On a Major roll
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With a 34-12 win over Trinity on Saturday the Majors ended a 31-year playoff drought and captured their first SCAC crown of any kind since 1996. They are no doubt the surprise story of the season.
Less than two months after dropping to 0-3 with a 35-34 loss to Huntingdon, the Majors were swarmed by fans and serenaded by Queen on their home field in Jackson, Miss.
They did it by winning seven straight games, six of which came in-conference. The capper, Saturday’s historic win, halted (however briefly) 13 years of dominance from the Trinity Tigers.
Millsaps is the SCAC champion because they have an explosive offense led by a dynamic sophomore quarterback in Juan Joseph, who had 18 completions for 142 yards and two touchdowns against the nation’s top pass defense.
Millsaps is the SCAC champion because over the last seven weeks, few teams have played better defense than they have. In Weeks 1 through 3 they allowed 128 points. Since then they have given up 76 points total. In the Trinity game they picked off four passes and Ronnie Wheat returned one 73 yards for a score. It was Wheat’s second return for a score in as many weeks and the four picks gave the Majors a SCAC-leading 18 for the season.
Saturday’s championship victory was also highlighted by some unreal special teams play. Chris Jackson, a senior transfer, had 225 yards of total offense and returned two punts for touchdowns. The first came was from 67 yards out and put the Majors on top 13-0. On Jackson’s first touch of the second quarter he bolted 51 yards for another score and a 27-0 lead.
Trinity got a terrific effort from quarterback Jacob Cannon in the loss. Cannon was 33-58 for 313 yards and a pair of touchdowns. No one knows how Trinity will respond to this setback and I for one am not ready to write the Tigers off as the class of the SCAC. But they haven’t won a playoff game since losing in the Stagg Bowl in 2002 and now they are going to miss the post season for the first time since 1996. These are not happy times in the locker room.
By the time Jackson crossed the goal line on his second punt return, it was all about preparing for the postgame celebration, which was described to me by one Millsaps player.
It really was the best feeling any of us have felt as the fireworks went off and the fans rushed the field and tore down the goalposts. It was really special for the seniors because they have been through so much and never gave up. It was really an incredible sight to see, but we are not done.
He’s right -- they might not be done. Now the Majors play Carnegie Mellon and if they win they’ll travel to Delaware to play Wesley (barring a Dickinson upset). If you’ll remember (and UMHB fans do) the Wesley Wolverines were an upstart team that dealt out a few upsets en route to the national semifinals last season.
Regardless, the Millsaps Majors are the SCAC champs and are going to play a playoff game for the first time since 1975, three years before I was born. And, as I wrote before, they are the champs for a lot of reasons. And all those reasons lead to one undeniable fact that was best summed up by Freddie Mercury himself.
They are the champions.
Now, let’s complain
This is how I imagine the scene at the NCAA offices on Sunday morning. The selection committee sits down for lunch at about 12:20 CST and begins assembling the Division III playoff bracket, which will be revealed at 1:00 CST.
And yes, this is a totally fictional situation.
Committee Member #1: So, we should throw this last bracket together pretty quick. I need to get the grill going for the football game. Wanna play "Pin The Team In The Bracket?"
Committee Member #2: Yeah lets do this fast. Wesley had a pretty good team, plus my son's name is Wesley. We should make them the top seed in their own bracket?
Committee Member #3: Genius idea. We might want to fill their bracket with teams that are in the same geographic area. Delaware is close to Texas so lets put Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons in there.
CM #1: Baylor? The Bears? Oklahoma State hammered them yesterday. How did they make the playoffs? And since when is Waco in Delaware?
CM #3: No, Mary Hardin-Baylor. We put the screws to them every year - it's our own little early Christmas present. The first four times they made the playoffs we made them drive to San Antonio to play Trinity. It was hilarious.
CM #2: What about Hardin-Simmons?
CM #1: Who?
CM #2: Hardin-Simmons.
CM #1: Who?
CM #2: Hardin-Simmons!
CM #3: Just send them to Belton. They obviously know the way. That will save us money, we'll just get 'em enough per diem money for some Yoo Hoo and Hot Pockets and we'll go back to worrying about Mount Union's coronation party.
Obviously, that’s not what happened but it might as well have been. How much thought or deliberation goes into making such a bad decision? They could have pulled the names out of a hat and gotten a better set of pairings. These guys couldn’t find their rear ends with a compass.
For those who are not up to speed, it shakes down like this. The NCAA used mapping software that had Millsaps College about 490 miles from the University Mary Hardin-Baylor. But their mileage chart had it over 500 miles from Jackson, Miss., to Belton, Texas. The number 500 is significant because it’s is the cut off point between being able to take a bus or take a plane. If they take a bus, it costs the NCAA less. If they take a plane, it costs the NCAA more. You can now see why Hardin-Simmons is driving the 199.3 miles to Belton instead of hosting a game.
UMHB head coach Pete Fredenburg doesn’t like the fact that they have to play Hardin-Simmons -- the biggest rival in their brief history -- again. But he didn’t whine about it.
“I do think it’s a bad scenario for both programs, and it’s unfortunate that they’ve done this,” Fredenburg told the Temple Daily Telegram. “But we’re in the national playoffs, and I don’t care who it is or where we play. We just have to prepare, rise to the occasion and win the game.
Jimmie Keeling, the head man at Hardin-Simmons, also handled the situation with class.
''They're a good football team, but so are we,'' Keeling said. ''They got the best of us the first time, but we'll see what happens. We're thrilled to have a chance.''
Those are professional words from very professional men. Luckily, I am held to no such standard.
So, to the NCAA, I say thank you for depriving us of a phenomenal later-round matchup. Thank you for guaranteeing that half of the ASC playoff teams will be eliminated after week one. Thank you for buying mapping software from Costco. Thank you for cheating the athletes that help fund your crackpot association just because they are Division III. There are a million insults I can toss at you in an unprofessional manner but, instead, I will simply say this.
You got this one wrong.
Of course, this is a UMHB graduate talking. Hardin-Simmons fans are probably not fired up about having to hit the road but I know that they are excited to get another crack at the Cru. Even if Cowboys signal-caller did his best to be objective.
''It's not really about who we're playing in our eyes,'' Neal told the Abilene Reporter-News. ''It's about us and our preparation and being the very best team that we can be. But it would be silly to say that there wasn't going to be a little more of an edge to the game because it's them and we've already lost to them this year.
''We're definitely excited about it. I don't think we'll have any trouble focusing in practice this week.''
(By the way, Neal should be the ASC Offensive Player of the Year.)
Anyway, I respect that Neal admitted that the game will have some edge to it. I never played football at UMHB (or anywhere ever) but I did play one year of junior varsity hoops and I really didn’t like Hardin-Simmons. A buddy of mine that played on the inaugural UMHB football team then lettered three more years sent me an email today about the game. Read it and tell me how UMHB players feel about Hardin-Simmons.
How bout them Crusaders? I was home last weekend for homecoming. They look pretty salty...nothing like our ‘98 team that went 3-7 but close. I just want to express to you how much I hate Hardin Simmons. I never beat them in my four years and I seriously hate them.
That’s from a guy who once did a Jim Carrey impersonation while waiting to line up for an extra point. It’s hilarious and also SO true. I hope the Hardin-Simmons guys want to win just as bad. That’s what drives me so insane about the NCAA -- they have no emotion (or compassion for that matter) or sense of rivalry. The could have spent a few bucks and then they get this game and the weeks worth of anticipation that come with it.
Instead, ASC fans get the short end of the stick and someone’s fans have to watch their season end earlier than it should. I don’t mean to be hard on the NCAA though. After all, they are making sure to rid the world of evils such as famine, disease and Native American mascots. They deserve our applause.
Changes in Abilene
While the Cowboys were preparing for another playoff berth, the McMurry Indians are preparing for their first offseason under new coach Donny Gray.
Gray replaces Joe Crousen, who was reassigned on Monday after an 8-12 record in two seasons at the helm.
Crousen went 5-5 in 2005, the Indians best finish since 2000, but battled injuries this year on the way a 3-7 finish.
When talking to the Abilene Reporter News, Crousen sounded like he might be done coaching and handled the reassignment with dignity. He said it wasn’t the first time he had had a coaching job end and he wasn’t going to stand against the administration’s decision.
Gray is the Indians third head coach in four years, following Crousen and Steve Keenum.
Predictions gone awry -- again
At some point in this column I’m going to make my choices for the ASC and SCAC players and coaches of the year but first I want to review just how poorly I predicted the conference standings in Kickoff 2006.
Here are the final standings in the ASC. The number in parentheses is where I predicted each team to finish in the standings before the season started. Keep in mind that Hardin-Simmons and Louisiana College played one less game than most thanks to their Sept. 23 game being cancelled due to weather. Sul Ross only played one non-conference game and finished with just nine games total.
Team, Predicted record, Actual record
1. Mary Hardin-Baylor 9-1, 8-0 (1) 8-2, 8-0
2. Hardin-Simmons 8-2, 6-2 (2) 8-1, 6-1
3. Texas Lutheran 8-2, 6-2 (3) 6-4, 4-4
4. Sul Ross State 3-7, 2-6 (8) 5-4, 4-4
5. Howard Payne 7-3, 5-3 (4) 5-5, 3-5
6. Mississippi College 3-7, 2-6 (9) 5-5, 3-5
7. East Texas Baptist 6-4, 5-3 (5) 3-7, 3-5
8. Louisiana College 4-6, 3-5 (6) 4-5, 2-5
9. McMurry 5-5, 3-5 (7) 3-7, 2-6
I did alright from spots 1-3. I almost nailed the records for UMHB and Hardin-Simmons but I dropped the ball pretty bad on Texas Lutheran. I also didn’t anticipate Sul Ross having as good of a year as they did.
Predicting order of finish is actually harder than most people think, especially in the ASC. UMHB and HSU will always be No. 1 and No. 2, in some order. But after that, it’s pretty balanced and unpredictable.
The SCAC was a different story. I didn’t know much about them before I started this gig, other than the fact that Trinity is awesome every year. It was easy to pick them No. 1 but after that was a total hypothesis.
Team, Predicted record, Actual record
1. Millsaps 3-7, 2-4 (6) 7-3, 6-0
2. Trinity 9-1, 6-0 (1) 8-2, 5-1
3. DePauw 8-2, 5-1 (2) 6-4, 3-3
4. Rhodes 3-7, 2-4 (5) 6-4, 3-3
5. Centre 5-5, 3-3 (4) 5-5, 2-4
6. Austin 1-9, 0-6 (7) 4-6, 2-4
7. Sewanee 7-3, 4-2 (3) 2-8, 0-6
Obviously I was waaaay wrong on Millsaps and Sewanee also kind of messed me up too. Not only was Millsaps four wins better than what I predicted but also they are four points away from being 9-1. They lost to Huntingdon 35-34 and lost to Louisiana College 41-38.
Now that we know I can’t predict things to save my life, let me give you my educated guesses on the ASC and SCAC award winners.
ASC Offensive Player of the Year: Jordan Neal, quarterback, Hardin-Simmons University
ASC Defensive Player of the Year: Josh Kubiak, safety, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
ASC Special Teams Player of the Year: Holt Storrie, kicker, Texas Lutheran University
ASC Coach of the Year: Steve Wright, Sul Ross State University
ASC Game of the Year: Sul Ross State 60, Howard Payne 56
ASC Surprise of the Year: Sul Ross State 5-4 overall, 4-4 ASC
SCAC Offensive Player of the Year: Juan Joseph, quarterback, Millsaps College
SCAC Defensive Player of the Year: Dustin Hertel, defensive end, DePauw University
SCAC Coach of the Year: Mike DuBose, Millsaps College
SCAC Game of the Year: Millsaps 34, Trinity 12
SCAC Surprise of the Year: Austin College 4-6 overall, 2-4 SCAC (first year)
Individual Performances
Millsaps swept the SCAC conference honors for the second time as receiver Chris Jackson won Offensive Player of the Week and Ronnie Wheat was deemed Defensive Player of the Week.
Jackson had 150 punt return yards, one kick return for 49 yards and five catches for 26 yards to total 225 yards of total offense. For the season, Jackson led the SCAC in receptions (56), receiving yards (661), receiving touchdowns (nine), all-purpose yards (156.4 per game) and kick returns (22.7 yards per game). If it wasn’t for the guy throwing him the ball he might be the conference player of the year.
Austin rang up 431 yards of rushing offense against Centre behind Ryan Cowley. The junior running back had 160 yards in the game and finished the season with a 5.7 yards per carry average. Centre’s Adam Blandford had 118 yards and scored in the Colonels 34-28 loss to the Roos and receiver Adam Clark, last season’s co-Offensive Player of the Year had four catches for 77 yards. Clark finished his Colonels career with 128 receptions and 1,769 yards receiving. Both totals are good enough for fifth all-time in school history.
Linebacker Scooter Means helped Austin win their second SCAC game with 12 tackles and two interceptions. The second came with less than 30 seconds to go and ended a Centre scoring threat. And of course, Dustin Hertel had 14 tackles, including four for a loss in the Tigers 23-20 loss in front of more than 11,000 fans in the Monon Bell game.
Texas Lutheran’s Bill Miller was the ASC Offensive Player of the Week. He tied the ASC season-high with 187 yards rushing and scored a touchdown in the Bulldogs 24-22 win over Louisiana College. Wildcats receiver Justin Johnson, perhaps the second best offensive player in the conference, had seven catches for 107 yards in the loss
UMHB’s Jerrell Freeman is another guy who was cursed by playing with a superstar thus having trouble being recognized as one himself. The junior had 10 tackles, picked off a pass, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in a 55-7 throttling of Howard Payne.
Texas Lutheran’s Sahr Bindi had 13 tackles, the most for a Bulldog defender this year, and led a unit that allowed just 35 yards on 30 carries in the win. LC’s defense was just a solid, allowing just four pass completions behind linebacker Jonathan Zeno. Zeno had 12 tackles -- two for a loss -- in the loss.
So that wraps up the regular season version of Around the South. Feel free to e-mail me at chris.allman@mail.com with any offseason happenings or ideas or news bits. I’ve enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.