Rivalry restored
|
|
Last year, in a 16-7 defeat to Wartburg, Luther’s Tyler Sherden started at safety and had one carry for 6 yards.
The loss was their third in a row and 13th straight to perennial power and archrival Wartburg. It was clear that something needed to be done if the Norse were going to compete for a title in the IIAC any time soon.
In practice, Sherden would ask for reps at running back but coach Paul Hefty knew how valuable he was to the Luther defense.
Hefty finally gave Sherden a chance in practice on a toss sweep and he took it 70 yards to the end zone. His days on defense were through. Following the Wartburg loss, Hefty moved Sherden to running back and the Norse have become a new team.
“He changed us offensively,” Hefty said. “And he’s opened the door defensively for others to contribute.”
They went 5-1 in their final six games of 2004 and finished 6-4 overall; 5-3 and tied for third in the IIAC. Sherden tallied 1,057 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named first team All-IIAC at running back while only seeing significant action in six games.
This season, the Norse were picked by the coaches to finish second to Wartburg in a preseason poll. They are off to a 3-1start including their momentum swinging 33-24 win at home on Saturday over the Knights.
This time around Sherden didn’t have one carry but rather one impressive afternoon.
He rushed the ball 41 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He also tallied two receptions for seven yards and three kick returns for 61 yards totaling 271 all purpose yards.
His 46-yard run with 2:37 remaining in the game sealed the victory for Luther and ended a losing streak to the Knights that dates back to 1991 — when Sherden was seven years old.
 So far, Tyler Sherden has had much more impact as a running back than as a safety. |
Sherden has been preparing and performing just about the same every week himself. The junior has gone over the 100-yard rushing mark in every start of his career and has piled up 1,687 yards and 25 touchdowns in the ten games since last year’s loss to Wartburg.
With the win, Luther moved the rivalry to 33-29-1 in favor of Wartburg.
“Out of respect, we use Wartburg as a measuring stick,” Hefty said following the game.
Saturday’s win shows the Norse measure up with any team in the IIAC but Hefty will savor this win and move on to next week where 2004 co-champion Coe is waiting.
“We can’t get too excited,” Hefty said. “We have a really big weekend coming up.”
Power outage
After racking up 77 points in their first two games the Loras Duhawks have hit the skids going scoreless in their last eight quarters. Not even a jolt of lightning during their tilt with Central on Saturday could spark the offense. After the game was delayed for two hours at halftime due to lightning, the Duhawks put up donuts in the third and fourth quarter. Loras travels to Cornell next week in search of victory or at least a touchdown or two.
O brother, where art thou?
In their one and only meeting as brotherly opponents, Occidental senior center Jack Collier got the victory over younger brother Justin, a freshman defensive back at Cal Lutheran. Last season, Justin followed Jack and his Tiger teammates through the playoffs as a fan but on Saturday he wasn’t cheering for Occidental anymore.
Jack’s Tigers got the 41-9 victory and Justin didn’t get in the game for the Kingsmen but family fun was had by all. Eight family members were spotted at Occidental's pregame tailgate wearing T-shirts that read "The Brother Bowl." Justin told the Ventura County Star that his mother was working on a shirt that would be sewed up the middle — half CLU, half Oxy.
5-4 touchdowns
At 5-4, St. Olaf running back Bobby Andrade does not have imposing size but he does have the heart of a champion. After tearing his ACL midway through the 2004 season, Andrade’s promising young football career appeared over. On Saturday, he showed he can still run on that knee. Andrade led the way for St. Olaf in a 71-10 dismantling of Macalester carrying the ball nine times for 94 yards and four touchdowns — all in the second quarter.
Patching holes
When Lewis and Clark decided it was in their best interest to drop their conference games this season, they left their NWC foes to find replacements on very short notice. Several of them have been able to patch the holes. Puget Sound has inked a matchup with Western Oregon to fill their November 12, bye created by Lewis & Clark. The game is contingent on Western Oregon missing the Division II playoffs which begin that day. At 2-2, the playoffs look to be out of reach for the Wolves. Pacific Lutheran filled their hole on Oct. 22 with NAIA Southern Oregon. The Lutes last played the Raiders in 2001, claiming a 48-38 victory. Linfield was unable to find a varsity opponent but their vacant date will include the Linfield alumni vs. the junior varsity game on Nov. 5. Whitworth and Willamette have not announced replacement opponents.
Running in reverse
The Simpson Storm defense put on quite a show on Saturday as they held Dubuque to a school record -74 yards rushing. The Storm recorded 10 sacks against Dubuque quarterback Jermar Jackson. Leading the way for Simpson was linebacker Chris Kern who recorded 19 tackles, six tackles for loss and tied the school record with four sacks. It was the second time this year Jackson was sacked 10 or more times.
That’s why their jerseys look different than yours
It was a rough day for Puget Sound quarterbacks on Saturday as Andy Carlson and Scott Lelli combined to throw only eight completions. Making things worse, were five of those receptions went to La Verne defenders. Carlson finished the day 3-13 for 63 yards with five interceptions. His relief, Lelli, didn’t fare much better, going 0-for-5. La Verne’s Jeff Magdaleno and Gabe Segovia each had more catches than any Loggers receiver hauling in two interceptions apiece. Adrian Medrano contributed one interception which he returned 40 yards. The Loggers lost 38-14.
Around the MIAC
St. John’s topped Gustavus 41-14 behind two touchdowns from Corey Weber. … Concordia outlasted Carleton 39-31 with a goal-line stand in the final seconds. … Bethel shutout Hamline 27-0 limiting the Pipers to 29 yards on 36 carries. … St. Thomas whipped Augsburg 53-17 behind 118 yards and three touchdowns from running back Jimmy Mullen. … St. Olaf trounced Macalester 71-10 behind four touchdowns from running back Bobby Andrade.
Around the IIAC
Buena Vista beat Cornell 33-13 behind two touchdowns a piece from Jesse Schmidt and Chad Pearson. … Central shut out Loras 21-0 behind two touchdown passes from Tim Connell. … Simpson stomped Dubuque 40-7 thanks to 10 sacks by the Storm defense. … Luther beat Wartburg 33-24 behind two touchdowns and 203 yards from running back Tyler Sherden.
Around the NWC
Colorado College outlasted Lewis & Clark 38-35 in non-conference action. … Willamette trounced Menlo 52-20 behind three touchdowns from Steve Wilbon.
Around the WIAC
UW-River Falls ran over PLU 45-14 behind 205 yards and a touchdown from running back Nathan Anderson. … UW-Eau Claire lost 35-10 to NAIA power St. Francis. … Augustana beat up UW-Platteville 45-14 gaining 405 of 411 yards of total offense on the ground. … UW-Stevens Point beat Waldorf 42-13 as receiver Jacob Dickert caught three of his four catches for touchdowns and threw another touchdown.
Around the SCIAC
La Verne beat up Puget Sound 38-14 behind four touchdown passes and 384 yards from quarterback Brian Guerrero. … Occidental dismantled Cal Lutheran 41-9 led by four touchdowns and 247 yards from quarterback Andy Collins. … Pomona-Pitzer beat Whittier 24-9. … Redlands beat Chapman 31-14 as six different players scored for the Bulldogs.
Games to Watch
No. 19 UW-Eau Claire at No. 10 UW-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wis., 1 p.m.:
This battle of Top 25 teams should be a doozy. It’s Family Weekend at Whitewater and the 1975 championship team will be honored. Last year, the Warhawks won 12-7. This year, the Warhawks enter at 3-0 while Eau Claire is a surprising 1-2 but those two losses came against St. John’s and NAIA power St. Francis. Look for quarterback Justin Jacobs and running back Justin Beaver to lead the way for Whitewater. Quarterback Jesse Krzyzanowski leads the way for UW-Eau Claire with eight passing touchdowns on the season.
Willamette at Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash., 1 p.m.: This game could throw a shift in the NWC standings. Puget Sound lost a close battle in 2004, 21-19. This year, Willamette is 1-3 and appears to be rebuilding after their playoff appearance in 2004. A win by the Loggers could give them an early jump on finishing in the middle of the conference.