Quote from: faunch on January 06, 2026, 09:11:30 PMThe field conditions in the D3 game were crap and if the NCAA cared they would be embarassed...compare it to the FCS game last night...great setting and the field was in great shape.

Also posted my thoughts on this over in the CCIW thread; agree that there has to be a better way. I know it's at the Pro Football HoF, but an Ohio hockey rink in January is no time/place to decide a national champion. Doesn't take much thought to come up with several alternatives that provide better playing conditions, weather, and would be more desirable destinations from a tourism perspective.

"Congratulations on winning so many playoff games! Now bundle up and come play broomball in the rust belt!" Patronizing and insulting...

Quote from: Pat Coleman on January 05, 2026, 01:52:35 PMYes, two non-conference games. Last we heard, North Central is playing Wartburg but still needs a second non-conference game for 2026.

Field was tough, for sure. Very surprised it wasn't better cared for. It snowed here on Thursday and never got above freezing after that. Also, the big south grandstand kept the field in shadows the whole time, not the the sun ever came out.

They ought to have tarped the field, clearly.

Have possibilities like San Antonio or a city along the central Gulf Coast been explored? Something like Mobile or Gulfport/Biloxi would almost certainly mean better playing conditions and a site more desirable from a tourism perspective. Yes I know it was at the Pro Football HoF, but an Ohio Hockey rink in January is no time and place to decide a national championship. Has to be a better, workable solution.

Quote from: DriftlessDuhawk on January 05, 2026, 10:36:33 AMI have the utmost respect for Coach Spenser as I think he's the best coach in the division. But man the TO usage and the way he fumbled the clock management to end the first half were not good. It looked like a guy who hasn't had a lot of end of half opportunities/didn't know how to use his TOs effectively when losing late. You just can't use a TO down two scores to get an offensive play call right. All of those TOs need to be saved for when the other team gets the ball back. And it looked like NCC was so worried about not giving UWRF the ball back before the half that they forgot to try to score themselves.  This is an issue of NCCs success for sure as they are not in many 4th quarter games. But I would think a guy might want to look into that over the summer instead of planning out practice plans for the two weeks before the Stagg Bowl.

Noticed all this too; reminded of a schoolyard bully who just got punched in the face for the first time and didn't answer the bell after that. The NCC players' collective response to second half adversity was a let down, but the coaching staff appeared to handle it no better. That said, probably just means they'll boat race everybody on the way to another title next year...LOL.

Picked the wrong night to have a collective nightmare; it happens. As a Bethel fan and alum, it was frustrating because the NCC team last night bore so little resemblance to the one that deservedly beat us. Oh well...

Funny how often games that go this way flip in the second half. NCC was on top enough to be ahead as much as 28-10 at half, but at 14-10 with a player like Blaha on the other side the game was primed for a momentum flip and that's how it went. Thought the NCC plan to slow the pace of the game made tons of sense, but the side effect of that is it puts an even greater premium on getting points on each good drive. With the way NCC mashed the ball in the first half, getting shut out in the second half seemed all but impossible.

Happy for all associated with Falcon Football and those that love it! Cheers particularly to Fred!

Quote from: sjujohnnie on December 16, 2025, 01:14:22 PMAny word on how the search for two teams to fill the non-conference slate next fall are going for St John's? Has anyone heard of any changes in approach that the staff/team will be taking between now & next season to be more competitive?

Don't see any news about any MIAC members dropping football, so only one non-conference opponent required.

Quote from: USee on December 15, 2025, 02:42:35 PM

Quote from: CHUBBS PETERSON on December 15, 2025, 02:31:00 PM

Quote from: USee on December 15, 2025, 02:10:59 PMThe play did not affect the outcome nor the momentum IMO.

That's a laughably indefensible position to take, but it's your luxury to do so.

The better team won. How we got there wasn't great and should not be allowed to happen again. Both things can be true, and they are.

Seems to me NCC had a convincing win and some of you guys just don't want to accept it. Believe me, I was not rooting for NCC either!

You're arguing with your own straw man; carry on, by all means.

Quote from: USee on December 15, 2025, 02:10:59 PMThe play did not affect the outcome nor the momentum IMO.

That's a laughably indefensible position to take, but it's your luxury to do so.

The better team won. How we got there wasn't great and should not be allowed to happen again. Both things can be true, and they are.

Quote from: MIAC23 on December 15, 2025, 01:26:49 PMWhat a disaster. I would think/hope this referee (crew?) would be banned from any more playoff games. Judgement calls are one thing, but when the rules aren't followed.... yikes. NCAA will probably assign them to the Stagg in a few weeks. 

Not sure what conference they came from (WIAC, perhaps?), but BU had the same crew against Coe and while they didn't affect that outcome that day they did demonstrate that the occasion was too big for them.

Quote from: USee on December 15, 2025, 10:56:06 AMThere was never any coach in the tent. Didn't happen.

Sorry, but I'm going to stand on what my lying eyes clearly saw on the broadcast and what was unanimously attested to by those in attendance. As I've said before, I'm not implying malfeasance. Simply pointing to the obvious that it did nothing but undermine the legitimacy of what transpired. It's over and done with, and what's more important now is that nobody else get jammed in the same or similar fashion. Had the TD stood, NCC would've been right to feel like they got hosed. But using review to overturn an error of snap judgement on a bizarre play constituted a breach of established procedure, which is exponentially worse.

Coach Mac hit the nail on the head in the post-game presser, loosely quoting that if the division is going to do this review stuff then it has to figure out how to do it right. If that's not feasible (and I'd assert that it isn't feasible or necessary), then trash it. 4 different protocols in 4 weeks, a officiating crew that clearly had zero clue what they could and could not use review for, and a review tent figuratively being held together with duct tape and bailer twine by an AD and assistant coach doesn't pass that test.

All that being said, Go Royals and Go Cards.

Quote from: NCC2010 on December 13, 2025, 02:37:46 PMThe refs completely botched that play...

1. I thought he was short of the first (up for debate)

https://x.com/fftmag/status/1999923330858766829?s=46&t=2LpDHlmLWW7A7c0oIFbv5Q

2. Progress was clearly stopped before the fumble

3. How is it then overturned ?

1. Thought the same thing.

2. Again, no argument here.

3. Review can be used to determine WHERE a player's forward progress is stopped, but not WHEN forward progress has been stopped. They got the judgement call wrong, which can be understood, but then made it infinitely worse by following it up with an error of knowledge/procedure. That is completely unacceptable.

Something similar happened to Bethel at this stage last year and obviously the PTSD from that amongst the Royal faithful is still raw. Hence the heated reactions you observed.

First and foremost, congrats to all directly involved with NCC football and those that love it. Today was a fitting conclusion to what's surely been an emotional week. Wish you well going forward and would be pleased to see the Cardinals win it all again.

The sequence before the half appeared to be botched by the officiating crew in every way it possible could have been.
I thought Rundell's forward progress was stopped just short of the line to gain. However, a judgement call like that CANNOT be overturned by review under any circumstance. Errors of judgement are going to happen, and can be understood/forgiven. What isn't forgivable is errors of rules knowledge and procedure, which this clearly was. That's to say nothing of how shady the appearance of a NCC coach and the AD being in the review tent with the crew is. I firmy believe they're just in there trying to make the tech work, but the appearance of that is a massive red flag. If the tech doesn't work, then skip it. We do without it all year at this level, and it's for the better. That this happened after an eerily similar error of procedure that jammed the Royals even worse at this stage of the playoffs last year makes what happened today even harder to accept. But accept it we must; that's life.

The officiating crew botched it so badly that either team was going to end up feeling badly jammed no matter what the outcome of the bogus review was. That's unacceptable, and the kids and coaches of both teams deserve better. Maybe it doesn't change the ultimate outcome of the contest...but then again maybe it does. Obviously had a massive effect on the momentum of the game; can't dispute that in good faith. Needless stain on what was otherwise a thoroughly engrossing contest between two fine teams.

Probably sounds like sour grapes, but if it does just read the top of the post again. Thoroughly impressed with NCC and wish you all the best in the future. May we meet again soon with as much or more on the line. Bless!

Ugh, not like this again...

That's not a call that can be overturned by review.

Quote from: CarollFan on December 12, 2025, 09:43:46 AMPredictions

https://www.d3football.com/notables/2025/12/quick-hits-playoffs-week15

Some people predicting Bethel to score 31 on NCC?

Not surprised that the panel was unanimous in picking NCC; picking against them would be completely daft.

Not unreasonable to assume that Bethel is a better, more balanced offense than UWL so putting up points on NCC as others have isn't out of the question. Problem is it likely takes 38 or more to beat them, and that's obviously a massive ask. As good as Bethel is (and I love them bigly!), not sure they have enough to get the result without some help from NCC mistakes.

Not hard to imagine the NCC kicker making a clutch FG to get them past Bethel, as some on the D3 panel predicted. Should be fun, either way!

Very sad to read about Coach Thorne, who was the HC when the schools last played in '18. By all accounts, a wonderful and rare gentleman!

Quote from: OzJohnnie on December 10, 2025, 10:25:23 PMGood luck, BU.  I hope this is your year.

All the best, mate, cheers!

Quote from: Kovo on December 09, 2025, 10:13:36 AMLet's not forget that the NCC's last loss at BW is to Bethel in 2018 (correct me if I am wrong).  I thought that is what Coach Spencer was referring to-----that, and being dismissed from the tournament in the 2nd round!

Correct, the two played in Naperville in 2018 in a game that could've gone either way. To be honest, I'd forgotten about that one and only remembered 2013 when NCC came to Arden Hills and decisively thumped a VERY good BU team on a bitterly cold afternoon.

It will take BU's best performance to get a result, but what a fun occasion and opportunity!

Quote from: art76 on December 06, 2025, 06:19:51 PMSounds like you were at the game today Hazz, or at least could watch it. At one point I wondered if Drews had been knocked out of the game because the stat line showed Rundell throwing the ball a couple of times in a row.

Whoever was generating that live stat fed was on the struggle bus. Had Rundell completing a pass to himself at one point.