D2Football.com
Covering
 
D2 Football Home
D2 Football News
D2 Football News
D2 Football Video
D2 Football Columnists
D2 Football Scores
D2 Football Top 25 Poll
D2 Football Player Awards
D2 Football Regional Rankings
D2 Football Statistics
D2 Football All Americans
D2 Football Pro Hopefuls
D2 Football Information
D2 Football Teams
D2 Football Champions
D2 Football Championship Game
D2 Football Harlon Hill
D2 Football Stadiums
D2 Football Alumni
D2 Football Interactive
D2 Football Message Board
D2 Football Chat
D2 Football Coaches
D2 Football Coaching Vacancies
D2 Football Schedule Openings
D2 Football About Us
D2 Football Advertise
D2 Football Staff
D2 Football Contact Us

 
 
D2Football.com Columnists South Atlantic Conference

South Atlantic Conference

December 1st, 2009

This is the game I have been wanting and waiting to see.

Carson-Newman at Grand Valley State in the Division II semifinals.

Playing on ESPN for a 3:30 PM ET showdown for the chance to play for the national championship.

The Grand Valley State Lakers have been on a tear since the year 2001. They have a record of 114-8 as of their last victory at defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth.

Want flashier numbers?

Grand Valley State quarterback Brad Iciek (pronounced Eye-Check) has thrown for 2,786 yards, 31 touchdowns, and two interceptions. Those two interceptions came in one game against Northern Michigan - a game in which the Lakers won 31-19.

Of course Carson-Newman isn't bare of gaudy numbers itself.

The Eagles have Division II's most productive rushing offense with 349 yards per game, which is 55 yards more than the nation's second ranked running team.

Neither C-N senior quarterback Alex Good nor GV senior signal caller Iciek are still in contention for the Harlon Hill trophy. The trophy is Division II's equivalent of the Heisman trophy. The three candidates left in the running are West Liberty junior quarterback Zach, Wayne State (MI) senior running back Joique Bell, and Arkansas Tech senior quarterback Nick Graziano.

Saturday December 5th, 2009

#2 SR2 Carson-Newman (11-2) at #2 SR3 Grand Valley (12-1), 3:30 PM ET
Forecast at Kickoff: 37 degrees, snow showers, 12 MPH wind, and 40% chance of precipitation.
Point Spread: Grand Valley (-7.5)

Grand Valley is 56-3 at home in Lubbers Stadium since 2001, which is about a .950 winning percentage.

Laker quarterback Iciek has thrown less interceptions this season than Grand Valley has lost home games in nine years.

The weather conditions for this one on Saturday afternoon will heavily favor Grand Valley.

The Lakers seemed poised for a national title, but so is Carson-Newman. After taking down North Alabama at Braly Stadium, the Eagles are full of emotion. It was the first win ever at Braly Municipal Stadium for the Orange and Blue. Coach Ken Sparks has Carson-Newman playing with the strut of those dominant days. It can be argued that the team of the '90s is playing the team of the '00s.

This game with all of the fan fare and hype will come down to only one thing.

Grand Valley has not seen the split back veer. It is an offense that has produced national championship game berths in Division II and threatens to do so again.

Quarterback Good or his running back Buck Wakefield will have a run or two go for 40 plus yards against the Lakers.

Enter Joique Bell.

He is Wayne State's (MI) running back and will be in an NFL camp next year.

He may even win the Harlon Hill trophy.

But he could not even crack 75 yards on Grand Valley's defense. The senior star had only 74 yards rushing on 19 carries, with a long of 43 yards. So one run was responsible for a decent rushing total in that November contest.

Carson-Newman's ability to create dive plays for 4-5 yards at a time will bring Grand Valley defenders close to the line. I expect a lot of blitz packages to force a Good miscue.

The Laker running game is the most underrated aspect of their success. Justin Sherrod, a 5'9 185 pound back has been splitting carries with 5'11 210 pound James Berezik. You will find backup running back P.T. Gates as a return man instead of in the backfield on most occasions. Gates is quite electrifying and was a nationally recognized high school phenom.

The short passing game has allowed Carson-Newman to extend drives during this playoff run. However, the home run threat of receivers Reggie Hubbard and Charles Dobson will pay dividends for the veer offense. No longer will teams be able to stack the box without consequences.

Iciek will throw to a variety of receivers but Blake Smolen is the one to watch. He has 49 catches for 810 yards and nine scores. He has the ability to outrun the Eagle secondary in a foot race.

The Eagle secondary needs an encore performance if they want to keep playing for the national title.

Both teams are in the top ten in turnover margin in Division II.

This is going to be the best game of the year. Two powerhouses colliding on a cold field in December.

Too much speed from Good, Wakefield, and Hubbard.

Carson-Newman will beat the Lakers at Lubbers Stadium.

Carson-Newman: 28 Grand Valley: 24

 

Return to Columnist

 
         
S1 Copyright © 2000-2006 D2Football.com. All rights reserved.