September 29th, 2015 12:00am
College football can be a crazy sport. It seems every week there are Hail Mary passes or huge comebacks. Wild finishes have become so common in this sport that I think people almost become numb to them when they happen.
But there was a D2 game last week that had the most incredible finish I have ever seen, and it wasn't just some mundane mid-season game between two below average teams.
The backdrop: Stonehill was visiting LIU Post. Both teams were 3-0 and appear to be the top clubs in the Northeast 10 this season. The game had obvious conference title and postseason implications.
Behind the running of Malik Pierre (33 carries for 238 yards and three touchdowns) CW Post built a 24 point lead in the second half. The Stonehill offense came to life a bit in the fourth quarter, but when Pierre scored a touchdown with 2:13 left to stretch the Pioneer lead back to 17, this game was all but over.
Except it wasn't.
Stonehill drove 75 yards in 1:06 to cut the lead to 10, but then failed to recover the ensuing onside kick. Aided by a foolish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Pioneers when they could have run the clock out, the Skyhawks got the ball back with 29 seconds left in the game.
Matt Foltz drove the Skyhawks down the field again, throwing a touchdown pass with 5.9 seconds left to cut the lead to three. It certainly appeared as if Stonehill was just padding stats at that point.
Then things got really crazy. Stonehill again attempted the onside kick, and recovered all the way down at the LIU Post 41-yard line, which gave the Skyhawks one final play. Foltz dropped back to throw the Hail Mary, and at one point had to retreat about 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage because of the pressure in the pocket. He was able to escape and launched a pass to the end zone that Corey White hauled in to give Stonehill an incredible 40-37 victory.
Foltz finished the game with 421 passing yards and six touchdowns, which were both school records. He threw for 245 yards in the fourth quarter alone.
The best part about this game: There is a very good chance that these two teams could have a rematch in the conference title game in December. That would potentially be a very interesting contest.
News and Notes from Week Three
-In another crazy game, Adams State beat rival Western State 52-51 in double overtime. WSC led 42-6 late in the first half, but was outscored 36-0 the rest of the way to send the game to overtime. Apparently no lead is safe in college football anymore.
-Of the 49 teams in Super Region One, Stonehill, Clarion and Shepherd are the only teams left that are still unbeaten. Shepherd of course has some tradition but Clarion was last in the playoffs in 1996 and Stonehill has never advanced to the postseason. It is truly a wide open year in this region.
-As a conference, the MIAA appears to be really down this season. Each year there is usually at least one team in this league that is a legit national championship contender, but I just don't see it this season. Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State are not what they have been and there doesn't seem to be another team ready to contend nationally.
-After losing 4-year starting quarterback Tyler Scarlett most people assumed Michigan Tech would have a big drop off this season after going 9-2 and reaching the playoffs in 2014. But the Huskies are 4-0 this fall, with two come-from-behind wins in the fourth quarter. However, MTU has three tough road games in the second half of the season- Ferris State, Grand Valley and Ashland- so getting to the playoffs again will not be easy.
-I touted Slippery Rock and Gannon as two of my favorites in Super Region One, and then both teams lost in shocking fashion last weekend. Clarion (4-0) surprised Gannon 47-31 while SRU was beaten 41-38 by Seton Hill in what has to be one of the biggest upsets in the PSAC in years.
-The NSIC South Division dominated the North in crossover play this year, with the South winning 24 of 32 games. Three South Division teams are unbeaten- including top-ranked Minnesota State and fourth-ranked Sioux Falls- with three other teams sitting at 3-1. The next seven weeks the South teams will beat on each other in what is becoming a brutal division.
The Gulf South Conference Starts to Heat up this Week
A reader recently pointed out to me that I haven't mentioned much about teams from the Gulf South Conference in my column so far this season. This is definitely true, mainly because we just don't know a whole lot about many of these teams.
GSC teams have played spent the first month of the season predictably cleaning up against non-conference competition: the league is 14-2 so far in D2 non-conference games, including 8-0 against the SIAC.
Five GSC teams are still unbeaten, but just how good they? We will start to find out this week as North Alabama visits Valdosta State and West Alabama visits West Georgia. Those four programs have combined to start this season 15-0, so something will have to give starting Saturday.
The GSC's outstanding non-conference record will probably mean that the league gets three or four playoff teams once again. This is the benefit of doing well in conference play and playing in a region where there aren't very many teams.
Top Games this Week
Concord (3-1) at Charleston (3-1)
The winner of this game keeps its playoff hopes alive and stays within a game of Shepherd in the conference standings. The Mountain Lions are better defensively and finally appear to be getting their offense going after a slow start. Concord 34 Charleston 20
Ferris State (4-0) at Findlay (3-1)
The Findlay offense can score points in bunches and they should test the FSU defense. However, the Findlay defense is not good and has little chance of containing Jason Vander Laan Ferris State 48 Findlay 24
Slippery Rock (3-1) at Gannon (3-1)
Both of these teams are coming off surprising losses so there is a great deal of pressure on these teams to not make it two losses in a row. Both offense are very good, but I think SRU has more talent overall. Slippery Rock 40 Gannon 31
Southwest Minnesota State (4-0) at Augustana (3-1)
The Mustangs are off to their best start since 1991 but now they must travel to face the Vikings, a team they have beaten just once in their last 16 tries. Augustana 31 Southwest Minnesota State 28
Mercyhurst (3-1) at Clarion (4-0)
Clarion junior quarterback Connor Simmons has had a breakout year, throwing 14 touchdown passes already. The Lakers do a good job in the passing game as well, so this one should be entertaining. Clarion 34 Mercyhurst 28
Carson-Newman (3-1) at Lenoir-Rhyne (3-1)
These are two of the top rush offenses in the country so expect this game to move quickly. Neither team is great defensively but I think LRU gets a slight edge at home. Lenoir-Rhyne 38 Carson-Newman 35
Harding (4-0) at Ouachita Baptist (3-1)
Both teams were in the playoffs last year, but Harding appears to be stronger this season. The OBU defense will have a hard time stopping the Bisons running game. Harding 45 Ouachita Baptist 35
Arkansas Tech (4-0) at Henderson State (3-1)
Both of these teams have been doing it with defense so far this fall, but I like the Wonderboys in this game because they are more consistent offensively. Arkansas Tech 27 Henderson State 20
Minnesota-Duluth (2-2) at Minnesota State-Moorhead (3-1)
As crazy as it seems, this might be the game that decides the NSIC North Division. MSUM was exposed a bit in a bit loss to Southwest Minnesota last week. I expect the Bulldogs running game to do enough to win. Minnesota-Duluth 34 Minnesota State-Moorhead 24
West Georgia (4-0) at West Alabama (4-0)
Will Hall makes his first trip back to Livingstone to face his former team. He left UWA for UWG after the 2013 season. I expect the Tigers to be motivated against their old coach but in the end the Wolves have too much talent. West Georgia 31 West Alabama 17
North Alabama (3-0) at Valdosta State (3-0)
I have some real concerns about the UNA defense after they surrendered 48 points to Florida Tech last week. VSU is relatively untested, but the Blazers are at home. Valdosta State 30 North Alabama 27
Minnesota State (4-0) at Upper Iowa (3-1)
The Peacocks should have the attention of MSU after UIU nearly knocked off Minnesota-Duluth last week. UIU is a very solid team and I expect this to be a four quarter game. However in the end I think the physicality of MSU will win out. Minnesota State 28 Upper Iowa 17
Midwestern State (4-0) at Angelo State (4-0)
These have been the two best teams in the LSC to date, and this could be a precursor to the LSC title game later this season. I give ASU a slight edge playing at home and due to the fact that they have Kyle Washington at quarterback. He is just so tough to stop. Angelo State 42 Midwestern State 31
Mailbag
[Q] On the GNAC forum it was proposed by a member that a potential merger of GPAC and the RMAC would benefit both conferences. This would help GPAC schools have a shot at playoff participation and would help the RMAC have even numbers after the departure of Western New Mexico. I see potential but there would be a lot of messy details to hash out. What are your thoughts on this?
[A] I can definitely see some benefits to it, but I don't think it will ever happen because travel would be increased exponentially for the existing RMAC schools. I don't think the RMAC schools will be interested in adding to their travel budget while at the same time potentially making it harder to reach the postseason.
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