CAA: Week 1 Recap and Power Rankings

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I’d like to start off my very first post in honor of the Legendary Satchmo:

Hello CAA fans everywhere, and College Football Fans across America and around the world.  Zac here with Dukes Gang, excited to be joining this prestigious team at The FCS Wedge.  I’m a little late to the game with no Preseason Preview but let’s face it: I probably would have just written about the Dukes for 4 pages anyways.  Regardless, let’s recap Week 1 of CAA action.

James Madison 34 – East Carolina 14

The National Champions showed they haven’t lost much at all on offense despite graduating tons of talent, rushing all over the FBS Pirates and dominating on the defensive side of the ball.   Cardon Johnson led the way with 265 yards including TD runs of 85 and 80 yards.  Georgia Tech transfer Marcus Marshall also broke off a TD run for 70 yards.  The Dukes looked significantly more poised than host ECU from the very first snap, shutting out ECU in the first half for the first time since 2007.  JMU’s defensive backs had 3 INTs including 2 from Rashad Robinson coming back from injury last season.  His first pick was particularly incredible, stealing a touchdown out of an ECU wideout’s hands in the endzone.  The Dukes look to keep their 13 game win streak (longest current active Division 1 win streak) alive next week, hosting ETSU.

Richmond 34 – Sam Houston State 48

Scheduled to be played a week earlier in Week 0, Hurricane Harvey pushed this contest back to Week 1.  Richmond’s new head coach Russ Huesman faced the same Sam Houston State team that defeated his previous Chattanooga team in the playoffs last season and was unable to come away with a victory.  In a battle of offense with very little defense on either side, the Bearkats prevailed on the strength of 2016 Payton Award Winner Jeremiah Briscoe’s arm.  Briscoe threw 20 completions for 411 yards and 4 touchdowns, with one INT.  Possibly even more impressive was Kyle Lauletta’s 36 completions for 546 and 5 TDs, despite his 2 INTs in the Redzone that could have been the difference in this game.   The Bearkats also added 272 on the ground, with Remus Bulmer accounting for 89 of those yards on 10 carries.  The Spiders had less success on the ground, with Gordon Collins being the leading rusher with 6 carries for 54 yards and starter Deontez Thompson being held to 20 yards on 6 carries as well.  Sam Houston State jumped all over the Spiders in the 2nd quarter, posting 35 points and never really looking back.  Richmond did its best to mount a comeback but fell short with the 2nd Lauletta INT in the endzone.  Richmond will face to another strong out of conference battle next week at Colgate.

https://twitter.com/SpiderFootball/status/903807026903568385

Villanova 38 – Lehigh 35

The Wildcats scored three times in the 2nd quarter to jump out to a 28-14 halftime lead and withstood a Lehigh run late in the game, giving Coach Mark Ferrante his first win after the retirement of Legendary Nova Coach Andy Talley.   Zach Bednarczyk went 17 for 23 with 2 TDs and 72 yards on the ground, adding to RB Matt Guzak’s 142 rushing yards and two TDs.  The Mountain Hawks’ Brad Mayes impressed, with 33 completions on 49 attempts for 406 yards and 4 TDs.  Lehigh fell behind early but used Mayes’ performance to come back to within 3 with 4:38 left on the clock.  Unfortunately for the Mountain Hawks, they did not have another chance as Nova used a 9 play drive to grind out the game clock.

Maine 23 – New Hampshire 24

This year’s Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket did not disappoint. Maine posted their most solid attempt to win the Musket since they did in 2010, with a missed extra point being the difference.  Maine RB Josh Mack ran for 103 yards off of 23 carries, and transfer QB Chris Ferguson impressed, completing 23 out of 44 attempts and 3 TDs.  He also posted 2 INTs, the latter of which sealed the deal for New Hampshire. UNH QB Trevor Knight went 18 for 29 for 149 yards and two TDs, while also running for 79 yards on 21 carries.   Maine hopes to bounce back next week hosting Bryant and New Hampshire will continue their quest for 14 straight playoff appearances at FBS Georgia Southern.

Rhode Island 27 – Central Michigan 30 – 3OT

The Rams proved more than up for the test against MAC foe Central Michigan, but fell just short in a heroic effort that took three overtimes to settle.  Down 21-7 after just 1:01 into the fourth, Rhode Island scored 14 unanswered to push the game into overtime.   After matching field goals in the First OT, CMU fumbled on the first possession of 2nd OT.  Rhode Island drove for 9 yards to the 16, and attempted to win the game with a 33 yard field goal. Unfortunately, C.J. Carrick’s kick was tipped at the line and went just wide right.  The Rams mustered another field goal in the 3rd OT but yielded the game winning touchdown to the Chippewas on a 4 yard TD run.   Rhode Island QB Tyler Harris went 21 for 40 for 284 with three TDs, but the story of the game was CMU’s failure to capitalize on his 6 INTs.  A lot of that had to do to the Rams’ bend but not break defense, which seemed to tighten up when the Chips got to the red zone.  Rhode Island will try to take the momentum from almost upsetting their first FBS team into Week 2 when they face Stony Brook in CAA league play.

William and Mary 10 – Virginia 28

The Tribe fell in what was honestly a closer game than the score shows, despite being down 14-0 at the half.  W&M was robbed on a non-reviewed on-field fumble call that would have given them the ball back late in the 2nd quarter and only down 7-0.  They also had a couple of close calls on interceptions before UVA’s QB Kurt Benkert found Andre Levrone in the endzone with 1:31 left in the first half.  The Fighting Ebirts got it to within 21-10 on QB Tommy McKee’s 2 yard run with 6:55 left in the 4th, but the Wahoos held them off.  McKee looked promising for the Tribe, especially on the ground, rushing 15 times for 89 yards and several first downs.  Running back Noah Giles also averaged 4.9 ypc on 11 carries for 54 yards. William and Mary will try to turn their season around next week at Norfolk State.

Delaware State 3 – Delaware 22

This year’s Route 1 Rivalry belonged to Delaware who retained possession of the Route 1 Cup for the 8th consecutive time.  Under new head coach Danny Rocco, who transferred from in-conference rival Richmond this offseason, the Blue Hens stayed true to form, having never lost this “rivalry” game.  With a balance attack through the air and on the ground, Delaware dominated statistically on offense as well as defense.  QB Joe Walker threw for 192 yards with a TD and INT, and RB Thomas Jefferson averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 19 attempts for 102 yards.  Overall, Delaware had 206 passing yards and 226 rushing yards.  But even more impressive was their defense, holding the Hornets to just 224 total yards and only a field goal.  Delaware looks to follow in James Madison’s historic footsteps and become the 2nd CAA team to upset a ranked Virginia Tech team next week in Blacksburg.

 

Elon 13 – Toledo – 47

The Phoenix hung in there tight for a half versus MAC Toledo, only being down 16-7 with a minute left in the 2nd quarter.  But a 27 yard field goal by the Rockets’ Jameson Vest put Toledo up 19-7 at the half.   The Rockets’ then returned the 2nd half kickoff for a TD and never looked back.  The Phoenix struggled to gain yards by the pass or the run, totally only 175 yards for the game, with only 47 of those through the air on just 3 completions.  Elon has another tough test next week against SOCON foe Furman.

 Morgan State 0 – Towson 10

The Tigers shut out the Bears in the 2017 edition of the Battle for Greater Baltimore, holding them to only 49 yards on the ground and 185 in the air.  However, Towson had issues of their own on offense only putting up 85 yards through the air and a measley 17 net yards rushing.  The Tigers’ D looked promising, with a fumble recovery and 3 INTs including one that set up the games sole touchdown.  The Tigers will have to find some stripes on offense and continue to lean on their grrrrreat defense in a Week 2 matchup against Maryland.

Stony Brook 17 – South Florida – 31

Despite a fast start and a halftime lead of 10-7, Stony Brook was stifled in the second half and fell to FBS South Florida by two TDs.  There were a lot of positives for the Seawolves, however, including great play from their special teams with Andrew Trent blocking USF’s Jonathan Hernandez’s punt and Augie Contressa recovering it in the endzone for a 7-0 lead.  RB Stacey Bedell also impressed, with a 54 yard TD run and averaging 7.1 yards per carry for a total of 71 yards.  In the end, however, the Bulls pulled away on the strength of QB Quinton Flowers, who threw 2 TDs in the second half that proved to be the difference in the ballgame.  Stony Brook faces another almost FBS victor in Rhode Island in Week 2.

Albany 17 – Old Dominion 31

The Great Danes put together a great Fourth Quarter, coming back from down 24-3 to within a TD at 17-24, but a 55 yard Blake LaRussa pass to Gemonta Jackson put the game out of reach in favor of ODU.  Albany’s Karl Mofor came one yard shy of breaking the century mark, putting up 99 yards on 21 carries and one TD.  Will Brunson also played well, going 13 for 29 for 160 yard through the air with an INT.  Albany will face Morgan State in Week 2 and look to move the CAA’s record against the Bears to 2-0.

Week 1 CAA Power Rankings

1. James Madison
2. Villanova
3. New Hampshire
4. Maine
5. Richmond
6. Rhode Island
7. Delaware
8. W&M
9. Stony Brook
10. Albany
11. Towson
12. Elon

The FCS Wedge – 2017-0906 – WEEK 1 REVIEW

We’re breaking the show up into two segments going forward and Lance & Kris review the Week 1 games, upsets, and also go over the AGS Poll and discuss which teams they think might be deserving that were not included. Tune in tomorrow for the preview of Week 2 games.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Patriot League: Week 1 Recap and Power Rankings

All things considered, the opening week went quite well for the Patriot League. It started August 26th when Colgate traveled to California to take on the 21st ranked Cal Poly Mustangs. The Raiders withstood a furious Cal Poly comeback attempt to notch a quality win for their program and the Patriot League. Bucknell was also impressive in their season opener. The Bison stampeded Marist to start 2017 in fine fashion. Holy Cross and Lehigh both put forth very good efforts but ultimately came up just short against favored opponents. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the John Garrett era got off to a rough start as Lafayette took one on the chin against Monmouth. The only head turning outcome of opening week came Friday night when Fordham was run out of West Point by Army to the tune of 64-6.

Colgate 20 #21 Cal Poly 14

The Raiders needed a 4th down stop with 37 seconds left to thwart Cal Poly’s comeback attempt and escape back to Hamilton with a win. The Mustangs made it to the Raider 22 yard line as time was ticking away when Colgate came up with the huge defensive stand. The Raiders defense did an excellent job containing the Cal Poly option attack until the 4th quarter. That’s when the Mustangs were able to start enforcing their will on the ‘Gate front 7. Payton Award candidate Joe Protheroe finished with 139 yards and 1 TD on 39 carries for the Mustangs. As a team, Cal Poly was held 100 yards below their 2016 rushing average by the Colgate defense.

Cal Poly was playing from behind the entire game. After receiving the opening kickoff Colgate went on an 11 play 75 yard drive that resulted in a Chris Puzzi 27 yard field goal. The Raiders tacked onto their lead with under a minute left in the opening quarter when James Holland (25 carries 91 yards 1 TD) raced into the end zone from 17 yards out. The touchdown gave the Raiders a 10-0 lead. On Colgate’s first possession of the second quarter Alex Mathews (7 carries 78 yards 1 TD) broke free for a 57 yard TD to extend the Raider league to 17-0. Chris Puzzi closed out the Colgate scoring with 4:48 left in the 3rd quarter when he split the uprights from 38 yards out.

With the win Colgate starts the season 1-0 for the first time since 2011.

Up Next: After enjoying an early season bye following the trip to Cal Poly,  Colgate welcomes Top 15 Richmond to Andy Kerr Stadium for another key out of conference game. The Spiders defeated Colgate 38-31 last season in Virginia.

UConn 27 Holy Cross 20

Holy Cross put forth an excellent performance in defeat against FBS UConn last Thursday night. This was the Crusaders first opponent (Army) from college football’s highest level in 15 years. That day Holy Cross was able to escape West Point with a thrilling 30-21 win. This time around Holy Cross couldn’t withstand a second half surge by the Huskies in Randy Edsall’s return debut as head coach of UConn. The best decision Edsall made in his return was to insert former starting QB Bryan Shirreffs late in the 3rd quarter. Once that happened, the Huskies offense took off. Prior to Shirreffs entering the game the Huskie offense was struggling mightily with David Pindell under center.

The Crusaders scored 17 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter to take a 20-7 lead into the locker room. Holy Cross QB Peter Pujals (33-56 358 yards 1 TD) looked in midseason form in his return as Crusader quarterback. The 5th year senior consistently made plays for the Holy Cross offense despite facing heavy pressure from the UConn defense. Ironically, his first TD pass back was a 19 yarder to former QB Blaise Bell. Bell had an excellent performance in his debut at WR (10 rec 129 yards 1 TD). Unfortunately for Pujals and Co. the Holy Cross defense could not come up with key stops once Shirreffs and RB Nate Hopkins (20 carries 130 yards 3 TDs) found their rhythm. Hopkins 3rd and final touchdown midway through the 4th quarter proved to be the winning points.

Up Next: Holy Cross jumps right into league play as they travel to Pennsylvania to take on Bucknell. The Crusaders lost to the Bison 21-20 last season.

Army 64 #23 Fordham 6

Fordham could not duplicate their Michie Magic of two years ago as Army exacted some serious revenge on the Rams Friday night. The Black Knights ran for 513 yards and did not complete a single pass on their way to a 58 point stomping of the Rams. Fordham entered the season with questions along the defensive line and left the banks of the Hudson with none of those answered. It’s highly unlikely Fordham sees another rushing attack that comes close to Army’s but such a poor performance in the season opener can’t be sitting well with Coach Breiner and his staff.

Army scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and only a fumble deep in Ram territory prevented the Black Knights from making it three straight. As it was, Army scored points on 10 of their 11 possessions during the course of the game while holding Fordham to a single TD. Chase Edmonds (15 carries 42 yards 1 TD) got Fordham on the scoreboard late in the second quarter to prevent the Maroon and White from being shutout. 5th year senior QB Kevin Anderson (26-38 233 yards 1 INT) never got comfortable in the pocket due to being under constant duress. The Fordham offensive line really struggled to match the physicality that Army brought. The unit will need to improve considerably if the Rams offense wants to live up its preseason billing.

Up Next: Fordham travels to New Britain, CT to square off with NEC member Central Connecticut State Saturday afternoon.

#9 Villanova 38 #19 Lehigh 35

The Mountain Hawk defense could not get a key stop late in the 4th quarter to give their potent offense one last chance to complete the comeback against 9th ranked Villanova. Playing catchup the entire game, Lehigh had a chance to get the ball back one last time but the Wildcat offense was able to churn out two key first downs on their final possession of the game to seal the victory. With the win, Villanova continues their mastery of Lehigh now having won the last 6 meetings in the series. The loss also extended Lehigh’s winless draught against teams froms the CAA to 6 games.

Villanova briskly went 67 yards in 4 plays on their opening possession to take a quick 7-0 lead. Lehigh was able to tie it up on a short Bragalone (25 carries 82 yards 1 TD) plunge before the Wildcats scored two early second quarter touchdowns to extend their lead to 21-7. The two teams would trade touchdowns before half. The key sequence during that time was a Bragalone fumble deep in Villanova territory that was picked up by a Wildcat defender and returned for a TD. A block in the back penalty negated the touchdown. However, on the very first play on offense following the fumble Gudzak scampered around the end for a 33 yard TD. The score gave Villanova a 28-14 halftime lead. Lehigh would outscore the Wildcats 21-10 in the second half but the fumble at the end of the 2nd quarter proved too much to overcome. Brad Mayes (33-49 406 yards 4 TDs), Luke Christiano (8 rec 143 yards 1 TD) and Troy Pelletier (11 rec 141 yards 1 TD) had big games for Lehigh in the loss.

Up Next: Lehigh will make the 90 minute trek to Monmouth University to take on the Hawks. Monmouth won 23-21 last year in Bethlehem.

Monmouth 31 Lafayette 12

The Leopards needed more offense in John Garrett’s debut in order to give their new head coach his first career collegiate win. The Leopards put forth a strong defensive performance, especially in the 1st half, but were unable to get the offense going with any consistency. The biggest issue was a rushing attack that racked up -1 yard. The inability to move the ball on the ground was a serious problem for Lafayette last year and if the first game is any indication, it will be a major cause for concern in 2017. Despite having no running game to fall back on, true freshman Sean O’Malley (27-42 262 yards 2 TD 2 INT) showed some real potential in is his first start. O’Malley made the wise decision to connect with with talented WR Matt Mzarek (9 rec 80 yards 1 TD) early and often.

The game was scoreless until Monmouth RB Pete Gurriero found paydirt from 16 yards out 34 seconds before half time. Prior to that Hawk scoring drive the Leopard defense had 2 interceptions, forced 2 punts and stopped Monmouth on downs on a 4th and 1. Monmouth was able to carry the momentum generated from Gurriero’s TD over to the second half. The Hawks went on a 10 play 75 yard touchdown drive the first time they touched the ball in the 3rd quarter to extend the lead to 13-0. Lafayette closed the gap to 13-6 when O’Malley connected with Mzarek for a 17 yard TD with 6:10 left in the 3rd quarter. The Leopards would get no closer as Monmouth would score the game’s next 17 points to win going away.

Up Next: Lafayette welcome the Sacred Heart to Fisher Stadium Saturday evening. The two last met in 2014 when the Pioneers spoiled the Leopard’s season opener 27-14.

Bucknell 45 Marist 6

Bucknell opened the 2017 season with their most dominating performance since 2001 when they beat former Patriot League member Towson 51-10.  The Bison got points from all three phases in the 39 point win over Marist Saturday night. The Bucknell defense played exceptionally well in the win. They scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and limited the Red Foxes to 8 first downs and 154 total yards. The only really negative that Bucknell should take away from the game is the fact the offense will continue to be a work in progress given the inexperience along the offensive line. As a result of the suspect O-line play, the two headed monster (DeFloria and Freshnock) never got traction (54 yards combined).

The Bison put the game away early with four 1st quarter touchdowns. Bucknell QB Matt Muh (16-24 205 yards 2 TD 1 INT) tossed two TD passes while the defense tacked on two scores of their own during the first 15 minutes of the season. Muh completed passes to seven different receivers during the game and generally played well despite having almost no ground game to lean on. Freshnock did manage to muscle his way for two short yardage touchdowns but was otherwise held in check. If Bucknell wants to make noise in the league race they must get the offensive line shored up so the ground game can get rolling. The Bison need to be a physical team.

Up Next: Bucknell hosts Holy Cross in an important early season league game. The Bison snuck past the Crusaders by 1 point, 21-20, last year.

Power Rankings

  1. Lehigh – The Mountain Hawks went toe-2-toe with a Top 10 team. Defense is still a big question mark but the offense is every bit as good as advertised.
  2. Fordham – That was an ugly performance against Army but it’s only 1 game against a FBS team coming off an 8-5 season. Need to make a statement against CCSU
  3. Colgate – The Raiders started 2017 with quality win 3,000 miles from home. Now they get an opportunity to notch another big “W” in their own backyard.
  4. Holy Cross – The Crusaders outplayed UConn for 45 minutes but couldn’t seal the deal against the Huskies. The offensive line needs to protect Pujals against the Bison.
  5. Bucknell – The Bison couldn’t have scripted a better start to the season. Now the competition level increases significantly as Holy Cross pays a visit to Lewisburg.
  6. Georgetown – Opening the season with a bye gives the Hoyas an extra week to prepare for a very winnable slate of September games.
  7. Lafayette – The defense showed why it might be one of the top 2 or 3 units in the league. Unfortunately, the offense is headed nowhere without an offensive line and running game.

MVFC – Week 1 In Review

MVFC LogoCollege football is finally back. Here’s how the first full weekend of football played out across the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

8/31 – Western Illinois at Tennessee Tech

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
WIU 3 7 24 7 41
TTU 0 0 0 14 14

Quick Hits:

  • WIU – Defense holds TTU to 0 net rushing yards with 10 tackle performances from LBs Brett Taylor and Quentin Moon. Moon also had a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, earning him the conference “Defensive Player of the Week” award.
  • WIU – After injury to preseason All-MVFC RB Steve McShane, Sophomore RB Max Norris steps up for 135 rushing yards.
  • WIU – WR Jaelon Acklin attempting to fill the shoes of (current Dallas Cowboys WR) Lance Lenoir, catches for 79 yards and 1 TD and rushes for 37 yards and 1 TD.
  • WIU – D-Lineman Khalen Saunders has 4 tackles (1 sack) and a lot of behind-the-line pressure…also gets put in as a fullback….really FULL-back (he’s 310 lbs) and gets a rushing TD….apparently we got ourselves a “Mini-Fridge”.
  • WIU – Cookeville, TN native Vic Johnson gets a rushing TD in front of his “home crowd” and in his first collegiate game, and Sophomore DB Mike Viti has a 45-yard “pick-6”.
  • TTU – QB Andre Sale throws for 223 yards and 2 TDs.
  • TTU – WRs Darri Stafford and Dontez Byrd have long TD receptions of 61 yards and 52 yards respectively.

WIU starts the season strong and is now 1-0. They’ll head 1,400 miles west and over a mile up (in altitude) to take on the strong passing attack of Northern Arizona next weekend.
TTU gets off to a 0-1 start and will head about 3 hours down the highway to play the Kennesaw State Owls next Saturday.

My Pick in Review:

I said: 10-point Leatherneck win
It was: 27-point Leatherneck win
I know that the margin was way more than I expected, but considering this is the first week and we didn’t really have any idea how the two teams would do or play (and since I’m the one doing the grading here)…I’ll count this as a win.

8/31 – Eastern Illinois at Indiana State

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
EIU 13 3 0 6 22
INSU 7 0 3 10 20

Quick Hits:

  • INSU – SR RB LeMonte Booker provides over half of the Sycamores offensive yards with 154 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards, and 2 TDs (one each by land and by air).
  • INSU – JR LB Katrell Moss and SO LB Jonas Griffith each finish with 13 total tackles
  • INSU – Question marks at the QB position as JR Isaac Harker throws 38 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT before being replaced about halfway through the 2nd quarter by RS-FR Cade Sparks who gets 95 yards, but 0 TDs (and 0 INTs).
    INSU – Preseason All-MVFC SO PK Jerry Nunez hits FGs from 43 and 19, but misses from 48 with less than 2 minutes left in the game
  • EIU – Wins the game on a last-second (technically 3rd-to-last second) TD pass.
  • EIU – No huge offensive standouts, as the top rusher (JR RB Isaiah Johnson) only gets 65 yards and 1 TD, and the top receiver (JR WR Alexander Hollins) gets 46 yards.
  • EIU – SR S Tray Mitchell picks up 11 tackles (3 for loss including 1 sack), 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery

Nothing real spectacular on either side of the ball, but EIU does just enough to win the game, taking back the lead after INSU went ahead with less than 5 minutes to go (their first lead since the 1st quarter).

Indiana State falls to 0-1 and will face the daunting task of taking on SEC member Tennessee next weekend.

Eastern Illinois picks up their first win, are 1-0, and will have a slightly easier job next weekend, as they head up to DeKalb to take on Northern Illinois and see if they can recreate what Western Illinois did last season against the Huskies.

My Pick in Review:

I said: 3-point Sycamores win
It was: 2-point Panther win
Man…I knew it’d be a close game. Take away the last 3 seconds of it and I was only 1 point off on my pick…but, a football game is 60 minutes long, not 59:57. A narrow “whiff” on my part for this one.

8/31 – Duquesne at South Dakota State

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
DUQ 0 7 6 0 13
SDSU 20 14 14 3 51

Quick Hits:

  • SDSU – Wieneke…..just….¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    The (thank god he’s finally a) Senior WR wasn’t even the top receiver for SDSU in yardage with 75 yards (Adam Anderson had 81 yards), but had 4 TD catches, tying the school record for TDs in a game.
  • SDSU – JR QB Taryn Christion was the top passer and top rusher in the game, throwing for 254 yards and 5 TDs (w/ 1 INT) and running for 96 yards (mostly on a 90-yard run in the first quarter to set up an Isaac Wallace TD run.
  • SDSU – 609 total offensive yards is the second-most put up by SDSU since the 2007 season (most was 630 yards against USD last season).
  • DUQ – SO RB A.J. Hines, last year’s Jerry Rice Award Winner, held to only 34 yards.
  • DUQ – JR WRs Kareem Coles and Nehari Crawford each had a receiving TD
  • DUQ – SO P Mitch Maczura doubled his previous number of punts from all of last season with 8 against the Jackrabbits.

Pretty much business as usual for the Jackrabbits, Wieneke setting records…him, Christion, and Goedert gradually working their way towards the top of many of the SDSU and MVFC record books. Duquesne was held scoreless until less than 2 minutes were left in the first half, and then didn’t get another score until late in the 3rd, when SDSU was already at 48 points. I only watched part of the game, but I’d bet that it was mostly second-string Jackrabbits in the second half.

South Dakota State starts the season 1-0 and will head west next weekend to take on Montana State in one of many MVFC vs Big Sky matchups we’ll see over the next few years. Duquesne stays on the road (like Western, they start the season with 3 road games and a bye week, not playing their first home game until the last weekend of September) but will have a much better chance of a win against Valparaiso next weekend.

My Pick in Review:

I said: 20 point win for South Dakota State
It was: 38 point win for South Dakota State
A bit larger margin than I thought, I knew SDSU would put up points, but I know that Duquesne is a halfway decent team…they’re from the NEC, but still, pretty good for that “level” and kinda expected a few more points out of them. Still, essentially the game I was expecting.

9/2 – Missouri State at Missouri

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
MSU 21 14 0 8 43
MIZ 20 28 10 14 72

Quick Hits:

  • MIZ – What is even defense? 83 total points for both teams in the first half alone led to a record-breaking day for the Missouri offense (and a personal thank you from this WIU fan for erasing our name from most of Mizzou’s record books in the best offensive game categories).
  • MSU – 43 points…against an SEC defense…you don’t see that often from an FCS team.
  • MSU – SR RB Calan Crowder runs for 124 yards and 2 TDs
  • MSU – SO Transfer (from Garden City CC) QB Peyton Huslig throws for 353 yards, 2 TDs (1 INT) and earns the conference “Newcomer of the Week” award.
  • MSU – SR WR Malik Earl snags 8 catches for 163 yards and 1 TD.
  • MIZ – JR QB Drew Lock sets school records by throwing for 521 yards and 7 TDs (1 INT).

If you had told me before the game that Missouri State would put 43 points up against an SEC defense…ANY SEC defense…I would have said that you were drunk or high (or probably both). Has MSU found their QB after a season of question marks and alleged canine abuse? It’s possible, although I’d like to see another game or two out of him before I’m sure it isn’t just “beginner’s luck”. Still, a great debut performance for the new Bears QB.

Mizzou is now, as expected, 1-0 on the season and they’ll welcome South Carolina to Columbia next weekend.
Missouri State heads northward to take on future MVFC member North Dakota in Grand Forks, South Manitoba.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Mizzou by 20
It was: Mizzou by 29
I know I said that if MSU kept it within 20 points, that would count as a “moral victory”, but I think they can count this one, at least on the offensive side of the ball. If this keeps up, I can’t wait to see the 78-73 offensive shootout between MSU and SIU later this season.

9/2 – Youngstown State at Pittsburgh

1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT Final
YSU 0 0 7 14 0 21
PITT 14 7 0 0 7 28

Quick Hits:

  • YSU – SR QB Hunter Wells throws for 311 yards and 2 TDs (1 INT), mostly to non-WR’s
  • YSU – True-FR RB Christian Turner and SR TE Kevin Rader each catch over 100 yards, with Turner getting 2 TDs and rushing for 32 yards.
  • YSU – SR S Jalyn Powell finishes the game with 14 tackles (9 solo)
  • Pitt – SR QB Max Brown throws for only 140 yards and 1 TD
  • Pitt – JR RB Quadree Ollison leads the team in rushing yards with 91 and 2 TDs
  • YSU – Defense holds Pitt offense to under 350 total yards

Despite giving up TDs on the first three possessions, the YSU defense turned things around and shut down the Pitt offense, allowing only 99 yards and 0 points in the second half. They scored just enough to force OT at Heinz Field, but having a pass intercepted in the end zone ended the Penguins hopes for another upset over the Panthers.

Pittsburg next heads to the hills of Happy Valley to take on a highly-ranked Penn State team.

Youngstown State heads back to the Ice Castle and will take on Robert Morris for the third year in a row.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Pitt by 17
It was: Pitt by 7
A lot closer game than I thought it was going to be…I expected Pitt to pull away at the end of the game, as what usually happens in games between P5 FBS teams and FCS teams. What I didn’t expect was for that “pulling away” to not happen until overtime, after the FCS team climbed back into a game that looked nearly over at halftime. They’re not quite the team they were when they made it to the FCS championship game last year, but it appears that they are still going to be a very tough team to beat for anyone, at any level.

9/2 – Mississippi Valley State at North Dakota State

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
MVSU 0 7 0 0 7
NDSU 30 14 21 7 72

Quick Hits:

  • NDSU – Put up FCS-leading 498 total rushing yards, with JR RB Lance Dunn and SO RB Ty Brooks both getting over 125 yards and 2 TDs.
  • NDSU – Defensively, the Bison held MVSU to -31 yards rushing and 89 yards receiving (58 net yards), and picked up a safety.
  • NDSU – Kicking game was an issue, with JR K Cam Pederson missing on his two FGs (42 and 43 yards)

I don’t really think there’s much to say here. One of the best FCS teams over the previous few years vs one of the worst in one of the toughest places for a visiting team to play. It wasn’t going to be close. NDSU needs to find a kicker who can make 40-yard FGs in a dome though.

Life doesn’t get much easier for the Delta Devils next week, as they head to Southern Illinois to take on a pretty solid Saluki offense (they might get a few more points though).
The Bison will have a much tougher game next weekend as they head out to Eastern Washington for a game at The Inferno of Roos Field.

My Pick in Review:

I said: NDSU by whatever they want (I guessed around 45)
It was: NDSU by 65
I think everyone knew it was going to be a lopsided game. The one surprise for me was that I expected the scoring to slow down at least a little once NDSU put in their backups. I mean, I guess it did (they had 30 in the first quarter, 14 in the second), but still, another 28 points in the second half meant that MVSU just couldn’t keep up with NDSU’s players, even a ways further down the depth chart.

9/2 – South Dakota at Drake

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
USD 28 28 7 14 77
D+ 0 7 0 0 7

Quick Hits:

  • USD – SR QB Chris Streveler earned the conference’s “Offensive Player of the Week” award following a 248 passing yards + 5 TDs, and 53 rushing yards + 1 TD performance.
  • USD – Receiving targets were well spread out…no player had more than 50 yards receiving, but 7 receivers had 30 or more yards each.
  • DU – Had trouble holding onto the ball, 6 fumbles (1 lost), and 3 interceptions thrown for the Bulldogs.
  • USD – R-FR DB Phillip Powell caught two interceptions including one that was returned 9 yards for a TD.
  • USD – R-FR P Brady Schutt punted 4 times, dropping all inside the 20 and earning the conference “Special Teams Player of the Week” award.
  • USD – Drake was held to -1 net rushing yards in the game.

It was pretty obvious that Drake was overmatched fairly early on in the game. They’ve occasionally put together decent football teams, but this year doesn’t look like it’s one of them. South Dakota’s QB, Chris Streveler has the potential to be one of the best QBs in the conference this year, but like most week 1 games, I’d like to see how he does against a pretty good defense before we crown him. South Dakota will head east to take on MAC foe Bowling Green next week, and the next week, they’ll head home to take on North Dakota…a future MVFC member and a team that only VERY narrowly lost to Bowling Green last season.

Drake will bring in NAIA Southwestern College (Kansas) next weekend.

My Pick in Review:

I said: Coyotes by 20
It was: Coyotes by 70
I was apparently wrong about my assumption that “Drake isn’t a bad team for a non-scholarship team”. I didn’t realize quite how low they were ranked this year. I figured USD would win a blowout, but didn’t think it’d be a 70-point blowout (what is it with the winning teams finishing in the 70-point range this week?).

9/2 – Butler at Illinois State

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
BUT 0 0 0 0 0
ILSU 0 17 21 7 45

Quick Hits:

  • ISU – Butler held to 41 total yards of offense (0 rushing yards)
  • ISU – No 1 specific standout, as the top Redbird rusher (SO RB Markel Smith) finishes with 88 yards, but 5 other players rush for over 35 yards
  • ISU – SR WR Christian Gibbs catches for 79 yards and 2 TDs
  • ISU – fumbled 4 times, losing 1 to Butler
  • ISU – JR S Mitchell Brees has 1 interception returned 29 yards for a TD
  • BUT – SR DB Isaak Newhouse picks up 14 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 1 pass breakup in the game

Like the last few, pretty much as expected. Non-scholarship Pioneer League team (not even a good Pioneer League team) vs a “top half of the MVFC” full-scholarship team. It seems like ISU was slowed down a bit in the first part of the game, punting on their first two possessions and not picking up their first score until the second quarter, but picked things up from there, ramping up the scoring in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.

Butler will head home to play Franklin College (DIII, Indiana) next weekend. Illinois State hits the road to play this year’s Mid-America Classic, the oldest rivalry in the state of Illinois, against Eastern Illinois. It will be the 106th meeting between the two teams, starting back in 1901.

My Pick in Review:
I said: 35-point Redbird win
It was: 45-point Redbird win
As I said, pretty much as expected when a decent MVFC team plays a mediocre non-scholarship team…35 points…45 points…about the same in the grand scheme of things.

9/2 – Northern Iowa at Iowa State

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
UNI 7 3 7 7 24
ISU 14 7 14 7 42

Quick Hits:

  • UNI – JR QB Eli Dunne has 259 yards and 3 TDs passing, but also throws 3 interceptions.
  • ISU – JR QB Jacob Park does slightly better with 271 yards and 2 TDs passing, but only 1 interception.
  • UNI – SR LB Jared Farley picks up 14 tackles including 1 for loss
  • Both – UNI SR P Sam Kuhter and ISU SO P each punt 5 times for 225 and 227 yards respectively, both with 3 within the 20-yard line. Both players averaged 45+ yards per punt in the game.

This is the FBS game that UNI, during good years, is frequently able to pull out a win for. From what I’ve heard from some UNI fans though, this year is going to be more of a “mediocre” year for them most likely, and it looks like it played out in this game, as UNI got the scoring started, but then, for the most part, spent the game trading 1 Panther TD for 2 Cyclones TDs.

UNI will host Cal Poly at the UNIDome next weekend, and ISU will take on the in-state rival Hawkeyes for the annual Cy-Hawk rivalry trophy.

My Pick in Review:
I said: Iowa State by 7
It was: Iowa State by 18
I figured UNI would stay a little closer in this game, but essentially the same result. Just not quite enough offense for the Panthers to keep up this year.

Looks like I finished 8-1 in my picks for the week, missing on 1 due to an EIU TD in the final seconds of their game.

Thanks for reading, let me know if you like the new format (as opposed to the giant “wall-of-text” posts that I had a tendency to do last year. Check back later this week for my preview of this next weekend’s games (all games on Saturday, 9/9) including 5 MVFC/Big Sky matchups, 2 FCS/FBS games, and 2 more “standard” FCS/FCS battles.

Big Sky Conference Round-Up Week 1

The first full weekend of Big Sky football is in the books and every game went about as expected for all of the teams. The teams that should have won did so, and the teams that weren’t favored in their games did not win those contests. North Dakota put up a nice fight against the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City, however the Utes aren’t slouches on the football field. North Dakota got an early lead on the Utes but after that first quarter Utah never looked back. Utah ran for 272 yards on the Fighting Hawks, while North Dakota didn’t get much going in the rushing or passing game.

Sacramento State held tough for a while against Idaho, but ultimately lost 28-6 in the Kibbie Dome. The Vandals will be making their way back to the Big Sky next season. Washington State blanked Montana State 31-0 in Pullman. The Cats offense got absolutely nothing going, however their defense somehow held Mike Leach’s Cougars to 31 points. Wazzu’s Luke Falk turned in an impressive game, going 33/39 with 311 yards and three touchdowns.

Portland State fell to 0-2 on the season, losing by three to Oregon State. The Vikings have played FBS opponents two weeks in a row and have been a tough out in both contests. Too early to tell what kind of team the Vikings are right now, but they should be encouraged in their FBS losses.

Texas Tech dismantled Eastern Washington on Saturday night, beating the Eagles 56-10 in Lubbock. Prior to the game Kliff Kingsbury announced that the team would donate $100 per point scored in the contest to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. It appears the Red Raiders will be sending $5600 to Houston for their win against Eastern. The Eagles will be replacing just about everything from last season except Gage Gabrud. Gabrud had a decent day going 22/34 for 207 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Eagles will be looking to replace the combination of Cooper Kupp, Shaq Hill, and Kendrick Bourne from last season.

Oregon absolutely crushed Southern Utah 77-21. San Diego State took care of UC-Davis 38-17. Arizona dismantled Northern Arizona 62-24 as well.

On the flipside, Weber State took care of NAIA school Montana-Western 76-0, and Northern Colorado took down College of Idaho 41-14.

In the only FCS on FCS action this weekend Montana beat Valparaiso at home to start the season 45-23. Jerry Louis-McGee caught 159 yards with of passes from Reese Phillips and had a pair of touchdown grabs for the Griz. Next week Montana will get a taste of FBS punishment from eighth ranked Washington in Seattle.

Scores

North Dakota 16
Utah 37

Western Oregon 6
Idaho State 37

Sacramento State 6
Idaho 28

Valparaiso 23
Montana 45

Montana State 0
Washington State 31

Portland State 32
Oregon State 35

College of Idaho 14
Northern Colorado 41

Eastern Washington 10
Texas Tech 56

Cal Poly 13
San Jose State 34

Montana Western 0
Weber State 76

Southern Utah 21
Oregon 77

UC-Davis 17
San Diego State 38

Northern Arizona 24
Arizona 62

Big Sky Player of the Week

Jerry Louis-McGee, WR, Montana. The receiver had nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the Griz’s opening season win vs Valparaiso.

Big Sky MVP Candidates

Gage Gabrud, QB, Eastern Washington
Cole Reyes, RB, North Dakota
Joe Protheroe, RB, Cal Poly
Emmanual Butler, WR, Northern Arizona
John Santiago, RB, North Dakota

Big Sky Power Rankings

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

Final Thoughts and Hot Takes

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion but the Big Sky Conference leadership needs to put an end to these Big Sky vs NAIA games. College of Idaho and Montana-Western should –never- appear on teams’ schedules. There are one or two hundred division 2 teams to choose from, pick one and schedule it. NAIA football is not appropriate for scheduling. That would be the equivalent of an FBS team scheduling a D2 school.

As far as this week in games goes, they turned out about as they should have. Everyone won and lost as they should have. Portland State had a shot at the upset. Oregon State is probably not a good football team this season, having been blown out of the stadium vs Colorado State last week, and nearly getting upset this week by an FCS school.

In other FCS upsets, James Madison, Liberty, and Howard all pulled off impressive FBS upsets this weekend. James Madison crushed East Carolina. Liberty took down perennial FBS power Baylor in a clash of universities with terrible morals. Howard, winner of three games over the last two season, put 43 points on UNLV and beat them.

Montana may have one of the toughest play-up games for a Big Sky team in recent memory. The Washington Huskies defense is nails. Several players named to preseason award watch lists, and quarterback Jake Browning is back. Hopefully Chris Petersen shows mercy at some point.

College football is back.

AGS Poll: Top 25 Week 1 Results

With most FCS teams getting a game (or two) under their belts we’re starting to see the AGS rankings get shook up a bit. James Madison still has a stranglehold on the #1 spot taking all but 2 of 81 first place votes. NDSU and SDSU maintained their respective positions at #2 and #3. Sam Houston State moved up to #4 following their impressive win over Richmond and Jacksonville State climbed into the top 5 at #5 following their FCS Kickoff victory over Chattanooga.

There were quite a few teams that moved up a spot or 3 this week but the big movers were at the tail end of the poll as Colgate and Howard came in at #21 and #24, respectively, after not even appearing in the top 40 in the preseason poll. North Carolina A&T also cracked the top 25 coming in at #25.

As for the teams that went in the opposite direction Eastern Washington dropped 5 spots to #9 after their lopsided loss to Texas Tech. Richmond and Charleston Southern each dropped four spots to #10 and #20, respectively, after sustaining season opening losses. Cal Poly, Fordham, and Albany all dropped out of the #25.

The MVFC once again led the way in terms of conference representation placing 6 teams in the top 25. They were followed by the CAA and SOCON with 4 each and the Big Sky with 3.

Full results below:

Rank Team Total Points First Place Votes
1 James Madison Dukes 2023 79
2 North Dakota State Bison 1927 2
3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1826
4 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1736
5 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1666
6 Wofford Terriers 1442
7 Villanova Wildcats 139
8 Youngstown State Penguins 1410
9 Eastern Washington Eagles 1383
10 Richmond Spiders 1286
11 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1109
12 New Hampshire Wildcats 1032
13 The Citadel Bulldogs 1022
14 Illinois State Redbirds 843
15 Chattanooga Mocs 813
16 Central Arkansas Bears 809
17 Samford Bulldogs 750
18 Western Illinois Leathernecks 691
19 Lehigh Mountain Hawks 460
20 Charleston Southern Buccaneers 420
21 Colgate Raiders 246
22 Northern Iowa Panthers 217
23 Weber State Wildcats 199
24 Howard Bison 164
25 North Carolina A&T Aggies 143
ORV:
26 Montana Grizzlies 142
27 South Dakota Coyotes 140
28 Tennessee State Tigers 117
29 Albany Great Danes 98
30 Nicholls State Colonels 79
31 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 73
32 Eastern Illinois Panthers 57
33 Maine Black Bears 56
34 Portland State Vikings 54
35 Furman Paladins 48
36 Stony Brook Seawolves 47
37 San Diego Toreros 46
38 Fordham Rams 39
39 Southeastern Louisiana Lions 38
40 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 36

Most Significant Win: Howard Bison
Most Significant Loss: Cal Poly Mustangs

Game Preview: Marist at Bucknell

Marist at Bucknell – September 2nd 6 PM Christy Matthewson Stadium Lewisburg, PA

TV: None

Streaming: Patriot League Network

For the 13th straight year Bucknell will face the Marist Red Foxes in an out of conference game. This will mark the 3rd consecutive year the two have squared off in the season opener. Bucknell has won six straight over Marist and owns an 11-1 all-time record in the series. If the Bison want to continue their dominance over the Red Foxes the defense will likely have to lead the way. Marist returns 14 starters including numerous redshirt players so this will be a rather experienced Red Fox team that Bucknell welcomes to Lewisburg.

As is often the case, the Bison defense figures to lead the way. Led by preseason 1st team All-Patriot League DT Abdullah Anderson, the Bucknell “D” will have to contain a sneaky talented Marist offense. The Red Foxes have an experienced QB in Mike White and two preseason 1st team All-Pioneer selections in WR Juston Christian (48 rec 992 yards 8 TDs) and RB Marcellus Calhoun (167 carries 605 yards 8 TDs). Marist also brings back 3 out of their 5 starting offensive linemen from 2016.  The Bison will likely try to take away Calhoun away and force to be one Marist dimensional.

The Bison’s fate in this game, and the season for that matter, will come down to their offense. Outside of running backs Joey DeFloria (1,070 yards 10 TDs) and Chad Freshnock (604 yards 10 TDs) the Bison return very little proven talent and experience on offense. Marist will certainly try to take advantage of the Bucknell offensive line that’s breaking in 5 new starters. The Red Foxes are led by 3 preseason 1st team Pioneer selections on defense. Willie Barrett (41 solo tackes, 6 TFL) leads the linebacker core while Wesley Beans (52 solo tackles, 6 INTs) and Jordyn Jean-Felix (29 solo tackles, 3 INTs) are two excellent safeties. Bucknell will need a solid game from expected starting QB Matt Muh if they want to continue their dominance over Marist. The Red Foxes will try to key on the Bison’s two headed monster at RB and take their chances that Bucknell won’t be able to beat them through the air. That is often the recipe to beat Bucknell.

This should be an extremely competitive game. Bucknell has the slightly more talented defense while Marist has the more proven offense. Marist is also the more experienced team top to bottom. However, Bucknell should have a slight overall talent advantage and are at home. After posting a 4-7 record last year the Bison can’t afford to lose to a Pioneer team to start the 2017 campaign. It won’t be easy but the Bison should be able to escape with a win.

Prediction: Bucknell 17 Marist 14

Game Preview: Lafayette at Monmouth

Lafayette at Monmouth – September 2nd 3 PM, Kessler Stadium West Long Branch, NJ

TV: None

Stream: ESPN3

The John Garrett era kicks off at Lafayette as the Leopards head to the Jersey Shore to take on the Monmouth Hawks. While Lafayette has a new coach to start the 2017 season, Monmouth will be unveiling the rebuilt Kessler Stadium. The Hawks were in desperate need of facility upgrade since they joined the Big South prior to the 2014 season. The new Kessler Stadium is still rather small (4,000) but it has numerous modern amenities the old facility lacked. If John Garrett and Lafayette want to be the ones celebrating a “new era” in style they’ll need to rely on their defense to lead the way.

Monmouth will be breaking in several new players at the skill positions so points could be at a premium for the Hawks against a potentially strong Leopard defense. Lafayette has talent every level of the “D”. The Hawks will turn to Kenji Bahar (964 yards 4 TDs in 2016) at quarterback. The sophomore started the last 3 games of 2016 with mixed results. Bahar will likely lean on preseason All-Big South selections WR Reggie White Jr. (69 rec 934 yards 7 TDs) and TE Jake Powell (16 rec 146 yards 1 TD) to lead the way on offense while the running game gains traction. Projected Monmouth starting RB Pete Guerriero did not play football last year. Instead he was one of the top track athletes in the MAAC. With all 5 starters returning along the O-line it will be interesting to see how Monmouth goes about establishing the run. Lafayette has the talent in the front 7 to test the veteran Monmouth offensive line.

The big questions for Lafayette are on offensive. Many fans were shocked when Garrett announced true freshman walk-on Sean O’Malle would begin the season as the starting QB after winning an extremely competitive battle during fall camp. Like Monmouth’s Bahar, O’Malley has an excellent WR/TE duo to lean on in the passing game. Dylan Wadsworth (42 rec 591 yards 1 TD, preseason 1st Team All-PL selection) and senior Matt Mzarek (71 rec 755 yards 8 TDs) are often an afterthought despite putting up excellent numbers on an offensively challenged team. The strength of the Monmouth defense is easily their secondary so the inexperienced O’Malley will need to be extremely smart with the ball. Mike Basile is a STATS 1st team All-American at SS so the Leopards better figure out where he is at all times. The Hawks defensive linemen and linebackers are no slouch either. Lafayette will need their offensive line to improve upon last year’s dismal play. O’Malley needs senior RB DeSean Brown (96 carries 341 yards 3 TDs) to provide the Leopards with some semblance of a rushing attack. If Lafayette can find some balance on offense they have a shot escape New Jersey with an upset win.

The first thing that Garrett must do at Lafayette is inject some energy into the program. That shouldn’t be a problem in the season opener. Or at least it better not be since Monmouth will come out sky high in their new stadium. Lafayette has the defense to get off to a 1-0 start but the offense is a huge question mark with O’Malley starting at QB. This should be a closely contested game for 60 minutes.

Prediction: Monmouth 24 Lafayette 16

Game Preview: #9 Villanova at #19 Lehigh

#9 Villanova at #19 Lehigh – September 2nd 12:30 PM, Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA

TV: Service Electric (local)

Streaming: Patriot League Network (Free)

Lehigh starts the 2017 season with a highly anticipated showdown with 9th ranked Villanova. Mark Ferrante will be making his head coaching debut for the Wildcats. He takes over for the legendary Andy Talley who retired after last year. Talley had been the head coach at Villanova since the school resurrected the program in the mid-80’. He took Villanova to the pinnacle of FCS football in 2009 when he guided the school to the national championship . Ferrante takes over a team that’s strength resides on defense. Despite the loss of 2nd round draft pick Tanoh Kpassagnon, the unit should be nearly as good as the one that led FCS in points against last year (13 ppg). Defense was the hallmark of Talley coached teams and that will continue for at least one year under Ferrante.

The chess game between the explosive Lehigh offense and the stalwart Wildcat “D” is clearly the headline of this game. Villanova has an excellent secondary which will likely provide the stiffest test the Lehigh WR duo of Pelletier and Casey faces all year. Free safety Rob Rolle was named the preseason CAA Defensive Player of the year and a STATS 1st Team All-American. Defensive backs Trey Johnson and Malik Reaves are very good cover cornerbacks. If the Villanova defense has a weakness it’s likely in the trenches where there’s not a lot of experience outside of senior DT Ricky Johnson. Conversely linebacker is loaded with familiar faces. Ed Shockley (86 tackles in ’16) is probably the best of a very good group. Lehigh has the balance and experience to push the Wildcats as far they’ll go. Mountain Hawk RB Dominic Bragalone and a veteran O-Line will be the key to Lehigh’s fortunes on offense.

The forgotten matchup in this game is the much maligned Lehigh defense against the often bumbling Wildcat offense. Villanova did put up 396 yards rushing in last year’s contest but struggled to score for much of the game. If Lehigh wants to reverse last year’s outcome they must, at the very least, “control” the Villanova rushing attack. The Wildcats are quite young along the offensive line so RB Aaron Forbes (799 yards 8 TDs) might see less daylight than he’s accustomed to seeing against a veteran Mountain Hawk defense line. Three year starting quarterback Zach Bednarczyk has had a workman like career. He won’t wow you doing anything in particular but ultimately gets the job done. If Lehigh can limit the damage on the ground and force Bednarczyk to make plays through the air the Mountain Hawks have to like their chances.

There’s no denying the struggles the Mountain Hawks have had against the CAA since knocking off UNH in 2013. The playoff loss to New Hampshire last year was especially ugly. However, none of the recent Lehigh teams, including the one last year, had the combination of experience and talent the 2017 version possesses. If Lehigh wants to make a statement nationally getting a Top 10 CAA rival on their home turf is the perfect opportunity.

Prediction: Lehigh 30 Villanova 24

Game Preview: #23 Fordham at Army

#23 Fordham at Army – September 1st, 6 PM Michie Stadium West Point, NY

TV: CBS Sportsnetwork

Streaming: Knight Vision ($9.95)

For the second time in three years the Fordham Rams open their football season with the short trip up the Hudson to take on the Army Black Knights. The Rams went into historic Michie Stadium two years ago and came away with a thrilling 37-35 win. All-American RB Chase Edmonds led the way with 250 total yards of offense; 110 yards rushing 3 TD & 140 yards receiving. Making his first career start for Fordham, current QB Kevin Anderson added 322 yards through the air while making no mistakes. Those two will once again need to lead the away if the Rams want to beat an Army team (8-5 in ’16) coming off their best season in 20 years.

If Fordham wants to take down the Black Knights for a second straight time they must stop an Army rushing attack that returns many of its key pieces. Army’s rushing attack ranked second (332.2 ypg) in FBS in 2016. Stopping senior QB Ahmad Bradshaw (184 carries 824 yards 8 TDs) has to be the primary focus of the Fordham defense. He’s the heartbeat of Army’s triple option offense. If he’s able to effectively distribute the ball to FB Daniel Woolfolk and RB Jordan Asberry Fordham will be in for a long night. While the Rams are better equipped to handle the run this year, Army will present challenges Fordham won’t see the rest of 2017. There’s no doubt Fordham DT Manny Adeyeye and Co. will have their hands for 60 minutes.

Fordham’s chances to win will depend on their balanced, explosive offense. They have the necessary tools (veteran QB, RB, OL) to go into a hostile environment and escape with a victory. The Army defense was solid against the run 2016 (121.2 ypg) but trying to stop All-American RB Chase Edmonds behind a really good offensive line is not the average chore. Especially with QB Kevin Anderson’s ability to make big plays in the passing game. Anderson has proven over time be an excellent decision maker which is huge when playing in a tough environment. The Black Knights return 7 starters on defense along with a few key reserves so they should be well prepared for what the Fordham offense will try and do. LB Kevin Aukerman (15 TFL, 7.5 sacks) is someone the Rams offense must pay attention to. Aukerman and fellow backer Kenneth Brinson might be the best pair of backers Fordham sees all year.

Fordham has a chance to win this game but they’ll need a phenomenal performance by their defense to pull it off. After getting run over by Navy’s explosive triple option in last year’s opener, the Rams will know what to expect against Army’s well-oiled attack. The question is can they take that experience against the Midshipmen and build off it. Fordham’s offense will have success against the Army defense. It’s just hard to see them having enough possessions to win a shootout at Michie Stadium.

Prediction: Army 47 Fordham 34