Frank Laterza and the Green Knights defense allow just 10.5 points per game and are second in the nation in turnover differential. Photo courtesy St. Norbert Athletics

Dan McCarty readily admits he was experimenting with his St. Norbert football team in his first year as the Green Knights coach – and still is.

When most coaches gobble up all 20 hours the NCAA allows them to work with their players, McCarty uses only 14 of those hours a week with his squad. With going to light practices on Thursday and Friday before games, some might consider the coach is being too soft on his college players.

The result so far is that St. Norbert is off to its fastest start (4-0) since the 2009 season and, almost in a bat of an eye, turned around the Green Knights after going 6-4 a year ago.

One would have to go back to the 1998 season to remember the last time St. Norbert lost four or more games during the regular season. That year, the Green Knights went 5-5 after the previous coach had been sanctioned for having an illegal scrimmage. That was also the year before Jim Purtill arrived and turned St. Norbert into the perennial Midwest Conference kingpin it is known as today.

When Purtill left at the end of the 2013 season, he was 130-30 with 10 trips to the Division III playoffs. Steve Opgenorth came on board to replace him and McCarty was defensive coordinator. Then the 6-4 season happened.

McCarty said he can feel – and importantly his players can feel – the difference in the Green Knights approach.

"Trust me, if it wasn't working, we would definitely be doing something different," McCarty said this week as they prepare for a huge game against North Division rival Carroll. "The whole thing is kind of an experiment. Our practice plan and what we do during the week is probably not very common with other programs. It's more mental than physical.

"We had an easy camp and it was kind of borderline. Are we too soft on them? But the results have shown that our guys are extremely fresh on Saturday and playing fast. When guys like Brad Boockmeier, one of our stud tailbacks, told me this is the best he's ever felt going into games, that's important."

What McCarty credits the Green Knights early success to is old-fashion protecting the football on offense while taking it away on defense. St. Norbert is second in the country in turnover margin, with a 2.75 average this season, with 12 interceptions and two fumble recoveries, while surrendering the ball just three times on offense this season.

Defensive back Frank Laterza, who missed all last season with an injury, leads St. Norbert with three interceptions, returning one of them for a touchdown.

"Frank's our field general and he really takes charge out there," McCarty said. "But honestly, the entire defense has really been playing together and no one guy really jumps out there because every guy has stepped up when it was his moment to do so."

The Green Knights also top the country in fourth down conversions, going 11-for-11 so far this season. Only Concordia-Morehead (12-for-12) had made more fourth down conversions in Division III this season. While he's happy his squad has made all of them, McCarty admitted it was usually because they didn't make the first down on a third down play.

"I told our players I would be happy that by the end of the season we were still 11-for-11 in fourth-down conversions," McCarty said with a laugh.

St. Norbert avenged one of its losses from last season, beating Cornell 31-3 last week. They will get a chance to do the same this week against Carroll, a team that whipped the Green Knights 30-6 last year. McCarty was honest in saying he and his players have not forgotten about that game.

"I remember walking off that field and I didn't feel good and our players didn't feel good about it," McCarty said. "I think it's a huge motivation. I'll talk to them about it and I sent them an email about it earlier. We're not going to forget how we felt last year. We think it's going to be an exciting game on Saturday."

The undefeated

St. Norbert represents one of just a handful of teams that remain undefeated in the Midwest. In the CCIW, No. 7 Wheaton (4-0), which continues to be stingy on defense surrendering less than 10 points per game, will try to keep its streak going at home Saturday against Augustana (2-2). Illinois Wesleyan (4-0) became the third nationally-ranked CCIW team (with North Central at No. 17), entering the ranking this week at No. 25. They will play at home this week as well against Millikin. Rose-Hulman of the HCAC (4-0) is starting to receive points in the top 25 just behind perennial league power Franklin, which appears to have found its groove in league play after starting 0-2.

39-point first quarter leads to historic romp

Rose-Hulman's 81 points in last Saturday's contest against Anderson was one for the record books for the Fightin' Engineers. It the first time Rose-Hulman scored 80 or more points in a football game in 102 years (1913). Actually, the Fightin' Engineers got nearly half those points in the first quarter in their 81-13 win, scoring a rare 39 points, added by challenges in Anderson's punting game. In total, Rose-Hulman's quarterback Austin Swenson threw for three touchdowns to different receivers, Michael Iacono and Kevin Dufauchard ran for one each and Craig Larew added a 28-yard field goal as time expired in the period. There was also a two-point conversion after one of the touchdowns, making an even 39 points.

North Central added 35 points in the fourth quarter

No. 17-ranked North Central, trailing 21-14 to Millikin going into the fourth quarter Saturday, hit the emergency button and rang up 35 points over the final 15 minutes for a 49-21 victory. A sloppy, wet field let the Cardinals to abandon their passing game and run 17 straight running plays, which seemed to do the trick. Dylan Warden (11-109) scored three of North Central's five rushing touchdowns in the quarter and Matt Randolph (11-91) picked up one. Austin Breunig added 92 yards on 15 carries while Andrew Sledd picked up the last touchdown with a minute left in the contest. Two fumble recoveries and a fourth down stop by the Cardinals defense helped set up their offensive teammates with short field opportunities in the final period.

Expected running showdown never materialized

Those looking for ground game fireworks between Augustana's Sam Frasco and Elmhurst's Josh Williams in Rock Island, Illinois, instead got a one-touchdown defensive standstill that saw two of the nation's best runners pretty much held in check all game – won by Augustana 9-3. Frasco, Division III's top running quarterback who was averaging more than 200 yards per game, rushed for 69 yards on 17 carries Saturday and threw for the game's only touchdown to Sean Fitzgerald in the second quarter. Williams, who had been averaging roughly 170 yards per contest, was held to 50 yards on 20 carries. The games were both season lows for Frasco and Williams. Still, Frasco's 176.3 yard per game rushing average is good enough for fourth-best in the nation while Williams's new 149.8 yards per game average has him tied for 12th in the country.

Game of the week

Carroll (2-2) at St. Norbert (4-0), 2 p.m.—The Green Knights will be trying to avenge a humbling loss to the Carroll Pioneers 30-6 last year. Carroll bounced back from a 22-16 loss to Monmouth with a 25-13 win against Lake Forest last weekend. Kyle Burlingame is still the Pioneers' trigger man at quarterback, completing 62.4 percent of his passes while throwing for eight touchdowns while running back Daniel Arden is rushing for nearly 100 yards (92.75 to be exact) per game. Carroll was tabbed as one of the favorites to win the MWC North Division after falling short behind Macalester last year. But the Pioneers must beat St. Norbert in the division opener to keep pace.