By John Regenfuss
D3sports.com
Not only were St. Norbert (9-0, 8-0) and Concordia (Wis.) (8-1, 6-0) the first teams in the Midwest Region to secure their respective league titles and earn their conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs, but the Green Knights and the Falcons were the first squads in the nation to accomplish those feats. But those weren't the only achievements shared by the teams on Saturday. Both St. Norbert and Concordia (Wis.) clinched in grand fashion, blowing out their opponents by a combined score of 135-24.
St. Norbert sewed up its impressive fifth consecutive Midwest Conference championship by ripping Grinnell (2-6, 1-6), 57-17, at home in Minahan Stadium, marking the first time in the history of the MWC that a team has earned at least a share of the league title in five consecutive seasons.
The Green Knights scored on their first eight offensive possessions en route to building a phenomenal 50-10 halftime advantage. Running back Aljay Wren rushed for 132 yards on just 14 carries (9.4 yards per rush), scoring two touchdowns on the ground and one via the pass. Green Knight quarterback Ryan Hartman finished the game 16-for-24 passing for 235 yards and four touchdowns. Kyle Thompson was on the receiving end of seven of those completions, gaining a total of 132 yards and tallying three touchdowns.
Concordia (Wis.) claimed at least a share of its first-ever Illini-Badger Football Conference championship by blasting Eureka (1-8, 1-5) 78-7 in its home venue of Century Stadium on Saturday. It was the second time in three years that the Falcons tagged the Red Devils for 70-plus points. In 2001, Concordia throttled Eureka, 73-14.
The Falcons used a flurry of scoring to sprint out to a 42-0 first-quarter advantage and never looked back in the dismantling of the Red Devils. Cedric Simmons, a junior wide receiver, scored three touchdowns for Concordia (Wis.).
Hanover could be the next Midwest Region team to wrap up a conference title with a victory this weekend. The Panthers can obtain its second-consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship at home this Saturday with a win over second-place Mount St. Joseph.
The crowning of the 2003 champions of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference may have to wait until the final weekend of the season. Should no upsets occur this weekend, Wheaton and Augustana and UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse will meet on Nov. 15 to decide this year's title-winners and postseason representatives from the CCIW and the WIAC.
Pointers whack Warhawks
In last week's Midwest Regional column, I declared that UW-Whitewater was for real. I should have known better than to make such a bold statement about any member of the WIAC. While my contention might still prove to be true by season's end, the Warhawks' shine has lost a little luster after Saturday's meeting with UW-Stevens Point. The Pointers made it clear that they remain a force to be dealt within the conference, routing first-place Whitewater (6-2, 4-1) 60-30 on Saturday.
Stevens Point quarterback Scott Krause was the star of the game for the Pointers. Krause passed for 390 yards while completing 22 of his 28 attempts. The senior signal-caller also accounted for seven of the Pointer touchdowns by throwing for five and rushing for two more. Receiver Ross Adamczak caught seven Krause passes, totaling 195 yards. The 6-3, 224-pound junior also hauled in touchdown passes of 44 and 18 yards.
With the win, Stevens Point jumped in the D3football.com Top 25 poll from No. 22 to No. 14 while Whitewater, in suffering its first conference loss of the season, dropped out of the rankings after entering the game positioned at No. 13.
In reality and unfortunately, though, the dominating victory by Stevens Point is essentially meaningless in terms of its playoff chances. The Pointers currently stand at 6-2 overall (3-2 in the WIAC) and unless they can somehow capture the WIAC title, UW-SP will be left out in the postseason cold because we are all know no two-loss team has ever earned a Pool C bid. If that is contempt you detect in my prose, you are astutely correct. As Keith McMillan so aptly pointed out in his latest installment of Around the Nation, of the 14 games that have pitted Top 25 teams against one another thus far this season, Stevens Point has been a part of five of them. That is impressive. Also, it's hard to conceive that there is no room in the postseason for a team that beat Augustana, Division I-AA Butler, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-Whitewater. It's a shame, but it's the nature of the beast.
An end and a beginning
While Concordia (Wis.) was busy securing a conference crown, its Illinoisan namesake was taking care of some business of its own.
For the first time in 19 games and for just the fourth time in five years, Concordia (Ill.) (1-8, 1-5) found itself on the winning side of the scoreboard by knocking off IBFC foe Benedictine 21-14. Aaron Kuester, a junior running back, led the Cougars to victory, amassing 173 total yards and scoring two touchdowns. The Concordia defense also contributed to the streak-ending victory by yielding just 180 total yards. Linebacker Tony Pate notched 11 tackles and one sack to top the unit.
The Cougars will try to extend its newly established winning streak this weekend on the road versus Eureka (1-8, 1-5). The Red Devils won last year's contest 33-13, but Concordia's last win before the Benedictine contest came against Eureka in 2001.
St. Norbert by the numbers
St. Norbert is undefeated and currently ranked No. 18 in the nation by the D3football.com pollsters, but despite those positives, I get the impression that the Green Knights are garnering little respect nationwide. I think that St. Norbert is a victim of its conference, as the MWC is not highly regarded, especially when compared to its regional counterpart, the WIAC. But who can blame these critics? The MWC is a paltry 0-4 in the postseason since the playoffs were expanded and has few outstanding non-conference wins to its credit. A big postseason victory would go a long way towards altering that perception and this may be the year that St. Norbert puts the MWC on the map. One look at where the Green Knights rank in several key national statistical categories bears that possibility out.
4th in rushing defense (60.7 yards/game)
7th in total offense (472 yards/game)
8th in scoring offense (41.1 points/game)
21st in rushing offense (243.9 yards/game)
22nd in turnover margin (+1.3 turnovers/game)
27th in scoring defense (14.3 points per game)
36th in total defense (280.0 yards/game)
A career day
Tailback Andrew Mocadlo of UW-La Crosse rushed for a school- and WIAC-record 391 yards on 41 carries in its 47-33 victory over UW-Stout. The senior surpassed the previous La Crosse mark by a phenomenal 131 yards and tied the Eagle record for most rushes in a game. Mocadlo's 391 yards ranks fifth in NCAA Division III single-game history.
Mocadlo's stellar performance helped the Eagles rack up 662 total yards, the second-highest yardage output in the program's history.
The Ripon-Lawrence rivalry
The 2003 edition of the Ripon-Lawrence game is meaningless in terms of the 2003 Midwest Conference title race but to the players, coaches, and alumni of each school this traditional battle means everything. This Saturday's contest between the bitter foes will be the 103rd installment of the matchup, making it the oldest college football rivalry in the state of Wisconsin.
Ripon currently leads the series 49-46-7. Defense has reigned supreme in many of the meetings, as 18 of those Red Hawk wins were shutout victories while the Vikings have held Ripon scoreless in 20 clashes. Last season was an exception to that rule. Ripon earned a 58-35 victory, making it the highest scoring game in the history of the rivalry.
Lawrence SID Joseph Vanden Acker reminds us the Ripon-Lawrence rivalry has also seen its share of close, competitive games. Twenty-five of the contests have been decided by seven points or less, including three one-point outcomes. Similarly, the series has never been one-sided. The longest winning streak recorded by one team has been five games.
At stake in the game, besides pride and regional bragging rights, is the Heselton-Doehling trophy. The coveted prize commemorates the rivalry within the rivalry between Lawrence head coach Bernie Heselton and Ripon head coach Carl Doehling that raged from 1938-1955. Ripon and Lawrence have battled for the trophy since 1988, with the Red Hawks holding an 8-5 advantage.
Notes
CCIW: Wheaton downed North Central 37-23 for the 15th time in their last 16 meetings to maintain possession of the Little Brass Bell trophy. ... Millikin's 56-0 victory over North Park was its third consecutive shutout and 32nd win in a row against the Vikings. ... The Augustana defense forced five turnovers but gave up 390 yards passing in its 28-21 win against Elmhurst. ... Receiver Eric White of Illinois Wesleyan caught his third touchdown pass of the day with 52 seconds remaining to propel the Titans to a come-from-behind 21-20 win against Carthage.
HCAC: Bluffton (0-4, HCAC) and Manchester (0-4, HCAC) will meet this weekend, with the loser being relegated to last place in the conference. ... Five turnovers cost Hanover dearly in its 42-28 loss to Washington and Jefferson but didn't prevent quarterback Brett Dietz from throwing for 364 yards and three touchdowns. ... Denny Kimmel of Anderson rushed for a career-high 134 yards on 27 carries and Mt. St. Joseph's Ricky Story amassed 156 yards on 23 attempts in the Ravens' 27-10 win against the Lions.
IBFC: Aurora's 24-12 win over MacMurray was the Spartans' first victory over the Highlanders since 2000, the year Aurora earned its last IBFC title.
MWC: The Knox defense registered five interceptions and allowed just 62 rushing yards in its 28-13 win versus Illinois College. ... Knox defensive back Seth Kopf, a 6-2, 205-pound senior, leads the nation with 11 interceptions. ... In Lake Forest's 43-6 pounding of Lawrence, the Forester defense limited Vikings' rushing star Justin Berrens to 45 yards on 15 carries. ... Carroll quarterback Marcus Koronkiewicz completed 35 of 52 passes for 434 yards and threw for four touchdowns and rushed for one score in the Pioneers' 42-35 loss to Monmouth.
WIAC: In his first collegiate start, UW-Platteville quarterback Brent Nelson finished 36-of-60 passing for 440 yards and four touchdowns but it was not enough, as the Pioneers fell to UW-Eau Claire 42-35. ... In the same game, Nels Fredrickson, Eau Claire's starting signal-caller, passed for 314 and four touchdowns to lead the Blugolds offense.
Others: Westminster (Mo.) (7-2) defeated Martin Luther 28-21 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis to capture the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference football title
In addition to the four nationally ranked Midwest region teams, three other squads are receiving votes in the latest D3football.com poll: UW-Whitewater (73), Concordia (Wis.) (23), and Augustana (14) ... My top 10 Midwest region teams through nine weeks: 1. UW-La Crosse (7-1), 2. Wheaton (8-0), 3. UW-Stevens Point (6-2), 4. St. Norbert (9-0), 5. UW-Whitewater (6-2), 6. Concordia (Wis.) (8-1), 7. Augustana (6-2), 8. Hanover (6-2), 9. Millikin (6-2), 10. Monmouth (7-2).
Games of the Week
Mt. St. Joseph (6-2, 4-1) at Hanover (6-2, 4-0), Hanover, Ind., 1:30 p.m.: With its loss last week to Anderson, Mount St. Joseph placed itself in the unenviable position of having to knock off Hanover on its home field in order to secure a share of the 2003 HCAC championship. Hanover, though, is coming off a tough non-conference loss and a long midseason road trip. To say that the contest will feature a classic clash of strengths may be an understatement. Hanover brings to the matchup one of the nation's most potent pass-happy offenses, headed by quarterback Brett Dietz while MSJ enters the key game with one of the country's most imposing defenses.
No. 18 St. Norbert (9-0, 8-0) at Lake Forest (6-2, 5-2), Lake Forest, Ill., 1 p.m.: While this game has no bearing on the MWC title race (St. Norbert has already been crowned champ and punched its ticket to the 2003 playoffs), it should, nevertheless, be competitive. Plus, a bit of intrigue surrounds this matchup, as the Green Knights may be looking to exact an amount of revenge upon the Foresters. A year ago, Lake Forest handed St. Norbert just its second conference loss in its last 36 MWC games, by blanking the Green Knights, 17-0. The loss forced SNC to be satisfied with just a share of the 2002 conference championship but, more critically, knocked them from playoff consideration.
North Park (2-6, 0-5) at No. 5 Wheaton (8-0, 5-0), Wheaton, Ill, 1 p.m.
Carthage (2-6, 0-5) at Augustana (6-2, 5-0), Rock Island, Ill., 1 p.m.
UW-Oshkosh (4-4, 1-4) at UW-Whitewater (6-2, 4-1), Whitewater, Wis., 1 p.m.
No. 9 UW-La Crosse (7-1, 4-1) at UW-River Falls (2-5, 2-3), River Falls, Wis., 1 p.m.
Even though these contests may appear undeserving of mention at first glance, they garner attention as upset alerts for the four favorites. Should Wheaton and Augustana win their league games this weekend, it will set up a season-finale, winner-take-all game between the CCIW foes on Nov. 15. If UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse can get past their opponents on Saturday, the Warhawks and the Eagles will collide in week 10 with the WIAC title and the conference's bid to the postseason on the line. However, if any of the squads get caught looking past this weekend's opponent, they could have their championship and postseason destinies taken out of their hands.
