Oct. 28, 2009

Written by Chad Waller | NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services  

Weekly Report No. 10 | Full PDF Release | 2009 Composite Schedule

• There are four games scheduled this weekend between Top 25 programs: No. 6 St. Xavier (Ill.) at No. 18 Walsh (Ohio) on Thursday; on Saturday, No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) heads to No. 12 Northwestern (Iowa), No. 24 Campbellsville (Ky.) visits No. 12 Cumberlands (Ky.) and No. 20 Dickinson State (N.D.) hosts No. 17 Minot State (N.D.). Please check page eight for the complete schedule of all games this weekend.

• As the season winds down with three regular season weekends remaining, track all the conference races and scores by going here http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/2009ConferenceStandings.html.

• There have been 16 upsets thus far in the NAIA this season. See page seven for further details and the full list.

• There have been three rushers in the NAIA to hit the 1,000-yard mark this season, with A.J. Cooley of Shorter (Ga.) having the next best shot to crack the milestone -- he has 974 heading into the weekend. Wide receiver Levi Sutton of Rocky Mountain (Mont.) became the first pass catcher to tally 1,000 receiving yards this season as he has totaled 1,013 yards. Clarence Anderson of Ottawa (Kan.) is the next receiver close to topping 1,000 yards -- he has 949. Sutton’s quarterback, Kasey Peters, is the first NAIA signal caller to reach 3,000 yards this year as he has totaled 3,475 passing yards. Ottawa’s Ethan Haller is next with 2,921 yards.

• In all levels of college football (NCAA and NAIA), No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) is tied with Mount Union College (Ohio) for the nation’s longest active winning streak at 22 straight. The Cougars’ recently had a win (Oct. 17) at NCAA Division I (Subdivision) member North Dakota. Mt. Union, a program in NCAA Division III, holds the NCAA’s two longest consecutive college football win streaks -- 55 from 2000-2003 and 54 from 1996-99. The longest NAIA streak stands at 42 straight accomplished by Texas A&I in the mid-70s. Most recently, No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) had a 28-game winning streak that spanned the 2006-08 seasons.

• Looking ahead to the selection of the 2009 Football Championship Series. All pairings and the 16-team field will be announced on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. CDT. The First Round is scheduled to be played on Saturday, Nov. 21.

• Two coaches have now hit the 100-win mark this season at his respective school, Carl Poelker at McKendree (Ill.) and Jim Dennison at Walsh (Ohio). Poelker notched the century win as a Bearcat against Waldorf (Iowa) on Oct. 17. He sits with a 101-42 mark as a Bearcat. Overall, he is 189-81 in 28 years of coaching. On Oct. 3, coach Dennison at Walsh (Ohio) hit the 100-win mark at his school after a 63-12 defeat of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). He stands 102-58 in his 15th year at Walsh and is 182-120-2 overall in 28 years of collegiate coaching.

• On Oct. 1, 154 semifinalists for the 2009 William V. Campbell Trophy (formerly known as the Draddy Trophy) were announced by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame. That list includes all divisions of college football. Fourteen NAIA football student-athletes were mentioned. The Awards Committee will select and announce up to 15 finalists on Oct. 29. The criteria for the award involves academics, athletics and leadership. For more info, click here.

• So far in 2009 (Oct. 26), there have been 212 occurrences of a rusher gaining at least 100 yards, 88 times for a quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards and 258 times for a receiver to record at least 100 yards.

• No. 1 Sioux Falls is riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 22 games. The Cougars have outscored their opponents 493-60 in a 8-0 start to the year and rank No. 1 nationally in three major team defensive statistical categories.

• The current top 10 teams in the Coaches’ Top 25 Poll are 75-3 on the year - No. 9 Missouri Valley and No. 10 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) each have one loss against No. 3 Lindenwood (Mo.) while No. 8 Saint Francis (Ind.) lost to NCAA Division II Missouri Science & Technology.

• The College Fanz Sports Network/NAIA “Game of the Week” features Benedictine (Kan.) at No. 3 Lindenwood (Mo.) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CDT. Lindenwood, who leads the country in scoring offense (58.1 ppg), is searching for its 17th straight conference win and 16th straight home win. Benedictine, a team that was nationally ranked earlier this year, looks to get back to winning having lost four of five during one stretch. The streaming is live and free through the College Fanz Sports Network Website at www.collegefanz.com. Next week features the Dakota Athletic Conference and the Dac Bowl on Nov. 8.

NAIA Game of the Week

No. 6 St. Xavier (Ill.) (9-0) at No. 18 Walsh (Ohio) (6-2):

Oct. 29, Canton, Ohio, 6:00 p.m. EDT, Fawcett Stadium

• In last year’s meeting, No. 21 Saint Xavier limited Walsh to 152 yards of total offense in the 23-7 win. It was the MSFA Mideast opener for both teams. The Cavs were limited to 26 yards rushing. Clinton Blossomgame was held to 39 yards on 22 carries. This year, Blossomgame currently is second in the NAIA in rushing posting over 158 yards per game.

• Overall, St. Xavier has won three straight in the series and holds a 3-2 record.

• At 6-2, Walsh has gotten back on track after a 3-8 record a year ago. Walsh is 1.5 games behind St. Xavier in the Mid-State Football Association Mideast Division and just .5 game back of St. Francis (Ind.). St. Xavier is shooting for its first conference title this decade but has to face St. Francis next week in its final regular season game.

• The high-powered offense of St. Xavier is triggered by quarterback Anthony Kropp. He ranks fourth in the country in passing averaging over 311 yards per game. The Cougar offense is averaging 51.4 points per game, good for third in the NAIA. They have scored 66 points in each of their last two wins.

• Walsh’s defense has allowed only five sacks in its first eight games, while sacking opposing signalcallers 25 times. Last season, the Cavs registered 17 quarterback sacks in 11 games.

Around the Top 25 This Week

• In its toughest challenge in the conference to date, No. 1 Sioux Falls heads to No. 12 Northwestern (Iowa). Sprinting out to an 8-0 record, 7-0 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, Sioux Falls holds an average margin of victory of over 52 points in its seven conference wins. The only other test this year in the GPAC came against No. 19 Hastings (Neb.) back on Sept. 19 in the 42-19 win. Sioux Falls also holds a 17-6 win over NCAA Division I Subdivision member North Dakota on Oct. 17. Sioux Falls looks to win its 41st straight against GPAC competition and 23rd straight overall dating back to the start of the 2008 season.

• Ranked for the first time since 2004, No. 24 Campbellsville (Ky.) heads to No. 12 Cumberlands (Ky.). The Tigers (5-3) defeated then-No. 19 Georgetown (Ky.), 24-17 last week for its first win over GC since 1997. At 7-1 overall, Cumberlands got back to winning last week after a 44-14 decision over West Virginia Tech. The Patriots had a six-game winning streak snapped on Oct. 17 against Georgetown.

• No. 20 Dickinson State (N.D.) welcomes No. 17 Minot State (N.D.) in a game between the top two teams in the Dakota Athletic Conference. Both programs are 6-0 in league play and the winner will be on the fast track for the conference championship. Minot (7-1) is looking to get into the postseason for the first time since 2002. Dickinson State (6-2) is gunning for its sixth appearance since 2000 in the Football Championship Series.

Notable Games in the Top 25 Last Week

• No. 9 Missouri Valley spoiled the upset bid of No. 24 Central Methodist (Mo.) with a 24-10 victory in the College Fanz/NAIA Game of the Week. The second-ranked rushing defense of Missouri Valley held the Eagles to 32 yards on the ground. Central Methodist forced four turnovers but could not convert on offense going a combined 5-for-20 on third and fourth-down opportunities.

• No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) squeaked out a 34-27 win over unranked Rocky Mountain (Mont.). With the win, the Fighting Saints extended its home winning streak to 22 straight and conference winning streak to 31 in-a-row. Rocky posted 465 yards of total offense but Carroll scored 14 fourth-quarter points to seal the win.

• Winning its 22nd straight game, No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) dismantled Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) by a score of 59-7. The Cougar defense held Dakota Wesleyan to 75 total yards of offense including one net rushing yard.

• No. 5 Morningside (Iowa) got a fight from Midland Lutheran (Neb.) but pulled out a 38-27 victory. With the win, the Mustangs improved to 7-0 overall and stayed in a first-place tie with Sioux Falls (S.D.) in the Great Plains Athletic Conference standings. Both teams will face each other on Nov. 14.

• No. 11 McKendree (Ill.) held on to first-place in the Mid-States Football Association Midwest Division with a 24-14 victory over William Penn (Iowa). The Statesmen were trying to knock off its second straight Top 25 opponent but allowed 424 yards of offense in the loss.

Are you Serious?

• The No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) defense has been nothing but spectacular this season. Through a perfect 8-0 start (Oct. 26), the Cougars are ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense (174.6 ypg), rushing defense (46.6 ypg), scoring defense (6.6 ppg) and fourth in passing defense (128.0 ypg). The Cougars have allowed just five touchdowns this year (4 passing, 1 rushing) through 32 quarters.

• This is a continuation of a record-breaking 2008 season. Setting a school record with seven shutouts in 2008 (in 14 games), USF was one shy of the national all-time record set back in 1989. Last year, Sioux Falls ranked first in all four major defensive categories (total, scoring, pass, rush).

• Since the start of the 2008 season (in 22 games), Sioux Falls has surrendered just 15 touchdowns (12 passing, 3 rushing). Just five opponents have reached 10 or more points and USF has held two opponents to negative yardage in total offense.

• During this streak of 22 games, all of which Sioux Falls has won, the Cougar offense has scored more points in the fourth quarter (168) than the opponent has scored total throughout the 21-game span (130).

• The defense has not surrendered an 100-yard rusher during the streak of 22 games. In fact, just one rusher has tipped 50 yards -- the best was 58 yards by Steven Battle of NCAA Division I member North Dakota on Oct. 17, 2009. The last rusher to gain 100-plus yards was Carroll’s (Mont.) Gabe Le (115 yards) in the 2007 National Championship loss on Dec. 15. That also marked the last loss for USF.

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