FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[TheJeff]

Once again, I think Amherst is still yet to play their best football.

Amherst does not have personnel that can match Wesleyan (or Trinity) yet they pulled off another huge win today against the Wesleyan arsenal of talent. They always mange to pull off wins like this. Once again I will attribute their success to the best HCOF in the conference year in and year out-- EJ Mills. I gotta take my hat off to him once again. I can only look at the boxscore at this point. It looks like the Mammoths outplayed a Wes team I thought was close to perfect.
Mills finds a way to win big games while the Wes publicity syndicate sometimes has a tendency to look ahead to that "final game against Trinity". Heartbreaking loss for the Cards, I was really pulling for them to get a playoff berth.  This loss makes their path a little more difficult, however, if they can beat Trinity in "that final game" I think they will be  in good shape based on my limited knowledge of the D3 playoff process and criteria.
I think Trinity will snap out of todays slumber and pound the Mammoths next week unless EJ schools Devanney the way he out schemed Dice Baby today, don't think so. Don't think Mills can pull off another coup next week against the Bantams.
I think we are looking at an undefeated Trinity club against a dangerous but unpredictable Wesleyan team in Hartford in the final game.
Lets hope we have 2 NESCAC teams in the playoffs.

Did you watch any of the game? I couldn't make it up, but I watched the livestream and would say they were pretty evenly matched talent wise. Let's stop acting like it's a coincidence and miracle Amherst has won 6 games, one of which over a previously 5-0 Wesleyan team who everyone hyped up. At some point it's not Amherst getting lucky, they're just actually a good team. Good teams win games, Amherst has won games.

[Bantamsdad69]

Rivalry games are always difficult to predict so I don't think it's a complete shocker that an undefeated Amherst team could pull out that win. This is the first game Amherst was able to run the ball effectively aswell. Wesleyan seems to be getting out coached this year, with this loss to Amherst and their near loss to Hamilton earlier in the season. Right now the team that has the only combination of top tier talent and top tier coaching is Trinity

[ItsATuftSituation]

I just wanna take a second to shout out Tufts and their coaching staff over the last couple of weeks. It was clear that something wasn't working with the personnel so they have definitely changed where people are being deployed and it's certainly helping. I don't think this Tufts team beats Williams the way they were configured three or four weeks ago.

That's really good coaching by their staff. It also does help getting Shapiro back yesterday, it takes a lot of the pressure off of a young quarterback. I think it also gave the team a lot of confidence. Wanted to shout out Granville Anderson as well, banged up, made an absolute gutsy catch on fourth down in the final drive. Got hit, held on in traffic. He's a kid that wants to do whatever to win.

I'm excited to see how the Jumbos use this momentum into next week's game against an undefeated Amherst team. Mammoths should definitely be favored but who knows.

[jumpshot]

Westech"s dismal loss Saturday to amHerst is likely the most humiliating defeat for fans by a Cardnal team in any sport in recent memory ... particularly with so much hype and ballyhoo by nescacman and his announcer colleague. Redemption still possible with Williams and Trinity games still to come.

[JEFFFAN]

Westech"s dismal loss Saturday to amHerst is likely the most humiliating defeat for fans by a Cardnal team in any sport in recent memory ... particularly with so much hype and ballyhoo by nescacman and his announcer colleague. Redemption still possible with Williams and Trinity games still to come.

"Recent" being the operative word since Amherst leads the all-time series in football, 74-48-9!

[lumbercat]

I just wanna take a second to shout out Tufts and their coaching staff over the last couple of weeks. It was clear that something wasn't working with the personnel so they have definitely changed where people are being deployed and it's certainly helping. I don't think this Tufts team beats Williams the way they were configured three or four weeks ago.

That's really good coaching by their staff. It also does help getting Shapiro back yesterday, it takes a lot of the pressure off of a young quarterback. I think it also gave the team a lot of confidence. Wanted to shout out Granville Anderson as well, banged up, made an absolute gutsy catch on fourth down in the final drive. Got hit, held on in traffic. He's a kid that wants to do whatever to win.

I'm excited to see how the Jumbos use this momentum into next week's game against an undefeated Amherst team. Mammoths should definitely be favored but who knows.

I wouldn't complicate things- it's the same Tufts staff that perennially encounters more problems on game day than a team with their personnel might expect. The difference is they got the best RB in the conference back from the injured list. Shapiro is a huge difference maker- not sure if NESCAC followers are aware how good this kid is.

[Trin9-0]

It's much easier to take my medicine about my Trinity-Bowdoin score prediction following a win. Kudos to the Polar Bears who continue to battle despite the odd circumstances surrounding the program. Their defense was as advertised.

As for Wesleyan, I must say I'm disappointed but not shocked. As we all know, they have knack of losing at least one game every year where they're heavy favorites. Even though Amherst was undefeated the average predicted margin of victory for Wesleyan via SP+, Hansen Ratings and our very own Nescacman was more than two touchdowns.

Congrats to the Mammoths on a huge win. Have Amherst students ever stormed the field following a win over Wesleyan before? I must admit I'm still not 100% sold on the Mammoths but they do find a way to pull out games and they'll have every opportunity to prove me wrong over the next three weeks.

This was the first losing week for SP+ that I can remember and it puts the model at 25-5 on the year (tied with our human prognosticator). The computers remain unimpressed with Amherst but at the end of the day NPI  is all that will matter. Trin @ Midd is giving me HUGE trap-game vibes. The Bants have not played their best football the past few weeks and never seem to play a complete game in Vermont.

	SP+	Hansen	NPI
Trinity	27	34	33
Wesleyan	51	63	57
Middlebury	98	87	150
Williams	99	84	112
Amherst	111	80	34
Tufts	130	101	91
Colby	165	119	227
Hamilton	168	104	169
Bowdoin	184	126	227
Bates	200	148	225

We're in for a treat the final three weeks of the NESCAC season! Every one of this week's games are very intriguing; which can too often be a rarity in the league. Here's how the computers project Week 7 in the NESCAC:

Amherst 19.8 @ Tufts 17.2 - SP+
Amherst 23 @ Tufts 19.7 - Hansen

Bates 10.5 @ Colby 21.9 - SP+
Bates 9 @ Colby 18 - Hansen

Hamilton 11.0 @ Williams 30.5 - SP+
Hamilton 20.2 @ Williams 28.1 - Hansen

Trinity 28.5 @ Middlebury 10.3 - SP+
Trinity 24.7 @ Middlebury 12.9 - Hansen

Wesleyan 31.1 @ Bowdoin 1.9 - SP+
Wesleyan 21 @ Bowdoin 6.2 - Hansen

[Nescacman]

2026 NESCACMAN Week 6 Power Rankings

Welcome to the NESCACMAN Power Rankings for 2026 Week #6.

NESCACMAN went 3-2 in Week #6 and we now stand at 25-5 on the year. Our only losses last week were Williams getting upset by Tufts in Williamstown and Wesleyan losing on the road to unbeaten Amherst. Hartford State is all alone at the  top spot in the NESCACMAN Weekly Rankings.

NESCAC headlines for Week #6:
•    In a year that has been devoid of surprises, this week we had two upsets: Tufts beating Williams in Williamstown and Amherst beating Wesleyan.
•    In another major surprise, Bowdoin hung tough with the Bantams only losing by 7 points in the Coop and holding the Bants to 10 points and 216 yards of total offense.
•    Speaking of the Lord Mammoths, they once again won a comeback game this time scoring twice in the last 7 minutes to pull out the win against Wesleyan.
•    Hamilton and Middlebury won as expected.
•    There are 20 remaining undefeated teams left in all of Division 3 nationally. 2 of those 20 are in the NESCAC.
•    UBates and Bowdoin continued to struggle offensively.
•    The State of Maine ran their combined record to 0-18.
•    This week we saw the return of Tufts RB Christian Shapiro and Williams RB Jack Fabiano. Both players were effective in their return.
•    Hartford State struggled on offense for the second straight week. They did not run for more than 100 yards and completed less than 50% of their passes.
•    UBates outgained MID but lost 3 fumbles, threw an interception, and was 1 of 3 in the red zone.
•    It appears that MID QB Moss was injured during the MID/UBates game. He came out and did not return.
•    Hamilton dominated Colby. Leading NESCAC receiver Mitchell Ivatts DNP for the Conts.
•    Williams QB Drew Weiller struggled completing less than 50% of his passes, throwing 2 picks and did not throw a TD.
•    The leading receiver for the Ephs was former QB Owen McHugh.
•    Hartford State is ranked #33 in the most recent NCAA NPI ranking. Amherst is #34.

We 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 6  will be available later this week and will feature Amherst DL Jackson Duncan and Trinity Head Coach Jeff Devanney. We will also review Week #6's games and give previews/picks for Week #7. Should be another great watch/listen. We encourage you to check it out.

Here are our rankings for Week #6:

1). Hartford State Bantams (Record: 6-0; Last Week Rank: 1 (tie); Last Week: Win v. BOW 10-3; This week: @MID): Phew, that was close. Hartford State nearly became victim to one of the greatest upsets in NESCAC history.  The defense once again stepped up only allowing 26 yards on the ground on 28 carries. This week, they travel to MID to face the Panthers.

2). Amherst Lord Mammoths (Record: 6-0; Last Week Rank: 3; Last Week: Win v. WES 15-9; This Week: @ TUF): Amherst remains one of two unbeaten NESCAC teams after rallying past Wesleyan in the fourth quarter. Credit where credit is due. Despite being outplayed for 3 quarters, the offense woke up and scored on their last 2 drives. The Amherst defense was the star of the day taking advantage of numerous injuries on the Wes offensive line. Defense was outstanding holding the best offense in the league to 9 points and 245 yards of total offense. As we had said, if Amherst held the high-flying Cards to less than 20 points, they win. And win they did. Jackson Duncan was a one-man wrecking crew recording 9 tackles (5 were for loss), 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Meanwhile, Amherst's offense was a no-show until the last 2 drives of the game. Amherst had 316 yards of total offense. 176 yards of that were the last two drives. They had a grand total of 140 yards up until that point. QB Marek Hill completed less than 50% of his passes, threw 2 picks, and takeaway the 97-yard TD, only threw for 100 yards on the day. Speaking of the 97-yard TD to Cam Fowler (his only catch on the day), according to AI, the odds of that play occurring in that situation were very long (0.1% to 0.02%). From a historical perspective, the play tied the longest offensive play and TD reception in program history set in 2014 by Jackson McGonagle. This week, Amherst travels to Ellis Oval to face the always dangerous Jumbo's in an important NESCAC road game.

3). Wesleyan Cardinals (Record: 5-1; Last Week Rank: 1 (tie); Last Week: Loss v. AMH 15-9; This week: @ BOW): Wesleyan somehow lost a game they had every opportunity to win.  Wesleyan had numerous opportunities to tack on the 7 points they would have needed to win. A few examples: not getting it in from 1st and goal from the 3 and missing a wide-open Blake Newcomb on a WR option pass. Another drive ended on downs on a very, very questionable spot by the officials. Wesleyan was uncharacteristically inefficient on 3rd down (4 for 12) and on 4th down (0 for 2). Defense was very good until the middle of the 4th quarter. The bright spot is that they are still in the mix for the NESCAC title. They will need some help but they control their own destiny as far as Hartford State is concerned. They will need some help with the Lord Mammoths. This week they travel to Bowdoin to play the Polars.

4). Tufts Jumbo's (Record: 4-2; Last Week Rank: 6; Last Week: Win @ Wil 24-21; This week: v. AMH): Good win for the Jumbo's on the road. Defense played well while the offense continued to struggle a bit despite the return of All-NESCAC RB Christian Shapiro. Tufts Kicker Caden Lawlor sealed the win with a 37yard field goal with only 32 seconds remaining. Keeps the Jumbo's title hopes alive for now but they will need lots of help. Big game at home this week against the undefeated Lord Mammoths.

5). Williams Purple Cows (Record: 4-2; Last Week Rank: 4; Last Week: Loss v. TUF 24-21; This week: v. HAM): Ephs suffer at heartbreaking loss to Tufts in front of their hometown crowd. Frosh QB Drew Weiller struggled for the Ephs completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing 2 interceptions. FY RB Jack Fabiano returned for the Ephs and had 137 yards on the ground and 3 TDs.

6). Middlebury Panthers (Record: 3-3; Last Week Rank: 5; Last Week: Win @BAT 31-13; This week: v. HS): MID jumped out to a 24-0 lead before coasting to a 31-13 victory. RB Connor McLellan went over the century mark and scored a TD. MID QB Aidan Moss appeared to succumb to an unknown injury. We do not know his status for this week. MID is back at home hosting the mighty Bantams this week.

7). Hamilton Continentals (Record: 2-4; Last Week Rank: 7; Last Week: Win v. COL 28-14; This week: @ WIL): Hamilton gets their 2nd win in a row beating the Mules at home. HAM jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the half. HAM could have scored much more as they were only 4 of 7 in the red zone. QB Luke Kurzum has another solid game. WR Matt Kearns had 11 catches for 110 yards and 2 TDs for the Conts. This week they travel to Williamstown to face the Ephs.

8). Bowdoin Polar Bears (Record: 0-6; Last Week Rank: 9; Last Week: Loss @HS 10-3; This week: v. WES): Jumped up a spot in the ranking based on their stellar effort against the Bantams in the Coop. Nearly shocked the world. Held the Bantams in check as they only have up 216 yards and 10 points. Bowdoin was driving at the end of the game when a big defensive play sealed the win for the Bantams. Polars host Wesleyan in Brunswick this week as they continue to search for their first win.

9). Colby Mules (Record: 0-6; Last Week Rank: 8; Last Week: Loss @ HAM 28-14; This week: v. BAT): Well, the good news is they seemed to finally figure out the QB position. Not much else positive for the Mules. This week they host UBates in round 1 of the C-B-B under the lights in Waterville.

10). University of Bates Bobcats (Lewiston Campus)(Record: 0-6; Last Week Rank: 10; Last Week: Loss v. MID 31-13; This week: @ COL): Looking for their first W. Outgained MID 442 to 394. Someone will get their first win this week as the Kitties travel to COL.

NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Jack Fabiano, Williams

NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week: DL Jackson Duncan, Amherst

**********

Follow NESCACMAN us on X: @realnescacman

**********

Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast

Look for the podcast on YouTube and Spotify.

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
Facebook: Nine Weeks: A NESCAC Football Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/share/g/141Ru3gKgk/)
YouTube: 9 Weeks Nescac

[Nescacman]

The Official Bowdoin College Football website has now officially recognized Tight Ends Coach Nick Turchyn as Interim Head Coach. No other official announcement has been made by the College.

https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/staff-directory/football-department/2

[lumbercat]

The bright spot on the Bowdoin staff has been DC Kyle McAllister who has been doing a fantastic job with the Bowdoin D as evidenced by a great job against Trinity last week.
I would guess the Bears may clean house but maybe not.
When they cut ties with Hammer it would seem that McAllister should be the guy to take over as HC, but he's not even the interim HC.......they named an offensive guy, a short timer in Brunswick, who is running a struggling offense as the HC.
Either way I think McAllister will be a strong candidate for openings in any program whether they let him go or not.
I think the guy on the real hot seat has to be the AD.

[Trin9-0]

For as uncomfortably close as the final score of the Trinity-Bowdoin game was I never really worried that Trin could actually lose. On their lone scoring drive the Polar Bears gained just 32 yards and hit a 38 yard field goal from the Trinity 20 yard line. It was the only time all game that they reached the red zone.

Nolan O'Brien's absence on Saturday really highlights the impact he has on the Bantam offense. Hopefully he'll be back on Saturday to take advantage of poor Middlebury pass defense because the Panthers do defend the run well. Midd held the league's 2nd best rushing offense (Williams) to 28 yards on 35 rushes (0.8 yards per carry). If they can make Trinity one-dimensional then Middlebury has a very real shot at the upset even if O'Brien does play.

These schools have split their last four meetings and the point differential in those contests is 0.0. I'm expecting another very tight game.

[BrownBagBowdoin]

The bright spot on the Bowdoin staff has been DC Kyle McAllister who has been doing a fantastic job with the Bowdoin D as evidenced by a great job against Trinity last week.
I would guess the Bears may clean house but maybe not.
When they cut ties with Hammer it would seem that McAllister should be the guy to take over as HC, but he's not even the interim HC.......they named an offensive guy, a short timer in Brunswick, who is running a struggling offense as the HC.
Either way I think McAllister will be a strong candidate for openings in any program whether they let him go or not.
I think the guy on the real hot seat has to be the AD.

In the event that Hammer is relieved of his duties, the only foreseeable path for Bowdoin football to become a legitimate contender in this league, or at the very least a competitive program, is to promote "Coach Mac," as the Bowdoin faithful know him, to head coach and completely overhaul the offensive coaching staff. Anything short of that, and we're looking at another decade as the laughingstock of the NESCAC.

VoodooDoc, do you have any further insight into the situation surrounding Hammer and whether a potential coaching change is actually on the table? I'd be interested to hear what you know about the direction of the program.