By John Regenfuss
D3sports.com

Last weekend's action in the WIAC had it all -- a near shocker, a classic nail-biter, an upset, and a blowout. The fallout saw just one team remain undefeated in conference play, another's chances of a WIAC title or postseason berth shattered, and a surprise team bounced from the national rankings. 

The near shocker
UW-La Crosse (3-1, 2-0), polled as the No. 3 team in the nation, needed a second half comeback to quash an upset bid by WIAC rival UW-Oshkosh (3-2, 0-2). Down 14-7 at the break, two Steve Tennies to Scott Burnoski touchdown connections and a Corey Geldernick 13-yard scoring scamper secured an Eagles victory and maintained their unblemished conference record. Three lost fumbles hindered the La Crosse effort.

The classic nail-biter
UW-Eau Claire held a 21-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of its game with UW-Stevens Point but had to stave a off a valiant comeback attempt by the Pointers and receive a little luck to secure the all-important conference win. Stevens Point used a Brett Borchart seven-yard scoring run, two Borchart touchdowns passes of 20 and 28 yards to Tony Romano, and two extra points to climb back into the game and pull within one extra point of tying Eau Claire. However, the point-after attempt sailed wide right and the Blugolds made one final defensive stop to salvage the victory.

With the win, Eau Claire (4-1, 2-1) remains in the thick of the WIAC race but the loss by Stevens Point (2-3, 0-2) effectively ends its conference championship and playoff aspirations.

The upset
UW-River Falls' 25-21 win over UW-Platteville only qualifies as an upset because the Falcons entered the contest unranked and winless while the Pioneers came into the game with two wins against ranked opponents on their 2004 resume and a No. 20 national ranking. However, from a historical perspective, the River Falls win is hardly an upset considering the Falcons have now won an incredible 12 in a row versus Platteville (4-1, 1-1).

River Falls (1-4, 1-1), known for its wishbone power running attack, used three second-half touchdown tosses by three passers to gain its first win of the season. Quarterbacks Dave Affeldt and Andy Kolstad each threw a touchdown but the game-winning score came from the arm of halfback John Peterlik. Nathan Anderson fueled the Falcon ground game with 170 yards. The River Falls defense did its part too, holding Platteville to 94 second-half yards. 

The Platteville loss was its first of the season and cost the Pioneers its Top 25 national ranking.

The blowout
UW-Whitewater (5-1, 2-1) rebounded quickly and in resounding fashion from a disappointing Week Five loss by hammering UW-Stout (3-1, 1-1). Stout entered the key WIAC matchup ranked as the No. 6 team in the nation in scoring defense but Whitewater dispelled that stat by hanging 46 points on the Blue Devils.

Warhawk running backs Justin Weaver and Colin Burns steamrolled the Blue Devil D, combining for 307 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Jacobs completed just five passes but three went for touchdowns of 21, 16 and 71 yards. Whitewater racked up 432 total yards of offense and averaged eight yards per play.

The Warhawk defense recorded six sacks, forced six turnovers, and held a Stout offense that was averaging over 45 points per game to just 17.

Redmen receive Viking funeral
In previewing last Saturday's CCIW game between title-contender Augustana and undefeated Carthage, the matchup had the look of a heavyweight tussle but, after the game, all appearances of such a contest were destroyed by a 35-0 Vikings rout. Scroll down for JJ McDowell's Insider.

Carthage entered the key conference game as the league's No. 1 defense, allowing an average of just 159 yards per game, but Augustana's power running attack ran roughshod over the Redmen to the tune of 309 yards. Fullback Mike Guzman paced the Viking rushers, gaining 80 yards. But the Augustana offense was powered mainly by the performance of quarterback Matt Roe. The junior ran for 36 yards, including scoring jaunts of three and six yards, and threw for 97 yards and touchdowns of 18 and 39 yards. In total, Augustana rolled up 406 yards on Carthage.

The Augustana defense also played a role in the win, holding the Redmen to 151 yards passing and 107 yards rushing, all to preseason All-American tailback Dante Washington. The Vikings D also collected three sacks and recorded one interception. Senior linebacker Beau Biagi led the unit with eight tackles and one sack.

Augustana's challenges are hardly over, as the Vikings will spend three of the next four weeks on the road, including tough trips to Illinois Wesleyan, Elmhurst, and North Central.

Pointless opponents 
Monmouth (5-1, 4-1), known in recent years more for its offensive might, has flexed its defensive muscles the last two weeks, securing consecutive shutouts of Midwest Conference foes. 

On Oct. 2, the Fighting Scots blanked Lake Forest, which had previously been averaging 30 points per game, 14-0. The Foresters tallied more first downs and nearly outgained Monmouth but only averaged 3.4 yards per play and made it into the red zone on just one occasion.

Versus Grinnell last weekend, the Monmouth defense dominated in a 24-0 victory. The Fighting Scots held the Pioneers to 128 total yards, nine first downs, and to 1-of-14 in third down conversion attempts.

A trio of big playmakers, with size to match ability, spearheads the Monmouth defense. Linebackers T.J. Scruggs (6-1, 220) and Justin Zigler (6-1, 235) are the unit's top two tacklers, combining for 123 stops. They also have teamed for three and a half sacks, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Junior defensive back Ryan Bast (6-0, 185) leads the team in interceptions with four and in pass breakups with six. 

Monmouth will go for its third consecutive shutout this weekend when it faces Lawrence, losers of five in a row.

Knights have been lights-out
As if Midwest Conference watchers needed further proof of St. Norbert's supremacy, the Green Knights have outdone themselves with a remarkable feat accomplished over the past four MWC contests. Not only has St. Norbert won in dominating fashion against Monmouth, Knox, Illinois College, and Lawrence, it has scored 51 or more points in each win (217 points total) and averaged a 42.5-point margin of victory per game. In that span, the Green Knights have scored 29 touchdowns, amassed 2,355 total yards, and collected 105 first downs (compared to six, 940, and 50 by their opponents, respectively). Not surprisingly, the St. Norbert offense is ranked ninth nationally in total offense and 12th in scoring offense.

Don't expect the trend to end anytime soon, as St. Norbert faces defensively challenged Carroll and Ripon in the coming weeks. Last year, the Green Knights topped Carroll 63-27 and Ripon 44-14.

The Mount survives scare
After handily defeating two-time defending HCAC champion Hanover in its conference opener, it looked as though Mt. St. Joseph would have a relatively unencumbered path to the 2004 league title. But last weekend, Franklin proved that looks can be deceiving, as the Lions needed a come-from-behind effort to dispatch host Franklin (2-4, 0-2). 

Trailing 30-27 in the fourth quarter, Mt. St. Joseph mounted a game-winning drive capped off by a Bryan Hamrock to Andy Wellendorf 14-yard scoring connection with just under two minutes remaining. Hamrock finished the game with 336 yards passing and three touchdowns. Wellendorf caught nine balls for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

The Mount's normally stout defense surrendered 383 yards and 30 points, the most allowed this season, to a talented Franklin offense. Danny Sears led the Grizzlies offense with 128 receiving yards and one touchdown. Lions defensive end Mike Holsinger earned HCAC Defensive Player of the Week honors by recording eight tackles, including three for a loss, and two sacks, including a game-clinching tackle of the Franklin quarterback on fourth down late in the contest.

Mt. St. Joseph (5-0, 2-0) plays three of its last four HCAC games at home, including next week's matchup with 0-6 Manchester.

Notes
CCIW: Millikin's Nathan Wallick rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort versus Wheaton. ... Wide receiver Brad Musso of Wheaton snared 12 passes, two for touchdowns, while gaining 161 yards in the Thunder's 45-35 win against Millikin. ... Quarterback Dom Demma of Elmhurst threw for 419 yards and three touchdowns and became the program's all-time leader in pass completions in leading the Bluejays to a 35-31 comeback win against North Park. ... Not to be outdone, North Park trigger-man Mike Haehn accounted for the Panthers' entire offensive output, throwing for 441 yards (NPC rushed for a total of -1 yards). ... Chuck Earnest caught a 15-yard pass from Kam Kniss with 37 seconds remaining to propel North Central to a 21-18 win versus Illinois Wesleyan. 

HCAC: Hyman Smith of Anderson caught nine balls for 162 yards and one touchdown, helping the Ravens to a 27-10 win against Defiance and their fourth consecutive victory. ... Hanover's Adam Stevenson ran for a career-high 277 yards, leading the Panthers past Manchester 31-7. ... With Saturday's win, Hanover head coach Wayne Perry moved into a tie for second place in career wins among Indiana college coaches with 160.

IBFC: Aurora totaled 603 yards of offense and Travis Paro rushed for five touchdowns in the Spartans' 59-21 rout of Benedictine, upping the Spartans IBFC record to 3-0 and keeping them in a tie for first place. ... Concordia (Wis.) crushed Concordia (Ill.) 47-6 but incurred 145 yards in penalties in the victory. ... Lakeland quarterback Ryan Maiuri totaled 285 yards and scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one via the pass, in the Muskies' 54-13 whacking of MacMurray.

MWC: Five Ripon turnovers, a record-tying five touchdowns passes from Pete Jennings, and a school-record 189 receiving yards from Joe Reed helped Illinois College to a 52-17 dismantling of the Red Hawks. ... The Lake Forest defense allowed Knox just seven first downs and 138 total yards, and no scores in its 43-2 victory. ... Carroll (3-3) matched its win total of a year ago with four weeks remaining in the season by beating Beloit 35-27 this past Saturday. 

WIAC: UW-La Crosse's game with UW-Oshkosh was the program's 800th (528-226-46) in its storied history and its 28-21 victory helped to maintain its spot as the second all-time winningest program in Division III football. ... UW-Eau Claire plays its next four games on the road, including WIAC contests at UW-La Crosse, UW-Platteville, and UW-Stout. ... The UW-River Falls/UW-Platteville game featured a combined five touchdowns throws with each coming from five different passers.

Elsewhere: Kyle Gillum connected with Owen Jarrette to successfully complete a two-point conversion and give Principia a 36-35 overtime win over Crown.

In addition to the five nationally ranked Midwest region teams, five other squads are receiving votes in the latest D3football.com poll: UW-Stevens Point (39), UW-Platteville (24), St. Norbert (10), North Central (9), Mt. St. Joseph (4). My top 10 Midwest region teams through six weeks: 1. UW-La Crosse (3-1), 2. UW-Eau Claire (4-1), 3. UW-Whitewater (5-1), 4. Wheaton (5-0), 5. UW-Stevens Point (2-3), 6. UW-Platteville (4-1), 7. Augustana (4-1), 8. St. Norbert (5-1), 9. UW-Stout (3-1), 10. Mt. St. Joseph (5-0). 

Games of the Week
No. 15 UW-Eau Claire (4-1, 2-1) at No. 3 UW-La Crosse (3-1, 2-0), Roger Harring Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium, La Crosse, Wis., 11:30 a.m.: After four games and four road trips totaling nearly 1,000 miles, UW-La Crosse finally returns to the river city for its home opener. UW-Eau Claire's early portion of the season also has been arduous, with four of its first six games coming against nationally ranked opponents, including the No. 3 Eagles. Both teams are coming off victories that were too close for comfort -- La Crosse needed a second half comeback to top UW-Oshkosh while Eau Claire won on a late potential game-tying extra point miss. The winner of the quarterback battle between La Crosse's Steve Tennies and Eau Claire's Nels Fredrickson will play a major role in determining the winner of the game and should be fun to watch. La Crosse will be looking to avenge last season's 24-21 lost to the Blugolds--the Eagles' lone blemish on an otherwise perfect WIAC season. 

Concordia (Wis.) (3-3, 2-1) at Lakeland (4-2, 3-0), Taylor Field, Sheboygan, Wis., 1:30 p.m.: Despite wins over MacMurray and Concordia (Ill.), the 2004 Concordia (Wis.) Falcons have shown to be a shell of their dominating, undefeated conference champion 2003 selves -- a 24-7 Week Five loss to Aurora testifies to that fact. A good way to start the reclamation of its championship form would be to knock off title favorite Lakeland -- a feat that is easier said than done (just ask Benedictine, Eureka, and MacMurray). The Muskies have steamrolled its IBFC opponents to date, averaging 59 points and 659 yards of total offense per game. Lakeland's bellcow has been its rushing attack, totaling a gaudy 1,455 yards in three conference games. As if Concordia's task isn't daunting enough, the Falcons must face Lakeland on its home field and contend with a team with vivid memories of last season's 41-20 whipping.

Rockford (4-2) at Trinity Bible (0-6), Bob Tatum Field, Ellendale, N.D., 12:00 p.m.: The intrigue surrounding this game can be summed up in one question: Does Rockford have another 105-point effort in it?

Other games of note: Elmhurst (4-1, 1-1) at No. 8 Wheaton (5-0, 2-0), North Central (4-1, 1-1) at Carthage (4-1, 1-1), UW-Stevens Point (2-3, 0-2) at UW-Stout (3-1, 1-1), Illinois College (5-1, 4-1) at Lake Forest (5-1, 4-1).

The Insider
On a weekly basis, Augustana junior wingback JJ McDowell describes his experiences from the practice field to the playing field.

Week 5 is history and preparation for Week 6 here at Augie starts with films at 6:45 a.m. on Monday morning. After film review last Monday it was obvious that we needed a much stronger effort this week to move to 2-0 in conference play. After a mediocre practice on Tuesday, assistant coach, Tom Schmulbach (running backs coach) had a little something to say afterwards. Coach Schmulbach, who was with this program through the national championship years in the '80s, rarely addresses the team as a whole but when he does, it is best you listen up. He reflected on how during his years here many teams had come into Rock Island leading the conference or nation in defense, and none had left that way. That was all the incentive I needed for the rest of the week, especially since the 1984 championship team was having their reunion the weekend of the Carthage game. 

There is plenty of tradition when the Augustana Vikings hit the field, and trust me, we have been well aware of it for the time we have been here. This 2004 Viking squad is proud to represent what Augustana football is all about, but ready to make a name for ourselves. Wednesday and Thursday practices were both sharp and productive, making big steps towards our goal for Saturday. After Friday's practice, our junior left tackle, Andy Quain's parents were cooking out at a campsite about 15-20 minutes from our campus. About 15 of us went out there and had a nice 'home cooked' meal, which was a favorable change from the usual microwave dinners and cafeteria food. After plenty of barbeque chicken and a bonfire, we headed back to campus where I continued my dominance in RBI baseball for the original Nintendo system (a must the night before a game).

Game day finally arrived and we were more than ready to take on undefeated Carthage at Ericson field. We received the ball, and marched 65 yards on 13 plays to put up seven points on the first drive of the game. Coupled with a strong defensive effort, the solid blocking of Andy Quain, Tyler Coleman, Jeff Purcell, Dave Stoltz, Mike Zeifert, Tom McIntire, and Travis Temple (O-line and tight ends) we went into halftime with a 21-0 lead. 

We came out playing hard, Augustana football in the first quarter, which was the product of a good week of practice, and set the tone for the rest of the game. In the second half, the defense kept making timely plays as the bruising offense rolled. Our offensive production in rushing the ball was spread out with our top 5 rushers gaining 80, 67, 52, 36 and 30 on the day. I was in the middle with 52 yards on 11 carries. Again, it does not matter who gets the credit, because our offense is as 'team-oriented' as they come, and it is best when all of our positions have production. Overall, I was most proud of my blocking.

We head into Week 6 with a 4-1 record facing a potent Illinois Wesleyan team who will be anxious to play us at their place. It is a very balanced CCIW league this year and I know our 2004 Viking team will be pumped to get on the field and bring some Augie-style football to Bloomington.