2016 Around the Great Lakes columns

November 16, 2016 Perseverance pays off for Wittenberg When Denison kicker Connor Dunn’s 33-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with 21 seconds left, Wittenberg thought that was it for the season. Fortunately for the Tigers, they were able to regroup, and things fell into place around them.

November 9, 2016 Seniors lead Olivet back to playoffs Olivet coach Dan Pifer has no problem telling anyone how much the senior leadership means to his Comets. He merely points to the team’s eight wins – especially the four decided by a touchdown or less.

November 1, 2016 Defense leads John Carroll, again John Carroll’s defensive players are stingy – and they’re becoming less and less generous each week as well.

October 25, 2016 Denison breaking through When looking at the NCAC standings, it might seem strange to see a team other than Wabash or Wittenberg at the top. But while Denison has reached the top, it faces a big challenge to remain there the next three weeks.

October 18, 2016 New look for CWRU, but strong results Case Western Reserve is right where it wants to be at this point in the season – unbeaten and tied atop the PAC standings with Thomas More. But, the Spartans didn’t get there exactly the way they thought they would.

October 11, 2016 New-look Saints survive challenging start Like many teams heading into this season, Thomas More faced many lineup questions. Unlike many teams, though, the Saints had a playoff-caliber opener on the road, another road game and then games against three conference contenders.

October 4, 2016 So far, two heads are better than one under center for Purple Raiders It’s rare to have a freshman quarterback under center for a defending national champion. And it's probably even more rare to have two, but Luke Poorman and D'Angelo Fulford are getting the job done so far, said Mount Union coach Vince Kehres.

September 27, 2016 Old and new spark Kenyon offense The Lords hoped to work their freshman quarterback into the offense gradually, but an injury forced their hand. Now he's teaming up with a senior receiver to help Kenyon to its best start since 1984.

September 20, 2016 Trading skates for spikes Carnegie Mellon senior defensive lineman Brian Khoury once thought his future was going to be on ice. Now, he hopes it continues on turf.

September 13, 2016 Wabash passes first test “You don’t know who your football team is until after the first game. It’s the great revealer," says Wabash coach Don Morel. And the Little Giants survived a season-opening roller coaster.

September 7, 2016 Benzel points the way for Titans The Westminster (Pa.) program has a long history of success, just not in the 21st century. But the Titans are beginning to remember what winning feels like under coach Scott Benzel.

August 30, 2016 10 games to watch for 2016 Around the Great Lakes columnist Joe Sager gets us ready for the season with the top 10 games going on in his neck of the woods. Most of them will have less snow than this photo does.