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| Kendall Roberson had three amazing quarters for ETBU and sat out the fourth in the mud. East Texas Baptist athletics photo by Brittany Gatlin |
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| Brad Dotson returns an interception for a touchdown to give Ohio Wesleyan a lead in the second quarter. Ohio Wesleyan athletics photo by Rachael Carter |
Week 8 was full of big performances, but perhaps none more impressive than what East Texas Baptist running back Kendall Roberson accomplished. Meanwhile, Trine shot last in a shootout with Albion and DePauw gave up an interception return for a TD and a blocked punt for a TD in losing to Ohio Wesleyan. Trine scored 21 points in the final six minutes to win and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps scored 16 in the final 1:23 to rally vs. Occidental.
Roberson might have had one of the best rushing days in Division III football history, even if he won't get his name in the record book. The East Texas Baptist running back ran for 420 yards and did not play in the fourth quarter as the Tigers rolled past Belhaven 46-13. Roberson ran for five touchdowns and had carries of 43, 60, 69 and 80 yards en route to the win. ETBU improved to 5-2 and is 2-0 in the ASC but has yet to face Hardin-Simmons or Mary Hardin-Baylor.
"It was a great day," says Roberson. "Our offensive linemen and receivers did a great job of helping get me past the line of scrimmage. Our offensive line continues to get better each week and I love those guys as they have helped me to become a better player."
The Ohio Wesleyan defense and special teams each scored a touchdown as DePauw suffered its first loss of the season, 27-22. The Battling Bishops picked off DePauw's Matt Hunt and sacked him on fourth down to preserve the lead in the fourth quarter. DePauw had started the season 6-0.
Albion picked up its first loss of the season as well, as Trine rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final six minutes of the game to win 55-51. The Thunder rolled, with scoring drives of 59 seconds, 74 seconds and 46 seconds, the last two sandwiched around a successful onside kick, to finish with an end-of-game blitz that left Albion stunned. Mark Wilson got 46 carries for Trine, accounting for 327 yards and five touchdowns in the win.
In Claremont's rally, Trey Reynolds and Trey Smith connected to make it a one possession game (42-36) with 28 seconds left, capping a four-play, 62-yard drive. The Stags recovered the ensuing onside kick and marched down to the 5-yard line with seven seconds left, where Reynolds hit Smith again in the end zone, giving CMS a 43-42 lead. Laterals on the final kickoff resulted in a safety and the final 45-52 margin.
Tufts ended a long streak, as the Jumbos won at Williams 30-15 to win in Williamstown for the first time since 1981. The Ephs' undefeated streak at home against Tufts had been 17 games in a row. The teams tied 35-35 in 1983 and 7-7 in 1985, but Williams had won the last 14 contests played in The Berkshires.
Buena Vista was able to hang with Dubuque for a little while but Dubuque took control and scored the final 37 points in a 44-13 win, improving to 5-2, 4-0 in the IIAC. The prolific Loras offense was held in check for three quarters but came alive in the fourth to lift the Duhawks past Simpson 27-9, setting up a first-place showdown in the IIAC next weekend between crosstown rivals Loras and Dubuque.
Jimmy Lauer picked off three passes as Stevenson defeated Widener 31-20 to move into a three-way tie for first place in the MAC. The Mustangs picked off Alex Krivda five times and also held Widener to zero yards rushing. Delaware Valley defeated Albright to force the roadblock at the top of the conference.
The Liberty League was entertaining as well. RPI survived to defeat Hobart after the Engineers intercepted a two-point conversion pass with no time left on the clock. Hobart was going for the win but fell 21-20. Mike Lefflbine threw four touchdown passes to lift St. Lawrence past Springfield 38-21 and keep the Saints unbeaten in the conference standings, one game ahead of RPI. But Rochester, which is for all intents and purposes out of the LL hunt, might have had the game of the afternoon, as the Yellowjackets scored two touchdowns 14 seconds apart to complete a comeback from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and defeat Union 33-30. Union falls to 0-7 after blowing a two-score lead for the second consecutive week.
Pacific Lutheran finally picked up its first win of the season, as the Lutes edged George Fox 28-27. The Bruins kicked a field goal with 8:52 left to cut PLU's lead to one, then were sacked on third-and-27 to end one threat and failed on fourth down at midfield to allow the Lutes to escape. TCNJ garnered victory No. 1 as well, edging Montclair State 23-20.
On the other end, here are some of the teams which remained undefeated: St. Norbert had an easy time of it, picking up its first shutout of the season in winning 33-0 at Beloit. The Green Knights (7-0) held Mason Dixon to 45 rushing yards. Western New England rolled past MIT 35-3, limiting the Engineers to 180 yards of total offense. Washington and Lee had another huge day offensively, rolling up 605 yards of total offense to defeat Bridgewater 45-23 and improve to 7-0. Olivet rolled past Kalamazoo 55-21 to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1901.