Week Five Preview

Heyyy, I'm finally getting around to write up a preview instead of just picking on Twitter! That's pretty cool. I'll still post them on Twitter, because well, it gets the people going. I've had my share of people replying with whimsical GIFs, quote tweeting with clown emojis, and people taking shots at my character, but you know what? You're still here, reading this post. I got you. And while I have you, I might as well tell you how things are gonna shake out in the UMAC this weekend. Lend an ear, and hold on to your butts; it's gonna be a wild ride. Well, maybe not so much, but read on anyways.

Westminster at Greenville - Both the Blue Jays and the Panthers took tough losses last weekend. Westminster led St. Scholastica down to the final minute and lost in heartbreaking fashion, and Greenville went into New Ulm hoping to take down the Martin Luther Knights, only to come away with their tails between their legs. Both teams will be looking to bounce back, but only one can win (obviously). Both teams have looked solid at points this year, with Greenville beating up on Northwestern in week three and Westminster playing tough against the Saints last week and handling Iowa Wesleyan easily in week three. This could be a high-scoring affair, with both offenses operating pretty efficiently so far this year. I think this will be a close one that could be a toss up, but I'm giving the edge to the Panthers at home. Greenville will take down Westminster, 42-35.

Iowa Wesleyan at Crown - The Tigers continue to look for their first win of 2019, while Crown snapped their losing streak in week two and have surprisingly looked pretty good this year so far. Even with playing arguably the most dangerous offense in the UMAC with St. Scholastica in week three, the Storm boast the leading defense in the conference, only allowing 286.3 total yards per game, including only allowing 159.8 passing yards per game. That doesn't bode well for Iowa Wesleyan, who has the least efficient offense in the UMAC, piling up only 176.8 yards per game. They had a heartbreaking game last week in which they were leading 21-7 before Morris came back to win, so they may be bitter and looking to beat on someone. The Tigers have to travel and will be taking on Crown on homecoming weekend, and I believe those factors along with the Storm's new awakening mean that they will be able to handle Iowa Wesleyan. I don't think it will be a blowout, but they will take home the dub. Crown will tame the Tigers, 28-17.

Northwestern at MacMurray - Here's a game that could be interesting. MacMurray is still fighting to be mentioned in the same breath as the top-tier UMAC teams, and there hasn't been any reason to disbelieve them at this point, but I get the feeling that their squad may be a bit down from last year. Northwestern took a shocking shellacking from Greenville in week three, but bounced back to defeat Crown last week in a game that may have been closer than the box score appeared (I'm looking at you, Anonymous). The Eagles have a long road trip, and honestly that may be a factor in a game that I'm really questioning the outcome. MacMurray has the top offense in the UMAC thus far (470.3 ypg), and Northwestern's defense hasn't been living up to it's name, currently sitting near the bottom of the UMAC (allowing 409.8 ypg), so that might be the matchup we'll have to focus on. I've got a gut feeling MacMurray will be able to win this one relatively easily. The Highlanders will domesticate the Eagles, 31-21.

Martin Luther at St. Scholastica - Here's the UMAC game of the week if there ever was one. Heck, this might be the UMAC game of the season. I'm pumped to follow the outcome of this game. In my eyes, the Knights are the Saints are #1 and #2 in the UMAC, and it's hard to tell which is which at this point. St. Scholastica has a potent offense led by star QB Zach Edwards with loads of options, but they have just squeezed by the skin of their teeth in weeks three and four, first to Crown and last week to Westminster. Can they keep it up against the defending conference champs, who silently put Greenville in their place last week? The benefit for the Saints is that this game will not take place in "The Pit", which may have been their downfall last year, when the Knights upset them in a pivotal game that really set Martin Luther on the path to their first UMAC conference championship. The Knights come into this game as the leading rushing offense in the UMAC, averaging 247.7 yards per game, while the Saints are #2 in passing offense, averaging 305 yards per game. This could be a high scoring game, with two powerful offensive units going against two middle-of-the-road (statistically) defenses. St. Scholastica was nearly upset at home in week three agaist Crown, so I don't think their home field advantage will boost them above a much better opponent in Martin Luther. If the Knights come to play, I think they will be able to take it to the Saints; it will really be a question of if St. Scholastica can pull off another dramatic finish to have a chance at winning this one. I don't see it happening. The Knights will defeat the Saints, 45-35.

Another exhilarating week of UMAC football begins tomorrow, and I'm here for it. I'll be following the games as close as I can on Twitter, so check out the link and follow along for game updates. Check out the stat leaders on the UMAC website here, along with the main football site here. Good luck to all players, coaches, and fans, and as always...prove me wrong.