Patriot League: 2018 Georgetown Preview

Georgetown Hoyas

2017 Record: 1-10 (0-6)

Head Coach: Rob Sgarlata, 5th season, 11-33 (3-21)

Last Patriot League Title: Never

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: Never

2018 Schedule

9/1 @ Marist

9/8 Campbell

9/15 @ Dartmouth

9/22 Columbia

9/29 @ Brown

10/6 @ Fordham

10/13 @ Lafayette

10/20 Lehigh

10/27 @ Colgate

11/10 Bucknell

11/17 Holy Cross

Overview

Georgetown enters the 2018 season riding a dubious 15 game conference losing streaking. The last time the Hoyas notched a win in Patriot League action was October 24th 2015. On that fateful autumn day Georgetown outlasted Bucknell 17-9 in Lewisburg. What’s especially troublesome if you’re a Georgetown fan is the fact the Patriot League itself has struggled over that same time period.

Georgetown’s decision to stick with the need-base system while the rest of the Patriot League went to the full-scholarship model 7 years ago was suppose create a major competitive disadvantage. While the Hoyas have clearly fallen further behind it’s not because the other six programs have ascended to the top of FCS. The alarming reality is Georgetown is losing to mostly average to below average teams.

If Coach Sgarlata’s team is going to find success in the Patriot League, even modest success, they must find a way to generate points (12.5 ppg, 120th in FCS). During the offseason, Sgarlata hired Rob Spence to take over the offensive coordinator position. Spence held the same position at Clemson during Tommy Bowden’s tenure in Death Valley.

Offense

Best Returning Player: WR Michael Dereus

Freshman to Watch: OL Mac Hollensteiner  

Pence’s first order of business will be deciding if Gunther Johnson (1026 yards, 4 TDs 6 INTs) will remain the starting quarterback. Clay Norris opted to leave the team during the offseason which has caused serious depth issues at QB. Sophomore Joseph Brunell (son of Mark Brunell) will likely get a lengthy look in camp. Freshmans Lorenzo Linsey and Jack Elliott come to D.C. with impressive resumes. Odds say Johnson starts the year and his performance will dictate what happens after the first few games.

The running back position is another area of concern. Georgetown’s rushing attack was anemic last year (59.8 ypg) despite having two senior backs in Alex Valles and Isaac Ellsworth. Now it’s Juniors Jay Tolliver and Jackson Saffold turn to see significant time in the backfield. Freshman Herman Moultrie has a chance to be the third RB that gets important carries throughout the season. Given the Hoyas recent struggles running the ball, the lack of depth and experience at RB is a major concern.

dereus

If Spence can point to a clear strength on offense it’s the pass catchers. Junior Michael Dereus (46 rec 696 yards 5 TDs) is a bonafide stud at WR. Dereus could be a household name in FCS with improved QB play. Senior Brandon Williams (24 rec 346 yards in 8 games) gives the Hoyas a very solid second option. Junior Max Edwards figures to see significant time as the third WR. Another WR to pay attention to is Skyler Springs (son of former NFL CB Shawn Springs). Freshman Cameron Clayton has a chance to work his way into the rotation. The TE spot seems wide open at this point. Junior Isaac Schley seems to have the inside track to the starting position. 6’6 freshman Liam McHale has a chance to be a serious red zone weapon if he can get comfortable in the offense.

The offensive line has the potential to be pretty solid. Due to numerous injuries last year there’s a lot of returning experience in the trenches. The unit will led by 5th year senior Dominic Scarangella at center. There’s a good chance the tackle positions are manned by two brothers, sophomore Daniel Horne and senior Jared Horne. Highly touted freshman Mac Hollensteiner will also make a push for playing time at tackle. The guard spots appear to be pretty wide open at this point. Seniors Tower Menning and Randy Crystian could be the week one starters. Junior Justin Wood will also be in the mix.

Defense

Best Returning Player: DT Kristian Tate

Freshman to Watch: LB Justin Fonteneaux

The Hoya defense took a step back last season (27.2 ppg allowed, 5th in PL) after developing into one of the best units in the Patriot League in recent years. The downfall of the “D” combined with a putrid offense resulted in Georgetown’s fewest wins since 2009. If the Hoya defense is going to turn things around Preseason All-PL DT Kristian Tate will be the one leading the way.  Tate continues a Hoya tradition of extremely talented and disruptive front 7 players. Seniors Brennen Sawicki and Mike Taylor along with sophomore Duval Paul will likely join Tate along the defensive line. Sophomore Owen Kessler and freshman Isaiah Byrd are two more names that could find themselves with an increased role as the season progresses.

The linebacker unit will be bolstered by the return (missed 7 games in ’17) of senior J’Von Butler. Butler is one of the more talented linebackers in the Patriot League when healthy. He and Tate give the Hoyas two big time players within the front 7. The sophomore duo of Wesley Bowers and Ahmad Wilson should once again get the starting nod. There’s very little depth at LB so odds are at least one of the five freshmen sees significant time. Texan Justin Fonteneaux comes to Hoyaland off an exceptional high school career.

With plenty of experience and depth returning, the secondary should be the strength of defense. Senior Ramon Lyons, sophomore Cameron Deen and senior Jalen Goldwire will see plenty of time at cornerback. Despite his diminutive size, 5’9 170, Lyons has proven he can make disruptive plays all over the field. Blaise Brown, Jethro Francois and Leon Agee will fight it out for playing time at the two safety positions.

Special Teams

Junior Brad Hurst is expected to handle all facets of the kicking game. Hurst has proven to be a very reliable punter (40.7 avg.) but shaky at best when it comes to field goals (5-9).  Given the Hoya’s struggles on offense, a strong kicking game is essential. Blaise Brown and Michael Dereus both have experience returning kicks.

Outlook

Georgetown has some very good pieces sprinkled about their roster. The defense should regain its form as one of the top 2 or 3 units in the Patriot League. However, there remain numerous question marks on offense. The combination of defections and graduation has left the cupboard extremely bare at key positions. Needless to say, Spence has his work cut out for himself.

The non-league portion of Georgetown’s schedule is once again quite negotiable. That doesn’t mean the Hoyas will find victories but at the very least there’s chances for one or more. At Marist, home against Campbell and at Brown appear to be best chances for “Ws”.

It’s hard to see Georgetown finishing higher than 6th in the final Patriot League standings. Their November 10th battle with Bucknell in D.C. might be the Hoyas only realistic chance to end the conference losing streak. Overall, anything more than a 2 or 3 wins will be a surprise given the state of the offense heading into the 2018 campaign.

Prediction: 2-9 (1-5)

Patriot League: 2018 Fordham Preview

Fordham Rams

2017 Record: 4-7 (3-3)

Head Coach: Joe Conlin, 1st year

Last Patriot League Title: 2014

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: 2015

2018 Schedule

9/1 @ Charlotte (FBS)

9/8 @ Richmond

9/15 Stony Brook

9/22 Central Connecticut State

10/6 Georgetown

10/13 @ Lehigh

10/20 Bryant

10/27 Lafayette

11/ 3 Colgate

11/10 @ Holy Cross

11/17 @ Bucknell

Overview

For the second time in three years the Fordham Rams will enter the season with a new head coach. Andrew Breiner left the Big Apple to join former Ram’s head coach Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State last December. Stepping in to replace Breiner is Joe Conlin. Conlin spent the previous 6 seasons as Yale’s offensive coordinator. Prior to his time in New Haven, Conlin had coaching stints at Harvard and New Hampshire. Needless to say, Conlin has been part of winning FCS football programs for over a decade.

Conlin does take over a program that took a serious step back in 2017 after posting 5 straight winning seasons. The Ram’s entered last year with a preseason Top 25 ranking and arguably the best player in FCS, Chase Edmonds. As fate would have it, Edmonds was injured early in the season, the defense struggled and the campaign ended up being a failure relative to expectations.

The good news for Conlin is the cupboard is far from bare, especially on offense. In order to get Fordham back to its winning ways priority number one must be getting vastly improved play from the defense. It started to show cracks at the end of Moorhead’s tenure and has been on a steady decline since.

Offense

Best Returning Player – WR Austin Longi

Freshman to Watch – OL Austin Glazier

For the first time in 5 years the centerpiece of the Ram offense won’t be record setting running back Chase Edmonds. Taking over for Edmonds will likely be the tandem of junior D’Angelo Palladino (481 yards 4 TDs) and sophomore Zach Davis (391 yards 2 TDs). Freshman Naim Mayfield is worth keeping an eye on as the season goes along. Mayfield enters Fordham following an extremely decorated high school career in New Jersey.

The quarterback position seems up in the air. Seniors Luke Medlock and Austin King (Indiana Transfer) both had chances to start last year due to a revolving door of injuries under center. Between the two, Medlock is more experienced but King is the better overall athlete. Given the weapons at the skill positions, both are more than capable of putting plenty of points on the scoreboard if they protect the ball.

Whomever gets the starting quarterback spot will have a plethora of experienced, talented pass catchers to work with. Preseason 1st Team All-PL Austin Longi (36 rec 462 yards 3 TDs) and Corey Caddle (33 rec 392 4 TDs) will lead the way at wide receiver. Both battled through injuries last year. Fellow seniors Andrew Prince and Jonathan Lumley give the Rams two big targets out wide in the red zone. Senior Isaiah Searight (33 rec 452 4 TDs, Preseason 1st Team All-PL) gives the Rams an extremely dangerous weapon at TE.

On paper there should be a decent amount of concern entering the season regarding the offensive line since Fordham lost 3 starters to graduation. The biggest loss of all is LT Anthony Coyle. Coyle was one of, if not the best Fordham linemen in the Patriot League era. Sophomore Nick Zakelj will likely move from RT to LT while junior Dominic Lombard (Preseason 1st Team All-PL) is a rock at center. After Zakelj and Lombard things get interesting. Sophomore Will Conley, freshman Austin Glazier and sophomore Matt Donovan should battle it out for the other tackle position. The guard positions seem a bit more up in the air. Juniors Marcel Deya and Anthony Solano along with sophomore Jake Troutman and freshman Phil Saleh are names in the mix for the two starting spots.

Defense

Best Returning Player – CB Dylan Mabin

Freshman to Watch – DB Cameron Blair

The Ram’s Patriot League Championship aspirations begin and end with the defense (34.9 ppg allowed, 6th in PL). Like fellow league contender Lehigh, Fordham MUST get better on “D” (431.5 ypg allowed, 103rd in FCS) if they’re going to seriously challenge for a league title and postseason consideration. If there’s one particular aspect that needs improvement it’s the run defense (209.5 ypg allowed, 108th in FCS). In an era that favors passing before the game even begins, stopping the run is paramount.

If Fordham is going to improve along the defensive line it will be up to a very young group to get the job done. There’s not a single senior defensive lineman on the Ram’s roster. Outside of junior DT Michael Ware (started all 11 games) Fordham will rely on a number of sophomores and freshman to contribute during the course of the season. Deondre Carter seems a safe bet at one DE spot while Mike Marinelli will see significant time at DT. After those two it should be wide open race for playing time. Keep any eye on Anthony Diodato. The sophomore was one of the best high school lineman (1st team All-State 5A OL and DL) in Pennsylvania.

The linebacker unit returns a good amount of game experience. Glenn Cunningham led the team in tackles as a freshman despite missing two games. The Nutmeg State native will vie for postseason league honors. Senior Lawrence Menyah will likely join Cunningham as a starter. James Biggs-Frazier will be in the running for the flex starting spot as well. Jeremy Imperati gives the defense a solid rush end. There’s not a lot of size at the linebacker which remains a concern given the Ram’s struggles against the run.

The secondary is anchored by Preseason 1st Team All-PL CB Dylan Mabin (Senior). Junior Jesse Bramble will almost certainly join at Mabin at CB.  Safety Antonio Jackson (’17 2nd Team All-PL) is an excellent safety. The other safety position seems wide open.

Special Teams

There’s plenty of experience returning in the special teams department. Andrew Mevis handled all the kicking duties as a freshman and should do so again this year. Austin Longi and Dylan Mabin have plenty of reps handling returns.

Outlook

If new head coach Joe Conlin can settle on a quarterback and get improved play from the front 7 on defense the Rams have as good a shot as anyone to win the Patriot League. The talent and experience at the skill positions can rival anyone in the league. The offensive line will go from a weakness to a strength this year despite the loss of Coyle.

Conlin’s troops will face a formidable, but not overwhelming out of conference slate. The Rams open up with a winnable FBS game against a downtrodden Charlotte team then head to Virginia to face the rebuilding Richmond Spiders. The toughest test of the season will likely come on September 15th when Fordham hosts a loaded Stony Brook squad. 2017 NEC Champion Central Connecticut State and fellow NEC’er Bryant round out the non-league portion of the schedule.

Heading into the season everyone is talking about the Colgate-Lehigh clash set for the league’s penultimate weekend.  However, it’s the Raider’s trip to the Bronx the week before that may very well decide the league race. If the Rams can split with Lehigh and Colgate while avoiding a potential pitfall against Holy Cross on November 10th there’s a great chance they end their two year postseason hiatus.

Prediction: 7-4 (5-1)

Patriot League: 2018 Colgate Preview

Colgate Raiders

2017 Record: 7-4 (5-1)

Head Coach: Dan Hunt, 26-21 (18-6) through 4 seasons

Last League Title: 2017, Co-Championship

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: 2015

2018 Schedule

9/1 Holy Cross

9/8 @ New Hampshire

9/15 @ Furman

9/22 Lafayette

9/29 @ William & Mary

10/6 @ Bucknell

10/13 Cornell

10/27 Georgetown

11/3 @ Fordham

11/10 @ Lehigh

11/17 @ Army

Overview

Colgate enters the 2018 season fresh off a share of their 9th Patriot League Championship. In addition to their co-championship, Colgate was the only team in the league to post a winning record in 2017. Unfortunately for the Raiders, those two accomplishments weren’t good enough to earn a berth in the FCS Playoffs. Lehigh’s 41-38 win over Colgate in Hamilton proved to be the difference in the race for the automatic bid. Due to Colgate’s struggles in non-conference play and the league’s overall weakness in 2017 they weren’t seriously considered for an at-large bid.

The good news for Colgate is they return a roster loaded with talent at every level. QB Grant Brenenan (’17 PL Freshman of the year) showed tremendous growth as the 2017 season went on. He will lead a very experienced offense. On the other side of the ball Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Chris Wheeler will anchor the most talented unit in the league.

Offense

Best Returning Player: T Jovaun Woolford

Freshman to Watch: OL Michael Griggs

Heading into the season it’s hard to find a weakness on the Colgate offense. Brenenan (132-233 1,594 yards, 18 TDs 5 INTs; 401 yards rushing 6 TDs), RB James Holland (722 yards 6 TDs) and WR Thomas Ives (23 rec 353 yards 7 TDs) a 3 headed monster at the skill positions that can rival anyone in the league. Getting Holland back for a 5th year is a huge boost for the offense. Holland led the FCS in rushing TDs in 2015 before suffering a season ending injury early in the 2016 campaign. Ives (6’5) gives Brenenan a big target in the redzone. WR Owen Rockett (29 rec 333 yards 2 TDs) and TE Nick Martinsen (23 rec 254 yards 1 TD) will likely see increased productivity this year with a more experienced quarterback behind center.

The offensive line figures to be the top unit in the league. Fellow seniors Juvaun Woolford and Max Hartzman were named to the Preseason All-Patriot League team. Guard Scott Hirshman (2017 2nd Team All-PL) gives the Raiders a third talented, proven commodity in trenches. The other two spots figure to be a battle between sophomores Sam Diehl and Jack Badovinac, juniors Will Varble and Charlie Holstopple and a slew of talented freshman. Keep an eye on freshman Michael Griggs from New Jersey.

Defense

Best Returning Player: DE Nick Wheeler

Freshman to Watch: LB Milton Braasch II

Last year it was DE Pat Afriyie who entered the year as the stud along the defensive front. This season the torch has been passed to senior DE Chris Wheeler. Junior Cam Rohr (6’2 315) gives Colgate the big body at the NT position that teams at this level covet. Senior Caleb Fell is also capable of manning the middle of the defensive line. The other end position in the Raiders 3-4 alignment will likely come down to the experienced Chuck Moore (10th in tackles in ’17) or sophomores Hunter Gossman and Owen Rosenberger.

The Raiders seem set at linebacker. While the area did suffer some key graduation losses there’s a ton of experience that returns. Senior T.J. Holl earned Preseason 1st Team All-PL honors. Nick Ioanilli and John Steffen will almost certainly join Holl in the starting rotation. Ioanelli and Steffen could easily vie for postseason league honors. Dillon Deluliis, Matt Carandang, Blane Briggs and Trevor Thompson will also be in the mix.

The Raiders return an embarrassment of riches in the backend of the defense. The secondary will not only be the best in the league, it should be one of the top units in the country. The cornerback combo of Tyler Castillo and Abu Daramy-Swaray were named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Senior Alec Wiesnewski joins them on the Preseason 1st team at strong safety. A case could be made that free safety Ben Hunt IV is the top player at his position in the league.

Special Teams

Colgate returns all their specialists from last year. Junior place kicker Chris Puzzi earned Preseason 1st All-PL 1st team honors. The punting duties will once again fall on the leg of Josh Cerra (39.8 ypp in ’17). Owen Rockett and Daramy-Swaray figure to once again be in line for punt and kick return duties.

Outlook

On paper, Colgate is the team to beat in the Patriot League. No team enters 2018 with fewer question marks than the Raiders, and it’s not really close. If the offense is off one game they have a defense capable of pulling out a tough “W” and vice versa. Expect to see Grant Brenenan’s name pop up more and more in the national conversation as the season goes along. He’s the most gifted Colgate QB since Ryan Vena.

The one thing that could trip up Colgate is their schedule. They once again face a daunting non-league slate and must travel to Fordham and Lehigh in early November. The Raiders have struggled in non-league play in recent years. They haven’t fared much, if any better against the Mountain Hawks.  Colgate is 2-6 against their main nemesis this decade.

Prediction: 7-4 (5-1)

Patriot League: 2018 Bucknell Preview

Bucknell Bison

2017 Record: 5-6 (2-4)

Head Coach: Joe Susan, 37-51 (18-29) through 8 seasons

Last League Title: 1996

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: Never

2018 Schedule

9/1 William & Mary

9/8 Sacred Heart

9/15 @ Penn

9/22 @ Villanova

9/29 @ Holy Cross

10/6 Colgate

10/13 @ Monmouth

10/20 Lafayette

11/3 @ Lehigh

11/10 @ Georgetown

11/17 Fordham

Overview

After posting back-2-back winning seasons in 2013 and 2014, the Bison head into the 2018 campaign on the heels of three straight losing records. The offense once again struggled to generate points (16.8 ppg, 5th in PL) in 2017. Inconsistent quarterback play and injuries at the running back position were the main reasons for the unit’s lackluster performance.

Perhaps even more concerning, and surprising, last season was the defense’s inconsistent play. The Bison “D” was able to keep lesser offenses firmly in check but when they faced better competition it was extremely leaky despite having Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Abdullah Anderson anchoring the front 7.  Bucknell lost by a combined score of 82-24 to Patriot League co-champions Colgate and Lehigh. They yielded 40+ points in both contests.

Offense

Best Returning Player: RB Chad Freshnock

Freshman to Watch: QB Tarrin Earle

There’s no denying Bucknell’s struggles on offense the last few years. Even when they were posting winning season’s the offense was a step away from being at a league championship level. As the 2018 season begins the Bison must find a way to generate more explosive plays on “O”. The ability to do so starts and stops at the quarterback position. Junior John Chiarolanzio (109-200 6 TDs 6 INTs 118 ypg in ’17) is the only returning QB with any meaningful playing time. Chiarolanzio has shown some promise but must elevate his game if he wants to hold on to the starting position and elevate the Bison offense. Sophomore Logan Bitikofer seems like the most likely candidate to unseat Chiarolanzio at this time. The QB with the most upside on the roster is freshman Tarrin Earle. Don’t be surprised if Earle is seeing significant time if the more experienced quarterbacks on the roster aren’t getting the job done.

The “O” will look upon RB Chad Freshnock (525 yards 6 TDs in ’17) to carry much of the load now that his stablemate Joey DeFloria graduated. Junior Marques Carter will likely start the season as the #2 back but don’t be shocked if one of the freshmen get meaningful carries during the season. Former WR and current special teams ace Stefone Moore-Green could also be in line for a more impactful role at RB given his quickness in space.

WR Alan Butler (27 rec 237 yards 1 TD) and TE Marcus Ademilola (32 rec 233 yards 2 TDs) return as the Bison’s top two pass catchers. While it’s nice to have Butler and Ademilola back in the fold, their productivity must increase if the Bison offense is to improve. In addition to those two, the Bison will need at least one other WR to step up and have an impact in the passing game.

The strength of the Bison should be the offensive line. The only member from last year’s unit that is gone is Chase Watkins. Stephenson, Sanders, Finn, Barr, Peppers, Luckner and Krizack figure to be in the mix for the starting 5 in the trenches to start the season. Finn is the most talented of the group.

Defense

Best Returning Player: DE Simeon Page

Freshman to Watch: LB Max Bunzel

Generally speaking, the one constant under Coach Susan has been a stout defense. While the Bison led the league in yards allowed per game last year (294.6) they struggled to contain the better teams. Losing Anderson and the 1st Team All-PL linebacker duo of Pyles and Richard won’t be easy to overcome. Anderson leaves Lewisburg as one of the most decorated defensive players in Bucknell and Patriot League history.

The strength of defense this year will likely shift from the front 7 to the defensive backfield. There’s experience at safety with Drew Newcomb and Aaron Brown returning. Sophomore Brandon Benson returns to man the WHIP position. Senior Bryan Marine (2016 1st Team All-PL) is a proven commodity at the CB position. At this point, Fisayo Oluleye seems to have the inside track to other CB spot.

The most disruptive player on the Bison “D” heading into the year is sophomore DE Simeon Page. Page garnered 2nd Team All-PL honors as a freshman. The Utah native seems destined to be the next great Bucknell defender. Susan will need Page be a major factor early in the season as the rest of what will be a green defensive front 7 settles in. Matt Robins and Sam Chitty should be in line for the starting LB positions. John Hunt and Sean Naiman figure to join Page along the defensive front. Despite being a bit undersized, freshman LB Max Bunzel was a beast in high school. Given the lack of depth at LB Bunzel could find himself on the field early in the season.

Special Teams

Alex Pechin is not only the best punter in the Patriot League he’s arguably the best punter in all of FCS. The junior is the type of secret weapon that can win a team game or two during the course of the season. Bucknell does need to replace reliable place kicker Josh Burdick. Ethan Torres or Jack Chambers will it battle it out in camp for the starting gig.  Stefone Moore-Green and Alan Butler will likely continue kickoff and punt return duties.

Outlook

There’s some good pieces dotting the roster. The freshman class seems especially strong. Unfortunately, the 2-deep is filled with big questions at several key positions. Quarterback play must improve if Bucknell has any chance to challenge for a winning record and league title. With the defense being hit hard by graduation the offense will have to win a few games this year instead of their recent roll of “just don’t lose it”.

Given the numerous question marks on both sides of the ball and a tricky schedule, it’s hard to see Bucknell pulling themselves out of their recent rut. If recruiting continues on the uptick brighter days will be ahead. Until then, 2018 is shaping up to be Susan’s toughest since his first season in Lewisburg.

Prediction: 2-9 (1-5)

AGS Poll: Preseason 2018 Results

With fall camps opening up this week all around the Football Championship Subdivision comes the preseason edition of AnyGivenSaturday.com’s FCS top 25 poll. Defending champion North Dakota State and 2017 runner-up James Madison take up the same positions at #1 and #2, respectively, that they finished 2017 at. South Dakota State also maintained their #3 position in this season’s inaugural ranking that they finished at last year. Coming in at #4 is a new face in Kennesaw State, earning it’s first top 5 ranking in the AGS poll in only the 4th season of the program’s existence. Rounding out the top 5 is Sam Houston State who starts the year in the same #5 position that they finished 2017 in.

As is the norm in preseason rankings there was a lot of volatility amongst teams that the AGS community felt would improve or regress greatly from the end of 2017 into 2018. Amongst the headliners in the former group is Eastern Washington who shot up 15 spots from the final 2017 poll all the way to #6. Delaware also climbed the rankings in the offseason moving up 12 spots to #12 to reach their highest AGS ranking since the 2011 season. Another familiar program that failed to reach the playoffs in 2017 that AGS expects to bounce back this year is Illinois State who moved up 16 spots to #15. The last double digit riser was their MVFC conference mate Youngstown State who moved up 14 spots to #24. Villanova moved into the top 25 at #22 after failing to receive any votes in the final 2017 poll.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was Wofford who moved down 6 spots from the final 2017 ranking to #13 following their losses to graduation and the retirement of their iconic head coach Mike Ayers. Another team dealing with a head coaching change and subsequent drop in the rankings is Central Arkansas who lost 7 spots to come in at #16 to start 2018. Coming in back to back at #20 and #21 were Stony Brook, who dropped 9 spots, and Western Illinois, who dropped 6 spots. The biggest fall for a top 25 team to start 2018 was Southern Utah who plummeted 13 spots to #23. South Dakota, San Diego, and Grambling all start 2018 in the ORV category after finishing 2017 ranked amongst the top 25.

Leading the way in terms of conference representation were the CAA and MVFC who made up nearly half of the top 25 by themselves each placing 6 teams amongst the top 25. They were followed by the Southland who had 4 top 25 teams and the Big Sky and SOCON who each had 3. The Big South, OVC, and MEAC rounded out the field each with a single team ranked amongst the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Change Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 – North Dakota State Bison 2247 88
2 – James Madison Dukes 2150 2
3 – South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1893
4 2 Kennessaw State Owls 1870
5 – Sam Houston State Bearkats 1726
6 15 Eastern Washington Eagles 1571
7 6 New Hampshire Wildcats 1545
8 – Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1539
9 -5 Weber State Wildcats 1492
10 9 Samford Bulldogs 1234
11 1 Northern Iowa Panthers 1099
12 12 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 989
13 -6 Wofford Terriers 964
14 4 Elon Phoenix 859
15 16 Illinois State Redbirds 717
16 -7 Central Arkansas Bears 701
17 5 Nicholls State Colonels 679
18 -1 Furman Paladins 658
19 -3 North Carolina A&T Aggies 656
20 -9 Stony Brook Seawolves 624
21 -6 Western Illinois Leathernecks 540
22 NR Villanova Wildcats 529
23 -13 Southern Utah Thunderbirds 442
24 14 Youngstown State Penguins 420
25 -2 McNeese State Cowboys 327
ORV:
26 3 Austin Peay Governors 251
27 -1 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 230
28 2 Montana Grizzlies 215
29 -15 South Dakota Coyotes 212
30 NR Idaho Vandals 207
31 -11 San Diego Toreros 136
32T 3 Richmond Spiders 84
32T -6 Yale Bulldogs 84
32T -1 Sac State Hornets 84
35 -10 Grambling State Tigers 43
36 1 Colgate Raiders 27
37 -9 Monmouth Hawks 26
38 NR Maine Black Bears 22
39 NR Montana State Bobcats 19
40 NR UC Davis Aggies 14


Dropped out of the poll: 
Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Western Carolina Catamounts

Join the discussion here: http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?209343-AGS-Poll-Results-PRESEASON-POLL-2018-SEASON

2018 Preseason Conference Polls

***Updated (7/26) with Patriot League, (7/30) with MEAC and MVFC., and (8/20) with Ivy League

 

With the 2018 season just around the corner and FCS conferences around the country holding their media days here’s a rundown of the preseason conference polls as they are released.

 

Big Sky (media)

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Eastern Washington 651 27
2 Weber State 636 19
3 Northern Arizona 535 1
4 Montana 496 2
5 Idaho 483 3
6 Southern Utah 449 1
7 Sacramento State 415
8 Montana State 391 1
9 UC Davis 331
10 Idaho State 170
11 Cal Poly 169
12 Northern Colorado 166
13 Portland State 103

 

Big Sky (coaches)

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Eastern Washington 134 6
2 Weber State 124 3
3 Northern Arizona 121 3
4 Idaho 101 1
5 Sacramento State 94
6 Southern Utah 91
7 Montana 82
8 Montana State 73
9 UC Davis 64
10 Cal Poly 40
11 Northern Colorado 30
12 Idaho State 29
13 Portland State 21

 

Big South

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Kennesaw State 107 17
2 Monmouth 82 1
3 Charleston Southern 75
4 Gardner-Webb 52
5 Campbell 36
6 Presbyterian 26

 

CAA

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 James Madison 241 21
2 New Hampshire 206 2
3 Delaware 182
4 Stony Brook 169
5 Elon 168 1
6 Villanova 164
7 Richmond 127
8 Maine 81
9 Albany 78
10 Towson 74
11 William & Mary 55
12 Rhode Island 39

 

Ivy League

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Yale 129 11
2 Princeton 104 3
3 Harvard 99 1
4T Columbia 76 1
4T Penn 76 1
6 Dartmouth 65
7 Cornell 37
8 Brown 26

 

MEAC

Rank Team First Place Votes
1 North Carolina A&T 19
2 Howard
3 N.C. Central
4 Bethune-Cookman
5 Florida A&M 1
6 Norfolk State
7 S.C. State
8 Savannah State
9 Morgan State
10 Delaware State

 

MVFC

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 North Dakota State 390 39
2 South Dakota State 340
3 UNI 270
4 Youngstown State 258
5 Illinois State 248
6 South Dakota 206
7 Western Illinois 163
8 Southern Illinois 139
9 Missouri State 90
10 Indiana State 41

 

NEC

Rank Team First Place Votes
1 Central Connecticut State 5
2 Duquesne 1
3 Bryant 1
4 Saint Francis
5 Wagner
6 Sacred Heart
7 Robert Morris

 

OVC

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Jacksonville State 126 14
2 Austin Peay 112 4
3 Tennessee-Martin 95
4 Eastern Illinois 73
5 EKU 69
6 Tennessee State 64
7 Southeast Missouri 62
8 Murray State 24
9 Tennessee Tech 23

 

Patriot League

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Colgate 71 11
2 Lehigh 63 3
3 Fordham 45
4 Holy Cross 40
T5 Bucknell 31
T5 Lafayette 31
7 Georgetown 13

 

SOCON (media)

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Samford 204 20
2 Furman 174 2
3 Wofford 163 1
4 Mercer 133
5 Western Carolina 114
6 Chattanooga 88
7 The Citadel 83
8 ETSU 53
9 VMI 23

 

SOCON (coaches)

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Samford 63 7
2 Wofford 53 1
3 Furman 52 1
4 Western Carolina 39
5 Chattanooga 34
6 Mercer 32
7 The Citadel 28
8 ETSU 15
9 VMI 8

 

Southland

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 Sam Houston State 187 10
2 Nicholls 173 6
3 Central Arkansas 170 5
4 McNeese 159 1
5 Southeastern Louisiana 119
6 Stephen F Austin 90
7 Abilene Christian 89
8 Northwestern State 86
9 UIW 53
10 Lamar 52
11 Houston Baptist 32

 

SWAC

East

Rank Team Total Points
1 Alcorn State 97
2 Alabama State 72
3 Jackson State 55
4 Alabama A&M 51
5 Mississippi Valley State 27

West

Rank Team Total Points
1 Grambling 96
2 Southern 78
3 Prairie View A&M 65
4 Texas Southern 31
5 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 30

 

Resources/credits

Big Sky: http://www.bigskyconf.com/news/2018/7/16/football-eastern-washington-picked-to-win-the-big-sky.aspx

Big South: http://bigsouthsports.com/news/2018/7/23/kennesaw-state-voted-2018-preseason-football-favorite.aspx

CAA: http://caasports.com/news/2018/7/20/james-madison-favored-to-win-fourth-straight-caa-football-title-in-2018.aspx

Ivy League: http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/ncf/id/24427218

MEAC: http://www.meacsports.com/news/2018/7/27/football-north-caro1lina-a-t-state-picked-to-win-2018-meac-championship.aspx

MVFC: http://www.valley-football.org/documents/2018/7/19//2018_MVFC_Preseason_Poll.pdf?id=40

NEC: http://www.northeastconference.org/news/2018/7/24/football-defending-champ-ccsu-tops-preseason-coaches-poll-places-league-high-seven-on-all-nec-team.aspx

OVC: http://www.ovcsports.com/news/2018/7/10/jacksonville-state-picked-as-2018-ohio-valley-conference-football-favorites.aspx

Patriot League: http://www.patriotleague.org/news/2018/7/26/patriot-league-football-preseason-major-awards-poll-and-all-league-announced-7-26-18.aspx

SOCON: http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=21895&SPID=1781&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211735859&DB_OEM_ID=4000

http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=21895&SPID=1781&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=211735863&DB_OEM_ID=4000

Southland: http://www.southland.org/news/2018/7/16/sam-houston-state-voted-to-top-spot-in-2018-football-preseason-poll.aspx

SWAC: http://swac.org/news/2018/7/11/swac-football-all-conference-preseason-teams-released.aspx

AGS Poll: Final 2017 Results

With the final installment of the AGS Top 25 for 2017 (even though it’s technically 2018) there was a new #1 for the first time all year as North Dakota State took the top spot garnering all 71 first places after defeating defending champion James Madison in a classic title game. James Madison slipped to #2. South Dakota State moved up 2 spots to #3 after an impressive run to the semifinals and Weber State shot up 6 spots to #4 after nearly knocking off JMU in the quarters. Sam Houston State, the final semifinalist, moved up 1 spot to round out of the top 5 at #5.

Besides Weber State the other big mover was Kennesaw State as the 3rd year program moved up 11 spots all the way up to #6 after a quarterfinal run that included an upset over #3 seed Jacksonville State. New Hampshire was a bubble team in our last poll release but used an improbable quarterfinal run to move up 10 spots to #13 and reinforce the selection committee’s somewhat controversial decision to include them in the field as an at-large team. San Diego made the first appearance in the top 25 by a Pioneer League team this year rising a whopping 16 spots to come in at #20 after dominating previously ranked Northern Arizona in their first playoff game. Despite losing their first round playoff game to South Dakota, Nicholls moved up 9 spots into the top 25 at #22. Grambling State also made the first appearance by a SWAC team in the AGS top 25 this year rising 1 spot to come in at #25 after taking NC A&T to the wire in the Celebration Bowl.

As previously noted Jacksonville State was among those dropping the furthest as they fell 4 spots to #8 after losing their first playoff game for the 3rd time in 4 years as the #3 seed. Central Arkansas tumbled 6 spots to #9 after dropping their first playoff game to unseeded UNH as the #4 seed. Samford also dropped 6 spots to #19 after losing their first round playoff game to Kennesaw State. Northern Arizona and Monmouth dropped out of the top 25 after sustaining blowout losses in each of their respective first round playoff games. Yale also dropped out of the top 25 despite not participating in any postseason games.

In terms of conference representation the CAA and MVFC led the way with 5 teams each in the top 25. They were followed by the Southland 4 and the Big Sky and SOCON with 3 teams each in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 North Dakota State Bison 1775 71
2 James Madison Dukes 1680
3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1589
4 Weber State Wildcats 1541
5 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1486
6 Kennesaw State Owls 1322
7 Wofford Terriers 1301
8 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1105
9 Central Arkansas Bears 1054
10T Southern Utah Thunderbirds 993
10T Stony Brook Seawolves 993
12 Northern Iowa Panthers 960
13 New Hampshire Wildcats 923
14 South Dakota Coyotes 920
15 Western Illinois Leathernecks 892
16 North Carolina A&T Aggies 751
17 Furman Paladins 727
18 Elon Phoenix 564
19 Samford Bulldogs 518
20 San Diego Toreros 372
21 Eastern Washington Eagles 282
22 Nicholls State Colonels 274
23 McNeese State Cowboys 231
24 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 165
25 Grambling State Tigers 132
ORV:
26 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 120
27 Yale Bulldogs 92
28 Monmouth Hawks 85
29 Austin Peay Governors 42
30 Montana Grizzlies 41
31 Illinois State Redbirds 40
32 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils 29
33 Sacramento State Hornets 21
34 Lehigh Mountain Hawks 16
35T Richmond Spiders 13
35T Western Carolina Catamounts 13
37 Colgate Raiders 8
38 Youngstown State Penguins 5

FCS Championship Preview (the MVFC perspective)

MVFC LogoOh right…there’s still football. There’s one game left…the big one, the showdown in Frisco, the grandaddy of them…wait, sorry, that’s a different one. I’m pretty sure this is the matchup that the playoff committee had in their minds when they set up this year’s bracket. Defending FCS champion and currently undefeated #1 James Madison Dukes taking on the 5-time champions and most dominant FCS program this decade, the #2 North Dakota State Bison.

For those of you who are unaware, the FCS championship game is held in Frisco, TX (a north suburb of the Dallas/Ft Worth area) in 20,50017k+ seat Toyota Stadium (home of the FC Dallas MLS team). The game is scheduled for 11 AM (Central) on Saturday, January 6th and will be shown on ESPN2.

Here’s the full playoff bracket if you’d like to see how we got here.

#1 James Madison (14-0) vs #2 North Dakota State (13-1)

This Season:

  • James Madison is undefeated this season and haven’t lost a game since a 9/17/16 matchup with FBS North Carolina. They have wins over fellow playoff teams New Hampshire (21-0) and Elon (31-3) and in the playoffs defeated Stony Brook (26-7), narrowly defeated Weber State on a last second FG, 31-28, and then demolished #5 South Dakota State (51-16).
  • North Dakota State went 10-1 in the regular season with wins over playoff teams Western Illinois, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota. Their only loss this season was to conference rival and #5 playoff seed South Dakota State. In the playoffs, the Bison hosted San Diego and won by 35, hosted #7 Wofford and won by 32, then hosted #6 Sam Houston State and won by 42.

History:
The Dukes and Bison have met up twice in their histories. The first time was a 26-14 victory by NDSU in Fargo in the second round of the 2011 playoffs en route to their first of five FCS championships. The second was last year’s 27-17 JMU win (also in Fargo) in the semifinal round of the playoffs, which halted NDSU’s string of consecutive championships.

So, a great deal has been said (and repeated) by me about the strength of NDSU (you can go back and read my previous articles here: https://thefcswedge.com/tag/ndsu/. JMU, somewhat less so by myself, but since they did play SDSU in the previous round of the playoffs, they were included in my jurisdiction, so you can go read those articles (and others about JMU) here: https://thefcswedge.com/tag/jmu/

Suffice it to say, this game should be a phenomenally tough and competitive matchup between the two best teams in the FCS over the past few years. My gut feeling on this is that due to the talent level and current injuries, NDSU has a bit of an advantage in the offensive department, especially with their ground game, but JMU has a slightly better defense. NDSU is, I believe, going to be missing at least a couple of their starting CBs, but on the other hand, JMU isn’t really known for having the best passing game.

For a full rundown of key players, statistics, and analysis, check out the FCS Championship Game Preview elsewhere on this site. And if you prefer your info in a more “listenable” format, you can check out the Championship preview podcast.

Anyway, on to my own prediction. Both of these teams have the ability to really throw a team off their usual gameplan and make good teams look uncharacteristically bad. When you see that play out, quite often NDSU or JMU will get ahead by a couple of scores, the other team has to do things they’re not used to, and the point differential just steamrolls (example, both of last round’s playoff games where JMU/NDSU outscored SDSU/SHSU by a combined score of 106-29). Nobody has put up more than 28 points against the Dukes and Weber State was the only team to even get over 16 against them. I think NDSU has a better offense than probably anyone JMU has played this year though, so I’d expect the Bison to probably hit at least 26 points in this. NDSU was only slightly less dominant on defense, allowing 33 points in their loss to South Dakota State and 24 points in an early season OT win at Youngstown State, but otherwise holding all opponents (including in the playoffs) to 14 or fewer points. James Madison has a very good offense, but statistically not substantially better than teams like Sam Houston State or the South Dakota teams. SDSU had success against them, but that was about it. I see JMU probably being held a bit less than their average point total this game…something around the mid-20s for their point total.
So, my prediction…a 26-26 tie going to OT in an epic battle, with NDSU winning in OT on a TD pass to TE Connor Wentz.

Other predictions:
Massey – 23-21 NDSU
Sagarin – 20-18 NDSU
Compughterratings.com – 24-19 NDSU
5Dimes – NDSU -4, O/U 48…which I believe means a prediction of 26-22 NDSU

Because my “beat” is the Missouri Valley Football Conference, there is a bit of other news going on in the conference outside of the title game.

Illinois State has been shaking up their coaching staff a bit, with HC Brock Spack getting rid of 4 of their offensive coaches and one defensive coach. They immediately named a couple of the new offensive coaches and more recently named former ILSU Assistant Coach Harold Etheridge as the O-Line coach (most recently he was the O-Line coach and assistant HC at Georgia State) as well as former ILSU player and assistant coach Travis Niekamp (most recently ST coordinator and LB coach at Montana) as the new defensive coordinator.

At Western Illinois, after a few weeks of swirling rumors HC Charlie Fisher stepped down to take a job as the WR coach under Herm Edwards at Arizona State and then essentially at the same time, the previous Assistant HC and Co-Offensive Coordinator Jared Elliott was named the new head coach. It is expected at this time that the majority of the rest of the staff will remain at WIU.

Also, on Friday evening before the championship game, two MVFC players will be in the running for the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan awards. South Dakota QB Chris Streveler is a finalist for the Payton (top offensive player in the FCS) and Western Illinois LB Brett Taylor is a finalist for the Buchanan (top defensive player in the FCS).
More info: Payton, Buchanan unveiling highlights FCS Awards banquet

As for my articles, you can expect one more in the next couple of days in review of the championship game, then probably another one in late April talking about any MVFC news that came out of spring practices as well as a rundown of all the MVFC players taken in the NFL draft. For those of you who have kept up with my postings, ramblings, and other random thoughts throughout the season, thanks for reading and we’ll “see” you next football season.

2018 FCS Championship Game Preview

North Dakota State will take on James Madison in the FCS Championship this Saturday. The game will air at 12:00pm on ESPN2 live from Frisco, TX.

January in college football means a furious dash to the finish line to end the football season. This Saturday in Frisco, Texas the FCS football season will be coming to and end as the North Dakota State Bison will take on the James Madison Dukes.

The teams were seeded one and two in the playoffs and will meet each other for the second consecutive season. Last season the Dukes defeated the Bison in Fargo in the semifinals to advance, and eventually win the FCS championship. The Dukes sat atop the FCS rankings all season and never wavered. Their season started off with a win against FBS East Carolina and eventually led to an undefeated season behind a balanced offense led by Brian Schor and a top flight defense led by Andrew Ankrah. The Bison suffered one loss in route to their number two seed in the playoffs, a road contest at cross-border rival South Dakota State. The Dukes handily defeated the Jackrabbits in the semifinals in Harrisonburg.

James Madison will be looking for their third national championship, while the Bison will be looking for their sixth. The Bison cruised through their playoff schedule, defeating their opponents by an average of 36 points. James Madison was not quite as fortunate in their playoff draws, with their average victory being 19 points. The Dukes got a scare when the Big Sky’s Weber State came to town and nearly pulled an upset of the defending champions. Weber State held an eight point lead with 3:04 left in the game, but the Dukes showed their championship attitude and quickly scored to tie the game, then Ethan Ratke knocking through a 46 yard field goal as time expired.

The current betting line for the game (as of 1/2) has North Dakota State -3.5 to win the game, with the over/under coming in at 47.

North Dakota State Bison (13-1, 7-1, 4-1 on the road)
Fargo, North Dakota
Missouri Valley Football Conference
Head Coach: Chris Klieman (53-6 as Head Coach)

OL Austin Kuhnert 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 1st Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
LB Nick DeLuca 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 1st Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
LS James Fisher 1st Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
FB Connor Wentz 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
DB Tre Dempsey 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
DB Robbie Grimsley 1st Team All-Missouri Valley
RB Bruce Anderson 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley
WR RJ Urzendowski 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley
OL Tanner Volson 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley
DL Aaron Steidl 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley
LB Jabril Cox 2nd Team All-Missouri Valley, MVFC Newcomer of the Year, MVFC Freshman of the Year
HC Chris Klieman MVFC Coach of the Year

9/2/2017 Mississippi Valley State W 72-7
9/9/2017 at Eastern Washington W 40-13
9/23/2017 Robert Morris W 56-0
9/30/2017 Missouri State W 38-11
10/7/2017 at Indiana State W 52-0
10/14/2017 at Youngstown State W 27-24
10/21/2017 Western Illinois W 24-12
10/28/2017 Northern Iowa W 30-14
11/4/2017 at South Dakota State L 21-33
11/11/2017 South Dakota W 49-14
11/18/2017 Western Illinois W 20-7
12/2/2017 San Diego (FCS 2nd Round Playoff) W 38-3
12/9/2017 Wofford (FCS Quarterfinal) W 42-10
12/15/2017 Sam Houston State (FCS Semifinal) W 55-13


Key Players:
QB Easton Stick – 151/242 for 2336 yards. 27 touchdowns, 8 interceptions. 777 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.
RB Bruce Anderson – 216 rushes for 1186 yards and 11 touchdowns. 186 yards receiving, 3 touchdowns.
RB Ty Brooks – 76 rushes for 718 yards and 7 touchdowns.
RB Lance Dunn – 80 rushes for 642 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR RJ Urzendowski – 35 receptions for 589 yards and 8 touchdowns.
DB Trey Dempsey – 47 tackles. 6 interceptions, 1 touchdown. 4 pass break-ups, 10 pass deflections.
LB Jabril Cox – 72 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble.
LB Nick DeLuca – 70 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks.

The Bison continued their run of dominance through the Missouri Valley this season, despite challenges from South Dakota, South Dakota State, Western Illinois, and Illinois State. Needless to say, the Missouri Valley was a gauntlet of teams this season who made life difficult. The Bison passed most of those tests, only tripping up against their rival South Dakota State. Chris Klieman continues the legacy left behind by Craig Bohl in making the Bison a premier FCS team. The Bison got a nice out of conference win at Eastern Washington, handily beating the Eagles who struggled in the beginning of the season. Last year’s championship representative, Youngstown State, gave the Bison a run for their money midway through the season, but they kept trudging. The Bison’s sole loss, to South Dakota State, was a game they never led and never had much of a chance in. The Jackrabbits were too much.

Quarterback Easton Stick was a force for the Bison, following in his predecessor’s lead. The quarterback totaled over 3000 yards of offense to lead the Bison in all-purpose yards. The Bison used a rushing attack that wore opponents down all season. NDSU averaged nearly 300 yards rushing per game. Four backs rushed for over 500 yards. Bruce Anderson was a beast in the backfield this season, rushing for over 1100 yards and eleven touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball the Bison were again one of the best in FCS. Jabril Cox and Nick DeLuca were the heart and soul of that crew, combining for over 140 tackles and 9.5 sacks. DeLuca will leave the Bison as one of the best in their history of their program. Cox, while only a freshman, played like one of the best players in the country at times through the course of the season. If Cox continues on his current trajectory he could be one of the best defensive players in FCS in recent memory.

This will be the first time the Bison have left the snowy grounds of Fargo since November 18th when they closed their season with a win over Illinois State.

James Madison Dukes (14-0, 8-0, 5-0 on the road)
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Colonial Athletic Association
Head Coach: Mike Houston (28-1 as Head Coach)

OL Aaron Stinnie 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 1st Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conferec
DL Andrew Ankrah 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 1st Team STATS All-American, CAA Defensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
DB Jordan Brown 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 2nd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
DB Rashad Robinson 1st Team AP FCS All-American, 3rd Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
DB Raven Greene 2nd Team STATS All-American, 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
ST John Miller CAA Special Teams Player of the Year
DL Simeyon Robinson 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
LB Kyre Hawkins 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
DB Jimmy Moreland 1st Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
QB Brian Schor 2nd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
OL Jahee Jackson 2nd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
P Harry O’Kelly 2nd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
RB Trai Sharp 3rd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
WR Terrence Alls 3rd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
DL Darrious Carter 3rd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference
LB Brandon Hereford 3rd Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference

9/2/2017 at East Carolina W 34-14
9/9/2017 East Tennessee State W 52-10
9/16/2017 Norfolk State W 75-14
9/23/2017 Maine W 28-10
9/30/2017 at Delaware W 20-10
10/14/2017 Villanova W 30-8
10/21/2017 at William and Mary W 46-14
10/28/2017 New Hampshire W 21-0
11/4/2017 at Rhode Island W 38-3
11/11/2017 Richmond W 20-13
11/18/2017 at Elon W 31-3
12/2/2017 Stony Brook (FCS 2nd Round Playoff) W 26-7
12/8/2017 Weber State (FCS Quarterfinal) W 31-28
12/16/2017 South Dakota State (FCS Semifinal) W 51-16

Key Players:
QB Bryan Schor – 257/385 for 3074 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. 522 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
RB Marcus Marshall – 132 rushes for 844 yards and 10 touchdowns.
RB Trai Sharp – 159 rushes for 761 yards and 4 touchdowns.
WR Terrence Alls – 53 receptions for 681 yards and 2 touchdowns.
WR David Eldridge – 41 receptions for 524 yards and 4 touchdowns.
DL Andrew Ankrah – 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries.
LB Kyre Hawkins – 101 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.
DB Raven Greene – 75 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss.
DL Darrious Carter – 46 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks.

The James Madison Dukes look like a team who’s ready to repeat as FCS national champions. You could make an argument that the Dukes had a tougher road to the playoffs, and I think you’d be right. The Dukes took on conference opponent Stony Brook, then got a Weber State who was grossly underrated coming into the playoffs, then got to play the only team who beat North Dakota State this season. Weber State gave the Dukes more than they wanted, and save for an offensive lapse late in the fourth quarter from Weber State, the Dukes would be sitting at home right now. However, none of that happened the Dukes responded by beating the ever loving hell out of a very good opponent in South Dakota State.

The Dukes started off with a win over East Carolina this season. Every FBS win for an FCS team is a good one, however, the Pirates were really really bad this year which unfortunately diluted that dominating win by the Dukes. The momentum from that win carried them into the conference season. And boy, did it carry them into the conference season. The Dukes defense gave up 61 points during the conference season, averaging almost 8 points a game for opponents. Folks, that’s a suffocating defense. That defense was led by defensive lineman Andrew Ankrah. Ankrah piled up the post season awards for his stellar play this season, earning first team All-American on the AP and STATS ballots. Kyre Hawkins was also an important cog to that defense, who was all over the field collecting 101 tackles this season.

On offense the Dukes are a balanced attack. Quarterback Bryan Schor piled up over 3500 yards total offense and 33 touchdowns. He’s a leader who will be making his second start in the FCS championship. He brings experience for a team looking to repeat. He had help in the rushing game, with a two headed monster of Marcus Marshall and Trai Sharp who combined for about 1500 yards and 14 touchdowns of their own. Efficiently executing that offense will be key to getting past the top ranked defense of NDSU.

Key Statistics:

Category NORTH DAKOTA STATE JAMES MADISON
Sagarin Ranking 33 43
Total Offense 462.1 (8th) 431.7 (21st)
Total Defense 237.1 (1st) 251.1 (3rd)
Passing Yards Per Game 180 (88th) 230.2 (41st)
Rushing Yards Per Game 282.1 (4th) 201.5 (19th)
Defensive Rushing Yards Per Game 89.2 (7th) 87.4 (6th)
Defensive Passing Yards Per Game 147.9 (3rd) 163.8 (12th)
Turnover Margin +17 (7th) +24 (1st)
Third Down Conversions 47% (8th) 41% (29th)
Red Zone Offense 86% (21st) 86% (22nd)
Red Zone Defense 80% (59th) 68% (10th)
Penalties Per Game 4.79 (10th) 6.93 (75th)

Final Thoughts:

These teams do a lot of things very well. Both of them score very highly in a lot of key statistics that are typical indicators of success. Both teams know what it’s like to play on a big stage, so this moment shouldn’t be too big for either team. I’m sure both teams will enjoy getting out of their frigid environments and going to a slightly warmer in environment in Dallas.

Both of these teams play a salty defense, and I guess that’s why you see the over/under of this game at 47. Vegas isn’t planning on a real high scoring game, and I tend to agree with them. This is a rare time where we see two elite defense shows up to play. Both quarterbacks are capable of putting the teams on their shoulders and win this game. Easton Stick has accounted for a lot of defensive yards and touchdowns for the Bison, but so has Bryan Schor. They both have the ability to keep a defense off-balance by threatening to run all game. The James Madison offensive line could be the right recipe to keep the NDSU defensive front seven at bay. On the other side, NDSU will have their hands full with Andrew Ankrah. Both teams are very well versed in forcing turnovers.

I can see a scenario playing out where we’re within two or three and halftime, and likely finish the game that way. My prediction? James Madison 23, North Dakota State 21.

The game will be played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The game can be seen on ESPN2 starting at noon CST.