Stay tuned to this page throughout the day for live updates from UMAC Dome Day in the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn. Greg Johnson, UMAC SID, will give insight to UMAC teams and players as well as notes about NCAA-related statistical rankings and season reviews. Feel free to send your UMAC football-related comments and questions to Greg at gljohnson@nwc.edu. Want to catch up on last year's Dome Day happenings? Read Greg's blog from 2008.
04:57 AM: When I rolled out of bed this morning, the clock said 4:17 a.m. -- three hours before my alarm usually goes off on a weekday. Today is different though. Today is Dome Day, the longest and biggest day of the academic year for me. When I enter the Metrodome in an hour, I won't leave until at least 17 hours later. Some call it sun up to sun down. I won't even see the sun today, so I guess I'll call it sundown to sundown.
For me personally, this is my fourth rendition of working Dome Day, and we're celebrating the event's 10th year today. Never have I seen an event like this where five football games are played in one stadium in one day. When I tell people about Dome Day, they usually do a double-take when I say the word five. Then again, you probably did the same thing when you first heard about it too.
The custodian who works the night shift in the building that houses my office just finished vacuuming my office suite. That's how early it is. Nate Robinson's (MacMurray) parents in Boynton Beach, Fla. are an hour ahead of me and they're most likely not awake yet. Jake Rusinkovich's (Northwestern) dad in San Clemente, Calif. probably just went to bed a few hours ago! And yet, I'm geared up for today - we've got five great games that are all evenly matched. For you at home, we offer an incredible amount of interactive features for you (including this blog): live video, audio, statistics, etc. - all available on the Dome Day website. So sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Today is going to be a great day.
07:46 AM: We're about 15 minutes from kickoff for Crown and MacMurray. All systems are a go: clock and scoreboard are setup, stats are ready, live video is about to start its broadcast, teams are warming up and I am sitting in my seat in the press box. For those of you that are curious as to what the field setup is, the FieldTurf is painted with Vikings colors and logos. There are also some yellow soccer lines on the field, as the Minnesota State High School League has and will continue to host playoff games here.
Speaking of the field being painted for a Vikings game (with additional college hash marks), the inside and outside of the Metrodome has been painted to truly make it look like the NFL team's home. The Dome staffers like to call it the Barney Bubble, as the red and blue that once lined the inside concourses are now purple and gold. One more note about the Dome - the stadium is now technically called Mall of America Field at the HHH Metrodome.
Check back for updates throughout the day. We'll not only keep an eye on what's taking place on the field, but also things that are going on off the field as well.
08:43 AM: Crown and MacMurray are passing like crazy in this first game. While our live stats aren't working properly right now, I can tell you that only 20 minutes of game clock has passed and the score is 21-20 in MacMurray's favor. While that may be good news for teams, it also stalls things for a tight timeline to get five games in. Most teams will only have roughly 15 minutes of field time for warm-ups so we can stay on schedule, meaning players warm-up on the sidelines and stretch in the locker room area.
This is our first year of having live video at Dome Day and I am loving it. I have to thank our friends at Webcast America for providing free webcast services. What a great way to stay up-to-date on the games from home! The games will be archived too, so fans can go back and watch their game at later date.
MacMurray is one of four new schools in the UMAC this year, joining Eureka, Greenville and Westminster as associate members for footbal only. All four schools are full members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) for their other sports, but the SLIAC dropped football after just one year in 2008. The UMAC became the beneficiary, as what was a five-team league last year increases to nine teams this year, giving the conference a coveted automatic qualifier into the NCAA postseason in 2011. While the new associate members are part of the UMAC South Division this year, all nine UMAC teams will be in one single division in 2010.
09:45 AM: Live stats are now working!! I'm starting to see some light through the Metrodome roof now, so I can at least keep track of time that way. Fast fact: the Metrodome is 27 years old, making it the ninth-oldest stadium in the NFL.
Crown and MacMurray continue to pass, pass and pass. We're nearly over the hump of 600 total yards in the game and the clock reads 10:18 in the third quarter!
Question: Where do the teams change? What locker rooms do they use?
Answer: Today's home teams use the old Gophers locker room and the visitors use the visitors locker room - fitting, isn't it? While the Metrodome is a great facility for UMAC football, I can't imagine how a team can fit in the visitor's locker room. It's barely big enough to fit a baseball team. If you've been in the new Gophers locker room at TCF Stadium, you would think that whoever was housed at the Metrodome was homeless. If the Gophers' 60-yard locker room is a 10 on a 1-10 scale, the Metrodome locker room is about a three in my mind.
Both Minnesota-Morris and Macalester are on site for their 11 a.m. game. That game should feature more running, which could get us back on schedule! We've got four games left to go! MacMurray now leads 41-34. De-fense...De-fense!
10:43 AM: The 62-54 score and over 900 yards of total offense you see on the live stats is not a fluke. One more touchdown and the Crown-MacMurray game from 2009 will become the highest-scoring contest in Dome Day history. Last year, St. Scholastica and Martin Luther scored a combined 119 points, which is the current record for probably only a few more minutes. In case you're wondering, the highest-scoring game in NCAA Division III history that didn't go to overtime was a 69-62 final between Manchester and Earlham on September 10, 2005. Thanks to my friend Pat Coleman from D3football.com for that stat.
I'll keep you posted. This game is getting interesting...
11:17 AM: A defensive stop by Crown put an end to MacMurray's drive at the Crown 20-yard line, sending the game into overtime with a 62-62 tie. MacMurray scored on its possession in overtime but failed to convert the extra point on a failed fake PAT. Crown went four-and-out on the ensuing possession and the Highlanders won their first game of the 2009 season in 68-62 fashion, which is a new Dome Day record. Together, the two teams posted 1,100 total yards.
Minnesota-Morris and Macalester will kick off at approximately 11:30. This day could get even longer with the way things are going! Turf is nothing new to these two teams as they both have artificial surfaces at home. It's hard not to notice Macalester on the field, as their jerseys look somewhat similar to the orange and blue Denver Broncos uniforms of old: orange pants, royal blue tops and white helmets. On the other side of the field, Morris looks like a team that used to be playing here with their maroon and gold unis. Let's see how "at home" they feel as we get started!
12:00 PM: For the time it took for Crown and MacMurray to decide an outcome in the first game, Minnesota-Morris and Macalester are making up for it in Game 2. Neither team scored in the first quarter and much of the game has featured a consistent rushing attack, making things move along.
Despite not being a UMAC member, Macalester is playing in its third Dome Day today. The Scots played Rockford in 2002 before beating Morris 25-0 in last year's rendition. Macalester, who maintains full membership in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in every sport other than football, turned independent beginning with the 2002 season (once again, thanks to Pat Coleman for the info!).
Switching gears to a non-football topic, I think I may venture over to what used to be the Twins clubhouse. I'd like to see what the Metrodome has done with the place! After all, when the Dome was built in 1982, they forgot to include locker rooms so you can imagine how big it is. There's no guarantee that I'll get in, but it's worth trying! Maybe I'll report on my findings in the 3 p.m. chat session.
01:16 PM: Macalester is driving in the third quarter in its game over Minnesota-Morris and hopes to break the 0-0 score. While these first two games are anything but similar in terms of points scored, I can at least say that we've had two close matchups thus far. Hopefully the three games to follow will be just as close!
Our crowds are beginning to increase, which makes sense. Most people don't wake up on a Friday morning and say, "I'm going to watch an 8 a.m. football game today." Morris' maroon and gold-bearing fans are representing well, although to be fair - Macalester's blue matches the color of the 64,111 seats which makes it harder to pick their fans out.
Morris just blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt by Macalester, dooming our chances of a score in the next few minutes.
It's just past midday and I'm getting my second wind. Is that bad? At this rate, I'm going to need about five second winds to make it through the 8 p.m. game.
02:35 PM: We just went from the highest-scoring game in Dome Day history to the lowest, as Minnesota-Morris beat Macalester 3-0. It was almost like a pitcher's duel in baseball. There were only two turnovers in the game and eight punts. Game 2 finished with half of the total yards that were gained in Game 1. I have to admit, Macalester had its changes either win the game or send it into overtime. Tight end Matt Mitchell dropped a wide open 19-yard pass that could have won the game. The Scots then tried a 34-yard field goal that went wide left and Morris stormed the field with all 10 of their finger nails' bitten down. Morris' solo score came on its final possession of the game, when Matt Privratask made a 37-yard field goal (the kick went literally 37 yards).
Now it's a battle of good versus evil as the Saints from the College of St. Scholastica take on the Eureka Red Devils. St. Scholastica is up 12-0 at the moment, but I wouldn't count Eureka out in its first Metrodome experience. The Saints' Chris Henagin leads the UMAC in rushing, as he averages 117.8 yards per game.
St. Scholastica is in its second year of football after beginning a program in 2008. Head coach Greg Carlson has his team at 4-4 (2-1 UMAC) on the year after the Saints went 1-7 last season. Just a few minutes until the all-exciting live chat session! Talk to you at 3 p.m. here.
04:23 PM: I was just about done with a blog posting when my internet connection timed out and my composition was lost. Grr! OK, let's try this again.
The score hasn't changed since my phantom post - Eureka has posted a nice comeback since being down 20-7, and now leads 21-20 with 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. I think the Red Devils got any Metrodome jitters out of their system and are now comfortable with their surroundings. Although, how can they be comfortable? They're surrounded by Saints! (Weak, I know.)
My Twins quest was successful, as I made it into the now-departed team's former locker room. The Twins staff is in the process of moving all of the equipment (bats, jerseys, etc.) to Fort Myers, Fla. for spring training. I did manage to see a few game-worn hats and jerseys from this season. Something tells me you might see those for sale in your local Twins Pro Shop in a month or so! Ron Gardenhire's one-time office is very vacant. Most of the name plates are off of the wood lockers. Carlos Go-Go-Gomez's is one of the few remaining. It's kind of weird, yet cool to see boxes of bats with players' names on them. With the Twins moving to the other side of downtown Minneapolis, the Dome (excuse me, Mall of America Field at HHH Metrodome) will turn the Twins clubhouse into just another locker room - one of several that are empty now that the Minnesota Gophers moved to TCF Bank Stadium.
Speaking of the Dome, the crew here is great to work with. Part of the reason that Dome Day has had success throughout the last 10 years is because of people like Bobbi Ellenberg and her staff who do a fantastic job at catering to our needs. They're incredibly nice too, which helps greatly!
By the way, are any of you watching PTI on ESPN right now? We've got it on in the press box. Tony Kornheiser is dressed up as Vikings' head coach Brad Childress with a microphone and all. Hilarious.
Stay tuned to further blog postings. You may even get lucky enough to hear about my Metrodome Cushman experience!
05:48 PM: The day is starting to get long and I'm starting to feel it. By the way it looks through the Metrodome roof, it's getting dark outside too. Goodbye, sun. I never knew you (at least not today).
Martin Luther and its schematic offense is leading Westminster 13-0 with 7:45 to go in the second period. Aaron Voss, the Knights' leading rusher (99 yards per game) has been held to 36 thus far. With one game left on their schedule, Martin Luther could clinch its first UMAC North Division conference championship since 1998 with a win over St. Scholastica in New Ulm, Minn. next week.
Head Coach John Welty and his Westminster squad is making its seventh appearance in the Metrodome today. Having been a previous UMAC member before coming back to the league this year, the Blue Jays are 2-4 in Dome Day games, winning UMAC titles in 2003 and 2004.
Props to d3football.com editor Pat Coleman, who truly has been multitasking today. Not only is he covering all five games today a few seats down from me in the press box, but he's also working his day job for Verizon Sports. He now has another title to add to his Dome Day resume: National Anthem Singer. That's right - Pat, who sings with the Minnesota Chorale, volunteered to sing the national anthem for the 5 p.m. game and did a supurb job! Little did the D3 audience know that they had a choral soloist as the editor of Division III football's online following.
06:39 PM: Westminster is still looking for points as Martin Luther leads 19-0 midway through the third quarter. One noteworthy item that I previously failed to mention is that Westminster's quarterback Daniel Eidson is also the Blue Jays' punter. Eidson became the first player in my tenure as UMAC SID to win two conference Player of the Week awards in the same week. After Westminster's 47-14 win over Haskel on Oct. 3, Eidson was voted both the South Division Offensive Player of the Week and the South Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
As they have been throughout the month of October, today's referees are using pink whistles to do their part to raise awareness for breast cancer. Speaking of officiating, our crews today have done a great job. My sympathy goes to the crew that did the 8 a.m. game as Im sure they put their miles on with all the points that were scored.
I need to say a special online thanks to Josh Critzer, who has been filming all of today's games for our live video stream online. Josh has been standing most of the day, zooming in and out to make your viewing all the more enjoyable. While he is being paid for his work, Josh has gone over and above the call of duty. Let's just hope he doesn't sue us for workman's comp for standing so much!
Back to the football, where Martin Luther has picked off Westminster four times. That has really been the difference-making statistic in this game. With a recovered fumble and the interceptions, the Knights are plus-five on the day in turnovers.
08:11 PM: We're three minutes into the Northwestern-Greenville game, and the Panthers are already leading 7-0 after capitalizing on an Eagles' fumble in their first possession. While these two schools are very similar in terms of belief, their style of football is different. Northwestern thrives on big offense, while Greenville's defense has made a name for itself this season. What you probably don't know is that Eagles' head coach Kirk Talley coached Greenville head coach Eric Hehman at Taylor University in Indiana.
Greenville's defense has thrived thus far, forcing an NWC turnover and a punt.
09:04 PM: A second Northwestern fumble killed a drive that was on Greenville's 20-yard line, putting the Eagles behind the eight ball early. At halftime, the score is currently 19-10 Greenville thanks to a Panthers 28-yard touchdown pass as time expired to continue the Dome Day theme of close games.
Northwestern's Kyle Thomforde has been quiet thus far in the game, catching only one pass for 11 yards. Thomforde became the Eagles' all-time leading receiver this season and is Northwestern's first receiver to surpass 3,000 career yards. When you start to page through the conference's all-time leading receivers, you think Thomforde could top the charts until you see Scott Pingel's name on Westminster's website. Pingel, who played for the Blue Jays from 1996-99, finished his career with 6,108 yards - an NCAA record at the time. Pingel also broke the NCAA all-divisions career receptions mark, which was formerly held by a one Jerry Rice.
Since we're nearing the end of the day, I'd like to tell you that Cushmans (the yellow carts that take injured players off the Metrodome field, etc.) are really smooth to drive! Tim Grosz, the Dome Day Operations Manager, and myself personally experienced smooth rides as we carted boxes of T-shirts and programs from our cars to the press box yesterday afternoon. It's probably a good thing that the Cushman's paint job isn't incredibly pristine as there's about a two-inch buffer zone between the vehicle and the two walls in the loading dock that you have to drive through. Yours truly put it through the tight alley like a glove. As I write this, I'm realizing this might be one of those "had to be there" moments. Sorry if I bored you with that one.
10:19 PM: We're two minutes from the end of Game 5 and ultimately the end of Dome Day. Northwestern, down 26-20 midway through the fourth, stopped Greenville on 4th and goal at the 1-yard line and marched the ball downfield before a Zach Tarter sack and fumble shot an arrow through the Eagles' balloons of hope.
What a day we've had at the Metrodome today. Whether a game featured 130 points, three points or anything inbetween, it has been a memoriable event Just 17 points seperated all five of the games and these matchups were determined months ago. Now, I'm back to the office to wrap up conference football stats for the weekend - something that usually takes place on Saturday night. Thanks for joining me on this 17-hour ride. Special thanks go to UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt, d3football.com's Pat Coleman (my statistical source for many things today), the statistics crew and last but not least, my fiancee for double-checking my grammar and spelling!
UMAC football resumes next Satuday as division championships are on the line! Stay tuned at umacathletics.com.