By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
Coach Larry Kindbom said he believes his Washington U. team still has a shot at winning a share of the University Athletic Association title and making the playoffs.
The harsh fallout from the Bears’ 18-13 loss to defending UAA champions Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh last weekend will have to be forgotten. Washington (6-2, 1-1 in UAA) now has to travel to Cleveland to take on Case Western Reserve (8-0, 2-0). It’s a challenge Kindbom said his team is well prepared for.
“We’ve played some pretty good teams already this season so we’ll be ready,” said Kindbom. “Carnegie is a pretty good team. They didn’t turn it over against us the way they have against others. We’re excited about playing Case Western.”
Washington is use to the UAA title hunt, winning for straight titles up until 2004. But the UAA is a four-team, Pool B conference. Despite the success of Carnegie Mellon reaching the second round last year, it’s difficult to get noticed.
“I remember one year (before playoff expansion) we went 9-1 and they didn’t pick us and that year we beat two Top 20 teams,” Kindbom said. “Part of that is the fact we’re in a small conference. I don’t think people realize how good this conference is and we beat up on each other a bit here.”
Kindbom knows the task against Case won’t be easy. The Spartans are averaging 38.8 points a game. Case beat Carnegie Melon 20-17 in overtime on Oct. 13. Before last weekend, the Spartans were ranked No. 17 in the country in total offense averaging 454.7 yard per game.
“They have a very talented offense,” Kindbom said of Case. “We’ll have to mixed it up some defensively. We’re going to have to create some situations that will take them out of their element and normal down situation and get some turnovers. Offensively, we have to play really solid football. We’re going to need some guys in special teams make plays and they will probably make the difference.”
Kindbom said his teams have made their living by stuffing the run. It’s been a Bear mantra since he’s become head coach. This season, Washington is giving up 93 yards per game on the ground. Case, though, is averaging 338 yards rushing a contest.
Only two teams have scored more than 20 points on the Bears defense this season, a 41-28 win over Lake Forest and a 55-14 loss to No. 4-ranked Wheaton.
“We just didn’t play at the level we could last week,” Kindbom said. “We can’t control what Case does. We have to control what we’re able to do best. It’ll be a fun ballgame. We’ve done pretty well on the road, beyond last week. I believe so strongly in this team. We’ll certainly see what they are capable of doing this week.”
The Bears have already proven they can bounce back after a tough loss. After they were hammered by Wheaton, Washington recovered with an impressive 16-13 road win over then nationally ranked North Central and returned home to beat Rhodes 24-3.
“We always thought we played a pretty good schedule here and that’s one of the reasons why because it prepares you for the best games,” Kindbom said. “Playing Wheaton prepared us to play North Central and Rhodes. After we beat Rhodes, they went out the following week and beat No. 14-ranked Trinity, so we know what caliber of a team they are.
“We believe in (tough schedules) and that’s where we’re helped. When you play teams like that, you learn how to play at a higher speed and hope that translates into victories at the end of the year.”
Kindbom said it will take a total team effort to beat Case Western Reserve on the road, but he believes it’s games like this that his teams play for.
Franklin closes in on title
The Franklin Grizzlies can snare a playoff spot and a share of the HCAC title with a win over Defiance on Saturday. Franklin (7-1, 5-0) jumped into the Top 25 this week at No. 21 after a 52-33 victory against Manchester.
Defiance (5-3, 4-1) lost to defending conference champion Mount St. Joseph (7-1, 5-1) 10-0 last week. Mount St. Joseph will now be rooting for the Yellow Jackets hoping to through the conference title and playoff spot into a three-way tie.
For Franklin and coach Mike Leonard, it’s simple -- win and you’re in. Defiance will try to crank up the conference’s top pass catching combination this week in wide receiver Luke Dillon and quarterback Hans Vetter for it to have a chance.
IWU faces gut check time
Illinois Wesleyan (6-2, 5-0 in CCIW) closes out the season with probably two of its toughest conference foes. The Titans, who managed a 20-14 win over North Park last weekend, now takes on North Central (6-2, 4-1) on the road and will follow it up with a home finale against nationally-ranked Wheaton (8-0, 5-0).
The Titans have not beaten North Central since 2002 and North Central has advanced to the playoffs the past two seasons. After early losses to Wheaton and Washington, the Cardinals have been under the radar but have quietly put a string of conference victories together to keep them in the hunt.
Surprise for Concordia in IBFC
Concordia (Wis.) has managed to make things a little more difficult for itself with the help of Greenville. Greenville stunned the defending IBC champions last week 44-14, leaving Concordia (6-3, 5-1) in a tie with Lakeland (5-4, 5-1) in a tie for first place.
Concordia is still in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot by virtue of its win over Lakeland two weeks ago, but now must beat Benedictine (5-4, 4-2) to clinch the spot. A loss leaves the door open for Lakeland, which plays Aurora (4-4, 4-2) in its finale.
