Patriot League: Week 9 Preview

As the Patriot League football season enters its second half, the stakes continue to rise. The most compelling league game this weekend is Lehigh at Fordham. Both teams are seeking 2-0 starts in PL play after each experienced a shaky September. Georgetown will look to put last week’s final second loss to the Rams in rear view mirror when they play host to Lafayette. This will be the Leopards first league game after going winless in out of conference play. The non-league games this week are highlighted by two rivalries; Harvard at Holy Cross and Colgate at Cornell. Those four teams have played a combined 171 times. The third non-league game features an improving Bucknell team traveling to Maryland to take on #21 Towson.

Lafayette (0-6, 0-0) at Georgetown (4-2, 0-1) 12 P.M. Cooper Field; Washington D.C.

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Lafayette starts the Patriot League portion of their schedule Saturday when they travel to Washington D.C. Saturday to face Georgetown. The Hoyas enter this contest off a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to Fordham at Cooper Field. Tim DeMorat’s 17 yard TD pass with 16 second left was a major dagger in Georgetown’s Patriot League Title hopes. If Coach Sgarlata’s team wants to bounce against the Leopards the defense (13 ppg allowed) must tighten things up (405 yards allowed). Many of the issues that cost Georgetown in their season opening loss to Davidson popped up against the Rams. Offensively, Georgetown had their most productive game ever (525 Total Yards) against a Patriot League foe. Quarterback Gunther Johnson arguably had his best game of his career (13-17 280 yards, 81 yards rushing 2 TD). The “O” should be able to keep the positive mojo going against a Lafayette defense (445 ypg allowed) that has struggled to slow teams down.

Mercifully for Lafayette the out of conference portion of their schedule is over. Thanks to a winless start to 2019 and an ugly conclusion to 2018 the Leopards are riding a 9 game losing streak to D.C. Last week’s 28-3 loss to #19 Princeton almost certainly assured Lafayette a 10th straight non-winning season. Coach Garrett’s team now has to win out and capture a victory in the FCS playoffs to post the program’s first winning  record since 2009. In order to get win number one, Keegan Shoemaker must rebound from a tough outing (17-35 129 yards 2 INT) against the talented Tiger’s “D”. Despite being on the field for more than half the game (35 minutes), the Lafayette defense hung tough for most of the night against a Top 25 opponent. If there’s one thing to build off of heading into a key league game it’s that.

The key to this game might be emotion. Whoever is engaged and ready to play from the opening kickoff will come out on top. Georgetown is coming off arguably their most devastating loss since they joined the Patriot League nearly 20 years ago.  Lafayette is in the midst of another ugly season even though it’s felt like they are making legitimate progress at times. Until the Leopards prove they can win it’s extremely hard to envision them emerging victorious on the road against one of the top teams in the league.

Prediction: Georgetown 27 Lafayette 17

Harvard (3-1) at Holy Cross (3-3, 1-0) 1 P.M. Fitton Field; Worcester, MA

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: The battle for “Bay State” supremacy (sorry UMass, you stink) between Harvard and Holy Cross is easily the most nationally relevant game this week. This will be the 71st (Harvard leads 43-25-2) meeting between the two tradition rich programs. This game will be a great measuring stick for each team as they both figure to contend for their respective conference’s title. The Crimson have won three straight games in dominating fashion (139-46) since losing their season opener to non-scholarship powerhouse San Diego. The offense has been well balanced (252 pass/172 rush) under the direction of quarterback Jake Smith (238 ypg 11 TD 4 INT). The defense has done an excellent job shutting down the opponents rushing attack (65 ypg allowed) and their 252 passing yards per game allowed would be a lot lower if opponents weren’t trying to play catch up. This is a very good team that will challenge Dartmouth and Princeton for the Ivy League crown.

Holy Cross returns home for the first time since their thrilling win over #20 New Hampshire. Needless to say the Crusaders have lived up to their namesake the last six weeks. The last two of which have seen Holy Cross’s offense emerge from their early season slumber. Connor Degenhardt (210 ypg 6 TD 2 INT) has started October by capturing two straight Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performances against Bucknell and Brown. Degenhardt and the rest of the Crusader “O” will see a significantly better defense this Saturday than they faced against Bucknell and especially Brown. Offensive Coordinator Pat Murphy will need to keep a good Crimson defense on its heels if Holy Cross has ideas of getting their third straight win. Holy Cross’s defense must tighten things up after a shaky outing against Brown last week (31 points allowed).

This game might not count in the league standings for either team but its importance can’t be understated. Harvard has been a consistent force in the Ivy League since Head Coach Tim Murphy took over in 1994. Bob Chesney is trying to establish a similar culture of winning in Worcester. Heading into Saturday Murphy’s team appears to be a half step, maybe a full step, ahead of the Crusaders at this point.

Prediction: Harvard 34 Holy Cross 23

Lehigh (2-3, 1-0) at Fordham (3-4, 1-0) 1 P.M. Jack Coffey Stadium; Bronx, NY

Live Streaming: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: The 2019 Patriot League race will take further shape in the “Big Apple” when Fordham plays host to Lehigh. The Rams are fresh off their thrilling last second road win over Georgetown.  Quarterback Tim DeMorat might have been erratic for most of the afternoon but when it mattered most he made all the big throws including the game winner to Fotis Kokosioulis. Junior running back Zach Davis had a stellar afternoon (138 yards 2 TD) against an excellent Hoya front 7. Davis will face another strong run defense (74 ypg allowed) this week. The biggest concern for Coach Conlin’s team is the defense. They got torched (525 yards allowed) by an average at best Georgetown “O” last week. If Fordham wants to win the league outright the defense (455 ypg/33 ppg allowed) must get better. The unit continues to woefully underachieve relative to its talent level.

Lehigh heads to the Bronx well rested following their second bye of the season. The Mountain Hawks opted for two byes instead of a 12th game which in hindsight was the right call for a team trying to re-establish itself under new head coach Tom Gilmore. The extra week should have benefited the offense (13 ppg) the most considering the unit is dealing with significant injuries at wide receiver. Leading pass catcher Devon Bibbens (73 ypg 2 TD) still needs another week to recover from the huge hit he took against Colgate. Jalen Burbage tore is Achilles against the Raiders and is done for the season. Lehigh will need to rely on Jorge Portorreal and a patchwork receiver corps to do damage against Fordham’s leaky secondary. The Mountain Hawk defense (357 ypg/22 ppg allowed) will need to have their best game of the season in order to fly home happy.

Lehigh has dominated this series all-time 24-7 but the Rams have owned things (5/6) recently. While these might be the two most athletically gifted teams in the league they both have glaring flaws. Fordham enters this game on an emotional high in what has been a roller coaster of the season. Lehigh enters well rested following their win over Colgate two weeks ago. Can Fordham finally put together two straight well played games?

Predicition: Lehigh 27 Fordham 24

Colgate (0-7, 0-2) at Cornell (1-3) 1:30 P.M. Schoellkopf Field; Ithaca, NY

Live Streaming: ESPN+

The Need to Know: For the 101st time Central New York rivals Colgate and Cornell will battle it out on the gridiron. Despite suffering through one of the worst starts in school history, the Raiders can find a bit of a silver lining by tying up the all-time series 49-49-3 with a win. Colgate has won 9 out of the last 10 meetings against Cornell including last year’s 31-0 shutout win. Given the current state of each team it’s hard to imagine Saturday afternoon’s contest being a blowout either way. The Raiders continue to struggle on offense as Grant Breneman (139 ypg 2 TD 2 INT) remains hobbled by the ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season. Coach Hunt’s “O” is likely in for more tough sledding against a Big Red defense that is allowing 99 yards in the ground and tick over 200 through the air. The Raiders defense must bounce back from last week’s ugly performance (32 points allowed) against Bucknell.

The Big Red have their own quarterback concerns. Head Coach David Archer has rotated Richie Kenney (121 ypg 4 TD 6 INT) and Mike Cantenese (121 0 TD 1 INT) with the hopes that one of them would seize control of the position. Unfortunately for the “O”, neither Kenney or Cantenses has been able to establish themselves. Running back Harold Coles (91 ypg 3 TD) remains the offenses only consistent producer. The Cornell defense (20 ppg/302 ypg allowed) has done an admirable job since it’s often been put in tough situations.

This is an extremely difficult game to get a read on given both team’s limitations. The Raiders still possess excellent talent even if it’s 0-7 say otherwise. Cornell has put forth a more consistent effort to start the season despite being severely outmanned in all three of their losses. That’s why The Wedge is going to take the Big Red.

Prediction:  Cornell 20 Colgate 16

Bucknell (1-5, 1-1) at #21 Towson 4 P.M. Johnny Unitas Stadium; Towson, MD

Live Streaming: FloSports.com

The Need to Know: Bucknell will try to make it two wins in a row when the make the 2.5 hour trek south to take on former Patriot League member (’97-’03) Towson.  The Bison emphatically put an end to their school record 11 game losing streak with a convincing 32-14 win over Colgate last week in Hamilton. All three phases had significant contributions in the victory. The fake punt call in the third quarter really set the table for the rest of the game. Colgate scored a touchdown on their first possession of the second half to cut the Bison lead to 20-14. The gutsy call on 4th and 1 around midfield ultimately led to a touchdown and a two possession lead. Alex Pelchin earned Patriot League Special Teams Player of the week for his exploits in the win and LB Simeon Page (3 sacks, 2 Pass breakups, scoop and score TD) captured Defensive Player of the League honors for his stellar play. Quarterback Logan Bitikofer also pitched in with a very strong performance (18-29 250 yards 2 TD). The Bison will need everyone to be on top of their game again this week when they face one of the better teams from the CAA.

The Tigers remain ranked in the Top 25 despite losing their last 3 games (Villanova, Florida (FBS), Albany). The defense has yielded over 500 yards to both FCS opponents. Towson simply can’t get off the field as they are allowing teams to convert 54% of their third downs.  The Tiger’s all-everything Quarterback Tom Flacco (239 ypg passing/46 ypg rushing) and the talented offense hasn’t been playing to their potential either. Still, this remains a very dangerous team that has serious aspirations of playing well into December.

Bucknell should enter this game riding high following their win over Colgate. The Bison have played a very difficult non-conference schedule so nothing Towson throws at them will be a shock. The odds of a Bucknell win might be slim but that doesn’t mean the Bison will get run off the field.

Prediction: Towson 41 Bucknell 30

The FCS Wedge – 2019-1016 – Wk8 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week previews

Montana @ Sacramento State

South Dakota @ Northern Iowa

Nicholls State @ Sam Houston State

North Carolina A&T @ Florida A&M

New Hampshire @ Delaware

Southeast Missouri State @ Jacksonville State

2.) Three Big Questions

If James Madison and North Dakota State go 1-2, is there anyone that can knock them off in their home stadium?

Outside of the top 3, who has the best chance to take a top 2 seed?

Where is a location where you’ve always wanted to go see a game, but haven’t yet experienced?

2019-1016 – Wk8 PREVIEW

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1016 – Wk7 REVIEW

1) The Big Story

MASSIVE Conference Cannibalism in Week 7. Well, except in the Missouri Valley.

The Southland is eating itself alive

Big Sky with big road wins, Idaho State stays alive with a huge bounce back

A team that lost to Robert Morris might be the second best team in the SoCon…VMI. RMU lost to Dayton and DII Kentucky State as well.

CAA eating itself alive

OVC may have a new contender

Recaps
James Madison 38 Villanova 24

Sacramento State 34 Montana State 21

Austin Peay 28 Southeast Missouri State 24

South Dakota State 38 Youngstown State 28

New Hampshire 20 Stony Brook 14

North Dakota State 46 Northern Iowa 14

San Diego 37 Davidson 17

Dartmouth 42 Yale 10

2.) AGS Poll

2019-1016 – Wk7 REVIEW

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Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 7

One of the Big Sky heavyweights took a knock out this weekend and took a tumble down the polls as a result. In one of the bigger FCS upsets this weekend Sacramento State walked into Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman and handed the Cats their second loss of the season, and did it somewhat handily. Hornet quarterback Kevin Thomson totaled 334 yards and five touchdowns to lead Sacramento State to probably their biggest conference win in a few years, and now their first top 25 ranking since 2014. Impressive win for them, disappointing for the Cats.

In other Big Sky action, a week after North Dakota got a last second win over UC Davis they turned around and got absolutely pummeled by Idaho State. Idaho State, who was coming off of their own pummeling at the hands of Montana, hung 55 on the Fighting Hawks. Bengal quarterback Matt Struck threw for 396 yards and five touchdowns to lead the way. Eastern Washington beat the hell out of Northern Colorado. Pretty familiar theme in Greeley this year. Eric Barriere threw for 445 yards and five scores, and rushed for another 41 yards.

Portland State tossed a shutout against Idaho, winning 24-0. The Vikings used a balanced attack rushing for 181 and passing for 167. Idaho employed the “throw four interceptions” tactic against the Vikings, which led to their not having any points on the board. UC Davis jumped out to a 34-10 halftime lead and didn’t look back, beating Cal Poly handily. Jake Maier threw for 378 and four scores, and also got 152 on the ground from Ulonzo Gilliam. In the night cap Weber State kept rolling with a tough win over Southern Utah in Ogden this weekend.

Coming up this week is Montana taking on Sacramento State on the road, Northern Arizona traveling to Weber State, Portland State going to Northern Colorado, Idaho State playing in-state rival Idaho in the world famous Kibbie Dome, North Dakota continuing to make the Big Sky rounds and going on the road to play Cal Poly, and UC-Davis traveling to Cedar City to take on Southern Utah.

Scores

North Dakota 20
Idaho State 55

Sacramento State 34
Montana State 21

Northern Colorado 21
Eastern Washington 54

Idaho 0
Portland State 24

Southern Utah 14
Weber State 29

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky player of the week is Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson. Thomson was 23/30 for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while also running for 74 yards and two touchdowns, as Sacramento State went on the road and beat #6 Montana State over the weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Kevin Thomson, QB, Sacramento State
Jake Meier, QB, UC Davis
Ulonzo Gilliam, RB, UC Davis
Jeff Cotton, WR, Idaho

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

The Quad Shot

On one hand I was surprised that Sacramento State went to Bozeman and beat Montana State. On the other hand I really wasn’t that surprised. Kevin Thomson has been playing out of his mind lately, and Montana State has looked like a team who was going to take a loss. An injured Troy Anderson, and the lack of production from the quarterback position was eventually going to cost them a game. Whether it costs them anymore games after this remains to be seen, but they were definitely vulnerable.

It’s kind of amazing to see what’s happened to Idaho since their transition to FCS from FBS. Logic would dictate that they should have some talent remaining from being an FBS team with what you’d think would be better recruits. At least recruits that would be competitive in the top third of the Big Sky. However, this team might actually be worse than any FBS team they fielded. Maybe it’s a Paul Petrino problem, maybe it’s an Idaho problem, could be many things. I know the Kibbie Dome isn’t world class or anything, but it’s better than half the stadiums in the Big Sky. They have a new’ish weight training facility, which is better than at least half the conference. A lot has changed since Idaho first transition to FBS 20+ years ago, but man, this is just brutal.

Two of the top total offenses in all of FCS belong to Big Sky Conference teams, Eastern Washington at three, Montana at four. Two of the top total defenses in the country belong to Missouri Valley teams, North Dakota State at three, South Dakota State at five. They say that defense wins championships, and that’s usually true. If you think a Big Sky team is going to win a national championship this season I suggest the defenses start turning it around. The top Big Sky team in total defense is Portland State at 20. There are three Big Sky teams in the top 50, Weber State at 43, Sacramento State at 48.

I’m going to jump on a familiar soap box again. The FCS polls came out again on Monday morning and again there are Ivy League teams, -TEAMS-, crawling up the rankings. What in the actual hell do these teams do to deserve their rankings? In this week’s FCS Stats poll Princeton is at 17, Dartmouth at 21. Princeton’s opponents are a combined 3-19. Dartmouth’s opponents are 7-14. Now, I know we could make this argument for several teams (looking at you South Dakota State), but what makes the Ivies so special that they just rocket up the polls with no challenge most of the season? You put the best Ivy teams against middle of the pack Power 3 teams (BSC, MVFC, and CAA) they’re going to get thumped.  Off my soapbox, agree and disagree all you want but I’ll die on this hill.

 

AGS Poll: Week 7 Top 25 Results

Top 25 image

It was a tumultuous week 6 for teams in the AGS Poll as, once you got outside of the top 5, 16 of the 30 teams listed in last week’s poll that were in action this week lost and many were to foes ranked below them or not at all. Despite that the top 4 remained unchanged with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, and Weber State in that order. Montana climbed up one spot to land in the top 5 for the first time this year at #5.

After that things got chaotic starting with Sacramento State who rode a big road win over previously 7th ranked Montana State to rocket up 12 spots to #10, their highest ranking in the AGS Poll ever. Austin Peay was another big mover going up 6 spots to set their new high water mark in the AGS Poll at #17. Dartmouth used a convincing victory over previously unbeaten Yale to rise 5 spots to #19. New Hampshire, riding a 4 game win streak, shot up 14 spots to land in the top 25 for the first time this season at #20. Jacksonville State and UC Davis each got a 4 spot bump to return to the top 25 coming in at #22 and #25 respectively. The best story of the week though has to be Central Connecticut State who, after their 5-1 start, made a 7 spot jump to #24 to get into the AGS Top 25 for the first time since 2009.

The teams going in the opposite direction were led by Montana State who fell 5 spots to #12 after their aforementioned loss to Sacramento State. Towson plummeted 11 spots to #21 after their 3rd straight loss and fellow CAA conference mate Stony Brook took a 6 spot dip to #23 after each were upset on Saturday. Southeast Missouri State, Delaware, Maine, and Southeastern Louisiana all dropped out of the top 25 after sustaining losses in week 6.

In terms of conference representation the Big Sky, CAA, and MVFC led the way each putting 5 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Ivy League, OVC, and Southland who each placed 2 teams into the top 25. A season high 10 conference were represented in this week’s top 25. There were also 7 new teams that appeared in this week’s ORV section.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2222 88
2 – James Madison Dukes 2115
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 2051 1
4 – Weber State Wildcats 1904
5 1 Montana Grizzlies 1846
6 -1 Villanova Wildcats 1724
7 1 Furman Paladins 1684
8 3 Nicholls State Colonels 1492
9 3 Kennesaw State Owls 1398
10 12 Sac State Hornets 1321
11 -2 Northern Iowa Panthers 1174
12 -5 Montana State Bobcats 1168
13 2 Illinois State Redbirds 1152
14 2 Central Arkansas Bears 1053
15 -2 North Carolina A&T Aggies 1047
16 -2 Youngstown State Penguins 781
17 6 Austin Peay Governors 701
18 2 Princeton Tigers 638
19 5 Dartmouth Big Green 631
20 14 New Hampshire Wildcats 516
21 -11 Towson Tigers 502
22 4 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 360
23 -6 Stony Brook Seawolves 288
24 7 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 244
25 4 UC Davis Aggies 129
ORV:
26 NR Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 123
27 NR Idaho State Bengals 84
28 -3 Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 69
29 4 Wofford Terriers 63
30 -12 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 57
31 9 Elon Phoenix 54
32 NR Albany Great Danes 46
33 NR Portland State Vikings 44
34 -15 Maine Black Bears 41
35 NR Incarnate Word Cardinals 28
36 2 San Diego Torreros 25
37 -16 Southeastern Louisiana Lions 24
38 -8 Yale Bulldogs 20
39 NR Florida A&M Panthers 18
40T NR Virginia Military Institute Keydets 15
40T -2 Chattanooga Mocs 15

Most significant win: Sac State Hornets
Most significant loss: Towson Tigers

Dropping out of the poll:
Houston Baptist Huskies
McNeese State Cowboys
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Sam Houston State Bearkats
South Carolina State Bulldogs
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?236766-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-7-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 8 Preview

As the fall nights continue to get colder in the Northeast, the Patriot League football race is really starting to heat up. There’s no question the league had a horrible September and lacks a natioonally relevant team but now that conference season is here it’s all about a single goal, win it and get to the playoffs. The Fordham (0-0)-Georgetown (0-0) game should be a large piece to the puzzle. They Hoyas have never won the Patriot League Title or participated in the FCS playoffs. Following their loss to Lehigh, defending champion Colgate (0-1) is in a must win out to repeat position as they play host to Bucknell. The Bison are in the same spot after losing their league opener to Holy Cross. Lafayette faces their final non-conference hurdle this week as they travel to “Old Nassua” to take on a Top 25 Tiger team. Lehigh is enjoying their second bye of the season following the thrilling win over Colgate last weekend.

Friday Night

Lafayette (0-5, 0-0) at #20 Princeton (3-0) 7 P.M. Princeton Stadium; Princeton, NJ

Live TV: ESPNU

The Need to Know: Lafayette makes the short trip to Central New Jersey to take on Princeton in a nationally televised game. The Leopards will try to end a 10 game losing streak (last win 2003) to the Tigers. It will be a tall task since Bob Surace’s  team is currently riding a 13 game winning streak which is the second longest in FCS (NDSU 26 games). The 2019 edition of the Tigers might not be quite as good as last year’s version (finished #11T) but it’s still very much worthy of its Top 25 ranking. The offense (42 ppg) hasn’t missed much of a beat with quarterback Kevin Davidson having an excellent start to the season (74% comp, 331 ypg, 10 TD 1INT). WR Andrew Griffin has been the big play threat in the passing game; 22 ypc/ 5 TD. The Princeton defense is no slouch either (13.3 ppg allowed). They will be tested by the Leopard’s talent quarterback Keegan Shoemaker (257 ypg 8 TD 5 INT).

Lafayette is coming off a much needed bye week after their 0-5 start. They’ve now lost 8 straight games dating back to last season. If Lafayette head coach John Garrett wants to defeat his alma mater for the first time the Leopard defense (34 ppg allowed) must have their best game of the season. The Tigers will throw all sorts of formations and personnel groupings at the ‘Pard “D”. If the Lafayette defense is not prepared things will get away from them in a hurry.

Princeton has dominated Lafayette (43-3-4) historically. That trend will continue under the lights at Princeton Stadium.

Prediction: Princeton 52 Lafayette 27

Saturday

Holy Cross (2-3, 1-0) at Brown (1-2) 12:30 P.M. Brown Stadium; Providence, RI

Live Stream: ESPN+

The Need to Know: After notching their first Patriot League win of the season, Holy Cross jumps out of conference to take on the Brown Bears. The Crusaders used a strong defensive performance to defeat Bucknell 21-14 last weekend. The Holy Cross “O” remains a work in progress as quarterback Connor Degenhardt (189 ypg 2 TD and 2 INT) has yet to find his stride. If the Crusaders want to capture their first Patriot League Title since 2009 the offense must find a way to create more explosive plays. Facing a Bear defense that is surrendering 34 ppg and 364 yards through the air could be just what the doctor ordered.

The Bears offense is led by do everything quarterback E.J. Perry. The junior signal caller is averaging 255 yards passing and an impressive 109 more on the ground (8.6 ypr). Perry’s ability to attack a defense with his arm and his legs is a huge asset when facing a unit as good the Crusader’s. The Holy Cross defense has the pieces to be one of, if not the top unit in the PL. If they’re able to contain Perry the odds of a Brown win greatly diminish. Brown was picked to finish last in the Ancient Eight following last year’s disastrous 1-9 campaign.

This is an interesting game because it’s been tough to gauge just how good either team is. Holy Cross is 2-1 against FCS competition but have yet to play a complete game; especially on offense. Brown has a five point win over Providence neighbor Bryant and two losses against respectable opponents (Harvard/URI). If the Crusader defense is able to limit Perry’s damage they should be able to manufacture just enough points to escape the “Renaissance City” with a victory.

Prediction: Holy Cross 27 Brown 20

Bucknell (0-5, 0-1) at Colgate (0-6, 0-1) 1 P.M. Andy Kerr Stadium; Hamilton, NY

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: A lengthy losing streak will mercifully come to an end when Bucknell and Colgate tango in Central New York Saturday afternoon. The Bison are mired in a now school record 11 game losing streak. To be fair, the struggling Bucknell program has faced a difficult schedule to start the season. Between the schedule and roster deficiencies, first year head coach Dave Cecchini inherited a very tough situation in Lewisburg. His Bison squad did play extremely hard in their 21-14 loss to Holy Cross last weekend. The offense (13 ppg) was able to get the ground attack going last week (139 yards) thanks in large part to Chad Freshnock’s strong performance (14 carries 78 yards 1 TD).  The “O” simply failed to make the key plays in the 4th quarter that were needed to win. The defense (41 ppg allowed) played their best game of the season against a rather limited Crusader offense.

Colgate’s season continues to spiral downward (7 game losing streak) in shocking fashion. The Raiders 11 game league winning streak ended last week against Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks were also the most recent league foe to defeat (10/7/17) the Raiders prior to last week. The Colgate offense (11 ppg) failed to produce despite the return of quarterback Grant Breneman. The lack of a running attack (88 ypg) by traditional Colgate standards is the biggest issue. The talented Malik Twyman (43 ypg) is playing through an ankle injury which combined with Breneman’s own injury woes and poor line play have caused the “O” to come to a grinding halt. If Breneman’s health allows him to be more effective running the ball against Bucknell the Raiders will be able to grind out yards. Nick Wheeler (10 TFL) and the Colgate defense should have little trouble containing the Bison offense.

For a multitude of reason’s Colgate is off to their worst start since 1995 (finished 0-11). Thankfully for the Raiders they get to square off against a Bison team that might be nearing full “rock bottom” mode. This game should be competitive with the home team making a few big plays in all three phases to win.

Prediction: Colgate 24 Bucknell 13

Fordham (2-4, 0-0) at Georgetown (4-1, 0-0) 2 P.M. Cooper Filed; Washington D.C.

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: It might be only early October but there will still be major Patriot League Title implications on the line when Fordham and Georgetown clash in our nation’s capital. The Hoyas are off to their best start through five games since 1999 when they began 5-0 en-route to a 9-2 season. That was Georgetown’s last season as a full time member of the MAAC (no longer sponsors football). Expectations were high heading into 2019 and so far Rob Sgarlata’s team has met them. Georgetown is once again led by an excellent defense (9.6 ppg allowed) that has the potential to be the best they’ve had since joining the Patriot League. The offense (34 ppg) continues to be “good enough” behind the two headed monster of Gunther Johnson (5 Pass TD/3 Rush TD) and Joseph Brunell (3 Pass TD) at quarterback.

Fordham has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this season. They’ve been trading a well-played game with a clunker through the first six contests of 2019. Despite having one of the best linebacker corps in FCS, the defense remains an enigma. The unit has struggled for several years dating back to Moorhead’s tenure.  The Ram offense (23 ppg) hasn’t exactly lit it up either but overall they’ve been solid/good enough. Tim DeMorat (204 ypg 11 TD 5 INT) and his receivers will need to be at their best against the stout Hoya defense if Fordham wants to pull off the huge win. Running back Zach Davis likely won’t find much daylight against an excellent Hoya front 7.

This is a really intriguing game. Fordham has shown the potential to be a legit contender in the Patriot League but their inability to put forth consistent effort week to week is concerning. The Hoyas on the other hand have been extremely consistent since their season opening loss to Davidson. With that in mind, Georgetown seems destined to make it three straight wins against opponents (Columbia & Cornell) from the “Empire State”.

Prediction: Georgetown 26 Fordham 21

2019-1009 The FCS Homer Show

Trying out a new show where we bring in some guys or gals from around AGS to do some picks and possibly take a few jabs back and forth with Kris & Lance. This week we have Brendan Luedtke from the Splitting Hares Podcast and an active member of the AGS community know to all as Thumper 76 and a fan of the SDSU Jackrabbits.

2019-1009 The FCS Homer Show

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1009 – Wk7 PREVIEW

1.) Games of the week

Villanova @ James Madison

Northern Iowa @ North Dakota State

SEMO @ Austin Peay

Sacramento State @ Montana State

South Dakota State @ Youngstown State

New Hampshire @ Stony Brook

San Diego @ Davidson

2.) Three Big Questions

Halfway through the season. Let’s talk Playoffs. Other than the anticipated champion which teams in each conference could rise up and steal a seed?

Villanova, SDSU, Maine, Sacramento State, SHSU, UCA…?

Who are the Payton and Buchanan Award front runners?

Have you ever coached anything?

Lance & Kris both have some great discussion on this 3 big segment. These guys are good.  You should listen up.

2019-1002 – Wk7 PREVIEW

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The FCS Wedge – 2019-1009 – Wk6 REVIEW

1.) The Big Games

James Madison 45 Stony Brook 38 OT

North Dakota State 37 Illinois State 3

Nicholls State 34 Central Arkansas 14

Furman 58 Samford 14

Montana 59 Idaho State 20

Northern Iowa 21 Youngstown State 14

North Dakota 38 UC Davis 36

2.) AGS Poll

2.) The Week 6 AGS Poll

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2019-1002 – Wk6 REVIEW

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Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 6

November is shaping up to be a big month in the Big Sky Conference. League leader Weber State will face off with Montana, and a week later the Griz will face Montana State. For those three teams the conference will more than likely be decided in those two weeks. Provided I’m reading the tea leaves correctly.

This week the top three kept separating themselves from everyone else in the Big Sky. Montana thoroughly dominated an Idaho State team that came to Missoula bubbling with confidence. And for one quarter the Bengals cup runneth over, but after that the Griz went on a 59-3 run to close the game. Dalton Sneed accounted for nearly 470 yards in total offense to lead the Griz on that rampage. Over on the west coast Montana State survived an overtime contest against a salty Cal Poly team. And up in the Northern Rockies Weber State got themselves into a dog fight with Idaho to survive. Idaho put a scare into the Wildcats late in the game as Nick Romano took a kick 97 yards to the house to put the Vandals in position to possibly win the game.

In other Big Sky action UC Davis continued their free-fall in the standings by losing to North Dakota. Davis held a late lead after being down by 14 at multiple points in the game. Jake Maier connected with Wesley Preece on a two yard pass, and converted a two point conversion to take the lead. However, North Dakota would launch a 46 yard field goal in the final minute to win. Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson took over and accounted for five touchdowns as the Hornets beat Eastern Washington rather handily. Northern Arizona had a 24 point third quarter to asset their dominance over Northern Colorado. Case Cookus had a five touchdown, 406 yard effort to lead the charge for the Lumberjacks. Portland State put up a 50-burger on Southern Utah.

Coming up this week North Dakota will travel to Pocatello to take on Idaho State. Sacramento State will go on the road to take on Montana State. Northern Colorado will travel to Cheney to take on Eastern Washington in the Big Sky pillow fight of the week. Idaho will go to Portland State. Cal Poly will make the short trip to take on UC Davis. In the night cap Weber State will host Southern Utah for Beehive State supremacy.

Scores

UC Davis 36
North Dakota 38

Idaho State 20
Montana 59

Weber State 41
Idaho 35

Southern Utah 31
Portland State 52

Northern Colorado 23
Northern Arizona 41

Montana State 34
Cal Poly 28

Eastern Washington 27
Sacramento State 48

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky Player of the Week is Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed. Sneed was 26/41 for 397 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 67 yards and two touchdowns as Montana defeated Idaho State over the weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Jake Meier, QB, UC Davis
Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona
Ulonzo Gilliam, RB, UC Davis
Jeff Cotton, WR, Idaho

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

The Quad Shot

I think we can put the done chain (borrowing that from Pardon my Take) on Eastern Washington and UC Davis. They are definitely not going to make the playoffs, but holy cow, will they even finish in the top half of the league? For two teams that started the season in the top 5 and getting even first place votes, how have they fallen out of the playoffs by week six? Eastern is transitioning quarterbacks, I get it. But they’ve been pretty plug and play at that position for quite a few years, now all of a sudden they have a power outage. And UC Davis, the weapons are there. Maybe terrible coaching follows Dan Hawkins?

Montana’s surge to start this season definitely surprised me. I didn’t expect the Griz to be this good on offense. So far the Griz are now seventh in scoring offense at 41 PPG, fifth in total offense at 496 yards per game, 32nd in turnover margin at +3, and ninth in 3rd down conversions. Dalton Sneed is the runaway offensive MVP in the Big Sky right now and there’s no one even close to him. Case Cookus could maybe make a case of the Lumberjacks were good. The Griz will get a test against Sacramento State in a few weeks, and after that they’re skating free until Weber State in mid-November.

Montana State eeked out an overtime win against Cal Poly on Saturday night. Was catching that game at a local watering hole wondering how the Bobcats are now this far into the season and are getting by without a quarterback. Not sure Jeff Choate has recruited a quarterback in his tenure in Bozeman. I know why the Bobcats are doing this, but I just can’t fathom not having the ball in Troy Anderson’s hands. He might be one of the best athletes in the entire Big Sky Conference and he’s hitting people on defense. Think he’d get tired playing both ways? Just a thought when things go south in Bozeman.

Stealing this from my Mountain West blog, but if you’re reading this particular blog you’re more than likely a die-hard college football fan. We all have places we want to see football games. If you’re going to pick five places to see a college football game, what is your bucket list? How many of that bucket list have you knocked off? For me it’s The Swamp at Florida, Death Valley at LSU, Michie Stadium at Army, Harvard/Yale in the Yale Bowl (though, wouldn’t complain about seeing it at Harvard either), and just because I want to tailgate with these people a game at Kidd Brewer Stadium at Appalachian State. If I happen to go to Boone for a game, send a rescue team, I’ll need it.