By Keith McMillan
D3sports.com
In my playing days, when it rained, it poured.
And when it poured, well, let's just say football coaches aren't much for calling off practices. They've got a list of things they want to accomplish, and they'll get in pass skeleton, blitz periods and conditioning rain, sleet, hail or snow.
There's no point in trying to fight it. You go out, get wet, and enjoy being able to play football. The crazier players used to slip n' slide through the mud puddles leading up to our practice fields on rainy days.
Practicing outside on days like those was mere preparation for what game night looked like in Winchester, Va. on Saturday. As Hurricane Isidore threatens the Gulf and East Coast, game night may be just as bad for several of the nation's teams this weekend.
It was bad enough Shenandoah had absorbed a 48-6 loss to Bridgewater, the defending South Region champions from just a few minutes down I-81, the week before. Now, they hosted 2001 playoff participant Thomas More in a driving rainstorm under the lights at Shentel Stadium.
Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com Shenandoah's Morgan Linkenauger splashed a first-quarter 40-yard field goal attempt wide right |
While the weather ensured that players from both teams will remember playing in this game for as long as they live, it wasn't exactly pretty.
But it was still what coaches tend to term "a great day for football."
Though Thomas More fumbled eight times in a 26-7 win, the Saints rushed for 300 yards, 245 coming from freshman Rufus Wilkins.
It was amazing that Wilkins could run at all, since steps on the Shenandoah Hornet logo at midfield produced a white knee-high splash and the ground gave out under planted feet like the banana under Charlie Chaplin in those old silent films.
"Early on when I tried to cut, I felt my feet slipping out from under me," said the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder from Louisville. "In the second half, I was more patient and let my offensive linemen set up blocks for me."
"It took me about 15 steps to find out whether I was going to be up or not," said the Hornets' Matt Harrison of his 86-yard fumble return touchdown.
Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com Thomas More sophomore cornerback Matt Newton after just one possession. |
The game turned into a sloppy sort of wrestling match, especially as much of the second half was played on the same 20-yard patch of field. Some fans left at halftime. Others donned umbrellas as the rain refused to let up.
To some, the conditions were horrible. To others, they were memorable. "I love it," said Shenandoah linebacker Eddie Freeman, who finished with a game-high 11 tackles. "I love getting dirty. Basically, when it rains like that, you know the other team is going to run the ball."
That they did. Thomas More rushed on 52 of 70 plays, Shenandoah on 39 of 53. Though the teams combined to put the ball on the ground 14 times, only three fumbles were turnovers.
"Last time we played in a game like that," said Thomas More head coach Dean Paul of the rain, "against Thiel, it was a painful loss. An embarassing loss."
Paul believes Thomas More cost itself a playoff bid in 2000 by losing 13-12 to a Tomcats team that finished 2-8.
"I was hoping some of the upperclassmen would have flashbacks," Paul said. The Saints certainly dug deep, providing Wilkins with the room to rush for 197 of his yards in the second half, when they'd committed to keep the ball on ground. The Saints scored three of their four touchdowns in the half, when Wilkins stepped in for injured senior Justin Frisk.
Paul relayed being able to survive in the wet conditions back to less-than-superior conditions back home.
"We don't have the most lush practice field," said Paul, a former Division III running back.
"When I played at Mount Union," the 1990 graduate said, "Coach (Larry) Kehres always said we have a mud mentality."
His team certainly had the mud thing figured out on Saturday.
I've always thought one of the most interesting things about football is the way coaches and players have to adjust on the fly. The length and width of the field never changes, but heavy rain and injuries are monkey wrenches tossed into well-oiled engines.
Thomas More played without a four-year starter on the offensive line, a three-year starter at cornerback, a two-year starter a fullback and lost a senior leader in the first half. Yet they were the quickest to adjust to the conditions on Saturday night, and that made all the difference against a Shenandoah program that's clearly on the rise.
"Success is measured by the obstacles you overcome," Paul said.
Your feedback
Around the Nation readers, you've outdone yourselves this time. I've received around 80 responses to the "best places" question and others in the past two weeks, and it's all appreciated. You all have certainly seen more football than I can possibly see by myself.
I'll include some of the best responses from the past week, but there's no reason to stop there. Seeing teams slosh around in the mud sparked yet another question: What's the most bizarre football moment you've been a part of? Did a game end on a wacky play? Did something crazy go on outside the white lines? Was a game played in hurricane conditions?
More Best Places
Readers are so enthusiastic, and sometimes just as smart or smarter than the columnist, so I thought I'd let you all speak your piece one more time, albeit briefly, on the best places to watch a game (and some other things on your minds) :
"Best place to watch a Division III football game? Anywhere Mary Hardin-Baylor is playing. OK, I am a little prejudiced, my son plays for the Crusaders. I work in the United Kingdom and travel back for game days. The best place to go after the game? Clem Mikeskas BBQ in Temple, Texas. Division III Football and good BBQ life just doesn't get any better! Robert M. Sirkis, 43, Lytham, Lancaster, U.K.
"Last year's [Hardin-Simmons/Mary Hardin-Baylor] game was the best college football game I have ever seen in person, and the best overall barring the Michigan/Northwestern classic from three years ago." Kenny DeWeese, 21, Belton, Texas
"The best place to watch a football game has to be Middlebury College in Vermont. While you are watching the game (with the stadium built right on top of a natural mountain), you can also see cross country, soccer, rugby and golf [being played] right in front of you at the same time. Dynamic!" Dr. George A. Rivard
"Middlebury College in Vermont — any game. Mid-fall is best because of the foliage. Beautiful view of the Green Mountains behind visiting sideline (unobscured by stands). Eighteen-hole golf course to your right… New England small college football at its best." Shawn Daignault
"You are simply missing out if you don't come up to watch the Pointers and the Blugolds [UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire] play in what was a conference showdown for the ages last year as the Pointers won in double overtime in front of about 7,000 plus... I played in that game, which was undoubtably the craziest and most intense game I have ever been a part of." Ryan Petersen, UW-Stevens Point offensive guard
"I enjoy your writing and all the coverage you guys give to the last bastion of pure football in America." Pat Abernathey, Austin College grad
"[A recent St. Thomas win] should set up a nice showdown come November 2, against St. John's in Collegeville, which is for sure, one of the best places to see Division III football. There is nothing quite like a Tommie/Johnnie Game!" Steve Rajewsky, 20, St. Paul
"How about the Mississippi Backyard Brawl in the state's amazing Veteran's Memorial Stadium? The game pits Millsaps College (SCAC) against cross-town rival Mississippi College (ASC) in a rivalry almost as old as the game itself. The game boasts about 10,000 fans a year with spectacular tailgating that kicks off with a parade traveling from the Millsaps campus over to the stadium." Jed Mooney, Millsaps
"I can't believe you wouldn't have the Ithaca vs. Cortland matchup on your schedule (though I know you had it in there as a consideration). When the game is played at Ithaca, you not only have a great game (where there have been 15,000-plus in attendance at times, and the score is always close no matter the records of the teams), you also have a look out over Cayuga Lake in the late fall. No wonder Sports Illustrated at one time called this rivalry, "The biggest litte game in the nation." Brian Madigan, 28, New York, NY
"The best part is that I can take my wife and three kids and come home having spent under $50 for the whole experience, as opposed to a day at Ohio Stadium watching the Buckeyes, which now runs close to $350, depending on where you eat." A 45-year old Mount Union fan who asked not to be identified.
[On Occidental vs. Pomona-Pitzer]: "I grew up in Burbank and graduated from Burbank High '60. It was very dull in those days. That was even before Johnny Carson sarcastically described it as "Beautiful Downtown Burbank." It is hard to think of it today as a "destination city." Ron Duncan, Dallas, Texas
"Although Tuscaloosa is the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide, this fair city has given way to another upcoming football program that has brought added excitement to the area. This is Stillman College's fourth year on the gridiron after a 50-year absence." [Ed. note: Stillman is Division III but doesn't play any other Division III schools, which is why we don't track them on this site.] Lee, 34, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
"Steele field (Moravian) is a great place to take in a game. The home bleachers are accommodating and offer a safe haven in the rain. The view is of South Mountain. Afterwards you can go to the OBT (Olde Brewery Tavern) for a quick beer and excellent French Onion soup. But, the best place to eat is Starters Pub on Rte. 378. Excellent tuna steaks, Philly cheesesteaks, sweet potato fries, burgers, you name it! The Philadelphia Eagles hang out here while in camp at Lehigh." Kurt Poling, Moravian grad
"I'd wager Centre is the only place that you can see a former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in the crowd at every home game. In fact, Fred M. Vinson (Class of 1909) hasn't missed a game in decades — quite a feat since he's been dead since 1953. You see, the members of Phi Delta Theta (his undergraduate fraternity) bring his portrait to every home game. "Dead Fred," as he is lovingly known, has a seat on the 50-yard line and besides football games, can expect a seat of honor at every major campus event — including the 2000 Vice Presidential debate between Dick Cheney and Joe Liebermann, which was held at Centre."
"Few things can compare to a game "on the mountain," [at Sewanee] particularly when the fog is still so thick for an afternoon game (I've both played in and watched such games) that one end zone is not visible from the other. Honor students at Sewanee wear academic regalia to games, creating the impression that somebody has scheduled commencement and a football game simultaneously. And I won't even mention the students who wear kilts." Both from Shawn Lyons, Centre
Around the Nation readers also recommended: Alfred, Albright, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowdoin, Bridgewater (Va.), Christopher Newport, Linfield, Lycoming, Mount Union, Randolph-Macon, St. John's, St. Thomas, plus the Amherst-Williams, Cortland State-Ithaca, John Carroll-Mount Union and Frostburg-Salisbury State rivalries.
Notable
Though it may not be the most well known Pennsylvania football program to don navy blue and white, Franklin & Marshall will reach a significant milestone in its game against Muhlenberg on Saturday. The Diplomats will become the first Division III team to play 1,000 games. F&M is 537-415-47 since it first took the field on Oct. 18, 1887. Widener (987), Washington & Jefferson (983), Mount Union (982), Ohio Wesleyan (982) and Wittenberg (980) are the next closest teams to 1,000.
Though Bridgewater (Va.) picked up two first-place votes in the AFCA coaches poll (Mount Union has 46 and the Eagles three), it was the only team representing the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in the top 25. The poll showed respect to eight conferences who placed two teams in the poll: The ASC (Hardin-Simmons, Mary Hardin-Baylor), CCIW (Augustana, Illinois Wesleyan), MAC (Lycoming, Widener), NJAC (Rowan, TCNJ), NCAC (Wittenberg, Ohio Wesleyan), NWC (Pacific Lutheran, Whitworth), OAC (Mount Union, John Carroll) and the WIAC (UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout).
Break out the ice buckets for Sul Ross State quarterback Scott Kello's arm. The junior shattered four Lobos single-game records while completing 43 of 71 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns against Louisiana College this weekend.
Westfield State quarterback Chris Lapointe was named New England Division II/III Player of the Week (as selected by the New England Football Writers) for his team-record five touchdown passes vs. Nichols. That marked the first time a Westfield player has taken home that honor since 1985.
Since Amherst and Bowdoin first met in 1896, the Lord Jeffs have blanked the Polar Bears 25 times, including 35-0 shutouts in 2000 and 2001.
In the MAC, Susquehanna and Delaware Valley are surely glad to see each other. The Crusaders have been outscored 77-10 in losses to nationally ranked McDaniel and Lycoming while the Aggies have watched their opponents go over 50 points three times in their 0-3 start.
Among Upstate New York's 14 Division III schools, Cortland is ranked first in rushing defense (60.3 yards/game), pass efficiency (165.4), sacks (4.7/game) and third-down conversion success (43.5 percent) and second in total offense (402.3 yards/game). Yet Cortland still trails arch rival Ithaca, RPI and Union in the Upstate NY poll.
Claremont Mudd-Scripps has started with three straight wins in two of the past three years. The Stags are 2-0 heading into their SCIAC opener against LaVerne on Saturday.
Ithaca's visit to St. John Fisher is their first night game in eight years.
Linfield's 42-35 double overtime win came over Southern Oregon, then the No. 2 ranked team in NAIA.
Games to Watch
Augustana at UW-Platteville: The Pioneers may resemble Division I's Florida Gators both with their blue-and-orange uniforms and their passing attack, but Augustana has held them to nine points in three games since Mike Emendorfer took over the Pioneer program in 1999.
Brockport State at Frostburg State: Golden Eagles won by a point last time they visited Maryland's western panhandle.
Catholic at Randolph-Macon, McDaniel at Ursinus: Teams are still rivals, even if these aren't key conference games anymore.
Emory & Henry at Davidson: Emory & Henry and Hampden-Sydney are the last to face I-AA Wildcats, who once played nearly every ODAC school each season.
Hobart at Union: It's been two weeks since Statesmen beat Dickinson 27-3, their only game so far. Both defenses are encouraging (Union is allowing 10 points per game). Big early season UCAA showdown.
Illinois Wesleyan at Chicago: Titans make trek up I-55 to big city. Like Maroons, Titans are off to 2-0 start.
John Carroll at Ohio Northern: What looked like a possible OAC showdown now shapes up to be a Blue Streak blowout. JCU owes ONU (outscored 78-29 in 0-2 start) one after last year's 59-19 thrashing.
Lycoming at King's: Pure Pennsylvania smash-mouth football that could go a long way towards an automatic qualifier for winner. Lycoming has allowed just nine points, travels to Widener next week. Warriors, Monarchs each unbeaten in MAC play.
Massachusetts Maritime at Maine Maritime: We like it when the academies get together. One of these 0-2 teams will taste victory.
Millikin at Anderson: Big Blue scoring 54 points per game, allowing 17. The going gets tougher against preseason Heartland favorite, coming off a 60-7 win against Concordia (Ill.)
Montclair State at Iona: The Red Hawks make the jump to I-AA opponent following three-point win over Frostburg.
Ohio Wesleyan at Albion: Britons are a struggling team that usually contends in MIAA. They've started 1-2 this season, now 13th-ranked Battling Bishops come to town.
Trinity (Texas) at DePauw: Indiana's Tigers host Texas' Tigers as DePauw looks to get a head start on stopping Trinity's nine-year lock on the SCAC championship.
UW-Stout at St. Thomas: Stout heads west on I-94 to visit frequent scrimmage partner in first-ever regular-season matchup.
Wittenberg at Thomas More: Tigers beat the Saints 41-0 in a second-round playoff game in 2001, then popped up on Thomas More's regular-season schedule in 2002.
Wheaton at Hope: Thunder take on Hope, 1-2 this year after losing just two games in each of two previous seasons.
