Category Archives: college football

August 27, 2010 · 10:35 pm

NAIA FOOTBALL OPENING NIGHT RESULTS

Well, the first night of NAIA football is in the books. Division 3 gets going next week for those of you wondering. Let’s recap last night’s action:

ST XAVIER COUGARS 49 over Bethel (TN) Wildcats 32. In a game that was tight until the 4th quarter, Cougars QB Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp had a great game but Mike Maher set an SXU record for completion yards and TD receptions!

BEMIDJI STATE BEAVERS  24 over Minot State Beavers 7. Minot State got bashed in the 12th Annual Beaver Bash, but they were up against a D2 team in Bemidji State. For newbies to lower division sports just as 1A football teams schedule 1AA teams (I feel like such a rebel for continuing to say 1A and 1AA) it goes all the way down. 1AA teams often schedule Div 2 teams for their opening game and D2 teams often schedule D3 or NAIA teams for theirs.

DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS 25  over Rocky Mountain Battlin’ Bears 21. In what was the closest final score of the night the Blue Hawks defense kept the Battlin’ Bears from scoring long enough for a Holland to Herr screen pass to put Dickinson State ahead for good.

CONCORD MOUNTAIN LIONS 72  over Southern Virginia Knights 21. Okay, I know Concord is D2 but still, for SVU this is the ultimate “just burn the game tape and move on” situation. I’m sure the Knights faithful would like as little said about this game as possible so let’s just move on ourselves.

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August 27, 2010 · 12:24 am

NAIA FOOTBALL SEASON HAS STARTED (in other news the rest of the world supposedly still exists)

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year got underway Thursday night with five gridiron contests involving NAIA football teams, three of them ranked. (For those matchups click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/25/naia-football-season-starts-this-thursday-night-aug-26th/  ) This coming Saturday will see seven more ranked NAIA squads in action for the first full Saturday of college football in 2010. Saturday night at 7pm the Notre Dame College Falcons will play the first intercollegiate football game in the school’s 88 year history. In a time when economic woes have been causing some institutions of higher learning to discontinue football Notre Dame College (Motto: “No, not THAT Notre Dame”) is one of the handful launching or reviving the sport.  

It’s not South Bend, IN, but Lyndhurst, OH where the Falcons will host the Mercyhurst Lakers in this historical first game. The following Saturday Notre Dame College will be on the road in another history-making matchup in the first intercollegiate football game played by the Lindsey Wilson College Blue Raiders in 75 years. Other home games for the Falcons will be against the Walsh Cavaliers, the Marian College Knights, the North Greenville Crusaders and the Urbana Blue Knights.

This is what the helmet layout will look like when the Notre Dame College Falcons take on the Mercyhurst Lakers this Saturday:

                                                                                

   This is what it would look like if they took on the NFL Champion Saints:

   And this is what it would look like if they took on martial arts legend Bruce Lee: 

 Kind of makes The Master look kind of small, doesn’t it?

To find out the favorite Brucesploitation movie of each of the Notre Dame College football players click here: http://www.notredamefalcons.com/

Football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/ 

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 25, 2010 · 2:32 am

NAIA FOOTBALL SEASON STARTS THIS THURSDAY NIGHT, AUG 26TH

Forget all this preaseason NFL stuff, if you’re hungry for games that matter the NAIA has you covered this Thursday night with 5 games and 3 of the NAIA Top 25 in action! For a composite schedule of all the games scheduled from August 26th through September 11th click here: http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/2010CompositeSchedule.html

And for a look at tomorrow night’s matchups just read on:

 

SAINT XAVIER COUGARS (#4)

VERSUS

BETHEL (TN) WILDCATS

MINOT STATE BEAVERS (#14)

VERSUS

 

BEMIDJI STATE BEAVERS

 

 

DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS (#18)

 

VERSUS

 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BATTLING BEARS

 

 

GEORGETOWN (KY) TIGERS

 

VERSUS

 

HANOVER INDIANA PANTHERS

 

 

SOUTHERN VIRGINIA KNIGHTS

 

VERSUS

 

CONCORD MOUNTAIN LIONS

 

 

DON’T MISS ACTUAL, HONEST-TO-GOD FOOTBALL GAMES THAT MATTER

Football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/ 

 

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August 23, 2010 · 3:18 pm

THE 20 COOLEST FOOTBALL HELMETS IN NCAA DIVISION 3

Well, from the e-mails I’m getting people want another Top 20 Contest. On top of that Division 3 fans have been complaining that I’ve done 2 NAIA Top 20 lists but only one for them, but that’s only because I didn’t branch out to D3 sports until recently. To keep everyone happy I’ll continue to feature NAIA football teams in my Cool Helmet Of The Day posts and do a Top 20 List for D3 football teams. These rankings are in no particular order and the votes of my readers will, as usual, dictate the winner. As always you can reach me at Thtcom15@aol.com to cast your vote. Football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

20. MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR CRUSADERS

Location: Belton, TX

Conference Affiliation: American Southwest Conference

Comment: Crusaders is easily one of the coolest names a sports team could have. Out of all the Crusader teams throughout college sports I think Mary Hardin-Baylor has the coolest helmets! The only way their helmets could get any better would be if they had a picture of Crusader Rabbit on them!

19. URSINUS BEARS

Location: Collegeville, PA

Conference Affiliation: Centennial Conference

Comment: What better name for sports teams at a school called Ursinus than the Bears? (Maybe “Da Bears”) And using the same reasoning I used with Mary Hardin-Baylor above I picked Ursinus because out of all the Bears teams throughout college athletics Ursinus has the coolest helmet! Should I apply the Mary-Hardin Baylor template even further and say the only way the helmets could be any better would be if they had a picture of Yo- naaah!

18. TRINITY BANTAMS

Location: Hartford, CT

Conference Affiliation: New England Small College Athletic Conference

Comment: When you hear the word Bantam you think “scrappy” and “hard fighting” and “feisty” so it’s the perfect nickname for sports teams. And the Bantam on the helmet looks like he could kick Foghorn Leghorn’s butt all over the barnyard. Still, I’d like to see a team called The Orpingtons but I’m kind of eccentric .

17. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY MARINERS

Location: King’s Point, NY

Conference Affiliation: Liberty League

Comment: What better name for – okay, I’ll stop! But you do have to admit that the Mariners is the perfect name for the academy’s sports teams. And aside from people sometimes throwing mean-spirited Seattle Mariners jokes their way there’s no real down side to the nickname.

16. ANDERSON RAVENS

Location: Anderson, IN

Conference Affiliation: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference

Comment: Go ahead and insert your own Edgar Allan Poe joke here. All I’ve got to say is that out of all the Ravens teams in college sports the Anderson helmets will definitely stay with you, or my name isn’t Annabel Lee. (Get it? The obvious joke would have been some kind of “Nevermore” reference or something like that, so I – oh, forget it!)

15. UMASS-DARTMOUTH CORSAIRS

Location: North Dartmouth, MA

Conference Affiliation: New England Football Conference – Boyd Division

Comment: I don’t care if it’s The Black Pirate or Captain Blood or The Black Swan or Nate And Hayes, people love the romantic image of pirates! The Corsairs have such a cool helmet, nickname and logo it’s easy to imagine that the fans don’t even care what their record is…I’m just kidding, of course. You know how fans are!

14. LAKE FOREST FORESTERS

Location: Lake Forest, IL

Conference Affiliation: Midwest Conference

Comment: The helmet makes sense when you know that one of the school’s mascots is a Bigfoot-type creature. It’s not the least bit true that Quentin Tarantino went to Lake Forest and the helmets are an odd tribute to him.

13. WASHINGTON AND LEE GENERALS

Location: Lexington, VA

Conference Affiliation: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Comment: Okay, I know it’s just a W and an L but it’s the coolest possible rendition of a W and L conjoined into one great-looking helmet! Personally I think we should launch a movement to have this logo added to our alphabet as a combined W and L sound. It could be used in words like owl, bowling, etc.

12. CARLETON KNIGHTS

Location: Northfield, MN

Conference Affiliation: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Comment: What’s not to love about a helmet this eye-catching? What kid wouldn’t want to strap this on his head on Saturday afternoons? The city flies under the radar, but Northfield, MN is known just as much for college football as it is for the time when the residents rose up and kicked the butts of the Jesse James Gang in the 1800’s! “Don’t call us Squareheads” should be the town’s official slogan (People who’ve seen The Long Riders will get it).

11. MORRISVILLE STATE MUSTANGS

Location: Morrisville, NY

Conference Affiliation: New Jersey Athletic Conference

Comment: Forget about SMU, these Mustangs know how to rock a helmet with an equine mascot! Just keep your “Jack Woltz in The Godfather” jokes to yourself! By the way, the Morrisville State helmets would make great “knight” pieces in a chess set made out of tiny football helmets. We could just use plain helmets as pawns since I doubt any school’s administration will have such low self-esteem that they’d call their teams The Pawns.

10. SAINT OLAF OLES

Location: Northfield, MN

Conference Affilation: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Comment: The Oles, another Northfield football program,  sport an incredibly cool logo that looks great on helmets, T-shirts, etc. And by the way, there’s no truth to the story that the school’s teams are named after “Ole” Olsen from the comedy team of Olsen and Johnson. (Say what you will, it takes guts to try to get away with an Olsen and Johnson reference in the year 2010!)

9. OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY POLAR BEARS

Location: Ada, OH

Conference Affiliation: Ohio Athletic Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

8. SAINT NORBERT COLLEGE GREEN KNIGHTS

Location: De Pere, WI

Conference Affiliation: Midwest Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

7. TUFTS JUMBOS

Location: Medford, MA

Conference Affiliation: New England Small College Athletic Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

6. ROWAN PROFS

Location: Glassboro, NJ

Conference Affiliation: New Jersey Athletic Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

5. NC WESLEYAN BATTLING BISHOPS

Location: Rocky Mount, NC

Conference Affiliation: USA South Athletic Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

4. HEIDELBERG STUDENT PRINCES

Location: Tiffin, OH

Conference Affiliation: Ohio Athletic Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

3. MARITIME COLLEGE PRIVATEERS

Location: Throggs Neck, NY

Conference Affiliation: Eastern Collegiate Football Conference

Comment: See my Division 3 20 Coolest Page

2. KENYON COLLEGE LORDS

For their entry click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/16/the-coolest-helmet-in-the-north-coast-athletic-conference/

1. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLUE JAYS

For their entry click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/21/the-coolest-helmet-in-the-centennial-conference/

For NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/

For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/

For The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos/

For Division 2’s Coolest-Named College Sports Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d2-20-coolest/

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions.

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 21, 2010 · 12:36 am

THE COOLEST HELMET IN THE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE

Team: Johns Hopkins Blue Jays

Site: http://www.hopkinssports.com/

Comment: I know Johns Hopkins is usually thought of as a Lacrosse power, but their football players are no slouches either. In last year’s NCAA Division 3 playoffs they were true Road Warriors, too, winning games at the Sydney-Hampden Tigers and the Thomas More Saints before falling to the Wesley Wolverines. Forget the Orioles and the Ravens, Baltimore needs to realize Blue Jays football is the best thing to happen to their city since John Waters and Divine!

As always, football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

And for more cool helmets plus cool logos and team names click here: https://glitternight.com/category/cool-names-and-cool-logos/

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 20, 2010 · 12:08 am

VICTORY SPORTS NETWORK’S NAIA GAME OF THE WEEK SCHEDULE IS OUT

The ninth season of Victory Sports Network‘s NAIA Game Of The Week will begin on Saturday August 28th with the “Rivalry Renewed” game between the Baker Wildcats and the Ottawa (KS) Braves. To get these games live on your personal computer click here: http://www.victorysportsnetwork.com/

And here is the schedule for the games to be shown on VSN’s Game of the week this season:

AUG 28th – BAKER WILDCATS @ OTTAWA BRAVES

SEP 2nd   –  EVANGEL CRUSADERS @ LINDENWOOD LIONS

SEP 4th   –  SIOUX FALLS COUGARS @ NORTHWESTERN (IA) RED RAIDERS

SEP 11th – SOUTHERN VIRGINIA KNIGHTS @ LINDSEY WILSON BLUE RAIDERS

SEP 18th – MARIAN KNIGHTS @ GRAND VIEW VIKINGS

SEP 25th – LINDENWOOD LIONS @ MIDAMERICA NAZARENE PIONEERS

OCT 2nd  – UNION BULLDOGS @ CUMBERLANDS PATRIOTS

OCT 7th  – GEORGETOWN TIGERS @ CAMPBELLSVILLE TIGERS

OCT 9th  – WALSH CAVALIERS @ SAINT FRANCIS COUGARS

OCT 16th – MORNINGSIDE MUSTANGS @ SIOUX FALLS COUGARS

OCT 23rd – EASTERN OREGON MOUNTAINEERS @ CARROLL (MT) FIGHTING SAINTS

OCT 30th – DICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKS @ MINOT STATE BEAVERS

NOV 6th  – To be determined

NOV 13th – SOUTHERN OREGON RAIDERS @ NW OKLAHOMA STATE RANGERS

Balladeer’s Blog will be giving extensive coverage to all these matchups as the season unfolds.

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August 16, 2010 · 1:14 am

THE COOLEST HELMET IN THE NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Team: Kenyon College Lords

Site: http://athletics.kenyon.edu/index.xml

Comment: Not to be confused with the Amherst Lord Jeffs, who play in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, the Kenyon Lords are named after Lord Kenyon (“It’s a switcheroo!”), an English Lord who was one of the first financiers of the school. An English Lord getting a mad posh to finance a school in Ohio, USA sounds like a premise for a new movie starring Hugh Grant as Lord Kenyon and Elizabeth Hurley as Bishop Philander Chase, founder of Kenyon College. Naaah. She doesn’t have enough range.

As always, football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 14, 2010 · 5:00 am

THE COOLEST HELMET IN THE MID-STATES FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION – MIDEAST DIVISION

Team: Malone University Pioneers

Site: http://www3.malone.edu/athletics 

Comment: Pioneers need to be made of hardy stock, and if the face on that helmet was any hardier opponents would get a bloody nose just looking at him! Malone University was named after Walter and Emma Malone, so maybe that picture is supposed to be Walter…or perhaps Emma after a LOT of surgery!  

As always, football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 13, 2010 · 12:07 am

THE COOLEST HELMET IN THE DAKOTA ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Here’s a new feature to help all of us get in the mood for football season! I’ll be going through the NAIA and NCAA Division 3 conference by conference and looking at the coolest helmets in each. 

 

Team: Black Hills State Yellowjackets

Site: http://www.bhsu.edu/Athletics/tabid/82/Default.aspx

Comment: “Up and at’em….Atom Ant!” The Black Hills State helmet sports one of those mascots who are so cool-looking they should have their own cartoon series!

As always, football helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

For some of NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/   

 For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/ 

And for The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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August 11, 2010 · 12:29 am

SXU COUGARS PICKED TO WIN “THE ASSOCIATION’S” MIDEAST LEAGUE

If you’re new to Balladeer’s Blog let me start by telling you that I refer to the Mid-States Football Association as “The Association” just like Jim Rome does with the NBA. “Reee-DIK-ulous” I know, but what can I say? 

Anyway, Saint Xavier University has been picked in the preseason MSFA poll to win the Mideast League, garnering 62 points and 6 first-place votes. In the national picture, the NAIA Football Coaches Poll was released and Saint Xavier was in the number four spot in the Top 25. Last year the Cougars had the best season in program history, going a perfect 11-0 in the regular season, winning their first MidEast League title in The Association and making it all the way to the quarter-finals in the playoffs, losing to eventual national champs the Sioux Falls Cougars. 

Recently I interviewed St Xavier Head Football Coach Mike Feminis for my tell-all book about NAIA sports titled: Why Are Half The Teams In The Top 25 Called The Cougars? (NAIA fans will get it). Eventually, after the coach told me I represented the future of blogging (Or maybe I was the one who blurted that out. It’s all lost in a bourbon haze now) the conversation eventually turned to his team’s 2010 season:

“I know we will be the team that is circled on everyone’s schedule in the MSFA (AKA The Association) and that’s fine with us” Coach Feminis said. 

I interrupted the coach with an observation that if his team ever felt the need to appeal to more female fans a good slogan would be “You can’t spell ‘feminist’ without ‘Feminis'” but he just ignored me and continued.

“I honestly believe we should be even better than last year but you don’t win a national championship on paper. The talent is definitely there and I really like what I’ve seen so far in camp…That game against Sioux Falls left a bitter taste in their mouths.”

I asked if that was a not-so-subtle jab at those so-called “Cougar Chips” that USF sells at their concession stand but he indicated that it was actually  a reference to his players’ feelings about the playoff loss. 

To take a look at the full NAIA Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 just read below:

1. Sioux Falls Cougars
2. Lindenwood Lions
3. Carroll College (MT) Fighting Saints
4. Saint Xavier Cougars
5. Morningside Mustangs
T6. MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneers
T6. Lambuth Eagles
8. McKendree Bearcats
9. Ottawa (KS) Braves
10. Missouri Valley Vikings
11. Cumberlands Patriots
12. McPherson Bulldogs
13. Hastings Broncos
14. Minot State Beavers
15. Friends Falcons
16. Walsh Cavaliers
17. Saint Francis Cougars
18. Dickinson State Blue Hawks
19. Langston Lions
20. Grand View Vikings
21. Eastern Oregon Mountaineers
22. Taylor Trojans
23. Northwestern (IA) Red Raiders
24. Baker Wildcats
25. Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers 
 
For the full text of Coach Feminis’ response to my suggestion that he change his team’s name to “The Saint Xavier Cougats” click here: http://www.sxu.edu/athletics/  

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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