The FCS Wedge

AGS Poll: Week 13 (Selection Sunday) Top 25 Results

Week 13 was wild across the FCS landscape with 3 teams presumably in the playoff seeds losing and a few losses on that top 25 bubble line. I don’t envy the playoff selection committee ahead of today’s bracket reveal (selection show will be aired on ESPNU at 12:30PM ET). Despite the turmoil behind them the top 2 remained the same as they have since week 1 with North Dakota State and James Madison taking the top 2 spots in that order. Sacramento State moved up 1 spot to #3 to set yet another program record for highest ranking ever in the AGS Poll. Weber State also moved up 1 spot to #4 and Montana State moved up 3 spots to #5 following their impressive win over in-state rival and previously 3rd ranked Montana.

As for the other teams moving up Northern Iowa also made a 3 spot leap to #6 after several teams in front of them took losses. Nicholls moved up 6 spots to #19 after their thrilling win over Southland rival Southeastern Louisiana that secured them the Southland’s automatic bid to the playoffs. Albany moved back into the top 25 after a 3 week absence making a 6 spot jump up to #20 after finishing the regular season 8-4 and in sole possession of 2nd place in the CAA. Yale also climbed into the top 25 for the first time this year moving up 2 spots to #25 after finishing their 2019 campaign at 9-1.

The teams moving down were headlined by Montana who tumbled 4 spots down to #7 following their aforementioned loss to Montana State. South Dakota State dropped 3 spots to #9 after being stunned by rival South Dakota. Fellow MVFC conference-mate Illinois St took a 6 spot dive down to #13 after being upset by Youngstown State. Despite being on the verge of beating Nicholls and securing the Southland auto Southeastern Louisiana fell 4 spots to #22. Florida A&M and Towson both fell out of the top 25 after being upset yesterday.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 4 (all within the top 7), the CAA and Southland with 3 each, and the Big South, Ivy League, OVC, and SOCON who each put 2 teams into the top 25. 10 conference, including FCS Independents, were represented in this week’s top 25.

Full results below:

Rank	Change	Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
1	–	North Dakota State Bison	1850	74
2	–	James Madison Dukes	1776
3	1	Sac State Hornets	1652
4	1	Weber State Wildcats	1646
5	3	Montana State Bobcats	1548
6	3	Northern Iowa Panthers	1414
7	-4	Montana Grizzlies	1381
8	2	Villanova Wildcats	1202
9	-3	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	1133
10	1	Wofford Terriers	1120
11	2	Central Arkansas Bears	998
12	–	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	976
13	-6	Illinois State Redbirds	896
14	–	Austin Peay Governors	851
15	–	Central Connecticut State Blue Devils	822
16	1	Monmouth Hawks	787
17	-1	Furman Paladins	708
18	2	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	538
19	6	Nicholls State Colonels	505
20	6	Albany Great Danes	446
21	2	Dartmouth Big Green	293
22	-4	Southeastern Louisiana Lions	280
23	1	Kennesaw State Owls	259
24	-2	Southern Illinois Salukis	250
25	2	Yale Bulldogs	179
ORV:
26	-7	Florida A&M Rattlers	133
27	1	San Diego Torreros	132
28	1	North Carolina A&T Aggies	97
29	1	South Carolina State Bulldogs	59
30	-9	Towson Tigers	51
31	2	Eastern Washington Eagles	33
32	-1	Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks	12
33	NR	New Hampshire Wildcats	11
34	-2	Princeton Tigers	4
35	NR	Southern Jaguars	3
36T	-1	Chattanooga Mocs	2
36T	NR	Sam Houston State Bearkats	2
38	NR	McNeese State Cowboys	1

Most significant win: Montana State Bobcats
Most significant loss: South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Dropped out of the poll:
Maine Black Bears
The Citadel Bulldogs
UC Davis Aggies

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?241069-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-13-SELECTION-SUNDAY-2019-SEASON

The FCS Playoffs Selection Show will be aired on ESPNU at 12:30PM ET today.

Patriot League: Week 14 Preview

Sadly, the end of the Patriot League regular season is upon us. While it certainly hasn’t been a banner year for the league, it has provided its fans with an intriguing title chase and some excellent individual performances.

Holy Cross will look to wear the crown all alone with a win over Georgetown. The Crusaders are seeking just their second Patriot League Title since 1991 (2009). Bucknell heads to the “Big Apple” to square off against Fordham with hopes of a co-championship still alive. The last time the Bison raised the trophy (1996) the Patriot League still implemented a playoff ban. To close out the final weekend of the 2019 season, Lafayette makes the 12 mile bus trip to Goodman Stadium to battle Lehigh for the 155^th time. Like Bucknell, both Lafayette and Lehigh will be rooting for Georgetown Saturday afternoon. 2018 Patriot League Champion Colgate concluded their regular season last weekend with a 16-0 win over Lafayette.

Georgetown (5-5, 1-4) at Holy Cross (6-5, 4-1) 12 P.M. Fitton Field: Worcester, MA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Holy Cross will try and nail down their first Patriot League Title and FCS playoff since 2009 with a win over road weary Georgetown. The Crusaders reclaimed their destiny in the league race thanks to Colgate’s win over Lafayette last Saturday.

The Lafayette result combined with Holy Cross’s 49-27 (trailed 14-0 at half) conquering of Fordham have the Purple on the cusp of breaking their decade long title and playoff drought in Head Coach Bob Chesney’s second season. The Rams scored 35 fourth quarter points against the Rams on their way to the 22 point victory. The Crusader ground attack (132 ypg) got things rolling (212 yards) in the Bronx after struggling to gain traction in the loss to Lafayette the week prior. Holy Cross will need a solid performance from quarterback Connor Degenhardt (201 ypg 14 TD 6 INT) against the stingy Hoya “D” (15.9 ppg allowed). The Crusaders in general have moved the ball well the last month of the season. However, turnovers, mental errors and inconsistent quarterback play have allowed opponents to hang around. Those issues have also prevented Holy Cross from notching a signature win.

The Hoyas have gone from what many considered to be a preseason league favorite to needing a win to avoid finishing with a losing record for an eighth straight year. After posting a 4-1 out of conference mark (including nice wins over Columbia & Cornell) the Hoyas have struggled mightily in league play. Injuries have certainly been a factor (been without Khristian Tate since mid-October) but every team is dealing with that bug this time of the year. Inconsistencies on offense and poorly timed breakdowns on defense are two big reason’s the Hoyas have not reached their preseason potential in 2019. Georgetown’s offense amassed 23 first downs and 362 total yards (199 passing/163 rushing) in the 20-17 loss to the Bison. The difference in the game were the 4 turnovers (3 fumbles/1 INT) Bucknell forced. Quarterback Gunther Johnson (142 ypg 12 TD 2 INT, 6 rushing TD) needs to take advantage of the leaky Holy Cros secondary while the defense must slow down the Crusader’s rushing attack and force Degenhardt to win the game from the pocket.

Georgetown would love nothing more than to get ultimate pack-back for last year’s 31-5 halftime lead gone wrong (lost 32-31). That motivation will make this game interesting for 60 minutes but at the end of the day it’s Holy Cross’s year to get back over the hump.

Prediction: Holy Cross 24 Georgetown 14

Lafayette (3-8, 3-2) at Lehigh (4-6, 3-2) 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium: Bethlehem, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: The 155^th edition of college football’s most played rivalry features two teams, Lafayette and Lehigh, desperately trying to write a positive final chapter in their respective 2019 stories. Despite both team’s records there is still an opportunity should Holy Cross fall to the Hoyas for the winner of this game to capture a share of the Patriot League Title. If that were to happen Lafayette also earns the auto-bid into the playoffs. A Lehigh win and the automatic bid get a little messy.

Lehigh will be counting on sophomore quarterback Alec Beesmer to lead the offense for a second straight week. Beesmer (8/29 107 yards) struggled mightily in the Mountain Hawks 13-6 loss to Sacred Heart last week. He’ll need to be much better against a Leopard defense that has yielded yards in bunches at times during the season. In order for the Brown and White to flourish the offensive line must perform. The inability to consistently win the line of scrimmage has been the offense’s biggest problem in 2019. The wide receiver duo of Devon Bibbens (769 yards 6 TD) and Jorge Portorreal (575 yards 1 TD) have remained the one positive constant on “O”. Defensively, the Mountain Hawks need to make Lafayette quarterback Keegan Shoemaker uncomfortable for 60 minutes. The Lehigh “D” should be able to limit the Leopard offense.

Lafayette enters the annual grudge match off an ugly 16-0 loss to Colgate that cost the Leopards control of the Patriot League Title race. The Leopards were able to amass just 242 (117 passing/125 rushing) total yards on offense. As has been the case all season, when freshman quarterback Keegan Shoemaker (12/34 117 yards 1 INT) struggles the Leopard offense has no plan “B”. Lafayette’s offensive line should have success against the Lehigh front. As a result, head coach John Garrett needs to remain committed to the run. Lafayette’s defense has come on strong the last few weeks. It performed well again last Saturday in the loss to Colgate (11 first downs, 224 Total Yards). Defensive End Malik Hamm (7 sacks) should be in line for a disruptive afternoon.

This is a good season to throw the records out given Lafayette’s and Lehigh’s struggles in 2019. Despite the win to loss ratio there’s amazingly still hope of a Patriot League Title for both teams. That factor combined with over a century worth of rivalry bitterness give #155 some added intrigue. The Mountain Haws have won four straight in series which in a rivalry such as this seems due to end.

Prediction: Lafayette 20 Lehigh 13

Bucknell (3-7, 3-2) at Fordham (3-8, 1-4) 1 P.M. Jack Coffey Field: Bronx, NY

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: If Bucknell wants to capture a share of their first Patriot League Title since 1996 they need to take care of a stumbling Fordham team in the season finale. The Bison have shown nice improvement over the course of the season in Head Coach Dave Cecchini’s first year. Fordham enters their final game riding a four game losing streak.

The Rams regression as the season has gone on is alarming. Fordham has a roster filled with talented players that have simply underachieved in the won/loss department. Quarterback Tim DeMorat (222 ypg 19 TD 10 INT) has made a strong case for Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year despite his team’s struggles. The Ram offense (24.5 ppg) has been the league’s most consistent unit yet it hasn’t amounted to much in the win column. Defensively, Ryan Greenhagen (77 solo tackles, 16.5 TFL) should win the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year after having a monster season at linebacker. Greenhagen is joined by several other talented on “D” yet one would never know it by looking at the stats (34 ppg/462 ypg allowed). They’ll have their hands full with a Bison offense that is evolving into a steady threat. Fordham needs to stop the run and force Logan Bitikofer (145 ypg 10 TD 6 INT) to win the game with his arm.

Bucknell’s improvement on defense as the season has gone along is why they have stayed in the Patriot League Title race. The Bison have done an excellent job slowing down league foes (16 ppg allowed). Strong defense has generally been a Bucknell trademark dating back to the Tom Gadd era. They’ll have to contend with an explosive Ram offense littered with speedy skill players. If Defensive Coordinator Ryan Manaiac’s defense is able to hold Fordham under 20 the Bison “O” should be able to grind out enough points to win. Bucknell has an excellent kicking game which could prove to be a nice weapon in a game like this.

This game is all about carrying momentum into 2020. Fordham is still searching for consistency under second year Head Coach Joe Conlin. The former Yale assistant owns an ugly 5-17 record at Fordham. Bucknell meanwhile appears to be trending up. A win to close out 2019 would likely put the Bison at or near the top of the 2020 preseason rankings.

Prediction: Bucknell 31 Fordham 17

The FCS Wedge – 2019-1120 – Wk13 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week/previews

Montana @ Montana State

North Dakota State @ Southern Illinois

Nicholls State @ Southeastern Louisiana

2.) Three Big Questions
Let’s get into some Playoff talk

Seeds…who do ya got?

At-Larges?

Best Brawl of the Wild memories?

3.) If you haven’t yet listened, make sure to check out our interview with UM AD and Selection Committee member Kent Haslam. He thoroughly explains many steps of the process that goes into the selection process and what it takes to be a committee member.

Find it here.

2019-1120 – Wk13 PREVIEW

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1120- Wk12 REVIEW

1) The Big Story
Surprising beat downs in key top 10 games

Montana 35 Weber State 16

South Dakota State 38 Northern Iowa 7

Recaps
Wofford 24 Furman 7

Nicholls State 34 McNeese State 20

Montana State 27 UC Davis 17

Albany 24 New Hampshire 17

2.) AGS Poll

2019-1120 – Wk12 REVIEW

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Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 12

Montana made a statement on Saturday as they defeated Weber State at home. The Griz looked like the better team in every way on Saturday and made their claim at the top of the Big Sky. Weber State was down at one point 35-3 as the Griz just kept pouring it on. Wide receiver Samori Toure had three scores for Montana. Weber State scored 13 points to end the game, but by then Montana had their second unit in and Weber had pulled Jake Constantine in favor of Kaden Jenks. Constantine had three interceptions on the day.

The other top two teams in the conference took care of their business on Saturday as Sacramento State beat Idaho handily on the road 31-7. Sacramento State relied on a heavy dose of the rushing attack with 222 yards and four touchdowns. Elijah Dotson had 109 of those yards and two scores. Quarterback Kevin Thomson had a less than average game, comparatively, going 17-36 for 187 yards and an interception. On the Idaho side of the ball, absolutely nothing went right. Mason Petrino had a touchdown pass to Cutrell Haywood. That’s about all they did. Montana State took care of UC Davis in a dog fight in Davis. The Bobcats rode a 13 point fourth quarter to beat the Aggies. The Bobcats rushed for 284 yards on the Aggies. The Aggies got a big day from Big Sky rushing leader Ulonzo Gilliam, has he went for 133 yards and two scores.

In outside playoff chance scenario, Eastern Washington beat Cal Poly by the skin of their teeth. Cal Poly had a chance to win the game with under five minutes left when they had clawed back from a 42-28 hole. Duy Tran-Sampson punched in a touchdown for the Mustangs. Cal Poly elected to go for two instead of the tie and missed the conversion. Poly had one more shot to win the game, but a missed 35 yard field goal ultimately doomed the Mustangs. In games that don’t matter to the playoff chase, BYU beat the hell out of Idaho State. Bengals running back Malakai Rango did rush for 142 yards on 24 carries though. North Dakota won a pillow fight over Northern Colorado. Northern Colorado tried to make it interesting at the end with a Milo Hall touchdown and got the ball back with a chance to tie, but Jacob Knipp threw an interception deep in his own territory. Southern Utah pulled an upset on Saturday, beating Northern Arizona. Gotta feel bad for Case Cookus who just couldn’t ever play on teams good enough to make a lot of noise.

Coming up this week we have Montana vs Montana State in Bozeman. Southern Utah making a long trip to take on North Dakota. Cal Poly is headed to Northern Colorado. Idaho is headed to Northern Arizona. Idaho State goes south to take on Weber State. Portland State goes east to take on Eastern Washington. In the “late” game that starts at 3pm MT is UC Davis taking on Sacramento State. Selection Sunday for the FCS playoffs will at 12:30pm ET on ESPNU.

Scores

Northern Colorado 38
North Dakota 45

Idaho State 10
BYU 42

Weber State 16
Montana 35

Northern Arizona 30
Southern Utah 31

Sacramento State 31
Idaho 7

Montana State 27
UC Davis 17

Eastern Washington 42
Cal Poly 41

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky player of the week is Montana wide receiver Samori Toure. Toure had eight catches for 193 yards and three touchdowns as Montana defeated Weber State this past weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Kevin Thomson, QB, Sacramento State
Jeff Cotton, WR, Idaho
Ulonzo Gilliam, RB, UC Davis
Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Big Sky Power Rankings

Montana
Weber State
Sacramento State
Montana State
Eastern Washington
UC Davis
Portland State
Idaho
Northern Arizona
Idaho
Cal Poly
Idaho State
Southern Utah
Northern Colorado

The Quad Shot

I guess there’s new kings of the Big Sky conference this week. Montana really took it to Weber State in every part of the game. The Wildcats, I suspected, were not as good as they had been advertised. I’d had my suspicions about them, but thought they played good defense and good enough offense to keep their wins coming. However, once tested against an actual good team they crumbled. Just too many mistakes for the Wildcats. Special teams really didn’t help the team at all. That being said, Montana was very good all day on offense and really brought it against a good defense. Weird crowning Montana as the kings right now, considering they have a loss to Sacramento State. However, Montana fought off a lot more lions than Sacramento State has.

That being said, we now have a three way tie at the top of the Big Sky. This is a big deal because the winner of the conference gets the auto-bid to the playoffs and will definitely be seeded. Now, I think the possibility exists that three Big Sky teams could be seeded after next Sunday.. and even the slight possibility of four. Montana owns the tiebreaker over Weber State. Weber State owns the tiebreaker over Sacramento State. Sacramento State owns the tiebreaker over Montana. If Montana wins this weekend I think the argument is nil. However, if Montana loses, Weber would probably earn the auto-bid. That being said, I can see a scenario where three teams could get seeded if all three win out. If Montana loses to Montana State I assume a possibility exists that four Big Sky teams could get seeds with the Bobcats getting one and Montana maybe getting the 8 seed. This scenario is way out there, but the top of the Big Sky is really good this year.

That being said, there’s also a possibility that a four win Lafayette could get into the playoffs from the Patriot league. In this nutso scenario, Holy Cross is currently leading the Patriot league at 6-5 (4-1). They play Georgetown on Saturday, the last place team in the Patriot. G-town is 5-5 (1-4). However, Lafayette is 3-2 in conference with a win over Holy Cross. If Holy Cross loses to Georgetown and Lafayette wins against Lehigh, then the Leopards would be in the playoffs with the autobid. I don’t remember for sure if auto-bids host a home game, but god wouldn’t that be hilarious to see a team like Villanova or South Dakota State have to go to Lafayette for a playoff game.

One of the oldest rivalries in college football is back this week, the Cat/Griz game. Or the Brawl of the Wild. Whatever people call it. It’s in Bozeman this year and the Bobcats are hankering for a fourth win in a row over the Griz. Other rivalry games in the Big Sky this week are the Causeway Classic that features UC Davis against Sacramento State. Weber State and Idaho State are kind of rivals, but only to see which fan base can close their city earlier in the night. Predictions for the Brawl and the Causeway Classic?

AGS Poll: Week 12 Top 25 Results

Inside a week until Selection Sunday and there’s still a lot of action inside of the AGS top 25 with two top 5 teams taking losses and a few other significant upsets thrown into the mix in week 12. The top 2 remained the same as they have been since week 1 with North Dakota State and James Madison occupying the #1 and #2 spots, respectively. Montana moved up 2 spots to #3, their highest ranking in the AGS Poll since 2010, after their big win over previously 3rd ranked Weber State. Sacramento State also slid up two spots to #4 to set another record for highest ranking ever in the AGS Poll for them. Weber State dropped a couple spots to round out the top 5 at #5.

As for other teams moving up South Dakota State made a 3 spot jump up to #6 after getting back on track with a huge home win over UNI. Wofford moved up 6 spots to #11 after a monstrous win over SOCON rival Furman that actually wrapped up the SOCON autobid for them in the process. Southeastern Louisiana moved up 4 spots to #18 after their 4th straight win. Their fellow Southland squad Nicholls also climbed back into the top 25 rising 4 spots to #25 after their 3rd straight win.

The teams going in the opposite direction were led by Northern Iowa who dropped 5 spots down to #9 after a convincing road loss at SDSU. Furman also took an 8 spot dive to #16 after their aforementioned loss to Wofford. Dartmouth plummeted 12 spots down to #23 after getting stunned at home by Cornell. Princeton fell out of the top 25 after getting blown out by Yale.

In terms of conference representation the MVFC led the way placing 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky with 4 (all within the top 8), the CAA and Southland with 3 each, and the Big South, OVC, and SOCON who each put 2 teams into the top 25. Once again 11 conferences, including Independents, were represented in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank	Change	Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
1	–	North Dakota State Bison	2050	82
2	–	James Madison Dukes	1968
3	2	Montana Grizzlies	1862
4	2	Sac State Hornets	1756
5	-2	Weber State Wildcats	1671
6	3	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	1664
7	–	Illinois State Redbirds	1595
8	2	Montana State Bobcats	1397
9	-5	Northern Iowa Panthers	1388
10	2	Villanova Wildcats	1160
11	6	Wofford Terriers	1039
12	1	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	1031
13	2	Central Arkansas Bears	925
14	2	Austin Peay Governors	835
15	-1	Central Connecticut State Blue Devils	827
16	-8	Furman Paladins	790
17	1	Monmouth Hawks	773
18	4	Southeastern Louisiana Lions	649
19	–	Florida A&M Rattlers	532
20	–	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	494
21	2	Towson Tigers	472
22	2	Southern Illinois Salukis	401
23	-12	Dartmouth Big Green	305
24	1	Kennesaw State Owls	218
25	4	Nicholls State Colonels	206
ORV:
26	8	Albany Great Danes	162
27	5	Yale Bulldogs	150
28	2	San Diego Torreros	121
29	2	North Carolina A&T Aggies	62
30	7	South Carolina State Bulldogs	27
31	1	Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks	24
32	-11	Princeton Tigers	23
33	5	Eastern Washington Eagles	22
34	-6	The Citadel Bulldogs	21
35T	NR	Chattanooga Mocs	14
35T	4	Maine Black Bears	14
37	-1	UC Davis Aggies	2

Most significant win: Montana Grizzlies
Most significant loss: Furman Paladins

Dropped out of the poll:
New Hampshire Wildcats
Richmond Spiders
Sam Houston State Bearkats

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?240432-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-12-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 13 Preview

The Patriot League football season has amazingly reached its penultimate week! With the finish line in sight Lafayette has seized control of the league race thanks to their win over Holy Cross last week. The Leopards will look to keep destiny in their hands when they square off against last year’s champion Colgate Saturday afternoon. The team that Lafayette booted from the catbird seat, Holy Cross, will try to keep their title hopes alive against Fordham in the “Big Apple”. In other league action, Georgetown will try to secure a winning record by taking down Bucknell in Lewisburg. The fourth game this week is a rare mid-November non-conference tussle between Lehigh and NEC member Sacred Heart.

I’m currently in Fargo, ND for #1 North Dakota State’s game against South Dakota so this week’s previews are a little shorter than usual.

Lehigh (4-5, 3-2) at Sacred Heart (6-4) 12 P.M. Campus Field; Fairfield, CT

Live Streaming: NEC Front Row

The Need to Know: Lehigh heads to the Nutmeg State for a rather unusual late season non-conference battle with Sacred Heart. The Mountain Hawks enter this game reeling from two straight league losses that have basically ended their title hopes. Lehigh is a bruised and battered team (especially at QB and the OL) as the season nears its conclusion. The Brown and White offense (16 ppg) needs to bounce back in a big way Saturday if they want to put a stop to their 2 game losing streak. The Pioneers put up 86 points in their two games (30 vs Bucknell/56 vs Lafayette) against Patriot League this season. Lehigh’s defense (22 ppg allowed) catches a bit of break as redshirt freshman quarterback Marquez McCray (11-14 105 yards 1 TD) will be making his second career start.

The Pioneers have arguably the worst defense in the NEC (406 ypg allowed) but it’s doubtful Lehigh will be able to exploit it. The Mountain Hawks best chance to head home with a win is to pressure McCray into mistakes and grind out points on offense. Given on the Pioneer’s two dominating wins against Patriot League competition this season it’s hard to image Lehigh keeping their dreams of a winning season alive.

Prediction: Sacred Heart 31 Lehigh 16

Colgate (3-8, 2-3) at Lafayette (3-7) 12:30 P.M. Fisher Field; Easton, PA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Lafayette attempts to get one step closer to their first Patriot League Title since 2013 when welcome Colgate to College Hill this weekend. Like in 2013, the Leopards are in position to grab the crown despite owning a losing record. Lafayette’s 23-20 win over then league unbeaten Holy Cross last Saturday gave the Leopards control of their destiny. The ‘Pards will need another strong performance from their freshman quarterback Keegan Shoemaker (16-25 196 yards 2 TD vs HC) against a Colgate defense that has finally started to play to their potential the last two weeks (27 total point allowed). Defensively (28 ppg allowed), Lafayette must contain a Raider offense that is operating much more efficiently now that quarterback Grant Breneman (162 ypg 5TD 5 INT) is finally healthy.

The Raiders late season surge can be attributed to improved quarterback play and winning more battles in the trenches. If Breneman is able to have success throwing and running the ball the Raiders will be able to control possession time (32 minute avg TOP). Colgate’s defense must be able to pressure and keep Shoemaker in pocket.

On paper this is a very evenly matched game between two teams playing their best football of the year. The slightest of edge goes to home team.

Prediction: Lafayette 28 Colgate 24

Georgetown (5-4, 1-3) at Bucknell (2-7, 2-2) 1 P.M. Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium; Lewisburg, PA

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Well rested Georgetown makes the 3 hour trip north to Lewisburg to tangle with Bucknell Saturday afternoon. A Georgetown win would secure their first winning season since 2011 (8-3) and just the second one ever as a member of the Patriot League (joined in 2001). The Hoya’s offense (27 ppg) will try to take advantage of a Bison defense (34 ppg) that has struggled for much of the season. Granted, the Bucknell “D” is coming off their best performance of year in their win against Lehigh (209 total yards). Georgetown quarterback Gunther Johnson’s (145 ypg passing/34 ypg rushing) scrambling ability could be an important “X Factor” against Simeon Page (8 sacks), Rick Mottram (4 sacks) and company.

Bucknell enters this game with more momentum following their big win over Lehigh. Georgetown had an extra week to prepare which they needed after suffering three straight losses.

This game figures to be nip and tuck for 60 minutes.

Prediction: Bucknell 24 Georgetown 20

Holy Cross (5-5, 4-1) at Fordham (3-7, 1-3) 1 P.M. Jack Coffey Field; Bronx, NY

Live Streaming: The Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Holy Cross will try to keep their Patriot League Title hopes alive with a win against a struggling Fordham team. The Crusaders 5 turnovers last week against Lafayette were too much to overcome in the 23-20 loss. As result, in order for Holy Cross to capture their first league title and playoff trip since 2009 they need to win their last two games and hope the Leopards lose to either Colgate or Lehigh. If Holy Cross is going to end the year strong they need quarterback Connor Degenhardt (202 ypg 13 TD 6 INT) and the of the rest offense (19 ppg) to raise their level play. The good news for Bob Chesney’s squad is Fordham might be the perfect bounce back opponent. The Rams have hit a wall after showing real promise during the first third of the season. Fordham managed just 208 total yards in last week’s 24-13 loss to Colgate. The Ram defense (451 total yards allowed, 252 rushing) didn’t fare much better in frigid Central New York conditions.

Fordham continues to be one of the biggest enigmas in FCS. The Rams have the personnel to be challenging for a league title. They should not be battling to stay out of the league basement as they are. As long as Holy Cross protects the ball and plays with more energy than they did last week they should head home with their dream of a championship still alive.

Prediction: Holy Cross 27 Fordham 17

The FCS Wedge – 2019-1113 – Wk12 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week/previews

Weber State @ Montana

Northern Iowa @ South Dakota State

Furman @ Wofford

Montana State @ UC Davis

McNeese State @ Nicholls State

New Hampshire @ Albany

2.) Three Big Questions

Give me a dark horse for one of the last two seeds.

What do you do to keep from spoiling the results of a game to friends who can’t accept reality and have to wait 6-8 weeks before watching the game?

At large discussion

2019-1113 – Wk12 PREVIEW

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Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 11

The race at the top of the Big Sky Conference appears to be a three horse race between Montana, Weber State, and Sacramento State. This weekend in Missoula it appears to be the showdown for the Big Sky championship. Weber State will make the trip north to Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The matchup will be between the #3 and #5 ranked teams in the latest FCS Stats poll. Only one other game this season has featured two top five teams, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. The game should prove to be a true championship game and atmosphere.

Speaking of Weber State, they survived a last minute scare from North Dakota to keep their win loss record intact. Jake Constantine ran for 12 yards to get the Wildcats into a tie with the Flicker Tails. Then two minutes later Trey Tuttle booted a 32 yard field goal to give Weber State the win. Montana struggled to get going in the first half against Idaho, but once they settled in they put the gas to Idaho and beat the Vandals by 24.

Sacramento State also survived an upset by scoring two touchdowns in the last three minutes. Two Jake Dunniway touchdown passes kept the Hornets playoff bound. Dunniway was filling in for the injured Kevin Thomson. The Hornets didn’t appear to miss a beat. Eastern Washington laid the wood to Idaho State after an interesting first quarter which had the Eagles up 3-2. Not willing to get caught in a pitchers dual the Eagles went and head and went on a 45-3 run to ice a win. UC Davis turned in a large fourth quarter to take down Portland State. Two Jake Maier touchdown passes, and an Ulonzo Gilliam run put it away for the Aggies. Montana State absolutely blasted Northern Colorado to keep their playoff hopes alive.

This week’s games feature Northern Colorado taking on North Dakota. Idaho State is headed off for another money game against BYU. Weber State and Montana will face off in Missoula. Northern Arizona is making a quick trip to take on Southern Utah. Sacramento State is headed to Moscow to take on Idaho. Montana State is hitting the road to take on UC Davis. In the night cap Eastern Washington is headed west to take on Cal Poly.

Scores

Montana State 45
Northern Colorado 14

Idaho 17
Montana 42

Sacramento State 38
Northern Arizona 34

North Dakota 27
Weber State 30

Eastern Washington 48
Idaho State 5

UC Davis 45
Portland State 28

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky Player of the week is UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier. Maier was 27/38 for 383 yards and four touchdowns as the Aggies defeated Portland State over the weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Kevin Thomson, QB, Sacramento State
Jeff Cotton, WR, Idaho
Ulonzo Gilliam, RB, UC Davis
Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Big Sky Power Rankings

Weber State
Montana
Sacramento State
Montana State
Eastern Washington
UC Davis
Portland State
Northern Arizona
Idaho
Cal Poly
Idaho State
Northern Colorado
Southern Utah

The Quad Shot

Montana got a big win over Idaho on Saturday. Not a big win in terms of defeating a good opponent, because Idaho was awful. But the Griz did keep their long-time rivalry trophy in Missoula. The Little Brown Stein has been shared between the schools has been around since 1903. Idaho leads the overall series 55-29-2. Montana has held the stein since 2003, however, there was a large gap in there when Idaho attempted to play FBS. After watching that game on Saturday you have to think that Paul Petrino is probably not safe after this season. That was one of the more bad teams I’ve watched in all of the college football this season. Undisciplined, sloppy, and not really a lot of talent. However, I will give props of Jeff Cotton. That guy is one bad mother. Montana had no answer for him, and had he not gotten hurt he probably would have had 15 catches.

The top of the Big Sky nearly became a wreck this weekend with both Weber State and Sacramento State hanging on for dear life and securing late game wins. Weber State scored 10 points in the final three minutes to beat North Dakota. Sacramento State scored 14 points in the last two minutes to pull off a win against Northern Arizona. Can you imagine two top ten teams going down in the same weekend? Oh wait, that happened with South Dakota State and Central Arkansas. With both teams hanging on for a win we might find ourselves in a three way tie for first at the end of the season. Assuming Montana beats Weber State and Montana State, and Weber and Sacramento State both win out. In that scenario Montana would have the tie breaker for Weber, Weber has the tiebreaker over Sacramento, and Sacramento has the tiebreaker over Montana. As our friends at the Brewery Follies would say, that’s a real fuster cluck!

Sacramento State didn’t seem to lose much with Jake Dunniway coming in on relief of the injured Kevin Thomson. Thomson, who looked like he might have been murdered on the hit he took. That being said, Sacramento State is still going to remain a tough out.

The quad shot should get back to normal’ish now. Life’s wild, man. A week out hunting in Eastern Montana with the old man, then a week in Vegas for work… yes, work. Getting back to the real world was kind of a drag.