Williams rolled over Trinity (Conn.) 41-16 to end the Bantams' 31-game winning streak. The Ephs scored the last 20 points to pull away, 17 in a row after the Bantams shanked a 9-yard punt.

"You don't often get an opportunity to play a team like this that's won 31 in a row and be able to place yourself among the best teams in the history of this school," Williams coach Mike Whalen said. "I don't know what's going to happen the next six games but the 2006 football team will always have a place in Williams College history for being the one that ended this streak." Archived Game of the Week broadcast.

No. 13 Central defeated Wartburg in overtime 13-7, and then got some help in the conference race from Loras who upset No. 14 Coe 32-30. The Dutch and the Duhawks are each 2-0 in IIAC play. Saturday's scoreboard plus reaction and analysis.

Two upstarts fell short of upsets. Western Connecticut picked up its first loss as No. 7 Rowan came from behind for a 24-17 win and No. 4 St. John's held off fomerly unbeaten Carleton 29-19. No. 23 Delaware Valley also needed a late rally to beat Lebanon Valley 19-18.

Other Top 25 teams had much easier times. No. 2 UW-Whitewater shut out UW-Eau Claire 34-0 (photo gallery) and No. 6 Wesley rolled by Huntingdon 38-17 in Alabama. No. 9 Bridgewater (Va.) continued its mastery of Hampden-Sydney, beating the Tigers 31-13.

No. 17 Whitworth maintained its momentum coming off last weekend's overtime win at UW-Stout as the Pirates beat Azusa Pacific 17-14. UW-Platteville followed up its win over Augustana by beating UW-Stout 31-27 for the Pioneers' first conference win since 2004. And No. 1 Mount Union and No. 10 Ohio Northern each won on Sunday.

Photo galleries: UW-Whitewater at UW-Eau Claire; St. Thomas at Bethel; Concordia-Moorhead at Augsburg; Ripon at Carroll; UW-Oshkosh at UW-River Falls.

Rocky Pentello went over the 10,000-yard passing mark for his career in No. 3 Capital's 52-10 win against Marietta. And Howard Payne and Sul Ross State went over the 100-point mark, with Sul Ross State winning 60-56. Maryville and North Carolina Wesleyan rolled up the points as well, though it took four overtimes for the Scots to win 50-48. Rhodes and Washington U. needed overtime just to reach nine points in Rhodes' 6-3 win. Grove City beat Westminster (Pa.) for the first time since 1979 thanks to a missed PAT with 24 seconds left.

Wittenberg got 196 yards and three touchdowns from Tristan Murray to beat Wooster 24-21 in a key NCAC matchup. Averett opened USA South play with a 21-14 victory over defending champion Ferrum. Dickinson also defeated a defending conference champ, beating Johns Hopkins 21-13 in the Centennial Conference.

The Ohio Athletic Conference football game between Ohio Northern and Otterbein, scheduled for Saturday at ONU"s Dial-Roberson Stadium, has been postponed.

An unidentified player from the Otterbein football team was diagnosed Friday with a case of meningitis, causing the postponement of the game for the safety of the players on both teams.

A makeup date for the game has not been announced, pending results of medical tests on the member of the Otterbein squad.

An announcement on the makeup date may be made as early as Saturday afternoon.

The Saint Mary's University Board of Trustees voted Friday against a proposal to bring varsity football back to the Winona, Minn., campus. The unanimous board action was taken following discussion of a report by the university's football task force.

The board felt that "as responsible stewards of university resources," reinstating football at this time is not in the best interests of the university and its students. They noted that the expense of starting and maintaining a competitive football program is prohibitive. The board also said that many of the reasons for reinstating football could be achieved by upgrading existing athletic programs.

Rob Figliulo, board chairman, thanked the task force for its "extremely thorough and thoughtful report." He expressed his "deep appreciation for their hard work and diligence. It moves the university forward" regardless of the vote against football.

Brother Craig Franz, FSC, university president, said the board gave careful and deliberative consideration to the information and issues presented by the Task Force report. He said the process of studying and debating the issue of reinstating football "raised awareness and appreciation of the role of athletics in the overall experience of students."

Franz noted that the information collected and the issues raised by the task force will be useful in future discussions by the board and the university concerning improvements to existing athletic programs and facilities.

Saint Mary's discontinued football in 1955. The idea of reinstating the sport has been proposed from time to time over the years, with the last extensive study done about 15 years ago.

The task force was formed in early spring 2005 to study the feasibility of adding football to the lineup of Saint Mary's varsity athletic offerings. The committee examined the impact of football on student enrollment and university visibility, as well as a wide range of issues related to finances, facilities, student life etc. The football report was presented to the board at its May 2006 meeting; action on the proposal was deferred until today's meeting so that the Task Force could provide further information in response to board questions.

The Task Force was headed by Chris Kendall, vice president for student development, and Tony Piscitiello, vice president for admission. The group was comprised of a cross-section of university constituents, including administration, faculty, students, student life, admission, finance, facilities, alumni, development, and the Winona community.

Some teams that were on the verge of earning the label "perennial playoff team" stumbled last season, and were left home on Selection Sunday. But 2006 is a new season, and a handful have come out strong.

Wartburg finished 7-3 last year, with conference losses to Central and rival Luther. But the Knights are 3-0 this season, with Luther already vanquished, and travel to Central this weekend.

Springfield slid quite a bit in 2005, falling to 4-6 after an 0-4 start. But the Pride was restored a little bit for Mike DeLong's team, as was the prolific triple-option running game. Springfield is 3-0 with three key victories.

What makes a comeback team tick? How does a team get its swagger back? Keith McMillan explores the question with coaches Eric Koehler and DeLong in this week's Around the Nation.

We also recognize a few other bounceback teams, give you a read on what else is going on around Division III, give you games to watch and a look at one voter's thought process. All in Around the Nation. Plus, Around the Midwest talks to Wheaton, another of our bounceback picks.

Julio Fuentes, the Alfred running back and kick returner who was injured in Week 2 at Thiel, remains in guarded condition at a Rochester hospital. Adam Samrov writes about the ongoing fundraising effort to help defray his medical expenses in this week's Around the East.

On the field, Carleton's big win against Bethel did not go unnoticed, though you'll want to read to find out about the trick play coach Kurt Ramler pulled out with the game on the line.

Adam Johnson talks to one of the key players and the coach, who faces his alma mater, No. 4 St. John's, this weekend. That's in Around the West.

Plus, there were a couple of big games and fantastic finishes, a game that finally got played, some not-so-dull performances and conference play begins to heat up. That and more in Around the Region.

An on-campus salute for college football Hall of Famer Dick Farley will take place this Saturday, Sept. 30, during the Williams-Trinity game in Williamstown, Mass.

Farley, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer along with St. John's coach John Gagliardi, coached at Williams from 1987-2003. Farley amassed a .849 winning percentage (114-19-3), which currently ranks him sixth among coaches in all divisions in college football history.

The game will be broadcast by D3football.com.

The AFCA Top 25, through Week 4:

Rank     School (1st votes)           Rec.       Pts.      Prev. 
1.         Mount Union (36)           3-0        996       1
2.         UW-Whitewater (4)          3-0        960       2          
3.         St. John"s                 4-0        896       4        
4.         Capital                    3-0        814       6          
5.         Wesley                     3-0        808       5          
6.         Hardin-Simmons             2-0        762       7
7.         UW-La Crosse               3-0        740       9        
8.         Bridgewater (Va.)          4-0        674       10     
9.         Ohio Northern              3-0        625       11    
10.        Cortland State             3-0        509       12
11.        Wheaton                    3-0        508       13         
12.        Rowan                      1-1        499       3          
13.        St. John Fisher            4-0        481       18         
14.        Coe                        4-0        475       14        
15.        Central                    3-0        443       15         
16.        Occidental                 2-0        383       16
17.        Mary Hardin-Baylor         2-1        358       17
18.        Wilkes                     4-0        334       19         
19.        Whitworth                  3-0        203       23
20.        Mount St. Joseph           3-0        197       20 
21.        Wartburg                   3-0        190       22
22.        Ithaca                     3-1        185       8          
23.        Hobart                     3-0        170       21
24.        Trinity (Texas)            3-1        117       24 
25.        Springfield                3-0         87       NR

Dropped out: No. 25 Christopher Newport

Others receiving votes: Christopher Newport 80; Concordia (Wis.) 64; Washington & Jefferson 50; Wooster 49; St. Olaf 48; Union 36; Linfield 31; Albion 29; Trinity (Conn.) 28; St. Norbert 27; UW-Oshkosh 20; Carthage 19; Carnegie Mellon 18; Ursinus 13; Cal Lutheran 13; John Carroll 12; Delaware Valley 11; UW-Stout 9; Wabash 8; Elmhurst 6; RPI 6; Augustana 3; North Central 2; Franklin 2; Howard Payne 2.

Some of the top performances around Division III from Week 4 games:

Widener senior Jamie Schild caught just four passes, but all four went for touchdowns over a total of 173 yards in Widener"s 31-14 win against Lebanon Valley. Schild"s four scores were from 45, 36, 58 and 34 yards.

Ohio Northern defensive end Jason Trusnik showed he was back with a vengeance, recording three and a half tackles for loss, two sacks, recovering a fumble and blocking an extra point that teammate Drew McGraw returned for a defensive two-point conversion. Trusnik had seven tackles in the 23-9 win against John Carroll.

UW-Platteville receiver Joe Danielson caught seven passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half, as the Pioneers rolled past Augustana 24-7. He had two 49-yard scoring strikes and added a 33-yarder down to the 1-yard line, setting up another score.

"I didn't get to play in last year's game (a 45-14 loss) because of my shoulder, so I wanted to come out here and make it known I didn't play to prove a point," Danielson said. "This win was definitely a big boost for us."

Trinity (Texas) quarterback Blake Barmore ran for two touchdowns and threw for another in the Tigers" 26-15 Sunday win against DePauw. Barmore was 23-for-32 passing for 235 yards and ran for another 53 yards in the victory.

Please scroll down for more Week 4 coverage.

No. 17 Whitworth threw three interceptions in the red zone but quarterback Joel Clark threw a touchdown pass with three seconds left to tie UW-Stout 7-7 and the Pirates went on to beat the Blue Devils 14-13 in two overtimes.

Stout held Whitworth, which had averaged 32.5 points in its first two games, out of the end zone for 59:56 of regulation and forced a missed 40-yard field goal in the rain in the first overtime, but missed its PAT in the second overtime. Shane Stonemetz plowed in from 2 yards out on Whitworth's possession and Cameron Collings' extra point sealed the win. Photo gallery.

It's one of a handful of results that could push teams around in the D3football.com Top 25. No. 25 St. John Fisher rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit and rolled past No. 11 Ithaca 34-10, while No. 19 Hobart held off No. 24 RPI's rally for a 24-17 win. Photo gallery. Saturday's scores.

Mark Robinson got two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second half to lead the St. John Fisher rally. Jon Branche caught a late touchdown to cut the Hobart lead to seven but the three RPI fumbles in the third quarter were the back-breaker.

Trinity (Texas) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat yet again in the DePauw series, scoring two touchdowns in the final five minutes Sunday afternoon to win 26-15. The game was started Saturday night but was suspended with no score in the first quarter after multiple lightning strikes in the area.

No. 20 Delaware Valley got just 38 yards in the first half but receiver Don Marshall came alive in the final quarter and a half to help the Aggies survive against visiting Lycoming 17-16. Trinity (Conn.) extended its winning streak to 31 games, beating Colby in the season opener for both. Chapman receiver Harrison Dull was sharp Saturday night, with 13 catches for 327 yards in a 42-25 win against Pacific Lutheran.

Springfield got 486 yards, all on the ground, in beating Alfred 41-34, while Union edged Rochester 27-24.

No. 4 St. John's rallied again at Concordia-Moorhead and stopped a late Cobber fourth-down conversion attempt in a 14-12 win, but it wasn't the most surprising MIAC result. Carleton pulled off a shocker, beating Bethel 17-14. No. 3 Rowan lost at Division I-AA Robert Morris 21-0 and UW-Platteville outgained Augustana by 120 yards in a 24-7 victory.

Hardin-Simmons and Louisiana College were cancelled by lightning, with HSU leading 28-12 in the second quarter. The game will not be made up.

No. 2 UW-Whitewater got a 97-yard touchdown run from All-America running back Justin Beaver and made a 17-3 halftime lead stand up, beating UW-Oshkosh. Photo gallery. No. 13 Mary Hardin-Baylor sent Texas Lutheran to its second consecutive loss, 31-9. No. 9 UW-La Crosse made it two in a row for the WIAC over Azusa Pacific with a 27-10 win.

Last year the Liberty League had three competitive teams vying for playoff spots and the Empire 8 had the same. And in the end, the Liberty League outperformed the Empire 8 and gave a pretty good accounting of itself in the playoffs.

And the East didn't embarrass itself in the national semifinals.

Those factors are among the reasons why Upstate New York is a little higher on the Division III football radar this year. And the schedule is why the teams are on the radar this week, with No. 11 Ithaca at No. 25 St. John Fisher, No. 19 Hobart at No. 24 RPI, plus other key games in both leagues. The two Top 25 games alone combined to go four overtimes last season.

We won't know the champions by Saturday; we won't even know all of the contenders. But it's a good week for some showdowns, Keith McMillan writes in this week's installment of Around the Nation.

Plus, why is 0-2 Linfield ranked? Time to dissect the poll a little bit and provide some insight from a voter's perspective. See Keith's picks for this week's upset special and surprisingly good game.

All that and more in Around the Nation.

Concordia (Wis.) put itself on the map in Week 2 with an upset win at North Central.

It might have been easy to mail it in the following week, but as coach Jeff Gabrielsen told Clyde Hughes in this week's Around the Midwest: "The target's going to be on our backs. We're going to have to show up every single week. That's our challenge."

Adam Johnson tells us why we can't count Linfield out just yet in Around the West, while Around the Mid-Atlantic was in two places at once this past weekend, with eyewitness analysis on both Wilkes/Delaware Valley and Bridgewater/Ferrum.

All that and more coming in this week's Around the Region columns.

The AFCA Top 25 through games of Saturday, Sept. 16. The poll is voted on by 40 members of the American Football Coaches Association.

Rank School (1st votes) Rec. Pts. Prev
1. Mount Union (35) 2-0 991 ---
2. UW-Whitewater (5) 2-0 948 ---
3. Rowan 1-0 865 ---
4. St. John's 3-0 861 ---
5. Wesley 3-0 750 ---
6. Capital 2-0 732 ---
7. Hardin-Simmons 2-0 714 ---
8. Ithaca 3-0 694 ---
9. UW-La Crosse 2-0 665 ---
10. Bridgewater (Va.) 3-0 621 ---
11. Ohio Northern 2-0 547 ---
12. Cortland State 2-0 441 ---
13. Wheaton (Ill.) 2-0 394 ---
14. Coe 3-0 386 ---
15. Central 3-0 374 ---
16. Occidental 2-0 354 ---
17. Mary Hardin-Baylor 1-1 345 ---
18. St. John Fisher 3-0 330 ---
19. Wilkes 3-0 307 ---
20. Mount St. Joseph 3-0 183 ---
21. Hobart 2-0 164 ---
22. Wartburg 2-0 147 ---
23. Whitworth 2-0 128 ---
24. Trinity (Texas) 2-1 107 ---
25. Christopher Newport 2-1 97 ---

Others receiving votes: UW-Stout 87; RPI 81; Union 77; Washington & Jefferson 77; Augustana 75; Springfield 60; Linfield 43; Albion 36; Delaware Valley 32; Wooster 32; Concordia (Wis.) 27; Trinity (Conn.) 26; Carthage 24; Bethel 21; UW-Oshkosh 21; Wabash 19; St. Olaf 19; John Carroll 16; Ursinus 11; Marietta 10; North Central 9; St. Norbert 8; Carnegie Mellon 8; Texas Lutheran, 7; Rhodes 6; Alfred 6; Franklin 6; California Lutheran, 5; Howard Payne 2; Lycoming 1; Baldwin-Wallace 1; Curry 1; Thomas More 1.

Some of the top performances around Division III from Week 3 games:

Wheaton receiver Noah Dreyer had nine catches for 98 yards and three touchdowns Saturday in a 48-7 win against Washington U. Dreyer entered the game with 14 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown and entered the season with just 11 career catches for 78 yards and a score.

College of New Jersey junior defensive end Joe King posted seven tackles, five for loss and four sacks for the Lions in a 20-14 win at FDU-Florham.

Ferrum senior quarterback Jermaine Pitts broke Chris Warren"s (yes, that Chris Warren) school record for rushing yards, carrying 23 times for 242 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers" 30-27 overtime loss to Bridgewater.

UW-Whitewater linebacker A.J. Raebel recorded 10 tackles, forced a fumble and had two tackles for loss in the Warhawks" 27-7 win against Azusa Pacific.

For more coverage from Week 3, please scroll down.

Mychal Carillo took a screen pass 66 yards for a touchdown and Cory Deaver and Rob Galusha each intercepted passes as No. 7 Hardin-Simmons eased past No. 11 Linfield 21-6 despite Linfield's 382 yards of total offense. The Wildcats fell to 0-2 and have lost three consecutive games, dating to last December's national quarterfinals (Photo gallery). Elsewhere in the state, Trinity (Texas) coasted to a 35-10 victory over Redlands by intercepting six Bulldogs' passes.

Matt Pizarro held onto the ball just once on the afternoon but the tight end made it a good one, scoring on a 25-yard reception to lead No. 19 Wilkes past No. 12 Delaware Valley in overtime. (Audio clip, Gordon Mann on the call for Delaware Valley, and photo gallery.)

The teams combined for 19 punts and just six third-down conversions in the game, one of eight overtime contests on Saturday. Full story and Scoreboard page.

No. 2 UW-Whitewater got a 92-yard kickoff return from Jordan Wells and scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the NAIA's No. 9 team, Azusa Pacific, 27-7.

Christopher Newport and Salisbury also went to overtime, with CNU winning 23-17. Cortland State beat Brockport State in a key non-conference matchup. Texas Lutheran's high didn't last long, as Mississippi College forced four turnovers and won 28-21. The Choctaws held off a late rally when Chase Dudley intercepted a pass on the 1 with 50 seconds left. Springfield won for the second week in a row, beating Montclair State 27-15 and securing a spot on the radar in the East Region.

We have photo galleries from Saturday: Linfield at Hardin-Simmons, Delaware Valley at Wilkes, St. John's at Augsburg, St. Norbert at Lawrence, Concordia-Moorhead at Bethel and Louisiana College at McMurry.

The ODAC's Bridgewater had a goal-line stand to defeat the USAC's Ferrum 30-27 in overtime but Averett beat Guilford 54-34 in its first game against a non-national semifinalist. UW-Oshkosh got a 51-yard field goal from Lucas Raschke, the 31st field goal of his career, in beating Lakeland 31-10. Mount Union and St. John's stomped their first conference opponents.

Alma rebounded from last week's loss to Cornell by upending UW-Eau Claire 33-30 in overtime. Coast Guard rolled past Plymouth State 35-7 in the NEFC Newcomer Bowl. Husson won for the second week in a row, with a victory at Norwich, and is above .500 for the first time in the program's history.

And Pat Coleman succesfully took in three Division III games in the course of 27 hours.

Five Division III student-athletes have been named to the 2006 AFCA Good Works Team, including receiver P.J. Theisen, who gives St. Thomas a representative for the ninth consecutive year.

Division I-A gets a full 11-member team. Division III shares an 11-member team with Division I-AA, Division II and the NAIA.

Nominations were submitted to the AFCA by the college sports information departments. Nominees have to be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or involved in other community service activities. Candidates have to display sincere concern and reliability, while also having made a favorable impression on the organizations with which they are involved. Athletic ability is not a criterion.

The five honorees and a brief description of their qualifications:

Kyle Duchman, WR, Junior, Wartburg: Study table leader for Wartburg football team, which assists a number of student-athletes in upcoming assignments and projects ... Emergency Room volunteer, assisting with day-to-day tasks of running the ER ... Helps out with any needed task at Westminster Presbyterian Church ... Helps plan events for Orchard Hill (Iowa) Church Living Unit Group and another Cedar Valley (Iowa) area church ... Assists with local youth basketball program during weekends and is a Little League umpire.

Chris Greisl, LB, Senior, Wabash: Wabash Football Community Service captain ... Participates in the Indiana Special Olympics Plane Pull, which is an event to raise money for Special Olympics ... Participated in football trip to Panama and worked in villages and area farms ... Organizes community service events for the football team such as a Youth Day Camp, Riley Hospital visit and the Special Olympics Plane Pull ... Volunteer at Crawfordsville (Ind.) Battered Women"s Shelter and worked on Indiana Highway clean-up.

Kevin McNamara, DL, Senior, St. John"s (Minn.): Spent over three years as a Personal Care Assistant for a young man with Down Syndrome ... Volunteers in a peer mentoring program at Mahtomedi (Minn.) High School working with special needs students ... Tutors third through fifth grade students at St. Joseph Lab School in St. Joseph, Minn. ... Helped raise money for cancer research at Night to Fight Cancer ... Volunteer at College of St. Benedict Dr. Seuss Day, reading and playing with children.

Brian Nickel, DL, Senior, Johns Hopkins: Volunteers at Penn Lucia Church in Baltimore working with inner-city children in a variety of academic areas ... Spent two years working with people confined to the dementia ward at a local nursing home ... Participated in the Howard Hughes Summer Research Fellowship, researching cancer cells and examining their growth ... Hosted and led a weekly Bible study through Johns Hopkins" Greek Christian Fellowship.

P.J. Theisen, WR, Senior, St. Thomas (Minn.): Volunteered at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, Knights of Columbus Pancake Breakfast and participated in a Red Ribbon Ride to raise money for AIDS research ... Reads to elementary school students at St. Paul schools for the "Read, Read, Read Program" ... Member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and helped organize homecoming pep fest and Toys for Teens Drive ... Assists "Athletes Committed to Educating Students" in putting on triathlon.

The Friends of Saxon Athletics is launching a fundraising appeal to benefit Julio Fuentes, a sophomore criminal justice major who was injured in Alfred's Sept. 9 game against Thiel.

Fuentes, a running back, was blocking on the kickoff return during the opening play of the second half when he collided with a Thiel player. Taken first to St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell, N.Y., Fuentes was transferred later that afternoon to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where he remains in "guarded" condition in the intensive care unit. "Guarded" means he is still being evaluated to determine the extent of his injuries.

"Everyone on campus and many of our alumni who are aware of Julio"s injuries wanted to do something to help him and his family out," said Mark Shardlow, director of alumni and community relations. "Julio is just a great kid, easily one of the most popular members of the team and one of the best-liked students on campus. When something like this happens, people just want to do what they can to make things easier for him and his family."

Any funds raised through FSA will be specifically earmarked for "medical supplies, medical equipment and medical treatments" for Fuentes that are not covered by the university"s insurance.

He said donations from alumni, the campus community and the general public may be sent to Friends of Saxon Athletics, in care of University Relations, Alfred University, Alfred, NY 14802. Checks should be clearly marked "Julio Fuentes Recovery Fund."

Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Office of Alumni and Community Relations at 607.871.2144 or by e-mailing alumni@alfred.edu. Shardlow said FSA is coordinating its fundraising appeal with community-based efforts. Friends of the Fuentes family have established the Julio Fuentes Recovery Fund through the Alfred branch of Community Bank.

Fuentes was a third-down back as a freshman with the Saxons in 2005. He rushed for 333 yards and a pair of scores, and also caught 22 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 21.1 yards on nine kickoff returns.

Christopher Newport has never been known to run from top competition in football, and their record reflects it. Since starting football in 2001, the Captains are 35-20, but only once have they lost more than one game in the USA South.

This past week, that schedule nearly came back to bite the Captains before a goal-line stand preserved a 15-10 win against Mary Hardin-Baylor. And in the end, it was a stand that nobody seemed to want to take credit for. Keith McMillan was there and reports his perspective in Around the Nation.

Also, D3football.com takes a look at which conferences are on the rise and which are on the decline through the first two weeks' games, looks back at last week's games to watch and throws some new ideas out there for Week 3, including an upset special which Around the Nation is 2-0 on through two weeks.

That and more in this week's Around the Nation.

For the 10th consecutive year, the American Football Coaches Association will send a Division III all-star team to Mexico to battle a team of that country's top college players in the 2006 Aztec Bowl on Dec. 16 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Bill Manlove, former coach at Widener and Delaware Valley, will serve as the coach for this year"s United States team. Manlove served as an assistant coach at the Aztec Bowl from 2002-2004. He replaces the late Ron Schipper, who guided the first nine U.S. Aztec Bowl squads from 1997-2005. Schipper passed away earlier this year.

The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico"s college football season. The game has been played 35 times since 1947 with the last nine contests featuring the United States-Mexico matchup. The United States is 8-1 in the series and won last year"s game 53-15 in Toluca, Mexico.

This year"s game will be played at Estadio Victoria in Aguascalientes and will again have a live audio broadcast from Chitwood Sports Media.

Two former Team USA members, London Fletcher-Baker and Clint Kriewaldt are currently playing in the National Football League. Fletcher-Baker, who played collegiately at John Carroll and was a member of the 1997 U.S. team, is a member of the Buffalo Bills. Kriewaldt was the Detroit Lions" 1999 fifth-round draft pick out of UW-Stevens Point and played in the 1998 Aztec Bowl. He is currently a member of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ron Schipper passed away this past March. The longtime Central coach returned to Michigan after retiring but never got to see his former team play Hope, his alma mater.

That game took place this weekend, and Central had a surprise in store, both on the field and off. Adam Johnson tells us all about it in Around the West.

Last year Defiance got shut out at home by Adrian but still managed to turn in a respectable 6-4 record. The return game at Adrian, the home opener for Adrian's on-campus stadium, saw the YellowJackets turn the table, as Clyde Hughes writes in Around the Midwest.

Elsewhere, it was a big week for the Heartland and Illini-Badger Conferences, the Empire 8 sure took it to the Liberty League over the weekend, a look at a team's first-year woes, and some parts of Christopher Newport's win against Mary Hardin-Baylor still don't add up.

That and more in this week's Around the Region.

Every Monday afternoon we comb the Division III box scores for some unsung accomplishments, for individuals who stood out across the country, one from each region.

Justin Rummell missed most of the 2005 season to a foot injury but is making up for it in 2006. The Earlham quarterback completed 30 of 39 passes for 507 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception in a 49-35 win at Manchester.

Worcester State had 179 total yards and nearly gave them all back to WPI defensive back Mike Hansen. The senior returned two interceptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-20 win. He was the team's leader in all-purpose yards and also forced a fumble.

Washington and Jefferson senior cornerback Cory Walsh had 12 tackles (seven solo), three pass breakups and an interception return for a touchdown in the closing seconds to clinch a 22-10 victory.

Cornell strong safety James Riessen helped keep Alma's passing offense in check (a mere 275 yards) in a 32-31 win. He recorded 14 tackles in the road game (six solo), added a sack and a forced fumble in the win.

Scroll down for more Week 2 coverage.

Christopher Newport forced a fumble on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the final minute and completed an impressive turnaround from Week 1 to Week 2, defeating No. 6 Mary Hardin-Baylor 15-10. The Captains, who lost 32-8 at Rowan last week, did not score in the second half and ran for minus-6 yards in the first three quarters but gutted out the home win, dropping the Crusaders to 0-1.

Linfield dropped a regular season game for the first time since Sept. 29, 2001, losing to Division II Western Oregon in its opener 28-14. Western Oregon is now 2-0, both against D-III teams. Adam Wilburn hit a 35-yard field goal with 4:30 left to give Baldwin-Wallace the lead and Brandon Hedges added a 14-yard touchdown run to seal a 17-7 win at No. 15 Augustana.

No. 11 Union, playing without All-American receiver Steve Angiletta, lost at Springfield 38-30. Springfield won despite missing four of six extra points. No. 18 Hobart rallied to beat Dickinson 31-28, while RPI opened with a win against Endicott. Check out the weekend scores.

Dwight Bonner picked off two passes in the fourth quarter to help preserve Texas Lutheran's 14-9 win against Trinity (Texas). No. 25 Whitworth defeated Redlands 28-3.

Jason Trusnik returned from last year's season-ending injury for Ohio Northern and had a sack and three and a half tackles for loss in a win at Millikin. Averett ends its run of games against 2005 semifinalists with a 38-17 loss to No. 8 Wesley, while No. 23 Wilkes got a late score to beat Widener. No. 22 Wabash fell at Franklin in overtime as the Grizzlies got 20-of-24 passing from Chad Rupp, who threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns.

And then there's last week's surprises. Salisbury comes off a big win at W&J and lost at home to Brockport State, while Guilford succeeded in making it two in a row against the USAC with a win against Methodist. And Concordia (Wis.) pulled off a surprise, knocking off North Central 30-24 in two overtimes, scoring on an 18-yard touchdown run by Mike Steinmetz.

Macalester ended its 15-game losing streak by pounding Principia 50-6 (photo gallery). Massachusetts Maritime broke a 14-game skid, shutting out MIT 19-0. Huntingdon beat Sewanee 44-24 to shake off last week's opening loss at Ithaca. Alfred, which finished one game short of the playoffs last year, got a key non-conference win against Thiel 14-0.

Luke Ravenstahl, a 2003 Washington & Jefferson graduate and the youngest person ever elected to Pittsburgh City Council, is now the youngest mayor in the city"s history.

Ravenstahl, 26, sworn in as mayor after the death of Bob O"Connor, graduated with honors from W&J with a degree in business administration. He was the starting W&J placekicker for three years, and still holds the school record for career field goals made (27) and most consecutive extra points (45). He was team captain as a senior.

Elected first ward councilman at the age of 23 on May 20, 2003, Ravenstahl took office in January 2004 and was elected to complete the remaining term of former council president Gene Ricciardi in December 2005. In January, he was unanimously elected to a two-year term.

Some of the Week 1 games you just had to know were going to be good. Some snuck up on us, however.

Keith McMillan has decided you shouldn't have to live with that any longer. Even though the early-season radar takes a pretty broad sweep of Division III, with nearly everyone in contention for a title or berth of some kind, there are plenty of games that still sit below it.

But after you read this week's Around the Nation, there will be seven fewer, as Keith takes us through seven games that aren't on the tip of everyone's tongue and tells us why they're important.

We spent about a full day ranking Division III football teams from 1-234 last month for Kickoff 2006. Eager to know how we did? The results from Week 1 games just might surprise you. And you'll get your regular weekly look at a Top 25 voter's thought process, plus some teams on the cusp of making the ballot.

That and more in this week's Around the Nation.

Every week since 1999, we've collected the best player at each position for our Team of the Week. It's a starting 11 on offense, another 11 on defense and three special teamers selected from players nominated by schools and conferences.

The Team of the Week is released Tuesday afternoons.

The Week 1 team has wide receivers that averaged 147 yards and totaled eight touchdowns. The defense forced four fumbles and intercepted six passes.

Unfortunately, the quarterback, Mississippi College's Adam Shafer suffered a season-ending knee injury while throwing his fifth touchdown in the second quarter of a win against Millsaps.

The full Team of the Week.

Every Monday afternoon we comb the Division III box scores for some unsung accomplishments, for individuals who stood out across the country.

Hartwick junior tailback Lindy Crea took the first play from scrimmage 80 yards for a touchdown and finished the day with 328 all-pupose yards. He ran 28 times for 220 yards and two touchdowns and was the team's leading receiver as well, with five catches for 108 yards in the 30-28 win against Endicott.

Salisbury junior lineman Joe Galloway helped lead a Sea Gull defense that limited Washington and Jefferson to 179 total yards, 22 rushing. Galloway had four tackles, two solo and two sacks in the 32-14 win.

Preseason All-American defensive back Brett Doud didn't make the trip because of illness but the rest of the Central defense came up with six sacks and a pair of interceptions in a 17-7 win at St. Thomas. Junior linebacker Greg Altmaier had half of the sacks -- including one on the first drive of each half -- and finished with 11 tackles, seven solo.

And Mount Union picked up where it left off offensively, with starting quarterback Mike Jorris picking apart Averett to the tune of 16-for-18 passing for 276 yards and five touchdowns, with no interceptions. Pierre Garcon caught seven passes for 192 yards and two scores.

The Top 25 is also released after a light first week of action. UW-La Crosse made the biggest jump into the poll, with Washington and Jefferson dropping out.

St. John"s coach John Gagliardi will be featured on NBC"s Today show on Monday, Sept. 4 in a piece planned to air between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET. (Update: Video clip, requires Internet Explorer.)

Gagliardi and freshman Bobby Klint will be featured on the segment, "American Story with Bob Dotson," which will examine the first known grandfather-grandson relationship to have played under the same college football coach at the same institution. Klint"s grandfather, Felix Mannella, played for Gagliardi from 1956-59 and was an All-America selection in 1959.

The first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Gagliardi began his 58th season as a collegiate head football coach and 54th season as head coach in Collegeville with a 15-11 win against UW-Eau Claire on Saturday.

Gagliardi currently owns a 433-118-11 (.780) collegiate career record and a 409-112-10 (.780) record at SJU. Gagliardi"s 58 years of collegiate coaching is the most in college football history, surpassing the 57 of former Chicago and Pacific head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg (1890-1946).

D3football.com player of the year Brett Elliott got his first game action as a member of the San Diego Chargers last night in the final preseason game. Elliott, who helped led Linfield to the national championship in 2004 and was a first-team All-American in 2004 and 2005, went 5-for-10 passing for 46 yards and threw two interceptions.

Elliott currently sits third on the depth chart for the Chargers, behind Philip Rivers and Charlie Whitehurst. None of the three has started an NFL regular-season game.

The Chargers could choose to sign or trade for an experienced NFL quarterback to back up Rivers, which would relegate Elliott to the practice squad.

Elliott threw for 110 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards in two years at Linfield. He completed 69.9% of his passes as a senior, throwing for 4,019 yards and 49 touchdowns. As a junior in 2004, Elliott passed for an NCAA all-divisions record of 61 touchdowns and led Linfield to the 2004 national title.

Update: Elliott was cut on Saturday. He can still be signed to the Chargers' practice squad or that of any of the other NFL teams.

UW-La Crosse struck a blow for Division III on Saturday night, upsetting Division I South Dakota State 17-3 on the road. Senior cornerback Steve Teeples picked off three passes for the Eagles in the victory, avenging a 42-13 loss last season, also on the road. Audio clip: Teeples' second interception, Mike Kearns and Scott Erickson, WKTY 580.

South Dakota State was ranked No. 37 in the Sagarin Ratings among schools in the subdivision formerly known as Division I-AA.

Division III went 2-1 against D-I non-scholarship teams and 5-2 against the NAIA on Saturday, though Division II got the better of us, taking all four meetings. D-III also went 2-0 against the NAIA on Thursday night.

There are certainly some other surprises (Salisbury knocking off Washington and Jefferson 32-14) as well as some more predictable results (Wilkes 31, William Paterson 3).

The USA South lost big in early action, with Mount Union crushing Averett, Rowan pounding Christopher Newport and Guilford sprinting past Ferrum. Christopher Newport managed minus-2 yards on its first 37 plays of the day. Saturday's schedule and results.

Mark Colson caught 13 passes for 179 yards but Huntingdon fell to No. 24 Ithaca 31-12. Dan Juvan was 23-for-33 for 303 yards and three touchdowns for the Bombers. Becker was leading at halftime but couldn't hold on to win for the first time in program history, falling to Utica 20-10. Chris Warrick threw for five TDs in Wesley's 41-14 win against Waynesburg. Capital crushed Wittenberg for the third year in a row 57-7. Salisbury's victory included 22 unanswered points in the final quarter and a half.

Mark Robinson seems 100% after a 137-yard day on 19 carries. St. John Fisher also got 131 yards on 13 carries from James Relie. They combined for three touchdowns in a 30-0 win against King's. Mike Orihel returned to the field for Rowan after missing the last eight games of the Profs' season, while Jordan Neal returned at quarterback for Hardin-Simmons to throw four touchdowns on 19-for-27 passing in a 49-17 win against UW-Stevens Point.

Rochester made coach Scott Greene's debut a memorable one with a 20-10 win at defending Centennial champ Johns Hopkins. St. John's (photo gallery) and Brigdewater beat longtime Week 1 rivals UW-Eau Claire and McDaniel. Central, which squeaked through a lot of games last year, won a little more easily at St. Thomas 17-7. We have a photo gallery. Thomas More converted on fourth-and-goal from the 16 with 36 seconds left to edge Hanover 25-23. Thiel edged future conference opponent Geneva 7-0 on Steve Minton's second-quarter touchdown run.

Saturday's game between Wilkes and William Paterson has been moved to William Paterson. The heavy rains in the Wilkes-Barre area over the past week, with more anticipated for Saturday, led to the decision to move the game to William Paterson, which has a turf field.

The game will still be broadcast by D3football.com,, with Gordon Mann and Pat Coleman on the call. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.