By: Alec Nederveld
Over the last few weekends, the three athletes I interviewed, UAB’s Connor Knight, SUNY Brockport’s Ian Herrera, and St. Lawrence University’s Hunter Thompson, officially started their college football careers. Following their recruitment and, more recently, fall camp, the next step in the career is their first game.
On a Thursday, Knight and UAB started their season at home against North Carolina A&T. Meanwhile, DB Ian Herrera and SUNY Brockport’s first game was at Buffalo State in the I-90 Bowl. Lastly, OG Hunter Thompson and St. Lawrence University started at Endicott College. However, both games were on the road, and neither of the two was on the travel roster. Their first game experiences were Brockport hosting Susquehanna University and St. Lawrence’s matchup against Norwich University.
Before we look at the games, there are different rules and procedures for D3 games compared to the D1s. First off, the timing of the clock. Before this season, the NCAA created new rules to shorten the game, most notably no longer stopping the clock to move the chains before the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters. These rules are now in FBS, FCS, and D2, but not D3. They may be implemented in 2024, but as of now, everything is still the same.
In addition, the travel roster for D3 schools is a lot smaller than for D1 teams. While FBS teams can bring up to seventy players to road games, D3 programs technically don’t have a limit for road games. However, the number is typically lower than that due to the cost of transportation. St. Lawrence’s, for example, has only fifty-five people. In the D3 Playoffs, meanwhile, there is a limit of fifty-eight players for both teams.
Some D3 schools also have a JV team, mainly for freshmen and some sophomores who typically don’t play to give them extra experience. They can still play in regular games, but it’s uncommon. There are fewer JV games, typically three or four, compared to the ten from a regular D3 team. Brockport has a team with Herrera on it, and he claimed it was “a great experience finally getting back into it.”
In their opening game, UAB rolled 35-6 against FCS North Carolina A&T. New Coach and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer looked strong. His QB pedigree showed as Jacob Zeno set a school record for completions by going 38-41 with 291 yards and three passing scores. Knight and the defense were dominant against the pass, allowing only two completions and sixteen yards. The Blazers did precisely what they were supposed to against inferior competition.
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After dominating 42-6 in the road opener, Brockport had a defensive slugfest against the #22 ranked Susquehanna. In a game where more safeties than touchdowns were scored, the River Hawks pulled through to win 6-5. Brockport couldn’t get anything going on offense, finishing with twenty-six passing yards and 153 total yards. The defense did what it could and played a great game, but couldn’t overcome the offense. The game ended after Susquehanna kicker Christian Colas knocked a chip-shot eighteen-yard field goal with two seconds left to win.
Coming off a 31-0 loss to Endicott College, St. Lawrence improved against Norwich. Despite the Saints getting shutout in the first three quarters, two fourth-quarter touchdowns were enough to get the 14-7 win. St. Lawrence had a balanced running attack as three different rushers carried the ball fifteen times for 194 yards and the go-ahead score with 7:40 left.
Leading up to games like those above, all three teams have a similar day. A team meal, meetings, walk-throughs, and a warmup all happen before the teams return to the locker room. There, players get ready for the last time before the game officially begins. The walk to the field is always exciting, and at St. Lawrence, it includes touching Luca’s Rock. It was dedicated in 2016 to Ronald J. “Luca” Pelligra, an All-American football player and national champion wrestler for the Saints.
Down in Birmingham, Knight and the UAB Football team have a more exciting entrance. The smoke was flying, and the band was blasting as the Blazers ran through the tunnel and entered the field. His crowd was easily the loudest and largest of the schools, as over 25,000 saw the season-opening win in Protective Stadium. Outside of that, Knight noticed how, overall, the game “means a lot more in College.” and “It was a little crazy.”
Even at the smaller D3 schools, the crowd was attentive and energetic. For example, Lawrence went well above the listed 1,500-seat capacity, with 2,310 people filling Leckonby Stadium. Herrera specifically commented on the crowd’s size and engagement in the close game, but the Bob Boozer Field crowd was held back by not having a true student section.
On the field, there were more differences in coaching style. Even at a D3 school, the coaches all have seen more football compared to in high school. Herrera noted how the coaches “have taught me a lot more than I have ever learned in high school in just a few months.” This increased experience and knowledge carries over onto the FBS field, too. Knight specifically noticed the amount of adjustments. “I would say the coaches are more detailed on the sideline fixing things after series’. Especially at halftime, it’s a lot of adjustments that happen at halftime”.
In a surprise to no one, there is a jump in talent in the transition to college. Thompson, when playing in a scrimmage, specifically noticed and called this out. Instead of being the same strength or stronger as the HS competition, he said, “It felt like these guys were the same strength or stronger. Nobody felt weak.” The game played faster, too, especially as the offensive guard noticed how fast a big nose-tackle was moving, shedding conventions from the past.
Since the interviews took place, Brockport picked up a 31-7 road win, St. Lawrence couldn’t hold onto a halftime lead in a 21-42 loss, and UAB lost to Georgia Southern and Louisiana. For the last time, I thank all of the athletes for participating in the series and wish them a great football career, in college and beyond.
