By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com
How does a team start 0-3 and make the playoffs?
You might well be able to get an answer from Allegheny’s Mark Matlak in a couple of weeks. Suggest the playoffs to him now, and the coach in his second year in charge of his alma mater gets really candid with you.
“We got two games left now, we’ve still got to win them,” he says. “We aren’t that good.”
Of course, Matlak knows his team isn’t that bad either. After opening with three September losses to teams who have a combined record of 19-5, his team has won five consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference games, defeating the conference’s two playoff teams from last season in Wabash and Wittenberg. The Gators, a late-’80s amd early-’90s power and the 1990 national champions, could find themselves back in the Division III playoffs with wins against Earlham (1-7) and Ohio Wesleyan (3-5).
That’s one of the gifts of the automatic qualifier system. A team isn’t penalized for playing a difficult out-of-conference schedule, and losses to those teams in the early going won’t ruin a season. In fact, it tested the Gators’ mettle.
After opening with losses to ranked teams in Baldwin-Wallace (now 7-1), Washington & Jefferson (7-1) and a Pool B contender in Westminster, Pa. (5-3, 5-1 against D-III teams), Allegheny took what they could from the losses and focused on the NCAC slate.
“I just told ’em we have to start over,” Matlak said. “We tried to accentuate the positive. I told ’em we have come off three tough football games … tried to turn a negative into a positive (by saying) we are not as bad as our record, and we have a clean slate.”
While Baldwin-Wallace, which started the season in the top five, beat the Gators 45-26, the games against PAC opponents were much closer.
Though Matlak admits that “Baldwin-Wallace kicked our tail,” Washington & Jefferson needed to intercept a last-minute Bubba Smith pass in the end zone to hang on in a 28-23 victory, and Westminster blocked an overtime field goal then kicked a 31-yarder of its own to win 3-0 in the mud.
“It came down to the last 10 seconds against W&J and then we played an overtime game and there was a great environment at Baldwin-Wallace, Matlak said. “We were in some playoff type games.”
“Then we caught a break against Wabash with the weather,” he said, “and we’ve been able to get on a good run here.”
The run included a 7-6 win over the defending NCAC champion Little Giants, where the defense recovered a fumble on the 9-yard line that led to the Gators’ TD. Two weeks later, the Gators won at Wooster, a team some thought could represent the NCAC in this season’s playoffs. Wooster tailback Tony Sutton rushed for 195 yards and the Scots ran 87 plays to the Gators’ 42, but Allegheny used three big plays, including a 77-yard fourth quarter punt return by Brian Woods to win 26-20.
On Saturday, the Gators beat NCAC power Wittenberg for the first time since 1996, keeping the Tigers off the board for the final 26:35 and winning 27-21, despite giving up 259 rushing yards.
“We’ve just had really a good team effort,” Matlak said. “One week it’s the offense, one it’s the defense, the next week we do something in the kicking game.”
The Gators will likely get a tough playoff draw because of their three losses, but they have some assets. Smith, the quarterback, and receiver Jon Turner hold Allegheny career records in passing and receiving, and running back Jamie Sye is gaining 4.8 yards per carry.
On defense, four players (Steve Williams, Elliot George, David Pisanick and Adam Klimas) each have at least 50 tackles, and Mike Soltis has 6½ sacks and 14½ tackles for losses, both team highs.
Matlak returned to his alma mater after former coach Blair Hrovat was revealed to have lied about receiving a college degree and resigned. When Matlak arrived, the Gators had slid from nine consecutive seasons with two losses or fewer (1990-98) to 6-4 in 1999, 7-3 in 2000 and 5-5 in 2001, Hrovat’s final season. The Gators upset Washington & Jefferson in 2002, and won three of four to finish 5-5. But Matlak, who took the job a month before the 2002 season began, thought the Gators had — and still have — a way to go to build a strong program.
“I thought it would take some time to get us out of the slide,” Matlak said. “I think we’ve got to give credit to the staff and the kids. By no means did I think we’d be at this point now.”
With Wittenberg and Wabash making last season’s playoffs and Oberlin steadily improving, Matlak thinks the NCAC is “a pretty competitive league.”
“My expectation this year, to be quite frank, I thought we’d really have to play our tails off to get into the upper third of this league,” Matlak said. “I knew we’d be a year better than we were but I thought we’d have to be a lot better to jump into the top third.”
As far as opening with such competitive games, Matlak said: “I didn’t have anything to do with that, I think the schedule was craziness. The previous regime felt like they wanted to be battle-tested before they get into the conference.”
Matlak might prefer not to play so many tough teams in a row. “If it was me, if I were doing the schedule, I’d balance the schedule out a little bit,” Matlak said.
For instance, Matlak said he was really impressed by Baldwin-Wallace.
“With Mount Union beating them pretty handily, I was saying, how good are (the Purple Raiders)?”
Matlak and Allegheny just may find out in this year’s postseason.
Rivalry time
It’s the time of year when we at D3football.com tip our hats to some of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in college football. Though some rivals, like St. John’s and St. Thomas or Pacific Lutheran and Linfield, have already met in conference play, there are also those rivalries that are set for a specific November weekend.
Most of those play in Week 11, on Nov. 15, but Amherst and Williams, rivals who have played more games than any two teams in Division I-A, II or III, meet this weekend for the 118th time. I wrote about this and other great rivalries in Around the Nation last Nov. 14.
Another neat rivalry to watch is in the SCIAC, where Pomona-Pitzer will hit the road against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Sort of.
Pomona College and Claremont Men’s College actually joined forces for intercollegiate competition from 1947-58, until Claremont joined with Harvey Mudd College to comprise its athletics teams.
Currently, students at Claremont-McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Scripps colleges compete on combined athletic teams. Students from Pomona and Pitzer colleges unite on Division III’s only other teams combined from more than one institution.
All five schools are members of the Claremont Colleges, a group of five undergraduate and two graduate schools where students are encouraged to take classes at the other institutions, all located in close proximity.
So when these two teams face off against their opponents on Saturday, they might be stuck in a study group with those “opponents” on Monday.
Spirit of Division III
This is also the time of year where I get nostalgic and wax poetic about hard-working seniors and underappreciated offensive linemen playing their final home game, or final game period. I usually remind fans and watching parents to give them an extra hand, and make sure they let those players know how much they appreciated watching them play for four (or sometimes five) years.
This year, I’ve collected thoughts on the spirit of Division III football from Around the Nation readers. We asked in a couple different ways, and your answers varied. Here’s some of what you all came up with. (We’ll share more with you next week):
“What Division 3 football is … well, let’s start with what d3 football isn’t. It’s not easy, it’s not a bunch a people that are only in college long enough to get noticed by pro scouts and then bail on our education.
D3 is fun, not to say that it isn’t hard work, especially for those that took time-off after high school, but it is well worth it.
D3 football is family, it’s all about the 10 other guys out there with you and the other numbers on the sideline coming together as one unit to accomplish a goal.
It’s about being willing to go out there and play no matter how hurt you are, no matter how many points you score or the other team scores on you. It’s about being willing to put your body on the line every snap not only for the love of the game, but for all of the other players on your team, you play like every snap is your last play, cause it might be. That’s what D3 football is all about.”
— Justin Lyman, 21, Sanford, Maine (Lakeland)
“This is an extremely tough question because the answer varies so much by school. However, in my opinion Division III football should provide STUDENT-athletes an opportunity to continue their football careers while placing priority on graduating students with valuable degrees that will assist them in gaining post-graduate success. In other words, I feel few Division I athletes are truly STUDENT-athletes. In many cases, they are in school simply to play a sport. This should never be the mission of Division III. One of the appeals of this level is that it places academics first. The day Division III loses its priority on academics it becomes nothing more than smaller wannabe football factories.
— Jimmy Grant, 29, Fallston, Md. (Beloit)
Q: We’re interested to hear why life is unique in your corner of the Division III world. Take a minute and share what’s great about your campus, your state, your team and the people you know.
A: Since the invention of the automobile, fans have parked their cars around the bowl that overlooks Scott S. Bair Stadium. Surrounded by Model T's, ’57 Chevys, and SUVs over the years, McDaniel offers the only drive-in stadium (to the best of our knowledge). Tailgaiting and pets are permitted, and on any given Saturday, one can find a wide range of food being prepared atop the hill, and plenty of beer flowing. More inventive fans bring their couches in on trucks or atop of their vans just to add a bit more comfort to the experience. It’s not the world's largest outdoor cocktail party, but it may be the closest thing to it in D-III.
— Steve Peed, 26, Westminster, Md. (McDaniel)
“I went to UW-La Crosse and graduated in 2000. The first year I was there was in 1995, when UWL won the national championship. I worked as an equipment manager so I got to know a lot of the players personally.
What makes Division III football so much better and unique is the fact that players are truly student-athletes. They don’t get scholarships and their chances of making it to the NFL are slim. They are there to get a degree as well as play football. This combination is why D-III is so unique.”
— Ryan Pesanka (UW-La Crosse)
“D3 football is the Cortaca Jug game between Cortland and Ithaca. Where students and alumni make plans starting in September for the game that takes place in early November.
You get to the game early to tailgate and roll in just before kickoff knowing that unless you are hours early, you are going to be standing anyway. Screaming your brains out supporting your team trying to come up with a new response to the inevitable “state school” and “that’s alright, that’s ok, you’ll work for us someday” chants the Ithaca students use. And only being able to reply with old standbys … Then going home with a win and celebrating at the bars that night.
For the rest of the year letting every Ithaca grad that you know that you are the king of the world, at least until the following November. This even played out between a ’91 Cortland grad (me) and a ’67 Ithaca grad at Oak Hill Country Club during the PGA Championship. As I was watching the action and wearing my most recent Cortaca Jug T-shirt I felt a tap on my shoulder and the question “Who won this year?” When I gleefully responded “Cortland!” I saw the smile slowly fade from his face. Never wanting to let a Bomber off easy, I said “You wanted to give me some crap didn’t you? Well, I guess you'll have to wait until next year!”
— Mike, 34, from Rochester
Dale McNaughton, a Wartburg grad from Kingwood, Texas, also allowed me to share this with you:
“Keith, you missed another great game of the week that you should have given some acknowledgement.
I'm talking about the great Lutheran grudge match, Wartburg vs. Luther taking place at Decorah this weekend. Both teams are undefeated and have a chance to take a top spot in the Iowa Conference championship race (Not biased, but Luther has no chance!).
This game is a very heated rivalry that goes back many, many years. As I played for Wartburg in the mid-’70s I still remember the excitement we had the week of practice before the Luther game. My only regret is we only won one out of four when I played.
The rivalry means so much that the Wall of Honor at Joe’s Nighthawk Restaurant and Bar, off of Wartburg’s campus has a caricature of a Wartburg All-American from the ’60s or ’70s with his picture upside down because he let one of his children attend Luther!
I don’t know if you've ever been to Waverly, Iowa, Wartburg’s home, but suggest you make a visit to see a game in our new stadium and take in the atmosphere before and after the game. Last year when I was back for Homecoming, I couldn’t believe the number of people in the parking lots across from the stadium with grills and picnics. It really had a D-I feel to the game.
Love the D-III Football Web site and the stories and reports you and the other writers contribute. Keep up the great work.”
Conference check-up
Here’s Around the Nation’s latest look at which of the nation’s 27 conferences are pretty much wrapped up, and which have key games remaining. Automatic qualifier (Pool A) conferences marked with an asterisk:
Clinched
Empire 8 (Ithaca)
*IBC (Concordia-Wisconsin)
*Midwest (St. Norbert)
In the bag, barring upset:
*FFC (Springfield)
*IIAC (Wartburg)
*MIAA (Hope)
*NCAC (Allegheny)
NESCAC (Trinity, Conn.)
NEFC Boyd (Curry)
NEFC Bogan (Westfield State)
*OAC (Mount Union)
*ODAC (Bridgewater)
*SCAC (Trinity, Texas)
*SCIAC (Redlands)
*USAC (Christopher Newport)
Conferences with key games remaining:
ACFC – Nov. 15 Frostburg State at Salisbury
*ASC – Nov. 8 East Texas Baptist at Mary Hardin-Baylor
*Centennial – Nov. 15 Johns Hopkins at McDaniel
*CCIW – Nov. 15 Wheaton at Augustana
*HCAC – Nov. 8 Mt. St. Joseph at Hanover
*MAC – Nov. 8 Delaware Valley at Wilkes; Nov. 15 King’s at Wilkes
*MIAC – Nov. 8 Bethel at St. John’s
NJAC – Nov. 15 Montclair State at Rowan
NWC – Nov. 8 Linfield at Whitworth; Nov. 15 Linfield at Willamette
PAC – Nov. 15 Westminster (Pa.) at Waynesburg
UAA – Nov. 8 Washington U. at Carnegie Mellon
UCAA – Nov. 15 Hobart at RPI
*WIAC – Nov. 15 UW-Whitewater at UW-La Crosse
Having already handled Adrian, Hope doesn’t technically have the MIAA in the bag, but it would take consecutive losses to Olivet and Albion for the Flying Dutchmen to falter, so I moved them up. … In the Centennial, McDaniel’s early-season win against Muhlenberg gives the 4-4 Green Terror the tiebreaker over the Mules. If Johns Hopkins wins, the Blue Jays and Mules each finish 5-1 in the CC, and the Mules hold the advantage over JHU due to a 14-6 loss on Oct. 25.… A Mt. St. Joseph win over Hanover could force a three-way tie in the HCAC, but don’t count on it. … Montclair State put itself in the NJAC driver’s seat with the win over TCNJ, but rival Rowan still looms. TCNJ still has a conference game with Kean, and Rowan has William Paterson. A three-way tie is possible … Linfield and Willamette appear to be on a crash course in the Northwest. … A three-way tie is possible in the PAC, with W&J having beaten Westminster, Waynesburg having beaten W&J and the Yellow Jackets and Titans yet to play. … Redlands is still in control of the SCIAC, but Cal Lutheran moved past Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps into second. The Bulldogs defeated the Kingsmen 28-17 on Sept. 20 and hold an advantage. … Despite last week’s developments, La Crosse and Whitewater still lead the fight for the WIAC’s bid. … In the MAC, it’s Delaware Valley’s race to lose, but Lycoming has to like its chances, even though it has to pull for Wilkes or Widener to defeat the Aggies.
Pool C watch
Bad news for fans of Simpson, Hampden-Sydney, Johns Hopkins and the like. I believe there are two Pool C locks, in Baldwin-Wallace (runner-up to Mount Union in the OAC) and the loser of the St. John’s/Bethel game (Each team has swept MIAC opponents and beaten UW-Eau Claire. Bethel has also beaten Whitworth of the NWC). There could be a third lock, Wheaton, if Augustana wins the CCIW title by beating the Thunder on Nov. 15. If Mary Hardin-Baylor stumbles against East Texas Baptist (they need to lose by seven or more to lose the ASC tiebreaker), they could still finish 9-1 and have a good Pool C case.
This is what’s wrong with the system; if we’re going to let three- and four-loss teams get into the show via the AQ, which I am a big fan of, then a 9-1 runner-up in an AQ conference should have a chance. I realize the door will be opened for this in 2005 when the playoff field expands to 32, but that will be little consolation to a team like Hampden-Sydney, who could miss out on the playoffs basically by virtue of a controversial last-minute touchdown in the Bridgewater game.
Instead of ranking the Pool C candidates top to bottom this week, I’ve separated them into categories:
Likely: Baldwin-Wallace, St. John’s/Bethel loser, Wheaton (if it loses only to Augustana).
Should go, but will possibly stay home: Simpson, Hampden-Sydney, Lycoming
Unlikely: Johns Hopkins
Out of the picture (two losses): MAC runner-up if Lycoming wins, Capital, Hardin-Simmons, Western Connecticut.
Gagliardi watch
Since John Gagliardi won his record-tying 408th game last week, we thought we’d save our last story from one of those closest to him for the week where he could earn win No. 409:
“It was the summer of 1974. I was going to be a junior in high school.
Dad had a returning sophomore quarterback (future all-American Jeff Norman) that was very good at running option plays. Dad was looking for ways to better use Jeff and had come up with an idea for expanding the triple option into a quadruple option. In that day everyone was using a 5-man defensive line. The question Dad needed answered, was could a quarterback make two quick reads into the defensive line — first reading the tackle and then the end — using a halfback and fullback?
We lived in the country near the St. John’s campus and there was no one around to try this out. My two sisters (17 & 12 years old), with little excitement, became defensive linemen. Dad was a running back and my little brother (8), now Dad’s assistant coach of 12 years, became the fullback. With me at quarterback, we beat those girls every time!
This little innovation, in the hands of some talented athletes, led to several national rushing records and a NCAA national championship in 1976. (A few years later, I was even fortunate enough to be able to run this offense for a season and a half at St. John’s thanks to an unfortunate injury of our starting quarterback).
While Dad’s practices are famous for not being too tough, physically, they are mentally demanding. This Jeff Norman backfield returned 25 years later for their anniversary and ran the quadruple option, for the team, to perfection.
John J. Gagliardi (Jr.)
Research Scientist, 3M
SJU Quarterback 1979-1980”
Stat of the week
Montclair State, which took control of the NJAC with a win at New Jersey, apparently has just three seniors on the roster. By comparison, they have 32 freshmen, 26 sophomores and 23 juniors.
National game of the week
No. 10 Bethel at No. 2 St. John’s: Not only is the MIAC title up for grabs, but this is very likely a meeting between two Division III playoff teams. Oh yeah, and there’s that possibility that Johnnies coach John Gagliardi could win his 409th game, which would be an all-divisions record for a college coach.
Also keep an eye on: No. 3 Linfield at Whitworth, East Texas Baptist at No. 4 Mary Hardin-Baylor, No. 16 Brockport State at No. 24 TCNJ, Mt. St. Joseph at Hanover, Delaware Valley at Wilkes, Amherst at Williams, Curry at Westfield State, Muhlenberg at Union, St. John Fisher at Hobart, Washington at Carnegie Mellon, UW-Oshkosh at UW-Whitewater, UW-Stout at UW-Eau Claire, Menlo at Pacific Lutheran, Pomona-Pitzer at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Your feedback
As always, Around the Nation is interested in your thoughts on certain subjects. When you write in, please include your full name, age, hometown and school you root for.
1. Your fondest memories of Pacific Lutheran coach Frosty Westering are encouraged.
2. Your questions about the playoffs and playoff chances are encouraged.
3. ATN is also accepting your most unique names in Division III.
