Week 3 Notes
Great Midwest Records
INDIANAPOLIS – Five contests are slated for Week 3 as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference takes center stage on the Division II Football Showcase with a prime matchup aired via ESPN3 this Saturday.
Ohio Dominican (1-1, 0-0) and Findlay (1-1, 0-0) will kick things off at 12:05 p.m. ET from Columbus as one of three games to officially signal the start of league play.
The Panthers are performing in front of a national audience for the second straight game after making the trip to top-ranked Valdosta State in Week 2. ODU was able to hang with the defending DII national champs early on as both QB Evan Ernst and WR Devanaire Conliffe flashed their big-play ability.
On ESPN3, Chuckie Kempf and Richard Baldinger will be on the call for the Showcase game.
As a result, the Panthers are receiving votes in the AFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week.
Findlay was the lone team to come away with a victory in Week 2, defeating Northwood as reigning offensive player of the week and QB Matt Winzeler tossed for 3 TD’s. The Oilers could very well be 2-0 after a one-point defeat to No. 2 Ferris State in the season opener and look to establish themselves as a championship contender in their first conference matchup.
RB Brian Benson is the early league leader in rushing. The all-conference tailback dashed for 182 yards in Week 2, just missing one of the top 10 performances in league history.
Tiffin (1-1, 0-0) hits the road to Walsh (0-2, 0-0) as both teams look to rebound from setbacks against Saginaw Valley State and Ashland, respectively. Both teams were receiving votes in the AFCA Poll and will get to showcase their skills at the Hall of Fame Stadium to start conference play.
Lake Erie is deceptively strong despite an 0-2 record and the defense has pitched shutouts in the second half for back-to-back weeks. The Storm continue to learn and grow in first-year head coach Reilly Murphy’s system. It will be a stiff test against Hillsdale (0-2, 0-0), the league’s defending champs as the Chargers are hungry to claw their way into the win column.
Storm DL Justin Growel was a terror against Davenport to win defensive player of the week honors with nine tackles, all solo, a pair of sacks, two forced fumbles and four tackles for a loss. Growel has now recorded 3.5 tackles for a loss or more in 3 games, all top-10 conference single-game bests.
Alderson Broaddus (0-2, 0-0) has a tough draw in Maryland going up against newly-ranked No. 25 Bowie State. The Battlers are looking to bounce back after hanging tough with Chowan through the first quarter before the Hawks surged. Likewise, Kentucky Wesleyan (0-2, 0-0) will face a GLVC opponent for the second straight week in Southwest Baptist.
Two bright spots for the Panthers in Week 2 included a pair of INT’s from Armand Childs and a punt return for a TD by Jay Taylor. Freshman QB Wiley Cain put his name into the conference record books for both the most completions and attempts, an impressive note for his first collegiate start.