Tribe Rolls On/Richmond Edges Delaware/CAA Still Strong

The Tribe notched its second straight win on Saturday, easily defeating Central Connecticut State, 33-14. Nearly all scoring occurred in the first half, which ended with a score of 30-14. R.J. Archer threw two touchdown passes, including a 21 yard pass into the back of the end zone to a leaping D.J. McAulay. (McAulay also hauled in a 48 yard strike to set up an earlier 17 yard touchdown pass to fullback Jimmy Hobson.) Jonathan Grimes led Tribe rushers with 80 yards on 19 carries. Jake Trantin (2 solo tackles, 8 assists), Evan Franks (4 solo tackles and 5 assists), Adrian Tracy (3 solo tackles and 5 assists) and Sean Lissemore (3 solo tackles and 3 assists) led a solid Tribe defense.

In other CAA action, number 1 Richmond edged Delaware, unranked in the Sports Network and Coaches poll last week, 16-15, before more than 20,000 fans in Newark. Look for the Blue Hens to jump into the top 20 based on this showing. I suspect Richmond will remain at number 1 but perhaps receive fewer first place votes.

No 9 New Hampshire, also of the CAA, defeated FBS opponent Ball State, 23-16, giving theCAA its fourth victory this year against and FBS team.

Here's a story about that game from a New Hampshire paper:

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090914-SPORTS-909140301

Number 6 JMU took Maryland to overtime but lost 38-35. Look for JMU to retain its number 6 spot. JMU's performance confirms that the best teams in the CAA can play "toe-to-toe" with several teams in the ACC, despite the latter's advantage in athletic scholarships given per year and other expenditures. Even before theNew Hampshire/Ball State and JMU/Maryland games, the CAA's performance against ACC and other FBS opponents last week led some, particularly the Richmond Times Dispatch, to wonder whether ACC teams would continue to schedule CAA teams in opening games, instead of choosing less powerful opponents. Currently, Richmond is scheduled to play Virginia, Duke, N.C. State and Virginia, in that order through 2014. William and Mary is slated to play North Carolina in 2010 and Virginia again in 2011. Here's the link to the Times Dispatch Story.

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_football/article/CAAF12_20090911-212805/292212/

Tribe Climbs in Polls/More Post-Game Round Up

1) Here is a link to a video montage from the UVA game, produced by the Athletic Department here, including some interviews.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/fb/2009/video/uva2.html

My favorite quote from the interview comes from W&M President Taylor Reveley:

"Mr. Jefferson's first university just beat Mr. Jefferson's second university."

2) The Tribe has jumped to 7th among FCS schools in two national polls: the Sports Network poll and the FCS coaches poll.

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/9156/


3) The CAA has named B.W. Webb its defensive player of the week. Go here for the other honorees and some video.

http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=48484&SPID=4660&DB_OEM_ID=8500&ATCLID=204788804

4) For a detailed account of the W&M/UVA game with some post-game interviews, see this article in the Cavalier Daily:

http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2009/sep/07/cavs-devastated-by-tribe-as-spread-offense-sputter/

William and Mary Stuns UVA in College Football, 26-14

Earlier this evening the William and Mary Tribe stunned the University of Virginia Cavaliers, 26-14 in Charlottesville before a near-capacity crowd. What follows is an eyewitness account, bolstered by some statistics from an AP report posted on ESPN. For the ESPN report, and the box score posted on the William and Mary website, go here and here, respectively.

UVA led 14-13 at halftime, but the Tribe's rock-solid defense held Virginia to zero points in the second half. The Tribe took the lead in the third quarter, 16-14, with a field goal that capitalized after UVA muffed a punt that William and Mary recovered at the Virginia 9. The Tribe did not look back, adding another field goal in the fourth quarter before redshirt freshman B.W. Webb returned his third interception of the evening down the sideline 50 yards for a touchdown, putting the Tribe ahead 25-14 before the extra point and igniting pandemonium among William and Mary fans at the stadium. The Tribe sideline was penalized for entering the field, and UVA fans began streaming out of the stadium. A subsequent UVA drive fizzled on downs, and William and Mary ran out the clock.

Throughout the game the Tribe flawlessly executed a ball-control offense, mixing running and passing to remain on the field over 35 minutes, keep the Cavaliers off-balance and consume precious time, thereby keeping the Cavalier offense off the field and giving the Tribe defense time to rest and adjust to Virginia's evolving attack, which employed three different quarterbacks. The Tribe racked up 309 total yards, 184 passing and 125 rushing. R.J. Archer was 25-43 and threw for one tocuhdown and one interception, the latter of which was the functional equivalent of the punt on third and long, when Archer threw deep down the sideline. Jonathan Grimes led the Tribe running backs, with 46 yards on 19 carries, while quarterback R.J. Archer added 50 yards, including a 23 yard run that helped set up the Tribe's 4th field goal in the fourth quarter. Brian Pate kicked four field goals. Another attempt was blocked, a second from over forty yards hit the left upright, and a third missed wide.

All in all, UVA turned the ball over seven times and fumbled the ball out of bounds once as well. The Tribe defensive line and linebackers repeatedly harried UVA's quarterbacks, while Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer was sacked only once, for a four yard loss.

The Tribe entered the game ranked 14 in the Football Championship Series conference by the Sporting News, and 15th by USA today. No doubt the Tribe will move up in the rankings. This is the Tribe's first victory over an FBS opponent since it defeated Temple 45-38 in 1998. The Tribe defeated UVA in 1986, 41-37, in Charlottesville.

Update, 1:14 AM, Sunday, September 6. Here is a round up of stories about today's upset:

From the Daily Press of Hampton Roads;

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-spt_UVA-wm_0906sep06,0,6002823.story

From the William and Mary Flat Hat:

www.Flathatnews.com/content/71295

Some additional thoughts:

Both Tribe lines turned in outstanding performances.

[More to Come].

Fear The Llamas

Here's a photo of a Llama farm, off U.S. Route 191, Northwest of Pinedale.

Tribe Football in 6 days !

Just 6 days from now the William and Mary Tribe will take on the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The action starts Saturday, Septmber 5, at 6:00 PM at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. According to Weatherunderground.com, it will be mostly sunny in Charlottesville that day, with the high in the mid-80s. Tickets are still available for the game.
Those with long memories will recall that the Tribe beat the Cavaliers 41-37 at Scott Stadium in 1986.

The summer has seen some good news for the Tribe, raising expectations for a 2009 great season!

First, Adrian Tracy has been selected as a Sports Network preseason all-American and is on the preseason "Watch List" for the Buck Buchanan award, given to the top defensive player in the FCS league (formerly 1AA) each year. Tracy registered 7 tackles against N.C. State last year and led the CAA conference with .91 sacks per game, a figure that made him 6th nationally. He also had 15.5 tackles for a loss.

Moreover, five Tribe players have been selected to the College Sports Network pre-season All-American team. The honorees are: Adrian Tracy, Jonathan Grimes (running back), David Caldwell (safety), David Miller (punter) and Brian Pate (placekicker). Tracy earned first team honors, Caldwell second team, and Miller third team, while Grimes and Pate earned honorable mention. Some will remember Caldwell for his 66 yard return of a blocked field goal for a touchdown last year against Norfolk State. Here's a video of that play:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/fb/2008/video/nsu/caldtd.html

Brian Pate (placekicker), Sean Lissemore (defensive tackle), C.J. Herbert (defensive tackle), Rob Varno (tight end), and Dave Miller (punter).

Finally, the Tribe has done well in some of the pre-season rankings.

According to a press release from the William and Mary Athletic Department:

"Athlon Sports gave the Tribe its highest ranking at 11th, while the Sporting News and Phil Steele’s magazine both list W&M as the 12th-best team in the nation entering the ’09 season. Any Given Saturday and USA Today College Football Sports Weekly rank the College 13th and 14th, respectively, while Lindy’s magazine has the Tribe slotted 16th."

Here is the USA Today top 25. Note that six of the top 25 are members of the Colonial Athletic Association, further confirming what a tough conference this is.

1) James Madison
2) Appalachian State
3) Cal Poly
4) Northern Iowa
5) Montana
6) Villanova
7) Richmond
8) Weber State
9) Wofford
10) Southern Illinois
11) New Hampshire
12) Elon
13) Central Arkansas
14) McNeese State
15) South Carolina State
16) William and Mary
17) Maine
18) Tennessee Martin
19) Harvard
20) Furman
21) Colgate
22) Liberty
23) Western Illinois
24) Jacksonville State
25) Tennessee State

Others receiving votes included: Holy Cross, Prairie View, Eastern Kentucky, North Dakota State, and Grambling, among others.

For more information visit the following links:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/9004/

And, for photographs of last season's action, go here:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/7123

For video highlights from last year's season, go here:

http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/6901/

With 8 returning starters on defense, including a very strong defensive line and a very strong backfield the Tribe should be tough to beat !

If you can't make the UVA game, don't forget to listen on 107.9 FM or 92.3 FM in Williamsburg, 1050 Am in Lynchburg, or 1450 AM in Richmond. Or, go here to listen to the game via streaming audio. http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/1336/. Finally, the game is apparently available on Espn360.com.

How To Calculate the Payoff From Investments in Prevention

Charles Krauthaumer has taken issue with the claim that health care reform can actually save the government (and private insurance companies) money by encouraging more tests and procedures that will detect diseases and other conditions early, thereby eliminating the need for more expensive treatments later on. As Krauthaumer points out, many Democratic proponents of health care reform have in fact claimed that mandating or subsidizing additional expenditures on prevention (not always well-defined) can actually save money for the government and private insurance companies. President Obama, for instance, has claimed that such reform can save lives and money. Krauthaumer argues that these claims are incorrect, and offers some logic and evidence to back up his assertion.

Here is a link to the Op-Ed, which originally appeared in the Washington Post.

As Krauthaumer points out, a particular procedure may, ex post, turn out to be cost-beneficial for an individual patient. For instance, a procedure that costs the patient $1,000 might save the patient (or his insurance company) the costs of a much more expensive (say, $100,000) operation a few years later. The test might also save his life. This does not mean, however, that increasing expenditures on prevention across the board will thereby save money overall. If, for instance, there are one million 40 year olds, and each undergoes the $1,000 procedure, we have spent $1 Billion on that procedure. Let's say that the procedure detects 1,000 conditions that can be treated (at some expense) , thereby avoiding the $100,000 operation just mentioned. The result is a $900 million loss or so, at least if one is simply looking at the out of pocket expenses in question. While each of the 1,000 individuals who avoid the expensive operation are made better off by the invesment, the other 999,000 individuals in question receive no benefit, except perhaps the peace of mind that they do not have the particular condition in question.

And, in fact, Krauthaumer quotes a letter from the Congressional Budget Office concluding that:

"Researchers who have examined the effects of preventive care generally find that the added costs of widespread use of preventive services tend to exceed the savings from averted illness."

Thus, Krauthaumer concludes, mandating and encouraging additional prevention may well increase the costs of health care borne by the government and the private sector.

At the same time, this is not the only way to frame the inquiry. That is, an investment in prevention can do more than just reduce future medical expenses. Such investments can also save lives and/or reduce the time an individual is away from work. The $100,000 operation mentioned above might require the patient to be away from work and/or family for 6 or 8 weeks, convalescing at home or in a hospital. Even after the operation, the individual in question might be less productive than he would have been had the condition been detected earlier. He might retire sooner and/or die earlier. Thus, any true assessment of the benefits of expenditures on prevention must take into account more than just any resulting reduction in public and private health expenditures down the line. Such an assessment must also take into account the increased productivity of individuals who, because of investments in prevention, avoid illnesses that would otherwise reduce their productivity. And, of course, such an assessment must include, as President Obama has suggested, the value of human lives saved.

None of this is to say that Krauthaumer or the Congressional Budget Office is incorrect. And, I'll also note that society already spends billions of dollars on prevention of one sort or another. My only point is that, when determining whether such prevention is cost-beneficial, one must look at more than just the out-of-pocket costs borne by government and/or health insurance companies.