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ATN Podcast 323: Down to a fantastic four

No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 12 are the four teams left in contention for a trip to Annapolis, Maryland, for Stagg Bowl XLIX. Mary Hardin-Baylor took down Bethel with a fourth-quarter surge, while Mount Union eased past Delaware Valley, North Central trounced Ithaca and Wartburg did the same to Aurora.

The key story at Wartburg? Just the mere fact that Nile McLaughlin was in the lineup at quarterback for the Knights. For Mary Hardin-Baylor, it was KJ Miller’s 65-yard touchdown catch and run. We’ll hear him talk a little about that. We hear from North Central’s Luke Lehnen and Mount Union’s Braxton Plunk as well after they quarterbacked their teams to victory.

Pat and Greg give out their game balls, one on offense and one on defense, and you can learn more about the status of the big postseason awards that are coming in the next week, plus find out which players were on Pat and Greg’s Gagliardi Trophy ballot.

This edition of the podcast is sponsored by the hosts of Stagg Bowl XLIX, and we look forward to seeing all of you in Annapolis, Maryland, for the Division III football championship game on Dec. 16.

Plus, the end of the season at Bethel and Delaware Valley also marks the end of careers for key players in this run. The end of the 2022 football season for the Royals leaves coach Steve Johnson feeling a little emotional, and Delaware Valley defensive back Blaine Netterman talks about having played with the Nobile brothers since sophomore year of high school, and the future of the Del Val program.

Plus, what’s the difference between rebuilding and reloading? How do those elite teams remain at that level?

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode:

Links mentioned in this podcast:

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:

Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photos by Juiie Drewes, Wartburg athletics; Mary Hardin-Baylor athletics

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ATN Podcast 314: Another classic week in D-III football

Spoiled. We are just spoiled this season by the great games in Division III football. There’s not much more we can say. The span on Saturday afternoon in which all three games pictured here: Birmingham-Southern at Trinity (Texas), UW-Oshkosh at UW-River Falls and Wartburg at Central each came down to its finish is something that should be remembered long into the cold and chill of the offseason.

We are far from that, though, just a little of the way into October. Trinity survived with a great drive in the closing minute, and we talk with Tucker Horn, the Tigers quarterback, about his team’s performance, the great play of receiver Carter Self, the new life around football at Trinity and more.

In all, 49 schools merit serious mention in this week’s podcast. Who’s on the run in Region 1? Who’s blue in the 2? Who’s feeling sore in the 4? Seriously, what rivalry in the 4 is so intense that one school wouldn’t even say the other’s name … and what happened when that team went up 21-6 on Saturday? Who’s alive in the 5? And are they really alive, or just lookin’ alive? Plus, who’s getting their kicks in the 6, and what does it have to do with a goat?

In addition, Pat and Greg hand out game balls, spotlight the unexpected in Stat of the Week, make guesses about Week 7 games and more. There’s a list in small type at the bottom of this page of all the teams that are talked about.

Fan question in our mailbag from James Baker @d3fbhuddleI’ll bite and direct this to the Minnesotan of the group. What’s going on over at Carleton? They are NESCACian academics-wise, and they are 1 of 23 #d3fb (unbeaten) playoff eligible teams left in the nation. How’d they get here (and will they just get creamed in Weeks 9&10?)

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode:

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:

Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photos by Sam Demmon, Trinity (Texas) athletics; Central athletics photo by Dan L. Vander Beek Photography; UW-River Falls athletics

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ATN Podcast 313: All about the No. 1 votes

Well, folks, Keith McMillan has had enough, and after 30 or so podcasts on the sidelines, with Greg Thomas co-hosting, he’s back and ready to throw down. Ready to throw down about the Top 25 poll, that is. Keith couldn’t understand why anyone would be voting for Mount Union No. 1 considering all the high-quality opponents other teams have played in 2022.

So, once we dispense with the big games between UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse, and North Central and Wheaton, it’s a deep dive into the top five. Keith makes his case, Pat makes his, and occasionally Greg gets a word in edgewise. Seriously, though, these are good questions — in a year where so many highly ranked teams have played top-flight competition, who really has Mount Union played, and why is Pat voting for them?

Thiel snapped its 41-game losing streak on Saturday, the fourth-longest losing streak in NCAA Division III history. We chat with coach Sam Bauman about the Tomcats’ win, the calls he has gotten from fans and alumni, and his hopes for this program, which he took over as head coach. He’s our guest for our Fast Five.

In addition, Pat and Greg hand out game balls, spotlight two interesting things from each of Division III football’s six regions (as always), such as Plymouth State’s unexpected hot start, two Homecoming crowds that went home happy, plus more. There’s a list in small type at the bottom of this page of all the teams that are talked about.

Fan question in our mailbag from Ryan Bielat @rjbielat: Do you ever tire of being asked, “Why isn’t XYZ ranked higher?” You’d think more people would realize that teams exist beyond the sphere of their conference.

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode:

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:

Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photos by Larry Radloff, Doug Sasse, Doug Sasse, Tom Nettleton of d3photography.com