The FCS Wedge

Big Sky Preview 2015.9

BSC Week 9 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC Contributors | October 29, 2015

Kris Says-

Weber State @ Eastern Washington
The wildcats finish the season at home against UC Davis and Idaho State. If they were to pull off the upset in Cheney, they’d stand a really good chance of finishing 7-4, with quality road wins over Eastern, and Montana. In other words, Weber State is likely playing for a playoff birth this weekend, and will be highly motivated. Eastern Washington still needs to prove they can be consistent in all three phases of the game, and put opponents away. The weather forecast is for wind and rain which certainly favors Weber State.

Northern Colorado @ Northern Arizona
It’s a battle of 4-3 squads with two more Big Sky teams fighting for their playoff lives. This game showcases two young and talented freshman quarterbacks. I was very impressed with the composure of Northern Colorado’s Jacob Knipp last week, leading his team on two late scoring drives to take a lead. For the Lumberjacks, Case Cookus is leading the conference in passer rating, and is a legit contender for the Jerry Rice award. Northern Colorado has been dynamite on specials teams returning two punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns this season. UNC is also 4th in the conference in 3rd down conversion percentage at 43.2 while the Lumberjacks are dead last, at 30.4. That’s an important stat and one that might find the Bears staying in this game until the end.

Lance says-

#25 Montana State @ North Dakota
It’s now or never for the Bobcats as they likely need to win their last 4 games to have a shot at the playoffs. First up is a road game against a team they have had a lot of success against the last three years. Since UND joined the Big Sky, Montana State has won the three matchups by an average score of 49-16. Both teams come into this game having struggled on defense as of late. With Montana State’s electrifying offense, UND will have to consistently put points on the board to keep the game close. It’s very likely that Montana State will follow the formula set forth by both Idaho State and Montana to win against UND. Spreading things out and throwing the ball deep helps make UND’s solid defense look a lot weaker. Freshman sensation North Dakota running back John Santiago may need to have the game of his life. My guess is Montana State starts some momentum with a two touchdown win.

ORV Cal Poly @ #17 Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds have taken great advantage of a pretty weak October schedule with some dominating wins on both the offensive and defensive side. Now, they start a stretch run towards the conference championship and playoff berth with the always tough Cal Poly Mustangs. The big question for the Mustangs will be if Chris Brown will be back from injury at QB. If not, Khaleel Jackson showed last weekend that they are still in capable hands. Southern Utah has been nothing short of dominant in their first 4 Big Sky games allowing an average of less than 3 points per game. Cal Poly’s triple option offense is a completely different animal, though, spreading the field and forcing teams to guard both the middle and the outside every play. I think this game will come down to the matchup of Southern Utah’s offense against Cal Poly’s defense. QB Ammon Olsen has been great in recent games and found success last season against the Mustangs throwing for 403 yards and 3 TDs. If he can find that magic again, the T-Birds should come away with the big home win.

#20 Montana @ #5 Portland State
There are at least 4 great matchups in the conference this weekend, and this could be the best of them all. It has been a long long time since these two played where Portland State was the favorite to win. The Vikings have been firing on all cylinders since their loss to UND. They have proven to be able to win with their defense, their rushing offense, and their passing offense as well. Montana, on the other hand, has been back and forth all season. Even though they do have their third string quarterback playing because of injury, he did find great success against UND and will have a good amount of confidence coming into his first ever road game. I think Montana’s biggest need in this game is to be able to stop Portland State’s running game. They struggled in that category against both UND and Weber State. Portland State has proven to have a very strong rushing attack, and if the Griz can’t make stops, this should be a runaway win for the Vikings. Montana’s very balanced linebacker corps will need to have their best game of the season for the Griz to come away with the win.

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP
2:00:00 PM	Montana State @ North Dakota Lance
3:05:00 PM	Weber State @ Eastern Washington Kris
5:00:00 PM	Cal Poly @ Southern Utah Lance
5:00:00 PM	Montana @ Portland State Lance
5:00:00 PM	Northern Colorado @ Northern Arizona Kris

All TV Listings For Wk. 9 Here

The FCSTV Guide For Week 9

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

AGS Top 25 Watch Guide – Week 9

Friday, October 30th
#23 Dartmouth at #16 Harvard NBC Sports Network 7:30pm
The two undefeated Ivy League teams matchup in a huge conference game.

Saturday, October 31st
#24 Indiana State at #1 Illinois State ESPN3 1pm
Illinois State looks to solidify their position as #1 with a ranked win in conference.

#12 Eastern Kentucky at #2 Jacksonville State 2pm
In what is likely the AGS GOTW, JSU looks to remain dominant in the OVC but EKU wants to take that spot on top.

#3 Coastal Carolina at #21 Charleston Southern 7pm
In what is Coastal’s first tough game of the season, CSU would love to knock them off and take control of the Big South.

(ORV-29) Western Carolina at #4 Chattanooga ESPN3 2pm
Chattanooga continues to beat any and all SoCon opponents and hopes to do so against the Catamounts.

#20 Montana at #5 Portland State 5pm
A very inconsistent Montana team wants to beat the surprise top 10 team, Portland State. This is a huge Big Sky game.

#6 North Dakota State at Southern Illinois ESPN3 3pm
Despite two losses, NDSU is still among the top 10 and look to continue to win against SIU.

#7 James Madison at #13 William & Mary NBC Sports Network 4pm
JMU’s defense was bullied all game long and looked very unprepared. They lost star QB Vad Lee and break in back up QB Bryan Schor. Expect the good defensive tribe to pick on Schor all game and win somewhat easily.

Albany at #8 Richmond 3:30pm
UR’s offense executed with ease last week but their defense leaves much to be desired. They should cruise easily against a bad Albany team.

#9 McNeese State at Abilene Christian 3:30pm
McNeese looks to remain in the top 10 while they visit an easy ACU squad.

Weber State at #10 Eastern Washington 3pm
WSU has knocked off some opponents this season, but EWU should have too much offense for them to handle.

#11 South Dakota State at Missouri State ESPN3 3pm
SDSU travels to Missouri in what should be a routine MVFC win.

Texas A&M-Commerce (D2) at #14 Sam Houston State 7pm
SHSU hosts a D2 this week and look for a win to pad that column.

#15 Fordham at Colgate 1pm
Fordham continues to roll in the PL and should still do so against Colgate.

Cal Poly at #17 Southern Utah 5pm
Surprise ranked team SUU faces a feisty, but underperforming Cal Poly squad.

(ORV-26) South Dakota at #18 Northern Iowa ESPN3 2pm
UNI has to be careful as they face a USD squad that was able to upset NDSU.

(ORV-28) Youngstown State at #19 Western Illinois ESPN3 2pm
Western Illinois is another surprising team this season and they face YSU and Bo Pelini.

Mercer at #22 The Citadel ESPN3 2pm
The Citadel breaks the rankings and should have an easy win against Mercer this week.

#25 Montana State at North Dakota 2pm
MSU has managed to just stay ranked and they face an inconsistent UND team this week.

Others Receiving Votes (26-30):
#27 North Carolina A&T at Florida A&M 5pm
Jacksonville at #30 Dayton 1pm

——-

An FCS NBCSN three pack of games highlights this weeks TV/Streaming coverage…As always check back for future updates and all games are in central time…

TV Guide
10/30 Dartmouth at Harvard 6:30 p.m. NBCSN
10/31 Elon at Stony Brook 11:00 a.m. SNY, ASN Affiliates
Columbia at Yale 11:30 a.m. Fox College Sports
Indiana State at Illinois State noon Comcast Chicago
Montana State at North Dakota Midco Sports, Cowles Media
NDSU at SIU 2:00 p.m. NBC ND
Weber State at Eastern Washington 2:00 p.m. Root Sports NW/RM, Direct TV 101
Cornell at Princeton 2:30 p.m. SNY, Altitude 2, ASN Affiliates
McNeese State at Abilene Christian 2:30 p.m. MASN, ASN Affiliates
JMU at William and Mary 3:00 p.m. NBCSN
UT-Martin at Arkansas 3:00 p.m. SEC Network
Northern Colorado at Northern Arizona 4:00 p.m. Fox Sports AZ
Coastal Carolina at Charleston Southern 6:00 p.m ASN Affiliates
Texas A&M Commerce at Sam Houston State 6:00 p.m. Fox College Sports
Maine at Villanova 6:30 p.m. NBCSN

FCS on ESPN3
10/31 RMU at CCSU 11:00 a.m.
Monmouth at Kennesaw State noon
Indiana State at Illinois State noon
San Diego at Stetson noon
Wofford at VMI 12:30 p.m.
Mercer at The Citadel 1:00 p.m.
WCU at Chattanooga 1:00 p.m.
South Dakota at UNI 1:00 p.m.
YSU at WIU 1:00 p.m.
College of Faith at Texas Southern 1:00 p.m. Root Sports SW
SDSU at Missouri State 2:00 p.m.
Furman at Samford 2:00 p.m.
NDSU at SIU 2:00 p.m.
Alabama A&M at Alabama State 2:30 p.m.
SE Louisiana at Central Arkansas 7:00 p.m.

FCS on ESPN College Extra
10/31 Indiana State at Illinois State noon
San Diego at Stetson noon
North Dakota State at Southern Illinois 2:00 p.m.
South Dakota State at Missouri State 2:00 p.m.
SE Louisiana at Central Arkansas 7:00 p.m.

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

SoCon Digital Network

MVFC Preview 2015.9

MVFC Week 9 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC Contributors | October 29, 2015

JT Says-

Indiana State @ Illinois State
Illinois State will remain undefeated. Indiana State has lost it’s last 2 conference road games and only managed 21 points combined against NDSU and SDSU. They scored 56 on Missouri State but allowed the Bears to score 28, their highest this season. South Dakota State and North Dakota state have lost so the Missouri Valley is now the Redbirds to lose. Other than the early against Eastern Illinois, the Redbirds have not trailed since they lost to the Iowa Hawkeye’s. They do not face NDSU in the regular season and with SDSU this could be a trap game but with a possible undefeated Missouri Valley season on the line, they will take care of business. Illinois State’s offense continues to put up points as they win 45-23.

South Dakota @ Northern Iowa
Raise your hand if you had South Dakota with 2 wins at this point? Exactly. Raise your hand if you had UNI with only 1 win at this point. Exactly. South Dakota had NO hangover after the upset win in Fargo. They put up a 40 spot on Missouri State and look to upset the Panthers in the UNI Dome. The Panthers lost 3 straight games, all of them winnable. They won the ugliest game in years for UNI football with a 10-7 win over. UNI STILL can’t throw the ball. At all. Aaron Bailey is a great runner but had to do solo work with Sawyer Kollmorgen not making the trip. UNI needs Sawyer to play. They need to pass the ball. Also, their running backs are getting blown out of the water by their quarterback. If they want any chance at the post season, the need to win this game and get the offense off of life supports. The UNI defense has been solid to spectacular all season. South Dakota will struggle to get points, even if they get yards UNI will find a way to win this one. 24-14.

South Dakota State @ Missouri State
The Jackrabbits get their turn at Missouri State. Missouri State is not good. They have been outscored 207-66 in Valley play. It’s quite amazing they put up 28 against Indiana State. South Dakota State only mustered 7 points against UNI but the 3rd string UNI defense would put up a better fight than Missouri State. Surprisingly, SDSU has only put up 88 points in conference play which puts them behind everyone but Missouri State and UNI. Neither team has lit it up but South Dakota State gets rolling early and often in this one. SDSU 45 Mo State 10

Chad says-

Youngstown State @ Western Illinois
This is a vital, dare I say must win, game for both of these programs. Youngstown State is looking to prove that the issues of past years October and November issues are, just that, the issues of past years. At 3-4, 1-3 in conference, they can’t afford another loss to even be on the bubble come selection Sunday. For WIU it sounds odd to say it is a must win, and maybe I’m a bit premature on it. They sit 3-1 in conference, tied for second place. The issue for the Leathernecks is their remaining schedule. After the Penguins they go on the road to NDSU and Indiana State, with SDSU to close the season. With 3 losses already on the books, and that kind of schedule, they have no room for error. The Leathernecks have their eyes still set square on the playoffs, which the Penguins are starting to see deja vu of past nightmares. I think the demons continue to haunt YSU. I’ve got WIU by 2 scores.

North Dakota State and Southern Illinois
The upset special of the week. Why am I crazy enough to say that? NDSU can’t seem to contain quarterbacks who can move. They’ve faced three in a row – Aaron Bailey, of Northern Iowa, ran for 157 on 12.1 yards per carry. Ryan Saeger, of South Dakota, picked up 92 at 5.8 yards per carry. Matt Adam picked up 88 on 6 carries, taking out sack yardage. This week they have to try to stop Mark Iannotti who averaged just under 5 yards per carry as part of the Saluki offense that averages 41 points per game and 110 yard MORE per game than the second best offense in the conference. There isn’t another, active player, in the conference within 120 yards of Iannotti when it comes to production. The good news for Bison fans? Southern Illinois doesn’t really like to play defense, giving up 32 points and 463 yards per game. If the Bison can do something no one else has, slow Iannotti, they should win with ease. If not? Well, the rumbling of NDSU slipping back to the pack will only grow.

12:00	Indiana State @ Illinois State	ESPN3
1:00	Youngstown State @ Western Illinois	ESPN3
1:00	South Dakota @ Northern Iowa	ESPN3/Panther Sports Network
2:00	North Dakota State @ Southern Illinois	ESPN3
2:00	South Dakota State @ Missouri State	ESPN3

SWAC Review 2015.8

SWAC Week 8 Review:

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 27, 2015

Saturday, October 24

Southern 40 Texas Southern 21
Lenard Tillery rushed for a career-high 198 yards with two touchdowns and Southern beat Texas Southern 40-21 in a game played earlier than scheduled due to heavy rain bands from Hurricane Patricia. Southern got off on the right foot, as Willie Quinn returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown which tied the all-time FCS record, for most kickoff return touchdowns in a career. TSU tied it after a fumble on a punt return set up a short field for Brad Woodard’s two yard yard run. Southern’s first offensive drive resulted in a three yard touchdown run by Tillery, and he added another a two yard plunge to put the Jaguars up 21-7 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.The Tigers responded, as Larry Clark III’s 54-yard touchdown catch and Malik Cross’ 18-yarder tied the game at 21 at halftime. In the third, the Jaguars added a short field goal by Gregg Pittman, and a blocked punt that resulted in a safety. Touchdown runs by Deonte Shorts and John West iced the win. The Tigers were held to 92 total yards, including -2 yards rushing.

Jackson State 37 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
Jackson State quarterback Jarin Morikawa passed for 333 yards on 25-of-40 attempts and three touchdowns as the Tigers topped Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 37-3, on homecoming Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. It marked the second victory of the season for the Tigers while the Lions remained winless in the SWAC. Devin Fosselman caught all three touchdown passes from Morikawa, who was playing for injured starter LaMontiez Ivy. For the game, Fosselman hauled in six receptions for 175 yards. JSU running back Robert Johnson led all rushers with 100 yards on 18 carries. He also finished with a rushing touchdown. JSU opened the game with 24 unanswered points, taking a 24-0 lead at halftime. Fosselman got things going with a 48-yard pass reception, followed by a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Deising, a 42-yard run by Johnson and a 37-yard field goal by Deising. UAPB didn’t get on the scoreboard until Jamie Gillan kicked a 22-yard field goal in the third period, which would turn out to be the Lions’ only points. The JSU defense held UAPB to only 175 yards of total offense, 76 of which were on the ground.

Grambling State 49 Mississippi Valley State 14
Johnathan Williams completed 13 of 22 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Grambling State to a 49-14 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Jestin Kelly added 159 yards on the ground on 18 carries for GSU. Chester Rogers finished with 118 yards receiving and Chad Williams had 80 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Grambling jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 35-7 lead into the break after a 40-yard touchdown run by Martez Carter. A Dre’ Fusilier 14-yard run with 14:19 left in the game pushed the Tigers lead to 49-7. A Ruban Thurston Jr. 21-yard scoring strike to Tre Simms capped off the scoring for the Delta Devils (0-8, 0-6). Thurston Jr. finished with 180 yards passing with a touchdown and Thomas Stokes Jr. led MVSU on the ground with 118 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Week 8 Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week
Devin Fosselman, Jackson State, Wide Receiver
Fosselman had a career day in Jackson State’s 37-3 homecoming victory over the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Fosselman hauled in six grabs for 175 yards, scoring three touchdowns in the game as well. Fosselman’s 48-yard touchdown catch opened up the scoring for the Tigers, and the senior’s other scores came from 59 yards and 10 yards out.

Defensive Player of the Week
Daniel Brown, Southern, Linebacker
Brown was a menace for the Jaguars against Texas Southern, as the fifth-year senior made six tackles and four sacks in Southern’s 40-21 road victory against TSU. Brown was a driving force behind a strong pass rush for the Jaguars, as he accounted for half of the team’s sack total in the victory. Brown also forced a fumble that Southern recovered and turned into a field goal that gave the Jaguars a 24-21 advantage in the third quarter and set off a run of 16 unanswered points for them.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Willie Quinn, Southern, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist
Quinn accounted for 123 return yards in Southern’s 40-21 win at Texas Southern. The highlight for the senior speedster was a game-opening 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that not only put Southern on the board, but also tied Quinn with Hampton’s Jerome Mathis’ career record for the most kickoff return touchdowns by an FCS player. Quinn, who has earned the SWAC Specialist of the Week honor three times this year, is one kickoff return touchdown away from breaking the record and is one kick return score of any sort from tying a season record for most return TDs by an FCS player.

Newcomer of the Week
Jarin Morikawa, Jackson State, Quarterback
Filling in for the injured LaMontiez Ivy, Morikawa ensured that Jackson State’s passing attack didn’t miss a beat. The sophomore ended up throwing for 333 yards – on 25-of-40 passing – and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 37-3 homecoming win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

MVFC Review 2015.8

MVFC Week 8 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC Contributors | October 27, 2015

JT Says-

North Dakota State – 28 Indiana State – 14
No Carson Wentz for NDSU, instead it was Easton Stick,whose name is popular in hockey country, under center for the Bison. Easton went 9-20 for 126 yards 1 pick and 1 TD thru the air but also ran for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. Indiana State did tie it early in the 2nd half with a 81 yard run by Sycamore quarterback Matt Adam. He finished the day with a rather pedestrian 10-25 for 86 yards and 1 TD thru the air and 75 yards on 8 rushes and another touchdown. North Dakota State held the Sycamores to 201 total yards of offense. NDSU held the ball for nearly 40 minutes on 77 plays. Control the clock, dominate on defense, win games, win championships, NDSU football.

South Dakota – 40 Missouri State – 10
South Dakota beating North Dakota State, shocking. Anybody beating Missouri State, not shocking. Somewhat shocking was the 40-10 final. After 3 field goals in the first quarter, Ryan Saeger threw a 34 yard strike to Eric Shufford to go up 16-7 and they never trailed. Missouri State managed a meager 155 yards of total offense to South Dakota’s 529 total yards of offense. Saeger was 20-29 for 175 yards, 1 pick, and 1 score. Michael Frederick led the Coyote ground attack with 129 rushing yards on 22 carries and 1 touchdown. Missouri State has now only scored 66 points in four conference games while giving up 207 points. The 207 points are as much as Illinois State, North Dakota State, and South Dakota state COMBINED.

Chad says-

Southern Illinois – 38 Youngstown State – 31 OT
Another season, another late season collapse by YSU. Going back to 2010 the Penguins are just 16-26 in the months of October and November, after starting those seasons a combined 18-6 in August/September. Kevin asked last week if this was something Pelini could fix, and if he can it isn’t happening this year. YSU feasts on Pioneer and Northeastern Conference teams early in the season and is never prepared for a full 60 minutes against MVFC teams. That was on full display last week as the Salukis blocked two second half kicks and outscored the Penguins 31-17 in the second half, and overtime, with 17 of those points coming with less than 5:10 left in regulation.

Northern Iowa – 10 South Dakota State – 7
I’m not sure what was uglier, the field conditions or the offensive performance from both teams. Coughlin–Alumni Stadium was drenched in rain all day Friday and had a high school game played on it Thursday night. Those conditions created an environment for defenses to strive. The Panthers lived in the Jackrabbit backfield, and held an offense that had been averaging 427 yards, and 33 points, per game to just 259 yards and 7 points. Splitting reps in practice all week may have caused some timing issues for the Jacks offense as Zach Lujan started the game for the Jacks, but after going just 1-5 on his first two possessions the reigns were handed back to Christion. I’m not sure Christion taking all the reps would have made a difference though, as the Panthers’ defensive performance was as good as I’ve seen from that unit.

Illinois State – 48 Western Illinois – 28
For two and a half quarters the Leathernecks made me look like a genius after what I said last week. Norvell was hooking up with Lenoir and Joey Borsellino like there was no secondary on the field for the Redbirds. Nikko Watson struggled to get going, but was doing enough to keep the Redbird defense honest. Then, after taking a 28-21 lead halfway through the third quarter, the Leatherneck defense forgot they needed to tackle Marshaun Coprich and Tre Roberson. Coprich finished the game with 206 yards and two scores on 29 carries, while Roberson added 111 on 9 carries and 2 scores of his own on the ground. The Redbirds scored the final 27 points of the game, with scoring plays of 83, 65, and 19 yards included. To further prove all of the momentum was going the Redbirds way, Coprich fumbled the ball in the redzone but the ball bounced right into Anthony Warrum for the final score of the game.

CONFERENCE P.O.W.

Offense:
WR Anthony Warrum – Illinois State
Warrum accounted for three touchdowns and had 170 yards on 4 receptions – a stellar 42.5 yards per catch.

Defense:
DL – Karter Schult – Northern Iowa
Schult lived in the Jackrabbit backfield totaling 7 total tackles, with 4 of those for loss and 3 sacks. The 4 tackle for loss move Schult into third all time at UNI he is just one shy of the national lead in sacks.

Special Teams:
LB Chase Allen – Southern Illinois
Allen played only in the second half and overtime, but he managed a blocked field goal and punt in the fourth quarter to give his Salukis a chance at overtime, and the win.

Newcomer:
QB Easton Stick – North Dakota State
Making his first start for the Bison, Stick threw for 126 yards with a score and added 124 yards and two scores on the ground.

Southern Illinois – 38………..OT
Youngstown State – 31…….OT

South Dakota – 40
Missouri State – 10

Northern Iowa – 10
South Dakota State – 7

North Dakota State – 28
Indiana State – 14

Illinois State – 48
Western Illinois – 28

Big Sky Review 2015.8

BSC Week 8 Review

Lance Berndt & Kris Kallem, BSC Contributors | October 27, 2015

Lance says-

Montana 42 North Dakota 16
When thinking about passing records at Montana, names like Dave Dickenson, Jordan Johnson, Brian Ah Yat, Brad Lebo, and Drew Miller come to mine. Originally the third string QB to start the season, Makena Simis adds his name to Grizzly lore by tying the record for most passing touchdowns in a game with 6. After a tight battle for the first 25 minutes, Montana broke the game open scoring 35 unanswered points in a matter of 21 minutes. Jamaal Jones and Ellis Henderson helped open up the field for Simis gaining 253 yards and 4 TDs on just 7 combined receptions. John Santiago led UND with 178 rushing yards and 1 TD. Defensive lineman Tyrone Holmes tallied 10 tackles, 2 for loss including 1 sack. He currently leads the FCS with 11 sacks on the season.

Montana State 63 East Tennessee State 7
As stated last weekend, East Tennessee State is virtually a JV team, so this was no surprise. Dakota Prukop passed for 226 yards and 3 TDs to lead the Bobcats.

Northern Arizona 52 Weber State 36
The Lumberjacks pick up a statement win as they try to finish their season on a high note. The offense dominated all game. RB Casey Jahn gained 171 total yards and had 1 rushing TD. QB Case Cookus passed for 353 yards and 4 TDs. On defense they were led by Jake Thomas who had 8 solo tackles, 11 total tackles, and 2 sacks. Tough loss for Weber after two good wins.

Portland State 38 Cal Poly 35
I had this game tallied as game of the week and it did not disappoint. With their star QB Chris Brown out with an injury, Cal Poly had to turn to true freshman Khaleel Jenkins. Facing one of the top teams in the country, Jenkins led the complex Mustang triple option with success as the team gained 420 rushing yards. The effort was not enough, though, as Portland State was able to pull out the win despite being outgained by 150 yards and losing the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes. Cal Poly shut down most of the Vikings run game, but QB Alex Kuresa stepped up passing for 232 yards and 2 TDs and also ran for 101 yards and 2 more TDs. The key factor in this game was turnovers, with Portland State forcing 4 Mustang turnovers while only giving up 1. Two of those Cal Poly lost fumbles occurred within the red zone and proved costly to their close loss.

Kris Says-

EWU 43 Northern Colorado 41
Northern Colorado kept it close by returning a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the 3rd quarter. Eastern kept it close by having it’s first PAT blocked, missing it’s second one, and giving up an onside kick recovery late in the game. Eagle wider receiver Cooper Kupp broke conference career records for receptions and yards in this game and passed Jerry Rice to move into 2nd all time in FCS career touchdowns. Kupp caught 20 balls for 275 yards and 3 scores. Eastern punter Jordan Dascalo, in relief, kicked the final 4 extra points and the game winning 44 yard field goal as time expired for the win.

Southern Utah 34 UC Davis 6
The Tbirds have another dominating defensive performance holding Davis to just 235 yards of total offense. Quarterback Ammon Olsen has a solid day going 26-41 for 336 yards, 2 touchdowns, and he also ran for one. Southern Utah has now given up just 1 touchdown and only 16 total points in their last 5 games.

Sacramento State 38 Idaho State 13
Freshman quarterback Nate Ketteringham lit up the Bengals going 20-26 for 287 yards and 4 touchdowns. Idaho State quarterback Tanner Gueller on the other hand, struggled in his first start throwing 4 picks. Both teams have experienced a ton of injuries and are building for next year. This was the Hornets first conference win.

Players of the Week:

A third-string sophomore quarterback shares honors with Cooper Kupp‘s outstanding performance on offense. Makena Simis tied a Montana school record with six touchdown passes in the Grizzlies win over North Dakota.

James Cowser of Southern Utah gets the defensive award. Cowser was everywhere, logging 7 total tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Portland State kicker Jonathan Gonzalez picks up the special teams trophy going 3-4 on the night including the game winning 33 yard field goal with 27 seconds left for the win at Poly.

ICYMI: Week 8

Big Sky Preview 2015.8

BSC Week 8 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC Contributors | October 22, 2015

Kris Says-

Eastern Washington @ Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado has already equaled their win total from the last two seasons, albeit against a weak schedule. In fact, the last time the Bears had a winning season was 2003. They will have something to play for the rest of the way and I expect them to throw everything they have at Eastern. Defensive End Mikhail Dubose is second in the conference with 8 tackles for loss and he compliments a decent pass defense that’s ranked in the middle of the Big Sky. I’d expect the Eagles to try and establish the run early with Jabari Wilson, and a now healthy Jalen Moore.

Southern Utah @ UC Davis
It will be interesting to see if Southern Utah can continue it’s recent dominance against the 1-6 Aggies. Thunderbirds new offensive coordinator, Justin Walterscheid, had a great debut last week as Southern Utah gained 570 yards in total offense. We know the defense is really good. If the Tbird offense can get even close to that kind of production the rest of the way, they’ll be playing in December. There is a bit of a trap game concern here as Davis knocked off NAU a few weeks ago after a big win, and Southern Utah finishes their schedule against 4 solid opponents. They might be looking ahead a little bit.

Idaho State @ Sacramento State
Sacramento State will have a true freshman in Nate Ketteringham making just his second start at Quarterback and Idaho State redshirt freshman Tanner Gueller will be making his first start. At least both quarterbacks will have experienced receivers to throw to as both defenses are porous, so this might actually be a fun game to watch.

Lance says-

ORV North Dakota @ #23 Montana
With minimal offense for both teams, this matchup was a defensive thriller last season ending with a game-winning field goal for Montana. With injuries for both teams at QB, this could once again be a very low scoring game. After playing three straight seasons in Grand Forks, I’m sure a lot of both the fans and the upperclassmen for the Griz will be glad to get UND on their home turf. After Weber had some success against the Montana run defense, John Santiago will be the guy for UND on offense. For the Grizzly offense, I think they just need to rely on the passing game. Teams just don’t have success on the ground against North Dakota. It’s simply something that hasn’t happened all season. Either way, this is a big game for both team’s playoff and conference hopes. Loser will have to start rebuilding towards next season.

East Tennessee State @ #25 Montana State
A few years back, I remember being consistently disappointed with both Montana and Montana State’s non-conference schedule. At least now, Montana’s has improved, but the Bobcats continue to disappoint. First they played D2 Fort Lewis, and now they play East Tennessee State, a team with virtually a junior college roster considering this is their first season playing and the roster is almost all freshmen. This one is guaranteed to be a snoozer. These types of games are sometimes beneficial at the start of the season just to get guys on the field, but in the middle they are useless for just about everyone. If the Bobcats don’t win by over 40, I’ll be very surprised.

ORV Weber State @ Northern Arizona
A couple weeks ago, Northern Arizona looked to be the clear favorite when these two met up, but now it’s looking like Weber might have the slight edge. Still, I think too many people are counting out NAU too early. They are still a strong team with a very balanced offense and capable defense. Plus, they’ve shown they’re much better at home than on the road. The Wildcats are on a roll, though, coming off a big win in Missoula and an exciting comeback win against UND. They’ve won 4 out of 5 and still have hope for both a playoff bid and a conference title. If Weber can pull this off, they might be just an Eastern Washington upset away from pulling off both goals. The defense needs to step up to win on the road, so I think Emmett Tela is the key player for the Wildcats. For Northern Arizona, look to running back Casey Jahn. If he can have the success that John Santiago did against Weber’s defense, it will only fuel their high powered offense.

#9 Portland State @ ORV Cal Poly
This is a big one. My pick for game of the week. Cal Poly had two weeks to lick their wounds and rest up for their last ditch effort to sneak into the playoffs. They have five games left and need to win all five to have a shot. First up is Portland State, who is playing some of the best football they have played since the turn of the century. The Vikings looked strong on defense to start the season and now they have just obliterated teams offensively the last two weeks. Fans who like to see offenses air it out need not attend this game. It’d be reaching to say there will be 25 combined passing attempts. Cal Poly leads the country in rushing yards per game and Portland State is just behind in sixth. The Vikings attack is led by a balanced backfield with David Jones, Steven Long, Nate Tago, and Paris Penn all likely to contribute along with QB Alex Kuresa. The Mustangs have QB Chris Brown, inside runner Joe Protheroe and outside man Kori Garcia as the lead players in their triple option attack. The big question is which defense will make enough plays to win this game?

TSOTN Week 8

National Notes Week 8

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | October 22, 2015

The State of the Nation

The Reviews

Just when you think you have a good read on how this season is going to go the unexpected blindsides you like like a blocker on a punt return. The South Dakota Coyotes shocked FCS world by upsetting the top ranked Bison of North Dakota State. The Coyotes just seemed to want it more and that is unusual to say about an NDSU team. Continuing the good week that was for the teams from the Mount Rushmore State the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State dominated Youngstown State after the Penguins gifted the Jacks two first half turnovers. For Youngstown it seems that the new boss is the old boss as the Penguins again are fading when it matters most. Western Illinois won an extremely tough and hard hitting game against Northern Iowa 24-19 and Nikko Watson’s 115 rushing yards and the outstanding play of the Leatherneck secondary doomed the Panthers.

Illinois State crushed Missouri State behind the duo of Tre Roberson, who had 304 passing yards, and Marshaun Coprich who ran for 139 more and two scores. Redbird wideout Anthony Warrum was also key for Illinois State. Warrum had 194 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Weber State continued to surprise. The Wildcats scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to propel them to a 25-24 come from behind victory over North Dakota. Weber State seems to be starting to believe that they should win the close ones. Southern Utah shutout their second straight Big Sky Opponent in as many weeks. The Thunderbird defense has surrendered just a single field goal in conference play so far this year. SUU may be the most complete team in the Big Sky. They are, as I just mentioned, very solid on defense and Quarterback Amman Olsen is quietly having a stellar season. Portland State absolutely embarrassed Montana State. The Vikings gashed the Bobcats for 465 yards rushing and 59 points. Portland State looks poised to make a run at the Big Sky Championship.

The Fordham Rams proved that they can take a punch and then deliver haymakers of their own after surviving in overtime against the Holy Cross Crusaders. Rams running back Chase Edmonds ran for 162 yards and four touchdowns including the game winner in the extra session. Below the Mason and Dixon line the Chattanooga Mocs ran into a Virginia Military Institute team that fought like it was New Market all over again. Chattanooga placekicker Henrique Ribeiro kicked four field goals for the Mocs who were able to avoid the upset at the hands of the Keydets winning 33-27. The win was the Mocs 10th straight Southern Conference victory. The Citadel Bulldogs won the SoCon’s battle of the bulldogs going away. The Cadets used a very strong rushing attack, led by Quarterback Dominique Allen’s 166 yards, and a stingy defense to whip Samford 44-25. Cadet Dee Delaney was key for the ‘Dogs. Delaney had ten tackles, a pick, , a forced fumble, and a fumble return for a touchdown. Cadet Delaney was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. The Cowboys of McNeese State continued their quiet march up the AnyGivenSaturday.com Top 25 Poll with a solid all around performance against Central Arkansas. Wallace Scott’s scoop and score was the play of the game for McNeese in this one and helped the Cowboys outscore Central Arkansas 21-0 in the fourth quarter of a 28-13 Cowboy win.

The new #1 team in the FCS the James Madison Dukes proved they deserved the nod by defeating Elon 51-0. The Dukes have put up 50 points on the road the last two weeks and have won 14 straight regular season CAA games dating back to last season. 604 yards of total offense, including an impressive 406 on the ground, propelled the Dukes to the win. Quarterback Vad Lee completed 16 of his 22 attempts for 198 yards and two touchdowns. The William and Mary Tribe won for the second straight week over a ranked opponent by beating New Hampshire 34-18. The Tribe piled up 325 rushing yards with Kendell Anderson leading the way with 174 yards and two touchdowns. Game Balls go to all of the victorious squads.

The Interviews

In the Voices of the FCS Segment, longtime Voice of the Furman Paladins Mr. Chuck Hussion joins us. You’ll want to tune in to hear about mascot murder, felony theft, and all the other things that go into making a great rivalry. In our Head Coach Interview Segment, Mr. Ed Lamb of Southern Utah University was kind enough to sit down with us and talk Thunderbird and BSC football. Many thanks to both of these gentleman for giving of their time this week.

The Previews

NDSU @ Indiana State
The Bison have to break in backup Qb Easton Stick after losing Carson Wentz for 4-6 weeks due to a broken wrist. If their run is to continue this is a must win. NDSU 24-21.

Western Illinois @ Illinois State
The Leathernecks are tough as hell but not quite there yet. Too much Tre Roberson and Marshaun Coprich. Redbirds 31-27.

Northern Iowa @ South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits are playing well and the Panthers can’t seem to win the close ones. SDSU 23-19.

Princeton @ Harvard
Before last week this one had Ivy League Title implications. Now it is just another Harvard victory. Crimson 31-17.

Richmond @ James Madison
ESPN Gameday will be in attendance. The JMU fans will put on a show for the cameras and then Vad Lee and company will put on a show on the field. Dukes 42-30.

Samford @ Western Carolina
Two teams heading in opposite directions. Catamounts 27-24.

Chattanooga @ Wofford
Mike Ayers and his Terriers put it all together this week and upset the Mocs in Spartanburg. Wofford 28-27.

Coastal Carolina @ Monmouth
Monmouth will hang around for quite a while but Coastal will win it in the fourth quarter. Chanticleers 31-24.

Kennesaw State @ Liberty
The Flames are sliding but should have enough to beat Kennesaw State. Liberty 38-17.

Charleston Southern @ Gardner Webb
Gardner Webb is reeling and CSU is peaking. Buccaneers 31-10.

Weber State @ Northern Arizona
This one is really interesting. The Lumberjacks are a good team but so is Weber State. Weber State 28-25.

Southern Utah @ UC Davis
Thunderbirds Are Go! Southern Utah 38-23.

East Tennessee State @ Montana State
The Bucs are a first year restart football team with only two juniors on the roster. The rest are freshmen and sophomores. Better days are coming for ETSU just not this day. Bobcats 52-10.

North Dakota @ Montana
This should be a battle. Who can remain relevant in the Big Sky Conference race? I’ll take the Griz at home 28-24.

My Point of View

Get out there and find an FCS game close to you this week and support these Student Athletes who play the game because they are good at it and have a passion and love for it!

SWAC Preview 2015.8

SWAC Week 8 Preview

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 22, 2015

JACKSON STATE vs. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
Saturday October 24 2:00 p.m. CST
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (60,492) Jackson, Miss.
TV: None
Series: Jackson State leads, 24-12-1
Last Meeting: September 27, 2014 – Pine Bluff, Ark.
Jackson State 33, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 30 (OT)

Stop me if you’ve read this before, but this game features two teams that are having disappointing seasons and are hoping for a win. UAPB was predicted to have a rough season and so far that has been the case. They had a not as close as the score loss to Alabama State on Thursday. The Golden Lions are struggling on offense as they are 9th ranked in total offense and 9th in scoring offense. They’ve played musical chairs at the QB position and that has hurt any chance for consistency. The running game is key for UAPB this week as they need to shorten the game to keep JSU’s passing game in check. On defense UAPB fares better as they are 4th in passing defense, scoring defense, and total defense. They don’t play the run well but that isn’t a factor against JSU. For the Blue Bengals the key is simple, let LaMontiez Ivy get the ball to his playmakers. Dan Williams and Jarious Moll are threats any time the catch the ball. JSU has to be less one dimensional, the run game has to be a factor, the Tigers are 9th in rushing offense. On defense JSU has been beaten by big plays through the air. I don’t feel like UAPB will challenge them in that regard. But for JSU to control the game they have to force UAPB to turn the ball over as the Golden Lions are a -6 in turnover margin. Both teams are having rough seasons and this won’t be a pretty game. Prediction: JSU 30 UAPB 21

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE @ GRAMBLING STATE
Saturday October 24 2:00 p.m. CST
Eddie Robinson Stadium (23,200) Grambling, La.
TV: None
Series: Grambling State leads, 49-5-2
Last Meeting: November 6, 2014 – Grambling, La.
Mississippi Valley State 23, Grambling State 38

The tour of doom continues for Valley as this week they face the hottest team in the league. Valley did have one positive last week as they scored their highest point total of the season (21 points). But the challenge rises again this week. Talking about Valley is like hearing a broken record, the Delta Devils are a young team and they haven’t had any chances to grow. This trial by fire has led them to play multiple QBs and RBs to find the right combination. Although neither has set the world on fire they seem to have settled on QB Thurston Rubin and RB Thomas Stokes. Valley’s offense is last in every major offensive category and they only average 241 yards of total offense. That obviously puts lots of pressure on their defense who has been unable to make stops. The defense plays the run decently but that is mainly because teams can run at will. The Delta Devils have not given up less than 45 points this season. The schedule makers didn’t do this team any favors as they play 10 straight games before their bye week on Nov. 14. Grambling is pure offense, their passing offense is potent as they rank 3rd in the league, they are 2nd in total offense and scoring offense. Johnathan Williams is a very dangerous QB and he should make lots of big plays connecting with multiple targets. Chester Rogers and Chad Williams should put up numbers against this secondary. The X-Factor for Grambling this year is Martez Carter, his big play running has led Grambling to the 3rd ranked rushing offense. This is a good game for Grambling’s defense, this is a pure numbers game and they should get plenty of stops to get their offense back on the field. Coming off a big win over Alcorn last week, I would usually view this as a trap game, but this is the ideal game to get the team focused again. Prediction: GSU 63 MVSU 11

SOUTHERN @ TEXAS SOUTHERN
Saturday October 24 2:00 p.m. CST
BBVA Compass Stadium (22,039) Houston, Texas
TV: None
Series: Southern leads, 45-20-4
Last Meeting: November 8, 2014 – Baton Rogue, La.
Texas Southern 20, Southern 30

Which Jaguar team will show up? Although the offense scored 40+ points for the 4th straight SWAC game the Jags were uncharacteristically careless with the football. If the Jags are starting to be more turnover prone then that will make this game much tougher. The Jags are more than capable of moving the ball through the air or on the ground. QB Austin Howard has developed into one of the better QBs in the league, he has plenty of weapons at his disposal. WR’s Willie Quinn, Randall Menard, Nico Talbert, and Mike Jones are top targets. When the Jags want to run they lean on the combo of Lenard Tillery and Malcom Crockett. Defensively is where the Jags issues arise, they have been having problems getting off the field on 3rd down and the secondary has been porous at times (9th in passing defense). One positive for the Southern defense is that they are ball hawking and will get interceptions. Texas Southern has been average statistically on offense and have yet to find a stride in games with teams that are evenly matched or better. QB Averion Hurts has potential to be a solid QB and he is the reigning SWAC offensive player of the week. His top target is 6’7” Derrick Griffin who is a matchup nightmare and it appears that TSU realizes he is on their team now. The Tigers are capable running the ball and they are led by RB Brad Woodard. On defense the Tigers rank 2nd in total defense and they play both the run and pass well enough to win. Jamal Lucas is the leading tackler and Darian Claiborne is a playmaking LB. For TSU to be successful they have to control Southern on offense and make timely plays when they have the ball. When these two teams meet it’s usually close, I feel like Southern’s mentality will be the difference in this game. If the Jags put their PVU loss behind them then they should win, if they have a hangover TSU will hang around and be difficult to put away. TSU is out of the race, Southern can ill afford another loss. Nor can they look ahead to Alcorn next week. Prediction: SU 31 TSU 24.