Well now, this UMAC is an interesting conference. That won't make a difference when the champ gets beat up in the first round of the NCAA DIII playoffs, but hey; better this than a boring end of the year, I guess. Three UMAC teams rack up over 400 yards rushing, Eureka bests St. Scholastica to hand them their first conference loss of the year, and Westminster pulls off the upset at home against MacMurray. This certainly bodes well for Eureka, but their job isn't done yet. Let's take a look at the chaos that was week nine.
St. Scholastica 34, Eureka 40 - Well hello, LeAnthony Reasnover. The Eureka Jr. RB carried the rock 53 times - yes, you read correctly, 53 times - for 355 yards and 5 TDs. He broke basically all the Eureka school records on his way, including rushing yards in a game (355), rushing yards in a season (1,582), and rushing yards in a career (3,556). He was basically the entire Eureka attack, carrying the ball on 70% of Eureka's offensive plays. I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it, as he was able to dominate the St. Scholastica defense for the biggest UMAC individual rushing performance of the season; it was also good for the 2nd best rushing performance in the nation this year. Eureka only had 45 yards passing in the game, but they obviously were busy handing the ball to Reasnover, which still earned them the victory. St. Scholastica wasn't able to get anything going on the ground and took to the air, with QB Zach Edwards throwing for 267 yards and 4 TDs, and WR Hunter Thompson catching 3 of those TDs to add to his UMAC leading 9 receiving TDs on the year for a total of 12. It was a tightly contested game throughout, with CSS actually leading 21-20 with 4:52 remaining in the 3rd quarter until back-to-back scores by Reasnover gave Eureka an edge, and they were able to ride out the remaining minutes to eke out St. Scholastica. Keep reading for an update on the UMAC standings below. Eureka will travel north to take on Martin Luther, while St. Scholastica will host MacMurray in a still-important-but-not-as-important-as-we-thought-it-would-be matchup.
Greenville 48, Iowa Wesleyan 41 - The more I look at the stats for this game, the more I'm convinced that they didn't actually play it, and they just made it all up. Greenville doubled Iowa Wesleyan's total offensive yardage; and Iowa Wesleyan had 395 yards (Greenville had 811). There were 11 turnovers in the game, 8 of them by Greenville. Greenville fumbled the ball eight times, and lost seven of them; and yet, they still managed to win the game. Greenville QB George Harris tossed a TD pass to WR Derek Greifzu with twenty seconds left to break a 41-41 tie and bring home the W. Harris finished the game with 360 passing yards and 3 TDs and also rushed for 71 yards, the Panthers had 2 rushers break 100 yards (RBs Johnny Pruiett with 158 and 3 TDs and Damario Vanover with 140), and WR Gregoire Franchomme caught 11 passes for 232 yards and 2 TDs. Quite an impressive game for the Greenville offense. On the other side, Iowa Wesleyan QB DeMarcus Collins threw for 189 yards and 2 TDs while also tossing 3 picks and rushing for 90 yards, and WR Rodolfo Amezcua caught 4 passes for 106 yards and 2 TDs. This game must have been a wild one to be in attendance for. Greenville hosts Minnesota Morris in the last game of the year next week, while Iowa Wesleyan will trek to Missouri to take on Westminster.
Northwestern 21, Minnesota Morris 14 - Another close one. This one is understandable, as the two worst offenses in the UMAC matched up against one another, and it showed. The two teams combined for 412 offensive yards, good for the second lowest total in the conference on the year (First was Westminster/Minnesota-Morris with 406). Morris did show some spunk against a good defense though, as they were leading 6-0 heading into the fourth quarter. Northwestern was finally able to drum up some offense in the last quarter, as RB Payton Bowdry scored twice and RB Dom McDew recovered his own fumble in the end zone to boost Northwestern to victory. Nobody else on either team really had a day worth mentioning; the "leading" stat lines were less than impressive, as one could imagine. Northwestern will host Crown in their final contest, and Minnesota Morris will head to Greenville for theirs.
MacMurray 13, Westminster 21 - Westminster stayed undefeated at home in a great win over MacMurray, which bumped MacMurray from UMAC championship contention. Westminster stayed in control throughout the game by shutting down the MacMurray rushing attack, and held the Highlanders to their lowest offensive output of the year (227 total yards). RB Chazz Middlebrook was still limited, as he carried the ball 6 times for -11 yards, so MacMurray relied on QB Nathan Randall for production in the form of 190 passing yards and a TD. WR Devonta Preston caught 6 passes for 93 of those yards, but it wasn't enough to overcome a stout Westminster defense. For the Blue Jays, QB Trent White threw for 177 yards and a TD, RB Latif Adams rushed for 108 yards and 2 TDs, and WR Matt Quarles caught 4 balls for 93 yards in the UMAC-altering upset. With the win, I almost have to place Westminster in the top half of the UMAC, as they actually are in the standings. If they end up beating Iowa Wesleyan next week, they will have a 6-3 conference record, and they may even be able to sneak past MacMurray in the standings if Mac is unable to defeat St. Scholastica next week. I think we can call that a successful season for the Blue Jays.
Martin Luther 44, Crown 28 - I'll admit, I may have been slightly biased the past few weeks in picking Crown to win, but I really don't wan't them to go 0-10. I don't want anyone to go 0-10, but the fact is, their defense is terrible and can't stop anybody from scoring, so it may happen. Martin Luther got their running game going and racked up 509 yards with 414 coming on the ground. MLC had 4 runners score rushing TDs, including QB Ian Paulsen who rushed for 132 yards and a score, RB Nate Stein ran who for 110 yards and a score, RB Elliot Butler who went for 87 yards and 2 TDs, and Josh Wong who ran for 70 yards and a TD. Crown mounted a comeback in the 4th quarter with MLC leading 34-0, jumpstarted by a 59-yard rushing TD by Crown RB Chris Simpson. The Crown QB combo of Luke Lithander and Taylor Watkins led scoring drives to bring crown within 15 with 3:50 left to play, but another score by MLC put the game out of reach. Lithander finished with 188 passing yards and 2 TDs, with WR David MacIntosh catching 6 passes for 103 yards and Anthony Laureno catching 2 TD passes, but the comeback fell short as Crown suffered yet another defeat to remain winless in the 2017 campaign. Martin Luther will host powerhouse Eureka next week and Crown will head to Northwestern to finish off the 2017 season.
My picks fell by the wayside this week, with the upset of MacMurray and Crown being unable to get the job done, but it was fun to hear about the close games this week. Kudos to Westminster on taking down who we thought were the potential UMAC champions just a few short weeks ago. MacMurray is out, and Eureka just has one more hurdle to jump to become UMAC champions. Here are the possible scenarios for next week:
- With a win, Eureka will lock down the championship regardless of the result of the St. Scholastica/MacMurray game.
- With a Eureka loss, St. Scholastica will have a chance to take the championship by beating MacMurray.
- If both Eureka and St. Scholastica lose next week, Eureka will win the UMAC title by having the head-to-head win.
It's always fun when it comes down to the last week of the year to decide who will represent one of the weakest conferences in DIII football in the NCAA playoffs. After this week, I'm 31-9 in my picks, and I'm on track to meet my goal of 35-10. Let's see if I can surpass it; stay tuned for my week ten picks later this week.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
Week Nine Picks
Dang. It's week nine already. Two more weeks of football for most teams, and two more weeks to play football for the last time for a bunch of college seniors. Who will get the chance to play one more game, and get blown out by a robust MIAC team that may make it to the NCAA DIII football championship? Only time will tell. I was so excited about the prospects of the final two weeks of the year that I forgot to gloat about being 5-0 in my picks last week! Who called Eureka beating out MacMurray? That would be muah, thank you very much. Overall, that makes me
28-7 before this weeks picks. Can I go 5-0 for the third week in a row? We will see...
St. Scholastica at Eureka - Is there any doubt that this is the game of the week? In fact, I think this is the actual UMAC game of the week. This is going to be a great matchup, pitting one of the better offenses in the UMAC against the best defense in the UMAC. Eureka made short work against what was possibly the best offense in the UMAC last week, and I think being at home without a long road trip will bode well for them. Their offense will keep rolling with LeAnthony Reasnover leading the charge. I'm rolling with Eureka as long as they're rolling. I say they win in a close one, 28-24.
Greenville at Iowa Wesleyan - This game should be an interesting one, although meaningless save for some pride. Greenville has been mediocre at best, even though they were able to pull off an upset against a decent Northwestern defense. Iowa Wesleyan has been straight up bad, only defeating the last two teams in the UMAC, Crown and Minnesota Morris. They did beat Morris just last week, and they are at home, but I'm still going with the better team on paper. Greenville wins, 35-28.
Northwestern at Minnesota Morris - Northwestern has had a solid defense all year, but has not been able to take advantage as their offense has literally been the worst in the UMAC. Oops, I forgot about Minnesota Morris, who has the actual worst; but Northwestern isn't far behind. If the paper matchup says anything, it would be that Morris won't be able to get anything going in this one. Northwestern will have to hope that they can ride last weeks wave of 270 rushing yards to a score or two this weekend. Northwestern wins this one, 17-6.
MacMurray at Westminster - This one should be a little scary for MacMurray. If they lose this one, it effectively eliminates them from UMAC championship contention. Westminster has been good at home, and like I said over and over again at the beginning of the year, they hold that wild card presence. If I were MacMurray, I would not be taking this one lightly, especially in wake of last week's loss. I think MacMurray will get back on track though and win this one, 28-21.
Martin Luther at Crown - Crown's defense has been horrendous this year, both in terms of scoring and yardage. While Martin Luther's defense hasn't been anything really special, their offense has been effective when they are able to run the ball. If Crown's offense is able to keep up in this one, I'd say were going to be up for a shootout. I think Crown takes this one at home, 35-28.
Man, it's been a fun few weeks. Eureka beats MacMurray, and now we have these huge matchups this week and next that will determine the UMAC champion. It'll be fun to see who gets the honor of UMAC champ and the honor to get stomped in the first round of the NCAA DIII playoffs. But hey, if you make it there, you have that to hang your hat on at least. Let's just enjoy these last few weeks of college football, and have some fun! I'll try to update everyone on the results of games on Saturday through Twitter and Facebook, stay tuned in anticipation of the unfolding of the UMAC.
28-7 before this weeks picks. Can I go 5-0 for the third week in a row? We will see...
St. Scholastica at Eureka - Is there any doubt that this is the game of the week? In fact, I think this is the actual UMAC game of the week. This is going to be a great matchup, pitting one of the better offenses in the UMAC against the best defense in the UMAC. Eureka made short work against what was possibly the best offense in the UMAC last week, and I think being at home without a long road trip will bode well for them. Their offense will keep rolling with LeAnthony Reasnover leading the charge. I'm rolling with Eureka as long as they're rolling. I say they win in a close one, 28-24.
Greenville at Iowa Wesleyan - This game should be an interesting one, although meaningless save for some pride. Greenville has been mediocre at best, even though they were able to pull off an upset against a decent Northwestern defense. Iowa Wesleyan has been straight up bad, only defeating the last two teams in the UMAC, Crown and Minnesota Morris. They did beat Morris just last week, and they are at home, but I'm still going with the better team on paper. Greenville wins, 35-28.
Northwestern at Minnesota Morris - Northwestern has had a solid defense all year, but has not been able to take advantage as their offense has literally been the worst in the UMAC. Oops, I forgot about Minnesota Morris, who has the actual worst; but Northwestern isn't far behind. If the paper matchup says anything, it would be that Morris won't be able to get anything going in this one. Northwestern will have to hope that they can ride last weeks wave of 270 rushing yards to a score or two this weekend. Northwestern wins this one, 17-6.
MacMurray at Westminster - This one should be a little scary for MacMurray. If they lose this one, it effectively eliminates them from UMAC championship contention. Westminster has been good at home, and like I said over and over again at the beginning of the year, they hold that wild card presence. If I were MacMurray, I would not be taking this one lightly, especially in wake of last week's loss. I think MacMurray will get back on track though and win this one, 28-21.
Martin Luther at Crown - Crown's defense has been horrendous this year, both in terms of scoring and yardage. While Martin Luther's defense hasn't been anything really special, their offense has been effective when they are able to run the ball. If Crown's offense is able to keep up in this one, I'd say were going to be up for a shootout. I think Crown takes this one at home, 35-28.
Man, it's been a fun few weeks. Eureka beats MacMurray, and now we have these huge matchups this week and next that will determine the UMAC champion. It'll be fun to see who gets the honor of UMAC champ and the honor to get stomped in the first round of the NCAA DIII playoffs. But hey, if you make it there, you have that to hang your hat on at least. Let's just enjoy these last few weeks of college football, and have some fun! I'll try to update everyone on the results of games on Saturday through Twitter and Facebook, stay tuned in anticipation of the unfolding of the UMAC.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Week Eight Review
A huge game and win for Eureka this week, as they continue to take control of their own destiny. They will still most likely need to win out to capture the UMAC championship, but they took a huge step in the right direction. We'll go over all the remaining scenarios that have yet to play out, but first let's take a look at last weekend's games.
Eureka 37, MacMurray 20 - A convincing road win for the hottest team in the UMAC. Eureka's LeAnthony Reasnover led the steamrolling Eureka rushing attack with a career-high 274 yards and 3 TDs en route to a UMAC Player of the Week award. With the incredible performance, Reasnover passed UMAC rival Chazz Middlebrook and is now the conference rushing leader with 1,227 yards. MacMurray seemed to play it safe again with Middlebrook, who only had 18 yards on 5 attempts. Without Chazz, MacMurray turned to the air with QB Nathan Randall, who passed for 252 yards and a TD, but also tossed 3 interceptions. MacMurray WR Demetrius Curry had a day with 3 receptions for 145 yards and a TD, but it wasn't enough, as Eureka's defense was able to hold the previously 11th ranked offense to 317 yards and forced them to abandon their normally solid running game. RB Marquez Ellison did score 2 rushing TDs, but was unable to get much else going and finished with only 52 yards on 22 attempts. This was a statement by the red-hot Eureka defense, and they hope to back up that statement when they take on current UMAC leader St. Scholastica in Illinois this weekend. MacMurray will hope to pick their heads up at Westminster this week.
Northwestern 30, Martin Luther 14 - Northwestern cruised past Martin Luther with possibly their most productive offensive performance to date this season. While it didn't bump them out of the UMAC offensive cellar, they were able to put up 390 total yards (150 more than their per game average) and put away the Knights in New Ulm. Eight different Northwestern players had rush attempts on their way to 270 rushing yards, and three of those rushers had rushing touchdowns. While this game didn't prove anything that we didn't already know, it probably felt good for the Eagles to pull themselves up to an even record. Martin Luther still has a shot at an even or winning record this year, a pretty impressive feat the year after an 0-10 season. They will hope to spoil Crown's homecoming next week, while Northwestern will make the trip to Morris to take on the Cougars.
Minnesota Morris 17, Iowa Wesleyan 24 - Iowa Wesleyan scored 18 unanswered points in the 3rd and 4th quarter to come back and win the battle that everyone forgot was happening. While it ended up being an exciting finish, this game was lost in the rest of the UMAC shuffle, as both of these teams will finish with forgettable losing records. Iowa Wesleyan QB DeMarcus Collins was able to spark the Tigers offense by passing for 119 yards and a TD and rushing for 65 yards and 2 TDs. RB Akenyon Bagley added 86 yards and a TD on the ground, and DB Joseph Mosley earned defensive UMAC player of the week with a solid effort including 13 tackles, 2 TFL, a forced fumble, an interception, 2 pass breakups and a punt block. Other than that; there wasn't much to see here. The two teams combined for 445 total yards, which the 3rd lowest total in the conference for the year (1st - Westminster/Minnesota-Morris with 406, 2nd - Northwestern/Iowa Wesleyan with 425). Minnesota Morris will host Northwestern this weekend, while Iowa Wesleyan will host Greenville.
Westminster 24, Greenville 14 - Westminster's QB Trent White had another solid game, throwing for 190 yards and 2 TDs, while 2015 UMAC offensive player of the year Latif Adams ran for 140 yards and a score, which was a season-high for him. Greenville was able to move the ball, but wasn't able to capitalize on the offensive production. Greenville RB Johnny Pruitt rushed for 111 yards and QB George Harris passed for 137, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers fell to the Blue Jays. Defensively for Westminster, DL Clayton Bristol racked up 9 tackles including 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as Westminster improved to a 4-3 UMAC record. They will host MacMurray next week and hope to play spoiler again to the shocked Highlanders, while Greenville will travel to Iowa Wesleyan hoping to improve on their conference record.
St. Scholastica 49, Crown 21 - This game was just a wee bit closer than the score suggests. While St. Scholastica racked up 465 total yards on just 50 offensive plays, Crown was down by two scores late in the third quarter before St. Scholastica was able to put them away for good. CSS QB Zach Edwards passed for 235 yards and 4 TDs, and two rushers - Jeff Lemay and Jack Peru - went for over 100 yards on the ground, with 122 and 112 respectively. The CSS WR duo of Hunter Thompson and Aaron Olson combined for 217 yards and all 4 TD catches, and Scholastica rolled over Crown. For Crown, RB Derek Chilcoate was able to grind out 121 yards and a score on the ground. Crown's offense was able to keep them competitive, but their defense gave up a ton of big plays; Scholastica only possessed the ball for 21:36 of the game but were still able to out-gain and out-score Crown. Side-note to this game though; I was there, and with the score 42-21 and only 3:22 left in the game, St. Scholastica was still passing, and not just to keep the clock running. A hook-and-ladder pass to a lineman was completed for a TD out of a swinging gate formation on the drive, but was called back for holding, and a backwards pass to a different lineman was also attempted. I'm not gonna name-call or anything, but if I were a coach, I'd probably just run the ball in that kind of situation. I just don't think trick plays when you're up by 21 are really necessary. In any case, the game was out of reach and it didn't really matter. St. Scholastica will travel to Eureka next week in a huge UMAC matchup, and Crown will host Martin Luther for homecoming.
There are only two weeks of regular season football left in the year, and only one team will get the chance to play another game, and probably get obliterated by the MIAC champion. There are still three teams in the running: Eureka, St. Scholastica, and MacMurray, that are all vying for the UMAC crown. There are still some pretty interesting possibilities in these last two weeks, as Eureka plays St. Scholastica next week and MacMurray takes Scholastica on in the last week of the regular season. Let's go through all the possibilities for the UMAC championship, shall we?
Eureka - With their win over MacMurray last week, they're on the right track, but it's not all sunshine and butterflies. Due to their early season loss to Northwestern way back in week two, their best chance at being the owner of a UMAC championship is to beat St. Scholastica this week, and finish off the year with a victory over Martin Luther. Winning out would guarantee them the championship, as they would hold the head-to-head win if either MacMurray or St. Scholastica were to finish with the same conference record. If they were to lose either of their remaining games, they would be out of the running, as either MacMurray or St. Scholastica will finish with only one conference loss. The only scenario where Eureka can pull off a championship with two conference losses is if they defeat St. Scholastica and somehow lose to Martin Luther, and MacMurray also defeats St. Scholastica but loses to Westminster next week. In that case, all three teams would end up with a 7-2 conference record, but Eureka will have defeated both of them.
St. Scholastica - It's kind of weird, but none of these teams really has an "easy" path to the UMAC championship. While St. Scholastica is the UMAC leader at this point, they play two huge UMAC showdowns, and if they lose even one, it is very possible that they will miss out on the championship. If they beat Eureka, the only way they clinch the championship is with a win over MacMurray in week 10 or if MacMurray loses to Westminster next week. In this scenario, they would actually be able to clinch the conference this weekend. If they are unable to defeat Eureka, they need to beat MacMurray and pray that Eureka falls to Martin Luther in week 10. If they win both of their remaining games, they would finish with an undefeated conference record and would be the undisputed champs of the UMAC.
MacMurray - The Mac fam still has a potentially unnerving matchup against Westminster this week. If they were to get back on track and defeat them, the last game of the year against St. Scholastica is almost certain to decide the UMAC champion. If MacMurray were to defeat both Westminster and St. Scholastica, Eureka's final two games would determine who the champion would be. If Eureka defeats St. Scholastica and Martin Luther, they would own identical conference records with Eureka holding the head-to-head win. If Eureka were to lose to either St. Scholastica or Martin Luther, they would be out of the running with at least two conference losses, and MacMurray would own the head-to-head win over St. Scholastica, which would make them the new UMAC champs. See above for scenario including losing to Westminster but defeating St. Scholastica.
So, to summarize:
If Eureka wins their final two games, they will be conference champs.
If St. Scholastica wins their final two games, they will be conference champs.
If MacMurray wins their final two games, it depends on the results of Eureka's final two games.
The St. Scholastica - MacMurray game will likely decide the conference champion.
Buckle up, folks. It's gonna be a fun ride.
Eureka 37, MacMurray 20 - A convincing road win for the hottest team in the UMAC. Eureka's LeAnthony Reasnover led the steamrolling Eureka rushing attack with a career-high 274 yards and 3 TDs en route to a UMAC Player of the Week award. With the incredible performance, Reasnover passed UMAC rival Chazz Middlebrook and is now the conference rushing leader with 1,227 yards. MacMurray seemed to play it safe again with Middlebrook, who only had 18 yards on 5 attempts. Without Chazz, MacMurray turned to the air with QB Nathan Randall, who passed for 252 yards and a TD, but also tossed 3 interceptions. MacMurray WR Demetrius Curry had a day with 3 receptions for 145 yards and a TD, but it wasn't enough, as Eureka's defense was able to hold the previously 11th ranked offense to 317 yards and forced them to abandon their normally solid running game. RB Marquez Ellison did score 2 rushing TDs, but was unable to get much else going and finished with only 52 yards on 22 attempts. This was a statement by the red-hot Eureka defense, and they hope to back up that statement when they take on current UMAC leader St. Scholastica in Illinois this weekend. MacMurray will hope to pick their heads up at Westminster this week.
Northwestern 30, Martin Luther 14 - Northwestern cruised past Martin Luther with possibly their most productive offensive performance to date this season. While it didn't bump them out of the UMAC offensive cellar, they were able to put up 390 total yards (150 more than their per game average) and put away the Knights in New Ulm. Eight different Northwestern players had rush attempts on their way to 270 rushing yards, and three of those rushers had rushing touchdowns. While this game didn't prove anything that we didn't already know, it probably felt good for the Eagles to pull themselves up to an even record. Martin Luther still has a shot at an even or winning record this year, a pretty impressive feat the year after an 0-10 season. They will hope to spoil Crown's homecoming next week, while Northwestern will make the trip to Morris to take on the Cougars.
Minnesota Morris 17, Iowa Wesleyan 24 - Iowa Wesleyan scored 18 unanswered points in the 3rd and 4th quarter to come back and win the battle that everyone forgot was happening. While it ended up being an exciting finish, this game was lost in the rest of the UMAC shuffle, as both of these teams will finish with forgettable losing records. Iowa Wesleyan QB DeMarcus Collins was able to spark the Tigers offense by passing for 119 yards and a TD and rushing for 65 yards and 2 TDs. RB Akenyon Bagley added 86 yards and a TD on the ground, and DB Joseph Mosley earned defensive UMAC player of the week with a solid effort including 13 tackles, 2 TFL, a forced fumble, an interception, 2 pass breakups and a punt block. Other than that; there wasn't much to see here. The two teams combined for 445 total yards, which the 3rd lowest total in the conference for the year (1st - Westminster/Minnesota-Morris with 406, 2nd - Northwestern/Iowa Wesleyan with 425). Minnesota Morris will host Northwestern this weekend, while Iowa Wesleyan will host Greenville.
Westminster 24, Greenville 14 - Westminster's QB Trent White had another solid game, throwing for 190 yards and 2 TDs, while 2015 UMAC offensive player of the year Latif Adams ran for 140 yards and a score, which was a season-high for him. Greenville was able to move the ball, but wasn't able to capitalize on the offensive production. Greenville RB Johnny Pruitt rushed for 111 yards and QB George Harris passed for 137, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers fell to the Blue Jays. Defensively for Westminster, DL Clayton Bristol racked up 9 tackles including 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss as Westminster improved to a 4-3 UMAC record. They will host MacMurray next week and hope to play spoiler again to the shocked Highlanders, while Greenville will travel to Iowa Wesleyan hoping to improve on their conference record.
St. Scholastica 49, Crown 21 - This game was just a wee bit closer than the score suggests. While St. Scholastica racked up 465 total yards on just 50 offensive plays, Crown was down by two scores late in the third quarter before St. Scholastica was able to put them away for good. CSS QB Zach Edwards passed for 235 yards and 4 TDs, and two rushers - Jeff Lemay and Jack Peru - went for over 100 yards on the ground, with 122 and 112 respectively. The CSS WR duo of Hunter Thompson and Aaron Olson combined for 217 yards and all 4 TD catches, and Scholastica rolled over Crown. For Crown, RB Derek Chilcoate was able to grind out 121 yards and a score on the ground. Crown's offense was able to keep them competitive, but their defense gave up a ton of big plays; Scholastica only possessed the ball for 21:36 of the game but were still able to out-gain and out-score Crown. Side-note to this game though; I was there, and with the score 42-21 and only 3:22 left in the game, St. Scholastica was still passing, and not just to keep the clock running. A hook-and-ladder pass to a lineman was completed for a TD out of a swinging gate formation on the drive, but was called back for holding, and a backwards pass to a different lineman was also attempted. I'm not gonna name-call or anything, but if I were a coach, I'd probably just run the ball in that kind of situation. I just don't think trick plays when you're up by 21 are really necessary. In any case, the game was out of reach and it didn't really matter. St. Scholastica will travel to Eureka next week in a huge UMAC matchup, and Crown will host Martin Luther for homecoming.
There are only two weeks of regular season football left in the year, and only one team will get the chance to play another game, and probably get obliterated by the MIAC champion. There are still three teams in the running: Eureka, St. Scholastica, and MacMurray, that are all vying for the UMAC crown. There are still some pretty interesting possibilities in these last two weeks, as Eureka plays St. Scholastica next week and MacMurray takes Scholastica on in the last week of the regular season. Let's go through all the possibilities for the UMAC championship, shall we?
Eureka - With their win over MacMurray last week, they're on the right track, but it's not all sunshine and butterflies. Due to their early season loss to Northwestern way back in week two, their best chance at being the owner of a UMAC championship is to beat St. Scholastica this week, and finish off the year with a victory over Martin Luther. Winning out would guarantee them the championship, as they would hold the head-to-head win if either MacMurray or St. Scholastica were to finish with the same conference record. If they were to lose either of their remaining games, they would be out of the running, as either MacMurray or St. Scholastica will finish with only one conference loss. The only scenario where Eureka can pull off a championship with two conference losses is if they defeat St. Scholastica and somehow lose to Martin Luther, and MacMurray also defeats St. Scholastica but loses to Westminster next week. In that case, all three teams would end up with a 7-2 conference record, but Eureka will have defeated both of them.
St. Scholastica - It's kind of weird, but none of these teams really has an "easy" path to the UMAC championship. While St. Scholastica is the UMAC leader at this point, they play two huge UMAC showdowns, and if they lose even one, it is very possible that they will miss out on the championship. If they beat Eureka, the only way they clinch the championship is with a win over MacMurray in week 10 or if MacMurray loses to Westminster next week. In this scenario, they would actually be able to clinch the conference this weekend. If they are unable to defeat Eureka, they need to beat MacMurray and pray that Eureka falls to Martin Luther in week 10. If they win both of their remaining games, they would finish with an undefeated conference record and would be the undisputed champs of the UMAC.
MacMurray - The Mac fam still has a potentially unnerving matchup against Westminster this week. If they were to get back on track and defeat them, the last game of the year against St. Scholastica is almost certain to decide the UMAC champion. If MacMurray were to defeat both Westminster and St. Scholastica, Eureka's final two games would determine who the champion would be. If Eureka defeats St. Scholastica and Martin Luther, they would own identical conference records with Eureka holding the head-to-head win. If Eureka were to lose to either St. Scholastica or Martin Luther, they would be out of the running with at least two conference losses, and MacMurray would own the head-to-head win over St. Scholastica, which would make them the new UMAC champs. See above for scenario including losing to Westminster but defeating St. Scholastica.
So, to summarize:
If Eureka wins their final two games, they will be conference champs.
If St. Scholastica wins their final two games, they will be conference champs.
If MacMurray wins their final two games, it depends on the results of Eureka's final two games.
The St. Scholastica - MacMurray game will likely decide the conference champion.
Buckle up, folks. It's gonna be a fun ride.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Week Eight Picks
We have our first big end-of-the-year matchup this week that will have a major impact on the conference standings. It might be difficult to be undefeated in picks again this week, but here goes:
Eureka at MacMurray - Game of the week right here. In fact, it might be the game of the season up until this point. Eureka has been on a crazy hot streak, winning their last 5 games with an average of 43.8 points per game and 257.8 rushing yards per game. MacMurray's defense is no pushover though, only allowing 16.9 points per game and 303.6 yards per game. RB Chazz Middlebrook apparently has been nursing an injury and was held out of last weeks game, but will be back this week and will face his toughest test of the year; a Eureka defense that has only allowed 84.6 yards rushing per game. This is gonna be a good one. I think Eureka's defense gets the best of Middlebrook and the MacMurray offense and wins, 17-14.
Northwestern at Martin Luther - Martin Luther is better, but they still aren't good yet. Northwestern just barely falls into that category this year, but their solid defense will be able to handle the Martin Luther offensive attack. Low scoring has been the name of the game for Northwestern, and I'm guessing this one won't be much different. Northwestern wins, 21-14.
Minnesota Morris at Iowa Wesleyan - If these two teams weren't 1-5 and the result of this game wasn't utterly meaningless, I might think about throwing the game of the week title on this one. Two just about equally bad teams going at it means we may actually get a good game of football. I'll take the home team in this one, 42-35.
Westminster at Greenville - Here's another one that could be a great matchup. It all depends on which Westminster team shows up; the one that got destroyed by Eureka 48-6 in week six, or the one that showed up on the road and beat the snot out of Crown last week. I think the latter occurs and Westminster takes it, 35-21.
St. Scholastica at Crown - Scholastica showed up last week in a rout of Martin Luther, and even though they are on the road, I think they will continue their winning ways against the last-place and only winless team in the UMAC. Crown has a lot of growing to do before they can be competitive in games like these. CSS pounds Crown, 42-14.
The fate of the UMAC rests on the Eureka-MacMurray game this weekend. Will MacMurray continue their undefeated dominance and stroll into the last game of the year with the UMAC championship on the line, or will Eureka stage the upset and argue their case for the UMAC crown? St. Scholastica has big games against these teams in the last two weeks, and a loss for Eureka effectively eliminates them from championship contention. It's getting down to the nitty-gritty here in the UMAC! Hold onto your butts for some great late season competition!
Eureka at MacMurray - Game of the week right here. In fact, it might be the game of the season up until this point. Eureka has been on a crazy hot streak, winning their last 5 games with an average of 43.8 points per game and 257.8 rushing yards per game. MacMurray's defense is no pushover though, only allowing 16.9 points per game and 303.6 yards per game. RB Chazz Middlebrook apparently has been nursing an injury and was held out of last weeks game, but will be back this week and will face his toughest test of the year; a Eureka defense that has only allowed 84.6 yards rushing per game. This is gonna be a good one. I think Eureka's defense gets the best of Middlebrook and the MacMurray offense and wins, 17-14.
Northwestern at Martin Luther - Martin Luther is better, but they still aren't good yet. Northwestern just barely falls into that category this year, but their solid defense will be able to handle the Martin Luther offensive attack. Low scoring has been the name of the game for Northwestern, and I'm guessing this one won't be much different. Northwestern wins, 21-14.
Minnesota Morris at Iowa Wesleyan - If these two teams weren't 1-5 and the result of this game wasn't utterly meaningless, I might think about throwing the game of the week title on this one. Two just about equally bad teams going at it means we may actually get a good game of football. I'll take the home team in this one, 42-35.
Westminster at Greenville - Here's another one that could be a great matchup. It all depends on which Westminster team shows up; the one that got destroyed by Eureka 48-6 in week six, or the one that showed up on the road and beat the snot out of Crown last week. I think the latter occurs and Westminster takes it, 35-21.
St. Scholastica at Crown - Scholastica showed up last week in a rout of Martin Luther, and even though they are on the road, I think they will continue their winning ways against the last-place and only winless team in the UMAC. Crown has a lot of growing to do before they can be competitive in games like these. CSS pounds Crown, 42-14.
The fate of the UMAC rests on the Eureka-MacMurray game this weekend. Will MacMurray continue their undefeated dominance and stroll into the last game of the year with the UMAC championship on the line, or will Eureka stage the upset and argue their case for the UMAC crown? St. Scholastica has big games against these teams in the last two weeks, and a loss for Eureka effectively eliminates them from championship contention. It's getting down to the nitty-gritty here in the UMAC! Hold onto your butts for some great late season competition!
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Week Seven Review
Heyyyy, I went 5-0 in my picks this week. Not really much of an accomplishment, as it was possibly the most predictable week of UMAC football, but that also meant no upsets. Upsets are always fun. There are only three weeks of UMAC football left, and we've got some big and important matchups coming up, starting with next week. But first, lets take a look at last weekend, shall we?
Crown 15, Westminster 56 - I picked Westminster to take this one in a close game. I was definitely wrong about the close game part. It seemed like I was heading in the right direction, as Crown was actually up 9-7 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter, but Westminster reeled off 36 straight points including 3 TD runs from QB Trent White, who ended the game with 137 rushing yards. Westminster RB Chase Abbington also added an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD at the beginning of the second half, along with 77 rushing yards and a score. Crown's only score after the start of Westminster's run was a 48-yard fumble return for a score by DB Sebastian Alvarado who pitched it to LB Jeremiah Jones. While Crown's offense isn't the worst in the UMAC, they haven't been reliable enough to win any games. That isn't likely to change next week, as they host St. Scholastica in a late season matchup. Westminster will travel to Greenville to take on the Panthers next week.
Greenville 19, Eureka 30 - Eureka continued their hot streak with a solid victory over Greenville. This was a fairly well contested bout, as Greenville was able to move the ball while the defense bent but did not break. Eureka's defense shined yet again, and LB Chris Friend was all over the field with 21 tackles. LeAnthony Reasnover paved the way for Eureka's offense, with 93 rushing yards going for 3 TDs and a reception that went for 46 yards and a score as well. Reasnover now has a school record 16 rushing TDs on the year, which also overtook MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook for the conference lead. For Greenville, QB George Harris threw for 147 yards and 3 TDs, 2 of them to WR Derek Griefzu. Eureka cruised to their 5th consecutive win, but face perhaps their toughest challenge yet next week in MacMurray. Greenville will host Westminster in an interesting middle-of-the-UMAC matchup.
Martin Luther 21, St. Scholastica 56 - Aha, there's the St. Scholastica we all know and love, or at least love to hate. CSS built up a 42-0 lead by halftime, utterly destroying Martin Luther's optimistic outlook on the season. They do have something to hang their hat on though, as they still have a chance at a winning season just a year post-0-10 season. Scholastica QB Zach Edwards threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs, 2 of them to WR Hunter Thompson, who ended the game with 107 receiving yards. Thompson now is tied for the conference lead in receiving TDs on the year with 7, and Edwards leads the conference in TD tosses with 17. CSS RB Ben Bethue scored 2 TDs on the ground and RB Jack Peru returned a kick 77 yards for a score and the Saints rolled over the poor Knights. Martin Luther QB Ian Paulsen managed 146 yards and 2 TDs passing, and RB Elliot Butler gained 87 yards and a TD on the ground, but to no avail. St. Scholastica heads to Crown next week to take on the Storm, while Martin Luther hosts Northwestern.
Iowa Wesleyan 7, Northwestern 29 - While Northwestern posted their highest point total of the year, they were still only able to muster 259 yards of offense. But that is apparently enough when your stifling defense holds your normally offensively competent opponent to 166 total yards and 9 yards passing. Iowa Wesleyan had to turn to freshman QB DeMarcus Collins, who wasn't able to get the passing game going but was able to scrounge up 112 rushing yards and a TD. On Northwestern's side, RB Payton Bowdry rushed for 92 yards and RB Dom McDew rushed for 2 TDs. More importantly on the defensive side, Northwestern's LB Gideon Burnham recorded 3 sacks, and three different players picked off three different Iowa Wesleyan passers. One of those defenders was DB Nick Swore, who leads the UMAC with 5 interceptions this year. Iowa Wesleyan looks to get back on track next week in a winnable matchup vs. Minnesota Morris at home, and Northwestern heads to New Ulm to take on the battered Martin Luther Knights.
MacMurray 49, Minnesota Morris 13 - MacMurray flexed their muscles against Minnesota Morris, racking up 522 yards of total offense on the way to their seventh consecutive victory this season. They start a tough stretch the next few games, with Eureka next week and St. Scholastica the last week of the year, so they will really find out what they are made of down the home stretch. Because I'm not a real sports reporter, I don't know for sure what happened to MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook, who only had 1 carry for 1 yard; I'm assuming he was lost to injury, and if that was the case, hopefully he will be back next week, as they will need him badly to take on the best defense in the UMAC. In his absence, MacMurray's offense kept rolling though, as QB Nathan Randall fed on the Morris defense with 364 passing yards and 2 TDs. MacMurray RB Marquez Ellison stepped up and ran for 116 yards and 4 TDs in Middlebrook's place, proving that this offensive line is a force to be reckoned with. MacMurray defensive star Javon Muhammad was held without a sack or TFL, but the defense held strong, picking off Morris QB Justin Masloski 4 times; 2 of them by DB Chris Blanchard, one of which went 84 yards for a TD. MacMurray host Eureka in a huge UMAC showdown next week, while Minnesota Morris treks to Iowa Wesleyan in a battle of 1-6 teams.
Here's what we learned this week:
Pretty much nothing. None of these games really showed us anything that we didn't already know, maybe save the absence of MacMurray superstar Chazz Middlebrook. The Mac fam better hope he is able to play next week, or hope that RB Marquez Ellison can be a formidable fill-in, as they face the #7 nationally ranked defense in DIII football. It's gonna be a fun ride, as the unstoppable force of the UMAC (MacMurray's offense) meets the immovable object of the UMAC (Eureka's defense).
I am now 23-7 in my picks for those of you who care (probably none of you), and I'm pretty darn proud of that. If it weren't for those meddling Knights of Martin Luther, I might be even better off. I've got a tough task ahead of me though, with these big-time late season matchups. I'll say that I will be 35-10 at the end of the year; I'll give myself one loss each week. #goals
Also, to vote for the UMAC Play of the Week which includes Crown's fumble recovery and Blanchard's interception return, check out this link.
Crown 15, Westminster 56 - I picked Westminster to take this one in a close game. I was definitely wrong about the close game part. It seemed like I was heading in the right direction, as Crown was actually up 9-7 with 7:22 remaining in the second quarter, but Westminster reeled off 36 straight points including 3 TD runs from QB Trent White, who ended the game with 137 rushing yards. Westminster RB Chase Abbington also added an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD at the beginning of the second half, along with 77 rushing yards and a score. Crown's only score after the start of Westminster's run was a 48-yard fumble return for a score by DB Sebastian Alvarado who pitched it to LB Jeremiah Jones. While Crown's offense isn't the worst in the UMAC, they haven't been reliable enough to win any games. That isn't likely to change next week, as they host St. Scholastica in a late season matchup. Westminster will travel to Greenville to take on the Panthers next week.
Greenville 19, Eureka 30 - Eureka continued their hot streak with a solid victory over Greenville. This was a fairly well contested bout, as Greenville was able to move the ball while the defense bent but did not break. Eureka's defense shined yet again, and LB Chris Friend was all over the field with 21 tackles. LeAnthony Reasnover paved the way for Eureka's offense, with 93 rushing yards going for 3 TDs and a reception that went for 46 yards and a score as well. Reasnover now has a school record 16 rushing TDs on the year, which also overtook MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook for the conference lead. For Greenville, QB George Harris threw for 147 yards and 3 TDs, 2 of them to WR Derek Griefzu. Eureka cruised to their 5th consecutive win, but face perhaps their toughest challenge yet next week in MacMurray. Greenville will host Westminster in an interesting middle-of-the-UMAC matchup.
Martin Luther 21, St. Scholastica 56 - Aha, there's the St. Scholastica we all know and love, or at least love to hate. CSS built up a 42-0 lead by halftime, utterly destroying Martin Luther's optimistic outlook on the season. They do have something to hang their hat on though, as they still have a chance at a winning season just a year post-0-10 season. Scholastica QB Zach Edwards threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs, 2 of them to WR Hunter Thompson, who ended the game with 107 receiving yards. Thompson now is tied for the conference lead in receiving TDs on the year with 7, and Edwards leads the conference in TD tosses with 17. CSS RB Ben Bethue scored 2 TDs on the ground and RB Jack Peru returned a kick 77 yards for a score and the Saints rolled over the poor Knights. Martin Luther QB Ian Paulsen managed 146 yards and 2 TDs passing, and RB Elliot Butler gained 87 yards and a TD on the ground, but to no avail. St. Scholastica heads to Crown next week to take on the Storm, while Martin Luther hosts Northwestern.
Iowa Wesleyan 7, Northwestern 29 - While Northwestern posted their highest point total of the year, they were still only able to muster 259 yards of offense. But that is apparently enough when your stifling defense holds your normally offensively competent opponent to 166 total yards and 9 yards passing. Iowa Wesleyan had to turn to freshman QB DeMarcus Collins, who wasn't able to get the passing game going but was able to scrounge up 112 rushing yards and a TD. On Northwestern's side, RB Payton Bowdry rushed for 92 yards and RB Dom McDew rushed for 2 TDs. More importantly on the defensive side, Northwestern's LB Gideon Burnham recorded 3 sacks, and three different players picked off three different Iowa Wesleyan passers. One of those defenders was DB Nick Swore, who leads the UMAC with 5 interceptions this year. Iowa Wesleyan looks to get back on track next week in a winnable matchup vs. Minnesota Morris at home, and Northwestern heads to New Ulm to take on the battered Martin Luther Knights.
MacMurray 49, Minnesota Morris 13 - MacMurray flexed their muscles against Minnesota Morris, racking up 522 yards of total offense on the way to their seventh consecutive victory this season. They start a tough stretch the next few games, with Eureka next week and St. Scholastica the last week of the year, so they will really find out what they are made of down the home stretch. Because I'm not a real sports reporter, I don't know for sure what happened to MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook, who only had 1 carry for 1 yard; I'm assuming he was lost to injury, and if that was the case, hopefully he will be back next week, as they will need him badly to take on the best defense in the UMAC. In his absence, MacMurray's offense kept rolling though, as QB Nathan Randall fed on the Morris defense with 364 passing yards and 2 TDs. MacMurray RB Marquez Ellison stepped up and ran for 116 yards and 4 TDs in Middlebrook's place, proving that this offensive line is a force to be reckoned with. MacMurray defensive star Javon Muhammad was held without a sack or TFL, but the defense held strong, picking off Morris QB Justin Masloski 4 times; 2 of them by DB Chris Blanchard, one of which went 84 yards for a TD. MacMurray host Eureka in a huge UMAC showdown next week, while Minnesota Morris treks to Iowa Wesleyan in a battle of 1-6 teams.
Here's what we learned this week:
Pretty much nothing. None of these games really showed us anything that we didn't already know, maybe save the absence of MacMurray superstar Chazz Middlebrook. The Mac fam better hope he is able to play next week, or hope that RB Marquez Ellison can be a formidable fill-in, as they face the #7 nationally ranked defense in DIII football. It's gonna be a fun ride, as the unstoppable force of the UMAC (MacMurray's offense) meets the immovable object of the UMAC (Eureka's defense).
I am now 23-7 in my picks for those of you who care (probably none of you), and I'm pretty darn proud of that. If it weren't for those meddling Knights of Martin Luther, I might be even better off. I've got a tough task ahead of me though, with these big-time late season matchups. I'll say that I will be 35-10 at the end of the year; I'll give myself one loss each week. #goals
Also, to vote for the UMAC Play of the Week which includes Crown's fumble recovery and Blanchard's interception return, check out this link.
Friday, October 13, 2017
Week Seven Picks
Well, well, well. Here we are, at the beginning of another riveting weekend of UMAC football. While this week's games really don't seem like important matchups, don't be fooled; every matchup is an important one at this point in the year, as St. Scholastica found out last year when they were upset by Minnesota Morris in week eight and ended up conceding the UMAC crown for the first time (fully) since 2010. Let's take a look at the matchups, shall we?
Crown at Westminster - As I've said several times before this year, Westminster is a hard team to judge. They ball out one week, then get destroyed the next. I think they are overall a better team than Crown, and with them being at home, I'm going to go with them this week. I say Crown plays 'em tough, but the Blue Jays come out on top, 35-28.
Greenville at Eureka - Eureka has been on a crazy hot streak the past 4 weeks. They have been averaging over 40 points a game and have been holding their UMAC opponents to about 200 a game. Greenville's coming off a big win in Minnesota, but I don't think that will be enough to ride through the Red Devils. Eureka wins big in this one, 42-14.
Martin Luther at St. Scholastica - There is no doubt that Martin Luther is a much improved team, but to date the best team they have beat is Greenville, who is okay at best. They face much tougher challenges the last half of the season, starting with St. Scholastica at home this week. I predicted a blowout last week though, and St. Scholastica escaped with a closer win than expected. I'll still take Scholastica, but I'll say the score will be 38-28. I promise I'm not stealing that score from last week.
Iowa Wesleyan at Northwestern - Iowa Wesleyan stepped up and played well last week against St. Scholastica, but this week they face a tougher defense. While Northwestern's offense is straight up pathetic, I think they'll be able to lean on the D for another win this week, 14-7.
MacMurray at Minnesota Morris - MacMurray makes the long trip to Minnesota again this weekend, and I think the trip will be worth it for them. While Morris' defense hasn't been completely irrelevant, they won't be able to stop the train that is Chazz Middlebrook and the MacMurray offense. I think Chazz gets back on track with over 200 yards and the Highlanders win convincingly, 35-10.
I was 4-1 last week, with only Greenville surprising me with a clobbering of Crown in front of their home crowd. That makes me 18-7 overall, and I think I've got a pretty good chance to go 5-0 this week. I'll try to keep up with the games and keep everyone updated on twitter. To all players and coaches: good luck, and prove me wrong!
Crown at Westminster - As I've said several times before this year, Westminster is a hard team to judge. They ball out one week, then get destroyed the next. I think they are overall a better team than Crown, and with them being at home, I'm going to go with them this week. I say Crown plays 'em tough, but the Blue Jays come out on top, 35-28.
Greenville at Eureka - Eureka has been on a crazy hot streak the past 4 weeks. They have been averaging over 40 points a game and have been holding their UMAC opponents to about 200 a game. Greenville's coming off a big win in Minnesota, but I don't think that will be enough to ride through the Red Devils. Eureka wins big in this one, 42-14.
Martin Luther at St. Scholastica - There is no doubt that Martin Luther is a much improved team, but to date the best team they have beat is Greenville, who is okay at best. They face much tougher challenges the last half of the season, starting with St. Scholastica at home this week. I predicted a blowout last week though, and St. Scholastica escaped with a closer win than expected. I'll still take Scholastica, but I'll say the score will be 38-28. I promise I'm not stealing that score from last week.
Iowa Wesleyan at Northwestern - Iowa Wesleyan stepped up and played well last week against St. Scholastica, but this week they face a tougher defense. While Northwestern's offense is straight up pathetic, I think they'll be able to lean on the D for another win this week, 14-7.
MacMurray at Minnesota Morris - MacMurray makes the long trip to Minnesota again this weekend, and I think the trip will be worth it for them. While Morris' defense hasn't been completely irrelevant, they won't be able to stop the train that is Chazz Middlebrook and the MacMurray offense. I think Chazz gets back on track with over 200 yards and the Highlanders win convincingly, 35-10.
I was 4-1 last week, with only Greenville surprising me with a clobbering of Crown in front of their home crowd. That makes me 18-7 overall, and I think I've got a pretty good chance to go 5-0 this week. I'll try to keep up with the games and keep everyone updated on twitter. To all players and coaches: good luck, and prove me wrong!
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Week Six Review
The 2017 season is now on the downside. It's hard to believe over half the season is over, but here we are. We had a few surprising games this week, maybe not so much in the winners - but in the scores. A few blowouts and a few close ones this week, which made for an amusing week of football.
Greenville 59, Crown 6 - Oofda. This was a rough one. I admit I may have been biased in picking Crown to win, but I thought my reasoning was pretty solid. The Panthers must have been inspired by their road trip tour of Minnesota Viking's home in US Bank Stadium, because they kicked the snot out of the Storm. It was an offensive fireworks display put on by Greenville, as they lit it up with 558 yards of total offense. Greenville RB Isaih Ibarra led the way with 114 yards rushing, and QB George Harris threw for 220 yards and 3 TDs with WR Gregoire Franchomme catching all three and tacking on 123 receiving yards en route to the rout. There weren't many bright spots for Crown in this one; WR David McIntosh caught a TD pass to add to his UMAC-leading collection and now has 7, and LB Luke Edlund racked up 17 tackles which was only one short of the Crown school record. Other than that, it was pretty grim: Crown collaborated for only 238 yards of total offense including only 42 yards rushing and had five giveaways including 3 fumbles and 2 picks. Combine that with the 558 yards given up by the defense, and it's no wonder you don't win the game, let alone get throttled. Greenville and Crown both have tough matchups next week, with Crown voyaging to Westminster and Greenville doing battle with Eureka.
Westminster 6, Eureka 48 - Oofda #2. I definitely thought this one was going to be closer. Westminster could have saved themselves the 4 hour trip by calling Eureka up and forfeiting, and it may have been less embarrassing. Westminster had 79 total yards, and 45 of them came on their only scoring drive. Yikes. Westminster had only one player that had positive rushing yardage: RB Kalyn Davis, who finished with 45 yards. Eureka's defense was on point, recovering 4 fumbles and scoring on two of them, by LB Chris Friend and DL Ray Vogel. Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover had another good day, rushing for 108 yards and a TD. Eureka has looked really good over the past few weeks, which probably really makes them want that Northwestern game back. They have some big games on the schedule, with MacMurray in week eight and St. Scholastica in week nine. If they can defeat one or both of these teams, they could really throw a wrench into the UMAC standings. Eureka gets Greenville at home next week, while Westminster takes on Crown in Missouri.
Iowa Wesleyan 28, St. Scholastica 38 - I'm giving props to Iowa Wesleyan on this one. I didn't give them a chance at all, but they pulled within a field goal with 11 minutes left in the game on an 84-yard interception return by DB Craig Wrenn. Scholastica was able to put the game out of reach when RB Jeff Lemay scored his third TD of the day with 5:05 remaining in the contest. Lemay ended with 202 yards rushing, and QB Zach Edwards threw for 295 yards and 2 TDs. Nothing really stuck out on Iowa Wesleyan's side of things, as RB Jacquez Hall lead the team with 93 yards rushing, but they managed to stay close by playing opportunistic football. While Scholastica racked up 489 yards of total offense, Iowa Wesleyan's defense didn't break and was able to give them a chance at the end of the day. St. Scholastica takes on Martin Luther next week in Duluth, and Iowa Wesleyan travels to St. Paul to battle with Northwestern.
Northwestern 9, MacMurray 22 - With this loss, Northwestern was effectively eliminated from DIII playoff contention, as MacMurray and St. Scholastica would hold tie-breakers over Northwestern, and they have yet to play each other. Northwestern was yet again ineffective offensively, gaining only 157 total yards and throwing 3 interceptions. This was in part due to another monster day from MacMurray DL Javon Muhammad, who kept his torrent nation-leading pace by adding 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks, forcing a fumble, and intercepting a pass to boot. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook had another modest outing with 150 rushing yards and 2 TDs, and QB Nathan Randall threw for 191 yards and a TD on their way to a convincing UMAC victory. After this one, MacMurray is 6-0 and is setting their gaze on perennial UMAC power, St. Scholastica, who they will face in the season finale. Northwestern is now 2-4 on the year, but will try to scrounge together a winning season in the final four games of the campaign. They start their quest by taking on Iowa Wesleyan at home next week, and MacMurray treks to Morris to take on the Cougars.
Minnesota Morris 7, Martin Luther 14 - Weirdly, this is the exact same result as the week one contest between these two teams. Morris only was able to put together another sub-par offensive effort, ending the game with only 181 total yards, and Martin Luther was able to overcome three first half fumbles to improve to 4-2 on the year. Martin Luther QB Ian Paulsen threw for 195 yards and a score and ran for 95 yards, and WR Josh Arndt caught 6 passes for 102 yards. Morris wasn't able to get much going offensively, but LB Drew Shipley led the defensive charge with 15 tackles, 1 TFL, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. I don't really know if the result of this game tells us much, especially as the results are the exact same as week one. What it does tell us is that Morris and Martin Luther need to look outside of the UMAC for a week one matchup. Morris will host MacMurray next week, while Martin Luther battles St. Scholastica.
Here are a few things we learned this week:
1. MacMurray @ St. Scholastica will be the game of the year. I've mentioned it a few times throughout the year, but now that Northwestern is officially out, the race is getting tighter. Eureka still technically has a chance, but will probably have to beat both of them to make it happen. I'm 95% sure that this game will determine the UMAC champion.
2. Eureka is on a serious hot streak. They have scored 44 points or more in each of their last 4 games. Granted this stretch has not been against the upper tier UMAC teams, but this last win against Westminster was certainly impressive. The most yards Eureka's defense has allowed to a UMAC opponent has been 271 vs. Crown, and with their dominating performance against Westminster they took over the title as the best defense in the UMAC, allowing only 16.3 points and 210.7 yards per game. It will be very interesting to see if they can keep up the stellar defense and productive offense against St. Scholastica and MacMurray. Don't count Eureka out of it yet.
3. Crown is on a serious cold streak. The last remaining winless team in the UMAC has some catching up to do. The good news is that they have played some of the better teams thus far; but the bad news is they have also played (and lost to) some of the worst teams in the UMAC as well. Crown had a winless season in 2011, and they will hope to snatch a win or two on their way out to avoid the same fate. Crown is the third-to-last offense in the UMAC and is arguably the worst defense in the UMAC. They have been competitive in at least half of their games, however, so let's all hope for their sake and the UMAC's sake that they can pull off a win this year. The positive thing is, that they have been in this position before, and were able to be at least mediocre in the years following the dreaded 0-10 season. And take a look at the most recent resurrection in Martin Luther, who went 0-10 last year, but are currently 4-2. All hope is not lost. But, a lot of it is.
It's getting real here in the upper Midwest. Northwestern has been eliminated, and can't play spoiler as they have played all the contenders already. It comes down to St. Scholastica, MacMurray, and Eureka. We don't have any particularly huge matchups next week, but as we all know, any team can play spoilers at any time, so...lets see those upsets! Looking forward to the happenings in the UMAC down the stretch.
Greenville 59, Crown 6 - Oofda. This was a rough one. I admit I may have been biased in picking Crown to win, but I thought my reasoning was pretty solid. The Panthers must have been inspired by their road trip tour of Minnesota Viking's home in US Bank Stadium, because they kicked the snot out of the Storm. It was an offensive fireworks display put on by Greenville, as they lit it up with 558 yards of total offense. Greenville RB Isaih Ibarra led the way with 114 yards rushing, and QB George Harris threw for 220 yards and 3 TDs with WR Gregoire Franchomme catching all three and tacking on 123 receiving yards en route to the rout. There weren't many bright spots for Crown in this one; WR David McIntosh caught a TD pass to add to his UMAC-leading collection and now has 7, and LB Luke Edlund racked up 17 tackles which was only one short of the Crown school record. Other than that, it was pretty grim: Crown collaborated for only 238 yards of total offense including only 42 yards rushing and had five giveaways including 3 fumbles and 2 picks. Combine that with the 558 yards given up by the defense, and it's no wonder you don't win the game, let alone get throttled. Greenville and Crown both have tough matchups next week, with Crown voyaging to Westminster and Greenville doing battle with Eureka.
Westminster 6, Eureka 48 - Oofda #2. I definitely thought this one was going to be closer. Westminster could have saved themselves the 4 hour trip by calling Eureka up and forfeiting, and it may have been less embarrassing. Westminster had 79 total yards, and 45 of them came on their only scoring drive. Yikes. Westminster had only one player that had positive rushing yardage: RB Kalyn Davis, who finished with 45 yards. Eureka's defense was on point, recovering 4 fumbles and scoring on two of them, by LB Chris Friend and DL Ray Vogel. Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover had another good day, rushing for 108 yards and a TD. Eureka has looked really good over the past few weeks, which probably really makes them want that Northwestern game back. They have some big games on the schedule, with MacMurray in week eight and St. Scholastica in week nine. If they can defeat one or both of these teams, they could really throw a wrench into the UMAC standings. Eureka gets Greenville at home next week, while Westminster takes on Crown in Missouri.
Iowa Wesleyan 28, St. Scholastica 38 - I'm giving props to Iowa Wesleyan on this one. I didn't give them a chance at all, but they pulled within a field goal with 11 minutes left in the game on an 84-yard interception return by DB Craig Wrenn. Scholastica was able to put the game out of reach when RB Jeff Lemay scored his third TD of the day with 5:05 remaining in the contest. Lemay ended with 202 yards rushing, and QB Zach Edwards threw for 295 yards and 2 TDs. Nothing really stuck out on Iowa Wesleyan's side of things, as RB Jacquez Hall lead the team with 93 yards rushing, but they managed to stay close by playing opportunistic football. While Scholastica racked up 489 yards of total offense, Iowa Wesleyan's defense didn't break and was able to give them a chance at the end of the day. St. Scholastica takes on Martin Luther next week in Duluth, and Iowa Wesleyan travels to St. Paul to battle with Northwestern.
Northwestern 9, MacMurray 22 - With this loss, Northwestern was effectively eliminated from DIII playoff contention, as MacMurray and St. Scholastica would hold tie-breakers over Northwestern, and they have yet to play each other. Northwestern was yet again ineffective offensively, gaining only 157 total yards and throwing 3 interceptions. This was in part due to another monster day from MacMurray DL Javon Muhammad, who kept his torrent nation-leading pace by adding 4.5 TFL, 2 sacks, forcing a fumble, and intercepting a pass to boot. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook had another modest outing with 150 rushing yards and 2 TDs, and QB Nathan Randall threw for 191 yards and a TD on their way to a convincing UMAC victory. After this one, MacMurray is 6-0 and is setting their gaze on perennial UMAC power, St. Scholastica, who they will face in the season finale. Northwestern is now 2-4 on the year, but will try to scrounge together a winning season in the final four games of the campaign. They start their quest by taking on Iowa Wesleyan at home next week, and MacMurray treks to Morris to take on the Cougars.
Minnesota Morris 7, Martin Luther 14 - Weirdly, this is the exact same result as the week one contest between these two teams. Morris only was able to put together another sub-par offensive effort, ending the game with only 181 total yards, and Martin Luther was able to overcome three first half fumbles to improve to 4-2 on the year. Martin Luther QB Ian Paulsen threw for 195 yards and a score and ran for 95 yards, and WR Josh Arndt caught 6 passes for 102 yards. Morris wasn't able to get much going offensively, but LB Drew Shipley led the defensive charge with 15 tackles, 1 TFL, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. I don't really know if the result of this game tells us much, especially as the results are the exact same as week one. What it does tell us is that Morris and Martin Luther need to look outside of the UMAC for a week one matchup. Morris will host MacMurray next week, while Martin Luther battles St. Scholastica.
Here are a few things we learned this week:
1. MacMurray @ St. Scholastica will be the game of the year. I've mentioned it a few times throughout the year, but now that Northwestern is officially out, the race is getting tighter. Eureka still technically has a chance, but will probably have to beat both of them to make it happen. I'm 95% sure that this game will determine the UMAC champion.
2. Eureka is on a serious hot streak. They have scored 44 points or more in each of their last 4 games. Granted this stretch has not been against the upper tier UMAC teams, but this last win against Westminster was certainly impressive. The most yards Eureka's defense has allowed to a UMAC opponent has been 271 vs. Crown, and with their dominating performance against Westminster they took over the title as the best defense in the UMAC, allowing only 16.3 points and 210.7 yards per game. It will be very interesting to see if they can keep up the stellar defense and productive offense against St. Scholastica and MacMurray. Don't count Eureka out of it yet.
3. Crown is on a serious cold streak. The last remaining winless team in the UMAC has some catching up to do. The good news is that they have played some of the better teams thus far; but the bad news is they have also played (and lost to) some of the worst teams in the UMAC as well. Crown had a winless season in 2011, and they will hope to snatch a win or two on their way out to avoid the same fate. Crown is the third-to-last offense in the UMAC and is arguably the worst defense in the UMAC. They have been competitive in at least half of their games, however, so let's all hope for their sake and the UMAC's sake that they can pull off a win this year. The positive thing is, that they have been in this position before, and were able to be at least mediocre in the years following the dreaded 0-10 season. And take a look at the most recent resurrection in Martin Luther, who went 0-10 last year, but are currently 4-2. All hope is not lost. But, a lot of it is.
It's getting real here in the upper Midwest. Northwestern has been eliminated, and can't play spoiler as they have played all the contenders already. It comes down to St. Scholastica, MacMurray, and Eureka. We don't have any particularly huge matchups next week, but as we all know, any team can play spoilers at any time, so...lets see those upsets! Looking forward to the happenings in the UMAC down the stretch.
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Week Six Picks
Half the season is over already! Thank goodness NFL football goes until January, we can't be almost done with football season so soon! When the season completes and the UMAC champion inevitably gets beat down in the first round of DIII football playoffs, we need something to remind us of UMAC football; that something can be sitting on our couches watching Greenville alum Nicholas Morrow make tackles for the Oakland Raiders. But, until then, we've got some football to play.
Greenville at Crown - Whoo boy, this could be a good one. Greenville has been up and down this year, and not surprisingly, it has been correlated with where they are playing. They played Northwestern and Macmurray tough at home, but lost to Martin Luther after making the trip to Minnesota in week four. If that narrative holds true, I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick Crown. It's going to be a tight game either way, unless Greenville shows up and plays to their full potential. I think Crown is due. If we're being honest, I'd say Greenville has the better team, but I'm just feeling an upset. Crown wins 28-24.
Westminster at Eureka - If not for the obvious matchup, I'd say this game's got game of the week potential here. Westminster has shown that they have the talent to play with the upper tier teams in the UMAC, but the question will be, who shows up? Barely-beat-Minnesota-Morris Westminster, or blow-out-Martin-Luther Westminster? I think Eureka takes this one; being home is advantageous here, even though Westminster doesn't have a cross-country road trip. Eureka wins, 35-21.
Iowa Wesleyan at St. Scholastica - Do I have to give in depth analysis here? One of the best teams in the UMAC vs. one of the worst. This is also Scholastica's homecoming, so there will be no taking it easy. CSS spanks Iowa Wesleyan, 49-6.
Northwestern at MacMurray - Here is my actual game of the week pick. MacMurray is undefeated, but has not been playing very well lately, and Northwestern lost to Greenville last time they took a road trip. Northwestern needs to focus up and win out if they want a chance at the title, and MacMurray needs to shape up that #11 DIII ranked offense and get moving. MacMurray's offense is averaging 35 points a game and Northwestern's defense has only allowed more than 14 points to one UMAC opponent, so this should be a great matchup. I'm taking MacMurray in a close one, 14-10.
Minnesota Morris at Martin Luther - Now here's an interesting matchup: a team coming down from a hot streak and a team that just picked up its first win face off to see who will stay in the bottom tier of the UMAC. Martin Luther has proven that they have some talent, but is it enough to beat the bad teams and compete with the good ones? They will have to get over the shellacking they took at Westminster and get back on the horse. I think they do, and they beat Morris handily, 35-14.
I'm 14-6 overall in my picks right now...meh, not too shabby. Well, I'm still currently at work right now so it looks like I may not make it to a game this weekend. That also means I may not be tweeting/retweeting updates from around the UMAC until later today, but stay tuned in, as I may just stay up forever to be the best informant ever for the worst conference in DIII football...but probably not.
Greenville at Crown - Whoo boy, this could be a good one. Greenville has been up and down this year, and not surprisingly, it has been correlated with where they are playing. They played Northwestern and Macmurray tough at home, but lost to Martin Luther after making the trip to Minnesota in week four. If that narrative holds true, I'm gonna go out on a limb and pick Crown. It's going to be a tight game either way, unless Greenville shows up and plays to their full potential. I think Crown is due. If we're being honest, I'd say Greenville has the better team, but I'm just feeling an upset. Crown wins 28-24.
Westminster at Eureka - If not for the obvious matchup, I'd say this game's got game of the week potential here. Westminster has shown that they have the talent to play with the upper tier teams in the UMAC, but the question will be, who shows up? Barely-beat-Minnesota-Morris Westminster, or blow-out-Martin-Luther Westminster? I think Eureka takes this one; being home is advantageous here, even though Westminster doesn't have a cross-country road trip. Eureka wins, 35-21.
Iowa Wesleyan at St. Scholastica - Do I have to give in depth analysis here? One of the best teams in the UMAC vs. one of the worst. This is also Scholastica's homecoming, so there will be no taking it easy. CSS spanks Iowa Wesleyan, 49-6.
Northwestern at MacMurray - Here is my actual game of the week pick. MacMurray is undefeated, but has not been playing very well lately, and Northwestern lost to Greenville last time they took a road trip. Northwestern needs to focus up and win out if they want a chance at the title, and MacMurray needs to shape up that #11 DIII ranked offense and get moving. MacMurray's offense is averaging 35 points a game and Northwestern's defense has only allowed more than 14 points to one UMAC opponent, so this should be a great matchup. I'm taking MacMurray in a close one, 14-10.
Minnesota Morris at Martin Luther - Now here's an interesting matchup: a team coming down from a hot streak and a team that just picked up its first win face off to see who will stay in the bottom tier of the UMAC. Martin Luther has proven that they have some talent, but is it enough to beat the bad teams and compete with the good ones? They will have to get over the shellacking they took at Westminster and get back on the horse. I think they do, and they beat Morris handily, 35-14.
I'm 14-6 overall in my picks right now...meh, not too shabby. Well, I'm still currently at work right now so it looks like I may not make it to a game this weekend. That also means I may not be tweeting/retweeting updates from around the UMAC until later today, but stay tuned in, as I may just stay up forever to be the best informant ever for the worst conference in DIII football...but probably not.
Week Five Review
I'm a little late on last week's review, but hey, late is better than never. It was a high-scoring week for a few teams, and low-scoring for a few others. Last week's UMAC Game of the Week didn't disappoint, and I botched a few more of my picks. Lets take a look at the week five happenings.
Martin Luther 6, Westminster 54 - Come on now, Knights. I finally put my trust in you, and this is what you repay me with? The Blue Jays were pumped up for homecoming, as they put 41 points on the board in the first half and ran away with this one. Martin Luther just couldn't get anything going, and ended the game with only 183 total yards. Westminster QB Trent White put on a show, passing for 176 yards and 4 TDs and rushing for 131 yards and 2 TDs. See what I mean about Westminster being unpredictable? In week four, they played Northwestern close but could only put 7 points up on the board. Now they explode for 54 points and decimate what looked to be an up-and-coming team. I don't know what to make of these guys, but to their credit, their only UMAC losses have been to Northwestern and St. Scholastica in back-to-back away games. The Blue Jays are trying to make a splash, but they'll have to take on another UMAC power in Eureka next week.
St. Scholastica 14, Northwestern 7 - As I mentioned before, the UMAC Game of the Week didn't disappoint. Scholastica was able to punch one in late in the fourth quarter against a stellar Northwestern defense, and Northwestern's offense was not able to answer. That was really the story of the whole game, as Northwestern was only able to pile up 172 yards of offense, and they were able to bend but not break on defense, as Scholastica finished with 381 yards but were held to 14 points. Well, I guess you could consider allowing a score with 2:41 to go in the game breaking, but they did perform very well against one of the best offenses in the UMAC. CSS QB Zach Edwards passed for 304 yards and 2 TDs, but also was picked off twice by the Northwestern defense, which bumped him out of the top five in DIII football for passing efficiency. St. Scholastica remains on top of the food chain in the UMAC, but they have a few challenges ahead in worthy opponents - Eureka in week nine, and MacMurray in week ten. While Northwestern still boasts one of the best defenses in the UMAC, they find themselves holding on to a very thin thread of hope for a UMAC championship. At this point, their hopes are resting on other teams future performances (See: MacMurray, St. Scholastica, Eureka), which never bodes well for teams.
Crown 7, Minnesota Morris 17 - In the clash of the two winless UMAC teams, Morris took home the W. They started the game off with a bang when Morris QB Justin Masloski took the ball 70 yards to the house just 17 seconds into the game. Crown answered at the end of the first quarter with a TD run from QB Taylor Watkins. In the second quarter, Morris struck again with a ground score from WR Cameron Geyer. It was a back and forth battle for much of the game, but Crown was again unable to finish their offensive drives, and their defense was only so-so against one of the worst offensive teams in the UMAC. Morris ended the game with 339 yards to Crown's 292, with Masloski driving the team with 145 yards passing and 144 yards rushing and a TD. Both of these teams will continue to attempt to fight their way out of the UMAC cellar, and Crown will continue to try to pry the monkey off their back and get a win next week against Greenville.
MacMurray 19, Greenville 6 - MacMurray managed to scrape together a win to stay at the top of the UMAC, but it certainly wasn't pretty. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook was held under 100 yards for the first time this year and for the first time dating all the way back to October 1st, 2016 against Minnesota Morris. He still maintains a slim lead for the DIII rushing title with 982 yards on the year, but he needs to be careful; Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover's big game this week brought him within striking distance. "Striking distance" is still 230 yards and a touchdown, but MacMurray needs to keep up their offensive production if Chazz hopes to remain the nation's and the conference's leading rusher. Greenville plays tough at home, as evidenced by this game and by beating Northwestern in week three. MacMurray needs to collect their thoughts and get their heads in the game this week as they prepare for a tough Northwestern defense.
Eureka 49, Iowa Wesleyan 18 - Iowa Wesleyan just couldn't keep up with the torrent pace of Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover, who had a career day with 179 rushing yards and 6 TDs, which pushed him to 36 career rushing TDs, breaking the school record of 34. The 6 TDs on the day also tied the school record. Iowa Wesleyan's Joseph Mosely returned his second kickoff for a touchdown this year, but the offense was not able to rise up to the challenge. Eureka defenders Trever Ziebert and Ray Vogel combined for 4.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss, leading the defense to slow the Iowa Wesleyan offense to 170 yards in the game. Iowa Wesleyan is right along with Crown and Morris at the bottom of the conference, and will need to work hard to prove that they don't belong there. Eureka takes on Westminster in what will prove to be an interesting game this week.
Here's a couple things we learned this week:
1. St. Scholastica is still the team to beat. I know that's a boring one because I had it last week, but it's still true! That end of the year matchup with MacMurray is looking more and more tasty as the weeks fly by.
2. Westminster is unpredictable. I think I've said that enough. Maybe it's not something that we learned, but it's something that slapped me across the face last week.
3. There are legitimately 2 tiers in the UMAC. The upper tier consists of St. Scholastica, Northwestern, and Eureka, and the lower tier includes Crown, Morris, and Iowa Wesleyan. I'm almost tempted to add a third tier of the middle teams of Martin Luther, Westminster, and Greenville, but I'll wait a few weeks; they may prove to sort themselves out.
I was only 3-2 in my picks last week, with Westminster proving me wrong and Morris turning the tide. I definitely didn't see Westminster blowing out Martin Luther like that, so props to them; lets see if they can keep up that hype against a tougher team this week. That makes me 14-6 on the year; I'll take that. The more upsets, the more interesting the season proves to be!
Martin Luther 6, Westminster 54 - Come on now, Knights. I finally put my trust in you, and this is what you repay me with? The Blue Jays were pumped up for homecoming, as they put 41 points on the board in the first half and ran away with this one. Martin Luther just couldn't get anything going, and ended the game with only 183 total yards. Westminster QB Trent White put on a show, passing for 176 yards and 4 TDs and rushing for 131 yards and 2 TDs. See what I mean about Westminster being unpredictable? In week four, they played Northwestern close but could only put 7 points up on the board. Now they explode for 54 points and decimate what looked to be an up-and-coming team. I don't know what to make of these guys, but to their credit, their only UMAC losses have been to Northwestern and St. Scholastica in back-to-back away games. The Blue Jays are trying to make a splash, but they'll have to take on another UMAC power in Eureka next week.
St. Scholastica 14, Northwestern 7 - As I mentioned before, the UMAC Game of the Week didn't disappoint. Scholastica was able to punch one in late in the fourth quarter against a stellar Northwestern defense, and Northwestern's offense was not able to answer. That was really the story of the whole game, as Northwestern was only able to pile up 172 yards of offense, and they were able to bend but not break on defense, as Scholastica finished with 381 yards but were held to 14 points. Well, I guess you could consider allowing a score with 2:41 to go in the game breaking, but they did perform very well against one of the best offenses in the UMAC. CSS QB Zach Edwards passed for 304 yards and 2 TDs, but also was picked off twice by the Northwestern defense, which bumped him out of the top five in DIII football for passing efficiency. St. Scholastica remains on top of the food chain in the UMAC, but they have a few challenges ahead in worthy opponents - Eureka in week nine, and MacMurray in week ten. While Northwestern still boasts one of the best defenses in the UMAC, they find themselves holding on to a very thin thread of hope for a UMAC championship. At this point, their hopes are resting on other teams future performances (See: MacMurray, St. Scholastica, Eureka), which never bodes well for teams.
Crown 7, Minnesota Morris 17 - In the clash of the two winless UMAC teams, Morris took home the W. They started the game off with a bang when Morris QB Justin Masloski took the ball 70 yards to the house just 17 seconds into the game. Crown answered at the end of the first quarter with a TD run from QB Taylor Watkins. In the second quarter, Morris struck again with a ground score from WR Cameron Geyer. It was a back and forth battle for much of the game, but Crown was again unable to finish their offensive drives, and their defense was only so-so against one of the worst offensive teams in the UMAC. Morris ended the game with 339 yards to Crown's 292, with Masloski driving the team with 145 yards passing and 144 yards rushing and a TD. Both of these teams will continue to attempt to fight their way out of the UMAC cellar, and Crown will continue to try to pry the monkey off their back and get a win next week against Greenville.
MacMurray 19, Greenville 6 - MacMurray managed to scrape together a win to stay at the top of the UMAC, but it certainly wasn't pretty. MacMurray RB Chazz Middlebrook was held under 100 yards for the first time this year and for the first time dating all the way back to October 1st, 2016 against Minnesota Morris. He still maintains a slim lead for the DIII rushing title with 982 yards on the year, but he needs to be careful; Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover's big game this week brought him within striking distance. "Striking distance" is still 230 yards and a touchdown, but MacMurray needs to keep up their offensive production if Chazz hopes to remain the nation's and the conference's leading rusher. Greenville plays tough at home, as evidenced by this game and by beating Northwestern in week three. MacMurray needs to collect their thoughts and get their heads in the game this week as they prepare for a tough Northwestern defense.
Eureka 49, Iowa Wesleyan 18 - Iowa Wesleyan just couldn't keep up with the torrent pace of Eureka RB LeAnthony Reasnover, who had a career day with 179 rushing yards and 6 TDs, which pushed him to 36 career rushing TDs, breaking the school record of 34. The 6 TDs on the day also tied the school record. Iowa Wesleyan's Joseph Mosely returned his second kickoff for a touchdown this year, but the offense was not able to rise up to the challenge. Eureka defenders Trever Ziebert and Ray Vogel combined for 4.5 sacks and 7 tackles for loss, leading the defense to slow the Iowa Wesleyan offense to 170 yards in the game. Iowa Wesleyan is right along with Crown and Morris at the bottom of the conference, and will need to work hard to prove that they don't belong there. Eureka takes on Westminster in what will prove to be an interesting game this week.
Here's a couple things we learned this week:
1. St. Scholastica is still the team to beat. I know that's a boring one because I had it last week, but it's still true! That end of the year matchup with MacMurray is looking more and more tasty as the weeks fly by.
2. Westminster is unpredictable. I think I've said that enough. Maybe it's not something that we learned, but it's something that slapped me across the face last week.
3. There are legitimately 2 tiers in the UMAC. The upper tier consists of St. Scholastica, Northwestern, and Eureka, and the lower tier includes Crown, Morris, and Iowa Wesleyan. I'm almost tempted to add a third tier of the middle teams of Martin Luther, Westminster, and Greenville, but I'll wait a few weeks; they may prove to sort themselves out.
I was only 3-2 in my picks last week, with Westminster proving me wrong and Morris turning the tide. I definitely didn't see Westminster blowing out Martin Luther like that, so props to them; lets see if they can keep up that hype against a tougher team this week. That makes me 14-6 on the year; I'll take that. The more upsets, the more interesting the season proves to be!
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