Shorter University Heading to D2

Not really a surprise to NCAA Division II followers, but the worst-kept secret is now official, but Rome, Georgia's Shorter University has been granted acceptance into the NCAA and will head for the Gulf South Conference.

“This is a wonderful day for Shorter University and for our athletic program,” said Bill Peterson, who just completed his fourth year as Shorter’s Director of Athletics. “We are truly blessed and so appreciative of the support we have received from both our administration and our Board of Trustees. In particular, I would like to thank our coaches and our student-athletes. Their efforts made this tremendous possibility a reality. They are just a great group.”

From the university their ownselves...

Shorter immediately begins the three-year transition process as a candidate member for the NCAA during the 2011-2012 season, during which it will remain an active affiliate of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Shorter has been affiliated with the NAIA since the 1950s.

Shorter remains eligible for regular season and post-season tournament championships in both the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) and Mid-South Conference (MSC) during the 2011-2012 athletic campaigns, and also remains eligible to compete in NAIA national tournaments.

“We are very proud of our long-term relationship with the NAIA, the SSAC and the Mid-South, and we look forward to another great year in 2011-2012,” Peterson said. “We have been blessed with many wonderful friendships, in particular NAIA CEO Jim Carr and championship director Dennis Green along with our two commissioners, Dr. Kurt Patberg of the SSAC and Steve Baker of the Mid-South.”

The university will enter the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 academic years as an NCAA “provisional status” member while moving towards membership in the Gulf South Conference.

During this two-year provisional status period, Shorter will compete against full Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II schedules and be required to operate under NCAA Division II regulations, but will be ineligible to compete in post-season play. Shorter’s athletic schedules will include Gulf South Conference members such as the University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of North Alabama, University of West Alabama, Delta State University, Valdosta State University, University of West Georgia and the University of West Florida, among others.

Here's what the Hawks will be chasing...
((HT: NCAA/ESPN/youtube))

Georgia State Starts Football... Pounce On Shorter...

It had been talked about for ten or fifteen years, but then the commitment was finally made to bring Division I NCAA, bona fide, actual win-and-loss football to a school that was only thought of as a commuter school.

Georgia State University was known for being wedged into a section of downtown Atlanta, in between and around overpasses, occupying dormant office buildings, and making sure that you could get to your car at night in the parking decks without being accosted.

The average age of a student was, probably, mid-to-late twenties...
A lot of students were gray beards, mothers pursuing degrees who hadn't gotten them before, and anyone looking for a second chance.

Now, GSU is in the land of the I-AA football machine, playing at the Georgia Dome, and preparing for life in the Colonial after a few years of diving into the deep end. The new schedule had two NAIA schools, six I-AA schools, two Division II's, and ending with a budget-buster in Tuscaloosa.

They had 36-hours to say "yes" to a $450,000 payday. They got another $40,000 when Alabama decided they were too afraid to have only a week to prepare for Auburn, and the game was pushed back to Thursday.

FOSG Lisa Weiss, when she looked at the schedule, asked flat-out: "Is that THE University of Alabama?"

Yup... that University of Alabama...

Game One was against your Shorter Hawks at the Georgia Dome. School president Mark Becker was getting high-fives from students in the endzone seats. Safe to say, Becker's mad hops were being tested in his suit. Students were cheering during warm-ups with their Panthers in the home dress-blues.

You look at the Panthers and they look like every other football team out there on a Saturday (or, in this case, a Thursday). Bill Curry has his note cards for pre-game. 87 kids from various backgrounds, colleges, and Georgia home towns were dressed out ((pictured again, thanks Lisa)).

And how jacked up was the student body...? Twenty minutes before the game, if there was a song that had a well-known chorus, the kids were chiming in to finish the verse. And they were getting loud- quite loud...

Even the NAIA visitors got booed as they ran onto the field...
And the lower bowl was full. I don't think even the school thought it would be this loud or one-sided.

It took about six minutes for GSU to get on the board, but two Shorter penalties helped out. A 15-yard illegal participation foul on a punt and a 15-yarder for pass interference. Four yards later, it was 7-nothing, thanks to Parris Lee.

That's the answer to your trivia question, by the way...
The other answer to your trivia question...? 20-0 at the half...

It was the kind of game you want to have for your opening-opener... regardless of your opponent... even if you were na-na'ing the opponent with four minutes to go in the third...

"The key is, will our community embrace this program," GSU President Mark Becker asked before the game. "Clearly they have, and it's a rallying cry for everybody.

"The fans come back when you have a quality product, so the biggest challenge is going to be to build a great program that the fans keep coming out and keep coming back for."

The final was 41-7, and a good first start for your GSU Panther program.
"People say he's too old. He must be nuts," Coach Curry said after the game. "Yeah, he's nuts."

Next up for them- Lambuth on the 11th...
And for a team that outdrew the Braves a few miles away on the same night, you gotta like that kind of nuts...

NAIA Football Poll ((Week of October 12))

1) University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) (18) 6-0
2) Carroll College (Mont.) (1) 7-0
3) Lindenwood University (Mo.) 6-0
4) University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 5-0
5) Morningside College (Iowa) 5-0
6) University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 6-0
7) Lambuth University (Tenn.) 6-0
8) Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 7-0
9) Ottawa University (Kan.) 6-0
10) Missouri Valley College 5-1
11) MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 5-1
12) McKendree University (Ill.) 5-1
13) Northwestern College (Iowa) 5-1
14) Friends University (Kan.) 4-1
15) Langston University (Okla.) 5-2
16) McPherson College (Kan.) 4-1
17) Minot State University (N.D.) 5-1
18) Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 4-2
19) Eastern Oregon University 5-2
20) Central Methodist University (Mo.) 5-1
21) Walsh University (Ohio) 4-2
22) Hastings College (Neb.) 5-2
23) Ohio Dominican University 4-2
24) Dickinson State University (N.D.) 4-2
25) Georgetown College (Ky.) 4-2

Rome Keeps NAIA Title Game Through 2010

Initially, the game was supposed to be up for grabs after the 2009 season, but the NAIA and the city of Rome, Georgia got to agree on keeping it around for another year. ((Pictured, are the co-chairs of the title game committee- Shorter AD Bill Peterson and Bob Berry, thanks to our own selves))

The biggest issue for keeping the football championship game around long-term will be a SPLOST vote on November 3rd. Part of that sales tax will go toward a proposed US$3.36-million improvement of Barron Stadium- which would include the installation of SprinTurf at the facility.

The grass surface currently maintained by the city of Rome takes an absolute beating during football season with high school and college games taking place ((sometimes on back-to-back days)) from August through December.

The previous host city was Savannah, Tennessee. The facility was the home of the title game for 11 seasons, but did not draw the raves that Barron Stadium and Rome have drawn by comparison.

"The entire host committee did a fantastic job hosting this event in 2008,” said NAIA Manager of Championship Sports Dennis Green. “The Rome community truly embraced the event and we look forward to coming back in 2010. Shorter College, the city of Rome, and Floyd County have committed to making this a memorable experience for everyone involved and the NAIA is excited about the possibilities for this event.”

Not everyone is in favor of the SPLOST and the turf... Frank Stephenson, an economics professor at Berry College ((the rival school to host Shorter College)) claims the following in an op-ed piece in the Rome News-Tribune...

"...it’s hard to imagine that these effects from hosting the NAIA Championship are large when the lodging benefits are apparently minuscule. Spending more than $3 million on Astroturf and other renovations in pursuit of economic benefits from hosting the football would be a dubious proposition in the best of times. Doing so now, with many families struggling and local unemployment exceeding 11 percent, is unconscionable."

Those of us at OSG HQ would maintain that:
A) To think it's just for the NAIA title game is extremely short-sighted. You have local high schools that get to play football on the surface, which turns into a mud pit by the time you get to the post-season in the first place.

B) The use of the facility expands into spring sports for local high schools and, possibly, other NAIA title games as well- once again counteracting the cost-benefit analysis and not making the stadium a one trick pony... AD Peterson alluded to that kind of a chase in his remarks.

Professor Stephenson, to the best of OSG's knowledge, did not garner that idea from the presser since ((we're fairly sure)) he wasn't in attendance.

Here's your highlights from the presser, thanks to the Rome News-Tribune


Shorter College AD Bill Peterson gets the last words here:
"We are certainly excited about this extension and the opportunity to host another NAIA Football National Championship,” said Shorter College Athletics Director Bill Peterson. “This is a big event for Rome, Floyd County and for Shorter College and we plan to do everything we can to make this a great game.”

It could be the start of something really big and long-lasting on November 3rd...

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Wet...

From what I understand, last year’s NAIA Championship Game was held in the bottom of a swimming pool, a band box, and a monsoon all wrapped up in one.

That’s not to slam Savannah, Tennessee in any way. That’s just the feedback I was getting comparing last year’s home game to this year’s in Rome, Georgia.

It was cold. It was wet. It was small. And it never stopped.
The rematch of number one and number two was all it was supposed to be.
Two great defenses beating each other’s brains in… point blank…
You couldn’t make any mistakes if you wanted to win this one…

I slap you... you slap me back. I hit you. You try to hit me harder.

The Carroll College Saints ((pictured, thanks Lisa Kunkel/Helenair.com)) blinked first.
A blocked punt of all things broke the game wide open…

10-nothing at the half… and the USF Cougars were thirty minutes away from their eighth shutout of the year… Eighth shutout…? In 14 games…

Truly ridiculous…

Six sacks of freshman quarterback Matt Ritter… the linebackers were in the kid’s uniform from the first series… and standing on the sidelines you could hear the hitting from guys like Kyle Cummings, Marlon Lobban, and Tyler Newman all day.

I was talking, as I often do, to people who are far smarter than I am about the game. Since it was being played on something that resembled a Slip-n-Slide on the grass at Barron Stadium, I thought the game would be in the thirties. You know…? Offenses know where they’re going. The defenses have to play on their heels…

That kind of thing…

I was reminded of that fact after three quarters at 10-nothing…

“I thought you said this game was going to be played in the thirties…?”
Shorter Hawks Head Coach Phil Jones ribbed me about it.

“Yep, I was right on target. That’s why I’m only 55-percent on my picks for the season.”

And I don’t know what it is about fourth quarters in playoff or title games, but it seems that offenses just open up and do some uncharacteristic things.

In the playoffs for high schools the week before, I’m seeing teams that run the Delaware Wing-T throw like the University of Hawai’i. This time around, Sioux Falls QB Lorenzo Brown, who was their leading rusher on the day, completes one of his two throws on the day- 50-plus yards for another score to Jon Ryan to make it 17-zip.

Brown was two-for-six passing by the way… for the game…
If you don’t need to pass, don’t… Brown and USF didn’t…

Carroll goes to the hurry-up and it seemed to free Ritter up a bit. They scored to close the gap to 17-7, but Drew DeGroot picked Ritter’s pocket a little later and ran it back for a score. A last pick sealed the game and the win for the Cougars…

They got their revenge over Carroll from last year’s deal, but I honestly think they view the game as a separate gig from one year to the next.

And they were the ones to get to do that ceremonial last-slide across the field. Any last hope that all the USF uniforms would come home white and/or clean was gone by then.

“It was an awful, awful feeling last year watching them celebrate,” Sioux Falls senior linebacker Tyler Newman said. “To get to do it ourselves by sliding across the field this year was a great, great feeling. ... We wanted revenge on Carroll real bad.”

“It feels a lot better to have won,” said Cougars coach Kalen DeBoer. “I’m proud of these guys.”

And for the guy who played there and gets to coach there now, the pride goes a lot deeper than what he tells you.

The city of Rome put on a first-class show- no question…

Now if only they could work on that weather machine they’re building and have it ready for next year’s game, we’d be all set…

I’m tired of umbrellas and all-weather boots…

Revenge At The Rivers- USF Style

"You guys finish scouting us yet...?"

USF Director of Athletics William Sanchez showed up at practice and noticed all the coaches looking at his team prepare for a title game.

Some were college coaches. Some were even local high school coaches looking for another day or two of looking at a sport they love so much...

Shorter Hawks Assistant Head Coach Mike Bartik was at a USF practice during Championship Week. He and Offensive Coordinator Tony Lundy were sitting on one of the metal benches on the track next to the practice field.

I asked why coaches come to these kinds of practices. You think, on some level maybe, it stings a little bit since the home town team is watching USF and Carroll playing for a title and you're hosting the party.

"This is what it's all about," Coach Bartik explained. "You're looking at some of the best in NAIA Division one football."

Maybe it's a practice habit. Maybe it's a routine. Something you can add...
And in USF's case, they run the same defense Shorter does.
It's pointers and compare/contrast...

University of Sioux Falls Head Coach Kalen DeBoer ((pictured, thanks usfcougars.com)) is a legacy...

Went there, played there, coached there, now head coaching there...
And he's this/close to being in his third straight title game...

38 and 3 in his time as a Head Coach...
Not bad...

He's a guy in his mid-30's who looks like he could still run you over if he felt like it.


He'll go over a pass play at practice with his high-powered offense step-by-step in a warm-up suit if he has to in order to get the point across...


He's been up against Carroll before in a lot of big games... recently, it's been on the losing end. Two games in particular stick out- last year's loss in the title game and the blow-out loss in the semi-finals in 2005.


"We, probably, learned more from losses sometimes than wins," DeBoer says. "And they've improved our program. We looked at how we trained and how we recruited. We even changed our defense after the semi-final loss in 2005- going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 which is what we have now."


But he also admits that you have to live in the now.
Last year's game, in particular, was last year's game.


"There are some key similarities," he continues. "But the defense is our backbone, and on offense we have to find a way to score. This game, you have to look at the spacing of your line on the inside. It's about the passing game and defending the pass. It's the 14th game of the season. You work out and you're moving on. We're not in awe of the championship. It's fun. You get to see the sights, but we're focused on our goals."


DeBoer is also complimentary of his counterpart in Coach Van Diest. He knows the game against Carroll will be a hard fought one. But the thing that seems to impress him the most is the class the program exhibits from the top down.


The word DeBoer uses when describing the Saints' class as a team is "consistently."


"There will be times, when you're playing other teams where they might punch or push after a gain of no yards. They ((Carroll)) don't do that. They play the game of football the right way, the way it was meant to be played. We have a lot of respect for each other."

And he's also glad that the team can feel its fingers...


SIDENOTE: At the Friday "Champions of Character" Banquet at the Forum in Rome, Carroll linebacker extraordinare Owen Koeppen was named NAIA Player of the Year.

The biggest roar came from his teammates, all sitting around him at the banquet. He's a "quiet leader," by his own admission.

"It feels great. It hasn’t really set in,” Koeppen said. “It’s a representation of Carroll College. I’m really honored to accept it as an individual award, but without the team and coaches it wouldn’t be possible.”

You talk to him and get the impression it never has been ((and never will be)) about him on the field. He cuts an imposing figure even at 6-2, 235. And when you talk to his head coach, Van Diest says that he knew what Koeppen was capable of when he transferred from Weber State before his Sophomore season.

AD Bruce Parker was one of a few people who knew the award was going to Koeppen, but the secret was well-guarded. Parker says maybe "three people knew."

Whaddya wanna bet Carroll's number 51 has had a big spot shadow around him in film sessions the last two weeks...?

NAIA Title Game Set- One Versus Two

This was the match-up that the Championship Committee was looking for from Shorter College and the town of Rome, Georgia.

One Versus Two- Carroll College of Montana and The University of Sioux Falls

Carroll survived a 38-37 game at home in Helena against the Lindenwood Lions. Game MVP Cody Lamb broke up a two-point conversion attempt ((pictured, thanks Lisa Kunkel/Helena Independent Record)) with under 40 seconds to go in regulation to give the Saints the duke.

This game is a re-match of last year's title game when Carroll broke USF's 27-game win streak. Carroll has a 28-game streak heading in to the game at Barron Stadium.

Carroll's coverage from the Helena Independent Record is in black.

USF's coverage from KELO-TV is below and in black.

And So It Goes...

Only a handful of teams in college football can actually call themselves "champion" by the end of the season- by my count, it starts at five and goes no higher than ten schools.

So, by definition, every other team in the world involved in the process finishes a season with a loss. That's just the way of the competition. The only time in the sport that a "T" is involved is during the regular season. It can't keep you playing another week during a post-season appearance.

The Shorter Hawks had a lot of "firsts" in their fourth season. First division title. First playoff appearance. So, by natural progression, we add "first playoff loss" in there as well.

But that happens...it's part of the deal.

The team's first-ever playoff game kept them within earshot of campus- Williamsburg, Kentucky. That's where the University of the Cumberlands ((pictured, thanks to me)) is located. Not the team that lost to Georgia Tech way-back-when 222-0.

That's the school in Lebanon, Tennessee- "Cumberland" singular.

There are train tracks 200 yards to your right. Interstate 75 is 250 yards to your left. It's a town carved in a valley in the foothills of Kentucky. It's appearance takes you back to a more industrial time. Pick-up trucks are all domestics and the owners could care less if there's rust on the body. There are farms with live animals grazing as if you are the interloper.

Which, you really are, by the way...

And to this town, it's all about football on a Saturday. The lone exception to the idea is that is close to freezing temperatures on the field. And I'm quite thankful I had some of those charcoal hand warmers I had left over from the night before.

The good guys got out to a 7-nothing lead, were tied at 7, and then gave up 24 straight points for a 31-7 loss. My personal opinion is that UC isn't a better team than Shorter. They just were better in that 60 minutes on the field. And that's what counts in a playoff run.

UC gets to road-trip to St. Francis in Fort Wayne on Saturday. Good luck on that one...

The one thing you notice more than anything else in the post-game talks is the emotion- from everywhere. The coaches who put their body, mind, and soul into the last four years- building a program from the idea of an idea- have an abrupt finality. That's it. There is no more with the group of freshmen that took the field against UC as seniors.

There was so much effort put in to the idea and the execution that once it's over, you really don't know what to do with yourself when you know that's all there is. Players were crying. Coaches were emotional. Family members, thankful for an opportunity to help build something special, are crying for their sons and their school.

But if you're looking for something to build on for a "next year," I give you this...

One of the league's best defensive players is Shorter linebacker Logan Lollis- conference defensive player of the year. With the game out of hand in the fourth quarter, the Hawks' AJ Baker forced a turnover and was running the other way. Those plays are where offense turns into defense and vice versa. Baker was heading in to open spaces, pursued by a UC lineman. This particular player, whose name and number will remain nameless, didn't see Logan coming.

And Logan broke the kid in two... clean hit, right between the numbers, off his feet, in the air.

The poor guy was plastered by a runaway train so hard he grabbed his earholes on his helmet and didn't leave the ground for a good minute or so.

You ask him what day it is...? He'd answer "Purple."

But the play wasn't over. Baker fumbled and UC headed the other way. Logan had the presence of mind, and the speed, to track down the ball-carrier before a score.

Of course, the idea that UC scored on a FIFTH-DOWN PLAY to make it 31-7 was lost on the officiating crew. But that's another story for another day... that and the two delay-of-game calls which came out of nowhere aren't sitting well with me, either.

So, what to do now...? Reflect with a smile and carry on- knowing that everyone involved has built a foundation. It's up to the rest to work on how they want the building to look...

Milestones In The Dark

Last week was the final week in the regular season for NAIA football. Division II had already started their playoff run, and every other group that has a playoff is close to gearing up for those themselves.

Are you listening Division I...?

Oh, that's right... I forgot...

There was a lot of radio stalking the day of the game in McKenzie, Tennessee. The Shorter Hawks, the adopted birds of OSG HQ, had found out earlier in the day from their hotel rooms in Jackson, Tennessee- when there actually was warmth in the air- that the team that needed to lose for the Hawks to get a shot at a division title actually did.

Cumberland University actually beat Lambuth University... there was a shot... a shot for another first in a year of firsts- a division title. That would mean that another record would be set for wins in a season if they pulled off a win against Bethel University ((pictured above right, thanks to me)). All that, in turn, would mean another distinct possibility...

The school's first ever playoff birth...

A little about McKenzie, Tennessee... it's officially in the middle-of-nowhere-northwest Tennessee. And it's not even northwest enough to be the town of Martin. They house the Skyhawks and play on SprinTurf. They're in the polls as well you see, but in a different division that also has playoffs. But they were playing Southeast Missouri State and couldn't be reached for comment in this column ((pictured above left, thanks again to me))...

McKenzie is part of Tennessee 22 that runs from, roughly, 20 miles east of Jackson on Interstate 40 to the four corners area of Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas.

It's Cardinals country. It's farm country and it's speed traps. You get a sandwich in Parker's Crossroads and head north about 20 miles- that's McKenzie. But not before you get lost in Huntingdon on the by-pass.

You can't tell where the Bethel campus is in broad daylight. But an 8PM kick-off is easy.

The football lights act as your beacon. Another pretty stadium that lights your way.

It looked like neither team liked the idea of playing in the cold... a lot of running. If you want to call it an idea of running to run back inside on one side- go for it. I certainly was- or would have liked to since it felt like 12 degrees outside with a nice breeze in your grill to remind you it's winter time.

Shorter runs and dares you to stop them...they don't care about the conditions.

The defense came up big on a tip drill-interception to preserve the shutout, and came up a few more times to keep the score on the positive. But there were a few instances where I couldn't help but laugh at the proceedings... an example...

Fourth quarter, good guys still up 7-nothing... Running back Chris Chapman was a moving target in motion in the wing-T formation. He got the pitch from QB Ben Williams, found the corner, got some great blocks, and ended up in the endzone.

About 45 minutes later, someone threw a flag and called the touchdown back.

So much for being up 14-nothing.

There were horsecollars, which I thought were universally-bad, that weren't flagged. There were flags that shouldn't have been flagged that were flagged.

It got flaggin' ridiculous... but the final was 7-nothing over Bethel.

Division title... playoff berth... all that...

And when you looked over at Head Coach and All-Around-Good-Guy Phil Jones he was overcome on the sidelines. You see, he's the architect of this whole thing. He started coaching when there wasn't anything or anyone to coach. In four years, he's taken the team from being a bunch of freshmen to a bunch of seniors who've played every down and made a program out of thin air.

Don't get me wrong... it takes a lot of people to make this work- from administration to coaches to trainers, players, families, and fans. And he'll be the first one to tell you all about that...

It's not about him... never has...

So, what has all that work gotten the program...?

A Top-12 ranking in the final regular season coaches poll, a division title, and another road game eleven miles north of the Tennessee-Kentucky border this Saturday at the University of the Cumberlands for the Mid-South Conference Heavyweight Belt...

Your playoffs pairings for the rest of the NAIA are in black...

See you from the road...

NAIA Football Poll #9 ((Week of November 10))

1. Carroll College (Mont.) (18) 11-0 418
2. University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 9-0 401
3. University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 9-0 387
4. Morningside College (Iowa) 9-0 367
5. MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 9-0 357
6. Friends University (Kan.) 9-0 338
7. Lindenwood University (Mo.) 8-1 321
8. University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 9-1 305
9. Langston University (Okla.) 8-2 290
10. Northwestern Oklahoma State University 8-2 263
11. Lambuth University (Tenn.) 8-2 244
12. Missouri Valley College 7-2 218
13. Malone University (Ohio) 6-2 212
14. Ottawa University (Kan.) 8-1 203
15. Union College (Ky.) 8-2 189
16. Baker University (Kan.) 7-3 169
17. Dickinson State University (N.D.) 7-3 160
18. Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 7-3 158
19. Shorter College (Ga.) 8-2 151
20. Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 7-3 115
21. Northwestern College (Iowa) 7-3 106
22. University of Virginia's College at Wise 7-3 86
23. Ohio Dominican University 6-3 62
24. Montana State University-Northern 7-3 44
25. Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 6-3 27

NAIA Football Poll #8 ((Week of November 4))

1) Carroll College (Mont.) (18) 10-0 418
2) University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 8-0 401
3) University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 8-0 386
4) Morningside College (Iowa) 8-0 368
5) MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 8-0 358
6) Friends University (Kan.) 8-0 338
7) Lindenwood University (Mo.) 7-1 321
8) University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 8-1 303
9) Langston University (Okla.) 7-2 288
10) Malone University (Ohio) 6-1 253
11) Northwestern Oklahoma State University 7-2 246
12) Northwestern College (Iowa) 7-2 234
13) Lambuth University (Tenn.) 7-2 217
14) Missouri Valley College 6-2 193
15) Baker University (Kan.) 7-2 175
16) University of Virginia's College at Wise 8-2 164
17) Ottawa University (Kan.) 7-1 163
18) Union College (Ky.) 7-2 162
19) Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 6-3 136
20) Dickinson State University (N.D.) 6-3 134
21) Shorter College (Ga.) 7-2 118
22) Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 6-3 88
23) Bethel College (Kan.) 6-2 63
24) Ohio Dominican University 5-3 36
25) Minot State University (N.D.) 6-3 22

Others receiving votes:
Montana State University-Northern 15; William Penn University (Iowa) 13; Black Hills State University (S.D.) 11; Jamestown College (N.D.) 6; Sterling College (Kan.) 3; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 1; Quincy University (Ill.) 1; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 1; Bacone College (Okla.) 1

How Do You Beat A School Record...???

If you're the Shorter Hawks tailback, AJ Cooley, you just get the ball handed to you...

The old record for touchdown from the line of scrimmage was 96 yards... Fabian Daniels...

A few weeks ago against Campbellsville University, Cooley goes for a 98-yard run...
Two weeks later, Cooley breaks it for 99 yards against the University of North Greenville...
Those of us here at OSG HQ don't think he can go any longer...
The video is from the "Shorter Hawks Sports Spotlight"
((HT: Eagle's Nest Productions, Shorter College, and us))

NAIA Football Poll #7 ((Week of October 26th))

1) Carroll College (Mont.) (17) 9-0 392
2) University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 7-0 377
3) University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 7-0 361
4) Morningside College (Iowa) 7-0 345
5) MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 7-0 336
6) Friends University (Kan.) 7-0 316
7) Missouri Valley College 6-1 285
8) Northwestern College (Iowa) 7-1 281
9) Lindenwood University (Mo.) 6-1 280
10) University of Virginia's College at Wise 8-1 259
11) University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 7-1 241
12) Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 6-2 222
13) Langston University (Okla.) 6-2 215
14) Bethel College (Kan.) 6-1 198
15) Northwestern Oklahoma State University 6-2 176
16) Malone University (Ohio) 5-1 157
17) Lambuth University (Tenn.) 6-2 128
18) Jamestown College (N.D.) 6-2 109
19) Ottawa University (Kan.) 6-1 106
20) Dickinson State University (N.D.) 5-3 104
21) Union College (Ky.) 6-2 83
22) Shorter College (Ga.) 6-2 79
23) Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 5-3 71
24) Baker University (Kan.) 6-2 57
25) Ohio Dominican University 4-3 39

Others receiving votes:
Montana State University-Northern 32; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 14; Black Hills State University (S.D.) 11; Minot State University (N.D.) 5; William Penn University (Iowa) 4; Quincy University (Ill.) 3; Cumberland University (Tenn.) 1; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 1

Willie Williams Is Alive

The only game in town Thursday was in Rome, Georgia...

You've caught our occasional musings about life on the road, and you get the chance to see the polls on a weekly basis in a world where scholarships aren't at the level of Division 1 life.

It was a short week for both the Union College ((Ky)) folks as well as the home team for OSG HQ, the Shorter Hawks. The second game in five days for both between two ranked teams in the Top 25 in the NAIA.

Barron Stadium holds 6,500 in a sell-out. It wasn't quite that many, but there was an interesting looking middle linebacker for the visitors- Willie Williams ((pictured, thanks to me)).

Yes, that Willie Williams...

The Willie Williams that was found out to have been brought up on eleven different charges as a juvenile. The Willie Williams that then-Miami Head Coach Larry Coker acknowledged he didn't know about all those warrants while he was being recruited. The Willie Williams who decided to empty fire extinguishers in a hotel during a recruiting trip.

Union is Williams' fifth school. Let's see if we can recall them- Miami, Louisville, West Los Angeles Junior College, Glenville State, and now Union College. Two D1's, a JuCo, a D2, and an NAIA school. And, yes, we know he never played at Glenville, but it still counts.

He's listed at 6-4, 220, but doesn't look the part. But, in the Mid-South Conference Williams is ridiculously dominant. He averages close to a dozen tackles a game, at least one of those per loss on average, and gets a sack per game as well. Safe to say the game plan with Shorter's option/veer offense was to block down, double team, and shade as far away from the middle of the field as possible. And the Hawks did a great job of that.

The only time he was mentioned was when the Hawks ran up the middle- which was only done to set up stud running back AJ Cooley ((and anyone else)) hitting the edge. And the Hawks got a signature win by avoidance therapy.

33-27...

I asked AJ about what is was like going against Williams and that defense and he thought their approach was pretty sound- treat him just like everyone else. They did... and Williams looked just like every other guy wearing the number 13 on a football field.

Lesson learned... it will be interesting to see if Williams is the same way going through a town like Barbourville, Kentucky.

NAIA Football Poll #6 ((Week of October 20))

1) Carroll College (Mont.) (18) 8-0 418
2) University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 6-0 402
3) University of Saint Francis (Ind.) 6-0 384
4) Morningside College (Iowa) 6-0 367
5) MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) 7-0 360
6) Friends University (Kan.) 6-0 333
7) Lindenwood University (Mo.) 5-1 306
8) Northwestern Oklahoma State University 6-1 299
9) Missouri Valley College 5-1 291
10) Northwestern College (Iowa) 6-1 285
11) University of Virginia's College at Wise 7-1 263
12) University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 6-1 249
13) Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 5-2 217
14) Union College (Ky.) 6-1 209
15) Bethel College (Kan.) 5-1 189
16) Langston University (Okla.) 5-2 175
17) Black Hills State University (S.D.) 5-2 128
18) Malone University (Ohio) 4-1 125
19) Montana State University-Northern 5-2 118
20) Jamestown College (N.D.) 5-2 112
21) Lambuth University (Tenn.) 5-2 81
22) Ottawa University (Kan.) 5-1 78
23) Saint Ambrose University (Iowa) 4-3 54
24) Ohio Dominican University 3-3 44
25) Shorter College (Ga.) 5-2 38

Others receiving votes:
Baker University (Kan.) 31; Dickinson State University (N.D.) 22; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 17; University of St. Francis (Ill.) 13; Quincy University (Ill.) 5; Midland Lutheran College (Neb.) 3; Cumberland University (Tenn.) 1; William Penn University (Iowa) 1

NAIA Coaches Poll #5 ((Week of October 13th))

1)Carroll College (Mont.)(18)7-0 418
2)University of Sioux Falls (S.D.)6-0 402
3)Missouri Valley College 5-0 381
4)University of Saint Francis (Ind.)6-0 375
5)Morningside College (Iowa)5-0 354
6)MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.)6-0 338
7)Friends University (Kan.)5-0 319
8)Lindenwood University (Mo.)4-1 297
9)Northwestern Oklahoma State University 5-1 290
10)Northwestern College (Iowa)5-1 275
11)University of Virginia's College at Wise 6-1 252
12)Montana State University-Northern 5-1 229
13)Black Hills State University (S.D.)5-1 225
14)University of the Cumberlands (Ky.)5-1 224
15)Saint Ambrose University (Iowa)4-2 201
16)Saint Xavier University (Ill.)4-2 166
17)Union College (Ky.)5-1 155
18)Bethel College (Kan.)4-1 151
19)Langston University (Okla.)4-2 127
20)University of St. Francis (Ill.)5-1 114
21)Jamestown College (N.D.)4-2 89
22)Malone University (Ohio)3-1 87
23)Ohio Dominican University 3-3 50
24)Ottawa University (Kan.)4-1 42
25)Lambuth University (Tenn.)4-2 41

Others receiving votes:

Baker University (Kan.) 17; Shorter College (Ga.) 13; Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) 7; Quincy University (Ill.) 1; Cumberland University (Tenn.) 1; Dickinson State University (N.D.) 1; Midland Lutheran College (Neb.) 1

Shorter Football Cracks Top 20

The stadium to your right is Finley Stadium...
No, not that Finley Stadium...

This Finley Stadium is in Campbellsville, Kentucky...
((pictured, thanks to me))

Campbellsville is somewhere in between Bowling Green, Kentucky and Louisville. All you need to do is work your way up I-65 from Bowling Green and either do one of two things. You can go onto the Cumberlands Parkway, get off in Edmonton ((no, not that Edmonton)) and travel north on US68.

That's what I did... and, by the way, I ran smack in to the middle of the county's pumpkin festival. It rendered the town square in Edmonton in to a three-way stop from a four-way stop. I think it's safe to say that it was the only thing close to a stop light in the county.

I think...

What the rest of the travelling posse did was work their way further up I-65, turn off at another mile marker entirely and get a fairly straight shot in to town.

I should have taken that route... I wouldn't have missed the first three minutes of the game trying to find Campbellsville University and a subsequent media parking space. I made it into earshot soon enough to catch the pre-game show from the "Campbellsville Tigers Football Radio Network." But as you approach the town from the south, there isn't a marker telling you where the school actually is.

No idea where to turn... at all...

So, I did what any travelling soul does... drive straight through town, turn around and try it from the north... that actually worked. But I missed the first drive of the game and the Tigers 7-0 lead. But that wasn't neccessary for my studying purposes...

The rest of the game was...
Shorter wins the game 24-14, driving the coaches crazy as they do at times this year... I know Head Coach Phil Jones ((all-around good guy, by the way...)) is nuts over all the penalties.

And AJ Cooley is, officially, out of control... two weeks in a row rushing for over 200 yards- this past week, somewhere from 216 to 220 on 25 carries including an absolutely ridiculous 98-yard run for a score. Eight Tigers defenders were crowding the line of scrimmage, Cooley found a hole, and no one...

And I mean "no one" was there...
But that's what happens when you are the top-ranked rushing offense in the NAIA...
Everyone sells out, and sometimes it's "no sale..."

The ride home was another one filled with a lot of pizza on the buses home for the players.
And, as we say: "The bus is warm, the drinks are cold, and they're heading home."

Next up is a home game against Lambuth University, who apparently is chasing a life in Division II football sometime soon- I think 2010.

Coach Jones is worried, but he is, after all, a head coach.

The benefits of yours-truly's rental car- satellite radio, so I never missed a thing on the drive home... I love the ingenuity of this country...

The Hawks are the same way with me, too...
Guilty as charged... more next week...

NAIA Football Poll ((Week of October 6, 2008))

1) Carroll College-Montana ((17))
2) University of Sioux Falls
3) Missouri Valley College
4) University of St. Francis ((Indiana))
5) Morningside College ((Iowa))
6) Mid America Nazarene University ((Kansas))
7) Friends University ((Kansas))
8) Lindenwood University ((Mo.))
9) NW Oklahoma State University
10) Northwestern College ((Iowa))
11) Union College ((Kentucky))
12) UVa-Wise
13) Montana State University-Northern
14) Black Hills State University ((SD))
15) Ohio Dominican University
16) University of the Cumberlands ((KY))
17) St. Ambrose University ((Iowa))
18) Bethel College ((Kansas))
19) St. Xavier University ((Ill.))
20) Shorter College
21) Langston University ((Oklahoma))
22) University of St. Francis ((Ill.))
23) Jamestown College ((ND))
24) Midland Lutheran College ((Nebr.))
25) Malone University ((Ohio))

Life in the NAIA...

It's more about buses than planes...

That's the easier part of the whole deal, but what about when you take a wrong turn to where you're supposed to go...

That's me... Sports' version of "Wrong Way Corrigan..."

I've never claimed to be a walking Rand McNally atlas or anything of the type, but I'd like to think that, when I look at a set of directions ((and print them out)), I can get where I'm going.

Not so much...

The third picture is of Davis Field in Pikeville, Kentucky. That's where the Pikeville College Bears play their football games against the rest of their NAIA brethren. It's a multi-purpose high school facility with SprinTurf that will house baseball, softball, and high school sports where it sits. The drive is a fairly simple one from Atlanta- Chattanooga, Knoxville, Tri-Cities, and into the Virginia mountains into eastern Kentucky.

Not so much...

Knoxville has construction going on downtown which causes two decisions- north on I-640 to I-75, or south on 640 to I-40 and I-81. I chose north, and I should have taken the left turn at Albuquerque. It took me 30 miles north of Knoxville on 75 headed to Lexington to realize that I couldn't turn right until the Daniel Boone Parkway- 40 MILES INTO KENTUCKY!!!

So, I get to Davis Field in the second quarter of a game where Shorter College scores 35 straight to win 52-17 going away... that's the good part...

If you can track down the Shorter Hawks Sports Showcase TV show from that week, you'll see Head Coach Phil Jones give me the gift that keeps on giving- a map of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Classic...

So, driving back to OSG HQ, I was a-feared that I'd run in to Tennessee-Florida traffic out of Neyland Stadium. I take a detour into the town of Wise, Virginia looking for gear to share with the rest of the family.

I wander in to a football game: UVa-Wise and West Virginia Tech. The Highland Cavaliers took on a team that, really needed Sedale Threatt's outside shooting. 28-6 after one, 35-12 and 41-19 at the break. And Tech wasn't the one in the lead...

Thus, picture one... a 62-33 final... and I missed all the traffic...

By the way, did you know that gas is about 60 cents cheaper in Tennessee than on the way back to the HQ...? Stinks...

UVa-Wise quarterback Randy Hippeard is pictured ((thanks UVa-Wise athletics))

More from the road as we get closer to Carroll of Montana defending their NAIA Division I title for the nine-billionth year in a row in Rome, Georgia in late December...