2016 Preseason OVC Preview: Eastern Illinois

Eastern Illinois University

2015 Record: 7-5 (7-1 OVC) FCS Playoffs First Round

Key Losses: DT Dino Fanti (Second Team All-American), DB Jourdan Wickliffe (First Team All-OVC)

Key Returnees: RB Devin Church (Second Team All-OVC), OT Jimmy Lowery (Second Team All-OVC), LB Seth McDonald

 

Head Coach Kim Dameron is entering his third year at Eastern Illinois.  Last year he saw his Panthers fight back from a 0-3 record to punch their ticket to the FCS playoffs for the first time since the departure of Tom Brady’s backup, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.  

Aside from All-American Dino Fanti and All-OVC Jourdan Wickliffe, one major loss for the Panthers is quarterback Jalen Whitlow.  Whitlow is one of only 3 losses for the Panthers on offense and Austin Green looks to fill Whitlows shoes next season.  Things get better for the Panther’s offense as well, they not only return All-OVC rusher Devin Church, but also return a veteran offensive line and bring in Arkansas transfer Korliss Marshall, giving the Panthers one of the most solid rushing games in the conference.

On defense, there’s work to do as the Panthers will have to replace three All-OVC selections, including EIU’s only 2015 All-American selection.  Linebacker Seth McDonald will likely form the backbone for a new Panthers defense as he totaled over 100 tackles last season. Defensive Lineman Jarvis Williams will help fill Dino Fanti’s shoes and safety Bradley Dewberry will help provide experience in a secondary that has to replace both starting cornerbacks.

Schedule and Predictions: 7-5 (5-3 OVC)

    W    9/1 vs. Western Illinois

    L    9/10 @ Miami (OH)

    L    9/17 @ Illinois State

    W    9/24 vs. Austin Peay

    L    10/1 @ Southeast Missouri State

    W    10/8 vs. Tennessee State

    W    10/15 @ Tennessee Tech

    W    10/22 vs. Murray State

    L    10/29 @ Jacksonville State

    W    11/5 vs. UT- Martin

    L     11/19 @ Eastern Kentucky

The key game here for the Panthers is their September 17th matchup with Illinois State.  Illinois State lost a HUGE chunk of offense this year with the departure of Tre Roberson and All-American running back Marshaun Coprich.  The game may be in Normal but don’t be surprised if the Panthers come home with the win but we will have to wait and see.  Pulling off a win on the road at EKU or SEMO would also help the Panthers get another playoff bid.

2016 Big Sky Preview: UC-Davis

2015 Record: 2-9 (2-6)

Key Returners: Ben Scott, Manusamoa Luuga, Chris Martin

Key Losses: Alex Cannon, Brady Stuart, Ramon Vargas

The battle for last place last season was a three way battle and UC-Davis was one of those teams battling for a spot at the bottom of the pile. That’s not a terrific place to be, but unfortunately for the Aggies they’ve found themselves there the last couple of seasons. The Aggies have not made an appearance in the playoffs since transitioning from Division II to FCS back in 2003. Their last playoff win was back in 2002 when they defeated Central Washington. Ron Gould will be entering his fourth season at the helm of the Aggies and owns a 9-25 record since his arrival. You have to think that if he can’t get this team moving in an upward direction that he might find himself on the hot seat at the end of the season. The boosters will probably not tolerate another season of 2-9. The Aggies have a tough go of it this season but at least they’ll have a senior quarterback to guide them.

The Aggies finished the season at 74th in total offense, gaining 358 yards per game. Not a horrible number for a team that won two games last season. The defense seemed to be your typical Big Sky defense, finishing 104th, giving up 448 yards per game. The Aggies finished -20 in the touchdown category, which by my estimation was probably not good. UC-Davis finished -5 in the turnover category, which also points a finger to some of the pitfalls the team suffered last season. The Aggies will need to do anything to improve that number if they want to find themselves any more wins this coming season.

UC-Davis does return its senior quarterback, Ben Scott. He threw for 1598 yards last season with 11 touchdowns. Their leading rushers from last season also return, Manusamoa Luuga and Joshua Kelley. Their leading receiver is also back, Chris Martin. Luuga accounted for seven touchdowns last season. He figures to be a bright spot for this football team, as he was also their third leading receiver last season. Chris Martin caught 658 yards worth of passes and five touchdowns for the Aggies. If these guys can somehow build a little more chemistry together, and the defense improve even a little bit they could pencil themselves a win or two more.

The Aggies schedule is going to be a huge test this season. Their first game will be against the Oregon Ducks, then two weeks later will travel to Laramie, Wyoming to take on the Cowboys. They also have games at Eastern Washington, Southern Utah and Montana State. They’ll have Portland State at home. This is a tough task for a team that finished with two wins last season. Looking at their schedule there may not be more than two wins on this schedule, one of them being a game against Southern Oregon, a Division II team. With the Aggies, however, nothing is a given.

09/03/16     at Oregon
09/10/16     vs. Southern Oregon
09/17/16     at Wyoming
09/24/16     vs. Weber State
10/01/16     at Eastern Washington
10/08/16     at Southern Utah
10/15/16     vs. Northern Colorado
10/22/16     at Cal Poly
11/05/16     vs. Portland State
11/12/16     at Montana State
11/19/16     vs. Sacramento State

Must Watch: Week 1

Now that we’ve all had a chance to get our first hit of the wonderful drug that is football, we get to settle in and enjoy a full weekend of college football. The problem with that, if you’re like me, is that there is something like 97 games featuring FCS teams between Thursday and Sunday this first week. As much as I’d love to watch every single game I have this thing called a wife, two kids, grad school, job and family coming into town to celebrate the 800 birthdays we have in the month of September between both sides of the family. Even with all of that I’m going to watch just enough football to get me in trouble with my wife, but not enough to put me in the dog house. To do this I must be strategic. I’ve spent some time carefully plotting how, and which games to sneak games in. If you want to see the schedule for all FCS games, we have a handy little spreadsheet on AGS with that information found here.

Chances are that your priorities for which games you need to catch are different than mine but here is a quick list of 20 games I think are a “must watch…at least part of” for the opening weekend:

Thursday, Sept 1 TIME  (CT) TV
Maine @ Connecticut 6:00 PM ESPN3
North Dakota @ Stony Brook 6:00 PM
The Citadel @ Mercer 6:00 PM ESPN3
Southwestern College @ Missouri State 6:00 PM ESPN3
Western Illinois @ Eastern Illinois 6:00 PM
Delaware State @ Delaware 6:00 PM
North Alabama @ Jacksonville State 6:00 PM
Duquesne @ Youngstown State 6:30 PM ESPN3
William & Mary @ NC State 6:30 PM ESPN3
Montana State @ Idaho 8:00 PM ESPN3
  • I’m not sure Maine has what it takes to knock off UCONN, but it wouldn’t be the biggest upset
  • UND looking to prove last year was just step one in becoming a legit top 20 team traveling half way across the county to take on a SBU team that believes they belong
  • The Citadel/Mercer is a sneaky good game most outside ofthe SoCon probably miss. Side note to the SoCon, why is this week 1?
  • I’m probably the only one that cares about MSU/SWC. MSU is horrid but are a 54 point favorite. That can’t be right.
  • WIU/EIU is one of the most underrated rivalries in the FCS. This will be the 67th meeting with both teams looking like playoff contenders.
  • DSU/UD means nothing to anyone outside of the state, but in a state that size this game is just fun to watch on and off the field.
  • How can a D2 game against a top 5 FCS team make the list? Well, 2013 was a 3 point game and North Alabama isn’t your normal D2.
  • Youngstown hasn’t lost an FCS OOC game since 2009 but they have been mighty close recently. I mostly just want to see Pelini melt down.
  • William & Mary may be without running back Kendall Anderson, which would tamper me trying to watch, but if he plays the Tribe could be collecting a FBS scalp.
  • Future conference-mates with Montana State/Idaho. I’m just curious as to the environment in the Kibbie Dome given what transpired this off season.

 

Saturday, September 3 @ TIME  (CT) NAT TV
Fordham @ Navy 11:00 AM CBSSN
Richmond @ Virginia 2:30 PM ESPN3
Southern Illinois @ Florida Atlantic 5:00 PM
South Carolina State @ UCF 6:00 PM ESPN3
Towson @ South Florida 6:00 PM ESPN3
South Dakota State @ #13TCU 7:00 PM
Stephen F Austin @ Texas Tech 7:00 PM
Eastern Washington @ Washington State 7:00 PM PAC12
Northern Iowa @ Iowa State 7:00 PM
New Hampshire @ San Diego State 7:30 PM
  • Last season the Rams took out Army. Navy isn’t Army but the Rams have the offense to knock off the Midshipmen
  • Richmond looking for the best kind of FBS scalp – in-state rival.
  • SIU’s defense is bad, but I expect a win by the Salukis here.
  • SCSU, who get votes in the AGS Preseason Top 25, taking on a UCF team that hasn’t won a game since Dec 4, 2014
  • Towson appears to be a sleeper team for many this coming year. A USF team that went 8-5 last year is a perfect early season test.
  • I don’t expect the Jacks to really be all that close to TCU, but there is a 99.693% chance this game is entertaining to watch.
  • SFA and TTU is much like a cross between he last two games listed. I’m interested to see what the Jacks bring this year, mostly this should be a fun watch.
  • The last three are my most likely week 1 FBS upsets
    • EWU has the offensive play-makers to beat anyone, but do they have an offensive line…or defense?
    • UNI has out-gained Iowa State in almost every game the last decade and are something like 12 points from having a winning record over the last 7 games against the Cyclones
    • New Hampshire traveling across the country for a late kick didn’t work last year so I’m not sure why I think it will this year, against a better team. Call it a hunch…..keep in mind I told people on AGS to bet all the money, with fury, on NDSU to cover against CSU this past weekend

What did I miss? I know you have a game that you “can’t miss” that doesn’t involve your team.

*Disclaimer: If any of these games end up being a snoozefest, don’t blame me. Remember, a snooze of a game is better than no game.

Big South: Week 0 Recap

(1-0)   North Dakota State 24, (0-1)   Charleston Southern 17 (OT)

I know a lot of the pundits are cheering today about what a great college football game the FCS Kickoff was and how this contest bears out the truth that “anyone can beat anyone on any given Saturday”.  Initially, I watched it live on Saturday night and was genuinely impressed with the poise and intensity of both teams. Then, I went back and watched it again on replay (thank you, ESPN3) and was, to be honest, extremely disappointed.  Respectfully, this game sucked.  Yes, it was a tightly-contested contest throughout and the finish came down the wire and beyond but,  just because it was a close game that got Mack Brown to slightly raise his voice in volume at the end from Old-Man-Telling-Stories-After-Sunday-Dinner Level to Slightly-Drunk-Old-Man-Telling-Stories-At-Christmas-Party Level doesn’t mean it was a good game.  I think what we all expected and hoped for with two such highly-ranked teams was essentially playoff-caliber football played in August. Rather, this was the kind of game you might expect from two teams who haven’t played a live contest in eight months and are breaking in a fistful of new starters.  The replay shows just how many penalty flags, miscues and so many, many missed opportunities — especially for the Bison — littered the field at the end and that’s really what we saw Saturday night, two teams on national television just trying to make sure they got lined up straight.  Because it was on ESPN proper doesn’t change that.

On to the Big South perspective:

Offensively, there was just one single positive for CSU and his name was Mike Holloway.  By himself, Holloway’s 146 rushing yards on ten carries accounted for nearly half of CSU’s 263 total yards of offense for the entire night.  Still, while that’s a great rushing total, he rolled up 109 of those yards on just three carries.  Take away those three individual plays from the stats sheet and CSU did virtually nothing else on that side of the ball.  QB Kyle Copeland was 8-20 passing for under 100 yards and was, frankly, beaten nearly into oblivion by the NDSU front seven.  I hope they gave that guy a full-body ice bag with his post-game meal.

Defensively, however, CSU played hard and very intelligently.  The Bucs blitzed religiously and, at some point or other, sent virtually every defensive player on the field at the new NDSU starting quarterback, a young man who may become a talented starter for the Bison but who does not yet resemble the top-2 draft pick whom he has to replace.  (Honestly, that kid double-pumped so many times in the face of a 6-man rush.  Did he also fill his car up twice at the gas station on the way home from the game?  Yes, that’s a terrible joke.)  Further, CSU’s defense, which matches up much better with spread teams, also took advantage of the fact that NDSU chose to give show less power looks than we’re used to seeing.  I suppose that the NDSU coaching staff hoped to take advantage of QB Easton Stick’s athleticism but it also partially negated their significant size advantage on the O-line and played right into Charleston Southern’s hands.  Even though the Bison still had a very solid statistical output on the night, the Bucs kept the majority of the plays in front of them and prevented NDSU from getting into any kind of offensive rhythm, keeping the Bison largely out of the end zone during regulation and keeping the sputtering CSU offense in the game.  They also collected two late half turnovers which led directly to the Bucs’ first score and a chance to win the game outright, respectively.

On special teams, kicker Jacob Smoak was a revelation.  Who is he?  No one knows, apparently.  The CSU sports information department doesn’t even have a headshot for the guy on the team roster page.  All we know is that he’s a freshman with a big leg and nerves of steel.  But, with the offense stagnant, the Bucs really needed a spark from their special teams and they just didn’t get it.  Credit goes to the NDSU cover teams as CSU’s best kick return of the night was by Darius Hammond for 27 yards and that drive ended in a Kyle Copeland interception.

What does this loss mean for CSU? – In terms of poll rankings, it should mean virtually nothing.  Not many – including me – gave CSU a lot of hope to win going into this game and the close score probably means that the Bucs may see a slight drop in the polls but not a significant one.  What does hurt CSU in this loss is that it creates a very slim margin of error for their postseason hopes.  The Bucs have ten games left on the docket but only eight of them are against D1 competition.  Included in those eight games, are visits to ACC powerhouse Florida State and FBS-transitional Coastal Carolina.  CSU has been reasonably successful against Coastal in the last few years but haven’t won in Conway, SC since 2008.  FSU will, obviously, be heavily-favored against the Bucs and Coastal probably will be as well.  If CSU has any slip-ups at all in Big South conference play or against Bucknell – the only other D1 team on the slate –, it’s quite conceivable that, despite all the hype and good will generated from their tight loss in the FargoDome, the Bucs could be sitting at home in December.

2016 Preseason OVC Preview: Tennessee-Martin

2015 Record: 7-4 (6-2 OVC)

Key Losses: QB Jarod Neal (Second Team All-OVC), WR Rod Wright (Second Team All-OVC)

Key Returnees: OT Jackson Roberts (Second Team All-OVC), DL Damani Taylor (Second Team All-OVC),

 

 

 

In 2015, UTM’s strength was NOT their defense.  It was their passing game.  Jarod Neal captained an offense that averaged 294 passing yards per game, ranking 11th in the FCS. Jarod Neal ranked 9th in the FCS in passing yards last year with 3117. Unfortunately for UTM Jarod Neal is gone.  Rod Wright, UTM’s 2015 leading receiver, is gone. And Trent Garland, UTM’s 2015 rushing leader, is gone.  I’m sure you’re catching on.

That being said, UTM’s spring practices looked promising.  Quarterbacks Troy Cook and Gunner Holcombe both looked like promising replacements for Jarod Neal.  Whoever wins the quarterback battle at UTM will really benefit from having Caylon Weathers as a target as the 6 foot 4 receiver has really stepped his game up in practices this off season. Runningback Jaimiee Bowie also had a productive spring practice. The defense will need some players to step up as the Skyhawks will lose 4 starters on that side of the ball.

 

Schedule and Predictions: 5-6 (5-3 OVC)

L    9/1 @ Cincinnati

L    9/10 @ Hawaii

W    9/24 vs. Tennessee Tech

W    10/1 @ Tennessee State

W    10/8 vs. Austin Peay

L    10/15 @ Murray State

L    10/22 @ Georgia State

W    10/29 vs. Eastern Kentucky

L    11/5 @ Eastern Illinois

W    11/12 vs. Southeast Missouri State

L    11/19 @ Jacksonville State

UTM once again made the mistake of selling themselves out to too many FBS schools and this year they will pay for it with their first losing season since 2011.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them beat Murray State but I’ll pick KD Humphries to pull the upset at home for now.

2016 Big Sky Preview: Southern Utah

2015 Record: 8-4 (7-1)

Key Returners: Kyle Hannemann, Mike Sharp, Keita Calhoun, Ty Rutledge, Steven Wroblewski

Key Losses: Ammon Olson, Malik Brown, Justin Brown, James Cowser, LeShaun Sims, Miles Killebrew

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds made some personal history last season by winning their first Big Sky Conference title. The reward for winning the conference? A road trip to Sam Houston State in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Thunderbirds, unfortunately, did not win that contest. Their season started off fairly promising, losing a 12-9 contest with Utah State and kept rolling from there after a somewhat large setback against South Dakota State. The big question for the T-Birds this season is can they repeat as Big Sky champions? They have a lot of work to do, especially after losing their head coach to BYU and their senior quarterback, Ammon Olson, left for graduation. They also lost two very talented players to the NFL, James Cowser and Miles Killebrew. New head coach Demario Warren will have his hands full this season, but given his experience at SUU he should be able to transition easily.

The Thunderbirds were quite good on offense last season, finishing 20th in the country, fifth in the Big Sky Conference. They averaged 445 yards of offense per game last season. The Thunderbirds finished 14th in the country in passing offense, averaging 279 yards per game. Compared to most of the rest of the Big Sky they were also quite good on defense, finishing 67th, giving up 390 yards per game. The Thunderbirds finished +20 in the touchdown category, a good indicator that they were a pretty good football team last season. In just as mind boggling of a statistic the Thunderbirds finished +20 in the turnover margin last season, that was good enough for first in the country. They will need to replicate that kind of output if they want any shot at repeating as Big Sky champions this coming season. Doing so with a somewhat depleted defense will be a challenge but their head coach seems to know a couple of things about coaching a good defense.

The T-Birds will return defensive lineman Chance Bearnson who recorded 13 tackles for loss last season and three and a half sacks. He had 46 total tackles, 21 of them solo. Linebacker Mike Needham will be a junior this coming season. Last season he had 94 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. He also had three interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown, as well as two fumble returns for touchdowns. He was the 2015 Linebackers of the Year, as named by College Football Performance Awards.

The Thunderbirds will be searching for a new gunslinger this season as the aforementioned Ammon Olsen took his talents to adulthood. The T-birds have a few options, one quarterback who got some playing time last season is junior Tannon Pedersen who threw for a whopping six yards last season. They also have transfer quarterback Patrick Tyler, who will be a junior this season. The Thunderbirds will also be tasked with replacing top rusher from last season, Malik Brown, who piled up 829 yards and eight touchdowns. The most likely candidate will be Jarom Healey, a senior from Hurricane, Utah. To ease their new quarterback’s transition they will be returning two talented pass catchers, Steven Wroblewski and Mike Sharp. The Thunderbirds placed more players on the Big Sky preseason team than any other team in the conference.

The Thunderbirds schedule this season isn’t going to be an easy one. They’ll play all three of their in-state rivals, Utah, BYU, and Weber State. They will also host Southeast Louisiana and Portland State. They will travel to Montana and Northern Arizona. This is a tough schedule for a first year head coach and a team that’s replacing a lot of pieces. Finishing at .500 this season would probably be a victory for the Thunderbirds, but they have their work cut out for them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them take a step back this season. With this schedule they have plenty of work to do.

Thu, Sep 01      University of Utah
Sat, Sep 10      Southeast Louisiana
Sat, Sep 24      Portland State
Sat, Oct 01      Montana
Sat, Oct 08      UC Davis
Sat, Oct 15      North Dakota
Sat, Oct 22      Weber State
Sat, Oct 29      Idaho State
Sat, Nov 05      Montana State
Sat, Nov 12      Brigham Young University
Sat, Nov 19      Northern Arizona

The FCS Wedge 01/09/2016

We are in the process of adding a new podcast player to the site.  As such, here is a post to test our new capabilities.  This is last years National Championship preview show.

-From 01/09/2016

Great interviews this week featuring an all NC show.  We have Coach Grass(JSU)  and Coach Klieman (NDSU) and then get to talk with a couple of our favorite radio guys again.  Scott Miller (NDSU), and Mike Parris (JSU) both give some great perspectives on the National Championship Game.

This is our last show of the season and would like to thank anyone that has tagged along for the ride this year.  Hope you see you back next season!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

2016 MVFC Preseason Preview: Youngstown State

2015 Results: 5-6 (3-5)

Key Returnees: RB Jody Webb, RB Martin Ruiz, QB Hunter Wells, LB Lee Wright, SS Jameel Smith, DE Derek Rivers

Key Losses: WR Andrew Stubbs, WR Andrew Williams, DE Terrell Williams, DT Steve Zaborksy, DT Emmanuel Kormah

 

 

Full disclosure, right from the start of this,  YSU has been off of UNI’s schedule the last two years so I haven’t followed the roster all that close. The Penguins truly fell into a “out of site, out of mind” situation with me to a large extent. Yes, I’ve done the FCS Wedge on the radio for the last couple seasons, and along with following conference I tracked their results, but never took a deep roster dive like I have with the other programs. Thus, this gives me a first look at the 2016 Penguins, much like most of you.

The biggest thing I’ve noticed from what I’ve followed the last few years is that YSU is still going to YSU. What does that mean? Well, simply put – load up on NEC/PFL and look real good early in the season, only to fall flat on their face late in the year. Last year YSU started 3-1, beating 2 NEC programs and a bottom of the conference USD team, then lost 5 of their last 7 and both of their final two games, which including Bo Pelini going Bo Pelini. Leading into this season I’ve seen far more YSU fans questioning his coaching, and changing their opinion on his antics, than I thought I would see.

A few years ago I really though the QB position would be a source of strength in 2016. Hunter Wells bust onto the scene as a freshman and I thought there was no way he wouldn’t be near the top of the league QB by this time. Well, while he isn’t the main issue on offense he certainly didn’t take the step forward most thought he would last season. His completion percentage dropped 6 points, yards per attempt dropped 2 years, and he saw his TD:INT draw closer to 1:1 than it was as a freshman. This isn’t to say he’s bottom of the league by any means, but I’d say it’s fair to think that if he starts slow we might see Pelini change it up. The problem is, who else does he bring in? The other quarterbacks on the roster are a JUCO transfer that played 5 games last season, a kid that redshirted, and another that threw 18 total passes last season. A late injury to Wells may have Davis starting week 1, which could really throw a wrench into the disdain for the lack of production if Davis has a slow start to the season.

Not helping Wells’s case for the year is the receiver situation. More specifically, the lack of any known quantity at the position.  Outside of Missouri State, the Penguins return the least in terms of stats, and it’s real close. Right now, it’s not a good thing to be considered “real close” to Missouri State in any way. Throwing a quarterback out, especially one like Ricky Davis (who is 8-19 passing in his career) isn’t going to change the offense when the leading returning receiver, I’Tavious Harvin, had 22 catches for 279 yards last season. There was only two other players with more than 10 catches, and both of them were running backs – Martin Ruiz (21) and Jody Webb (17). After that there isn’t another receiver with over 100 yards returning. I see YSU fans wanting to blame the offensive coordinator, blame Wells for not developing, etc…, and to an extent there looks to be some truth there. I think we need to look at who he has around him to throw the ball too, especially this year, when we are calling for the back up, whoever they may be, by half time of week 1.

The strength of the YSU offense is the ground game. As an outsider that hasn’t had to face Jody Webb and Martin Ruiz the last two years, it’s been fun seeing what they can do. While their individual stats aren’t on the level of a Tyvis Smith, King Fraizer, Marshawn Coprich, etc… they compbined for over 1,600 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, so if a defense happens to catch one on a bad day it doesn’t mean they get to relax on the ground game. It means they better buckle up because you’re about to see the other one try to bring the pain. Webb is the far more explosive of the two. Last season he averaged 7.02 yards per carry on his 122 carries with 9 scores. Ruiz finished with more carries, 188, but didn’t have the same explosiveness as he was at 4.0 yards per carry. That kind of two headed monster in the back field is tough to prepare for though, even if only one appears to be the home run threat as Ruiz will pound the ball all game to tired the defense out and allow Webb to take advantage of it.

Defensively is where YSU has shined, and honestly kept them in games or flat out gotten them the win. Statistically YSU had the best pass defense in the league last season – remember NDSU, SDSU, ISUr and UNI all are conference mates. I’m not sure if teams stopped throwing at YSU because they couldn’t, or something else because YSU faced just 202 pass attempts last season – 95 LESS than the next closest team. I would guess part of that is because teams completed just 41.1% of their passes against the Penguin secondary. Bad news for the rest of the MVFC, that secondary is back, led by LeRoy Alexander who was first time all conference last season. Helping that secondary was the front seven. Lee Wright had 78 tackles with 6 sacks, Derek Rivers had 9 sacks, Dellovade had 4. Yes, DE Terrell Williams, DT Steve Zaborksy and DT Emmanuel Kormah are gone and at the vast majority of programs across the nation it’s not just a “plug the next man in”. I’m not sure it’s that way at YSU either, but the guys behind those three all got plenty of game action last season and are no stranger to game speed. Reports out of fall camp were promising on this side of the ball. The big question sounds like will they be able to maintain the same level of play they had last year all year this year again. If not, it could be a long season for Pelini and crew.

Predictions:

9/1 Duquense – W 1-0 (0-0)

9/10 @ West Virginia – L 1-1 (0-0)

9/17 Robert Morris – W 2-1 (0-0)

10/1 South Dakota – W 3-1 (1-0)

10/8 @ Illinois State – W 4-1 (2-0)

10/15 Northern Iowa – L 4-2 (2-1)

10/22 @ South Dakota State – L 4-3 (2-2)

10/29 Indiana State – W 5-3 (3-2)

11/5 @ North Dakota State – L 5-4 (3-3)

11/12 Southern Illinois – W 6-4 (4-3)

11/19 Missouri State – W 7-4 (5-3)

Yes, I think YSU actually does the anit-YSU thing and finishes strong this year, though more so due to the schedule lay out. Closing with two teams I see at the bottom of the conference helps, though the SIU game gets dicey for me. I think the NDSU game is a good shot at an upset. It’s the week after NDSU plays UNI, and both UNI and NDSU tend to struggle a bit the week after that game (it’s where USD picked NDSU off last season). IF YSU figures out how to play offense by then  I could see that being a win. On the flip side I could see SIU going the other way. SIU’s defense isn’t good, but neither is YSU’s offense. To beat SIU you have to out dual them, I don’t know that YSU has that type of offense. I have them at 7-4 and right on the playoff bubble. I think 6-5 is quite likely and am willing to listen for an argument at 8 wins. If YSU finishes at 5 or worse I think it’s time to call the Pelini experiment and move on to a better, more permanent coach.

2016 Preseason OVC Preview: Eastern Kentucky

2015 Record: 6-5 (5-3 OVC)

Key Losses: DE Noah Spence (First Team All-American), TE Ben Madon (First Team All-OVC)

Key Returnees: QB Bennie Coney

Well… Last season didn’t end they way the Colonels wanted.  Many forget that Jacksonville State wasn’t the only FCS team that put fear into an SEC team last year.  The Colonels took Kentucky to overtime last year as well only to lose in the same heartbreaking fashion, only the Colonels didn’t end the season with a trip to the playoffs.  They blew a #13 STATS ranking losing four of their last five game to end unranked and earned a spot on the couch in Richmond to watch the playoffs.

Next season could either be fantastic or a disaster for the Colonels. The Colonels lose 12 starters and lose depth with the loss of 6 second stringers.  To make matters worse, all their losses are big losses.  They lost their only All-American, Noah Spence, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost the rest of their offensive and defensive All-OVC players (they retain two special teamers) to graduation. However, new head coach Mark Elder has recruited very well and has a lot of talent returning on the offensive side of the ball that will help him in his transition.  It will be a “next man up” mentality in Richmond this year, especially on defense, but if they can rise to the occasion the Colonels can be great this season.
Schedule and Predictions:  7-4 (6-2 OVC)

L    9/3 @ Purdue

W    9/10 vs. Pikeville

L    9/17 @ Ball State

W    10/1 @ Tennessee Tech

W    10/8 vs. Southeast Missouri State

W    10/15 @ Tennessee State

L    10/22 vs. Jacksonville State

L    10/29 @ UT- Martin

W    11/5 vs. Murray State

W    11/12 @ Austin Peay

W    11/19 vs. Eastern Illinois

With two of the Colonels losses coming from an expected place with two FBS teams, if EKU breaks the 7 win mark expect them to be in talks for an at large bid for the playoffs.  The matchups with Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Illinois will be big ones to win if the Colonels want a shot at the playoffs.  The winner of the EKU games between EIU and SEMO will likely be the one (or ones) that get playoffs bids so the Colonels will need to win.

2016 Big Sky Preview: Sacramento State

2015 Record: 2-9 (1-7)

Key Returners: Jordan Robinson, Nate Ketteringham, Isiah Hennie, Manoah Pearson

Key Losses: Shane Harrison, Brad Cornish

Last year is probably a year the Hornets would like to forget, finishing the season at 2-9, with one of their wins coming against a Division II team. Many of the Hornets losses weren’t even close contests. Needless to say, this was a disappointing season for second year coach Jody Sears. The Hornets went from 7-5 in 2014 to two wins in the following season. What went wrong? For starters the Hornets were breaking in a new quarterback after Garrett Safron graduated. They also had to replace star receiver DeAndre Carter. Needless to say, there were some growing pains in Sacramento. Jody Sears is entering his third season at Sacramento State, so we can’t say that he’s on the hot seat this season, but the Hornets will need to improve upon their two wins from last season to keep the rumblings low. The Hornets appear to be a fairly young team and will be far more experienced this year.

The Hornets weren’t completely inept on offense last season, despite finishing near the bottom of the Big Sky standings. They had the 71st best offense in the country, finishing with 360 yards per game. They cycled through three different quarterbacks last season at various points in the season. The Hornets on defense, however, were not as good. The Hornets finished 108th in total offense, giving up 453 yards per game. You would have to think that the Hornets can improve on that second number this coming season. If they can, the Hornets schedule this season is a nice balance tough and winnable games. The Hornets finished -21 in the touchdown category. The Hornets finished at even in the turnover margin, a good sign for a young football team.

The Hornets will be returning a lot of youth this coming season. They will have two young quarterbacks returning, Nate Ketteringham and Daniel Kniffin. They will also be returning Jordan Robinson, the top rusher from last season who had 808 yards on the ground with four touchdowns. They will lose their top two receivers from last season to graduation. They have a pair of receivers, Isiah Hennie and Jaelin Ratliff who still have a few years left in their eligibility that should contribute for the Hornets this coming season. They also return young linebacker Manoah Pearson who finished with 77 tackles last season and two sacks. He will anchor the defense just as a sophomore.

As mentioned above, the Hornets schedule this season is a mixture of tough teams with games that they could and maybe should win. Their biggest test will be at Fresno State, plus contests against North Dakota, Montana, and Portland State. Those won’t be easy games, but two of them are at home which should provide them a small boost. The Hornets will mix that with Weber State, Idaho State, Northern Colorado, and UC-Davis. With this kind of mixture you have to think the Hornets can improve on that and win some football games. With any luck they can make a run towards .500 for the season. There’s plenty of youth on this team to be hopeful, but it may not happen for the Hornets this season.

Sat. 3     Western Oregon
Sat. 10   at Fresno State
Sat. 17   at Weber State
Sat. 24  at Idaho State
Sat. 1     Montana State
Sat. 8     North Dakota
Sat. 15   at Montana
Sat. 22   at Northern Colorado
Sat. 29   Cal Poly
Sat. 12   Portland State
Sat. 19   at UC Davis