October 21st, 2008 12:00am
Has there ever been a team in D-II with a trio of talent at the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions better than what Abilene Christian possesses this year?
I started thinking about this question last week when I was looking at the Pro Hopefuls section that our scouting guru Josh Buchanan compiles for this website.
If you look at the list, ACU quarterback Billy Malone, running back Bernard Scott and wide receiver Johnny Knox are looked upon as three of the dozen or so NFL prospects in all of D-II. If each of these guys isn't the best at his position this season, he would certainly have to rank in the top two or three.
So I started doing a little research, trying to come up with a team that had a better "Big Three".
The only two examples I could think of that might compare are the 1991 Pittsburg State team that had back to back Harlon Hill winners in Ronnie West at receiver and Ronald Moore at running back. But that Gorilla team didn't have a quarterback like Malone. In 2002 Grand Valley had the great Curt Anes to David Kircus passing combo. But the Lakers didn't have a running back close to Scott's ability.
Interestingly enough, both the '91 Gorillas and '02 Lakers went on to win national championships.
I guess the point I'm trying to make here is this: Abilene Christian has a historic level of talent on offense and teams that have that kind of pure ability usually do quite well in the postseason. To not include Abilene Christian on the short list of national title contenders would be foolish.
Games to Watch this Week
Wayne State (6-2) @ Augustana (6-2)
There have been 20 games so far this season between the four new NSIC schools (of which Augustana is one) and the existing NSIC schools. The new schools have won all 20. But although WSC's two losses are both to those new schools, the Wildcats were very close in both games and are coming off a benchmark 55-18 win over traditional conference power Winona State.
Another factor that indicates to me that this will be a great game is how remarkably similar both teams are in almost every statistical category. The Wildcats are probably a bit more talented offensively, chiefly because quarterback Silas Fluellen is such a playmaker. But, WSC has had problems with turnovers at times this year and the Viking are plus nine in that category, so that's clearly an advantage for Augie. Bottom line, this will be a very good game. I give the Vikings an ever so slight edge at home. Augustana 27 Wayne State 23.
Northwest Missouri (7-1) @ Washburn (6-2)
As dominant as the Bearcats have been the last few seasons, Washburn has given them as much trouble as any other team in the MIAA. The Ichabods beat Northwest in 2005 and lost by just a single point last season.
After looking quite average early on, the Bearcat defense has been dominant over the last month. NWMSU has allowed just 30 total points over the past five weeks, and three of those opponents possessed very good offenses. The problem for Washburn will be that, although the defense is strong, the Ichabods just don't have the offensive firepower to do much of anything against the Bearcats. Especially troubling for Washburn is the fact that their quarterbacks complete just 42% of their passes. That won't be good enough to get it done against the Bearcats. Northwest Missouri 31 Washburn 13.
Tarleton State (7-1) @ Abilene Christian (7-0)
Tarleton State is a good football team with a very solid defense. But the Texans are going to run into the same problem that every team that goes up against ACU faces: the Wildcats are an offensive anomaly. The talent level and speed that ACU possesses on offense is something rarely seen in D-II. TSU will have to play a great game to keep pace.
I think there are two ways TSU can stay in this game. Number one is to be very effective running the football to control the clock and keep the ACU offense on the sidelines. The problem with that strategy is that the Wildcats give up just 67 yards per game on the ground. Number two would be to hope that the Wildcats are flat coming off the big win over West Texas last week. I think TSU may find a way to make this a game for a half, but the Wildcats are just too good. Abilene Christian 41 Tarleton State 28.
Ashland (6-2) @ Grand Valley (7-0)
Ashland could have easily folded after a pair of devastating losses to start the season. The Eagles blew a 21-point lead in a season opening loss to Bloomsburg and then had a 32-yard potential game-winning field goal blocked in a 25-24 loss to Ferris State. But to their credit, the Eagles recovered to win six straight. The strength of this Ashland team is on the offensive side of the ball, led by standout quarterback Billy Cundiff, who has thrown 23 touchdown passes against just five interceptions this season.
GVSU, of course, is its usual dominating self with no real discernible weaknesses. If I had to pick a strength it would probably be on the offensive side of the football, if for no other reason than the Lakers are young defensively. Ashland will be the best offense the Lakers have seen this season so there is at least a chance that the Eagles can move the football. But I just don't see Eagles being able to stop the Laker offense. AU allows 185 yards per game on the ground and that does not bode well against the powerful GV offensive line. Grand Valley 35 Ashland 17.
Valdosta State (6-1) @ North Alabama (7-1)
These two teams have both suffered frustrating losses to Delta State over the past couple of weeks, so they have that much in common. But when you look at the season as a whole, there is no question that the Lions have been the more formidable team, mainly because UNA has senior A.J. Milwee running an efficient offense while the Blazers have been unsettled at the quarterback position.
Both teams play very good defense, but other than the quarterback factor, there are a couple of other reasons I like UNA in this game. Number one, the Lions are playing at home and will be extremely eager to wash the bad taste of last week's loss to DSU out of their mouths. Secondly, UNA has had nine days to prepare for this game while VSU is working on a regular schedule. And just one more factor that will add to some extra UNA motivation: the Blazers handed the Lions there only two losses last season. North Alabama 27 Valdosta State 20.
Mailbag
[Q] What do you think about Central Washington's chances of making it far into the playoffs this year?
Steven
[A] If the Wildcats were in any other region, I'd really like their chances of going quite far in the playoffs. But the problem is that CWU is in the brutal Super Region Four, and as of right now, it looks like a low playoff seed is pretty likely. This will make it difficult to advance with teams like Abilene Christian and Northwest Missouri to overcome.
The one advantage that CWU has is that they have one of the top two or three quarterbacks in D-II in Mike Reilly. With a talent like Reilly, the Wildcats are a threat to knock off anyone in this division on a given Saturday. But it takes a complete team in all phases to win it all and I think the lack of a running game and not having a great defense will keep CWU from making it to Florence.
Bob's Regional Power Polls
Super Regional One
1. Bloomsburg (8-0)
2. California (7-1)
3. Edinboro (7-1)
4. West Chester (6-2)
5. Indiana (5-2)
6. Seton Hill (7-1)
7. West Virginia State (6-1)
8. American International (7-0)
9. Fayetteville State (6-2)
10. Charleston (6-2)
Super Regional Two
1. Delta State (6-1)
2. North Alabama (7-1)
3. Valdosta State (6-1)
4. Tuskegee (7-0)
5. Carson-Newman (5-2)
6. Arkansas-Monticello (6-2)
7. Wingate (7-1)
8. Albany State (5-2)
9. UNC-Pembroke (7-1)
10. Tusculum (5-3)
Super Regional Three
1. Grand Valley (7-0)
2. Minnesota-Duluth (8-0)
3. Chadron State (7-1)
4. Ashland (6-2)
5. Augustana (6-2)
6. Minnesota State (6-2)
7. St. Cloud State (5-3)
8. Michigan Tech (6-2)
9. Wayne State (MI) (6-2)
10. Mesa State (6-2)
Super Regional Four
1. Abilene Christian (7-0)
2. Northwest Missouri (7-1)
3. Central Washington (7-1)
4. West Texas A&M (7-1)
5. Pittsburg State (7-1)
6. Central Missouri (6-2)
7. Washburn (6-2)
8. Tarleton State (7-1)
9. Midwestern State (5-2)
10. Nebraska-Omaha (4-3)
Contact Me
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