Another week in the books and there’s only one thing that still certain: Austin Peay is still terrible. Tennessee State is still undefeated after coming back from a 16 point deficit against UT-Martin, #16 EIU was upset by SEMO, and the Colonels are apparently allergic to wins against D-I opponents.
Austin Peay 17 Murray State 45
KD Humphries threw the ball 60 times as the Racers picked up their first win of the season over the Govs. KD Humphries proved to be too much for APSU’s secondary to handle as he racked up 455 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air, earning him OVC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The still winless Govs are now at 20 straight games without a win and Murray State was likely their best chance at a win this season. Unfortunately for the Racers it still appears that KD Humphries is their entire offense. After only averaging .4 YPC on 26 attempts at SEMO last week the Racers had a below average 3.1 YPC on 35 attempts against arguably the worst defensive line in the OVC. Relying solely on KD Humphries won’t win Murray State very many more games this season. Austin Peay, however, managed to move the ball rather effectively after gathering 184 yards on the ground (5.4 YPC) and 171 through the air. The problem for the Govs is converting on third down. They went 3-10 on third down and the 12 penalties for 92 yards didn’t help either. Their inability to convert on third down led to game getting so out of hand.
Austin Peay will host UT-Martin this weekend and Murray State will have a bye before hosting UT-Martin on the 15th.
Eastern Kentucky 30 Tennessee Tech 33
KD Humphries wasn’t the only quarterback putting up monster numbers last weekend. EKU quarterback Bennie Coney had 32 completions on 49 attempts for 464 yards and 3 touchdowns. Despite a record-breaking performance Coney was not able lift the Colonels to victory in Cookeville. TTU improved to 2-3 as the Colonels are still looking for their first win of the season against a Division-1 opponent their only win coming over NAIA Pikeville. The matchup between the Colonels and the Golden Eagles was back and forth all night with 6 different lead changes but the difference maker was an EKU interception that set up Tennessee Tech with a short field and allowed the Golden Eagles to score their first touchdown of the game and a personal foul call that set up Tennessee Tech to win it in overtime. Tennessee Tech quarterback Michael Birdsong had the best performance of his career as a Golden Eagle as he threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns and adding another touchdown on the ground.
Tennessee Tech will travel down to Jacksonville to take on the #2 ranked Gamecocks and EKU will host SEMO.
Tennessee State 34 Tennessee-Martin 30
After UT-Martin went up 16-0 only 8 minutes into the game it looked like this game was going to be a blowout early. However, Tennessee State had other plans. After giving up two touchdowns and a safety on the first three drives of the game the Tigers answered back by picking off Troy Cook on back to back UTM possessions and cut the lead to 16-10 by halftime. The Tigers came down the field and scored in a hurry, going 66 yards in four plays to move the score to 17-16 in favor of the Tigers. The Tigers then forced a fumble and missed a 47 yard field goal attempt. After exchanging touchdowns the Tigers forced another fumble and kicked a field goal to move the score to 27-23 in favor of the Tigers. UT-Martin answered with an 11 play 57 yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter which chewed up 5:27. With 1:54 left on the clock and 74 yards to go quarterback Ronald Butler went to work putting together a 7 play touchdown drive with the scoring play coming with only 18 seconds left in regulation. Terrell Bonds picked off Troy Cook on the very next play to ice the game for Tennessee State. The Skyhawks had 5 turnovers in the game which cost them the win.
UT-Martin will travel to Clarksville to take on Austin Peay this weekend Tennessee State will take on EIU in Charleston.
SEMO 21 Eastern Illinois 14
This game was arguably the surprise of the weekend in the OVC as the Redhawks upset the then 16th ranked Panthers in Cape Girardeau. SEMO held EIU to just one offensive touchdown as one of EIU’s touchdown came off of a scoop and score after Tremane McCullough fumbled on his first carry of the second half. SEMO’s defense was really the biggest part of the Redhawks success as they held EIU to just 94 yards and no offensive points in the second half. One thing that really helped the Redhawks was the penalties committed by the Panthers. In several occasions it helped SEMO extend drives and control the game. This marked the Redhawks fifth all-time win over a ranked FCS opponent and their third in the last three years under head coach Tom Matukewicz.
SEMO will travel to take on Eastern Kentucky this weekend and EIU will host Tennessee State.
The Southern Conference has 4 conference match ups and 1 out of conference game with Div II North Greenville traveling to Charleston to meet the # 7 Bulldogs of The Citadel. Furman is still looking for its first win of the season against #19 Samford, while Mercer travels to Chattanooga where it will try to repeat an upset performance against the #5 Mocs. Chattanooga and The Citadel remain the only unbeatens in the conference, with Samford, Wofford, Mercer, and VMI each with 1 loss. Those four will all be fighting to not go any deeper in the hole. (SOCON Notes)
Furman is still looking for its first win. They are sitting at 0-5. As I mentioned in the Week 5 review, Furman has not had three consecutive losing season since Eisenhower was President. They need to win out to prevent that. Probably already a done deal, but they can at least salvage some semblance of honor if they win a few. Beating the #19 Samford Bulldogs would go along way in restoring some hope for the Paladin faithful.
It may sound like a broken record, but Furman is the best winless team in the country. Still doesn’t sound good, but anyone who sleeps on them will surely get stomped. They have a rapidly improving offense now led by QB Reese Hannon. They are now averaging 246 yards a game through the air. But they are a bit one dimensional with just 83 yards on the ground. Furman passers have only been sacked 7 times all year so they are getting time. Furman biggest impediment to success is by far their repeated tendency to give the ball to the other team. After 5 games they at -9 in turnover margin including 9 interceptions. If they have a game where they go on the plus side in turnovers they may be able to actually win. They are also leading the SOCON in fewest penalties per game and yardage with just 44 each game.
Samford is a bit one dimensional as well. I have mentioned it before, but in their three Div I games they have totaled just 51 yards on the ground. That is 17 yards a game. If not for their conference leading 323 yards through the air, they would be in serious trouble. Overall they have gone 126/172 for 1292 yards in 4 games. More impressively they have 15 passing TDs and only 2 interceptions. Not too shabby.
On defense Furman has been sporadic. After having played four very good games defending, they broke down a bit last week against Kennesaw State. But they did recover nicely in the second half, so the skill is there. After allowing big numbers this past week they have fallen a bit and now are allowing an average of 379 yards a game, but they are still formidable. Their pass defense stands at 149 yards a game. That should cause Samford a little concern but considering that Furman has been playing balanced or run oriented teams, this will be a true test to how good their pass defense really is.
Samford’s defense has not done well limiting yards and has allowed 408 a game, even if they have been winning. This was skewed by a ridiculous 577 yards they gave up to Central Arkansas early in the season. They have allowed only 195 through the air per game, so unless Furman gets something going on the ground, they may be able to limit them.
I keep picking Furman every week and they keep disappointing me. They went on the road last year to beat Samford and have won 12 of the last 15 against Samford. But I think the road to recovery will take a bit longer for the Paladins. Samford should win in Greenville, but I think Furman makes a game of it. Samford by 5.
ETSU started the season like gangbusters beating Kennesaw State and Western Carolina, but they have faltered badly since then, losing to Wofford and UTC by wide margins. VMI also started the season well winning two of three on the road. After their heartbreaking loss this past week to Mercer in OT, they will try and bounce back.
VMI has been gaining a good 388 yards in offense with 273 of those through the air. QB Al Cobb has been decent in 4 games going 107/164 with 3 interceptions and 5 TDs. The 3 interceptions all came in the Bucknell game so he is being more careful this year. VMI is also establishing a running game as well averaging 115 yards a game. Not great, but at least they are not totally reliant on Cobb.
ETSU is currently last in the SOCON for total offense with just 250 yards a game. They have faced two pretty tough defenses the last 2 weeks in UTC and Wofford. QB Austin Herink has gone 67/104 for 603 yards with 1 interception and only three TDs. They are averaging just under 100 yards a game in rushing.
Defensively VMI has been giving up a lot of real estate with 448 yards given up each game including 288 through the air. They are averaging about 2 sacks a game. However, they have been limiting opponents to a pretty decent 38% on third down tries.
ETSU has done ok on defense giving up 386 yards a game including 208 on the ground. After doing fairly well controlling the clock their first two games, they are now in negative territory with only 28 minutes possession per game. Both teams are at +2 in the turnover column. The Bucs are, as expected for a 2nd year team, getting flagged quite a bit with 66 yards a game. VMI is doing pretty good at 46 yards a game.
VMI is at home for the second time this season and they will be itching to claim a victory for the home crowd. The Keydets get some outstanding support from their Corps. VMI should be able to throw and run their way to at least a 2 score victory.
(Update)Due to Hurricane Matthew, the game location has been changed to North Greenville University, Tigerville, SC and will be played at 7PM on Thursday, 6 Oct. Parents Day festivities for The Citadel have been cancelled and will be rescheduled for The UTC game on 15 Oct. Video of the game may be available per the North Greenville Athletic site. (N Greenville Video link)
Whether this game goes off as scheduled is yet to be determined at the time of this writing. Hurricane Matthew is meandering its way toward to the US and the Carolina coast and is expected to be offshore of Charleston pretty much at game time. What the contingency plans are is anyone’s guess. They have not been released. But in case it goes off as planned or somewhere else or on Sunday, it should be another great performance by The Citadel Bulldogs.
The Citadel offense may finally be running on all cylinders. It now leads FCS in rushing per game at 346 yards. It is converting 49% of its third downs. It is hogging the ball for 34 minutes a game. Although its passing game is more than a little bit lean, it is averaging 19 yards a completion. Overall the Bulldogs have gone 15/32 for 71 yards a game. They have 1 interception and 2 TD throws.
On special teams the Dogs are leading the SOCON in kickoff and punt returns. It is first in the SOCON in turnover margin as well at +5. The area that has hurt The Citadel is penalties. It had about 60 yards in punt returns nullified last week due to flags for blocks in the back on the returns. It is averaging about 63 yards a game.
The Bulldog defense has been hitting full stride as well. It has allowed 284 yards a game and a stingy 29% of opponent 3rd down tries. The Dogs have a conference leading 5 interceptions and 3.5 sacks per game.
As much as I want to say something about overlooking this opponent with Chattanooga 2 weeks out, I think the Dogs will roll big and pad their stats which are already pretty darn good. Dogs by more than 35.
Chattanooga was sitting pretty at #4 with a seed in the playoffs likely. They had The Citadel the following week and all they had to do was beat Mercer in its sophomore year in the SOCON. Mercer beat them. That was last year. This year Chattanooga is sitting pretty at #5 with a seed again as a possibility. They have The Citadel again the following week and all they have to do beat a pesky Mercer who has visions of being a SOCON power in their third year in the conference. Should make for a great game, but don’t expect the Mocs to be looking ahead this year.
Chattanooga’s trademark has been its defense. They lead the FCS in total defense giving up just 203 yards a game including just 62 a game on the ground. They average 3 sacks a game. They lead FCS in scoring defense as well at 8.4 points a game. The Mocs have also held opponents to a scary 20% on third down tries. That’s is good for #1 in FCS as well. They are formidable. Their schedule has not been terribly tough, but it did include Samford and a capable, if not consistent, Furman team.
On offense the Mocs have also had success. They average 428 yards a game. 206 through the air and 222 on the ground; nice and balanced. Alejandro Bennifield has settled in nicely as the starting QB going 65/100 tossing 11 TDs and just 4 interceptions. They have a dangerous running back in Derrick Craine who averages 104 a game.
UTC averages over 33 minutes of possession a game and they are limiting penalties to 54 yards a game. They are +3 in turnover on the year. They are solid on special teams including making 4/5 field goals. Their punters have averaged 42 yards a kick.
Mercer has done well on offense gaining 389 balanced yards a game. Senior QB John Russ has gone 85/134 for 905 yards on the year including 5 TDs and only 1 interception. Mercer has two capable running backs in Payton Usher and Alex Lakes, with both being able to get a 100 game pretty easily.
On defense Mercer has been decent allowing 357 yards a game, but they are allowing opponents to convert on third downs about 45% of the time. They keep the ball about 29 minutes a game and are at +3 on the turnovers. One area that is of concern is they lead the SOCON in penalties per game and yards racking up almost 78 yards a game.
If Mercer is to have a chance in this game it needs to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of the Mocs offense. Mercer can probably stop the Mocs here and there, but it must overcome the UTC defense and execute sustained drives to have any shot of winning. Discipline on special teams and penalties are a must in order to not give Chattanooga any freebies. If UTC gets any cheap scores, they are toast. Mercer is poised and will not wilt under adversity, but it is hard to come back on the Mocs.
Look for the Mocs to win by at least two TDs as they remember last year’s disappointing loss.
Wofford at Western Carolina 7PM (TV-ASN)
Western Carolina is looking to rebound after getting bounced by The Citadel last week. Wofford is looking to bounce back as well after a close loss to Samford. Wofford unfortunately will get a WCU defense that just saw the option attack. Likewise, WCU will get a Wofford defense that just saw the prolific passing attack of Samford. Should be a good game in the mountains.
WCU had no answer for The Citadel’s option attack this past week. On the year the Cats are giving up 315 yards…on the ground per game. Add 215 through the air as well per game, and WCU better score a lot to overcome giving up 530 yards each week. They haven’t.
The Catamounts have gained 393 yards each week and they are scoring an average of 24 a game. Redshirt freshman Tyrie Adams is #2 in the SOCON and has gone 84/125 with 4 interceptions and 7 TDs. But against a determined defense last week, he was sacked 6 times and held to 91 yards. Wofford is getting almost 3 sacks a game so the WCU offensive line has got to give him more time if the Cats are to have a shot this week. On the ground, Western is gaining a modest 135 a game behind Detrez Newsome who averages 81 a game.
Wofford is a running machine gaining 310 yards a game on the ground. That is good for #2 in the SOCON and #4 in FCS. They have a meager passing attack of 78 yards a game and are averaging 12 yards a completion. But their running pays off and the Terriers convert 3rd downs about 48% of the time and they have the ball about 35 minutes a game. They have been averaging 57 yards a game in penalties.
There is no doubt that Adams may become a great QB for the Cats, but right now they seem to be sputtering on offense. They only convert about 33% on 3rd downs and hold the ball for a dismal 23:45 a game. This may play right into Wofford’s hands.
Western’s special teams are ok, with their punter being a bright spot with a 43 yard average. Wofford has the worst kickoff return average in the SOCON at just 17 yards. On turnovers, WCU is -2 and Wofford is +4.
Western Carolina better make some serious adjustments this week if they expect to stop Wofford. Not sure they can, but expect the Cat’s offense to do better this week. Wofford should win by no more than one or two scores up in Cullowhee.
The Big Sky Conference week five football season is over, and if you’re a Montana State fan you’re probably looking forward to week six… because it couldn’t possibly get any worse, right? The Bobcats had a 38-21 lead heading into the fourth quarter and inexplicably let Sacramento State score 20 straight points to win the game by three. That’s just not a loss you can take, and a poor defensive, as well as offensive effort by the Bobcats. Sacramento State is a pretty poor team and if you’re wanting to turn a program around that can’t be one you take on the chin. But congrats to Sacramento State, there’s not going to be a goose egg in the win loss column this year!
In one of the Big Sky match-ups of the week Southern Utah traveled north to Montana to take on the Grizzlies. Right out of the gate Southern Utah was in trouble and the Griz never looked back. Montana racked up over 600 yards of offense to take down the Thunderbirds 43-20. Brady Gustafson accounted for 415 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Griz. Southern Utah did some good things with the ball when they had it, but couldn’t translate those possessions into points against a ferocious Montana defense.
The other match-up of the week, North Dakota at Cal Poly nearly lived up to its hype. North Dakota stole the win 31-24 on their home turf. Cal Poly looked like a team that had a shot to finish at the top of the conference, but ran into a pretty stiff North Dakota defense. The Mustangs, one of the top rushing teams in the country, were held to 202 yards rushing. Joe Protheroe did not accumulate any stats due to an injury. North Dakota will keep their post season hopes alive with that important win.
Scores
Cal Poly 24
North Dakota 31
Northern Arizona 18
Northern Colorado 21
UC Davis 30
Eastern Washington 63
Idaho State 20
Portland State 45
Southern Utah 20
Montana 43
Montana State 38
Sacramento State 41
Big Sky Player of the Week
Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington is this week’s player of the week. Kupp made his presence known that he was ready to resume his reign atop the Big Sky’s receivers. He caught 12 balls for 274 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ victory over UC-Davis.
Big Sky MVP Candidates
Gage Gabrud, QB, Eastern Washington. 33/46 for 486 yards, six touchdowns. 39 yards rushing, one touchdown.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington. 12 receptions for 274 yards and two touchdowns.
John Santiago, RB, North Dakota. Did not play.
Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona. Did not play.
Emmanuel Butler, WR, Northern Arizona. 8 receptions for 58 yards.
Joe Protheroe, RB, Cal Poly. Did not play.
Big Sky Power Rankings
1. Eastern Washington
2. Montana
3. North Dakota
4. Cal Poly
5. Southern Utah
6. Weber State
7. Northern Colorado
8. Portland State
9. Montana State
10. Northern Arizona
11. Idaho State
12. UC-Davis
13. Sacramento State
Looking Ahead to Week 6
In the first game of the week the red hot (?) Northern Colorado Bears will travel to Cheney to take on Eastern Washington on the red carpet. Mississippi Valley State will make the cross-country trek to Missoula to take on Montana. Northern Arizona will limp into Bozeman to take on Montana State. UC Davis will be at Southern Utah. Portland State heads east to take on Weber State in what should be a fine matchup. North Dakota will travel halfway across the country to take on Sacramento State.
Final Thoughts and Hot Takes
Montana State laid a huge egg last week. That was a game they had to win on the road and they totally blew it in the fourth quarter. Unacceptable loss if you’re the Bobcats.
Sacramento State isn’t the worst team in FCS, but they’re pretty bad. Got away with one over the Cats. Judging by their schedule there may not be any wins left.
Northern Colorado is 3-1. That’s not a typo, they have actually won three games this season. They just defeated the preseason Big Sky champion. I guess that’s why we decide games on the field.
Meanwhile, without Case Cookus and Emmanuel Butler that NAU team looked pretty bad. It doesn’t look like Cookus will be back this week either. Could be another long week for the Jacks.
Surprised North Dakota took down Cal Poly. Poly looked like a pretty legit team, and really, should have been undefeated heading into Grand Forks. The Fighting Hawks took care of business to keep their post season alive.
UC-Davis might be 1-4, but they sure have put up a fight this year. Hasn’t quite translated to wins and losses, but they’re not a pushover.
As bad as last week was in the Big South, it was that good this week.
(1-3) Presbyterian BYE
Presbyterian had the weekend off which means no one got hurt. No news is good news.
(3-2) Monmouth 42, (2-2) Fordham 41 OT
A week after getting humbled at home to Charleston Southern, Monmouth got one more chance at home to take on a playoff team from 2015 as they faced off against Fordham. This same Fordham team had poured out 51 points onto Monmouth in their only previous meeting a year ago and returned the two primary culprits from that bath, QB Kevin Anderson and RB Chase Edmonds.
Early on, it looked Fordham was going to repeat last year’s performance. Edmonds broke loose on the Rams’ second series and scored from 77 yards away. After a quick Hawks turnover, Anderson engineered a quick three-minute drive that put Fordham up 13-0 halfway through the first quarter. But, Monmouth wouldn’t go away. MU QB Cody Williams put together two drives that ended with field goals before masterminding a 16-play, 89-yard drive that took nearly eight full minutes off the clock and tied the game at 13-all with a minute and a half left before halftime. That, however, was more than enough time for Fordham. Forty-five seconds later, Anderson threw a 54-yard strike to put the Rams back up a touchdown. Twenty-seven seconds after that, and following a Monmouth fumble on their first play of the next series, Chase Edmonds punched the ball into the end zone again and Fordham took a 27-13 lead into halftime.
At that point, with the game firmly in hand, Fordham loaded the buses and left only Edmonds and Anderson to finish. OK, that’s not completely accurate but it may as well have been. The rest of the game belong entirely to Monmouth, specifically to WR Reggie White, Jr. and third-string RB Ed Royds. In the third quarter, White took a screen pass on the far sideline and raced untouched for 72 yards to get Monmouth back within seven. After Fordham failed to convert on 4th-and-3, Monmouth went down the field again and, again, Williams found White on the far sideline who broke two terrible attempts to tackle him and walked into the end zone to tie the game. In between the highlights from White, Royds was finding gaping holes in the Fordham defense and, after the Monmouth D held again, Royds got the call and scored to give the Hawks their first lead of the day and Fordham was clearly on their heels. They were not, however, done. On the next Rams possession, Edmonds – being Edmonds – took a handoff just beyond midfield and wove through traffic on his way to his third touchdown of the day, tying the game back at 34 points apiece.
Thanks to a holding call, Monmouth found themselves in bad field position and gave Fordham the ball back with one last shot at ending the game in regulation. Fordham very nearly converted on that chance but a 47-yard FG as time expired bent wide right and Monmouth headed to their first overtime game of the season.
Fordham made quick work of the first chance with the ball. Edmonds was into the end zone again after four plays and, after kicking the PAT, gave Monmouth their own opportunity. Monmouth just went back to Royds, back to White, back to Royds again, Royds one more time for score and then made the ballsy decision to go for two on the conversion. Given the course of Monmouth’s offense in the second half, the ball was obviously going to go one of two places, to either Royds or White, and Fordham had to know that. It’s, therefore, absolutely mystifying how in the world White found himself standing all alone in the end zone with no other player within ten yards of him, waiting patiently for a high, floating pass from Williams to simply land gently in his hands.
Which it did. Ballgame.
What does this win mean for Monmouth? – It’s huge. As in of mammoth proportions. After losing two straight in poor fashion, this team badly needed to beat anyone. For that win to come against a program that still retained the skill players from their pounding a year ago and to come at home in a year where those games are in small supply cannot be undersold. This is the kind of win that can re-shape the Hawks’ season.
(2-3) Liberty 41, (1-4) Robert Morris 7
Liberty needed to finally play someone whose roster didn’t consist of FBS players. A Robert Morris team that lost their opener to a D2 school and registered negative total rushing yards at Youngstown would seem to fit that bill. Liberty also made a change at quarterback for this game, starting true freshman Steven ‘Buckshot’ Calvert for the first time.
On the first couple series, however, Calvert looked unsettled, allowing RMU to hang around for a little bit and pull off a bit of substitution fakery that left a receiver near the visiting sideline completely unrecognized and uncovered. He took a pass and sprinted downfield and, though he was eventually run down before he could score, the Colonials were in business in the red zone. That turned into a touchdown three plays later and the home crowd held their collective breath. They needn’t have bothered because that was it for the RMU scoring.
Calvert and the Flames went the length of the field on their next drive and Calvert found TE Zac Foutz from a yard out for the tying score. That drive was helped along by a targeting penalty on RMU where, in an odd sequence, the defender came off his man to hit one LU receiver in the head while the LU receiver he was originally covering caught the ball and raced thirty yards downfield. RMU’s next possession would end in an interception in the end zone and Liberty would work their way down the field once more, this time culminating in a touchdown pass to WR Antonio Gandy-Golden. The Colonials would throw another INT in the first half and Calvert hit WR Dante Shells for 69 yards and a touchdown as Liberty was up 21-7 at half.
That advantage went up after two plays in the second half as LU DB Solomon McGinty picked off a pass in the flat and trotted into the end zone for a defensive score. On the whole, RMU – who, in fairness, was playing a converted safety at QB – threw 3 interceptions on the night and never got past mid-field the rest of the night. Meanwhile, Liberty tacked on two field goals and another touchdown pass from Calvert for the final margin.
In his first career start, Calvert completed 62% of his passes for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns. Not bad, freshman, not bad.
What does this win mean for Liberty? – It’s really big because the Flames just needed to beat someone. They also needed Calvert to get some experience and confidence going in to conference play.
(3-1) Kennesaw State 52, (0-5) Furman 42
I admit it, Kennesaw proved me wrong. They rolled into Greenville, SC and flat out dominated one of the historically strong programs in FCS football.
In the first half, Kennesaw could do no wrong and Furman could do no right. KSU ran the ball around the edges, up the middle and then threw the ball over the top, all pretty much at will. The score at halftime was 49-14 in favor of the visitors. It’s worth noting that the Owls had as many points at the half against Furman as they had in an entire game against NAIA Point University three weeks ago. Even when Furman held KSU in check or Furman moved the ball, an ill-timed penalty or turnover would move the Owls forward and the Paladins back. The first half was a plain old butt-whoopin’ of the tradition-rich Furman program by the upstart Kennesaw State.
Look at these numbers:
KSU had 213 yards of offense in the first quarter.
Add on another 254 yards of offense in the second quarter and KSU had 467 yards of total offense at halftime
By the time Furman mounted a drive past Kennesaw’s 42-yard line, they were already down 35-0
At the half, KSU already had two touchdown drives of 90 yards or more
Then, Furman came out of the locker room with a vengeance and the second half happened. As one-sided as the first half had been for KSU, the second half was nearly so for Furman. Furman racked up more than 200 yards through the air and three touchdowns to claw back to within 49-35. Everything that had worked offensively for KSU in the first half stalled completely and the Owls went into ball-hog mode, letting the play clock wind nearly all the way down between plays, keeping the ball on the ground and doing anything they could to keep the game clock working in their favor. Kennesaw had just one scoring drive in the second half, squeezing a FG out of easily their longest possession of the day (6:30) but it that kick was huge as it pushed the Owls just out of Furman’s comeback range with the amount of time they had left.
In the end, Furman added another touchdown but had just dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of. To their credit, KSU used their offense to milk the clock for all it was worth to turn what could have been one of the more epic collapses in college football into a really solid win for their program.
What does this win mean for Kennesaw? – Not to be redundant, but it’s a big big win for the KSU program as a whole. This is the first time that the Owls have ever faced a full-scholarship FCS team outside of the Big South conference. Granted, Furman is a shadow of what they once were but for KSU, as a startup program, to be that dominating over a team that’s usually considered a regional power is just massive. Realistically, this win isn’t not on par with third-year Coastal beating defending national champion JMU in 2005 – not even close, really –, but within the KSU program itself, the effect is the same.
In probably the best game of the night that no one saw, CSU went up to perennial nemesis Coastal Carolina and handed the FBS transitional home team the loss in double overtime.
Full disclosure: I didn’t watch this game. Thanks to Coastal’s transition to FBS, they aren’t on the Big South’s video package nor are they yet on the Sun Belt’s. Their home-grown streaming operation sits behind a paywall and has a history of varying degrees of reliability. As such, this recap is drawn from released reports, stats sheets and photos.
It was a see-saw battle all night between the current Big South champ and the ex-Big South champ. Coastal jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to a trio of touchdowns from RB DeAngelo Henderson. CSU jumped right back in the second quarter, rattling off 16 straight points to take a 23-21 lead at the half. The rest of the game would be a back-and-forth battle of offense as each team answered their opponents’ scores with touchdowns of their own and neither team would lead by more than five points the rest of the way. Coastal started it off in the third frame with a strip sack and a fumble recovery in the end zone which CSU followed with a TD run from RB Darius Hammond which Coastal then followed with another long scoring run from Henderson. After a short lull going into the fourth quarter, CSU backup QB Robert Mitchell got a touchdown on the ground which Coastal answered with a lob from WR Chris Jones to fellow WR Gary Bradshaw. CSU answered that with another TD run from Mitchell that put CSU up 45-42 with just forty-two seconds remaining and, for a moment, it seemed like a lead would finally be safe.
Nope. Henderson took the ball on three of the next four plays and Coastal K Ryan Granger booted through a 35-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.
Coastal took the ball first in OT and made quick work of the 25 yards between them and the end zone. CSU responded by bringing starting QB Shane Bucenell back into the game to lob a touchdown pass into the end zone to tie the game once again. In the second OT, Bucenell worked his magic again, hitting receiver Jared Scotland for the score and the Bucs kicked the PAT to go up 59-52. On their turn, Coastal struggled slightly, forced to convert a 4th-and-5 to keep the drive going but, eventually, punched the ball into the end zone to pull within a point, pending the PAT.
A little back story here: Coastal has recently found themselves with a bad history with game deciding kicks at the scoreboard end of Brooks Stadium. In 2014, #1-ranked and undefeated Coastal Carolina lost to Liberty when LU blocked what should have been a walk-off-as-time-expired chip-shot FG from 24 yards out, roughly the same distance as an extra point. Coastal’s K Ryan Granger didn’t take that kick but he was on the sidelines that day and it’s worth wondering if that moment was in his head at all. Because, to a degree, history repeated itself Saturday night. Charleston Southern blocked the extra point and won the game.
It’s no surprise that a run-heavy team like Charleston Southern and team on their 4th-string quarterback with an all-world running back like Coastal Carolina would run the ball. It’s still a little surprising to see these highly-ranked teams surrender 500+ yards of rushing offense. Coastal has been relatively weak against the run for the last several years and gave up nearly 300 yards on the ground. Coastal’s hurry-up style of offense may have actually worked against them in this case. Despite, gaining over 400 yards of offense and putting 45 on the board in just 59 plays during regulation, it allowed CSU to hold the ball for more than 42 minutes. CSU got touchdowns from seven different players in this game.
CSU has now defeated Coastal two straight years for only the second occasion in the series’ history. The previous time was from 2008-2009.
What does this win mean for CSU? – It’s a good team win and it’s a good win for the program. There is obviously a familiarity between the two programs that hasn’t existed in the first several games of CSU’s season, Monmouth included. Coastal is still, obviously, a good team and this can only help CSU’s resume come November.
(2-3) Gardner-Webb 45, (3-2) Benedict 0
Gardner-Webb returned home to face Benedict out of Division 2. Benedict is a defensive-minded but offensively-challenged team, much like Gardner-Webb has been for the last couple seasons. In a battle between resistible force and slow-moving object, something would eventually give. Just not in the first quarter.
G-W and Benedict traded punts for the first part of the game with neither being able to mount much of an offensive threat. Eventually, in the second quarter, Benedict found themselves backed up deep and shanked a punt out of their own end zone. The resulting field position at the 35-yard line gave GWU prime field position and, eight plays later, RB Khalil Lewis turned that into the game’s first touchdown. This opened a floodgate of sorts. The Bulldogs got the ball back on the next possession near midfield and turned that into another touchdown. G-W held Benedict to a punt yet again and then made it three straight touchdowns on their next possession, when a couple explosive plays brought Gardner-Webb in close to the goal line and QB Tyrell Maxwell then tossed a short touchdown to his most dependable receiver, TE Mike Estes.
The second half was much the same. Benedict never mounted a credible threat on offense and bad punts and turnovers gave G-W great field position for the rest of the night. Khalil Lewis punched in two more short touchdowns and the defense got a scoop-n-score early in the fourth quarter. All in all, it may have been the least eventful 45 points ever scored.
What does this loss mean for Gardner-Webb? – Meh. G-W did what they were supposed to do. That’s it. Sure, they didn’t lose to the D2 on their schedule but literally everyone else in the conference got a win that was either important for them as a team or a program on Saturday. It’s almost not fair to downplay a 45-point win just because the defeated team was from a lower division but it was such a slow-moving affair that seemed to simply wear down the opponent – and the audience – rather than overwhelming them.
Biggest surprise of the week: Kennesaw’s first-half destruction of Furman.
Biggest disappointment of the week: None. Everybody won. Can’t argue with that.
Week 5 is in the books, and with it, a muddling of the Southland Conference. Sam Houston turned the Battle of the Piney Woods into a trip to the woodshed for SFA, destroying them in front of a record crowd at NRG Stadium 63-28. McNeese kept the Colonels from marching through the Southland, defeating Nicholls 38-13 at Cowboy Stadium, and Lamar notched their first win of the season, defeating Southeastern Louisiana 38-14. We have five games on tap this week in the Southland, so let’s take a look at them.
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Stephen F Austin at Nicholls State
It’s homecoming in the swamp as the Lumberjacks travel to Thibodaux to take on the Colonels. SFA is coming off of an embarrassing loss to rival Sam Houston at the Battle of the Piney Woods in which they were just decimated by the Bearkat offense. Down 35-0 at the end of the first quarter, SFA could not get anything going versus the Sam defense, and they never had a shot of getting back into the game. SFA will go into this week’s game with quarterback issues still, and will it be Conque, or Taylor getting the start? Nicholls State had people wondering if they were a dark horse based off of their play vs FBS opponents, however, McNeese might have exposed them for being a team that their opponents played down to. Their normally stout defense was picked apart by quarterback James Tabary, and the “Defense With Attitude” forced held Nicholls to 31 yards rushing on 28 attempts, as well as forced two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Given that SFA and Nicholls are both looking to rebound, I give the edge to the Colonels since they are at home. Nicholls State takes this one 31-28
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Kentucky Wesleyan at Northwestern State
Northwestern State comes into this game 0-4 on the year, and the Demons are looking for the spark to turn their season around. Luckily for them, they face a very weak squad out of division 2, and should win this game easily. They better enjoy this one, as they have a Lamar squad who could potentially tear them apart next week, and McNeese the week after that. Northwestern State wins this 35-7
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Lamar at Abilene Christian
Lamar is coming off of its first win of the year, overpowering the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 38-14. With the win, Lamar now sits in fifth place in the conference standings and they are poised to make a run at the leaders of the conference. Lamar amassed 268 yards on the round, and stud running back Kade Harrington went for 144 and a touchdown. Abilene Christian is 0-5, and basically now is hoping to play the role of the spoiler for the conference leaders. While they have an offense that has shown potency this year, their defense is very suspect. Lamar runs the Wildcats out of their home stadium 28-10.
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Sam Houston at Incarnate Word
There are two words you can use to describe Sam Houston’s football team this year: pure dominance. Any doubts I had in my mind of their ability was erased on Saturday, and for my Sam fans that read this, consider this my official apology. Jeremiah Briscoe set records on Saturday, throwing for 7 touchdowns against the SFA defense. At this point, it’s Sam’s conference title to lose, and they should have a pretty clear path to it, and it’s looking like their game vs Central Arkansas could determine who gets the autobid. Incarnate Word hung in vs Texas State for most of their game, but Texas State added on some garbage time touchdowns that made the game look like a blowout. Is this game a trap game for Sam? Will they have some comedown from the victory at the Battle of the Piney Woods? The answer is no to both questions; Sam Houston destroys UIW and plays their second strings most of the game. Look for this to get ugly quickly, with a final of 70-7.
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McNeese at Southeastern Louisiana
McNeese looks like they are getting a bit of momentum going, with back to back conference victories, and a stout performance by their DWA (Defense With Attitude). Their offense has been clicking with Tabary at the helm, and they look like they could play spoiler for either Sam Houston or UCA. This week they travel to Hammond to take on the Lions. Southeastern is coming off of being ran out of Beaumont, literally, allowing Lamar to go for over 250 yards on the ground. Usually Coach Ron Roberts puts together solid teams, but it seems this year the Lions are just having trouble getting things going. McNeese wins, 38-21.
First up, if you are just interested in the scores, here you go:
#19 Illinois State – 10 #1 North Dakota State – 31
Missouri State – 45 #21 Indiana State – 24
South Dakota – 20 #15 Youngstown State – 30
#34 Southern Illinois – 21
#13 Northern Iowa – 42
And….ugh….do I have to do the last one?…I do?…fiiiiine. #17 South Dakota State beats #6 Western Illinois…there, happy?
Wait…you want the score too?…no…not going to say it. I refuse. Huh?…I’ll be fired if I don’t?….ok, fine…52-14
What?…speak up you say?…ugh…if this job didn’t pay so well, I’d… 52-14….SDSU beat Western, 52-14 (there…you happy now?)
#19 Illinois State Redbirds at #1 North Dakota State Bison
This game felt a lot more like stereotypical “Bison Football” than the first 3 games of their season (although the Iowa game was fairly standard for them for a P5 FBS game). Things started off close, with the teams trading points in the first half with ISU up by 3 a couple of times. Then NDSU just blew it open in the second quarter with 21 unanswered points to make it 28-10 at halftime. In the second half, they really locked down the Redbird offense, allowing no points while putting up a FG. Fourth quarter, it really turned into a situation where the NDSU almost didn’t even care if they ended up scoring in a drive, as long as they took a large chunk of time off the clock. A bit of back and fourth, a 5+ minute Bison drive that ended in a missed FG and NDSU had put this game away, for a 31-10 victory, in a game that was pretty much never in doubt past halftime.
NDSU QB Easton Stick passes for 221 yards, 3 TDs and 0 interceptions with a QBR of 364.64….no wait…that was just the first half. He didn’t actually get that much more in the game, going 256 yards by the end, still just 3 TDs, since there was no scoring outside of the one Bison FG in the second half, but ended up with a 246.7 QB rating. Stick really spread the ball around, with 9 players getting at least 1 reception (but nobody getting more than 2). WR RJ Urzundowski snags 2 catches for 70 yards and a TD, TE Nate Jenson and RB Lance Dunn each get a TD reception as well. RB King Frazier runs for 76 yards, WR Darrius Shepherd has 1 run for 31 yards and a TD (that’s pretty efficient). As usual, the Bison control the clock, holding onto the ball for 36:28 of the game. Defensively, SS Robbie Grimsley, LB MJ Stumpf, and LB Pierre Gee-Tucker each get 7 total tackles. Tucker also ends up with 2 tackles for loss including 1 sack as well as a fumble recovery (forced by DT Aaron Steidl). DE Caleb Butler gets 2 sacks, and Steidl, DE Jarrod Tuszka, and DE Greg Menard each get 1 sack.
Illinois State’s QB Jake Kolbe finishes the game with 285 yards and 1 TD, with 0 interceptions. Primary passing target was WR Anthony Fowler, who picked up 119 yards and a TD, with his “usual” passing target WR Anthony Warrum ending up with 82 yards. RB George Moreira ends up with team-high 47 rushing yards. For the Redbirds defense, S Alec Kocour ends up with 14 total tackles…not a bad game for him, but I’m sure he would have preferred a win. LB Alejandro Rivera finishes with 11 tackles and DL Dalton Keene gets 10 tackles including 1 for loss. The Redbirds defensive squad ends the game with no sacks, no interceptions, and one forced fumble (looks like it was recovered by NDSU though).
North Dakota State moves on to 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the MVFC and will head down to Springfield, MO to take on Missouri State next weekend. Illinois State falls to 2-3 overall, 0-2 in the conference and will host Youngstown State in Normal, IL for ISU’s Homecoming game next weekend.
Missouri State at #21 Indiana State
This is definitely my “what in the wide wide world of sports is a’goin’ on here” game of the week. As expected, ISU got ahead with an early TD, which is then answered by a MSU TD…then a MSU FG, putting the Bears ahead 10-7. Another ISU TD and all feels right in the world with the Sycamores up by 4 after the first quarter.
This is when things get a bit crazy…MSU takes 3 plays in 20 seconds finishing with a 64 yard TD run. ISU gets the ball back, but has a turnover on downs. First play back, MSU’s QB Brodie Lambert nails WR Malik Earl for a 69 yard TD and the Bears are up by 10. A couple of possessions later and a MSU fumble leads to an ISU TD. Later a 39-yard FG brings it back to a 24-24 tie going into halftime.
The 3rd quarter was all Bears, with a nearly 6-minute drive resulting in a TD. Three plays from scrimmage later and MSU’s Dylan Cole grabs an interception at the start of the 4th quarter, leading to another Bears TD putting them up 38-24. Into the 4th quarter, and someone must have replaced the ISU hand stick’em supply with KY Jelly because their next 4 possessions ended with fumble, turnover on downs, fumble, fumble. In the meantime, Missouri State picked up another TD and was able to run out the clock leading to a 45-24 victory for the Bears…their first over a conference opponent in just a couple weeks less than 2 years and their first over a ranked FCS opponent in just under 3 years (14 point win over then #15 South Dakota State on 10/19/13…that’s honestly a lot more recently than I thought it’d be).
Missouri State QB Brodie Lambert threw for 279 yards and 3 TDs with 0 interceptions. His main passing target was WR Malik Earl who hauled in 11 catches for 161 yards and 2 TDs (all personal bests for him). On the ground, RB Colin Crowder ran for 131 yards and 3 TDs (a career high). On the MSU defense, LB Dylan Cole had 13 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. For his efforts, Cole was awarded this week’s MVFC Defensive Player of the Week. DL Colby Isbell had 7 tackles, 2 for loss including 1 sack and a forced fumble. S Jared Beshore also had an interception.
Indiana State QB Isaac Harker threw for 344 yards a 1 TD, but had 2 interceptions. WR Miles Thompson had 83 yards and a TD receiving and RB Roland Genesy had 54 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. LB Jameer Thurman led the Sycamores with 14 tackles, 4 for loss (1 sack) and a forced fumble. DLs Norvel McGlaun and Conlan Cassidy each had a sack as well.
Congrats to the Bears in a game that almost nobody expected them to win. ISU coming off a win over ranked Illinois State, MSU coming off a half-game loss at Kansas State, playing with their backup quarterback, and not having a great deal of success the last couple of years. It’s an impressive win for a team that was winless against DI opponents last year. MSU looks like they are trending up, not to the point where they’re challenging the Bison yet, but they could end up not last in the conference this year, which is still a decent step up as compared to where they were expected to be this season (and how they were last season).
Missouri State moves to 3-1 on the season, 1-0 in the conference and will host the Bison next weekend in Springfield, MO. Indiana State falls to 3-2 overall, 1-1 in the conference, and heads across the Land of Lincoln to take on Western Illinois in their homecoming game next weekend.
South Dakota at #15 Youngstown State
In Coach Nielson’s first MVFC game in charge of the Coyotes, South Dakota traveled to Ohio to take on the Youngstown State Fighting Pelinis Penguins. YSU got out to an early lead, turning a USD fumble into 7 points and putting up 10 each in the first and second quarters. Adding in USD’s FG midway through the first made it 20-3 at halftime. In that span, YSU gave away the ball on a turnover on downs and a fumble of their own later, but USD wasn’t able to capitalize on either.
In the 3rd quarter, YSU turned it over on downs again, only to have South Dakota go 3-and-out and punt. Then apparently a game of Hot Potato broke out and interrupted the game. The next play from scrimmage, YSU threw an interception, but then 8 plays later, USD threw it right back to the Penguins. After trading field goals to make it 23-6, YSU again gave the ball back to USD with another interception…this one allowing the Coyotes to work down the field in 11 plays for a TD to bring them within 10 points. The next possession, YSU had to punt, but this time it was USD’s turn to give it right back to Youngstown State on the next play from scrimmage, with a 21 yard pick 6 for YSU. USD was able to move the ball effectively over the next minute, with 5 plays (including a couple of ~20 yard gains) going 65 yards and resulting in a TD to make it 30-20 for the Penguins with about 1 ½ minutes left in the game. USD went for the onside kick, but it was recovered by YSU, and a few kneel downs later, that was the final score. Past the first quarter, the closest the Coyotes got was a 10 point deficit.
Youngstown State’s QB Ricky Davis threw for 281 yards and 2 interceptions (no TDs) and he was also the team’s rushing leader with 66 yards. Their receiving leader was WR Damoun Patterson with 2 plays for 86 yards. RB Martin Ruiz ran for 65 yards and 2 TDs. DE Avery Moss and LB Armand Dellovade each finished the game with 7 tackles, with Moss also having 1 sack and a forced fumble and recovery. SS Jameel Smith had 6 tackles and an interception, and FS Jalyn Powell had 3 tackles and the previously mentioned pick-6. DE Derek Rivers had a decent day pressuring the QB, with 5 tackles, but 2 sacks and 3 QB hurries.
For South Dakota, QB Chris Streveler threw for 141 yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions, and ran for 14 yards (on 14 attempts). RB Trevor Bouma ran for 75 yards, WR Alonge Brooks caught two passes for 56 yards and a TD and WR Riley Donovan also had a TD reception. On the defense, DB Andrew Gray had 9 tackles and an interception. True freshman DL Kameron Cline had 6 tackles including 2 for loss (1 sack). DB Jacob Warner had an interception, and D-linemen Colin Mertlik and Taylor Lambert each had a sack.
For the kickers on both sides it was actually a pretty good day, with USD’s Miles Bergner punting 6 times with a 44.5 average and going 2 for 2 on FGs including a 45-yarder. YSU’s punter Mark Schuler only punted once but it went for a 54 yard gain, and kicker Zak Kennedy went 3 for 3 on FGs (all within 30 yards). Kennedy earned the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week award for his performance.
South Dakota falls to 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the conference and will head back home to take on the Northern Iowa Panthers next weekend. Youngstown State improves to 3-1 on the season, 1-0 in the MVFC, and will head to Illinois State for the Redbirds’ Homecoming Game next weekend.
#34 Southern Illinois at #13 Northern Iowa
We have now reached the “insane catches” portion of our program for today (not that the other games didn’t have some, I’m sure, but there were a few that I’d like to specifically point out in the last two games.
Southern Illinois headed up to Cedar Falls to take on the UNI Panthers. Northern Iowa got the scoring started with a TD run and then following an SIU fumble, and a couple more plays, a QB TD run to go up 14-0 after 1 quarter. SIU gets on the board with a 33 yard TD pass early in the 2nd quarter, but UNI responds with a TD drive of their own, capped off with a 20 yard TD pass. Another drive for SIU, and another TD pass brings the Salukis within 7 points, 21-14. UNI drives back down the field, including a 37-yard pass on 3rd and 8 (see photo to the right). But, the drive stalls and the UNI kicker misses a 22-yard FG. SIU’s next drive went nowhere…well…technically not nowhere…it went 13 yards backwards, but then it took UNI all of 3 plays and 46 seconds to get another TD. SIU would get the ball back with 47 seconds left in the second quarter, and decided to go for it to try to get in another score before the half ended. Well…goal accomplished…they got another score in…unfortunately for the Salukis, it was 43 yard interception return for a TD for the Panthers. SIU finished off the half with a 48-yard missed FG and after a very productive final ¾ of a minute for UNI, found themselves down by 21 (35-14) at halftime.
The second half was a much more defensive battle, with 5 straight drives ending in punts before SIU broke through with a 50-yard pass for a TD to bring them within 14 points. A couple more drives ending in punts, and it was UNI’s turn, starting the 4th quarter with an 8-yard TD pass. UNI would miss another FG (46 yards) later in the 4th, and a few more stalled drives, then an interception by UNI sealed the victory for the Panthers, by a final score of 42-21.
UNI QB Aaron Bailey finished the game with 186 yards and 3 TDs passing (with 0 interceptions) and 98 yards and 1 TD on the ground. WR Daurice Fountain caught 5 for 89 yards and all 3 of those receiving TDs. RB Tyvis Smith ended up with 72 yards and a rushing TD. Defensively, LB Jared Farley had 9 tackles including 1 for loss and a fumble recovery. LB D’Shawn Dexter finished with 6 tackles, 2 for loss including 1 sack. D-Linemen Karter Schult and Hezekiah Applegate as well as LB Blake Thomas all had 1 sack each. LB Duncan Ferch had an interception, and DB Malcolm Washington had a 43-yard interception returned for a TD.
On the Saluki side of things, QB Josh Straughan finished with 307 yards passing and 3 TDs, but also had 2 interceptions and 4 sacks. The primary receiving target was WR Darrell James with 5 catches for 117 yards. WRs Connor Iwema, Billy Reed, and RB Daquan Isom had 1 receiving TD each, and Isom was also the team’s rushing leader with 46 yards on 11 attempts. The SIU defense had two players with 8 tackles in the game, LB Markese Jackson and DE Deondre Barnett. Barnett also had a sack and a forced fumble.
In the USD @ YSU game, I mentioned that the kickers had a great day. In the SIU @ UNI game, however, the kickers did not….very much did not. On FGs, the teams were a combined 0-3, missing from 48 (SIU), 22 (UNI) and 46 (UNI). Punting-wise, UNI Punter Sam Kuhter had the better day, with 6 punts averaging 36.2 yards and 3 inside the 20 yard line, which isn’t horrible, but that’s not a real high average (although some of that depends on starting field position…you don’t want it to go 60 yards when you’re kicking from the 50…you want it to go 48 yards…for example).
SIU falls to 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the MVFC and they will head home to take on South Dakota State next weekend. UNI moves up to 2-2 and 1-0 in the conference and will head up to Vermillion, SD to take on the USD Coyotes next weekend.
#6 Western Illinois at #17 South Dakota State
I think this game was called after the first quarter…because…um…reasons. I’m kidding, of course, not that I didn’t wish it had.
The 3-0 Leathernecks headed up to Brookings, SD to take on the SDSU Jackrabbits to inaugurate their new stadium into MVFC play. The game started off somewhat back and forth, with the teams trading TDs, but in general, Western looking a little better to start off, finishing the first quarter up 14-7.
But everything changed when the Fire Nation Goedert attacked. Seriously, it was nearly all Dallas Goedert, all the time, from there on out. He’d already had the first SDSU TD of the game, but then had two more TD receptions in the 2nd quarter. Adding in a Connor Landberg ESPN Top 10 TD reception with 17 seconds left made the score 28-14 at halftime. Seriously…what is it with XDSU teams getting ESPN Top 10 catches in blowouts against us? I know our DB’s aren’t great, but a “regular” long pass for a TD doesn’t get you on ESPN…we just seem to get receivers on their “career” days it seems like. And because I’m sure you’ll want to see it, here you go:
Two plays into the second half, WIU has it’s first turnover of the season, throwing a Pick-6 to LB Christian Rozeboom. A SDSU FG and a 1-play 70-yard TD pass to…who else…Dallas Goedert…and the Jackrabbits are up 45-14. To add insult to injury, a pressured WIU QB Sean McGuire scrambles and throws a poorly executed attempt at a pass that is caught and taken for a TD….by SDSU DB Dallas Brown, for WIU’s second turnover of the game/season making the score 52-14. At that point, SDSU pretty much just played prevent defense, allowing short gains, but forcing Western to use up large chunks of the clock and not get any more points. No points scored in the 4th quarter meant that 52-14 was the final score.
SDSU QB Taryn Christion finished the game with 361 yards and 5 passing TDs, most of which went to TE Dallas Goedert who finished with 204 of those yards and 4 of the receiving TDs. Goedert would receive the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. WR Connor Landberg had 21 yards and one spectacular TD catch. Star WR Jake Wieneke finished the game with “only” 102 yards. The ground game for SDSU was contained fairly well (not that the Jackrabbits needed to run that much), with the team leader being RB Brady Mengarelli with 41 yards. The previously mentioned LB Christian Rozeboom finished with 10 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 37-yard pick-6, as well as the MVFC Newcomer of the Week award. DB Dallas Brown also had a tackle for loss and a 19-yard pick-6.
For Western, QB Sean McGuire threw for 113 yards, 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. WR Lance Lenoir was held to 84 yards a 1 TD and WR Joey Borsellino had 39 yards and 1 TD receiving as well. WR Stacey Smith led the team in rushing, with 1 run for 71 yards, but the SDSU defense really keyed into standout RB Steve McShane, holding him to 56 yards on 14 attempts. LB Quentin Moon finished with 9 tackles in the game, while DB Justin Fitzpatrick and DB David Griffith each had 7 tackles. Griffith also had 2 tackles for loss. Defensive Linemen Khalen Saunders and Pete Swenson had 2 tackles for loss each.
An interesting point I’d also like to bring up. For those of you who read my preview last week, you might remember that I mentioned how Western was #1 in the FCS in Red Zone Defense, but 107th in the FCS in Total Defense (yards allowed), and what all that meant (it’s here, if you’d like to go read it). Specifically, that one of the keys to beating Western involved long passes for scores and not having to “slog” through the red zone….well….SDSU had 52 points and 478 total yards and entered the Red Zone exactly once the entire game (credit to user bigticket1 at SDSUFans.com message board for bringing that point up). So, that’s pretty much exactly what the Jackrabbits did. Offensively, they scored on passes from the following yardage away: 24, 25, 24, 17 (that was the “Top 10” catch in the back corner of the end zone), 38 (FG), and 70. They essentially didn’t get to the red zone, so most of that front-line advantage was negated. WIU’s D-Line wasn’t able to get much pressure on the QB (credit to SDSU’s O-Line blockers), which allowed him to make those incredible throws.
Like Western’s game last year at North Dakota State (a 59-7 loss, if you weren’t aware) the final score was not really indicative of the quality of Western’s team. I think at this point, that it was really just a combination of Western having something of a “letdown” from last week’s exciting FBS win, plus SDSU getting a bye week to plan, rest, and prepare, as well as essentially career days from a couple of SDSU players. Last year, WIU responded to the NDSU steamrolling by winning the next two games to finish the regular season and then won their first round game in the playoffs before losing in the second round to Illinois State. We’ll see if this year’s Leathernecks can do something similar, using this loss as a motivator to play better and not let something like it happen again.
South Dakota State moves to 2-2 for the season, 1-0 in the conference, and will head down to Southern Illinois next weekend. Western Illinois suffers their first loss of the season, making them 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference and will head home to take on the Indiana State Sycamores for WIU’s Homecoming Game next weekend.
So, to follow up with my picks from my preview last week, here’s what I had, and how I fared:
North Dakota State (over Illinois State) by 14 – actual result, NDSU by 21. I thought ISU’s defense would hold NDSU to a few less points, but I’d say that one’s pretty close…WIN
Indiana State (over Missouri State) by 20 – actual result, MSU by 21. Holy cow did I miss on this one..but to be fair, I think just about everyone else did too. Still, a loss is a loss (in my predictions)…LOSS
Youngstown State (over South Dakota) by 12 – actual result, YSU by 10…pretty darn close, I’d say…WIN
Northern Iowa (over Southern Illinois) by 10 – actual result, UNI by 21. I did not expect UNI to double up SIU…didn’t think they’d throw down that many points. I actually thought it’d be more like 24-14ish, but still…I think that’s a win for me…WIN
Western Illinois (over South Dakota State) by 3 – actual result, SDSU by 38. Um….I really thought it’d be a close game. I was hoping we’d win by a few, although a lot of predictors though that we’d lose by a few…which I’d be ok with…but to lose by 38 points? I don’t think anyone saw that one coming. You know what…that one is so bad that I’m counting it as two losses for me. One for missing the winning team, and one for thinking that it’d be a close game no matter who wins…LOSS & LOSS
This week, in 5 games, I’m 3-3, which combined with my 2-1 from last weekend, puts me at 5-4 so far on the season.
Stay tuned for my Week 6 preview article later this week, where we’ve got Youngstown State at Illinois State, North Dakota State at Missouri State, Northern Iowa at South Dakota, Indiana State at Western Illinois, and South Dakota State at Southern Illinois (huh…outside of UNI going to USD…all MVFC teams will be in Illinois or Missouri this weekend).
This week’s AnyGivenSaturday.com Game of the Week did not live up to hype it had generated throughout the week. Both teams had some questions to answer but I assumed that would provide us with a high scoring, but close game. Unfortunately, Western Illinois did not get that memo. The Leathernecks were run out of the stadium, leaving with a 38 point loss in their first MVFC match-up of the 2016 season.
The first quarter of play went as expected. The teams traded scores and headed to the first break with a 14-7 Western Illinois lead. The second and third quarters of the game belonged to the Jackrabbits (some might say it was a Jack Attack). SDSU scored 45 unanswered points, with neither team scoring in the fourth quarter.
South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert made sure that everyone knew Jake Wieneke was not the only star receiver the Jackrabbits had in Brookings on Saturday night. Goedert had four touchdowns (tying a school record for receiving touchdowns in a game) and 200+ yards on eight receptions in the route. That was good enough to earn him the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week. He now has seven total touchdowns on the season. That’s not to say Wieneke was not involved. Jake added 102 yards through the air on seven receptions.
Taryn Christion had quite the night for the Jackrabbits. He went 22 of 31 (71%) for 361 yards and 5 touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran the ball six times for 20 yards.
Connor Landberg was Christion’s target for the other SDSU touchdown through the air. Here is the highlight of that circus catch:
For Western Illinois, quarterback Sean McGuire threw two touchdowns, but added two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. He was replaced by backup quarterback Trenton Norvell who did not throw a touchdown or interception. The Leathernecks as a team rushed for 183 yards. They were led by WR Stacey Smith whose one carry went for 71 yards.
Here’s the game recap from SDSU Athletics. It’s nice because it includes both team’s highlights, but the camera angle leaves a lot to be desired.
Western Illinois highlights are short and sweet, but have a better camera angle.
Moving Forward:
The Jackrabbits removed some of the doubt that may have been expressed about them after the loss against Cal Poly. Next week they will look to go 2-0 against a Southern Illinois team that struggled defending the pass against a Northern Iowa squad that is not known for throwing the ball. The week after that will be the real challenge as SDSU heads to Fargo for the Dakota Marker game against the Bison.
Western Illinois has a chance to bounce back against a down-on-their-luck Indiana State team who gave Missouri State their first MVFC win since October of 2014. The Leathernecks should get the ship righted and continue their path towards a playoff berth. They should be favored in their next two games, but then North Dakota State comes to Macomb and they will get another chance to prove themselves.
Outside of the top 5 teams Week 5 saw quite a bit of movement based mostly on previously ranked squads going into a freefall which gave some other teams hefty bumps basically by default. The top 5 remained mostly unchanged except for the fact that Sam Houston State swapped places with Chattanooga with each coming in at #4 and #5, respectively. North Dakota State, Jacksonville State, and Eastern Washington maintained their spots as the top 3 in that order.
The big risers of the week were the Samford Bulldogs, who moved up 9 spots to #19, and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks, who moved up 16 spots to #20. North Carolina A&T and McNeese State also made returns to the top 25 after being absent previous weeks coming in at #23 and #24, respectively.
The biggest drops belonged to Western Illinois, who dropped 10 spots to #16, and Cal Poly, who dropped 9 spots to #17. Eastern Illinois and Illinois State also each dropped 6 spots to #22 and #25, respectively. Southern Utah, Indiana State, William & Mary, and Sacred Heart all dropped out of the top 25 after sustaining losses last week.
The MVFC hung on to the top spot in terms of representation with 6 teams in the top 25. The CAA and Big Sky were next with 4 each. They were followed by the Southern Conference and the Southland Conference who each had 3.
Full results below:
Rank
Team:
Total Points
First Place Votes
Previous Wk.
1
North Dakota State Bison
2199
87
1
2
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
2025
2
3
Eastern Washington Eagles
2023
1
3
4
Sam Houston State Bearkats
1919
5
5
Chattanooga Mocs
1852
4
6
James Madison Dukes
1698
7
7
The Citadel Bulldogs
1547
9
8
Montana Grizzlies
1480
11
9
Richmond Spiders
1458
10
10
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
1278
12
11
Northern Iowa Panthers
1220
13
12
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
1207
17
13
Youngstown State Penguins
1061
15
14
Albany Great Danes
1060
14
15
Villanova Wildcats
1046
18
16
Western Illinois Leathernecks
1031
6
17
Cal Poly Mustangs
925
8
18
Central Arkansas Bears
622
23
19
Samford Bulldogs
491
28
20
North Dakota Fighting Hawks
413
36
21
Harvard Crimson
388
24
22
Eastern Illinois Panthers
266
16
23
North Carolina A&T Aggies
253
29
24
McNeese State Cowboys
242
31
25
Illinois State Redbirds
174
19
ORV:
26
New Hampshire Wildcats
154
NR
27
Southern Utah Thunderbirds
129
20
28
Tennessee State Tigers
127
38
29
Stony Brook Seawolves
91
32
30
Cornell Big Red
50
NR
31
Indiana State Sycamores
32
21
32
Grambling State Tigers
23
NR
33
Missouri State Bears
21
NR
34T
Sacred Heart Pioneers
15
25
34T
William & Mary Tribe
15
22
36
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
14
NR
37T
Dartmouth Big Green
10
30
37T
Wagner Seahawks
10
NR
39
Wofford Terriers
9
35
40
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
7
26
Fell Out Of Poll:
Colgate Raiders
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
Elon Phoenix
Fordham Rams
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
Southern Illinois Salukis
Most Significant Win: South Dakota State Jackrabbits Most Significant Loss: Western Illinois Leathernecks (1 vote over CP)
Week five in the Patriot League was highlighted by Holy Cross’s 38-28 win over Lafayette. The Crusaders were able to start conference play 1-0 by overcoming the absence of star QB Peter Pujals. In non-league action, Colgate and Fordham both suffered heartbreaking losses to local opponents. Colgate gave up a game winning touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in their loss to Cornell, while Monmouth stunned Fordham on a 2 pt conversion in OT. Lehigh had no such trouble in a record setting win over Yale in New Haven. Finally, Georgetown put up a good fight Friday night but simply lacked the horses to take down #24 Harvard in Cambridge.
#24 Harvard 31 Georgetown 17
The Hoyas bid for a 4-0 start fell short against Harvard (3-0) on Friday night. The Crimson were easily the most formidable opponent Georgetown (3-1) faced so far this season. So while the loss is an obvious disappointment, there are some positives to be taken away from the road trip to Cambridge. Georgetown’s rush defense continues to be a strength (Harvard 3.6 ypc) and the turnover battle was once again won (+2). The offense must find more consistency though if the Hoyas want to factor into the Patriot League race.
It did not take Harvard long to find their stride on offense. The Crimson used a 9 play, 80 yard opening drive to get on the scoreboard first. QB Joe Viviano (15-23 210 3 TDs) found Brian Dunlap from 17 yards out for the early lead. Viviano led the Crimson on another impressive drive (8 play 70 yards) that ended with his second TD pass of the day. This time he connected with half back Anthony Firkser for an 11 yard TD.
Georgetown got on the board with 1:48 left in the first quarter when quarterback Tim Barnes (6-16 103 yards 1 TD) hit Brand Williams on a short out pass that turned into a 76 yard TD. Harvard pushed their lead back to two possessions early in the 2nd quarter on the second Viviano to Firkser TD of the day. This one went for 75 yards. The Crimson extended their lead to 24-7 when they elected to kick an 18 yard FG instead of going for it on 4th and goal from the 1.
After a scoreless third quarter, Harvard put the game away when their back-up QB Cam Tripp tossed a TD pass freshman WR Cody Chrest to finish off a 12 play, 55 yard drive that took 4.5 minutes off the clock. The Hoyas would add two late scores to bring the final to 31-14.
QB Tim Barnes was knocked out in the second quarter. He was replaced by Clay Norris who struggled (10-19 45 yards 1 INT) the rest of the way. Barnes status moving forward will be key to Georgetown’s hopes for a winning season.
Up Next: Georgetown returns home to face Princeton (2-1). Princeton owns a 6-1 all-time record but the teams have only met twice since 1923. The Hoyas won in 2012 with the Tigers getting revenge in 2013.
Monmouth 42 Fordham 41 OT
The Monmouth Hawks (3-2) made it 2 for 2 against the Patriot League this year by going for 2 in the first OT to shock the Rams. It was a gutsy call by Monmouth head coach Kevin Callah but one that ultimately paid off in a huge win for the Hawks. It’s the type of call and win that could propel Monmouth into the playoffs if they can take care of business in the Big South. Fordham, on the other hand, falls to a disappointing 2-2. Chase Edmonds set the school record for TDs (Kirwin Watson ’00-’03 48 TDs) in the loss. The junior RB finished with four scores (51 for career) on the day.
Edmonds (25 carries 208 yards 4 TDs) got things rolling in an explosive manner early on when he busted off a 77 yard TD run to open the scoring 3 minutes into the game. The Rams extended the lead to 13-0 (missed PAT) with 6:56 left in the opening quarter on Kevin Anderson’s 25 yard TD pass to Robbi Cantelli. Monmouth cut the lead to 13-6 on two short (25 yd, 27 yd) field goals. Monmouth tied the game with 1:36 left in the first half via Zach Welch’s 1 yard TD plunge. The final 60 seconds of the half saw two Fordham touchdowns. The first came on Anderson’s 54 yard TD pass to Austin Longi. The second was set-up when the Ram’s Max Roberts recovered Zach Welch’s fumble at the Monmouth 16 yard line with 39 seconds left. Edmonds found the end zone three plays later to give Fordham a 27-13 lead at the half.
Monmouth would once again fight back from a two score deficit. The Hawks used a pair of Williams to White ( 72 yds & 11 yds) TD passes to even the score at 27. Monmouth took their first lead of the game at 34-27 with 5:03 left in regulation on Ed Royds 9 yard TD run to cap an impressive 13 play 63 yard drive that took nearly 7 minutes off the clock. The drive was kept alive by a key 4th and 2 conversion at the Fordham 40 yard line. The Rams were able to tie the game back up on their ensuing possession by leaning on Edmonds. The sensational junior RB touched the ball on 4 out of the 6 plays on the drive that culminated in Edmonds breaking loose for a 55 yard TD run with 2:03 left. Following a Monmouth punt, the Rams had a chance to win in regulation but Makay Redd’s 47 yard FG attempt sailed wide right.
Starting overtime on offense first, the Rams were able to put pressure on Monmouth thanks to Edmonds fourth TD run of the day. The Hawks didn’t flinch though. Running back Ed Royds scored from 4 yards out to make the score 41-40 Fordham. Instead of kicking the extra point and trying their luck in a second OT, Callahan elected to go for two and the win. It proved to be the right decision because Willams and White connected for their 3rd scoring play of the day. This time it was a game winning two point conversion!
Up Next: Fordham begins Patriot League play against Lafayette in the Bronx next Saturday. The Rams have outscored the Leopards 77-25 the last two years.
Cornell 39 Colgate 38
The Big Red used a late touchdown to cap a thrilling come from behind victory against Colgate Saturday afternoon in Hamilton, NY. The win pushed Cornell’s record to 3-0 for the first time since 1999. Colgate meanwhile drops to a surprsing 1-3. After suffering two straight tough losses the Raiders must regroup with a huge game at Lehigh up next. They have a few positives to pull from in the loss including WR John Maddaluna’s monster game (11 rec. 261 yards 3 TDs). The senior WR fell 13 yards short of Colgate single game receiving mark (Cory Hill 274 vs Navy ’98) but did set the mark for longest touchdown reception from scrimmage (93 yards).
Maddaluna’s 93 yard TD reception got the scoring going with 10:46 left in the first quarter. Following a Big Red interception, Colgate QB Jake Melville (23-37 399 yards 3 TDs) found Maddaluna again. This time it was a 51 TD strike that pushed the Raiders lead to 14-0 early on. The Raiders extended the lead to 21-0 late in the first quarter when backup RB Keyon Washington found the end zone from 9 yards out. Cornell finally got on the board when Kurt Frimal sacked Melville in the end zone for a safety. The Big Red then parlayed the added possession into a Zach Mays 29 yard FG to bring the score to 21-5 with 10:02 left in the first half. Colgate responded with the third Mellville to Maddaluna connection of the day to push the lead to 28-5. Cornell, like they did all game, fought back. Quarterback Dalton Banks needed just one play to find Collin Shaw for a 70 yard TD. Colgate would tack on a late first half FG to head to the locker room with a commanding 31-12 lead.
Cornell went on a 5 play 62 yard drive TD drive on their first possession of the second half to close the gap to 31-19. Colgate fired back with an impressive scoring drive (13 play 78 yards 6:49 TOP) of their own. Washington ended it with a 2 yard TD run to extend the Raider lead to 19 points. That would prove to be Colgate’s final score of the game. Cornell on the other hand closed out the 3rd quarter with two Dalton Bank TD passes to pull within 5 points. Cornell’s next three 3 possessions would end in turnovers but Colgate was unable to make them pay.
Despite their 4th quarter struggles, the Big Red made sure their final drive count. After getting the ball back with 90 seconds left in regulation, the Big Red offense went on a 6 play 57 yard drive that ended when Banks found Collin Shaw for the game winning 17 yard TD pass with 28 seconds left.
Colgate starting RB James Holland did not play. Keyon Washington (26 carries 115 yards 2 TDs) played very well in his absence.
Up Next: Colgate opens league play with a pivotal game at Lehigh. The Raiders defeated Lehigh 49-42 last year to secure the Patriot League championship and auto-bid into the playoffs.
Lehigh 63 Yale 35
Lehigh (3-2) completed their Ivy League sweep for the year with an emphatic 28 point win over Yale (0-3) in New Haven Saturday. Backup Lehigh quarterback Brad Mayes (33-46 524 yards 6 TDs) had a record setting day in the win. Thrust into the starting role so Nick Shafnisky could rest his sore ankle, the sophomore QB broke the all-time Lehigh single game passing record with 524 yards. The 524 yards passing also broke the Yale Bowl record for most passing yards in a game. Lehigh’s 63 points scored tied (UConn ’98) the record for most allowed by a Yale defense all time. The loss dropped Yale to 0-3 for the first time since 1993.
Lehigh scored on their first two possessions of the game to jump ahead 14-0 midway through the first quarter. Yale would answer with a quick 2 play 75 yard TD drive on their third possession of the game. Eli WR Williams-Lopez took a jet sweep 15 yards into the end zone to cut the Mountain Hawk lead in half. Lehigh would then score touchdowns on three out of their next four possessions to take what seemed like an insurmountable 35-7 lead with 11:35 left in the second quarter. The Eli would not give up however. QB Tre Moore connected with Williams-Lopez for a beautiful 63 yard TD pass and catch. Following a quick Lehigh possession, Yale’s Jason Alessi returned Ed Mish’s punt 82 yards for a TD to cut the deficit to 35-21. Yale continued to ride the wave momentum the next time they touched the ball. The Eli closed to within 7 points with 4:56 left in the first half on Tre Moore’s 14 yard TD scramble. Lehigh made sure Yale would draw no closer the rest of the game. The Mountain Hawks used a 6 play 56 yard scoring drive late in the first half to enter the locker room up 42-28.
Lehigh extended their lead to 49-28 on the opening possession of the second half when Mayes connected with Trevor Soccaras for 17 yard TD. The Mountain Hawks put the game away midway through the 3rd quarter on Pelletier’s (13 rec. 213 yards 3 TDs) third TD reception of the game. Lehigh’s final score of the game came on Mayes’s 44 yard touchdown pass to Gatlin Casey (6 rec. 169 yards 2 TDs).
Lehigh posted 600+ yards of total offense for the second straight game.
Up Next: Lehigh will be seeking payback against Colgate for ending the Mountain Hawks league championship and playoff dreams last year in Hamilton. Lehigh has won 4 out of the last 6 meetings with Colgate.
Holy Cross 38 Lafayette 28
In what turned into a battle of backup quarterbacks, it was Holy Cross (2-3 1-0) who emerged with a much needed victory against Lafayette (1-4 0-1) Saturday evening in Easton. Filling in for the injured Peter Pujals, sophomore QB Geoff Wade (21-27 238 yards 3 TDs) had an excellent debut in the victory. He was helped out by a great all around performance by star WR Brandan Flaherty. The senior led the Crusaders in rushing (15 carries 69 yards) and receiving (9 rec. 56 yards 1 TD). Lafayette had to turn to senior QB Blake Searfoss after Drew Reed was knocked out during the Leopards first series of the game. Searfoss played very well (32-45 280 yards 4 TDs) in relief.
Holy Cross received the opening kickoff and wasted little time putting points on the scoreboard. Wade found WR Jake Wieczorek for a 39 yard TD a little over 3 minutes into the game to give the Crusaders an early 7-0 lead. Holy Cross would extend the lead to 13-0 thanks to two Zane Wasp field goals (32 yds, 23 yds). After struggling on offense early on, Lafayette finally put together an extended drive (12 play 65 yds) early in 2nd quarter. Unfortunately for the Leopards it would end on a missed 38 yard FG. They would finally break through on their next possession. Searfoss found Matt Mrazek for an 11 yard TD with 22 seconds left in the first half to send the Leopards into the locker room down only 6 points.
After Holy Cross went 3 and out to open the second half, Lafayette would take their first lead of the game on an 8 play 75 yard drive that ended with Searfoss hooking up with Mzarek for the second time. Holy Cross retook a 16-14 lead on their ensuing possession when Wasp drilled a 41 yard FG. The Leopards would once against respond. Searfoss and Mzarek connected for a third time which gave Lafayette a 21-16 lead with 21 seconds left in 3rd quarter. It would prove to be the Leopards last lead of the game.
Holy Cross went ahead 24-21 lead (2 pt conversion good) with 10:47 left in the 4th quarter on Wade’s 20 yard TD pass to Lucas Nikolaisen. The Crusaders would extend their lead to 10 points on their next possession when Wade connected with Flaherty for a short 7 yard pitch and catch with 7:51 left in the game. Holy Cross defensive Ryan Smith put the game out of reach on an 8 yard scoop and score touchdown following Dwayne Cameron’s strip sack of Blake Searfoss.
Up Next: Lafayette will look to end a 7 game league losing streak when they head to the Big Apple to face Fordham next Saturday. The Leopards last league win came in the 2014 season finale against Lehigh at Yankee Stadium.
It was the first full week of conference games in the Southern Conference and the competition did not disappoint. But the biggest news was probably the continued meltdown of Furman as they fell in an out of conference game against Kennesaw State to now go 0-5 on the year. Chattanooga, The Citadel, and Samford all won to remain the current favorites for the SOCON title. There was an overtime thriller between Mercer and VMI as well.
The Chattanooga Mocs easily handled ETSU to go 5-0 and 3-0 in the SOCON. UTC again turned in a superior defensive effort in holding ETSU to 132 total yards. The Chattanooga offense also turned in a strong balanced performance with 397 total yards including 180 through the air and 217 passing. They also held the ball for an impressive 35:30.
UTC started a bit slow being held to a field goal on their first possession, but it was a 52 yard kick. Always nice to know you have a kicker, even you don’t usually need him. ETSU drove the ball well on their 1st possession only to lose it deep on an interception. After trading punts, the Mocs went to town scoring on their next two possessions. After driving for a respectable 72 yards on their first two possessions, ETSU was held to a total of 2 yards on their next four possessions. UTC had a comfortable 17-0 lead at the half.
After being held on their first possession of the second half, UTC scored on their next 2 to pull away from the Bucs 31-0. The Mocs defense was in perfect form in the second half holding ETSU to only 39 total yards. The lone ETSU score coming on a UTC fumble deep in their own territory mid way through the fourth.
On the day, Mocs QB Alejandro Bennifield went a decent 16/26 for 180 yards and threw one interception. Mocs running back Derrick Craine totaled 63 Yards and three TDs. The Bucs QB, Austin Herink, went 11/19 for only 40 yards and 1 interception.
The Mocs played disciplined with just 3 penalties for 25 yards while ETSU struggled a little with 6 penalties for 60 yards. Each team lost a fumble.
Chattanooga hopes to avenge last year’s loss to Mercer at home next week. ETSU travels to a rejuvenated VMI.
The Citadel Bulldogs finally got a win without having to come from behind in the 4th quarter. And they did it in convincing fashion on both sides of the ball. With veteran Dominique Allen back starting at QB for the first time this year, The Citadel got their option machine into high gear. They racked up an impressive 602 yards of offense including 522 on the ground. They dominated the pace of the game by holding the ball for a ridiculous 43 minutes and running 94 offensive plays. But while the Bulldog offense was executing its best performance of the year to date, the defense was hard at work as well. The Citadel held WCU to a total of 21 first half yards. In fact, the Catamounts did not cross mid-field until near the end of the 3rd quarter. WCU was held to 122 total yards on the day.
The Citadel did get off to a slow start with a punt and fumble on their first two possessions, but they scored TDs on their next 4 possessions to go up 27-0 at half. They missed a 2pt conversion they tried to sneak in on their third TD. WCU seemed to contain the Bulldogs fullbacks occasionally on the dive, but they had no answer for the pitch outside. So the Dogs just went outside, over and over again. They had 283 yards on the ground by halftime. They also had 91 yards through the air before the half. 75 of those yards came on a pass by running back Cam Jackson to a wide open fullback Tyler Renew for a score.
To start the third quarter, it looked like it would be a repeat of the first half with WCU punting away their first two possessions and The Citadel scoring again to make it 34-0. The Citadel also continued putting serious pressure on WCU’s redshirt Freshman QB Tyrie Adams delivering back to back sacks. On the Catamount’s third possession of the second half, Adams tossed an interception to Bulldog Dee Delaney only to have it nullified by an extremely questionable roughing the passer penalty. This lit a little fire under Western’s offense and they scored 5 plays later on a 7 yard rush by Adams after 2 long passes. The one blight on the Bulldogs all day was their penalties. They totaled an uncharacteristic 13 flags for 120 yards. That also included a 15 yard unsportsmanlike call against The Citadel Head coach Brent Thompson in the 1st quarter.
The Catamounts also scored in the 4th with a 65 yard gallop by WCU’s premier back Detrez Newsome who the Dogs had kept in check most of the day. Newsome finished with 94 yards on the day. Cats QB Adams finished a disappointing 10/19 for 90 yards with one interception. The Dogs sacked him 6 times and also got back up Catamount QB Wes Holcombe once as well. If there was a bright spot on the day for Western Carolina, it was their punter. Ian Berryman gave the Dogs a long field all day by booting it 7 times for an average of 54 yards including a long of 64 and putting three punts inside the 20.
For the Bulldogs superlatives, it was Reggie Williams who took the rushing crown for the day with 133 yards on 17 carries. Cam Jackson went 85 on 14 carries and he also tossed the previously mentioned TD pass. Rod Johnson ran 6 times for 69 yards and 3 TDs. Dominique Allen went 43 yards on 11 carriers, but he pitched it, accurately, probably 25 times on the day. Through the air, he went a poor 1/6 for 11 yards and he tossed the Bulldogs only interception of the year. Back-up QB Jordan Black, who started the previous three games, went 2/3 for only 3 yards, but that included a TD pass.
The big takeaway for Western Carolina is they need to step up on defense. They had their moments, but they never quite figured out how to stop the continued option attack of the Bulldogs. It appeared that they started to slow it down in the second half when they finally stayed on assignment, but the Dogs simply adjusted and threw their defensive scheme off. On offense they have a good, but inexperienced QB in Adams, but his offensive line needs to give him more time. They better figure out both issues before Wofford comes to town next week.
The Citadel needs to work on their discipline and eliminate their penalties which included 4 false starts and two costly roughing the passer penalties. Anyone can complain about the refs, but they need to stop giving them ammunition. Dominique Allen also needs to up his passing game a bit. The Bulldogs get a break next week, of sorts, as they face Div II North Greenville.
It was run versus pass in this matchup between the Wofford Terriers and the Samford Bulldogs. Pass won, barely. Despite holding the ball for over 38 minutes and gaining 291 yards on the ground, Wofford came up short. Specially, they threw an interception on their 2 point conversion in an attempt to tie the game late in the fourth.
After Samford punted on their first possession, and Wofford gave it up on downs deep in their own territory on a 4-1, Samford struck first scoring in two plays. It was calculated risk on Wofford’s part that didn’t pan out. On their next possession, the Terriers did what they do best. They drove for 81 yards in 9 plays and chewed up nearly 5 minutes of the clock to tie it up. After trading some punts Wofford scored next on a 48 yard field goal to take the lead, 10-7. But Samford answered right back on 7 play 78 yard drive that took only 1:33 to take the lead. It was a drive that had 1 rushing play for 1 yard.
After Wofford punted again, Samford again struck to make it 21-10 on a 5 play, 71 yard drive. They did run it twice this time for 4 yards, but the drive took all of 1:32. Wofford then took 16 plays to go 75 yards to make it 21-17 at halftime. The Terriers drive took 6:32. Wofford definitely had a hard time stopping Samford’s Devlin Hodges, but their best defense was to just keep the ball out of his hands for as long as possible.
The 3rd quarter was a bit quiet with the Terriers scoring a field goal on their opening possession. After trading a bunch of punts and Samford missing a 51 yard field goal, the next score wasn’t until late in the fourth when the Bulldogs put a 74 yard drive of 9 plays together. They did take 3:15, but they again only rushed once for 9 yards. Not to be outdone, Wofford went on relatively fast scoring drive of 1:36 with only 5 minutes to go in the game. They were helped by a 25 yard completion and a roughing the passer call against Samford. The drive went 83 yards in 4 plays and was capped off by a 16 yards TD run by Lorenzo Long. Needing the 2 point conversion to tie, Terrier QB Brandon Goodson tossed an interception.
Wofford still had a chance with 3:24 to go. They gave up one first down to Samford, but forced the Bulldogs to punt and started a desperation drive with 14 seconds remaining. An incomplete pass and sack sealed the deal for Samford, 28-26.
Samford’s Devlin Hodges finished the day going an enviable 28/32 and 315 yards, 4 TDs and no interceptions. However, yet again, Samford finished with another dismal tally in rushing. They had a paltry 30 yards for the day. Wofford went 291 yards on the ground for a 4.7 yards per carry average. Terrier QB Brandon Goodson went 7/13 and 108 with the interception on the 2pt conversion. Wofford’s Lorenzo Long finished with 117 yards on the ground. Defensively, Wofford only got to the Samford QB twice and had 1 QB hurry. The Bulldogs may not need to run if their QB has time to make the throws he needs.
The flags were flying during the game, a characteristic of many SOCON games on Saturday. Wofford was penalized 11 times for 111 yards while Samford had 9 for 70 yards. Neither team turned over any fumbles.
Having now faced a potent passing attack, Wofford must realize it needs to figure out how to stop opposing QBs a bit better. They will face a dangerous Tyrie Adams of Western Carolina next week.
Samford got another win without any sort of running game. They now have only 51 yards against their 3 Div I opponents. But a win is a win. They will face a reeling Furman team in Greenville next week. The might just get some yards on the ground.
In the most thrilling SOCON game on Saturday, the Mercer Bears defeated the Keydets of VMI. This game had everything that makes college football fun.
It looked as though Mercer would dominate early as they went up 14-0. The second score was aided by a blocked punt deep in Keydet territory. The Bears defense forced the Keydets to punt their first three possessions including 2 three and outs. But a Mercer fumble near midfield late in the first quarter got VMI going and they scored on a 6 play, 54 yard drive to cut Mercer’s lead to 7 early in the 2nd. But the Bears answered right back on a 10 play, 75 yard scoring drive to regain a 14 point lead. The two teams traded 4 punts to close out the half.
The second half started like the first one ended with a series of punts for most of the 3rd quarter. Mercer did miss a 48 field goal as well. VMI got going as the quarter came to close and finished off an 11 play, 88 yard drive to again make it a 7 point game again at 21-14. But the real fun was just about to start.
VMI needed to get a stop and score to tie things up. The Keydet defense did their part and forced Mercer to punt. VMI began their drive with 13:30 to go in the game. However, the Keydet drive sputtered out at the VMI 45 on a 4th and 14 and VMI was forced to punt it away. But VMI had something else in mind. A fake punt. They snapped it short to Ryan Francis who attempted to toss it to a VMI receiver but Mercer’s Jeremy James snagged an interception at the Mercer 40. If he was thinking, he should have just dropped it and he would have gained 16 yards in field position. Luckily VMI’s stubborn defense held the Bears at the goal line and Mercer had to settle for 3.
But VMI would not be denied and they took their next possession 70 yards in 6 plays to get back within 4 at 24-20 with just 5 minutes in the game. The XP was blocked. The key play in this drive was a 50 yard pass by TE (converted QB) Ryan Swingle after Cobb had tossed a backward pass to him. Mercer appeared to put it away on their next possession after QB John Russ tossed a 69 yard TD pass. But an offensive pass interference call erased it and resulted in a Mercer punt. After reviewing it a few times, it was a very weak call away from the play.
VMI got the ball on the 50 with plenty of time on the clock with 3:13. VMI slogged down the field chewing up clock as they went. There were 4 penalties (2 each team) and three timeouts. VMI faced two 4th downs and made both. Finally, with just 19 seconds remaining, VMI’s Cobb connected with Ryan Swingle on a 10 yard TD pass for the go ahead, and apparently the game winning score to make it 27-24 VMI. That earlier missed point by VMI got magnified, but with only 19 seconds to go, VMI coach Scott Wachenheim probably did not care at that point.
But Mercer had one last chance for a miracle play, on a day where miracle plays were occurring with seemingly regularity all across the college world. Mercer ran the kickoff back to their 32. Now, follow along closely. With 00:13 on the clock and no time outs, Russ made a pass to receiver Kelby Brock who got wrapped up at the 50, who then tossed it to teammate Jordan Marshall who got 10 more yards to the VMI 40. Not sure if that was a planned hook and ladder, but it was executed perfectly with Marshall in full stride. And in what is yet another one of those questionable calls, VMI got tagged for a late hit out of bounds for 15 more yards to put the ball on the 25 and put Mercer in position for a makeable field goal. They obviously got it. It was a pretty exciting ending. Go watch it on ESPN 3 about 2:55 mark (ESPN3)
The OT was fairly anticlimactic considering how the regulation period ended. Mercer’s defense held VMI with good pressure on Cobb during their possession in OT. VMI got their field goal which is more than they can say their last game where the missed a couple in OT against Bucknell. But Mercer would now not be denied and John Russ connected with Avery Ward for an 18 yard TD and the win. Whew! Who couldn’t love FCS football after a finish like that?
Al Cobb finished 31/43 for 309 yards and a TD toss for VMI. More importantly he threw zero interceptions. VMI did the give up one fumble though. On the ground VMI went a disappointing 29 yards, but Cobb got sacked 7 times for 45 yards. Mercer’s John Russ went 23/36 for 249 yards and 2 TDs. VMI’s defense only got to him once. On the ground Mercer’s Alex Lakes gained 91 yards on 21 runs and had 1 TD. Payton Usher went for 90 yards on 20 attempts and also had a TD. VMI’s Aaron Sanders and Mercer’s Avery Ward both had 100 yard games receiving.
Penalties hurt both teams as they got tagged about the same and both were victims of SOCON Referee dementia. Both teams had 8 flags; VMI was penalized 70 yards and Mercer 93. As far as an impact on the game it almost appeared to be a wash. TOP was about even.
VMI hung in there even while down for most of the game. They made a great fourth quarter effort to come back and even though they did not win the game, their is something in the air in Lexington. They are learning how to win again. It takes time. And Mercer appears to have found a way to win those close games now with regularity.
VMI gets ETSU at home next week. The Bears face the Mocs in Chattanooga, in what they hope will be a close game.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Furman needs to take these word by Winston Churchill to heart. The Paladins are facing a third consecutive losing season for the first time since the 1950s. It may indeed feel like failure is fatal right now after losing to a team playing their second year of football. I think it is clear to anyone watching that Furman has loads of talent, but that it is being employed in the wrong way somehow. There is probably blame enough to go around between everyone involved including the coaches, the players, and the school itself. How they dig themselves out will take an effort by all involved. That is, if they have the courage to do what is needed.
The world seemingly came to an end for the Paladin faithful this past Saturday with a horrendous loss to the upstart Kennesaw State Owls. With 8 minutes to go in the second quarter, Kennesaw State was crushing Furman 35-0. The Owls scored on their first 5 possessions. Furman helped a little by fumbling the ball on their first possession. But Kennesaw made most scores the honest way on drives of 5 plays for 75 yards, 7 plays for 97 yards, 1 play for 62 yards and 9 plays for 90 yards. How could a defense that held Michigan State to 28 points allow such gains? Furman gave up huge chunks of real estate on these drives. This type of lethargy points to a break down in emotions by the Paladins. Not sure what stopped the bleeding but they did finally start to fight back.
Down 35-0 Furman took its next drive 60 yards in 2 plays to make it 35-7. The Paladin’s scored on a 53 TD toss by Reese Hannon. Furman’s defense got into the act as well by holding the Owls to a three and out on their next possession. Furman struck again in two plays to cut the deficit to 35-14. But Kennesaw State wasn’t done yet and they answered back with a 6 play, 60 yards drive to extend the lead to 28 points again. Furman tossed an interception on its next possession and the Owls made them pay with a 1 play 46 yard TD pass to make it 49-14. At halftime Kennesaw St had 467 yards of offense to Furman’s 174.
The Paladins must have dug deep into their souls to come back out in the second half and try and make a fight of it, but they did. The Owls only had 4 possessions not counting their last one in victory formation. Furman made them punt on three of them and held them to a field goal on the other. They held the Owls to 103 yards of offense in the second half. But Kennesaw chewed up enough clock in those drives to shorten the game enough to make Furman’s job nearly impossible. On Furman’s part they found their offense fairly effective in the second half. They scored on their first 4 possessions to make it 52-42 with 5:30 to go in the game. Furman attempted an on-side kick at that point, but Kennesaw recovered and had enough offense left to chew up almost 4 minutes of clock. When Furman got it back at their 11 yard line they were on empty and fumbled in any event on a 4th and 8.
On the day Kennesaw State totaled 567 yards. They had no turnovers. Furman finished with 69 yards on the ground. Reese Hannon went a respectable 28/40, for 330 yards, with 2 interceptions and 5 TDs. Furman lost 2 fumbles and Kennesaw got 14 points off turnovers, more than the margin of victory.
Furman needs to regroup. Maybe hitting bottom will do the trick. They face Samford at home next week, we will see.
