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ATN Podcast 298: Breaking down the semifinals

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We get a new, never-before-seen matchup in the Stagg Bowl, and that’s something to be excited about. In the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast, Pat and Greg break down each of the semifinals, and North Central coach Jeff Thorne and Mary Hardin-Baylor coach Pete Fredenburg join us to do the same.

For North Central, the key performances came all over the field: from an offensive line missing two starters, from a freshman kicker called on to do the unlikely on a rainy and windy day, and of course from the dare-we-say future All-American running back and his quarterback, and the entire defense. We’ll talk about each of those performances.

For Mary Hardin-Baylor, of course, the biggest performance on offense was from the biggest man on the offense, Brandon Jordan. Plus the defense did more than enough to keep Alex Peete in check, and there are very few questions for UMHB. But we ask those questions anyway!

Plus, we talk about who the elite teams are in Division III football right now, and where does Mount Union rank among them after we’ve had two consecutive Stagg Bowls without the Purple Raiders for the first time since the early 1990s. And what the heck was up with the replay official in Whitewater on Saturday?

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode: [display_podcast]

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:

Apple Podcasts: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Google Podcasts: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
iHeart Radio: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Stitcher: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Spotify: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast

Theme music: Power 2 by DJmentos.
Photos: d3photography.com, visitcanton.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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ATN Podcast 297: Champs with a chip on their shoulder?

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This is not perceived slight. This is actual, honest-to-goodness, true, verifiable slight.

Near the beginning of our podcast season we had some audio Jeff Thorne said to his players on the field after his team handled Wheaton in the Little Brass Bell game in which he talked about the program not getting the respect it deserved as defending champion. Well, the Cardinals got it after that game from the D3football.com Top 25 poll, and eventually the AFCA Top 25 followed suit, but apparently not enough people on the NCAA Division III football committee thought so, as North Central was inexplicably sent on the road to Mount Union for the national semifinals.

Pat and Greg talk through all the ramifications, everything we learned about this from committee members past and present, and more, including that apparently one thing the committee did was so egregious that a committee higher up could review it as soon as Monday.

Plus, we talk with Frank Rossi, for his from-the-sideline take on everything that went down on actual game day in Alliance, Ohio, where Mount Union had to survive in overtime against No. 15-ranked Muhlenberg. And we hit the other three quarterfinals and reflect on what we’ve learned in the playoffs so far and how that will apply to head-to-head matchups between North Central and Mount Union, and UW-Whitewater and Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode: [display_podcast]

Related link: Brandon Jordan: A game-saving catch for UMHB

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:

Apple Podcasts: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Google Podcasts: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
iHeart Radio: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Stitcher: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast
Spotify: D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast

Theme music: DJmentos.
Photo: d3photography.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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ATN Podcast 296: A new era of parity?

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In 2019 the second round of the Division III playoffs featured a number of blowouts, and this year, yes, there were two big wins, perhaps not coincidentally by the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in our Top 25 poll, but a bunch of other games that were one-score or two-score games.

That strikes us as being fairly unusual … and also awesome. Whether that holds up in the quarterfinals remains to be seen, but it’s a start. Could there have really been eight teams in the bracket capable of winning it all? Is Mount Union actually vulnerable after giving up 35 points on Saturday? Does Linfield have what it takes to get past Mary Hardin-Baylor on another long trip?

Plus, every week it becomes time for more and more players to hang up their cleats — some by choice, and some who simply run out of time. We talk to both types in this week’s podcast.

Plus, Ralph Isernia, head coach at RPI, perhaps the most unlikely quarterfinalist, joins us for a playoff-worthy expanded Tight Five to talk about the adversity his team has gone through just in getting this far and the personal sacrifices players have made to come back for this year. That and more in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

Related link: Despite a year apart, RPI is thriving

Plus, we hand out game balls from the weekend that was Division III football. We talk about who will rise in the Top 25 poll based on their performance in the first two weeks of the playoffs. And we tackle the question: Is this more parity? Is it just about teams with super seniors?

Pat Coleman and Greg Thomas talk about it all in the latest D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation covering the wide range of Division III football.

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

Full episode: [display_podcast]

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:

Theme music: DJmentos.
Photos: Caleb Williams, d3photography.com; Dan Hunter, d3photography.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download