October 27th, 2015 12:00am
It was not that long ago that Winona State ruled the roost in NSIC football. From 2001 through 2007 the Warriors won 66 games and made five NCAA playoff appearances. Many people believed that WSU was on the cusp of becoming a D2 power.
But in 2008 things changed in the NSIC. That year Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, Minnesota-Duluth and Augustana joined the conference when the North Central Conference folded. Those schools immediately became conference powers and, in the case of MSU and UMD, national powers.
While the addition of the new schools was great for the profile of the conference, it was not so good for Winona State football. The Warriors have not made the playoffs since 2007, largely because they have not had success against the four former NCC teams. Going into last Saturday, WSU was just 6-18 against those four schools going back to the start of the 2008 season. In contrast, the Warriors have been 42-14 against the rest of the conference.
Last Saturday the Warriors pulled off possibly the biggest win in school history when they knocked off top-ranked Minnesota State 31-27. WSU scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to shock the Mavericks and end their 40 game conference winning streak. Making the win even sweeter for the Warriors is the fact that MSU has become their biggest rival in the conference. While the Warriors are just 4-4 this season, a win like that could be the impetus the entire program needs to rise up and once again become one of the top teams in the conference.
The Winona State win over Minnesota State was not the only huge upset in the NSIC last Saturday. Augustana scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game to defeat 4th-ranked Sioux Falls 35-28 in their cross-town rivalry.
The dynamic between these two schools is a bit different. USF joined the NSIC in 2012 after years of being one of the most successful NAIA programs ever. Even though Augustana was a successful established program in the NSIC, USF had the upper hand between the two schools from the beginning as the Cougars had won the first three meetings in the series. That could not have sat well with the Viking faithful as these two schools are both in Sioux Falls, SD. This was a win Augustana really needed to have.
These two upsets really change the whole dynamic in Super Region Three. Minnesota State and Sioux Falls meet in two weeks in Sioux Falls. Most had assumed this would be a battle of top five ranked unbeatens with the winner securing home field in the playoffs. Now both teams will simply be battling for their playoff lives.
Two games, two big rivalries, two huge upsets. Its days like last Saturday that really make college football a lot of fun.
News and Notes from around the Country
-The first set of regional rankings was released this week. As I caution every year, it is hard to read too much into these until we are going into that last week of the regular season. The one major change from last year seems to be that teams will be rewarded a bit more in-region performance. It would make sense to have this as a criterion if teams were rewarded for playing out of conference games within their region. It does not appear that this is the case.
-In my opinion, CSU-Pueblo running back Cameron McDondle has thrust himself to the front of the pack in the Harlon Hill race. McDondle ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 49-21 win over Colorado Mines last week and he now leads the country with 1545 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns this season.
-In the national rankings for pass efficiency, only one of the top 13- Harrison Stewart from Texas A&M-Commerce- is a senior. Of the top nine rushers in the country, McDondle is the only senior. There is a great deal of young talent playing in D2 right now and the next couple of years should be fun to watch.
-What an interesting conference the SAC is. With Carson-Newman beating Wingate and Mars Hill upsetting Lenoir-Rhyne last week, it leaves Catawba alone on top of the league with a 3-1 conference record (6-2 overall). This is despite the fact that the Indians have been out gained by their opponents so far this year. In those four conference games Catawba has scored a total of 60 points.
-After losing 40-39 to arch rival Slippery Rock last week, IUP (5-2) has had both losses come by a single point. In those two games, the Crimson Hawks have missed a total of five extra points, including one that would have tied the game against SRU in the fourth quarter.
-Ashland (8-0) blew a 21-0 lead and allowed 26 unanswered points by Northern Michigan but the Eagles were able to escape with a 41-40 win on a Travis Tarnowski touchdown pass with just seven seconds remaining in the game. The Eagles may have been looking ahead to this week's visit by Grand Valley but they better tighten up defensively if they want to have a shot at beating the Lakers.
-Henderson State (7-1) scored on a six yard scramble by quarterback Dallas Hardison on the game's final play to beat Southern Arkansas 29-28. The Reddies had to drive 94 yards in under two minutes to get the win. HSU sits alone in first place at the top of the GAC.
-Tarleton State beat Panhandle State 84-47 last weekend with the Texans scoring two touchdowns in the last 1:34 of the game just in case OPSU had any thoughts about coming back. The 84 points scored were a new school record. The old record was established in an 80-14 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville last season. In that game TSU scored a touchdown in the final minute as well. I guess I do not understand the need or desire to run up scores like this.
Top Games this Week
IUP (5-2) at Clarion (7-1)
Clarion quarterback Connor Simmons had his first bad game of the year last week as he threw six interceptions in his team's loss to California. He will be facing a ball hawking IUP secondary, but the bigger concern is whether the Golden Eagles can stop the Crimson Hawk running game. IUP 33 Clarion 23
West Alabama (6-2) at Valdosta State (5-2)
Both teams have to come into this with a playoff mentality as the loser is probably out of the running. On paper these teams are very similar and this should be a great game. I have to give VSU a slight edge at home. Valdosta State 26 West Alabama 24
Minnesota State (7-1) at Southwest Minnesota State (6-2)
SMSU is a dangerous team. The Mustangs are solid on both sides of the football and Blake Gimbel (21 touchdown passes, just two interceptions) is a very efficient passer. MSU has not been real sharp offensively for the past few weeks but I do not think Maverick defense will allow them to lose two in a row. Minnesota State 31 Southwest Minnesota State 19
Delta State (5-3) at North Alabama (5-2)
Maybe some time away from home will help DSU. The Statesmen have lost three of four, with all three losses coming at home. UNA was blown out by West Georgia last week, so neither team comes in a high note. I like UNA in this game because of the experience advantage the Lions have with Luke Wingo at quarterback. North Alabama 31 Delta State 28
Colorado Mines (7-1) at Colorado Mesa (7-1)
Colorado Mesa is quietly having a very nice year. The Mavericks only loss came in overtime to a good Midwestern State team and CMU is undefeated in RMAC play. The Mavericks hang their hat on a solid defense that will be tested by the Mines passing attack. This should be a great game. Colorado Mines 27 Colorado Mesa 24
Grand Valley State (7-1) at Ashland (8-0)
The addition of tight end Jamie Potts to the GVSU offense has really made things click for the Lakers. Potts missed the first two games of the season because he was playing pro baseball but has averaged over 20 yards per reception and scored 10 touchdowns since his return. GVSU is playing some very good football right now and I think the Lakers win this game. Grand Valley 37 Ashland 27
Mailbag
[Q] Bob, when do you think the media will give respect to Texas A&M Commerce? Remember this team won just one game two years ago and now they are a legitimate national championship contender in a season that was not supposed to be as good as last year. Coby Carthel has really done a great job as the head coach.
[A] I guess I am not sure where you are coming from in regard to respect from the media. D2 media coverage is mostly local so I cannot say whether or not TAMUC is getting much coverage in the Dallas area. The turnaround by the Lions has been impressive, but I am not sure if this team is good enough defensively to win in the playoffs with teams like CSU-Pueblo, Grand Valley and Ferris State in the same region.
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