By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com

Cortland State coach Dan MacNeill seems to be well grounded for this time of the year. He knows that it won't be just another football game when his 11-1 Red Dragons step on the field in Alliance, Ohio, Saturday to take on Mount Union (12-0) in the NCAA quarterfinals in the first meeting ever between the two schools.

He also knows that treating it like any other football game gives Cortland the best shot at taking on the Purple Raider machine that has won nine national titles and has a 175-5 record since 1996.

"You can't go in and play a perception," MacNeill told D3football.com this week. "We've got to go in and be who we are and be focused inwardly.

"That football field is the same size as any football field we've stepped on all year. Our players need to understand it's about blocking, tackling, field position, and scoring; a lot of the things they have worked on everyday all year and now we have to do it in high fashion."

High fashion, indeed.

No. 16-ranked Cortland will be making its first national quarterfinal appearance since 1988. The winner of the contest gets the Wheaton-Franklin winner in the national semifinals on Dec. 13. The Red Dragons whipped Curry 42-0 in the second round of the NCAA playoffs last Saturday, looking impressive on both sides of the ball. MacNeill said all he asks of his team is to be Cortland.

"For us, it's not about Mount Union or any opponent," MacNeill said. "It's about Cortland and what we need to do. We've played well defensively this season and we have to look at our opponents and try to assess their strengths and weaknesses and try to neutralize the strengths as much as we can.

"I don't have to tell you we don't find a lot of weaknesses in the Mount Union program. There are things we need to do and apply our strengths in a way to what they do. If you try to play to your opponent, you're not playing your game."

Cortland has been pretty good being Cortland this season. Its 11 wins this season tied a school record. The Red Dragons' run defense has been suffocating at times this year, giving up 93.3 yards a contest, 28th best in the country. Its 7.8 tackles for loss per game is 23rd best in the country.

Linebacker Jimmy Smith, who has a team-leading 112 tackles, sets the tone for the defense. Defensive lineman Bryan Wiley has 5.5 sacks and 14.5 total tackles for losses. Defensive back D.J. Romano has five interceptions, including one in the Curry game. MacNeill said, though, his leaders have shined because the entire team has done its job.

"Jimmy Smith has had a great year, no question, but part of the reason he's had a great year is because of that defensive line in front of him," MacNeill said. "Bryan Wiley has had a good season, but the reason he's pretty good is because teams can't say we're going to neutralize this one young man because they know we have some other players that can play. Eleven players have to persevere for the team to win a contest. It isn't just one player stepping up."

The defense will face one of its toughest challenges yet in Mount Union and its All-American running back Nate Kmic. Kmic enters into the game coming off of a 235-yard rushing performance last week against Hobart. That made him the NCAA Division III all-time rushing leader with 7,449 career yards.

MacNeill said stopping Mount Union and Kmic will take a lot of effort, but it's a challenge he thinks his players are looking forward to. He said his team would need to execute fundamentals at every turn.

"We need to tackle Kmic," MacNeill said. "A lot of people have tried and missed and you've got to give him credit for that. His offensive line is really super. You have to make sure you're winning the battle in the trenches, but when you have a chance to make that tackle you have to make sure to wrap up and let team pursuit take him down. We like our defense and like the challenge and we're all excited about that."

MacNeill said his defense is wary of Mount Union receiver Cecil Shorts III, who set a Mount Union single-season record with 20 touchdown receptions this season.


MacNeill said he has been pleased with the way his team was able to bounce back after a regular-season ending 35-14 loss to No. 17 Ithaca Nov. 15, ruining its undefeated season. He credited his seniors with getting the team to move on from the loss to play solidly in the playoffs.

"We have seniors who've been through a lot of wars and won a lot of games and they have an understanding of that," MacNeill said. "The fact is we're still playing and it's a neat thing. They handled it very well. You've got to put losses behind you. You have to fail fast and move on. Each play, if dwell on the past, you can't move on to the future. We'll be ready when they put the ball down in Alliance, Ohio."

The future now has taken Cortland to the NCAA quarterfinals.

All most fans likely know about the Washington and Jefferson offense is wrapped up in the man under center: Bobby Swallow. But when the Presidents looked at video on Millsaps, they realized their other man in the backfield would be the key.

More on Presidents running back Curt Jones in a Road to Salem feature by Matt Florjancic.

Will Cortland State be competitive with Mount Union? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing they will be is Cortland State.

"That football field is the same size as any football field we've stepped on all year," says Red Dragons coach Dan MacNeill. "Our players need to understand it's about blocking, tackling, field position, and scoring; a lot of the things they have worked on every day all year and now we have to do it in high fashion."

That's all. Well, that and actually tackling Nate Kmic. More in a Road to Salem feature by Clyde Hughes.

Playoff toolbox: 2008 bracket | Pick 'em login | Gagliardi fan vote See Salem in style! | Around the Nation podcast

Wheaton quarterback Sean Norris isn't going head-to-head against Franklin quarterback Chad Rupp this weekend. But it's hard to avoid looking at it that way, as Franklin comes into the game having averaged 50 points in two playoff games.

The guy on the other sideline is approaching 3,000 passing yards himself, but merely being a quarterback is hardly sufficient to describe Norris. Nor is "football player" much of a description for any member of the Wheaton Thunder, whose idea of spring break is more like Habitat for Humanity on steroids than Daytona Beach. More in a Road to Salem feature by Bill Huber.

It may be difficult to picture for anyone coming to Division III football in the past 10 years, but Mount Union wasn't always the dominant force in the sport. Once there was a time the Purple Raiders couldn't get past Augustana. Or Dayton. And that was just to get out of the North Region.

So when Mount Union reached the Stagg Bowl 15 years ago, well, they weren't given too much of a chance. But two fourth-quarter touchdowns later, the Purple Raiders knocked off Rowan and claimed Walnut and Bronze.

And as an anniversary approaches, members of that first Mount Union champion are still close and can be found on the Purple Raider sidelines on playoff Saturdays. More in a Road to Salem feature by Ryan Tipps.

By Matt Florjancic
D3sports.com

Washington and Jefferson senior running back Curt Jones went from being a second option in the backfield to featured ball-carrier in the matter of 12 months.

Jones has responded to the change with confidence in his own ability that was quickly replaced by the support and appreciation of his peers and coaching staff. In 11 games behind All-American quarterback Bobby Swallow; Jones has carried the ball 207 times for 1,289 yards and 24 touchdowns.

While he averages 117.2 yards per game and better than six yards a carry, Jones is a dual threat for the Presidents (11-1). He is fourth on the team with 29 catches on the year for 263 yards and one touchdown. In addition, Jones has run for one two-point conversion and caught two others.

"Our linemen have been blocking phenomenally all year," said Jones, who deflected the credit for his success to the men in the trenches. "This group of kids has been together for a long time. Matt Houy and Dave Bucar have been starting since they were sophomores.

"They work together really well [and] we have a lot of good communication on the line with picking up blitzes while we're running the ball," he continued. "Sometimes, we'll check out of certain runs or switch sides [based] on what the defense gives us."

Another part of his game that Jones takes pride in is picking up defenders who make it through or around the offensive linemen. Keeping the quarterback healthy is been a key component of any team's success. Though the Washington and Jefferson quarterbacks have been sacked a combined 25 times for 157 lost yards, Swallow has remained on the field.

Picking up blitzing linebackers or safeties coming off the edge has allowed Swallow to throw 36 touchdowns and complete 413 passes for 3,551 yards.

"If one of our tackles gets beat on the outside, it's a lot easier for us to pick up a guy flying off the edge that may be 5-10, 5-11, 190 pounds than a 280-pound offensive lineman trying to pick him up," Jones said. "Some of the main problems that we run into are blitzes on the backside. They line up on the left and send a linebacker around to the right side. I have to go over to the right side and pick that guy up or else Bobby gets blindsided.

"It's great having such a great quarterback there with me," added Jones. "When I am running the ball, he'll change sides depending on what the defense gives us. It's great when Bobby's having a great game because they're looking for the pass more. It leaves it open for draws and even our regular run plays."

Moving Jones into the feature back role after having Kevin Mathews rush for nearly 1,000 yards a season ago was something coach Mike Sirianni felt would help the team.

"We felt they could play together," Sirianni said. "Then, we ended up moving Kevin to the secondary because we thought Curt could do it. The plan was to play both of them together."

"Kevin was a great player," Jones added. "He did great for us last year, better than me. He is a great athlete and we really needed him on defense more than we did on offense. We have a lot of depth at running back. I like running the feature back. It gets me in the game a lot more. It gets me more pumped up throughout the game."

Jones' love of football was evident with his performance in a 35-20 road victory against an undefeated Millsaps team last Saturday. He carried the ball 31 times for 208 yards and four touchdowns, three of which came in the second half.

As a team, the Presidents overcame a 20-14 third quarter deficit with Jones' three unanswered scores.

"We watched the film on them a lot," Jones said of Millsaps. "No one had really tried running the ball on them. It appeared to us that they had some holes in the defense and secondary that we could exploit. That was our game plan going in. We needed to run the ball and we were practicing all week on picking up the linebackers."

"Against Millsaps, we went into the game knowing that we had to try to run the football and control the clock to keep their high-powered offense off the field," Sirianni said. "[That] was opposite from the way we play because people do that to us. As the game went on, our O-line wore on them and Curt kept getting stronger. He was good in the first half, but he was even better in the second half."

The win against Millsaps earned Washington and Jefferson a second flight this postseason. They travel to Belton, Texas, to face Mary Hardin-Baylor in the regional final Saturday afternoon. Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-1) last lost a home game against a Division III opponent was Oct. 28, 2006. In that contest, the Crusaders lost a 7-3 decision to UW-Whitewater.

"Like we usually do, we're going to have to put up a lot of points," Jones said. "They seem to run the ball a lot and that's going to keep our offense off the field. It's going to be more on our defense this week stopping the run. Mary Hardin-Baylor's doing a really good job stopping the run, so it's going to be a big week for our receivers, Bobby and our line."

"We don't expect to go down to Mary Hardin-Baylor and rush for 220 yards," Sirianni added. "That's unrealistic to think that we're going to be able to do that, but the games that we've lost, we've thrown the ball 50, 55 times. We have to be able to run the football and have a mix where they're not teeing off and coming after our quarterback. We have to have [Jones] in the 100-yard range and 20-25 carries to keep them off balance. If we do that, we think we can be successful offensively."