MIAC looking a tad more offensive
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On the day, four quarterbacks threw at least four touchdown passes including Alex Kofoed (St. John’s), Matt Penz (St. Olaf) and Jordan Stolp (Gustavus Adolphus) in victory and Jordan Berg (Augsburg) in defeat. Both Stolp and Penz threw four in the first half and Penz tagged on a fifth in the third quarter.
For comparison purposes, the four games in the IIAC accounted for 2,469 total yards to 3,496 for the MIAC. Not one game in the IIAC combined to total the number of offensive yards that St. Olaf put up alone with 675 yards.
Lost in the highlight reel of performances was Bethel’s Ben Wetzell who threw for 236 yards and a mere three touchdowns along with 46 yards rushing. It has to be one of the few weeks where a three-touchdown performance won’t even get a sniff for offensive player of the week.
Usually known for its defense, the MIAC is looking more like a high powered offensive type of conference. Some of the teams have been putting up big numbers for a while but for others it’s somewhat of a surprise.
The biggest eyebrow-raiser is Gustavus Adolphus, which is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 1999 when it finished 8-2 and 7-2 in conference. Senior quarterback Jordan Stolp has found a groove and has benefited nicely from wide receiver Chad Arlt’s solid hands.
Some might consider the performances of Penz and Kofoed to be standard after finishing one and two, respectively, in total offense in 2006 but throwing for 300, or in Penz’s case, 400 yards, is not something that should be expected in every game.
They say in football, defense wins championships. If so, it’s going to take a good one to stop several of the teams in the MIAC.
On and Off with the most hated man in Menomonie
On the field …
Whitworth wide receiver/defensive back Jay Tully isn’t making many friends in Menomonie, Wis. And after consecutive years of breaking the Blue Devils backs, he really shouldn’t have many friends there. On Saturday, Tully’s 1-yard reception with 00:00 on the clock completed a come from behind 23-21 victory. It was Tully’s reception last season with three seconds left in regulation that forced overtime and led to the eventual 14-13 victory for the Pirates. Two years, two Tully catches, two losses for the Blue Devils.
They really must hate him in Menomonie.
The West Region Report caught up with Tully to give a glimpse of him off the field …
Hardest course this fall: Exercise physiology
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Gatorade or Powerade: Gatorade
If you could have dinner with anyone past or present: Troy Aikman
President when I graduate: George W. Bush (Tully graduates in December)
Favorite TV show: CSI (original)
Early riser or sleep in: Sleep in
2008 Super Bowl Champion: New England Patriots
Last book you read: Dead Aim
Closest friend on the team: Chad Flett, Peter Clark, Jake Riley (three roommates)
Favorite place to study: My room
Do you read Post Patterns: Not really
Car or SUV: SUV (a Toyota 4-runner)
Republican or Democrat: Not affiliated
Favorite cold cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Girlfriend or single: Girlfriend
Late night snack: cold cereal
Three words to describe your father, Coach Tully: Hard-working, dedicated, enthusiastic
Why did you pick Whitworth for college: Wanted to be able to stay close to home to watch little brother play sports. Also, Whitworth provides a benefit of tuition, room and board to the children of full-time employees.
Tully and the Pirates go for their conference opening win against Menlo on Saturday.
Quick starts
Like lions pouncing on their prey, the UW-Stevens Point Pointers have used quick starts in their last two games to finish them before they really ever started. They have outscored their last two opponents, Iowa Wesleyan and Waldorf, 79-0 in the first half.
Less yards, more points
The Central Dutch are 4-0 but a quick scan of the box score would have you scratching your head. Their opponents have outgained them in total yards in three of those four wins including Loras on Saturday in a 17-14 victory. The only team Central has outgained is Hope -- by a mere 15 yards. St. Thomas outgained Central by 203 but still lost 35-10.
Climbing the charts
Several Warhawks moved up in the record books during Saturday’s contest. Neil Mrkvicka moved into first place in WIAC history in career punt returns with three returns today, giving him 110 for his career. The previous record holder was Dan Bridges (1987-90) at 108. Mrkvicka is also fourth in conference history with 1,014 punt return yards. Jeff Schebler advanced to ninth place in the WIAC career field goal category, making two today to up his total to 23. UW-W’s Justin Beaver added 134 yards to his conference record for career rushing yards, now standing at 4,578.
Notes, nuggets and things you might have missed
• The 52 points scored by St. John’s is the most-ever in the 74 meetings versus Concordia (the previous record was the 49-0 win on Oct. 16, 1977).
• Gaby Fernandez tied a University of Chicago modern era record with three interceptions in the Maroons 21-13 win over Macalester.
• The University of Dubuque is 3-0 for the first time since before 1999.
• Four of the first seven possessions in the UW-Whitewater/UW-Eau Claire game ended in fumbles.
• Chapman committed their first turnover of the season, a fumble inside its own 100 yard line, that led to a Pacific Lutheran touchdown.
• After upsetting Bethel 21-16 in their opener, Buena Vista has posted zero points over their past two games including losses of 38-0 to Wartburg and 17-0 to Coe.
Games to Watch
No. 3 UW-Whitewater at No. 6 UW-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wis., 4 p.m.: UW-La Crosse had one loss on its conference record last season and it was a throttling at the hands of UW-Whitewater. Revenge will be on their minds when they welcome the Warhawks to town on Saturday. The Eagles are coming off a bye and should be ready to for the Warhawks who easily disposed of UW-Stout. UW-Whitewater quarterback Danny Jones seems more settled in the Warhawk offense each week and always has Justin Beaver to carry the load. The Eagles will rely on their three headed rushing attack of Dan Hall, Eric Donoval and Reid Oldenberg.
Gustavus Adolphus at No. 23 St. Olaf, Northfield, Minn., 1 p.m.: The upstart and undefeated Gusties head to St. Olaf to try and stop a prolific Ole offense that has hung 126 points on the board in their last two conference games. The Gusties have hung 107 in their last two games so it is safe to say some points will be scored in this affair. Gustavus is a sleeper in the MIAC this season and a road win against the Oles could really shake up the conference. Gustie quarterback Jordan Stolp has nine touchdowns and no interceptions while passing for 330 yards a game. Ole quarterback Matt Penz has nine touchdowns and one interception while passing for 292 yards per game. Don’t look down at your program during this game. You might miss something!
No. 13 Wartburg at Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa, 1 p.m.: The Knights have to be looking for revenge after an overtime loss in Week 11 last year kept Wartburg from having a shot at an at-large playoff bid. The 17-14 victory allowed Dubuque to finish 6-4. The Spartans (3-0, 1-0 IIAC) have won six consecutive games after rallying from a 20-7 deficit last week against Simpson to win 35-20. Dubuque averages 503.3 yards of total offense, though two games against Rockford and Wisconsin Lutheran have helped pad that total. Wartburg has allowed just 209.0 yards per game, 15th in Division III.