By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
The Centennial Conference race is now in full-fledged barnburner status after Muhlenberg knocked off No. 20 Johns Hopkins 14-6. The Mules became the first team this season to score two offensive touchdowns in the first half over the Blue Jays, and Matt Bernardo became the first player to score twice over JHU. Bernardo's two touchdown runs of 47 and 3 yards capped a day in which he carried 33 times for 135 yards.
"I told them (his teammates) I'd break a long one," the senior told the Allentown Morning Call. "It felt awesome ... I haven't had a run like that since last year."
The Blue Jays never found their footing and lose for the first time in 364 days; their last loss was a 17-12 defeat on Oct. 26, 2002 at Randolph-Macon. The Centennial has been evened tremendously with the JHU loss. Four Centennial squads have one conference loss: Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, and Muhlenberg.
Muhlenberg can clinch a conference tie with a win this Saturday at Gettysburg. The Mules started their conference schedule against McDaniel in Week 3 and have played conference games ever since. Their game at the battlefield on Saturday is their final conference test of the year, with two non-conference matchups against Union and Moravian to follow. Here is the list of potential playoff scenarios.
1. If Muhlenberg beats Gettysburg, the Mules clinch a conference tie. A McDaniel loss this week against Franklin & Marshall or Johns Hopkins in the last week of the season will send the Mules back to the playoffs.
2. Gettysburg can take the conference if they win their games against Muhlenberg, Dickinson, and Franklin & Marshall along with a second Johns Hopkins conference loss. Hopkins hosts Ursinus on Saturday.
3. The Blue Jays can win the conference with wins against Ursinus and McDaniel and a Muhlenberg loss at Gettysburg.
4. McDaniel would go to the playoffs winning their two remaining conference games against Franklin & Marshall and Johns Hopkins, both of which will be played at home. A Gettysburg loss on Saturday is also necessary for the Green Terror.
We are assured of the following:
1. Gettysburg or Muhlenberg will have two conference losses. These two play each other on Saturday.
2. Johns Hopkins or McDaniel will have two conference losses. They will hook up in the final regular season game on November 15.
3. Much can change in the final three weeks of the season.
Pool B Watch
Within my zone of coverage, Salisbury is the only team with a chance at a Pool B bid, and the only Mid-Atlantic region team that remains undefeated. However, a look at the strength of schedule ratings, the Sea Gulls are dead last amongst the Top 50 teams in the country. Playoff possible squads ahead of Salisbury include:
No. 21 Brockport State
No. 18 Ithaca
No. 3 Linfield
No. 16 New Jersey
Pacific Lutheran
RPI
No. 20 Rowan
St. John Fisher
No. 25 Waynesburg
Washington & Jefferson
With only six Pool B berths on the line, the Sea Gulls stand on their record, and while that record may be 8-1 or 9-0, the weak schedule we have spoken of all season may come back to bite them. Combine that with the NJAC's return to the ranks of Pool B (with New Jersey City's discontinuing their football program), and Salisbury has a tougher time of winning out and getting in.
Lax ODAC
Bridgewater and Hampden-Sydney won, as we would expect. It appears as though Bridgewater will go on to win the ODAC with its come-from-behind win against HSC to be the deciding factor in the conference. Both squads play sub-.500 teams in their last three games. HSC needs some large margins of victory (and needs to hope the committee cares about such things) in order to hope for one of the three Pool C bids.
Big MAC attack
We have followed two tremendous offensive talents from the MAC all season, Susquehanna's Mark Bartosic and Wilkes's Brett Trichilo. It was a slow day for Bartosic, catching only five passes for 53 yards. He moves to within 64 yards of becoming the first player in NCAA history with 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons.
Trichilo carried 30 times against the Eagles of Juniata for 266 yards and three touchdowns. The junior is averaging more than 199 yards per game and has 15 touchdowns on the season. His numbers are second in the country only to Wooster's Tony Sutton.
Mid Atlantic Region Top 5
JHU's loss drops them from the top spot in the region. CNU, Bridgewater, and Hampden-Sydney continue to hold their positions and with three games left for each, it appears as though they will hold steady. Del Val remains the interesting story here. Their team goal coming into the season was six wins. Now that they have six wins, and their toughest games ahead of them (save FDU-Florham this weekend), it will be interesting to see how the Aggies respond.
1. Christopher Newport
2. Bridgewater
3. Hampden-Sydney
4. Johns Hopkins
5. Delaware Valley
Games to Watch
Muhlenberg (4-2, 4-1 CC) at Gettysburg (5-2, 2-1 CC), Gettysburg, Pa., 1 p.m.: As mentioned above, both teams must win if they want to see the NCAA playoffs. While neither team controls its own destiny, a loss will severely diminish chances of postseason.
Emory & Henry (2-5, 0-3 ODAC) at Catholic (2-5, 1-2 ODAC), Washington D.C., 1 p.m.: Always a heck of a game. This matchup has been a scoreboard slugfest. The Wasps took it 48-47 in 2002, Catholic 34-21 in 2001 and 50-40 in 2000. This after Catholic got an NCAA bid as an independent as the fourth team in the region in 1998 and Emory & Henry stayed home as the fifth.
Attention SIDs and All
Feel free to contact me with any info, questions, comments about your squad and more. Especially welcome are tidbits of useless knowledge for our "Obscure Media Guide Factoids" segment.