Now stop imagining because a motorized tackling dummy is what Buddy Teevens, former defensive lineman Elliot Kastner (and others) and Thayer School's John Currier '79 have developed. They have a provisional patent on the Mobile Tracking Target, which took third place at the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize competition for for the most inventive undergraduate student invention.
Find a story and a picture HERE. From the story:
At a small-scale manufacturing cost of around $5,000 per dummy, they hope to sell this large padded humanoid—created out of pourable foam using the Machine Shop’s 3 axis router—to professional- and collegiate-level teams in the near future. The Mobile Tackling Target is anchored by a ball structure driven by omni wheels to direct the ball in any direction.And . . .
“We hope the devices’ longevity and ability to replace multiple tackling pads will ultimately motivate teams’ purchase of the Mobile Tackling Target,” adds Kastner. “However, the benefits of reducing concussions at practice and in games are worth significantly more to a team.”
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Harvard's game notes for Saturday have been posted HERE.
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The Massey Ratings have been updated and they have Harvard defeating Dartmouth in Hanover Saturday, 28-20, with a 75 percent confidence.Here's what they predict for the rest of the season for the top two teams in the Ivy League standings:
Dartmouth 31, Cornell 10 (90 percent)
Dartmouth 27, Brown 17 (77 percent)
Dartmouth 31, Princeton 28 (55 percent)
Harvard 42, Columbia 0 (100 percent)For what it's worth, Massey had Dartmouth winning last week, 38-7. (The final was 27-7.) The Columbia total was spot on, but Massey had no way of knowing Dalyn Williams would not be playing for the Big Green, so it gets a pass on the Dartmouth point total ;-)
Harvard 34, Penn 13 (94 percent)
Harvard 38, Yale 28 (77 percent)
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The latest Gridiron Power Index has been posted and here's how it rates the Ivy League teams, Dartmouth opponents and the nation's FCS conferences:Ivy League GPI
15. Harvard
38.Yale
40.Dartmouth
79. Princeton
83. Brown
93. Penn
111. Cornell
119. Columbia
Other Dartmouth Opponents
4. New Hampshire
75. Holy Cross
99. Central Connecticut State
Among the 14 conferences rated:
8. Patriot League
9. Northeast
10. Ivy
14. Pioneer
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Quite the thread on the Any Given Saturday message board asking, "Has the Ivy League ever been this good and this bad simultaneously in the FCS era? Check it out HERE.
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While some of us weren't looking, there were some interesting reforms passed by a vote of the Pac-12 Conference presidents and chancellors this week. From a Pac-12 release:• Athletic scholarships will be guaranteed for four years for student-athletes in all sports
• Student-athletes who leave school before graduating will be able to use the remainder of their educational expenses later to earn their degrees.
• Medical expenses for student-athletes who are injured during their college athletic careers will be covered for up to four years after a student-athlete leaves the institution.
• Student-athletes who transfer between Pac-12 institutions will be able to receive athletic scholarships immediately.
• Student-athletes will be represented in the Conference governance structure
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Is it possible that long after being summarily cut by the Princeton football team, F. Scott Fitzgerald helped invent two-platoon football? Thanks to a loyal BGA reader for pointing out this STORY.
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