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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 23, 2023 12:27:34 GMT -5
Stonehill 0, Fordham 10 1:00 2Q
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 23, 2023 12:06:31 GMT -5
The commentators lost their minds when the Army QB, Daly, lowered his shoulder and barreled over a defender. We see that every week!
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 23, 2023 11:27:13 GMT -5
I think you can go over the top easily on Army. Their D line is very good. Will be curious to see how the QB for Syracuse performs today. He is a runner. Although at FBS or FCS Sluka is a major headache for d coordinators
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 23, 2023 11:12:49 GMT -5
Army at Syracuse one to monitor today. offensive line for Army going to work and looking good vs Syracuse. No huge plays but chunk runs. They are excellent at run blocking and mediocre at best pass blocking. Army QB had already taken a hit throwing the ball.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 23, 2023 10:39:37 GMT -5
It's too bad. I think at Fitton we could draw 15k, especially after a rainy weekend this weekend.
First time going to Polar next week, looking forward to a rabid atmosphere. Hopefully we see as many if not more students than previous editions. From what I'm hearing from some of my former students at HC presently, the game and pre-game are now highlights every week. One said "we're a football school now!" Busses to Polar for them I hope.
Almost time to get ready for our game. Hope the weather holds as long as possible!
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 21:23:33 GMT -5
Don’t know what anyone else thinks, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with Harvard tonight. I think they are a .500 team in the Ivy this year. Line is pretty good but their DBs look small. The RB amd TE for Brown dragged defenders on a few of their second half drives. They look bigger than Merrimack but smaller than BC and Yale. Should be ok if everyone is healthy. I think Sluka can pick them apart. Running up the gut could be tough.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 20:57:39 GMT -5
Harvard 34, Brown 31 6:41 4Q
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 20:46:06 GMT -5
Quick strike by Harvard. Small QB but a beautiful pass into Brown territory. Then a 30 yard TD to the TE up the seam. 34-24 Harvard.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 20:43:30 GMT -5
27-24 Harvard early in the 4th. Big TD drive for Brown to pull close.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 9:33:43 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 9:32:28 GMT -5
We definitely need to split the No voted into: 1. No, I like the PL and it’s a good permanent home for us. 2. No, I don’t like the PL but it’s the best available option that is realistic at the moment. The idea that all the No votes mean people are happy in the PL is probably not correct. I would love to see, if the poll was broken down as 92 suggested, how the "no" vote breaks down. It seems like the aforementioned option 2 would garner more votes than option 1. Let's blow the 'gates off the Raiders tomorrow. Leave no doubt.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 22, 2023 8:55:48 GMT -5
Good few posts here. I don't like the context for the "NO" vote, although that was my vote. Like-minded, academic first schools? Meh... it's sort of lame from a recruitment, athletics-serious program perspective. I don't want athletes that are completely separate from and non-representative of the student body. However, you can be in a league that prioritizes athletics, while the schools prioritize academics. I'm not sure it has to be mutually exclusive. I don't think the PL should be giving out summer reading lists, or patches for good grades, but it doesn't mean that the players should be ogres that can't spell their own names. Regarding leaving the PL, pump the brakes. Has our rise in football been precipitous, sustained, and remarkably positive? Yes. We could change leagues tomorrow, Chesney could go to Penn State for $10M a year a day later, and we'd be in serious, serious trouble. You've got to look at that 200 day moving average (or across the last ten years or so). We lose our Swiss Army Knife QB after this year, and a LOT can change quickly. I'm not saying avoid risk and growth, but I am at least cautioning hubris after spending a long time in the wilderness. With the Giants offensive line struggles, while happy for Smith, I am really hoping he is our successor at head coach. Great guy and a great Holy Cross guy. The posts from the Colgate message board about tomorrow's tilt do fall right in line with what you are saying WCHC, about the fickle fleeting nature of success in today's game. With our depth, recruiting, and program status, I am not as worried as I once was. The fact that so many freshman are starting (I noticed 'Gate along with H and Y call them First Years abbreviated to FY--which to me is fiscal year but I digress) gives me great hope for our program. Continue to have buy games to help the bottom line and gain national exposure, I think we ride this out and see where we go. As long suffering posted, a PL team winning a natty or even going to Frisco is wild. There is a real possibility of that. Time is now. Good thing about playing in the PL is we don't have to worry about scheduling those D2 games that some schools are doing these days. And yes if I won the Powerball ( I'd have to convince my wife) I'd endow the football program hands down (after taking care of my family, investing, etc). I wonder how the Yale AD, referenced the other day on here in a Boston Globe NIL article, would react to a donor offering multiple billions to specifically gift to the football program. We wouldn't need to take any of the ACC tv money haha.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 20:26:33 GMT -5
Leaving might make it more appealing for Chesney to stay! Leave the Patriot League! Doesn't make a difference IMO. Chesney next move is FBS. I'm surprised someone hasn't suggested bringing the FBS to Chesney yet and elevating the program. Although I do not think that is the right move, it'd be fun to show UMass how it is done
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 16:16:03 GMT -5
With the current state of Colgate football, I agree. That being said, after the 2018 Yale game or BC's thrashing of HC the following year with Ches at the helm, who would envision the 2023 BC outcome? Perhaps this is a combination of guaranteed money and a hope/expectation that Colgate will be back to their previous form. There are many lower end P5 teams (thinking Virginia, BC, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Indiana, Stanford) we could certainly beat this year. It was the 2017 Yale game. I was standing in the Lot A when a not to be named HC player and a HC Coach walked down the stairs to the former Connecticut Tennis Center. I cannot forget the look on their faces. Quite frankly it was heartbreaking. thanks, Crucis!! Amazing to see the heights the program has climed since that Yale game in 2017. I think our ground game will be on full display but Gate is a bit better against the run than the pass. Giving up a ton through the air. We did throw some vs UNH and in the wind vs Lehigh last year so we'll see.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 13:31:11 GMT -5
I am all for playing quality FBS schools, but this is nuts. With the current state of Colgate football, I agree. That being said, after the 2018 Yale game or BC's thrashing of HC the following year with Ches at the helm, who would envision the 2023 BC outcome? Perhaps this is a combination of guaranteed money and a hope/expectation that Colgate will be back to their previous form. There are many lower end P5 teams (thinking Virginia, BC, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Indiana, Stanford) we could certainly beat this year.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 13:16:00 GMT -5
"all it takes is one football member leaving to disrupt the system and we lose the autobid" I thought we needed to lose 2 schools to lose the autobid? Is that wrong? You are correct, RGS. 6 team minimum for football. I was thinking we only had 6 teams in the league. Forgot about Bucknell when I was counting.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 11:42:43 GMT -5
I would like to see some sort of new conference with a collection of the northern CAA teams, HC, Fordham, Villanova, perhaps UMass and UConn. I can see Merrimack fitting into that conference as well. A new Big East football conference with the academies? If it was a Big East Football conference, the only ones sponsoring football currently are Butler, UConn, Georgetown, and Nova. I think Butler would go for it but not Georgetown. For me the PL does nothing. Too far geographically for my liking and in reality they don't have that much in common with us academically. Perhaps the only thing in common is a like-minded outlook on athletics. That appears to be evolving at Holy Cross.
Holy Cross Fordham Villanova UConn UMass Merrimack UNH Maine Bryant URI (not sure on Butler, SB, Albany, Colgate)
I like the stability of the PL but all it takes is one football member leaving to disrupt the system and we lose the autobid. I wouldn't mind playing one top Ivy per year, but would rather play the likes of Bill and Mary as a non-conference option. I think W&M is more like us than say Maine or URI, so a trip down to beautiful Williamsburg would be ok. A 30 minute ride from Holy Cross to Merrimack or a 55 minute ride to UConn is much better for all sports than a 5 hour ride to Hamilton, a 6 hour ride to Lewisburg, or a 10 hour drive to DC.
I would be in support of the CAA only with divisions and pods that would limit our travel. I think splitting into 2 eight team divisions is reasonable. We play 7 divisional games plus 1 out of division game, and 3 non-conference tilts. That would be ok. Our furthest game would probably be either Villanova or Maine. We already play Maine in women's hockey and Villanova could be in a South division, meaning we only travel down there every few years.
I think FBS is a bit pie-in-the-sky and unreasonable based on financials. Do not get be wrong, we could beat BC, UVA, (and apparently FSU), Vandy, and some other crappy P5 schools this year as well as a bunch of MAC and Sun Belt. No doubt. Did I create an HC football team on the NCAA football video game and play in the ACC back when I was a kid? Yes. That didn't involve finances though!
One more note: With the P5 reduced to a P4 next year and the other "Group of" conferences scrambling to figure things out, I do think it is reasonable for the FBS to have a split. We wind up with 3 Division 1 levels: FBS, the Mediocre Bowl Division, and the FCS. I find the FCS national championship more attractive than the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl or the Bojangles Bowl, however, you do still have a bit of a bowl payout in those instances. If the second tier in my hypothetical three tier system also plays in a bracket, I would sign up immediately. Maybe you could get UConn, UMass, Army, Navy to band together with HC, Fordham, Villanova, UNH and others in a new conference in the 2nd level. Who knows.
Ultimately guys, we have Colgate on Saturday. Let's go undefeated this week. Love seeing all the hypotheticals though.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 7:36:31 GMT -5
Two quick thoughts this morning about Colgate: 1. One of my students pointed out that many of our opponents can watch film and study how to attack our defense/come out strong, but if Colgate is watching BC and Yale film, they won't be able to execute at the same level because of personnel differences and size differences on the offensive line. Interesting insight from a freshman in high school.
2. We all know what Brescia can do with his legs. Still the Colgate offense has 21 passing first downs to only 11 rushing first downs. Perhaps this is due in part to playing Syracuse and Villanova to start the year. 296 yards rushing before yards lost compared to 474 through the air.
That being said, I am not at all worried. Do we need to show up and execute (and start faster on D)? Yes of course, but these are two different level programs right now.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 21, 2023 5:21:17 GMT -5
The updated forecast on Saturday is not promising for a large crowd. Rain with a chance of heavy rain in the afternoon. High 50s. Too bad. These guys deserve a huge crowd on Saturday.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 19:45:29 GMT -5
a promotion and relegation model. I actually kind of like that. Imagine a winning year or two and being promoted from the MWC to the Pac. Wonder if any East Coast conferences would explore a similar model. Certainly is thinking outside the box. SDSU and NDSU are pretty obvious candidates, imo, I wonder what Montana and MSU think.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 19:39:21 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 16:11:20 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 16:02:45 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 8:47:09 GMT -5
Just looking at some of the passing numbers Villanova put up in their game against Colgate. I wonder if we will see some gaudy numbers on Saturday. The weather could have an impact on that portion of the gameplan.
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Post by cruskater31 on Sept 20, 2023 8:19:49 GMT -5
You probably aren’t 75 years old!😉😂 Occasionally I wake up feeling that way (definitely after some golf) sometimes but no, not 75 years old! I am a sucker for paper tickets. I have a large collection from various "major" sporting events including my first game at Fitton vs. Harvard. I do think we should have walk-up tickets. That only makes sense.
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