Top 25 wrapup: Ranked teams survive challenges

More news about: John Carroll | UW-Platteville

Sep 16, 2017

John Carroll athletics file photo

No. 9 John Carroll had to wait an extra week with the sting of the loss to UW-Oshkosh, then was a play away from falling to 0-2 before making the big defensive play in the final minute to defeat rival Baldwin Wallace 24-21. Top-ranked UMHB got another win vs. Linfield, this time on the road, while No. 13 UW-Platteville survived a long road trip and came away victorious Saturday as well.

Top-ranked UMHB had little trouble as T.J. Josey completed 12 of 17 passes for a touchdown and ran for 77 yards and another score in a 24-3 win at No. 6 Linfield. Haston Adams had three tackles for loss including a sack in the win as the Cru limited the Wildcats to just 141 yards of total offense. Bryce Wilkerson returned the second-half kickoff 95 yards for a TD after Willy Warne had gotten Linfield on the board with a 51-yard field goal to end the first half.

Baldwin Wallace rallied from a 21-6 deficit to tie the game in the third quarter, but John Carroll answered with a field goal with 9:07 left in the game and made it stand up to give the Blue Streaks their first win of the season and the fifth in a row in the series for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy.

The Yellow Jackets had a chance to send John Carroll away winless. Starting at their own 20 with 1:36 left, Baldwin Wallace used a trick play completion to quarterback Jake Hudson to pick up 24 yards right away. But Hudson was sacked by Tyler Frederick on the very next play, then intercepted by Michael Connick at the John Carroll 30 to end the threat, allowing JCU to run out the clock.

No. 4 Wheaton and No. 5 North Central cemented their status as front-runners in the CCIW, as the Thunder defeated Carthage 37-13 and North Central defeated No. 16 Illinois Wesleyan 26-13. Wheaton's points are the first that Carthage has allowed all season.

Connor Cox found Christian DiPaola all alone for the game-winning touchdown and a defensive stand from 11th-ranked Frostburg sealed a 33-30 come-from-behind win at Christopher Newport. The game featured six lead changes, more than 750 combined yards in total offense, 63 points and eight turnovers. Frostburg (3-0, 2-0 NJAC) had the final say when it needed it most. The Bobcats' game-winning drive started on their own 48 and lasted seven plays. Cox found DiPaola all alone in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown toss. On the ensuing Captain (2-1, 1-1) possession, Bobcat senior All-American Niles Scott and senior Jordan Procter each sacked K.J. Kearney and he tossed two incomplete passes to end the evening.

Hampden-Sydney jumped out to an early 13-0 lead and led 29-21 at the half, but visiting No. 13 UW-Platteville scored 17 second-half points to win 38-29. The teams were nearly even in total yards, but Hampden-Sydney turned the ball over three times, twice fumbling on punts. The Tigers knocked Platteville quarterback Cade Earl out of the game in the second quarter but Tyler Blang came on to lead the comeback, completed eight of 17 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown, while Wyatt Thompson ran for two scores as the Pioneers improved to 2-0.

The Thomas More defense held W&J running back Jordan West in check, while the Presidents corralled Thomas More quarterback Brenan Kuntz. That, and 322 receiving yards from W&J's Jesse Zubik was enough to lift the No. 18 Presidents to a 37-29 win vs. Thomas More in the early-season PAC showdown. The Presidents limited Kuntz to 10-for-33 passing, jumping out to a 31-13 lead and holding on for the win.

Chad Johnson rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns as No. 23 Concordia-Moorhead defeated Bethel 31-7. The Royals, who have started the season with three teams all receiving votes in the Top 25, scored first as Jake Marsh hit Joel Koenecke for a 69-yard score late in the first quarter. Concordia scored late in the first half on an 11-yard TD run by Chad Johnson to take a 10-7, but Bethel drove to the 7-yard line before stalling with a spike and two incomplete passes. On fourth down, Gunnar Kollman blocked a 24-yard field goal attempt by Bethel to preserve the lead. Johnson added two more touchdowns in the second half as the Cobbers outscored Bethel 21-0 to pull away.

Jason Santoni kicked a 48-yard field goal with 2:44 to go in the third quarter and the George Fox defense made it stand up, as the Bruins defeated No. 21 Redlands 13-10. The Bulldogs, who had tied the game on an interception return and on a 6-yard drive that ended in a field goal, missed a field goal wide left from 26-yards out that would have tied the game with 3:20 remaining.

No. 20 Whitworth improved to 3-0 in a big way, as Ian Kolste needed only two quarters of play to break a pair of Pirate career passing records. Ian Kolste completed 29 of 36 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns in those two quarters, as Whitworth led 43-0 at the half. Kolste surpassed 2006 D3football.com All-American Joel Clark's school career marks for passing yards and TDs.

MIAC rivals St. John's and St. Thomas each had little trouble in Northfield, Minnesota, winning their conference opener in advance of next week's showdown at Target Field, the home of the Minnesota Twins. No. 7 St. John's rolled in a 56-7 win at St. Olaf, while No. 10 St. Thomas looked similar in a 63-0 win at Carleton. D'Angelo Fulford threw for five touchdowns and Mount Union picked off four passes, returning two for touchdowns as the No. 2 Purple Raiders rolled past Marietta 69-3.

On Friday night, Delaware Valley's defense turned a tight game into a more comfortable victory as the No. 14 Aggies pulled away from Wilkes late for a 34-14 win. Wilkes had the ball down five with five minutes to play when Aggies All-American safety Shawn Miller stepped in front of a Colonels' pass and returned the interception for a score. On Wilkes' next drive, Christian Snowden plowed through the Wilkes quarterback and recovered the fumble to set up another score to put the game away.

This wrapup will be updated.