Patriot League Preview: Georgetown

Georgetown Hoyas

2016 record: 3-8 overall, 0-6 in Patriot League

Head Coach: Rob Sgarlata 4th Season (10-23 overall, 3-15 in PL)

Last Patriot League Title: Never

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: Never

Key Players Returning

Offense: QB Tim Barnes (5th Sr.), RB Alex Valles (Sr.), RB Isaac Ellsworth (Sr.), WR Justin Harrell (Sr.), OT Nick James (Sr.)

Defense: DL Khristian Tate (So.), LB J’Von Butler (Jr.), LB Dan Yankovich (Sr.), Safety David Akere (Sr.), Safety Jethro Francois (Jr.), CB Jelani Williamson (Sr.)

2016 Review

The 2016 season was not one to remember for Georgetown. The scholarshipless Hoyas posted their first winless league record since 2009. Things got off to promising start for the Blue & Gray who won their first 3 games of the season for the first time since 1999. Unfortunately, September would prove to be the high water mark for Georgetown as they would proceed to lose their final 8 games of the year. The Hoyas did battle until the end of the year despite the mounting losses. They came within a whisker of beating league heavy weight Fordham in the Bronx and fell one point short against Holy Cross in early November.

As presently constructed there’s no doubt the Hoyas are undermanned in a Patriot League that’s now 5 years (Fordham 8 years) into the scholarship era. The inability to land offensive playmakers that are needed in a point happy league has been the biggest issue. The running game averaged less than 75 ypg and no running back went over the century mark during the course of the season. That type of production on the ground is unacceptable when you add in an aerial attack that wasn’t much better. Although, the poor pass statistics can be largely contributed to QB Tim Barne’s season ending injury during the 4th game.

Defensively, Georgetown arguably had the best unit in the league when you factor in how much was asked of them. In terms of PPG (23.3) they were the best. Senior defensive linemen Hunter Kiselick and Phil Novacki along with stud LB J’Von Butler formed a formidable front 7. A youthful secondary did a solid job defending the pass (226 ypg). If the Georgetown offense wasn’t so anemic in 2016, thus forcing the “D” to be on the field far too often, the stats would have been even better.

2017 Offense

Player to Watch: WR Justin Harrell

Freshman to Watch: RB Jackson Saffold

 There’s no doubt the biggest thing the Georgetown offense has going for it is the return of QB Tim Barnes who was granted a 5th year of eligibility. When Barnes suffered a season ending injury against Harvard the offense and season went down the drain. Before getting hurt Barnes was putting together a solid season (162 ypg, 7 TD 2 INT) during Georgetown’s 3-0 start. While experience is on his side he will have to adapt to life without big play WR Justin Hill who graduated. Expect another Justin, Justin Harrell (41 rec 296 yards, 2 TDs), to step in as the number one WR. He’ll be joined to by two other experienced pass catchers, Brand Williams and Jim McLaughlin. With the return of Barnes and 3 of the 4 leading WR’s there’s reason to believe the Hoya passing attack will see a significant increase in production in 2017.

The key for Georgetown’s offense will be getting the ground game going. The Hoyas return their top 3 rushing leaders from 2016. Leading the way will be senior RB Alex Valles. Valles paced the team in rushing last year with a modest 462 yards and 3 TDs in 11 games. Fellow senior Isaac Ellsworth (5’6 160 lbs) provides a quick, slashing element to the backfield. Ellsworth was second one the team in all-purpose yards thanks to his contributions in the return game.

Paving the way for Valles and Ellsworth will be a veteran offensive line. Georgetown returns 6 linemen who have seen significant playing time. The best of the group is arguably 6’6 290 pound senior Nick James. James who has seen significant time at both right and left tackle. He has 23 career starts heading into the 2017 season. If the Hoya offense wants to improve their league worst 15.1 ppg average the offensive line has to win more battles in thr trenches in order to get the running game going. The size and experience is there for the unit to get it done.

If the ground game improves, Barnes’s ability to keep defenses honest with his arm should force defenses to think twice about loading the box like they were able to do against the Hoyas in 2016.

Defense

Player to Watch: Marquis Parris

Freshman to Watch: DL Owen Kessler

If there’s been one consistent the last two seasons it’s been the defense. Its exceptional game (17 points allowed) against Fordham nearly gave the Hoyas a stunning upset. The Hoya defense will look for more performances like that under new defensive coordinator Kevin Doherty. Doherty moves into the DC position after being the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator for the last 5 seasons.

Doherty’s first order of business will be retooling the defensive line. The loss of Hunter Kiselick (2nd team All-PL Defense) will be significant. In addition to being a great pass rushing defensive end, Kiselick also starred on special teams (1st team All-PL). Georgetown’s other impactful DE, Phil Novacki (37 TT 6.5 sacks), was also lost to graduation. Look for fellow sophomores Marquis Parris (30 TT, 3 TFL) and Khristian Tate (22 TT, 5 TFL) to step up and be the next stars along the defensive line. Bryan Jefferson, Kendall Catching and Brennan Sawicki will also be called upon to be major contributors.

One of the best defensive players in in the Patriot League anchors the linebacker corps. J’Von Butler is coming off a breakout sophomore season (87 TT, 5.5 TFL, 2 FF, 1 INT; 2nd Team All-PL) for the Hoyas that earned him 2nd team All-PL honors. Even more might be asked of Butler in 2017 to help compensate for the loss of fellow 2nd team All-PL LB Leo Loughery. The Hoyas are banking on seniors Matt Apuzzi (57 TT) and Daniel Yankovich (48 TT, 3.5 TFL, 2 Sacks) to lighten Butler’s load in the middle of the defense.

The secondary might be the strength of the defense. Sure tackling safety David Akere (2nd on team 77 TT) holds down the back end of the defense while ball hawking CB Jelani Williamson (tied for PL lead with 4 INTs) will be called upon to shut down the oppositions top WR. Both have excellent partners in crime to make their lives easier. Jethro Francois and Blaise Brown are proven commodities at safety while junior Ramone Lyons is an emerging lockdown CB opposite of Williamson.

Special Teams

Now defensive coordinator Kevin Doherty directed one of the best special teams in FCS last year. The unit will look to continue their elite play under new special teams coach Maurice Banks. Banks first task will replacing the top 3 kickers from 2016 and the Hoya long snapper Robert Longwell. Senior Henry Woodrow, sophomore Brad Hurst and transfer Jonathan Coppens will battle in it out in fall camp for kicking duties. The return game should be in good hands with shifty playmaker Isaac Ellsworth handling most of the workload. 1st Team All-PL Special Teams Player Khristian Tate will once again be a menace blocking/altering punts and field goals.

2017 Outlook

Georgetown will be significantly improved on offense in 2017. To be fair, they were among the very worst units in all of FCS in 2016 so the bar has been set pretty low. With a returning 5th year QB, capable WRs and an experienced OL there’s three key pieces in place. The final piece to the improvement puzzle will be getting the running game going. If Valles and Ellsworth can take some of the pressure off of Barnes there’s no reason Georgetown can’t creep towards the middle of the pack on offense.

The two biggest issues in Hoyaland remain a lack of depth and true difference makers (especially at the skill positions) relative to their scholarship competition in the Patriot League. Until the administration steps up and offers scholarships or formulates a plan to improve the program in other areas to offset not offering full rides things aren’t going to get significantly better for Georgetown football any time soon.

While a Patriot League title is a rather far-fetched dream, there is some reason for optimism heading into the 2017 season. With such an experienced team returning another winless league record would be a major disappointment. If the offense improves significantly and the defense remains stout a winning record is not beyond the realm of possibility. Don’t be surprised of the Hoya’s start the year 3-0 for a second straight year.

2017 Schedule

9/9 @ Campbell 6 PM

9/16 Marist 1 PM

9/23 @ Columbia 1 PM

9/30 Harvard (Game at RFK Stadium)

10/7 @ Princeton 1 PM

10/14 @ Lehigh 12:30 PM

10/21 Fordham 2 PM

10/28 @ Holy Cross 1 PM

11/4 Lafayette 2 PM

11/11 @ Bucknell 12 PM

11/18 Colgate 1 PM

Projected Record: 4-7 overall, 1-5 in league play

Patriot League Preview: Bucknell

Bucknell Bison

2016 Record: 4-7 Overall, 3-3 in Patriot League

Head Coach: Joe Susan, 8th Season (32-45 Overall, 16-25 in PL)

Last Patriot League Title: 1996

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: Never

Key Players Returning

Offense: QB Matt Muh (Sr.), RB Joey DeFloria (Sr.), RB Chad Freshnock (So.), WR Alan Butler (Jr.), TE Andrew Podbielski (Sr.)

Defense: DT Abdullah Anderson (Sr.), LB Ben Richard (Sr.), LB Mark Pyles (Sr.), CB Bryan Marine (Jr.)

2016 Review

After reaching 8 wins (most since 1996) in 2014 the Bison posted their second consecutive 4-7 record in 2016. Bucknell did manage a .500 record in league play which was an improvement after going 1-5 in 2015. The season started with a 26-10 win over Marist. Unfortunately for the Blue & Orange the good vibes quickly vanished with 3 straight losses. The third defeat being a gut wrenching triple-OT loss to VMI. Bucknell arguably played their best football of the year in late October against Lafayette and Lehigh. The Bison crushed the Leopards 42-17 and nearly upset eventual league champion Lehigh the following week in Bethlehem. Bucknell ended the year with a 14 point loss to Fordham.

The strength of the team, as has been the case under Susan, remained the defense. Potential NFL draft pick Abdullah Anderson gave opposing offensive lines nightmares all season. Abdullah earned 1st Team All-PL for his efforts. Joining him on the 1st Team Defense were linebackers Bret Berg and Ben Richard along with defensive back Bryan Marine. The unit limited teams to just under 24 ppg which was good for 3rd fewest in the Patriot League.

What prevented Bucknell from notching a winning season was another pedestrian offense. The pieces seemed to be in place for a rather explosive unit but the point production (21.1 ppg) never materialized. The biggest issue was instability at QB. RJ Nitti battled injuries all season and never could get things going. Matt Muh (169 ypg 4 TD 5 INT) and freshman John Chiarolanzio had their share of ups and downs filling in. The instability at QB meant record breaking senior WR Will Carter was never able to get going. Hard nose RB Joey DeFloria ( 107 ypg 10 TD) emerged as the most consistent skill player for the Bison. DeFloria was the first Bison RB to tally 1,000 yards in a season in twelve years. His breakout campaign earned him 2nd Team All-PL honors. The strength of the offense was easily the OL. Eventual 4th round NFL draft pick Julie’n Davenport anchored an OL that started 5 seniors.

2017 Offense

Returning player to keep an eye on: WR Alan Butler

Freshman to keep an eye on: OL P.J Barr

Questions abound for the Bison on the offensive side of the ball as the 2017 season is about to begin. The loss of once in a generation WR Will Carter and OT Julie’n Davenport leaves a major void on and off the field. Then there’s the issue at QB. Senior Matt Muh is likely to have the inside track to the starting gig but expect Chiarolanzio and junior Jake Wilson to be in the mix too. There’s also a good chance Susan opts for the two headed QB system at times.

While the QB position is certainly a concern, priority #1 has to be getting the offensive line rebuilt. Susasn and Co. have plenty of faces to choose from but what the ultimate combination will be is anyone’s guess heading into fall camp. There appears to be some good OL talent in the 2017 recruiting class. With that in mind, keep an eye on  P.J Barr (6’3 305), Justis Peppers (6’4 320) and Simon Krizak (6’4 305). Junior Chuck Sanders (6’2 270) earned the Most Improved OL Award during the spring which could result in a chance to start.

The backfield is one area that is set in stone heading into the 2017 season. Joey DeFloria busted onto the scene last year with 1,070 yards and 10 TDs in 10 games. DeFloria displayed his versatility by finishing second on the team in receptions with 29. Joey’s running mate, sophomore Chad Freshnock, also returns. Like DeFloria, Freshnock accounted for 10 TDs last year. The 6’0 220 pound bruiser will once again give line backers headaches around the goal line. Of course, the dynamic combo will be counting on the retooled offensive line to assert themselves.

Alan Butler (20 rec 232 yards in 8 games) is the team’s most talented returning WR. Butler should see significantly more balls thrown his way with the departure of Will Carter. Andrew Podbielski could be in line for a breakout year at TE. The senior showed flashes in 2016 but like the rest of the receiving corps, was limited by a revolving door at QB. At 6’3 210 pounds, Jack Horan (16 rec 239 yards 2 TD) has proven to be able capable option as well. This Bison still need depth and a true difference make to emerge in 2016 at receiver. Sophomore WR Justin Bethea is the most likely to bust one the scene this season.

Defense

Returning player to keep an eye on: Joe Lauro

Freshman to keep an eye on: LB Simeon Page

Bucknell has had some great defenses over the years. It’s been the hallmark of Susan’s teams since he took over in 2010. As good as some of those previous editions were none might be better than the one that will take the field this fall. The front 7 is easily the best in the Patriot League. Abdullah Anderson is one of the top DT in FCS. His ridiculous strength and motor allows him to take on defeat double teams. Fellow defensive linemen Doug Whitlock (6 TFL, 3.5 sacks) was a starter and impact player in 2016 but currently is not on the roster as fall camp begins. If Whitlock is a no go at defensive end in 2017 expect senior Trevor Fennimore and sophomore Blake Fletcher to have an increased role. At 6’7 230 pounds, freshman DE Nnambi Unachuckwu has the physical tools to perhaps contribute as well.

The linebacker positions are in great hands with a pair of excellent seniors, Ben Richards (2nd in PL in tackles 95 solo in ’16) and Mark Pyles (35 Solo, 4.5 TFL) manning the posts in Bucknell’s 4-2-5 scheme. Outside of Richards and Pyles there is very little experience at LB so depth is a concern. Thankfully for Bucknell, the freshman class appears deep with talent. Odds are Susan calls upon one of the rookies to contribute significantly. The most likely to see time are Rick Mottram and Simeon Page. Both arrive in Lewisburg with resumes worthy of keeping an eye on.

The secondary is the third level of the defense that features a 1st Team Preseason All-PL player. Bryan Marine has proven more than capable of shutting down opposing receivers and defending the ball. His 13 pass breakups were the most by a Bison player since 2004. Fisayo Oluleye or Trey Johnson will likely be the other starting CB. Both have seen significant time on defense and special teams. SS Joe Lauro (39 solo tackles, 1 INT) and WS Connor Golden (22 solo tackles, 3 INT) will once again be called upon to defend the backend of the defense. Junior Brice Snydor seems like the leading candidate to replace Bret Berg at strong safety.

Special Teams

The Bison special teams return several key contributors in 2017. Kickers, Alex Pechin Jack Chambers and John Burdick will battle it out for place kicking duties. All 3 had opportunities to kick field goals in 2016. Chambers and Burdick handled kick off responsibilities. Freshman Ethan Torres who was considered to be one of the top punters coming out of high school will start from day one. Bryan Marine will likely see time at kick/punt returner but don’t be surprised to see WR Justin Bethea get a few opportunities as well.

2017 Outlook

There’s little doubt Bucknell will have one of the top defenses in the Patriot League this year. With a wealth of talent at every level it should be good enough to keep the Bison in most games. How many of those close games the Bison are able to win will come down to QB play and the ability to figure out the right offensive line combination. If Matt Muh and/or John Chiarolanzio elevate their game behind an effective offensive line the Bison have the potential to finish in the top half if of the Patriot League. However, based on Bucknell’s recent spotty QB play, including that of Muh and Chiarolanzio, there’s quite a bit of hope involved at this point.

The schedule, while not overly daunting, does present its fair share of challenges with an out of conference game at William & Mary along with late season trips to Colgate and Fordham. The key for Bucknell will be protecting their home turf in September (Marist, Holy Cross, @ W&M, Sacred Heart Monmouth). With 4 out of the first 5 games at home to start the year, including league foe Holy Cross in week two, the Bison have an opportunity to get out of the gate strong. Conversely, if they stumble out of the block things could spiral downhill quickly with all 3 games in October on the road.

2017 Schedule

9/2 Marist 6 PM

9/9 Holy Cross 12 PM

9/16 @ William & Mary 6 PM

9/23 Sacre Heart 6 PM

9/30 Monmouth 6 PM

10/7 Bye

10/14 @ Cornell 1:30 PM

10/21 @ Lafayette 3:30 PM

10/28 @ Colgate 1 PM

11/4 Lehigh 12 PM

11/11 Georgetown 12 PM

11/18 @ Fordham 1 PM

Projected Record: 4-7 overall, 1-5 in league play

AGS Poll: 2017 Preseason Top 25 Results

With fall camps around the country just starting (or about to start) the 2017 college football season is just around the corner and with that comes the first set of AGS top 25 rankings for the 2017 season. The defending national champion James Madison Dukes claimed the #1 spot securing the top position in 64 of the 75 ballots cast. The were followed by the defending MVFC co-champs in North Dakota State and South Dakota State coming in at #2 and #3, respectively. The rest of the top 5 was rounded out by defending Big Sky co-champ Eastern Washington at #4 and defending Southland champ Sam Houston State at #5.

The teams the AGS community see taking the biggest steps forward are Western Illinois, who moved up 10 spots from the 2016 postseason poll to #20, and Northern Iowa, who moved up 12 spots to #22. Along with those two teams Fordham and Albany also cracked the preseason top 25 after finishing last season in the ORV section coming in at #23 and #25, respectively.

As for teams the AGS community believes will go the opposite direction in 2017 the first team that jumps out is 2016 runner up Youngstown State, who dropped 7 spots to #10. The Citadel also dropped 4 spots to #14 following their improbable undefeated SOCON run in 2016. The top 25 teams to end 2016 that dropped out of the 2017 preseason poll were San Diego, Grambling State, North Carolina A&T, and North Carolina Central.

The MVFC led the way in terms of representation placing 6 teams in the top 25. They were followed by the CAA with 5 teams and then the Big Sky and SOCON with 4 each. The Southland and Patriot League each placed 2 teams and the remaining top 25 was rounded out by a team each from the OVC and Big South.

Full results below:

Rank    Team: Total Points First Place Votes
1 James Madison Dukes 1862 64
2 North Dakota State Bison 1784 8
3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1624 2
4 Eastern Washington Eagles 1541
5 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1464 1
6 Richmond Spiders 1447
7 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1326
8 Wofford Terriers 1308
9 Villanova Wildcats 1199
10 Youngstown State Penguins 1175
11 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1114
12 Chattanooga Mocs 953
13 Central Arkansas Bears 934
14 The Citadel Bulldogs 902
15 New Hampshire Wildcats 798
16 Charleston Southern Buccaneers 653
17 Samford Bulldogs 623
18 Illinois State Redbirds 529
19 Lehigh Mountain Hawks 507
20 Western Illinois Leathernecks 351
21 Cal Poly Mustangs 344
22 Northern Iowa Panthers 338
23 Fordham Rams 155
24 Weber State Wildcats 147
25 Albany Great Danes 146
ORV:
26 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 138
27 San Diego Toreros 131
28 Montana Grizzlies 121
29 McNeese State Cowboys 98
30 Grambling State Tigers 96
31 North Carolina A&T Aggies 94
32 North Carolina Central Eagles 56
33 South Dakota Coyotes 44
34 Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 42
35 William & Mary Tribe 39
36 Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks 34
37T Harvard Crimson 33
37T Saint Francis Red Flash 33
39 Maine Black Bears 28
40 Southern Utah Thunderbirds 26

FCS vs FBS – 2017 Edition

Money, experience, exposure, recruiting, old rivalries; there are many different reasons that FCS teams play FBS teams, but one thing these games all have in common is that for FCS teams it has the potential to be one of their biggest games of the year. FBS teams schedule FCS teams for a number of reasons as well. Since the games are played nearly always at the FBS school, they have to pay a smaller amount to the FCS team than compared to an FBS opponent. It is also an opportunity for some additional playing time for their second and third string that they might not get otherwise. They also get an expected win that counts toward their bowl eligibility. At least it is an expected win. It is far from guaranteed.

Over the last 4 years FCS teams have knocked off a number of FBS teams. To be precise, 43 FCS teams have beaten FBS opponents from 2013-2016. Also of note, since Division I football split into two subdivisions in 1978, 4 FCS teams have knocked off ranked FBS teams including the infamous game where Appalachian State beat #5 Michigan in 2007, James Madison beat #13 Virginia Tech in 2010, Eastern Washington beat #25 Oregon State in 2013, and North Dakota State beat #13 Iowa in 2016.

Many of those 43 victories since 2013 have come against schools from the G5 conferences, but 13 of them were against the Power 5 conferences as well. That may make the victories a little sweeter, but any win against an FBS opponent is something to be proud of for an FCS school. Competing with only 63 scholarships against FBS teams with 85 says a lot about the caliber of FCS teams. Another interesting stat is that in the last 10 years, a team from the Southern Conference met the previous year’s BCS/CFP champion 7 times. That includes The Citadel’s game against Clemson this coming November. Nothing like playing the best of the best.

There are 98 FCS/FBS match ups this coming season. As expected most will be mismatches, but there might be a few where the upset will happen. I say “upset”, but there is a game in week 1 where the FCS team is actually favored over their FBS opponent. Overall this season, there are 5 games where the chance of an FCS victory is pretty good as well as 15 games that have potential to be very interesting. As always, there will be upsets that nobody sees coming and that is what I love about this game.

5 games with a good chance for an FCS victory:

  1. James Madison, the 2016 FCS Champion, takes on East Carolina on September 2nd and according to many sources the Dukes are actually the favorites. JMU may have lost a little of its running back production from last year, but don’t expect them to slow down. They averaged almost 47 points a game last year on their way to the FCS title. Playing in the AAC, ECU went 3-9 last year. The Pirates did get some promising transfers, but whether they make an impact in week one is a big question.
  2. Northern Iowa takes on Iowa State also on September 2nd.   I am not sure why Iowa State continues to schedule them considering the Panthers won in 2013 and 2016. Iowa State also lost to NDSU in 2014. The Cyclones have only won 11 games total in the last four years. UNI struggled a bit last year to get Ws, but they lost a lot of close games in the MVFC and are more than capable of knocking off Iowa State…again.
  3. On September 23rd Western Illinois takes on Coastal Carolina who is still in transition to FBS. The last time these teams met was in 2015 when CCU pulled out the win, at home, late in the game. But Western Illinois is still loaded from last year where they made lots of noise in the MVFC and they also knocked off FBS Northern Illinois 28-23.
  4. South Dakota, yet another team from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, meets Bowling Green on September 9th. While the Coyotes were only 4-7 last year, they lost 5 of those games by one score. They are close, and with most of their play makers back they can challenge a Bowling Green team who lost their star running back and veteran QB who only managed to go 4-8 last year playing in the MAC.
  5. Maine plays Massachusetts on November 11th at Fenway Park. Late season FCS vs FBS games can be tricky because FBS squads can hold up better than FCS teams this late in the season due to their depth. But games with a rivalry history make for interesting match ups. UMass moved up to FBS only 5 years ago and Maine will not be overawed by their former conference mate. In fact, the Bears beat UMass in 2013, 24-14, when the Minutemen played in the MAC. Now independent, UMass will be racking up a lot of miles as they shotgun their schedule around the country. Maine returns much of their squad, but will break in a new QB so this game being late in the season may work well for them. Maine is also one of 5 FCS teams to take on more than one FBS opponents this year. They also play UCF on September 30th.

15 games to keep an eye open for an upset:

  • Tennessee State at Georgia State (31 Aug)
  • Fordham at Army West Point (1 Sep)
  • Cal Poly at San Jose State (2 Sep)
  • Central Arkansas at Kansas State (2 Sep)
  • Eastern Washington at Texas Tech (2 Sep)
  • Northern Arizona at Arizona (2 Sep)
  • Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana-Lafayette (2 Sep)
  • Southern Utah at Oregon (2 Sep)
  • Western Carolina at Hawaii (2 Sep)
  • Youngstown State at Pittsburgh (2 Sep)
  • Gardner-Webb at Wyoming (9 Sep)
  • Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech (9 Sep)
  • Villanova at Temple (9 Sep)
  • Colgate at Buffalo (16 Sep)
  • Wofford at South Carolina (18 Nov)

 

Complete listing of FCS and FBS match ups for 2017:

26 August, Saturday

  • Portland State at BYU

31 August, Thursday

  • Austin Peay at Cincinnati
  • Florida A&M at Arkansas
  • Holy Cross at Connecticut
  • North Dakota at Utah
  • Presbyterian at Wake Forest
  • Rhode Island at Central Michigan
  • Sacramento State at Idaho
  • Tennessee State at Georgia State

1 September, Friday

  • Fordham at Army West Point

2 September, Saturday

  • Abilene Christian at New Mexico
  • Alabama A&M at UAB
  • ​Albany at Old Dominion
  • Bethune-Cookman at Miami
  • Cal Poly at San Jose State
  • Central Arkansas at Kansas State
  • Central Connecticut State at Syracuse
  • Charleston Southern at Mississippi State
  • Eastern Kentucky at Western Kentucky
  • Eastern Washington at Texas Tech
  • Elon at Toledo
  • Grambling State at Tulane
  • Hampton at Ohio
  • Houston Baptist at Texas State
  • Howard at UNLV
  • Incarnate Word at Fresno State
  • Lamar at North Texas
  • Jackson State at TCU
  • James Madison at East Carolina
  • Liberty at Baylor
  • Missouri State at Missouri
  • Montana State at Washington State
  • North Carolina Central at Duke
  • Northern Arizona at Arizona
  • Northern Iowa at Iowa State
  • Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech
  • Portland State at Oregon State
  • Southeast Missouri State at Kansas
  • Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana-Lafayette
  • Southern Utah at Oregon
  • Stephen F. Austin at SMU
  • Stony Brook at South Florida
  • Towson at Maryland
  • UC Davis at San Diego State
  • VMI at Air Force
  • Western Carolina at Hawaii
  • William & Mary at Virginia
  • Youngstown State at Pittsburgh

7 September, Thursday

  • Idaho State at Utah State

9 September , Saturday

  • Abilene Christian at Colorado State
  • Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt
  • Alabama State at Troy
  • Alcorn State at Florida International
  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Akron
  • Austin Peay at Miami (OH)
  • Chattanooga at LSU
  • Delaware at Virginia Tech
  • Eastern Illinois at Northern Illinois
  • Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
  • Gardner-Webb at Wyoming
  • Howard at Kent State
  • Indiana State at Tennessee
  • Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech
  • Montana at Washington
  • New Hampshire at Georgia Southern
  • Nicholls at Texas A&M
  • Northern Colorado at Florida
  • Savannah State at Appalachian State
  • South Dakota at Bowling Green
  • Southern at Southern Miss
  • UT Martin at Ole Miss
  • Villanova at Temple
  • Weber State at California

16 September, Saturday

  • Alabama A&M at South Alabama
  • Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas State
  • ​Bethune-Cookman at Florida Atlantic
  • Colgate at Buffalo
  • Delaware State at West Virginia
  • Furman at North Carolina State
  • Idaho State at Nevada
  • Mercer at Auburn
  • Morgan State at Rutgers
  • North Carolina A&T at Charlotte
  • Northern Colorado at Colorado
  • Samford at Georgia
  • Southern at UTSA
  • Tennessee Tech at Ball State

23 September, Saturday

  • Southern Illinois at Memphis
  • Wagner at Western Michigan
  • Western Illinois at Coastal Carolina

30 September, Saturday

  • Maine at UCF
  • Murray State at Louisville

11 November, Saturday 

  • Maine vs. Massachusetts

18 November, Saturday

  • Delaware State at Florida State
  • Mercer at Alabama
  • The Citadel at Clemson
  • Western Carolina at North Carolina
  • Wofford at South Carolina

The FCS Wedge – 2017-0105 – LISTEN UP!

Well folks, this is our final podcast of the FCS season. Been a very enjoyable journey this season and I thank Kris & Lance for putting forth a diligent effort to bring us these quality discussions this season.

The boys go over each team in the Chipper and follow their path through the donnybrook of FCS to arrive at their lofty perches in Frisco, TX.

A brief perusal and a couple of predictions of what they think could happen next season for a couple of teams and conferences and it is worth listening to…especially if you are a UC Davis fan.

JMU & YSU teams, fans, & anyone else on this ride, we wish you good luck and good health in the upcoming game on Saturday and may you put on one hell of a show for all that have the good fortune to watch you play.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

FCS Championship Preview: Youngstown State vs James Madison

James Madison receiver John Miller hauls in a pass from Bryan Schor during the Dukes’ semi-final playoff game versus North Dakota State. (Image via Connor Woisard, The Breeze)

The FCS title game is less than a week away and it will feature a team who dominated most of their opponents all season and a team who crawled their way to the game from the first round play-in games. Second year head coach Bo Pelini has guided his Youngstown State Penguins through the gauntlet of the Missouri Valley to the championship game, including playing on opening weekend of the playoffs.

On the other side of the field is James Madison, who put together an impressive resume throughout the season. The Dukes’ only loss coming at the hands of North Carolina in the third game of the season. Dukes head coach Mike Houston has done a superb job of guiding this team after taking over from Everett Withers in this past offseason.

For the Penguins to reach the championship game they had to run through two of the top offenses in FCS, Eastern Washington and Jacksonville State. The Penguins beat both of those offenses on the road. The Penguins also won two playoff games at home, against Samford and Wofford. The Penguins capped their playoff run with one of the wildest plays in college football this season. Kevin Rader was able to haul in a last second touchdown pass from Hunter Wells in the back of the end zone while holding the ball against an Eastern Washington defender. The call was upheld and the Penguins were dancing their way to Frisco, Texas.

James Madison, on the other hand, laid waste to their three playoff opponents. The Dukes won their first two games by a combined 120-29 against New Hampshire and Sam Houston State. The Dukes then had to hit the road to take on North Dakota State in the Fargo Dome, typically a death sentence for opposing playoff teams. The Dukes had a 17-7 lead at the half, and were tied at 17 at the end of the third quarter. However, the fourth quarter is where the Dukes took over and sealed the game with a touchdown pass from Bryan Schor to John Miller from 25 yards out to ice the game and a trip to Frisco.

The betting lines at the time of this writing has James Madison favored, currently at -6. The over/under is currently 63.5 points.

James Madison Dukes: 13-1 (8-0)
OL Mitch Kirsch FCS Stats 1st Team All-American, CAA 1st Team All-Conference
PR Rashard Davis FCS Stats 1st Team All-American, CAA 1st Team All-Conference, CAA Special Teams Player of the Year
RB Khalid Abdullah FCS Stats 2nd Team All-American, CAA 1st Team All-Conference
DB Taylor Reynolds FCS Stats 3rd Team All-American, CAA 1st Team All-Conference
QB Bryan Schor CAA Offensive Player of the Year, CAA 1st Team All-Conference
Head Coach Mike Houston CAA Coach of the Year
WR Brandon Ravenel CAA 1st Team All-Conference
OL Aaron Stinnie CAA 1st Team All-Conference
DL Andrew Ankrah CAA 1st Team All-Conference
S Raven Greene CAA 1st Team All-Conference
OL Matt Frank CAA 2nd Team All-Conference
LB Gage Steele CAA 2nd Team All-Conference
P Gunnar Kane CAA 2nd Team All-Conference
WR Terrence Alls CAA 3rd Team All-Conference

James Madison had a very good offense throughout the season. They scored more than 60 points four times, and more than 80 points twice. Their scoring offense was second in FCS, ranking only behind Sam Houston State, who the Dukes held to seven points. The Dukes led the Colonial Athletic Association in rushing yards per game with 284.6 yards. That effort was good enough for fourth nationally. Running back Khalid Abdullah was responsible for 1708 of those yards and 20 touchdowns. Cardon Johnson chipped in with 704 yards and eight touchdowns. Abdullah was the top rusher in the CAA and second best in FCS.

Quarterback Bryan Schor passed for 2890 yards and 27 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Schor’s passing yards were good enough for second in the CAA and 16th nationally. Schor was incredible effective in getting the ball to his receivers and minimizing mistakes throughout the season. One of Schor’s favorite targets, Brandon Ravenel finished the season with had 45 catches for 720 yards and five touchdowns. Terrence Alls had 35 receptions for 575 yards and five touchdowns.

The Dukes were first in the CAA in total offense with 525.6 yards per game, which ranked them third nationally behind Same Houston State and Eastern Washington. The Dukes hold the football for an average of 31:57 per game. The key to some of the Dukes success, however, is turnovers. As mentioned earlier, Schor was good at not turning the ball over. The Dukes finished +15 on the season. That was second in the CAA and ninth in FCS.

On the defensive side of the ball the Dukes are fifth in total defense in the CAA averaging 348 yards per game. The Dukes are led by defensive back Taylor Reynolds who was an FCS Stats All-American selection this season. He had 51 total tackles, two interceptions, and twelve pass break-ups in the Dukes secondary. Raven Green led the team with six interceptions of his own and 66 tackles. James Madison allowed an average of 21.7 points per game over the course of the season. Their rushing defense ranked fourth in the CAA giving up 137.8 per game. Their passing defense was ninth in CAA with 210.2 per game.

Seven James Madison football players will not be playing in the championship game, however, due to suspensions. Two of the players include leading tackler Brandon Hereford and wide receiver Terrence Alls. James Madison, at the time of this writing, has not commented on who the other five suspended players are.

Youngstown State Penguins: 12-3 (6-2)
DL Derek Rivers FCS Stats 2nd Team All-American, MVFC 1st Team All-Conference
DB LeRoy Alexiander FCS Stats 3rd Team All-American, MVFC 1st Team All-Conference
RB Martin Ruiz MVFC 1st Team All-Conference
DL Avery Moss MVFC 1st Team All-Conference
OL Justin Spencer MVFC 2nd Team All-Conference
LB Armand Dellovade MVFC 2nd Team All-Conference
DB Jameel Smith MVFC 2nd Team All-Conference
P Mark Schuler MVFC 2nd Team All-Conference
RB Jody Webb MVFC Honorable Mention
OL Dylan Colucci MVFC Honorable Mention
DB Kenny Bishop, MVFC Honorable Mention

Bo Pelini’s Youngstown State Penguins didn’t blow anyone away with statistics like James Madison did, however, the Penguins were fairly consistent throughout the season. In their three losses only the North Dakota State loss were they completely dominated. The Penguins went into halftime tied with West Virginia and lost by three scores to close the second half. All three of those losses were road losses.

The Penguin offense was the top rushing attack in the Missouri Valley this season, averaging 257.5, which was good enough for seventh in FCS. The Penguins were led by running back Jody Webb who rushed for 1301 yards and six touchdowns. He ranked first in the MVFC and ninth nationally. His teammate, Martin Ruiz had 1153 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was second in the MVFC and 15th nationally. Tevin McCaster added 629 yards and eleven touchdowns for the Penguins as well.

Ruiz, however, will more than likely be sitting out the FCS championship game due to an arrest on a weapons charge.  Other Penguins known to be sitting the game out are Darien Townsend, LeRoy Alexander, and Jameel Smith, who all failed drug tests. Alexander was an FCS Stats All-American. Smith was an All-MVFC selection.

Quarterback Hunter Wells was 107-169 for 1443 and nine touchdowns this weekend in eight games for the Penguins. He had four interceptions on the season as well. Wells isn’t a threat to run with the football. The Penguins averaged 174.1 yards per game passing, which was ninth in the MVFC this season.

The Penguins held the ball for 34:02 per game this season on average. The rushing attack is very talented and keeps defenses on the field longer than they’d like to be. Youngstown’s time of possession ranked third in FCS this past season, behind The Citadel and San Diego. The Penguins were fifth in the MVFC with a turnover margin of zero through the season.

On the defensive side of the ball the Penguins are led by defensive lineman Derek Rivers, an FCS Stats All-American, and LeRoy Alexander. As mentioned above, Alexander will not be available for the championship game. Rivers had 14 sacks on the season. Rivers had 52 tackles on the season, 17.5 of them were tackles for loss. He also recovered three fumbles for the Penguins. Avery Moss recorded 51 tackles on the season, 14.5 of those were tackles for loss. He had ten sacks on the season.

Youngstown State ranked second in the MVFC with 19.4 points per game given up. That was good enough for ninth in FCS. The Penguins were third in total defense with 324.5 yards per game. That Penguins ranked 19th in FCS in total defense. Their rushing defense gave up 128.1 yards per game, while their passing defense gave up 196.3 yards per game.

Final Thoughts

The FCS title game should be an entertaining game featuring two teams who are very talented running the football. The Dukes run a slightly faster paced offense than the Penguins do, the Dukes averaging four plays a game more than the Penguins. Both teams are going to be missing players, key players, that may affect them. The loss of LeRoy Alexander could be big for Youngstown State trying to slow down Bryan Schor.

The rushing offense productivity for both teams are very similar. With the Penguins missing Martin Ruiz they could see a slowdown. Tevin McCaster, however, ran the ball superbly against Eastern Washington in the semi-final game going for 154 yards and three scores. On paper James Madison looks like, by far, the more talented team. Bo Pelini’s team has the defense and rushing attack to beat James Madison, however. Perhaps we’ll get a surprise appearance from Bo Pelini’s cat to help tip the scales, or even Faux Pelini himself, but it’ll take more than that to beat the Dukes in Frisco.

The game will air on ESPN2 on Saturday January 7th. It will be a 12:00pm ET kickoff from Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

 

PointAfter | Graphiq

The FCS Wedge – 2016-1213 – LISTEN UP!

Kris & Lance do their usual great work recapping and previewing the games pivotal to this week’s podcast.  They also get into a little bit of the coaching shuffle and discuss some trouble at YSU this week.  As always, if you are not listening to them you are missing some good, fun, informative lads talking about FCS football.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The FCS Wedge – 2016-1207 – LISTEN UP!

Lance & Kris go over last week’s games:

  • #1 NDSU 45   San Diego 7
  • #2 EWU  31     Central Arkansas 14
  • Youngstown State 40   #3 Jacksonville State 24
  • #4 James Madison 55     New Hampshire 22
  • #5 Sam Houston 41       Chattanooga  36
  • Wofford 17    #6 The Citadel 3
  • #7 SDSU 10   Villanova 7
  • Richmond 27   #8 North Dakota 24

They move forward to all the upcoming games for this weekend and give a bit of insight as to what they see coming for us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The FCS Wedge – 2016-1130 – LISTEN UP!

Well, our first weekly show dedicated solely to being in full playoff mode and Lance starts off the show by beating Kris down a little for his playoff picks in the AGS Bracket Challenge going on right now at the site.

The boys move on to the first round games and go over the finer points of these contests.

  • San Diego 35 Cal Poly 21  (Probably the biggest upset since Wofford took down Montana in 2007)
  • Villanova 31 St. Francis 21
  • New Hampshire 64 Lehigh 21
  • Chattanooga 45 Weber State 14
  • Central Arkansas 31 Illinois State 24
  • Richmond 39 North Carolina A&T 10
  • Youngstown State 38 Samford 24
  • Wofford 15 Charleston Southern 14

They then go over all the upcoming games for the 2nd round playoff action coming up this weekend.    Give em’ a listen, it’s worth your time.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

1st Round Playoff Preview: #15 Lehigh at #18 New Hampshire

#15 Lehigh at #18 New Hampshire – 26 Nov 2:00 P.M. Wildcat Stadium Durham, NH

(Live Streaming on ESPN3)

For the 5th time in 7 years Lehigh (9-2) and New Hampshire (7-4) will butt heads on the gridiron. This time however, the stakes will be much higher as the Mountain Hawks and Wildcats meet in the First Round of the FCS Playoffs. While they’ve been frequent foes in recent years, this will be the first postseason meeting between the two Northeast powers since 1975 when they met as Division 2 programs. New Hampshire won that game 35-21 at Lehigh’s old Taylor Stadium. This will be the 15th meeting all-time between Lehigh and New Hampshire. The pride of the Granite State leads the all-time series 12-3.

The FCS version of New Hampshire will be making their 13th straight playoff appearance which is the longest streak in the history of the subdivision. It’s the Wildcats 15th visit overall to the 1-AA/FCS postseason. Had the Wildcats failed to beat Maine last weekend in Orono their playoff streak would most certainly have come to an end. As it is, they enter the playoffs having already survived one win or go home game. Last year New Hampshire was upset by Patriot Leaguer Colgate 27-20 in the first round. It was the first time the Wildcats lost to a team from the Patriot League in the FCS playoffs. UNH beat soundly beat their 3 previous (Colgate ’05, Lafayette ’13, Fordham ’14) Patriot League postseason opponents by an average score of 48 to 15.

Lehigh will be making their first playoff appearance since 2011 when they earned a bye before defeating CAA champion Towson 40-38 in the 2nd round. The Mountain Hawks would fall 24-0 to eventual national champion North Dakota State the following week in Fargo. This will be Lehigh’s 10th 1-AA/FCS playoff appearance overall and 8th as a member of the Patriot League. The league did not allow its members to participate in the playoffs from the league’s inception in 1986 through the 1996 season. Colgate became the first league member to participate in postseason play in 1997. The following year Lehigh earned the Patriot League’s first ever playoff win with a thrilling 24-23 victory over Richmond. The Mountain Hawks are 5-2 in first round games during the Patriot League era. Unfortunately for Lehigh, they are 0-5 in their next playoff game. Lehigh is 3-5 all-time against the A10/CAA in postseason play.

If Lehigh wants to take down the Wildcats on their home turf the offense needs to continue to roll along. The Mountain Hawks have averaged 45 ppg on their current 9 game winning streak. The unit is led by Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Nick Shafnisky (66 comp %, 2448 yards 20 TDs 5 INTs, 95 carries 302 yards 10 TDs). The senior duel-threat QB drove defenses crazy all year with his ability to make plays from the pocket with his arm or by attacking the open field with his legs. His improved accuracy down the field this year helped to make an already explosive offense even more potent. Having a trio of wide receivers as talented as Troy Pelletier (88 rec 1,140 yards 11 TDs), Gatlin Casey (58 rec 1,098 yards 14 TDs) and Derek Knott (52 rec 683 yards 3 TDs) certainly makes Shafnsiky’s job a little easier. As does having 1,000 rusher Dominic Bragalone (193 carries 1,107 yards 13 TDs) as a running mate in the backfield.

New Hampshire will look to First Team All-CAA defenders Cam Shorey (19 solo tackles, 8 TFL, 2 Sacks) and Casey DeAndrade (39 solo tackles, 2 INTs, 2 Forced Fumbles) to lead the way when it comes to slowing down the explosive Mountain Hawk offense. Defensive lineman Cam Shorey and his fellow front 7 mates will need to get pressure on Shafnisky in order to disrupt the 6th ranked passing offense in FCS. The Wildcats rank 59th in FCS against the pass (217.7 ypg allowed). UNH will also need to contain Lehigh’s zone-read rushing attack which quietly carved up opponents for much of the year. The Wildcats have been rather stout against (140.5 ypg allowed) the run for much of the season. Arguably, their worst performance of the year came against Albany two weeks ago when the Danes ran for 295 yards in a 36-25 win over UNH. They bounced back last week by limiting Maine to 124 yards on the ground.

The Wildcats will need to neutralize one aspect of the Lehigh offense in order to advance. Their best bet might be focusing on the run and force Shafnisky to beat them with his arm. If Lehigh can use the run to set up the pass their offense is even more difficult to defend. The Mountain Hawk ground game also allows the offense to maintain favorable down and distance scenarios which is why they’re among the best teams in the country on 3rd down (51%, 6th in FCS). If UNH can make the Lehigh offense more predictable it’ll go a long towards slowing it down. Bucknell’s ability to hold up at the line of scrimmage allowed them to use this formula two weeks ago (93 rushing yards allowed) with great success in a near upset win. The Bison held the Lehigh offense to a season low 20 points.

Should the New Hampshire defense struggle to slow down Lehigh, the pressure will fall on the Wildcat “O” to keep pace. UNH has proven to be capable of scoring in bunches at times during the regular season (35+ on four occasions) but they’ve also had the propensity to bog down which resulted in a rather pedestrian 25.9 ppg average on the year. To make things trickier for UNH, starting QB Trevor Knight (57 comp %, 1,645 yards 14 TDs 10 INTs) might miss the game with due to an injury (lower leg/foot) he suffered against Maine. If he can’t go Adam Riese will likely get the nod. The senior QB went 20-37 with 1 TD and 1 INT against the Black Bears in relief. Riese started 3 games last year so he shouldn’t be uncomfortable as the #1 should his name be called.

Outside of the unsettled situation at QB, there is quite a bit to like about the UNH’s offense. The Wildcats feature a balanced group of receivers and a physical presence at RB in Dalton Crosson (2nd team All-CAA; 194 carries,1,005 yards). Redshirt Freshman Malik Love (56 rec 476 yards 1 TD) and sophomore Neil O’Connor (45 rec 596 yards 5 TDs) are small (both under 6 feet) but elusive wide receivers. The duo should find some opportunities against a Mountain Hawk secondary that does up big plays in space from time to time. Overall though, Lehigh has been solid against the pass (206 ypg allowed, 3rd PL) for most of the year.

The key for New Hampshire will be committing to the run like Villanova did (396 yards rushing) early in the year when they beat Lehigh 25-21. Dalton Crosson could be in line for a big game against a Lehigh front seven that will likely be without leading tackler Colton Caslow (54 solo tackles 10 TFL, 1st Team All PL). The senior captain suffered a sprain knee against Lafayette last Saturday. As a result, the captain seems destined to miss this week’s game. The Mountain Hawk defense has been susceptible to run all season (191 ypg allowed, 6th in PL) so the loss of their leader could be especially costly. If UNH can rush for 250+ yards as a team and win the TOP battle there’s a good chance they’ll come out on top.

More than a few people were surprised when it was announced that Lehigh would be making the 380 mile trek to Durham for the game. Many people assumed the Mountain Hawks would be home for a first round game given the season they had and a stadium that’s among the better venues in FCS. As it is, Lehigh must go into a place that has generally proven to be a nightmare for the visiting team over the last 13 years. However, New Hampshire’s playoff loss to Colgate last year and two regular season losses this season at home should give Lehigh a little extra boost of confidence.

Lehigh is a veteran squad who should not be intimidated by the stakes or the location of the game. Conversely, Wildcat head coach Sean McDonnell has done an excellent job getting the most out of a team that had to overcome youth and inexperience at several positions. There were a few bumps in the road but when it’s all said and done, 6-2 in the CAA, a win over rival Maine and a 13th straight playoff appearance is another very successful season in Durham.

With an offense that’s loaded with veteran playmakers and a defense that became a reliable unit, Lehigh has ingredients to win on the road in the FCS playoffs. New Hampshire will be focused and ready to go after what happened against Colgate in last year’s playoffs. While motivation is often a huge intangible, that alone won’t be enough to overcome a Lehigh team that’s played about as well as anyone in FCS over the last 2 months.

Prediction: Lehigh 44 New Hampshire 31