Game Day from quarterfinals
Dec
2006
So here I am for the annual trip to Alliance where the weather is about 30-something degrees and there’s a good wind blowing across the field.
I feel a little silly wearing a Linfield sweatshirt, which I brought to have some fun with the SJU and Whitewater fans before the flight got cancelled. I need to buy some OAC wardrobe for these trips since we make enough of them.
Ric Brienza and “HS Coach” gave me a very pleasant surprise, printing me copies of their game charts which we have named “Brienzas” in honor of Ric. They combine all the players’ vital information in a shell that’s easy to complete for a new team and even easier to update for a team you’ve seen before. Bless their hearts for the help since this was a late change in travel plans.
A few Capital players were milling around at about 10 AM and seemed in good spirits. If nothing else, they won’t be intimidated playing in this Stadium. QB Rocky Pentello and the other four-year seniors are playing their sixth game against Mount Union.
As for the Purple Raiders, they are always good for some stunning stats.
- Nate Kmic averages 7.43 yards per carry and is within striking distance of Chuck Moore’s school record (7.46).
- The Purple Raiders are holding teams to 0.9 yards per carry. That’s about what you should get if your quarterback takes the snap and collapses forward.
The two guys I most look forward to seeing are Pentello to see how he stacks up against other OAC playoff quarterbacks in the past few years (Arth, Adamson) and Matt Kostelnik. A junior safety for the Purple Raiders, Kostelnik has amazing numbers — 44 tackles (fourth on the team), 11.5 TFL (2nd), 7.0 sacks (1st), 4 INTs (1st) including two for TDs. Hello, All-American team.
I’ll post some thoughts at the half and after the game, but the floor is certainly open for other thoughts from Wisconsin, Delaware, New York or wherever else you may be.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Gordon said:
“I feel a little silly wearing a Linfield sweatshirt, which I brought to have some fun with the SJU and Whitewater fans before the flight got cancelled.”
Wearing that sweatshirt is a clear indication that you’re a very bright person Gordon. I know you picked that up when you came out to the NW a few years ago…..is there still some dried up blood on that sweatshirt from the slaughter you witnessed on that weekend in 2004?
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
The “Brienzas” are a tremendous resource to anyone calling a football game. They’re a lot of work to put together but since being introduced to them in like 2001 I cannot picture calling a game without having one in front of me.
Probably takes two hours at this point to put a set together for two teams.
December 2nd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Sitting in a parking lot in Brownwood, Texas, by the way.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:13 pm
17-0 Fisher at half…. all I can say is wow so far
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:16 pm
7-7 Cap and MUC at the half. Capital keeping it close and even missing on a few opportunities in the first half. The Crusaders COULD be leading right now, but at least they are still in it!
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:22 pm
Isn’t this just like we predicted it? The Capital/Mount Union game is close at the half and the other two noon games are blowouts?
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:30 pm
28-7 Wesley at the half. Wesley passing game tearing up UMHB defense. Cru scored on a fumble recovery.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Pat,
Don’t worry about it. Predictions are tough enough, and Cap didn’t show anything in the regular season that probably would have convinced you to pick otherwise.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Did someone forget to let UMHB know that there was a national quarterfinal playoff game today and that they were part of it?! How about the revenge factor to boot?!
I don’t want to jinx Wesley because there is another half to go……..but……….finish it off and make Eastern football followers proud (especially against a team from Texas)!!!!!!
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:33 pm
So did Rowan send their JV team…. did not expect this… this is huge…
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:35 pm
24-0 SJFC 7:30 to go in the 3rd……Fisher is dominating all aspects of this game right now. Rowan’s defense cannot stop Fisher. 3 Rowan turnovers and a Fisher punt return for a TD.
December 2nd, 2006 at 1:58 pm
HUGE stop by Cap on the goal line to keep MUC from taking the lead.
Still 7-7.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:11 pm
4th Qtr, Cap D gives up a FG after a MUC punt return to the Cap 19.
10-7 MUC.
Just heard the Capital announcers say MUC has only thrown 8 passes today.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:11 pm
OHIO HERE WE COME!!!!!!
great season Rowan. Best of luck next year
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:13 pm
Do you believe??? How good is this Fisher team?
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:21 pm
UMHB coming back. Beginning of 4th quarter Wesley 28 UMHB 20.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:24 pm
MUC scores. 17-7 Mount. Cap needs to answer, but MUC’s defense is playing really well.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Touchdown CAP!!!!
5:10 left.
17-14 Mount.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Wesley just fumbled on UMHB 34. Still 28-20 Wesley.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:37 pm
1st down MUC. 2 mins left. Pretty much over.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Wesley defense takes fumble recovery 34yds for touchdown. Wesley34 UMHB 20. Wesley extra point blocked. 6:39 to go. What a game. Wesley has passed for over 400 yds while rushing for 6yds.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:44 pm
7 seconds left, Cap getting ready to throw a hail mary
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Ballgame. Another 3 point loss in the playoffs.
Good luck next week, Mount fans.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:54 pm
First Post….Big time Johnnie fan in NY…being beat by UWW at the moment; but kudos to UWW for this webcast…it’s wonderful.
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Mount Union played really well, their defense was lights out. So, not to take anything away from them, but Capital missed several opportunities. The kicker made a tackle on a kickoff, Jorris saved a TD on a Cap INT return, and Cap killed themselves at the end of the first half with penalties and negative plays after they got to the MUC 14 with a chance to kick a FG to go into the locker room ahead.
Great season for both. Two years in a row that I think Cap might be the second best team in the country.
Army-Navy is on now. Those of you who know me know where my loyalties lie in that one. And they just scored… Go ARMY!!!
December 2nd, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Final- Wesley 34 UMHB 20
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:05 pm
SJUny,
what is the address for the webcast of UWW / SJ
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:09 pm
Go to the SJU official site; there’s a link there…it’s a fine job.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:30 pm
17-14 now Whitewater… this feels like Deja vu from the UWW-LAX game….
I have a BAD feeling about this.,..
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:44 pm
I’m going to call the upset right now… 21-17 SJU…. SJU moving the ball down the field at will…. 3 minutes to go… I don’t think Whitewater can stop them…
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:49 pm
actually uww stopped SJU on 4th and 10, warhawks 1:30 from a win! uww 17 SJU 14.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:53 pm
uww cant pick up the 3rd down conversion, 4th and 11 with :16 seconds left. SJU takes over at the SJU 24 with :08 seconds
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:54 pm
SJU hail mary not answered uww 17 sju 14. Uww vs wesley next saturday. Rematch of last years semifinals. I think this year won’t be as much of a blow out! go uww! Pound the Rock!
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:57 pm
WOW! What a finish! Glad I was wrong… Congrats UWW!
Good game SJU… #1 and #2 in the country got a REAL test this week…. my predicts for next week
UWW 24 WC 21
MUC 35 SJF 14
Stagg Bowl Rematch…. IMHO, neither team is as good as last year… i think the Stagg Bowl might end up with a 20-17 or so score if there is a rematch…
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Congrats to UWW; you broke my heart, BUT, I was able to view the game; great job with the broadcast and even though the announcers were “homers” (duh; they should have been), they were wonderfully fair in their commentary…wonderful job all around with this webcast…it should be a staple on Fall afternoons at more schools…with SJU’s history, I’m sure we’ll see it soon.
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Warhawk…not going to predict a fisher win…but I think today showed that this Fisher team is better than anyone thought
December 2nd, 2006 at 4:20 pm
HOLY MOLY!
I have to give major respect to all teams today - winners and non-winners.
St. John Fisher and Wesley get major props for their BIG wins, and St. John’s and Capital get major props for giving #1 and #2 all they could handle.
I don’t really know much about Wesley - are they really that good? Evidently. The same with Fisher.
All teams today deserve respect from all of us for playing so hard all year long to even make it this far, let alone farther still.
How were the Italian Beef sandwiches?
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:04 pm
Wesley game was great. If you’d have told me yesterday that the Wolverines would be up by 21 at halftime i’d have smacked you in the face. Nevertheless the game got much closer than it needed due to some dumb plays on Wesley’s behalf, and some perplexing calls (and mostly perplexing noncalls) by the officials, who otherwise actually did a decent job - although last week’s for the Carnegie Mellon game were just oustanding. Still, UHMB fought and didn’t give up and played like their hair was on fire in the 3rd quarter. What a turnaround.
For next week… a shame that they have to travel. Going 10-0 at home in ONE season is pretty sweet.
By the way, anybody here agree that the national semifinal games should be held at neutral locations? Doesn’t seem fair to make two teams travel long distances to teams that they had no involvement with, and where only opinionated rankings are the reason for the home games. It’s the final four, you think it should still be in the higher seed’s region in the NCAA basketball tournament too? No, that’s why they pick another city. It’s a silly rule for DIII, and of course i know the reason is money, but that doesn’t make it right.
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:14 pm
I think the higher seeds have earned the home field and I have no problem with it.
There are no D-IA football playoffs to compare to. Are you going to call for a neutral site for the AFC and NFC championship games? That’s the next comparison.
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Honestly I think it’s fine…I have an issue with basketball because the crowd makes more of a difference in a crowded gymnasium then a football field….and It’s only 5 hours from fisher about the same distance that Springfield is….so lets go play ball
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:23 pm
The right team came out of the East bracket. Excellent work Fisher! Rowan has a great defense but their offense just wasn’t up to their usual standard this year, and honestly I don’t think they would have done well against the nation’s best.
I’ve been singing your praises all season SJFC. Now go to Alliance and represent the East, and upstate NY football!
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:28 pm
Pat and Keith, and D3 Football - Wrong Again… St John Fisher 31 - Rowan zip… Fisher wins the Lambert Trophy, and will represent the East in the Final Four, and a trip to Ohio to play Mount Union next Saturday…
How good is Fisher… We’ll see next week when we play the number 1 team in the nation, in their back yard… By everything I saw today, my guess is that they’ll be ready… The Fisher defense is strong, and fast, and they seem to “Feed” off of one another… The offense will get the job done by land or air; the O-Line averages about 3-bills, yet deceptionally quick and exceptionally strong… Their special teams excel…
What an opportunity these kids will have to be able play at Mount Union… NY State, keep pullin’ for us; D3 had us gone a long time ago… And the loyal followers “The Fisher Faithful” thanks for another great tail-gate today, thanks for making this program a “Football Family” and we’ll see you in Ohio on Saturday…
December 2nd, 2006 at 5:44 pm
No i’m not going to argue for NFL conference finals to be in neutral cities because… see… they’re in the SAME CONFERENCE. They played (basically) the same competition. Again, my comparison to NCAA basketball holds strong.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:06 pm
WarhawkBadger,
Mount Union is Mount Union and the fans and players at Fisher have the utmost respect for them, but a 35-14 prediction over a Fisher team that has beat every team they’ve played this year?
Some quick stats:
Fisher points avg. pts. per game-40
Opponents points per game- 13
Fisher yards per game avg.- 424
Opponents yards per game- 250
**take away the regular season loss to Springfield when Fisher played minus 3 defensive starters and these numbers are even more impressive
These numbers weren’t put up against nobody teams either; Rowan, Springfield, Union, and Ithaca were all top 25 teams this season.
I think the game will be a bit tighter than you anticipate….
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Flurries never showed, neither did Rowan’s luck. SJF scored my original 31, guess I under-estimated our defense or let you guys talk me into over-estimating Rowan’s offense. Rowan looked tired from all the away games. Next week will tell whether SJF has arrived or not.
SJF 24 MUC 21
PS Harmon 2 REC for 35 and a TD, SJU 198 yds rushing (not counting the sacks)
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Mount Union 24 My pickem
SJF 19 Go SJF!!
MUC is vulnerable but makes the big plays when they have to.
UW-W 21 My pickem
Wesley 20 Go Wesley!!
A Wesley win would not be as big an upset to me.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:21 pm
No Offense SJF fans… i just think MUC got a “wakeup call” today in a narrow win, and will look to “dominate” next week… though, its very possible that MUC is looking ahead to the UWW-MUC rematch in the Stagg Bowl and could be due for a letdown. I think its also fair to say the East Bracket was TERRIBLE. I think St. Johns, UWW, or UWLC all would have easily won the East Bracket.
I’ve had a bad feeling about UWW the past two weeks, and i think next week will be close as well. When you beat LAX, SJU, and Wesley by 40-50 points, the next meeting is certainly going to be closer.
Nothing Against
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:25 pm
Congrats to Fisher, Now go to Ohio and finish the job! But some of your fans need to stop talking about missing players against Springfield and admit you got beat . There are no excuses in Football!
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Pridefan agreed that we got beat the first time we played you…but look at the second game when we had the 3 guys back and in the game….there was no running game….calling the east region terrible is a little far off calling it a little down is ok but remember the teams in the e8 and LL have all gotten to be so good that they just beat up on each other…
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Kudos to St. John Fisher for their win over Rowan today. Good luck in Alliance next week. It’s a tough place to play. As someone who went to the D3 semis there three years ago, I can attest to that as my beloved BC Eagles were defeated there 66-0. If St. John Fisher can survive the bitter cold there (27F & high winds) and not be intimidated, it should be a good game. Good luck to all the D3 semifinalists! Will there be a rematch of last year’s Stagg Bowl? We shall see.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:52 pm
MP look up the weather in western NY…. the running joke is Rochester get 4 days of sun a year…the rest is either rainy or cold and snowy
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Superman,
Mount Union is no Rowan. It will be an intimidating experience. You can’t believe how good they really are until you play against them or see them play. If you want to see them play, I’m sure ESPN has tapes of 8 or so Stagg Bowl wins you can view.
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Wesley 34- UMHB 20! Need we say mor!
December 2nd, 2006 at 7:12 pm
Superman, from what you say, the players should be OK. I was writing from the perspective of someone from VA suffering thru a humiliating defeat, miserable temperatures, metal seats, and a bleak landscape to look at on the way back. Go SJF!
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:02 pm
Honestly don’t care how many stagg bowls MUC has won… I have the utmost respect for them but as we have seen before anything can happen and you are only as good as your last performance…Fisher Shut out a very good rowan team and MUC struggle against a team they dismantled eariler in the season
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:33 pm
SJF - I love what you did today. Rowan does not go easy and no disrespect here ( even tho they knocked us out 2 years in a row) … Congratulations for winning the East convincingly - now go beat that giant in Ohio (be sure to say your prayers!). We’ll be routing hard for you from aggieland and all over the east. And for that matter … Go Wesley! Take care of the other midwest giant. Look forward to seeing you guys next year … (but I won’t be routing for you then)
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Confidence! A football team with a significant amount of this ingredient is difficult to stop…anywhere and against anyone. The SJF coaching staff has put its players in the best possible position to win each of the past three weeks, and it has been rare to see Fisher not execute their game plan to precision. We did not just beat Rowan today; we dominated them. For a perennial powerhouse to visit East Avenue and get embarrassed from the kickoff to the final horn is a testament to the coaches who draw up the game plan, the players who believe in the system and, most importantly, believe in each other. It is VERY hard to beat a team with everything clicking like it is with Fisher. It is not so much how much talent you have, but how a team utilizes that talent. If Mount Union is content with their position, their winning streak and their record in the semis…. they have NO idea what is about to hit them. Raiders, you better be ready. It’s not just about the players on the field….. See you in Ohio; a trip to the title game hangs in the balance! Throw out the X’s and O’s.. this game is about who wants it more.
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:52 pm
Bucksfan-
I guarantee the Fisher boys won’t be intimidated going into Alliance.
I’m not saying they’ll go in and win the game, but they won’t be scared to stand toe to toe with them.
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:59 pm
First congrats to Mount Union for once again making the final four-a tribute to the team and coaching staff. A hearty thank you to the Capital seniors for 4 great years of football (the best in school history) and for making the quaterfinals in each of the last 2 years.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:36 pm
“I think its also fair to say the East Bracket was TERRIBLE.”
Why because someone other than rowan won the east this year?
SJF rolled through it outscoring opponents 107-42.
December 2nd, 2006 at 9:54 pm
Just back from Rochester, the better team won. The Rowan offense was a no show. I wasn’t overly impressed with the Fisher offense and don’t think they will stack up so well against Mt Union but I was very impressed with their defense. The SJF defense was the quickest Rowan faced all year. The question I have about their defense is the lack of size.
Rowan finally dug themselves a hole they couldn’t get out with 3 turnovers and a punt return for TD in the first half.
The guy earlier who said SJF won’t be overwhelmed by going to Alliance…you are 100% wrong and you’ll see when you get there.
I think the SJF defense will keep them in the game but I just don’t see the offense putting up too many points though I am basing my assumption on seeing SJF just once.
The better team won today, good luck.
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:44 pm
you say SJF won’t put up too many points but we just put 31 up on you guys… who have the 3rd best d in DIII
December 2nd, 2006 at 10:47 pm
WarhawkBadger nice statement! I think it is also fair to say your post was a joke. Please write in again when you have anything realistic and constructive to say. Congrats to SJF today.I can honestly say I am proud to have you represent the East. What a run this season, impressive is an understatement. This team has really put it together when it needed to. Not having seen Mt UNion play this year I am curious as to what next week will have in store for the Cardinals. Any thoughts? I am sure we will all be discussing this all week. Congrats to all winners today.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:00 pm
Before I even get started on the 63 posts here, I posted a bunch of stuff (as did other people - 93 posts and counting) on the Looking ahead to Week 14: Quarterfinal Week blog thread.
As far as the Brienzas, they have become a D3football.com staple, and they get attention from radio guys around the country. We have blatantly copied Ric’s style on these, and have fallen in love. With the Brienzas. Not with Ric himself. I mean, he’s a nice guy and all …
Anyway, seems a good a time as any to say thanks by plugging his site, MtUnionFootball.com … The Shrineyness of it may be tough for the big New York contingent that makes their way over there this week, but that’s an accurate representation … SJF is going to THE place to play in D3football anymore. It’s the spot. The mystique is deserved.
By the same token, as a player, you want that challenge. UMHB talked about it in ‘04, that they weren’t so much shook as they were eager to challenge themselves against the best there is.
We’ve seen some good teams get slaughtered there, and some good ones win … Either way, SJF will discover a lot about itself. Enjoy. And if you travel out there, NFL fans might as well hit up Canton down the road.
Oh, and I think it was here I read someone disparaging the East Region.
The East doesn’t have the power at the top like North (MUC/Cap), West or even South.
But it was the deepest region, i.e. it had more very good teams this year than the North or South … But the West was still best.
It was a big year for the East, although if SJF loses big, it may take some of the shine off it … but I think the East showed its depth, if not its up-top strength this season.
Oh, sweet, I get to see Mark Robinson play. ‘Bout time. I thought our connections in the East, which usually relgates me to games from the other regions, might mean I never see him and the Fisher gang.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:09 pm
I really had no idea Army-Navy was today. I mean, I know it’s the first week of Dec. and I drove by the billboard in Philly en route to Wilkes last week, but … I guess I’m just so immersed in D3.
Couldn’t even get up for Rutgers - W.Va. tonight. BCS Bowl … that’s cool, but A FREAKIN’ PLAYOFF would be cooler. Those guys don’t know what they’re missing. Playoff football. More games. The best against the best, proving it in the most entertaining way possible.
Whoever mentioned Capital, I voted for them No. 3 at the end of last season, ahead of Linfield (No. 4) and behind Whitewater.
I think what they did today locked up at least a No. 5 final rankings.
But, keeping with the theme of this post, who cares about polls when we’ve got the STAGG BOWL!!!!
(asks Brad Bankston for royalties)
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:12 pm
JK,
guess that was all for you.
WarhawkBadger,
You think neither MUC or UW-W is as good as last year? I think they might both be better, I’ve heard that sentiment from some locals … but you’ve seen more Whitewater than me.
How/Why are they not better?
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:22 pm
Keith-
They haven’t used Robinson like they did in 2004 but today they finally gave him some good carries (27). Rowan’s run defense was great, by far the best run defense we’ve seen & he still was over 100 yds until a play late in the 4th stopped him for a good sized loss. He will be the key in the Mount Union game - We’ll need him to step it up vs. Mount Union, this will be big for our O-line to try to create something for him. At the very least 25-30 carries will make Mount Union pay attention to our running game, and if he can get a little bit going we’ll have a better opportunity to have success in the passing game. Fisher is very well balanced and I believe that caught Rowan by surprise, as they were focused a lot on shutting Robinson down.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Keith, I hope that a lot of NY’ers will make it out to Allaince…but worried that the students will hold back on going because of Finals…got two words SCREW FINALS…plan on being there myself…should be a good game…no matter what Fisher has made a huge name for themselves and should be proud
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Keith, I’ve been visiting this site for the past two years and absolutely love it. Thank you! But, I’m posting for the first time. I can’t speak for MU but I can absolutely say that UWW is definitely as good if not better than last year. We have had close games because the teams we have played are better than they were last year. Both LAX and SJU played great games against us. Last weeks game against LAX and today’s game with SJU have been a couple of the best football games I’ve seen all year. The better teams are able to overcome uncharacteristic mistakes and win the close ones.
Go Warhawks!
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:20 am
Keith,
Meeting you and Pat Cummings and some of the other DIII fans from other schools and chatting football was an enjoyable experience today. Glad the EAGLES weren’t brought up! Keep up the great work
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 am
UMHB brought their B game and got B game results. Like I said before if Wesley had big pass plays, cancel Christmas. Good year Cru, work on pass defense next year and keep pounding the pigskin. I doubt Wesley will be as competitive next year because they lose Warrick. UMHB has most of the starters coming back and will be in great shape again. Good game Wesley and good luck next week, you will need it!! I am pulling for you to win, go Wesley!! Oh! that DL Robinson dude is ONE hell of a player he caused havoc all day. UWW you better be ready, Wesley held us to 131 rushing yards.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:03 am
“Keith, I hope that a lot of NY’ers will make it out to Allaince…but worried that the students will hold back on going because of Finals…got two words SCREW FINALS…plan on being there myself…should be a good game…no matter what Fisher has made a huge name for themselves and should be proud”
Although I enjoy the passion, that type of statement is inherently against the grain of what D3 is all about…. Academics first. Tsk tsk.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:41 am
wow what a game between uww and sju…i went to that game and let me tell u….RYAN KLEPPE IS AN ANIMAL….if he doesnt win the galardi trophy i dont know who will….today sju was the better team…there defense played outstanding…the johnnie offense spuddered and had 3 turnovers and they scored 10 points basically on our offense….but uww has a good chance to beat wesley and against mount union if they win….there defense is incredible and the offense is great even tho they played bad today….good luck uww!
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:44 am
Hondo earlier this week: “And for you folks at D3, you can pick and predict, and talk about whoever you’d like to, but here at Fisher, we’ll just play the game…”
… and then you’ll come back the next day and throw down your 20-20 hindsight?
Hondo today: “Pat and Keith, and D3 Football - Wrong Again… ”
Pretty weak given you weren’t willing to post your own scores beforehand.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:34 am
POrtgrad…when I say screwfinals I don’t mean don’t take them but take some time to enjoy what college has to offer since chances are Fisher will not make it this far for a few years…so study at the hotel or in the car….and anyways who really studies anymore….I certainly never did and always did very well on all my tests
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:08 am
Fisher:28 MU: 24
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:13 am
Good win Warhawks, We gave it all we had, you guys just make plays when you have two. Congrats on your second stright trip to the Stagg Bowl. You guys have earned it.
Fisher might beat MU this week. Whats up with LK benching Jorris for two bad series. He wasnt hurt was he??? Guy has been money for this team the last two years. With other guy MU is one dimensional and can’t throw the ball. They may get by Fisher, but a one dimentional team will get smoked by UWW.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:33 am
Flush the Johnnies
Lest you forget the Stagg bowl is in two weeks!!!! Don’t think that you will be seeing the same Wesley team you saw last year. But if your Warhawks are looking past the Wolverines they’ll be watching the Stagg bowl on t.v.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:40 am
sjfc1993
Congratulations on your big win, but I feel obligated to point out that unlike St. John Fisher, Mt. Union, UW-W, and Wesley have ALL “beat every team they’ve played this year.”
Even if your record did not include the one blemish, we would still have to consider which of the four semifinalists played the tougher schedule. Despite the fact that your “numbers weren’t put up against nobody teams either; Rowan, Springfield, Union, and Ithaca were all top 25 teams this season,” I believe most of the neutral third parties will agree that either Mt. Union or UW-W (I am not arguing OAC v WIAC right now) played the tougher schedule. In any event, your team is NOT undefeated and did NOT play a tougher schedule than its next opponent.
Oh and your quick stats? While the NCAA site does not include the quarterfinal games…
Scoring Offense
1 Mount Union 48.4
2 St. John Fisher 40.3
3 Wesley 39.7
5 UW-W 38.8
Scoring Defense
2 Mount Union 6.9
8 UW-W 10.4
16 Wesley 11.7
30 St. John Fisher 13.8
Total Offense
1 Mount Union 518.1
9 St. John Fisher 431.5
10 UW-W 431.2
11 Wesley 425.2
Total Defense
2 Mount Union 174.9
18 UW-W 228.7
33 Wesley 251.5
50+ St. John Fisher ???.?
Turnover Margin
8 Mount Union 1.4
9 UW-W 1.3
28 Wesley 0.9
41 St. John Fisher 0.8
Finally, while “Fisher played minus 3 defensive starters” I would point out that UW-W played without what is arguably the best Division 3 running back in the country (for more than one game).
To use your own quote, “I think [your] game will be a bit [tougher] than you anticipate…”
35-14 sounds about right.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:42 am
58-6 last year in a laugher. It will be cold and snowy in Wisconsin again, and Wesley wont compete. They quit last year in a National Semifinal. Maybe a little more respectable this year. Lets say 48-6. How is Wesleys team any different??? UW defense is much improved. Beaver will run wild again Saturday. like last year. Real interest this week is MU/Fisch game. Does anyone have explanation on their QB situation?? I know LK has posted on here before maybe he can clear it up.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 am
uww will win without a doubt….they do have an unbeliveable defense….warhawks offense played bad yesterday and they still beat st. johns….warhawks had no guy over 100 yards rushing or recieving and jacbos only through for 193 yards….but it doesnt matter when kleppe is in the backfield every play
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:18 am
Flush
1. Wesley won’t be surprised by the weather this year. Unless of course the ground crew screws up the field!!!!! Any idiot knows that moiture and sub freezing temps equals ice. Guess that’s home field advantage aye?
2. Wesley has a better running game than last year.
3. The defense is playing well and has shut down two of the best running attacks in DIII the last two weeks.
So don’t be surprise when Wesley comes to town
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:34 am
Keith
Because you asked…
While I believe UW-W might be good enough to win a national title, they clearly are not playing as well as last year’s team was throughout the playoffs and into the Stagg Bowl.
Losing Justin Beaver for an extended period of time can mess up an offense and even with him back, you need to remember that their blocking fullback is done for the year.
After UW-LAX 1, the Warhawks seemed poised for a run back to the Stagg Bowl, but Beaver’s broken collarbone at the end of that game certainly dimmed the momentum. Their throw game has gotten back in gear but when they a play a team like St. John’s yesterday and get no big plays from Derek Stanley they can look mortal.
They are better on defense but not as consistent on offense. Having said that, they have been exposed a little bit defensively in the secondary–you cannot win a game running the ball against them (although UW-LAX mauled them a little bit in the playoff game) but you can max protect and throw it over the top. Yesterday St. John’s consistently got stuffed on 1st and 2nd down and then moved the pocket and attacked the middle of the field and converted 3rd and longs. Several offsides penalites hurt and the UW-W defense just could not get off the field despite being dominant on first and second down. UW-W ran like five plays in the third quarter (but got a TD).
The UW-W D can get after your quarterback (Ryan Kleppe) and turn you over and their offense does not need a lot of help.
Wesley throwing for over 400 yesterday is worrisome but if they cannot run and get one-dimensional they may need a good backup quarterback.
Offensively, it is all about consistency and not turning it over. Then they make you try to drive it against their defense.
Given a short field or a breakdown they pounce. St. John’s lost last year because they turned it over and lost this year because they turned it over.
If UW-W steps up and plays well (maybe the best thing you can say about their talent is that they have played two subpar games in a row and advanced to the national seminfinals) they will roll over Wesley. 58-6 is still 58-6. Elements, turnovers, and giving up all played a roll but the game was never competitive.
Still, for Saturday I see something like
UW-W 34
Wesley 17
and I already said 35-14 sounds right for MU over StJF–regardless of the quartercback. The fact that they beat Cap without taking advantage of Pierre Garcon means a lot to me–very much like UW-W winning without Stanley getting big numbers.
Mt. Union and UW-W are so good that they have to play poorly, make mistakes, anf turn it over in order to lose.
If there is not a rematch, THAT is an upset.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:42 am
I want to congratulate the Johnnies on a great season, which unfortunately ended two weeks too early. My impressions of Whitewater is that they are a solid team but a flawed one…SJU missed on opportunities, unable to finish drives all season long and it bit them hard on Saturday. I think we will have a Stagg Bowl rematch, only because a team can only improve so much from year to year…and I have to agree the Warhawk D was fantastic, Kleppe is as advertised.
For those of you who predicted a big win by the Warhawks…you were wrong and need not post anymore…especially SeanGOP…you bother me boy…just go play with your toys…
As for SJ Fisher…good luck on your initial trip to Alliance, you will need it, maybe you are a great program and a great team, but now you are in rare air and sometimes its hard to breathe
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:49 am
PA_Wesley fan
“Any idiot knows that moiture and sub freezing temps equals ice.”
FYI
This is Wisconsin and it is now December.
It seems to me that while any idiot knows that we have ice in winter here, the Wesley Wolverines seemed shocked by it a year ago.
You could tell when they left the locker room that they wanted to turn around and get back inside where it was warm–somtimes this game gets down to toughness (mental and physical) and your team will need to display more of it Saturday than they did last year.
The weather made it tough and the footing was bad (apparently for just one team) but the Warhawks were ahead 37-0 with 8:30 left in the second quarter and their longest scoring drive took like 1:20 off the clock–your defense (and the weather) never even slowed them down.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:59 am
I know superman! I was just busting on you…and making a very broad point about D3 at the same time!
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:05 pm
D3 Keith,
I’m a UWW Alumnus and am very familiar with both teams. I think the Defense this year is better (despite suffering some injuries), but the offense clearly misses our star end from last year. Stanley is a great player, but he was even better as our #2. Good teams have been able to shut down our offense. I would say that has been the biggest difference between the teams.
Last year’s defense would give up more yards, but would force turnovers like crazy, and our offense would march down the field and score. This year, our defense gives up fewer yards (and points) but doesn’t force as many turnovers, and our offense doesn’t have as good of field position.
Certainly, losing our top WR (to graduation), and AA RB (for a few weeks) this year hurt, but the offense just isn’t as explosive.
I think Whitewater wins next week, but is vunerable. Maybe its just me, but I’d rather win 49-28 every week rather than 24-21 or 17-14.
MUC won last year, and during the regular season really dominated, though i’m not sure they (nor Whitewater) are as focused this year. Thats why i think neither team is as good…. or…. really.. that MUC and UWW both far exceeded expectations last year, and maybe aren’t able to live up to them this year
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Allow me to scoff :;
“East showed its depth, if not its up-top strength this season.”
If not this season, when …? Can’t buy that the East was the deepest, even if it’s deep with strong (for its region, I guess) teams.
Both the West and the East had a dog team (woof, woof Wash & Lee and St. Norb) but look what the No. 7 seed in the West did.
SJU beat two undefeated champions of strong conferences (including one that had recently produced a Stagg winner — something the East cannot claim) and gave the No. 2 team a run to the final seconds. Then look what another conference runner-up, UW-LX did against UWW. They were the best No. 4 seed in the field.
Plus if the East was deeper … why was the 1st round MOV 25 vs. 15 in the West? Throw out the blowout game and the average MOV was 15 vs. 5.
I know you’ve got your role as the SJU scoffer
so ‘fess up, there was a bit of scoffing seeping through in this ATN:
“McMillan: St. John’s could have one of the most precipitous falls in history, going from a 9-0 start and No. 3 national ranking to consecutive losses and an early playoff exit, which would nix a chance Johnnies fans have waited since last year for: a rematch against UW-Whitewater.”
One of the lesser disappointments yesterday was that SJU didn’t get a trip to Wesley so we could could have a face-to-face scoff-off. Or at least say hello.
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Acoltfan:
Wesley never seems to play well on grass or in bad weather: were beaten badly by Brockport in frezzing rain on a grass field in 2005, got the tails whipped by UWW on a bad “grass” field in 2005 and had a hard time with a medicore Salisbury team on wet grass field in 2006. They seem to love that field turf. Undefeated at home on it! Also, you have to remember last year was there first time to the semi-finals to a place that really took them out of their “comfort zone.” Everyone said they would loose to UMHB last year and they won, most people said they would loose Bridgewater and we crushed them on a beautiful sunny day and then on a plane to the frozen north. Me thinks just tooooooo much!
They “should” be totally prepared for whatever the weather this year and “should” have learned a lot from last year’s experience. The forecast calls for lots of sun and about 45 degrees. It should be a good game. I will be there no matter what the weather to cheer for the Wolverines!
Repete: We would have loved a home game next week with SJU. We were listening and hoping for a SJU victory, not to be!
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:01 pm
AndrewChrz,
Moving the semis to a neutral location might rob both teams of a good-sized crowd. If Wesley had played Mary-Hardin Baylor … at Maryville, let’s say (I’m guessing an equidistant D3 locale), how many people from either side would have been able to make the trip?
At least Wesley alums and parents were able to fill their side … and UMHB traveled about as well as could be expected for the distance they had to go.
Repete,
SJU scoffer.
You guys have issues. Unless I am completely slobbering all over your squad, it’s like a personal kick in the face. How dare I acknowledge the possibility that a team might lose!
Thanks for caring so much about what I think though!
I thought the 1-6 in the East, plus Cortland State, Ithaca and Alfred, were all about even. Obviously, SJF and Rowan weren’t even, but the scores in the East games (and W&L is a South team moved to the East; throw that out) did bear that out in a lot of places. 20-18, 27-21, 21-14 … and 14-7 in OT Rowan vs. Cortland, Hobart vs. Alfred in the regular season, etc.
Now in hindsight, maybe a lot of it was Rowan playing to whatever level of competition they were playing that week, but the East Region, as a whole, had more good, playoff-caliber teams than any region but the West.
And unless SJF upsets Mount Union, they just won’t have had that one stud team that gives an entire region bragging rights.
Doesn’t make an entire region “terrible.”
The East Region, IMHO, is much better than it’s been. Doesn’t mean it’s champion can match the champions from other regions, but it’s 4-5-6 and some of the teams that were left out could outplay the 4-5-6, etc. from other regions. That’s depth.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Right on repete…SJU should be at Wesley this week, but either way Wesley’s Waterloo will be Saturday, December 9th 2006. I agree with WarhawkBagder…your offense is not as good and “good to spectacular” defenses like SJU can keep it in check…from 163 to 93 for Beaver should say that enough…Whitewater knows they were let off the hook, but I am not ready to crown them…not yet. Now go represent the WEST the way you should and win it all…
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Keith…you have got to be kidding me…the east is WEAK on average, Rowan has been the only exception recently…LAX, OCCIDENTAL and BETHEL could have fared very well in the EAST, if not won it.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:24 pm
VOJ:
If Rowan had won by 1pt yesterday, you would not be calling the East week.
You and most would be content with your so called ’security blanket’ Rowan coming out of the East and the anticipated match-up of MUC v. Rowan that everyone was anticipating….sorry SJF is big, strong and fast. They dominated the likes of Ithaca, Union, and Rowan this year….yes DOMINATED!
No question they will have their ‘hands’ full in Alliance this week, however dont underestimate a team that scores so many pts and gives up so few against so many national powers in one season.
Pat:
earlier in the year I stated that I was lookin forward to the SJF-MUC matchup in week 1 ‘08 and you promptly rebuked me as another overzealous fan who should be careful what they wish for (and this was mild compared to what you really stated) Just curious…what are your thought now? Have you seen SJF play this year? Do you know how big their front line is? Have you heard of their secondary? How ’bout Kramer, the second rated passer in the country, with 21 tds and only 1 INT.? Oh…I think they have a running game as well…their 3rd string back has 2 100 yd games I believe.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:32 pm
VOJ,
Try using your comprehension skills. The three teams you mentioned are from the West. I’ve clearly said about six times, since I first formed this position in about Week 8, that the East is deeper than the North and South, but NOT the West.
I also said it’s deeper than it has been; it has been weak on average.
I love to argue, but not with fools.
Hey look, it’s a Johnnie fan:
Unless I am completely slobbering all over your xxxsquadxxxx region, it’s like a personal kick in the face. How dare I acknowledge the xxxpossibility that a team might losexxx region might be second best!
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:44 pm
Keith here’s what you said — about the East:
“But it was the deepest region”
As for the remarks about the scoffer, geez, I was just playing — ala the emoticon.
I see these boards as a place for banter rather than emotion — and I’m sorry if it was NOT clear in that context.
I’m lobbing playful jabs not swinging roundhouses. I try (and usually succeed) to keep it light. (The exceptions, which I hope are rare, are when I see cheap shots from posters. None come from the d3 staff.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:46 pm
I last saw St. John Fisher play in 2005. Looking forward to seeing them play on Saturday.
Going to be an interesting matchup — the vaunted SJFC running game against Mount Union’s rush defense, which allows 22.0 yards per game.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:49 pm
VOJ et al:
If St. John Fisher wins or is competitve against Mount Union, you’re going to have to drop that weak East argument for a while. That would be two years in a row the East has held its own against Mount Union.
St. John Fisher fans:
Your players are going to have to fight the intimidation factor. Don’t be fooled — Mount Union got its eight titles by being damn good between the lines, but many an opponent has also beaten itself mentally just from the mystique factor. Teams such as Capital — and even to a sense, Rowan — that have played Mount Union regularly, know what this is like and it doesn’t get to them. SJFC will have to combat that factor. It is real.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:53 pm
to everyone,
Yes, Mt. Union is going to be tough. Yes, Mt. Union basically owns D3 Football and this website. Yes, Mt. Union is ranked number 1. Yes, they are playing at home. Yes. Yes. Yes.
I get the point. Here’s my point. Fisher is a stellar TEAM. Whether they win, lose, or draw, this is a win-win situation. Other people make think this is crazy, but when Fisher wins, we not only again hopefully getting the respect we deserve, but we play in the national championship game. If we lose, we still get respect for getting to the final four of D3 Football, the first time in our college’s history. Recruiting will be sicker than ever, and we will be hot on everybody’s tail next season. What could be worse? We lose to Mt. Union saying we fought our best and we didnt win - their the number one team in the country?! But if we win, Chaos & Bendlam will hit Fisher, Rochester, d3 football d even this website, as Fisher will go on to win the National championship. Don’t forget that just 5 years ago, we were 1-9. We have something here — I’m still not quite sure, but there is something special. When u see this team together you understand the chemistry and the quiet confidence they give off. When you have a team that has ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING to lose, it’s hard to fathom them getting their butts handed to them.
Its going to be a battle. Whatever happens these guys represent Fisher well, Heart, Purpose, and Dedication. Perhaps if you stopped by any of our other battles you would’ve seen all of the above come out on the field.
By the way, thanks for all the other teams in the east support. It shows that they also have respect for us because they have seen and played us.
My prediction: Fisher 35 Mt. Union 21
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:55 pm
PA_Wesley Fan,
It does not appear (as of right now) that the weather will be a factor next week! Game time Temp. of 39 Degree’s and sunny. Let all the “nay sayers” scoff, Wesley continue’s to shut em up!
I am curious SeanGOP, did you ever figure out when the last time Wesley lost at home?
D3Keith,
As I was only able to listen rather than attend, I was impressed, very well done! Thanks for the commentating. It is nice to hear someone recognize what the coaching staff along with the administration has done at Wesley, they are classy in every thing they do. They are also roughly a fifth of the size (student body count) of UWW, it will be interesting.
December 3rd, 2006 at 1:56 pm
(doesn’t know the coding for strike through)
So it just hit me.
Doing the picks is like being a game official. It’s a thankless job. Nobody actually cares if you’re being fair or thorough, they just care about what you do to/for their team.
If you make 99 right calls, all they remember is the one they didn’t like. If you say 99 nice things about a team, all they remember is the one you didn’t
Last week I picked St. John Fisher to beat a team it had lost to 55-38 on it’s home turf. Guess I was a genius then and dummy now.
Each losing team has a smack-talking bunch of fans that find places to hide after their team loses. (Except Purple Crush, who covered his bases by picking Wesley over his beloved team) Eventually, except for one team, that’ll be you.
It’s all in fun though; You really can continue to give me my medicine on the SJF pick. Wesley I think saw a glimpse of why we liked UMHB in the third quarter, but the Wolverines outplayed the Cru and have the right attitude. They deserve everything they get, and no doubt all of the teams still playing do.
I’m gonna be honest, I won’t make my picks until I consider everything, but I’m pretty sure I’ll end up picking MUC over SJF and UWW over Wesley. Go ahead and enjoy yesterday, and be supportive fans, but if you can’t see why your teams would be underdogs, you might not be logical enough to be having these discussions.
Of course SJF and Wesley could win, but I don’t guess public opinion would make either a favorite, despite this past Saturday’s results.
Devin Hester is a beast. Sorry, small aside here … got the Ticket on in the background.
“Acoltfan,” good stuff. Whoever said SJF beat every team they played this year meant they also won the Springfield rematch, beating the team that it lost to. But you make a good point, the other three are undefeated, so that’s not exactly a scary stat to them.
PA_Wesley fan, good meeting you yesterday, same with the other guys I met for the first time. Saw Mount Union, Bridgewater, Wabash, Rowan and Ithaca fans at the game, if I recall correctly. Plus Dickinson and R-MC!
Drass said the shoes were no excuse last year; and he wants his team to be accountable for what happened. That said, last year is last year. I think it will be a much better game. Last year I thought the Wesley DL would hold up against the UWW OL … I’m afraid I want to make the same point this year, even though I guess I should know better.
Archer, good stuff at 12:59. Same goes to the Warhawks fans who explained why they thought last year’s team was better than this year’s; I’ll never have a disparaging thing to say about solid, well-thought-out arguments. I think I care about those more than who is right or wrong … weird, huh?
Fisher57, you’re gonna get your guys killed. (see post from about 8:45 last night)
You should take a lesson from Superman57 … Fisher has had a great year no matter what happens, and hopefully they go out there and give a great effort.
I don’t want to stop you, or anybody, from hoping/rooting/dreaming … being a realist is sort of my job here though.
But to whoever had beef with Pat saying be careful what you wish for in the SJF-MUC final … I think that still holds water.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Repete,
We’re all good. I know you’re a pro on the blogs and the boards. I never take anything said here personally. I just wish I knew how to make that come across online the way I do in person.
I’m sure if you read the rest of that post or anytime you quoted me talking about the depth of the East, there is a clear distinction that it is not deeper or better up top than the West was. Look closely at more than half a sentence.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:10 pm
PA,
“Glad the EAGLES weren’t brought up!”
I did go up to the guy who owned the RV spray-painted with Westbrook and Kearse on it and shake his hand.
But yeah, otherwise … that Tenn. game really sapped the energy from this season. And then we go on SNF and MNF in back-to-back weeks. Grrreat.
Got a pretty good feeling that’s Birds country though. Saw lots of Eagles stuff and a few Ravens fans in DE.
Gotta give it up to Stone Station too. No Bridgewater games to follow, so you’ve been to CNU-W&J, Rowan-Wilkes and Wesley-UMHB. True D3 fanatics/ambassadors … we gotta get you a digital camera, man!
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Keith…
that was a pretty general post about the depth in the East…no where does it say except in the West…So sorry for the misunderstanding…I do appreciate your viewpoint, even though it differs from mine at times. Thanks for paying respect to the West, where I tryly think a national semi final type game if not Stagg Bowl type game was played between SJU and UWW.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Keith, after re-reading what you wrote, I don’t think I am a fool…that was a cheapshot…if you re-read a post I made on (fri am I think) I told people that the SJU-WW would be alot closer this year and definitely competitive. Nuff said
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Lax99,
Thanks. I think continuity is very underrated in football, D3 often doesn’t get caught up in the turnover race like in the NFL, but I see it play out every year here with the Redskins … they look at their team on paper and wonder why they’re no good. Well they change coordinators and half the roster all the time.
Look at who is left and their coaching staffs. That can be a big factor. Drass and Knapp have built Wesley over time, and once you get into the playoffs and do some good things, you can really reap the benefits.
In that sense, rachacha, you make some good points. A lot of what you’re saying is what we’re saying … it’s your fellow Fisher fans who aren’t acknowledging what a job this is going to be that we’re responding to.
People can say they don’t care what Mount has done in that past, and it has no bearing on Saturday. But what it is, is an indication of how consistent they are in their approach. They will respect SJF to the fullest. I have seen them play at least a dozen times over the years. Even when they lose, I don’t see them fumble it around, get a bunch of penalties, lose their cool. As far as doing the little things, not wasting opportunities … that’s what you see. Even when they don’t have the most individual talent, they usually have a pretty deep team of guys who play sharp.
If St. John Fisher beats Mount Union, you will have beaten them. So in that sense, it is a great opportunity, not anything to be afraid of, to measure yourself against the best.
I don’t get anything out of telling you all that. I’ve got know connection to Mount. I’ve just been watching them do this since 1997 or thereabouts, and for those of you that obviously haven’t, you need your history lesson.
“Heart, Purpose, and Dedication. Perhaps if you stopped by any of our other battles you would’ve seen all of the above come out on the field.”
That’s wonderful, dear. Are you trying to say SJF has a monopoly on those things?
Every game we see every weekend, we see those things come out on the field. That’s a hallmark of D3, it doesn’t give you an advantage over anyone, at least not anyone left at this point. Some teams might not have the talent, or the gameplan or the health or whatever, but pretty much across the board you see D3 teams giving good effort, playing with class and heart, etc.
P.S., I know UWW vs. Wesley enrollment was only mentioned in passing, but it’s not quite the same thing as it is in high school, where your enrollment = the pool of players you draw from. I’m sure UWW’s roster size is something similar to Wesley’s, MUC’s and SJF’s … maybe more enrollment, or state vs. private equals more money, but colleges and boosters can also raise funds to keep pace with or surpass their larger rivals. FWIW.
P.P.S. … Elaborate on how Robinson is used differently than ‘04. Does that mean Reile is mixed in more, or the passing game has been fleshed out? I’m curious.
Gotta run, hopefully we’ve all got plenty to respond to here. Good blogging with you all.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:38 pm
Pat, re: the 1:44 a.m. post …
“Hondo today: “Pat and Keith, and D3 Football - Wrong Again… ”
Not only that, we were right (or at least I was) on Fisher the past two weeks even though Union and Springfield were pretty serious-looking opponents where we could have easily gone against.
Clearly, Pat, few heeded the call to link their right to smack-talk the picks of others to their ability to make their own picks.
VOJ,
“that was a pretty general post about the depth in the East…no where does it say except in the West”
My East-region-is-deep post at 1:01 p.m.
“but the East Region, as a whole, had more good, playoff-caliber teams than any region but the West.”
I don’t know how much more clear I can make it.
I was all set to apologize for the cheap shot … you may not be a fool, but if you post before you read, claim you re-read, and then still miss the obvious …. you can make yourself seem like one.
I’m certain you can go back four or five weeks since I started sharing the opinion about the East’s depth, and there will always be a caveat for the West. No. 6 seed Occidental at 10-0 is about as deep as it gets. And UWW at the top … West was the best overall region this year, no matter how you slice it, my opinion on that has not changed.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Agreed, and I will call them on it if necessary.
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:52 pm
Keith,
re: Enrollement, on the contrary, consider Rowan when they were just Glassboro state. They did OK, but anyone who knows the area in which the school is located, would tell you that getting a top prospect to go there regardless of the quality of the team will certainly be easier with a larger enrollement, activities, and facilities (especially after a $100 million endowement). I beleive any coach would agree to that. If you ask Drass what the condition of the Athletic facilities when he arrived at Wesley years back, he will tell you it was deplorable. Having said that, Mt. Union is not much bigger in student body size than Wesley, which makes the “dynasty’ that they have created that much more impressive considering my position on enrollement. I would agree however that it is not as important as in a high school setting for your “pool” of players, merely what the size/fascilities/activities has to offer a prospect. Consider also that in D3 with no scholarships, a coach needs every edge possible.
You mentioned roster size, I suspect that most teams out there have roughly the same size roster, those with a JV program and who can afford it certainly carry a bigger roster. Wouldn’t that help with the developement of the team??? Just a thought!
December 3rd, 2006 at 2:55 pm
P.P.S. … Elaborate on how Robinson is used differently than ‘04. Does that mean Reile is mixed in more, or the passing game has been fleshed out? I’m curious.
Keith, this offense is not predicated on giving Mark 35 carries a game anymore. He gets about 24 carries a game at the most now. Reile and Robinson are on some kind of set rotation, so he’s sure to get 10 carries. Also the passing game is much more efficient, it doesnt get the big plays downfield as much as it used but it moves the chains constantly. Thats why your not seeing 30 plus carry games from him, which is a shame because he is so effective at wearing down people as a game goes on. This offense is more efficient and is now playing in the Semis so who am i to complain?
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:04 pm
flushthejohnnies,
“Fisher might beat MU this week. Whats up with LK benching Jorris for two bad series. He wasnt hurt was he??? Guy has been money for this team the last two years. With other guy MU is one dimensional and can’t throw the ball. They may get by Fisher, but a one dimentional team will get smoked by UWW. ”
He is not as one dimensional as you think. Here are his 12 games stats:
PASSING GP Effic Att-Cmp-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/G
————————————————————————–
Greg Micheli 12 176.45 99-72-1 72.7 932 8 51 77.7
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Rachacha,
I respect your loyalty to SJF. And I give them tons of props for the season they have had so far. But if you take a look at Mount’s season so far, you will notice that they haven’t given up more than 2 TD’s in any game all year. You are predicting SJF will score 5???? In December, in crappy weather, when everyone knows that defenses control these games. Those 17-14 scores by MUC and WW yesterday weren’t flukes. It’s all about defense right now. By the way, I’d be more than happy to take Mount and 13 1/2 if you are offereing. :o)
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:12 pm
Pat and keith no hard feelings about your picks….Honestly pushed to it if I was a media man I would have probably made similar picks…the way I see it Fisher is a team that has nothing to lose…No one picked them to get here… No one expected it…So if they go out and lose to MUC as the odds show then hey look at how great of a season they had… But if they pull off the imposible..and knock of the giant….then we have a true cindarella story that we can all be proud of…
and Keith, Robinson was A) the main back in 2004 B) had to be a larger part of the offense because the QB was not as good or was the team in general…the team has gotten better and so has the offense…so they don’t need robinson 30 carries a game
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Superman57
Not sure why you think no one picked SJF to get this far. I picked them to get here, and I have no loyalty to them whatsoever. They have had a great year. If they win next week, then I would agree with you that “NO ONE” picked them to get that far. Good Luck.
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Main Jack sorry when I say no one I mean look back at what pat and keith have said and both thought rowan would be here or wilkes or Springfield… and Fisher has so far ran through their opponents…now I can’t say that they haven’t faced a D like MUC’s because Rowan is up there but it is very fair to say that they havent seen an o like MUC’s Springfield is the closest to MUC but MUC is 10 times better
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Haven’t heard anyone refer to Mount Union as one-dimensional since the pre-Chuck Moore days.
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Super57
Pat & Keith get to see alot of different teams play during the season, compared to most, who only see their team and their opponents. They typically have a pretty good feel for what will happen. it’s easy to look at Rowan and believe that somehow they will find a way, simply because for the most part, they always do. Just from looking at scores, i didn’t feel Rowan was as strong this year as they usually are. With the exception of the first Springfield game, SJF has done a nice job. But everyone is always looking at Pat & Keith as the soothsayers, and it’s a tough position to be in. I admire the dedication they have to D3, and in looking at the things they say and predict, they usually are far ahead of the curve when it comes to being accurate. You need to cut them a little slack, and rejoice in the fact that SJF is in the semi’s. Hope your trip to Alliance is a pleasant one.
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:38 pm
I thought that one-dimensional comment was pretty funny myself. Obviously they weren’t in Alliance to see the weather conditions, and to know that LK made a decision to control clock and keep Rocky Pentello off of the field. There is also the X factor of having to prepare for Mount now. Do you assume that Micheli will be the QB? Do you assume that Jorris will be back. Do you prepare for the run or the pass or both? Great coaches have a way of making life miserable for opponents.
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Mainjack you really did not read my post then…because I said I would have made the same decision that they did bassed on what they have seen…now where I don’t agree with what you said is that they choose to make pics just as all of us who put up scores on these boards…when your wrong just as in life…oyu get a little slack…. Ask Portgrad it has become a tradition now that we have him pick against fisher because he is now 0-4 and when picking against fisher and in 3 of those games fisher has won by 28+ alfred 41-13 Union 49-21 and Rowan 31-0 so I have nothing against pat or keith for their picks…just giving them some slack…and will absolutly enjoy Allaince…going to go with some friends and will try to hit up the HOF….
December 3rd, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Thanks for the props Keith! I think fanatic would be much closer than ambassador though, LOL.
As for the camara deal, I stopped bringing mine this year. For those who have experienced Stone Station, they know there are certain weekly traditions that just aren’t conducive to photography. Like “the inner circle”, and the detour to the closest Hooters on the ride home from every road trip. As they say in Vegas, what happens at Stone Station, stays at Stone Station! LOL. In all honesty its fun tailgating with any D3 fan in the country, PERIOD!
My game camera only comes out if it gets me on the the field.
ps. I have seen CNU,WILKES,W&J, and ROWAN in weeks 1 and 2 of the playoffs. What I saw at Wesley was definitely two Top 8 D3 teams. Those were some of the biggest hits I’ve seen in years at that game. As I said yesterday, “Its usually not until the Stagg that you see two rams lock horns, but that game had Stagg Bowl feel and talent on both sides of the field.” This year’s Final 8 may have been the best ever as a group in the D3 playoffs. IMO
December 3rd, 2006 at 4:19 pm
For those who are worried that Wesley isn’t able to run the ball, it should be noted that they have five backs with more than 38 carries this season. They run it - they just didn’t against UMHB because they knew they could be more effective focusing on the passing game.
I mean, who really wants to try to run against MHB…they allowed an average of 28 rushing yards per game
December 3rd, 2006 at 4:22 pm
Super57,
IMHO, the football HOF is very dissappointing compared to the Baseball HOF. But you can decide that for yourself. If you get to Alliance on Friday, stop in at the Neighborhood Inn. it’s about a block from campus. You’ll be treated well.
December 3rd, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Chances are will come in on Saturday but looking to possibly stay saturday night
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:13 pm
D3 Keith & Pat
Coaching will win the Fisher/MCU game…not just the players. Remember that…
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Fisher57,
Yes it will and what coach do you think most would rather have on the sideline in a national semifinal? You predicted SJF so I’m not really sure what your point is about coaching. Mount Union’s coaching at this level has been proven over time and time and time and time and (well you get it) time again.
It’s abmirable that the SJF crowd is so behind their team but we’ve seen this so many times. At least you chose your team in a close game. Anyone from SJF that predicts a 2 touchdown win in Alliance is smoking something I haven’t seen in a long time. Look at Mount Union’s record. With the exception of an 18 point loss to St. John’s in the 2003 Stagg Bowl no one has beaten them by more than 13 points since 1989. Let that sink in, 1989!! If your team wins it will be a hard fought victory. If not, they’re just like everyone else that waltzes into Alliance.
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Fisher57,
D3K and Pat have been around long enough to know what wins games. MUC is rightfully favored….but not guaranteed….to win. Personally, I’m pulling for you guys. UMHB did it two years ago, and you have just as good a shot as they did.
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:43 pm
on any given day anything can hapen anyone can beat anyone…why not saturday
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Pat, Keith, thank you for the kind comments. Gordon, it was good seeing you Saturday. Been a very long weekend for me, just getting on ant here it is Sunday evening. I may not want to come around much because it looks like St. John Fisher is already running into the “yes they are great but they haven’t played us” stuff. I’m just glad to be playing another week, that was a game either team could have won. So who will be representing D3.com in Alliance this coming weekend?
December 3rd, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Superman,
You’re right. It can happen. But to think that they’ll come in and dominate and win by 2 touchdowns or more is just plain silly. It hasn’t been done in Alliance since sometime in the 1980’s. SJF has a very difficult task in front of them. Kudos to SJF for their accomplishments thus far this season.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:15 pm
BucksFan I agree that it is unlikely but maybee we all need to watch Little Giants again…I mean Robinson looks a little like icebox…JK mark
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:18 pm
Seriously some of you SJF faithful are just over the top….
Im a graduate of there and played there and I am hoping like hell they are going to pull it out this weekend. However, to say that SJF is going to walk in there and light up MUC for 5 TDs is just crazy.
If SJF is going to win this game they are going to have to do what they have done all season in running robinson and having kramer manage the game by keeping the chains moving and chewing up the clock. If they do that and dont turn the ball over they’ve got a real chance.
IMO SJF will give MUC a run and the game will be decided in the closing moments.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:27 pm
Here’s what I have to say about the SJF / Mount Union game (Pat Coleman I hope you read this)… Mount Union is the number 1 team in the country, and will remain that way until beaten… They have an awesome football program, and they have earned the respect from anyone who knows anything about football in this civilized world… Period…
Perhaps we’re just looking for a little respect as well… To be here deserves something (I would think)… Can we beat Mount Union - you better bet we can… Will we beat Mount Union - remains to be seen… Are we intimidated by Mount Union - not at all… Will we be the under-dogs - yes we will… Will we be ready for the chance of a lifetime - you bet we will… Will any respect for either team be lost come Saturday - not by this Fisher fan it won’t… And just one other thing - Fisher has this Teamwork thing going on, where they seem to feed off each other, and have what I call a “Refuse-to-Lose” attitude… Let’s face it, they’re not going to get any bigger, stronger, or faster by Saturday, but with this attitude, who knows… Maybe the ball bounces their way a few times…
And, so I don’t get character assinated by being weak and not posting a score, or playing Monday morning Quaterback, I’ll give you a score… SJF 31 - Mount Union 27… If I’m right “Great” we go to Salem, VA, if I’m wrong, I pull for Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl; but I respect the daylights out of both teams…
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:30 pm
Now for the really important stuff. Gotta find out who my alma mater (Ohio State) is going to play for the BCS Championship.
Ric,
I grew up next to the quarterback that got it started for Mount Union. Scott Wolfe transferred from Ohio State to Mount Union and played in two playoff games against Augustana when Augustana was king. Mount Union gave those guys all they could handle back then.
the originalupstate,
Now THAT sounds like a solid gameplan.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:39 pm
upstate I agree with you some of these woodwork fisher fans need to get a grip on it and realize this is quite possibly the toughest game fisher has ever played
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:40 pm
original upstate,
C’mon… that is what fans are, over the top.. that is what makes us fans.
If we are going to be the best, we have to beat the best.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:43 pm
Fisher57….
There is a difference between being a “Fan” and a “Fanatic”.
True that on being the best. However your not going to be the best if you disrespect the best.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Original,
GREAT point on disrespecting the best… as you and I have both played for the program, you and I both know that it only matters if the guys in the locker-room respect their opponent; this squad undoubtedly does. I can care less what the fans say.. it only makes it interesting!
I want the team that lines up against the best with an “i’m better than you” mind set….. you had it, I had it and everyone that has donned the red and gold had it… this team sure does… look for one of the best games in recent playoff history…. gut feel.
December 3rd, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Bucksfan, Wolfe was on the very best of a lot of great QB’s to play at Mount Union.
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Hondo:
I’m glad that you as a person are not intimidated. I would assume you’re not a player, though (doubt Coach Vosburgh would approve) so I’m not sure what effect that’s supposed to have.
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Personally I think Pat nailed it in his 1:46pm post. If Mt Union is giving up 22 yards/gm on the ground, what makes SJF’s run game better than the others they have faced this year?
Believe me I have been in your shoes as far as the trip to Alliance goes. Ric and HSCoach can attest that we at Bridgewater talked and talked about how we were going to upend the purple raiders in 2003. It was the best defense in BC’s history and was ranked in the Top 5 in the country. To boot, BC had played Mt. Union to a 3pt game in the 2001 Stagg Bowl. All know the result, a 66-0 loss. My point is that you need to be balanced on defense and offense to have a chance at winning in Alliance. I think SJF will give Mt Union a game for a half but all bets are off after that.
December 3rd, 2006 at 8:41 pm
what makes SJF different Rowan was holding people to 50 yards per game and go look and see what Fisher did to Rowan….Not saying that they will do it to MUC but they;ve done it before
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:22 pm
I’m not sure I would use Rowan as a measuring stick to Mt. Union, atleast not this year. I saw Rowan play Wilkes in person and attributed Wilkes’ 101 yrds rushing to field conditions. In hindsite I was wrong once I saw the SJF gashed them for 175yrds on Saturday.
The difference between Rowan and Mt. Union is this:
Rowan defensive rushing yards allowed (prior to the playoffs) = 42yds/gm
Rowan defensive rushing yards allowed (during the playoffs) = 117 yds/gm
-not includung the SJF game
Mt Union defensive rushing yards allowed (prior) = 21.5yds/gm
Mt Union defensive rushing yards allowed (during) = 37.5 yds/gm
-not including the Capital game
So as you can see the Rowan run defense was not the same in the playoffs, thus making the 175yds rushing last week not such a suprise. Churn out more than 125yrds against Mount and you might have you a ballgame.
December 3rd, 2006 at 9:23 pm
Mount Union’s offense is going to be on the field just a touch longer than Rowan’s was. MUC’s time of possession was 38 minutes this week. I think it’s safe to say the Purple Raiders can pretty much keep their defense off the field if they want to.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:14 pm
THIS IS AL ABOUT RESPECT! I was sitting at the Fisher Game on Saturday and after every defensive Fisher stand I was obviously excited but grew madder and madder. How can the self proclaimed D-3 experts, who haven’t seen this team play all season run the smack they have over the past 4 weeks. How can they be so far off on how great the defense of Rowan is. Then it hits me when I open the D-3 page. Fisher slays the “Beast of the East”. Beast of what? Its not about how good you are. The fact that you have defeated 4 or is it 5 national ranked teams handily, or the fact that you have 5 defensive shut outs, or that you have been in the top 10 on most of the NCAA stats all season, and in the top 8 of strength of schedule all season, (Rowain 33) NO its about history and being proclaimed by the experts that you are the Beast of the East. Well for one happy and prond fan there is a new Beast of the East and its time for the esperts to proclaim it.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Run smack? Get a grip. If you can’t handle someone picking against your team then you probably shouldn’t be reading picks.
At this level all the teams are good. At some point you have to pick AGAINST a good team. That doesn’t mean you …
You know what, I’m not going to continue. This isn’t worthy raising my blood pressure over.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:19 pm
I know that as a parent you’ve only seen the St. John Fisher games all season. Step outside the bubble and see some other D-III games before you criticize. Oh, and again, I didn’t see YOUR picks either.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
Pat,
When you played college football, how many experts picked against your team?
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:35 pm
Pat,
Also, fairly classy of you going after a parent of a player of SJFC. Leave them alone… they could not be happier for their son(s) at this point. Learn how to take critisism, or stop blogging and shut down your site. In your words.. “If you can’t handle someone [having an opinion about your picks] then you probably shouldn’t be [making] picks.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:52 pm
JT I am a FISHER Alum and I am asking you to stop you are making us look bad… WHO CARES if pat picks against us…HONESTLY I DON’T pat is doing his job so lay off of him for the good of the rest of the Fisher Fans I ask all fisher fans to lay off pat and let him do his job…if you think you can do what he does better go start your own website…untill your website is a successful as pat’s is lay off
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Well for what its worth, two of the computer indices have Fisher as 14 pt and 9 pt underdogs to Mt Union. I would take that as a compliment that it would be viewed that close. Don’t shoot the D3 gurus if they see it differently. Afterall, they know more about the true strengths of the D3 football world. That being said, on any given Saturday anything can happen. I’m just glad the knowledgeable guys on this site are willing to go out on a limb and make a prediction. If its wrong, so be it. As a weekly pick’em participant, I know how hard it is to be right 75% of the time and when it comes to the playoffs, they usually do even better than that.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:59 pm
Fisher57: When you worked in the national media and ran your own Web site, how many picks did you make?
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:01 pm
mainjack,
Really good post at 3:34.
JT_6,
Do you even know what “self-proclaimed” means? Pat and I don’t run around proclaiming ourselves experts. You’ll likely never hear either of us use the word; that comes from you guys. Our opinions are no better than anyone else who has put in seven-plus years of round-the-clock devotion to 200+ football teams.
Fisher57,
When I played, there were no D3 “experts.” Seven years ago, you wouldn’t even have had a place to share your lack of perspective and disrespect for reality.
And if I had a game this week, I would be rejoicing in the fact that nothing a fan or “expert” has to say means anything between the white lines. I’ll bet any amount it makes no difference to the players what anyone but their coaches say.
The reason why no one but other Fisher fans has any love for what you’re saying is because of how you’re presenting yourself.
As a person who seems to have watched St. John Fisher games all season, there’s two ways you can be:
1) You can help the people who haven’t seen a lot of the Cardinals (and there are going to be tons of them on here this week) by providing insight on your team. Let us know what’s to like about them beyond generalities like “they
2) You can blab on about how Mount Union is going to get theirs. Since you clearly don’t know the first thing about the Purple Raiders, why would your insight on them mean anything to the rest of us?
You’re representing your school right now, and you’re doing a bad job. Good thing there are a bunch of Fisher guys with sense scrambling to cover for the clowns among you.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:02 pm
I said all that before I saw Superman57’s latest post, by the way.
He has it nailed.
Fall in line.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 pm
Fisher Fans that aren’t superman57 on here,
SHUT THE UP! Nobody is going to pick you or respect your team or cover your team if you as a fan base are such a-holes!
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 pm
jt_6,
Also, Rowan gave themselves the name Beasts of the East … when they were going to five Stagg Bowls from 1993-99.
When you sustain your success for more than a few seasons, you can give your program a cool little nickname, and others over the years will probably pick up on it.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:06 pm
OOOPS! I put “” and it took it out of that post haha.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:09 pm
Also — All others that have tried to sustain a “dynasty” in the east that are not Rowan have failed miserably. Isn’t it true that no other East team has gotten to the semifinals more than once in the last several years but Rowan.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:10 pm
Portgrad2004,
Well, actually, I would pick a team no matter how obnoxious its fans are if I thought it was the team that was going to win.
Part of doing this job is being able to separate the background noise from the music.
But I think you and Superman57 are on point in trying to tell these guys that for a lot of people around the country who follow D3, these guys are the first impression of St. John Fisher University … and it isn’t coming off as a good one.
Most of us know better. The team going out to Alliance won’t be representing themselves this way, I’m sure.
Also, for the record … We have respected members of the D3 staff who have seen St. John Fisher play this season. It has made more sense geographically to let our staff members that live in New York and Pa. and Conn. to cover the Northeast. Until recently, that group included neither myself nor Pat.
Obviously seeing a team is always better than not seeing them, but it isn’t like D3football.com is flying blind here. You should know better than that.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:17 pm
I didn’t mean you guys Keith, You and Pat are professionals, I just meant in the general d3 community.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:18 pm
D3 Keith… Isn’t #1 your job…expert? For being experts, you guys are much to defensive…. take some critisism and move on. It’s fun to see you guys carry on the way you do at times…
Pat: just the response I was looking for….. thank you.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:21 pm
D3: It’s St. John Fisher COLLEGE, for the record…
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Good Point Fisher.
Wouldn’t want to get caught calling a supermarket a grocery store now would we? LOL! Keep up the good work!
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:33 pm
I say Tomato, you say Tomato …. well this doesn’t work on a message board but you get what I mean lol.
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
WOW!!!!
You people should be enjoying your victory!!!!!! Instead you sit there and complain about your Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome. I guess you all have a perfect score on the pick’ems RIGHT ? The only difference between you and the D3 crew is that they try to break down the data and make an educated guess on who the winner will be. And keep the rest of us entertained…
December 3rd, 2006 at 11:38 pm
OK…Here we go again…
Last Monday, there were several Fisher fans (a few who are posting here) that were what I would truly call “disrespectful” regarding how they were representing their school and in terms of how they were setting an example for the players and students of their school.
First things first, though. I’m the furthest thing from a Rowan fan. I love the fact that a team other than Rowan is representing the East. However, there were points last week where I considered rooting for Rowan — even after calling two consecutive SJF playoff games.
Here’s the point: players, coaches and fans read these boards (yes, players and coaches do — don’t assume otherwise). There is way too much “smack talking” coming from people here — especially stuff that makes absolutely no sense. But, I’ll ignore that last part — it’s the smack talking that really has no place here. This is Division III football — a game played for the love of the game and the epitome of the student-athlete. Moreover, this is the playoff season — we don’t have rivalry games here in which there is the playful “RPI/UNION SUCKS’ banter that has become attached with those prideful rivalries. This is the point in the season where we all, player and fan alike, show that our team is the class of the division.
What does that mean? BE HUMBLE. Even when the opponent was Rowan, a team hated by many, humbleness was the best idea. It