Springfield takes pole position
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Then-No. 21 Springfield took it to then-No. 10 Western Connecticut last weekend, running the ball right at the Colonials. Senior fullback Jason Miller made our Team of the Week with 188 yards and two touchdowns, leading a Pride attack that rolled up 411 rushing yards.
This puts Western Connecticut on the bubble for the NCAA playoffs. Already their schedule had been questioned by those who pointed out, accurately, that the Colonials haven't played a non-conference game against a team with a winning record. Even Marist, the Division I-AAA team with which the Colonials opened the season, is 2-2, and not very impressive at that, as they were recently rolled by Duquesne 49-7. Jeff Sagarin, who ranks all 241 Division I teams in USA Today, puts Marist 224th, behind Prairie View.
So the Colonials are in a hole. The win against Marist, since it was not a regional game, is barely even a blip on the NCAA selection committee's radar. Their best bet at a playoff spot is still the automatic bid, but they have to win out and hope for two conference losses from Springfield in their final three conference games. But in Pool C, the strength of schedule could be a killer. The six opponents they've played to date are a combined 12-16, but take out Springfield and it's 7-16. They have Coast Guard (2-3), WPI (1-5), Kings Point (2-4) and Norwich (5-1) yet to come. More on Norwich's mark later.
Springfield, on the other hand, has two non-conference games left that could go a long way towards bolstering their hopes for home-field advantage. They already have an impressive win against Ithaca, and Cortland State and Union are still to come. The opponents Springfield has played so far are currently 16-11.
NEFC picture partly cloudy
Bridgewater State, which represented the NEFC with a first-round home loss to Ursinus last November, has a 1½-game lead on the rest of the Bogan (formerly Red) Division. But the Boyd (once Blue) Division is a bit up in the air.
Mass-Dartmouth and Salve Regina currently lead the division at 3-0 apiece (4-1 overall). Their game Oct. 28 could decide things. But Nichols hangs back at 3-1, ready to pick up the pieces. Nichols lost to Mass-Dartmouth 27-21 last Saturday and doesn't face Salve Regina until the regular-season finale Nov. 4. Dartmouth also has a crossover game with Bridgewater State to play, along with a meeting against up-and-coming Western New England on Saturday.
Western New England is third in the NEFC in pass efficiency defense (70.54 rating), fourth in rushing (186.8 yards per game), fifth in total defense (250.6) and scoring offense (24.6), and sixth in total offense (322.0).
Mass-Dartmouth has a four-game winning streak after opening with a loss at Springfield. The Corsairs lead the NEFC in scoring offense (39.0 points), and are second in both total offense (366.2 yards per game) and passing offense (206.4).
Thankfully, the whole mess will be decided with a championship game between the winners of the two divisions on Nov. 11 at Worcester State, which will determine the automatic bid.
Notes
It took an overtime field goal, but Williams finally did away with the Bates Bobcats for their second straight victory last week. Robert Kaufman's 27-yard field goal capped a seven-play, 15-yard drive to vault Williams to its first overtime win ever. The 13th consecutive Williams victory was the closest game ever between the Ephs and Bobcats. ... Norwich is 5-1 and will likely be 7-1 before they play either of the two top teams in the Freedom Football Conference. Their opponents' record so far is only 11-23, and that's before they meet up with St. Lawrence (0-5) and Mount Ida (0-4). But they are still in control of their own destiny, should the Cadets muster up a way to beat Springfield and Western Connecticut in consecutive weeks Nov. 4 and 11. ... Tufts sophomore running back Chuck McGraw scored on a 3-yard run with 41 seconds left in the game to give the Jumbos a 27-23 victory over Bowdoin on Saturday afternoon. McGraw helped Tufts (2-1) rally twice in the fourth quarter with a pair of touchdowns and ended the afternoon with 90 yards rushing. ... Westfield State seems to have discovered its offense. After scoring 6, 3 and 7 points in the first three weeks, they rolled up 28 in a win against Framingham State and 47 in the first 36 minutes against Maine Maritime in a 47-8 win. All this, and they haven't played Mass-Boston yet, which has allowed an average of 38 points in its last four games. ... Colby remained the only undefeated team in NESCAC after a 29-7 victory against previously unbeaten Wesleyan. Quarterback Pat Conley completing 22 of 35 passes for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while wideout Danny Noyes added nine catches for 125 yards. ... Western Connecticut wide receiver Ed Wilcher signed a contract to play in the XFL after a tryout in Chicago. Wilcher's last season with the Colonials was 1998. ... Skip Sullivan kicked three field goals and the Trinity defense was near perfect as the Bantams defeated Hamilton 16-0 at Steuben Field. Hamilton has now lost 11 games in a row dating back to last season. The lone touchdown came on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Greg Ward to Kevin Waters, capping a six-play, 64-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. ... Middlebury held visiting Amherst to just 244 yards of total offense, handing the Jeffs their first loss of the season courtesy of a 17-0 shutout last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The Jeffs were held scoreless for the first time since their 0-0 tie against Williams in 1995.
Contributing: Amherst SID Kevin Graber