Independents

Week 11 Recap

Saint Joseph's 30, Central State 7

The Marauders jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead within the first minute of the game on a 35 yard touchdown run by RB Keyonte Hicks (12 rushes, 96 yards, 1 TD), who had another good showing, but Central State would not score again and would fail to claim the Great Lakes Football Conference championship all to itself. With Mike Hladik out, QB Nick Keim (14-24, 222 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT) solidly led the Pumas' offense despite windy conditions, and he did it without much help from the running duo of RBs Jashon Banks (12 rushes, 50 yards) and Terrance Freeman (13 rushes, 59 yards). Central State had several opportunities in this game but had five turnovers (three interceptions, two fumbles) and did not make the big plays when they needed them, managing just 2/11 on third down conversions and 0/5 on fourth down.

Byko's Breakdown: With everything on the line in what was clearly their biggest game of the season, the Marauders actually managed to generate plenty of offense (337 total yards, just shy of the 341 yards that Saint Joseph's gained), but time and again, Central State could not make the big play, especially in the second half. Each of the Marauders' final five drives of the game ended well into Puma territory, which shows that this game was much closer than the score would indicate. QB Jeff Brooks (11-21, 143 yards, 1 INT) had a particularly unfortunate game: he came in around halftime in relief of QB Jude Diegue (6-14, 47 yards, 2 INT) but threw away one drive on an interception made by Saint Joseph's LB Payne Schoen and blew another one with a fumble just shy of the goal line. The Marauders deserve a lot of credit for keeping themselves close in this game, but the experience just isn't there for them quite yet. Keep an eye on this team in the next year or two, though: they've pulled a surprise every season so far, and once Coach West gets all the pieces together, this team will be a perennial GLFC contender.

For the Pumas, this was a very important win to end the season. They've had disappointing losses to Missouri S&T and Kentucky Wesleyan in which they've given up leads early and ended up just short in comeback attempts. The Pumas weren't going to let that happen this time, and their defense came through at the most important times. Keim showed that he'll provide competition for Hladik for the starting job under center next season. If the defense can improve by early next season, Saint Joseph's could again be a favorite to win the GLFC.

UNC Pembroke 21, North Greenville 7

Defenses dominated this contest in which the two offenses scored a combined one touchdown, that coming on a 37 yard pass from UNC Pembroke QB Cory Smith (14-24, 172 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) to WR Jamal Williams (6 catches, 78 yards, 1 TD). The Braves extended their lead to 14-0 early in the third quarter on a 62 yard interception return by Matthew Fortson, but North Greenville's Nick Rosamonda would return the favor nine minutes later, reeling in a tipped pass and returning his interception 16 yards for a touchdown. But it was Jamal Williams who took the wind out of North Greenville's sails again on a 75 yard kickoff return just seconds later to set the final score. In his final game as a Crusader, RB Rashad Cummings (19 rushes, 75 yards) looked good but didn't have many breakaway opportunities against a stingy UNC Pembroke defense that held North Greenville to only 181 yards of total offensive.

Byko's Breakdown: This has to be one of the fastest football games I've been to, and I'd say that the breezy conditions had something to do with it. With passes ending up off target and often overthrown because of the wind, both teams focused on the ground game, which worked much better for the Braves. North Greenville's defense, despite being tired after having to play such a difficult schedule this season, looked good in the first half, but it was clear in the second half that they were just wearing out, allowing the Braves to dominate in time of possession in the fourth quarter and convert several third downs (UNC Pembroke would go 9/16 on third down in this game compared to 1/12 for North Greenville). The defense wasn't the only rough spot for the Crusaders: RB Matt Moore and WR Brandon Dobbins did not make the trip to Pembroke, as they were both nursing injuries, and the offense definitely wasn't as strong without them. Give plenty of credit, though, to TE Jarvis Garrett (5 catches, 62 yards), who had one of his best games of the season.

UNC Pembroke has shown this season that solid defense really makes a difference in winning football games. On an afternoon where the offense just wasn't quite clicking, the Braves' defense really dominated this game, something that it didn't do in most games last season. Last year's UNC Pembroke team probably would not have won a game like this one because of a lack of depth and conditioning on defense, but this season, Coach Shinnick and company have made that the focus of the team with Shinnick even admitting that "the offense is still a work in progress." The schedule will get more difficult next season for the Braves, but if things continue the way they are right now, UNC Pembroke will not only be on the fast track to bigger things but will also have shown other schools that are considering starting football programs the exact blueprint of how to start to build success at the Division II level.

Missouri S&T 63, Southwest Baptist 23

The Bearcats had no answer for a potent Missouri S&T offense that rolled up 666 offensive yards, led predominantly by QB Brad Guidry (31-42, 437 yards, 7 TD). WR Jordan Beard (8 catches, 201 yards, 3 TD) was the beneficiary of most of that offense while RB David Shields (19 rushes, 80 yards, 1 TD) led a 217 yard ground game. Southwest Baptist QB Steve Gachette (23-45, 263 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; 18 rushes, 118 yards, 1 TD) once again carried the offense on his back and got some help from WR Johnnie King (10 catches, 138 yards, 1 TD). The Bearcats had held the Miners to a 21-10 lead at halftime, but Southwest Baptist wore out in the second half.

Byko's Breakdown: Wow, someone wanted to make a statement late in the season on offense! It surprised me at the beginning of the year when Guidry wasn't the starting quarterback for the Miners, but he certainly proved that he's a very capable offensive leader in this game. While Southwest Baptist's defense hasn't been great all season, this game has to be quite possibly their weakest performance of the year: it's certainly the most points they've given up all season (tying the 63 they allowed #3 Northwest Missouri State), and nobody would put the Miners in the same offensive category as those playoff-bound Bearcats. The fact that 42 of the Miners' points came in the second half makes me wonder how much Southwest Baptist's defensive players' heads and hearts were still in the game at that point.

Wesley 47, Lake Erie 26

The Wolverines scored on every possession of the first half except the last one and took a 47-0 halftime lead. Lake Erie struck back in the second half, scoring on their final four possessions of the game, including a Bill Finucan fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. While the running game did not work for the Storm, QB Sean Bedevelsky (23-35, 273 yards, 2 TD) had a good game, though his offensive line made things difficult for him, allowing five sacks on the day. Along with 26 points in the fourth quarter, Lake Erie held the Wolverines to -35 yards of offense in the second half.

Kentucky Wesleyan 36, Lincoln 14

The Blue Tigers had one of their best offensive outputs of the season, managing 370 yards, but four turnovers helped contribute to Kentucky Wesleyan's fourth win of the season. The Panthers again managed to get things going on the ground, led by RB Je'Sean Godfrey (14 rushes, 113 yards, 1 TD) and RB Thomas Gordon (12 rushes, 76 yards). WR Tim Davis (5 catches, 70 yards, 3 TD) was one of Kentucky Wesleyan's stars of the game. RBs Darius Baker (14 rushes, 49 yards, 1 TD) and T.J. Stewart (12 rushes, 49 yards) led Lincoln on the ground while QB Rashad Aubrey (12-23, 165 yards, 1 INT) took over the Blue Tigers' passing game. The Panthers' defense came through in the clutch in this one: Lincoln was 0/4 on fourth down conversions for the game.

Eastern New Mexico 59, Oklahoma Panhandle State 13

A 28 point barrage for the Greyhounds in the second quarter helped give Eastern New Mexico a 35-7 halftime lead, and the Aggies would not score again until backup QB Gabe Gilmore (3-6, 37 yards; 6 rushes, 18 yards, 1 TD) would get into the end zone on a one yard run with 3:46 to go in the game. The Greyhounds once again mixed things up on offense, running for 186 yards, their highest output of the season, led by a solid performance by RB Joseph Banyard (19 rushes, 131 yards, 3 TD). RB Jose Mendoza (10 rushes, 39 yards) led the Aggies on the ground. In his final game as an Aggie, LB Matt Warner had a big day, racking up 15 total tackles (nine solo) and forcing a fumble.

Independents Players of the Week

Offense: Missouri S&T QB Brad Guidry

Guidry had a dominant performance in a 63-23 victory over Southwest Baptist, completing 31 of 42 passes for 437 yards and a school record seven touchdowns.

Defense: UNC Pembroke LB Matthew Fortson

Fortson's numbers on defense may not have been the greatest, notching six total tackles (five solo), but he had perhaps the biggest defensive play of the weekend, taking an interception 62 yards for a touchdown to give UNC Pembroke a lead it would not relinquish in the Braves' 21-7 win over North Greenville.

Special Teams: UNC Pembroke RS Jamal Williams

Williams had only one kickoff return, but he made the most of it: after dropping the kickoff, Williams gathered himself, found an opening, and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown in the Braves' 21-7 victory over North Greenville. Williams also had a 12 yard punt return in the game.

Week "12"

Once again, I have missed perfection, only going 4-2 with incorrect picks in Central State's bid for a GLFC championship and in the battle of former MIAA foes in Missouri. I now stand at 66-20 (.767) for the season with one game left: a make-up game from the first week of the season that Mother Nature didn't want to be played until now. So, that gives me one more week to work on my All-Independent teams for this season and my final reviews of each team's season. Those will come next week, but until then, here's a look at the one "regular season" game of this week:

Missouri S&T Miners (6-4) at Truman State Bulldogs (4-6), 1:00 CT

It's a second straight former MIAA opponent this week for the Miners as they will face the Bulldogs, a team they were supposed to have battled with to open the season at Central Methodist University (Truman State's field wasn't ready at the time). Just as expected, QB Matt Ticich is pretty much the beginning and end of the Truman State offense, leading the team with 360 rushing yards and five of the team's 12 rushing touchdowns as well as nearly 2100 passing yards and 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions. The Bulldogs' receiving corps is large, and there isn't a true go-to receiver in their offense. On the ground, watch out for Anton Bernard (313 yards, 1 TD) and Donald Harvey (254 yards, 2 TD), who should get a fair number of carries as well in this game. Defensively, the Bulldogs are a very disciplined team that have capitalized on their opponents' mistakes, having notched 17 interceptions on the season, which has helped Truman State to a +15 turnover margin on the year. The Bulldogs are an experienced team that has a win over playoff-bound Nebraska-Omaha on their resume as well as close losses to Missouri Western and Central Missouri. Guidry may have had an incredible game last week against Southwest Baptist, but Truman State will be a much tougher test for him. Ticich's mobility is going to be a problem for the Miners, and it will take pretty much everything the Miners have in order to win this game. I don't see that being enough.

Prediction: Truman State 42, Missouri S&T 24

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