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Triple Take: It’s Guru Bowl Week!

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Before Pat and Keith were ever colleagues at D3football.com, they were on opposite sides of Catholic/Randolph-Macon clashes, at about the time when the two teams began to have thrilling enough games to begin calling it a rivalry. That must have the boys a little giddy this week, so for our weekly Triple Take look at highlights from Saturday’s lineup, we brought in the steady hand of Around the mid-Atlantic columnist Ryan Tipps. Because someone’s got to give some serious analysis while the jokesters yuk it up.

Game of the Week
Ryan’s take: No. 6 Salisbury at Delaware Valley. The last time the Aggies played at home, they felled one of D-III’s predicted titans of 2008. That team, Wesley, also happens to be the biggest conference rival of Salisbury. When it comes to using a common opponent to predict the strength of teams, it doesn’t get any more straight-forward than this. At stake for Delaware Valley is proof that it could be the biggest threat to the rest of the MAC teams. For Salisbury, at stake is one of seven crucial regional games that will go a long way toward a fragile Pool B bid.
Keith’s take: No. 16 Ithaca at No. 11 St. John Fisher. We try not to double up picking the same game, but I think this is pretty obviously the G.O.T.W. for Week 4. I mentioned it a bit in Around the Nation, but otherwise Pat can do the heavy lifting …
Pat’s take: No. 16 Ithaca at No. 11 St. John Fisher. Ithaca does seem a little bit more put together at this point but with Dan Juvan playing on a bad right ankle and wearing a protective boot this week, plus St. John Fisher having the home field, I think that levels things out a bit. Plus, repeat after me, there’s no love lost when these two teams met. That’s from our Sportscaster Clichés 101 textbook. Bet you thought I was going to say something about throwing out record books. Hah! Not that predictable.

Surprisingly close game
Ryan’s take: Gettysburg at Muhlenberg. The Bullets’ 0-3 record is highly deceiving. Muhlenberg is ranked fifth in the country, but Gettysburg has been playing good teams with surprising intensity. Gettysburg traded last year’s running shoes for this year’s throwing arm, but whether that can penetrate the Mules’ stout defense is the biggest question mark.
Keith’s take: WPI at RPI. I never get this category right, but it’s about highlighting a good game, not me being right. Worcester Polytech has given up just 17 points in the two wins since their five-overtime opener against Mass-Dartmouth. RPI is heading into Game 3 of a nine-game slate and has one fewer game under its belt. If both defenses are playing as well as they have been (WPI allows 250 yards per game, RPI 272), it should be a good one.
Pat’s take: No. 14 Franklin at Trine. The MIAA has gone a long time between signature wins — in fact, I can’t name one at the moment. But Trine has looked good so far and Franklin has drifted up fairly high in the rankings, especially for an HCAC team.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Ryan’s take: No. 17 Cortland State. Armed with a budding star in freshman quarterback Thomas D’Ambrisi, Kean is in prime position to play the spoiler in the NJAC. The Cougars’ first upset starts here.
Keith’s take: No. 6 Salisbury. I don’t have high hopes for anyone playing a top 25 team this week, but Delaware Valley will come in confident and well-rested after knocking off then-No. 3 Wesley two weeks ago. With the extra week to practice stopping the option and attacking the 3-3-5, the Aggies could pull it off.
Pat’s take: No. 19 Millsaps. Does Rhodes have the defense to slow down the Majors’ offense? Perhaps not, but with Millsaps outscoring opponents 39-9 this year and Rhodes’ defense having allowed just 14 points this season, repeat after me, something’s gotta give. That’s our second sportscaster cliché for the day. Thanks for playing!

They’ll be on your radar
Ryan’s take: Christopher Newport. A delayed opener, an uneasy team and a top 10 opponent. Last week the Captains were two steps behind in a three-step race. This week, against Wilkes, will be a better and more balanced showcase for CNU with conference play on the horizon.
Keith’s take: Catholic. At 3-0 and quietly poised to contend in the wide-open ODAC, the Cardinals must defeat Randolph-Macon, which has become quite a rival. The teams haven’t had a game decided by more than 10 points since 2003. R-MC has struggled, leaving an opening for CUA to be the team to push defending champion Hampden-Sydney.
Pat’s take: Wooster. Although, the Scots should be already, even before the trip to Denison. They’re 2-0 and have outscored opponents 47-8.

Which of last week’s West Region upset victims bounces back the strongest?
Ryan’s take: St. John’s. The Johnnies won’t nail a lopsided victory, but they will gain confidence — and maybe a better understanding of their quarterback situation — against the currently undefeated Gusties.
Keith’s take: St. John’s. Sorry to be a copycat, but the Johnnies don’t lose often, and rarely twice in a row. Gustavus might give St. John’s a run, but I’d be surprised if it were a tight game in the final minutes.
Pat’s take: Central. Albion has won three of its past 13 games, prime for a Central get-well card.

Which long losing streak ends this week?
Ryan’s take: North Park. Dating back to last season, the Vikings have limped through 10 straight losses entering their game against Benedictine. North Park’s most apparent weakness is defending the run. But the team’s solid pass defense should match up well against the Eagles, who have gained almost twice as many yards throwing the ball this season that they have running it.
Keith’s take: Cornell. I’m reaching, but eventually the Rams have to catch a break, right? After 22 IIAC losses in a row, maybe No. 22 Wartburg comes in riding high after the Central win and gets caught napping. By a score of 22-21. This is the topsy-turvy IIAC, after all, it’s not impossible.
Pat’s take: Buffalo State. There just aren’t many long losing streaks left, as Keith pointed out in Around the Nation. I’m going to cast my lot with the Bengals, who have lost eight in a row in heading to Western Connecticut. The Bengals did roll up 278 yards on the ground in a 42-32 loss to TCNJ this past week.

Who wins the Guru Bowl? That would be Pat’s alma mater (Catholic U.) at Keith’s alma mater (Randolph-Macon).
Ryan’s take: Randolph-Macon. It’s certainly hard to ignore a Catholic team that is undefeated and at the opposite end of the conference ladder as R-MC. Both teams are more balanced offensively than they have been in past years, but it’s the Yellow Jackets that have a more threatening defensive secondary and should be able to rein in Catholic quarterback Keith Ricca’s well-defined receiving corps.
Keith’s take: Catholic. Darn. I already said I’d be watching Catholic. Of course I’m pulling for Randolph-Macon. I mean, not professionally, just personally. Well, maybe I could make a case for professionally, since R-MC bouncing back after a rough start would make them a compelling team to follow. I’ve been following this rivalry for a lot of years now, and it tends to alternate years. So my “pick” is based on that. Plus, it makes me appear really fair and balanced!
Pat’s take: Catholic. I have to take this, right? Make sure to tell the guys to remember John Butler knocking down a pass at the end of the game to win in 1994, or Bob Frole pulling down a two-point conversion to tie the 1995 game 50-50.

Triple Take: Three big clashes

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Pat and Keith are back to help start off your weekend right, and chiming in this week is D3sports.com Deputy Managing Editor Gordon Mann. I won’t keep you with a long introduction. There are key clashes between ranked teams and 19 games against non-Division III opponents. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the Week 2 slate:

Game of the Week
Gordon’s take: No. 5 Bethel at No. 17 Wheaton (Ill.). Royals quarterback Reid Velo put up good numbers (241 yards, four touchdowns) on relatively few attempts (17) against Concordia (Wis.). The learning curve gets pretty steep in Week 2.
Keith’s take: No. 16 Ohio Northern at No. 15 North Central. Both the OAC and CCIW have the depth to send multiple teams to the postseason, so don’t think a guy like me isn’t arranging brackets in his head just because it’s only Week 2. I especially want to see what the Polar Bears are bringing to the table because there are going to be more OAC teams chasing playoff bids than available slots. You have to chalk Mount Union up for one, so between ONU, Capital, Otterbein, John Carroll and perhaps Baldwin-Wallace or Heidelberg, one or two Pool C teams should arise. On the flip side, I haven’t heard a bad word about North Central.
Pat’s take: No. 2 UW-Whitewater at No. 12 UW-Eau Claire. This one counts — in the WIAC standings, that is. Both teams have plenty of questions to answer and each started the season with tough wins against ranked NAIA teams.

Surprisingly close
Gordon’s take: Wilkes at Montclair State. Montclair State was picked second in the NJAC coaches poll while Wilkes is replacing a four-year starter at quarterback and three-time defensive MVP. But the Colonels gave No. 8 Muhlenberg all they could handle on last week, even leading the game in the fourth quarter.
Keith’s take: No. 3 Wesley at Delaware Valley. I like the Wolverines this year as much as anyone, but I wouldn’t bank on a blowout here. Wesley might actually be extra jacked up to play since last week’s game was cancelled, but the homestanding Aggies have a game under their belts. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very competitive first half before Wesley makes it a two-score game in the third quarter.
Pat’s take: Dubuque at No. 25 Redlands. The one thing Redlands has going for it is the long trip Dubuque will be taking to Southern California. Well, and the fact that Dubuque might be ripe for a letdown after an uplifting home opener in which the Spartans opened their redone stadium in front of a big crowd. But Dubuque has a game and more than a week of extra practice under its belt and should make it exciting.

Most likely top 25 team to get upset
Gordon’s take: No. 11 Salisbury. Last week Geneva hung with Division II Seton Hill, which had an extra game under its belt. In a week without a lot of good candidates to upset Top 25 opponents, the Golden Tornadoes have a puncher’s chance against Salisbury.
Keith’s take: No. 5 Bethel. These guys are right, there isn’t much to choose from, so I sort of cheated. No. 17 Wheaton winning would technically be an upset, but with the game in Illinois, it’s closer to being a toss-up than the rankings would make it seem. The Thunder not having played would seem to be a weakness, but it also gave the coaching staff extra time to focus on the Royals. Wheaton has the talent to knock No. 5 from its perch.
Pat’s take: No. 21 Ithaca. Not that anyone will take King’s lightly after the Monarchs beat Randolph-Macon last week, but because it’s hard to pick many others. Mary Hardin-Baylor plays a ranked NAIA team that will be playing its third game, for example. Would that be an upset?

Team most likely to bounce back from a poor opener
Gordon’s take: No. 13 St. John Fisher. A lot of good teams have “poor” games against Mount Union. But last week’s 33-3 loss was a little disheartening for those Cardinal fans who were optimistic that their team could keep it close against a relatively young Purple Raider team. They’ll feel a lot better after St. John Fisher beats Buffalo State by double digits at home.
Keith’s take: Concordia-Moorhead. Given the loss at Willamette in the opener and St. John’s and Bethel looming before the end of September, a home date with NAIA Dickinson State is the Cobbers’ season flashing before its eyes. Here’s guessing they handle business and avoid the potential 0-4 start.
Pat’s take: Waynesburg. Even without Robert Heller, the Yellowjackets should handle Hanover. And if they don’t, it could be a long season.

Team playing its opener you’re most curious about
Gordon’s take: Linfield. I took a good, long look at the Wildcats in casting my preseason ballot before deciding to take a “wait and see” approach. The waiting is over, so let’s see what they do on the road against Hardin-Simmons.
Keith’s take: No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor. I loved the Crusaders last season, but I don’t have them ranked this high yet this year. They’ll be without their anointed starting quarterback (suspension) in the opener, but handing off to a platoon of backs is work a reserve can do. It’s really the quality of first opponent (NAIA No. 22 Southern Nazarene) and lack of returning starters (three) on offense that concern me. I’ll be checking to see if a defense with seven starters back can carry the load.
Pat’s take: Ohio Northern. They are often highly ranked in the preseason but over the past four years have lost a combined 11 games. That’s not a postseason resume. They’ll have to show better.

Most significant game against a non-Division III opponent
Gordon’s take: Mississippi College at Cumberland (Ky.). After being crushed by No. 24 Millsaps last week, the Choctaws need a bounce back performance to build momentum going into ASC play. Cumberland went to the NAIA playoffs last season.
Keith’s take: UW-La Crosse at North Dakota. Playing against a non-scholarship I-AA is one thing, the Fighting Sioux and their 59 free rides are quite another. When La Crosse beat South Dakota State two years ago as the Jackrabbits were making a similar transition, it was an indication that the WIAC was still Division III’s strongest conference and a reminder that football is football, scholarships or not. The Eagles will rotate sophomores Alex Seguin and Nick Anker at quarterback; What a way to get your young guys some experience.
Pat’s take: No. 19 Franklin at Butler. Butler has had its way with weak D-III teams in recent years and lost to better teams. This game should serve as a reminder that “non-scholarship Division I” is just D-III football with a better weight room.

They’ll be on your radar
Gordon’s take: King’s. The Monarchs raised eyebrows by beating Randolph-Macon last week, 34-13. If they follow that up by upsetting No. 21 Ithaca on the road, they will put last year’s 1-9 season firmly in the rearview mirror.
Keith’s take: UW-Eau Claire. Nineteen returning starters and an opening week win are encouraging; two games against Whitewater are not so much. The first will tell us a lot about the Blugolds.
Pat’s take: Augsburg. And this isn’t to say they’ll beat Wartburg, but that they’ll keep it close. Augsburg beat Wartburg on the road last year, likely keeping the Knights out of the NCAA playoffs, so there is zero chance of Wartburg taking this game lightly.

Semifinal Saturday

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So let’s open the floor up for questions and comments on Bethel at Mount Union and Mary Hardin-Baylor at UW-Whitewater.

A lot of people are expecting a third consecutive all-purple Stagg Bowl. Since the first round of the playoffs, close games have not been the norm. Will we see a great finish on Saturday at either location, or both? What do the Crusaders and Royals have to do to pull the upsets? Why will the Warhawks and Purple Raiders dominate?

Give us your specific thoughts on the matchups, the weather or whatever crosses your mind. And feel free if you’re watching or listening to us to kick in your in-game updates here as well. And as always, enjoy!