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ATN Podcast 422: Some of the numbers almost mean something

Week 7 in Division III football brought dominant defense, dramatic finishes and a playoff picture that is beginning to take shape, even if the current NPI still needs much more data before it tells the full story.

UW-Platteville put together an almost incomprehensible defensive performance against UW-River Falls, while Maryville forced five turnovers to upset Trinity (Texas) and continue its remarkable turnaround after an 0-3 start. St. John’s survived a serious challenge from Concordia-Moorhead, and Hope erased a 15-point halftime deficit to defeat Adrian.

Hope coach Peter Stuursma joins us to discuss the halftime adjustments, his three-headed backfield and an electric homecoming atmosphere.

We hand out game balls to two big backfield performers from Saturday, talk about why two Division III football teams keep playing each other and a which conference contender is getting its injured quarterback back at exactly the right time.

Logan Hansen returns with Analytics 301 to examine the race for those coveted top eight seeds, likely at-large candidates and four Week 8 games that could reshape the postseason picture.

Then we go region by region: For example, Bridgewater wins with eight points after the clock hits zero, Texas Lutheran’s Malik Johnson makes NCAA history, Baldwin Wallace keeps building its case, Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan go wild in the final two minutes, and UW-Eau Claire takes another step forward.

We also revisit some of the “drunkest” games we’ve ever seen, ask whether anyone is truly driving the Centennial Conference race, and discuss Division III’s unusual run of in-season coaching changes.

Patrick and Greg cover it all in Around the Nation Podcast No. 422.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

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Photos: UMass Dartmouth athletics file photo by Calder Troutman Photography cgtshots; Andy McNeill for UW-Platteville athletics; Maryville athletics file photo

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ATN Podcast 419: The Captains, the goat cheese, the Pride

Christopher Newport struck the biggest blow this week among ranked teams, with the Captains coming up with six takeaways and shutting out Susquehanna on the road, while the Goat and the Cheese Bowl got some time in the spotlight (mmm, goat cheese) and Springfield survived in a rain-swept defensive battle.

Which conference gave us a huge Act 1 finale this weekend? Which punter came up with a huge game in his team’s win? Which broadcast team shouted out Pat Coleman on the air, and got him to answer? Oh yes, we’re listening.

Who came up with the key defensive plays to get a game ball in a shutout win? Who got the special teams play his team desperately needed on a day where the offense was struggling? Who finally bookended a win in a rivalry game?

Plus, Christopher Newport coach Paul Crowley joins us for Fast Five, the analytics say what they’re going to say, and St. Francis finally gets out of the queue and onto the field. How many people played quarterback for Texas Lutheran? Who opened the door in Region 4?

And over-under: How many yards for Wash U against John Carroll this upcoming week? How many points will the winning team end up scoring in the Berry-Trinity (Texas) game? How many yards will Tyler Szalkowski throw for for Utica against Cortland? How many points do we really expect Baldwin Wallace and Heidelberg to put up on Saturday? And lastly, how many people will cram in the gates at Whitewater and St. John’s this weekend for their top 10 clashes?

Patrick and Greg answer these, plus your mailbag questions, in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Photo: @leary_kell38655

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ATN Podcast 417: Another splashy Saturday

It seems like Division III football made another big splash this past weekend, and we’re not just talking about that flood that overtook Washington & Jefferson’s field at halftime vs. Keystone. No, we’re talking about another great week of games.

How about unranked Randolph-Macon taking down then-No. 3 Johns Hopkins? No. 1 North Central and No. 9 Wartburg tight going deep into the fourth quarter? No. 6 UW-River Falls taking it to No. 21 Coe? No. 14 Hardin-Simmons winning at No. 12 UW-La Crosse?

And none of that even includes the fact that Mount Union was 16 seconds away from losing its third consecutive game.

Game balls get handed out to some of the top performances and most memorable performances in Division III from Week 2. Plus, which team held the ball for more than 25 minutes in the second half? Yes, you read that right. Who’s hitting a ton in Region 1? What’s the hullabaloo in the 2? What do you see in the 3? Who’s got questions galore in the 4? Who’s taking a long drive in the 5? Who’s getting their kicks in the 6?

Randolph-Macon coach Pedro Arruza joins us for Fast Five. Plus, when Patrick pulls over the podcast car to the side of the road, what is the big question? And didn’t Pumpkin Spice season come even earlier this year? We’ll have a Pumpkin Spice Showdown in the Final Countdown. Plus we take four mailbag questions, and much more.

Patrick Coleman and Greg Thomas deliver all of the goodness to your fall in this week’s edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

Hit play, or subscribe to get this podcast on your mobile device.

You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in Apple Podcasts, and many other places. You can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3blogs.com/d3football/?feed=podcast

Here’s how to find us on some of the major podcasting apps:

Photos: Randolph-Macon athletics; Wade Gardner, d3photography.com; Hardin-Simmons athletics