November 4th, 2014 12:00am
This past week was not the best for D2 football, and it had nothing to do with the games on the field.
California's game with Gannon was cancelled at the request of California interim president Geraldine Jones after five Vulcan players were arrested last week over the alleged beating of another man outside of a restaurant near campus. To make matters worse, a sixth player was also arrested and charged over the weekend.
I have seen it debated that canceling the game was the wrong thing to do because it penalized the innocent California players along with a Gannon program that had nothing to do with this. I disagree with this. There are more important things in life than a football game, and sometimes a school needs to take a stand to show that inappropriate and illegal behavior won't be tolerated by those involved in its programs.
The irony in the situation for California is that the forfeit really doesn't affect that much. The Vulcans are still likely to control their own destiny and there is a very good chance they will reach the PSAC championship game with a win over Mercyhurst on Saturday (there are some other tiebreakers that could keep the Vulcans out, but this would require an unlikely upset).
Even more ironic is that the forfeit is not counted as a loss by the NCAA when making playoff selections. So the Vulcans record for NCAA purposes stayed at 7-1 and they dropped from 3rd to 5th in the region this week. If they win on Saturday and can beat Bloomsburg in the PSAC title game, the Vulcans will be in the postseason.
The other negative incident in D2 football involved West Texas A&M. Five of WTAMU's wins in the Lone Star Conference were nullified and an assistant coach lost his job after allegations of academic fraud were brought up by a former player. The Buffalos weren't going to make the playoffs, but this is still quite a black eye for a program that has had recent problems as this is the second time in just over a year that this program has had some issues with the NCAA. I have to wonder if this program doesn't need a housecleaning and a reset.
It's certainly true that the negative is always what seems to make the news and here I am writing about it because people are interested in how these two situations turn out. But the thing to keep in mind is that there are currently 167 schools playing D2 football and the vast majority of these programs never make the news due to something bad happening. Hopefully there are no more ugly incidents involving D2 football teams this fall and we can get back to focusing on the games.
Observations from Last Week
-Texas A&M-Commerce captured its first LSC title in 24 years with a 91-13 win over McMurry. The Lions will now try to win the LSC "playoff" with a semifinal game against Tarleton State. The other semifinal will be Angelo State hosting Midwestern State.
-Azusa Pacific's Terrell Watson has had a lot of big runs in his career, but none bigger than his 80-yard touchdown run with 2:32 remaining in the game against Western Oregon. The run gave the Cougars a 19-18 win and kept them alive in the GNAC and playoff races. Watson is the nation's leading rusher with 1687 yards.
-Of the top ten passing teams in the country, only three have any shot of making the playoffs. Of the top ten rushing teams, six are still in the mix. As much as college football has trended towards wide open offenses, you still have to run the football effectively to have success.
-I hate to kick someone when they're down, but Pace (0-9) hasn't scored a point in their last four football games. This is surprising considering that the Setters scored 29 points in the second half of their last game before the streak started. It won't be easy to get on the board this week as the Setters face American International, the top team in the Northeast 10.
-Delta State raced out to a 17-0 lead then held on late to knock off previously unbeaten North Alabama 33-28. DSU, UNA, Valdosta State and West Georgia are all in the top six of the Super Region Two poll and since there are no more regular season games between these teams, it's looking increasingly like that all four of these GSC clubs will make the playoffs.
-What happened to the Ferris State defense? The 9-0 Bulldogs gave up 56 points and 708 yards to Lake Erie College in a 66-56 win last week. The Bulldogs hadn't allowed more than 21 points in any of their previous games. My general rule of thumb is to give a pass for one poor performance, especially since the Bulldogs were primed for an emotional letdown after playing unbeaten teams on the road in successive weeks prior to this game.
-A group of ten people representing Montana State Billings visited Colorado State-Pueblo last weekend to get a feel for how CSUP was able to re-establish its football program in 2008. MSU Billings dropped its program in 1978 but appears to be serious about restoring it. This would be very good news for the GNAC as MSU Billings is already a member of that league.
-The CBS Sports D2 Game of the Week was an entertaining one last Thursday as Indianapolis knocked off St. Joseph's College 36-33 in double overtime. I thought both teams looked solid and represented the GLVC very well.
Top Games this Week
Ashland (8-1) at Michigan Tech (7-1)
This game is high stakes as the winner is likely to make the playoffs while the loser is likely to watch from home. MTU has the better defense, but Ashland is explosive offensively and has played very good football over the last month. Ashland 27 Michigan Tech 26
Virginia State (7-2) at Virginia Union (7-2)
The winner in this rivalry game wins the CIAA North Division and will reach the league championship game. VSU is red hot, winners of seven straight coming into this game. I also like the fact that the Trojans are fairly balanced on offense while VUU relies so heavily on the pass. Virginia State 27 Virginia Union 20
Winston-Salem State (8-1) at Fayetteville State (5-4)
Both teams are unbeaten in the CIAA South Division, so the winner will reach the CIAA championship game. WSSU is a much more complete team on both sides of the ball and I expect the Rams to win this game. Winston-Salem State 35 Fayetteville State 17
Tuskegee (7-2) at Miles (6-3)
The winner of this game will be crowned SIAC West Division champion and earn a berth in the league championship game against Albany State next week. These teams both possess good defenses, but TU averages 10 more points per game on the season and I think that will be about the difference in this contest. Tuskegee 23 Miles 13
Central Missouri (7-2) at Pittsburg State (8-1)
The stingy Gorilla defense will be tasked with slowing down one of the top backs in the country in UCM senior LaVance Taylor, who has rushed for 1315 yards and also caught 27 passes this season. The Mules are also on a six game losing streak after dropping two of their first three. The UCM defense is suspect as long as PSU avoids any foolish turnovers. Pittsburg State 31 Central Missouri 24
Midwestern State (6-2) at Angelo State (6-2)
ASU quarterback Kyle Washington had an incredible game the first time these two teams met, rushing for 250 yards and throwing three touchdown passes in a 45-31 Ram victory. I expect another entertaining affair in this LSC tournament semifinal as both of these teams are better offensively than they are defensively. Angelo State 38 Midwestern State 35
Tarleton State (4-4) Texas A&M-Commerce (7-2)
This is the other LSC semifinal game. TAMUC dominated 53-25 the first time these two teams played. With both teams in the top six in the country in total offense, I expect to see a high scoring but closer game this time around. Texas A&M-Commerce 45 Tarleton State 40
Mailbag
[Q] Are there any coaches out there that you feel do a great job despite being at a competitive disadvantage?
Mike
[A] The coach that immediately comes to mind is Bob Stitt at Colorado Mines. Mines is an engineering school with very stringent admission requirements. As you can imagine it is very tricky to just field a roster of 100 football players under those parameters. Stitt has been able to do so and be successful on the field, with just two losing seasons in his 15 years at Mines. At 8-1 this year, Mines stands a good chance of making a 3rd playoff appearance under Stitt.
Tom Kearly at Michigan Tech is another coach that is in the exact same situation as Stitt since MTU is an engineering school. MTU has the added disadvantages of being isolated geographically on Michigan's Upper Peninsula and playing in the very tough GLIAC. In nine seasons on the job, Kearly has had only one team finish with a losing record and this year's team is on the cusp of making the playoffs. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what Stitt and Kearly are able to do at their respective schools.
[Q] With two weeks to go until the playoffs would you care to give us an early prediction on which two teams will be playing for the championship?
Jayson
[A] Ferris State and Northwest Missouri State. As I have been saying all year, FSU quarterback Jason Vander Laan is a special talent and I think he will do it what it takes to get his team there on that side of the bracket. Northwest will probably have to play most of the playoffs on the road, but the Bearcats are so good defensively and have made some offensive adjustments since the Pittsburg State loss that will serve them well in the postseason. Other teams that I feel have a shot of getting there are Lenoir-Rhyne, Delta State, Minnesota State and Pittsburg State.
Contact
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