Around the Nation board

[Ron Boerger]

Good to have ATN back for another season, Keith - it must be time to play some football!!   

[kickerdad]

To Everyone,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone involved (players, coaches, parents, fans) with DIII football, good luck not only for Saturday but for the entire season.

Remember to always display good sportsmanship regardless of what the call is or what the outcome may be. There will be bad calls, there will be upsets, there will be poor choice of play calling, poor play; but remember DIII is un-political, unpaid and everyone plays and watches for the love of the game. I remember last year watching Averett get a good old fashion butt whipping by Mount Union. During the game, time and time over and over, Mount Union players knocking the crap out of an Averett player, put him on his but; yet reach out and help him up and give him a pat on the back. This is what it's all about, good clean sportmanship.

Remember to drive safe and for those that will indulge in a little stronger "Tea" than some, please give your keys to a designated driver or wait several hours after the last one before you get behind the wheel.

And say a little prayer for all the players that they are able to do their best and no one gets seriously hurt.

GOOD LUCK and have FUN

[K-Mack]

Speaking of the LL, when can we expect an East Region ATN?

If that Rochester-area double didn't fall on Hardin-Simmons/Linfield week, I woulda took it in a heartbeat.

In the past, I've shied away from East Region stuff because we always had other guys based out of upstate New York, the Philly area and Conn. ... it made sense for me to go where they weren't.

Probably looking at SJF at Springfield Oct. 20, not that that impresses the LL much.

[labart96]

Speaking of the LL, when can we expect an East Region ATN?

If that Rochester-area double didn't fall on Hardin-Simmons/Linfield week, I woulda took it in a heartbeat.

In the past, I've shied away from East Region stuff because we always had other guys based out of upstate New York, the Philly area and Conn. ... it made sense for me to go where they weren't.

Probably looking at SJF at Springfield Oct. 20, not that that impresses the LL much.

I meant ATR not ATN.  Noted that a new ATR was posted for the East today.  Thx!

re: your other comments, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I believe that the LL is always interested in E8 games.

[K-Mack]

Speaking of the LL, when can we expect an East Region ATN?

If that Rochester-area double didn't fall on Hardin-Simmons/Linfield week, I woulda took it in a heartbeat.

In the past, I've shied away from East Region stuff because we always had other guys based out of upstate New York, the Philly area and Conn. ... it made sense for me to go where they weren't.

Probably looking at SJF at Springfield Oct. 20, not that that impresses the LL much.

I meant ATR not ATN.  Noted that a new ATR was posted for the East today.  Thx!

re: your other comments, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I believe that the LL is always interested in E8 games.

Originially, I thought you meant ATR.

But then I figured why would you be asking about that here, so I went ahead and answered as asked.

It seems like in all the upstate stuff, there would be logical crossover, but put in the same shoes ... if I were asking someone to come see a game in Va., and they said they could catch the USAC but not the ODAC, not sure I'd be thrilled.

For the record, once Kickoff goes live, I am in charge of very little besides getting my column done within a day of the time it was originally planned to go up. It's probably best that way.

Pat is the man you'd ask about when an ATR is going up.

Then again, he doesn't have his own little 'Ask Pat' thread, does he? Maybe we need to look into that.

[K-Mack]

I can't stress enough how much I'd rather be at Moravian-Susquehanna than work right now.

I mean, getting live updates on Tulsa-La. Monroe and Cincinnati/SE Missouri St. is nice and all ...

Wow, what a bouquet of roses left for me on the front page. I guess ATN will have to be, like, good this year to justify it

[Pat Coleman]

Heh, I figured once a year it makes sense to introduce you to the new fans. Don't get too used to it.

[K-Mack]

Heh, I figured once a year it makes sense to introduce you to the new fans. Don't get too used to it.

I won't, you know, since it usually takes something happening more than once before you can get used to it.

(feels so appreciated)

[labart96]

The LA Times' Chris Dufresne had the following shout out to D3 in today's sports pages:

"Another defending sub-division national champion that Michigan might want to avoid is Division III powerhouse Mount Union, which scored 52 first quarter points in a 75-7 route of Averett."

[K-Mack]

Somebody should've caught "route," but yeah ... that's already got some mention in the part of ATN I started writing.

If Gregg Easterbrook doesn't slam Mount Union aka The Death Star for "running up the score," I'll be shocked.

When you score first-quarter/half 3 TDs on D/ST and you only get your star RB 7 carries and he scores 4 times, that ain't running it up, that's being on another level. Completely.

[ADL70]

I went to check how many players Mt Union used and discovered that five different players wearing #2 played. 

[smedindy]

Easterbrook may, but I bet he'll gloat more over Appy State's win as sticking it in the eye of the big man. Which he should.

[smedindy]

cwru - Actually, no. That's the weirdness of the software. I think 5 players who had duplicates in the 20's played, but not #2. Anytime you have a dupe, you name the player the first number of the dupe then a letter "A", "B", etc.

[K-Mack]

Easterbrook may, but I bet he'll gloat more over Appy State's win as sticking it in the eye of the big man. Which he should.

Yes, perfect cover for most journalists who don't bother to look at D3 scores, but the Mount Union thing will get a mention. Somewhere, if not by Easterbrook.

I'm finished talking about that guy now. Carry on.

[gordonmann]

FWIW, Easterbrook did mention Mount Union but not in the context I would've expected.  He applauded the Purple Raiders kneeling twice with a big lead to avoid scoring again.