By Don Stoner
Augsburg Sports Information Director
MINNEAPOLIS -- First of all, I apologize for missing the first couple of weeks of the season with this column. The beginning of the school year is always a tough one for sports information directors, and my job duties at Augsburg kept me from writing this column. Now I'm back on track, so we'll jump headlong into the fray with our regular stuff.
The schedule-makers in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference weren't kind to Cornell (Iowa) coach Steve Miller this season. The Rams are opening the 2000 season with games against the three teams that have dominated IIAC play over the past two decades.
On Sept. 2, the Rams opened with Simpson, and came away with a 40-31, come-from-behind victory. Last Saturday, Cornell traveled to Waverly, Iowa, to face defending league champ Wartburg, and played well despite losing 28-13. This Saturday, it's off to Pella, Iowa, and a date with perennial powerhouse Central College in the Dutch's home-opener. Central, Simpson and Wartburg are the only three teams to win IIAC football titles since 1981.
"I don't know if anyone has a tougher schedule than we do," Miller said before the loss to Wartburg. "It's a pretty heavy order for a young team that is still trying to get on its feet.
"We're playing some nationally ranked -- and deservedly so -- teams, bang-bang-bang. We just have to tee it up and play them as tough as we can play them."
Cornell is in its third season in the IIAC, after moving with Coe from the Midwest Conference in 1998. The last two years, Cornell was blanked by the Dutch, 31-0 and 44-0.
"This game will be a tall order for us," Miller said. "Central could be the best team we've played so far. We'll have to play more mistake-free against Central."
Central has a solid defense, paced by All-American and three-time All-IIAC linebacker Jeff Sanger, who has 14 tackles in the Dutch's first two games. Meanwhile, Cornell has shown some balance in its offense. Terry Gammell has thrown for 471 yards and five touchdowns this year, while the Rams are averaging 153 yards of rushing per game.
Central is off to another flying start, with wins on the road at Upper Iowa (13-9) and Luther (34-13). Perhaps another late-season showdown for the championship with Wartburg (Nov. 4) might be in the cards.
Meanwhile, the other newest member of the IIAC, Coe, is off to an impressive 2-0 start, with a 35-19 win over William Penn and a 44-0 blanking of Dubuque entering Saturday's home contest against Loras.
New coach Erik Raeburn, who was an offensive assistant for several years at national powerhouse Mount Union, has revamped the Kohawks' systems, and has produced immediate results.
"What I know about football is what I learned at Mount Union from coach (Larry) Kehres," Raeburn said. "He always got his assistant coaches to work hard and the players to work hard. That's what I'm trying to do."
Notes, notes and more notes
Wisconsin-Stout will be the lone WIAC school with an artificial turf surface for football, when the school completes its new $8.9 million recreation complex by the 2001 season. The new 4,500-seat stadium will replace intimate Johnson Field as the playing field for the Blue Devils.
Wisconsin-Eau Claire split its first two nonconference contests against MIAC foes St. John's and Augsburg. The Blugolds lost 49-13 at St. John's in their season-opener on Sept. 2, then rallied late for a 17-13 win at Augsburg last Saturday. The nonconference games between MIAC and WIAC schools marked the first time teams from the two leagues have met in two regular-season nonconference games since 1992.
Gustavus junior linebacker Brian Bergstrom has a streak of eight straight games with double-digit tackles going into this Saturday's game at Hamline. Bergstrom, who set a school record last year with 136 tackles, collected 13 tackles in the Gusties' 14-7, last-minute loss at Trinity (Texas) last Saturday. During the streak, he has had a high of 16 tackles twice, against Augsburg and Bethel.
When Trinity topped Gustavus 14-7 last Saturday on a 27-yard pass play with four seconds left in the game, it marked the seventh time in coach Jay Schoenebeck's seven seasons that a Gustie game has been decided in the last 30 seconds. Unfortunately, it's a record that Schonebeck probably doesn't like, since he's 1-6 in those nailbiters. Three of those games came in 1997, and Schonebeck's lone last-second win was his first -- a 38-31 triumph against St. Thomas in 1994.
The annual game between crosstown rivals Concordia-Moorhead and Division II Minnesota State-Moorhead (formerly Moorhead State) is called the "Power Bowl," due to its sponsorship by local energy providers. This year, there was definitely an energy to the "Power Bowl," after lightning and severe weather forced postponement of the final quarter-and-a-half from Sept. 2 to Labor Day, Sept. 4. When the game resumed, Concordia drove 98 yards in the final two minutes, scoring on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Hertel to Raleigh Schmidt. But instead of playing for the tie and overtime, Concordia went for the win, and missed on a two-point conversion pass. Concordia has lost its last three games in a row to the Dragons. But one bright spot was the play of cornerback Dan Tollefson, who intercepted two passes and had five tackles (three solo) to earn top defensive honors in the game.
Games of the Week
Concordia-Moorhead (0-1) at St. Thomas (0-1), 1 p.m., St. Paul
Two of the MIAC's favorites open in a key early-season game, as both teams aim to bounce back from nonconference losses to Division II teams. St. Thomas fell victim to Bemidji State 32-9 last Saturday, giving up 540 yards of total offense to the Beavers. Meanwhile, Concordia fell to Minnesota State-Moorhead 21-20. The Tommies are young; against the Beavers, UST started seven sophomores on offense and four freshmen or sophomores on defense. But the Tommies can be productive on offense. They rolled up 339 yards of total offense (217 rushing) on the day against Bemidji State.
Carroll (0-1) at St. Norbert (1-0), 1 p.m., De Pere, Wis.
Look for a high-scoring tilt in this one. St. Norbert, the defending Midwest Conference champions, open its league season hosting Carroll with hopes of extending a 10-game MWC winning streak. St. Norbert opened its season with a 34-22 win at Hamline, marking the ninth game in a row in which the Green Knights have scored 30 or more points. Apparently, high-scoring offenses are the norm for second-year head coach Purtill. He has only had two games below 30 points -- his first two games coaching at SNC last season. Carroll lost 34-33 on a missed two-point conversion to North Park last week, despite putting together 395 yards of total offense.
Augustana (Ill., 1-0) at UW-Platteville (1-0), 7 p.m., Platteville, Wis.
Mike Emendorfer's Pioneers have a key nonconference test with the always-powerful Vikings. Platteville topped Mount Senario (Wis.) 26-19 in its season-opener, as the pass-happy Pioneer offense opened its second season with a 363-yard effort. Augustana, under first-year head coach Jim Barnes, enters the game as the No. 10-ranked team in the latest AFCA poll.
Drake (1-0) at UW-Stevens Point (0-1), 1 p.m., Stevens Point, Wis.
The Pointers hope to beat Division I-AA non-scholarship team Drake for the second season in a row. Stevens Point fell 28-21 in overtime to Division II Northern State (S.D.) last week.
This column is drawn from a variety of sources, including the outstanding work and research of sports information directors from Division III schools all over the Midwest.
