September 8th, 2015 12:00am
This probably will not come as much of a surprise to many readers, but Super Region One does not get much respect around D2.
To be honest, SR1 schools have not done much to earn respect. Since the playoffs were expanded to 24 teams in 2004 and the regions were reconfigured, just one SR1 team-- Winston-Salem State in 2012-- has reached the national championship game. More often than not the SR1 representative is blown out in the semifinals, as Concord was last season by Minnesota State.
Four SR1 teams were ranked in the preseason D2Football.com poll. All four lost this past weekend, and the way they lost has to be concerning for those that would like to see this region break through nationally:
Bloomsburg lost 27-10 to Stonehill. The Huskies were never in it, as they managed just 86 rushing yards (they averaged 223 last year) and did not score a touchdown until the final minute of the game. BU has won at least 7 games every year since 1998, but that streak appears in jeopardy if the Huskies do not start to play a lot better.
West Chester did not fare very well against Lenoir-Rhyne in the rematch of the 2013 national semifinal game. The Rams trailed 41-7 after three quarters before adding three late scores to make it appear respectable. LRU ran for 442 yards in the game.
Winston-Salem State could not get anything going offensively in a 17-7 loss to UNC-Pembroke of Super Region Two.
And in a big shocker, defending SR1 champ Concord lost 29-28 to West Liberty on a last second field goal. WLU is a team the Mountain Lions beat 61-24 last year on the way to an unbeaten regular season.
The question now becomes: who really is the favorite in this region? Defending PSAC champ Slippery Rock might be a candidate after they impressively dispatched New Haven 39-13 last weekend. California might be another as the Vulcans took down defending CIAA champ Virginia State 35-16. Shepherd took care of West Virginia Wesleyan 43-0 in the opener and the Rams are always a very solid team.
One thing I can say with some certainty: It appears as if SR1 is wide open this year, and that will make it an interesting region to follow.
Other Observations from Week One
-The GAC has been dominated by Henderson State, Harding and Ouachita Baptist the past few seasons. That appears to be changing this year. All three of those teams won their conference openers, but none was very impressive. The GAC could be a wide open league.
-Minnesota State beat Minnesota-Duluth 20-17 in a game that lived up to the hype. UMD dominated the first half in taking a 17-3 lead but the Mavericks stormed back to dominate the second half. The Mavericks alternated quarterbacks much of the game but it is interesting that Nick Pieruccini was much more effective than last year's starter, Ricky Lloyd.
-It was not a good weekend for the PSAC. The league went just 4-7 in non-conference games including three home losses by PSAC teams to NE-10 opponents. In my opinion the overall quality of football in this conference is falling off and it is time for this league collectively to get its act together.
-A player to definitely add to the Harlon Hill watch list is Colorado Mines junior quarterback Justin Dvorak. Dvorak threw for 555 yards and eight touchdowns as his team dismantled South Dakota Mines 63-28. The Orediggers were actually co-champs of the RMAC last year and they appear as if they will challenge CSU-Pueblo again this fall.
-There were several questions about the Northwest Missouri State defense coming into the season as the Bearcats graduated several standouts from last year. But Northwest shut out Nebraska-Kearney in the season opener, coming up with seven sacks in the process. It is only one game and the Bearcats are very young but this first game success is a very good sign for NWMSU fans.
-Central Oklahoma lost just five fumbles all of last year, but lost four in their season opener last week, a 30-29 loss to Fort Hays State. Two of the fumbles occurred inside the FHSU 5-yard line. This was a tough loss for a team that has high hopes after breaking through and going 8-4 last season.
-The Gulf South Conference went 5-1 against D2 opponents in non-conference games in week one. As I am sure most of you realize, a great non-conference record is huge when it comes to playoff selection time. I think this will be another year with at least three teams in the Super Region Two playoff field.
-West Texas A&M blew a 21-0 first half lead in a 27-24 home loss to Azusa Pacific. This was in spite of out-rushing the Cougars 261-136. This week the Buffaloes must deal with defending national champ CSU-Pueblo, but at least the game is at home. I thought this might be a turnaround season for the Buffs, but a 0-2 start is not going to help get things going in the right direction.
-Arkansas Tech sent just ten defenders out for their opening play against Southern Nazarene in honor of former teammate Zermic Holt, who passed away this summer. The Wonder Boys returned a fumble for a touchdown on the play- a failed double reverse by SNU.
-A couple of streaks were broken last week: Central Missouri broke its four game losing streak to Missouri Western by holding Griffon standout Rafael Spencer to just 30 rushing yards in a 18-17 win. Even more impressive was MSU-Moorhead pounding Winona State 42-17 to break a 13 game losing streak against the Warriors.
-West Georgia lost five fumbles in their 44-13 win over Catawba, but it is still obvious why this team is so highly regarded. The Wolves' defense limited the Indians to just 145 yards of offense and forced four turnovers.
Top Games this Week
Grand Valley (1-0) at Ohio Dominican (1-0)
The Lakers were a bit shaky in their opener against Southwest Baptist and they will need to be better to have a chance in this game. Of particular concern is the fact that GVSU managed just 3.1 yards per carry against SBU and they will have to run the ball much better than that to have a chance. Ohio Dominican 38 Grand Valley 21
St. Cloud (1-0) at Augustana (1-0)
This is a huge game for both of these teams as they try to stay relevant in the NSIC race. The SCSU run defense struggled a bit in the opener against Concordia-St. Paul so I give the Vikings a slight edge in this one. Augustana 27 St. Cloud State 21
Northwood (1-0) at Ferris State (0-0)
Jason Vander Laan and the high scoring Bulldogs open up against a Northwood team that was impressive defensively in their season opener. I think this game may be close for a while as FSU does not have a game under its belt, but the Bulldogs have too much talent to hold down for long. Ferris State 40 Northwood 21
Delta State (1-0) at Texas A&M-Commerce (1-0)
These teams both feature prolific offenses that each scored 48 points in their respective season openers. TAMUC appears to have a stronger running game, but DSU's ability to force turnovers and create negative plays on defense should make this a very entertaining game. Delta State 34 Texas A&M-Commerce 31
Humboldt State (1-0) at Azusa Pacific (1-0)
These are the only two GNAC teams to win their openers last week, so they appear to be the front-runners in the conference. Despite winning last week, the APU defense was gashed by West Texas A&M's running game and I think HSU will use a similar strategy. Humboldt State 27 Azusa Pacific 20
CSU-Pueblo (1-0) at West Texas A&M (0-1)
Despite the loss last week, the Buffaloes have talent and could give the Thunderwolves problems if they catch a few breaks. I just do not see WTAMU being able to handle the McDondle brothers-- Cameron and Bernard combined for 301 rushing yards last week-- for four quarters. CSU_Pueblo 38 West Texas A&M 17
Midwestern State (1-0) at Colorado Mesa (1-0)
These teams both made a statement with big non-conference wins to start the season and this is another big non-conference game. MSU was terrific defensively last week but they will be dealing with a Maverick offense that generated 582 yards last week. This should be a good one. Midwestern State 31 Colorado Mesa 24
National Division II Games of the Week
Saturday, Sept. 12
7pm EDT East Stroudsburg at Slippery Rock - ESPN3
8pm EDT Black Hills at South Dakota Mines - ESPN3
Other Games Available
Thursday, Sept. 10
6pm EDT Millersville at Clarion - ESPN3
Saturday, Sept. 12
12pm EDT West Chester at Mercyhurst - ESPN3
3pm EDT Chadron State at Missouri State - ESPN3
Mailbag
[Q] I do not understand the logic of putting Sioux Falls on your list of teams capable of winning the national championship. From not making the playoffs one year to winning the national championship the next is a pretty big leap is it not?
[A] Yes, it is a big leap, but as I said last week, the 2014 Cougars were not just a run of the mill team. The Cougars went 11-1 and had the lead on Minnesota State in the 4th quarter of the one game they lost. Since the playoffs expanded in 2004, I do not think there has been a better team left out of the playoffs.
And actually, three of our last seven national champions- 2008 Minnesota-Duluth, 2011 Pittsburg State and 2012 Valdosta State- did not make the playoffs in the season prior to winning it all. Two of the semifinalists last year (Concord and West Georgia) failed to make it in 2013. There is quite a history in this division of teams putting it all together in a year and going a long ways in the postseason.
Contact
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