By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com
Two-time Heisman Trophy award winner Archie Griffin is credited with saying, "It's not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog!"
Though he weighed just 182 pounds and stood 5-9, Griffin was a three-time All-America selection who rushed for 5,177 yards and the only player to start four Rose Bowls.
Kalamazoo junior wide receiver Jimmy Semelsberger knows what Griffin was talking about. Semelsberger leads the Hornets in receiving, something many did not expect him to accomplish. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native stands 5-6 and tips the scales at 150 pounds.
"I think about the way you run your routes," Semelsberger said. "A lot of our plays are going to change on the fly depending on what's happening out there. I try to run good routes and catch every ball that's thrown my way."
While he has broken the label of being too small to play football, Semelsberger fully embraces another that many wide receivers have. When the football is in the air, Semelsberger's only concerns are being on the same page as his quarterback and making the play.
"To be honest, I'm not very fast," Semelsberger said. "I don't have very good open field speed. Cory McCain is our big-play guy. He'll catch the deep ball. I'm more of a send over the middle, possession type.
"Brandon [Luczak and I] have a great connection," he added. "We live close to each other, so we get together over the summer as much as we can and run some routes. In general, all of the receivers have been making plays this year. We all have faith in each other to get it done when it needs to be."
All of the receivers have made plays for the Hornets, who enter this weekend's game at Albion at 2-6 overall, 1-3 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Eleven Hornets have catches on the year, but none have more than Semelsberger. He has been on the receiving end of 72 passes for 892 yards. Six catches have gone for Kalamazoo touchdowns.
Semelsberger also returns punts for Kalamazoo. He averages 14.8 yards per punt return.
Whether he catches the ball over the middle against opposing linebackers or returns a punt with gunners bearing down on him, Semelsberger does not mind taking the hit.
"I've always looked at it as you're going to get hit anyway, so you might as well catch it," Semelsberger said. "I try not to think about it.
"We run a spread," he added. "We mix in some zone, outside zone runs here and there, [but have] four wide outs all the time."
Semelsberger was named the MIAA Offensive Player of the Week and to D3football.com's Team of the Week for his performance two weeks ago against Trine. The Thunder came into the game undefeated and left with a perfect season still intact, but the Hornets made them earn the win.
Kalamazoo held 14-point lead with 8:52 remaining in the game, but gave up two late touchdowns in the 36-35 loss at home. Semelsberger and McCain each gained 151 yards. Semelsberger achieved the mark with eleven catches, one going for a touchdown.
"That was a huge game for us," said Semelsberger. "It was our homecoming as well. We had a lot of guys coming back, talking to us throughout the week. I thought we made some tremendous strides as a program that day. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way at the end.
"We never were afraid going up against an undefeated Trine team," he added. "We had a great week of practice and always had it in our minds that we could get that win. That really sparked our guys. The atmosphere around the locker room was a lot better. Going into the last two weeks, they're two winnable games for us."
Part of the change in the program's atmosphere is due to the head coach. Jamie Zorbo, a 2000 graduate of the College, has the team heading in the right direction. This year, the Hornets defeated Olivet, a playoff team from a year ago.
Even with the loss to Trine, Semelsberger and the Hornets are ready to finish the year strong against Albion and Hope. They are hoping to repeat what Trine, then Tri-State, was able to accomplish a season ago, win the final two games and build a strong nucleus for a run at the MIAA championship.
"It's been a good year," Semelsberger said. "We've got a new head coach and I can't say enough about him. He's really turning this program around. Our offensive line has been getting steadily better week by week. We've just been putting it all together.
"They're very important for recruiting," he added about the last two games. "The seniors haven't beaten Albion or Hope. Hope's kind of our rival. They don't even give us the respect, so that would be a great way to end the year for those seniors."
News and notes
Thomas More (7-1, 6-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference) accomplished something not many teams have been able to do in recent years, by defeating the Washington and Jefferson Presidents (7-1, 3-1 PAC) 35-29 last Saturday. The Saints were the first team to beat Washington and Jefferson in the regular season since Salisbury's 32-14 opening weekend win in 2006. With the victory, the Saints are PAC champions for the first time in school history. It is the first playoff berth for the Saints since 2001. In the win, Thomas More built a 35-14 lead in the third quarter and survived three late W&J scores. Three different players scored rushing touchdowns on offense, with Anthony Knott gaining 109 yards on the ground. Defensively, Brad Steinmetz led the way with 11.5 tackles and three sacks. Tyler Owens got to Presidents quarterback Bobby Swallow for 3.5 sacks.
Wabash (8-0, 6-0 NCAC) won at least a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a 60-7 victory against Oberlin (2-6, 2-3) on Saturday. It is the fourth straight season the Little Giants have factored into the league championship race. A victory over Hiram will clinch the outright title, give Wabash the league's automatic playoff berth and set up another showdown with DePauw for the Monon Bell.
Heidelberg gave football coach Mike Hallett a contract extension through the 2010 season. In this brief tenure in Tiffin, Heidelberg broke a 36-game losing streak and upset then-ranked Baldwin-Wallace last year. The Student Princes finished with a 4-6 mark in Hallett's first year. This season, Heidelberg is 2-6 overall with its one league win coming in overtime at Baldwin-Wallace two weeks ago.
Great Lakes teams in the North Region rankings
1. Mount Union
3. Otterbein
4. Wabash
5. Trine
6. Case Western Reserve
9. Adrian
Great Lakes region teams in D3football.com's Top 25
No.1 Mount Union (OAC)-No change following 41-7 home win over John Carroll
No.3 Wabash (NCAC)-No change after 60-7 home victory against Oberlin
No.12 Otterbein (OAC)-Up six spots with 55-0 win over Marietta
No.13 Case Western Reserve (UAA)-No change after 38-24 win against Chicago
No.19 Washington and Jefferson (PAC)-Down ten spots after 35-29 loss to No. 24 Thomas More
No.23 Trine (MIAA)-Up two spots after 30-7 victory over Albion
No.24 Thomas More (PAC)-Into Top 25 after 35-29 victory over Washington and Jefferson
Games of the Week
Mount Union (8-0, 7-0 OAC) at Otterbein (8-0, 7-0), Nov. 8, 1:30 p.m.: The Cardinals welcome Mount Union to Westerville in a game that will go a long way in determining the Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Otterbein is confident coming into the game after toppling long-time league powers in Ohio Northern, Baldwin-Wallace and Capital.
Offensively, the Cardinals need quarterback Jack Rafferty and running back Colton Coy to add to the combined 33 touchdowns the tandem has put up through the air and on the ground. Defensively, Otterbein must generate turnovers, as they have throughout the rest of the season (14 interceptions, eight recovered fumbles) if they hope to upset the Purple Raiders.
Trine (8-0, 5-0 MIAA) at Adrian (7-1, 4-0), Nov. 8, 1 p.m.: Adrian has been through conference championship battles before, while the Trine Thunder are newcomers in terms of being a playoff contender this late in the season.
The Thunder's strength lies in the 20 seniors playing their final few games of football. They are a true team with no one offensive player forced to carry the load.
