Division III

The Division III football season kicks off this weekend.  As a Capital University Alum and former Div  III athlete, I have a special place in my heart for the athletes on this level.  Div III athletes run, sweat, work out, train, bleed, rehab injuries and travel long distances by bus to play their sport.  No scholarships are awarded, no press conferences are held when they select their school and rare is the moment of glory.  They play because they love the competition. 

 

2008 does not appear to be any different than the last 22 years.  There’s Mt.Union and then there’s the rest.  Sure, Wisconsin Whitewater dethroned the Goliath of Div III football in the Stagg Bowl last year, but that is the exception, not the rule.  I am positive that Purple Raiders Head Coach Larry Kehres spent the off season drilling his players on the fundamentals.  Blocking/Tackling.  They did not do either well in the Stagg Bowl last year.

 

Since 1986, Coach Kehres is 260-21-3 with 9 championships.  Think about that for a moment.  In 22 seasons, he has lost only 21 games and won 9 championships.  This record may never happen again.  Everyone likes to discuss the runs that Oklahoma,Nebraska and USC have had in Div I throughout the years, but that pales in comparison to Mount Union .  We have witnessed as close to perfection as a program could possibly get.  Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

Will any team defeat Mt.Union this season?  Unlikely.  For starters, Mt. Union returns QB Greg Micheli and RB Nate Kmic.  Micheli passed for 3515 yards in 2007 with 34 TDs.  Kmic rushed for 1700 yards and 38 TD’s.  Sure, Pierre Garcon is off to the NFL, but Mt.Union wrote the book on reloading.  The OAC is a tough conference with Capital, Ohio Northern and Baldwin Wallace, but no team is on MU’s level. 

 Mt. Union faces a minor challenge in their one out of conference game.  The #1 ranked Purple Raiders face # 10 St. John Fisher of NY on Sept. 6^th in Alliance, Ohio.  Last time these two teams played (2007 playoffs), MU defeated St. John 52-10.  42 points was the difference between the #1 team and the #10 team.  This is not a good sign for the Cardinals. 

 

No other ranked teams are playing each other this weekend.