October 20th, 2015 12:00am
2015 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Northwest Missouri State. At the MIAA Media Day back in August, head coach Adam Dorrel even alluded to the fact that his team was rebuilding when he said he had a 7-4 type of football team.
It's hard to blame anyone, including Dorrel, for thinking this might be a bit of a down year. Coming into this fall, the Bearcats were left to replace seven starters from a dominant defense that led the team to the 2013 national championship. Senior quarterback Brady Bolles was back to lead the offense, but there were significant holes to fill as the Bearcats lacked playmakers last season. Overall, there are just nine seniors on the NWMSU roster.
But after beating rival Pittsburg State 31-14 last week, Northwest has a 7-0 record. They've done it with a defense that has been surprisingly dominant for having to replace so many players. The Bearcats are giving up just 215 yards and 10 points per game this season. Junior linebacker Jacob Vollstedt (47 tackles, six sacks) has come out of nowhere to have an All-America caliber season. Some very young players have emerged to solidify the secondary.
As well as things have gone, Northwest isn't without some warts: Bolles still is not a real efficient passer. It has been running back by committee as no one has emerged as a big playmaker. The only player on the roster with more than 168 receiving yards is freshman Shawn Bane. It appears to me that the MIAA is down some this year which may be playing a role in Northwest's unexpected success.
Where this season ultimately ends up for Northwest is still in question as each of the Bearcats' final four regular season opponents has winning records. The potential to advance far in the playoffs is also in question with teams like Minnesota State and Sioux Falls in Super Region Three. But I do know one thing: any program in the country would take a 7-0 start during a rebuilding year.
News and Notes from around the Country
-Concord went 13-1 and reached the national semifinals last year. This was supposed to be a big season for the Mountain Lions with most of the key players returning. Just seven games in to this season, the Mountain Lions are left playing for pride. They dropped their third game of the year on Saturday, losing 23-21 to a 1-5 Notre Dame College team on the road. For a team that dominated the MEC last season, this has been very surprising.
-West Georgia ground out a 28-7 win at Delta State on Saturday. The Wolves racked up 381 yards of offense to just 227 for the Statesmen. It's obvious that the DSU offense just isn't the same without injured quarterback Tyler Sullivan. Freshman Tyler Cameron did well in the sense that he didn't turn the ball over against UWG, but he was unable to get much going down the field in the passing game.
-Minnesota State running back Connor Thomas has suffered a season ending injury. This is a big blow for the Mavericks as Thomas is a four year starter and the school's all-time leading rusher. His physical running style between the tackles was perfect for what MSU tries to accomplish offensively.
-After losing quarterback Kevin Rodgers to graduation, there figured to be some rebuilding to do at Henderson State this season. Instead of rebuilding, the Reddies have transformed. They have gone from a high scoring team that sometimes had to outscore opponents to one with a ball control offense and a very tough defense. The result is a 6-1 record and HSU sits alone in first place in the league.
-Another outstanding defensive effort led to a 24-14 win by Wingate over Lenoir-Rhyne, ending the Bears' 22 game SAC winning streak. The Bulldogs are allowing just 9.7 yards per game and they held the Bears to nearly 200 yards under their season rushing average.
-After losing 61-24 to Ferris State last month, Grand Valley has turned it around, winning four straight games by comfortable margins, including 38-21 over previously unbeaten Michigan Tech last week. The Lakers will be tested over the next three weeks with games against Findlay, Ashland and Tiffin. But if sophomore quarterback Bart Williams continues to play well (12 TD passes against just 2 interceptions on the current winning streak) then I really like GVSU's chances of going 10-1 and returning to the playoffs.
Top Games this Week
Michigan Tech (5-1) at Ferris State (6-0)
MTU did not fare well at Grand Valley in losing their first game of the season last week. I don't think it will go much better for the Huskies against FSU. MTU just doesn't have the offensive firepower to keep pace with the Bulldogs. Ferris State 40 Michigan Tech 20
Virginia Union (6-1) at Bowie State (6-1)
These are the two best offenses in the CIAA, but VUU has to be favored because of their incredible defense. The Panthers allow just 150 yards per game and have already racked up 29 sacks this season. Virginia Union 23 Bowie State 16
Augustana (5-2) at Sioux Falls (7-0)
This is a huge rivalry as these two schools are literally across the street from each other. Each team is led by outstanding quarterbacks in Trey Heid for Augie and Luke Papilion for USF. I think both quarterbacks will have some success in this game but I think USF has the advantage because the Augustana defense has really struggled to stop the pass this season. Sioux Falls 31 Augustana 23
Carson-Newman (5-2) at Wingate (6-1)
The Wingate defense is outstanding and they should be ready to go against the option game of C-N after seeing the option last week in the win over Lenoir-Rhyne. The problem for Wingate is that the Bulldogs don't have much of an offense, so the margin for error is pretty thin each week. I expect this to be a good game. Wingate 20 Carson-Newman 16
Fort Hays State (5-2) at Northwest Missouri (7-0)
It is amazing how good the Bearcat defense has been this season considering that they lost so many starters from last year. NWMSU allows just 216 yards per game and has forced 19 turnovers. I think FHSU can hang around in this one because the Bearcats aren't that dynamic offensively, but I look for NWMSU to grind out another win. Northwest Missouri 28 Fort Hays State 17
Southern Arkansas (5-2) at Henderson State (6-1)
SAU is explosive on offense, leading the GAC at 501 yards per game. The key to this game will be turnovers; HSU is plus ten on the year but SAU is minus eight. If the Muleriders can keep turnovers to a minimum, they have the talent to stay in this game. Henderson State 27 Southern Arkansas 23
North Alabama (5-1) at West Georgia (7-0)
The Lions responded in a big way to their first loss of the season by scoring 62 points against UNC-Pembroke last week. I fully expect the Lions to challenge UWG, as UNA has the most complete offense the Wolves have seen this year. But at the end of the day UWG has more talent on both sides of the ball. West Georgia 24 North Alabama 20
Colorado Mines (7-0) at CSU-Pueblo (6-1)
The Orediggers have won 17 of their last 18 regular season games. The only loss in that stretch came to the Thunderwolves last season as the two teams ended up tying for the RMAC title. Mines quarterback Justin Dvorak is having a huge season (2580 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes) but I think the McDondle brothers will carry the Thunderwolves to another victory. CSU-Pueblo 27 Colorado Mines 20
Midwestern State (7-0) at Texas A&M-Commerce (6-1)
Both of these teams are unbeaten in the LSC and this game could serve as a precursor to the LSC championship game to be played at the end of the regular season. The MSU defense did a decent job against Humboldt State's Ja'Quan Gardner last week and they will tasked with stopping another very prolific running game. Midwestern State 31 Texas A&M-Commerce 30
IUP (5-1) at Slippery Rock (6-1)
There are some good rivalries in the PSAC, but this one is the best in my opinion. These two programs do not care for each other. These might also be the two best teams in the PSAC this season, so there is a lot riding on this game. IUP loves to run the football with Chris Temple and Lenny Williams, who have combined for 1346 yards and 15 TDs already this season. They will be going against a SRU defense that allows just 55 yards per game on the ground. I think the Crimson Hawks will stay in it, but at the end of the day SRU just has too much offense firepower. Slippery Rock 30 IUP 20
West Alabama (5-2) at Delta State (5-2)
This could possible serve as a playoff elimination game as neither team can afford a third loss. The DSU offense isn't the same without injured quarterback Tyler Sullivan, but UWA isn't the same defense as West Georgia, either. Delta State 33 West Alabama 27
Mailbag
[Q] Is there any chance that Humboldt State makes the playoffs this year? It always seems that the GNAC is left out.
[A] Azusa Pacific from the same conference was left out with a 10-1 record last year, but that's because Super Region Three was crazy with three undefeated and five one-loss teams.
This year with a month still to go in the regular season there are just five teams with less than two losses in the entire region. Plus there are seven playoff spots in each region as opposed to six last year. Even though HSU (5-1) lost to Midwestern State last week, I think the Lumberjacks are a lock to make the playoffs if they finish the regular season 9-1.
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