BIG SOUTH: Week 6 Review

Hurricane Matthew caused a little drama this week but turned out to have only minor significance.

(2-3) Liberty                       BYE

Liberty had the weekend off which saved the Flames from playing in the steady rain that fell over most of Virginia and the southeast US last weekend.  It’s just as well.  Fire and water don’t mix.  Badum-bum.

 

(3-2) Charleston Southern v. Albany State                           CANCELLED

Due to Hurricane Matthew, CSU and Albany State had initially agreed to move this game up from Saturday to Thursday evening.  However, that became impossible when South Carolina’s governor began issuing evacuation orders for all coastal localities on Tuesday.  Despite CSU being 25 miles inland and not in real danger of a storm surge, cancelling the game was obviously.  Most of the Lowcountry was left with localized flooding, especially on roadways, and without power.  Obviously, not the best environment for a football game.

The cancellation of a game against a D2 opponent doesn’t especially hurt CSU’s strength of schedule bu what is a little bit interesting here is that Albany State was the game that CSU head coach Jamey Chadwell was supposed to sit out as part of the penalties for CSU’s bookstore scandal which is still in need of a catchy name (Kindle Kerfuffle?  Nope.  We’ll get there).    CSU has five games remaining on the schedule and, at this point, the two most likely candidates for Chadwell to miss are the Bucs’ upcoming home dates with Presbyterian or Bucknell.  The argument for Bucknell is that it’s the only non-conference game left on the slate and, therefore, the least meaningful.  The argument for Presbyterian is that, while PC is a Big South game, they are also the next game coming up and, for right now at least, PC is one of the weaker teams in the country.

 

(4-2) Monmouth 59, (1-5) Howard 27   

Monmouth got off to a slow start offensively against Howard.  After the Bison scored a touchdown on their first possession, Monmouth was already down a score before their offense took the field.  Their first drive went 3-and-out and their second drive took five and a half minutes off the clock but only went 31 yards and netted the Hawks a field goal.  Fortunately, Monmouth’s offensive style of running the ball mixed with a short passing game suited the wet, windy conditions well as did the fact that Howard features one of the worst defenses in America.  RB Lavon Chaney returned, wearing what looked like a flak jacket under his jersey to protect his rib injury, and looked as nimble as ever.  Chaney was crucial in the early going for Monmouth and, at the end of the first quarter, he was the guy carrying the ball into the end zone for MU’s first touchdown and a lead they would never relinquish.

And that’s the last we saw of him.   Chaney didn’t appear to be re-injured but he didn’t return to the game either.  In fairness, it was obvious the Hawks weren’t going to need his services to be successful on the day so the decision not to play Chaney after the first quarter was likely simple discretion on the part of the coaching staff.  In his absence, the Monmouth backfield just went off:

  • Every Monmouth running back that touched the ball scored at least one touchdown
  • Every Monmouth running back not named Chaney had at least 65 yards rushing
  • Backup RB’s Ed Royds and Michael Jolly had 4 touchdowns and 247 yards rushing between them…on 13 carries. That’s 19 yds/carry

Through the air, QB Cody Williams had 188 yards passing on 22 completions without playing in the second half.  It’s worth noting that most of Williams’ passes were completed within just a few yards of the line of scrimmage but the Hawks receivers picked up a huge amount of yards after catch.  Credit goes to the Monmouth players playing to the whistle but these offensive numbers also reflect just how astonishingly terrible is the Howard defense.  Exactly how bad is it?  One play should illustrate it:

Deep in MU territory late in the third quarter, Jolly took a handoff going around the left side of the line and 5’8” 185 slot WR Darren Ambush tried to get out in front to block for him.  Ambush ran up next to the Howard safety who simply fell down when Ambush got close, taking out the middle linebacker as well.  Ambush kept running and caught up to the Howard spur who also promptly fell down.  Ambush kept going, trying to get in front of a Howard corner who had the last shot at stopping Jolly.  Ambush couldn’t quite get there but he was apparently close enough because that guy fell down, too.  On one 78-yard play, the smallest person on the field “took out” four Howard defenders without ever actually touching a single one of them.

Defensively, things weren’t so rosy for Monmouth.  Howard’s offense is significantly more stacked with playmakers than their defense isn’t.  HU RB Anthony Philyaw is an outstanding talent out of the backfield and he rolled up 234 yards rushing and three touchdowns by himself.  Monmouth simply had no answer for him other than to hold the ball and score themselves.  A ten-minute TOP advantage aided by weather and Howard’s sob story of a defense did the trick.

What does this win mean for Monmouth? – The stats from this game are eye-popping but a bit misleading based on the opponent.  The important thing, however, is that the win keeps the Hawks’ positive momentum going into a short week and Big South conference play.

 

(4-1) Kennesaw State 49,  (3-3) Missouri S&T 16

After hammering Furman, KSU returned home to face their second D2 school of the year with the visiting Miners of Missouri S&T.  (For the record, it’s a ten to twelve-hour bus ride from Rolla, Missouri to Kennesaw, Georgia.  You’ve got to love football to be able to deal with that.)   Despite giving up a long touchdown pass on the third play of the game, it was all KSU in the early going.  The Owls scored on their first possession to tie the game and then got another INT from DB Dante Blackmon – his fifth of the year – and KSU got the ball into the end zone again to take a 14-7 lead.  Just inside the beginning of the second quarter, KSU QB Chandler Burks punched the ball into the end zone from a yard out to give Kennesaw their third straight scoring drive and a commanding 21-7 lead.  Unfortunately, Burks seemed to spend the rest of that quarter trying to keep the Miners in the game.  On KSU’s next play, Burks pitched the ball directly to a defender who took it the other way to get the visitors back within eight points and, on the series after that, Kennesaw put together a lengthy drive that ended when Burks made another errant pitch on 3rd down followed by taking a sack on 4th down.  That allowed Missouri S&T to kick a field goal and close the gap to 21-16 just before halftime.

The third quarter, however, was a different story.  Burks hit WR Xavier Harper for a deep touchdown pass on the second play of the second half and the KSU defense held the Miners to 20 total yards in the quarter and ended their fourth quarter threats by blocking a field goal, recovering a fumble and getting a 4th-down sack.  In the meantime, Burks and the offense put together several late clock-eating drives for touchdowns that put 21 more points on the board and, essentially, buried the visitors in the fourth quarter.

What does this win mean for Kennesaw? – It’s a positive but it wasn’t impressive.  KSU was easily the dominant team but their first-half focus was not at that level.

 

 (3-3) Gardner-Webb 24 (1-4) Presbyterian 3

This game turned out to be significantly less affected by Hurricane Matthew than anticipated which probably worked in Gardner-Webb’s favor.

G-W QB Tyrell Maxwell had a banner night with 222 yards passing to go along another 155 yards on the ground.  More impressively, all those yards came on just 18 plays (7 completions, 11 rushing attempts) for an average of nearly 21 yards per play from the arm or legs of Maxwell.  He wasn’t the only one by any means.  RB Khalil Lewis added another 100+ yards rushing and a touchdown while WR Kyle Horton had 131 yards receiving and a touchdown on just three catches.  All in all, it was a quick-strike big-play night for the G-W offense.

Meanwhile, the Presbyterian defense just could not avoid giving up the big play.  Maxwell heaved a 74-yard touchdown on his first play and hit TE Mike Estes for another 64 yards on his next pass.  After Maxwell’s first two passes went for 138 yards combined and it looked like Gardner-Webb was going to simply walk over PC, the Blue Hose defense firmed up.  Instead of being in a two-touchdown hole after just three plays, it was 10-0.  PC made the ten-spot stand until halftime and got a field goal right before the break to head to the locker room only down 10-3 in a situation that could have been a lot worse.  If not for DB Kevin Green curling into the fetal position around Mike Estes’ right ankle and DB Robert Baker slapping the ball out of Lewis’ hand at the goal line, PC would have found themselves in a three-touchdown hole at the break.

As it was, however, the damage was done for PC.  After their field goal drive late in the second quarter, Presby got no farther than the G-W 28-yard line the rest of the game.  Maxwell broke loose for an 87-yard touchdown run late in the third and Lewis added his score in the fourth to get the gaudy stats and the final score but the Blue Hose offense never really mounted a credible threat.  QB Ben Cheek started his first game for Presbyterian since September 17th at Chattanooga and threw for 124 yards on 29 attempts while RB Darrell Bridges got 67 yards on 19 carries.  That amounted to a lot of short gains that kept the clock moving but not a lot of actual movement down the field.  Despite holding the ball for more than 32 minutes, not turning the ball over and not taking sacks, PC only earned ten first downs for the entire game.

What does this win mean for Gardner-Webb? – They’re 1-0 in conference but, also, Gardner-Webb is hitting their stride at a really good time.

What does this loss mean for Presbyterian? – PC has long hung their hat on defense when/because the offense was struggling.  That defense just isn’t there this year due to a combination of youth and injuries and the offense is less dynamic than ever.  The Blue Hose need to figure something out fast.

SLC: Week 7 Preview

Week 6 in the Southland turned out to be an interesting one, as Sam Houston let Incarnate Word hang with them for a bit, but pulled out a 63-48 win, while SFA and Nicholls went to double OT, with Nicholls getting a 35-28 win, and Southeastern Louisiana pulling a heartbreaker on McNeese, taking the victory 31-24. Let’s take a look at the week 7 matchups:

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Southeastern Louisiana at Stephen F Austin

It’s homecoming in the Piney Woods as the Lumberjacks host the Lions. Southeastern Louisiana comes off of a last second victory over McNeese, getting the game winning score on a 82 yard touchdown with 8 seconds left on the clock. Justin Alo threw for 339 yards, and Southeastern had a fumble recovery for a touchdown as well. They look to be clicking as they head into Nacogdoches to take on the Lumberjacks. SFA is on a two game skid after taking a loss to Nicholls in double overtime. SFA went up early on the Colonels, but then the Nicholls defense turned it on and held SFA scoreless until the second half, and a fumble in the second OT frame sealed the win for Nicholls. SFA still is running a quarterback by committee, as Zach Conque took most of the snaps vs Nicholls. When one team is clicking, while the other has questions, it’s hard to pick the latter over the former, so I think Southeastern takes this and crushes any post season hopes SFA has remaining. Final score, SLU 38-31 over SFA.

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Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State

Sam finally gets a home game after being on the road for the past three weeks, and they look to keep the undefeated season going vs the winless Wildcats. Sam comes off of a 63-48 win at Incarnate Word, and Sam definitely had troubles with the Cardinals, as Sam’s offense was scoring so fast, it was keeping their defense out on the field for long stretches of time. Jeremiah Briscoe is without a doubt the best quarterback in the conference, and with him at the helm, Sam looks to have an undefeated season. Their next true challenge is vs Central Arkansas in November. Abilene Christian’s woes just continue, as Lamar ran them out of Shotwell Stadium 38-10. ACU went for 187 on the ground, but couldn’t get their passing game going, only getting 119 yards through the air. ACU’s defense allowed Kade Harrington and the Cardinals to go for 309 yards on the ground, with Harrington amassing 149 of them. I cannot imagine that ACU has the same effect on Sam that Incarnate Word did. Sam takes this big, 63-21.

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Central Arkansas at McNeese

If there is one team who is feeling pretty good right now, it’s Central Arkansas. After the week one loss to Samford, UCA has turned it on, blowing out their opponents and getting a FBS win over Arkansas State. UCA is averaging 39 points per game versus allowing 21, and they have been very balanced in their attack, amassing almost 1,200 yards in both rushing and passing. Coming off of the bye, they should be very focused to go play in the Hole. McNeese is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Southeastern Louisiana, in which they allowed a last second 82 yard touchdown that sealed the win for the Lions. McNeese has had their struggles this year, and I think you can attest them to getting used to a new coach and new system. One thing they have going for them is a solid win over Nicholls, and they tend to play very well in Lake Charles. Quarterback James Tabary has a 137 efficiency rating, throwing for 12 touchdowns while only tossing 3 picks. If McNeese can get their passing game going, they might give UCA some fits and perhaps can give the DWA (Defense With Attitude) some breathing room. It’s definitely the game of the week in the Southland, and I think UCA inevitably takes this one 34-24.

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Northwestern State at Lamar

Northwestern State comes into this game on a high, after finally getting their first win of the year over division 2 Kentucky Wesleyan 49-7. Northwestern State has struggled this year moving the ball on offense, while their defense has just been porous, giving up over 400 yards of offense per game. They travel to Beaumont to take on the Cardinals, who are coming off of the aforementioned win over Abilene Christian. Lamar’s Kade Harrington is one of the best running backs in the country, but their passing game is not strong, so if Northwestern State can stop the run, they could have a chance to pull the upset. I don’t think it happens, Lamar wins big 42-7

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Nicholls State at Houston Baptist

Nicholls State is looking to make it two in a row in conference as they head to Houston to take on the Huskies. The Colonels are coming off of a double overtime win over SFA, in which their defense took control of the game. Overall, the Nicholls defense has kept them in for most of the games they have played, forcing 8 interceptions, and playing lights out. They have a pretty tough task in the Huskies, who surprisingly aren’t the doormat they have been in the conference. HBU has been able to move the ball on the ground, but their biggest weakness is their secondary. They have given up over 1,400 yards in the air, and if Nicholls can air it out, it could be a long day for the Huskies. Nicholls will take this, 24-17.

AGS Poll: Top 25 Week 6 Results

Week 6 left the AGS poll relatively calm as the only change within the entire top 10 was Richmond and Montana swapping spots to settle in at #8 and #9, respectively. North Dakota State once again was the near unanimous #1 followed by Jacksonville State, Eastern Washington, Sam Houston State, and Chattanooga rounding out the top 5 in that order.

There weren’t any big risers on the week as no team moved up more than two spots. New Hampshire and Southern Utah both broke back into the top 25 after exiting earlier this year, coming in at #24 and #25, respectively.

The big fall of the week was Northern Iowa who fell 12 spots to #23 after being upset on the road at South Dakota. McNeese State and Illinois State dropped out of the top 25 after sustaining losses last week on top of already shaky resumes.

The Big Sky, CAA, and MVFC all had 5 teams represented in the Top 25 to lead the way in terms of conference representation. They were followed by the SOCON with 3 teams and the OVC and Southland who each had 2 teams in the top 25.

Full results below:

Rank Team: Total Points First Place Votes Previous Wk.
1 North Dakota State Bison 1999 79 1
2 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1849 2
3 Eastern Washington Eagles 1835 1 3
4 Sam Houston State Bearkats 1735 4
5 Chattanooga Mocs 1708 5
6 James Madison Dukes 1558 6
7 The Citadel Bulldogs 1423 7
8 Richmond Spiders 1396 9
9 Montana Grizzlies 1386 8
10 Charleston Southern Buccaneers 1199 10
11 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1165 12
12 Youngstown State Penguins 1095 13
13 Villanova Wildcats 1058 15
14 Western Illinois Leathernecks 963 16
15 Cal Poly Mustangs 843 17
16 Albany Great Danes 813 14
17 Central Arkansas Bears 650 18
18 North Dakota Fighting Hawks 584 20
19 Samford Bulldogs 575 19
20 Harvard Crimson 411 21
21 Eastern Illinois Panthers 377 22
22 North Carolina A&T Aggies 344 23
23 Northern Iowa Panthers 268 11
24 New Hampshire Wildcats 238 26
25 Southern Utah Thunderbirds 170 27
ORV:
26 Stony Brook Seawolves 130 29
27 Lehigh Mountain Hawks 49 36
28 Wofford Terriers 44 39
29 Grambling State Tigers 28 32
30T South Dakota Coyotes 19 NR
30T Tennessee State Tigers 19 28
32 McNeese State Cowboys 14 24
33 Illinois State Redbirds 13 25
34 Sacred Heart Pioneers 10 35T
35 Indiana State Sycamores 9 31
36T Missouri State Bears 5 33
36T Monmouth Hawks 5 NR
36T Sacramento State Hornets 5 NR
39 William & Mary Tribe 4 35T
40 Fordham Rams 1 NR
Fell Out Of Poll:
Cornell Big Red
Dartmouth Big Green
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Wagner Seahawks

 

Most Significant Win:     Richmond Spiders

Most Significant Loss:    Northern Iowa Panthers

AGS GOTW: Week 6 | Richmond at Albany

The AGS Game of the Week  could not be contained by four quarters of play. The Spiders and Great Danes needed three overtime periods to settle this important CAA battle. The teams traded scores all day with neither team leading by more than seven points all day. The game was brought to an end by an errant pass from Albany QB Neven Sussman on 4th and 2 in the third overtime.

Both teams entered the game looking for their second conference win of the season. Albany was undefeated coming into the game and was 1-0 in CAA play. This game was a chance for the Great Danes to show that they were truly contenders for the CAA crown in 2016. For Richmond, this was an important game for them because they had already suffered a CAA loss to Stony Brook in their third game of the season.

Albany started the scoring for the day on a 19 yard run by Sussman to put them up 7-0. Richmond would counter with a field goal and would not score their first touchdown of the game until just before halftime when running back Deontez Thompson scored on a 1 yard run with 16 seconds left on the clock. The teams traded blows back and forth and Albany would force the tie for overtime with a 51 yard pass from Sussman to Jordan Crockett with 1:17 left in regulation.

Both teams had turnovers issues on Saturday. Sussman and Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta each threw 2 interceptions and Lauletta also lost a fumble in the 2nd quarter.

The Great Danes struggled on offense in this match-up. Even with three overtime sessions the Spiders held them to their lowest rushing total of the season at a meager 83 yards. Sussman went 11 for 33 through the air for 207 yards, a career high for the sophmore. He ended the day with 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown and 2 interceptions. Albany running back Ibitokun-Hanks was held to 34 yards on 16 attempts and 1 touchdown with a long run of 9 yards. Zee Roberson would lead the Danes in receiving with 5 catches for 98 yards.

For the Spiders a lot of the credit has to go to the defense. Making Sussman beat them with his arm was clearly a good strategy at 33% completion percentage and 2 interceptions. Offensively for Richmond Deontez Thompson was the highlight of the day with 20 rushes for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns. All 4 touchdowns for the Spiders came from their running game.

Moving Forward:

Richmond faces another tough battle this coming week when they return to Robins Stadium for Homecoming against Villanova. The Spiders hold their playoff and CAA championship destiny in their hands.

Albany can bounce back next weekend when they hit the road to take on the Maine Black Bears. Maine got off to a rough start but has rebounded and they are now on a two game win streak. The Great Danes can still secure the CAA auto-bid with losses by Richmond and James Madison (in which case it would go to conference tiebreaker procedures).

 

Patriot League: Week 6 Review and Power Rankings

Week six of the season saw three teams get off to 1-0 league starts. Bucknell did so in the weekend’s most exciting game. The Bison used a second half rally to take down Holy Cross in Worcester. Lehigh also won their first league game. The Mountain Hawks took down defending Patriot League champion Colgate 45-31 to extend their winning streak to 4 games. Chase Edmond’s record setting day propelled Fordham to an easy win over league foe Lafayette. The junior tailback set the single game rushing record as well as the Patriot League mark for career points. In the only non-conference game, Georgetown’s offense once again struggled in a 31-17 loss to Princeton.

Lehigh 45 Colgate 31

The Mountain Hawks (4-2, 1-0) made an early league statement against defending champion Colgate (1-4, 0-1). Lehigh used a third quarter burst to pull away in the earliest meeting between these two rivals since 1997. The win was Lehigh’s 4th in a row overall and 4th in the last 6 meeting meetings against Colgate. The Raiders have now lost three in a row after a dominating win over Yale a month ago. Their defense continues to be a major area of concern (38, 39, 45 ppg allowed) during the losing streak. To be fair, the Raiders have faced some of the top offenses (Richmond, Lehigh) in FCS

It didn’t take long for Colgate’s defense to a hit. After receiving the opening kickoff, Lehigh went on 4 play 64 yard drive in 1:44 to jump ahead 7-0. Nick Shafnisky (27-40 394 yards 5 TDs 1 INT), who returned after missing the Yale game, hit Gatlin Casey (11 rec 196 yards 3 TDs) in the back of the end zone from 33 yards for the score. Colgate’s offense, and Lehigh’s defense for that matter, weren’t to be outdone. Jake Melville (9-23 248 yards 2 TD 1 INT, 18 carries 151 yards 1 TD) took the Raider’s first play from scrimmage 75 yards for a TD on a perfectly executed zone read play. The two teams would trade interceptions before Colgate once again mounted a scoring drive. This time Melville connected with Thomas Ives on a 59 yard TD to give Colgate a 14-7 lead. The Raiders extended their lead to 17-7 with 9:57 to go in the 2nd quarter on Jonah Bowman’s 22 yard FG. The Mountain Hawks responded with a key TD drive before half time. For the second time, Shafnisky found Gatlin Casey for a score to cap an efficient 10 play 61 yard drive in just over 2 minutes.

The Mountain carried the momentum from the late TD over to the second half. Shafnisky (27-40 394 5TDs 1 INT) directed another productive drive which ended with a 25 yard Ed Mish FG that tied the game at 17. Lehigh retook the lead (24-17) midway through the 3rd quarter when Shafnisky found Casey for a 59 yard TD. Following a Colgate 3 and out the Mountain Hawks offense put together an impressive 8 play 70 yard drive that ended when Shafnisky rolled out and found a diving Troy Pelletier (6 rec 102 yards 1 TD) in the end zone for a 31 yard TD to extend the lead to 31-17. Colgate immediately answered with a 4 play, 75 yard scoring drive. Kenyon Washington (25 carries 107 yards 1 TD) found the end zone from 14 yards out to close the Raider deficit to 7 points. What came next was arguably the play of the game. Gatlin Casey received the ensuing kickoff and proceeded to race up the home sideline for a 92 yard TD that pushed Lehigh’s lead back to 14 points. After stopping Colgate on 4th down, the Lehigh offense put the game away with 8:40 left in the game when Shafnisky found RB Dominic Bragalone on swing pass that resulted in a 25 yard TD.

Colgate RB James Holland missed his second game in a row with an injury. It was determined late last week that Lehigh’s Quentin Jones will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious concussion last week against Yale.

Up next: Lehigh hits the road to face Georgetown Saturday afternoon at Cooper Field. Lehigh is 15-0 against the Hoyas in Patriot League competition. Colgate will also be traveling. The Raiders will be playing their 5th road game in six games when they pay Bucknell a visit.

Fordham 58 Lafayette 34

It’s become nearly impossible to use the correct adjective to describe Chase Edmond’s greatness. The junior RB outdid himself in the Patriot League record books in the Rams win by rushing for 359 yards on 17 carries in Fordham’s (3-2, 1-0) win over Lafayette (1-5, 0-2). The 359 yards broke the previous mark of 347 yards he set against Lehigh last year. The performance helped get Fordham back on track after last week’s disappointing loss to Monmouth. Meanwhile, Lafayette’s misery continues. The Leopards have not won since taking down Central Connecticut on September 2nd to start the year.

Things did not start out poorly for the Lafayette Saturday afternoon. Phillip Parham had a pick six less than two minutes into the game to give the Leopards an early 7-0 lead. The Leopard lead was short lived however. It only took Fordham 2 plays and 30 seconds to respond on their next drive. Edmonds notched his first TD of the game from 29 yards out to tie the game. Fordham would take the lead on their next drive. Ram QB Kevin Anderson (12-18 181 yards 3 TDs 1 INT, 10 carries 108 yards 1 TD) broke free for a 33 yard rushing TD with 7:16 left in the 1st quarter. The Leopards closed the gap to 14-10 when Jacob Bissell hit a 35 yard FG to cap a grinding 10 play 49 yard drive that took a little over a 3 minutes off the clock. The two teams would trade TDs on their next possessions to finish off a wild 1st quarter with Fordham leading 20-14 ( FU missed 2 pt try).

The Rams would take control of the game in the 2nd quarter. Edmonds got things going 57 seconds into the quarter when he scampered for a 19 yard TD. Following a Leopard FG, Edmonds exploded for a 74 yard TD to extend the Fordham lead to 34-20. After a Lafayette interception, Anderson tossed his second TD pass of the day. This time he found Rob Cantelli from 22 yards out to give Fordham a commanding 41-20 lead heading into the locker room.

Following a Lafayette 3 and out to start the second half Edmonds went back to work. This time the sensational RB exploded for a 65 yard TD to give Fordham a 48-20 lead with 13:02 left in the 3rd quarter. Makay Redd would push the Rams point total over 50 when he connected from 44 yards out midway through the 3rd quarter.

Edmonds broke two more records in the win. His 21.1 yards per carry average bested VMI’s Gene Brown (1988) 19.07 average. His 372 points scored also set the Patriot League record. The previously benchmark (358) was owned by Colgate’s RB Jordan Scott.

Lafayette QB Blake Searfoss (25-41 325 1 TD 2 INTs) started for second game in a row while injured Drew Reed recovers.

Up Next: Fordham will host Yale for their final non-conference game of the year. Yale (1-3) is coming off a surprising 21-13 win over Dartmouth.

Princeton 31 Georgetown 17

On a rainy day in Washington D.C. the Princeton Tigers (3-1) handed Georgetown (3-2) their second straight defeat. It happened to be the Hoyas second loss in a row by the score of 31-17 (lost to Harvard last week). A limited offense continues to hold the Hoyas back in their attempt to notch a signature win this season. Not having the services of starting QB Tim Barnes did not help matters. Clay Norris (13-26 103 yards 1 INT), who filled in Barnes last week, struggled in the defeat. The Hoyas also failed to get the ground game going (88 net yards). It was Princeton’s second win over a Patriot League team this year (beat Lafayette & Georgetown, lost to Lehigh).

Georgetown used a terrific special teams play to get on the score board first. Hunter Kiselick broke through the middle of the Princeton line and blocked the Tiger’s 42 yard FG attempt. Jelani Williams scooped up the ball and returned it 51 yards to give the Hoyas a 7-0 lead midway through the 1st quarter. The Tigers would miss 4 FGs on the day. Princeton would respond on their next drive. Backup QB John Lovett finished off a 7 play 69 yard drive with a 1 yard quarterback sneak to tie the game at 7. Lovett would score his second TD of the day on the Tiger’s next drive to extend the lead to 14-7. The second string signal caller would put his arm to use early in the second quarter on a 3 yard TD toss to Graham Adomitis to push the lead to 21-7. Georgetown would climb back into the game on their next drive. Alex Valles’s (13 carries 91 yards 1 TD) 13 yard TD run finished off an impressive 6 play 75 yard drive. Both defenses would hold serve the rest of the half.

The Tigers would come out locker room swinging. Their defense forced a 3 and out on Georgetown’s first possession of the second half. The Princeton offense then proceeded to march 58 yards on 8 plays for a TD. John Lovett notched his third short TD run of the day to give the Tigers a two possession lead. Princeton pushed their lead to 31-14 on their next drive when Tavis Rice hit a 22 yard chip shot FG. The Hoyas could only muster up a FG the final 30 minutes of the game. Of their 7 second half possessions, 5 ended in a punt, 1 on downs and the other was the before mentioned FG.

Up Next: The Hoyas will look to halt their two game losing skid next Saturday when Lehigh visits Cooper Field. Georgetown has not beaten Lehigh since 1925.

Bucknell 21 Holy Cross 20

The Bison (2-3 1-0) used a dominating second half to notch an important league win over Holy Cross (2-4 1-1) in Worcester. The Crusaders, who were playing without all league QB Peter Pujals for the second straight week, stormed out to an early 17-0 before the Bison rallied. Geoff Wade (2-7 37 yards) started the game at QB for Holy Cross but was replaced by Blaise Bell (11-23 81 yards 1 TD) in the first half. Bucknell also turned to backup QB Matt Muh. The junior made his second straight start for the injured R.J. Nitti. Muh’s job was made easier by RB Joey DeFloria’s (28 carries 149 yards) 3rd 100 yard rushing game of the year. Fellow Bison star WR Will Carter also had a big day in the victory. The senior broke the school record for receptions and receiving yards.

The Crusaders scored first by using a little razzle-dazzle following Jake Wieczorek’s 53 yard punt return to the Bison 24 yard line. All everything Crusader playmaker Brandon Flaherty executed the flanker pass to perfection when he found Wieczorek (3 rec 61 yards 2 TDs) for a 24 yard TD. Holy Cross extended their lead to 14-0 a few possessions later on Wieczorek’s second TD reception of the day. This time Blaise Bell connected with senior WR on a short TD pass to finish off a time consuming 12 play 44 yard drive. Zane Wasp booted a short 23 yard FG a few minutes later to extend the Holy Cross lead to 17-0 with 8:34 left in the second quarter. Bucknell answered with an impressive 10 play 81 yard that took over 5 minutes off the clock to get on the score board. Joey DeFloria capped it off by plowing into the end zone from a yard out. The Crusaders however weren’t done putting up points in the first half. Zane Wasp knocked through his second short (32 yards) FG of the day to send the Crusaders to the locker room with a 20-7 lead.

The second half would be dominated by the Bucknell defense. The Bison forced 4 straight Holy Cross 3 and outs to start the half and held the Crusaders to 72 totals over the course of the final 30 minutes. Bucknell’s offense didn’t get things going until their final possession of the third quarter. That’s when the Bison put together an impressive 5 play 80 yards drive that ended with Chad Freshnock’s 3 yard TD run to close the deficit to 20-14 with a little under 2 minutes left in 3rd quarter. Freshnock’s second TD of the game gave Bucknell their first lead with 6:37 left in the final quarter. Holy Cross would mount their best drive of the second half on their ensuing possession but it would all be for not. Zane Wasp missed the potential game winning 42 yard FG wide right with 3:39 left. Holy Cross had one last chance but were stopped on downs.

Up Next: The Bison will look to make it 2-0 in Patriot League play when they welcome Colgate to Christy Mathewson Stadium. Bucknell’s last win over Colgate in Lewisburg came in 2006. Holy Cross will host Harvard for their final non-conference game of the year.

Power Rankings

  1. Lehigh
  2. Fordham
  3. Colgate
  4. Bucknell
  5. Georgetown
  6. Holy Cross
  7. Lafayette

 

 

 

AGS Top 25 – How They Fared Week 6 2016

This is the incomparable tool put together each week by our friend on AGS for use by the voters in our poll.  It is a very useful tool we all utilize.  Even if you are not a voter it will provide a quick and concise review of the weekend’s happenings.  This is a very truncated version of the full sheet available on anygivensaturday.com each Saturday night.

superman7515, we tip our caps to you!

Rank Team Week 6 Result Total Points First Place Votes Overall Record Conference Record
#1 North Dakota State Bison Won at #33 Missouri State Bears 27-3 2199 87 5-0 2-0
#2 Jacksonville State Gamecocks Won vs Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 40-21 2025 4-1 1-0
#3 Eastern Washington Eagles Won vs (ORV) Northern Colorado Bears 49-31 2023 1 5-1 3-0
#4 Sam Houston State Bearkats Won at Incarnate Word Cardinals 63-48 1919 5-0 4-0
#5 Chattanooga Mocs Won vs (ORV) Mercer Bears 52-31 1852 6-0 4-0
#6 James Madison Dukes Won vs #34 William & Mary Tribe 31-24 1698 5-1 3-0
#7 The Citadel Bulldogs Won at (D2) North Greenville Crusaders 38-14 1547 5-0 3-0
#8 Montana Grizzlies Won vs Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils 67-7 1480 4-1 1-1
#9 Richmond Spiders Won at #14 Albany Great Danes 36-30 (3OT) 1458 5-1 2-1
#10 Charleston Southern Buccaneers Cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew 1278 3-2 2-0
#11 Northern Iowa Panthers Lost at South Dakota Coyotes 25-28 1220 2-3 1-1
#12 South Dakota State Jackrabbits Won at Southern Illinois Salukis 45-39 1207 3-2 2-0
#13 Youngstown State Penguins Won at #25 Illinois State Redbirds 20-6 1061 4-1 2-0
#14 Albany Great Danes Lost vs #9 Richmond Spiders 30-36 (3OT) 1060 4-1 1-1
#15 Villanova Wildcats Won vs Rhode Island Rams 35-0 1046 5-1 3-0
#16 Western Illinois Leathernecks Won vs #31 Indiana State Sycamores 36-35 1031 4-1 1-1
#17 Cal Poly Mustangs BYE 925 3-2 1-1
#18 Central Arkansas Bears BYE 622 4-1 3-0
#19 Samford Bulldogs Won at Furman Paladins 38-21 491 4-1 2-1
#20 North Dakota Fighting Hawks Won at Sacramento State Vikings 40-7 413 4-2 3-0
#21 Harvard Crimson Won vs #30 Cornell Big Red 29-13 388 4-0 2-0
#22 Eastern Illinois Panthers Won vs #28 Tennessee State Tigers 35-34 266 4-2 2-1
#23 North Carolina A&T Aggies Won vs Norfolk State Spartans 35-0 253 4-1 2-0
#24 McNeese State Cowboys Lost at Southeastern Louisiana Lions 24-31 242 3-3 2-2
#25 Illinois State Redbirds Lost vs #13 Youngstown State Penguins 6-20 174 2-4 0-3
Next 15
#26 New Hampshire Wildcats Won at Elon Phoenix 13-10 154 4-2 3-0
#27 Southern Utah Thunderbirds Won vs UC Davis Aggies 24-3 129 3-2 2-1
#28 Tennessee State Tigers Lost at #22 Eastern Illinois Panthers 34-35 127 4-1 1-1
#29 Stony Brook Seawolves Won at Towson Tigers 27-20 91 3-2 2-0
#30 Cornell Big Red Lost at #21 Harvard Crimson 13-29 50 3-1 1-1
#31 Indiana State Sycamores Lost at #16 Western Illinois Leathernecks 35-36 32 3-3 1-2
#32 Grambling State Tigers BYE 23 4-1 3-0
#33 Missouri State Bears Lost vs #1 North Dakota State Bison 3-27 21 3-2 1-1
#34 (t) Sacred Heart Pioneers BYE 15 4-1 0-1
#34 (t) William & Mary Tribe Lost at #6 James Madison Dukes 24-31 15 2-4 0-3
#36 Lehigh Mountain Hawks Won vs (ORV) Colgate Raiders 45-31 14 4-2 1-0
#37 (t) Dartmouth Big Green Lost at Yale Bulldogs 13-21 10 2-2 0-2
#37 (t) Wagner Seahawks Lost vs Columbia Lions 13-15 10 3-2 1-0
#39 Wofford Terriers Won at Western Carolina Catamounts 31-19 9 4-2 2-1
#40 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks Lost at Nicholls State Colonels 28-35 (2OT) 7 3-3 2-2

 

Perfection: We are down to five undefeated teams: Chattanooga, The Citadel, Harvard, North Dakota State, and Sam Houston State. Running the table in reverse is Abilene Christian, Austin Peay, Bethune-Cookman (who have really fallen off since Brian Jenkins left for Alabama State), Delaware State, Furman, and Mississippi Valley State.

Chattanooga and The Citadel play each other next weekend, Bethune-Cookman and Delaware State play just before Halloween, so at least two teams will fall off the list.

How Close Is Close: A few teams lost this week, to teams they were supposed to lose to, in close games. So how do you rank them? For example: #9 Richmond beat #14 Albany, at Albany, by 6 points in triple overtime… Does Albany drop, or does that mean we had Albany in the right spot, and they stay where they are?

Not just #9 Richmond/#14 Albany have me wondering; #16 Western Illinois over #31 Indiana State 36-35 and #22 Eastern Illinois over #28 Tennessee State 35-34 fit the bill this week as well.

The Coaches Poll : South Dakota State should probably be getting the 14 points from South Carolina State, which would move them up to #14 from #15. They might even get the 13 points from the South Dakota Coyotes, which would still have them at #14, but just 2 points behind Youngstown State. That being said, I put in the results that they published, even if it does continue to look like they aren’t paying attention to what their voters are sending in.

Biggest Disappointment? Who would you say is the biggest disappointment through the first half of the season? I’m leaning towards Colgate, who goes from preseason Patriot champs to mid-season Patriot chumps, with a 1-4 record and no chance of seven D1 wins thanks to a 10-game schedule.

 

SOCON: Week 6 Review and Power Rankings

There were no surprises in the race for the Southern Conference crown as Chattanooga rolled to remain unbeaten.  Samford, VMI and Wofford all won as well to stay at one loss in the conference race.  The Citadel continued to win in an out of conference game.

# 7 The Citadel 38  North Greenville 14 (box score)

With Hurricane Matthew headed for the South Carolina low country, The Citadel Bulldogs were forced to travel upstate to take on the Division II North Greenville Crusaders.  With their practice week cut short, the unexpected travel (8 hour bus trip), and accommodations at a nearby Christian summer camp, the Bulldogs really needed to stay focused on beating a very good Crusader team who has claimed more than one FCS scalp over the last few years.  Upstate Bulldogs fans and many low country evacuees in Citadel blue descended on Tigerville, SC for the game.  In fact, an attendance record for NGU’s Younts Stadium was set for this game as 5435 attended the first meeting between these schools.  In the end, the Bulldogs got it done, but it appeared touch and go initially.

The Dogs took their opening drive 76 yards only to stall on a 4th and goal from the 1. After holding the Dogs, NGU ran one rushing play to get some breathing room, which was stuffed by the Dogs.  Crusader QB Will Hunter then tossed a pass on a crossing route that connected with Javon Smith in full stride and he took it to the house.  That is the way to start if you are a Div II school looking to upset an FCS ranked team.  But the Dogs got it in gear on their next series and went 59 yards in 5 plays to tie it up on a 17 yard TD run by Reggie Williams.

The Crusaders took their next possession 32 yards on 6 plays before giving it up on downs at The Citadel 43 yard line.  After the teams traded punts, The Citadel quickly took it 61 yards on 4 plays to go ahead 14-7.  Rod Johnson scored the TD on a 49 yard run.  After forcing another NGU punt it looked like the Dogs were finally taking control as they drove 48 yards in 8 plays to NGU 10.  But a careless fumble on a second effort by Reggie Williams gave it back to the Crusaders.  Two plays later, in a déjà vu nightmare for the Dogs, Will Hunter again connected with a wide open Javon Smith after The Citadel defender fell and the Crusaders tied it up at 14 with 5:39 to go in the half.

After the Crusaders attempted a sky hook kickoff in an attempt to recover, one of The Citadel up men called for a fair catch while back peddling to the 35. He caught it clean and was promptly hit by a Crusader which gained the Dogs 15 penalty yards.  The whole situation apparently lit a fire under the Bulldog offense which had been a little sluggish so far.  On first and ten from their 48 yard line, Cam Jackson took the pitch and sprinted off 52 yards for the go ahead score to make it 21-14.

The teams traded punts again with NGU doing a pretty good job of containing The Citadel B-Back Tyler Renew.  NGU got the ball back with 1:07 to go in the half and was moving it well when the Dogs got some good pressure on the Crusader QB and he was hit as he threw it.  The injured duck throw, with no time left on the clock, went right to, none other than Bulldog defender Dee Delaney who promptly wove his way to the end zone for a 78 yards TD return.  But a flag brought it back.  Apparently after the NGU QB had been taken down, one of the Citadel players was blocking him as he was on the ground trying to get up and get Delaney before he scored.  After the penalty was marked off, with no time on the clock, The Citadel ran one play and headed into the half with a slim lead and a scare.

The second half would be all Dogs as they wore down the capable Crusaders.  In the first half, NGU racked up an impressive 297 yards of offense, with the 99 and 90 yard TD passes accounting for the lion’s share of those.  The Crusaders would only get a total of 75 yards in the second half.  The Dogs would score on 3 of 4 of their second half possessions, not counting their 5th possession which they drove 78 yards and ended in a victory formation in a sportsmanlike gesture.

On the night, the Dogs rolled up 599 yards of offense which is good for the 7th highest total in Bulldog history. It was 3 yards less than the WCU game last week.  It included 559 rushing yards, which is good for the #2 spot on the highest rushing total in a game for the Bulldogs.  On the night, the Bulldogs went 3-6 through the air for 40 yards with 1 TD toss for 30 yards.  Even with all those rushing yards, only one Bulldog had a 100 yard rushing game.  Cam Jackson tallied 107 yards on 6 carries.  The Dogs spread it around quite a bit with 3 other runners gaining 80+ and 2 more with 70+.  The Citadel gained 33 first downs and went 7/15 on 3rd down tries and 2/3 on 4th downs.

Although the Dog defenders had a great second half, the Crusaders did gain 372 on the night with over half of those yards coming on just 2 plays. They did hold NGU to just 56 yards on the ground for the night.  Dee Delaney snagged his 3rd interception of the year as well.  Bulldog defender also recorded 11 tackles for loss including 3 sacks.  Another bonus for the Bulldog defense is that their offense held the ball for an outrageous 39:08.

The Bulldogs were outstanding on special teams. On kickoffs, the average return for NGU was 13 yards, while the Dogs averaged nearly 30 a return.  DeAndre Schoultz returned 5 punts for the Dogs with an average of 9.2 yards per return, including a long of 27 yards.  Although the Dogs did better in keeping down penalties (3-40), they had a costly one that erased the pick six.

The Dogs probably never doubted the outcome. They went about the game in a fairly business-like manner and were not fazed by the two big NGU plays.  The Dogs were no doubt a little distracted, but got it done with no injuries and a bonus of 2 extra days in which to prepare for what could be the deciding game for the SOCON championship next week against Chattanooga.

#19 Samford 38  Furman 21 (box score)

The Furman Paladins needed a win badly after starting 0-5.  It didn’t start out well for them going 3 and out on their first possession.  The Samford Bulldogs promptly took the ball 59 yards in 5 plays to go up 7-0.  After a poor kickoff return, the Paladins got one first down before stalling.  At this point Furman took a calculated risk and went for it on a fourth and inches at its own 34.  The risk did not pay off as Samford stuffed them and then took just three plays to score again for a 14-0 lead with 7:53 to go in the first.  On their next possession, just when it looked like the Paladins were able to start moving the ball, things got worse as they fumbled near mid-field.  They got a reprieve though as Bulldogs QB Devlin Hodges fumbled himself on a 4th and 1 from the Furman 39.  Furman struck back quickly and two plays later connected on a 51 yard toss to the Samford 2.  Four plays later Samford had the ball again after holding Furman scoreless in a stubborn goal line fight.

After the teams traded punts to take it into the second quarter, Furman started to drive again. They were aided by more than 1 penalty that kept them moving in the right direction.  That was enough to allow Reese Hannon to take one in as he weaved his way through more than one defender on a 36 yard rushing score to make it 14-7.

Furman’s defense again did their part by forcing Samford to punt, for the fourth straight time.  But Furman’s inconsistent offense stumbled again and they punted it back to the Bulldogs.  This time Samford wasted no time and scored quickly in 4 plays to gain back a 14 point lead.  Samford’s offense is certainly explosive with its first three scoring drives taking an average of just 4 plays and 1:06 each.

Samford scored again on their next drive, but it took an interminable two minutes, by Samford standards, and Furman’s defense held them to a field goal making it 24-7.  With 2:37 to go before half, the Furman offense had one more chance to redeem themselves before half.  They did.  Resse Hannon orchestrated an 11 play 80 yard drive to cut its deficit to 24-14 at the half.  Hannon went 7/11 on the drive including converting a fourth and 6.  Furman scored on a 16 yard toss by Hannon.

After trading punts to start the third, Samford missed a 39 yard field goal.  After Furman again had to punt, Samford went to town on a 7 play, 85 yard drive that took 2:21.  As the fourth quarter started, down 31-14, Furman could ill afford to give it back to the Bulldogs at this point.  They didn’t.  Reese Hannon again drove the Paladins for a score on a 7 play, 66 yard drive to make it 31-21 with 12:59 to go in the game.  But Samford answered right back with a long drive of their own, to make it 38-21.  Samford drive took over 4 minutes and went 84 yards in 9 plays.  More importantly, Samford ran more than they had been, including the score which was a 7 yard scamper by Hodges.

Furman was up against the wall at this point. They drove well until Hannon tossed his first interception of the day deep in Samford territory.  That basically ended it for the Paladins with under 5 minutes to go.

Furman’s defense, which started the year so well, gave up 517 yards on the day.  Devlin Hodges, Samford prolific QB, finished the day going 27/38 and 411 yards, with 3 TDs and 1 interception.  As mentioned, just as impressive, is that Samford finally got their running game going, at least a little bit.  They gained 106 on the day, but that was huge improvement for them.  Furman’s Reese Hannon finished 30-50 for 301 with 2 TDs and 1 interception. On the day, Furman gained an impressive 415 yards, but it could not match Samford’s explosive passing attack.

Samford (4-1, 2-1) remains on track to be a runner up in the SOCON race and snag a playoff berth.  Having lost to The Citadel, UTC, and now Samford, it should only get easier for the Furman Paladins.

Samford faces off against a dangerous VMI squad next week.  Furman fans are hopeful the Paladins will find a win next week at ETSU.

VMI 37  ETSU 7 (box score)

The ETSU Bucs traveled to Lexington, Virginia to face the Keydets of VMI on Saturday.  After trading punts to start to game, VMI took it 72 yards on 7 plays highlighted by a 32 yard pass from Al Cobb to Dane Forlines and a 19 yard run by Alex Keys.  VMI scored on a 1 yard run by Keys.  After forcing ETSU to punt, VMI’s capable offense went to work again.  This time they drove 80 yards in 6 plays and scored on a 54 yard toss by Cobb to make it 14-0 with seconds remaining in the first quarter.  After trading three punts, the Keydets again scored on a long pass.  This time it was a 45 yard toss by Cobb to cap off a 7 play 80 yard drive.

VMI took it the distance again on their next drive as well.  This time on a 7 play, 55 yard drive to make it 27-0 with 24 seconds to go in the half.  They had the extra point blocked.  The Keydets racked up 265 yards in the first half.  ETSU punted on all five of their possessions, but they never went 3 and out and totaled 123 yards by the half.

Things didn’t start well in the second half for the Bucs of ETSU.  On their first play from scrimmage, Bucs QB Austin Herink threw an interception.  But VMI could not capitalize and punted it back after a three and out.  The VMI defense continued to be perfect and forced ETSU to punt yet again.  VMI then scored on a 51 yard field goal which is pretty good, especially considering VMI’s field goal woes this year.

The Bucs were still playing hard and they halted VMI on their next drive at the goal line. Likewise the Keydet defense held firm and forced an eighth punt by the Bucs.  Now in the 4th quarter and up 30-0, VMI wisely took Cobb out of the game and started to work on their running game.  With their back up QB in, VMI didn’t move it well, but the Keydet defense continued holding the Bucs.   ETSU almost got on the board following a VMI interception but missed a 47 yard field goal try.

VMI scored again on a 73 yard TD romp to make it 37-0 with under 5 minutes to go in the game.  On the Buc’s final drive they finally had some success as they drove 73 yards on 10 plays for a TD to avoid the shutout.  The drive was highlighted by a 38 yard toss by ETSU’s back up QB Nick Sexton.

VMI’s Al Cobb finished the day 14/20 with 212 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions.  Overall, VMI had 458 yards with 233 on the ground.  VMI had a good balanced attack on offense.  The Keydet runners were led by Tyain Smith with 97 yards.  ETSU’s Austin Herink went 11/23 and 109 yards with no TDs and 1 interception.  ETSU’s offense struggled, gaining just 262 yards for the day.

VMI now 3-2 and 1-1 in the SOCON is stringing together what could be its best season in years.  They face Samford on the road next week in what will no doubt be a duel between Hodges and Cobb.  ETSU will face a downtrodden Furman team at home.

# 5 Chattanooga 52  Mercer 31 (box score)

After an upset loss last year, the Chattanooga Mocs were going to be prepared for the Mercer Bears this year.  They proved they were ready from the first whistle.  After the Mocs defense held Mercer to a three and out, the Mocs offense went to work.  They executed a methodical 65 yard drive in 11 plays for their first score.  The big play of the drive being a 34 yard pass by Mocs QB Alejandro Bennifield to the Mercer 9.

On Mercer’s next possession, they went 12 plays for 62 yards but had to settle for a 30 yard field goal.  The Mocs answered right back in what could be called the Derrick Craine drive.  The Mocs rusher ran three times for 75 yards during the 5 play 79 yard drive, including a 25 yard TD run.  When Mercer was forced to punt again after a three and out, UTC, or rather Craine turned up the heat.  Craine took the second play of the drive to the house on a 54 yard run to make it 21-3 at the beginning of the second quarter.  It didn’t get any better for the Bears.  After another 3 and out, the Mocs drove 51 yards in 9 plays to gain another 3 on a 20 yard field goal to make it 24-3.  But things went from bad to worse for the Bears.

On their next possession, on a third and 5 from the Mercer 33, Bears QB John Russ threw an uncharacteristic interception to give the Mocs a short field.  Chattanooga capitalized on the turnover to go up 31-3 with just over three minutes to go in the half.  The Mocs defense did their part yet again and forced another three and out on the Mercer offense.  With just 1:30 to go before the half, the Mocs offense was not done and cranked out a 7 play 57 yard drive to go up 38-3 with 18 seconds to go in the half.  The drive was aided by a roughing the passer penalty.  Penalties have previously plagued Mercer, but they avoided them in the first half fairly well getting flagged just twice for 28 yards.  UTC simply dominated the Bears in the first half.  The Mocs rolled up 338 yards prior to the break.  The Mocs defense was just as impressive holding Mercer to just 65 yards.

As good as the Mocs did in the first half they started out the second half with two scares.  First, Craine went down hard on a play and left the game.  Mercer ended up holding the Mocs on their opening possession and forced a punt, their first of the game.  Then the Bears, who were still playing like they were in it, blocked the punt and took over at the UTC 26.  A penalty took it to the 13 and the Bears punched it in on a 13 yard run up the middle by Alex Lakes to make it 38-10.  Mercer took a risk on the ensuing kickoff with an onside kick, but they did not recover and the Mocs started with great field possession and made them pay.  The Mocs scored on a 5 play drive when Bennifield wove his way for a 21 yard TD run.

Any hope the Bears had evaporated on the next drive when John Russ tossed his second interception of the game on a tipped ball for a pick six to make it 52-10 half way through the third quarter.  Mercer tried to make it respectable scoring again in the third on a long ball tossed by Russ, but their next drive was marred by two unsportsmanlike penalties on offensive lineman Avery White.  The Bears scored twice in the fourth to make it a 52-31 final, but it wasn’t nearly that close.

Bennifield finished 23/32 for 258 yards with 4 TDs and no interceptions. Derrick Craine ended up with 162 yards rushing on 17 attempts with one TD through a little more than half the game before he went out.  By all accounts he is ok and the Mocs simply kept him out as a precaution.  The Mocs held onto the ball for over 36 minutes and totaled 532 yards on the day.

The Bears made it respectable on paper in the second half and gained 340 yards on the day. John Russ ended the day going 18/28 for 222 yards with 1 TD and 2 interceptions.  Mercer gained just 118 on the ground.

Chattanooga is now 6-0, 4-0 and faces its biggest remaining challenge next week when it travels to Charleston to meet the undefeated Bulldogs of The Citadel.  Mercer, now 2-3, 1-2, will attempt to regroup as it faces Western Carolina at home.

Wofford 31  Western Carolina 19 (box score)

The Wofford Terriers traveled to Cullowhee NC to face the Western Carolina Catamounts on Saturday.  The Terriers were 4th in the FCS in rushing coming into the game.  Western took their first drive the distance behind the arm of Tyrie Adams for 75 yards in 10 plays to go up 6-0.  Adams was 8/9 on this drive.  They missed the PAT.  Wofford took their first drive 57 yards before the Cats held them.  Facing a 4th a 7 in no-man’s land, Wofford elected to try a 57 yard field goal…and they hit it to make it 7-3.  WCU then took it 54 yards in 14 plays only be held and they were also forced to kick a FG to make it 9-3.

As the first quarter came to a close, Wofford began a statement drive of 80 yards in 10 plays and scored on a 35 yard reverse to go up 10-9. The Wofford defense got into the act next and picked off Adams to give the Terriers great field position.  Wofford made the Cats pay and drove it 38 yards in 8 plays to score again for a 17-9 score.  The teams traded punts 4 times to take it into the half.

Wofford took their opening drive of the second half 75 yards in 10 plays to extend the Terrier lead to 24-9. After a three and out by both teams, WCU got a drive going which included a hard fought 20 yard run by WCU back Detrez Newsome on a third and ten.  That must have sparked the Cats who scored 3 plays later on a 14 yards pass to Newsome to make it 24-16.

Back within striking distance, the Cats defense again rose up and made a stop helped by a fumbled Wofford snap.  After the punt, Western began their drive as the fourth quarter started.  Luck was with them as a crazy fumble was recovered by none other than Newsome who made something out of nothing.  Adams hit receiver after receiver to move it deep into Wofford territory.  But the drive stalled in the red zone and WCU had to settle for a field goal to close the deficit to 5 at 24-19.

Wofford looked to make it a two score game again with 11:53 to go in the game. On a third and six Wofford again ran a reverse and caught the Western defense flat footed for a 35 yard run.  Faced with a 4th and 3 at the WCU 34 a few plays later, Wofford went for it and trotted off another 8 yards.  The Terriers trudged their way to the goal line and scored after a 14 play drive that took 8:17 off the clock.  On the drive, the Terriers made 3 third down conversions and made one fourth down as well.  That is how you finish a game.  Now with the score at 31-19 and 3:36 to go, Western needed a miracle.  They almost got it when Newsome returned the kickoff to midfield and nearly broke it.  But after making a fourth down conversion, Adams turned it over on a fumble while scrambling and that ended any hope the Cats had.

Wofford finished with 322 yards on the ground and a just 38 through the air.  Wofford’s Lorenzo Long lead the Terrier ground attack with 135 yards and 2 TDs.  Wofford did not turn the ball over during the game.  WCU’s Tyrie Adams went 31/48 for 285 with 2 TDs and 1 interception.  Western’s offensive line did a better job this week and Adams was only sacked twice.  Western ran for just 46 yards.

Wofford has a bye week upcoming and gets The Citadel at home in two weeks. Western travels to Macon next week to face the Mercer Bears.

Power Rankings

1) UTC

2) The Citadel

3) Samford

4) Wofford

5) VMI

6) Mercer

7) Western Carolina

8) Furman

9) ETSU

OVC: Week 6 Preview

There are only 4 match ups in the OVC this week as Murray State is taking a week off before they host Tennessee-Martin. #28 Tennessee State is going to Charleston to take on the Panthers and looks to stay undefeated and claim their first win over a ranked team since 2013 when they knocked off #24 Jax State at home.  SEMO is coming off their upset win over Eastern Illinois and will try to stay undefeated in conference play as they travel to take on Eastern Kentucky. The still winless Austin Peay will probably extend their losing streak in Martin this weekend. Tennessee Tech will be looking for another big win as they travel down to Jacksonville to take on the #2 ranked Gamecocks.  

Southeast Missouri State @ Eastern Kentucky 6PM EST (OVCDN)

If Eastern Kentucky wants a shot at the playoffs they must win out.  There are only 7 games left on their schedule and their only win was to a NAIA school.  Southeast Missouri State is coming off an upset over #22 Eastern Illinois and will look to extend their win streak to 3.  If Eastern Kentucky wants to win this game they MUST establish the run game.  As last week showed, relying solely on Bennie Coney won’t cut it for the Colonels and they need to run more and control the clock as they only held the ball for 17 minutes last week in their loss. Playing better defense wouldn’t hurt either.  Last week Tech scorched EKU’s secondary for 327 yards.  This will definitely be an interesting game to keep an eye on to see if Southeast Missouri can establish themselves as a contender for the OVC.

Prediction:  EKU’s offense once again shows it’s inconsistency and SEMO does enough to get their third W in a row.

SEMO-27     EKU-21

Austin Peay @ Tennessee-Martin 3PM EST (OVCDN)

Do you really have to ask how I think this game is going to go?  UTM will be able to move the ball at will against an outmatched Govs defense.  Austin Peay’s best chance at a win here might be to turn this game into a shootout. However, that might be easier said than done as they have only scored over 17 points one time this season.  That said, UTM hasn’t really shown that they can effectively contain offenses either considering they have yet to hold any D-I team below 360 yards of offense. This will really come down to what Healy can dial up to keep Austin Peay’s offense on the field.  I don’t think Austin Peay will be able to stop UTM’s offense, but if Austin Peay’s offense has a day like they did against EIU (minus the turnovers, obviously) I don’t know that UTM can stop the Gov’s offense.

Prediction:  Austin Peay can’t get things moving consistently enough on offense to stay in the game and UTM runs away with it.

UTM- 42     APSU- 24

#28 Tennessee State @ #22 Eastern Illinois 7PM EST (OVCDN)

I’m unofficially dubbing this as the OVC game of the week. Why?  It’s judgement day for both Eastern Illinois and Tennessee State as the winner of this game will likely be in the driver’s seat for an at-large spot in the playoffs and if Tennessee State wins they will be be one big step closer to locking up a part of the OVC championship.  Tennessee State is currently 4-0 after knocking off UT-Martin last week at home and the 3-2 Panthers are currently ranked at 22 in the AGS poll and are coming off a loss at SEMO. The Panthers only other loss was to Big Ten Purdue and they currently have FBS Miami (OH) under the “W” column. This game will likely come down to who plays defense.  Both teams have shown an ability to move the ball by land and by air but I think the difference maker in this game will be who can stop the run.  On paper it looks like Tennessee State has the advantage here as they have only allowed an average of 3.16 YPC across their three games but their three games were 3 of the worst teams in the FCS (TSU’s opponents currently have a combined record of 2-11)  and UT-Martin.  This game will tell us a lot about where both teams stand.

Prediction: Tennessee State’s defense steps up late in the game and TSU escapes with the win.

TSU- 34     EIU- 28

Tennessee Tech @ #2 Jacksonville State 2PM EST (ESPN3)

Jacksonville State is finally entering conference play with a visit from the Golden Eagles.  After knocking off EKU in Richmond last week TTU will likely look to pull another upset this weekend but after the performance JSU put on in Lynchburg and upset seems like a tall order. That said, this season of college football has been packed full of weird upsets and near misses so the Gamecocks should still be on high alert.  This will be new Tennessee Tech head coach Marcus Satterfield’s first game against Jacksonville State with John Grass at the helm and his first game against JSU since 2012 when he was Russ Huesman’s offensive coordinator at Chattanooga.  Expect Tennessee Tech to come out slinging the ball trying to expose JSU’s secondary.  If the Golden Eagles can move the ball through the air and limit big plays by Eli Jenkins and company they should be in with a chance at another upset.

Prediction:  JSU’s defensive line terrorizes Tech’s offense and big plays by Jenkins put the game out of reach for Tech.

JSU- 42     TTU- 10

Murray State will have a bye week before hosting UTM on the 15th.

Patriot League: Week 6 Preview

This week’s slate of games is highlighted by the annual Colgate-Lehigh grudge match. The two winningest programs in the Patriot League will be looking to get an early leg up in the chase for the conference title when they meet in Bethlehem. There are two other games this weekend, Bucknell at Holy Cross and Lafayette at Fordham, that figure to factor into the championship race. Both Bucknell and Lafayette will be looking to end 3 game losing skids. Finally, Georgetown faces Princeton for their last non-conference game of the season.

Colgate at Lehigh – 8 Oct. 12:30 P.M. Goodman Stadium Bethlehem, PA

(Patriot League Network)

The leaves might still be on the trees but the stakes are still very high when Colgate (1-3) travels to Lehigh (3-2). The Raiders enter the game off an emotional loss rival Cornell last weekend. Prior to that, Colgate had a tough set back at Richmond. Lehigh on the other hand is riding a three game winning streak.

The unusually early date (earliest since 1997, Oct. 4th) for the game means one of these conference favorites will start Patriot League play with a loss.  With a six game league schedule, losses are a little more difficult to overcome. Lehigh might have an outside shot at an at large bid with a defeat. Given their 10 game schedule, the 1-3 Raiders have no room for error if they want to return to the postseason

The pass defense continues to be a major factor in Colgate’s recent slide. Cornell’s Dalton Banks (454 4 TDs) and Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta (307 yards 4 TDs) torched Colgate the last two weeks. For the season the Raiders are giving up 343 ypg to opposing quarterbacks. They will once again be challenged this week by a Lehigh passing attack that ranks 3rd in the country. Colgate’s ability to at least slow down the Mountain Hawk passing offense will go a long way in determining their fate. The Raiders will have to deal with duel-threat QB Nick Shafnisky who is expected to play this week after sitting out Lehigh’s game at Yale last Saturday.

Lehigh finished out of conference play with 3 straight (@ Penn, Princeton, @ Yale) double digit wins over the Ivy League. The offense averaged 51 ppg in those in those wins. The Mountain Hawks saw back-up quarterback Brad Mayes put up a record setting performance (524 passing yards) against Yale last week. Star WR Troy Pelletier is having a monster season to date. He currently leads the country in total receiving yards and ranks in the Top 5 in ypg and receptions.

It’s a good thing Lehigh’s offense has been racking up the points because the defense continues to struggle. There’s been overall improvement from last year’s debacle but the unit still has glaring weaknesses. The biggest of which is the rush “D” which ranks 113th (243 ypg) in the country. Colgate will test it from the start with QB Jake Mellville, who leads the team in rushing, and the talented RB duo of James Holland and Keyon Washington. This is not one of Colgate’s more powerful rushing attacks (170 ypg) but it’s certainly good enough to give Lehigh trouble. When the Raiders want to pass the ball they’ll first turn to WR John Maddaluna. The senior is coming off a monster (11 rec 261 yards 3 TDs) performance against Cornell.

Colgate won last year’s shootout 49-42 to secure the Patriot League title. A similar score might be in the cards on Saturday as long as the weather cooperates.

Of Note: Colgate and Lehigh are without question the two most dominant football programs in Patriot League history. The two have combined for 18 Patriot League Titles (Lehigh 10, Colgate 8) and 10 out of the leagues 13/FCS 1-AA playoff wins.

Lafayette at Fordham – 8 Oct. 1:00 P.M. Jack Coffey Field Bronx, NY

(Patriot League Network)

 The Leopards (1-4 0-1) will try to get their season turned aroung against Fordham (2-2) in an important early season conference game. Both teams enter the game off disappointing losses in which they led in the second half. Fordham controlled the play for much of their game against Monmouth but ultimately saw the Hawks steal the victory on a 2 point conversion in overtime. Lafayette got a great effort from back-up QB Blake Searfoss but a so-so defensive performance led to their demise in a 38-28 loss to Holy Cross. Focus and motivation could be key intangibles in this game. Lafayette’s season is on the brink of going off the cliff while Fordham can’t afford to lose this game if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Ram’s offense continues to roll along behind the play of RB Chase Edmonds (208 yards 4 TDs vs Monmouth). He’ll once again be the centerpiece of Fordham’s offensive attack against a Lafayette rush defense that’s been allowing 191 ypg so far this season. The Leopards will have to provide some level of resistance for Edmonds if they want to pull the upset.

While stopping Edmonds has proven to be a near impossible task for opponents, Lafayette should have some success against Fordham QB Kevin Anderson. The senior signal caller has had a productive season (56% completion, 243 ypg 8 TDs) so far but has failed to really take a game over against FCS competition. With league play starting, now would be a great time to assert himself in the Fordham offense. He will face a pretty solid pass defense (178 ypg) this weekend.

Lafayette will once again turn to Blake Searfoss at QB. Normal starting quarterback Drew Reed is still recovering from a vicious hit he took last week against Holy Cross. Searfoss had an excellent night (280 yards 4 TDs) filling in for the injured Reed. He’ll need another strong performance to offset Lafayette’s anemic rushing attack (63 ypg). The Leopards failed to take advantage of Holy Cross’s shaky rush defense so there’s little reason to think they can exploit Fordham’s (229 ypg). The Rams have been shorthanded along the DL since the start of the year.

Of Note: Lafayette pulled a surprising upset of nationally ranked Fordham in 2013 en route to the Patriot League title. The Leopards currently own 22-11-1 series lead but have lost 4 out 6 meetings against the Rams this decade.

Princeton at Georgetown – 8 Oct. 1:00 P.M. Cooper Field Washington D.C.

(Patriot League Network)

The Hoyas (3-1) face their third straight opponent from the Ancient Eight this week as the Princeton (2-1) Tigers pay a visit to the nation’s capital. Georgetown is coming off a tough 31-17 loss to Harvard in Cambridge. The Hoyas played reasonably well for most of the night but lacked the weapons on offense to seriously challenge the #24 Crimson. Princeton also figures to be a formidable opponent for Georgetown. The Tigers are coming off a 49-18 blowout win over Columbia. Georgetown narrowly defeated the Lions 17-14 two weeks ago.

Georgetown has to find a way to get their offense going if they want to challenge the better teams on their schedule. Tim Barnes has had some moments here and there but overall the Hoyas have been plagued by a lack of consistent production from the passing attack (173 ypg) since the Davidson game to open the season. The running game has also struggled (3.9 ypc, 123 ypg) to gain traction throughout the first half of the season. Princeton might not be the team to get the running game going (91 ypg allowed) but Tim Barnes and Co. should find some holes in their pass defense (345 ypg allowed). The Hoyas will likely need to put up 24+ plus points if they want to have a chance to pull the upset. That should be a reasonable goal since the Tigers are allowing 28 ppg through their first three games of the season.

Another big key for Georgetown will be controlling Princeton’s quirky, up tempo offense. When QB Chad Kanoff has the Tiger “O” rolling it is a brutally difficult unit to contain for 60 minutes. The Hoyas defense must be aware of trick plays. Princeton will often use back-up quarterback John Lovett in the running game (50 ypg) as a receiver (9 receptions 86 yards for season) and in his natural position at QB (13-20 136 yards 1 TD 1 INT). Stopping Princeton on first down and forcing them to get behind he chains will need to be an area the Hoya defense focuses on. Once the Tigers no huddle offense finds its rhythm points often come in bunches.

The last thing Georgetown wants is a shootout. They need to keep the game in the 20’s in order to have a chance to pull the upset. Given their solid defense (19 ppg) that’s not an impossible task. Taking down a talented Princeton team would really give the Hoyas a boost heading into Patriot League play.

Of Note: Georgetown is 1-6 all-time against Princeton. The Hoyas lost their first five meetings in series by a combined score of 79-0 before notching a 21-20 victory against the Tigers in 2012.

Bucknell at Holy Cross – 8 Oct. 1:05 P.M. Fitton Field Worcester, MA

(Patriot League Network)

 Fresh off their bye, Bucknell (1-3) heads to New England to face Holy Cross (2-3 1-0) in a key Patriot League contest. Holy Cross will be looking to start conference play 2-0 for the first time since 2011. The Crusaders were able to defeat Lafayette in Easton last week without the services of all-league quarterback Peter Pujals. Geoff Wade put forth an excellent performance (21-27 238 yards 4 TD) in the win. Bucknell has also dealt with an injury at the quarterback position. R.J. Nitti went down in the first half against Duquesne and missed the next two games. Junior Matt Muh started those games for Bucknell (both losses) before the bye. Muh and Wade are once again expected to be under center for their respective teams this weekend.

Like fellow Patriot Leaguer Georgetown, Bucknell needs to find a way to get their offense (19 ppg) going as conference play heats up. Matt Muh (245 ypg 4 TDs) did a solid job replacing Nitti against Cornell and VMI but neither start produced a win. He needs to find a way to get the ball in talented wide receiver Will Carter’s hands more often (24 rec. 78 ypg 3 TDs). Carter is close to breaking the school record for career receptions and career yards. He can really stretch the field if given the opportunity. The other key for Bucknell is getting RB Joey DeFloria some room to run again after a disappointing performance (11 carries 41 yards) in their loss to VMI.

The Holy Cross defense has struggled to keep teams out of the end zone to start the year. The Crusaders are giving up a league worst 34 ppg. Given the amount of points they’re allowing, it shouldn’t be a surprise that opponents are having success through the air (225 ypg) and on the ground (208 ypg) against Holy Cross. The Bison would be wise to hand the ball off to DeFloria early and often Saturday in order to loosen up an average at best Crusader front seven. If the Bison can find success on the ground, passing lanes should open for Muh.

Even without Pujals, the Crusaders offense remains extremely potent. All-league WR Branden Flaherty returned from injury last week and his impact was immediately felt (led team in rushing and receiving). Back-up quarterback Geoff Wade also has Richie DiNicola (36 rec. 72 ypg 3 TDs) and Jake Wieczorek (34 rec 79 ypg 2 TDs) to utilize in the passing attack. Holy Cross’s only real deficiency on offense is the lack of a true featured back. Diquan Walker has gotten most of the carries but is averaging less thank 60 ypg.

The Bison defense is playing well (21 ppg allowed) but it’s not at the level it has been in recent years. Holy Cross should have some success putting up points on it. That means Muh and the rest of the Bucknell skill guys will need to produce if the Bison want to end their 3 game losing streak.

Of Note: Holy Cross leads the all-time series 21-11 and has won 9 out of the last 11 meetings. Holy Cross won last year’s meeting in Lewisburg 23-7.

The FCS Wedge – 2016-10-06 – CAA SotC Show

What the heck is “SotC”?

State of the Conference.  These are short 10 to 15 minute shows we will be doing every once in a while.  Should be a different conferences each week if I got my guess right.  This week, it is the CAA.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download