Man did I do good last week. Not only did I get every pick correct, I also came within 4 points of picking the St. Scholastica/MacMurray game exactly right. I predicted Luke Rothe would go off, which he did so even more than I predicted. In that same game, I said IWC WR Ridge Hobbs would have a good game, and while he didn't get as many yards receiving as I said, he made up for it with his kickoff return TD. On top of all that, I was only 1 point off of getting Crown's score correct (although I was a fair bit off with Greenville's...). So needless to say, I am on a roll and I don't feel like stopping just yet.
Minnesota-Morris @ Westminster- Although they lost by 14 last week, there was some good that came out of Westminster's loss. QB Joe Plassmeyer threw for a season high 256 yards and 3 touchdowns against a tough Eureka defense finally looking like the quarterback we saw last season. For the Cougars, they discovered a new talent last week in QB Donnie Mavencamp, who broke the school record in his first career start, throwing for 404 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although I am not sure who is starting for the Cougars this week, with first year starter Caleb McLaren also having a good year. But all that aside, these teams are very similar on defense, ranking just about equally in yards and points allowed. The advantage that Westminster has, is that they have the conference leader in rushing yards in Ronnie Seals Jr. and they did not have a 10 hour drive to get to the game. I think Seals sets a season high mark against the Cougars, going over 154 yards with a pair of touchdowns.Westminster 34 Minnesota-Morris 27
Eureka @ Martin Luther- Eureka heads up to Minnesota this week for what could be an easy win over a young Martin Luther squad. On the other hand, Martin Luther's offense has loads of confidence after posting 68 points last week. Luke Rothe and friends will be looking to continue last week's scoring havoc against Eureka but will face some stiff opposition from the Red Devils defense who has been very good at stopping the run this season. But the Knights' offense has a lot of tricks up their sleeves and could be a surprise to Eureka. If I had to pick an upset this week, this would be it. However, I do not have to so I am not going to. But if it does go the other way, I'm going to claim half a win. Eureka 41 Martin Luther 33
Greenville @ MacMurray- Its a rough three week stretch for MacMurray as they faced St. Scholastica last week and now play host to the Panthers before Eureka comes into town next week. Playing the top three conference teams in a row is tough for any team, but especially so for a MacMurray team that needs morale boosting more than anyone in the UMAC. I really wish I could find some way to pick the Highlanders in this game, but really either on paper or on the field, there's not a reasonable way. Greenville will take home a relatively easy win. Greenville 45 MacMurray 14
Crown @ Iowa Wesleyan- I really don't know what to think about this Crown team. They have faced a lot of solid teams so far and have not really been blown out yet, despite a lack of offensive production. Their defense is sneaky good – even when they allow opposing teams to gain yards, they do not let them convert those drives into points. Iowa Wesleyan has been in a few blowouts, winning one and losing a couple, before that shootout last week with Martin Luther. It's been a tough ride so far for both teams, and neither team really stands out, but I think the Tigers will win one for their home crowd. Iowa Wesleyan 21 Crown 14
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Northwestern- This is one of those games I was looking forward to before the season even started and I am even more excited for it now. After the Eagles upset the Saints last season, St. Scholastica will be looking for blood as they head to Northwestern's home turf (well technically home grass). The Saints' have been running over teams this season with victories of 36, 28, 10, and 37, although over mostly teams in the bottom half of the conference. This week will be their first real test. Northwestern gained a lot of confidence offensively last week putting up 50 points and finishing off the win with a 2 minute drive and a defensive stand to seal the deal. I think what it comes down to is how Northwestern can stop the powerful St. Scholastica run game. The Eagles have only allowed 73 yards on the ground each week but they face a team this week who is averaging 328 rushing yards per conference game. It will be a like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. To me, its not much of a question who wins that battle. *Prediction Alert* RBs Jake Jensen and Chris Gassert combine for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Saints to victory.
St. Scholastica 28 Northwestern 17
St. Scholastica 28 Northwestern 17
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