Texas twosome in Top Five
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D3football.com
It doesn't look to be too lonely at the top right now.
The American Football Coaches Association just released its first Division III football poll of the season, and two of the top five spots are filled by teams in the South Region.
Trinity University, which is coming off a tough 14-7 victory over Gustavus Adolphus last Saturday, has a solid grip on the No. 4 ranking, while Abilene's Hardin-Simmons is entrenched at No. 5 after opening its season with a 37-8 pounding of UW-Whitewater.
The narrow win by Trinity - at home, no less - might come as a surprise to many. But the one thing to keep in mind is that experience in close games will only help build the team's character as the season progresses, and might even be the difference than can push them over the hump and into the Stagg Bowl.
There was plenty of character built in this game, as a touchdown by the Gusties knotted things up with time dwindling in the fourth quarter. Matters weren't helped by the fact that the Tigers missed a pair of chip-shot field goals and even turned the ball over on the Gustavus Adolphus 2-yard line.
Trinity took an early 7-0 lead with a 43-yard TD toss from Roy Hampton to Matt Milligan, but the Gusties answered with a clock-draining 13-play, 80-yard drive to tie it at 7-7.
But Hampton showed his Tigers can win the close ones too by driving Trinity 66 yards in nine plays in the final minute of the game. With only four seconds remaining on the clock, Hampton hit Jerheme Urban from 27 yards out to go up 14-7 for the victory.
Hardin-Simmons' contest couldn't have been any more different, as the Cowboys scored early and often to blast an improved UW-Whitewater team that beat Howard Payne two weeks ago.
New Cowboys quarterback Travis Jones turned in a splendid performance, completing 17 of 26 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. All three TD passes were to different receivers, as Kirk Rogers, Barry Donham and Brandon Tibbetts all got in on the act.
But Jones wasn't the only HSU quarterback to have some success, as Josh McCasland came in and offered a spark as well. The speedy McCasland had rushing touchdowns of 16 and 3 yards to keep the rout on once Jones took a seat.
The Cowboys rushing game didn't run quite as smoothly as the passing attack, as three different backs shared most of the carries. But HSU still managed to grind out 109 yards to complement an always explosive passing game, and should continue to play as a top five team throughout the year.
Another first-year starter
McMurry University opened its 2000 campaign last weekend, and opened a brand new era at quarterback. With all-world signal-caller Braxton Shaver having graduated and taken a spot on the coaching staff, Isaiah Navarette silenced critics with a brilliant 306-yard, three-touchdown performance in the Indians' 35-14 victory against William Jewell.
But the numbers alone can't explain how vastly different the Indians will be at quarterback this season, since Navarette had about as much success as Shaver did in last year's opener. Whereas Shaver was content to sit back in the pocket and pick apart the opposing defense, Navarette isn't afraid to tuck the ball under his arm and take off downfield.
In fact, Navarette led the team in rushing with 60 yards when he wasn't busy dissecting the Cardinals' secondary. That just adds another dimension to an already dangerous offense.
Game of the week
It might just be the second game of the season in the American Southwest Conference, but they all start counting for more than just bragging rights now. With 10 teams in the ASC this year, Week Three sees the start of conference action, and there should be a good one going down in Abilene on Saturday.
McMurry, whose only conference losses the past two years have come to two-time defending champion Hardin-Simmons, will get a big test early from an up-and-coming Mary Hardin-Baylor team.
The third-year program might still be young, but coach Pete Fredenburg has brought his team along quite nicely. The Crusaders turned in a stunning upset of Howard Payne last season, and gave both McMurry and Hardin-Simmons a run for their money.
Navarette will have to turn in another great performance to keep his Indians at the top of the ASC standings.
It will be a matchup of the unbeatens in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play this week. The conference-leading Rhodes Lynx (2-0 overall, 1-0 SCAC) will take on Centre, who is coming off a 39-22 victory against Earlham last weekend.
The Lynx edged Maryville (Tenn.) 26-21 last weekend, and now the two teams will meet with early-season SCAC bragging rights on the line, though not much else.