Week 4 Notes
Great Midwest Records
INDIANAPOLIS – Darren Goldwater and Trai Essex are on the ESPN3 call for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference matchup between Ohio Dominican and Findlay in the NCAA Division II Showcase package to headline a great Week 4 around the league.
The Panthers (2-1, 0-1 G-MAC) and Oilers (2-1, 1-0 G-MAC) will clash in a repeat of last year’s decisive championship outcome in front of a national audience on Cox Sports TV, the Great Midwest Digital Network and the official NCAA Division II Twitter and Facebook pages.
Kickoff between Ohio Dominican and Findlay is at 7:05 p.m. ET from Donnell Stadium.
ODU and UF were the top two teams selected in order for the preseason coaches poll and the anticipation of the rematch has been building for quite some time. Ohio Dominican turned the tables on Findlay in the 2017 episode, but while the Oilers went on to the national tournament, the Panthers didn’t advance into the postseason.
On paper, it’s a star-studded marquee matchup with playmakers on both sides of the ball, two successful veteran head coaches in Rob Keys (UF) and Kelly Cummings (ODU), and a lot at stake for both programs this early into the regular season.
Last year, ODU and UF didn’t play until the regular-season finale, but this early into the year, all Great Midwest programs are looking to establish themselves as viable contenders in the conference race.
Three Great Midwest teams are receiving votes in this week’s AFCA Top-25 Coaches Poll, including Ohio Dominican (ranked No. 12 the week prior), Findlay and Hillsdale. The conference schedule is well underway and four teams have been able to start out 1-0 (Tiffin, Findlay, Hillsdale, Malone).
Hillsdale takes on Lake Erie during the Chargers’ homecoming festivities, riding an emotional high from the Week 3 upset on the road at nationally-ranked Ohio Dominican. The Chargers (2-1, 1-0 G-MAC) did it on offense, defense and even had an 80-yard blocked field goal return for a score.
The Storm (0-3, 0-1 G-MAC) have a little bit of extended preparation after playing Urbana tough in a Thursday night defeat. Javarian Smith threw three touchdowns, including two to Desmond Turner inside the red zone, as LEC’s offense appears to be rounding into form.
Kentucky Wesleyan will look to keep the momentum going against Malone (1-2, 1-0 G-MAC) as both respective programs are coming off victories the last time they saw the field. Clutch DB Alijah McGhee had a game-winning pick six with just 16 seconds left against Kentucky State to help the Panthers (1-2, 0-1 G-MAC) steer clear of overtime.
Five different defensive players already have three interceptions to tie for the league lead this season, including the most recent defensive player of the week, Daijohn Isbell. Isbell set conference records with three picks and 73 returns yards in Week 3.
Alderson Broaddus heads to a familiar opponent in the I-79 Barrel Classic as the Battlers (0-3, 0-1 G-MAC) look to reverse their fortunes from a pair of very close finishes the past two weeks. AB played Tiffin about as well as anyone could have expected and a five-point margin of defeat is a tough pill to swallow in front of another great turnout from the home crowd in Philippi.
The Dragons (3-0, 1-0 G-MAC) remain the talk of the league at present as the lone unbeaten after reeling off wins against Mercyhurst, Northwood and Alderson Broaddus. Nick Watson to Charles Holland is pretty common theme in the box scores as the QB/WR combo have linked for some long touchdowns in the passing game.
Walsh returns to the field after being unexpectedly idle in Week 3 due to the complications from Hurricane Florence. The Cavaliers (0-2, 0-0 G-MAC) have found it tough sledding against a pair of GLIAC opponents going into their conference opener vs. Tiffin.
Walsh is the only team left to play a conference game around the league.