September 7th, 2010 12:00am
My reaction to Northwest Missouri State's 16-7 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville last Thursday night can be summed up in one word: Wow!
Sure, the Bearcats have had their early season struggles recently, as the TAMUK loss marks the fourth straight season that Northwest has lost its season opener. NWMSU has always been a slow starting team under Mel Tjeerdsma, but something just doesn't seem right with this loss to the Javelinas.
Remember that Northwest is returning nine starters and four preseason All-Americans to an offensive unit that led the program to the national championship in 2009, ranking second in the country in scoring offense. Sure, the Javelinas might have a decent defense, but to hold the Bearcats to seven points? And just 194 yards of offense? And to sack Blake Bolles seven times? Those statistics seem incredible to me.
Maybe one thing we didn't consider coming into the season was that Northwest has been spoiled at running back recently, with Xavier Omon carrying the load from 2004-07 and LaRon Council the last two seasons. Both of those players were All-Americans that not only had speed, but were also tough runners that forced defenses to pay great attention to the run.
But Northwest doesn't seem to have that type of back this year, and I suppose it's possible that the lack of a great runner will cause the Bearcat offense to stumble this season. Or, on the other hand, maybe we'll look back at this game two months from now and laugh at what a fluke it was.
Random Thoughts from Week Two
-There is no sugarcoating the fact that Clarion's 27-16 loss to Fairmount State is a bad one. The Golden Eagles had a 494-217 edge in total offense and still managed to lose the game. Clarion is a team that I thought had postseason possibilities this year, but this loss will come back to haunt them in the regional rankings.
-Another surprising result from last week was Northeastern State's 31-23 win over Tarleton State. NSU had won just five games total from 2007-09 while the Texans were a playoff team last year.
-You have to give a great deal of credit to the Lone Star Conference teams for going on the road and getting it done. In addition to Texas A&M-Kingsville's big win, Abilene Christian knocked off a very good Washburn team 34-26 and West Texas A&M was very impressive at times in a 34-31 loss to Grand Valley. Most people will probably be hesitant to give this league much credit until it shows more in the playoffs, but there is some very good football being played in the LSC's South Division.
-Speaking of Abilene Christian, I consider it a great sign for the Wildcats that they were able to get standout receiver Edmund Gates involved in the deep passing game last week. Gates got behind the Washburn defense on scoring plays of 51 and 41 yards, which is something the Wildcats lacked last season. If quarterback Mitchell Gale continues to improve, ACU will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
-North Carolina-Pembroke was outstanding in its 39-0 waxing of rival Fayetteville State. The Braves limited FSU to 81 yards of total offense and wore them down with a persistent running game. Even though the program is in just its fourth year of play, UNCP is now a now a very experienced team that could make some noise in the Super Region Two playoffs this season.
-Every season there seems to be a team that puts up some shocking offensive numbers and this year that team would appear to be Central Missouri. The Mules have scored 114 points and racked up 1032 passing yards in their first two games; with senior quarterback Eric Czerniewski also accounting for 10 touchdown passes. Unfortunately, the Mules (55-54 losers to D-I FCS Illinois State last week) appear to be limited defensively which will be a problem in the tough MIAA.
-Jonas Randolph's early season struggles continue at Mars Hill. The preseason All-American has just 84 yards on 40 carries through two games. He has not had a run longer than 10 yards.
-The SAC may be the most wide-open conference race in all of D-II this season. Just two teams (Newberry and Tusculum) are without a loss at this point and every team in the league seems flawed in one or two important areas.
Conference Changes
Much has been made about all of the conference upheaval in D-I over the past few months, but D-II has been just as active. Here is a breakdown of what has transpired followed by my opinion on what some of these changes mean to the future of Division II football:
The Arkansas Gulf South schools (Arkansas Tech, Arkansas-Monticello, Southern Arkansas, Harding, Henderson State, and Ouachita Baptist) will join East Central University, Southwest Oklahoma State, and Southeastern Oklahoma State from the Lone Star in founding a new conference, which begins play in 2011.
This new conference is all based on reduced travel and reduced budgets. The Arkansas schools struggled to compete with the higher budget programs like North Alabama in the GSC while the Oklahoma schools were usually no match for the Texas schools in the LSC. While this conference will be no D-II powerhouse, it does make a great deal of sense for the programs that are a part of it.
The LSC (starting next year) will be down to nine football playing members (the eight Texas schools and Eastern New Mexico), but the subtraction of the Oklahoma schools will probably actually help the league, as long as there are no more defections. Long-term, I expect the LSC to be just fine.
On the other hand, the Gulf South seems to be in big trouble with the loss of the six Arkansas schools. GSC commissioner Nate Salant is one of the most upbeat guys you will meet, but he has a big job in front of him to rebuild this conference. There are just five football schools (and eight overall) remaining and with North Alabama already taking a serious look at D-I, it would seem like the GSC is in trouble. NAIA school Lambuth is trying to transition to D-II but is having financial problems and, as a result, having a difficult being accepted into the division. Other than that, there aren't many other options within that area of the country, unless Salant can pull off the unthinkable and convince some members of the historically black SIAC to join the league.
Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma of the LSC will join the MIAA in 2012. Lindenwood (a NAIA school from the St. Louis area) and Nebraska-Kearney (currently in the RMAC) also appear on their way to the MIAA, which would create a 16-team league.
Sixteen teams is getting a bit large, but adding these four schools makes sense for the league on many different levels. UCO brings the league the Oklahoma City market and NSU is a nice sized school with great potential. Lindenwood brings the St. Louis market and UNK is a historic rival of current league members Nebraska-Omaha and Fort Hays State.
The one negative is what a conference this large could do to some of the current rivalries in the league, like Pittsburg State/ Northwest Missouri State.
The GLVC will officially sponsor football as a conference sport, beginning in 2012. It appears that, at minimum, the following six schools will be in the league: Missouri Science and Technology, Indianapolis, St. Joseph's, Kentucky Wesleyan, William Jewell, and Quincy. There is also the possibility of additional members (in some case football-only associate members) with the list including but not limited to Urbana, Central State, McKendree (which has just started the process to join D-II) and Lewis (if they can ever get their long-rumored football program off the ground).
This league is a very welcome addition to D-II. While the GLVC won't be a powerhouse, it will provide some stability for many programs that have floated in and out of independent status over the past several years. Having a minimum of six schools is critical because it leaves open the possibility of earned access to the playoffs for league teams. I also think there is a very good chance that there will be at least 10 football playing members of this league by 2014 or so.
Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie College join the GLIAC this fall.
As the GLIAC continues to grow, it continues to add smaller private colleges. I know Grand Valley State is very committed to D-II, but I have to wonder how long the Lakers be happy in a league that continues to add schools that are so dissimilar to GVSU?
Other potential conference moves to keep an eye one: New NAIA move-ups Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines are interested in the RMAC and the feeling seems to be mutual. Minot State and the University of Sioux Falls are both considered likely candidates to make the NSIC a 16-team league. Also, the GLIAC may not be done expanding.
Tragedy at West Texas
West Texas A&M tight end Kendrick Cutsinger was killed in a car accident last Friday. My thoughts go out to the WTAMU program and Cutsinger's friends and family during this difficult time.
Games to Watch this Week
California (1-0) at CW Post (1-0)
Post has a very solid defense and may be a dark horse team to watch in the PSAC East this season. The problem for the Pioneers is that they will be facing a very talented Cal offense that may be among the best in D-II. California 30 CW Post 17.
West Liberty (0-1) at Southern Connecticut State (0-1)
Both teams were considered likely playoffs teams coming into the year and neither can afford to start 0-2. Look for Zach Amedro and the Hilltopper offense to get it going this week. West Liberty 31 Southern Connecticut 20.
IUP (1-0) at East Stroudsburg (1-0)
IUP's defense was impressive in its 16-6 win over Southern Connecticut last year and it will need another big performance to slow down quarterback Matt Marshall and an ESU offense that racked up 57 points last week. East Stroudsburg 21 IUP 17.
Hillsdale (1-0) at Grand Valley (1-0)
It was the Chargers that put the brakes on GVSU's long conference winning streak last season and the Lakers showed enough holes in their season opener to make me think that Hillsdale has a shot of once again making a game of it. Grand Valley 31 Hillsdale 24.
Abilene Christian (1-0) at Northeastern State (1-0)
NSU's upset win over Tarleton State makes this a game worth watching, but I'm not sure that NSU has enough offense to hang it there with the Wildcats. Also look for the ACU offense to have a big game on the ground. Abilene Christian 35 Northeastern State 14.
Mailbag
[Q] What happens to the national championship game if North Alabama leaves for Division I?
Tom
[A] The game would be certain to leave Florence for another location. My best guess is that it would be moved to Pittsburg, KS (the city tried to get the game the last time it came up for bid) or maybe someplace in Texas.
The larger concern to me is what would happen to the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame? Both are hosted by the city of Florence and are part of the championship weekend. It just would be sad to see either go by the wayside simply because the game is no longer in Florence.
Contact Me
Next week's column will feature an in depth look at all of the conference changes taking place in Division II and their impact on the division. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you'd like answered in the Mailbag.