http://www.d2messageboard.com/blog.php?25716-Tony-Nicolette Division 2 Message Board, D2 Football, DII, D-II en Thu, 23 May 2013 09:38:09 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.d2messageboard.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.d2messageboard.com/blog.php?25716-Tony-Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?822-The-Run-is-Over Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:10:08 GMT West Texas A&M 33, Ashland 28

Almost as quickly as the 2012 playoff run for the GLIAC began, it concluded. After an unbeaten regular season hallmarked by outstanding efficiency and mistake-free (+11 in turnover margin with only seven giveaways) play, Ashland turned the ball over four times and yielded four sacks to the nation's top pass-rushing team and fell 33-28 to West Texas A&M.

Despite things not going as smooth as they'd like, the Eagles had the affair in their favor midway through third with a 28-19 lead and a rushing offense that was going essentially unchecked. Anthony Taylor finished the day with 151 yards and a score on the ground (he added another TD via the air), and the Ashland ground game churned out more than five yards per carry for the afternoon. Unfortunately, balance eluded them as quarterback Taylor Housewright was under constant pressure and turned the ball over four times as a result. We talked in our preview about how the Eagle front would need to find a way to keep WT's Ethan Westbrooks blocked, and that didn't happen as he racked up three of his clubs four sacks and led a Buffalo defense that had limited the Eagle passing attack to 102 yards in the game's first 59 minutes. Despite the constant harassment, Housewright and his receiving corps used three big, chunk receptions to move from their own 12 to the WT 26 in the game's waning seconds. That was as close as they would get, however, as Westbrooks' final sack of the day forced a fumble that WT recovered to seal the result.

Housewright's final collegiate game wound up at 20 of 34 for 166 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions...tough to take in the loss for the senior who had been picked-off only once the entire season heading into Saturday. His season and career were far better than this one outing would suggest, and the Eagles know that. His counterpart was far more successful...and he had to be as the Ashland defense was particularly stingy against the run, holding the Buffs to only 53 yards rushing on the afternoon. Dustin Vaughan was "on" throughout, finishing 35 of 50 for 398 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted once. His favorite target all year has been Torrance Allen, and Allen was huge on Saturday hauling in 13 grabs for 185 yards and three scores.

Despite the big days had by Vaughan and Allen, the Ashland defense really did a pretty good job in this one. They stuffed the run all day as previously mentioned, scored a first half TD on a blocked punt return, and they stalled a couple of promising WT drives deep in Eagle territory to force field goals. In the fourth quarter, the D got the ball back for their offense by holding WT on downs twice, with the second of those stops coming on a brilliant goal-line stand to keep the Buffalo lead to a single score. Brian Gamble led the group with 14 tackles, and even contributed with his speed on offense with four grabs for 66 yards. In the end, despite the D doing "enough", the offense simply wasn't able to generate the needed points for Ashland to advance. The Eagles conclude their year at 11-1.


Well, that's it for the season, folks. Again, thanks for making us a part of your football weeks. It's tough to know that from top-to-bottom the GLIAC was much better than an 0-1 playoff record would indicate, but not every season can go the way we'd like. 2013 should prove interesting to see if a team or two in the North can separate from the rest of their division the way Ashland did this year and provide the GLIAC with a chance to get at least one additional team into the bracket. Of course, as always in football, time will tell... ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?822-The-Run-is-Over http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?805-The-Notre-Dame-Conundrum Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:43:26 GMT Posting about this came much later than we had intended, but we wanted all of the fallout to have settled. Plus, we wanted to make sure we had all... Posting about this came much later than we had intended, but we wanted all of the fallout to have settled. Plus, we wanted to make sure we had all of the details right and knew for certain how the league intended to proceed.

As a refresher, Notre Dame College announced just prior to the start of this season that they would be joining the brand-spanking-new Mountain East Conference. The new league will basically consist of a mass exodus/mutiny among members of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, along with a few other folks including Notre Dame. It is set to begin play for the 2013-2014 academic year, and will open with an eight-sport offering for both men and women. The line-up will include the primary staples we think of in football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track, etc.

Given that NDC hadn't even begun it's first season of GLIAC football when the announcement was made, the departure wasn't preceded by a significant amount of notice. Not surprisingly, it wasn't met with a lot of enthusiasm by the bulk of the GLIAC fan-base either. Despite that, at face value one has to see the logic behind what NDC is doing: They're new to Division II, and while they did join the GLIAC as an associate member for football and a few other sports, the Falcons were going to be independent for the bulk of their programs. That's a tough racket any way you slice it, so finding a league that would provide a home and a schedule for the vast majority of their sports certainly had to be appealing. The Mountain East will offer a full compliment of sports, and is a relatively decent fit geographically. On the whole, the decision seems to make sense.

Of course, no transition of this nature is without negatives. We start along those lines with the harm that might come to their still forming reputation. It won't be easy to be a new outfit that, well, "bolted" as early as it could from the conference that gave them their first shot. The GLIAC did need them to a certain extent, but also gave the Falcons some instant cache that they couldn't possibly have had otherwise. It's not like Notre Dame had any other strong, viable options and the GLIAC lent some significant credibility in NDC's first D2 season. And don't think this isn't lost on folks within the program...we have it on good authority that moving out of the GLIAC for football actually created some disappointment for many among the Falcon family. It's hard to argue with that, especially given the top-to-bottom reputation that the GLIAC has developed and displayed in full force this year.

Another big negative is that the terms of membership in pretty much every league in the country contain language around fines for leaving without proper notice. This is typically an amount that can't be taken lightly by anyone, especially in D2. The terms of this arrangement between the league and NDC won't be disclosed, so the amount of the fine (if there even is one) is anyone's guess. Even with that potential burden in mind, NDC still saw this as their most attractive route. As an aside, some wondered if Indianapolis had to pay when they left the GLIAC. In short, they didn't and that was because they gave the prescribed/appropriate amount of notice of their intentions. UIndy was a long-standing associate member of the GLIAC (and still is for a couple of sports) but has also been a full member of the GLVC for many years. Once the GLVC successfully expanded their roster to gain full status from the NCAA for football, it certainly made sense for the Greyhounds to move their football membership to the league where they are a primary member for nearly all of their other sports. They did things by the letter of their agreement with the GLIAC, and are still on excellent terms with the league.

So, what does the GLIAC do moving forward? Well, there is still one year left on their current two-year schedule cycle and there really isn't anything that can be done with that. If an option had presented itself that made a ton of sense for the league to simply "scrap" year two of the cycle and start over, the membership may have opted for it. The only thing that could have possibly made that work was for another associate member to materialize, but that really wasn't going to happen...let alone quickly enough for the league to say they wanted to start over from scratch for next year. So, it made keeping year two as it sits the most logical route.

Of course, that option presents its own challenges...most notably, what does everyone that had Notre Dame on the schedule do with that week that is now open? One route that was investigated was a one-year "alliance" of sorts with the GLVC. One of their members, Urbana, is making the same move to the MEC that Notre Dame is. Of course, that will also leave a similar set of holes in the GLVC schedule. The two leagues considered having the GLIAC teams scheduled to play Notre Dame play the team from the GLVC that was schedule to play Urbana that same week. This option actually had some positives to it, but one big negative was that the GLVC was only set to play an eight-game league schedule...two less than the GLIAC, and this would leave two of the GLIAC clubs still with an empty week. That lack of equity was a huge problem, as was the question surrounding who would get home games. In the end, the option just didn't make enough/the right sense and failed to materialize.

What did make sense and is now the end result we have moving forward is for the league's members to simply play the schedule as it is. Of course, the entire South Division will only play a nine-game conference slate, and that same fate awaits Grand Valley, Northwood and Hillsdale from the North. The league's "order of finish" will be calculated by winning percentage as opposed to strictly "record". Of course, since the South teams will all only have nine games this really won't impact that Division's standings. It could, however, wind up impacting the North and the Overall races. That is an extra source of intrigue for next year. As for the open week, any club that wants to fill it can do so...and some already have, most notably Grand Valley who very quickly jumped on the opportunity to add another home game for 2013 and scheduled Truman State.

So what about the future beyond next year? Well, the league is basically "taking it as it comes" at this point. What else can they do? The current roster of members is the 15 clubs that remain, and the next schedule cycle (for 2014-2015) is being developed for those members. We haven't heard anything definitive on what they are planning as far as divisional schedules/alignments are concerned, or how the order of finish will be calculated. Of course, even that schedule will be contingent on the league's current line-up not being exposed to any further upheaval. Given how much change we have seen in all of college sports lately, the notion that the GLIAC's roster will remain static hardly comes with any guarantees. Suffice it to say that potential changes to the league and how it will address them should prove worth watching in the coming years. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?805-The-Notre-Dame-Conundrum http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?808-Round-Two-Preview Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:03:40 GMT #13 West Texas A&M (10-2, SR4 #6) at #7 Ashland (11-0 SR4 #2)

All right, so after a "week off" the GLIAC gets back to action as Ashland opens their 2012 playoff appearance at home against West Texas A&M. The Buffaloes were the only lower seed in the entire tournament to advance during last weekend's opening round, and they did so by knocking off the RMAC's second-place club in Chadron State, 38-30. They'll hit the road for a second straight week to find an Ashland outfit that is rested and surprisingly healthy for this time of year.

WT enters with the Lone-Star Conference's top rated offense, averaging 487.8 yards and 41.2 points per game. While they ran all over Chadron State last week to the tune of 311 rushing yards, the Buffaloes are typically led by quarterback Dustin Vaughan and their outstanding passing attack. WT led the LSC by slinging it for more than 340 yards per game this season, and that wide-open approach led to a lot of scoring...in fact, they averaged 41 points per game in their two losses. Now, let's not confuse that with a team that can't play defense. The Buffs allowed an LSC best 20.8 points per outing, so not everyone one of their contests was a total shoot-out.

Vaughan's favorite target when throwing the ball has been Torrance Allen. He had 142 yards receiving last week, and is over the 1100-yard mark on the year despite missing some time. He's not Vaughan's only option, however, as six of his targets have at least 32 receptions and at least 336 yards receiving on the year and seven pass-catchers have three TD's or more on the season. The Buffs distribute the ball well, so Ashland's defense can't key on any one guy in particular.

Oh, and let's not forget the ground game. Khiry Robinson has racked-up 1250 yards this year despite missing a couple of games, and he led the WT attack a week ago with 235 yards and three TD's. If rushing looks are there, WT can exploit them.

Defensively, WT has held some folks to lower scoring amounts at times, but have also been prone to giving up big days as well. They have allowed 28 points or more four times, and in their two losses they yielded 96 total points. For Ashland to succeed on Saturday, the offense will need to score early and often...and we're pretty confident they can do that. They'll need to protect Taylor Housewright, as the Buffs led the LSC by generating nearly four sacks per game. Ethan Westbrooks had 13.5 sacks this year, so blocking him up will be a key. What is mysterious is that for all of the pressure that WT has generated, that hasn't translated into tons of turnovers...they were toward the bottom of the LSC in takeaways, including only having seven interceptions. With the Eagles having only turned the ball over seven times in total for the year, we like how efficient Ashland has been with the ball to be a big advantage...WT will likely need some help to slow down Ashland, so as long as the Eagles don't provide any of that help they should be in good shape.

Provided Ashland doesn't come out rusty after the bye, the Eagles should be able to more than match-up with WT. Just as the Buffaloes were atop the LSC in most categories, Ashland did the same by scoring 42 points per game and yielding only 13.6. While WT's Vaughan is the seventh-rated passer in the country, AU's Housewright is fifth...and he has only been intercepted once this season. The main objective for Housewright and his main targets (Anthony Capasso - 59 rec, 887 yds and Eric Thompkins - 53 rec, 638 yds) is to simply stay in character and be efficient. And, to that end they'll have the advantage leveraging the one-two punch of a running game provided by Anthony Taylor and Jordan McCune. Taylor has over 1,000 yards this year, and McCune powered his way to nearly 900. The pair combined for 25 touchdowns, so this might be one of the best rushing attacks that WT has seen this year. Whether or not WT can contain these two guys and MAKE Housewright throw will be telling...if AU is able to maintain their typical offensive balance, it is definitely "advantage Eagles".

While this will be the biggest test that Ashland has faced in more than a month, we still think this is their game to win. WT likely hasn't seen a defense this good all year, so how Vaughan and Company respond will be telling. In addition, Ashland has shown they can score in bunches if need be...and do so without mistakes. As long as AU replicates their ability to play mistake-free football and set things up with a strong running game, we like the Eagles to advance. It won't be a snoozer by any means, but AU is the favorite. Ashland 35, WTAMU 28. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?808-Round-Two-Preview http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?798-Bye-Week-Thoughts Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:25:45 GMT With Ashland being the only GLIAC club in the field and their having a bye, there aren't any games to preview for this weekend. There is still plenty going on around the league, however, so here are a few nuggets to tide us over until next week:


Dennison to Retire

Walsh head coach Jim Dennison has decided to hang'em up. Dennison is one of the deans of Ohio college football. He's the only head coach that Walsh has known since starting their program 18 seasons ago, and when you combine that with the 13 years he led D1 Akron, Dennison has a lot of year under his belt leading college football teams. In addition to the 31 years as head coach, Dennison had another 22 years of coaching in both high school and college. After 53 years of teaching and shaping the lives of student-athletes, we think he probably deserves a break! Enjoy your retirement and time with your family, Coach...you've earned it.


Other Coaching Changes?

Over the last few years, most GLIAC schools that want to head in a new direction from a coaching perspective make that call pretty quickly after the season is over. We haven't heard much of anything this week, so for now it might be safe to presume that most (if not all) HC's are safe at the moment. Several coaches have only finished their first or second year and seldom do we see a staff not get at least three years to make something happen. Plus, a lot of those "new" coaches have shown some steps forward with their clubs so it's hard to see any schools making a move this year. While there's no getting around that several of the league's fan-bases could be wishing their administrations might make a change, the amount of pull and political strife that boosters and alums might cause typically isn't quite the same in D2 as it is for the BCS-level schools. Of course, we'll keep our ear to the ground but for now it appears that Walsh is the only GLIAC member looking for a new boss.


GLIAC in the Playoffs

As we talked about last week, Ashland was surefire to get in. We also thought that Grand Valley was likely the only other league member that could have played their way into the field. Tough to know for sure if they would have made that six-line instead of WT had they defeated Saginaw Valley, but the case wouldn't have been flimsy...we're pretty confident of that. All of that said, what we and many others suspected could happen did: The GLIAC North didn't get a single club into the bracket. Does that mean that no North teams are good enough to make a run or are not better than some of the clubs that did make it? Hardly. No offense to the other teams, but we'd take our chances with any of the three-loss North clubs against most of them. "Damage-doers" or not, they aren't in the field and will have to get to work on figuring out how to win more in 2013...and win more they must, as being 10-1 or better is probably going to be the only way to ensure a spot. The parameters the NCAA uses for selecting the brackets are known going into each season, and the only true recipe for making sure you're in and seeded where you want is to "just win, baby". Depth in the North will be similar next year, so that could once again prove to be a tall task.


All-GLIAC Teams

The league release their post-season awards this week. There has been a fair amount of discussion on the boards this week about it, but to be honest this shook out just about how we would have figured. We could kinda see the case for swapping awards for Taylor Housewright and Jeff Janis, but let's face it...that's ultimately a hair-splitting issue...both were nothing short of unreal this year and deserve great accolades. Other than that, there weren't really any names that we found out of place or conspicuously absent. There might be some legit gripes over guys that didn't make first or second team, but with a 16-member league you're going to see some of that. The number of players vying for spots has increased, but the number of spots hasn't. Simple as that.


Stay tuned next week for our preview of Ashland's game. We'll also talk a bit about next year's schedule and how the GLIAC will be handling Notre Dame's departure...you won't want to miss that! ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?798-Bye-Week-Thoughts http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?779-Week-Eleven-Recaps Sun, 11 Nov 2012 15:17:00 GMT *Findlay 26, Walsh 7* Rushing attacks were at the fore in Canton on Saturday, as these two combined for a brisk pace (took only 2:27 to play this... Findlay 26, Walsh 7

Rushing attacks were at the fore in Canton on Saturday, as these two combined for a brisk pace (took only 2:27 to play this one) and a rather inept 16 of 45 and three picks by the two QB's. As expected, Monterae Wiliams closed out his Oiler career with a bang by racking up 187 yards and all four of Findlay's touchdowns on the ground. Toba Olarewaju had 133 yards rushing for Walsh in addition to tallying the Cavaliers' lone score of the day.


Hillsdale 14, Northwood 3

Much like the game above, this affair was a quick one that saw the two QB's combine to hit less than 50% of their passes. And, like the game above, the winning team sent its all-time leading rusher out with a fantastic performance. Joe Glendening tallied both Charger touchdowns and touched the ball on 41 of Hillsdale's 65 offensive plays en route to 211 yards on the ground. That great final game netted Glendening the outright 2012 GLIAC rushing title, as he led the league both in total yards and yards per game.


Michigan Tech 35, Wayne State 13

The Warriors may have "Groundhog Day" nightmares for a while, as for the second straight week they dropped a 35-13 decision. Perhaps the only solace for Wayne fans after this one is that this game was really only lopsided on the scoreboard. The WSU offense actually kept pace with Tech statistically in this one, but fell short in closing out drives as Wayne had four trips inside the Tech 40-yard line net zero points. The Husky ground committee churned out 198 yards on the afternoon, and QB Tyler Scarlett kept the Tech offense balanced and on track with a mistake-free 16 of 22 for 169 yards and three TD's.


Ashland 65, Notre Dame 0

Ashland completed their unbeaten regular season, and boned-up on their power run game in preparation for the playoffs as the Eagles thoroughly demolished visiting Notre Dame. This one was over early as the Eagles scored touchdowns on seven of their eight first half possessions. QB Taylor Housewright closed out his senior regular season with three scoring tosses on an efficient 16 of 23, but it was the Ashland ground attack and smothering defense were the stories here. Notre Dame was only able to cobble together 157 yards of total offense...Ashland more quadrupled that with 635 total yards, anchored by a 422-yard outburst on the ground. Jordan McCune led the attack with 178 yards and a score, while backfield-mate Anthony Taylor found the end zone four times. Those performances were great, but the star of the day may have been senior Justen White-Reid who has spent most of his Eagle career as a dedicated special teams and support guy, but was able to cash-in during the second half and have one of his best days as a collegian with 111 yards and the final TD of the afternoon.


Ferris State 32, Northern Michigan 31

Despite being out-gained offensively for the second straight week, Northern managed to do another "hang around" job. They used kicker Rockne Belmonte once again to get points out of stalled drives (3 for 3 on FG's for the day), as well as special teams (Christian Jessie 99-yd KO return TD) to make up for the advantage that Ferris had in nearly every offensive category. This week, however, it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs were able to put together a 14-play, 93-yard drive over the final three minutes to get within one. Ferris then went for two and the win and converted to post the final result. QB Jason VanderLaan was once again the go-to-guy for FSU, rushing for 121 yards and two scores on the ground, and throwing for another TD. Cody Scepaniak's final game as a 'Cat saw him run for one score and throw for another, but few in Marquette will forget what his insertion into the line-up did to make the second half of the year exciting for NMU.


Ohio Dominican 56, Malone 7

No surprises here, as ODU scored TD's on seven of their first eight possessions and cruised to the easy win. Panther RB Mark Nichols closed out his career in style with a 174-yard, three TD performance, while Brandon Shoen concluded his impressive freshman campaign with a couple of scores. The Panther defense was stifling in this one, registering 13 tackles-for-less and forcing four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by Brad McCurdy.


Tiffin 34, Lake Erie 14

Both teams threw the ball well in this one, as Lake Erie used three QB's to total 342 yards while Dan Pitts registered 364 yards for Tiffin. The problem for LEC was that their top two signal-callers both went down to injury and they were forced to turn the reigns over to a guy who hasn't played QB in more than two years. That's where the results diverge as Pitts was spotless on his way to three TD passes while the LEC crew totaled four INT's, including one returned for a TD. Marcus Beaurem led the Dragon receivers with eight grabs for 150 yards and two TD's. Anthony Bilal paced The Storm's offense with 109 rushing yards and a score.


Saginaw Valley 55, Grand Valley 52

In what would have to be considered an "instant classic", the Lakers showed an impressive amount of resolve in responding to a 35-7 halftime deficit. They scored touchdowns on their first six possessions of the second half to erase that Cardinal lead and take a 52-48 advantage with about 6:00 to go. It was the Cardinal's resilience that may have been even more impressive, however, as they kept their composure despite the impending collapse and put together a 95-yard drive with no time-outs in the game's final minute to earn the win and create a four-way tie atop the GLIAC North. With scoring like that, of course there were numerous, eye-popping performances. Jonathon Jennings threw for 360 yards and three scores and ran for another to lead the Cardinals. Jeff Janis and James Thrash both latched on to ten receptions each, with Janis totaling 165 yards and two scores. He added a third TD on the ground, but hauling in the game-winner with nine seconds left was the certainly "the big one". Tim Hogue led the SV ground game with 175 yards, including 87 on the second play from scrimmage to set up the Cards' first score. In the loss, Isiah Grimes bounced back from a pair of first quarter INT's to throw for 391 yards and four TD's. All four scores went to Charles Johnson, who closed out his Laker career with a ten-grab, 198-yard day. Mike Ratay chipped-in with three TD's rushing for Grand Valley.


Well folks, that's it...the 2012 regular season is in the books. We know that Ashland will be in the playoffs, but there may be an outside chance of Saginaw Valley sneaking into the field also. Of course, we'll know those answers after this evening's selection show. For those whose season is over, my thanks to you for reading and making D2Football.com a part of your week. Hopefully you'll stop back during the playoff runs of any GLIAC teams that make the bracket, as we'll be keeping pace with them throughout the post-season. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?779-Week-Eleven-Recaps http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?771-Week-Eleven-Previews Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:44:57 GMT Well, Gang...we've made it to the end of another long and winding road. Hard to believe eleven Saturdays can come and go so quickly, but being an old guy I guess I should be used to time flying right past me. It should be a beautiful weekend weather-wise here in the Midwest, so hopefully everyone can get out and enjoy themselves...and maybe even take in a ball game!


Findlay (6-3, 6-3) at Walsh (2-7, 3-7)

It should be unique treat for the Oiler seniors...they get to play their final collegiate game at the Hall of Fame. Pretty cool in our book. The question from there becomes whether or not they can get a win over the home-standing Cavaliers. Walsh has represented itself pretty darn well in their first GLIAC season, especially defensively...they rate second in the league in scoring defense, and third in total defense. Not too shabby, but they'll face an offense that is loaded with playmakers on Saturday, and the weaker portion of their D is likely the secondary. We could see a big final game for Clay Belton and his band of big play recievers.

The other piece of the puzzle is Findlay's defense playing better on their "off" game. What do we mean? Well, the Oilers have alternated being either "on or off" over the past six weeks. In their on games, they've given up 16 points an outing. In their off games, it's been 49 points per game. They're due to be "off" if the pattern continues this week, but they should get a bit of help from the fact that Malone has mustered less than 20 points per game on the season. With Findlay's ability to make big plays and the fact that Walsh continues to struggle on offense, we like the Oilers in this one...but we also like it to be interesting. Findlay 22, Walsh 18.


Northwood (4-5, 5-5) at Hillsdale (6-3, 6-4)

The two private schools in the North Division will conclude the slate with 2012 installment of the "Pat Riepma Bowl". Riepma was a standout player at Hillsdale, and in his early coaching career was an assistant at his alma mater. He then went on to build Northwood into a perennial GLIAC power and playoff contender. Riepma is still at Northwood as the AD, and there may not be a finer GLIAC Man out there. We'd love to know if he really is OK with whomever wins this one, although we'd hardly fault him either way!

In any case, this year's versions of the Timberwolves and Chargers saw promising results escape them over the past month. The Woodies finally halted their five-game losing skid last week after opening 4-0. Hillsdale, on the other hand, had control of their own destiny in the North and possibly in the playoff race...but two straight losses have dashed those hopes. Now, it's about pride for both of these clubs...the Woodies can get to the good side of .500, and the Chargers don't want to see one of their all-time greats go out on a three-game skid.

So who gets it done? Well, we have to say we were perplexed at how ineffective Hillsdale was offensively last week. It's been a long time since we've seen such a poor output, and it's hard for us to see that being repeated again...especially back within the confines of Muddy Waters. While Mark Morris has made large leaps forward in play at QB for Northwood, we're still not sure if NU can play the kind of game that has troubled HC's defense of late, and that's power. This should be an entertaining affair, but it's just so hard for us to see Hillsdale dropping three straight. Hillsdale 27, Northwood 22.


Michigan Tech (6-3, 6-3) at Wayne State (5-4, 5-4)

These two might be even better examples than Hillsdale (talked about above) of clubs that are wondering "what happened to our season"? The Huskies humming along at 5-1 before a pair of road losses derailed any postseason plans they might have had. They rebounded nicely last week by clobbering Hillsdale, and even that had to be a surprise. We know we were wide-eyed at how lopsided that result was. For Wayne, a 4-1 beginning which included a great win over Hillsdale (how do they keep popping into this post?) has been overshadowed by dropping three of their last four. The Jewel of The Lodge will get it's last chance for a wild time for 2012 on Saturday...will the Warriors cash in on the fact that Tech hasn't won a road game in over a month?

To do so they will have to slow down a resurgent Tech ground game that came alive last week. The Husky "committee" racked-up 192 yards on the ground, and that doesn't bode well for a Warrior defense that has been, well, "not good" against the run of late. Over the last six weeks Wayne has been giving up 245 yards per game rushing. If Tech can do anything similar to what they did a week ago, they immediately have the advantage...and that advantage becomes even bigger if the Huskies can parlay well-timed play-action passes from Tyler Scarlett off that run game. Tech has to avoid the turnovers, because Wayne will cause them (they were +2 in their loss at GV last week), but even if they turn it over the onus then falls on the Wayne offense to cash in on them, and that has been far from certain of late. The Warriors had a couple of big chances to keep their game against GV tight and paced how they want...they didn't get it done and wound up playing from behind and that just isn't their strong suit.

We actually like this to be another tight game. The Wayne defense will do its part, and Tech is just never quite the same when they cross the bridge. That said, we like Tech to be able to grind it out on the ground and eek out a win. Michigan Tech 28, Wayne State 24.


Notre Dame (2-7, 3-7) at Ashland (9-0, 10-0)

Sometimes match-ups are just plain simple: Ashland comes in with the #2 scoring offense in the GLIAC and a shot at an unbeaten regular season. Notre Dame enters with the worst scoring defense in the league and is leaving the league for a new conference next fall. The cards look a bit stacked, here, no?

Well, there is a touch more to it than that. Notre Dame really has played better in spots than their three wins might indicate, especially considering that three of their seven losses came by five points or less. And since Ray Russ returned at QB the Falcons have continued to improve...especially of late as Russ has thrown for 551 yards and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks, with both games notched as NDC victories. So are we calling upset here?

Umm...not exactly. Look, NDC's kids have shown most of this year that they play hard for 60 minutes and that they should be taken seriously. That said, there has been no club in the GLIAC that has been more machine-like than Ashland. Taylor Housewright has run the Eagle offense to near perfection, and AU's defense has been stout time and again. While we think NDC will do what they can to make this one interesting, we respectfully submit that it would take Ashland coming out insanely flat for them to trip-up here. The Eagles have too much to play for, and they won't lose sight of that. Ashland 40, Notre Dame 20.


Ferris State (5-4, 6-4) at Northern Michigan (3-6, 4-6)

After winning three of four against some of the top outfits in the league, Ferris closed their home slate a week ago by dropping one to a Northwood club that hadn't won since the Equinox. To close out the year with a win, the 'Dawgs will have to enter the "ThunderDome" and try knock-off a red-hot Northern club that has found new life since the insertion of Cody Scepaniak at QB. With this tilt matching Scepaniak against Ferris' Jason VanderLaan, the game could wind up simply being a dispute over whether "our running QB is better than your running QB".

At face value, the not in that battle would (of course) go to VanderLaan. He averages more than 121 yards per game on the ground, which is fourth-best in the league among ALL rushers. With that said, since Scepaniak took over the NMU controls four weeks ago he's been toting it for 101 yards per outing...and has taken Casey Cotta along with him at a clip of 96 yards per game (Cotta joined the line-up at the same time as Scepaniak).

What's actually funny about this is that while both clubs are going to look to run it, where they have the advantage is in the passing games. Both clubs are in the bottom quarter of the league in pass defense, so the result here might come down to which team passes the ball better. On the level, that's likely an edge to Ferris. We'll take that edge...but boy is it scary. Northern is hot and hot teams are always tough to pick against...especially when they get the home/ThunderDome advantage. We'll go Ferris but it's not a pick loaded with conviction. Ferris 31, Northern 30.


Malone (1-8, 1-8) at Ohio Dominican (6-3, 7-3)

Year number one for Malone will close up in Columbus with ODU who is finishing year number three...and doing so in style. The Panthers have already replicated their seven-win tally from last year, and can run things to 8-3 with a win...and we like their chances to do so as they are presently on a four-game tear and have been scoring more than 45 points per game during that run. That poses a problem for Malone who allows 33+ per outing, and worse yet has only been scoring at 15.8 points per. Any way you slice that, we see the Pioneers having a hard time keeping pace with ODU.

Ohio Dominican pounds things out on the ground at 237 yards per game. Compliment that with young QB Mark Miller playing progressively more efficient each week and we have a hard time seeing the Panthers dropping one here. Ohio Dominican 47, Malone 17.


Lake Erie (3-6, 3-7) at Tiffin (1-8, 2-8)

The Storm will head to Tiffin after winning three of their last five. LEC's ground game has been very productive late using a string of hot-hands in the backfield, and they have also been getting solid QB play from Brendan Gallagher. With that said, they'll have to ramp it up a bit for this one to cover for their defense that is last in the league in total defense and has been giving up more than 40 points per game. Tifin has had their struggles scoring during this season, but the offense has done well since Dan Pitts took over at QB. He's thrown for 307 yards per game the last four weeks, Lake Erie defense that is last in the GLIAC yielding more than 275 yards per game, so provided that the offense can actually finish drives and net points they should be able to make some things happen here.

Lake Erie has won more of late, but for some reason we like Tiffin to play well at home in the finale. Look for a big game from Pitts and Company in the passing game to be the difference. Tiffin 35, Lake Erie 31.


Grand Valley (7-2, 8-2) at Saginaw Valley (6-3, 7-3)

Scheduling the "Battle of the Valleys" on the last weekend of the year has consistently proven fruitful. These two have a rivalry full of tight ball games, and there is always plenty at stake. This year is no exception as the GLIAC North is on the line...a Saginaw win helps them earn a share of the title, while a Grand Valley victory give the Laker the North outright. Of course there are some playoff implications involved as well, with GV's chances of making the field appearing to be a bit better with a win than Saginaw's...and both clubs likely need some help regardless of who wins.

So who does win? Well, the Laker ground game has been relentless of late. Grand Valley has gone "power" the last three weeks and basically haven't been stopped on the ground. Kirk Spencer has done much of the heavy lifting, and the freshman is only 44 yards away from having a 1,000 yard season despite only being the "starter" for a handful of GV's games. The Lakers power run approach has controlled the pace of play very well and allowed them to work in a timely, effective passing game from Isiah Grimes and Crew. So can they control the pace of play enough to keep the Saginaw Valley offense out of rhythm?

That's a big question, because the Cards come in with league's top passing attack. QB Jon Jennings is tops in the league throwing the ball, and Jeff Janis leads the country in receiving yardage. The Cardinals will absolutely have an advantage offensively, as the Laker defense (despite massive improvements the past three weeks) is still far from perfect...and they're working with a patchwork secondary, which is not what you want to have against the Cardinals.

There's no doubt that Grand Valley enters the game with momentum on their side. They've won three straight and each of those victories has been impressive. Conversely, the Cards have dropped two of three so they haven't been especially crisp. Both clubs have had some ball security issues so there isn't much of a trend advantage there. Momentum and the ability to run might make us lean Grand Valley, but questions in the secondary make us wary of whether or not GV can get off the field often enough to keep pace. Well, it's the last regular season game of the year so...you guessed it...coin flip special! Heads GV, Tails SV...Heads it is! Grand Valley 28, Saginaw Valley 27. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?771-Week-Eleven-Previews http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?764-SR4-GLIAC-Playoff-Musings Thu, 08 Nov 2012 03:51:35 GMT OK...I promised everybody ONE post about this, so here it is! Just like every year, I stick to only writing about this the week before the final... OK...I promised everybody ONE post about this, so here it is! Just like every year, I stick to only writing about this the week before the final Saturday of the season. SO much changes from week to week that trying to keep up with this for the last month of the year just isn't worth the energy. Now things are much more finite, so let's take a look:

SuperRegion 4 - Released November 5, 2012

1. CSU-Pueblo
2. Ashland
3. Chadron State
4. Midwestern State
5. Indianapolis
6. West Texas A&M
7. Missouri S&T
8. Grand Valley
9. New Mexico Highlands
10. Saginaw Valley

OK...the top end of this is easy and obvious. Pueblo and Ashland are both 10-0. While both have a high liklihood of winning Saturday and finishing unbeaten, it's hard to see any scenarios where they would NOT be in the field, even if they should lose. I'll readily admit that I don't dig as deep as the committee would into the various strength of schedule components, but the biggest one is usually a team's "opponent's win percentage". Based on that, I see why Pueblo and Ashland switched spots this past week, and with a win I would expect Pueblo to stay on the one-line. Ashland's only shot at moving up to the one is to beat Notre Dame and hope that Pueblo loses to 1-9 Western State (uh, not gonna happen). Shouldn't be a source of angst for Ashland fans in reality, as the two-seed still gets a first round bye and a home game in round two.

As for the next group, my guess is that three through five will stay relatively static. 8-1 Chadron does have a bit of a test against a solid Colorado Mines club, but even if they lose the SOS numbers I see for them likely would keep them in the bracket. 8-1 Midwestern State gets a 2-6 West Georgia team and 8-1 Indianapolis faces an Urbana outfit with a decent record...but the Greyhounds should be favored. Again, my hunch would be that these three win and will jostle for spots three through five. I suppose it's not inconceivable for any/all of them to lose and then things could get interesting, but at this point they're all 8-1 so the presumption they are favored to win Saturday isn't outlandish.

So, for GLIAC fans the only real spot to get a second team into the field comes here. West Texas A&M is currently on the six-line, with Missouri S&T and Grand Valley trailing. For Laker fans, my concern here would be why GV isn't already ahead of S&T. Sure, S&T is 9-1 to GV's 8-2, but the (admittedly limited) numbers I see sure would be compelling to put GV ahead of S&T already...WT is 8-2 and already there, why isn't GV? The Lakers will get a big SOS boost from playing Saginaw Valley. If GV wins and gets to 9-2, their case should get some help in that S&T's opponent (South Dakota Mines) is winless and WTAMU's last foe (Commerce) has a 1-7 D2 record. At least in term's of "opponent's win percentage", Grand Valley's is actually projecting to be higher than any of the seven teams currently listed ahead of them. Winning against Saginaw Valley is a must (no gimme, by the way), but if they can do that I have to admit that I'd be rather perplexed if they weren't able to find their way into the bracket. Again, I'm not applying all of the criteria the commitee can/would but at face value their resume would sure look favorable in comparison to WT or any other two-loss clubs (should any of the one-loss teams lose), and certainly solid against S&T (despite the Miners having one less loss). So, is it "win and in" for GV? In my mind it should be, but that doesn't mean that the criteria is shaking out as such. GV has to handl the "win" part, and we'd then know about the "in" Sunday.

By the way, as for Saginaw Valley despite their projected final OWP being the highest of any of the ten teams currently listed in the seedings, that third loss will likely prove too much to overcome. If they beat Grand Valley, the Cards would likely need WT and S&T losses along with at least one of the one-loss teams losing to even have a shot. That's an awful lot of things that would have to go right. Stranger things have happened, but at this point that sure appears rather unlikely.

I'm guessing I didn't clear much up for anyone. What can I say...I'm not on the committee so I can't know exactly how they are applying the criteria. What I can tell you is that in my conversations with committee members over the years I've come to the conclusion that this process is a bit more vanilla than some would like to think. Of course, we have many who assume that any sort of "conference title" would earn a team a spot. That's not a criteria and has no bearing on things so while winning your league will certainly help you in the record department that trophy has no bearing on the playoff selection process. I've also had folks insinuate that "big wins" and/or "bad losses" can impact a team's resume. That sort of item is not listed by the NCAA as something that can be considered and isn't part of the deal. I also see posts on our message boards about conference reps "not going to bat" for teams. It's been my conclusion that the committee members are (for the most part) doing all they can to make this a viable, "by the numbers" process. Again, I'm not on the calls so I can't possibly know that for sure but the sources I have polled haven't given me any reason to believe that sort of stuff is rampant or prevalent.

As for my opinion of the process, I would submit that it could be better. Most things can, of course, and I'm thrilled we have this instead of the nonsense that is the BCS. With that said, I start with the the basic premise that no system is ever going to be perfect...and from there, I'd love to see a few alterations in how D2 selects its teams. For starters, any selections and the process that arrived at them should be released once the bracket is out. I think the notion that it should be some sort of secret is silly. If everything is fair and equitable, why would the results be anything to be hidden? I would also get rid of the regions. I understand why they are used today, but think that in total their usefulness has expired. Travel has expanded so much in the playoffs due to how the regions are aligned that the notion that travel is being "saved" seems unlikely. Next, I think conference champs SHOULD get an auto-bid. Most of the time, if a team wins its conference it's done enough in total to warrant a spot in the field so start with the conference champs and add in how many other at-large bids needed to get to 24 teams (currently ten). Seed them up, and let'er rip. Again, it won't be perfect but I think it would be better than the regional alignment we have today. I'd also change how the at-large teams are selected. The attempt at driving it toward the math that is used today creates situations that don't make much sense. For example, if the playoffs started today S&T would be in over Grand Valley (and Saginaw Valley, for that matter). With all due respect to S&T and the GLVC, the caliber of ball played in that league is no where near what it is in the GLIAC. The notion that an 8-2 Grand Valley or a 7-3 Saginaw Valley isn't better than a 9-1 Missouri S&T is one that most knowledgable D2 fans would find hard to buy. Maybe they are, but running over a GLVC schedule is hardly as difficult as a GLIAC North slate and I'd take my chances with just about any North club (and much of the South) against S&T or any other GLVC club. So, if the caliber of ball is that much better from one league to the next (anyone who submits it isn't is either lying or lacks football acumen), why should the same "math" be applied to every league? That's how you end up with teams in the bracket that, frankly, don't belong there.

OK...rant over. My thoughts won't change anything and I'm sure you're all tired of reading about this. I guess the short answer for GLIAC fans is that Ashland is in no matter what, and GV probably needs a bit of help (losses or numbers-wise) should they win on Saturday. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?764-SR4-GLIAC-Playoff-Musings http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?757-Week-Ten-Recaps Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:03:37 GMT Let's open this week by congratulating Ashland University on their first GLIAC Championship. The Eagles are still unbeaten, and have clinched the out-right league title. Coach Owens and staff have to be pleased with how well their club has performed this year, and are essentially a lock to make the playoffs regardless of what happens this weekend.

As for this past weekend, In my six years of writing about the GLIAC for D2Football.com I have seen some interesting things happen. I've seen days where there are three games that finish with the same final score, other days where three or four of the league's games will go into overtime, or even upset-laden days. Heck, it's football...that stuff happens. I will say that probably the strangest day I can recall was the last day of the 2011 season when multiple surprises happened and we all wondered just what the heck the committee was going to do in terms of "who gets in" to the bracket, etc. With all of that said, what happened this past Saturday definitely ranks right up there in terms of odd-ball stuff happening...especially in the North Division where upsets, surprises, and outstanding performances were everywhere. Let's take a quick look:

Findlay 38, Malone 14

OK, I talked about all of the oddities and we open with a game that actually, well, "went according to plan". Monterae Williams racked-up 114 yards rushing to close out his home career in style and add to his school record yardage total. He also scored twice, as did wide-out Seth White who had 103 yards receiving on four grabs. Malone got on the board on their opening drive, but really didn't do much after that with the exception of 79-yard touchdown pass from Will Szpor to Justin McClean in the second quarter.


Notre Dame 31, Walsh 28

Notre Dame did on offense what they have been doing for most of the year...moving the ball well via the ground and the air. What the defense finally did for the first time was hold an opponent under 300 yards. They were especially stingy in the second half when they had to claw their way back from the 21-3 deficit they faced at the break. NDC's typical leaders stepped-up as Pedro Powell had 133 yards on the ground, and Ray Russ threw for 286 yards and three scores. Steve Smith tallied 109 yards rushing and a TD for Malone in defeat.


Ohio Dominican 44, Lake Erie 14

The Panthers ran their win streak to four as they dominated host Lake Erie, especially in the second half. Running back Mark Nichols has missed some time this year, but the senior was able notch on heckuva day toward the end of his final season as he racked-up 212 yards and a TD on the ground to lead the Panther offense. Perhaps more impressively, the ODU defense held The Storm to 65 yards rushing after LEC has been running the ball very well the past few weeks.


Northern Michigan 33, Saginaw Valley 28

Man, this game had just about everything. Wow! There is little argument that the 'Cats have played markedly better over the last month, but there were also a whole bunch of funky bounces, big plays, and probably a little "Dome-Mystique" that helped them out as well as they shocked the visiting Cardinals with a 17-point fourth quarter to overcome a 28-16 deficit. The Cardinals did a lot of what they wanted on offense: Jeff Janis had another great day hauling in 11 grabs for 181 yards and two TD's. SV also ran the ball about as well as they have all year, with Tim Hogue notching 206 yards and a TD on the ground. All of that said, the Cardinals turned the ball over five times...four of which were fumbles on special teams, including an onside kick early in the 4th and those giveaways made the difference. Oddly enough, probably the most important fumble that was recovered came when NMU QB Cody Scepaniak fumbled going into the end zone late in the game only to have lineman Jace Daniels fall on it for the winning score. Scepaniak figured into two other TD's on the day (one throwing, one rushing) and Casey Cotta led the 'Cat offense with 109 yards on the ground. Northern kicker Rockne Belmonte was also important for the 'Cats in this one, hitting on four of his five FG's (many coming from long range, including a 55-yarder) and becoming Northern's all-time leader in FG's made.


Northwood 38, Ferris State 33

There have been times this year where Ferris has, seemingly, "fallen asleep" during games. It didn't hurt them so much against Grand Valley or Wayne as they overcame large early deficits to storm back and win. Well, another "swoon" hit them in this one. After jumping out to a quick 13-0 advantage, the Bulldogs allowed The Woodies to rattle off 31 unanswered points. Ferris trailed 38-20 entering the final stanza, but this furious comeback fell short as Northwood won for the first time since starting the season 4-0. Mark Morris had his best game as NU's QB with 252 yards and pair of scores passing, and Jordan Jonker found the end zone three times on the ground for Northwood. Ferris was led once again by QB Jason VanderLaan who threw four TD passes but he was held below 100 yards rushing for just the second time in the last six games, thanks in part to being sacked four times.


Michigan Tech 42, Hillsdale 14

This result was yet another of the "eye-openers" that we had this past weekend. Tech winning isn't a surprise...the blow-out fashion in which they pasted the visiting Chargers? OK, that made us say "Wow". We talked last week about how Hillsdale just doesn't seem to "function normally" when they play in the UP, and that was plenty evident in this one as the potent (and almost always reliable) HC ground game was held to just 86 yards and QB Anthony Mifsud was picked-off three times. Conversely, the Tech RB-Committee was plenty effective rolling for 192 yards on the ground. Tyler Scarlett was hot once again firing four TD passes on the afternoon, with three of them finding TE Bryan LaChapelle before the second quarter was half-over. The Huskies built a 14-point edge at recess, and shut-out the Chargers in the second half to cruise from there. In the loss, running back Joe Glendening became Hillsdale College's all-time leading rusher taking the top spot from former Charger great Scott Schulte who set the record back in 1993.


Ashland 49, Tiffin 21

After falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter, Tiffin did what they could to make this one interesting by closing the gap to two scores mid-way through the third. That was as close as they would get, however, as the GLIAC Champ Eagles closed out the Dragons from there to get to 10-0. As usual, Taylor Housewright led the way for AU by tossing four TD passes to four different receivers. Housewright was actually only two attempts away from tying the NCAA record for consecutive passes with out an interception, but a tipped-ball was picked-off by the Dragons in the second quarter ending his streak at 377. Housewright's counterpart, Dan Pitts, led the Tiffin offense with 322 yards and a touchdown through the air.


Grand Valley 35, Wayne State 13

Despite a couple of turnovers and a decimated/retooled secondary, the Lakers resurgence continued as they ran for 319 yards on the night and steamrolled the visiting Warriors. Kirk Spencer led the Grand Valley attack with 228 yards and a score, and Mike Ratay was also hot with 118 yards and two TD's. The passing game was also solid, as Charles Johnson's senior night finished with 10 catches for 112 yards and a pair of TD's. This game could have had a different feel as a couple of early drops stalled Wayne drives (one would have been a TD), but with the way Grand Valley's offensive line controlled the trenches and paved the way for the Spencer/Ratay tandem it's hard to know for sure if the result would have been all that different. The Laker defense held the Warrior ground attack to only 88 yards on the evening, easily their best result of the season.


Only one week left in the season. I'll put up something additional this week to talk about playoff scenarios (it's really just Ashland and Grand Valley that have shots at this point), so stay tuned for that and our preview of the final Saturday of GLIAC action. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?757-Week-Ten-Recaps http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?750-Week-Ten-Previews Fri, 02 Nov 2012 02:51:48 GMT Two weeks to go, Gang. The GLIAC North is up in the air, as is a possible second GLIAC member claiming a playoff spot (presuming of course that the... Two weeks to go, Gang. The GLIAC North is up in the air, as is a possible second GLIAC member claiming a playoff spot (presuming of course that the floor doesn't completely fall out from under Ashland these next two games). Should be an interesting couple of Saturdays, no? Let's take at the one right in front of us:

Malone (1-7, 1-7) at Findlay (5-3, 5-3)

The final home game of the year for Findlay opens a two-game slate with the Canton teams. In this first round, the Oilers will get a slight reprieve after facing Ashland last week. Instead of getting the league's top statistical offense and defense (in the person of Ashland), Senior Day will welcome quite the opposite as Malone enters with their O and D hanging near the bottom of the GLIAC Leaders lists. Give the Pioneers some credit, however, as Malone hasn't shown any quit. They had a big lead on Notre Dame last week and have given a few others sufficient fits at other points this year. These kids play hard and Findlay needs to respect that and be ready for it.

With that said, Findlay should be able to handle things here. Malone is dead last in the GLIAC at stopping the run, and it'd be a surprise not to see the Oilers send their all-time leading rusher out in style in his last home game. Look for a big outing from Monterae Williams as Findlay cruises. Findlay 40, Malone 12.


Walsh (2-6, 3-6) at Notre Dame (1-7, 2-7)

Last week, Notre Dame was the last to "join the ranks" and snag a GLIAC win for 2012. They'll be at home on Saturday looking to make it two in a row as Walsh comes calling. The Cav's have split their last four, but probably should have made it three of four...they missed out on a couple of chances to close things out in regulation against Lake Erie a week ago. So, who keeps their momentum going this week?

Notre Dame certainly has found its offensive legs once again. The ground attack is still potent as Pedro Powell leads the league in rushing. And after missing a couple of starts, Ray Russ is back at the controls of the Falcon offense. The problem is that their defense is still one of the softest in the league, allowing more than 45 points per outing. Walsh hasn't shown the ability to put up anywhere near that amount for most of the year, but the one thing they can do is hold people in check...their defense is far stingier than their three-win record would indicate.

While we think NDC will move the ball some, the Walsh ground game has also shown it has some punch...especially of late. If we look at two teams who can run the ball well, the nod always goes to the club with the better defense. That's Walsh and while we think this is far from a "gimme", we have to give the slight edge to the Cavaliers. Walsh 22, Notre Dame 21.


Ohio Dominican (5-3, 6-3) at Lake Erie (3-5, 3-6)

After alternating wins and losses through the first six games, Ohio Dominican now has themselves on a three game winning streak. A victory on Saturday over Lake Erie would ensure that the Panthers match their win total (seven) of a year ago, and Coach Conely and his staff know that doing at least that is a must to keep themselves moving toward the upper echelon of the league. In order to get that seventh win on Saturday, they'll have to handle another club that has been better of late...Lake Erie has won three of its last four, and has used the move to Brendan Gallagher at QB to its advantage. Gallagher is a dual-threat, but when LEC has been most effective it's when he and at least one other backfield mate has put up big numbers on the ground. That could be a tall order in this one as they'll get an ODU rush defense that is third in the GLIAC, and has gotten progressively less friendly to ground games as the season has progressed.

While Gallagher's development should continue over these remaining two weeks, we're not sure if he can lead the LEC offense to enough points to win this game. The ODU offense has also seen its QB (Mark Miller) develop over the season, but more importantly the Panthers have a much tougher defense than The Storm. Ohio Dominican allows 17 fewer points per game...that's a pretty large gap for Gallagher and Company to overcome. We like The Storm to make it competitive, but ODU should prevail. Ohio Dominican 35, Lake Erie 22.


#17 Saginaw Valley (6-2, 7-2) at Northern Michigan (2-6, 3-6)

After dropping one to Hillsdale a couple of weeks ago, Saginaw Valley bounced back nicely against a solid Michigan Tech last week. Of course, we all know about the crazy numbers that the JJ-Squared combination has been putting up this year, so Northern finding a way to slow that down is likely Job One. With that said, Job Two may well be the responsibility of the SAGINAW defense as they'll get the newly effective Wildcat offense. Since Cody Scepaniak took over under center, Northern has been FAR more competitive going 2-1...and that lone loss came in a game where they gave Wayne State all they could handle. Add to that the "Mystique of the Dome" and the potential for this to be a trap-game for SV (looking past a three-win club at rival Grand Valley), and the Cardinals are going to have to be MORE than on their game to handle things and sneak back to the land of the trolls (that's not Saginaw...it's all of us that live "under the bridge") with a W.

Let's not forget that Ferris and their QB-run-heavy offense gave the Cardinals fits a few weeks ago. With Scepaniak running things, Northern does a lot through him so we like Northern's offense to be at least somewhat effective. So can the 'Cats pull the upset? While it's possible, we think the answer lies more in whether or not their pass defense (12th in the GLIAC) can slow down the Cardinal aerial assault. That could be the tallest order of the day. When they faced two of the better passing games in the league (Tech and Ashland) they were so far behind that those opponents ran the ball a lot in the second half. In addition, when NMU played Grand Valley they got them with a red-shirt freshman making his first career start on one-day's prep. So, with those three results being less than what they could have been the 'Cats are STILL only 12th in the league against the pass? That sounds like "advantage Saginaw" to us. Saginaw Valley 38, Northern Michigan 28.


Northwood (3-5, 4-5) at Ferris State (5-3, 6-3)

Ferris enters their final home contest as winners of three of four. They've had to make some things happen in "shoot-out" fashion, but Jason VanderLaan and Company have been up to the task hitting for more than 43 points per game in those three wins. They'll get a Northwood club that limps in having dropped five in a row. The Timberwolves have struggled since hitting the meat of their schedule, but have also been hampered by the losses of their top two offensive playmakers. QB Aaron Shavers appears to be done for the year due to injury, and RB Cameron Jackson broke a team rule and has been unavailable as well. While the NU O will keep coming along as their young replacements get reps, it's hard to get those guys to play like your experienced starters in a hurry.

So can Northwood break their current skid? We think it's unlikely. The Ferris offense has done nothing but run hot of late, and the Northwood defense has had its issues with replicating the success it had during the first month of the year. Add in an offense that is inexperienced and hasn't been putting up many points, and we have a hard time seeing NU winning this one. If Ferris turns it over a bunch of times (which they have shown a propensity to do at times), perhaps. Otherwise it just doesn't look likely. Ferris State 40, Northwood 20.


Hillsdale (6-2, 6-3) at Michigan Tech (5-3, 5-3)

Wow, what a difference a week makes. Heading into last Saturday, Hillsdale had a one-game lead in the North and controlled their destiny in terms of a division title...and maybe even a playoff berth. Their next step was to handle a GV team who appeared weakened and who, frankly, Hillsdale has had the number of over the last few years. Fast forward to now, and the Chargers have to rebound from being beaten (rather handily, actually) and do so in Houghton...which has been more of a kryptonite to HC than even Northern's dome. They won't catch Tech napping, that's for sure as the Huskies are smarting also having dropped two straight. Both of those losses came on the road, so a return to Sherman Field likely fashions a very welcome respite for the Huskies.

For Hillsdale to win on the road, the must get back to what they usually do best: dictate tempo. That used to be Tech's M.O. as well, but a Husky ground attack that isn't anchored by one of the league's top backs hasn't been the bell-cow that MTU has often had at its disposal. Instead, the Tyler Scarlett-led passing game has been the most effective weapon for MTU this year. Hillsdale needs to pound Joe Glendening and convert on third down so they can keep Scarlett and his Crew (guys like Curtin and LaChappelle) sidelined. Otherwise, if this becomes a shoot-out we think it favors the home-standers.

In the end, while Hillsdale often struggles in Houghton we still have to lean toward them. The Tech defense has had a tough time slowing down the better teams on its schedule this year...something they did very well the last couple. While a shoot-out might be the best option for Tech, we're positive that would be an automatic remedy. It'll be tight, but we like a big game from Joe Glendening (who needs a scant ten yards to set the HC career rushing mark) to help the Chargers stay atop the North. Hillsdale 27, Michigan Tech 24.


#9 Ashland (8-0, 9-0) at Tiffin (1-7, 2-7)

Congratulations to Ashland for clinching the South. They already have a share of the overall GLIAC Title in the bag as well, but a win over Tiffin Saturday locks up the out-right title. The Dragons have actually been a bit testier of late. Dan Pitts has been putting up some big numbers throwing the ball, and while the Dragons haven't won much they've hung around with some folks a little longer than we might have expected. We might see Pitts put up another big day here, but we tend to think it'll be because AU will have this one handled by the break and Tiffin will have to sling it around to try and climb back into things.

We aren't picking on Tiffin. They're still a young team and they've won more games this year than in any season since they joined the GLIAC. That said, they're going to get an Ashland club that leads the GLIAC in scoring defense...which is a problem for TU given that the Dragons score fewer points per game than anyone in the league. Add to that the fact that AUhas been ridiculously efficient this year and is undoubtedly dialed-in to the tasks at hand: closing out the GLIAC Title, and securing an unbeaten regular season. They can take the first step Saturday, and we don't see them having any issues getting that done. Ashland 45, Tiffin 17.


Wayne State (5-3, 5-3) at #23 Grand Valley (6-2, 7-2)

After having the floor (seemingly) fall out from under them, all of a sudden Grand Valley is right back in the thick of things after a pair of solid wins. The defense has been yielding some yardage but not a lot of points, and the return of QB Isiah Grimes to the line-up has gotten the offense back on track. A North title is still very realistic, and playoff possibilities still have some life if they can win out. Step one is closing out their home slate against Wayne State. The Warriors have to be disappointed thus far, as they haven't been able to play well enough to get themselves back in the hunt for another run to Florence. Make no mistake, the Warriors are a solid outfit but as we said at the beginning of the season the loss of so many of the program's "all-timers" was going to be felt...and it has. This is especially true of late as the Warriors of dropped two of three and had to pull their lone win in that stretch out in the fourth quarter. So, can the Warriors go back on the road and get a win?

In order to do so, Wayne will have to replicate the model that they've used to win some of their other key match-ups: Force turnovers and cash them in for points; make one or two big plays at opportune times; and protect the ball...punts don't get you beat, giveaways do. This is all doable against a Laker bunch whose Achilles' heel this year has been big plays (although they seem to have corrected that of late). GV has also struggled in the turnover department recently as they are -4 in turnover margin over the last five weeks. While that all sounds like Wayne has the edge, there's little getting around that Grand Valley has played markedly better (thanks in part to the return of some key starters from injury, especially at QB and on defense) the last couple of weeks. And of course, with Grimes under center there's really no arguing that the Laker offense is far more explosive than Wayne's which gives GV a decided advantage.

So what is the match-up that will decide this tilt? Well, the Laker run defense has struggled for a lot of the season but has been better recently...and it seems to be bit more suited to the style of ground attack Wayne usually employs. Where we really see the decider is the converse of this match-up: Wayne has been allowing more than 230 yards per game on the ground the last five weeks. Over their last two games, GV has really pounded things in the run game to the tune of more than 282 yards per game. If GV is able to run the ball with that same level of effectiveness, it opens up their play-action passing game and big plays ensue. If GV is able to get big plays, we really wonder if Wayne's offense can keep up...especially when considering that the Warriors are in the bottom quarter of the league in both scoring and passing offense. If the Lakers continue to run the ball and don't lose the turnover battle, we like them to win once again. Grand Valley 32, Wayne State 24. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?750-Week-Ten-Previews http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?745-Week-Nine-Recaps Wed, 31 Oct 2012 01:18:33 GMT Hey Gang. My apologies for the lateness (or lack) of the Recaps these last couple of weeks. My weekend schedules were haywire...and frankly, I... Hey Gang. My apologies for the lateness (or lack) of the Recaps these last couple of weeks. My weekend schedules were haywire...and frankly, I really didn't think that folks paid much attention to those. However, some of you have specifically requested them so again, my humblest apologies. Here they are for this past weekend...better late than never, right?

Ferris State 35, Wayne State 24

Ferris fumbled away three straight possessions in the early going, and Wayne promptly turned those mistakes into a 21-0 lead. But much like when the Bulldogs played GV a few weeks ago and spotted the Lakers a 17-0 advantage, Ferris dominated the rest of the game and wound up winning rather convincingly. Wayne was held to just 302 total yards despite having both Toney Davis and Desmond Martin over 100 yards on the ground (Davis had all three WSU TD's). Ferris QB Jason VanderLaan continues to cause problems for opposing defenses, as the freshman racked-up 244 yards and two TD's on the ground. He also threw for another score.


Northern Michigan 21, Northwood 13

Don't look now, folks, but Northern has won two of three after their dismal start. It's no coincidence that the tides turned a bit for the 'Cats when Cody Scepaniak took over the offensive controls. The senior QB was the catalyst again this one accounting for all three scores (two throwing, one rushing) and running over the NU defense for 133 yards on the ground. When throwing he found a big-play partner in Christian Jessie who had 126 receiving yards, including scoring catches of 60 and 55 yards.


Ashland 42, Findlay 21

On paper, this was the last real test on the Ashland schedule. They passed with flying colors, physically dominating the trenches: they sacked Clay Belton three times while Taylor Housewright went virtually untouched, and the Eagles out-gained UF 277 to 103 on the ground. Anthony Taylor did most of the heavy lifting with 24 carries for 165 yards, and Jordan McCune was the drive closer finding the end zone four times on carries that were each of 11 yards or less. Housewright was masterfully efficient hitting on 12 of 16 on the afternoon for two scores, and he still has yet to throw an interception this season.


Notre Dame 36, Malone 19

We talked last week about how NDC's defense has struggled all year. For nearly two quarters in this one, things looked about the same as they allowed two TD's to the league's lowest-scoring offense and trailed 16-0. Truth be told, the Falcon offense had a hand in that as all of the points they allowed had to do with giveaways or safeties allowed by the O. From there, however, Notre Dame completely turned the tables and outscored the Pioneers 36-3 the rest of the way. Ray Russ had a big return to the line-up tossing five TD passes, and Pedro Powell used his 245-yard performance to take over the league lead in rushing.


Ohio Dominican 31, Tiffin 14

Mark Miller had perhaps the best passing day of his young career, throwing for 284 yards and and a score to lead Ohio Dominican over Tiffin. Dan Pitts also threw it well (286 yards, 2TD's) in the loss, but where ODU really had an advantage over the Dragons was on the ground. They out-gained Tiffin 216 to 77 and used that balance to pull away in the second half after TU had tied the game at 14 in the second quarter.


Saginaw Valley 34, Michigan Tech 23

This was one of the better-played games of the weekend. Neither team turned it over, and the two clubs combined to commit a scant four penalties. The difference? JJ-Squared was at it again and Tech simply had no answer for it. Jon Jennings was at the top end of his meter connecting on 26 of 33 for 342 yards and three TD's, and running for a fourth score. All three TD passes went to Jeff Janis, who collected 226 of Jennings 342 passing yards...but perhaps most impressive was his school record 18 receptions on the day. Within the confines of the contest, Janis set school records for receptions in a single game and single season, and he also set the new single-season mark for receiving yards. Pretty impressive on those last two, as he still has two games left on the year.


Grand Valley 42, Hillsdale 23

After suffering through a two-game swoon a few weeks ago, the Lakers seem to be back on course after an impressive display at recent nemesis Hillsdale. With the exception of a three-and-out in the fourth quarter, every Grand Valley drive made it inside the Hillsdale five-yard line. Six wound up as TD's, the other two were lost fumbles. That pair of mistakes aside, the Chargers seemingly had no answer for a Laker offense that saw Mike Ratay (110 yds, TD) and Kirk Spencer (100 yds, 2TD's) lead the GV ground attack to 287 yards on the afternoon. The health of Isiah Grimes appears to be improving as well as he was an efficient 16 of 21 for 259 yards and two TD's. While Hillsdale's Joe Glendening still managed his typical "day at the office" (157 yds, TD), the Lakers were able to keep him from taking over the game as he has to so many opponents over the last three years.


Lake Erie 27, Walsh 20 - OT

On the strength of big rushing days from Steve Smith and Toba Olarewaju (141 and 127 yards, respectively), Walsh led for most of the evening...including into the fourth quarter. However, LEC was able to tie it up and then claim the win in the extra frame. Anthony Elias led the way for LEC with 106 yards rushing and two TD's, one of which was the game-winner in OT. The host Cavaliers had leave Fawcett wondering about "what could have been" as they failed to cash in on a pair of second-half FG tries, the last of which came from only 24 yards out with less than two minutes to go in regulation. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?745-Week-Nine-Recaps http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?720-Week-Nine-Previews Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:38:45 GMT Well, Gang, eight weeks are in the books...the stretch run begins! With three games left in the regular season, the race in the North is tight like... Well, Gang, eight weeks are in the books...the stretch run begins! With three games left in the regular season, the race in the North is tight like everyone expected. With a bunch of the teams log-jammed at the top still having to play each other, the remaining ride should be a wild one. Hillsdale does have a one game lead so if they win out that can take the North uncontested. In the South, Ashland has really gone unchallenged since the first couple of weeks of the season and controls its own destiny for its first ever outright GLIAC Title.

The first round of Regional Seedings (as I like to call them...they aren't really "rankings", per se) has been released. Those of you that know me and have read my posts for a while know that I think the NCAA releases these too early. After Week Nine or even Week Ten is when it would make the most sense, since SO much can (and invariably DOES) happen from week to week. Anyone remember the craziness that happened during Week Eleven of last year alone? Saginaw, Wayne, and Indy all lose, Hillsdale's SOS takes a big hit, Grand Valley won big and was as hot as any team in the land, and that was just within the GLIAC alone! Suffice it to say the brackets looked plenty different from what many might have guessed on that Saturday morning! With that in mind, I'll stick to my credo of not posting any comments or projections until we head into the final week of the season. OK, so I'll even break that by saying that Ashland is really the only team in the GLIAC at this point that controls its own playoff destiny. Close out the season unbeaten, and the Eagles will make the field and (barring something ridiculous) have at least one home game in the postseason. OK...my lip is zipped on the playoffs for a couple more weeks!


Ferris State (4-3, 5-3) at Wayne State (5-2, 5-2)

This is a weekend stacked with big North Division tilts. Three of the four North contests feature clubs that have won at least five games on the season, and this is the first of that lot. Ferris is coming off their shoot-out victory over Tech, and will try and follow-up their 56-point outburst with a similar effort on the road in Detroit. The Bulldogs have been coming on of late, and were explosive on both sides of the ball against Tech to tally 601 total yards. Jason VanderLaan had is best game yet under center, and did so against one of the league's top defenses. Can he post those kinds of numbers against a good D two weeks in a row?

It will be a test to be sure, especially considering this time it will have to come on the road. Wayne's defense has given up yards at times, but has done a terrific job of getting big stops when they need them and forcing key turnovers. While they should present another challenge for the Bulldog O, the concern we see is a propensity to struggle with running QB's. Anthony Mifsud had a lot of rushing yardage a few weeks ago for Hillsdale, and last week against Northern the Warriors let QB Cody Scepaniak (who has played little in his career until the last few weeks) engineer a 21-point second half comeback to tie the game late. If those two have been able to run effectively (and throw at least some), what is Wayne going to do about the most prolific running QB in the league this year? This could be a big problem.

We really try not to overreact to teams from one week to the next. Sometimes adjustments get made, guys are hurt, whatever. That said, we've seen a few instances this year where running QB's have given Wayne fits. We've also seen a Ferris club that has come on of late and a big chunk of their offense is predicated on what the QB can do. And one thing that still concerns us about the Warriors is the passing attack...can it be effective throughout the game, not just in the fourth quarter? What if Ferris is able to jump out quick and Wayne has to abandon what they would prefer to do early? We still feel that Wayne has a bit more stature in this league and they are tougher at home. Plus, the Warriors are great at takeaways and Ferris has a tendency to cough it up. That's why our gut telling us that Ferris will protect the ball and win would classify this as an (albeit slight) upset. Ferris 38, Wayne 33.


Northern Michigan (1-6, 2-6) at Northwood (3-4, 4-4)

After struggling through the first half of the season, Northern seems to have found a new pep in their step of late. They knocked off Grand Valley two weeks ago, and darn near yanked the rug out from under Wayne at Adams field last Saturday. After biding his time for nearly four years, QB Cody Scepeniak is really getting his feet under him and the Wildcat offense is responding. A mere two weeks ago, the suggestion that the 'Cats would pump out 30+ over their next two outings was, well, a stretch. Now Northern is playing with some fire and they'll look to keep things going in Midland.

The Woodies have been tracking in the opposite direction of the Wildcats. After racing out to 4-0, NU has dropped their last four. Certainly, the level of competition has increased as their four losses have come at the hands of clubs that are a combined 22-8. No real shame there. Plus, for the most part they played those games relatively tight...until last week at Grand Valley. Despite the final margin being only 14, Northwood was lucky to have the margin be what it was. Several GV mistakes helped keep NU in the game, and the T'Wolf offense sputtered a bit during the first collegiate start of Mark Morris at QB. While Aaron Shavers is still listed as questionable for Saturday, there are rumors flying that he might be out for the rest of the season. While Morris might be the future for Northwood, in the present he's a guy with one start under his belt who (as of yet) is not near the multi-purpose threat of Shavers. If Shavers doesn't go, it is definitely a help to Northern.

Not to be a broken record, but pretty much everyone in the league knows that the U.P. teams (and especially NMU for some reason) aren't the same when they travel. However, they have played better and with more confidence last two weeks and they are likely to get a Northwood outfit whose offense is without its top two playmakers. Much like in the game above, stature-wise of the last couple of years Northwood is likely the favorite at home, but the gut is once again thinking upset here. If they avoid turnovers, we'll take Northern in a tight one. Northern 26, Northwood 24.


Findlay (5-2, 5-2) at #10 Ashland (7-0, 8-0)

The biggest South tilt of the weekend sees Findlay pay a visit to Ashland. Both have a lot riding on this, in part due to the rivalry these two have. Beyond that, Findlay is trying to keep whatever faint division title hopes and (even fainter) playoff thoughts alive. For Ashland, the prospect of an unbeaten regular season is now very real. In addition, they can clinch the South with a win, and ensure that they at least maintain their lead in the overall GLIAC standings. Last, when it comes to the playoffs the Eagles need to keep winning. Their strength-of-schedule rating will take a hit with Tiffin and Notre Dame left on the slate, but being undefeated nearly always cures all ails in the eyes of the committee.

While those goals we just discussed are both real and lofty, this year's Ashland club seems to be doing a better job of only focusing on the task at hand...and that's the next game on the schedule. The Eagles will have their hands full, to be sure, as seniors Clay Belton and Monterae Williams are two of the league's premier playmakers. With that said, the Ashland defense is probably the toughest outfit that the Oilers will have faced thus far. Add to that that Belton has been perplexingly ineffective at times (9 of 21 with two picks a week ago is a prime example), and one has to wonder just what we're going to get from Findlay's offense this week. Williams carried the load when Belton wasn't sharp last week (268 yds and 5 TD's...that's a hefty load), but the notion that either of them is going to light the world on fire against the Eagle D seems like a stretch.

Let's also not forget that Ashland's offense has been far and away the most efficient in the league this year. They lead the league in total offense, have yielded the fewest giveways (six), and have held the ball an average of six more minutes per contest than their foes. And, we'd be remiss for not mentioning Belton's counterpart...Taylor Housewright, who has yet to throw a pick this year and leads the league with 21 TD passes. While we like Findlay to play up to Ashland's level in this one and make it interesting, we really feel like the only team that can beat Ashland on Saturday is Ashland. If they protect the ball like they have all year and keep Belton from being particularly effective, the Eagles should prevail. Ashland 31, Findlay 21.


Notre Dame (0-7, 1-7) at Malone (1-6, 1-6)

Normally, when one looks at a team that can run the ball and has a workhorse RB, we typically think that the team with that sort of foundation would at least be somewhere in the .500 neighborhood...perhaps better. Notre Dame racks up more than 176 yards per game on the ground, and Pedro Powell has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season. The Falcons should be doing OK, right? OH, yeah...forgot about the Defense. Gotta play good D too, right? NDC can't seem to figure that part out, allowing a league-worst 48.8 points per outing.

On Saturday, the Falcons will get their best chance to overcome their porous crew when they take on the league's lowest-scoring outfit, Malone. The Pioneers have only mustered 15.6 points per game, and have had a consistently hard time putting points on the board. In total, the Malone offense only has 14 total TD's this year...Findlay's Monterae Williams has run for that many on his own thus far, and there are seven QB's in the GLIAC that have thrown for at least that many. Tough sledding for the Pioneers this year, to be sure.

So, which will win out on Saturday...the league's worst O or the league's worst D? We've seen a few spots for NDC to break-through in games this year and they just haven't done it. It's hard to get on board with them again, but there isn't much that warrants a pick on Malone's side either. We're gluttons for punishment, so we'll...

...once again and take the Falcons. Notre Dame 29, Malone 28.


Tiffin (1-6, 2-6) at Ohio Dominican (4-3, 5-3)

Ohio Dominican finally got a streak going last week...after alternating wins and losses through the first seven weeks, the Panthers notched a second straight victory in Week 8 to run their record to 5-3. They have averaged 54 points per game in those two contests, and if they can keep that kind of production going it will be a big problem for a Tiffin offense that is averaging only 15.8 points per game on the year.

The ODU offense has been much more efficient of late, and that has helped in the victories. RB Brandon Schoen has continued his stellar first campaign, notching more than 100 yards in both of the wins, while QB Mark Miller has thrown six TD passes and no INT's the last two weeks. Moving the ball effectively and KEEPING it are surefire bets to have your offense run well, and we don't see a lot of reasons to think this won't continue on Saturday, especially considering that Tiffin has generated only twelve takeaways on the year.

As long as the Panthers continue to be smart with the ball, we just don't see Tiffin's offense being able to generate enough points in this one. Ohio Dominican 44, Tiffin 24.


Michigan Tech (5-2, 5-2) at #21 Saginaw Valley (5-2, 6-2)

The axiom that defense wins championships as usually been held in pretty good regard. Of course, that also presumes that a great defense shows up pretty much every week...and that seems to be an issue for Tech. While they are still statistically the best D in the league against the run, the Huskies got rolled last week for 244 rushing (and 601 total) yards at Ferris...and worse yet, 56 points. In their two losses this year, the Huskies have yielded 53.5 points per game. That doesn't bode well for them as they hit the road to face a Saginaw offense that is chock full of big play ability and has yet to have a truly "break-out" scoring game this year.

That's not to insinuate that the Cards haven't been effective. On the contrary, you don't get to 6-2 by sheer luck. And while they are only averaging just over 30 points per game, they have the GLIAC's most prolific passing attack and have been running it with more power of late. All that said, while the Cards have thrown it well this year they have yet to truly be in a "shoot-out". Few of their opponents have had the passing game that Tech does, and this is probably the first time that SV has faced a passing attack that can match them "chuck for chuck".

So who wins? Well, Saginaw being at home helps...and facing a UP team at home helps a little more. Add in the fact that in the two games where Tyler Scarlett has gone absolutely bonkers throwing the ball (GV and Ferris), the Huskies have lost both times (and we don't see MTU being able to run the ball that much more here to control pace). Last, the Cards have likely worked on correcting the types of things that stifled them a week ago at Hillsdale...not to mention Hillsdale is much better at defending the pass than Tech is. If Tech successfully controls pace, then the scoring will be down and tighter. If they don't, the air raid sirens will be a-blazin'. Calling for shoot-outs is more fun, so what the heck: Saginaw 50, Tech 48.


Lake Erie (2-5, 2-6) at Walsh (2-5, 3-5)

After cobbling together a two-game win streak, Lake Erie got run over (literally) by Monterae Williams and Findlay last week. Walsh enters this one also having won two of its last three, but the Cavaliers bring to this party something that Lake Erie doesn't: Defense.

Walsh has been steadily stingy all year, which their 3-5 record belies. They've only allowed 30 points twice, and three of their five losses were by 12 points or less. Tech and Ashland are the only "resounding" defeats they have suffered, and their defense has done a fantastic job of keeping them in games...and they've kinda had to as the offense has had its issues. That said, the ground game has been pretty solid (even with out leading rushing Toba Olarewaju) and that bodes well against an LEC D allowing a buck-79 per game on the ground and is last in the GLIAC in total defense.

Fawcett will be a busy venue on Saturday with Malone hosting Notre Dame at 1:00 and Walsh playing in this one at 6:00. It's a great day for a ballgame...let's play two! Folks in the NE-Ohio area can get their fill of a GLIAC double-dip within the confines of a single stadium! While we picked against the home-standers in Game 1, we'll take the hosts in Game 2. Walsh and the defense prevail. Walsh 19, Lake Erie 16.


Grand Valley (5-2, 6-2) at #19 Hillsdale (6-1, 6-2)

This match-up has turned into a pretty nice rivalry over the last few seasons. Prior to 2009, the Lakers had won ten straight in the series...and most of those games weren't especially close. Since then, however, the clubs have split the last four contests and the three regular season versions of those have all been decided by three points. While this growing rivalry has some heat to it, that seems to come more from a genuine respect that these programs hold for the other than anything else. That might be nice, but toss in the loser of this game being (in all likelihood) eliminated from playoff contention and we have ourselves a biggun'.

Hillsdale has certainly been the more impressive of the two of late. Despite a sluggish performance in the D two weeks ago, the Chargers responded with a solid win on the road at Ferris and even more impressive result with a dominant second-half against Saginaw this past Saturday. Coach Otterbein and his staff seem to have their crew tuned-in as they navigate the most difficult portion of their schedule, and All-America RB Joe Glendening continues to be the focal point. He leads the league in rushing, and now sits only 167 yards shy of setting a new career rushing record at Hillsdale. While that's all nice, perhaps the biggest catalyst this year is the development of the Hillsdale defense, which is now second in scoring and total defense, and sets the GLIAC pace against the pass. We talked earlier about how NDC can run the ball but isn't so hot on D. Hillsdale has BOTH of these components put together and they are leveraging them into another great season.

As for the Lakers, they bounced back a week ago after a two-game...well, debacle. They looked terrible on defense for two straight weeks, but took a big step forward last week. They took advantage of getting a couple of key guys back as well as an undermanned Northwood offense...but most importantly, they simply played better. They're going to need to take it up another notch Saturday, as not only can Glendening tote it but Anthony Mifsud is a threat to do damage on the ground as well. The slide wasn't all the defense's fault, as the Laker O looked lost for a couple of weeks as well. Not having Isiah Grimes at Northern really hurt, and his return vs. Northwood was huge as GV racked-up 42 points despite three turnovers.

For us, the key here is Grand Valley beating Hillsdale at their own game: possessing the ball, keep their defense off the field, and cashing in on as many drives as possible. We think the Lakers have the ability to do this...they can stretch the field if needed with Grimes under center, but the Laker ground game has to do more...and they can. Case in point: GV averages 210 yards per game via the ground despite starting their fifth-string (as of the end of spring) RB Kirk Spencer. Spencer has quietly assumed the starting role, and leads the league in per carry average (7.1) and has tallied 129 yards or more in three of his four starts. If GV can avoid the turnovers and Spencer can match Glendening's output, the Lakers have a great chance here. The problem is that we just aren't sure if the GV defense will be able to hold things for four quarters, especially now that both starting corners are out and the "Mifsud rushing wild-card" is at play. This should be a good one, but Hillsdale has the advantage at home and against the league's most porous run defense. Hillsdale 33, Grand Valley 27. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?720-Week-Nine-Previews http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?704-Week-Eight-Previews Fri, 19 Oct 2012 04:27:01 GMT *Tiffin (1-5, 2-5) at Walsh (1-5, 2-5)* The Dragons will roll into Canton after posting their first GLIAC victory in four years. Can Tiffin make... Tiffin (1-5, 2-5) at Walsh (1-5, 2-5)

The Dragons will roll into Canton after posting their first GLIAC victory in four years. Can Tiffin make it two in a row? Certainly, Walsh will have something to say about it as they look to defend their home field and bounce back after being humbled a week ago by Ashland.

The key to this game will be whether or not Tiffin's offense will be able to generate yards and points. Despite the losing record, Walsh's defense is actually in the top half of the league and has been surprisingly stingy against most of their opponents. While they have given up some points at times, for the most part they've made their foes work for every inch...and they've had to due to an offense that at 17.7 points per game isn't really holding up their end of the deal.

When looking at a pair of 2-5 clubs, one looks at teams that have taken their lumps so far to be sure. That said, Walsh has proven to be a bit more "rough-and-tumble" thus far, and we like their defense and the home field to keep Tiffin in check. Walsh 24, Tiffin 17.


Northern Michigan (1-5, 2-5) at Wayne State (4-2, 4-2)

A surprise win over Grand Valley has to provide a certain "shot in the arm" for Northern. So, how will they follow-up their performance last week? Eeesh...with a trip to Detroit to face a Wayne club that is less than pleased with how they performed on national television last week.

Give the 'Cats credit. They worked the film room and replicated what has worked against the Laker defense. Similar holes are likely not to be found against the Warriors, however, as Wayne's defense continues to perform in the upper echelon of the league. Not to mention the Warriors are not dealing with the health issues that GV is. This is hungry bunch that forced turnovers and really played well a week ago, and has now had an extra couple of days (thanks to the Thursday night affair) to rest and prepare.

It's not a stretch to expect the WSU defense to continue to play well. Where we're looking for a step up is by the offense. Look for the ground game to continue to be a staple, but we also think that Mickey Mohner and company might work things a bit more effectively on Saturday...especially against the GLIAC's #14 pass defense. Wayne State 38, Northern 18.


Findlay (4-2, 4-2) at Lake Erie (2-4, 2-5)

This match-up has some unique intrigue to it. Findlay hits the road looking to bounce back after a rather surprising loss last weekend...losing to ODU wasn't the surprise in and of itself, but rather the fact that they let the Panthers paste them over the final 20 minutes to win by 30+. The Oilers have some work to do to make sure that last quarter and change doesn't set the tone for the rest of their season and any sort of collapse.

On the other side of the coin, Lake Erie has cobbled together a two-game win streak. They have to be feeling better about things now than at any other point this year, and we'd bet that Coach McNellie is looking to keep this rally going and see if it can't even carry over to next season. The problem? Their defense is still rather porous, including being ranked last in the GLIAC against the pass. With Clay Belton coming to town (he's throwing for more than 282 yards per game), LEC better have their boot straps pulled up.

On paper, this is Findlay's game to take. While we think there are some intangibles here (namely what these clubs will do the rest of the way) at play, the Oilers have simply been more consistent on both sides of the ball thus far. Plus, with Belton should have a solid outing, especially if he keeps finding playmakers like Seth White and Jaryd Brown. Last, the Oilers don't want to lose in a game where barring something really unforeseen Monterae Williams will set UF's all-time rushing record. Congrats to Monterae, as he is only seven yards away from unseating Nelson Bolden who has held the mark since 1980. Findlay 44, Lake Erie 21.


#25 Michigan Tech (5-1, 5-1) at Ferris State (4-2, 5-2)

This is a great match-up, and the folks heading to Top Taggert on Saturday should be in for a treat. Ferris boasts the GLIAC's top rushing offense, while Tech will roll in with the league's best run defense. Can the Huskies slow down Jason VanderLaan and the Bulldog veer? That head-to-head should be worth the ticket in and of itself.

To us, it's safe to assume that both sides of that duel will win some plays, and lose some others. Let's presume they fight to a draw. Where we really think the difference can be made is with the Tech passing offense. Tyler Scarlett as really ramped up his production in his sophomore season at the controls, and this is thanks in no small part to the emergence of wide-out Matt Curtin who is now second in the league in receiving at just over 100 yards per game. Toss in one of the better tight ends in the region in Bryan LaChappelle and the Tech pass offense is as potent as it has been in years. Pair that with a Ferris pass defense that is next to last in the GLIAC, and we think THIS match-up might go farther in determining who wins this game.

Historically, the U.P. teams struggle on the road. Ferris wants to bounce back after a tough loss a week ago, but the Huskies are looking to maintain their claim to the top spot in the North. We think this one is tight, but we like Tech's ability to throw it to make the difference. Michigan Tech 22, Ferris 20.


#14 Saginaw Valley (5-1, 6-1) at #23 Hillsdale (5-1, 5-2)

Saginaw gets a ranked opponent for the second straight week as they hit the road to take on the Chargers. While there are some key games going on in the GLIAC this week, this one is likely the "Game of the Week" as it pits two ranked clubs that will be fighting to maintain a grip on first placed in the North. Not to mention there is a nice little rivalry between these clubs, especially with some of the tight contests they have played in recent years.

The playmakers in this one require little introduction. QB Jon Jennings is putting up big numbers once again for Saginaw Valley as he leads the GLIAC in total offense at almost 334 yards per game. He has the league's top pass catcher at his disposal in Jeff Janis, and these two have connected 61 times already this year for nine scores. They will be looking to out-duel Joe Glendening, who somewhat quietly has resumed his mantle atop the league in rushing at more than 136 yards per contest.

So what will be the difference in this one? It might be cliche, but mistakes. The blueprint on giving Saginaw Valley fits is possessing the ball and keeping "JJ-Squared" off the field (almost went with JJ-Fad, but anyone younger than 35 won't get that). This is Hillsdale's bread-and-butter, but that gets compromised if they turn it over (see their visit to WSU). If Hillsdale is able to establish Glendening on the ground and hold the ball for 35:00 or more, the sledding will be tough for the Cards...especially on the road. It's a tight one that can go either way, but we tend to like the Chargers at home. Hillsdale 29, Saginaw Valley 25.


Northwood (3-3, 4-3) at Grand Valley (4-2, 5-2)

Both clubs enter this tilt trying to fight off losing streaks...NU started 4-0 and hasn't won since, while GV has dropped two straight after winning five in a row to open the year. Each is still within ear shot of the North lead, so combine that with wanting to get past their failings of late and we have ourselves nice match-up.

We all know about the bevy of injuries that the Lakers have suffered this year. Signs are pointing to Brandon Beitzel having to go again at QB, so Grand Valley will have to be able to run the ball effectively and consistently...no small feat given they're down multiple guys at RB AND they are facing the GLIAC's second stingiest run defense. While that does favor Northwood, the Woodies have some player availability issues of their own. QB Aaron Shavers is questionable after getting knicked-up against Tech a week ago, and leading rusher Cameron Jackson won't be available for the rest of the year due to being suspended. With the struggles the GV defense has had this year (especially against the run), they'll take any glimmer they can find...including possibly facing some NU back-ups AND the favorable prospects of getting at least a couple of their front seven starters back into the line-up.

Regardless of whether or not Shavers plays, look for NU to work the ground game. While The Woodies have been far more balanced on offense this year, they know that working the run (especially in the middle) has hurt GV this year. If the Lakers can stop that and run the ball effectively, their chances improve. If they can't, it then becomes a scenario where GV must match score-for-score. Unless Grimes plays, that looks like it might be a tall order. Until we see a ground game stopped by the Lakers, it's hard not to like a team facing them that you know can run it. Northwood 34, Grand Valley 27.


#11 Ashland (6-0, 7-0) at Malone (1-5, 1-5)

With all due respect to Malone, this one is pretty hard to find anything intriguing about it. Ashland comes in as one of the top outfits both offensively and defensively, which has been especially true over the last month or so when the Eagles hit their South schedule. Given that Malone hasn't done much against anyone in the league (only scoring 17 points per game) INCLUDING the South, it's hard to see Ashland stumbling here unless something bizarre happens.

Sorry, Pioneer, fans...we ain't mad at'cha! Just don't see you keeping pace with all the ways Ashland is handling their business thus far. Look for another solid (and likely brief) outing from Taylor Housewright and some clock-burning by the McCune/Taylor duo as the Eagles cruise. Ashland 50, Malone 10.


Ohio Dominican (3-3, 4-3) at Notre Dame (0-6, 1-6)

After see-sawing with Findlay for a good chunk of the game last week, ODU got on a major roll and closed out a resounding victory with a bang. The Panthers hit the road again to face the only team left in the GLIAC that hasn't snagged a victory in league play. Can NDC get off the schneid at the expense of their guests?

Well, anything is possible we suppose. Falcon running back Pedro Powell is knocking on the door of the 1000-yard mark for the year, and the Falcons have been able to put up points most weeks. The problem is that they are still yielding nearly 50 a week and will get an ODU bunch that has shown it can cash in on defenses that aren't ready to play stout for 60 minutes. Until NDC puts some kind of consistent set of stops together over a game or two, it's hard to favor their chances.

Look for Panther RB Brandon Schoen to keep it rolling for ODU as they head back down I-71 Saturday night with a victory. Ohio Dominican 45, Notre Dame 35. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?704-Week-Eight-Previews http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?693-Week-Seven-Recaps Sun, 14 Oct 2012 13:56:33 GMT *Saginaw Valley 24, Wayne State 7 - (Thursday)* Despite being out-gained and out-possessed, Wayne was in this one more than one might think. The... Saginaw Valley 24, Wayne State 7 - (Thursday)

Despite being out-gained and out-possessed, Wayne was in this one more than one might think. The first two Cardinal TD's came on drives totaling a mere 27 yards as a pair of Warrior special teams mistakes set SV up with short fields. "Gifts" or no, SV did what solid teams do and that's cash in on opportunities and the Cards used those and one of their better defensive games of the year to notch the home win on national TV. Two of Jon Jennings 29 completions went for scores, and the SV running game was sound (Tim Hogue, 101 yds; Ronnie Lark, 92 yds, TD) as the Cardinals led throughout. Toney Davis had 154 yards and a score for the Warriors in defeat.


Northern Michigan 38, Grand Valley 10

A midweek injury to Isiah Grimes pressed Brandon Beitzel into his first collegiate start at QB for the Lakers...and it didn't go well as four interceptions later Grand Valley only mustered 10 points and were seemingly never in the game in Marquette. Injuries at the QB position aside, Grand Valley's defensive woes persisted as they allowed multiple 100-yard rushers for the second straight week in Wildcat QB Cody Scepaniak (115 yds, 2 TD) and Casey Cotta (130 yds, 2 TD). Perhaps more alarming is the fact that Northern had only amassed 300+ yards of total offense twice in their six previous games this year, and yet they were able to generate 462 yards on Saturday. If that weren't enough, their 38 points were more than double (17) their highest output against D2/GLIAC opponents this year. With GV's remaining schedule containing teams that all have winning records, one has to wonder what can be done to avoid an epic tailspin. Kirk Spencer had his third straight outstanding game running the ball for GV with 145 yards on only 13 carries.


Lake Erie 35, Malone 24

After watching their 14-point first quarter advantage disappear, Lake Erie found themselves trailing late in the third. The Storm then rallied for two consecutive touchdown drives to grab their second straight win. Brandon Phenix led the way for LEC with 145 yards and a TD on the ground, but let's not overlook Brendan Gallagher's performance at QB. Taking over at the controls for Patrick Nicely, Gallagher threw a pair of TD passes, was not intercepted, and found the end zone twice more on the ground.


Ashland 30, Walsh 0

Another ho-hum day for the Eagles...virtually mistake-free on both sides of the ball, and another lop-sided victory. Taylor Housewright threw for 300 yards on the button, with 101 one of those yards and both of his scoring tosses going to Anthony Capasso. Jordan McCune also found the end zone twice on the afternoon via the ground for AU. The biggest star of the day, however, may well have been the Eagle defense who thoroughly stifled the Walsh O in allowing only 116 total yards...and that's without forcing a turnover. You don't see that very often. Kudos to the Eagle D's terrific performance, led by Cody Bloom's nine total tackles.


Michigan Tech 28, Northwood 21

This game suffered a case of the "sloppies" as both teams turned it over a bunch. Northwood was the first to cash in on the mistakes taking advantage of a short field (thanks to a fumble) to grab an early lead. The Woodies then built that lead into a 14-point advantage at the break. The Huskies were a bit cleaner in the second half, however, including Tyler Scarlett leading a pair of scoring drives in the last seven minutes of the game as Tech defended their home field and stayed tied atop the North standings. Scarlett threw TD passes to Matt Curtin and Brian LaChappelle to lead the way. Northwood QB Aaron Shavers threw two TD passes to Carrington Thompson in the loss, but NU's ground attack was held well below its season average by the MTU defense. The lack of leading rusher Cameron Jackson likely had a hand there as well.


Tiffin 27, Notre Dame 22

"Pitts to Dykes" was the order of the day as the Dragons never trailed and notched their first GLIAC win in more than four years. Tiffin QB Dan Pitts threw three TD passes on the afternoon (two to Jeremy Ortiz), and Obadiah Dykes was his favorite target as the wide-out hauled in 10 aerials for 194 yards and a TD. Pedro Powell had 117 yards and a TD for the Falcons in the loss.


Hillsdale 30, Ferris 20

Last week against Wayne, Hillsdale lost the turnover battle 4-1. Yesterday in Big Rapids, the Chargers won that battle 3-1 and that helped them survive the "game of runs" and stay atop the North. Much like an NBA game, these two traded scoring spurts to net the final result. Hillsdale rattled-off 14 straight in the opening quarter, only to watch Ferris blow by them with 20-point burst. The Chargers closed it out from there scoring 16 unanswered over the final 22 minutes to net the win. Anthony Mifsud was decidedly cleaner in the passing game in this one (threw for a TD, ran for another), but HC got back to basics and just fed it to Joe Glendening all afternoon. The senior RB carried it 36 times for 171 yards and two TD's to lead the way. Ferris QB Jason VanderLaan continued his excellent season with 129 yards and two TD's rushing to pace the Bulldogs.


Ohio Dominican 63, Findlay 31

I talked in my preview post that I had a "hunch" that ODU would make this one interesting. With that in mind, the fact that they won this game is hardly surprising. What made my jaw hit the floor was the lopsided manner in which they did it. This was a see-saw battle for the first 40 minutes or so, with ODU leading by only four midway through the third quarter. The Panthers basically ran away and hit after that, leveraging five consecutive TD-scoring drives in the second half to blow-out the homestanding Oilers. ODU RB Brandon Schoen continued his breakout season with 162 yards and two TD's on the ground, but despite 320 rushing yards for the Panthers in total I think I'm more impressed by what they did via the air. QB Mark Miller had his best game of the year hitting on 12-19 for 230 yards and four TD's, with two of those scoring tosses finding Ronald McCloud (5 rec, 104 yds). In the loss, Monterae Williams had 162 yards and TD on the ground. The senior RB is now only seven yards shy of becoming Findlay's all-time leading rusher. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?693-Week-Seven-Recaps http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?684-Week-Seven-Previews Fri, 12 Oct 2012 05:34:15 GMT I marvel every year at how quickly the football season goes by, and yet I'm still surprised each time it happens. We are past the halfway mark of the season already! Can you believe it? Only five Saturday's left in the season...which, in reality is only four weeks. Wow. If you haven't gotten on campus for a game yet this year, better hurry and do so quick! 2012 will (unfortunately) be in the books before we know it!


#14 Grand Valley (4-1, 5-1) at Northern Michigan (0-5, 1-5)

The Lakers will make their second trip to the U.P. in three games to take on Northern. Grand Valley enters the game having suffered its first loss after rattling off 12 straight wins dating back to last year. We've talked at length on this site about how the 2012 Grand Valley defense has consistently had a hard time finding itself, and this past weekend that finally caught up with the Lakers as their 50+ point per game offense had an off night and couldn't score enough to get the win. Will the Wildcats smell blood in the water and hand the Lakers a second straight defeat?

One could argue that the possibility exists. U.P. trips seem to be kryptonite for a lot of teams in this league...let alone a second trip inside of a couple of weeks. Add in the fact that the Laker defense seems to be going in the wrong direction (currently last in the league in rushing defense...never thought I'd write that!) and the 'Cats might think their chances are as good as any. The problem is that NMU's offense hasn't shown the ability this year to be able to take advantage of any defense. They're last in the GLIAC in total and scoring offense, so while they might be able to pump those stats up a bit and maybe even score some points, it seems tough to fathom they'll do enough to keep this one close.

Look, halfway through the year it's obvious that this GV team has some issues, especially in terms of getting stops. An almost inexplicable rash of injuries have been a big part to be sure, but in total this club has simply been winning moreso by outgunning folks than shutting them down. We've only seen one game (last week) where the Laker O was silenced for any length of time, so the sample size of the rest of the year suggests they'll get back on track and continue to be explosive. It's hard not to see that dictating the result here. Grand Valley 44, Northern Michigan 24.


Malone (1-4, 1-4) at Lake Erie (1-4, 1-5)

The Storm was the last team in the league still looking for a win, and they got off the schneid a week ago over Notre Dame. They look to make it a win streak on Saturday when they host Malone. While LEC might have the league's worst defense statistically, they've managed to stay in quite a few of their games this year and just couldn't close the deal. Can't do that without an offense that can do some things and The Storm have been coming along in that regard, thanks in part to the emergence of RB Anthony Bilal. He's topped the 100-yard mark in each of the last two weeks, and we like him to make it three straight against a Malone rush defense giving up more than 204 yards per game.

Malone has also played some folks tough, but a turnover margin of -9 has been a problem, including turning it over five times last week against archrival Walsh. While I don't think they'll make that many mistakes here, I like Lake Erie's chances if this game ends up getting in the high-twenties or low-thirties in terms of score. Malone allows 32+ and has had trouble scoring, so the signs point to The Storm. Lake Erie 38, Malone 28.


Walsh (1-4, 2-4) at #12 Ashland (5-0, 6-0)

The Cavaliers notched their first ever GLIAC win a week ago. Their reward? A trip to Ashland to take on the league's first place club. Ashland does lead the league standings, yet, but more importantly the Eagles have been the most complete team in the league thus far. Quarterback Taylor Housewright has led an offense executing with great precision, and any offense LOVES when they get help from a solid, and often stingy defense. The Eagles have had that too. Will Walsh pose a potential threat to Ashland's undefeated run?

If so, they're going to have to find a way to force some mistakes by the AU offense. And don't think they can't...the Cavaliers are in the top quarter of the league in sacks, points allowed, and total takeaways. They've allowed 30 points only once (on the button, to Tech), and have been in games primarily due to the fact that they play solid, team defense and run an offense that tends to the possess the ball. All of that said, this will be the best team they have faced thus far, and their struggles in scoring consistently will likely be magnified by AU's defense.

Walsh keeps this one in shouting distance for a while, in part because that's just what they do. It's hard to see there being much more damage than that, however. Ashland, 31, Walsh 14.


Northwood (3-2, 4-2) at Michigan Tech (4-1, 4-1)

After streaking out to 4-0, Northwood has lost their last two and must now make the trip to Houghton in the hopes of getting back into the win column...a tough task. Tech bounced back after their loss to GV two weeks ago, and looks to keep pace with the rest of the log jam they are caught up in atop the North.

During their two-game losing streak, The Woodies have struggled to finish drives when they've had the chance. Because the basic nature of their offensive scheme tends to limit possessions, they MUST cash in on scoring opportunities. Tech is comfortable playing at a slow pace, but has far more explosiveness should they need it so NU simply can't affford to fall behind...if they do, they aren't equipped to come back the way Tech is. Speaking of Tech and being explosive, WR Matt Curtin has 361 yards and seven TD's receiving in just the last two weeks. Northwood distinctly remembers Jeff Janis having about a buck-and-a-half and three scores at HALFTIME last week, so NU has its work cut out for it in slowing down another playmaking receiver.

Look, realistically Northwood won four straight games against some teams that they should have. When they got to this middle part of the schedule, it was hard not to see some struggles coming. They're in those tough times now, and we just don't see them going to Houghton and getting a win. Look for the Huskies to keep their share of the North lead for another week. Michigan Tech 35, Northwood 20.


Notre Dame (0-5, 1-5) at Tiffin (0-5, 1-5)

In this week's chapter of "Because We Have To", Notre Dame heads to Tiffin. Both clubs got week one victories, and have been on major skids since. It's actually harder than you might think to handicap this tilt. I mean, sure, the Tiffin offense is pretty inept at only 16 points per game. The thing of it is, they'll face a Notre Dame defense allowing 53 points per game so the Dragons just might be able to make some things happen.

Even if they do, one has to wonder if it'll be enough to keep up with NDC's offense. The Falcons have shown they can move it at different points this year, and have been back on track of late scoring more than 38 points per game over the past couple of weeks. We tend to think that's what it his comes down to...NDC's offense should be able to do some things (Tiffin's D isn't exactly a juggernaut), but even with how lousy NDC is on defense Tiffin's O just has been so poor. Look for NDC to score some points again this week. Notre Dame 39, Tiffin 29.


Hillsdale #25 (4-1, 4-2) at Ferris (3-2, 4-2)

Hillsdale Coach Keith Otterbein will hit is old stomping grounds...and it'll be the first time in a lot of years (17 or so) that he won't be facing Jeff Pierce when he does. Instead, he'll get Tony Annese's club that has started to give clubs fits with their unique offense and feisty defense. The question now is whether the Bulldogs can avoid a letdown after beating arch-rival Grand Valley for the first time since the late '90's.

For Hillsdale to succeed, they have to avoid the mistakes they made a week ago at Wayne. They turned the ball over four times and a couple of key penalties that proved costly (including one that took a long TD off the board). The Chargers need to execute cleanly like they would normally expect, and then cash-in on drives. They also need to get some big plays going...didn't really do that offensively last week. As for Ferris, they basically need to keep doing what they're doing. They won last week, and maybe should have the week before. What they must avoid the kind of performance like they had three weeks ago against Walsh where they trailed in the fourth quarter and needed to get a couple of turnovers in order to win.

Picking winners in this league is always goofy...I've written about that for years. This game is no exception so I'm going with my hunch: Ferris will have some sort of letdown (not sure why I think that...just do) and Hillsdale will come out crisp. It won't be easy by any stretch, but Hillsdale gets a big day from Joe Glendening and wins the turnover battle to take the game. Hillsdale 27, Ferris 24.


Ohio Dominican (2-3, 3-3) at Findlay (4-1, 4-1)

Despite playing relatively well in most of their games, Ohio Dominican has only managed to win every other week. When they've faced clubs on the top end of the league (Hillsdale, Grand Valley, Ashland) they've either run out of gas or been nipped late. They get another crack at one of the league's better teams when they visit Findlay. The Oilers are looking to keep pace in the South and stay tight with Ashland.

While running the ball with Monterae Williams is a priority every week, Findlay might be looking to throw it a bit more in this one. ODU has proven to be stronger against the run than the pass (fourth in the GLIAC against the run), so Clay Belton and his reciever duo of White and Brown might just be busy. On the other side, the Panthers really need to find a way to generate some balance. They've shown they can run the ball, and Brandon Schoen has been a pleasant surprise as a freshman. That said, when ODU has needed to throw it hasn't provent to be a strong-suit. Being able to do so under their own terms is imerative. If Findlay gets a lead and forces ODU to pass (and UF will then know it's coming), it's a major advantage for Findlay.

This is one of those "hunch" games for me. On paper, Findlay has a more talented offense with better balance and more playmakers. I think they'll win, but I have a strange hunch that ODU will make things uncomfortable for most of the day. Look for an Oiler win, but it might not be by a wide margin. Findlay 30, Ohio Dominican 22. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?684-Week-Seven-Previews http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?681-Thursday-Night-Under-the-Lights!-LIVE-BLOG! Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:32:26 GMT I wanted to get a special preview out early for the Wayne State at Saginaw Valley match-up with the game being played on Thursday. It should be a... I wanted to get a special preview out early for the Wayne State at Saginaw Valley match-up with the game being played on Thursday. It should be a great game, as both clubs come in with only one loss. The game will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports Network as this week's Division II Game of the Week. If you can't be on the SVSU campus for this one, be sure and check it out on TV...and follow along with me as I'll be doing a LIVE BLOG from Wickes. I did this for the Ashland at Saginaw national game last year and it was pretty fun. Hopefully some of you will be bored out of your minds on Thursday and want to hang out with me via the web!

#21 Wayne State (4-1, 4-1) at #15 Saginaw Valley (4-1, 5-1)

As mentioned above, each club enters with a single loss. Both teams are also on decent win streaks, with Saginaw having rattled off three straight and the Warriors tallying four in a row after their opening defeat. I'm looking forward to this one because this should match strength vs. strength: The SVSU offense is the better of their sides of the ball, and they'll be running headlong into the Wayne State defense which has had the bigger impact on Wayne's outcomes thus far. Specifically, I want to see if the Warrior D will be able to get pressure on Jon Jennings and force/create mistakes, or will JJ be able to get things rolling to the other JJ (Jeff Janis) and make it a night full of big-plays.

Not that big plays would be the exclusive dominion of the Cardinals in this one. To be frank, I thought that the biggest difference in Wayne's victory over Hillsdale this past week was their ability to create and cash in on big plays. There were multiple ways that Hillsdale was doing a lot of what it wanted in that game, but the Warriors got one big play via the air to set up their first score, a long pick-six for their second, and an amazing long run by Desmond Martin to set up their third. That's the story of their 17-0 lead, and when you toss in a few more turnovers (including one that set up Wayne for a two-play, 12-yard drive for their final score) it's easy to see why the Chargers weren't able to make it all the way back. So, while everyone expects fireworks from the SV offense, the Cardinals must make sure they avoid mistakes because Wayne has a knack for cashing those in. Further, the ability of the Cards to stifle any chunk plays by Wayne's O will be key.

Of course, chunk plays aren't exactly the bread-and-butter of Wayne. Their preference is to snag big plays when they can (again, like last week), but do so in conjunction with physically beating a team up and grinding out long drives. If they're able to do that well, it follow the pattern of how to knock off Saginaw. The Cards' lone loss and overtime win over Ferris were due in large part to their opponent limiting the number of possessions the SV offense had. If the Warriors can do this, their chances for victory improve dramatically. I don't see any way for Wayne to shut Saginaw out, but if they can keep them 'under wraps' a bit, this will be a game they can take.

Wow...which force will win? Saginaw's passing game (tops in the GLIAC), or Wayne's pass D (also best in the league)? Wayne just passed a major test a week ago, but the Cards O has definitely shown to be a bit more explosive this season than Hillsdale's. Add to that Saginaw getting this one at home (a decided advantage on the short week), and it's hard not to like the Cardinals. Of course, Wayne does have the ability and mindset to grind this one...and that works against SV. Plus, the Wayne D is probably the best one that the Cardinals have faced to this point. I hate to say it, Gang, but I'm stumped. It's another coin-flip special! I haven't done this since week one, so I'm kinda due for one. Heads Wayne, Tails Saginaw: Tails it is! Saginaw Valley 26, Wayne State 25. ]]> Tony Nicolette http://www.d2messageboard.com/entry.php?681-Thursday-Night-Under-the-Lights!-LIVE-BLOG!