Tag Archives: Week 2

Triple Take: Some still to debut

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Squaring off against teammates during camp is one thing, but one of the most interesting things to watch is a team’s improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, after it gets that first real game under its belt. Do these squads have an advantage over teams that are debuting this week? Many would argue so, and there’s certainly some evidence of it in past seasons.

But, of course, there’s more to it than that. Below, check out who Pat, Keith and I are keeping an eye on this week:

Game of the Week
Ryan’s take: No. 4 Hardin-Simmons at Linfield. For the Cowboys, the wear and tear of a long road trip could be balanced by the one game they already have in the bank, compared with their debuting opponent. Last week, HSU proved its determination and what kind of team it has the potential to be once all elements on offense, defense and special teams come together. I never take a Northwest Conference team for granted, but with as much as HSU has going for it, I hope this is a more balanced pick than my choice for last Saturday’s Game of the Week.
Keith’s take: No. 7 UW-Stevens Point at Central. The bigger names will be in Oregon, and a nod to the Cowboys and Wildcats for keeping their high-profile series going. The Pointers’ visit to Pella, Iowa however might tell us more about where this season is headed. UW-SP got a early-season test against a quality Division III opponent, something that seems difficult for WIAC schools to do. If they show well, they could be a team that defeats Whitewater again. Same with Central, national observers want to see if this is a team that will regain its place among IIAC contenders (likely) and cause trouble in the West Region playoff picture.
Pat’s take: No. 18 Montclair State at Wilkes. This is especially for those who like defense. It’s the third year in a row the teams have played and nobody has scored more than 14 points in either of the two previous meetings. Wilkes set the tone with a 14-12 win against Muhlenberg in Week 1 and is trying to shake off back-to-back 4-6 seasons after going 11-1 in 2006.

Surprisingly close game
Ryan’s take: No. 8 Ithaca at Union. The Bombers can’t let their 45-0 drubbing on St. Lawrence get to their heads. In almost every category, Union will be an improvement over Ithaca’s Week 1 matchup — and if Matt Scalice & Co. can’t put the brakes on Hobart rusher Chris Coney, points will start racking up fast.
Keith’s take: Cal Lutheran at Willamette. Just because they’re fuming from last week’s upset, don’t think the Bearcats win easy. The Kingsmen have to travel from Malibu up the coast to Oregon, but they’re bringing 18 starters on the trip, including quarterback Jericho Toilolo. A seven-win team last season, Cal Lutheran will throw a scare into Willamette.
Pat’s take: Buffalo State at St. John Fisher. If it were a game of fan morale, I would suspect Buffalo State wins in a blowout. But Fisher is the better team on paper and is playing at home. I just don’t think they are going to handle Buff State the way they should. Fisher still wins but … it’s surprisingly close.

Most likely Top 25 team to get upset
Ryan’s take: No. 17 Hobart. Here’s another team that will get dogged by the fact that it is debuting against a tough opponent that already has a game — and a win — under its belt. The Statesmen’s defense will have to play one of its best games of the season against the 1-2-3 punch of Mitchell, O’Connor and Lord, which will feel more like a 7-8-9 punch by the time the day is over.
Keith’s take: No. 11 St. John’s. It’s never wise to go against the Johnnies, but if they needed 14 points in the final 8:38 to get past UW-River Falls in Week 1, we’ve got to assume UW-Eau Claire — four spots higher in the WIAC preseason poll and three more wins last season — will be more trouble. Not that football usually goes as you’d expect. The Blugolds took a 14-0 lead nine minutes into their opener against NAIA Bethel (Tenn.) last week and went on to win, so the Johnnies don’t even have the ‘played one more game’ advantage.
Pat’s take: None. I think Franklin will struggle, but losing to Butler wouldn’t really be an upset in my mind. Well, maybe Montclair State. Or Wheaton. Or St. John’s. But I don’t have that lock feeling about any of them the way I did last week.

They’ll be on your radar
Ryan’s take: Grove City. The Wolverines went toe-to-toe with possibly the Centennial’s best team last week, even leading by a hair early in the fourth quarter. With Carnegie Mellon on tap for Saturday, Grove City has another chance to showcase its massive multi-pronged offense — only this time for a win.
Keith’s take: Curry. Mostly because I’ll be there. But also because the NEFC (whose schedule also features Endicott playing RPI, Coast Guard taking on rival Merchant Marine and Fitchburg State introducing Anna Maria to the world of established Division III programs) is gaining in stature and has a MAC contender (Widener) coming to Milton. Play tough opponents and we will come.
Pat’s take: Beloit. The Buccaneers won’t end up being contenders in the Midwest Conference, to be sure, not ahead of Monmouth and St. Norbert, but Beloit is keyed on this week’s game against Carroll. Beloit lost 10-0 on the road last year, a game which kept the program from its first winning season since 2002. But Beloit at 2-0 for the first time this century? Could happen.

Team playing its opener you’re most curious about
Ryan’s take: No. 16 Wabash. Yeah, I’m playing the homer card, but for good reason: The Little Giants had some key holes to fill this year on the defensive line and will be going up a Denison team that ran for 275 yards in its opener. Not to mention that as Wabash itself tries to establish a ground game, it will face two solid linebackers in Bill Aukerman and Taylor Dlouhy — with the Little Giants possibly being forced into a more one-dimensional offense with the pass.
Keith’s take: No. 5 Wheaton. Eager to see how the Thunder perform against Bethel for a few reasons. First, a top-half CCIW team vs. top-half MIAC team is usually going to be a good game. Second, we hear change is afoot at Wheaton, although we’re sworn to secrecy until Saturday afternoon. Third, after Ohio Northern upset conference rival North Central — not to mention the apple cart — the Thunder is playing for CCIW pride. A win probably makes Wheaton the highest-ranked conference team until at least the Augustana game Oct. 10.
Pat’s take: No. 7 UW-Stevens Point. Did the Pointers save all their emotion for the UW-Whitewater game last year and forget to play the rest of the season? They needed overtime at home to beat Oshkosh, beat Eau Claire by one and then lost at home to Wartburg. They do have 17 starters back, including 10 on offense, but they could stand for that offense to be a little more effective, especially on the ground.

The MAC and MIAC are undefeated; which of these two conferences comes closest to maintaining that torch in Week 2?
Ryan’s take: The MAC. There isn’t a game on this week’s schedule that isn’t winnable, but the tough slate (including Curry, Montclair State, Alfred, Rowan) should be worth a lot of recognition and prove that the conference is again ready to be mentioned among the nation’s big boys. A 6-2 outing is more likely, but an 8-0 result isn’t out of the question.
Keith’s take: The MIAC. I realize this goes against the St. John’s pick above, but I also realize how Ryan carefully worded the question. “Comes closest” … I honestly see the MAC struggling with a slate of Montclair State, Rowan, Curry, Alfred, Kean, Springfield, Western Connecticut and Ursinus more than the MIAC against its nine opponents.
Pat’s take: The MAC. The MIAC has at least four very losable games and probably only three locks. If Gustavus Adolphus, St. John’s, Bethel and Augsburg all win, I’d be surprised.

Which potential shootout will tally the most points from its two teams combined?
Ryan’s take: Gettysburg at Hampden-Sydney. In Week 1, these two teams combined for 97 points and 1,199 yards. And the teams they earned those stats again hardly qualify as pushovers. The Tigers should emerge from this OK Corral the victors, but it won’t be easy.
Keith’s take: Carthage at Hope. If you’re looking for fireworks, one could do worse than a game that ended 70-46 last season. The Red Men have quarterback Evan Jones back under center, while the Flying Dutchmen have a new QB, but eight other offensive starters back and a game under their belts.
Pat’s take: St. Scholastica at Maranatha Baptist. What? Ryan took the obvious answer already. But a young program against a undermanned but spirited program could be quite entertaining.

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.