The FCS Wedge

Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 4

We’re through the non-conference part of the Big Sky Conference football season. Can’t come soon enough, time to start the race towards the playoffs and the auto-bids. There’s a horse race at the top of the Big Sky and everyone’s still got a chance to snag that auto-bid. Except Northern Colorado. They do not have a chance.

This week saw Monmouth make the cross-country trip to Montana and face the Grizzlies. After the teams spent a quarter feeling each other out the fireworks started. Dalton Sneed threw for four touchdowns to lead the Griz over the Hawks. Monmouth quarterback Kenji Bahar put on a show, however, throwing for 393 yards, an impressive young quarterback. Eastern Washington took the trip down the Palouse to take on Idaho. The Vandals jumped out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back as they defeated Eastern Washington. Montana State made quick work of the visiting Norfolk State Spartans.

In the Big Sky game of the week UC Davis went to the Fargo Quanset Hut and took on North Dakota State. Close game most of the way through, but a late Bison touchdown iced the win. Jake Meier had a big day through the air, throwing for 312 yards and a score, but also had way too many turnovers to keep the Aggies in the game. South Dakota State beat up on Northern Colorado in the Big Sky pillow fight of the week. Northern Iowa eeked one out against Idaho State. Haven’t decided if Idaho State is good or lucky. Portland State beat some directional school. South Dakota State put a hurting on Southern Utah. Illinois State had a big third quarter to get past Northern Arizona. To cap the night Sacramento State hung with Fresno State for two quarters before eventually giving up 20 points in the fourth quarter and losing to the Bulldogs.

This week we’ll see Montana go to California and take on UC Davis. Northern Arizona will come north to take on Montana State in Bozeman. Idaho will head to Greeley to take on Northern Colorado. North Dakota comes across the Big Sky to take on Eastern Washington. In the Big Sky pillow fight of the week Portland State heads to Pocatello to take on Idaho State. Northern Iowa can’t get enough of the Big Sky, and will take on Weber State in Ogden. In the night cap Cal Poly will travel to Southern Utah.

Scores

Monmouth 27
Montana 47

Eastern Washington 27
Idaho 35

Norfolk State 21
Montana State 56

UC Davis 16
North Dakota State 27

South Dakota 14
Northern Colorado 6

Idaho State 6
Northern Iowa 13

Eastern Oregon 9
Portland State 59

Southern Utah 7
South Dakota State 43

Northern Arizona 27
Illinois State 40

Sacramento State 20
Fresno State 34

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky Player of the Week is Montana quarterback Dalton Sneed. Sneed was 30/40 for 334 yards and four touchdowns in Montana’s win over Monmouth this weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

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

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

The Quad Shot

The Big Sky Conference took it on the chin this week. Going 0-5 against the Missouri Valley this week isn’t doing the conference reputation a lot of favors. A few lopsided match-ups this week, not exactly pairing 1:1 matchups. The only good game of any of these was UC-Davis and NDSU. Davis looks like a formidable team heading into conference play. Surprised that Jake Meier threw three interceptions, thought he’d have a little better showing. Once again, I guess it’s NDSU and everyone else.

Eastern Washington what the hell are you doing? I know Idaho isn’t good, or at least good enough to jump out to a 28-0 lead on a supposed top five team heading into the week. Still hope for the Eags though, it was a non-conference game. But man, that’ll probably be a black mark on the playoff resume if the Eags can turn around their season. Just watch, Idaho will now run the table.

I’ll be curious if Weber State can win out this season. The top of the Big Sky is particularly strong and right now I can see a scenario where any of the top five can win the conference. Eastern better fix that whole defense thing they have going on. Montana needs to fix that giving up a lot of passing yards things. Montana State better fix that quarterback thing. UC Davis, can they keep scoring against tough defenses? Weber State, will they be able to score at all or just play defense and pray? I might be way off, none of these teams are perfect, at least perfect enough to beat NDSU. Or even SDSU, for that matter.

On a more non-Big Sky related note.. I’ve been an AGS top 25 poll voter for quite a few years. FCS I would say is generally the toughest of all divisions of college football to rank. You have teams playing up, teams playing down, teams that don’t play up or down and it’s really tough to gauge where a team is at after the first three to four weeks of the season. Furman I getting top 10 votes and I just don’t get it. Two FBS losses, two FCS wins against “eh” opponents.. does that make them top 10? Then there’s the Ivy League.. teams like Princeton getting top 25 consideration and votes despite not playing a single game until week four. What sense does that make? Even then, the Ivies play a game or two non-conference then stick to their own league. How do we know if they’re good or bad? Do we give credit for FCS teams playing up and not getting completely obliterated by an Oregon-esque team? Tough to judge, not a fan of being a poll voter this time of year, but I’ll keep my perfect year streaks intact once more this year.

AGS Poll: Week 4 Top 25 Results

Week 4 was another fairly calm one in the AGS Top 25 with the exception of a couple big upsets but, despite some shake-ups in the order, it was the same 25 teams in the AGS Top 25 this week. The top 4 remained unchanged with North Dakota State, James Madison, South Dakota State, and UC Davis coming in at #1-#4 respectively. Northern Iowa crept up to #5 to achieve their first top 5 ranking in the AGS Poll since week 1 of 2016.

The teams moving up this week were headlined by Villanova who catapulted up 11 spots all the way to #7 following their impressive win over previously 5th ranked Towson. The only other team to move up more than one spot was Furman who rose 2 spots to #10 after dismantling their fellow SOCON foe Mercer. That is the Paladins highest ranking in the AGS Poll since Week 1 of 2007.

Going in the opposite direction was Towson who dropped 4 spots to #9 following their aforementioned loss to Villanova. Central Arkansas dropped 4 spots to #12 after dropping a game to FBS foe Hawaii. Eastern Washington plummeted 14 spots to barely hang in the top 25 at #25 after a stunning upset loss to fellow Big Sky opponent Idaho.

The CAA led the way again in terms of conference representation placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and MVFC with 5 each, the Southland with 3, and the SOCON with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 9 conferences were represented in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank	Change	Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
1	–	North Dakota State Bison	2237	83
2	–	James Madison Dukes	2137	4
3	–	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	2079	3
4	–	UC Davis Aggies	1851
5	1	Northern Iowa Panthers	1683
6	1	Weber State Wildcats	1670
7	11	Villanova Wildcats	1507
8	1	Montana State Bobcats	1502
9	-4	Towson Tigers	1364
10	2	Furman Paladins	1333
11	-1	Kennesaw State Owls	1297
12	-4	Central Arkansas Bears	1283
13	–	Illinois State Redbirds	1245
14	–	Maine Black Bears	1017
15	–	Nicholls State Colonels	965
16T	–	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	953
16T	1	Montana Grizzlies	953
18	1	Southeastern Louisiana Lions	788
19	1	Youngstown State Penguins	711
20	1	North Carolina A&T Aggies	576
21	1	Elon Phoenix	337
22	1	The Citadel Bulldogs	321
23	–	Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens	308
24	1	Princeton Tigers	226
25	-14	Eastern Washington Eagles	211
ORV:
26	2	Stony Brook Seawolves	178
27	-1	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	108
28	1	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	65
29	2	Dartmouth Big Green	48
30	NR	Idaho Vandals	41
31	2	Yale Bulldogs	36
32	8	Abilene Christian Wildcats	32
33T	3	Sac State Hornets	31
33T	-3	Southern Illinois Salukis	31
35	-3	South Carolina State Bulldogs	29
36	1	Indiana State Sycamores	24
37	NR	Houston Baptist Huskies	14
38	NR	Central Connecticut State Blue Devils	12
39	NR	Idaho State Bengals	10
40	NR	Sam Houston State Bearkats	9

Most significant win: Villanova Wildcats
Most significant loss: Eastern Washington Eagles

Dropped out of the poll:
Austin Peay Governors
Cal Poly Mustangs
McNeese State Cowboys
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Portland State Vikings

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?234806-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-4-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 5 Preview

As week 5 commences, the Patriot League will try to improve upon its dismal 4-16 overall record. The league struggled mightily in 2017 and 2018 but this year things have somehow managed to get worse. Given this week’s tough slate of games the Patriot League could be facing their second winless Saturday of the season. The best news this week might be the fact that three teams (Bucknell, Georgetown and Lehigh) are on a bye so the number of possible losses the league can sustain is minimalized.

Holy Cross (1-1, 0-0) at Yale (0-0) 1 P.M. Yale Bowl; New Haven, CT

Live Stream: ESPN+

The Need to Know: Fresh off an early season bye, Holy Cross makes the 100 mile journey to the historic Yale Bowl to take on the Eli. As is tradition, Yale and rest of the Ivy League wait until mid-September to start their 10 game season. Yale is the preseason favorite to win the Ancient Eight following last year’s injury riddled 5-5 record. The offense returns every key contributor which is a tremendous feather in head coach Tony Reno’s cap. The unit is led by senior quarterback Kurt Rawlings (223 ypg 9 TD 3 INT in ‘18). Rawlings has a tremendous wide receiver in Reed Klubnick (1,143 9 TD) along the dynamic running back duo of Zane Dudek (1,133 15 TD in ’17) and Alan Lamar (685 yards 9 TD in ’18). Defensively, Ryan Burke (6 sacks in ’18) is a menace from the linebacker position. Holy Cross snuck past the Eli 31-28 in OT last season.

The Crusaders must get their offense going (10 ppg, 63 ypg rushing) if they want to pull the upset against a very talented and experienced Yale team. Quarterback Connor Degenhardt has to stretch the field more with his big arm and Preseason All-PL running back Domenic Cozier (43 yards) needs to assert himself behind an experienced O-line.

This should be a good barometer for both teams. The winner will likely garner serious Top 25 consideration. Odds are it’s Yale as they seem destined for a huge year as long as the injury bug doesn’t strike for a second straight season.

The Pick: Yale 34 Holy Cross 17

Lafayette (0-3, 0-0) at Albany (1-2) 3:30 P.M. Bob Ford Field; Albany, NY

Live Stream: FloSports.com

The Need to Know: For the first time ever Lafayette and Albany will clash on the gridiron. Both teams have been wildly inconsistent to start the 2019 season. Lafayette head coach John Garrett’s decision to start Keegan Shoemaker (STATS National Freshman of Week) against Sacred Heart jump started the previously morbid offense (623 total yards, 40 points). In addition to the national honors, Shoemaker garnered PL Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding debut (411 passing yards, 2 TD, 134 rushing yards 2 TD). Unfortunately for the Leopards, the defense got torched for 56 points as they lost their sixth straight game dating back to last season.

The Danes enter this game coming off a tough 38-35 OT loss to Monmouth. Despite the “L” dropping Albany’s record to 1-2 there’s still reason to be optimistic in the Capital District. The offense has been outstanding (33.6 ppg) under the direction of redshirt freshman Jeff Undercuffler (223 ypg 8 TD 3 INT). Defensively (26 ppg allowed) the Danes have struggled at times to stop the pass (252 ypg) and the run (183 ypg). They were picked to finish last in the 12 team CAA.

Lafayette will need another big game from Keegan Shoemaker in order to keep up with a talented Albany offense. Ultimately it’s hard to envision the Leopard “D” slowing down Undercuffler enough times to notch their first win of the year.

Prediction: Albany 41 Lafayette 24

Fordham (1-2, 0-0) at Stony Brook (2-1) 6 P.M. LaValle Stadium; Stony Brook, NY

Live Stream: FloSports.com

The Need to Know: The Rams make the trek out to Long Island to take on a dangerous Stony Brook squad. Like Fordham, the Seawolves took it on the chin against a FBS team (Utah State 62-7) and faced two NEC squads. The difference is, SBU easily took care of business against their NEC competition (vs Bryant, vs Wagner) while Fordham was only able to eek out a split (L vs CCSU, W vs Bryant). The Seawolves have used a familiar recipe for success to start the year; good defense (10 ppg allowed vs FCS) and a punishing ground attack (208 ypg). Tyquell Fields has struggled passing the ball (49% completion). As a result there’s a strong possibility back-up Jack Cassidy sees some meaningful action. The Seawolves were picked to finish 6^th in CAA.

Fordham used a 23 point fourth quarter last weekend to pull away from Bryant and capture their first “W” of the 2019. Zach Davis’s 140 rushing yards led the Ram offense while the defense had their best outing of the year (238 yards allowed). The linebacker duo of Cunningham and Greenhagen will need to be at their best this Saturday against the physical Seawolves.

Stony Brook often tries to pummel their opponents into submission with a clock controlling rushing attack and relying on tough, fundamentally sound defensive play. Fordham will need to have a strong effort from the offensive and defensive lines in order to pull the upset. The Rams will hang tough for a while but the Seawolves physicality will take its toll in the second half.

The Pick: Stony Brook 30 Fordham 20

#14 Maine (1-2) at Colgate (0-3, 0-0) 12 P.M. Andy Kerr Stadium; Hamilton, NY

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Colgate and Maine will clash Saturday afternoon for the first time since 2001 (Maine 34 Colgate 10). Amazingly, the Black Bears have not faced a Patriot League opponent since their game with Colgate 18 years ago. The Raiders are 0-2 against teams from the CAA in 2019. They’ve been outscored 72-20 in those 2 defeats. Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Grant Breneman (99 ypg 2 TD 2 INT) was injured is last week’s 38-10 loss against William & Mary and is not expected to play this Saturday. Rumor has it that Breneman’s backup Jake Froschauer is also nursing an injury and might not be available. If that’s the case Head Coach Dan Hunt will have to turn to either senior Noah Rothman or one of the freshman; Alex Rosso/Nick Frey. This is a worst case scenario for a Raider offense that has struggled mightily to start 2019 (221 ypg, 10 ppg).

Maine also enters this game in desperate need of a win after dropping their last two contests. The Black Bears were routed 45-23 at home last Saturday by CAA foe Towson. Maine quarterback Chris Ferguson threw 4 picks and the ground attack managed just 68 yards. Ferguson and company should find the sledding considerably easier against the Raiders surprisingly poor defense (40 ppg allowed, 450 ypg allowed).

Colgate’s collapse to start the 2019 season has been one of the biggest “head scratchers” in FCS. If the Raiders want to climb back up the respectability ladder they must find a way to beat Maine at home. Unfortunately, Breneman’s injury combined with Maine’s explosive offense likely means another long day for the defending Patriot League Champions.

The Pick: Maine 45 Colgate 14

The FCS Wedge – 2019-0918 – Wk4 PREVIEW

1) Games of the week/previews

UC Davis @ North Dakota State

Villanova @ Towson

Monmouth @ Montana

James Madison @ Chattanooga

Northern Arizona @ Illinois State

Lamar @ Southeastern Louisiana

2) Three Big Questions

Last year Incarnate Word shocked the world and went from laughing-stock to playoff team. Could Houston Baptist be an early pick to do the same?

What has happened to Wofford? It didn’t look like Samford would win a game this season the way their season started.

A season ago, a LOT of people wanted to downgrade Montana for struggling with Drake for 2.5 quarters before putting them away. They fell in the next AGS poll from 14 to 16. South Dakota State did the same exact thing on Saturday, and actually gained a first place vote in the poll. One season it’s horrible for a 14th ranked team to not dominate Drake from the get go, the next season it’s excusable that the #3 team in the country was only up 14 on a lowly non scholarship team.

Why haven’t they been getting the same response?

LISTEN HERE

The FCS Wedge – 2019-0918 – Wk3 REVIEW

1) The Big Story – Another FBS win. The Citadel 27 Georgia Tech 24

Several other valiant efforts by Furman, Idaho, SELA, & UNH.

2) Recaps of all these games

Jacksonville State 49 Eastern Washington 45

North Dakota State 47 Delaware 22

Towson 45 Maine 23

Youngstown State 34 Duquesne 14

Central Arkansas 31 Abilene Christian 30

Austin Peay 48 Mercer 34

3) Discussion of this week’s AGS Poll.

LISTEN HERE

http://media.blubrry.com/3768029/www.mediafire.com/file/3w79eobga3hl6l8/2019_0918thefcswedgeWK3_r.mp3/

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Big Sky Quad Shot: Week 3

Week three of the Big Sky Conference season is come and gone and it was a Big Sky blood bath. The conference did not fare so well in its play-up games against FBS opponents, despite a couple of good efforts. Montana had arguably the toughest match-up of the week by taking on Oregon in the Autzen Zoo. The Ducks showed why they have earned their ranking and Justin Herbert is a playmaker. Idaho gave a good effort against Wyoming, and Mason Petrino is a decent quarterback for the Vandals. Weber State probably wishes they could have their game against Nevada back. Weber State had the Wolf Pack on the ropes but just couldn’t quite close it out.

Utah and Oregon State gave out beatings to Idaho State and Cal Poly respectively. Didn’t see Cal Poly getting beat so soundly against a fairly terrible Oregon State team. Off day for the Mustangs. Utah is a very physical football team, maybe the most physical in the Pac12, and no way Idaho State was going to keep up with Kyle Whittingham’s group.

Perhaps the most impressive win of the week was Montana State over Western Illinois on the road. The Bulldogs are a good team, despite their record. The Bobcats had a good rushing day from Logan Jones who also had a couple of touchdowns. Not sure the Bobcats have quite identified a quarterback yet, or if they ever will. However, it’s working for them because they’re 2-1 on the season. Jake Meier keeps piling up the stats, this time with a win at home over Lehigh. Meier has thrown for 921 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions while completing 68 percent of his passes. Not too shabby of a season.

Onto the rest..

Scores

Montana 3
Oregon 35

Idaho 16
Wyoming 21

Idaho State 0
Utah 31

Portland State 10
Boise State 45

Eastern Washington 45
Jacksonville State 49

Montana State 23
Western Illinois 14

Cal Poly 7
Oregon State 45

Weber State 13
Nevada 19

Western New Mexico 21
Northern Arizona 55

Stephen F Austin 38
Southern Utah 45

Northern Colorado 0
Sacramento State 50

Lehigh 13
UC Davis 41

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky player of the week is Montana State running back Logan Jones. Jones rushed 21 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns as the Bobcats defeated Western Illinois in Macomb this past weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Jake Meier, QB, UC Davis
Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona
Dalton Sneed, QB, Montana
Kevin Thomson, QB, Sacramento State
Eric Barriere, QB, Eastern Washington

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

The Quad Shot

A lot of Big Sky blood spilled this week against FBS opponents. I thought Weber State had a legitimate shot at beating Nevada. After the Wolf Pack was absolutely rolled by Oregon last weekend I thought the Pack might come out a little soft and would be ripe for the picking. Weber State probably had a reasonable chance at winning that game if Jake Constantine had been playing, but injuries are a bummer like that. Montana gave a good fight to Oregon, I thought. The Ducks were more talented across the board but Montana did a fine job against an explosive team on both sides of the ball.

Eastern Washington.. man, that’s tough. Having that kind of lead and blowing in the fourth quarter. Then again, if we’re being real with ourselves that’s kind of the nature of Big Sky defenses.. hold on for dear life. Unfortunately for our friends to the west they didn’t hold on tight enough because Jacksonville State scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and snuck one past the Eagles.

Western Illinois doesn’t quite have the bite they did a year or two ago, but nice to see the Cats get a win over the Missouri Valley. Looking at the rest of the matchups the Big Sky has against the MVFC I’m not sure I see any other wins for the Big Sky over them. Seems like the Big Sky got a bad draw; pairing the conference’s weaker teams against the MVFCs stronger teams.. recipe for those fans of little humility to drag their conference’s bragging rights into another season.

In non-Big Sky news.. I have a bad feeling no one is going to knock off North Dakota State this season. I thought Delaware on the road would be a trap game for the Bison (no z, learn to spell). The Blue Hens are a formidable team this season, but just didn’t have the juice to catch the Bison sleeping on the road. Northern Iowa should be a good game, but the game is in the quonset hut in Fargo. South Dakota State could be a test on the road. After that.. not much there to challenge them.

AGS Poll: Week 3 Top 25 Results

Despite only 3 FCS losses amongst the AGS top 25 this week there was plenty of movement mainly due to 2 of those losses going to teams previously ranked in the top 5. The top 3 stayed the same for the third consecutive week with North Dakota State, James Madison, and South Dakota State in that order. UC Davis moved up to #4 and Towson rose up 4 spots to #5 after their big win over previously 5th ranked Maine.

As for other teams moving up Jacksonville State rose 6 spots to #16 after their thrilling come from behind victory over Eastern Washington. The Citadel also came from completely out of the top 40 all the way to #24 after upsetting ACC foe Georgia Tech. This is the Bulldogs first appearance in the AGS Top 25 since week 5 of 2017. While The Citadel was the only team to move into the top 25 there were 6 new teams in the others receiving votes this week.

The teams going in the opposite direction were headlined by Eastern Washington who dropped 7 spots to #11 after their aforementioned loss to Jacksonville State. Maine plummeted 9 spots to #14 after getting dumped by Towson and Delaware took a 5 spot tumble to #23 after a home loss to top ranked North Dakota State. Southeast Missouri State dropped out of the top 25 after a lackluster showing vs SEC opponent Missouri.

In terms of conference representation the CAA led the way placing 6 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and MVFC who each had 5, the Southland with 3, and the SOCON with 2 teams in the top 25. Once again 9 conferences were represented amongst the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank	Change	Team	Total Points	First Place Votes
1	–	North Dakota State Bison	2412	91
2	–	James Madison Dukes	2298	3
3	–	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	2218	3
4	2	UC Davis Aggies	1971
5	4	Towson Tigers	1960
6	2	Northern Iowa Panthers	1761
7	–	Weber State Wildcats	1760
8	2	Central Arkansas Bears	1462
9	3	Montana State Bobcats	1420
10	1	Kennesaw State Owls	1364
11	-7	Eastern Washington Eagles	1277
12	1	Furman Paladins	1250
13	2	Illinois State Redbirds	1197
14	-9	Maine Black Bears	1145
15	-1	Nicholls State Colonels	1048
16	6	Jacksonville State Gamecocks	1026
17	-1	Montana Grizzlies	962
18	-1	Villanova Wildcats	935
19	1	Southeastern Louisiana Lions	710
20	2	Youngstown State Penguins	706
21	-2	North Carolina A&T Aggies	623
22	2	Elon Phoenix	519
23	-5	Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens	362
24	NR	The Citadel Bulldogs	207
25	–	Princeton Tigers	196
ORV:
26	-5	Southeast Missouri State Redhawks	146
27	7	Austin Peay Governors	94
28	–	Stony Brook Seawolves	88
29	NR	North Dakota Fighting Hawks	71
30	6	Southern Illinois Salukis	41
31	3	Dartmouth Big Green	39
32	-2	South Carolina State Bulldogs	33
33	-2	Yale Bulldogs	28
34	NR	Portland State Vikings	26
35	3	Indiana State Sycamores	25
36T	4	McNeese State Cowboys	22
36T	NR	Sac State Hornets	22
38	NR	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	15
39	NR	Cal Poly Mustangs	12
40	NR	Abilene Christian Wildcats	10

Most significant win: The Citadel Bulldogs
Most significant loss: Eastern Washington Eagles

Dropped out of the poll:
Duquesne Dukes
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Lamar Cardinals
Mercer Bears
Sam Houston State Bearkats
Wofford Terriers

Join the discussion here: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?234139-AGS-Poll-Results-WEEK-3-POLL-2019-SEASON

Patriot League: Week 4 Preview

The fourth week of the Patriot League football season sees six of the seven members in action. The league desperately needs a good Saturday in order to improve upon its dreadful 2-12 overall record. Georgetown and Holy Cross are the only teams to notch wins so far in 2019. The Crusaders are off this week after notching a quality win over New Hampshire last Saturday.

Catholic (0-1) at Georgetown (1-1, 0-0) 12 P.M. Cooper Field; Washington D.C.

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: The Hoyas welcome crosstown Catholic University to the friendly confines of Cooper Field for a high noon showdown. The Cardinals are a Division III program which makes this a rather unusual matchup. While it’s not uncommon for FCS programs to schedule games against Division II opponents, dipping into the Division III and NAIA ranks is often frowned upon. To be fair to Georgetown, their current facility is inadequate for FCS football which means scheduling non-conference home games is extremely difficult.

Catholic was picked to finish 7^th in the 8 team New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Preseason Poll after posting a disappointing 1-9 record in 2018. The Cardinals are led by quarterback Brady Berger. The junior led the NEWMAC in passing ypg, completions and completion % last season. Catholic started their 2019 season last week with a heartbreaking 2 OT loss (32-31) to Kenyon.

Georgetown enters this game fresh off a 43-3 demolition of Marist last Saturday. The Hoyas should have no trouble duplicating a similar result against Divsion III Catholic. This is the type of game coaches simply want to get out of injury free and make sure the backups get valuable playing time.

The Pick: Georgetown 51 Catholic 17

Sacred Heart (1-1) at Lafayette (0-2, 0-0) 12:30 PM Fisher Field; Easton, PA

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: After taking to the road the first two weeks of the season, Lafayette gets their first chance to defend their home turf as they square off against Sacred Heart on College Hill. The Pioneers head to Lafayette fresh off a dominating 30-10 win over fellow Patriot Leaguer Bucknell. Sacred Heart’s offense has been led by a strong starts by quarterback Logan Marchi (210 ypg 3 TD 0 INR) and running back Julius Chestnut (113.5 ypg 1 TD). The defense struggled to stop a Top 10 Maine team to open the season but bounced back last week against the Bison (221 total yards, 75 in first half). The Pioneers have beaten the Leopards each of the last two seasons; 38-24 in ’17 and 35-6 in ’18.

Lafayette’s second half comeback bid against Monmouth last week fell just short in a well fought 24-21 loss. The Leopards defense once again struggled to stop the run (223 yards allowed) in the narrow defeat. The move to quarterback Keegan Shoemaker (PL Freshman of the Week) sparked the woeful Lafayette passing attack (256 yards) against the Hawks. Shoemaker and the rest of the offense need to build off of last week’s second half effort.

The Leopards need to put together a full 60 minutes if they’re going to have a chance to take down a solid Sacred Heart squad. The Pioneers appear to be the slightly more balanced team which should be the difference in this one. Julius Chestnut could be a line for a big game.

The Pick: Sacred Heart 27 Lafayette 21

Fordham (0-2, 0-0) at Bryant (0-2) 1 P.M. Beirne Stadium; Providence, RI

Live Stream: NECFrontRow.com

The Need to Know: Fordham heads to the “Ocean State” to battle the Bryant Bulldogs. Both teams are still searching their first win after starting the 2019 season with two disappointing “L’s”. Bryant has really struggled to get their offense rolling (6.5 ppg). The passing attack (171 ypg) and ground game (79 ypg) have equally led to the offense’s inability to move the ball and score. Last season the Bulldogs averaged 32.5 ppg so this drastic dip in output has to be frustrating for first year Head Coach Chris Merritt and his Offensive Coordinator Darrius Smith. The defense hasn’t been much better (40 ppg allowed). To be fair, they’ve been on the field way too much due to the offense’s inability to put together drives.

The Rams played hard against FBS Ball State last weekend but ultimately took one on the chin to the tune of 57-29. Fordham’s secondary was lit up for 439 yards by the Cardinal’s quarterback Drew Plitt. Thankfully for the Rams, Bryant does not possess nearly the same arsenal on offense. As long as Fordham limits their mistakes they should get their first win rather comfortably.

The Pick: Fordham 34 Bryant 16

#17 Villanova (2-0) at Bucknell (0-2) 6 P.M. Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium; Lewisburg, PA

Live Stream: Patriot League Network

The Need to Know: Bucknell is the third straight Patriot League opponent Villanova has faced to start the 2019 season. The Wildcats easily dispatched of Colgate and Lehigh by a combined score of 72-24. Villanova has unleashed a powerful running attack (233 ypg) led by Justin Covington (9.0 ypc) to start 2019. Quarterback Daniel Smith’s efficient, smart passing (188 ypg, 6 TD 0 INT) has been the perfect complement to Convington’s rushing. Last year Villanova jumped out a 42-0 halftime lead against Bucknell before coasting to a 49-7 victory. The Bison have started poorly in their first two games of the season. Coach Cecchini must get that fixed if his team wants to compete with the nationally ranked Wildcats.

Perhaps in a couple of years the Bucknell program will be capable of ending the Wildcat’s dominance over the Patriot League (34-4 overall, 9 straight wins). As of right now the Bison are severely outmanned. The goal for Cecchini’s team should be competing like they did against Temple by avoiding turnovers and crucial mistakes. There is still a revolving door at quarterback so the offense remains extremely inconsistent. Bitikofer and Chiarolanzio have gotten the bulk of the action to start the season. Sophomore Tarrin Earle seems to have slipped to third string. Getting RB Chad Freshnock back in the fold should help the “O” moving forward.

This week is about survival for the Bison.

The Pick: Villanova 45 Bucknell 13

Colgate (0-2, 0-0) at William & Mary (1-1) 6 P.M. Zable Stadium; Williamsburg, VA

Live Stream: FloFootball.com

The Need to Know: Preseason Patriot League favorite Colgate makes the 10 hour trek to Williamsburg, VA to face William and Mary. The Raiders are coming off a much needed bye week after two lopsided losses to start the season. William & Mary enters their third game reeling a bit as well. The Tribe used a dominant second half to dispatch of Lafayette 30-17 in their season opener then got blown out 52-17 by a good Virginia team last Saturday. First year head coach Mike London is still looking for stability at quarterback (0 passing TDs). Senior Kilton Anderon and Freshman Hollis Mathis are both expected to see time against Colgate. Mathis currently leads the team in rushing with 137 yards so far this season. Colgate came into Zable and shutout the Tribe last season 23-0.

Like the Tribe, the Raiders too have concerns on offense. The usually stout ground attack is averaging a paltry 76 ypg. and junior quarterback Grant Breneman has been inconsistent (52% completion) behind a line that has not played to its potential. The defense hasn’t fared much better but to they’ve also been put in some tough spots by the “O”.

Colgate needs a win coming off their bye given the hurdles they’ll face during the final two weeks of September (Top 10 Maine, Dartmouth). Colgate has the veteran leadership needed to go on the road against a solid team and get a much needed victory. This game likely will come down to the wire.

Prediction: Colgate 23 William & Mary 20

Lehigh (0-2, 0-0) at #6 UC-Davis (1-1) 10 P.M. UC Davis Health Stadium; Davis, CA

Live Stream: Pluto TV

The Need to Know: For the first time in 42 years Lehigh and UC-Davis will clash on the gridiron. The last time the Aggies and the then Engineers met a birth in the 1977 Division II (no 1-AA/FCS at the time) National Championship Game was on the line. Lehigh won that game 39-30 and then proceeded to capture the school’s first and only national title by defeating Jacksonville State in Wichita Falls, TX. While the stakes are nowhere near the same in 2019, this is an important game for both teams. Lehigh has started a disappointing 0-2 under first year head coach Tom Gilmore while the Aggies are looking to bounce back from a very shaky 38-35 win over non-scholarship San Diego. UC-Davis was picked to finish 2^nd in the Preseason Big Sky Poll.

The Aggies offense is led by STATS Preseason 1^st Team All-American QB Jake Maier (266 ypg 2 TDs 2 INTs). Running back Ulonzo Gilliam (112 ypg 3 TD) provides UC-Davis a consistent presence in the backfield which makes the Aggie “O” extremely difficult to stop. Defensively, UC-Davis has struggled to stop the run (203 ypg allowed) to start the season. The good news for the Aggie “D” is the fact that Lehigh has displayed an anemic ground attack (50 ypg) to start 2019.

Lehigh has the athletes and overall team speed to be competitive in this game so long as they limit their mistakes and get points inside the red zone. The Mountain Hawks offensive line must give Monaco time to find his talented pass catchers in order for the Lehigh “O” to have a breakout game against a UC-Davis defense that can be had. The issue facing Lehigh is trying to contain a very balanced and explosive Aggie offense.

Prediction: UC Davis 42 Lehigh 27