FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[markerickson]

#1 North Central relies on IL student-athletes. #2 Bethel relies on MN.  Lowly NPU has now opted to recruit from FL and GA. I wonder if those recruits from the southeast will succeed in the classroom like the players recruited by Rooker's predecessor who found success with recruits from the L.A. area and AS.

[robertgoulet]

I don't know the last time I saw an NCC O-Line get dominated like they are today. Absolutely no push in the run game.

[GoIrish7]

First time using CCIW network... big fan as I am jumping between games.

With some UI/UX work wonder if we could get a multi box view. Would be a d3 fans dream right now to have some of these games all on one screen.

[robertgoulet]

That said, it's now 27-7 and the passing game is rolling.

[NCC2010]

The game felt way closer than the final score. I thought Bethel controlled the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game. The heat may have definitely been a factor. NCC has incredible depth, especially at the skill positions. Obviously, not having Rundell was a huge loss for Bethel. I'll post some more observations tomorrow, but it was a great win to start the season over a very good team.

[gryfalia]

And I scared my cat so much when we blocked that kick...

[CarollFan]

Week 1 scores:

NCC 44 Bethel 21
Wheaton 24 MU 23 (Wheaton blocks xtra pt with around 22 seconds left)
Augie 42 Simpson 14
IWU 24 Albion 10
Carroll 40 St. Norbert 10
Carthage 23 Lakeland 14
Franklin 34 NPU 31
IC 28 Elmhurst 13
Olivet 39 Millikin 19

Week 2 games and opponents week 1 scores:
NCC @ Wartburg (Wartburg 36 Monmouth 21)
Wheaton @ Albion (IWU 24 Albion 10)
Augie @ UWS ( UWS 34 Dubuque 20)
Trine @ IWU (Trine 48 UChicago 34)
UWEC @ Carroll (UWEC 23 Alma 15)
NPU @ Olivet (Olivet 39 Millikin 19)
Luther @ Millikin (Luther 30 Lawrence 7)
Elmhurst @ Rockford (Beloit 14 Rockford 12)
Carthage has a bye

[robertgoulet]

Should be set up for an inter conference 1 v 2 in a few weeks! Amazing!

[MUC 2008]

Well done Wheaton and NCC. A very deserving victory! And many thanks to the Wheaton announcers and video crew - first class all the way. Very polished, very knowledgeable, very professional. Loved every moment of today's broadcast and game, except for the result, naturally! ☺️

[hazzben]

Big day for the CCIW.

NCC perimeter guys shined. DB's played really well and Wilson looked sharp.

Thought Bethel needed to commit to the run earlier. Got too cute in the redzone, but a lot to build on.

That kicker is a cheat code!

Wheaton, what a way to climb "the Mount" ... fun to see how it all plays out.

[CarollFan]

Carroll 40  St. Norbert 10

Carroll Total Yds 496
Rushing 140
Passing 356

St. Norbert Total Yards 251
Rushing 81
Passing 170

Carroll scoring:

#23 RB Anthony Martorano 76 yd rushing TD

#0 RB Marcus Johnson 68 yd TD reception

#2 WR Danny Poor 47 yd TD reception

#87 WR Zach Johnson 58 yd reception to the St. Norbert 3. #25 RB Jusice Humphreys 3 yd run for the TD.

#9 WR Jayvion Williams caught a pass on a fake punt for a 64 yd TD.

#43 K Matthew Swink 2/2 FG's 31 yds and 42 yds

Defense 10 TFL's, 2 sacks and 1 int.
Sacks by #91 DL Brayden Albee and #11 DL August Johansen.
Interception by #12 DB Cameran Banks.
LB's #1 Evan Griffiths and #46 Andrew Redmon led the team with 7 tackles each.

[CarollFan]

So much for only 1 team from the CCIW might make the playoffs. That got put to bed quick.

[lmitzel]

Was at Benedetti-Wehrli today, obviously enjoyed the outcome. Went into the game not sure what I was expecting, then once I saw the touchdown on NCC's second offensive play was immediately confident that everything was going to be fine. I didn't expect the margin to be as wide as it was, even with Bethel getting the garbage time score.

And then I ended up catching the end of the game that was played eight miles to the north. I don't know about anyone else, but I got 2019 quarterfinal against St. John's vibes from that ending, except this time it was Wheaton getting the benefit of it all.

It was a good day in the CCIW on the whole.

[CarollFan]

[NCC2010]

Here are my observations on NCC's 44-21 win over Bethel yesterday.

First up, I have to admit I was completely wrong about the kicking game from what I saw at the scrimmage. I was absolutely blown away that Ryniec now has a 56-yard kick in his bag. This is the same kicker who, as a freshman, the coaches didn't trust to attempt a 35-yard FG in the 2023 Stagg Bowl and instead opted to go for it on 4th and goal from the 18. Kudos to how much improvement and trust he has gained over the past three years. His previous career long was 41 yards, so I was definitely questioning the decision to even attempt it from 56 yards out.

On offense, I agree with others' assessment that Bethel controlled the line of scrimmage for the majority of the game in the run phase. I do think NCC pass protected pretty well, as Wilson was only under duress a few times throughout. It appears that the starting offensive line moving forward will be Cramer at LT, freshman Tyler Nevious at LG, sophomore Austin Roush at center, Cortez at RG, and freshman Jake Buckley at RT. Two freshmen and a center playing his first varsity snaps against a very good Bethel front was definitely a lot to ask. I do think they found some success running off-tackle and on the perimeter on a couple of drives in the second half, but there was not a lot of movement on the interior for the entire game. The hope is this will continue to improve as the season goes on as these young guys all get more reps; the coaching staff obviously believes the talent is there. Also, the offensive line makeup is eerily similar to 2021, when NCC started freshman LT Jeske Maples, freshman RG Sam Pryor, and sophomore center Jarod Thornton. It would be pretty awesome if these three young guys have similar careers to those three, who were the foundation of the team from 2021 to 2024.

Jordan Williams was clearly RB1, and they sprinkled in Guenther and Rashid, but I expect Williams to be the guy they lean on. David Ballard III is going to be the next great NCC WR. The kid is clearly super explosive, and I believe Spencer said last year he was the fastest guy on the team as a freshman. Rummell was super reliable as always; Jake Vitel looked really good as well as another up-and-coming WR. Jim Curtin was the #4 WR behind those three, which gives them four really good WRs to work with. I know the identity of this team will always be the run game, but you have to think they will be more open to throwing the ball more often with this group of skill guys and Wilson's second year in the system.

It was great to see Wilson playing with confidence again. I thought he made some really good decisions and looked super comfortable in the offense.

On defense, they rotated a ton of guys throughout, and I'm not positive if that was due to the heat or just what they plan on doing with how much depth they have. Chase Osborne actually started at safety over Brayden Garrigan, which I am assuming maybe means Garrigan is working through some sort of injury, as he didn't participate in the open practice or scrimmage. Those two rotated throughout the game. They played three corners, Rutherford, Hartnett, and Khan, all of them rotating drives. All three looked really good, although there were a few plays where they were beaten deep and I thought the throws were left short, allowing them to make a play on the ball. Obviously Bethel not having Rundell was a huge factor in the game, and I'm hoping he gets healthy quick. He's very fun to watch.

Groark, Janiak, and Carlton were basically the only guys that didn't rotate, and I thought all three had excellent games. They had seven guys rotating on the defensive line, with Medina, Ohle, Wight, and Kashul starting, followed by Tucker Johnson, Daito Watanabe, and Shamus Straub.I thought the defense played really well overall. They gave up some chunk runs, but I don't think they will face another RB duo as good as Bethel's until deep into the playoffs. They definitely didn't look "small and gassed," nor did they give up 40+ points like one poster predicted they would due to the graduation of Sullivan and Roby.

Great day for the CCIW, and congrats to Wheaton on pulling out the big win over Mount. Not only did I think of the St. John's 2019 game, but also the 2022 game they lost to Trinity in OT on a blocked XP.

IWU, Augie, Carroll, and Carthage all winning should help for NPI too.