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ATN Podcast 424: Tricks, treats and improbable feats

Halloween weekend delivered more than its share of improbable endings. Exactly what chance did Dickinson have to do what it did at Carnegie Mellon? How did Johns Hopkins win on a play that wasn’t even legal a year ago? What did Azusa Pacific do to improve from Week 1 to Week 9?

Patrick and Greg break down those finishes and the biggest Week 9 storylines: Wheaton’s recurring slow starts, UW-Whitewater’s improving offense, the de facto OAC title game between Baldwin Wallace and Mount Union, and the crowded races in the SAA and Centennial.

In addition, DePauw coach Brett Dietz joins the Fast Five to discuss the Tigers’ quarterback change, Jack Kazmierczak’s patience and efficiency, Harry Pratt’s emergence on defense, and taking the Monon Bell game to Ball State while DePauw’s stadium is under construction.

We’re getting more and more long field goals at the Division III level. How many are we really talking, and why are we getting better kickers? We talked to some coaches to dig into this.

We go region by region, we hand out game balls, the mailbag makes us talk about the best defensive players in D-III and Whitewater-Platteville. Biggest WIAC game since when?

Patrick and Greg cover it all in Around the Nation Podcast No. 424.

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

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

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Photos: Baldwin Wallace athletics photo by Erik Drost; Mount Union athletics; UW-Whitewater athletics photo by Olivia Zinnani

Long field goal data

Season 50+ 55+ 60+ Long Kicker
2013-14 13 2 1 62 Matthew Aven, CMS
2014-15 13 0 0 54 Andrew Franks, RPI
2015-16 15 0 0 54 Sean Murray, Redlands
2016-17 10 0 0 53 Tyler Stolen, Buena Vista
2017-18 10 2 0 55 Nathan Hierlihy, Redlands; Spenser Thompson-Meyers, St. Norbert
2018-19 10 1 0 55 Jon Alberts, Central
2019-20 9 2 0 58 Tim Branneky, Westminster (Mo.)
2020-21 0 COVID
2021-22 6 1 0 55 Doug Cummings, Gettysburg
2022-23 17 2 1 60 John McArdle, Bethany
2023-24 13 1 0 55 Will Goodman, Chicago
2024-25 15 1 0 56 Tim Kissinger, Lebanon Valley
2025-26 17 1 0 57 Aidan Ellison, North Central
2026-27 17 5 0 56 Sean Lee, CMS and Sean Ryniec, North Central
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ATN Podcast 420: No consensus, plenty of contenders

UW-Whitewater found a freshman-sized answer to a championship-sized challenge, while St. John’s turned shovel passes into an avalanche against Bethel and WashU broke through with the first top 10 victory in program history. Across Division III, defenses joined the scoring spree, long field goals delivered big wins and the playoff picture got a whole lot more interesting.

Which two defenses each produced three pick-sixes on the same Saturday? Which quarterback ran for three fourth-quarter touchdowns on just four carries? Which offense somehow scored 335 points on 336 plays? Oh yes, we did the math.

Who came up with the key defensive plays to get a game ball in Trinity’s revenge win against Berry? Who became a one-man Falcon wrecking machine in Whitewater? Who hit from 54 yards to give Luther a win, and who earned the nickname “Patty Ice” while kicking St. Olaf to a win?

Plus, WashU coach Aaron Keen joins us for Fast Five, the analytics say what they’re going to say, and Dickinson produces a third quarter unlike just about anything we’ve seen. Who survived an even longer delay than the one at St. John’s? Who scored three touchdowns before the opponent even recorded a first down? And who finally got to see the St. John’s tailgate?

And looking ahead: Can Whitewater follow its biggest win of the season by winning at UW-La Crosse? Will Rowan’s defensive prowess continue at Salisbury? Might Howard Payne make a statement at Mary Hardin-Baylor? Can Ohio Northern throw a great big … bear paw … into the OAC race? And most importantly, what happens when No. 1 North Central and No. 2 Wheaton meet for the Little Brass Bell?

Patrick and Greg tackle all this, plus your mailbag questions, in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

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

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: Semanco Media for WashU athletics; Evan Laserstein for UW-Whitewater athletics, Ella Carlson for St. John’s athletics

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ATN Podcast 419: The Captains, the goat cheese, the Pride

Christopher Newport struck the biggest blow this week among ranked teams, with the Captains coming up with six takeaways and shutting out Susquehanna on the road, while the Goat and the Cheese Bowl got some time in the spotlight (mmm, goat cheese) and Springfield survived in a rain-swept defensive battle.

Which conference gave us a huge Act 1 finale this weekend? Which punter came up with a huge game in his team’s win? Which broadcast team shouted out Pat Coleman on the air, and got him to answer? Oh yes, we’re listening.

Who came up with the key defensive plays to get a game ball in a shutout win? Who got the special teams play his team desperately needed on a day where the offense was struggling? Who finally bookended a win in a rivalry game?

Plus, Christopher Newport coach Paul Crowley joins us for Fast Five, the analytics say what they’re going to say, and St. Francis finally gets out of the queue and onto the field. How many people played quarterback for Texas Lutheran? Who opened the door in Region 4?

And over-under: How many yards for Wash U against John Carroll this upcoming week? How many points will the winning team end up scoring in the Berry-Trinity (Texas) game? How many yards will Tyler Szalkowski throw for for Utica against Cortland? How many points do we really expect Baldwin Wallace and Heidelberg to put up on Saturday? And lastly, how many people will cram in the gates at Whitewater and St. John’s this weekend for their top 10 clashes?

Patrick and Greg answer these, plus your mailbag questions, in the latest edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast.

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

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:

Photo: @leary_kell38655