By John Regenfuss
D3sports.com
In a weekend with no shortage of key games, no two teams in the Midwest region stepped up and made louder statements than UW-Platteville and UW-La Crosse. Platteville shocked the WIAC, not only by beating a ranked intraconference opponent but by winning in a way not typical of the Pioneers. La Crosse's victory was hardly a thing of beauty, but an impressive victory nonetheless.
Platteville, most renowned for its offensive firepower, used a solid defensive effort to top then-No. 15 UW-Whitewater 7-6 in the George Chryst Memorial Bowl. The win secured Platteville's second consecutive win over a ranked opponent.
The Pioneers were outgained by Whitewater, mostly due to the efforts of Warhawk workhorse Colin Burns and his 158 rushing yards, but the Platteville defense made stops and forced field goals when it needed to -- an ability that proved to be the difference in the game.
For Warhawk kicker Michael Chaulk it was both a good day and a bad day. The junior accounted for all six of Whitewater's points, connecting on field goals of 40 and 32 yards, but missed two potential game-winning kicks in the final 1:30, including a 37-yarder with three seconds left.
The game's only touchdown came on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Platteville quarterback Brent Nelson to Max Seroogy late in the first quarter.
No team in the WIAC can be taken lightly or overlooked but No. 20 Platteville, with UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh on the schedule in the next weeks, could be 6-0 heading into a matchup with conference favorite and national title-contender La Crosse. Whitewater, now slotted at No. 24, must rebound quickly with undefeated UW-Stout visiting this Saturday.
UW-La Crosse overcame 14 penalties in part by taking advantage of seven UW-Stevens Point turnovers en route to a 35-14 victory. The win upped La Crosse's all-time lead in the series to 39-9-4 and marked the 15th win in its last 17 meetings with the Pointers.
The first half ended in a 14-14 deadlock and on a good note for Stevens Point. Quarterback Brett Borchart scored from two yards out and then hit Tony Romano on a pass for the two-point conversion to even the game just before the break. However, after halftime, the La Crosse defense took the game over, forcing five second-half turnovers. The offense converted those Stevens Point errors into 21 unanswered points.
The quarterback-receiver combo of Steve Tennies and Scott Burnoski headlined the La Crosse offensive performance. Tennies threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns while Burnoski caught nine balls for 138 yards to become La Crosse's all-time leading receiver.
Cornerback Steve Teeples anchored the Eagle defense, registering seven tackles and two interceptions.
Borchart compiled 320 total yards for in a losing effort for Stevens Point (231 passing, 89 rushing).
No. 3 La Crosse travels to UW-Oshkosh this Saturday while No. 15 Stevens Point plays its third ranked opponent of the season at No. 18 UW-Eau Claire.
The Insider
The Insider is a new addition to Around the Midwest Region. On a weekly basis, JJ McDowell, a junior wingback for Augustana, will describe his experiences from the practice field to the playing field. The aim of this is twofold -- to provide the reader with a glimpse into the thoughts of a Division III football player and provide someone who has aspirations of becoming a sports writer with valuable practical experience. In his first offering, JJ introduces himself, talks about the North Park game, and looks ahead to this weekend's big game against Carthage:
Why would one consider playing Division III football? For starters; it is time consuming, some high school games draw larger crowds, and about 99.9% of all the athletes participating will not go pro. That said, my name is JJ McDowell and I play football for Augustana College. I am a junior playing wingback for the Augie offense, and am majoring in english with an emphasis in writing, and also history. As far as career aspirations go, a goal of mine is to be a sports reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
I am originally from Crystal Lake, Ill. I played only baseball here at Augie my freshman year even though the football program did recruit me. Though I am a junior, this is only my second year of football in the college ranks. My freshman year here, I went to a couple of home football games, but couldn't even watch one full quarter of play. I missed it all too much, and knew I had to come back and strap it up.
As the fall and Augie football rolled on, there was not one thing I didn't miss about the sport. Waking up to pain all over your body the morning after a game, the camaraderie and friendships formed with teammates, game days, and even just getting hit were all the things that made me come back--that's what Division III football is all about. The passion Division III athletes play with is why football is at its purest form at our level. You really do have to love the sport to play here.
Here at Augie, we are currently 3-1 coming off a 42-10 win against North Park University last Saturday. We left Rock Island around 7:00 in the morning and got to Chicago around 10 a.m. We had plenty of time to relax before the game, so I called a few friends from back home, since game time was at 1:00. Since the locker room was a block or two from the North Park's stadium, we had to walk through traffic in full pads. They have a new stadium which the NFL donated $1.3 million towards. Seattle Seahawks' head coach, Mike Holmgren, attended our game, which was pretty cool. They have the new artificial grass, which I love playing on because it is relatively soft and especially good for making sharp cuts.
During the game, we got off to a good start, scoring on the first drive, but we followed up with two turnovers on our side of the field which allowed the half time score to be 21-10 in our favor. After 436 rush yards and 211 pass yards and a stingy second half defense, we came out of the game with our first conference victory of the year. I finished the game with 201 yards rushing on 17 touches and two touchdowns behind a strong performance from our offensive line. This Saturday we have Carthage (4-0) at home, which I am jacked for because it will be a hard-fought game with tons of energy.
Back to life then back to lifeless
In last week's Midwest Region column, I lauded two defending conference champions -- Hanover and Concordia (Wis.) -- for earning key wins and, thus, seemingly regaining life in their respective league races. Just one week later, the outlook does not appear so bright for either team after lifeless performances on Saturday.
Hanover, one week after defeating nationally ranked Waynesburg, was outclassed by HCAC foe Mt. St. Joseph at home in a 29-10 loss. It marked the first time in 12 meetings, that the Panthers suffered defeat at the hands of the Mount. In the win against Waynesburg, Hanover rolled up 274 rushing yards but versus the stout Mt. St. Joseph defense, managed just 80 yards on the ground.
The Panther defense also stumbled, allowing the Lions 450 yards of total offense. Mike Lovell, a sophomore running back, ran for 173 yards and star receiver Andy Wellendorf caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
The Hanover loss, despite being its first conference loss of the season, makes a HCAC championship three-peat unlikely while the Mt. St. Joseph win positions it in the driver's seat for its first-ever league title with, perhaps, only Anderson providing the last remaining serious obstacle.
In Week Four, Concordia (Wis.) quelled a threat from IBFC opponent MacMurray then proceeded to show no hints of its prior championship form in a 24-7 loss to up-and-comer Aurora on Saturday. The conference loss was Concordia's first since the 2002 season.
Aurora got a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by junior defensive back Robbie Parry to help earn its second-consecutive IBFC victory.
The Concordia loss sends the race for the 2004 IBFC championship into a bit of a tailspin. Lakeland must be considered the favorite at this point. Aurora is an obvious threat and, with the Concordia loss and a MacMurray win on Saturday, the Highlanders also re-enter the picture.
Are the Redmen ready?
In a conference where there is no shortage of talented teams and possible title contenders, Carthage appears poised to become a factor in the CCIW championship chase. After posting an impressive 3-0 record versus non-conference competition, the Redmen dispatched Millikin, a team voted by the coaches in a preseason poll to finish just behind favored Wheaton, 31-13, in each team's league opener. The win ups Carthage's record to 4-0 for the first time since 1973.
In the win over Millikin, Carthage got superb performances on both sides of the ball. All-American tailback Dante Washington rushed for 165 yards to spark the offense while five interceptions, two by sophomore free safety Dave Linn, and two fumble recoveries, both by junior cornerback Brett Barnes, keyed the defense.
Two major tests lay ahead for Carthage, as the Redmen travel to play conference heavyweight Augustana in a key CCIW battle on Saturday before taking on North Central on October 16.
Wheaton just wins
Wheaton, currently ranked No. 7 in the nation, hasn't garnered much attention from the Midwest Region report thus far in 2004 for the simple fact that it has business as usual for the Thunder. Wheaton easily dispatched its three non-conference opponents and survived its first major test on Saturday en route to a perfect 4-0 record. The Thunder has won an amazing 29 of its last 32 games.
Versus previously unbeaten CCIW foe North Central last weekend, Wheaton struggled but managed to hack out a 17-7 win and maintain possession of the coveted Brass Bell. Garrett Granberg spearheaded the Thunder offense, rushing for 127 yards. Quarterback Jeremy Chupp passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns, strikes of six and 53 yards to Colin Sinclair. Senior wide receiver Brad Musso also became Wheaton's career all-purpose yardage leader in the contest.
North Central made a valiant effort to overcome the loss of star quarterback Kam Kniss (illness) and leading rusher Steve Holden but fell short. Adam Duerr, Kniss' replacement was sacked three times and threw three interceptions and the Cardinals mustered just 106 rushing yards. Top receiver Tyke Spencer was held to just five catches.
Wheaton faces Millikin this weekend in another crucial CCIW matchup. Still looming are games road game versus Carthage and Augustana.
Notes
CCIW: Augustana's J.J. McDowell rushed for 201 yards and Matt Roe threw for 211 yards, both career bests, in the Vikings' 42-10 rout of North Park. ... Illinois Wesleyan totaled 480 yards of offense and 44 points while its defense held the potent Elmhurst offense, which was averaging 48 points per game, to just 26.
HCAC: Bluffton's 35-13 defeat of Manchester marks the first time since 2000 that the Beavers began their HCAC schedule with a win. ... Anderson sophomore running back Denny Kimmel totaled 265 yards and scored five touchdowns, sparking the Ravens to a 45-43 victory over Franklin. ...Through its first five games, the Franklin defense is allowing its opponents nearly an average of 48 points per game.
IBFC: Greenville held Benedictine to 9 yards rushing on 26 carries in the Panthers' 24-12 win. ...Aaron Barrie and Marcus Denham combined to run for 277 of Lakeland's 473 rushing yards in the Muskies' shutout of Eureka.
MWC: St. Norbert has scored 51 or more points in three consecutive MWC contests, winning each game by an average of over 41 points. ... Beloit amassed 501 rushing yards, including 248 by sophomore Lee Rankinen, as the Buccaneers outlasted Lawrence 48-35. ... Ripon has scored 41 or more points in three straight games, winning two of those three, but has given up 27 or more points in all five of the Red Hawks' 2004 contests. ... In Ripon's 41-27 win versus Carroll, Red Hawk quarterback Bob Faulds completed just three passes but two of the completions went for touchdowns of 78 and 57 yards. ... Monmouth quarterback Mitch Tanney threw touchdowns of 21 and 27 yards, lifting the Fighting Scots' to a 14-0 victory over Lake Forest.
WIAC: UW-Eau Claire scored 30 unanswered points and held UW-River Falls to 0 yards passing in the Blugolds' 37-15 win over the Falcons. ... Blugold back Joe Gast ran for 135 yards and four touchdowns versus River Falls. ... UW-Stout set a school record for points in a game in the Blue Devils' 65-7 pounding of NAIA Waldorf. ... UW-Stevens Point has the WIAC's top-ranked offense but is last in the league in time of possession.
Elsewhere: Washington U.'s Brad Duesing became the program's career leader in receptions and receiving yards in the Bears' 28-21 win versus Rhodes.
In addition to the six nationally ranked Midwest region teams, five other squads are receiving votes in the latest D3football.com poll: Augustana (40), UW-Stout (14), North Central (4), St. Norbert (3), Monmouth (1). ...My top 10 Midwest region teams through five weeks: 1.UW-La Crosse (2-1), 2. UW-Eau Claire (3-1), 3. UW-Stevens Point (2-2), 4. UW-Platteville (4-0), 5. Wheaton (4-0), 6. UW-Whitewater (4-1), 7. UW-Stout (3-0), 8. St. Norbert (4-1), 9. Augustana (3-1), 10. Mt. St. Joseph (4-0).
Games of the Week
No. 15 UW-Stevens Point (2-2, 0-1) at No. 18 UW-Eau Claire (3-1, 1-1), Carson Park, Eau Claire, Wis., 1 p.m.: The next in what will be a weekly matchup of top 25 WIAC teams. While they differ in that Stevens Point is coming off a devastating loss and Eau Claire is fresh off a big win, they are similar in that neither team can likely afford another conference loss. You hate to deem this an elimination game so early in the season but, in reality, the loser will likely be out of the WIAC race and postseason chase. Expect a close game, as five of the last six meetings between the teams have been decided by five points or less, including 2003's contest, a 31-28 Stevens Point victory.
UW-Stout (3-0, 1-0) at No. 24 UW-Whitewater (4-1, 1-1), Perkins Stadium, Whitewater, Wis., 1 p.m.: The outcome of this matchup will likely answer some key questions. Does undefeated UW-Stout deserve to be counted among the top teams in the WIAC? Can UW-Whitewater bounce back from a disappointing loss to UW-Platteville last week and uphold its top 25 national ranking? If Stout is to knock off Whitewater, its defense will play a large part. The Blue Devil D is ranked fourth in Division III in defensive passing efficiency and sixth in scoring defense. Undeniably, the Warhawk offense will need to be more productive than it was versus Platteville. Look for ironman running back Colin Burns to once again shoulder much of the offensive weight.
Carthage (4-0, 1-0) at Augustana (3-1, 1-0), Ericson Field, Rock Island, Ill., 2 p.m.: For Augustana, a win in this game keeps them undefeated in the CCIW and on course for its showdown with Wheaton in the final game of the regular season. For Carthage, this contest is a measuring stick game. The Redmen have been impressive thus far in 2004 but, if they are indeed ready to challenge the CCIW elite, winning this game is a must. This battle is a strength-on-strength matchup. Augustana ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense (382.5 ypg) while Carthage owns Division III's fourth-best rushing defense (44.5 ypg). Whichever team's strength proves to be more dominant will likely propel that team to victory.
Other games of note: Lakeland (3-2, 2-0) at MacMurray (3-1, 1-1), Illinois Wesleyan (2-2, 1-0) at North Central (3-1, 0-1).
