By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
I departed Philadelphia at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday morning for an afternoon of the ODAC's best. And 501 miles, 20 hours, two football games, and one Sheetz stop later, I have a firm handle on what to expect from No. 15 Hampden-Sydney and No. 19 Bridgewater.
The day started at Gettysburg's Shirk Field at Musselman Stadium (yes, named after the applesauce producer). Hampden-Sydney fumbled on its first two touches but got a quick handle on the pigskin and opened up to a 38-9 halftime lead.
The offense is sharp and the defense was hounding against a much weaker opponent. J.D. Ricca completed 50 percent of his passes and tossed two touchdowns while C.W. Clemmons tacked on 90 yards and a score in a game which really wasn't much of a contest.
Photo by Gordon Mann, D3football.com C.W. Clemmons has the speed to turn the corner on just about anyone in the region. |
"It's fun. Putting points on the board is what you come out here for," Clemmons said after the blowout. And that's certainly what H-SC does. The Tigers led all divisions in 2003 with 47.2 points per game, besting Mount Union's 47.1.
As for what Tigers head coach Marty Favret believes the Tigers will need to do to get over the hump in the ODAC road, "hold on to a 21-0 lead," Favret referenced last year's debacle in Farmville. "I think we are better this year and I'm not so sure they are."
As to whether or not the Tigers are the best D-III team in Virginia, Favret sides, "I think we are. I think this is our year. We haven't proven anything yet, but we'd like to play in the playoffs and show everyone how good we are."
As I have said earlier this year, Hampden-Sydney doesn't see a quality non-conference squad until their matchup at Johns Hopkins in Week 10. A soft schedule on the Tigers gives them a better chance to be healthy for their big games and get the job done in the win column. Based on what I saw this weekend, the Tigers should be two-touchdown favorites in their titanic matchup versus Bridgewater on Oct. 2.
And why would your touting regional columnist predict with such clarity?
The Eagles just so happened to record the most lopsided 35-13 victory -- lopsided against them. The mere fact that they scored 35 points against Shenandoah is shocking when reviewing the statistics. Let's take a ride down the box score.
Bridgewater
Overall: 38 offensive plays for 187 yards
Passing: 3 completions in 12 attempts with two interceptions
First downs: 8
Third down conversions: 0-for-7
Time of possession: 19:00
Shenandoah
Overall: 94 plays for 326 yards
Passing: 14 completions in 35 attempts with 2 interceptions
First downs: 25
Third down conversions: 11-for-24
Time of possession: 41:00
Yet Bridgewater won the game by 22 points.
And now for what really matters.
Bridgewater: 3 kick returns, 101 return yards; 5 punt returns, 130 return yards
This is not a typo. The Eagles had more return yards on kicks and punts than total offense. Special teams is a huge part of a football game (I can see the emails flowing in now), but it is not the main driving force behind a team's performance, nor can it be if they are to be competitive.
The Eagles tallied 162 punt and kick return yards before touching the ball from the line of scrimmage. Marcus Washington returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score, Brian Awkard returned a punt 47 yards before a Brandon Wakefield interception, and Winston Young recovered a blocked Shenandoah punt scampering 15 yards for a score. Without a single yard of offense, the Eagles led 14-0. Those statistics above show what the Eagles can do when faced with a tough defense and an opponent with abysmal special teams coverage, not what their offense can, but rather, has not done.
Indeed, the scoreboard does not tell the story of this game. Under the lights at Shenandoah's fabulous Shentel Stadium, the Hornets struggled on special teams like no other team I've ever seen, but so too do did the Eagles struggle mightily on their offensive possessions. Wakefield does not appear to be the same quarterback that led BC to the national semifinals in 2003.
"There is no question that Brandon has had a slow start," Eagles coach Mike Clark stated after the win. "Three for eleven with two interceptions is not quality football at any level for what I consider to be a quality football team."
I would agree with the gracious coach in his assessment. I, too, expected to see a quality football team in Bridgewater, but this did not manifest on the field in Winchester.
"We're gonna have to correct our problems. It's a strange game to win by three touchdowns, but I'll take it and move on."
MAC-o-Rama
Seven MAC teams find themselves in the "also receiving votes" category in this week's D3football.com Top 25. Delaware Valley leads over the lot with 48 votes, followed by Lycoming (8), Susquehanna (7), Moravian (3), Wilkes (2), King's (2) and Albright (1). After a tumultuous week where the two top squads in the preseason coaches' poll lost, it seems as though my preseason comments ring true. "Make no mistake about the competitiveness of this conference. With 11 teams, anything can, and probably will, happen."
King's knocked off Lycoming for the first time in 11 seasons with a come from behind, 31-28 victory. The Warriors held an 11-point lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter when the Monarchs stormed back behind senior tailback Richard Jackson. Jackson's 123-yard performance pushed him over the 4,000 yard mark for his career.
Susquehanna got off to a fast start after a blowout win over Ursinus in week one and a MAC-opener win against Widener. The Mark Bartosic-less Crusaders blocked a field goal attempt, recovered a few fumbles, and executed a touchdown scoring fake field goal en route to the win.
Albright's John Port tossed five touchdown passes as he rounded right back into 2003 form to lead the Lions over the Colonels. Port controlled the offense, aided by some careless second-half turnovers by Wilkes. Pete Manotti intercepted a pass from Duran Porinno on the first play of a Wilkes possession which led to an Albright score. Two possessions later, Brett Trichilo was unable to corral a handoff from Porrino and the Lions made the Colonels pay on the scoreboard.
Unusual first half performance of the week
Gettysburg's Grant Acker accounted for all nine of the Bullets' first half points in their loss to Hampden-Sydney. A senior inside linebacker, Acker also handled the kicking duties on Saturday and punched through a 37-yard attempt for their first points of the day. Later in the second quarter, Acker recovered a fumble and returned it 62 yards for six points. The Bullets co-captain then proceeded to miss his own extra point attempt. We'll give him a pass after trucking the 62 yards.
There is no confirmation to the rumor that Acker is considering transferring to Christopher Newport for the remainder of the season. Oh, as for Acker's "real job," the linebacker also tallied four tackles in the first 30 minutes.
Civics name game
You get your pick this week in Lancaster as the Diplomats of Franklin and Marshall host the Statesmen of Hobart. If all parties involved act as the politicians who represent us all, I expect about seven personal fouls for unsportsmanlike conduct, a few chop blocks, and the inevitable interference penalties. We will have the tale of the tape next week to report which group of governmental participants were most well-behaved.
Mid-Atlantic Region Top 5
1. Hampden-Sydney
2. Delaware Valley
3. Christopher Newport
4. McDaniel
5. Bridgewater
The Tigers have performed best of the regional squads and seem to be firing on all cylinders. Gettysburg returned a fumble for six of its 16 total points, scoring only one offensive touchdown. H-SC's offense has never been questioned, but the defense needs to continue its solid play and remain healthy if they are to win versus Bridgewater.
Del Val's Aggies were off in Week 2 and get going against the MAC this week at home vs. Juniata. The Eagles have been outscored 83-6 so far. Look out for bulb-popping numbers out of Doylestown.
CNU attempted only one extra point before opting for the two point conversion on their other two touchdowns (failing to convert on both). I expected more punch out of the Captains this season and have yet to see it. They regroup this week and gear up for the Oyster Bowl in two weeks versus BC.
McDaniel is 1-1 and while I question Bridgewater's strength so far, the Green Terror defense has been rock solid. Centennial Conference beware!
Bridgewater. Eh. I said enough about them already. This spot is teetering.
Games of the week
Wilkes at Lycoming, Person Field, Williamsport, Pa., 1:30 p.m.: Both squads are 0-1 in MAC play. One will be 0-2 after this one. Two conference losses is the kiss of death in the grand scheme of all things MAC. However, due to the always easy-to-follow MAC rules, this game is only a conference game for Lycoming and not Wilkes. A Lyco loss, therefore, would be devastating. A Wilkes win doesn't matter as much. Does this make sense? No.
Hanover at Bridgewater, Jopson Field, Bridgewater, Va., 1 p.m.: A rare visit from a D-III Indiana squad to Virginia. Hanover has seen better years, reeling from an 0-2 start. The Panthers represented the Heartland Conference in the postseason four of the past five years, only winning once (2000 at Hope). BC needs to get their act together and a blowout would be in order to restore their confidence. The Hoosiers may have something else in mind.
