Brandon Chambers and his Thiel teammates made it look easy in the first round vs. Johns Hopkins.

By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com

GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Because Division III is so expansive, it’s easy to overlook the fact that teams like Monmouth, Ferrum, Occidental and Mt. St. Joseph had great seasons, despite being clobbered in their first-round playoff games.

A handful of first-round matchups were difficult to gauge because of the participating teams’ playoff inexperience. But being new to the postseason — and to football success at all, really — didn’t catch folks in Greenville, Pa. off guard. They were ready for Thiel’s playoff debut Saturday against Johns Hopkins, perhaps moreso than the Blue Jays.

From its dominating performance on the field to the show of spirit off it, Thiel made sure its playoff stay would last at least two weeks and be remembered longer. When conference mate Washington and Jefferson lost at Bridgewater, the Tomcats both avoided the only possible second-round rematch in the 32-team field and were left carrying the banner for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.

The story of Thiel’s first playoff win revolved largely around receiver Brandon Chambers, whose 10 catches, 208 yards and three TDs against Johns Hopkins gave him 25, 385 and seven in his past two games. But the story of Thiel’s first playoff appearance is much more complicated.

Jack Leipheimer played tight end for the Tomcats in the early ’70s, and found himself not far from campus coaching at Allegheny for 17 seasons. He was the defensive coordinator when the Gators won the Stagg Bowl in 1990, and was thought to be in line for the head job when Ken O’Keefe (now the Iowa Hawkeyes’ offensive coordinator) took the head job at Fordham after the 1997 season. But Allegheny hired Blair Hrovat instead, and Leipheimer stayed at the school until becoming Thiel’s head coach in 2001. His alma mater was successful only the third time it tried to hire Leipheimer.

The Tomcats had found the end of the spectrum far from success, as its 1996 game with Oberlin was hyped for matching two teams with long losing streaks. A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story from Nov. 13 tells of Washington and Jefferson changing JV players out of street clothes and into uniforms to finish games against Thiel during some of the down years.

While establishing a winning tradtion, Leipheimer helped locate a victory bell that players rang when he played, and it was recently moved to Thiel’s five-year old Alumni Stadium. After the 28-3 win over the Blue Jays, Tomcats rang it once for each point they scored, then sang the school’s fight song while fans and parents looked on from up close.

Those same folks can get another look on Saturday, as Thiel’s second playoff opponent is another that emerged from years in the doldrums. Bridgewater (Va.) had won one conference title before making the playoffs as a runner-up in 2000. Their legendary comeback from a 28-3 deficit for a 59-42 win over W&J marked the start of a six-year playoff run that includes a Stagg Bowl appearance. 

Regardless of whether the Tomcats beat the Eagles on Saturday, they’ve found that the playoffs full of blessings.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said coach Jack Leipheimer, who said he’d received about 100 e-mails the week of the game, including one from an alum who hadn’t been to campus in a dozen years but planned to attend the contest.

“I’m glad to have a chance to play,” said safety Shaun Jackson, beaming. “I’m just enjoying this moment, being here with these guys. I’m just looking forward to getting coach’s next game plan.”

Last Saturday, it was all still new to Thiel officials, who despite being ultra-prepared asked frequently if they were doing an OK job. Immediately post-game, Leipheimer knew his team was the second seed in its playoff bracket, but wasn’t sure if that meant it would host the Bridgewater-W&J winner.

The coach, however, clearly knows something about not only winning, but instilling pride in a program and its players. The phrase ‘do your 1/11th’ came up several times in the post-game press conference. There was mention of preseason goals set in “the players manual,” references to “listening to coach” and from Leipheimer insisting some of the game’s best calls were made by his assistants.

Leipheimer’s is a recipe that should boil over into the postseason more than just this once.

And if it does, there’s a bell Tomcats will be ringing and fight song they’ll be singing again and again.

Jim Leszczynski is UW-Whitewater's leading receiver at 59 catches for 961 yards, but faces a tough test in St. John's secondary. Photo by Pat Coleman, D3football.com

A look at this week’s games
A coach with deep-into-the-playoffs experience told me on Saturday that the round of 16 is where the competition really gets thick. That’s evident in 2005, as almost every game this week could go either way. But I’m not given column space to waffle, and since the predicted scores were such a hit on the Daily Dose this past week, here are my first-glance thoughts on the second round. I predict scores again, in order of most competitive game to least:

St. John’s at UW-Whitewater
Definitely a matchup happening at least one round too early, but the strength of the West bracket is already an old topic. The strength of these teams, however, has sort of been under-acknowledged, as the name recognition on either roster is probably pretty slim nationally. The Johnnies bring the nation’s No. 3 defense to town to face Whitewater’s eighth-ranked offense. St. John’s has the 18th-ranked offense, while the Warhawks aren’t on the defensive top 35 list. That should probably sway me, but I’ve got a feeling that the WIAC finally has a single team that can demonstrate the overall strength of its conference in the playoffs. Whitewater 28, St. John’s 27.

Bridgewater at Thiel
This could be one of the day’s closest games, or if nothing else, the most electrifying with the Eagles’ Marcus Washington and Tomcats’ Brandon Chambers on the same field. The artificial turf should accent Bridgewater’s overall team speed, and the wind tunnelish Alumni Stadium should remind the Eagles of Jopson Field. Especially if Bridgewater travels well, as expected. Though my gut says to take the Eagles’ playoff experience, Thiel is 3-for-3 this year in overtime, playing one more period each time they do it. So Thiel 53, Bridgewater 51, 4 OT.

Rowan at Union
This could be the day’s second-best game, or just another Rowan blowout. But I think that’s recent history and name recognition talking. Union is no pushover, especially at home. But it is coming off a tougher game after outlasting Ithaca 55-41 than the Profs are after beating Wilkes 42-3. Though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Union win, I’m not ready to go there. Rowan 41, Union 35.

Hobart at Delaware Valley
Anyone who figured the Aggies were simply fortunate in close games last season needs to know that only two of Delaware Valley’s 11 wins this season were by one score, and an opponent hasn’t stayed within single digits since mid-October. This is an offense on a roll and a defense that does enough. The Statesmen are one of two Liberty League teams in action; there’s a real opportunity for the league to make a statement for Upstate New York football against the two best teams in the East on Saturday. At plus-11, Hobart is the fourth-best remaining playoff team in turnover margin, behind Linfield, Augustana and Union. Statesmen quarterback Shawn Mizro can match the playmaking of the Aggies’ Adam Knoblauch, so best defense probably wins. No idea where the Aggies will get it from, but I have to go with them. Delaware Valley 31, Hobart 28.

Capital at Wabash
The last of five exceptional second-round matchups, this could be another fireworks show, especially if the Crusaders clean up their five-turnover act from a week prior. But I suspect it will go the other way. The No. 3 and No. 5 run defenses in the country are matched up here, and both offenses are far more efficient through the air anyway. Defense wins the day here, and the Little Giants have it. In what some may consider a mild upset: Wabash 19, Capital 16.

Augustana at Mount Union
OK, time to find out if that regular season Purple Raiders loss was an indication of weakness in a falling dynasty, or just one of Ohio Northern’s strength. In any case, the Vikings bring a 350-yard per game rushing offense to Alliance to face a defense that gave up just 69 rushing yards per game this season. Watch the turnover battle too. The Vikings are plus-17, but the Purple Raiders are often mistake-free in the postseason. The Mount Union defense is second nationally this year, and its offense is No. 1 at 544 yards per game. So can the team of the ’80s summon enough defense to slow the team of the ’90s? Around the Nation’s bet is no. Mount Union 35, Augustana 21.

Concordia-Moorhead at Linfield
The Cobbers are probably still smarting from the only two they’ve lost in their past 23. Scrambling bought time for a last-minute heave that gave St. John’s a regular season 20-16 win this year, and a missed PAT changed a 42-40 loss to Occidental in last year’s playoffs. Concordia could have won all 23, so there’s no doubt they belong in the second round of the playoffs. All the cliches should be at work against the defending champions, from ‘to be the best, you have to beat the best’ to ‘anything can happen on any given Saturday.’ And while I’d like to believe slowing down the Johnnies means slowing down 50-points-per-game Linfield is possible, I’ll have to see it first, thanks. Linfield 41, Concordia 27.

Wesley at Mary Hardin-Baylor
The Wolverines are coming off a dominating playoff win, and three in row overall, by scores of 63-19, 59-13 and 59-14. Over no slouches either, and yet they’re probably the weakest team left in the field. And then they drew the assignment of visiting the scorching Crusaders, who finally get their playoff home game. Wesley’s been Division III’s frequent travelers, playing in Indiana, twice in southern Virginia, in North Carolina, upstate New York and now Texas. Competitively, here’s all you need to know: In six wins since a 24-20 loss to Howard Payne, UMHB has given up just 26 points, with no single opponent scoring more than seven. And two of the opponents shut down were highly ranked Hardin-Simmons and Trinity (Texas). Wesley is a nice team, but I think it’ll find that the Crusaders are on a completely different level. UMHB 30, Wesley 10. 

Week 1 picks performance: 13-3, incorrect on W&J, North Central and Cortland. Still, most of the scores were in the correct neighborhood, except too few points in Wesley-Ferrum and both points and margin of Rowan-Wilkes.

Playoff particulars
The postseason mimics the regular season in many ways, but also has its own unique traits that can alter a team’s preparation.

Here are a few differences people may not know about: 

• Every playoff game kicks off at noon local time, Wilson’s F1001 through 1005 are the official game balls (six per team are provided), the visiting team must wear white and each institution is guaranteed a 500-ticket allotment, with at least half required to be within the 30-yard lines.
• Teams are limited to a 52-man playoff roster and a 62-person traveling party, regardless of if there are 100 or 150 players and coaches in the program. Members of the party can change from week to week and up until 10 minutes before game time, but never during a game or Stagg Bowl practice as a way to sneak 58 players into a workout, I guess.
• Game officials are usually from neutral conferences, are selected by the Division III committee and are paid $175 plus travel expenses for their trouble.
• Coaches get their opponents’ last three games on video from the NCAA representative on site, as soon as the game is finished. That means coaches prepping for second-round opponents had access to the last three regular season games, but not their opponents’ first-round playoff game.
• On paperwork requesting that it be able to host games, a school must specify which weeks it can host. In the case of Thiel, the No. 2 seed in the South bracket, it only asked to host two playoff games. So even though the Tomcats are the highest seed left with No. 1 Trinity out of the field, a win would still send them to either Texas or Delaware next week.

Trophy talk
With the release of the 10 finalists for Division III’s most prestigious trophy, the Gagliardi, a look at the list reveals a no-brainer favorite to win in Linfield’s Brett Elliott.

Or does it? With part of the criteria being exemplifying “the Division III philosophy of the well-rounded student-athlete,” are voters willing to believe that Elliott, a transfer from Division I-A Utah who once started ahead of last year’s NFL No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith, is a true model Division III athlete? There’s not much doubt that he’s the best player in the division, or at least, a big reason why Linfield is the best team.

In case the voters don’t buy it, perhaps someone with a more inspiring story about finding his talent, like Delaware Valley quarterback Adam Knoblauch, could be the second surprise winner in a row. Wesley safety Rocky Myers won the award last season, even though Wooster’s Tony Sutton was likely the player with the most impact on his team‘s won-loss record.

Conference two-step
Of the eight conferences that sent multiple representatives to the playoff field, three have both teams remaining. The MIAC has St. John’s and Concordia-Moorhead, the Liberty League has Hobart and Union and the OAC has both Mount Union and Capital.

The IIAC, on the other hand, was the only league to have its champion and runner-up eliminated in first-round play. Both Coe and Central lost during first week action. 

Half of the PAC was eliminated, with Washington and Jefferson bowing to Bridgewater, which plays PAC champion Thiel this week. Same for the NJAC, which lost Cortland State but advanced Rowan, the MAC, which lost Wilkes but advanced Delaware Valley and the CCIW, which lost North Central, but advanced Augustana.

Pool cleaning
One more look at the bracket, from this perspective:

Of the 21 Pool A (automatic bid) teams in the field, 12 remain. Many of them were eliminated by one another, as eight of the 16 first-round games paired automatic qualifiers and two featured none.

Three of the four Pool B teams in the field remain, including two of the three that made it in the South bracket and defending champion Linfield.

It was not a great year for Pool C, which advanced almost as many teams last season with three bids (two) as it did in this year’s first round with seven (three). Two first-round games (Cortland-Hobart and Capital-North Central) paired teams that did not win their conference, which guaranteed more than one would move on. Concordia-Moorhead was among the three who made the most of their second chance, while Wilkes did not prove it needed to be included, as Cortland did.

The South featured no Pool C teams at all, but three Bs.

First round quick hits
• Road teams were 2-14, more because the home teams were better than taking advantage of playing at home. Capital and Mary Hardin-Baylor were the road winners.
• Purple is the hot color yet again this fall. Mount Union, Linfield, UMHB, Capital and UW-Whitewater feature it prominently in their jerseys.
• Popular scores were 22, 21, 14 and 3, scored by three teams each. All but two winners, who scored 21 and 23, scored at least 27 points. Overall, 40 points or more was scored eight times and 55 or more four times. 
• Eight conference rematches have been avoided so far, and two non-conference rematches are now impossible. Lakeland, which lost 73-12 to UW-Whitewater, was eliminated, as was Central, which beat Augustana 25-24 in Week 1.
• “Crusaders” is the most popular first-round nickname, as UMHB and Capital each moved on. Presidents, Britons, Scots and Muskies bowed out, while Statesmen, Profs, Little Giants and Cobbers advanced.
In the animal kingdom, Lions, Tigers and Panthers lost, while Eagles, Wolverines, Wildcats and Tomcats moved on. Blue Jays, Red Dragons and Cardinals — colorful animals — lost, but Purple Raiders — colorful humans — moved on.

Streak watch
There are two reasons to revisit this regular department now after a short absence. 

One, with a repeat national title, Linfield could come awfully close to catching Trinity (Conn.) for the lead by the time NESCAC play begins four weeks into next season.

Two, some of the best winning streaks are snapped during the playoffs. Monmouth, running third with 17 wins in a row, had their streak snapped Saturday in an eye-opening way during a 59-point playoff loss to St. John’s — which moved up the list, by the way. The first-round playoff losses for Trinity (Texas) and Occidental were also the first of the season for each.

Every team still undefeated in 2005 is now in double digits and included below:
• Trinity, Conn. (30 consecutive wins, last loss at Williams, 30-13, Sept. 28, 2002; 8-0 in 2005)
• Linfield (22 consecutive wins, last loss at St. John’s, 31-25, Dec. 6, 2003; 9-0 in 2005)
• St. John’s (12 consecutive wins, last loss at St. Olaf, 21-19, Oct. 30, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)
• Union (12 consecutive wins, last loss at Hobart, 33-27 in OT, Nov. 6, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)
• Thiel (11 consecutive wins, last loss at Buffalo State, 18-12, Nov. 6, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)
• Delaware Valley (11 consecutive wins, last loss at Rowan, 56-7, Dec. 4, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)
• UW-Whitewater (11 consecutive wins, last loss vs. UW-La Crosse, 35-10, Nov. 13, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)
• Wabash (11 consecutive wins, last loss vs. DePauw, 14-7, Nov. 13, 2004; 11-0 in 2005)

We’ll let the winless teams featured in streak watch slide until our year-end update. Which reminds me ...

Still to come
Even after your favorite team is eliminated, there’s still plenty for you on the D3football.com schedule.

We will webcast live from sites throughout the playoffs, including the Stagg Bowl as we have for the past six years. We shamelessly recommend that you set your computer up near the television, hit mute on the tube and listen to the broadcast team that knows its Division III stuff. Just before game time — and it is a 1 p.m. kickoff this year instead of 11 a.m. — even if you aren’t a fan of the two teams playing, we reveal the D3football.com All-Americans.

Then, after the holidays, we’ll take a comprehensive look back at the season’s best plays, worst moments, biggest finishes and so much more in Around the Nation’s annual year-in-review, which usually goes up during the first week of January. Anyone who wants to nominate anyone for any of the traditional categories (see 2004’s version), send an e-mail to keith@d3football.com with Year in Review in the subject line. Thank you.