Sept. 16, 2010

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Around NAIA Football

• After three weeks of football, there are 23 teams without a loss. Six of those teams face each other in Top 25 action and those battles should be an early barometer of conference supremacy.

• Last week (Sept. 6-12), Top 25 teams went 14-7. The top-10 teams were 9-1 with the only blemish a 45-12 loss by then-No. 8 McKendree (Ill.) against unranked Marian (Ind.).

• College football’s longest active winning streak is put on the line on Saturday. In all levels of college football (NCAA and NAIA), No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) holds the nation’s longest active winning streak at 31 games. The school-record streak will be tested at home against Doane (Neb.). The longest NAIA all-time streak stands at 42 straight accomplished by Texas A&I in the mid-70s.

• Earning its first win in school history on Sept. 11, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) surpassed Southern Virginia 44-3. The Blue Raiders out-gained Southern Virginia 509-83 in total yards.

• The Victory Sports Network Game of the Week has No. 15 Marian (Ind.) heading to Grand View (Iowa) on Saturday. The kick-off is set for 1 p.m. CST from Des Moines, Iowa. The broadcast team of Jason Dannelly and John Thayer will call all the action live on the internet. The game will be streamed live and free through the Victory Sports Network website at www.victorysportsnetwork.com. Next week features No. 2 Lindenwood (Mo.) at No. 6 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) on Sept. 25.

• Paul Troth at Missouri Valley became the newest member of the 100-win club after his Vikings defeated Culver-Stockton (Mo.) 70-0 on Sept. 11. In his 14th season overall, Troth is 100-47 (.680). Overall, there are 11 active head coaches with at least 100 wins. Three other coaches have a shot at hitting the 100-win mark this year. Coach Mike Feminis at Saint Xavier (Ill.), who is in his 12th year with a 92-39 (.702) mark, has a shot at the mark. His club has averaged 10 wins in each of the last four seasons. The other two that are on the radar for 100 wins are Dan Kratzer at South Dakota Mines (17th year; 90-89, .503) and Keith Barefield at Northwestern Oklahoma State (15th year; 88-45-2, .659). Refer to page seven for more details.

NAIA Game of the Week        

No. 7 Ottawa (Kan.) (2-0) at No. 9 McPherson (Kan.) (2-0)

Saturday, Sept. 18, McPherson, Kan., 7 p.m. CDT, McPherson Stadium

• Ottawa leads the all-time series 53-22 overall and heads into the 76th meeting with a 23-14 record when the game is played in McPherson, Kan. The teams have met consecutively each year since 1975. In the last 10 meetings, Ottawa stands 6-4. In the last 10 games played at McPherson, the Braves are 6-4 against the hosts.

• Ottawa is the defending Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference champion, but had to squeak by last year, 44-41 against McPherson on Sept. 19. Both teams combined for nearly 1,200 yards of total offense including 587 from the Ottawa pass attack.

• McPherson ranks eighth in the NAIA in total defense (193.0 yapg). That unit will be tested against an Ottawa offense to average more than 320 passing yards and maintain a scoring clip of 43.0 points per game.

• The Braves are riding a 10-game conference winning streak after a 62-23 win over Bethel (Kan.) last weekend. Conversely, McPherson is 2-0 on the young season and holds a nine-game KCAC winning streak. The last loss in league play dated back to the last time these teams met.

• Ottawa receiver Clarence Anderson is only 507 yards away from breaking OU’s all-time receiving mark. The record is 2,548 held by Leonard Scheufler -- Anderson has 2,041 yards. He is also 48 receptions away from breaking the school mark for career receptions (159) held by Matt Middleton.

• McPherson head coach Joe Bettasso is in his first season on the sidelines. He became the 27th head football coach and was defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the past two seasons.

• Ottawa head coach Kent Kessinger is in his seventh year with a 34-30 mark (.531).

This Week Around the Top 25               

• Overall, there are three Top 25 match-ups, including the Game of the Week. In an early season top-10 battle in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, No. 8 Missouri Valley heads to No. 2 Lindenwood (Mo.). Lindenwood has won 20 straight home games and 21 in league action. The defending national runner-up sports one of the nation’s top offenses again averaging 68.5 points and 676.0 total yards of offense. Missouri Valley’s defense has not allowed a touchdown and is giving up just 78.5 yards a game.

• The Mid-States Football Association has two league powers facing off, No. 17 (tie) St. Ambrose (Iowa) at No. 11 (tie) Saint Francis (Ind.). Both teams have notched early wins this year. St. Ambrose, a 28-7 winner over Malone (Ohio) last week, looks to avenge a 20-point loss to St. Francis in 2009. The Fighting Bees’ defense allowed 487 yards of total offense against USF in that meeting. St. Francis opened up its season last weekend with a 70-7 victory over Iowa Wesleyan.

• No. 1 Sioux Falls (S.D.) hosts Doane (Neb.) in its home opener. Standing 2-0 on the year, the Cougars hold a 31-game winning streak overall and will look to extend a 43-game home winning streak. Sioux Falls has out-scored its opponents 78-31 in two games.

• Ranked for the first time in school history, No. 15 Marian (Ind.) takes its program to Grand View (Iowa) in the Victory Sports Network Game of the Week. Marian upset then-No. 8 McKendree (Ill.) 45-12 on Sept. 11. After a 28-0 blanking of Black Hills State (S.D.) on Aug. 28, Grand View dropped a heartbreaker, 17-10 to St. Francis (Ill.). Grand View struggled in the passing game by throwing four interceptions.

• No. 22 Langston (Okla.), with a 1-1 record, is the lone team in the Top 25 with a bye this week. The Lions next face Oklahoma Panhandle State on Sept. 25.

Top 25 in Review   

• In a game that was supposed to be an early season indicator of the Frontier Conference champion, No. 3 Carroll (Mont.) turned it into a blow-out. The Fighting Saints took down No. 21 Eastern Oregon 49-12. Carroll flexed its offensive muscle with 495 total yards, including 297 on the ground. Regarded as one of the NAIA’s top quarterbacks, Eastern Oregon’s Chris Ware was held to 204 passing yards and threw three interceptions.

• The Marian (Ind.) football team pulled off the biggest victory in school history with a 45-12 upset of then-No. 8 McKendree (Ill.). It was the first time the Knights had defeated a top-10 opponent. The Knights blew the game open early scoring a school-record 28 first-quarter points.

• No. 6 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) stayed undefeated and sent No. 24 Baker (Kan.) on a downward spiral after a 24-16 victory. The Baker loss was its third this year, all coming against Top-25 opponents. The MidAmerica Nazarene defense forced three turnovers and held the Baker offense to 267 yards.

• No. 7 Lambuth (Tenn.) had an eye-opening victory over NCAA Division I FCS opponent Georgia State, 23-14. Lambuth led 9-0 at the half, but had to come up with late heroics in the win against the first-year program. The Eagles posted two late interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown — and took down the Panthers at the Georgia Dome.

We’re Going Streaking          

• Sioux Falls (S.D.) has won its last 45 straight games against Great Plains Athletic Conference competition as the Cougars sport a 2-0 record this year. The last league loss came against Morningside (Iowa) on Oct. 15, 2005. Overall, USF has won 85 of its last 86 conference games. The Cougars are also riding a 43-game home winning streak -- their next home game is against Doane (Neb.) on Sept. 18.

• St. Francis (Ind.) had one of the nation’s longest home winning streaks snapped late in the 2009 season. Saint Xavier (Ill.) ended the 56-game home winning streak with a 36-24 defeat of St. Francis on  Nov. 7, 2009.

• Carroll (Mont.) has won 35 straight conference contests heading into its Sept. 18 game against Montana Western. The last league opponent to defeat the Fighting Saints was Montana State-Northern back on Oct. 28, 2006, in a 10-3 win. Late last year, Carroll had its 24-game home winning streak at Nelson Stadium snapped after a 42-35 loss at the hands of Lindenwood (Mo.) on Dec. 5, 2009, in the national semifinals.