The #10 team in the nation, unbeaten, got bushwacked by a winless foe, the Division III single-game record for team total offense got broken, a few teams are now in position to officially claim playoff bids, and one team was so offensively destroyed that I can kick a field goal longer than their entire offensive output this week.
#1 Wisconsin-Whitewater at #20 Wisconsin-Oshkosh
#3 Saint Thomas (MN) at #10 Bethel (MN)
4-1 Pacific Lutheran at #5 Linfield
#6 North Central at #15 Illinois Wesleyan
#18 Johns Hopkins at 4-2 Gettysburg
5-1 Lebanon Valley at 6-1 Widener
4-2 Bridgewater at 6-1 Washington & Lee
AMERICAN SOUTHWEST:
McMurry blasted Texas Lutheran, accumulating a ridiculous D-III record 848 yards of offense (614 in the air) and preventing TLU from catching up to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the conference race. That was good news for the Crusaders, as Texas Lutheran is the only team among the top five in the conference that UMHB hasn’t already played and beaten, and is the only game the rest of the way that UMHB might even conceivably lose. Louisiana destroyed Howard Payne to keep pace, but both they and McMurry will need major help to win this thing.
Hardin-Simmons just went wack on Sul Ross State, as Steven Rockwell ran for 167 yards and three scores, Derrick Grant ran for 160 and three TDs, and the team as a whole ran up 428 yards on the ground. For the losers, Dominique Carson ran for 168 yards and two scores (and caught a 49-yard TD pass, too). In Marshall, East Texas Baptist jumped to a 34-0 lead and then cruised, while UMHB had an easy day in a non-conference rout of NAIA Southern Oregon.
McMurry is idle, which will allow the other leaders to cash in games in hand. UMHB and Louisiana should have no issues; Texas Lutheran visits Hardin-Simmons, and that one’s a coin flip at this point. MC and Howard Payne will battle for eighth place, and MC probably has a small edge there.
CENTENNIAL:
The only surprise was Franklin & Marshall getting their first win of the year, knocking off McDaniel. Gettysburg committed five turnovers, but a defense which held Muhlenberg to only 90 yards of offense over the final three quarters salvaged the contest for the Bullets. Hewitt Tomlin threw for 390 yards as Johns Hopkins accumulated 632 yards of total offense and routed Dickinson. Tomlin is now the Centennial Conference career leader in total offense, with 9,154 yards. Susquehanna recorded 11 sacks, which is a pretty good way to record a shutout.
Johns Hopkins faces what may be their sternest test of the season as they visit Gettysburg, but I expect them to come away with the win. Ursinus visits Susquehanna in another big game; I expect Ursinus to win, but a loss would put Johns Hopkins two full games up on the field with only three to play — and two of those three for JHU are against F&M and McDaniel, so this race may effectively end Saturday. Muhlenberg should eclipse Juniata, and Dickinson will probably get past McDaniel tonight.
CCIW:
The three ranked teams all won, but Carthage was stunned by previously winless Augustana, and we can now write them off. It’s a three-team race now. Mike Boettcher ran for 186 yards in North Central’s rout of Millikin.
Things get serious now. Wheaton visits Carthage, and shouldn’t have a problem, while Millikin visits Elmhurst in a toss-up. Can North Park finally win a CCIW game? This week may be their last chance as they visit Augustana, but despite their overall records, Augustana’s still clearly the better team on paper.
Which leaves us with the showdown at the top. North Central visits unbeaten Illinois Wesleyan, and the winner will take sole possession of the lead. Since their season-opening loss to Redlands, North Central has just been ridiculous. Illinois Wesleyan has relied on a stingy defense while scoring nearly 30 points a game. If IWU wins, they’ll be a full game up on NCC and Wheaton, with wins over both, so they desperately want this one. North Central, even with a win, is still going to have to contend with Wheaton later. My pick: North Central, but I’m nervous about it. Very nervous.
EASTERN:
Norwich is all alone at the top of the standings after a grueling 10-7 win over Gallaudet that wasn’t wrapped up until Kris Sabrouin ran in from 11 yards out with half a minute to go. They’ve only got a half-game edge on Maritime, who beat Anna Maria easily, but did not steamroll them the way I expected them to. Mount Ida got 207 rushing yards from Johrone Bunch and destroyed Husson, while Castleton scored 28 points in the final 19 minutes to double up Becker. Tyler Carpenter ran for 171 yards for Castleton, a team that normally relies on an air attack.
Odd that Maritime’s still not in control of the race, but they still won’t be Saturday night as Norwich will travel to Husson and it won’t be pretty. Husson’s getting outscored by an average of 53-7, after all. Maritime should win, though, which will knock Mount Ida out of the race. Gallaudet will probably stay in the hunt, as they shouldn’t have trouble with Becker, while Castleton and Anna Maria are likely to put a whole bunch of points on the board. I just don’t know who’ll put more up.
EMPIRE 8:
Wow. That’s all I can say about what Salisbury did to the Saxons last week. It was a short field game, as Salisbury forced five turnovers and blocked two punts, while holding Alfred to only 155 yards of offense. Springfield QB Josh Carter ran for 224 yards and three TDs to lead the Pride past Ithaca. Anthony Casimano gained 226 rushing yards for Hartwick, but Andrew Benkwitt’s 16-yard TD pass to Jeremy Meier with a minute to go gave Utica the victory. Saint John Fisher just choked Frostburg State out, grinding out drive after drive.
Salisbury and Alfred should both win Saturday; the other two games are both toss-ups, but Fisher desperately needs to beat Springfield or Salisbury’s off to the races.
HEARTLAND:
Rose-Hulman surprised Mount Saint Joseph, and now sits in a tie for second place with idle Hanover a game and a half back of Franklin, who won as expected along with Bluffton and Defiance.
Franklin’s the idle squad this week, which will allow the opposition to close the gap… assuming they’re able. Hanover should; Rose-Hulman’s visit to Bluffton is more of a toss-up. MSJC will have no issues hosting Earlham, while Defiance may make it three straight after an 0-4 start as they visit Anderson.
IOWA:
Well, Wartburg screwed everything up. A week after knocking Dubuque from the ranks of the unbeaten and seizing the wheel in the race for the IIAC title, Wartburg fell in overtime to Simpson. Dubuque and Central both won big, putting them all alone atop the standings, a half-game up on rival Coe.
Worse for Wartburg, they’re off this week while Central, Coe, and Dubuque should all win. Worse than that? Simpson should win, too, and if that all happens Wartburg is going to go from a share of first place all the way down to fifth.
LIBERTY:
Union slogged out a win at Saint Lawrence to move into a virtual tie with idle Hobart, while Rochester pummeled Merchant Marine. The Polytechs were both idle.
Hobart’s reward for their week off was the #25 spot in the rankings, and they should improve on that (and gain a precious half game on idle Union) as they host USMMA. Honestly, there’s just no telling what’s going to happen in the other games.
MICHIGAN:
Clinton Orr ran for 236 yards as Albion took control of the race after a low-scoring affair at Hope. Hope safety Kyle Warren recored 21 tackes in the game, most in the MIAA this year.
Plagiarizing myself from last week: Adrian remains unbeaten, and unranked. In fact, if you extend the poll, they’re only #29, which is ridiculous. They should pocket another win this week at Kalamazoo, and keep pace with Albion, who should have no trouble with Olivet. Trine and Hope will battle in Indiana, with the loser pretty much eliminated; Trine should take that one. Alma’s off.
MIDDLE ATLANTIC:
No surprises, no particular standout performances, and no close games. Essentially, the MAC just moved their game piece one square further along the board.
There’s actually an important game this week, the results of which are very cloudy, as Lebanon Valley visits Widener. The loser’s probably done for. Delaware Valley, Lycoming, and Albright should all pick up victories without any trouble.
MIDWEST:
We’re pretty much down to the nitty-gritty now. Monmouth escaped Lake Forest following an absolutely batshit crazy contest, and in so doing are on the verge of the conference title. Alex Tanney threw for 405 yards and five TDs; he’s now at 12,711 career yards and 142 touchdowns. He’s got three (or more) games left to go, and is 875 yards away from the D-III career passing yardage record. Illinois College ripped Knox to remain a game off the lead, but Carroll slipped against Saint Norbert, which lands both teams in a four-way tie for third place with Grinnell and Ripon, both winners Saturday.
Monmouth is going to win this week, and since they still have their season finale against Knox, that win will virtually clinch the conference title. Life, however, would be much easier if Illinois College were to lose to Ripon; Monmouth would clinch a tie for the conference title in that event, and already own the tiebreak. That could happen, or it couldn’t; too close to say. Carroll should win, while the remaining two games are pick’ems.
MINNESOTA:
Them what was supposed to win, won. Saint Thomas recorded one of the sickest defensive lines I’ve ever seen, holding Hamline to 28 yards, 29 of which were in the air (yes, you should be used to that gag by now). Bethel and Saint Olaf kept pace with solid wins.
And that brings us to the D-III game of the week, as Saint Thomas pays a visit to Bethel. Taking the season as a whole, the two teams are pretty even; however, since conference play began, the Tommies have been on another plane entirely. I am never going to hear the end of this from a certain superstitious Tommie, but Bethel’s going down again. Saint Olaf, who slipped into the rankings this week, should take down Augsburg, and Concordia will roll Hamline. No telling what will happen with Saint John’s and Gustavus; it’s a shame this game is utterly meaningless this year. Finally, Carleton is probably going to lose to Macalester, who are inexplicably competent this year.
NEW ENGLAND:
Melikke Van Alstyne went crazy again, running for 251 yards in Framingham’s win over Maine Maritime, which keeps the Rams atop the Bogan Division. He’s racked up over 400 yards in the last two weeks. Blaise Branch also broke the 200-yard mark, picking up 201 as Bridgewater State got past Worcester State.
The Bogan’s a mess now, as five teams are bunched up two games behind Framingham — the three already mentioned, plus Mass Maritime and Westfield State. In the Boyd, Endicott and Western New England both won to maintain their perfect conference records, while Mass-Dartmouth kept pace with a relatively ugly win over Nichols.
Framingham hosts Westfield, and they’re going to win. That means any team with two conference losses that has already played Framingham is gone, since there will only be two weeks left; Worcester State will be Framingham’s only remaining threat. As for the Boyd, Endicott and WNE are both going to win, and in doing so will officially eliminate everyone else as one of the two will, at worst, go 6-1 and everyone else will have two losses. They play next week, and the winner will capture the division title.
NESCAC:
No surprises, and nothing really changed with the exception of Bowdoin reeling Hamilton back down into the pack at the center of the standings. Evan Bunker rolled for 207 yards as Trinity slogged past Tufts, while LaDarius Drew pulled 162 rushing yards in Wesleyan’s win over Bates.
Amherst faces their first big test as they host Wesleyan, but they should pass it. Trinity, Williams, Bates, and Hamilton should all claim victories as well.
NEW JERSEY:
Umm… oops. League-leading Kean is no longer undefeated, no longer leading the league, and almost no longer ranked after traveling to winless Brockport and slipping on a banana peel. That sets up Montclair State — still unbeaten, still leading the league, and now in the top 10 — as the clear favorite now. Rowan stuck to the leaders’ heels with a win, and Cortland and Buffalo State solidified their positions in the middle of the pack.
Well, I suppose we can’t just assume Kean’s going to beat Morrisville now, can we? Ah, we will anyway. Montclair should handle CoNJ, and Cortland and Rowan are decent bets as well. I’m laughing now, as I realize that we don’t have to worry about which winless team is going to emerge victorious this week; the clash of 0-6 teams got ruined by Brockport’s upset win. That’s all the evidence I need to assume they’ll handle Western Connecticut, too.
NORTH COAST:
For only the seventh time in school history, an Allegheny QB passed for over 300 yards when Jordan Fowler threw for 312 and three TDs. The final three yards were gained with 11 seconds to go, and the TD in question lifted the Gators to a victory over Denison. That pulled Denison down from the chase pack, and combined with wins by Wabash and Wittenberg considerably cleared up the conference race.
The only conference game this week will be Denison at Wabash, and Wabash should pull dead-even with Wittenberg as a result. All four UAA teams are in action against NCAC foes this week; Wittenberg should handle Carnegie Mellon, while the other three UAA teams will be favored to win.
NORTHERN:
Well, we got some answers this week. First, Maranatha has just completely fallen apart, and got drubbed by Aurora. Second, Benedictine may win this thing, but they’re not getting past the first round. Third, Concordia (IL) is a threat.
This week’s winners: Benedictine, Wisconsin Lutheran, and Concordia (WI). Lakeland/Concordia (IL)? You might think Lakeland’s defense has picked up the pace, but they haven’t played anyone in the top half of the league yet, so I have to go with Concordia here.
NORTHWEST:
Lewis & Clark moved to 5-0 for the first time since 1963, and snapped a 14-game losing streak to Whitworth in the bargain. It also clinches the first winning season for the Pioneers since 1995. Pac Lutheran and Menlo played a doozy which ended on a tipped-pass interception in the Lutes’ end zone with 16 seconds remaining to save the win. Willamette built a 21-point halftime lead and cruised past Puget Sound, while Linfield crushed Pacific, leaving both losers still winless.
Lewis & Clark will remain unbeaten as they host winless Puget Sound. Whether they’re still a half-game back of Linfield or tied for first with Pac Lutheran will depend on the result between those two teams. It’s always a good matchup, but the key this year is simple: Pac Lutheran wins by defense, having scored fewer than 100 points so far after five games but still having won four of them. The problem: Linfield’s allowed 19 fewer points than the Lutes, but have scored 119 more. It won’t be a high-scoring game, but I expect Linfield to prevail. Willamette will lose badly on the road against FCS Portland State, and Pacific has their first of two realistic chances to win a game this year as they travel to Whitworth. That doesn’t mean I think they’re going to win, mind you.
OHIO:
Mount Union crushed Heidelberg, but hasn’t locked this up yet. They retain a one-game lead over their closest pursuers, and they have yet to play Baldwin-Wallace, who, along with John Carroll, won convincingly last week.
The top three should remain unchanged, unless Ohio Northern decides to remember they were supposed to be a top ten team this year. Baldwin-Wallace visits hapless Wilmington, and Mount Union travels to Capital. Heidelberg and Muskingum should snatch wins as well.
OLD DOMINION:
And then there were two. Hampden-Sydney jumped out to a 19-0 lead, then hung on for dear life as Emory & Henry whittled away at the lead. E&H scored with no time left on the clock to pull within two, but the two-point conversion failed. In Ashland, Washington & Lee scored with two minutes to go, knocking off Randolph-Macon.
Hampden-Sydney takes the week off, while W&L hosts Bridgewater. The Generals should win, but Bridgewater can’t be taken lightly here. RMC will bust up Guilford, and Emory & Henry should get past Catholic.
PRESIDENT’S:
Westminster stopped a two-point conversion attempt after Waynesburg scored with 3:30 to go, then killed the clock to hang on for a tight victory. Combined with Thomas More hanging on to narrowly defeat Saint Vincent, the race is dangerously close to being over.
Excepting idle Waynesburg, the five teams in front face the bottom four this week, so the race shouldn’t substantially change. Unfortunately for the current challengers, that means time is working against them, because it could all end next week.
SOUTHERN CAC:
Two huge games last week, as unbeaten Centre clobbered no longer unbeaten Birmingham-Southern, while undefeated Trinity stayed that way with a convincing non-conference win over Pool B hopeful Huntingdon, aided by four turnovers.
B-S fell out of the poll, but Trinity moved in; Centre is still on the outside, inexplicably. Both unbeatens will remain that way another week. B-S and Millsaps are idle, so the end result will be Centre and Trinity tied atop the standings, with Millsaps half a game back and B-S a full game out.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:
Cal Lutheran ripped LaVerne, while Redlands handled CMS and Occidental kept pace with a touchdown-margin win over Pomona-Pitzer.
What’s notationally a four-team race at the moment will be whittled down to two or three this week. Cal Lutheran will have no problem handling winless Pomona; CMS should get past Whittier to remain theoretically in the hunt. Redlands visits Occidental, and should win; the loser, regardless, is done for.
UNIVERSITY:
Case and Washington handled NCAC competition last week, and all four teams will face NCAC squads on Saturday. Carnegie Mellon probably won’t win, but the other three should.
UPPER MIDWEST:
Saint Scholastica comfortably dealt with Westminster, which basically kicks them out of the hunt. Eureka stumbled, in a big way, getting shelled by Minnesota-Morris, and leaving Scholastica all alone at the top of the heap. Crown and MacMurray remain winless.
Scholastica and Westminster should keep Crown and MacMurray just as winless this week. The more important game, in the larger sense, is Greenville at Eureka. Records aside, Greenville is the favorite here, and while Scholastica can’t clinch the title this week… well, they’ve got games left against Martin Luther and Presentation. No-brainer there.
USA SOUTH:
Okay, I completely screwed something up in the pre-season, and it took me two months to catch it. There was discussion about Huntingdon joining the USA South, but they didn’t, so I shouldn’t have been lumping them in here. They’re still independent, and will remain so. My deepest apologies for that goof.
No surprises this week, unless you want to call NC Wesleyan actually beating someone they were supposed to a surprise. Yeah, I know, I’m snarky about this. I’m entitled. Christopher Newport and Ferrum continued racing for the finish line with comfortable wins, and Shenandoah remains in the mix after escaping Maryville.
Ferrum will almost definitely remain in first place. Whether they’re alone or not depends on whether CNU handles NC Wesleyan, which they should. Shenandoah should also keep pace. Averett/Maryville is a complete wash.
WISCONSIN:
The favorites all won, which leaves Whitewater and Oshkosh out in front and only Eau Claire — who survived Ben Hertrampf’s 206 rushing yards and dispatched La Crosse — as a credible threat at this point.
Whitewater should finally get Oshkosh off their heels this week, but regardless, the winner will take control of the race. Platteville will almost certainly win, and Eau Claire and Stout should.
INDEPENDENTS:
Wesley rolled over Virginia Lynchburg, while Huntingdon was handled by Trinity. That leaves Wesley pretty much holding the Pool B bid in their teeth now.
All three independents ought to win this week, though Macalester is less likely than the other two.