Quick Hits: The 35,000-foot view

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Pat Coleman

The biggest show in Division III is coming to a major league baseball stadium. Perhaps you’ve heard. But there are 100 other games on Saturday as well, and if you’re not named Tommie or Johnnie, perhaps you’re wondering if we’ll be paying any attention. Our regular Quick Hits crew is Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman, Adam Turer and Frank Rossi. Our sixth spot goes to a guest each week, and this week’s is Howard Sinker. In our attempts to find a neutral Minnesotan to talk about this week, we found Howard, Minneapolis Star Tribune digital sports editor, Minnesota Public Radio sports commentator and senior instructor of Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester College.

— Pat Coleman

What’s the best game this week that hasn’t sold 30,000 tickets?

Keith’s take: Centre at Berry. Preseason, I’d have circled Stevenson-DelVal, but this SAA clash of styles takes the sliver of spotlight left.	Ryan’s take: Stevenson at No. 12 Delaware Valley. Can’t remember the last year the MAC was clear cut. This will give some clarity.	Pat’s take: No. 5 North Central at Millikin. This is a game that is usually a cakewalk but Millikin is on the upswing. It’s under the radar this week.
Adam’s take: Stevenson at Delaware Valley. The Mustangs have a chance to prove that they’ve gotten right by upsetting the No. 12 Aggies.	Frank’s take: Utica at No. 19 Brockport. Utica loves to play the spoiler, and their defense may be able to slow down Germinerio and Morris somewhat..	Howard’s take: Monmouth at Macalester. Battle of Scots in St. Paul features two MWC contenders; Mac opened with ‘hardware game’ victories vs. Carleton and Hamline.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to get upset?

Keith’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Host Heidelberg has hung 40 twice in road wins over solid teams.	Ryan’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. I’ve been a little uncertain of JCU so far, and last week didn’t help their case.	Pat’s take: None. And fully aware I’m doing this for a second consecutive week. But I don’t see JCU losing like others do..
Adam’s take: No. 13 UW-Platteville. The Pioneers have not impressed in either of their wins, and Lakeland has a potent offense that will test UW-P.	Frank’s take: No. 6 St. John’s. Not much of an upset, except through rankings. Every game is a must-win for St. Thomas now.	Howard’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Tough matchup with the Student Princes of Heidelberg.

Will Wheaton miss a beat?

Keith’s take: No. This is really for the Thunder to answer; Five players are out, program is national news. But Elmhurst looks beatable amid all that.	Ryan’s take: Yes. But it really won’t be apparent until next week.	Pat’s take: No. I mean, not this week, at least.
Adam’s take: No. The players on the roster will be determined to prove that they can overcome their teammates’ absences.	Frank’s take: Yes. Focus after the trainwreck of a week will be off, and loss of five players will hurt. But Elmhurst won’t beat the Thunder.	Howard’s take: Hard thinking of Wheaton in ‘game terms’ after hazing publicity, but Elmhurst led Thunder until fourth-quarter turnover last year in 10-6 game.

Which surprise 3-0 team makes it 4-0 this week?

Keith’s take: Wooster. Scots have a tough matchup at DePauw, but might be inspired following the death of Clayton Geib.	Ryan’s take: Salve Regina. Although, it’s no cakewalk with undefeated Western Connecticut on the other side.	Pat’s take: SUNY-Maritime. The Privateers have been 4-0 once before, in the year they went 10-0. Alfred State won’t stop them..
Adam’s take: Franklin & Marshall. The Dips have a tough task at Susquehanna, but have been the surprise of the Centennial so far this season.	Frank’s take: RPI. Buffalo State’s two wins were by a total of six points. RPI has rolled. Engineers win their fourth..	Howard’s take: Cheating a bit: Knox. Knox beats Ripon to go 3-0. Surprise? Knox hasn’t won more than three in a season since 2005.

Which team won’t be able to repeat last week’s success?

Keith’s take: Mass. Maritime. Bucs held off Maine Maritime last week. Going to Framingham State is much tougher.	Ryan’s take: Berry. I think opponent Centre is the SAA’s best this year.	Pat’s take: George Fox. I think that even on the road, a WIAC team is better than what Redlands is prepared for.
Adam’s take: Rowan. Profs posted a big road win over William Paterson in Week 3, but will suffer a big home loss at the hands of Frostburg State in Week 4.	Frank’s take: Widener. Albright could’ve fit my surprising 4-0 team, as Lions have looked decent since the big Salisbury win..	Howard’s take: St. Thomas won’t win by 63, St. John’s won’t win by 49.

Official attendance in the Tommie-Johnnie game? (Price is Right rules apply)

Keith’s take: 33,316, clearly a sign from God.	Ryan’s take: 31,157.	Pat’s take: 37,535. Tell me that’s one above anyone else’s pick.
Adam’s take: 33,069. Nice.	Frank’s take: 36,106. It’s No 10 vs. No. 6. So, there had to be at least one of each in my number.	Howard’s take: 34,567.

We invite you to add your predictions in the comments below. Download the Around the Nation podcast on Mondays, where Pat and Keith review the Quick Hits that were prescient, and the Quick Misses that were terribly off base.

ATN Podcast 175: Defenses keep showing up

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Pat Coleman

Offensive numbers catch the eye, whether it’s 98 points or this week’s 79 or 332 receiving yards and six touchdowns. But Keith has this thing about defense also being part of the game, and that’s hard to argue, as long as we still play 11 on a side. In this week’s D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast, Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan take a look at some of the places where defense shows up, expectedly or not so much.

Pat and Keith run through all the top news, the hidden highlights, the risers and sliders, the quick hits and quick misses and more from the week in Division III football. That, plus the game(s) which weren’t played, and what that means for the programs affected.

The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football. During the season, it hits your feed weekly on Monday morning. This week, we thank Fanraise for sponsoring our podcast.

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

Wheaton photo by Michael Hudson photography; Linfield athletics photo
You can subscribe to the Around the Nation Podcast in iTunes. 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

Quick Hits: Name this rivalry

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Pat Coleman

We all know what the big game is this week and you don’t need a poll on social media to tell you. But there are 110…109… make that 108 other games this week, at least as of Friday at midnight, and even though No. 1 is playing No. 6, some of those other games might be worth looking at. That’s what our crew does in Quick Hits.

Our regular crew is Keith McMillan, Ryan Tipps, Pat Coleman, Adam Turer and Frank Rossi. Our sixth spot goes to a guest each week, and this week’s is Kevin Niehus, former Thomas More quarterback.

— Pat Coleman; photo by Joe Fusco, d3photography.com

Other than UMHB-Linfield, what’s the game of the week?

Keith’s take: No. 16 Illinois Wesleyan at No. 5 North Central. With the Titans’ hot start and the Carthage-Wheaton clash, we’ll get an idea how CCIW will shake out.	Ryan’s take: No. 16 Illinois Wesleyan at No. 5 North Central. Curious how the Titans fare against their second tough foe of 2017.	Pat’s take: Carthage at No. 4 Wheaton. While everyone is focused on a different CCIW game, I’m wondering how many points Carthage allows.
Adam’s take: Thomas More at No. 18 Washington and Jefferson. The playoffs start now for the Saints.	Frank’s take: No. 16 Illinois Wesleyan at No. 5 North Central. Some folks have doubts about the rankings of both — winner justifies ranking.	Kevin’s take: John Carroll at Baldwin Wallace. Just a hunch; Coach Hilvert will have his kids jacked up for their home opener.

Which Top 25 team is most likely to get upset?

Keith’s take: No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead. Excluding the six teams in Question 1 (not brave enough to pick Carthage), Bethel could take advantage if Cobbers are still patting themselves on the back.	Ryan’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Baldwin Wallace has kept this matchup interesting in recent years.	Pat’s take: None. I don’t see it this week. Too many head-to-head games that don’t qualify for upset status.
Adam’s take: No. 9 John Carroll. Baldwin Wallace makes a statement in Jim Hilvert’s home debut.	Frank’s take: No. 18 Washington & Jefferson. vs. Thomas More — Saints will bounce back from loss; haven’t lost two straight in season since 2012.	Kevin’s take: No. 18 Washington & Jefferson. Saints leave the PAC following the season. There’s no love lost here. Both teams’ run defenses will be tested.

Who wins the UMHB-Linfield game and why?

Keith’s take: UMHB. Neither wowed in opener, and both lost a lot from last season. Linfield might have lost more.	Ryan’s take: UMHB. They’re back this year more loaded than the Wildcats are.	Pat’s take: UMHB. But for a game that’s picked unanimously, it will be competitive.
Adam’s take: UMHB. Championship pedigree separates two evenly matched teams.	Frank’s take: UMHB. In battle of new starting QBs, edge goes to the Cru.	Guest’s take: UMHB. Division III fans are the big winner with a great early-season matchup which probably determines home field in the semifinals.

Which team picks up a much-needed win after a winless start?

Keith’s take: Augustana. I jumped the gun on St. Norbert; The Vikings have been competitive, and should win at Carroll in the third of three road games to open, and four against “C” teams.	Ryan’s take: No. 24 Wesley. There’s no doubt the sting from two weeks ago lingers — now conference play starts.	Pat’s take: Pacific. Oh, wait, never mind. There are no forfeits awarded for a program refusing to take the field. Thanks, Obama (‘s alma mater).
Adam’s take: UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks take care of the football and avoid an 0-3 start.	Frank’s take: Franklin vs. Defiance — rough schedule in first two games will make this game seem like a cakewalk.	Guest’s take: Gettysburg. Also Franklin. And Chicago.

Pick a winner in the NESCAC not named Amherst or Trinity.

Keith’s take: Wesleyan. The game at Middlebury will be the NESCAC’s closest this week, and it’ll require stout defense vs. UNLV transfer QB Jared Lebowitz and the Panthers.	Ryan’s take: Wesleyan. Though the matchup against Middlebury is pretty even.	Pat’s take: Tufts. Although Hamilton is an improving program, I still like the Jumbos in a big way. No, that’s just the play on words talking. In a medium way.
Adam’s take: Williams. Either Williams or Bowdoin will earn its first win since 2015. I’m picking the Ephs.	Frank’s take: Williams vs. Bowdoin — Mark Raymond gets his first NESCAC head-coaching victory.	Guest’s take: Middlebury. My cousin Tim’s Panthers open at home.

Which two teams playing in Week 3 should have a traveling trophy for their game but don’t yet? What would you call it?

Keith’s take: TMC and W&J. The PACto Defacto Title Game. Or Shenandoah-Hobart Yoder Bowl. The Loras-Dubuque Battle for Dubuque. Stop me anytime.	Ryan’s take: Averett Cougars and Ferrum Panthers. Call it The Cat Scratcher.	Pat’s take: Redlands and George Fox. Remember GFU’s surprise 2015 win? Calling this the Red-Fox Cup. This has nothing to do with red cups and everything to do with Sanford & Son, kids.
Adam’s take: Randolph-Macon and Catholic. The Guru Bowl participants need a trophy featuring prominent alums Pat and Keith. (Ed. note, no they don’t!)	Frank’s take: Catholic vs. Randolph-Macon. The Around the Nation Trophy-cast.	Kevin’s take: Mount St. Joseph vs. Bluffton. The Bridge Bowl 2: there ARE bridges along I-75 in Ohio. They could use the original ceramic bowl, currently collecting dust in Crestview Hills.