September 3rd, 2013 12:00am
This season cannot get here fast enough: That is the feeling that most football fans usually have as we go through the summer months.
But after a tough few months in the D2 football world, we really do need the games to get started this fall so we can move on to focusing on more positive events.
February brought the passing of Grady Liles. Liles was responsible for the creation of the Harlon Hill award. He was also the chairman of the Shoals National Championship Committee for 25 years and was largely responsible for bringing the national championship game to Florence in 1986 and making sure that it remained a success.
In March, Harlon Hill himself passed away at the age of 80. The former North Alabama star and 1956 NFL MVP will obviously go down as one of the greats in D2 history.
The summer started with the tragic and untimely death of another one of the great players in D2 history: former Grand Valley State quarterback Cullen Finnerty. He was just 30 years old. Finnerty was a four year starter at GVSU and led the Lakers to national titles in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
We have also seen the departure of several prominent coaches this off season. Just in the last few weeks Don Carthel at West Texas A&M and Blaine Bennett at Central Washington have been fired. Bob Nielson left Minnesota-Duluth for a Division I job after leading the Bulldogs to a pair of national titles. Danny Hale retired from Bloomsburg after 20 successful seasons leading the Huskies.
The loss of so many prominent people will certainly leave some holes for awhile. But new coaches will rise to prominence and some currently unknown freshman just may become the next star player that is talked about for generations. Let the games begin: It is the best way to move forward from a rough off season in D2 football.
New Conference and Other Changes for 2013
The newly formed Mountain East Conference should look fairly familiar. The league combines eight of the nine former WVIAC football members, along with Urbana, Notre Dame College and NAIA move-up Virginia-Wise. The league came about essentially because of differences within the WVIAC between the football schools and the non-football schools. With more of a regional footprint than what the WVIAC had, it will be interesting to see if some of these programs can grow over the next few years.
The one WVIAC program that did not join the MEC was Seton Hill. SHU has moved over to the West Division of the PSAC. Lock Haven has switched from the West to the East Division in that league and LIU Post has departed the PSAC to return to the Northeast 10. NAIA move-up Northwest Oklahoma State joins the GAC, Truman State moves from the MIAA to the GLVC and Central State from the GLVC to the SIAC. There are two new programs this year in Florida Tech (GSC) and Alderson-Broaddus (Independent). Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word have left the LSC and have reclassified to D-I FCS.
Finally! Division II Football in Florida
Florida Tech starts play this year and the Panthers will be the only D2 program in the entire talent-rich state of Florida. From the outside it appears as if FIT plans to run a highly competitive program, and they will need to be since they are joining the tough Gulf South. Interest is certainly high: the team*s season opener against Stetson was sold out ten days before the game.
I am very interested to see how FIT fares. If the Panthers can become competitive quickly, it might spur the interest of other D2 schools in the state to also add football programs. FIT is a member of the Sunshine State Conference in its other sports and I have to imagine that the other eight members of that league will be watching the Panther football program closely over the next few years.
Don Carthel Firing
As I mentioned earlier, Carthel was relieved of his duties in surprising fashion. According to a statement released by Carthel, the firing stems from the LSC Media Days earlier this month. While in Dallas for the event, he and two student athletes decided to attend a Texas Rangers baseball game. Carthel says he paid for the tickets and was reimbursed by the players when they returned to campus. But when he was asked by athletic director Michael McBroom whether the tickets were paid for prior to the game, Carthel told McBroom yes.
Even though getting reimbursed later was not in and of itself an NCAA violation, the problem is that Carthel lied to his boss. As we all should know, not being honest with your employer is a big no-no and grounds for termination in any line of work. That basic trust is even more important between a coach and athletic director because careers can be ruined and the NCAA could come calling due to possible violations if people are not being 100% honest. My opinion will not be popular with WTAMU fans, but I do npt think McBroom had much choice in firing Carthel.
What makes Carthel's firing even more difficult for many close to the program to digest is the fact that the Buffaloes return a great deal of talent from last season*s 12-3 national semifinalist. But remember Buff fans, last season Minnesota State lost head coach Todd Hoffner during fall practice and still went on to go 13-1 and also reach the national semifinals. Interim head coach Mike Nesbitt and the WTAMU staff will have a lot of work to do, but it is still entirely possible that the Buffs will still be a strong contender for the national championship.
Five Fearless Predictions for the 2013 Season
1. IUP wins the national championship. Did I get your attention with that one? Yes, I do realize that no PSAC team has ever won it. Heck, no PSAC team has even made a championship game since 2000. But the Crimson Hawks return 16 starters from last year*s 12-2 team plus they have added depth with a few transfers. This team reminds me a lot of the 2008 Minnesota-Duluth national championship team: IUP is solid and balanced offensively and can stop the run. The only hang up may be if senior running back De*Antwan Williams (1,325 yards rushing last season) is not awarded another season of eligibility.
2. Ohio Dominican wins the GLIAC South division and qualifies for the playoffs. OK, not a huge reach since the Panthers were picked second in their division and return 22 players that started at least one game for last year*s 8-3 team. But this program has been around for just 10 years and has played at the D2 level for just four years. I do think this team will qualify for the playoffs and win some games once there.
3. Colorado State- Pueblo will not win the RMAC or reach the playoffs this season. The Thunderwolves have run the table in the regular season each of the last two years, but must replace several key players on both sides of the ball. Look for Chadron State to surpass CSU-P in the RMAC this year.
4. For the second straight year, no MIAA team will win Super Region Three. I make this prediction based on a couple of factors. One, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri, Pittsburg State and even Lindenwood all look like solid teams capable of reaching the playoffs. But at this point none appear to be sure-fire national championship contenders. And two, Minnesota State returns a tremendous amount of talent from last year*s 13-1 SR3 championship team. The Mavericks have to be the favorite in the region and should contend for the national championship.
5. Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers will win the Harlon Hill. Rodgers threw for 4,002 yards and 41 touchdowns in leading an offense that averaged over 50 points per game. He will be protected by four returning all-conference linemen and has All-America receiver Robert Jordan to throw the ball to. Plus, the weaker competition in the GAC will allow Rodgers to keep piling up the stats week after week.
Top Games in Week One
Wayne State at Carson-Newman
An interesting inter-regional match up. Obviously games like this one are huge for both teams, but for WSU this carries even more importance. The reason? The Warriors are in the very difficult GLIAC North Division, and they went just 5-5 last year after reaching the national title game in 2011. For that reason, I feel WSU needs to get off to a fast start. The Warriors have had an entire off-season to prepare for the Eagles* veer offense, but the Eagles have more experience and should prevail.
Carson-Newman 35 Wayne State 24
Chadron State at Missouri S&T
Despite a 10-1 record last year, Missouri S&T was left out of the D2 playoff field, largely due to a weak strength of schedule. The Miners will get a chance to give their 2013 playoff chances a big boost if they can knock off Chadron State, who was 8-3 last season. The problem for the Miners and new head coach Tyler Fenwick is that they return just two offensive starters and will be trying to break them in against a solid CSC defense.
Chadron State 38 Missouri S&T 21
Saginaw Valley at Northwest Missouri
The Jon Jennings to Jeff Janis passing combination that SVSU possesses might be the best in all of D2. The Bearcats just might have the best secondary in D2. Just watching that part of the game will be worth the price of admission. I think the game will be decided on the other side of the ball. The Bearcat offense doesn*t appear to have as many explosive weapons as years past, but I think they will control the football against a Cardinal defense that is a bit inexperienced and was suspect at times last season.
Northwest Missouri 30 Saginaw Valley 20.
Missouri Western at Central Missouri
The defending MIAA champion Griffons will immediately face their first big test in a UCM team looking for redemption after under performing the second half of last season on the way to a 6-4 record. The Griffons have some holes to fill as they must replace their entire offensive line, two standout defensive ends and All-America running back Michael Hill. The Mules are very young, however, listing just one senior starter on offense and four on defense.
Missouri Western 34 Central Missouri 24.
Winston-Salem State at UNC-Pembroke
What a season opener for the CBS College Sports Game of the Week (Thursday night, 8 PM EST). The Rams won a hard fought 28-23 contest last year on their way to the national title game. WSSU has a lot of key players to replace and I think UNCP picks up a big win at home.
UNC-Pembroke 27 Winston-Salem State 20
Shippensburg at Shepherd
The Red Raiders beat Shepherd last year to break a seven game losing streak to the Rams in this annual non-conference rivalry. Both teams went on to reach the playoffs. Shippensburg returns star quarterback Zach Zulli and a potent offense, but Shepherd is more balanced and has a great deal of returning talent.
Shepherd 30 Shippensburg 27
Fort Valley State at Valdosta State
The Blazers, of course, are the defending national champions while FVSU went 8-4 and made the playoffs last season. Adding even more interest is the fact that these two programs are right down the road from each other. I expect the Blazers to be able to control the game with their defense while their completely rebuilt offensive line finds its way.
Valdosta State 31 Fort Valley State 17
Ashland at Indianapolis
AU won this match up early last season, but both teams went on to make the playoffs. With just 11 seniors on the roster, Ashland would appear to be in a bit of a rebuilding year, especially when they have to replace standout quarterback Taylor Housewright. The Greyhounds, on the other hand, return a four-year starter at quarterback.
Indianapolis 28 Ashland 20
Concord at Lenoir-Rhyne
These two teams have played a non-conference game each of the last four seasons, with Concord winning three times in what have been entertaining match ups. The Bears return 10 SAC preseason all-conference selections and I think all that experience will help LRC draw closer in this series.
Lenoir-Rhyne 27 Concord 17
Sioux Falls at Minnesota-Duluth
The Cougars went a very respectable 8-3 in their first season in the NSIC. But the challenge will be to take the next step and compete with the league*s best programs, like UMD. It won*t be easy this year with several new starters on each side of the ball. The Bulldogs aren*t without question marks either, as they must replace 4-year starter Chase Vogler at quarterback and have a new head coach in Curt Wiese.
Minnesota-Duluth 24 Sioux Falls 17
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