Apathy: Where do we (UNI fans) go from here?

groundhog-dayIt’s been a while since I’ve written anything for The Wedge. Part of that is due to how busy I’ve been with work. Part of it is the amount of work I’m putting towards grad school – somehow more than I thought it would be. Maybe just as much as the other two is, to put it bluntly, apathy. I love football. I love UNI. At this point I hate watching UNI football, and I’m not alone. To get me to this point takes some doing. For reference, outside of UNI the list of teams I follow is just a checklist of teams that are bad and/or find a way to let fans down every year – Twins, Vikings, T’wolves, Wild and Tottenham. Yes, I realize 99% of you won’t understand Tottenham, but those that do will truly understand where I’m coming from. Soul crushing losses are all I know, but UNI football has always been the place I can hang my hope. The one thing I was always looking at the positive side of things.At this point I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

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Some outside of the UNI fan base may not get it. It’s easy from the outside to look at UNI and see a team that is coming off of back to back 9 win seasons, back to back playoff appearances (losses to the national runner up and national champion), 3 playoff appearances in 5 years, nearly every week ranked in the top 25, etc… and never “feel bad” or get where UNI fans are at this point. I don’t blame you. Mark Farley may have fallen victim to himself much like Les Miles at LSU – 95% of the subdivision would kill for the success that UNI has had but it’s not up to what we, UNI fans, expect. I would argue that the standards that UNI fans expect isn’t over the top given the talent and resources UNI has in comparison to 95% of the FCS. I think most would agree that truly challenging for the title every year, winning the title every 2 or 3 years, at-least quarterfinals yearly and maybe actually winning a damn title for once should be the standard. That was the standard. That was what UNI was, sans winning the national championship, until 2009. Since the 2008 semi-final loss to Richmond nearly every single game, especially the losses, is like Groundhog Day.

If you read AGS on a regular basis, and if you’re reading this chances are you do, there is no need for me to go through the laundry list of issues regarding UNI. I, and other UNI fans, have done enough of that on AGS, Twitter, Facebook, PantherNation, and I’m sure there are still a couple of UNI fans that use things like ICQ, AOL, MSN and MySpace. The problem, from an off-field stand point, is the fan base has finally hit it’s breaking point. This year’s team had the most hype since the 2008 team and we are back to “back against the wall”  by midpoint of the season. How, why, does this keep happening? Given the hype and the massive let down we’ve seen on the field so far I think it’s fair to say we’ve hit our breaking point as a fan base. This is the 8th season of this in a row we’ve watched this story play out, so it’s seems like apathy is the natural defense mechanism for soul stealing one score loss after one score less.

It’s not often I read PantherNation but I ventured over there a few times over the last couple weeks to get the temperature of the site and fan base. It’s not good, and it matches where I am. It’s gone from excitement to anger to complete apathy in 5 games. It’s easy to see why when you look at what has happened since ’08. This year UNI has 3 losses, all by 1 score. The 3 losses were a game UNI dominated statistically, had a massive lead and lack of adjustments led to a blown 17 point lead, and a game that UNI shouldn’t lose (on paper). Hey UNI fans, sound familiar to the last decade? Since 2008 UNI is 25-36 in one score games. That’s not good. In games decided by a field goal, or less, UNI is 5-11. That’s ugly. This is where the Groundhog’s Day theme comes in. Every game plays out the same. Every year has played out the same. There are some programs that have a tight game in the second half and the fans go “We got this” and then there are some programs that go “Can’t wait to see how this goes wrong”. UNI falls into the second category and to counter the letdown we are seeing a large number of fans disengaging from the team.tumblr_nhvfs2vvpy1s2wio8o1_500

That’s not to say we aren’t still pulling for the team to win. We aren’t giving up on being fans. We care too damn much to quit. The problem is we’ve lashed out because of how much we care. I’ve had fellow UNI fans unfollow me on Twitter, tell me to take all references to UNI off my profile, etc… because of what I’ve said. I can’t speak for all UNI fans in the same mindset I am, however, I will never not cheer for UNI. It is fair to say I’ve become disengaged from the results of games because I already know what’s going to happen. A win is nice and a loss sucks but at this point doesn’t shock me.

It’s a Friday afternoon the day before UNI plays at Youngstown State, a game I’d normally be jacked up for and I just can’t bring myself to truly being excited. I don’t know that I’ve seen more than a handful of tweets about the game from UNI fans all week. I looked at PantherNation and last time I looked there wasn’t even a game thread started. I’ve had in-depth discussions of the basketball team pretty much all week though.

I won’t get into the politics regarding my feelings of the coaching situation because it’s far too nuanced to be as simple as “Fire Farley” or “Retain Farley”. There are times that’s the case, but I don’t see UNI’s situation that way. It’s safe to say something needs to change or apathy is going to turn into something worse. I’m  it sure what the right answer is though.

Those of you with experience in situations like this, yes I’m looking square at you Delaware fans, where do we as UNI fans go from here? What do we hope for?  Are we supposed to hope to fall so low that massive changes are made? Are we supposed to pressure for change? Are we supposed to continue to ride the train of being a 8-9 win team and be happy with it because most programs aren’t that? Is change simply for the sake of changing even a good thing? What’s the best drink to not feel sad after losses anymore?

I’m not about to pull a stool up to the bar inside of Crapsville Bar & Lounge, but I’m not sure I’m far off. If we happen to meet at the bar, stop over and grab a drink. I’m good for throwing out Super Trooper, Anchorman and Step Brothers quotes to make life fun. Like any good German, I am a master at self deprication and loathing. If you’re fortunate enough to avoid a reservation please call the bartender and tell him to send all of your drinks my direction – I prefer Coors Banquet and Jägermeister . Thanks.norm3

OVC: Week 7 Preview

Only 6 more weeks until the end of the season and the OVC is starting to take shape as we see who each team really is. This weekend of matchups should give us an even better idea of how the conference standings will look by the end of November.  Southeast Missouri State will take the week off as the rest of the OVC plays on Saturday afternoon.  #2 Jacksonville State will host conference cupcake Austin Peay. #21 Eastern Illinois is still seeking a playoff bid and Tennessee Tech is the next team standing in their way.  Tennessee State is also looking for a playoff bid and hosts Eastern Kentucky in Nissan Stadium on ESPN3 and two offenses collide as UT-Martin heads to Murray, Kentucky to take on pre-season All-American KD Humphries and the Racers.

Austin Peay (0-5, 0-4 OVC) @ #2 Jacksonville State (4-1, 1-0 OVC) 2PM EST (OVCDN)

I think we all know how this game is going to go, but my boss says I have to talk about it anyway so here we go…

The only thing longer than JSU’s OVC win streak is Austin Peay’s overall losing streak. The Gov’s have lost 21 in a row compared to the Cocks’ 18 OVC wins in a row.  So if that doesn’t tell you enough about this game is going to go I don’t know what will.  

So let’s talk about something more positive. Austin Peay’s future perhaps?

Well, believe it or not, since Will Healy has taken over Austin Peay has looked like a football team much improved from years past. Their main problem is inconsistency, primarily on the offensive side of the ball.  For example, they dropped 35 points on EIU in week 4, more than Illinois State and Miami (OH), however they only mustered 7 against Tennessee Tech. That said, the Gov’s have a very young core of talented players and as Healy develops his talent and builds consistency we should see the Gov’s start to improve their record year to year.  Despite the 0-5 record I’m still a fan and hope they can continue to improve.  It may not show on the record yet, but the progression is there.

Prediction:  Cocks by 6 touchdowns. Austin Peay has less than 50 yards of offense at halftime.

Tennessee-Martin (3-3, 2-1 OVC) @ Murray State (1-4, 1-1 OVC) 7PM EST (OVCDN)

As has been proved all season it doesn’t take much to move the ball on UT-Martin’s defense, they have only held one opponent under 31 points all season (No, Bacone College doesn’t count) and have given up over 350 yards of offense in all of their games this year.  This could be a problem as KD Humphries is one of the best quarterbacks in the FCS and can single-handedly torch a defense. This game has the makings of an old fashioned shootout. Both teams are capable of moving the ball and neither knows what a defense is. However, Murray State’s offense has looked suspect at times and inconsistency could ruin Murray State’s chance at an upset. Also, If UT-Martin can win 5 of their next 6 games they would be a strong contender for an at-large bid because they would have 8 wins either an FBS (Georgia State) win or Jacksonville State’s scalp on their resume and both of those wins would look good to the selection committee.  That makes this weekend’s matchup a game that UT-Martin can’t afford to lose if they want an invitation to the big dance in November.

Prediction: A high scoring affair, however, Humphries isn’t able to carry the Racers by himself.  Both teams put up at least 30 and UT-Martin still wins by at least 14.

#21 Eastern Illinois (4-2, 2-1 OVC) @ Tennessee Tech (2-4, 2-2 OVC) 7PM EST(OVCDN)

At times last weekend in Jacksonville, Tennessee Tech showed a great ability to move the ball and put points on the board.  For example, their touchdown drive before half.  On that drive, quarterback Michael Birdsong was able to string together a 10 play 65 yard drive.  If they can bring that type of offense against EIU they could pose a lot of problems for the Panther’s defense. However, Tennessee Tech needs to be able to run the ball and not turn the ball over.  Tech had 5 turnovers in Jacksonville last weekend.  Just ask Illinois State what happens when you turn the ball over to the Panthers.

Prediction: EIU stuffs the run and Birdsong is unable to carry Tech to a win.  EIU by 7.

Eastern Kentucky (2-3,1-1 OVC) @ Tennessee State (4-1, 1-1 OVC) 7PM EST (ESPN3)

This is my unofficial OVC Game of the Week.  This matchup features playoff implications for both teams as this is a must-win for both teams. For Eastern Kentucky this is a must win because they still have EIU and JSU on the schedule, if they can’t beat the Tigers here they likely won’t get past either the Gamecocks or the Panthers and that would spell a 6-5 end to their season.  This is also a must-win for Tennessee State because of their strength of schedule.  Outside of Vanderbilt, EIU is arguably the strongest team on the Tiger’s schedule this year and they brought home an L after that matchup.  Assuming the Tigers take a loss at Vandy and one other OVC team that leaves them at 8-3 and their best win would likely end up being UT-Martin.  That’s not exactly a playoff caliber resume given that they even got to miss a matchup with JSU.  I could be wrong, it’s just my opinion.  

I expect the defenses to be the story of this game.  Ebenezer Ogundeko has been terrorizing quarterbacks all season and if the Tiger’s defensive line can stuff the run and make Coney uncomfortable it could be a long day for the Colonel’s offense.  If they don’t make Coney uncomfortable he could possibly have another game like he did against SEMO last week.  

Prediction: The Tiger’s defense keeps EKU’s offense contained in Nissan Stadium and the Tigers get a solid 2 score win.

Southeast Missouri State will have a bye before traveling to Tennessee Tech on the 22nd.

MVFC: Week 7 Preview

MVFC LogoNow that we’re a few games into the conference season, I thought it might be useful to start listing the conference standings for each team so that we can see where everyone is at a bit more easily. So, most teams have played 2 conference games, the ISU’s have played 3, and here’s how the conference looks right now.

  1. North Dakota State – 2-0, 5-0
  2. Youngstown State – 2-0, 4-1
  3. South Dakota State – 2-0, 3-2
  4. Western Illinois – 1-1, 4-1
  5. Missouri State – 1-1, 3-2
  6. Northern Iowa – 1-1, 2-3
  7. South Dakota – 1-1, 2-3
  8. Indiana State – 1-2, 3-3
  9. Southern Illinois – 0-2, 2-3
  10. Illinois State – 0-3, 2-4

The matchups for this Saturday are (all time listed in Central and all rankings from the AGS Weekly Poll):

#30 South Dakota at #35 Indiana State – 2 PM
#14 Western Illinois at #36 Missouri State – 2 PM
#11 South Dakota State at #1 North Dakota State – 2:30 PM
#23 Northern Iowa at #12 Youngstown State – 6 PM
Southern Illinois at #33 Illinois State – 6 PM

All games available on ESPN3/WatchESPN.com

#30 South Dakota at #35 Indiana State

South Dakota is now 1-1 in the conference and 2-3 overall after their victory last week against Northern Iowa. Indiana State is 1-2 in the MVFC and 3-3 on the season after their narrow 1-point loss at Western Illinois last Saturday. Both teams are now pretty much at the point in their seasons where they need to record some solid wins if they want a shot at the playoffs, due to them each having at least a couple of highly ranked teams still on their schedules (USD has WIU, SDSU, and NDSU; ISU has YSU and NDSU). While a loss doesn’t technically eliminate any of them from post-season possibility, you can pretty much assume that in all likelihood, whoever loses this game will not be playing after Thanksgiving.

South Dakota made a few waves last weekend, beating UNI in large part due to the strength of their quarterback, Chris Streveler, who (between throwing and running the ball) accounted for 310 yards of offense and 3 TDs against a fairly solid UNI defense. Streveler and RB Trevor Bouma are currently 2nd and 3rd in the conference in rushing yards per game (with 97.8 and 86.2, respectively). In their passing game, they spread the ball around a decent amount, although nobody has over 34 yards per game receiving, so their focus is really the running game. DL Colin Mertlik is currently 9th in the FCS in sacks, but the team’s tackle leader is Jet Moreland with 45 on the season. The Coyotes have probably the best kicker in the FCS this year, with Miles Bergner handling both punting and kicking duties. He currently leads the FCS with a 46.9 yard per punt average and a long of 64. He is also a perfect 6-6 on field goals, including a 50-yarder.

Indiana State put up 3 TDs in the span of ~3 minutes during the 3rd quarter against Western Illinois due to a couple of offensive TDs and an interception returned for TD. They weren’t able to finish out the game, but that doesn’t mean that Indiana State isn’t able to put up some points if they catch the right breaks. QB Isaac Harker is much more of a traditional pocket passing QB, putting up decent numbers through the air (279.3 yards per game), having a couple of primary targets in WRs Robert Tonyan (74.7 yards per game) and Bob Pugh (61.5 yards per game). Pugh is a multi-dimensional threat, handling kick/punt return duties usually and accounting for a total of 120.5 yards per game. He has been limited however, having not played in the last couple of games due to (I believe) an ankle injury, but it sounds like he’ll be back on the field for this weekend’s game. LB Jameer Thurman currently leads the team in tackles with 49 (8.2 per game) and has 9 tackles for loss, an interception, and a couple of fumble recoveries.

Overall, I think that South Dakota has a slight advantage in this game, but it’s really a coin flip. ISU has a better passing game (especially with Pugh back), USD has a better running game. Neither’s defenses are really all that great…the game is at ISU…but USD has a better kicking game. Honestly, my thoughts on who wins this one changes pretty much every time I review the numbers and stuff. At this point, I think I have to go with the Coyotes, riding momentum from their win last weekend, in a fairly high scoring game, by about a field goal.

TL:DR – South Dakota by 3

#14 Western Illinois at #36 Missouri State

Ah, the hapless Bears of Missouri State…doormat of the Missouri Valley Football Confe…..wait…what? The Bears have a winning record?….and a conference win? Well ok then. Western comes into this game at 1-1 in the conference and 4-1 overall, and coming off the previously mentioned 1-point Homecoming victory over Indiana State. Missouri State is also 1-1 in the conference, 3-2 overall (although 1 win was a lower division school) and last week received a beat down by North Dakota State (although significantly less of a “beat down” than they received at the Fargodome last year).

Western Illinois’ “vaunted” offense has dropped off a bit over the last couple of weeks, but they still have weapons that can put up some big numbers at times. QB Sean McGuire had a career day last weekend, accounting for a combined (passing + rushing) 391 yards of offense and 3 TDs. McGuire is currently averaging 247.2 yards per game and has 9 passing and 3 rushing TDs. WR Lance Lenoir is sitting at 4th in the FCS and 1st in the conference in receiving yards per game (123.4), bolstered by his 204 yard, 2 TD performance last weekend. On the ground, RB Steve McShane has dropped some from his gaudy numbers at the start of the season (at one time leading the FCS in yards per game) and is currently at #12 in the FCS and #1 in the conference with 117.4 yards per game. LB Brett Taylor leads the team in tackles with 50 (10/game, 22nd in the FCS) and has 2.5 sacks and an interception. In general, the offense is very good (although McGuire has been prone to throwing pick-6’s the last couple of games…3 in the last 2 games). The defense, however, while still very strong on the front line and LBs, is still vulnerable to long passing plays, as highlighted by a 65-yard TD pass by Indiana State last weekend and…well…pretty much all except for the 1st quarter of the previous week’s game at SDSU. If the Leathernecks are unable to fix this aspect, any team with a quality QB/WR combo will have a field day against the Western defense.

Missouri State still probably won’t be competing for the conference championship anytime soon, but they’ve definitely stepped up from their dismal 1-win season last year, with their best win being going on the road to defeat Indiana State two weekends ago. The Bears offense isn’t all that great, averaging 326.8 yards and 26.6 points per game (97th and 66th in the FCS respectively), with a slight emphasis on their running game being a little better than their passing game. Their defense, however, is pretty decent, allowing an average of 115 yards per game on the ground (19th in the FCS) and 209.8 through the air (52nd). QB Brodie Lambert  puts up an average of 115.2 yards per game, mostly to WR Malik Earl (68.2 yards per game). WR Deion Holliman is also a threat, catching 27.8 yards per game as well as averaging 25.9 yards per kick return (and has a kick return for TD). LB Dylan Cole is the “headliner” of the Bears defense, with 50 tackles, 4 for loss, and 2 interceptions. Cole is also 3rd in the FCS in forced fumbles, averaging .6 per game (roughly 2 for every 3 games). Also providing help on the defensive side is DL Colby Isbell, who is currently 9th in the FCS in sacks, averaging 1 per game.

Comparing the two teams, I think that the defenses are actually fairly similar…both not too bad against the run, but struggle somewhat against the pass. Offensively though, the Leathernecks have a distinct advantage with some of the best offensive weapons on the conference outside of Brookings, SD. I think that the Bears may be able to put up a few points, but I don’t think they’ll be able to keep up with the WIU offense, and Western should be able to win by about a TD or so.

TL:DR – Western Illinois by 7

#11 South Dakota State at #1 North Dakota State

This is a pretty huge game for both of these teams. Both are undefeated in conference play and both are highly ranked, which means that this game could very well end up being a conference championship decider. This is a battle between an offensive juggernaut and a defensive powerhouse. It’s also a rivalry game for the two teams, playing for the “Dakota Marker” trophy, in a series that has met 104 times so far starting back in 1903. The Jackrabbits are coming off of a high-scoring win at Southern Illinois and are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the MVFC. The Bison are undefeated at 5-0 and 2-0 in the conference, and head back to Fargo after “trampling” the MSU Bears.

SDSU is a very pass-heavy team, with the 5th ranked passing offense in the FCS, but only 91st ranked rushing offense. The “stars” of the show are QB Taryn Christion, who has been passing for 327.2 yards per game and has 20 TDs so far (2nd in the FCS), and WR Jake Wieneke, who leads the FCS in receiving TDs and is 6th in receiving yards per game. Right behind him is TE Dallas Goedert, who, in large part due to his 4-TD performance against Western Illinois two weeks ago, is #2 in the FCS in receiving TDs and is 9th in receiving yards per game. The SDSU defense, however, is porous. They are giving up an average of 487 yards and 35.6 points per game. LB Christian Rozeboom leads the defense with 54 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a 37-yard pick-6 against Western Illinois.

The Bison have more of a running offense headlined by RB King Frazier with 83.8 yards per game and 5 rushing TDs. RB Lance Dunn  also gets in on the action with 66.4 yards per game and 2 rushing TDs. QB Easton Stick has been throwing for 198 yards per game and has 9 passing TDs (and 1 rushing TD), throwing primarily to WRs RJ Urzendowski (56 yards per game and 2 TDs) and Darrius Shepherd (46 yards per game and 3 TDs). Defensively, NDSU does great against the run (4th in the FCS) but is 79th in passing yards allowed, so they’re vulnerable to some passing plays. Actually, it seems like a common problem among many of the MVFC teams lately…only one team in the conference is in the top 30 in passing yards allowed (Illinois State, and they have plenty of other problems going on right now) and 4 teams in the conference are 100th or worse (did we suddenly switch places with the Big Sky or something?). I’m actually wondering if maybe a lot of teams have really focused heavily on stopping the run to slow down teams like NDSU and Illinois State (in previous years) and have let the pass defense drop somewhat…I don’t really know if that’s what’s going on, but whatever is going on does seem odd. Anyway, some of their big-time playmakers on defense are SS Robbie Grimsley (33 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble), LB MJ Stumpf (30 tackles, 5 for loss, 1 interception), and DE Greg Menard (20 tackles, 4.5 sacks). Preseason All-Conference LB selection Nick DeLuca has been sidelined for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury (I believe he can medical redshirt this year and come back next year, but don’t quote me on that, I haven’t been following his status real recently). NDSU has also had some issues with their punting game…the kicking part if it, not the defensive part of it (they’re #1 in the FCS in punt return defense)…with a kicker who’s averaging 35.1 yards per punt, 98th in the FCS and 9th in the conference.

So, if anyone is going to take down NDSU and end their winning streak, I think it’ll have to be a team that has a stellar passing attack to take advantage of that weakness. They’ll also have to not be intimidated by the crowd at the Fargodome, so it’ll likely be a conference member (often first-time visitors to the dome underestimate the noise level and have problems with it…that’s why they’re so good in the playoffs…most teams visiting the dome have not been there much, if ever), and it’ll probably have to be some type of rivalry game or some game with heightened emotion. All of these signs point to SDSU being the most likely team this season to upset NDSU. The Bison are still too good for me to pick against them, but I think it’ll be a close one (and an upset wouldn’t entirely surprise me either). They’re not unbeatable, but nobody has done it in nearly a year (will be a year exactly this coming Monday), so until something shows me a strong reason to pick otherwise, I gotta go with the Bison.

TL:DR – North Dakota State by 6

#23 Northern Iowa at #12 Youngstown State

Despite many thinking that they would be trending up and be the #2 team in the conference this year, UNI has struggled quite a bit this year. To be fair, two of their losses were against really good teams (currently AGS Top 10 ranked), but then they lost last weekend at South Dakota (a team that was supposed to barely qualify for the application of the adjective “mediocre”). UNI is now 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference, and essentially needing to win probably 5 of their final 6 games to qualify for the playoffs…and with some of those games including tough matches at Youngstown State, at Western Illinois, as well as NDSU and SDSU at home…things aren’t looking so hot for the Panthers right now. Youngstown State, on the other hand, has exceeded most people’s expectations for this year, currently sitting at 4-1 with a 2-0 conference record following their win at Illinois State last weekend. Now, I will say that YSU’s schedule up to this point has been quite a bit easier than UNI’s (two bottom-half NEC conference teams as opposed to two top-ranked Big Sky teams), but they do seem to be playing well right now….then again, it is still October, and YSU has a strong track record of fading on the “back stretch”…so we’ll see.

Statistically, Northern Iowa has a pretty strong run game, both when they have the ball (23rd in the FCS) and when they are defending against the run (11th). A large part of the offensive side of this is due to their QB Aaron Bailey, who is known more for his running ability than his passing (are we sure he’s not just a wildcat RB who throws every now and then?). Bailey has thrown for 167.6 yards per game and 6 TDs, but he also leads the team in rushing with 81.4 yards per game and 6 TDs on the ground. The other major part of the ground game is RB Tyvis Smith, who’s averaging 80.2 yards per game and has 2 rushing TDs and…and…
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Panthers, you can stop it with the food ads on your athletics site…Pizza Ranch, Hy-Vee…you’re making me hungry.
…
Sorry, anyway, when Bailey does pass, his primary target is WR Daurice Fountain who is averaging 44 yards per game and has 4 TDs. The defensive strength comes in large part from DL Karter Schult and LB Jared Farley. Schult has 35 tackles and is currently #1 in the FCS in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (13) and has an interception, and Farley leads the team with 38 tackles…2 for loss…plus an interception.

Like nearly everyone in the MVFC these days, Youngstown State is stronger against the run (13th in the FCS) than they are against the pass (35th). Like UNI, they also focus much more heavily on their own offensive run game (10th in the FCS) than they do on their passing game (79th). The Penguins also have the 5th best scoring defense in the FCS, only giving up 16 points per game so far. Like UNI’s, YSU QB Ricky Davis is a legitimate running threat…he passes for 186.5 yards per game and has 5 TDs, but also has run for 74.8 yards per game. Their top RB is Martin Ruiz who’s putting up 78.8 yards per game and has 6 TDs. Receiving for the Penguins is apparently “by committee”, with 5 different players catching between 27 and 37 yards per game…and that 37-yard-per-game player, WR Damoun Patterson, actually leads the team in ypg. Defensively, YSU is led by DE’s Derek Rivers (16 tackles, 8 for loss w/ 7 sacks, plus 10 QB hurries and a fumble recovery) and Avery Moss (22 tackles, 5.5 for loss w/ 5 sacks, plus 4 QB hurries, and 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recover). Together with the rest of the defensive line, they comprise probably the best D-line in the conference, if not in the entire FCS, with both players in the top 10 in the FCS in sacks (and actually, with UNI’s Karter Schult, this game will have the #1, #2, and #9 best players in that category).

All signs point to a defensive battle for much of the game. Both teams have decent running games, but also have great run defenses…both teams aren’t great at passing, nor are they great against the pass. This is another one of those “coin flip” games for me, but I think the advantage goes to Youngstown…it’s being played there and as I said, they’ve been playing well…plus, it’s not November yet, so the Penguins can still win (aren’t Penguins supposed to like the cold?). I think that we’ll probably see Youngstown pull out a close one.

TL:DR – Youngstown State by 3…additionally, total score…maybe 40.

Southern Illinois at #33 Illinois State

Southern Illinois comes into this game having lost their last two games, sitting at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference following their high-scoring loss against South Dakota State last weekend. The Redbirds are rocking a 4-game losing streak, so after the high of their first two games including knocking off Big 10 Northwestern, they are now at 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the MVFC.

SIU’s offense is led by transfer QB Josh Straughan, who’s currently putting up 321.6 passing yards per game (6th in the FCS) and has 11 passing TDs (17th). His primary target is  WR Connor Iwema with 68.6 yards per game and 3 TDs. Also getting in on the action are WRs Billy Reed (56 ypg, 3 TDs) and Jimmy Jones (53.4 ypg and 2 TDs). On the ground, it’s mostly RB Daquan Isom, who accounts for 61 ypg and 1 TD and RB Jonathan Mixon, who, while only accounting for 17 yards per game, has crossed the goal line 4 times, which means he leads the team in TDs (caught or ran). Defensively, LB Chase Allen leads the team in tackles with 35, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. DE Deondre Barnett leads the team in sacks with 4 (out of his 21 total tackles) as well as 4 QB hurries and 3 forced fumbles.

Illinois State is the odd one in the conference….while it seems like everyone else has good run defense but very little pass defense, ISU is the complete opposite. They’re only giving up 168 passing yards per game, good for 9th in the FCS. The rest of the defense isn’t bad (19th in the FCS for total yards allowed), but it’s the pass defense that is their strength. Unfortunately for the Redbirds, that’s about all they’ve got going for them at this point. Not sure if it’s an issue with QB Jake Kolbe (234.2 passing yards per game and 7 TDs) or more of an O-Line problem (117th in sacks allowed, 113th in tackles for loss allowed, 80th in rushing offense). The O-Line issues seem likely to me (but I admit, I could be wrong) and it’s possible that there have been problems prior to this year, but with two phenomenal rushers (Coprich and Roberson) that they were able to overcome the problems or at least minimize them significantly. Now that those guys are gone, and you’ve got decent but not stellar players in those positions, and the offensive line isn’t offering protection to the QB or opening holes…then you get the rather anemic offense that you see today. They’re a little stronger at the passing game, with WR Anthony Warrum able to haul in 84 yards per game and 2 TDs worth of catches. WR Anthony Fowler also gets in on the scoring action, with 2 TDs in addition to 35.5 yards per game. RB George Moreira is putting up just over 57 yards per game and has 3 rushing TDs. The previously mentioned pass defense is led by S Alec Kocour, who has 49 tackles and 1 interception. LB Alejandro Rivera actually leads the team in tackles with 50, as well as 1 sack and 1 interception. LB B.J. Bello has 40 tackles, including 4 sacks, 6 QB hurries, and 2 forced fumbles.

What this all adds up to is an Illinois State team that can slow down a good passing offense but not do much about a running offense, and has trouble moving the ball on offense. Southern has a great passing offense, a manageable run defense, but not too much else. I think that ISU will be able to pass the ball against SIU fairly well but won’t be able to get much going on the ground, and that SIU will be fairly limited on offense, since their strength on offense matches up with ISU’s strength on defense. I think that both teams are essentially (or nearly) out of the playoff picture, which means that this one is more for bragging rights. I think that ISU will be able to limit SIU just enough to be able to come away with a fairly close win.

TL:DR – Illinois State by 6

Patriot League: Week Seven Preview

The leaves are nearing their peak in the Northeast which means non-conference play is coming to an end and conference play is heating up. The most intriguing league game this week appears to be Colgate at Bucknell. The defending Patriot League Champion Raiders can’t afford to start conference play 0-2 while the Bison would trust themselves into the title race with a win. The other conference game this week features streaking Lehigh traveling to our nation’s capital to face Georgetown. A Hoya win would send a seismic shockwave throughout the conference.

This weekend is also highlighted by the last two games of the year against the Ancient Eight. Fordham hosts a Yale a team that’s coming off an impressive win over Dartmouth last week. The Eli are 0-2 (Colgate, Lehigh) against the Patriot League so far this year. The other Patriot-Ivy battle features Bay State rivals Holy Cross and Harvard. An upset win over a ranked Harvard team could be what Holy Cross needs to jump start their season. The third non-conference game this weekend is Lafayette at Army. This will be the Leopards first FBS opponent (also Army) in nearly two decades.

Lafayette at Army – 15 Oct. 12:00 P.M. Michie Stadium West Point, NY

(CBS Sports Network national broadcast)

(No Live Streaming)

Mid-October is usually a great time of year for a gridiron battle on the banks of the Hudson. The foliage is at its peak and the weather is generally perfect for football. While those things will be true this weekend, there’s a good chance Lafayette (1-5, 0-2) is not looking forward to their game against Army (3-2) Saturday afternoon. The Leopards head to West Point on a four game losing streak. They yielded over 500 yards rushing to Fordham in their most recent loss. That’s not good news against a FBS Army team that ranks 2nd nationally in rushing (332 ypg). The Black Knight’s unique option style offense under Coach Monken will likely find plenty of holes in a Leopard defense that gave up 359 yards to one player (Chase Edmonds) last week.

The Army rushing attack is led by sophomore RB Andy Davidson (106 ypg, 7 TDs) and QB Ahmad Bradshaw (59 ypg 2 TDs. In addition to Davidson and Bradshaw, the Black Knights have four other players that average more than 20 ypg. The Leopard rush defense (245 ypg, 7th in PL) will no doubt have a difficult time stopping the numerous weapons Army’s option offense utilizes. Lafayette’s best hope on defense might be trying sellout on the option in attempt to win the turnover battle and create some negative plays in the backfield. Army has 9 fumbles so far this year but fortunately for them, they’ve only lost 3 of them. If the Leopards can pounce on two or three loose balls they will increase their chances to be competitive for 60 minutes.

Lafayette QB Drew Reed status is still uncertain for the game on Saturday. Fellow senior Blake Searfoss has done a solid job (302 ypg, 5 TDs) filling in for Reed the last two weeks. Whoever starts under center will be facing one of the top pass defenses in the country (150 ypg, 8th nationally). Given the Leopards inability to run the ball (72.5) it could be a very long day for the offense. Lafayette will need to generate some big plays by taking some shots in the passing or a well devised trick play. They’re not likely to have much success grinding out drives against the stout Army “D”.

Army enters the game as a 34 or so point favorite. Given the Leopards current 5 game losing streak and overall struggles the last few years this is a really tough spot for them. The best possible outcome for Lafayette might simply be avoiding injuries against Army’s cut blocking and beating the spread.

Of Note: This is the first meeting between Army and Lafayette since 1997. That was also the last time the Leopards played a FBS opponent. The two are scheduled to play again in 2018. Army owns a 17-1 record against Lafayette.

Yale at Fordham – 15 Oct. 1:00 P.M. Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY

(Patriot League Network)

Yale (1-3) takes the short bus ride from New Haven, CT to the Bronx to battle Chase Edmonds and the Fordham Rams (3-2, 1-0). Both teams enter the game with some momentum. Chase Edmonds record setting day (359 yards rushing) helped propel Fordham to a 58-34 victory over Lafayette in their Patriot League opener.

The Eli were able to take out a stout Dartmouth team at the Yale Bowl. It was a much needed win for Yale who had started the year 0-3 for the first time since 1993. Fordham won their last meeting with Yale 52-31 in 2013.

If Yale wants to pull another upset this week they’ll need to lean on their solid rush defense (128 ypg, 34th nationally) to keep Edmonds from going off. The Eli were able to hold Dartmouth to 68 total yards rushing in last week’s win. Holding the Rams ground attack to less than 100 yards might be a nearly impossible task but it’s not unreasonable to think Yale will present quite a bit of resistance. Their front seven on defense is arguably the strength of the team.

Should Yale limit the damage Fordham does on ground, QB Kevin Anderson (230 ypg 11 TDs 3 INTs) is more than capable of picking apart a suspect secondary. The Eli have not fared well in their first two meetings against Patriot League quarterbacks. Lehigh’s backup had a record setting day two weeks ago at the Yale Bowl and Colgate’s Jake Melville lit the Eli defense up for 5 TD passes in the season opener. Even in defeat, Dartmouth had a lot of success through the air (348 ypg) last week. A major reason for the continued struggles is a rash of injuries that hit the Yale secondary in camp and early in the year.

Should the Yale defense struggle to contain the Patriot League’s highest scoring attack (45 ppg), their offense will have to have their best game of the year to keep up. Eli QB Tre Moore assumed the starting position after the Cornell loss and appears to be finally getting comfortable in the offense. After a rough day throwing the ball against Lehigh, the sophomore showed quite a bit of improvement (20-32 180 Yards 1 TD) in the win over Dartmouth.

Despite the slow start to the year, there’s legitimate reason for Moore and Co. to be optimistic heading into this week. The Ram defense ranks 6th in the Patriot League in points allowed. If Moore can avoid making mistakes and extend some plays with his legs the Eli offense should be able to move the ball against the struggling Ram defense. Yale has a solid stable of running backs to take some of the pressure off Moore. Freshman RB Alan Lamar came out of nowhere last week to run for 180 yards and 2 TDs. Lamar got the start because normal first teamer DeShawn Salter was unable to go. There’s no word if he will be available for this week’s game.

Of Note: Despite Yale’s and Fordham’s close proximity to one another and their historical prowess in the first part of the 20th century the two met once, a 21-14 Eli win in 1950. Fordham would shut down their program 4 years later. As a result the two would not meet again until 1992. Yale owns a 7-2 series lead.  

Colgate at Bucknell – 15 Oct. 1:00 P.M Christy Mathewson Stadium Lewisburg, PA

(Patriot League Network)

Defending Patriot League champion Colgate (1-4, 0-1) will be in desperation mode when they head to Central Pennsylvania to play Bucknell (2-3, 1-0) Saturday afternoon. The Raiders are coming off a disappointing 45-31 loss to Lehigh in the league opener for both teams. Colgate struggled in all three phases in the loss. Overall, the Raiders have lost 3 in row (@ Richmond, Cornell, @ Lehigh) after a dominating win over Yale in mid-September. They’ve allowed 38+ points in all three losses. If they want to have any say in the league race the rest of the way this is a must win.

Bucknell enters the game off an exciting 21-20 road win over league foe Holy Cross. The Bison’s defense shut down the Crusader offense in the second half to secure the victory. Matt Muh earned his first career win as a starting QB. Bucknell will be looking for their first home win of the year on Saturday.

The Bison defense will likely need to lead the way again this week if the Bucknell wants to start league play 2-0 for just the second time (2014) in the last 10 seasons. The unit is tied with Georgetown for allowing the fewest points per game (21.4). They will face their toughest test of the year so far against a Colgate offense that continues to rack up yards and points. The Raider offense figures to receive an added boost this weekend with the return of starting RB James Holland (75 ypg, 2 TDs). While Keyon Washington (82 ypg, 4 TD) did a solid job filling, Holland gives the Raiders more of a presence between the tackles. Getting Melville and Holland in sync on the read option should help to open up other parts of the Raider offense. One of those pieces that need’s to bounce back is WR John Maddaluna (113 ypg 4 TDs). The senior WR had a quiet outing (3 rec. 88 yards) in the loss to Lehigh after going off (11 rec 261 yards) against Cornell the week before.

Bucknell will try to control the clock and take advantage of field position on offense. They’ll look to RB Joey DeFloria to pick up where he left off against Holy Cross when he had his 3rd 100 yard game of the season in the win. For the year DeFloria ranks second (Edmonds 1st at 188 ypg) in the Patriot League in rushing with 113 ypg average. Sledding could be tough however against the league’s #1 rushing defense (98 ypg). The Raiders have allowed only one RB to reach triple digits in yards so far this season.

Matt Muh (59% Comp., 199 ypg 4 TD, 4 INTs) is once again expected to start for the injured R.J. Nitti.

Of Note: Colgate has dominated (13-3) their series against Bucknell this century. It’s been a decade (2006) since theBison defeated the Raiders in Lewisburg. Overall, Colgate owns a commanding 47-17 series advantage.

#20 Harvard at Holy Cross – 15 Oct. 1 P.M. Fitton Field Worcester, MA

(Patriot League Network)

Holy Cross (2-4, 1-1) welcomes their Massachusetts rival Harvard (4-0) to Mount St. James for their final non-conference tilt of the year. The Crusaders are coming off a disappointing loss to Bucknell last week. After jumping out to an early 17-0 lead Holy Cross’s offense struggled the rest of the game against the stout Bison defense. QB Geoff Wade is expected to start again this week. There’s a chance that junior QB Blaise Bell will see at least a few snaps during the course of the game. Wade is the more polished passer while Bell’s strength is his ability to create havoc with his legs.

Twentieth ranked Harvard is once again off to a fast to a season. The Crimson are coming off an impressive 29-13 win over previously unbeaten Cornell. The 16 point victory was Harvard’s fourth straight double-digit win to start the year. The Crimson started last season with 6 straight double-digit victories on their way to a 9-1 campaign. Given Holy Cross’s up and down season, Harvard seems poised to post another comfortable win.

The Peter Pujals injury has really derailed the Crusader’s season the last three weeks. The all-league quarterback’s ability to mask certain Crusader weaknesses is something backups Geoff Wade and Blaise Bell can’t do at this point. As a result, Holy Cross has been plagued with inconsistency on offense (10 pts, 38 pts, 20 pts scored) the last three games. The Purple are 1-2 in those contests.

Against a Harvard “D” that ranks 18th nationally in total defense things don’t figure to get any easier for the Crusaders. The Crimson are allowing 18 ppg and 321 total ypg. Their rush defense is especially stout ( 92 ypg, 9th nationally). Holy Cross will need WR Branden Flaherty to continue to be a multi-dimensional threat on offense. Since he’s returned from an early season injury the senior WR has led the team in rushing in one game and thrown a TD pass in another.

Holy Cross’s defense (32 ppg allowed, 4th in PL) will have to deal with an extremely efficient Harvard offense. Crimson QB Joe Viviano’s passing (65.5% Comp, 233 ypg, 7 TDs, 0 INTs) has been the epitome of that so far. The senior is also second on the team in rushing (45 ypg 3 TDs). Half Back Anthony Firkser (106 ypg, 5 TDs) has been Viviano’s favorite target in the passing game so far this year. Semar Smith (84 ypg, 6 TDs) has been handling most of the RB duties. WR Justice Shelton-Mosley is another skill player the Crusaders will have to keep an eye on. The explosive WR amazingly has not recorded a TD so far this year.

Of Note: Harvard is Holy Cross’s 4th most played opponent. The Crimson lead the all times series against the Crusaders 42-24-2. Holy Cross has lost the last 3 to Harvard by an average score of 44.6-18.6.

Lehigh at Georgetown – 15 Oct. 2:00 P.M. Cooper Field Washington, D.C.

(Patriot League Network)

Lehigh (4-2, 1-0) will look to keep their wave of momentum rolling as they travel to Georgetown (3-2, 0-0) for an important mid-October conference game. The Mountain Hawks are coming off an impressive 45-31 win over defending Patriot League champion Colgate in Bethlehem. Senior QB Nick Shafnisky returned to action after missing the previous game against Yale. After some inconsistent play early on, Shafnisky got it going to finish with 394 yards and 5 TDs. The WR duo of Troy Pelletier (6 rec. 102 yards 1 TD) Gatlin Casey (11 rec. 196 yards 3 TDs) continued to terrorize defensive secondaries.

Georgetown enters their first Patriot League game on a two game losing streak after starting the season 3-0 for the first time since 1999. Ivy Leaguers Harvard and Princeton defeated the Hoyas by the same 31-17 score the last two weeks. The Hoyas struggles on offense (188 total yards) continued last week in the loss to the Tigers. The Hoyas were without starting QB Tim Barnes. Sophomore Clay Norris (13-26 106 yards 1 INT) earned his first career start in the loss. There’s no word on Barnes’s status for the Lehigh game.

The Hoya defense, which has been solid all season, will face their toughest test to date against a Mountain Hawk offense that ranks second in the Patriot League in scoring (40 ppg). The Mountain Hawks have been especially impressive (49, 42, 63 and 45 points scored) during their 4 game winning streak. Georgetown will have to find a way to slow down the Gatlin/Pelletier WR combo that has been devastating lately. The Hoyas will need this week’s PL Defensive Player of the Week winner DB Jelani Williamson to keep his great play going this Saturday against the talented Lehigh WRs.

Georgetown’s offense will have to figure out a way to consistently move the ball on Saturday to have a chance. That task will be even taller if Barnes (56% Comp., 166 ypg, 7 TDs 2 INTs) is unable to go again this week. The rushing attack hasn’t been able to provide much, if any, balance all season. Featured RB Alex Valles is averaging a less than stellar 60 ypg. One positive for Georgetown is Lehigh’s continuing inconsistencies on defense. The Mountain Hawk’s defense has improved considerably since last year but it’s still giving up a few too many points (28 ppg allowed, 3rd in PL) and way too many rushing yards (245 ypg, 6th PL). If the Hoyas want to pull an upset a clock controlling ground game and finishing drives with points, even FGs, are a must.

Of Note: Since Georgetown joined the Patriot League in 2001 they are 0-15 against Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks won the first 11 meetings in dominating fashion but the 3 out of the last 4 meetings have been decided by single digits including last year’s 33-28 Lehigh win. Lehigh leads the all-time series 16-5.

FCS TV/Streaming Guide: Week Ending 10/15/2016

Provided by FargoBison on AGS again this week.  ALL TIMES CENTRAL.

Its been a busy week so a bit later than usual but without any further ado here is this week’s FCS TV guide…As usual all times are in central time and if there is anything I missed please share and I will update accordingly…

TV Guide:
Albany at Maine 11 a.m. FCSA: 606
James Madison at UNH 11 a.m. NESN+: 628-1 / SNY: 639 / (CSNC: 665 / CSCA: 698)
Lafayette at Army 11 a.m. CBSSN: 221
SUU at UND 1 p.m. MidcoSN
Chattanooga at The Citadel 2 p.m. FSSE: 649 / FSNO+: 668-2 / FSSD: 694 / ESPN Extra: 793
Columbia at Penn 2 p.m. OWS: 623
South Dakota State at North Dakota State 2:30 p.m. NBC ND
Montana State at Weber State 2:30 p.m. RSNW: 687 / RSRM: 683 / AUD: 601 / RSSW: 674
Villanova at Richmond 2:30 p.m. SNY: 639 / CSMA: 642
Sac State at Montana 3:30 p.m. Cowles
Idaho State at NAU 6 p.m. FSW: 692 / FSAZ+: 686-1
Southern Illinois at Illinois State 6 p.m. CSNC+: 665-1
Nicholls State at Houston Baptist 7 p.m. Fox Sports Go stream

ESPN3
Dayton at Jacksonville 11 a.m.
North Carolina A&T at Bethune Cookman noon
Valparaiso at Stetson noon
Wagner at CCSU noon
WIU at Missouri State 2 p.m.
South Dakota at Indiana State 2 p.m.
VMI at Samford 2 p.m.
South Dakota State at North Dakota State 2:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at Mercer 3 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana at Stephen F. Austin 3 p.m.
Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State 3 p.m.
Northern Iowa at Youngstown State 6 p.m.
Northwestern State at Lamar 6 p.m.
Robert Morris at Duquesne 6 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at Tennessee State 6 p.m.
Southern Illinois at Illinois State 6 p.m.
Central Arkansas at McNeese 6 p.m.
Liberty at Kennesaw State 6 p.m.

ESPN Extra:
WIU at Missouri State 2 p.m. ESPN Extra: 792
Southern Illinois at Illinois State 6 p.m. ESPN Extra: 789

Where to find other FCS games(FREE) online….
http://lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm (Guide to all games on TV or online webcasts)
Big Sky Conference…http://eversport.tv/big-sky
Big South Conference…http://www.bigsouthsports.com/
Colonial Athletic Association…https://portal.stretchinternet.com/caa/
Northeast Conference…http://www.necfrontrow.com/
OVC Conference…http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/
Patriot League…http://campusinsiders.com/network/patriot_league
SoCon Digital Network…http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com

 

The FCS Wedge – 2016-10-13 – SoCon SotC Show

The State of the Conference (SotC) show this week features our guest Marc Goold.  These are short 10 to 15 minute shows we will be doing every week.  This week, it is the SoCon’s turn and that is why we asked Marc to come along for the ride and help guide us through one of the oldest conferences in the nation.  Give this young up and comer a listen, he has knowledge on the topic.

Oh yeah, Kris Berndt & Lance Kallem are both there too.

Since I never get a comment out of them on the show descriptions we’ll see if that wakes anyone up.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

BIG SOUTH: Week 7 Preview

Conference play begins in earnest in the Big South this week.  After this week’s results, I’ll include the conference standings in next week’s review along with a brief look at what those standings mean.  It won’t be a power poll but, hopefully, something that provides a little context to the wins and losses.

 

(3-2) Charleston Southern    OPEN…again

Due to playing in the FCS Kickoff game a week earlier than the rest of the nation and now having a game cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew, CSU will enjoy their third open date of the season this week.  It will also be their second consecutive day off.  By the time CSU hosts Presbyterian on October 22nd, it will have been three weeks since the Bucs’ last game action at Coastal Carolina and seven weeks since they last played at home.

What CSU has to do in the bye week:  Do a little clean up after the storm, I guess, but I don’t what they need to get accomplished during their third bye week that they couldn’t get done in the first two.

Best case scenario for CSU – CSU comes out of the break refreshed for the home stretch and prepared to play more than three games in a row.

Worst case scenario – The extended break dampens their forward momentum at the worst possible time.

 

(4-2) Monmouth @ (1-4) Presbyterian – Thursday, Oct 13th,7:00pm (Big South Network) 

Presbyterian welcomes Monmouth to Clinton, SC in an extremely rare mid-season Thursday night conference game in the Big South.  It’s so rare, in fact, that this is the first time ever.  Liberty and Coastal Carolina played a Thursday night conference game just last year but that was a schedule alteration thanks to the game being broadcast on ESPNU and was also the last scheduled game of the season for both teams as well as being a rivalry game that typically carried conference title implications.  This instance, however, is none of those things which makes this game one of the more inexplicably-scheduled dates in recent memory.

Why a Thursday night game between these two teams?

  • Television? No. Aside from an in-person ticket, the only viewing option is streaming the Big South Network.
  • Venue scheduling conflict? Not obviously.  Bailey Memorial Stadium is PC’s on-campus stadium and they are its only tenant.  There don’t appear to be any other scheduled events for the site that weekend.
  • Higher attendance? No chance.  Typically, mid-week games have lower attendance than Saturday games because students have classwork to do and paying ticket-holders have to take off work to get any kind of gameday experience.  Then factor in that Presbyterian College has only 1,200 students, is located in a town of just 8,500 people and is nearly an hour’s drive from anything that resembles a metro area.
  • Rivalry? The schools have only met twice before with both teams winning the home game.  The final margin in both games was less than a touchdown but neither game had significant impact on either programs season or final standings within the Big South.  There’s nothing here that would naturally suggest a rivalry between a college in rural South Carolina and a university located practically within the shadow of New York City.

All in all, this is a game that seems to have placed where it is on the schedule entirely because of a dare.

Anyway.

Monmouth comes into this game fresh off their dissection of Howard, a game in which the Hawks could seem to do no wrong on offense.  Presbyterian, meanwhile, comes home from a visit to Gardner-Webb in which the Blue Hose could seem to do no right on any side of the ball.

As mentioned, these two teams have split the all-time series at 1-1 and, in both cases, defense has been the hallmark of the game with neither team scoring more than 21 points.  This year, however, the two teams are moving in diametrically opposite directions.  Monmouth is averaging nearly 400 yards/game on offense and have scored 101 points in the past two weeks while the heretofore unshakable Presbyterian defense has given up at least that same amount of yardage in every game against scholarship competition and have scored just 13 points against that same group for the entire season.

What Monmouth has to do against Presbyterian:  Get the ball to Reggie White, Jr.  Presbyterian will likely crowd the box, hoping to take away a Monmouth ground game that has finally found some consistency even without the full-time contributions of RB Lavon Chaney.  White is a physical receiving threat on the outside that can force the PC linebackers to turn their backs to the line of scrimmage.

What Presbyterian has to do against Monmouth: Generate something – anything – on offense.  Even with the 31-point outburst against Campbell, the Blue Hose are still scoring less than 10 points/game.  The offense is geared around the talents of RB Darrell Bridges but, to this point, no one else has shown an ability to take some of the defensive focus.

 

(3-2)    Coastal Carolina   @   (3-3)   Gardner-Webb – Saturday, October 15th, 1:30pm (Big South Network)

Gardner-Webb faces Coastal Carolina in their last non-conference game of the year and the Runnin’ Bulldogs are probably more happy than most to see the Chants leave the Big South.  G-W is 2-11 all-time against Coastal and have lost the last four straight by an average score of 45-13.  Of their two wins in the series, both have come, oddly enough, at Coastal and, in more than a decade of trying, Gardner-Webb has never beaten the Teal at home.  This, then, makes one wonder why in the world Gardner-Webb chose to schedule Coastal Carolina for homecoming.

For their part, Coastal is still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Matthew.  While much of the east coast was touched by the outer edges of the storm, the eye of the storm came ashore directly over the Myrtle Beach area and the state governor declared the region to be in a state of emergency. As of this writing, the campus is still closed.  The CCU football team had a fortunately-timed open date last weekend but, currently, the program is operating out of hotels while they wait for the school to re-open.

For their part, Gardner-Webb has found a rhythm with an offense built around running the ball with dual-threat QB Tyrell Maxwell and RB Khalil Lewis.  This is bad news for a Coastal defense that has not demonstrated much improvement in stopping the run.  The Bulldogs had a banner night last week against Presbyterian in which Maxwell and Lewis combined for over 250 yards rushing just between the two of them.  This opened up areas downfield that allowed G-W to hit on some big pass plays and put Presby in a hole early.

Coastal, on the other hand, has been stewing for two weeks in the rancid juices of a 59-58 double overtime loss to former Big South rival Charleston Southern in a game decided by a blocked extra point.  Despite gaining more than 400 yards of offense in that game, they gave up more than that to CSU and also gave away 11 points on turnovers.  As distracting and discombobulating as the storm may have been, it’s certain that the team can’t wait to get the taste of that last game out of their collective mouth.

What Gardner-Webb needs to do against Coastal:  Hold the ball.  Coastal’s brand of hurry-up offense was effective at moving the ball against CSU last week but it left the Chants with just 17 minutes of possession time.  Any team that gets to keep possession of the ball for more than literally twice the time of the other team, stands a really good chance of winning.

Best case scenario for Gardner-Webb – Maxwell and Lewis keep doing their thing.  It should be a great atmosphere for homecoming in Boiling Springs and Gardner-Webb has, historically, been a team that feeds off of their own momentum.

Worst case scenario for Gardner-Webb – More of the last four years.  Regardless of turbulent circumstances at the moment, Coastal’s two losses this year are by a single point apiece to opponents ranked in the top 10 of FCS.

 

(2-3) Liberty @ (4-1) Kennesaw State – Saturday, Oct 15th, 7:00pm (ESPN3)

Kennesaw State and Liberty open Big South conference play with a bang on Saturday night.

A year ago, KSU went up to Lynchburg at 5-1 and had all the momentum against a below-.500 Liberty team that was reeling from a disappointing four-game road trip that included losses to Monmouth and Gardner-Webb. But, in front of a homecoming crowd, Liberty held a 17-point lead at halftime and pretty much held that advantage through the second half in a 45-35 win.  KSU would go on to win just one more game the rest of the season while the win served as a springboard for Liberty to claw their way back into a winning record on the year.

This time, however, KSU is coming into this game on a hot streak at 4-1 while Liberty comes in sitting just below .500 after a couple of disappointing road losses.  The homecoming crowd can expect to see a lot of firewo – wait….OK, well, this time the game is at Kennesaw.

Kennesaw comes into this game on a four-game win streak and, after scoring just 10 points in regulation in the opener against ETSU, have put up no less than 36 points on every opponent since.  For their part, this will be Liberty’s first game of the season against a team that is not a limited-scholarship school, an FBS school or Jacksonville State.

Liberty struggled to run the ball against Robert Morris in their most recent outing.  Still, the Flames’ receiving corps along with the arm of QB Buckshot Calvert were more than enough to put plenty of points on the board a stingy defense that managed to score a touchdown of its own certainly helped.

Kennesaw’s QB, Chandler Burks, has really settled into the starting role leading the Owls’ triple-option offense.  He struggled with making the correct reads against D2 Missouri S&T a week ago but his athleticism and passing ability give the KSU offense a dimension that wasn’t as much of a threat a year ago. That said, Burks’ top receiving target, WR Justin Sumpter, is not listed on the KSU 2-deep for the second week in a row after limping off the field at Furman.  A deep threat passing attack wasn’t quite as necessary against Missouri S&T but it very likely will be against Liberty.

This game will the centerpiece of Kennesaw’s homecoming events this week.  A stadium “Black Out” is scheduled — which I assume to be a good thing — and it should be an exciting gameday environment.

What Kennesaw has to do against Liberty – Avoid turnovers.  The Liberty defense has taken the ball away 17 times in just 5 games and gotten 50 points – more than a third of their season’s total output – off of those turnovers.

What Kennesaw has to do against Liberty – Score early and often.  The visible key to LU’s win a year ago was putting KSU in an early hole on the scoreboard.  Without a home run receiving threat – which Sumpter is – the triple-option does not typically score points quickly and allows the clock to become another opponent for the offense.

The FCS Wedge – 2016-1012- LISTEN UP!

Kris & Lance do the usual diving in to the great matchups from around the country last week.  There are  a couple from the CAA, the MVFC, BSC, PL, hell we’re all over the place this week…in a good way.  Sorry about that cursing, I should have said H-E-double toothpicks there but I got excited.

Lance has some problems (small ones) with the order of a few teams based on actual occurrences on the field  and the young barrister makes a fairly convincing case and at the end Kris folds up like a cheap suit.

The fellers then get into some discussion about the top matchups for next week:

South Dakota State @ North Dakota State
Villanova @ Richmond
Chattanooga @ The Citadel
James Madison @ New Hampshire
Central Arkansas @ McNeese State
Southern Utah @ North Dakota
&
Northern Iowa @ Youngstown State

They round out the show by completing a series.  This week they discuss some coaches that have been doing a superlative job so far this year.

This show runs about 10 minutes longer than normal because of so much great stuff these guys went over but lets not kid ourselves here…you got nothing but time.  Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day. Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.  Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town.  Waiting for someone or something to show you the way.

Well here I am, this is the way, now go click play.

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CAA Week 6: Review and Power Rankings

With week six in the books, the CAA enjoyed a full slate of conference games beginning with a very wet game on Friday between UNH and Elon and capping off with a triple overtime thriller between the Spiders of Richmond, and the Great Danes of Albany.

New Hampshire 13, Elon 10

Coming off a big loss to Villanova after their statement wins against William and Mary, Elon set out to show a home crowd that they could bounce back. With Hurricane Matthew wreaking havoc, Elon showed UNH that they wouldn’t go down without a fight. Taking the lead in the third quarter, Elon felt they were on their way to a win. Until Kicker Morgan Ellman from UNH kicked two field goals to take the lead and seal the deal for the Wildcats.

Villanova 35, Rhode Island 0

Week in and week out Villanova has slowly emerged as one of the top teams in the CAA. With five touchdowns on the day 3 rushing and 2 receiving, Villanova showed Rhode Island that they came to play. Villanova QB Zack Bednarczyk threw for 133 yards and went 8/9 on receptions. The 463 total yards for Villanova was too much for Rhode Island to overcome as they were shut out, and combined for only 103 team yards on the day.

James Madison 31, William and Mary 24

After dropping its first two conference games to Elon and New Hampshire, William and Mary traveled to Harrisonburg, VA on Saturday with the hopes of upsetting interstate rival James Madison, and showing the FCS that they weren’t out of the playoff picture just yet. Unfortunately, James Madison had other plans for the Tribe as they put up 511 total yards with 194 of those coming on the ground carried by Duke RB Khalid Abdullah. William and Mary mounted a late comeback but fell short when Tribe QB Steve Cluely was picked off late in the fourth quarter to seal the end of the game.

Richmond 36, Albany 30

When Richmond traveled to Albany, NY on Saturday they traveled knowing that they would be playing a team that was up and coming as a power in the CAA. What they didn’t know was just how tough this game would be. With the game tied going into the fourth quarter, Richmond though they had put it away with a four-yard run by Deontez Thompson to put the spiders ahead 20-13. This lead wouldn’t last for long though as Albany’s Jordan Crockett caught a 51-yard pass from Neven Sussman to tie the game at 20-20. Three overtimes late the game was decided by Richmond as David Broadus scored on a four-yard run to give the Spiders a final 36-30 advantage.

Maine 28, Delaware 21

The Black Bears from Maine stunned the Delaware Blue Hens as they traveled to Delaware and defeated the Blue Hens at home to secure their first CAA victory. Delaware trailed into the fourth quarter until an 11-yard pass from Dan Collins to Jaleel Reed tied the game at 21-21. Less than five minutes later, Black Bear Austin Brown would return a Delaware fumble 62 yards in front of a stunned Delaware home crowd to seal the deal for the Black Bears.

Stony Brook 27, Towson 20

QB Ellis Knudson for Towson has a successful day passing for 250 yards and completing 20 of his 33 attempts. It would be his two turnovers of the day though that would prove costly as Towson dropped a tough one at home against the Seawolves of Stony Brook. Towson would win the total yards battle coming in at 406 total yards to Stony Brook’s 370 total yards, but Stony brook would ultimately win the day off three running touchdowns from; QB Joe Carbone, RB Jordan Gowins, and RB Stacey Bedell.

Power Rankings

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

 

OVC: Week 6 Review

The last undefeated team in the league fell Saturday when #21 Eastern Illinois knocked off Tennessee State in Charleston.  With Tennessee State suffering a loss in league play it means that Jax State (1-0 OVC)  is now in the driver’s seat for the conference championship.

In other news: EKU got their first Division-I win of the season to improve to 2-3 when they defeated SEMO in Richmond and Austin Peay lost a game.  …Austin Peay losing isn’t really news at this point, is it?

Oh well, let’s get dig into what went down this past weekend in the OVC.

Austin Peay 31 UT-Martin 45

Austin Peay looked like a hot mess going into halftime down 31 to 7. They had fumbled away the ball twice and allowed UT-Martin to get a four possession lead by halftime.  However, the Austin Peay team that went into the locker rooms at halftime was not the same one that started the third quarter. Austin Peay stepped up at the beginning of the third by forcing a fumble on the Skyhawk’s opening drive that kept the Skyhawks out of the red zone.  Peay put up three then let UT-M score twice to widen the lead to 45-10.  The Govs then went on to rack up 219 yards and 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to close the gap to the final of 31-45.  Quarterbacks for both teams had a good day as APSU’s Timarious Mitchell went 17/23 (73.9%) for 227 yards and two touchdowns whereas Skyhawk’s shot caller Troy Cook completed 17 of his 21 attempts (81%) for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

UT-Martin will look to get above .500 as they head to Murray State to take on the 1-4 Racers and Austin Peay will drop out of the frying pan and into the fire as they head to Jacksonville to take on the #2 Gamecocks.

Eastern Kentucky 31 Southeast Missouri State 16

Remember when I said the Colonel’s wouldn’t win if they continued to rely solely on Bennie Coney in the preview last week? Well this week the Colonels didn’t just rely on Coney’s arm, they also ran the ball a 52 times for 190 yards and they sent SEMO home with an L. Despite all the rushing Coney still put up the biggest numbers in the OVC on the day.  The redshirt senior accounted for 337 yards as he went 23 of 37 for four touchdowns and a pick. His favorite target on the day was senior wideout Devin Borders who hauled in 7 catches for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Redhawks could get their running game established and it hurt them in the end.  The Redhawks had 26 rushes for 101 yards, which doesn’t sound too bad until you consider that 45 yards of it came off of one run by senior running back Will Young.  Aside from that one run the Redhawks only averaged 2.2 yard per carry.

Eastern Kentucky will head to Nashville this weekend to take on 4-1 Tennessee State and SEMO will have a bye before heading to Tennessee Tech on the 22nd.

Tennessee State 34 #21 Eastern Illinois 35

EIU escaped with a narrow win over the previously undefeated Tigers.  Tigers kicker Lane Clark missed a 46 yard field goal attempt with 3:00 left in the fourth that would have given TSU a 37-35 lead. The Tigers forced an EIU punt five plays later and with only 36 seconds left couldn’t make it back into field goal range. The Panther’s defensive line are the unsung heros of this game. The Panther’s defensive line held the Tigers to just 76 yards rushing on 35 carries and kept pressure on Ronald Butler all day. Panther’s defensive end David Johnson was awarded OVC co-Defensive Player of the Week honors his 9 tackle performance Saturday.  The junior had 9 tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday. With their win over Tennessee State EIU is now second in the OVC standings behind the undefeated Gamecocks and are tied with UT-Martin and SEMO.

Eastern Illinois will travel to Tennessee Tech and Tennessee State will host Eastern Kentucky in Nissan Stadium.

#2 Jacksonville State 40  Tennessee Tech 21

Senior Gamecock running back Josh Clemons had a career day as he rushed for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Golden Eagles. JSU had 249 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns as the muscled their way past Tennessee Tech. The JSU defense also had a big day as they forced five turnovers and held Tech to 229 total yards and only 62 yards rushing.  Tennessee Tech only had 67 total yards going into halftime and had gone three and out (or had a turnover) on 5 of their first 6 drives. Tennessee Tech quarterback Michael Birdsong had his worst game of the season as he went 19 for 32 for 167 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.  Despite a good performance on the stat sheet JSU still has a lot of work to do if they want to have another deep run in the playoffs. Penalties are still a major issue and special teams MUST get better.

JSU fans should also be thanking Eastern Illinois.  With EIU’s win over Tennessee State this weekend JSU is in the driver’s seat for the OVC.

JSU will host Austin Peay this weekend and Tennessee Tech will host #21 Eastern Illinois.

Murray State enjoyed a bye week.  They will host UT-Martin this weekend.

Power Rankings

Jacksonville State Gamecocks (4-1, 1-0 OVC)

Eastern Illinois Panthers (4-2, 2-1 OVC)

Tennessee State Tigers (4-1, 1-1 OVC)

UT-Martin Skyhawks (3-3, 2-1 OVC)

Eastern Kentucky Colonels (2-3, 1-1 OVC

Southeast Missouri Redhawks (2-4, 2-1 OVC)

Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-4, 2-2 OVC)

Murray State Racers (1-4, 1-1 OVC)

Austin Peay Governors (0-5, 0-4 OVC)