FB: Southern Athletic Association

[BerryCollegeFan]

Berry needs work in the secondary and has times when the offense bogs down.  IMO, if they want to make that next step they will need to improve there.

That was never more evident that last night.  WashU was 35 of 48 passing (73%), and on the 2 TD passes there wasn't a DB within 10 yds of the receiver.  But it wasn't just the secondary.  This game was lost on the line of scrimmage and WashU dominated the LOS.  WashU is disciplined, physical and aggressive whereas Berry is not.  Teams play the way they practice.   

Yes, Berry is playing soft coverage too often.  I think the DC is too worried about getting burned on a long downfield pass. 

But the game was closer than the score indicates, those last 2 defensive scores by WashU were chances taken by Berry's QB.  He was trying to make something happen late and got burned.

It's only one loss, can't let it stretch into two.  They need to right the ship this week when Chicago visits Rome.

[BerryViking92]

I am not sure what happened at Berry at WASHU, but after another poor first half Saturday against Chicago, the Vikings righted the ship and put away the Maroons.  QB Dale was very impressive.  I also wanted to note that the officiating was simply awful.  Drreadful.

Now on to Hendrix and I suppose the game of the year.  Vikings need to put together a full game.

[jknezek]

So I went to the Hendrix at B-SC game this weekend. Some thoughts. Hendrix dominated B-SC in every phase of the game. On the other hand, they didn't look to me like a standout DIII team. Good? Absolutely. But standout? I'm not so sure. I have no problem with them around the middle or lower part of the South Top 10. Winning does that, and the win over Centre certainly provides legitimacy.

But as I watched Hendrix I didn't feel like a good DIII team is going to watch the tape and feel intimidated. They were solid, and they went on the road and got a win. The flip side, though, is B-SC is really, really bad. Like I'm not sure how they beat Sewanee bad, as I've seen both this year. Other than the QB, I didn't see anyone I'd consider a real play making threat. I'd say Hendrix made them look that bad, but the rest of B-SC's results aren't all that out of line with what I saw.

So what's the upshot? Berry at Hendrix, Chicago at Hendrix, Hendrix at Wash U, these are all big games and I just don't see Hendrix as a prohibitive favorite over a solid DIII team. But again, it's really hard to tell because of the competition.

[BerryViking92]

Big weekend.  Hoping the Berry Vikings can put together the complete game against Hendrix.

[BerryViking92]

Wow, HUGE win for Berry.  Wish I had been there, but the radio broadcast was all I could take.  It was a slug-fest.  Freshman kicker replaces hurt all-world senior and becomes a hero.  Defense also played heroically, holding #3 offense to 14 points at home.  Awesome all the way around.

[awadelewis]

Look at the how the schedule plays out for the top four teams in the league:
Berry:  BYE, Millsaps, B-SC, at Centre
WashU: at Millsaps, Case Western, Hendrix, at Chicago
Centre: Sewanee, at B-SC, at Rhodes, Berry
Hendrix: at Chicago, at Rhodes, at WashU, Sewanee

Question becomes which of the four teams will give up that second loss.  Makes that Berry-Centre game in Danville real interesting.   

[BerryViking92]

And the Hendrix WashU game too

[Ralph Turner]

Look at the how the schedule plays out for the top four teams in the league:
Berry:  BYE, Millsaps, B-SC, at Centre
WashU: at Millsaps, Case Western, Hendrix, at Chicago
Centre: Sewanee, at B-SC, at Rhodes, Berry
Hendrix: at Chicago, at Rhodes, at WashU, Sewanee

Question becomes which of the four teams will give up that second loss.  Makes that Berry-Centre game in Danville real interesting.

These are the games that are on my list.

[Scots13]

Watching the SAA unfold down the stretch will be fun to watch. Will Hendrix rebound after last week? Will Berry finish strong with wins over Maryville and Hendrix under their belts? Can WashU handled tough games back to back? Can Centre stay under the radar until Week 11?

Looking at the schedules, my money is on Berry or Centre.

[BerryCollegeFan]

Those 2 games will obviously knock two of the 4 out of the race.  Berry/Centre or WashU/Hendrix
So those are the must win games for these programs.  But those games become unimportant if they don't win out.

For now assuming all the other games are wins for these 4:
If Berry beats Centre, they need Hendrix to beat WashU.
If Centre beats Berry, they need WashU to beat Hendrix
and the opposite
If Hendrix beats WashU, they need Centre to beat Berry
If WashU beats Hendrix, they need Berry to beat Centre

[Ralph Turner]

Those 2 games will obviously knock two of the 4 out of the race.  Berry/Centre or WashU/Hendrix
So those are the must win games for these programs.  But those games become unimportant if they don't win out.

For now assuming all the other games are wins for these 4:
If Berry beats Centre, they need Hendrix to beat WashU.
If Centre beats Berry, they need WashU to beat Hendrix
and the opposite
If Hendrix beats WashU, they need Centre to beat Berry
If WashU beats Hendrix, they need Berry to beat Centre

Okay BerryCollegeFan,

I assume that you can credit your Berry College education (and probably some Logics professor) with your abilities of deduction.

Thanks for breaking it down.

[Ga_Colonel]

Those 2 games will obviously knock two of the 4 out of the race.  Berry/Centre or WashU/Hendrix
So those are the must win games for these programs.  But those games become unimportant if they don't win out.

For now assuming all the other games are wins for these 4:
If Berry beats Centre, they need Hendrix to beat WashU.
If Centre beats Berry, they need WashU to beat Hendrix
and the opposite
If Hendrix beats WashU, they need Centre to beat Berry
If WashU beats Hendrix, they need Berry to beat Centre

Who would a thought that Rhodes beats Hendrix?  Looks like it might come down to Berry v Centre. Centre still a little under the radar.....

[BerryCollegeFan]

so with the last 2 weekends.

Berry has Birmingham Southern and @ Centre
Centre has @ Rhodes and Berry
Hendrix has @ WashU and Sewanee
WashU has Hendrix and @ Chicago

WashU definitely has the toughest opponents left.  Obviously Berry still wants Hendrix to beat WashU, that hasn't changed. 

Rhodes has played tough this year but has had bad second halves in a couple games.  I know in the Berry game it was 14-7 at the half with Berry getting an easy touchdown over the top on the first play.  Without that play it was even in first half.  With the recent win, it looks like they have gotten better second half as the season has progressed.

[Pat Coleman]

Regional rankings out: http://www.d3football.com/playoffs/2016/first-regional-ranking

[BerryCollegeFan]

Final week.

Berry, Centre & WashU all with one loss.  Centre in the drivers seat.

Centre wins conference with a victory.
WashU wins with a victory and Centre loss to Berry.
Berry wins with a victory and WashU loss to Chicago.

Opnions on at-large bids for either WashU or Berry, if they win either scenario but the other team loss doesn't happen for them?