D3football Daily Dose

Augustana College offensive tackle Blaine Westemeyer is preparing to leave Mexico only three days after he arrived as a member of Team Stars & Stripes.  By the weekend he will return, clutching with him the prestigious 2009 Gagliardi Trophy awarded annually to the outstanding football player in NCAA Division III.

Westermeyer was selected from four finalists to receive the Gagliardi Trophy, which recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and community service and is the first offensive lineman ever to win the award.

During a hectic few days, he will depart Mexico on Wednesday in the middle of the Team Stars & Stripes preparations to face the Tec Monterrey All-Stars in the Tazon de Estrellas this weekend on the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico.

Westemeyer will be presented with the trophy on Thursday evening, December 17 at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Va., as part of the festivities leading up to the Division III National Championship game.  He will return the following day to anchor the Team Stars & Stripes offensive line on Saturday, December 19.

“Blaine is clearly the greatest player I have been associated with or coached,” said Augustana head coach Jim Barnes, who has racked up a record of 73-40 in 10 years at his alma mater.  “I have never seen a player who so clearly dominates his position.

“In addition, he is by far the most humble ‘achiever’ I have ever been associated with in sports. He goes about his business, with great success academically and athletically, quietly and without any fanfare.”

Westemeyer just finished a stellar career at Augustana and he excelled in all three areas cited in the description of the award.  He is a two-time American Football Coaches Association first team All-American, a two time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  His ‘free’ time is spent in a variety of community involvement, most notably with Heartland Hospice.

What the players on the Team Stars & Stripes roster are saying about the Tazon de Estrellas and their experiences so far in Mexico…

LB Eric Kahl, Utica College: “I expect us to come out hard and play like we do in practice. It will be a good game.”

DB Jeff Hilliard, University of St. Thomas:  “I love it here. The hospitality in this country is great. And I love learning about a new culture.  I think the game will be a great matchup. We are here to have fun, butalso to represent our country.”

WR Orlando Webb, North Carolina Wesleyan: “The practices have been going well. But I am tired, not from the weather because I’m from North Carolina but because I run so many different routes!  Saturday’s game will be fun, but it definitely will not be a walk in the park.”

Team Stars & Stripes completed the first of three two-a-day practices at Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico in preparation to take on Tec Monterrey All-Stars in the 2009 Tazon de Estrellas on Saturday, December 19.

The Team Stars & Stripes practice schedule was jammed packed starting with skill sessions and position drills. Afterwards, the team split into offense and defense as the coaches implemented their strategies. The team came back together in a light scrimmage showcasing the skills of the three quarterbacks on the squad. All three – Aaron Fanthorpe (North Central), Kyle Paulson (U. WI-Eau Claire, Mike Isgro (Delaware Valley College) displayed a talent for running the ball.

The quarterbacks connected with a trio of talented wide receivers in Orlando Webb (North Carolina Wesleyan College), Riley Curry (Trinity University), and Jared Manzer (Jared Manzer).

In addition to his great hands, Curry also impressed with his Spanish speaking as he along with Corry Stewart (Hanover College) were interviewed by a local TV station – TVC-Deportes.

After the practices, we met up with wide receiver Orlando Webb (North Carolina Wesleyan College) who had a very impressive first day of practice.

Orlando Webb is orginally from Snow Hill, North Carolina and played college football at North Carolina Wesleyan College. He is currently majoring in Business Adminstation.

“My trip to Mexico was pretty good and uneventful. I must admint I hate flying though. I do not like the thought of being in the air that long.  I had a 30 minute delay in Raleigh because the rain made it real sloppy and I had another 30 minute delay in Charlotte, but eventually I made it to Mexico.

“I was very excited to come play for Team Stars & Stripes and my coaches told me different stories about football in Mexico and how the event would be. I just wanted to come and meet the new guys and put together a team. And try to beat the Mexican team. I want to do the best I can, and help Team Stars & Stripes pull out a victory.

“I love playing football and could not pass up the opportunity to play in another game. Hopefully playing in Mexico will open up some doors for me in my future.  First of all, we need to get this win, and then I want to see what my future has to offer.

“We had our first day of practices today. It went well, and it was fun to play with new players from all over the United States.

“My coaches told me the Mexican team is pretty good and big. My school, North Carolina Wesleyan College, was always pretty small and I’ve learned that it’s not always about the size. We have some really good athletes and I know we will get it done on Saturday.”

Keith McMillan was in Alliance, Ohio, and Pat Coleman was in Whitewater, Wis., and while surely there are fans who probably are less interested in a Stagg Bowl with Mount Union and UW-Whitewater, those who are are in for a treat.

As we get ready for Stagg Bowl XXXVII (aka 37, since this particular set of Roman numerals is getting pretty long) Keith and Pat review how our two purple powerhouses got back to this point, with more challenging games in the semifinals than usual. They’ll talk about what they saw, what strengths and weaknesses were displayed on each side and get us started on the final Road to Salem.

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With the Tazon de Estrellas approaching this upcoming Saturday, Dec. 19, we opened the Daily dose up to Team Stars & Stripes to give fans an idea of what the D-III senior All-Stars are doing to prepare for the game. They will appear throughout the week.

Coming from eight different states, the Team Stars & Stripes coaches and staff landed in warm and sunny Mexico on Saturday, December 12 to prepare for the 2009 Tazon de Estrellas.

Many coaches gladly left behind the snow and their winter jackets and traded them for the 70 degree weather in Mexico.

The adventures of the journey varied between people, but  Coach Dean Paul of Ohio Northern University took the prize of longest trip by far. He was originally supposed to arrive in Mexico first with his flight leaving Ohio around 6:30am, but with missing his connecting flight and being on stand-by, he ultimately arrived at the Camino Real Perinorte Hotel at 8pm and was the last coach to arrive.

But eventually the entire staff made it to Mexico, and now awaits the players’ arrival.

On Sunday morning before the first airport run to pick up players, the coaching staff took a trip to the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico, observing the practice facilities that will be used by Team Stars & Stripes and the stadium in which the 2009 Tazon de Estrellas will be played.

The facilities were very impressive with the stadium having a newly installed turf field in a picturesque setting of Mexico. The campus also had multiple locker rooms and weight rooms that Team Stars & Stripes will have access to during the stay.

Following the tour, I had a chance to sit down with Team Stars & Stripes Defensive Line coach Todd Glaser to find out his thoughts on the venture so far.

“I was very excited when I first found out about the trip and that I was selected to be part of the coaching staff,” he said.  ”To get the opportunity to coach some of the best players in Division III football and with a coaching staff with this amount of experience is something I could never pass up.

“I arrived in Mexico yesterday after a non-eventful trip. I came from Minneapolis and did not experience any delays. But it is definitely very nice to trade in the cold weather for some warmth!

“I think this week will go by very fast. We don’t have a lot of time, but it definitely should be a lot of fun. Once the players arrive, our goal is to try to get the team together and playing as a team with the cohesiveness you need to be successful.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the players in all the different areas. It is always nice to get an opportunity to coach football.

“We have great facilities, a great stadium and the game should be a lot of fun. I can’t wait to get out there and coach!”

When we closed our Stagg Bowl 36 broadcast in December 2008, we thought Mount Union and UW-Whitewater would be back to Salem this year. We picked them as the top teams in the preseason and all the way through today. This is the last stop along the way toward the “inevitable.”  Except it isn’t inevitable. Wesley and Linfield can derail the anticipated re-re-re-rematch and we’ve got it covered a variety of ways.  Check out the front page if you haven’t already for all kinds of links to audio, video, livestats (off the scoreboard) and features leading up to today’s games.

Then at 12 pm EST tune into John McGraw and Keith McMillan in Alliance for Mount Union/Wesley and, an hour later, Pat Coleman and Joe Davis in Whitewater for UW-Whitewater/Linfield.

And all along the way, feel free to sound off on the games here.

For the past four years, there have been at least two dominant teams — and often a third championship contender — playing this far into December. But you’d have to go back to 1998, when there were 16 teams in the playoffs and no D3football.com, to find the last season where both semifinals were close games. In each season since, at least one, and sometimes both, have been decided by 21 points or more.

It is in that vein, then, that seeing the teams ranked Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5 in our pre-playoff poll meet, without a loss between them, excites us. Are we in line for the best Round 4 of the D3football.com era? Or just another coronation of the Purple Powers we’ve seen in Stagg Bowls 33, 34, 35 and 36? Wesley and Linfield hit the road to help decide, and to help you understand how we’ve decided on our picks, Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman and I added something to our score projections and explanations this week: An estimate of how likely our pick is to pan out. It was thought that maybe with the home teams being traditional favorites, we’d at least pay the Wolverines and Wildcats some respect by acknowledging their chances to win, but turns out we were more than willing to stick our necks out.

– Keith McMillan

No. 3 WESLEY (13-0) at No. 1 Mount Union (13-0), Noon EST

Ryan: Wesley 31, Mount Union 30
Percentage chance Wesley will win: 35%
I’ve rewritten this blurb four times already, stopping each time I get to the point where I try to factor coaching into the equation. Hands down, Mount Union wins that aspect of the game. Then I circle back to last week, 13 games into the season, and wonder about a Mount team that certainly wasn’t playing poorly, but then again, also wasn’t playing quite as well as they had at this point the past five years. There, a window opens for Wesley. It’s not a wide window, mind you, but Wesley is a team of versatility and playmakers — all of which can surprise defenses that give them any slack. Best of all, under center is a quarterback who is both mobile and quick to get rid of the ball, key ingredients as the Mount defenders pound the Wolverines line. It’s a long shot, this game, but if any pre-Stagg Bowl team will have had a shot, it’s Wesley. Problems, though, will come if the defensive backs fail to be physical enough to stall Cecil Shorts and the other MUC wideouts or if the defensive line fails to clamp down.

Keith: Wesley 31, Mount Union 28
Percentage chance Wesley will win: 45%
I’ve been going over this pick in my head since the Saturday before last, and I’m no closer to sold. I can see either team winning, but time’s up, and my pick is in. The rationale is all over the board, since I’ve seen Wesley live three times and Mount Union on DVR three times. Simplified, something about this Mount Union team strikes me as beatable. Maybe it was the five turnovers against Albright. Maybe it’s the natural order of things, that the Purple Raiders seem to dominate in cycles, and just when we start to believe they’re unbeatable, someone unexpectedly takes them out. Maybe it’s that are fewer really special playmakers on the Purple Raiders than on the Wolverines. But the last two rounds of the Division III playoffs are always about how a team performs up front, and Mount Union is solid on both lines. Wesley’s defensive line looks special enough to cause problems the Purple Raiders’ linemen aren’t used to dealing with, and if that happens, we’ve got an interesting game. MUC QB Kurt Rocco is not immobile necessarily, but he hasn’t had to deal with relentless pressure very often. Wesley’s secondary can probably match up with Mount Union’s receivers better than most, but expect WRs Cecil Shorts and Vince Petruziello to have some success. Wesley’s offensive line will have problems with Joe Millings and the Mount Union pass rush, but that almost plays right into the hands of QB Shane McSweeny, who loves to run and craves contact, and offensive coordinator Chip Knapp, who is clever enough to use the Purple Raiders’ speed against them. I don’t really know how Wesley scores 31 on Mount Union’s defense, but something about 2009 has been so standard that a stunner is due. The Wolverines are confident enough, that if they keep their cool and limit turnovers and penalties, they can restore the belief that a South Region or East Coast team can go through Alliance on the way to Salem.

Pat: Mount Union 27, Wesley 20
Percentage chance Mount Union will win: 57%
First of all, 57% is about 38% less than any other week of the playoffs so far. When people talk about the formula for beating Mount Union, it usually involves getting pressure on the Purple Raider quarterback solely with the front four, and the Wolverines have 46 sacks and 125 tackles for loss. The other key is, like many games, taking care of the ball. Wesley has turned the ball over 27 times in 13 games so far, nine of them in three playoff games, which is not overwhelming. A … well, potentially wise Mount Union fan told me earlier this year that Larry Kehres basically has 12 games every year to figure things out, thinking that even without the offense or defense fully clicking the Purple Raiders can get through two playoff games. In this case, I suspect the five turnovers last week might give people reason to consider they are not clicking 100 percent. I can believe Wesley has the talent to compete in this game, perhaps win it. Where I struggle is believing Wesley won’t be at least a little intimidated and outcoached. Mount Union doesn’t get outcoached often. I don’t see it happening Saturday. If the coaching is even and the Wolverines don’t get intimidated, Wesley wins. And that’s where my 43% is coming from.

No. 5 LINFIELD (12-0) at No. 2 UW-Whitewater (13-0), 1 p.m. EST

Ryan: UW-Whitewater 38, Linfield 17
Percentage chance Whitewater will win: 80%
Does Whitewater have any real weaknesses? The team is exactly where it should be, playing toward the game that it deserves to be in. Few teams boast as balanced of an offense as the Warhawks — and I don’t just mean on the basic passing vs. rushing level. It’s even balanced within the components. The ground game has two very capable backs, and quarterback Jeff Donovan has three potent receivers to keep the field spread out and the defense guessing. To its credit, Linfield is no slouch on either side of the ball either. The Wildcats’ turnover margin is well documented, and 436 yards of offense per game doesn’t just happen by magic. Linfield has momentum on its side, winning big game after big game. But UW-W is possibly the best of the best, and that will count come time to take the field.

Keith: UW-Whitewater 35, Linfield 21
Percentage chance Whitewater will win: 75%
As I mentioned in this week’s podcast, I think Linfield shows up at The Perk feeling like they’re in the same class as UW-Whitewater, that if they play their best game, they can win. And they’ll probably follow the Illinois Wesleyan and Wittenberg formula of going toe-to-toe with the Warhawks for a while. But of the two offensive styles, Linfield’s is the one that seems more susceptible to being disrupted by a good defense or having things spiral out of control on a bad day. Whitewater, with just 12 turnovers in 13 games, and having given up just six sacks, plays a mistake-free, powerful style that wears a team down in the second half. While the Warhawks give up just 2.4 yards per carry and have allowed four rushing TDs all season, even a one-dimensional Linfield is a bet to score some; The Wildcats start eight seniors on offense. On D, where they start three, is the bigger concern. They’ve only held three of 12 opponents below 20 points, while Whitewater’s only given up that many points once, in a game they led 51-7. The Wildcats and Warhawks might play an epic half to match their ‘05 clash, but it would take a monumental Linfield effort, especially on defense, to outplay UW-Whitewater over the course of a full game.

Pat: UW-Whitewater 30, Linfield 23
Percentage chance Whitewater will win: 52%
I think Whitewater has better talent, is better coached (though not significantly) and has the home-field advantage and experience this deep in the playoffs. If Whitewater has a weakness, it’s that they haven’t been tested much this season and the Warhawks may not be able to react if challenged late in the game. Yes, last week Wittenberg took Whitewater pretty late in the game, but the Tigers weren’t much of an offensive threat after halftime without their starting quarterback. Assuming Aaron Boehme is playing in the fourth quarter, that won’t be the same. Linfield has made a living in the playoffs taking advantage of opponents’ turnovers, but Whitewater takes care of the ball, with just six interceptions and six lost fumbles all season. Even if they double that average, I’m not sure two turnovers gets the job done.

First off, just as a reminder: The Gagliardi Trophy is not the Division III equivalent of the Heisman.

The award doesn’t always go to the best player in Division III. The mission of the award is different than the Heisman’s, or, at least, the end results are. The instructions to voters say it all: “The winner of the award should exhibit excellence in three areas: football, academics and service/leadership on campus and/or in his community.”

It goes on to give the most salient point, one which I think should be emphasized. “First and foremost, however, it is a football award; you should consider the candidate’s scholastic and extra-curricular records to help you break a tie.”

With that reminder out of the way, I have to say, this is about as wide open a final four as I remember.

• Blaine Westemeyer, Sr., Tackle, Augustana
• Spud Dick, Sr., Quarterback, DePauw
• Alex Tanney, Jr., Quarterback, Monmouth
• John Peters, Sr., Linebacker, Union

No Mount Union players, no UW-Whitewater players. Two quarterbacks, a defensive player and an offensive lineman. Only one defensive player has ever won the award and no offensive linemen have.

Sometimes I look at the final four and I have a pretty good idea who is going to be on the podium in Salem. But I don’t this year.

This is going to be pretty interesting.

Almost anyone could have come out of the “West” bracket.

But those other three brackets, well, that’s another story. When we did our playoff predictions in Around the Nation, Mount Union, Wesley and UW-Whitewater were unanimous picks to win their brackets.

So, it could be that we just played 28 games over three weeks for the privilege of identifying the four national semifinalists. But we sure had some interesting games along the way, right?

Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan take a look at the four quarterfinals and the teams that emerged in this week’s Around the Nation podcast.

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Four more teams get eliminated today, and while the Triple Take trio doesn’t expect too many close games, stranger things have happened.

I’ve mentioned on the site the past couple of days that it’s a good day to be surfing and watching or listening to games from home, and that’s partially because that’s where I am. Choices were that or drive six hours each way to UW-Whitewater, and I’ll save that drive for next week, if it turns out that way.

Our audio crews are on the upset watch at Wesley and UW-Whitewater. There are broadcasts of all four games, of course.

And I’ll be working to keep the blog open as long as possible today.

The D-III Senior Classic takes place Saturday in Salem, Va., and we’ll have Ryan Tipps on site to let us know what the game looks like.

Here are the rosters: