Game day from regional semis
Nov
2007
Leftover turkey…check.
Saturday afternoon sweats….check.
Eight great games to decide the regional finalists…check.
Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan went over the (Susquehanna) river and Frank Rossi and Mark Robinson went through the (Upstate NY) woods to bring you Muhlenberg-Wesley and St. John Fisher-Curry respectively on the NCAA Sports broadcasts.
The first game will be a match-up between the underrated, but very good Muhlenberg defense and a Wesley offense with great speed on the outside. The second game will be a test whether Curry has anything left after last week’s blowout of Hartwick and whether SJF can be caught watching the scoreboard a little in anticipation of a rematch with you-know-who. And Mark Robinson immediately becomes the all-time leading rusher in D3sports broadcasting history with his debut today.
Interesting games all over the place, though. Let’s hear about them.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
mount takes early lead with DB tackling and stripping CONJ punt returner and taking it into the end zone.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Mount 7 TCNJ 0 11:38 first quarter
November 24th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Curry scores three plays into the game with a two-yard touchdown run, following a 44-yard bomb on the first play.
James Reille answers with a 69-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
St. John Fisher 7
Curry 7 — 13:30, 1st
Muhlenberg gets a big kick return and a touchdown pass from Eric Santagato to Phil Cresta.
Muhlenberg 7
Wesley 0 — 11:13, 1st
By the way, you can track most of the games on the scoreboard.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Kmic with a TD after a 50-yard-plus drive. 14-0 mount, 9 minutes to play in the first period. 20 degrees, windy in alliance.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Kmic scores Mount 14 TCNJ 0
SJF 7 Curry 7 first quarter
November 24th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Wabash hits a big 40-yard play to take a 7-0 lead at Case.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
14-0 Mount. Just missed a FG.
Silver lining for TCNJ, they have 3 sacks in the 1st quarter. Mount had only given up 13 all season.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
St. John Fisher scores on a 36-yard pass from Kramer to Marion. All-American corner Stepnick is hurt for the Cards.
St. John Fisher 14
Curry 7 — 2:42, 1st
Wabash dominating CWRU into second quarter, forcing repeated three-and-outs. Little Giants lead 14-0.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
14-7 Mount 2nd quarter.
TCNJ capitalizes on a fumbled punt inside the Mount 10.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
21-7 Mount 2nd quarter. 16 yard run by Kmic.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
About 2 minutes left in the half
Wabash 21, Case 0
November 24th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Wabash continues its complete domination of Case Western with a touchdown pass to go up 21-0 with 1:53 left.
The Wabash defense is very impressive as is the QB Hudson. Sobecki is a nifty little runner. Fun team to watch.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
28-7 Mount. The rout is on. No offense for TCNJ.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Gordon,
Are you at the game?
November 24th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
No, I’m at home watching Wabash on video.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Wesley scores on an 11-yard pass from Jason Schatz to Michael Clark.
Wesley 7
Muhlenberg 7 - 1:19, 2nd
November 24th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
Blown coverage for the Giants turns into a 45-yard touchdown pass on fourth and three. Big, big play before the half.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Wabash picked off on ensuing possession with 53 seconds left in first. Now it looks like Wabash is the team that needs to get into the locker room.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Mount Union up 35-7 5:00 to go in the first half.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
UMHB up 2-0. NCW punter loses ball and then kicks it out of the endzone.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
Wabash gets into the half with a 21-7 lead. Wesley scores on a late touchdown pass from Jason Schaatz to Michael Clarke to tie the game at 7 a piece.
The “late” games are underway with UWW taking an early lead on North Central.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Mount union 42-7 1:30 to go in the 1st Half
November 24th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Danny Jones and Justin Beaver both score rushing TDs in the first quarter.
UW-Whitewater 14
North Central 0 - approx. 5:00, 1st
November 24th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
TOUCHDOWN UMHB!!!! UMHB 8 NCW 0. UMHB missed PAT. messy messy conditions here in Belton.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
WW 14 - NCC 0, Beaver 74 yard run, Jones 2 yard run…
now 21 - 0, 33 yard int return, 5:14 first.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Halftime: MUC 42-7. TCNJ played well defensively early, but lack of offense allowed things to snowball.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Keeping with a pattern they’ve used often, Wesley hits a quick score to start the second half. The two-play, 32-second drive puts them up for the first time.
Wesley 14
Muhlenberg 7 - 14:28, 3rd
November 24th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
WW 21 - NorthCentral 0 starting 2nd quarter at Whitewater.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
UMHB Touchdown….Welch to Smith TD pass. PAT good
UMHB 15
NCW 0
November 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Aaron Jackson scores again for Wesley on an 89-yard touchdown score. He has 130 yards and two touchdowns on two carries.
Wesley 21
Muhlenberg 7 - 13:01, 3rd
November 24th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Central leads St Johns 14-0 early in the second. Big play for Central, Heuisman 89 yd TD after catching a 23 yarder earlier in the first quarter. Central moving the ball at will through the air today. A bit surprising right now. It seems St Johns is not ready to play to me. Central ball at the St Johns 2.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Chris Pierri converts a 38-yard field goal to widen St. John Fisher’s lead.
St. John Fisher 24
Curry 7 - 12:47, 3rd
November 24th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Total offense first half
MUC 302
TCNJ 42
Put a fork in him. He’s done.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Central adds a FG. 17-0.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Looks like MUC is making a big-time statement’
Wabash stumled a bit but is up by 2 TD’s //outcome predicted
St. John’s get the MUC jauggernaut next week—ouch
UMHB will prevail in bad weather, WI-WW continues to roll
Whats happening in Iowa and in Delaware?
November 24th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Case hits a big pass play on their drive to get inside Wabash’s 20. The Little Giants’ defense stiffens, surrendering only a field goal.
Wabash 21
Case 10 — 6:00, 3rd
November 24th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
INT by UMHB.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
WW 21 - NCC 7; 38 yard TD pass…8:10 in 2nd.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
NCW has 18 yard…. UMHB 253 yards…so far
November 24th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Mount Union 49-7. 11:00 to go in the third.
November 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
another FG for UMHB 21-0
November 24th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Wow–Central is rolling…somebody had it right earlier when they commented “which St. John’s was going to show up today”…evidently not the one that has gone 10-1 so far this year–kudos so far to Central
more action guys, more action please
November 24th, 2007 at 1:57 pm
In Delaware, the Wolverines scored twice in the first two minutes of the second half on two long Aaron Jackson runs (see above). Schaatz fumbles for Wesley but Muhlenberg has the field goal blocked by Chet Turner. Score stays 21-7.
St. John Fisher quarterback Rob Kramer hits Jimmy Smith for a 45-yard touchdown pass. SJF now up 31-7.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
St. Johns misses a 30 yd FG. Stays 17-0 Central late in the second quarter.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
WW 24 - NCC 7…FG increases the lead for the Warhawks.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
UMHB TD - 16 yard run by Chris Owen.
UMHB 28
NCW 0
4:03 left in first half.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Mount Union up 56-7.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
56-7 MUC in the third.
TCNJ is playing great against the run but cannot stop the forward pass.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
SJF-mount rematch next week. should be fun.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Wesley lookin good to face UMHB next week at Wesley…great game
St. John Fisher vs. defending national champion MUC next week…could be interesting but MUC will march on…it appears they are on another mission
WI-WW looks like they’ll get Wabash—WI-WW has a path to the semi’s at home by beating all-boys school Wabash…the game of the W’s ends up with a “W” ‘w’inning
Bethel-Eau Claire is close, whats happening guys?
November 24th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
my oh my—blowouts galore……..some expected, some a bit of surprise….hello, St. John’s—is anybody home?
November 24th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
TD UMHB
UMHB 35
NCW 0
28 seconds left in half…..crowd is leaving.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
16 total yards NCW; 330 total yards UMHB. complete domination.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Crowd shouldn’t leave…support your boys!
November 24th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
With the UMHB score, the average lead is 24 points including the Bethel-UW-Eau Claire score.
Second round smack downs.
That’ll do it for me. Keep up the updates, guys.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Hey vhwon:
Has NCW quit?…UMHB is scoring at will
Next weeks Wesley vs. UMHB is shaping up as a classic
November 24th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
MUC 59, TCNJ 7.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
LoyalSon,
I agree. However, I am at home listening to the game…..Rain still coming down in Belton. It is nasty out there.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Fair enough, then. Cold rain is the worst. I’d much prefer snow.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
North Central won’t go away. By the way, their coach was one of the most succesful and innovative coaches in IL high school history, winning a few state championships. He coached one of the first IL teams to run the spread offense using 5 receivers-and dominated IL football that year. This team will give UWW any number of offensive looks to make adjustments very difficult.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Central leads 17-0 at the half.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
24-14 UWW over NCC at half. It started out as a 21-0 game due to a few mistakes by NCC, but they are very much in this game right now. Total yardage is 201-192 UWW.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
mount union offense 473 yards, TCNJ 57, late in the 3rd quarter.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Mikem17-
I agree…and down 10 at the half isn’t nearly enough to count out any team…especially those good enough to make the field of 32. If they come out and score first, it could make for a really good second half.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
yep. except snow is central texas doesn’t happen very often.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Well someone got MUC angry–look out the rest of the field
November 24th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Wabash representin’ for the road teams! Otherwise, the seedings seem to be playing out as the NCAA would have expected.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Eau Claire-Bethel update anubody?
November 24th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
wabash just scored on a 68-yard pass. 38-23, 3+ minutes left.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
North Central comes out in spread and is moving the ball again. Rats.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
24-17 UWW, and north central with the ball at UWW 25.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
UWW should not be winning this game right now with the way they are playing.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
20-0 Central. 6:30 left in 3rd. SJU driving and as I type this, Central picks off SJU at the Central 15. Central ball at their own 44. Huge play for Central.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
buddy,
The score is actually 24-14 UWW. NCC is on the one about to punch it in, though.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
oops. 24-14. i misheard. but north central just scored. 24-20.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
and they get the extra point. 24-21. could be a great finish. 9 to play in the 3rd quarter. north central drove 70+ yards.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
UWW has had a very hard time with NCC today. They are being outplayed.
November 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
dallas or buddy—24-20…wow a great game, keep the info coming…you’re our best link
November 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
UWW just scores on a bomb. 31-20 UWW
November 24th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
sorry 31-21 UWW.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
buddy—you have got to be seeing one heck of a game ….keep coming with the minute to minute updates
November 24th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
2nd Safety for UMHB.
UMHB 37
NCW 0
4:34 left in 3rd Q
November 24th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
north central with 4th and 1 at their own 40 or so, and appears to be going for it. now they call their 2nd timeout of the 2nd half. maybe they’re reconsidering.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
big fouth down stop for UWW…maybe this will put a little fire in their a$$
November 24th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Hey,
UWW with a 4th down stop in NCC territory
November 24th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
incomplete pass. UWW ball at north central 40. they punch it in here and north central is in big trouble.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
UWW 1st down at NC 25.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Here’s something interesting. I am watching Boston College play Miami while listening to the UWW game. The head coach of Boston College is Jeff Jagodzinski, former player (fullback) at UWW.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
fumble recovery for NCC
November 24th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
north central holds, gets ball at own 16.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
north central has to punt from its 11.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
UWW starts this drive at NC 36.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Finals guys and some blow-outs
Wesley 38 Muhlenberg 21
St. John Fisher 38 Curry 7
Mt. Union 59 TCNJ 7 with 5:00 to play
Wabash 38 Case 23 ….over I believe
UMHB 37 NCW 0 ….and way too much to play for NCW
Central 27 St. John’s 0 ………this is a surprise, if only because of blowout
Bethel leads Eau Claire by 2 with 4th qtr to play
WI-WW leads North Central by 31-21 with Qtr plus to play
anybody at site or listening to Bethel-Eau Claire?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
UWW 3 and out
November 24th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
INT by UMHB leads to CRU TD by Daniels
UMHB 44
NCW 0
Sorry Bishops. You guys had a great season. The glass slipper does not fit this year. I am sure the Battlin Bishops will be back and stronger next year.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
NC holds, but UWW punts to 7.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
4:46 left, bethel up 14-12.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
NCC 3 and out
November 24th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Central leads 34-0 in the fourth. 12:44 left. Very surprising result right now.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Beaver score for UWW!!!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
UWW-Beaver long touchdown run-48 yds I think.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Wabash over Case: I’d say that winning a road game, in the playoffs, over an undefeated opponent lends some credibility to the argument that Wabash would have been a more appropriate #2 seed.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
bethel at 16, first down.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
TD UMHB…with the 2nd team offense in.
UMHB 51
NCW 0
November 24th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
bethel scores from the 11 with 2:26 left. 21-12.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
jak67—
what the heck is happening in Iowa?…wow….34-0 with almost a qtr to play….some picked Central to win but not like this
mikem17—Beaver is tough, whats it now like 37-21?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Bethel may have just put the game away with a touchdown.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Touchdown,
38-21 UWW
November 24th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
UWW turnover…
November 24th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
UMHB has 427 yards of total offense to 31 yards for the Battling Bishops.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
NC seems to be in trouble…how much time left in that game?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
LoyalSon—whole qtr I believe
November 24th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
30 secs in the 3rd
November 24th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Not insurmountable, but they need scores, and quickly. Unlikely.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Central must be exploiting the SJU corners’ weaknesses we saw and talked about in the ATN podcast in our trip to Collegeville.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
loyalson,
don’t count them out…they’ve been moving the ball.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
NCC moving-near UWW 10 yard line
November 24th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Wow. Losts of great d3 action today. Looks like St. john Fisher will be Mount Union’s next victim, er, opponent. UMHB is about to end a great ride by NC Wesleyan. Regardless of that outcome, NCW is a great feel good story for the tournament and for USA South. Central 34-0 over St. John’s is a bit of a surprise, Wesley looks strong, and looks like Bethel is pulling away at the end. Have fun everyone on the road to Salem!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
NCC touchdown……
November 24th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Can’t settle for 3, here.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
UMHB 57 (TD…missed PAT)
NCW 0
9:01 left in game Rain stopped, still wet conditions.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
other than Case–all top seeds look like they will advance…….Wabash winning didn’t surprise anyone I don’t believe
Appears conference champions are dominating…St. John Fishers only non-conferencechampion still alive?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
I meant lots of great d3 action.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Yeah, I am not going to say I thought this was going to happen this way, but Central is throwing the ball at will. It sounds like the Central WR are completely dominating the SJU corners. Way more physical and just taking the ball away at times. The defense is giving up some yardage but they stiffen in the redzone and are creating turnovers. Now 37-0 as Central adds a FG late in the game. It really helped that Central went up 14-0 early in the second quarter. I think that kind of shocked SJU and it was over at that point.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I don’t feel very confident about the UWW game right now.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Bethel taking a knee to close the game.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
UWW still without a drive today-all big plays. They have first down now, time for a drive to put this thing away.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
They need about an 8 minute scoring drive!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
UWW held and punted, but recovered fumble. Hmmm.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Instead..they go 3 and out.
Punt….fumble….UWW recover!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
missed one guys—Wesley is not a member of an AQ conference
November 24th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
The closest game (Bethel/UWEC) wasn’t within one possession, and unless NC closes the gap (the other two ongoing are complete blowouts) that won’t change…maybe we’ll have some close ones next week?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Why do they keep trying to run Beaver up the middle?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
How much time is left in the UWW-NCC game? I see UWW is only up by 10.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
UWW touchdown!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
UWW touchdown pass-fade into endzone. 45-28 UWW
November 24th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
10:28 remaining in the fourth
November 24th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Never mind. I see UWW just scored again.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Thanks dallas. didn’t hit refresh fast enough.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
SJU gets on the board with 2 minutes to go. 37-7 Central.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
UMHB 64
NCW 0
I wonder if UMHB can bring it next week against Wesley.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
for those of you in the true mid-America……Central vs. Bethel next week should be one to attend in Iowa
for those in around Delaware—Wesley vs. UMHB–great one
for those in PA or Ohio—MUC vs. SJF…rematch of good game in the past
for those liking really cold weather–WIWW vs. “W”abash–everyone seems to be scoring on WIWW–just not winning
November 24th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Wow..Beaver just had another long TD run.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
37-7 final from Pella, Iowa. Apparantly Central just needed to play outside the IIAC to get the blowouts. Kidding of course but this is amazing. Central will have a tough one next week against Bethal. Go Dutch.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Beaver again from 40 yards - WW 52 NCC 28…240 yards rushing for Beaver…vote for Beaver!!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
NCC is the 3rd top 10 rushing defense UWW has played, which probably explains UWW inability to sustain a long drive.
As for everyone scoring on UWW, not so sure about that. I think you have to look at this game a differently. NCC made their push when they went to the spread offense, which is one of the toughest offenses to prepare for since most teams don’t have scout teams that can come close to duplicating in practice. As nervous as UWW made me, they found a defensive answer to stop the momentum of NCC, and for that you have to give them credit.
UWW scores again.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Vote for Beaver and Wally, not for Eddie Haskell.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
great coverage guys, thanks—I got my D-III fix today……..games were ‘interesting’….scores were mostly predictable…next week should produce some great games
November 24th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Ouch, UWW returns interception for touchdown.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
UWW just picked off a pass for a touchdown. Ouch.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Must have been one helluva halftime speech!
November 24th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
What’s the UWW-NCW score?
November 24th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
UMHB/NCW is over.
UMHB 64
NCW 0
Total yards - UMHB 520 NCW - 46
November 24th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
WW 59 - NCC 28
November 24th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
vhwon, I meant North Central-UW Whitewater.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
UWW 59 - 28 NC
November 24th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Thanks, LoyalSon.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Thanks nathanshin.
November 24th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
mpEagle,
no worries.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
LoyalSon-Funny.
That brings up a point though, remember all the grinding and gnashing of teeth when Lance Liepold was named head coach? The popular vote was for the offensive coordinator from last year. Not saying he couldn’t have done a good job as well, but no matter what happens from here on out-coach Lanny has done a great job with this team.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Voice just called for a d3football.com defensive player of the week for Ryan Orgizovich on the radio broadcast. Check out his numbers so far today:
6.5 TT
5.0 TFL -16 yards
4.0 Sacks -10 yards
1 interception returned 40 yards for a TD
I would have to agree with Voice on that one!!! What a game!
November 24th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
It’s all good, vhwon
November 24th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
I’ll send my vote for Ryan O, Dallas!!
November 24th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
He played more like O’Bradovich.
Vote the O.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
mikem17, you mean like Ed who played for the Chicago Bears in the ’60’s-’70’s?
November 24th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Yeah,
Sorry to bring one out of mothballs.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
No problem, mikem17. He had a good career. Is there a final in the UWW-NorthCentral game?
November 24th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
59-28 UWW
November 24th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Thanks dallas. Looks like the regional finals are set. Good luck to everyone next week!
November 24th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
sjf,
Looks like you got the nightmare you wanted. I heard the game plan for SJF this year is to try and keep Kmic to under 350 yards rushing. Don’t forget Garcon is healthy this year, should make a difference in the passing game which should help SJF with their game plan.
November 24th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
So umm anyone thinks Wesley got a chance? Even I didn’t think MHB was this dominate. 42-14 MHB over Wesley
November 24th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
RunFerrum
I don’t know. I think Wesley is much much better than NCW…no offense Bishop fans. I think UMHB will get its revenge for the past two exits from the playoffs…but it will be closer than that. 35-28 Crusaders.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
I hate to bring it up again…but why was UMHB not seeded higher than 4th?
November 24th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
At least Wesley gets them at Home. But UMHB has been rolling recently. Try not to pay any attention to the polls or rankings. Outside Mt. Union and WW they were not that accurate. I had UMHB as the top seed in the South, Wesley as #2 and NCW as #3. (NCW lost by 3 to Wesley earlier this year on the road). I have UMHB going to salem and losing to WW but the way they are playing they may see Mt. Union in the Championship game.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
RunFerrum
Mary-Hardin Baylor would play Whitewater in the semi’s not in Salem.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
If the UMHB team that played today shows up next week, UMHB will beat Wesley and then most likely have the rematch with Whitewater. I can see this team going to Salem. not the team that played Whitewater earlier in the season.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Really? They are that much better than they were a month ago? I know Whitewater lost Jacobs, Stanley, Schmidt, and Kleppe from last years team, but I honestly think that this is the best team they have had during their 3 year run. I would be very, very suprised if it’s not Mount Union vs. Whitewater again for the Stagg Bowl. But hey I am BiasD3FootballFan.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
UMHB would have to play flawless against UWW. Outside of the fumble on the opening drive today and the punt on the second drive….UMHB’s first offensive team was close to flawless…Defense was near perfect. UMHB must take care of Wesley and UWW must beat Wabash. If that happens, the UMHB-UWW rematch will be closer….if the CRU can play like they have the last couple of weeks.
November 24th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
TDD Says:
November 24th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
sjf,
Looks like you got the nightmare you wanted.
—————–
It is the match up all in Fisher land have been looking forward to for just about a year now. It is not a nightmare, it is a dream. You see, we don’t run and hide and just concede games. You get no where with that attitude (as the OAC has learned). In order to be the team - you have to beat the team. The program’s ascension has been because it has known who it has to overcome each step of the way to become the best - on the state level (Ithaca), on a regional level (Rowan), and now on the national level (MUC) - it is the only natural progression.
November 24th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
I thought both the semi finals and the championship was played in Salem this year. Geez I need to stay up to date.
November 24th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
My vote for best post today goes to mpEagle
“Vote for Beaver and Wally, not for Eddie Haskell.” That’s the matchup next week….Wally vs. the Beaver.
November 24th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
These games weren’t even close but 1… At least we have MUC-Fisher II to look forward too…
November 24th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Here were my picks… (My upset special didn’t come through)…
MUC 46, New Jersey 21… (Actual Mount Union wins 59 - 7)
Saint John Fisher 34, Curry 13… (Actual SJFC wins 38 - 7)
Bethel 27, UW-Eau Claire 14… (Actual Bethel wins 21 - 12)
Mary Hardin-Baylor 38, N.C. Wesleyan 17 (Actual MHB 69 - 0 )
Wesley 21, Muhlenberg 13… (Actual Wesley wins 38 - 21)
UW-Whitewater 46, North Central 24… (Actual UW-W wins 59 - 28)
Wabash 21, Case 14… (Actual Wabash wins 38 - 23)
Saint John’s 28, Central 24… (Actual Central wins 37 - 7 )
November 24th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Now the Cardinals are getting ready to “Fly” into Alliance, to play the NUMBER 1 team in the nation; some say the greatest team ever in D3 Football… What an opportunity for Fisher, and, then to have Mount Union on their schedule starting in 2008 (that’s like Buzz Aldrin turning around to get a sip of Tang, and Neil Armstrong jumping out onto the moon ahead of him)… OMG, Playing that E8 schedule and MUC too… Well, what better way to improve as a team, than by playing the best… And MUC is the best… We’ll be ready though, we’ll show no fear, we’ll show the respect that is due, we won’t back down, and then we can only hope we get the ball to bounce our way a few extra times…
November 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
This may have been covered by someone already -
The top 6 in D3’s poll are of the 8 remaining - certainly adds a level of credibility to the rankings - nice job.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
SJFFan,
It adds to the credibility of D3’s Poll that is for sure….but not to all of the NCAA seeds…..(UMHB #4)….sorry for the bitterness. I would have love to see UMHB have one more home game in the playoffs.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
There is no doubt that the Fisher guys are ready. They knew this was coming and they have been waiting. Mount is like a big steak to them. This game will be about who is mentally prepared, yes, but, I believe that Mount is so dominant because of their pure size and strength. Can the Fast Fisher D slow down the Strong and steady Mount O-line? Can they stop KMIC? With Stepnick possibly out, what does that mean for the passing game??? More importantly, will the Fisher O-line be able to put numbers on the d-line of mount? Yes, I am biased towards Fisher, Yes I believe they can win, so my question to all you cardinal crazies and mount topplers is how do you beat them? They have the attitude of a winning team, and I know because I see them every week, I know they aren’t afraid but like SJFCCard says they do know what they are capable of.
All you posters out there, here are my questions:
-Because Fisher and Mt. Union have played before, what team will that benefit more if any?
-What are specific details that Fisher will need to do to win the game against Mt. Union if they have any chance?
-Where is Mt. Union weak right now?
Finally, I would like to say that game is going to be great, and I expect something very similair to last year. If you remember, if the field goal wasn’t blocked FIsher would’ve been tied in the fourth quarter with Mt. Union. So to the Mt. Union Fans, explain to me WHY this year will be a blow out unlike last year? Like I said Fisher is the one to prove something, and no one has challenged Mt. Union reign over D3 football recently, I can’t wait for next saturday!!!!!
November 24th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
D3-
Where’s the love for UMHB? This is all they get: “The Wolverines will host Mary Hardin-Baylor, which beat N.C. Wesleyan 64-0.”
The Crusaders held NCW to only 46 yards of total offense (same as MU) and scoreless. The Battling Bishops did not get past the 50 yard line. The UMHB 3rd string RB scored 4 TDs. I think that is a pretty good day….overall. I am sure you guys are traveling back from Dover. Great job on the call of the Wesley game. I was listening to you guys online while tuning into the UMHB game on my radio. Will you be calling the UMHB-Wesley game next Saturday? Safe travels!!
November 24th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Where are yellow_jacket98 and repete when we all need to hear from them? We’d all be interested in your comments regarding SJF Fan’s post at 5:47pm earlier today!
November 24th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
November 23rd, 2007 at 9:13 am
repete - I took my deep breath (I need it these days managing a hedge fund in this market!!). My issue was your comment about the “rambling” about Garcon and his chances to make the NFL. I’ve got friends / clients at the next level (NFL…….not D2:) involved in scouting and personnel and a couple have him on their “watch list” and a couple don’t have him anywhere. I was just interested in getting an opinion (which I did) from people who have seen him play in person (I haven’t) and were interested enough in answering the question. If you don’t fall into either camp…….no harm in taking a pass on the question……without commentary about the “rambling” on the subject. And as far as advanced degrees go, let’s stay away from that completely. That has come up in the past when certain people start “East bashing” (I think you know one of them quite well:). At this level of football, that should never happen as you know. Since the emphasis is on “student”……not “athlete” at this level, it is correct to be defensive, when attacked, by talking about the sheer number of incredible institutions on the eastern corridor alone between New England and down through Virginia. I’ll also confess that my SAT score DID NOT HELP the 1467 SAT average of my graduating class at Swarthmore!! There, I feel better!!
yellow_jacket98……if that’s your graduating class (’98) then I have my answer……you’re still a kid!! Don’t let the facts get in the way. I took a look at my posts this year and they were (1) directed at Gordon Mann about the MAC conference (2) asking those in the know if Mount Union…..in an App State kind of way…..could beat a solid D2 program on their best day (3) Eagles commentary (and by the way, unless you’re from New England, it really doesn’t amtter this year does it?!) directed at Keith McMillan because he grew up in the Philly area and remains a fan (4) Garcon’s/Kmic’s chances at the next level (5) keeping D3 football in perspective and remembering our veterans and those in the military in our thoughts and prayers on Veterans Day…….and I had numerous people seconding my thoughts (not you though…….are you afraid because if we go to a draft, you’re young enough to get drafted?:).
There were no posts attributed to me about my intelligence or my money…..you’ve got the wrong guy. And as I stated above, when that’s come up in the past, it’s been strictly defensive (”East bashing”) and never offensive.
Enough out of you……but I do wish you a happy holiday season nonetheless!!
For all of us people of faith, please keep Siran Stacy in your thoughts and prayers. The former Alabama running back (and Eagles draft pick) lost his wife and four of his children in a car accident a couple of days ago. Reality check for all of us about the things that really matter in life!!
November 24th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
vhwon — Sorry, we had no details on the game other than the score at the time we had to hit the road from Wesley and we are rewriting the front page now. You’ll see we’ve already done some of it as we speak.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Pat-
No worries. I am surprised the SID did not release the recap to you yet. The stats of this game are overwhelming. I appreciate all that you guys do for these schools and the game of football at the D3 level. Your work does not go unnoticed. KUDOS to all of you with D3Football.com.
November 24th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
Just finished watching the replay of the Mount Union win over, what was their names, TCNJ 59-7 . Honestly, I’m going to stop reading the press stories. Those guys from New Jersey didn’t offer any more competition then some of the teams we see playing in the OAC. In fact I thought they really needed some fine tuning.
Big and slow, good but not good enough.
In truth the films of that game will we worthless to anyone.
November 24th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Pat,
thanks for the mention of the running back trio of UMHB. Thrasher’s 95 yards came on 9 plays and he left after the 1st quarter. No offense meant to Bishop fans…but how did W&J lose? I wonder if NCW was just tired. Trust me UMHB did not run up the score. The only bright spot for the Bishops was that they forced UMHB to kick some FGs and the crusaders lost two fumbles. If they don’t do that, UMHB could have scored 80 points.
November 24th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
rachacha,
It’s impossible that SJF had a field goal blocked to tie the game last year when they were behind 19-14 when they lined up to kick the field goal. Mount Union then proceeded to ram the ball through the SJF defense to effectively end the game.
So, they played a wonderful game last year but let’s get history correct, ok?
Now, to address a question of yours. Historically, the benefit of playing before will benefit Mount Union the most. Mount Union has a history of burying teams after they’ve seen them once before.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Good Lord guys,
That’s a lot of posts to catch up on from today, had to skim some. Interesting to see there was some concern there for a while in the UWW game but they finished with a flourish. Just looking at the final alone, one wouldn’t think that game was any kind of struggle.
Anyway, kind of fun to read this thread and see the day in a nutshell. And like clockwork, as soon as the final finals start arriving about 5 p.m., the smack talk starts rolling.
A couple interesting things to note:
Bethel and Central have two common opponents, in Buena Vista and St. John’s. The Royals 1-1 vs. them in two close games (21-16 and 17-14), while for Central those two were a couple of the Dutch’s few blowouts (31-14 and 37-7).
Wesley and UMHB’s common opponent in NCWC certainly doesn’t favor the Wolverines (34-31 vs. 64-0) but they couldn’t have played further apart, Week 1 and Round 2 of the postseason. I asked during our broadcast was NCWC a fair approximation of the speed Wesley can throw out there? Maybe, but UHMB can match it and Wesley’s size and line play will make them look a lot different than the Bishops.
Of course Wesley is 2-0 in the past two years vs. UMHB, including once in Texas, but very respectful toward them today and looking forward to doing it again. Does last year’s result trump comparative scores, or do (more likely) neither of them mean a darn thing?
Outside of the UWW game, UMHB has been downright dominant. Since Wesley’s often been the same the past few years except when matched up against UWW, perhaps it all makes sense.
Not sure which way I’m going with either of those picks next week, Central-Bethel or UMHB-Wesley. Should be some pretty good quarterfinal games, although there might be 3 clear favorites.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:38 am
SJF Fan at 9:07 and vhwon shortly after … thanks for noticing.
Not sure what RunFerrum was looking at when he said: “Try not to pay any attention to the polls or rankings. Outside Mt. Union and WW they were not that accurate.”
Hey, our poll has flaws, they all do, but just because you clash with Pat and I from time to time over the strength of the USAC and its teams doesn’t make the above even close to right. If you planned on slandering our poll, you picked a bad time
As noted on a different blog thread, here are this week’s matchups, with end-of-season D3football.com rankings:
No. 5 St. John Fisher at No. 1 Mount Union
No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor at No. 6 Wesley
No. 9 Bethel at No. 3 Central
No. 12 Wabash at No. 2 UW-Whitewater
As noted by Pat too: “And even though Wabash stands out as being the lowest ranked team to advance, in fact, Wabash was the highest ranked team of the four in its group — nobody higher could have advanced. In every foursome, the highest ranked team in the
D3football.com poll advanced, even though the higher seeded teams did not always
do so.”
As noted by vhwon after that: “Well, if it is MU, Central, UWW and UMHB in the final four….then you guys have the poll done right.”
Personally, I don’t have to see these kinds of things to know that our pollsters are doing the best they can with the information they have. No poll is flawless, things happen on the field each week that go against expectations.
But the above point bears repeating if for no other reason than to demonstrate how the elite have separated themselves from the pretty good in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and how few true surprises (if any) lasted more than two rounds.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Buckeye:
Thanks for the clarification - what I was basically making the point of was that was a major momentum breaker for SJF. If Fisher makes that it’s a two point game, a possible stop could set us up for at least another field goal. That was a toughhh play and it broke the spirits of the team (as I was standing right next to them). That is what Fisher has to stay away from…plays that will ruin morale or stop momentum, because once they get it, its hard to stop them (that goes for either team). This quote from Kehres and Vosburgh after the game last year says it all:
“Mount Union extended its lead to 16-7 on its first drive of the second half, but the Cardinals again answered with a 14-play, 75-yard drive. Fisher converted three fourth-down plays on the drive, including a 20-yard reception by James Reile (Herkimer/Herkimer) to the Mount Union 1. Four plays later, Robinson plunged into the endzone to make it 16-14.
“Fourteen plays, 75 yards into the wind — that was a very impressive drive,” said Mount Union head coach Larry Kehres. “St. John Fisher is a very good team. They respected us, but they did not fear us.”
Mount Union tacked on a field goal on the final play of the third quarter to take a 19-14 lead going into the final period.
Fisher responded with 61-yard drive, penetrating to the Purple Raiders’ 16-yard line on a 22-yard pass to Jackson, but couldn’t gain more yards on the next three plays. Chris Pierri (Fairport/Fairport) attempted a 33-yard field goal to pull Fisher to within two points, but his kick just nicked a Mount Union defender and sailed wide right.
“That was probably the play of the game, because we had the momentum,” said Fisher head coach Paul Vosburgh. “We needed to answer Mount Union’s score with a field goal of our own and get it back to a two-point game, but they made the play when they needed one.”
Sooo as I said, I am looking forward to the purple suits and the crazies going at it. It should be a good one. I think it will be all about momentum and who can capitalize from last years game….and some pure physical elements. :-/
D3 Keith: I have always thought the poll was dead on, for example, I think Fisher losing to Hartwick was a good example of how the poll didn’t reflect the fluke of a loss - as you can see by the curry hartwick alfred scenerio…SJF cleared everyone out, but hartwick, and hartwick ends up bombing out to Curry who we trounce on. Boltus is good, but not enough playoff experience like SJF…nice poll/standings. It’s been a great season, I just hope my guys can pull the biggest upset of their lives off.
November 25th, 2007 at 2:10 am
So is UMHB that much better than Wesley? Did Wesley get stronger as the year went on? or did NCWC have a day against UMHB where everything went wrong?
November 25th, 2007 at 2:59 am
The complete destruction of NCWC was probably the traveling long distances back to back weeks. Actually that may have been a part of it, but mostly UMHB is just that good. Maybe if the game was at a neutral site and NCW was not disadvantaged by traveling a long distance it would have been a more competitive game lets say 42-0.
I have had MHB in my top 4 all year. If anything I know the South Region. They will dominate Wesley, on Wesley’s home field. Wesley may be improved but they are just not as good as MHB.
MHB should have been a top seed. I do not think they are as capable as WW or Mt. Union, they have to be at least the clear number 3. (unless someone wants to argue Central).
Good luck and I am sure most of USA South will be rooting for you to make it to Salem.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:06 am
Keith -
I completely agree. Maybe the argument isn’t who gets a fair shake at winning a national title but who gets a playoff birth. There is a little prestige in making the playoffs. Teams like WW, MHB and Mt. Union may be upset if they do not come away with a National Title but most teams are happy with a birth or at least one win.
The great thing about the playoffs is that the top teams usually always make it to the final 4 or at least 8. And the rest of the teams get to enjoy the ride.
My nitpicking just wishes NCWC could have been a 7 seed and maybe they would be in the quarterfinals right now. In the long run it would have not have mattered- but it would have been sweet.
As for the pollsters- They do a fine job and there should not be too much complaining about the top ranked teams. The lower echelon teams in the rankings are a little harder to judge. Everyone knows Mt. Union is better than NCW but is Salisbury? Muhlenburg? etc.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:10 am
“But hey I am BiasD3FootballFan.”
Good point. Love the honesty.
We are getting a little ahead of ourselves, but a potential UMHB-UWW rematch or another Wesley trip out to Wisconsin, well, which seems more exciting to you?
The thing I think we’re seeing is Whitewater establishing itself as a legitimate year-to-year power, not just in the WIAC, but nationally.
Devil’s advocate might wonder where they’d be (perhaps same place) if the comeback vs. UW-L hadn’t gone so well. But that’s football, UW-W has absolutely rolled from there and looked every bit the part of legit No. 2.
Central took a huge step forward today in my mind, dominating a St. John’s team that looked to have holes on defense when we saw them at the end of Oct., but looked pretty sharp offensively. Their 7 probably more of a surprise to me than Central’s 37.
Would that be enough of a step forward to give the Dutch a chance in Alliance?
Well, we are getting ahead of ourselves for sure … but would be a couple of storied programs meeting if nothing else. Where to go if UMHB and UWW play that same day?
SJF and MUC will be getting very familiar with each other these next few years.
The quote from last year at this time:
“Good teams should play good teams. I admire that they contacted me.” — Kehres, after confirming a deal with St. John Fisher to play a home-and-home series on opening weekend 2008 and 2009.
Wow, I wrote this post well over an hour ago and never clicked submit. Was trying to search down whether the 08 SJF-MUC game is in Alliance or Pittsford (I assume MUC would offer to go on the road first, or do whatever balances the unbalanced home/road sked they’ve had the past two years)
Been really meaning to have that off the top of my head, but can’t seem to Google the info or get it from any of the notes I pull up. It does send me on some interesting tangents though!
November 25th, 2007 at 3:23 am
RunFerrum,
Re: Both responses, fair enough.
Rachacha,
) and Wesley’s in the middle of a 5-game opening stretch that was up there with the toughest nationally, and by a point at that.
Thanks for the comments about the poll. I think that’s the advantage of having experienced pollsters, that we see beyond the raw final scores at times, but there are always reasons to disagree with the poll. W&J, I think someone asked about earlier … well, they were 10-0 and deserved the 1 seed, but not many if any voters felt they were better than UMHB or Wesley even though they were seeded higher. Those teams had 1 loss, but they were, let’s say, excusable losses — UMHB’s to a team better than anyone has played non-conference all year (cept for Averett
vhwon (and others asking similar questions),
“So is UMHB that much better than Wesley?”
I urge you all to look past the comparative scores re: Wesley and UMHB. Chatting with coaches postgame today, I got asked about what I saw at UMHB earlier this year, in a half against HSU. In some ways it was a blur and I don’t remember much, but in others it gave me a pretty good feel for UMHB.
Up until the Whitewater result, I thought they were as dominant a non-Mount Union team as we’d seen in a long time. They have not had many people keep it close even, but clearly the level in the WIAC (see also LaCrosse-HSU etc.) is a cut above not just the ASC, but the South Region (Oshkosh-Huntingdon), East, wherever.
The thing is Wesley’s beaten UMHB twice in a row now. So where I would have picked UMHB earlier in the year based on Wesley’s play (great in the grand scheme but a bit spotty for a national elite), after seeing their weapons today and having been tempered a bit on my UMHB feeling, I’m really going to have to think about this one. Do you just ignore the UWW result, given that Wesley hasn’t played well up there either, and say these teams match up? Do you look at the UMHB dominance, the NCWC scores, the past Wesley-UMHB results and what’s changed since then, the cold weather in Dover, who’s healthy, speed on speed, size on size … I mean, there’s a lot to this one.
Anyway, I guess with no ATN during the playoffs, you all get some bonus posts
November 25th, 2007 at 3:36 am
I don’t know if Wesley got stronger, per se, but today’s game vs. seeing them Week 1 and Week 5 or 6, QB Jason Schatz was much better, still missed some throws, but few mistakes. Bryan Robinson was way more effective than in Week 1. And Aaron Jackson emerging as a weapon, my Lord, defenses already have enough to worry about in Clarke, Beavers and Lanouette. Him as a change of pace to Peniwell really makes Wesley tough to stop … and they run the ball well.
Thought Wesley’s D keeping them in the game down 7-0 and facing short field a handful of times was probably the most impressive thing they did today. They are running the ball and playing great defense, so until they have to face Whitewater again, they are doing the things that teams do to win in the playoffs.
Teams do change over the course of the season, and some just don’t match up well with their weakness vs. the others strengths. Does Central blowing out St. John’s mean they’ll blow out Bethel? Not necessarily.
NCWC I remember being not that big on the defensive front but quick. Against UMHB, I think you need some big. If you look at the teams that have been able to beat UMHB in recent years (Wesley, UWW and to a lesser extent CNU) they’ve got some big on the DL.
Can’t say b/c I wasn’t there, but it probably was just a situation where there’s a bad matchup and an eight seed on the road in less-than-ideal weather and it just snowballed for NCWC.
The cruelty of the nation’s best teams being humbled with blowout losses to end the season has definitely been noted today. That’s where the playoffs are unique, because they take the guesswork out of ‘well if we had a chance against them, we would have won’ but it also delivers a sobering reality to every team that as good as you are, there’s likely someone better.
Teams really have to step back after that last game and appreciate how well they did all season. It’s probably easier to do that having lost by a couple scores and not tracing back to those one or two plays you didn’t make that could have changed your season, if not your program’s fortunes.
So who can tell I napped earlier this evening and am now wide awake?
November 25th, 2007 at 7:48 am
…Mount Union has a history of burying teams after they’ve seen them once before.” BuckeyeRaider, I couldn’t agree more. Case in point: what happened to my BC Eagles when MUC played them a second time. In the 2001 Stagg Bowl, BC gave MUC all they could handle as MUC edged BC 30-27. Flash forward to the 2003 national semis. BC went to Alliance and got obliterated 66-0. Also, major props to lg1970! When I read at work that my “Vote for Beaver and Wally, not Eddie Haskell” post got his vote for post of the day, that made my night.
November 25th, 2007 at 7:51 am
D3Keith:
The first regular season game between Fisher and Mt Union is at Mt Union in 2008 and is the first game of the season.
November 25th, 2007 at 8:20 am
dras - Don’t fall into that trap!! The name is TCNJ and that name won’t mean any more or any less than the name Mount Union or most of any of the other names of D3 institutions when placed onto the resumes of these student-student-athletes. I didn’t read a single post (unlike those from SJF Fisher backers) from a TCNJ backer talking smack about Mount Union so play nice!!
Great weekend of football from all of our students….some continue on, others back to the library. It’s GMAT, GRE and LSAT time!!
November 25th, 2007 at 9:40 am
rachacha - “plays that will ruin morale or stop momentum”…
HA…just havin’fun…
Aww..but that’s what the MUC D does best
Should be a great game next Sat., and Im glad MUC opens the next season with SJF as well…If the MUC D brings it like they have the last two weeks, it will be hard to beat the Raiders…but I dont doubt SJF will bring their A game…Its games like these where I watch to see what Larry Kehres has up his sleeve…
duke - while that post from dras maybe wasnt the most respectful way to put it…i dont think he was saying anything about your academics at all…and as a Mount alum, I might disgaree with you quite a bit on whose name means more on a diploma..but this is a football board…no one said a word about your students…
November 25th, 2007 at 11:27 am
On the upcoming East Regional Final.
MUC’s defense may be the best in the nation, and best ever from a statistical standpoint - However, SJF’s O-Line is better than it was last season and is probably one of the better units in the country this season. At minimum it’ll be the best line that MUC’s front has seen and should be a very good battle.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Looking ahead to next weekend’s West Region final…
After watching Central dismantle a very average St. John’s football team yesterday, its clear that Bethel will need a balanced offensive game plan next Saturday in Pella or it too will get blown off the football field.
Central’s coaching staff did a masterful job of identifying, and then exploiting SJU’s weak cornerbacks. St. John’s, inconsistent all year, showed little fight and uncharasteristically, even less effort, in flopping to its worst defeat since a ‘93 waxing at the hands of Mount Union.
On defense, Central was much quicker to the football than expected. Bethel, which completed all of four (yes 4!) passes for 24 yards yesterday against a second tier UW - Eau Claire defense, must find a passing game or should expect Central to stack 8 men in the box and cram it down the Royals throats all afternoon.
On offense, Central will also find Bethel’s defensive team speed far superior to St. John’s and will be difficult to counter. They must continue to execute their quick strike short passing game in order to keep Vance Schuring effective between the tackles. Quarterback Tim Connell, who looked much more like a Gagliardi Finalist than his SJU QB counterpart Alex Kofoed, was nearly perfect on the day. If he’s able to deliver another efficient, mistake free game next weekend, Central should be on its way to Alliance for a national semi-final matchup with the Purple Raiders.
Early prediction: Central - 24
Bethel - 14
Congratulations to the Dutch for getting the SJU monkey off its back and to the Royals, for finally winning a couple of NCAA playoff games!
November 25th, 2007 at 11:43 am
I know the poll is being talked about at length and I just wanted to say that this is the only D3 poll I look at. The other ones (the Gazette and the other one) are jokes. For example when Whitewater lost by 10 points to a D2 team they dropped down to 6th place or something like that, and I had to laugh.
By the way I was a long time reader of these boards and finally decided to create an account. If you haven’t been able to decipher from my first couple of posts I’m a diehard Warhawks fan. So thanks and good luck to the Elite 8.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
MUCnash - That was my point exactly……the “what was their names” lack of respect for any opponent at the D3 level. I went to Swarthmore (considered a “little Ivy League” school) and we dropped football years ago (much to my chagrin!). I have nothing to do with TCNJ (don’t even know where it is!). I miss the student-student-athletes (even though this is a football board, the academic component should not be lost given that it is paramount at the D3 level relative to athletics) and the “that’s alright….that’s ok….you’ll be working for us someday” cheers as we were getting trounced, which happened regularly I might add!! You are correct, for the cream of the crop schools (at any level of competition), the name on a resume might matter…..but for the overwhelming majority of the rest, they are all one-in-the-same and I mean that in a positive way. I would never knock any student-athlete or academic institution at this level of competition and I have the utmost RESPECT for all of them!!
November 25th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
mount-SJF should be an interesting game. both teams are probably better than last year’s versions. mount’s defense certainly is. and while kmic isn’t likely to run for 371 again, mount is likely to have contributions from micheli and garcon, two guys who didn’t contribute much last year.
November 25th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
duke,
Sorry to keep you in suspense. it was a busy day yesterday and I needed to observe a period of mourning after the pelting in Pella. (I posted congrats to the Dutch then shut up). Actually, I can see why you took rambling as a shot at you, it was more my response about me getting into that discussion when I was worried about the SJU-Central matchup.
My “East bashing” has basically been reactive to counter a few of the over-the-top posts — we’ve all seen them. A while back I did an analysis of the final d3.com ratings over the past few years and got soundly ripped for the data — which were raw numbers. The “translation” remark was a bit of a shot but in the context of the now deleted posts by a few East zealot it was meant as an (attempted) humorous rebuttal on a fan board. It lost that context when posts were deleted.
For the record, I think the East showed it is coming on a bit with SJF’s showing last year. I have a feeling, however, MUC will win a little bigger over SJF this time around.
I don’t come here with anger, just merely to kick it around. I’m hoping if players are reading this they are sharp enough to know the constituency here and take it for what it is. This is a spot for opinion and occasional jabs. I’m not taking shots at any individual school or athlete.
As for Garcon, I’m happy for any d3 player who gets a shot and I think he will. I’ve seen him live and on TV. I just think that as a free-agent signee he has more options than be a low draft into a situation that might not have the right situation for WRs. I’ll probably see him there again live in a couple of weeks.
November 25th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
repete - Sorry for the thin skin. You do know your stuff and I do enjoy reading your posts (even the East jabs:). Now, I’ve got to get ready for my professional team to be the next team to be sacrificed at the hands of the Patriots. I’m jealous that such a baseball/non-football town is having this incredible type of success at the highest level of the best sport on the planet. Oh well!! Enjoy the holidays!!
November 25th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Duke,
There’s little I’d like better than seeing the Birds shake it up and knock off NE. Strange things have happened today … who would have predicted the Minn-NYG score? I sure didn’t.
I’m hoping to take in the Wesley-UMHB game next week. Should be a great bunch of regional finals.
Happy holidays!
November 25th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
repete and Duke,
I’m a Cowboys fan. Didn’t like the Eagles under Vermeil, and REALLY didn’t like them under Buddy Ryan.
But…..I would rather see a hated rival (Eagles) beat a cheater (Patriots). Probably not going to happen, but I’m still rooting for them tonite.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
lg1970 and repete……..undermanned David just missed knocking off Goliath (although drinks are on me for taking the 24 points and the over!!!). THAT Eagles team (although they won’t play like like for the balance of the year) is one that nobody in the NFC would want to see come playoff time (if they can finish 9-7 and grab a wild card). I think the Eagles did give the much more talented/healthy offensive teams (Colts, Browns, Chargers, Cowboys) and defensive teams (Steelers, Packers) the blueprint for how to hang with the Pats, now somebody has to take it and run. Time to go to bed and wonder what if……….
November 26th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Keith,
Just to clarify, Bethel and Central had 4 common opponents this year. BV, SJU, UST and Simpson. Bethel beat the Storm 35-0 (Central won 28-21) and UST 19-18 @ UST (Central won big 35-10, but if I remember, the Tommies outgained them by a wide margin) and as OAS pointed out in an earlier Around the West article, freshman All-MIAC RB Flannery only had six carries against BV in the season opener.
Like you said, common opponents, especially early in the year, only takes us so far. As I see it, the keys to the game will be turnovers and redzone Offense/Defense. Central’s two MIAC victories involved them creating multiple turnovers and taking advantage of these opportunities. Bethel’s loss to BV involved a poor 2 for 7 in the redzone, a major problem for the Johnnies on Saturday as well.
Different teams match up differently, I think we’re looking at an exciting West Region final. The last two times these teams met invovled an OT win for the Dutch in Pella and a Dutch victory in Arden Hills, where Porta came up a yard short of the endzone as time expired (Bethel dominated stats 539 total yds to 239; but Central’s special teams were extraordinary-see 80 yd punt)
Should be a showdown!
November 26th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
duke,
What the eagles did was good for the league and better for themselves.
fbfrenzy,
I like Central in this one. Bethel doesn’t throw the ball well enough. But I think putting too much stock on the BVU game is problematic. They hadn’t identified Flannery — a freshman — as their go-to back yet. His emergence is the key to their success.
November 27th, 2007 at 1:57 am
OK, thanks. I had looked for it and remember hearing the news while in Alliance last season, but could not for the life of me remember where the ‘08 game was. Then Sunday I heard a rumor that both games might be in Alliance, so now I have to get on the conference call tomorrow and ask
By the way folks, if you want to quote someone else, use a less-than sign, the word blockquote and a greater than in front of their quote, and behind it, do the same thing, but with a slash in front of blockquote. No spaces.
I’d demonstrate, but then the software would read it as a tag and it wouldn’t show up.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:13 am
SJFFan, you’ve been cordial lately, so don’t take this personally. I challenge people’s claims all the time, and I’m not even saying you’re wrong. We all benefit when claims are fleshed out with the thought that went into them.
Why is the line better?
What makes you think it’s the best front MUC has seen? I take it you automatically tossed out the regular season and the OAC, you saw the Ithaca game, and tossed out TCNJ?
Why is it one of the best in the country? Because they are still playing? For argument’s sake, one could say Ferrum has one of the greatest O-Line, based on rushing stats alone, and if so, playoff success doesn’t automatically mean one of your units is one of the best or vice versa. (Neither do stats, necessarily)
Just wondering if you have some insight or were just sharing your opinion on a team you’ve watched for 12 weeks straight and have grown to love.
I guess I could coach for Central then.
One could argue it started with Rowan’s 19-7 loss at Mount Union the year before, another 12-point semifinal win.
But judging the strength of an entire region based on one team’s performance in one game is probably dangerous.
Maybe it’s all we have to go one, but who’s to say the East wasn’t really strong one year and Rowan just didn’t match up well against Linfield or something?
I guess I agree that the East gets the respect it earns in the playoffs and other high-profile games against other regions, but no full region can be defined by one game. Some teams in the East are as good or better than much of other regions.
November 27th, 2007 at 2:17 am
Buddy,
Good take on MUC-SJF at 1:45 Nov. 25th.
Fbfrenzy,
Four common opponents duly noted. Also, a good post all around. I’d forgotten Central and Bethel used to play.