Oct. 14, 2009

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

Weekly Report No. 8 | Full PDF Release | 2009 Composite Schedule

• There is just one game scheduled this weekend between Top 25 programs: No. 6 Cumberlands (Ky.) at No. 25 Georgetown (Ky.). Please check page eight for the complete schedule of all games this weekend.

• 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 20 straight. 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.

• One more coach is nearing the 100-win mark at his school. Carl Poelker at McKendree (Ill.) sits with a 99-42 mark as a Bearcat. Overall, he is 187-81 in 28 years of coaching. No. 12 McKendree hosts Waldorf (Iowa) on Oct. 17. On Oct. 3, Jim Dennison at Walsh (Ohio) hit the 100-win mark at his school after a 63-12 defeat of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.). He stands 100-58 in his 15th year at Walsh and is 180-120-2 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.

• So far in 2009 (Oct. 12), there have been 167 occurrences of a rusher gaining at least 100 yards, 67 times for a quarterback to throw for 300 or more yards and 203 times for a receiver to record at least 100 yards. Check out page three for further details.

• No. 1 Sioux Falls is riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 20 games. The Cougars have outscored their opponents 347-33 in a 6-0 start to the year and rank No. 1 nationally in three major team defensive statistical categories. Sioux Falls has a stiff test this weekend heading to Grand Forks, N.D. with a date against the University of North Dakota, a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team.

• The current top 10 teams in the Coaches’ Top 25 Poll are 59-1 on the year - No. 10 Missouri Valley has the only loss against No. 3 Lindenwood (Mo.).

• The College Fanz Sports Network/NAIA “Game of the Week” features Montana Tech heading to No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) on Saturday at 1 p.m. MDT. Standing 7-0 on the year, Carroll stands on top of the Frontier Conference and is trying to win its 10th straight conference championship. Montana Tech trails Carroll by two games in the league race and looks to avenge a 27-7 loss earlier this season at the hands of the Fighting Saints. The streaming is live and free through the College Fanz Sports Network Website at www.collegefanz.com. Next week features West Virginia Tech at No. 6 Cumberlands (Ky.).

NAIA Game of the Week

No. 6 Cumberlands (Ky.) (6-0) at No. 25 Georgetown (Ky.) (4-2):

Oct. 17, Georgetown, Ky., 1:30 p.m. EDT, Toyota Stadium

• On Homecoming, Georgetown is trying to win its fifth game of the year and get back to dominating the series with Cumberlands.

• Last year, the 35-20 win by Cumberlands halted a Georgetown-winning streak that dated back to the 1996 season.

• In last year’s meeting, Cumberlands piled up 244 rushing yards and forced five turnovers.

• Cumberlands leads the country in rushing offense at 325 yards per game. Through six games, the Patriots have reached 350-plus yards three times and has totaled 21 touchdowns overall this year.

• Georgetown is searching for its second win over a Top 25-ranked opponent this year -- the Tigers took down No. 10 Union (Ky.) 21-15 back on Sept. 24.

• The Patriots have won the Mid-South Conference East Division the last two seasons Overall, these two programs have won or shared the conference title since 2005.

Around the Top 25 This Week

• In a battle for Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference supremacy, No. 16 McPherson (Kan.) visits Kansas Wesleyan. Both teams sit tied for third at 3-1 in a jam-packed race for the league title. This game has added importance for Kansas Wesleyan because the schedule is just as tough in the upcoming weeks. On back-to-back Saturday’s starting Oct. 24, the Coyotes face the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the KCAC, No. 14 Friends (Kan.) and No. 9 Ottawa (Kan.).

• Black Hills State (S.D.) heads to No. 17 Minot State (N.D.) for a battle between No. 1 and No. 3 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. At 4-0 in the league, Minot has won five straight games. Losing last week to No. 24 Dickinson State, Black Hills is 3-1 in conference games.

• No. 4 St. Francis (Ind.) looks to extend a 54-game winning streak with a contest against Trinity International (Ill.) on Oct. 17.

• In the College Fanz/NAIA Game of the Week, No. 2 Carroll (Mont.) hosts Montana Tech. Carroll is on a 20-game home winning streak at Nelson Stadium, dating back to the final contest of 2006. Also, the Saints have won 29 straight conference contests.

Notable Games in the Top 25 Last Week

• No. 5 Morningside (Iowa) showed why it is for real in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Mustangs drubbed No. 16 Hastings (Neb.), 46-0 in the College Fanz/NAIA Game of the Week. Behind the strength of 203 rushing yards by Jake Peterson and 521 total yards of offense, Morningside kept pace with No. 1 Sioux Falls for the top spot in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

• No. 4 Saint Francis (Ind.) won for the 25th time overall in 27 games with a 20-14 win over No. 20 Walsh (Ohio). The difference was a +2 turnover margin owned by St. Francis and the USF defense holding Walsh to 96 passing yards on 8-of-23 attempts.

• No. 6 Cumberlands (Ky.) kept the Brass Lantern, the travelling trophy in the series, for the fourth straight year after a 24-12 win over No. 17 Union (Ky.) last Thursday (Oct. 8). The Patriots posted 378 total yards of offense with 206 coming on the ground. That rushing effort was no surprise as the Cumberlands rushing game came into the contest ranked first in the NAIA (349.6 ypg). Conversely, the Union rushing offense only finished with 54 yards on 27 attempts (2.0 ypc).

• No. 7 Lambuth held on for a 28-23 win over No. 19 Shorter (Ga.) last Saturday for its second straight win in the series. The Eagles dominated the final stats with 501 total yards to Shorter’s 208. Both teams fell far short of their season scoring average -- coming into the game Lambuth averaged the nation’s sixth-highest amount (42.8 ppg), while Shorter averaged 32.0 points.

Are you Serious?

• The No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) defense has been nothing but spectacular this season. Through six games (Oct. 12), the Cougars are ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense (143.7 ypg), rushing defense (30.7 ypg), scoring defense (5.5 ppg) and second in passing defense (113.0 ypg). The Cougars have allowed just three touchdowns this year (3 passing) through 24 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 20 games), Sioux Falls has surrendered just 13 touchdowns (11 passing, 2 rushing). Just four opponents have reached 10 or more points and USF has held two opponents to negative yardage in total offense.

• During this streak of 20 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 20-game span (110).

• The defense has not surrendered an 100-yard rusher during the streak of 20 games. In fact, no rusher has tipped 50 yards -- the best was 46 yards by Jake Peterson of Morningside on Nov. 15, 2008. 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.

Individual Milestones -- 2009 Season

• Through Oct. 10 games, there have been numerous individuals to accomplish single-game milestones. In some cases, a player may have hit the milestone more than once this season. There have been 167, 100-yard rushing games, 203, 100-yard receiving games and 67, 300-yard passing games.

• In rushing, Morningside’s (Iowa) Jake Peterson holds the single-game high with a school-record 284 total yards on 22 carries (12.9 ypc) and four touchdowns against Dana (Neb.) on Oct. 3. Overall, 14 rushers have hit for 200-plus yards and there have been 45 games of 150-yards or more.

• In receiving, Kevin Brooks of Southern Nazarene (Okla.) is No. 1 on the list with a 323-yard, 13-reception game (24.8 ypc) against Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) on Sept. 26. Overall, there are eight receivers to post 200-plus yards and there are 42 games of 150-yards or more.

• In passing, Ethan Haller of Ottawa (Kan.) leads the list with 587 yards on 42-of-70 passing (60.0%) against McPherson (Kan.) on Sept. 19. He is one of five quarterbacks to go over 500 passing yards (Ethan has accomplished the feat twice). Overall, there have been 17 occurrences when a quarterback hit for 400-plus yards.

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