Tag Archives: Coe

Hurrah for Fred Jackson

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I feel fortunate.

I saw Fred Jackson play in college, and not many people who have recently become aware of the Buffalo Bills running back can say the same thing.


Fred Jackson had 168 yards on 30 touches from scrimmage against St. John’s in the 2002 playoff game.
Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com

Jackson was a great running back at Coe, in fact, and we named him the third-best running back that season, which got him a spot on the 2002 D3football.com All-American team. I was on the sideline in 2002 when Coe played at St. John’s in the first round of the playoffs, and to be honest, it wasn’t much of a game. Jackson got 150 yards on 29 carries but Coe threw four interceptions and was 11-for-32 passing in a 45-14 defeat.

I was standing next to a Johnnie on several occasions that afternoon who was very much not impressed with Jackson. I respect his opinion, but disagreed at the time. He ran hard and had good hands, plus was 6-1 and about 200 pounds, not out of reach of a pro career by any stretch. There just wasn’t much help. I thought Dan Pugh was clearly a better Division III running back and we also named Linfield’s David Russell to the first team, but in honesty, as we noted at the time, every other running back decision after Pugh was a struggle to decide.

From there, Jackson’s career is all over the map. He was the Team USA MVP in the Aztec Bowl that winter, running for 71 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. He spent two years in the United Indoor Football League, then got a break from Marv Levy, a fellow Coe alumnus, who got him into the Buffalo Bills organization and a spot in NFL Europe. He ran for 731 yards for the Rhein Fire, then made the Bills practice squad in 2006, ran for 300 yards in 2007. He made the 53-man roster last season out of camp and totaled nearly 900 yards from scrimmage.

Then, this season, of course, his big break, with Marshawn Lynch suspended for the first three games of the season. He’s taken the ball and run with it, including 163 yards on 28 carries in Sunday’s win against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

The sad thing, the next Fred Jackson may not get that chance. Since Jackson graduated, the pro football world has lost the Arena Football League and NFL Europe. The path is tougher now.

The new United Football League might provide a route for some players, and Buffalo State’s T.J. Cottrell, who was a senior in 2006, is in the league, as is former Mr. Irrelevant, Gustavus Adolphus wide receiver Ryan Hoag. Michael Allan, a Whitworth grad who was drafted at tight end by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007, is on the California Redwoods training camp roster. Brett Dietz, the former Hanover quarterback, is on the Redwoods roster as well after success in AF2 and the Arena Football League. UW-La Crosse defensive back Jeremy Unertl is there, still playing after training camp time with the Packers and a few years in the arena leagues. Menlo’s Nate Jackson, a long-time Denver Bronco, is on the Las Vegas Locomotives roster. Colby offensive lineman Daniel Oliphant joins Cottrell and Hoag with the New York Sentinels.

And of course, there are other D-III players in the NFL still, including Wheaton’s Andy Studebaker (Chiefs), Ohio Northern’s Jason Trusnik (Jets). Trusnik has four tackles through two games and is the No. 2 middle linebacker. Trinity (Texas) receiver Jerheme Urban has seven catches for 99 yards so far for the Arizona Cardinals. Derek Stanley (UW-Whitewater) is returning punts for the St. Louis Rams. Byron Westbrook (Salisbury) has three tackles through two games for the Washington Redskins. And Pierre Garcon (Mount Union) had three catches for 24 yards in the Colts’ opener. They play at Miami tonight. And veterans London Fletcher (John Carroll, Washington Redskins) and Matt Turk (UW-Whitewater, Houston Texans) remain in the league.

But the odds are long for any Division III player. And not every team has a Marv Levy, with respect for Division III and the willingness to give a kid a shot. What I hope D-III players can learn is to not give up.

Take Sean Malafronte, for example. Unless you’re a Mount Union fan who studies the roster, you probably have never heard of him. He caught one pass for 5 yards in 2006 and didn’t appear in the stats after that. But he’s still working hard and is in a showcase game coming up Oct. 3, along with Guilford quarterback Josh Vogelbach and a couple of other D-III alumni.

You never know who will be the next Fred Jackson.

Where we’ve been, who we’ve seen

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Keith McMillan talks at length about some of the trips he has taken since starting the Around the Nation column back in 2001. Some of those trips he and I have taken together, sometimes he’s been on his own, but the goal, at least unofficially, is to see every Division III team play someday, and see a game in every home stadium.

Now, to be honest, that isn’t very realistic. The fact remains that it’s very difficult to see more than one game in a weekend, which limits the number of teams either of us can see in a season. And I recently moved away from the east coast, where I had a much better chance of knocking teams off the list. But I’ll continue to give it a try.

I’m only counting the teams I’ve seen play (must have seen at least half of a game to qualify) and stadiums I’ve been in for a D-III game. I’ve also visited a bunch of campuses and walked through, or around a bunch of stadiums: Aurora, Beloit, Concordia (Ill.), Delaware Valley, Hamline, Huntingdon, Illinois Wesleyan, LaGrange, Lake Forest, Lebanon Valley, Lewis and Clark, Millsaps, Mississippi College, North Park, Northwestern, Oberlin, St. Thomas, Susquehanna, Trinity (Conn.), Wittenberg, Wooster, WPI. But I’ve seen 108 teams play, by my count, and seen games in 61 stadiums.

This doesn’t count Swarthmore, which I saw play back in the ’90s. Unfortunately, it seems that was a one-time occurrence.

Some of the places I’ve seen games have changed quite a bit. I mean, I was at St. John Fisher in 1994 but I know the stadium isn’t a bit like that was. I saw FDU-Madis… excuse me, FDU-Florham in a different era. Soon my view on RPI will be outdated. But they all count. And maybe I’ll get back there again.

Here’s who I’ve seen play, starting in 1991: Albright, Alfred, Augsburg, Augustana, Aurora, Benedictine, Bethel, Blackburn, Bridgewater (Va.), Brockport State, Cal Lutheran, Capital, Carleton, Carnegie Mellon, Catholic, Central, Chicago, Christopher Newport, Coast Guard, Coe, Cortland State, Crown, Curry, Delaware Valley, Dickinson, East Texas Baptist, Elmhurst, Emory & Henry, FDU-Florham, Franklin & Marshall, Frostburg State, Gallaudet, Gettysburg, Greensboro, Grove City, Guilford, Gustavus Adolphus, Hampden-Sydney, Hanover, Hardin-Simmons, Hobart, Howard Payne, Huntingdon, Ithaca, John Carroll, Johns Hopkins, Kean, King’s, Linfield, Louisiana College, Lycoming, Macalester, Maranatha Baptist, Mary Hardin-Baylor, McDaniel, McMurry, Merchant Marine, Methodist, Millsaps, Mississippi College, Minnesota-Morris, Montclair State, Mount Union, Muhlenberg, North Carolina Wesleyan, New Jersey, Newport News, Nichols, North Central, Northwestern (Minn.), Pacific Lutheran, Principia, Randolph-Macon, Rockford, Rowan, RPI, Salisbury, Shenandoah, Springfield, St. John Fisher, St. Olaf, St. John’s, St. Scholastica, St. Thomas, Susquehanna, Thiel, Thomas More, Trinity (Conn.), Trinity (Texas), Union, Ursinus, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, Washington and Jefferson, Washington and Lee, Washington U., Waynesburg, Wesley, Western Connecticut, Wheaton, Widener, Wilkes, William Paterson, Williams, Wittenberg, Worcester State.

Key gets: I went out of my way to see Cal Lutheran when they came to Muhlenberg in 2002. Saw a bunch of teams last year at the UMAC’s Dome Day. Picked off both Macalester and St. Scholastica just this past weekend. Saw both Susquehanna and Grove City play at Dickinson, in 1999 and 2000, and never since. Traveled with Catholic when I was a student to a game at the University of Chicago.

And the schools at which I’ve seen games: Albright, Augsburg, Benedictine, Bridgewater (Va.), Capital, Carnegie Mellon, Catholic, Central, Chicago, Coast Guard, Cortland State, Dickinson, Elmhurst, FDU-Florham, Franklin & Marshall, Frostburg State, Gallaudet, Gettysburg, Hampden-Sydney, Hardin-Simmons, Johns Hopkins, Kean, King’s, Linfield, Lycoming, Macalester, Mary Hardin-Baylor, McDaniel, McMurry, Merchant Marine, Montclair State, Mount Union, Muhlenberg, New Jersey, North Central, Randolph-Macon, Rowan, RPI, Salisbury, Shenandoah, Springfield, St. John Fisher, St. Olaf, St. John’s, Thiel, Trinity (Texas), Union, Ursinus, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, Washington and Jefferson, Washington U., Wesley, Western Connecticut, Wheaton, Widener, Wilkes, William Paterson, Williams, Worcester State.

New this year: East Texas Baptist, Macalester, St. Scholastica, Wartburg,

There are certainly some holes in this list. Never seen Wabash (or DePauw, take it easy, people!). I’ve never been to a SCIAC school or seen anyone from the Midwest Conference. Didn’t take nearly enough advantage of my year in Connecticut. But I’ll get the list down, slowly but surely.

Not sure if Keith will chime in with his list, but anyone else is welcome, of course.

Triple Take: Mother Nature’s Wrath?

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Here’s a little guide to those picking out obscure college football games each week. It’s easier to name games that have a little something more going for them.

Here, for example, are some interesting games being played this week. And joining us for our Triple Take look at the weekend this time around is a man who will be seeing one of them, Dan Padavona of CortlandFootball.com.

Game of the Week
Dan’s take: Whitworth at No. 23 Redlands. And honestly I don’t think it will be too close. Redlands was impossible to run on against Dubuque, and the offense was incredibly balanced in churning out over 450 yards. Look for Colton Hansen to pick apart Whitworth.
Keith’s take: No. 25 Ohio Northern at No. 1 Mount Union. The Purple Raiders have a habit of making seemingly tough matchups look not difficult at all, and even if that happens again, this is the Game of the Week because of the clarity it would bring to the national picture and OAC race. We think Mount Union is the nation’s best team, but it hardly resembles last year’s juggernaut except in the offensive backfield, so let’s see how they respond.
Pat’s take: Whitworth at No. 23 Redlands. Whitworth lost at home last season and ended up not going to the playoffs at 8-1 in-region while 5-2 UW-Eau Claire was selected. Does Whitworth remember who one of the two 2007 West Region co-chairs is?

Surprisingly close game
Dan’s take: No. 6 Muhlenberg at Union. This is a good matchup and I don’t think anyone should be surprised if it comes down to the fourth quarter. I was tempted to go with Union due to the long trip into northeastern N.Y. But I think Muhlenberg ekes out a win.
Keith’s take: Coe at Cornell. The Rams haven’t won an IIAC game since 2005, but hosting the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi against the Kohawks, who are also off to a slow start, is a recipe for interesting game.
Pat’s take: No. 18 Case Western Reserve at Oberlin. Case is struggling with injuries, while Oberlin played Washington and Jefferson well in Week 1 and had a bye week to focus on the Spartans, including a short scouting trip.

What obscure game would you have picked for Mike & Mike?
Dan’s take: Rochester at St John Fisher. St. John Fisher may end up being not quite as overpowering as we had all expected, but this is a fun matchup every season. Besides the schools being in the same city, the football programs have an interesting history. The battle belonged to Rochester until the early portion of the new century, and has swung 180 degrees to Fisher since. Apparently so has the recruiting war.
Keith’s take: Cal Lutheran at Pacific Lutheran. It’s always a good time when a couple of Lutherans get together.
Pat’s take: No. 12 North Central at Benedictine, The Battle of Maple Ave. The stadiums are just 2.7 miles apart in suburban Chicago, though at the moment, the programs are much further apart than that. This could also be surprisingly close, but only geographically. (Keith, in your Lutheran battle, who’s bringing the hot dish?)

Which team playing its opener this week has the better chance: St. Scholastica (at Wisconsin Lutheran) or Christopher Newport (at No. 8 Salisbury)?
Dan’s take: Definitely Christopher Newport. I don’t expect the Captains to win on the road, but I feel they are underrated and will give Salisbury a game.
Keith’s take: Christopher Newport. In the past two weeks, we’ve seen LaGrange win the first game in program history in its 21st game and St. Vincent in its 12th. Therefore, with all due respect, I’d be surprised if St. Scholastica, playing its first game ever, wins this season, much less this week.
Pat’s take: St. Scholastica. Not sure either team spotlighted wins its game but I have to think they have the better chance, against Wisconsin Lutheran which has scored 14 points in two games. But if they don’t win this week they do have Trinity Bible later.

Most likely top 25 team to get upset
Dan’s take: No. 20 Cortland State. The NJAC is very balanced this season. I see Rowan winning this game, but Cortland winning the league with 1 loss. Cortland has not won in Glassboro in this era, so until they do so, I think you have to go with the Profs. Cortland is also missing arguably its most explosive player on offense in Zacc Guaragno, and has been suspect in the secondary. I just think this matchup favors Rowan, but will be happy if Cortland proves me wrong.
Keith’s take: No. 23 Redlands. A loss to Whitworth, basically No. 26, might hardly be an upset. Throw in the consequences losing to the Bulldogs had for the Pirates last year, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them play inspired, even though Redlands is coming off a 46-9 win in its opener.
Pat’s take: No. 5 Capital. If this happens, we’ll know the Heidelberg resurgence is for real. The Student Princes dropped 62 points on Westminster (Pa.) in Week 1.

Which surprise 2-0 team is least likely to go 3-0?
Dan’s take: Becker WPI has already beaten Mass-Dartmouth, who is significantly better than any team Becker has played.
Keith’s take: Louisiana College. Even if Hardin-Simmons, which has looked much better on defense this season than last, has a relapse, the Tigers haven’t shown the offense in their two wins (24 points total) to make us believe they can score with Justin Feaster, Mychal Carillo and company.
Pat’s take: Aurora. Illinois Wesleyan is a significantly better team than Lake Forest was, Aurora’s surprise victim in Week 1.

They’ll be on your radar
Dan’s take: Kean They won in a rout over a hapless Merchant Marine team. I fully expect them to beat West Conn in Union, N.J. What I am looking for is a convincing victory. If they win by 14-plus points, the entire conference had better take notice.
Keith’s take: UW-La Crosse. Hate to keep harping on the same team, but since they were completely overmatched against North Dakota, I’m still wondering how they’ll respond to blowing a lead against Hardin-Simmons. A trip to Azusa Pacific might provide an answer.
Pat’s take: Johns Hopkins. A win this week would put the Blue Jays at 3-0 and make it seem like the mid-’00s are here again.