FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[ExTartanPlayer]

Greg, unless I am way off in my prediction, I want to apologize in advance for what IWU will do to NPU next Saturday.  I suspect that a season of frustration will result in a double (or even triple) monkey stomp.

After one of the most frustrating seasons in decades, I can't really blame them too much.  Going into the season, at this point we expected to be either 7-2 or 8-1, not 3-6.

Just a gut hunch, but yes, I think a season of intense frustration will result in a multiple TD win over NPU, possibly to embarassing proportions.

Again, based on what they did to Wheaton, I have a gut hunch that they will take out a season-long frustration against NPU, to the tune of a 40-50 point beat-down.

Chuck, I will never understand why you decide to post some of the things you do on these boards - that's your deal.  But at least realize that this kind of stuff is a huge embarrassment to many other IWU other fans.  I'll concede to being one of those, and I regularly hear from a bunch of the others.

I mean, seriously...IWU is sitting at 1 and freakin' 5 in the league, and this is the kind of stupid sh#$ you decide to post?!  Come on, man...WTF.

At least it appears that we've come a long way past this.  NPU is no longer the doormat that the bullies can kick to make themselves feel better.

I wonder where IWU will be in this week's regional rankings?

[NCF]

Greg, unless I am way off in my prediction, I want to apologize in advance for what IWU will do to NPU next Saturday.  I suspect that a season of frustration will result in a double (or even triple) monkey stomp.

After one of the most frustrating seasons in decades, I can't really blame them too much.  Going into the season, at this point we expected to be either 7-2 or 8-1, not 3-6.

Just a gut hunch, but yes, I think a season of intense frustration will result in a multiple TD win over NPU, possibly to embarassing proportions.

Again, based on what they did to Wheaton, I have a gut hunch that they will take out a season-long frustration against NPU, to the tune of a 40-50 point beat-down.

Chuck, I will never understand why you decide to post some of the things you do on these boards - that's your deal.  But at least realize that this kind of stuff is a huge embarrassment to many other IWU other fans.  I'll concede to being one of those, and I regularly hear from a bunch of the others.

I mean, seriously...IWU is sitting at 1 and freakin' 5 in the league, and this is the kind of stupid sh#$ you decide to post?!  Come on, man...WTF.

At least it appears that we've come a long way past this.  NPU is no longer the doormat that the bullies can kick to make themselves feel better.

I wonder where IWU will be in this week's regional rankings?

Just a hunch, bunch I'm guessing not above Franklin.

[Mr. Ypsi]

On my North Region fan ballot, I still had them 6th after last week.  They are now off my ballot entirely (though, running low on alternatives, they would still be 11th or 12th).

They had already fallen out of the regional rankings last week, since NCC was 10th and ya pretty much have to have IWU below NCC.

[thunderdog]

Final SOS rankings are out: Carthage #1, NCC #8, Augie #18...

Of the teams that Wheaton is competing against for a #1 seed:
Wheaton 100
Whitewater 115
St Thomas 126
Wabash 138
Linfield 139
Mt Unioun 145
Oshkosh 151

C'mon NCAA... Wheaton is a #1 seed... Pull the trigger!

[Mr. Ypsi]

At the time it happened, I thought it was horrendous that IWU needed a miracle comeback against Carthage to get the win.  That was back when I still thought Carthage would probably finish 8th.  My apologies to both the Titans and the RedMen!  It now seems fitting that they finish tied for third.  That's probably where most thought IWU would finish; I wonder if anyone outside Kenosha saw Carthage there?

[izzy stradlin]

Magnificent. Just magnificent.

I could not be prouder of these Vikings, especially the eleven seniors -- almost all of whom played huge roles in today's upset win.

I've gotta get over to the crackerbox to get ready to call NPU's basketball opener, so I'll share my thoughts on this game later.

Huge win for North Park.  I think everyone knows the talent level there has been significantly upgraded in the last few years but you'd worry that with some tough losses pilling up of late that the the momentum of their program (retention, recruiting, etc) might take a slight hit.  Aside from the enjoyment of winning a game against a program like IWU (recently in the top 25) and ending a 29 year streak, this will be a big boost to the NPU offseason and program overall.   

[DadofBashWarrior..]

Magnificent. Just magnificent.

I could not be prouder of these Vikings, especially the eleven seniors -- almost all of whom played huge roles in today's upset win.

I've gotta get over to the crackerbox to get ready to call NPU's basketball opener, so I'll share my thoughts on this game later.

Huge win for North Park.  I think everyone knows the talent level there has been significantly upgraded in the last few years but you'd worry that with some tough losses pilling up of late that the the momentum of their program (retention, recruiting, etc) might take a slight hit.  Aside from the enjoyment of winning a game against a program like IWU (recently in the top 25) and ending a 29 year streak, this will be a big boost to the NPU offseason and program overall.

Congrats North Park...coaching and hard work has paid off...

[shepherd]

Magnificent. Just magnificent.

I could not be prouder of these Vikings, especially the eleven seniors -- almost all of whom played huge roles in today's upset win.

I've gotta get over to the crackerbox to get ready to call NPU's basketball opener, so I'll share my thoughts on this game later.

Great win for the Vikings especially when they took control at the end of the game.  A well deserved win.

[USee]

Congratulations to Mike Swider and the Wheaton staff and players for doing something that hasn't been done in the CCIW for 30 years, going undefeated in back to back seasons. What a great accomplishment for the program.

Today in Wheaton the Thunder defense was absolutely dominant, holding Carthage to 8 first downs and just 156 total yds (46 rushing). This Carthage team is easily the most improved team in the league and possibly in the nation. They will be a tough team in 2016. The Thunder offense struggled today with only 4 of their top 11 on the field but they did enough to get them the win. The good news for Thunder fans is Johnny Peltz returned to the helm in the second half and was 11-16 for 158 yds and a TD. He led them on their two decisive scoring drives. He actually threw 2 other TD's that were dropped by receivers. Very encouraging performance heading into the playoffs.

[USee]

Final SOS rankings are out: Carthage #1, NCC #8, Augie #18...

Of the teams that Wheaton is competing against for a #1 seed:
Wheaton 100
Whitewater 115
St Thomas 126
Wabash 138
Linfield 139
Mt Unioun 145
Oshkosh 151

C'mon NCAA... Wheaton is a #1 seed... Pull the trigger!

I listened to the pre game show on the Wheaton broadcast and Mike Swider was asked what his team was playing for and his response turned my head...." We are playing for an undefeated season and a #1 seed in the playoffs. With all due respect to D3.com the coaches poll is the only poll that matters and we are #3".

Now I know Coach Swider has gone on record as saying he never goes on the internet so I can't give much credence to his comments since he hasn't spent the time to inform his opinion but he raises an interesting point.

I don't see any reason why the Thunder shouldn't be a #1 seed. They have the best SOS of any of the #1 or #2 seeds and are 1-0 vs RRO. They beat all but Mt Union and Linfield on the previous years performance in the playoffs. The criteria seem to favor them.

[izzy stradlin]

Wheaton did the rotating QB thing for the first 2.5 quarters today.  I think this was because they still weren't sure how comfortable and effective Peltz would be after so much time off, and because Andrew Bowers just beat NCC and IWU on the road.

Peltz led all of Wheaton's scoring drives and looked outstanding with what had been much of the 2nd team offense.  It's clear he'll be QB1 going forward.  Very encouraging for Wheaton to have Johnny for the playoffs along with Olateju and Pettway coming back.  I've heard Thorson could be back for the playoffs at some point also but I'm not certain.   

Great regular season for the Thunder.         

[thunderdog]

Listened to the d3football.com mock selection show with Frank Rossi, Pat Coleman, and Greg Thomas "Wally Wabash"... Thanks guys, very informational. Feel like I have a much better idea of how the field of 32 is selected. Well done.

Anyway, these guys had the 6 pool C teams as:
Whitewater
Wesley
Mary Hardin Baylor
St John's
Platteville
Guilford

And the pool B team as Hardin Simmons

I'll disagree with their top 4 as #1 seeds:
Mt Union
St Thomas
Linfield
Oshkosh

Excited to see the brackets get released tomorrow. Let me just quote my favorite coach "... We'll play anyone, anywhere, at any time..."

Roll Thunder!

[izzy stradlin]

Listened to the d3football.com mock selection show with Frank Rossi, Pat Coleman, and Greg Thomas "Wally Wabash"... Thanks guys, very informational. Feel like I have a much better idea of how the field of 32 is selected. Well done.

Anyway, these guys had the 6 pool C teams as:
Whitewater
Wesley
Mary Hardin Baylor
St John's
Platteville
Guilford

And the pool B team as Hardin Simmons

I'll disagree with their top 4 as #1 seeds:
Mt Union
St Thomas
Linfield
Oshkosh

Excited to see the brackets get released tomorrow. Let me just quote my favorite coach "... We'll play anyone, anywhere, at any time..."

Roll Thunder!

Without saying that it will be Wheaton instead, I'm going to venture a guess that Oshkosh won't get a #1 seed.  Their loss to Robert-Morris is substantially different than Wesley losing to Charlotte last year and getting a 1 slot.   That plus their SOS is the worst of the candidates.

I could be wrong depending on how the committee uses results vs RRO however this is the most arbitrary measure as it uses a pre-determined cut-off of teams and says that playing a team above this line is of infinitely more value than playing a team below the line.  Head scratcher.

[ncc_fan]

Results vs. RRO is a primary criterion, so it doesn't matter whether you think it's arbitrary.

Here are the resumés of the potential #1 seeds, using the d3football.com projected final regional rankings:

Mt Union   10-0, 0.493 SOS, 2-0 vs. RRO (d. North #6 ONU 51-7, North #10 John Carroll 36-3)
UST          10-0, 0.500 SOS, 1-0 vs. RRO (d. West #5 SJU 35-14)
JHU          10-0, 0.517 SOS, 0-0 vs. RRO
Linfield       9-0, 0.495 SOS, 1-0 vs. RRO (d West #8 Whitworth 52-10)
UWO          9-0, 0.491 SOS, 2-0 vs. RRO (d. West #4 UWW 10-7, West #6 UWP 63-28)
Wheaton   10-0, 0.509 SOS, 1-0 vs. RRO (d. North #8 NCC 17-9)

UWO has a non-DIII loss, but that falls under secondary criteria and is supposed to be considered only if the primary criteria don't settle the picks.

The SOS is a wash, with all teams (with the possible exception of JHU), hovering around 0.500.  So I think the committee will have to pay a lot of attention to the RRO results.  Of those, JHU's & Wheaton's look least impressive. 

[Gregory Sager]

I was dreading going over to Holmgren Athletic Complex yesterday morning. The Vikings were going to be huge underdogs even if the game was straight up in terms of personnel, and after hearing from Mike Conway that they would be without three starters apiece on offense and defense, plus the fact that an injury to starting kicker Noah Moore would put an untried freshman on the field in that important job, it really seemed as though the Park was staring at the triple monkey stomp at the hands of an angry and disappointed IWU team that Mr. Ypsi forecast last season.

It just goes to show you that college football can still surprise you sometimes.

On the game's first play from scrimmage, NPU sophomore LB Chaun Maiava drilled IWU QB Jack Warner in the backfield, causing a fumble that Maiava recovered at the IWU 17. With that blow, the Vikings sent a message right away that they were going to play the role of Rocky Balboa and go toe-to-toe with the big, bad Titans all day.

The game did resemble a prizefight, mostly because it was as incredibly sloppy as it was emotional. The final stats actually miscounted NPU's penalties, as the Vikings were hit with 14 of them for 146 yards, a number of them due to overzealousness such as unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating or for running onto the field from the sidelines before the whistle had blown. Indeed, one of the stories of this game was just how many times the Vikings seemed to try to give the game back to the Titans. A missed NPU extra point early in the game eventually put Wesleyan in a position to send the game into overtime with a field goal, rather than securing what would've instead been a 28-24 lead. Not once but twice a T.D. Conway pass bounced off of a North Park receiver in the end zone and was grabbed by an opportunistic Titans DB, interceptions that almost certainly took North Park points off the board. And, almost catastrophically, with five minutes and change left in the ballgame and the Vikings about ready to pin back the Titans with a punt from midfield while up 27-17, the ball was snapped ten feet over the head of NPU punter John Gieseking, forcing him to chase the ball all the way back to the NPU 11 before he was able to catch up with it and fall on it, giving the visitors a gift-wrapped touchdown a few plays later that pulled them within three points.

Somehow, the Vikings rose above it all. The defense stood strong throughout most of the game, and the offense made the plays it had to make when the game was on the line. As I alluded yesterday, it was especially gratifying to see so many NPU seniors contribute on the day when they wore the pads for the final time. Gieseking had a 60-yard punt to his credit and twice pinned the Titans inside their own 20. Hunter Corrigan had a pair of sacks, and so did Joe Butz. Brendon Dull sealed the game with an interception in the final thirty seconds. Matt Davis and Epa Moananu were solid on the offensive line, Moananu playing basically on one leg after leaving Keller Field in Kenosha on crutches last weekend. (How sweet it was to see Epa, who carried the Samoan flag onto the field during pregame Senior Day introductions, get one final opportunity to lead the team in the North Park siva tau after the game.) And Filo Langkilde made the game's biggest play with a second effort at the goal line on fourth and one in the final quarter, pushing forward and sticking out his arm with the football in order to break the plane of the goal line for what turned out to be the winning touchdown. It was inspiring stuff, and this senior class -- which included all but one player of what was left of Scott Pethtel's final recruiting batch -- will not soon be forgotten at NPU.

Illinois Wesleyan was shockingly ordinary. There are some very good players on that team -- Maurice Shoemaker-Gilmore is a beast at RB who gashed the Vikings for huge gains several times, especially in the first half, and didn't get nearly enough touches -- if I was Norm Eash I would've given MSG the ball until his tongue was hanging out, given that it was IWU's final game of the year -- and Andrew Javorka and Quincy Butler are good offensive weapons, too. Defensively, I really liked Will James and Sean Garvey. But for the most part, the Titans were nothing special, and I couldn't figure out how that team had been tied with Wheaton in the fourth quarter last week. I thought that Carthage was much more impressive, and it's easy to see why Artie Checchin was needed to single-handedly save IWU's bacon against the Red Men. The Titans were seriously undisciplined, too. It's easy to see why the Vikings keep making dumb mistakes and have such trouble getting the right players onto the field in between plays, given their youth, but Eash was forced to burn five of his six timeouts in order to stave off delay-of-game penalties ... and the Titans still ended up making some of those, anyway, as they were penalized to the tune of ten times for 93 yards.

The Vikings got the better of Jack Warner yesterday, from that first Maiava hit onward. He made one really slick 18-yard completion in the first quarter in which he was forced to sprint to his right to elude two NPU rushers, and yet still managed to make a pinpoint pass downfield while on the dead run to register a first down. It made me think, "OK, I can see why Titans fans love that guy." But he was sacked five times, hurried and hit-while-releasing a bunch more, and it was clear as the game went on that the Vikings rushers were in his head. By contrast, T.D. Conway, who has endured a tough junior campaign for the Vikings, persevered yesterday and made all the plays for North Park when the game was on the line. Aside from that big-time money throw that Warner made early on, there was never a point yesterday in which I wasn't happy that my alma mater's QB was Conway instead of Warner.

That 29-season losing streak aside, yesterday's upset win felt like justice was served. I realize that schadenfreude is not a Christian attitude, but, given the crap that Norm Eash has said to Mike Conway, it's hard not to savor the thought of Eash stewing over this loss for the entire off-season. Sometimes in life the Hollywood script plays out, and the arrogant do get their comeuppance.

At the end of the game, as is North Park tradition when a Vikings team wins, the Holmgren Athletic Complex P.A. played the Blues Brothers version of "Sweet Home Chicago". But as far as I was concerned, the postgame song should've been "Theme From Rocky". It was that kind of day.