September 12th, 2006 12:00am
Normally results like Grand Valley scoring late to beat Ashland or Northwest Missouri throttling Nebraska-Omaha would be the big news in the world of Division II football.
But not this week… not when Chadron State pulls off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory in college football. If you haven't heard by now, the Eagles traveled to I-AA Montana State and knocked off the Bobcats, 35-24.
There are a couple of factors that make the result of this game such a surprise. Number one, MSU is a very good I-AA program that offers 63 scholarships while CSC offers just 21. And secondly, the Eagles were just 4-6 last season and looked rather pedestrian in their season-opening win over the University of Mary. Meanwhile, MSU was busy beating Division I-A Colorado in its season opener just a week earlier. What fueled the upset was the running of Danny Woodhead (215 rushing yards) and a defense that bent (to the extreme at times) but also caused five turnovers.
Also to be placed in the D-II/I-AA upset category was North Dakota's 35-31 win over Northern Iowa. UNI played for the I-AA national title last year and was celebrating its home opener. But the Fighting Sioux were the better team from the start in this game and survived a back and forth final five minutes to win. This win should certainly serve notice that UND will once again be a top contender for the D-II title this fall.
And last but not least, Delta State joined the upset parade by knocking off I-AA Sam Houston State. Although not as notable as the CSC or UND wins, this victory should give the Statesmen plenty of confidence going into the Gulf South Conference portion of their schedule.
Terwilliger Rebounds
I mentioned last week the struggles defending Harlon Hill winner Jim Terwilliger had in his first game of this season. Well, he got back on track last week. Terwilliger completed 17 of 26 passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns in ESU's 45-14 win over Lock Haven. Evan Prall was on the receiving end of all four scoring passes and also returned a punt for a score to earn himself D2football.com co-offensive player of the week. We'll find out a lot more about the Warriors and Terwilliger's chances of a repeat as they take on IUP and California in the next two weeks.
Giving Southeastern Oklahoma State it's due
I received some heat from SOSU fans for not considering their team to be a playoff threat from the LSC in the pre-season. I politely told them that the LSC North was weak compared to the south half of the conference and that I didn't yet consider the Savage Storm to be a legit threat in the Southwest Region. Going into last week's game with Tarleton State, I said it was put up or shut up time for SOSU and that they need to prove that they can hang with the big boys in the conference.
Well, the Savage Storm proved it. Behind the passing of quarterbacks Justin Pitrucha and Kolby Williams (337 combined yards through the air), SOSU scored a late touchdown to knock off TSU on the road and established themselves as the team to beat (along with West Texas A&M) in the Lone Star this season. How would the Savage Storm do against an MIAA power like Pittsburg State or Northwest Missouri in the playoffs? It's hard to say right now… but it's looking like we're going to find out come November.
Downright Offensive
What has happened to the Presbyterian offense? Presby returns seven offensive starters from last year's playoff team but has been pathetic so far this season-- they are averaging just 10 points per game and attempted to set offensive football back a few generations in last week's 80 total yard performance (a 7-6 win over Fayetteville State). The 'Hose have a great defense that has been the cornerstone of the team's 2-1 start. But if the offense doesn't get things figured out, Presby can forget about another postseason appearance this fall.
Game of the Week
C.W. Post (2-0) @ Shepherd (3-0)
The Pioneers visited Shepherd last November in the playoffs and ruined the Rams' perfect season by beating them, 28-21. This game will have huge implications in the Northeast Region come playoff time, and the fact that revenge is in the mix will make this a very intriguing game on Saturday.
Much like last season, the Rams have been all about defense so far this year. They have allowed a grand total of just seven points through the first two games, including a shutout of Shippensburg last week, and senior All-American safety Dan Peters already has four interceptions. Running back Dervon Wallace leads an offense that prefers to take care of the football and grind it out on the ground and with the short passing game.
C.W. Post is remarkably similar to Rams so far this season. The Pioneers are giving up just seven points per game and have their own outstanding back in sophomore Anthony Lazarus to grind in out on the ground. But the difference between this year's Pioneer team and the one that beat Shepherd last year is loss to graduation of quarterback Rob Blount. Blount torched the Rams for 326 total yards in the 2005 playoff game. But his replacement this year, Nick Georgetti, is completing just 45% of his passes through two games and has thrown three interceptions.
So, I think Post's problems throwing the football will play right into Shepherd's strength as a team-- a ball-hawking defense. Plus the home field and the revenge factor should help get the Rams over the top. Shepherd 21 C.W. Post 16
Other Top Games
Bloomsburg (1-1) @ Edinboro (2-0)
Defense should rule the day in this game-- both teams are outstanding on that side of the ball. Bloomsburg is tested after a pair of tough games to start the season and that should give them a slight edge against Edinboro, even on the road. Jamar Brittingham grinds out another 100-yard performance in a 20-13 Bloomsburg win.
Minnesota-Duluth (2-0) @ South Dakota (2-0)
With all of the uproar surrounding USD missing the playoffs last season, people tend to forget that USD's 56-43 loss to UMD in the next to last regular season game is what ultimately kept the Coyotes out. So revenge will definitely be a motivating factor this week for USD.
In last year's game there were 1191 yards of offense. While both teams appear to once again be capable of scoring points, I don't look for that type of offensive explosion in this game-- the two teams should be better defensively than last season. Even though the jury is still out on exactly how good the Coyotes are (their first two opponents were bad football teams), I'm going to go with USD in this one because of their significant home-field advantage in the dome and the fact that they have the sensational Stefan Logan running the football. South Dakota 28 Minnesota-Duluth 24.
Saginaw Valley (2-0) @ Ferris State (2-0)
Yes, Ferris State has just been an average football team over the past few seasons. But they have given the Cardinals fits at times, beating them 19-3 in 2002 and taking them right to the wire in 2003 and 2005. I still think SVSU has too much defense to lose this game, but don't be surprised if the final score is tight. SVSU 27 Ferris State 21
Winona State (2-0) @ North Dakota (2-0)
These two teams have developed quite a history over the past few years. They met in the playoffs in 2001 and 2003, with the second game being a memorable one. But last year in Winona the Sioux hammered the Warriors 51-6.
This game has the potential to be the classic letdown for UND coming off the big win over I-AA Northern Iowa. But although WSU is 2-0, they have struggled to reach 250 yards of offense in either of their first two games against pretty average defenses. That won't cut it against UND, especially since the Fighting Sioux finally have some playmakers on offense this season. North Dakota 40 Winona State 17
Pittsburg State (2-0) @ Missouri Western (2-0)
The Gorillas have lost just 17 MIAA games in the past 16 years-- three of the losses have occurred at MWSU's Spratt Stadium. Obviously, PSU does not normally play well in St. Joseph. The Griffons come into this game a tested team that has had to battle to win for two straight weeks. Although we know the Gorillas will be good, just how good is still a big question considering PSU's weak opponents so far.
The keys to the game for PSU are simple: Quarterback Mark Smith needs to have a solid game in his first start against a formidable defense and the much maligned PSU defense needs to control the MWSU running game. For Western, they must take care of the football on offense (the Griffons have had three interceptions returned for touchdowns against them this year) and they must make sure that Germaine Race doesn't have a huge game running the football for PSU. I think this game will be close, but I think Race and the Gorilla offense will have just enough to get the job done. Pittsburg State 30 Missouri Western 27
Texas A&M Kingsville (1-1) @ Western Oregon (2-0)
I threw this game in there as one to watch because although TAMUK is a power program and WOU has basically been a doormat the past few years, I really think this is the year where the Wolves can win a game like this. The Javelinas played better last week, but are too inexperienced to travel across the country and beat WOU. Western Oregon 23 TAMUK 20
Washburn (1-1) @ Central Missouri State (2-0)
Some of the luster that this match up had in the pre-season has worn off because of Washburn's surprising loss to Western Washington last week. But both teams are expected to challenge for the MIAA title and there is one additional factor that ads some spice to this game: When CMSU senior quarterback Toby Korrodi transferred from Northern State in the summer of 2004, he originally committed to Washburn, but later reneged and went to CMSU instead. It's not clear exactly why Korrodi ultimately changed his mind, but certainly some bad blood exists between the two programs.
All that said, the game will still be played between the lines and the two quarterbacks-- Korrodi for CMSU and Jordan Brill for the Ichabods-- lead offenses that should be capable of putting some points on the board. Look for the Mules to pull this one out at home, 27-23.
Mailbag
[Q] What do you think about the decision from Bart Tatum to go to another MIAA school after spending so many years with Mel Tjeerdsma at NWMSU (and even playing for him in Texas)?\
It seems like he could of gone about anywhere in D2 for a head coaching job and still he chose to stay in the MIAA and battle Coach T... your thoughts?
David
[A] It's not unusual for an assistant at one school (Tatum was the offensive coordinator at NWMSU) to take a head-coaching job within the same conference. There are a couple of very good reasons for this. Number one, the coach is familiar with the general recruiting area so they already have established relationships and reputations with many people, which can help land players. And number two, since the coach will almost certainly be coming from a successful program, he'll have a very good idea of what it will take to get his new team to a level where it can compete for conference titles.
Two other very good examples I can think of along the same lines as Tatum are Craig Shurig at Washburn (former Pittsburg State assistant) and Bubba Schweigert at Minnesota-Duluth (former North Dakota defensive coordinator). Both left successful programs for another school within their conference and, not coincidentally, both won conference championships last year at their new schools.
Can Tatum accomplish the same thing at Missouri Southern? Time will tell, but I think it will be difficult. MSSU doesn't have the facilities or tradition of many of the other schools in the MIAA and having a power like Pittsburg State in the same back yard (30 minutes away) will make it tough to turn things around. But no one thought Tjeerdsma could turn NWMSU into a national power either, so you never know. Things are definitely off to the right start at MSSU as Tatum and the Lions are 2-0.
[Q] I am a former Delta State player who started on the 2000 National Championship team and I was wondering how do you compare this year's DSU team to that one?
Markeef
[A] Wow! that's tough. This year's team has different coaches and a completely different style on both offense and defense. I guess the one parallel that could be drawn is that both have outstanding quarterback play (Scott Eyester this year and Josh Bright in 2000) and it's hard to win a championship without having that.
I have stated from the beginning of the season that I'm very high on DSU and I think they have the potential to go deep into the playoffs. The win over I-AA Sam Houston State was certainly a big one last week. But I won't go as far to say that this year's Statesmen compare favorably with a team that won a national title. I think it will take until the middle of the season after DSU has played against the likes of Valdosta State and North Alabama to determine if this team has the potential to match the accomplishments of the 2000 Statesmen.
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