S139 The A-Rod Rockne Show
PLAYOFF EDITION For those that want music.
Dan Nessler "Hello College Football fans and welcome to the Rockne A-Rod Show for Division II College Playoffs. I'm Dan Nessler and to my side is Rockin' A-Rod Rockne, we are coming to you live from the Superior Dome in Marquette, Michigan. What an exciting day of football it was today, A-Rod this Northern Michigan versus Ferris State game really lived up to the hype!"
Rockin' A-Rod "Lived up to the hype and then some! But hey, if you never been to the Superior Dome, this place is a real trip Dan... World's Largest Wood Dome! With all the fireworks happenin' tonight, I'm surprised this place is still standing!"
Dan Nessler "That's right A-Rod, this place was rockin! Before we get into the playoff brackets tonight, let's get your thoughts on how the Conference Championships shaped up. What jumped out at you tonight?"
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
Rockin' A-Rod "This Northern Michigan team is for real Dan. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at one point with a close win over Hillsdale. Tonight, they showed they could put the hammer down early by jumping up 20-3 at the half. They finally turned to their all-american backfield and did what they do best, run the ball. 44 total carries for 196 yards is a great performance against a tough FSU team."
Dan Nessler "Yes it was, as we know, Coachoatie can put up some amazing comebacks in the second half. It almost happened here as they tied the game up with only 2 minutes left and put it into overtime."
Rockin' A-Rod "Even in overtime, Northern Michigan went to the run and it was David Marsh who ran up the gut for 7 yards and the 33-30 win. This is a team to keep our eyes on Dan."
Dan Nessler "The game that I found fascinating was over in the SIAC, where Kentucky State pulled off the upset and beat Saint Joseph's 36-17. What's going on down there A-Rod?"
Rockin' A-Rod "We talked about this the other night and hey... when you have arguably the best quarterback in Division 2, you GIVE him the keys! 68.3% completion ratio on 63 attempts Dan, that's what giving him the key's gets you. He put up 339 yards in a high efficiency offense. Saint Joseph had no answers for it and KSU controlled the game throughout."
Dan Nessler "I was a bit surprised by the outcome, what does this mean for the once dominant team who has now lost 3 conference championships in a row, is their run over?"
Rockin' A-Rod "Well, you have a great coach who has a 84% win efficiency and a national title. You have to have faith in the system he is building and expect to come back next year even harder. But their season isn't over... both of these teams will be in the opening round of tonight's playoffs."
Dan Nessler "A little redemption could be possible it sounds like... On that note Dan, it looks like Winona State could not find it against W. Liberty State. This is the second year that they fell short to an upset loss in the title game."
Rockin' A-Rod "I'm not sure you can call it an upset, I mean, W. Liberty St. is the defending NSIC champion. I think the talent was in Winona States favor, but Jibe is delivery magic out of that WLSU program. They actually trailed 29-17 with 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter. The went on a run and put up 17 unanswered points and brings home the hardware! Both of these teams will move on and we will see them again tonight."
Dan Nessler "Everyone else had good performances that seem to go in the direction we thought. Let's get into what the fans are talking about, Round 1 of the Division 2 Playoffs! A-Rod, let's cover each bracket and get some insight on who the potential favorites could be."
NORTHERN BRACKET
Dan Nessler "Taking a look at how the brackets lined up, there was quite a bit of movement. The Northern bracket has to be one of the most intimidating on this tournament. Cheyney, Northern Michigan and Bloomsburg all in one bracket is crazy."
Rockin' A-Rod "If you can't handle the heat... GET out of the kitchen! You can either run from the best or fight through it and all these teams are fighters. You're going to call me crazy here, but I'm going out on a ledge... the one you don't come back from Dan. I'm picking Cheyney out of this bracket and here's why, they match-up well against Northern Michigan and Bloomsburg's secondary. Cheyney is not afraid to use their wide receivers and James Moss and Bernard Hardy have caught a combined 159 passes out of 293 attempts. They average nearly 10 yards a catch and will major factor in the outcome."
Dan Nessler "I was thinking about Northern Michigan based on their talent in the backfield, but passing can win championships at this level. So we both agree that Cheyney will beat Glenville and I think Valdosta State will move on over Missouri-Rolla. Will Champ83 have the time to game plan against Cheyney is the question and would it matter?"
Rockin' A-Rod "Absolutely. Cheyney could get knocked out if Valdosta State can turn it around. They have the talent in certain positions but lack some of the depth for later in the quarters. They have a super talented 76 core running back in Henry Thompson that be a game changer here, but it's going to have to come early. Don't go into the half trailing and forced to come out throwing to catch up."
Dan Nessler "Tusculum loses 66-31 to their rival Shepherd and now has to face Northern Michigan. It's unlikely they will be able to turn this around tonight. I guess the one sleeper that could make some noise is Angelo State over Bloomsburg."
Rockin' A-Rod "Very unlikely, coach jms245 is going to have his boys amped up and playing at their best. Bloomsburg moves on here."
SOUTHERN BRACKET
Dan Nessler "In the Southern bracket, the team talent is a little more spread out and while there are a couple favorites, there could be some upsets. The Central Oklahoma game is going to be closer than most people think but I have them edging out NC Central this season and moving on."
Rockin' A-Rod "Jawz can out-coach most opponents and there was just too big of a talent difference in his Conference Championship game. NC Central is a great match for the first round and I feel the same, they move on! The Ferris State versus Kentucky St. is the one I REALLY want to watch. I think KSU is going to make some noise surprise some teams. Can they win though? Tough to say here."
Dan Nessler "If there is one thing I've learned, never bet against Ferris State. Some of the best upsets in the playoffs have come from this team and I see them moving on in a convincing manner."
Rockin' A-Rod "The W. Liberty State game could be really close considering W. Chester's talent is very similar to Winona State. "
Dan Nessler "W. Chester has been in Bloomsburg shadow the past couple seasons but they have some serious fire power. The question is going to be on defense as they have some holes on the defensive line and secondary. W. Liberty's strengths are at wide receiver so this is not a great match for them. I think Jibe's pulls off a nail-biter and moves on."
Rockin' A-Rod "That just leaves us with Long Island versus E. Stroudsburg. Hey Dan, I gotta say this Darryljones2 coach is just scary, did you see their schedule this year? Yikes. I wouldn't want this team for my 1st round game. You want to dismiss them and because of that, another coach may not take them seriously. They nearly beat W. Chester and played well against Bloomsburg. Close game against Central Oklahoma and a loss to W. Liberty State. He has had a lot of matches to figure out what is working and Long Island may have their hands full."
Dan Nessler "Have you watched Long Island this year A-Rod? The NC runner ups from last year and going to win this one easily and I have them as my favorite for this bracket."
Rockin' A-Rod "Well... we are going to have to disagree, I see cinderella run in the makings for Ferris State and guess what Dan?"
Dan Nessler "What?"
Rockin' A-Rod "The shoe fits and their gonna use it to kick Long Island right up their.."
EASTERN BRACKET
Dan Nessler "Okay!! On to the Eastern bracket we go while A-Rod is letting out some tension there. I don't know if you have something against Long Island, but let's check in the other bracket."
Rockin' A-Rod "One second Dan, I need to make a phone call to one their next year recruits... Long distance... costs me $10 but it's worth it."
Dan Nessler "Humboldt State and Virginia State are standing out from the rest here. Both of these teams are going win their match-ups, the talent difference is just too much. Both Colorado-Mines and Lanes did great making the playoffs but get the unfortunate first round match-ups. Midwestern State versus Southern Connecticut is an incredible opening match-up."
Rockin' A-Rod "Just got off the Dan sorry, but guess what? I made the call and so did 2 other coaches and now he's considering all of us! Kids now days... Back to the game, THIS is what you wish every first game could be like. Talk about two evenly matched teams where it's almost too difficult to predict the winner. I think Southern Connecticut pulls this out and it's because of their usage of runnings backs in the passing game versus the weak link of MSU's defense at linebacker. There will be a few big plays and that will likely be the difference."
Dan Nessler "I can see that happening and for our last game, I think it's safe to say that Shepherd will move on over St. Cloud. I just don't see them having the offense to stay with a team that just put up 60+ points on Tusculum."
WESTERN BRACKET
Rockin' A-Rod "Dan, let me talk about the Western bracket, because I see some real good battles here. First, the N. Dakota St versus Winona game is huge. Winona should have the upper hand, but you have to look at their secondary with 5 freshman, 1 sophomore and 2 juniors. I just don't see how they will find an answer for a all shotgun pass attack. Unless they play keep away and get more points, I gotta lean toward NDSU and what coach Zharkins is doing with his program."
Dan Nessler "Yes, I think Winona has to keep this game close to have a chance and force turnovers. If NDSU runs over 50% completition ratio, I think they pull out. W. New Mexico is playing and has been a team I like to keep my eye on. They face a good Saint Joseph's team who just struggled against Kentucky State. SJU has a good starting linebacker core but their talent really takes a nose dive once you get past them. I WNMU primarily targets their running backs and this has the potential for disaster tonight. I see tmelonhead moving on to the next round."
Rockin' A-Rod "Now, let's move on to the two potential favorites for the bracket and it wouldn't be the first time these two teams have met. North Alabama should get by Pace and while Pace is a great team it goes back to the overall talent difference of the rosters. Fazbear05 can game plan with the best of them and he's winning GSC titles for a reason. I see NAU making to the quarterfinals as their secondary is a little better than Winona but they have a defensive line that can apply pressure. They also like to throw the ball and score lots of points which helps, but their defense racked up 39 sacks and 33 interceptions this season."
Dan Nessler "I like North Alabama too, I think they match-up well against most teams and played great in their win over Valdosta St. 47-38. So that leaves us with our last game which defending champions Texas A&M-Commerce versus a pretty solid Saginaw Valley St. team."
Rockin' A-Rod "Remember when Ojpick pulled off the coach of the year run and shocked the nation making it to the semi-finals? It could happen this season if he can get past one of the best teams in the tournament. I mean look, it's a very tough draw but they have a strong defensive line and solid player makers at linebacker and secondary. A great wide receiver and good runnings but with a 64 core quarterback which know is about as elite as you're gonna get. Don't sleep on this team."
Dan Nessler "It would still need just an overall impressive performance to pull this out. TAMC is stacked on the defensive side of the ball and has been a giant wall for any team they faced. I don't know if the viewers realize A-Rod, but they have only allowed an average of 3.8 points per game and a whopping 4.1 sacks per game."
Rockin' A-Rod "That sack average is insane , because it's heavily coming from their defensive line! Not only do they have the best secondary in division 2, but you have immense pressure coming off the edges. I think they pull this out also and we will likely see a TAMC versus N. Alabama rematch."
Dan Nessler "Great points and great games! Thank you all for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed the show."
Rockin' A-Rod "You never know Dan, if the ratings are good enough, we get to do another show..."
Dan Nessler (covers mic) "you can't say that A-Rod!"
Dan Nessler "From all of us here at Rockne News, I'm Dan Nessler!"
Rockin' A-Rod "And I'm Rockin' A-Rod Rockne and we want to thank you all for tuning in to the A-Rod Rockne Show!"
Dan Nessler "Have a safe night and farewell."