After an exciting year in UMAC football, it is now time to recognize those players who stand out among the rest of the athletes and produce the most for their teams on the field. With so many teams on the rise, evening out the talent distribution in the UMAC, it was difficult to choose all of the talented players at each position, especially on defense. Some players who may have deserved the honor in past seasons, may have been overlooked this season due to so much talent at their position. We have done our best to factor in not only statistics, but the performances we have seen on the field in our decisions. So now, without further delay, we present to you, the 2013 UMAC Central Outstanding Team of the Year!
Outstanding Offense
QB - Blake Robles (Eureka)
- 215/360 attempts, 59.7% completion, 2672 yards, 7.4 yards/attempt, 23 TDs, 7 INTs, & 2 rushing TDs
ATH - Brendan Chambers (Greenville)*
- 116/213 attempts, 54.5% completion, 155.8 passing yards/game, 14 TDs // 136 carries, 102.9 rushing yards/game, 7.6 yards/carry, 16 TDs
RB - Jake Jensen (St. Scholastica)*
- 205 carries, 1255 yards, 125.5 yards/game, 6.1 yards/carry, 12 TDs, 0 fumbles
RB - Josh Sinnen (Northwestern)
- 190 carries, 1103 yards, 110.3 yards/game, 5.8 yards/carry, 7 TDs
Honorable Mention - RB - Ronnie Seals Jr (Westminster)*
- 148 carries, 872 yards (6 games), 145.3 yards/game, 5.9 yards/carry, 9 TDs
WR - Brendon Foss (Minnesota-Morris)*
- 71 receptions, 837 yards, 11.8 yards/reception, 10 TDs
WR - Ridge Hobbs (Iowa Wesleyan)*
- 43 receptions, 784 yards, 18.2 yards/reception, 11 TDs
WR - Cory Gebhard (St. Scholastica)*
- 40 receptions, 747 yards, 18.7 yards/reception, 9 TDs
TE - Micah Plocher (Martin Luther)*
- 45 receptions, 675 yards, 15.0 yards/reception, 8 TDs
T - Chris Lambach (St. Scholastica)*
G - Hunter Rone (Greenville)
C - Peter Stanley (St. Scholastica)
G - Evan Voelker (Northwestern)*
T - Joe Schoepf (Greenville)
-Offensive Line Statistics
--Greenville - 350.4 rushing yards/game 6.0 yards/carry, and only 4 sacks allowed in 218 passing attempts
--St. Schoalstica - 245.7 rushing yards/game, 6.2 yards/carry, and only 9 sacks allowed in 227 passing attempts
--Northwestern - 147.3 rushing yards/game, 3.8 yards/carry, and only 13 sacks allowed in 314 passing attempts
Outstanding Defense
DT - Ben Ewings (Martin Luther)
- 65 tackles (37 solo/28 assisted), 11 sacks, 16 TFL, 2 FR, 3 pass breakups
DT - Drew Zoromski (Crown)
- 68 tackles (21 solo/47 assisted), 6 sacks, 9.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 pass breakups, 1 blocked kick
DE - Zach Jusczak (Crown)
- 65 tackles (27 solo/38 assisted), 10.5 sacks, 15 TFL, 3 FF, 1 FR, 2 pass breakups
DE - Blake Cedarleaf (St. Scholastica)
- 59 tackles (25 solo/34 assisted), 7.5 sacks, 8.5 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, 5 pass breakups
LB - Cameron Cox (Northwestern)
- 76 tackles (35 solo/41 assisted), 5 sacks, 10.5 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, 2 pass breakups
LB - Cody Hickman (Minnesota-Morris)
- 140 tackles (63 solo/77 assisted), 3 sacks, 7.5 TFL, 1 FF, 3 pass breakups
LB - Jamarco Clark (Iowa Wesleyan)*
- 117 tackles (65 solo/52 assisted), .5 sacks, 3.5 TFL, 2 FF, 2 FR, 3 pass breakups
LB - Josh Bromberg (Westminster)*
- 82 tackles (46 solo/36 assisted), 2.5 sacks, 13 TFL, 1 FR, 4 INTs/74 yards/2 TDs, 4 pass breakups
CB - Michael LaValley (St. Scholastica)*
- 5 INTs/131 yards/2 TDs, 4 pass breakups, 22 tackles (13 solo/9 assisted), 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 FR, 1 blocked kick
CB - Anthony Moore (Greenville)
- 2 INTs/81 yards, 12 pass breakups, 36 tackles (30 solo/6 assisted)
CB - Rick Martinez (Eureka)
- 3 INTs/86 yards/2 TDs, 10 pass breakups, 31 tackles (25 solo/6 assisted), 2 FF, 1 FR
S - Austin Stubbs (Northwestern)
- 6 INTs/79 yards, 10 pass breakups, 34 tackles (26 solo/8 assisted), 2.5 TFL
S - Alec French (St. Scholastica)*
- 3 INTs/21 yards, 4 pass breakups, 102 tackles (48 solo/54 assisted), 1.5 sacks, 3 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR/13 yards/1 TD, 2 blocked kicks
Outstanding Special Teams
K - Brandon Baker (Iowa Wesleyan)
- 8/13 FG, 48 yard long, 27/29 XP, 51 total points
P - Brandon Baker (Iowa Wesleyan)
- 50 punts, 37.6 yard average, 72 yard long, 17 punts in-20, 3 touchbacks
KR/PR - Antwar Ashley (Minnesota-Morris)
- 11 kick returns, 29.8 yard average, 1 TD
KR/PR - Cory Gebhard (St. Scholastica)*
- 19 kick returns, 20.1 yard average // 24 punt returns 7.3 yard average, 1 TD
Outstanding Season Awards
Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year: Brendan Chambers - QB (Greenville)*
Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year: Alec French - S (St. Scholastica)*
Outstanding Rookie of the Year: Dorrell Baugh - WR/KR (Eureka)
Outstanding Senior of the Year: Brendan Chambers - QB (Greenville)*
Outstanding Coach of the Year: Kurt Barth (Eureka)
Outstanding Team of the Year: St. Scholastica Saints
Outstanding Athletes of the Week:
Week 1 - Brendan Chambers - QB (Greenville)*
Week 2 - Cory Gebhard - WR (St. Scholastica)*
Week 3 - Caleb McLaren - QB (Minnesota-Morris)
Week 4 - Josh Sinnen - RB (Northwestern)
Week 5 - Luke Rothe - QB (Martin Luther)
Week 6 - Brendon Foss - WR (Minnesota-Morris)*
Week 7 - Jake Jensen - RB (St. Scholastica)*
Week 8 - Brendan Chambers - QB (Greenville)*
Week 9 - Jake Jensen RB (St. Scholastica)*
Week 10 - Tyler Harper QB (St. Scholastica)
* = Senior Athlete
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Week 10 Predictions: Tommy's Picks
Tommy's Picks (5 of 5 Week 9, 39 of 50 on the season)
Another year comes to a close this week for at least eight of the UMAC teams. St. Scholastica and Greenville face off to determine who will get to play in the NCAA playoffs. If Greenville loses, they may still have a chance for the NCCAA Victory Bowl game that they played in last season versus Northwestern. But now for this week, as I hold a comfortable 3 win lead over Jay in our season's picks, I'm going to take a few chances with my picks because I'm feeling lucky this week.
Iowa Wesleyan @ Northwestern- I want the Tigers to end their season off with a win because I like underdog stories, but I think this would be a little too far of a stretch. Offensively the Tigers are clicking but defensively they are just too young for them to pull this one out. Eagles RB Josh Sinnen will gain over 100 yards and lead the Eagles to a victory, although it will be closer than you may think. Northwestern 33 Iowa Wesleyan 27
MacMurray @ Minnesota-Morris- The Cougars have come so close so many times but have been unable to seal the deal. Their 2-6 UMAC record does not reflect the talent on this team, as they could be as good as 6-2 if those games had gone their way. MacMurray has had their fair share of close games as well, losing by one possession on three separate occasions. I am picking this game off of pure gut feeling. And I hate to see a team go winless. MacMurray 28 Minnesota-Morris 21 
Crown @ Eureka- Crown is a team I have been waiting for to come into their potential all season. I think the past 4 weeks they have just begun to find it but they are not done improving. Eureka has played their best football in nearly 20 years but were unable to win the conference championship. I predict that Blake Robles throws for 3 TDs, but also 2 interceptions. I also predict Eureka LB Frankie Bray, who has caught 2 passes for 2 touchdowns this season, catches another to end his senior season. Crown will rush for over 250 yards between their freshmen running backs. I want the Storm to continue their win streak, but I don't think it will happen on the road. Eureka 27 Crown 17Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Greenville- The game that everyone has been waiting for is finally here. I'm going to be honest, I read Jay's prediction for this game (after I picked my winner) and he talks way too much. So since you're probably tired after reading his biography series on each team, I will keep my prediction brief and to the point. Greenville has a great offense and good defense. St. Scholastica has a great defense and good offense. It's like an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. But I guess this is UMAC football so I guess a more appropriate adage would be it's like "two equally sized toddlers stumbling into each other". One of them is going to topple and cry while the other one giggles and moves on. The real question is who is going to be happy when they get back to their crib?
Greenville 35 St. Scholastica 31
Week 10 Predictions: Jay's Picks
Jay's Picks (5 of 5 Week 9, 36 of 50 on the season)
Last week was easy for predictions. This week... not so much. Several of the games should be close and could go either way. Some teams will be playing for pride while others will just be trying to wrap things up so they can go hibernate for the winter. But two teams are playing for bigger reasons. The Greenville Panthers and the St. Scholastica Saints face off in the biggest game of the year to determine who will represent the UMAC in the NCAA playoffs. Before you skip all the way to the bottom to see who will win... I mean who I picked... read the rest of my predictions which are based on my season's worth of observations and compiled into a simple paragraph for each game. I know it sounds tough to do that, but I am gifted.
Iowa Wesleyan @ Northwestern- The Tigers wrap up their first UMAC season against the Eagles, whom they face for the first time in history. Northwestern is trying to finish their season above .500 for the third consecutive year after finishing 1-8 three years ago. Against the other eight teams in the UMAC, both teams have scored 28 touchdowns but Iowa Wesleyan has scored more points because their kicker has special powers which enable him to actually make his field goals and extra points. Offensive yardage against UMAC opponents is nearly identical for each team at 369.25 for Northwestern and 364.33 for Iowa Wesleyan per game. So I believe this game is going to be decided by how well Northwestern's defense plays in this game. Last week the Eagles allowed 199 yards of rushing to MacMurray, a team not known for their running prowess. If the Eagles play like last week, they could have a sour end to their season. Northwestern 34 Iowa Wesleyan 21
Martin Luther @ Westminster- Rothe and Friends™ face the Blue Jays this week with an opportunity to move up to a tie for 5th place in the UMAC standings (and a possible move to 6th place in the more meaningful UMAC Central Power Rankings). Between the two defenses, they give up 896.5 yards and 75.3 points per game so I expect this game to be a shootout. The Blue Jays have shifted gears the last couple weeks to become a pass-heavy team rather than focusing on the run. Martin Luther's performances have been all over the board depending on who they play but their only wins have come at home. With likely high scores, it will come down to who gets more possessions and makes fewer mistakes. Westminster 41 Martin Luther 38
MacMurray @ Minnesota-Morris- Here it is MacMurray, your last chance to prevent yourselves from being a no-win team. I know you guys are better than 0 wins so go out and prove it. Cougars, with as much potential as you had, you still found your way to win just 2 games? At least each quarterback can claim a win for himself I guess. I haven't used this label in a few weeks but I think this game qualifies for the "Game of the Weak" as there are a combined 2 wins between the teams. While you may think the Cougars should win this game because MacMurray has 0 wins, don't just to conclusions too fast. The Highlanders defense has actually allowed the fewest passing yards per game to opposing teams this season. While that may be due to them allowing the second most rushing yards per game, it could play a factor against the Cougars who live and die by the passing game. With how up and down Minnesota-Morris is, either team could win this game. Minnesota-Morris 37 MacMurray 31
Crown @ Eureka- I am very interested to see the final outcome of this game. This Crown team has been building momentum the last four weeks and has averaged 346.75 rushing yards per game between several different running backs. Eureka lost their chance at postseason play two weeks ago and last week they did not play like the dominant team we've seen all season. The biggest factor may be that this game is hosted by the Red Devils and Crown will have a long bus ride to make it there. Eureka QB Blake Robles has been arguably the most efficient quarterback in the UMAC this season, throwing for 261.3 yards per game and totalling 21 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions on the season. If Crown wants to win this game, they will need to put pressure on Robles, something they have been fairly successful at this season averaging nearly 3 sacks per game. While this game could come down to the wire, I don't think Eureka will let their season end on a sour note. Eureka 28 Crown 17
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Greenville- Before the season even began, I predicted that this game would decide the conference championship. Here we are, almost ten weeks later and the winner of this game will be going on to the NCAA playoffs. But before you call me a genius, let me write my prediction on this game and really blow your mind. I have spent a lot of time thinking about who will win this matchup so forgive me if I have a lot to say about it. This game features the leagues most explosive offense, in Greenville, against the conference's most stifling defense (that's St. Scholastica if you didn't catch on). The Panthers average 522 yards of offense per game, with over 2/3rds of it coming on the ground. Greenville has two rushers averaging over 100 yards per game in RB Jacob Stull and QB Brendan Chambers who also combine for 25 rushing touchdowns. And you can't forget about RB Zibeon Washington who averages 69 yards on the ground per game and broke off an 89 yard score last weekend. On the other sideline, the Saints have their own one-two punch in RBs Jake Jensen and Chris Gassert who have combined for 200 yards per game and 17 total rushing touchdowns. Needless to say, this game will be very run oriented. With both quarterbacks fairly even in passing abilities, St. Scholastica holds a slight edge in the receiving game with senior WR Cory Gebhard who is third in the UMAC in receiving yards (74.7 per game) and touchdowns (8). Overall on offense, I give Greenville the advantage due to their quarterback, Brendan Chambers who is very athletic and very smart with the ball in his hands, whether in running the option or when passing.
As far as the defenses are concerned, both teams are very good against the run. The Saints have given up 111.4 yards per game and just 4 touchdowns to opposing rushers while Greenville has given up 115 yards per game but 12 touchdowns on the ground. Greenville's passing defense is the weaker of the two, giving up almost 70 yards per game more than the Saints. But don't get me wrong, both teams have very good athletes on defense, the Saints strength is their defensive backs while Greenville is just well rounded overall. The Saints have the advantage on defense as they give up 8 fewer points per game than the Panthers do. So now its time for my keys to the game before I give you my prediction.
St. Scholastica
1. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Brendan Chambers does not get hit much when he drops back to pass, partly because of his offensive line and partly because of his shiftiness. He has only been sacked 3 times this season. Maybe if you get some pressure on him, he will make mistakes.
2. Contain, contain, contain. The Panthers love their option. If you can keep the pitchman and Chambers bottled up, they have no where to go. But that's much harder than it sounds.
3. Plug the middle on third and short. They love to hand off to big man RB Zibeon Washington in short yardage. They also are 1st in the nation in total first downs and 11th in 3rd down conversion percentage. Coincidence? I think not.
Greenville
1. Fewer turnovers than the Saints. They force a lot of turnovers and are very good with the ball when they have it. Wrap the ball up when running through traffic and don't let their defensive backs pick you off. They have 5 interceptions returned for touchdowns this year.
2. Keep their runs short. Jake Jensen has been breaking off long runs the past few weeks, without the 20+ yard runs, his average drops to below 4 yards per carry.
3. Don't let the receivers get behind you. It may seem like common sense but if you are too focused on the run, it is very easy to let a receiver sneak behind you for a long play. Harper is not a great passer but he can hit an open guy down the field.
Its very close, especially considering St. Scholastica has a 10+ hour bus ride before the game. I predict the Saints take an early lead, but Greenville fights back to the very end. But will it be enough?
St. Scholastica 38 Greenville 35
Last week was easy for predictions. This week... not so much. Several of the games should be close and could go either way. Some teams will be playing for pride while others will just be trying to wrap things up so they can go hibernate for the winter. But two teams are playing for bigger reasons. The Greenville Panthers and the St. Scholastica Saints face off in the biggest game of the year to determine who will represent the UMAC in the NCAA playoffs. Before you skip all the way to the bottom to see who will win... I mean who I picked... read the rest of my predictions which are based on my season's worth of observations and compiled into a simple paragraph for each game. I know it sounds tough to do that, but I am gifted.
Iowa Wesleyan @ Northwestern- The Tigers wrap up their first UMAC season against the Eagles, whom they face for the first time in history. Northwestern is trying to finish their season above .500 for the third consecutive year after finishing 1-8 three years ago. Against the other eight teams in the UMAC, both teams have scored 28 touchdowns but Iowa Wesleyan has scored more points because their kicker has special powers which enable him to actually make his field goals and extra points. Offensive yardage against UMAC opponents is nearly identical for each team at 369.25 for Northwestern and 364.33 for Iowa Wesleyan per game. So I believe this game is going to be decided by how well Northwestern's defense plays in this game. Last week the Eagles allowed 199 yards of rushing to MacMurray, a team not known for their running prowess. If the Eagles play like last week, they could have a sour end to their season. Northwestern 34 Iowa Wesleyan 21
MacMurray @ Minnesota-Morris- Here it is MacMurray, your last chance to prevent yourselves from being a no-win team. I know you guys are better than 0 wins so go out and prove it. Cougars, with as much potential as you had, you still found your way to win just 2 games? At least each quarterback can claim a win for himself I guess. I haven't used this label in a few weeks but I think this game qualifies for the "Game of the Weak" as there are a combined 2 wins between the teams. While you may think the Cougars should win this game because MacMurray has 0 wins, don't just to conclusions too fast. The Highlanders defense has actually allowed the fewest passing yards per game to opposing teams this season. While that may be due to them allowing the second most rushing yards per game, it could play a factor against the Cougars who live and die by the passing game. With how up and down Minnesota-Morris is, either team could win this game. Minnesota-Morris 37 MacMurray 31Crown @ Eureka- I am very interested to see the final outcome of this game. This Crown team has been building momentum the last four weeks and has averaged 346.75 rushing yards per game between several different running backs. Eureka lost their chance at postseason play two weeks ago and last week they did not play like the dominant team we've seen all season. The biggest factor may be that this game is hosted by the Red Devils and Crown will have a long bus ride to make it there. Eureka QB Blake Robles has been arguably the most efficient quarterback in the UMAC this season, throwing for 261.3 yards per game and totalling 21 touchdowns with just 6 interceptions on the season. If Crown wants to win this game, they will need to put pressure on Robles, something they have been fairly successful at this season averaging nearly 3 sacks per game. While this game could come down to the wire, I don't think Eureka will let their season end on a sour note. Eureka 28 Crown 17Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Greenville- Before the season even began, I predicted that this game would decide the conference championship. Here we are, almost ten weeks later and the winner of this game will be going on to the NCAA playoffs. But before you call me a genius, let me write my prediction on this game and really blow your mind. I have spent a lot of time thinking about who will win this matchup so forgive me if I have a lot to say about it. This game features the leagues most explosive offense, in Greenville, against the conference's most stifling defense (that's St. Scholastica if you didn't catch on). The Panthers average 522 yards of offense per game, with over 2/3rds of it coming on the ground. Greenville has two rushers averaging over 100 yards per game in RB Jacob Stull and QB Brendan Chambers who also combine for 25 rushing touchdowns. And you can't forget about RB Zibeon Washington who averages 69 yards on the ground per game and broke off an 89 yard score last weekend. On the other sideline, the Saints have their own one-two punch in RBs Jake Jensen and Chris Gassert who have combined for 200 yards per game and 17 total rushing touchdowns. Needless to say, this game will be very run oriented. With both quarterbacks fairly even in passing abilities, St. Scholastica holds a slight edge in the receiving game with senior WR Cory Gebhard who is third in the UMAC in receiving yards (74.7 per game) and touchdowns (8). Overall on offense, I give Greenville the advantage due to their quarterback, Brendan Chambers who is very athletic and very smart with the ball in his hands, whether in running the option or when passing.
As far as the defenses are concerned, both teams are very good against the run. The Saints have given up 111.4 yards per game and just 4 touchdowns to opposing rushers while Greenville has given up 115 yards per game but 12 touchdowns on the ground. Greenville's passing defense is the weaker of the two, giving up almost 70 yards per game more than the Saints. But don't get me wrong, both teams have very good athletes on defense, the Saints strength is their defensive backs while Greenville is just well rounded overall. The Saints have the advantage on defense as they give up 8 fewer points per game than the Panthers do. So now its time for my keys to the game before I give you my prediction.
St. Scholastica
1. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Brendan Chambers does not get hit much when he drops back to pass, partly because of his offensive line and partly because of his shiftiness. He has only been sacked 3 times this season. Maybe if you get some pressure on him, he will make mistakes.
2. Contain, contain, contain. The Panthers love their option. If you can keep the pitchman and Chambers bottled up, they have no where to go. But that's much harder than it sounds.
3. Plug the middle on third and short. They love to hand off to big man RB Zibeon Washington in short yardage. They also are 1st in the nation in total first downs and 11th in 3rd down conversion percentage. Coincidence? I think not.
Greenville
1. Fewer turnovers than the Saints. They force a lot of turnovers and are very good with the ball when they have it. Wrap the ball up when running through traffic and don't let their defensive backs pick you off. They have 5 interceptions returned for touchdowns this year.
2. Keep their runs short. Jake Jensen has been breaking off long runs the past few weeks, without the 20+ yard runs, his average drops to below 4 yards per carry.
3. Don't let the receivers get behind you. It may seem like common sense but if you are too focused on the run, it is very easy to let a receiver sneak behind you for a long play. Harper is not a great passer but he can hit an open guy down the field.
Its very close, especially considering St. Scholastica has a 10+ hour bus ride before the game. I predict the Saints take an early lead, but Greenville fights back to the very end. But will it be enough?
St. Scholastica 38 Greenville 35
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Week 9 Power Rankings
 |
| (Photo from CSSsaints.com) |
1. Greenville- I was not overly impressed with the Panthers performance this weekend over Westminster. They seem to have been on cruise control the past couple weeks playing against the lesser opponents - allowing Iowa Wesleyan to hang around into the third quarter and now only defeating Westminster by 21. It is common for teams to let off the gas against less threatening opponents, and I wonder if the coaching staff's primary goal was to keep Brendan Chambers healthy for this week's matchup with St. Scholastica. Whatever the case, Greenville better turn off the cruise control and put the pedal to the metal if they hope to win this week against a Saints team that has been plowing through opponents.
2. St. Scholastica- Unlike last season's team, these Saints are not relying on luck to win a conference championship as they blasted the Minnesota-Morris Cougars last week 55-7 behind RB Jake Jensen's 303 total offensive yards. They have been performing consistently throughout the season, not taking the easy games for granted and winning easily at Nothwestern and at Eureka. Their defense has been dominant, allowing a conference-low 15.4 points and 272.4 yards per game, 60 yards fewer than any other UMAC team. The front seven has been particularly good, tallying 36 sacks on the year, or 4 per game. This pressure, combined with their excellent defensive backs, has led to 14 interceptions and 9 forced fumbles on opposing QBs, 4 of which have been recovered by the Saints. While all of this is impressive, this week they face a Greenville offense that can be equally impressive and the Saints must be firing on all cylinders defensively if they hope to be playing another game after this week.
3. Eureka- After a tough loss to St. Scholastica two weeks ago, Eureka waited until the fourth quarter to pull out a 13 point win over Iowa Wesleyan. Despite losing the chance to compete for the UMAC championship, this Red Devils team should keep its heads high, turning last year's 4-6 team into at least a 7-2 team so far, likely an 8-2 team after their upcoming matchup with Crown. This year's squad will have finished with the best record since their 9-1 finish in 1995, which featured current head coach, Kurt Barth, as the team's star wide receiver. The group of fifteen seniors has led the team well and can hopefully end their careers on a high note with a win this week against Crown.
4. Northwestern- It seems the Eagles have extended their principle of finishing each game poorly to the season with an underwhelming 26-13 win over MacMurray last weekend. The Eagles led by just 7 with under seven minutes to go in the game before scoring the final touchdown of the game. The #1 ranked defense against the run even gave up 199 rushing yards, their second highest allowed this season, to the 7th ranked rushing offense in the UMAC. A win is a win however as the Eagles move to 5-4 on the year. For a team that is so young they have done fairly well, but they clearly did not play to their potential all season. They will be looking to add to to their win total this week as they host Iowa Wesleyan as they finish off the year.
5. Crown- The talented young Crown team came storming out (see what I did there) against the Martin Luther Knights, racking up 22 points in the first quarter and then 13 in the second. That 35 point first half total is tied with Greenville for the second highest first-half point total this season behind Martin Luther's 38 in their week 5 shootout. Since switching to a run-heavy offense (58.5 carries per game), the Storm have averaged 346.75 yards on the ground, mostly by their three freshman running backs behind an offensive line that starts three freshmen and an offense that is led by a freshman quarterback and... well you get the picture, this is a very young offense that has been shredding opponents the last four weeks (granted the opponents were the four worst rushing defenses in the UMAC). I know if I were a coach in the UMAC, I would be sweating a little bit right now imagining what this Storm team could look like over the next three years if they hold onto all of these freshmen.
6. Minnesota-Morris- With the way the Cougars played this week, they should have just turned their helmets and pads in last week and called it a season. 198 yards of offense, 5 turnovers, and their only score came off of a fumble recovery. They barely even had more tackles (64) than St. Scholastica had points (55). They didn't even follow my advice to make Brendan Foss look good, although he did have 44% of their yards with 87 yards on 6 receptions. Its hard to keep them ranked above the rest of the bottom 5, but they have lost their games by fewer points than any of the other teams. Where last season they seem to have gotten the good break in close games, this season it has been the opposite, losing two games by 3 points each, one game by 7, and one by 5. They could easily be 6-2 but they took the short end of the stick those four games. But it isn't usually by chance that a team gets the loss in so many close games. It usually shows a lack of mental focus to start and end games strong and that may have been enough to make those one possession games swing in their opponents favor.
7. Martin Luther- The trend continues as Martin Luther loses to another top 5 team by a large margin. Not counting the Northwestern game, the Knights have lost to the top 5 teams by 50, 36, 34, and 34 points. So far they have beat all of the bottom 5 teams they have played, with their final matchup coming against Westminster this week. Rothe and Friends have put up some astonishingly-high numbers some weeks while tanking it in others. Consistency and depth is something this team lacks, and it shows in their performance. But again, this all comes down to being a smaller school that does not attract many next-level athletes to play football.
8. Iowa Wesleyan- The first year in Division III has not gone so hot for this team in terms of wins and losses. But in terms of improvement, this team has been probably second to Crown in their improvement throughout the year. A very young team, especially on defense, the Tigers have showed some signs of promise in a few games - forcing a good Crown team into overtime, hanging with Greenville and Eureka for most of three quarters, and holding Eureka to a 13 point margin of victory. If I were Northwestern this week, I would not write this team off too early or they could be in for a surprise.
9. Westminster- This is the Westminster we all know from last season. 258 yards passing and 39 yards rushing in this week's loss to Greenville. If only they could have had this passing attack when Ronnie Seals Jr was healthy, they could have been respectable on offense and maybe pulled out a few more victories. The defense has forced a conference-high 17 interceptions but at the same time, they up the second most passing yards per game at 246.7. This team has been playing uninspired football all season and their record reflects that. It may be time to make some changes in the Westminster organization, whether its a change of philosophy, shaking up the roster, or finding a way to motivate this team.
10. MacMurray- The Highlanders were actually in their game against Northwestern leading a drive to almost tie the game until turning the ball over on downs with 11:27 left in the contest. For a team that's 0-9, they don't always play like it, but I think at this point they just don't have the resources or depth to make an impact in the UMAC. With an enrollment of 472, they are the smallest school in Division III (maybe even in all of college football) so it's no surprise that it is difficult for them to field a full competitive football team.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Week 9 Predictions: Jay's Picks
Jay's Picks (4 of 5 Week 8, 31 of 45 on the season)
In my mind, there is not much question about who will win each game this week, save for our game of the week. Outside of the Martin Luther at Crown game, every game is an uneven matchup and it will be a very uninteresting week to watch UMAC football, unless you are a parent and you get excited just to see little Johnny makes the field on special teams. Nonetheless (which I just found out is one word), I will still be putting full effort into making my picks, just for your enjoyment. You can thank me later.
Northwestern @ MacMurray- The worst part for Northwestern is that they have to drive 10 hours for a practice. The best part, they is they get to count this practice as a win, just for showing up. Northwestern's offense is going to be too much for the Highlanders defense who gives up 38.5 points 414.2 yards per game. The Highlanders may score a few times in the second half, but it will be too little, too late. As long as the visitor's sideline doesn't slide off into the valley next to Fressen Field, there should be little to no contest in this game. Northwestern 40 MacMurray 20
Eureka @ Iowa Wesleyan- The Tigers drew some interest last week with their early second half lead over Greenville, but that was quickly dashed away as the Panthers ran away with that game, totalling over 650 yards of offense. Eureka's offense isn't as potent as the Panthers, but it is still good and should be able to score a fair amount of points. Iowa Wesleyan has shown some potential but I don't think their offense will matchup well against Eureka's physical defense that has only allowed three teams (Greenville, Westmisnter, and St. Scholastica) to score more than 20 points. This game won't be a blowout, but the winning team won't break a sweat on their way to victory. Eureka 31 Iowa Wesleyan 14
Minnesota-Morris @ St. Scholastica- This game could be interesting for a little while as last year the Cougars nearly defeated the Saints and kept them from "earning" a bid to the NCAA playoffs. However, with this game being at St. Scholastica's "home" field and the Cougars playing more like kittens, the Saints will keep their undefeated streak going. Jake Jensen has been dominating behind the Saints o-line the last couple weeks and I do not think the Cougars defense will be able to end his run. The best thing the Cougars can do is look at improving Brendon Foss' NFL draft stock by throwing him every pass from all three QBs. St. Scholastica 42 Minnesota-Morris 24
Westminster @ Greenville- One of these two teams has averaged the most yards lost to penalties per game. That's right, Greenville is the most penalized team in the UMAC, averaging 86.6 yards lost to penalties each game. Westminster, is second with 76.5 yards per game. Now what does this have to do with who will win the game? Probably nothing, but I needed something to talk about besides how good Greenville's offense is going to perform like I do every week. Greenville 49 Westminster 24
Game of the Week
Martin Luther @ Crown- Due to the lack of a game that matters for playoffs standings this week, the Knights and Storm receive the honor of playing in the Game of the Week. Crown is an up and coming team with a lot of potential. The Storm are currently riding their first 3 game win streak since 2010. Martin Luther is coming off a big win over Minnesota-Morris. I think Crown is a much more well-rounded football team and their depth will be the winning factor. Crown 35 Martin Luther 23
In my mind, there is not much question about who will win each game this week, save for our game of the week. Outside of the Martin Luther at Crown game, every game is an uneven matchup and it will be a very uninteresting week to watch UMAC football, unless you are a parent and you get excited just to see little Johnny makes the field on special teams. Nonetheless (which I just found out is one word), I will still be putting full effort into making my picks, just for your enjoyment. You can thank me later.
Northwestern @ MacMurray- The worst part for Northwestern is that they have to drive 10 hours for a practice. The best part, they is they get to count this practice as a win, just for showing up. Northwestern's offense is going to be too much for the Highlanders defense who gives up 38.5 points 414.2 yards per game. The Highlanders may score a few times in the second half, but it will be too little, too late. As long as the visitor's sideline doesn't slide off into the valley next to Fressen Field, there should be little to no contest in this game. Northwestern 40 MacMurray 20Eureka @ Iowa Wesleyan- The Tigers drew some interest last week with their early second half lead over Greenville, but that was quickly dashed away as the Panthers ran away with that game, totalling over 650 yards of offense. Eureka's offense isn't as potent as the Panthers, but it is still good and should be able to score a fair amount of points. Iowa Wesleyan has shown some potential but I don't think their offense will matchup well against Eureka's physical defense that has only allowed three teams (Greenville, Westmisnter, and St. Scholastica) to score more than 20 points. This game won't be a blowout, but the winning team won't break a sweat on their way to victory. Eureka 31 Iowa Wesleyan 14Minnesota-Morris @ St. Scholastica- This game could be interesting for a little while as last year the Cougars nearly defeated the Saints and kept them from "earning" a bid to the NCAA playoffs. However, with this game being at St. Scholastica's "home" field and the Cougars playing more like kittens, the Saints will keep their undefeated streak going. Jake Jensen has been dominating behind the Saints o-line the last couple weeks and I do not think the Cougars defense will be able to end his run. The best thing the Cougars can do is look at improving Brendon Foss' NFL draft stock by throwing him every pass from all three QBs. St. Scholastica 42 Minnesota-Morris 24Westminster @ Greenville- One of these two teams has averaged the most yards lost to penalties per game. That's right, Greenville is the most penalized team in the UMAC, averaging 86.6 yards lost to penalties each game. Westminster, is second with 76.5 yards per game. Now what does this have to do with who will win the game? Probably nothing, but I needed something to talk about besides how good Greenville's offense is going to perform like I do every week. Greenville 49 Westminster 24Game of the Week
Martin Luther @ Crown- Due to the lack of a game that matters for playoffs standings this week, the Knights and Storm receive the honor of playing in the Game of the Week. Crown is an up and coming team with a lot of potential. The Storm are currently riding their first 3 game win streak since 2010. Martin Luther is coming off a big win over Minnesota-Morris. I think Crown is a much more well-rounded football team and their depth will be the winning factor. Crown 35 Martin Luther 23
Week 9 Predictions: Tommy's Picks
Tommy's Picks (4 of 5 Week 8, 34 of 45 on the season)
Northwestern @ MacMurray- The Eagles offense will be too much for this undisciplined MacMurray defense to handle. This game will be over before it begins. Northwestern 40 MacMurray 15
Eureka @ Iowa Wesleyan- Although the Tigers are much improved from the start of the season, Eureka's talent, depth, and physicality will give them a big edge. Eureka 34 Iowa Wesleyan 23
Minnesota-Morris @ St. Scholastica- Last season the Cougars almost ended the Saints season with a loss. But this year the Saints are more focused and Minnesota-Morris looks unprepared and lacking the will to win. St. Scholastica 42 Minnesota-Morris 21
Westminster @ Greenville- the promise that the Blue Jays showed at the start of the year was deceptive and has since vanished. Greenville has been mostly unstoppable, especially for the lower half of the conference. Greenville 54 Westminster 24
Game of the Week
Martin Luther @ Crown- Both teams are young, but Crown has a lot more potential and is beginning to reach that as the season goes on. Luke Rothe will pass and rush for 100 yards each, but that will not be enough. Crown 35 Martin Luther 26
Northwestern @ MacMurray- The Eagles offense will be too much for this undisciplined MacMurray defense to handle. This game will be over before it begins. Northwestern 40 MacMurray 15Eureka @ Iowa Wesleyan- Although the Tigers are much improved from the start of the season, Eureka's talent, depth, and physicality will give them a big edge. Eureka 34 Iowa Wesleyan 23Minnesota-Morris @ St. Scholastica- Last season the Cougars almost ended the Saints season with a loss. But this year the Saints are more focused and Minnesota-Morris looks unprepared and lacking the will to win. St. Scholastica 42 Minnesota-Morris 21Westminster @ Greenville- the promise that the Blue Jays showed at the start of the year was deceptive and has since vanished. Greenville has been mostly unstoppable, especially for the lower half of the conference. Greenville 54 Westminster 24Game of the Week
Martin Luther @ Crown- Both teams are young, but Crown has a lot more potential and is beginning to reach that as the season goes on. Luke Rothe will pass and rush for 100 yards each, but that will not be enough. Crown 35 Martin Luther 26
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Week 8 Power Rankings
1. Greenville- Despite a slow start this last week going into halftime with a 10-10 tie, Greenville erased any doubt in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 35-13 in the final 30 minutes. The slow start was caused by two first quarter fumbles by Greenville’s running backs, but fortunately the defense was able to hold IWC to just one field goal off of those turnovers. The Panthers offense dominated on the ground, setting a season high with 523 rushing yards while also passing for 149 yards. Their total of 672 yards offensively is the second highest total in the UMAC this season, just behind the 682 yards St. Scholastica put up against the Tigers in week 2 of the season. The Panther remain undefeated and should extend their win streak to 17 games next week against the Westminster Blue Jays.
2. St. Scholastica- The Saints solidified their second place ranking with their 13 point victory over Eureka. After jumping out to an 24-0 lead with just under 5 minutes left in the first half, the Saints held off the Red Devils late attempt at a comeback to remain undefeated. With this victory, the Saints keep their destiny in their own hands with two games remaining. The Saints have been fairly dominant throughout their conference schedule this season, with only Crown, Northwestern, and Eureka slowing their pace. Boasting the best defense in the conference, St. Scholastica has held teams to 14 points or fewer in six of their eight games and they also allow a league low 281.8 yards per game to opposing offenses. The Saints should breeze by Minnesota-Morris this week, preparing for the end of the year matchup with Greenville College, which in all likelihood, will determine who represents the UMAC in the playoffs.
3. Eureka- With a chance for a chance at the playoffs in their reach, the Red Devils cannot close the deal, losing 38-25 to St. Scholastica. Letting the Saints take a 24-0 advantage is never a good way to try and win a game. It looks like Eureka just got outplayed as the ball was marched down the field on the first three scoring drives before the defense seems to have gotten sloppy and given up three 40+ yard scoring plays. The offense didn't help their situation by gaining 10 total yards on six of their first eight drives combined. WIth playoff hopes gone, this Red Devils can take pride in being the first Eureka football team since 1996 that will finish with a winning record
4. Northwestern- In this week's win over Westminster, the Eagles put together the most complete game they've played so far this season, despite giving up more points than they should have. But as a young team, they have been steadily improving as the year has gone on. Better than everyone below them but not quite as good as anyone above them. The Eagles have earned this fourth spot, not necessarily by being good enough, but just by not being as bad as the teams below them. We did not expect them to win the championship, and they won't. But so far this team has played better than we expected after losing so many starters to graduation, and I expect as they mature, this young team will be much better next season.
5. Crown- Welcome to the top five. I've seen the potential all season and the Storm are finally beginning to live up to it. I say beginning to because I believe there is still a lot more growth to be done for this young team. The passing game has room for improvement but most of their weak areas - mental errors, strength, miscommunications - are due to lack of experience, youth, and trying to find the best lineup. Crown is well coached and I believe if they can hold onto this recruiting class, will no longer be looked over when considering the top teams in the UMAC.
5. Crown- Welcome to the top five. I've seen the potential all season and the Storm are finally beginning to live up to it. I say beginning to because I believe there is still a lot more growth to be done for this young team. The passing game has room for improvement but most of their weak areas - mental errors, strength, miscommunications - are due to lack of experience, youth, and trying to find the best lineup. Crown is well coached and I believe if they can hold onto this recruiting class, will no longer be looked over when considering the top teams in the UMAC.
6. Minnesota-Morris- Losing to Martin Luther, despite being +4 in the turnover margin is disappointing to me. But despite the loss, I still believe the Cougars match up better against the teams ranked higher than the Knights do, so therefore they will hold this position. Morris switched up their quarterback again, opting to go with Donnie Mavencamp for the majority of the snaps over Caleb McLaren. Again, I'm not sure the reasoning, but the switch didn't work. The Cougars even put in a third quarterback, apparently trying to outdo last year's two QB system. With all the promise this team had at the outset from returning so many starters, they really have not met the expectations.
7. Martin Luther- The Knights three wins this season come against teams who are a combined 4-20, none of whom have a winning record, while their four conference losses come against teams who are a combined 25-7, with all of these teams having a .500+ win percentage. Rothe & Friends had two 100 yard rushers for the third time this season with Matt Olson joining his QB in the 100 yard club. Rothe picked up his fumble habit from early last season again, losing 4 of 5 fumbles to the Cougars. The Knights face two opponents who currently have sub .500 win percentages, so they could pull off a couple more wins.
7. Martin Luther- The Knights three wins this season come against teams who are a combined 4-20, none of whom have a winning record, while their four conference losses come against teams who are a combined 25-7, with all of these teams having a .500+ win percentage. Rothe & Friends had two 100 yard rushers for the third time this season with Matt Olson joining his QB in the 100 yard club. Rothe picked up his fumble habit from early last season again, losing 4 of 5 fumbles to the Cougars. The Knights face two opponents who currently have sub .500 win percentages, so they could pull off a couple more wins.
8. Iowa Wesleyan- Halloween is coming up this week, but last Saturday anybody watching was confused about which team was wearing which costume as the team known as the Panthers was wearing orange and the Tigers were wearing black and purple. From the onset the game between the Tigers and Panthers was very Freaky Friday-esqe. The Tigers held a 17-10 lead just seconds into the second half and it had me wondering if maybe Brendan Chambers and Zandro Diaz had bumped heads before the game and swapped abilities. However, the Tigers couldn’t keep up all the Hocus Pocus and eventually succumbed to the Panthers 45-14. The offense is doing fairly well for the Tigers, but the defense is leaving something to be desired, giving up 672 yards is rarely ever going to allow your team to win. But as I've said all season, this team plays with heart and I believe they just need a few years of recruiting to become a respectable team in the UMAC.
9. Westminster- The Blue Jays last Saturday played the same uninspired football we've seen all season. They manage to not put up a fight while not getting completely blown out at the same time. It's like they go into these games playing just for their dignity and not to actually get a win. What we thought at the beginning of the year was a team with potential has turned out to be just that, a team with potential. Maybe next year they will beginning to reach it.
10. MacMurray- Not much to be said here, same issues I have been addressing all season - some decent athletes with poor execution and decision making. I do not know if its coaching or player committment or both, but something will need to improve here before this team can make an impact on the UMAC. I hate beating a dead horse but a dead horse is about all this MacMurray team could beat.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Week 8 Predictions: Tommy's Picks
Tommy's Picks (4 of 5 Week 7, 30 of 40 on the season)
I am going to apologize in advance, its busy season at work so I am going to do this real quick. But before I get there, I want to thank the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers for pulling through for me last week and giving me a win over Jay. Wish I could pick you guys again this week.
Westminster @ Northwestern- Westminster lost their star running back and need their quarterback, Joe Plassmeyer to pull through for them this week if they are going to win because the Eagles rush defense isn't going to give up a game to a backup running back. Northwestern has been steady all year for three quarters, but hasn't been able to play complete games. But this week the Eagles won't need to play more than three quarters. Northwestern 38 Westminster 20
Greenville @ Iowa Wesleyan- The Tigers are just overmatched in this one. Greenville has momentum, experience, talent at every position, and great coaching. Iowa Wesleyan has some of those, but experience and lack of talent at all position hurts them. Chambers and Stull each rush for 100+ yards in this one. The Panthers will give up a few points to Tigers QB Zandro Diaz but it won't be enough. Greenville 52 Iowa Wesleyan 17
MacMurray @ Crown- I hate to say it again, but MacMurray has talent but not enough players all around to compete. Crown is gradually getting it all together - lots of young talent, a new field, and a two-game win streak to boot. Their run game has been fantastic the last two weeks and I don't see the Highlanders stopping it. MacMurray should focus on improving the little things this week. Crown 31 MacMurray 14
Minnesota-Morris @ Martin Luther- The Cougars faced disappointment last week, dropping an overtime game to Crown College. They usually recover well from their losses. Martin Luther plays well against bad teams, and poor against good teams. Luke Rothe will play well against the Cougars defense, rushing for a couple scores and throwing another couple. Brendon Foss catches a pair of scores and goes over 100 yards for the second time this season. Minnesota-Morris 35 Martin Luther 30
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Eureka- Biggest game of the year so far for both teams. Eureka has a chance to have a chance at the championship with a win. St. Scholastica will have their fate in their hands with a win, ultimately coming down to the last game of the season at Greenville. Jake Jensen had a great game last week for the Saints and I believe will have another solid game this week. Eureka's QB Blake Robles has been the most efficient quarterback in the UMAC this year, without any standout receivers or running backs on the field. I believe it will come down to defense, and with DB Alec French and Michael LaValley, the Saints will force Robles into errors he doesn't usually make. St. Scholastica 35 Eureka 28
I am going to apologize in advance, its busy season at work so I am going to do this real quick. But before I get there, I want to thank the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers for pulling through for me last week and giving me a win over Jay. Wish I could pick you guys again this week.
Westminster @ Northwestern- Westminster lost their star running back and need their quarterback, Joe Plassmeyer to pull through for them this week if they are going to win because the Eagles rush defense isn't going to give up a game to a backup running back. Northwestern has been steady all year for three quarters, but hasn't been able to play complete games. But this week the Eagles won't need to play more than three quarters. Northwestern 38 Westminster 20MacMurray @ Crown- I hate to say it again, but MacMurray has talent but not enough players all around to compete. Crown is gradually getting it all together - lots of young talent, a new field, and a two-game win streak to boot. Their run game has been fantastic the last two weeks and I don't see the Highlanders stopping it. MacMurray should focus on improving the little things this week. Crown 31 MacMurray 14
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Eureka- Biggest game of the year so far for both teams. Eureka has a chance to have a chance at the championship with a win. St. Scholastica will have their fate in their hands with a win, ultimately coming down to the last game of the season at Greenville. Jake Jensen had a great game last week for the Saints and I believe will have another solid game this week. Eureka's QB Blake Robles has been the most efficient quarterback in the UMAC this year, without any standout receivers or running backs on the field. I believe it will come down to defense, and with DB Alec French and Michael LaValley, the Saints will force Robles into errors he doesn't usually make. St. Scholastica 35 Eureka 28
Week 8 Predictions: Jay's Picks
Jay's Picks (3 of 5 Week 7, 27 of 40 on the season)
I got three games correct again. I believe this is the third week in a row. Consistency is a good thing, but I would like a better performance out of myself this week. I've been looking forward to this week for a while now as Eureka could make a play to get themselves in close contention for the conference championship with a victory of St. Scholastica. I'm tired of Northwestern, Greenville, and St. Scholastica being the only contenders for a championship so it's nice to have Eureka doing well this year. We also see the confused cats matchup against each other in the Greenville at Iowa Wesleyan game, more about that later. Seven weeks down, three to go.
Westminster @ Northwestern- At the start of the year, I would've though this game would be a good matchup for Westminster, their strong passing offense facing Northwestern's spotty pass coverage. However, since Westminster has switched their game plan up and relied so much on the run until recently, it is much less favorable as they face the UMAC's top rush defense in the Eagles who allow just 105.4 yards per game. Plassmeyer has recently been forced to throw more with the loss of their star running back two weeks ago, but he hasn't proven he can have the production he had last season. Northwestern is just coming off a comeback loss to Greenville last week and can't be too happy about that. They face a decent Blue Jays defense that has forced the most interceptions this year, averaging over 2 per game. But fortunately the Eagles are not as one-dimensional as the Blue Jays and can run the ball effectively with junior RB Josh Sinnen. It won't be a pretty game, but I think there will be a clear winner before the game is done. Northwestern 34 Westminster 20
Anyways, this is football not design class, so lets talk about the game. A few weeks ago, I would have said this is a game that Greenville should win big and win easily. And now, nothing has changed and I still believe Greenville will win easily. Even though Iowa Wesleyan has been developing as the season is going along and performing better, Greenville has been improving as well. The Tigers just don't have the talent or experience to take on the Panthers who have a team full of experienced upperclassmen both on offense and defense. Easy pick. Greenville 45 Iowa Wesleyan 14
MacMurray @ Crown- Crown claimed their second victory in a row last week, leading to their first two-game win streak since the 2010 season. MacMurray has not yet been able to find a win yet this season. The Storm have a team full of young players (60 underclassmen, 18 upperclassmen) and have been gradually developing into a respectable football team. In the last two week, Crown has more than doubled their season's rushing total, and I expect them to take that same approach this week looking to their three freshmen running backs, Duran Zachery, Josh Edlund, and Matt Michaud, to handle the carries. MacMurray has recently switched quarterbacks from Caleb Horvath to Coy Dorothy either due to injury or performance issues. Dorothy played relatively well in his first game as starter, throwing for 233 yards and 2 TDs while completing 56% of his passes against Eureka's defense. The last two games for Crown have gone into overtime, but this game will not take more than 60 minutes to be decided. Crown 28 MacMurray 13
Minnesota-Morris @ Martin Luther- Two offenses that score big against poor defenses facing two poor defenses. I'm expecting big points in this one, with breakout QB Caleb McLaren leading a powerful passing attack and Knights QB Luke Rothe doing the UMAC's best impression of Johnny Manziel. The Knights have been up and down all year, scoring 6 points one week and 68 points the next, we can't be sure which team will show up, but usually at home they put up a fight and keep it close. The Cougars average over 300 yards passing per game and Martin Luther's pass defense is the worst in the league, averaging 291 passing yards allowed per game and only picking off opposing QBs three times this season. Its anyone's game really. Martin Luther 38 Minnesota-Morris 35
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Eureka- Since the Red Devils became the UMAC's surprise team of the year, I have had this game on my calender. It features the top two defenses in the UMAC in terms of points and yards allowed pitted against each other. Saints RB Jake Jensen comes off a monster game in which he rushed for 179 yards and 3 TDs. St. Scholastica is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 263.9 yards rushing per game but they are facing a Eureka defense that I believe is the most physical defense in the UMAC, and they only allow 112.6 yards on the ground each game. Eureka has a great QB in junior Blake Robles, who has 250.4 yards per game and a TD/INT ratio of 15/4. The Red Devils rush game leaves something to be desired, but it is at least serviceable and they use it well around the goal line. I envision this game to be very similar to St. Scholastica's visit to Northwestern a few weeks ago, which was fairly low scoring. But I believe Eureka is less prone than the Eagles were to making mistakes, giving up only 6 turnovers this season. It's a big game which means, you guessed it, I've got keys to the game for each team.
St. Scholastica
1. Do not turn the ball over. Eureka will not give it back as I mentioned, they have 6 turnovers on the season while they have taken 14 from opposing teams and scoring directly off of three of those turnovers.
2. Have success in the air. Similarly to your matchup with Northwestern, it will be tough to run the ball. Eureka's defensive backfield is not as prone to errors as the Eagles, but it will be easier than trying to pound it up the middle.
3. Limit Eureka's TOP. If you didn't know, that stands for time of possession. They have controlled the ball longer than their opponent in 6/7 games this year. It's a lot easier to win games when you have the ball more. I know you only had the ball for 18 minutes last week, but you played Martin Luther, not Eureka.
Eureka
1. Do not turn the ball over. You have not been giving the ball to other teams much this year and you have been winning. I think there is a correlation.
2. Much like I said for Northwestern, do not let the St. Scholastica runners outside the tackles. They run much better when they get outside. This includes QB Tyler Harper who hurt the Eagles with some scrambles he made when his receivers were covered.
3. Control the ball. St. Scholastica will not score quickly against your defense like they did last week against Martin Luther. If your offense has the ball, it is much harder for them to score, keeping the game close. Your offense is not explosive, but it is good enough it can win this one.
Eureka 28 St. Scholastica 24
I got three games correct again. I believe this is the third week in a row. Consistency is a good thing, but I would like a better performance out of myself this week. I've been looking forward to this week for a while now as Eureka could make a play to get themselves in close contention for the conference championship with a victory of St. Scholastica. I'm tired of Northwestern, Greenville, and St. Scholastica being the only contenders for a championship so it's nice to have Eureka doing well this year. We also see the confused cats matchup against each other in the Greenville at Iowa Wesleyan game, more about that later. Seven weeks down, three to go.
Westminster @ Northwestern- At the start of the year, I would've though this game would be a good matchup for Westminster, their strong passing offense facing Northwestern's spotty pass coverage. However, since Westminster has switched their game plan up and relied so much on the run until recently, it is much less favorable as they face the UMAC's top rush defense in the Eagles who allow just 105.4 yards per game. Plassmeyer has recently been forced to throw more with the loss of their star running back two weeks ago, but he hasn't proven he can have the production he had last season. Northwestern is just coming off a comeback loss to Greenville last week and can't be too happy about that. They face a decent Blue Jays defense that has forced the most interceptions this year, averaging over 2 per game. But fortunately the Eagles are not as one-dimensional as the Blue Jays and can run the ball effectively with junior RB Josh Sinnen. It won't be a pretty game, but I think there will be a clear winner before the game is done. Northwestern 34 Westminster 20
Greenville @ Iowa Wesleyan- This week features Greenville at Iowa Wesleyan, or as I like to call it "The Battle of the Big Cats", where the Tigers look like panthers and the Panthers look like tigers. In case you are unaware, the Panthers have orange uniforms while the Tigers have black/purple uniforms. Someone must've been confused about their animals when they planned those school colors. Let me give you a quick refresher in case you forgot what those animals look like:
 |
| This is a panther This is a tiger. |
MacMurray @ Crown- Crown claimed their second victory in a row last week, leading to their first two-game win streak since the 2010 season. MacMurray has not yet been able to find a win yet this season. The Storm have a team full of young players (60 underclassmen, 18 upperclassmen) and have been gradually developing into a respectable football team. In the last two week, Crown has more than doubled their season's rushing total, and I expect them to take that same approach this week looking to their three freshmen running backs, Duran Zachery, Josh Edlund, and Matt Michaud, to handle the carries. MacMurray has recently switched quarterbacks from Caleb Horvath to Coy Dorothy either due to injury or performance issues. Dorothy played relatively well in his first game as starter, throwing for 233 yards and 2 TDs while completing 56% of his passes against Eureka's defense. The last two games for Crown have gone into overtime, but this game will not take more than 60 minutes to be decided. Crown 28 MacMurray 13
Minnesota-Morris @ Martin Luther- Two offenses that score big against poor defenses facing two poor defenses. I'm expecting big points in this one, with breakout QB Caleb McLaren leading a powerful passing attack and Knights QB Luke Rothe doing the UMAC's best impression of Johnny Manziel. The Knights have been up and down all year, scoring 6 points one week and 68 points the next, we can't be sure which team will show up, but usually at home they put up a fight and keep it close. The Cougars average over 300 yards passing per game and Martin Luther's pass defense is the worst in the league, averaging 291 passing yards allowed per game and only picking off opposing QBs three times this season. Its anyone's game really. Martin Luther 38 Minnesota-Morris 35Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Eureka- Since the Red Devils became the UMAC's surprise team of the year, I have had this game on my calender. It features the top two defenses in the UMAC in terms of points and yards allowed pitted against each other. Saints RB Jake Jensen comes off a monster game in which he rushed for 179 yards and 3 TDs. St. Scholastica is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 263.9 yards rushing per game but they are facing a Eureka defense that I believe is the most physical defense in the UMAC, and they only allow 112.6 yards on the ground each game. Eureka has a great QB in junior Blake Robles, who has 250.4 yards per game and a TD/INT ratio of 15/4. The Red Devils rush game leaves something to be desired, but it is at least serviceable and they use it well around the goal line. I envision this game to be very similar to St. Scholastica's visit to Northwestern a few weeks ago, which was fairly low scoring. But I believe Eureka is less prone than the Eagles were to making mistakes, giving up only 6 turnovers this season. It's a big game which means, you guessed it, I've got keys to the game for each team.
St. Scholastica
1. Do not turn the ball over. Eureka will not give it back as I mentioned, they have 6 turnovers on the season while they have taken 14 from opposing teams and scoring directly off of three of those turnovers.
2. Have success in the air. Similarly to your matchup with Northwestern, it will be tough to run the ball. Eureka's defensive backfield is not as prone to errors as the Eagles, but it will be easier than trying to pound it up the middle.
3. Limit Eureka's TOP. If you didn't know, that stands for time of possession. They have controlled the ball longer than their opponent in 6/7 games this year. It's a lot easier to win games when you have the ball more. I know you only had the ball for 18 minutes last week, but you played Martin Luther, not Eureka.
Eureka
1. Do not turn the ball over. You have not been giving the ball to other teams much this year and you have been winning. I think there is a correlation.
2. Much like I said for Northwestern, do not let the St. Scholastica runners outside the tackles. They run much better when they get outside. This includes QB Tyler Harper who hurt the Eagles with some scrambles he made when his receivers were covered.
3. Control the ball. St. Scholastica will not score quickly against your defense like they did last week against Martin Luther. If your offense has the ball, it is much harder for them to score, keeping the game close. Your offense is not explosive, but it is good enough it can win this one.
Eureka 28 St. Scholastica 24
Q & A with Jake Jensen
St. Scholastica Saints’ running back Jake Jensen recently answered a few questions for us about his football experience and his performance this past weekend which earned our Outstanding Athlete of the Week award. Congratulations again Jake, you earned it, keep up all the hard work and we wish you a great season.
The Numbers:
 |
| (Photo from CSSSaints.com) |
Jake’s performance this week paved the way to a 48-14 victory for the Saints over Martin Luther College. He carried the ball 13 times for a career-high 179 yards along with 3 touchdowns. His scoring runs can from distances of 70, 4, and 30 yards as he scored three of the Saints first four touchdowns. With his 13.8 yard per carry average, he set the St. Scholastica school record. He also recorded 1 reception for 18 yards and a kickoff return for 12 yards. Jensen is currently second in the UMAC with 122.4 average rushing yards per game and tied for third in scoring runs with 8 touchdowns.
Q&A:
 |
| (Photo from CSSSaints.com) |
What was the biggest key to your individual success in last week’s performance?
I think last week’s success had a lot to do with the offensive line really stepping up this week. We had a few new guys in the lineup due to injuries and they did a great job
Where does your recent performance rank for you on your list of individual best games?
It’s hard for me to rank my past games by performance but I would say some of my favorite college games were beating Greenville for the first time sophomore year and our homecoming game that same year where I had 4 rushing td's
What is going to be the key to your team succeeding this week?
I think the key to us beating Eureka this week is take the momentum at the beginning of the game. The past two weeks we have gotten off to a slow start, we need to correct that this week.
What do you love most about the game of football?
What’s not to love about football?
What is the biggest area of your game do you want to improve on moving forward?
Moving forward I think I could improve in all areas of my game, but one thing I would like to maintain this year is no lost fumbles.
What was your most memorable game in high school?
My most memorable game in high school is my very last high school game. We lost in the section championship to St. Thomas academy my senior year coming out of an 0 and 9 season my junior year.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Week that Was: Week 7
Crown Wins Again in an Overtime Game
The last two games for Crown College have been tied up as regulation ended, needing an extra period to be decided. Fortunately for the Storm, they came out victorious in both games, with kicker Kurt Fickle knocking in a field goal to win each game. They were also an extra point away from a potential overtime the week before against Greenville, but Fickle was unable to put that through the uprights. The average margin of victory/defeat for the Storm in their conference games this season is 8.5 points, meaning that on average their games all end with just over a one possession margin, showing the games could pretty easily go either way. With a young team and an offense that has been developing as the seasons goes on, this team should only get better next year. UMAC coaches should have this team on their radar if they don't already.
Northwestern Loses Again in an Undertime Game
If you don't remember last week, I coined the term "undertime" for games that are "decidedly over before the fourth quarter starts". Well I've decided to add a second definition to the word - "The period of a game which a team deems as not necessary to perform in." Northwestern opened up their game with a 20-0 lead over the conference-leading Greenville Panthers and nearly made it to halftime with a 20-7 lead. But poor clock management led them to letting the Panthers score just before the halftime buzzer sounded, leaving the Eagles with only a 6 point advantage at the half. Long story short, the Eagles treated the fourth quarter as "undertime" and Greenville ends up taking the lead just as the fourth quarter started and never gave it up, winning 37-24. As Jay reported in the Week 7 Power Rankings, the Eagles have led halftime in 5 of 6 conference games, but hold just a 3-3 UMAC record, that could have easily been 2-4 if Minnesota-Morris had completed their comeback. It makes you wonder if the Eagles forget to eat their Wheaties on game day.
un·der·time
noun
1. a sporting event or game that is decidedly over before the final period.
adjective
Usage:
1. a sporting event or game that is decidedly over before the final period.
2. a period of a sporting event or game which a team deems as not necessary to perform in.
adjective
3. of or for undertime; undertime game
Usage:
ex: Did you see the Northwestern game? They thought it was an undertime game and didn't play the fourth quarter!
Fun with Numbers
-Crown rushed for 313 yards this week, the second week in a row they have surpassed 300 yards on the ground after going for 364 yards last week. That two-game combined total of 677 yards is 63% more than they had in the first 5 games of the season combined.
-Greenville was a perfect 5/5 (100%) on 4th down this week in their victory.
-Iowa Wesleyan went 2 for 13 (15%) on third down, and won.
-in 40 offensive plays, St. Scholastica only had three third downs, of which they converted only one, and still won by 34.
-St. Scholastica's time of possession this week was 18 minutes, and they won by 34.
-St. Scholastica won by 34.
-Greenville is on a 15 game win streak, going back to September 22, 2012. During that streak, Brendan Chambers has rushed for 26 touchdowns while losing only 2 fumbles.
-Greenville is on a 15 game win streak, going back to September 22, 2012. During that streak, Brendan Chambers has rushed for 26 touchdowns while losing only 2 fumbles.
-Facing Northwestern, Greenville's QB Brendan Chambers was prevented from scoring a rushing touchdown for the first game since the two teams faced each other last year in the regular season.
-This season, there have been four total safeties in the UMAC, all four have occurred for or against Northwestern.
Poll Position
In our poll last week, we asked our readers who would be our UMAC champions this season, or if there would be a 2 or 3 way tie. Here are the results:
48% of our readers pick Greenville to win and another 13% voted for a 3-way tie, which unless Brendan Chambers has been texting all of his friends to go vote thus skewing our statistics, tells us that the Panthers are the heavy favorites throughout the conference to win or co-win the championship.
(Not-so) Silly Social Media
Between our Facebook, Twitter, and Blog, we had a lot of genuine posts by our readers this week and we are not sure what to think about it:
-This season, there have been four total safeties in the UMAC, all four have occurred for or against Northwestern.
Poll Position
In our poll last week, we asked our readers who would be our UMAC champions this season, or if there would be a 2 or 3 way tie. Here are the results:
 |
| (Photo credit to me and my computer for the fantastic screenshot) |
(Not-so) Silly Social Media
Between our Facebook, Twitter, and Blog, we had a lot of genuine posts by our readers this week and we are not sure what to think about it:
First off, there is this comment on our blog from Anonymous who said that we "make [their] week every week."
I don't know what kind of sad life they live if we make their week EVERY week, but I guess when you go to school in middle-of-nowhere St. Bonifacious it probably doesn't take much. But you're welcome, hope this makes your week again!
Then my favorite player, Jamarco "Tommy's Boy" Clark, gets all sentimental about the UMAC.
If you guys want to have even better sporstsmanship, you could start hugging each other and writing thank you cards to each other after games. Maybe then the UMAC can win the NCAA Sportsmanship Award!
Finally, former MacMurray QB Cody Hussey, who left the Highlanders to go who knows where (maybe he fell off their game field into a ditch?), said it was an honor to play for us.
I was not aware you guys all played for us, but then again I guess Iowa Wesleyan did just win a game for me last week, according to my man, Jamarco.
So after all that touchy-feely emotional stuff, I need to recoup and get myself together. Please feel free to comment and tweet at us this week without so much thoughtfulness because I need some material for next week...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)