FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[ItsATuftSituation]

Official that Tufts and Wesleyan will be playing on the turf. Both schedules say "Citrin Field."

[Nescacman]

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Available Now! Available wherever you get your podcasts!

9 Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast S.3 Ep.2 (Special Guests: Wesleyan University AD and former Wesleyan and Williams College Head Coach Mike Whalen, "In the Huddle's" Frank Rossi (podcast that covers Division 3 football), and Trinity College WR Nolan O'Brien).

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.

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP, Gameday Sports, and Noank Village Boatyard.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

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Look for NESCACMAN's weekly predictions and point spreads at nescacfootballreport.com. The NESCAC Football report is a website dedicated to all things NESCAC football, including team previews, weekly game previews and power rankings and game recaps.  The site now provides its followers with NESCACMAN's weekly game lines and predicted scores.

[Nescacman]

2026 Week 2 NESCACMAN Picks

Welcome NESCAC 2026 Week #2 "in the league where they pay to play".

Our NESCAC game of the week is in Middletown Connecticut where the Mysterious Ministers from Middletown host the University of Tufts Jumbo's. This is the only battle in Week #2 that pits two undefeated teams against one another.

We went 4-1 with our picks last week only losing the UBates pick over Amherst.

Let's get to this week's games...

Amherst College at Hamilton College: We expect this game to be the closest, most competitive game in Week 2. Amherst's defense played well in Week 1 and has been very good in recent years. Lord Mammoth QB Marek Hill struggled in Week1 only completing 11 of 29 passes and throwing 2 picks. Hamilton's offense, more specifically QB Luke Kerzum, looked good last week. Their defense did not look good allowing 42 points to Tufts. Weather should not be a factor in this game. Amherst wins if: Marek Hill plays better and they contain Kurzum. Hamilton wins if: They run the ball with some consistency and their defense steps up.

Amherst 24 Hamilton 20
Point Spread:  Amherst -6
Weather (courtesy of The Weather Channel): Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 68F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

Hartford State College at University of Bates (Lewiston Campus): The Bants travel to Lewistown to face the wounded ducks, we mean Kitties. UBATES will try to regroup after a shocking/disappointing loss in Blanketville last weekend. They will need to figure out the offense going forward if their leader, RB Ryan Lynskey, is out for any extended period. QB Jack Gilmore must be better for UBates. The Bants, led by WR Nolan O'Brien and QB Jaxon Carroll, rolled in Week1. They will have to be better than the last time they travelled to Maine (v. the Mules in Week 1 last year in Waterville) to come away with the W. UBates wins if: Their defense keeps the game low scoring and in the game. Hartford State wins if: The play their game one game at a time. UBates will struggle to score against the Bants defense and Hartford State has way too many weapons. Kitties have not beaten Hartford State since 1979 so there is that too.

Hartford State 35 UBates 13
Point Spread: Hartford State -21
Weather: Cloudy early with showers for the afternoon hours. High near 65F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Middlebury College at Bowdoin College: As most longtime NESCAC observers will tell you, back in the day, under former HCOF Bob Ritter, Middlebury was a pass-first oriented offense. 3 years ago, when present HCOF Doug Mandigo took over, MID became more of a ball control offense and emphasize tough, physical defense. This is not a surprise give that Mandigo came from the defensive side of the ball. Give that Middlebury returned league rushing champ Connor McClellan, it was a bit surprising that they abandoned the run so early in their game against Wesleyan. Maybe it was because they went down big early or maybe it was part of the game plan. Meanwhile, Bowdoin's aggressive defense played well against Williams while their offense struggled big time. Middlebury wins if: They control the aggressive Bowdoin defense and protect their new signal caller. Bowdoin wins if: They force turnovers and their offense decides to show up. We don't think the Polars have enough offense. The Panthers get win #1 on the road.

Middlebury 24 Bowdoin 10
Point Spread: Middlebury -13
Weather: Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 66F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Williams College at Colby College: Williams has already been stung by the injury bug. QB Owen Johansen suffered what appeared to be a significant injury in Week1. Matt Bott and Luke Manghini didn't play in Week1. We think former starter Owen McHugh, who missed the 2025 season, is the next man up as the starting QB at Williams. McHugh is a different kind of player than Johansen so it will be interesting to see how the Williams offense performs. Last week at Bowdoin, the offense struggled while the defense played well. Colby meanwhile was handled by Hartford State. Transfer QB Stephen Gill played decently for the Mules. Their defense did not look like the Colby defense from 2025. Colby wins if: There defense plays much better than they did last week and the transfer QB plays well. Williams wins if: WR Zach Falls plays like he did in 2025 and the defense plays like it did last week against Bowdoin. Once again, we think Williams has too much talent to lose to a Maine team even on the road. This Colby team appears different than the 2025 squad where the defense reigned.

Williams 24 Colby 17
Point Spread: Williams -6
Weather: Overcast. High 69F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.

NESCAC Game of the Week

Tufts University at Wesleyan University: Only game in the NESCAC featuring two winning teams. These teams in recent years have typically played close, competitive games. The home team usually has the edge. Tufts has not won in Middletown since 2005. Tufts  RB Christian Shapiro is coming off a very good game last week and is the reigning NESCAC OPOTW. Wesleyan's offense showed last week in Vermont why they are one of the best in the NESCAC. Their defense is pretty good as well. This game has been moved to the Citrin Field turf. We think wind could be more of a factor than rain. Tufts wins if: They stop the Wesleyan passing attack and get the running game going. Wesleyan wins if: The weather allows them to play their regular offense. The defense contains the Tufts running game and doesn't allow Weidman to scramble around for large gains.  Tufts offense is better than what Wesleyan saw last week in MID but their defense is not. Wesleyan wins another workman-like contest.

Wesleyan 31 Tufts 17
Point Spread: Wesleyan -10
Weather: Rain showers in the morning will evolve into a steadier rain in the afternoon. High 61F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

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

NESCACMAN's Career Picks:
2026 Season: 4-1 (.800 winning percentage)
2025 Season: 32-13
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: 397-128 (.756 winning percentage, 13 seasons)

**********

Follow NESCACMAN on X: @realnescacman

**********
Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Available Now! Available wherever you get your podcasts!

9 Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast S.3 Ep.2 (Special Guests: Wesleyan University AD and former Wesleyan and Williams College Head Coach Mike Whalen, "In the Huddle's" Frank Rossi (podcast that covers Division 3 football), and Trinity College WR Nolan O'Brien).

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.

The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Facebook, Apple and Spotify. Search for "9 Weeks NESCAC"...the first and only podcast of its kind.
 
Thank you to our sponsors Sloane and Walsh, LLP, Gameday Sports, and Noank Village Boatyard.
 
If you have questions, feedback, ideas or are a player or a coach and would like to appear on our show, please email us at: 9weeksnescac@gmail.com

Follow us on X (aka Twitter): @nineweeksnescac
Follow us on Instagram: @nineweeksnescac
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Spotify Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac
Apple Podcasts: 9 Weeks Nescac

Look for NESCACMAN's weekly predictions and point spreads at nescacfootballreport.com. The NESCAC Football report is a website dedicated to all things NESCAC football, including team previews, weekly game previews and power rankings and game recaps.  The site now provides its followers with NESCACMAN's weekly game lines and predicted scores.

[Nescacman]

NESCACMAN reporting from rainy, windy Citrin Field in Middletown.  Should be an "interesting" day here. Stay tuned..

NM

[SpringSt7]

Williams improves to 2-0, going on the road to Waterville and defeating Colby 19-7.

Strangely, despite playing on the road against what was supposed to be a better opponent, and also winning by an almost identical score, it seemed like a flatter and less inspired performance to me. A lot of that was primarily because it was Owen McHugh's return as the starting QB and the air game left a lot to be desired. He was just 6-12 for 53 yards and an interception, which was quite a poor decision and poorly timed. My compatriot nescac1 will disagree with me but I am much less impressed by the WRs, I think the group lacks speed and the ability to create separation. So I say that to say that it is hard to pin the passing struggles on McHugh.

With that being said, they were EXCELLENT in the run game. I don't know what Matt Bott's injury is but at this point the RB room belongs to FY Jack Fabiano, who was really good again - 29 carries for 143 yards and 2 TDs. He looks like the next Mario Fischetti and has to be the early favorite for Rookie of the Year.

McHugh was also excellent on the ground, 21 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. Remember that in college, sacks count as lost rushing yards, so if you take away Colby's 2 sacks, it was 19 carries for 100 yards. Some of it was on designed runs but he also had some really nice scrambles.

The defense was also excellent again, up front in particular. They held Colby to just 61 rushing yards following a week where they held Bowdoin to 12. If they stay healthy, which is a big if, they look like their front 7 could be the best in the league (could, nescacman, could).

Next week the Ephs head to Trinity. I would say they are roughly -19.5 underdogs given the struggles of the passing game and that running on Colby and Bowdoin is different than running on Trinity. Williams had championship aspirations coming into the season and those took a big hit when Owen Johansen went down for the season. I think there was a contingent that hoped McHugh could still do what Johansen would've done and while that seems less likely now, there is at least a blueprint and identity for Williams to win football games with a power run game that controls TOP and keeps the chains moving, and a defense that puts opposing offenses on the back foot in early down and distance.

While they are longshots against Trinity, McHugh and co. still have a lot of time to find their footing and fully gel on offense but in the short term it is nice to get out of Colby with a W and be 2-0.

[The Third Division]

Was at Wesleyan vs Tufts - the program plays and supports each other with lots of ENERGY 🔥🔥🔥

[Nescacman]

Was at Wesleyan vs Tufts - the program plays and supports each other with lots of ENERGY 🔥🔥🔥

Sorry we missed you Third. Maybe next time. Looking forward to watching your posts related to the game on social media. Shame you didn't see a game on Andrus. Perhaps we can connect on our pod one of these days. Good luck with the rest of the season.

NM

[Nescacman]

Coach Dice on Third Division, who covered yesterday's Wes/Tufts game:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdxoclOOqzn/?stkn=YTkyaGNzbGM3bDNr

More on the day in Middletown later...

NM

[Brady12]

Fabiano from Williams is a beast. Anyone know if he had other offers?

[Nescacman]

Fabiano from Williams is a beast. Anyone know if he had other offers?

FY Williams RB Jack Fabiano will be one of our guests on the 9 Weeks NESCAC Podcast this week. We look forward to learning more about him on Wednesday. He's off the great start to his career.

NM

[Nescacman]

2026 NESCACMAN Week 2 Power Rankings

Welcome to the NESCACMAN Week #2 Power Rankings.

NESCACMAN went 5-0 in Week #2 and we now stand at 9-1 on the year. Our winners were Wesleyan, Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, and Hartford State. Wesleyan remains in the top spot in the NESCACMAN Weekly Rankings.

NESCAC headlines for Week #2:
•   Only home team that won was Wesleyan.
•   All the favorites won again with Wesleyan, Amherst, and Hartford State doing so in impressive fashion.
•   4 remaining undefeated teams in the league with Wesleyan, Hartford State, Amherst, and Williams all off to a 2-0 start. Williams and Hartford State face-off this week in Hartford in what will be the NESCAC GOTW.
•   Stellar offensive performances by Wesleyan and Hartford State. Wesleyan's offensive performance was particularly impressive give the weather conditions in central Connecticut.
•   Bowdoin and UBates offenses continue to struggle.
•   Hamilton's defense allows 38+ points for the second straight week. Won't get any easier this week as they face Wesleyan, one of the best offenses in the NESCAC.
•   Some stellar individual performances this week. On the offensive side of the ball: QB Marek Hill (AMH), WR Mitchell Ivatts (HAM), RB Jack Fabiano (WIL), RB Matt Diaz (WES), and QB Matt Fitzsimons (WES). On the defensive side of the ball: LB Ryan Rozich (BAT), LB Matt Shaw (MID), LB Eutsay Carson (MID), DL Angus Leary (BOW), and DL Quinn Seeberan (WES).

We also co-host "Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast" along with Chris Grace, the longtime play-by-play voice of the Wesleyan Football Cardinals. Available weekly, the podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. Please follow us and take a listen. Season 3, Episode 3  will be available later this week and will feature Williams RB Jack Fabiano and Wesleyan Cardinals Head Coach Dan DiCenzo. We will also well review of Week #2's games and previews/picks for Week #3. Should be another great watch/listen. We encourage you to check it out.
Here are our rankings for Week #1:

1). Wesleyan Cardinals (Record: 2-0; Last Week Rank: 1; Last Week: Win v. Tufts 42-7; This week: @Hamilton): Stellar all-around performance by the Cardinals on a messy day in Middletown. This game was played on the turf at Citrin Field as opposed to 2historic Andrus Field due to the Nor'easter. Wesleyan led from start to finish for the second week in a row. Wes controlled the clock and did not  turn the ball over (again). Good win over a quality opponent for Wes. Defensive was very strong only allowing 9 Tufts first downs and holding the Jumbo's  to 135 yards of total offense. Tufts offensive stars (QB Weidman, RB Shapiro and WR Rogers) were all non-factors. Wesleyan offensive line played very well allowing the Cards to run for 191 yards, 5 rushing TDs and only allowing 1 sack. Wesleyan has not lost at home to Tufts since 2005.

2). Hartford State Bantams (Record: 2-0; Last Week Rank: 2; Last Week: Win @UBates 43-0); This week: v. Williams): Bantams continue their dominance over the State of Maine. Hartford State has not lost to UBates since 1979. This game was a complete defensive domination of the Kitties. UBates only managed 3 first downs (all through the air) and 71 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, the Bants had 534 yards of total offense including a whopping 351 yards on the ground. 5 Bantams had 50+ yards rushing on the day.  Competition should be more robust this week as the Bants host Williams in Hartford in a battle of 2-0 teams. We rank Wesleyan slightly ahead of the Bants due to the level of competition that Wes has played.

3). Williams Purple Cows (Record: 2-0; Last Week Rank: 3; Last Week: Win @Colby 19-7; This week: @Hartford State): Ephs win their second game of the year, this time without starting QB Owen Johansen who is done for the year with a knee injury. Former starter Owen McHugh returned for the Ephs. They did enough to win against the offensively challenged Polars. Williams trailed in this game 7-0 before rattling off 19 unanswered points. Williams seems to be following a consistent formula in 2026. Run the ball well on offense and stop the run on defense. Only threw 12 passes all day. First year RB Jack Fabiano ran for 143 yards and 2 TDs. McHugh chipped in 84 yards on the ground. The defense played well.

4). Amherst Lord Mammoths (Record: 2-0; Last Week Rank: 6; Last Week: Win @Hamilton 38-21; This week: v. Bowdoin): Win for the Lord Mammoths against the pesky Continentals. QB Marek Hill had a bounce back game for Amherst throwing for 300+ yards and 4 TDs. Defense was strong against the run. Amherst should be able to jump out to a 3-0 start before the schedule gets tougher for them.

5). Middlebury (Record: 1-1; Last Week Rank: 5; Last Week: Win @Bowdoin Wesleyan 16-0; This week: v. Colby): The Panthers won despite their offense not firing on all cylinders yet against the aggressive Bowdoin front 7. Bowdoin outgained MID on the day. The Pants defense played well and recorded the shutout. LB Carson Eutsay starred for MID with 2 INTs including a pick 6. MID is back at home this week against Colby.

6). Tufts Jumbo's (Record: 1-1; Last Week Rank: 4; Last Week: Loss @Wesleyan 42-7; This week: @UBates): As good as the offense looked in Week1, they did not look good this week. We understand the weather was not good but somehow their competition managed to score 42 points in the same conditions. Only managed 135 yards of total offense including 53 yards passing on 5 of 15. Defense was not much better allowing 42 points and nearly 200 yards on the ground. They'll try to right the ship this week against the Kitties.

7). Colby Mules (Record: 0-2; Last Week Rank: 7; Last Week: Loss v. Williams 19-7; This week: @MID): Colby's offensive challenges continue.  Transfer QB Stehen Gill went the distance and accounted for most of the Colby offense on the day. Defense couldn't stop the Ephs ground game. Long bus ride for the Mules this week as they travel to MID.

8). Hamilton Continentals (Record: 0-2; Last Week Rank: 9; Last Week: Loss v. Amherst 38-21; This week: v. Wesleyan): Hamilton offense continues to succeed through the air. Running game has been non-existent and defense is last in the NESCAC. Won't get any easier this week as they host Wesleyan.

9). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(Record: 0-2; Last Week Rank: 6; Last Week: Loss v. Hartford State 43-0; This week: host Tufts): Without their offensive leader, Ryan Lynskey, the offense struggled . Only 3 first downs and 71 yards of total offense. The defense wasn't much better giving up 353 yards on the ground to the Bantams. The Kitties host Tufts in a night game this Saturday.

10). Bowdoin Polar Bears (Record: 0-2; Last Week Rank: 10; Last Week: Loss v. Middlebury 16-0; This week: @Amherst): Shutout in Brunswick. QB Soren Hummel threw 4 INTs including a pick 6.

2026 NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week: RB Jack Fabiano, Williams

2026 NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week: LB Carson Eutsay, Middlebury
**********

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Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

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[Trin9-0]

As previously mentioned, SP+ went 5-0 again over the weekend. At face value that's not all that impressive given each of the favorites won comfortably. However, across all five games the model correctly predicted the average margin of victory within an average of 6 points. Not bad.

Nothing changed my views that Trinity and Wesleyan are a cut above the middle tier and it'll be another long season in Lewiston, Clinton, and Brunswick. We'll see if the Ephs can prove me wrong in The Coop this Saturday. Williams is 2nd in the league in rushing but now face a Bantam defense which has allowed an absurd 16 yards per game on the ground. The Eph defense is nearly as stingy, allowing a similarly miniscule 36.5 rush yards per game. Trin leads the league with 239.5 rushing yards per game with 7 touchdowns on the ground. Williams is second with 207.5 rush yards per game and 4 TDs.

If the ground game turns out to be a wash and the passing game determines the outcome you'd have to like Trinity's chances. Jaxon Carroll has been excellent through two games while Owen McHugh completed just 50% of his passes for 53 yards, threw a pick, and took two sacks in his lone start. It is worth noting though that McHugh also ran for 84 yards and a TD.

Here's how the model projects Week 3 in the NESCAC:

Bowdoin 5.6 @ Amherst 26.5

Colby 11.2 @ Middlebury 24

Tufts 32.2 @ Bates 18

Wesleyan 47.1 @ Hamilton 4.5

Williams 10.5 @ Trinity 33.3


Here's how the NESCAC ranks nationally per the SP+ rating (last week's ranking in parenthesis):
22. Trinity (34)
33. Wesleyan (41)
92. Williams (97)
115. Middlebury (133)
120. Amherst (131)
144. Tufts (112)
161. Colby (159)
186. Bowdoin (188)
206. Bates (189)
207. Hamilton (199)

[nescac1]

Yeah, the chances of Wesleyan-Trinity deciding the league are growing by the moment, everyone else seems to have some pretty significant flaws right now and those are by far the two most complete teams.  It's hard to imagine either of teams picking up more than one loss before they play one another, setting that up as winner-take-all.  But a lot can change (including key injuries) over a long season. Tufts, Midd, Williams and Amherst seem like the middle of the league for sure but none of those teams have exactly dominated the early going. 

For Williams, Fabiano and a cloud of dust seemed to work reasonably well against teams that Williams physically outmatched (and Williams' would have won more easily but for some special teams miscues), a blocked XP, a missed short FG, a missed long FG, and a failed two point conversion, that is too many relatively easy points left on the table.  I'm honestly not sure I've heard of a 20 play, 80 yard drive, that in and of itself is wild, and of those plays 12 of them went to Fabiano (including the lone pass attempt). As good as Fabiano obviously is, the Ephs need a heck of a lot more diversity against Trinity next week.  If Bott would return that would certainly help, just to keep Fabiano fresher, they are putting a LOT of earlier miles on a FY tailback.  Beyond that, I'm sure they will at least try to mix it up a little - the optimistic case is that the team wanted McHugh to use this week to really get the rust off, and also were saving all of their creative play-calling for Trinity.  The Ephs have to hit some big plays down the field to Falls and also get Montessano involved more in the red zone, plus Machnik has barely touched the ball and I think is the most effective target they have as an underneath outlet receiver or potentially a WR sweep type play.  While the ground game will always be the bread and butter for these Ephs, especially with a QB who runs it as effectively as McHugh does, you can't allow a team with as much speed up front as Trinity put eight in the box every play, you gotta mix it up.   

The Ephs' defensive front seven continues to look awesome but I also suspect Colby and especially Bowdoin will be two of the worst rushing teams in the league.  Trinity will post a very different level of challenge.  Still, I think the Ephs will do a solid enough job in the running game.  The secondary seems improved over last year but containing the very fast/quick Trinity receivers is exactly what Williams has struggled with for years, and Carroll seems absolutely locked in.  I think defensively the Ephs will HAVE to createa a lot of negative plays, sacks, turnovers, forcing Trinity into penalties, because if Carroll has consistent time to throw it's going to be bad news for the Ephs. FY DB Finn Ryan seemed not to play after looking good in week one, hopefully he is OK.  And Mangini was still out, he's a guy they could really use against Trinity. 

One more thing - I'll repeat my annual complaint that I don't understand why the Williams box scores completely misstate the lineups, including guys who aren't even playing listed as starters.  Drive me nuts!

[Nescacman]

Yeah, the chances of Wesleyan-Trinity deciding the league are growing by the moment, everyone else seems to have some pretty significant flaws right now and those are by far the two most complete teams.  It's hard to imagine either of teams picking up more than one loss before they play one another, setting that up as winner-take-all.  But a lot can change (including key injuries) over a long season. Tufts, Midd, Williams and Amherst seem like the middle of the league for sure but none of those teams have exactly dominated the early going. 

For Williams, Fabiano and a cloud of dust seemed to work reasonably well against teams that Williams physically outmatched (and Williams' would have won more easily but for some special teams miscues), a blocked XP, a missed short FG, a missed long FG, and a failed two point conversion, that is too many relatively easy points left on the table.  I'm honestly not sure I've heard of a 20 play, 80 yard drive, that in and of itself is wild, and of those plays 12 of them went to Fabiano (including the lone pass attempt). As good as Fabiano obviously is, the Ephs need a heck of a lot more diversity against Trinity next week.  If Bott would return that would certainly help, just to keep Fabiano fresher, they are putting a LOT of earlier miles on a FY tailback.  Beyond that, I'm sure they will at least try to mix it up a little - the optimistic case is that the team wanted McHugh to use this week to really get the rust off, and also were saving all of their creative play-calling for Trinity.  The Ephs have to hit some big plays down the field to Falls and also get Montessano involved more in the red zone, plus Machnik has barely touched the ball and I think is the most effective target they have as an underneath outlet receiver or potentially a WR sweep type play.  While the ground game will always be the bread and butter for these Ephs, especially with a QB who runs it as effectively as McHugh does, you can't allow a team with as much speed up front as Trinity put eight in the box every play, you gotta mix it up.   

The Ephs' defensive front seven continues to look awesome but I also suspect Colby and especially Bowdoin will be two of the worst rushing teams in the league.  Trinity will post a very different level of challenge.  Still, I think the Ephs will do a solid enough job in the running game.  The secondary seems improved over last year but containing the very fast/quick Trinity receivers is exactly what Williams has struggled with for years, and Carroll seems absolutely locked in.  I think defensively the Ephs will HAVE to createa a lot of negative plays, sacks, turnovers, forcing Trinity into penalties, because if Carroll has consistent time to throw it's going to be bad news for the Ephs. FY DB Finn Ryan seemed not to play after looking good in week one, hopefully he is OK.  And Mangini was still out, he's a guy they could really use against Trinity. 

One more thing - I'll repeat my annual complaint that I don't understand why the Williams box scores completely misstate the lineups, including guys who aren't even playing listed as starters.  Drive me nuts!

As you noted, the issue with a one-dimensional offense, which is what the Ephs appear to have right now, is you can beat the lower tier in the league, but it's going to be tough to beat the upper echelon in the NESCAC. Also, very hard to play catch-up when all you can do is run. We're an old school G-Men fan so we love ball control, run-first, TOP, limit turnovers, etc but run (almost) only is a tough way to win. Very little margin for error. We'll see how it goes Saturday.

As far as Luke is concerned, we had a nice chat with our friend, Coach Mangini, at the Wes post-game BBQ Saturday and we would be surprised if he is not back very soon, perhaps this week.

NM
 

[SpringSt7]

I think the positive spin on the situation at Williams is that they have an identity and two things they are very good at. I think that is better than being okay at a lot of things and trying to beat the best teams in the league by out executing them at a really high level and getting lucky. I would expect McHugh to be at least a little bit better passing the ball in the long run than he was on Saturday but I don't really know how much better. His sophomore year he completed 63% of his passes and threw for 177 yards per game, 12 TDs to 8 INTs, but a lot of it was candidly stat padding early in the year and the wheels sort of fell off at the end. But we have at least seen him do it in flashes.

The negative spin is that yeah, it is going to be tough to beat Wesleyan or Trinity without any semblance of passing offense really at all, and for good measure they play both teams on the road. It is going to have to be old fashioned time of possession and move the sticks dominance if they want to have a chance. It would be really great if it kept raining this weekend.