Memo to the other 233: Better step it up!

I’ve been asked this question more this year than any other, and it usually takes one of a couple of forms:
Isn’t it boring if the same team wins all the time?
Don’t you hate that Mount Union wins every year?

Is it boring? Ehh, probably a little bit.

Do I hate it? Nah, not at all. We’re watching one of the greatest dynasties of our day. It’s not like Mount Union 2002 and Mount Union 2005 have anything in common. Each year is a little different.

However, what I don’t like in Division III football is when we enter the season with Mount Union’s championship being a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, it looks like 2007 is shaping up to be one of those years. Mount Union loses a key piece in Justen Stickley, but the Purple Raiders have proven that offensive linemen are replaceable and Greg Micheli returns, as does Nate Kmic and Pierre Garcon.

Everywhere else you look, teams are losing key pieces. UW-Whitewater loses its coach, its quarterback, three of its four starting defensive linemen, its No. 1 receiver. Capital loses the only quarterback they’ve had during this run of impressive seasons. St. John Fisher loses the best running back in school history and its top tackler. And those are just a few of the key names on the list.

So this is the challenge I throw out to the other 233 Division III teams. Show us something, please. Give us something to be excited about. Move your game to the next level. Otherwise fans outside of Alliance will be hitting the snooze button and waiting for 2008.

Or 2009.

Final thoughts on Salem

Bob Berezowitz came up to me after the game and asked when our All-American team came out. When I told him it came out just before the game, he asked, “Did Kleppe make it?”

Hmm, yes, Ryan Kleppe was first team All-American and our Defensive Player of the Year. The Whitewater program had taken the AFCA All-American snub pretty hard, all things considered. Three state school players in the starting 22 for the AFCA (they only name a first team), six in ours.

Thos who talk about coaches reviewing film (by the way, does anyone still use film and a projector these days?) and make superior choices should use this as a guide. Kleppe’s value was far more evident on video or in person than on a stat sheet.

In the end, no All-American team is superior to any of the others. Some are more prestigious. Some involve less politics. Some are so large they aren’t worth the shirt they’re printed on for you to buy.

But in the end, it only seems fitting that Berezowitz was looking out for the best interests of his players.

THE GAME: You may have been to Salem once or twice. Maybe you haven’t been there in a few years. But if you haven’t, and you’re downplaying the experience based on your one or two trips in, you’re missing the boat.

Here’s what Salem has done for the game that you don’t know about:
Some things were done a long time ago, such as adding more lights and press box space. Most people have seen those in action.
However, if you haven’t been to Salem in the past two seasons, you might not realize that the stadium has a new scoreboard and there is now a large video screen stationed behind one of the end zones for the Stagg Bowl.

An elevator was installed last year to expand access to seating for wheelchairs and those who need help getting around.

This year, the locker rooms were completely overhauled with individual lockers installed for players.

Next year, there will be field turf. In fact, the grass may be coming out as we speak — while most wouldn’t commit to it happening, one person close to the field said the process could start as soon as Monday, today.

Here’s what the NCAA has done for the game that you don’t know about:
The home office’s liaison for Division III football, who has taken the moniker “Idiots of the First Magnitude” that was applied by a person posting a comment to the blog, was behind Division III getting the later time slot and the game on ESPN.

Fans realize that there was a video broadcast of the national semifinals last week. Since we promoted it heavily and our voices were involved, we’ve been getting a lot of credit, but in fact, that’s the NCAA’s doing. They paid for the video and got it done. We just did the talking.

There is probably more I don’t know about or have forgotten to mention.

THE LEGACY: With all apologies to Kenyon, it’s time we started talking about Mount Union football in John Wooden-like terms. This dominance of a major sport is approaching UCLA men’s basketball proportions. We should be talking about Larry Kehres in epic terms that transcend the sport of football, and he should be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible.

Stagg Bowl XXXIV Live

Hello everyone and welcome to Salem Stadium. This is John McGraw for D3football.com and I’ll be blogging throughout today’s game between Mount Union and UW-Whitewater. Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan are broadcasting live on NCAASports.com and Pat Cummings is down on the sidelines. Gordon Mann and I will be handling the half time show and already hosted the opening part of the pre-game show.

Kick-off is officially scheduled for 4:13 PM EST. The stands are just about completely full on the home side of the field, full of purple and black clad Mount Union fans. UW-Whitewater will be the visitor and their fans take up about 2/3 of the bleachers on the other side of the field. Fans are still making their way into the stadium from the tailgate. There was a great turn-out at the Stone Station tailgate and we thank the Bridgewater folks for their great hospitality.

It’s a gorgeous afternoon for football. Temperatures right now are in the 60s and there’s not a cloud in the sky. You couldn’t pick out better weather for a football game in mid-December.

For Mount Union, Pierre Garcon was warming up without any type of protective cast on his hand. He looked good in warm-ups catching passes, so we’ll see how he does once the game begins.

Don’t forget, later on tonight, the D3football.com All-America team will be posted on D3football.com. We made the official announcement during the pre-game show. Congratulations to all of those selected.

More from Salem to come. We’ll have scoreboard updates on the front page of the web site.