Seniors shining Around the Region Four teams in the West are in the midst of what could be improbable turnarounds. While Augsburg surprised people last season with a win at Wartburg and a strong finish, they're making even more noise behind Jordan Berg and Royce Winford in 2008. What do the Auggies have in common with Buena Vista, Carleton and Loras? Adam Johnson ties the four teams together in Around the West. For a guy who hasn't played organized football since ninth grade, he's been a quick study so far and someone the quarterback likes to throw to. Matt Florjancic has more in this week's Around the Great Lakes. Hampden-Sydney has been trying to shake its 'no defense' label for most of a decade, and perhaps the Tigers can make the case a little more strongly now after holding Guilford and record-setting quarterback Josh Vogelbach to 14 points. In Around the Mid-Atlantic, Ryan Tipps takes a look at how new focus and personnel have paid off on that side of the ball. Around the Northeast focuses on two teams looking to turn things around this season, with Becker already having matched last season's win total and Mount Ida on the verge of doing the same. And Around the East looks at the region's big games. That and more in this week's Around the Region columns. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 30, 2008 | ||
Defending defense ATN's take A lot happened this weekend in Division III football, and Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman take the time to try to decipher it all for you in the weekly Around the Nation podcast. For example, what would these two Top 25 voters do with Delaware Valley, which went from barely on the radar to beating two teams that were in the Top 10 at the time? When do you throw out your preconceived notions and start from scratch? (As in, now?) We also take advantage of Keith's defensive expertise (former D-III safety, remember) to talk about teams that are putting up big numbers on defense but not on offense. How do you rate a team such as Montclair State or UW-Eau Claire and what can you learn from their low-scoring games? Listen for that and more, including a look at games coming up this week that take on new importance. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 29, 2008 | ||
Statistical spotlight
Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region. Lycoming defensive end Kyle Murren had seven tackles, three and a half for loss and two sacks as the Warriors beat Bridgewater 34-17. Lycoming got all of its points in the first 30 minutes, while Bridgewater didn't score until 2:24 left in the third quarter. The Eagles ran for just 55 yards, while Lycoming had two backs each run for a higher total. Adam Anderson helped Whitworth rally from behind at Chapman, diving into the end zone on fourth and goal from the 8 with a touchdown catch, while rushing 23 times for 144 yards, catching 56 yards' worth of passes and returning three kicks for 124 yards and a touchdown. Hampden-Sydney defensive back Michael Ware had a game-high 11 total tackles (nine solo) while intercepting a pass and breaking up two others in a 35-14 win against Guilford. The Tigers held Josh Vogelbach without a touchdown pass, with Ware's interception of Vogelbach in the end zone late in the game sealing it. Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and check out more weekend coverage. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 29, 2008 | ||
Aggies leap to another upset Mike Isgro threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns, Brandon Fox had three catches for 146 yards and Matt Cook ran 33 times for 163 yards as Delaware Valley posted its second Top 10 upset in as many games, defeating No. 6 Salisbury 41-27. Photo gallery. The Aggies offense rolled up 487 yards against a Sea Gulls defense that had previously surrendered just 227 yards per game. "Our guys are used to blocking the [three-man front]," said coach Jim Clements. "Sometimes it seemed that we'd catch them in a blitz and the run game can hit on that and we were just staying on course." The Aggies improved to 2-1 while the Sea Gulls lost their first game and All-American defensive end Jerrell Chandler to a knee injury. Check out Saturday's scoreboard. St. John Fisher blew out Ithaca for the third year in a row, putting a damper on any debate over whether the tide may have turned in the Empire 8. Jimmy Smith caught seven passes for 191 yards and a touchdown as the No. 11 Cardinals rolled past the No. 16 Bombers, 37-6. Photo gallery. No. 18 St. John's might have found its offense, as Jordan Hansel came off the bench to throw for 283 yards and three TDs in a 31-17 win against Gustavus Adolphus. (Photo gallery.) (No. 23 Central should still be looking for its offense after beating Albion 13-12.) No. 24 Hardin-Simmons jumped out to a 21-6 lead and held off Mississippi College 35-27 to improve to 4-0. Life without running back Quincy Daniels got off to a good start for No. 3 Mary Hardin-Baylor who shut out McMurry 46-0. The two ranked CCIW teams cruised in their night games. No. 9 North Central dispatched Olivet 37-7 and No. 7 Wheaton clobbered Hope 47-7. Montclair State won its third consecutive defensive battle, as the Red Hawks edged Brockport State 16-14. Montclair has allowed 27 points in three games, but has scored just 41. No. 17 Cortland scored 22 fourth-quarter points to get past Kean 32-28 in other NJAC action. Hampden-Sydney handled Guilford 35-14 while Augsburg remained undefeated and handed St. Olaf its first loss, 49-21 (Photo gallery). Otterbein had its way with Ohio Northern, crushing the Polar Bears 37-7. (Photo gallery). DePauw improved to 3-0, holding off Sewanee 27-20. Hiram's short winning streak came to a more likely conclusion, with Carnegie Mellon winning 41-6. Full weekend results, with game stories, on the Scoreboard. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 26, 2008 | ||
Waiting to climb
Around the Nation Because of Hannah, Christopher Newport went 39 days between the beginning of camp and its first game. So if you're waiting for that vaunted improvement from game 1 to game 2, well, so are the Captains. Remember that quarterback change you read about in Kickoff? The Captains finally got to see Matt Long and Keith Gaines in action. Christopher Newport had a lot of time on its hands and a lot of different strategies, but in the end, only getting on the field can take the place of hitting each other in practice for more than a month. Keith McMillan has more in this week's Around the Nation. It's been a few years since Salisbury was playing a weak schedule, and the Sea Gulls keep facing tougher and tougher foes. Plus, in this week's First and Ten, Keith takes a different look at the MIAC standings, gives a game of his own a far more sensible name, ponders a Little Brass Bus and the upset of the year. That and more in this week's Around the Nation. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 24, 2008 | ||
Teammates for life
Around the Region Since the start of the 2007 season, Dickinson quarterback Ian Mitchell has thrown for 1,921 yards and run for 953 more. And he collects money for each yard he gains. It's not for him, of course -- this is Division III. It's for a far better cause. Mitchell lost a high school teammate to cancer, and this is how he honors him. Ryan Tipps has more in this week's Around the Mid-Atlantic. College football is a place of high turnover, since no player tends to hold a position for more than four years. For continuity, it's best when the upperclassmen can take underclassmen under their wing and show them the ropes. That's paying off for Alma quarterback Mackenzie McGrady, who learned a thing or two from a more well-known Alma signal-caller. More in Around the Great Lakes. Franklin is enjoying what can only be described as an upswing. Clyde Hughes has more in Around the Midwest. Plus, the East shootout that defies description, the new challenge for a team from the Northeast and a conference in the South that just can't stay healthy. That and more in this week's Around the Region. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 23, 2008 | ||
Gagliardi honored with Stagg Award St. John's coach John Gagliardi, the winningest coach in college football history will has been named the 2009 recipient of AFCA's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award, which honors those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football,” will be presented to the longtime Johnnie coach at the AFCA Awards Luncheon on Jan. 13 during the 2009 AFCA Convention in Nashville. “It is truly humbling to receive this award. The past recipients are my heroes and a group in which I never dreamed of belonging.” The first active head coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2006) and the 2003 AFCA Division III National Coach of the Year, Gagliardi is in his record 60th season as a collegiate head football coach and 56th season as head coach in Collegeville, Minn. The winningest coach all-time in college football history, Gagliardi has a 455-123-11 (.782) collegiate career record and a 431-117-10 (.782) record at St. John's. Gagliardi's 60 years of collegiate coaching is the most in college football history, surpassing the old record of 57 years held by former University of Chicago and University of the Pacific coach Amos Alonzo Stagg (1890-1946). Gagliardi tied the all-time collegiate win record, held by former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson, on Nov. 1, 2003 and broke the all-time record on Nov. 8, 2003 on the way to a perfect 14-0 season and an NCAA Division III championship. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 23, 2008 | ||
Off on the right foot ATN's take There's been a lot of focus in the early going about who's been falling short of expectations -- what's wrong with Bridgewater, what's wrong with Central, what's wrong with St. John's, what's wrong with Wesley? But for every team that's struggling unexpectedly, there are ones that are succeeding in the same manner. Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman take a look at those in this week's Around the Nation podcast. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries: • No. 25 Ohio Northern at No. 1 Mount Union • Concordia-Moorhead at No. 4 St. John's • No. 6 Muhlenberg at Union • Wartburg at No. 9 Central • Juniata at Ursinus | ||
| Permalink | Sep 22, 2008 | ||
Statistical spotlight
Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region. Frostburg State scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat Brockport State 27-14. The 20 points nearly equaled Frostburg's overall output over the previous three meetings, which Brockport won by a combined score of 79-21. It's the Bobcats' first win in the series since 1999. Wooster's defense recorded eight tackles for loss, four sacks, forced four fumbles and intercepted two passes in the Scots' 20-2 win against Ohio Wesleyan. Matt DeGrand led the way with two sacks, while Pat Byrne added a sack and a half, his only tackles of the afternoon, and also forced a fumble. The turnover led to Wooster's second touchdown. Punter Erik Fabry helped Carleton notch one of the biggest victories in the program's history, the 17-14 win at No. 13 Bethel. Fabry pinned the Royals inside the 15-yard line with three punts, with one downed at the 4-yard line. On his final punt, Fabry, standing in his own end zone, kicked it 54 yards, back into Bethel territory. The Royals went three-and-out and Carleton went on its game-winning drive. Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and check out more weekend coverage. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 22, 2008 | ||
Upset Central Three ranked teams in the West Region fell in Saturday's afternoon action, as No. 4, No. 9 and No. 13 all lost. Concordia-Moorhead posted the first big upset of the afternoon, downing No. 4 St. John's 9-6. The Cobbers struck first and added a safety, holding off the Johnnies who went four-and-out from midfield in the final minute. (Photo gallery.) No. 13 Bethel fell at home to Carleton 17-14, as the Knights blocked a field goal with five minutes left and held on. Wartburg took a 19-17 lead on No. 9 Central with under a minute left on a Spencer Herzberg 41-yard field goal and Blake Suckow intercepted a pass to end Central's final drive. It's Central's first IIAC loss since the 2005 opener. (Photo gallery.) Saturday's scores and game stories. It got even crazier elsewhere in the MIAC, as St. Olaf outlasted St. Thomas 29-23 in sextuple overtime. (Note, that's six overtimes, which is the longest recorded Division III game.) No. 19 Ithaca rolled up 547 yards and 69 points in avenging last year's loss to Hartwick 69-42. Dan Juvan needed to pass just 17 times as the Bombers got 268 yards rushing from Tom Bergerstock. In non-conference play, No. 23 Redlands had little trouble with Whitworth in a 38-7 win. No. 6 Muhlenberg converted two first-quarter scores from early Union turnovers deep in Union territory and never looked back, winning 31-14. (Photo gallery.) Shelby Fisher ran for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns as No. 8 Salisbury beat Christopher Newport 38-21. UW-Oshkosh got a second chance at a game-winning field goal and made the most of it, winning 17-16 at Ohio Dominican as time expired. ODU is considered an NAIA national title contender and was ranked No. 2. No. 15 Wesley found its offense in the second half of a 41-9 win against Widener. Washington U. jumped out to a 21-0 lead and held off Wittenberg 30-27. Averett won for the first time since 2006, beating Guilford 31-24. Sewanee intercepted Colorado College seven times in a 19-0 win. LaGrange scored 24 points in the second quarter to surprise Maryville 38-14. And Trine beat Defiance 42-14 in a game with little of national interest other than a fancy nickname provided by ESPN Radio. Also, we welcome, finally, St. Scholastica to Division III football. The Duluth, Minn., school opened its inaugural football season at Wisconsin Lutheran and fell 36-29 after entering the fourth quarter down 36-15. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 20, 2008 | ||
A tough two weeks
Around the Nation Any schedule in the Ohio Athletic Conference faces multiple challenges, and nine teams must take on Mount Union on an annual basis. And since the conference is rather large, someone must face the Purple Raiders right out of the gate. This year, that's Ohio Northern. And the Polar Bears just had a bit of a challenge themselves in this past week's opener. But, far from it being the (bad) luck of the draw, it was all part of the design for Dean Paul's squad. Who has a surprising start? Keith details a handful of those on the good and not-so-good side through two weeks. Plus, Keith's First and Ten notes for Week 2 and Week 3, as well as a look at the bottom of his Top 25 ballot. That and more in this week's Around the Nation. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 17, 2008 | ||
Staying home Around the Region Maryville struggled for years before Tony Ierulli returned to campus. In the shadow of the University of Tennessee, the program needed to do what the Scots had done in men's basketball: establish a winning tradition to have any hope of relevance. And for Ierulli, it was the other traditions around Maryville football that became a point of emphasis in the process. More from this corner of Division III in Ryan Tipps' Around the Mid-Atlantic column. It's taken a long time, but Salve Regina might be turning the ship around. Tom Haley has more in Around the Northeast. Delaware Valley proves the old adage about every given Saturday, says Adam Samrov in Around the East. Matt Florjancic writes about the quarterback of the Carnegie Mellon defense in Around the Great Lakes. That and more in this week's Around the Region. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 16, 2008 | ||
When it rains, it's poor
ATN's take It's hard to tell what exactly Saturday's Wheaton-Bethel game teaches us about the relative strength of the two teams. But it does tell us a little bit about the importance of field position. It was one of three games between ranked teams but perhaps the one we learn the least from. Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman explain in this week's Around the Nation podcast. There was at least one clutch kicking performance in the wet this weekend. Hear about the 47-yard field goal that turned out to be the game-winner at Eau Claire. And hear from the wide receiver doubling as a cornerback in a Top 25 upset. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries: • No. 2 UW-Whitewater at No. 12 UW-Eau Claire • No. 3 Wesley at Delaware Valley • No. 16 Ohio Northern at No. 15 North Central • North Carolina Wesleyan at Widener • Chapman at Menlo | ||
| Permalink | Sep 15, 2008 | ||
Statistical spotlight
Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region. Becker and Maine Maritime combined for just one punt on a day in which Becker improved to a surprising 2-0 with a 34-32 win. And the punt was Becker's on the first series of the game, after a three-and-out. Becker's other nine possessions ended in five touchdowns, a missed field goal, a turnover on downs and the final gun. Maine Maritime's nine possessions ended in five touchdowns, two interceptions and a pair of fumbles. Hampden-Sydney and Gettysburg combined for another slugfest as Tigers quarterback Cory Sedlar hit 11 receivers with completed passes in a 45-40 win. Sedlar completed his first 13 passes en route to a 29-for-38 passing day. Elmhurst linebacker Randy Wright had three sacks among his 10 total tackles as the Bluejays took down Olivet 30-14. Two Olivet quarterbacks combined for just 87 yards of total offense and were 8-for-21 passing in the loss. Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and check out more weekend coverage. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 15, 2008 | ||
Wesley falls in belated opener Wesley couldn't start the season at Christopher Newport last week because of Hanna. And the No. 3 Wolverines might wish they could have this week back as well, as they lost at Delaware Valley 25-22. Delaware Valley took the lead with under 20 seconds left on a touchdown by Butch Whiteside and Wesley couldn't pull off a miracle return. (Photo gallery) Wesley led 16-0 at halftime. Saturday's scores and game stories. Pete Ittersagen returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown and the Thunder held Bethel first-year starter Reid Velo to 67 yards of total offense as No. 17 Wheaton held off No. 5 Bethel 10-7. The teams combined to hit just one of five field goals on a wet day in suburban Chicago. Just down the road, No. 15 North Central found its offense in the second half, surging past No. 16 Ohio Northern 20-3. The Cardinals held the ball for 37 minutes, including drives of 15 plays and 14 plays for third-quarter field goals. No. 2 UW-Whitewater got more than 200 yards rushing from freshman Levell Coppage and held off a late comeback attempt to beat No. 12 UW-Eau Claire 16-14. (Photo gallery) No. 7 St. John's didn't have All-American defensive lineman Nick Gunderson but the Johnnies still held UW-River Falls in check, 22-6. Chad Rupp threw for 394 yards as No. 19 Franklin beat Butler 31-28. Tight end Brian Weverbergh caught nine passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 21 Ithaca past King's 38-28. Justin Feaster completed 19 of 27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns to lead Hardin-Simmons past Linfield 29-22. St. Vincent won for the first time since the program was revived, winning 23-22 at Gallaudet. Shenandoah beat Bridgewater for the first time, 10-6, after getting outscored an average of 39-6 over the first eight meetings. Westminster (Pa.) pitched its way past Allegheny 6-2 in a rainy game that was scoreless through 53 minutes. Division I scholarship North Dakota pounded UW-La Crosse 45-7. Evan Jones threw six touchdown passes as Carthage rolled past Hope 70-46. Other photo galleries include Chapman at Menlo. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 12, 2008 | ||
Losing the monkey
Around the Nation Three teams ended the 2007 offseason with the ultimate monkey on their backs. Not only had they gone winless in 2007, they hadn't won a game in 2006 either. But all three -- Hiram, Lewis and Clark, and LaGrange -- got the 2008 season off on a winning note. And for two of them, it took late comebacks and thrilling games that could well change the momentum of the program. Keith McMillan was there when Hiram ended its streak by beating Gallaudet 20-14 in overtime in a torrential downpour, and saw the elation for this week's Around the Nation. What was it like for LaGrange and Lewis and Clark? We talked to both of them as well, so read on. One had never won a football game in the entire history of the school, while the other program was in such bad shape it was nearly eliminated. That and more in this week's Around the Nation. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 11, 2008 | ||
Trinity-Texas Lutheran moved This weekend's game between Trinity (Texas) and Texas Lutheran has been moved from Saturday night to Thursday night and will be played at Trinity at 7 p.m. CT. The game, which was originally scheduled to be played at Texas Lutheran, was moved to avoid complications with the possible arrival of Ike, the hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico which could make landfall in the Lone Star State on Saturday morning. Trinity will play at Texas Lutheran in 2009 to balance the schedule. Mary Hardin-Baylor and Southern Nazarene are moving their game up to Friday night. It will now kick off at 6 p.m. CT at Belton, Texas. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 10, 2008 | ||
Where they left off
Around the Region Last year a young North Central team made a surprising run to the playoffs before getting knocked out by eventual champion UW-Whitewater. This year the 15th-ranked Cardinals get a up-close look at a playoff-caliber team right out of the gate, as they host No. 16 Ohio Northern on Saturday in their season opener. North Central had a bye week in Week 1, but that doesn't mean they weren't working. What did they learn from others' mistakes? Clyde Hughes has more in this week's Around the Midwest. Not many D-III coaches can say they were asked for advice by Adam "Pacman" Jones this preseason, but Washington and Lee assistant David Hanna can, thanks to the NFL's Minority Coaching Fellowship program. Ryan Tipps has the full story in Around the Mid-Atlantic. Did Washington and Jefferson's struggles to beat Oberlin surprise you? Imagine if Oberlin hadn't blocked a punt late in the third quarter. The story of how that flipped the Presidents' switch on is in Around the Great Lakes. It was a surprising weekend in the NEFC, at least if you're Curry getting taken to overtime by Worcester State. More in Around the Northeast. Can one play inspire a year-long turnaround for Hardin-Simmons? Read Around the South. All that and more in Around the Region. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 9, 2008 | ||
When good teams lose It turns out the first weekend didn't shake up the D3football.com Top 25 very much, with only some minor reshuffling and one first-place vote changing over. But although the presumptive favorites held form in most games, there were still some good teams that lost. What do those teams have to look forward to in practice this week? Keith McMillan explains in our weekly Around the Nation podcast. It's our weekly first take on the weekend's results, as Keith and Pat Coleman break down what happened and analyze the big stories. Who carries new momentum into Week 2? What did the defending national champs actually look like? What's it like to end a years-long losing streak? You can get that and more in our podcast. For more from the weekend's games, scroll down. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 8, 2008 | ||
Statistical spotlight
Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region. Quarterback Mike Barnes tied Denison's single-game rushing record with 270 yards and passed for 175 as well as the Big Red won 49-27 at Kalamazoo. He ran for touchdowns of 39, 76 and 56 yards, averaging 15.9 yards per carry. Chris Baldwin turned out to be a quick study in his return to the defensive side of the ball for Johns Hopkins. The senior, who spent 2007 as a running back, scored three touchdowns as a defensive back for the Blue Jays, returning interceptions 28 and 45 yards for scores and bringing back a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in a 34-3 win against St. Lawrence. Scott Haneberg kept Menlo in the game against UW-Stout, blocking two field goals, including one with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. UW-Stout won 13-10 in overtime. D3football.com All-American receiver Jack Phelan got another season off to a good start, catching 13 passes for 289 yards and six touchdowns in a 63-37 win against Western New England. Phelan found the end zone four times in the first half alone, catching seven, 32, 40, and 2-yard touchdown passes from quarterback Jason Boltus. Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and check out more weekend coverage. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 8, 2008 | ||
More of the same Last year's Stagg Bowl participants picked right up where they left off. Defending champion UW-Whitewater opened with a victory against NAIA No. 8 St. Xavier on Friday night. No. 1 Mount Union followed by rolling over No. 10 St. John Fisher 33-3. Cecil Shorts caught six passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns and Nate Kmic began his pursuit of the Division III all-time rushing record with 231 yards on 26 carries in the victory. Ryan Renbarger intercepted Tim Bailey twice. Get the full Week 1 action on our Scoreboard page. East Texas Baptist gave No. 6 St. John's trouble, taking a 15-14 lead in the third quarter before the Johnnies rallied at home for a 29-15 victory. Photo gallery. No. 21 Franklin held on to beat Baldwin-Wallace 42-35. Justin Kulp finished a 10-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to lift No. 18 Ithaca past Lycoming 17-16. Along with Kmic, early offensive stars include King's running back Jeremia Jones who rambled for 192 yards and four touchdowns in the Monarchs' 34-13 win against Randolph-Macon. That's almost as impressive as Hartwick's dynamic duo of Jason Boltus and Jack Phelan. Boltus threw for 392 yards and seven touchdowns, six of which were caught by Phelan. Phelan had 289 yards on 13 receptions in the Hawks' 63-37 victory over Western New England. The Backyard Brawl turned into more of a beatdown as Millsaps trounced No. 25 Mississippi College 42-6, putting to rest the way Millsaps lost last year's game. Hardin-Simmons rallied from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit to beat UW-La Crosse 24-23 on a Matt Fields field goal with two seconds left in the game. Photo gallery. Elsewhere, St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso had little trouble with his former team, beating Macalester 35-10. Augustana went to the spread offense but it looked a lot like 2007 as the Vikings completed six of 13 passes and beat Coe 21-6. No. 14 UW-Eau Claire made the long trip to NAIA playoff participant Bethel (Tenn.) and rode a pair of safeties and a touchdown to an 11-6 victory. More photo galleries: Olivet at Wittenberg, Adrian at Capital, UW-Stout at Menlo. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 6, 2008 | ||
UWW opens with W UW-Whitewater started defense of its 2007 Division III national championship with a victory, despite missing several key players from last year's title team. The Warhawks defeated St. Xavier 24-9, beating a Cougars team that reached the NAIA quarterfinals in 2007. UW-Whitewater opened up a 17-0 lead and put St. Xavier away with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Donovan to Jordan Wells with 4:07 remaining. The Warhawks allowed only 47 yards rushing but didn't muster much on the ground themselves, picking up just 62 yards. Photo gallery. There's plenty more to come Saturday, provided Hurricane Hanna doesn't wreck more havoc with the schedule along the Atlantic coast. Check out this weekend's schedule. Also, scroll down for Keith McMillan's weekly Around the Nation column and check out the Around the Region columns for more games to keep an eye on. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 5, 2008 | ||
CNU/Wesley cancelled, others moved Christopher Newport announced the postponement of all on-campus athletic events for the upcoming weekend. All scheduled home events have been postponed due to impending bad weather conditions expected from tropical storm/hurricane Hanna, including the football game against Wesley. The schools do not have a common open date this season. Newport News Apprentice and Malone also canceled their game. Hampden-Sydney and N.C. Wesleyan moved their game from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., while Methodist and Campbell have moved their game backwards a couple of hours to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Mass-Dartmouth and WPI moved their game at Mass-Dartmouth from Saturday night to Friday night in hopes of avoiding the storm. "Obviously you would prefer no changes in your schedule, but in this case with Friday evening available for both teams, we are looking forward to playing UMass Dartmouth without the threat of severe weather," said WPI coach Ed Zaloom. "We are extremely appreciative of the efforts of the UMass Dartmouth athletic department for making this change at this point in the week. We are honored on being their opponent for their first-ever home night football game." | ||
| Permalink | Sep 4, 2008 | ||
Let's get it started
Around the Nation Some games kick off tonight, some on Friday, and weather permitting, a whole bunch on Saturday. Although the path of Hanna has already prompted Christopher Newport to shut the school down for the weekend, there are still plenty of prime games to look forward to, and Keith McMillan has your September schedule all planned out in the season's first Around the Nation column. If this is your first season following Division III, Keith is a former safety at Randolph-Macon who has worked at USA Today and currently is a copy editor at The Washington Post. He started writing our signature column in 2001 and has been across Division III in the years since, seeing the game played in stadiums all around the country. His weekly column is a must-read for any Division III fan. This week, check out the big games coming up for Week 1, and plan ahead for the rest of the season. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 4, 2008 | ||
Games to watch Around the Region Every week we have a team of columnists writing about what's going on in their corner of Division III, and the result is our Around the Region columns. As we get the 2008 season started, our columnists are taking a look at the season as a whole, picking out the big games to watch. So check out Around the Mid-Atlantic, Around the Midwest, Around the East, Around the Great Lakes and Around the Northeast.  Around the Region columns appear weekly on D3football.com, arriving between Monday night and Wednesday morning. Our Around the Nation podcast starts back up next week, with a review and analysis of the Week 1 action.Also, keep an eye out this week for Keith McMillan's Around the Nation column on Thursdays and our weekly Triple-Take preview of the weekend on Friday as we get the Division III football season started! | ||
| Permalink | Sep 3, 2008 | ||
Former D-III kicker catches on with Ravens By Tom Haley It didn't take kicker Steve Hauschka long to be picked up after being released by the Minnesota Vikings. Hauschka was signed by the Baltimore Ravens, one of the two teams most interested in the former Middlebury kicker prior to the 2008 NFL draft. Hauschka set the Middlebury record for field goals in a season with 10 in 2006 and left with a school record 20 field goals. He was a D3football.com All-Region selection. He never played football in high school and, in fact, played JV soccer his freshman year at Middlebury. After being encouraged by his roommates and friends to try football, he donned the Panther winged helmet as a sophomore. The 2007 season he kicked as a graduate student for North Carolina State, making 16 of his 18 field goal attempts and all 25 extra point tries. The highlight of the season was beating Miami with a 42-yard field goal in overtime. The Ravens picked him up to complete the required 53-man roster for the opener against Cincinnati. Steve Wolf, who worked with Hauschka at Middlebury and has been in daily contact with him, said the Vikings wanted to put him on the practice squad and make him part of their future, but the Ravens claimed him off waivers. "He called me Saturday morning and said he was on the Vikings' practice squad and then called me about 10:30 Saturday night and said was in Baltimore. "He might be doing the kickoff for the Ravens and possibly long field goals," Wolf said. The Ravens have Matt Stover, a 19-year veteran, kicking extra points and field goals. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 2, 2008 | ||
Garcon makes Colts roster The list of Division III football players in the NFL has had a bit of turnover in the past couple of years. No longer are R-Kal Truluck and Clint Kriewaldt two of the main standard-bearers for D-III and there are definitely some new faces. Chief among them is Mount Union's Pierre Garcon. The second Division III player drafted in April, the sixth-round pick is the only rookie who has made an active roster heading into the NFL regular season. Garcon caught seven passes for 74 yards with the Indianapolis Colts this preseason and averaged 28.6 yards on kickoff returns, including a 51-yarder. Menlo's Nate Jackson made the Denver Broncos roster for another season after missing most of last year with a groin injury. The two-time first-team D3football.com All-American made one start for Denver at tight end last year and also caught a touchdown pass. He's quickly becoming one of the Division III veterans of the NFL, in his sixth season. The longest-tenured? No, it's not John Carroll's London Fletcher, in his 11th season in the NFL and his second with the Washington Redskins. It's Houston Texans punter Matt Turk, in his 14th season out of UW-Whitewater. Wheaton's Andy Studebaker was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles. The team signed its sixth-round pick to the practice squad. Wesley defensive lineman Bryan Robinson was cut by the Cardinals. Jerheme Urban made the team, however, after catching 22 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns last season. Mississippi College wide receiver Jake Allen was cut by the Packers but signed to their practice squad after a fine preseason. Salisbury cornerback Byron Westbrook and St. Olaf receiver Horace Gant were among the Redskins' final cuts, but both were signed to the practice squad. The Kansas City Chiefs cut Whitworth tight end Michael Allan. He was the team's seventh-round pick in 2007 and spent most of last season on the practice squad. Ohio Northern's Jason Trusnik is on the New York Jets' physically unable to perform list. The Tennessee Titans cut Jerrell Freeman, the D3football.com defensive player of the year. Derek Stanley, a seventh-round draft pick by the Rams in 2007, was among the team's final cuts. Todd Lowber, the former Ramapo high jumper, was among the final cuts by the Dallas Cowboys. He was attempting to make the team as a wide receiver. Ryan Hoag, who was Mr. Irrelevant in 2003 but has never appeared in a regular-season NFL game, was among the final cuts of the Jacksonville Jaguars. | ||
| Permalink | Sep 1, 2008 | ||
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