Patriot League Preview: Holy Cross

Holy Cross Crusaders

2016 Record: 4-7 Overall, 2-4 in Patriot League

Head Coach: Tom Gilmore 13th Season (70-76 Overall, 40-39 PL)

Last Patriot League Title: 2009

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: 2009

Key Returning Players

Offense: QB Peter Pujals (5th Sr.), RB Gabe Guild (5th Sr.), C James Murray (5th Sr.), LG Nick Piker (5th Sr.), WR Richie DeNicola (Jr.)

Defense LB Nick McBeath (Sr.), DT Jack Kutschke (Sr.), DT Teddy Capsis (Jr.), LB Andre Chevalier (Sr.), SS Chase Stratton (Sr.)

2016 Review

The 2016 season began with reasonably high expectations for Holy Cross given the return of star quarterback Peter Pujals and a talented set of skill players. The Crusaders were picked tied for 3rd (with eventual champion Lehigh) in the preseason Patriot League poll after posting a respectable 6-5 record in 2015. Much of the optimism revolved around Peter Pujals who entered his senior campaign as one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in FCS. The Illinois native was poised to own every record there was before his season was abruptly cut short by a serious leg injury he suffered against Dartmouth. While 2016 got off to a bumpy start prior to the Pujals injury, it basically hit a dead end once the star quarterback went down.

The biggest reason Holy Cross was unable to overcome the loss of a Pujals was a defense that gave up points in bunches (32.3 ppg, 6th in PL). Outside of LB Nick McBeath there was a lack of big time difference makers on the defensive side of the ball. The front 7 did a nice job at times with McBeath, Sr. Dewayne Cameron (13 TFL, 7 sacks) and Jr. LB Andre Chevalier leading the way. The secondary (6th in ypg and 7th in passing defense efficiency) was the main issue. Some of the struggles can be attributed to inexperience in the backend. By the time the season ended FS Luke Ford and CB Ron Millhouse were the only 2 seniors seeing significant time.

The 54-14 blowout loss to Fordham at Yankee Stadium was in some cruel way the perfect ending for a season that never got off the ground. There’s no doubt that did not sit well with the fiery Gilmore in the offseason. Motivation should not be an issue on Mount Saint James as the Crusaders finally turn the page to 2017.

2017 Offense

Key Returning Player to Watch: RB Gabe Guild

Freshman to Watch: TE Jake Fletcher

The safest assumption in the Patriot League is the 2017 Holy Cross offense will go as far as 5th year senior Peter Pujals takes them. There’s a good chance that if he stays healthy he will own every significant passing record at Holy Cross. Assuming his leg is fully healed; Pujals is more than capable of beating teams with his legs. That’s why he sits 3rd all-time in total offensive yards at Holy Cross. The leadership aspect can’t be overlooked either. Having started since his freshman year, Pujals has experienced just about everything football has to offer, good and bad.

This year his biggest test will be trying to overcome the graduation of Brendan Flaherty (59 rec 621 yards 4 TD) and Jake Wieczorek (55 rec 705 yards 5 TDs). The two senior wide receivers put together very solid 2016 campaigns despite having to deal with shaky at best quarterback play much of the time. Junior Richie DeNicola (49 rec 513 yards 4 TD) seems the most likely candidate to emerge as Pujals top target. Fellow juniors Jordan Montgomery and Martin Dorsey should also see an increased roll. Senior Darrius Lacy (14 rec 248 yards 0 TD) is a shifty threat that has the potential to really excel in the slot position. To provide depth at receiver, Gilmore and offensive coordinator Brock Stone opted to switch Blaise Bell from QB and Tate Beachley from RB. Freshman WR Tenio Ayeni from national power Allen, TX could emerge as a key contributor as the season moves along.

Peter Pujals will have a familiar face in the backfield with the return of 5th year senior running back Gabe Guild. Guild went down with an injury against New Hampshire last year and, like Pujals, was granted a medical redshirt. His return is huge given the lack of depth and overall production at the running back position recently. Even with Guild’s return, the running attack must improve (103.8 ypg 5th in PL) if Holy Cross wants to compete for the league title. Guild’s best year was in 2014 when he rushed for 588 yards and 5 TD. His production dipped as a junior. Since Guild can’t do it alone fellow senior Diquan Walker needs to build off of his 2016 season (411 yards 4 TD). If both remain healthy there’s no reason the duo can’t combine for a 1,000 yard season. Junior Miles Alexander provides some much needed depth.

The offensive line will be relying on 5th year seniors James Murray (Center) and Nick Piker (guard) to provide stability to what will otherwise be a green group. Last year’s 2-deep was littered with freshman and sophomores that will now be pressed into action. 6’8 320 pound senior Charles Steele will likely see time at tackle. Jackson Dennis and Joe Mattingly seem like the leading candidates to nail down the other tackle position. Guard will likely come down to Brett Broddy or Rory Costello. Whatever the combination turns out to be the line play must improve. Despite starting 5 seniors at times last year the unit struggled to control the line of scrimmage far too often. If the offense wants to take off in Pujals swan song the ground game must be able to assert itself. In order for that to happen the five guys in the trenches need become one of the top units in the Patriot League.

The final question on offense is at tight end. Lucas Nikolaisen (32 rec 244 yards 2 TD) graduated and his backup Jayke Simsheuser had 1 catch for 5 yards in 2016. If there’s one position on offense where a freshman could have an immediate impact it’s at tight end. 6’6 230 pound Josh Fletcher will likely have an opportunity to get on the field early in the year. Don’t be surprised if the Florida native is Pujal’s favorite red zone target by the time mid-October rolls around.

Defense

Returning Player to Watch: Andre Chevalier

Freshman to Watch: Kendrick Knight

The strength of the Crusader defense figures to be at linebacker. Preseason Patriot League All-League linebacker Nick McBeath (91 solo tackles, 8 TFL) is the unquestioned leader of the defense. He’s been an impact player on defense since his freshman year. McBeath is joined by another potential game changer at LB in Andre Chevalier. The third LB spot should come down to a pair of juniors. Either Jack Haddon or Ryan Brady will assume a starting role in 2017. Junior Kevin Bucceroni and two prized LB recruits from Georgia, Keiston Lowery and Kendrick Knight, are names that could emerge rather quickly.

The defensive line has the potential to be quite formidable due to an abundance of size defensive coordinator Mike Kashurba has to work with. Senior Jack Kutschke (Sr. 6’5 280) and junior Teddy Capsis (6’3 263) will once anchor the tackle positions in the 4-3 scheme. Backing them up figures to be senior Phil Zobrest (6’5 273) and juniors Neil Vorster (6’3 294) and Jake McArdell (6’2 289). The defensive end position seems to be a little more unstable. The loss of Dewayne Cameron will not be easily overcome. Sophomore Mark Ebo could slide into one of the end positions. 6’6 249 pound sophomore Dillon Hart has the frame to cause havoc on edge if he’s been able to get stronger since last year. Freshmen Noah Johnson and Jordan Jackson have the credentials and the size to see the field in spot duty. Both have the potential to be big time players down the road.

The big issue for the Crusaders on defense seems to be the secondary. The passing numbers against the Holy Cross defense in 2016 weren’t pretty. Part of that can be attributed youth but the trend going back a couple of seasons indicates a consistent struggle along the backend of the defense. Senior Alim Muhammad is likely to start at the one CB position. The other CB position could go to either Damion Baker or Akeem Walcott. Both saw significant time last year. Free safety seems a bit more unsettled with the graduation of Luke Ford. At 6’3 195 Chris Riley has the frame to take over the stalwart Ford. Chase Stratton returns at strong safety with Ahmad Tyler backing him up. Sophomore Alex Johnson and freshman Josh Hicks are two players that could play a significant role as the season progresses.

Special Teams

Senior A.J. Wells is expected to take over the place kicking responsibilities from Zane Wasp. Will McGrail or sophomore Cody Wilkinson might see time at punter if Gilmore does not want Wells handling all of the duties. Darrius Lacy seems primed to be the return specialist. But don’t be surprised if Richie DeNicola, Jon Jon Roberts and/or Jordan Montgomery get an opportunity as well.

2017 Outlook

When Peter Pujals announced he was returning for a 5th year the Holy Cross faithful in Worcester and all around New England rejoiced. After an extremely disappointing 2016 season the prospects for ’17 seemed to improve immediately. And while having Pujals back for a 5th year is a huge boost it’s been proven over time he can’t do it alone. In order for the passing game to really reach its potential someone has to emerge at WR. The loss of Flaherty and Wieczorek will be extremely difficult to overcome. Getting Guild back is a boost but he’s far from a stat monster. He needs someone else to emerge at RB when needed. The offensive line seems to be trending upwards which will help the ground game.

Despite Tom Gilmore’s background in defense his units at Holy Cross have been below average far too often. Last year’s edition was one of his worst. However, with McBeath leading the way and a front 7 oozing with size and depth it’s hard to imagine there’s not a significant improvement in 2017. The flaw on defense will likely remain in the secondary. There’s been an influx in athleticism in the last two recruiting classes but it might be a year or two away from really paying off.

The schedule does Holy Cross no favors. The Crusaders must deal with having 3 (@ UConn, @ Bucknell and @ Dartmouth) out of the first 4 games on the road. The lone home game during that span is against perennial FCS playoff participant New Hampshire. The season doesn’t end any easier than it starts for Holy Cross. Trips to Lehigh and Fordham will either cap a forgettable season or perhaps afford the Crusaders an opportunity to win the league.

2017 Schedule

8/31 @ UConn 7:30 PM

9/9 @ Bucknell 12 PM

9/16 New Hampshire 1 PM

9/23 @ Dartmouth 7 PM

9/30 Lafayette 1 PM

10/7 Monmouth 1 PM

10/14 @ Yale 1 PM

10/21 Colgate 12 PM

10/28 Georgetown 1 PM

11/4 @ Fordham 1 PM

11/11 @ Lehigh 12:30 PM

2017 Projection: 5-6 Overall, 3-3 in Patriot League

2017 FCS Kickoff Classic

The college football season kicks off 2017 with a great game on 26 August when the Jacksonville State Gamecocks battle against the Mocs of Chattanooga in what is being billed as the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff Classic. The game will be played in Montgomery, Alabama. Aired nationwide on ESPN at 6:30 PM EDT, the game will be a great opportunity to showcase FCS football to the nation.

With both teams ranked in the final 2016 poll and all major 2017 preseason polls, the winner will get a quick boost to its march towards the 2017 playoffs. Both teams participated in the 2016 playoffs with Chattanooga (9-4) falling to Sam Houston State in the second round and JSU (10-2), the number three seed, falling to Youngstown State who went on to be defeated in the championship game by James Madison.

These teams have a long rivalry and this will be the 41st meeting dating back to 1904. The Mocs lead the series 26-14, but haven’t beaten JSU since 2011. In the four games since then JSU has won by a total of 15 points with two of the match ups going into overtime. It promises to be a good one.

UTC enters the 2017 season with a new head coach, Tom Arth. Arth was previously the head coach at Division III John Carroll where he led the Blue Streaks to one Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and three Div III playoff appearances in 4 years. Arth inherits a fairly loaded Moc team with veteran QB Alejandro Bennifield at the helm. The senior QB is listed on the preseason All Southern Conference Second Team. Overall, Chattanooga placed 10 on the preseason teams. On defense, one of the Moc’s perennial strengths, they return junior defensive lineman Isaiah Mack, senior linebacker Dale Warren and defensive back Lucas Webb. All three are listed on the preseason All SOCON First Team Defense.

Jacksonville State has gone undefeated in regular season games against FCS competition during the last three years. They have only lost 6 games total in the last three years and three were to FBS (LSU, Auburn in overtime, and Michigan St) competition. The other three losses…were to two teams who ended as the FCS Championship runner ups and the other game they lost was the 2015 Championship game to NDSU. They have been a formidable power the last few years even if they have not gone the distance. On defense the Gamecocks remain fully loaded with 9 starters returning, including three preseason All-Americans.  Their offense is a different story. With a new QB and offensive line to sort out, JSU may have some kinks to work out for this first game.

Last year Chattanooga had fairly balanced offense. No, it was nearly perfectly balanced. They ran for 2682 yards and passed for 2681. Without standout running back Derrick Craine this year, they may rely on Bennifield to pass a bit more. And he can do it. Last year he tossed 26 TDs in 13 games. Overall the Mocs had a pretty decent offensive output last season averaging 412 yards and 34 points a game. One area that could stand some improvement is in 3rd down conversions, where they still went almost 39%. They had a fairly good average time of possession at 32:21 a game and they know how to protect the ball with a +5 turnover margin. They only averaged about 5-6 penalties a game for an average of 53 yards.

Against a JSU defense that held opponents to 2.6 yards a rush, the Mocs may need to look to the air on offense. Overall last year the Gamecocks limited their opponents to only 275 yards of total offense a game. They also had 18 interceptions and recovered 7 fumbles. Overall they were +10 in turnovers. They held their opponents to a 23% third down conversion rate and with 38 sacks last year they showed they can be stingy on defense. They also held opponents to just 18 point a game.

On offense they tended to rely on the rushing game, or QB scrambles, gaining just over 3000 rushing yards last season. They passed for 2002 yards. With a new QB at the helm, the Gamecocks will likely turn to their backfield duo of Roc Thomas and UGA transfer Tramel Terry to lead the way. JSU averaged about 31 points a game and converted about 34% of their 3rd downs. Their time of possession averaged 31:26. One area that could stand some work is penalties considering they racked up about 10 a game averaging 90 yards.

JSU will face a strong Mocs defense. Last year Chattanooga held opponents to only 130 rushing per game. That is no mean feat playing in the SOCON. Overall they held opponents to just 294 yards and 19.6 points a game. They had 38 sacks and held opponents to about a 34% 3rd down conversion rate.

Special teams is a bit on an unknown as both UTC and JSU will both be starting new place kickers and replacing both their punt returners and kickoff specialists.

This game should be a defensive struggle with whoever makes the first mistake ending up the loser. However, it is a new year with new players and in UTC’s case, new coaches. Anything is possible and Chattanooga will definitely be looking to end its 4 game skid against JSU. Both teams have high aspirations and both teams know that a victory here could go a long way in securing a playoff bid and possible seed come November. On paper, it looks like a toss-up, but Chattanooga may be ready to avenge those 4 losses. I predict the Mocs take it, 31-28.

2017 OVC Previews: Jacksonville State

 

 

2016 Record: 10-2 (7-0 OVC)
Key Players: DL Darius Jackson, S Marlon Bridges, RB Roc Thomas

The Gamecocks are coming off a 2016 campaign that ended abruptly in the Second Round of the FCS playoffs at the hands of Championship Runner Up Youngstown State. The Gamecocks won their third straight OVC title and moved to 23-0 in OVC play under Head Coach John Grass. Last season also raised some concerns regarding the offense and the discipline of the team overall that will need to be addressed as we enter the 2017 season.

JSU runningback Roc Thomas jukes past a Coastal Carolina defender

Arguably the biggest hurdle John Grass has faced in his tenure at JSU is replacing quarterback Eli Jenkins. Jenkins served as the catalyst that allowed Grass’ spread option offense to click over the past three years and now that he’s gone Grass will need to look toward either QB Bryant Horn or QB Kendrick Doss to lead the way for an offense that will also be without Josh Barge and has suffered heavy losses on the offensive line with three starters gone. The driving force for this years’ offense will likely be running back duo Roc Thomas and Tramel Terry. Thomas and Terry should be a provide a headache to opposing DCs as both backs are excellent at catching the ball out of the backfield as well as running between the tackles. The other big question mark on offense is the receiving corps. With Krenwick Sanders coming back from his injury last year and Demontez Terry, Jamari Hester, Shaq Davidson, and Kevin Spears all returning, the unit has a lot of talent and potential to be great. However, last year was not a year where the passing game excelled and we will have to wait and see whether Horn/Doss is able to find the groove with his receivers that offense was lacking last season.

 

Darius Jackson celebrates after getting a game winning sack against Coastal Carolina

On defense, it’s an ENTIRELY different story. For the past three years under Grass we have seen the offense breaking just about every record in the book but it seems that has changed. This unit looks to be among the best to have ever worn a JSU Gamecock uniform. With 9 starters returning, 6 of them All-Conference, the defense is going to be what wins JSU games this year. With the headliners like Preseason All-American and OVC Preseason DPOY Darius Jackson, the defense has plenty of depth. For the past couple seasons the Gamecocks have been giving everyone on the DL three or so deep has been getting significant game time and it’s been paying off in giving the Gamecocks one of the deepest defensive lines in the country.

 

If the Gamecocks can fix their offensive issues, penalty problems, and mediocre kicking game they may be poised to make a deep run into the FCS playoffs. If they can’t fix it they may end their season in similar fashion to last year.

The Gamecocks will open their season in Montgomery against Chattanooga on ESPN. The game will be on Saturday, August 26th at 5:30 CST.

Southern Conference Preview

Well it’s time to review the upcoming season and the battle for the Southern Conference. Overall, it is a wide open race with the conference title up for grabs. Lots of losses to graduation and some new coaching faces may level the playing field even more than it has been the last few years. Last year, 16 out of the 36 conference games were decided by one possession. In the last four years there have been 54 one possession games out of 124 conference games played. That’s over 43% of the games!

With the reigning SOCON Champion The Citadel facing some serious losses to graduation and Chattanooga with a new head coach, Wofford and Samford will be chomping at the bit to claim the title. With all four of those teams making the FCS playoffs last season, they will all be hungry for a return trip. Western Carolina and especially Furman are looking to turn things around after sinking a bit. Mercer is looking to maintain their intensity after graduating its first class after returning to Division I football. VMI will have a tough road as graduation decimated their offense. ETSU, in its third season back playing football after a 12 year hiatus, will try and build on its stunning victory in the final game of last year over a playoff bound Samford.

The schedule will obviously play an important role to see who can build momentum as the season progresses. Last years champ, The Citadel, opened the 2016 season with two conference victories against Mercer and Furman. This year Wofford will play those same two teams to open the season with Furman up first. Always a grudge match, Wofford and Furman have split the last 12 games with neither team winning more than 2 in a row. As a quarterfinalist last year in the FCS playoffs, Wofford was a dark horse. How they will perform with the spotlight on them early on may reveal a lot.   After it opens with two SOCON games Wofford gets a bye week before facing Gardner-Webb at home. It then gets Presbyterian on the road, WCU at home, The Citadel in Charleston, Samford at home, at ETSU and UTC at home. It finishes off at VMI and USC where it has giving the Gamecocks fits in the past. This is a pretty good schedule if the Terriers can keep it rolling.

The Citadel has what is probably the best schedule it could hope for to start out the 2017 campaign in light of its losses, including three All Americans. It opens against Div II Newberry, a Presbyterian team that went 2-9 last year and ETSU still trying to find its way. This opening schedule will be more than adequate to shake out the kinks of its new starters before it meets Samford at the end of September in Birmingham in a game that could decide the fate of both teams. It has a bye week before Samford. It gets Mercer and Wofford at home before traveling to UTC. After playing VMI and WCU at home, it goes on the road to Furman and reigning FBS Champion Clemson.

Chattanooga can make a huge splash on the FCS map when it meets Jacksonville State in the Montgomery Classic on 26 Aug to kick off the 2017 season. The Mocs have not beaten JSU since 2011, but the last 4 games have been decided by a total of 15 points. A victory here could go a long way in giving the Mocs confidence for the 2017 season.   They follow it up by a paycheck game against LSU and a home opener against a good Tenn-Martin team. Their first four SOCON games are VMI, WCU, Furman, and Mercer. Depending on how they do against JSU, they could well be 6-1 overall going into The Citadel, Samford and Wofford beginning in late Oct. They finish with ETSU at home.

Samford has high hopes this year. After winning a share of the crown in 2013, they have consistently underachieved. With one of the best quarterbacks in Div I football at the helm, Junior Devlin Hodges, they may be set to finally get it done again this year. With a 71% completion percentage, 4088 yards, and 36 TDs, and only 8 interceptions last year, Samford could be the team to beat for the conference title if he repeats his performance. Samford opens with Kennesaw State and a decent Div II team in West Alabama.   After a paycheck game in Athens against Georgia, which might just be interesting, Samford begins SOCON play at WCU. It does get The Citadel at home next and it also gets Chattanooga and Furman at home later on. It does have to play Wofford in Spartanburg though, but it has a bye week prior. Not a bad schedule to make a run at the title.

Whether Furman can turn things around under their new head coach, Clay Hendrix, might be shown in its early match up against Wofford. It also gets a hapless Elon at home and then goes on the road for NC State and a good matchup against Colgate to start its season. It is a lot better schedule than last year’s meat grinder that started Furman’s fall to unheard of depths. A 2-2 start would not be unrealistic for the Paladins. While it gets Mercer and The Citadel at home, it goes on the road for UTC and Samford for its last game of the regular season.

Regardless if Mercer maintains its characteristic tenacity in conference games (it has had 17 one possession games in the 22 SOCON games it has played!) it may be a tough year for the Bears. How Mercer does, without the energy of its first team to graduate in decades, should also be of interest. While they no doubt had a pipeline of new and capable players, the loss of the synergy and leadership of the first new team may impact them.   After opening against Jacksonville of the Pioneer League, it gets Wofford at home and then goes to Auburn, the first of its two FBS games this year. The other is Alabama to close the regular season. It has to travel to Charleston, Greenville, and Cullowhee, but it does get UTC and Samford at home. I might be making too much of it graduating its first class, but I think the loss of QB John Russ will be apparent. He was a good solid QB that kept them in games. I have to go back again to how close some of the Mercer games have been because I think that it is impressive. It lost 10 of those 17 one possession games it had. And in 6 of those 10 losses, they lost by a total of 10 points. Talk about being close.

WCU, with some new faces on the coaching staff, will try and regain some winning ways. It has a pretty good QB in Sophomore Tyrie Adams. If it finds a defense as well, then it make makes some waves. The Catamounts start off with a fairly decent road game. Who am I kidding, they play Hawaii, it’s a great road trip. If my Bulldogs ever do it, I am there. Hawaii is just a so so FBS team. Their biggest advantage is mother nature and the inevitable adjustment to the time change for the players. I can see it being closer than expected if they fix their defense a bit, but a blow out could happen as well. They then get Davidson at home and that should give them some confidence, if they do not have a Hawaii hangover. After traveling to Gardner-Webb, they get a meat grinder with Samford at home, and road games at Chattanooga and Wofford. Later on they travel to VMI and The Citadel and get Furman and Mercer at home. Then they have to finish at UNC. Not the best of schedules but they could pull the odd upset. They have no bye week due to the Hawaii game. How they do in Hawaii, and against G-W will be tell a lot as to how they have ramped up their defense.

VMI opens at AF, hosts Div II Catawba, and goes to Robert Morris. Not a bad start to shake out those new offensive starters. It then gets UTC at home, at Mercer, Samford at home, at Furman, WCU at home and then goes to Charleston for the Military Classic of the South.  It finishes at ETSU and gets Wofford at home to end the regular season. It really is not a bad schedule overall. It just comes at the wrong time for a VMI team that is rebuilding. Their defense may keep them in games though.

ETSU wasn’t that bad last year. In fact, they had bookend victories to their season that were downright good: Kennesaw and Samford. This year they start with a bad Div II Limestone and it should give them confidence before they travel to reigning FCS champ JMU the next week. After facing The Citadel and Mercer at home they travel to Furman and then get Robert Morris at home. During the rest of their season, they travel to WCU, Samford and UTC. They also get Wofford and VMI at home. It is very hard to measure them yet with only one year of conference play under their belt. In their victories, ball control was the key. They have decent players but not much star quality yet. They have a pretty decent OOC schedule considering their team’s development. The meat grinder than is the SOCON will take its toll on them though.

With the schedule laid out, I have to give the nod to Wofford and Samford as having the best path to the title. For Wofford, if they claim two quick opening conference victories, that will position them nicely, just as it did for The Citadel last year. When looking at Wofford playing the favorites, with Samford and UTC at home and only The Citadel on the road, where they have had success in the past, Wofford will need to stumble not to at least claim a share of the title. I think they might stumble though. Samford has a nice schedule as well with only Wofford on the road, when considering the favorites. But then again, this is the SOCON and anything can happen, just ask Samford about playing ETSU last year. In the end, I think Samford may finally put something together this year.

All that said, here are my predictions for the 2017 SOCON race.  But I am sure that once the whistle blows, all bets are off and it’s best we all get familiar with the tiebreaking rules.

 

Samford        9-2    7-1

Wofford        8-3    6-2

The Citadel   8-3    6-2

UTC               7-4    6-2

Furman          6-5    5-3

WCU              4-8    3-5

Mercer           3-8    2-6

VMI                3-8    1-7

ETSU               2-9   0-8

Patriot League Preview: Lafayette

Lafayette Leopards

2016 Record: 2-9 Overall, 1-6 in Patriot League

Head Coach: John Garrett, 1st year

Last Patriot League Title: 2013

Last FCS Playoff Appearance: 2013

Key Returning Players

Offense: RB DeSean Brown (Sr.), WR Matt Mzarek (Sr.), WR Rocco Palumbo (Sr.), TE Dylan Wadsworth (Sr.), OT Cam Smith (Sr.), C Kevin Zataveski (Jr.)

Defense: DT Demitrius Breedlove (So.), DE Beau Bosch (Sr.), LB Brandon Bryant (Sr.) STRK Jerry Powe (Jr.), CB Phillip Parham (Sr.)

2016 Review

To say last year was a bumpy road for Lafayette would be an understatement. The Leopards posted their 7th straight losing season in 2016. A little over a week after Lafayette’s 45-21 loss to rival Lehigh long time head coach Frank Tavani resigned. By most accounts it was a forced resignation.

Tavani took over a Leopard program in 2000 that to be frank, was in the dumps. By the time Y2k arrived the Lafayette administration had all but forgot about the team and the facilities. Despite the obstacles Tavani guided Lafayette to a winning record in 2002 (their first since 1993). Two years later Lafayette went 8-3, captured the Patriot League Championship and the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. It was the first playoff appearance in program history. The Leopards would go on to 3-peat by winning the title in ’05 and ‘06. Each time they earned a trip to the postseason. After an 8 win season in 2009 the wheels began to fall off. Lafayette fell all the way to 2-9 in 2010. 2011 (4-7) and 2012 (5-7) weren’t much better. The Leopards went 0-5 in the OOC portion of their schedule in 2013 but caught fire in November. They upset then #5 Fordham and #17 Lehigh in back-to-back weeks to capture the outright league title with a 5-6 record. For whatever reason Lafayette was not able to capitalize on the momentum that was gained from the 2013 championship. For a multitude of reasons the losing more than winning trend continued in 2014. The lone highlight that season would be a historic win over Lehigh at Yankee Stadium. Ultimately, a 9 and 10 loss season in 2015 and 2016 respectively proved to be Tavani’s undoing. During his time on College Hill the Leopards won 4 Patriot League Titles and saw their facilities become among the best in FCS.

The 2016 season got off to  a positive start for Tavani and his team. The Leopards beat Central Connecticut State 24-10 in New Britain to open the year. The win broke a 7 game losing streak dating back to 2015. Unfortunately, what ensued after the win over CCSU was another 7 game losing skid. Lafayette would finally get back in the win column by taking down Georgetown in late October. The positive mojo was sort lived as the season would conclude with blowout losses to Colgate and Lehigh. Subpar play from the QB position along with a leaky offensive line and youthful defense were major reasons for the 2-9 record. The loss of 2015 1st Team All-PL LB Brandon Brant during the fifth game of the year really depleted the LB corps. He’s expected to be back to 100% for the start of the 2017 campaign.

Despite the poor record there were some positives from an individual standpoint. Dylan Wadsworth (42 rec 591 yards 2 TD) had an excellent season at TE. Junior WR Matt Mzarek (71 rec 755 yards 8 TD) was the team’s leading WR and seems destined for a big 2017 season. Beau Bosch, Jerry Powe and Phillip Parham continued to excel on the defensive side of the ball despite the overall struggles of the unit.

2017 Offense

Key Returning Player to Watch: OL Tanner Smith

Freshman to Watch: QB Brycen Mussina

The first order of business for new head coach John Garrett (OC at Richmond in 2016) is to determine who his starting QB will be. Senior Josh Davis is the only returning signal caller with significant playing time. Davis curiously was switched to WR last year but Garrett has since wisely returned the California native back to his traditional position. If Garrett wants a completely fresh start freshman Brycen Mussina could be the ideal candidate. Brycen is the son of 5x MLB All-Star pitcher Mike Mussina. Given that nugget of information one must assume the 18 year old from Montoursville, PA has some serious arm talent.

Whoever assumes the starting QB role will have two of the best pass catchers, WR Matt Mzarek and TE Dylan Wadsworth (Preseason 1st Team All-PL) in the Patriot League to work with. Rocco Palumbo (22 rec 331 yards 1 TD) and Joey Chenoweth (37 rec 371 yards 2 TD) provide excellent depth at WR position. If the QB play improves in 2017 the Leopards should have one of the best passing offenses in the league. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest the Leopards possess the best set of receivers (Wadsworth included) in the league.

While Lafayette seems set at WR, the running back “situation” remains a work in progress. DeSean Brown figures to be the day 1 starter but anything beyond that is likely up in the air if the senior does not improve upon his 2015 production (341 yards 3.6 ypr 3 TD). Diminutive Junior C.J Amill should continue to see time as the change of pace back. Beyond that it appears to be a flip of a coin. The issue Garrett and his staff faces is a lack of depth at RB. There simply isn’t much talent in the junior and senior classes. The most likely freshman to see time is Selwyn Simpson. The 6’2 205 pounder already has the physical tools needed to succeed at the D1 level.

The third area of concern is the offensive line. To be frank its performance was subpar last year. Garrett will be looking for it to become quicker and nastier. Far too often last year the line play was slow and soft. One big reason for Lafayette’s downfall in recent years has been its sluggish OL play. With 3 (Cam Smith, Kevin Zataveski, Logan Greiser) of the 5 starters back and several talented sophomores and juniors on the two deep there’s potential for a significant turnaround. The return of Tanner Smith (9 starts in 2015) can’t be overlooked either if he’s fully healthy. New Offensive Line Coach Gordon Sammis will certainly have his work cut out figuring out the right combination.

Given Garrett’s experience coaching offense there’s no doubt the pieces are in place to improve upon the paltry 19.6 ppg the unit averaged in 2016

Defense

Key Returning Player to Watch: DE Beau Bosch

Freshman to Watch: LB Major Jordan

By most metrics (35 ppg allowed, 251 rushing ypg allowed, 462 total ypg allowed all worst in PL ) the 2016 Lafayette defense was terrible. The lone bright spot was the pass defense (178.9 ypg allowed) which ranked 1st in the league. The perplexing part about the poor numbers is the amount of individual talent on the defensive side of the ball. And it’s only going to be better in 2017. The return of Brandon Bryant at LB immediately makes the run defense better. His intangible impact will also be significant.

Like Bucknell, Lafayette’s starting linebackers are excellent. The return of Bryant overshadows just how good Jerry Powe (37 solo tackles, 9.5 TFL in ‘16) has been at the striker position. At 6’1 210 Powe is big enough to play in the second level of the defense while possessing the athleticism to defend the back end if needed. Then there’s senior Michael Root who led the team in total tackles (85) last year. Root is the most physical of the 3 linebackers. Rob Hinchen started 6 games at the WILL position (appeared in all 11) for the injured Bryant will become a key reserve. The senior from New Jersey gives Lafayette depth at LB that no one else in the league has.

With the top two corner backs returning the Leopard secondary should once again be the strength of the defense. Phillip Parham has developed into one of the best corner backs in the Patriot League. It would not be a surprise to see the senior show up on numerous postseason All-League Teams. Sophomore Eric Mitchell (31 solo tackes, 1 INT) returns at the other CB position. The safety positions seem up for grabs heading into the fall. Yasir Thomas is likely headed back to offense after providing some emergency work at safety late last year. With Thomas potentially out of the picture T.J Jones and Trent Crossan could be in-line to take over at the safety positions. Izaiah Avent and Colin Thorne should also be in the mix.

The key to Luke Thompson’s defense improving in 2017 is the defensive line. They got run over and around last year but opposing offensive lines and running backs. Like the Leopard OL, the units must get more physical and quicker off the ball. DE Beau Bosch (19 solo tackles, 8.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks) was the one consistent force in 2016 despite facing numerous double teams throughout the season. Sophomore Demetrius Breedlove should be more effective now that he’s accustomed to battling D1 offensive linemen. Getting 5th year seniors Matt Rothrock (6’2 280) and Andy Labudev (6’3 270) back will be a huge boost for the Leopards. Another potential impact defensive lineman is Syracuse transfer Tony Giudice (6’2 275).

While production is still to be determined there’s no question Lafayette enters 2017 in far better shape along the defensive line than they did in 2016.

Special Teams

Junior Jacob Bissell is locked into FG and kickoff duties. Bissell has started since his freshman year. Freshman punter Michael Turk (nephew of former NFL punter Matt Turk) seems likely to snag the starting duties. Punt and kickoff returns seem to be in good hands with C.J. Amill and Joey Chenoweth seeing the bulk of the action. Both are extremely dangerous in the open field.

2017 Outlook

In general, the 2010’s (7 straight losing seasons, 2-5 record against rival Lehigh) have not been kind to Lafayette football. John Garrett inherited a program that was at its lowest point moral wise in nearly two decades. Not since the “vote” happened in the late 90’s were Leopard fans as down in the dumps as they were at conclusion of last year’s 45-21 blowout loss to Lehigh. Then Frank Tavani resigned and suddenly there was once again reason for optimism in Easton. What the Garrett regime will entail is anyone’s guess. He still has to deal with an administration that considers football something of a nuisance. With that said, it’s hard not to be optimistic about Lafayette’s chances to once again be a factor in the Patriot League moving forward. They might not be as consistent as Fordham and Lehigh, but the days of 9 and 10 loss seasons will be a distant nightmare.

If Garrett can figure out the QB and offensive line the Leopards have a great chance to be one of FCS’s biggest turnarounds in 2017. The added depth along the defensive line should provide immediate improvement against the run. With the talent at LB and two lock down corner backs in place the defense should be capable of keeping Lafayette in games until the offense finds their legs.

Garrett gets no breaks with the out of conference schedule. The first year coach will be making trips to Ancient 8 power Harvard and regular CAA contender Villanova. There’s also home game against defending Ivy League champion and Lafayette kryptonite Princeton. Then there’s the Leopards first opponent of the year, Monmouth. The Hawks beat Fordham and Lehigh last season. With that in mind, Lafayette has a great opportunity to set a positive tone early (and send a message to the rest of the league) with a win in the season opener.

2017 Schedule

9/2 @ Monmouth 3 PM

9/9 Sacred Heart 6 PM

9/16 @ Villanova 6 PM

9/23 Princeton 6 PM

9/30 @ Holy Cross 1 PM

10/7 Fordham 3:30 PM

10/14 @ Harvard 1 PM

10/21 Bucknell 3:30 PM

11/4 @ Georgetown 2:00 PM

11/11 Colgate 12:30 PM

11/18 @ Lehigh #153 12:30 PM

2017 Projection: 4-7 Overall, 2-4 in Patriot League

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.

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