FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Nescacguymaine]

Polar Bears D forces 2+ turnovers and the UBears get it done today in Brunswick.

[nescac1]

Really solid win for the Ephs on the road against Middlebury today.  Highlights for the Ephs:

- the D bent a little, but made huge play after huge play in big situations. Especially in the second half, which was the best the Eph defense has played all year, Midd could do very little.  Acheson, Moore and Mangini led the way from the LB position as they were all over the field and making bone-rattling hits.  The Ephs forced three huge turnovers and also stopped Midd on three fourth down plays.  The Ephs did a very nice job controlling McClellan, who has hurt them in the past, he didn't really break lose for any big plas. Finn Ryan had a huge play recognizing a ballsy fake punt play by Midd from deep in their own territory, shedding his blocker, and making a big hit which led to a fumble recovery by Kreakie, who also had a big day. 

- Drew Weiler proved that he is absolutely for real, he had an impressive day hitting 23-34 for 285, two TDs and no INTs against a solid Midd defense. Most of his passes were again right on the money into tight spaces, including a huge 40-yard pass on a dime to Falls from his own one yard line.  The only blemish was taking a few too many sacks, which seemed to be a combination of some protection breakdowns and also holding onto the ball a bit too long. The Ephs also continue to struggle a bit with the center to QB snap, although this week the one that was totally botched wasn't the center's fault. 

- This was the best game of the year by far for the Eph receivers.  I didn't see any drops and they made a lot of tough catches despite tough coverage.  In particular, it was great to see Zach Falls finally get on track with 7-128 and a TD< he looked like the Falls we saw last year, finally.  Weiler and TE Montessano continue to have a great chemistry as well especially in big situations. 

- The Ephs run game (with Fabiano still out) struggled today and they gave up too many sacks, so I imagine the offensive line will see some areas for improvement, but on the plus side, there were a lot of plays where Weiler had time to connect deep down the field. 

- For Midd, Aidan Moss had a solid game as he had to make a lot of plays on the run.  But he was much more effective in the first half than the second. WR Angstreich was awesome and gave the Ephs fits all day catching passes in space in the middle of the field.  Midd's star defender Matt Shaw had a strong day, and the Midd defensive line was rock solid, but Midd kept giving the Ephs a short field to work with which was the difference in the game. 

[jumpshot]

Trick plays have played a role in past Midd games ...today's fake punt and double pass didn't work.
Panthers also hurt by an unsportsman penalty with two and a half minutes remaining allowing EPHS to run out the clock. EPH Zakkai Moore made a big play breaking up a fourth down pass late in fourth quarter enabling Williams to take over on downs. Sweet win on the road by Williams ....