Martin Luther Season Preview

You never really know what you are going to get from Martin Luther. They don’t run a traditional offense and they surely don’t have a normal depth chart. In 2012, Matt Olson played QB, S, and ended up at RB. Luke Rothe played DB, QB, and a little bit of WR. Expect the same kind of shuffling to occur this season. The Knights take their 50 something players that come to camp, and shift them all over until they play halfway decent football. The problem is that by the time they get it figured out on one side of the ball, the other side of the ball loses nearly every starter.

Last year, the defense kept Martin Luther competitive, but the offense was horrific as they tried to find a starting QB. If the offense had even been decent, they probably could have pulled out victories against Morris and Eureka. Finally, towards the end of the season, QB Luke Rothe and the offense started figuring things out. Nobody can be sure, but we have reason to believe the breakthrough on offense coincides with simplifying the play calling to the renowned note-card-in-the-pants system. Whatever the cause, they gave Greenville all they could handle, were competitive against Northwestern, and won their final two conference games. In their first 5 conference games, they averaged 10.6 points a game (I am not counting the game against the last ranked team in D3 football coming in at a solid 244…drum roll please…Maranatha Baptist. They are a disgrace to college football everywhere. Nay, a disgrace to all levels of football both at home and abroad. Seriously, I say 7.5 is the over/under on victories in their entire history). In their final four conference games, the Knights averaged 34.0 points a game. See the difference? In fact, they were playing so well at the end of the season that I had the balls to pick them third in my way to early power rankings at the end of last season (I will never visit that bar again, and picked them to finish 6^th this year).

This year, there are a lot of question marks again. I’ll do my best to sift through some of the key issues surrounding this year’s version of the Martin Luther Knights.

Big Losses

The entire defense. I’m almost positive this is legitimate. At first glance you think, hey even though they lost like 8 seniors on defense, at least they have UMAC Central outstanding S Galen Holzhueter and DE Derek Loewen to provide leadership and experience. Wrong. Holzhueter will apparently be saving his last season of eligibility for 2014, and Loewen is not to be found on the 2013 roster. A myriad of questions come to mind. Did Loewen change his name and number? Did he transfer? Does he have a medical condition? Did he get kicked out of school for violating Martin Luther King’s code of civility? Was Holzhueter thinking the Knights will win the UMAC championship in 2014 and wants to be an integral part? I have no answers. The defense that ranked 67^th nationally last year will have some major holes to fill—and by holes I mean the entire defense.

The only loss of concern on the offense is leading WR Scott Henrich.

Key Returners

QB Luke Rothe returns to lead the offense. He is a dual-threat QB, but is much more adept at running the football. He was the second leading rusher on the team with 581 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. He threw 11 touchdowns to 11 interceptions last year, for a mediocre 1:1 ratio. Hopefully, with an offseason dedicated to working on his technique, Rothe will be a much more accomplished passer in year two. In addition, last season’s leading rusher, RB Matt Olson returns. He will also benefit from having a solidified position, although I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they played him and Rothe both ways a little bit. The offensive line remains mostly intact from a season ago, and the Knights will once again mix and match to find the other wingbacks and offensive skill players.

Keys to 2013

1. Will the Martin Luther Knights be able to mash together a defense in time to play the better teams in the conference? The Knights play that 244th ranked squad and MacMurray to start the season before they play Northwestern and Greenville in consecutive weeks. They have two games to figure it out because Northwestern, while not likely to be lethal on offense like last year, should have a solid rushing attack and Greenville should be a monster this year.

2. Will QB Luke Rothe take the next steps and become a proficient passer? In my opinion, he has the tools to be a great player. Athletically, he can do it all, but he needs to refine his technique big time. Footwork, mechanics, the works. Last year, he was just winging it, and using his athleticism to his greatest advantage. If he can really learn the playbook, know opposing defenses, and work on the passing game, he could really become a big time player this year. Maybe even offensive player of the year...

3. Turnovers killed the Knights last year, and it started with the QB's. Anyone who has watched Martin Luther play knows they option a lot and there are tricky angles when handing the ball off, but they have got to hold onto the football better. RB Matt Olson fumbled 10 times last year. As a team, they lost 21 fumbles. That's absurd. They have to clean that aspect of their game up.

Prediction

The Knights ended the 2012 season playing very well, and looked poised to take a jump in 2013. The offense should be potent with playmakers at QB and RB, however, the upheaval on defense leaves major question marks. It will be very interesting to see how creative Martin Luther coaches get with the depth chart considering the lack of everything on defense. After they play the weenie boppers from Maranatha, they face a motivated, albeit young, MacMurray squad. This will be a good litmus test for both teams, and will tell us if we have overhyped QB Luke Rothe or not. Realistically, this team should be better than last year and will be competitive against most teams. In fact, everyone in the UMAC should take notice if they have to make a trip to New Ulm. Martin Luther plays differently at home than on the road, and the Northwestern and Morris games are definitely winnable this year. If the defense can be solid, and the offense produces like it did at the end of last year this team could really sneak up on people. However, I just don't see that happening quickly enough to crack the top four.  UMAC Central has spoken: We have the Knights finishing with a 5-4 record, good enough for a fifth place finish. 

Westminster Season Preview

Westminster came into the 2012 season expecting big things. After an eight-win season in 2011, the Blue Jays were picked to finish third in the conference by the coaches of the UMAC (shows how much they know… although we also picked them to finish third so I guess that shows how much we know as well). They returned the bulk of their starters from the previous season and brought in a new, highly-touted starting quarterback who was supposed to take the team to the next level. All indications were that the Jays would be a force to be reckoned with in the UMAC. Then the season came and that all went down the crapper. Westminster did not simply lose a few tough games last season, they fell off the face of the earth, dropping to a 2-6 conference record and finishing in 7^th place. What happened? How did a team that was supposed to compete for a conference championship fall apart so quickly? I am not sure if anyone has the complete answer to that, but I will do my best to speculate as to the cause of Westminster’s 2012 collapse.

I think we have to begin our breakdown of what went wrong in 2012 with the quarterback position. All of us at UMAC Central were baffled when we learned that Scott Rodgers, who as a sophomore in 2011 led the Jays to 8 wins playing very well along the way, had been moved to receiver. We all assumed this new quarterback Joe Plassmeyer must be something special to come in and instantly take the job from the incumbent starter who had performed well the year before as a sophomore. Now hear me out, I do not think that Plassmeyer played poorly last season nor is he to blame for their terrible season. He had a pretty dang good statistical year in fact - 3000 yards passing, 27 TDs to 13 INTs, 59.5% completion percentage. I will even go so far as to say that Plassmeyer is probably a far better quarterback than Rodgers. However, I think the move significantly hurt Westminster last season. They took arguably their most dynamic playmaker and barely utilized him at all. Rodgers was the team’s fourth-leading receiver in 2012. Are you telling me that a team with a 2-6 record in the UMAC was so offensively loaded that they could not get this kid the ball? Clear mismanagement of talent by the coaching staff (coincidentally, Rodgers is not on the 2013 roster after graduating a year early). Secondly, what happened to the running game? Yes, Zain Gower was a big loss but Westminster went from averaging 141.4 rush yards per game in 2011 to 24.3 in 2012. What??? For you Phy Ed majors out there that is almost 120 fewer yards per game. The only way that happens is when the coaching staff gives up on the run. Finally, the defense was significantly worse. In 2011, the Jays defense gave up 276 yards per game and 17.2 points per game. In 2012 they gave up 359 ypg and 24.4 ppg. Basically, in 2011 they controlled the line of scrimmage and in 2012 they lost interest in doing that. And it showed in the results.

Big Losses

While the Blue Jays return the majority of their starters from last season, they did lose some key players including the likes of 1^st Team WR James Gladstone (1246 receiving yards and 14 TDs), 2^nd Team OL Derrick Jensen, 1^st team DL Rodney Lyles (52.5 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks), and LB Gus Lyles (54.5 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks). The Blue Jays are sure to feel the loss of their best offensive player and two best defensive players.

Key Returners

The good news for Westminster is that they do return 8 starters on each side of the ball (at least they say they do – my calculations have fewer than that, but whatever).  Most importantly, Joe Plassmeyer returns for his junior season and second season as a starter in this offense. Tight end Mac Findeiss returns to the lineup for his third season as a starter after racking up 454 receiving yards last season. The defensive side of the ball will be anchored by Senior DB Jeremy Hampton (1^st Team All Conference 2012, 4 INTs, 6 break ups) and Junior DE Kyle Bryant (apparently a Preseason All-American although I am not sure what that is based on after recording a grand total of 9.5 tackles in 2012). The Blue Jays have also brought in a large recruiting class and expect some big contributions from newcomers.

Key to 2013

1. The Blue Jay’s success in 2013 will hinge on 3 key factors:  Continued development of Joe Plassmeyer – Plassmeyer put up some good stats in his sophomore season, but it is one thing to rack up 3,00 yards and 27 TDs while throwing 52 times a game. It’s another thing to lead a balanced, efficient offensive attack week in and week out even against the good teams. Joe needs to take the next step this season if his team is going to compete.
2. Re-establishment of the run – Averaging 24 rushing ypg is pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. The Westminster coaches should be embarrassed about what happened last season. Hopefully they learned from last season’s debacle and come into 2013 with a renewed commitment to controlling the line of scrimmage and having a balanced attack. If not, expect the same results this season – amazing passing stats for Plassmeyer and 2 wins for the team.
3. Effective integration of newcomers – The Blue Jays brought in a lot of new players for the 2013 season which is always good news for the program. What remains to be seen, however, is how quickly everyone can get on the same page. Will this team have strong chemistry right from the get-go and come out of the gates flying or will it take them until midway through the season to be clicking on all cylinders? The answer to that question may very well determine their success in 2013.

Prediction

The good news for Westminster is that they will be better in 2013. How could they be worse? This team has talent. In fact, in terms of pure talent they are probably top 3 in the conference. However, having talent and having well-coached, good football players are two entirely different things. Because of their talent, the Blue Jays have a chance to compete with any team in this conference. Because of their inconsistency and poor coaching, they have a chance to lose to lose to anyone (22-24 to MacMurray last season for example). This season, Plassmeyer will be even better and will put up great numbers again. Their team will be competitive week in and week out and may even pull off an upset of a team that finishes higher than them. However, I don’t have confidence in their ability to re-establish a running game and they simply have far too many unknowns for me to see them as any more than an average squad. The Blue Jays will finish the season in sixth place with a 4-5 conference record. 

Northwestern Season Preview

Northwestern College will never again be champions of the UMAC. Of course, that is primarily because Northwestern College no longer exists. Northwestern has upgraded to university status and is now officially known as the University of Northwestern – St. Paul. I am not sure if that is supposed to mean that it is the official university of the northwestern quadrant of Saint Paul or if it is the Saint Paul campus of the University of Northwestern system. All name confusion aside, the Eagles put together a great campaign in 2012 and have once again established themselves as a dominant force in the UMAC. Although they finished last season on a disappointing note – losing to Greenville College in back to back games which included a home loss preventing the Eagles from playing in the DIII national playoffs for the first time in school history followed by an overtime loss on a missed extra point at Greenville in the NCCAA Victory Bowl – NWC still had a season they can be proud of in 2012. They peeled off eight wins in a row at one point rolling through all UMAC competition and looking like the best team in the conference for the majority of the season. After their Week 6 road victory over St. Scholastica by one point, Northwestern controlled their own destiny and appeared set to coast to a UMAC title. However, those pesky Greenville Tigers who had lost to Scholastica by a score of 45-3 earlier in the year, managed to snake bite the Eagles again at the end of the season. In their last 4 matchups with the Tigers, the Eagles are now 0-4 with losses of 27-28, 16-27, 23-27, and 20-26. Although the Eagles easily dismantled most UMAC competition and looked far better in doing so than did either Scholastica or Greenville, who often struggled against lesser opponents, they were once again unable to beat the Panthers. I don’t know if it is a case of the Panthers being a team that plays its best football at the end of the year when the Eagles are starting to tail off, or if it is simply that the Panthers match up well against the Eagles. Whatever the reason, the Eagles have yet to show that they can beat the top team from the South and until they do so they will continue to fall short of their ultimate goal.

Big Losses

Northwestern has lost as much to graduation as any team in the conference moving into 2013. Key losses include 3-year starting QB Josh Balzer (who we had rated as the best overall QB in the UMAC last season), top receiver Brian Lecheler, 1^st Team All-Conference Tight End Matt Dammann, and D-End and Lineman of the Year Josh Swore. By our count, the Eagles are losing 12 starters to graduation – and many of those at key positions.

Key Returners

Although the Eagles are losing a number of key members from their 2012 roster, they are not without a sizable group of talented returners. Both of last season’s leading rushers, Josh Sinnen and Chris Simon-Wallace, who ran for 764 and 682 yards, respectively, return in 2013 expecting to receive even more touches.  Defensive End Nathan Van Zee is coming off a huge sophomore season in which he racked up 64 tackles and 4.5 sacks. DB Cody Kielsa also returns for his senior season and, according to UNW’s athletic website, was one of four Eagles named to USA Football’s Preseason All-American list. (Although, after clicking on the link provided in the article, which directed me to this page - http://www.usafbn.com/d3fb.htm - I am not so sure that is an impressive honor. Seriously, who made that website, a fourth-grader?) Overall, UNW is a good program which tends to reload rather than rebuild.

Key to 2013

The biggest factor in determining how far the Eagles go this season will be the play of their new starting quarterback. Josh Balzer was especially efficient in leading the offense last season, throwing 23 touchdowns compared to only 8 interceptions. Compare that to his first year as the starting signal caller in 2010 in which he threw 9 touchdowns and 20 interceptions and you get an idea as to the type of drop-off we could see at that position in 2013. The Eagles have 2 QBs returning to their roster who have thrown a pass in their career: Junior Jacob Fletcher, who is the front-runner to win the job, comes in with 23 career passing attempts and Sophomore Grant Schoen comes in with 4. Expect opponents to stack the box in an attempt to shut down the run game and force the Eagle’s QB to beat them. If Fletcher can put together a solid year, the Eagles will be in the hunt for a conference championship. If there are some growing pains, and I suspect there will be, expect to see an increase in turnovers and a decrease in wins in 2013.

Prediction

The last time the Eagles had a rookie starter at QB was 2010, a season in which they went 1-8. I am not suggesting they will have a season as horrendous as that, however, it is difficult for me to see the Eagles replicating last season’s success with a rookie under center. There is no doubt in my mind UNW will continue to be one of the most effective rushing teams in the league. They have two of the best RBs in the conference paired with what always seems to be a strong offensive line.  I also expect their defense to once again be a strong unit that suffocates the running game. In games against the bottom half of the conference, those two things will be more than enough to dominate time of possession, control the ball, and win games. However, the better teams of the conference will force the Eagles to throw the football. Will the Eagles’ rookie QB be able to step up to the challenge and win big games against CSS and Greenville in weeks 6 and 7? If you asked me, I would probably say no. Could I see the Eagles putting it all together and going 8-1 in conference? Sure. But I could also see them going 4-5. Most likely, I see them as a 6 to 7 conference win team. The Eagles will take a step backward from last season, but not enough of a step back to be surpassed by the bottom teams of the conference. I predict they will once again handle the lower third of the conference – teams they beat by 4+ touchdowns last year will not be a problem this season. However, to be an elite team they will have to beat Greenville and Scholastica – teams which they are a combined 1-5 against over the past 3 seasons. If they have struggled against those teams in the past, there is no reason for me to think they will be more effective this year with a rookie QB. Put UNW down for a 6-3 conference record and a third place finish.  

Greenville Season Preview

Greenville enters the 2013 football season riding what is likely the longest winning streak in Division III football next to that of Mount Union. The Panthers won their last seven conference games in addition to the NCCAA Victory Bowl versus Northwestern College (now known as the University of Northwestern - St. Paul). The Panthers started the 2012 season slowly with two huge losses to Millikin University (50-17) and to St. Scholastica (45-3). Despite those two losses, the Panthers, led by UMAC Central's 2012 Outstanding Offensive POY, QB Brendan Chambers, went on to win their next seven conference games while averaging an astounding 40 points and 470 yards of offense in each of those games. However, even though they finished the year as the hottest team in the UMAC, they lost out on the chance to receive the UMAC's automatic qualifier bid for the Division III playoffs due to an unfortunate tie-breaking system. As a consolation prize, they were able to host Northwestern College for the NCCAA Victory Bowl, which was a thriller of a game decided by the slimmest of margins with Greenville winning the game in overtime, 28-27. This season, if Greenville can get their offensive engine running right away, look for them to be a dominant force in the UMAC capable of winning the UMAC Championship outright with a bid to the NCCA Division III playoffs.

Big Losses

The biggest players lost to graduation for the Panthers, also happen to be two of their physically biggest players in LT Trendon Amuzie and RG Jeremy Burrows who were the senior leaders of an offensive line who led the Panther's rushing attack to 313.4 yards per game, good enough for 4th in all of Division III football. Amuzie and Burrows were selected to the UMAC All-Conference 1st team, while Burrows was also selected to UMAC Central's 2012 Outstanding Team of the Year. The team also lost starting WR Cody Hutchin, LB Anthony Osuna, and DT Kevin Gilbert - all of whom contributed on the field.

Although very few of the Panthers' starters from 2012 graduated, the Panthers team lost two other major pieces of their team this summer. First off, former Head Coach Ordell Walker has left the Panthers to become the head coach at Bluefield College in Virginia, where he also brought in former Panther's O-Line coach Aaron Mingo to serve as offensive coordinator. Former OC Robbie Schomaker has been promoted to Interim Head Coach for the time being. Also this summer, junior RB Immanuel Gamble had a health incident and will likely not be able to participate on the field for Greenville this season. Gamble, who was the UMAC's Offensive Player of the Year as well as UMAC Central's Outstanding RB of the year, will be a huge loss to the Panther's who will likely look to sophomore RB Steven Glover or junior RB Justin Honeycutt to fill Gamble's shoes. We wish the best to Gamble and hope he has a full recovery so we can see him competing on the field again.

Key Returners

On the positive side for the Panthers, they will be returning seven starters from their explosive offensive. As mentioned earlier, QB Brendan Chambers will be returning to lead the Panthers offense in his senior season. The Panthers also return three starting offensive lineman in C Nicholas Cisernos, LG Hunter Rone, and RT Ethan White who were part of the 4th best rushing attack in Division III football as well as only allowing seven sacks in 2012. Cisernos earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors last season as a freshman so look for him to continue to be a strong force on this offensive line for several more years. On the defensive side of the ball, EMAP Nation returns eight young starters from a defense who will likely see a major improvement in their play due to last season's experience. Returning at defensive back are senior Bryce Wright, who was named to the UMAC All-Conference 2nd team, and senior Anthony Moore, whose 13 pass breakups were good enough for third in the UMAC last season. Sophomore linebacker Robert Deering, who led the team in tackles last season with 76 including 5 tackles for a loss, will also be returning.

Key to 2013

If Greenville is going to win the conference this year, they will need to pick up right where they left off last season and come out strong right away in their first game of the season. They need to avoid a slow start like they've had the past three season where 8 of their 9 losses have come in the first four weeks. One key to doing that will be integrating their new starters on the offense line into the system as soon as possible, which is made more difficult with the loss of last season's offensive line coach. Secondly, they will need to figure out their running back situation quickly to replace RB Immanuel Gamble's production. And finally, the defense, which was in the bottom half of the conference last season as a young squad and especially struggled with the passing game, will need to utilize their experience and step it up this year if the Panthers expect to win every conference game (which may very well be what is necessary to win the conference).

Prediction

After overcoming their slow start last year, the Panthers were nearly unstoppable while running over most teams for the last seven conference games of the season. If Greenville can reload their offensive line, as they have a history of doing, and overcome the loss of RB Immanuel Gamble, the Panthers should be able to continue their blazing pace from last year. Their offense should look very similar under current Interim Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator, Robbie Schomaker who ran the offense for the past two years. One aspect that should help the Panthers get off to a good start will be their conference schedule. They open up UMAC play against the UMM Cougars followed by the Eureka Red Devils, both teams who finished in the middle of the pack last year and are now dealing with replacing their starting quarterback(s) from last season. Also, the UNW Eagles will have to make the trek down to Illinois to play at the Greenville College field, where the Eagles have struggled to close out games in the past. The UMAC championship will likely come down to the final week as the Panthers play host to the St. Scholastica Saints on November 9th. If our predictions stand true, as we expect they will, Greenville should hold the upper hand with an offense running on all cylinders by the final game of the year to lead to a defeat of the Saints, a 9-0 conference record, and the first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the Panthers team.

St. Scholastica Season Preview

St. Scholastica, the two-time UMAC representative in the D3 NCAA playoffs and 2012 UMAC co-champion, faces the unique challenges in attempting a three-peat. The 2012 version of the Saints struggled at times throughout the year, especially towards the end of the season with close wins against Presentation and Minnesota Morris. The passing game took an expected dive as CSS transitioned from graduated QB Alex Thiry to QB Tyler Harper in his first year as a starter. However, the defense and the running game excelled once again. St. Scholastica has to feel robbed with the loss to Northwestern. Turnovers, key mistakes, and that crazy screen play had to have given the coaching staff nightmares. It was the first conference loss in two years, and even though they represented the UMAC in the playoffs if certainly feels like they weren't playing their best at the end of the year. The season was still a major success, but with success comes even greater expectations. The Saints are picked in the UMAC coaches poll to win the conference for the third consecutive year. As big as the bull's eye was last year, the target on the Saint's back is even bigger this year. However, the Saints will be motivated to regain sole ownership of the UMAC championship and return to the D3 NCAA playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Big Losses

The Saints lose a few key players on both offense and defense from last year's team. For the second year in a row, the Saints have the bittersweet problem of replacing the UMAC Defensive Player of the Year in DL Zack Dubanoski. They also lose DL Jordan Rasmussen. On offense, the Saints will need to figure out the WR core, as they lose top 2nd team All-Conference WR Nick Thiry and reliable starter WR Don Anderson.  

Key Returners

Besides the WR's, the offense returns a majority of their offense from last year. Junior QB Tyler Harper returns but should be pushed in camp from sophomore QB Ian Papenheim. At RB, Jake Jensen will be one of the best RB's in the conference if he can stay healthy. The last couple of years he has seemed like a breakout candidate, but just hasn't been able to stay healthy for the entire year. RB's Chris Gassert and Thomas Fragale also return to spell Jensen. The strength of this football team might be the running game because the Saints return a lot of beef to the offensive line as well. Four starters return from last year including C Peter Stanley,  a 1st team UMAC selection,  and G Luke Scharrer, one of UMAC Central's Outstanding guards from 2012. The Saints also welcome back LT Chris Lambach from a season ending injury last year. The WR position is a little less settled, but let's not forget that Mr. Utility man himself, WR/KR/PR Cory Gebhard, returns to provide leadership for an inexperienced group.

On defense, both the DL and LB groups will see some new faces this year, and competition should be fierce throughout training camp. However, second year defensive coordinator  Allen Smith can count on several key returners from last year. The DL will be led by 1st team UMAC selection DL Blake Cedarleaf (Leif Ericson would be proud of this guy's last name) and the LBs will be captained by senior Keaton Rush. The strength of the defense lies in quite possibly the best secondary in the UMAC. They ranked second in pass defense, and return four seniors to the 4-2-5 defense. Two of which are UMAC Central's Outstanding DBs in seniors Alec French and Mike LaValley.

On special teams, the Saints will have a very strong unit. The star of the unit is returning UMAC Special Teams Player of the Year Junior K Mike Theismann. Theismann was voted a first team preseason All-American by the Beyond Sports Network. Punter Justin Bosman returns and, if healthy, could be the top punter in the UMAC. Gebhard returns as a UMAC Central Outstanding kick and punt returner from 2012.

Key to 2013

To three-peat as UMAC champions, the QB play needs to be improved from last year. QB Tyler Harper returns as the starter, but he might be better served as a WR/RB ala the UMAC version of Percy Harvin. Last year, Harper completed only 51% of his passes and often had trouble converting on 3rd down in key situations. In 2011, the Saints converted 45% on 3rd down and last year dropped to converting only 36%. Considering the loss of WR Nick Thiry, Harper could help fill a void in the receiving corps and become a dynamic playmaker for a weak WR group. This is pending any of the young QB's stepping up and winning the job. If Harper remains the starter, he needs to be more efficient, become a better passer in the pocket, and improve his foot work. Too often last year he was throwing from compromised positions or scrambling too quickly from the pocket. His athletic ability is a great strength, but if he can become a better passer in the pocket...look out UMAC.  

Prediction

The Saints enter this season favored to win the conference according to the coaches poll. However, ever since the Saints lost to Northwestern last year, they have not played like a convincing UMAC champion. Going to overtime against Presentation? They beat Crown by forty, but Crown was bad all year and especially terrible at end of the year. Nearly losing a share of the UMAC in a close game against Morris? Granted, Morris really picked up their play at the end of the year, but it just kind of felt like the Saints were not playing very inspired football. There is concern this year that the Saints are losing a lot of experience at the DL and WR positions. Realistically though, this team lost more going into last year and won the conference so I don't think that will determine the outcome of their season. St. Scholastica reloads better than any other team in the conference. In fact, with the QB position more settled, I think they will be a better team this year.

The problem is that I think the schedule works against them a little bit. The first game of the year is a mystery game. Nobody is really sure what Iowa Wesleyan will bring to the table except former Saints defensive coordinator Tom Parkevich. That game will be a measuring stick for both the Saints and Tigers. The other problem is that the Saints play both Northwestern and Greenville on the road both later in the season. It would be better to play Northwestern sooner rather than later with a rookie QB, but the Saints don't travel to St. Paul until week 5 of conference play. However, I predict the Saints will handle the conference until the last game against Greenville. That's right folks. The UMAC conference championship will occur November 9th in Greenville, IL. I know everyone points out that the Saints beat Greenville by 40 last year, but if you watched the game Greenville beat themselves by turning the ball over five times. In addition, the Panthers peak at the end of the yea, coinciding with their date with the Saints. Scholastica at Greenville for the UMAC championship sounds too good to be true, but it could very well happen. Three-peat on the line, I don't think the Saints pull this one out and fall just short in heartbreaking fashion. So there it is, UMAC football nation, I have the Saints sitting at home watching the playoffs in second place with an 8-1 record.

First Annual UMAC Central Writers' Poll

The smell of football is in the air and all of your hard offseason training (or lack of) is about to come to fruition as most of you are just starting training camp. But we at UMAC Central have just wrapped up a training camp of our own. We took a long look at last year and then researched all the changes from last year to this year that could affect the outcome of the season. Between all of the graduated players, incoming players, coaching changes, conference additions, program updates, and field upgrades there has been a lot of work going on here. But I believe we have put in the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to make this a successful season for UMAC Central. Now we just need all of you to do your part and make yourself and your team better in the next few weeks.

By now, most of you have probably read the UMAC Football Coaches' Poll that came out last week. However, the problem with coaches' polls is that the coaches are busy getting their team ready for the upcoming season, as they should be, so they do not have as much time as we do to research all of the little details which could affect the outcomes. They may just quickly scribble out their choices without much thought to get it over with or just rank teams they dislike playing against lower than the teams they like. Let's be real though, unless Crown has an "Angels in the KleinBank-Field" experience this season or UM-Morris secretly brought Tony Romo back to college to prepare WR Brendon Foss for his Cowboys career, neither team (along with half of the rest of the UMAC) has much of a prayer to take home the UMAC championship this year.

So after much deliberating, the writers here at UMAC Central met to cast our ballots to determine who we believe will have a chance at having their name pulled out of a hat and announced as the UMAC champions for the 2013 season. Using a very complicated ranking process and all sorts of algebraic formulas and statistics, we bring to you, the first annual UMAC Central Writers' Poll.

 1. Greenville College – 30 Points (3 first place votes)
 2. College of Saint Scholastica – 27 Points
 3. University of Northwestern - Saint Paul – 23 points
 4. Iowa Wesleyan College – 21 points
 5. Martin Luther College -17 points
 6. Westminster College – 15 points
 7. University of Minnesota - Morris – 12 points
 8. Crown College – 10 points
 9. Eureka College – 5 points
10. MacMurray College – 4 points

Now that you are upset about where we placed your team, feel free to let us know why and how your team is actually going to finish better than we predicted in the comments below or through Facebook and Twitter.  Also, be on the look out in the coming days for our team-by-team season previews which will show why we believe each team will finish as we predicted in the above poll.

Really though, we enjoy your comments.

The Offseason that Was

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, welcome back to UMAC Football. An offseason full of Manti Teo fake girlfriends, Johnny Manziel hangovers, and Riley Cooper racist remarks has finally come to an end soon to be replaced by the smell of freshly mowed grass, new cleats, and terribly sweaty football players. So much has happened since we last spoke I am not even sure where to begin. As a dedicated journalist, however, I feel it is my calling to deliver you a full recap of what has transpired over the past 9 months. So here it is folks, my first article of the year 2013, for your viewing pleasure, "The Offseason that Was."

Northwestern College has upgraded to University status and is now the University of Northwestern – Saint Paul, or as I expect it will soon be known around the UMAC, simply “The U.” While I look forward to seeing Eagle fans holding up their hands in the shape of a “U”, I cannot help but be disappointed the famous “N-W-C” chant will be replaced by the less audibly pleasing chant of “U-N-W-S-P.”

 

Crown College has broken ground on the brand-new, sparkling KleinBank Stadium which is expected to be ready for the team’s home opener on September 7^th. Whether or not KleinBank donated enough money for the Storm to purchase two sets of uniforms remains to be seen.


 

The pride of Morris, Minnesota  - Brendon Foss - was scouted by the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. America’s team even flew in representatives to Morris to watch him work out. Rumor has it, Jerry Jones begged him to come out for the draft a year early but Brendon was committed to receiving his education and remains confident he will be a first round pick come 2014. I tell you what; some people still know how it’s done.

Greenville head coach Ordell Walker has left the Panthers to coach at Bluefield College in Virginia. Offensive Coordinator Robbie Schomaker has assumed the position of Interim Head Coach in Walker’s absence. I am not sure why the term Interim precedes Schomaker’s title, but I can only assume they are looking for a permanent head coach... So if any recent college grads are looking for a coaching opportunity….

Presentation College has decided to leave the UMAC over creative differences  (the UMAC had this crazy notion that Presentation should actually be able to field 11 players on their soccer team for EVERY game) and in their place comes the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. I know virtually nothing about Iowa Wesleyan other than that their mascot is the Tigers and their uniforms are purple. I do know one thing, though; they are already fitting perfectly into a conference which includes a team with a Panther mascot and tiger colored uniforms. My only concern is that we might want to keep impressionable young children away from the Greenville Panthers -Iowa Wesleyan Tigers game as they will leave that game completely and utterly confused as to what color those animals actually are.

Sam Durley has graduated and moved on to bigger and better things leaving Eureka College without the best thing to come out of there since Reaganomics. The school's leadership actually considered cancelling the football program citing fears that the team would waiver from it's commitment to passing, however, Head Coach Kurt Barth relieved their concerns by assuring them the Red Devils will continue to run the ball fewer than ten times per game even with Durley gone.

The College of Saint Scholastica received a tremendous honor when Junior kicker Mike Theismann was named to the Beyond Sports Network's Preseason All-American 1st Team. Of course, ever since BSN named Jonny Manziel to their Preseason All-American 1st Team things have gone downhill quickly for him. Is there a BSN curse that cause you to get kicked out of rival school's frat parties and get paid for autographing memorabilia? St. Scholastica certainly hopes not.


FInally, we have an announcement of our own to make: our intern from last season, Ricky, has been promoted to a full-time staff member and contributor. Ricky did a great job last season and comes to us with a wealth of knowledge on the UMAC. Stay tuned for articles from him throughout the season, you are sure to enjoy.


I think that about does it, folks - a full recap of the last 9 months in under ten minutes. For the few schools left out of my recap, try updating your athletic website occasionally so the rest of the world knows what is happening with you. I am exceptionally excited for the season about to begin. The best part of every new season is the unbridled optimism every team enters camp with. Each team begins the year with the same record and every team truly believes this is their year - and that is why I love this time of year so much. Soon enough injuries will strike, losses will occur, and dreams will be shattered, but for right now every single player on every single team is completely sure that this is their year. So go ahead, Scholastica, Greenville, and Northwestern - dream of playing in the National Tournament come November. Go ahead, Eureka, Morris, and Westminster - set your sights on taking the next step and finally becoming one of the conference's elite. And go ahead MacMurray, Crown, and Martin Luther - tell everyone that this is your year... Who knows? Maybe it finally is.

Tommy

The Lost Post of 2012

As we were scouring the archives here at UMAC Central we came across a hidden gem of sorts; a post we constructed many months ago and intended to share with the world, yet, somehow this post got lost along the way. Fortune has smiled upon us and allowed us to find this lost article and while it may not be the most timely of posts, as the old saying goes, "Better late than never." We hope you enjoy the 2012 UMAC Central End of the Year Awards... only about 8 months late.


Oh what a long, strange journey it has been in the UMAC in 2012. It was a year full of twists and turns and lots, I mean lots, of ridiculous things which can really only be laughed at. In 2012, we had teams with two of things they should have had one of (Morris Quarterbacks) and teams with one of things they should have had two of (Crown uniforms). We had a plethora of delusional tweets and plenty of horrendous announcing. And, of course the officiating was as questionable as ever. But, it wasn't all bad. In fact, this year was a lot of fun - probably the most parity the conference has seen in a long time and a crazy finish to the year. In what will be our final post of the 2012 season we are proud to present the 2012 UMAC Central End of the Year Awards. Enjoy.


Most Ridiculous Method for Determining a 3-Way Tie
This award goes to the entire UMAC Conference. Accepting the award on behalf of the conference is UMAC Comissioner Corey Borchardt. We have been trying to picture the scenario when this system was decided upon and imagine it went a little something like this:

Corey Borchardt - I think maybe we should have some sort of tie-breaker in case there is a tie.
Random UMAC Coach - A tie? That will never happen.
CSS Coach  - Yeah. We are going to go undefeated anyway. You know we are a top ten defense in the nation...
Corey Borchardt - Well that's true. But just in case....
Greenville Coach - I say whoever has the most obnoxiously brightly colored uniforms wins the tie-breaker
UMM Coach - It should be the team that rotates the most quarterbacks. Or has the heaviest offensive line.
Eureka Coach - That's crazy! It should be the team that plays on the most slanted field.
MLC Coach - The team with the fewest total players!
Westminster Coach - No way. The team with the most passing attempts per game
Crown Coach - The team that has changed their logo the most times in the past five years
NWC Coach - The team with the most six-year starters.
MacMurray Coach - (He wasn't there. Because they probably didn't even have a coach at this time.)
Corey Borchardt - This is exhausting. How bout we just put all the teams in a hat and randomly draw one out.
Coaches - Yeah, that makes sense to us. It's really the only fair way to decide. Let's go read UMAC Central Blog now. Yay!

Please, please, please UMAC coaches and commissioner. Stop mailing it in and come up with a more logical system for determining a tie-breaker next year. This is absurd. 3 teams' entire seasons came down to pieces of paper being drawn out of a hat. This is supposed to be college football. Come on man!

Best In-Game Singing/Chanting Team
Greenville College - All we can say about this is, "I love EMAP. I love EMAP. I love EMAP." We did some research and discovered that EMAP means, "Every Man a Panther" - you're welcome for that little nugget of information. I mean I love non-stop gregorian chants during a football game as much as the next guy, but let's leave the chanting where it belongs - in the softball dugout.

Best Post-Game Singing Team
Northwestern College - This one isn't even close. After the game we were able to see Northwestern play live, they gathered for a postgame huddle and to end it they all stand and sing their team song. The harmonies were so beautiful it nearly brought tears to our eyes. Of course, as the Eagles are probably the only team in the nation with an honorary choir coach (http://www.nwc.edu/web/guest/crossing-the-invisible-line), it comes as no surprise they would champion this award.

Best Announcers
St. Scholastica - No surprise here. Some favorite quotes on the season include, "Get out the DNA test!", "Nick Thiry - BEAST MODE!", and "Apparently Scholastica doesn't know that this is a weapons-free campus because they keep shooting themselves in the foot."

Fastest Tortoise Award
Minnesota Morris - First, allow us to give some background information on the name of this award. Tortoises are known for being slow animals, thus being the fastest tortoise is, in fact, not a particularly impressive accomplishment. Are we all up to speed now? Good. So how does this pertain to Morris you say? Thank you for asking. While the Cougars did finish in fourth place, they were pretty irrelevant as they lost to all of the top 3 teams and were never a legitimate threat to win the conference. Although, they were better than the 5 other teams of the conference... thus making them the fastest tortoise... which is better than being the slowest tortoise I suppose.

Most Dangerous Field
MacMurray College - This is actually for the entire nation, not just the UMAC. Between the endzone that can only go eight yards deep before turning into Bunker Hill, a field that contains more rocks than a quarry, and lines that look like the kindergarteners got into the chalk again it is a surprise that no one has died on their field yet. We hear the U.S. Army is actually going to start doing training on this field to prepare the troops for going into combat zones.


The Block Out the Sun Award
Minnesota Morris' guards - The Cougars' guards start every play from a two-point stance. Need we say more?

Ironic Tweet of the Year
Eureka SID Bryan Moore
This tweet by Bryan was in response to our suggestion that Eureka was focusing more on Sam Durley's rise to fame than winning games. The ironic part comes after this tweet because the Eureka Fighting Durleys lost all three remaining games following the reply, including a humbling loss at the hands of the lowly Highlanders. In reply to your tweet, Mr. Moore: Yes, it appears so.







Most Deceptive Team 

Greenville College- To begin with, the Panthers lull you to sleep by chanting for the entire game as previously mentioned. But the deception really kicks in at the beginning of the game when the "Panthers" show up in Tiger uniforms. All week teams were expecting to be playing against the Panthers, but instead the Tigers showed up. Lesson learned. Never trust a chanting panther.

This is a panther

This is a tiger

Interesting Stat of the Year
As anyone in the nation who pays attention to college football knows, on September 1st (week 1), Eureka QB Sam Durley set the all-time NCAA record for passing yards in a game as he threw for 736 yards against Knox College. But what most people in the nation who pay attention to college football don't know, is over the next 4 games combined Mr. Durley passed for 755 yards. Now I'm not saying breaking a 12-year old national record against a team who boasts the third-worst defense in all of college football and has only won 3 games in the last 3 years is not impressive. But after noting his stats the next 4 weeks after setting the mark, I think it says less about the player who broke the record and more about who the team the record was broken against.

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Congratulations to all of the award winners! Graduating seniors, you will be missed, enjoy your transition into the "real world". Everyone else, put in some hard work this off-season, make yourselves and your teams better, and we look forward to seeing some good competition in the UMAC next year.

Signing off for the year,

-UMAC Central