November 27th, 2012 12:00am
I have often heard it said that football teams tend to emulate the personalities of their head coaches. If that is truly the case, then Winston Salem State should be a very confident bunch as we head into the quarterfinals.
The Rams completely dismantled Shippensburg last week 37-14. They intercepted Harlon Hill finalist Zach Zulli three times and limited him to a 25 for 56 passing day.
But WSSU Head Coach Connell Maynor thought his team could have done more. He was quoted in the Winston Salem Journal as saying "You can slice it up any way you want, but we should have won 50-0." According to the Journal, he also said after the game that his defense is the best in the country.
Ironically enough, WSSUs next opponent (Indiana) actually does lead the country in entire defense. Maynor may have inadvertently provided the Crimson Hawks with a bit of bulletin board motivation going into this weeks Super Region One Final.
The thing is it may not matter. The Rams are fast, physical, and disciplined on defense. They have the experience of reaching the semifinals last year and should know what it takes to take a step further this season. They are also likely to get standout quarterback Kameron Smith back after he missed last weeks game with an injury.
This is the 40th season that a D2 national championship has been awarded. Central State in 1983 is the only HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) school to even reach the championship game. With Maynors confident approach propelling this team, WSSU looks like it has a decent chance to become D2s first HBCU national champion.
Thoughts from Last Week
-Valdosta State made the curious decision last week to not allow its game with West Alabama to be streamed online like the other seven playoff games were. I think this was an extremely poor decision. My hope is that VSU does decide to allow streaming of this weeks game against Carson-Newman.
-West Texas A&M again rallied on the road, coming back from nine down in the second half to beat Ashland 33-28. The key for the Buffaloes was that they sacked Taylor Housewright four times and intercepted him three times. As I said last week, there is something different about this WTAMU team and we will see if they can keep it going against CSU-Pueblo.
-For the first time in nine seasons Northwest Missouri State will not be in the quarterfinals. As we are now two years removed from the legendary Mel Tjeerdsmas presence within the Bearcat program, it will be very interesting to see how things unfold as we head into the future. I think Adam Dorrel is a fine football coach, but it is next to impossible for anyone to maintain the level of success NWMSU has had over the past decade.
-Although New Haven did not win on Saturday, they more than held their own physically against a very solid IUP team. In fact, I felt the Chargers took the game to Crimson Hawks for the most part but just did not score enough points. As I mentioned earlier this season, the Northeast 10 is improving as a conference with UNH leading the way.
Region One Final
Indiana (12-1) at Winston-Salem State (12-0)
This should be a great match up between the defending regional champions against the traditional northeast power that is trying to return to prominence. Both teams dominated Shippensburg in similar fashion over the last two weeks which leads me to believe that they are evenly matched teams.
I think this will be a war in the trenches with some give and take both ways and I expect it to be relatively low scoring. WSSU has more explosiveness in the passing game; especially if quarterback Kamerson Smith returns as expected after missing last weeks game due to injury. I think the IUPs defense will keep them in the game, but in a battle of great defenses, I think WSSU has the potential to score more points. Winston Salem State 21 Indiana 17.
Region Two Final
Carson-Newman (9-2) at Valdosta State (9-2)
This is a game for the old school D2 football fans as these two storied programs have combined for six national championship game appearances in the last 16 years. VSU last won the region in 2007 (when they went on to win the national championship) while C-N last won the region in 2009. Both teams come into the game on seven game winning streaks.
I like the Blazers in this game for a couple of different reasons. One, I think VSUs veteran offensive line will be able to have its way against a smallish Eagle defense. Secondly, the teams have been effective offensively this season against the Blazers have been those with effective passing attacks, which is something that the option-based Eagles obviously do not possess. I do think C-N will stay in the game, but the Blazers just have too much talent in the end. Valdosta State 38 Carson-Newman 27.
Region Three Final
Missouri Western (12-1) at Minnesota State (12-0)
What a game this should be. Both teams should be battle-hardened after already surviving overtime games in the playoffs. Both teams have also knocked off Northwest Missouri State in the last three weeks and as we all know, that is not an easy thing to do this time of the year.
Two weeks ago, Minnesota-Duluth quarterback Chase Vogler gave MWSU fits with his running ability. Minnesota States Jon Wolf is a similar athlete at that position, plus he possesses the arm strength to connect on the deep ball when the opportunity presents itself. I do think MSU will move the ball and score points. The Griffon offense is playing at extremely high level, but so is the MSU defense. I really think this game will come down to turnovers and a break here or there. The Griffons are perfectly capable of going to Mankato and winning, but I just have a feeling MSU will find a way to prevail at home. Minnesota State 31 Missouri Western 30
Region Four Final
West Texas A&M (11-2) at Colorado State-Pueblo (12-0)
It is rare that you will find two teams that are not from the same conference that are as familiar with each other as these two are. WTAMU and CSU-P have met in the season opener each of the last two seasons, with the Thunderwolves winning both times, including 44-34 in Pueblo this season. In that game, CSU-P took a 10 point lead into halftime and maintained control of the game from there with an efficient and balance offensive attack.
Teams can change a great deal from the start of a season to the end and I think WTAMU has improved in some areas: maybe most importantly psyche as they have found ways to win playoff games on the road this season that would have been losses in the past. But the Thunderwolves young defense has made major strides since early in the year and they have also discovered freshman bowling ball running back Cameron McDondle (118 yards, three touchdowns last week) since that time. WTAMU definitely has the talent to win this game if CSUP does not play well, but I think the Thunderwolves will find a way to move on. Colorado State-Pueblo 34 West Texas A&M 30.
Mailbag
[Q] You said (in last weeks column) that you feel Dustin Vaughan from West Texas A&M is the most talented quarterback in D2 but then you said that Shippensburg quarterback Zach Zulli was more deserving of the Harlon Hill. This does not make sense to me, why would you not prefer that the award go to the best player?
Brian
[A] All things being equal, I would prefer the more talented player win the award. So if Vaughan and Zulli had the same number of yards, touchdown passes etc., I would lean towards Vaughan because he has more talent and he plays in a better overall conference.
But, when a player is off the charts statistically compared to others at his position, he is usually going to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to awards like the Harlon Hill. It is quite similar to the Heisman Trophy in D1 this season. If you asked the NFL scouts to rank all the quarterbacks in D1 based on pro potential Johnny Manziel probably would not be in the top ten. But since he has put up such astronomical statistics and his team has done well, he is the favorite to win the award.
As an aside, after last weeks poor performance by Zulli, I personally would lean toward Michael Hill from Missouri Western to win the award. My top three now would be Hill, Zulli, and Franklyn Quiteh from Bloomsburg, in that order. Voting for the three finalists ends on the 29th, so we will see if the sports information directors around the country agree.
Contact Me
Feel free to contact me with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you would like answered in the Mailbag.