November 5th, 2013 12:00am
Last week I talked about how I have a hard time from year to year predicting what Valdosta State will do. This week my topic shifts to a program I just plain do not understand: West Texas A&M.
Don Carthel took the WTAMU job prior to the 2005 season and instantly turned the Buffalos into a contender. The Buffs won nine games and reached the D2 playoffs that year and have continued to be successful.
Carthel achieved much of the success over the years with a high-flying passing offense. His teams threw the ball a lot and scored points in bunches, which in turn attracted more and more talent to continue to build the program. Carthel also took some chances on players as he brought in many "second chance" type kids that were allowed to play with an edge (WTAMU teams under Carthel were always heavily penalized). All of this seemed like a good strategy for rebuilding a struggling program that did not have much tradition.
The part I really do not understand is why Carthel never made the transition to a more disciplined, hard-nosed style of play once he had the program established. After all, that is the style that has been employed by virtually every national championship team we have seen at the D2 level.
So what we have seen as the years have gone on is WTAMU teams that on an individual level have as much or more talent than any team in D2, but insist on continuing a maddening style of play that does not produce wins when it really counts.
Carthel was fired due to alleged violations prior to this season, but not much has changed under interim coach Mike Nesbitt. This year the Buffs have run the ball just 231 times compared to 445 pass attempts and they average about 13 penalties per game.
The entire problem with the WTAMU style of play came to a head last Saturday. The Buffalos used their talent to open up a 21-point, third quarter lead over Eastern New Mexico. But despite the big lead, they attempted just five running plays the entire second half, which extended the game and even gave an option team like ENMU an opportunity to come back. The Buffs committed 17 penalties-- several of the just plain foolish and undisciplined variety-- that extended ENMU drives. The end result was a 39-38 loss that is likely to leave WTAMU out of the playoff field this season. Not an acceptable result for a team with the level of talent that this one possesses.
With the uncertain coaching situation, it will be interesting to see if anything changes at West Texas in future years. One prediction I will make: the Buffalos will not win a national championship unless they change their style of play.
Other Thoughts from Last Week
-The Shepherd football team took a 10-point lead to the locker room at Glenville State last weekend, only to discover that many of their valuables had been stolen. The Rams took out their frustration on the Pioneers in the second half as they pulled away to a 45-19 win. Why in the world did Glenville State not have the visiting locker room area secured? Ridiculous.
-Last week the NCAA announced that three finalists have been named to host the D2 national championship game from 2014-18. They are Rogers, AR, Kansas City, KS and Florence, AL. The game has been in Florence the last 27years but it is my opinion that Kansas City will be selected this time around. More on this later in the season.
-Carson-Newman managed just 90 rushing yards against Lenoir-Rhyne. It was the first time this century that the Eagles were held under 100 yards rushing in a game. The dominating LRU defense allowed the Eagles just 155 yards of offense in a 37-3 blowout win. Could Lenoir-Rhyne (8-1) be a legit threat to win Super Region Two?
-Shippensburg quarterback Zach Zulli gave everyone a reminder of why he won the Harlon Hill Trophy last year as he shredded the Bloomsburg defense on national TV to the tune of 466 passing yards and five touchdowns. It was a great performance for sure, but I do not think Zulli has much of a shot of repeating this year.
-Missouri Southern*s game against Lindenwood was postponed after the shooting death of offensive line coach Derek Moore. Moore was shot and killed outside of a Joplin, MO movie theater on Friday night. Thoughts and prayers are with the Moore family and the entire MSSU community.
-In both 2009 and 2011, Bloomsburg opened the season 8-0, but faded late and failed to make the postseason. The Huskies (8-1) may face a similar scenario this season if they do not beat West Chester on Saturday.
Top Games this Week
UNC-Pembroke (7-1) at Valdosta State (5-3)
I feel safe in saying that VSU has more overall talent than the Braves, but the fact that the Blazers have given up 199 points over their last four games leads me to believe that UNCP will be able to put points on the board as well. Plus, who knows if the Blazers will still be focused mentally knowing that they probably will not reach the playoffs no matter what happens.
UNC-Pembroke 35 Valdosta State 28
Newberry (8-1) at Carson-Newman (7-2)
With a playoff berth on the line, expect a great effort from both teams. Newberry throttled C-N 47-22 last season so the Eagles should have some motivation to make up for that performance. I do think Newberry has a bit more talent on both sides of the ball, however.
Newberry 28 Carson-Newman 21
Bloomsburg (8-1) at West Chester (9-0)
Bloomsburg did not look good in losing to Shippensburg last week. Plus, star running back Franklyn Quiteh suffered an injury late in that loss and his availability is unknown. If the Ram offense can jump on the Huskies early they could force them to play from behind, which they are not equipped for.
West Chester 31 Bloomsburg 24
Northwest Missouri (9-0) at Emporia State (9-0)
The Hornets have lost 18 straight times to the Bearcats and have only been within single digits twice during that streak. ESU was 8-1 at this point last season and lost 55-10 to Northwest. I think the Hornets are an improved football team over last season, but so are the Bearcats. Northwest appears to be on a mission this season and I do not think ESU is going to get in the way.
Northwest Missouri 42 Emporia State 20
Missouri Western (7-2) at Washburn (8-1)
Both teams are coming off tough losses and need a win to keep their playoff chances alive. MWSU quarterback Travis Partridge threw four interceptions last week and I cannot imagine that he will make that many mistakes two weeks in a row.
Missouri Western 31 Washburn 27
Mailbag
[Q] What is your prediction for the playoff field in each region?
Ryan
[A] With two weeks to go there are still too many moving parts to give any sort of accurate analysis for each region. In next week*s column, I will try to break it down region by region like I have always done in my final column before the playoffs.
As a general playoff overview, I do feel that Minnesota State and Northwest Missouri State are the two best teams in the country. This probably is not a huge shock to many people since these are the top two ranked teams in our poll. Of course they are also in the same region (SR3) so only one of these teams will even make the semifinals.
Contact Me
Feel free to contact me at with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you would like answered in the Mailbag.