By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
The newly named USA South Conference has garnered its share of the headlines in the first two weeks of the 2003 season. Last week, Chowan recorded one of the best non-conference wins in the program's history knocking off Randolph-Macon, breaking a 10-game losing skid. This week, Christopher Newport hit the road to face McDaniel, topping off a tough opening two weeks of football. After failing to score against Rowan (21-0) in Week 1, the Captains traveled to Westminster for a meeting with McDaniel, losers of their opener at Bridgewater (Va.) (13-10). The Bair Stadium surface was a swamp after heavy rains pummeled the region and fell throughout the contest, leading to a classic low-scoring affair.
McDaniel opened the scoring in the third quarter with a 30-yard David Posin touchdown carry. The PAT attempt from kicker Nate Getchell was wide left and the Terror held a tenuous 6-0 lead. Coach Matt Kelchner's defense kept the Captains alive and the offense cracked their first points of the season with just over four minutes remaining. Thomas Thornton carried the rock for a two yard score and sophomore kicker Jason Broskie added the winning point as the Captains won 7-6.
"Some people might say 7-6 wasn't much of a ballgame, but it was the prettiest one I've ever seen," Kelchner told the Hampton Roads Daily Press. CNU's victory marks the third-year program's best non-conference win, and justifies the brutal non-USAC games that Kelchner scheduled for his squad.
The bigger surprise to the D-III observer is that McDaniel is 0-2 to start the season for the first time since 1996, losing to No. 10 Bridgewater and CNU by a combined four points. The losses put the Green Terror on the hot seat, basically forcing them to win the Centennial Conference automatic bid if there are any hopes for the postseason. Despite the narrow margin of defeat, past history shows it will be impossible for McDaniel to win a Pool C bid with the three losses they would have if they don't win the conference title.
Turning to Week 3, McDaniel's conference for Muhlenberg will travel to Newport News and face the same CNU squad that sullied the Green Terror. McDaniel coach Tim Keating told the Daily Press "I think they wore us out ... they're big and strong and they've got a really nice running game." It will be most interesting to watch how the Mules will respond against CNU. Sharing a common opponent with McDaniel could help Muhlenberg immensely should things in the Centennial not fall the way of the Mules, who lost their season opener to Kings Point.
Unfamiliar sights in the Centennial
The early losses of Muhlenberg and McDaniel have sent the last two Centennial playoff representatives to the bottom of the conference overall standings. Meanwhile, Dickinson, Johns Hopkins, and Ursinus have opened up to 2-0 starts. Dickinson topped Juniata in Week 1 and took a Week 2 contest against Hobart in dramatic fashion as junior kicker Drew Magyar drilled a 31-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining to give the Red Devils their first 2-0 start since 1998. Johns Hopkins has won the first two games of their last three seasons over Rochester and Washington and Lee. The Blue Jays have outscored their opponents by a 63-16 margin and will host Randolph-Macon and travel to Carnegie Mellon over the next two weeks. Meanwhile, the Bears of Ursinus have matched their win total of last year in their first two attempts this season, winning over Susquehanna and Catholic.
Muhlenberg and McDaniel will play each other in Allentown on Sept. 27 and one of these squads will take an early conference loss. While both teams have played strong non-conference opponents, it will be interesting to watch the Centennial this season. There is a sense amongst the other teams that 2003 may be a chance to make a move and turn the tide of the past seven seasons, dominated by McDaniel (nee Western Maryland) and Muhlenberg. Johns Hopkins is probably the strongest of the Centennial field looking to challenge the perennial top two, but will have to play both the Terror and the Mules on the road.
Susquehanna rebounds; MAC picture cloudy
David Wood made his head coaching debut for the Widener Pioneers on Saturday and it was a game he likely would rather forget. The Susquehanna Crusaders, embarrassed by Ursinus a week earlier, came out firing and set Widener down with ease, 27-6. Craig Ullrich threw for two first-half touchdowns while running back Jason Eck scampered for two more Crusader scores.
A week after Susquehanna allowed 173 yards to Ursinus back Gary Sheffield, the Crusader defense surrendered only 16 yards on the ground. "We came out on Monday and had a good week of practice, and I thought that carried over into the game," Crusaders head coach Steve Briggs told the Sunbury Daily Item. Well, obviously. Widener played its first game under David Wood and its first game without Mike Warker and former coach Bill Zwaan, since gone to D-II West Chester.
The Pioneers' loss shocked the crowd at Lycoming's David Person Field where the Warriors rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to beat King's, 31-21. The 10-point margin of victory is somewhat deceiving. King's trailed by three with over two minutes to play and regained possession when Lycoming punted to the King's 5-yard line. The slippery conditions exhibited themselves as King's quarterback David Hessler fumbled in his own end zone and Lycoming's Luke Sterling fell on the loose ball to seal the victory for the Warriors.
The Lycoming win sets up, quite possibly, an early-season must-win next week as Wilkes hosts the Warriors. Wilkes had a bye this week as Brett Trichilo and the Colonels gear up for Lyco. D3football.com's Gordon Mann will have the call for PnG Sports on Saturday; pregame coverage begins at 12:45pm.
Top ODAC teams roll
Bridgewater and Hampden-Sydney won with ease this past weekend; the Eagles shut out Shenandoah 42-0 while the Tigers took a 31-13 victory against Gettysburg. It appears as though these two squads are on a collision course to Oct. 4 when they will meet in Farmville, possibly deciding the ODAC. Between now and then, the Eagles travel to Maryville (Tenn.) and Christopher Newport over the next two weeks before the game against HSC.
While the Scots should pose no match for the Eagles, CNU will test Bridgewater in Week 4. Bridgewater bests McDaniel by 3, Christopher Newport slides past McDaniel by 1 ... the Captains/Eagles game should prove to be a telling contest. Should the Captains provide a tough game to the Eagles, Hampden-Sydney may find themselves as the favorites against the defending ODAC champs. The Tigers have the week off and will head to Guilford before returning for the showdown with Bridgewater.
Guilford provided the only other win for ODAC teams this week. Their 27-24 win over Methodist was the first Quaker victory since Oct. 12, 2002. Emory and Henry, Washington & Lee, Catholic, and Randolph-Macon were handily defeated, scoring a combined 14 points.
Pool B Watch
Salisbury has jumped out to a quick 2-0 start this season with wins over Catholic and William Paterson. As I have expounded in the past, teams vying for Pool B bid must win, period. Frostburg State has an interesting situation this week as the Bobcats host Montclair State from the NJAC. The Red Hawks are a stronger opponent than the Pioneers and in order for Frostburg to keep pace in the Pool B race with Salisbury, a win over a more competitive NJAC squad might sparkle in the eyes of the NCAA committee down the road.
Obscure Mid-Atlantic Region Media Guide Factoid of the Week
Dickinson's Biddle Field is one of the oldest homes in Division III football, dating to 1909. While Biddle has been home to the Red Devils for the last 94 seasons, the stadium played host to one of the most memorable moments in American Olympic history. Jim Thorpe of the Carlisle Indian School won gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Thorpe's dominating performances prompted Sweden's King Gustav I to declare Thorpe as the greatest athlete in the world.
Upon his return from the Olympics, Thorpe was treated to a tremendous celebration at Biddle Field where thousands traveled to pay homage to the athletic wonder. The party was short-lived as Thorpe was stripped of his medals in 1913 after it was determined he was paid for playing amateur baseball. The Carlisle Indian School, both with and without Thorpe, dominated current-day Division III teams, holding a lifetime record of 60-4-4 against teams such as: Albright, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Hamilton, Lebanon Valley, Muhlenberg, Oberlin, Springfield, Susquehanna, and Washington and Jefferson.
Mid-Atlantic Region Top 5
I still believe Hampden-Sydney is the top team in the region. Sophomore quarterback J.D. Ricca appears to have developed a rapport with wideout Conrad Singh, connecting for four touchdowns in the first two games. Bridgewater's impressive shutout over Shenandoah moves them to the second spot this week. After a scoreless first quarter, a 21-point second quarter barrage proved to the Eagles that their offense is alive. Wilkes drops to the third spot while being idle. Lycoming and Christopher Newport round out the top five.
1. Hampden-Sydney
2. Bridgewater
3. Wilkes
4. Lycoming
5. Christopher Newport
Games to Watch
Lycoming at Wilkes, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 1 p.m.: Running back Brett Trichilo broke the 300-yard plateau two weeks ago against Albright and will have a chance to tack on some more against Lycoming. The Warriors surrendered over 160 yards to Richard Johnson of King's and will have to tighten their run defense to have a chance against the Colonels.
Muhlenberg at Christopher Newport, Newport News, Va., 1 p.m.: The Captains must be in ecstasy after their win over McDaniel; now they head home to face another of the Centennial's best offerings. The Mules look to rebound after a sloppy Week 1 loss to No. 25 Kings Point.
Montclair State at Frostburg State, Frostburg, Md., 1 p.m.: The Bobcats defeated Newport News by 16 and will host Montclair in the first of their three home games this season. While the game is out of region, Frostburg needs a firm showing against the Red Hawks to counter a quick 2-0 start by Salisbury, who trounced Montclair's NJAC rival William Paterson 37-6.
