October 13th, 2009 12:00am
It was bound to end some time.
Grand Valley State's 48-game regular season and 45-game GLIAC winning streaks came to an end last weekend in a 27-24 loss to Hillsdale.
My reaction? It really isn't that big a deal. It's not as if the Lakers turned the ball over a bunch of times or were dominated at the line of scrimmage by the Chargers. In fact, GVSU held a 462-324 advantage in total offense and limited Hillsdale to just 58 yards rushing. Taking nothing away from Hillsdale, this was a game the Lakers win 95% of the time and Saturday just happened to be the other 5% where things don't quite work out.
So relax Laker fans, you still have an outstanding team with a dominant defense and a quarterback that has yet to throw an interception this season. GVSU has a tough final four games, but if the Lakers can take care of business, they will be in the playoffs and in position to make a push towards the national championship. If nothing else, this loss may light a fire under GVSU and help the Lakers reach a level they might not have otherwise attained. It's much better to have the wakeup call happen now than in the playoffs like it did last season against Minnesota-Duluth.
News, Notes, and Thoughts from around the Country in Week Seven
- Two weeks ago Ouachita Baptist looked like one of the teams to beat in Super Region Two, but two straight head scratching losses have left the Tigers not even ranked in the regional poll. After playing perfect football in the first half of the season, OBU had two kicks and two punts blocked in its loss two weeks ago and turned the ball over six times in a 21-7 loss to Harding last week.
- Outside of unbeaten North Alabama and winless West Georgia, I have basically given up on trying to figure out the Gulf South Conference. Every other team in the GSC has at least two losses and there seems to be at least two surprising scores in the league each week. UNA is the only league team ranked in the top eight of the regional poll and unless a second team emerges fast, the GSC will likely get just one team into the playoffs this year.
- A quick peak at the NCAA statistics reveals that three SAC teams (Lenoir-Rhyne, Carson-Newman, and Brevard) are among the top four in the country in rushing offense. Option football is definitely not dead in that conference.
- The nation's leading passer-- Eastern New Mexico's J.J. Harp-- has been suspended from the team indefinitely along with three other players for violations of university policy. This is certainly a blow to the Greyhounds as they try to stay competitive in the LSC South.
- Minnesota State-Moorhead head coach Damon Tomeo has been placed on paid administrative leave by the university relating to a complaint that has been filed. He was previously suspended for one game due to an alleged secondary NCAA violation. It certainly appears as if Tomeo's stint as Dragon head coach has come to an end.
- It appears as if the switch to redshirt freshman Mitchell Gale at quarterback is paying off for Abilene Christian. Gale has been ACU's starter the last two weeks and is completing over 68% of his passes to go with a pass efficiency rating of over 171. In my opinion, the quarterback position is what was lacking on this team and if Gale can continue to get better, the Wildcats will be tough to handle come playoff time.
- We will find out a great deal about what defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth is made of over the last month of the season. St. Cloud State and its four game winning streak come to Duluth on Saturday and then the Bulldogs must travel to face Bemidji State (5-2) and Winona State (5-2) in the final three weeks. Another loss probably wouldn't knock UMD out of the playoffs, but it would signal that another deep playoff run is unlikely.
Top Games this Week
Texas A&M-Kingsville (7-0) at Midwestern State (5-2)
The Javelinas have escaped with narrow victories in both of their road games, and with another very solid opponent in MSU, TAMUK will have to play at a very high level to keep their unbeaten season alive.
This should be a fun game to watch for those that like good passing attacks. Billy Garza at TAMUK and Zack Eskridge at MSU can both throw the football. TAMUK has not played exceptionally well on the road and I like the Mustangs in an entertaining game. Midwestern State 30 Texas A&M-Kingsville 27.
Hillsdale (5-2) at Northern Michigan (5-1)
This is the ultimate hangover game for Hillsdale. After beating Grand Valley, can the Chargers get up for NMU after the long bus ride north?
The Chargers had better be ready to go, because this NMU team is for real. The Wildcats shut down Wayne State star Joique Bell last week and NMU also has one of the better running attacks in D-II. Northern Michigan 31 Hillsdale 20.
West Chester (4-3) at Shippensburg (5-2)
With both teams sitting with one loss in the PSAC East and both also still to get a shot at unbeaten Bloomsburg, this is a pivotal game in the league.
In my opinion, WCU has as much raw talent as any team in Super Region One, but for whatever reason, the Rams haven't been able to put it together this year. If WCU is ever going to get it going, this is a game they must win. West Chester 31 Shippensburg 24.
Wayne State (NE) (5-2) at Winona State (5-2)
Both teams must likely win out to get a shot at the playoffs, so this will be a huge game in Winona.
WSC is coming off a dismal offensive performance in a 21-10 loss to Bemidji State and the Wildcats have not looked good in general the past three weeks. The Warriors are usually very tough at home and I have to give them the edge. Winona State 27 Wayne State 23.
Mars Hill (4-2) at Brevard (6-1)
Brevard continues to be a feel good story in D-II this year. The school didn't come close to winning a SAC game in its first two seasons in the conference, but has already won two league games so far this year.
Unfortunately for the Tornados, they are now getting into the stronger part of the conference schedule and it starts with MHC and their stout running game. Mars Hill 28 Brevard 18.
Central Missouri (6-1) at Missouri Western (6-1)
UCM's Eric Czerniewski and MWSU's Drew Newhart are a pair of terrific passing quarterbacks so this game has the makings to be a bit of a shootout.
I think the Mules are a bit better defensively which could give them an edge, but I like the Griffons for this reason: they have owned the Mules recently, winning six straight in this series. Always bet the streak. Missouri Western 34 Central Missouri 29.
Edinboro (6-1) at California (5-2)
This game is huge as far as playoff implications, but as the only two unbeaten teams in the PSAC West, the winner also has a good shot at reaching the PSAC title game.
The Vulcans are probably a bit deeper and more talented overall, but Edinboro has the equalizer in senior quarterback Trevor Harris, who is one of this division's best. This has the makings of a great game but I will go with Cal in a tight one. California 24 Edinboro 21.
Findlay (6-1) at Grand Valley State (6-1)
After winning just two games last season, the Oilers have to be one of the biggest surprises in D-II. Findlay's success so far has been based on a balanced offense and a defense that has already forced 22 turnovers.
Of course GVSU should be a very focused team this week and what happens this week should set the tone for the rest of the season. Grand Valley 30 Findlay 14.
Mailbag
[Q] In reviewing the regional and Top 25 rankings, I wondered if there is any possibility or been any discussion in the past about changing the conferences that make up each region. Super Regional 4 consists of the MIAA and LSC which appear to be the strongest two conferences in Division 2 having eight teams from that regional currently ranked in the Top 25 and three of the top five teams in the nation. This seems to set up the potential for two of the best teams in the nation (Northwest Missouri & Abilene Christian) to play each other early in the playoffs. Any chance this changes in the future where these two conferences may not have representatives meet until the semis or finals?
Brett
[A] I think we will see this current regional set up for the foreseeable future. What D-II has done over the last couple of years is gone to hard and fast regionalization for all sports. It used to be that football used a different combination of conferences than many of the other sports as it tried to balance numbers of teams in each region.
But there was a push a couple of years ago to "standardize" the regions so that every sport would have the same alignment, regardless of the number of schools present in each region in a sport. So while Super Region Four is definitely highly competitive, it does benefit from having a much lower number of teams than what you find in the other three regions.
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