FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[Tigerfan]

The Quakers looked pretty good in the early going against the Tigers.  They were stuffing Terry Hicks at the line and got to Carter Sido.  At 7-7 it looked like it was going to be a battle.  Then the sky fell in on the Quakers.  The Tigers win 69-14 with starters sitting for the second half.  GC continually shot themselves in the foot with penalties on 3rd or 4th down that extended H-SC drives.  There were 3 or 4 offsides penalties in those situations and a roughing the punter.  Combine that with some blown coverages in the defensive backfield and you get a blowout.  The Tigers looked strong, but were greatly aided by Quaker miscues.

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ In addition to that lopsided H-SC at Guilford game, none of the other three ODAC games can be considered close. W&L at RMC was the most competitive, scorewise, with RMC winning 24-6. But RMC pretty well controlled the game statistically. Time of possession was 39+ minutes for RMC to just 20+ for the Generals. The Jackets ran 66 plays (to just 40 for W&L), 59 of which were rushing, throwing only seven passes. First downs, total yardage, rushing yardage, and total offense were also dominated by RMC. Having said that, it was a game that could have changed quickly if the Jackets had lost one or more of the six fumbles the box score shows. I don't remember that many. In fact I really only remember one, but it was wet and the ball was slippery and there were a few bad snaps that might have resulted in fumbles.

Roanoke is 3-0 with a 38-14 home win over Gallaudet.

Bridgewater downs Averett 41-14.

Shenandoah was idle.

I wonder if H-SC will crack the Top 25 this week.

[y_jack_lok]

I wonder if H-SC will crack the Top 25 this week.

#24 https://d3football.com/top25/2025/week4

[Tigerfan]

Big game coming up for the Tigers vs W&L.  The margin of victory in the last 4 games has been approximately 2 points, but wins have been hard to come by for H-SC.  They are 3-7 in the last 10 games against the Gennies. 
A former D1 player of my acquaintance saw the Tigers at practice and says that the difference in team speed and depth across the board from years past is remarkable.   They are particularly deep at receiver even after the transfer of All ODAC and All Region Ethan Dowdy to NC State. 

[y_jack_lok]

^^^ That's certainly the key game in the ODAC tomorrow. But we'll learn a lot about Roanoke when the face off at home against RMC.

[y_jack_lok]

RMC with a hard fought 35-17 win at Roanoke. The Maroons are for real. Their QB is good -- very adept at finding receivers. Their rush defense is also good, forcing RMC to throw more than they like to. Jackets had to adjust first down play calling from rushing to passing on several possessions because they weren't dominating the line of scrimmage and were often in second and long situations before going to the pass on first down.

W&L tops H-SC in a high scoring game in Farmville, 42-34. The Generals ran much better on a dry field than they did in the rain last week in Ashland -- 63 rush attempts for 351 yards. They threw only four passes the entire game, but one was for a 75 yard TD.

Shenandoah holds on to down Bridgewater 24-21 at home.

Guilford thumps Gallaudet 55-0.

[Tigerfan]

Well, at least we had September.

[rmc1982]

Pedro is not very happy!
https://richmond.com/sports/college/football/article_d85f5b2b-d39a-578d-ada2-994aa56bbec5.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

[y_jack_lok]

Pedro is not very happy!
https://richmond.com/sports/college/football/article_d85f5b2b-d39a-578d-ada2-994aa56bbec5.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Can't read it due to paywall. Can you summarize?

[rmc1982]

Oh sorry.....he didn't let Casciola
speak to the media.said we were " Sloppy" and " he doesent like how his team is playing" " We've won three ODAC games this year....These guys had nothing to do with the other 25" ODAC win streak...." So these guys need to realize that "...." i don't see a lot of execution out there".... And he didn't like a whole lot of what his defense did yesterday....Lets just say I don't think it was a very pleasant bus ride home yesterday, and the film room today may not be so lively either!!

[y_jack_lok]

^^^Thanks! Seems unlike Coach Arruza to be so publicly critical of his team. So he must have seen a lot of things that an uneducated fan like me didn't notice. Usually he takes a lot of responsibility when things don't go as well as he'd like.

As I said above, I think he made the right move going to the pass in first down situations. But I think he waited too long to do that. I also think (and thought at the time) that on that first drive late in the first quarter (after allowing Roanoke to hold the ball for 13+ minutes) he should have had Casciola under center at least on first down to try to get a little more room to operate. Too much risk of a safety from the shotgun IMHO. Also, credit Roanoke with being both prepared and motivated. And their early success had to really help them.

[moir]

Obviously, Pedro was not impressed by Roanoke.

[rmc1982]

Obviously, Pedro was not impressed by Roanoke.

Personally- I WAS! Stinespring is a good coach and this team will only get better !! The QB is good and I don't know whether it was how good Roanokes pass attack is or if it was our DB's playing poorly but I think it was a combination of both! The Maroons are FOR REAL!

[Ron Boerger]

Obviously, Pedro was not impressed by Roanoke.

Give Roanoke some credit, that's a fine performance for a first-year team against a quality opponent.

[moir]

It was an interesting day in Salem. RMC Football is not only the ODAC measuring stick, but also what a consistent Top 20 Program looks like. In several media interviews, Coach Stinespring compared Macon to some of the best VA Tech teams during his era as an assistant. Very solid in all 3 phases, tough to run against, and rarely giving up big plays. On the other side of the ball, they run it, and rarely turn the ball over. The Maroons are well aware that the ODAC has numerous solid Football Programs, so we have hills to climb besides Macon.
BUT we couldn't be more excited about where the Program is in its infancy. Coach has attracted an fantastic Staff, has recruited high character, talented, young men, and is executing a great plan to build something special.