Let's be brief
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ASC leaders keep rolling
Both conference leaders scored impressive victories this weekend on their home turf. No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-0, 2-0 ASC) hung 61 points on visiting Mississippi College (0-3, 0-3), thanks in no small part to a Division III-record 278 punt return yards from P. J. Williams. Williams’ first two returns, for 86 and 80 yards, both went for scores and set UMHB and ASC records. No. 4 Hardin-Simmons (4-0, 3-0 ASC) rolled up 415 yards on its way to an easy 45-20 win against Howard Payne (1-3, 1-2). Cowboy quarterback Jordy Bernhard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more.
There’s little in the way of serious challenges for these two Division III titans until they meet on Oct, 22.
Surprises in the SCAC
Centre (4-1, 1-1 SCAC) fell both from the ranks of the undefeated and the conference lead in a loss at Sewanee (2-3, 1-0 SCAC). Tiger quarterback Wesley Satterfield continued to impress with his second straight 100/100 game; he was 10-for-13 for 149 yards and rushed for a career-best 158 yards. Sewanee fullback Blake Mears also recorded over 100 yards on the ground and in the air.
Rhodes (1-3) lost to Washington U. (2-3) 15-10, as Bears receiver Brad Duesing registered eight catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. The Lynx drove to the Washington 34 late in the game, but two passes into the end zone fell short as time expired.
The biggest surprise in the SCAC may have been the ease with which Huntingdon (4-0) handled Millsaps (1-2). The Hawks led 35-7 at halftime on their way to a 49-27 victory. Millsaps starting quarterback Raymece Savage was injured in action against Belhaven two weeks ago; his replacement, Billy Orsagh, completed 18 of 37 passes as the Majors were forced to go to the air in an attempt to catch up. The Hawks intercepted Orsagh three times, returning two for touchdowns.
SCAC announces revised tiebreaker
It took a little while longer than we had expected, but the SCAC released its new two team tiebreaker on Tuesday of this week. Basically:
->The team with the best conference win-loss percentage is the champion. This, a 5-1 Centre (for example) would trump either a 4-1 Trinity or DePauw. Of course, a 5-0 DePauw or Trinity would have the edge over a 5-1 Centre.
->If two teams tie, head-to-head results determine the conference champion. This is unchanged.
->In the case where two tied teams did not play each other (e.g., should DePauw and Trinity tie with the best won-loss percentage), the team with the fewer overall losses will be awarded the conference’s Pool A bid.
->If both teams have the same number of losses, then the team whose opponents have the better won-loss record gets the bid.
->If the opponents have the same won-loss record, flip a coin.
So should DePauw and Trinity end the season undefeated in SCAC play, Trinity has the upper leg on the playoff bid. DePauw (2-1, 0-0 SCAC) has already lost one non-conference game. Should Trinity (4-0, 1-0 SCAC) lose to Huntingdon the Monon Bell Classic will take on even more meaning for DePauw. A win there, besides defeating hated Wabash, could put DePauw into the Division III playoffs for the first time.
Boiling it down further, if Trinity wins out it gets the Pool A no matter what DePauw does. The folks from Greencastle will need some outside help. I’ll leave as an exercise to the reader the task of figuring which of the two teams’ opponents are likely to have the better won-loss record.
South Region Games of the Week
A couple of weeks ago I threw out a “what if” scenario regarding Huntingdon’s Pool B chances. If I remember correctly, I said that the Hawks would need to win at least two of games in a three-week period against SCAC opposition in order to have any sort of chance. Well, mission accomplished, and there’s still a week to go. Trinity is by far the toughest challenge on Huntingdon’s 2005 calendar. For this third-year program to have a legitimate chance at a Pool B, it needs a win in this, its only game of the season against a ranked opponent.
It won’t be easy for the Hawks, who prefer to gain the majority of their yards on the ground. Trinity opponents are averaging less than 90 yards rushing. Huntingdon’s two seniors were in sixth grade the last time Trinity lost a regular-season home game against a Division III opponent. That said, the Hawks already have 11 interceptions on the season and seem to get better with each game.
Make no mistake — Huntingdon will be treating this as a statement game. Trinity fans that missed the challenge of DePauw may see all they want in the way of challenges on Saturday.
Speaking of surprising teams, East Texas Baptist (3-1, 3-0 ASC) has quietly managed to claim a share of the ASC lead. The competition gets a lot tougher on Saturday when Texas Lutheran (2-2, 2-1) comes to town. TLU will be trying to keep their slim conference championship hopes alive, while the Tigers will be trying to show that their three narrow wins weren’t flukes. ETBU’s defense will be the latest to try to slow Bulldog quarterback Sean Salinas; the senior was named ASC offensive player of the week after his four-touchdown performance at Austin.
South Region Top Five
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor (3-0, 2-0 ASC)
2. Hardin-Simmons (4-0, 3-0 ASC)
3. Trinity (4-0, 1-0 SCAC)
4. Texas Lutheran (2-2, 2-1 ASC)
5. DePauw (2-1, 0-0 SCAC)
Honorable mention: Huntingdon (4-0, 3-0 against SCAC opponents)
Next week
This weekend’s results will dictate what we cover next week. Questions, comments, and story ideas are always welcome at ron.boerger@d3football.com.