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It was a "good news, bad news" result
for the GLIAC in the first round of the 2009 Playoffs as we sent two teams off
to battle, and only one returned with a victory. The fact that we got three
teams into the post-season (making up half of the SuperRegion 3 field) is still
a great accomplishment, but being able to have those same three teams chew up
four of the regional semi-final spots would have REALLY been cool. Let's hope we
make it happen next year.
Saturday, November 14
Nebraska-Kearney 35, Saginaw Valley 20
I talked last week about how turnovers could be
a key factor, especially if SV didn't protect the ball. That definitely rang
true as each team took a turn playing one half of the game in a rather sloppy
fashion. Kearney turned the ball over four times in the first half, and the
Lopers were fortunate to only yield 20 SV points heading into the break. The
Cardinals only netted eight points off of the UNK miscues, a stat they would
regret as the game progressed.
In the second half, SV committed three of its
four turnovers on the afternoon. Making them more penal is that Kearney cashed
in on two of them as part of a stretch of four straight possessions that netted
touchdowns. The backbreakers to SV's hopes came in the fourth quarter when the
two point-netting giveaways occurred inside the Loper red zone. The Cardinals
were ahead prior to the first miscue that gave UNK points, and were within one
score at the time of the second. So, while the final tally might suggest that
Kearney dominated this game the truth is that Saginaw was more than in it until
the last two minutes of play.
QB Chuck Dowdell had a great day throwing the
ball with 310 yards and a pair of TD's. He also earned high praise from Kearney
Head Coach Darrell Morris who said that SV signal-caller was "?the best
quarterback we've seen all year long. We haven't seen anybody near that kid's
ability". Unfortunately, those facts are overshadowed by the fact that his
three fourth quarter turnovers contributed to his club's undoing.
Now, in no way am I saying the loss falls on
Dowdell. The offense has a whole stalled an inordinate number of times. Eleven
of SV's thirteen possessions ended on the UNK side of the field. To only
generate 20 points from that many trips into Loper territory is criminal, and
that's hardly Dowdell's fault alone. In addition, Kearney RB Rustin was
essentially unstoppable (especially after halftime) on his way to 188 yards and
two TD's. For a defense that led the GLIAC in stopping the run they didn't have
much of an answer for the Loper ground attack, especially later in the game.
In any case, congrats to the Cardinals on a
fine season. Making the playoffs is no small feat, and SV should be pleased with
getting back to the postseason after being absent for a few years. They actually
didn't play poorly in this one, but they fell short when it came to making plays
when they needed them. UNK was superior in that regard, and that ultimately
carried the day for the Lopers.
Hillsdale 27, Minnesota State 24 (OT)
Not unlike the game we just discussed, this
match-up wound up being a "tale of two halves". In the first 30
minutes, these two heavyweights traded long, grinding, offensive series. Only
seven possessions were had between the two, most of which were the
"nine/ten play, 75+ yard, four or five minutes of the clock" variety.
Each club played well, exhibiting both patience and solid execution. The
home-standers had the ball last, and hit a 42-yard FG at the gun to carry a
three point advantage into the break.
Coming out of the locker room, the Chargers did
their part to continue the flow I just discussed by marching 81 yards in twelve
plays to claim their first lead of the afternoon. And that's when the nuttiness
began. Each club turned the ball over twice during the remainder of regulation,
and the defenses really stepped things up to make any offensive efficiency or
consistency rather difficult. While that was all going on, HC did wind up with
the better of it as they built a seven point lead early in the fourth quarter.
As time waned, the Mavericks put together an
impressive six-play, 75-yard drive to tie things up with less than a minute to
go. The Chargers managed to push their way into Mark Petro FG range, only to
fumble the ball away and send the game into an extra session. Petro would still
get his chance at glory, however, as the Chargers forced a fumble that ended the
Maverick's overtime possession. This time, Hillsdale clung to their opportunity
and the senior kicker calmly nailed a 34-yarder to earn the Chargers a victory
in their first ever NCAA playoff appearance.
QB Troy Weatherhead, as he has done most of the
season, led the Charger attack with an efficient performance. The junior was 24
of 31 for 258 yards with an INT. He spread the ball to seven different
receivers, including finding Andre Holmes, A.J. Kegg, and Vinnie Panizzi (who
added 85 yards and a TD on the ground) six times a piece.
I'll be honest, one thing that confused me a
bit in the second half was why MSU didn't pound Jake Aberg more often than they
did. He racked up 168 yards and a score, and only needed 22 carries to do it.
Seldom was he really stopped, especially when the Mav's needed him in short
yardage situations. Seemingly, MSU threw the ball a fair amount in the second
half despite the success they had been having on the ground. Senior QB Ryan Fick
played despite having broken his collar bone only four weeks ago, and while his
effort was nothing short of valiant there were times (on his way to 11-25 for
137 yards and 2 INT's) where he did look a bit rusty. That's not to say he
didn't make plays (he tossed a pair of TD's and was great on the game-tying
march late in the fourth), but when a guy like Aberg is doing the consistent
damage he was it seems like it would be hard to want to get away from that.
In total, both clubs played a whale of a ball
game. During the second half, there were times that it felt like Hillsdale was
starting to take control and they had a couple of shots to extend the lead to
two scores. While they didn't take advantage of those early chances to
potentially put the game away, they made enough plays when it counted to extend
their season.
Saturday, November 21
"The Rematch"
#6 Hillsdale (10-2) at #2 Grand Valley (10-1)
As most D2 fans know (and have likely discussed
ad nauseum), the Chargers put a stop to Grand Valley's 48-game regular-season
win streak back on October 10. It was certainly the biggest win of the last 20
years for the Hillsdale program, and it started the Chargers on their current
six-game cruise into this weekend's Regional Semi-Final.
Despite smarting a bit from the loss (of
course), the Lakers have since been rather dialed-in as well having knocked off
four straight opponents with winning records - and typically doing so in
impressive fashion. Both clubs have been terrific over the last month or so,
making the fact that they get to play each other again all the more exciting.
Playoff rematches of a regular season game are
nothing new for Grand Valley. Saturday's tilt will mark the sixth time in the
last nine seasons that the Lakers have played a GLIAC foe during the playoffs
that they faced during the regular season. Much like their meeting six weeks
ago, Hillsdale will be faced with stopping a streak as the Lakers have won all
five of the previous occurrences.
Just like the first time around, there are
several match-ups to watch. Hillsdale brings their GLIAC-best scoring offense in
to face GV's GLIAC-best scoring defense. The Chargers were second in the league
in total offense, GV was tops in total defense. Hillsdale was the best in the
league at converting on third down, and the Lakers were unsurpassed at stopping
opponents on third down. With all of that said, I really think the most
important match-ups of this game will take place in the trenches as each boasts
outstanding play from both of their offensive and defensive lines. Whichever
club does a better job controlling things with their "big-uglies"
should have the advantage.
Hillsdale Keys
- Men of Troy - When HC QB Troy Weatherhead is
connecting on his passes and managing the game efficiently (both of which he
does MOST of the time) the Chargers have been very difficult to beat. In the
pre-match, he really didn't post numbers that were all that great but he
completed a lot of short passes that successfully kept the Lakers off-balance.
While he was solid enough the last time around, he may need a bit more of a
"polished" performance in this one as the GV secondary has been
decidedly better in their games since.
- No "Secondary" Efforts - Much like
Grand Valley's defensive backfield will be tested, it's a safe bet Hillsdale's
will be too. The Chargers were only seventh in the league in stopping the pass
this year. While Minnesota State was not a great passing team, when they needed
to throw last week they were able to find success in several instances. GV QB
Brad Iciek had a very good game last time around (22 of 29 for 261 and 2 TD's),
so the Lakers should be plenty confident that they can throw the ball against
this defense. One thing Hillsdale did well in the first game was to not give up
the big play. They need to make sure they can accomplish the same this time
around.
- Home away from Home - Hillsdale fans have to
be thrilled to have a trip for this one that is nearly 500 miles shorter than
the one they had to make to watch their team last week. Add in the
"rematch" factor, along with several West Michigan kids on the Charger
roster and rumors are swirling that Hillsdale plans on making a TON of noise at
The Shipyard. By the sounds of it, they did so last week even with that long
trip to face a team they (essentially) didn't know so I wouldn't discount the
rumors. The question now becomes: Will Grand Valley fans will stand by and let
their place be overrun? Expect the Charger faithful to be out in force and doing
whatever they can to give their kids any kind of an edge.
Grand Valley Keys
- Offense Front - Despite having different
groupings all year due to injuries, experiments with guys in different spots,
and even a big wave of the flu (that knocked out half the team a couple of weeks
ago but REALLY hit this group), the line play over the last four weeks has
really started to come together. During that stretch, the Lakers have rushed for
more than 277 yards per game and have yielded only two sacks. If this bunch can
continue to perform at that level the Laker offense should be able to move the
ball and do so effectively.
- Defensive Front - We talked the last time
around about the size and physicality of the Hillsdale offensive line. While
they didn't run the ball especially well when they met in October (only 58 net
yards rushing for the Chargers), they did what they had to when it counted -
especially in short yardage and goal line situations. Since that game, GV has
done a lot to change their personnel and to move folks around, including Danny
Richard who is proving to be as much of a havoc-wreaker from the inside as he is
on the edge. If the GV front can cause some confusion for the HC line it could
create blown assignments, free-running LB's, and excessive QB pressure that can
really bog down the Hillsdale offense.
- Finish, finish, finish - In the three losses
GV has suffered over the last three seasons (including the pre-match) one common
theme can be found: The Lakers didn't finish drives when they had the chance.
This is an imperative, especially during the playoffs. When the Lakers get into
the red zone they MUST come away with TD's as often as possible. It sounds
elementary but momentum, game flow, play-calling, etc. are all affected by
whether or not a team is able to score, build leads, control momentum, etc. This
can not be a problem for the Lakers or they will find themselves in trouble once
again.
Prediction
Over the past few days, I seem to have detected
a bit of a consensus among a good portion of the Laker fan base that suggests
they are expecting a repeat of last year's "rematch". In that
instance, GV overcame a 15-point second half deficit against Ashland to win a
48-42 shootout during the regular season. Any anticipation of another wild
affair in the playoffs was quickly doused as the Lakers had things over by
halftime on their way to a 40-7 drubbing of the Eagles.
Will that happen Saturday? A Laker blowout in
the playoffs after a close game (or even a loss) in the regular season? I
suppose it could. Am I expecting it? Not really. I stated last week that I
thought that this year's Hillsdale team was superior to last year's Ashland club
and I stand by that statement. With that said, when you put the stats and
X's-&-O's aside I really look to a couple of key factors that favor the
home-standers. The first is that the Lakers are FAR more seasoned in terms of
getting things done in the post-season. For players in this GV senior class
Saturday will mark the tenth playoff game of their careers. That's almost an
entire season's worth of games more than their opponent, and the Lakers know how
to get things done after the leaves have fallen. The second factor is the
"playoff gear" that GV often displays. Some may frown upon it and/or
not like it (or even dispute it), but the Lakers truly have shown the ability to
ratchet things up once the post-season commences and to play at an elevated
level. Add both of those factors, along with a publicly unstated (even though
you know it's there) desire to avenge this season's only blemish and I think the
Lakers will find their way to a victory and make their ninth straight Regional
Final appearance. Grand Valley 33, Hillsdale 23.
GLIAC Trivia
Last week, I wanted to know the name of the
lone Ashland running back to register three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing
seasons. From 1992 through 1994, Keith Weaver accomplished the feat and earned
his place as one of the all-time Eagle greats. Congratulations go out to Candy
for being the first one in with the correct answer. Candy is a Wayne State fan
(easy to understand, considering her most acclaimed role is that of Joique
Bell's Mom), but she pointed out that if her Warriors aren't still playing that
she's a GLIAC fan the rest of the way. I'm with you, Candy!
This week, let's take a closer look at our All-GLIAC
playoff match-up. Both Hillsdale and Grand Valley have rather storied playoff
histories. While the Lakers have enjoyed a lot of success in recent years, the
Chargers had multiple stretches as an NAIA power before moving to the NCAA about
twenty years ago. During the many playoff appearances (both NAIA and NCAA) that
the two clubs have made, they actually share a pair of common opponents. For
this week's copy of the D2Football.com Preview Magazine, tell which two schools
have played both Hillsdale and Grand Valley at some point during a national
playoff.
Send your answers, questions, or comments to me
at  .
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