Catching up
A few things...
After double checking, my explanation of the MU scholarship football situation is correct..MU and all NEC schools can have the equivalent of a maximum of 30 scholarship players on the team at one time. That means if they are divided in half they could have 60 players on half scholarships, etc.
As for football recruiting...MU can evaluate players live right on through the end of the high school season. In past years there were some NCAA restrictions during the season but no more.
I have no specifics but I believe I am safe in saying MU, now armed with scholarships, will be going after the best players in the Shore and NJ.and some from out of state they can track. MU may now more seriously compete with the likes of Delaware, Hofstra, etc. for players .
Like in basketball there are some kids (ie Knowshon Moreno) who are big time D1 and out of reach but the scholarships places MU within reach of a caliber of athlete they had no shot at before..but this holds true for all NEC schools.
As for playing Rutgers as someone mentioned..I think that's a waaaays down the road. MU would like to play Princeton in football but that hasn't come about..
The whole key to further upgrading MU athletes is the proposed new basketball arena. Once that's up and running MU could think about a higher level conference, about maybe doing some things with Kessler Field. There are thought of at least expanding the football press box (hooray!!) and a baseball pressbox is in the works.
But consider this. When Rider and Marist left the NEC in the late '90's they trumpeted loudly their joining the MAAC. Well since then..how many times has their men's basketball teams been to the NCAAs? The answer is none. MU has gone three times since and MU fans have enjoyed new heights of excitement. So you always have to look before you leap (very original phrase.. right?) but it makes sense.
This weekend ...my plans for tonight are to do a column at the BlueClaws game..be at MU fball tomorrow..and the TRN-Brick game tomorrow night..I mention this only because it will cut down on my blogging volume some what until later tomorrow night....Thanks for your patience.
After double checking, my explanation of the MU scholarship football situation is correct..MU and all NEC schools can have the equivalent of a maximum of 30 scholarship players on the team at one time. That means if they are divided in half they could have 60 players on half scholarships, etc.
As for football recruiting...MU can evaluate players live right on through the end of the high school season. In past years there were some NCAA restrictions during the season but no more.
I have no specifics but I believe I am safe in saying MU, now armed with scholarships, will be going after the best players in the Shore and NJ.and some from out of state they can track. MU may now more seriously compete with the likes of Delaware, Hofstra, etc. for players .
Like in basketball there are some kids (ie Knowshon Moreno) who are big time D1 and out of reach but the scholarships places MU within reach of a caliber of athlete they had no shot at before..but this holds true for all NEC schools.
As for playing Rutgers as someone mentioned..I think that's a waaaays down the road. MU would like to play Princeton in football but that hasn't come about..
The whole key to further upgrading MU athletes is the proposed new basketball arena. Once that's up and running MU could think about a higher level conference, about maybe doing some things with Kessler Field. There are thought of at least expanding the football press box (hooray!!) and a baseball pressbox is in the works.
But consider this. When Rider and Marist left the NEC in the late '90's they trumpeted loudly their joining the MAAC. Well since then..how many times has their men's basketball teams been to the NCAAs? The answer is none. MU has gone three times since and MU fans have enjoyed new heights of excitement. So you always have to look before you leap (very original phrase.. right?) but it makes sense.
This weekend ...my plans for tonight are to do a column at the BlueClaws game..be at MU fball tomorrow..and the TRN-Brick game tomorrow night..I mention this only because it will cut down on my blogging volume some what until later tomorrow night....Thanks for your patience.
posted by Tony Graham at 4:16 PM
3 Comments:
The MAAC is dead in football. Down to five teams of which only Duquesne can be said is competitive at the D1AA level on a regular basis. Marist has some up years but not regularly. LaSalle, Iona and St. Peter's are really not competitive at all. Today I have a feeling the Hawk players were looking past the Peacocks and at Colgate. Good job taking care of business in the second half.
I agree on all counts. Except for the Dukes the MAAC certainly isn't as committed to football as the NEC, in my opinion.
MU was a far more effective team Saturday in the second half. Did everyone see that Albany beat No. 11 (1-AA) Delaware in Del., 17-10 MU plays at Del..it's either next year or 2008. And Albany last week lost to Fordham which this week was drubbed by Columbia. Colgate (1-1), which MU visits Saturday, needed two fourth quarter TD to subdue Dartmouth, 28-7.
I liked the way Rob Lutz ran Saturday and Ryan Skorupka looked very promising on that 24-yard TD. Dave Sinsi can't be fumbling though after making catches as happened near the end of the first half and led to a SP field goal. But overall Sinsi has done well
Saturday night I covered the TR North-Brick High School game. TR North won, 7-0. A couple of players on TR North I'd like to see MU get involved with..esp. TR QB Arin West (his brother David is at Albany). A. West will be a d back in college. He told me schools he is hearing from or likes include Syracuse, Penn State, Maryland, and Delaware. Not sure how heavily they're all involved. The college evaluation period for high school seniors is just beginning as we noted in an earlier comment.
The following from the NEC web site...
Football is now in its 11th season, and in just the last two Saturdays, the league has thrown together its two all-time biggest wins. Last Saturday, Central Connecticut State dropped six-time I-AA National Champion and No. 13 Georgia Southern on the road, and this Saturday night, Albany toppled No. 11 Delaware on the road, a program which captured an NCAA title three short years ago. The Great Danes jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and held on the beat the Blue Hens, 17-10. Albany (2-1) quarterback Daniel Bocanegra threw a 38-yard touchdown to Josh Furnas in the first quarter and ran one in himself late in the second quarter. On Friday night Central Connecticut State (3-0) traveled to New Haven and improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1973 with a 29-26 win over the Owls. Fittingly next Saturday, Albany hosts CCSU in the most anticipated NEC opener in league annals. Combined this week, the NEC was 6-2 and finished the pre-NEC slate with a 14-10 non-conference record, including a 2-2 mark versus top-25 I-AA opponents. Also improving to 3-0 this week were Monmouth and Wagner. The Hawks knocked off Saint Peter's, 36-12, while Wagner trounced Marist, 38-7. Sacred Heart (1-2) and Robert Morris (1-2) picked up their first wins of the seasons on Saturday as the Pioneers earned a win over Iona, 27-16, and the Colonials walloped Butler in Indianapolis, 35-14. Saint Francis (PA) (1-2) dropped its second straight, falling to Duquesne, 41-10. Stony Brook (0-3) had the toughest matchup of the weekend, meeting top-ranked New Hampshire at Durham. The Wildcats downed the Seawolves, 62-7.
I believe the NEC has a shot at getting a representative in the Sports Network's I-AA College Football Poll. It's not just one team doing it in the NEC. It's several and that's were I think their best chance lays at, strength in numbers, more than one team serving the knock out blow. Last week CCSU, this week Albany for the second time this year (this shows the Danes were clearly looking past Fordham last week!). What's needed now is for Monmouth to make this a confirmation next week at Colgate, making it their third OOC victory this year.
Post a Comment
<< Home