Patriot League: Week 8 Preview

Colgate (3-4, 1-1) at Holy Cross (2-5, 1-1) – Oct. 21st 12 PM Fitton Field Worcester, MA

Live Stream – Patriot League Network

Brian Rock’s first game as the interim head coach at Holy Cross is a big one. The Crusaders host Colgate on homecoming in an important Patriot League showdown. Rock, who had been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the last 2.5 years, takes over after Tom Gilmore was let go early last Sunday. Holy Cross enters the game on a 4 game losing. The most recent of which was an extremely ugly 32-0 shutout loss to Yale that sent Gilmore packing. Rock’s first order of business will be to find the offensive mojo that put up 51 points against New Hampshire and not the one the was held scoreless last week and then limited to 7 points two Saturdays ago in a devastating league loss to Lafayette. Peter Pujals is arguably coming off the worst game (10-22 89 yards) of his illustrious career so getting him right will go a long way towards having a chance to beat Colgate and make a late season run at the league title.

In general, the Crusader defense (384 ypg allowed, 68th in FCS) has played reasonably well. They’ll need to be at the top of their game this Saturday against a Colgate offense that is picking up steam as Grant Breneman (161 ypg, 10 TDs 1 INT, 38 ypg rushing 2 TDs) gets more comfortable at quarterback. The Raiders have torched the two (Fordham & Lehigh) worst defenses in the league the last two weeks so there is some context with the recent improvement. There’s no doubt Holy Cross will be a step up in class defensively. Breneman must continue his smart decision making in the passing game and let the rushing attack lead the way. The return of James Hollond Jr.(career high 166 yards last week) makes Colgate’s running game even potent thus taking pressure off of Breneman. If the freshman quarterback can avoid mistakes and the running attack eats up yards/clock the Raider offense will be tough to stop. Holy Cross’s defense line must be able to hold up along the line of scrimmage. If they do, McBeath and Ryan Brady should be able to make plays from the linebacker position.

This is such a fascinating game because there’s really no way to know what to expect. It’s been a whirlwind week for Coach Rock and his players that it’s anyone’s guess as to how they’ll respond. Odds say they come out loose with a nothing to lose attitude. That will give the Crusaders a chance to win at home. However, Colgate seems to be picking up momentum and appear to be on a mission to avenge the brutal loss to Lehigh.

Prediction: Colgate 27 Holy Cross 21

Fordham (1-6, 0-2) at Georgetown (1-5, 0-1) – Oct. 21st 2 PM Cooper Field Washington, D.C.

Live Streaming – Patriot League Network

Fordham heads to our nation’s capital to take on Georgetown in a game that features two teams in desperate need of a win. The Hoyas have lost 5 straight games since their season opening victory over Campbell. Fordham is also on a 5 game skid and are guaranteed to finish with their first losing season since 2011. Seven weeks ago no one could have imagined the Ram’s season would have spiraled to these depths given their recent run of success and the amount of firepower they returned on offense. But Edmonds and Anderson have battled through injuries much of the year and the defense remains a major liability. The end result is a 1-6 record that has relegated the Rams to spoiler status. Georgetown’s issues run much deeper so there’s no quick fix. The two positives the Hoyas have going for them are the emergence of Gunther Johnson (155 ypg 2 TDs 0 INTs, 32 ypg rushing 4 TDs) and the fact they always play hard. They nearly knocked off a much better Ram team last year in the Bronx by using an awesome defensive performance.

If Georgetown is to get over the hump this year against Fordham the Hoya defense will be what leads the way. The Rams offense is a shell of its former self so there’s a good chance they’ll contribute to their own demise. The unit has scored 10, 10 and 12 points in Fordham’s 3 most recent losses and currently ranks 91st in FCS in scoring (19.6 ppg). With Edmonds (329 yards 1 TD for season) still not up to full strength and Anderson battling his own ailments things don’t figure to get much better this week. The 2017 version of the Hoya defense is not as good as recent editions either but they’ve had to deal with an offense that has been extremely limited. As a result, the Hoya “D” often plays well early in games before fatigue costs them as.

The Rams pride is really on the line is this game. The Hoyas continue to be looked at as the hopeless non-scholarship cellar dweller in the Patriot league. Any team that loses to the Hoyas is immediately chastised for “reaching their depths”. Well, with Fordham’s current trajectory it seems quite possible they’re “that team” that is destined to fall to the Hoyas. Expect Gunther Johnson to play well at quarterback and the defense to do just enough to allow Georgetown to pull off a rare league win.

Prediction: Georgetown 24 Fordham 19

Bucknell (3-3, 0-1) at Lafayette (2-5, 2-0) – Oct. 21st 3 PM Fisher Stadium Easton, PA

Live Stream – Patriot League Network

Bucknell, the only .500 or better team in the Patriot League heading into week 8, ventures to the Lehigh Valley to take on Lafayette in a pivotal game in the chase for the championship. This figures to be a low scoring, defensive battle. Both teams have struggled to varying degrees on offensive mostly due to suspect play in the trenches. The lack of quality offensive line play is the main reason why the Leopard rushing attack ranks 122nd (9.1 ypg) out of 123 teams in FCS. With a historically bad ground game Sean O’Malley has been forced to carry the offense on his shoulder which is not something you want your freshman quarterback to do. The deficiencies on offense make it all the more impressive that they’re 2-0 in league play. Although, if the Leopards continue to average12 points a game over the course of the season things won’t end well.  Abdullah Anderson and company are easily the best defense Lafayette has faced sine Villanova.

The Bison’s offense has rarely been known as an explosive unit and this year is no different (21.2 ppg). The one positive Coach Susan can point to though is an improving rushing attack the last games after the running back duo of Joey DeFloria and Chad Freshnock got off to a slow start to the season. An emerging rushing game along with a defense that ranks 1st in the Patriot League in ppg allowed (23.1) make the Bison a dangerous team as the season hit the stretch run. Ideally Bucknell wants the ground game to lead the way and then they will pick their spots with quarterback John Chiarolanzio. The Leopard defense played great (7 and 10 points allowed) in their wins over Holy Cross and Fordham but those are teams lacking confidence. Conversely, Bucknell enters this game playing pretty good football. The Bison will attack the Leopard front 7 front from the start of the game and if they have success, which they should, they’ll try to hit a big play with speedy wide receivers Jack Horan and Alan Butler.

Both of these teams were expected to be towards the bottom of the league standings when the dust settled in late November. While that could still happen it seems likely that at least one will be in the thick of title hunt until the last weekend of the year. The odds favor Bucknell because they have fewer question marks in all 3 phases. Bison kicker John Burdick could be a real difference maker in close, low scoring games.

Prediction: Bucknell 31 Lafayette 16

MVFC – Week 8 Preview

MVFC LogoI apologize for being a little later than usual with my weekly preview post. In addition to being a fan of MVFC football, I’m also a Chicago Cubs fan, so my evening writing sessions have been somewhat constrained by watching Cubs games. In case you weren’t aware though, that won’t be a problem for me the rest of the season 😉

Week 8, the start of the “downslope” towards the end of the season, which will, unfortunately, be here before we know it. There’s some interesting matchups here and in at least one situation, should learn a lot about which teams in the “middle” are likely to be above the “playoff line” and which will be below it.

Disclaimer: For those of you who don’t know me very well, I’ve been a Western Illinois fan for over 20 years. I will do my best to be relatively unbiased, but I know that it’s impossible for me to be completely so. You’ll also notice that I generally will write a little more about my Leathernecks due to my familiarity with the team.

For reference, I use the AGS poll numbers for rankings.

So, here are the games this week:
1:00 PM – #9 Youngstown State (3-3, 1-2) at #28 Northern Iowa (3-3, 2-1)
2:00 PM – #3 South Dakota (6-0, 3-0) at #27 Illinois State (4-2, 2-1)
2:00 PM – Southern Illinois (3-3, 1-2) at Indiana State (0-6, 0-3)
2:00 PM – #15 South Dakota State (4-2, 1-2) at Missouri State (1-5, 0-3)
2:30 PM – #7 Western Illinois (5-1, 2-1) at #2 North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0)
All games listed in Central time and all games on ESPN3.

#9 Youngstown State at #28 Northern Iowa (Family Weekend)

Last Week:

  • Youngstown State lost at home to North Dakota State, 27-24 in OT
  • Northern Iowa won at South Dakota State, 38-18

History: The Penguins and Panthers have met up 29 times starting back in 1978. Northern Iowa holds the series lead, 21-8, although last year’s matchup resulted in a 14-10 come-from-behind victory where YSU got all 14 points in the 4th quarter.

Youngstown State has had one of the most difficult schedules in the first half of their season. Despite having 3 losses, those losses were against FBS Pitt in OT, by 3 points on a last-second FG at 6-0 South Dakota, and by 3 points in OT to 6-0 North Dakota State, so it’s not like any of the losses were embarrassing results by any means. Still, they need to start picking up some actual wins if they want to be playoff-bound. The Penguins have a great ground game, powered by RB Tevin McCaster who’s averaging just barely under 100 ypg and has 9 TDs. QB Nathan Mays isn’t the greatest passer, with 119 ypg and 3 TDs w/ 1 INT, but is a legitimate running threat, picking up just over 56 ypg with 4 rushing TDs. Safeties Jalyn Powell and Kyle Hegedus lead the team with 43 and 42 tackles, and Linebackers Lee Wright and Armand Dellovade lock down the middle of the field for a defense that only allows 160.5 ypg and 17 ppg (both in the top 12 for the FCS)

Northern Iowa has also had a tough schedule, although they’ve seemed like a real “up-and-down” team this year…losing at home to WIU and then steamrolling SDSU up in Brookings in the last two weeks. It’s almost unfair to look at the entire season’s stats for UNI because they looked like a completely different team last week against SDSU now that they have RB Marcus Weymiller. UNI actually has a run game now, with Weymiller chugging along for 170 yards and 2 TDs against SDSU. QB Eli Dunne has done a solid job, averaging nearly 275 ypg with 17 TDs (8 INTs) primarily to WR Daurice Fountain, who has 87 ypg and 5 TDs. The defense is stronger against the run than they are against the pass, with a couple of solid LBs in Jared Farley and Duncan Ferch. DB Malcolm Washington can be dangerous as well, picking up 25 tackles and 2 INTs so far this season.

Is this an “up” game for UNI or a “down” game? YSU can be really tough, but they don’t have much of a passing game and have struggled at the UNIDome in the past…the last time the Penguins won there was in 1999. Both teams need a win here to stay in a decent position for the playoffs. I think that YSU will be able to slow down Weymiller a lot better than SDSU did, but will struggle a bit with UNI’s passing game. UNI is better against the run than the pass, but Tevin McCaster is going to be hard to stop. It’ll likely be a pretty close and low-scoring game…first team to 20 points wins…which I think will be Youngstown coming away with a 4-point win.

#3 South Dakota at #27 Illinois State (Homecoming)

Last Week:

  • South Dakota beat Indiana State 56-6
  • Illinois State lost at Southern Illinois, 42-7

History: The Coyotes and Redbirds have played 6 times starting in 2011, with Illinois State holding a 5-1 series lead. Last year’s meeting was the first win for USD, prevailing 27-24 in Vermillion.

South Dakota has probably the single-most impactful player in the FCS right now in QB Chris Streveler. The former Minnesota Gopher leads the MVFC in passing yards per game with just over 310 ypg and passing TDs with 17. Streveler is also the Coyote’s leading runner, coming in at 3rd in the MVFC with 8 rushing TDs and 5th with just under 75 ypg and was just this week named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List (best offensive player in the FCS). Overall, the USD offense is putting up a (2nd in the FCS) 47 ppg and (1st in the FCS) 565 yards per game of total offense. The defense isn’t half-bad either, limiting opponents to 18 ppg and 320 ypg. DB Danny Rambo leads the team in tackles with 35, 2 for loss, with 1 INT and 5 pass breakups. DL Darin Greenfield may “only” have 28 tackles, but he’s leading the FCS in tackles for loss with an average of 2.3 per game (13.5 total, 5 sacks). So far the only teams who have really challenged the Coyotes are Western Illinois (who they beat by 5) and Youngstown State (who they beat by 3 on a last-second FG).

Illinois State was looking like another possible top conference team this year with a 4-game win streak to start the season (albeit against a very weak schedule)…that was until they were tested against a couple of decent teams, losing at Northern Arizona and at Southern Illinois. 4-2 isn’t a bad way to start the season usually, but ILSU has looked particularly disorganized in their last couple of games, being outscored 79-23. The Redbird defense is actually one of the better ones out there at stopping the run, allowing only 70 ypg, but are weaker against strong passing games (such as NAU and SIU). LB Tyree Horton leads the team with 35 tackles, 5 for loss w/ 2 sacks and a forced fumble + recovery. QB Jake Kolbe is throwing for 258 ypg and 7 TDs, but seems to have trouble with accuracy sometimes (or maybe his receivers are just bad at catching), throwing 5 INTs so far. WR Christian Gibbs is averaging just under 78 receiving ypg with 4 TDs. ILSU’s offense is not particularly “bad”, but they just don’t seem to have anything special going on right now…a little better when they’re airing out the ball, but otherwise solidly in the middle of the FCS rankings in rushing ypg and scoring.

South Dakota is bound to run into a team that will hand them an upset…right? At some point? Unfortunately a team like ILSU doesn’t really feel like the team to do it. The Redbird defense is going to have a really hard time containing Streveler. They might be able to slow him down in the run game, but will probably give up quite a few yards through the air. On the opposite side of the ball, USD has shown the ability to shut down a variety of offenses, but seems to be a bit more effective against teams that run the ball more. This aspect might give ILSU fans a sliver of hope…if Kolbe, Gibbs, and WR Spencer Schnell all have a great game, they could stay close with the Coyotes…but I just don’t see a win as being very likely for them. I’m thinking USD will take this one by 14.

Southern Illinois (3-3, 1-2) at Indiana State (Homecoming)

Last Week:

  • Southern Illinois beat Illinois State, 42-7
  • Indiana State lost to South Dakota, 56-6

History: The Salukis and Sycamores have matched up 54 times starting back in 1944. The series is an even split currently with each team taking 27 wins. At Indiana State, INSU has the advantage, 15-12. Last year’s matchup was a 22-14 win for the Sycamores down in Carbondale.

SIU has had a real up-and-down season, starting off with a couple of dominating wins and a loss to FBS Memphis where they had a pretty good showing. They then lost to UNI, got destroyed by SDSU and then steamrolled ILSU. They don’t have much of a run game, but they do have a decent QB with Sam Straub averaging just over 251 ypg and 17 TDs (6 INTs) throwing mostly to WRs Connor Iwema (74 ypg & 2 TD) and Darrell James (69 ypg & 5 TDs). The Saluki O-Line has been pretty solid, ranking #2 in the FCS at allowing sacks (.5 per game). The SIU defense is rather suspect though, allowing exactly 400 ypg and 24 ppg so far, although passing teams need to watch out for DB Jeremy Chinn who has 35 tackles, 3 interceptions and 5 pass breakups. One of the bright spots for SIU currently is their punting game, with Lane Reazin currently 4th in the FCS with a 45.2 yards per punt average…and return man Craig James leading the conference with a 14.3 yard per return average on punts, so in a game that comes down to field position…SIU has a bit of an advantage over most teams.

Indiana State did ok the first part of the year, but haven’t been able to put together a win yet. To be fair, here’s the rankings (FCS unless otherwise stated) of their last 5 opponents at the time they played them: FBS #21, #19, #8, #2, #4…so it hasn’t been real easy…even a decent team is likely to lose most, if not all, of those games. The Sycamore defense is last in the conference against the pass (295.5 ypg), 3rd to last against the run (159 ypg), and giving up the 2nd most points (39.7 ppg). LB Jonas Griffith leads the team with 49 tackles, although he started the season strong and has gone down from there. INSU’s offense is only putting up 14.5 ppg and 287 ypg, which is last in the conference and in the bottom 20 of the FCS for both stats. QB Cade Sparks has thrown for 124 ypg and 4 TDs w/ 4 INTs. They do have a pretty good RB in LeMonte Booker, who has 86 ypg and 2 TDs, and WR Bob Pugh does a little of everything, receiving for 79 ypg and 2 TDs, rushing a few times for an average of 5.4 yards per carry, and is the primary kick returner averaging 25.67 yards per return on punts and 19.89 yards per return on kickoffs.

Southern Illinois definitely showed signs of life in their win over Illinois State, but I think Indiana State is probably better off just tanking this season and going for a high draft pick next year…er…wait…is that not a thing at this level? Well, anyway, I think Indiana State will actually put up higher than average points against SIU, but Southern Illinois has the passing offense to fly past whatever INSU can put on the board. I think the Salukis will spoil the Sycamores Homecoming to the tune of a 12 point margin.

#15 South Dakota State at Missouri State

Last Week:

  • South Dakota State lost to Northern Iowa, 38-18
  • Missouri State lost at Western Illinois, 49-30

History: The Jackrabbits and Bears have played 9 times in their history with SDSU holding a 8-1 series lead. Last year’s meeting was a 49-24 South Dakota State victory at home.

South Dakota State, earlier in the season was thought to be one of the most dangerous offenses in the FCS this year. Unfortunately, that though hasn’t really panned out quite like they’d hoped it would. The Jackrabbit offense still has some very good players, but instead of sitting right at the top of the rankings, they find themselves falling back to just being “pretty good”…sitting in the 20th-30th range in the FCS for most of the major offensive stats. Last year, TE Dallas Goedert and WR Jake Wieneke were the top two receivers in the conference in both yards and TDs. This year, however, the averages are down and while Wieneke is leading the conference in TDs, Goedert only has 2 so far, and in the ypg category, they’re sitting at 9th and 12th in the MVFC. QB Taryn Christion is averaging 224 ypg and has 14 TDs and 3 INTs. Turnovers appear to be a category where the Jackrabbits have had problems, losing 9 and only gaining 7 for a net turnover margin of -.33/game. The SDSU defense has decently against the pass, but had no way to stop the run last week with UNI’s RB getting 170 yards against them. Last year’s MVFC Freshman of the Year, LB Christian Rozeboom leads the defense with 49 tackles, 2 for loss.

Missouri State has what I’d call a “sporadically potent offense”, putting up 43 against Mizzou to start the season, 28 in their lone win over Murray State, and 30 against a decent Western Illinois team. Sandwiched in between those performances were 0 points against North Dakota, 9 against Illinois State, and 11 against North Dakota State. They’ve only been netting 336 yards of total offense per game this season and 20.2 ppg, with QB Payton Huslig having 186 ypg and 4 TDs through the air and 26 ypg and 2 TDs on the ground…but also 8 INTs. WR Malik Earl can be dangerous at times, catching 84 ypg and 2 TDs. The top tackler for the Bears is LB McNeece Egbim with 33 including 2.5 for loss and a fumble recovery, but outside of that, they unfortunately don’t have much going for them. Out of 123 FCS teams, MSU is 118th in pass defense, 107th in run defense, 118th in scoring defense, and 122nd in total defense.

So, Jackrabbits are weak against the run but decent against the pass. Bears are weak against…well…everything (defensively speaking). They did have a close game going with Western Illinois with a lead as late as ~5 minutes left in the 3rd and only being down by 5 with less than 5 minutes left in the game, but then gave up a couple of rushing TDs near the end. SDSU might not be quite living up to most people’s expectations this season, but I still think they’re good enough to pick up a few more passing TDs against MSU. I think SDSU wins this one by about 20 points.

#7 Western Illinois at #2 North Dakota State

Last Week:

  • Western Illinois beat Missouri State, 49-30
  • North Dakota State won at Youngstown State, 27-24 in OT

History: The Leathernecks and Bison have played each other 8 times, with NDSU holding the 6-2 series lead and having won the last 4 meetings. Last year’s matchup was a 21-13 Bison win in Macomb. Interestingly, out of all 8 meetings, the home team has only won 1 game, with WIU currently 2-1 in games at the Fargodome.

Western Illinois is coming off an emotional rain-delayed win against Missouri State (their first home win this season). The WIU defense is much better against the run than against the pass, with a lot of size and experience on the D-Line, and one of the FCS’s best LB’s, Macomb-native Brett Taylor, currently leading the FCS in tackles with 14.5 per game (87 total) and has 9 for loss and a forced fumble. They also have one of the faster D-linemen I’ve seen in quite a while with Khalen Saunders sitting at #2 on the team with 33 tackles, 8 for loss including 5.5 sacks (#1 in the MVFC), 3 forced fumbles, and 1 offensive rushing TD. Offensively, the combination of QB Sean McGuire (268.5 ypg, 15 TDs, 3 INTs) and WR Jaelon Acklin (138 ypg & 8 TDs receiving, 32.5 ypg & 3 TDs rushing) has been a boon for a crew that lost two of the best receivers in school history after last season. Overall, they’re averaging 469 ypg and the FCS’s 4th best scoring offense with 41.8 ppg. RBs Max Norris (74.5 ypg) and Steve McShane (49.4 ypg) are usually able to get things done on the ground, with both having 4 rushing TDs, although they haven’t yet faced a run defense quite like…

North Dakota State is a perfect 6-0 on the season. I’m not sure there’s really too much to say that hasn’t already been said about the Bison. They’re putting up an average of 47.5 ppg and defensively allowing only 9.2 ppg. Between RBs Lance Dunn (100 ypg, 12 TDs) and Bruce Anderson (77.8 ypg, 3 TDs) on one side, and defenders like LBs Nick DeLuca, Jabril Cox and Levi Jordheim, and DL’s Nate Tanguay and Aaron Steidl on the other, they have the best ground game on both sides of the ball in the FCS…possibly in quite a few years in the FCS. QB Easton Stick seems to have really stepped up his game this year, throwing for 152 ypg and 12 TDs and running for 44 ypg and 3 TDs with 0 INTs so far. WR RJ Urzendowski has 5 receiving TDs including an incredible one-handed grab against Youngstown State in the corner of the endzone for which he was awarded a bowl of chili. The Bison also have an impressive +2 turnover ratio per game and hold on to the ball for an average of 34:25 per game…5th best in the FCS.

So, the last time Western traveled to Fargo, it was a very unpleasant day for the Leathernecks…however, that was just one of those games where a couple of mistakes piled up and things just got out of hand very quickly. WIU is a better team than they were then and I don’t think we’re likely to see a result like that this year. I think that WIU’s strength against the run will help them slow down NDSU’s RBs, but they’ll likely do fairly well through the air. NDSU should be able to limit WIU’s offense much better than any team the Leathernecks have faced this season so far, although the QB McGuire->WR Acklin combo has the ability to make plays happen that it seems like almost nobody else could create. If Western wants to win this, they need to play mistake-free football and do a much better job at limiting the passing game (and the run defense just needs to do their job). As a Leatherneck fan, I’d love to pick Western to win this and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility, but the realist in me says that NDSU will likely take this game with roughly a 10-point margin of victory.

SOCON Week 8 Preview

Following Wofford’s win over The Citadel last week, it looks like Wofford, 6-0, 4-0,  controls its destiny at this point in the race for the Southern Conference title.  Western Carolina and Furman are both sitting at sitting 3-1 in the conference, but have already fallen to the Terriers.  Samford sits at 2-1 with the Terriers hosting the Bulldogs this coming weekend.  A win by Wofford will pretty much seal the title barring any melt down by Wofford later on.  With a WCU victory over VMI expected this weekend, and with Furman battling a tough Mercer team, there could theoretically be a four way tie if Samford pulls out a win over Wofford.  Also this week, both The Citadel and Chattanooga look to recover a bit as they face each other.  ETSU is idle.

SOCON Notes

#17 Samford  at #5 Wofford  1:30PM ESPN3 (Samford notes) (Wofford notes)

This game may very well determine the auto bid to the FCS playoffs for the SOCON.  It will be the run against the pass.  But will it?  The Wofford Terriers had to take to the air last week in its win over The Citadel after the Bulldogs shut down the Terrier’s running game as it hadn’t been shut down in years.  Samford shut down The Citadel’s running game earlier this year so they can do it when they put their heart into it.  With Wofford’s stingy pass defense this game has all the makings of a classic.

With a stout defense overall, Wofford could slow Samford’s prolific passing attack.  The Bulldogs are averaging 320 yards a game through the air.  Devlin Hodges has gone 157/236 for 1899 yards to date with only 4 interceptions and 17 TDs.  The Samford running game is still a bit weak at 93 yards a game on average, but they have made improvements over the last few games.

On defense, Samford is giving up 203 yards a game on the ground with 4.2 yards a rush.  Against the pass they are giving up 246 yards a game and 8.7 yards an attempt.  Normally their pass defense would not be of primary concern against Wofford, but after this past week it may be tested.  If it is, that may be good news for the Bulldogs.  That means they would be stopping the Terriers ground game.  Samford also has 18 sacks and 7 interceptions on the year.

Wofford has been average on offense this year.  They have not been stellar, but they have produced, just enough to get the Ws.  They are averaging 390 yards a game with 262 yards on the ground and 128 through the air, which is well above their passing average for the last few years.  They are converting 48% of their third down tries. The Terriers have been averaging 27.5 points a game, which is again not great, but sufficient.  Wofford has really relied on their defense to seal their wins.

Overall, the Terriers are giving up 20.8 points a game.  They lead the SOCON in total defense at 298.2 yards a game.  That is good enough for #18 in FCS.  Against the run they are allowing 145 yards a game and 4.0 per rush.  They are much better against the pass and lead the SOCON at 153 yards a game.  That is #6 in FCS.  They only have 5 sacks, but they lead the conference in interceptions at 8.  While they have not done great in preventing third down conversions, at 44%, they have been pretty effective in finishing games.  In six games, they have only given up only 3 TDs and 2 FGs in the 4th quarter.  Their defense has given the offense the chance to win when needed.  The Terriers also scored 8 TDs in the 4th quarter.  Three of their victories have been come from behind affairs and another one won in OT.  The more I look at the results, the more it reminds me of The Citadel last year.  They have had many close games, but they took control of their games just when they needed to.  That is what champions do.

This will be a pretty tough game for both teams.  We could find all sorts of stats to see who has an edge here or there and still not figure out who has the critical advantage.  Wofford has experience and skill and a home field advantage although that does not seem to matter lately in so many SOCON games.  Samford has experience and skill as well, not to mention an off week in which to prepare.  Samford has proven that it can stop the run.  If Wofford is forced to the air again it may prove to be their Achilles heel.  Wofford has shown it has a good pass defense but Samford will be their hardest test to date, by far.  Wofford will bend for sure, but will they break?

After a couple emotional and strenuous games for the Terriers the last couple weeks, look for a close Samford victory, and the SOCON race to be thrust into chaos for at least another week or two.  Bulldogs win it 33-27.

Mercer at Furman  1:30PM ESPN3 (Mercer notes) (Furman notes)

This is a must win game for the Mercer Bears, 4-3, 3-2.  A loss here will knock them out of any realistic hope in the title race or an at large berth.  Furman, 4-3, 3-1, is a little bit more alive and has a shot at an at large if they keep winning.  They came up short early in the season going 0-3, but the Paladins have recovered nicely and are now rolling like gangbusters.

They are second in the SOCON in scoring with 36 points a game and second in total offense with 439 yards a game.  Their defense has been average, but good enough behind their powerhouse offense.  Paladin senior QB PJ Blazejowski has been pretty good at 72/124 with 12 TD passes and only two interceptions.  He is averaging just under 200 yards a game.  But the real story is the revitalized Furman running game.  They are averaging 235 yards a game.  And they are leading the SOCON in third down conversions at 51.5%.

They will face a Mercer defense that has been mostly effective.  The Bears are giving up only 337 yards a game and a conference leading 17.6 points per game.  Against the rush they are giving up only 138 yards a game.  Not bad considering they have already played Wofford, The Citadel, and Auburn to boot.  Their biggest characteristic has been their take away ability.  The Bears are sitting at +7 on the year with 9 fumbles recovered along with 7 interceptions.  They also have 13 sacks.  They are also holding opposing teams third down conversion at 37%.

The Bears offense has not been quite as good as their defense.  They are averaging 361 yards a game, but do have 30 points a game.  All those turnovers have helped in the scoring.  They have been fairly balanced between the run and pass.  Freshman QB Kaelan Riley is going to be a good one.  So far he is 112/182 for 1437 yards with 12 TDs and 5 interceptions.  He has only been sack 7 times.  They have been converting third downs at a 39% rate  ONe area that has been very good for the Bears is in red zones scores with them making 26/28 so far.

Facing the Bears offense, the Furman defense has not been too shabby.  They are allowing 372 yards a game with only 123 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per rush.  They lead the SOCON in sacks with 20.  They hold opponents to a 36% third down conversion rate.  Furman is at +4 in turnovers.

Furman’s defense has been a bit inconsistent at times so Mercer may be able to move the ball and use up clock.  Also, Furman’s ability to run like they have will be tested against the Bears.  But the Bears will have a hard time stopping the Paladin’s offense output overall.  This game will probably be somewhat high scoring.  Look for a Paladin win, 41-31.

Western Carolina at VMI  1:30PM ESPN3 (WCU notes) (VMI notes)

WCU, 5-2, 3-1, has been on a roll.  Having already lost to Wofford they will a little help to gain the SOCON title but they are poised to sneak into an at large playoff berth if they continue winning.  Not bad for a team that went 2-9 last year.  They still have an uphill battle with Furman, The Citadel and Mercer to go, not to mention UNC, but they are have been hitting on all cylinders.

The Catmounts offense has been awesome so far.  They are averaging 40 points a game and 479 yards per game on average.  They have done that with a fairly balance offense.  It could almost be said to be the Tyrie Adams show lately.  The sophomore QB is rushing for 72 yards a game and is passing for 212 as well.  Overall, he is 105/175 with 14 TDs and 6 interceptions.  But the Cats have a huge arsenal of weapons at their disposal.

The VMI Keydets continue to have a rough season.  Facing the Cats explosive offense will be no easy task.  VMI has given up  42 points and 472 yards a game on defense.  They surrender 4.5 yards a rush and 9.5 yards a pass attempt.  Ouch.

VMI’s offense has been AWOL for most of the season.  They are averaging only 218 yards a game.  They appear to have settled on a new QB with freshman Duncan Hodges after trying various ones so far.  Their only hope against WCU is to execute some ball control, but they are converting 3rd downs at only 27% and their running game gains them only 87 yards a game. A year ago they might have done better against an inept WCU defense.  But what a difference a year makes.

The WCU defense has been rejuvenated somewhat.   They have allowed 24 points a game and a much improved 379 yards a game split pretty evenly between pass and run.  They do lead the SOCON in pass defense efficiency.  They also have 17 sacks.  They also lead the SOCON in defending third downs at 35%.  That is not a bad turnaround on defense.

WCU should have a pretty easy time moving the ball and stopping VMI.  Depending on how fast the Cats score, it could get ugly up in Lexington.  WCU rolls, 48-10.

The Citadel at Chattanooga 2PM ESPN3 (The Citadel Notes) (UTC notes)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Between the these two teams they have won or shared the conference championship the last 4 years with each winning it outright at least once.  Now at 1-6, 1-3, Chattanooga seems to have fallen a bit further under new head coach Tom Arth.  Plagued with eligibility and injuries issues, Arth’s first year in Chattanooga has been a nightmare.  Graduation losses hit the Bulldogs, now 3-3, 1-3, pretty hard.  It isn’t that The Citadel has been that bad, they have just been inconsistent.  Both teams will look to salvage some respectability in this game.

After starting out pretty well, the Bulldogs have been a little lighter on offense after they started conference play.  Still averaging over 400 yards a game, their rushing output has steadily declined as the season has progressed.  They still lead the conference in rushing at 294 yards a game with a 4.9 yard per rush average.  As their rushing game was stymied a bit, first by Samford and then Mercer, the Bulldogs were forced to the air where they had some success, but not consistent enough to overcome these foes.  They are now averaging 109 yards a game through the air which is by far more than they have averaged since returning to the triple option in 2010.  Even after a few miserable games they are still converting third downs at a 46% clip.  And while they are also at +3 in turnovers, the turnovers that they have given up were probably the most untimely of any team I have seen in ages.  Many were in their opponents territory with a couple inside the 20.  Overall in the red zone the Dogs are at 69% and only have 17 TD on 26 trips. Their overall passing stats are not that good.  38/88 with three interceptions and 5 TDs.  They do have a pretty good yards per completion stat at over 17 yards, but only a mediocre 7.4 yards per attempt.  While some pass attempts were well executed, their passing attempts have mostly been born out of desperation with the expected result.

Their biggest problem has been a young offensive line.  That along with a youthful B-Back have doomed their usually well executed drives.   And something that may not seem all that apparent, is a quarterback issue.  The Bulldogs have two very capable QBs in Dominique Allen and Jordan Black.  Skill isn’t the issue.  It seems to be one of consistency and utilizing them appropriately.  That isn’t a knock at the coach.  While I may question the tag team approach, it has been effective at times.  But one wonders if a more effective rotation scheme could be implemented.  As it is, it doesn’t appear to be working too well.  But that is just it, it may be working as well as it can, given the overall experience level of the other positions.

Against the Dogs potentially power offensive attack, Chattanooga should have been well positioned.  But the mighty Mocs defense, their trademark in the last few years, has fallen off.  Between some injuries, suspensions, and now as the season slips away, most likely apathy has taken its toll on Chattanooga’s usually stingy defense.  It is allowing only about 347 yards a game pretty much even between rushing and passing yards allowed.  It is giving up rushes at 4.0 yards per attempt.  It is also allowing opponents to convert third downs at a 43% rate.  It has only registered 8 sacks on the year and 5 interceptions.

While the Mocs defense has been a little bit off, its offense has fallen off the cliff, and into a hole.  It is averaging only 18 points a game.  Take away its scoring bonanza against VMI, and it drops to 10.7 points a game.  Its yards per game is embarrassing at 261.  And it rushing yards per game would make even a Samford fan grin at 57 yards per game.  The drop off in offensive output can obviously be traced to their QB crisis.  With its expected starter out due to academics and then injury, its SEC transfer QB hasn’t been able to make the transition to playing in the tough SOCON.  Now that he was injured as well, its looks like they will rely on Freshman Cole Copeland.  Not a bad idea to get him some much needed experience for the years to come.  He actually did pretty well passing in the two games he has played in.  He may continue putting up some good numbers against The Citadel defense.

The Bulldogs have not been bad on defense, just inconsistent.  They have held opponents on average to under 300 yards a game.  That includes 107 yards a game against the run.  They held Wofford to just 89 yards.  Think about that for a minute…89 yards.  Where the Dogs have faltered a bit, is against the pass.  Faltered may even be a bit harsh.  They are allowing only 192 passing yards a game.  But their secondary has been burned more than once and the fiasco in the Samford game was downright embarrassing.  The Citadel has a good defense, it has just been burned with some untimely big plays.  It has held opponent to a 35% third down conversion rater.  It only gives up a respectable 5.3 yards per play on average.   It has 10 sacks and 7 interception to date.

I have a had a feeling all year that the Mocs were about to wake up.  Every time I predict they will, they slump back into a haze.  They might just make it this week if the Bulldogs let them.   The Dogs should handle them easily if they can tighten up their pass defense a bit.  The Dogs should also handle them on the ground unless the Mocs somehow develop a superior running game this week.  The Citadel TOP ball hogging ways will put the Mocs defense to the test as it is worn down.  The Mocs will also doom themselves if they continue in coughing the ball up.  They are at -11 for the year.  Look for at least a two score victory by the Dogs, 27-17.

The FCS Wedge – 2017-1017 – WEEK 8 PREVIEW

So this week Sam Beckett, Ziggy, & our favorite top notch Yahtzee boy start the show off going over the Pioneer League possibilities for their auto bid.  Why would this be important to the vast majority of FCS fans?  Well for one it’s an interesting process this year and for another it is gonna matter greatly to their first round opponents in the playoffs this year.  Last year Cal Poly got beat by San Diego but odds are most years that a full scholarship team is gonna get a win in that game and this year it appears to be either a Big Sky team or a SoCon/CAA team that will be getting a visit from a Pioneer team.

The boys roll on into talk about other conferences and how many bids might be grabbed and who has good shots at getting them.  All of this way too early which is widely known but we do it anyway because speculation is fun.

Big games that are previewed this week:

  • Western Illinois @ North Dakota State
  • Samford @ Wofford
  • Eastern Washington @ Southern Utah
  • Richmond @ Delaware
  • St. Francis @ Duquesne
  • Jacksonville State @ Eastern Illinois

Press that play button and see if you learn something.

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Patriot League: Week 7 Review and Power Rankings

Week 7 of the Patriot League season was unquestionably the most interesting one. Holy Cross deciding to fire head coach Tom Gilmore mid-season following Holy Cross’s ugly 32-0 loss to Yale opened a lot of eyes around the league. Gilmore’s time was likely coming to an end either way given his overall body of work (losing record, 1 PL title in 14 years) and the Crusader’s recent collapse but to be let go with the league title still within reach blindsided a lot of people.

As for the games, Lehigh dominated Georgetown to move to 2-0 in league play. Colgate easily defeated Fordham to stay in the thick of the title race after their brutal loss to Lehigh the previous week. Bucknell continued their solid play with a quality, workman-like win over Ivy League rival Cornell. Lafayette came up woefully short in their bid for 3 “Ws” in a row as Harvard put a hurting on the Leopards in Cambridge.

Harvard 38 Lafayette 10

Lafayette (2-5, 2-0) was not able to make it 3 wins in a row as Harvard (3-2) dominated in all phases to continue their mastery of the Leopards. Lafayette was able to defeat Patriot League foes Holy Cross and Fordham by using dominating defensive efforts to offset their struggles on offense.  Harvard was able to rack up 296 yards on the ground against Lafayette which greatly contributed to their 15 minute time of possession advantage.  Also factoring into the Leopard’s demise was their 161 total yards of offense and the 2 kick returns for touchdowns they allowed. The inability to run the ball (12 yards against Harvard, ranked 122nd in FCS overall) continues to a huge issue on offense. The Leopards simply aren’t good enough at quarterback to overcome such a once dimensional offense on a consistent basis against the better teams on their schedule.

It did not take long for Harvard to grab an early 7-0 lead. Justice Shelton-Mosely’s 85 yard punt return touchdown came just over 2 minutes into the game. The Leopards fought back with a game tying touchdown drive on their second possession of the game. Sean O’Malley (20-36 149 yards 1 TD) hit Rocco Palumbo for a short 2 yard TD toss. When they finally had a chance to take the field the Crimson offense rose to challenge with a 7 play 78 yard TD drive. Shelton-Mosely found the endzone for the second time of the day to cap the drive and put Harvard back up by 7 points. After an early flourish of points the game would remain 14-7 until there was 38 seconds left before half. That’s when Charlie Booker III found paydirt from 1 yard out to give Harvard a 21-7 halftime lead. The game would effectively be over when Adam Scott returned the 2nd half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give Harvard a 28-7 lead.

Up Next: Lafayette hosts Bucknell in a huge Patriot League contest. The win will take a significant step forward in their quest for the league title.

Colgate 38 Fordham 12

Colgate (3-4, 1-1) piled onto Fordham’s (1-6, 0-2) season of misery with a dominant 26 point win over the Rams. The Raiders piled up a season best 263 yards (James Hollond Jr 166 yards) and freshman quarterback Grant Breneman (14-25 159 yards 3 TD) played well in the win as the offense continues to trend in the right direction as November closes in. Granted, Colgate has played the 105th (Fordham) and 123rd (dead last Lehigh) the last two weeks so the improvement on “O” was bound to happen. Meanwhile, Fordham’s offense continued to struggle as the Rams lost for the 5th straight time.  To be fair, they were without the services of starting quarterback Kevin Anderson who had to sit out the game with an injury. Backup Luke Medlock (16-32 1 TD 1 INT) put up a reasonable fight but without an effective Chase Edmonds (18 carries 53 yards) the offense faced an uphill climb (279 total yards).

The Colgate offense and defense set the tone early in the game. Edmonds got stuffed for a 2 yard loss on 4th and 1 and the Raider offense took advantage of it. Breneman hit Tre Caine for a 2 yard TD toss that gave the Raiders a 7-0 advantage with 6:40 left in the 1st quarter. On Colgate’s next possession the freshman quarterback notched his second touchdown pass of the day to finish of a lightning quick 2 play 39 yard scoring drive that extended the lead to 14-0. Chris Puzzi’s booming 40 yard field goal as time expired in the first half gave Colgate a commanding 17-0 lead. Breneman’s 14 yard touchdown pass to Tre Caince midway through the 3rd put the game out of reach at 24-0.

Up Next: Colgate heads 3.5 hours east on I-90 to tangle with Holy Cross. Fordham is off to our nation’s capital to take on Georgetown.

Lehigh 54 Georgetown 35

Lehigh (2-5, 2-0) easily dispatched of Georgetown (1-5, 0-1) to notch their 17th consecutive win over the Hoyas. The Mountain Hawks used a dominant offensive performance (628 total yards) to continue their mastery of Georgetown. Lehigh was led by star wide receiver Troy Pelletier’s record breaking day. The senior broke the Patriot League for receptions in a game, 16, on his way to racking up 196 yards and 4 touchdowns in the “W”. The Mountain Hawk defense had their best game of the year statistically but still left a lot to be desired against a Georgetown team that has struggled on offense. If Lehigh wants to pull off the 0-5 start to Patriot League Championshions they much tighten things up on that side of the ball. One major bright spot for the Hoyas in the loss was the play of Gunther Johnson at quarterback (18-33 290 yards 2 TDs, 71 yards 3 TDs rushing). The Arizona transfer has played great the last two weeks after Cole Norris struggled filling in for the injured Tim Barnes.

Both teams struggled on offense to start the game but when they found traction they did so in a big way. Lehigh running back Dominic Bragalone (24 carries 122 yards 2 TDs) got things started with 4:54 left in the 1st quarter when his 5 yard TD run capped an 8 play, 63 yard drive. The Mountain Hawks made it 14-0 on their next drive when Mayes (31-40 384 yards 4 TD 1 INT) and Pelletier hooking up for the first time. Georgetown closed the gap to 14-7 early on the 2nd quarter on Michael Dereus’s (3 rec 98 yards 2 TD) 80 yard touchdown catch. Pelletier’s second TD catch of the day with 8:35 left in the 2nd quarter pushed the Lehigh lead back to 14. However, as has been the case all year, the Lehigh defense would allow a response. Johnson’s 8 yard TD scramble brought the Hoyas back to within 7 points. That would prove to be the closest Georgetown would get the rest of the game. The Mountain Hawks added 2 touchdowns before half to take a commanding 34-14 lead into the locker room. Georgetown would get no closer than 16 points the rest of the game.

Up Next: Georgetown returns home to take on Fordham in what could be a battle for last place in the Patriot League. Lehigh is on a much needed bye as they prepare for the stretch run of the season.

Yale 32 Holy Cross 0

Yale’s (4-1) dominant win over a lifeless Holy Cross (2-5, 1-1) team not only handed the Crusaders their 4th straight loss, it led to the firing of head coach Tom Gilmore Sunday morning. Just 4 weeks ago Holy Cross knocked off a Top 10 New Hampshire in what seemed like a program changing win long tenured was sent packing by AD Nate Pine. Since the win over UNH, there’s been several questionable coaching decisions that directly led to losses to Dartmouth and Lafayette.  While it’s shocking to see a Patriot League coach get fired during the season, Gilmore’s ultimate termination is not surprising. There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the fiery coach’s future for the last year or two given the Crusader’s inability to rise to the upper echelon of the Patriot League and beyond. Outside of the Dominic Randolph years that culminated in the 2009 Patriot League title, the Crusaders could never get the stars aligned under Gilmore.  The bottom line is he struggled to put a consistent winner on the field during his 14 years in Worcester (72-81 overall, 41-40 in PL play). Barring a league title he seemed destined to be let go after this season given the Crusader’s recent collapse. Offensive coordinator Brian Rock was named interim head coach for the rest of the season. Holy Cross announced that a national search for a new coach is already under way.

As for the game itself, Yale took a 3-0 lead a little less than 5 minutes into the game. The Eli wouldn’t assert their will until the 2nd quarter. That’s when they would score 3 touchdowns and a safety. Matthew Oplinger sacked Pujals in the endzone for the 2 points. When the dust settled on the first half Yale had a commanding 25-0 lead. Holy Cross had 7 punts and 31 total yards during the first 30 minutes of play. The Crusaders looked both unprepared and uninterested from the opening kickoff. Had Yale head coach Tony Reno not called off the dogs in the second half things would have gotten out of hand in a hurry. It was clear the Eli’s focus after halftime was to run clock, secure the win and move onto next week.

The Crusaders managed just 8 first downs and 143 total yards against the Eli. Peter Pujals had his worst game (10-22 89 yards) of his college career in the loss.

Up Next: Holy Cross looks to pick of the pieces and get back into the league race at home against Colgate.

Bucknell 26 Cornell 18

Bucknell (3-3, 0-1) played a smart, efficient game to score a non-conference road victory over Cornell (2-3) in Ithaca, NY. In addition to the usual stingy Bucknell defense, Bison field goal kicker John Burdick came up clutch in the victory. The senior tied a school record with 4 field goals (19, 38, 33 & 28 yards). John Chiarolanzio (11-16 176 yards 2 TDs) had an extremely effective game passing while Joey DeFloria (20 carries 99 yards) enjoyed his best day of the year running the ball to the lead the Bucknell offense. With the win Bucknell concludes the out of conference portion of their schedule 3-2.

The Bison struck first with 8:20 left in the 1st quarter. Chiarolanzio found a streaking Jack Horan (1 rec 64 yards 1 TD) down the middle of the field for a 64 yard touchdown to give Bucknell an early 7-0 lead.  The Blue and Orange would push their lead to 10-0 late in 2nd quarter on Burdick’s first FG of the day. Cornell would finally get on the scoreboard on the ensuring drive when Zach Mayes booted a 35 yard field goal 38 seconds before half time. The Big Red then tied the game up on their first possession of the 2nd half. Bucknell would tack on fields on consecutive drives to take a 16-10 lead with 6:33 left in the 3rd quarter. Chiarolanzio’s second touchdown pass of the day gave Bucknell a two possession lead, 23-10 , with a 35 seconds left in the 3rd. From there the Bucknell rushing attack grounded the clock down and their defense limited Cornell the rest of the way to preserve the win.

Up Next: Bucknell heads to Easton, PA to take on Lafayette in a key game in the Patriot League race. The Bison have not on the league since 1996 and have never reached the FCS playoffs.

Power Rankings

  1. Colgate – The Raiders appear to be the most complete team in league but the loss against Lehigh might be impossible to overcome.
  2. Bucknell – They’re the only team in the Patriot League with a .500 record. They’re not getting the respect they deserve.
  3. Lehigh – At this point the only record that matters is 2-0. They still have the inside track to the league title.
  4. Lafayette – The Leopards have a huge home game with Bucknell next. The offense could be in for a long day.
  5. Holy Cross – The Gilmore era is over but Pujals remains. The Patriot League title is still a possibility if the coaching change makes a positive impact.
  6. Georgetown – The Hoyas might have found their QB of the future in Gunther Johnson. They play hard despite being outgunned.
  7. Fordham – It’s getting close to wondering if the Rams have quit on the season. The Bronx Cheers are growing louder.

The FCS Wedge – 2017-1017 – WEEK 7 REVIEW

Lance & Kris review the AGS Poll and several games of importance from last weekend. The lead story the fellers take a look at is Wofford. How are they winning so many close games this season? They dropped a few of them last season and still made the playoffs but this year are the definition of “I don’t care if you win by 1 or a hundred…two, or 3″ but that winning is much sweeter than losing and the air just smells cleaner after that victory.

The games they review this week are:

Northern Iowa 38 South Dakota State 18

James Madison 30 Villanova 8

Wofford 20 The Citadel 16

Stony Brook 38 New Hampshire 24

Southern Utah 32 Weber State 16

North Dakota State 27 Youngstown State 24

 

Give the lads a listen.

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Big Sky Round-Up Week 7

The Big Sky week seven is now behind us and now that we’ve had some time to reflect on the events of the past weekend it’s been hard to judge the have’s and the have nots. Obviously Cal Poly and Portland State are have nots, however, this conference is still very much up for grabs. There’s a battle brewing at the top between Eastern Washington, Weber State, Montana, and Northern Arizona for that elusive auto-bid. The Eagles are still sitting at the top of the conference, however, they will probably need to go undefeated to win the league this season.

This week’s Big Sky slate started off with Montana hosting North Dakota on homecoming. The Hawks are basically a walking medical unit, everyone is essentially injured with a handful of starters gone for the season. Safety Cole Reyes being one of the bigger losses for the Hawks. That said, you can imagine the result of this game. It was not pretty, folks. Despite Montana turning the ball over three times in the first quarter the Griz still won 41-17. The game wasn’t really that close, however. James Johannesson came in for a 50 yard touchdown run after a plethora of Griz missed tackles that made this look prettier than it was. Montana was led by redshirt freshman quarterback Gresch Jensen, despite his three turnover, still threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns. The Griz will be on a bye, while North Dakota will host Sacramento State.

Montana State took a trip across I-90 over to the red carpet to take on the Big Sky leading Eastern Washington Eagles. Gage Gabrud kept on doing that thing that will probably win him the league’s most valuable player by throwing for 224 yards and a score. A slight disappointment that he did not have a rushing or receiving touchdown. Apparently he saves those days for when he’s down 20 points at halftime. The Cats tried mounting a fourth quarter comeback with Logan Jones and Nick LaSane scoring touchdowns to close within five, however, the Eagles shut the door with a 13 play, 5:43 drive and a touchdown from Antoine Custer to seal the deal in Cheney. Montana State will head to Northern Colorado this week, while Eastern Washington will walk into a potential buzz saw in Southern Utah.

Case Cookus apparently also wants to be considered for Big Sky MVP as he’s been stringing together a few nice wins for the Lumberjacks. He continued that this past weekend as he led the Jacks to a win in Portland over the second worst team in this conference. Cookus tossed for 347 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target, Elijah Marks, caught 173 of those and a score in this victory. Portland State struggled all day to get anything going, except their running game. While effective, certainly didn’t result in a lot of points, or at least enough to beat the Jacks. The Vikings rushed for 305 yards and did a good job of holding onto the ball, however, that didn’t stop NAU from beating their pass coverage all day. Portland State will travel to Idaho State next, while Northern Arizona will host UC-Davis in what looks like might be a track meet.

Southern Utah got the win of the week over Weber State in Ogden this past weekend. The Wildcats were sitting pretty with Eastern Washington at the top of the Big Sky standings, however, the horribly unpredictable Thunderbirds beat on the Wildcats. The Thunderbird defense knocked Weber State quarterback Stefan Cantwell out of the game and from there on the Wildcats were bad. In fact, the Wildcats were so bad four different people attempted passes for the Wildcats. Cantwell accounted for half the completions before he exited the game. Thunderbird quarterback Patrick Tyler, however, threw for 281 and three scores. The Thunderbirds were clinging to a 20-19 lead at the half then opened it up in the second half with 10 points in the first eight minutes of the quarter. Weber only managed a field goal in the second half. Weber State will be at Cal Poly, while Southern Utah will host Eastern Washington.

In the #BigSkyAfterDark Sacramento State hosted Idaho State in front of probably seven people (it was actually 10008). Sacramento State actually turned in a nice game, racing out to a 17-7 halftime lead on the Bengals and just kept their foot on the gas from there on out. Hornet quarterback Kevin Thomson completed 18/23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. The Hornets also had a nice day on the ground, rushing for 318 at 6.2 yards per carry. For those keeping track at home, that’s pretty good YPC. Idaho State was barely above that in yards per pass completion. Idaho State tried to make it interesting in the third quarter with Mitch Gueller catching a pass from his brother for a 30 yard score, to get within ten, however, the Hornets just used the fourth quarter to step on their throat. Idaho State will have a bye, while Sacramento State will be at North Dakota.

Scores

North Dakota 17
Montana 41

Montana State 19
Eastern Washington 31

Northern Arizona 42
Portland State 20

Southern Utah 32
Weber State 16

Idaho State 21
Sacramento State 41

Big Sky Player of the Week

Southern Utah quarterback Patrick Tyler is this week’s Big Sky Player of the Week. Tyler was 20/30 for 281 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Thunderbirds over Weber State this past weekend.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Gage Gabrud, QB, Eastern Washington – 25/31 for 224 yards, 1 TD
Tanner Gueller, QB, Idaho State – 20/35 for 244 yards, 2 TD
Elijah Marks, WR, Northern Arizona – 6 rec, 173 yards, 1 TD
Keelan Doss, WR, UC-Davis – Idle
Gresch Jensen, QB, Montana – 22/35 for 423 yards, 3 TD

Big Sky Power Rankings

1. Eastern Washington
2. Weber State
3. Montana
4. Northern Arizona
5. Southern Utah
6. Montana State
7. Sacramento State
8. UC-Davis
9. Northern Colorado
10. Idaho State
11. North Dakota
12. Portland State
13. Cal Poly

Final Thoughts and Hot Takes

Cal Poly with a goose egg this season is a little bit of a surprise. Not sure since I’ve ever been doing the power rankings that they’ve been in the low man’s spot.. but here they are.

Weber State losing at home to Southern Utah didn’t surprise me all that much. Southern Utah is one of those teams you never want to bet against.. but never want to bet on either. Saturday afternoon I was thinking this was the kind of game that SUU would probably win, and they did, but they had no business winning. Once Stefan Cantwell went down with injury it was all over for the Wildcats.

Northern Arizona is still playing football in October. Too bad they waited until Jerome Souers got fired to try out this new concept. Case Cookus and Elijah Marks are having quite a season as a tandem and currently have the Lumberjacks undefeated in Big Sky play.

To start the season Eastern Washington was 0-2 and only scored 10 points in a Texas Tech team that traditionally gives up all the points to teams they play. My how times of changed, will the Eagles lose a conference game? Looks like Gabrud and his receivers are fully on the same page now.

Two winless Big Sky teams are not the way to promote a strong conference. Luckily Idaho State and Sacramento State are having “up” seasons or else this would be a dumpster fire that the smokejumpers couldn’t contain. The Missouri Valley is likely reveling in the Big Sky’s misery. Whatever, you live in flyover states.

North Dakota’s entire team is hurt. Not really anything to add to that, just thought I’d mention it.

Rob Phenecie was right last week, his Bengals don’t belong on the same field as the Griz. Losing to Sacramento State is pretty much proof positive you should be saddling up with Ricks College and College of Southern Idaho on the field. Perhaps he’ll learn to keep his mouth shut and be a head coach.

 

OVC – Week 7 Recap and Week 8 Preview

You’re probably not used to me talking much about the Ohio Valley Conference, but I’m filling in for the usual OVC coverage team this time around. I apologize if my coverage isn’t quite up to the level of what I normally do for the MVFC, but hopefully I can get you enough info to stay up-to-date with the goings on around the OVC region.

For reference, rankings listed are from the AGS Poll.

OVC Conference Standings

School Overall OVC Remaining Games
Eastern Illinois 5-2 4-0 JSU, @UTM, EKU, @AP
#4 Jacksonville State 5-1 3-0 @EIU, SEMO, MSU, @UTM, TSU
Austin Peay 4-3 3-1 SEMO, @U. Central Florida (FBS), @TTU, @EKU, EIU
Southeast Missouri State 2-4 2-1 @AP, @JSU, UTM, @TSU, MSU
UT Martin 3-3 1-2 @EKU, EIU, @SEMO, JSU, @TTU
Murray State 2-5 1-2 EKU, @JSU, TTU, @SEMO
Tennessee State 4-3 1-3 @TTU, Virginia U. Lynchburg, SEMO, @JSU
Eastern Kentucky 1-5 1-3 UTM, @MSU, @EIU, AP, Saint Francis U.
Tennessee Tech 0-7 0-4 TSU, AP, @MSU, UTM

 

Now, I’m not as familiar with the OVC’s history of making the playoffs as I am with the MVFC, but it looks like Jacksonville State is pretty much a lock for the playoffs. There’s a couple of teams that could make things a little interesting, but they are favored by quite a bit in all the rest of their games. Beyond that, I think either Eastern Illinois or Austin Peay have a shot, depending on how they do in their remaining games. Austin Peay, a team that had 1 win in the previous 4 years combined has been particularly impressive, especially considering they are playing 3 FBS teams this year (Cincinnati, Miami OH, and Central Florida). If they are able to win their remaining FCS games, then I think they’ll also get strong consideration.

Last Week’s Games

Eastern Illinois at Murray State

EIU RB Isaiah Johnson rushed for an exceptional 236 yards and a TD and picked up the OVC Offensive Player of the Week and Newcomer of the Week awards, which helped counteract the 3 interceptions thrown by EIU QB Bud Martin. Murray State QB had a great day, throwing for 332 yards and 2 TDs (and 1 INT), mostly to receiver Jordon Gandy who caught 10 passes for 193 yards and 1 TD. EIU’s defense held Murray State to only 58 net yards rushing, but three Murray State players (DBs D’Montre Wade, Zach Shipley, and Don Parker) all had INTs in the game.
Murray State had the first TD of the game, but Eastern Illinois came back with a couple of their own in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead into halftime. EIU padded their lead in the 3rd quarter with another TD before MSU raced from behind with two of their own in the fourth to tie up the game at 21 and take it to OT. Each team got a FG in the first OT session, then in the second OT, EIU was able to get another FG and then block MSU’s attempt to tie it again, giving the win to the Panthers.

Eastern Illinois – 27
Murray State – 24

Tennessee Tech at Southeast Missouri State

SEMO QB Jesse Hosket threw for 3 TDs and 161 yards, 109 going to WR Kristian Wilkerson along with one of the TDs. RB Cameron Sanderson had a 102 yard performance…mostly on one 70-yard TD run. The Redhawks Punter, Jake Reynolds averaged 45.9 yards on 7 punts including crushing a 78-yard bomb (4th longest in school history) and picked up the OVC Specialist of the Week award. Tennessee Tech wasn’t able to get much going at all, turning the ball over 3 times and getting fewer than 200 yards of total offense. PK Nick Madonia kicked a 37-yard FG for TTU’s only score of the game.
In the first quarter, SEMO would rush out to a 17-point lead before TTU would get their first and only points in the second quarter on a FG. Both teams were held scoreless in the 3rd before SEMO blew things open with two more TDs.

Southeast Missouri State – 31
Tennessee Tech – 3

Eastern Kentucky at Jacksonville State

JSU QB Bryan Horn threw for 158 yards and 1 TD while running for 73 yards and 2 TDs. S Marlon Bridges had an interception taken back 73 yards for a TD, and CB Siran Neal had another INT. JSU DE Darius Jackson picked up 7 tackles, 3 for loss (including 1 sack), 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery…the combined performance of which earned him the OVC Defensive Player of the Week award. Kicker Cade Stinnett hit FGs from 24 and 46 yards out and 5/5 on FGs. EKU QB Tim Boyle had 186 yards and 1 TD, but also 2 INTs. EKU DB Kobie Grace led the Colonels with 9 tackles including 1 for loss and 2 pass breakups.
The Gamecocks had a huge first half, outscoring Eastern Kentucky 31-3 and was pretty much able to coast along from there. The Colonels picked up their first TD late in the 3rd quarter which was followed up by another JSU TD early in the 4th. EKU did run for a couple more TDs in the 4th, but the game was pretty much out of reach well before that point.

Eastern Kentucky – 25
Jacksonville State – 41

Austin Peay at Tennessee State

AP QB Jeremiah Oatsvall ran for nearly as many yards as he passed for with 85 passing and 82 rushing. All of the Governors scores came on rushing TDs, courtesy of RBs Ahmaad Tanner and Prince Momodu, and WR Kentel Williams. LB Gunnar Scholato led the team with 8 tackles (2.5 for loss) and DE Jaison Williams had a great performance with 7 tackles including 2 sacks and 1 forced fumble. Tennessee State QB Michael Hughes had 148 yards and 1 passing TD to WR DeVon Johnson who finished the game with 91 yards. TSU Long Snapper Thomas Newberg also caught his first TD pass of his college career in a successful fake FG.
A low-scoring first half saw just an AP TD and TSU FG, resulting ina 7-3 halftime score. In the 3rd, the Governors increased their lead with another TD, which TSU responded to with one of their own. In the 4th, the Tigers got their first lead of the game with a 66-yard TD pass to go ahead by 3. Austin Peay battled back and regained the lead with a TD with just over 1 minute remaining, after which they held on to seal the victory. With the Win, the Governors reached 4 wins for the first time since the 2009 season.

Austin Peay – 21
Tennessee State – 17

Next Week’s Games

2:00 PM – #4 Jacksonville State (5-1, 3-0 OVC) at Eastern Illinois (5-2, 4-0 OVC) – ESPN3/WatchESPN.com


The “Game of the Week” in the OVC sees a matchup between the two conference unbeaten teams, which will go a long way to deciding who gets the conference’s automatic playoff bid, and who has to scrape by the rest of the conference in the hopes of an at-large bid. JSU’s strong ground game and run defense roll up to Charleston, IL hoping to come away with another win, while EIU, who hasn’t been putting impressive numbers overall, has still picked up 4 conference wins on their ability to get turnovers, get defense pressure behind the line of scrimmage, block kicks, and return punts well.

2:00 PM – UT Martin (3-3, 1-2 OVC) at Eastern Kentucky (1-5, 1-3 OVC) – OVCDN


UT Martin statistically has the best defense in the OVC, but their offense has struggled, barely putting up 20 points per game on average. RB Ladarius Galloway is averaging just under 105 ypg, although the majority of those yards came in games against Ole Miss and Clarion University at the beginning of the season. They may not need too many points against an Eastern Kentucky team that has had problems on both sides of the ball. EKU has a long history of success on the gridiron, but this year doesn’t really seem to fit that mold. They do have a decent passing offense, but are fairly one-dimensional with almost no run game to speak of. Their punter is currently 5th in the FCS for punting average with just over 45 yards per punt.

4:00 PM – Southeast Missouri State (2-4, 2-1 OVC) at Austin Peay (4-3, 3-1) – OVCDN


SEMO is on a two-game win streak…against the two teams at the bottom of the OVC. They did play close in their losses to EIU and Dayton, though and in their last three games are averaging just under 11 ppg allowed. Meanwhile, AP is allowing the 4th fewest passing yards in the entire FCS and have a solid running game, putting up 235 ypg. They also have a quality O-line that has allowed only 6 sacks in their 7 games. The Governors are looking to reach 5 wins for the first time since 2007.

My Picks

I think Jacksonville State‘s offense will be able to overpower Eastern Illinois, putting up plenty of points in a Gamecocks win.
UT-Martin will be able to nearly completely shut down Eastern Kentucky’s offense and get enough of their ground game going for a Skyhawks victory.
And this year’s OVC “Cinderella Story” team, Austin Peay, will pick up win #5 in a low scoring Homecoming celebration.

SOCON Week 7 Review

Furman 42 VMI 10

Furman extended their winning streak to 4 games as they pummeled the struggling VMI Keydets in Greenville. Clay Hendrix’s high-powered offense led by Senior Quarterback P.J. Blazejowski scored 40 points for the fourth consecutive game this season, a school record.  The Paladins finished the day with 523 yards off offense and held the Keydets to a respectable 256 yards of offense.

VMI was able to put up a fight for the first half of play, forcing the Paladins to punt 4 times and holding them to two touchdowns on seven possessions. The Keydets benefited from a 34 yard Rohan Martin punt return that resulted in a 30 yard field goal by Grant Clemons,  a touchdown pass from Duncan Hodges to Rohan Martin, and botched time management by the Paladins at the goal line to go into the half with behind 14-10.

The Paladins would not be denied in the second half, taking all of five of their second half possessions on long drives, scoring on four of them.  The Furman defense stood tall, forcing two punts and an interception.

P.J Blazejowski continues to prove himself of All-Socon consideration, finishing the day 8 of 15 for 145 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 74 yards on 5 carries.  The Paladins controlled the line of scrimmage all day, out-rushing VMI 354 to 117. Kealand Dirks led the way for the Paladins on the ground, rushing for 82 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns.

Next week, the Paladin offense has a tall order ahead of it against the Mercer Bears, who lead the conference in scoring defense. Furman has moved the ball at will in the last 4 weeks against weaker opponents and the challenge next week will be to continue that level of scoring with a formidable opponent such as Mercer.

VMI has yet to find solid ground to establish momentum for next season and beyond.  It doesn’t help that they play Western Carolina next week, in a game where they will be as heavy of underdogs as they’ve been all season.

Mercer 30 Chattanooga 10

The offensive woes for the Chattanooga Mocs continued as they once again failed to eclipse the 50 yard mark running the football.  Mercer Quarterback Kaelan Riley had an impressive day, completing 20 of 27 passes for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns.

After both teams traded punts to begin the game, Chattanooga was able to put points on the board first, with a 44 yard field goal to start the second quarter. Mercer was able to quickly answer, scoring on a 4 play, 66-yard drive that took only 1:22 off the clock. Disconcertingly, Cole Fisher missed the extra point, his second of the year, capping the Bears lead at 6-3.  The teams then exchanged punts again.  Mercer drove the ball inside the 20, but Cole Fisher missed another field goal.  The Bears would not be denied, however, scoring a 22 yard touchdown pass to Chandler Curtis on their next drive.  At the end of the first half, the score stood at 13-3.

The Bears were able to pounce on the Mocs in the second half, forcing them to punt on their first 3 drives of the second half while answering them with points on each drive.  At the end of three quarters, the Bears controlled the Mocs 23-3.

Chattanooga was able to finally score with 6:24 left in the game on a five yard touchdown run on Darrell Bridges, bringing the tally to 23-10. The Mocs attempted an onside kick that failed, but were able to force a three and out.  Having full confidence in their defense, Bobby Lamb’s Bears punted the ball, downing it at the 1.  The Mocs failed to get a first down in their first 3 downs, and pressed for time had to attempt a fourth down conversion which failed.  On the next play, the Bears easily scored on a 6 yard Tee Mitchell run, bringing the score to its final 30-10.

Next week, Chattanooga’s struggling offense welcomes the 3-3 Citadel Bulldogs. Both teams will be looking to turn their season around as we progress to the second half of the season.  Mercer will bring its stellar defense to play the efficient offensive powerhouse of Furman.  The Bobby Lamb Battle will answer many question SOCON viewers have about the Bears’ defense and the Furman offense. The Bears’ defense have yet to face any of the top offenses in the SOCON (Western Carolina, Furman, Samford), while the Furman offense has pile-driven three of the conference’s worst defenses (ETSU, UTC and VMI).  There’s no denying that both teams appear to be hitting their stride at this point of the season, Saturday will determine who is ready to take their team to the next level. The unmovable object meets the unstoppable force in Greenville on Saturday!

Western Carolina 49 ETSU 10

In this week’s surprise outcome, Western Carolina walloped the Bucs of ETSU.  The outcome was a surprise not because the Catamounts won, but because the way they were able to win.  The Catamounts were held to a season-low 327 yards of offense, but were able to score touchdowns on defense and special teams to maintain their SOCON-leading scoring average.

The real surprise came from the Catamount defense, which held ETSU to a season low 10 points.  The Bucs aren’t a team fully prepared for SOCON football as they’re only in their third full year with a football team, but they have nevertheless shown persistent improvement on the offensive side of the ball, upsetting Mercer earlier this year and hanging 35 points against Furman. Though the Catamount defense has shown improvement this year compared to last, it was unexpected that they would keep ETSU to such low scoring numbers.  When you score fast and often like Western does, no matter how good your defense is, your opponent is more likely to score points because they have more possessions. That was not the case Saturday.

The first half was a defensive struggle (another surprise) that saw Western Carolina lead 7-3 over the Bucs.  The Bucs were able to run for over 90 yards in the first half (another surprise) and Western Carolina was held to under 150 yards of offense.

The Western Carolina Defense blew the game open in the second half, scoring on their first 2 possessions and forcing 3 turnovers which set up 2 easy touchdowns and a pick six.

Western Carolina improves their record to 5-2, edging ever closer to (at least) an at-large playoff berth. They will be favored against VMI in Lexington next week.  The playoff path forward for the Catamounts lies in winning at least 2 of their next four against VMI, Furman, The Citadel and Mercer.

ETSU will get a bye week to prepare for Wofford’s triple option in two weeks. This team is still dangerous, it just can’t afford to lose the turnover battle against potent offenses such as Western Carolina.

Wofford 20 The Citadel 16

Without a doubt, this game was the best of the week.  The undefeated Terriers went into Charleston looking for their sixth win, and the young Citadel Bulldogs looked to turn around their season after dropping two straight SOCON contests. This rivalry game has seen some heightened drama recently: Wofford ended the Citadel’s season last year with a 17-3 win in Charleston in the second round of the playoffs.  The two option offenses and stout defenses are the perfect match up and trap game for each other no matter what.  Four of the last five games and five of the last seven games between the two have come down to one score in the fourth quarter.

To start the game, The Citadel controlled the line of scrimmage, time of possession and ultimately the scoreboard after the first 30 minutes, 14-7.  Wofford struggled to run the option all night, as the veteran Citadel defense had at least one player in the backfield every play. Wofford was able to turn to an unlikely tactic to offset the stout Bulldog defense: the passing game.

For the first time since the 1980s and Wofford’s division one era, the Terrier offense passed for 219 yards. Quarterback Brandon Goodson completed 11 of 17 passes and a touchdown.

The Terrier defense stood tall in the second half, holding the Citadel offense to 1 first down and 68 yards.

A key sequence happened in the third quarter. After Wofford running back Andre Stoddard fumbled a pitch inside the Wofford 20, Citadel Quarterback Jordan Black scrambled toward the endzone but fumbled on the goal line. The ball was recovered by Wofford, but two plays later the stiff Citadel defense tackled Brandon Goodson in the endzone for a safety.

The suspense reached a climax when Wofford took ball with 6:23 left, driving 68 yards on 13 plays and taking 5:13 off the clock. Brandon Goodson completed all 4 of his passes for 39 yards, knocking the Citadel offense off-balance and vulnerable to the option. Fullbacks Andre Stoddard and Chase Nelson together carried the ball 8 times for 23 yards, pounding the ball into the endzone on third and goal. On that drive the Terriers converted 3 of 3 third down attempts, including a strong 8 yard run by Chase Nelson on 3rd and 8 inside the redzone with less than 2 minutes left.

After Wofford came short on the two point conversion, on the ensuing possession they were able to stop Jordan Black a yard short of the yard to gain on a fourth and thirteen. The Terriers held on to win another close game, the 5th this season to be decided by a touchdown or less.

The performance did not produce the desired outcome for the Citadel Bulldogs, but the effort was an improvement on previous contests. The Bulldogs were able to limit their turnovers, breaking even on the turnover battle, but it came at an inopportune time at the goal-line, perhaps costing them at least 1 point and at most 5 points. More concerning for the Bulldogs is the lack of offensive efficiency in the last month of the season. In the last 3 contests, the Citadel offense has scored 14 points in each game. It’s improbable that this team will make the playoffs after this loss, but it’s still possible if they win out.  If they have any hope to do so, they have to score more points. They’ll do so next week at Chattanooga.

For Wofford, the contest falls in line with the trend of the year. The Terriers have won 5 games this year by a touchdown or less.  The Terriers have outscored their opponents 51-19 in the fourth quarter. Halfway through the season, Wofford has the shortest path to a Socon championship as they hold tie-breakers against all possible contenders except Samford, who they play next week in Spartanburg.

If Wofford loses, they can hope to still share the title, but if they beat the Bulldogs from Birmingham they’ll be favored to win the title outright, with their remaining 3 opponents being the three teams at the bottom of the Socon standings.

Samford will be coming off a bye and has the credentials of beating option and flexbone teams such as the Citadel and Kennesaw state. Having only one loss in the Socon so far, they are very much still alive to win at least a share of the Socon. It looks like another Wofford game that will come down to the wire in Spartanburg.

AGS Poll: Top 25 Week 7 Results

The week 7 AGS Poll had a relatively stable top end of the rankings but once we got past the top 6 things really got turned over. The top 5 remained the same as last week with James Madison, North Dakota State, South Dakota, Jacksonville State, and Wofford forming the top 5 in that order.

Richmond rose up 6 spots this week to #12 taking advantage mostly of teams in front of them falling off since the Towson team they beat was not overly impressive so far this year. The same was the case for Western Carolina who moved up 6 spots as well to #14 only for blowing out 3-4 East Tennessee State. Stony Brook moved up 5 spots to #19 following an impressive win over New Hampshire. The only new team in the top 25 this week was Southern Utah who rose all they way to #25 after not even being in the top 40 last week following their upset win over Weber State.

South Dakota State took one of the biggest tumbles of the week dropping 7 spots to #15 after getting demolished at home by unranked Northern Iowa. Weber State and New Hampshire each dropped 9 spots following their aforementioned losses Southern Utah and Stony Brook with both barely hanging onto their top 25 spot coming in at #23 and #24, respectively. Illinois State dropped all the way out of the top 25 from #16 following an embarrassing loss to Southern Illinois.

The CAA led the way placing 7 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the Big Sky and the MVFC with 5 each and the SOCON and Southland with 3 each in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 James Madison Dukes 1912 67
2 North Dakota State Bison 1841 4
3 South Dakota Coyotes 1750 6
4 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1675
5 Wofford Terriers 1582
6 Central Arkansas Bears 1525
7 Western Illinois Leathernecks 1339
8 Eastern Washington Eagles 1315
9 Youngstown State Penguins 1295
10 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1275
11 Elon Phoenix 1174
12 Richmond Spiders 926
13 North Carolina A&T Aggies 859
14 Western Carolina Catamounts 695
15 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 694
16 Villanova Wildcats 664
17 Samford Bulldogs 656
18 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 632
19 Stony Brook Seawolves 590
20 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 494
21 McNeese State Cowboys 369
22 Montana Grizzlies 351
23 Weber State Wildcats 343
24 New Hampshire Wildcats 265
25 Southern Utah Thunderbirds 133
ORV:
26 Albany Great Danes 119
27 Illinois State Redbirds 93
28 Northern Iowa Panthers 77
29 Dartmouth Big Green 73
30 Grambling State Tigers 65
31 Monmouth Hawks 64
32 Nicholls State Colonels 61
33 Furman Paladins 45
34 North Carolina Central Eagles 30
35 Kennessaw State Owls 18
36 Eastern Illinois Panthers 8
37 The Citadel Bulldogs 4
38T Austin Peay Governors 2
38T Columbia Lions 2
40 UC Davis Aggies 1

Most Significant Win: North Dakota State Bison
Most Significant Loss: South Dakota State Jackrabbits

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