Playing the common opponents game
Concordia-Moorhead and Wartburg both played Augsburg this season and while both won, they did it differently. Wartburg won a non-conference nail biter against the Auggies 27-24 on the road in Week 2 as Jordan Maus kicked a 40-yard field goal with no time remaining. Seven weeks later Augsburg lost to Concordia 31-6 in rain-soaked Moorhead as the Cobbers used 415 yards of total offense to clinch the MIAC.
Compare the scores and give the win to Concordia by 22 points.
For Willamette and Occidental, their common opponent is Lewis and Clark from the NWC. Both these teams gave the Pioneers a good roughing up this season. Willamette won 55-6 while rushing for 310 yards and piling up five sacks. Occidental put up 262 yards rushing to claim a 31-6 victory.
Both impressive wins but only one team can advance. Bearcats get the win in a 24-point blowout and advance to the second round to face Concordia.
UW-Whitewater found the going quite different between first round opponents St. Norbert and UW-La Crosse. The Green Knights stumbled out of the blocks in losing to UW-Whitewater 41-9. Ten weeks later, UW-La Crosse found the going easy, winning 35-10.
UW-La Crosse wins by 57 points setting up a second round match up with region No. 1 Linfield.
Both Linfield and UW-La Crosse played UW-Stevens Point this season and both teams handed the Pointers a loss. Linfield came back to win by 11 points while UW-La Crosse pulled away on four second half turnovers to win 35-14.
Surprisingly, UW-La Crosse gets the 10-point upset win and advances to the quarterfinals.
Concordia and Willamette both played Menlo this season and the Cobbers were able to pitch a shutout 30-0 while Willamette gave up 14 points in a 28-14 win.
Cobbers advance with the 16 point win to face UW-La Crosse in the quarterfinals for a chance to represent the West in the final four.
Neither Concordia nor UW-La Crosse played any common opponents this season but this will still work out as their opponents shared common opponents. UW-La Crosse beat Division II Minnesota-Duluth 34-13 and Concordia beat Division II Moorhead State 30-7. UMD beat MSU 14-10 which means UW-La Crosse gets a two point win over Concordia and a trip to the final four.
Now remember there is nothing scientific to this breakdown of the bracket and no animals will be hurt while testing this theory — only the pride of several higher seeds if it actually comes true.
Kick is up and…
Luther junior kicker Kyle Wickwire ended the season without missing a PAT — hitting all 35 attempts. Going back to last season he has kicked 51 consecutive PATs but surprisingly, he is only halfway to tying the NCAA record of 102 consecutive set by Rims Roof of Coe from 1983-1985. If Luther can put up some serious points next season Wickwire might be able to take this record through the roof.
Scoring points shouldn’t be an issue next season with sophomore running back Tyler Sherden returning to the Norse. He finished the 2004 campaign with a huge game against Simpson notching 240 yards on 51 carries and three touchdowns in the 38-24 win. He finished the season with 1,057 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns.
That’s an interception, brother
Gustavus Adolphus quarterback Jordan Stolp ended a disappointing season for the Gusties in a giving mood. In their 28-17 loss to the Bethel Royals, Stolp threw seven interceptions and lost a fumble. Bethel’s Carr brothers, Kirby and Brandon, led the Royals’ defense with a combined four interceptions including freshman Brandon’s hat trick of errant passes and sophomore Kirby’s 85-yard interception return for a touchdown. Peter Eastland picked off two pass returning them 47 yards and Robbie Ellis had one for 14 yards. Stolp ends his 2-8 freshman season with 16 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Things to be stranger without a Sanger
Central linebacker Mark Sanger closed a record-breaking four-year run with five tackles in Central’s 47-7 rout of Cornell on Saturday. He finishes his career with 333 tackles, the fifth-highest total in school history. Half of the four spots in front of him are claimed by his older brothers Rick and Jeff Sanger who rank third and fourth with 363 and 355 tackles, respectively. Rick Sanger holds the season record of 124 tackles while Mark closed with 115 tackles in 2004 to rank third as Central ended its 15th campaign in 16 years with a Sanger on defense for the Dutch.
Watch your step, coach
Two MIAC head coaches have stepped down following the 2004 football season. Augsburg’s Jack Osberg announced his retirement as head football coach, effective at the end of the season, on October 19. Osberg, 64, is the 13th coach in the 73-season history of Augsburg football and holds the school-record for victories with 62. His career record is 62-79.
"I'll remember some of the games, but over time the games all tend to blur," said Osberg. "More than anything else, I'll remember the players, the young people I meet as 18-year-olds and become a part of their lives as they mature and grow. Over the years, what I have enjoyed most is being able to build positive relationships with all my players. They've all given me far more than I can give to them."
Similarly, Hamline officially announced Monday afternoon that head coach Donovan Larson is resigning after four seasons of leading the Pipers. His career record is 10-30.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to have had the opportunity to serve as head football coach at my alma mater for the past four seasons,” Larson said. “My wife, Cindy, and I view this as having been a special time in our lives. The administrative support has been tremendous, and the coaching staff and players have made the past four years extremely enjoyable. We wish the Pipers all the best in the future.”
Destiny dropped
Following a 67-21 thumping in Week 6 of non-conference Waldorf, Buena Vista was on the inside track to the IIAC conference championship for the first time since 1979. However, an offense that had scored 32.8 points per game during a midseason five-game winning streak limped to the finish line scoring only 23 points and giving up 74 in two home losses to end the season. Wartburg, who the Beavers beat in the regular season, ended up tying Coe for the conference championship and will represent the IIAC in the national playoffs for the third straight year.
Elite company
Andrew Passanante, who had three receptions for 49 yards in Concordia’s 30-0 shutout of Menlo on Friday night, became the second player in Concordia history with 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He finished the regular season with 1,037 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.
The only other Cobber to rack up over 1,000 yards in a single season is Passanante’s head coach Terry Horan, a former Cobber All-American, who set the record with 1,132 in 1987. Passanante has at least one more game to try and break the record as Concordia will host Wartburg College on Saturday to open the 2004 playoffs.
“It’s nice to have him in the 1,000 yard Club,” Horan told The Forum of Fargo, N.D. “It was getting lonely.”
High five
The Linfield Wildcats made it five straight NWC titles on Saturday in dismantling the formerly undefeated in conference Willamette Bearcats 48-14. The Wildcats, who have three straight undefeated regular seasons, have won the NWC every year since 1999 when the Bearcats claimed the top spot. Both teams made the national playoffs with Linfield claiming the No. 1 seed in the west and a first round bye while Willamette will meet SCIAC champion Occidental in Round 1.
Note: After finishing 0-9 in 2003, Puget Sound made it a five game turnaround when they defeated Lewis and Clark 49-6 to finish 5-4. It was their first winning season since 2000 when they finished with the same record.
Frosty’s son cold in debut season
It’s never easy to replace a legend. Pacific Lutheran’s Scott Westering learned this in 2004 after replacing his father, legendary coach Frosty Westering, after the 2003 season. While Scott’s inaugural season record isn’t bad at 6-3, his conference record of 2-3 is a surprise to Lute fans. PLU lost by 19 to Linfield and lost two close games to Willamette and Whitworth by a combined eight points. The season-ending 38-35 loss to Whitworth was the Lutes’ first at Whitworth since 1965.
Run stoppers
Several west region teams put up eye popping defensive numbers against the run on Saturday. In watching their IIAC title hopes disappear, the Buena Vista Beavers were held to 26 yards on 29 carries in their loss to Coe. Wartburg was able to lock up the IIAC by holding Dubuque to 24 yards on 23 carries in their victory. However, the “Run Stopper of the Week Award” (I just made that award up) goes to the St. John's Johnnies. In shutting out St. Thomas, the Johnnies held the Tommies to 1 measly yard on 29 carries to claim the 21-0 win and a share of second place in the MIAC.
Streaking
After opening the 2004 campaign with three consecutive losses, Cal Lutheran finished with a winning streak twice that long as they beat Chapman 41-7 for their sixth straight win. It was 1981 the last time Cal Lutheran won six straight games. The Kingsmen finished 6-3 on the season and 4-2 and alone in second place in the SCIAC.
GET to the GAME!
No. 4 Wartburg at No. 2 Concordia-Moorhead; Noon, Moorhead, Minn.: Concordia-Moorhead, the second seed in the West, will welcome fourth-seeded Wartburg to Jake Christiansen Stadium on Saturday for a first round showdown between two smash mouth football teams. Concordia hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1997 when they lost a first round game to Augsburg in the Fargo Dome. Wartburg returns for the third consecutive season having lost to Linfield the past two years.
The Cobbers like to run by committee evidenced by seven players rushing for over 100 total yards this season totaling 2,219 yards. Wartburg relies heavily on two backs led by 976 yards from Dan Hammes. While Wartburg quarterback Reed Hoskins has thrown for more yards he also has nine more interceptions than the Cobbers’ Brian Schumacher. Both teams are led by great defenses but their offenses that can put up numbers when they need to. Playoff experience could play a huge factor for Wartburg but defense wins championships and Concordia’s 10.8 points allowed per game is pretty impressive.
No. 7 Willamette at No. 6 Occidental; Noon; Los Angeles: Saturday’s first round match up between Occidental and Willamette marks the first ever meeting between the two schools. Occidental is the SCIAC champion and automatic qualifier while Willamette finished second to Linfield in the NWC and received an at-large bid based on their strength of schedule and 2-2 record against nationally ranked opponents. The Tigers have won eight straight games scoring almost 38 points per game during the streak. Occidental, ranked 24th in the nation is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs, its first since 1985. Willamette has only been to the NCAA Division III playoffs once, losing to Pacific Lutheran (the eventual national champion) 28-24 in 1999.