D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast

We love a gutsy call. Sure, our job isn't being put on the line when a coach makes the decision to go for two at the end of a key game, but this is Division III -- the coach's job isn't really on the line on one play call. We love a little gamble, especially when it pays off. Whether you call a Philly Special (or something that looks similar but fools the broadcaster) or something else, rolling the dice and getting it makes for a great highlight. So, for Marietta and Simpson, which chose to go for two, or Wittenberg, which had no choice, it was a big Week 5, and Pat and Keith honor that by going for two with the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. Plus, the Little Brass Bell went back home with the team it came with, nobody was trapping Mary Hardin-Baylor or Hardin-Simmons, UW-Whitewater wore UW-La Crosse out and just maybe The Streak is in play this year. Teams mentioned: Denison, Wittenberg, Simpson, Wartburg, Marietta, Ohio Northern, Wheaton, North Central, Hardin-Simmons, Mary Hardin-Baylor, UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater, Linfield, Whitworth, Muhlenberg, Franklin & Marshall, St. Thomas, Concordia-Moorhead, Case Western Reserve, Illinois Wesleyan, Susquehanna, Dickinson, Greenville, Westminster (Mo.), Dubuque, Loras, Wisconsin Lutheran, Rockford, Methodist, Huntingdon, Wesley, Southern Virginia, Martin Luther, St. Scholastica, Brockport, St. John Fisher, Worcester State, Fitchburg State, Louisiana College, Sul Ross State, Millsaps, Husson, SUNY-Maritime, FDU-Florham, Misericordia, Dean, Finlandia, Olivet, Moravian, Gettysburg.

While the rest of you were no doubt glued to C-SPAN or your news network of choice to watch a certain hearing of sorts from Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Pat and Keith were listening to a certain interview from Belton, Texas. That's right, Mary Hardin-Baylor coach Pete Fredenburg is back, and there's going to be trouble ... potentially, for UMHB's opponents. Fredenburg talks about what it was like being kept on the sidelines (and away from the sidelines), the team's unexpected riches at the quarterback position, what's the word on the young defense and more in this game day edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast. Plus, the big games have big conference implications riding on them, including in the CCIW, the Centennial, the WIAC, the ODAC, the ECFC ... you get the picture. Week 5 is shaping up to be a big one. Plus, one of the schools playing in one of the aforementioned conference's big games changed offensive coordinators. What? That and more on the Game Day version of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.

We could spend a lot of time talking about the Mount Union-John Carroll game, and all of its ramifications -- so we'll do that. For a while, for sure. But there were plenty of other games of note on Saturday in Week 4, so we'll have plenty to talk about. Off the beaten path, we have a team which scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to win. We have a team which rushed for minus-50 yards, and won. We talk about the fifth-down play which wasn't really a fifth-down play. We replace divots -- who replaces divots anymore? Who even has grass fields anymore? And how did one MIAC team try to keep its beatdown of an opponent in check. But hey, more about Mount Union -- why is this win important? And what do Pat and Keith think should happen to John Carroll in the poll? And who gets Keith's game ball? That and more on the Game Day version of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. The D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast is a regular conversation between Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan and guests covering the wide range of Division III football.

There could be even more blowouts than usual in the Week 4 Top 25 schedule, so we're hoping for perhaps a couple of surprises, as well as a great showdown between No. 1 Mount Union and No. 15 John Carroll. Otherwise, the games this week could include a lot of blowouts. So, our correspondents have focused on some great matchups in the middle of conference races, or games that could shape conferences after surprising opening weeks. Keith looks at who will win games in HCAC play, while Pat is asked about whether games will remain close. Plus, we talk with Kean coach Dan Garrett. He took the Cougars on a two-game opening of the season that resulted in some struggles on defense, and no points on the scoreboard. Why did he schedule the non-conference game he scheduled? Garrett is quite frank about it, and gives good insights into scheduling, as well as motivation and more. Meanwhile, Pat and Keith preview the big games, plus a random game, and talk about exercise. That and more on the Game Day version of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

It was a surprising win for Misericordia, a surprising comeback for Thomas More. There were some great defensive performances and there was some good kicking as well. Yes, we can give a kicker or two a game ball, right? And we've been talking about this rant by Widener coach Mike Kelly, which came before his team lost in Misericordia's sixth win ever, so we'll really get down to it. And with that, most of Division III's non-conference play is over. Columnist Adam Turer will rank all of the conferences a little later in the season, but Pat and Keith take a look at which conferences are the big winners and which are on the other end after non-conference play. Meanwhile, some teams have friends in low places, others get knocked down but get back up again, and it's all good on the Week 3 Monday D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast.

There's rain going on in the southern Mid-Atlantic Region, and that has cancelled games, postponed games and forced games to move up. But there's also a discussion about heat and humidity in one conference, and that is forcing games to move as well. This year, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference instituted a heat and humidity policy which is affecting some games this weekend. It's favored by the athletic trainers, perhaps grudgingly accepted by coaches and ... well, fans aren't fans. But the MIAC commissioner, Dan McKane, joins us to discuss the issue. Meanwhile, our featured interview for this podcast is Tom Journell, the Carleton head coach who came to the school this season, having been a head coach at UW-Stevens Point and Elmhurst. He followed his son, who is a standout wide receiver for Carleton, and talks with us about the challenges of recruiting to one of the nation's elite liberal arts colleges, learning all the new fight songs and what it's like when sprinklers interrupt your game. Plus, we get you around the nation to all of the weekend's big games. It's Game Day for Division III football!

We are getting back into the flow in the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. This is the 200th edition of this podcast, entering its 12th season, and Pat and Keith use it to run down the Week 1 games. Plus, we use it as a way to get into talking about a couple of uncomfortable subjects -- there are two possibilities about the 2018 season that people seem afraid to admit, and Pat and Keith attack them head-on. D3football.com staffer Gordon Mann was at Wesley's opener and talked with Chip Knapp afterward. Pat saw four games this weekend (no, really) and talks about his trip, plus talks with a player who picked off three passes. In all, the guys hand out their game balls, talk about the teams rising and falling in the poll, find highlights off the beaten path and pick out the big numbers of the week. Plus, what happened this weekend that could make the podcast go channel Allen Iverson?

Pat and Keith open the August podcast with some really big news about the future of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast. It's probably considered good news for people who like the podcast, but we won't spoil it here in the description. The guys get us all ready for Week 1 with a look at the biggest half-dozen games coming up this weekend, with games starting Thursday night. Plus, Pat and Keith put each other on the spot, and the random number generator is put into play to give the guys one more game to talk about, with no prep time allotted.

This is really the end of the offseason, right here. Kickoff is out in a week-plus and training camps open at the same time. Coaches are taking the last days off until November, and we're talking with them about their plans for this season. Our guests this month are from programs trying to break through into the upper echelons of really tough conferences. Matt Walker, coach of UW-River Falls, has seen the Falcons' reboot take seven years so far, and he shares some pretty honest thoughts about how long it's taken. He also talks about his sudden and unexplained departure from DePauw all those years ago. We're also joined by Joe Austin, the coach at Southwestern, whose program is entering its sixth season. The Pirates have moved from the SCAC to the American Southwest Conference, and hardly missed a beat last year. What's it like recruiting in the shadow of Mary Hardin-Baylor? The answer isn't what you'd expect.

The month of June is the last month of serious offseason. By the time we get to the end of July, our Top 25 and preseason All-America teams are out and you can throw away those magazines that give you one page of D-III content and render our division 99% invisible. This month's podcast talks about the Kickoff features, plus Pat and Keith's take on how to put together a preseason Top 25 that makes a little more sense than one you might read in a D-I mag. In addition, we talk with Chip Knapp, who has the unenviable task of following a friend as head coach at Wesley. Along with the tragic way in which he got the job, he also inherited a new workload and has to hire a new defensive coordinator at a pretty late date. Plus we chat with Jim Barnes, former Wooster and Augustana coach, who is helping Division III teams travel the world on overseas tours with American Football Worldwide.

It was shocking to hear the news come out on Monday afternoon that Wesley football coach Mike Drass, just 57 years old, had died. And while Pat and Keith add their condolences to the outpouring of well-wishes for the Wesley football family and the Drass family, there's a big legacy of Mike Drass's to talk about. Hear from two-time D3football.com All-American receiver Larry Beavers, who tells how Drass helped get him back on track after he struggled and failed out of school, plus broadcaster Sean Greene, who has covered the Wolverines for years, joins the crew to talk about Drass and his impact.

With Pat Coleman in the midwest and Keith McMillan on the east coast, our podcasters don't often have the opportunity to meet in person and record an interview, let alone an entire podcast, but that's what happened this time. As Pat traveled across the country in May, he chatted with Illinois Wesleyan coach Norm Eash and Westminster (Pa.) coach Scott Benzel, and then Pat and Keith met in Washington, D.C., where they both chatted with Catholic U. coach Mike Gutelius. They then barricaded themselves in his office to finish the rest of the recording. This month's podcast is about keeping alumni connected to the program, and how older alumni can do that even when the traditions and stadium and coach have changed. Plus, Eash talks about the values of an overseas trip for a team, as well as a destination coaches should consider. That and more on the May 2018 podcast.

On this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast, we chat with new Washington & Lee coach Garrett LeRose (@coachlerose on Twitter) about taking over the position as a 2007 grad of W&L. Lake Forest coach Jim Catanzaro (@LFC_Football) chats both about his program and his position on the football NCAA committee, including how they make the last at-large picks and what we might expect at the Stagg Bowl in Shenandoah, Texas. And we chat with Allegheny coach B.J. Hammer (@CoachBJHammer) about rebuilding that once-proud program, the 1990 Division III national champion, as well as what he learned from his last head-coaching job.

On this edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation podcast, we're talking with three head coaches who are now through that first year and ready to re-evaluate. We chat with Dan Swanstrom of Ithaca, Matt Moore of Northwestern (Minn.) and Jim Hilvert of Baldwin Wallace about their experiences, what they learned and what they might expect of their team in 2018. Plus, Pat and Keith have the latest on two stories that saw Division III football players from prominent programs in court last fall, and look at the crazy barnstorming schedule that one program will undertake this fall.

To wrap up January, we talked with Wooster offensive lineman Patrick Mohorcic, the captain of the AFCA's Good Works team, about his work combating violence against women, Wooster's challenging season and more. Brockport coach Jason Mangone reflects on his team's run to the national semifinals, getting a late start on recruiting and the fate of his playoff beard. And Berry coach Tony Kunczewski talks about his team's run to the playoffs, building a program in a part of the country where Division III isn't well known, and how being on the national committee shapes his understanding of the playoff picture. Plus, there's a bit of breaking news in this podcast.

Pat and Keith, Adam Turer and Frank Rossi and the D3football.com crew were joined by guests who could talk about the long history of the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia, former NCAA liaison Wayne Burrow and longtime Stagg Bowl game manager Carey Harveycutter. This final 2017 podcast is both a farewell to the season, and a Salem retrospective that tells us how the destination of Division III football came to be this small town in the Roanoke Valley.

Wait, a podcast on a Thursday? Yep, that's right -- Pat Coleman and guest analyst Frank Rossi step up to the mic in Salem for a special edition of the D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast focused on getting you ready for Stagg Bowl XLV. We talk with players on both sides for their perspective and highlight a couple of places where the game Friday night could well turn.

We're pretty sure you already know what this podcast is about: two teams left, two epic performances, one in the comeback from 25 points down in 24 minutes and the other being another stifling defensive performance. Pat and Keith break down the games, with Keith looking at each game a second time and giving his first keys to the game for Stagg Bowl XLV.

Quarterfinals week -- or semifinals, if you're already looking ahead, is part of a nutritious Division III diet. Whether it's a last-second field goal, an unexpectedly expected quarterback change, or an expected defensive and special teams battle, the four games Saturday had enough to keep any Division III fan interested.

OK, yes, this second round of the playoffs was bad, in an epic way. No doubt. How bad? We'll talk about that, for sure. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything we can learn from this week's postseason games, because we definitely got a better look at some teams, even if there are a couple of teams advancing that haven't yet been playoff tested.

Yes, two top 10 teams are eliminated who should have had a better chance to advance into the second round, and it's crazy that we have to wait until Sundays to find out who is hosting each round of the playoffs, but the stuff that happened on the field was pretty entertaining in the first round of the 2017 Division III playoffs. Pat and Keith talk about all 16 games, plus the surprise players who did and did not play on Saturday.

Rather than a step forward, this bracket is like a trip back in time. In fact, this bracket features something that hasn't been in a Division III football bracket since 2009. Also, you do not want to leave this podcast early, before you hear the bonus picks.

We're under a week from Selection Sunday. Only seven automatic bids are still up for grabs, and most will be really hard to pry away from the favorites. But what if both Washington & Jefferson and Case Western Reserve run the table? What if Widener upsets Delaware Valley? What if (insert your scenario here)?

Sure, UW-Platteville losing theoretically opened up a playoff spot, but that doesn't mean anyone should breathe easy. Even if you don't count Platteville, there are at least eight more teams vying for at-large spots. (And there are only five spots.) If you want one of them, what are your chances? How can your chances improve?

One of the big topics of discussion right now in Division III, and in college football as a whole, is preseason practice time, including what seems to be likely -- the end to two-a-day practices in camp. It's certainly important to coaches, who have already planned their August camp, especially in Division III, where spring ball is not the same as at the other levels. Pat and Keith and guests discuss that and more, including the forthcoming Liberty League shakeup.