By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
After a long hiatus, it is finally time for Division III football!
The 2007 season was filled with some surprises, like the renaissance at Heidelberg, which finished 4-6 after snapping a 36-game losing streak on opening weekend against Oberlin.
Then came the year of firsts for Case Western Reserve. After they tore through the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Spartans ran the table in the University Athletic Association to claim the school's first outright conference championship in football.
Case Western Reserve also earned a berth into the playoffs and won on a last-second touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Whalen to Jeff Mayer.
The last day of the season featured perhaps the biggest surprise when UW-Whitewater upset Mount Union in the Stagg Bowl. It was their third consecutive meeting in the Stagg Bowl and the Warhawks found a way to slow down a Mount Union offense that averaged 54.2 points per game during the regular season.
While last year was great, it is history. It is time for the helmets to be worn, new teams to emerge and champions to claim their divisions.
This year, the Great Lakes area has some key matchups that will not only decide conference championships, but could very well play a role in who makes the postseason and what teams are watching from the stands. As the Division III faithful plan out their Saturday afternoons for the next 16 weeks, it is time to look at ten top matchups in the Great Lakes Region.
Game No. 10: Adrian at Olivet, Nov. 15
The Olivet Comets knocked Hope out of the postseason last year by winning the head-to-head meeting 28-25 on the road. Though they tied with identical 6-1 conference records, the tiebreaker went to Olivet, who represented the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association in the playoffs.
Last season, Olivet needed a touchdown and extra point with 1:51 remaining in the fourth quarter to win at Adrian 14-13. With the upstart Comets looking for another taste of the postseason and Adrian trying to fight its way back to the top of the MIAA, the last week of the season could decide the conference's playoff representative.
Game No. 9: Washington and Jefferson at Waynesburg, Nov. 15
Much like the MIAA, the Presidents' Athletic Conference will feature the premiere game of the year in the regular season finale. The Presidents and Yellow Jackets were separated by just one point last season, when Bobby Swallow scored from 1 yard out to seal the PAC championship for Washington and Jefferson.
Both offenses are built to score with key players back in the mix. For the Presidents, the arm of Bobby Swallow and legs of Kevin Mathews will carry the offense, while Waynesburg has Robert Heller running the football behind an intact offensive line.
Swallow threw for 3,106 yards and 46 touchdowns against three interceptions, while Mathews racked up 991 yards on the ground and scored 15 total touchdowns. Heller led Division III with 2,176 yards rushing. He was responsible for 27 touchdowns last year and gained 289 yards against the Presidents in his rookie season.
Game No. 8: Hope at Adrian, Oct. 25
The preseason favorites in the MIAA will again meet in Adrian, as they did last year. The Bulldogs, who fell 24-14 against Hope a season ago, were shut out in the first half, but third quarter turnovers cost Adrian. They lost the football on back-to-back fumbles deep in their own territory. On the ensuing drives, Hope scored ten points.
Despite playing on very short fields for most of the third quarter, the Adrian defense played well and forced four Hope College interceptions. With Hope losing 15 starters to graduation, Adrian should be able to redeem themselves from last season.
Game No. 7: Ohio Northern at Mount Union, Sept. 20
The Ohio Athletic Conference prides itself on being competitive year-in, year-out. However, when only one team in the last 14 seasons has been able to beat the Purple Raiders, it draws the criticism of many. The one team to beat Mount Union during its incredible run is Ohio Northern.
During the 2005 season, the Polar Bears went into Alliance and held off the Purple Raiders 21-14 in a game that drew nearly 3,500 fans to Mount Union Stadium. However, the past two meetings have gone to the Purple Raiders in convincing fashion.
Ohio Northern lost its leader in Lenny Trusnik to graduation, but the Purple Raiders are also replacing key members of their defense. If the Polar Bears can neutralize the combination of Nate Kmic and Greg Micheli, they could once again pull off the upset, but that is one big IF.
Game No. 6: Washington U. at Wittenberg, Sept. 20
The only thing missing from this matchup are the Lions. Washington University and Wittenberg will both get their first looks at the new deal between the North Coast Athletic Conference and University Athletic Association, who agreed to play non-conference games against each other.
Washington University considered its 7-3 2007 season a down year because of two consecutive losses at Carnegie Mellon and Case Western Reserve. Meanwhile, the Tigers saw their playoff hopes dashed by losses to Capital (13-0) and Wabash (24-17). The winner of this game will find themselves one step closer to the playoffs, while the loser could finish a step short of the postseason.
Game No. 5: Capital at Ohio Northern, Nov. 8
In a conference where a national championship contender is on the schedule every fall, there is no room for error in the other nine games in the season. The Capital Crusaders have been to the postseason each of the last three seasons, while Ohio Northern has not seen the playoffs since 2000.
The Crusaders beat Ohio Northern 24-6 last season with their third option at quarterback and without an All-America candidate at wide receiver. However, in the off-season, Ohio Northern landed transfer wide receiver Ro Grigsby. Originally slated to play at Kansas State University, Grigsby was the MVP of the 2004 Ohio North-South Classic.
Game No. 4: Case Western Reserve at Washington U., Nov. 15
The Spartans and Bears had a great game in 2007 that came down to the last play. Case Western Reserve scored and on the ensuing kickoff had to stop a multiple lateral play by the Bears to secure its first outright UAA title. This year, the meeting will be in St. Louis.
The Bears added 41 players to their roster through recruiting and each one of the returning lettermen remember the disappointment they had at Case Field. Case's offense returns nearly intact with quarterback Dan Whalen back to lead the offense. Junior wide receiver Tim Cowdrick will be back after an injury during last season's match-up with Washington University.
Game No. 3: DePauw at Wabash, Nov. 15
The 115th Monon Bell Classic will be quite a battle this season. Last year's game was decided on Jordan Havercamp's 47-yard field goal as time expired. The loss to DePauw cost Wabash a second-round home game, forcing the Little Giants to make the trip to Cleveland to play Case Western Reserve.
This year, the Little Giants are at home and are looking to bring the Bell back to Crawfordsville. Wabash has not lost consecutive games to DePauw since they lost five straight from 1996-2000. The game has gotten so important to both schools, HDNet will broadcast the game for the third consecutive year.
Game No. 2: Wabash at Wittenberg, Oct. 18
The consensus pick for game of the year in the North Coast Athletic Conference will affect the playoff hopes of each squad. Wabash beat Wittenberg at home 24-17 in 2007 and has key guys back on the offense.
Two big questions still face the Little Giants. First, who will replace All-American linebacker Adi Pynenberg? They also must adjust to a new coaching staff that has installed new schemes on both sides of the ball.
Wittenberg and Wabash have traded victories against each other since 2003.
Game No. 1: St. John Fisher at Mount Union, Sept. 6
The Cardinals and Purple Raiders have met in the postseason each of the last two years. The only times these storied programs have met came during the playoffs. For obvious reasons, Mount Union has trouble finding teams within the North Region willing to play them in non-conference games.
St. John Fisher is looking at this game as a chance to prove they are a team unafraid of a challenge. The preseason picks to win the Ohio Athletic and Empire 8 Athletic Conferences will meet this season in Alliance and complete the agreement with a game at St. John Fisher next season.
With teams ready to line up against each other for real, there's only one thing left to say, have a great season and enjoy some Saturday afternoon Division III football.
