Many thanks to superman7515 on AGS for putting this together every week. Much more info. and discussion HERE.
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
- Wofford
- Western Carolina
- Samford
- Furman
- Mercer
- The Citadel
- ETSU
- Chattanooga
- VMI
SOCON: Week 5 Preview
It’s the first full week of conference play and the race for Southern Conference should become a “little” clearer after this week. First off, the Bucs of ETSU meet Furman in Greenville. The Citadel travels to Samford in a battle of the Bulldogs. VMI travels to Mercer to take on the Bears in Macon. WCU goes to Chattanooga. And in the only out of conference game, Wofford takes on the Blue Hose of Presbyterian in Clinton, SC.
ETSU at Furman 1PM (ESPN3) (ETSU notes) (Furman notes)
Both of these teams are coming off big wins and each will be playing hard for another one. This past week ETSU upset Mercer and Furman dismantled Colgate on the road. Both teams are young. ETSU is still in that initial build phase and does not have the depth of experience yet. While Furman may have the additional experience of an established program, they are a young team. A lot will depend on which coach can coax more out of his team.
Furman is one of those Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde teams. They have flashes of brilliance and moments of ineptness. But for a young team that is not uncommon. Sitting at 1-3 with close losses to Wofford and Elon, and a not so close loss to NC State, Furman could have easily been 3-1 right now. Gaining his first victory as a head coach last week, Furman’s Clay Hendrix will try and pick up win #2 in front of the Paladin faithful.
Furman’s Senior QB PJ Blazejowski, has done ok this year. Overall he is 40/74 with 793 yards averaging just under 200 yards a game. He has thrown 5 TDs and 2 interceptions. Furman has been running the ball a bit more this year. To date they are averaging 172 yards a game. Fairly balanced now, they have been moving the ball pretty well with a third down conversion rate of 47%. One area they need to improve on is in turnovers. They sit at -2 on the year. They do lead the conference in the least penalties with just 12 all year so far.
On defense they have surrendered 392 yards a game along with 30 points. Against the pass they have given up 214 a game and 178 against the run. They lead the conference in sacks with 11. That included 5 this past week against Colgate. They have been holding the opposition to a 37% third down conversion rate. They have only snagged 1 interception all year so far. They forced a bunch of turnovers this past week and that helped them get out to an early, dominating lead over Colgate.
ETSU has been a bit stingy giving up the ball. They sit at +2 on the year. Junior QB Austin Herink has only thrown 2 interceptions to date. Overall he is 72/112 for 823 yards with 6 TDs. The Bucs have averaged 206 yards a game through the air. One area that’s needs some work for the Bucs is in their running game. They only average 81 yards a game. Herink has been sacked 10 times so far as well. ETSU has only converted third downs 34% of the time. They are only putting up 23 points a game. Sitting at 2-2, 1-1, the Bucs have been solid, but not spectacular on offense. They have had some good drives which scored points. They are 7/8 in the red zone with 5 TDs.
On defense they have allowed 372 yards a game with just under 173 coming through the air and 199 on the ground. Their run defense stats obviously took a hit with both JMU and The Citadel running up some high numbers. They also have only 3 sacks on the year. They sit at 43% in stopping teams from converting 3rd downs.
ETSU has averaged just under 30 minutes of possession each game. They need to do better, especially against explosive offenses. The best defense for them at this point is to keep the ball away from opposing offenses. They held it 36 minutes against Mercer in their victory. Furman was not exactly explosive this past week. They didn’t need to be. ETSU needs to grind out some drives, move the sticks and keep the turnovers down. If they can stay close to the Paladins, like they did with both The Citadel and Mercer, they can be in it.
After the Bucs emotional victory last week, the Paladins, at home, may be a bit much for them. Furman won handily this past week, but did so due to their defense and the forced turnovers more than their offense. Their average starting field position was in Colgate territory. The Paladin offense will get into the act a bit more this week. Look for a Furman victory, 33-17.
#11 The Citadel at Samford 3PM (ESPN3)(The Citadel notes) (Samford notes)
Samford’s late loss to WCU last week had to be disheartening for the Samford Bulldogs. Unable to score from the 3 yard line in four plays, after driving from their own 1 yard line in the last minute of the game, has to be frustrating. Samford by far has one of the most explosive offenses in the conference, and all of FCS for that matter. But their utter lack of any real running game has hurt them in many ways. On the flip side the same could be said about The Citadel Bulldogs and their scant passing game.
The Citadel leads FCS in rushing averaging 380 yards a game. However, they have averaged 96 through the air as well. Not great, but that is a little bit better than last year. More impressive is they already have 5 passing TD so far as compared to 5 for all of last year. But like Samford, they are a bit one dimensional. However, they can move the ball running most of the time. They average 476 yards a game with 5.9 yards per play average. They tally 26 first downs a game with a ludicrous 61% third down conversion rate. They do this while holding the ball over 37 and a half minutes a game. That keeps their defense fairly fresh
The Charleston Dogs currently lead the SOCON in total defense giving up only 237 yards a game. That is a bit skewed with their schedule so far, but they have been mostly effective. One area that is of some concern, especially for this game, is their secondary. They have been burned a few times. Through the air they have given up 166 yards per game. They have 5 interceptions to date, along with 6 sacks. On the ground they have surrendered an enviable 71 yards a game. While defending third downs they have allowed only a 27% conversion rate. Considering Samford’s prolific passing game, these numbers will obviously take a hit.
Samford leads the SOCON and comes in at 5th in the FCS for passing yards per game with 329 per game. They are formidable to say the least. Junior QB Devlin Hodges has gone 110/172 for 1301 yards with 13 TDs. He has only thrown 2 interceptions all year. He is dangerous with the short passes, which many liken to no more than pitches, to throwing the deep ball. He has a huge stable of capable receivers to choose from. Hodges has been sacked 6 time to date. Not bad considering the number of passes he has attempted. His offensive line does a pretty good job protecting him. While they are all in protecting him, they are not very good at creating holes for their runners. Samford again has a dismal running game. They are not in last place in the SOCON, but pretty close with a 76 yard per game and 2.8 yard per carry average. Their play selection has been roughly 61% pass, 39% run. They just don’t run the ball very well. Their drives are pretty fast as well. Whether they go three and out or drive the length of the field, their offense does not hold the ball very long. Their average time of possession is about 27 minutes a game, which is actually better than their TOP last year which was under 25 minutes. Whether they go three and out or score quickly, their defense stays on the field a long time.
Samford has been giving up 532 yards a game! They gave up over 600 last week to WCU…almost 200 more than they let Georgia gain. And this brings up a motivation issue. Samford has a habit of playing up or down to their competition. They let Kennesaw St and West Alabama stay in games that should have been put away. It is hard to understand a coach that can’t get his players to produce consistently. But back to the numbers. Against the run Samford gives up 231 yards a game, against the pass 301. They allow opponents to convert about 42% of the time on third downs. They do have 9 sacks. The ‘Bama Bulldogs have allowed opponent to score 12 out of 14 times while in the red zone. To say they have some issues on defense is an understatement. It almost seems like they have decided to just try and outscore the opposition and hope for a couple turnovers to tip the balance. On the year they are at +3.
Last year’s game in Charleston was a barn burning OT win by The Citadel. A repeat of last year’s game is likely. Samford can score quickly, even against a determined defense by The Citadel. The Cadets will be able to drive against Samford at will, but they will chew up clock and shorten the game for both teams. The game will come down to turnovers or special teams. Like Samford. The Citadel is at +3 in turnovers on the year. There have been a couple miscues by both teams on special teams so far. It is pretty much a toss-up, except The Citadel secondary may make the difference. If it stands up, it will be a long day for Samford. If Samford gets the edge, it will be a long day for The Citadel. It will probably be somewhere in between so give the edge to Samford at home, 28-24.
VMI at Mercer 4PM (ESPN3) (VMI notes) (Mercer notes)
The VMI Keydets (0-4, 0-1) travel to Macon Georgia to take on the Mercer Bears (1-3, 0-2). Mercer has had a disappointing season so far. After graduating their first class since starting up football again, and being competitive almost immediately, they seem to have stalled a bit. After blowing out Jacksonville, they have played three close games against a wide variety of teams in Wofford, Auburn, and ETSU. And while they did ok against Auburn, a victory would have been tough even if they played them close. They could have easily won against Wofford and ETSU. If Mercer has had a disappointing season, VMI has had a dismal one so far. They have been blown out by Air Force and UTC and embarrassed by Robert Morris and Div II Catawba. But don’t count on them folding the season. The Keydets will not do that. They need to regroup and build on whatever strengths they have.
VMI’s numbers are pretty bad on both sides of the ball. They gain only 205 yards a game and give up 453. Their average score to date, 7-43, is not surprising. It will be interesting to see who they start at QB. They have been using Austin Coulling up until the last game. They also played Duncan Hodges and another QB in their last game. Not sure if that was a message to Coulling after he threw two first half interceptions or just an opportunity to get some playing time for the backups after being down big. In any event, the Keydets have issues on offense. They seem to have been a one trick pony with Al Cobb last year.
On defense, which should have been somewhat a bright spot for them, they are struggling as well. They surrender 195 yards a game on the ground and 258 through the air. They have allowed opponents to convert third downs at a 55% rate. Part of the problem is they only have a 25 minute time of possession and are -7 in turnovers on the year. Their defense is tired. Against Mercer on the road, their problems may continue.
Mercer has put up some pretty good number on offense. Freshman QB Kaelan Riley has been starting and he will be good. He has gone 67/108 for 776 yards so far with 7 TDs and 4 interceptions. His 196 yards per game through the air and the Bears 133 yards per game on the ground have allowed Mercer to convert about 38% of their third downs. Riley has been sacked only 4 times so far as well. They have been averaging 27 points a game.
On defense the Bears have given up 376 yards a game along with only 21 points. The yards against them have been pretty balanced between pass and rush so far. They allow third downs to be converted about 48% of the time. That was skewed a bit by their game against Auburn who drove the ball pretty much at will. What kept them close in that game was turnovers. Overall, they at +2 for the year. They only have 2 interceptions and 6 sacks on the year.
Mercer has benefited the most of any SOCON team so far in opponent penalties gaining 73 yards per game on average. They commit about 45 yards a game in penalties on average. They lead the conference in punt return average with almost 15 per return.
Mercer sort of fell apart last week late. They should have won at ETSU, but they just could not finish. They really do play better while down. But don’t expect them to let up this week. They will go up early against VMI and then they will be very methodical in pressing home a victory. Mercer easily wins 42-10.
#24 Western Carolina at Chattanooga 6PM (ESPN3) (WCU notes) (UTC notes)
Who would have thought that by week 5 the Catamounts of WCU would be ranked and the Chattanooga Mocs would not be. Now at 3-1, 1-0 after knocking off a ranked Samford team last week, the Cats are poised to make a run for the Southern Conference Championship. A victory here would be huge for them. Chattanooga, 1-3, 1-0, bounced back big time last week in their dominating win against VMI. A victory here is a must to save the Mocs season. If they lose here, their playoff chances will evaporate unless they pull out a SOCON championship.
WCU has been a offensive machine this year. They have averaged 571 yards a game, 7.6 yards a play and over 40 points a game. That will go down this week for sure, but they have an explosive offense. Cats QB, sophomore Tyrie Adams is 66/107 for 1080 yards with 270 yards per game. He has thrown 10 TDs and only 3 interceptions so far. He is also number 2 in rushing for the Cats on the year with 74 per game. He is easily the best dual threat QB in the conference right now. The leading rusher for WCU has been Detrez Newsome with 139 yards per game. He averages 8 yards per carry. He also averages 20 yards receiving per game and returns kickoffs. They better keep him healthy. Overall the Cats run for 296 yards a game. WCU moves the ball well. They average 25 first downs a game and convert third downs 41% of the time. The Cats QB has been sacked 10 times so far.
While their offense has been exceptional, the Cats defense, which was the big question mark for them this year, has been improved, but is still wanting. They give up 434 yards a game or about 5.6 yards a play. This breaks out to 184 yards rushing and 250 yards through the air. They hold opponents third down conversions to 36%. They have 7 sacks and 5 interceptions so far. Their defense is better, at least a little bit, but when they face a good offense, their weakness become apparent. They gave up 600+ yards last week against Samford. An explosive offense to be sure, but overall they are at least moving in the right direction on defense. They made a nice goal line stand when it counted last week to preserve their win.
WCU’s defense better have their game face on this week against Chattanooga. It is assumed that Alejandro Bennifield will return this week after being suspended for some academic issues. So far the Mocs offensive output has been pretty bad: 270 yards per game or 4.3 yards per play. Compared to previous years that is pitiful. That includes 74 yards on the ground and 196 through the air. Even with their blowout victory last week at VMI, where they had a short field most of the day, they have been anemic on offense under transfer QB Nick TIano. He has also been sacked 11 times so far. This week may be different. They will still have issues running, and Bennifield may be a bit rusty, but the Mocs offense needs to get going if they have any hope to salvage their season.
While their offense has issues, the Moc’s defense is fairly stable. They allow 319 yards per game and 5.6 per play on average. They allow a 38% third down conversion rate. They have grabbed 5 interceptions, but only had 4 sacks which is historically pretty low for them. Overall, they at -2 in turnovers, which has not helped them.
It is going to be important for the Mocs that Bennifield does well in this game. For first year head coach Tom Arth, this will be important as well. Many of the Mocs faithful have already questioned his hiring. A loss here will just get folks up in arms prematurely. To be fair, this only game 5. It will take him time to establish himself. It might take a year or two. WCU’s offense will be a good test for Chattanooga. Do not expect WCU to put up gaudy numbers this week. The Cats will move the ball, but their averages will take a hit when facing the Moc’s defense. If there was an opponent to have for Bennifield’s first game back, WCU is it. While the Cats defense may be better, they still have not arrived yet. Look for Chattanooga to control but not dominate the game. Mocs win 35-28.
I will also take this time to note the passing of long time Catamount fan Richard McClellan (AKA Catamount Man on AGS). I met Richard last year at a gathering of Upstate SC AGS posters. We also got together for The Citadel/WCU game last year. He was very good host and made me feel at home. I enjoyed his company and will miss him. Rest in peace Richard.
#8 Wofford at Presbyterian 7PM (Big South Network) (Wofford notes)
The Wofford Terriers (3-0, 2-0) have won their games by a total of 5 points. Talk about being close. They have not put up big offensive numbers. They have won by ball control, not turning the ball over, and some stout defense. Presbyterian (2-2) has had a tough time. Wins against Campbell and barely winning against NAIA Cumberland have not taken any of the sting out of losing bad to both Wake Forest and The Citadel. The Blue Hose did not need Wofford this week.
The Terriers have totaled 363 yards per game with most obviously coming on the ground. They average 259 yards a game with 4.9 yard per carry. They have also averaged 104 yards passing each game. Wofford switches out QBs a bit. Their primary passer is senior Brandon Goodson. He is 22/34 for 97 yards a game so far with no interceptions and 1 TD. Like most option teams, Wofford controls their games with steady drives which chew yards and clock. They average about 33 and half minutes a game. They convert third downs about 40% of the time. Fullback Andre Stoddard had a big day this past week against Gardner-Webb with 91 yards on 16 carries and two TDs. He is a beast punching through holes like magic sometimes.
By far the Terriers strength rests with their defense. They have held opponents to 309 yards a game. This includes 122 on the ground with a 3.7 per carry average. Through the air they allow 187 yards a game. They have only had four sacks, but have grabbed 4 interceptions in 3 games. They have allowed opponents to convert third downs 42% of the time. In the red zone on defense they have allowed teams to score 10 out of 11 times, but the point there is they have only have allowed teams into the red zone 11 times in 3 games.
They have attempted three field goal to date, and made all three with a long of 44. They only have a net punting average of 35 yards.
Presbyterian has all sorts of issues on both sides of the ball. They gain only 293 yards a game on offense. They give up 456. They average only 17 points a game. They scored only 7 each against The Citadel and Wake Forest. They will have a hard time moving the ball against Wofford. Coupled with Wofford’s ball hogging ways, Presbyterian will be hard pressed to score many points in this game. The Blue Hose had big issues stopping The Citadel’s running game earlier this year, giving up 435 yards. They will have problems against the Terriers as well. Wofford should easily handle the Blue Hose and win 38-3.
Patriot League: Week 5 Preview
Last weekend could be classified as a 5 alarm dumpster fire for the Patriot League after going 1-6 in out of conference play. Losing is never good but the way some of the teams in the league lost was especially embarrassing. The Patriot League’s overall record after 4 weeks of play is 7-20. With the non-league games wrapping up over the next couple of weeks the chances to improve upon the dismal record are fleeting.
I’m on the road so this week’s game previews are simple and to the point. I’ll have full game recaps out next week. After such a disappointing start to the football season I think everyone involved needs to step back and re-energize themselves for conference play!
Lafayette (0-4, 0-0) at Holy Cross (2-2, 1-0) – Sept 30th 1 PM Fitton Field Worcester, MA
Live Stream: Patriot League Network
Holy Cross looks to push their league mark to 2-0 with a win over struggling Lafayette. The Crusaders are coming off a painful overtime loss to Dartmouth while Lafayette fought hard but still came up 21 points short against Princeton. Holy Cross was gashed for 300 yards on the ground last week which has to be concern Coach Gilmore moving forward. However, against a Lafayette team that ranks second to last in FCS in rushing yards per game Holy Cross has little to worry about. The most important thing this this week will be avoiding injuries.
Prediction: Holy Cross 37 Lafayette 20
Colgate (1-3, 0-0) at Cornell (0-2) – Sept 30th 1:30 PM Schoellkopf Field Ithaca, NY
Live Streaming: Ivy League Network
For the 99th time (Cornell leads series 49-46-3), Colgate and Cornell will face off on the gridiron this Saturday afternoon in gorgeous Ithaca, NY. Both teams enter this rivalry game treading quite a bit of water. Colgate has lost 3 straight after capturing their season opener against a then ranked Cal Poly team while Cornell has been outscored 100-36 in losses to Delaware and Yale to begin the year. This appears to be a really even game on paper given the serious question marks Colgate and Colgate have on both sides of the ball. Cornell has the advantage at quarterback but outside of that this appears to be a very even matchup. Last year’s game was a classic that went in the Big Red’s favor. Colgate reverses the role in 2017.
Prediction: Colgate 34 Cornell 31
Harvard (1-1) at Georgetown (1-2, 0-0) – Sept 30th 2 PM RFK Stadium Washington D.C.
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
Georgetown will try to right the ship against Ivy League power Harvard at the venerable RFK Stadium Saturday. The Crimson have dominated Georgetown each of the last 3 years (outscored the Hoyas 110-20). If the Hoyas want to put forth a more competitive performance against Harvard this time around the offense must find some level of competence. It’s too early to tell if Tim Barnes will start at QB after suffering an injury against Columbia last week. If Barnes can’t play, Clay Norris will once again be called upon to lead the Hoyas “O”.
Prediction: Harvard 38 Georgetown 6
Yale (2-0) at Fordham (1-3, 0-0) – Sept 30th 6 PM Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
The scoreboard at JCF is likely to get a serious workout when Fordham and Yale meet Saturday evening. These two teams combined for 81 points last year at the Yale Bowl in a 44-37 Rams win. If Fordham wants to replicate last year’s outcome they must do a much better job stopping the run (currently ranky 114th 262 ypg). The Eli enter this game averaging 300 ypg through their first two games. For the third straight week (missed the last 2 games with ankle injury) Chase Edmonds is listed as Fordham’s starting RB. If he’s finally able to play the Rams chances greatly increases. If not, expect the talented Yale defensive front 7 to get after Fordham QB Kevin Anderson enough to limit the amount of damage he inflicts.
Prediction: Yale 52 Fordham 38
Lehigh (0-4, 0-0) at Wagner (1-3) – Sept 30th 6 PM Hameline Field Staten Island, NY
Live Stream: NEC Front Row
For the first time ever, Lehigh and Wagner face-off in football. The two teams would certainly like to enter their inaugural meeting playing better. Wagner’s only win came against D2 Saint Anselm in the season opener while defending Patriot League champion Lehigh is still searching for their first “W”. The Seahawks have struggled on offense (17 ppg) to start the year. That’s good news for a Lehigh team that ranks at the bottom of FCS in nearly every meaningful defensive statistic. Brad Mayes (2nd in FCS in passing ypg) and Mountain Hawk offense likely found their first opponent they can outscore.
Prediction: Lehigh 45 Wagner 27
Monmouth (3-1) at Bucknell (2-2, 0-1) – Sept 30th 6 PM Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium Lewisburg, PA
Live Streaming: Patriot League Network
The second “first ever meeting” this weekend features Bucknell and the Monmouth Hawks doing battle in Central Pennsylvania. The fact that this is the two schools first meeting is quite surprising given how many games Monmouth has played against Patriot League schools (2-0 this year) the last 10-15 years. Both teams enter Saturday evening’s contest riding a solid wave of momentum. Monmouth’s balanced offense (188 ypg rushing, 178 ypg passing) against Bucknell’s usually stout defense will likely determine the outcome of the game. The Bison got their rushing attack going to some extent last week at Sacred Heart which has to make Coach Susan happy heading into the Monmouth game. In addition to putting forth a strong defensive effort, Bucknell will need to control the clock and avoid turnovers to pull off the upset against the surging Hawks.
Prediction: Monmouth 31 Bucknell 20
MVFC – Week 5 Preview
It’s all downhill from here…at least for some teams. The MVFC has 6 teams listed in the top 10 of this week’s AGS poll and fully half of the conference is undefeated, but we’re now “all in” on conference “season”. This week, we have 5 games between the 10 MVFC teams including two games involving two top-10 teams. Somebody has to lose, which means that somebody is going to drop out of the top 10. How far depends on how badly they get beat. Outside of one oddly-scheduled Illinois State at Northern Arizona game, all the games for the rest of the regular season are conference games.
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, in the past I’d been using the STATS poll for the ranking numbers, but I’ll be using the AGS poll from now on instead.
So, here are the games this week
1:00 PM – Missouri State (1-3) at #2 North Dakota State (3-0)
3:00 PM – #7 South Dakota (3-0) at #9 Western Illinois (3-0)
6:00 PM – #3 South Dakota State (3-0) at #6 Youngstown State (2-1)
6:00 PM – Northern Iowa (1-2) at #25 Southern Illinois (2-1)
6:30 PM – Indiana State (0-3) at #10 Illinois State (3-0)
All games listed in Central time and are available streaming on ESPN3/WatchESPN.com
Every game next Saturday involves a ranked MVFC team, and two games feature two ranked MVFC teams. https://t.co/moircd7sHV pic.twitter.com/k9n5cRGJhj
— Valley Football (@ValleyFootball) September 25, 2017
Missouri State at #2 North Dakota State (Homecoming)
Last Week:
- Missouri State lost to Illinois State, 34-9
- North Dakota State beat Robert Morris, 55-0
History: The Bison and Bears have played each other 9 times going back to 2008. NDSU holds the series lead 7-2, with a 3-1 record at home. MSU won the 2nd and 3rd meetings in ’09 and ’10, but ’08 and then all 6 meetings since ’11 have gone to the Bison.
Which Missouri State team will we see this week? Do we see the MSU offense that put 43 points up against Mizzou? Or maybe the MSU defense that held Illinois State to 6 first half points in a game that was tied at halftime? On the other hand…there’s the MSU offense who was held scoreless by a North Dakota team that hasn’t looked very good their last couple of games, or the MSU defense who came out of the halftime tie with Illinois State to give up 28 points in the third quarter. In case you hadn’t noticed, the Bears have been real “Jekyl and Hyde” so far this season, although with a 1-3 record, it’s been a bit more on the “Hyde” side. MSU is a little stronger in their passing game than in the run game, with QB Payton Huslig averaging 209.5 ypg with 4 TDs and 4 INTs. WR Malik Earl is the primary receiver, with 79 ypg and 2 TDs, and the ground game is handled mostly by RB Calan Crowder, scampering for 76.8 ypg and 3 TDs. You also can’t overlook the impact that preseason All-MVFC kick returner (technically WR) Deion Holliman can have on the game, currently leading the conference in punt return yardage and combined kick returns. The Bears defense has a quality LB in McNeese Egbim, who has 25 tackles, 2.5 for loss so far this season…however, they don’t have too much else. They’re giving up nearly 520 ypg and an average of 40.2 ppg so far this season.
North Dakota State, meanwhile, has rolled through their non-conference schedule with the closest thing to a “challenge” being a 27-point win at Eastern Washington. In their two games at home, they’ve outscored their opponents 128-7…now, to be fair, the competition has not been as high of quality as they’ve generally seen the past few years (FBS teams are now VERY hesitant to invite the Bison to town), but it does show that the Bison can really move the ball when they want to. The interesting thing is that for most teams, you see 40, 56, 72 points, and you think of a team that has a strong passing offense. That’s not really the case with this year’s Bison team, with their offense putting up more than twice as many yards (and more than 3 times as many TDs) on the ground as through the air. RB Lance Dunn is averaging 133.7 ypg and has 8 TDs, and they have 2 other players averaging 80+ ypg. QB Easton Stick can even move when the ball when he needs to (which hasn’t been very often yet) picking up 18 ypg and 2 TDs on the ground. Stick doesn’t throw too much, but he’s pretty accurate when he does (72.5%). The Bison defense is a veritable “Murderer’s Row” of likely all-conference first and second team guys, so I won’t get into listing all the good ones, but keep an eye out for Nate Tanguay And Aaron Steidl on the line, Levi Jordheim and Dan Marlette (2 forced fumbles) at the LB spots, and Robbie Grimsley and Tre Dempsey roaming the backfield (3 INTs between the two of them).
NDSU is the closest thing to a “complete team” that there is in the conference (if not the entire FCS)…dominant on both sides of the ball (although their kicking game does struggle at times), and can give 100% effort for 60 minutes. MSU on the other hand, has some areas of serious concern, especially on defense, and have really struggled to push through all 4 quarters. In the MVFC, you hesitate to use the word “blowout” in reference to games because just about any team has the potential of knocking off just about any other team. This year though, I think NDSU’s Homecoming game is going to be something resembling just that. I think it’ll be the Bison by 35.
#7 South Dakota at #9 Western Illinois (Homecoming)
Last Week:
- South Dakota had their bye week
- Western Illinois won at FBS Coastal Carolina, 52-10
History: The Leathernecks and Coyotes have played each other 7 times, with Western holding the 5-2 series lead. The two losses both came back in the ’70s however, so in the DI era, USD has not defeated WIU in 5 tries.
Coach Nielson has the Coyotes exceeding most people’s preseason expectations, winning dominantly at Drake and against non-conference rival North Dakota. The “meat” in this 3-0 sandwich, however, is a 35-27 win at FBS Bowling Green. Now, it’s hard to say how impressive that is, since BGSU is not a good FBS team (0-4), but it’s still an FBS team, still has more scholarships, and still spends more on football than anyone in the MVFC. USD’s gameplan is generally a balanced attack using the multiple-threat capability of their QB, Chris Streveler, who leads the team in passing yards and TDs as well as in rushing yards and TDs. The other top RBs, Michael Fredrick and Kai Henry, both are averaging ~57 ypg and have 5 TDs between them. When Streveler throws the ball, it’s fairly well spread out amongst receivers, with Alonge Brooks, Shamar Jackson, and Kody Case all having 2 TDs and both Jackson and Case averaging over 50 ypg. Defensively, they are only giving up 13.7 ppg, with DB Danny Rambo leading the team in tackles with 17, DB Phillip Powell having 2 INTs with one returned for a TD, and DL Darin Greenfield getting pressure on the QB with 8.5 tackles for loss (3 sacks).
Western Illinois is roughly in the same boat as USD, having started the season 3-0 and dominating their FCS opponents by 27 (Tennessee Tech) and 18 (Northern Arizona) points. Like USD, WIU has a solid FBS win, completely steamrolling newly-FBS/Sun Belt Coastal Carolina by 42 points. Like BGSU, it’s hard to say if CCU is any good…although they did at least win their opener against UMass…but they struggled in their other games. Still…42 point differential against a FBS team…any FBS team…is practically unheard of (it’s not the record, I believe that honor goes to Portland State over North Texas, but it’s probably up near the top of the list). The Leathernecks have done well by having a balanced offense that averages just under 460 ypg and having a ton of experience on the front lines on both sides of the ball. QB Sean McGuire is averaging 207 ypg with 5 TDs and 2 INTs as well as 15 ypg and 1 TD on the ground, and a TD reception against Coastal Carolina. Star RB Steve McShane returned in the last game following a first-game ankle injury and picked up 26 yards and a TD, but RB Max Norris was able to carry the workload in his stead, averaging 105.33 ypg w/ 2 TDs. The primary receiving target is WR Jaelon Acklin, who has just over 80 ypg and 2 TDs receiving, but is also a running threat, picking up 35 ypg and 2 TDs on the ground. The defense has been putting a lot of pressure on QBs and the DBs seem to be doing much better this year as opposed to last year with preventing long passes. One of the best LBs in the FCS this season is Macomb-native Brett Taylor, who is averaging 10 tackles a game, and he’s helped out by another solid LB in Quentin Moon. D-Lineman and occasional FB Khalen Saunders has 3.5 sacks so far and gets a lot of QB pressure. DB Justin Fitzpatrick leads the conference (2nd in the entire FCS) in INTs with a 1 per game average. Even the kicking game has improved over last season with transfer PK Sam Crosa going 4-4 on FGs (long of 41) and 17-17 on XPs.
South Dakota is treating this as something of a “revenge game” after letting Western come from behind to win in the last few minutes last year in Vermillion. Western has a personal stake in this game as well because USD’s coaching staff is mostly comprised of guys who were on WIU’s coaching staff two years ago (8 guys) and has another guy who played at Western in the ’80s and coached for Western in the early ’90s. Plus it’s Western’s Homecoming (literally in this case, since it’s their first home game of the season)…so there’s that. One other thing to look for is that Western has scored 45% of their points in the 3rd quarter this season (someone must be good at halftime pep talks), so if the game is close at halftime…it may not be by the start of the 4th quarter. Emotions will run high in this game, but I think that the experience of Western’s defense will figure out how to stop Streveler after a drive or two, and the versatility of the offense will be able to put together enough points to come away with the win. I’m guessing the Leathernecks by a TD.
#3 South Dakota State at #6 Youngstown State
Last Week:
- Both teams spent last weekend on bye.
History: The Jackrabbits and Penguins have played each other 18 times with SDSU having the 12-6 advantage and winning the last two. Last year’s contest in Brookings was a 24-10 SDSU victory.
South Dakota State has gotten off to a hot start, going 3-0 so far and putting up 51 points on Duquesne and Drake (each game) although they did have an unexpectedly close win over Montana State, 31-27, two weeks ago. The offense gets the majority of their yards through the air, but not a huge majority (~59%). QB Taryn Christion is throwing for 230.7 ypg, has 7 TDs through the air and leads the team in rushing with 54.3 ypg. This does, however, feel like a bit of a slump compared to last year’s gaudy numbers though, with TE Dallas Goedert still catching a respectable 70 ypg and has 1 TD, but last year, if the ball was anywhere within the same time zone as hime, Goedert would get it. WR Jake Wieneke is only averaging 57.7 ypg, down significantly from his career average of over 100 ypg, although he does lead the conference with 5 receiving TDs so far. LB Christian Rozeboom is the big man on defense with 17 tackles and R-FR LB Logan Backhaus has 2 interceptions so far.
Youngstown State is 2-1 on the season, with a couple of expected big wins over Robert Morris and Central Connecticut State. They started the season with a close game with FBS Pitt, losing by 7 in OT. YSU isn’t generally a “big offense” kind of team. They’ve put up 492.3 ypg so far this season, although two of those were against NEC teams. It’s hard to see what we’ll see in terms of QB, with starter Hunter Wells being more productive (175.5 ypg, 2 TDs, 1 INT), but also being somewhat banged up. QB Nathan Mays is only at 86.7 ypg, but he can also run the ball fairly well, averaging just over 53 ypg and has 3 rushing TDs. Beyond that, RB Tevin McCaster is the lead rusher with 87.7 ypg and 3 TDs, and FR RB Christian Turner has 58 receiving ypg w/ 2 TDs. The defense is what really shines for the Penguins, with LB Lee Wright, S Kyle Hegedus, and FS Jalyn Powell all having over 20 tackles. DE Justus Reed has 4 sacks for 23 yards so far this season. They only have allowed 253 ypg and 12.3 ppg this season.
This one is kinda tricky, I think. At this point, it doesn’t really feel like either team has really proved anything yet. It’s possible they’re both phenomenally good teams, but it’s also possible they could both take a step back from last year’s successes. They’ve each had a couple of dominating wins over questionable competition…YSU had a strong performance against an FBS team, and SDSU had a lackluster performance against a Big Sky team. I’ve been going back and forth myself on this one and despite SDSU’s offensive firepower, I think it’ll be a somewhat low scoring affair. At this point, I’m leaning towards SDSU because I know the potential that they have with Goedert and Wieneke, even if they haven’t really lived up to expectations so far. YSU still has a pretty solid defense, but it’s down some after losing a couple of the best defensive players in the FCS after last season. I think I’ll go with SDSU by ~3 points in this one. I don’t see either team hitting 30 points though.
Northern Iowa at #25 Southern Illinois (Family Weekend)
Last Week:
- Northern Iowa had their bye week
- Southern Illinois lost at FBS Memphis, 44-31
History: The Panthers and Salukis have played each other 35 times going back to 1965. UNI holds the series lead 19-16, but SIU holds the lead for games in Carbondale, 12-5. The last 3 meetings have been won by UNI, so the last matchup SIU won was in 2013 in OT.
Northern Iowa just has not felt like their usual selves this season. They’re 1-2, with the only win being a home OT win against Cal Poly. The typically stout Panther defense is giving up 34.67 ppg and 448.3 offensive ypg. For comparison, over the previous 7 years (2010-2016), the Panther defense has averaged right around 20.25 ppg, with no season going over 22 ppg. LB Jared Farley is currently #2 in the FCS in total tackles with 12.3 per game, and they’ve got LB Duncan Ferch and LB Adam Reth who are also both in the top 5 in the conference in tackles. What that tells me, though, is that the offenses that they’re playing against are getting a lot of plays and that’s not generally a good thing. Farley and Ferch do have 1 interception each, as does DB Malcom Washington. On the offensive side of the ball, the Panthers just can’t seem to get anything going with their ground game, averaging 65 ypg on the turf. They are getting just over 290 ypg through the air though, so that helps. On the scoring front, they’re getting 30 ppg, which normally would be ok…but as I said…not the typical stout UNI defense. QB Eli Dunne is the one passing for those yards and he has 8 TDs but also 6 INTs. WR Daurice Fountain is pulling in 81 ypg and has 3 TDs.
Southern Illinois has been doing somewhat surprisingly well. They’re 2-1, had a solid win over longtime OOC rival SEMO, and actually played very well against FBS Memphis, being down by only 6 points until less than 2 minutes let in the game. They have a strong offense, putting up over 40 ppg and 406 ypg, with the majority of that in the passing game. QB Sam Straub is having a decent season with 229 ypg and 10 TDs while only throwing 2 INTs. WR Connor Iwema gets most of the catches, pulling in 70.33 ypg and 2 TDs, but WR Darell James has gotten the most TDs, with 4 through the air. They might prefer the passing game, but the running game is fairly solid too, led by RBs Daquan Isom (the small quick one) and Jonathan Mixon (the big strong one). They are also helped by having a pretty decent O-line, with Austin Olsen earning last week’s MVFC O-Lineman of the Week. As a unit, they’ve only allowed 1 sack all season. The Saluki defense, which was a serious issue last year, seems to have improved a bit, having given up only 21.33 ppg so far this season. Last week against Memphis, a team that put up 560 yards, 6 TDs, and 48 points against then AP #25 ranked UCLA, the Salukis held the Tigers to 96 fewer yards, 2 fewer TDs, and 4 fewer total points. S Ryan Neal leads the team in tackles with 22 and has 1 INT, and S Jeremy Chinn has 2 interceptions and 2 pass breakups to go along with 13 tackles.
So we’ve got a UNI team that isn’t playing as well as they have in the past against a SIU team that seems to be playing better than expected. I think that UNI’s defense will have trouble with the SIU passing game, but with SIU’s defensive strength located in their backfield, they’ll handle UNI’s receivers fairly well. The game is in Carbondale, it’s Family Weekend, and I think the Salukis will come away with a close win in this one. SIU by 6 points.
Indiana State at #10 Illinois State (CommUniversity)
Last Week:
- Indiana State had their bye week.
- Illinois State won at Missouri State, 34-9
History: The Redbirds have played the Sycamores 68 times going back to 1936. ILSU has the series lead, 36-30-2. Last season, INSU won a close game by 3, although the Redbirds have won the 5 before that. In the previous 10 seasons, ILSU has an 8-2 record against INSU.
Illinois State is another of the MVFC teams that are off to a hot start, sitting on a 3-0 record with wins over Butler, Eastern Illinois, and last week against Missouri State. The Redbirds are putting up 478 ypg with a fairly balanced gameplan. QB Jake Kolbe has been throwing for 241.3 ypg and 4 TDs with 1 INT. Most of the scoring is done with the ground game, with RB James Robinson picking up just under 70 ypg and 4 TDs and RB Markel Smith getting just over 71 ypg and 3 TDs. WR Spencer Schnell is the primary receiver with 73.3 ypg, although WR Christian Gibbs has gotten 2 TD receptions to go along with 51.7 ypg. On the defensive side of the ball, ILSU is holding teams to only 156.3 offensive ypg, with about 2/3 of that coming from passes. LB Tyree Horton leads the team with 21 tackles including 5 for loss (2 sacks) and a forced fumble. DE Adam Conley is also getting quite a bit of pressure behind the line, with 4 tackles for loss including 2 sacks and a blocked kick. S Mitchell Brees is the one to watch out for when throwing the ball, with 2 INTs returned for 35 yards.
Indiana State is in pretty much the complete opposite boat, although I will say they have played a much tougher schedule for the most part, than the Redbirds. They had a close last-minute loss to Eastern Illinois, got run over by a top-25-ranked FBS Tennessee team, and then very narrowly lost a close one (that they should have won) against a highly ranked Liberty team that has begun process of moving to the FBS. So, they haven’t played too poorly in some of their games, but they’re still 0-3 on the season. The Sycamores feature a heavily pass-based offense, with just under 2/3 of their yardage coming through the air. QB Cade Sparks is averaging 190 ypg and has 3 TDs and 1 INT so far this season. Two receivers, WR Bob Pugh and TE Jacquet McClendon, are the primary targets with 102 and 70 ypg respectively and each with 2 TDs. RB LeMonte Booker handles most of the ground game, with 108.33 ypg (including a 154 yard performance against Eastern Illinois) and 2 TDs. The biggest issue for INSU is that the defense has been giving up just over 35 ppg so far and are pretty weak against the pass. LB Jonas Griffith has 31 total tackles this season, with 2 for loss, and DT Rex Mosley gets pressure with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and recovery, and 2 pass breakups. PK Jerry Nunez, who was particularly impressive last season as a true freshman, appears to have (so far, at least) taken a step back from his 7-7 start last year and has only made 4 of his first 7 this year, although 2 of those 4 were 43-yard FGs.
We’ve got a 3-0 team going against an 0-3 team. Sounds like it should be a blowout, but I think that the Redbirds maybe aren’t quite as good as their record suggests, while the Sycamores are a bit better than their record suggests. Now, I don’t think that means that INSU is going to win this one, I’m just saying I think it’ll be a little closer than many would initially think. ILSU still has a lot more talent than INSU and I think they’ll probably come away with about a 10 point victory.
The FCS Wedge – 2017-0920 – WEEK 5 PREVIEW
These two games are probably the biggest of a slate of impressive matchups this week. I’m not gonna spoil these two, listen to what Kris & Lance have for these two donnybrooks.
- Sam Houston State @ Central Arkansas
- South Dakota State @ Youngstown State
The rest of the impressive slate goes like this:
South Dakota @ Western Illinois
Not to diminish how good the Yotes are playing but their wins against Bowling Green and North Dakota aren’t looking quite as good considering how those two have played so far. The Leathernecks are returning home 3-0 from a 3 game road trip and impressive wins against Coastal Carolina and NAU. They have an efficient QB in McGuire, a stable of capable running backs, and stingy D. Chris Steveler will need to have a massive game for South Dakota to get the road win.
Weber State @ Montana State
I’m very impressed with both of these teams. Weber leads the Big Sky in both scoring offense and scoring defense and they are only giving up 89 yards/game on the ground. Montana State is a good running team and with Chris Murray becoming more of a threat through the air, it’s not as simple as just stacking the box. Weber may be a slight favorite, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the Bobcats pull this one off.
Albany @ Elon
Early surprise showdown in the CAA. Albany played well last year but Elon is truly coming out of nowhere. The Phoenix have a young QB in Davis Cheek who’s still learning the game, but he has enough talent to beat Kyle Lauletta on the road last week in Richmond.
The Citadel @ Samford
Devlin Hodges can wing it for Samford but pass defense has been a strength for the Citadel. Samford has also had difficulty stopping the run and don’t see that getting fixed here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The FCS Wedge – 2017-0927 – WEEK 4 REVIEW
In this week’s review the guys look over an interesting trend around the country. Teams that have been on the cusp or at the bottom of leagues stepping forward to claim their respect from the normal top dogs of various conferences.
New contenders stepping forward.
Albany – Lacking offense
Montana State – Playmakers at multiple positions with Bignell, Herbert, and Murray passing it efficiently.
Elon – As good a resume as most in FCS at this point. Defense needs to get better against the pass.
Western Carolina – Tyrie Adams…legit dual threat QB. Is the defense good enough?
Sacramento State – Nearly knocked off Weber State and followed it up with a slaughter of ranked Southern Utah. Sports a dual threat quarterback who can run and pass just as well as Chris Murray.
South Dakota – Pretty well rounded team in the MVFC.
Stony Brook – 3-1 with @ W&M and Delaware the next two weeks, could easily be 5-1 heading into the UNH game.
UTM – could see them going on a roll through the OVC and 9-1 heading into their home matchup with JSU the 2nd to last game of the season.
Then it is a recap of the AGS Poll for the week and a bit deeper look at the games some of the aforementioned teams played in last week.
Give em’ a listen.
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Patriot League: Week 4 Recap and Power Rankings
When the history of the Patriot League is written someday hopefully week 4 of the 2017 season is selectively forgotten. Outside of Bucknell’s thrilling win over Sacred Heart, it was one of the worst weekends the league has endured in years, maybe decades. Fresh off a “program changing win” against New Hampshire, Holy Cross snatched defeat from the jaws of victory twice against Dartmouth. Fordham and Lehigh continue to be among the biggest underachievers in FCS this year due to horrific play on defense. Colgate’s once proud defense failed them in an embarrassing 31 point loss to previously winless Furman. Then there’s Georgetown and Lafayette. Both of whom are struggling to get out their own way at this point of the season.
Penn 65 Lehigh 47
Lehigh’s (0-4, 0-0) nightmares on defense reached a new level of scariness against Penn (2-0) this past weekend. After giving up 38 points to Villanova, 46 to Monmouth and 56 to Yale the Mountain Hawks kept the trend arrive by surrendering 65 to the Quakers on a blistering hot afternoon in Bethlehem. Lehigh is now giving up 51.3 ppg which ranks 121st out of 123 teams in FCS. Penn was able to rank up 615 total yards including 312 on the ground. The Mountain Hawks now rank 121st (310.3 ypg) in FCS against the run following this debacle. Despite the excellent offensive output (47 points and 552 yards) Lehigh never led in the game do the horrific defense. To be fair, the Mountain Hawks did turn the ball 3 times in the first half which did not help.
The first of those turnovers occurred on Lehigh’s opening possession of the game. Five plays and 41 yards later the Quakers had an early 7-0 lead. Lehigh was able to respond on their next drive of the game. Brad Mayes (26-40 444 yards 4 TD 2 INT) connected with Gatlin Casey for a 6 yard TD to even the score at 7 with 8:15 left in the 1st quarter. The two teams would trade touchdowns until Mayes had back-to-back interceptions in the 2nd quarter. That allowed the Quakers to take a 35-21 lead with 3:43 left in the 2nd. Just before half, Mayes and Casey (10 rec 193 yards 3 TD) would hook up for the second time to get the deficit back to 7. The trading of touchdowns continued for most of the 3rd quarter. Finally, Penn was able to stretch the lead to 21 early in the 4th which effectively put the game out of reach.
Up Next: Lehigh travels to Staten Island to take on Wagner. The Mountain Hawks will be looking to avoid their second 0-5 start in 4 years.
Columbia 35 Georgetown 14
Georgetown’s (1-2, 0-0) struggles on offense continued in a 21 point loss to Columbia (2-0) on a mid-summer like day in New York City. The inability to run the ball (2 total yards rushing against CU) remains the biggest issue on offense. Three games into the season Georgetown ranks 120th (53.7 ypg) in FCS in rushing offense despite returning a veteran offensive line and two experienced running backs. To compound the issues on offense, Hoya’s fifth year senior quarterback Tim Barnes went down with injury late in the 1st quarter. Clay Norris (10-19 174 yards 2 TD), who has considerable experience, replaced Barnes for the rest of the game and did an admirable job.
The game started off in the type of defensive battle the Hoya’s seek. Georgetown missed two long (50 yards, 43 yards) 1st quarter field goals but were able to turn Columbia over on downs twice on 4th and short in Hoya territory to keep the game scoreless. Things then spiraled out of control for Georgetown in the 2nd quarter. Anders Hill proceeded to toss 3 touchdown passes to give the Lions a commanding 21-0 half time lead. Without their starting quarterback and an effective rushing attack Georgetown was basically dead in the water down 21 points. Hill’s fourth touchdown pass of the game early in the 4th quarter really put the game out of reach at 28-0. Norris added two late TD passes for Georgetown.
Up Next: Georgetown and Harvard will square off at RFK Stadium. This will be the first time the Hoyas have played an off-campus home game since joining the Patriot League in 2001.
Bryant 45 Fordham 40
Fordham (1-3, 0-0) fell to Bryant (2-2) by 5 point as the Ram’s defense once again failed them. Like fellow preseason league favorite Lehigh, Fordham’s season is unravelling at an alarming rate due to one of the worst defenses in FCS. Bryant set a school record for total yards in a game (608) in the win over the Rams. Fordham now rank 119th in FCS in yards allowed per game (516.3). Against Bryant the Ram’s had 6 opportunities to get off the field on 4th down but failed to do so on 5 occasions. Had they been able to limit Bryant to just 50% on 4th down the Rams likely escape Rhode Island with a win. As it is, the Rams are off their worst start since 2011 when they went 1-10.
Fordham was able to respond to an early Bryant touchdown with a TD of their own thanks to a 93 yard Dylan Mabin kickoff return. It would take the Bulldogs 90 seconds to retake the lead 13-6 (missed XP). The Rams would once again answer. Kevin Anderson (27-42 366 yards 5 TD 1 INT) tossed two 2nd quarter touchdown passes to Isaiah Searight to give Fordham a 20-13 lead. Bryant was able to convert a 32 yard FG as time expired in the first half to but the Ram lead to 4. The two teams would continue to trade scores in the second half. The defining sequence in the second half occurred when Bryant’s Jean Constant scored two touchdowns within 4 minutes of each other early in the 4th quarter to give Bryant a 2 possession lead at 45-34. Fordham was able to cut the deficit to 5 with just over 3 minutes left but their defense could not get Bryant off the field before time ran out.
Up Next: Fordham takes the short bus ride to New Haven, CT to take on Yale. Fordham outlasted Yale 44-37 last year in the Bronx.
Furman 45 Colgate 14
Colgate’s (1-3, 0-0) once promising start is now a fleeting memory following a surprising 30 point loss to previously winless Furman (1-3). The Raiders offense continues to be a major issue as the first month of the season draws to a close. Grant Breneman had a much better performance (21-39 217 yards 2 TD) in his second career start under center compared to the one he put forth against Buffalo last week. However, even with the improved play from Breneman against Furman, the Raider passing attack still ranks 116th in FCS (118 ypg). Surprisingly, Colgate’s biggest issue on offense against the Paladins was the inability to get the ground game going (102 yards). Furman was able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball from the outset of the game.
It did not take long for Furman to flex their muscle. Following a Colgate fumble on their second possession, Paladin quarterback PJ Blazejowski found a streaking Cam Burnette for a 61 yard TD with 10:17 remaining in the 1st quarter. Ridge Gibson’s 6 yard TD run with 3:45 to go in the opening quarter extended the Furman lead to 14-0. On the Paladin’s next possession Blazejowski tacked on a second 1st quarter TD pass to push the lead to 21-0. Furman then outscored Colgate 17-7 in the second quarter to take a commanding 38-7 lead into the locker room. The 31 point deficit would ultimately be the final margin of defeat for the Raiders.
Up Next: Colgate heads to Ithaca to take on long time Central New York rival Cornell. The Big Red stormed back in the 4th quarter last year to shock Colgate 39-38.
Princeton 38 Lafayette 17
Lafayette (0-4, 0-0) put forth an inspired effort against Princeton (2-0) but still came up 21 points short against the defending Ivy League co-champs. The Leopards played much better than they did against Villanova the previous week but it still wasn’t good enough to earn John Garrett his first career. The inability to run the ball (36 yards against Princeton) on offense continues to haunt the Leopards offense. After 4 games Lafayette ranks 122nd out of 123 teams in FCS in rushing yards per game (15.8). Freshman quarterback Sean O’Malley was able to put together his best game of the year (30-44 325 yards 2 TD 1 INT) despite getting no help from his running backs.
Princeton jumped out to 3-0 lead thanks to a Tavish Rice 25 yards FG. The Leopards were able to take a 7-3 1st quarter lead when O’Malley connected with talented TE Dylan Wadsworth for a 5 yard TD toss. Unfortunately for Lafayette, the Tigers immediately responded with an 11 play 73 yard TD drive to retake the lead at 10-7. Lafayette would tie the game at 10 when Jeffrey Kordenbrock knocked through a 22 yard FG midway through the 2nd quarter. Princeton would once again respond on the ensuing drive. Charlie Volker’s 19 yard TD run capped the short 7 play 45 yard TD drive. The Tigers would extend their lead to 24-10 right before half time. Princeton would put the game away in the 3rd quarter when Chad Kanoff hit Jesper Horsted for 7 yard TD.
Up Next: Lafayette opens league play against Holy Cross in Worcester. The Leopards fell to the Crusaders 38-28 last year.
Bucknell 34 Sacred Heart 31
Bucknell (2-2, 0-1) needed a last second field goal to beat Sacred Heart (2-2) in a thrilling back and forth battle. John Burdick’s career long 46 yard FG as time expired sent the entire Bison sideline into a frenzy and left Sacred Heart with a long bus ride back to Connecticut. After suffering two straight losses against tough competition (Holy Cross and William & Mary) Bucknell needed a win to get the season back on track. Helping the Bison’s cause in the win over the Pioneers was a rushing attack that finally topped the century mark (125 yards) for the first time this year. Joey DeFloria led the way with 80 yards and 2 TDs while Chad Freshnock chipped in with 31 yards and 1 TD. Bucknell was also able to turn 3 Sacred Heart turnovers into 14 points.
Bucknell jumped out to a 17-0 lead after scoring touchdowns on their first 2 possessions of the game and adding an early 2nd quarter FG. However, Sacred Hearth closed the gap to 17-10 at the half thanks to a 34 yard FG and a pick six by Kevin Barry. The Pioneers tied up the game at 17 when Ezekiel Ennis returned the second half kickoff 98 yards for a TD. Bucknell would eventually push their lead back to 14 (31-17) when DeFloria and Freshnock each found the end zone. Once again the Pioneers would come charging back. Sacred Heart’s second 4th quarter touchdown tied the game at 31 with 4:12 left in regulation. The Bison “D” came up with a huge 4th down stop with 1:26 remaining on Sacred Heart’s next possession. That led to the Bison drive that ended with Burdick’s game winning field goal.
Up Next: Bucknell welcomes Big South member Monmouth to Lewisburg. The Hawks have already scored wins over Patriot League members Lafayette and Lehigh this season.
Dartmouth 27 #23 Holy Cross 20 OT
Holy Cross (2-2, 1-0) suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Dartmouth (2-0) on a picture perfect late summer night in Northern New England. A blocked extra point following Holy Cross’s touchdown with 3 seconds left in regulation ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. The Crusaders did all the little things right against New Hampshire the week prior but couldn’t replicate such a performance against the Big Green. Not only did special teams let the Crusaders down, their defense allowed 203 rushing yards to Dartmouth. If the Crusaders want to maintain their current status as the league favorite they must tighten things up in all 3 phases. With the victory, Dartmouth extended their out of conference winning streak to 10 games.
Dartmouth got on the board first with a 6 play 48 yard TD drive. Jack Heneghan’s 22 yard TD pass to Emory Thompson with 5:43 left in the opening quarter capped the drive. Peter Pujals(25-47 222 yards 2 TD 1 INT) responded with a TD pass of his own early in 2nd quarter to tie the game at 7. Following a Dartmouth FG, Holy Cross took their first lead of the game on Miles Alexander’s 7 yard TD run with 3:12 left in the 2nd quarter. Dartmouth would add a FG as time expired in the 1st half to cut the Crusader lead to 14-13. Dartmouth would retake the lead late in the 3rd quarter when Ryder Stone busted loose for a 44 yard TD run. After missing a FG midway through the 4th quarter the Crusaders got another crack on offense with 3:46 left in regulation. This time Pujals marched the Cruaders 86 yards on 13 plays for the game tying touchdown as the clock struck 0:00. The blocked XP sent the game to overtime. Dartmouth scored a TD on their first possession of OT. Holy Cross’s Diquan Walker answered with a TD from a yard out. However, instead of kicking the XP and banking on a 2nd OT, Holy Cross head coach Tom Gilmore elected to go for 2 and the win. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, Pujals’s pass on the 2 point try fell incomplete allowing Dartmouth to escape with a 1 point win.
Up Next: Holy Cross returns to Fitton Field to host Patriot League foe Lafayette. Holy Cross outlasted the Leopards last year in Easton.
Power Rankings
- Holy Cross – Tough road loss to Dartmouth definitely cost the Crusaders a lot of momentum they built up after the UNH win. They need to come out and reassert themselves against Lafayette.
- Bucknell – The Bison have basically done what was expected of them to this point. A win over Monmouth would send a message to rest of the league.
- Colgate – The wheels have fallen off after opening the season with a win over then Top 25 Cal Poly. The Raiders need to get back on track against their hated rivals (Cornell) from the Ivy League.
- Fordham – The defense is in shambles but Edmonds is healing up. If he returns to full strength they still have a shot
- Lehigh – Their defense is past the point of shambles and they don’t have an All-American RB waiting to return. Wagner is a must win if they want to head to Colgate with some positive mojo.
- Georgetown – The Tim Barnes injury situation is of utmost importance. The Hoyas need him for the offense to have any chance moving forward.
- Lafayette – The Leopards played hard, and at times well, against Princeton. Still, it’s difficult to see more than 1 win on their remaining schedule.
CAA: Week 4 Recap and Power Rankings
Wow! What a week of CAA play. We’ve always talked about the parity in the conference, but boy did it show this week. Let’s take a look at a surprising week of CAA Football in our Week 4 Recap.
Rhode Island 14 – #16 New Hampshire 28
The Wildcats took a 15-0 lead into the half, but the Rams came back and brought the game to within one – trailing 15-14 with 12:40 left in the 4th. But a 75 yard TD pass from Trevor Knight to Neil O’Connor put UNH up by 8. The Rams then went 3 and out gave the Wildcats the ball back. UNH only took two plays to go up 28-14 for good. Rhode Island showed they have heart by being in this one late, but New Hampshire held on to win. Trevor Knight was the difference in the game, going 23 for 34 for 420 yards and 3 TDs and it was his favorite target Neil O’Connor who led the Wildcats with 11 receptions for 232 yards. It was a battle through the air, as neither team was able to run the ball for more than 70 yards. Both teams face out of conference foes next week as the Rams face in-state rival Brown in the Governor’s Cup while New Hampshire takes on the Bryant Bears.
VICTORY!!!!! #15 UNH improves to 3-1 and 2-0 in the @CAAFootball in front of a UNH record crowd of 22,135 fans! #GoUNH pic.twitter.com/xAoT3EWKOe
— New Hampshire Football (@UNH_Football) September 23, 2017
Towson 17 – #26 Stony Brook 25
A close battle throughout – Stony Brook held on to win 25-17. Towson’s Ryan Stover went 15 for 30 with 162 while Stony Brook’s Joe Carbone completed 22 passes on 30 attempts for 242 yards and 2 TDs. Seawolves’ Kicker Alex Lucansky made 4 FGs, with his longest being a 42 yarder to put Stony Brook up 19-10 in the third. A CJ Williams’ TD run brought the Tigers’ to within 2, but the third and fourth FG of the day for Lucansky sealed the deal for the Seawolves. Towson hosts Villanova in Week 5 and Stony Brook heads to Williamsburg to face the Griffins of William and Mary.
HIGHLIGHTS: Stony Brook guts out a 25-17 CAA Football victory over Towson #HOWL #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/rHPmRL4uLx
— Stony Brook Football (@StonyBrookFB) September 24, 2017
#32 Elon 36 – #9 Richmond 33
In a thriller in Richmond, the Phoenix proved they belong in the conversation of the top teams in the CAA by defeating #9 Richmond in Richmond. During a back and forth affair – the lead changed 7 times – Malcolm Summers proved to be the difference, taking 40 carries for 294 yards (avg 7.3 ypc). Elon’s Freshman QB Davis Cheek threw for 194 yards and 3 TDs on 13/19 completions. Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta went 27 for 47 for 497 yards and 3 TDs, but two crucial interceptions cost the Spiders dearly. Tied 26-26 at the beginning of the 4th, the Spiders went up 33-26. Elon Answered on the very next drive. Lauletta’s second INT of the day gave Elon the ball at the Richmond 22, and an Owen Johnson 32 yard FG put the Phoenix ahead for good. Richmond will head into the bye week hoping to sort some issues out, while Elon faces Albany in what is the clear CAA game of the week for Week 5.
ICYMI: @ElonFB's Malcolm Summers was named #CAAFB Co-Offensive Player of the Week pic.twitter.com/0vlerzHq8A
— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 25, 2017
#7 Villanova 10 – #24 Albany 19 – OT
In a low scoring, defense dominated game in upstate New York, the Great Danes showed that they have what it takes to win at home. A Karl Mofor TD put Albany up late, giving them a 10-3 lead with 2:23 left in the 4th. But Villanova’s Zach Bednarczyk led the Wildcats on a last minute scoring drive, sending the game into overtime. The Villanova defense held the Great Danes to a FG in OT, but the Wildcat offense was unable to match them. A fumble on a QB keeper by Bednarczyk led to a scoop and score 80 yard touchdown for Albany’s Eli Mencer. Albany’s rush defense was stout on the day, only giving up 61 yards to the Wildcats. Villanova head to Baltimore to face Towson in Week 5, while Albany heads to Elon.
Sideline view of the winning play for @UAlbanyFootball #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/i0VvDepMUM
— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) September 24, 2017
#27 Maine 10 – #1 James Madison 28
The defending National Champions were tested by a physical Maine team, but came away with a solid result in a 28-10 victory in Harrisonburg. Both team’s defenses shined in the first half, with the Dukes’ taking a 7-3 lead into the locker room. But the Black Bears came out ready to play in the 3rd, taking the lead on a Josh Mack 60 yard run to put Maine up 10-7. The Champs didn’t panic, however, and senior QB Bryan Schor led them to three unanswered touchdowns to win 28-10. Schor finished the day with 21 completions on 31 attempts for 4 TDs and an INT. Black Bears RB Josh Mack rushed 24 times for 144 yards, the most output of an opponent of the stingy Dukes’ rush defense so far this season. Maine QB Chris Ferguson had less success, however, throwing 3 INTs and no TDs. The Dukes face another strong test in Week 5, facing the Delaware Blue Hens coming off of a bye. Maine heads into it’s second bye with it’s game with UCF scheduled for this week being cancelled due to Hurricane Irma.
WATCH: JMU is 4-0 after a big second half, in which the Dukes scored the final 21 points of the game! pic.twitter.com/dOx5b4K37b
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) September 24, 2017
Week 4 CAA Power Rankings (previous week)
This week saw too much movement to recap, as there were multiple upsets. Let’s take a look at where we think the teams fall through Week 4:
1. James Madison (1)
2. New Hampshire (5)
3. Elon (7)
4. Albany (8)
5. Stony Brook (6)
6. Villanova (2)
7. Richmond (4)
8. Delaware (11)
9. Maine (3)
10. W&M (10)
11. Rhode Island (9)
12. Towson (12)
Big Sky Round Up Week 4
Is there going to be any Big Sky team going to finish over .500 this season? The fourth week of the Big Sky football slate has provided absolutely no clarity into who the best team might be. This is a freight train headed to disastersville at this point.
At this point last week we thought Idaho State was going to be a good football team, but this week happened. North Dakota, one of the preseason favorites, is in a complete tailspin after injuries have hit pretty much on their team, including their water boy (presumably). Southern Utah looked good in a win vs Northern Iowa, then got blown out by the worst team in the conference. Up is down, Big Sky football happens.
Idaho State and Northern Colorado found themselves in a track meet this past weekend. Northern Colorado quarterback Jacob Knipp played virtually flawless, throwing for 413 yards and completing 19/25 passes and four touchdowns. That was juuuuuuust enough to beat Idaho State. The Bengals got 253 yards rushing from James Madison (not the school, nor the president) and two touchdowns. The Bears survived a furious fourth quarter comeback from the Bengals when Collin Root hit a 37 yard field goal as time expired to win it for the Bears. Northern Colorado will be headed to Northern Arizona, and Idaho State will be hosting Cal Poly.
Montana State took a trip across the Eastern border to take on North Dakota in the illustrious Alerus Center to take on the all-injured reserve team, North Dakota. Montana State quarterback Chris Murray had a good day for the Bobcats, going 15/19 for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and rushing for 132 yards and a score. The Cats also got 131 yards and two scores from running back Troy Anderson. North Dakota, meanwhile, struggled all day against the Cats. The Fighting Hawks (?) two big running backs Brady Oliveira and John Santiago combined for 13 carries for 58 yards. Not a good recipe for winning football games. Montana State will host Weber State, while North Dakota will travel to UC-Davis.
Speaking of UC-Davis, they got blown out by Weber State. UC-Davis scored on their first drive with a 24 yard field goal from Max O’Rourke. After that Weber State scored 41 unanswered points. Stefan Cantwell had an efficient day for the Wildcats, going 7/11 for 205 yards and three scores. Treshawn Garrett added 122 yards rushing and a touchdown. Aggies quarterback Jake Maier threw for 327 yards, but had a pair of turnovers. Collectively the Aggies rushed for 13 yards. Maier led all rushers in lost yards with -45. Weber State will be in Bozeman to take on Montana State, UC-Davis will host North Dakota.
Southern Utah was fresh off of a win over MVFC opponent Northern Iowa then made the trip to Sacramento State to take on the Hornets. Southern Utah got a taste of humble pie as they were soundly beaten by the Hornets in front of dozens of people. Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson had 409 yards and seven touchdowns to lead everyone in scoring, rushing, passing, etc. Southern Utah kept is close after one quarter, but Kevin Thomson poured it on in the second quarter and the Hornets never looked back. Thunderbird running back James Felila tried to make it interesting in the fourth quarter, but the T-Birds were met with a couple more Thomson scores instead. Southern Utah will have a bye week, Sacramento State will head to Eastern Washington.
Eastern Washington and Montana played their annual “score all the points” game and this one surely didn’t disappoint. The Griz jumped out to a 24-6 halftime lead, but Gage Gabrud had other thoughts for the finish of the game. Eastern Washington scored 42 second half points to get past the Griz 48-41. Gabrud had 549 yards passing and four touchdowns for the Eagles. Montana quarterback Gresch Jensen, the redshirt freshman making his first collegiate start, had 358 yards and two touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown. Montana will head to Portland State, Eastern Washington will host Sacramento State.
Just when we thought Northern Arizona would be left for dead they come back and take down a team that might legitimately by dead.. Cal Poly. Case Cookus turned in a fine performance throwing for 406 yards and four touchdowns. Elijah Marks caught 206 yards of those passes and a pair of scores. Cal Poly, who is now without running back Joe Protheroe, is making more than due with running back Jared Mohamed who had 124 yards. Cal Poly will head to Idaho State, Northern Arizona will host Northern Colorado.
Scores
Idaho State 42
Northern Colorado 43
Montana State 49
North Dakota 21
UC Davis 3
Weber State 41
Southern Utah 27
Sacramento State 54
Eastern Washington 48
Montana 41
Northern Arizona 28
Cal Poly 10
Big Sky Player of the Week
This week’s Big Sky player of the week is Sacramento State quarterback Kevin Thomson. Thomson was 14/26 for 253 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 149 yards and four touchdowns as the Hornets defeated Southern Utah on Saturday.
Big Sky MVP Candidates
Gage Gabrud, QB, Eastern Washington – 44/65 for 549, 4 TD, 1 INT
Cole Reyes, LB, North Dakota – 2 tackles
Tanner Gueller, QB, Idaho State – 15/24 for 264 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Elijah Marks, WR, Northern Arizona – 14 rec, 206 yards, 2 TD
Big Sky Power Rankings
1. Eastern Washington
2. Weber State
3. Northern Colorado
4. Montana State
5. Montana
6. Idaho State
7. Northern Arizona
8. North Dakota
9. Southern Utah
10. UC Davis
11. Sacramento State
12. Portland State
13. Cal Poly
Final Thoughts and Hot Takes
Interesting to see Cal Poly at the bottom of the Big Sky. Has that ever happened before? Not in my recent memory, that’s for sure. What an interesting trip to the bottom.
That spot is usually held by Sacramento State.
Montana needs to figure its defensive problems out in a hurry. Can’t be giving up 42 points in a half and win football games. Scoring 41 points should be enough to win you most football games. Gotta be in a good position to win.
However, 41 points may not win you a lot of games in the Big 12.
Northern Arizona and Northern Colorado might be a fun game if both offenses are humming. Could be a classic Big Sky football game. No defense.
No offense to the defenses out there.
That was a good pun.
Too bad about Emmanuel Butler being out for the season, he’s one of the Big Sky’s best receiver, maybe the best one. Northern Arizona won’t be better without him. Elijah Marks will try like hell to fill that void, but having both of them active is NAUs only chance at survival.
Interesting to see Southern Utah get blown out by a typically hapless Sacramento State. They had such a good week last week, then just get blown completely out. Did I miss something in this game, or this just more wacky Big Sky stuff we’ll never understand?
In the same token, after Idaho State gets top 25 votes for beating Nevada, they were beaten Northern Colorado in a wild shootout. No wonder the Big Sky is so woefully represented in the top 25 every week, no one really gets a head in this conference.