Week 4 Predictions- Jay and Tommy

Jay’s Picks (4 of 5 Week 3, 12 of 14 on the Season)

Thankfully, all of the UMAC referees that were in the NFL will be coming back for Week 4 of UMAC football. How did we ever get along without them? It was probably the reason that I picked a game wrong last week. Oh well, everything is back to normal and I plan on getting all the picks right the rest of the season.

Martin Luther @ Presentation- Last year Presentation held Martin Luther to 6 points and that is when Martin Luther had a good offense. Forget about how many, or should I say few, yards the Knights accumulated last week. Let’s talk about how they have scored only 14 points in conference play. TOTAL. And 7 points came off a kick return for a touchdown. They have more total turnovers (17 if you were curious) than they do points in conference. On the flipside, the Knights defense has been excellent so far and I think that this game is a favorable matchup for Martin Luther. I’ll take the Knights on the road in a close one. Martin Luther 20 Presentation 17

Crown @ Greenville- Greenville made a statement last week. QB Brendan Chambers is the real deal running that option attack. If Greenville can avoid turnovers, they should win this game big. You have to give it to those kids from Crown, they’ll find a way to make it competitive for a while, but they won’t be able to keep up with Greenville’s offense. It’s ok; they’re still a couple years away. Greenville 45 Crown 20

Minnesota Morris @ Northwestern – Northwestern averages 184.0 rushing yards a game. Minnesota Morris defense allows 239.2 rushing yards a game. It’s not quite like Greenville rushing attack, but Northwestern’s RB Chris-Simon Wallace is averaging 8.3 yards a carry. I’m not a psychic, although you could argue from my picks record that I’m pretty darn close, but I think I know what Northwestern might try to do. Northwestern 49 Morris 14

St. Scholastica @ MacMurray- This just does not bode well for the Highlanders. St. Scholastica has got to be a little motivated after last week’s close call and MacMurray just got trounced on by Northwestern. At least now that the NFL referee lockout is over, the Highlanders will get their refs back. St. Scholastica 62 MacMurray 13

GAME OF THE WEEK

Eureka @ Westminster- Talk about a big time game for both teams. Eureka has struggled immensely since QB Sam Durley made national headlines, and their season is at the tipping point. Westminster has done a tremendous job of making a comeback after that loss to Northwestern, and if they keep winning could make things interesting at the end of the year. QB Joe Plassmeyer is quietly having a really good year, and it should be a great duel of two of the top quarterbacks in the conference. I think it will come down to which defense can make one or two stops because I see this being a high scoring shootout. Watch out for Westminster the rest of the way. Westminster 42 Eureka 38

Tommy’s Picks (5 of 5 Week 3, 10 of 14 on the Season)

Now that the season is in full swing I have really hit my stride with a perfect - that's right, perfect - 5-5 week last week. I look to continue that trend going with a week that I am actually really excited for with some good pick-em type match-ups.

Martin Luther @ Presentation- I am actually very intrigued by this match-up. This sets up to be a low scoring affair. Martin Luther's defense is stifling but their offense is putrid. Presentation is not a bad team. Not a good team, mind you, but not bad at all for this only being their second year of existence. I like Presentation at home in this one. If the Knights find a way to hold on to the ball they might pick up their first win of the year. But, I'm not holding my breath waiting for that one. Martin Luther continues to lay the ball on the ground and Presentation capitalizes. Presentation 17 Martin Luther 14

Crown @ Greenville- Crown showed that they are not ready to make the leap to the middle of the conference yet when they lost to Westminster last week. As a young team they will continue to improve throughout the year, but they are not ready to beat a team like Greenville on the road yet. Greenville will run the ball all over the Storm this Saturday. If you can shut down the option against Greenville and force them to throw you have a good shot at beating them. Crown is not the team to do that, however. Greenville 42 Crown 20

 

 Minnesota Morris @ Northwestern - Northwestern beat MacMurray by 40. Morris beat MacMurray by 3. That does not bode well for the Cougars. Of course, this would be a good chance for a let down for the Eagles with a big showdown with Scholastica coming up next week. Still, I have been less than impressed by Morris so far this season and I think Northwestern will be too much for them to handle on Saturday. Good luck to Morris trying to stop the Eagles' ground attack and pass rush. Northwestern 35 Morris 14

St. Scholastica @ MacMurray- Yikes. No matter what way you look at this game there is not a lot of hope for the Highlanders. MacMurray is flat out bad. Northwestern embarrassed them last week and by all accounts Scholastica is at least as good as Northwestern, probably better. The only hope for the Highlanders is that the Saints do have to take a long bus ride down south so maybe their bus will have a flat tire and they will miss the game. Outside of that, I don't give MacMurray much of a chance. Scholastica 55 MacMurray 0

GAME OF THE WEEK

Eureka @ Westminster- This game is a real toss-up. I don't even know who would be considered the favorite in this one. I do know that Eureka has burned me too many times already this year. I expected some good things from Eureka and as best as I can tell, they are extremely lacking on the offensive line and below average on defense. Westminster has also disappointed early on but they have strung together a couple victories of late and I think they will continue to improve as the year goes on. I like Westminster to pull this one out at home by having a more balanced attack offensively. Eureka is just too one-dimensional for my liking. Westminster 31 Eureka 24

 

What Week 3 Taught Us

You learn something new every day. And week 3 of UMAC play taught us a number of things:

1. You cannot take anyone lightly - I thought about titling this, "Anyone can beat anyone" after Scholastica barely snuck out of New Ulm with a 21-7 win over winless Martin Luther. However, I cannot legitimately say that. After all, after Northwestern ripped apart MacMurray it is hard to imagine that even if they played 100 times the Highlanders would ever come out on top. However, football is one of those games where you better bring your A game every week because if you don't you just might end up dropping one you should win. Watch out for teams like Crown, Westminster, or Martin Luther to throw in a potential upset this season.

2. Martin Luther has a dang good defense. They were putting up some impressive performances early in the season against sub-par teams. But after shutting down a Scholastica team that hung 45 on Greenville, it is official. The Knights can play defense. All UMAC opponents take note, this is no easy win.

3. Martin Luther has a dang bad offense. 67 yards of total offense. Wow. The Knights offense is the equivalent of the replacement officials. Clueless as to what is going on around them.

4. Morris is who we thought they were. There is always that one team that takes advantage of an easy schedule to start the year and gets carried away when they are undefeated. But now it's time to get real here - Morris barely squeaked out wins against MacMurray - a team that Northwestern just annihilated- and Martin Luther - a team that put up 67 yards of total offense last week. They got a little over excited about being 2-0 and got a reality check when Greenville put them in their place. Still, don't entirely write off the Cougars. Just keep things in perspective.

5. Don't count out Westminster just yet. This is not to say that they will be a contender for a UMAC title as we thought they would be at the outset - but, after a terrible 49-7 loss to Northwestern at home to start the year they have bounced back nicely with 2 road wins over Martin Luther and Crown. Perhaps the Blue Jays have a bit of fight left in them.

Week 4 Power Rankings

1.   St. Scholastica escaped with a win from New Ulm this last weekend. Don’t let the 21-7 score fool you into thinking this game didn’t make a few hearts skip a beat on the St. Scholastica sideline. It was tied until the fourth quarter and St. Scholastica managed to put up another seven points with 25 seconds left in the game. I wouldn’t put too much stock into how close the game was simply because it’s a strange place to play; however, the way that Martin Luther played defense gives teams around the UMAC a blueprint of how to stop the Saint’s offense. The Saints can fine tune some things this week against MacMurray in preparation for a huge game against Northwestern.

2.  Northwestern disposed of MacMurray easily and shifts its focus to Morris. In the last three games, Northwestern has outscored opponents 138-31. The offense has been very explosive against teams that are frankly just plain bad. Even Westminster, a team once favored to fight for a conference championship, has taken a big step back from last year’s team. Are the Eagles real contenders? Or are they a solid team that has taken advantage of playing much inferior competition? The rubber hits the road when they face St. Scholastica in two weeks with conference championship implications on the line.  

3.  Greenville, as I suspected, took care of business and proved that they are the number three team in the conference. Even though they played terribly against St. Scholastica, there is still hope of a conference championship if some things fall into place. If Northwestern beats St. Scholastica, then things could get very interesting and could keep the race for the championship alive till the very last week of the season. None of that matters if they do not win the rest of their games leading up to their game against Northwestern.

4.  Westminster has responded about as well as they could from a very disappointing loss to Northwestern in week one of conference play. They have beaten teams they were supposed to beat, but they are not nearly as talented as last year and I don’t see them beating Greenville or St. Scholastica. Still, they will have opportunities to prove themselves and with big games still left on the schedule they could shake things up a little bit.

5.  University of Morris. Denny Green said it best, “They are who we thought they were.” In effect, not the third best team in the conference. They probably should have lost to Martin Luther, and there are not any MacMurrays left on the schedule. It gets even tougher this week with a trip to play Northwestern. Its time to find out what the Cougars are about the next three games against Northwestern, Westminster, and Eureka.

6.  Eureka. Simpson dominated in every phase of the game. Period. Eureka needs a win badly against Westminster this week or it could start to unravel.

7.  Martin Luther only turned the ball over once and that defense is pretty good in New Ulm. Almost pulling the upset against St. Scholastica gives them this spot in the rankings. Still -32 rushing yards?   67 yards of total offense? Yikes.

8.  Crown is starting to figure out that playing with heart can only get you so far. Even still, it was turnovers that really killed the Storm this week. They are still a couple years away, but they will be competetive in a lot of games this year.

9.  MacMurray. Not much to say about this past week. But at least St. Scholastica will have to make the road trip this week or that could have made for a very, very long bus ride home for the Highlanders.  

Week 3 Predictions- Jay and Tommy

Jay’s Picks (5 of 5 Week 2, 8 of 9 on the Season)

Week 3 UMAC picks. I’m feeling pretty confident this week after getting them all right last week. Teams that figure to be in the running for the conference championship separated themselves last week which leaves some teams that need to do some serious catching up. Also, Tommy needs to stop picking against St. Scholastica.

Greenville @ Minnesota Morris- Greenville makes another trip to Minnesota still wincing from that shellacking courtesy of St. Scholastica. Interesting fact: Greenville has been outscored 95-20 in its two games this season. On the other hand, Morris is one of those teams that every year you just cannot put your finger on exactly how they are winning. It’s not pretty but they have gotten it done the first two weeks. They are basically the UMAC version of the Arizona Cardinals through two weeks. Unfortunately, I think Greenville will make sure to show us exactly how Morris won’t be winning this week. Greenville 40 Morris 21

MacMurray @ Northwestern- Can you believe that only two years ago this game was a three point win by Northwestern? Last year Northwestern blew out MacMurray, but that was before MacMurray won the last two games of the season and has hung tough against its last two UMAC opponents this season. So far MacMurray has not faced anything close to an offense as explosive as Northwestern's, and I don’t think they are ready for it. This is the Eagles home opener after three straight road games. I think they come out of the gates fast and put MacMurray away early. Northwestern 49 MacMurray 13

St. Scholastica @ Martin Luther- St. Scholastica is 1-4 against Martin Luther all-time. In fact, that last time the Saints have lost on the road in the regular season was at the hands of the Knights two years ago. Weird things happen in New Ulm, but not this Saturday. The Knights could have more turnovers than points for the second week in a row. Scholastica rolls. St. Scholastica 56 Martin Luther 6

Simpson @ Eureka- This is a non-conference game for the Red Devils and their home opener. Traditionally, Simpson has been known for an extremely physical football team that pounds the football and a hard-nosed defense. Eureka is not built for this type of game on offense or defense, but if they can provide QB Sam Durley with some pass protection they could make it interesting. I am of the opinion that Simpson will keep Durley and the offense off the field and will be too much for the Red Devils to handle. Simpson 48 Eureka 17 

Game of the Week

Westminster @ Crown- This is the game of the week because it is the most evenly matched game this week. The jury is still out on Westminster after a blowout loss to Northwestern and a win by virtue of the gifts from Martin Luther (eight of them to be exact). Crown is coming off a tough, heartbreaking loss to Eureka, and it will be interesting to see how they respond this week against a good opponent. Crown might not be special in any one area, but they are solid everywhere and more importantly they seem to want it more than other teams. The buzz from St. Bonifacius is growing and it should be; I’ve got them winning the game of the week in another nailbiter. Crown 27 Westminster 26


Tommy’s Picks (4 of 5 Week 2, 5 of 9 on the Season)

Last week was a much stronger showing for me. Yes, Jay may be beating me but I can only compare myself to my own best self. And I have finally learned my lesson about Scholastica. I am not picking against the Saints the rest of the year.

Greenville @ Minnesota Morris - I think that Greenville is much better than they showed last week and I think that Morris is not as good as their 2-0 conference record would indicate. Greenville does have to make another long journey up to the Minnesota for the second consecutive week and we know that the Cougars will be amped to play at home. Still, Greenville will be hungry after last week's letdown and is all-around the better team. Greenville rushes for 300+ yards en route to a win. Greenville 31 Morris 7

MacMurray @ Northwestern - MacMurray has done a good job of hanging around so far this season. They have been very close to winning two games already. However, the reality is they lost at home to two teams that are not considered contenders in the UMAC. Now they go on the road to face a tough Northwestern team and moral victories don't count for anything at this point. Northwestern gets up early and cruises to victory. Northwestern 41 MacMurray 7

St. Scholastica @ Martin Luther - Jay listed an interesting statistic in his prediction. - that Scholastica is 1-4 against MLC all-time. This would be the perfect opportunity for a let-down. St. Scholastica is coming off two big home wins and if they are going to overlook someone it could certainly be the turnover-plagued Knights. However, the talent difference between these two teams is equivalent to the difference between Oklahoma State and Savannah State. Martin Luther has no chance. Just pray to get out without any big injuries. St. Scholastica 35 Martin Luther 0

Simpson @ Eureka - I don't know a whole lot about Simpson College this season. I do know that they are typically a tough program from a better conference. Eureka has been wildly disappointing in their first two games. I don't think they have the offensive or defensive lines to stay in this. Simpson 38 Eureka 10

Game of the Week

Westminster @ Crown - I am actually pretty excited for this game. If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season I would have said that Westminster would steam roll right through Crown. But, now I don't know. Crown is playing a lot better than expected and seems to be a program on the rise. Westminster, on the other hand, is still a question mark after getting blown out by Northwestern in week 1. We will see if Crown is really a team that should be taken seriously or if they are the Crown of years past. We will also find out if Westminster simply had a bad game against Northwestern or if they are really that much of a disappointment. I think Westminster is still a little bit better team and they pull out a close one. Westminster 24 Crown 21

Week 2 Hit of the Week

In the hard-fought matchup between Eureka and Crown, the Red Devil's freshman LB Frankie Bray punishes the opposing QB as he attempts to get a pass off.

We are looking for top plays and hits every week to share but we need you to post the video for us. Send us a Tweet or post on Facebook with a link to the video and we will gladly consider the play for our Top Play/Hit of the week.

Top 5 Things we Learned this Week

What did we learn this week? I'm glad you asked...

1) St. Scholastica is going to win the UMAC. Sorry to spoil it for everyone but that is just what is going to happen. Regardless of what team you cheer for or what your personal bias is, you cannot deny the fact that this team simply has resources that no other team in the conference possesses. They have better facilities, more players, and a great geographic area to recruit from without competition from other MIAC schools.

2) The best teams are always balanced. Martin Luther can't pass and they can't score. Greenville can't consistently pass, at least they couldn't against St. Scholastica, and they couldn't score. Eureka can't run and they struggled offensively against both Scholastica and Crown. Scholastica can do both and they have scored 35 and 45. Northwestern can do both and they have scored 49 and 35. Easier said than done, but good teams are multi-dimensional.

3)You should cover Brian Lecheler. 3 straight games with a reception over 50 yards? You would think opposing schools would start covering this kid. Can he continue the streak going against MacMurray? Don't be surprised if he does.

4) The flexbone offense or whatever you want to call it that Martin Luther runs is outdated and ineffective. It has led to a greater amount of fumbles than points so far this season. There is a reason that you don't see any of the best teams around the country running this offense. It is a gimmicky offense that is predictable and one-dimensional.

5) Two-quarterback systems don't work. Morris may be 2-0 in conference so far, but watching them swap out QBs every other series is painful. Neither one can get in a rhythm and neither can the offense. I do not understand what the coaching staff is doing here and if they do not figure out who their guy is soon the hot start will quickly fizzle. Mark my words...

Week 3 Power Rankings

1.  St. Scholastica embarrassed the preseason number one team this weekend from start to finish with that vaunted defense and an offense that seems to have an endless list of playmakers. This team did not make any mistakes and capitalized on everything Greenville gave them. Outside of Northwestern, the Saints do not have a team left on the schedule that can even compete with them much less upset them, and I’m not even sure Northwestern can play with this team all four quarters. Its only week three but St. Scholastica appears poised to represent the UMAC in the Division III playoffs for the second consecutive year.

2.  Northwestern will have two tune-up games before they travel to Duluth to visit the Saints. I’m not saying they couldn’t beat St. Scholastica, but they will have to play a whole lot better than they did against Presentation if they want to challenge the reigning conference champs. This team does have a lot of talent with quite possibly the most dynamic player in the UMAC in WR Brian Lecheler, but overall are too inconsistent. The key for the Eagles leading up to the trip to Duluth will be steadily improving and focusing on taking care of business the next couple of weeks.

3.  University of Minnesota-Morris has not necessarily earned the number three spot in the poll more than other teams have lost that distinction. I think that Greenville is a better team than Morris, but being undefeated in conference so far deserves some recognition. They have pulled off some squeakers against some of the worst teams in the conference. The defense has played pretty well over the last two weeks, but its safe to say that this team has not found its rhythm on offense which does not bode well when Greenville comes to town next week.

4.  Greenville has been riding on their preseason ranking so far in this power poll. I think they are the third best team in the conference and this week will be the week to prove it. The good news is that they are not as bad as the 45-3 loss says they are; still they got pounded by St. Scholastica this week. Maybe that will get a fire going underneath their tails a little bit this week. QB Brendan Chambers and company should be motivated to make up for a lame effort last week and show they can still be a player in the conference.

5.  Eureka came away with a tough win against a very scrappy team from Crown. The inability to run the ball effectively will continue to hamper the Red Devils all season. Teams are figuring out how to defend the pass and daring Eureka to run the football. A non-conference game against Simpson will most definitely not be what the doctor ordered to fix an ailing running game. This season will ride on the arm of QB Sam Durley: as he goes so will the Red Devils.

6.  Westminster did nothing to improve their rankings in the poll by beating Martin Luther. Beating a team that gives the ball over eight times is a given. Still trying to figure out how good this team is after two weeks. The Blue Jays travel up to St. Bonifacious to play a Crown team that plays with a chip on their shoulder.

7.  Crown. You have to love the spunk that these kids play with even though they had a heartbreaking loss. When the season started, I would never have given the Storm a chance against Westminster. After watching two weeks of games, I think this Crown team has a good chance to beat Westminster at home. I am not sure what happened to starting QB Wess Safford, but the comeback was led by QB Josh Sanados and it will be interesting to see who starts the game at QB this upcoming week.

8.  MacMurray has been in both of the games that they have played. Count me as one of the people a little surprised at how they have played. They just need to learn how to finish games. It won’t get any easier with a trip to St. Paul this weekend to face Northwestern.

9.  Martin Luther has had way too many issues with turnovers for this team to function. It seriously could be over in the first quarter against St. Scholastica if they turn the ball over this much. 

Panthers Crawl Home with Tail Between Legs

In what was supposed to be the game of the week, potentially the game of the year, the Saints of St. Scholastica put an absolute beating on the Panthers of Greenville winning by a final score of 45-3. The Panthers (who by the way should be called the Tigers judging by their uniforms) came out flat and sloppy after a bye last week. After moving the ball effectively to start the game, their initial drive ended after Brendan Chambers heaved up a prayer to Mike LaValley, who happened to be wearing blue instead of white. Tyler Harper proceeded to lead the Saints to paydirt looking absolutely electric rushing for a 13 yard touchdown on 3rd and 12.

The rest of the game was more of the same for both teams. Greenville would move the ball effectively, picking up a few first downs before shooting themselves in the foot with a turnover. Greenville's 3 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles gave Scholastica opportunity after opportunity. And the Saints capitalized on nearly every one of those opportunities. The Saints balanced offensive attack proved to be too much for the Panthers. If it wasn't Tyler Harper it was Travis Nehowig or Jake Jensen. Their well-oiled offense finished with 263 yards on the ground and 90 through the air. Greenville was still able to accumulate 314 yards of total offense with Immanuel Gamble rushing for 135 yards. However, turnovers, stupid penalties, and their inability to pass the ball effectively held them to a mere 3 points.

Moving forward, the question becomes, who in the UMAC can challenge St. Scholastica this season? Greenville and Eureka were supposed to be two of the toughest challenges for the Saints and in the first two weeks the Saints have quickly dismantled both of those teams. Greenville certainly did not put forth their best effort today and no one would think the Scholastica is truly 42 points better than them, but if they cannot even put up a fight, what chance do the Martin Luther's and MacMurray's of the world have against this team? At this point, it appears that the only team with the ability to stop the Saints is themselves.

Week #2 Post-Game Recaps

University of Minnesota-Morris 24 MacMurray College 21

The game was as close as the scoreboard indicated with the only notable difference being the turnover separation. MacMurray’s four turnovers led to 10 points for the Cougars, including the field goal which proved to be the final difference on the scoreboard. Dan Gerrigan led the UM-Morris offense to a 24-21 victory with 154 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns. Leandro "Limitless" Dower was limited to 17 rushing yards despite his nickname. Gerrigan and Foss rotated at quarterback again with Gerrigan proving to be the more effective passer today. Cody Hussey threw for 230 yards for the Highlanders, but once again, MacMurray came up just short.

Eureka College 17 Crown College 14

Eureka escaped from St. Bonifacius with a victory despite almost blowing a 10 point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It took Crown almost the entire game to get their offense in gear, but, down by 3 with 2 minutes remaining in the game and the ball on their own 24, the Storm drove the length of the field and were in position to send the game to OT. However, Kurt Fickle missed a 27 yard field goal attempt to leave a scrappy Crown team heartbroken. Eureka's defense had a strong showing limiting Crown’s offense and RB Amos Schmidt to 229 yards of production. Schmidt, who last week rushed for four touchdowns in Crown’s win at MacMurray struggled to get anywhere today and only gained 39 yards on 18 carries. Eureka’s WR Matt Dawson was NCAA record-holder Sam Durley’s go-to receiver and led all players with 147 yards receiving and accounted for both of Eureka’s touchdowns.

Northwestern College 35 Presentation College 10

Coming off of a big upset at Westminster last week, Northwestern came out slow and struggled to move down the field in the first quarter against the Presentation Saints. The Saints however, struggled offensively as Northwestern’s defense shut them down, especially on the ground as NWC player Kabakas Clark said on Facebook, “On defense to gave up negative 109 yards rushing”. (Couldn't have said it better myself Kabakas) Official stats have not yet been reported, but Senior WR Brian Lecheler appeared to lead Northwestern with several long receptions. With a touchdown from Lecheler and two from RB Chris Simon-Wallace, Northwestern won the game easily, 35-10. The only thing worse than the Presentation offense in this game was the online streaming in which the camera was pointed at the wrong end of the field 40% of the game. 

Martin Luther Coughs Seven Up at Home

It wasn’t pretty. But Westminster will leave Martin Luther with a win that will give the Blue Jays confidence going into next week. They have got a lot to work on because if it wasn’t for Martin Luthers 8, yes I said 8, turnovers it could have been a much different game. Seven of the turnovers were fumbles, several which were not even forced but were the result of bad pitches on option plays. In fact, for a second week in a row the Knights had multiple opportunities on the goal line but could not put the ball in the end zone or come away with any points. The only score from Martin Luther was a prayer of a heave in the second quarter. Otherwise, it was all Westminster today. The Blue Jays did not do anything particularly well, but they took advantage of a myriad of Knight mistakes and were able to come out with a fast start and the outcome was never really in doubt.

Westminster is a little lucky to come out of this game with a win. They only put up 26 points when Martin Luther turned the ball over 8 times. That is a ridiculous number of extra possessions to have and it has to be concerning that they could not capitalize more often. Joe Plassmeyer was inconsistent and turned the ball over too much with three interceptions. The defense played well at times, but allowed the Knights to drive much too often. Overall, the Blue Jays have to feel good about a win but have a lot of work to do for their game next week against a scrappy team from Crown.

The only positive about the Knights is the defense. They allowed Martin Luther to stay in the game, but cannot overcome the ineptitude of the offense. If they can figure out how to hold on to the ball, they will be a lot more competitive. The problem is that they play St. Scholastica next week and if they turn the ball over like they did today, they will lose by 70. A lot to fix for the Knights going into next week.

Get to know your Week #2 POWs

We want you to get to know your UMAC athletes, aside from how many yards or tackles they had, so each week we will have a short Q&A session with the Players of the Week.

Week #2 Offensive Player of the Week:

Josh Balzer

Position: Quarterback

School: Northwestern College
Year: Senior
Major: Civil Engineering

What is your earliest football memory?:
Getting a set of plastic shoulder pads and a helmet and playing 1 on1 against my brother in the backyard

What was the biggest key to your individual success in last week’s performance?:
Great running and blocking by my teammates to set up the passing game

Where does your recent performance rank for you on your list of individual best games?:
Definitely in the top 3

What did you eat for breakfast on game day?:eggs, bacon, chocolate milk and a small piece of steak at the Golden Corral

What is the biggest area you want to improve upon moving forward?:
Get better each week with the mental game of making great checks and reads

What is going to be the key to your team succeeding this week?:Eliminate mental mistakes and come out firing like we did last week

What is on your pregame music playlist?:I don't listen to music before games

Who is your favorite NFL athlete?:Peyton Manning

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:Hopefully settled in a career and making an impact on people's lives

Who is your celebrity crush?:

(declined to answer)

Week #2 Special Teams Player of the Week:

Dalton DeGraffenreid

Position: Wide Receiver/Kick Returner

School: University of Minnesota - Morris

Year: Freshman

Major: Chemistry

What is your earliest football memory?:

My first football memory is throwing three touchdown passes in my first pee-wee game.

What was the biggest key to your individual success in last week’s performance?:
The biggest key to my individual success last week was the great blocking by our kickoff return team and me being able to make the right cut.

Where does your recent performance rank for you on your list of individual best games?:

My recent performance ranks out at about 12 or 13 on my best game list.

What did you eat for breakfast on game day?:

For breakfast on gameday I had fruit, eggs, sausage, and hash browns.

What is the biggest area you want to improve upon moving forward?:
The biggest area I want to improve on is my route running to better my offensive performance.

What is going to be the key to your team succeeding this week?:
The key to our team succeeding this week is for our offense to be able to move the ball to allow our deffense to rest and for us to put points on the board.

What is on your pregame music playlist?:
My pregame music playlist is a wide variety from Drake to Josh Abbot and of course I listen to some good ol' Texas country before every game.

Who is your favorite NFL athlete?:
My favorite NFL athlete is eaither Wes Welker or Danny Woodhead.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
In 5 years I see myself as either a college football coach or coaching High School football in Texas.

Who is your celebrity crush?:

My celebrity crush is probably Carrie Underwood.

Week #2 Defensive Player of the Week:

Zeke Miller

Position: LB

School: University of Minnesota - Morris

Year: Senior

Major: Psychology

(did not give answers to POW Q&A)

Week Two Predictions- Jay and Tommy

Welcome to Week 2 in the UMAC. After some good football last week, it gets even better with some marquee matchups. You might not want to even scroll down to see Tommy’s picks after his brutal week picking games. The only thing we aren’t looking forward to this week will be listening to the St. Scholastica broadcasters again. Anyway here are the picks.

Jay’s Picks (3 of 4 last week; 3 of 4 for the season)

Eureka @ Crown- Eureka heads to St. Bonafacious where everyone is on cloud nine after Crown’s win last week. Last year, Eureka had a tough time scoring against Crown winning 23-6, but I think the Red Devils have a nasty taste in their mouth after last week’s drubbing from St. Scholastica and will come out firing. Crown might not be able to run Amos Schmidt like they want to if they cannot stop Durley and the passing game. Eureka will be too much to handle. Eureka 38-Crown 22

Northwestern @ Presentation- This is not a conference game anymore, but I expect a good game between these two teams. Presentation enters its second season much improved from last year’s team that gave Northwestern a game until the second half. Northwestern goes on another long road trip this week, but they seem to like it that way. Expect a few flashes in the pan from Presentation, but I’ll take the Eagles in this one. Northwestern 42-Presentation 24

Westminster @ Martin Luther- The two teams combined for a whopping total of 7 points last week. Both teams head into this week wondering what the heck happened. Westminster has got to be stunned that they got trounced so badly at home, and Martin Luther has to be trying to figure out how to hold on to the football and score some points. I think that these teams will combine for an astronomically boggling total of 19 point. Westminster 13-Martin Luther 6 

Minnesota Morris @ MacMurray- Before the season started, I would have picked Morris by 30. After watching a painful 10 point win against Martin Luther, Morris will win by 14. Morris 28-MacMurray 14

Game of the Week

Greenville @ St. Scholastica- This is the game that will grab most people’s attention going into week 2. The two preseason top ranked teams by the coaches face off in what should be an excellent match up. On display will be completely different styles with Greenville’s Brendan Chambers leading the option offense and Scholastica’s Tyler Harper leading a powerful running attack that last week displayed a potent vertical passing game. Greenville should be healthy and rested after a bye. This game last year was a four point game with Scholastica winning. I think history will repeat itself. St. Scholastica 27-Greenville 23

Tommy’s Picks (1 of 4 last week; 1 of 4 for the season)

Admittedly, last week was a rough one for me. But, it is not how you start the season it is how you finish and this is the start of my turnaround.

Eureka @ Crown- After a tough loss last last week, Eureka has to turn right around and make the journey back up to Minnesota. Crown looked better than expected in Week 1 and Eureka was the polar opposite. However, Crown barely beat a bad team and while Eureka was certainly exposed, they did hang around with a strong team. Eureka still has a team made up of upperclassmen while Crown is full of young players. Eureka goes back to the drawing board and discovers that running the football actually works this week. Eureka 41 Crown 20

Northwestern @ Presentation - Coming off a huge win last week, Northwestern has to make another long road trip this week. Presentation exponentially improved as last season went on and will be a very different team from the one Northwestern saw a year ago. The Eagles better come to Aberdeen prepared to avoid a letdown in a potential trap game. Northwestern runs the ball effectively and controls the clock in this one winning a moderate blowout. Northwestern 34 Presentation 14

Westminster @ Martin Luther - I have gone back and forth on this one. Westminster laid a huge egg last week and Martin Luther is always a difficult place to play. Still, Martin Luther's offense looked horrendous and Westminster was supposed to be top team this season. I think that Westminster comes out looking for vengeance after last week's disappointment and takes it to the Knights. Either way, this week will tell us a lot about the Blue Jays and how they will respond to their loss to Northwestern. Westminster 28 Martin Luther 10

Minnesota Morris @ MacMurray - This is a winnable game for MacMurray, possibly one of the few they will have this year. Morris struggled last week but did pull out the win. I think the Cougars give the ball to Leandro Dower about 40 times in this game and he goes off. Morris 35 MacMurray 7

Game of the Week

Greenville @ St. Scholastica- Here it is - the game we have all been waiting for, the battle of the two teams expected to compete for the conference title. Although it is only the second week of conference play, this game will most likely carry implications for the rest of the year. With Greenville having a bye last week, we still do not know what to expect from them this year. On the other hand, we have a good idea of who Scholastica is after watching them dismantle Eureka in Week1. I think Greenville comes into this game focused and ready to play after having two full weeks to prepare for this match up. The Saints defense, while it looked strong in Week1, is not going to be what it was last year. I think Greenville runs the ball very effectively, as they always do, and gets a few big plays that allow them to win a tight one. Greenville 31 Scholastica 28

What we Learned from Week 1

Here are the top 5 things an exciting first week of conference play taught us:

1) St. Scholastica is for real - After losing their starting quarterback, top receiver, and top defensive player, among others, we had no idea what the Saints would look like this season. A non-conference loss to Whitworth in week 1 did not give us a much clearer picture, but a throttling of Eureka in the conference opener made it clear that they are still the team to beat. Harper and Thiry looked outstanding and will be giving opposing defenses nightmares all season.

2) Northwestern is a contender - Two seasons removed from a 1-8 record, the Northwestern College Eagles look to have built upon last season's turnaround and are poised to reclaim their spot among the conference's elite. It is too early to know whether their blowout of Westminster is more of a reflection upon themselves or Westminster, however, there is no denying the fact that Northwestern came flying out of the gates in Week 1.

3) Westminster has taken a large step back - It is too early to write this team off yet, but a 49-7 loss at home to a team they were supposed to beat is a huge blow. Even a good team can have a bad day, but it is hard to imagine a team that is a legitimate contender would lose by 6 touchdowns at home.

4) Eureka's offensive line is still bad - This was their weakness last year and appears that it will be their Achilles heel again this year. Don't get me wrong, Durley certainly bears some of the blame for the loss, missing on some easy throws and the receivers had far too many drops. Also, it is tough to look good when the opposing defense can pin their ears back and pass rush every play because they know Eureka passes on every play. Regardless, that offensive line looked terrible against Scholastica and looks to lack the talent necessary to be effective.

5) Crown can win a game - It may only have been a 7 point win against one of the bottom teams in the conference, but for a team that went 0-10 last season, getting that first W is huge news. It looks like Crown has their program moving in the right direction again. Also, the new white uniforms are looking good.

Week 2 Power Rankings

   

1.      St. Scholastica- The Saints are the number one team until proven otherwise. This team is very balanced and does not have any particular weakness. Every team the Saints play will bring their best game to the table. Greenville is up next which sets up an early season matchup of the preseason top ranked teams

2.      Northwestern-The Northwestern College Eagles made a statement this week. What is surprising is not that they won, but that they blew out what was supposed to be a top team in the UMAC. This team is clearly a contender and at this point (albeit early in the season) might be St. Scholastica’s biggest challenger for the conference title.

3.      Greenville-Rested, healthy, and hopefully better than the score of their non-conference game indicated. Big trip to Duluth this weekend.

4.      Westminster-I do not think Westminster is as bad as the score indicated so I am not giving up on the Jays just yet. This type of a loss could really motivate them or it could end up being the start of a long season. They better get motivated quick because anything can happen in New Ulm.

5.      University of Minnesota Morris- Their spot in the rankings is based on the fact that they won, ugly as the win was. This team needs to find an identity on offense quickly. Fortunately for them, they get an opportunity to play MacMurray which should enable them to tweak some things and give them some confidence.

6.      Eureka-This team’s magic seems to have faded pretty quickly. Defenses will figure out ways to stop the big pass play and it’s up to Eureka to be able to keep Durley upright and figure out how to run the football a little better. Basically, they are a streaky team that needs to find something that they can hang their hat on when things aren’t going right.

7.      Martin Luther- Turnovers and missed opportunities killed the Knights. No team is talented enough to overcome that many mistakes. That defense will have to keep them in games until the offense figures out how to put the ball in the endzone.

8.      Crown- A win is a win even if the opponent is not very good. This victory will give Crown a lot of momentum going into this week. They will need to improve a lot if they want to win against top competition.

9.      MacMurray- This team has talent at some positions but overall they just do not have the athletes to compete with most teams in the UMAC.

St. Scholastica Shuts Down Durley and Dominates Eureka

UMAC teams-- be on alert.  St. Scholastica began its defense of the UMAC title and cemented themselves as the team to beat with a resounding 35-10 victory over Eureka. The outcome was never in question as Saints QB Tyler Harper completed 10 of 20 passes for 202 yards and three TD's in the first half for a 28-7 lead going into halftime. A week after setting the NCAA record for yards in a single game, Durley managed only 228 yards on 49 attempts. The two big question marks for the Red Devils coming into the game were at their offensive line and in the secondary. This game did nothing to resolve them. The Saints, who had 5 sacks on the game, kept constant pressure on Durley the entire game and never let the QB get into any kind of rhythm. It did not help that when Durley did have protection, his WR's dropped a lot of passes two of which could have been scores.  Saints' QB Harper took advantage of poor secondary play that left WR's Thiry, Specht, and Gebhard open all over the field. Surprisingly, Harper was also the leading rusher going into the half. He finished the game rushing for 80 yards.  The first half was a little bit different from what we saw from the Saints last year. Because Eureka did a nice job of stopping the running game, the Saints chose to air it out and challenge the Red Devils to stop the passing attack.

In the second half,  the Saints returned to their own version of the ground and pound only throwing it four times in the second half. RB Travis Nehowig  rushed for over 100 yards on 19 attempts and RB Jake Jensen adding another 50 yards on eleven attempts. The defense completely shut down any offense the Red Devils only allowing 3 points which was the result of a turnover.  Alec French, Jordan Rasmussen, Chas Lemon, and Zack Dubanoski all had outstanding games limiting Eureka to less than 300 yards offense.

Eureka will walk away from this game bitterly disappointed. After an offensive explosion last week, this team looked out of sync from the beginning and never got anything going. The offensive line will have to figure out a way to keep Durley upright or there will be many more frustrating Saturday afternoons for the Red Devil's QB. Eureka will also have to address a secondary that allowed way too many big plays and for most of the first half left WR'S roaming free throughout the field.  For a team that did not turn the ball over once, it has to be disconcerting that they could not move the ball very well. The defense played admirably in the second half, but at that point the Saints were just running out the clock. Eureka will have to go back to the drawing board if they want to be able to beat a team that can rush the passer and throw the ball against them.

In contrast, St. Scholastica has to feel pretty good about the game as a whole. They did not particularly run the football like they would want to in the first half, but Tyler Harper made up for it with outstanding play. If there was any doubt whether or not he could be a replacement for Alex Thiry, this game eliminated it. Harper brings another dimension with his mobility and defenses will have to respect his running ability in the future. You have to like the array of weapons that the Saints have on offense from Harper to Thiry to Jensen and Nehowig this team is loaded. The defense might not be as big as past years, but are very quick and swarm to the football. The only blemish as far as the Saints are concerned is the quality of the color commentators on the Saint's live broadcast. One broadcaster called a bubble screen, "a hitch behind the line of scrimmage." The Saints might not be as dominant as last year's team, but are definitely the team to beat going forward into the rest of the UMAC season and will only improve as the year goes on. 

 

Morris Wins Ugly Behind DeGraffenreid's Kick Return

The Cougars of the Univeristy of Minnesota Morris were able to limp away from Big Cat Stadium with an ugly, hard-fought victory over the Martin Luther College this afternoon, beating the Knights by a score of 10-0. In a wildly different game from last season's matchup where the two teams combined for over 800 yards of offense and 84 points, the defenses ran the show for both sides today. 13 seconds into the game, UMM already had all of the scoring they would need to win after Dalton DeGraffenreid returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for the touchdown. The only other scoring of the game came in the second quarter when Cameron Adel hit a 25 yard field goal after Morris stalled in the red zone.

While a win is a win, and you are always happy to start conference play with a W, Morris cannot be happy with the way they played today. A 10 point victory, in which your offense is unable to get into the end zone, at home, against one of the bottom teams in the conference does not inspire hope for any sort of serious contention in the UMAC for the Cougars this season. In fact, in many ways, the Knights controlled the game. MLC accumulated 17 1st downs compared to 8 for UMM and won the total yardage battle 201 to 178. However, Martin Luther continually shot themselves in the foot putting the football on the ground 8 times, losing 5 of those fumbles in addition to throwing an interception. 6 turnovers combined with Martin Luther's inability to score in the red zone and DeGraffenreid's big play on special teams kep the Knights from ever seriously contending.

The Cougars rotated Derrick Foss and Dan Gerrigan at quarterback throughout the game without either looking particularly strong. Gerrigan appeared slightly better and demonstrated more mobility but finished only 4-8 for 42 yards in addition to throwing an interception. As the old saying goes, 'If you have 2 quarterbacks you don't really have any.' Morris is going to need to figure their quarterback situation out as the season goes on if they hope to fix their offensive woes. All-conference running back Leandro Dower had an average day by his standards rushing for 76 yards on 21 carries. Dower looked explosive at times but was shut down by a tough Martin Luther front for the majority of the game. He will need to have much bigger games in the future for the Cougars for their offense to move the football.


Martin Luther successfully kept themselves around in an ugly game in typical MLC fashion. Their defense looked very strong with Paul Spaude, Derek Loewen, and Conrad Dewey all finishing with 8 tackles. The Knights defense certainly has the look of one that can present some problems to opposing offenses throughout the season. However, their offense was virtually inept today. Quarterback Matthew Olson finished with disgusting passing numbers at 3-18 for 38 yards. Olson did rush for 109 yards, but that was over 36 carries for an average of only 3 yards per carry. Without any sort of passing attack, Martin Luther will struggle to keep themselves in games if they are not able to get ahead early and stay out of 3rd and long situations.

Overall, neither team can leave this game feeling particularly good about themselves. However, Morris can be happy to escape with a win and a shutout. They will need to build on this defensive performance and hope their offense can figure something out in the upcoming weeks. Martin Luther kept it close and did some things well, but appears to be extremely limited offensively. Both teams need to improve greatly in a short amount of time to have a chance at beating any of the teams in the top half of the UMAC.

Week 1 Predictions- Jay and Tommy

In our first installment of our weekly prognostications, founders Tommy and I will go head to head in a Battle of the Psychics. Want to know what will happen this Saturday? Take a look below. Want to know what won't happen? Read Tommy's picks.

Week 1 Predictions- Jay

Crown @ MacMurray

Battle of the worst two teams from last year, and both teams will desperately want to win this one as it might be the only winnable game for a while. Crown’s youth versus MacMurray’s lack of discipline. I’ll take Crown in a close one. Crown 27 MacMurray 20

Eureka @ St. Scholastica

What will Sam Durley do next? It won’t be throwing for 736 yards against St. Scholastica. But it will be interesting to see how these two teams duke it out in what could be an early season barn burner. St. Scholastica 40 Eureka 38  
 

 

Martin Luther @ Minnesota Morris

Home field advantage and more experience give Minnesota Morris the edge in a close one. Morris 27 Martin Luther 26

Northwestern @ Westminster

This game could dictate the way the season goes for both teams. The keys to the game are how will Northwestern deal with with the short, intermediate passing game of Westminster and will Westminster be able to stop Northwestern’s running attack? This game might come down to the final drive. Westminster 34 Northwestern 27

BYE Greenville

Week 1 Predictions- Tommy

 

I looked through Jay's picks and while his heart is in the right place, his head is only 50% accurate. I'm going out on a limb a bit with Eureka over Scholastica but I will look like a genius come Saturday.
 

Crown @ MacMurray

I find it nearly impossible to bring myself to pick either one of these teams to actually win a game but I have been told that one of them will have to win. Therefore, I am going with MacMurray. Although, they did lose in Week 1 by a score of 73-0 (an almost incomprehensible score) the Highlanders finished last season on a strong note beating both Crown and Eureka. Crown, on the other hand, was 0-10 in 2011 and since they have to travel down to Jacksonville for this one I am reluctantly picking MacMurray. MacMurray 34 Crown 20

Eureka @ St. Scholastica

 

This is my upset watch of the week. And no, it is not because I fell in love with Eureka because Durley threw for 736 yards last week. I recognize that Knox's defense is a joke. Regardless, compiling over 800 yards of offense is impressive even if you are playing against traffic cones for a defense.  I think that a St. Scholastica team with lots of new faces with not be playing their best football this early in the season and with a big game coming up next week against Greenville the Saints might look past the Red Devils just a bit. Call me crazy but I'm taking The Fighting Durleys in this one. Eureka 42 Scholastica 37

 

Martin Luther @ Minnesota Morris

I really liked Minnesota Morris to be improved and potentially upset a team or two coming into the season. Then, they went and lost to Hamline in Week 1. Still, Martin Luther has too many question marks for me and I think Morris at home is able to sneak out with a hard-fought victory. Morris 31 Martin Luther 23

Northwestern @ Westminster

This is really the game of the week in the UMAC. If College GameDay made a habit of visiting DIII UMAC games, they would definitely be set up in Fulton for this week. These two teams battled in a close one up in St. Paul last year with the Blue Jays pulling out an important win. This game will tell us a lot about who will be the big players in the conference this season. In a game like this that is really a coin flip, you always have to give a slight advantage to the home team. In addition, Westminster's strong defensive front might be too much for Northwestern's offensive attack to handle. I think that a Northwestern team that typically starts the season out slower and improves as the year goes on gets edged out by a Westminster team that is traditionally a fast starter. Westminster 31 Northwestern 28

 

 

BYE Greenville