D3football Daily Dose

With three stories in the local newspaper and two highlight/news packages from a local television station, the UW-Whitewater/UW-La Crosse game got the coverage a game between two top six teams would merit at any level.

Joel Badzinski’s La Crosse Tribune game story described how the game went from La Crosse runaway, to nailbiter, to all Whitewater down the stretch, as the No. 3 Warhawks scored the final 25 points to take a 28-10 deficit to a 35-28 win.

Check out more photos in our photo gallery.

A La Crosse Tribune secondary story talks how the game cemented Danny Jones’ place with the Warhawks.

“I’m real happy for him because now more than ever he feels like he’s a part of this football team,” Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said.

A La Crosse Tribune column talks about La Crosse’s search for an identity.

“You can’t cruise to a win. You’ve got to keep scoring,” said (Ted) Everson, whose seven-reception, 205-yard receiving, two-touchdown day went for naught. “We are up 18 in the fourth quarter, and we are certainly playing to win. We didn’t get too comfortable with that (lead). Our offense had more opportunities, but Whitewater stepped it up.”

WKBT had a postgame report with highlights, interviews with players from both sides and analysis. It runs 5:38 and requires Windows Media Player. You can see the hit which knocked quarterback Griffin Moe out of the game and hear him talk in the postgame.

The station also cut up even more highlights into an un-narrated package that runs a little longer, 5:49.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wrote about how the Warhawks managed the comeback even with Justin Beaver on the sidelines with a third quarter leg cramp.

Reads and looks like another great game.

1 p.m. kickoffs on the East Coast are approaching, and while Pat and I are checking out Huntingdon at Wesley, like you all, we’ll be watching games — literally, on D3Cast — and scores from around the country. Feel free to join in the conversation below.

We detailed some games to watch in this week’s Around the Nation column and in Friday’s Triple Take post on the Dose. I’ll be following along with you, but give us updates from whereever you are, from La Crosse, Wis. (hint, hint) to anywhere.

It’s Friday, and the countdown to kickoff is most certainly on.

Saturday’s games have probably been on your mind since last week, so to get you in game mode, and to provide perspective on what to watch for across the nation in Week 5, Pat Coleman and I return for what’s going to become a Friday tradition: Triple-take.

Each week we’ll help speed along that countdown to the first whistle by enlisting a guest and giving you a three-way rundown of what to watch for. But we consider that just the start of the conversation, as we open up the Daily Dose for your thoughts and comments.

Continue along with us here on the blog and on the message boards on game day, especially if you can’t make it to a game yourself, and then we’ll be back on the Dose Monday with our weekly Podcast, wrapping up the previous weekend’s action.

Frank Rossi, Union football broadcaster and longtime friend of the site, lends his perspective to the final week of September, as conference play gets underway where it hasn’t already:

Game of the Week
Pat’s take: No. 3 UW-Whitewater at No. 6 UW-La Crosse. With the lower-ranked team having the home field advantage, pretty much any result would be reasonable. As bad as the scoreboard looked against St. Cloud State, Whitewater held them under four yards per play and the defense allowed just one third-down conversion in 15. It’s the offense’s responsibility to protect the ball better.

Frank’s take: No. 3 UW-Whitewater at No. 6 UW-La Crosse. There are plenty of “good games” throughout the schedule, but this is the only game between ranked opponents — and this could very well be the WIAC’s deciding-factor game. They’re two quality teams, even beyond what the rankings tell us, and both need “statement” games after a wishy-washy first few weeks.

Keith’s take: No. 3 UW-Whitewater at No. 6 UW-La Crosse. I hate to be unoriginal, but this is as big as it gets this early in the season at this level. For those of you not yet used to thinking in Division III terms, let’s say this were a game at a level that gets a bit more attention. It might be something like Florida at LSU, a face-off of the best two teams in the nation’s strongest conference, and a certain television network might be covering it five ways to Saturday. The recent history — Warhawks winning 45-10 last season but needing a fourth-quarter score to win 24-21 in the playoffs — provides plenty of subtext, and that’s before bulletin board material began appearing in Wisconsin papers. Kick back and watch the fireworks.

Surprisingly close game
Pat’s take: Washington and Lee at Randolph-Macon. It’s been a slow start for W&L this year — not in the standings but with just two games in four weeks. One of those was a home game and the other was in Salem, less than an hour away. I’d take Buena Vista at Central, but at this point, who doesn’t expect that to be close?

Frank’s take: RPI at Susquehanna. New Liberty League entrant Susquehanna nearly pulled off a bit of a shocker on the road at St. Lawrence last weekend, losing in overtime. RPI fought for their undefeated lives at Hobart, winning in the last minute. I smell a slow start for RPI, especially after a five-hour road trip to Selinsgrove, although the upset would be tough for Susquehanna to complete.

Keith’s take: Huntingdon at No. 17 Wesley. St. John’s at Carleton was close last season, as was Carthage at Elmhurst, so those wouldn’t be surprises if they were close again. But not many expect 1-3 Huntingdon to fly from Alabama to Delaware and give 3-1 Wesley a game. But with the Hawks coming off consecutive road overtime losses, they might be feeling like they can get over the hump. Wesley could be sluggish after Montclair State ruined what many Wolverines probably thought would be another undefeated regular season. I don’t expect an upset, but I expect Wesley to have to work for the win.

Most Likely Top 25 Team to Lose (to an unranked team)
Pat’s take: No. 21 Hardin-Simmons. The margin of error is gone, and Hardin-Simmons has to go on the road to face unbeaten Mississippi College. They’ll find the challenge a bit tougher than last week’s game against Louisiana College.

Frank’s take: No. 10 Baldwin-Wallace. John Carroll will not crumble after a hard loss last week to Ohio Northern. It will be tough for Baldwin-Wallace to leave University Heights with its undefeated record intact, as John Carroll players know a loss would all but eliminate them from even a shred of a chance in Pool A – and maybe even Pool C contention.

Keith’s take: No. 13 Wartburg. I don’t want to pick on the Knights, since I had them in this spot last week, but I don’t see a top 25 team not listed above playing a better unranked team than Dubuque. No. 13 is also a little high for a team that went 3-2 in games decided by a touchdown or less last season, but Wartburg has abandoned the highwire act and come out of the gate outscoring its opposition 98-15. Dubuque’s margin in three wins is 136-23, and the Spartans are at home and likely not intimidated by a program they beat last season. If I were a Spartan, I’d be out for respect, tired of being called undisciplined and hearing how last season’s 6-4 mark was a fluke. Wartburg could very well win here, but they are up against a significant challenge.

They’ll Be On Your Radar
Pat’s take: DePauw. The Tigers are 3-0 with impressive margins of victory against Anderson and Centre but face a significantly tougher test at home against Millsaps. If Majors quarterback Juan Joseph has shaken off the injury which shelved him last week against Rhodes, Millsaps should pull out the win. If not, it could be a struggle.

Frank’s take: WPI. I’m a sucker for a Cinderella story, and after a tough 2006 season, in which the team tried to go for the win late against Union to salvage its woeful season, the Engineers are 4-0 against a crop of less-than-resume-building teams. Their first real test is against Hobart at home on Saturday, although, as you’ll see below, my WPI confidence is low.

Keith’s take: Wilkes. I wonder if during the off week the Colonels summoned enough pride to begin defense of their MAC championship despite three close losses to NJAC schools to start the season. Going to Lebanon Valley could be a test, but Wilkes won’t look past anyone at this point. I’ll also be watching the NESCAC to see if Bowdoin can follow up its Williams win with another at Amherst, while Trinity (Conn.) gets Williams, the last team to score a TD against them — in the second game of last season.

Most likely playoff team — Moravian, Maryville, WPI or Case Western Reserve
Pat’s take: Case Western Reserve. It comes down to whether the Spartans can win at Carnegie Mellon. Case has beaten four NCAC teams so far (why did they leave, again?) and has Ohio Wesleyan left, so the strength of schedule numbers (opponents’ winning percentage and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage) won’t be kind. Running the table may have to do, though a win at CMU and a home loss to Wash U. might get it done.

Frank’s take: Case Western Reserve. I asked if “None of the Above” was a choice, but I was shot down, even though the four teams’ opponents’ records are 12-46 thus far. The Spartans have the easiest remaining schedule of the four, and Pool B might be kinder to them than Pool C to the other three teams if they all finish with a loss or two.

Keith’s take: Moravian. With no seats left on the Case bandwagon, it’s a good thing I’ve been riding with Moravian since the preseason. In a different conference, Saturday’s clash with 4-0 Dickinson might be a defacto title game or at least a must-win, but the Centennial title can be had with a loss. Still, the winner here stays in the CC driver’s seat, and to take the wheel, Moravian will have to control the line of scrimmage. Dickinson is allowing opponents 96 yards rushing per game at a 2.7-per-carry clip, while the Greyhounds rush for 183 a game at 4.0-per-carry. If the Greyhounds can establish themselves at home Saturday, they might be undefeated heading into their final two games at Ursinus and at Muhlenberg.

Sleeper pick who gets a wakeup call
Pat’s take: Dubuque. While still well on track for the 7-3, 5-3 record projected in Kickoff 2007, the Spartans are unlikely to get a second upset of Wartburg in as many years. Dubuque’s Week 11 win kept Wartburg out of the playoffs in 2006, or at least out of the group of 9-1 teams disappointed on Selection Sunday.

Frank’s take: WPI. Remember that Cinderella story I was referring to a couple of questions ago? Well, even Cinderella outgrew the glass slipper after some time. Hobart, playing for their Liberty League lives, will cause the Engineers’ feet to swell, making the slipper obsolete, at least for now.

Keith’s take: DePauw. The Tigers have played well, but Millsaps has been nearly flawless since letting the opener against Mississippi College get away. The Majors have won 44-10, 43-10 and 42-0 and may have created a sense of desperation for themselves with the loss in the opener which has actually been beneficial. Meanwhile, 3-0 Mississippi might also get a wake-up call hosting 1-2 Hardin-Simmons, which needs to win the American Southwest to preserve playoff hopes.

Who needs it more, UW-La Crosse or UW-Whitewater?
Pat’s take: UW-Whitewater. It’s not just a matter of playoff eligibility/positioning, there’s a confidence factor. The Warhawks have had high followed by low followed by high and need to maintain last week’s momentum.

Frank’s take: UW-La Crosse. Whitewater already has its first WIAC win, while La Crosse begins its league season Saturday. Beginning the WIAC 0-1 would be detrimental to their confidence factor, especially with La Crosse playing at home.

Keith’s take: UW-Whitewater. The Eagles already have a non-conference win they can hang their hats on if they end up in the at-large playoff pool. But with No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor coming to Whitewater in late October, the Warhawks need to avoid putting their playoff hopes anywhere other than the WIAC’s automatic bid.

The D3Cast/D3football.com East Region Game of the Week schedule is set through the end of October:

This weekend, WPI hosts Hobart in a Liberty League matchup, with kickoff at 1 p.m. ET. Todd Bloniarz and Eric Ren will call the game as WPI tries to go 5-0, with Hobart looking for its first conference win.

The October schedule:
Oct. 6: Cortland State at Kean
Oct. 13: Endicott at Curry
Oct. 20: St. John Fisher at Springfield
Oct. 27: Trinity (Conn.) at Middlebury

The final two weeks of the regular season, in November, are being held open in hopes of getting games with postseason implications.

Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan may not have traveled very far this weekend but the week that was in Division III did not escape them.

This week’s Around the Nation podcast focuses on three teams that made the proverbial statement this weekend: Alfred, Montclair State and Rowan, but also touches on Hampden-Sydney, Guilford, Washington U., Bowdoin, RPI, Central, Whitworth, Moravian and others.

 

 Around the Nation Podcast [10:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

No big trips for the D3football.com crew today — I’m at the D3football.com staff rivalry game. My alma mater is Catholic and Keith McMillan went to Randolph-Macon. I first heard Keith’s name while in this press box in 1996, when Keith picked off Catholic’s quarterback four times in a Randolph-Macon win.

Big games on video and audio all over the place. Alfred and Springfield already underway. Gordon Mann is giving D3football.com its first in-person look at Salisbury this season. But you guys are the eyes and ears of Division III football fandom today, as well.

We’re going to take a bit of a different route here and in future weeks in our preview of the upcoming weekend’s games. Each week, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan will give their take on what some of the big upcoming games are by category, joined by a rotating commentator.

It’s a triple-take on the weekend games, for the price of one. Well, for the price of none, since it’s free!

D3sports.com Deputy Managing Editor Gordon Mann joins us for the first run-through.

Game of the Week
Gordon’s take: No. 24 Montclair State at No. 7 Wesley. The Red Hawks showed they have the defense against Wilkes and offense against Springfield to make this very interesting.

Keith’s take: No. 24 Montclair State at No. 7 Wesley. And not just because it’s Saturday’s only matchup of top 25 teams. Both the Red Hawks and Wolverines scheduled aggressively to begin the year, and Saturday’s winner will continue working on an impressive playoff resume, whether the eventual bid comes in Pool A (Montclair), B (Wesley) or C (Montclair).

Pat’s take: No. 6 St. John Fisher at Ithaca. This recent rivalry has taken on even more intrigue after Ithaca’s surprising loss last week at Hartwick. St. John Fisher has never won at Ithaca but did go to overtime there two years ago and lost by one in 2003. So it’s not like the Cardinals haven’t been able to compete there.

Surprisingly close game
Keith’s take: Union at Rochester. This might be surprisingly close, but not in the way we expected preseason as both have struggled to 0-2 starts. Neither the Dutchmen nor Yellowjackets have been within 16 points of a win, but with a clean Liberty League slate, the playoffs are still in sight for Saturday’s winner. (RPI and Hobart also face off in LL action.)

Pat’s take: Tri-State at Franklin. It might not look like it on paper, teams that were 2-8 and 9-1 last year, but Tri-State has bent and not broken so far in starting 2-0. Franklin will make that defense break a few times but shouldn’t run away with it.

Gordon’s take: No. 17 Wartburg at Luther. No. 17 Wartburg at Luther. Look beyond the Norse’s record (0-2) and you see a team that has played two Top 25 teams very tough. Plus, it’s a rivalry game.

Most Likely Top 25 Team to Lose
Pat’s take: No. 12 Ohio Northern vs. John Carroll. The OAC teams battling for second place and a shot at a Pool C playoff bid behind Mount Union are hard to separate at this point of the season. This is the first time two of the contenders meet.

Gordon’s take: No. 18 Springfield at Alfred. The Saxons can score and contain a running attack, the right recipe to beat the Pride.

Keith’s take: No. 17 Wartburg at Luther. Wartburg’s visit not only brings out the “throw out the record books” quality of a rivalry game, it also features a Norse group which is 2-10 in its past 12 games but has six losses by one score (eight points or fewer). Luther has pushed Top 25 St. Olaf and Central to their limits already, and while Wartburg comes in off two very convincing wins, the Norse might finally catch a break in a close one.

Quickest Game
Keith’s take: Muskingum at No. 1 Mount Union. Some might take less time, but Muskingum at Mount Union might be “over” the quickest. The Muskies aren’t just playing the nation’s best team, they’re doing it on the road, under the lights (7 p.m. kickoff). Good luck.

Gordon’s take: Plymouth State at Mass-Dartmouth. Among the nation’s leaders in rushing yards, Plymouth State averages 65 rushes per game. The Corsairs’ pass-to-rush ration is more than 2:1.

Pat’s take: Ferrum at Shenandoah. Which is a shame, because these teams might not get to enjoy another win this season, so the winner would really want to savor the moment. The teams are 1-2 in the USA South in rushes but seventh and eighth in total offense.

Fantastic Finish that Won’t Be Topped
Gordon’s take: RPI at Hobart. The Statesmen have already had two exciting finishes. They’ll have another with RPI in town.

Pat’s take: Husson at Hartwick. Last year, Husson led 20-0 after three quarters only to see Hartwick quarterback Jason Boltus and running back Lindy Crea hook up for three touchdowns, the final one capping an 80-yard drive with 1:46 left. But Hartwick, which had already had an extra point blocked, missed wide right and Husson won 20-19. You know Husson wants this game so it can play the comparative scores game and claim it could therefore beat Ithaca.

Keith’s take: Carleton vs. Bethel. Offensive lineman Matt Topeff’s fourth-quarter TD pass propelled Carleton to a 17-14 upset over playoff-bound Bethel last season, but the Knights went on to lose six of their final seven. They’ve started 2007 with a pair of convincing wins and probably won’t have to lateral to a lineman with a nice spiral to generate the game-winning play this time. But with St. John’s next, the Knights can’t afford a Royals defeat.

Stepping Stone Game
Pat’s take: Randolph-Macon at Catholic. A matchup with a history of competitive games has a little extra riding on it this year. The winner will guarantee its best season in some time. Catholic is looking for its fourth win, a total it hasn’t seen since 2002, while Randolph-Macon is looking for win No. 3, best since 2004.

Keith’s take: Widener at No. 21 Rowan. The loser will still have a chance at an automatic playoff bid, but with each Philadelphia-area team at 1-1 already, a win will boost confidence heading into conference play, especially if the Profs get a big game from freshman quarterback Tim Hagerty.

Gordon’s take: Hampden-Sydney at Guilford. Both teams need to start the ODAC season with a win, particularly the Tigers who get rival Bridgewater (Va.) next.

Team That Will Be On Your Radar
Keith’s take: Guilford. We know the Quakers have offense (55.7 points per game), but can they muster some defense against Hampden-Sydney, a team equally capable of putting up points (35.0 per so far)?

Gordon’s take: No. 21 Rowan. How will freshman quarterback Tim Hagerty do in his first start against a tough defense in a game with a lot of emotion?

Pat’s take: Elmhurst. Just in time for next week’s game against Carthage, which is not only the CCIW opener for the Bluejays but an early make-or-break type of game between two teams hoping to make a dark-horse conference title run.

The AFCA released its preseason Top 25 today.

Wait, strike that. The AFCA released its first poll today. It just looks like a preseason poll, even though three weeks have gone by. Here’s a look:

Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts.
1. Mount Union (39) 2-0 999
2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (1) 2-0 899
3. St. John’s 3-0 889
4. UW-La Crosse 2-0 786
5. St. John Fisher 3-0 770
6. Wheaton 2-0 758
7. Wesley 3-0 739
8. Capital 2-0 708
9. UW-Whitewater 1-1 671
10. Central 3-0 610
11. Baldwin-Wallace 2-0 547
12. Ohio Northern 2-0 510
13. Washington & Jefferson 2-0 483
14. Linfield 1-1 356
15. Trinity (Texas) 2-0 346
16. Bridgewater (Va.) 3-0 343
17. Wartburg 2-0 338
18. Salisbury 3-0 276
19. North Central 2-0 259
20. Wabash 2-0 217
21. St. Olaf 3-0 187
22. Rowan 1-1 143
23. Occidental 2-0 139
24. Montclair St. 2-0 129
25. Mount St. Joseph 3-0 127

Others Receiving Votes: Springfield 117; UW-Oshkosh 85; RPI 68; Trinity (Conn.) 50; Ithaca 47; Hardin-Simmons 41; UW-Eau Claire 24; Bethel 22; Whitworth 21; Centre 21; Carthage 20; St. Norbert 19; Christopher Newport 18; Catholic 17; Bates 15; Redlands 15; Augustana 13; Ursinus 13; Williams 12; Hobart 12; Carnegie Mellon 12; Alfred 12; Coe 11; John Carroll 11; Franklin 11; Pacific Lutheran 9; Dickinson 9; Muhlenberg 8; Hampden-Sydney 7; Concordia (Wis.) 6; Widener 6; Cortland State 5; Case Western Reserve 5; Curry 3; Waynesburg 1; UW-Stevens Point 1; Guilford 1; Adrian 1; Ferrum 1; DePauw 1.

There are 65 teams getting votes, which is to the point of ridiculousness. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Centre: 21 votes. The Colonels are 1-2, with a 14-9 win at Bluffton followed by losses to 3-0 Maryville (22-15 at home) and 2-0 DePauw (38-7 on the road). Maryville is unbeaten, and if someone intended to vote for Centre as highly as it appears, that person should’ve voted for Maryville somewhere. Or, of course, DePauw, which crushed Centre. DePauw got one vote. I almost wonder if this person intended to vote for Central, but didn’t know the difference. And of course, the AFCA didn’t catch the error, if that’s the case.

Catholic: 17 votes. At least CUA is 3-0. Never mind that the Cardinals’ opponents are a combined 0-8. Strength of schedule has never been the AFCA poll’s strong point. And this is my alma mater, and I’m still complaining. That’s how bad this is. Guilford, which got one vote, is worthy of far more votes than Catholic at this point in the season.

Bates: 15 votes. And Bates has 16 wins, total, in eight seasons. ‘Nuff said. If this is a mistake vote, perhaps it should’ve been Baldwin-Wallace, which is the previous team alphabetically.

Hampden-Sydney: 7 votes. Someone might’ve sent in their 2004 ballot. This year’s Hampden-Sydney is 2-1, which isn’t bad. Of course, the loss is at home to Johns Hopkins (1-2). Randolph-Macon, which is also 2-1 but beat Johns Hopkins, on the road no less, is more deserving of these votes than H-SC is. Not that I’d advocate voting for either. Four ODAC teams get votes, but none of them is the defending champion, W&L, which at least is still unbeaten. (Unless someone meant to vote for W&L, but hit W&J instead.)

Ferrum: 1 vote. It takes a lot for me to be upset about one vote, but Ferrum is 1-2, 0-2 against Division III schools with losses by a margin of 91-23. Why would the person voting for Ferrum (1-2) not vote for, say, Emory and Henry? E&H only beat Ferrum 50-7.

This doesn’t even address the perennially overrated teams within the Top 25 itself.

We stopped relying on the AFCA poll at the end of the 2002 season and started our own. And last year, we stopped even publishing this poll. But this takes the cake, which is why I had to say something.

Around the Nation went across the nation this past weekend to see what all the Catdome hype was about in the Pacific Northwest. Hear Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman talk about the Linfield/Hardin-Simmons game and more.

Other subjects and teams touched on this week: Salisbury, Montclair State, Hartwick’s star running back, Rowan’s new quarterback, Carnegie Mellon’s decision to go for two, UW-Whitewater’s loss in D-II, Capital’s potential loss at receiver and much more.

 

 D3football.com's Around the Nation [11:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you live in the northeast and it hasn’t felt like football season, it should today. Temperatures in the East and Northeast regions (Ohio as well) today are expected to be in the high 50s and then later tonight dip down into the 40s. Good luck to the folks playing under the lights tonight. Just last weekend, the mercury was near 90 for the D3football.com/D3cast Showcase Game between Union and Springfield.

But, the weekend got underway last night with Wesley breaking away from Widener in an offensive showcase for the Wolverines. The seventh-ranked team in the country put up over 500 yards of offense and Larry Beavers scored a pair of touchdowns, including one on an 89-yard kickoff return to start the second half. But, this one could have been closer - Wesley fumbled the football four times.

Today, there’s a full slate of games around the nation with just about every team in action. The NESCAC starts their season next week but most teams are holding scrimmages this weekend.

Quick thoughts…
*Can Heidelberg make it two in a row with a win tonight over John Carroll?
*How many points will Mount Union score in the first quarter this week?
*Will Mike Flynt get into the game for Sul Ross?
*Can Montclair State contain Chris Sharpe and upset Springfield?

For all of today’s scores that aren’t mentioned here, you can check out our national scoreboard that’s filled with audio and live stats links.

And, don’t forget to check out more of Pat and Keith’s adventures in Oregon in the “Greetings from Oregon” blog. It’s probably warmer in Oregon than it is in upstate New York right now.