Tag Archives: Nebraska Wesleyan

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ATN Podcast 423: Three weeks to settle it

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Week 8 in Division III football had no games matching Top 25 teams against each other, but it still delivered late rallies, record-setting performances and conference races that are getting increasingly complicated.

Amherst scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally past Wesleyan, Trinity (Conn.) survived a low-scoring test from Bowdoin, and the SAA suddenly has four teams tied in the loss column. Carnegie Mellon now stands alone atop the Centennial, but its final three games come against the three teams directly behind it.

Montclair State coach Mike Palazzo joins us after the Red Hawks’ first win against a ranked opponent since 2018. He explains what Montclair learned from facing Merchant Marine’s option, how those lessons helped against Salisbury and why one running back’s remarkable game-day journey made the victory especially memorable.

Who earned game balls after a thriller and a four-touchdown performance? Which player arrived just in time for pregame after a life-changing morning? How did Alvernia dominate possession with only 32 rushing yards? And how did Grinnell reach a milestone that once seemed a long way off?

Logan Hansen’s Analytics 301 sorts through the likely top eight seeds, conferences positioned for multiple bids and the Week 9 games that could become virtual playoff-clinching or elimination contests.

Then we go region by region: WPI’s Nathan Napier connects from 53 and 55 yards, RPI intercepts seven passes and returns three for touchdowns, Jalen Lackey posts a second consecutive 200-yard receiving game, Rose-Hulman takes control of the HCAC race, St. Norbert wins with a last-minute field goal and pick-six, and Nebraska Wesleyan finally breaks into the win column with 69 points.

We also look ahead to Rowan at Christopher Newport, John Carroll at DePauw, Wheaton at Augustana, LaGrange at Huntingdon and what might be the biggest home game in Lewis & Clark history against Linfield.

Plus, we go to the mailbag, to discuss: Why is the Centennial viewed differently this season? How should OAC coaches handle a possible three-way tie? Who has the inside track in the MAC? And which Week 9 games are worth making part of your Saturday schedule?

Patrick and Greg cover it all in Around the Nation Podcast No. 423.

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Photos: @adamcreated for Utica athletics, Montclair State and Trinity (Texas) athletics file photos

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ATN Podcast 422: Some of the numbers almost mean something

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Week 7 in Division III football brought dominant defense, dramatic finishes and a playoff picture that is beginning to take shape, even if the current NPI still needs much more data before it tells the full story.

UW-Platteville put together an almost incomprehensible defensive performance against UW-River Falls, while Maryville forced five turnovers to upset Trinity (Texas) and continue its remarkable turnaround after an 0-3 start. St. John’s survived a serious challenge from Concordia-Moorhead, and Hope erased a 15-point halftime deficit to defeat Adrian.

Hope coach Peter Stuursma joins us to discuss the halftime adjustments, his three-headed backfield and an electric homecoming atmosphere.

We hand out game balls to two big backfield performers from Saturday, talk about why two Division III football teams keep playing each other and a which conference contender is getting its injured quarterback back at exactly the right time.

Logan Hansen returns with Analytics 301 to examine the race for those coveted top eight seeds, likely at-large candidates and four Week 8 games that could reshape the postseason picture.

Then we go region by region: For example, Bridgewater wins with eight points after the clock hits zero, Texas Lutheran’s Malik Johnson makes NCAA history, Baldwin Wallace keeps building its case, Millikin and Illinois Wesleyan go wild in the final two minutes, and UW-Eau Claire takes another step forward.

We also revisit some of the “drunkest” games we’ve ever seen, ask whether anyone is truly driving the Centennial Conference race, and discuss Division III’s unusual run of in-season coaching changes.

Patrick and Greg cover it all in Around the Nation Podcast No. 422.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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: UMass Dartmouth athletics file photo by Calder Troutman Photography cgtshots; Andy McNeill for UW-Platteville athletics; Maryville athletics file photo

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ATN Podcast 411: New-look SCAC, longtime Lion, brand-new Prairie Wolf

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The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference has made a lot of waves since last we talked, what with Millsaps and then Southwestern electing to rejoin the SCAC starting in 2027. So, at the risk of there perhaps being a third member of the Southern Athletic Association returning to the SCAC before we could get the podcast out, we sat down with Dwayne Hanberry, commissioner of the SCAC, to discuss the changes, the status of Gallaudet in the conference, and more.

This edition of the D3football.com Podcast is sponsored by GameStrat, the most reliable & fastest in-game video replay system on the market. Find out more at GameStrat.com.

In addition to that breaking news, we also discuss the recent announcement that the Monon Bell game will be played at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana, at a price of $50 a ticket plus Ticketmaster fees. There will be words, for sure. We also talk too early about the preseason Top 25 poll, which should come out within the next week.

Our coach interviews in this edition of the podcast each represent opposite ends of the experience spectrum. That includes Tyler Hopperton, who has been the head coach at Mount St. Joseph going on a decade and has been at MSJ as either a coach or player for half the lifetime of the program. Hopperton talks about his team going to a bowl game last year after a string of three consecutive NCAA playoff trips, the high points in Cincinnati’s Division III program and the benefits of Skyline Chili.

We also have Jacob Donohoe, the new head coach at Nebraska Wesleyan, coming over after spending time as an offensive coordinator at Coe. He takes over a program which was coached by Brian Keller for the past 30 years, was a longtime member of the NAIA and in a whole different conference.  Donohoe talks about reconnecting with alumni, changing the terminology within the program, what he learned at Coe and more, including the famous Runza sandwich.

Plus we answer mailbag questions about the future of Trinity (Texas), and about the best quarterback performances we’ve seen in covering Division III.

That and more in this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation podcast is a weekly conversation during the season, twice monthly in the offseason, about NCAA Division III football, and has been running since 2007.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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: Nebraska Wesleyan athletics; Eduardo Moll, Southwestern Athletics; Millsaps athletics; Mount St. Joseph athletics