September 9th, 2014 12:00am
I have said for years that I love the first week of the college football season. It*s exciting because the offseason is over eight months long. It*s also a time where every team has some hope. But the biggest reason I love the opening week is that there always seems to be a few game results that come as a complete shock.
One of those games just so happened to be the national televised matchup between Grand Valley State and Azusa Pacific last Thursday night. The Lakers came into the game fresh off a run to the national semifinals last season. They returned several veteran players, including senior quarterback Heath Parling. I didn*t think there was any way an APU team that lost by 21 points to GVSU last year and needing to replace eight starters on defense could compete.
But that*s why they play the games. The Cougar defense was outstanding, forcing turnovers and harassing Parling all night on the way to a 27-23 double overtime victory. Who outside of the APU coaches and players could have guessed that the Cougars would be so stout defensively after losing so many starters?
APU- in its first season of playoff eligibility after moving up from the NAIA- now looks like a legitimate threat to secure a playoff spot this fall. Beating GVSU should help greatly with strength of schedule and as long as the Cougars can keep All-America running back Terrell Watson healthy, they should roll through the GNAC once again this season. It*s impressive to see the program Victor Santa Cruz is building in such a short time.
For GVSU, the playoffs now start this Saturday. In the next two weeks the Lakers play Ohio Dominican and Ferris State- the other two favorites in the GLIAC. Both ODU and FSU defeated the Lakers handily last season. For the record, I still think GVSU is a good team with the potential to do damage in the postseason- if they can get there. Anything less than a split over the next two weeks and the Lakers will probably be forced to look ahead to 2015.
Observations from around the Country in Week One
-Henderson State quarterback Kevin Rodgers is my favorite to win the Harlon Hill and he certainly did not disappoint in week one. Rodgers threw for 408 yards and seven touchdowns and get this: he only played in the first half! The Reddies scored 59 of their 77 points against overmatched Southern Nazarene before halftime.
-Speaking of points, Texas A&M-Commerce beat East Texas Baptist 98-20 last weekend, setting an NCAA record with 986 yards of offense. Quarterback Tyrik Rollison threw for 562 yards and six touchdowns and the Lions also had two 100-yard rushers and three 100-yard receivers.
-The Winston-Salem State defense completely dominated in a 38-7 win over UNC-Pembroke as the Rams allowed just 146 yards and forced three turnovers. After losing head coach Connell Maynor and many talented players from the successful teams of the last two seasons, I thought WSSU would be in a bit of a rebuilding mode. Instead it appears the Rams will once again be a legit threat in Super Region One.
-Two things jumped out at me from CSU-Pueblo*s 35-6 win over West Texas A&M: The Thunderwolves are going to be a major factor nationally this season and the Buffaloes are definitely rebuilding.
-Is there an alternate universe appearing in the LSC? Traditionally strong teams like West Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Kingsville did not look good in dropping their openers while traditional doormat Texas A&M-Commerce looked great. I believe Tarleton State is a pretty clear favorite to repeat as champs in the league but it will be very interesting to see how the rest of the conference shakes out this season.
-With Minnesota State blasting St. Cloud State 31-0 and Minnesota-Duluth struggling to a 7-point win over Concordia-St. Paul it*s pretty obvious that MSU is going to be the team to beat in the NSIC this season. One advantage UMD and SCSU have is that they are really the only two teams of note in the league*s north division so they should still win quite a few games as they rebuild and gain confidence throughout the year.
-Central Missouri*s 10-9 loss to Missouri Western last Thursday will be one the Mules kick themselves over (pun intended) all season long. UCM out gained the Griffons 459-273 and controlled play but several missed scoring opportunities and a critical interception late in the game were too much to overcome. I think the Mules have playoff caliber talent but with very strong Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State teams on the schedule it might be difficult for UCM to pick up enough wins to reach the playoffs.
-It used to be that crossover games between East and West division teams in the PSAC didn*t count in the conference standings. But the league Presidents voted to change that last spring so that the crossover games count. That makes this a huge week in the league race with the East and West divisions playing each other.
-New Haven was surprisingly competitive with West Chester in a 35-30 loss last week. At this point, I*m not sure if the result of this game means that Chargers are back in the running in the region or if it means that WCU is not near as good as advertised.
Top Games this Week
Pittsburg State (1-0) at Lindenwood (1-0)
We all knew that PSU would be a good team this year, but Lindenwood*s win over a very solid Washburn team last week makes this an early season game worth watching in the MIAA. Both teams have capable offenses, but the Gorillas appear to be a much better defensive team which should lead to a win in this game. Pittsburg State 37 Lindenwood 20
Emporia State (1-0) at Central Missouri (0-1)
As I mentioned earlier, UCM blew it in losing to Missouri Western last week and they will have their work cut out for them in taking on a talented ESU team that is coming off a convincing win over Missouri Southern. I think both of these teams possess a lot of talent offensively but I feel slightly better about UCM*s defensive capabilities, especially at home. Central Missouri 30 Emporia State 27
California (1-0) at Bloomsburg (1-0)
The Huskies look like they may struggle to replace star running back Franklyn Quiteh as they managed just 224 yards of offense in a 24-7 win over Stonehill last week. The Huskies have also won 14 straight home openers but I think the big play ability of Vulcan quarterback James Harris give Cal a slight edge in this game. California 27 Bloomsburg 20
Winston-Salem State (1-0) at Valdosta State (1-0)
I love what WSSU does with its scheduling. The Rams have taken the “anyone, any time, any place” approach to non-conference scheduling over the last few years which leads us to this 2012 national championship game rematch. Both teams are coming off of dominating defensive efforts in their openers, so it will be the team that can establish the run and take care of the football that will win this game. I really like what WSSU quarterback Rudy Johnson can do for his team but I have to give the Blazers a slight edge at home. Valdosta State 21 Winston-Salem State 16
Albany State (0-1) at Tuskegee (0-1)
Both teams dropped their openers, but this is game is traditionally a major factor in the SIAC title race. ASU fumbled the ball seven times in their loss to Valdosta State last week and they have to clean that up to have a chance against a Tuskegee team that normally plays very well at home. Tuskegee 27 Albany State 17
Ohio Dominican (1-0) at Grand Valley State (0-1)
ODU embarrassed the Lakers 59-14 last season, which was one of the worst losses in GVSU history. As I mentioned earlier, I still think the Lakers have a lot of potential despite the result from last week. That said; they will need to find a way to get the offense clicking against another very good defensive team. ODU is also dynamic offensively and will score some points. The home field at Lubbers Stadium will make this close, but I feel the Panthers have the slightly better team. Ohio Dominican 28 Grand Valley State 24
Tarleton State (0-0) at West Texas A&M (0-1)
Both of these teams are ranked, although I*m not sure the Buffaloes should be after they were trounced by CSU-Pueblo last week. TSU returns quite a bit of experience from last year*s 7-3 conference championship team and I expect the Texans to roll in this one. Tarleton State 31 West Texas A&M 17
Mailbag
[Q] What is it about CSU-Pueblo that has the pollsters so enamored every year? They have won what one or two playoff games since 2011 yet are consistently ranked ahead of Winston-Salem State. What am I missing with these guys?
Calvin
[A] CSU-Pueblo has only lost three games in the last three seasons. All three were in the playoffs, including close losses to defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth in 2011 and Grand Valley last year and a loss to semifinalist West Texas A&M- a team CSUP beat earlier in the same season- in 2012.
WSSU was ranked higher to start the 2013 season, but lost in the season opener which of course meant a tumble in the polls. CSU-Pueblo has a veteran team returning this season, probably the best team the Thunderwolves have had during this entire run. Coming off the better season last year and having less in the way of question marks both on the coaching staff and roster, I think it*s completely legitimate that the Thunderwolves would be ranked ahead of WSSU at this point.
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