyone's a winner" camp

Quote from: Charlie on November 18, 2025, 12:52:09 PMI still believe despite the hiccups Amherst had and you take away those losses to Bates & Colby they would have been 7-2 and played the top tier teams extremely well. If they do not loose players to graduation they are going to be tough next year. I would put them into Coaching staff of the. year discussion. No one predicted they would end up 5-4 and play this well.

Other then Colby beating Trinity which Trinity gave them they did not beat any top level teams other then first game. At least Amherst beat Williams while Colby was pounded.

At some point the games have to matter, Chuck. We can't base awards off of hypothetical records had certain games gone differently. Colby did beat Trinity, and they beat Amherst too. Wesleyan and Colby are the only coaching staffs that should have a shot, and for my money it's Wesleyan that deserves it with the back-to-back titles.

I would also posit that Middlebury's RB Connor McClellan should be in the OPOY conversation. Fitzsimons had a fantastic year, and would be a deserving winner. I just think that leading the NESCAC with both 959 rushing yards (106.6 per game) and 13 TDs (second most was 9) warrants a discussion. At the very least he should be first team all-conference.

Quote from: Nescacman on October 30, 2025, 09:18:55 PM"The Old Rocking Chair" Game (which sort of sounds like a made-up rivalry to us, but we digress)

That's because it is. The first game for the chair was in 1980, when two friends, Mac Bristol (Hamilton '43) and John Kirk (Middlebury '39), decided the "rivalry" should have an annual trophy. I can't speak to Hamilton's perspective, but as a former Middlebury football player, we never circled that game on the schedule. That might have been in part because of how one-sided the matchup was, but also both purple schools were always considered bigger rivals in football and other sports. Unfortunately, part of being in rural Vermont is that we have no next door neighbors and thus no clear natural rivalries. Middlebury did have a long-standing rivalry in football with fellow D3 Vermont school Norwich until the NESCAC moved to a conference-only schedule. If we ever do see a 10th game for NESCAC teams, I guarantee Norwich will be the Panthers' first call.

Quote from: Nescacman on October 30, 2025, 09:18:55 PMWe'll take MID on the road  since they just don't seem to ever lose to HAM (MID has won the last 28 times these teams have played going back to 1995).

I said it last year and I'll say it again: death, taxes, and Middlebury keeps the chair

For the record, NM, it is MIDD, not MID. I have never been sure if your omission of the second D was an intentional slight, though if it is I respect it. Anyway, we can talk about that and a new nickname in the offseason

Heartbreaker for Middlebury in Hartford, almost three straight years of last minute winners. For those who missed it, Trinity was up 8 trying to ice it with a late field goal, and Midd blocked it and returned it for a TD. The Panthers then missed the two point conversion and subsequently got stopped in the final seconds on Trinity's side of the field.

Lots of missed opportunities again for the Panthers, but a hell of a football game nonetheless. I always thought that 17 point line was way too big. Coach Mandigo knows how to play the Bantams.

The Wesleyan head scratcher is always amusing. Looks like Bowdoin +35 was pretty safe today, and I wonder what I could've gotten on Polar Bears money line.

Sounds like some injuries across the league today which is always horrible news. Wishing everyone a quick and smooth recovery.

It's been a disappointing last two weeks as a Middlebury fan. The Panthers followed up their week 1 loss with two good wins, and they had a lot of success running the ball in those two games, which is important to help open things up for Moran and the strong passing offense. At 2-1 and tied at the top, I had some renewed optimism for the season. Unfortunately, back to back losses since then have essentially eliminated Midd from title contention. Both games were very winnable, but costly turnovers and allowing big plays were the difference.

We're definitely the underdog in Hartford this weekend, but Coach Mandigo is yet to lose to Trinity as the head coach
Give me the Panthers to make it three straight.

Can't start a post today without shouting out the Mules! Always fun to see Trinity with a losing record.

Quote from: Nescacman on September 14, 2025, 09:00:49 AMBeing objective, based on the games we've watched (and we've watched 3+ of the 5 so far) plus analyzing the stats plus speaking with our reporters that were at games we have not watched completely yet, outside of Wes and Colby, that was (by far) the worst weekend of NESCAC football we have ever seen.

Boring/predictable play, bad teams, lack of playmakers, sloppiness (missed tackles, dropped balls, bad turnovers) seemed to rule the day. Maybe it's first game jitters, maybe it's all the new players (definitely a significant number of first time starters), maybe it's no preseason games, but the level of play was not good. Many of our preseason question marks and areas of concerns are still an issue.

I agree with this. I watched much more of the Midd-Wes game than anything else, but I got this impression from the snippets I saw of the games in Lewiston and Brunswick, as well as the 8 turnovers in the Colby-Trinity boxscore.

Quote from: Nescacman on September 14, 2025, 09:00:49 AMWesleyan could have easily scored another 2/3 TDs had passes been on their mark. It was 31-17 but it was not even that close. More on that game later but their defensive front 7 completely manhandled the new MID offensive line limiting them to 28 yards rushing on 24 attempts and constantly pressuring Brian Moran.

I'll congratulate Wesleyan on a win that they clearly earned. I do agree Wesleyan missed some opportunities, but taking advantage of those chances is part of what makes a good team good. I would also add that Middlebury left things on the table as well, starting with their opening drive where 2nd and goal from the 3 only led to 3 points. And then a third quarter pick six was a complete back-breaker when the Midd offense looked for a moment like they had something going for the first time since that opening possession.

Middlebury's offensive line was a glaring issue (not easy to say as a former Midd OL myself). Four of the five up front for the Panthers are new starters, including three sophomores, and the run game was just not there. I do think Middlebury will get better, and their passing offense looked good when Moran had time. Middlebury threw for 261 yards, and despite the poor rushing, Wesleyan actually only gained 7 more yards than Midd on the day.

Wesleyan looks like the team to beat through week 1, but we all know how quickly things change in this conference, and I don't think anyone will be undefeated. Looking forward to 8 more weeks.

Thought it was worth highlighting that legendary Middlebury OL Kevin Woodring '20 is joining the Midd coaching staff this season as the OL coach after two years coaching at Sacred Heart.

Middlebury's previous OL coach, NESCAC veteran Dave Caputi (Midd '81), is shifting to coaching the TEs and RBs. This will be Coach Caputi's 43rd consecutive season coaching in the NESCAC, having spent time at five of the league's ten schools.

St. Clair Ryan, who held the TE/RB role at Midd last year, is now coaching at Bowdoin. Wishing him all the best (except week 2 in Vermont).

Quote from: jumpshot on April 19, 2025, 05:31:40 PMthe academic schedule in November is intense 

This is always the part of the anti-playoffs argument that bothers me the most. Here is a list of the sports where NESCAC teams competed in late November (Nov. 16-30):

• Men's soccer
• Women's soccer
• Volleyball
• Field hockey
• Men's cross country
• Women's cross country
• Men's basketball
• Women's basketball
• Men's ice hockey
• Women's ice hockey
• Men's squash
• Women's squash
• Men's swimming and diving
• Women's swimming and diving

NESCAC student-athletes have proven time and again that they can balance school and sports. Why is the academic workload in late November and early December manageable for these 14 NESCAC sports but wouldn't be for football players? This decision was long overdue and a great win for NESCAC football.

Quote from: RedAndBlack on April 03, 2025, 10:15:23 AMHow would Kenary have eligibility? I just looked up his stats and he started 9 games in 4 seasons. He doesnt have a medical redshirt year to work with. Am i missing something?

You're right. Having played in 9 games all 4 seasons, Kenary is no longer eligible. I got myself confused because I know there are people who have been on D3 teams for 4 consecutive seasons from 2021-2024 and are transferring to D1 schools, but they are retroactively redshirting for a season where they were hurt or didn't get into the games. The difference in D3/D1 rules plus the blanket bonus eligibility from 2020 even for players who had real seasons (i. e. not the NESCAC) really makes this stuff messy.

I guess that means the pro day appearance comes with NFL aspirations for Kenary, and we'll see how that goes.

Quote from: lumbercat on March 28, 2025, 04:03:09 PM

Quote from: NESCACFball24/7 on March 27, 2025, 01:48:59 PMHe went to the UConn Pro day. It is rare for power 5 programs to allow other schools prospects at their pro days. Makes sense he went to a g5 one instead

24/7 Thanks for the info - good to see Perry did get a Pro Day look.

BC has always had kids from other schools at their Pro Days. This year there were participants from UNH, Bentley and Merrimack among others.

I was the one who said Perry would be at the BC pro day. Not entirely sure why plans changed, but 24/7 is correct that he ultimately competed at UConn's pro day last week. Perry is from Connecticut, so that may have played a role.

I also want to highlight Midd DE Tomas Kenary, who competed at Navy's pro day. I don't know what his ambitions are or how realistic of an NFL prospect he would be, but he also has one year of D1 eligibility left if he wants it, and this event likely gave him some exposure on that front too.

Quote from: Nescacman on March 16, 2025, 04:33:19 PMWe'd be remiss if we didn't also congratulate Hartford State on making their 2nd straight final four. Not an easy thing to do.

What's not easy, making consecutive final fours or congratulating Trinity? 

Regardless, I'll echo the congratulations... always great to see the NESCAC winning on the national stage.

On that note, shoutout to the 4 NESCAC hockey teams still playing as the NCAA quarterfinals approach this weekend. Those would be Hamilton on the men's side, and Middlebury, Amherst, and Colby on the women's.

Quote from: Brady12 on February 28, 2025, 03:26:44 PMLooks like no combine invite for Perry. Anyone know his plan?  Is Duke Manyweather having a showcase work out for him? 

Tough break for TP missing out on the NFL combine, his agility and strength are so good for an OL that it would've been huge to get to show them off on the national stage. As crazy as it might sound, he had a legitimate chance to break the bench press record. My understanding is that he plans to continue working with Manyweather for now, and then that he will participate in Boston College's pro day later this month.

Quote from: Brady12 on January 28, 2025, 04:18:39 PM

Quote from: nescac1 on January 28, 2025, 02:10:06 PMSome more Perry highlights here:

https://x.com/D3Direct/status/1884316667817382076

Kid is looking good. Did he play much center at Mid? 

He played almost exclusively guard and one game at tackle. He only started training at center a month or two ago because of his height compared to other NFL prospects.

The Middlebury coaching staff is down in Texas this week watching him get ready for the Shrine Bowl (which is Thursday). TP would be just the second Middlebury grad to go to the NFL and the first to do it directly from Vermont.

Thank you to everyone and especially NM for the info. Huge step in the right direction for NESCAC football.

I know I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I want to add that it is absolutely ridiculous that it took this long. Just this year, two NESCAC teams played for the men's soccer national championship on December 7. Middlebury won the field hockey national championship on November 24th. But the football season was over on November 9... why? Football players can't handle balancing academics and sports as well as people in other sports? And as others have pointed out, it's not like the NESCAC will be the only high-academic schools eligible for the playoffs. So what, Hopkins football can handle it but the NESCAC can't? About damn time they fixed this unnecessary imbalance.