It will not be long before the teams are under helmet, hitting the sleds and running 40's to prepare for the upcoming season. It seems as though we just completed the Stagg Bowl and crowned the Mt. Union Purple Raiders the National Champions, but we are fast approaching kickoff to the 2009 season.
Patrick Coleman, editor and publisher of D3football.com, has his finger on the pulse of Division 3 football, and I recently had a chance to pose a few questions to him about the national outlook for the '09 season as well as his insight on the USA South.
FCFR: I'd like to start by asking a little bit about the upcoming season. I would think that the Purple Raiders of Mt. Union will be favored to repeat as National Champions, but what teams have the best chance of knocking them off of the top spot?
Pat Coleman: Well, entering the season I think we have to look at UW-Whitewater, certainly, as well as Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons.
I also like what North Central has coming back this year, and perhaps UW-Stevens Point could be in the mix as well.
FCFR: With no scholarships in Division III, what is the secret to teams like Mt. Union and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater being so consistent?
Pat Coleman: I think it's two things: good coaching and the programs' reputation. Mount Union coach Larry Kehres talks about having consistency among the assistant coaches and the beginning of the Purple Raiders' run was built on a very consistent staff. But they've turned over a couple of coordinators lately and their young position coaches move up to better jobs. At Whitewater the head coach changed and the offensive coordinator changed, but the philosophy hasn't and kids are still getting coached the same all four years. The reputation draws kids in, it really does. Why go to Northern Illinois or Ashland or even Toledo or Kent State when you can play sooner and play for a team with national title hopes?
FCFR: Salem, Va., has hosted the Stagg Bowl (NCAA D3 Championship Game) for quite a while now. Is there a chance that this will change in the near future, or can we count on this staying in the Roanoke Valley area?
Pat Coleman: Salem has certainly built up a Omaha-like reputation among the folks at the NCAA. I don't think anyone in the Division III hierarchy will approve a long-term contract for any championship, but Salem has things that other sites don't: Division III proximity, a community love of Division III sporting events and passable weather. It would be nice if it were 60 degrees at kickoff every year, no doubt, but I think we want D-III fans to be able to get there on one week's notice, so Texas is out. There's no D-III presence at all in Florida. Ohio/Indiana/Illinois is too unpredictable the third week of December, along with the entire Northeast, where a bunch of D-III schools are. Salem works, and it works well.
FCFR: As we are in what have unquestionably been some of the worst economic times in the last 60 years, businesses as well as colleges are fighting for every penny. How is this negatively impacting D3 football programs?
Pat Coleman: We saw Colorado College drop football entirely this offseason, blaming it on the economy. Blackburn and Principia dropped the sport as well. I think schools are staying a little closer to home this year when possible in their non-conference games, and the Centennial Conference banned all overnight trips for conference games. Some schools are playing nine games that usually would play ten.
At least gas isn't four dollars a gallon right now.
FCFR: Are there any major changes coming to D3 football, or the playoff format this year?
Pat Coleman: No, still 32 teams, still going to be primarily geographically based. I don't believe we have any new automatic bids this year either.
FCFR: Tell me about some of the big names that could dominate the D3 headlines this year..
Well, Cecil Shorts is someone worth keeping an eye on, as the Whitewater secondary found out last December. Whether he plays quarterback or wide receiver for Mount Union is still to be determined, but he's capable of turning heads at either spot. I think Monmouth quarterback Alex Tanney doesn't get as much credit as he deserves because of the conference he plays in. North Central linebacker Matt Wenger had a great season last year and the Cardinals are expected to do well again in 2009.
FCFR: Tunde Ogun of Christopher Newport University out of the USA South is a preseason All-American. If I am not mistaken, he was runner up to the national D3 rushing title last year.. What other running backs besides Ogun will be vying for that title?
Pat Coleman: Well, in our book he's not a preseason All-American until we say he is. I don't think fans should put any credence in a magazine that only cares about Division III once a year. Their track record isn't very good. However, I think it's safe to say he will be on our All-American team as well!
Ogun was third behind Mount Union's Nate Kmic and MIT's DeRon Brown. Brown returns this year. With as much running as they do in that league, he or Maine Maritime's Jim Bower could well take the overall title. If one UW-Whitewater running back gets the majority of the carries, he would be a threat as well, either Levell Coppage or Antwan Anderson. They combined for 199 yards per contest last season.
FCFR: Speaking of the USA South, many think that Christopher Newport will be the conference representative in the playoff again this year. Any predictions of your own?
Pat Coleman: I figure I should defer to USAC experts on that but history certainly suggests that would be a decent pick.
FCFR: What will it take to get the USA South a second round win in the playoffs? (NC Wesleyan did advance past the first round a couple of years ago.)
Pat Coleman: I think right now the American Southwest Conference teams are a step ahead of everyone else in the South. Until someone solves for that speed, skill and size, it's going to be hard to get deep into the playoffs. The rest of the South should be thankful that the two ASC teams always seem to have to play each other the first weekend because of the NCAA's travel restrictions.
FCFR: I know you have spent a lot of time in Virginia, but I am wondering if you have ever seen Ferrum College play? I think you should circle Oct. 31st on your calendar for the Christopher Newport @ Ferrum College game.. Ferrum and the Captains played last year in Newport News to determine the D3 automatic qualifier from the USA South, and in a rain soaked contest, CNU prevailed 13-10.
This year's game should be another barn burner, and it would be great to have you there. Think you can make it?
Pat Coleman: I have -- the last time I saw Ferrum play was also against Christopher Newport, but I doubt many Panther fans will want me to mention the season (2001). Now that I'm no longer living in Virginia or even in the Eastern Time Zone, I don't know how many USA South teams I'll be getting to see. But at one point or another, I'm pretty sure I've seen everyone in the USAC play except Averett and Maryville.
Thank you to D3football.com's Pat Coleman for his insiight on the upcoming season.
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