Expect a case football-dominant but tough second-half schedule – News-Herald

Pick a statistic, any statistic. There is a good chance that the Case Western Reserve football team will take a top spot among all those chosen.

At the halfway point of this season, coach Greg Debeljak’s team is 5-0 and is still safe.

The results were so lopsided that they resembled another Division III college football program long known for its dominance on the gridiron.

“It’s like Mount Union back then,” Debeljak said.

This is not Debeljak supporting his team. Some of his team’s results – 64-6, 58-14, 49-0 – did that. The fact is, few teams nationally in D-III have been as dominant as Case in 2024. A selection:

The defense is No. 1 nationally in yards allowed (168.0). The offense is No. 9 with 506.8 yards.

Goal defense is No. 2 nationally with 8.2 points. The pass defense is No. 1 with 106.4 yards per game. The offense scores 53.6 points per game – No. 5 nationally.

Individually, quarterback Alex Fromberg (1,266 passing yards, 16 touchdown passes, two interceptions) is No. 2 in pass efficiency with 200.97. Fromberg completed nearly 70 percent of his passes – 82 of 118.

But despite all that dominance, the 5-0 Spartans have yet to make it into the D3football.com Top 25 poll – mostly because the five teams Case beat are a combined 5-23.

“We are in a good position because we are playing well and doing great,” said Debeljak. “We don’t make our schedule. If you look at how we play week after week, we have achieved great things. I’d rather be in the situation we’re in right now than fight.”

Case’s schedule is one of the most unique in the country. The front half featured three teams with one win and one team without a win. Next up for Thiel is 1-4 at home on October 19th.

In its final four games, the top half of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference plays Westminster 4-1 on Oct. 26, then Washington and Jefferson (5-1), Grove City (5-0) and Carnegie Mellon (5-1). ). Conclusion of the regular season. These four teams are a combined 19-3.

“We know there are tough teams coming up on the schedule, but that doesn’t change their great performance,” said Debeljak.

The 11-team PAC also creates a 10-game schedule for each program in which all 10 games are conference games.

The timing of the case presented some problems, Debeljak said.

“None of our starters played anywhere close to four quarters,” he said. “So there is some concern about the stamina of playing a full game.”

For example, Debeljak said that training intensity was increased and there was more time for the first team offense to compete against the first team defense.

On the other hand, the Spartans’ strength continues to develop every week. In the Oct. 12 win over Saint Vincent, ten players carried the ball and nine receivers had a reception.

That includes NDCL graduate Noah Coyne, who had a team-high six catches for 61 yards and a team-high two touchdowns. This season, Coyne is the team’s leading receiver with 26 receptions, 427 yards and six touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see how the Spartans’ dominance in the first half carries over into the second half, especially for their coach.

“We are in a good position because we are playing well,” said Debeljak. “We are improving every week. That’s what you want.”

Upcoming schedule for Case Western Reserve

Oct. 19: Thiel, 6

Oct. 26: at Westminster, Oct. 7

November 2: Washington & Jefferson, November 1

November 9th: in Grove City, 1st

November 16: Carnegie Mellon, 1:30 p.m