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| File photos from top to bottom: By Dan Harris, d3photography.com; John Carroll athletics; Dan Poel, d3photography.com; Wabash athletics; d3photography.com |
It looks like 70 was the magic number on Saturday in Week 8 in Division III football, as half of the Top 10 teams hit that number, one of them doing it against a team ranked in the coaches' poll.
Second-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor had its way with Texas Lutheran, a team just outside of the D3football.com Top 25 but ranked No. 17 by the American Football Coaches Association. The teams traded field goals on their first possessions and TLU took a 6-3 lead the second time it had the ball but UMHB cruised to halftime on a 42-0 run and went on to a 72-16 win. It's the first time the teams have met since TLU left the American Southwest Conference after the 2012-13 academic year. UMHB was credited with four pass breakups and the Cru defense held Marquis Barolle to 91 yards on 24 carries.
No. 3 Mount Union won its 80th consecutive home game and its 90th consecutive regular season game, rolling over Wilmington 74-7. The Purple Raiders scored 42 first-quarter points and led 65-7 at halftime, scoring on nine first-half drives of four plays apiece or fewer. Beyond that, it was another typical Mount Union blowout, as 13 players got carries and 13 defensive players recorded tackles for loss.
Fourth-ranked Wesley continued through the shadow portion of the schedule, the five games the Wolverines play against non-Division III teams to end their final season as an independent, by defeating Virginia-Lynchburg 75-12. Joe Callahan and Zach Smith spread the ball to 11 receivers in the win and Callahan threw five TDs on just 18 passes, while defensive lineman Payton Rose broke up five passes.
John Carroll, ranked No. 7, delivered another big beatdown as the 7-0 Blue Streaks rolled over Capital 71-7. Aramis Greenwood returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the second consecutive week (JCU's only kickoff return TDs in the past 12 seasons) and John Carroll accomplished all that scoring with the offense only on the field for 21:45. Kresimir Ivkovic kicked his 34th and 35th career field goals for JCU.
And 10th-ranked Wabash, which lost at home to Oberlin two years ago, made sure there would be no repeat, taking a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat the Yeomen 70-10. The Little Giants defense recorded 11 tackles for loss and five sacks, two of them by Cody Buresh.
Fifth-ranked Linfield scored 42 points in the first quarter but took the foot way off the gas in defeating Lewis and Clark 59-7. Bryan Cassil had two of the Wildcats' five touchdown runs, going for 82 yards on just nine carries.
There were competitive games involving top 25 teams as well. No. 17 Wheaton brought home the Little Brass Bell, but it took Sam Cote's field goal on the final play of regulation to secure it. The Thunder beat No. 12 North Central 34-31, after the Cardinals rallied from down 15 late in the third, converting a fourth down and a two-point conversion try while trailing by nine to tie it up.
No. 22 St. Thomas rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to cut Bethel's lead to 28-24, but in the end it was the No. 11 Royals who ground out a 16-play, 83-yard drive that burned 7:37 from the clock and defeated the Tommies 35-24. After John Gould came in to quarterback the second half, UST rallied, but Bethel converted twice on third down and twice more on fourth down in that final drive to end the Tommies' hopes.
Hobart racked up six sacks, including the 43rd career sack for Tyre Coleman, as the Statesmen defeated RPI 35-3. The only RPI points came on a 54-yard field goal to close the first half.
Sixth-ranked Wartburg had its way with its archrival as Brandon Domeyer scored two touchdowns on the ground and the Knights held the Luther option offense to 193 rushing yards on 57 attempts in a 52-7 win.
Top-ranked UW-Whitewater put together long touchdown drives on its first two possessions of the game and the Warhawks defeated UW-Oshkosh 24-7. Oshkosh (3-4) is one of the few teams in Division III to have played a team better than Whitewater, as it lost to D-I FCS South Dakota State in Week 3.
No. 16 Widener passed another Middle Atlantic Conference test, handling rival Lycoming 34-17. All-American receiver Anthony Davis had another big day for the Pride, with eight catches for 165 yards and a touchdown in the road win.
UW-Stevens Point overcame four interceptions from Kyle Larson as the Pointer defense picked off Trent Cummings four times itself and the No. 19 Pointers held off UW-La Crosse 24-17. Deion Jones had another two-interception game for the Pointers.
No. 24 Hampden-Sydney spotted Shenandoah a 10-0 lead with a couple of early turnovers, but the Tigers bounced back to win 45-27. Jeremiah McKibbins had another big game on the ground for Chapman, as he picked up 211 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries to lift the No. 25 Panthers past Cal Lutheran 45-21.