If there was a running storyline through D3 Football in Week 3, it would be defense. Several teams, notably Mount Union, UW-Whitewater, and Ithaca (among others) mounted victories on the strength of their defensive corps.
We had a few upsets, a couple of big performances and more amazing quarterbacking from Matt Pawlowski. Now, let’s wrap up the week in our Week 3 D3 Football Wrap.
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Headlines
RAIDERS FLAWLESS IN BLOWOUT WIN
For the second-straight week BR-4 Mount Union’s defense posted a shutout, this time against BR-159 Muskingum by a final score of 56-0. It’s the first time since 1999 the Raiders opened the season with back-to-back shutouts, according to the team’s athletic site.
The Raiders offense finished with 557 total yards, 367 on the ground, as QB Taurice Scott collected 200 total yards three scores in his second stint under center, and wide receiver Roman Namdar brought down four catches for 117 yards and two TDs.
As good as the offense was, it was the defense that really stood out this week. Anchored by Hank Spencer’s 12 tackles, the defense posted three sacks and held Muskingum to just 69 total offensive yards and just five first downs.
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WARHAWKS RUNNING CORPS, DEFENSE SMASH FINLANDIA
BR-2 UW-Whitewater churned out 555 yards of offense and blasted BR-220 Finlandia 66-3 on Saturday for the team’s 34th straight win. Like last week, the Warhawk offense featured a stellar rushing attack, as nine players reached double digits in rushing yards and seven of them scoring touchdowns. The RB corps was led by Jarrod Ware, who gained 87 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, followed by Tyler Glass who ran seven times for 61 yards and a touchdown. All told, the running unit secured 392 yards on the ground, its most since 2010. Junior QB Chris Nelson passed for 63 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Defensively, freshman LB Bryce Leszczynski netted 10 tackles and a pair of sacks, while Shawn Shillcox and Paul Foster each finished with an interception. The defense held the Lions to 89 total yards.
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PIONEERS STUN NORTH CENTRAL IN OT
BR-13 UW-Platteville upset BR-15 North Central 35-28 on Saturday courtesy of a 28-point rally that extended into overtime. The Pioneers trailed 28-7 with 12 minutes to go in the contest, but managed to score three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to force OT. Junior QB Tom Kelly scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak in overtime.
Other heroes of the contest were Dillon Villhauer, who scored on a 75-yard punt return with 2:38 left in the game, backup freshman kicker Michael Prati, who netted the game-tying field goal and sophomore linebacker Marty McGrail, whose pass deflection secured the victory.
Kelly finished with 315 passing yards and two touchdowns on 30-of-56 attempts. Receiver Dan Arnold pulled down 10 catches for 110 yards and two scores.
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BOMBERS DEFENSE KEEPS HOBART IN CHECK
BR-23 Ithaca’s No. 43-ranked defense held BR-19 Hobart in check on Saturday, and helped the Bombers upset the Statesmen 24-6. Both teams entered the contest with 2-0 records, but Hobart couldn’t overcome six turnovers, or Ithaca’s tremendous defense, to keep its perfect season alive. Logan Murphy finished the day with seven tackles and a recovered fumble, while Dan Loizos and Schnayder Termidor combined for 17 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Logan Murphy scored a touchdown for the defense on a fumble recovery.
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WOLVERINES GIVE HEAD COACH 200th WIN
For the second-straight week BR-7 Wesley scored 44 points, and for the second-straight week Wesley finished on top. It took the Wolverines just six plays and 90 seconds to score their first touchdown as Joe Callahan found Alex Kemp for a 20-yard score, and the Wolverines pummeled BR-68 Christopher Newport 44-24. It was the 200th victory in the career of long time head coach Mike Drass.
Callahan completed 15-of-24 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns and helped power the offense to 572 total yards. Running back Jamar Baynard rushed 26 times for 179 yards and three touchdowns, while linebacker Samer Manna recorded 17 tackles (three solo, 14 assisted).
According to the team’s athletic site, Drass “is only the 15th active college football coach (among all divisions) with 200 wins. He is also just the 74th college football coach of all time to reach the win plateau.”
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PAWLOWSKI, SMITH ROLL IN WIN
BR-21 Guilford quarterback Matt Pawlowski’s phenomenal play continued Saturday night, as the senior QB completed 23-of-27 passes for 331 yards and five touchdowns to lead his team to a 51-21-homecoming victory over BR-179 Averett. Wide receiver Adam Smith finished with three scores, breaking the school record for career touchdown receptions in the process — the senior now has 35 all-time. The Quakers are now 3-0 to start the season.
Fun fact: watching from the stands was NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry. I’m not sure where to go with this bit of news, other than to say it’s pretty awesome.
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PRESIDENTS OFFENSE SIZZLES IN WIN
BR-41 Washington & Jefferson improved to 3-0 on the season thanks to a 38-14 victory over BR-196 Carnegie Mellon (0-2).
Running back Ryan Ruffing finished with 241 rushing yards and one touchdown on 38 carries, crushing his previous career high of 196 yards on 37 carries. Quarterback Pete Coughlin posted 300 yards and four touchdowns. Altogether, the Presidents drummed up 594 yards of offense.
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LINFIELD DOMINATE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL
BR-1 Linfield demonstrated its dominance by defeating BR-49 Redlands 44-7 on Saturday in a variety of ways. Quarterback Sam Riddle passed for 215 yards and a touchdown, running backs Tavon Willis and Spencer Payne combined for 100 yards and two scores, and wide receiver Erick Douglass III pulled down six catches for 86 yards.
Defensively the Wildcats (2-0) were even better. Defensive end Alex Hoff led the way with two sacks for -18 yards, while the defense as a whole finished with eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss. They also forced four turnovers which led to 23 points, and held Redlands (0-2) to just 136 yards of offense.
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New Top 25 (by BennettRank)
| BR | TEAM | CHANGE | COACH | AP | CFPR | REC | SOS | HEAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Linfield | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 2 |  |
UW Whitewater | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 3 |  |
UMHB | 0 | 3-0 | |||||
| 4 |  |
Mt Union | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 5 |  |
Wheaton (IL) | 0 | 3-0 | |||||
| 6 |  |
UW Oshkosh | 0 | 2-1 | |||||
| 7 |  |
St. John’s (MN) | 1 | 3-0 | |||||
| 8 |  |
Thomas More | 2 | 3-0 | |||||
| 9 |  |
Wesley | -2 | 2-0 | |||||
| 10 |  |
Johns Hopkins | -1 | 3-0 | |||||
| 11 | -70x70.png) |
St. Thomas | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 12 |  |
UW Platteville | 1 | 3-0 | |||||
| 13 |  |
Wartburg | -1 | 3-0 | |||||
| 14 |  |
John Carroll | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 15 |  |
N Central IL | 0 | 1-1 | |||||
| 16 |  |
Wittenberg | 0 | 2-0 | |||||
| 17 |  |
Ithaca | 6 | 2-0 | |||||
| 18 |  |
Concordia-Moorhead | 0 | 2-1 | |||||
| 19 |  |
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