The Camels have a big opportunity this weekend to break into the top 4.

Following the topic of youth it has been said to me from some players that for most teams they don't really recognize any of the players they are up against after years of knowing nearly everyone playing.

Must make scouting reports a headache.

Quote from: DriftlessDuhawk on October 15, 2025, 07:48:33 PMDuhawks found their way into the win column this week in Lincoln. And while the game was pretty exciting, it would be much more accurate to say that NWU lost the game. NWU was up 28-14 in the second half and proceeded to miss a 38 yard field goal and fumbled the snap on the Loras 1-yard line to squander multiple chances to go up three scores and put away any chance of a comeback. The Duhawks then played the fourth quarter as, in my opinion, they should play every game and just started airing the ball out to try and catch up. After scoring once to cut the score to 28-21 the Duhawks kicked off with the ball landing at the NWU 15 yard line, where somehow the ball just didn't move (very similar to a Jared Abbredaris fumble in the Rose Bowl against Oregon in 2012, a play that me and other UW fans replay in our minds often). The Duhawks recovered, scored a TD, got a stop, and then drove again to kick a game winning 38-yard field goal that was maybe good from 39 yards. Great fight from a winless team, but again the process does not exude confidence to Loras fans and alumni.

It seems like NWU finds ways to lose games on a regular basis. They have a sparkling record of ineptitude over many years. Since joining the ARC they have an in-conference record of 10-43 to date. Since 2016 they are 25-62 overall. Their last winning season was 2013.
The coach has been there since 1996. Perhaps it's time to consider new leadership.

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?

Quote from: lumbercat on October 15, 2025, 07:59:20 PMTrin 9-0
Based on wins and losses I won't deny he's an outstanding coach and I never have.

However, I don't change my contention that he has advantages at Trinity he wouldn't have anywhere else in the NESCAC. If he switched places with Mills or any of the others he would not fare as well in those programs.

Can you see Devanney at Amherst in the past few years when the Amherst administration tightened up significantly on admissions and the whole institution provided very little Football support? Or lets place him at Williuams after Whalen left, He would have no idea how to navigate those circumstances.

He's achieved a fine record at Trinity and deserves a great deal of credit though he's clearly the last guy on the list of coaches I named. He will probably retire from Trinity. One of the best jobs in all of D3 and maybe beyond.

I don't know lumber, that just seems like such an odd take to say that Devanney is one of the four best coaches you've ever seen in the NESCAC while at the same time saying he'd only be successful at Trinity.

Also, it's pretty clear that Mills himself couldn't navigate Amherst during the years you referenced (averaging 3.4 wins the last 5 seasons). But somehow in this hypothetical scenario Devanney would be a exposed as a bad coach if struggled the exact same way Mills did? I'm having trouble following your logic.

Quote from: muleshoe on October 16, 2025, 11:15:31 AM

Quote from: Nescacman on October 16, 2025, 09:39:27 AM2025 Week 6 NESCACMAN Picks

Welcome back NESCAC...it's Week #6 "in the league where they pay to play".

We still have a 4-way tie for first place in the NESCAC as we head into the second half of the season. If everyone continues to play as expected, could be an exciting last 3 weeks of the season. We all know that this is the NESCAC and surprises lurk around every corner. Week6 features our game of the week as the Hartford State College Bantams host the Middlebury College Panthers.

We were 4-1 last week and now stand at 18-7 on the year. Let's get to this week's games...

Bowdoin College at Wesleyan University: Bowdoin has struggled this year on their way to an 0-5 mark. They are 9th or 10th in every major offensive and defensive category. They have given up  27+ points in 4 of their 5 games and have not scored more than 17 points in any game. Meanwhile, Wesleyan either leads or is near the top of the NESCAC in numerous statistical categories including scoring offense, passing offense, scoring defense, total defense, run defense, interceptions, first downs, opponent first downs, 3rd down conversions, red zone offense, and time of possession. They have play makers all over the field on offense and defense including QB Matt Fitzsimons, WRs Donte Kelly and Blake Newcomb, LB Austin Baker (reigning NESCAC DPOTW), and DB Dylan Conners. Wesleyan has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between these teams and has won the last 7 times they have played on historic Andrus Field scoring more than 30 points in 6 of those games. We expect this to be a one-sided affair with Wesleyan again topping the 30-point mark at home.

Wesleyan 45 Bowdoin 7
Point Spread: Wesleyan -35
Weather (courtesy of The Weather Channel):  Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High near 65F. Winds light and variable.

Colby College at Amherst College: Amherst is off to their best start since 2019 when they started the season 4-1. That year did not end well when Amherst lost their last 4 games on their way to a 4-5 record. We think this year ends differently for the Lord Mammoths because of their superior offense. Both defenses are decent but Amherst's offense, led by Marek Hill is just better than Colby's and is the difference in this game. A win on Saturday against Colby guarantees their first winning season since 2021. Colby has struggled on offense all year (high water for points is 17) and Amherst is one of the better defenders in the league. Colby has won the last 4 times these teams have met. Prior to the latest winning streak for Colby, Amherst won the previous 24 games. If Amherst reaches the 20-point mark in this game, they win. We think the Lord Mammoths end their losing streak against the Mules and keep pace with the NESCAC leaders in the standings.

Amherst 20 Colby 10
Point Spread: Amherst -7
Weather: Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 64F. Winds light and variable.

Tufts University at Hamilton College: Hamilton will try to get back on the winning track after two lopsided losses to league leaders Wesleyan and Hartford State. Meanwhile, Tufts will try to end a slide of their own and end a three-game losing streak in Clinton. Tufts defense has given up 30+ points the last 3 weeks. Meanwhile, Hamilton has given up 49+ the last two weeks. Something will give in this one. Tufts has made a change at QB going with Soph Hudson Weidman over Justin Keller. Weidman was also Tufts leading rusher last week. Despite the QB change for Tufts, Hamilton may have the best QB playing in this game in Luke Kurzum. Hamilton is 1st in the NESCAC in passing offense. Tufts has been decent defending the pass (2nd in the NESCAC). Despite defending the pass well, Tufts has not been great rushing the passer (9th in the NESCAC).  The last time these teams played in Clinton two years ago, Hamilton won a thriller in 5 Ots. QB Luke Kurzum had a great game that day throwing for 2 TDs and running for another. We think this game will be closer than what HAM has played in recent weeks, but Tufts wins a relatively close game in Clinton.

Tufts 24 Hamilton 13
Point Spread: Tufts -14
Weather: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High near 65F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Williams College at University of Bates (Lewiston Campus): Williams and UBates are both coming off big wins last week. UBates won in a 4th quarter comeback over Tufts while Williams won a close game over Middlebury holding off the Panthers with less than 2 mins remaining. This game matches two of the top running games in the NESCAC; the #1 running game of the Ephs against the #3 ranked Kitties. The way to beat Williams has been through the air. Unfortunately, that has not been UBates strong suit. Besides being ranked 8th in passing offense, the Kitties have run the ball 224 times vs. 100 passes. We think for UBates to have a chance in this game; they will have to be more balanced (and successful) throwing the ball. In addition, NESCAC's leading rusher, Ryan Lynskey, fresh off a 200 yard+/4 TD running performance and winning this week's Gold Helmet, will have to have another big game for the Kitties. Meanwhile, we expect to Williams to lean in on the run and keep UBates honest with passes to Zach Falls who has come on the last 3 weeks scoring 4 TD over that span. The Williams O-line and D-line both continue to perform at a high level leading the NESCAC in both sacks for and sacks against. The key for Williams is to not look past the Kitties. Williams has won the last 7 games between these 2 teams. We think Williams has just too many "guys" and wins a battle in Lewiston.

Williams 27 UBates 10
Point Spread: Williams -17
Weather: Generally sunny. High 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

NESCAC Game of the Week

Middlebury College at Hartford State College: On paper, our game of the week would seemingly significantly favor the hosts. However, as has been noted many times on the D3 Boards, Middlebury, and in particular, Coach Mandigo, seem to have Hartford State's number. Middlebury has won the last 2x these teams have played and has won 3 of the last 5 meetings between these two teams. We think you can basically throw records out the window in this game. Middlebury has lost their last 2 games and is 0-3 this year against teams leading the NESCAC (Wes, Williams, Amherst). Middlebury does have some weapons: RB Connor McClellan is 4th in the NESCAC in rushing, WR Mike Ahonen is 4th in the NESCAC in receptions, and QB Brian Moran is 2nd in yards passing. Hartford State seems to be hitting their stride. They have won 4 straight games since their opening day loss to Colby. They have scored 30+ points in those 4 games and have scored 40+ the last 2 weeks. We think the Bantams will be looking for some revenge against the Panthers for the losses the last 2 years. Hartford State is ranked first in the NESCAC in points and total offense and their defense is ranked 2nd in points allowed and total defense. QB Jaxon Carroll is playing well after a slow start, they have 2 RBs (Tosone and DiNapoli) in the top 10 in rushing, and WR Nolan O'Brien is third in the NESCAC in receptions. The Bantams have not faced many teams with the balance that the Panthers have. With that being said, we like Hartford State to get the win in the Coop albeit in a game that will probably be close for a while.

Hartford State 34 Middlebury 17
Point Spread: Hartford State -17
Weather: Sunny along with a few clouds. High 64F. Winds light and variable.

Good luck to all the student-athletes and coaches this Saturday!

NESCACMAN's Picks:
2025 Season: 18-7 (.720 winning percentage)
2024 Season: 38-7
2023 Season: 31-14
2022 Season: 31-14
2021 Season: 33-12
2020 Season: 0-0 (COVID)
2019 Season: 33-12
2018 Season: 36-9
2017 Season: 35-10
2016 Season: 32-8
2015 Season: 30-10
2014 Season: 30-10
2013 Season: 32-8
Career: 379-121 (.758 winning percentage)

**********

Follow NESCACMAN us on X: @realnescacman

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Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast is the first podcast of its kind in NESCAC history. Hosted by Chris Grace (play-by-play announcer for Wesleyan) and Dave Bagatelle (Wesleyan Alum and former player), our weekly show features coach and player interviews, game analysis, rankings, previews, and predictions.
 
Season 2 Episode 6 featuring Williams College Head Coach Mark Raymond, Bates College Linebacker Ryan Rozich and and Jon Keith from the NESCAC Football Report.

The podcast is available on YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
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You are feeling very generous towards the Mules offense NM... its offense has only generated >10 points in regulation ONCE this season. I hope I'm wrong, but something is very broken on that side of the ball this season. On the bright side, they did have their best offensive showing of 2024 against Amherst last year, so maybe we can mule kick the trend on Saturday.

We picked the Mules to score 10 points this week AND noted that their high water mark for points for the year is 17 AND we have noted numerous times that the Colby offense has struggled in 2025. Hardly being generous to the Mule offense. We watched them up close and personal last week in Waterville...to say the Mule offense was painful to watch would be an under statement.

US Soccer's Next Gen College Soccer Committee has released its white paper with recommendations for reforming DI college soccer.

Nothing on DIII, which some had suggested would be part of the larger recommendations, but the committee did provide this statement about applying some recommendations to all divisions:

QuoteWhile the focus of the Committee's scope was Division I soccer, we believe that many of these recommendations can be adapted for the benefit of the tens of thousands of additional men's and women's players who compete in other college leagues/divisions.

The major specific recommendation is that men's college soccer adopt a regionalized, two-tier competitive structure and a full academic year calendar and some opportunities for promotion-relegation between tiers (sounds like I-A and I-AA from the old football classifications).

A couple of specific recommendations (or recommendations for more study) that caught my eye and how they could possibly apply in DIII:

College soccer eligibility rules should be modernized to reflect today's environment and build more
integrated pathways with domestic professional leagues. 

They suggest the possibility of permitting players who have signed rights agreements with pro teams or had gone the professional route to restart in college after their careers have stalled.  I don't think many of these types of players are going to end up in DIII (although you never know, especially after injury or a change in their academic or career aspirations), but any increase in DI eligibility would reduce roster options for graduating high school players, which might increase the pool of players interested in DIII.

Participation by players over the age of 23 should be scrutinized, while international
participation should be supported

They justify that in terms of the U23 classification for international tournaments such as the Olympics and also suggest the possibility of capping overage players or allowing limited exceptions for injuries etc.  I don't know that this is a significant issue in DIII (Emory's 24 year-old Ignacio Cubeddu aside) or one that DIII schools would want to restrict, but, as with the eligibility rules for former pro players, anything that restricts the pool at DI could mean those players look elsewhere, like DII or DIII.

The D1 transfer QB route isn't a bad problem to have, but I know Bethel landed a QB recruit this year that was down to them and SJU. One of the things that helped was simply pointing out it's been over a decade since SJU has had a QB1 for the season that didn't first transfer in from a scholarship program. Hard to argue against Eerdmann and Syverson and those results, it does however make it difficult to land guys right out of HS.

To SJUSection105's post, I haven't viewed SJU as a balanced offense for some time. There's been a focus on great QB/WR play, and what seems like a 70/30 pass to run approach. It makes for an explosive offense that puts up gaudy numbers. You've also had some very solid RB's during the past 8+ years. But if you're an elite RB, SJU doesn't strike me as a desirable destination. Heckendorf is a great OC, but he's a pass first guy through and through.

BU used to be more 60/40 run to pass a decade ago. Unless you're running an North Central/LL UWW oline, that's tough to pull off against the top 2-4 programs deep in the playoffs. New OC Duling is on record that he all about finding explosive plays. At Berry he had teams that led nationally in rushing and that led in passing. Same at Bethel. With Kidder, Niewald, & Co we were balanced, but more pass focused last year. This year with Geebli and Manns, we are balanced but run driven.

Neither of these offenses has finished the last step of getting to and winning a Stagg Bowl. But I think there are more pitfalls with the pass heavy approach of SJU deep in the fall when the weather gets really cold and you start to face elite defenses. Even Cortland with Boyes at QB was 10th in rushing in 2023.

Quote from: DuffMan on October 15, 2025, 06:00:31 PMSJU names Feeney as primary QB

Though I'm glad a decision was made, I feel for Zander Dittbenner.  The dude is a quintessential Johnnie and deserves nothing but respect.  He'd be a star in many programs.

Couldn't agree more on Zander.  He likely would have been the starter this year and the last two if not for the D1 transfers.  His quotes in the story show a true selflessness.

Landmark Conference Returning Minutes*:

With teams releasing their schedules and rosters decided to determine what percentage of production each team has returning this year.

Minutes
Lycoming - 84.81%
Elizabethtown - 72.52%
Juniata - 70.38%
Wilkes - 70.18%
Moravian - 69.62%
Goucher - 68.15%
Susquehanna - 60.77%
Catholic - 55.01%
Scranton - 51.04%
Drew - 48.21%

Points
Lycoming - 82.26%
Moravian - 77.41%
Wilkes - 73.41%
Juniata - 72.73%
Elizabethtown - 71.00%
Susquehanna - 63.71%
Goucher - 62.42%
Catholic - 55.59%
Scranton - 51.41%
Drew - 41.63%

Rebounds
Lycoming - 84.94%
Juniata - 80.24%
Wilkes - 77.53%
Elizabethtown - 75.29%
Moravian - 73.72%
Susquehanna - 73.21%
Goucher - 61.41%
Catholic - 59.70%
Drew - 59.17%
Scranton - 57.60%

*A few teams (Elizabethtown, Moravian, Drew, Goucher, Lycoming) haven't released their rosters yet so had to speculate. Drew hasn't released their roster on their site but they did post it on Instagram a while back and these calculations are based on that. That's where it was noted that Taylor Perlmutter had transferred from Moravian to Drew.

I agree with you, '88.  Seems like 4 teams have shot this year. Huntingdon, Belhaven, Brevard and LaGrange.

Very interested in the LaGrange/Brevard game this Saturday.  LaGrange is giving 2012-2013 Maryville vibes with Wes Dodson at the helm. I know several buddies that went to HSC were sad to see him go as DC.