FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[muleshoe]

Great defense, special teams, and less than 100 yards of offense... guess that's the Mules recipe to win this year. Ugly W in Amherst but we'll take it! Looking ahead, I think we could finish 3-6 or 6-3. I have no clue what to expect with this team or league this season.

QB Miles Drake got carted off in 3rd quarter, hopefully it's not too serious. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

[MapleBBQChicken]

Heartbreaker for Middlebury in Hartford, almost three straight years of last minute winners. For those who missed it, Trinity was up 8 trying to ice it with a late field goal, and Midd blocked it and returned it for a TD. The Panthers then missed the two point conversion and subsequently got stopped in the final seconds on Trinity's side of the field.

Lots of missed opportunities again for the Panthers, but a hell of a football game nonetheless. I always thought that 17 point line was way too big. Coach Mandigo knows how to play the Bantams.

The Wesleyan head scratcher is always amusing. Looks like Bowdoin +35 was pretty safe today, and I wonder what I could've gotten on Polar Bears money line.

Sounds like some injuries across the league today which is always horrible news. Wishing everyone a quick and smooth recovery.

[nescac1]

A few thoughts on Bates-Williams:

Has any NESCAC receiver ever had better back-to-back weeks than Zach Falls just did??  10 receptions for 332 yards and 5 TDS plus a two-point conversion, including 84 and 76 yard TDs, from three different passers, when all other receivers combined from an injury-riddled unit accounted for a grand total of 80 yards over those games (so by himself, over 80 percent of all receiving yards).  He is definitely a - gulp - D1-caliber receiver, and only a sophomore.   

I thought Jack Perry threw the ball brilliantly for Bates, notwithstanding the two INTs (one very late in a tough spot) - he consistently put the ball on the money deep downfield and could have easily had more than 288 yards but for a few drops and a few potential deep completions in which on on-target pass drew a pass interference call from a desperate WR, and he had to deal with a lot of pressure from the Eph pass rush. 

The Eph secondary continues to really struggle ever since Gehring went down. Four FYs continue to see a ton of time back there and unsurprisingly they seem to make a lot of mental mistakes.  Under no circumstances should Bates receivers be running behind the secondary late in the game with Bates down two TDs.  They keep perpetrating these interference penalties even when they have guys well-covered because they don't turn around and look at the ball at the last second.  And too often speed receivers are getting two steps behind the deep safeties.  To their credit, though, they came up big on the final drive of the last two games, and they do seem to get a lot of interceptions, leading the league with 8. 

The Ephs are also leading the league in sacks (18), sacks allowed (an incredible 1), forced fumbles and fumbled recovered.  The Eph D gives up huge chunks of yardage seemingly every week but also makes big play after big play to turn the tide of games.  And the Eph offensive line has been easily the most consistent unit all year.  The Eph D-line has struggled a bit with I think three of their rotation linemen out today. 

Other stand-outs for Williams today were Jon Oris, who was awesome all game, and his 92-yard run was an incredible mix of speed, power, and elusiveness, and Zakkai Moore, who was seemingly everywhere on defense and continues along with Luke Mangini to be the heart of the Eph defense.  The Ephs have SUCH a loaded sophomore class.  For Bates,  Gleason, Carver and Vidou all had big plays and burned the Ephs with their speed.  But once Lynskey went down, the running game was dramatically different, hopefully whatever is ailing him is not serious as he is an absolute beast. 

Drew Renzella acquitted himself well in his first meaningful action at QB, played with poise and hit a few really nice passes including an absolute beauty to Manchik, but also missed a few guys which hopefully he will hit if called into action again.  What the Ephs missed is the running dimension that Johansen brings and I hope he can come back for the last few games.  A lot of folks have commented on how many QBs Williams recruits but today they were sure glad for depth at that position, relying on their third-string QB to start and also getting big plays (a TD pass and a receiving TD) from two other high school QBs!

Turning away from Williams-Bates, I'd be REALLY curious to see the last time a NESCAC team lost a game with a stat line like Amherst had (plus 290 yards, plus 14 in first downs, plus 14 minutes in TOP, holding the opponent to under 100 yards total offense, only minus one in TOs).  Going 0-5 on fourth down surely didn't help, and of course the big special teams play.  And I think everyone is waiting with baited breath to hear from NESCACman!  Suddenly Amherst-Wesleyan is an elimination game for the league title chase between two VERY pissed-off teams that probably can't believe they lost this week.  (Wesleyan also had a huge advantage in total yardage, but less surprising to see a loss in that situation with four turnovers). 

[quicksilver]

. . . Turning away from Williams-Bates, I'd be REALLY curious to see the last time a NESCAC team lost a game with a stat line like Amherst had (plus 290 yards, plus 14 in first downs, plus 14 minutes in TOP, holding the opponent to under 100 yards total offense, only minus one in TOs).  Going 0-5 on fourth down surely didn't help, and of course the big special teams play.  And I think everyone is waiting with baited breath to hear from NESCACman!  Suddenly Amherst-Wesleyan is an elimination game for the league title chase between two VERY pissed-off teams that probably can't believe they lost this week.  (Wesleyan also had a huge advantage in total yardage, but less surprising to see a loss in that situation with four turnovers). 

Wesleyan had a significant advantage in total yardage (344 to 243) over Bowdoin but not huge in the grand scheme of things. More striking was that neither team could run the ball at all -- something like 33 versus 23 yards on the ground . . .Having watched Bowdoin, I know all too well that they cannot run the ball (injuries and poor recruiting) but was surprised the a contender like Wes had a similarly anemic ground game . . 

[ItsATuftSituation]

Has any NESCAC receiver ever had better back-to-back weeks than Zach Falls just did??  10 receptions for 332 yards and 5 TDS plus a two-point conversion, including 84 and 76 yard TDs, from three different passers, when all other receivers combined from an injury-riddled unit accounted for a grand total of 80 yards over those games (so by himself, over 80 percent of all receiving yards).  He is definitely a - gulp - D1-caliber receiver, and only a sophomore.   

Phil Lutz had...checks notes...21 receptions for 353 and 8 TDs in the final two games of the 2022 season for Tufts. That included a six touchdown game against Middlebury, which featured a 63-yard TD, a 44-yard TD and a 70-yard TD.

But yea, Falls is a fantastic player, excited to see him this weekend in Somerville.

[lumbercat]

Very interesting and unpredictable day in the NESCAC. I have not seen parity and competitiveness at this level in many years in this league. Makes every game interesting and fun.

A few observsations---

     Bates took it to a sleepy Williams squad right from the get go. Williams very sloppy in the first half. Bates built a 23-7 lead and then the unthinkable, Linskey went down with an ankle midway through the second quarter and the whole tenor of the game changed. Deflating loss for Bates and an energizing scenario for Williams. The Ephs rallied in the second half while Bates was trying to regroup with their main weapon sidelined. To make matters worse Lynsey backup RB Jack Morril also went down with a knee. When it rains it pours. But credit to Williams they are a fine, well balanced Football team.


I commented 4 years ago on the Williams recruiting class that included 5 QBs-McHugh, Johansen, Renzella, Carrol, Baker. Renzella.

Renzella, now a junior, got his first chance today only due to injuries of the 2 QBs ahead of him on the Williams depth chart. He performed very well. He would be a starter, right now, in at least 4 NESCAC programs. Scouted him at Williston and knew he had it. Great arm, quick release, outstanding feet and mobility but most of all his eyes are up and he's poised in the pocket. Hope he doesn't die at Williams holding a clipboard when Jahansen and McHugh come back.

----Can someone who saw the Colby Amherst game explain how Colby won that game. The Box Score looks like the Colby Bates stats 3 weeks ago. Are these numbers correct?

Total offense-- Colby: 96  Amherst: 387
First downs-- Colby:  7  Amherst:  21
Plays---  Colby:   45  Amherst:  87


----Another shocker today was the Bowdoin win in Middletown. I got a very interesting text from one of my Bowdoin friends (yes, I do have a few).
He points out the following on the last 4 years of the Bowdoin-Wes series--
--Bowdoin record 2-2
--total points Bowdoin 97 Wes 96
He says Hammer has out coached Dice big time at home and on the road and totally has his number having actually outplayed him with smaller, inferior, losing teams.
I'm just baffled at that result today also.

[muleshoe]

----Can someone who saw the Colby Amherst game explain how Colby won that game. The Box Score looks like the Colby Bates stats 3 weeks ago. Are these numbers correct?

Total offense-- Colby: 96  Amherst: 387
First downs-- Colby:  7  Amherst:  21
Plays---  Colby:   45  Amherst:  87

Colby picked off Amherst on the 3rd play of the game and took it back to the 16 yard line, punching it into the endzone 2 plays later. Amherst pulled together a nice 66 yd TD drive in the middle of the second quarter to tie it up at 7... Despite Colby's anemic offense, punter Eli Sohren pinned Amherst inside the 20 5 times, and twice inside the 3-yard line (he was one of Colby's POTW). With Amherst backed up on their own 10 or so in the 3rd quarter, Colby blocked a punt and recovered it in the endzone to make it 13-7.

Early in the 4th, Colby got a holding penalty in its own endzone, giving Amherst a safety, making the score 13-9. Amherst was able to get 2 drives inside the redzone after that, as Colby played 'prevent' defense, coming away scoreless after each attempt. The Mammoths also had 3 other drives throughout the game that stalled out in Colby territory, resulting in 0 points.

On the day, Colby held Amherst to 0-5 on 4th down attempts, won the turnover battle, and forced Hill to throw 62 times for 306 yards.

As I commented earlier, this was a really ugly win, but a win nonetheless. I don't think this type of football will be sustainable for the Mules, even against their remaining opponents. The offense will need to turn it around with a freshman QB so that the defense isn't on the field 35+ minutes each game.

We're on to Hamilton.

[lumbercat]

Thanks Muleshoe. That explains it- special teams and Defense. Colby would be a contender if they could do something offensively.

[muleshoe]

Week 7 lines from the computer:

Colby 26.2, Hamilton 13.4
Middlebury 32.5, Bates 13.8
Trinity (Conn.) 41.8, Bowdoin 6.0
Wesleyan 29.9, Amherst 11.5
Williams 27.0, Tufts 21.3

I disagree with the computer's line more than normal this week. While I'd love to see Colby score 4 times or more, I'm not sure if I can convince myself this can happen, even going against the worst ranked defense in the league.

Bates is too feisty to lose by 20+ to Midd, and I think Williams runs away from the Jumbos, especially if they can return some of the injured players.

GOTW in Middletown this week. Start of the Little 3 and both teams coming off of baffling losses. I think the Cardinals are better, but think the Hill-Young connection solid and will keep the Jeffs in the game.

[nescac1]

Bates has really been killed by the injury bug this year, and I do think they will be ready to compete with anyone next yearw with some better luck.  Their offense is very creative and hard to game plan for and they have a nice mix of experienced skill guys returning next year with Beltran, Carver, Vidou and Gleason providing a lot of outside speed and Lynskey providing the power running attack up the middle.  They return their entire offensive line plus the starting center who missed this year with injury and that will be an extremely experienced unit for them next year led by a group of multi-year upperclassmen starters.   

The defense needs a lot of work, but Rozich is a star to build around and virtually everyone is back - an off-season in the weight room should really benefit a young and undersized group, especially the young players gamely trying to compete up front. 

Williams had a few guys back from injury this week but still are missing a ton of key players, with Johansen being the biggest question mark going forward.  The Ephs are 5-1 despite being ninth in the league in passing yardage allowed, and that's without yet playing the 1st and 3rd ranked passing offenses by yardage.  The Ephs have survived by forcing turnovers, with some key sacks, and a few critical red zone stands, but injuries or no, they need to figure out something schematically or personnel-wise so they aren't picked apart through the air these last few weeks.  Hopefully the four FY DBs, who now have a lot of reps under their belt after being forced into action sooner than surely expected, will be ready to show some collective improvement.  Tufts seems to have finally figured out the QB position with Weidman coming on over the last few weeks, and Wesleyan and Amherst have both been very effective through the air. 

[maineman]

How would this guy do in the NESCAC?

 
Montie Quinn of D-III Curry College (Milton, Mass.) set a new NCAA single-game record with 522 rushing yards* in a 71-27 win over Nichols College.
 
By the numbers: 20 carries, 522 rushing yards, 7 TD. Quinn averaged a mind-boggling 26.1 yards per attempt and had TD runs of 30, 58, 64, 76, 84 and 85 yards. He could have had more too, but Curry held him out for its final two drives.
 
This was no fluke: Quinn was a preseason All-American and entered the game as the D-III rushing leader. He now has 1,450 rushing yards in six games (241.7 per game), and he's topped 200 yards in half of them.
 
*Rewriting the record books: Quinn broke the previous NCAA record of 465 yards set by D-III Heidelberg's Cartel Brooks in 2013. The FBS record is 427 yards, set by Oklahoma's Samaje Perine in 2014.

[muleshoe]

How would this guy do in the NESCAC?

 
Montie Quinn of D-III Curry College (Milton, Mass.) set a new NCAA single-game record with 522 rushing yards* in a 71-27 win over Nichols College.
 
By the numbers: 20 carries, 522 rushing yards, 7 TD. Quinn averaged a mind-boggling 26.1 yards per attempt and had TD runs of 30, 58, 64, 76, 84 and 85 yards. He could have had more too, but Curry held him out for its final two drives.
 
This was no fluke: Quinn was a preseason All-American and entered the game as the D-III rushing leader. He now has 1,450 rushing yards in six games (241.7 per game), and he's topped 200 yards in half of them.
 
*Rewriting the record books: Quinn broke the previous NCAA record of 465 yards set by D-III Heidelberg's Cartel Brooks in 2013. The FBS record is 427 yards, set by Oklahoma's Samaje Perine in 2014.

I'm sure he would do great - 500+ rushing yards would be great over 3 or 4 games, let alone one! He's also rushed for over 100 in every game this season and 200+ three times. However, to put this into context, Nichols is the same team that gave up 92 points to Coast Guard earlier this year.

[Trin9-0]

Wes dropping a head scratcher to a Maine school: set your watch to it!

2025
Bowdoin 25 at
Wesleyan 17

2024
Bates 25 at
Wesleyan 13

2023
Wesleyan 13 at
Colby 20

2022
Wesleyan 26 at
Bowdoin 29

In 2021, the last time Wes actually swept the Vacationland schools, they narrowly escaped both Bates and Bowdoin winning by 3 points in both contests. The Cards scored a TD with 4:29 to play to top the Bobbies on the road and the following week Wes scored with 1:06 remaining to escape against the Polar Bears at home!

[Charlie]

I happened to be at Trinity game. Let's not get carried away with Middlebury yet on a great game. I will tip my hat and state that they played tough. But Trinity was in control of this game throughout. The Special teams mistakes cost Trinity. The Bantams gave up 10 Points because of blocked extra point and fumble on Trinity kickoff.

In addition I do not know if anyone could see I know some games have instant replay but the officiating in game was terrible and there were many calls that were head scratching calls including an Interception called back. Despite the seven penalties and special teams blunders this would have been a 20 point blow out.

The front seven of Trinity of Ventura , Hickey , Toyias , Moore , Krauss , Ruiz , Walker and Toyias (Brother) were stout all day. Total yards rushing 144 yards and passing 145 yards. I think is a great day considering the Officials continued some of those drives.

I do think the next three weeks will be interesting with Amherst playing all the big teams ( Trinity , Wesleyan & Williams)in the NESCAC and Williams also playing Wesleyan next week.The ending of this season will be exciting for sure

[SpringSt7]

A few thoughts on Bates-Williams:

Has any NESCAC receiver ever had better back-to-back weeks than Zach Falls just did??  10 receptions for 332 yards and 5 TDS plus a two-point conversion, including 84 and 76 yard TDs, from three different passers, when all other receivers combined from an injury-riddled unit accounted for a grand total of 80 yards over those games (so by himself, over 80 percent of all receiving yards).  He is definitely a - gulp - D1-caliber receiver, and only a sophomore.   

Just for fun and out of curiosity more than anything - these don't all eclipse Falls' excellent excellent two weeks where the Ephs have really needed him.

Frank Stola opened the 2019 season:
Week 1 vs. Middlebury (part of me still can't believe they lost this game): 6 catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs
Week 2 vs. Tufts: 13 catches, 233 yards, 4 TDs

Also opened the 2018 season:
Week 1 at Bowdoin: 8 catches, 82 yards, 2 TDs
Week 2 vs. Trinity: 5 catches, 132 yards, 2 TDs

Aaaaand closed the 2018 season:
Week 8 vs. Wesleyan: 9 catches, 129 yards, 2 TDs
Week 9 @ Amherst: 5 catches, 88 yards, 2 TDs

One more for the road!
2017 season (freshman year)
Week 4 vs. Bates: 7 catches, 172 yards, 2 TDs
Week 5 @ Middlebury: 11 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD (some of you might remember that play)

Pretty good player!