D3football.com » D3football.com Around the Nation Podcast

Last year we broke this file up into four pieces, but only the first piece made it into the RSS feed and was downloaded in iTunes. So this is a big file, but it’s all here. We pick up this broadcast archive from the final minutes before kickoff and cut off right before the postgame news conferences. We’ll post those separately. Pat Coleman, Keith McMillan and Frank Rossi on the call. Gordon Mann anchors our halftime and postgame coverage.

Keith McMillan and Gordon Mann have landed in Salem. On their feet. And everything. And we’re ready to go for Stagg Bowl XXXVI. We discuss, what else, the Stagg Bowl. Listen. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

[Note: This is an entry of an ongoing Stagg Bowl blog by sideline commentator Frank Rossi. To read his previous entries, click here for the first entry or here for his second entry.] The official portion of our first day in Salem ended with the awarding of the Gagliardi Trophy to Greg Micheli. The reception included both teams and their coaching staffs, as all of this weekend’s participants celebrated one player’s great achievements. A lot of people want to try to compare the Gagliardi Trophy with the Heisman Trophy, but there are many differences that, I feel, make the Gagliardi concept superior. First, the criteria for the award include factors that make the recipient a well-balanced individual, not just a great football player. The award has been nicknamed the ”Academic Heisman” because of its emphasis on a player’s classroom performance, but a player’s service record is also considered in the balloting. This is an appropriate measure because, as we always point out on the air, the odds are greater than 99.9 percent that Division III Football players will not play at the next level — making the other aspects of their collegiate experience as or more important than their participation in the sport of football. This, too, is why the award is presented only to a senior — so that the player’s entire academic and athletic careers can be evaluated, not just a portion of each. What jumped out at me about Micheli’s resume wasn’t the 2008 season pass efficiency rating he’s compiled (which was amazingly over 200), but his 3.84 GPA at Mount Union — in his mathematics and physics double major. This guy’s got brains and tremendous career potential, and in the interview I did with him after he received the Gagliardi Trophy (included below), he discusses his plans for after graduation. The other thing that makes the Gagliardi Trophy superior is that the ceremony is crisp. From the beginning of dinner to the final speech took about 90 minutes — the ceremony seemed to fly by. It’s not that I was excited to just be done with the ceremony; instead, the efficiency of the ceremony allowed me to retain focus as to why we gathered together with our Division III colleagues to celebrate. The only shortcoming I can find is that there is no suspense at the actual ceremony — the winner is announced about a week before the ceremony — and the suspense could create a celebration of a few more very deserving players that we should honor. This point could be debated either way, but the St. John’s “J Club,” the Salem Rotary Club and Jostens should be proud of the job they did tonight in celebrating Micheli’s career. Upon returning to our hotel, we joined some members of the NCAA Selection Committee, fans and media in the hospitality room. The night came full circle as we all kicked back and discussed the day and the season, as the son of Coach Gagliardi, St. John’s Offensive Coordinator Jim Gagliardi, sat and talked football with us for a decent amount of time. What became clear was that while his father is truly a fixture at St. John’s who exemplifies the values of Division III Football and coaching in any division, Coach Gagliardi’s bloodlines contain that same extreme passion, understanding and love for the sport. It gave me a better perspective as to why the Gagliardi Trophy was named after Coach Gagliardi beyond the fact that he holds the record for wins by a Division III coach. Like I said about the coaches’ interviews we performed earlier in the day, these moments humanize the figures in this division with whom we might not have much personal contact during the actual seasons. Tonight furthered this point. So, I go to bed tonight thinking about the celebration of two careers I witnessed tonight — one career that will begin to head in a different direction after Saturday and one career that has helped pave the way for the first man to have memories that will never be forgotten. Congratulations to Greg Micheli, and thank[...]

The same, but different. That’s about all you can really say about this upcoming Stagg Bowl matchup, as UW-Whitewater and Mount Union meet for the fourth time. Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman talk about last Saturday’s semifinal games, take a first look at the matchup for Stagg Bowl XXXVI and tell you what you can take from the last three meetings to apply to 2008. Plus, if you’re on the fence about coming to the game, we have some suggestions for you. Because you don’t have to wear purple to enjoy the Stagg Bowl. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

One look at the Wheaton depth chart tells you that the Thunder’s offensive line is unusual. The nine players who fill out the two deep are from nine states, none of which are Illinois. The improved play of that cross country contingent is one reason Wheaton has advanced further than ever before in the NCAA playoffs. That and having a healthy Jesse Scott back at right tackle. The All-CCIW selection battled injuries last year but is back to anchor a line that helped the Thunder rush for 217 yards against Franklin. D3football.com’s Gordon Mann sat down with him to talk about the departure and return of another key component of the Thunder offense, what a “football ministry” is and how the team will get ready for playoff nemesis Mount Union this weekend.

First of all, props to the four teams eliminated this weekend on fine seasons. Though none of the scores looked close by the end … and one of them was a blowout 10 minutes in … the road to Division III football’s Final Four was never easy. Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman review the four games and take a first look at the two upcoming in this week’s Around the Nation Podcast. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

So our predictions weren’t great this week. But picking five road teams to win in the second round of the playoffs was more than a lot of people could have pictured. Two seventh seeds advancing? Well, we did nail that one, at least. Keith McMillan did the home game this past week, so he watched and listened to pretty much everything, while Pat Coleman took the trip west to Willamette. And the red-eye home. Still catching up on sleep. But while that happens, you can get their take on a great weekend of Division III playoff football. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

A lot of things went according to plan this week. Triple Take was a more accurate predictor of who would win than the NCAA’s actual seedings were. And yes, all four No. 7 seeds advanced. Plus, Keith McMillan was at the bracket’s biggest shootout, between Franklin and Otterbein. But we run through the games in all four brackets plus take a first look ahead at the second round in this week’s Around the Nation Podcast. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

If you think this bracket is good … and I do, at least a little … you should’ve seen the first version that went out. It had one extra flight in it, and that made a world of difference. Instead, we have business as usual. And I mean business. I’m in between show No. 3 and No. 4. I’ll be on North Central’s radio station later, where I’ll probably get asked most of the same questions, which is fine, because it’s a different audience. But there are a lot of things on people’s minds. We took a ton of questions on our post-selection analysis show. If you missed it, it’s below, and it will end up in your feed if you’re a podcast subscriber. We also talked with Wheaton coach Mike Swider, Willamette coach Mark Speckman, Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli and Washington and Jefferson coach Mike Sirianni. Plus, you’ll get an interesting insight into the bracket that did not make ESPNews. Thanks to the more than a thousand people who listened to the show live, and to the 75 percent of our audience that stuck with us even as we went 45 minutes longer than we planned. But we got to everyone’s questions.

We are down to our last “next week” for the 2008 season, with nine automatic bids yet to be handed out and, of course, all the at-larges. In our weekly podcast, Keith McMillan and I run down the various scenarios in each AQ conference, plus look at the slightly muddier Pool B and Pool C pictures for at-large bids. The playoffs are coming. D3football.com will take you there. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

Keith McMillan was in San Antonio to get a first-hand look at Millsaps and found that and some more for this week’s Around the Nation podcast. Plus, Keith and Pat look at the week that was, on a busy week in Division III with a lot of playoff implications. If you’re a fan of a team looking for an at-large bid, who do you root for? Who do you root against? We’ve got a laundry list of results that will help your bubble team’s cause. Just listen. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

Hmm, yes, it’s getting late in the season and slowly but surely there are a lot fewer variables in the playoff picture. Keith and I run through some of them, plus discuss the Top 25 distress from the past weekend, ponder the various choices for the No. 2 spot in our poll and on our ballots, consider how the NCAA might pair up West Coast and Southeast/Southwest teams that make the playoffs and the like. Plus Keith gives his take on a couple of interesting play calls, including taking points off the board. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

This weekend not only put a new twist on a couple of rivalries, it put a new twist on some conferences’ standings as well. It’s not just the new mess at the top of the MAC, MIAC, and the like — it’s new second-place teams in conferences, teams that could be talked about for playoff at-large bids. Keith McMillan and I discuss those in this week’s Around the Nation podcast. Of course, there were those two fantastic finishes as well. Hear from the St. John’s defensive lineman who recovered St. Thomas’ fumble and the call of the game as Wabash knocked off Wittenberg (Brent Harris on the call). You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

Keith took the car out for a trip to upstate New York and came back with a pretty good game. What did Cortland State show Saturday in its win against Montclair State? Keith (and Cortland coach Dan MacNeill) give their thoughts in this week’s Around the Nation podcast. Also, Keith and Pat talk about the many other big games of the day, including the gutty performance by Salisbury at St. John Fisher. By the way, there’s also some pretty interesting news for Salisbury, Wesley, Case Western Reserve and Huntingdon in the podcast. You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.

In this week’s Around the Nation podcast, Keith McMillan and Pat Coleman talk about the conference races that got more clearer, those that got less clear, and they take a first look at the race for the two Pool B playoff spots. Hear the two D-III football experts talk about the weekend’s results, look at next week’s games, figure out life’s persistent questions and more. First person who posts here that can correctly identify what regular part of the ATN Podcast the guys forgot to do this week gets plus-10 karma on the message board! You can load the podcast page in iTunes or can also get this and any of our future Around the Nation podcasts automatically by subscribing to this RSS feed: http://www.d3football.com/dailydose/?feed=podcast Or you can click the play button below to listen.