Category Archives: college football

October 3, 2010 · 3:41 pm

NOTEWORTHY RESULTS FROM OCTOBER 2ND’S ACTION

Top 25 Upsets – NAIA – The 14th-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars suffered their 1st loss of the season on the road against the Webber International Warriors 13-10. The Cougars are now 4-1 and the Warriors are hoping to be ranked in the next poll…The #21 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers were upset by the unranked Midland Lutheran Warriors 21-19. All in all it was a good day to be an unranked team called the Warriors taking on a ranked foe with a feline mascot.

Top 25 Upsets – NCAA Division 3 – Just one very minor upset in the rankings on Saturday as the #16 Linfield Wildcats defeated the #15 Willamette Bearcats in a 35-7 beatdown.

Top 25 Upsets – NCAA Division 2 – The 16th-ranked Edinboro Scots were hammered at home 18-0 by the unranked IUP Crimson Hawks…The #13 Tusculum Pioneers fell on the road to the unranked Mars Hill Lions 45-39 and completing our hat-trick of unranked D2 teams beating ranked opponents are the Humboldt State Lumberjacks who hosted the 12th-ranked Central Washington Wildcats in a 25-24 upset.

The Notre Dame Falcons And NWOSU Rangers Rule The World – The NAIA’s Notre Dame College Falcons are only in their 1st year of intercollegiate football and this week logged their 1st upset of a higher-division team, and a road upset at that! They beat NCAA Division 2’s Central State Marauders 16-13 in an Instant Classic. The NW Oklahoma State Rangers meanwhile had a much easier win in another NAIA upset of a D2 team. The Rangers crushed the Missouri S&T Miners 43-14 in their own house.

“It’s Not News If A House Isn’t On Fire” Dept – The Top-ranked teams in the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers all won big yesterday. In the NAIA the Sioux Falls Cougars had their 1st shutout of the year as they rolled over the NWU Prairie Wolves by a score of 44-0. The Cougars are 5-0 and continuing their quest to threepeat as National Champs in football…In D3 the Whitewater Warhawks crushed the Platteville Pioneers 49-17. D3’s 2nd-ranked Mt Union Purple Raiders also won big over the 8th-ranked Ohio Northern Polar Bears 27-0.The possibility for a 6th straight Warhawks vs Purple Raiders clash for the D3 title is still very much alive…D 2’s MN-Duluth Bulldogs rolled on the road, eviscerating the MSU-Moorhead Dragons by a score of 56-7.

Reach For The Brass Lantern – The Cumberlands Patriots get to keep the Brass Lantern for the 5th straight year following a win over the Union Bulldogs (Somewhere the spirit of Joe Hill is weeping) The Brass Lantern is the trophy those 2 intense rivals play for, and this game will be examined more closely in my next Nuggets entry.

Whose Turn Was It To Beat The Clan? – The Dixie State Red Storm became the latest American team to defeat the Simon Fraser Clan. The Red Storm won in a 28-21 Instant Classic in the Clan’s back yard. Simon Fraser is 1 of the Canadian schools that play in the USA‘s lower divisions.

Bear Market – The Ursinus Bears are off to the quietest 5-0 start I’ve ever seen. Yesterday they stayed perfect by winning at the Gettysburg Bullets 49-39. Their combination of a perfectly apt nickname and really cool helmets have always made them a Balladeer’s Blog favorite!

We Went To A Football Game And A Baseball Game Broke Out – This week’s entry is the Muskingum Muskies’ 3-0 win over the Wilmington Quakers. If this season provides us with a 2-nothing game I plan to do a feature article on it! I’m kidding.

They Shoot Football Players, Don’t They? – This week’s Marathon Game Award goes to the Triple Overtime Instant Classic between the CW Post Pioneers and the West Chester Golden Rams. The Pioneers won by a score of 39-37.

“Our Division Can Beat Up Your Division” Dept – In the ongoing rivalry between the NAIA and NCAA Division 3 there was only 1 game yesterday. D3’s Whitworth Pirates defeated the Menlo Oaks 20-7.

LAST NIGHT’S NAIA VS D3 MATCHUP

In the ongoing and intense rivalry between the NAIA and NCAA Division 3 last night’s battle went to D3 as the Bridgewater Eagles defeated the Southern Virginia University Knights 32-23. The following courtesy of SVU Sports Information:

SALEM, Va. The Southern Virginia football team took a third quarter lead against Bridgewater, but could not stop a rally from the Eagles in the fourth quarter, losing 32-23. A Zach Garner to Brick Wilce pass of 23-yards gave the Knights the lead, 23-21 at the 13:21 mark of the fourth quarter. After tying the game up at 7-7 in the first quarter, the Eagles had outscored the Knights 14-3, and went in to halftime up 21-10.

SVU responded to the deficit with an attacking flair, and a Garner-to-Wilce pass of 64-yards got the visitors to within four of BC. Despite the scores through the air, the defense could not find an answer for Bridgewater quarterback Hagan Driskell. Throwing for 227-yards, the Eagles’ quarterback hit Tyler Beiler for 39-yards and the winning touchdown with almost 11-minutes left in the game. A field goal with two minutes left in the game iced the win for the Eagles.

The game was memorable for things other than the loss, as the crowd of 423 helped the Southwest Virginia chapter of Feed America with its ticket income, and program income. The loss to BC drops the Knights to 2-4 on the season. SVU will return to action Oct. 9 when they host Guilford at Parry McCluer High School. The game will be the homecoming game for SVU, and will begin at 1:00 pm.

GEARING UP FOR THE WEEKEND’S GRIDIRON ACTION

We start with the Sioux Falls Cougars as they continue their quest to threepeat as NAIA football champs. The Cougars are 4-0 and this week host a team with one of the coolest logos in the biz, the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves. NWU is not having a great year so we won’t rub it in, we’ll just remind readers that USF stars like QB Jon “Jonny East” Eastman, RB Chevon “Fire” Walker and K “Brassy” Braden Wieking (Everybody say “MITCHELL!”) will be in action at USF Sanford Complex looking to go 5-0.

It’s Wisconsin, so the “UW” part is assumed. The 18th-ranked Eau Claire Blugolds are getting ready for their Homecoming opponent, but they’re not facing the cupcakes a lot of schools like to schedule for Homecoming. No, they’re facing the Stevens Point Pointers, who have won the last 2 in a row in this series. A few weeks after his boys upset St John’s, Blugolds Head Coach Todd “Not Albert” Glaser (fans of bad movies will get it) hopes to keep this season’s positive vibe going in Eau Claire’s 1st conference game of the season. Both teams come into Saturday’s game sporting 2-1 records.

Speaking of 2-1 records, that’s also the record held by the Wingate Bulldogs who will be hosting the Catawba Indians this weekend. You could call this game “The Coincidence Bowl” because both teams are also coming off bye weeks and both teams won their previous game. For the Bulldogs it was their upset of the then-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves. Wingate Head Coach Joe “Joe” Reich is already the winningest coach in the school’s senior college history and his team is burning to keep adding to that win list.

The 3-1 Franklin & Marshall Diplomats take it on the road this Saturday to play the Susquehanna Crusaders in a Centennial Conference matchup. The 1st time these 2 schools played a football game against each other was 1898, when Joe Paterno was only in his 3rd year at Penn State and was pushing the virtues of McKinley-nomics. There’s probably no truth to the legend that JoePa had to cut a player named Leon Czolgosz from the team, forever embittering him toward President McKinley. (Obviously the preceding is all just a joke. Paterno was only in his 2nd year at PSU.) Anyway, QB John “The Arm” Harrison lit up the Juniata Eagles defense last week and is no doubt keeping the Crusaders Defensive Coordinator up at night this week.

The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays are finally playing their 1st home game of the season and are planning a Blackout (Does that mean the Long Island Black Birds will be planning a Blueout?) ) so all fans are encouraged to wear black. QB “Hurlin'” Hewitt Tomlin (nicknamed for his prowess at throwing the football, NOT for any unfortunate sickness on a Tilt-A-Whirl) and company host the Muhlenberg Mules. Tomlin can become the all-time winningest starter for the Blue Jays with a victory.

Generals vs Quakers may sound like a hot new Reality TV Show, but it’s really the team names in the Washington and Lee vs Guilford football game. The Generals are 12-11 all-time against the Quakers and look to even their record at 2-2 with a road win. Head Coach Frank Miriello is trying to get Washington and Lee to their 11th-straight non-losing season under him. There’s still plenty of time left in the season to win the Generals’ 1st Old Dominion Athletic Conference title since 2006, so stay tuned.

The NAIA’s 14th-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars leave their California stomping grounds for one of the longest road-trips a team can make, traveling all the way to Florida to play the Webber International Warriors. The Warriors would like to make their own case for a ranking by upsetting the 4-0 Cougars, but Azusa Pacific’s QB, “Johnny V” himself, John van den Raadt, has other plans. Johnny V can kill the defense with his legs as well as his arm, and only Michigan’s Denard Robinson has more rushing yards (for a QB) than van den Raadt! Let that sink in for a minute. Now, for those of you who missed my weekly “Azusa Pacific Rules The World” posts, let me recap their 4 wins for you – In Week 1 they beat NCAA DIVISION FREAKING ONE’S San Diego Toreros! Weeks 2-4 they beat Division 3 teams the La Verne Leopards, the Whittier Poets and the Chapman Panthers. Rumor has it the Oakland Raiders are too scared to play this team!

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September 30, 2010 · 11:34 pm

TONIGHT’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES (FINAL SCORES UPDATED)

Here are tonight’s games in the divisions Balladeer’s Blog covers.

NAIA

Kentucky Christian Knights 12 @ GEORGETOWN (KY) TIGERS 52

Southern Virginia Knights 23 @ BRIDGEWATER EAGLES 32 (NAIA @ D3)

NCAA DIVISION 3

(1) WHITEWATER WARWAWKS 49 @ Continue reading →

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September 26, 2010 · 4:03 pm

NOTEWORTHY RESULTS FROM SEPT 25TH’S ACTION

“Win One For Ransburg” – The NAIA’s 6th-ranked MNU Pioneers upset the #2 Lindenwood Lions 26-20. Winning QB Sean Ransburg wrote himself into the pages of college football lore with a well-placed remark toward the end of the game. Clinging to their 6-point lead the Pioneers needed to burn up the remaining 2:37 on the game clock. Picking up 2 first downs would do the trick and as Ransburg reported this moment with his teammates, “I looked into their eyes and told them to tell me how bad they wanted this.” I held a seance to find out how the late Howard Cosell would have described what Ransburg did next and he said “With his troops thus inspired, this latter-day Napoleon of the gridiron turned Pioneer Stadium into his own version of the battlefied of Marengo. A 26-yard completion to tight end Juan Redmon on 3rd and 8 from the Lindenwood 43 gave the battle-hardened MNU team a 1st down and with it the tactical high ground to ensure a victory.” Maybe I should have conjured up someone a little more contemporary instead.

Top 25 Upsets – In NCAA Division 3 the 9th-ranked Coe Kohawks upset the #7 Central Dutch 37-28; in Division 2 action #13, the West Liberty Hilltoppers fell at home to Continue reading →

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September 24, 2010 · 9:22 pm

TONIGHT’S COLLEGE PIGSKIN MATCHUPS SCORES UPDATED)

There are just 2 games tonight in the divisions I cover. Both are NCAA Division 2 and both kick off at 7PM Eastern Time.

NEW HAVEN CHARGERS 28 @ Bentley Falcons 23

MERRIMACK WARRIORS 42 @ Stonehill Skyhawks 39

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September 23, 2010 · 11:32 pm

THE LEADING SCORER FOR ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYS IN THE NAIA

SXU's Mike Maher Official Balladeer's Blog nickname: "M Squared"

Let’s get to the bottom of the latest sports scandal: a college football player with no arrest record leads the entire nation in scoring! Mike Maher, better known to my readers as “M Squared” in stories about the Saint Xavier Cougars leads all college scoring. The following courtesy of the SXU Sports Information Department:

CHICAGO – If asked to guess where college football’s top scorer is playing this season, most fans and followers would likely choose a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) school or maybe even a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program with a rich history of football success. However, the real answer lies at a small NAIA institution nestled in the south suburbs of Chicago. Saint Xavier University senior wide receiver Mike Maher (Plainfield, Ill./Providence Catholic) has posted 78 points over four games this season behind 13 touchdowns (10 receptions, three kick returns). The next highest scorer is NCAA Division II University of Minnesota-Duluth’s senior running back Isaac Odim, who has tallied 60 points (10 TDs) over three games.

In terms of scoring average, Maher ranks third (19.5 points per game) in all of college football (all divisions, including junior college) behind NCAA Division III Thomas More College’s (Ky.) freshman running back Domonique Hayden with 54 points over two games (27.0 points per game) and Odim (20.0 ppg). Maher has had the start to his senior season that every college student-athlete dreams about. He currently has 31 receptions for 508 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns (three off kick returns). The 5-10, 185-pound speedster has also returned either a kickoff or a punt for a score in each of his last three games and, most importantly, his team is off to a 4-0 start and ranked No. 4 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Football Coaches’ Poll. Maher’s 508 receiving yards this fall currently ranks him No. 2 among all college football institutions in total receiving yards behind only NCAA Division III Wittenberg University (Ohio) junior wideout Josh McKee. McKee has 514 receiving yards in three games after Saturday’s big game that saw him finish with 318 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-7 win over Washington-St. Louis (Mo.).

“Mike is an absolutely dominant player at our level,” said SXU football coach Mike Feminis. “In my mind, he’s a Division I-type caliber athlete who, luckily for us, slipped through the cracks. We give a “Play of the Day” award after each game and we might as well rename it the “Maher Play of the Day,” because he wins it just about every week. Mike’s a human highlight reel, but what makes him so special is his incredible work ethic and desire to be successful. The only negative about Mike is that he’s too hard on himself. He hates to fail. Every coach uses the phrase, ‘play every play like it’s your last.’ That’s Mike Maher in a nutshell.”

Maher will get the chance to add to his scoring total on Saturday, September 25, when the Cougars head to Quincy, Ill., to take on Quincy University (Ill.) in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) crossover match-up. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

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September 19, 2010 · 2:38 pm

NOTEWORTHY RESULTS FROM SEPT 18TH’S GAMES

Top 25 Upsets – Let’s take this division by division. Our New Kids On The Block are the D2 teams so starting with them the 12th-ranked Tuskegee Golden Tigers got spanked by the unranked Albany (GA) State Golden Rams 34-6. *** The #22 Delta State Statesmen continued to be dream-wreckers for the 17th-ranked Valdosta State Blazers, who lost at home to the Statesmen in a 27-23 instant classic.***In addition to Tuskegee, other ranked teams in D2 losing to unranked opponents were the 15th-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves, who fell on the road to the Wingate Bulldogs 28-23 and the #19 Winona State Warriors who lost at the St Cloud Huskies 31-26. *************In the NAIA the biggest upset among the ranked teams came when the #16 Cumberlands Patriots got beaten by the unranked and previously winless Georgetown (KY) Tigers by a score of 58-40! The only other Top 25 upset in NAIA was a milder one – the 7th-ranked Ottawa (KS) Braves fell to the 9th-ranked McPherson Bulldogs 56-24.*********In D3 the only upset among the ranked teams was the 15th-ranked Cal Lutheran Kingsmen’s road loss to the unranked Pacific Lutheran Lutes 35-21.

Crop-Man Forever – St Xavier Cougars’ outstanding quarterback, Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp was 19 of 21 for 263 yards and 6 touchdowns as SXU trounced the Olivet Nazarene Tigers 56-17. Kropp’s teammate, “M Squared” himself, wide receiver Mike Maher, had 230 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns, 1 off a punt return. The defense proved just as super-powered as Kropp and Maher, recording 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions and a fumble. To read Crop-Man: Origins (with a teaser about M Squared) click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/22/saint-xavier-cougars-quarterback-anthony-kropp-joins-new-superhero-team/

The Lambuth Eagles Rule The World Again! – Last Saturday the NAIA’s Lambuth Eagles defeated Division 1AA’s Georgia State Panthers (I’m such a rebel for continuing to say 1A and 1AA) and yesterday they upset Division 2’s 13th-ranked West Alabama Tigers in a 14-13 nail-biter. Rumor has it Lambuth is targeting 1A’s Michigan Wolverines next! (I’m kidding!)

Comeback Cougars – The St Francis (IN) Cougars, ranked 11th in the NAIA poll (and 1 of 14 teams called Cougars in the Top 25) trailed the St Ambrose Fighting Bees 20-9 going into the 4th quarter, but then scored 22 unanswered points to emerge with a 31-20 win.

How Long Has This Been Going On? – This week’s award for the Marathon Game goes to the D3 matchup between the LaGrange Panthers and the Maryville (TN) Scots. The Scots won 20-17 in 3 Overtimes.

Point Of Pride – Division 3’s UW – Stevens Point Pointers upset Division 2’s Missouri S&T Miners by a score of 29-10. The Pointers were led by Mike Griffin, who rushed for 138 yards and by stellar play on the defensive side of the ball.

We Went To A Football Game And A Baseball Game Broke Out – This week’s game that fits this category was the 7-3 game between the Midland Lutheran Warriors who won out over the Concordia (NE) Bulldogs in a textbook example of a defensive struggle.

We Went To A Football Game And A Basketball Game Broke Out – The 20th-ranked William Penn Statesmen beat out the Quincy Hawks 67-58. Statesmen fullback Shawn Davis ran for 166 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game.

Team To Keep A Closer Eye On – The #17 Benedictine Ravens defeated the Central Methodist Eagles 38-14. The Ravens are 3-0 under the leadership of senior QB Ryan Kelly and you can look for them to move up in the rankings.

“Our Division Can Beat Up Your Division” Dept – Let’s take a look at how this week’s games between NAIA and NCAA Division 3 teams went. Winners on the NAIA side were: the 19th-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars, who defeated the Whittier Poets 46-21; the Southern Virginia Knights beat the Ferrum Panthers in their own house 20-17 and the Malone Pioneers, who crushed the Anna Maria Amcats 69-0. D3’s winners were: the Willamette Bearcats, who defeated the Southern Oregon Raiders 42-24; the top-ranked Whitewater Warhawks beat the Campbellsville Tigers 37-7; the Emory and Henry Wasps over the UVA-Wise Highland Cavaliers 20-10 and the Huntingdon Hawks who manhandled the Faulkner Eagles 42-10.

Under The Radar Instant Classics – If you’re as into college football as I am, these are some games you may want to catch in archived video or audio form. You can check the scores in my Saturday Scoreboard but to avoid spoiling the outcomes for people who will be checking them out I’m leaving out the scores in this section: the Millersville Marauders hosting the Gannon Golden Knights; the JC Smith Golden Bulls hosting the Brevard Tornadoes; the Upper Iowa Peacocks taking on the MSU-Moorhead Dragons; the Lincoln Blue Tigers hosting the Panhandle State Aggies; the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers at the VCS Vikings; the Jamestown Jimmies hosting the Black Hills State Yellowjackets; the Newport News Apprentice School Builders hosting the Greensboro Pride; and the Christopher Newport Captains at the Frostburg State Bobcats.

FRIDAY NIGHT’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES (SCORES UPDATED)

There are just 3 games tonight in the divisions I cover. All 3 are Division 3 and all 3 kick off at 7PM Eastern Time.

New Jersey Lions 23 @ FDU-FLORHAM DEVILS 24 (OT)

FRANKLIN & MARSHALL DIPLOMATS 35 @ Dickinson Red Devils 26

WORCESTER STATE LANCERS 32 @ Nichols Bison 29

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September 17, 2010 · 2:44 am

D2 FOOTBALL TOP 25

The reaction to my list of The 20 Coolest-Named College Sports Teams for NCAA Division 2 has been through the roof! I’ll be covering teams in that division as well. To satisfy people who wanted to know more of the teams and to whet their appetite for this football weekend here’s the latest D2 Top 25 list, with visual aids. As always helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

1. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS (2-0)