November 22nd, 2011 12:00pm
The first round of the playoffs featured a little of everything. There were big comebacks, big individual performances and a couple of blowouts too.
The only game that really surprised me was Wayne State's win over St. Cloud State. It's not so much that the Warriors won the game, as I figured it would be pretty close. But Warrior running back Toney Davis gashed a solid SCSU defense to the tune of 326 yards and five touchdowns. The game was played in a snowstorm so maybe footing had something to do with it, but I didn't think anyone would be able to push around the Huskies to the degree WSU did.
Other First Round Playoff Thoughts
-Concord was the best in the country in turnover differential coming into the playoffs, but the Mountain Lions lost five turnovers in their 17-14 loss to Kutztown. I really thought Concord outplayed Kutztown for the better part of the game, but it's tough to overcome turnovers this time of the year.
-Many fans in Super Region One were questioning why Elizabeth City State made the playoffs with three losses while several other two-loss teams watched from home. The Vikings' poor performance in a 44-0 loss did little to stop the speculation.
-I thought North Alabama played its best game of the year in beating West Alabama. The Lions still don't run the ball well enough for my liking, but if Lee Chapple continues to be as accurate as he was on Saturday (27-33 passing) and Janoris Jenkins continues to terrorize opponents in the return game, the lack of a run game may not matter.
-Washburn's defense sacked Abilene Christian quarterback Mitchell Gale seven times in the Ichabods' 52-49 win, but the Wildcats still managed 688 yards of offense. Strange. In nine playoff games over the last six years, ACU has allowed an average of 44 points per game.
-Saginaw Valley's Jonathon Jennings to Jeff Janis passing combination nearly knocked off defending champ Minnesota-Duluth. The Cardinal combo connected for 179 yards and three touchdowns through the air to stay in a game that was otherwise controlled by the Bulldogs.
-Why did Missouri Western coach Jerry Partridge elect to try a fake punt with his team up 15 points in the third quarter against Northwest Missouri State? The fake failed and the Griffons never recovered from the swing in momentum.
Harlon Hill Finalists Announced
The nine finalists were announced on Monday with the top three vote getters among the nine being invited to Florence to announce the winner in a banquet prior to the national championship game. I will break down each of the finalists and give my opinion as to who should win the award in next week's column.
Super Region One
California (10-2) at Winston-Salem State (11-0)
The CIAA has not fared well in the playoffs over the years, but WSSU is no ordinary CIAA team. The Rams are balanced on offense and lights out on defense. The problem is they are facing a California team that is great defensively and is finally getting its offense all on the same page after bringing in several impact transfers. If the Rams can completely shut down the Vulcan running game they have a chance, but I don't know if the WSSU offense will have much success in moving the football. California 24 Winston-Salem State 17.
Kutztown (11-1) at New Haven (10-1)
Senior Marshall Vogel has done a nice job filling in the last two weeks, but the Kutztown offense just isn't the same with out a healthy Kevin Morton. The junior quarterback tried to go last week, but his knee injury severely limited his effectiveness. With the KU offense not as explosive, this opens the door for Ryan Osiecki and the UNH offense to make this a very entertaining game. It could go either way. Kutztown 33 New Haven 30
Super Region Two
North Alabama (9-2) at Delta State (9-2)
DSU won the regular season match up in overtime but as I've mentioned before, the loser of the regular season game has won three of the four playoff games between these two over the last five years. UNA was as impressive last week as they've been all season, and I think the Lions appear to be finally playing up to their full potential. North Alabama 28 Delta State 24.
North Greenville (10-2) at Mars Hill (8-2)
Wingate won the first meeting between these teams 38-28 way back on September 24th. MHC's Jonas Randolph ran wild in that game while NGU quarterback Willy Korn had his poorest game of the season. Fast forward two months and I think the Crusaders are the stronger team at this point. They have played great defense over the last month and I think they will find away to slow down Randolph just enough to pick up the win. North Greenville 31 Mars Hill 21.
Super Region Three
Minnesota-Duluth (10-2) at CSU-Pueblo (11-0)
What a great storyline: the defending national champs against a team trying to prove it has what it takes to become a national power. I said last week that the first team that can slow down the UMD running game will knock the Bulldogs out of the playoffs. I think CSU-Pueblo is that team. It won't be easy, though. Colorado State-Pueblo 19 Minnesota-Duluth 17.
Wayne State (MI) (9-3) at Nebraska-Kearney (10-1)
Lost in WSU's upset over St. Cloud State last week is the fact that the Warriors have also given up 81 points in the last two weeks. UNK is one of the best offensive teams in the country, and if the Lopers can avoid the turnover bug that has plagued them at times this year, they should win this game. It should be entertaining, however. Nebraska-Kearney 37 Wayne State 31.
Super Region Four
Northwest Missouri State (10-2) at Midwestern State (11-0)
This is another case of the home team trying to prove its playoff worth against a national power. These are the two top offenses in D2, both averaging over 50 points per game. I do think the Mustangs can win the game if they can eliminate the turnover issues they have had in their last two games. That said, I think the Bearcats are a bit stronger defensively and it's tough to pick against a team that has had so much success in the regional playoffs over the years. Northwest Missouri State 42 Midwestern State 34.
Washburn (10-2) at Pittsburg State (9-1)
The Ichabods won at PSU 43-25 just three weeks ago. The WU offense moved the ball at will with the defense forcing five Gorilla turnovers. Still, I think PSU is the stronger defensive team and I also can't see WU slowing down the Gorilla run game like they did last time. The wild card is WU quarterback Dane Simoneau. As I said last week, I believe he is the best in D2 this season and if he plays another great game, the Ichabods are perfectly capable of winning at PSU for a second time this season. Should be a great game. Pittsburg State 30 Washburn 28.
Mailbag
[Q] Why did Elizabeth City State travel last week when they had the higher seed? Do you think they should have been left out of the playoffs if they don't care enough to host?
Tom
[A] The response I got from ECSU officials is that their stadium doesn't provide the equity required by the NCAA to host a playoff game. I know that this answer is kind of vague, so if I had to guess I would say it's probably some sort of press box issue.
Hosting an NCAA event is optional, so I don't think a team should be left out of the playoffs simply because they choose not to host or don't meet minimum facility requirements. That said, I would think that in ECSU's case they would want to make the necessary improvements so they are eligible to host in the future.
[Q] Are there any lower tier teams that appear to be building their programs up and show signs of possibly making a run at conference championship or playoffs in the next few years?
Mike
[A] One program I think is really on the rise is Ohio Dominican. ODU started a football program in 2004 at the NAIA level and had some playoff success there before moving to D2 a couple of years ago. After taking their lumps in 2010 as a first-year GLIAC program, they went 7-4 this year with wins over Hillsdale, Ashland, and Indianapolis.
Bill Conley is in his second year as the ODU coach and was known as one of the top recruiters in the country when he was an assistant at Ohio State. Conley has a large and impressive group of full-time coaches on his staff as well. I think ODU will become a consistent playoff contender in the near future.
Picking out programs that are way down right now but may become good in the future is very difficult. It usually takes a home run coaching hire like what Kutztown did by bringing in Ray Monica or North Greenville hiring Jamey Chadwell. Those two teams are in the playoffs and two or three years ago I would never have picked out either one as a future playoff contender.
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