Stay tuned to this page throughout the two days of UMAC Dome Day for live updates from 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 past years' Dome Day happenings?  Read Greg's blog from 2009 and 2008.

FRIDAY 08:20 AM: I'm sitting at my ktichen table eating breakfast and have been thinking about today for the last two hours.  Check that, I've been thinking about this day for about the last two months! UMAC Dome Day comes around once a year, although this year, Dome Day is a two-day event for the first time.  On a normal one-day Dome Day, I would have been in the Metrodome for about two and a half hours by now. Instead, my Crispix is getting soggy in front of me as I ponder over the next two days.

The shift to a two-day event is mostly due to the availability of the Metrodome since the University of Minnesota has moved into their own football stadium and wanting to follow the NCAA Division III philosophy of missing as little class time as possible.  This year’s contests will be actual “conference” games for the first time, and the conference champion could be decided as well.  Last year, Dome Day featured one of the highest-scoring games in NCAA Division III history (MacMurray def. Crown 68-62 (OT)), only to be followed by one of the lowest-scoring games (Minnesota-Morris def. Macalester 3-0).  Macalester College will join the nine UMAC schools for Dome Day’s 10th team again in 2010.

So where will Dome Day take us this year?  Who knows, but I assure you it's going to be good.  Buckle your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen, today's the day.  If you're coming to cheer on your favorite team, we'll see you at the stadium.  If you can't make it, there's plenty of ways to stay connected to what's happening under the big Teflon roof.

FRIDAY 04:55 PM: Sorry for the tardiness, but I've been assisting our statistics crew for almost the first half of the Minnesota, Morris-Macalester game.  The good news is that our live statistics are working now!  There's something that the Dome's wireless network doesn't like.

It's almost halftime here at Game 1, and the Cougars are leading Macalester 20-17, which is a far cry from last year's 3-0 final score between the same two teams.  Today's game has featured a lot of offense and some good kick returns too.  I'll have more on these two teams after halftime, so stay tuned.

FRIDAY 05:14 PM: Minnesota, Morris tallied 252 yards of offense in the first half en route to a 20-17 lead.  Daniel Camacho, who was named the UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week on October 12, has 93 yards on four kick returns with a long return of 40 yards in the first half.

Todd Gramenz is the Cougars' featured back this year after Robert Koranda, who now plays receiver, was the team's leading tailback the last two years.  Gramenz, who is the reigning UMAC champion in the 100 meter dash for track and field, averages 103.4 yards per game rushing.  So far today, Gramenz has just 16 yards on six rushing attempts.

Macalester is participating in Dome Day for the third consecutive year in 2010.  An independent, the Scots have played Morris in all three instances, going 1-1 so far.  MAC's Auburn Jimenez just drilled his second field goal of the game from over 40 yards to tie the score at 20-20.  Jimenez has hit from 43 and 44 yards today, which isn't something you see too often in small college football.

Going back to our live stats issue, I have to give a shout-out to Joe at Sidearm Sports in Syracuse, N.Y.  Joe and I were on the phone this afternoon for nearly 30 minutes and it was past 5 p.m. in his part of the country.  Joe, thanks for going over your 40 hours to help me out so we could offer that interactive feature to our fans!

FRIDAY 06:01 PM: Gramenz just took off for 86 yards to cross the goal line, bringing Morris closer to Macalester, who had built a 34-20 lead.  Jimenez nailed another 40-plus yard field goal before Clark Bledsoe hooked up with Jon Elliott for a 44-yard scoring connection, ballooning the Scots' lead to 14 points.

Jimenez has been recognized by the Fred Mitchell Award this season, which highlights 32 place-kickers for their excellence on the football field and in the community during the month of September.

As I noted earlier, Macalester is an independent, but if the Scots ever made a run at the Big Ten, they've got two characteristics in their favor.  Macalester has two "tradition trophies" that it plays against other schools for.  For instance, the Scots go up against Hamline for the Paint Bucket Trophy (something the Pipers have won 12 straight times) and MAC and Carleton face off for the Book of Knowledge.

Elliott just hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass, boosting the Scots' lead to 41-27.
 
FRIDAY 07:29 PM: For those that didn't see it on the live stats or the live video broadcast, Macalester scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to beat Minnesota-Morris 48-27.  The Scots finished the game with 356 rushing yards on the day, which was the story of the game.

After a quarter of play, Greenville is beating Crown 7-0.  The Panthers haven't had many opportunities on offense, but when they've had the ball on offense, Greenville has looked pretty potent.  Crown got the ball first, and after a three-and-out situation, the Panthers fumbled the punt inside their own 20-yard line and the Storm recovered.  Crown, sporting their black and gold jerseys, has turned the ball over on downs twice inside the red zone.

This could be the unofficial conference championship game as Crown entered the night with a 4-1 UMAC record, while Greenville has been flawless at 4-0 in league play.  No other UMAC teams have less than two conference losses.

This two-day Dome Day is throwing me for a loop.  Usually, we're still warming up at this point in the day with three-plus games to go.  But to think that I'll be wrapping things up here in the press box in two hours is kind of weird.  Ask me how I feel about the two-day event tomorrow night.

FRIDAY 09:01 PM: Greenville is taking Macalester's lead and running with it, literally.  The Panthers have rushed the ball 31 times for 368 yards and 12 touchdowns.  On the flip side, Crown has rushed for 76 yards and desperately needs a place kicker, which is evidenced by their 0-for-5 rate on fourth down conversions, most of which have been within a legitimate field goal range.

Speaking of kickers, Greenville's Luis Diaz has been named the UMAC Special Teams Player of the Week five times this season.  Diaz leads the league in field goal scoring, although his 49-yard attempt midway through the third quarter was blocked by Crown.

Tahir Williams just added another big rush to his game's resume, this time going for 75 yards.  Greenville is up to 454 rushing yards as a team and is without their leading (or one-time leading) rusher Anthony Ambers, who leads the league and is fifth in the nation in rushing.

Something tells me this could be the most-watched game of Dome Day on our live video stream, which is courtesy of our friends at Webcast America.  Unfortunately, the wireless network in the Dome press box has been a little spotty and the crew has dropped their stream a few times, but we're still fortunate to have them on site.  Check out their work at webcast50.com. I think they stream more Minnesota high school games than anyone else.

By the way, Greenville now leads Crown 42-7.

FRIDAY 11:16 PM: A year after winning the UMAC's South Division in its first year of associate membership, Greenville won the overall conference crown on Friday night with a 50-21 beating of Crown.  The Panthers rushed for 534 yards, 192 of which came from Williams.  I would think it's safe to say we have our first nominee for next week's UMAC Offensive Player of the Week award.

So Dome Day Part 1 has come to a close.  We had great crowds today and are looking forward to seeing what three games on Saturday will bring to the Metrodome.  Once again, if you can't make it to the stadium, be sure to follow along with the live stats and the video stream with audio from our friends at Webcast America.  They think they're the ones that have it good with the press box booth and free food.  We, the audience, are truly the ones that are benefiting.

I will assure you that tomorrow will not bring one thing - soggy Crispix in my cereal bowl.  What happens after that will be up to the six teams who are on tap for games at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.  I'll see you at the Dome.

SATURDAY 11:28 AM: After an exciting two games of football and minimal sleep on Friday, we're back at the Metrodome for Part 2 of UMAC Dome Day.  Westminster and Northwestern will kick off today's festivities at 1 p.m.  These two teams have played each other several times and the head coaches know each other well.  I'll dive into the history between the Blue Jays and Eagles a little later.

While you're waiting for kickoff today, take a few moments to read this story about Northwestern's Dave Kleiner from Friday's edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  Kleiner is a member of the Army National Guard and completed a tour of duty to Iraq last year before returning to the Eagles defensive line for the 2010 season.

I'll be back closer to kickoff at 1 p.m.

SATURDAY 01:33 PM: Since we're having more live stats issues right now, I'll take a few minutes to fill you in on other happenings here at the Metrodome.  Westminster is currently leading Northwestern 3-0 after a 29-yard field goal from the Blue Jays.  Northwestern got the ball first, but Josh Balzer was picked off on the first play from scrimmage.

As I was saying earlier, Westminster and Northwestern know each other well, having played against one another seven times.  Northwestern owns a 4-3 advantage in the series.  Four of those seven games have been played here in the Metrodome with each team hosting two other battles on their home turf.

Head coaches John Welty and Kirk Talley are two of the most senior UMAC coaches, with Crown College's John Auer being the only other conference coach to have logged 10 or more years of service at a league institution.  Welty is the longest-tenured UMAC coach, having been at Westminster for 20 seasons.

The Blue Jays are using a two-quarterback system against the Eagles after Tyler Kankolenski suffered a concussion in last week's 30-21 loss to Greenville.

SATURDAY 04:01 PM: Westminster polished off Northwestern 27-9 to improve to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in UMAC action this season.  The Eagles have had an uncharacteristic season and are now 1-7 overall (1-4 UMAC) after suffering several injuries and transitioning to a younger team without last year's conference offensive player of the year in Zach Tarter.

Interesting observation from the press box as St. Scholastica and MacMurray line up for the national anthem: the Highlanders squad size is noticably less than that of the Saints, who had over 100 players report to camp in August.

SATURDAY 04:11 PM: I can't keep up with what's taking place on the field! St. Scholastica has taken advantage of two MacMurray turnovers deep in Highlanders territory and built a quick 14-0 lead.  MacMurray's Kelsey Mankins picked up a Saints fumble and ran it nearly the length of the field to score, but a block in the back penalty killed the play and ultimately, the Highlanders' drive.

MacMurray has the ball back on its own 40-yard line.  We'll see what happens this drive.

SATURDAY 06:36 PM: Martin Luther and Eureka are beginning to warm up on the sidelines as St. Scholastica has opened up a 41-12 lead on MacMurray with six minutes left to go in the game, holding the Highlanders scoreless since the first quarter.  Saints quarterback Alex Thiry, the UMAC Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 5, has had a great game, completing 16 of his 26 passes so far for 243 yards and a pair of touchdowns.  Jonny Bennett has been the beneficiary of both TD passes as the wide receiver has 112 yards today.

MacMurray, if you will remember, scored 68 points to win its first game of the 2009 season at last year's Dome Day.  It doesn't look like the Highlanders' luck will be so good this time, as Jake Box's crew is still in its first win of the current year.  Linebacker Kelsey Mankins makes for a good story, as the senior plays on both sides of the football.  On defense, Mankins is a standout linebacker.  On offense, the captain lines up as the quarterback in MacMurray's Wildcat formation, where he has two rushing touchdowns to his name this season.  Both TDs came against Northwestern on Oct. 2.  Mankin's line here at the Metrodome includes 12 tackles on defense to go with one pass for six yards on offense.

SATURDAY 09:13 PM: After doing an interview bit with the Webcast America gang upstairs, I can now update you on what's going on here in the Dome.  I do want to say thanks to the WA crew for being here for all five Dome Day games and lending their services to us.  We hope that you've been able to not only take advantage of, but also enjoy watching your team's game online free of charge.  The best part is that you can go back tomorrow, next week or next year and still watch this weekend's games and you still won't pay a dime.  If you're interested in advertising with Webcast America or have a school (college or high school) that wants to stream games, talk to Josh and Brent - you can get their info (and watch games) at www.webcast50.com.

On the field, Martin Luther leads Eureka 31-6.  Greg Holzhueter, a household name at Martin Luther, has once agaain tore up his opposing defense.  Tonight, the senior quarterback has thrown for 216 yards while rushing for 67 more.  Greg is the ultimate student-athlete, and has an amazing story this year.  A starter since his freshman year (same goes for the Knights basketball and baseball teams), Holzhueter is student-teaching at West Lutheran in Plymouth, Minn.  This week, he made it back to New Ulm to practice for all of an hour on Friday to prep for today's game.  An hour for the whole week - that's it!  If the UMAC ever creates a conference hall of fame, I'd nominate Holzheuter for the honor.  In addition to his athletic skills, the kid is all class.

Like it or not, the Holzhueter name is going to stick around Martin Luther's campus for quite some time, as brother Galen is enjoying his freshman year with the Knights.  Playing catch since birth has paid off for the brothers, as Galen has three catches tonight for 123 yards and a touchdown.

It won't be long and we'll start winding down here at the Metrodome.  Speaking of winding down, I've had my share of pita chips and onion dip, which is on full display on a table behind me in the press box, and am now declaring myself as being done with the salty snacks.

An Aaron Voss rushing touchdown just bumped the Knights' tead up to 38-6.

SATURDAY 09:31 PM: The Eureka band members' lips have got to be tired!  Those guys have played for pregame, halftime, inbetween plays, you name it.  When they're not playing, they're cheering "Defense!" for the Red Devils.  You've got to hand it to that crew for playing Jimi Hendrix and Bon Jovi too.

Micah Plocher just caught a 55-yard pass in the end zone and Martin Luther's lead is now 45-6 with 13:22 left in this rendition of Dome Day.

Something we're not used to seeing in small college football that has definitely been noticed throughout the last two days is kicking.  My statistics crew (another five-game all-star performance) told me that we've had 14 attempted field goals throughout the five games, 11 of which went through the uprights.  For those non-math majors, that's over two made FGs per game.  I mentioned Macalester's Auburn Jimenez yesterday - he, Eureka's Travis Huber and Northwestern's Cody Crum have all successfully booted field goal attempts of 38 yards or more in the last 36 hours.  I suppose it doesn't hurt that there isn't a wind factor here in the Metrodome.  Of the 11 made field goals, the average distance has been 32.4 yards.

The tunes coming from the Eureka pep band to my left is reminding me of my high school trumpet days.  My lips were shot after an hour-long practice.  They've been at it since 7 p.m. For my Twitter followers, #theymustdoexercises.  Again, thanks for being part of the Dome Day experience, pep band.

SATURDAY 11:59 PM: Alright...all of the stats are posted and updated, archived video is linked and we've put the 11th Annual UMAC Dome Day to bed.  The Metrodome looks the same as we found it 36 hours earlier - empty (including the 65,000 blue seats) and bare.

The unofficial theme of this year's Dome Day was "Run the ball."  Five squads posted over 200 yards rushing in their game, with Greenville taking the cake at 534 yards on the ground.  Chances were if your team couldn't run the ball, they were fighting an uphill battle.

A special thanks to the workers who put their time and energy into Dome Day.  Many of us have done this for several years and some have been around since the event's inception in 2000.  Here's a call out to the chain gang, clock operators, public address announcer, t-shirt sales and ticket takers, the statistics crew, the team host...I could keep going, but I'll stop there.  Most of the rest of us have something regarding Dome Day in our normal job description.

Thanks to you, the fans, for sticking with me through the last two days.  I figured that I had spent 22  in the Metrodome since Friday afternoon - nearly the number of hours in a day, which would be a great segue into a discussion about a one- versus two-day event.  We'll leave that topic alone for a few months.  I'm headed to bed with my Crispix around the corner.