Woo, baby, the regular season is getting down to the end and there are two giant games on tap this weekend.
We’ll have a blogger live at Alliance for the game between No. 4 Capital and No. 1 Mount Union. More on this game in Around the Great Lakes. I’m just hoping it’s a competitive game. We’ve seen so many so-called big games involving Mount Union turn into big freakin’ blowouts.
Keith McMillan and I will be in Belton, Texas, to call the game between No. 6 Mary Hardin-Baylor and No. 2 UW-Whitewater. Why are we going to Texas instead of Ohio? (Many of you have … well, let’s use the polite term and say asked.) It’s pretty simple — first of all, it’s a Division I-A style game, featuring two highly ranked teams from different conferences, one making a long trip. This time of year, non-conference games are rare and big-name games are even more rare. Second of all, note what I said about Mount Union and blowouts. Third, projected high of 76 tomorrow. 🙂
We booked this trip before Justin Beaver’s injury, but it becomes even more interesting now. UMHB has allowed fewer than 20 rushing yards per game this season and Whitewater’s vaunted offensive line will have its hands full.
Keith and I have started compiling our list of what teams we’ve seen and what stadiums we’ve been to. We’ve seen all four teams play and between the two of us we’ve been to all of the stadiums except the one UMHB plays in.
Keith is supposed to be writing more about this game today. I leave for the airport soon but we’ll figure out a way to get it online. He’s possibly the only person who’s seen both of the teams play, covering the UMHB/Christopher Newport game in Week 2 and the UWW/UW-La Crosse game two weeks ago.
Elsewhere in Division III, a colleague of ours just reported in from St. Louis that he’s staying in the same hotel as the Carnegie Mellon football team. He chatted up players, mentioned he knows the D3football.com guys, and reports they asked him to tell us to put them in the poll!
Carnegie Mellon is 7-0. Here’s the Tartans’ opponents:
No. 30 Carnegie Mellon (7-0):
Sep 02 AWAY Hiram (0-7) W 6-27
Sep 09 AWAY Grove City (1-6) W 0-28
Sep 16 HOME Westminster (Pa.) (2-5) W 33-6
Sep 23 HOME Franklin and Marshall (2-5) W 34-14
Sep 30 HOME Colorado College (3-4) W 50-24
Oct 14 AWAY Case Western Reserve (3-4) W 10-20
Oct 21 HOME Chicago (2-4) W 27-0
Nobody here with a winning record. They play at Wash U (5-3) Saturday afternoon. If they win that game they might be taken seriously. Otherwise, do the math: their opponents are 13-35.
The annual Johnnie/Tommie game takes place this weekend, as does the Rte. 13 rivalry between Wesley and Salisbury. Surprising Sul Ross looks for validity against Hardin-Simmons. Springfield heads to the grass to take on Ithaca. Long trips for Springfield in back-to-back weeks.
Another option team not many people talk about is Coast Guard. Granted, a season-opening loss to Merchant Marine, the best team on the schedule, doesn’t do much for national recognition, but I had the honor of being asked to call their Homecoming game for their Internet broadcast last weekend and had a good time. Steve Arguelles, who is tied for the national lead in interceptions with eight (matching King’s Craig Haywood), is a legitimate safety as a freshman. Presumably teams will try to avoid him as his career continues. But Christian George, the quarterback, is the key to the team. He left the game early with what appeared to be an ankle injury and if he can’t go this week, Coast Guard is in big trouble at Maine Maritime. Backup Niles Pierson basically wasn’t allowed to do anything in his time under center.
Also looking for legitimacy is Alfred, which hosts No. 17 Hobart. Alfred might be a great team but its schedule is so backloaded that we have no real clue. They lost by a touchdown at Springfield early in the season and close with No. 17 Hobart, No. 20 Ithaca and No. 19 St. John Fisher. Yikes!
Other games are on the radar as well — check out Defiance/Mt. St. Joseph.
Today is also the annual Dome Day in Minneapolis, where the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (not a D-III member league but with nine of its 10 schools in Division III) holds its championship. We have photographers at the Metrodome now to shoot all five games. It started at 8 a.m. CT. We’ll hear more from them later, if they can see straight after all’s said and done.
Live from Minneapolis we have results in from the UMAC Dome Day (Website | Photo Galleries):
In the opening game, Martin Luther surged late but couldn’t maintain enough momentum in a 21-17 loss to Blackburn.
Trinity Bible, on a 68-yard bomb to Dustin Hess, padded their first half lead over Principia to 13-0. Principia responded by blocking the PAT.
Lots of photos going up, 400+ from the first game alone, on Pictureprints.net.
More updates to follow as Principia punts the ball deep into Trinity Bible territory. (3:05 2nd Q)
Oh and at halftime a Trinity Bible player proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes. Wait for photos in the phlog Sunday.
Go Trinity Bible! Having read “Keeping the Faith,” the story of the Trinity Bible football program, I am not at all surprised by the halftime proposal. Have noticed, however, that Trinity Bible no longer is listed on D3football.com, assuming here that they no longer maintain NCAA status. Am I correct on that assumption? In the meantime, Trinity, “Keep the faith!”
Also looking for legitimacy is Alfred, which hosts No. 17 Hobart. Alfred might be a great team but its schedule is so backloaded that we have no real clue. They lost by a touchdown at Springfield early in the season and close with No. 17 Hobart, No. 20 Ithaca and No. 19 St. John Fisher. Yikes!
This was very well stated.
Looking for legitimacy, the backloaded Alfred Saxons (6-1) close with #17 Hobart (6-0), #20 Ithaca (6-1) and #19 St. John Fisher (7-1) at Merrill Field, also once known as “the pit” in Happy Valley. We’re exited the playoffs begin Saterday right here in Alfred….not the end of the earth, but you can see it from here!
GO SAXONS!
SeanGOP
I’m sorry, You comment in the past was The OAC was a weaker conference than the one Augustana was in. I was wrong.
Go Mt. Union Purple Raiders!
Wrong again jimmy.
By the way, don’t have St. Norbert play Carnegie Mellon for the one non-conference game. They are an undefeated team who’s schedule is actually weaker than St. Norbert’s.
End of game #2, Overtime thriller. Trinity Bible 19, Principia 13.
You know whats really funny about the whole carnegie mellon situation? The Whitworth Pirates who are currently ranked 11th in this websites poll have an opponent W-L record of…….13-33. Maybe I shouldn’t have posted that, I don’t want the people here to drop my RATS out of the polls.
So, on an odd note…. If East/North – South/West get paired together in playoffs… Could this weekends big games MT/CAP – UMHB/WW potentially be the national semi-final game rematches in a couple of weeks? ….. I know that MT and Cap will/could be in lower bracket but understandably would have to be in different havles of the bracket… but will/could UMHB and WW be in the upper bracket seeded in different halves? Maybe I’m confusing myself but that could happen right?….
In hindsight, that would be pretty neat to have exact rematches in a few weeks to see who goes to the Stagg Bowl… Could you all imagine the conversations and smack talking at that point?? WOW
Live from gate C93 at Newark airport:
Pep Band:
D3football.com never listed Trinity Bible, as it has never been part of the NCAA.
Dtrack22: Perhaps, but I think our voters know the difference between beating a 3-4 team that plays a WIAC schedule and beating a 3-4 team that plays Case Western Reserve’s or Colorado College’s schedule. If Whitworth loses to Linfield, however, expect that schedule to come back to bite them.
There’s no guarantee that Capital would get placed in a separate bracket from Mount Union. First of all, the NCAA could care less about our poll (though it’s a better predictor of playoff results than NCAA seedings are). Secondly, OAC teams have been split into separate brackets just once in the seven years it’s been possible.
Third quarter action at the Metrodome, Crown has gotten on the board and recovered a fumble on their corresponding kickoff; back in the red zone with 4:29 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Maranatha 30, Crown 6.
Game #2 photos going online in a few minutes.
And when I hit Submit they scored again. Currently 30-12 Maranatha with 4:07 remaining in the third.
37-12 Maranatha now. They recovered a Crown fumble inside the 20 and look to be converting it for their 5th touchdown of the afternoon.
Final. Marantha 43, Crown 12.
Repeating last year’s pace and style, Northwestern (Minn.) leads off Game #4 with a Kickoff returned for a touchdown. The PAT splits the uprights and they have a 7-0 lead over Westminster.
Westminster just got on the board with 14:00 remaining in the first half. Tie game, 7-7.
Good luck to SRSU Sul Ross Lobos! Beat HSU and earn a chance at a pool c bid….
Also good luck to UMHB. GO ASC!
The other side of the Alfred-Hobart coin is that Hobart too is looking for legitimacy (See Around the East Region where Merchant Marine was picked in an upset). Hope it is a great game, and go Statesmen.
Will be fun going into Union week 7-0 again………..
From this corner of the country (MAC), the only intrigue left in the conference race centers around Wilkes-Barre.
If King’s can beat Delaware Valley tomorrow, they will likely have just FDU-Florham standing between them and a winner-take-all showdown against Wilkes in the Mayor’s Cup. It’ll be interesting to see how Del Val responds after last week’s loss to Susquehanna.
Notherwestern 38-19 over Westminster.
Morris came out strong, scoring on the opening drive of the UMAC championship game. We have the photos from the first three games of the day on the official UMAC Dome Day photo site on Pictureprints.net http://www.pictureprints.net/domeday
13-7 Rockford at the Half.
Morris in OT. 27-20. Great game. Photos tomorrow.
PROPOSED AT HALFTIME!!! Are you kidding me?!! Stokeley Fulton is flipping in his grave (God rest his soul) and Hank Norton’s gasket is getting ready to blow. Someone please put me out of my misery. 🙂
Not terribly relevant to this year, but…
With a win today against Menlo, Linfield will clinch its 51st straight winning season.
Gotta mention this in years when we’re on the outside of the national championship discussion.
Go ‘Kitties!
Heard all week about the UWW’s and UMHB’s O & D, I think someone forgot to talk about special teams, Neil Mrkvicka took the opening kickoff to the house, other than that, sounds like all defense so far. Three QB sacks for Kleppe.
It was definitely interesting Allsky. But, hey, it was a great idea… posters and everything held up by teammates — his fiance is a cheerleader. Although that might be leveled under corny. Slightly.
Carnegie Mellon beats Washinton 10-7 in overtime. Win their first game against Washington in 8years and their first UAA title in 9.