Can Muhlenberg overcome the Centennial Conference's playoff woes of recent years? The Mules remain unbeaten after topping Dickinson this past weekend and are 8-0 for the first time in 60 years. Ryan Tipps talked to Muhlenberg and Dickinson about this past week's contest in Around the Mid-Atlantic.

It was easy to write off Cal Lutheran in the preseason and declare the SCIAC a two-team race between Occidental and Redlands. After all, the Kingsmen had lost their coach and their star quarterback late in the offseason, along with the traditional turnover every program sees. And when Cal Lutheran started the season 0-2, it seemed justified.

But then the Kingsmen won their first three conference games. Then they beat Occidental handily on Saturday night. Hard to deny Cal Lutheran now, the only team perfect in SCIAC play. Adam Johnson tells us what's ahead in Around the West.

Waynesburg picked up its first loss this past weekend, but with freshman running back Robert Heller in the Yellow Jackets' backfield the team still has an excellent shot at the postseason. How did coach Rick Shepas find a replacement for his all-time leading rusher so soon? Matt Florjancic has more in Around the Great Lakes.

The Miracle in Mississippi was splashed all across the media, but Wes Anderson reminds us that there were 59 minutes, 58 seconds before that snap and that Trinity has two games left to go before it can claim the automatic bid. Tigers coach Steve Mohr talks about what led up to the 15 laterals and the aftermath in Around the South.

Washington U. has a last-chance game to salvage a playoff bid against Case Western Reserve this weekend, with more in Around the Midwest, while Morrisville State finally got a signature win, check Around the East. In Around the Northeast, it's a look ahead to the NEFC title game. That and more in this week's Around the Region.

The sports world is still buzzing about the unbelievable ending to the Trinity-Millsaps game, and rightly so, as 15 laterals took the team 60 yards over 62 seconds for six points and a 28-24 victory.

But there's more to the game than a fancy set of laterals. As Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman discuss in this week's Around the Nation podcast, this game had SCAC title implications.

Plus, more coverage of the miracle ending, with D3football.com correspondent Ron Boerger reporting from the scene. There's already been plenty of discussion of this on the Daily Dose, so click here to see the Trinity video and join the debate.

Plus, elsewhere in the ATN podcast, what are the things we take away from the UW-Whitewater/Mary Hardin-Baylor game? How about the Pool B picture? Did RPI or Alfred gain anything from their off weeks on the field?That and more in this week's ATN podcast.

Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

No. 6 Central has won six games in which they've been outgained this season, but they didn't need to do it a seventh time on Saturday. The Dutch rolled up 571 yards of offense, the fourth highest in team history, in a 40-14 win over Cornell. Vance Schuring racked up 132 yards on the ground while quarterback Tim Connell threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns, setting new school records for touchdown passes (25) and yards (2,236) in a season.

No. 15 New Jersey ran over Cortland State both literally and figuratively to take control of the NJAC race. Chase Misiura and Dan Dornacker combined for 209 yards on 41 rushes (5.1 yards per carry). Not surprisingly the Lions had more than a 15 minute time of possession advantage (37:44 to 22:16) in a 30-0 shutout victory.

Matt Denny booted his seventh field goal of the year of at least 40 yards, tying a Carthage school record with a 49-yarder in a 38-28 win at Millikin. The Red Men kicker is already Carthage's career leader in field goals (39) and kick scoring (239 points). He needs three more this year to pass Millikin's Andy Beals for the CCIW all-time mark (31) and is 7-for-8 from 40-49 yards.

Quarterback Cedric Townsend gave his team a high five with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs as North Carolina Wesleyan knocked off USAC conference champion Christopher Newport 42-32. Townsend erupted for 132 yards running and 215 yards passing. His 13th rushing touchdown of the year extended the Battling Bishops' lead to its final margin.

By Matt Florjancic
D3football.com

BEXLEY, Ohio -- Five minutes is an eternity in the world of sports.

For 12th-ranked Capital, a five-minute stretch during the second quarter cost the Crusaders a chance at upsetting the top-rated Purple Raiders of Mount Union. At the halfway point of the second period, neither Capital nor Mount Union put a scoring drive together. The closest either team came to scoring was a missed 51-yard field goal from Capital's Matt Spitz with 7:36 left in the first quarter.

Behind a stout effort from the defense and key plays by the special teams, the Purple Raiders reigned over Capital 37-0. It was the fourth consecutive shutout for Mount Union and its fifth in six games. Capital was held scoreless for the first time since the 1999 season opener at Thiel.

The Mount Union special teams unit blocked two Crusader punts in the second quarter. The first was blocked by freshman linebacker Sam Kershaw and the ball was recovered at the Capital 26-yard line. Three minutes later, junior Nate Kmic ran his 16th touchdown of 2007 across the goal line.

“Capital has an outstanding defense. It's been improving steadily,” Mount Union coach Larry Kehres said. “I know they've had excellent offense too, but you don't get to the top of the conference, then get in the playoffs and win without good defense and the kicking game.

“They're a well-balanced team,” he added. “Unfortunately, the injuries they've sustained have hurt them on offense. Their defense is fine, fine players, fine coaches. I can't complement them enough.”

Capital could not get the offense going on the ensuing drive. On first down, Wade Bartholomew was sacked. Then, an offensive lineman jumped offside, forcing the Crusaders into a second-and-19 situation. After an incomplete pass on third down, Capital coach Jim Collins called upon punter Tom Gantner to send the ball away.

Gantner had to hurry the punt and hit the ball off the side of his foot. The 21-yard kick gave Mount Union a first-and-10 at the Capital 39. The Purple Raiders went on to convert a fourth-and-4 to enter the red zone. Kmic responded by taking the handoff 20 yards down the sideline for the score.

Mount Union was not done making plays on special teams. Facing a fourth down at his 30-yard line, Collins aimed to continue the battle of field position, but Matt Williamson had other ideas. The sophomore beat the protection and blocked the second punt of the game. As the ball rolled into the end zone, Capital recovered, but the Purple Raiders earned a safety and a 16-0 lead.

“The two blocked punts [are] what turned the momentum,” said Collins. “We were playing a game of field position back and forth. We knew we were going to struggle moving the football. We were hoping we could stay in the game and win the battle of field position.

“They blocked the punt and that made things easy,” Collins added. “Then, they had the other blocked punt where they got the safety. That was the big key. The wind was a factor as well. They were going into the wind in the first quarter and we were going into the wind in the second quarter. Those two things I thought were big factors.”

Though Kmic gained 114 yards on 36 carries, he gave the credit for the victory to his teammates.

“In the first quarter, we were fighting the wind and we didn't have very good field position,” Kmic said. “Our defense really stepped up and got us the ball in good situations. That set us up for the big second quarter.

“We just drove the ball down and did what we needed to do,” added Kmic.

Mount Union returned the safety kick to its 47-yard-line. Junior quarterback Greg Micheli led the Raiders down the field with a mix of running and passing to Pierre Garcon. On third-and-5 from the Capital 23, Garcon hauled in a pass, stumbled over a defender and regained his balance in time to earn his sixth receiving touchdown of the season.

The Purple Raiders added two more rushing touchdowns, one in the third and the final score of the game in the fourth quarter. The third quarter score was set up by another big special teams play.

Mount Union running back Justin Wray dropped back to receive the Gantner punt of 26 yards. Wray caught the ball, got out of the initial tackle and followed a wall of Purple Raiders down the sideline for a 37-yard return. Six plays later, Kmic scored on an 8-yard run.

“It was another big play,” Kehres said of the return. “There were very few big plays by our offense. Most of the big plays in the game were by our defense or by our special teams.

The Raider defense held Capital to 92 yards of total offense. Bartholomew completed six passes for 32 yards. Running back Matt Merritt had 58 yards on 22 carries for the Crusaders.

“It's a combination of Mount applying pressure in terms of just getting up the field,” Collins said. “Mount's got real tall defensive linemen and [Wade Bartholomew's] not very tall. I think he had a tough time seeing over them.

“I can remember a lot of days where Mount Union has made great quarterbacks look not so great,” he added. “They're going to do some things on defense that are going to stop what you do on offense. Mount played a great game defensively.”

Capital closes the season with a trip to Muskingum next Saturday before hosting Baldwin-Wallace on Nov. 10. If they win out, they will be in the exact same situation they were in two years ago -- 8-2 with losses to Otterbein and Mount Union.

“For us, if we have any aspirations of going to the playoffs, the playoffs start today,” Collins said. “That's the bottom line. It's out of your hands. You've just got to win your games and then you wait for them to select the teams.”

Mount Union travels to John Carroll this coming Saturday before ending the regular season at home against the Marietta Pioneers.

By Ron Boerger
D3football.com correspondent

JACKSON, Miss. -- There's a reason that football games are precisely 60 minutes long. The Millsaps Majors were the unfortunate recipients of that lesson in a 28-24 loss to Trinity (Texas).



Leading 24-22 with 2:11 left, the Majors were in position to have the game in the bag. Not only had Millsaps' Casey Younger sacked Trinity's Blake Barmore on what would have been a game-tying two point conversion, but Eric McCarty had recovered the Tigers' last-ditch onside kick attempt at the Trinity 41 and the Tigers had no timeouts left.

Three Nick Namias rushes into the center of the line left a few seconds on the clock, however, and with eight seconds remaining the Majors took their last time out to avoid a delay of game penalty that would have come one second later. That second would prove crucial. On fourth down, Millsaps quarterback Burt Pereira slowly faded to his left. He was unable to evade Trinity's Ryan Johnson, and with two seconds left -- and 60 yards from the end zone -- Trinity had one desperate last chance.

With the Majors in extreme prevent formation Barmore tossed a short pass to Shawn Thompson. The clock expired, fireworks went off, but the play was still underway. Thompson evaded a would-be tackler or two and lateraled the ball back. As did the recipient of that lateral. And again. Again. Trinity managed to lateral the ball more than 10 times. Offensive lineman Josh Hooten, being unfamiliar with the lateral process, instead tossed the ball backwards using his best rugby scrum technique -- twice. Somehow all the laterals -- even the "scrums" -- ended up in the Trinity's hands. The ball hit the ground at one point; some Majors defenders seemed to relax, perhaps thinking the play had stopped when the ball hit the ground. The ball was still live, however. The next lateral found its way to Trinity's Riley Curry, who suddenly found a huge expanse of empty green field in front of him and took it 44 yards for the game winning touchdown. In front of a suddenly stunned homecoming crowd in Jackson, the visitors had pulled of the longest of long shots to win 28-24.

"It's one of those miracle finishes," said Trinity coach Steve Mohr, "and if you did this for the next five, 50 years, you would never, ever, ever score. It's one huge win for us and I'm proud of the kids for coming in here to compete in this tough environment. To get us an opportunity like this -- how unique it is."

The "Mississippi Miracle" could join the 1982 Cal/Stanford "spike the trombonist" play and the Tennessee Titans "Music City Miracle" in football lore -- at least in the minds of those who saw it today.

As a result of this win and Rhodes' 27-0 loss at Centre, Trinity finds itself in control of its playoff destiny. Wins at home against Centre and at Austin would return the Tigers to the NCAA playoffs. Millsaps could clinch at least a tie for the championship with a win at Colorado College next week but must hope for help to get the conference's automatic bid to the playoffs.

What showdown? No. 3 UW-Whitewater compiled just 247 yards of total offense but took it to No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor, intercepting Josh Welch three times en route to a 41-14 win. The Warhawks got just 77 yards on 29 carries from Justin Beaver but held Jarvis Thrasher to 67 yards on 20 carries in the victory.

No. 1 Mount Union was held in check for a quarter, but surged to a 23-0 lead on No. 12 Capital at the end of the first half and won 37-0. It's the fourth consecutive shutout for the Purple Raiders, who have allowed three points in six games. Mount Union also clinched the OAC's automatic bid when John Carroll lost to Wilmington in overtime. Week 9 scores.

How many laterals does it take to win a football game? There was a miracle in Mississippi as No. 19 Trinity (Texas) took the ball 60 yards with more than a dozen laterals on the final play of the game to win at No. 24 Millsaps, 28-24. Ron Boerger details the Miracle in Mississippi and you can watch the video.

No. 10 Wesley held on for a 20-13 win against No. 9 Salisbury when Chet Turner intercepted a Salisbury pass in the end zone. (Photo gallery) It's Salisbury's first loss, though both teams remain in decent shape to get Pool B playoff bids. Carnegie Mellon also knocked off Washington U. 18-13 to further clear up the Pool B picture.

In the meeting of NJAC unbeatens, No. 18 New Jersey dominated No. 25 Cortland State 30-0. Hobart defeated No. 11 Alfred in a non-conference game, handing the Saxons their first loss.

No. 8 Washington and Jefferson handed Waynesburg its first loss of the season, 22-21, despite 289 rushing yards by Robert Heller. The Presidents remained in control of the race for the first PAC automatic bid. Cal Lutheran showed it didn't need Danny Jones in order to beat Occidental, handling the No. 14 Tigers 43-25. Wabash captured the NCAC's automatic bid with a 21-10 victory over Wooster.

Coach Matt Kelchner was taken to a local hospital during his team's game with North Carolina Wesleyan. Christopher Newport rallied but fell 42-32 in the game of USA South unbeatens. In the Centennial, Matt Johnson scored on a 29-yard pass from Eric Santagato with 3:27 left in the game to lift No. 20 Muhlenberg past Dickinson 29-23. No. 21 RPI had to rally to get to overtime, then beat WPI 21-14.

No. 3 St. John's defeated rival St. Thomas 51-34. Ithaca continued Springfield's downward spiral, winning 48-21. Albright edged Lebanon Valley 27-20 to remain unbeaten in the MAC and will play at fellow MAC unbeaten Widener next week. Randolph-Macon got 262 yards from Zak Thornton to remain unbeaten in the ODAC and Washington and Lee knocked off Bridgewater, meaning that archrivals Randolph-Macon and Hampden-Sydney will play in Week 11 for the conference title.

Hillary Carter got into a game for Earlham, as she kicked an extra point in the Quakers' 31-14 win against Hiram. Linfield clinched its 52nd consecutive winning season, beating Menlo 37-6 (photo gallery). Illinois Wesleyan survived 20-14 at North Park and set up a winner-take-all CCIW game against Wheaton in Week 11.

The action began on Friday with the UMAC's annual Dome Day festivities from Minneapolis. See the photos here, with Northwestern (Minn.) beating Rockford 28-27 in overtime to win the title in the final game of five. In a rain-soaked night game, Widener's Keith Wilson sacked Delaware Valley quarterback Mike Isgro to force a fumble deep inside Aggie territory in the fourth quarter, setting up a Pride touchdown. Widener held on for a 13-10 victory and has a chance to clinch the MAC with a win next week against Albright.

We note it on the front page nearly every week, but Central's run of dramatic victories reached ridiculous proportions this past week as the Dutch pulled out another agonizing victory, 37-34 in triple overtime against Dubuque.

So we had to go back to talk to the folks in Pella, Iowa, and find out what has been fueling this season-plus-long roll.

Keith McMillan tells you exactly how much fun it is to be on a run in this week's Around the Nation.

Plus, hear what it's like to be on the losing end of one of those nail-biting wins. Also, what are the games to watch this weekend? (The list is long!) Who are the Pool B and Pool C playoff contenders? Did you know you can vote for your coach as the coach of the year, whether he deserves it or not?

That and more in this week's Around the Nation.

Coach Mike Kemp is out at Utica in the middle of his seventh season. The Pioneers, who started playing varsity football in 2001, were 17-50 (.254) in his tenure.

Utica athletic director Jim Spartano told the Utica Observer-Dispatch that Kemp had been replaced but would not say whether Kemp resigned or was fired. "But it's all related to performance on the football field," he told the newspaper. "We're excited about our new direction."

Midseason coaching changes in Division III are rare.

Kirk Jellerson, who is Utica's defensive coordinator and has been in the program since 2004, will take over for the final three games. Utica has beaten Becker and Mount Ida but has scored a total of 29 points in its five losses.

Utica plays at No. 7 St. John Fisher on Saturday.

By Pat Coleman
D3football.com

Deciphering the various terminology surrounding the run to the Division III football NCAA playoffs might not be simple, but it is at least related to A-B-C.

Those are the labels given to groups (also known as Pools) of bids awarded to the playoffs. The field is 32 teams, who meet in five rounds of playoffs culminating in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 15, in Salem, Va.

Understanding Pool A is fairly simple -- let's just pretend that ‘A' stands for automatic. Those are the 22 automatic bids that are awarded. If there's a tie at the top of a conference's standings at the end of the season, the conference itself is responsible for determining who gets the automatic bid. (Most, if not all, conferences separate two-way ties with the head-to-head result.)The Presidents' Athletic Conference gets an automatic bid this season for the first time.

If you are not in one of those 22 conferences, there are three bids set aside for you, which are referred to as Pool B bids. The best three teams out of that group, which encompasses all independents, the Northwest Conference, Atlantic Central Football Conference and University Athletic Association, get bids.

Every eligible team not already selected is dropped into Pool C, which consists of seven truly at-large bids. At-large bids are determined using the NCAA's criteria, which includes regional winning percentage, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, results against common opponents and results against regionally ranked teams.

If your conference has an automatic bid and your team doesn't win it, then you are only eligible for Pool C bids. If your conference doesn't have an automatic bid, you are eligible for Pool B or Pool C.

Q: What happened to the Quality of Wins Index?
A: It died the death it deserved. It wasn't a great measure of a team's schedule, but before the NCAA computerized its schedule and results gathering, it was easier to compute. The opponents' winning percentage is useful, but not without the opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

Q: How can my team guarantee it will get into the playoffs?
A: Win your conference's automatic bid. There's no guarantees otherwise. If you're a Pool B team, running the table is all you can do. No team has ever been left out of the playoffs in this system after running the table, regardless of strength of schedule. But one-loss teams with a weak schedule have not been as lucky.

Q: When will we find out which brackets meet in the national semifinals?
A: On Selection Sunday. They are not predetermined and do not rotate. The NCAA committee determines who it thinks the two best No. 1 seeds are in the bracket and makes sure they are set on opposite ends, to meet in Salem.

Q: If the two best teams are in the same region, will they be placed in separate brackets?
A: This is highly unlikely. They don't seed this tournament like a D-I tournament, unfortunately. Teams are placed in groups according to geography and seeded, though keeping teams from having to travel 500 miles in the first round is more important to the NCAA than maintaining proper matchups.

Q: There are a lot of criteria to go through. How can I tell where my team stands?
A: The NCAA releases regional rankings after Week 8, 9 and 10. They use the same criteria that they'll use to select at-large teams, so they're a good indication of where teams in the same region are relative to each other. However, being No. 6 in one region doesn't necessarily mean you're ahead of a team that's No. 7 in one of the other three.

Q: So if I'm ranked eighth in these rankings, I'm in the playoffs?
A: No. There are still the 22 automatic bids. They'll all get in ahead of you. Take the 22 automatic bids out of the rankings (and keep in mind some conferences don't have anyone in these rankings) and three Pool B teams, then the remaining seven get in.

Q: Why doesn't the NESCAC get an automatic bid?
A: It doesn't want one. The league doesn't want to participate in the NCAA playoffs in football.

Q: I have a question you haven't answered. What do I do?
A: E-mail info@d3football.com and we'll answer it either here or in e-mail.

Selection Sunday is coming Nov. 11, and whether you're new to Division III or your team is new to the playoff chase, you may well have questions about how the NCAA playoffs work.

You see, it's rather simple. There are two polls and a handful of computer ratings and at the end of the regular season, a formula determines which two teams play for the championship.

Oh wait, no, that's not it. That's because in Division III we invite 30 more teams to our postseason. But how are they chosen and paired up? What are these pools all about and should I be looking at Pool C chances or Pool B?

Even if you're an old hand at the playoff concept, there's a wrinkle this year you'll want to be familiar with, so check it out. We answer those questions and more in our 2007 Playoff Primer.

Division III has abandoned the Quality of Wins Index for the 2007 season and will determine the strength of schedule component using opponents' winning percentage and opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

Those numbers follow, through games of Saturday, Oct. 20, courtesy of D3sports.com partner PrestoSports.

We've sorted these teams by their regional winning percentage, in order to get the playoff contenders near the top. The number next to them is where they rank in opponents' winning percentage (though without ties). Provisional Division III teams and the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, are not listed.

Records and winning percentage are based on in-region games only. OWP: Opponents' winning percentage. OOWP: Opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

OWP rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	OWP	OOWP
8	Salisbury	4-0	1.000	.692	.458
46	Wabash	7-0	1.000	.605	.539
47	UW-Whitewater	6-0	1.000	.604	.562
56	Wheaton (Ill.)	7-0	1.000	.583	.597
82	Central	7-0	1.000	.538	.599
88	Mary Hardin-Baylor	7-0	1.000	.531	.525
93	St. Norbert	7-0	1.000	.524	.485
99	St. John's	7-0	1.000	.519	.615
132	Alfred	7-0	1.000	.467	.601
144	Muhlenberg	7-0	1.000	.454	.615
155	Curry	8-0	1.000	.440	.545
179	Washington and Jefferson	4-0	1.000	.407	.619
182	Mount Union	7-0	1.000	.405	.541
201	Waynesburg	6-0	1.000	.369	.551
205	Case Western Reserve	5-0	1.000	.357	.558
208	RPI	6-0	1.000	.344	.559
218	Occidental	6-0	1.000	.261	.551
120	St. John Fisher	7-1	.875	.483	.588
35	Plymouth State	6-1	.857	.616	.482
42	Washington U.	6-1	.857	.609	.542
66	Wartburg	6-1	.857	.569	.598
65	Franklin	6-1	.857	.569	.506
75	Capital	6-1	.857	.552	.563
83	Bethel	6-1	.857	.538	.592
105	Millsaps	6-1	.857	.514	.490
112	Mt. St. Joseph	6-1	.857	.500	.523
126	Dickinson	6-1	.857	.476	.596
141	Coast Guard	6-1	.857	.456	.536
161	Randolph-Macon	6-1	.857	.433	.649
180	Bridgewater (Va.)	6-1	.857	.407	.564
209	Albright	6-1	.857	.343	.563
3	Wesley	5-1	.833	.767	.547
21	New Jersey	5-1	.833	.633	.496
121	Trinity (Texas)	5-1	.833	.483	.513
163	Cortland State	5-1	.833	.433	.577
162	North Carolina Wesleyan	5-1	.833	.433	.576
189	Whitworth	5-1	.833	.392	.535
222	Ursinus	5-1	.833	.234	.624
18	Redlands	4-1	.800	.640	.436
57	Hope	4-1	.800	.583	.514
28	Linfield	3-1	.750	.625	.506
86	Hampden-Sydney	6-2	.750	.535	.572
107	UW-Stevens Point	3-1	.750	.512	.561
193	Rockford	6-2	.750	.382	.447
199	Concordia (Wis.)	6-2	.750	.375	.479
214	Moravian	6-2	.750	.321	.573
17	St. Olaf	5-2	.714	.648	.582
22	North Central	5-2	.714	.633	.543
25	Dubuque	5-2	.714	.627	.530
31	Illinois Wesleyan	5-2	.714	.619	.584

OWP rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	OWP	OOWP
33	Wittenberg	5-2	.714	.617	.550
54	Hartwick	5-2	.714	.585	.480
62	Montclair State	5-2	.714	.576	.581
71	Pacific Lutheran	5-2	.714	.557	.506
76	Ohio Northern	5-2	.714	.552	.538
89	Carthage	5-2	.714	.531	.541
95	Northwestern (Minn.)	5-2	.714	.522	.444
108	Hobart	5-2	.714	.510	.521
128	Defiance	5-2	.714	.476	.506
127	Maryville (Tenn.)	5-2	.714	.476	.471
139	John Carroll	5-2	.714	.457	.548
150	Mississippi College	5-2	.714	.446	.553
165	Ithaca	5-2	.714	.432	.592
167	Nichols	5-2	.714	.429	.509
168	East Texas Baptist	5-2	.714	.424	.499
195	Maine Maritime	5-2	.714	.381	.507
203	Allegheny	5-2	.714	.362	.527
49	Christopher Newport	4-2	.667	.600	.503
52	Rhodes	4-2	.667	.594	.511
116	DePauw	4-2	.667	.489	.480
117	Washington and Lee	4-2	.667	.486	.496
129	Union	4-2	.667	.472	.515
135	Chapman	4-2	.667	.464	.544
151	Rowan	4-2	.667	.444	.542
156	Delaware Valley	4-2	.667	.439	.590
160	Sul Ross State	4-2	.667	.434	.510
200	Widener	4-2	.667	.372	.549
210	Crown	4-2	.667	.337	.404
19	Gettysburg	5-3	.625	.634	.464
92	Monmouth	5-3	.625	.527	.495
103	Carroll	5-3	.625	.515	.470
106	Ripon	5-3	.625	.514	.478
157	Rose-Hulman	5-3	.625	.439	.487
74	Willamette	3-2	.600	.553	.510
87	Alma	3-2	.600	.533	.569
130	UW-Eau Claire	3-2	.600	.470	.591
148	Thomas More	3-2	.600	.447	.582
9	Coe	4-3	.571	.690	.571
30	Elmhurst	4-3	.571	.620	.525
44	Gustavus Adolphus	4-3	.571	.607	.517
50	Otterbein	4-3	.571	.600	.529
58	Tri-State	4-3	.571	.583	.469
59	Westfield State	4-3	.571	.582	.460
84	Olivet	4-3	.571	.536	.565
114	Husson	4-3	.571	.493	.506
136	Bridgewater State	4-3	.571	.463	.473
140	Martin Luther	4-3	.571	.457	.418
145	Adrian	4-3	.571	.452	.500
146	Rochester	4-3	.571	.449	.531
158	Worcester Polytech	4-3	.571	.439	.495

OWP rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	OWP	OOWP
176	Baldwin-Wallace	4-3	.571	.410	.523
207	Puget Sound	4-3	.571	.355	.553
1	Frostburg State	1-1	.500	.900	.600
4	Brockport State	2-2	.500	.756	.503
10	Emory and Henry	3-3	.500	.687	.437
37	Concordia-Moorhead	3-3	.500	.611	.579
45	UW-Oshkosh	3-3	.500	.606	.506
53	Luther	3-3	.500	.589	.552
61	Worcester State	4-4	.500	.577	.444
104	Lakeland	4-4	.500	.515	.456
138	Guilford	3-3	.500	.458	.437
142	Whittier	3-3	.500	.456	.451
152	Westminster (Mo.)	3-3	.500	.444	.430
154	Catholic	3-3	.500	.441	.557
166	Mass-Dartmouth	4-4	.500	.432	.493
171	Centre	3-3	.500	.417	.466
173	Benedictine	3-3	.500	.414	.464
172	UW-Stout	4-4	.500	.414	.551
183	Chicago	3-3	.500	.405	.502
188	Cal Lutheran	3-3	.500	.394	.538
196	Ferrum	3-3	.500	.378	.516
211	Illinois College	4-4	.500	.333	.494
217	Greenville	3-3	.500	.274	.427
7	Carnegie Mellon	3-4	.429	.695	.446
13	Springfield	3-4	.429	.665	.545
15	Augsburg	3-4	.429	.652	.559
26	Simpson	3-4	.429	.627	.531
32	Heidelberg	3-4	.429	.619	.507
39	Buena Vista	3-4	.429	.610	.553
70	Hardin-Simmons	3-4	.429	.560	.496
77	Oberlin	3-4	.429	.552	.460
85	Augustana	3-4	.429	.536	.529
118	Carleton	3-4	.429	.486	.493
169	Colorado College	3-4	.429	.419	.453
177	Lawrence	3-4	.429	.408	.460
184	Aurora	3-4	.429	.405	.431
212	Manchester	3-4	.429	.333	.468
213	William Paterson	3-4	.429	.329	.553
48	Westminster (Pa.)	2-3	.400	.602	.436
96	UW-La Crosse	2-3	.400	.520	.544
206	Bethany	2-3	.400	.357	.509
219	SUNY-Maritime	2-3	.400	.252	.480
43	Grove City	3-5	.375	.608	.508
109	Lake Forest	3-5	.375	.509	.480
185	Knox	3-5	.375	.405	.450
204	Concordia (Ill.)	3-5	.375	.360	.408
38	St. Lawrence	2-4	.333	.611	.474
100	Ohio Wesleyan	2-4	.333	.519	.555
101	Kean	2-4	.333	.517	.498

OWP rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	OWP	OOWP
174	Pomona-Pitzer	2-4	.333	.414	.468
175	Austin	2-4	.333	.413	.490
197	Minnesota-Morris	2-4	.333	.378	.414
216	Greensboro	2-4	.333	.278	.455
2	Johns Hopkins	2-5	.286	.825	.441
11	Millikin	2-5	.286	.677	.550
23	Wooster	2-5	.286	.629	.419
55	Endicott	2-5	.286	.585	.474
63	Norwich	2-5	.286	.573	.454
68	Utica	2-5	.286	.565	.470
73	St. Thomas	2-5	.286	.557	.560
72	Hamline	2-5	.286	.557	.511
81	Louisiana College	2-5	.286	.541	.510
113	FDU-Florham	2-5	.286	.500	.432
115	Loras	2-5	.286	.490	.564
124	Earlham	2-5	.286	.479	.496
133	Framingham State	2-5	.286	.466	.480
149	Wisconsin Lutheran	2-5	.286	.447	.497
153	Wilkes	2-5	.286	.443	.449
178	MIT	2-5	.286	.408	.465
186	Lebanon Valley	2-5	.286	.403	.478
221	Macalester	2-5	.286	.248	.456
12	Western Connecticut	1-3	.250	.675	.460
51	Western New England	2-6	.250	.595	.504
69	Huntingdon	1-3	.250	.563	.541
131	McMurry	2-6	.250	.469	.467
159	Mount Ida	2-6	.250	.438	.498
170	Massachusetts Maritime	2-6	.250	.418	.470
191	Blackburn	2-6	.250	.383	.367
34	Albion	1-4	.200	.617	.537
36	Hanover	1-4	.200	.614	.439
123	UW-Platteville	1-4	.200	.480	.490
181	Kenyon	1-4	.200	.407	.393
192	Kalamazoo	1-4	.200	.383	.489
194	Howard Payne	1-4	.200	.382	.502
5	UW-River Falls	1-5	.167	.747	.513
6	Thiel	1-5	.167	.714	.443
40	Buffalo State	1-5	.167	.610	.464
90	Marietta	1-5	.167	.528	.520
102	Anderson	1-5	.167	.517	.482
110	Denison	1-5	.167	.506	.412
143	Cornell	1-5	.167	.456	.578
164	Methodist	1-5	.167	.433	.507
14	McDaniel	1-6	.143	.654	.400
27	Texas Lutheran	1-6	.143	.626	.448
29	Franklin and Marshall	1-6	.143	.621	.411
41	Shenandoah	1-6	.143	.610	.411
64	Wilmington	1-6	.143	.571	.519
67	Menlo	1-6	.143	.567	.446
79	Lycoming	1-6	.143	.548	.395
94	North Park	1-6	.143	.524	.523

OWP rank	Team	Record	Win pct.	OWP	OOWP
98	Fitchburg State	1-6	.143	.520	.465
97	Grinnell	1-6	.143	.520	.460
111	Susquehanna	1-6	.143	.502	.458
125	Salve Regina	1-6	.143	.478	.430
147	Becker	1-6	.143	.449	.457
190	Eureka	1-6	.143	.384	.409
202	Maranatha Baptist	1-6	.143	.365	.385
16	Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	0-5	.000	.650	.423
20	King's	0-7	.000	.634	.430
24	LaGrange	0-6	.000	.628	.512
60	Merchant Marine	0-8	.000	.579	.439
78	La Verne	0-6	.000	.550	.379
80	Muskingum	0-7	.000	.548	.470
91	Sewanee	0-6	.000	.528	.456
119	Averett	0-7	.000	.486	.410
122	Lewis and Clark	0-6	.000	.483	.399
134	Juniata	0-7	.000	.465	.488
137	MacMurray	0-7	.000	.459	.407
187	Beloit	0-8	.000	.402	.432
198	Bluffton	0-7	.000	.377	.444
215	Principia	0-7	.000	.318	.362
220	Hiram	0-7	.000	.250	.449
223	Gallaudet	0-2	.000	.100	.363

Plenty of programs have had four brothers or more filter through at one time or another, or more than one brother on the team or even on the field at once.

But Linfield has been making lemonade out in Oregon all season, with four Lemon brothers on the field at once on the punt team. Chet, Chase, Bubba and Mychal got a special visit from their grandfather, former Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon, with father Meadow Lemon on the sidelines as always as cornerbacks coach.

Oh, and they got a visit from Adam Johnson, too. More in this week's Around the West.

Gallaudet hasn't had the easiest transition from the club level to Division III play this season, but the Bison have benefited from a pair of brothers themselves. Robin and Shawn Shannon tell Ryan Tipps about their competitiveness, both with each other and the opposition, in Around the Mid-Atlantic.

It's not just the ACFC title on the line, or even a Pool B bid. It's the pride of U.S. 13 -- not to mention perhaps a recruiting edge -- when Wesley and Salisbury meet Saturday. Adam Samrov gets a take from Wesley coach Mike Drass and Salisbury's Sherm Wood in Around the East.

Now, if you're a quarterback and your name is Jacob Manning, you may wish you were a brother of some other well-known football players. Alas, it's not the case, but Hope's quarterback takes it all in stride. Matt Florjancic has the story in Around the Great Lakes. Plus, an appreciation of former Baldwin-Wallace coach Bob Packard, who died this past week at age 64.

Illinois Wesleyan has been one of the surprises of the season so far, but as Clyde Hughes writes in Around the Midwest, coach Norm Eash wants to tell you they've really been one step away since their last CCIW title in 2001.

Will the NESCAC ever come out and test itself with the rest of Division III in the playoffs? Perhaps not, but some other changes would be welcome. Tom Haley explores in Around the Northeast. That and more in this week's Around the Region.

We had a few more consequences for ranked teams than one might have expected in Week 8, with Cortland State and Bethel finally confirming they belonged while knocking Montclair State and St. Olaf off their pedestals.

How did things go down for Capital? What in the world is up with Central? And where do the MAC and NJAC go from here? Check out this week's Around the Nation podcast, where Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman give their take on the week gone by and week yet to come.

If all those references to Pool B and Pool C have you confused and you're looking for information about the playoff format, this is the place. Plus we'll take our first look at the showdowns coming in Week 9, including No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor at No. 3 UW-Whitewater.

It's one of five games between teams ranked in the D3football.com Top 25, including No. 1 Mount Union at No. 12 Capital and No. 9 Salisbury at No. 10 Wesley.

As always, you can click here to load the podcast page in iTunes or you can also receive this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:
• Ohio Northern vs. Marietta
• Catholic vs. Hampden-Sydney
• Menlo vs. Willamette

Baldwin-Wallace's all-time winningest football coach passed away Saturday. Bob Packard, who retired after the 2001 season, was 64.

"He touched many, many lives in his illustrious coaching career and will be dearly missed," Jim Tressel, former Baldwin-Wallace quarterback and current Ohio state coach said in a statement. "The Tressel family, specifically, lost a much loved friend who had an important impact on our lives."

Packard was a player and later an assistant coach under Lee Tressel and was the Yellow Jacket offensive coordinator when the team won the 1978 national championship.

"I have been truly blessed," Packard said after his retirement in 2002, of his career that spanned 34 years as a player, assistant coach and then head coach at Baldwin-Wallace. "I always knew that I wanted to be a football coach. How many people get a chance to get their dream job at a place they love?

In his final season, Packard recorded his 156th career victory to surpass Lee Tressel – his coach and mentor – for the most coaching wins in Baldwin-Wallace history. A scholar-athlete, quarterback and safety, Packard participated in 285 victories; 58% of all wins to that time in the school's football history that dates to 1893.

Each week during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

Mary Hardin-Baylor's Jarvis Thrasher and Quincy Daniels set an NCAA all-division record for single game rushing yardage by two teammates in UMHB's 69-30 victory over Mississippi College. Thrasher ran for an ASC-record 324 yards on 12 carries and Daniels added a career-high 199 yards on just eight attempts. The combined total of 523 yards tops the previous Division III and NCAA all-divisions record of 519 yards set by Carey Bender and Jason Whitaker of Coe on Oct. 9, 1993. Daniels went 93 and 87 yards for touchdowns, with Thrasher adding an 89-yard run for a score and an 81-yarder.

Wartburg's Neil Suckow scored three touchdowns on just 15 touches against his former team as the Knights defeated Coe 27-3. Suckow transferred from Coe to Wartburg late in the offseason. He caught a 5-yard touchdown pass, had an 8-yard TD run and returned a punt 66 yards for a score.

Against Springfield, there's not many opportunities for interceptions, so St. John Fisher Steven Stepnick made do with 17 tackles, 10 solo, and two tackles for loss in the Cardinals' 35-14 win. St. John Fisher held Chris Sharpe out of the end zone for just the second time in 19 games. Watch the archived game from D3Cast.

Mt. St. Joseph defensive back Phil Poetter intercepted three passes and returned two for touchdowns in the Lions' 45-24 win against Manchester. Poetter has returned four interceptions for scores in his career.

Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and more weekend coverage.

Jack Rafferty threw for 121 yards and ran for 63 as Otterbein jumped out to a 17-3 lead and held on to upset crosstown rival No. 5 Capital 17-10. Otterbein and Mount Union are the only teams to beat Capital in the past 33 games.

No. 7 Central survived another cardiac moment, coming up with two big sacks in the third overtime and going on to beat Dubuque 37-34. It's the fifth one-score win for the Dutch in the past six contests. Saturday's scores.

St. Norbert scored touchdowns on six of its first seven possessions to beat Ripon 52-27 en route to clinching the automatic bid from the Midwest Conference. It's the Green Knights' seventh trip to the playoffs in nine seasons of the Pools playoff system.

Bethel remained unbeaten in the MIAC, having little trouble with No. 13 St. Olaf in a 35-13 win. Bethel's performance only makes the season-opening loss to Buena Vista (2-4) more puzzling. Cortland State had its way with visiting No. 15 Montclair State, scoring the game's final 33 points in a 43-13 win, remaining unbeaten in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. No. 22 New Jersey defeated Western Connecticut 42-21 to stay perfect in NJAC play as well, while Kean knocked off Rowan 35-28 in overtime, leaving the Profs two and a half games behind Cortland.

The top of the poll had varying challenges against conference contenders. No. 3 UW-Whitewater won 31-14 at No. 20 UW-Stevens Point, while top-ranked Mount Union blanked Baldwin-Wallace 35-0. No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor got four touchdown runs of 75 yards or longer in handing Mississippi College its second loss, 69-30.

Royce Winford caught 20 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns to lead Augsburg past Carleton 38-16. Williams became the fifth Division III team to reach 600 wins, beating Tufts 34-13. Wittenberg (now at 668), Washington and Jefferson (643), Mount Union (635) and Widener (627) preceded Williams to the milestone.

Albright took care of a shorthanded Wilkes squad in a 35-25 win. Albright, Widener and Delaware Valley are tied for first in the MAC, at 4-0 apiece, as Delaware Valley shut out Lycoming and Widener rolled past FDU-Florham on Friday night.

No. 8 St. John Fisher took a 10-7 lead on Springfield and broke it wide open in a 35-14 Empire 8 win, while No. 14 Wabash had little trouble with Oberlin. No. 19 Linfield stayed in the Pool B hunt, shutting out Pacific Lutheran 24-0. It ended a string of 239 games in which Pacific Lutheran had scored, dating to 1979.

Curry roared past Plymouth State 42-14 in a battle of NEFC unbeatens. Curry can clinch a spot in the league's title game with a win next week against Nichols. Bridgewater escaped Emory and Henry with a 17-14 win, while Hampden-Sydney beat Catholic 49-39 (Photo gallery) to remain one loss behind ODAC leader Randolph-Macon. Check out Saturday's results.

Division III has abandoned the Quality of Wins Index for the 2007 season and will determine the strength of schedule component using opponents' winning percentage and opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

Those numbers follow, through games of Saturday, Oct. 13, courtesy of D3sports.com partner PrestoSports.

We've sorted these teams by their regional winning percentage, in order to get the playoff contenders near the top. The number next to them is where they rank in opponents' winning percentage (though without ties). Provisional Division III teams and the NESCAC, which does not participate in the playoffs, are not listed.

OWP rank, team	Regional record	Regional win%	Opponents win%	Opp. Opp. win%
3 Salisbury	3-0	1.000	.833	.493
15 Wheaton (Ill.)	6-0	1.000	.689	.607
45 Wabash	6-0	1.000	.617	.528
70 St. John's	6-0	1.000	.558	.675
72 Plymouth State	6-0	1.000	.556	.506
81 Capital	6-0	1.000	.542	.623
90 UW-Whitewater	5-0	1.000	.533	.607
99 Muhlenberg	6-0	1.000	.522	.626
112 Washington and Jefferson	3-0	1.000	.506	.578
113 Central	6-0	1.000	.500	.636
114 Mary Hardin-Baylor	6-0	1.000	.500	.537
117 St. Norbert	6-0	1.000	.494	.498
123 Alfred	6-0	1.000	.481	.623
166 RPI	5-0	1.000	.413	.566
177 Waynesburg	5-0	1.000	.397	.505
193 UW-Stevens Point	3-0	1.000	.361	.652
200 Case Western Reserve	5-0	1.000	.347	.557
207 Mount Union	6-0	1.000	.333	.594
210 Curry	7-0	1.000	.314	.572
220 Occidental	5-0	1.000	.240	.614
52 Washington U.	6-1	.857	.590	.591
80 Millsaps	6-1	.857	.543	.475
136 St. John Fisher	6-1	.857	.464	.598
160 Randolph-Macon	6-1	.857	.426	.650
6 Wesley	5-1	.833	.772	.573
61 St. Olaf	5-1	.833	.567	.626
69 Pacific Lutheran	5-1	.833	.558	.496
74 Franklin	5-1	.833	.550	.534
77 Dubuque	5-1	.833	.547	.528
79 Wartburg	5-1	.833	.544	.609
82 Montclair State	5-1	.833	.542	.627
116 Mt. St. Joseph	5-1	.833	.494	.562
139 Bethel	5-1	.833	.458	.657
142 Coast Guard	5-1	.833	.456	.509
143 Dickinson	5-1	.833	.450	.564
170 Bridgewater (Va.)	5-1	.833	.403	.528
178 Whitworth	5-1	.833	.394	.599
186 Mississippi College	5-1	.833	.383	.557
203 Albright	5-1	.833	.342	.574
7 New Jersey	4-1	.800	.760	.477
66 Trinity (Texas)	4-1	.800	.563	.487
92 Rowan	4-1	.800	.530	.570
94 North Carolina Wesleyan	4-1	.800	.527	.563
199 Cortland State	4-1	.800	.347	.578
217 Ursinus	4-1	.800	.267	.584
4 Redlands	3-1	.750	.812	.333
56 Hope	3-1	.750	.583	.572
60 Hampden-Sydney	5-2	.714	.567	.582
103 Northwestern (Minn.)	5-2	.714	.512	.443
152 Maryville (Tenn.)	5-2	.714	.433	.510
157 Ripon	5-2	.714	.429	.485
188 Rose-Hulman	5-2	.714	.376	.493
195 Moravian	5-2	.714	.357	.573
204 Rockford	5-2	.714	.333	.435
212 Concordia (Wis.)	5-2	.714	.300	.487
13 North Central	4-2	.667	.694	.511
21 Gettysburg	4-2	.667	.672	.494
24 Hartwick	4-2	.667	.661	.469
29 Coe	4-2	.667	.650	.583
32 Wittenberg	4-2	.667	.644	.562
38 Ohio Northern	4-2	.667	.633	.562
39 Illinois Wesleyan	4-2	.667	.633	.569
47 Tri-State	4-2	.667	.611	.461
48 Elmhurst	4-2	.667	.608	.538
59 John Carroll	4-2	.667	.575	.559
86 Defiance	4-2	.667	.539	.447
87 Carthage	4-2	.667	.539	.539
93 Hobart	4-2	.667	.528	.490
106 Linfield	2-1	.667	.511	.541
118 Union	4-2	.667	.494	.501
141 Worcester Polytech	4-2	.667	.456	.465
145 Bridgewater State	4-2	.667	.444	.468
149 Ithaca	4-2	.667	.439	.605
158 Maine Maritime	4-2	.667	.428	.497
159 Husson	4-2	.667	.428	.543
163 Nichols	4-2	.667	.417	.521
165 Martin Luther	4-2	.667	.414	.412
167 Adrian	4-2	.667	.411	.536
176 East Texas Baptist	4-2	.667	.400	.481
201 Allegheny	4-2	.667	.344	.559
211 Baldwin-Wallace	4-2	.667	.308	.592
22 UW-Oshkosh	3-2	.600	.667	.504
25 Christopher Newport	3-2	.600	.657	.528
26 Rhodes	3-2	.600	.653	.546
27 Emory and Henry	3-2	.600	.653	.470
102 Thomas More	3-2	.600	.517	.579
120 Washington and Lee	3-2	.600	.490	.488
124 Delaware Valley	3-2	.600	.480	.627
135 Chicago	3-2	.600	.467	.463
151 DePauw	3-2	.600	.437	.508
153 Chapman	3-2	.600	.433	.614
171 Sul Ross State	3-2	.600	.400	.461
179 Guilford	3-2	.600	.393	.452
182 Widener	3-2	.600	.390	.580
183 Catholic	3-2	.600	.387	.524
207 Cal Lutheran	3-2	.600	.327	.585
208 Crown	3-2	.600	.327	.389
67 Monmouth	4-3	.571	.562	.484
76 Carroll	4-3	.571	.548	.466
91 Worcester State	4-3	.571	.533	.431
129 Lakeland	4-3	.571	.471	.472
162 Mass-Dartmouth	4-3	.571	.419	.527
1 Frostburg State	1-1	.500	.900	.599
8 Brockport State	2-2	.500	.758	.485
12 Westminster (Pa.)	2-2	.500	.700	.473
14 Springfield	3-3	.500	.689	.549
19 Gustavus Adolphus	3-3	.500	.678	.549
35 Willamette	2-2	.500	.638	.471
43 Hardin-Simmons	3-3	.500	.617	.473
58 Westfield State	3-3	.500	.578	.441
62 Alma	2-2	.500	.567	.568
73 Augustana	3-3	.500	.556	.533
75 Carleton	3-3	.500	.550	.452
98 Olivet	3-3	.500	.522	.550
100 UW-Eau Claire	2-2	.500	.521	.644
110 Otterbein	3-3	.500	.508	.612
164 Centre	3-3	.500	.417	.461
168 Rochester	3-3	.500	.411	.520
169 Ferrum	3-3	.500	.403	.498
173 Colorado College	3-3	.500	.400	.434
174 Oberlin	3-3	.500	.400	.497
192 Puget Sound	3-3	.500	.369	.573
221 Manchester	3-3	.500	.233	.508
97 Grove City	3-4	.429	.524	.531
144 Benedictine	3-4	.429	.448	.456
175 Knox	3-4	.429	.400	.431
196 Concordia (Ill.)	3-4	.429	.357	.400
202 Illinois College	3-4	.429	.343	.483
11 Buena Vista	2-3	.400	.730	.524
18 Concordia-Moorhead	2-3	.400	.680	.554
30 Luther	2-3	.400	.650	.512
57 St. Lawrence	2-3	.400	.580	.473
64 UW-Stout	2-3	.400	.567	.495
85 Whittier	2-3	.400	.540	.386
111 Westminster (Mo.)	2-3	.400	.507	.437
134 Ohio Wesleyan	2-3	.400	.467	.572
172 Austin	2-3	.400	.400	.456
190 Minnesota-Morris	2-3	.400	.373	.425
213 SUNY-Maritime	2-3	.400	.293	.480
214 Greenville	2-3	.400	.280	.403
218 Pomona-Pitzer	2-3	.400	.263	.570
9 Simpson	2-4	.333	.739	.490
10 Heidelberg	2-4	.333	.733	.467
16 Carnegie Mellon	2-4	.333	.689	.430
17 Augsburg	2-4	.333	.681	.571
28 Millikin	2-4	.333	.650	.558
36 Western Connecticut	1-2	.333	.633	.409
44 Wooster	2-4	.333	.617	.449
54 Utica	2-4	.333	.589	.468
63 St. Thomas	2-4	.333	.567	.558
68 Louisiana College	2-4	.333	.561	.520
104 Grinnell	2-4	.333	.511	.495
108 Hamline	2-4	.333	.508	.523
121 Loras	2-4	.333	.483	.578
125 Lawrence	2-4	.333	.478	.467
147 FDU-Florham	2-4	.333	.442	.452
180 Wilkes	2-4	.333	.392	.468
185 Framingham State	2-4	.333	.383	.506
197 William Paterson	2-4	.333	.350	.505
198 Aurora	2-4	.333	.350	.429
219 Macalester	2-4	.333	.250	.430
5 Johns Hopkins	2-5	.286	.812	.466
33 Western New England	2-5	.286	.643	.489
55 Norwich	2-5	.286	.588	.446
119 Lake Forest	2-5	.286	.490	.462
146 McMurry	2-5	.286	.443	.452
150 Mount Ida	2-5	.286	.438	.461
161 Massachusetts Maritime	2-5	.286	.421	.488
34 Hanover	1-3	.250	.642	.405
51 Huntingdon	1-3	.250	.600	.515
65 Albion	1-3	.250	.567	.557
115 UW-Platteville	1-3	.250	.496	.492
122 UW-La Crosse	1-3	.250	.483	.542
133 Kalamazoo	1-3	.250	.467	.521
137 Kenyon	1-3	.250	.462	.356
205 Bethany	1-3	.250	.333	.455
2 UW-River Falls	1-4	.200	.893	.506
20 Buffalo State	1-4	.200	.677	.471
37 Thiel	1-4	.200	.633	.472
101 Marietta	1-4	.200	.520	.493
130 Kean	1-4	.200	.470	.473
131 Cornell	1-4	.200	.467	.584
156 Methodist	1-4	.200	.430	.500
206 Greensboro	1-4	.200	.333	.405
23 Endicott	1-5	.167	.661	.441
40 Wilmington	1-5	.167	.633	.477
42 McDaniel	1-5	.167	.628	.418
71 Menlo	1-5	.167	.558	.450
83 Shenandoah	1-5	.167	.542	.421
88 Franklin and Marshall	1-5	.167	.536	.390
96 Salve Regina	1-5	.167	.525	.425
105 Earlham	1-5	.167	.511	.468
109 Lycoming	1-5	.167	.508	.384
132 MIT	1-5	.167	.467	.433
148 Lebanon Valley	1-5	.167	.439	.461
154 North Park	1-5	.167	.433	.514
155 Wisconsin Lutheran	1-5	.167	.433	.475
187 Maranatha Baptist	1-5	.167	.378	.371
189 Eureka	1-5	.167	.375	.374
194 Becker	1-5	.167	.361	.429
78 Texas Lutheran	1-6	.143	.545	.423
128 Susquehanna	1-6	.143	.474	.474
191 Blackburn	1-6	.143	.371	.355
31 King's	0-6	.000	.650	.447
41 LaGrange	0-6	.000	.633	.504
46 Denison	0-5	.000	.617	.397
49 Fitchburg State	0-6	.000	.600	.425
50 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps	0-4	.000	.600	.342
53 La Verne	0-5	.000	.590	.319
84 Anderson	0-5	.000	.540	.506
89 Muskingum	0-6	.000	.533	.498
95 Averett	0-6	.000	.525	.449
107 Lewis and Clark	0-5	.000	.510	.385
126 Bluffton	0-6	.000	.478	.409
127 Sewanee	0-5	.000	.477	.439
138 MacMurray	0-6	.000	.461	.395
140 Merchant Marine	0-7	.000	.457	.452
181 Juniata	0-5	.000	.390	.479
184 Beloit	0-7	.000	.386	.432
209 Howard Payne	0-4	.000	.317	.447
215 Principia	0-6	.000	.269	.339
216 Hiram	0-6	.000	.267	.398
236 Gallaudet	0-2	.000	.000	.347

There are things you might've missed so far through seven weeks of the Division III football season. And then, there are things you won't want to miss coming up.

Who are the big surprise teams so far and will they finish their potential playoff run? Who will surprise down the stretch? Who has disappointed, or has yet to disappoint?

Keith McMillan has that and more in this week's Around the Nation.

What players and key statistical performances have come out and which are yet to come? What off-field changes will have the most changes as we approach Selection Sunday?

Plus, find out McMillan's three keys to bringing more of a big-time feel to Division III football. Why doesn't D3football.com jump all over the Mike Flynt story (hey, he finally played!) the way the big news outlets have? It's all in Around the Nation.

Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano was named one of the “100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute for International Sport. The 100 individuals selected have been honored for making a lasting impact on the lives of young athletes and for providing a blueprint to other sports educators to do the same.

The listing is the culmination of a three-year project run by IIS aimed at honoring those who have used sport to educate and shape positive values. The organization received over 1,500 nominations with a final selection committee consisting of coaches, athletic administrators, journalists, and academicians. Mitrano is one of the first 20 individuals who will be highlighted on the IIS Web site, www.internationalsport.com, through Dec. 15.

Mitrano is the only collegiate commissioner to make the list and is part of an elite group that includes active administrators, coaches, and athletes, as well as retired or semiretired individuals whose careers have been characterized by extraordinary contributions to sports education. The honorees range from administrators such as NCAA executive director Myles Brand to current and former coaching legends such as John Wooden, Pat Summitt, Joe Paterno, C. Vivian Stringer, and Phil Jackson. The list of athletes features such notables as Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Cal Ripken.

“I consider Chuck Mitrano to be a visionary whose inspired leadership is being felt on a national scale,” said Dan Doyle, executive director of the Institute for International Sport.

“No one could be more conscientious than Chuck in promoting the developmental values of sports,” said Empire 8 and Alfred president Charles Edmondson. “He has been an exemplary commissioner for the Empire 8 and his success emphasizing sportsmanship has enhanced not only our conference, but the quality of athletic competition throughout Division III. For those reasons, Chuck is most deserving of this recognition.”

Mitrano was the driving force which led to the creation of the Division III Commissioner's Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Committee focusing on issues facing the members of the NCAA's largest division. He also created the nationally renowned Conduct Foul Program which is the only known tangible way to monitor unsporting behavior. The conference was the first to implement the program which was eventually adopted by Division III for use amongst its membership. Several Division I and II institutions and high schools across the nation use the program. Mitrano also conducted research on fan behavior and played a key role in the development and implementation of the Division III Fan Sportsmanship Program as well as many proactive fan education and policies within Empire 8.

Mitrano successfully lobbied the NCAA leadership and membership to sponsor a groundbreaking NCAA Hazing Prevention Summit in conjunction with the 2008 NCAA Convention. He will serve as the event's moderator/facilitator and played a major role in the organization and promotion of the event.

In case you'd forgotten or were unaware, the term "run the table" actually comes from pool. But there's a caveat to that, and Franklin coach Mike Leonard was reminded of that by Lance Marshall, the school's baseball coach. No matter what you do, avoid the 8-ball.

That's where the Grizzlies stand after winning at defending HCAC champ Mount St. Joseph. For more, check out Clyde Hughes' Around the Midwest.

Being in a leadership role isn't particularly new for Averett quarterback Shan Fairbanks. Although it's his first year as a starter for the Cougars, Fairbanks has been a mentor of sorts for years.

Ryan Tipps writes about Fairbanks and his special friendship in this week's Around the Mid-Atlantic.

Time management can derail many a promising college career, even before you throw intercollegiate athletics into the mix. That's why what Xander Jones does at Ohio Wesleyan struck Matt Florjancic. He has the story of the three-sport student-athlete in Around the Great Lakes.

Anyone trying to derail Mary Hardin-Baylor faces an unenviable task. This week, that falls to Mississippi College. What does coach Norm Joseph have in mind? Wes Anderson finds out in Around the South.

In Around the East, Adam Samrov talks to Cortland and Union about their playoff chances and runs down the rest of the region in terms of postseason possibilities.

The Boston area has had plenty of sports flavor this season, but with the Patriots, Red Sox and others in the national scene, is there room on the palate for a little spice of Division III? Tom Haley has more in Around the Northeast. That and more in this week's Around the Region.

Each Monday during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

Coast Guard struggled with time of possession in the first half of its game against Bridgewater State and trailed 14-10. But the Bears put it together in the third quarter. Taking over after a punt was downed on the Coast Guard 2-yard line, the team went on a 98-yard drive, holding the ball for an incredible 22 plays. Coast Guard converted four third downs and two fourth downs in the drive, which gave the Bears the lead in a game they eventually won 24-21. Quarterback Christian George ran for 194 yards and threw for 51, though backup Niles Pierson scored the touchdown when he came in for relief on the final two series. The drive took 8:39 off the clock.

Harrison Dull is healthy again and causing trouble for Chapman's opponents. He caught 10 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 38-20 win against Whittier, with all three scores coming in a 6:42 span in the second half. They were his first three touchdowns of the season.

Trinity (Texas) defensive back Shaun Irchirl helped keep DePauw's offense off the field on Saturday. He caused a fumble and intercepted two passes as the Tigers of Trinity, who led 26-21 at the half, held the Tigers of DePauw off the field on offense for 22 minutes of the second half. He also had five tackles, all solo.

Case Western Reserve linebacker Tom Brew, a Gagliardi finalist last season, recorded seven solo tackles (21 total) in the Spartans' 20-17 overtime win at Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans ran for 205 yards but averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.

Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and more weekend coverage.

From Lake Shore Drive to the Eisenhower Expressway to the Tri-State, Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman hit all around Chicagoland on Saturday, making for a fairly long day.

But six stadiums, parts of three games and five or so hours of sleep later, they certainly had a story to tell. It's just a question of how coherent it is. To find out how they did, listen to this week's Around the Nation Podcast.

Did Augustana regret spiking the ball on first-and-goal from the 7 with 46 seconds left? You'll hear coach Jim Barnes' hindsight reaction. How does the IBFC compare with the CCIW? (Unfavorably, that's clear on paper, but there were specifics to be seen and described in person.)

And elsewhere, how did the rest of the Division III weekend shake out? That and more in this week's Around the Nation Podcast.

You can click here to load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Click here for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:
• No. 13 St. Olaf vs. Concordia-Moorhead
• Elmhurst vs. North Central
• Austin vs. Birmingham-Southern
• Gettysburg vs. Juniata
• Benedictine vs. Aurora

No. 5 Wheaton rallied for the second consecutive week as quarterback Sean Norris hit Alex Pokorny for a 44-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Thunder a 28-24 win against Augustana.

Wheaton held as the Vikings had first-and-goal from the 7 with 46 seconds left.

Two Hoosier State schools took a big leg up in their conference races on Saturday. Matt Hudson threw for 293 yards and a touchdown as No. 14 Wabash held off Wittenberg 24-17 in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The Little Giants are now 4-0 in NCAC play. Franklin scored a 28-19 win over defending champion Mt. St. Joseph on the road. The Grizzlies, who narrowly missed the playoffs last year, head back to the Hoosier State in control of the HCAC.

Elsewhere, conference races are becoming clearer. The OAC will likely come down to No. 1 Mount Union and No. 7 Capital again. The Purple Raiders rolled Wilmington 59-0, while Wade Bartholomew threw three touchdowns as the Crusaders handled No. 11 Ohio Northern 24-6. Mount Union and Capital improve to 6-0, 5-0 in conference. Saturday's scores.

No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor remained unbeaten as the Crusaders thrashed Louisiana College under the lights 70-14. No. 20 Linfield defended Division III's honor on the road at NAIA Southern Oregon, holding on for a 30-22 win. Get Pat and Keith's thoughts on the day's action on the Daily Dose, including reports from Chicagoland. No. 3 UW-Whitewater took care of UW-Oshkosh 26-14 to stay undefeated in the WIAC. No. 22 UW-Stevens Point did the same with a 26-23 win over UW-Stout. It was the Pointers' seventh consecutive three-point win over a conference opponent. The Warhawks and Pointers will face off for first place next week in Stevens Point. No. 16 UW-Eau Claire fell to UW-River Falls 27-20.

Cody Huisman pulled in a 33-yard pass from Tim Connell for a fourth-quarter touchdown as No. 6 Central beat Coe 24-17. Sam Coffey kicked a 30-yard field goal in overtime to lift Case Western Reserve over Carnegie Mellon 20-17 in the Academic Bowl. The 6-0 start is the Spartans' best since 1984. Randolph-Macon improved to 6-1 with a home win against Emory & Henry, remaining in first place in the ODAC, while Bridgewater scored touchdowns on 11 of its first 14 possessions to roll over Guilford 76-28.

No. 13 St. Olaf nearly fell, barely surviving Concordia-Moorhead 52-51 (photo gallery). The Oles preserved the victory by stopping the Cobbers' two-point attempt to win with 35 seconds left. No. 4 St. John's had a much easier time in a 40-0 shutout win over Gustavus Adolphus 40-0, the 450th of coach John Gagliardi's career.

Elsewhere teams ended long streaks for themselves or their opponents. Tufts knocked off Trinity (Conn.) 16-10, becoming the first team not named Williams to beat the Bantams since 2001. Principia defeated Trinity Bible 28-20 for the Beavers' first win since 2005. And Shenandoah snapped a 10-game losing streak and nearly doubled its season scoring output with a 33-7 win against Greensboro.

We won't spare you the cliché about things being bigger in Texas, since it seems to actually be true.

In Keith McMillan's case, he experienced it first-hand in Abilene, Texas. At McMurry, the Homecoming gathering isn't just about football or renewing old friendships -- it's about heritage, as well as an identity that may have been vetoed by the NCAA but lives on in the student body and traditions.

Read about it in this
week's Around the Nation.

Keith was there for the bonfire and half of McMurry's Homecoming game against East Texas Baptist, then scooted across town for the second half of Mary Hardin-Baylor's game at Hardin-Simmons. Are there similarities between this Crusader team and the Stagg Bowl team of 2004? Read on for more.

That and more in Around the Nation.

When he suffered a season-ending injury before the 2006 campaign even started, Tore Alaimo faced a life-altering decision: try to play football again, or be able to throw to his kids in 10 years?

In Around the Mid-Atlantic, Ryan Tipps tells the poignant story of the King's linebacker and how he battled to return to the field.

It's been a long time since Plymouth State could trumpet its all-time winning percentage as the best in Division III. Back-to-back 0-10 seasons followed by a 1-8 mark in 2004 will do that for you.

Even last year, while joining the NEFC along with Coast Guard, Plymouth State had to watch Coast Guard go from a winless Liberty League season in 2005 to the 2006 NEFC title game. The Panthers won four games, the same as in 2005. But this year, the Panthers are 5-0. Tom Haley has more in this week's Around the Northeast.

Wes Anderson gets reaction from Mary Hardin-Baylor and Trinity (Texas) about the varying outcomes of their two games this weekend. How is Trinity set up now to face DePauw? More in Around the South.

Does a coach's son get preferred treatment from the staff? It might not always work out the way you think. Matt Florjancic has more in Around the Great Lakes.

In Around the West, Adam Johnson discovers how much the St. Olaf/St. John's game is not like a sprint. That and more in this week's Around the Region.

There were the four games between ranked teams on Saturday, but even more upsets claimed teams from the Top 25. When Wartburg, Trinity (Texas) and Baldwin-Wallace fell, what happened to their postseason chances?

Keith McMillan got a chance to see Mary Hardin-Baylor play this weekend as well (thanks, McMurry Athletic Foundation). It's our first in-person view on the Crusaders this season. Do they have what it takes to challenge Mount Union? Does anyone, really? Get McMillan's expert opinion on the matter.

McMillan also tackles the subject of letdown games and we take a look at some of the unusual conference standings in this week's ATN podcast.

You can click here to load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Scroll down for more Saturday coverage. Plus check out our weekend photo galleries:
• No. 1 Mount Union at No. 9 Ohio Northern
• No. 18 St. Olaf at No. 4 St. John's
• No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor at No. 21 Hardin-Simmons
• Frostburg State at No. 14 Wesley
• Johns Hopkins at Dickinson
• East Texas Baptist at McMurry
• Lewis and Clark at Menlo

Each Monday during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

Capital held its third opponent this season to negative rushing yards, limiting John Carroll to minus-9 on the ground. For the season, Capital has allowed only 63 total yards rushing (12.6 per game, 0.4 yards —- about 15 inches -- per rush). Sam Jacobs and Zac McKenzie each had two sacks as the team totaled nine in the 37-13 win.

Matthew Mintz set Cortland's school record by hitting all five of his extra points, giving him 69 consecutive extra points made, breaking the school's record. Although he missed his only field goal attempt -- from 44 yards late in a 35-14 win against Kean -- Mintz put two kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and another out the back of the end zone. Two other kickoffs landed at the 2 and 3.

Defensive back Bryan Furr came up with two interceptions in the Wasps red zone as Emory and Henry knocked off Hampden-Sydney 29-19. He also forced a third turnover of sorts, as he recorded a tackle for loss on a fourth down play. Furr recorded seven total tackles and 94 yards in interception returns in the win.

Garrett Adamson led Augsburg with 17 tackles (nine solo) and had the game-clinching interception at the Augsburg 1-yard line with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter, as Augsburg claimed a 14-13 nonconference win at No. 11 Wartburg on Saturday. The interception was Adamson's third of the season.

Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and more weekend coverage.

No. 1 Mount Union and No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor dominated ranked conference opponents, but it didn't come as easily for No. 4 St. John's, which won a tight game for the second week in a row by holding on to beat No. 18 St. Olaf 30-29. The Oles led 26-17 in the third quarter, but the Johnnies scored twice early in the fourth quarter then held the ball for the final 5:29 after a St. Olaf field goal to hang on and win. Check out Saturday's scores and follow along on our live blog for more about Saturday's games.

The Purple Raiders beat No. 9 Ohio Northern 44-0 behind a four-touchdown day from running back Justin Wray, playing in a three-way rotation with starter Nate Kmic (who surpassed 4,000 career yards) and Terrance Morring. No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor also used three tailbacks, and two of them rushed for more than 100 yards (Quincy Daniels, 142 and two TDs; Jarvis Thrasher 113 and three TDs) as the Crusaders rolled at No. 21 Hardin-Simmons 47-14. The game turned in third quarter when UMHB outgained HSU 165-1. (Photo gallery)

And it started Friday night, as Matt D'Alessio's 19-yard field goal gave New Jersey a 10-7 win at its archrival, No. 19 Rowan. The Lions scored on an 82-yard interception return midway through the fourth quarter to tie the game, then got a chance for the win when Rob Richardson fumbled inside his own 20 in the final minutes.

The OAC shocker was left to Heidelberg, which upset Baldwin-Wallace, burying the bad memories of a three-year losing streak. Rhodes and Augsburg put up stunning upsets, knocking down No. 12 Trinity (Texas) and No. 11 Wartburg. The Tigers lost four fumbles in losing at Rhodes for the second time in three trips to Memphis. Augsburg scored on a fourth-down touchdown pass with 2:50 left in the game, then secured the win with an interception at the 1-yard line.

Without Griffin Moe at quarterback, who was knocked out late in last week's game, No. 6 UW-La Crosse turned to Alex Seguin. He was 27-for-46 for 256 yards but Craig Kolb hit a 46-yard field goal with 24 seconds remaining to give UW-Eau Claire a 31-29 victory. The Blugolds improve to 5-1, 2-1 in the WIAC. No. 5 Wheaton rallied from a 17-0 halftime deficit to win 28-24 at North Central in the Little Brass Bell game and remain unbeaten. Occidental, essentially ranked No. 26, won at home against No. 25 Redlands 28-21.

Mount Union had more than 250 yards rushing against Ohio Northern on the day. More photos from this game Photo by Dave Rich for D3sports.com

No. 8 Capital, which is without its starting quarterback and top two wide receivers, leaned on its defense in beating No. 24 John Carroll 37-13. Jason Boltus threw for 553 yards but Hartwick fell at No. 20 Alfred 46-36.

St. Norbert took the lead in the Midwest Conference race, scoring three consecutive touchdowns to break a 21-21 tie against Monmouth. Becker got the first win in the program's history, beating Gallaudet 30-6. Hampden-Sydney's high didn't last long, as the Tigers fell 29-19 at Emory and Henry. Johns Hopkins knocked Dickinson off its unbeaten perch by a 20-17 scores. (Photo gallery) RPI scored 21 fourth-quarter points to beat St. Lawrence 28-10. No. 15 Salisbury won at Geneva 20-7, handing the former NAIA program its second loss of the season. Whitworth handed Pacific Lutheran its first loss, holding off the Lutes 28-21, while UW-Stevens Point remained undefeated, beating UW-Platteville 34-31. Saturday's scores.

By Matthew Florjancic
D3football.com

ADA, Ohio -- In front of a Dial-Roberson Stadium record crowd of 5,177 fans, the Mount Union Purple Raiders and Ohio Northern Polar Bears battled for 60 minutes to see who would remain at the top of the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The Purple Raiders remembered the loss they suffered in Alliance two years ago to ONU and made sure they played the role of spoiler for Ohio Northern's homecoming. Mount Union scored early and often, claiming a 44-0 victory against the ninth-ranked Polar Bears.

Collectively, the Mount Union defense limited Ohio Northern to just 14 first downs in the game, including two courtesy of Purple Raider penalties. The Raiders also held ONU's ground game in check with minus-9 yards rushing. For the game, the Polar Bears tallied just 136 total yards.

“The key to our defense is we're quick and we're in the right position most of the time,” said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres. “When we're there, we generally do what we're supposed to do.

“(Pat McCullough) a defensive tackle who made some good plays today is quick,” Kehres added. “He's short and you could overlook him, but whack, he's through and into the backfield. The key is quickness. Second is responsibility and third, tackle or knock the ball down.”

On the day, Mount Union broke up four passes, intercepted another and sacked the quarterback four times. Junior defensive end Joseph Millings brought ONU quarterback Jeff Pankratz down behind the line of scrimmage three times, while McCullough had five stops, one and a half of which went for a loss.

Ohio Northern coach Dean Paul talked to his team all week about being ready to handle the Purple Raiders.

“Poise is very important in big games,” Paul said. “We have more of a veteran team this year than last year, so I was optimistic that we'd be able to understand how important poise is, how important it is you answer.

“Mount can get an avalanche of momentum going if you don't answer,” he continued. “When we've had more success in this game in the past, in any of our big games, we've been able to answer momentum shifts.”

During the week, Ohio Northern tried to change things up on offense to give Mount Union different looks at the line of scrimmage. However, the Purple Raiders were ready to strike.

“We wanted to move the quarterback around a little bit,” said Paul. “Their front seven is outstanding. We felt like if we were always in the same launch point, they're just going to tee off on us. We wanted to move the launch points.

“We dropped a lot of passes in that first half,” he added. “You get yourself off schedule and now sometimes, you back yourself into a corner where you have to throw the football. That's not a situation you want to be in against these guys because they have a good pressure package with the different blitzes they bring. We felt we had to be aggressive in our play calling and our strategy.”

Pankratz and freshman Kyle Simmons combined to go 14-for-36 for 145 yards with an interception. On six carries, the duo finished the day without netting a single yard.

The Purple Raider offense scored less than one minute into the game. After coming into the contest as a non-starter, Justin Wray found his way to pay dirt with a 60-yard touchdown, his first of four on the day.

“It was a hot day for the running backs,” Kehres said. “Nate (Kmic) carried the load throughout the first quarter and he got hot. (Justin) Wray is a great back in terms of spelling the other guys because he's faster than they are.

“He went in because one guy got a penalty,” added the nine-time national champion head coach. “He came out, Wray happened to be in on the next play and ran 60 yards for a touchdown. Sometimes you get lucky and sub at the right time. Justin did have a great day.”

Terrance Morring scored the second touchdown of the quarter for the Purple Raiders with a 13-yard run. At the end of the first frame, it was 14-0 in favor of Mount Union.

They added two scores before the break when Kmic walked in from 3 yards out. Following a safety on a bad snap on a punt attempt, Wray scored with 6:33 remaining before the intermission.

Wray added a pair of third-quarter 1-yard touchdown runs.

“We talked a lot about getting off to a good start is important against Mount,” Paul said. “We were not able to do that. They are going to make plays and we're going to have to answer those plays. In 2004 and 2005, we did a pretty good job of answering and making some plays.

“We were not able to get that play to get a momentum shift,” he added. “Even in the second half, maybe if we can get that drive in there, maybe get some points and turn the tide a little bit. It's a tribute to Mount and something we're really going to have to work on.”

Though he was pleased with the end result, Kehres noticed some things that need to be improved.

“I thought our kickoff coverage was good because that's a good return team,” Kehres said. “We gave up probably 25 yards per return, but we tackled fairly well. I'm a little disappointed with our field goal kicking. Today, we had two chances and missed them both.”

It's hard to believe there are Division I talking heads who cling to the idea that the BCS, or some outgrowth of it, is the best system for that level of football.

As Keith McMillan writes, if only they could see what we have at Division III, they'd change their mind -- you can indeed have a great regular season and a postseason. You know, one where one true champion is crowned on the field, not on a ballot.

We had a great set of games last weekend and even more great games on the schedule for Friday and Saturday. McMillan explores the games with impact in this week's Around the Nation.

Mount Union at Ohio Northern, St. Olaf at St. John's, Mary Hardin-Baylor at Hardin-Simmons, John Carroll at Capital? And that's just games between two Top 25 teams. After five weeks of September, October is going to start with a bang.

The D3football.com crew also got a good taste of whatever the opposite of coachspeak is. (Is that just plain-spoken English, perhaps?) That and more in Around the Nation.

Much of the talk about Millsaps centers around quarterback Juan Joseph, who has helped lead the Majors' surge the past season and a half with his strong arm. But as we were reminded this past weekend, Millsaps is about much more than one man or even one side of the ball.

Who are the unsung Majors? Wes Anderson has more in this week's Around the South.

It's never too early to look ahead to perhaps Saturday's biggest game, as No. 1 Mount Union travels to No. 9 Ohio Northern, the last team to defeat the Purple Raiders. "You want to have a very short memory in football,” said Mount Union coach Larry Kehres.

"They beat us here a couple years ago. It was a great victory for them. A lot of the guys playing now weren't playing then. If you can just put last week's game behind you and prepare for each game in a similar manner, really respect your opponent regardless of who your opponent is, that puts you in position to have a chance to win." Check out Matt Florjancic's Around the Great Lakes column for more.

Ryan Tipps writes about the scene Saturday at the Bridgewater/Hampden-Sydney game, as well a pair of running backs who are back in the saddle in Around the Mid-Atlantic. Monmouth and St. Norbert prepare to meet in what has become the key game in the Midwest Conference in recent years, says Clyde Hughes in Around the Midwest.

That and more in this week's Around the Region columns.

Each Monday during the regular season we look at some of the key statistical performances from the weekend in Division III football, highlighting one per region.

Washington and Jefferson set two Division III records on offense on Saturday in a 62-6 win against St. Vincent. The Presidents rolled up 863 yards of total offense, breaking a 1998 mark by Westminster (Mo.) and recorded 41 first downs in the win. Chuck Grabner kicked five field goals, including two on first down, one on second down and one on third. Bobby Swallow was 16-for-19 passing for 323 yards, with Zack Zebrasky 12-for-15 for 98.

John Rappel returned two interceptions for touchdowns as St. Norbert defeated Knox 49-14. The defensive scores stood out on a day in which the Knights didn't need the ball to put points on the board -- Knox held the ball for 35:51. Rappel also had 10 tackles, two for loss.

Elmhurst defensive lineman Dominic Vrettos had three sacks, two of which came during Carthage's final comeback attempt and another of which knocked Carthage out of field goal range as the Bluejays defeated the Red Men 30-15. He finished with 10 total tackles on the day, part of an eight-sack attack for Elmhurst.

Andrew Strom accounted for 365 yards of total offense, rushing for a team-high 80 yards and completing 25 of 37 passes for 285 yards in Hobart's 45-35 win at WPI. Strom threw for three touchdowns in the victory, which evened the Statesmen's record at 2-2.

Scroll down for the weekly ATN podcast and more weekend coverage.

It turned out there was a lot more than one big game to focus on on Saturday, once all the dust had settled. While the UW-La Crosse/UW-Whitewater game, another classic, looked like it would take all the spotlight, several other teams forced their way in by the time the night was over.

What are UW-La Crosse's playoff chances like now, after taking a regional loss? How about that hit that knocked Eagles quarterback Griffin Moe out of the game? We'll run down the game of the day.

But the other games are on the radar as well: St. John's struggling through the air when playing against the team coached by its former quarterback, St. John Fisher's unusual call that ended their chances at Hartwick, Linfield unable to stop the Fly offense of Willamette.

So what do we make of Hartwick now, after two big wins at home and a puzzling road loss? Is College of New Jersey a team to beware of at this point? What other long streaks ended? Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman discuss all that and more in this week's Around the Nation podcast.

You can click here to load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast

Click here for more Saturday coverage. Also, check out the photo galleries from the weekend:
• No. 3 UW-Whitewater vs. No. 6 UW-La Crosse
• No. 4 St. John's vs. Carleton
• No. 11 Ohio Northern vs. Otterberin
• No. 17 Wesley vs. Huntingdon
• No. 23 St. Olaf vs. Gustavus Adolphus
• Austin vs. Colorado College
• St. Norbert vs. Knox