November 23rd, 2010 12:00am
What a week it has been for St. Cloud State football! Just two days after a campus-wide student referendum passed that provides enough funding to keep the program alive, the Huskies won their first playoff game in 21 years, 42-28 over Hillsdale. SCSU now faces the daunting task of traveling to Minnesota-Duluth to take on the top-ranked Bulldogs. But it sure beats the alternative of having to turn in the equipment, which in the Huskies case could have been forever.
Even though a pair of number six seeds won in the opening round, I can't say I'm that surprised by any of the opening round winners. What I am surprised by, however, is the methods used by some teams to advance.
North Alabama failed to score a point against Valdosta State a month ago, but put up 43 in hammering the Blazers in the playoff rematch. Strange.
Even more surprising was Northwest Missouri State having to come from 17 points down in the second half to knock off rival Missouri Western, 28-24. Keep in mind that the Bearcats had beaten the Griffons 42-0 earlier this season.
And how about the performance of Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly? All he did was throw for 477 yards and seven touchdowns in his school's first ever playoff game, a 63-41 win over Morehouse.
So we now move on to the second round, where there are several intriguing match ups. In fact, I'm having a real hard time picking many of these games. With that caveat in place, here's a look at round two:
Playoffs Round Two
Super Region One
Shepherd (10-1) at Kutztown (10-1)
Kutztown's season is amazing for several reasons. It's not often that a program that has never won more than seven games in a season attains a number one seed in a region. Even odder is the fact that KU has had all of this success with a defense that ranks among the bottom ten in the country in yards allowed (430 yards per game).
When KU suffered its only loss three weeks ago to Bloomsburg, the Golden Bears were mauled by the Husky running game, giving up 449 yards on the ground. Shepherd's ground game isn't quite as good as Bloomsburg's, but I feel the Rams are capable of controlling this game by running the football. Shepherd 38 Kutztown 31.
Bloomsburg (10-2) at Mercyhurst (10-2)
These two teams met two weeks ago in the PSAC title game with Mercyhurst winning, 56-37. Laker receiver Trevor Kennedy single-handedly destroyed BU in that game, with 161 receiving yards and two touchdowns, a 78-yard punt return for a TD, and 56 of his team's 453 passing yards. Plus the Lakers did a good job of containing the Husky running game.
As I mentioned last week, my biggest concern with Mercyhurst is the fact that they have taken a week off. The Lakers are a team that has been building as the season has gone on and I don't think the week off does them much good, especially against a veteran team like Bloomsburg. That said, BU has some injury issues at the wide receiver spots and a defense that has given up 300 plus yards passing three straight weeks. For those reasons, I think the Lakers have to be favored. Mercyhurst 35 Bloomsburg 28.
Super Region Two
Wingate (9-2) at Albany State (10-0)
Wingate quarterback Cody Haffly threw seven touchdown passes in the win over Morehouse last week. That gives him 17 TD passes in just the last three games. Meanwhile, ASU's defense yields just 205 yards per game and 9.9 points per game. Both figures are tops in the country. Clearly, something is going to have to give.
A week ago I would have pegged ASU as the favorite in this game. But I just can't justify picking the Rams after seeing Wingate shred the Morehouse defense so badly. Keep in mind that ASU struggled to beat Morehouse 13-12 a month ago. I think ASU can and will move the ball on Wingate's rather suspect defense, but Haffly and the Bulldog offense are on too big of a roll to be denied. Wingate 34 Albany State 24.
North Alabama (9-3) at Delta State (9-2)
UNA posted a 31-7 win over DSU back in October, limiting the Statesmen offense to its lowest point total of the season. The Lions were balanced offensively in that game, and a few mistakes by DSU caused the score to get out of hand. Plus, as we learned last week with the UNA/ Valdosta State game, past results tend to mean less than how a team is playing.
The UNA defense forced seven turnovers last week, and DSU will have to do a great job of holding on to the ball this week to have a chance to win. The Statesmen are not real good defensively, and I think the Lions will once again put some points on the board with their offensive balance. Bottom line: the pressure is on DSU QB Micah Davis to have an error-free game. If he can avoid mistakes, which is hard with the Lions' defensive speed, this will be a great game. If not, UNA once again wins by double figures. North Alabama 28 Delta State 20.
Super Region Three
St. Cloud State (10-2) at Minnesota-Duluth (11-0)
UMD's 40-17 throttling of the Huskies four weeks ago would probably lead most to believe that SCSU doesn't stand a chance in this game. But if you dig a little deeper, you'll find that the game was close into the second half, and the Bulldogs only had 23 more yards of total offense. The difference in the game was turnovers. SCSU committed five (four by freshman QB Phillip Klaphake), while UMD had none. Klaphake was outstanding in the win over Hillsdale last week, and if he can limit mistakes, SCSU should stay in this game.
All that said, the Bulldogs are still a heavy favorite. They are the better defensive team, and their powerful running game will be tough for any opponent to deal with for four quarters. Minnesota-Duluth 31 St. Cloud State 20.
Grand Valley State (11-1) at Augustana (10-1)
These two teams are quite a contrast. The Lakers are a youthful team that relies on team speed. The Vikings are a veteran, hard-nosed team that runs a complex defensive scheme. These differences alone will make for an interesting game.
I feel the outcome of this game could hinge on the health of Viking QB Josh Hanson. Hanson was scheduled to have the cast removed on his broken throwing hand this week, but there is no indication if he can play. The reason Hanson's presence is so important is not only is he a good QB, but his backup (Tyler Schulte) also doubles as Augie's top receiver. In effect, the absence of Hanson really hurts the Vikings at two offensive positions.
So, to cut to the chase, this is how I see it: If Hanson is in the lineup, the Vikings will be diverse enough offensively to stay in this game. Without Hanson, Augie will struggle to move the football and Grand Valley will slowly pull away. Grand Valley 27 Augustana 16.
Super Region Four
Central Missouri (10-2) at Abilene Christian (11-0)
For all of the things ACU does well, what they do best is hold on to the football. The Wildcats have committed just seven turnovers all season, which has given them an edge in several close games.
I bring that up because I feel the Wildcats are going to have to play another perfect game to beat the Mules. UCM QB Eric Czerniewski is playing as well as anyone in the country and he absolutely shredded the West Texas A&M defense with 368 passing yards and four touchdown passes without throwing an interception last week. Of course ACU quarterback Mitchell Gale is no slouch either, as evidenced by his 33 touchdown to two interception ration this season. This is going to be a great game that could go either way. Central Missouri 31 Abilene Christian 30.
Northwest Missouri State (10-1) at Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-1)
When these two teams met in the season opener the Javelina defense dominated, sacking NWMSU quarterback Blake Bolles seven times in a 16-7 win. TAMUK's offense didn't do a lot in that game, but obviously enough to win. The Bearcats have not played their best football over the past month. TAMUK will also be hungry, rested, and playing at home.
But something tells me that the Bearcats will somehow; some way find a way to win this game. As the last five years have shown us, Northwest is very tough to beat this time of the year and that big game experience will be just enough of an edge. Northwest Missouri 20 Texas A&M-Kingsville 13.
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