The Quakers will make up for the loss of De'Eric Bell, like they already have for 2015 grads Matt Pawlowski and Adam Smith. Photo by Scott Ingram, Guilford Athletics

Chris Rusiewicz has instilled a simple, yet powerful, mindset in the players on Guilford's football team since taking over as head coach in 2011.

"The way I've always said it, from when I got here, is, 'Let's do things better now than we've ever done before,'" Rusiewicz said.

That message has certainly resonated, as the Quakers have increased their win total in each of Rusiewicz's five seasons, culminating in a 9-1 record last season. Nine wins in a single season represented a new school record, but Guilford was left on the outside looking in come postseason time.

"It stung for a while," Rusiewicz said. "Honestly, we kind of expected that we were going to play, and I think our expectations were based on that our only loss was to a 10-0 club that won our conference."

If the Quakers are to be better than ever before, anything short of a 10-0 regular season and the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth would constitute a disappointment. Through four games, Guilford has posted four victories, including two shutouts. So far, so good.

The Quakers opened conference play this past weekend by routing ODAC rival Catholic 59-0. Quarterback Karsten Miller, who has admirably filled the sizable void left by two-time Gagliardi Trophy finalist Matt Pawlowski, tossed five touchdowns, and a brilliant defensive effort led by linebacker Hunter Hoots and lineman Gibson Ziah, among others, held Catholic's high-powered offense off the scoreboard.

Rusiewicz said it was as close to a perfect performance in all three phases of the game that he's seen since he's been with the program, but the Quakers' banner day was dampened by a significant injury to standout running back De'Eric Bell. Bell suffered a non-contact knee injury against Catholic. MRI results revealed a torn ACL.

The 5-foot-7, 200-pound junior had rushed for at least 125 yards in each of the Quakers' first three games, including a school-record 295 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-32 win against Methodist.

"I just like to get the ball in open space," Bell said. "That's just always something I've been good at throughout middle school and high school."

Last season, Bell set Guilford and ODAC records with 2,235 all-purpose yards, along with a Division III-best four kick returns for touchdowns. He was well on his way toward breaking that mark this season. Bell still ranks No. 12 in Division III with 579 rushing yards, despite being limited to just four carries for 13 yards this past Saturday.

"His skill set is he can run, he can read (defenses), he can make you miss, he can run through you, he can catch the ball out of the backfield, he can pick up blocks and get lower than the defensive linemen that he has to pick up," Rusiewicz said. "He's just a really all-around, very good football player.

"He's a mismatch, there's no doubt about it," Rusiewicz added.

While the Quakers are forced to proceed without Bell for the rest of the season, they already have recent experience with replacing high-profile skill position players. Pawlowski was nothing short of brilliant in his four years with Guilford, but Miller is completing more than 70 percent of his passes and has tossed 10 touchdowns through four games. Wide receiver Adam Smith, a D3football.com All-American alongside Pawlowski, also left a notable hole to fill in 2016, but freshman Tyriek Russell, who leads the team with 35 receptions for 358 yards, has stepped up.

"We found a way to overcome our quarterback and wide receiver graduating," said Pawlowski. "We have a great corps of running backs to fill in. I just feel for [De'Eric]."

Junior Hunter Causey, who has rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns already this season, is now the go-to option in Guilford's backfield, but Rusiewicz stressed the coaching staff is confident with the level of depth across the roster.

"We've won 21 of the last 24 football games here," Rusiewicz said. "That's a lot. There's not many programs that can claim that. We've learned how to win, and we're going to continue to do that."

The Quakers returned great depth along both lines this season, particularly on the offensive side, which features seven players with a combined 120 career starts, including fifth-year senior left tackle and all-conference standout Wes Johnson.

"Every time I score, I've got to run up to them and hug them, tap their heads, say 'good job,'" Bell said. "You've got to make the big guys happy."

The Quakers face four road games out of their six remaining contests, but the anticipated rematch with 2015 ODAC champion Washington and Lee will be played at home in Greensboro, N.C., on Oct. 15. As Guilford learned firsthand last season, a single conference loss might be one too many when it comes time for the playoffs.

"We know that we have to go 10-0, and then nobody can say we can't make it to the playoffs now," Bell said. "It can't be nobody else's fault but ours."

N.C. Wesleyan hands Huntingdon its first loss

The race for the USA South conference title is shaping up to be a tight battle. Case in point: N.C. Wesleyan's 41-31 home win against Huntingdon this past Saturday.

The Hawks, last season's conference champs, entered the game on a roll, having easily dispatched their last two non-conference foes. But the Battling Bishops, led by Nathan Gardner (199 passing yards, two TDs) and Gerrel Patton (147 rushing yards, two TDs), built a 14-point lead entering the second half. Huntingdon was never able to cut the deficit to less than seven points, and the N.C. Wesleyan defense held Huntingdon to just three points in the fourth quarter.

Huntingdon is hardly eliminated from contention -- the Hawks play three of their next four at home -- but this will be an interesting conference race to watch as the season moves forward.

Moravian holds off scrappy Ursinus

If you needed a reminder that football games are decided on the field and in the trenches, rather than on paper, look no further than Moravian's 33-32 win against Ursinus.

Moravian entered the game with a 3-1 overall record (2-1 CC), while Ursinus came in with a winless 0-4 mark. The Bears didn't receive the memo that they were supposed to lose convincingly. After a 29-yard pick six by Timothy Rafter, Ursinus took a 32-24 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. The Greyhounds put together a nine-play scoring drive, capped by Jorden Stout's two-yard run, but failed to convert the two-point conversion.

Kenny Kane's 23-yard field goal put Moravian ahead for good with less than four minutes remaining, and the defense forced a three-and-out on Ursinus's next possession. Moravian emerged victorious, but it was far from a walk in the park.

Quick hits

Sean Bowman rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns, Kelly Hall passed for 388 yards and two TDs, and Cole Westberry kicked the game-winning 36-yard field goal in the fourth overtime to lift Averett to a wild 65-62 win over LaGrange. Panthers quarterback Connor Blair passed for 447 yards and seven touchdowns, a new school and USA South record, but was intercepted on LaGrange's final two possessions. ... Jonathan Germano passed for 175 yards, rushed for 78 yards and accounted for four total touchdowns, while Michael Munday intercepted a pair of passes in No. 9 Johns Hopkins' 52-17 win against Juniata. ... Tre Frederick rushed for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Randolph-Macon improved to 4-0 with a 24-19 road win against Shenandoah. ... Brian Mann rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns, and Al Matthews (10 tackles) spearheaded a superb defensive effort in Ferrum's 30-0 shutout victory against Greensboro. ... Nick Savant rushed for 131 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 73-yard catch-and-run from Nick Palladino, and John Feaster tallied 10 tackles and a first-quarter pick-six in Muhlenberg's 33-30 win over Susquehanna. ... Marshall Hollerith rushed for 117 yards, Matt Sgro added 84 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and Grey Reames returned an interception 86 yards for a score in Washington and Lee's 49-23 win against Emory and Henry. ... Nick Myers passed for 293 yards and three touchdowns, while completing passes to 10 different teammates, and Pierre Chadwick returned an interception 86 yards for a touchdown in Maryville's 52-13 triumph over Methodist. ... Joe Granahan tallied 2.5 of Franklin and Marshall's five sacks in a low-scoring 20-10 victory over Dickinson. ... Malivai Barker ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns as Bridgewater defeated Hampden-Sydney 45-35. ... Danny Thompson rushed for 117 yards and Justin Walsh ran for 99 yards and two TDs in Gettysburg's 38-23 win over McDaniel.

Top 25: Huntingdon falls out of rankings

Huntingdon dropped out of this week's D3football.com Top 25 poll following its loss to N.C. Wesleyan on Saturday.

The Hawks, who were ranked No. 15 in last week's poll, still received 11 votes this week. Johns Hopkins held steady at No. 9 for another week.

Guilford received 32 votes in this week's poll.

Looking ahead

Guilford (4-0, 1-0) at Hampden-Sydney (0-4, 0-1), 1 p.m., Saturday: This is unfamiliar territory for the Tigers, who have won at least six games in nine straight seasons. Guilford is red-hot, however, and presents a significant roadblock to getting into the win column this week.

N.C. Wesleyan (2-2, 1-0) at Maryville (3-1, 1-0), 1:30 p.m., Saturday: Both teams opened conference play with solid wins over USA South foes, but only one will remain unbeaten in the league standings after Saturday. N.C. Wesleyan won last year's meeting 24-7.

Other games of note: Ferrum (3-1, 1-0) at Huntingdon (3-1, 0-1), 2 p.m., Saturday

Contact me

I'm always happy to hear from you, whether its questions, feedback or story ideas. Please reach out to me by email at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com and follow me on Twitter (@andrew_lovell).