2023 Wartburg bracket previews
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Wartburg Knights
| Seed: | No. 1, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 3, Week 11 2023 |
| Location: | Waverly, Iowa |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1472 |
| Stadium: | Walston-Hoover Stadium (4800) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | ARC |
| Head coach: | Chris Winter (Wartburg '04) |
| Career record: | 30-4 (.882) |
| Base offense: | Multiple pro |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 14-15 (1982, 1993-94, 1999, 2002-04, 2008, 2010, 2013-14, 2017-19, 2022) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 431 | 89 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, ARC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Hunter Clasen is churning up yards at a Turborrific pace, Nile McLaughlin has targets to work with and the Wartburg defense is keeping things contained and in front of them. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Opposing receivers break loose for big gains, the defense is unable to come up with the highlight-reel play, and McLaughlin's passes find themselves in the arms of people wearing the wrong uniforms. |
| This season's turning point: | The Knights respond with two fourth-quarter touchdowns after Coe led Wartburg for the entire third quarter. Wartburg's defense allowed just 31 yards in the fourth quarter. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .561 (23) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 198.8/249.1 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 384/190.3 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.6/3.4 |
| Leading passer: | Nile McLaughlin, 233.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Hunter Clasen, 119.3 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Thor Maakestad, 55.6 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Owen Grover, 86 (41 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Jordan Downing, 8.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Parker Rochford, 6 |
| How far can they go? | This side of the bracket is super favorable until the quarterfinals, at which point it gets super difficult. No shade against Wartburg if they don't return to the semis. |
UW-Whitewater Warhawks
| Seed: | Likely No. 2, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 5, Week 11 2023 |
| Location: | Whitewater, Wisconsin |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 9488 |
| Stadium: | Perkins Stadium (13500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | WIAC |
| Head coach: | Jace Rindahl (UW-Whitewater '08) |
| Career record: | 9-1 (.900) |
| Base offense: | Multiple pro set |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 58-12 (1988, 1990, 1997, 2005-11, 2013-16, 2018-19, 2021-22) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 381 | 180 |
| How they got here: | Pool C, at-large |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They're bringing that new-coach energy to the field. Alec Ogden is making enough plays on offense, including with his feet, to keep the offense moving, and the no-name defense has someone like Kyle Koelblinger or Egon Hein make a bigger name for themselves. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | The defense can't get off the field on third down and opponents' drives turn into massive, clock-dominating affairs. |
| This season's turning point: | Whatever happened at halftime of the Warhawks' game against St. John's, after which a close game became a Warhawks blowout win, 56-28. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .619 (6) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 259.4/204.9 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 92.7/200.4 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.6/4.7 |
| Leading passer: | Alec Ogden, 169.4 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Tamir Thomas, 99.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Steven Hein, 41.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Joey Antonietti, 71 (31) solo |
| Leader in sacks: | Matt Burba, 7.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Joey Antonietti, 4 |
| How far can they go? | This team is good, really good. Also, this bracket is really tough. If we see another Wartburg/UW-Whitewater game, like we did in the 2014 quarterfinals, we fully expect it to be as good as the 2014 quarterfinals. |
Wheaton (Ill.) Thunder
| Seed: | Likely No. 3, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 10, Week 11 2023 |
| Location: | Wheaton, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2325 |
| Stadium: | McCully FIeld (5000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | CCIW |
| Head coach: | Jesse Scott (Wheaton '09) |
| Career record: | 27-6 (.818) |
| Base offense: | Spread/multiple |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 17-13 (1995, 2002-04, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2014-16, 2019, 2021-22) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 469 | 211 |
| How they got here: | Pool C, at-large |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They are running the ball effectively, dominating TOP with long drives for scores. The No. 10 ranked scoring offense has playmakers all over the field and a quarterback who has thrown 30 TDs with zero interceptions. On defense, they are doing well if they are slowing the opponents' run game enough to get off the field on third down. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They are giving up chunk yardage in the running game and big plays in the pass game. Offensively, if they aren't finishing drives for TDs, or if they are racking up three-and-outs. |
| This season's turning point: | Down by 7, with five seconds on the clock and the ball at the WashU 34, Ben Thorson lofted a Hail Mary pass, a play that Wheaton has practiced every week for years and never used, and struck gold with a final play TD to Seth Kortenhoeven. The Gio Weeks sprint to the pylon for a two-point play for the win propelled the Thunder to the NCAA playoffs. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .525 (64) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 207.4/284.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 126.1/197.7 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.0/5.3 |
| Leading passer: | Ben Thorson, 259.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Giovanni Weeks, 131.8 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Ben Bonga, 89.1 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Johnny Eller, 59 (31 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Peter Johanik, 7.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Johnny Eller, Max Wilson, Riley Schwartz, 2 |
| How far can they go? | Favored in the first round, underdog in the second is often the case for Wheaton, especially considering they live within 500 miles of Whitewater and Mount Union, and that seems to be the conventional wisdom in this bracket as well. |
Whitworth Pirates
| Seed: | Likely No. 4, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 20, Week 11 2034 |
| Location: | Spokane, Washington |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 2250 |
| Stadium: | Pine Bowl (2000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | NWC |
| Head coach: | Rod Sandberg (Wheaton '91) |
| Career record: | 73-21 (.777) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 3-5 (2001, 2006, 2015, 2018-19) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 387 | 164 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, NWC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They get enough big plays on offense to offset mistakes, and keep the opponent's run game in check. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They struggle to avoid penalties, and nobody in the running game committee is able to make an impact and move the chains. |
| This season's turning point: | The fourth quarter of the Pirates' Week 11 game at Linfield, wherein they scored two touchdowns and walked away with a win in the closing minute. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .508 (96) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 145.2/295.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 94.7/250.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/5.0 |
| Leading passer: | Austin Ewing, 250.8 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Luis Salgado, 67.2 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Dillon Kuk, 90.6 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Zach Brooks, 63 (32 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | JT Munoz, 6.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Daniel McKeirnan, 5 |
| How far can they go? | Not sure which team is getting on a plane to go to Iowa the second weekend. |
Mount St. Joseph Lions
| Seed: | Likely No. 5, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 25, Week 11 2022 |
| Location: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1006 |
| Stadium: | Schueler Field (2400) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | HCAC |
| Head coach: | Tyler Hopperton (MSJ '12) |
| Career record: | 51-16 (.761) |
| Base offense: | Spread RPI |
| Base defense: | Multiple 4-3 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-6 (2004-07, 2009, 2022) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 575 | 217 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, HCAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | They hold the opposing running back well under his average and force the opponent to become one-dimensional, while Mariano McKenzie continues his breakout running of the past several weeks. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Turnovers and/or short punts lead to short field and easy scores for the opposing team and Josh Taylor has to run the ball more because the offense is otherwise ineffective. |
| This season's turning point: | Getting into HCAC play and rebounding from a loss at Hope in which the Lions had the ball at the 10 in the closing minute before fumbling. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .479 (164) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 226.4/338.7 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 144.1/214.2 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.9/4.9 |
| Leading passer: | Josh Taylor, 280.6 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Mariano McKenzie, 72.6, ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Cornell Beachem Jr., 90.9 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Nate Owens, 55 (27 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Decklan Brophy, 5.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | DeShawn Starks, 7 |
| How far can they go? | The right combination of factors, Mount St. Joseph could give Wheaton a game in the first round. |
Bethel Royals
| Seed: | Likely No. 6, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 19, Week 3 2023 |
| Location: | Arden Hills, Minn. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1949 |
| Stadium: | Royal Stadium (3500) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | MIAC |
| Head coach: | Steve Johnson (Bethel '79) |
| Career record: | 236-105-1 (.692) |
| Base offense: | Pro style |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 12-11 (2000-01, 2003, 2006-07, 2010, 2012-13, 2018, 2021-22) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 308 | 120 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The running game is clicking under Aaron Ellingson, and the team finds some way, somehow, to get the ball into the hands of Joey Kidder. The defense is able to get takeaways (such as five from Gustavus Adolphus in the MIAC title game). |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They have to rely on George Bolt to throw the ball in order for the offense to move. |
| This season's turning point: | Gustavus Adolphus defeats St. John's, and the MIAC's conference title game rules mean that the Johnnies, who have the best record in league games with a head-to-head win against Bethel, not only do not win the league, they don't even play in the title game. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .602 (9) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 192.8/194.3 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 62.4/195.8 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 5.5/4.7 |
| Leading passer: | George Bolt, 120.6 |
| Leading rusher: | Aaron Ellingson, 90.2 |
| Leading receiver: | Micah Niewald, 70.5 |
| Leading tackler: | Matt Jung, 61 (38 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Caden DeWall, 6.0 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Matt Jung, 7 |
| How far can they go? | Not sure there's enough offense this year to advance in this bracket. |
Chapman Panthers
| Seed: | Likely No. 7 seed, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | No. 12, Week 11 2019 |
| Location: | Orange, Calif. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 7148 |
| Stadium: | Ernie Chapman Stadium (2000) |
| Playing surface: | Turf |
| Conference: | SCIAC |
| Head coach: | Bob Owens (La Verne '70) |
| Career record: | 114-89 (.562) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 3-4 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 1-3 (2014, 2017, 2019) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 230 | 140 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, SCIAC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | The defense is dominating. Chapman gave up 24 or more points in their first three official games this year and lost all of three. Chapman has not allowed more than 20 points in a game since and is on a six-game win streak. The Panther defense has become quite adept at forcing turnovers, including six in the SCIAC championship game. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | They have to abandon the run game. Luke Peterman started as Chapman's third QB this season, but has settled in to the starting role nicely. However, Chapman's offense is at its most comfortable operating in run-heavy, zone read situations. |
| This season's turning point: | Holding Justin Edwards to 51 rushing yards, defeating Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and starting a six-game win streak to end the regular season. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .576 (16) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 171.7/185.2 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 64.6/250.6 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 6.1/5.0 |
| Leading passer: | Nathaniel Espinoza, 190.0 |
| Leading rusher: | Tyler Pacheco, 57.7 |
| Leading receiver: | Amir Adams, 61.6 |
| Leading tackler: | Collin Keefe, 56 (37 solo) |
| Leader in sacks: | Kade Jordan, 4.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Kyle Sieben, Collin Keefe, Roman Hardin, 3 |
| How far can they go? | Chapman is certainly playing better than when it played Whitworth the first time around, and maybe could make something happen. |
Illinois College Blueboys
| Seed: | Likely No. 8, Wartburg bracket |
| Last Top 25 ranking: | Never ranked |
| Location: | Jacksonville, Ill. |
| Enrollment (FT undergrads): | 1066 |
| Stadium: | England Stadium (1200) |
| Playing surface: | Grass |
| Conference: | MWC |
| Head coach: | Ray DeFrisco (North Park '02) |
| Career record: | 34-25 (.576) |
| Base offense: | Spread |
| Base defense: | 4-2-5 |
| Record in NCAA playoffs: | 0-1 (2011) |
| NCAA D-III championships: | None |
• D3football.com team page: Schedule and results, more news
| Points for | Points against |
| 508 | 143 |
| How they got here: | Pool A, MWC champ |
| You'll know they're playing well if: | Frankly, everything they try works on offense. Illinois College hasn't been challanged in weeks and a lot of the gaudy numbers on this page are the results of that. |
| You'll know they're playing poorly if: | Destin Chance doesn't have time to throw and the opponent gets to the quarterback for sacks and interceptions. |
| This season's turning point: | IC rebounded from a 37-6 loss to Lake Forest and got multiple fourth-quarter stops against Monmouth to hold on and win 20-17, getting the team into the back half of the conference schedule. |
| Strength of schedule (rank): | .452 (196) |
| Rushing/passing yards per game: | 189.5/390.8 |
| Rushing/passing yards allowed: | 59.4/151.9 |
| Yards per play/allowed per play: | 7.9/3.2 |
| Leading passer: | Destin Chance, 372 ypg |
| Leading rusher: | Thomas Little, 124.6 ypg |
| Leading receiver: | Collin Brunstein, 204.8 ypg |
| Leading tackler: | Charlie Patterson, 91 (67) |
| Leader in sacks: | Garrett Bearden, 9.5 |
| Leader in interceptions: | Cory Walbert, 6 |
| How far can they go? | It's a short trip to Wartburg. |