Gameday: Must win already?
Sep
2008
It seems strange to say that already, but two teams who went deep in the playoffs last year need wins today.
Unranked Bethel has two loses and needs a win at Concordia-Moorhead to avoid falling out of the MIAC race early. That’s just one of several intriguing games, including St. John’s trying to bounce back against Gustavus Adolphus and St. Olaf and Augsburg dueling to keep their undefeated stature.
No. 11 St. John Fisher starts conference play in the Empire 8 hosting No. 16 Ithaca. The Bombers might need this game more psychologically given how the Cards have beaten them recently, but the Cards need this one to control their own playoff destiny. If they lose here, do you like their chances to run the table, including beating No. 6 Salisbury? Me neither.
Check out the scoreboard and the post pattern pages for the MIAC and Empire 8, particularly the latter. I guarantee they will keep you updated and entertained.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
SU 7 Del VAl 7 2nd quarter.
Both teams have turned the ball over in the others territory once. Both scored on other possession.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Great day here at St. John’s. Lots of people asking me what I’m doing here.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Salisbury 14, Del Val 14 late 2nd quarter. 3:59
September 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Salisbury using QB Curley at receiver too. He makes big third down catch on late 2nd quarter drive. That sets up a Sheahin pass to Tillage from 33 yards to put Gulls up 20-14. They miss the extra point.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Aggie magic continues, Isgro hits Brandon Fox from 53 yards with 8 seconds to go in the half.
Del Val 21-20 at the half
September 27th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Defenses are overrated, apparently.
Aggies hit a 53-yard bomb to close the first half.
Delaware Valley 21
Salisbury 20 HALF
September 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Kean hanging with Cortland 10-7 at the half.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Lycoming 34 Bridgewater (Va.) 0 - Half
Wilkes up on CNU 17-3 in 2nd.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Widener leads Frostburg State 23-10 at the half. New starter at QB for the Pride this week.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Another 50-yard toss from Isgro to Fox gain on 3rd and 22. Del Val 28-20.
Fox now has three catches in his college career all for 40+yard touchdowns.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Widener 30 FSU 10.
QB Bob Brice 11-of-17 for 127 yards, 0 TD, 0 Int
Ian Decker 22 rushed for 84 yards, 3 TD
Salisbury in big trouble with 12:00 to go down 15 to Del Val. Here’s where a passing game would help.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Well, St. John’s has finally strung a couple of drives together. Johnnies lead Gustavus 17-10 at halftime. After a first quarter in which the biggest gainers were a fumbled punt and an interception return, the teams combined for 230 yards of total offense in the second quarter, with Jordan Hansel under center for SJU.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Curley scores on 4th and goal from the 6 to pull Gulls within 35-27 with just over 8 minutes to go.
Have to credit Salisbury with staying with their offense, all runs. but will they have enough time with they can get a stop?
September 27th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I C had no game this day hello 3 and 1
September 27th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I guess Del Val is for real!!! 41-27
September 27th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
My guess is they would, a la UMHB … Salisbury is much more effective when they run, although common logic is to throw when down, it seems smart for a team that is way effective running to stick with what they’re good at. Beyond taking a shot with Tillage, that’s probably not their best shot.
Anyway, thanks for the updates. I’m nowhere this week so just monitoring from afar and getting ready for a mass of finishes … before I leave for work. Booo work!
September 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Salisbury couldn’t stop the pass or Cook
September 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Always awesome to post and then see the final posted before you
September 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I guess Del Val is kicking itself for losing to Iona, who by the way is getting killed by Pace today. They win that one and they’re probably a top ten team.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
From the scoreboard and interesting:
Trine holding its own … Franklin up 20-16 at the half.
Fisher 37-6 = answered any doubts. Also = Mount Union is that good again.
Carnegie Mellon up 41-6 on Hiram … a little different caliber than Gallaudet and Kenyon I guess.
Montclair State trails Brockport 14-13 late.
Guilford only has 14 points in the 4th. Not sure what’s more shocking, their lack of scoring or Hampden-Sydney playing defense. Wait, no more wasting the good lines on the Dose.
Otterbein up 27-7 on ONU in the 3rd … wonder if anyone thought Otterbein would be good this year.
Augsburg 35-14 on Olaf at the half.
OK, I’ll stop.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I don’t think Del Val is thinking about Iona.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Just too bad, they probably could have won that one.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Conrad, I don’t know … non-division results don’t necessarily affect voters as much as two wins over top D3 teams should. Maybe in the AFCA poll a loss is a loss, but I bet we’ll see quite the bounce in DV’s standing this year.
(glad I was already voting for them … no idea what to make of Salisbury now … or the SU-SJF game in two weeks)
This could end up being a big week of readjustments in the poll despite there being not all that many huge clashes. Sometimes four weeks in is a good time to reassess everything you thought you thought in the preseason because there’s now a decent sample size to see what kind of team teams are.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
With SJF kicking Ithaca to the curb today Del Val and has to be one of the teams to beat in the east
September 27th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Montclair kicked a GW FG. I had a feeling I should have tuned in to that one, that they might have been driving.
That was a fast second half. Trine 30-27 final.
Might be time to find out who they are exactly.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Well there are going to be a lot of intertwined results in the East/mid-Atlantic (Salisbury-Albright, Lyco-Ithaca, Sal-Del Val, Sal-CNU, CNU-Wilkes, Del Val-Wesley, Sal-Wesley plus E8 and MAC interplay) if it comes down to Pool C for any of these teams, but Del Val’s best route to the playoffs is still by winning the MAC, and in that department, they haven’t done anything yet.
If I were coaching them, it being Week 4, I’d guard against overconfidence. We’ve seen hot starts flame out plenty of times. Perhaps Iona will serve to keep them humble, doing more good than a non-division loss does harm.
Still, a pretty nice couple of Ws.
September 27th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Keith –
Salisbury could be in big trouble, especially on defense. Jarrell Chandler went down on the Aggies last TD holding his knee according to Gordon’s broadcast. They were already missing Joe Galloway, their NG from last year, who was really the keystone of the “D” last year. Gordon also said that they were already down a d-lineman entering today’s game. I think that their offense will be just fine.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Listening to Hardin-Simmons and Mississippi College. The Choctaws are down 35-20 but could have been closer. They just came away with no points after an 18-play drive. Have to respect them hanging in there w/o Adam Shaffer.
His back up Reyer, has only thrown 11 times for 75 yards, but he does but he has run for 80+. Hardin-Simmons offense is rolling today 463 yards with most of the 4th quarter remaining.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Which leads me to ask the following question… How good is Millsaps?
September 27th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Miss College gets a stop and drives 95 yards to pull within 8 35-27. HSU defense has given up 430 yards—280 on the ground.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Cowboys fumble!! Here we go.. 5:40 to go
September 27th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
HSU defense steps up and holds the Choctaws. Miss Coll still has all 3 timeouts left with just over 2 minutes to go.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Cowboys come out chucking it with two straight passes.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Choctaws will get the ball back, with a timeout at their own 18 and 1:46 to go.
September 27th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Reyer’s first pass intercepted, Cowboys hold on.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Last year the MAC went 6-18 in non-conference play (NCAA and ECAC playoffs excluded) with four teams (Delaware Valley, Lycoming, Wilkes and King’s) going 0-3. The only teams who finished above .500 out of conference were Albright and FDU-Florham (2-1).
This year the MAC has gone 13-11 with six teams finishing this portion of non-conference play with winning records. It certainly doesn’t make it a power conference but it’s a nice turn around.
September 27th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I think much better than they are given credit for, probably top 10.
Word out of Mississippi is they’re in ‘Leave No Doubt’ mode this year. The scores so far have pretty much indicated as much.
September 27th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
No mention here yet of the Guru Bowl. Congrats to Keith this year’s winner. I think he should sent you some cheese curds that he is so close to Wisconsin.
September 27th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Conrad, I did see that score and pump my fist a little. 32-20.
I guess there’s hope yet that someone in the ODAC gives H-SC a run. Might as well be my boys.
R-MC has been a slow starting team since before I went there too. Even in good years, the first 2-3 games are always a crapshoot.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
PA_wesleyfan Says:
“With SJF kicking Ithaca to the curb today Del Val and has to be one of the teams to beat in the east”
————–
Perhaps you may be right. DV’s remaining schedule looks like it has a lot of teams in its own conference with the same record as DV - are those other teams not very good? (FDU Fordham, Leb. Valley, Albright, and Widener)
September 27th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Del Val did beat #3 Wesley and #6 Salisbury who both beat teams you mentioned. I would say that puts them in the teams to beat
September 28th, 2008 at 2:32 am
“team to beat” fine … no one should spend a lot of time arguing over whether that’s deserved or not since it’s sort of an imagined designation anyway.
What’s cool is, because of interconference play, there is going to be a string of games, from the MAC schedule through the ACFC’s Big two, right on up to SJF and Mount Union, that should give us a pretty clear idea of how everyone compares once all the data is in.