FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[cardinaldad]

I obviously second that.
Sorry, CD, as you said, it wasn't clear---at least to me.   

*Whats your take on all the recent penalties?

Back breaking and very uncharacteristic for a John Thorne coached team. I know it is not sitting well with him. He made the team aware of that last week. They paid for it. I'm not sure if it's discipline, playing both quarterbacks (different cadence), alternating centers, or what. But, I agree with you. If it continues, it will cost the Cards a game or more. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are just inexcusable. At least THAT was better against NPU.

[Carthage Fan]

What a great arch rivalry game in Carthage.  You could not have asked for a better environment or atmosphere at Carthage with the weather, a great turnout in the stands for both teams, a neat parade, and an exciting final 5:00 of the game.  Really exciting for both teams as even with 1:15 left, and Elmhurst up 29-26, Carthage still had a drive to try and tie/win it.

This game was won by the Elmhurst defense who all game long gave the (at times non existent) offense numerous opportunities to climb back into the game.  I think we had something like 4 yds rushing after 1 quarter and just a disaster on offense, yet at the half we were only down 14-7.  Carthage scored 14 points on our mistakes and turnovers to jump out to a big 3rd quarter lead.  I personally thought that was going to be the final straw that led to a route, however the defense came up big again.

Some thoughts for Elmhurst

1) Although he struggled many times during the game, Kudyba really stepped up to the plate when he had to, senior led his troops to a charismatic win.  He executed the offense well in that 4th quarter.

2) D'Angelo was very good and received most of the tosses, but I think it was Matt Long's catches that seemed to lift the Bluejays and continue their momentum.

3) The LB's  (Wright, Puzon, Jones) were all over the field today and when their names needed to be called, they were there. 

Some thoughts for Carthage

1) GREAT Linebackers and were noisy all game long too.  The LB's and D-Line really stymied the Jays offense for 3 + quarters.  IMO, they got a little fatigued in that 4th quarter.

2) Danny O'Donnell played great and was keeping D'Angelo in check.  When he went down that really opened up some doors of opportunity for Elmhurst on offense. 

IMO, this was a statement game for Elmhurst.  Not a statement to Carthage as much as a statement that just because we have a new coach, new regime, etc. we are not "way out in left field" in the conference.    This is 3 straight years EC has defeated their arch rivals.  I know the goal is to start beating the Wheaton's, Augie's, IWU's, more consistently but I think Lester and company have the Jays on the right direction. 
Personally, this was a great game to call on the air.  Tons of excitement, some great hits on the QB    and a great football Saturday.

Jaybird, we wrapped that one up in a pretty bow for you guys!     Did you get to the Carthage tailgate?  If you did, sorry I didn't see you.  Tailgater had the kabobs going too! 

[FormerCard]

Norris has wheaton at the augie 20 w 12 seconds left in half after a few completions. now at the 4 with 2.5 seconds left....what to do?

Fade route?

lol... No bitterness there from experience, eh?

Never bitter         

I also like the toss on the goal line,  pretty tough to stop.

[usee]

I obviously second that.
Sorry, CD, as you said, it wasn't clear---at least to me.   

*Whats your take on all the recent penalties?

Back breaking and very uncharacteristic for a John Thorne coached team. I know it is not sitting well with him. He made the team aware of that last week. They paid for it. I'm not sure if it's discipline, playing both quarterbacks (different cadence), alternating centers, or what. But, I agree with you. If it continues, it will cost the Cards a game or more. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are just inexcusable. At least THAT was better against NPU.

Really? The Naperville school had 9 penalties for 58 yds Saturday. Against ONU they had 10 for 88 and against millikin they had 11 for 104. For 2008 they have an average of almost 8 penalties a game for 70 yds.

For reference, in 2007 they had 101 penalties for 1,020 yds in 12 games or an average of 8.4 penalties a game for 85 yds.

looks like a pretty consistent pattern to me. 

[Mugsy]

Norris has wheaton at the augie 20 w 12 seconds left in half after a few completions. now at the 4 with 2.5 seconds left....what to do?

Fade route?

lol... No bitterness there from experience, eh?

Never bitter         

I also like the toss on the goal line,  pretty tough to stop.

I was posting in jest.  I seem to remember NCC throwing a fade on 4th down in a key game last year or the year before and NCC faithful strenuously objected to the call.

<modified for spelling>

[New Tradition]

I obviously second that.
Sorry, CD, as you said, it wasn't clear---at least to me.   

*Whats your take on all the recent penalties?

Back breaking and very uncharacteristic for a John Thorne coached team. I know it is not sitting well with him. He made the team aware of that last week. They paid for it. I'm not sure if it's discipline, playing both quarterbacks (different cadence), alternating centers, or what. But, I agree with you. If it continues, it will cost the Cards a game or more. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are just inexcusable. At least THAT was better against NPU.

Really? The Naperville school had 9 penalties for 58 yds Saturday. Against ONU they had 10 for 88 and against millikin they had 11 for 104. For 2008 they have an average of almost 8 penalties a game for 70 yds.

For reference, in 2007 they had 101 penalties for 1,020 yds in 12 games or an average of 8.4 penalties a game for 85 yds.

looks like a pretty consistent pattern to me. 

.I know that there are a fair amount of flags thrown on the Cards, and there are a couple of reasons for that, but usually not for unsportsmanlike conduct.  Especially 8 in a game or whatever the ridiculous number was during the Millikin game.  Thorne was not happy at all with the players after that one.

[usee]

New D3 poll is out.

Wheaton jumps 2 spots to #4
Naperville 1 spot to #8
Capital down to #9

[cardinaldad]

I obviously second that.
Sorry, CD, as you said, it wasn't clear---at least to me.   

*Whats your take on all the recent penalties?

Back breaking and very uncharacteristic for a John Thorne coached team. I know it is not sitting well with him. He made the team aware of that last week. They paid for it. I'm not sure if it's discipline, playing both quarterbacks (different cadence), alternating centers, or what. But, I agree with you. If it continues, it will cost the Cards a game or more. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are just inexcusable. At least THAT was better against NPU.

Really? The Naperville school had 9 penalties for 58 yds Saturday. Against ONU they had 10 for 88 and against millikin they had 11 for 104. For 2008 they have an average of almost 8 penalties a game for 70 yds.

For reference, in 2007 they had 101 penalties for 1,020 yds in 12 games or an average of 8.4 penalties a game for 85 yds.

looks like a pretty consistent pattern to me. 

The number of penaties is one thing. The critical times with which they happen in the game is another. No coach likes the mental errors. Again, unsportsmanlike is inexcusable. Against Millikin, a lot of the yards were not marched off because they were offsetting with Millikin's unsportsmanlike penalties.

[cardinaldad]

New D3 poll is out.

Wheaton jumps 2 spots to #4
Naperville 1 spot to #8
Capital down to #9

Great for Wheaton to jump two spots. I'm kind of surpised to see the Cards move up one.

[usee]

Its not surprising. The #4 team (Capital) lost badly (to #1 MUC) and everyone else earned more votes. Wheaton was 1 pt behind Muhlenberg last week and now is 3 pts ahead. Naperville gained votes from a week ago.

In two weeks it will sort itself out. 

[AndOne]

I obviously second that.
Sorry, CD, as you said, it wasn't clear---at least to me.   

*Whats your take on all the recent penalties?

Back breaking and very uncharacteristic for a John Thorne coached team. I know it is not sitting well with him. He made the team aware of that last week. They paid for it. I'm not sure if it's discipline, playing both quarterbacks (different cadence), alternating centers, or what. But, I agree with you. If it continues, it will cost the Cards a game or more. The unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are just inexcusable. At least THAT was better against NPU.

Really? The Naperville school had 9 penalties for 58 yds Saturday. Against ONU they had 10 for 88 and against millikin they had 11 for 104. For 2008 they have an average of almost 8 penalties a game for 70 yds.

For reference, in 2007 they had 101 penalties for 1,020 yds in 12 games or an average of 8.4 penalties a game for 85 yds.

looks like a pretty consistent pattern to me.

Ya, but here is the problem----

When you start with an unacceptably high level of penalties (especially for a top 8 in the country team), and you remain consistent at an unacceptable level, sooner or later chances are good that consistent level will bite you in the ass. Especially when the level of upcoming competition will be a step up from what they have previously faced.
The penalties need to come down.

[usee]

I agree its a high number of penalites. But, to clarify, my response was to the statement "...very uncharacteristic of a John Thorne coached team". That's simply not true. John Thorne's teams have been in the bottom half of the conference for number of penalties every year he has been the coach at Naperville. Last year they were last in the conference and this year they are 6th. (to be fair Wheaton has been worse 2x in the last 5 yrs.).

[cardinaldad]

Its not surprising. The #4 team (Capital) lost badly (to #1 MUC) and everyone else earned more votes. Wheaton was 1 pt behind Muhlenberg last week and now is 3 pts ahead. Naperville gained votes from a week ago.

In two weeks it will sort itself out. 

It should play out to be a great one regardless, but what a headliner if both teams show up undefeated. Not looking past Carthage, but I can't wait!!!

[usee]

If carthage turns it over 5 times in Naperville they will have no chance. You can bet on that.

[Gregory Sager]

I will give Kudos to NP for hanging with the Cards and playing a tough game, but nobody has mentioned NCC was playing with 1 hand tied behind its back as the CCIW OPOY did not compete in the contest.

"One hand tied behind its back" might be a little extreme. NPU wasn't going to win the game no matter who was playing QB for the Cardinals,

I haven't been able to post accurately as this was the first game I saw live this fall.  I just have been able to follow along with live stats.

I have to respectfully disagree with you on your above post Greg.

There were 2 HUGE factors in this game that lead to an NCC win.

1.)  I know it was posted earlier but it was actually freshman Sam Cochairo that had the td catch in the 2nd quarter that was ruled out of bounds.  My sons and I along with the NPU and NCC hoops coaches were standing no more than 15 feet from that catch and it was BLATANT that Cochairo caught the ball in bounds.  The line judge was out of position to make that call and he was incorrect.  That would have made it 7-7 at the half.

Yeah, I didn't realize until the game story went up on the NPU website late this weekend that it had been Cochiaro (#85) rather than Lialios (#80) who caught the phantom touchdown pass. All I saw as he slid across the back right corner of the end zone was the initial '8' -- after that I was too busy spending the next thirty seconds screaming at the referees. It was a blindingly-obvious bad call that cost the Vikings a touchdown; even the Cardinals posters have said as much.

But your statement that if the TD had been properly awarded to NPU it would've resulted in a 7-7 halftime score is incorrect. You're forgetting that after Wood was picked off at the goal line on the subsequent fourth-down play after the ref blew the TD call on third down, NCC marched 77 yards downfield in less than two minutes to score the touchdown that allowed the Cardinals to go into the locker room with a 14-0 lead. At best it would've been a 14-7 halftime deficit for the Vikings.

2.)  The other factor or factors, were the 2 NPU fumbles inside their own 30 yard line one of which was picked up and returned to the 1 yard line.  Both of those turnovers were by freshmen (Cochairo on a bobbled bubble screen and Chris Anton on a fumbled punt return) that lead to easy NCC scores within a few plays.

The fumbles hurt, because they led to 14 NCC points, but they weren't freshman botches. Both Cochiaro's and Anton's fumbles were forced by great hits by Cardinals tacklers. In fact, Cochiaro got flipped butt-over-teakettle by the NCC tackler on the catch that he fumbled. In other words, you have to give the Cardinals credit for those fumbles, rather than chalking them up as what-if Vikings errors. Teams that hit and tackle well -- and NCC is certainly in that category, as they hit very hard and I don't think that they missed a tackle all day -- force those kinds of turnovers and thus make their own luck.

I stand behind what I said yesterday. NPU wasn't going to win this game regardless of whether it was Kniss or Fanthorpe lining up behind center for the Cardinals. The key determinant was North Park's lack of depth; it led to both the Vikings defense getting worn down in the second half on a hot day and to the lack of effective coverage teams. The blown call in the end zone wouldn't have changed that essential point, and the two fumbles were evidence of how good NCC is, not of how generous NPU is.

FYI...Shelby Wood is one of the best QB's in this conference.  You can see what happens when a guy stays around for all 4 years and gets coached.

I absolutely agree, although I think that the vast improvement in NPU's perennially-weak offensive line deserves to be applauded as well. As Cardinal Dad mentioned, NCC didn't get a sack all day. Wheaton only had one sack on Wood last week. All told, opponents have only managed three sacks all season against the Vikings, and when you consider the classic tableau of North Park football -- a quarterback wearing royal blue and gold running for his life against a jailbreak pass rush in the NPU backfield -- the protection that the O-line has afforded Wood is nothing short of astounding. What's even more astounding about it is that the Vikings haven't put together a running game that can help keep the opposing defense honest. I am as impressed as heck with the way that the O-line has pass-blocked this season for NPU.

Still, Wood has become a great QB, and I'd like to see him get some All-CCIW interest. I know that that'll be difficult, considering NPU's lowly position and the fact that there are other QBs in this league (Fanthorpe, Bradley, Ladd, etc.) who are standouts for better teams, but it's still worth the lobbying effort. The best thing about Wood, though, is that he's only a junior and he's already one of the most experienced quarterbacks around. He should really be something next season.