Aaaaaaaaaand there is our yearly Wesleyan head scratching slip up. That is one of the more embarrassing losses I've seen in my entire life. No disrespect to the Cards and their fans, but sheesh. I couldn't even imagine.

Bantams vs Williams will be decided by the Bantam D-Line and the Ephs O-Line. Whoever wins that battle will control the game and likely end up taking it. Jumes kicking for the Bantams I believe will end up being the difference here. I expect a low scoring affair and a gritty Bantam win.

Quote from: nescac1 on September 19, 2024, 10:00:05 AMOne big reason for optimism about Wesleyan is like the other post-COVID league champions, they are simply loaded with seniors or grad students at virtually every key position, and most of those guys have been playing a lot of snaps for years at this point. Candido, Wilson, Eng, Abraham, Carbeau, Rowan, Donatio, Edwards, Boujoukos, nearly the entire O-line, and so on, those guys feel like they've around forever.  Similar to the Maimaron class at Williams or last year's Trinity team which was flat loaded with star grad students (in particular) and seniors. Just about the entire league is relying heavily on good senior classes in this last double-senior year, but Wesleyan seems to be, by a fair margin, the most reliant on stars in their last year of eligibility, which is historically a good recipe for success. One thing is for sure - next year will be the most unpredictable in NESCAC history, with so many teams losing heavy senior groups and a big turnover at the QB position (especially among the stars) for the league as a whole.   

Let's not forget this Wesleyan team also got absolutely walloped at home in their mud pit to the in-state "rivals". I understand being high on a team with a lot of returning players, but those same returning players have shown to not be reliable in many situations last season. Kudos to the Cards for their big win at Midd last weekend, but it does remain to be seen how formidable the Panthers truly are this season. I assume we will have the answers to both questions on the Pants and Cards this weekend.

Quote from: The Ghost of John Wesley on September 18, 2024, 09:32:01 AM

Quote from: westcoastnescac on September 17, 2024, 07:22:57 PMWhen did we all get so soft on here

You're right. We should probably do more trolling of 20-year-olds who play DIII football in a hermetically sealed 10-team conference. That's constructive and big-brained.

As a former player in the league as of last year who religiously read these boards, 20-year-old DIII football players are not too phased by what is written about them on these boards and gives themselves, their friends, and their teammates lots of laughs. If a player gets offended by the criticisms they receive from someone on this board, I would suggest they prepare themselves better for life after liberal arts college where it isn't all rainbows and butterflies and it isn't a crime to offend someone with their words.

Quote from: Trin9-0 on August 29, 2024, 11:07:57 AMTrinity posted their season preview. With nine new starters on defense, a new QB and most of their offensive line departing, this may be as close at Trinity gets to a rebuilding year.

It looks like Zander Zebrowski will be QB1 and I'd assume Jake Robbins, the transfer QB from West Virginia University, will handle the backup duties with Jaxson Carroll the 6'4", 200lb sophomore out of Choate to be the quarterback of the future in Hartford. I would expect a very heavy dose of Tyler DiNapoli this season as the Bants transition to an offense that's better suited to their new QB.

There will certainly be enough talent in The Coop to compete with anyone and fortunately many of the younger players now pressed into starting roles have already had a chance to compete on Saturdays as a result of so many games last season turning one-sided early on.

Thankfully, their early season schedule is beneficial with two CBB opponents and the Ephs at home to get their legs underneath them before a huge game on the road in Medford in Week 4.

Couldn't agree more that the first three matchups for the Bants will be massive towards gaining experience for the new starters, especially at QB and the entire defense. Will also allow the coaching staff to shuffle pieces around for a few weeks before the first big matchup in week 4. Very excited to get up to Medford for that week 4 matchup and see the new look Bants defense, once again, take care of Berlutti and the Jumbos.

Quote from: RedAndBlack on June 20, 2024, 09:18:53 AMThe core coaches (Fulltime) coaches staying year over year is probably a better indicator of success. They are more involved in the day to day game planning and recruiting. The younger or part time coaches that transition year to year is common across all of D3. Sometimes they are great coaches and working towards that fulltime role, so losing them is tough. But great programs find a way to replace them with another good young coach, and the good programs do a great job of mentoring and sending these guys to other good programs. Thus coaches send their recent grads to said programs to learn and advance their careers.

I would say that turning over position coaches doesn't really impact year over year success. Good programs use it to their advantage to attract great young coaches. Struggling programs use it as an excuse as to why they struggle. Culture starts in the coaches offices

Quote from: NE Football Fan on June 18, 2024, 02:58:44 PMDoes coaching continuity really help in this league. Seems like some program turn over assistants each year and it impacts different programs in different ways. It would be interesting to see the longer tenured position coaches and who continually produces all-conference players and overall good position groups...

Trinity is the perfect example of this. HCOF, OC, and DC have been there together for going on 20 years. WR coach has been there as well during this time. Some turnover at the other position groups, but these have been younger coaches and former players moving on to coach at IVY's like Yale and Harvard in recent years. The continuity at the top, especially in an incoming recruit's mind, is not only proven to work, but also secure in not having to worry about having a new HCOF come in and not see you as a part of "his team".

Quote from: lumbercat on May 01, 2024, 07:49:09 PM

Quote from: NescacNewbie on May 01, 2024, 03:09:45 PMJust saw that Trinity is pulling in 29 new 2028 players? Looks like there will be a lot of cuts to get to the roster number!

Welcome to the NESCAC - that's what they do in Hartford, nothing new there. They do things a little differently in the Coop but winning overrides a lot of negatives and they have the rings to prove it.

That it does sir, that it does.

Quote from: The Mole on April 24, 2024, 04:13:06 PMWesleyan has two all-league LBs returning (and the other starter as well)
Cards DL also returns two All-NESCAC performers and another 6-7 guys that got snaps due to injuries
They also return an All-NESCAC/4th Team All-American CB that tied for the league lead in INTs and had two TDs, the other starter returns and led the league in PBUs
They also return a S that was named DPOW once and had 43 tackles, 5 PBUs and a pick 6. And a transfer is coming in....hint they will have 6 All-NESCAC returners on D, 2 at each level

Thank heavens they are returning that same defense. Maybe the Bantams can put up another 50 piece on them again.

Quote from: LoneStar12 on April 24, 2024, 06:51:55 PMAbout Andre Smith. Sure, his stats might not jump off the page, but football isn't just played on paper, right? It's about the raw talent and potential on the field.

Now, if we're talking speed and elusiveness, Smith is in a league of his own. He's got that explosive acceleration, great agility.

It's all about the potential, and Smith's ceiling is sky-high. 🚀

Wasn't your entire point on Reece being the best RB based on his stats?

Quote from: LoneStar12 on April 22, 2024, 09:23:32 PMFull disclosure: I'm a dad not a player.


Sure, we might have a target on our backs, but in Texas, if you dont have a target on your back, then you must not be worth targeting.

When you say act like you've been there before? Do you mean, like leading the league in rushing before? Or leading the league in most carries and most touchdowns before? 

And about that 6-3 record, well, we were just warming up. This year, we're turning up the heat Texas-style. Last season's 6-3? That was just the appetizer. This year, we're coming for the full feast. We respect the game, we honor our opponents, and we play with heart—the kind of heart that's as big as Reece's home state, our beloved Lone Star State.

So, to all those teams out there, consider this a friendly Texas tip: when you see Tufts on your schedule, bring your A-game. Because we're not just playing for titles; we're playing for pride. And in Texas, pride is everything.

Best of luck,
The Tufts Team with a whole mess of Texas Spirit.

I would worry about getting past the mighty Continentals before talking about titles and pride.

Quote from: LoneStar12 on April 22, 2024, 05:43:11 PMOh Nescac Newbie, it seems my forecast has ruffled your feathers,
Did I step on the monopoly board of your thoughts, tethered together?
My apologies, truly, I didn't mean to cause a scene,
Here's a tissue for your ego, keep it crisp and clean.

But let's not let predictions cause such a stir,
After all, it's just a game, not a personal slur.
So let's shake on it, move forward, and have a laugh,
And save our tissues for when Tufts comes to your favorite team's town. 🏈😄

Quote from: LoneStar12 on April 22, 2024, 05:46:12 PMAnd spanks that.. well u know 

Last time Tufts came to my favorite team's town... well you know 

Quote from: GroundandPound on December 15, 2023, 06:42:17 PM
https://www.d3football.com/awards/all-americans/2023
Congrats to all NESCAC players...

Interesting to see that neither Fetter or Clapp received any honors and that Richardson did. I understand that Richardson had a great season and is athletically gifted maybe more than anyone in the NESCAC, but Clapp had far and away a better season. And if Fetter did not make an All-American team, then I don't know if it's possible for a NESCAC QB to go All-American in this day and age.

Every offseason, this board is filled with those talking about how many players Wesleyan is getting back. How their experience will help them since they have all of these returning starters. And every year they seem to not live up to expectations. At what point do we just stop believing in Wesleyan as a team that can contend for a championship. They consistently perform worse than expected overall, and have consistent let downs in games they should win. It's tough to go into a season predicting anything other than another 6-3 record or worse.

Quote from: Pat Coleman on December 07, 2023, 11:58:48 AM

Quote from: GroundandPound on December 07, 2023, 11:56:58 AM
They also know how to ignore them as well.

Yep, and to be clear, the nominations only include regular season statistics, so it is pretty level. The NESCAC is not the only place where schools might only play nine regular-season games.

I would also make the argument that on the defensive side of the ball, statistics don't always tell the entire story. For example, the best cornerbacks in any league will always have less INTs and PBUs because the man they are guarding is not thrown to as often. Obviously it is tough to argue against the number of sacks and TFLs Kenary put up this season, but since I have never seen the kid who won play, I can't argue against any selection, and definitely couldn't call it "appalling".

Quote from: TheSecondBrother on December 02, 2023, 12:47:48 PM

Quote from: Back2BackBantam on December 02, 2023, 03:07:38 AM

Quote from: TheFlock on December 01, 2023, 11:25:25 PM
Excellent points by G&P, but then you also have to take into account how many teams left their starters in and scored on the Trinity Defense's 3rd string and First Years.  In fact the Co-OPOTY was racking up his stats against 3rd stringers. I'd be curious if anyone knows how many TD's were given up by Trinity in this unbalanced manner.  I also saw a post that Trinity is the only team in College Football (all levels) to give up 0 rushing TD's the whole season.  We all must admit that this is pretty impressive.

I can say with some confidence that 33 of the 115 points allowed by Trinity this year were allowed once the starter was pulled (another 6 were on a blocked punt), which would bring that total of 115 down to 76 points total, divided by the 9 games would be 8.4 ppg allowed by Trinity's starting rotation. Obviously, the same math can be done for Middlebury's defense to a somewhat lesser extent.

However, I would like to argue G&P's conclusion of Middlebury having the better defense in other ways. First off, the Trinity defense allowed nearly 100 less yards per game than the Pant's, and sported a 36% RZ Def compared to Middlebury's 53%.  Trinity also allowed merely 2.3 yards per carry on the ground compared to Midd's 3.3, and as stated, 0 total rushing TDs on the year. As for G&P's ToP argument, I wish there were a stat for number of 3 & out's produced by a defense. I think that would be a manor factor in that statistic.

Another interesting stat is that Midd opponents had the most penalties called against them in the league, compared to Trin having the second least opponent penalties. Similarly, Trin was called for the second most in the league whereas Midd was called for the 3rd least. Now, some say this is discipline or skill based, others may call it luck or just simply NESCAC refereeing. I simply just found it to be an interesting stat, especially that of the penalties against.

Either way, I think it would be very nitpicky and would require a whole lot of explaining and reasoning to argue that Midd has the best defense in the conference this year, especially when nearly every single defensive stat would say otherwise.

If football games were played on paper, Trinity would be outright champs. Unfortunately for Trinity, they are not. I believe an important point to consider this that Middlebury's defense won them games. When the pressure was on and Middlebury needed a play, the defense made the plays that needed to happen. To Trinity's credit, in all but one game their offense was able to put teams away to the point where they did not need to rely on their defense. However, in the one game Trinity's offense needed their counterpart to get a stop, what happened... Trinity let up a 68-yard double move for the go-ahead touchdown. The next drive when Middlebury needed a stop, they picked off the OPOY. Bad call or not, when Middlebury needed a stop on the one-yard line, they got it. When Middlebury was up by two points against Tufts, with their third-string quarterback, and needed a stop, they forced a fumble. When Tufts got the ball AGAIN later in that game, Middlebury came away with a pick-six to win the game. In the Williams game, which Charlie says the Panthers should have lost, Middlebury's defense held Williams to 1 passing yard and 3 points, in a game where Middlebury gave up SEVEN turnovers. Statistically, Trinity may have had a better season, but when the bullets were flying Middlebury's defense made plays to win them games, and eventually the NESCAC championship. On another note, the Offense that was undeniably the best in the league this year was held to ZERO touchdowns against Middlebury. I don't think people talk about that feat enough, the offense that everyone has unanimously hailed as one of the best we have seen in recent memory in the NESCAC did not find the endzone against Middlebury's defense. When we look back on this season, whose defense will we talk about?

I'm not sure where you heard me argue that Trinity was sole champions but I have not done that, not argued against Middlebury winning that game. I'm simply stating that Trinity's defense was more dominant in every statistical way we could measure. The idea that the Bantam D did not make plays when it counted is also a strange point to make. Let's not forget that following that double move for a TD, Middlebury got the ball back. The Trin D forced a turnover on downs, giving their offense ample opportunity. Not to mention, Midd was held to over 100 less yards and 1.9 YPC. The Trin defense also ranked number 1 NATIONALLY at the DIII level in red zone defense. I would say that is the area of the field to make defensive plays in. Middlebury played very well defensively against Trinity, and had a great game plan. I'm not at all trying to take anything away from their season, or that game specifically. My only point is that overall, the Trinity defense was more dominant.