D3football Daily Dose

D3football.com All-American tight end Michael Allan broke Division III’s draft drought in April when he was selected in the seventh round by the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s apparently enjoying his time in the Chiefs camp so far, which is miles away from the Division III experience.

At the D-3 level we never expected to receive such treatment and while the NFL is a completely different level, I saw no surprise in the faces of those who came from division 1 schools. Chartered flights, full meals, free gear and top-notch facilities was just something that they always had. It’s a change; a change I am excited to make and I cannot thank fans like you enough for making all of this possible.

Allan writes more in his blog on the Kansas City Chiefs Web site.

Injuries have always been a part of the game. For someone to go throughout their four years of college football without an injury would be the equivalent to someone picking all four teams in last year’s NCAA basketball final four. It just doesn’t happen.

Some injuries may cause an athlete to miss a play, series, game, season, or career. I’ve seen plenty of them and have had my fair share (knocking on wood). It’s funny how you don’t realize how much you appreciate the simple act of walking or running until you pull a hamstring; or being able to dress yourself once you tear a muscle in your shoulder.

It is true, football is just a game. There is much more to life than what is played between those thin white lines. However, it is funny how much you can take from such a violent game.

For instance, on Friday, September 22, Travis Hearn, a Rock Island High School junior running back suffered a serious spinal cord injury. He is now paralyzed from the shoulders down. Travis may never be able to walk or use his arms again, which makes a pulled hamstring seem like a paper cut.

Many rival high school teams throughout the area have collected thousands of dollars to be put towards his recovery. The Rock Island Rocks have come together as a team and more importantly, as a family. Vic Boblett, the head coach of the Rock Island High School football team stated, “It’s one of the neat things about football; it’s truly a family. You don’t realize how much of a family it is until you go through something like this.” in the wake of the injury.

This game means so much to so many people. Football has its many ups and downs, but throughout those trials and tribulations you really get to know the people surrounding you who share the same passion for the game. It’s a bond you don’t find too often. Then again, when something like this happens you realize how many things you take for granted.

Here at Augustana College we have started a fundraiser for Travis Hearn and the football team alone has raised nearly $1,200. If anyone would like to contribute we would greatly appreciate it, and so would Travis.

Contributions may be sent to any branch of THE National Bank, with checks made payable to: “Travis Hearn Fund”. One hundred percent of all funds collected will go toward the payment of medical care and related expenses incurred by Travis Hearn arising from this tragic accident.

The National Bank
1800 5th Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201

Phone: (309) 752-9251

As I take a proverbial “victory lap” as a fifth year senior at Augustana College, sitting down to write as an insider for a third year I recall that it has never been easy to sit down and write a blog after a loss. After every sentence, word, and letter I punch into the keyboard I beat myself up over what I could have done better to have enhanced my teams’ chance of walking off the field with a victory.

Could I have broken a few more tackles or have made better blocks Saturday? Could I have worked harder in practice last week? Could I have pushed myself harder this summer? It is easy to question yourself when things aren’t going well and easier after a loss. However, what good comes from staying below the level you feel you have sunk to?

I can’t go back and change the outcome of our 17-7 defeat against Baldwin-Wallace this past Saturday, and no one in America could go back a day on 9/11/01 and prevent what happened to the World Trade Center twin or to the Pentagon. Though our experience is miniscule in comparison, tragedies and setbacks do happen. It’s a part of life. There is no good that comes from feeling sorry about yourself or your situation, but there is no greater feeling than rising to the light that is above the darkness inevitably set before us.

As an American and football fan, if you don’t get the chills while watching highlights of NFL players screaming out of a tunnel waving the American flag sky high to hundreds and thousands of ecstatic fans post 9/11 you better check your pulse. That was a time where it would have been easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves. We could have questioned our national security. We could have questioned this country’s morale.

We did the exact opposite. We rose above the darkness the fallen World Trade Center shed across our country and the light ahead was brighter than ever. We all saw this country come together like never before and it is something I will never forget. Now in no way is a loss in a football game comparable to 9/11, but the only good that can come from last Saturday is to push yourself to get better.

That said, sorry to cut it short, but I have a practice to get to……

Today is Friday November 11, 2005 and there are only two teams in the New England Football Conference that are preparing to play tomorrow, Fitchburg and Curry College. Tomorrow is the conference championship game for the NEFC and potentially the last game that the seniors on the field tomorrow will have a chance to play.

Today is also potentially the last practice for a group of seniors that I have had the privilege to play with for Four years. Us seniors that were honored this past Saturday have compiled the best record in school history with a record of 26-13.

After practice today the team will get together at a certain location at Elliot field to go through what we call “The Burning of the Shoe” which is when coach puts a cleat into a whole and sets it on fire while the team stands around the flames and the seniors get to tell their stories to the younger guys and thank everyone that has been involved in the program. The “Burning of the Shoe” usually is an emotional time for everyone as it could be the last time that that group will ever be together.

Saturday will be a special day for us Falcons as we have been waiting for this day for an entire year. Last year in the championship game we were beat by Curry College in a very tough, hard played football game. Well this year we get the chance to avenge that loss as both teams have taken care of their side of the division and will meet for the right to represent the conference in the NCAA playoffs.

Earlier this year we opened our season with a 28-13 win against Curry, however I expect that both teams will come into the game tomorrow very well prepared and that the game could come down to who has the ball last. Although I have had a tough season I am looking forward to the opportunity to redeem myself tomorrow either by punting well and putting our defense in good field position, or with a big kick that will help the offense.

In all of my years of playing organized football I have won a couple of championships on the Pop- Warner level, but nothing ever as big as the game that will be played tomorrow. Out of all of the DIII football teams in the country only 32 teams are going to play for a national championship, and with a win tomorrow we will get that opportunity

To all the seniors playing their final game tomorrow congratulations on playing four years of college football. Everyone else playing tomorrow enjoy every opportunity because it is going to go fast.

From week to week there are many factors that build up to every Saturday. The most essential component leading up to a game has to be preparation. A good week of practice is imperative to the success a team earns, and that goes for the whole team, not just the guys who step on the field on Saturdays.

The guys who give the first and second string teams a look everyday are often overlooked and taken for granted. The harder they work, the better they are making their teammates and team. It’s a hard role for many guys to accept considering many of them were the go-to-guys on their high school team.

Going into week ten and our conference championship game we knew we had to have a good hard week of practice as we faced North Central College. Led by the self- proclaimed “Hit Squad” (defensive scout team) and senior Bill Smigiel, our offense was provided with great looks all week which we greatly benefited from. The intensity and concentration of each practice was higher than usual as our setback last year in Naperville, IL was still instilled in our heads.

We had been waiting for November 5th for 364 days and the seniors had been waiting four years for a conference championship. It is always a thrill when two highly touted teams meet head-to-head because there is usually a lot on the line. Last Saturday was no exception. As time ran out Josh Patterson booted a 22 yard field goal giving us a 20-17 victory and conference championship.

It was a hard fought battle, filled with plenty of emotion and good football, the way a game should be played by two playoff caliber teams. No matter what outsiders may have seen during and after the game and what they had to say about it, the players on both sides of the ball played their hearts out for 60 minutes. Both teams came ready to play and went after it the entire game, garnering nothing but respect for the players on the field.

Coming off last weeks victory, we head into another battle that bears a great challenge steeped in tradition. This Saturday we head to Wheaton, Illinois to take on Wheaton College. This senior class has yet to walk away from this game with a ‘W’. This game has come down to the last minute with potential to win on the last play the past two years and we walked away empty handed both times. Anyone who follows CCIW football knows that this game breeds great football and this Augustana squad comes into this game recalling the anguish of too many recent setbacks to Wheaton.

Being a running back I get the privilege of seeing a side of the offensive linemen that many never get to. Granted it may not be the prettiest side, but I love these guys and I tell them they look good doing their job. The relationship between offensive linemen and running backs is a unique bond and I am fortunate to have been apart of such a brotherhood for years.

I can assure you that no unit on our team works harder than our line. These guys do nothing but bang shoulder pads from the first whistle of practice to the last. They are the heart and soul of our offense and do the majority of the dirty work, but they won’t find their name in the paper on Sunday morning (unless your name is Mike Ziefert).

In regards to running backs, offensive linemen love to assume the big brother role and take their back(s) under their wing. As if sacrificing their body so we can find our way to the end zone is not enough, they find gratification in seeing that we are well taken care of. For example, starting left tackle Andy Quain and his parents fixed the offense 80 lbs. of barbeque chicken a few Fridays ago at a campsite 15 miles from campus. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Last Saturday we took on an up and coming Elmhurst College squad who presented our team with quite a challenge. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, the score was 22-13 and the Bluejays were not about to lie down. They battled all the way to the end, but thanks to a strong running game fueled by the big boys up front and key plays when we needed it by the defense, we improved to 7-1 with a 64-42 victory.

This Saturday we take on North Central College who is 8-0 and 11th in the nation. The winner of this game will be granted the CCIW championship and an automatic bid to the playoffs, something this senior class has sniffed several times, but never brought home.

The bitter feeling of leaving Naperville, Illinois last year after a 31-10 defeat has been burning in the back of our minds going out to every practice this year. Whether it be a 7-0 victory in Kenosha over Carthage College or a 64-42 shoot out over Elmhurst, this Augustana team has found a way to put ourselves in position to play for the conference championship. Since we got on the bus after the North Central game last year we have been working towards earning this opportunity, and we are taking our ‘whatever it takes’ attitude with us as we step onto our field at 1:00 on November 5th.

Well it has been a few weeks since my last post. I have been a little busy lately with practice and my internship. The internship requires me to put in 450 hours throughout the semester and at the half way point I am at about 200 hours, so I have been doing some nights during the week and also a couple of hours on the Sunday nights. It is going well right now, I am having a lot of fun, learning a lot and definitely making some good contacts that will be useful after graduation.

The last time I wrote in we were preparing to play on the road against Endicott College. That weekend was not a very good one for Falcon fans as we were beat 21-7. The story of that game was turnovers. Our offense just couldn’t get anything going and with 6 turnovers it left our defense on the field for a long time. Nonetheless they played well and beat us on that day.

The following week against Maine Maritime Academy we got back on track with a 21-0 shutout victory. MEMA came into the game with a very high-powered ground game that our defense was able to shut down.

The game against MEMA was also the first football game played on the newly renovated Elliot Field. Even with terrible weather there was still a good turnout of family and friends to support us in our first true home game of the season. The win improved our record to 5-1 and 4-0 in the Bogan division.

This past Saturday was our second straight contest against a maritime academy as we traveled down to scenic Buzzard’s Bay, Cape Cod for a match up with Massachusetts Maritime Academy. It was a successful trip as we came away with a 39-19 win and put ourselves into the driver’s seat in the division.

Although it was a successful trip, it was not a good game for me. It was the first time in my career at Fitchburg that I was pulled from the game. My kicking struggles continued as I missed my first 3 extra points, back up John Hirko came and did a great job making all 3 of his attempts.

With a win this week against Framingham State combined with a Worcester State College loss, we will win our second straight divisional championship. However, a Worcester State win will set up a division championship game next week at home against Worcester State.

Game day for the Augustana football team started off with a 7:00 a.m. breakfast on campus this past Saturday. Following our traditional pre-game breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham from the cafeteria we loaded the buses and set out for Decatur, Illinois to take on Millikin University. The ride that usually offers nothing but corn and farm houses took a turn for the better with the shifting of seasons as all the leaves were in the midst of changing colors.

For any sports fanatic, fall has to be the best time of the year. The cool air simply smells like football and throughout most of the week some sort of game can been seen. Let’s not forget the excitement that surrounds the baseball playoffs and World Series that comes hand in hand with fall. Speaking of which, though the odds of me jumping on the White Sox bandwagon are about the same as me starting over Reggie Bush this Saturday for USC, I must tip my hat to Ozzie Guillen’s squad and their success as of yet. You have to admire how hard they play and how they feed off of each other’s energy.

They have captured the essence of sports which derives from the chilling atmosphere fall creates. There is nothing that compares to the feeling you get while stepping onto the field under the blue skies of fall while smelling barbeque from distant tailgaters. That is all I could think of while we traveled to take on the Big Blue and as we arrived in Decatur at 11:15, kickoff could not have come soon enough.

Things got rolling early as we jumped out to a 17-0 halftime lead thanks to a stingy defense and a grinding offense. Walking off the field after the first half we found a shaded area right outside the stadium and stayed there for halftime rather than piling into the crowded locker room. It was quite an interesting experience, one a division I football player would never even come close to experiencing as fans of both teams passed close by the entire time. The game ended with us coming out on top by a score of 23-0 as we improved to 6-1 overall.

After the game I was able to hang out with a few players from the Millikin team because my good friend Max Warner plays for them. It was a great experience talking CCIW football with guys I had just lined up against. It was a unique experience hearing them talk about the same things my teammates and I talk about, just from a different perspective.

This Saturday we play host to Elmhurst College who just came off of a tough seven point defeat from North Central College (12th in the nation). As conference play comes to a close we realize that from week to week, it is a one game season. No game is more important than the one in front of us as we take on the Bluejays this Saturday. One slip up could cost us our season and we take that into consideration as we walk out to practice every day.

There are always a few extra activities going on surrounding homecoming week, and this year’s homecoming was no exception. We were fortunate enough to have former Notre Dame head football coach, Jerry Faust speak on campus and attend a Thursday afternoon practice.

Having a man who once held such a prestigious position address the team after our practice was quite an honor. He handed our program plenty of genuine compliments and it was a thrill to see him get fired up as he stressed to us the importance of team ball. I was impressed with the amount of knowledge he had of our program from over the years and it was flattering to hear him say that he would be following us in the paper in the following weeks. We were fortunate enough to have had the experience of meeting Coach Faust as it was a positive note heading into Week 8 as we took on Illinois Wesleyan University.

The Titans came to Rock Island with a 1-4 record, but records are thrown out the window bearing in mind the tradition this game has held throughout the years. Though Augustana has won 18 of the last 24 meetings, including the last four contests, Coach Barnes was quick to remind us that Wesleyan is the only school in our conference that still has the edge over us in the overall win-loss column.

As the defense played well again, the game broke open in the second half as fullback Mike Guzman tied a school record when he made his way to the end zone from 97 yards out. The final score was 41-15 as the senior class walked away knowing they were one of a few Augie classes that had never lost to IWU.

This Saturday we head down to Decatur to take on the Big Blue of Millikin. I have been looking forward to this game because one, they are a tough team with plenty of athletes, and two, one of my good friends from high school plays for them. Max Warner, our high school quarterback has found himself on the other side of the ball at Millikin and since then there has been plenty of good natured trash talk.

As a team we look forward to the challenge Millikin brings us this Saturday as every game from here on out is our biggest game yet. There is no doubt this will be a hard fought game on both sides of the ball. Let’s just hope no flags get thrown if I meet Max on the field.

Barry Bottino of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., writes about one of our Insiders, Augustana’s J.J. McDowell, and about McDowell’s Insider writings.