After week one we had our knee-jerk Power Rankings that put Williams as the number one team in the NESCAC…yikes. Well after three weeks the NESCAC has become much more clear so it is time to take another look.
Our full weekend preview won’t be out until first thing Saturday morning so check back in for that.
1. Trinity (3-0)- Last week the Bantams played well below their capabilities and still beat Hamilton by 12. The Bantams are the most talented team in the NESCAC up and down the roster. The offensive line punished teams while the defense makes big plays. We won’t know really how good they are until they finish against Middlebury, Amherst, and Wesleyan.
2. Wesleyan (3-0)- In the first four games of 2013 the Cardinals beat opponents by an astonishing 35.3 points per game. Through three games the margin of victory has been (only) 17 points per game so they have not shown the same type of dominance. They miss LaDarius Drew ’15 who could possibly miss the rest of the year because of a foot injury.
3. Amherst (3-0)- We have said it before, but this is basically the same team as last year. The defense carries them and the offense relies on big plays to score points. Alex Kelly ’17 has emerged as the workhorse back, but once again the QB position is in limbo with Reece Foy ’18 pushing for time behind starter Alex Berluti ’17.
4. Middlebury (1-2)- Two close loses at home have knocked the Panthers out of the conference race early, but they are still a very good team. The defense was almost able to make enough plays to steal the game last week. Matt Milano ’16 was erratic going 9-31 against Amherst. The offense should get back on track against Williams.
5. Tufts (2-1)- The divide between the top four and everybody else is wide. Tufts certainly did not look like the fifth best team on Saturday, but who else can you put here? Zack Trause ’15 was a tackle by the kicker away from another touchdown against Bowdoin and leads the nation in kickoff return average.
> @tuftsfootball senior Zack Trause leading the nation in kickoff returns http://t.co/BrnyX4gYlv Sixth in scoring http://t.co/AwduQWutFf
— Tufts Jumbos (@TuftsAthletics) October 8, 2014
6. Bates (1-2)- Injuries are threatening to hurt Bates in the next couple of weeks so head coach Mark Harriman will have to rely on his depth more than usual. The offense has not had nearly the same amount of punch that it did last year though Matt Cannone ’16 has made major strides as a passer.
7. Williams (1-2)- Well the last two weeks did not go as expected for Williams and the calls for Head Coach Aaron Kelton to be fired are as loud as ever. The team has to rally and find a way to recover quickly.
8. Bowdoin (1-2)- An offense that could not get any points on the board looked sharp against Tufts racking up 463 yards. The defense misses the presence of the three starting linebackers from 2013 as the Polar Bears are allowing six yards per play through three games.
9. Hamilton (0-3)- The Continentals deserve credit for keeping the game against Trinity so tight. The defense is playing at a different level this year allowing the second least first downs per game and tallying the second most tackles per loss per game as a unit.
10. Colby (0-3)- Losing Justin Ciero ’16 to transfer was going to hurt, but that does not explain why the defense has suddenly turned into one of the worst in the league. The Mules have to figure out how to make big plays in the passing game happen.