NAIA Spreadsheet: (Excel2003, 191 kb)
Before We Begin:
Because of the August murder of Tabor DL Brandon Brown, which two former McPherson players have been charged in connection with, the October 20 game between the two teams has been cancelled in honor of Brown’s memory. Of course, the fact that current players on both teams are potential witnesses in the pending trial, and the potential for hostilities in connection with the crime, certainly play a role here as well. The game is still listed in the spreadsheet as uploaded currently, but will be noted as cancelled in future uploads.
NAIA Game of the Week:
One would have been forgiven for assuming this week’s contest at Saint Xavier would be yet another minor speed bump on the way to the their showdown with Marian on November 3. Saint Xavier has literally but unbeatable by anyone other than the Knights since the 2011 campaign began, after all. And this was homecoming; perhaps scheduling the other Cougars from Saint Francis (IL) wasn’t the brightest idea, but in the MSFA it’s sometimes hard to find a homecoming opponent who isn’t ranked.
Obviously, when 29 minutes had gone by and Saint Francis had a 19-0 lead, Saint Xavier might in turn have been forgiven for wanting a do-over. Twice in the first quarter Saint Francis picked off Xavier QB Joe Gill, and early in the second quarter they forced a turnover on downs. Only one of those three defensive efforts directly resulted in points, but they kept Xavier from getting onto the scoreboard while Saint Francis plugged away. Xavier scored on an 18-yard Nick Pesek run with just under a minute to go in the half to narrow affairs to 19-7, but they were still in dire straits.
The teams traded turnovers on downs to start the second half before Saint Xavier narrowed the gap to nine points on a 23-yard Spencer Nolen field goal. Finally, the turnover fairy looked the other way, as SFU QB David Yoder was picked off by Mike Bushnell near midfield on the second play of the ensuing drive; Saint Xavier scored on another Nolen placekick from 22. Yoder drove Saint Francis to a score after the quarter turned, however, connecting with Clayton Smith from 23 yards out three minutes into the period. The PAT failed, but Saint Francis was sitting on a 25-13 lead with just under twelve minutes to go and the defense looking strong. Indeed, Saint Xavier never got inside the Saint Francis 45 again until just over a minute remained in the game when Gill threaded a pass to Nick DeBenedett to get down to the SFU 33. Four straight incomplete passes, however, sealed Saint Xavier’s fate, and the number one team in the nation had fallen.
Unbeaten/Winless Watch:
All seven unbeatens are in the grid below.
Six teams picked up their first win last week, cutting the list by a third, down to twelve. Dakota State leads the parade at 0-6. Bluefield, Culver-Stockton, Dordt, Haskell, Olivet Nazarene, and Sterling are all 0-5, while Bethany (KS), Bethel (KS), Concordia (MI), Point, and Webber International are 0-4.
The New Top 25:
Also worth noting:
Nail-Biters:
Saint Mary (KS) 21, at Sterling 20 (OT)
Jamestown 21, at Mayville State 20
Campbellsville 15, at Kentucky Christian 14
at Lindenwood-Belleville 23, Central Methodist 20
Briar Cliff 33, at Dordt 29
Ottawa 25, at Tabor 21
Done Been Trucked:
Belhaven 52, at Virginia-Wise 14
Defense Is an Optional Package/No Offense… But No Offense:
There were no outrageous displays of offensive profligacy nor penury last weekend outside the top 25.