D3football Daily Dose

Looking ahead to Saturday? You bet. This should be a good one — not only for the games Keith McMillan and I are attending but the other games on the schedule as well.

Keith and I fly out today to Chicago and will see UW-Eau Claire at UW-Whitewater in the afternoon, Wheaton at North Central at night. All four of these teams are already on my ballot (not in the order the rest of the voters have, however), so I’m looking forward to seeing in person where they might stack up.

But even without those games it should be a good day of football.

Game that won’t live up to previous years: Bridgewater at Hampden-Sydney. This game should still be pretty good, it’s just that the last time Hampden-Sydney hosted, it came down to the wire. We urge all attending this game to cheer responsibly. First team to make a defensive stop wins.

Game that will be close but shouldn’t be: Guilford at Greensboro. These city rivals are about on the same level but Greensboro hasn’t shown much this season and Guilford has to be worried about where its next win is coming from.

Game that should be close but won’t be: No. 25 Whitworth at Eastern Oregon. Remember when EOU was in Division III? Yeah, it wasn’t that long ago. But Whitworth should be able to win this one handily.

Retired Trophy Game of the Week: RPI at Coast Guard. RPI will take the Shot Glass home for good. Yet another rivalry that Coast Guard is abandoning in dropping its program down from the Liberty League to the New England Football Conference. No more Mug, no more Shot Glass, and now the Secretary’s Cup is going to be played in September? Scratch that off the list of key rivalry games.

First to seven wins: Franklin and Marshall has scored nine points per game, Muhlenberg 16.7, and even that is inflated by the 30 points against The College of New Jersey, some of which were gift-wrapped. Last year, 15-10 F&M.

Top 25 upset waiting to happen: No. 16 Carthage. They need to find that offense, and fast. The trip to Millikin is not an easy one and neither is the opponent.

Getting off the schneid: Best shot, I think, is Massachusetts Maritime breaking its eight-game losing streak, traveling to Framingham State.

Off the hype machine: Remember what a big deal Christopher Newport/Shenandoah was last season? Hmm, not so much right now. Not only are both teams down from last season, it’s not even definite they are the top two teams in the USAC, as Ferrum already has put Shenandoah away.

Earlier this week, Hardin-Simmons announced its 2006 schedule, which includes the current defending national champion, Linfield. UW-Stevens Point remains on the schedule as well.

It’s as if someone finally gets it. This is the kind of game the automatic bid era was supposed to bring about from the get-go. The conference schedule is paramount, so why not test yourself out of conference and see what you’re made of? But games like this are still rather rare. Capital plays Wittenberg, Christopher Newport plays Rowan, Mary Hardin-Baylor has played Willamette the past two years, but non-conference games between two national contenders? There should be more of them.

How great would these games be? How about Ithaca and Rowan? Trinity (Texas) and either of the top two ASC teams? Washington and Jefferson against Mount Union?

Let’s step up and test ourselves. The access for at-large teams will never be better than it is right now. The field will likely never expand beyond 32 teams, and as more schools join Division III, it will only get harder to get into the playoffs in the future. Mount Union shouldn’t have to travel 500 miles to find a game.

Dear reader:

We’ve asked a few Division III players to join our blog and give us an inside look into life in Division III football. Allow us to re-introduce Augustana wingback J.J. McDowell, who originally wrote for us as a junior last season in Around the Midwest:

The newborn 2005 season has already presented my teammates and I with a few significant experiences. Before we even had the chance to take the field against an opponent we lost senior captain Chris Studer to a broken arm. Chris is the type of player/person that every coach yearns to have on his roster. For three years he has put nothing less than one hundred percent into every off-season workout and every practice without a single complaint. Then his senior year rolls around, and his hard work and commitment finally earn him the opportunity to show what he is capable of doing on Saturday afternoons, but after one play, it is all taken away from him after an awkward landing after a reception. Unfortunately, Chris will miss the rest of the season, but he still hasn’t complained nor has he missed a single practice. He may not be strapping it up with us on Saturdays, but because of what he means to his teammates and this program, he remains to be a staple on the 2005 Augie football team.

Heading into week four after a bye week, with a record of 1-1, we hosted the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in front of our 1985 National Championship team. The defense came up with a stop on the opening drive, and we responded with a 92 yard drive resulting in seven points. A long interception return by defensive back Travis Shea, and a blocked punt by junior Aaron Call sparked the offensive ground attack and the momentum carried throughout the entire game. Though we walked away with a strong effort and a 45- 14 victory, we lost starting center, sophomore Donnie Gelsomino to yet, another broken limb. During the first half, at the end of a running play, a series of screams could be heard throughout Ericson field. I was ahead of the play so when I turned around I found Donnie, a kid who had worked so hard to earn a starting spot, lying there holding his leg up as his foot awkwardly hung with no support. Donnie suffered a broken leg, but just like Chris, will continue to be an essential part of this team.

Looking beyond our misfortunes, it was nice to get a big win in front of the 1985 National Championship team. One of my roommates who does not participate in football has an uncle who was on the ’85 team, and after the game a bunch of alumni were at my house and I had the opportunity to talk to them for a while. It was fun swapping stories because many of the drills in practice and coaches they had are still around today. We shared quite a few laughs and I got to meet Brad Price, one of the greatest running backs Augie football has ever seen. It was enlightening to hear stories of the past and see their faces light up when talking of the championships or cracking a joke on a former teammate.

Next week we meet up with North Park University (3-0) for our second home game in a row. No matter what previous seasons North Park has had, running backs coach, Tom Schmulbach was quick to point out that they are currently leading the conference in rushing defense. That is all he needed to say, these Vikings will be ready for the challenge.

This past weekend was another big win for us. The win moved us to 3-0 and set up a very big divisional game with rival Bridgewater State. The game was one that I personally would like to forget as I had the worst day of my career. Three missed field goals that almost cost us the game, had it not been for a great effort by the defense. We ended up wining the game on a 1-yard touchdown run in the third overtime.

The defense was very good all day; two picks in the end zone by John Hirko and Dee Whitehead ended two scoring chances, and once again they were led by NEFC defensive player of the week Frank Famularo. The defense pitched a shutout for 60-plus minutes.

Saturday was the first time that I have ever played an overtime game and it didn’t end the way I had envisioned it to. As a kicker I have always in the back of my mind wished we could play an overtime game, so that I could win the game with a kick. That opportunity was there on Saturday and I didn’t get the job done like I had wanted to.

I am still getting treatment for a quad injury. I feel like it is getting better but it’s not there yet. I would like to be back to 100% within the next week, so that I can get back into a routine and start helping the team a little more than I am right now.

This week is very important to us, because the winner will have a game advantage in the Bogan Division. Bridgewater is a very good team with a lot of veterans, and has been playing very well this year.

A concern this week is getting everyone healthy, because it is going to take a good effort from everyone this week to win. The good thing is that they have to travel to us this week. We are still playing on a local high school field however due to delayed construction on our new facility.

The internship is going well; I am starting to do a little more. Last week I was out with some detectives and made my first arrest.

Alright, well, so much for that. St. John Fisher and Ithaca actually did live up to the hype, or the hyperbole.

Wow, it took 146 snaps until someone finally scored in the Fitchburg State/Westfield State game. The first 2½ overtime sessions ended on three missed field goals, a fumble and an interception. I’m not sure what’s more surprising — that fact or the fact that it only took 146 snaps to get through regulation and three overtimes. Catholic and Randolph-Macon, on the other hand, ran 154 plays from scrimmage, 95 of them passes (and 44 of those incomplete).

Was chatting with the Occidental broadcast crew earlier tonight, remarking about the Carleton/Concordia-Moorhead score (Concordia wins 39-31). They reminded me we know Concordia-Moorhead can give up points, which is true, but who knew Carleton could score that many? And a game-ending goal-line stand at that? Between that and the 45 points Hampden-Sydney allowed to Guilford, there’s some defenses that need work.

Muhlenberg’s lack of offense really hurts.

Anyone who knows what to make of RPI putting 48 on Hobart, let me know. It’s tempting to think Hobart’s defense isn’t that great. Sure, Hobart shut out F&M, but F&M only scored six points this week against Carnegie Mellon. I think the Liberty League race is far from over. Union, St. Lawrence and possibly even Rochester are going to have an impact on that title hunt.

Key injuries this week include St. John Fisher’s Mark Robinson (reportedly a separated shoulder) and Ohio Northern’s Jason Trusnik (possible broken bone in foot).

Keep an eye on Huntingdon as a Pool B sleeper.

Games that concern me
Already touched on Hampden-Sydney/Guilford
Same with Concordia-Moorhead/Carleton
Colorado College/Lewis and Clark (how long can a four-game season feel?)

Crazy e-mail of the day

You HAVE to go with the Albright Lions as the team of the week! The game against King’s Colege today was beyond belief! Every coach - no matter what sport they are in - dreams of a team like this Albright one who will play their hearts out until the final horn blows.

Alright, that’s cool and all, but if you bother to look at either the Team of the Week page or the nomination form you could probably figure out that this is not what you think it is.

Week 4 doesn’t have a ton of big games — a lot of focus will be on Ithaca hosting St. John Fisher.

Game that won’t live up to previous years: DePauw at No. 13 Trinity (Texas). Yeah, so this is an obvious one, since it isn’t being played. Unfortunately it sets up the conference for some pretty messy tiebreaker decisions. This game coming off the schedule makes the schedule significantly less interesting.

Game that will live up to previous years: RPI at Hobart, and that’s not a good sign for RPI. Hobart has won the last three, and has outscored the Engineers 82-20 in the past five quarters. And those games were both at RPI.

Game that won’t live up to the hype: No. 17 St. John Fisher at No. 15 Ithaca. No game can live up to the pregame chatter this matchup has generated.

Best game nobody is talking about: UW-Platteville/Augustana has become a very competitive rivalry. The past three games have all been decided by three points or less, except for the 2002 game, which wasn’t decided at all — it was halted by a lightning storm in the third quarter.

Top 25 team most likely to get upset: No. 8 Occidental. Cal Lutheran could be the second-best team in the SCIAC (although Redlands will have something to say about that later). But I would be hard-pressed to call a game between No. 15 Ithaca and No. 17 St. John Fisher an upset possibility since the teams are so close together. I also don’t think No. 19 UW-Eau Claire will win this weekend, but the Blugolds are playing the No. 2 team in the NAIA — this wouldn’t be an upset either.

Off the schneid: There’s a chance for a couple of teams with long losing streaks to end up in the W column this week. Catholic (0-14) hosts Randolph-Macon, who has three wins in that span. Concordia, Ill. (0-13) hosts Eureka, which has three wins in its past 13 as well.

Mass independence: Mount Ida was looking like a possible 6-4 or 7-3 team this year (against, admittedly, a less-then competitive schedule). But that was before an 0-3 start which included allowing 42 points to Norwich. Norwich has scored 12 points in two games since. Becker has gone from having no chance at all in this game for the mythical championship of Massachusetts independent programs.

More mythology: Cortland State can wrap up the mythical SUNYAC football title with a win against Buffalo State (it has already beaten Brockport). … Mass Maritime hosts Maine Maritime for the last undisputed Maritime title. (SUNY-Maritime adds varsity football in 2006).

Guaranteed to have no playoff impact: This isn’t even a comment on the NESCAC, although that conference does finally start play this weekend. It’s the Chowan/Newport News game, which features a former Division III team (Chowan, which announced last year it was dropping to D-II) and a non-Division III team (Newport News, which isn’t an NCAA member but whom we recognize to complete ACFC standings).

This past Saturday was another good win for our program. It kept us on track for what we want to do. We played a good team in Western New England College, and they came in fired up, looking to get a little revenge for some previous meetings between the two schools. Three years ago it took a 60 yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes left to beat them, and then a year later I kicked a 52 yard field goal as time expired to beat them. Saturday was a well played game on both sides, but in the end our line just played a little harder and the running backs got the job done.

Saturday was also the first time in my 4 years that I attempted a pass, and it turned out to be a 19 yard touchdown; the first since the high school days and the first touchdown pass of my college career. It was definitely fun to get out there and feel like a quarterback again…even if it was just for 1 play.

This week for the first time we are going on the road. We get to wake up early and board a bus, to travel across the state and face a very good divisional opponent in Westfield State. Before we won the division last year, Westfield was the three time defending divisional champs, and their turf is always tough to get a win on.

It has been a tough last two weeks for me. I strained my quad and I have been trying to get as healthy as I can for the run through the divisional games. We have a good training staff so they are doing everything they can to make sure I stay on the field.

Other than that the internship is going well and I am learning a lot. I go out every day with the detectives to see what they do and some of the stuff they have to deal with. I also am in charge of entering all domestic violence cases into the computer.

More than two years ago, Ohio Northern placed Tom Kaczkowski on administrative leave and named Stacey Hairston interim coach. Eventually, Kaczkowski was fired.

The violations were significant and were undisguised. The team had held extra positional practices over the summer and camp started one week earlier than allowed. Under the coaching change, Ohio Northern suffered and a team that was in the preseason Top 10 finished 4-6.

The coaches in question are gone. The players who benefitted from the extra contact are pretty much gone as well, unless some of that year’s rising sophomores who participated are now seniors. There have been a lot of repercussions already that this program has had to deal with. Other schools have been able to use Ohio Northern’s admission and self-imposed penalties against it in recruiting.

The long time frame goes contrary to the committee’s own documentation of the enforcement process. This from the committee’s FAQ:

The enforcement process is designed to provide a timely, fair and equitable resolution of infractions cases in order to uphold the high standards set for NCAA member institutions, their student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators in the conduct of intercollegiate athletics.

I suppose fair and equitable is debatable here, though I personally do not believe the punishment fits the crime. Timely resolution, however, is lacking. In its lack of timeliness, the committee has gone contrary to its mission:

It is the mission of the NCAA enforcement program to reduce violations of NCAA legislation and impose appropriate penalties if violations occurred. The program is committed to the fairness of procedures and the timely and equitable resolution of infractions cases. The achievement of these objectives is essential to the conduct of a viable and effective enforcement program. Further, an important consideration in imposing penalties is to provide fairness to uninvolved student-athletes, coaches, administrators, competitors and other institutions.

It shouldn’t take this long. The Division I committee just reported three weeks ago about violations that happened in 2004. Even the case against Baylor men’s basketball, a complex case with significant punishment (the elimination of the program’s non-conference schedule, among others), appears to have taken only nine months.

This punishment should have been imposed in 2003, or 2004 at the latest. One can only hope that the appeals committee can find an alternate punishment that doesn’t punish coaches and players who weren’t in the program when the violations were committed.

It’s always fun to go on the road for a game. You get to hop on a bus for a couple of hours and often the funniest times in a season happen on a bus or in a hotel. But the comforts and routine of a home game can never be replaced. Our day starts 5 hours before kickoff with an optional chapel service from our chaplan H.D. We have 45 minutes for breakfast which is usually fifteen of eating and thirty of watching the early college game. While most of the team is reviewing special teams notes, a handful of offensive linemen hang out in the computer lab, often trying to see who can find the most ridiculous picture or story online. That has been a tradition for the last couple years and probably will continue for a long time.

The whole team then meets for five or ten minutes in a large lecture hall to revisit keys for the week before the offense and defense meet separately. Both sides clarify any questions or changes made throughout the week. After this we’re on our own for usually ninety minutes until we have position meetings on the field. Most guys like to throw a ball around, kick field goals, or field and kick punts to loosen up physically and mentally. By the time meetings are over, the juices get going and you know its game day.

Home games are also great because you’ll often see a handful of guys you used to play with who show up two hours before kickoff. Its an opportunity to revisit old memories and catch up on new developments. You get to see your loyal and crazy fans like Jenna Brister dressed up in claw slippers, red tights, a purple cape and face paint. Home games are an opportunity for them to plan their entire day around the game, starting with red and purple cat paw pancakes for breakfast and finishing with a celebratory dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s.

For the first time since I’ve been here, the game of the week to watch isn’t the one on Saturday. It’s tonight where the alumni team whose roster reads like an all-american ballot will take on our JV team. This could quite possibly be the game of the year, as some will put on a Linfield pads and jersey for the first time in nearly 20 years. Guys who never thought they would play another game will get what most former college athletes only dream of: one more game.

Moravian’s Matt Sheridan has been nominated for USAToday.com’s college football player of the week and needs the support of all of Division III against nominees from much larger schools. Vote now!

He blocked three punts in Moravian’s win against King’s on Saturday, tying a Division III record.

Voting ends at noon EDT on Tuesday. He had 6% of the vote with the first 6150 votes cast.