SLC: Week 6 Preview

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.

MVFC: Week 5 Review

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).

AGS GOTW: Week 5 | Western Illinois at South Dakota State

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.

AGS Poll: Top 25 Week 5 Results

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)

Patriot League: Week 5 Review and Power Rankings

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.

Power Rankings

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

SOCON: Week 5 Review and Power Rankings

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.

#4 Chattanooga 37  ETSU 7 (Box Score)

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.

#9 The Citadel 37  WCU 14 (Box Score)

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.

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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.

Samford 28  Wofford 26 (Box Score)

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.

Mercer 33 VMI 30 (Box Score)

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.

Kennesaw State 52  Furman 42 (Box Score)

“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.

Power Ranking

  1. Chattanooga
  2. The Citadel
  3. Samford
  4. Wofford
  5. Mercer
  6. VMI
  7. Western Carolina
  8. ETSU
  9. Furman

Patriot League: Week 5 Preview

The fifth week of the season signals the start of league play. That’s a welcome relief for Holy Cross and Lafayette who enter their game each having lost three straight to out of conference foes. Meanwhile, Colgate and Lehigh face their final Ivy League opponents of the year before their showdown in Bethlehem next week. Georgetown puts their 3-0 record on the line Friday night against a ranked Harvard squad in Cambridge. Finally, Fordham takes a 90 minute drive to Monmouth University for an intriguing battle with the Hawks. Bucknell will be enjoying a much needed bye.

 Georgetown at #24 Harvard – 30 Sept. 7:00 P.M Harvard Stadium Cambridge, MA

(ESPN3)

The Hoyas put their 3-0 to the test on Friday night against Ivy League favorite Harvard (2-0). The Hoyas have gotten off to their best start in 17 years by using a stout defense (15 ppg) and a fairly soft schedule (Davidson, Marist, Columbia). The 24th ranked Crimson will certainly be a jump up in weight class. Especially in Harvard Stadium where they’ve lost three games this decade. If Georgetown wants to be in position to steal a win they’ll have to rely on the on the recipe (15 ppg, +5 turnovers) that has propelled them so far this season.

Harvard enters the game having swept the state of Rhode Island (Rhode Island & Brown) to start the year. Georgetown’s defense will be put to the test by a Harvard offense that has been tough to contain. Senior QB Joe Viviano (3 TDs 0 INT) is averaging 247 ypg passing and another 64 ypg game on the ground. Not bad for a guy who did not start a game until this year’s opener against Rhode Island. WRs Justin Shelton-Mosley (15 rec. 88 ypg) and Anthony Firkser (11 rec. 96 ypg) have combined to be a force in the passing game. The Hoya’s will also have to contend with junior RB Semar Smith (98 ypg 3 TDs). Georgetown’s rush defense (103 ypg) has excelled in September. How they handle Harvard’s balance will go a long way in determining their fate.

Georgetown’s offense has been pedestrian at best through three games. QB Tim Barnes has done a good protecting the ball and making some key plays with his arm (6 TDs) when needed. He’ll need to have his best game of the year in order for the Hoya’s to escape Cambridge with a win. Their already so-so rushing attack doesn’t figure to have much success against a stout Harvard front that features 3 of top DL (Doug Webb, Miles McCollum, James Duberg) in the Ivy League. They’ve been a major reason why opponents are rushing for a mere 88 ypg.

A Georgetown win would be a game changer for a program that is always searching for something positive to grasp on to. The 3-0 start is nice but it hasn’t caused the Hoya’s to be noticed because of the level of competition. Taking down the Crimson on their home field would turn plenty of heads around the nation.

Of Note: This will be the third straight year the teams have met. Harvard has won the two previous meetings rather easily (34-3 ’14, 45-0 ’15). Those are the only two times Georgetown and Harvard have met.

Fordham at Monmouth – 1 Oct. 1:05 P.M. Monmouth Stadium West Long Branch, NJ

(ESPN3)

Fordham (2-1) takes the 70 mile bus ride to East Central New Jersey to take on the Monmouth Hawks (2-2) for an intriguing match-up between Patriot League and Big South conference members. Monmouth notched a 23-21 win over Lehigh to open the year. They backed that up with a win over Delaware State but it’s been a bumpy road since then having lost their last two. Their most recent loss (35-7) came at home against Big South favorite Charleston Southern. The Hawks offense was stymied by the Bus stout defense all game. It will need to be much better Saturday against the high scoring Fordham Rams.

Fordham seems to be picking up steam as out of conference play wraps up. The Rams jumped on Penn early last week then used several key defensive stops to preserve a 31-17 win. Chase Edmonds (152 yards 3 TDs) once again keyed the Rams attack. The super talented junior RB will be the best individual player Monmouth has faced so far this year. That is not good news for a Hawk rush defense that is giving up 190 ypg.

Surprisingly, the Hawks were able to hold Edmonds under 100 yards rushing last year. It was their pass defense that let them down. Ram QB Kevin Anderson torched them for 340 yards and 5 TDs in the 54-31 Fordham win. Through 4 games Monmouth’s pass defense (123 ypg) has been among the best on the country. The unit is led by safety Mike Basile who might be the best player at his position in the country.

Monmouth will need QB Cody William to be at his best this week if Monmouth hopes to keep up with Fordham. The sophomore was knocked out of the game against Kent State two weeks ago and completed less than 50% of his passes against CSU. He’s had a running back by comity behind him that’s provided the ground game. Lavon Chaney and Zach Welch have basically split the carries down the middle. The Monmouth Hawk offense should be a good test for a Fordham defense that really doesn’t know what they have yet given their schedule (only 1 FCS opponent). In general, the unit played well in last week’s win over Penn.

This will be the third meeting all-time between the schools. Monmouth won 23-9 in 2006 while Fordham evened the series 54-31 last year. Given the two school’s proximity to one another they should play far more often.

Of Note: Since the start of the 2012 season Fordham is undefeated against FCS out of conference teams not named Villanova. The Wildcats are 3-1 against Fordham in that time while the rest of FCS is 0-15.

Cornell at Colgate – 1 Oct. 1:05 P.M. Andy Kerr Stadium Hamilton, NY

(Patriot League Network)

The two Central New York academic powers meet for the 98th time on Saturday afternoon in a now enticing football matchup. Cornell has been the surprise team in the Ivy League so far with their 2-0 start (1-9 previous two years). The Big Red enter their game with Colgate (1-2) off an impressive 27-13 win over Yale. It was Cornell’s first win over Yale since 2012. That was also the last time they won their Ivy League opener. If Cornell wants to beat Colgate for the first time since 2007 they need to have every facet rolling. Colgate will want to get the bad taste of last week’s 38-31 gut wrenching loss to Richmond out of their mouth. It will also be Raiders first home game of 2016.

If Cornell wants to pull the upset they need to figure out a way to slow down the Raider offense. Colgate has had no trouble putting up points (55 pts vs Yale, 31 pts vs Richmond) the last two weeks. They were able to overcome a poor passing performance last week by Jake Mellville ( 5-22 57 yards 3 INTs) with timely special teams and a steady ground game. Mellville made up for his struggles in the passing game by leading the Raiders ground attack with 97 yards a TD. James Holland chipped in with 74 yards on 16 carries.

The Big Red defense has provided plenty of resistance (14 ppg) through two games but they haven’t faced a team with as many weapons as Colgate. OLB Jackson Weber has been the defensive leader so far. The senior LB is going off an exceptional game against Yale (9 solo tackles, 1 INT, 1 TFL).

Cornell QB Dalton Banks will look to build off his excellent game against Yale (23-32 306 yards passing 2 TD, 52 yards rushing). Banks was named Ivy League offensive player of the week for his performance against the Eli. He did an excellent job spreading the ball around. Twelve different Cornell players caught a pass in the win. That’s not good news for a Colgate defense that was chewed up by Richmond’s quarterback last Saturday. That game was just a continuation of the Raider’s trouble stopping teams through the air (306 ypg) early in the year.

Of Note: Colgate did not host Cornell until the 34th meeting. Thirty-two meetings were held in Ithaca with Syracuse and Richfield Springs hosting the other two. To this day, Cornell still hosts the rivalry more often than Colgate.

Lehigh at Yale – 1 Oct. 1:30 P.M. Yale Bowl New Haven, CT

(Ivy League Digital Network)

The second Patriot League vs Ivy League battle of the day features two teams heading in opposite directions. Lehigh (2-2) is coming off of two consecutive impressive performances against the Ancient Eight (Penn, Princeton). The Lehigh offense has put up 40+ points in both wins. Yale on the other hand enters the game reeling. The Eli are off to their first 0-2 start since 1997. They have no started 0-3 since 1993 when legendary coach Carmen Cozza was still on the sidelines. The Eli offense (253 ypg, 15 ppg) must have a breakout performance if they want right the ship against the Mountains Hawks. A still work in progress Lehigh defense might be the perfect remedy for the Yale’s woes on “O”.

Yale desperately needs junior QB Rafe Chapple to get things going. His play to start the year has been underwhelming to say the least. Through two games he’s averaging 98 yards a game passing and has a 5 INTs to just one passing touchdown. He might not be able to out-duel Lehigh’s Nick Shafnisky (3rd in the country in passing yards) but improved play is a must if Yale wants to have a chance to pull the upset on Saturday.

The same can be said for the running back Dale Harris and DeShawn Salter (rushed for 233 yards and 2 TDs against Lehigh last year). The rushing attack figured to be a strength heading into the year but through the first two games the two RBs are averaging less than 60 yards combined per game. The Mountain Hawk run defense (allowing 243 ypg) might again provide an opportunity for both backs to get going.

The Eli defense figures to have their work cut out against a Patriot League offense for the second time this year. After yielding 55 points to Colgate to open the year they must contend with another explosive unit. Lehigh averaging 584 yards a game in their last two wins. They’ve been able to do it via the air and the ground. Talented junior WR Troy Pelletier has really stepped up his play (156 ypg last two games) after starting the year slowly. The Yale defense has been led by secondary mates Hayden Carlson (22 TOT) and Jason Alessi (15 TOT) to start the year.

Of Note: Yale leads the all-time series 17-6. The Eli have won 5 out of the last 6 meetings against Lehigh. Prior to Yale’s recent run of success the Mountain Hawks won five straight.

 Holy Cross at Lafayette – 1 Oct. 3:30 P.M Fisher Field Easton, PA

(Patriot League Network)

Both teams begin Patriot League play on three game losing streaks. Holy Cross (1-3) heads to Easton off of a disappointing performance at home against Dartmouth. To make matters worse, the Crusaders enter Saturday’s game against Lafayette (1-3) unsure who their QB will be. Peter Pujals hurt his ankle in the second quarter against the Big Green and never returned. Backup QB Blaise Bell is also nursing an injury. If those two can’t go or aren’t effective Holy Cross might have to rely on sophomore Geoff Wade to lead the way.

Lafayette has also seen their fair of struggles. Their issues have primarily been turnovers and a lack of a running game (57 ypg). QB Drew Reed has been impressive at times this season but key interceptions (7 INTs) have kept him from really taking off. Part of the problem has been the anemic rushing attack putting most of the offensive load in his shoulders. That could change against a Holy Cross defense that’s allowing 237 ypg. If Lafayette could find some balance on offense they could a dangerous team as conference play heats up.

How the Crusaders attack Lafayette is anyone’s guess. If Pujals does play his mobility figures to be severely limited. The two other quarterbacks (Wade and Bell) are relative unknowns at this point. One thing Holy Cross has going for them is the return of Brandan Flaherty last week. The dynamic WR could be a huge difference maker for a team searching for playmakers on offense. The Crusaders could also use a RB to step up and provide some balance against a physical Lafayette defense. The Leopard D might not be overly impressive statistically due the offense’s struggles but it has the ability to make offenses really work.

There’s no doubt Lafayette will be looking for revenge for last year’s 42-0 embarrassment in Worcester. Lafayette head coach Frank Tavani openly stated this week that he and his players have carried that memory for 12 months.

Of Note: Lafayette owns the all-time series lead 16-14. Perhaps no victory was bigger than their 1988 win over the then nearly unbeatable Crusaders. It would be Holy Cross’s only Patriot League loss from the start of 1986 (when the league was formed) until November 7, 1992 when Lafayette got them again.

The FCS Wedge – 2016-0929 – SLC SotC Show

What the heck is “SotC”?

State of the Conference.  These are short 8 to 10 minute shows we will be doing every once in a while.  Should be a different conferences each week if I got my guess right.  This week, it is the SLC.

The crew brings in reporter Mr. Dustin Helton from thefcswedge.com to discuss what is going on right now with the SLC as well as what you might want to watch for in the near future.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

MVFC: Week 5 Preview

MVFC Logo(in my best John Facenda voice…that’s the NFL Films guy)

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Missouri Valley Football Conference, where every Saturday is a battle. It doesn’t matter what the rankings are; it doesn’t matter if you’re the 5-time defending national champions or a team that only won one game last year, because in this league, upsets happen all the time. In this league, we pride ourselves on tough defenses, hard-nosed running games, and winning the game in the trenches. This is the land of deafening domes and frozen tundra; fighting for playoff spots in blizzards and trying to call out plays when you can’t even hear yourself think. This is Missouri Valley football.

(how’s that…one take…we good?)

Last week the conference matchups technically began with a battle of ISU’s, but this week, the conference kicks it into high gear with all ten teams in action against one another. Here are the matchups for this Saturday (all times listed in Central and all rankings from the AGS Weekly Poll):

#19 Illinois State at #1 North Dakota State – 1 PM
Missouri State at #21 Indiana State – 2 PM
South Dakota at #15 Youngstown State – 3 PM
#34 Southern Illinois at #13 Northern Iowa – 4 PM
#6 Western Illinois at #17 South Dakota State – 6 PM
All games available on ESPN3/WatchESPN.com

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#19 Illinois State (2-2) at #1 North Dakota State (3-0) – 1 PM

First up, we have the ISU Redbirds traveling to Fargo to take on the Bison of NDSU.

Illinois State is now 2-2 on the season after starting off hot by beating Valparaiso handily, taking down Northwestern, but then losing to OOC rival Eastern Illinois and at Indiana State. North Dakota State is 3-0 after beating Charleston Southern and Eastern Washington, both in OT and both at the Fargodome, and then heading down to Iowa City to take down the (at the time, #13 FBS ranked) Hawkeyes. Last weekend, the Bison had their bye.

In general, ISU has had a fairly stingy defense (allowing 14.6 points per game) in the first three games, but was unable to contain Indiana State’s surprisingly potent offense, allowing 34 points against the Sycamores. Still, ISU’s strength is their defense…currently the 8th best in the FCS in terms of total yards allowed, with a focus on passing defense…allowing 165.8 yards per game through the air and 113 yards per game on the ground. This defense is led by a pair of talented linebackers in Sr. Alejandro Rivera (32 tackles, 1 sack, 1 int) and Sr. B.J. Bello (29 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles), as well as preseason All-MVFC DB Junior Alec Kocour (28 tackles, 1 int).

Offensively, the Redbirds are down significantly from the last couple of years, although they’re still fairly decent (that’ll happen when you lose two key pieces of one of the best offenses in the FCS) and are ranked 35th in the FCS for yards per game. Their passing offense is a bit stronger than the running side of things this year, being 49th in rushing offense, but only 30th in passing offense. This is headlined by QB Jake Kolbe and WR Anthony Warrum. Warrum has picked up 403 yards and 2 TDs this season through the air. Rushing-wise, the top guy is RB George Moreira, who’s averaging 60 yards per game (6.9 yards per carry) and has 3 TDs so far.

Now for the Bison. Even if you consider them a bit down from the last year or two (young QB, two games going to OT), there’s still very little that NDSU does poorly. I would say that this year, it looks like their real strengths are their ground defense, punt coverage, and the ability of their offense to grind away at a defense (something most of us have probably seen them do time and time again). Currently they have the #1 punt defense, averaging allowing -4 yards per punt (there’s only 5 FCS teams with a negative number there, and most don’t have anywhere near the strength of schedule that the Bison do, with the possible exception of Eastern Kentucky, who’s played two FBS teams…not very good FBS teams, but still, FBS teams).

I think NDSU’s defense probably took a little bit of a hit with the loss of preseason All-MVFC LB (and legitimate NFL prospect) Nick DeLuca with a season-ending shoulder injury, but the Bison have always been all about the “next man up” and they’ve never seemed to have a problem filling a hole with a player who can get the job done. DeLuca was leading the team in tackles with 26, but you’ve got a few others that aren’t slouches either. SS Robbie Grimsley is now active team leader in tackles with 20, 1 sack, 1 int, and 1 forced fumble. Past that, they have 3 other defensive players with interceptions and another with a forced fumble. Really, though…a large part of the defensive strength is the front line, headed by preseason All-MVFC (as well as a slew of other awards) DE Greg Maynard.

Offensively, QB Easton Stick is well qualified to step into the role vacated by current Eagles star QB Carson Wentz. He’s less of a passing QB than Wentz was, but can still make things work (as evidenced by the 3-0 start). Stick has only put up 191.7 yards per game and 5 TDs through the air, but he also has 46.7 yards per game and another TD on the ground, so he can scramble pretty well when the need arises. Primary receiving targets are WRs Darrius Shepherd and RJ Urzendowski, who are both averaging over 45 receiving yards per game and have 3 receiving TDs between them. The primary focus of the offense is to use the run game to grind down the opposing defense as well as the clock. They do this with a combination of the running QB as well as a pair of talented RBs in Lance Dunn and King Frazier. Both Dunn and Frazier average over 70 yards per game, Dunn has 2 TDs, and Frazier has 3.

So, looking at all of that, plus the fact that the game is at the Fargodome, I think definitely gives the advantage to the Bison. Due to MVFC scheduling, ISU hasn’t played a game at the Fargodome since November 2013. They did play NDSU in the FCS championship game two years ago in “Fargo South”, but that’s not quite the same as actually being in the dome…on Homecoming…coming off a Bison “upset” of a highly-ranked FBS team. NDSU seems like they usually get hit with one “speed bump” just about every season, usually a loss to an unexpected MVFC team, but I don’t think this one’s it. I think that the Bison will shut down the Redbird’s offense and come away with a win by a couple of scores.

TL:DR – North Dakota State by 14

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Missouri State (2-1) at #21 Indiana State (3-1) – 2 PM

Hey Bears, shouldn’t your record be 2-½? MSU is coming off a loss at K-State in a game that was called at halftime due to the weather (it was already well on it’s way to a blowout at that point anyway) and without their starting QB due to…let’s call them “legal issues”. Meanwhile, Indiana State had a great weekend, beating the Illinois State Redbirds in Terre Haute, IN in a close, exciting game.

ISU QB Isaac Harker has been something of a “breakout success” so far this season, putting up rather impressive numbers for a player that many outside of western Indiana hadn’t been paying much, if any, attention to. Harker currently is 5th in the FCS in passing TDs and 9th in passing yards. To be fair, the two ISUs have had one more game to play than the rest of the conference teams, but even in terms of yards per game, Harker is 16th in the FCS…not too shabby for a team that was expected to finish probably lower-middle of the conference. ISU has two receivers currently averaging over 77 yards per game, WRs Bob Pugh (82 ypg and 1 TD) and Robert Tonyan (77 ypg and  5 TDs). Pugh does double-duty, also returning kicks, making him the team leader in all-purpose yards with 154.3 per game. The Sycamores don’t have much in the way of a “big yardage” rusher, but RB Roland Genesy can get the job done when needed, averaging just under 59 yards per game but also putting up 3 TDs. He had 2 of them against Illinois State, both from 2 yards out, so it sounds like the Sycamores generally look to move the ball downfield primarily with passing, but then call on Genesy to punch the ball in for the score once they get close.

On the other side of the ball, LB Jameer Thurman leads a defense that, while not always looking that strong on paper (allowing 438.8 yards per game), has been able to make some key plays in specific situations to help them win games. Thurman leads the team with 32 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. ISU has four other players with over 20 tackles this season, but it was the sack by Redshirt Freshman LB Jonas Griffith that caused the Illinois State fumble and sealed the win for the last weekend.

Missouri State, despite having a 2-1 record, has been struggling the last…well…decade. It did seem like they were starting to get better this year, but with the stuff going on this last week, it’s hard to say if they’ll be able to sustain any of it, or if they will sink back to the position of MVFC whipping-boy. It’s actually really hard to determine much from their offensive statistics, since their starting QB, who was putting up 212 yards per game, has been suspended indefinitely (as of this “going to press”) and the backup QBs who got playing time against K-State didn’t do so well, because K-State is a halfway decent Big 12 team and MSU is not NDSU or UNI. It looks like they spread the ball around a bit on the ground, with three players averaging between 44 and 52 yards per game (TBs Calan Crowder, Nick Masoner, and Jason Randall). Their current top receiver is Malik Earl, with 42.3 yards per game, although it remains to be seen if the combination of Brodie Lambert (likely the new starting QB for the foreseeable future) and Earl will be able to put up decent numbers against a FCS team.

Things look a little better for the Bears on the defensive side of the ball, with the 8th best rushing defense in the FCS, allowing 89.3 yards per game on the ground. They are currently 18th in the FCS for passes intercepted with 5 so far this season and they’re allowing 19 points per game, good for 13th. The defense is led by preseason All-MVFC LB Dylan Cole with 22 tackles, 1 int and 1 forced fumble. LB McNeece Egbim is next with 18 tackles, ½ sack, and 1 int. DL Colby Isbell currently leads the team in sacks with 2.5 and has a total 5.5 tackles for loss resulting in 27 yards of “receding offense”. MSU also has a pretty good kick returner in Deion Holliman, who’s currently 9th in the FCS with 31.5 yards per return and has return for a TD so far this season.

I think that overall, things are looking much better for the Sycamores than they are for the Bears right now, both on the field and off, and that will help lift ISU to a win by a relatively wide margin.

TL:DR – Indiana State by 20

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South Dakota (1-2) at #15 Youngstown State (2-1) – 3 PM

South Dakota is off to a 1-2 start after losing at FBS New Mexico, then beating Weber State in a come-from-behind, 2 OT victory, and then laying a 4th quarter “egg” by giving up 17 points in the 4th and last couple of minutes of the 3rd quarter to force another pair of overtime sessions, this time against North Dakota and this time ending in a USD loss. Youngstown State is 2-1 with solid wins over Duquesne and a really bad (sorry RMU fans) Robert Morris. Their only loss was to FBS West Virginia in a game that was tied at halftime and required a career performance by WVU’s QB to pull away in the second half.

The South Dakota Coyotes (that’s kai-oat, just fyi, there’s no “eee” sound at the end of it) are led offensively by dual-threat QB Chris Streveler. Streveler is putting up 169 yards per game and 9 TDs through the air, but also 115.7 yards per game and 4 TDs on the ground…he’s actually 8th in the FCS in rushing yards per game currently. His two primary receivers are WRs Shamar Jackson and Riley Donovan, both with between 41 and 46 yards per game; Jackson with 4 TDs and Donovan with 2. Overall they have been putting up 406.7 yards per game, 227.3 of it rushing and 179.3 of it with passes, so they’re primarily a “run-first” team.

Defensively, USD is giving up 459.7 yards and 48 points per game (both put them in the bottom 20% of the FCS. Most of that is their 117th ranked rushing defense, allowing 267.3 yards per game. LB Jet Moreland, Alex Coker, and Jim Litrenta, and DB Jacob Warner each have between 22 and 25 tackles this season, Warner with a forced fumble and fumble recovery, and Coker with 3 sacks with a net result of a 20 yard deficit for opposing offenses. USD’s kicking game is very strong, with Sr. K/P Miles Bergner currently averaging 47.9 yards per punt (leading the FCS) as well as being 4-4 on FGs (three in the 30-39 yard range, and one from 50 yards).

Their opponent, Youngstown State is a bit harder to track on the offensive side of the ball. Their top rusher, TB Martin Ruiz, has been pretty consistent, averaging just over 100 yards per game and has 4 TDs so far. Beyond that though, their starting QB, Ricky Davis,  was held out of their last game due to concussion symptoms, and their other primary rusher, TB Jody Webb sat out for a couple of games, I assume after getting a bit banged up in their opener. What I do know is that both those guys will be back this weekend after having a bye week to heal up, so the offense that USD sees will be somewhat different than the one that played against Robert Morris.

YSU has one of the better D-lines in the business, headlined by MVFC preseason All-Conference DE Derek Rivers, who along with DE Avery Moss, who each have 2 sacks and combined have 10 QB hurries, so they’re both pretty good at getting in there and pressuring opposing QBs. SS Jameel Smith currently leads the team in tackles with 17. Overall, the Penguins have the 6th best rushing defense in the FCS, allowing only 85.3 yards per game on the ground, although they do give up 231 yards per game through the air.

Overall, I think this matchup leans heavily towards a Penguins victory. YSU is weak against the pass, but against a run-first offense like USD’s, they should be able to shut them down pretty effectively. With YSU being also a very run-heavy team (and good at it) against USD’s horrible run defense, I think that YSU will mostly just do that all day, with occasional passes thrown in there to “spice things up a bit” and keep the USD defense spread out a little. I don’t really see this one going USD’s way at all, so I think they’ll fall by a couple of scores. Side prediction: YSU goes to town on USD’s run defense and puts up over 300 yards on the ground alone.

TL:DR – YSU by 12

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#34 Southern Illinois (2-1) at #13 Northern Iowa (1-2) – 4 PM

SIU and UNI…these two MVFC/MVC foes have a long history of competitive games in a variety of sports, although the last couple of years (at least on the football field and the basketball court) the Panthers have held the advantage. SIU is 2-1 after a fairly close season-opening loss at FBS Florida Atlantic, then beating Southeast Missouri State and Murray State (so, SIU is now 2-0 in the Ohio Valley, I suppose). UNI kicked off the season with a win at in-state FBS “doormat” Iowa State, but then followed that up with losses at home against a good Montana team and then out on the “Inferno” against Eastern Washington…honestly, I think so far, Iowa State has been the easiest opponent UNI has faced, which really says something about the strength of the top teams in the FCS this year.

SIU’s offense is led by Senior transfer QB Josh Straughan. Straughan is averaging 307 passing yards and 2 TDs per game, good for 5th in FCS in ypg. I looks like the receptions are spread around quite a bit, with 3 WRs all getting 12 or more catches so far this year and all having between 48 and 60 yards per game. WR Billy Reed has 2 TDs and WRs Connor Iwema and Jimmy Jones each have 1. Rushing the ball is primarily RB Daquan Isom, who has been putting up 84.67 yards per game and has 1 TD, and Jonathan Mixon who has 2 TDs this season. The Salukis’ offensive production of 497 yards per game is good enough for 7th in the FCS.

On defense, the team tackles leader is preseason All-MVFC LB Chase Allen who has 29 tackles, 3.5 for loss (1 sack) and 1 forced fumble. DE Deondre Barnett only has 12 total tackles so far, but has 4 for loss (3 sacks), and 2 forced fumbles. Overall, they’re giving up 388.7 yards and 25.7 points per game (both roughly middle-of-the-pack in the FCS). They are a bit better at their run defense, holding teams to 145.3 yards per game as opposed to 243.3 yards through the air.

The Salukis currently have the best kickoff return game in the country, averaging 34.1 yards per return…mostly based on the play of Freshman RB DJ Davis, who has had 9 returns at 34.33 per return and kick returned for a TD.

While SIU is strong in the passing game, UNI is strong in the running game. QB Aaron Bailey doesn’t put up huge passing numbers, averaging 167.67 yards per game and passing for 2 TDs, but it’s on the ground where he can really burn an opposing defense. Bailey is averaging 74.33 yards per game running the ball and has 3 rushing TDs. They also have RB Tyvis Smith with 83.67 yards per game and 1 TD. When Bailey does pass, he frequently targets WRs Jaylin James (9 catches w/ 43.67 ypg) and Daurice Fountain (11 catches w/ 39.67 ypg and 1 TD). Previously mentioned RB Tyvis Smith also gets in on the receiving game with 9 catches, 24.33 yards per game, and 1 TD.

The Panthers defense is headlined by preseason All-MVFC DL Karter Schult. Schult currently leads the FCS in both tackles for loss (12) and sacks (6.5) as well as having 21 tackles, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 safety. Other defensive stars include DB A.J. Allen with 24 tackles, and (son of the Head Coach) Jared Farley with 22 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception. UNI boasts the 5th best rushing defense in the country, only giving up 67.3 yards per game on the ground, however, they do seem to be vulnerable to the passing game, giving up 238 yards per game.

I think that this game will go a long way towards showing if UNI is really not as good of a team as most people thought they’d be this year, or if they’ve just been matched up with incredibly tough teams all season so far (I know the second one is true…a Big 12 team, and the current #3 and #11 ranked FCS teams…everyone would have a tough time with that schedule). It’s definitely going to be an interesting game with an interesting mix of matchups. The one that I see as being key to this game though, is SIU’s rushing offense against UNI’s run defense. UNI has a HUGE advantage here and I think they’ll use it to their advantage to shut down the run, put pressure on the QB and force him into uncomfortable positions. That, plus homefield advantage suggests to me a UNI win.

TL:DR – UNI by 10

@

#6 Western Illinois (3-0) at #17 South Dakota State (1-2) – 6 PM

Disclaimer: I’m a huge Western fan and have been to all of the games so far this season, so my descriptions and info for WIU will be a bit of a different style, having seen them play in person.

The final MVFC game of the day matches up a surprisingly strong Western Illinois team (and yes, until they stop exceeding my expectations going into the season, I’ll keep calling them that) with an offensive powerhouse in South Dakota State. Western is 3-0 on the season, having defeated current #16 Eastern Illinois, #37 (in the ORV section) Northern Arizona, and holding off a late charge to take down the FBS NIU Huskies. SDSU hasn’t fared quite as well, although it’s also been against a couple of VERY good teams. They started the season by putting a bit of a scare into then FBS #13 TCU, being only 4 points down until nearly halfway through the 4th quarter, then beating Drake (although by not as much as I thought they would) and then losing a (at the time) surprising game against Cal Poly. Cal Poly has since demonstrated that they are much better than initially thought with a win over Montana, so that loss hurts the Jackrabbits a bit less than it might have at first. SDSU had a bye last weekend to sit at home and watch the Leathernecks play NIU to see what they’d need to get ready for.

The Leatherneck offense is run by QB Sean McGuire. A sophomore QB who won the starting job from 3-year starter Trenton Norvell (who’s still on the team), McGuire has put up 253.33 yards per game and has 4 passing TDs as well as 2 rushing TDs. Primary WR Lance Lenior is putting up 109.67 yards per game and 1 TD receiving, including a 231 yard day against Northern Arizona. The #2 WR Joey Borsellino has 61.67 yards per game, including 148 against FBS Northern Illinois last weekend. Sophomore Isaiah “Zeke” Lesure has caught 2 TDs and really has the ability to get up in the air to snag a high pass or way down low to grab a TD throw that’s going under a defender’s hands. Running the ball, it’s primarily the “McShane Show” with Sophomore RB Steve McShane currently sitting at an FCS-best 147.3 yards per game. McShane is also 6th in the FCS with 5 rushing TDs so far. Overall, the Leathernecks offense puts up 444 yards per game, 20th in the FCS and is fairly balanced in general. They put up a few more yards in the air than they do on the ground, but the ground game is the focus generally.

Defensively, the star is preseason All-MVFC LB Brett Taylor who is currently 4th in the FCS averaging 12 per game. Taylor also has 3.5 tackles for loss including 2.5 sacks, and 1 int and really has the ability to break through and put pressure on a QB. Sophomore DB Xavier Rowe is second on the team with 24 tackles. Looking at the defense overall gives some interesting numbers…check out these rankings for the Leatherneck defense (and then I’ll explain):

Total Defense – 481.7 ypg, 107th in the FCS
Passing Yards Allowed – 305.7 ypg, 113th in the FCS
Rushing Yards Allowed – 176 ypg, 75th in the FCS
Scoring Defense – 21.3 ppg, 26th in the FCS
Red Zone Defense – .444 scoring %, #1 in the FCS (and the only one under .500).

So, the best red zone defense, but one of the worst defenses in terms of yards allowed, especially through the air. How does that work? Western has a phenomenal front line and LBs, but the secondary is “suspect” at long range. Similar to last year, Western has been burned by long pass plays. If a team gets off a long play, usually a pass, and gets to the end zone, they score (duh). But, if the player gets taken down in the red zone, or the team is trying to conduct a sustained drive down the field and they reach the red zone, the Leatherneck defense is able to really step up and in the majority of situations, stop them from scoring, or at least, hold them to a 3 point attempt. Out of the 9 times that opposing teams have reached the red zone, they’ve only had 3 TDs and 1 FG, which means that 5 of the times, the opposing team came away with no points. Part of that was due to NIU having to go for it on 4th down to try to take the lead near the end of the game…twice…and twice they were turned away, but still, that was stopping an FBS team from getting a TD or even a FG.

A couple of other things that Western has going for it is turnovers and time of possession. Through 3 games, they have not lost the ball. Zero fumbles, zero interceptions. Combine that with the 4 turnovers that they’ve gained, and Western is 13th in the FCS in turnover margin. Also, because Western pretty much either forces a 3-and-out after a 1st down or two, or gives up a big quick play for a score, they are currently #2 in the FCS in time of possession, averaging 34:58 per game.

Now, onto South Dakota State. Like Western, SDSU has a very talented offense, although the Jackrabbits have a bit more of a pass focus. That’ll happen when you have a pretty decent QB and probably the second best WR in the FCS. The preseason All-MVFC WR Jake Wieneke is currently averaging 109.7 yards per game and has caught an FCS-high 8 TDs, which brings him to 35 career TD receptions and holds the SDSU record for that (and he’s only 3 games into his Junior year). In addition, they have an extremely talented TE who was also a preseason all-conference selection, in Dallas Goedert, who currently has 83 yards per game and 3 receiving TDs. The QB making those throws is primarily Taryn Christion, a sophomore who’s putting up 269.7 yards per game through the air and has thrown for 10 TDs and rushed for 2 more. Christion is currently 3rd in the FCS in points responsible for per game (that’s TDs he’s throwing + TDs he’s running for). What this adds up to is 290.3 total yards per game (16th in the FCS) and an offense that puts up 42.7 points per game (8th in the FCS).

As good as the offense has been, SDSU’s defense has kinda been heading the opposite direction (playing a couple of very good offenses though, so you should take it with a grain of salt). They allow 41.7 points per game and are giving up 524.3 yards per game, 247 through the air and 249 on the ground…all of which put them in the bottom 20% of the FCS rankings. SDSU has 3 players with 20 or more tackles: LB Jesse Bobbit with 29 and 1 interception, LB Cristian Rozenboom with 24 and ½ sack, and DB Nick Farina with 20.

So, up to this point, SDSU hasn’t had any trouble putting points on the board, but they have had trouble stopping opponents from doing the same. Western, on the other hand, is a little more balanced with a bit better defense, but not quite as good (but still pretty darn good) offense. Before the start of the season, I had Western’s game with SDSU penciled in as a loss for the Leathernecks, but given what I’ve seen so far this season, I think it’s much closer than I initially thought. I think that the teams will likely trade scores throughout the game resulting in a “whoever gets the ball last wins” type of game. Wieneke will have a big day receiving, McShane will have a big day running, but (and I realize that this is the “homer” in me) I think Western can come away with the win. It’ll be close…maybe even OT….but due to the ability to stop a drive in the red zone, I think that actually gives Western a slight advantage, even though the game is at SDSU.

TL:DR – Western Illinois by 3

FCS TV/Streaming Guide: Week 5

Provided by FargoBison on AGS again this week.

 

Solid FCS slate this week, games start Thursday with a MEAC battle on ESPNU. As usual all times are in central time and I’ve added the corresponding Direct TV channels

TV Guide:
9/29
Hampton at North Carolina A&T 6:30 p.m. ESPNU 208
9/30
Penn at Dartmouth 6 p.m. NBCSN 220
10/1
Princeton at Columbia 11 a.m. FCS Atlantic 608
Lehigh at Yale 12:30 p.m. OWC 623
Illinois State at NDSU 1 p.m. NBC ND
Cal Poly at North Dakota 1 p.m. MidcoSN
Bryant at Maine 2:30 p.m. FCS Central 608-1
Central Arkansas at ACU 2:30 p.m. Altitude 681
Towson at Richmond 2:30 p.m. Comcast Sports MA 642
UC Davis at E. Washington 3 p.m. Root Sports NW 687/Direct TV 601
Southern Utah at Montana 3:30 p.m. Cowles
Montana State at Sacramento State 8 pm Cowles

ESPN3
9/30
Hampton at North Carolina A&T 6 p.m.
10/1
Duquesne at Jacksonville noon
Mercer at VMI 12:30 p.m.
Illinois State at NDSU 1 p.m.
North Greenville at The Citadel 1 p.m.
Kennesaw State at Furman 2 p.m.
UT Martin at Tennessee State 2 p.m.
Wofford at Samford 2 p.m.
The Citadel at Western Carolina 2:30 p.m.
South Dakota at Youngstown 3 p.m.
Southern Illinois at UNI 3 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin vs. Sam Houston State 3 p.m.
Sacred Heart at Wagner 5 p.m.
Nicholls State at McNeese 6 p.m.
Western Illinois at South Dakota State 6 p.m.
Incarnate Word at Texas State 6 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana at Lamar 7 p.m.

ESPN Extra:
Illinois State at NDSU 1 p.m.
South Dakota at Youngstown 3 p.m.
Southern Illinois at UNI 3 p.m.
Nicholls State at McNeese 6 p.m.

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