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| Hope took over sole possession of first place in the MIAA. Hope athletics file photo |
Hope handed Olivet its first loss, while Rose-Hulman did the same to Mount St. Joseph. Meanwhile, UW-La Crosse's defense took center stage and Bridgewater's did as well in Division III football Week 8 action on Oct. 26, 2019.
Mason Opple and a stingy defense powered Hope to a 21-7 victory at Olivet on a rainy day in Olivet, Michigan. Opple, the Flying Dutchmen's quarterback, recorded his second career 200-yard rushing game as he went for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He scored on a 7-yard run on Hope's first possession and a game-sealing 12-yard score in the fourth quarter. The Hope defense held Olivet to 220 yards of total offense and the Comets' lowest-scoring game of the season. Safety Nick Holt snared a fourth-quarter interception that helped seal the outcome, handing Olivet its first loss of the season.
UW-La Crosse scored twice in the first five and a half minutes of the game, and while Evan Lewandowski didn't approach the nine touchdowns he threw against River Falls in Week 7, his day was more than enough to help the Eagles (5-2, 3-1 WIAC) defeat UW-Oshkosh 31-3. Lewandowski was intercepted three times, but the Titans (5-2, 3-1) could turn just one into points, as Jaydon Haag converted a 38-yard field goal after a seven-play, 16-yard possession. Kobe Berghammer finished 13-for-35 passing for 95 yards, as Nathan Clark broke up two of his passes, had an interception and a fumble recovery on the day for the UWL defense. The win snapped an eight game losing streak for the Eagles against the Titans.
Rose-Hulman kept standout quarterback Chaiten Tomlin in check and handed Mount St. Joseph its first loss of the season, defeating the Lions 29-8. Tomlin finished 16-for-33 for 137 yards and had just 96 yards of total offense in the loss. All of the scoring took place in the first half, as RHIT (5-2, 4-1 HCAC) led 16-0 just 13 minutes into the game. Garrett Wight had 33 carries for 113 yards and a TD in the win.
Washington U. bounced back from its Week 7 shellacking at Wheaton and pitched a shutout, winning 21-0 at Illinois Wesleyan. It was the Bears' first shutout win since 2013. WashU limited Illinois Wesleyan to 161 yards of total offense, and forced six turnovers (two fumbles, four interceptions) on a cold and rainy day in Bloomington, Illinois. John Christensen led the defensive effort with a career-high 16 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, a sack and his first career interception.
Jay Scroggins threw his first interception of the season, but threw two touchdown passes and his Bridgewater Eagles locked down on Washington & Lee in a 31-14 win. The Generals managed just 198 yards of total offense and ran just 49 plays as Bridgewater held the ball for 38 minutes, 45 seconds.
Wilkes kept its NCAA playoff hopes alive and likely ended Misericordia's with a wild 36-35 overtime victory. The Colonels (6-1) jumped out to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter but lost starting quarterback Jose Tabora to ejection. Wilkes still led 29-21 in the closing minutes until Brady Williams connected with Sam Gillison from 43 yards out for a touchdown to pull Misericordia (4-2) within two. Williams then hit Isaiah Williams for the two-point conversion to force overtime. Misericordia got the ball first and scored on another Williams-to-Gillison touchdown, the duo's third of the day. But the Cougars missed the extra point, opening the door for Wilkes. Facing fourth-and-12, Colonels quarterback Doug Weist found Nate Whitaker in the end zone for a touchdown and Justin Pollack's extra point gave Wilkes the win.
Denison scored the final 14 points of the game and rallied to defeat Wittenberg, 24-14. Alex Minton ran for 198 yards and a touchdown and Pat Kramer kicked three short field goals in the win. Wittenberg fell to 4-3 overall, and three losses is their most since 2008. The Big Red improved to 6-1, 5-1 in the North Coast Athletic Conference.
Joshua Pierre-Charles ran for three touchdowns, the last of them in the fourth overtime period as Nichols won 51-48 on the blue turf at the University of New England. Senior Michael Pina threw for a career-high 329 yards and three scores as Nichols rallied from multiple deficits. Pierre-Charles rushed for 82 yards and his three scores were all from 2 yards out.
Christiaan Williams, a 2017 D3football.com All-America selection, became the first Ohio Northern player to run for 1,000 yards in three different seasons as the Polar Bears defeated Capital 49-0. Williams carried the ball 25 times for 218 yards and three touchdowns, giving him a league-leading 1,018 yards in seven games this season. Williams missed the 2018 season because of injury.
Joseph Gagliardi kicked a field goal with 17 seconds left in regulation and added another in overtime as SUNY-Maritime defeated Anna Maria 13-10. The Privateers hit a couple of big passes to get down to the 20 with 17 seconds left, and Gagliardi answered with a 37-yarder to tie the game. He added a 29-yarder in the extra session. Maritime is tied for second place in the ECFC, but the conference leader, Dean, is not eligible for the playoffs, as it is not yet a full Division III member. SUNY-Maritime is 3-4, 2-1 in conference play.
Westminster (Pa.) blew a 21-point halftime lead, but Keano Grice broke loose for a 42-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to help the Titans regain the lead in the fourth quarter at Washington & Jefferson. The Presidents had a chance to tie the game with 27 seconds to go and the ball inside Westminster's 15-yard line, but Joey Lane came up big with a 9-yard sack of Jacob Adams and with no timeouts and time winding down Adams threw a desperation pass in the end zone which was broken up by freshman Kevin Brown.