Then you look at the Frontier Conference who already has Montana-Northern and Montana Tech vying for the early frontrunner position to win a conference title. Tech and Northern played great non-conference teams in their opening weeks which have allowed them to fine tune things before conference play.

Then you have a great non-conference match up with Evangel facing off with Langston. Langston was a team that last season a lot of people felt made a nice run towards the postseason until slipping up late in their schedule. Evangel was defeated in week one by William Jewell, 21-10, but I would expect a better overall game from the Crusaders this week as a second loss early will put their backs against the wall as they head into their conference run.

In my opinion I am going to what looks to be the best NAIA game on paper this week in Salina, Kansas. KWU rolled through the early portion of their KCAC schedule last season starting the year 7-0 before losing in North Newton, Kansas to the Threshers 10-3. That win propelled Bethel into the postseason as they rose in the ratings above KWU the following week after the Coyotes stubbed their postseason toe on Sterling College.

KWU is a bit of an enigma this season. Head Coach Dave Dallas is always competitive in the KCAC and his teams have been competing for conference titles as of late. This team seems to have all the pieces in place for greatness this season but the KCAC is such a temperamental league that the slightest shift could upset the applecart for the entire season.

I would bet my opening week predictions for the KCAC for the last six years are close to morbid when I think about it. You can never get a decent gauge on this league early in the season.

Bethel College has one of the country’s leading rushers back in Beau Cox. The shifty back broke out of nowhere last season as he took All-American honors from VSN. Now whether or not he can repeat the performance of 2006 is yet to be seen as he will have a tough go this week against a usually stingy Coyote defense.

I think Kansas Wesleyan is the better team this week, especially at home. But that does not mean that Bethel can’t run the table the rest of the season in the KCAC. I like what Mike Moore has done with the Threshers and respect him a lot as a coach.

The other game in the KCAC this week with Friends and Sterling is a game I wish I could make it to as well. First off, I love Sterling Coach Andy Lambert and Friends Coach Monty Lewis. I think they are two of the best in small college football.

Secondly I am a “run the football” sort of guy. I’m sure if the referees came to Lewis and Lambert before the game and said “Fellas, there’s a new rule for tonight that says you cannot throw the football” both of these guys would probably smile and likely change nothing in their game plan.

So in hindsight maybe I should have headed off to this game since I love smash mouth football. You will see the teams run some option in this game, a lot of powers and some big collisions between the big uglies on the line … . man I love football.

Friends is the better squad but that does not mean I don’t think Sterling can pull the upset because they can. It just seems to me that going into the season that Friends is a little bit ahead of the rest of the KCAC.

First year quarterback Adam Mares was adequate in his first week as a starter for Missouri Valley. Now that he has gotten the quote “butterflies out of his stomach” he will have to improve this week if the Vikings are to get past Graceland. Graceland is the team that everyone in the HAAC has seemed to forgot about and have the ability to get the upset this week.

GU starts quite a few new faces offensive including their first year starter in Garrett Graves. Last week Graves was 20-33 for 135 yards in an effective debut as signal caller for the Jackets. Jerome Messam carried the load in the backfield with 26 carried for 110 yards in the win.

MoVal and GU are a lot a like in the fact that they have key positions being occupied by inexperienced players. This week will either be about which one of those newcomers can step up and be a superstar or not do anything to lose it for their team. I still like MoVal in a close one.

Belhaven – MS @ Southern Nazarene: SNU can prove to me this week that they are a postseason contender with a win. This is a program that has been average for a long time, which is fine, but I think the Crimson Storm can achieve more. Belhaven is a quality opponent and a win over the Blazers will mean something to the raters.

Benedictine – KS @ MidAmerica Nazarene: Okay boys, who wants it? The HAAC race is on fire in the second week in the winner of this once will likely stay up in the ratings and be in the drivers seat the rest of the season. MNU has got to stop someone on defense if they are truly one of the best in the HAAC.

Carroll – MT @ Rocky Mountain: This game will be closer than you expect. Rocky is much improved this season. Carroll should get a “W” but when the score is only 14-0 could the “our offense sucks” crew stay off the message board?

Dakota Wesleyan – SD @ Northwestern (IA): I’m not saying much … all I am saying is keep an eye on this game.

Iowa Wesleyan @ Ohio Dominican: ODU hung 70 plus on Campbellsville last week. IWC better come to play or the Panthers will do it again.

Malone – OH @ Azusa Pacific: Should be a battle. Either Malone will position themselves in the Top 25 to stay or APU will start to climb out of their 0-2 start and rip through the rest of their NAIA schedule.

Montana State-Northern @ Montana Tech: Wish I could see it on TV. Second best game in the NAIA this week behind Bethel/Kansas Wesleyan.

Nebraska Wesleyan – NE @ Morningside: NWU went 0-3 vs. the best in the GPAC last season scoring zero points in those games. They lost 13-12 to Northwestern last week, can they turn the corner against the ‘Stangs?

Sioux Falls – SD @ Midland Lutheran: Midland lost big on the road last week by turning the ball over and not executing. They face the #1 team in the country this week. Check please …

South Dakota Mines @ Haskell Indian Nations: My first trip to Lawrence to see Haskell. Not often the DAC gets this far south for a football game so I figure WHY NOT! It is only gas money! Might not be a pretty game, but it will be competitive until the very end.  Heck, I even get SD Mines to visit me in Grand Island on Thursday!

Southern Oregon @ Idaho State University: IAA vs. NAIA. SOU is much improved … but a patsy on the schedule would have been a better choice. Go get ‘em Raiders! May the Appalachian State force be with you!

Southwest State University @ Jamestown: DII vs. NAIA. Jimmies look like the better team on paper, but that’s why they play the games.

St. Xavier – IL @ St. Francis (IL): Coach Mike Feminis against the school where he is in the hall of fame as a player. Former USF head coach Mike Slovick is also on staff with SXU. Fem and company should get the win.

Webber International – FL @ The Citadel: IAA vs. NAIA. If Webber could play more NAIA teams I think they would earn more national respect. Lost last week on a blocked punt, this week they can be competitive but they are just outmanned.

William Penn – IA @ Saint Francis: The last three times these teams have played has been in Oskaloosa, Iowa. USF is just happy they get it at home this year. Cougars may be rusty in week one but I still like them over the Statesmen.

Last year Carroll defeated the Yellow Jackets 28-3 in Spearfish SD but this year’s Yellow Jacket team has the ability to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I think John Scott’s program is ready to make some noise and be seen as the dominant DAC team much like the Dickinson State’s from the early part of this decade. DSU won or tied for four straight titles and I think BHSU’s program can get to that same level this year.

Black Hills’ starting QB Erik Osborne has another year under his belt and his experience in last year’s game against Carroll as well as the playoffs gives him the ability to try to pick apart a tough Saints defense.

And the Saints defense will be the major story of this game. Carroll College has always been tough on defense much because of head coach Mike Van Diest also coordinating that side of the ball. BHSU’s offense improved all of last season and should be solid against Carroll. Linebacker Owen Koeppen leads the Saints defense along with defensive back Nick Milodragovich. Overall the Saints return 7 starters to their vaunted defense.

As good as that defense is Carroll cannot wins games with a lack of offense. The offense of the Saints really struggled at times last season. Jon Barnett may feel less pressure this season as he goes under center for his second season as a starter. Without the four year streak of a national title looming over his head I think he will play more loosely and the offense will be more open than it seemed last season.

Game time is Saturday at 1:00 p.m. MDT at Nelson Stadium where a crowd of over 5000 is expected for the Saints home opener. I think it’s the Saints game to lose but believe the Jackets will be right with them every step of the way.

Junior Adam Mares was named the starter this fall in Marshall and I seem to think he is going to be the type of guy that can get the job done for the Vikings. He has the pedigree that I like to see in a kid who is taking over a program that is seen as one of the best in the NAIA.

That pedigree follows this line of thinking:  He is a local kid who has been in the system. No one expects him to be the Joe Montana of the program and he has enough weapons around him where he can worry about two things: Make the right decision when going through your progressions and do not turn the ball over.

Troth is a smart coach and will bring Mares along and instill confidence in him throughout the first game. He is not going to have him sling it 60 yards down field and then chew him out when he throws an interception on the play. Mares will hit the short passes and get the ball to Holmes for 4 yards a pop. The returning weapons for MoVal need to perform in week one and Mares will follow suite.

The Vikings posses two of the NAIA’s most exciting defensive football players in Larry Wentzel on the d-line and Reggie Singletary at defensive back. These two players are cornerstones to a solid Viking defense that should be able to limit the Benedictine offense in week one.

Benedictine has a shot to knock off the #3 team in the country this week, mostly due to the fact they have 7 returning starters on offense themselves. Add in the home field advantage and the Ravens will give MoVal all they want and more. I think Jesse Thomas is a quality running back that can get the Raven’s 100 plus yards a game.

The Ravens and Vikings are probably the game of the week in the NAIA.

Nebraska Wesleyan has been fourth best in the GPAC for years and if they want to get among the nation’s elite, they have to beat the highly rated Red Raiders from Orange City.

It will not be an easy task as the Red Raiders are one of the more efficient teams in the NAIA. They will not wow you with big plays and 90 yard bombs to score touchdowns but they will impress the football purists with great defense, discipline and an offense that makes you say “Man, how can they beat us.”

What I mean by “Man, how can they beat us” is this: I cannot tell you how many times I have stood in a coach’s office or talked to a coach at the conclusion of a football game and they have said those very words to me. You look at the offense, scout all the plays and think “we’ve got this team beat.”

Then you play them … 3 yards, 4 yards, 4 yards and repeat … . all the way down the field for the score. Craig Hector has the needed experience to lead the Red Raiders to a conference title if their young running backs can carry the load left by the departing Keith Sietstra.

If Wesleyan wants to get into the playoffs they have just got to get it done this week. No excuses. None of this “Well, it was a tough draw out of the gate” or “We just need to instill confidence in our team.” Bull … if you want it, go win it. It’s yours for the taking. Northwestern in Lincoln … week one … and they are replacing several All-Americans. Hey P-Wolves, it’s on the table … come get it if you want it.

And after all that inspiration and motivation for Wesleyan … I still think Northwestern wins this game.

Led by 16 returning starters the Lights are the odds on favorite against Dickinson State, but the Hawks have been known to surprise people from season to season. Dickinson State returns 12 starters, but anyone that knows this football program knows that DSU has the ability to beat anyone from week to week because they will not beat themselves. Head Coach Hank Biesiot enters his 31^st year at Dickinson State and his teams are known for efficiency as well as hard nosed play. The scheme may stay the same but everyone knows that you have to BEAT Dickinson because they will not beat themselves.

Important note in this game is that it is the return of Don Saisbury to the Lights backfield. Technically he never left as he started every game last season. But for those of you who forgot, Saisbury underwent treatment for cancer last spring.

Since the treatments he has been declared free of cancer and ready to play for the Lights while also getting married last summer. Truly an inspiring story. I had a chance to talk with Saisbury on the phone and I can do nothing but wish great things for this man.

Southern Oregon travels to Eastern Oregon for an interstate non-conference event. Coming into the season Eastern Oregon holds high hopes for their shot at Frontier Conference crown but they have to get by Southern Oregon first. SOU gave Montana Tech everything they wanted last week in Ashland but the Red Raiders came up on the losing end, 32-30.

EOU is seen as a dark horse in the Frontier to win the title. With Carroll being knocked off last season I get this unexplainable sense of confidence from the rest of the conference as if it is anyone’s title to win. People look at Montana-Northern or Montana Tech as the likely candidates. I feel like EOU has the best possibility of all of them to take the title from Carroll College because of their talent. There is no doubt that Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon will be a great game this weekend in LaGrande, Oregon.

Bob Young is the recently retired football coach that led the Cougars to national prominence. He is absolutely one of the best people I have ever worked with let alone what he has accomplished as a coach. For those with short term memory you may remember Coach Young won the 1996 NAIA national title and played for another in 2001. Young will be on hand for the field dedication on Saturday as will the Victory Sports Network as we begin our fall tour of football games. Look for photos and highlights next week.

Sioux Falls returns All-American QB Chad Cavender as their offensive leader after he threw for just under 3700 yards in last year’s championship season. Josiah Fenceroy returns as an All-American tight end to lead a solid wide receiver core while Trey Erickson will continue to play Mr. Everything as a wide receiver, slot back, kick returner and sometimes even a running back.

The Dana Vikings offense will be led by Marcus Sladek at QB who enters his third season as the Vikings’ starter. Dana is coming off of their first winning season since 1996 as they went 6-5 last season. The Vikes could repeat that performance again this season but I do not expect them to knock off the Cougars this Saturday. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. in Sioux Falls.

I have had a few Bethel Wildcat fans email me to tell me how I am giving their team no respect, even though I picked them to win in round one. I feel Bethel is a quality football team that has done everything they have been asked to do this season with exception to their Cumberlands loss. I think Dino Kaklis is one of the brightest NAIA coaches in the country and I have no doubt that every coverage, every assignment and every inch of the USF playbook will be gone through with a fine tooth comb. I have all the respect in the world for this group of young men who have helped to take a program from nothing to the top of the NAIA.

But even with that said, you are playing the #1 team in the country this week. St. Francis has been to this dance before. In fact, they’ve been to the dance, ate the finger sandwiches, danced the hokey-pokey, drank the punch, danced with the hot prom queen and made it to the end of the dance only to watch the prom queen go home with the clean cut kid with the crew cut from Helena.

Right now you are standing in the corner wondering if people will notice your new slacks. This is the breakout game Bethel. If you get the win you will earn a lot of respect from a lot of people. If you lose you get to take dance lessons for the next year and show up as the schools bad boy next year. Maybe you are ready to do that Saturday. Time will tell.

The purist football game of the week will be in Marshall, Missouri between MoVal and Northwestern. Both teams are tremendously disciplined football teams with two of the best football coaches in the country heading them up. This game almost seems like a flashback game to the early 1980’s when Larry Korver was coaching the Raiders and Ken Gibler was at the helm of the Vikings. While those two coaching greats never met in a game we might be seeing history in the making with Troth and Otten facing off this week.

These squads might not have a bunch of NFL football prospect s playing for them, but they do have some of the most talented and hardest working kids in all of the NAIA. I think Northwestern has an edge offensively but Missouri Valley probably can cancel that slight edge out with the home field. From top to bottom this is the best game of the week.

Then we come down to the game that no one can get a feel for, Carroll and Saint Xavier. Based upon history and the team profiles for this season I will say this game is going to go one of two ways. Carroll will win this game handily with their defense offering no bend for the Cougars and the Saints offense getting on track. Or this will be a dogfight to the very end.

Even though Saint Xavier has an offense on paper that looks to be able to put up the points and cause match up problems the Saints D will have every step of the Cougar offense mapped out. Carroll’s D will not break in this game so the Cougars will need to find a way to maintain long drives and not turn the ball over. Even though people point to Carroll’s offense as their weakness this season there is no doubt that if the defense makes a big play the Carroll O will be ready to capitalize.

The Saints will not be able to score at will on SXU’s defense. But if they grind on the Cougars like they have done to so many teams this season they will be able to open up two or three shots to score in this game. In all honesty, the first team to 21 points will likely win this game.

So there are a few deeper thoughts on this week’s quarterfinal games. I’m just one guy following NAIA football. The important thing to remember is this season has been one of the most competitive seasons in NAIA football in recent history.

Enjoy

But if you fly SXU to Helena you take several relatively short bus trips and make them longer. Bethel TN would probably have to travel the 513 miles to Fort Wayne, IN while Northwestern would likely travel 415 miles to Marshall. That would leave Morningside with a short trip to Sioux Falls which I feel is inevitable regardless of who is flown to Helena, MT. Essentially by flying SXU to Chicago there would be two 400 plus mile bus trips instead of one if SXU travels to Fort Wayne.

The order of importance for selecting match ups in the Championship Series goes:

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There are 5-10 coaches I love to talk to about “the NAIA.” For one reason or another they are pretty well versed in the national thoughts on football as well as things happening within the organization. They might have an inside track because they are a rater or serve on a committee but in the end they are full of knowledge.

There are also 5-10 coaches that are characters and I always leave the conversation with a big smile on my face. They have great one liners and bring tons of energy to the interview or just in their daily life. The one that comes to mind in this category is Bob Green of Montana Tech. Tech finally realized how funny some of his one liners were and started making t-shirts every week for the football games. I currently own the “Rougher than a stucco bathtub” edition. Also I challenge you to find a coach with more energy.

There are also 90 head coaches that love the game of football and spend every waking hour making sure their program is on the right track. Most of them do it for less than what most DI schools spend on paper for their weekly playbooks.

The point I am trying to make it nothing pains me more when I see coaches bashed on message boards for their personalities or for something within their lives that does not pertain to their performance as a coach. I’ll explain.

I am seeing a lot of people talking about a coach “yelling” too much, or “not communicating” or ” being standoffish”. You know what I say?

So what? The game of college football is about execution and mental toughness. You stay up, positive, do what you’re suppose to, and not turn the ball over and I’ll show you a team that wins football games. I cannot remember ever meeting a coach that never yelled at a player or challenged him so much that the player did not contemplate quitting.

It goes through every college football players mind at some point. Maybe for five seconds …maybe for five days.

I call it the ole “Coach yelled at me, he’s a jerk, I cannot respect him, I should just quit” talk. I have yet to me a college football player that did not have that thought at least once. And if they say they haven’t, they are lying.

The important thing to come from that “talk” is how you respond to your own inner demons and the people that surround you. Hence, the mental toughness.

Let’s face it, the world is a negative place if you allow it to be. Listen to enough people talk, read enough message boards, and watch enough television and you will be convinced that everything is going to heck fast.

The same can be said about a college football team. Listen to enough negative influences, classmates, and alumni and you will be convinced that nothing will ever change. And since nothing will every change, why should you even try?

It’s sad, but that is the state of mind of a lot of people when they get down on themselves. So naturally who is to blame for this state of mind? THE COACHES! Right?

It could not possibly be the fact the coach is trying to challenge a few kids to see if they can handle the heat.

It could not possibly be because the coach wants to see who is mentally tough.

It could NEVER be the fact the player was not giving his all and committing to the team.

Nope, it has to be the coach. Fire him. Fire him now. Who cares about his family. Who cares if his program is the worst funded program in the conference? Who cares if he has only been on the job for six months? Who cares if they lost on fluke plays or last minute hail mary passes? FIRE THEM!!!!

This way you can hire a new guy to be the savior until he starts off 2-4 or 4-3 or 1-6. Then you need to FIRE HIM!

Basically what I am trying to say in this rant is we have to get out of this mentality of comparing what happens in NAIA programs to big time Division I programs. Everyone is playing at this level for one reason or another and everyone is coaching at this level for one reason or another.

You can let this negativity get you down or even play right into its hands. But I would be inclined to ask you to take a new approach. NAIA Hall of Famer Frosty Westering has a great mantra on this which is just simply: “Make it a GREAT DAY!” No one “has” a great day, but you choose to “make it” a great day.

You can let the normal negative parts of life get you down or you can choose to make it a great day.

This level of sports builds strong leaders and go-getters who are willing to do things on their own because they did not have the resources available to them. Look at this site. It was started from the ground up on a small laptop computer that today would be nothing more than a glorified paper weight. No one told me to do it – I just did it. And if I would have quit every time a coach yelled at me for his name being posted on a message board, or some poster posting libelous material about a program we would have never seen month two of NAIAFOOTBALL.NET. Instead of letting it get me down, I choose to make it a great day.

Just this week I have exchanged emails with several coaches and programs that are not happy with the amount of “pub” or “disrespect” that this web site has given them. Relationships have gotten strained and some coaches will not return my calls or do interviews with me.

That is fine. I’ts what they feel is the right thing to do. I could care less if they consider me to be a friend or foe. But one thing I want coaches, players, parents and fans of this site to understand is that I feel like I have the best interest of their program in mind. I absolutely love NAIA football and would never do anything to disrespect it or the hard work that goes into it.

I will not allow people to come onto this web site and bash a coach for his personal stance or for him choosing to remove or keep a player on his team. It is his team, he can do what he wants with it. I will almost always side with the coaches at this level because of what they have to endure day in and day out.

Even if they are the coaches that won’t return my phone calls. J

Take lemons and make lemonade, make it a great day, or whatever. When it’s all said and done we control our destiny. Not some coach who yelled at you. Not some hack on a message board. And definitely not some washed up linebacker-wanna-be-journalist that has chosen to follow NAIA football like it was Moses through the desert.

Here’s to making it a great day, here’s to making to another promised land … also known as “Saturday” in NAIA country.

 But there is something to be said about wanting revenge too. Sometimes teams over inflate themselves on the importance of a football game and play really tight. If that is the case then I think USF and Morningside could be another great college football game. However if the Cougars show up with their ears pinned back it could be a long day for Morningside and their young quarterback Tim Richard.

The other big game this week is probably in the KCAC. If the KCAC has any shot at all of getting two teams in the playoffs, it will have to come from this week’s winner of Bethel and Friends. Friends only loss this season came to the current top rated KCAC team Kansas Wesleyan (5-0). Bethel is also unbeaten and a win would set up for a battle of undefeated’s on October 28^th in North Newton. That is if both teams make it that far without a loss.

In this week’s NAIA Minute I mention that Black Hills State could take control of the conference title with a win this week. I want people to understand that by no means am I crowning them the DAC conference champion, I just feel they would be the most likely team to do it, if they get a victory this week over Jamestown.

The Black Hills State/Jamestown match up will be featured in next week’s campus report as DAC Columnist Josh Vice will be following this week’s action. In his lead up to the game Josh put together these numbers for us:

Individual Rushing: As a former running back and guy from Nebraska, I absolutely love to see good running backs pounding the football. There is no question that Ra’Shad Morgan has been the most impressive runner in the NAIA this season. Morgan currently averages 160.7 yards per game and has 16 touchdowns. On top of that he had a season high of 289 yards against Cumberland on September 23^rd. That performance led to player of the week honors for this UVA-Wise Cavalier.

Next on the list are Bethel’s (KS) Beau Cox at 147.8 yards per game and Kenton Wills of Haskell Indian Nations at 127.5. This is the first time I can remember in a longtime, if ever, any running back or quarterback from Haskell has been rated in the top five of any category. Congrats to them and Coach Eric Brock.

Last season’s returning NAIA rushing leader Darell Grames of Kansas Wesleyan is 4^th on the NAIA list with 623 total yards this season. Grames is having a great season and the diminished rushing yards this season come from the fact the Coyotes have another quality back in DeChad Ward who has rushed for 289 yards this season.  Grames is probably still the NAIA’s best all around back, he just has more help this season.

Individual Passing: UVA-Wise again leads another offensive category with Randy Hippeard leading the NAIA with 1784 total passing yards this season. He averages 297.3 yards per game. Right behind him is Cris Reisert of Ohio Dominican who is currently averaging 263.4 yards per game. But more impressive than Reisert’s passing numbers are his efficiency numbers. On the season he has thrown 12 touchdowns and only one interception while completing 71.7% of his passes. There is no question he is a major reason why ODU got into the Top 25 this week.

Clayton Braddock of Graceland follows at 261.4 ypg and Chad Cavender of Sioux Falls is fourth on the list at 247.7ypg

Individual Receiving: Dusty Hovorka leads the way averaging 100.7 ypg with just 31 receptions on the season. His counterpart from the VSN NAIA Preview cover Andy Ricca is 24^th on the NAIA receiving list at 66.7 ypg but is one of the NAIA’s favorite targets with 39 catches over six games. Leading the country in receptions per game is Avila’s Doug Wendell who has hauled in 45 grabs in 6 games.

Phoenix Thompson of Belhaven is second in the country in receiving yards with 99.5 ypg and Jimmy Early of Langston is next on the list at 96.8 ypg. Early also had a season high 187 yards receiving on September 2^nd against DII Midwestern State.

I think we’ll see quite a bit of separation this weekend between the top and the bottom of a lot of conferences this week. Now get out there and see some NAIA Football!

have news for you folks. If you’re depressed after a week one loss you need serious help. Every coach says it and every player knows it. But as fans we need to keep this thought in check:

“Fifty percent of the teams in the country lost last Saturday.”

Simple phrase that says a lot. You lost in week one? Who cares?!? There are 10 more weeks of college football. You can still get something done. Teams improve immensely from week one to week two, so don’t get too down on things yet.

Should #24 Evangel fans feel bad? Sure, they lost to Missouri Valley a team they normally find themselves in a shootout with anyway. But that is no reason to pack it in. Texas College went on the road and got spanked, 48-0. There is no nice way of putting it. They got “owned” if you will.

But should Steer fans across the country sulk in the agony of defeat? No way. They still are a talent football team with the capability of winning their conference. Keep in mind that even if they drop three games to start the season, they are still 0-0 in the Central States Football League.

It is scary how much can change from week one. There are still many rivalry games, long bus trips and injuries to happen this season. So try to relax NAIA fan, the sky has not fallen in yet.

Now MSU-Northern needs to take care of business this week against Montana-Western before they could truly open people eyes on the September 23^rd against Carroll.

The Golden Tornadoes of #21 Geneva lost last week to Thiel (PA). Let’s not start passing judgment on Geno DeMarco’s team just yet. Thiel was 11-1 last season and 7-3 the year before. So even though Geneva needed to get this win to start their season off right the world is not ending quite yet in Beaver Falls.

Rocky Mountain College knocked off Minot State last week. VSN had the Beavers at #33 in the preseason rankings and to be honest I am not surprised to see the Bears get the win. It has nothing to do with the performance of Minot State but rather the improved play at Rocky. I saw RMC play last fall against EOU and you could tell they had a lot of people on the cusp of being very good. All that was needed was a little push. This win might have been it.

#12 U-Cumberlands fan’s welcomed the John Bland era by winning the Brass Lantern over Union (KY), 21-9. It is yet to be seen if Bland can be the coach to get UC to the playoffs but early indications from Williamsburg show this team could have a shot. They are a very different team than last season, which may be the spark to get UC’s fire to ignite.

LU’s quarterback Ben Kisner sat out last week with an injury. Expect him to be in the lineup this week. Georgetown will follow the leadership of Jeff Smith at quarterback for the third season in a row. The big right hander reminds me more of an NFL tight end with his frame than an NAIA quarterback. Good luck taking him down with an arm tackle.

#8 Saint Xavier travels to the same area of the country as Georgetown to play #5 McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois. If this game gets over 30 points for either team, I’ll be really surprised. McKendree will control the game but SXU has the ability to create big plays with Ricca and Yeo on this offense.

How could anyone forget about #13 Northwestern (IA) and #7 Morningside? This GPAC battle is easily the best match up of the early season. Northwestern is extremely improved over last years team that lost 52-6 and only mustered 216 total yards of offense. In the same respect, Morningside is an extremely different team as the majority of last year’s 518 yards against the Red Raiders has graduated. Add that to a close win over Midland Lutheran, 21-15, last week and this game would appear to be in the hands of the Red Raiders.

But what about some of the other quick hitters from this weekends schedule?

I will be traveling to William Penn to watch the Statesmen take on #2 St. Francis (IN). I would be lying to you if I told you I was going to watch Penn first and then St. Francis. While this will be the first time I have seen William Penn play football since 1998, I still want to see what the #2 team in the country has to offer. However, if the Statesmen get the win my trip will be time well spent.

Tabor and #18 Kansas Wesleyan take to the field this week for the same stakes they were playing for last season at this time; the upper hand in the KCAC race. I do not feel Tabor will be as good this season as they were last season, but they have a chance to prove me wrong this week. However, if KWU gets the win they will have a chance to really take control of the KCAC with a game against Friends next Saturday. There are a lot of things to get sorted out this season in the KCAC but you can count on the winner of this game being in the hunt later in the season.

Other out of area non-conference match ups include: Azusa Pacific at Malone, Peru State at Valley City, Belhaven at Southern Nazarene, Shorter at Webber International and SD Mines at Haskell. All of which have potential to be great games but don’t be surprised if you see one or two blowouts. Azusa Pacific is the better team in Canton this Saturday and Valley City State should handle Peru. The other games are tossups.

Out of the Association

The NAIA has 18 games against IAA, II, and III opponents. The chances of the NAIA winning a majority of these games will be slim to none. Several NAIA teams should come away with victories but with several IAA teams on the slate do not expect much from this bunch of games.

Be sure to listen to our radio updates and check out the message boards to get in on all of the action this week.

Josh Vice (Dac Columnist) and I talked last night during the games. He was much like I as the opening night for his conference ended in severe disappointment with the DAC teams being outscored 111-13.

Tonight’s schedule for NAIA games doesn’t get much better as Azusa Pacific plays at San Diego. The Torenos used to be one of those IAA teams that APU could go in and get a win over year after year. Not so true now as they Torenos are beating up on a lot of the IAA non-scholarship teams across the country.

I am anxious to see how the Yellow Jackets come out this season because the last couple years they have been a bit of an enigma. Take last year for example: loss to Dickey by 14 early before beating them by 17 later in the season only to lose to Jamestown by 17 two weeks later. They are a tough bunch to figure out. However a strong performance or win could propel them to heights which this program has never seen.

SXU will break in new QB while Lambuth will be without their first stringer due to a one game suspension. Needless to say the upper hand should go to SXU but never count out a Vic Wallace team especially with Kevin Haynes back as a running back. Haynes had a very severe injury last season to his ankle/foot and missed the entire season making it a tough go for the Eagles in ‘05.

These games are the toughest to gauge all season because they are season openers and they are rivalries. So any and all research can be thrown out the window. SAU and Loras are huge rivals despite taking over twenty years off from playing one another. EOU and SOU have new coaches and new systems in place for their season openers while MNU’s Jed Stugart will coach his first game as a head coach against the veteran Fran Schwenk.

I wish I could make it to all of them, but unfortunately I cannot. Hopefully by Wednesday I can be breaking down film on all of them.

On the football side of things I will hit on Lindenwood first. The Lions defense played well on Saturday, just not well enough to win. When they needed to stop a drive they did and when they needed a big play or turnover they got it. The problem was LU gave NWOSU too good of field position on a few offensive turnovers.

So Lindenwood fan, let’s not start the rumblings of major changes needed for this team to win. A few bang-ups to key LU guys really limited what they Lions were to do in the second half. QB Ben Kisner played off and on in the second half with a thigh bruise while RB Abdullah was also injured.

Would a healthy presence from those two changed the game? Maybe. But that in itself should provide plenty of optimism for the Lions this year.

The Rangers? Let me give you the abbreviated version of the night. Black Cloud, Thez Robinson, Black Cloud, Miguel Warren, Black Cloud, Thez Robinson, Black Cloud, Sedgwyn Thigpen … I think that about covers it.  Thex Robinson looked the part of a true Ranger runningback tonight.  Keep an eye on him.

To the lay person the “Black Cloud” is the nickname for the Rangers defense, which was out in full force. LU finished with 14 yards rushing on 22 carries. In total the Rangers only gave up 265 yards and one touchdown which in many ways was a stroke of luck. Give credit to LU’s WR Wilson who continued running his route despite a pass being tipped. Because of his effort the ball bounced away from defender and directly into his stride as he broke away from the Ranger D.

There is a certain feeling everyone gets when they go to a football game. Sometimes it is in your gut, sometimes you cannot explain where it is. That is why I am always going to football games as early as possible to be able to gauge where each team is at. I think you can tell a lot about a team it you just shut up, listen, and feel what is happening around you.

When NWOSU hit the field tonight, I got that same feeling about them that I got when I saw them destroy Tabor in the NAIA Playoffs back in ‘03. My gut turned and my arm hair was standing on end. It is hard to explain and the easiest thing I can say to help you understand is this; they just had “it”. I do not know what “it” is, but they had “it”.

After a 4-6 season in ‘05 the question that many people are wondering right now is “Are the Rangers back?” I’ll revert to my opening statement for the night on NWOSU. They are very good on defense, they have a running back that has opened my eyes, and their defense looks like a typical Ranger defense.

Are they back?

Let’s take it one game at a time for now.

Should teams be scared?

Uh … . yeah.

See ya next week in Chicago for Saint Xavier and Lambuth.

So let’s get this season fired up! I knew I had the football bug. But it bit me pretty hard yesterday as I started covering the Hastings College preseason camp for my “Two-A-Day Tour” series. Even though the first report will not be filed until Wednesday I got a chance to see the new crop of freshmen go through conditioning tests and equipment checkout.

The scene brings back memories for anyone who played college football or worked around it. Wide-eyed freshmen trying to figure out which way is up while others rush past them. The “cocky” freshmen who seem to think they have things figured out already and the freshmen who are just trying to blend in to start.

The first day freshmen are at practice is also comical because of the attire you see most of them wearing. “State Playoff T-Shirts” to prove what high school they went to and other memorabilia are a must for day one. It’s usually that or a brand-new-never-been washed college shirt that the “newbies” get on day one.

I do not envy any of them. New place, new friends, and a new life plus they all want to compete for a starting job or playing time without even knowing what they are up against. Everyone is full of hope and dreams which surrounds the situation with an energy like no other place in the world. Businesses don’t bring in 45 new employees and get everyone excited about being there with just the sound of a whistle. You cannot start a family of 45 people one day and get them all encouraging one another two hours later. The only place for this type of energy and this type of feeling is on an NAIA Football field.

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! It is football season … . . and I’m more than ready for it.