Bye Week and Game #3 @ William Jewell

[VULB#62]

It's two weeks before the Crusaders go to Kansas City to play William Jewel.  WJC won on Saturday 29-26 vs. Southwest Baptist

William Jewel College:
Ranking: #146 National Liberal Arts College (2014)
Undergraduates: 1,052 (2014)
Acceptance rate: 60.90% (2014)
Tuition: $31,000 USD (2014)

Coach C says they are going "back into camp" over the next two weeks to find the most competitive 22 football players for this game.  Let's see what that produces on September20th.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Bye is currently favored by -3.5

[VUDad]

Glad to see the timing of the bye week. A good chance to assess and shift before too much season has flown past. Plus, it gives Jake more time to heal. Not feeling any game score prediction.

[usc4valpo]

too early for a prediction.  62, are you looking forward to seeing USC making a trip to BC?

[bbtds]

Bye is currently favored by -3.5

So the theme this week for Valpo football is





'N Sync - Bye Bye Bye

[valpotx]

I think that we can pull this one out:

Valpo 28
WJC 24

[VULB#62]

too early for a prediction.  62, are you looking forward to seeing USC making a trip to BC?

After the USC win over Stanford, I am NOT looking forward to their appearance in Chestnut Hill -- especially after BC's loss to Pitt on Friday.  I won't predict the WJC score at this point, but I'm thinking USC by maybe blow-out numbers.

[usc4valpo]

that would be a beautiful thing.  USC has a way to go but they look like they are in the right direction.  I am concerned if they can get up for this game after the battle at the Farm last Saturday.

[usc4valpo]

A few notes going into the WIlliam Jewell matchup:

1.  Jewell's roster very much full of freshmen and sophomores.  Very few upperclassmen
2.  Their stadium looks pretty nice and it is a beautiful campus in a nice town north of KC
3.  Much more of a ham and egger than St. Joe; give the team BBQ after the win.
4.  Lots of great BBQ places, the best IMO is Jack Stack's but OK Joes is definitiely worth checking out
5.  Hana's donuts are outstanding; their coffee is really good too.

[VULB#62]

I second the BBQ recommendation  I worked in Overland Park (south side of the city) all last year and BBQ is a definite choice.  Jack Stack is a full blown restaurant and sometimes the wait for seating can be an hour+.  Oklahoma Joe's is more cafeteria style and informal.  Both serve up great BBQ.

But, hey, let's stop with this ham and egger stuff when referring to any program that can offer 25 football scholarship.  That's 25 more than Valpo.  Based on our record the last several years WE are the ham and egger on everyone's schedule.

[covufan]

Bye week prediction - we don't lose this week. 

For the Wm Jewell game, it should be another close game.  I'm hoping that our offense gets healthy and we really perform.

Valpo          34
Wm Jewell    30

[usc4valpo]

Saders 27
Jewell 17

62, I will have to respectfully disagree - the Crusader should be able to defeat small schools.  Regarding the 25 scholarships, does that really make a difference?  The players at Valpo are getting academic scholarships.  At the end, money is money.

Valpo should beat teams like Jewell.

[VULB#62]

We agree to disagree.  And we are also a small school.  But I think/hope your prediction is spot on.

[usc4valpo]

62 - it is all good.  I appreciate using the "ham and egger" term for "tomato can" teams.  A famous manager once used to describe various opponents as "ham and eggers" and I have used that term now and then.

I am not a Koolaid optimist like some on the board, but this should be and will be a win for the Saders. Will I predict a win against Drake or San Diego or Butler or Dayton - no.  This game - yes.

[VULB#62]

I am in line with that approach.  Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but one game that should be a win is Missouri Baptist at homecoming on October 11.  MBU, in its first year,  is 0-2 so far having lost to FCS SE Missouri State ( 77-0) and University of St. Francis (IN) (42-10). But these guys are not backing down from competition and had a back who ran for 117 yards against a very good St. Francis team last week. FCS-wise, in addition to SE Mo State and Valpo they also play @ Campbell.

[VULB#62]

Some games we should be monitoring in our off week:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014
Charleston Southern 34, Campbell 10    -- CSU is FCS scholarship. Campbell so far has played and lost to 2 FBS teams and CSU.   

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2014
Dayton at Duquesne        12:00 p.m.
San Diego at Jacksonville        12:00 p.m.
Davidson at VMI        1:30 p.m.  Davidson beat a team with no campus and then lost to D-II Catawba.  VMI is FCS scholarship.
Drake at Western Illinois        4:00 p.m. Goes back to the comparative speculation thing.
Butler at Youngstown State        4:00 p.m.  We know how good YSU usually is -- be interesting to see how Butler measures up after squeaking by Wittenberg.
Georgetown at Marist        6:00 p.m. Marist could be having a down year.  Georgetown is 0-2 in the Patriot.
Mercer at Stetson        6:00 p.m.
Morehead State at Eastern Kentucky        6:00 p.m.

[bbtds]

I am in line with that approach.  Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but one game that should be a win is Missouri Baptist at homecoming on October 11.  MBU, in its first year,  is 0-2 so far having lost to FCS SE Missouri State ( 77-0) and University of St. Francis (IN) (42-10). But these guys are not backing down from competition and had a back who ran for 117 yards against a very good St. Francis team last week. FCS-wise, in addition to SE Mo State and Valpo they also play @ Campbell.

Too be honest with you I'm not as comfortable with the Homecoming game as I once was since reading this. I think Valpo should win but if MoBap has a decent running back-----still too much unknown at this time and Valpo can't take any college football team lightly.

[VULB#62]

Agree bbtds.  For a first year NAIA program they have scheduled some tough customers.  It's a far cry from Davidson scheduling College of Faith.  Mizzou Baptist has a pretty strong and comprehensive athletic program.  FB is just being added within an established infrastructure.  They have a 92 player roster.  62 Freshmen, 24 sophs and 6 juniors.  Of those 92:  14 are 200-219, 13 are 220-259, 11 are 250- 275, 3 are 276-300, and  6 are over 305. 

College of Faith is far from that.

But we are way ahead of ourselves at this point. Gotta concentrate on a good bye week and then Wm. Jewel.

[bbtds]

Gotta concentrate on a good bye week

[usc4valpo]

I was lol-ing seeing that.  I remember the White Sox back in 70's at the old Comiskey Park when they had Fantasy Island night with Tattoo at the game batting away.  Then the exploding scoreboard  went off after a Fantasy home run.

[bbtds]

Tattoo certainly wasn't an all work and no play guy

[valpochgo]

Is the only reason expectations are higher against William Jewel is because they are D2 (scholarship) and Valpo is D1?  There is more than just scholarship "money" that gives other scholarship schools an advantage.  Scholarship schools can weight lift/practice the whole summer where Valpo only practices a month before their first game.  The NCAA now allows universities to give 24 hour unlimited meals to all athletes even walk-ons. Valpo doesn't offer unlimited free meals to their football players so many may be hungry at night and in recruiting this will also hurt us.   If Valpo doesn't give athletic scholarship they could at least cover football players meals or offer them a dorm in the summer to stay on campus and workout even if they still had to pay for a summer classes. That's why other teams even St. Joe look bigger than Valpo because they workout all year and summer and most Valpo players don't.   When recruiting Valpo won't attract the same caliber of athletes that other schools will because the facilities are below most D3 schools for football players.  The locker room is a joke and any kid smart enough to be accepted at Valpo will also be accepted at other highly ranked universities.   So really most kids that attend Valpo are "tweeners"...they probably had many D3 and D2 offers but didn't get a D1 scholarship so they choose Valpo because they want to say "I played D1 football" but really they are no different than most D3 kids because they basically "pay to play."

The real issue is why can't Valpo compete in the Pioneer League where the "playing field" is equal?  I believe the main reason has been our facilities and recruiting.  If Butler and Valpo want the same kid and he visits both schools he's going to Butler because their weight and locker rooms are much better (I know Valpo just upgraded the weight room so I'm talking historically) unless the kid wants to major in engineering.  I recently went to visit Rose Hulman in Terre Haute and their locker room was just beautiful!  If a small D3 school can invest $30K in nice lockers then why can't Valpo?  I guess Coach Cecchini has do another fundraiser alumni for money again to get a locker room upgrade?  The university should be ashamed that they haven't stepped up at all and done something other than switching helmets and coaches to improve the program. "No" I don't think putting a track around a football field will make a potential football recruit say "Wow look at that track.... I want to play football for Valpo." Valpo Athletic Dept. sends the football players an email asking them for $400 to buy their football helmet so they could keep it.  They sacrifice so much of their time, energy, body etc..for the team for 4 years with no scholarship then you ask them to pay for their equipment? 

I'm not sure if Valpo can beat William Jewell because I've never seen WJ play.  Yet if we do it will be all about Valpo coaching because we are "basically" playing with the same kids we've had and those players had the same facilities, talent and practice time on the field that they've always had......  Other than Kye Hall and maybe 2 other freshman I haven't seen our young guys so I would assume they aren't ready yet.

[VULB#62]

Thanks for the post and welcome to the forum valpchgo.  Much of what you mention has been discussed here multiple times from a multitude of perspectives.  Generally, while not speaking for anyone else, the facilities thing is an issue that I believe we all accept as valid as is your perception of some of the D-III characteristics of a non-scholarship D-I FCS program.  However, there are other issues you cite that might not be as valid.

Year round vs. Valpo not year round:  Carlson before him and Cecchini both have instituted supervised as well as unsupervised off-season training programs and the new weight room is going to be an even bigger contributor to the year-round aspect of the football program.  In addition there is a full Spring football schedule that complies with NCAA rules, just like any other D-I program.

24 hour unlimited meals:  I don't think our players go to bed hungry during the school year.  There is no FB training table like at Alabama, but all the students are part of the meal plan should they choose like any other student.

On campus over the summer:  For a number of summers FB players have been staying on campus and hitting the weights and doing other FB stuff to maintain their shape and improve strength.  While not everyone, I have heard numbers like 30-35 do this.  It's voluntary.

Again welcome aboard.

[vumsb]

I must agree with valpochgo on several fronts. I applaud coach Cecchini for all he has done to make these players finally feel like they are playing for a D1 program. The weight room is first class and one the players are excited about. The workouts, attitude and expectations are from a place of D1 mentality and the kids are motivated and working hard. They want to win and I believe they will.

However, as far as 24 hour unlimited meals: the players ARE going to bed hungry. Yes, they are part of a meal plan, but the food is so expensive (they get no discounts, etc) they do not want to spend too much for fear their plan will not last until the end of the semester. Consequently, they end of buying pizza or getting fast food as it is cheaper than Valpo's food.... Yet still costing them even more than they can afford. They routinely lose weight during the season, something our linemen especially cannot afford to do.  The NCAA directive of unlimited food for D1 athletes sadly does not cover the non-scholarship schools.... Whose players need it the most (they already spend a small fortune to "pay to play").  If they players ate enough during the football season to not be hungry, their meal plan would run out mid-semester.  They are hungry. Period.

As far as training and staying on campus over the summer, yes; players are welcome to stay and work out. Unfortunately, they are not provided dorms to stay in at no charge. I guarantee that if housing was provided the majority of players would stay and work out with teammates. Again, financial constraints. Players simply cannot afford to pay full tuition and housing during the school year then also pay for housing over the summer. Instead they are going home and working full time and training so they can afford to return to school in the fall and play football.

Again though, thrilled with the new coaching staff and the efforts Cecchini is making with the facilities and the program. The players feel respected. They, in turn, respect Cecchini. Step in the right direction.

[VULB#62]

VUMSB,  welcome aboard too.  Not being in close contact with the players on a day-to-date basis, which you seem to be, I'll take your's and Valpochgo's words as what's happening regarding the food issue.  I don't know what the NCAA rules are regarding the free dorm rooms in the summer might be.  But, regardless, I can see the hardship in ponying up additional personal funds to stay on campus -- especially if it might mean forfeiting a summer job back home that helps to defray the cost of school.

Glad to hear that there is a positive coaching staff/players relationship building. That kind of relationship is very much needed in order to move the whole program forward.  We still have to get bigger, stronger, faster and deeper over the next year or so and that, unfortunately, is a slow process.