Game Day: It takes courage

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We’ve got three Top 25 battles during the day and an intriguing rivalry game at night here as Week 3 of the 2010 Division III football season dawns.

Tonight will be particularly interesting in that we’ll get our first real look at what St. John Fisher is made of. The Cardinals have blown out their first two opponents, teams that finished in the lower half of the NJAC last season. Tonight they play Rochester, which, while not having made the playoffs, has still provided a challenge to its local rival. Here’s Keith McMillan’s take on last year’s Courage Bowl between the two.

The Wheaton/UW-Platteville game also looks interesting under the lights tonight, as do many of our afternoon games, such as Trine at UW-River Falls, St. John’s hosting Concordia-Moorhead and Pomona-Pitzer/Lewis and Clark, which I covered last year and was an entertaining game,

And, of course, there are three games between ranked teams, with Wesley hosting Delaware Valley, Mississippi College at Hardin-Simmons and Ohio Northern at Otterbein.

Where are you and what are you seeing today?

87 thoughts on “Game Day: It takes courage”

  1. A gutsy 4th & 7 call by Wesley from the Del. Val. 28 — a 20-yard pass completion places the ball at the Del. Val. 8 and leads to a Sottilare pass to Stevenson for the go-ahead touchdown with 3:29 left.

    #8 Del. Val. 17
    #3 Wesley 21
    3:29 4th Quarter

    If Wesley loses the game, the team can blame themselves more than anyone else with SIX turnovers to Del. Val.’s ONE and 11 penalties for 178 yards. Mistakes are the great equalizer in this game.

  2. Voters, including yours truly, will have a lot to chew on this weekend when ranking their Top 5:

    #1 UW-W handles a non-D3 opponent well on the road in Kentucky.

    #2 Mount Union blasts John Carroll on the road.

    #3 Wesley struggles at home against #8 Del. Val.

    #4 St. Thomas is on the road at St. Olaf — normally a good battle.

    #5 UMHB is on the road tonight at McMurry.

    Expect some movement toward the top tomorrow night.

  4. Grove City College wins 31-16, defeating the Westminster Titans on the road for the first time in more than a decade. Go Wolverines!

  5. Wesley’s defense holds on a 4th & 2 for Del. Val. from Del. Val.’s own 27. Wesley had the ball back following another two penalties (unsportsmanlike conduct followed by a false start) — ball is at the Del. Val. 48 with 2:33 left.

  6. Impressive performance:

    Springfield 44
    Wilkes 7
    Final

    Springfield with 566 yards on the ground today (thanks to PrideFan1 in the Empire 8 in-game updates message board for this one).

  7. Last chance for Del. Val. Wesley fails to convert a 4th & 1 at the Del. Val. 34 with :48 left. However, Del. Val. faces 4th & 7 with :20 left. Timeout Wesley.

  9. In our other two battles of Top 25 teams today, the better-ranked teams are doing their jobs thus far:

    #11 Ohio Northern 34
    #18 Otterbein 10
    7:26 4th Quarter

    #9 Hardin-Simmons 17
    #19 Miss. College 0
    3:18 2nd Quarter

  14. Filling in some other missing scores from earlier today:

    King’s 7
    Wm. Paterson 14
    Final

    Rockford 10
    Alma 27
    Final

    Denison 31
    Hiram 24
    Final (OT)

    Lagrange 17
    Maryville (TN) 20
    Final (3OT)

  23. U of R has done well in this game, but losing star RB Clarance Onyiriuka will not make a comeback attempt any easier. No info on the injury at this time.

    U of Rochester 21
    St. John Fisher 35
    Halftime

  24. Mary Hardin-Baylor continues to struggle in the First Half this season. They are being doubled-up in Total Yardage (264-132). In some ways, UMHB is lucky to be up:

    #5 UMHB 22
    McMurry 19
    Halftime

  25. For more background on the UMHB/McMurry game, UMHB scored all 22 points in the first quarter, and McMurry scored all 19 points in the second quarter. A McMurry 45-yard field goal attempt to open the Third Quarter was blocked by UMHB, preserving the narrow 3-point lead. UMHB’s defense is directly responsible for 9 points (touchdown and safety).

  26. We have an upset in the making officially, now. Mullin to Gilbert for a 7-yard touchdown, but the two-point conversion attempt failed:

    #5 UMHB 22
    McMurry 25
    2:21 3rd Quarter

  27. AND JUST LIKE THAT, another lead change after UMHB’s Darius Wilson returns the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown:

    #5 UMHB 29
    McMurry 25
    2:06 3rd Quarter

  29. In the Courage Bowl, defense has become the standard in the Third Quarter, with a sack taking SJF out of potential field goal range:

    U of Rochester 21
    St. John Fisher 35
    Start of 4th Quarter

  30. Jake Mullin completed a 45-yard pass to start the ensuing drive, but he failed to convert on a 4th down pass somewhat deep in UMHB territory:

    #5 UMHB 36
    McMurry 25
    10:42 4th Quarter

  31. Taken directly from the McMurry play-by-play for the game, this SHOULD seal it:

    “Jake Mullin pass intercepted by Chad Morales at the MCM32, Chad Morales return 32 yards to the MCM0, TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:42.”

    #5 UMHB 43
    McMurry 25
    7:42 4th Quarter

  32. A touchdown in both games. SJF used a prolonged drive to break a scoreless half open:

    U of Rochester 21
    St. John Fisher 42
    10:00 4th Quarter

    …and McMurry tries one final comeback attempt, although there’s not much time left:

    #5 UMHB 43
    McMurry 31
    5:17 4th Quarter

  34. …but Mullin’s 8-yard run on 4th down is 2 yards short. McMurry turns the ball over on downs at midfield:

    #5 UMHB 43
    McMurry 31
    4:23 4th Quarter

  35. Tim Bailey to Ryan Francis for an 84-yard TD seals the deal for SJF:

    U of Rochester 21
    St. John Fisher 49
    5:08 4th Quarter

  36. McMurry’s comeback attempt fails, but not for the effort of QB Jake Mullin (39-61 for 498 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT, 6 Sacks). UMHB is attempting to kill the clock:

    #5 UMHB 43
    McMurry 31
    1:48 4th Quarter

  37. Games are over:

    U of Rochester 21
    St. John Fisher 49
    Final

    #5 UMHB 43
    McMurry 31
    Final

    Have a good weekend, Folks!

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