There’s a lot of great football in the NAIA that we will get to this week but all eyes have fallen on the first release of the NAIA Football Performance Index. The NAIA Performance Index is a new metric which will be used to select at-large qualifiers for the NAIA Football Championship Series. Currently the NAIA has 13 automatic qualifiers and seven at-large qualifiers.
A question I received several times in the last couple of days was “how to they come up with these numbers?”
I’ll show you a quick example using the NAIA Football Performance Indicator Scale from the NAIA website. Here’s No. 1 Grand View as an example:
| Opponent | Record | Win % | Points Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedictine | 4-1 | .800 | 38 |
| Missouri Baptist | 1-3 | .250 | 24 |
| at Baker | 1-3 | .250 | 25 |
| St. Ambrose | 1-4 | .200 | 24 |
| Total Points | 111 | ||
| Total Games | 4 | ||
| Points Average | 27.75 |
Right now, GVU has played a lot of teams in the range of .200 – .299 win percentage. As the season progresses and their records improve, the Vikings will get more points for these wins. If SAU finishes .500, GVU will get 30 points for their win over the Bees. If SAU doesn’t win another game, the point total stays at 24.
You will see a lot of fluctuation over the next couple of week’s in the performance index. To be honest, I would say not to take it too seriously until late October and in the meantime root for the teams on your schedule to win their games. Here’s the full Performance Index listing if you wanna see where teams currently rank.
Featured NAIA Football Games of the Week
Cumberlands (Ky.) at No. 12 Campbellsville: The Fighting Tigers play host to a Cumberlands team that at times this year has shown they could play with some of the better teams in the NAIA. Campbellsville has put up a ton of offense but also allowed a lot of yards against good offenses.
| Cumberlands | Stats | Campbellsville |
| 420.8 | Total Offense | 491.3 |
| 257.5 | Total Defense | 306.5 |
| 37.5 | Offensive PPG | 41.8 |
| 19.8 | Defensive PPG | 20.85 |
If Campbellsville wants to prove they are an elite NAIA team, they have to stop the Cumberlands offense. CU’s defense has shown flashes of greatness this year, but has lacked the consistency needed to keep great offenses at bay. If UC wants a shot to win, they have to slow down the Tigers high powered offense and limit their turnovers to nothing on offense. I think Campbellsville is the better squad and they’ll get the win at home.
Campbellsville 42 Cumberlands 27
Florida Memorial at No. 10 Southeastern (Fla.): The SEU Fire has looked absolutely unstoppable at times this season. But in their last contest, we saw some signs of weakness. If SEU has those things sorted out they should get the better of FMU this week.
| Florida Memorial | Stats | Southeastern |
| 415.0 | Total Offense | 389.3 |
| 389.5 | Total Defense | 231.3 |
| 29.5 | Offensive PPG | 35.7 |
| 34.0 | Defensive PPG | 15.3 |
Florida Memorial has a great offense and has moved the ball well this year, but their defense gives up too many yards and too many big plays. The speed of SEU’s offense will be took much for the FMU defense. If this game goes sideways early, it could get ugly.
SEU 35 FMU 17
St. Francis (Ind.) at Taylor (Ind.): Last year USF went to Taylor and got outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game. That’s a bitter taste that has lingered in the Cougars mouth all through the last offseason. It was just the 3rd time in program history Taylor upended USF. The Trojans are a solid football team once again this year vying for a shot at their conference crown. A win against a quality opponent like USF would get more eyes on them.
| St. Francis (Ind.) | Stats | Taylor |
| 401.5 | Total Offense | 477.0 |
| 303.5 | Total Defense | 396.8 |
| 30.3 | Offensive PPG | 48.0 |
| 21.3 | Defensive PPG | 29.5 |
Someone’s defense will win this game for them. Taylor has lacked a shutdown mentality on that side of the ball this season and USF hasn’t been tremendously better as evident in last week’s 37-34 win over Defiance. I think the Trojans win this game if their defense steps up. No D, No W.
Taylor 31 USF 24
No. 19 Concordia at Mount Marty: Concordia is undefeated and will see their first true test of the season against a one-loss Lancers team. By all accounts, the new faces in Seward are settling into their new roles and the Bulldogs have their eye on making it to the NAIA Championship Series. Mount Marty had a lot of momentum for the same goal, before stumbling against Briar Cliff.
| Concordia | Stats | Mount Marty |
| 420.3 | Total Offense | 342.0 |
| 249.0 | Total Defense | 282.3 |
| 38.7 | Offensive PPG | 29.0 |
| 9.7 | Defensive PPG | 20.0 |
Mount Marty cannot turn the ball over and has to limit what CUNE has done on offense this season. The Bulldogs can do what they do on offense but their defense cannot let Mount Marty’s passing game get loose. If they do, this game could turn into a track meet. Bulldogs are better and get the win.
Concordia 34 Mount Marty 21
No. 1 Grand View at No. 20 William Penn: Is William Penn for real or just the second best team in the Heart North behind the Vikings. That question will get answered on Saturday. The Vikings are playing like the defending National Champions they are but will get tested this weekend as they go on the road to Oskaloosa, Iowa.
| Grand View | Stats | William Penn |
| 402.9 | Total Offense | 431.4 |
| 219.9 | Total Defense | 276.8 |
| 39.2 | Offensive PPG | 39.2 |
| 8.3 | Defensive PPG | 18.8 |
If Grand View shuts down the Statesmen’s ability to run the football, this game will be over before it starts. WPU has been balanced this year but much of their offense goes with their ability to run the football. No run, no fun for WPU on Saturday. William Penn is much improved, but Grand View is still Grand View and will remind the rest of the NAIA of that on Saturday.
Grand View 28 William Penn 10
No. 7 Lindsey Wilson at No. 11 Georgetown: Could this be the changing of the guard in the Mid South Conference. Georgetown College has been the perenial favorite of the MSC for the last couple of seasons with LWU being close, but not quite there. The Blue Raiders have two wins this season over Top 25 opponents and are looking to make it a third.
| Lindsey Wilson | Stats | Georgetown |
| 439.3 | Total Offense | 375.3 |
| 328.5 | Total Defense | 323.3 |
| 42.3 | Offensive PPG | 33.5 |
| 16.0 | Defensive PPG | 14.3 |
The Tigers haven’t ran the ball decisively this season and their success this weekend will rely heavily on the run game. Their defense has looked good but against Top 25 competition showed a few holes that might be exploited this week. LWU has been explosive and balanced in their victories this year. If LWU turns the ball over, GC stands a chance to get a W. If LWU shuts down GC’s running game, it’ll be the Blue Raiders all day.
Lindsey Wilson 28 Georgetown 17
Briar Cliff at No. 13 Dordt: Dordt beat their rival Northwestern for the first time last week. It was a huge emotional win for the Defenders. But they’d better not overlook their opponent this week who has quietly gotten off to a 4-1 start. The lone loss for Briar Cliff came to No. 4 Morningside but outside of that, the Chargers have taken care of business.
| Briar Cliff | Stats | Dordt |
| 357.4 | Total Offense | 473.7 |
| 351.8 | Total Defense | 222.7 |
| 25.4 | Offensive PPG | 42.7 |
| 24.8 | Defensive PPG | 9.0 |
This is a trap game for Dordt. They need to be focused and continue to prove they are an elite team in the GPAC. Overall, they are the better squad and should win this game. But a lack of focus will give the Chargers an edge and BC could pull out an upset if this game stays close.
Dordt 35 Briar Cliff 17
Primetime Performances
Jamie Odom had an explosive offensive performance for Southwestern (Kan.) as he tossed six touchdowns and threw for 416 yards. The quarterback completed 13 of 16 passes for an 81.3 percent completion rate and averaged 26.0 yards per attempt, while adding 74 rushing yards, including an 11-yard rushing touchdown.
Spencer Lehnerz had two pick-sixes to propel Montana State-Northern to its first win of the season. The Lights’ defensive back delivered two pick-sixes in the third quarter, returning interceptions 15 and 25 yards to break a 7-7 deadlock and give Northern a 20-7 advantage. He also registered a sack and a season-high nine tackles. On the year, the senior now has three interceptions for 72 yards, 33 tackles, six tackles for loss (22 yards), and one sack.
Truitt Bosher of Friends (Kan.) connected on all three of his field-goal attempts and went 6-of-6 on extra-point attempts in the No. 7 Falcons’ 53-0 victory over (RV) Evangel (Mo.). His three field goals included a career-long 42-yarder.
Trevon Madison of Bethel College (Kan.) had 12 catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns in the Threshers come from behind win over Saint Mary. His final TD came with six seconds left to give Bethel a 38-37 win.
Reigning NAIA Player of the Year Jackson Waring was 13-22 for 314 yards and five touchdown passes last weekend in the Vikings 63-3 win over Saint Ambrose.
McPherson (Kan.) defensive back Jonovan Asuncion scored on a 100-yard pick-six while racking up six total tackles and a strip sack, accompanied by a pass-breakup.
The Benedictine Duo of Tanner Zimmerman and Titan Osborne were at it again in the Ravens 70-30 win over Peru State. Zimmerman had 5 catches for 134 yards and a score while Osborn had three receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns. QB Jackson Dooley finished 15-26 for 359 yards, 4 TD passes and a rushing score.
Morningside QB Zach Chevalier was 33-45 for 381 yards and four touchdowns in the Mustangs 41-31 win over Hastings College. WR Lennx Brown had 10 receptions for 116 yards and 2 scores.
Tabor QB Ahmad Bailey had a career day win it counted as the Blue Jays knocked off previously undefeated Kansas Wesleyan, 28-19. Bailey was 22-34 for 223 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
Jaiden Jones grabbed two more interceptions against Nelson University to take his season total to four INTs on the year. Of the four, one was returned for a touchdown.
Montana Western QB Michael Palandri was 16-22 for 376 yards and five touchdowns in the Bulldogs 41-21 win over Dickinson State. WR Seth Shook had 124 yards receiving and three touchdowns while Eli Nourse had 10 receptions for 199 yards and two scores.
Concordia’s Carson Fehlhafer is one of the NAIA leaders in sacks and TFL. Last weekend he added another sack and a half TFL in the Bulldogs 54-0 shutout of Waldorf. On the season he has 6.5 sacks and 11 TFL. CUNE limited the Warriors to just 100 yards of total offense.
Noah Strickfaden of Dordt overcame three first half turnovers as the Defenders downed Northwestern 21-20. Strickfaden was 17-29 for 245 yards and two touchdowns including the game winner with under 10 seconds left to play.
Northwestern’s Ben Egli tried his best to spoil the Defenders day with 7 tackles and two interceptions. Teammate Jordan Carter added another interception for a 53 yard touchdown in the loss.
Montana Tech RS Sophomore QB Jarrett Wilson has come into his own this fall as the new signal caller for the Orediggers. In last weekend’s 27-24 win over College of Idaho, Wilson was 15-22 passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns while also running the ball 17 times for 108 yards. On the season Wilson is 54-78 for 768 yards and most importantly, just one interception.
Tristan Polk of Marian University scrambled for 63 yards including the game winning score against Indiana Wesleyan last weekend. In the 52-42 win Polk stepped up to lead the Knights offense in their upset of previous No. 5 IWU. The QB finished the day 15-30 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Keagan La Belle also carried the ball 30 times for 140 yards and a score.
Statistically Speaking
Teams have played four or five games, so we have a clearer idea of where they stand after a couple opponents on the national scene. Looking at some of the team statistics, there were a few that really stood out to me.
- Friends University is averaging 61.8 points per game and only allowing 7.2ppg. Their defense is only allowing 22.4 yards rushing. I think the Falcons are locked in this year.
- Texas College leads the NAIA this season with five defensive touchdowns. The next closest is Webber International, OUAZ and McPherson with 3.
- William Penn is converting on 58% of their 3rd downs this season to lead the NAIA. Montana Western is 2nd at 56%.
- 9 of the 13 NAIA football conferences haven’t played an in league game yet. Most of those start this week.
- Valley City State leads the NAIA in punt return yardage at 28 yards per return. However, they’ve only had two all season.
- Jamie Odom of Southwestern leads in NAIA in touchdown passes with 18.
- Javon Minor of Graceland leads the NAIA in rushing at 155.0 yards per game.
- Eli Nourse of Montana Western leads the NAIA in receptions with 42 and receiving yards per game at 159.5.
- AJ King of Tabor College leads the NAIA in TD receptions with nine.
- Isaiah Hasten of Benedictine College leads the NAIA in interceptions with five.
Ramblings of Dannelly
The NAIA has 13 automatic qualifiers to the NAIA Championship Series. That equates to every conference champion gets an automatic berth into the field of 20. I make that statement because many conferences are just getting into league play this week and next. Nearly every team in the NAIA still holds their postseason future in their own hands.
We will see a team that is 1-3 or 1-4 currently make the postseason. Heck, there’s even a shot a team that is currently 0-4 will be in the postseason. I love it. It makes every game in the NAIA season matter. It wasn’t too long ago that if you started off bad, by mid-September you were playing for pride and no chance to become a qualifier to the Championship Series. That’s a good thing for the NAIA and a great thing for all the football athletes that put in so much time and effort in the offseason.
The ARC Rankings are coming out this week and so has the NAIA Performance Index. Look at them, analyze them. . .and then set them aside. They don’t mean much right now. If you win, you’re going to move up. Take care of business and pay attention to those things at the end of next month when talks about the NAIA postseason are a lot more real.
Get on out there and enjoy some NAIA football!