October 12th, 2010 12:00am
In last week's column I focused on national title contenders, and made my point that not much seems to change from year to year in the very upper echelon of D-II football.
I also mentioned that there are some upstart teams that have made their mark this season, but unfortunately, I may have overlooked the one team that is the biggest surprise.
Kutztown moved to 6-0 last week after knocking off PSAC East rival East Stroudsburg, ending a nine-game losing streak to the Warriors.
To give an idea of what a surprise team the Golden Bears truly are, check out these facts compiled and sent to us by Kutztown sports information director Rob Knox:
-Kutztown is off to a 6-0 start for the first time in school history.
-The Golden Bears have guaranteed themselves a winning record for the first time in seven years and with just one more victory, can tie a school record for wins in a season with seven.
-Kutztown has won seven games in a season just twice in school history (1977 and 2000).
Coach Ray Monica and the Golden Bears are sitting in a great position, but there is still a long way to go with traditional PSAC East powerhouse Bloomsburg, a solid C.W. Post team, and a down but still dangerous West Chester on the schedule over the last half of the season. Whatever happens the rest of the year, Kutztown's success is a great story and it is fun to see another long-struggling program turn it around.
Mid-Season
Last weekend officially marked the middle of the year and it's time to make some evaluations on where we stand in each region.
Super Region One
Favorite: California
Contenders: Bloomsburg, Shepherd, West Virginia Wesleyan, Kutztown
Surprises: West Virginia Wesleyan, Kutztown, New Haven, Winston-Salem State
Disappointments: East Stroudsburg, Clarion, West Chester, Southern Connecticut State
I mentioned a few contenders because I have to, but Bloomsburg is the only team in this region that I feel may have the firepower to take down California. As I mentioned in last week's column, the Vulcans' must continue to improve defensively to play with the elite teams in the country.
Super Region Two
Favorite: North Alabama
Contenders: Valdosta State, Delta State, Albany State, West Alabama
Surprises: West Georgia
Disappointments: The SAC, Arkansas Tech, UNC-Pembroke
UNA is once again the clear favorite based upon what has transpired so far. VSU and DSU are also solid teams, but the Statesmen are so-so defensively and the Blazers are starting a freshman at quarterback which makes me hesitant to believe that either could knock off UNA when it counts. Albany State-- with its stout defense and Stanley Jennings at quarterback-- just may be the best bet to challenge UNA.
Super Region Three
Favorite: Minnesota-Duluth
Contenders: Grand Valley State, Hillsdale, Augustana, Wayne State (NE), Nebraska-Kearney
Surprises: Augustana, Colorado State-Pueblo
Disappointments: Saginaw Valley, Minnesota State, Chadron State
Minnesota-Duluth is the clear favorite at this point, and the Bulldogs look just as dominant as they did in winning the title in 2008. Both Hillsdale and Grand Valley have the talent to win the region as well if things go their way.
Super Region Four
Favorite: Northwest Missouri State
Contenders: Abilene Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville, West Texas A&M, Midwestern State, Central Missouri, Missouri Western
Surprises: Humboldt State, Emporia State
Disappointments: Central Washington, Washburn, Nebraska-Omaha, Tarleton State
I don't care that the Bearcats have the one loss, they are still the favorite in this region in my mind. The region is deep with talented teams, but ACU is the only would I would give a legit shot at knocking off Northwest in the postseason.
Top Games this Week
Valdosta State (4-1) at North Alabama (6-0)
UNA hasn't been an offensive juggernaut this fall like they were a year ago, but the Lions can certainly play some defense. They allow just six points per game, which is tops in the country in that category. The Blazers are pretty salty on "D" as well, but freshman quarterback David Whitmire has struggled in GSC play and he hasn't seen a defense yet like UNA's. North Alabama 21 Valdosta State 12.
West Virginia Wesleyan (6-0) at Shepherd (6-0)
Can the Bobcats stop Shepherd's running game? The Rams have been grinding out wins with their running attack once again this season and if they will keep winning football games until someone figures out how to slow them down. Wesleyan is talented enough on both sides of the ball to stay in this game, but a slight edge goes to the Rams at home. Shepherd 24 West Virginia Wesleyan 23.
Nebraska-Kearney (5-1) at CSU-Pueblo (5-1)
CSU-Pueblo is coming off a painful loss to Colorado Mines, while the Lopers come in fresh off a win over rival Chadron State. I point this out because the Thunderwolves could have the emotional edge coming into the game. That said, UNK has won 14 conference games for a reason: they are talented and they do everything pretty well. Nebraska-Kearney 27 CSU-Pueblo 20.
Missouri Western (5-1) at Central Missouri (6-1)
In my opinion, this is the game of the week as far as pure entertainment goes. MWSU's Drew Newhart and UCM's Eric Czerniewski are two of the top quarterbacks in the country and both lead explosive offenses. Both teams have also shown some defensive deficiencies, so this should be a high scoring game. First team to 40 wins. Missouri Western 40 Central Missouri 37.
Slippery Rock (5-1) at California (6-0)
This game features two of the countries top rushers in SRU's Akeem Satterfield (737 rushing yards) and Cal's Lamont Smith (771 rushing yards). Unfortunately for SRU, the Vulcans have a big advantage just about everywhere else on the field. California 31 Slippery Rock 17.
West Texas A&M (5-1) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (5-1)
WTAMU leads the nation in total offense, while TAMUK is second in the country in total defense. Obviously something is going to have to give. I like the Buffaloes in this one for two reasons. One, they throw the football as well as anyone and Abilene Christian had a great deal of success through the air against the Javelinas two weeks ago. And secondly, I don't think the TAMUK offense can score enough points to win the game. West Texas 34 Texas A&M-Kingsville 24.
Mailbag
[Q] It seems like the officiating in D2 is getting worse. It never has been real good. I don't know why that is. It almost seems like the officiating at high school games is better than in D2. Not sure if the refs just aren't up to the speed of the game or what is their deal. What are your thoughts?
Reed
[A] I do not feel D2 officiating is all that bad. Officiating in D-I is better, but the major D-I conferences have the advantage of instant replay to fix mistakes and the officials are monitored very closely. This is not possible in D2 for obvious reasons.
My only "complaint" about officiating in D2 is that it can be a bit inconsistent from conference to conference, meaning that in some leagues holding is called tighter, etc. This is sometimes a factor in the playoffs when neutral officiating crews are brought in to do games and the teams have to adjust.
Contact
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