victory sports network

Jason Dannelly’s Predictions for the NAIA Championship Series, October 27, 2013

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment

image

This week there is no reason for any pomp and circumstance in this article. Last week I explained just how the NAIA Championship Series works, how teams qualify and briefly looked at some of the history behind the process If you want to know how this all works, check out that article.

The biggest surprise this week was Saint Francis (Ind.) who lost to Robert Morris, 28-24 in Fort Wayne. RMU is an up and coming team with a ton of Chicago talent on their roster. The loss is mostly a surprise due to the location of it coming at home. USF is still my favorite to win the MSFA-Mideast but things have suddenly gotten a bit tighter.

Baker University defeated Missouri Valley, 13-10 also on the road. The loss won’t kill the Vikings postseason chances but it has certainly eliminated the margin of error.

Here’s a look at the conferences this week and who will potentially make the NAIA Championship Series.

CSFL: Bacone defeated Texas College to improve to 6-2 on the season. With their No. 25 ranking they only have to move up five more spots to make the postseason. Langston also won yesterday to improve to 3-4 and remaining undefeated in the conference with the Warriors. If both teams do what they are suppose to do next weekend, we could essentially have a conference championship game on November 9th for the CSFL’s automatic berth to the postseason. Langston will struggle to get to No 20 even if they win out, but it’s not impossible. Right now, Bacone and Langston are the only teams with a shot at the NAIA Championship Series.
Today’s Prediction: Bacone

Frontier: Carroll College and Rocky Mountain continue to separate themselves from the rest of the Frontier with wins this weekend. Carroll is the obvious choice for the postseason with Rocky also looking like a solid seconds choice. However, even though Rocky defeated Dickinson State last weekend, they will have one more loss on their record when the coaches vote on this week’s Top 25 after the Bears had to forfeit on of their earlier victories due to the use of an ineligible player. The two teams need to take care of business this week before they lock horns on November 9th for a potential conference title game. The biggest test will come for the Saints as they take on Southern Oregon in Helena. If the Raiders were to upset the Saints, they would have a great chance at making the postseason.
Today’s Prediction: Carroll College as Champion. Rocky and Southern Oregon with a shot at an at-large.

GPAC: Time to face facts; Morningside is the only team that has proved they absolutely deserve to be in the postseason. Concordia was the next in line before they lost to Doane College this weekend. The loss by the Bulldogs put them at 4-2 in the conference tied with Northwestern and both teams still have to play the nation’s No. 1 team this season. It’s entirely possible Concordia and/or Northwestern upsets the Mustangs, which would jump either team in the ratings and give them a chance at an at-large. But if I was a betting man, I wouldn’t count on it and I’d put my money on Morningside being the lone representative in the NAIA Championship Series.
Today’s Prediction: Morningside.

HAAC: Missouri Valley picked up their first loss of the season making a three-way tie for second place in the HAAC behind Benedictine. The Vikings appear to be the one team that could still spoil the Ravens’ undefeated season as they two will face off Nov. 9th in Marshall, Mo. Baker has quietly had an extremely solid season with their only loss coming to Benedictine. Baker’s major test will come on Nov. 16th against Peru State as the Bobcats are the other one-loss team in the conference. Peru State has the toughest road to the postseason in front of them as they play Missouri Valley this weekend and Baker the final week of the season.  I still expect three teams to make the NAIA Championship Series from the HAAC.
Today’s Prediction: Benedictine and Baker with a tossup between Mo. Valley and Peru State.

Independent: It’s going to take a miracle for someone to make it from the Independents.  Mayville State at 5-3 and Ave Maria at 4-2 have the best records of the group.
Today’s Prediction: No Qualifier.

KCAC: Tabor College and Ottawa are currently in position to make the NAIA postseason but that could change for both teams in the coming weeks. Ottawa still has games against rated teams in two of their final three weeks, which includes a regular season ending game against Tabor. Both Sterling and Friends are in contention to make the postseason if they can win out and get a little help in the ratings. Sterling plays no rated teams the rest of the season giving them the edge over Friends as the Falcons still face off with Ottawa. The KCAC could get royally messed up if Friends beats Ottawa and Ottawa turns around and beats Tabor while Sterling wins out. That would give Sterling the tiebreaker over Friends and the regular season title and possibly get Friends into the postseason. Needless to say, there is still a lot of football to be played in the KCAC. I still feel like Tabor and Ottawa are solid picks but Sterling and Friends are on the verge of making me a believer.
Today’s Prediction: Tabor and Ottawa.

MSC-East:  The University of the Cumberlands remains in control with Lindsey Wilson and Georgetown College knocking on the door. If both teams take care of business the rest of the season, the winner of their game on November 16th will make it to the NAIA Championship Series.
Today’s Prediction: U-Cumberlands and winner of LWC/GT

MSC-West: Reinhardt and Campbellsville are still undefeated in conference play. If either team wins out, they should get into the Top 20 and make the postseason. That might not get decided until Nov. 16th when the two face off. However, the more telling game will likely be Nov. 9th when CU and Faulkner face off. With a 6-2 record and the highest rating in the conference, the Eagles are the most likely team to make it into the postseason on paper. But you cannot sleep on Reinhardt because of their undefeated record with two manageable games left in their regular season.
Today’s Prediction: Faulkner with Reinhardt still having a shot.

MSFA-Mideast: USF loses to Robert Morris and opens up a can of worms in the MSFA-Mideast. USF (Ind.) still controls their own destiny but Marian, USF (Ill.) and Taylor all have one loss in the conference. If the Cougars slip up again this season, we could see a giant mess in this conference’s standings. USF (Ill.) has an outside shot at a postseason berth, but I still think only one team makes it from this conference.
Today’s Prediction: Saint Francis (Ind.).

MSFA-Midwest: Grand View is in control of this conference with an 8-0 record. They should finish the season as champs if they take care of business the next two weeks. There is a huge game this weekend between Saint Ambrose and Saint Xavier in Chicago as the two teams begin jockeying for second position in the conference. Neither SAU or SXU are guaranteed spots in the postseason, but if the loser of their head to head game this weekend wins out then this conference will still see two teams in the NAIA Championship Series.
Today’s Prediction: Grand View, Saint Ambrose and Saint Xavier.

For those of you keeping score, my October 26th prediction for the NAIA postseason looks like this:

  • Central States Football League: Bacone College
  • Frontier Conference: Carroll College and Rocky Mountain
  • Great Plains Athletic Conference: Morningside College
  • Heart of America Athletic Conference: Benedictine, Baker and Missouri Valley/Peru State.
  • Independents: None
  • Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference: Tabor College and Ottawa University
  • Mid-South Conference East: Cumberlands and winner of LWC/GT
  • Mid South Conference West: Faulkner University
  • Mid States Football Association Mideast: Saint Francis (Ind.)
  • Mid States Football Association Midwest: Grand View, Saint Ambrose and Saint Xavier

The major changes I made this week are eliminating a second team from the GPAC and given some chance to teams that are still undefeated in their respective conferences. By Nov. 9th, there is going to be a pretty clear picture as to who is going to make the NAIA Championship Series. The issue we will start to see is if teams like Reinhardt and Bacone barely make the Top 20. That would mean you essentially would have to be No. 14 in the final ranking or better to make the postseason.

The final three weeks of the NAIA regular season are shaping up like they usually do. We’re going to see some extremely exciting football in the weeks to come and no one can predict just how things will shake out come selection Sunday on November 17th.

NAIA Postseason Prediction from Jason Dannelly: There is still a lot of football to be played. . .

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment

image

Recently I was asked if I even follow NAIA football anymore because people haven’t been seeing article and blogs from me lately. Well, I will be the first to tell you that I very much have been following the NAIA each and every week. I still reach out to coaches to see how their team is doing and get their honest opinion on what is happening in their conference.

Many of these coaches I have been talking to and covering since my first year running the then NAIAFOOTBALL.NET, the precursor to the Victory Sports Network. Even though I still get a lot of information from these coaches, most of them turn things around on me and start asking for my opinion on what’s happening in the NAIA.  So with a little prodding from a few coaches for me to get back on the horse I decided this week would be the week I dive back into the world of NAIA football publicly, mostly because I have a lot of coaches who keep asking me random questions about conference in the NAIA.

It’s easy to forget that sometimes a coach in the Mid South Conference doesn’t really have the time to dig into what’s happening in the KCAC, or vice versa, to be able to determine what might happen in the postseason.

In fact, the biggest frustration that most NAIA coaches and fans have each year is trying to decipher the playoff picture. If you haven’t been around the NAIA very long it can be tough to try to figure out if you current No. 17 rating will be enough to get you into the post season if you keep winning. Given the criteria to make the postseason there are situations where a rating like that could get you into the postseason or leave you on the outside looking in.

Before we take a look at everyone’s chances at making it into the postseason, let’s first review the criteria that you must meet in order to make it into the NAIA Championship Series.

For a team to qualify for the postseason they must:

  • Win their regular season conference championship and be rated in the Top 20 of the final NAIA Coaches Poll.
  • If they are not their conference champions, they must be one of the next highest rated teams in the NAIA in order to gain an at large berth.

If you meet the criteria, you receive an “automatic” berth to the postseason. Keep in mind the scenario that a conference champion or the highest rated independent team might not make the postseason because they are not rated in the Top 20 because more often than not, this is the No. 1 gripe behind teams that were left out of the postseason.

With that in mind, the automatic berths in the NAIA Championship Series are awarded to the conference champion (rated in the final Top 20) of these conferences:

  • Central States Football League
  • Frontier Conference
  • Great Plains Athletic Conference
  • Heart of America Athletic Conference
  • Independents
  • Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference
  • Mid-South Conference East
  • Mid South Conference West
  • Mid States Football Association Mideast
  • Mid States Football Association Midwest

Essentially, 10 of the 16 spots in the NAIA Championship Series are spoken for by conference champions, leaving 6 at large berths for the next highest rated teams. There have been some years where conference champions were rated No. 16, No. 17 and No. 18 meaning teams rated as high as No. 13 were left out of the postseason with very good records. (William Penn knows what I’m talking about.)

So without further ado, here is a rundown of what everything looks like conference by conference for the NAIA postseason.

CSFL: Bacone is the only team in charge of their destiny to make it into the postseason. The Warriors are 5-2 and currently receiving votes. Their biggest test is Langston the second to last week of the season, the type of loss given the timing of it would knock them out of the postseason. Essentially, if Bacone beats Texas College, Oklahoma Baptist, Langston and Southwestern Assemblies of God, they will be in the postseason. One loss and they are done. If Langston runs the table they will be the outright winner of the CSFL, but with four losses on the season it would be tough for raters to move them into the Top 20 but not unheard of. 
Today’s Prediction: Bacone

Frontier: It’s absolutely crazy how competitive and tough this conference is year after year. Currently, Carroll College and Rocky Mountain are in the conference lead with essentially the conference championship game set for November 9th if both Rocky and Carroll win out. Now, that’s a giant if as teams like Southern Oregon, MSU-Northern and Montana Western all still have a punchers chance at making the postseason. Compound that with the fact Carroll’s only loss this season is to the 2-5 Eastern Oregon Mountaineers. The Frontier is really a “wait and see” conference for another two weeks before you can have any confidence in who will actually make the postseason.
Today’s Prediction: Carroll College as Champion. Rocky with a chance at an at-large.

GPAC: Morningside is the only team I feel comfortable saying will be in the postseason. Up until this weekend, Concordia was in that category but a two point loss to Northwestern has put a some doubt into if they will end the season rated high enough to make it into the postseason and with Doane, Morningside and Dakota Wesleyan on their schedule things will not come easy.  Northwestern might have a shot if they win out, but that would include upsetting Morningside in the final regular season game of the year.
Today’s Prediction: Morningside with possible at large to Concordia.

HAAC: Quite a few teams in the HAAC have an opportunity to make it into the postseason. Benedictine is in the drivers seat but the Ravens will still have to face off with Missouri Valley on November 9th. Regardless of that outcome if both teams win out, they will both be in the postseason. That’s easier said than done for Missouri Valley as the Vikings still have to face off with Baker and Peru State before they play Benedictine. Depending on how the final three weeks shake out, the HAAC will have a minimum of two teams in the postseason and a possibility of four teams. Peru State has had a heck of a season, but they might be the odd man out of the HAAC postseason.
Today’s Prediction: Benedictine, Mo. Valley and Baker.

Independent: Valley City State appeared to have the upper hand until this week’s out of NAIA loss. With a 4-3 record, they have to win out to even have a chance at making the postseason and even with that, they will finish the regular season 7-3. That’s not exactly the type of record that will pop off the screen at raters especially when you’ve lost to Mayville State and Gustavus Adolphus, two teams that a postseason qualifier needs to beat. But even with that said, the Vikings still have the best shot out of any of the NAIA Independents.  Next in line are Webber International, Mayville State and Presentation; none of which are receiving votes in the NAIA poll or have enough quality wins to be considered.
Today’s Prediction: No Qualifier.

KCAC: Tabor College is in the drivers seat with a 6-1 record. Ottawa was in control of their own destiny until their loss this weekend to Sterling College who has now entered the race as a possible suitor for the postseason along with Friends. However, given the ratings and history the only teams I would feel comfortable predicting make the postseason are Tabor and Ottawa. Sterling and Friends need a lot of teams in front of them to lose in order to make the postseason and there are too many games to be played to start figuring the possibility of either of them making the postseason. Two more weeks will make the postseason picture for the KCAC a lot clearer even though the outcome of the November 16th game with Tabor and Ottawa will potentially determine the conference champion.
Today’s Prediction: Tabor and Ottawa.

MSC-East:  The University of the Cumberlands has established themselves as the front-runner of the MSC-East after their victory over Georgetown College last weekend. The Patriots need to keep winning to secure a high seed in the NAIA postseason. They aren’t the type of team that is going to let the bottom drop out of their season and lose a few games at the end of the year. Given the ratings, Georgetown College and Lindsey Wilson are the only teams in any position what-so-ever to make a run at the NAIA Championship Series. LWC should finish 8-2 but their recent loss to Kentucky Christian stings. KCU is 3-1 in the conference, but their 3-4 overall record leaves them with little chance to make the postseason. LWC faces off with Georgetown the final week of the regular season meaning the winner of that game will likely be the only remaining team in the MSC-E to make the postseason.
Today’s Prediction: U-Cumberlands.

MSC-West: From looking at this conference week one and looking at it today, I can only think of one way to describe the race for a conference championship: a mess. Currently Reinhart, a first year program, is in the driver’s seat with a 3-0 conference record, 5-2 overall. Campbellsville is 2-0 in the conference but 3-3 overall while Faulkner is 1-1 in the MSC but 5-2 overall. Both Faulkner and Reinhart control their postseason likelihood if they win out. Keep in mind though, Reinhart plays Cumberlands this week, which will effect their current Top 25 rating. Faulkner does not have an easy road in front of them, but it is manageable with games against Bethel (Tenn), Belhaven, Campbellsville and Kentucky Christian. In terms of ratings and schedule, Faulkner is in the drivers seat with a lot of football still to be played.
Today’s Prediction: Faulkner

MSFA-Mideast: After last weekend’s win, Saint Francis (Ind.) is in control of their division as long as they take care of business the rest of the way. The rest of the conference is a garbled mess of good teams with average records. It’s going to be tough for another team in this conference to move up far enough in the ratings to pick up an at-large berth especially with three losses. Essentially, one of the remaining teams will have to win out in order to make the postseason.
Today’s Prediction: Saint Francis (Ind.).

MSFA-Midwest: Very competitive conference that Grand View is currently in control of at this moment. But don’t sleep on Saint Ambrose who has not lost in the conference yet and have a showdown with GV with Saint Ambrose this coming weekend. The winner will likely win the conference while the loser will probably get an at-large berth. The real question mark will be if SXU can keep winning to finish the season 8-3 and make the postseason. That would mean SXU would need to beat SAU as part of their remaining regular season run, which might put SAU’s postseason into doubt if they lose to Grand View this weekend. However, an SAU win this weekend and a loss later in the regular season to SXU would almost guarantee the MSFA-Midwest gets three teams in the postseason. In other words, there is still a lot of football to be played before I feel too good about my prediction for this conference.
Today’s Prediction: Grand View, Saint Ambrose and Saint Xavier.

For those of you keeping score, my October 19th prediction for the NAIA postseason looks like this:

  • Central States Football League: Bacone College
  • Frontier Conference: Carroll College and Rocky Mountain
  • Great Plains Athletic Conference: Morningside College and Concordia University
  • Heart of America Athletic Conference: Benedictine, Missouri Valley and Baker
  • Independents: None
  • Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference: Tabor College and Ottawa University
  • Mid-South Conference East: Cumberlands
  • Mid South Conference West: Faulkner University
  • Mid States Football Association Mideast: Saint Francis (Ind.)
  • Mid States Football Association Midwest: Grand View, Saint Ambrose and Saint Xavier

There is a lot of football to be played and if the last month of the season is anything like the previous month of NAIA football most of these predictions will be proven completely wrong. That’s what makes the NAIA so exciting and so fun to cover week after week.

I have been thoroughly impressed this season with Morningside, Cumberlands, Grand View and Benedictine. Each team has shown the type of poise that is needed to make a run at an NAIA national championship while having their own unique headlines to go with their programs. With four weeks remaining in the regular season it will be interesting to see how each team finishes up and the type of momentum they carry into the postseason.

But remember… there’s still a lot of football left to be played.

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly from 11/5/2007: Postseason Championship Series Starting to Take Shape

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) 9-0
2 Carroll (Mont.) 10-0
3 Ohio Dominican 10-0
4 Bethel (Tenn.) 9-1
5 St. Francis (Ind.) 8-1
6 Saint Xavier (Ill.) 9-1
7 Lindenwood (Mo.) 10-0
T8 Jamestown (N.D.) 9-1

However the rest of the spots in the postseason leave many of us scratching our heads. Losses on the last week of the season do nothing to help you. Especially if they are to teams whom the raters feel you should beat.

T8 St. Ambrose (Iowa) 7-2: St. Ambrose is really the only team that has some work to still do. The Bee’s play Trinity International in what should be a victory for SAU. I am not saying that to talk down the Trojans but if SAU is truly a postseason caliber program, they win this football game going away. A loss would still likely get the Bees in the postseason because they would be the MSFA Midwest conference champion. Even a bad loss to TIU would not likely get them to below #20 which is all they need to make the postseason.

10 Friends (Kan.) 8-1: Falcons take on the University if Saint Mary this week. This should be a victory if the Falcons are truly the KCAC Champs. A loss will take them out of contention and give the conference crown to Bethel (KS) if the Threshers also win this week. I would say that Friends is in, but you can never be too sure in the KCAC.

11 Morningside (Iowa) 8-2: Barring a complete reversal of the rankings and a time machine invention I would say the Mustangs are in. They play no games this week so any drop in the poll would a travesty. Rest up Mustangs, you’ll be taking a road trip on November 17th.

12 Missouri Valley 7-2: Probably the toughest task of any team that needs to win to get into the postseason. They take on #7 Lindenwood who has won the HAAC title and the automatic berth to the NAIA Championship Series. If MoVal wins, they are in. A loss has them cross their fingers and hoping there is some movement in the spots behind them.

13 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 8-2: Pioneers face off with Culver-Stockton in a game they should win this week. A loss means they have to hope a lot of people rated #14-20 need to lose. Make things easy MNU … just win.

14 Virginia-Wise 8-2: Cavs tumbled in a few late games and now must win to make it in. They play WV Tech which should be a victory for UVa-Wise if they are postseason caliber. Given the fact that two conference champions sit below the Cavs, they need to finish strong. They are currently in a three way tie for their divisional title which means they would get the automatic bid if Georgetown and U-Cumberlands win.

15 Northwestern (Iowa) 7-2: Red Raiders did themselves no favors with a 33-7 loss to Morningside. They have to hope there are some losses in front of them to insure they will make the postseason. They also have to beat a much improved Doane College team.

16 Bethel (Kan) 7-1: Sitting on the bubble. Need to win this week against McPherson and hope teams in front of them lose.

17 Georgetown (Ky.) 6-3: Three way tie doesn’t help them. A loss by UVa-Wise puts the Tigers in automatically. They too need a few teams in front of them to lose in order to make it into the postseason. They will likely need to make it to #14 maybe #15 to make it. Gotta strap it on and beat Union while they are at it.

18 Cumberlands (Ky.) 7-2: Three way tie doesn’t help them. A loss by UVa-Wise and Georgetown puts the Patriots in automatically. They too need a few teams in front of them to lose in order to make it into the postseason. They will likely need to make it to #14 maybe #15 to make it. Gotta beat an improved Pikeville team to make it.

19 Northwestern Oklahoma 7-3: They win and they are in. NWOSU currently leads the CSFL and if they beat SNU they would get the automatic berth into the postseason. A loss will knock them out of the Top 20 and take that opportunity away.

20 Montana Tech 7-3: Gotta beat Carroll. If Tech can beat the Saints, then the raters will need to take notice and move the Orediggers up into a postseason position.

21 Black Hills State (S.D.) 7-3: Whoever wrote the DAC Bylaws had BHSU in mind, especially this season. According to the DAC bylaws: “If 2 of 3 teams are ranked in top 20, the winner of the head to head competition will advance.” Guess what … BHSU defeated Jamestown. Yellow Jackets just have to cheer on a team that beat them earlier this season to make it in as a Carroll College win over Montana Tech would almost seal the deal that BHSU would move up one spot to #20 and get the automatic berth.

22 Sterling (Kan) 7-2: Gonna need a miracle. Friends would need to lose and Bethel would need to lose along with Sterling getting a win over Ottawa. If all three of these things were to happen and Sterling were to move up into the Top 20, then the Warriors would make it according to the KCAC bylaws because they would have lost to higher rated teams than Bethel (KS) and Friends because the Warriors only losses are to those two squads. And as I stated last week …THEY BEAT NWOSU ON THE ROAD!

23 Malone (Ohio) 7-3: Has to win and hope for a miracle. That’s about all you can say. BTW, it’s only Ohio Dominican they have to beat …YEESH. Good luck Pioneers because it is not going to be easy.

24 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 6-5: No game this week. Teams in front of them have to lose and they need to move up to #20. That’s a very manageable four spots but if you look at #17-#23 it will definitely not be easy.

25 Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 6-3: Crimson Storm has to defeat NWOSU and move up to #20 to make it to the postseason. It will be possible … but it will not be easy.

There are no unrated teams this week that I feel have a shot at jumping into the poll and making it to the postseason. There is just too much movement that has to happen in front of #26 in order for it to happen.

Ultimately there are two teams that I feel are probably going to get the shaft this season; Sterling College and U-Cumberlands. Both programs have won big games against top competition but due to losses to other good competition they could get left out of the postseason.

I am not trying to be a cheerleader for Andy Lambert and Sterling College but people need to wake up and notice what is going on with the Warriors. They had an eight win season last year. They are going to have another eight win season this year and they stepped up to the plate and played out of conference against NW Oklahoma State and won on the road. Ranger fans from Alva do not want to hear this but the facts show that the potential conference champion of the CSFL LOST to the #3 team in the KCAC. Plus Sterling has won six in a row after losing on the road to the top two teams in the KCAC.

U-Cumberlands could have helped their cause tremendously if they had beaten Georgetown a couple weeks ago. Now they have to win this week and hope for the best. The facts show they should be where they are unlike Sterling who should be higher in the ratings. I just feel the Pats are a postseason caliber football team but will struggle to make the cut on Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday … VSN will be broadcasting live from Grand Island analyzing the postseason picture starting at approximately 11:00 AM CST. You will be able to hear the broadcast live on the web via our broadcast agreement with Allinbroadcasting.com

There are a lot of possibilities and the message boards will be VERY active with talks of possibilities for certain teams to make it. Sign up and join in on the conversation today. Check back this week for “Chip’s Picks” for this week’s game and for who could make the postseason!

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly from 10/7/2007: Mid-Term Grades From Professor Jason

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment

Let’s take a look at the report card for some of the major highlights and lowlights of NAIA football at the midterm.

A+ Honor Roll
Ohio Dominican: Panthers snapped the 54 game regular season winning streak of St. Francis and defeated a highly rated Saint Xavier team. Plus ODU got a win over DII Tiffin, that’s extra credit in “Professor Chip’s” book.

Lindenwood: People seemed to have forgotten about how good of students the Lions could be. They’re undefeated and looking for a chance to play in Savannah. Hopefully this student doesn’t decide to coast and forget to show up for the final.

Jamestown: This student lost a lot of experience over the last year but must have done some key studying last spring and summer to be ready for this season. Their definitely the best student in their class but we’ll have to wait and see what will happen if they make it to a regional “Quiz Bowl”.

Urbana: We thought this student was all but headed out of the door but they decided to come back one more year and show us they can be very good in this class. Their win over Walsh put them up a little closer to the top of their class’ honor roll but will need to hit the books hard until they take their final

Montana Western: This professor expected this student to sit in the back of the class and not pay attention. By the end of the school year I figured they’d be causing trouble but not enough to be a distraction. Never doubt a good student! The Bulldogs are in the front of the class and paying attention to every lesson!

Doane College: Matt Franzen took over a program that had fewer than 40 guys finish the season in 2006. This student worked hard in the off season and when everyone else (including this professor) counted them out, they got something done. Doane has already won two games this year … that’s two more than anyone thought they would win this season. Gold star for Doane! (Okay, that was cheesy)

Other A+ Honor Roll Members
Sioux Falls
Carroll College
Saint Xavier
The A Honor Roll
St. Francis IN
Bethel TN
Virginia-Wise (6-1)
Bethel KS (5-0)

Students that need more time in study hall:
You know the drill fellas, the grades aren’t where you want them to be and you have to get ready for the final. You still have a shot at getting an “A” by the end of the semester but you are going to have to work at it.

MidAmerica Nazarene, Northwestern IA, Graceland, MSU-Northern, Shorter, Malone, Morningside, and U-Cumberlands are off to a great start this semester but they need to keep their nose in the books.

Double the study hall hours:
Some of the NAIA’s best students seem to be slacking this season. They have the tools but for some reason they just seem to be lacking that punch needed to start the season the way I would have liked to have seen. St. Ambrose, Friends, Walsh and Missouri Valley need to spend a few more hours a week with their books open if they are going to pull off an “A” grade
Ups, Downs and Holding Steady:
There are some students whose parents need to know they are doing well in class and some that parents need to be notified their student needs to kick it in the butt just to have a passing grade. And of course there are some students that are doing their job but not causing me to take much notice as of yet. But they had better be careful and not slip onto the down list!

Now before anyone takes offense to the following list I should give my criteria for the grading because it is pretty simple. Just imagine if at the beginning of the season I guessed at what everyone’s grade would be at this time of the season? Well the following report shows whether I feel like those teams are up, down or holding steady! Pretty simple … but I’m sure I’ll still get some hate mail. Just remember that a down isn’t necessarily a bad thing … it just means this professor thought you would be a little further a long with your homework.

Here’s our progress report of the Ups, Downs and Holding Steady’s in the NAIA.

UP -Nebraska Wesleyan

UP – Rocky Mountain – MT

UP – Ottawa – KS

UP – Bethany – KS

UP – Southern Oregon

UP – Bacone – KS

UP – Concordia – NE

UP – Peru State – NE

UP – Minot State – ND

UP – Baker – KS

UP – Texas College

UP – Evangel – MO

UP – South Dakota Mines

UP – Southwestern – KS
UP – Taylor – IN
UP – Hastings – NE

UP – Dakota State – SD

DWN – William Penn – IA

DWN – Kansas Wesleyan

DWN -Georgetown – KY

DWN – Lambuth – TN

DWN – McKendree – IL

DWN -Trinity International – IL

DWN – Tabor – KS
DWN -Waldorf – IA

DWN -Haskell Indian Nations – KS

DWN – Iowa Wesleyan

DWN – Valley City State – ND

DWN – Dickinson State – ND

DWN – Black Hills – SD

DWN – Briar Cliff – IA
DWN – Central Methodist – MO
DWN -Campbellsville – KY
DWN – Eastern Oregon – OR
HS – Montana Tech
HS – Pikeville – KY

HS – Southwest Assemblies of God – TX

HS – Belhaven – MS

HS – West Virginia Tech

HS – Avila – MO

HS – Azusa Pacific – CA

HS – Southern Nazarene
HS – McPherson – KS

HS – Dana – NE

HS – Midland Lutheran – NE

HS – Webber International – FL

HS – Cumberland – TN

HS – Union – KY

HS – Edward Waters – FL

HS – St. Francis– IL

HS – Sterling – KS

HS – Mayville State – ND

HS – William Jewell – MO

HS – Langston – OK
HS – Northwestern Oklahoma State

HS – Quincy – IL

HS – Olivet Nazarene – IL

HS -Culver-Stockton – MO
HS – Benedictine – KS

INC – Marian – IN

INC – Faulkner – AL
There are the grades for this mid-term report. Some of these students can improve while others might be cashing it in for the rest of the semester to blow spitwads at the rest of the class.  In the end we will find out who wants to improve and who is ready to settle.

 

You know what you have to do now, so go out and get it done!

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly for 9/20/2007: Contenders, Pretenders and Menders

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
OVERRATED – Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap
Catching an echo of the chant within the final seconds of the game Ohio Dominican head coach Dale Carlson took off his headset, waved his arms at the fans and yelled, “Stop That!”

Respect … that is what that’s about. I do not know if there are two more down to earth coaches in the NAIA than Kevin Donley of St. Francis and Dale Carlson of Ohio Dominican. The fact that Carlson wouldn’t allow something like that to happen moved him up a few notches in my book.  That along with the fact the fans did indeed “stop that”.

So this week we will get to see how Ohio Dominican does it on the road. ODU has had two tests this season with Tiffin and USF recently. Now they have to go into Saint Xavier’s stadium and try to beat the Cougars on their own field. This will not be an easy task.

SXU is rated #2 by the coaches and #4 by VSN. I firmly believe they can win this game and the timing for the victory is perfect. Both teams are coming off of their toughest games of the season. SXU narrowly escaped the Cavaliers in Canton, 13-10. This week’s contest will be much of the same in Chicago.

September Review
So where does this put us in terms of perspective for the season? Well I have seen some things I thought I would never see in NAIA football this year.

I have seen a perennial power start the season 1-3 (Georgetown). I have seen a sleeping giant awaken (Lindenwood), I have seen more points in two games than some teams score all season (Virginia-Wise vs. Bethel and Georgetown).

But the one thing that I have seen this season that I have not seen for a while is parity at the top of the NAIA. It seemed like for the longest time it was two teams … and then the rest of the NAIA.

Right now I feel like there are about eight teams that could win the NAIA title if the ball bounces the right way. Obviously the hottest team in the country right now is Ohio Dominican. They are coming off the biggest regular season victory since last season’s Montana-Northern victory over Carroll College in Havre where the Saints 20 plus game winning streak was snapped.

ODU looks like the golden child of the NAIA right now but do not be fooled, this is still a group of young men who have not won a championship in their conference yet. This week’s match up with Saint Xavier is probably an even bigger game than last week since it is on the road. Saint Xavier can make me a believer with a win over ODU and vice versa.

Sioux Falls looks like the solid #1 on paper but their performance two weeks ago against Morningside has a few people raising some eyebrows. Morningside moved the ball against them offensively and the Cougars were almost bitten in the backside by the Mustangs. I am not saying the USF “D” is suspect but I felt like they could do more to limit Morningside when in the end they didn’t.

Do not write off Saint Francis (IN). Remember those words. This is the NAIA; teams can win championships even with regular season losses. The loss by St. Francis is the best thing to happen to them since they started making it to the national championship. This team has to learn what it is like to come back 7 days after a loss and play another football game. That will only make them stronger in the end. Plus I want to hear about what a week of practice is like at USF after a loss!

Bethel (TN) is just a nasty football team. I love the running game of Bell and Smith who just seem to get it done every game. This team is coming along quite nicely. They had to replace some talented seniors and it looks like they have done so in time for their swing into the Mid South Conference. This Wildcat football team should not lose for the rest of the season. And with the national title in their backyard I would bet the ‘Cats would like to prowl in Savannah.

Carroll College seems to have all of the workings of a championship caliber team. They just have to find a way to get past each team in the Frontier twice. That won’t be easy as MSU-Northern continues to improve and Western will get a shot at the Saints in Dillon, MT. The Saints have to be strong on the road if they are to make yet another trip to Savannah.

The Lions of Lindenwood have roared yet again this season and look to be the strongest team in the HAAC. I think they are a legit title contender but they need to stay focused and on task the rest of the season. The Lions slipped out of title contention in their last appearance in the postseason to Hastings. The Lions need to continue to take it one game at a time and they will be fine.

Jamestown is currently unbeaten but I also feel like they have been untested. They had a couple nice wins in the beginning of the season but I want to see what they will do against the best in the DAC. I know the Jimmies will be prepared every week to get the job done but are they prepared to play a team like Sioux Falls in the first round of the postseason?  Right now they are the best in the DAC but that’s not going to get it done in the postseason.

Outside of that there are a few teams that could be considered dark horses but it is too early to guess on them. The way I see it is if you make the cut to the final 16 team in the NAIA Championship Series this year, then you have a shot at the title.

Great travel plans for this weekend and I hope to have all of the video and audio coming to you soon! I’ll see you in Chicago with a Cubs hat on my head, deep dish pizza in one hand and a Chicago Dog in the other.

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly 9/25/07: Heading to Ohio and the How Do They Do It’s

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment

Especially if you start the season 0-4, 1-3 or something like that. There are not a lot of chances for you to still win a conference or make the postseason, but you keep plugging away for pride. I envy those players too. This is when you find out what you will be made of in the real world.

Just think being in a job and three weeks into the fourth quarter of the business year and your boss says there is no way the sales team is going to make the quarterly goals. Do you keep plugging away for pride or cash it in and just do enough to get by for the rest of the year? It’s the same scenario from football to the business world.

In all honesty if I could bring on employees right now I would hire the guys that I see major improvement from this day forward instead of the ones who have had it good for them since the beginning of the season. I want to see an 0-3 finish 7-3 because those are my type of guys. I want an 0-4 to go 6-4 and working for me in the future because in the end that is why 95% of us are here. To get an education and learn skills that will help us in the real world.

I do not care about 40 times or how many times you can bench 225. I want to know you never gave up when you were 0-4. I want to know that you didn’t skip class. That’s what I want.

The Big Games
Carroll vs. Montana Western: I figured I had better put this game first since the natives in Montana seemed to think that I overlooked the match up. It’s a great college football game and has major implications in the Frontier Conference. Given how the first part of the season has gone this game could be either for the tie or the outright victory of the Frontier Conference title. A title that has found its home in Helena, Montana for the past couple of years.

Montana Western has been a great surprise in the conference. I do not think that anyone except the backers in Dillon were thinking the Bulldogs would be off to this good of a start this season. In fact most of the estimates I saw from people in Big Sky country were for the Dawgs to finish last or near last in the conference.

Well so far Montana Western has proved most of those naysayer’s plus myself wrong and has won every one of their conference games going into this week’s battle in Helena. The only loss the Dawgs have this season is to IAA Big Sky member Eastern Washington, who is currently undefeated heading into this weekend.

Carroll College has continued with their winning ways and are undefeated after a 10-3 victory over MSU-Northern. It’s funny how from week to week the opinion and thought process behind the Saints changes like the moons.
One week fans are thinking they have the greatest team since the last national title. The next week they need to scrap the starting lineups and start over with a new offense.

Growing up in Nebraska it’s almost scary to when the Huskers had their dominance in the mid-nineties. From week to week fans lived and died with the QB play of Scott Frost. Touchdown Tommie Frazier won two titles for Nebraska. He then handed the program over to Scott Frost who didn’t win a national title in 1996. So for two years it seemed as if the vaunted Husker offense was the worse in the country despite the fact they kept winning and winning and winning with only one or two slips along the way. When they won the title in 1997, Scott Frost was anointed a Husker hero and all was right in the world. Hmm, Carroll fans … or should I say certain Carroll fans … sound familiar?

The coaches didn’t become stupid overnight, the playbook didn’t lose half of their pages and the field didn’t suddenly tilt 20 yards into the earth making it harder to move the ball up field. Carroll College is making the most out of what they have on this squad. They have a good team, great coaches and are good enough to win a national title.

Guess what … they might lose a game in the regular season. It happens. It doesn’t mean it is the end of the world. Let me play this weeks game out for you on paper… .

Montana-Western is going to get a lead in this football game. Heck they might even win this football game. I do not think they will but it is a distinct possibility given the “no fear” attitude in Dillon.

Carroll College will not get into a football game where the final score is 42-35 with the Bulldogs. It might be 21-10, or 17-3, or another 10-3 game with them coming out on top. If that’s the case I am sure on Monday the message board will be filled with “thank God for a great defense” posts.

And at the end of the day no one within the Carroll College football team will care … because they won. They will move on and they will get prepared for the next week of football. If they lose … they will move on and they will get prepared for the next week of football. That is just how the program works.

Western can beat Carroll, but I do not see it happening in Helena.

Ohio Dominican and St. Francis (IN)
The meeting that everyone knew was coming to the Mid-States Football Association. When Dale Carlson was announced as the first head coach of Ohio Dominican everyone in the NAIA knew that this day would be coming and the Panthers would become a power in the NAIA.

By the looks of things, that day might have come last year too as the Panthers lost in the final minutes in Fort Wayne, IN. But this season ODU will have USF on their home field in a game that could determine the road to the national championship.

Obviously each team has to play out the season, but look at what weighs on this game. The winner is in the driver’s seat to winning the MSFA league title. They still have to get past great teams like SXU, Malone and Walsh but they at least control their own destiny.

The winner will likely draw the 2nd or 3rd best team from an opposing conference in the first round of the playoffs making for a more manageable match up in the first round.

These two teams could likely win out through the playoffs and match up in the semifinals with the game being played at the higher seed IF the higher seed reaches the minimum to bid for the game. ODU could take some major advantages away from the Cougars if they were to do so.

The “what ifs” are endless with this one.

I really think ODU is a great football team and I am looking forward to flying into Columbus for the game this week. It will be a tremendous opportunity to see two of the best teams in the country going up against one another as well as two of the best coaches in the country.

The game? I think it goes to St. Francis. The aura around the Cougar football program just feels different this year and I think it leads them to a national title. It’s not a revenge thing anymore and it doesn’t seem like it is all about pride. I just get the feeling from USF that it is “what they are suppose to do” this season. There are no excuses … it is just about winning the games each week and bringing home a title.

ODU may surprise some people and get a win this week and I would be one of them. But I think at the end of the weekend we will find out the Panthers are still one of the top five in the country regardless if they lose to USF. They might have a blemish on their record but they will still be better than 86 other teams in the NAIA.

Wrapping them up and taking them down:
Bethel College (KS) @ Bethany College: Two undefeated’s in the KCAC. I think Bethel shows the talent gap between them and the Swedes. Bethany is a young team headed the right direction. It just will not happen this week.

Jamestown College @ Valley City State University: The PAINT BUCKET game! One of the best rivalries in college football regardless of division. JC is the better team on paper. But the game is in Valley and the Vikes need a win to turn around the season. This game will get CRAZY.

Lindenwood University @ Georgetown College: Name the last time GT lost two in a row in the same season? Name the last time they started 1-3? I cannot do it, which is why I think they win this week. LU can prove they are one of the best in the country with this victory. I haven’t seen the Ross era at LU have that “program defining win”. This is their chance.

MidAmerica Nazarene University @ Evangel University: So is MNU second best in the HAAC or can Evangel mix up the conference standing? The clouds are starting clear on the HAAC race but Evangel could bring in a storm front if they win this week.

Morningside College @ Concordia Univ: Hey Concordia … you lost …sorry … it was a heartbreaker … get over it. Because if you do not Morningside will beat you by thirty this week. I think CU shakes the heartbreak and gets the victory this week but they had better come prepared to play and not be reviewing any more game film of “the block”. If they have a college football mentality CU will come to play this week. If they do not … U-G-L-Y this week in Seward.

Northwestern College (IA) @ Hastings College: Okay Hastings, you have beaten everyone you are supposed to beat … now try to beat someone that you are not supposed to beat. This is the game that will make the Broncos a postseason contender or pretender. Broncos are greatly improved now they just have to believe they can do it.

<?xml:namespace prefix = st2 /><st2:sn w:st=”on”>Saint</SN> <st2:middlename w:st=”on”>Xavier</MIDDLENAME> <st2:sn w:st=”on”>University</SN> @ Walsh University: Walsh has been seen as #2 in their league for quite some time. But with SXU coming over and ODU improving again the Cavs have the chance to go from one of the best in the NAIA to a distant memory unless they can get some wins against some of the best in the NAIA. They are yet to beat St. Francis … can they get one against SXU? The home field will help but SXU looks really good this season.

Southern Nazarene University @ Azusa Pacific University: Great to see SNU making the trip to LA to play APU. This game will help me to judge how much APU has improved since week one. They have beaten a good Malone team, hung with one of the best in DIII and were two points from beating IAA Nichols State. SNU is a top 25 team in the NAIA and APU can help their cause for postseason if they get a win this week. SNU needs a big win after tripping up two weeks ago to Peru State.

Sterling College @ Northwestern Oklahoma State: This is awesome that the KCAC is scheduling NWOSU. The Rangers need more NAIA opponents so they can get a fair shake in the ratings. Sterling is an improved football team and will give NWOSU everything they want this week. But the Rangers are just more talented and will get the win.

University of Virginia’s College at Wise @ Bethel College: I said it in my picks this week and I will say it again. WISE NEEDS TO BE READY. They say last week was a programming defining win. Well this week they could get a programming defining loss on the road if they aren’t ready. I am not sure how good Bethel (TN) is right now. A win this week has me thinking late rounds of the NAIA post season. A loss has me thinking they might struggle down the stretch. I think Wise is the better team but don’t be surprised to see a huge crowd in McKenzie this week for one of the best games in the country!

That’s it for this week folks! Drive safe and enjoy your NAIA football!

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly from 9/20/2007: Peru State’s Finest Impact on VSN

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
I feel like I owe it to Peru State to come on by and see the place where these two coaches reached one of the highest points in their coaching careers since they meant so much to me as a player.

It’s weird how year’s later you can still feel a coach’s impact and how they changed your life whether they were around you for five years or five minutes. Brown and Korby did just that to me, in separate instances. I respected them both immensely and anyone who played defense at Dana during that time understands what I am talking about. Probably the same can be said for those players who played under them at Peru State.

Get the flashback music ready.
It was the start of my sophomore year of college football and I was on offense at Dana College. We had just undergone a change of offense in fall camp and weren’t using a fullback much which led to limited and split playing time on offense. After the second game of that season our middle linebacker hurt his back and it was thought that he would not play again for the rest of the season.

A good friend of mine, Jody Phillips, was on the coaching staff after his playing career had ended due to injury. He knew I was unhappy because I was not playing and asked if I would consider moving positions to play defense. I said “sure” because I wanted to play but he warned me … “I don’t know what Coach Brown will think. He’s kinda got his guys but you never know.”

I later found out that in that Sunday evening’s meeting Brown was adamant against me making the move to defense. Korby and Jody told him to “give him a week.”

So on Monday I was told I was moving to defense. I grabbed my white jersey and went about my business as a linebacker. Oh yeah, this was 20 minutes before practice started that I found out.

I can still remember Korby and Jody writing on little sticky notes in the coach’s office the different types of coverage and blitzes that I had to know. My head was spinning to say the least.

After a week at practice we had to face off against eventual NAIA postseason participant Hastings College. Naturally I was sitting about 2/3 on the depth chart at middle and strongside backer because I knew nothing … absolutely nothing.
In one week of practice I think all I had retained by game time was “tackle the guy with the ball.”

Well, Hastings was good … VERY good. Marc Boerighter was a wide receiver for them (eventual NFL player) and Josh Miller was the quarterback (All-American QB). They put up over 700 total yards of offense on us. Most of that in the first and second quarter.

I can’t even remember the score, but I remember Jody coming over to me with his headset on in the second quarter and saying “Brown wants to see what you can do. Don’t worry you can’t do much worse than what has happened so far.”

In I went. I played the rest of the game. Had a lot of fun and pretty much just ran around like an idiot which given our play that day was about par for the course.

The next day Brown was walking into the coach’s office as I was leaving the trainers room for treatment. Brown said “Hey Chipper, come here.”

Brown had this way of communicating that I just loved. It was like being called over by your grandfather. You knew when he was talking it was typically something important or that he meant business. He grabbed my elbow with his right hand and looked me in the eye through his thick glasses…

“Chipper, I owe you an apology. I doubted you and didn’t think you could be one of my guys… . You’re my type of guy.”
Then it was a quick pat on the back and he walked up the stairs. My heart felt about 10 times bigger and I knew that Brown was a special coach because of his honesty to me. I never had a coach, EVER come up to me and say he was sorry for a decision he made. But the sincerity in his voice and the look in his eyes made me believe he was something special.

The same could be said for his other Peru State counterpart Rondel Korbelik. Korby was the fiery coach that I loved. He said the right things when they needed to be said and had the respect of everyone on defense. Later my sophomore year I had a moment that made me realize that Korby “got it” as a coach and as a person. Of course it also involved Coach Brown.

We were playing our rival Midland Lutheran in Fremont. We were down something like 35-3 at halftime. Our defensive locker room was chatty and everyone was getting on one another. Coach Brown gave the most memorable halftime speech I have ever received to this day.
Brown shuffled in looking at the defensive play card.

He’d glance at it … then look up … he’d glance down again and back up. He did this for a minute until you could hear nothing in the locker room. He looked at Korby, Jody, and Coach Williams … then he looked at us and shook his head.

“Are we the worst damn defense in the nation?”
Pause … loooooooong pause.  Complete silence.

 

“I’m serious guys. I’ll even ask it again … are WE the worse damn defense in the nation? I’ve been reading the newspapers for two weeks. No one gives up 700 yards in a game. No one. Not all year. And you know what? We’re gonna do it twice in the same season?!?!
Pause … loooooooonger pause.

 

“So I’ll ask a third time … are WE the worse damn defense in the nation. Hell, don’t answer it fellas, get out there and do something about it. I’m through talking and listening to people talk about it, you need to start doing.”
After stunned silence we made our way back to the field. First drive of the second quarter Midland scored again and our defense came off the field. There was a lot of bickering and a lot of negativity.

 

I hated that. The finger pointing started and that’s when I let out a profanity laced tirade that would make the cast of “The Departed” blush.
At one point, I may or may not have told a senior what he could do with his football helmet and where it should be place upon his removal from the game.

 

After going “Alex Baldwin” on them, Korby grabbed my facemask … . stared in my eyes … and didn’t say a word. It seemed like we stared at one another for 30 minutes but it was more like 5 seconds. Korby let out a sly crooked smile and said the most meaningful words to me every as a player.
With a nod of his head he whispered. “Good”

 

We came back but lost in the end. I played the rest of the game and started the rest of the season. The week after Midland I ran into Korby on my way out of a Monday night team meeting. I remember the scene so vividly it’s almost like it was in a movie I have seen thirty times.
We were in between the campus center and the main campus building at Dana. Korby was walking with a group of coaches in front of me and glanced back to see I was walking out by myself. He slowed up to talk to me as the other coaches advanced on. He reached out and put his fist on my shoulder to talk to me.

“Chipper, all I have to say is keep doing what you are doing. I don’t care about how you play football. You’ve got character and you’ve got class. That’ll take you farther than knowing how to play cover two or plug a gap.”

That’s just how Korby was.  He’d take the time to say things like that to you and always had time for you as a person or player.
Going into my junior year we found out that Coach Brown’s cancer had gotten worse and that he wasn’t going to be able to coach that fall. So Korby moved into the roll of defensive coordinator. It’s hard to remember all of the talks Korby would have with us but I always felt like he was saying the right things. We just weren’t very good at playing football and doing what we were told to do.  But we got the message that he was trying to send.

The most memorable was his talk to the entire team about Peru State College football and when they won the national title. The subject was all about how they “got it” as a team. They knew what it was going to take to get there and that team just “got it”. As a team at Dana we had players that “got it” too, but not everyone “get’s it” and those people needed to either “get it” or “get out”. The intensity in which he told the story of the guys coming together inspired a lot of us; at least the ones that “got it”.

I’m sure everyone reading this has had this experience. That coach or person that changed their lives or at least kept them pointing in the right direction. So I almost feel this obligation after all of these years to go to Peru State and see a game, just for the sake of history. For my own history and for two of the guys who meant so much to me as coaches.

I’ll end this “Rambling” paying homage to Coach Brown. The article is over and I’ve done everything I can do this week to prepare for the job I am about to do. Everyone have a great week …

“The hay’s in the barn fellas … nothing left to do now but stack asses.”

NAIA Campus Report from 9/18/2007 by Jason Dannelly: Playing Football at Carroll College

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
Carroll College never disappoints. Whether it’s on the football field or with the people around the program; the Saints never disappoint. Since 2003 I have made an annual travel to Helena, MT to see the Saints play football. I’ve never walked away thinking the trip was less than expected.
 
From the game management, to the athletic staff, to the coaching staff and to the President everything is done with a purpose.  Everyone has a role with Carroll’s athletic department and they all understand what it is they need to do to make things a little better each week.

The first question I received from about ten different people on my cell phone on Saturday evening focused around one subject. “Are they good enough to do it again?”

I had two answers, one was a long drawn out analysis of an offense and defense revolving around the ins and outs of football and improvements that have been made over the last year.

The other was the simpler of the two: Yes.

The difference in the Saints from 06 to 07 is also very simple, experience. The Saints are deep on the offensive line and the group they have back on defense is nasty. Eastern Oregon’s Ian Shields felt the Saints just play at a totally different speed than everyone else they have faced.

You cannot see it on film but in person it is apparent. The Saints defense swarms opponents. The first guy is always there to slow up the play and there are six or seven other guys closing in fast to finish off the opponent. It is kind of like sending missiles into a battle zone. The first one catches everyone’s attention and the other six or seven do the damage.

But everyone knows that the Saints defense is going to be good. They are typically every year. The question mark last year and this year were if the offense would be good enough to carry this team through a tough postseason run.

This year’s offense just looks to be more in sync than last seasons. QB John Barnett still has a cannon but his throws look more relaxed and less forced than last year. Last year was kind of like that scene out of the movie “The Program” where the Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Kane is over and under throwing passes in fall camp and James Caan’s character says “Joe’s got too much pressure on him; he’s trying to win the Heisman on every pass.”

That’s what Barnett looked like to me last year at Carroll. This season he looks like a guy who’s just out throwing the ball around to his buddies. And his “buddies” have yet another year of experience.

Speaking of “buddies” I do have to mention my time away from football at Carroll College. Through the years and the annual visits to Nelson Stadium I find myself running into a lot of the same people. From that I have made quite a few good friends which goes to show you the welcoming environment at Carroll College.

Most of the people I have chummed around with were on the first national championship team in 2002. They are definitely a good group of guys and I have no problems sitting back and listening to them tell stories from back in the day. It is just fun to hear from them plus see how much their lives have changed from the championship in 2002 until the present day as they all work “real jobs” and get on with life after football. I heard plenty of stories from Shane Larson, Nick Porrini and Matt Vantresca this past weekend. I also learned from them that library’s are “intense”. (Yes, we’ll go ahead and reference that line as “inside joke” … glad you could play along.)

Carroll College almost never disappoints and the team that I saw playing Eastern Oregon on Saturday was the type of team that I could see hoisting the hardware in Savannah, TN come December. There is no easy road for the Saints this year as the Frontier Conference will be extremely tough with the surge of Montana-Western and the tough games to come against Montana Tech and MSU-Northern.
 
I guess that’s when we will find out who is better at “playing the football.”

I’ll see you this week at homecoming in Peru, Nebraska as Iowa Wesleyan takes on the Bobcats!

NAIA Ramblings of Jason Dannelly from 9/14/2007: Nothing is Taking Shape, Repeat . . .

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
By the looks of these two contests one would start to believe that it is a two horse race in the NAIA, but I am not inclined to think that way quite yet even though the evidence is pretty convincing. In the first few weeks of the season I have been thoroughly impressed with several teams and how they have seemingly improved in the off-season.

The first that comes to mind is Saint Xavier. Mike Feminis’ squad was an NAIA semifinalist last season in what proved to be a remarkable and historic run through the NAIA postseason. This year’s team makes me believe they have the same swagger as last year’s squad.

The key will be how they handle the new conference schedule and their move to the Mideast side of the league. Now they have to battle St. Francis (IN) and Walsh (OH) in the regular season as well as face off with Ohio Dominican for the first time this season. Also keep in mind that one of their regular season losses last season came against Mideast opponent Malone, who just got back from California after putting up a great fight against Azusa Pacific.

QB Bill Yeo of SXU is a gamer. He is not going to be an NFL Draft pick but he will be able to put together one of the best seasons ever for Saint Xavier. Yeo reminds me of Chad Cavender from Sioux Falls in about every sense of his play. They just seem to both made good decisions and by the end of the day they will put their team in position to win football games.

But I digress, SXU is just one of many teams in the NAIA that feel have a great opportunity to win a national championship this season. Carroll College, Bethel TN, Ohio Dominican … the list goes on because it is that early in the season and we cannot even begin to see these conference races taking shape.

The Wacky HAACy
If I could explain this conference to you I would probably be in Mensa.

MNU looked like a championship caliber team in week one with a big win over Azusa Pacific then lost the second week to Lindenwood before eking out a victory over Benedictine last week. This week the ‘Neers will play Graceland, who looked average in a week one win over Central Methodist but then turned it on against the nation’s #3 team Missouri Valley. Valley was thought to be one of the best in the country but went to 3OTs with Benedictine in week one to get a win previous to their loss to the Jackets.

Oh yeah, William Jewell is 2-0 facing MoVal Saturday and Baker is 1-1 with undefeated Lindenwood on the schedule. My head is spinning … I’m going to take a nap now.

So if ANYONE tries to say “you can start to see the shape of …” then those people need to be shaken violently because they are not watching the same conference or NAIA division as us. Graceland and Lindenwood hold the keys right now with both having a chance at unbeaten seasons. But the way the conference has gone this season I would not count on any of that.

Seemingly LU and Graceland have remedied any offensive woes that people expected in 2007. They’ve both looked very good through two weeks and will be tested in their games this week.

Just a little side note; If Baker were allowed to go all orange, then the Lindenwood/Baker game this week in St. Charles would not be attended by any fashion experts. I think the new uni’s at LU look good, but the message boards may not think so. You may also go blind if Baker were allowed to play in the orange uniforms from watching them and the gold and black all over the field.

Ever eat a banana and an orange on an upset stomach? Yep … kinda like that.

Helena is here!
Nearly every season that I have covered NAIA football there has been the opportunity presented to attend a football game in Helena, MT. Each season I have absolutely enjoyed my time spent in the Big Sky state.

From eating 2lbs of steak at the Marysville House to getting to know a bunch of the alumni off the first national championship team, I have always enjoyed my visit to Montana’s Capitol City. Heck, while going to these games I’ve also gotten a chance to visit Butte, MT and see the home of the Orediggers. I just made sure I wore my VSN gear and not anything gold while visiting.

There is just something about the state of Montana that I look forward to every year whether it’s seeing the Saints play football or getting to meet huge fans of NAIA sports.

I am not sure what is in store for me on this trip to Helena but I certainly plan on seeing some great football in the Frontier.

It should be a great game because the opponent, Eastern Oregon, needs this win or at least a great performance to begin their climb in the Frontier and NAIA standings. This is a football team that I felt coming into the season showed great promise. They still do but they have to start turning the corner this week because right now it appears to be Montana Tech and the Mountaineers of EOU for third in the Frontier.

Ahh yes, there I go with a “taking shape” comment. I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong!

Rivalry in Sioux Falls
The Cougars play host to the one of the higher rated teams in the NAIA this week, the Northwestern College Red Raiders. This game is always well played, hard fought and often times go down to the wire.

But much to the displeasure of Red Raider backers, I do not see it that way this season. Two things have happened in the last 365 days: Sioux Falls got better and Northwestern’s offense took a step back.

Yes, I know Northwestern just came off a 44 point performance last week over Dakota Wesleyan. But let’s not use that as the measuring stick for the success of the Red Raider “O”. The team I saw week one in Lincoln, Nebraska had big problems moving the football against a decent defense. I do not believe last week’s defense from the Tigers in Mitchell, South Dakota should be compared to the ‘85 Bears either even though they appear to be improved. When tested this season, the Red Raiders “O” did not perform well.

So I firmly stand behind my pick of 42-7. I think Sioux Falls is that good on both sides of the ball. Maybe the 42 is a bit high, but I also calculated in a defensive and special teams score as well. Northwestern’s fate will lie on their first drive of the game. If they can get a score early then they may be able to hang with USF. I just do not see it happening.

Wrapping ‘Em Up and Taking ‘Em Down
AzusaPacific – CA @University of Wisconsin-La Crosse: APU’s tough schedule continues this week on the road. As an “NAIA” guy I want APU to get this win but this is a very good D3 school. APU will need to play at an extremely high level.

Baker – KS @ Lindenwood – MO: If Baker can upset Lindenwood this week on the road they too can throw their name in the HAAC title hunt as nearly everything will be up in the air. Baker needs a breakout game and there is no better set up than this week.

Bethany (Kan.) – KS @ Briar Cliff – IA: GPAC vs. KCAC. Bethany is young and will struggle against Briar Cliff. The Cliffies need this non-conference win as they struggle with where they will land in the conference this season.

Doane – NE @ Nebraska Wesleyan – NE: Rivalry!!!! But … don’t expect much yet. Doane is young and inexperienced. Look for improvement from the Tigers but NWU should handle them.

Haskell Indian Nations – KS @ University of Redlands: Haskell gets a great opportunity from their school leadership to travel across the country to play in what will be one of the more memorable weekends in their recent football history. But do not go looking for Haskell to come back with a “W” as Redlands is a quality D3.

MayvilleState – ND @ South Dakota Mines: Mines could seriously start the season 3-0? Wow. It has been awhile since Mines has had the ability to do this. Mayville State needs a win this week to show they are improved over last season but Mines will not go down easy.

MidAmerica Nazarene – KS @ Graceland – IA: GU can take hold of their destiny this week with a win over MNU but I get the feeling that the HAAC is just going to get crazier and crazier by the week. It’s just so wide open right now that you might as well throw darts to pick the winner.

MinotState – ND @ Jamestown – ND: I think Jamestown proves this week they are one of the top two in the conference with a win. I think BHSU has a lot of improving to do since they started 0-2 but the Jimmies can turn heads with a win this week and a perfect start to their season. Minot State needs a “W” to get the monkey off their back and get the Rudolph era started with a bang. Minot will be good under Rudolph but it is going to take a while.

MissouriValley@ William Jewell – MO: I nearly forgot about this game since there are so many good ones in the HAAC. MoVal needs a strong offensive performance to stay in the upper tier of the conference while Jewell is chomping at the bit for a chance to be considered one of the best in the conference. This might end out being the best game of the week.

Northwestern Oklahoma State – OK @ Southwestern – KS: The KCAC has started scheduling NWOSU … this could be ugly this week if the Rangers start to roll.

OhioDominican @ Tiffin University: The best overall football game of the week. Tiffin is proving to be a very tough DII football team as the Dragons are currently undefeated. ODU needs this win to prove to me they are a national championship caliber football team. Sure it may seem unfair to say that since this is a good DII school, but when St. Francis and Carroll were making their runs to the title game they were beating good DII schools. ODU needs this to prove to me they stand chance to beat St. Francis (IN) this season.

Olivet Nazarene – IL @ St. Xavier – IL: Nice little Chicago area rivalry. ONU is the team everyone forgets about because they are just “there”. They are not the top, they are not the bottom. They are just there. SXU’s plans should prove to leave them “there” with a convincing win.

Quincy – IL @ Culver-Stockton – MO: The Pepsi Great River Bowl should be a great game as well. I think that CSC is improved this season and Quincy is still a quality team. Should go to the wire with this one.

Saint Francis – IN @ Pikeville – KY: I think USF continues their run to start the season. After a 71-7 game last week I think the Cougars will scare the Bears into the gigantic hill on the West side of their football field. Pikeville is getting better but they are not on the same level as the Cougars yet.

Union (Ky.) – KY @ Malone – OH: MSC vs. MSFA. I think Malone is the better overall team and should win this game but it’s nice to see two conferences locking up in a non-conference battle.

Urbana– OH @ McKendree – IL: McKendree loses to Urbana last season. That was the point that I knew McKendree wasn’t the same power that they had been in previous seasons. A win this week will prove to me they are back in the running for the NAIA postseason.

ValleyCity State– ND @ Black Hills – SD: No wins between these two schools that were near and at the top of the conference last season. The outcome of this game will help me to draw a conclusion if BHSU will be strong enough in all areas to win the DAC. The same can be said about VCSU. For whatever reason, people seem to be writing off VCSU as a team that could win this conference. A strong performance this week can have people thinking differently.

That’s it for this week folks. Enjoy your NAIA football and I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you on email or the message boards!

Campus Report from Jason Dannelly 9/10/2007: Haskel/SD Mines and Kansas Wesleyan/Bethel KS

/ jasondannelly / Leave a comment
Haskell’s campus is old but that is no surprise. It just seems like if they had a donor that could drop a couple million into the place that it could become a really nice looking campus. There is some obvious updating that needs to happen around campus and with the football stadium.

Most notably the stadium needs some improvements on and around the stands. Most construction managers would look at the stadium as a nice “shell” to start with. Some fresh paint and a power washer would go along ways. Also, some turf or a reseeding of the field would make the game play even better.

Right now the playing surface has a lot of crabgrass on it. Okay … maybe the surface is all crabgrass, but I digress. I am not trying to put down the efforts of Haskell because they already do more than expected as a football staff and school. What I am trying to do is point out the potential this school has to become something really special to Native American students across the country.

In my opinion this is a school that should receive a lot more federal funding than what they get because of what and who they represent. You have to be of Native American decent to go to this school. Period. Because of that I think it makes them special and unique to a culture that is slowly being forgotten. By preserving the values of their culture and working to improve this school I really think that the Midwest and the entire country could enjoy this little “gem” tucked away in Lawrence.

As for the football between Haskell and SD Mines … it was sloppy but it was a competitive game. It just seemed to me like there were a lot of penalties that will hurt both of these schools in bigger games. False starts, off sides, illegal substitutions, etc. There seemed to be no real flow in this game.

At first I thought Mines was going to blow out Haskell as they marched down the field and kicked a field goal on their opening possesion. But that would be all that we would see for a while as they two teams just could not move the ball.

SD Mines is improved and their 2-0 record reflects that. They might end the season with four wins this season, maybe five, if they can capture lightening in a bottle. But in my opinion they did not look like a team that I would consider being in the top of the DAC quite yet. Things are heading the right direction but Mines is still young.

Haskell just does not have the ability to bring in athletes to really make them into a team that can compete with the best in the country. They have good ball players and they play with a lot of heart and pride. But at the end of the day I was not looking at a team that was all that athletic. They have some good ball players and a solid coaching staff but just do not have the “oomph” needed to win 6-7 games.

Haskell is an Independent, but in watching them and knowing the restrictions they have with admissions and scholarships I really believe this school would be a nice addition to the KCAC. It would give them a solid schedule each season and allow them to start some real rivalries within the state of Kansas. Right now it just seems like they are a program that is looking for an identity. Of course that decision is up to the Presidents of the KCAC. If they were to admit them to the conference I would give them a big thumb up.

After the clock hit zero I escaped to make it to I-70 so I could watch Kansas Wesleyan and Bethel in Salina. When I arrived I saw a great small college atmosphere; tailgaters on the grass, plenty of fans, a hot sweaty press box and a beautiful facility.

This season while KWU starts to remodel their football stadium the Coyotes will be playing their home games at Salina Central HS. The facility has turf and great seating for fans. It is also very easy to find if you are an out of towner trying to get to the game.

I came away from KWU/Bethel with two things:

#1 Bethel College is better than I thought they would be.

#2 Kansas Wesleyan’s offense is not as far along as I thought it would be.

Typically KWU can reload at certain positions and be just fine but this year’s offense just seemed out of sync.  That is bound to happen with 8 new offensive starters. The Coyotes are known as a run style football team but that may have to change if they do not improve in the trenches. KWU provided little running room for their backs. The longest running play from scrimmage was nine yards for Valliere. That’s just not enough to get the job done.

I did think when given time QB Drew Dallas looked good throwing the football. His completion percentage was below what most football coaches would want it to be (10-26) but he certainly throws a good ball.

As for Bethel, I really liked the way they moved the football. With a few improvements this offense will be very tough to stop. The Threshers ran the option quite well and I felt their QBs made good decisions when to keep and when to pitch the ball. The tandem of Clow and Rogers proved to be a deadly one as the two QBs combined for 216 yards from behind center.

All-American running back Beau Cox did what I expected. He busted some nice runs and kept the offense moving along. The issue Cox will have this year is that teams are really going to key on him knowing what he can do. He has to avoid contact in the backfield or else he is done. The second back for Bethel, Melton, is a bigger stronger back which will provide Bethel with a guy who can get it done between the tackles.

Keeping these two guys on the field as much as possible will help the Threshers to have opponents guessing at what is next.

Bethel’s defense looked really good in the victory but I am not going to pass judgment on them until they are tested a few more times. The jury is still out in my opinion if Saturday was Bethel being that good on D or KWU being that out of sync.

Bethel can win a conference title if their defense comes to play every week. They have a good offense that provides the balance needed to win the KCAC. But they have to be able to stop teams like Friends from physically dominating them or Sterling from running all over them.

In the end there was a lot of excitement when KWU picked up a fumble and got the score to 13-8. But I just got the feeling from the fans that no one was expecting the Coyotes to pull off the victory. I never heard anyone say it but I felt as if fans of K-dub were thinking “we don’t deserve to win this.”

But what they do deserve is to improve this week and get ready for another game. The season is far from over and I think with some improvements on offense KWU can still be a postseason team.

Next weekend will be a lot of fun for me as I will be in Helena, Montana to watch Carroll College take on Eastern Oregon. Between the football, alums, facilities and fantastic support for VSN I know I will have a GREAT time.