By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
Whether or not you believe it, working for D3football.com is not a full-time job. Whenever I am on the road at a game, or down at the Stagg Bowl, fans from around the country I speak with tend to ask think that it is. I suppose that is a good thing. The content provided on the site, however, is merely a combination of hobby, passion, love of the game, and a bit of bodily torture at times for those who are involved with it.
So, sue me for not going to a game this weekend. I travel frequently with my "real" job and left my home at 5:15 a.m. on Monday, not to return until 10:30 p.m. on Friday. I figured I would settle in with the computer and fire up some games online. As I thumbed through the Philadelphia Inquirer on Saturday morning, I was shocked to see that King's game at Albright would be televised on local cable. Well, the paper may have said so, but I had to check for myself to see if TV51, the bastion of broadcasting that it is, would be represented on my digital cable lineup.
There it was, "1:00 p.m. -- NCAA Football -- King's at Albright. "
Cool.
Newly rebuilt Shirk Stadium looked pristine from the comfort of my living room, and the television was not lying. I recalled my first visit to the old Shirk, last season. As I pulled up, D3football.com's Gordon Mann remarked that the façade was reminiscent of Ebbets Field. I thought it was more like the Acropolis.
This was a gleaming new experience, albeit one being beamed into my home. Unfortunately, the game wasn't much of one to start. King's managed to hoard the football for 23 of the first 30 minutes en route to an 18-0 halftime lead. The well-respected arm of Albright quarterback John Port remained sheathed for the first half, managing under 80 passing yards.
King's head coach Rich Mannello patrolled the sidelines on crutches, a result of an early-season sideline mishap when senior wide receiver Julian Walker crashed into him, breaking his leg.
The Lions broke out in the second half, Vincent Andrews took a handoff 7 yards for the first Albright score followed by a Port pass to Bryon Haupt, cutting the King's lead, 18-13. Tom Fitzpatrick added a 33-yard field goal 17 seconds into the fourth quarter, transforming this football game into "must-see TV." Needless to say, Mannello was practically falling off his crutches.
As Albright corralled the momentum from the Monarchs, an errant snap sailed out of the reach of Port, leading to a King's safety, pushing the lead to 20-16. After one of his 24, completions on Saturday, Port became the Middle Atlantic Conference's all-time leader in passing completions. Another of those completions would give the Lions their first lead of the game with 1:54 to play in the game on a 16-yard touchdown to Nick Brightbill.
So, one would naturally think that King's was a goner, listless on offense in the second half. Which made a five play, 59-yard drive over 43 seconds, topped by a 43-yard pass from Chris Barnic to Blake Letchford all the more outlandish.
Talk about a momentum shift. All from the comfort of the recliner. I was living large watching Division III football. Now let's see if Port can manage a 62-second comeback. I was on edge, with no vested interest in the outcome. What a game.
Albright's Naoki Kurimoto returned the King's kickoff to the 37-yard line to commence the final drive. Port immediately completes a 19-yard pass up to the King's 47, but is then sacked two plays later, fumbles, and recovers his own error back at the Albright 39. The best part of all this ... replay!
Mired in a third-and-24, Port's pass towards Bryon Haupt falls incomplete, but a King's pass interference penalty gave the Lions life near midfield. Another Port pass to Haupt is caught for a 5-yard gain to the King's 41.
Is this really happening? And am I really watching this? Yes and yes.
After an incomplete pass, King's takes a timeout with 17 ticks remaining, and I sneak a trip to the bathroom. Ahh ... the comforts of home. Back after the break, Albright's play breaks down and Port scrambles ten yards for a first down. Think that's rare? The senior managed only 20 positive rushing yards in the first two games of the season, and with time ticking down, he grabs enough to stop the clock and run two plays.
First, an incomplete pass. Now, four seconds remain -- and Port drops back to heave towards the end zone, hoping for a miracle. In the ultimate twist of Saturday sports-fan horror:
The cable goes out.
I am not lying. Every channel is "temporarily unavailable."
I looked at my watch. Ten seconds, twenty. Check the other channels. Nothing. Fifty-three ticks after the outage, back comes the game.
Indeed, the miracle has arrived. Port completed a 31-yard pass to Andy Sorice for a game-winning touchdown. Well, that's what the box score would have you believe. The replay told a different story. In typical desperation, Port heaved the pigskin towards the end zone where the Monarchs prevent defense leaped to knock it down, only to deflect the ball to the waiting arms of Sorice.
Not a bad way to christen the new digs.
"Gotta keep those ratings up," Albright head coach E.J. Sandusky told the Reading Eagle after the win.
It kept me watching.
What will be overshadowed from Saturday's game was the main bright spot for King's: the performance of John Ortiz. The junior running back managed 267 yards on 59 carries. The yardage mark was the second highest total in school history while the 59 rushing attempts broke the D-III mark for most rushing attempts by one player in a game.
I can't help but think the King's players will remember the one that got away.
Guilford nearly pulls titanic upset
Lounging in my recliner with King's/Albright on the tube, I cranked up the Hampden-Sydney/Guilford game on the computer, mostly to see how badly Guilford was being beaten. After an initial check, all seemed right with the D-III world as the Tigers opened up to a 37-8 lead.
I went back to see if J.D. Ricca had tossed seven touchdowns, only to find that Guilford was fighting back. Thanks to the thrilling commentary from Tom Bryant and Miles Poole of WGOS-AM, I realized that Guilford suddenly had a chance to knock off the Tigers.
"Folks, this is a donnybrook," streamed through the broadcast. "And if you don't know what a 'donnybrook' is: it's a knockdown, drag-out, fight. "
I was hooked.
The Quakers outscored the Tigers 30-10 in the second half and kept H-SC off the scoreboard in the third quarter, the first time this season the Tigers were held scoreless in a quarter. For those who think that H-SC took the Quakers too lightly, the Tigers certainly didn't step up defensively. Guilford converted three of four two-point conversions in the second half. Two of those conversions came in the fourth quarter after a nine-play, 99-yard drive that took four minutes off the clock, followed by a three-play, 80-yard drive over 27 seconds, culminating with 1:14 left in the game.
If Guilford ran amok on the Tigers, I wonder what a fast-paced Bridgewater offense will do this week. The Eagles were scheduled to play Thomas More last week, but TM dropped the game a couple months before the season started. BC shutout a well-run club program in George Mason, 45-0, run by former Division III coach Joe Pascale.
Panthers leaving no doubt
Three consecutive weeks on the road for the Ferrum Panthers and they are no worse for the wear. Now 4-0, the Panthers opened with a win at home against Guilford, then followed with three road wins against Emory and Henry, Chowan, in its first year at the D-II level, and last week's USAC opener at Shenandoah.
The four wins in four weeks surpassed Ferrum's total win mark for the 2004 season. We've mentioned before how the Panthers were on the short end of the stick throughout 2004, losing three games in overtime, and a non-conference matchup at Wesley by one point.
I've gotten beyond trying to predict how these conferences are going to turn out, so my looking ahead here could be problematic. But ...
Week 11: Christopher Newport at Ferrum. Could be fun.
Centennial feet ruin Tartans in consecutive weeks
It's been a rough go of it if you were a fan of Carnegie Mellon. The Pittsburgh-based Tartans faced Johns Hopkins and Franklin and Marshall on consecutive weeks, allowing five field goals and no touchdowns. Despite the strong defensive effort, the Tartans emerged from their test in the Centennial waters 0-2, while Hopkins improved to 3-0 two weeks ago, while Franklin and Marshall managed their first win to go to 1-2.
Twin billing in USAC honors last week
One item we missed last week that certainly merited announcing was the oddity found in the USAC's players of the week. Twin brothers Justin and Matt Price from Maryville (Tenn.) were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. Justin managed to toss three touchdowns while Matt snagged three interceptions. Go figure.
Knoblauch closes in on multi-talented mark
Through Saturday's 31-13 win at Lycoming, Delaware Valley's senior quarterback Adam Knoblauch has tallied 9,016 passing yards and 986 rushing yards for his career. Only four quarterbacks in all divisions of NCAA history have managed to pass for 10,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards:
Steve McNair -- 1991-1994, Alcorn State -- 14,496 pass / 2,327 rush
Doug Nussmeier -- 1990-1993, Idaho -- 10,824 pass / 1,230 rush
Curt Anes -- 1999-2002, Grand Valley State -- 10,581 pass / 1,300 rush
Adam King -- 2001-2004, Howard Payne -- 10,250 pass / 1,338 rush
No Division I-A quarterback has managed to reach the mark. Knoblauch needs 984 passing yards and 14 rushing yards to add his name to the short list. Through four games in 2005, the senior has managed 1,039 passing yards. Barring injury, it should be a done deal.
Follow the logic -- thinking ahead
Montclair State beat Salisbury, Salisbury beats Christopher Newport, Frostburg State nips Montclair State, Newport News topped Frostburg State.
Does this mean that Montclair could beat CNU? Absolutely not. But, I would be shocked if Salisbury doesn't end up in the playoffs. The Captains might have a tougher go of it in 2005.
Mid-Atlantic Region Top 5
1. Delaware Valley
2. Bridgewater
3. McDaniel
4. Moravian
5. Ferrum
The Aggies maintain the top spot. Bridgewater moves up after H-SC's disaster. The Eagles lead over McDaniel, despite the head-to-head matchup given the Green Terror's mess against Catholic. Moravian moves up in their expected blowout of Juniata. Ferrum is welcomed onto the scene.
What to watch in Week 5
Bridgewater at Hampden-Sydney, Hundley Stadium, Farmville, Va., 1 p.m.: The ODAC would seem to be on the line once again in what is sure to be a scoreboard-popping affair. The Tigers are averaging 51.7 points per game to Bridgewater's 46.7. Swiss cheese pales in comparison to the secondaries as both teams have allowed over 30 points per game to opponents. But the quality of Bridgewater's opponents makes their points allowed look more respectable than H-SC's. It will be a packed house, no doubt. Enjoy.
Muhlenberg at Franklin and Marshall, Sponaugle-Williamson Field, Lancaster, Pa., 1 p.m.: The winner gets a jump on the rest of the parity-laden Centennial. F&M looks to get their offense rolling after an abysmal 0-2 start, following by a touchdown-less win against Carnegie Mellon.
Guilford at Greensboro, Jamieson Stadium at Grimsley High School, Greensboro, N.C., 7 p.m.: The Gate City Soup Bowl pits intra-city rivals together, both looking for their first win. Both schools compete to see who can gather the most canned goods to donate to charity. One winless team is guaranteed a victory on the field as well, but both schools can but a W in their columns for the effort to help those in need.
