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
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| (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.
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