Playoffs! The Small Colleges

[SWC75]

For decades there was a vague concept of “Big Time” and “Small Time” in college football. In the one platoon era the difference was smaller than it later became and the “map” of college football looked more like college basketball with many more schools playing “big time” ball, including schools like Fordham, NYU, Carnegie Tech, Georgetown, Duquesne, etc. And the big time teams played the acknowledged small time teams more often. A typical college schedule for a big-time team began with 2-3 games against small-time teams as warm ups and then they’d they start playing the big time teams and find out how good they really were. If you look at Syracuse’s schedule before the war, they’d play St. Lawrence, Hobart, Ohio Weslayan, etc. to start each year. Notre Dame became Notre Dame by being the first school to drop those games and play an all-big time schedule and going around the country to play the top teams in each section. They became the litmus test for everyone else: could you get Notre Dame to play you and how did you do? Kids wanted to play either for the local team or for Notre Dame.

In the post war era, television and the two platoon era, things changed. Television wasn’t interested in 50 point wins over Hobart and two platoon football requires the recruitment of at least twice as many players and the gap between big time and small time grew. There might be one game against an area small college team on a big time team’s schedule. Most of them avoided even that because they’d be criticized for picking on a team that couldn’t compete with them and having a weak schedule. In recent years, this trend has somewhat reversed itself. With the BCS there’s a balance between wanting to avoid having a weak schedule and wanting to be undefeated so you can get a shot at the title game. Most FBS teams play at least one FCS team and are allowed to count a single FCS toward bowl eligibility. Smaller schools like being in FCS rather than Division II because they get to play such games and the money they are guaranteed helps them balance their athletic department budgets.

The idea slowly dawned that perhaps the strongest smaller teams should be acknowledged in some way. The first organization to conduct a championship for the small schools was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, (NAIA). The NAIA was the creation of Dr. James Naismith, who wanted to provide a national championship tournament for smaller basketball schools. The organization was first known as the National Association for Intercollegiate Basketball, (NAIB), but became an all-sports organization and the NAIA in 1952. They had held their first basketball tournament in 1937, (even before there was an NIT or NCAA tournament), with 8 teams and then went to 32 teams in 1938. They first held a tournament for small college football in 1956. It started out as a sort of small college BCS, with just two teams selected to play in what was first called the “Aluminium Bowl”. It became the Holiday Bowl in 1957 and a four team playoff leading to the championship in the Holiday Bowl in 1958. The Holiday Bowl became the Camellia Bowl in 1960 and just the Championship Bowl in 1964. In 1970 the NAIA, (which always seems to be ahead of the NCAA in these things), split into two divisions and had four team championships in each. The field was expanded to eight teams in each division in 1978 and sixteen in 1987. Division 1 backtracked to eight teams in 1989 but Division 2 remained at sixteen. In 1995 Division 1 went back to a four team playoff with Division 2 remaining at sixteen. In 1997, they dropped the two division set-up for one sixteen team playoff, which it’s remained ever since. One problem is that they keep losing teams to the NCAA playoffs. Several NCAA champions have been previous NAIA champions. Frankly, I’m not sure why there is a need for an NAIA anymore and I’d like to see all their teams in the NCAA playoff system to get an overall champion at each level.

The NAIA allowed ties for a time. In fact, that first Aluminum Bowl in 1956 was a 0-0 tie between Montana State and St. Joseph’s of Indiana. They went in the books as co-champions that year. In 1960 Lenoir-Rhyne and Northern Michigan tied in a semi-final game but Lenoir-Rhyne was declared the winner “on penetrations”. per the NAIA website. From my reading from other sources, yardage gained was the tie-breaker and L-R had outgained NM by 25 yards so they were allowed to proceed to the title game, which they won 15-14 over Humbolt State. But ties and co-champions were still allowed in the title game and in 1964 Concordia of Minnesota and Sam Houston State tied 7-7 in the title game and were co-champions for that year. Westminster tied Carthage 28-28 in a D2 semi-final in 1971. Carson-Newman tied Livingston 7-7 in a D1 semi-final in 1972. Westminster and Carson-Newman both advanced “on penetrations“. Both lost in the championship game. They went to overtime for preliminary games in 1976 but still allowed ties in championship games. Austin College and Concordia of Minnesota tied 24-24 in the 1981 D2 title game. Carson-Newman and Central Arkansas tied 19-19 in the 1984 D1 title game and Hillsdale and Central Arkansas tied 10-10 in the 1985 D1 title game.

The wire services got into the act beginning in 1958 when United Press International, (UPI) did a coach’s poll for “College Division” teams, (even if they weren’t really a division yet: the term “College Division” seems to have been used beginning in 1964, when the NCAA set up some regional bowl games for the smalls to play in). The Associated Press, (AP) and the writer’s joined them in 1960. They continued doing polls after the NCAA playoffs began but they were no longer “official” at that point. But from 1958-1972 these polls determined the “National Small College Champion”. The teams they chose were:
1958 Southern Mississippi
1959 Bowling Green
1960 Ohio University
1961 Kansas State Teacher’s College, (now Pittsburgh State)
1962 Southern Mississippi, (UPI), Florida A&M (AP)
1963 Delaware (UPI), Northern Illinois (AP)
1964 Los Angeles State, (now Cal State LA) (UPI, Wittenberg (AP)
1965 North Dakota State
1966 San Diego State
1967 San Diego State
1968 San Diego State (UPI), North Dakota State (AP)
1969 North Dakota State
1970 Arkansas State
1971 Delaware
1972 Delaware
It’s interesting that, of these twelve schools, half of them are now FBS schools but schools with no shot as the FBS title. They moved into the major college ranks but were unable to accomplish was Boise State eventually accomplished and become a respected major college power. Even the Broncos can’t get into a national title game but at least these were considered contenders but these other former small college champions never have been, even when they’ve won all their games, (as Ohio U. did in 1968, San Diego State in 1969 and Bowling Green in 1985, as well as did 1992 and 1996 FCS champion Marshall as an FBS team in 1999). By moving up, they essentially prevented their student-athletes from competing for a national title. I have always felt that if a school’s team could win all it’s games and not have a chance at the title, they belong in a division where they could compete for a national title.

The NCAA finally decided to create formal divisions and have playoffs in 1973. They created three divisions: 1, 2 and 3. I agree with that. To me there are three levels of college football: big time, small time and in between time. “Big time” can best be defined by saying that if a team won all it’s games they would get some consideration for being the Division 1 national champions. If not, they are in the wrong division. “Small time” would be pure student athletes: no athletic scholarships, just students who played football in high school who wanted to continue to do so in college. “In between time” are the schools that emphasize football too much to be small time but lack the resources to be big time.

The problem is, some of the schools involved weren’t happy with that. The lesser major colleges didn’t slide into Division 2 so their kids could compete for a national championship. Instead they clung to their Division 1 status, both for prestige and so they could get games against the top Division 1 powers for the financial guarantees. In an effort to appease those schools but still give their players a real shot at competing for a championship, the NCAA created Division 1AA in 1978. These would be schools who could call themselves Division 1 schools and would be allowed to schedule games against the big powers but they could still compete for a championship. That still didn’t satisfy a lot of schools. Some schools dropped down, like the Southern Conference and the historically black schools. Others like the Patriot League and the Ivy league later joined them. But other schools with no shot at a 1A championship insisted on staying there. I remember the president of Kent State saying he considered his school “on the same level as Ohio State”. There was a proposal that a school needed a stadium seating at least 50,000 to be 1A. The Kent State president said that if that was passed, his school would build a 50,000 seat stadium to stay at the 1A level. When has Kent State ever been anywhere near as good as Ohio State? When have they ever played before 50,000 fans? I think it’s sad that players for such schools are denied a chance to compete for national championships and forced to play schools that over-match them in exchange for guarantees.

What happened instead of Division 1A schools migrating to Division 1AA so their kids could compete for championships is that the Division 2 schools migrated to 1AA for the additional prestige and the opportunity to get those guarantees. Division 1AA looks almost exactly like the Division 2 of the 1970’s and that‘s basically what it is. The current Division 2 is full of teams that started out in Division 3.

If I had a magic wand, and that’s apparently what it would take, I’d have a Division 1 consisting only of schools that would have a chance to at least make a BCS Bowl if they won all their games. I think I might take the “new” ACC, the SEC, the Big 12, the Big 10 and the Pac 12, (plus whoever else they will gobble up in the near future), combine the remnants of the Big East football conference with Conference USA and re-combine the WAC and Mountain West. I’d make Notre Dame and the service academies join up with one of those conferences and together they’d be Division 1. Then have a playoff of the seven conference champions and an at-large team, (or maybe 9 at large teams) leading to a championship game in a bowl with the teams that didn’t make the final eligible for other bowl games.

Then I’d take the FBS teams that could run the table and not wind up in a BCS bowl and add them to FCS to create a new Division 2. Then combine the NCAA Divisions 2 and 3 and the NAIA into a new Division 3. Each of them would have their own playoff. FBS, with 120 schools, have a 2 team playoff. FCS, with 120 schools currently has a 20 team playoff. Division 2, with 150 schools has a 24 team playoff and Division 3, with 239 schools, has a 32 team playoff. The NAIA, with 89 schools, has a 16 team playoff. My three divisions would have 97 teams in Division 1 with an 8 or 16 team playoff, Division II with 143 schools and a 16 team playoff and Division III with 328 schools and a 32 team playoff. But it’s not up to me.

Here is a list of all the schools that have won an NAIA (Division 1 or 2 or overall) title, a #1 ranking in an AP or UPI poll from 1958-72 or an NCAA FCS, (1AA), 2 or 3 championship since 1956. Smaller schools are more susceptible to name changes than larger schools so I’ve listed any name the school has used since 1956 but alphabetized them under their current name.
Appalachian State- FCS 2005, 2006, 2007
Arkansas State- POLL 1970
Augustana (Illinois)- NCAA D3 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Allegheny- NCAA D3 1990
Albion- NCAA D3 1994
Abilene Christian- NAIA D1 1973, 1977
Angelo State (San Angelo College)- NAIA D1 1978
Austin College- NAIA D2 1981
Azusa Pacific- NAIA 1998
Baldwin-Wallace- NCAA D3 1978
Boise State- FCS 1980
Bowling Green- POLL 1959
California Lutheran- NAIA D2 1971
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo- NCAA D2- 1980
Cal State LA (Los Angeles State) POLL 1964
Cameron (Cameron State) NAIA D1- 1987
Carroll (of Montana) NAIA- 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010
Carson-Newman- NAIA D1 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989
Central Arkansas, (Arkansas State Teachers, State College of Arkansas) - NAIA D1 1984, 1985, 1991
Central Iowa NCAA D3- 1974
Central Michigan- NCAA D2 1974
Central Ohio- NAIA D1 1990, 1992, 1995
Central Oklahoma- NAIA 1962, NAIA D1 1982
Central Washington- NAIA D2 1995
Concordia (of Minnesota)- NAIA 1964, NAIA D2 1978, 1981
Delaware- POLL- 1963, 1971, 1972 NCAA D2 1979, FCS 2003
Delta State- NCAA D2 2000
Dayton- NCAA D3 1980, 1989
East Central (East Central Oklahoma) NAIA D1 1993
Eastern Illinois- NCAA II 1978
Eastern Kentucky- FCS 1979, 1982
Eastern Washington- FCS 2010
Elon- NAIA D1 1980, 1981
Fairmount State- NAIA 1967
Findlay- NAIA D2 1979, 1992, NAIA 1997
Florida A&M- POLL 1962 FCS 1978
Furman- FCS 1988
Georgetown (Kentucky)- NAIA D2 1991, NAIA 2000, 2001
Georgia Southern (Georgia Teachers)- FCS 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000
Grand Valley State- NCAA D2 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
Hillsdale- NAIA D1 1985
Idaho State- FCS 1981
Ithaca- NCAA D3 1979, 1988, 1991
Jacksonville State- NCAA D2 1992
James Madison (Madison College)- FCS-2004
Lehigh- NCAA D2 1977
Lenoir-Rhyne- NAIA 1960
Linfield- NAIA D2 1982, 1984, 1986 NCAA D3 2004
Louisiana-Monroe (Northeast Louisiana)- FCS 1987
Louisiana Tech- NCAA D2 1973
Marshall- FCS 1992, 1996
Massachusetts- FCS 1998
Minnesota-Duluth- NCAA D2 2008, 2010
Mississippi College NCAA D2 1989
Missouri Southern- NAIA D2 1972
Montana- FCS 1995, 2001
Montana State- NAIA 1956, NCAA D2 1976, FCS 1984
Mount Union- D3 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008
North Alabama (Florence State)- NCAA D2 1993, 1994, 1995
North Dakota- NCAA D2 2001
North Dakota State (North Dakota Agricultural College)- POLL 1965, 1968, 1969, NCAA D2 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990
Northeast Oklahoma- NAIA 1958, NAIA D1 1994
Northern Colorado (Colorado State College)- NCAA D2 1996, 1997
Northern Illinois- POLL 1963
Northern Michigan- NCAA D2 1975
Northwest Missouri- NCAA D2 1998, 1999, 2009
Northwestern Iowa- NAIA D2 1973, 1983
Northwestern Oklahoma- NAIA 1999
Ohio U.- POLL 1960
Pacific Lutheran- NAIA D2 1980, 1987, 1993, NCAA D3 1999
Peru State- NAIA 1990
Pittsburgh State, (Kansas State Teachers, Kansas State College) NAIA 1957 NAIA & POLL 1961, NCAA D2 1991
Richmond- FCS 2008
St. John’s (Minnesota) NAIA 1963, 1965, NCAA D3 1976, 2003
St. Joseph’s (Indiana) NAIA 1956
Sam Houston State NAIA 1964
San Diego State- POLL 1966, 1967, 1968
Sioux Falls- NAIA D2 1996, NAIA 2006, 2008, 2009
Southern Illinois- FCS 1983
Southern Mississippi, (Mississippi Southern)- POLL 1958, 1962
Southwest Oklahoma NAIA D1 1996
Texas A&M-Commerce (East Texas State) NAIA D1 1993
Texas A&M-Kingsville, (Texas A&I) NAIA 1959, 1969, NAIA d1 1970, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979
Texas Lutheran- NAIA D2 1974, 1975
Texas State (Southwest Texas State) NCAA D2 1981, 1982
Troy (Troy State) NAIA 1968, NCAA D2 1984, 1987
Valdosta State- NCAA D2 2004, 2007
Villanova- FCS 2009
Wagner- NCAA D3 1987
Waynesburg- NAIA 1966
West Alabama (Livingtone State)- NAIA D1 1971
West Georgia- NCAA D3 1982
Westminster (Pennsylvania)- NAIA D2- 1970, 1976, 1977, 1988, 1989, 1994
Western Kentucky- FCS 2002
Widener (Penn Military)- NCAA D3 1977, 1981
Wisconsin- Lacrosse (Lacrosse State)- NAIA D2 1985, NCAA D2 1992, 1995
Wisconsin-Whitewater - NCAA D3 2007, 2009, 2010
Wittenberg- POLL 1964, NCAA D3 1973, 1975
Youngstown State (Youngstown University)- FCS 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997

Here is a listing of schools that have won national championships, in rank order:
10- Mount Union
8- North Dakota State
7- Texas A&M-Kingsville
6- Carroll, (Montana), Georgia Southern, Westminster (Pennsylvania)
5- Carson-Newman, Delaware
4- Augustana, (Illinois), Grand Valley State, Linfield, Pacific Lutheran, St. John’s, (Minnesota), Sioux Falls, Youngstown State
3- Appalachian State, Central Arkansas, Central Ohio, Concordia (Minnesota), Findlay, Georgetown (Kentucky), Ithaca, Montana State, North Alabama, Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State, San Diego State, Troy, Wisconsin-Lacrosse, Wisconsin-Whitewater, Wittenberg
2- Abilene Christian, Central Oklahoma, Dayton, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, Florida A&M, Marshall, Montana, Minnesota-Duluth, Northern Colorado, Northeastern Oklahoma, Northwestern Iowa, Southern Mississippi, Texas Lutheran, Valdosta State, Widener, Texas State
1- Arkansas State, Allegheny, Albion, Angelo State, Austin College, Azusa Pacific, Baldwin-Wallace, Boise State, Bowling Green, Cal Lutheran, Cal Poly SLO, Cal State LA, Cameron State, Central Iowa, Central Michigan, Central Washington, Delta State, East Central, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington, Fairmount State, Furman, Hillsdale, Jacksonville State, James Madison, Lehigh, Lenoir-Rhyne, Louisiana Tech, Massachusetts, Mississippi College, Missouri Southern, North Dakota, Louisiana Monroe, Northern Illinois, Northern Michigan, Northwest Oklahoma, Ohio University, Peru State, Richmond, St. Joseph’s (Missouri), Sam Houston State, Southern Illinois, Southwest Oklahoma, Texas A&M- Commerce, Villanova, Wagner, Waynesburg, Western Kentucky, West Alabama, West Georgia

Here are the match-ups for the NAIA, NCAA D3, NCAA d2 and FCS playoffs this year:

 

[SWC75]

NAIA
First Round:
#1 ranked Marian shut out Grand View 31-0 after blowing out to a 24-0 halftime lead on three touchdown passes by Adam Wiese. Marian held grand View to only 30 yards total offense.
#2 Carroll did even better, blowing out Valley City 47-0 on three TD passes by Dane Broadhead and two short TD runs by Chance DeMarais. The third quarter score was the final.
#3 Georgetown also held service in beating Benedictine 21-7. Neal Pawsat came back from an early pick 6 to throw for 267 yards and two scores.
#4 MidAmerica Nazarene, which is in Kansas beat Southern Nazarene, from Oklahoma in a wild 40-28 offensive duel. Brady Wardlaw threw for four scores but also had a pick 6. Tyler Herl of Southern had three TD passes of his own. But two first quarter rushing touchdowns for the home team held up.
#5 St. Xavier (Illinois) had no problems with Bethel (Tennessee), gaining 665 yards- 408 through the air- in a 51-17 win. Jimmy Coy threw for four scores and Cordarious Mann ran for two more.
#6 Morningside was beaten by visiting St. Francis (Illinois), 17-21 despite having the lead three times. EJ White threw his second touchdown pass to Lexus Jackson on a 70 yard play with 6:56 left on the clock.
#7 Missouri Valley went down to St. Francis (Indiana) 14-28, who broke a tie with two fourth quarter scores. Antoin Campbell scored twice for the winners.
#8 Azusa Pacific exploded by Ottawa 49-26 thanks to three touchdowns in both the first and third quarters. A 21-0 lead became 20-13 and then 49-20. AP ran for 371 yards and had 587 yards total offense. Terrell Watson ran for three touchdowns and Dave Trifeletti for two more.

Second Round
#1 Marian destroyed St. Francis 49-7, scoring twice in each of the last three quarters. They had 454 yard total offense and were aided by six turnovers. Adam Wiese passed for three scores and Trevian Lake ran for three. St. Francis avoided the shut out by scoring with 1:38 left.
#2 Carroll took the whole game to overcome an early deficit vs. Azusa Pacific, scoring with 1:51 left and on a one yard plunge by Chance Demarais to advance, 17-14.
#3 Georgetown, after going in at halftime with a 3-0 lead, scored 23 of 37 second half points to beat St. Francis, 26-14. Neal Pawsat had three more TD passes.
#4 MidAmerica Nazarene went down to visiting St. Xavier, 14-29. MidAmerica was leading 14-13 when the Saints came back with two touchdowns and a field goal unanswered, the last score a pick 6 from 42 yards out. Jimmy Coy had three TD passes.

Remaining games, (12/3/11)
St. Xavier (Illinois) 12-1 (612-243) at Marian (Indiana) 12-0 (498-66)
Georgetown (Kentucky) 12-0 (424-149) at Carroll (Montana) 12-1 (442-194)
Comment: St. Xavier’s one loss was at Marian on November 5th , 9-27. Neither has ever won the title. Carroll is the defending champion and has won the NAIA six times since 2002. Their opponent, Georgetown, won D2 in 1991 and the overall title in 2000-2001.

 

[SWC75]

　
NCAA Division 3

First Round:
#1 and two time defending champion Wisconsin Whitewater destroyed Albion 59-0, starting with a three touchdown first quarter outburst by Levell Coppage. They gained 475 yards and were aided by four turnovers.
#2 Mount Union crushed Benedictine 47-7 aided by three scores by Jeremy Murray. They had 444 yards and a 29-8 edge in first downs.
#3 St Thomas (Minnesota) had a similarly easy time against another Minnesota school with the odd name of St. Scholastica, (yes there was one: patron saint of nuns and convulsive children), winning 48-2, thanks to three touchdown runs by Colin Tobin. St. Scolastica only managed 73 yards total offense.
#4 Mary Hardin-Baylor built up a 34-0 lead through three quarters and withstood two late scores to beat #14 Redlands 34-13. They rushed for 336 yards.
#5 Linfield won a 30-27 shoot-out with #8 Cal Lutheran. They were actually outgained 296-444 but got their yards early in building up a 20-3 lead. Josh Kay kicked three field goals for the winners.
#6 North Central rolled over Dubuque 59-13, out-rushing their opponents 411-49. unanswered points broke a 7-7 tie and three fourth quarter scores turned it into a blow-out. The final score was 73 yard run in the last minute of play.
#7 Wesley held on to beat Hobart, 35-28, helped by 72 and 66 yard pass plays to Steve Koudossou.
#9 Wabash easily beat Illinois College 38-20. They had a 38-6 lead going into the final period. They out-rushed their opponent, 266-29.
#10 Salisbury blew by Western New England, 62-24, rushing for 568 yards. Dan Griffin ran for 175 yards and 3 scores on 11 carries. Five different players averaged 12 yards a carry or better.
#11 Delaware Valley did even better, rushing for 602 yards in a 62-10 win over Norwich. Norwich had closed to 10-21 with 43 seconds left in the first half but DV scored 32 seconds later on a 32 yard pass play, then added 34 unanswered points in the second half.
#12 Kean handled Christopher Newport 34-10, despite being out-gained 261-328. The key was 6 takeaways, including 5 interceptions.
#13 Johns Hopkins was upset by St. John Fisher 12-23. A big part of the difference was three field goals by Chad Monehim.
#15 Trinity (Texas) was upset by #19 McMurray 16-25, Am 18-7 lead melted to 18-16 when DJ Baiza returned a punt 52 yards for the clinching score with 5:12 left.
#16 Illinois Weslayan lost to Monmouth 27-33 after having a 17-0 lead. The game ended 17-17 in regulation and went to three overtimes. Both teams scored a touchdown, then both scored a field goal. Trey Yocum scored a TD on a 7 yard run for Monmouth who then kept Weslayan out of the end zone for the win.
#17 Franklin beat #20 Thomas More 24-21 after taking a 17-0 halftime lead. Domonique Hayden scored his second TD for Thomas Moore with 3:38 to get within 3 left but the Saints couldn’t score again.
#25 Centre won a wild one, 51-41 over Hampden-Sydney, making a 20-0 first quarter lead barely stand up. Five different players scored seven TDs for Centre. Kyle Vance, Sean Cavanaugh and Kirk Rohle each scored twice for HS. Centre ran for 302 yards while HS passed for 406.

Second Round
#1 Wisconsin Whitewater took care of Franklin 41-14. Levell Coppage scored three more times in leading the Warhawks to a 28-7 halftime lead. Franklin had -5 yards rushing.
#2 Mount Union advanced with a 30-10 win over #25 Centre. The Purple Raiders opened a 16-0 lead with a second quarter safety. Centre came back to make it 10-16 but an 80 yard third quarter drive made it 23-10. Jason Osterman of Centre dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone and the Colonels missed a field goal. Later they turned the ball over on downs at the MU 14. After a facemask penalty on a punt, Mount Union drove 39 yards for the fourth quarter clincher.
#3 St. Thomas broke open a 10-10 tie with Monmouth with two touchdowns each in the third and fourth quarters to win going away, 38-10. The onslaught began with a 100 yard kick-off return of the second half kick-off by Fritz Waldvogel. St. Thomas out- rushed Monmouth 391-4.
#4 Mary Hardin- Baylor beat #19 McMurry 49-20, breaking open a close game with three fourth quarter scores, including a fumble recovered in the end zone and a 40 yard interception return.
#7 Wesley knocked off #5 Linfield 49-34. It was a game of two halves as Linfield led 27-7 at the half only to see Wesley, (the home team despite the lower ranking), score six unanswered touchdowns. Shane McSweeney threw four TD passes and ran for another score.
#9 Wabash came back from a another three touchdown deficit to top #6 North Central, 29-28. Tyler Burke threw four TD passes and a tipped two point conversion to win it.
The game of the day was #10 Salisbury vs. #12 Kean, a 49-47 three overtime thriller. Salisbury jumped out to a 21-7 lead and held it until Kean tied the game at 34 with 45 seconds left on one of three straight TDs by Darius Kinney. It came down to two point conversions in the third overtime and Salisbury made theirs on a run and Kean didn’t on a pass.
#11 Delaware Valley was upset by St. John Fisher, 27-14 The Cardinals got their second straight win over an unbeaten team despite being out-gained 288-385. They took the lead with a field goal just before the half and added ten second half points for the win. Five takeaways were the key to game.

This weeks games:
Salisbury 11-1 (570-237) at Wisconsin-Whitewater 12-0, (448-138)
Wabash 12-0, (407-148) at Mount Union 12-0, (496-88)
Wesley 11-1, (502-170) at Mary Hardin-Baylor 12-0, (540-197)
St. John Fisher 10-2, (370-223) at St. Thomas 12-0, (476-112)

Comment: It’s the greatest rivalry in sports, probably ever. For years Mount Union was by far the dominant team in NCAA Division 3, winning 7 national championships in ten years. Could anybody compete with them? Then Wisconsin Whitewater became a second Mount Union, even to the point of having similar uniforms, (when they play each other the only way to tell them apart is by who is wearing the white jerseys). They have played for the last six national championships and the scores, (Mount Union’s score first) have been: 35-28, 35-16, 21-31, 31-26, 28-38, 21-31. That’s three wins each with a combined score of 171-170!!! It seems inevitable that there will be a “rubber match” this year.

Whitewater has won it’s last 42 games and is 97-5 since 2005, with three of the losses being to Mt. Union. (They lost to St. Cloud State 16-26 on 9/15/07 and to Wisconsin-Stevens Point 16-17 on 10/25/08.) Mount Union is 98-4 over the same period with three of the losses coming to Whitewater. (They lost to Ohio Northern 14-21 on 10/22/05.) Since 1990, Coach Larry Kehres is 271-12-1 with 10 national championships. The Purple Raiders broke Oklahoma’s record with a 54 game winning streak from 1996-1999 and then broke it again with a 55 game winning streak from 2000-2003.

You wonder how long they can keep this up- and if it would be good or bad if they did. Augustana won four straight national titles from 1983-86 but from 1987-95 fourteen different schools played for the national title and eight different teams won them. The pleasure of watching a Division 3 national title game is that schools that are normally just scores in the Sunday paper get to be on national TV and we get a chance to see what they look like and how they play. I’d love to see Carroll, who has won 6 NAIA titles since 2002 or Northwest Missouri, who’s played for the Division 2 title 7 times since 1998 and won 3 or Grand Valley State, who’s played for 6 D2 titles since 2001 and won 4, get a shot at these two in a combined Division 3. Nobody else seems able to stop them from playing each other for the title every year. I’m kind of hoping for the rubber match but also to see a couple of other teams playing for the title next year.

On the other end of the scale, St. John Fisher lost to Hobart 20-56 and Salisbury 21-41 but managed to make the tournament and has pulled off two upsets over previously undefeated teams to get to the quarterfinals. Salisbury’s only loss was to Wesley, 14-23. Wesley’s only loss was to Kean, 28-31.

 

[SWC75]

NCAA Division 2

First round
(The top two seeds in each region- it’s not necessarily related to their ranking- get byes)
#20 North Greenville had an easy time with #24 Albany State, 63-14. They built up a 35-0 second quarter lead, giving them an incredible run of 145 straight points, (they scored the last 38 in a 54-7 win over Wingate and then beat Notre Dame College 62-0). Albany finally scored only to commit a personal foul on the extra point. They kicked off and the kick was retuned 75 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds left in the half.
#13 North Alabama beat #18 West Alabama, 43-27. The Lions, who had won three D2 titles back in the 90’s under Bobby Wallace, ripped off 6 straight wins to open the season and had dreams of adding to their trophy case until losing to Delta State 24-30 and then West Alabama 26-31. They avenged their second loss in the playoffs with a 36-17 first half before coasting home. Quarterback Lee Chapple was 27 for 33 for 320 yards and two touchdowns while Chris Coffey ran for two scores. Now they get another shot at Delta State.
#5 Abilene Christian lost another wild one to #14 Washburn 49-52. They are famous for their shoot-outs. In 2008 they won the highest scoring college football game in history, a 93-68 duel with West Texas A&M, (formerly state). Last year they were eliminated in 41-55 loss to Central Missouri. This time 688 yards total offense, including 506 passing yards by Mitchell Gale weren’t enough. Gale paid a price with 7 sacks and three interceptions. Washburn scored on their first seven possessions to take a 45-21 and held on to win it, withstanding a 21 point run by the Wildcats. The “Ichabods”, (I kid you not), had 548 yards of their own. The clincher was a 61 year pass from Dane Simoneau to Ronnell Garner with 4:07 left. AC scored with 37 second remaining but Washburn recovered an onsides kick and ran out the clock.
Perennial power #7 Northwest Missouri bounced #17 Missouri Western 35-29. In a dominant regular season in which they’d scored 593 points, the Bearcats had lost only to Pittsburg State, 35-38 and Missouri Western 28-31. They are team to reckon with having played for the D2 title seven times since 1998 and won it three times. They got their revenge on Western despite giving up 16 points in the first four minutes of the game due to a fumble, a pick 6 and a 58 yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, who later kicked field goals of 57 and 52 yards. But the Bearcats would not be denied, out-gaining the Griffons 455-186 and winning it with a 28-7 second half.
#10 Kutztown State squeaked by Concord 17-14. The Golden Bears won their first ever postseason game despite giving up 338 yards passing and being out first downed 11-26. The Mountain Lions had five turnovers, scored only twice in two red zone penetrations and were 1 for 4 on fourth down. 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters held up for Kutztown.
#15 California of Pennsylvania shut out Elizabeth City State 44-0. The Vulcans, (I kid you not) held the Vikings to 197 yards and forced four turnovers while their quarterback, Peter Lalich, threw for was 26 of 34 for 357 yards and 3 TDs.
Wayne State upset #12 St. Cloud 48-38. The Warriors rallied from a 6-21 second quarter deficit. Toney Davis had a huge game, rushing for a school record 326 yards and 5 touchdowns.
#9 Minnesota-Duluth, winner of two of the last three national championships, slipped by Saginaw Valley State 30-27. The Bulldogs lost the passing battle, 84-324 but won the rushing battle 260-34. The game went into overtime and a 42 yard field goal by Saginaw’s Scott Sanford couldn’t match a 1 yard run by Chase Vogler.

Second Round
#20 North Greenville stayed on a roll, steaming past #19 Mars Hill, 58-32. Mars Hill had been the last team to beat them, 28-38 on September 24th and was the #1 seed in the region. It didn’t matter. North Greenville scored on the last play of the first half to take a 23-16 lead and then, in a disastrous third quarter for the favorite, they batted down a fourth down pass, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass and in each case drove for a touchdown. Then they returned an interception for a touchdown to make it 51-16. They got another pick six in the fourth quarter.
#8 Delta State had no trouble with #13 North Alabama, 42-14, proving their superiority by responding to a 7-14 first quarter deficit with 35 unanswered points. Their six touchdowns were scored by six different players. They out-rushed the Lions 228-44 and out-gained them 466-298.
#6 Pittsburg State eliminated Washburn #14, 31-22. It hardly seems far to match the Ichabods with the Gorillas but it was a good game. The underdogs scored first on a safety due to a bad snap on a punt and then a 17 yard touchdown pass from Daune Simoneau to Matt Kobbeman to take a 9-0 lead. A second quarter pick 6 made it 16-7 before Pitt State scored twice just before the half, on a two yard run by Mandell Dixon and a 38 yard pass from Zac Dickey to Anthony Castenanda. That was the turning point. The Gorillas added 10 more third quarter points to take control of the contest. They out-gained the Ichabods 408-238.
#7 Northwest Missouri bumped off #1 Midwestern State, 38-21. Midwestern State came in averaging 548 yards per game and like Missouri Western, dominated the early going, bolting out to a 28-10 second quarter lead. But the Bearcat scored just before the half and came back to tie the game at 41-31 with 4:56 left. The Mustangs missed a 27 yard field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation. Trevor Adams found Kyle Kilgore in the end zone from 13 yards for the winner. NW Missouri then held on fourth down to clinch it. This was a game between the two most productive offenses in D2 but blustery winds made passing difficult and the two teams combined for only 214 yards passing but rushed for 552.
#11 New Haven won a shoot-out over #10 Kutztown State, 44-37, Ryan Osiecki threw for 433 yards for the Chargers while Marshall Vogel threw for 356 yards for Kutztown. Both threw 5 touchdown passes. They key was 17 unanswered points New Haven got on a series of fourth quarter turnovers that gave them a 44-31 lead with 1:38 left. Kutztown scored on a 25 yard pass on the game’s last play but it was too little too late.
#4 Winston-Salem eliminated #15 California of Pennsylvania 35-28. The Vulcans had a much harder time with this Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, (all historically black colleges), opponent, going down despite 387 yards and two scores from quarterback Peter Lalich, who also threw three interceptions. The Rams built up a 35-14 lead and held on to win behind 122 yards rushing and two scores from Nicholas Cooper.
Wayne State pulled off another upset, this time over #3 Nebraska-Kearney, 38-26. This time they jumped out to a 31-0 lead halftime, thanks to a couple of interceptions that produced scores. Toney Davis was held to 69 yards rushing but Josh Renel got 122 and 2 TDs. Kearney, who actually outgained the Warriors 434-329, mounted a second-half comeback but never got closer than the final score , which was achieved with 3 seconds left in the game.
Minnesota-Duluth knocked off #2 Colorado State-Pueblo 24-21. The Bulldogs pulled out another tight one on a one yard run by Brian Lucas with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. It was a defensive duel and Duluth only had 287 yards but Pueblo only got 224, including a 204-91 difference on the ground.

This week’s games:
#20 North Greenville 11-2 (538-240) at #8 Delta State 10-2 (417-293)
#7 Northwest Missouri 11-2 (665-283) at #6 Pittsburg State 11-1 (438-222)
#11 New Haven 11-1 (516-280) at #4 Winston-Salem 12-0 (513-196)
Wayne State 10-3 (477-308) at #9 Minnesota-Duluth 11-2 (387-234)
Comments: Northwest Missouri, Delta State and Minnesota Duluth have won 6 of the last 13 national championships in this division between them. Pittsburg State won two NAIA titles decades back and the 1991 NCAA D2 title. No historically black college ahs ever won this division but Winston Salem is both the highest ranked remaining team and the only undefeated one.

 

[SWC75]

　
NCAA FCS, (Division 1AA)

First Round (The first weekend was essentially four “play-in games)
Stony Brook rallied from a 10-28 third quarter deficit to beat Albany 31-28. Brock Jackolski scored three times, including a 55 yard pass reception and an 11 yard run with 12:40 left to give the Seawolves the lead, which they held onto for the rest of the game.
Central Arkansas beat Tennessee Tech 34-14 behind Nathan Dick who had two TD passes and ran for another. Dick passed for 319 yards
Old Dominion blew out to a 35-7 lead and held on to beat Norfolk State 35-18. Taylor Heinke passed for 5 touchdowns.
James Madison, who won the 2004 championship, downed Eastern Kentucky who had won back in 1979 and 2002, 20-17, thanks to a ten point fourth quarter rally. Cameron Starke kicked a 35 yard field goal on the last play to win it.

This week’s games: (with ranking, not seeding)
Stony Brook 9-3 (467-269) at #1 Sam Houston State 11-0 (434-140)
#12 New Hampshire 8-3 (369-353) at #7 Montana State 9-2 (376-244)
#11 Wofford 8-3 (367-264) at #3 Northern Iowa 9-2 (301-178)
#15 Central Arkansas 9-3 at #5 Montana 9-2 (321-214)
#10 Old Dominion 10-2 (429-306) at #2 Georgia Southern 9-2 (395-224)
#13 Maine 8-3 (343-263) at #8 Appalachian State 8-3 (332-252)
#6 Lehigh 10-1 (380-200) at #9 Towson 9-2 (380-272)
#19 James Madison 8-4 (275-229) at #4 North Dakota State 10-1 (368-164)

Comments: These teams have played a lot of games against FBS teams. Georgia Southern lost to Alabama. Montana lost to Tennessee. Montana State lost to Utah. New Hampshire lost to Toledo. Maine lost to Pittsburgh. James Madison lost to North Carolina. App State lost to Virginia Tech. Wofford lost to Clemson. Northern Iowa lost to Iowa State. Sam Houston beat New Mexico. Stony Brook lost to UTEP and Buffalo, (they lost their first three games and have won 9 in a row). The best won-lost records tend to belong to the teams that stayed within the division. But that doesn’t mean they are the best teams.

The biggest names where are Georgia Southern with 6 national championships and North Dakota State with 8. But the Bison’s titles are poll championships form the 60’s and D2 titles from the 80’s. Both teams have been ranked #1 this season. App State won three straight titles from 2005-2007, including that legendary win at the Big House. They were the team that knocked off #1 Georgia Southern before Alabama later beat them. The Montana teams are always good. The Bobcats won an NAIA title in 1956 and D2 title in 1976 and then the 1AA (FCS) title in 1984. The Grizzlies won 1AA titles in 1995 and 2001 and beat State 36-10 to end the regular season. Lehigh won the 1AA title in 1977 and James Madison did in 2004. Central Arkansas has three NAIA titles and Sam Houston has one.