By Pat Cummings
D3sports.com
Three weeks remain in the regular season and the Mid-Atlantic region remains as undecided as ever.
The USA South Conference is as competitive as ever, as three teams have one conference loss.
Two teams, both from the MAC are the only undefeated regional squads and won't play each other in conference while the MAC's top preseason picks are statistically eliminated from taking the conference title.
Johns Hopkins, the preseason favorite to win the Centennial is paddling fast in the deep end of the pool, trying to stay afloat.
Bridgewater won the ODAC's big game against Hampden-Sydney, which lost J.D. Ricca, a preseason All-America selection at quarterback, for the season. Meanwhile, a new face has emerged amongst the ODAC's competitive teams: Washington and Lee.
What to make of it all? Let's take a gander at the races for the conference championships and who needs to do what to make it happen.
USA South Conference
Methodist and Shenandoah are 3-1 in the USAC while Christopher Newport is 2-1 and will play all of their remaining games in conference play. CNU lost at Shenandoah but was victorious this weekend at Methodist.
"The biggest thing is our offensive and defensive lines really dominated them, really wore them out," said CNU coach Matt Kelchner told the Hampton Roads Daily Press. "We were just a lot stronger than they were up front."
The Captains remain the favorite just based on their history. Kelchner puts a strong squad on the field and while starting quarterback Philip Jones has been sidelined with injuries for the past five weeks, backup Hudson Bryant's performance has kept the Captains competitive.
Methodist plays their last three games on the road including the regular season finale at Shenandoah. CNU travels to North Carolina Wesleyan this week before hosting Averett and Ferrum for the last two weeks.
Middle Atlantic Conference
Expect an omelet out of the MAC's home office as the one-division, 11-team conference (with a 10-game schedule) wipes the egg aside. That is, if Moravian and Delaware Valley should both go undefeated in conference play without playing each other. Del Val has a game at FDU-Florham then will host Wilkes and Widener in Doylestown.
"These guys came up here wanting to be 7-0," said Moravian coach Scot Dapp to the Allentown Morning Call, after the Greyhounds took care of Lycoming 35-14. "We knew this was the team people looked at. This was the team picked in preseason as No. 1, and we were picked as No. 7. And I told them, 'we're going up there to get No. 7.' "
Moravian, with its traditional rivalry game against Muhlenberg in its usual Week 11 slot, has two conference games remaining, at Widener this week and hosting Albright in two weeks. The Greyhounds have a formidable task in front of them.
Unless the Hounds or Aggies have a complete collapse, both could suffer a single loss and not fear that a third team will infringe on the party. Albright and Wilkes both sit with two conference losses. Should a tiebreaker be necessary and both teams finish undefeated, if Moravian wins its last two conference games by more than three points in each, the Greyhounds will go to the playoffs.
Centennial Conference
McDaniel has been fantastic this season, winning five of its six games while allowing an average of 5.4 points in each of those wins, blanking three of the teams. The Green Terror play a nine-game schedule in 2004 and will focus on its Nov. 6 game against Muhlenberg in a quest to run the table in the CC.
The Mules have only one conference loss, coming at the hands of the Diplomats of Franklin and Marshall. Expect a big afternoon in Westminster as the Mules and Mean Green fight for their playoff lives.
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
Bridgewater beat Hampden-Sydney. End of story? It might have been under normal circumstances had Emory and Henry not scored 21 unanswered points against the Eagles' second team on Saturday. Washington and Lee storms into BC this week having played incredibly well over the past few weeks. The chances of the Eagles falling to the Generals are slim, and while BC enjoys the driver's seat, a rising tide in Lexington could be the beginning of a new wave in the ODAC.
Brandon Wakefield dominated E&H's first-teamers on Saturday, setting a school record for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a game with 378 and five, respectively.
"He works hard," Bridgewater coach Michael Clark told the Harrisonburg Daily News Record. "His record as a starter is 17-4. If that's your record as a starter, that's worthy. He's deserving."
A new member to elite club
King's senior running back Richard Jackson ran for 256 yards in the Monarchs' 49-35 win against Susquehanna, becoming the 13th Division III player to surpass the 5,000-yard mark.
Jackson was humbled in how he got to the magic number with such a huge performance.
"It was all about our offensive line establishing complete control of the game right from the start and I was the beneficiary of their hard work," Jackson told the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice. "All of us came together today and it is a good feeling to win on Homecoming day. We had to rework a lot of the line today and actually had four different starters on the line and for them to play the way they did was truly inspiring."
Running out
Muhlenberg's Mules are ... literally. Mike Mrkobrad was the starting running back when the season started. Mrkobrad suffered a season-ending injury in the Mules' second game versus Union. Jason Spencer, Mrkobrad's backup, was injured two games later. Third-stringer Jerome Beverly left a JV game with an injury without making a start for the varsity squad. Ross Tanner, a freshman who was converted from defensive back, started the last three games for the Mules, but was injured last week at Johns Hopkins.
So, lucky fifth-stringer -- if you could even call him that. Matt Johnson, who stepped into two-a-days as a quarterback, and later moved to fullback, will get the call for the Mules against Gettysburg.
No word on who occupies the next spot down.
J.J. instead of J.D.
Hampden-Sydney running back Johnny Junes scored four touchdowns for the Tigers on Saturday in a 41-26 victory against Catholic. Junes carried the load for the H-SC playing in their first week without all-American quarterback JD Ricca. Suffering a season-ending thumb injury on his throwing hand, Ricca watched from the sidelines as sophomore Brett Delk made his first collegiate start, completing 12 of 21 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
Red Devils ride wagon
The Conestoga Wagon trophy will go back to Carlisle this year after Dickinson's 17-14 comeback win at Franklin and Marshall. While the Diplomats opened up to a 14-0 lead, Dwight Phyall scored a 1-yard touchdown approaching halftime to account for Dickinson's first touchdown in 22 days, cutting the Diplomat lead to 14-10.
"They don't have an offense," F&M coach Shawn Halloran declared to the Harrisburg Patriot News. "They sit on the clock, use the 25-second time and get a first down here and there and try to keep you as low-scoring as possible."
Nate Moore returned an interception for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as Dickinson scored 17 unanswered points for the win.
"We've sputtered some, we've just got to work at finishing things off," Red Devils coach Darwin Breaux told the paper. "When it was on the line we were able to come up with first downs and we worked the clock, we managed it."
Mid-Atlantic Region Top 5
1. Delaware Valley
2. McDaniel
3. Bridgewater
4. Moravian
5. Christopher Newport
Del Val won the game it needed to.
McDaniel's defense had the week off, should make them tougher for the final swing through the Centennial.
Bridgewater's first team handled Emory and Henry, the second team was a different story. Don't let the close score throw you that much.
Moravian stayed perfect after stumbling, and nearly losing, against FDU-Florham. Their toughest run begins this week at Widener followed up by their MAC finale in Bethlehem versus Albright.
CNU's lone conference loss against Shenandoah was no where near as bad as the Hornets' loss at Greensboro. After dealing Methodist a conference loss, the Captains look to keep it going in a chance to take the USAC once again.
Games of the Week
No. 25 Moravian at Widener, Leslie C. Quick, Jr., Stadium, Chester, Pa., 1 p.m.: Before Del Val's win this week against Albright, the only other team to best the Lions were the Pioneers. The Greyhounds travel to Chester for their toughest opponent yet, one week before a tussle with Albright.
Washington and Lee at No. 23 Bridgewater, Jopson Field, Bridgewater, Va., 1 p.m.: The Generals represent the last remaining challenge to the Eagles. Can Brandon Wakefield repeat his record performance while the Eagles attempt to shut down speedy sophomore, Colton Ward?
