post

ATN Podcast 423: Three weeks to settle it

Posted on by

Week 8 in Division III football had no games matching Top 25 teams against each other, but it still delivered late rallies, record-setting performances and conference races that are getting increasingly complicated.

Amherst scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally past Wesleyan, Trinity (Conn.) survived a low-scoring test from Bowdoin, and the SAA suddenly has four teams tied in the loss column. Carnegie Mellon now stands alone atop the Centennial, but its final three games come against the three teams directly behind it.

Montclair State coach Mike Palazzo joins us after the Red Hawks’ first win against a ranked opponent since 2018. He explains what Montclair learned from facing Merchant Marine’s option, how those lessons helped against Salisbury and why one running back’s remarkable game-day journey made the victory especially memorable.

Who earned game balls after a thriller and a four-touchdown performance? Which player arrived just in time for pregame after a life-changing morning? How did Alvernia dominate possession with only 32 rushing yards? And how did Grinnell reach a milestone that once seemed a long way off?

Logan Hansen’s Analytics 301 sorts through the likely top eight seeds, conferences positioned for multiple bids and the Week 9 games that could become virtual playoff-clinching or elimination contests.

Then we go region by region: WPI’s Nathan Napier connects from 53 and 55 yards, RPI intercepts seven passes and returns three for touchdowns, Jalen Lackey posts a second consecutive 200-yard receiving game, Rose-Hulman takes control of the HCAC race, St. Norbert wins with a last-minute field goal and pick-six, and Nebraska Wesleyan finally breaks into the win column with 69 points.

We also look ahead to Rowan at Christopher Newport, John Carroll at DePauw, Wheaton at Augustana, LaGrange at Huntingdon and what might be the biggest home game in Lewis & Clark history against Linfield.

Plus, we go to the mailbag, to discuss: Why is the Centennial viewed differently this season? How should OAC coaches handle a possible three-way tie? Who has the inside track in the MAC? And which Week 9 games are worth making part of your Saturday schedule?

Patrick and Greg cover it all in Around the Nation Podcast No. 423.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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: @adamcreated for Utica athletics, Montclair State and Trinity (Texas) athletics file photos

Leave a Reply