We've got some good matchups this week. Just looking at the surface level, I see only one game that I'm fairly confident of the outcome. There are two games that could influence the conference standings in terms of championship running and another two that will most likely be hard-fought games to earn their team some respect.
Martin Luther at Westminster - This is going to be a good one. Martin Luther has a pretty potent offense, and from what I've read so far Westminster seems to play to their opponents level. If that's the case, we could have a barn-burner on our hands. I've bet against Martin Luther the last few weeks, and they gave me the bird each time, so I'm rolling with the Knights. I'm guessing it will be a high scoring affair, with Martin Luther coming out on top, 42-35.
MacMurray at Greenville - What seems to be a no-brainer could be more of a legitimate game than MacMurray is hoping for. The last time Greenville was at home, they pulled off an upset against what is possibly the best defense in the UMAC, and MacMurray didn't handle Iowa Wesleyan with ease last week. MacMurray needs to keep their head on a swivel so they aren't blindsided this week. With that said, I'm still going with the UMAC-leading and top 5 DIII nationwide offense in MacMurray, but it could be closer that we think. MacMurray wins 28-17.
St. Scholastica at Northwestern - Here's my game of the week. St. Scholastica is (as I've said repeatedly over the first half of the season) still the team to beat until someone proves otherwise, and Northwestern needs to win this if they hope to salvage the season with dreams of a UMAC championship. This is a pretty even matchup on paper; St. Scholastica has a decent offense and a mediocre defense, and Northwestern has a great defense and a terrible offense. We could be in for an exciting game. I'm guessing there won't be much scoring though; I'm picking St. Scholastica in another Northwestern-themed defensive battle, 21-17.
Eureka at Iowa Wesleyan - Now here's a game that I'm decently certain that I can predict the outcome of. Eureka has proven to be a tough opponent, with their only conference hiccup coming week two against Northwestern. They can still remain in the running for conference champs, but they need to hope for an upset or two or secure one for themselves. I'd say they're pretty safe in this one though; while Iowa Wesleyan has been able to put points on the board, they're still a middle-of-the-road team that needs to prove themselves with a few statement wins. Eureka will knock off Iowa Wesleyan easily, 38-14.
Crown at Minnesota Morris - Both of these teams are desperate for a win, which will really make this an interesting game. Minnesota Morris has been terrible on the offensive side of the ball, and only mediocre on the defensive side. Crown has been able to drive the ball, but the question remains; are they able to finish and put points on the board? Their defense has been straight-up bad, last in the conference in scoring defense and second-to-last in yardage. Both of these teams haven't been able to show much yet this year, so this is an important game for both of them. I think Crown will start to get back on track with a win this week, 34-17.
Now that the UMAC standings are beginning to be shaped and molded, it is really interesting to watch the happenings in the conference. There are still several very important games that have yet to be played, which bodes well for us fascinated DIII football fans. I will be at the Crown-Morris game and tweeting updates, along with retweeting updates from other games around the conference on Saturday. Hold onto your butts, UMAC fans; half the season is nearly over.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Week Four Review
Another week of exhilarating UMAC football has come and gone, and the season is nearly at the halfway point. This weeks games taught us a few things, which I will go over after we talk about the games. But first, lets get a quick recap of the week four excitement:
Westminster 7, Northwestern 10 - I was right in predicting that this would be a defensive battle. There was less than 500 yards (448) and only 28 first downs between the two teams, which if I'm not wrong is the first time that has happened between UMAC opponents this year. Northwestern recovered 3 fumbles and intercepted 2 of Westminster QB Trent White's passes on their way to their 2nd victory of the season. Oddly enough, White was the only individual player that had over 100 yards offensively, finishing with 174 passing yards and a TD. Even though they were able to hold on for the win, Northwestern's offensive woes continue this year, as they finished the game with 201 total yards and remain next-to-last in the conference in offensive yardage, only surpassing Minnesota Morris. They will need to improve greatly if they hope to remain in the conversation for conference champs, and they'll have to do it fast if they want to remain competitive against St. Scholastica next week.
Greenville 20, Martin Luther 34 - Martin Luther beat Greenville for the first time in program history, as they came into the game 0-7 against them, losing every contest dating back to 2010. I picked Greenville to win in a close one, but I did warn everyone that weird things happen in New Ulm. Martin Luther is now 3-1 and 3rd in the conference. Who'da thunk that would be the case before the season started? The Knights QB/WR combo in Zachary Bloomquist and Josh Arndt connected for 5/138/3 TDs, and RBs Josh Wong and Nate Stein ran for 93 and 86 yards respectively. MLC's offense is rolling, and they hope to ride it until it won't go no more. The Knights defense has been respectable as well, leading the UMAC in interceptions (6) and sacks (14), so it will be interesting to see how they match up against other UMAC opponents, starting with Westminster next week. It seems that Greenville's victory against Northwestern in week three could have been a fluke, but we'll need a bit bigger of a sample size to know for sure. They take on MacMurray at home next week. With this loss, Greenville is basically out of the running for the UMAC crown, and will need to fight to stay out of the bottom few teams. Martin Luther still has to prove themselves against a worthy opponent or two, but this was a great start.
Crown 20, Eureka 44 - While Crown didn't get dominated outright like the score suggests until the third quarter, they didn't do themselves any favors by being unable to finish a drive that ended at Eureka's 9-yard line in the second quarter and only converting 12 first downs in the game. Crown QB Taylor Watkins connected with WR David McIntosh for 6 catches, 137 yards, and 2 TDs, but it wasn't enough, as the defense gave up 131 yards and 3 TDs to Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover. Eureka QB Nick Holman finished the game with 183 passing yards and 2 TDs as Eureka rolled to their second victory of the year. Crown did have some bright spots though, as LB Jeremiah Jones racked up 14 tackles, and now is the second leading tackler in the UMAC with 45 through 4 games, 29 of them solo (which leads the conference), along with McIntosh who leads the UMAC with 6 receiving TDs. Eureka's defense held strong, and is still giving up the least amount of yards (253.8 ypg) and the second-least amount of points in the conference (21.8 ppg). Reasnover is second in the conference in rushing yards (573) and TDs (6) only to MacMurray's Chazz Middlebrook. Eureka is trying hard to prove they belong at the top of the UMAC, but will need to be solid and probably win out to get there.
Iowa Wesleyan 14, MacMurray 32 - This was not a blowout as I predicted, as MacMurray let Iowa Wesleyan hang around until after halftime. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook had a paltry 161 yards and only one touchdown, and subsequently MacMurray's offense didn't put on a scoring clinic like the last few weeks. Middlebrook really needs to get his ish together; while he still leads the UMAC with 895 yards through 4 games, this disappointing game may have put his DIII rushing lead in jeopardy. MacMurray still won handily, as QB Nathan Randall passed for 238 yards and 3 TDs and WR Davonta Preston caught 8 balls for 97 yards and a TD. DL Javon Muhammad had a fantastic game for MacMurray, with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 4.5 TFL, and 2 pass breakups. On the other side, IW WR Tanner Holder caught 2 TDs and RB Damincio White ran for 93 yards. MacMurray only got the ball to Chazz 24 times, the lowest total all year, and other team members ran the ball 30 times. If you ask me, there's something wrong there; in the two games he has rushed for over 200 yards, he got 39 carries (288 yards) and 34 carries (275 yards). If I'm coaching, I'll give Randall the 7 carries he got, but the other 23 are going to Chazz. Who knows, he may have gotten over 300 yards if he had 47 carries. Regardless, MacMurray is 4-0 to start the season for the first time in the UMAC era, and for the first time since 2002. They will take on Greenville next week, and will need to take them seriously; they can't afford an upset like Greenville did to Northwestern.
Minnesota Morris 3, St. Scholastica 37 - The only thing that was surprising about this game was that CSS let the Cougars stay in the game for as long as they did. How do you stay in the game when you only have 3 points, you ask? It only takes one play to change the score. Welp, Morris never got that one play, as they remain at the bottom of the UMAC with a poor offensive performance (181 total yards) that solidified them as the worst offense in the conference in both scoring (9.3 ppg) and yardage (177.3 ypg). CSS QB Zach Edwards had another nice game, passing for 266 yards and 4 TDs, and now leads the UMAC with 10 passing TDs on the year. WR Aaron Olson went 4/102/2 TDs, while counterpart Hunter Thompson also caught a score to remain 2nd in the UMAC with 5 receiving TDs so far this year. While the Saints took it to the Cougs, they didn't show as much dominance as I was expecting, with UMM being the potential worst team in the conference and all. It's obvious that CSS is still the team to beat at this point, but with all the changeups that we've been thrown so far this year, I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. They will take on Northwestern next week in what I think will prove to be the game of the week, and will definitely give us a better idea of how good St. Scholastica actually is.
So, after all that, there are a few things that stuck out to me about this week:
1. Northwestern's defense is still legit - After the Greenville loss, I was questioning whether that Northwestern team had lost all their magic from a year ago, when they had a stellar D that took them to the DIII playoffs. It was apparent from game one that they weren't as good as last years unit, but hey - the win vs. Westminster put them back on the map. They forced 5 turnovers and held Westminster, a historically decent offensive team, to under 250 total yards and only one touchdown in the final quarter of the game. Now, the question will be if they can muster up enough offense to take down St. Scholastica next week.
2. Martin Luther is no longer 0-10 - The Knights are 3-1. If you told me this would happen before the season, I would have chuckled. I guess I'm not chuckling now. The Knights are for real, but they have to face a few tough teams before the season's end, so it remains to be seen if they can keep up this hot streak throughout the year. Either way, they are a much improved team and seem to be on the up-and-up. Kudos to them.
3. St. Scholastica is the still the best UMAC team...for now - While they beat Minnesota Morris badly, they haven't had a contest with any of last years contenders as of yet. That will change next week when they face Northwestern in St. Paul, a game that will chiesel out the UMAC picture a bit further. All this will come down to the final game of the year, where CSS could potentially be playing MacMurray for the conference championship.
Well, the excitement from one of the worst conferences in DIII football never ceases to entertain me. Until next week!
Westminster 7, Northwestern 10 - I was right in predicting that this would be a defensive battle. There was less than 500 yards (448) and only 28 first downs between the two teams, which if I'm not wrong is the first time that has happened between UMAC opponents this year. Northwestern recovered 3 fumbles and intercepted 2 of Westminster QB Trent White's passes on their way to their 2nd victory of the season. Oddly enough, White was the only individual player that had over 100 yards offensively, finishing with 174 passing yards and a TD. Even though they were able to hold on for the win, Northwestern's offensive woes continue this year, as they finished the game with 201 total yards and remain next-to-last in the conference in offensive yardage, only surpassing Minnesota Morris. They will need to improve greatly if they hope to remain in the conversation for conference champs, and they'll have to do it fast if they want to remain competitive against St. Scholastica next week.
Greenville 20, Martin Luther 34 - Martin Luther beat Greenville for the first time in program history, as they came into the game 0-7 against them, losing every contest dating back to 2010. I picked Greenville to win in a close one, but I did warn everyone that weird things happen in New Ulm. Martin Luther is now 3-1 and 3rd in the conference. Who'da thunk that would be the case before the season started? The Knights QB/WR combo in Zachary Bloomquist and Josh Arndt connected for 5/138/3 TDs, and RBs Josh Wong and Nate Stein ran for 93 and 86 yards respectively. MLC's offense is rolling, and they hope to ride it until it won't go no more. The Knights defense has been respectable as well, leading the UMAC in interceptions (6) and sacks (14), so it will be interesting to see how they match up against other UMAC opponents, starting with Westminster next week. It seems that Greenville's victory against Northwestern in week three could have been a fluke, but we'll need a bit bigger of a sample size to know for sure. They take on MacMurray at home next week. With this loss, Greenville is basically out of the running for the UMAC crown, and will need to fight to stay out of the bottom few teams. Martin Luther still has to prove themselves against a worthy opponent or two, but this was a great start.
Crown 20, Eureka 44 - While Crown didn't get dominated outright like the score suggests until the third quarter, they didn't do themselves any favors by being unable to finish a drive that ended at Eureka's 9-yard line in the second quarter and only converting 12 first downs in the game. Crown QB Taylor Watkins connected with WR David McIntosh for 6 catches, 137 yards, and 2 TDs, but it wasn't enough, as the defense gave up 131 yards and 3 TDs to Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover. Eureka QB Nick Holman finished the game with 183 passing yards and 2 TDs as Eureka rolled to their second victory of the year. Crown did have some bright spots though, as LB Jeremiah Jones racked up 14 tackles, and now is the second leading tackler in the UMAC with 45 through 4 games, 29 of them solo (which leads the conference), along with McIntosh who leads the UMAC with 6 receiving TDs. Eureka's defense held strong, and is still giving up the least amount of yards (253.8 ypg) and the second-least amount of points in the conference (21.8 ppg). Reasnover is second in the conference in rushing yards (573) and TDs (6) only to MacMurray's Chazz Middlebrook. Eureka is trying hard to prove they belong at the top of the UMAC, but will need to be solid and probably win out to get there.
Iowa Wesleyan 14, MacMurray 32 - This was not a blowout as I predicted, as MacMurray let Iowa Wesleyan hang around until after halftime. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook had a paltry 161 yards and only one touchdown, and subsequently MacMurray's offense didn't put on a scoring clinic like the last few weeks. Middlebrook really needs to get his ish together; while he still leads the UMAC with 895 yards through 4 games, this disappointing game may have put his DIII rushing lead in jeopardy. MacMurray still won handily, as QB Nathan Randall passed for 238 yards and 3 TDs and WR Davonta Preston caught 8 balls for 97 yards and a TD. DL Javon Muhammad had a fantastic game for MacMurray, with 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 4.5 TFL, and 2 pass breakups. On the other side, IW WR Tanner Holder caught 2 TDs and RB Damincio White ran for 93 yards. MacMurray only got the ball to Chazz 24 times, the lowest total all year, and other team members ran the ball 30 times. If you ask me, there's something wrong there; in the two games he has rushed for over 200 yards, he got 39 carries (288 yards) and 34 carries (275 yards). If I'm coaching, I'll give Randall the 7 carries he got, but the other 23 are going to Chazz. Who knows, he may have gotten over 300 yards if he had 47 carries. Regardless, MacMurray is 4-0 to start the season for the first time in the UMAC era, and for the first time since 2002. They will take on Greenville next week, and will need to take them seriously; they can't afford an upset like Greenville did to Northwestern.
Minnesota Morris 3, St. Scholastica 37 - The only thing that was surprising about this game was that CSS let the Cougars stay in the game for as long as they did. How do you stay in the game when you only have 3 points, you ask? It only takes one play to change the score. Welp, Morris never got that one play, as they remain at the bottom of the UMAC with a poor offensive performance (181 total yards) that solidified them as the worst offense in the conference in both scoring (9.3 ppg) and yardage (177.3 ypg). CSS QB Zach Edwards had another nice game, passing for 266 yards and 4 TDs, and now leads the UMAC with 10 passing TDs on the year. WR Aaron Olson went 4/102/2 TDs, while counterpart Hunter Thompson also caught a score to remain 2nd in the UMAC with 5 receiving TDs so far this year. While the Saints took it to the Cougs, they didn't show as much dominance as I was expecting, with UMM being the potential worst team in the conference and all. It's obvious that CSS is still the team to beat at this point, but with all the changeups that we've been thrown so far this year, I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility. They will take on Northwestern next week in what I think will prove to be the game of the week, and will definitely give us a better idea of how good St. Scholastica actually is.
So, after all that, there are a few things that stuck out to me about this week:
1. Northwestern's defense is still legit - After the Greenville loss, I was questioning whether that Northwestern team had lost all their magic from a year ago, when they had a stellar D that took them to the DIII playoffs. It was apparent from game one that they weren't as good as last years unit, but hey - the win vs. Westminster put them back on the map. They forced 5 turnovers and held Westminster, a historically decent offensive team, to under 250 total yards and only one touchdown in the final quarter of the game. Now, the question will be if they can muster up enough offense to take down St. Scholastica next week.
2. Martin Luther is no longer 0-10 - The Knights are 3-1. If you told me this would happen before the season, I would have chuckled. I guess I'm not chuckling now. The Knights are for real, but they have to face a few tough teams before the season's end, so it remains to be seen if they can keep up this hot streak throughout the year. Either way, they are a much improved team and seem to be on the up-and-up. Kudos to them.
3. St. Scholastica is the still the best UMAC team...for now - While they beat Minnesota Morris badly, they haven't had a contest with any of last years contenders as of yet. That will change next week when they face Northwestern in St. Paul, a game that will chiesel out the UMAC picture a bit further. All this will come down to the final game of the year, where CSS could potentially be playing MacMurray for the conference championship.
Well, the excitement from one of the worst conferences in DIII football never ceases to entertain me. Until next week!
Friday, September 22, 2017
Week Four Picks
Another week of UMAC football is set to begin! I did these a little late, but as long as I pick ‘em before the games start, it counts in my book. As always, players, coaches, and teams - prove me wrong! I love an upset, or just being straight up wrong!
Westminster at Northwestern - This is my game of the week pick. This will be the most interesting game this week, as it tells us if Northwestern is as good as we thought they were before last weeks upset, or if Westminster has the potential to break into the upper half of the UMAC. Since Northwestern’s first two conference games have been defensive battles, I’m guessing this one will follow suit. I’m picking Northwestern in a tight game, 21-14.
Crown at Eureka - I underestimated Crown last week. Their offense is decent, but their defense has left much to be desired so far. Eureka seems to be a defensive team, so it will be interesting to see these two teams match up. Eureka still looks to be in the upper half of the conference, and are still in the running for champs if they can pull an upset or two. I think it will be a low scoring affair, with Eureka coming out on top, 17-14.
Greenville at Martin Luther - This was my backup game of the week. Both teams have some decent offensive weapons, so I'm thinking this is going to be a shootout. Martin Luther has shown they have improved a ton and are at home, but Greenville showed their power when they took down Northwestern last week. I'm taking Greenville with a score of 42-35, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the other way around - weird things happen in New Ulm.
Iowa Wesleyan at MacMurray - I'm not giving Iowa Wesleyan much of a chance in this one. After being soundly defeated by Martin Luther last week, they travel to the conference leading Highlanders who have the leading rusher and the #5 ranked offense in DIII football. This one will get ugly fast. I'm guessing Chazz will run for another 250 yards (at least) and 3 TDs. MacMurray blows them out, 56-14.
Minnesota Morris at St. Scholastica - After upsetting St. Scholastica at the Big Cat last year, Morris was understandably ecstatic. After all, its not too often you get to unseat the perennial conference champion. This year though, CSS is home and will be out for revenge. Not to mention you have the potential conference champion facing what is now potentially the worst team in the conference. The Cougars will slink back to Morris with their tails between their legs. CSS will dominate Morris, 63-6.
Looking forward to these interesting matchups this week. The landscape of the UMAC is yet to be determined, and each team can still sculpt their own destinies. Keep up with the scores at D3football.com, I will be tweeting updates from the Crown/Eureka game as I receive them!
Greenville at Martin Luther - This was my backup game of the week. Both teams have some decent offensive weapons, so I'm thinking this is going to be a shootout. Martin Luther has shown they have improved a ton and are at home, but Greenville showed their power when they took down Northwestern last week. I'm taking Greenville with a score of 42-35, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were the other way around - weird things happen in New Ulm.
Iowa Wesleyan at MacMurray - I'm not giving Iowa Wesleyan much of a chance in this one. After being soundly defeated by Martin Luther last week, they travel to the conference leading Highlanders who have the leading rusher and the #5 ranked offense in DIII football. This one will get ugly fast. I'm guessing Chazz will run for another 250 yards (at least) and 3 TDs. MacMurray blows them out, 56-14.
Minnesota Morris at St. Scholastica - After upsetting St. Scholastica at the Big Cat last year, Morris was understandably ecstatic. After all, its not too often you get to unseat the perennial conference champion. This year though, CSS is home and will be out for revenge. Not to mention you have the potential conference champion facing what is now potentially the worst team in the conference. The Cougars will slink back to Morris with their tails between their legs. CSS will dominate Morris, 63-6.
Looking forward to these interesting matchups this week. The landscape of the UMAC is yet to be determined, and each team can still sculpt their own destinies. Keep up with the scores at D3football.com, I will be tweeting updates from the Crown/Eureka game as I receive them!
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Week Three Review
Week three has come and gone, and another exciting week of UMAC football is in the books! There were some invigorating games this week, and a few upset alerts (in my humble opinion, anyways)! Lets jump right into it and my picks that I actually picked before the games this time!
Iowa Wesleyan 20, Martin Luther 42 - This game was an upset (to me) in two ways: Martin Luther taking home the W, and how they took home that W. MLC was up 28-0 in the first quarter, and 35-7 at halftime. That's like...more points than they had all last season. Nah, I looked it up; they scored 97 points last year. Well, they almost got half of that in one game. Through three games this year, MLC has scored 84 points and has a 2-1 record under their belt. Now, I'm not quite ready to crown them UMAC champs this year; they still have a lot to prove. But what they have already proved this year is that they are much better. QB Zachary Bloomquist threw for 2 TDs and also added 2 on the ground, while RB Josh Wong racked up 120 yards and a TD as well. On the other side, WR Joshua Broadway caught 2 TD passes and and Joseph Mosely added an 80-yard kick return TD in the 4th quarter to pad the score a bit for Iowa Wesleyan. IW wasn't able to get much offense going, but WR Rodolfo Amezcua was able to catch 7 balls for 87 yards. I picked Iowa Wesleyan to win this game 35-28, I was counting on the decent offense that IW showed against Crown in week two. Congrats to MLC on playing spoiler! They are definitely better, should be interesting to see how the year goes for them.
MacMurray 48, Crown 34 - Okay, so I definitely underestimated Crown's offense in this one. I picked MacMurray to win, 42-14. While Crown put more points on the board, I was right in guessing that Mac's high powered offense would overwhelm the Crown D. This was a legit game until the fourth quarter though; while MacMurray held the lead from the end of the first quarter until the end of the game, Crown pulled within a touchdown with 11:58 remaining in the game, but MacMurray's star RB Chazz Middlebrook scored 2 of his 4 rushing TDs in the fourth, the latter being a 66-yard run that is up for UMAC play of the week. Middlebrook ended the game with 275 yards on 34 attempts en route to UMAC Offensive Player of the Week and the top rusher in DIII football, with 734 yards through 3 games. MacMurry is now #1 in the conference with an undefeated record (3-0) and a #5 nationally ranked offense. Crown still put up a fight, with QB Taylor Watkins tossing 4 TD passes, 3 of them to WR David McIntosh. MacMurry figures to be a top team in the conference this year; while they still have nearly the entire season, it seems that the season finale against St. Scholastica could be a huge matchup.
Eureka 48, Minnesota Morris 20 - The This game didn't really tell us anything new; we knew Eureka is pretty good, and we knew Morris isn't. I picked Eureka to win, 28-7. LeAnthony Reasnover paved the way for Eureka, with 203 yards on 21 carries and 3 TDs. Honestly, he was really the only offensive standout in this game; the next offensive "leader" was Eureka's QB Nick Holman with 79 yards passing. Nonetheless, Eureka combined for 479 yards and 7 touchdowns. Eureka's defense held Morris to 176 yards, which isn't surprising as Morris' offense is now last in the conference in both scoring offense and total offense. Eureka has MacMurray and St. Scholastica in back-to-back weeks in week eight and week nine, and they will hope to remain in the mix for conference title at that time.
Westminster 18, St. Scholastica 48 - This was yet another statement game for St. Scholastica. They were showing the UMAC that the St. John's game was not showing St. Scholastica's weakness, but the strength of St. John's. I still picked CSS to win over Westminster, 42-28, but I had a hunch that Westminster might make it a close game. I was wrong, obviously, even though my predicted score wasn't too far off. St. Scholastica never looked back, and had several big plays on the way to the blowout. CSS QB Zach Edwards threw for 325 yards and 3 TDs, including an 81-yarder to Hunter Thompson (5-156-2) and a 90-yarder to Aaron Olson (2-105-1). K/P Donovan Blatz took home the UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week, as he was 6 for 7 in extra points and booted 4 punts (1 inside the 20) for an average of 36.5 yards. For Westminster, QB Trent White had 168 passing yards and 2 TDs, one to WR Chase Abbington, who ended with 5 catches for 93 yards and the score. St. Scholastica looks like they're still the team to beat, but it'll be interesting to see if MacMurray gives them a run for their money and makes the last game of the season an important one.
Northwestern 15, Greenville 21 - I guess I saved the best for last! This was the true game of the week, and really throws a monkey wrench into the standings. Now, I had assumed that Greenville was slightly weaker this year and Northwestern would be able to handle them, as I picked Northwestern to win, 35-14. Alas, it was not to be, as Greenville was able to overcome the visiting Eagles and smother a final drive to claim the victory. Greenville struck first with an 83-yard strike from QB George Harris to WR Sean Brooks. The game proved to be a defensive battle, as that first 85-yard scoring drive was the longest of the game. It was a tight battle throughout, and Northwestern ended with a chance to tie the game as they were granted the ball at their own 12 yard line with 2:01 to play. Greenville's defense held strong and held on for the victory, which really boosted their standing in my eyes. Before this, I saw Northwestern as the clear #2 at this point in the season, but now the standings are a little foggy. We might need to wait a few weeks for the fog to clear, and Greenville may be a bit higher than we thought they would be.
So in true picks, I was 3-2 this week. Still a winning record, and honestly I don't mind getting my picks wrong, because that means we have upsets! Upsets are always fun. They make for and interesting landscape in UMAC football. Now, all I'm hoping for is someone to upset St. Scholastica to make it super interesting like last year! If we count week two picks (even though I didn't pick them before the game), I would be 7-3 right now. I'll take that. Week four picks will be coming later this week!
Iowa Wesleyan 20, Martin Luther 42 - This game was an upset (to me) in two ways: Martin Luther taking home the W, and how they took home that W. MLC was up 28-0 in the first quarter, and 35-7 at halftime. That's like...more points than they had all last season. Nah, I looked it up; they scored 97 points last year. Well, they almost got half of that in one game. Through three games this year, MLC has scored 84 points and has a 2-1 record under their belt. Now, I'm not quite ready to crown them UMAC champs this year; they still have a lot to prove. But what they have already proved this year is that they are much better. QB Zachary Bloomquist threw for 2 TDs and also added 2 on the ground, while RB Josh Wong racked up 120 yards and a TD as well. On the other side, WR Joshua Broadway caught 2 TD passes and and Joseph Mosely added an 80-yard kick return TD in the 4th quarter to pad the score a bit for Iowa Wesleyan. IW wasn't able to get much offense going, but WR Rodolfo Amezcua was able to catch 7 balls for 87 yards. I picked Iowa Wesleyan to win this game 35-28, I was counting on the decent offense that IW showed against Crown in week two. Congrats to MLC on playing spoiler! They are definitely better, should be interesting to see how the year goes for them.
MacMurray 48, Crown 34 - Okay, so I definitely underestimated Crown's offense in this one. I picked MacMurray to win, 42-14. While Crown put more points on the board, I was right in guessing that Mac's high powered offense would overwhelm the Crown D. This was a legit game until the fourth quarter though; while MacMurray held the lead from the end of the first quarter until the end of the game, Crown pulled within a touchdown with 11:58 remaining in the game, but MacMurray's star RB Chazz Middlebrook scored 2 of his 4 rushing TDs in the fourth, the latter being a 66-yard run that is up for UMAC play of the week. Middlebrook ended the game with 275 yards on 34 attempts en route to UMAC Offensive Player of the Week and the top rusher in DIII football, with 734 yards through 3 games. MacMurry is now #1 in the conference with an undefeated record (3-0) and a #5 nationally ranked offense. Crown still put up a fight, with QB Taylor Watkins tossing 4 TD passes, 3 of them to WR David McIntosh. MacMurry figures to be a top team in the conference this year; while they still have nearly the entire season, it seems that the season finale against St. Scholastica could be a huge matchup.
Eureka 48, Minnesota Morris 20 - The This game didn't really tell us anything new; we knew Eureka is pretty good, and we knew Morris isn't. I picked Eureka to win, 28-7. LeAnthony Reasnover paved the way for Eureka, with 203 yards on 21 carries and 3 TDs. Honestly, he was really the only offensive standout in this game; the next offensive "leader" was Eureka's QB Nick Holman with 79 yards passing. Nonetheless, Eureka combined for 479 yards and 7 touchdowns. Eureka's defense held Morris to 176 yards, which isn't surprising as Morris' offense is now last in the conference in both scoring offense and total offense. Eureka has MacMurray and St. Scholastica in back-to-back weeks in week eight and week nine, and they will hope to remain in the mix for conference title at that time.
Westminster 18, St. Scholastica 48 - This was yet another statement game for St. Scholastica. They were showing the UMAC that the St. John's game was not showing St. Scholastica's weakness, but the strength of St. John's. I still picked CSS to win over Westminster, 42-28, but I had a hunch that Westminster might make it a close game. I was wrong, obviously, even though my predicted score wasn't too far off. St. Scholastica never looked back, and had several big plays on the way to the blowout. CSS QB Zach Edwards threw for 325 yards and 3 TDs, including an 81-yarder to Hunter Thompson (5-156-2) and a 90-yarder to Aaron Olson (2-105-1). K/P Donovan Blatz took home the UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week, as he was 6 for 7 in extra points and booted 4 punts (1 inside the 20) for an average of 36.5 yards. For Westminster, QB Trent White had 168 passing yards and 2 TDs, one to WR Chase Abbington, who ended with 5 catches for 93 yards and the score. St. Scholastica looks like they're still the team to beat, but it'll be interesting to see if MacMurray gives them a run for their money and makes the last game of the season an important one.
Northwestern 15, Greenville 21 - I guess I saved the best for last! This was the true game of the week, and really throws a monkey wrench into the standings. Now, I had assumed that Greenville was slightly weaker this year and Northwestern would be able to handle them, as I picked Northwestern to win, 35-14. Alas, it was not to be, as Greenville was able to overcome the visiting Eagles and smother a final drive to claim the victory. Greenville struck first with an 83-yard strike from QB George Harris to WR Sean Brooks. The game proved to be a defensive battle, as that first 85-yard scoring drive was the longest of the game. It was a tight battle throughout, and Northwestern ended with a chance to tie the game as they were granted the ball at their own 12 yard line with 2:01 to play. Greenville's defense held strong and held on for the victory, which really boosted their standing in my eyes. Before this, I saw Northwestern as the clear #2 at this point in the season, but now the standings are a little foggy. We might need to wait a few weeks for the fog to clear, and Greenville may be a bit higher than we thought they would be.
So in true picks, I was 3-2 this week. Still a winning record, and honestly I don't mind getting my picks wrong, because that means we have upsets! Upsets are always fun. They make for and interesting landscape in UMAC football. Now, all I'm hoping for is someone to upset St. Scholastica to make it super interesting like last year! If we count week two picks (even though I didn't pick them before the game), I would be 7-3 right now. I'll take that. Week four picks will be coming later this week!
Monday, September 18, 2017
Week Two Review
So, I'm a little behind. I get it. Why didn't you have this going earlier in the year, man? *facepalm* Well, here are my completely irrelevant thoughts on the week two UMAC opening weekend games.
Crown 34, Iowa Wesleyan 41 -- We had ourselves a barn-burner on our hands, with 7 lead changes and the final touchdown being scored with 2:19 remaining in the game. Both offenses were relatively efficient, having 100 yard rushers (Derek Chilcoate for Crown and Jacuqez Hall for Iowa Wesleyan) and multiple touchdowns through the air. The highlight for Crown was Sebastian Alvarado's 65-yard interception return for a TD in the second quarter. Crown tied it up near the beginning of the 4th quarter with Derek Chilcoate's second rushing touchdown, but were not able to take advantage of 2 possessions before Iowa Wesleyan's Alex Payne led a drive and eventually punched a 2-yard rushing touchdown in for the final score of the game. It's nice to see a game going down to the wire around here. Both teams will hope to continue in their offensive growth and bolster their defenses throughout the year. While it was a great game, both of these teams hope to avoid ending up in the bottom half of the conference and will need stellar play to rise from their current standing in the conference.
Minnesota Morris 7, Westminster 23 -- Morris had another subpar performance, losing their second game of the year after losing to (winless in 2016) Martin Luther in week one. It's still a little early to tell, but if I were making power rankings, Morris would be at the bottom so far. They did have a lead early in the 2nd quarter when Justin Masloski broke off a 57-yard TD run, but past that they weren't able to get much offense going. When one play makes up half of your offensive production, it's pretty safe to say that you had a rough day. If you can call it a bright spot, punter Drew Shipley was great again in week two, booting 8 times for an average of 37.9 and 3 inside the 20. He also led the team with 11 tackles, so there's that. Westminster had an okay day, with 290 yards offensively, but 2015 UMAC Offensive Player of the Year Latif Adams was stuffed, ending with 7 rushes for -9 yards. Yikes. Good thing they had a productive day from Chase Abbington who racked up 92 yards on 21 carries. Morris will have to scratch and claw their way out of the UMAC cellar this year, methinks. Westminster, while not looking terrible, did also not look super impressive. It might take me a few more weeks to get a read on them.
Eureka 13, Northwestern 19 -- The Crown/Iowa Wesleyan game was good, but this game takes the cake for game of the week. It's almost always thrilling to watch a college football overtime game. Northwestern looked like they were going to run away with this one, taking a 13-0 lead late in the 1st quarter from some big plays started by QB Taylor Lindahl - 92 and 50 yard TD passes. However, that was about all the offense Northwestern could muster, as Eureka held them to 23 yards rushing and 217 yards overall in the game, only 75 more than the two touchdown passes. Looking at the box score, it looks like a miracle that Northwestern won this game. While Eureka certainly didn't find the going easy on offense, they were able to put good field position to use and scrape together a few scores to bring it to overtime. Northwestern won the toss and elected to defend, which worked out for them as Nick Swore took home UMAC Defensive player of the week by intercepting a Drew Barth pass, and giving the ball to Northwestern to take home the victory. While it was a hard fought battle, Northwestern really needs to pick up the slack if they want to remain a top UMAC contender. They were lucky to eke out the win this week. Eureka has to be bummed about that one, as they outplayed Northwestern but weren't able to seal the deal. Eureka looks good and is still poised to be a top UMAC team if they can prove that they can finish.
Martin Luther 28, MacMurray 54 -- This game was closer than the score suggests. Martin Luther actually had a lead in the third quarter, 21-20, after an 18-yard TD pass from Zachary Bloomquist to Justin Rue. BUT - nobody can contain the Chazz. Chazz Middlebrook scored 4 rushing TDs en route to a subpar (by his standards) 171 yard performance, with MacMurray scoring 34 points in the last quarter and a half to cruise to a seemingly easy victory. Martin Luther actually put up a decent 450 yards of offense, but it paled in comparison to MacMurray's 679 yards. This game confirmed what I think a lot of us already knew: Martin Luther is only okay, and MacMurray is a force to be reckoned with. Heck, Martin Luther has already exceeded last years win total and have played some solid games this year, so they are looking pretty good too. The difference is that MacMurray will be fighting for the UMAC crown, and Martin Luther will not be.
St. Scholastica 47, Greenville 27 -- St. Scholastica was ticked that everyone on Twitter was making fun of their week one loss, so they took it out on Greenville. This one was never close, as St. Scholastica was up 28-0 at halftime. Zach Edwards threw for 298 yards and 3 TDs and ran for another, and Matthew Hinaus turned a 78-yard pick six on the way to a St. Scholastica rout. They were up 47-14 until a few late Greenville scores brought the margin down a bit. St. Scholastica showed that they are still the team to beat in the UMAC, and until someone accepts that challenge, they will remain at the top of the rankings. At this point, I wasn't thinking too highly of Greenville, but we know how week three turns out. While Greenville isn't out of the running for top dog in the UMAC, they've got a lot of work to do to get there; and that still may not be enough.
I didn't officially pick the results of the week two games, but if I had, I think I'd be 4-1 this week. I was thinking that Crown's defense would be able to handle Iowa Wesleyan and their offense would be effective enough to win. While their offense was certainly effective, Iowa Wesleyan was able to put a bunch of points on the board; and to use a John Madden-ism, "Usually, the team with the most points wins the game". While there weren't any crazy upsets, it was an exciting opening week for UMAC football. Stay tuned for week three review and week four picks!
Crown 34, Iowa Wesleyan 41 -- We had ourselves a barn-burner on our hands, with 7 lead changes and the final touchdown being scored with 2:19 remaining in the game. Both offenses were relatively efficient, having 100 yard rushers (Derek Chilcoate for Crown and Jacuqez Hall for Iowa Wesleyan) and multiple touchdowns through the air. The highlight for Crown was Sebastian Alvarado's 65-yard interception return for a TD in the second quarter. Crown tied it up near the beginning of the 4th quarter with Derek Chilcoate's second rushing touchdown, but were not able to take advantage of 2 possessions before Iowa Wesleyan's Alex Payne led a drive and eventually punched a 2-yard rushing touchdown in for the final score of the game. It's nice to see a game going down to the wire around here. Both teams will hope to continue in their offensive growth and bolster their defenses throughout the year. While it was a great game, both of these teams hope to avoid ending up in the bottom half of the conference and will need stellar play to rise from their current standing in the conference.
Minnesota Morris 7, Westminster 23 -- Morris had another subpar performance, losing their second game of the year after losing to (winless in 2016) Martin Luther in week one. It's still a little early to tell, but if I were making power rankings, Morris would be at the bottom so far. They did have a lead early in the 2nd quarter when Justin Masloski broke off a 57-yard TD run, but past that they weren't able to get much offense going. When one play makes up half of your offensive production, it's pretty safe to say that you had a rough day. If you can call it a bright spot, punter Drew Shipley was great again in week two, booting 8 times for an average of 37.9 and 3 inside the 20. He also led the team with 11 tackles, so there's that. Westminster had an okay day, with 290 yards offensively, but 2015 UMAC Offensive Player of the Year Latif Adams was stuffed, ending with 7 rushes for -9 yards. Yikes. Good thing they had a productive day from Chase Abbington who racked up 92 yards on 21 carries. Morris will have to scratch and claw their way out of the UMAC cellar this year, methinks. Westminster, while not looking terrible, did also not look super impressive. It might take me a few more weeks to get a read on them.
Eureka 13, Northwestern 19 -- The Crown/Iowa Wesleyan game was good, but this game takes the cake for game of the week. It's almost always thrilling to watch a college football overtime game. Northwestern looked like they were going to run away with this one, taking a 13-0 lead late in the 1st quarter from some big plays started by QB Taylor Lindahl - 92 and 50 yard TD passes. However, that was about all the offense Northwestern could muster, as Eureka held them to 23 yards rushing and 217 yards overall in the game, only 75 more than the two touchdown passes. Looking at the box score, it looks like a miracle that Northwestern won this game. While Eureka certainly didn't find the going easy on offense, they were able to put good field position to use and scrape together a few scores to bring it to overtime. Northwestern won the toss and elected to defend, which worked out for them as Nick Swore took home UMAC Defensive player of the week by intercepting a Drew Barth pass, and giving the ball to Northwestern to take home the victory. While it was a hard fought battle, Northwestern really needs to pick up the slack if they want to remain a top UMAC contender. They were lucky to eke out the win this week. Eureka has to be bummed about that one, as they outplayed Northwestern but weren't able to seal the deal. Eureka looks good and is still poised to be a top UMAC team if they can prove that they can finish.
Martin Luther 28, MacMurray 54 -- This game was closer than the score suggests. Martin Luther actually had a lead in the third quarter, 21-20, after an 18-yard TD pass from Zachary Bloomquist to Justin Rue. BUT - nobody can contain the Chazz. Chazz Middlebrook scored 4 rushing TDs en route to a subpar (by his standards) 171 yard performance, with MacMurray scoring 34 points in the last quarter and a half to cruise to a seemingly easy victory. Martin Luther actually put up a decent 450 yards of offense, but it paled in comparison to MacMurray's 679 yards. This game confirmed what I think a lot of us already knew: Martin Luther is only okay, and MacMurray is a force to be reckoned with. Heck, Martin Luther has already exceeded last years win total and have played some solid games this year, so they are looking pretty good too. The difference is that MacMurray will be fighting for the UMAC crown, and Martin Luther will not be.
St. Scholastica 47, Greenville 27 -- St. Scholastica was ticked that everyone on Twitter was making fun of their week one loss, so they took it out on Greenville. This one was never close, as St. Scholastica was up 28-0 at halftime. Zach Edwards threw for 298 yards and 3 TDs and ran for another, and Matthew Hinaus turned a 78-yard pick six on the way to a St. Scholastica rout. They were up 47-14 until a few late Greenville scores brought the margin down a bit. St. Scholastica showed that they are still the team to beat in the UMAC, and until someone accepts that challenge, they will remain at the top of the rankings. At this point, I wasn't thinking too highly of Greenville, but we know how week three turns out. While Greenville isn't out of the running for top dog in the UMAC, they've got a lot of work to do to get there; and that still may not be enough.
I didn't officially pick the results of the week two games, but if I had, I think I'd be 4-1 this week. I was thinking that Crown's defense would be able to handle Iowa Wesleyan and their offense would be effective enough to win. While their offense was certainly effective, Iowa Wesleyan was able to put a bunch of points on the board; and to use a John Madden-ism, "Usually, the team with the most points wins the game". While there weren't any crazy upsets, it was an exciting opening week for UMAC football. Stay tuned for week three review and week four picks!
Sunday, September 17, 2017
2017 Coaches Preseason Poll and Week One Review
Since we are already three weeks into the season, I won't be doing any of my own preseason rankings (obviously). What we can do is look at the preseason UMAC coaches poll that comes out every year. Here are the results of the 2017 poll:
2017 UMAC Football Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. St. Scholastica – 73 points ( 3 First Place Votes)
2. Northwestern – 72 points ( 5 First Place Votes)
3. MacMurray – 61 points
4. Eureka – 54 points (2 First Place Votes)
5. Westminster – 49 points
6. Greenville – 41 points
7. Crown – 35 points
8. Minnesota Morris – 30 points
9. Iowa Wesleyan – 21 points
10. Martin Luther – 14 points
1. St. Scholastica – 73 points ( 3 First Place Votes)
2. Northwestern – 72 points ( 5 First Place Votes)
3. MacMurray – 61 points
4. Eureka – 54 points (2 First Place Votes)
5. Westminster – 49 points
6. Greenville – 41 points
7. Crown – 35 points
8. Minnesota Morris – 30 points
9. Iowa Wesleyan – 21 points
10. Martin Luther – 14 points
You can follow the link to get the full article, which included key match-ups and team previews. Here are a few thoughts I had on the poll and article, along with quick week one reviews:
St. Scholastica has been the team to beat basically since the UMAC began receiving an automatic playoff bid in 2011. They have won the conference 4/6 years (tied in 2012, NW was champ last year) and been in the top 3 all 6 years. Last year, however, they were beat out by Northwestern and Eureka, who ironically ended up facing off for the championship in the last season game of the year. Now, I'm not gonna be "that guy" who says CSS is off their game, but they certainly can't take any breaks this season. They got walloped by No. 10 ranked St. Johns University in week one, which I think we all saw coming; what we didn't see coming was the final score. 98-0 is embarrassing, but I can tell you that any other UMAC team would have suffered the same fate or worse. They are still the favorite, as seen in the coaches poll, but we have seen some good football from some different teams in the UMAC - last year, and already this season.
Northwestern took home the conference championship by defeating Eureka in the final game of the season. They had some stellar defensive play last year, and need to repeat that in order to stay on top. While they weren't able to take down Augsburg in week one like they did in 2016, they're hoping to ride their defense to a flock of wins this year (see what I did there? Flock...Eagles? No? K.). Northwestern has deep roots in the origins of UMAC history, as they have been a member of the conference going all the way back to 1974, with 15 conference championships (including ties) under their belt. While last years was the only one (so far) in the current DIII playoff bid era, they look to add to that impressive pedigree.
MacMurray has been a historically mediocre football team, which has been credited to its small enrollment. As of late, though, they have been on the up and up. They have steadily improved from a dismal campaign in 2013 (0-10) to be third in the conference last year (8-2) and remain a top competitor in the UMAC behind fantastic Sr. RB Chazz Middlebrook, who was the 2nd leading rusher in Division III football last year with 1,703 yards and 18 touchdowns. They beat Rockford University in week one 22-14, in which Chazz started off the year with a bang, rushing for 288 yards on 39 carries and scoring 3 touchdowns. I know this is a week one review, but the guy has 734 yards through the first 3 games. He's on pace to get 2,447 yards, which wouldn't even be a DIII record; he's gotta pick up the pace if he wants to get over 2,790. MacMurray will be tough with Chazz leading the charge.
Eureka was in the mix for the conference championship last year as well, and received a few first place votes in the coaches poll. Eureka hopes to go out on top with guns blazing, as they announced that due to travel costs this would be their last season in the UMAC. This is sad news, as they are a really good fit in this conference. The UMAC will move on as a 9-team conference for the time being, though I have heard rumors of a few teams that may land themselves in Eureka's stead. In week one, Eureka had a 21-7 lead over Knox but couldn't stymie a comeback in the final quarter and ended up taking the loss, 28-21. While Knox hasn't been particularly good, they did win their week two game as well, so it begs the question; what does this tell us about Eureka? Does Eureka have a shot at the conference title? Only time will tell.
Westminster is a team that is really hard to pin down. While they can play with the best in the conference at times, there are also times where they play down to their opponents level. They can always throw a monkey wrench into the predictions. While it will take some solid play for them to break into the upper echelon of teams in the UMAC, they seem to have the potential to do it. They played a difficult MIAC opponent in week one, Gustavus Adolphus College, who has been pretty tough in recent years. The final score wasn't what they wanted (38-0), so they have much to improve on just like everyone else. They will likely rely on Sr. RB Latif Adams, who has been a solid player for a few years now, receiving UMAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2nd team all-conference in 2016.
Greenville had a down year last year, only defeating Crown and Martin Luther, and took a shellacking at the hands of Millikin in week one (76-3). While that game obviously doesn't mean a whole lot when it comes to UMAC play (see: week three), it still says something when somebody scores 76 points on you. Maybe that happened because the 2016 UMAC Defensive Player of the Year Nicholas Morrow is now playing for the Oakland Raiders instead of the Panthers. Greenville hopes to get back on their own track and compete to be at the top of the UMAC once again. They will look to So. QB George Harris to continue growing to lead the offense.
Crown had a tough season last year, staying close in most of their games but only being able to pull out victories against Martin Luther and Morris. They faced an up-and-coming MIAC opponent in Hamline, and took a beating to the tune of 51-0. Crown had a stretch of 4-6 seasons from 2013-15 where they looked poised to step forward, but last year seemed at least on the surface to be a step back. They look to gain back that ground this year with the help of Jr. DL Tyler Byrd and several other experienced defenders.
Minnesota Morris was somewhat of a surprise last year, going 5-0 at home en route to a 6-4 record good for 5th in the conference. They were able to stay pretty close in all of their games and upset St. Scholastica at the Big Cat, so I would say it was a successful season. My guess is that this drop in the preseason ranking has to do with the unexpected loss of their head coach, who opted to take the head coaching job at Occidental College and leave Morris with two head coaches (hmm...really?). They had a bright spot in their week one loss to Martin Luther (14-7), as their So. LB/P Drew Shipley earned UMAC ST Player of the Week by punting 7 times for 291 yards, an average of 41.6, and downing 4 of those punts inside the 20. Shipley had a solid year as an LB last year as well, the future looks bright for this kid.
Iowa Wesleyan has had a rocky start since their admittance to the UMAC in 2013, with only one winning season (2014). They look to change that this year by leaning on experienced defenders, Sr. DL Christian Henriksen and So. DB Joseph Mosely. Iowa Wesleyan was yet another UMAC team that took a big L in week one, falling to Cornell 62-25. In their lone winning season, they only experienced losses from the stronger UMAC opponents in St. Scholastica, Northwestern, and Greenville, and non-conference opponent Simpson to take 4th in the conference. They look to get some of that magic back this year and pull some upsets.
Martin Luther had their worst season in the current UMAC era, going winless and hopeless; the closest game they played was a non-conference game against Maranatha Baptist in which they lost 20-7. Well, you know what they say about rock bottom; there's nowhere to go but up. And up they went, surpassing their 2016 win total in week one of 2017 by defeating Morris 14-7. In past years, Martin Luther has been a wild card of sorts, as their offense has been like a box of chocolates; you never really know what you're gonna get. MLC is always hoping that it gives them an advantage, and a win isn't a shabby way to start off the year. In fact, Martin Luther and MacMurray were the only UMAC teams to take home the W in week one. MLC will be looking to build momentum off their week one win and put together a competitive season.
Crown had a tough season last year, staying close in most of their games but only being able to pull out victories against Martin Luther and Morris. They faced an up-and-coming MIAC opponent in Hamline, and took a beating to the tune of 51-0. Crown had a stretch of 4-6 seasons from 2013-15 where they looked poised to step forward, but last year seemed at least on the surface to be a step back. They look to gain back that ground this year with the help of Jr. DL Tyler Byrd and several other experienced defenders.
Minnesota Morris was somewhat of a surprise last year, going 5-0 at home en route to a 6-4 record good for 5th in the conference. They were able to stay pretty close in all of their games and upset St. Scholastica at the Big Cat, so I would say it was a successful season. My guess is that this drop in the preseason ranking has to do with the unexpected loss of their head coach, who opted to take the head coaching job at Occidental College and leave Morris with two head coaches (hmm...really?). They had a bright spot in their week one loss to Martin Luther (14-7), as their So. LB/P Drew Shipley earned UMAC ST Player of the Week by punting 7 times for 291 yards, an average of 41.6, and downing 4 of those punts inside the 20. Shipley had a solid year as an LB last year as well, the future looks bright for this kid.
Iowa Wesleyan has had a rocky start since their admittance to the UMAC in 2013, with only one winning season (2014). They look to change that this year by leaning on experienced defenders, Sr. DL Christian Henriksen and So. DB Joseph Mosely. Iowa Wesleyan was yet another UMAC team that took a big L in week one, falling to Cornell 62-25. In their lone winning season, they only experienced losses from the stronger UMAC opponents in St. Scholastica, Northwestern, and Greenville, and non-conference opponent Simpson to take 4th in the conference. They look to get some of that magic back this year and pull some upsets.
Martin Luther had their worst season in the current UMAC era, going winless and hopeless; the closest game they played was a non-conference game against Maranatha Baptist in which they lost 20-7. Well, you know what they say about rock bottom; there's nowhere to go but up. And up they went, surpassing their 2016 win total in week one of 2017 by defeating Morris 14-7. In past years, Martin Luther has been a wild card of sorts, as their offense has been like a box of chocolates; you never really know what you're gonna get. MLC is always hoping that it gives them an advantage, and a win isn't a shabby way to start off the year. In fact, Martin Luther and MacMurray were the only UMAC teams to take home the W in week one. MLC will be looking to build momentum off their week one win and put together a competitive season.
Wait...another UMAC football blog?!?
Many moons ago, there was a great UMAC football blog called UMAC Central. It was pretty dang good, at least for a sub-par DIII football conference blog. Then...all of a sudden...they were gone. Just up and disappeared after the 2013 season. Nobody knew what became of them. (Well, maybe some people knew. I didn't though.) Since that time, there have been other blogs that have also come, and gone. *sigh*
Well, to be honest I can't tell you that this one will be any different. I am a recent Crown alum, and still have some ties to the school, but when those are dead and gone, I can't guarantee that I will continue in my love for UMAC football. BUT...since I am still semi-interested, and I guess I have too much time on my hands, what the heck. I'll go with this and see where it takes us.
Now, some disclaimers: I am no professional analyst. I'm not going to be watching hours of game film on every UMAC team every week. Heck, I may not even make it to a UMAC game every week. What I can do for you though is study box scores and many, many articles to make it seem like I know what is going on. On the other hand, I'm not getting paid for this. So don't expect too much of it. I'll try to predict the UMAC games every week, and I'll write up reviews of the played weeks, but I'm not going to go out of my way to interview people and do actual research because, let's be honest, I'm not a real sports journalist. Just a fan who's got a lot of time on his hands.
And all players reading this blog, please do not take the picks personally. Or do, I guess. If you really care about what some random dude on the internet cares about, take it personally and prove me wrong. Use my ignorance as fuel for your fire. I can be a "hater" in your rising-to-success story. You control your own destiny. Okay, I'm getting a little off track. Point is, I'm going to be as unbiased as possible in my predictions and analysis and I hold no ill-will or grudges toward any player or team.
So, with all that said...welcome to the next new UMAC football blog! Stay tuned for semi-interesting articles that you'll probably all hate and disagree with and call me out on!
Well, to be honest I can't tell you that this one will be any different. I am a recent Crown alum, and still have some ties to the school, but when those are dead and gone, I can't guarantee that I will continue in my love for UMAC football. BUT...since I am still semi-interested, and I guess I have too much time on my hands, what the heck. I'll go with this and see where it takes us.
Now, some disclaimers: I am no professional analyst. I'm not going to be watching hours of game film on every UMAC team every week. Heck, I may not even make it to a UMAC game every week. What I can do for you though is study box scores and many, many articles to make it seem like I know what is going on. On the other hand, I'm not getting paid for this. So don't expect too much of it. I'll try to predict the UMAC games every week, and I'll write up reviews of the played weeks, but I'm not going to go out of my way to interview people and do actual research because, let's be honest, I'm not a real sports journalist. Just a fan who's got a lot of time on his hands.
And all players reading this blog, please do not take the picks personally. Or do, I guess. If you really care about what some random dude on the internet cares about, take it personally and prove me wrong. Use my ignorance as fuel for your fire. I can be a "hater" in your rising-to-success story. You control your own destiny. Okay, I'm getting a little off track. Point is, I'm going to be as unbiased as possible in my predictions and analysis and I hold no ill-will or grudges toward any player or team.
So, with all that said...welcome to the next new UMAC football blog! Stay tuned for semi-interesting articles that you'll probably all hate and disagree with and call me out on!
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