MVFC Review 2015.10

MVFC Week 10 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | November 10, 2015

JT Says-

Youngstown State 47   Missouri State 7
Youngstown consistently inconsistent, Missouri State consistently terrible. Youngstown was in desperate need of a bye week to get things right, and Missouri State provided that. The Bears got 5 first downs…in the whole game. They finished with 107 yards total, 64 in the air, 43 on the ground. Youngstown, 29 first downs, 338 rushing yards, 306 passing yards, and 644 total yards of offense. YSU quarterback Hunter Wells was 15 of 25 for 241 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Two Youngstown running backs rushed for 100 yards a piece. Jody Webb ran 12 times for 107 yards and a touchdown. Martin Ruiz rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Youngstown had nine different ball carriers. They were up 38 before the Bears miraculously found the end zone. Missouri State never scored again and loses 47-7.

South Dakota State 25  Illinois State 20
Illinois State scored in the 1st quarter to lead 7-0 but the Jackrabbits scored 3 straight touchdowns and the Redbirds never recovered. South Dakota State finally showed up against a top team in the Missouri Valley after looking terrible against NDSU and completely under performing against UNI. Despite SDSU having the best defense, scoring wise, in the Valley, this was an offensive explosion on both sides. The teams combined for 927 yards of total offense and 6 passing touchdowns on 648 passing yards. Anthony Warrum turned 8 Redbird receptions into 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. His quarterback Tre Roberson, 80 rushing yards on 11 attempts, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 pick on 14-35 passing for 327 yards. If he completed half his passes, he could have gone for 500. Taryn Christion was more efficient with 15-30 passing, 2 picks, and 3 touchdowns for 307 yards. Also rushed for another score on 9 carries for 65 yards. The Redbird loss leaves the door open for the Bison to get their 5th consecutive Valley title.

Northern Iowa 59  Indiana State 13
This score would have been expected a decade ago, but certainly not this year. Indiana State was shut out in the first half and only got 69 yards on 28 plays to go with two interceptions, one being a pick six, and a fumble. UNI was up 38 points thanks to that pick six by Tim Kilfoy and three Aaron Bailey touchdowns. Bailey finished with five touchdowns, 22 rushes for 54 yards, an 8-13 passes for 114 yards. five touchdowns on less than 200 yards has to be a record. UNI had 7 trips in the red zone and scored on every single one. Six touchdowns and one early field goal. UNI’s defense helped the offense again and set them up in great field position the whole game. UNI scored 59 points on just 330 yards of offense. The defense held Indiana State to 46 rushing yards. The final score of this game was entirely misleading. Neither team is that good or that bad.

Chad says-

South Dakota 34  Southern Illinois 31
South Dakota quarterback Ryan Saeger threw three touchdown passes, including a game-winning 5-yard strike to tight end Aaron Ramsey on 4th-and-goal with 3:09 remaining. Drew Iddings blocked Southern Illinois place-kicker Austin Johnson’s 51-yard field goal attempt with 46 seconds remaining to secure the win. Iddings also forced the turnover that preceded the game-winning touchdown, stripping Saluki quarterback Mark Iannotti during a sack. Andrew Van Ginkel recovered on the SIU 19 with 5:21 remaining. Ryan Saeger was able to match Mark Iannotti for output, and actually bested him in every category, including what may have been the most important – turnovers. Saeger had zero and the Coyote defense forced Iannotti into 4. The win was Joe Glenn’s 200th of his 28 year coaching career.

North Dakota State 59  Western Illinois 7
Last week I said the Leathernecks had their back against the wall and it would either cause them to come out on fire or cause them to make mistakes that would dig a deep hole early. I also thought the latter would happen, and it did. NDSU jumped out to a 17-0 lead just 9 minutes into the game, and extended that to 38-0 by half. At that point NDSU coasted into the win but still dominated every facet of the game. The Bison have always been known for their ground game, and it’s starting to come around. They had yet another game of over 300 yards rushing as a team, and held WIU to just 33 total yards on the ground. Perhaps most impressive, and potentially most indicative that the Bison might be “back”, not that they ever truly went anywhere, is they held the ball for just under 44 minutes of the game.

Players of the Week

Offense
WR Anthony Warrum – Illinois State
Warrum set a career-high with 241 yards receiving on eight receptions and tied his career-best with three touchdown catches for the Redbirds against the Jackrabbits. He averaged 30 yards per grab in the game and upped his season touchdown receptions total to 13, tying him for first in the ISU record book for TD in a season.

Defense
DE Andrew Van Ginkel, South Dakota
Van Ginkel had a sack, forced a fumble, and recovered two fumbles in last weeks win against Southern Illinois. His strip sack and recovery set up a 44-yard touchdown drive for the Coyotes’ first score of the game. He recovered a fumble on the SIU 19 with 5:21 remaining that preceded the game-winning touchdown. He was credited with 3 solo tackles and also had a QB hurry.

Special Teams
PK Zak Kennedy – Youngstown State
Kennedy made a pair of field goals and was 5-of-6 on PAT attempts. He made field goals of 20 and 43 yards in the game. His 43-yard kick in the fourth quarter was his 17th field goal made of the season, tying the school record for most in a season.

Newcomer
QB Aaron Bailey, UNI
Bailey had his hand in five of UNI’s eight TDs in the Panthers’ 59-13 routing of Indiana State. He rushed for four touchdowns, tying the school record in total touchdowns in a game and rushing touchdowns in a game. He finished the game with 54 yards rushing, to go with the 4 scores, and was an efficient 8 of 13 through the air for 114 yards and a score.

 

 

Youngstown State – 47
Missouri State – 7

South Dakota – 34
Southern Illinois – 31

South Dakota State – 25
Illinois State – 20

North Dakota State – 59
Western Illinois – 7

Northern Iowa – 59
Indiana State – 13

ICYMI: Week 10

In Case You Missed It – Week 10

First things first: I apologize.

For anyone (if, in fact, there was anyone) who was looking forward to this column a week ago and was disappointed by its absence, I’m sorry. I had a prior engagement and was unable to publish. Which means this installment of ICYMI will be extra fascinating. Hold on tight, because here we go…

I don’t get it, people. I understand that every year coaches and players talk in the preseason (and during the season as well) about the parity of the FCS and how any team could emerge and take a conference or national title. For the most part, that’s a farce.

Yes, sometimes things do happen that raise eyebrows. Like last season when four-loss Sam Houston State burned through the postseason and made it to the semifinals where the Bearkats squared off and lost against eventual champion North Dakota State. That wasn’t really supposed to happen, but it wasn’t completely unheard of.

For the most part, the teams that are predicted to take a conference championship or make a postseason berth usually do. College football is at least fairly predictable.

But this season, I’m lost.

I really don’t get it. You’re telling me that a New Hampshire team which lost to the likes of Delaware and Stony Brook and was nearly vanquished by Rhode Island can take down Richmond? Northern Colorado can hang with and ultimately beat Portland State? Mercer shuts down Chattanooga’s veteran-laden offense?

Gone are the days when there was a true favorite. North Dakota State’s reign over the FCS and the polls just isn’t the same. The only problem is: if it’s not North Dakota State that is seen as the kingpin of the league, then who is?

Sure, Jacksonville State is at the top at the moment. But is there anything the team has done to prove it’s unbeatable? The last few weeks of this college football season will be of vital importance for a handful of programs, and once again we’ll sit back and enjoy it as it all unfolds as we try and get a much clearer picture.

In case you missed the action from Week 10 of the FCS season: here are some of the more muted headlines and stats you should know:

Another week, another strong showing for some of the place kickers around the FCS. St. Francis (Pa.) kicker Lance Geesey booted five field goals through the uprights to help his Red Flash hold off Central Connecticut State, 22-13. The Citadel’s Eric Goins also had five field goals, but his Bulldogs held a much more comfortable lead as they defeated VMI, 35-14, to remain perfect in Southern Conference play.

And Norfolk State kicker Cameron Marouf lifted his Spartans to a 20-17 overtime victory over Savannah State thanks to a 38-yard game-winner.

In an interestingly close contest between Stony Brook and Howard, defense played a huge role. But don’t tell that to Seawolves runner Donald Liotine, who scampered for 204 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries – all career highs. He was responsible for Stony Brook’s only points in the 14-9 victory over the Bison.

But on defense, Stony Brook set a pair of outlandish FCS single-game highs. The Seawolves managed to sack Howard quarterback Kalen Johnson a whopping 12 times, and held the Bison run game to a dismal minus-42 yards on the ground. The previous FCS single-game high this season was minus-18 yards, held by Harvard.

Speaking of the Crimson, they extended their win streak to 22 games dating back to the 2013 campaign with a convincing 24-16 victory over Columbia. Harvard has won 16 straight against Ivy League competition, and could claim at least a share of the league crown for the fourth time in the last five seasons with a win next weekend against Penn.

Charleston Southern got its defense on by holding Kennesaw State to 1-for-12 on third-down conversions Saturday in the Buccaneers’ 28-14 win. The Bucs overcame 10 penalties for over 100 yards for the victory.

Jarod Neal played a decent game for UT Martin, throwing for three touchdowns and 358 yards to lift his Skyhawks past Eastern Kentucky, 42-35. No touchdown pass was more important, however, than his final one to Rod Wright, which came with 1:05 to play that proved to be the game-winner that gave UT Martin its first lead of the contest. Neal did throw four interceptions in the win.

Did you miss the ending to Idaho State versus Montana? If so, I can’t even adequately describe it to you. Go to YouTube and search for it. You won’t regret it, especially if you like game-winning touchdowns on botched game-winning field goal attempts.  On second thought, I’ll just include it here.

No Kade Bell for Jacksonville? No problem. The accomplished lefty passer for the Dolphins was taken out of the game against Davidson in the first quarter after suffering an injury, and redshirt sophomore Rylan Wells filled in nicely. Wells tossed four touchdowns to lead the Dolphins to a 42-12 victory.

Updates on your presumptive FCS Offensive Player of the Year frontrunners: Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp added another score to his resume after hauling in nine grabs for 98 yards and a touchdown. His season total is up to 18, and his career total is now 55 – just three back of David Ball’s all-time record of 58 for New Hampshire. His Eagles were defeated by Northern Arizona, however, 52-30.

Kade Harrington burst out with another strong game, gaining 255 yards with two touchdowns on 32 carried for Lamar. Because Fordham back Chase Edmonds was idle with his Rams over the weekend, Harrington has firmly implanted himself as the FCS rushing leader with 1,805 yards (Edmonds has 1,506). Both backs have scored 19 rushing touchdowns.

Lamar ultimately lost to Nicholls State, though, 30-28, on a late Colonels field goal.

Finally, a couple more FCS single-game highs that were tied this weekend:

Jackson State linebacker Javancy Jones registered six tackles for loss against Alabama State, but his Tigers were taken down by the Hornets, 17-12.

And McNeese State punter Jean Breaux launched an 86-yard punt that ties a 2015 FCS high in his Cowboys’ 27-10 beating of Sam Houston State.

TSOTN Week 10

National Notes Week 10

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | November 06, 2015

The State of the Nation

The Reviews

Last Saturday was the best so far in the FCS! This week promises to be even better. Several teams showed through their play on the field that they have been underrated thus far. Several traditional powers saw their playoff hopes placed on life support and their fans sitting Shiva on their seasons.

For the third consecutive week we have a new number one team in the Anygivensaturday.com Top 25 Poll. The AGS Poll is the best in the FCS and it isn’t even close. Jacksonville State reclaimed the top spot after dismantling Eastern Kentucky 34-0. Gamecock quarterback Eli Jenkins thrilled the 21,998 on hand with 342 total yards.

The most significant victory of the week goes to the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. The Bucs scored touchdowns on all four of their first half possessions and their defense made those points hold up in the 33-25 victory over Coastal Carolina.

The Chattanooga Mocs made short work of the Western Carolina Catamounts 41-13. The Mocs offense was impressive. Derrick Craine ran for 103 yards and four touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jacob Huesman rushed for 168 yards and was efficient when throwing. Huesman was 14-15 for 191 yards through the air. The Mocs defense held a very good Catamount offense to 283 yards and 13 points. It’s the best they have looked on that side of the ball all season.

Portland State moved to 7-1 for the first time in school history after defeating Montana 35-16. The Vikings ran for 339 yards. David Jones lead the way with 165 yards and a touchdown. The win snapped an 8 game Montana winning streak in the series.

Eastern Washington, who seems to enjoy living on the edge, outlasted Weber State 14-13 in Cheney, Washington. Eagle quarterback Jordan West hooked up twice with receiver Cooper Kupp for touchdowns and the EWU defense made that one point lead stand up for the final 21 minutes of the game. The Weber State special teams let them down. The Wildcats missed three field goals in the rain and the wind.

James Madison proved that even without Vad Lee they are a very dangerous football team. The William and Mary Tribe showed what they were made of on their last drive of the game. Trailing the Dukes by five points with just a smidge over 5 minutes remaining on the clock the Tribe calmly drove 84 yards in twelve plays to win the game 44-41. William and Mary running back Kendell Anderson capped the drive with a two yard touchdown plunge and ended the game with 138 yards rushing. Anderson has run for 100 yards in six consecutive games for the Tribe.

The Colgate Red Raiders defense was magnificent last Saturday. Colgate held Fordham running back Chase Edmonds to 51 yards on 18 carries and sacked the Fordham quarterback 8 times in their 31-29 victory.

North Dakota State rushed for 397 yards and the Bison defense made the plays when it mattered in their 35-29 win over Southern Illinois. King Frazier carried the ball 16 times for 177 yards for the Bison. Quarterback Easton Stick also carried the mail 16 times but for only 130 yards. All hail the King…Frazier that is! One thing lacking for the Bison so far in 2015 is the big play. Coming into the game last week the Bison only had one play of 50 yards or more all season. They had four such plays last Saturday. Excellent road win for NDSU.

Northern Iowa got back to .500 on the season with a 20-7 win over South Dakota. Panther quarterback Aaron Bailey was impressive. Bailey went 16-27 for 231 yards and a touchdown through the air and also ran one in for a touchdown for good measure. Northern Iowa still has a tough row to hoe to make it to the postseason.

Southern Utah moved to 5-0 in the Big Sky Conference with a good win over Cal Poly. Thunderbird defensive end James Cowser broke the career record in the FCS for tackles for loss in the win. It wasn’t just Cowser who made a difference on the Southern Utah defense. That unit put up 21 points and is getting better each week.

North Dakota running back James Santiago rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns en route to setting the school record, since the move to Division I, for rushing yards in a single season. We still have three game to go! Santiago is quite a player. Santiago’s teammates didn’t let his good work go to waste. The NoDaks beat Montana State 44-38. Bobcat quarterback Dakota Prukop played well as usual but defense continues to be a problem in Bozeman.

The Interviews

This week in the Voices of the FCS Segment we are joined by Mr. Kevin O’Rourke. Kevin is the Voice of the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.

In a special segment this week I am joined by Lance Berndt and Kris Kallem of thefcswedge.com and our Big Sky Conference Segment. In this segment we take a snapshot of the playoff picture as it stands right now. You’ll want to tune in to hear Mr. O’Rourke discuss the success the Buccaneers have had thus far and to see if your team is in or out right now.

The Previews

Northern Arizona @ Eastern Washington
The Eagles almost stubbed their talon last week against Weber. The Lumberjacks offense looked better than they have at any point in the season. This should be a shootout. Eastern Washington 48-38.

Southern Utah @ Montana State
The Thunderbirds are peaking and the Bobcats are running out of things to play for. Southern Utah will get the stops on defense they have to have and will win. SUU 38-24.

Charleston Southern @ Kennesaw State
The Bucs cannot afford a letdown against Kennesaw after beating Coastal last week. I think they handle the success very well. CSU 33-17.

Richmond @ New Hampshire
The Spiders are just better this year. Richmond 24-20.

Towson @ Maine
Towson has played their way back into the playoff discussion. They will handle the Black Bears of Maine on the road. Towson 21-14.

Sam Houston State @ McNeese State
McNeese is tough at home and Sam Houston just hasn’t really faced a quality defense like the Cowboys have all season. McNeese State 24-21.

Illinois State @ South Dakota State (AGS Game of the Week)
The Redbirds struggled a bit last week and cannot afford a slow start against the Jackrabbits. I think ISU comes out swinging. Redbirds 27-24.

Jacksonville State @ Eastern Illinois
For the second week in a row the Gamecocks will face a team that enters the contest undefeated in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Gamecocks are far and away the best team in that league and will show it again. Cocks 38-10.

Bucknell @ Fordham
Emory Hunt has a saying that sometimes teams let one loss become two. I don’t think Fordham lets that happen. Fordham 38-28.

Chattanooga @ Mercer
Mercer has given most everyone fits this season but just can’t close the deal. Will the Mocs overlook the Bears? I don’t think so. Chattanooga 31-24.

Virginia Military Institute @ The Citadel The Military Classic of the South
These two hate and respect the hell out of one another. VMI would like nothing more than to ruin The Citadel’s best season since 1992. It will be close but The Citadel keeps the coveted Silver Shako and beats VMI 27-24.

The FCSTV Guide For Week 10

Once again our friend  FargoBison at AnyGivenSaturday.com brings us a list of televised FCS games.

 

Another week of FCS football is upon us, lots of great TV/streaming action. As always check back for future updates and all games are in Central time…

TV Guide
11/6 Cornell at Dartmouth 7:00 p.m. NBCSN
11/7 William & Mary at Elon 11:00 a.m. Comcast NE/MA/N, SNY
Brown at Yale 11:30 a.m. Fox College Sports
Richmond at UNH 2:00 p.m. NBCSN
Murray State at Tennessee State 2:30 p.m. MASN, ASN Affiliates
WIU at NDSU 2:30 p.m. NBC ND
Gardner Webb at CCU 2:30 p.m. ASN Affiliates
Southern Utah at Montana State 2:30 p.m. Root Sports NW/RM/SW, Direct TV 101
Montana at Idaho State 3:30 p.m. Cowles Media(ABC/Fox MT)
SFA at UCA 2:30 p.m. Altitude/ASN Affiliates
Indiana State at Northern Iowa 4:00 p.m. Comcast Chicago
Towson at Maine 6:00 p.m. SNY, ASN Affiliates

FCS on ESPN3
11/7 Bryant at Wagner 11:00 a.m.
Colgate at Lafayette noon p.m.
JSU at EIU 1:00 p.m.
VMI at The Citadel 1:00 p.m.
MSU at YSU 1:00 p.m.
Clark Atlanta at Samford 2:00 p.m.
Illinois State at SDSU 2:00 p.m.
WIU at NDSU 2:30 p.m.
Presbyterian at Liberty 2:30 p.m.
Chattanooga at Mercer 3:00 p.m.
Indiana St at UNI 4:00 p.m.
SHSU at McNeese St 6:00 p.m.
Incarnate Word at SLU 6:00 p.m.

FCS on ESPN College Extra
11/7 WIU at NDSU 2:30 p.m.
Illinois State at SDSU 2:00 p.m.
Indiana St at UNI 4:00 p.m.
Incarnate Word at SLU 6:00 p.m.
SHSU at McNeese St 6:00 p.m.

 

Where to find other FCS games(FREE) online….

OVC Conference

Big Sky Conference

Big South Conference

Northeast Conference

Patriot League

SoCon Digital Network

MVFC Preview 2015.10

MVFC Week 10 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | November 05, 2015

JT Says-

Missouri State vs Youngstown State
Youngstown will make it 2 wins in a row after losing 3 straight Valley games. Youngstown has been far from good this season but certainly not nearly as terrible as Missouri State. Mo State has given up 246 points in 5 conference games. Youngstown, has been plagued by inconsistency but a glorified scrimmage against the woeful Bears is just what the doctor ordered. Youngstown will not be a playoff team this year but could certainly contend in future seasons. Youngstown trailed only briefly in last week’s 23-21 win over Western Illinois while putting up 356 yards. They will put up at least 400 this week and win this game 42-7.

Illinois State vs South Dakota State
Illinois State looks to remain undefeated. I would say this is the game of the week but last time I said that about a Jackrabbit game they got dominated by the Bison. We can’t judge anything about the last week’s Jackrabbit game because they played against the junior varsity team known as Missouri State. Illinois State got all it could handle having to come in back late in the 3rd and finally in the 4th quarter against Indiana State. They needed a 2 point conversion and barely stopped the Sycamores on 4th down, stopping them just a yard short. With the exception of Southern Illinois, Illinois State has the best offense in the Valley. The Jackrabbits defense has only allowed 53 points in 5 conference games. it will be a battle but Illinois State is just better on both sides of the ball. They continue to stay undefeated and win a defensive battle 17-14.

Indiana State vs Northern Iowa
The Panthers look to continue their winning ways in the UNI Dome. The Sycamores have not been the the UNI Dome since 2011 and have not won there in over a decade. Indiana State has lost 2 in a row while UNI has won 2 in a row. The UNI defense is for real and the offense finally showed signs of life with 200 passing yards against South Dakota. The UNI defense has given up only 7 points in the past 2 games. Coincidentally the Sycamores only put up 7 against the Jackrabbits whose defense is very similar to the Panthers. Aaron Bailey is starting to get a groove in the passing game and UNI will take another step forward. They win this one 35 – 7.

 

Chad says-

Southern Illinois @ South Dakota
The Coyotes, while improving, still have a ways to go to catch the rest of the league. They have a few nice players but have a complete dearth of talent top to bottom, compared to the rest of the league. Last week they managed just 187 yards of offense, and just 61 yards in the last three quarters of the game, though UNI’s defense is quite stingy. Southern Illinois isn’t known for their defense, and gave up 395 yards to NDSU last week. While USD doesn’t have the Bison run game, their team’s strength is the run game. Up until this week I would have taken SIU running away, literally and figuratively, from USD. However, Dale Lennon dismissed defensive end Adam Brandt, who had 17 career starts, and suspended running back Daquan Isom, who leads the team with 1,149 yards for some legal issues. I think Iannotti is good enough to carry SIU to a win today, but don’t be shocked to see the Coyotes pull out a W.

Western Illinois @ North Dakota State
Fun stat about this series – the home team has never won a game, though the two have played just six times and the last time WIU played in Fargo was 2010, also known as the last time the Bison didn’t win the title. Thanks to falling short against Youngstown State last week the Leathernecks have their back against the wall, facing likely playoff elimination with 4 losses on their record. That will do one of two things for them: 1. Create an intense sense of urgency that will lead them to the win OR 2. create an intense sense of urgency that leads to costly mistakes that NDSU turns into points. If I’m a betting man I’d go with the latter of the two options. Quarterback Easton Stick has looked brilliant for NDSU, and I don’t think that changes this week. I’m going to go with NDSU by 14.

Big Sky Preview 2015.10

BSC  Week 10 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC  Contributors | November 05, 2015

Kris Says-

Portland State @ Northern Colorado
Portland State is the most complete team in the conference if not the entire nation. The Vikings are averaging 38 points on offense and giving up just 19 on defense. Keep in mind that’s a defense that’s faced high powered offenses in Washington State, Montana State, and Montana. They are well past the point of sneaking up on someone, and now get to experience life with a target on their backs. Northern Colorado has played better football this season and at 4-4, a winning record is still in sight.

Southern Utah @ Montana State
The Southern Utah defense came back down to earth last week a little against a potent Cal Poly rushing attack. They face another solid test this week against the Big Sky’s #1 scoring offense. Dakota Prukop is having a Payton award winning season and can dominate a game. The much maligned Bobcat defense is actually middle of the road in scoring for the Big Sky Conference, but their stats have been skewed by several weak offenses on the schedule. The Tbird’s offense appears to be clicking on all cylinders and I see them winning comfortably in a high scoring game.

Northern Arizona @ Eastern Washington
These are two very similar teams statistically, ranking 12th and 13th in the conference in total defense and 11th and 12th in scoring defense. Two stats that do stand out are the Jack’s last place ranking in sacks against and red zone defense. The Jack’s trio of Cookus, Butler, and Jahn can put up points in bunches but the defense is suspect. Eastern’s defense on the other hand has been playing better of late. I expect a good old fashioned Big Sky shootout in this one. Player to watch: NAU’s Emmanuel Butler is leading the conference in yards per catch at 22.4. He’s a legit deep threat.

Lance says-

UC-Davis @ Weber State
After a brutal 5 game stretch, Weber State returns home for the final 2 games of the season. Their playoff hopes are most likely dashed, but they do have a shot at winning out to record their first winning season since 2010. UC-Davis continues to face these types of games year after year, but this will be another shot to gain some momentum heading into next season. The Aggies lead the conference in time of possession, but I think that’s more of a result from their poor defense. Both teams struggle with taking care of the ball, so turnovers could be a big factor in deciding the winner. I think Weber State has posted a much better resume this season and should be at least a 10 point favorite to win this game.

ORV Montana @ Idaho State
When I saw this game at the start of the season, I thought it could be a crucial decision towards gaining a playoff berth. Things have definitely changed since then, but that’s what makes college football at the FCS level fun to watch. Montana comes into this game needing to win out to still have a shot at the playoffs, which is a tall task with three very strong offenses on the schedule. Idaho State is by far the weakest remaining opponent for the Griz, but they still need to play well to win. The Bengals rank last in the country in turnover margin and the Griz feed off turnovers so they will need to improve on that statistic in this game. Player to watch for Montana will be Tyrone Holmes. It’s likely Idaho State will be passing a lot, so his pass rush ability should come to be very useful for the Griz defense. For the Bengals, I’m going to say running backs Xavier Finney and Jakori Ford. Montana has struggled against the run the past few weeks, so if they can get the ground game going, ISU could pull out a rare win against Montana.

Sacramento State @ Cal Poly
On the surface, Cal Poly should be the clear favorite, but like Cal Poly, Sacramento State has not been as bad this season as their record shows. They only have one loss to a team with a losing record, and only have one FCS loss by more than 22 points. The Mustangs have been waiting for this game for a month though after facing the three teams contending for the conference title the last three games. As is the theme for most games, turnovers has been quite a problem for Cal Poly in their last two losses. Their triple option offense has clearly been effective this season, boasting the nation’s top rushing offense averaging 406.2 yards per game. They have lost 9 fumbles the last two games though and you can’t win if you can’t hang on to the ball. Still, I think Cal Poly should do pretty well against the Hornet defense and win by at least 20 points.

SWAC Review 2015.9

SWAC Week 9 Review:

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | November 04, 2015

Alabama State 35, Alabama A&M 20
Daniel Duhart ran for three touchdowns and threw for two to lead Alabama State to a 35-20 win over Alabama A&M in the 74th Magic City Classic on Saturday afternoon at Legion Field. Duhart scored on 15 and one yard runs in the first quarter and a one yard TD in the third to close the scoring for the Hornets Brandon Eldemire notched two touchdowns for the Bulldogs to tie the game at 14 early in the second quarter before Duhart connected with Brandon Barnes for 60 yards and Josh Davis for 18 in the second quarter for a 28-14 lead at the half. Khalid Thomas rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries for ASU while Duhart completed 12 of 22 passes for 228 yards. De’Angelo Ballard completed 16 of 42 for 194 yards and Rashad Anderson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to O’Darius Williams on a trick play for A&M to round out their scoring.

Prairie View 54, Arkansas Pine Bluff 29
Prairie View A&M fell behind early but a strong defensive effort spearheaded a 40-point swing as the Panthers claimed a 54-29 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Waller ISD Stadium. Trey Green was 21-for-28 passing for 261 yards and had a career-high five total touchdowns for PVAMU UAPB jumped out to an early 14-0 lead when Brandon Duncan threw a 5-yard scoring pass to John Hawkins, and Daunte McDonald ran for a 1-yard score. The Panthers got on the board when wide receiver Christian Rousseau completed an 8-yard scoring pass to John Allen on fourth-and-4. Later, Green threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Demarquo Lastrappe to tie it at 14 before halftime. Prairie View broke the game open by scoring 26 straight points after halftime. Green had scoring runs of 1 and 25 yards during the spurt. Duncan finished with 308 yards passing, three touchdowns and an interception for Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Hawkins caught three passes for 101 yards.

Alcorn State 48, Southern 7
Alcorn State made four in row with a 48-7 victory over Southern Saturday in heavy pelting rain at A.W. Mumford Stadium Saturday afternoon. The defending SWAC champion and East Division-leading Braves stung the Jaguars with a 78-yard touchdown run on their first play from scrimmage. The Braves lost senior quarterback John Gibbs Jr., the SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year who had orchestrated the four previous wins against Southern, to a leg injury after two offensive plays and but didn’t miss a beat. Sophomore Lenorris Footman checked in at QB and rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns and tossed two more touchdown passes. The Jaguars lost its second consecutive home game for the first time in three years. They now trail both Grambling and Prairie View, which holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. Southern fell behind 21-0 after less than 15 minutes but got within 21-7 at halftime and was threatening to make it a one-score deficit on its first possession of the third quarter. A 43-yard run by Lenard Tillery, who finished with 132 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, helped the Jaguars reach the Alcorn 10, but on fourth-and-2 Stacey Garner stopped Tillery for no gain. That led to a four-touchdown blitz that contributed to Southern’s worst home loss since a 54-7 defeat against Texas Southern in 2010.

The four touchdowns came in a seven-minute span, thanks in part to the Braves forcing two fumbled snaps. Footman ran 17 yards for a touchdown, passed 38 yards to Brandon Campbell for a score, then raced to the end zone from 30 and 60 yards. That left the Braves, who beat Southern 56-16 last season in Lorman, Mississippi, with a 48-7 lead with 13:53 remaining. Alcorn, which was minus-7 in turnovers coming into the game, finished plus-2 as Southern lost four fumbles.

Jackson State 26, Mississippi Valley State 16
Jackson State survived a scare on the road against rival Mississippi Valley State Saturday afternoon escaping with a 26-16 win from Rice-Totten Stadium. JSU jumped on the board first with a 36 and 33 yard field goal respectively early in the first quarter. The Delta Devils responded with a 32-yard touchdown interception return by Farrean Toney . After an unsuccessful PAT, the score remained tied at 6-6 at halftime. With 7:57 left to play in the third, Ruben Piraquive split the uprights from 27-yards out to take MVSU’s first lead 9-6.. Later in the quarter, Slade Jarman scampered into the end zone from two-yards out; Piraquive’s extra point made it 16-6. Jackson State’s Ryan Deising placed a 24-yard field goal, to bring the score to 16-9. An eight yard touchdown run by Jordan Williams, a 24 yards passing touchdown to Dan Williams and another 33 yard field goal from Deising completed the rally for the Tigers. Javancy Jones led all tacklers with nine for the Tigers. Defensively, Charles Moore tallied eleven total tackles to lead MVSU.

Week 9 players of the week

Offensive Player of the Week

Lenorris Footman, Alcorn State, Quarterback

Filling in for senior quarterback John Gibbs, Jr., Footman accounted for six total touchdowns to lead the defending SWAC champions to a 48-7 road victory over Southern. Footman rushed for 274 yards on 16 carries, scoring four touchdowns on the day. He was also 3-for-7 for 71 yards and two more scores. His rushing scores covered 44, 17, 30, and 60 yards, and he helped to power a rushing attack that rolled up 484 yards on the ground against the Jaguars.

Defensive Player of the Week

Kourtney Berry, Alabama State, Linebacker

Berry racked up 13 total stops in helping the Hornets win the 74th Annual Magic City Classic to the tune of 35-20 over Alabama A&M. He also made a tackle for loss and recovered a fumble that halted a potential scoring drive for the Bulldogs. Berry is now up to 101 total tackles this season, a figure leads the conference by more than 20.

Special Teams Player of the Week

Booker Chambers, Mississippi Valley State, WR/Return Specialist

Chambers was a bright spot for the Delta Devils in their 26-16 loss to Jackson State, as he amassed 168 total return yards during the contest. He returned three punts for 32 yards, with a long of 19. His five kickoff returns netted him 136 total yards, with a 57-yarder being his longest of the game. Thanks to his efforts in special teams, he led all players in all-purpose yardage during the contest.

Newcomer of the Week

KhaDarel Hodge, Prairie View A&M, Wide Receiver

Hodge hauled in a season-high six grabs for 104 yards and a touchdown in Prairie View A&M’s 54-29 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Hodge was particularly effective on the drive that ultimately resulted in the Panthers – who had fallen behind 14-0 before scoring 40 unanswered points – taking their first lead of the game, as he made three catches for 70 yards during the possession. Later in the contest, he got his hands on a 10-yard touchdown from Trey Green.

Big Sky Review 2015.9

BSC  Week 9 Review

Lance Berndt & Kris Kallem, BSC  Contributors | November 03, 2015

Kris Says-

Eastern Washington 14, Weber State 13
Sustained 30 mph winds and rain turned this game into a low possession, battle of field position. In fact, Eastern had just two drives the entire game where they were going with the wind. The Wildcats more than doubled up Eastern in first downs (27-10) and total yardage (412-189), and held the ball for 23 more minutes. Weber lost the game missing two late field goals with the wind. Eastern may have won the game on the leg of 3rd string quarterback Gage Gubrud who’s rugby style punts away from Weber’s returners were able to flip the field against the wind. Eastern’s defense kept an opposing offense out of the endzone for the first time this season.

Northern Arizona 63, Northern Colorado 21
The Lumberjacks jump all over Northern Colorado going up 42-7 at half. Case Cookus threw 4 touchdowns to Emmanuel Butler alone and Casey Jahn chipped in 171 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Since their loss at Montana, NAU is now averaging 47 points per game. The Northern Arizona defense did its part holding an opponent to it’s lowest point total of the year.

Lance says-

North Dakota 44, Montana State 38
UND puts up its highest scoring total in their Big Sky conference play history running all over the Bobcats en route to this big home win. The Bobcats were able to tie the game 5 separate times, but they never took the lead. It was a very sloppy fourth quarter with three straight drives ending in lost fumbles, but North Dakota finally scored what would be the game-winning touchdown with just over a minute remaining on a John Santiago TD run. North Dakota rushed for an astounding 426 yards. John Santiago and Brady Oliveira found holes in the MSU defense all day combining for 397 yards and 4 TDs on 42 carries. Probably the strangest statistic to take away from the game is that even though there were 82 combined points scored, there were 7 turnovers in the game.

Southern Utah 54, Cal Poly 37
Sure, Cal Poly is just 2-6, but this is a statement win for Southern Utah because of the margin of victory. Cal Poly very nearly beat the other top teams in the conference, but made too many errors in this one and lost by 17 points. It’s a continuing trend for the Thunderbirds. Yes, they have played an arguably weak schedule, but they have beaten their opponents much more impressively than others have done. The big stat for Southern Utah in this one comes from the defense who tallied 3 fumble recoveries returned for a touchdown. Mike Needham had two of those and James Cowser had the other. After Southern Utah took an early 17-3 lead on Needham’s first TD, Cal Poly never again got within 9 points of the T-birds lead. Turnovers were once again the struggle for Cal Poly. They were able to gain 155 more yards, but Southern Utah forced them into 6 turnovers. For the game, Mike Needham posted 12 solo tackles, 20 total tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and the two aforementioned fumble recoveries that were both returned for TDs. James Cowser almost posted a solid line with 8 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries returning one for a touchdown and took the other one a noteworthy 45 yards which was quickly followed by an offensive TD. Look out, because Southern Utah is solidifying itself as a conference title contender.

Portland State 35, Montana 16
Yet another big win for the Vikings as their defense frustrated Montana quarterback Makena Simis all night. It is Portland State’s biggest win and just their third win over Montana since 1988. The Viking offense once again had a good rushing performance with 368 yards on the ground. RB David Jones and QB Alex Kuresa combined for 284 of those yards and 3 TDs on 40 carries. The PSU defense was lead by Patrick Onwuasor who had 3 interceptions and 8 total tackles. All 3 of those interceptions came in the first quarter. The defense also recorded 5 sacks with Michael Doman tallying 2.5 of those. With games against both Southern Utah and Eastern Washington going forward, Portland State is still in control of its conference championship destiny.

The Big Sky/Root Sports Players of the week are:

Offense
For the offense it is Northern Arizona’s QB Case Cookus. The freshman passed from 7 touchdowns and completed 25 of 31 passes for 363 yards in just three quarters of play.

Defense
On defense, the honor goes to Patrick Onwuasor from Portland State. He tied a Portland State record with 3 interceptions, all coming in the first quarter of PSU’s win over Montana.

Special Teams
For the Special Teams it must have been a pretty boring week in the Big Sky. The honor goes to NAU kicker Ryan Hawkins who was a perfect 10 for 10 on kickoffs resulting in touchbacks.

MVFC Review 2015.9

MVFC Week 9 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | November 02, 2015

JT Says-

Illinois State – 27, Indiana State -24
Illinois State remains undefeated in Missouri Valley play but one may wonder if they won the game or if it was Indiana State losing the game. The Sycamores led 24-9 after a field with 3:35 left in the third. Redbird all-world running back Michael Coprich scored on a 44 yard touchdown run just over a minute later. A 23 yard field goal in the 4th got the Redbirds within 5 points. Then with just under 3 minutes remaining Tre Roberson scored on a 5 yard touchdown run and Coprich added the 2 point conversion to put Illinois State up by 3. A 4th down attempt came up just a yard short for the Sycamores and the Redbirds survive 27-24. Tre Roberson is mister everything for the Redbirds throwing for 121 yards on 9-19 no touchdowns and a pick but also ran 12 times for 61 yards and 2 scores. Coprich ran for 165 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown. The run game from the Redbirds is the best in the Valley and the Redbirds could run all the way to a National Title.

Northern Iowa – 20, South Dakota – 7
South Dakota scored the first 7 points of the game on a nice long drive where Ryan Seager looked as good as he has the past couple weeks. Then the UNI defense looked as good as they had all season and shut the Coyotes out for the remaining 3 quarters. Shocker of the week, Aaron Bailey was the leading passer not the leading rusher. He put 231 passing yards, completing 16 of 27 attempts and a touchdown. He also ran for 44 yards and an additional score. Savon Huggins led the rushing attack with 66 yards on 9 carries. Sam Kuhter, UNI’s punter, pinned the Coyotes inside the 3 yard line and then their own 1 yard line on consecutive punts in the 4th Quarter. South Dakota managed only 187 yards on 57 plays while the Panthers flipped the script with 78 plays for 394 yards. Bailey will be the man going forward with Sawyer Kollmorgen’s career likely over due to concussions.

South Dakota State – 39, Missouri State -0
Missouri State’s painful rebuilding process continues. 89 passing yards, 122 rushing yards, and they never found the end zone or the uprights. The 39-0 shutout wasn’t even that close. Zach Lujan started the game under center for the Jackrabbits and threw 2 touchdowns on 15-19 passing for 208 yards. Taryn Christion came in mop up duty to go 9 for 11 for 97 yards and a touchdown. Brady Mengerelli led the Jackrabbit ground attack with 142 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. South Dakota State’s defense had an easy day and didn’t even let the Bears get into field goal range. On a positive note, the Bears defense did get 2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. But…they gave up 439 yards of offense to the Jackrabbits.

Chad says-

Youngstown State – 23, Western Illinois – 21
The Penguins took on the mentality of Bo Pelini, even if only for a game, and used a staunch defensive effort to keep their playoff dreams alive, and put the Leathernecks on the brink of elimination. Youngstown State held the talented skill players from Western Illinois to just 260 total yards of offense and 13 first downs. After WIU took the lead with 5:37 to go in the third, YSU answered with the go ahead, and ultimately game winning field goal. The Penguin defense allowed just 71 yards after the last WIU score, and only 28 in the 4th quarter.

North Dakota State – 35, Southern Illinois – 29
Southern Illinois was so close to making me look smart, but their complete lack of defense ultimately did them in. The Bison racked up 397 rushing yards and held the ball for over 32 minutes, keeping the dangerous Mark Iannotti off the field. The Bison had just one play over 50 yards through the first 7 games, but had 4 of them against the porous Saluki defense. King Frazier busted runs of 41, 50, and 50 yards, and was joined in the long run club by quarterback Easton Stick, who added a 60-yarder of his own. NDSU’s defense held the Salukis to a season low 398 yards of offense, but needed a strong redzone effort to secure the win. The Salukis were forced to field goals on three trips inside the 20. Mark Iannotti still got his yards with 277 passing and 83 on the ground, and had his team in position for the upset. There was just no help from his defense.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offense
RB King Frazier, North Dakota State
Frazier carried the ball 16 times for a career-high 177 yards and a score. He scored on a 50-yard break away on the first play of the fourth quarter and added a 51-yard scamper to set up NDSU’s final score. He also added another long run of 41.

Defense
LB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
DeLuca made a career-high 20 tackles including four solo stops in North Dakota State’s 35-29 win at Southern Illinois. He was in on one tackle for loss and had one pass breakup as NDSU’s defense limited the league’s top-rated offense to a season-low 398 yards of total offense and 121 rushing yards.

Special Teams
PK Jay Carlson, South Dakota State
Carlson set a career high with four field goals in South Dakota State’s 39-0 win at Missouri State. Three of Carlson’s field goals were from 40-plus yards – two from 41 yards and a career-long 47-yarder – with his first field goal of the game coming from 34 yards.

Newcomer
LB Lee Wright, Youngstown State
Wright had a career-high 14 tackles, 13 of which were solo stops as the Penguins won at Western Illinois 23-21. He also added a sack for a three-yard loss.

TSOTN Week 9

National Notes Week 9

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | October 29, 2015

The State of the Nation

The Reviews

The only constant in the FCS this season is change. There is a new number one team in the AnyGivenSaturday.com Top 25 Poll for the second straight week.The Illinois State Redbirds have claimed the top spot. The stage was set for James Madison to make a huge statement and put some distance between themselves and the teams who were chasing them for the number one ranking. ESPN College Gameday was in attendance and instead of the Dukes making the statement it was their opponent, the Richmond Spiders, who let their play on the field make a statement for them. The Spiders racked up a program record 720 yards of total offense in a 59-49 triumph over the Dukes. Jacobi Green ran for 276 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was an expensive loss for James Madison as Vad Lee was hurt and is out for the rest of the season.

The North Dakota State Bison got their stuff back into a pile last week. The Easton Stick Era is fairly begun in Fargo. Stick used his mobility and his strong arm to lead the Bison to a much needed victory over Indiana State 28-14. Northern Iowa saved their season for another week with the play of their defense beating the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State 10-7. Just imagine if the Panthers could get out of their own way on offense. The Jacksonville State Gamecocks continued to be impressive. The Cocks whipped Austin Peay 27-7 and outgained them 427-82 on offense.

Illinois State took sole possession of not only the number one spot in the AGS Poll but also the Missouri Valley Football Conference with their 48-28 victory over Western Illinois. Redbird receiver Anthony Warrum was the star of the game again this week. Warrum had 170 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just four receptions. The Eastern Washington Eagles lived on the edge once again. The Eagles kicked a field goal as time expired to defeat Northern Colorado. Cooper Kupp was amazing again with 20 catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Kupp passed Jerry Rice on the career touchdown list in the victory. Both of the Montana schools looked impressive in victories last week. The Griz, behind six touchdown passes from Makena Simis, whipped North Dakota.

The Bobcats manhandled an over matched East Tennessee State team 63-7. The Harvard Crimson threw for the third most yards in school history, 437, to rout Princeton 42-7. There is some very good football being played in Charleston, South Carolina right now. The Charleston Southern Buccaneers and their top ranked defense pitched a shutout against Gardner-Webb and won 34-0.  The Citadel Bulldogs rolled over their hated rival the Furman Paladins 38-17. Both of these squads moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season. Western Carolina beat Samford 56-36 in Cullowhee, NC. The Chattanooga Mocs again relied on their talented placekicker Henrique Ribeiro to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. The Brazil native kicked another game winner to lead the Mocs to a 20-17 victory at Wofford.

The Interviews

Brandon Lawrence, of thefcswedge.com, joins us this week and we talk about the best position groups in the FCS so far this season. Brandon writes an excellent column each Sunday on thefcswedge.com called ICYMI (In Case You Missed It). Y’all should give it a read each week.

In our Coach Interview Segment Mr. Jerome Souers, of Northern Arizona, joins us. You will want to tune in to hear what these gentlemen have to say.

The Previews

Coastal Carolina @ Charleston Southern
The Buccaneers defense will be tested by the Chanticleers. I think this is the week that Coastal gets beat. CSU 24-23.

James Madison @ William and Mary
The Dukes will struggle without Vad Lee. The Tribe are playing great right now. William and Mary 27-24.

Western Carolina @ Chattanooga
Last season the Catamounts talked a lot of smack before the game with the Mocs. Nary a peep has come out of Cullowhee so far this week. I think living dangerously catches up to Chattanooga this week. WCU 42-38.

Eastern Kentucky @ Jacksonville State
Both of these squads should have victories over SEC opponents. Two very good teams matched up in this one. I just think Jacksonville State is better. JSU 27-17.

Youngstown State @ Western Illinois
Youngstown is fading, again, and the Leathernecks need to rebound from the disappointing loss last week. WIU 28-13.

South Dakota @ Northern Iowa
The Coyotes are proving they are better than they appeared to be early in the season. Northern Iowa is fighting for their playoff life. UNI 17-14.

Indiana State @ Illinois State
Tre Roberson and Anthony Warrum prove too much for the Sycamore defense. Redbirds 38-17.

NDSU @ Southern Illinois
Easton Stick was impressive last week and the Bison defense seems to be coming together. NDSU 28-17.

Cal Poly @ Southern Utah
Can the Thunderbirds defense continue to play so well? I think they can. SUU 31-17.

Montana State @ North Dakota
UND can and will stop the Bobcat offense. Can the NoDak offense keep up? I don’t think so. MSU 38-20.

Montana @ Portland State
When will people quit asking if the Vikings are for real? This is the week. PSU 38-31.