FB: Southern Athletic Association

[MRMIKESMITH]

A lot of ball to still be played. Who knows how it shakes out. However, if it ended today it would be hard to dismiss any of these programs from being in PC contention...
No particular order:
Bethel/STJ (possible rematch)
BSC
HSU
UWLX
Wheaton

I agree all of these teams will have an argument to be made. It will start with how each of the six regions stack their perspective Pool C Candidates. From your aforementioned group. The only team that I see as a Pool C lock is a one-loss UWLX. HSU definitely helped itself with playing Platteville. I think any team that has two losses, especially to two different teams will be sweating it out on selection Sunday. Bethel was very unique situation having loss to St. John's twice.

[Ralph Turner]

A lot of ball to still be played. Who knows how it shakes out. However, if it ended today it would be hard to dismiss any of these programs from being in PC contention...
No particular order:
Bethel/STJ (possible rematch)
BSC
HSU
UWLX
Wheaton

I agree all of these teams will have an argument to be made. It will start with how each of the six regions stack their perspective Pool C Candidates. From your aforementioned group. The only team that I see as a Pool C lock is a one-loss UWLX. HSU definitely helped itself with playing Platteville. I think any team that has two losses, especially to two different teams will be sweating it out on selection Sunday. Bethel was very unique situation having loss to St. John's twice.

(Prooreading...)
For Bethel, having beaten St John's in the regular season then losing in the divisional/conference championship.

[BSCpanthers]

I stand firm that losing by 30 at home is worse than 2 losses by 3 points each to two top 25 teams.

[D3Navy]

I stand firm that losing by 30 at home is worse than 2 losses by 3 points each to two top 25 teams.

Seems reasonable.

[Ralph Turner]

I stand firm that losing by 30 at home is worse than 2 losses by 3 points each to two top 25 teams.

As a McMurry alum, I am thoroughly unimpressed with that 26-9 loss to BSC in the first week.
Even Millsaps beat McMurry 27-13! Ugly!

McMurry (0-6) might beat Austin College this weekend, but I think that the McM-SRSU game is a toss-up at best.

As for that HSU-UMHB game, I look at those games among fiercest rival, comparing them to a video game in which 2 combatants go after each other with all they have.

Suddenly one guy gets lucky slashes across both carotid arteries of the opponent and the screen goes red!

An 85 yd KO return to the 3 yd line, then 2 scoop-sixes, all in 46 seconds, and the video game scenario mainfested the ugly score.
20 points in under a minute

[BSCpanthers]

I stand firm that losing by 30 at home is worse than 2 losses by 3 points each to two top 25 teams.

As a McMurry alum, I am thoroughly unimpressed with that 26-9 loss to BSC in the first week.
Even Millsaps beat McMurry 27-13! Ugly!

McMurry (0-6) might beat Austin College this weekend, but I think that the McM-SRSU game is a toss-up at best.

As for that HSU-UMHB game, I look at those games among fiercest rival, comparing them to a video game in which 2 combatants go after each other with all they have.

Suddenly one guy gets lucky slashes across both carotid arteries of the opponent and the screen goes red!

An 85 yd KO return to the 3 yd line, then 2 scoop-sixes, all in 46 seconds, and the video game scenario mainfested the ugly score.
20 points in under a minute

For what it's worth, our game against McMurry was the first start for our sophomore QB.  I was also unimpressed with that game, we should have been able to put your guys away early and play some younger guys, but we weren't able to do that on any game so far.  Our offense has been playing much better the last couple games as the QB has gained some experience. 

But in the end, you have to play the game, and the result of the game has meaning.  Time will tell where we will all end up.  Not confident Region 3 will get the look for two Pool C teams, so I'm using the narrative that helps my team. 

[Ralph Turner]

I stand firm that losing by 30 at home is worse than 2 losses by 3 points each to two top 25 teams.

As a McMurry alum, I am thoroughly unimpressed with that 26-9 loss to BSC in the first week.
Even Millsaps beat McMurry 27-13! Ugly!

McMurry (0-6) might beat Austin College this weekend, but I think that the McM-SRSU game is a toss-up at best.

As for that HSU-UMHB game, I look at those games among fiercest rival, comparing them to a video game in which 2 combatants go after each other with all they have.

Suddenly one guy gets lucky slashes across both carotid arteries of the opponent and the screen goes red!

An 85 yd KO return to the 3 yd line, then 2 scoop-sixes, all in 46 seconds, and the video game scenario mainfested the ugly score.
20 points in under a minute

For what it's worth, our game against McMurry was the first start for our sophomore QB.  I was also unimpressed with that game, we should have been able to put your guys away early and play some younger guys, but we weren't able to do that on any game so far.  Our offense has been playing much better the last couple games as the QB has gained some experience. 

But in the end, you have to play the game, and the result of the game has meaning.  Time will tell where we will all end up.  Not confident Region 3 will get the look for two Pool C teams, so I'm using the narrative that helps my team. 

The narrative that I dread is the TU runs the table. Randy-Mac goes undefeated and gets the Pool A. Huntingdon finishes with 1 loss, to Linfield, and the USAC Pool A.

The (final) Regional Rankings go TUTx, RMC, UMHB, Huntingdon, HSU. HSU gets edged out by Pool C bids from other regions because Platteville fails to impress, enough.

That leaves geographic proximity. If Bethel knocks off St Johns in the MIAC championship game,  the first round game is #4 UMHB at #5 Trinity.

The Stagg Bowl is scheduled to be in Annapolis, but this is at least a quarterfinal or semi-final matchup.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity-BSC is heavily featured early in this week's ATN Podcast, and Pat interviews Tucker Horn.  There's also some discussion of why Trinity dropped in this week's poll. 

[Ralph Turner]

Trinity-BSC is heavily featured early in this week's ATN Podcast, and Pat interviews Tucker Horn.  There's also some discussion of why Trinity dropped in this week's poll.

You gotta love the Tucker Horn interview. Respectfully, he has the interview down in classic Crash Davis Perfection. (See the movie Bull Durham as Crash Davis mentors Nuke LaLoosh.) Horn emotes all the right humility belonging to a very talented QB, the appreciation of the opponent who helped bring out the best in their competition, and just enough scattering of cliches of good "footballese" to make the interview enjoyable.

My late departed friend, Bob Edwards, would be proud of him.

[Pat Coleman]

I rewatched Bull Durham over the summer. Crash style is to essentially say nothing! Tucker didn't do that, in my opinion.

[Ralph Turner]

I rewatched Bull Durham over the summer. Crash style is to essentially say nothing! Tucker didn't do that, in my opinion.

It was a very good interview. Tucker handled himself admirably.

If Crash Davis had had a two-time SAA Fall Academic Honor Roll, 5-time Dean's List talent as a mentee, I am sure Nuke could have sounded like Tucker. 

https://www.trinitytigers.com/sports/fball/2022-23/bios/horn_tucker_zg7a

Geography lesson about Texas, Graham TX is equidistant from Abilene and Ft Worth. For a D3 option, he chose Trinity over HSU.

[Pat Coleman]

A note: Eli Gehman was nominated for Team of the Week at punter (and he is going to be on the team, spoilers). Made me think of the guy that transferred from St. Olaf to punt at Trinity -- Tyler Huettel has had one punting attempt all season.

[Ron Boerger]

A note: Eli Gehman was nominated for Team of the Week at punter (and he is going to be on the team, spoilers). Made me think of the guy that transferred from St. Olaf to punt at Trinity -- Tyler Huettel has had one punting attempt all season.

I seem to remember you being asked why Huettel was only third-team preseason and you said it was because he might not beat out Eli for the starting role.  Nailed it again!

[Ralph Turner]

A note: Eli Gehman was nominated for Team of the Week at punter (and he is going to be on the team, spoilers). Made me think of the guy that transferred from St. Olaf to punt at Trinity -- Tyler Huettel has had one punting attempt all season.

I seem to remember you being asked why Huettel was only third-team preseason and you said it was because he might not beat out Eli for the starting role.  Nailed it again!

Coach Urban has this Trinity program looking like the late 1990's /early 2000s.

[Ron Boerger]

D3football.com TotW: 

P Eli Gehman, Jr., Trinity (Texas)
Gehman played a key role in the special teams as then-No. 5 Trinity edged Birmingham-Southern 23-20. Gehman punted five times for 213 yards, averaging 42.6 yards per attempt. He booted a pair of 50-yard kicks and dropped two punts inside the 20 during the game. His punting average also puts him in the top 25 in school history for a single game.

News and notes from the SAA office:

Offensive PotW:  Brody Davis / Millsaps / So. / St. Augustine, Fla.
Davis scored five touchdowns and kept Millsaps among the unbeatens in SAA play with a huge game last week. The sophomore completed 28-of-37 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns through the air and added another touchdown on the ground to lead the Majors past Hendrix 34-28. Davis had touchdown passes of 38- and 34-yards to go along with a one-yard scoring run that led to a 21-7 halftime advantage. He later hit a 25-yard TD pass to start the fourth that provided enough cushion to hold off the Warriors late comeback.

Defensive PotW:  Armon Wells / Centre / Sr. / Louisville, Ky.

Wells was everywhere in a Centre victory, keeping the potent Sewanee offense in check all afternoon. The senior totaled a game-high 13 tackles, eight solo, and had four TFLs. Wells closed the game with a strip sack and also recovered the fumble to shut the door on the Tigers. The linebacker leads the SAA in total tackles (46) and is second with four sacks.

Special Teams PotW:   Aidan Hood / BSC / Sr. / Mountain Brook, Ala.

Handling kick off and punting duties, Hood posted big numbers against Trinity. His five kick offs traveled 293 yards with one touchback, for a 58.6 yard average. Hood totaled 259 yards for six punts, including a 63-yarder, for a 43.2 yard average.

• Home teams successfully defended home turf with all four hosts winning last week.
• Trinity, Centre, and Millsaps emerged from the week unbeaten in SAA play. The three teams won't meet each other until the last three weeks of the season.
  
• Trinity and BSC played the game of the week with the Tigers, trailing late before turning a 4th and 5 into a 43-yard go ahead touchdown with 13 seconds remaining.
• Trinity QB Tucker Horn enjoyed a big week, connecting on 23 of 32 passes for 322 yards and three TDs; the big week pushed him over 4,000 career passing yards.
• Trinity's Eli Gehman was named to the D3football.com team of the week; punting five times for 213 yards, averaging 42.6 yards per attempt. He booted a pair of 50-yard kicks and dropped two punts inside the 20.
• Trinity is 11th in the nation in passing efficiency and ranks 26th nationally in scoring offense (35.0 ppg).
• Rhodes is ninth in the nation in total defense, allowing 206.6 yards a game.
• Tucker Horn (Trinity) is eighth in completion percentage (73 percent).
• BSC's Zach Ford is one of two field goal kickers nationally still perfect on the season.
• Jon Lewis (BSC) is 10th nationally with eight rushing TDs.
• In the rankings; Trinity dropped a spot to No. 6 in the D3football.com rankings. BSC received seven votes.