Big Sky: Week 6 Preview

One attempt at filling out a power ranking for the Big Sky will make a person realize that the race for the title will be a battle. Three teams have emerged as early favorites in Weber State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona. Then one could argue three teams have an already poor outlook for the rest of the season unless things change dramatically. Those teams are Portland State, Cal Poly, and North Dakota. That leaves 7 squads all hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce on the top 3 contenders.

1-3: Weber State, Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona

4-10: Montana State, Northern Colorado, Idaho State, UC-Davis, Montana, Sacramento State, Southern Utah

11-13: North Dakota, Cal Poly, Portland State

Long opening stanza aside, lets get into the discussion for week 6. The slate of games features a rare October non-conference game between Northern Arizona and Illinois State. In terms of excitement across the board, there will definitely be more exciting weekends in the Big Sky. Sandbagging aside, we’ll still learn a lot about teams after this weekend.

(All times listed are local times to the location of the given game.)

Game 1: Portland State @ Montana State – Bozeman, MT – 11 a.m. MST

                                               

The Vikings started the season well with two competitive games against FBS opponents, but since then they have struggled, especially on defense. In their two losses to UC-Davis and Montana, they gave up 41 points per game. The defense will need to step it up as the offensive opposition doesn’t get any easier going forward in the Big Sky.

Portland State’s schedule has been tough, but Montana State’s has been brutal. Their losses have come against #9 South Dakota State, #13 Weber State, and FBS #11 Washington State. One key category they have shown struggles is defensive third and fourth down conversions. Opponents have converted 53% and are 100% (5/5) on fourth down. Chris Murray is a rising star for the Bobcats, but the defense needs to get off the field quicker to give him more chances to take charge.

Leaders for PSU:

QB/WR Josh Kraght – Took every snap at QB against Montana, but has also played WR with true freshman Jalani Eason taking the reins. Kraght’s stat line against Montana: 18-42 for 249 yards with 3 INTs and 1 TD – 12 rushes for 132 yards and 1 TD.

WR Darnell Adams – 17 receptions, 214 yards, 3 TDs

S Beau Duronslet – 32 total tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 FR

DE Davond Dade – 18 total tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF

Leaders for MSU:

QB Chris Murray – Dangerous dual threat QB, especially on third downs. 51-95 for 637 yards with 3 INTs and 8 TDs – 63 rushes, 417 yards, 1 TD

WR Mitchell Herbert – 19 receptions, 202 yards, 2 TDs

LB Mac Bignell – 32 total tackles, 6 TFL, 1 sack, 1 FF

The Bobcats have done relatively well against the run this season, so Portland State will need to find success through the air to have a chance in this tough road matchup. That should mean Josh Kraght will be running the show from the QB position again as he’s a better passer than Eason. The Vikings already have 8 turnovers on the year, but MSU has only forced 3. Portland State will need to have their best defensive performance of the year to pull of the win. I don’t think that is going to happen.

Prediction: Montana State 36 Portland State 17

 

Game 2: Northern Colorado @ North Dakota – Grand Forks, ND – 2:30 CST

                                                 

The Bears have relied pretty heavily on the pass, but RB Trae Riek has held his own for the most part. It’s hard to know what you’re going to get from UNC. They competed well against a sold Colorado team, had a meaningless game against a poor NAIA school, an impressive home win over Idaho State, and an ugly road loss to NAU. Their biggest problem this season has been penalty yardage, averaging nearly 80 yards in penalties per game, worst in the conference.

To say UND has hit the injury bug this season would be a major understatement. It’s getting to the point where Bubba will soon be scouting intramural games looking for able-bodies to fill roster positions. Their one win is impressive as no other opponent has beaten Missouri State by as much as the Fighting Hawks and no team has shut them out either. However, their losses are terrible. For a team that used to be known for their ability to stop the run, UND has given up 283.5 rushing yards per game in their 4 losses.

Leaders for UNC:

QB Jacob Knipp 82-131 for 1154 yards, 3 INTs, 8 TDs.

RB Trae Riek 77 rushes, 325 yards, 4 TDs

WR Alex Wesley 23 receptions, 386 yards, 3 TDs

DE Keifer Morris 22 total tackles, 6 TFL, 6 sacks

Leaders for UND:

RB John Santiago 54 rushes, 347 yards, 2 TDs

RB Brady Oliviera 46 rushes, 334 yards, 1 TD

ILB Jake Disterhaupt (out for UNC game) 51 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT

With all the problems on the defensive side for UND, their offense will need to step it up to be able to compete with the high scoring Bears attack. I think they’ll need a heavy dose of Santiago/Oliviera to get their second home win. UNC may look to Riek a little more than usual in this game, but Knipp should be a top performer as well.

Prediction: Northern Colorado 35 North Dakota 27

 

Game 3: Montana @ Idaho State – Pocatello, ID – 2:30 MST

                                               

Montana has started the season 3-2, but their wins have come against teams with a combined 1-11 record against Division 1 competition.   Gresch Jensen has filled in pretty well at the QB position after Reese Phillips went down for the season a couple games ago. The Griz have struggled on defense giving up over 315 passing yards and over 158 rushing yards per game. Their only saving grace has been forcing 11 turnovers, but the offense has also given up 11 turnovers on the season.   They need to take care of the ball to have a chance against such a dynamic offense in Idaho State.

The Bengals are a last second field goal by Northern Colorado away from being 4-1 coming into this game. They’ve definitely been one of the early surprises to this season considering they struggled so greatly the last two seasons winning only 2 games against Division 1 competition. Idaho State has developed a triple threat attack from RB James Madison, QB Tanner Gueller, and WR Michael Dean. However, like Montana, the Bengals have greatly struggled on defense giving up 208 rushing yards and 270 passing yards per game.

Leaders for UM:

QB Gresch Jensen 64-108 for 847 yards, 4 INTs, 6 TDs

RB Jeremy Calhoun 85 rushes, 350 yards, 5 TDs

LB James Banks 52 total tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2 sacks

S Justin Strong 23 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 3 INTs

Leaders for ISU:

QB Tanner Gueller 85-149 for 1345 yards, 5 INTs, 12 TDs

RB James Madison 74 rushes, 422 yards, 3 TDs

WR Michael Dean 21 receptions, 396 yards, 5 TDs

LB Mario Jenkins 59 total tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF

Two high-powered offenses facing two pretty weak defenses is a tough game to predict outside of assuming the score will likely be high. With the game being indoors, there will be no weather complications, so this game will come down to turnovers.   I think Montana has the slight advantage with all their capable turnover inducing DBs. The Bengals are at home, though, so this is basically a toss-up.

Prediction: Montana 43 Idaho State 42

 

Game 4: #8 Illinois State @ Northern Arizona – Flagstaff, AZ – 5:00 MST

                                               

The Redbirds come in as the one of the top 10 teams in the country according to the AGS poll. They are undefeated, but they haven’t exactly faced a murderer’s row of a schedule. Things only get tougher for them as their final 7 opponents have a combined 21-7 record. Their strength so far has been Jake Kolbe running the show at QB posting a 152.65 efficiency rating. Finding a weakness is tough, but they are just 33% on third down conversions.

Northern Arizona has had a schedule similar to Montana State where most other teams would have lost the same amount of games with the same schedule. They have a loss to FBS Arizona and another to #9 South Dakota State. Their wins have come against Cal Poly and Northern Colorado. One impressive factor with their last two wins has been they have shut down their opponents to their lowest scoring output of the season. The Jacks have struggled against the run giving up 240 yards per game.

Leaders for ISU:

QB Jake Kolbe 73-117 for 1069 yards, 2 INTs, 6 TDs

WR Christian Gibbs 18 receptions, 344 yards, 4 TDs

LB Tyree Horton 29 total tackles, 5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FR, 1 FF

Leaders for NAU:

QB Case Cookus 97-157 for 1204 yards, 3 INTs, 9 TDs

WR Elijah Marks 31 receptions, 468 yards, 3 TDs

S Kam’Ron Johnson 25 total tackles, 2 TFL, 3 INTs

With two varying styles it’s tough to predict how this game is going to go. Illinois State is one of the top 10 teams in the country and bring in a defense that can shut down NAU’s elite offense. The Lumberjacks will need to slow down the Redbirds’ offense to keep this one close.

Prediction: Illinois State 31 Northern Arizona 20

 

Game 5: Cal Poly @ Southern Utah – Cedar City, UT – 6:00 MST

                                             

The season could not have started any worse for Cal Poly. Coming off a playoff appearance, hopes were high for the Mustangs. However, they opened with a loss to Colgate and things went downhill from there. A close road loss to Northern Iowa provided hope, but they’ve lost two more since that point. With Joe Protheroe lost for the season, they’ve needed someone to step up as the focal point of the triple option attack. QB Khaleel Jenkins did have a solid performance against Idaho State running for 202 yards, so that should provide hope going forward.

Southern Utah has had an up and down season so far. After a tough loss to offensive juggernaut FBS Oregon, the T-Birds slaughtered Stephen F. Austin, and posted an impressive home victory over Northern Iowa. They followed that up with a blowout loss to Sacramento state where they seemingly couldn’t stop anything. Their rushing defense seemed to be a strength after holding UNI and SFA to a combined 19 yards, but they then gave up 333 yards on the ground against Sac State. At this point, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get from Southern Utah. It helps that they are coming off a bye week.

Leaders for Cal Poly:

QB Khaleel Jenkins 28-66 for 597 yards, 2 INTs, 8 TDs – 96 rushes, 377 yards, 4 TDs

RB Jared Mohamed 102 rushes, 431 yards

LB RJ Mazolewski 36 total tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FF

Leaders for Southern Utah:

QB Patrick Tyler 62-108 for 811 yards, 5 INTs, 6 TDs

WR Landen Measom 17 receptions, 349 yards, 2 TDs

LB Chinedu Ahanonu 39 total tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack, 2 FF

After Southern Utah’s struggles against Sacramento State’s spread offensive attack, you have to think that bodes well for Cal Poly. Southern Utah will need to get their offense going the way they did against SFA.

Prediction: Southern Utah 40 Cal Poly 35

 

Game 6: Eastern Washington @ UC-Davis – Davis, CA – 6:00 PST

                                                

The Eagles struggled mightily to start the season, but they have regained form since then rattling off three straight wins averaging 52 points per game. Consistency on both offense and defense was a weakness in their early losses to Texas Tech and North Dakota State. We haven’t seen much from EWU’s run game so far, but the last three games it hasn’t really been necessary as Gage Gubrud has been on a tear. Like many Big Sky teams, the defense has been a struggle. Eastern has given up 213 yards per game on the ground and 281.6 through the air.

UC-Davis has had a great start to the season in comparison to recent years. New coach Dan Hawkins must be making some great changes, especially to the offense. It was a surprise that they only scored 3 against Weber State, because they have moved the ball so easily the rest of the season.   QB Jake Maier has arguably had just as good of a season as EWU All-American Gage Gubrud. The Aggies have been futile against the run allowing 229.6 yards per game.

Leaders for EWU:

QB Gage Gubrud 140-220 for 1736 yards, 6 INTs, 13 TDs

WR Nic Sblendorio 41 receptions, 385 yards, 2 TDs

WR Nsimba Webster 34 receptions, 386 yards, 1 TD

S Mitch Fettig 48 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack

Leaders for UCD:

QB Jake Maier 125-174 for 1685 yards, 5 INTs, 12 TDs

WR Keelan Doss 41 receptions, 662 yards, 4 TDs

WR Wesley Preece 20 receptions, 319 yards, 4 TDs

LB Ryan Bua 28 total tackles, 1.5 TFL, 3 FRs

This will be yet another battle of two high-powered offenses against two relatively weak defenses. Eastern Washington has found success when they’ve been able to take the lead early, but they also proved they can come from behind in the game against Montana. Both teams need to take care of the ball. Eastern has 12 turnovers on the season, and UC-Davis has 10.

Prediction: Eastern Washington 45 UC-Davis 38

The FCS Wedge – 2017-1004 – WEEK 6 PREVIEW

In this week 6 preview Lance leads Kris down the road to a discussion of a few of the leagues (CAA, Southland, SoCon, & BSC) to see who it looks like might pose a challenge to the top dogs in each conference. They will cover a few more conferences next week as well as the rest the week after that.

The top games of the week rating a L&K discussion are as follows:

Youngstown State @ South Dakota

Western Carolina @ Wofford

Illinois State @ Northern Arizona

Jacksonville State @ Austin Peay

Albany @ Richmond

Western Illinois @ Northern Iowa

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Patriot League: Week 5 Recap and Power Rankings

The teams in the Patriot League tried their hardest to replicate last week’s nightmare. Slightly less alarming point totals and a solid road win by Colgate over their rival Cornell prevented week 5 from reaching week 4’s dumpster fire mess. Holy Cross, who had built up quite a bit of momentum nationally, suffered a horrible league loss to previously winless Lafayette. After beating New Hampshire and finding their way into the national rankings the Crusaders have fallen flat on their face the last two weeks. Lehigh and Fordham continue to be the biggest underachievers in FCS thanks to two of the worst defenses in the subdivision. Bucknell was latest team to take it on the chin from Monmouth. The Bison need to figure out a way to run the ball if they want get back into the league race. Georgetown has major issues on both sides of the ball which will make winning another game an uphill battle.

Harvard 41 Georgetown 2

Georgetown (1-3, 0-0) lost their third game in a row as they fell to Harvard (2-1) in decisive fashion at RFK Stadium. The Hoyas were playing without starting quarterback Tim Benson for the second straight game and simply couldn’t get anything going on offense in the first half (70 total yards) to keep up with a quality Crimson squad. Clay Norris (13-29 129 yards 0 TD 1 INT) once again got the starting nod in Benson’s absence. Isaac Ellsworth was the lone Hoya to have success racking up yards against Harvard. The senior RB/KR racked up 282 all-purpose yards in the loss. The Georgetown defense was able to hang in for the first 15 minutes of the game but the flood gates eventually opened up in the 2nd quarter.

Harvard was able to jump on the board first thanks to their special teams. Justice Shelton-Mosely 91 yard punt return with 12:38 left in the opening quarter gave the Crimson an early 7-0 lead. Harvard made it 14-0 a few minutes later when Charlie Booker’s 11 yard TD run capped a 10 play 66 yard drive. Harvard’s defense got in on the action when Raishaun McGree returned a Norris pass 23 yards for a pick six to stretch the lead to 21-0 less than a minute into the second quarter. Following a Harvard FG, Georgetown finally got points when the snap went over the punters head and out of the end zone for a safety. The Hoyas were unable to fully take advantage of the mistake as they fumbled the ensuing free kick back to Harvard. 58 seconds later Booker added his second rushing TD of the game to give Harvard a commanding 31-2 half time lead.

Up Next: Georgetown travels to Central New Jersey to take on Princeton. The Tigers took down the Hoyas 31-17 last year.

Lafayette 10 Holy Cross 7

Lafayette (1-4, 1-0) made sure their first win of the John Garrett era was both thrilling and stunning. The Leopards took down the recently anointed Patriot League favorite Crusaders (2-3, 0-1) thanks to a 43 yard FG by Jeffrey Kordenbrock as clock hit zero. The Leopards were able to pull off the upset despite their offense amassing a total of 220 yards. Factored into that total is a beyond ugly -6 yards on the ground. Lafayette now ranks 122nd in FCS (out of 123 teams) in rushing with an 11.4 per game average. The star of the day for the Leopards was the defense. They held Pujals (26-47 191 yards) and company well below their season averages for points and yards in the win. The defining play of the game came when Crusader head coach Tom Gilmore elected to go for a 4th and 1 on their own 33 with less than 2 minutes. On the play, Lafayette’s Brandon Bryant stonewalled Diquan Walker to give the ball back to his offense in ridiculously good field position.

Holy Cross drove deep into Lafayette territory on their second and third possessions of the game but failed to score (downs/missed FG). The Crusader’s fortunes would change the 4th time their offense touched the ball. Miles Alexander rambled in from 9 yards to give the Crusaders a 7-0 lead with 11:47 left in the 2nd quarter to cap a grinding 9 play 55 yard drive. The game would remain a defensive slugfest until the final seconds of the 3rd quarter. That’s when Leopard quarter Sean O’Malley (27-40 226 yards 1 TD 3 INT) found Rocco Palumbo (7 rec 78 yards 1 TD) for a 32 yard touchdown. The game would ultimately come down to Gilmore’s decision to gamble on the 4th one 1 on his own 33 yard line. The calculation ultimately proved wrong which could prove very costly for the Crusader’s and perhaps even Gilmore down the road.

Up Next: Holy Cross hosts a red hot Monmouth team while Lafayette welcomes Fordham in an important Patriot League contest.

Colgate 21 Cornell 7

Colgate (2-3, 0-0) used a strong defensive performance to take down their long-time rival Cornell (0-3) in Ithaca. The return of preseason All-American Pat Afriyie was a very obvious boost to the defense that got run over by Furman the week before. So much so that Afriyie and company set a school record for sacks (9) in a single game. The offense also played better after struggling mightily the previous 3 weeks. Grant Brenerman (13-21 119 yards 2 TD, 25 yards rushing 1 TD) had his most effective game of year in the win which is the main reason the “O” clicked a little better.  In many ways it was a vintage “Colgatesque” win; run the ball, control the clock and play sound defense. With league play about to start Coach Hunt has to be feeling quite a bit better after the rough 1-3 start.

Both teams made key 4th down stops in the 1st quarter to keep the game scoreless through the first 15 minutes of action. Colgate finally broke the 0-0 tie with 10:42 left in the 2nd quarter when Brenerman hit Thomas Ives for a 7 yard TD. Brenerman added a rushing TD on Colgate’s next possession to extend the lead to 14-0. The 8 yard TD scamper capped a grueling 12 play 64 yard drive. Cornell would close the gap to 14-7 with 1:25 remaining in the 3rd quarter. They would get no closer as the Raiders would march 50 yards in 15 plays for the game clinching TD. Colgate’s defense would finish the game with 3 straight interceptions to preserve the win.

Up Next: Colgate returns to Andy Kerr to play long time league rival Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks ran away from the Raiders in the second half last year on their way to victory.

Yale 41 Fordham 10

Yale (3-0) got off to a quick start and never looked back in a dominating 31 point win over Fordham (1-4, 0-0) at Jack Coffey Field. The loss sends Fordham into league play on their first 3 game losing streak since 2011. The Rams went on to finish a dreadful 1-10 that year. Fordham’s defense was once again gashed on the ground (227 yards). The Eli racked up 416 total yards on a rather modest, by today’s standards, 56 total plays. On a positive note, preseason All-American running back Chase Edmonds (16 carries 83 yards) returned to action after missing the previous 3 games with an ankle injury. If Fordham wants to salvage their season by winning the league Edmonds has to shine. In order for that to happen the offensive line must play better. Anderson has been harassed all season which has greatly reduced the offense’s effectiveness.

The game started with a quick 3 and out by the Ram offense. The Eli offense then got things going with a brisk 5 play 60 yard TD drive on their opening possession of the game. Yale then made it 14-0 the next time they touched the ball. Following another 3 and out by the Ram offense the Eli struck again with a short 4 play 38 yard TD. As a result of the early onslaught Fordham was down 21-0 with 2:34 left in the opening quarter. The Ram “O” finally got things going the next time they touched the ball. Unfortunately, they could only manage a FG following a 14 play 63 yard drive that reached the Yale 13 yard line. The Eli would really step on the Ram’s throat following the FG. DeShawn Salter scored his second TD of the game with 7:36 left in the 2nd quarter to make the score 28-3. Fordham had two chances before half to climb back into the game but a missed FG and failed 4th down at the Yale 13 yard line resulted in zero points.

Up Next: The Rams begin league on the road against Lafayette. Fordham won 54-38 shootout against the Leopards last year in the Bronx.

Wagner 37 Lehigh 20

Wagner (2-3) added to Lehigh’s 2015 misery by notching an impressive 17 point win over the Mountain Hawks (0-5, 0-0) on a blustery night on Staten Island. The Lehigh “D” was gouged for the 5th straight game in the loss. The Seahawks racked up 249 yards on the ground and 205 through the air in the win. The Mountain Hawks rush defense, or lack there of, now ranks 120th (287 ypg allowed) out of 123 teams in FCS. The Lehigh offense was able to move the ball but Mayes’s (18-45 309 yards 0 TD 5 INT) 5 interceptions put a halt on too many scoring opportunities. The Mountain Hawks need to be virtually flawless on offense to overcome their historically bad defense. The pressure might have finally gotten to Mayes (who now ranks 1st in FCS in passing yards) given his uncharacteristically poor performance. The loss sent Lehigh to their second 0-5 start in the last 4 years.

For the first time all season Lehigh scored the opening points of the game. Dom Bragalone’s 26 yards TD run finished off a 5 play 83 yard drive that gave Lehigh an early 7-0 lead. As has been the case all year, the Lehigh defense allowed an opponent to go right down the field following a scoring drive. This time it took the Seawolves only 78 seconds to tie the game at 7. Lehigh would retake the lead with 10:43 left in the 2nd when Mayes scored on a 3 yard quarterback keeper. Wagner would respond with a FG and TD before half to take a narrow 17-14 lead into the locker room. The Seawolves took firm control of the game by scoring on their first two possessions of the second half

Up Next: Lehigh heads to the Central New York to take on Colgate in the Patriot League opener for teams. The Mountains Hawks beat the Raiders 45-31 last year.

Monmouth 35 Bucknell 13

Bucknell (2-3, 0-1) was the latest Patriot League team to try their luck against Monmouth (4-1) and come up woefully short. The Hawks were able to shut down Bucknell’s struggling offense in the dominating win. The Bison were held under 100 yards rushing for the fourth time in five games. Until the Bison can figure out a way to get the rushing attack (117th in FCS) going on a consistent basis they have almost no chance to beat the better teams on their schedule. DeFloria has 205 total yards rushing through 5 games after rushing for over 1,000 yards last year. Bucknell doesn’t have the firepower at the receiver position to be as one dimensional as they are. Matt Muh has played reasonably well at quarterback but he nor anyone else in the passing game is scaring anyone.

It took Monmouth little time to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Freshman RB Peter Guerriero’s six yard TD run finished off a 6 play 79 yard drive that gave the Hawks the lead with 12:16 remaining in the opening quarter. Bucknell had a chance to respond early in the 2nd quarter but a bad snap on a 31 yard FG attempt resulted in an interception on the scramble drill. Monmouth made the Bison pay by going 86 yards in 9 plays to take a 14-0 lead. Bucknell returned the favor a few minutes later following an interception of their own. John Chiarolanzio’s 3 yard TD toss to Marcus Ademilola closed the gap to 14-6 (blocked XP). It wouldn’t take Monmouth long to get the lead back to two possessions. Less than 2 minutes after Bucknell cut the Monmouth lead to 8 points, Vinny Grasso busted loose for a 39 TD run to push the Hawk advantage to 21-6. Monmouth put the game away with two 4+ minute touchdown drives in the 3rd quarter.

Up Next: Bucknell gets a much needed bye week to try and get the offensive line/rushing attack going. They finsh the out of conference portion of their sechedule October 14th against Cornell in Ithaca.

Power Rankings

  1. Colgate – More by default than by merit at this point. The win over Cornell was nice but a win over Lehigh would be much more important in the grand scheme of things.
  2. Holy Cross – The loss to Lafayette will leave the faithful in Worcester scratching their heads for years. They need to right the ship quickly to salvage a once promising season.
  3. Bucknell – They were outgunned outgunned Monmouth but have a bye week to recover.
  4. Fordham – The out of conference portion of the schedule was a disaster. However, a win over Lafayette would change the vibe in the Bronx.
  5. Lafayette – The Leopards pulled off arguably the biggest upset the league has seen this decade. Despite the win over Holy Cross they’re still underdogs against the Rams.
  6. Lehigh – At 0-5 the Mountain Hawks are FCS’s biggest disappointment. The defense remains a mess and the offense is starting to crack.
  7. Georgetown – The offensive is non-existent and the defense isn’t up to recent standards. Another win might be hard to come by.

The FCS Wedge – 2017-1004 – WEEK 5 REVIEW

Lance & Kris give us a rundown on all the top teams and matchups from the last weekend and the surprising number of teams that got toppled. Seems like we have a week like this one every year, and if we’re lucky, we get two of them!

The lads review these particular games this week:

Youngstown State 19 South Dakota State 7

Samford 35 The Citadel 14

Central Arkansas 41 Sam Houston State 30

Weber State 25 Montana State 17

Austin Peay 7 Tennessee Martin 0

Elon 6 Albany 0

James Madison 20 Delaware 10

Check them out this week.

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SOCON: Week 6 Preview

Week 6 in the Southern Conference may prove to be as disruptive as the previous week. In what is obviously the game of the week in the conference, and maybe in all of FCS, the Western Carolina Catamounts travel to Spartanburg to meet the Wofford Terriers in a pivotal conference game. The Citadel hosts the Mercer Bears in a key game both teams. Samford travels to Lexington Virginia to meet the VMI Keydets. The Furman Paladins take on the Chattanooga Mocs. And finally The Bucs of ETSU host Robert Morris.

Regardless of who wins in Spartanburg, both WCU and Wofford will still be sitting comfortably in the conference. If Mercer loses, they will be done.  If The Citadel loses, they will most likely be in win out situation.  Same goes for Furman.  Chattanooga could all of a sudden come alive, but it is a steep road due to their personnel issues. ETSU could play spoiler, but they will not go the distance unblemished. Samford will not lose and be right there sitting at one loss.  But it is the SOCON, and with half the conference games decided by a score or less already, anything is possible.

Since I am on the road, at the beach with my wife, I will be making more condensed summaries. Please check out the detailed stats at the links for the SOCON and team notes.

SOCON Notes

#20 WCU at #6 Wofford  1:30PM ESPN3 WCU notes Wofford notes

The Catamounts have been on a roll lately. Now at 4-1, 2-0, WCU is poised to take a huge step forward if they can knock off Wofford (4-0, 2-0), the preseason SOCON favorite.   The winner will be the only remaining unbeaten team in conference play and in the early drivers seat for the conference title.  The game will feature WCU’s steamrolling offense against Wofford’s stout defense. And Wofford’s grinding, time consuming option attack against the Catamounts rejuvenated, but largely untested, defense. WCU’s defense was tested against Samford’s prolific passing attack a couple weeks ago. They won that game, but they gave up 600+ yards. They obviously will not give up that many yards against Wofford’s option offense, but the question remains, can they get enough stops against a Wofford offense that has been historically competent, but a little uneven this year?

Turnovers are Wofford’s, or any option team’s, Achilles heel. This will be especially true against as potent an offense as WCU seems to have this year. If Wofford holds onto the ball and cashes in most of its long drives, it will probably be enough to win. On defense they need to merely get some stops.  They will not stop WCU every time.  WCU has too many potent weapons on offense. But if Wofford keeps the ball away from them, WCU’s offense can’t score. All that said, Wofford needs to play passable on special teams as well and not give WCU any short fields, if able.

On the flip side, if WCU can get Wofford into a hole and force them to pass more, something they can do, but obviously are not as proficient at, WCU can control the tempo. The Terriers do pass fairly well, and something that the they have always been good at is blending their passing game into their running scheme. If Western can get a few stops and rob Wofford of some potentially long drives, they will force their type of game on Wofford. Wofford has been proficient, but not dominating on defense. WCU needs to mix it up and make the Terriers defense earn it on every play. The Cats dual threat QB and outstanding running backs can make that happen.

This will be a close game. Both teams will be fighting hard for the conference lead. In the end, the nod goes to Wofford, if for nothing else: experience. They have a more veteran team and will handle the pressure better. Wofford takes it at home 28-24.

Mercer at #21 The Citadel 2PM ESPN3 Mercer notes The Citadel notes

It was a tough loss last Saturday for The Citadel Bulldogs, 3-1, 1-1. Down 35-0 early in the second quarter was humbling for them. But they made a good show of it after that. They simply ran out of gas after driving deep into Samford territory on numerous occasions and coming up empty and eventually lost 35-14. The Mercer Bears, 2-3, 1-2, started slow last week, but had a blow out win over VMI in the end. Since joining the SOCON three years ago, Mercer has yet to beat the Bulldogs. They are 0-3 against the Dogs, but they lost those three games by a total of 5 points. Wow.

The Citadel got stuffed last week by a pretty determined Samford defense that had been maligned by many. Mercer’s defense is pretty decent. Last year they held the Dogs running game in check for most of the game. They may do even better this year. The Bulldogs offensive line has not been as dominant as it was. There are lots of freshman on it. But an additional difference from last year is a freshman stater, versus an All American, at the critical B-Back position. There is still a bit of work in progress as a result. The dual QB strategy has also been in use for many games so far this year for the Dogs. Both QBs have had ups and downs. Not sure if a real controversy is occurring or not. But both are good players and supportive teammates so even if there is a competition, no big deal. If Mercer can slow the Dogs running game down and get just a few stops, they will be sitting pretty considering their offensive capabilities.

Mercer seems to have found a pretty good freshman QB. They have some fairly decent receivers and running backs as well. There is little doubt that Mercer will try to emulate Samford’s magic last week by tossing some deep balls and trying to put the Bulldogs in a hole quickly. Whether there are actual cracks in the Dogs defense or last week was just a one-off, horrendous performance, is yet to be seen.

Mercer went toe to toe with Wofford and held up well against Auburn by mainly forcing turnovers. When you couple the Bears abilities with a burning desire to finally beat the Bulldogs, especially considering the Bulldogs may be down, Mercer will probably win this. Look for a close victory by the Bears, 27-24.

#22 Samford at VMI 1:30PM  ESPN3  Samford notes  VMI notes

Samford has one of the most potent offenses in FCS. VMI has a pretty bad defense overall. VMI also has a really bad offense and Samford has a defense that appears to be coming alive. Result: it may get really ugly in Lexington this week.

I see Samford taking this opportunity to really try and improve it running game. VMI does have some pretty good linebackers and it will be a good test for Samford to see if they can sustain any sort of running game. The Samford coach would be foolish to not try and run a bit more this game. If it sounds like this game will be a scrimmage, it will. Samford is that good and VMI is that bad. Samford wins easily 52-10.

Furman at Chattanooga  4PM  ESPN3 Furman notes  UTC notes

This game should have been a big one with a lot at stake in regard to the SOCON race. It might still have an impact if Chattanooga wins. Furman, 2-3, 1-1, is two scores from being 4-1 with tight losses to ranked Wofford and Elon. They seem to be coming together nicely under first year head coach Clay Hendrix. That is good news for the Paladin faithful who have been lost in the wilderness for the last few years.

On the flip side, Chattanooga, 1-4. 1-1, has probably fallen faster than any FCS ranked team from last year. Also under a new head coach, Tom Arth, the Mocs faithful, may not be nearly as faithful if the slide continues. The big problem for the Mocs is on offense. They scored 63 against VMI, but most of those were short field gifts from the Keydets. Take away that game and they have scored 13, 10, 7, and 7 points in each of their other games. This is not last year’s Chattanooga team for sure. To top it off, they lost their starting QB in camp to academics, then they got him back last week, then they lost him on their first drive last week. Then they lost their previous starter as well later in the same game. They are down to a freshman walk-on as QB or maybe pulling a red shirt off another. The extent of the injuries to the other two veteran QBs is still TBD.  They have also been down from injuries or other suspension issues on defense. Yes, the Mocs have issues. It may be a couple years until they return to form. What they did not need this week was a seemingly hot Furman team coming to town seeking some redemption after having dropped their previous five against the Mocs.

Furman has got it going on offense apparently. Their defense is a little uneven and young, but they may look real good against a decimated Mocs offense this week. In a battle of new first year coaches, Furman takes it comfortably, 31-14.

Robert Morris at ETSU 3:30PM  ESPN3  ETSU notes

The ETSU Bucs, 2-3, 1-2, are not rolling over as a still relatively new team. They scored a good OT win over Mercer, and played The Citadel and Furman close for a good portion of those games. They get better and better every game. You can see the confidence of the young Bucs rising every week. Maybe it is their new stadium. They have a decent QB who has a nice touch when needed. Their defense has not been stellar, but not bad at times. They fought hard last week against Furman in what turned out to be a track meet of sorts. They scored the most points they have all year last week, 35. Look for them to continue with that offensive momentum this week as they knock off Robert Morris, 28-17.

Big Sky Round-Up Week 5

The Big Sky Conference Round-Up is back for the week five edition and this past weekend saw some high scoring games across the league. The Big Sky Conference has always been known for its prolific offenses and this week was no exception. The Eastern Washington Eagles are doing what they always do, and UC-Davis is starting to find an offensive groove under first year head coach Dan Hawkins.

Montana got a conference road win in who knows how long this weekend as they took on Portland State in a high school stadium. Yes, a literal high school stadium, not that thing in Cheney. Montana used a balanced attack featuring transfer Alijah Lee and Gresch Jensen to run up 45 points on the Vikings. The Vikings, however, were not going to go quietly. Quaterback Josh Kraght piled up 381 total yards of offense to keep Portland State within striking distance most of the game. Montana running back Jeremy Calhoun had 124 yards and two scores to lead the Griz. Griz safety Justin Strong had three interceptions, and one pass intercepted on a two-point conversion to win Big Sky defensive player of the week honors. Montana will be at Idaho State, while Portland State will be at Montana State.

Weber State made the trip up north to Bozeman looking to continue its winning ways this season against the Bobcats. Stefan Cantwell passed for 206 yards and rushed for another 49 yards and a score. Montana State quarterback Chris Murray completed eight passes for 124 yards and a score, plus 123 yards rushing, and a 25 yard receiving pass. For a slow evolving game this game may have featured two of the better teams in the conference. Weber State leaned on a stiff defense to try to contain Chris Murray who had 282 total yards for the Cats. Montana State will host Portland State next week, Weber State will have the week off.

Cal Poly’s woes just aren’t getting any better this season. They’ve lost Joe Protheroe for the season and now they’ve lost every game so far this season. Idaho State continued to show off their much improved team and beat Cal Poly by four. Despite giving up 202 yards rushing to Cal Poly quarterback Khaleel Jenkins the Bengals did just enough to win. Tanner Gueller threw for 341 and three touchdowns in the win. The Bengals got a late score from James Madison (still not the president, nor the school) to put the Bengals up for good in this game. The Bengals overcame a 10 point deficit in the last ten minutes of game time to win. Idaho State will be hosting Montana next week, while Cal Poly will be at Southern Utah.

Sacramento State and Eastern Washington didn’t waste any time lighting up the scoreboard like a ping pong machine. The teams combined for over 1200 yards of offense in a wild Big Sky game. Gage Gabrud continued his MVP performance by doing everything in this one. The Eagles quarterback passed for 447 and five touchdowns, and caught a 43 yard touchdown pass to help himself. On the other side of the ball the Hornets rushed for 307 yards, 121 from quarterback Kevin Thomson. It wasn’t enough to overcome the onslaught of Eagles offense. After Eastern went up 21-0 on a 33 yard Antoine Custer touchdown catch from Gabrud the Eagles never had to worry about a threat from the Hornets. Eastern Washington will be at UC-Davis. Sacramento State will have a bye.

Northern Arizona is in the middle of a little bit of turmoil as a team, however, that didn’t stop them from beating Northern Colorado over the head for four quarters this past weekend. Case Cookus tossed three touchdowns and 271 yards to lead the Lumberjacks over the Bears on Saturday. Lumberjack receiver Elijah Marks continued his impressive season by hauling in 106 yards of passes and a score. On the other side of the ball Jacob Knipp threw for 301 yards with a touchdown, but had two interceptions. The Lumberjacks got out to a 20-0 lead right before halftime but the Bears got on the board right before the half with a Frank Stephens touchdown reception. The Bears would take over at the half and get a score from Trey Reik, but it was foot to the gas for NAU after that. The Bears will be at North Dakota, while NAU will host Illinois State in a Big Sky vs MVFC matchup.

In the Big Sky night cap we got North Dakota traveling to Davis to take on the Aggies. Gunslinger Jake Maier threw for 415 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-24 victory for the Aggies. Star receiver Keelan Doss caught 199 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort. On the other hand North Dakota got a nice rushing day from its two running backs John Santiago and Brady Oliveira for a combined 277 yards and a score, but wasn’t nearly enough to pull the Hawks out of this hole. North Dakota, facing a multitude of injuries including safety Cole Reyes, is seeing the effects on the season. The defending Big Sky champions are now 1-4 on the season. UC-Davis will host Eastern Washington, while North Dakota will host Northern Colorado.

Scores

Montana 45
Portland State 33

Weber State 25
Montana State 17

Cal Poly 34
Idaho State 38

Sacramento State 31
Eastern Washington 52

Northern Colorado 20
Northern Arizona 48

North Dakota 24
UC-Davis 48

Big Sky Player of the Week

This week’s Big Sky player of the week is UC-Davis receiver Keelan Doss. Doss had 11 receptions for 199 yards and one touchdown in their win vs North Dakota.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Gage Gabrud, QB, Eastern Washington – 35/50 for 447 yards, 5 TD, one receiving TD
Cole Reyes, LB, North Dakota – Did not play
Tanner Gueller, QB, Idaho State – 14/24 for 341 yards, 3 TD
Elijah Marks, WR, Northern Arizona – 7 receptions, 106 yards and 1 TD
Keelan Doss, WR, UC-Davis – 11 receptions, 199 yards and 1 TD

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

Final Thoughts and Hot Takes

Eastern Washington and UC-Davis has the potential to be a lot of fun next week. I’ll be interesting to see how the Aggies come out firing against the Eagles. UC-Davis is seeing an offensive resurgence under Dan Hawkins, who has hardly held a job over the last few years. We know what Eastern Washington will do, but this could be a potential 1200 yards of offense game.

Bad time for Northern Arizona to host Illinois State. That team is a very good team. Big Sky took it on the chops from the MVFC for the most part this year. Sad!

Didn’t predict Cal Poly to be the worst team in the Big Sky this year, that’s usually reserved for Idaho State and UC-Davis. What a world we live in nowadays.

Montana and Idaho State could feature a hell of a lot of offense. More than would make either coaching staff comfortable. Idaho State escaped a close one against Poly last week, Montana struggled at times with Portland State. Make or break game for both teams, you’d have to think.

So do we just hand the MVP to Gage Gabrud now, or nah?

Glad to see Cooper Kupp playing well on Sundays.. that’s a hell of a lot better than watching him wreck Big Sky secondaries week in and week out.

Wonder how much longer Portland State is going to deal with Barnum’s bluster and do something about the state of its football program. A really undisciplined team.

No Big Sky blog from me next week, I’ll be in Denver at the Great American Brew Fest. Pour one out for my liver.

AGS Poll: Top 25 Week 5 Results

Week 5 was another volatile week in the AGS top 25 with multiple top 25 matchups causing some pretty big shake ups throughout the rankings. For the first time since week 1 there is new blood in the top 5. James Madison and North Dakota State maintained their spots at #1 and #2, respectively, but defending national runner-up Youngstown State made their first appearance in the top 5 this year coming in at #3 following their impressive home win over SDSU. They were followed by Jacksonville State at #4 and South Dakota made their first appearance ever in the top 5 coming in at #5 following their big road win at Western Illinois giving the MVFC 3 of the top 5 teams.

Central Arkansas was among the high risers of the week moving up 5 spots to #7 after winning their Southland showdown with Sam Houston State. Weber State rose 4 spots to #13 following their road win in Bozeman over Montana State. Elon moved up 6 spots to #15 after beating another ranked CAA foe in #23 Albany. Western Carolina also moved up 4 spots to #20 after demolishing Chattanooga. Samford reappeared in the top 25 after a 1 week absence rising 4 spots to come in at #22 following their rout of The Citadel. McNeese (up 10 spots) and Maine both appeared in the top 25 for the first time this year after hanging around in the ORV for some time rounding out the rankings at #24 and #25, respectively.

On the flip side South Dakota State and Sam Houston State both dropped 6 spots to #9 and #10, respectively. The biggest drop of the week belonged to The Citadel who fell 10 spots to #21 but, curiously, was still ranked one spot above the Samford team that soundly beat them last Saturday. Albany dropped 7 spots to #23 following their aforementioned loss to Elon. Tennessee-Martin, Montana State, and Southern Illinois all dropped out of the rankings after falling over the weekend.

The CAA led the way in terms of representation placing 8 of their 12 teams into the top 25. They were followed by the MVFC with 6, the SOCON with 4, the SLC with 3, and the Big Sky with 2 teams ranked in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 James Madison Dukes 2043 75
2 North Dakota State Bison 1974 7
3 Youngstown State Penguins 1825
4 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1747
5 South Dakota Coyotes 1695
6 Wofford Terriers 1526
7 Central Arkansas Bears 1520
8 Illinois State Redbirds 1414
9 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1408
10 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1284
11 Eastern Washington Eagles 1179
12 Western Illinois Leathernecks 1088
13 Weber State Wildcats 924
14 Villanova Wildcats 921
15 Elon Phoenix 858
16 New Hampshire Wildcats 853
17 North Carolina A&T Aggies 737
18 Stony Brook Seawolves 583
19 Richmond Spiders 543
20 Western Carolina Catamounts 518
21 The Citadel Bulldogs 498
22 Samford Bulldogs 472
23 Albany Great Danes 374
24 McNeese State Cowboys 150
25 Maine Black Bears 59
ORV:
26 Northern Iowa Panthers 49
27 Grambling State Tigers 40
28 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 39
29 Dartmouth Big Green 38
30 Yale Bulldogs 35
31 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 33
32 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 29
33 Montana Grizzlies 26
34 Montana State Bobcats 25
35 Saint Francis Red Flash 24
36 Austin Peay Governors 22
37 Nicholls State Colonels 21
38 UC Davis Aggies 15
39 Monmouth Hawks 13
40 North Carolina Central Eagles 12

Most Significant Win: Central Arkansas Bears
Most Significant Loss: Sam Houston State Bearkats

Join the discussion at: http://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?196754-AGS-Poll-Results-Week-5-10-02-2017

MVFC – Week 5 in Review

MVFC Logo

Wow…what a first week of MVFC action. There were record-breaking performances, a couple of highly ranked teams battling in close games, and a nearly epic comeback. It was a pretty exciting start to what should be a strong conference season.

Missouri State (1-3) at #2 North Dakota State (3-0)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
MSU 0 5 0 6 11
NDSU 14 3 7 14 38

Quick Hits:

  • NDSU – QB Easton Stick threw for 220 yards and 2 TDs, including 6 of 7 for 121 yards in the first quarter.
  • NDSU – SS Robbie Grimsley had 10 tackles, assisting on 2 tackles for loss including on a 4th and goal play. He also had his 3rd interception of the season.
  • MSU – RS Deion Holliman picked up 221 kickoff return yards and became the conferences all-time leader in kickoff return yards. His 250 all-purpose yards was the 12th best performance in school history. Holliman was named the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.
  • MSU – CB Matt Rush – had 6 solo tackles including a sack and helped the MSU defense hold NDSU to their lowest point total and lowest offensive yards total of the season.

NDSU started off the game strong and never really let up, putting up 17 points in the first half while holding MSU to a safety and a FG. The second half was pretty much the same, with NDSU picking up three more TDs before the Bears would get their first TD of the day, with a little over 5 minutes left in the game.

North Dakota State is now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference. They will head down to Terre Haute to take on 0-4 Indiana State next weekend.
Missouri State falls to 1-4 overall, 0-2 in the conference and will take next weekend off.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Bison by 35
It was: Bison by 27
The MSU defense seemed a little stronger than I expected, but for the most part, pretty much how I thought it would go down.

#7 South Dakota (3-0) at #9 Western Illinois (3-0)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
USD 7 17 14 0 38
WIU 0 6 14 13 33

Quick Hits:

  • USD – QB Chris Streveler had 328 yards passing, 89 yards rushing, and accounted for 4 TDs.
  • USD – CB Danny Rambo had 8 tackles and 3 pass breakups in addition to the interception to essentially end the game.
  • UDS – WR Brandt Van Roekel had 6 catches for 119 yards and 1 TD.
  • WIU – WR Jaelon Acklin had a record-setting performance with 343 receiving yards (a school and MVFC record, and the 4th best single-game performance in FCS history), 19 catches (a school and MVFC record), and 3 receiving TDs (1 short of tying the school and MVFC record). He received the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week award and the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week award.
  • WIU – LB Brett Taylor tied the school record (held by former NFL great Rodney Harrison) with 28 tackles in the game. His 18 assisted tackles were the second-most in school history and he received the MVFC Co-Defensive Player of the Week award.
  • WIU – RB/PR Steve McShane had a punt return for 77 yards as well as a rushing TD and 27 receiving yards.

It was a (kinda) a tale of two halves. South Dakota was doing just about everything right in the first half, rolling out to a 24-6 lead going into halftime. They started off the 3rd quarter in similar fashion, recording two more TDs to give themselves a 32 point lead with less than 6 minutes to go in the 3rd. At this point, something must have clicked on the Western sideline because they were able to put together two TDs before the end of the 3rd quarter, then another two in the 4th, the last with just over 2 minutes left in the game to pull within 5 points. WIU’s onside kick was recovered by USD but the Leatherneck defense was able to stop the Coyote offense, forcing a turnover on downs. With 34 seconds left, the WIU pass was intercepted by USD, ending WIU’s comeback just a bit short.

South Dakota is now 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference, with a home game against 3-1 Youngstown State next weekend.
Western Illinois drops thier first game of the season and sit at 3-1, 0-1 in the MVFC. They’ll head up to the UNIDome to take on 2-2 Northern Iowa at their Homecoming next Saturday.

My pick in Review:

I said: Leathernecks by 7
It was: Coyotes by 5
I expected an exciting, hard-fought battle, and it was…eventually. Unfortunately for my Leathernecks, the comeback started about 2 minutes too late in the game. That’s a fail for me.

#3 South Dakota State (3-0) at #6 Youngstown State (2-1)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
SDSU 0 7 0 0 7
YSU 7 7 2 3 19

Quick Hits:

  • YSU – LB Armand Dellovade had 4 tackles, including one for a safety in the 3rd quarter, and had his first INT of his career with 8:38 left in the game, which would amazingly be the last time SDSU would have the ball in the game. Dellovade was namde the MVFC Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
  • YSU – TB Tevin McCaster ran for 183 yards and one of the game’s few TDs
  • YSU – Penguin defense held the Jackrabbits to their lowest point total since late October 2015 (10-7 loss to UNI), and an astounding 14:46 TOP…the lowest TOP for the Jackrabbits going back at least to 1999 (they don’t have game-by-game breakdowns on their site prior to 1999), and only the 3rd time since 1999 that it’s been under 20 minutes (the first time for a team not named the Bison).
  • SDSU – QB Taryn Christion threw for 157 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, and ran for 28 yards.
  • SDSU – WR Jake Wieneke caught the only SDSU TD in the game and had 61 receiving yards.

That was a VERY impressive performance by the Penguins on both sides of the ball, holding a team that was supposed to be an offensive powerhouse this season to only 7 points, while putting up 19 points, but more importantly for the YSU gameplan, holding on to the ball for over 3/4 of the game and having 3 drives that lasted over 8 minutes.

Youngstown State will take their 3-1 record (1-0 in the MVFC) on the road to take on 4-0 South Dakota in what should be an exceptional battle next weekend.
South Dakota State drops to 3-1, 0-1 in the MVFC and will head back to Brookings to take on the 2-2 SIU Salukis next weekend.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Jackrabbits by 3
It was: Penguins by 11
Missed on this one as well. Either the Penguin defense is WAY better than I was giving them credit for early in the season, or SDSU has take a step back from their offensive performances the last year or two. I did at least get one part of this right though, when I said that neither team will hit 30 points (could have said 20 and would have still been right).

Northern Iowa (1-2) at #25 Southern Illinois (2-1)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
UNI 3 14 7 0 24
SIU 0 3 7 7 17

Quick Hits:

  • UNI – True-FR FS Suni Lane had 7 total tackles and recovered a fumble late in the 4th to head off a SIU comeback. He was named the MVFC Newcomer of the Week for his contributions.
  • UNI – QB Eli Dunne threw for 266 yards and 3 TDs, with 106 yards and 1 TD going to WR Daurice Fountain.
  • UNI – SS Korby Sander had 5 tackles, 3 pass breakups, and forced a fumble in the 4th quarter.
  • SIU – RB Daquan Isom had 126 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving, averaging 7.9 yards per carry, and had a 52-yard run that is the longest play of the season so far for the Salukis.
  • SIU – LB Kyron Watson had 15 tackles including 2.5 for loss (1 sack), a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup.

A strong start by the Panthers saw them ahead 17-3 at halftime. In the second half, the Salukis started working on comeback, picking up a couple of TDs to UNI’s 1 TD, but turnovers on three consecutive possessions doomed the attempt and sealing the 7-point win for UNI.

Northern Iowa is an even 2-2 on the season, 1-0 in the MVFC and will head home to take on 3-1 Western Illinois at the Panthers Homecoming next weekend.
Southern Illinois is now also 2-2 (although 0-1 in conference) and heads up to take on 3-1 South Dakota State in Brookings next weekend.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Salukis by 6
It was: Panthers by 7
I’ll admit it, I was lulled into confidence in SIU following their strong performance against Memphis the previous week. That, plus UNI’s struggles against some mediocre teams so far this season made me think that SIU could win this one. Honestly, if they hadn’t had those 3 turnovers in the 4th quarter, it very well could have been an SIU win…but they did…and it wasn’t…and that’s a big ol’ L for my pick in this game.

Indiana State (0-3) at #10 Illinois State (3-0)

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
INSU 0 0 13 0 13
ILSU 10 14 0 0 24

Quick Hits:

  • ILSU – WR Christian Gibbs caught 189 yards on 5 catches with 2 TDs
  • ILSU – DE Adam Conley had 4 tackles including a sack, and landed on a fumble in the end zone for ILSU’s second defensive TD of the season.
  • INSU – TE Jacquet McClendon had 74 receiving yards on 6 catches.
  • INSU – CB Mekhi Ware had 6 tackles, 2 pass breakups, but most importantly, had a 47-yard interception return for a TD to get the first points for the Sycamores.

The Redbirds had a packed house watching their first half shutout, while putting up 24 point themselves. The Sycamores finally got on the board with an INT->TD early in the 3rd quarter and was finally able to put together a drive midway through the 3rd for their only offensive points in the game. The 4th quarter though, was mostly just punts with an occasional turnover, none of which ended up with points for either team.

Illinois State is a perfect 4-0 overall and leads the conference with a 2-0 record. They will compete in the final non-conference matchup of the regular season, heading out to take on 2-2 Northern Arizona next weekend.
Indiana State falls to 0-4 (0-1 in the MVFC) and will welcome the 4-0 NDSU Bison to Terre Haute next weekend.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Redbirds by 10
It was: Redbirds by 11
This one went pretty well as-expected. ILSU still appears to be a decent team, INSU not so much, although I don’t know that either team really proved much.

I didn’t do so well this week with my picks, going 2-3, which puts me at 27-8 in my picks this season so far.

Next weekend, we have a couple of games that likely won’t be close, a couple of games that could be real close-fought battles, and an interesting non-conference matchup with a team that already took on another MVFC earlier in the season. Since I’m a WIU fan and since UNI is only about 3 1/2 hours away from Macomb, I’ll be making the drive up to catch up with some UNI-fan friends and root for a Homecoming-spoiling Leatherneck victory at the UNIDome.

AGS Top 25 – How They Fared Week 5 2017

Many thanks to superman7515 on AGS for putting this together every week.  Much more info. and discussion HERE.

Rank Team Week 5 Result
#1 James Madison Dukes Won at #31 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 20-10
#2 North Dakota State Bison Won vs Missouri State Bears 38-11
#3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits Lost at #6 Youngstown State Penguins 7-19
#4 Sam Houston State Bearkats Lost at #12 Central Arkansas Bears 30-41
#5 Jacksonville State Gamecocks Won at Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 34-7
#6 Youngstown State Penguins Won vs #3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 19-7
#7 South Dakota Coyotes Won at #9 Western Illinois Leathernecks 38-33
#8 Wofford Terriers Won at Presbyterian Blue Hose 31-7
#9 Western Illinois Leathernecks Lost vs #7 South Dakota Coyotes 33-38
#10 Illinois State Redbirds Won vs Indiana State Sycamores 24-13
#11 The Citadel Bulldogs Lost at #26 Samford Bulldogs 14-35
#12 Central Arkansas Bears Won vs Sam Houston State Bearkats 41-30
#13 Eastern Washington Eagles Won vs (ORV) Sacramento State Hornets 52-31
#14 Villanova Wildcats Won at Towson Tigers 24-9
#15 New Hampshire Wildcats Won vs Bryant Bulldogs 45-17
#16 Albany Great Danes Lost at #21 Elon Phoenix 0-6
#17 Weber State Wildcats Won at #23 Montana State Bobcats 25-17
#18 North Carolina A&T Aggies Won at South Carolina State Bulldogs 21-7
#19 Richmond Spiders BYE
#20 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks Lost at Austin Peay Governors 0-7
#21 Elon Phoenix Won vs #16 Albany Great Danes
#22 Stony Brook Seawolves Won at #27 William & Mary Tribe 21-18
#23 Montana State Bobcats Lost vs #17 Weber State Wildcats 17-25
#24 Western Carolina Catamounts Won at #30 Chattanooga Mocs 45-7
#25 Southern Illinois Salukis Lost vs #40 Northern Iowa Panthers 17-24
Next 15
#26 Samford Bulldogs Won vs #11 The Citadel Bulldogs 35-14
#27 (t) Maine Black Bears @ FBS Central Florida Knights canceled due to hurricane
#27 (t) William & Mary Tribe Lost vs #22 Stony Brook Seawolves 18-21
#29 Tennessee State Tigers Lost vs Eastern Illinois Panthers 16-19 (2OT)
#30 Chattanooga Mocs Lost vs #23 Western Carolina Catamounts 7-45
#31 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens Lost vs #1 James Madison Dukes 10-20
#32 Grambling State Tigers Won vs D2 Clark Atlanta Panthers (neutral site) 31-20
#33 Princeton Tigers Lost vs Columbia Lions 24-28
#34 McNeese State Cowboys Won at Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 35-0
#35 Holy Cross Crusaders Lost vs (ORV) Lafayette Leopards 7-10
#36 Pennsylvania Quakers Lost vs (ORV) Dartmouth Big Green 13-16
#37 (t) Nicholls State Colonels Won at Lamar Cardinals 41-14
#37 (t) North Dakota Fighting Hawks Lost at UC Davis Aggies 24-48
#39 Yale Bulldogs Won at Fordham Rams 41-10
#40 Northern Iowa Panthers Won at #25 Southern Illinois Salukis 24-17

 

 

 

 

 

SOCON: Week 5 Review and Power Ranking

The world just about turned upside down in the Southern Conference this week. Furman looked real good on offense in its victory over ETSU. Samford got up big, early, over The Citadel to hand the Cadets their first conference loss since 2015. Western Carolina took the Chattanooga Mocs to the woodshed in their first victory over the Mocs since 2008. VMI gave Mercer a slight scare early before the Bears pulled away big. And Wofford appeared a bit sluggish over a fairly inept Presbyterian team for much of the game before pulling away in the fourth. It seems that the SOCON race is truly up for grabs. VMI seems unable to muster what it takes as does probably Chattanooga and ETSU. Mercer’s two losses will make it tough for them although they can still play spoiler and it is early. But Wofford, WCU, Samford, Furman, and The Citadel all seem able still, in that order. At least until next week.

Furman 56 ETSU 35 (box score)

Furman took the opening kickoff and moved fairly effortlessly down the field with a mix of passes and runs. The Bucs were certainly giving the Paladin receivers space and Furman took advantage of it. After a 4 minute drive of nine plays Furman took to the ground and ran an option play to take it in from 22 yards out. The Paladin’s offense was churning for certain. ETSU took the ensuing kickoff out past the 25 and proceeded to fumble it. Luckily for the Bucs, he was called down. ETSU then went to work. They had success in passing, but Furman stopped their running game cold and stopped their drive at midfield with a sack. It appeared as though Furman’s D came to play as well.

After ETSU punted, Furman’s drive stalled, but it was really miscues on Furman’s part rather than the ETSU defense that stopped them. Furman’s QB PJ Blazejowski had a couple bad passes while not under a whole lot of pressure. After the punt, it didn’t take ETSU long to get going. After a first down, Buc’s QB Austin Herink threw a perfect pass to a wide open Vincent Lowe for a 53 yard TD to make it 7-7. If Furman could stop the ETSU run game, they were obviously having some pass defense issues.

On Furman’s ensuing drive they moved in big chunks down the field. It only took them 5 plays to go 75 yards for another score. This time it was a 32 yard TD pass by Blazejowski. Both defenses were giving up some big plays, but Furman got a stop on ETSUs next possession. The Bucs defense needed to do the same. They didn’t, at least for a while. Furman moved down the field fairly easily with mix of pass and run. At the end of the first quarter Furman had outgained ETSU 231-92.

As the second quarter started, ETSU’s defense finally stood up and stopped the Paladin’s drive at their 5 on a 4th and 1. Still within a score, ETSU drove well via the pass. The Paladins were pretty stingy giving up rushing yards, but Herink was having a pretty easy time finding open receivers and the Bucs marched all the way down the field. But after having mostly stopped their running game, the Paladins gave up a three yard rush for a TD to tie things up. ETSU’s drive was 96 yards (17 run and 79 passing) in 9 plays. The key play being a 41 yard pass by Herink to get the Bucs to the 3 yard line.

On Furman’s next drive, which started fairly well, they coughed it up and ETSU returned the fumble to the Furman 21. While it looked like Furman might have held them, ETSU got an opportune pass interference call which kept the drive alive. But The Paladins defense bowed up and stopped the Bucs on a third and goal. ETSU settled for 3 to take their first lead of the game 17-14.

Besides the occasional pass, Furman pitched the ball outside a lot up to this point. On their next drive they again drove fairly well.   It only took them six plays to go 75 yards for another score, a 30 yard pass by Blazejowski to Andy Schumpert.

Down 17-21 with about 4 minutes to go in the half, ETSU, who had deferred to the second half, had a shot at scoring on successive possessions if they could move the ball again with a nice 4 minute scoring drive. But the Paladins defense held them after one first down, and Furman had a chance to score again before the half with 2:43 to go. They didn’t miss the opportunity. The Paladins went 70 yards in 7 plays and scored on 3 yard run by Darious Morehead, his second of the day. With under a minute to go in the half, Furman was in the lead 28-17. But ETSU was not going to go quietly into the half. A couple passes made it interesting. It was especially fun seeing the ETSU lateral clinic to close the half. There must have been at least 8 laterals after time expired as ETSU actually moved back about 20 yards from where they initially caught a pass deep in Furman territory. The teams totaled 647 yards of offense at the half, Furman with 390 yards and ETSU with 257. Wow. The defensive coordinators had their work cut out for them during the break.

Furman’s defense must have been paying attention at half. They forced a quick three and out on the Bucs offense. Furman’s offense went to work again. They scored on a 9 play 66 yard drive. After forcing ETSU to punt again, Furman scored again and the rout was on with Furman up 42-17.

ETSU finally answered with a scoring drive of 12 pays and 74 yards to close it to 42-24. The Bucs held Furman on their next possession, and then drove for a field goal to close the score to 42-27. But Furman returned an onsides kick for a TD to make it 49-27. ETSU then struck quickly with a 78 yard TD pass to close it to 49-35 after ETSU converted on a two point conversion. Furman then took its time to go on a five and a half minute drive to score again to make it 56-35 with 1:53 to go. ETSU tried one last scoring drive, but gave it up on downs.

ETSU did what they needed to on offense. They moved the sticks and kept it close for a while. Furman just had a juggernaut of an offense. Overall, they had 609 yards of offense. Blazejowski went 17/22 for 301 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. They had 308 yards rushing on 52 attempts. A pretty balanced offense for the day.

Each team had 1 turnover. ETSU had 6 penalties for 40 yards and Furman had 7 for 78 yards.

ETSU’s QB, Austin Herink went 24/37 for 438 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. Not a bad day. ETSU had only 22 yards on the ground. That included -27 for Herink who was sacked six times. ETSU came up short on the time of possession holding it for only 27:48. They needed to do better if they hoped for a victory.

Furman’s offense definitely came alive this game. ETSU has issues on defense obviously, but this is a step in the right direction for Furman. The Paladins will be tested against a depleted Chattanooga next week on the road. ETSU hosts Robert Morris.

Samford 35   #11 The Citadel 14 (box score)

It was a battle of the Bulldogs in Birmingham Alabama Saturday. It was also a battle of the run against the pass. With the Citadel, leading FCS in rushing yards per game, Samford’s defense would be put to a stern test. Likewise, The Citadel defense would face one of the top ten passing attacks in FCS. Whichever defense figured it out first, would most likely win.

Samford took the opening possession and its first play from scrimmage was…a run for a first down. Their second play was a flea flicker pass to The Citadel 8.   A couple plays later they scored. Samford did what they do best; pass the ball, some trickery, and a one minute scoring drive. Mission accomplished for Samford on their first drive.

But The Citadel Bulldogs know how to play while down. But they obviously had some cob webs to shake out after an off week. The Samford defense held them to a three and out and The Citadel defense would see if they could do better against Samford QB, Devlin Hodges. They didn’t do better. It took all of one pass for Hodges to connect on a 70 yard TD pass. It looked like the pass was winning against the run with Samford up 14-0. The Citadel secondary, suspect all year, had been unmasked.

On their next possession, The Citadel’s offense was stymied again. But they did it to themselves this time with a delay and chop block penalties. They punted again and things looked bleak early for the Bulldogs from Charleston. Samford took three plays to score again. It was 21-0 with 9:40 to go in the first quarter. A route was sure to follow unless The Citadel could swing the momentum.

The next drive was no better and The Citadel was forced to punt again. The Citadel was totally stumped on both sides of the ball. Samford had a game plan on both sides of the ball and they were executing it perfectly. The good news for The Citadel was Samford did not score in one or two plays. The bad news is they scored anyway to make it 28-0 at the 4:19 mark in the FIRST QUARTER. Ouch.

The next series by The Citadel was again no better. Samford’s phantom defense somehow made a showing and totally stopped The Citadel’s offensive output. With 2:51 to go in the first quarter, Samford made their first error all day: a pass interference call which gave The Citadel a first down, their first, and some life. The Cadets drove into Samford territory, but penalties eventually stymied The Citadel again and they had to go for it on a 4th and 3 but came up short at the Samford 18.

Samford did what they do on their next drive. They did some trick, non standard formation, which was immediately followed by another deep pass for a score. The route was definitely on at this point with the score at 35-0. The Citadel just needed to salvage some respect by getting a couple scores.

They got their chance on the next Samford drive when Kailik William snagged an interception off Hodges. The Citadel punched it in a couple plays later to make it 35-7 with 6:55 remaining in the half. Samford drove the ball pretty well, but another interception by The Citadel in the end zone prevented a total embarrassment. One play later The Citadel was at the Samford 29. A beautiful 51 yard pass by Jordan Black gave The Citadel some life.   But a couple plays later, after a running loss and yet another penalty, The Citadel was sacked for the first time this year. A quick pass play got them a 4th and 12 with 1:10 remaining but an incomplete pass gave the ball back to Samford and the score remained 35-7. At the break Samford held a 393-137 yard edge. They had a plan and it worked.

The Citadel came out in the second half ready to play. They drove the length of the field in 12 plays to close it to 35-14. After a 49 yard drive by Samford, where they missed a field goal. The Citadel drove 67 yards in 9 plays to the Samford 7 where they gave it up on downs. Jordan Black replaced Dominique Allen in the second half, but that is pretty usual for The Citadel to switch out QBs periodically. But Black had much more success than Allen had had. After a quick three and out forced by The Citadel defense, The Citadel got it back at their 38. They drove the length again sparked by a 47 yard pass to the Samford 4. But a penalty and stiff defense by Samford doomed The Citadel again and they gave it up on downs at the Samford 6. The Citadel could have, should have, closed it to 35-28 at his point, but it remained at 35-14. The Citadel again held Samford to a three and out, but down by 21 with 8:09 to play, it was a tall hill to climb. Down 10 with 6:30 to go last year was doable for The Citadel, but 21 points was a bit much and Samford was playing some good run defense.

The Citadel was passing much more by this time. Something that is not natural. They had some success on the day, but they are just not consistent. Black threw a couple incomplete passes and then was sacked. A 4th and 15 forced a punt with 7:06 to go. Samford was content to just run it at this point. They didn’t do very well, but they didn’t need to. They chewed up another minute and a half. They had to punt after another three and out.

But the Damage was done and Samford’s defense stood up one more time. The Citadel made it to the Samford 42 and turned it over on downs with 3:13 to go. Samford ran the clock out, by….running.

Samford had a banner day on offense. If anyone thought they were a paper tiger, they need to rethink that. Samford’s Hodges went 21/26 for 323 yards, 3 TDs and 2 interceptions. On the ground, Samford almost doubled their season average with 139 yards. They got out to an early lead and never looked back on offense. Their leading rusher, Moise Satine almost matched their previous season average with 73 yards. They definitely stepped it up with their running game. It kept The Citadel defense guessing. The Citadel only sacked Hodges once.

On offense The Citadel had a hard time getting going. They had 12 drives during the game. They punted on 5 on them. They gave it up on downs for 5 more. They scored twice. Overall, they totaled just 346 yards. Not bad except they could not finish drives consistently. They might have closed the score but the previously anemic Samford defense stood up when needed and stuffed many of The Citadel running plays, especially when it counted. Overall, The Citadel had only 194 yards rushing with 3.5 per carry average, well below their season average. The Dogs were forced to throw more as a result. Overall, they were 6/14 for 152, a season high, but not enough obviously.

One area that also plagued The Citadel was penalties. They had 10 for 61 yards. But more damaging was the timing of many of those. Many came at the wrong time and stifled their drives or extended Samford’s. Samford ended with just 4 for 40 yards. The only turnovers in the game were the two interceptions thrown by Hodges. The time of possession advantage held by The Citadel, almost 37 to 23 minutes, did not matter. Samford showed what an explosive offense can do.

For The Citadel it is time to regroup. They meet Mercer next week for Parents Day at The Citadel, a big weekend where the seniors get their rings. Samford will try and probably succeed in improving their conference record when they travel to VMI.

Mercer 49 VMI 14 (box score)

The 0-4 Keydets needed a boost bad after a pretty miserable start to the season. VMI QB Duncan Hodges, who played last week, got the start at QB this week for the first time. After a three and out and punt to start the game, VMI got a break. An interception thrown by QB Kaelan Riley on Mercer’s first play from scrimmage was returned 60 yards for a VMI TD. But would it be enough of a spark the Keydets? The VMI defense then held Mercer to a three and out. But VMI couldn’t get anything going and had to punt it right back after a couple first downs. Mercer tried again with the same result.   At least VMI was holding down Mercer’s offense form scoring. On VMI’s fourth possession Hodges threw the deep ball only to be intercepted. Mercer then went on a 6 play 78 yard drive to tie things up with 14 minutes to go in the second. After a short dive andf punt by VMI, Mercer struck again, quickly, with a one play 79 yards TD pass to make it 14-7 Mercer.

But when it rains, it sometimes pours. After a quick first down on their ensuing possession, VMI again threw an interception. This time it was a 51 yard pick six to make it 21-7, Mercer.

A short kickoff by Mercer gave VMI pretty good field position next. They drove well and made it down to the Mercer 9 before the Bears defense forced a field goal attempt which the Keydets missed. Mercer then drove down to the VMI 36 after 13 play drive, but the VMI defense stood up and stopped them and the Bear turned it over on downs with under a minute to play in the half.

While VMI kept it close in the first half, it was all Mercer in the second half. They scored on four of their five possessions, punting only once. VMI scored again in the third quarter on a one play 79 yard toss, but also threw an interception. Mercer’s balance offensive attack was just a bit too much for VMI.

Mercer had a banner day against a weary VMI defense totaling 575 yards overall, with Riley going 13/24 for 318 yards with three TDs and 1 interception. On the ground Mercer’s CJ Leggett had 95 yards on 16 carries. VMI did score two sacks against Mercer.

On the other hand, VMI could gain only 225 yards on offense including only 52 on the ground. VMI was sacked 3 times. VMI also used another QB later in the game. This makes 4 they have used in two games. It doesn’t hurt to try different ones until they find the right match.  Mercers defense was pretty stout to boot.

Mercer exploded on offense this week and put it together nicely. Something they lacked last week in their loss to ETSU. One thing they did again though was commit penalties. They had 7 for 50 yards. It didn’t matter but they need to tighten up a bit. Mercer also controlled the clock pretty well with over 32 minutes of possession.

Now at 2-3 and 1-2, Mercer will travel to Charleston to take on a flustered Bulldog team looking for redemption. VMI gets Samford at home.

#24 Western Carolina 45 Chattanooga 7 (box score)

Western Carolina, fresh off its upset win over Samford last week, looked to beat Chattanooga in Chattanooga for the first time since 2005. Heck, they have not beaten the Mocs at all since 2008. They wanted this win bad. The Catamounts of Western Carolina have a pretty good offense. No its is real good. But Chattanooga has a pretty decent defense. The Cats would be hard pressed to put up the big numbers that they have. On the other hand Chattanooga was probably pretty happy they finally had their anticipated starting QB back playing.

The Cats took the opening series down the field to the Mocs 31 and missed a field goal. Chattanooga drove fairly well, now led by QB Alexjandro Bennifield, all the way down to the WCU 30. Then disaster stuck Chattanooga. Bennifield was sacked, and sacked hard. Starting in his first game this year, on his first drive, the anticipated starting veteran QB Bennififeld was helped from the field and left the stadium enroute to a hospital. Nick Tiano who started the previous Mocs games would have to lead the Mocs for a bit longer. After an incomplete pass, the Mocs punted. WCU must have smelled blood at this point. They drove against a pretty stout Mocs defense for 75 yards in 6 plays and scored a TD to go up 7-0. After holding Chattanooga to a three and out, WCU drove for another score. This time it was a 39 yard field goal.

After trading four punts, the Mocs found themselves on the short end of field position at their 9. Two plays later Tiano fumbled in the end zone and WCU got its first defensive score to go up 17-0 with 7:19 to go in the second.   Score one for the much maligned WCU defense.

After trading two more punts, the Mocs again found themselves on the short end of field position at their own 10. It was déjà vu all over again. Tiano fumbled in the end zone and WCU got its second defensive TD. Score “two” for the, not as much, maligned WCU defense. Chattanooga got the ball back with 4:20 remaining and drove fairly well. They got down to the WCU 9 but gave it up on downs. WCU got it back with a little over a minute remaining and ran the clock out with WCU up 24-0 at the half.

After trading three and outs to start the second half, the Cats maintain good field position. To add insult to injury, when the Mocs punted it went for only 19 yards to their own 37! But the Chattanooga defense stood up and held WCU to a three and out. The Mocs got it back at their 6. They got a first down, but then stalled and were forced to punt again form their 19. A fake was not a good idea. Punter fumbled and WCU got it on the Chattanooga 1. The Cats scored on one play to make it 31-0 with 8:39 to go in the third.

After holding the Mocs to yet another three and out, WCU got it back at their own 38 after the punt. At least it was in WCU territory this time. But it did not take long for WCU’s offense to get back in the game. 7 plays and 62 yards later, it was 38-0 after a 38 yard TD pass by WCU QB Tyrie Adams. Oh my.

Chattanooga finally got something going and drove down to the WCU 8. But just when things could not get any worse for the Mocs, Tiano went down with an apparent shoulder injury. At this point Chattanooga brought in a walk on QB, true freshman Dominic Caldwell, who proceeded to throw a TD in a couple plays. So maybe things got better. Chattanooga had a little life and they avoided the shutout with 11:59 to go in the game.

On their following possession, WCU brought in the backups including a new QB, Ray Smith. They drove pretty well, mostly running the ball and chewing up clock. They scored on a 26 yard TD toss by Smith to go up 45-7. The teams traded punts again, but Chattanooga’s fall from grace was complete. And, WCU took another step towards stardom.

On the day, WCU starting QB went 8/15 for 125 with 1 TD and no interceptions. The Cats had over 200 yards rushing including over 100 by Corey Holloway. Overall, WCU had 392 yards on offense. Not bad against a usually pretty good Chattanooga defense. And to make it even more impressive, WCU accomplished this signature win WITHOUT their star running back and leading SOCON rusher, Detrez Newsome. But it was their defense that won it for WCU. And that is a huge step for them.

Chattanooga’s lapses on offense this year have been just devastating. They totaled just 172 yards in the game while holding the ball over 32 minutes. The three QBs they used were just 15/30 for 123 yards. They rushed for just 49 yards. Is Chattanooga the new Samford in rushing?   It is probably safe to say that the Mocs season is probably over except for maybe playing a spoiler down the road. They obviously need to rebuild. I suspect they will now employ Caldwell at QB and get him some experience for the future.

It does not get any easier for the Mocs. They face an apparently rejuvenated Furman team next. At least it is at home. The Catamounts are on the road again next week and face off against the only unblemished team remaining in the SOCON, Wofford.

#8 Wofford 31 Presbyterian 7 (box score)

It probably could not have started out better for the Wofford Terriers during Saturday’s game. After holding the Presbyterian Collage (PC) Blue Hose to a three and out, Wofford ran one play for 94 yards and a score. The teams traded three more punts before Wofford score again. This time is was a signature option drive taking five plus minutes with 11 plays in 80 yards. After two more punts, the PC offense got going. The Blue Hose went on an 11 play, 60 yards drive to close the score to 14-7. The teams traded punts to close the half.

Both defenses were holding the other fairly well. This continued into the second half when the teams traded punts to start. Wofford finally got going on their second possession when they drove 97 yards. The Key play being a 72 pass thrown by Wofford QB Brandon Goodson. But the PC defense stiffened up and stuffed the Wofford runners three times and forced the Terriers to kick a field goal to make it 17-7. The drive took almost 7 minutes.

After Wofford held PC to a three and out, they went on another scoring drive of 6 play for 77 yards to make it 24-7. But PC fought back on their next drive and drove all the way down to the Wofford 9. Unfortunately for PC, on a second and goal a completed pass to the 2 was fumbled and recovered by Wofford in the end zone for a touchback.

Wofford wasted no time and scored in two plays on 75 yard TD pass by the halfback Lennox McAfee to make it 31-7. PC took its last possession into Wofford territory but threw an interception with just seconds remaining.

On the day Wofford totaled 478 yards. Goodson went 3/7 for 92 yards. On the ground, the Terriers gained 311 yards with Blake Morgan gaining 120 with two TDs. He had the 94 yard run on Wofford opening possession. Wofford went 7/13 on third downs. They held the ball for only 26:16. They committed only two penalties for 10 yards.

PC gained only 252 yards including 122 on the ground. PC QB Ben Cheek went 19/30 for 130 yards and 1 interception. They went 9/18 on third downs. They had 4 penalties for 26 yards. Wofford defense did a pretty good job keeping them out of the end zone. PC has had problems all year in scoring.

Wofford faces its toughest test to date next week when it hosts a hot Western Carolina team. Presbyterian has a hard game itself as it hosts a hot St Francis team.

Power Ranking

  1. Wofford
  2. Western Carolina
  3. Samford
  4. Furman
  5. Mercer
  6. The Citadel
  7. ETSU
  8. Chattanooga
  9. VMI