By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com

Concordia’s 30-18 victory over Lakeland last Saturday was a huge win for the Falcons, but coach Jeff Gabrielsen cautioned to not print playoff tickets and make hotel reservations just yet.

The Falcons (8-0, 5-0) victory over the defending Illini-Badger Conference champions puts Concordia (Wis.) in the driver’s seat for the conference’s automatic bid.

If they beat Greenville (5-2, 4-1) and Benedictine (2-3, 3-5), they would win 10 games for the first time in school history. It would be the first time the Falcons had gone undefeated in the regular season since 1990 when they went 9-0. It would be the first time Concordia would have gone undefeated in the conference in 2003.

That gives little comfort to Gabrielsen as he prepares his team for Greenville, the team with the last real shot at keeping Corcordia from the big dance. Greenville lost to Lakeland 28-13 in September, which now seems light-years removed.

"For as important as last week’s game was, this game (against Greenville) is for the conference championship," Gabrielsen said. "They’ve only lost one game in the conference and have a chance to do some things. We’ve preached one day at a time and one game at a time to our kids and they’ve responded to it very well so far. You can’t look past someone that’s 4-1 in the conference."

Another thing that seems like a distant memory is the overtime victory over then-nationally ranked North Central, which caught the attention of Division III football fans around the country. Concordia has capitalized on that win with its continued success in the IBC and continues to gain votes in the Top 25 poll, though they have failed to crack the list yet.

Gabrielsen said he’s not concerned so much about the ranking than having his entire team feeling part of the Falcons' success. He said he’s pleased with the way his players are responding when called upon.

"We’ve overcome a lot of injuries and other guys have stepped up," Gabrielsen said. "This has been a real team effort. We have to nominate people for players of the week in our conference. Some of our (players’ statistics) may not look as dynamic because we may have had four guys who made touchdowns, and the tackles are spread out on defense because everyone is stepping up. It’s hard to single out one guy."

Gabrielsen said he hasn’t focused on the possibility of his team going undefeated this year, but realizes others are talking about it. He said he considers that a good thing.

"When you’re 1-9, nobody wants to talk with you," Gabrielsen said. "That’s all a part of this and part of the challenge but I think our players have handled it well. You’re not under the radar so you have to get use to that as well. The kids have been able to deal with it."

Gabrielsen said he has welcomed the return of middle linebacker Scott Gerhke and quarterback Justin Lewis, who played in the Lakeland game after spending time out with injuries.

"Scott’s the anchor to our defense," Gabrielsen said. "Lakeland really wanted to run the ball and I’m glad Scott was back."

Gabrielsen said team focus will be critical over the next couple of weeks and that means sticking with the routines and habits that have gotten Concordia to 8-0 this year.

"When you’re in the football season, it’s very structured day to day and we do exactly the same things," Gabrielsen said. "No one is different. The biggest game on our schedule is the one we’re preparing for and that’s the way we approach it."

Mount St. Joseph faces second crucial HCAC test

The good news for the Mount St. Joseph Lions is that their 34-12 victory over Manchester helped elevate their rank to No. 21 in the latest Top 25 poll, from No. 25 last week. Now, Mount St. Joseph (7-0, 5-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference) gets to defend it and its shot at a third consecutive HCAC title when it travels to Northwest Ohio to play Defiance (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets have run off six consecutive wins since losing their opening game to Otterbein. Both teams rely on stingy defenses and offenses that do enough to win the game. The winner will be the last undefeated team in the conference. Defiance still has a home date with Franklin (6-1, 3-1) still waiting on its schedule at well.

Mike Lovell, the HCAC’s leading rusher, needs 119 yards to go over 1,000 yards for the season. He’s averaging 125.9 per game. But that is also the strength of the Defiance defense in what will amount to a sheer test of wills on Saturday.

Wheaton back in poll

Wheaton (6-1, 3-1) may be second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, but they returned to the Top 25 this week at No. 25 after its win last week. Wheaton’s only blemish this season has been to Augustana two games ago, which is close to breaking into the Top 25 but is behind Wheaton.

Augustana (5-2, 4-0) has bounced back to win four in a row since starting the season 1-2, including a big 28-14 win last Saturday against Carthage. Now, the Vikings take on North Central (5-2, 3-1) at home with part of the conference title on the line.

Augustana escaped with a thrilling 20-17 victory last year that catapulted the Vikings into the playoffs.

St. Norbert almost dancing as well

With Monmouth’s 12-8 loss to Lake Forest on Saturday, St. Norbert (8-0, 7-0) moves within a hair of the Midwest Conference title and officially punching its ticket for the big dance. The Knights could win the title outright with a victory at Beloit on Saturday coupled with a Monmouth (5-3, 5-2) win at Illinois College (6-2, 6-1).

If Illinois College wins, it sets up a final showdown when the Blue Boys travels to St. Norbert on Nov. 4. Illinois College’s only conference loss this season came to Ripon 31-21 in September.

Monmouth’s loss to Lake Forest meant it will be the first time the Scots have had two or more conference losses in MWC play since 2002.

Rockford has two shots to break record 

The Rockford Regents won the Southern Division of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference on Saturday with a 27-6 victory over Martin Luther to improve its overall record to 7-1. That avenges a 26-0 loss to Martin Luther last year during Dome Day. That the easy part for Rockford, which has won seven games the past three seasons.

To set a school-record eight wins, Rockford will have to either beat Minnesota-Morris in the championship tilt of conference’s Dome Day game in the Metrodome in Minneapolis on Saturday or at Colorado College on Nov. 4. It will be a high accomplishment for a school that switched head coaches just before the season started.

When you reach coach Randy Schrader’s voice mail at Rockford, it ends by saying, "It’s good to be a Regent." It would be doubly good if they can get by Minnesota-Morris for a conference title. Rockford will join the bulk of the IBC schools in 2008 to form the Northern Athletic Conference, so the Regents are on the clock.