Martin Luther-Wheaton Preview

If any of you have followed me the past few years, you know what's coming. Martin Luther fans; beware. You may want to skip this one. This is the annual parade of how the UMAC is inferior to its first round Division III playoff opponent. This is no disrespect to the Martin Luther Knights, who have a ton to be proud of. You built a now-dynasty from scratch, going from 0-10 in 2016 to now winning your second consecutive conference championship in 2019. You shattered records along the way, becoming the #2 ranked rushing offense in all of Division III football. You have so much to look forward to, but let me be clear; those future aspirations do not include a Division III playoff victory. Generally, I've broken it down quite a bit; if you want a taste but not the whole bite, you can check out my 2017 Eureka-St. Thomas Preview or my 2018 Martin Luther-St. John's Preview and remain blissfully ignorant by skipping this one. Well, you'll be scarred for your UMAC life after you read those, but at least you won't have to face the current reality of what's looming over Martin Luther College this week. Lets start it off with a simple, uninspiring review of these teams' 2019 seasons, shall we?

The Martin Luther College Knights come into this contest with a 9-1 record, with their only loss coming to non-conference opponent Gustavus Adolphus College in week one. They went undefeated in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play (obviously), earning their second consecutive and overall bid to the Division III playoffs, rolled to #2 in DIII in rushing with 335.8 yards per game, and even got a little national recognition, receiving some votes for ranking in NCAA's regional rankings. The Knights have not one, but two 1000-yard rushers, and have held their opponents to 234.4 yards per game, good for #8 in DIII in Total Defense. Not too shabby, eh? Well, lets take a look at their competition on Saturday.

The Wheaton College Thunder hail from the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in which they went undefeated and also won their only non-conference matchup, making them a perfect 10-0 in 2019. They are currently ranked #3 in D3football.com's Top 25, and were the "top seed" in their region for the Division III playoffs. Some playoff history: Wheaton is making its 11th overall appearance in the Division III Playoffs and first since 2016. Their 11 NCAA Playoff selections are tied for the second-most in CCIW history. The Thunder have compiled a 15-10 all-time record in the postseason, including a perfect 10-0 record in the first round. This year, the they have been outstanding defensively, leading DIII in Total Defense by only allowing 174.9 yards per game. They defeated a ranked opponent in conference foe North Central, and also defeated fellow Division III automatic playoff bid Monmouth. According to D3football.com, they have the #32 strength of schedule, a measurement that helps determine how difficult teams' schedules were in direct comparison with other teams'. So...they're pretty good.

What does this mean for our lovable Knights? Well...it's not good news. Remember that strength of schedule thing? Martin Luther's strength of schedule ranking in Division III football is #215. What that means is that there is a massive disparity between these two teams in terms of the competition they face. And guess what? That isn't Martin Luther's fault. So they are the best team in one of the worst conferences in Division III football...so what? Well, what that means is that even though they do very well against these weak opponents, it doesn't go so well when they play a stronger opponent.

The common opponent thread is a tough one to strum this year. Martin Luther didn't play anyone from the CCIW this year, and vise versa, Wheaton didn't have any UMAC opponents (thank God). In fact, no UMAC teams played any CCIW teams. These conferences don't often intersect; the last time that did happen was a series between Milikin and Greenville University from 2010 to 2016, in which Milikin defeated Greenville 6 out of 7 matchups. What I can tell you is that the CCIW generally is a stronger conference, and the conference champion (mostly Wheaton and North Central) often snatches a victory or two in the Division III playoffs. The UMAC has had no such luck, and really hasn't even come close. The closest margin of defeat for a UMAC team in the Division III playoffs was 28 points, when St. John's defeated St. Scholastica 35-7 in 2014. And let's not forget last year's drubbing of the Knights by St. John's. I won't even mention the score, as I'm sure it'll bring up some PTSD in some of you.

In conclusion, the Martin Luther College Knights wonderful, magical season will come to a close this weekend. This is not a call out, I don't hate Martin Luther, and I don't hate the UMAC; I just think of it as the circle of life. Do lions ever get eaten by antelope? No, and that probably won't ever change. Does that mean that I fault the antelope for never eating lions? No, I don't expect them to. I'm just proud when the antelope can escape and run free and not get torn to shreds. (And yes, I realize this GIF is not an antelope. Besides the point.) So Knights; spread your wings and fly. Enjoy the moments you have left, especially you seniors and those who have finished your college playing careers. Don't think about getting torn to pieces; think about running free for the short time you have left. Okay, my analogy has worn out its welcome, so I'll end with this: do I think that Martin Luther has a chance? Oh yes, there's always a chance. I'll put the percentage at 0.5% chance at stealing a victory from Wheaton. I'll put the final score at 63-6. I seriously do wish you guys all the luck in the world, and know that the whole UMAC is lucky to have you as our representatives in the Division III playoffs. Thanks for a great and fun year, and this is the biggest, most important challenge I'll give out all year: PROVE. ME. WRONG. KNIGHTS!!

I'll do what I can to keep up with the game this weekend, although it may be a challenge as I'm working the weekend. Wheaton will host Martin Luther at their home stadium with a kickoff time of noon. Follow the Wheaton Thunder athletic page for Twitter updates, and I'll be writing up a season review following the inevitable first-round exit from the Division III playoffs. You can find the full Division III Playoff bracket here. Once again, congratulations Martin Luther College Knights on another UMAC championship, and good luck in the playoffs this weekend!!

You're gonna need it.

Weeks Nine-Eleven Review

WOW, what a season! 2019 has been fun, guys and gals. Congratulations to the Martin Luther Knights on repeating their 2018 championship campaign, and congrats to all seniors and everyone who has completed their playing careers as college athletes! I haven't been good about getting these reviews or my previews up, so sorry about that. Due to me being busy/lazy and not getting around to these, I'll do a quick hits version of my reviews, where I won't go over every game in detail, but I'll highlight the important or interesting things. Lets rewind the clock and take a look at what happened in weeks nine, ten, and eleven...

Week Nine

The big headline this week was the Greenville-MacMurray game, in which the Panthers were able to defeat the Highlanders in a season-altering victory. At that point, MacMurray was still eyeing down a share of the UMAC title if a few different things went their way, but Greenville shut down those hopes as much as they could with a decisive victory, in which they relied on Panther RB Paul Garrett and his 164 yards and 2 TDs rushing. Martin Luther rolled to yet another victory over Minnesota Morris, while Westminster played solidly against Crown to pull out the win. The last game I'll mention is the drubbing that Iowa Wesleyan received from St. Scholastica. Yikes. Saints QB Zach Edwards earned UMAC Offensive Player of the Week by throwing for 421 yards and 4 TDs, with three of his receivers tallying 100+ yards. The Saints surely had the potential firepower in Edwards' last season. 

Week Ten

Week ten saw Westminster finish out their season, as they didn't play in week eleven, and it didn't end like they had hoped, as Northwestern found a way to drum up the victory. Iowa Wesleyan surprisingly held Greenville to 21 points, although they were shut out offensively and only were able to scrape together 44 yards of total offense, and fell to the Panthers. St. Scholastica was able to take down Minnesota Morris with ease, as Edwards threw for 391 yards and 5 TDs, and Cougar linebacker-turned-quarterback Drew Shipley performed well (314 yards, 2 TDs) but ultimately was unable to keep up with the Saints. CSS WR Mitchell Adrian snagged 15 receptions for 103 yards and 2 TDs, setting a new CSS program record for receptions in a game and earning UMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Martin Luther was able to keep their streak alive by defeating MacMurray, who was grasping at straws to keep their hope of a share of the UMAC title alive. The two-headed RB monster of Austin DeNoyer (173 yards, 1 TD) and Joshuah Kren (147 yards, 2 TD) once again delivered to crush the dreams of the Highlanders. With the victory, the Knights locked up the automatic bid to get destroyed in the DIII playoffs, but were still at risk of sharing the UMAC title if they were to lose to Crown in week eleven. 

Week Eleven

Some big games to end the season, as Greenville outlasted Minnesota Morris despite a furious fourth quarter comeback by the Cougars, that ended with a failed 2-point attempt that would have put them ahead of the Panthers were they successful. Greenville RB Paul Garrett capped off a great 2019 campaign by rushing for 173 yards and 3 TDs, making 1190 yards and 13 TDs on the year, good for 2nd in the UMAC only to reigning UMAC Offensive Player of the Year, Austin DeNoyer. Speaking of the devil, DeNoyer and his buddy Joshuah Kren each rumbled for over 200 yards in their blowout victory over Crown; DeNoyer with 217 yards and 3 TDs, Kren with 214 yards and 2 TDs and also a receiving TD, which earned him UMAC Offensive Player of the Week. DeNoyer finished as the UMAC rushing champion with 1298 yards, while Kren also topped the 1000 yard mark with 1010 on the year and added 474 receiving yards to boot. Pretty impressive to have two 1000-yard rushers on a team. It speaks to the dominance of Martin Luther's running game, as they finish the regular season ranked #2 in the nation with 335.8 rushing yards per game. Northwestern whooped up on Iowa Wesleyan, with Eagle RB Payton Bowdry rushing for 101 yards and 3 TDs, falling just 8 yards short of 1000 on the season. In the final game of the UMAC regular season, the MacMurray Highlanders shocked the St. Scholastica Saints with a punch-in-the-gut win to cap off the season with a tied conference record. Those of you who are UMAC experts; shouldn't MacMurray be ahead of St. Scholastica in the conference standings due to this head-to-head win? Or is overall record the first tie-breaker? If so, that's pretty lame, especially when they wouldn't consider overall record when it comes to the automatic playoff bid. But I digress. The Highlanders finished the year off on a high note, which they were desperate for after some lofty expectations at the beginning of the year. 

And so, the Martin Luther Knights once again ride off into the sunset with another championship belt tucked under their arm. If you haven't heard yet, the Knights will face the Wheaton College Thunder, who are currently ranked #3 in DIII football. Woof. On one hand, it's like "Hey! We won't face a MIAC or WIAC team this year!" (for the first time ever, by the way) but on the other hand...yikes. You can get a quick preview written by a Wheaton stooge here, in which they mistakenly referred to the Knights as the "Hawks" but have since rectified it. That's how much they know and care about the UMAC. The UMAC champion is unfortunately destined to face a much beefier opponent in the playoffs annually, and 2019 is no exception. I'll go into a bit more detail in my Martin Luther-Wheaton Preview, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime; all you Martin Luther Knight fans, coaches and players, congratulations and enjoy another successful year and championship! You'll need those happy memories during the game on Saturday. 

Week Eight Review

I know it was a while ago now, but think back about Week eight saw a close game, and a few not so close ones. We saw a 58-yard field goal that is the longest field goal made in DIII football this year, which was pretty mind blowing. I know the going back in time thing is old now, but hey, it's gotta be done. Let's rewind and take a look at the results of week eight. 

Westminster 17, Minnesota Morris 14 - This was a tight one, and ended with just a field goal difference. The last field goal kicked by Blue Jay now-superstar kicker Tim Branneky wasn't the big one, but it turned out the be the game-winner, as Morris scored before the game was over but was unable to close the gap. The big news of the game and even the week was that "Branleggy" nailed a 58-yard field goal, the longest field goal made in DIII football since 2013. I'm sure that's a UMAC record as well, as we aren't well known for our field goal-kicking aficionado, but the UMAC doesn't seem to have a record book on their website, and I'm not about to search every teams individual records. The boot earned Branleggy UMAC ST Player of the Week and D3football.com Team of the Week honors, as it should have, while also being crowned UMAC Play of the Week. We often have great UMAC punters, but it's rare to come upon a great kicker in this conference, so it's pretty cool to see. The also crazy thing is that he's not their main guy (correct me if I'm wrong, Westminster folks). Maybe a soccer guy specializing in certain kicks? Anyways great for him and great for the Blue Jays. Westminster was missing their main squeeze QB Wyatt Ellis, and Bryce Moorman filled in efficiently, throwing for 176 yards and a TD to WR Travion Mosby, who accounted for 107 of those yards on 4 receptions. For the Cougars, utility QB Drew Shipley continues to keep Morris in contention, putting up 178 yards and 2 TDs. The Cougars were unable to close the gap though, and fell once again, while the Blue Jays are trying to stay alive to bust into the top half of the conference. 

Greenville 32, Crown 6 - This one wasn't as close of a game as I expected. The Storm had home field advantage and have been solid defensively this year, so I thought it might be a bit closer. Instead, the Panthers dominated, building a 32-0 lead before Crown was able to muster a score halfway through the fourth quarter. Panther RB Paul Garrett led the charge, rushing for 193 yards on 29 attempts and scoring 2 TDs, earning himself UMAC Offensive Player of the Week. For the Storm, RB Avory Caruthers rushed for 95 yards on 16 attempts and WR Cole Mistrietta caught 11 passes for 129 yards, but 5 different Greenville defenders picked off QB Jared Gilmore, and Crown struggled to get into the end zone. The bright spot defensively for the Storm was LB Junior Doe, who earned UMAC Defensive Player of the Week by finishing with 15 tackles with 1 TFL, forcing a fumble, and recovering a fumble. The Storm actually outgained the Panthers 354-332, but it didn't translate onto the scoreboard, and Greenville had a happy trip home. 

Northwestern 20, Martin Luther 41 - The Knights beat up on the Eagles in the Pit. The Martin Luther offensive attack was spearheaded by QB Ethan Aguilar (12/18-232-3), RB Austin DeNoyer (26 rushes for 147 yards and a TD, 2 receptions for 31 yards) and RB Joshuah Kren (12 rushes for 59 yards and a rushing TD, 3 receptions for 93 yards and a receiving TD). Defensively for the Knights, DL Nate Holz piled up 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, and an interception, while DB Aiden Holien picked off UNW QB Ryan Flanigan twice, while also gathering 3 tackles. Eagle WR Evan Pruitt caught 4 passes for 89 yards and a TD, but other than that, Northwestern wasn't able to scratch together much offensively. The Eagles continue their downward spiral into the depths of the UMAC, while Martin Luther stays on their current track.

MacMurray 21, Iowa Wesleyan 12 - In opposition to the Greenville-Crown outcome, this game was much closer than I anticipated. The Highlanders scored all of their points in the first half, going up 21-0 before the Tigers were able to get on the board, but then stalled and weren't able to get much going in the second half. Luckily, their defense stifled Iowa Wesleyan and they were able to hold on to take home the win. Highlander QB Bobby Tedesco continued to impress, throwing for 238 yards and 2 TDs, with both of them going to WR Demetrius Curry, who gathered 88 yards on 5 catches, and currently leads the UMAC in both receiving yards (943) and TDs (13). Mac WR Ian Leib also accumulated 7 catches for 124 yards. WR Shomari Wilson led the Tiger offensive attack, catching 4 passes for 97 yards and a score. Iowa Wesleyan continues to search for their first win of the year, and MacMurray holds on to their dim hope of a conference championship.

Another successful flashback to the past. Keep an eye out for the Week Ten Preview coming out soon!

Week Seven Review

I didn't get around to posting my Week Seven Review a while ago, so we'll do it now! Better late than never, right? Week Eight Review is on its way, believe me. I just got done with this one and figured I'd get it up for all you diehard UMAC fans just itching to get your hands on it. Remember, this review is from two weeks ago, which nearly everyone has forgotten about except the actual players. So let's take a trip down memory lane and see what happened in week seven. Hold on to your butts, people; we're going back in time. Dr. Strange: do your thang.

Martin Luther 24, Westminster 14 - I'll give it to the Blue Jays; they kept it close in this one. On the scoreboard, anyways. The Knights rushing game still dominated though, racking up 384 yards on the ground. The two-headed RB monster of Joshuah Kren and Austin DeNoyer showed its face, with Kren rushing for 205 yards and 2 TDs while DeNoyer piled up 191 yards. Martin Luther K/P Micah Otto nabbed UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week by nailing all 3 PATs he attempted along with a 33-yard field goal and 3 punts inside the 20. The Wyatt Ellis-Travion Mosby connection was good for 2 TDs for Westminster, and they put up a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough to knock off the eventual conference champions. The Knights keep rolling, and it remains to be seen if they will be stopped by another UMAC opponent in 2019. 

St. Scholastica 34, Greenville 40 - This was for sure the game of the week, maybe even in the running for game of the year. The Panthers started out strong, building a 27-6 lead by the third quarter before the Saints got their butts in gear and came back to tie the game at 27 just thirteen and a half minutes later. The fourth quarter was a back and forth battle, but a St. Scholastica drive stalled at the Greenville 11-yard line with just 0:52 left in the game, and the Panthers held on tight to proudly take home the dub. Saints QB Zach Edwards earned UMAC Offensive Player of the Week by going full on comeback mode, throwing for 509 yards and 3 TDs along with a rushing TD, with WR Mitchell Adrian catching 11 passes for 202 yards and 2 TDs and WR Reese Jansen catching 5 passes for 108 yards and a TD. For the Panthers, QB George Harris impressed, throwing for 179 yards and 4 TDs, but a two-headed rushing monster arose in RBs Paul Garrett (23-173-2) and Christian Moss (17-128) to spur the Greenville offense to the victory. St. Scholastica had 4 defenders pile up 11+ tackles, including LB Eric Soderberg, who led the game with 18 tackles, and also recovered a fumble. Greenville DL Anthony Esquivel captured UMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors by compiling 12 tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 3 QB hurries en route to leading the Panthers to their first victory over the Saints since 2010. 

Crown 27, MacMurray 45 - The wide margin in this one was a little bit of a shock to me. The Storm have been doing a great job defensively, and although they were going up against a top UMAC offense, I thought they'd be able to keep it closer. Although the game didn't really get out of hand until the fourth quarter, Crown gave up 639 total yards to the Highlander offense, led by QB Bobby Tedesco, who threw for 430 yards and 6 TDs and rushed for 84 yards and a score. MacMurray WR Demetrius Curry showed why he earned 2nd team All-UMAC in 2018 by catching 5 passes for 211 yards and 4 TDs, while WR Ian Leib also caught 4 passes for 123 yards and a score. On the other side of the ball, Storm QB Jared Gilmore also had an impressive day, throwing for 342 yards and 3 TDs. Two Crown WRs also topped the 100-yard mark, with David McIntosh catching 8 passes for 132 yards and a TD and Cole Mistrietta catching 9 passes for 106 yards. Defensively, Crown kept their interception streak going with a pick by Corey Huard (who also tallied 7 tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, and 1 PBU), making it 6 games in a row with a defensive interception; they currently rank #4 in DIII football with 15 interceptions. Unfortunately for the Storm, it wasn't enough to keep up with the Highlanders. 

Northwestern 23, Minnesota Morris 13 - While I'll refrain from saying this game was boring, as I was not in attendance, the box score strikes me as dull. Eagle RB Payton Bowdry led the team offensively, rushing for 135 yards and 2 TDs. The Cougars were able to out-gain the Eagles in total yards, 414 to 389, due to the strong performance of utility QB Drew Shipley, who threw for 341 yards and a TD while also rushing for a TD. They came within a field goal in the fourth quarter, with Morris WRs Mark Chapman and Branden Carlson both surpassing the 100-yard mark in receiving, with 6 catches for 175 yards and 9 catches for 108 yards respectively, but it wasn't enough to lift the Cougars over the Eagles. Northwestern LB George Obitz led the defense with 12 tackles and an interception. I don't even know what else to say about this game, I'm falling asleep as I'm writing this. Feel free to enlighten me on any other facts about this game that make it sound better than the box score does. 

Week seven is loooong gone now, and my Week Eight Review is around the corner, but I hope this post staved your thirst for UMAC football-related content. Tune in next time for me to be super late with all of my other reviews too!

Week Nine Preview

Once again, I've been too busy and honestly too lazy to write up my reviews for the past few weeks, so sorry, not sorry about that. Writing isn't hard, especially when you're not getting paid enough (or at all) to make deadlines, but sometimes I just don't feel like it. I'll get around to 'em eventually. But I wouldn't wanna miss out on picking who will win what UMAC games this weekend! Especially when I've got competition (cough Football's Finest cough). The reviews are coming, but I didn't want those to get in the way of writing up my previews, especially with only three weeks remaining on the schedule! Let's see what's up in UMAC football this coming weekend.

Iowa Wesleyan at St. Scholastica - The Tigers have looked rough this year, and may end 2019 without a win. Yes, for all you keeping track at home, that means I don't think they'll win this game. While the Saints have been disappointed in their own performance this year, they surely will have enough firepower to put down Iowa Wesleyan with ease. St. Scholastica tromps the Tigers, 42-13.

Crown at Westminster - This one is a low-key game of the week candidate. Both the Blue Jays and the Storm have been desperately trying to crack the upper tier of the UMAC this year, but really haven't been successful. Westminster did manage to take down the MacMurray Highlanders a few weeks ago, but have fallen short against others, as Crown has. The Storm are looking for that breakthrough win, and this could get them on the right track. Honestly I think the road trip is really the factor here; it's a long one, and if the roles were reversed I might pick Crown, but I'm going to take Westminster in a close one. The Blue Jays squeak by on the skin of their teeth the second week in a row, 17-14.

Minnesota Morris at Martin Luther - I don't have much to say about this one, and I doubt anyone will fight me on that. Morris is bad, Martin Luther is good, this game takes place in "The Pit". The Knights will rack up 400+ rushing yards and destroy the Cougars. Martin Luther takes it to Morris, 56-18.

Greenville at MacMurray - This is the actual game of the week for real. Two upper level UMAC teams fighting at the podium for 2nd place while Martin Luther stands tall at #1. MacMurray is at a serious disadvantage due to their loss to Westminster a few weeks ago, and due to the fact they have yet to face the Panthers along with Martin Luther and St. Scholastica, but they could make up some ground by taking down Greenville tomorrow. MacMurray's offense has been running on all cylinders this year, but I think they'll find some stiff competition in the Panthers. I think Greenville will be able to outlast the Highlanders in a high-scoring shootout. The Panthers breath a sigh of relief as they head home, defeating MacMurray 45-42.

I haven't really been keeping tabs for the past few weeks, but after doing a quick scan, it looks like I'm 35-7 over the course of the 2019 season. I'll have to do some digging and see how my Twitter counterpart compares. Regardless, we've got some good matchups tomorrow, and I'm pumped to see how they turn out! I probably won't be following along with the games on Twitter tomorrow, so check out Football's Finest page for week nine UMAC football scores and updates. Good luck to all UMAC players, coaches, and fans, and as always, PROVE ME WRONG!