Franklin and Mount Ready to Represent HCAC in Football Playoffs
November 15, 2007
GREENWOOD, IN – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference will have two representatives in the NCAA Division III football playoffs for the first time in the conference’s history as Franklin College (9-1, 7-0 HCAC) and the College of Mount St. Joseph (9-1, 6-1 HCAC) will represent the league this weekend. The Grizzlies are making their first appearance in the NCAA playoffs since becoming affiliated with Division III in 1992 after earning the conference’s automatic bid, while the Mount earned an at-large bid and will be making their fourth consecutive trip to the playoffs.
Both the Grizzlies and Lions will look to improve the HCAC’s 1-8 all-time record in the Division III playoffs. Franklin will play host to fifth seed North Central ( Ill.)(8-2) at noon from Faught Stadium, while MSJ will travel to No. 3 seed Wabash (9-1) for a noon kickoff.
Franklin and North Central will meet for the fifth time ever on Saturday with the all-time series tied at two games. The Cardinals will be making their third consecutive trip to the playoffs after claiming the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin’s automatic bid. North Central enters the playoffs riding a five-game winning streak and ranked No. 20 in the latest D3football.com poll.
The Grizzlies (No. 17 AFCA Poll, No. 16 D3football.com Poll) will look to continue their great play on the offensive side of the ball when the Cardinals come to town. FC ranks sixth nationally in total offense (507.2 ypg) and fifth in scoring offense (45.4 ppg) this season.
Junior quarterback Chad Rupp (Evansville, Ind./Memorial) has been tremendous in his second year as the quarterback for the Grizzlies. Rupp has thrown for 2,850 yards this season and has piled up a conference-best 31 touchdowns this fall. The junior ranks tenth nationally with a 285.0 passing yards per game average and third in passing efficiency (192.5). North Central’s defense has posted 20 interceptions and 34 sacks this season and could prove to be a very tough test for Rupp and the Grizzlies offense.
Senior running back R.J. Hartsfield (Salem, Ind./H.S.) averaged a conference-best 109.2 rushing yards per game during the regular season. Hartsfield will have to earn every yard against the Cardinals defense on Saturday. North Central boasts the ninth best rushing defense in Division III, surrendering only 66.8 rushing yards per game.
The Cardinals will be led offensively by sophomore quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe and sophomore running back Dominic Sulo. Fanthorpe completed 102 of his 176 passes for 1,450 yards and 16 touchdowns this fall, while Sulo ranks 24 th nationally with 111.6 rushing yards per game.
Mount St. Joseph (No. 18 AFCA Poll) will enter Saturday’s game against Wabash (No. 14 AFCA Poll, No. 12 D3football.com Poll) looking for their first ever playoff win. The Lions are 0-2 all-time against the Little Giants, losing in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Last season, MSJ fell in the opening round of the Division III playoffs at Wheaton, 42-28.
MSJ will look to limit a Wabash passing game that ranks nineteenth nationally (295.0 ypg). Sophomore quarterback Matt Hudson has completed 71.6% of his passes for 2,032 yards and 18 touchdowns since taking over as starting quarterback midway through a week four win against Ohio Wesleyan.
The Little Giants will be hosting a first-round NCAA Division III playoff game for the third time since 2002 on Saturday. Wabash captured the North Coast Athletic Conference’s automatic bid for the third straight year, but enters the playoffs after losing the 114 th Monon Bell Classic to DePauw 24-21.
The Lions will look for the continued balance of good defense and consistent offense when they travel to Crawfordsville. MSJ ranks 46 th nationally in total offense (405.9 ypg) and 24 th in total defense (267.9 ypg).
The Mount’s rushing attack is averaging 214.4 yards per game and has been paced by three backs that all have at least 450 yards rushing this season. Senior Mike Lovell (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) leads the Lions with 559 yards rushing and has scored eight touchdowns this season. Freshman Jake Davis (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Anderson) has gained 482 yards on the ground and a team-high nine touchdowns, while senior Kevin Cocanougher (Louisville, Ky./DeSales) has posted 450 yards and six scores.
Junior quarterback Vince Palmer (Cincinnati, Ohio/ Anderson) has completed 60.4% of his passes for 1,689 yards and 15 touchdowns this fall, posting a 142.1 passing efficiency for MSJ.
Both Wabash and Mount St. Joseph have been stingy in points allowed. The Lions rank fourteenth nationally with 14.1 points allowed per game, while the Little Giants give up only 14.4 points per contest.
Both Mount St. Joseph and Franklin are competing in the U of Wisconsin-Whitewater bracket. The other two match-ups include top seed UW-Whitewater (9-1) playing host to Capital (8-2) and Case Western Reserve (10-0) hosting Widener (9-1).