No substitute for playing games
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As Week 1 showed, there’s simply no substitute for putting two teams on the field and turning them loose. There were a number of surprises across the NCAA South Region, and teams in the ASC and SCAC were no exception. And unlike last year, when the ASC fared poorly to open the season, this year it was the SCAC which did not perform to expectations. A quick review of this weekend’s games, starting with the SCAC:
DePauw 20, at Rhodes 14: The Tigers (1-0/1-0 SCAC) started new head coach Bill Lynch’s DePauw career with a win, upsetting (at least, in this reporter’s mind) the homestanding Lynx (0-1/0-1) 20-14 on an oppressively muggy day in Memphis. The win was DePauw’s fourth in a row in the series, and broke a Rhodes winning streak which had reached eight games.
Rhodes quarterback Daniel Swanstrom played generally well (21-for-39 for 253 yards), but two interceptions cost the Lynx dearly, leading to ten Tiger points. After the second, the Lynx found themselves trailing 20-7 courtesy of a 37-yard field goal by DePauw kicker Tyler Mallory. Rhodes closed the gap to six after a scrambling Swanstrom completed his second touchdown pass, a 64-yard catch-and run, to all-SCAC receiver Matt Dement. The DePauw defense contained Rhodes the rest of the way; key errors by Rhodes, including a botched snap on a late punt which cost the Lynx 35-40 yards of field position) helped the Tigers secure the win, and the early conference lead.
at Bluffton 33, Centre 24: despite a host of errors, the Colonels (0-1) led this game somewhat comfortably with 11 minutes left, 24-13. The Centre defense broke down on its next series, allowing Bluffton (1-0) to close within five on the strength of a 73-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Owens to Leon Payne. Centre’s Adam Blandford fumbled the ensuing kick to give the Beavers, starting on the Colonel 23, a very short field. It didn’t take long for Owens to find Payne for another score, this time 20 yards, and the shell-shocked Colonels couldn’t recover. Bluffton put away the game with another short drive after Centre failed to convert on a fourth-and-10 inside its own 30. Brian Behrendt showed a little rust, completing only 21 of 47 passes with two scores and two interceptions. Centre’s four turnovers, against none by the Beavers, certainly influenced the final outcome.
at Rose-Hulman 16, Earlham 12: after trailing most of the day, first-year quarterback Aaron Gerhardstein came off the bench to lead the Engineers (1-0) to a stirring 16-12 come from behind win in the annual “Battle of the Borders.”
Earlham (0-1), behind a strong early effort from quarterback Justin Rummel, built an early 12-0 lead on two strikes from Jewell to receiver Justin Rummel. Charley Key, who led all rushers with 141 yards on 24 carries, helped the Engineers (1-0) close the gap with a 5-yard run scoring run in the second quarter. A field goal before halftime brought the Engineers to within two at 12-10. Earlham’s Terrel Brown blocked an Engineer field goal attempt early in the third as both teams struggled to put drives together. Gerhardstein (9-for-10, 72 yards, 1 touchdown) entered the game late in the third quarter and led Rose-Hulman on a 12-play, 65 yard drive. A five yard scoring pass to Jason Dickey midway early in the fourth quarter provided the final margin of victory. Gerhardstein was 9-of-10 for 72 yards in relief of Hummel, who was injured on a hit in the first quarter and played most of the way with a bandaged nose. The Engineer defense toughened substantially in the second half, keeping Rose-Hulman in the game by holding Earlham to 88 yards after a 239-yard performance in the first half.
No. 20 Hampden-Sydney 35, at Sewanee 17: Coming off one of its worst seasons in recent memory, Sewanee showed there may be hope in the future by staying close to one of the nation’s top programs. Quarterback Wesley Satterfield was 14-of-22 for 103 yards, but suffered three interceptions. Hampden-Sydney running back C.W. Clemmons led all ball carriers with 74 yards on nine carries.
at No. 11 Trinity 52, Austin 10: In the schools’ 70th meeting since 1904, fifth-year quarterback Dan DesPlaines led the Tigers (1-0) to victory, but he had help from an unexpected source. Running back Jerrold Jones — possibly third on the depth chart before the season started, and substituting for an injured Matt Federle — racked up 117 yards and three scores on only seven touches. His last run, his longest on the night (53 yards), put the Tigers up 38-3 with less than a minute gone in the second half, and started a flood of substitutions. DesPlaines was 12-of-15 for 153 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in his half of play.
The Tiger defense held the Kangaroos to 143 yards, of which substitute running back Neal Ewing had over half (79 yards on five carries, mostly in the fourth quarter). Not only was Jones named offensive player of the week by the SCAC, but his performance Saturday secured him the starting running back slot for the foreseeable future.
at Louisiana College 31, Huntingdon 7: In the first game for both coaches, Norman Joseph saw his Louisiana College Wildcats set offensive team records in a 31-7 victory over the Huntingdon Hawks of Mike Turk. Junior quarterback Wesley Cooper led the way for the ’cats, completing 18 of 28 passes for 266 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Cooper also led all ground gainers with 107 yards on 17 attempts, scoring once. The Wildcats outgained the Hawks, a second year program, 513-261.
at Southern Arkansas (D-II) 38, No. 19 East Texas Baptist 21: In a battle of nationally ranked teams in two divisions, and in a game much closer than the final score might indicate, D-II’s Southern Arkansas (ranked 20th by D2football.com, no relation) wore down D-III’s East Texas Baptist.
ETBU (0-1) refused to be intimidated by the stronger, faster Division II squad, and took an early 7-0 lead after the Muleriders (2-0) lost the ball on the third play from scrimmage. Southern Arkansas regrouped after that, using a punishing ground attack to take a 20-7 lead into the locker room. The Tigers themselves regrouped at the half, scoring on an 11-play, 88-yard drive to close to within six, then recovering a fumble on the home squad’s 24. A short touchdown drive gave the visitors a 21-20 lead. From that point on, however, it was all Muleriders as the beleaguered visitors could not stop a ground attack which saw SAU roll up 338 yards on the ground. ETBU was also hurt by a 126-40 yard disparity in penalty yardage.
at Howard Payne 24, Southern Nazarene 13: Adam King threw for three touchdowns, and the Yellow Jacket defense held the visitors from the NAIA to 59 yards as HPU (1-0) started 2004 on a successful note.
It took just three plays for Howard Payne to take a lead it would never relinquish, as King found Tolbert for 72 yards and the opening score. The Yellow Jackets had 338 yards of total offense; King was 17-of-29 for 230 yards and two interceptions along with three scoring tosses. When it scored, HPU struck quickly; its four scoring drives were three, two, five, and five plays.
at Averett 21, Maryville 14 (2OT): Maryville (0-1) came back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but future USAC opponent Averett (1-0) pulled out the win in double overtime. It was the first overtime victory in Averett history. Maryville was led by 102 yards on the ground from Erik Hardeson, as the Scots piled up 244 yards rushing while holding the Cougars to 68 yards on 40 carries. In the air, however, it was a different story with the Cougars holding a 247-74 yard advantage. Receiver Jeff Hughley’s 10 catches for 125 yards set two single game records for Averett. The Scots were hurt when their apparent interception return for touchdown was called back due to an illegal block. Maryville’s Chris Howerton had an exceptional day on defense, intercepting two passes and making 17 tackles (14 solo), including three for loss. For his performance, Howerton was named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
For the week, both the SCAC and ASC were 2-2 in non-conference play; independents were 0-2.
Players of the week
American Southwest Conference
Offense: Wes Cooper, junior quarterback, Louisiana College, completed 18-of-28 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns; added 107 yards and a score on 17 rushes as part of Louisiana College’s record-setting, 513 yard offensive performance against Huntingdon.
Defense: Clint Fuller, junior defensive back, Howard Payne, matched a career high with 12 tackles and picked off two passes to lead HPU to a 24-13 win over Southern Nazarene of the NAIA. His fourth quarter pick in his end zone killed an SNU drive and helped seal the victory for the Yellow Jackets. Fuller was also named to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
Special Teams: Gerald Ligon, first year kick returner, East Texas Baptist, totaled 94 yards on four returns in his debut against Division II Southern Arkansas. His 54-yard return was also the longest return in conference play.
Congratulations also to wide receiver LaKendrick O’Neal, a senior from East Texas Baptist (seven catches for 130 yards, including an 83-yard scoring play), who was selected to the D3football.com Team of the Week.
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Offense: Jerrold Jones, junior running back, Trinity, rushed for 117 yards on seven carries, including three touchdowns on runs of 24, 12, and 53 yards in just over a half of work in a 52-10 victory over Austin.
Defense: Bryce Beckstrom, junior defensive back, Rose-Hulman, two interceptions led to all ten points scored by RHIT in the first half, keeping them in a game they came back to win against Earlham 16-12.
Notes from around the South
Due to excessive rain, the opening of Huntingdon’s Charles Lee Field has been pushed back until Oct. 2. The two home games scheduled before that time (one of which is against a club team) will be played at St. Joseph School’s Patterson Field, where the team had its two home games in 2003. Lee Field honors Charles Lee ’62, former athletic director and Hall of Fame coach at Jefferson Davis High School.
Arena League veteran Fred “Air” McNair is now quarterback coach at Millsaps. McNair, the brother of Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, played in the CFL and World League of American Football before finding a home in the AFL. He holds a number of franchise records for the Florida and Carolina AFL franchises. McNair replaces Romero Miller, who had been hired earlier this year to coach quarterbacks at Millsaps but went to play in the CFL.
Games of the week
Millsaps vs. Mississippi College at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. local time: The fifth consecutive “Backyard Brawl” since the series was revived in 2000 should once again give us an indication of relative strength between two “middle of the pack” performers in the ASC and SCAC. It’s the season opener for both teams, which hope for better years in 2004 than 2003. The two teams combined for a total of four wins last season, with one of those being Mississippi College’s 13-0 victory over Millsaps in the 2003 Backyard Brawl. Millsaps and Mississippi College have split the first four games of the series.
Willamette at No. 8 Mary Hardin-Baylor, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.: UMHB (0-0) traveled to Willamette last season and started the season well in a 27-15 victory. Almost all the key players are back for the Crusaders, but this opening game will pose a challenge for Andy Padron. Padron, a sophomore, is seeing his first start at quarterback after backing up ASC Offensive Player-of-the-Year Cody Fredenburg in 2003. Padron saw limited action last season, appearing in five games in which he rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown. Willamette (1-0) opened the season with an impressive 38-21 victory against Division II Western Oregon. The Bearcats will be looking for their initial victory in this series, which they trail 0-2.
UW-Stout at DePauw, Sept. 11, 1:30 p.m.: SCAC leader DePauw (1-0) faces a second consecutive tough opponent this week when the UW-Stout Blue Devils come to Blackstock Stadium to open their 2004 campaign. Stout might not be as tough as most WIAC squads this season; in addition to replacing most of both lines, they have a new coach in Todd Strop. The Blue Devils do return most of their skill players, led by senior Nick Ohman (130-for-262, 18 TDs, five interceptions, 1,981 yards in 2003). DePauw could send a statement about not only its own program, but about the SCAC in general with a win this weekend.
Rhodes at Maryville (Tenn.), Sept. 11, 1:30 p.m.: Is Rhodes as average as last week’s play against DePauw would seem to indicate? This road trip against what appears to be a decent Maryville team should help provide the answer to that question. Rhodes allowed 272 rushing yards last week and will probably be tested by the Scots’ running game. 2-8 Maryville kept it respectable against 7-3 Rhodes last year, falling 38-20 after leading 20-10 at the half.
Next week
Your reporter will be in San Antonio the weekend of the 18th, so we’ll preview the upcoming matchup between 2003 conference champions Redlands (SCIAC) and Trinity (SCAC). As always, we’ll have reviews of the weekend’s games and news from around the region.
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