Hail, Barnstable (The College Years)

[Greyfriars Bobby]

This afternoon, I went over to the Solecismic website to check out FOF7. There, I saw the link to The College Years game. It's certainly not a new game, but I'd never heard of it. It looked like it might be fun...and the next thing I knew, I was downloading it.

I've been spending a little time looking at the screens, getting to know the game, and I think I'm going to write about my experiences as a (very inexperienced) college football coach. There doesn't seem to be a College Years story active on the boards, so why not start one?

Some of you may have played this game for years and, while I'm fairly knowledgeable about the sport in general, TCY is brand-new to me. So, please don't laugh too hard at my n00b struggles.

Now, let's turn the calendar back to 2004, and travel to Barnstable College in Massachusetts, proud member of the Puritan Conference (the renamed Solecismic Eight). I'm going to try to build Barnstable into a force to be reckoned with in the college football world, without sacrificing the academic excellence of the program.

I hope it will be a story you'll enjoy following!

[Greyfriars Bobby]

First, let's meet the key members of my coaching staff.

The Syndicate Coordinator, K.C. Roye, seems OK. He is Decent at maintaining the players' Academic Eligibility, Good at dealing with Syndicate Investigation (which I hope won't be a concern) and Pretty Good at Soliciting Donations.

Our Offensive Coordinator is Tracy Sanford. His only real skill appears to be developing offensive linemen (Very Good), and he's Terrible with QBs and RBs. He's a Lousy play caller, too. Coach Sanford prefers to run the I formation.

The Defensive Coordinator, James Money, is Excellent at developing linebackers and Terrific at rehabilitating injured players, and he's a Very Good play caller. He's Lousy at working with defensive linemen, though. On the whole, he's a better coach than Sanford is.

The coach responsible for scouting players in the Northeast is Kennedy Noried. I'm guessing most of our recruits will come from his territory. He's best at identifying good quarterbacks and defensive backs, and Terrible at spotting talented running backs.

It doesn't look like I can replace these coaches with new ones, so I'll have to make do with them for one season, at least.

I'm going to name our stadium Cape Cod Field, since Barnstable is on the Cape. It's an historic stadium, home to almost 70 years of football history, but it seems like neither the locals nor the alumni care much about the team. The students, however, are another story.

I'm inheriting a program with one of the best academic reputations in the country. Each of our majors is ranked between #14 and #18, and the only subject in which a player cannot major is Industrial Engineering.

Next, we'll take a look at the players who will be taking the field for Barnstable in the 2004 season.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Quarterbacks, Running Backs, and Fullbacks





Burroughs is an easy choice at QB. He has two years of eligibility remaining, so unless I bring in a hotshot recruit, I see him as the starter for a while.

Yonkers should be the team's biggest star. He's very quick and is useful in the passing game, too. Unfortunately I'll only have him for one year. There are some promising underclassmen behind him, though.

I'll use a fullback most of the time in my power I formation. Griffith and Sayre will both play a lot.



As it should be, a player's academic performance seems to be the result of his Intelligence and Aspiration. Cuomo and Levine are both bright, but are horribly lazy. Burroughs doesn't try very hard, and he's a dim bulb, too. We need more student-athletes like Shepard and Covington.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Tight Ends and Wide Receivers





Estrella is a solid option at TE, a good blocker and a decent receiver.

We have several decent options at WR, led by Copeland and Wallerstedt. Both are fearless when going over the middle, and Copeland has breakaway potential. With four graduating seniors, I'll be recruiting WRs heavily.



Most of these boys can find the library as well as the football complex. Carr's intelligence is barely average, but nobody works harder in the classroom.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Offensive Linemen, Kickers, and Punters





Rayburn and Blair will start at tackle. Rayburn is a better run blocker, while Blair is better in pass protection.

Pierce will start at one guard slot, with Foley getting the nod at the other. Kenny will play a good bit, at guard or at center.

Foreman, the team's best offensive lineman, will anchor the line at center.

We're not looking too good on the O-line; we have some younger guys who have potential, but they're a long way from being ready.

Ferderer and Murphy are both good, but both will be leaving after this season. Finding Murphy's replacement will be a priority.



Lofton, an aspiring physician, will be a candidate for All-Academic honors. On the other hand, I wouldn't let Gerhardt anywhere near my teeth, and Korzuk is as dumb as a box of the rocks he examines.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Defensive Linemen





Carter looks like a great player for this level, effective as a pass rusher and as a run stopper. Wingard, the other DE, is especially good against the run.

I'm going to run a 3-4 defense, with Drake and Houston both seeing some time at nose tackle. Neither of them is worth getting excited about.



Academically speaking, there's some good (Houston and Prescott) and some bad (Edwards, Fuld, and Drake) here.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Linebackers





Wason, a sure tackler despite his lack of size, will start on the strong side. Dreslough, who hopes to realize his potential as a senior, mans the weak side.

Camacho and Herkel are both good at controlling the running game. They'll start in the middle.

I'm convinced Bates might be better than our staff think he is, and Farrell has the potential to be an impact player one day.



A good group of students, with Dreslough and Farrell the only potential academic problems.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Defensive Backs





Roberson will regularly be matched against the other team's top receiver. He's also a dangerous return man. Truitt, who has lots of potential, and Hamrick will play the other corner.

Kudrow, a vicious tackler, is the strong safety, with Mathes at free safety. True freshmen Ross and Coles will also see the field.

The secondary looks like an area of relative strength for us.



Kudrow has some serious issues with the student/athlete balance.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here's our schedule for the 2004 season. Puritan Conference games are highlighted in blue.



No non-conference games at home?? What was our AD thinking??

This could shape up to be a rough year...

[Vince, Pt. II]

That is a...rough offensive line. Nice to have two solid DE's though. Been a long while since I've fired up TCY...maybe it's time to dust that puppy off and get back into it.

Good luck

[Young Drachma]

lol @ puritan conference. good luck.

[Izulde]

You have a sizable recruiting advantage by getting lucky with the academic dice rolls. Be sure to use it.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Good point - I had to house rule myself away from stacking the deck on the education side of things, because once you get your academic rep up, you pretty much own any of the academic desire recruits. And TCY has WAY more of them than there are in real life.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

lol @ puritan conference. good luck.

I laughed as well. Will be following along.

I really wish this would get updated..... BBCF just never really did much for me

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Thanks for the comments, encouragement, advice, and laughs. It's good to see some of you following along.

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

lol @ puritan conference. good luck.

Originally Posted by muns

I laughed as well. Will be following along.

I really wish this would get updated..... BBCF just never really did much for me

Thanks! I thought about naming it the Bay State League, but Puritan Conference made me laugh, too. I could change it someday, but for now I kinda like it.

Originally Posted by Izulde

You have a sizable recruiting advantage by getting lucky with the academic dice rolls. Be sure to use it.

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Good point - I had to house rule myself away from stacking the deck on the education side of things, because once you get your academic rep up, you pretty much own any of the academic desire recruits. And TCY has WAY more of them than there are in real life.

I think I already began to see a little bit of my advantage as I put together my first recruiting class. For now, I think it only serves to help cancel out the crap job I do with recruiting because I'm new. I hope to one day be in a position to have to impose a house rule to limit my success.

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

That is a...rough offensive line. Nice to have two solid DE's though. Been a long while since I've fired up TCY...maybe it's time to dust that puppy off and get back into it.

Good luck

I'd never heard of it; I didn't think there was a college football game at all, and now it appears that there are two. I think I've already gotten $9.95 worth of fun out of TCY, so I'm pleased with my purchase.

As it turned out, I had THREE defensive ends who could do some work, and my quarterback paid the price for that offensive line's inability to keep him on his feet.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2004 Offseason



My first year as a head coach turned out surprisingly well. We enjoyed some success in the Puritan Conference, and ended the season on a roll.



I lost a long post about the season that I can't put myself in the mood to try to recreate. Here's the bullet-point version:

• T.J. Yonkers was as good as advertised. When he was on, so were we. He rushed for 213 yards on 31 carries in our season opener, and had big games in each of our seven wins.
  
  
• Quarterback Will Burroughs matured significantly over the course of the year. He became an accurate, dangerous passer during the four-game winning streak that ended the season, and engineered a nine-play, 80-yard game winning drive at Lawrence. However, he'll long be feeling the effects of each of the 38 sacks he suffered, as his line failed to keep even Puritan Conference pass rushers out of his grille.
  
  
• Juan Carter was a game-changer at DE, all season long. The emergence of Mickey Farr as a dangerous pass rusher gave our defense an additional edge, and helped compensate for a mid-season injury to DE Reuben Wingard.
  
  
• Strong safety Bryant Kudrow hit everything in sight, except the books. His highest grade was a C-.
  
  
• Another injury, this one to center Winston Foreman--our most dependable O-lineman--opened the door for Will Kenny, who proved to be a fine run blocker.

I'll be back with some stats, post-season honors, and information about my first recruiting class.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2004 Post-Season Honors



According to the polls, we were the best team in the Puritan Conference, ahead of Brockton and New Bedford, the teams who finished ahead of us in the league.




Barnstable players dominated the skill positions on the All-Conference first team offense.

Burroughs led all conference passers in completions (166, in 307 attempts), yards (2,033), touchdowns (17) and quarterback rating (116.2).

Yonkers carried 171 times for 1,050 yards and 13 TDs. He led the league in yards and rushing touchdowns, and his 1,598 yards of total offense and 14 total TDs also were tops.

Sayre caught 24 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns, and was a powerful lead blocker.

Wallerstedt hauled in 26 passes, good for 492 yards (18.4 avg) and two TDs.

Murphy connected on 14 of 20 field goal attempts and 36 of 37 PATs. He delivered two clutch field goals in the last five minutes of the Western Michigan game to clinch the victory.



Carter, our only first team All-Puritan defender, was in on 66 tackles--48 solo--and racked up seven sacks. He pressured the opposing passer 15 more times.


We placed three more players on the All-Puritan second team offense.



Hernandez led the team with 28 receptions, good for 406 yards and two scores.

Foley, a pleasant surprise at guard, succeeded on 40.1 percent of his key blocks, and was our best pass protector, by far.

Ferderer averaged 34.8 yards on 58 punts, dropping 12 of them inside the 20.

And here's the second team All-Puritan defense.



Wingard's injury probably also cost him a place on the first team defense. He finished the year with 55 tackles (41 solo), 1.5 sacks, and 8 TFL in seven games.

Herkel (61 tackles, 15 solo) and Wason (55 tackles, 20 solo) were effective against the run. Herkel also intercepted a pass and returned it 35 yards.

Roberson made 42 tackles (30 solo), intercepted a pass, and broke up 6 other pass attempts. Opposing QBs tested him only 21 times, a better measure of his skill.

And, finally...



I only wish we had him for more than one year.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

2004 Recruiting

I really enjoy the recruiting aspect of this game! Here's my first recruiting class:





Christian Robbins is the prize of the class. As a high school senior, he caught 78 passes for 2,030 yards and 15 TD, and he's among the top 10 wideouts in the country. I wish I'd brought in another WR or two--we lost four to graduation--but the one we got should be a star.

William Boerigter is also a huge get for us, the #9 offensive tackle in the country who, fortunately for us, wanted to stay close to home and get a high-quality education.

Not many schools seem to want fullbacks, so we snagged a very good one in Connecticut's Gabe Hubbard. He rushed for 645 yards and caught passes for 738 more as a senior.

Mitchell Dole will hopefully help soften the blow of losing T.J. Yonkers. Dole excelled as a runner (1633 yards rushing) and as a receiver (878 yards), and has an eye for the end zone (22 TD).

Desmond Atkins will need time to develop, but he has the potential to be a dominant force.

I also signed two mobile quarterbacks, a kicker with potential, and several solid defensive players. Plus, I got Fireball Johnstone, who has one of the best names ever.

I think I snagged a few players who were overlooked by bigger schools because the athletic preparation they received in high school wasn't very good. Dole, for example, didn't get offers from any schools outside the Patriot Conference.

And I was able to bring in some outstanding students, too.



Doug Jordan and Lionel Houck both nearly maxed out their test scores, while Ross Heyer and Johnstone both pulled a 3.80 or better. None of the recruits is a dummy; all broke 1100 on their boards and Dole's the only one who didn't have a B average in high school.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

As the 2005 season dawns, let's meet the Barnstable team. We'll begin with the offense. Each player's current and potential rating, as our staff see them, are in parentheses.

Quarterbacks, Running Backs, and Fullbacks



Burroughs (32/48), last year's All-Puritan first team quarterback, is back for what I hope will be a big senior season. Lewis (20/45), the more advanced of the two freshmen QBs, is now his backup. Shue (6/57) might redshirt.

True freshman Dole (25/68) has huge shoes to fill, taking over the tailback position where J.T. Yonkers starred last season. Lowe (25/44) returns as a very capable backup.

Hubbard (18/85), another true freshman, will get the first crack at FB, because of his huge upside. If he's not ready, Sayre (25/46) and Lubbers (32/44), a transfer from East Carolina, can step in.


Tight Ends and Wide Receivers



Robbins (49/99) should be a force from Day One, with the ability to make game-changing plays. Wallerstedt (49/49), a first team All-Patriot pick, will also be a key part of the Barnstable offense. Carr (25/43) caught four passes, but scored twice. He's the third WR. We have NO depth here, whatsoever.

Estrella (42/45) will be a bigger part of our passing game this season. Johnstone (15/58) is raw, but has lots of upside.


Offensive Linemen and Specialists



I'm going to take a chance and let Boerigter (11/82) try to grow into the job at one tackle spot, with senior Rayburn (26/32) at the other. If Boerigter can't cut it yet, I'll replace him with Blair (24/24), last year's starter.

Likewise, Atkins (16/72) will get a shot at guard, with Pierce (26/26) waiting in the wings. Foley (31/45), a second team All-Conference player, is the other guard.

Kenny (40/40), who filled in so admirably last year, returns for his final season as the leader of the O-line. Heyer (4/39) is his reserve.

Our offensive line might end up being very young or very experienced, and I hope it turns out to be good.

Aydelotte (23/50) is the new placekicker, while Gerhardt (33/35) returns as the punter.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Oops...I almost forgot the yearly "report card" from Professor Laertes.



Our 7-4 record and our strong finish certainly helped our Team Performance grade.

We had an idiot walk-on flunk a class, or our Academic Performance grade would have been better. We slipped four spots, to #22, on the academic rankings, although our rating (62) remained the same. Hopefully our academically-strong recruiting class will help turn that trend around. I noticed we got a walk-on punter who's an absolute moron, however.

If I cut the dummies, will I get new walk-ons who might be brighter, or will I upset the team too much? Any advice I could get from any TCY veterans out there would be appreciated.

Speaking of recruiting...look at that grade! Our recruiting class was ranked #62 by USA Today. Our closest Puritan Conference rival, Brockton, came in at #108, with the others even farther down. Interestingly, Florida State's class was ranked dead last! The 'Noles HAVE to be under some kind of Syndicate sanctions.

We were only on TV once, so we didn't bring in much money there.

Our alumni and the people of Barnstable have started to like the team more this season; their loyalty has risen to Fair from Poor. And, we have a new Syndicate Director, who's Good at all the aspects of his job.

On the whole, a satisfying first year. Plus, it was a lot of fun.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Now, a look at our 2005 defense. We have to replace several key players on this side of the ball, including some All-Conference honorees.

Defensive Linemen



Wingard (39/39), undersized but tough as nails, returns at one DE and hopes for an injury-free senior year. Farr (39/39) was a devastating pass rush specialist last year, and he'll be counted on for every-down duty in '05. We'll miss All-Conference star Juan Carter here, big time. Houck (12/27) is a long way from being ready, and Edwards (10/42) has potential, but his academic issues are keeping him off the field.

We're going to run a 3-4 base defense again this year, with Houston (22/22) at nose tackle. He's the best of a poor lot of options, with Bycroft (13/35) also not quite ready for prime time.


Linebackers



One of the freshmen, Duffy (23/35) or Earhart (19/41) will need to start at OLB. Duffy is more polished right now, but Earhart has real potential as a run destroyer. Gritty little Wason (36/38), whom I like a lot, returns on the other flank.

Camacho (28/33), who battled injuries last season, and Weaver (24/25), who played a good bit on passing downs, give us two seniors at ILB.

Andersen (9/40) and Farrell (13/52) have promise, and they'll be important reserves this year.


Defensive Backs



The task of replacing Ray Roberson will fall to first year Jordan (14/49), who shows signs of being a shutdown corner one day. Truitt (18/46), who held his own as a freshman last year, returns at the other corner, and he will cover the other team's most dangerous threat.

Our three best safeties all graduated, leaving us with unproven Ross (25/36) and Coles (24/40) to hold the fort this season. They were on the field for a combined total of 66 defensive plays in '04. In a perfect world, Quinn (9/49) would redshirt, but I'm not sure I can afford that luxury.

On paper, our defense will fall short of the standard established by last season's unit, which was led by a number of seniors.

[Greyfriars Bobby]

Here's our 2005 schedule. It's significantly easier than last year's, at least on paper.



I'll take a shot at predicting how we'll do.

WINS: Louisiana-Lafayette, Brockton, Lowell, Fitchburg, Lawrence, Worcester.
LOSSES: New Bedford, Rutgers.
TOSS-UPS: Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Springfield.

We actually have a shot at going into our final game of the season with a 10-0 record, if the breaks go our way. The season opener at Ohio and the rivalry game at Springfield will be tricky, though.

I'll give us two out of three in the toss-ups, and predict an 8-3 record.


Recruiting Priorities
1. Offensive linemen. We'll lose five OL to graduation, so we need to seriously re-stock this cabinet.

2. Wide receivers. Only one will graduate off this year's team, but that leaves us with only four on the roster, and one is a converted quarterback.

3. Defensive linemen. Both ends are seniors, and we're very soft at tackle.

[BYU 14]

Man, I too really wish this game would get an update!! This has me wanting to dig out my CD and load it up again!

[Izulde]

I'm another one who wants a TCY 2. Every once in a while I get the urge to play it again, though.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Greyfriars Bobby

I'd never heard of it; I didn't think there was a college football game at all, and now it appears that there are two. I think I've already gotten $9.95 worth of fun out of TCY, so I'm pleased with my purchase.

TCY is fantastic, you'll definitely get much more than your money's worth. It's actually the reason I found this forum, way back in 2000. Damn...I've been hanging around these parts for 15 years.

[muns]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm another one who wants a TCY 2. Every once in a while I get the urge to play it again, though.

If there was even a small update- maybe just to get the conferences aligned would be real nice. That's really the only thing that prevents me from firing it up again. Everything else can be managed by house rules.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by muns

If there was even a small update- maybe just to get the conferences aligned would be real nice. That's really the only thing that prevents me from firing it up again. Everything else can be managed by house rules.

I'd like a few updates along with that. I'd love these:


1. Give me the ability to add teams into SOL8 from anywhere in the nation, not just limited to the lat/long of a certain state. That way I can add in any 8 teams I feel are best. App State. Florida International. UMass Amherst. Liberty. Some of the best that entered in the last few years.

2. Let me change the bowls around so I can change who goes to which bowl


3. Give me the ability to move around teams. That way I could move folks around to reflect changes as they happen in the future.

4. Give me the ability to change the name of everything. Championship? MVP award? etc