Yearly Archives: 2006

Looking forward to Week 3

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K-Mack’s already done a nice job looking at this weekend’s action so I’ll just quickly throw my two-cents (plink, plink) in the jar.

Wish you were here: While the showdown between No. 7 Hardin-Simmons and No. 11 Linfield should be a lot of fun, I’m pretty satisfied with where I’ll be this week — Edwardsville, Pa. for No. 12 Delaware Valley vs. No. 19 Wilkes.

This game has played a big part in deciding who will win the conference title the last three years. In 2003 Wilkes upended upstart Delaware Valley, knocking the Aggies out of first place for good. In 2004 Del Val clinched the school’s first ever NCAA playoff appearance for a team sport by beating Wilkes 12-0. In 2005 a late field goal by Bill Miller was the margin of victory in the game and the season as the Aggies nosed out Wilkes for the title.

I don’t know how much offense there will be on Saturday, but the two defenses are very good. Maybe first one to 10 wins.

Down sleep on this one: Christopher Newport opened the season by getting drubbed 32-0 by No. 3 Rowan and then bounced back to upset then-No. 6 Mary Hardin-Baylor. Salisbury basically did the opposite, opening with a win over then-No. 15 Washington & Jefferson and then getting beaten handily by Brockport last week. This is a crucial game for both teams who come in 1-1.

Just throwing it out there: Big weekend for the CCIW and the UAA. Elmhurst and Chicago meet after winning their openers by a combined score of 86-0. Wheaton (Ill.) gets a good test in 2-0 Washington University. If you can’t get to a game on Saturday, you could hopefully still watch that second one via streaming video on WETN.

Most likely Top 25 team to lose: Obviously at least two will lose with the aforementioned games between ranked teams. But Bethel could make it three against No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead who is coming off a loss, a bye and a road trip. UW-Whitewater isn’t “likely” to lose, but NAIA Azusa Pacific is a big test and hasn’t lost to a Division III team in a long time.

Super Ridiculous Pick of the Week: It wasn’t that long ago that Hartwick lost some heartbreaking games to Ithaca. In 2002 and 2003 the Bombers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Hawks 19-18. Since the 2003 loss Hartwick has won 8 games total with some Arena Footballicious scores along the way (70-41, 59-41).

Ithaca has given no reason to pick against them in the first two weeks with convincing wins over Buff State and Huntingdon. Meanwhile Hartwick needed a shootout victory over Endicott in Week 1.

So naturally this is a perfect candidate for this week’s super ridiculous pick of the week – Hartwick 42 Ithaca 41 2 OT

And finally…

A pretty cool souvenir: When a certain MIAA team is done playing Austin College this week, they should return home with Austin’s nickname and become the Kalamazoo Kangaroos.

Insider at Augie

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As I take a proverbial “victory lap” as a fifth year senior at Augustana College, sitting down to write as an insider for a third year I recall that it has never been easy to sit down and write a blog after a loss. After every sentence, word, and letter I punch into the keyboard I beat myself up over what I could have done better to have enhanced my teams’ chance of walking off the field with a victory.

Could I have broken a few more tackles or have made better blocks Saturday? Could I have worked harder in practice last week? Could I have pushed myself harder this summer? It is easy to question yourself when things aren’t going well and easier after a loss. However, what good comes from staying below the level you feel you have sunk to?

I can’t go back and change the outcome of our 17-7 defeat against Baldwin-Wallace this past Saturday, and no one in America could go back a day on 9/11/01 and prevent what happened to the World Trade Center twin or to the Pentagon. Though our experience is miniscule in comparison, tragedies and setbacks do happen. It’s a part of life. There is no good that comes from feeling sorry about yourself or your situation, but there is no greater feeling than rising to the light that is above the darkness inevitably set before us.

As an American and football fan, if you don’t get the chills while watching highlights of NFL players screaming out of a tunnel waving the American flag sky high to hundreds and thousands of ecstatic fans post 9/11 you better check your pulse. That was a time where it would have been easy for us to feel sorry for ourselves. We could have questioned our national security. We could have questioned this country’s morale.

We did the exact opposite. We rose above the darkness the fallen World Trade Center shed across our country and the light ahead was brighter than ever. We all saw this country come together like never before and it is something I will never forget. Now in no way is a loss in a football game comparable to 9/11, but the only good that can come from last Saturday is to push yourself to get better.

That said, sorry to cut it short, but I have a practice to get to……

A tripleheader weekend

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Keith McMillan and I often plan these things out — in fact, last year he spent some space in his column talking about doubleheaders you could create with a little bit of drive time.

Now, I’ll be honest, I miss my family (they’re in D.C. getting the house ready to sell while I’m in Connecticut working at my new job). So as long as I’m not home, I might as well keep myself busy, and this weekend I’m planning to do it by seeing three Division III football games.

Unfortunately, because of geography, I’ll only see two ranked teams, and both of them are in the same game, but it should be fun anyway. I am based in Norwalk, Conn., now and I have Friday off, so I’ll drive up to Worcester, Mass., to see Worcester State host Nichols. Take the drive west and spend the night somewhere along the way so I can see No. 12 Delaware Valley at No. 19 Wilkes, kickoff at 1 p.m. Then I’ll take the relatively short trip to Reading to see Susquehanna at Albright, 7 p.m.

I might regret this when all is said and done, because I’ll be pretty exhausted, but should be an experience.

Then I just have to get home and get some sleep so I can be ready for the Sunday Night Football shift at work.