By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
Welcome back, Augustana.
The Vikings haven’t exactly climbed back into the national rankings, but have reclaimed their position as the favorites in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin with its 17-14 victory over then No. 19-ranked Wheaton on Saturday.
Augustana is now 3-0 in CCIW and 4-2 overall. More importantly, the win puts the Vikings in position to successfully defend the conference title they captured last year.
"Maybe we (fell under the radar) with those national voters, but for us, we always carry that big bull’s-eye on our chest and we need to play with that attitude," said Augustana coach Jim Barnes. "You have to ready to battle all the time and we get a lot of people’s best stuff."
Barnes said injuries and young players going through the growing-up process on the football team has played havoc with what Augustana has done on the field from time to time. He said, though, his Vikings are proving to be quick learners.
"I’m not sure that squad was ready for all of those accolades," Barnes said. "We made a couple of key mistakes in earlier games. I’m proud of the team and the way they’ve taken on the challenges and responded and now we’re going in the right direction."
Victories like the one on Saturday may prove better than OnStar in helping Augustana find its way to another title. The Vikings held a 17-0 lead going into the fourth quarter before Wheaton got back into the game with two touchdowns. Augustana fullback Mike Guzman rushed for 122 yards on 14 carries to lead the Vikings.
Augustana’s defense, meanwhile, held Wheaton’s Chaz Black, who was averaging more than 100 yards per game, to 66 yards on 22 carries.
"Earlier in the season, I think we started thinking about down the road and we lost sight of the things we needed to do to get better today," Barnes said. "We adjusted our focus on what we can do to get better each day. Then, there was some maturation and syncing of the offensive line. I think our running backs and quarterback Ryan McGinnis have had opportunities to gain confidence."
But if the Wheaton game was any indication the CCIW race, it won’t be easy for Augustana to repeat with North Central still waiting in the wings with a Oct. 28 date.
"I think (the Wheaton win) shows that if we play near our potential and executive it, we can beat the best teams in our league," Barnes said. "We need to go to work everyday with our lunch pail and slug it out. We can beat the best. If you only think you’re good, then we’re going to get beat by other people."
Speaking of adversity, try Rockford
Talk about recruiting trips, one could say coach Randy Schrader was recruited to Rockford College by a woman named Denise. Well, Denise, just happens to be Denise Schrader, his wife. He followed her there when Mrs. Schrader took a job at Rockford. Once there, something very strange happened.
Schrader accepted the job for the offensive coordinator position for Rockford, but before he could move his things into office, head coach Mike Hoskins bolted for a coaching position at NAIA Southern Oregon and the next day Schrader, who has spent 19 years coaching high schools in Iowa, was named head coach of the Rockford Regents.
"Mike offered me the offensive coordinator’s job and then he left a week before the season started," Schrader said. "They hired me on Monday, (Hoskins) left the job the same day and they offered me the head job on Tuesday. We have been trying to get our feet on the ground for the past eight or nine weeks."
Since then, the Regents have gone 6-1, beaten Westminster (Mo.) for the first time in school history and have a shot at breaking the school record for wins, and, at 6-0 in-region, possibly a shot at the playoffs.
"They say dreams really do come true," Schrader said jokingly. "This has been a storybook season for us. To take a look at everything that has transpired since the first of August and to be 6-1 at this point is a real credit to the kids here."
The cupboard wasn’t exactly bare when Schrader took over. He had nine returning starters on offense and seven on defense from a program that’s been 7-3 the past three seasons. But Schrader admits he likes to run the ball, far different from the pass-happy Rockford teams of the past.
"We kind of piecemealed this thing together and haven’t looked back," Schrader said. "We want to be better than 7-3, but with everything being said, we’re happy to be where we’re at. The next three for us are critical in terms of a conference championship, playoff implications and the whole nine yards."
Schrader hired Skip Eckhardt as offensive coordinator, a friend he coached with in Iowa. Marty Sojka stayed on as Rockford’s defensive coordinator. Offensively, the Regents have been led by quarterback Matt Muscia and tailback John Feehan. Defensively, linebacker Nick Colon is the team’s leading tackler while defensive end Erik Guzik became the school’s all-time sack leader.
Rockford leads the Southern Division of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference with a 3-0 record and is 3-1 among UMAC schools. The Regents have already avenged one of their losses from last year, beating Westminster (Mo.) 35-20 earlier this year.
Rockford is poised to play Minnesota-Morris in the UMAC’s Dome Day on Oct. 21. Minnesota-Morris (5-2) is undefeated in the UMAC’s Northern Division and beat Northwestern College (Minn.) 17-14 in overtime this season. The Regents only loss came to Northwestern College (Minn.) 21-14 in overtime. Rockford loss its Dome Day game to Martin Luther 26-0 in 2005.
After that, Rockford ends its regular season Nov. 4 against Colorado College (3-3). Would a 9-1 record be enough to earn attention from Division III playoff gurus?
"If we can hold it together, I believe in storybook endings," Schrader said. "It would have been easy for them to go into the tank but they refocused and really began to believe. Our kids are believing in what we’re doing."
Mount St. Joseph breaks into Top 25
Mount St. Joseph escaped Indiana with a hard-fought 21-14 victory over then-undefeated Franklin and earned the No. 25 spot in the Top 25 ranking, edging out Union. The victory leaves Mount St. Joseph tied atop the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings with Defiance.
The Lions, who saw its 14-point first quarter lead disappear in minutes just before the halftime, was lifted by a strong defensive effort in the second half and a touchdown run by backup tailback Kevin Cocanougher with 6:48 left in the game.
It’s the first time Mount St. Joseph has been nationally ranked since moving to the No. 25 spot two years ago when they went undefeated during the regular season. The Lions lost to nationally ranked Wheaton 31-7 in the first round of the playoffs that year. Mount St. Joseph went 9-1 last year while capturing the HCAC title, before losing to eventual national champion Mount Union 49-6 in the first round.
All is not done for the Lions, though. Mount St. Joseph still awaits another big road challenge against Defiance (5-1, 3-0) on Oct. 28. Of course, Franklin, at 5-1 and 2-1 in the HCAC, hasn’t exactly fallen off the face of the earth and travels to Northwest Ohio to play Defiance a week before Mount St. Joseph’s arrival, so things still could get very interesting in this conference.
IBFC title likely on the line
It’s showdown week in the Illini-Badger Football Conference as undefeated Concordia (Wis.) takes on defending conference champions Lakeland. Concordia (7-0, 4-0) continues to run the ball impressively, but will have to go to Sheboygan, Wis., to take on the Muskies, who have won four straight games after opening the season 0-3.
Chicago in uphill battle to repeat in UAA
The University of Chicago will have to hustle if it plans on repeating as University Athletic Association champions after losing to Washington U. 26-7 last week. The Maroons will have to act this week, though, as they take on undefeated Carnegie Mellon (6-0), which registered a win over Case Western Reserve 20-10 in its first UAA game last week.
Monmouth wins, but still chasing St. Norbert
Monmouth (5-2, 5-1 in Midwest Conference) is back in the saddle again after losing to St. Norbert two games ago. The Scots bounced back with a 24-14 win over Ripon (5-2, 5-1), which was previously undefeated in Midwest Conference play. St. Norbert continued its winning ways, beating Carroll 41-0 as the Knights tightened its grip on another MWC title.
St. Norbert (7-0, 6-0 in MWC) has now scored 30 or more points in six of its seven games this year and takes on Ripon on Saturday.
