The FCS Wedge

TSOTN Week 7

National Notes Week 7

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | October 15, 2015

The State of the Nation

The Reviews

What a week in the FCS! Some of our top teams really showed what they were made of and a couple showed us that they were pretenders all along. The North Dakota State Bison showed their mettle and toughness over a determined Northern Iowa Panthers squad and won the football game at the end. The Bison ran their home winning streak to an impressive 26 games. Illinois State couldn’t quite put the Penguins of Youngstown State away and had to hold on for the 31-29 victory. South Dakota State saw the birth of a new star when the Jackrabbits pulled the Redshirt off of Quarterback Taryn Christion. Christion accounted for 320 yards of total offense in the Jacks 24-7 triumph over Indiana State. The Fordham Rams, of the Patriot League, needed a 31 yard field goal by Makay Redd with 8 seconds remaining to avoid overtime with Pennsylvania. The Quakers are a pesky squad who had already defeated the Villanova Wildcats.

The Portland State Vikings absolutely hammered the North Texas Mean Green of the FBS 66-7. The Vikings announced late this week that Interim Head Coach Bruce Barnum will now be the permanent Coach in the Rose City for the next five years. Coach Barnum has earned the opportunity. Eastern Washington outlasted Cal Poly 42-41 in overtime in Cheney. The Eagles continue to live dangerously each week. The Montana State Bobcats used a balanced offensive attack and a stingy red zone defense to whip the Hornets of Sacramento State. Dakota Prukop accounted for 3 touchdowns in the victory. Weber State rebounded from perhaps the worst performance in program history one week ago and used a potent ground game to beat the Montana Grizzlies in Missoula. Wildcat running back Eric Wilkes carried the ball 24 times for 112 yards for Weber State.

Down South, the Chattanooga Mocs dominated both lines of scrimmage and after the 1st quarter the offense was too much for the Furman Paladins to handle. Derrick Craine had 21 carries and 140 yards for the Mocs. The Citadel Bulldogs jumped all over the Wofford Terriers and never looked back. Running back Tyler Renew led the Cadets with 85 yards rushing. The Citadel moved to 8-0 under Head Coach Mike Houston when scoring 21 or more points in a ballgame. McNeese State scored on their first two possessions and then relied on the defense. The Cowboy defense was outstanding and held a very good Southeastern Louisiana offense to just 7 points.

James Madison continues to impress. The Dukes outscored the Towson Tigers 27-13 in the second half and won 51-30. Quarterback Vad Lee threw 5 touchdown passes in the win. William and Mary scored 28 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter to pull away from Villanova. Great win for the Tribe. Coastal Carolina survived, and that is about all one can say, against a tough Presbyterian Blue Hose team. Presbyterian had a chance to tie the score on the final play but were turned away. Great effort by the Blue Hose. Gardner Webb, led by quarterback Tyler Maxwell’s 278 total yards and 3 touchdowns, whipped the Liberty Flames. Liberty had no answer for Maxwell’s silver hammer. Game balls go to all of the victorious teams.

The Interviews

In the Voices of the FCS segment this week Mr. Jay Colley, longtime Voice of the William and Mary Tribe, joins us. Bubba Schweigert, Head Coach at the University of North Dakota, is our Coach interview. Thanks to both of these gentlemen for making the time to appear on The FCS Wedge.

The Previews

New Hampshire @ William and Mary
The Wildcats get their Qb Sean Goldrich back this week from injury. The Tribe have already had their hiccup game in the 2015 season. Tribe 28-17.

James Madison @ Elon
Elon is improving but the Dukes are a great team. James Madison 42-17.

South Dakota @ NDSU
The Bison will not need last second heroics this week. Bison 31-10.

Southern Illinois @ Indiana State
Which Southern Illinois team will show up? The squad who beat Liberty? I think so. Salukis 27-20.

McNeese State @ Central Arkansas
Cowboys prove they are a real contender with their second straight victory over a quality opponent. McNeese 20-17.

Fordham @ Holy Cross
The Crusaders are a year away from being a very good team. All Rams in this one. Fordham 31-13.

Bethune-Cookman @ North Carolina A&T
Aggie Coach Rob Broadway notched his 100th victory last week. He will add one more W to his total. Aggies 23-13.

Chattanooga @ Virginia Military Institute
The Moc offense will be too much for the Keydets to handle. Chattanooga on the road 34-17.

The Citadel @ Samford
In this one if a fan yells “Go ‘Dogs” he will have to be more specific. I’ll take the Alabama Bulldogs at home 31-28.

North Dakota @ Weber State
The Wildcats are roaring after their big win in Missoula last week. The North Dakota defense and running game will prove to be a thorn in their paw. North Dakota 20-17.

Montana State @ Portland State
It is tough to pick against the Vikings but that’s just what I am going to do. Bobcats 34-31.

Eastern Washington @ Idaho State
The Bengals are feeling better about themselves right now than they have at any point since the opening game. Those feelings don’t last. Eagles 38-28.

Wherever you happen to be in the country I urge you to get out and see some FCS Football this weekend. It is a great brand of football played by real Student-Athletes with a passion and love for the game not exceeded by any other level.

SWAC Preview 2015.7

SWAC Week 7 Preview

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 15, 2015

ALABAMA STATE @ ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
Thursday October 15 6:30 p.m. CST
Golden Lion Stadium (16,000) Pine Bluff, Ark.
TV: ESPNU
Series: Alabama State leads, 11-6
Last Meeting: September 18, 2014 – Montgomery, Ala.
Alabama State 42, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7

The Hornets continued their disappointing season with another loss, this time losing to Southern in a game in which they were down double digits most of the way. The Hornets have to regain their poise on offense, and they may again have a QB controversy as Daniel Duhart had a better outing in relief of Ellis Richardson. This week the task is a bit easier but not by much, the Hornets have a road trip on a short week. For ASU to have success they need to run the ball early to take the pressure off their passing game. UAPB struggles against the run so that will help the Hornets. Alabama State has the 2nd ranked defense in the league will Pine Bluff is 9th in offense. The going will be tough for the Golden Lions as they have yet to find consistency on offense. The running game for UAPB will be key to keep the pressure off QB Marcus Terrell. The Golden Lions absolutely must take care of the football as they have been careless so far this season. Both teams are pretty much out of the title race so this will be an interesting Thursday night TV game. Prediction: ASU 31 UAPB 20

Jackson state @ Alabama A&M
Saturday October 17 1:00 p.m. CST
Louis Crews Stadium (21,000) Huntsville, Ala.
TV: None
Series: Jackson State leads, 15-10
Last Meeting: October 4, 2014 – Jackson Miss.
Alabama A&M 25, Jackson State 14

Two teams who had some expectations coming into the season, both are facing a harsh reality. Jackson State was seen as the SWAC darkhorse by some, but now after a horrible start are coming into this game with an interim coach. How will this affect the Blue Bengals? Offensively JSU is very dangerous passing the ball as LaMontiez Ivy leads the league in passing. JSU’s problem is that they are one dimensional, they rank last in the SWAC in rushing. AAMU is last in the league in defense so JSU should have no problems moving the ball. I don’t think AAMU can contain the Williams and Moll receiving combination. When JSU is on defense that’s when the problems arise, although the unit has talent they have struggled mightily to keep teams out the end zone as they are 9th in scoring defense and 9th in total defense. Last week Grambling shut down AAMU’s offense, this week I expect De’Angelo Ballard to get the offense back on track. Tevin McKenzie should be his top target through the air. Harvey Harris and Bryan Brower should keep the Tigers honest with their running ability. Both teams need a win badly for morale, my only concern is if the scoreboard operator will be able to keep up. These teams are even so with that I go with the team with the intact staff and the one that’s playing at home. Prediction: AAMU 42 JSU 34

ALCORN STATE VS. GRAMBLING STATE
Saturday October 17 2:25 p.m. CST
Jack Spinks Stadium (22,500) Lorman, Miss.
TV: ESPN3
Series: Grambling State leads, 41-19-1
Last Meeting: October 11, 2014 – Grambling, La.
Grambling State 28, Alcorn State 21

This would easily be the SWAC game of the week if there wasn’t a huge game taking place 111 miles down the road. This is the co-game of the week and a rematch of the game that got Grambling back on track in the SWAC. Grambling brings a high powered offense into this matchup, led by QB Jonathan Williams the Tigers are striking through the air as they rank 3rd in passing offense. Williams likes to spread the ball around as he will have at least 5 targets at his disposal. The difference this year is that Grambling can run the ball (ranked 3rd in the league) Martez Carter is a home run hitter and he can strike from anywhere. He is also a threat in the return game. The Braves defense will get their toughest test since the Georgia Tech game (not comparing Grambling and Tech at all, don’t worry). Alcorn brings the top defense in the league into this game, so this matchup is strength vs strength. On the other side Alcorn has a potent running attack led by Darryan Ragsdale and QB John Gibbs. The Braves want to attack with their read option offense, and although he isn’t the caliber of Jonathan Williams, Gibbs is a capable passer when necessary. The problem from Grambling is that although the lead the league in rush defense they struggle against the pass. So if the Braves can move the ball on the ground they can strike through the air on Grambling. This will be a very entertaining game. Both teams lead their division but Grambling has challengers so this game is huge for them. The Braves want revenge, I think they get it. Prediction: ASU 38 GSU 35

TEXAS SOUTHERN @ MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Saturday October 17 2:00 p.m. CST
Rice-Totten Field (10,000) Itta Bena, Miss.
TV: None
Series: Mississippi Valley State leads, 26-25-1
Last Meeting: October 4, 2014 – Itta Bena, Miss.
Texas Southern 20, Mississippi Valley State 16

This preview can be summed up quickly, TSU is average leaning toward bad while MVSU is horrible. I think Valley will not win a game this season, this is one of the few opportunities they have to play a team that is close to their level. Point blank, TSU will get whatever they want this week. The Tigers are average running the ball and despite having a huge 6’7” receiving target, they don’t pass the ball well. They have played musical QB’s as they have done the last few seasons so that can impact the chemistry of the offense. Valley doesn’t defend the run well, they do play well against the pass (although that is because teams don’t have to pass to beat them). Expect to see heavy doses on the run game from TSU as they try to get on track. On the other side of things Texas Southern is ranked 3rd in total defense and they face a Valley offense that is averaging 234 total yards per game and 9 points per game. The word inept doesn’t do Valley justice. Valley has to find an identity and stick with it. I expect them to try to run and hopefully shorten the game. I feel like this will be a long Homecoming for Valley. Texas Southern will put up some numbers. Prediction: TSU 42 MVSU 6

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M @ SOUTHERN
Saturday October 17 4:00 p.m. CST
Ace W. Mumford Stadium (28,500) Baton Rouge, La.
TV: None
Series: Southern leads, 45-20-4
Last Meeting: September 20, 2014 – Prairie View, Texas
Southern 34, Prairie View A&M 24

Finally our other co-game of the week and this one is huge in the West division race. PVU heads to Baton Rouge to face the Jaguars on their Homecoming. Stop me if you’ve read this before, the offenses will dictate this game. But the team that wins will be the one to generate the most stops. PVU comes into this matchup with the top ranked offense in the league. They can do damage through the air and on the ground. QB Trey Green has developed into one of the top signal callers in a short time. And he has weapons at his disposal, the two headed RB combo of Johnta Hebert and Courtney Brown are more than capable of controlling a game on the ground. While Nick Pitre and Demarquo Lastrappe are the top targets through the air. They face a Southern defense that specializes in bending but not breaking. The Jags are 5th in total defense and 3rd against the run. PVU will look to attack Southern’s young but talented secondary. When the Jags have the ball expect them to run to set up the pass, last week Alabama State held the Jags to 53 yards on the ground but QB Austin Howard had a huge game through the air. PVU is average at best against the run and the pass so the Jags should be able to move the ball. Expect to see heavy doses of Lenard Tillery and Malcom Crockett on the ground. The Jags have about 7 or 8 targets through the air, so PVU has to be careful in coverage. Special teams is huge for both teams as they both have exciting return men, Hebert from PVU and Southern’s Willie Quinn are both capable of taking it to the house. This is a do or die game in the West Division, if PVU loses they are 2 games out of first and on the brink of elimination. If Southern loses they fall into a tie with PVU for second (if Grambling loses to Alcorn, then it’s a three way tie for first). The last time these two teams met in Baton Rouge they combined for 121 points and PVU already has a game with a basketball score on their ledger. I don’t think this one will be any different. Prediction SU 49 PVU 45

SLC Preview 2015.7

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | October 15, 2015

Southland Preview for games on Oct. 17, 2015

Lamar (2-1) at NWST (0-3)
Can anyone say “Run, Kade Run!”? Lamar runningback Kade Harrington has been unstoppable this year amassing over 800 yards rushing in just 5 games. The Demons defense is second to last in stopping teams in the conference. That combination is deadly for Northwestern State.

Let’s look at how these two teams compare:

Offense: Lamar is getting 479 total YPG, 301 rushing, 178 passing.
Offense: NWST is getting 360 total YPG, 139 rushing, 221 passing.
Advantage: Lamar

Defense: Lamar is allowing 35 PPG, 325 passing YPG, and 158 rushing YPG.
Defense: NWST is allowing 43 PPG, 176 passing YPG, and 308 rushing YPG.
Advantage: Lamar

Weapons: Lamar: Kade Harrington. NWST: Ed Eagan
*If there are no injuries.

Thoughts: Lamar’s run game has been trouble for every team they’ve played. With the Demon defense having trouble stopping anyone this year, I predict a high scoring game for both teams.

Prediction: Lamar by 14.

SFA (1-3) at SLU (2-1)
Coach Conque and Lumberjack fans didn’t see this 1-5 record coming..neither did most of the Southland. Now they have to travel to play a stout Lions defense at Strawberry stadium. This doesn’t look good for Lumberjack fans.

Let’s look at how they compare:

Offense: SFA is getting 477 YPG, 201 passing and 276 rushing.
Offense: SLU is getting 407 YPG, 156 passing and 251 rushing.
Advantage: Slight edge SFA

Defense: SFA is allowing 30 PPG, 210 passing YPG, 198 rushing YPG.
Defense: SLU is allowing 23 PPG, 157 passing YPG, 174 rushing YPG.
Advantage. SLU

Thoughts: SLU’s rushing defense may be the key to victory in this game. Unless the Lumberjacks choose to air it out and are successful at it.

Prediction: SLU by 7

SHSU (3-1) at ACU (2-2)
ACU has been a team that has underachieved this year in conference games but no they have a hot Bearkat team coming to their house looking for a win. Sam Houston is a team on a roll and racking up monster yards on offense.

Let’s look at how these two teams compare:

Offense: SHSU is getting 578 YPG, 346 passing, and 231 rushing.
Offense: ACU is getting 368 YPG, 249 passing and 118 rushing.
Advantage: SHSU

Defense: SHSU is allowing 25 PPG, 140 passing and 230 rushing.
Defense: ACU is allowing 35 PPG, 171 passing and 293 rushing.
Advantage: SHSU

Thoughts: Looking at the stats above it appears SHSU has a big advantage over ACU in this game.

Prediction: Sam Houston overwhelms the Wildcats by scoring in bunches. SHSU by 21.

HBU (0-3) at Nicholls (0-3)
Battle of the defeateds part 2. Neither of these teams have shown serious contention in this conference this year. HBU in its second year of football has struggled the most but has come up with 2 wins this year while the defenseless Nicholls Colonels are 0-5.

Let’s compare the two teams:

Offense: Points per game: Nicholls 14 HBU 14. TIE
Defense: Points allowed per game: Nicholls 28, HBU 52. Advantage Nicholls.

Thoughts: Nicholls should have no problem scoring on a struggling HBU defense.

Prediction: Nicholls by 35.

McNeese (4-0) at UCA (3-0)
Battle of the UNDEFEATEDS! Game of the week in the SLC. Winner gets sole possession of first place in the Southland.
Both teams are playing great defense and scoring points in bunches.

Let’s look at the stats for these two teams.

Offense: UCA is scoring 45 PPG while McNeese is only allowing 9 PPG.
Offense: McNeese is scoring 32 PPG while UCA is only allowing 14 PPG.
Offense: Both passing and rushing offenses are about equal when totaled.

Advantage: Unknown. UCA has played many back up players in its first three games allowing other teams to score on the Bears a few times. IF the same is true for McNeese this could be a low scoring game.

Defense: UCA is allowing 307 YPG while McNeese is allowing 275 YPG.
Defense: UCA has allowed 1 sack while McNeese has allowed 4.
Defense: UCA has 14 sacks in 3 games while McNeese has 18 sacks in 4 games.
Advantage: TIE.

Thoughts: This will be a battle of two evenly matched teams. I believe the team with the most confidence in themselves will win this one. It’s a home game for UCA so only 1 game is lost on the stripes average per year. Will this be the one?

Prediction: McNeese by 3.

MVFC Preview 2015.7

MVFC Week 7 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC Contributors | October 15, 2015

JT Says-

Southern Illinois @ Indiana State
Indiana State was ranked in the top 25…briefly. But only managed one touchdown on 284 total yards of offense. Southern Illinois’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stringers got plenty of reps in a 73 – 26 win over Mo State and continues to trend upward. Indiana State allowed 428 yards to SDSU and that trend will continue with Southern Illinois. They will keep SIU under 400 yards on the ground but a 200 yard effort would be expected. SIU will not come near the 73 points but figure to probably get in the 30s or 40s. A 42-17 Saluki win seems likely in Terra Haute.

South Dakota State @ Youngstown State
A game that looked like a likely win for SDSU in the pre-season is now looking more like a Youngstown Win. Youngstown was a 2 point conversion away from beating Illinois State. SDSU never trailed Indiana State in a 24-7 last week, a week after failing to show up at home to NDSU. SDSU was without Zach Lujan who was the leading factor in their early success. Ankle injuries can be tricky and long lasting, they need him if they want to beat YSU. After putting up nearly 450 yards against a very good Ill State defense, Youngstown will have a similar look at SDSU’s defense. Youngstown takes the superior and healthy offense plus the homefield advantage and wins a close one to improve to 2-1 in the Valley as Bo Pelini continues to make Nebraska fans remember you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.

Western Illinois @ Northern Iowa
UNI has had back-to-back losses against Ill State and NDSU. The defense could use a bye week after being on the field for 80 plays in the Fargo Dome. Western had mild upset win over SIU 2 weeks ago and the expected win over South Dakota last week. The Leathernecks got 514 yards of offense last week, and they might get half of that this week. The UNI defense is vastly vastly superior to the South Dakota offense. The UNI offense could be without Sawyer Kollmorgen who left with a possible concussion in the 2nd half of the NDSU game. Aaron Bailey came in relief and looked good…on the ground. Kollmorgen could help the Panther air attack especially with the emergence of Daurice Fountain who had over 100 yards and a TD last week. UNI HAS to HAS to win this game or their season is done. Western Illinois has not beaten the Panthers since 2010. UNI is desperate, UNI has history on their side, UNI wins their first MVFC game 35-21.

Chad says-

Illinois State @ Missouri State
I’m not entirely sure what to say about this game without being extremely dismissive about it. Missouri State is, without question, the worst team in the conference right now. They may very well contend to be a bottom 10 team in the nation. The bears have given up, AT LEAST, 56 points in every D1 game this season, and more than 70 twice. Last week the Salukis scored more points, 73, than the Bears have scored all season in D1 games, 68. I tried to find the last time a team gave up 70 points in a conference game. The Valley website only goes back to 1998 and since that time it’s happened only once – 2007 conference co-champ and 3 seed in the playoff Southern Illinois beat Indiana State 72-10. That Indiana State team was during the time where they lost 33 straight games and 54 of 55 between 2005 and 2009. We may see Missouri State do it in consecutive weeks. I can only imagine what an offense as explosive as this Redbird offense can, and will do. I don’t think Roberson’s health matters. This is a name your score game for the Redbirds.

South Dakota @ North Dakota State
In the 4 games these two teams have played since USD joined the conference Bison have outscored the Coyotes 181-23, and 16 of those 23 points came in the first game. While I think the Bears have supplanted the Coyotes as the worst team in the conference, the gap between NDSU and USD is still quite large. There are also some teams that just don’t match up well, regardless of the talent level. I think this is another “name your score” game. The only way it isn’t is if NDSU has a physical hangover from the slugfest that was last week’s UNI game. When was the last time anyone remembers NDSU having a hangover of any kind? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Joe Glenn’s seat gets a touch warmer as, once again, his team is completely over matched by NDSU.

Western Illinois @ Northern Iowa
It’s week 7 and UNI finally gets a home game, well, a second home game. It’s the first home game in over a month and homecoming in Cedar Falls. This is a must win game for the Panthers, and I expect them to come out with vengeance after the way the last two games ended. The Leathernecks have a talented offense, but I don’t think they’ve seen a defense that attacks and is as fast this this Panthers defense. The big IF of this game is the same as every UNI game. IF Head Coach Mark Farley lets offensive coordinator Joe Davis run his offense I think UNI is able to win by a couple scores. If the Leatherneck defense can force some tension in the UNI offense early, and “forces” Mark Farley to intervene they have a chance as that intervention will throttle back the UNI tempo and playbook. Assuming a clean game by both sides I think UNI takes this one by 2 or 3 scores, though.

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV
2:00	Illinois State @ Missouri State	ESPN3
2:00	Southern Illinois @ Indiana State	ESPN3
2:30	South Dakota @ North Dakota State	MidcoSN, NBC ND, ESPN3
3:00	South Dakota State @ Youngstown State	ESPN3
4:00	Western Illinois @ Northern Iowa	ESPN3 & Panther Sports Network and Comcast Sports Network

Big Sky Preview 2015.7

BSC Week 7 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC Contributors | October 15, 2015

Kris Says-

Montana State @ Portland State
This is a huge game for both teams as the Big Sky’s #1 rated defense faces the #1 rated offense. The Vikings are second in the conference in turnover margin at +9 and have given up a very stingy 188 yards per game through the air. On offense, the Vikings have only thrown the ball 87 times on the season. Look for Portland State to play ball control and try and wear down the Bobcats. Dakota Prukop will need to win the game by making plays with his feet.

Eastern Washington @ Idaho State
Left for dead until last week, the Bengals proved that there are no gimmies in conference play. Bengal running backs Jakori Ford and Xavier Finney should have some success against Eastern’s rush defense perhaps creating some balance and opportunities for quarterback Michael Sanders. The Eagles have yet to put together a dominating performance and need to prove they can play a complete 60 minutes and not keep weaker opponents in the game. Surprising stat: With both Xavier Finney and Jakori Ford back this season Idaho state is averaging a surprisingly low 125 yards per game rushing the ball.

Sacramento State @ Southern Utah
Southern Utah goes for its fourth win in a row and has absolutely destroyed their last three opponents. The Tbirds have done much of the damage with their offense on the sidelines scoring four touchdowns on defense and special teams over that stretch. Even with the 55 points given up to South Dakota State, Southern Utah is still only averaging 15.4 points against on the season. The Hornets have been decently competitive but I think this will be an easy win for the home team.

Lance says-

UC-Davis @ Northern Colorado
These bottom tier of the conference battles usually turn out to be pretty exciting games and this one should be that as well. Both teams are coming off a win, with UC-Davis especially excited after knocking off Northern Arizona last weekend. Even though they only have the one win, the Aggies lead the conference in time of possession, which will always be a beneficial advantage in a road game. Northern Colorado ranks high in points allowed per game, but they haven’t yet faced a team known for its offense, so that’s hard to measure. Still, look for the Bears defense to be the key factor in this game, with Mikhail Dubose being a player to watch. He had 4 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a sack in the win over Sacramento State. For Davis, look for the RB tandem of Manusamoa Luuga and Joshua Kelley. I think the Aggies come away with a close road victory.

(ORV) North Dakota @ Weber State
Two teams heading in different directions here. Weber State is coming off one of its biggest wins in the last decade, while North Dakota was dealt a crushing home defeat to Idaho State in a game where they also lost their starting QB Keaton Studsrud to injury. Word is that Studsrud won’t be able to play in Ogden so look for either Ryan Bartels or Joe Molberg to step in to the starting role. With both teams being stout on defense and both preferring to run the ball, I could see this game playing out very similar to the Portland State/North Dakota matchup. Weber State may need to look to the air, though, as UND is second in the country in rushing defense. Key player for North Dakota will be running back John Santiago. With Studsrud injured, Santiago and the UND rushing attack will need to take the lead if UND wants any chance at having offensive effectiveness against Weber. On the other side, QB Jadrian Clark will need to be the guy. He has been quite inefficient passing the ball on the season, but it has been proven that you need to be able to pass the ball to beat North Dakota. This game should go down to the wire, but I think Weber State will utilize their home field advantage and win this big conference game.

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV
3:35 PM	Montana State @ Portland State	Root Sports – Direct TV 101
3:35 PM	UC Davis @ Northern Colorado	http://www.americaonesports.com/bigskyplayer.asp?aptid=41
4:35 PM	Eastern Washington @ Idaho State	http://www.americaonesports.com/bigskyplayer.asp?aptid=41
8:00 PM	North Dakota @ Weber State	http://www.americaonesports.com/bigskyplayer.asp?aptid=41
8:00 PM	Sacramento State @ Southern Utah	http://www.americaonesports.com/bigskyplayer.asp?aptid=41

	Extended FCSTV Information

SWAC Review 2015.6

SWAC Week 6 Review:

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 13, 2015

Saturday, October 10

Prairie View A&M 45, Mississippi Valley State 6
PVU took care of business against a struggling Mississippi Valley on Homecoming. Valley’s season, which was predicted to be a struggle continues to be worse than expected. The Delta Devils have given up 40+ points in each game. Trey Green threw for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns all while being on the receiving end of another scoring pass as Prairie View A&M defeated Mississippi Valley State 45-6. Green accounted for 288 of the Panther’s 488 total yards as he also rushed for 42 yards and grabbed one pass for 20 yards. Johnta Hebert finished with 17 carries for 107 yards for PVAMU. De’Auntre Smiley scored from the one with 5:08 left in the first quarter to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. Green tossed a strike to Hebert, who caught three passes for 45 yards, from the 29 for a score and Nick Pitre hit Green on a 20 yard scoring toss for a 21-0 lead with 1:51 left before halftime. Jerrell Moore rushed for 93 yards on just four carries to lead Mississippi Valley State (0-6, 0-4). Teammate Mark Pegues made a game high nine tackles. PVAMU’s defense finished with a season high eight sacks

Grambling State 37, Alabama A&M 14
Grambling State University won their fourth consecutive game of the season after beating Alabama A&M 37-14. The Tigers have looked sharp on offense most of the season, while the Bulldogs have taken a step back. The GSU defense produced its best performance of the season since it held Alabama State to 10 points back in week three while offensively the Tigers racked up 513 yards of total offense. GSU gained 284 yards on the ground with Martez Carter leading the way with 124. Johnathan Williams rushed for 95 and Justin Kelly finished with 59 yards. Williams completed 22 of his 41 passing attempts for 255 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Chad Williams hauled in six catches for 124 yards and one score for the Tigers.

AAMU quarterback De’Angelo Ballard was held to 39 yards on 2-of-13 passing. Damion May entered in a reserved role and passed for 163 yards. DeVon Johnson was on the receiving end of 70 of those yards for the visiting Bulldogs. Williams got the Tigers on the board first with a 37 yard run six minutes into the game. With 4:42 left in the first quarter, Williams found Verlan Hunter for a nine yard touchdown pass. Bryan Brower’s two yard run toward the end of the first made the score 14-7. With 11:47 left in the 2nd quarter, Williams tossed a 23 yard touchdown pass and Chester Rogers returned a 63 yard punt for a touchdown to lead its lead 27-7 at the break. Bryan Brower (AAMU) and Arkez Cooper (GSU) led with seven tackles apiece.

Southern 45, Alabama State 34
Southern jumped on ASU early and withstood an ASU surge in the second half to win their 3rd game in a row in Montgomery. Austin Howard threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns and added two more on the ground to lead Southern past Alabama State 45-34 Saturday night. Howard completed a seven yarder to Dillon Beard and later ran for a two yard score to give the Jaguars a 14-0 lead. Southern (3-2 overall, 3-0) got a 33-yard field goal from Greg Pittman before halftime to make it 17-0. Howard then carried it in from 8 yards to make the score 24-0. The Hornets (2-4, 2-3) got on the board when Ellis Richardson completed a 14-yard pass to Jamir Hanna, and the two-point conversion made it 24-8. Howard responded with a six play, 40-yard drive that ended when he found Montrell Jones for a 6-yard score to make it 31-8. ASU cut the lead to 38-28 when Daniel Duhart completed a one yard score to Brandon Barnes with 3:38 to play. Duhart threw three touchdowns off the bench.

Offensive Player of the Week
Austin Howard, Southern, Quarterback
Howard was a difference maker for the Jaguars, as his five-touchdown night powered Southern to a 45-34 road win at Alabama State. Southern’s sophomore signal-caller threw for 355 yards and three scores – on 33-of-45 passing – and also rushed for two touchdowns on the ground in the win. This marks the second time this season that Howard has been honored as SWAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Defensive Player of the Week
Foster Brown, Prairie View A&M, Cornerback.
Foster was a factor in all phases of Prairie View A&M’s defensive effort versus Mississippi Valley State, as he picked up eight total tackles in the Panthers’ 45-6 win. In addition, he made one tackle for loss, notched a quarterback sack, made one pass breakup, and also blocked a point-after attempt.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Nick Carden, Alabama A&M, Punter
Carden earned his second SWAC Special Teams Player of the Week award this year after averaging a shade under 44 yards per punt during the Bulldogs’ loss versus Grambling State. Carden’s longest punt of the day traveled 51 yards, and he twice pinned GSU’s offense inside the 20 with his punting.

Newcomer of the Week
Steven Guillory, Prairie View A&M,Linebacker
Guillory was a driving force behind the Panthers’ pass rush versus Mississippi Valley State. The freshman accounted for two of Prairie View A&M’s eight sacks on the day. He also was credited with seven total stops, with 1.5 tackles for loss in the 45-6 victory.

Big Sky Review 2015.6

BSC Week 6 Review

Lance Berndt & Kris Kallem, BSC Contributors | October 13, 2015

Lance says-

Weber State 24, Montana 21 (OT)
After 14 straight losses in Missoula, Weber State was finally able to pull out a win at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. It was a defensive battle back and forth, and it was Weber State who made the key defensive plays. Both teams put up two offensive touchdowns, but Weber also had a touchdown return off an interception and also picked up a crucial overtime fumble recovery that was soon followed by their game winning field goal. Also, the Wildcat D sacked the Montana quarterbacks five different times. Both teams are now 2-1 in the conference and very much still alive in the Big Sky title race.

Portland State 66, (FBS) North Texas 7
In what has been said to be the largest ever winning margin for an FCS team over an FBS team, this was quite the surprise. Portland State jumped on North Texas from the get go, annihilating them from start to finish on both sides of the ball. This win either makes Western Oregon look like a Northern Colorado, or it makes North Texas look like the College of Faith. Either way, this has to be one of the most impressive performances for the Vikings at least since they joined Division 1. It was a truly balanced performance as well. The team rushed for 388 yards on an average of 8 yards per carry. They were led by David Jones, Steven Long, Mitchell Thompson, and Nate Tago who combined for 347 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 33 carries. Also, quarterback Alex Kuresa passed for 269 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sadat Sulleyman tallied 3 tackles for loss on defense which included 2 sacks. The defense as a whole had 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, a fumble recovery, and had a shutout posted until a very late touchdown when mostly subs were playing.

Montana State 35, Sacramento State 13
The Bobcats didn’t put up the offensive performance that most people expected, but they still came away with a 3 touchdown win. With a lot of downfield passes, Dakota Prukop was able to pass for 277 yards on just 12 completions, while the team totaled 234 yards on the ground. Hornet RB Jordan Robinson was able to run for 108 yards on 17 carries to lead the team on offense. On defense, Mac Bignell had 9 solo tackles for Montana State and the team had 6 tackles for loss and 3 sacks.

Kris Says-

Idaho State 37, North Dakota 31
North Dakota turns it over three times and loses quarterback Keaton Studsrud in the 3rd quarter as the Bengals come from 15 back to get their first conference win of the season. Idaho State’s Michael Sanders threw for 427 yards and four touchdowns and KW Williams catches 12 balls for 202 yards and two scores. A tough loss for North Dakota as they give right back the road win they stole at Portland State last week.

Eastern Washington 42, Cal Poly 41 OT
Everything played out perfectly in this game for Cal Poly except the final score. On a windy day in Cheney, the Mustangs controlled the clock, gained over 500 yards rushing, and kept Cooper Kupp in check the entire game. Neither team turned the ball over either, but several key penalties on Poly’s defense late in the game kept Eastern’s final two drives alive and helped the Eagles force overtime. The Mustang duo of Chris Brown and Joe Protheroe had 294 combined yards on the ground and Eastern Quarterback Jordan West was an efficient 27-35 for 224 and 4 touchdowns. West is tied for the FCS lead in touchdowns thrown.

UC Davis 38, Northern Arizona 24
The Davis defense holds Northern Arizona to just 7 second half points and pulls off the huge upset. Both quarterbacks played well with the Aggies Ben Scott going 20-25 for 289 yards and 3 scores and Case Cookus passing for 265 yards and 3 scores for the Lumberjacks. Similar to North Dakota this was another truly bad loss for an NAU team coming off a big win from last week.

Players of the Week:

Idaho State quarterback Michael Sanders gets it on offense, finally showing some Justin Arias type numbers through the air.

On defense, the award goes to Weber State safety Cordero Dixon who had a pick six and 9 tackles in their win at Missoula.

Another Wildcat wins the special teams award. Kicker Josh Kealamakia averaged 44.5 yards per punt and also kicked the game winning field goal in overtime.

TIME (ET)	MATCHUP
2:00 PM	Idaho State 37, North Dakota 31
4:00 PM	Weber State 24, Montana 21
4:05 PM	Cal Poly 41, Eastern Washington 42
5:00 PM	Portland State 66, North Texas 7
7:00 PM	Northern Arizona 24, UC Davis 38
7:05 PM	Sacramento State 13, Montana State 35

MVFC Review 2015.6

MVFC Week 6 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC Contributors | October 13, 2015

JT Says-

North Dakota State – 31, Northern Iowa – 28
The game we expected last week, happened this week. THIS may be the game of the year in the FCS. NDSU controlled the clock for nearly 40 minutes of the game and ran 80 plays in the 31-28 victory. UNI had 2 big touchdowns a 67 yard pass from Sawyer Kollmorgen to Daurice Fountain and then with 7:31 left in the game Aaron Bailey scored on an 83 yard run a mere 18 seconds after NDSU took the lead. But, the Panthers left too much time on the clock for the Missouri Valley Offensive Player of the week, Carson Wentz drove down the field converting on a 3rd and 20 as well as 2 fourth down conversions before finding Sheppard for a beautiful 18 yard reception. UNI’s last second hail mary never really had a chance and NDSU escaped with the victory. This is what makes FCS football superior to FBS football.

Illinois State – 31, Youngstown State – 29
Another exciting game. Youngstown scored a TD with 32 sec left to get within 2 after a 13 yard pass from Hunter Wells to Martin Ruiz. The 2 point conversion failed and Illinois State survived a close one. In fact 5 touchdowns were scored in the 4th quarter. Youngstown had 447 yards of offense with 207 on the ground and 240 from the air while converting on 7 of 14 on 3rd down and possessing the ball for almost 10 minutes more than Illinois State. But Tre Roberson’s rushing touchdown on 5 attempts and 90 yards to go with 130 yards passing and a touchdown was too much for the Penguins. Marshaun Coprich continues to put up numbers in the Illinois State backfield with 131 rushing yards and a touchdown. Had it not been for the NDSU v UNI game, this would have been the game of the week.

Southern Illinois – 73, Missouri State – 26
Missouri State is who we thought they were. SIU did not let them off the hook. A 73-26 beat down shows that SIU is a serious contender to make the playoffs while Missouri State continues to struggle. The Saluki’s scored multiple touchdowns in every quarter of the game. They finished with 673 yards of offense with 257 by air and a whopping 416 yards on the ground. Mark Iannotti threw fo 206 yards and 3 touchdowns and rushed for 106 yards and another score for SIU. Chris Perkins had 116 yards and 2 scores to lead all 9 rushers for the Saluki’s. Somehow Missouri State managed 301 yards on 81 plays but only got 18 first downs…compared to 30 by SIU. Southern Illinois is back and the Valley should be nervous.

Chad says-

Western Illinois – 40, South Dakota – 21
WIU took the opening kickoff and marched 75 yards 12 plays for a score, capped by a 4 yard Norvell touchdown run. South Dakota was unphased early and answered with a 14 play 80 yard drive of their own. The Coyotes were feeling good after that drive and went for, and recovered an onside kick. The Leatherneck defense was able to step up and force a three and out, keeping momentum from taking a full swing towards USD. That stop swung the momentum, full force to WIU, as the ‘necks scored on their next 6 possessions and kept USD off the scoreboard on 7 of their next 8 possessions, to put USD away.

South Dakota State – 24,Indiana State – 7
In a move that wasn’t announced until about 30 minutes before kick off the Jackrabbits pulled a redshirt off of quarterback Taryn Christion as Lujan had suffered an ankle injury that kept him from playing. Christion gave a performance that the SDSU coaching staff could have only dreamed about when they decided to pull his redshirt halfway through the season. He accounted for 320 yards of offense. His first two drives resulted in only one touchdown, but were 15 and 14 play drives respectively and totaled 165 yards. Christion found any quarterback’s best friend, Jake Wieneke, 3 times on the next driver, the last of which was a 34 yard touchdown. Outside of a 43 yard touchdown pass from Matt Adam to Gary Owens there was no real offense to speak of from Indiana State. The game could have gotten much uglier had the Sycamore defense, which was down 5 major contributors including Connor Underwood, not stepped up and stopped the Jackrabbits 4 times in Sycamore territory.

North Dakota State – 31
Northern Iowa – 28

Western Illinois – 40
South Dakota – 21

Illinois State – 31
Youngstown State – 29

South Dakota State – 24
Indiana State – 7

Southern Illinois – 73
Missouri State – 26

The FCSTV Guide For Week 7

Once again our friends FargoBison & RootinFerDukes at AnyGivenSaturday.com bring us a list of televised FCS games.

AGS Top 25 Watch Guide – Week 7

South Dakota at (1) North Dakota State 3:30pm ESPN3
After more ESPN attention in Fargo, NDSU will continue to roll as they face MVFC bottom-dweller SD.

(2) Jacksonville State at Tennessee Tech 7pm
Jacksonville State shouldn’t have too much trouble with Tennesse Tech as they continue OVC play in dominating fashion.

(3) James Madison at Elon 3pm
JMU beat a feisty Towson team last week who fought hard, but couldn’t stop the top ranked offense on the defensive side of the ball. This week, JMU faces its easiest CAA opponent of the season and easiest road game.

(4) Illinois State at Missouri State 3pm ESPN3
Illinois State travels to Missouri for what should be an easy MVFC game.

(6) Chattanooga at Virginia Military 1:30pm ESPN3
Chattanooga makes a trip up to Lexington as they continue to dominate the SoCon.

(7) South Dakota State at (13) Youngstown State 4pm ESPN3
In what should be the AGS GOTW, SDSU and YSU are featured in a pivotal MVFC game.

(8) Eastern Washington at Idaho State 4:30pm
EWU won in OT last week. They should have an easier time against ISU this week.

(23) Western Illinois at (9) Northern Iowa 5pm ESPN3
Another ranked matchup in the MVFC. UNI needs a conference win after almost beating NDSU.

(10) McNeese State at Central Arkansas 7pm ESPN3
McNeese remains undefeated and UCA wants to give them their first setback of 2015. The cowboys should win this though.

(18) Montana State at (11) Portland State 3:30pm
A top Big Sky game this week. Portland State just set the record for margin of victory in an FCS Upset as they literally fired North Texas’ coach last week.

Holy Cross at (12) Fordham 1pm
Fordham continues to remain undefeated in Patriot League play. Will any team challenge them?

(14) Sam Houston State at Abilene Christian 3pm
SHSU looks to beat up on a newer SLC team, but ACU is a tough team.

(15) Eastern Kentucky at Southeast Missouri State 2pm
EKU continues OVC play against SEMO in what should be a win for the Colonels.

(16) Richmond at Rhode Island 12pm
Look out UR, URI beat UD last week. UR should win this one easily against a CAA bottom dweller.

(24) New Hampshire at (17) William & Mary 12pm
A ranked CAA game, as WM looks to stake its claim near the top of the CAA, while UNH fights for its playoff life. A must win for UNH.

(19) Harvard at Lafayette 3:30pm
Harvard rides an 18 game winning streak against Lafayette. They will likely reach 19 in a row.

Stephen F. Austin at (20) Southeastern Louisiana 8pm
With SFA’s season done, they would love to spoil the playoff plans for SELA. The lions look to try and remain ranked.

(ORV-30) Southern Illinois at (21) Indiana State 3pm ESPN3
Indiana State could have a handful against SIU, who beat Liberty earlier this season.

(25) Liberty at Monmouth 1pm ESPN3
After a shocking upset to GWU last week, LU fights to stay in the AGS Top 25.

Bye Week:
(5) Coastal Carolina
(22) Montana

Others Receiving Votes (26-30):
(26) Dartmouth at Central Connecticut State 12pm
The Citadel at (27) Samford 3pm ESPN3
(29) Lamar at Northwestern State 7pm

Some additional information on TV availability:

Lots of FCS action on TV and ESPN3 this weekend. As usual check back for updates on added games or channels and all times are in central time….

TV Guide
10/15 Alabama State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6:30 p.m. ESPNU
10/17 Bucknell at Army 11:00 a.m. CBS Sports Network
New Hampshire at William & Mary 11:00 a.m. SNY, Comcast CA/Mid-Atlantic/NE
Princeton at Brown 11:00 a.m. Altitude 2, Comcast Sports BA, ASN Affiliates
USD at NDSU 2:30 p.m. MidcoSN/NBC ND
Montana State at Portland State 2:30 p.m. Root Sports RM/NW/SW, Direct TV 101
Sam Houston State at Abilene Christian 2:30 p.m. Altitude, MASN, ASN Affiliates
Villanova at Albany 2:30 p.m. SNY/ASN Affiliates
Yale at Maine 2:30 p.m. Fox College Sports
Western Illinois at Northern Iowa 4:00 p.m. Comcast Chicago
Eastern Illinois at Tennessee State 6:00 p.m. Altitude, MASN, ASN Affiliates
Stephen F. Austin at SE Louisiana 7:00 p.m. Fox College Sports

FCS on ESPN3
10/17 Duquesne at Bryant 11:00 a.m.
Gardner-Webb at Kennesaw State noon
Liberty at Monmouth noon
Campbell at Stetson noon
Edward Waters at Jacksonville noon
Chattanooga at VMI 12:30 p.m.
Dayton at Valpo 1:00 p.m.
WCU at Wofford 1:00 p.m.
Grambling State at Alcorn State 2:00 p.m.
SIU at Indiana St 2:00 p.m.
Illinois St at Missouri State 2:00 p.m.
The Citadel at Samford 2:00 p.m.
Penn at Columbia 2:30 p.m.
USD at NDSU 2:30 p.m.
Wagner at St Francis(Pa) 2:30 p.m.
ETSU at Mercer 3:00 p.m.
SDSU at YSU 3:00 p.m.
WIU at UNI 4:00 p.m.
McNeese St at UCA 6:00 p.m.

FCS on ESPN College Extra
10/17 Campbell vs. Stetson noon
Western Carolina vs. Wofford 1:00 p.m.
Western Illinois vs. Northern Iowa 4:00 p.m.
McNeese State vs. Central Arkansas 6:00 p.m.

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

SoCon Digital Network

SLC Review 2015.6

SLC Week 6 Review:

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | October 12, 2015

Southland Conference Review of Oct. 10, 2015 games.

UCA 43, HBU 7
UCA came out strong in every quarter and racked up 505 yards of offense. But the big story of the game was UCA’s defense that held HBU to negative 9 yards rushing. While the Huskies took advantage of the weak pass protection of UCA, the Bears were able to sack the QB 6 times, get 3 interceptions, and get 12 tackles for loss making HBUs offense ineffective.

Houston Baptist travels to Nicholls next Saturday.
UCA hosts McNeese State also next Saturday.

SFA 28, Nicholls 24
It took a last second touchdown by starting QB Zach Conque to lift the struggling Lumberjacks past the Colonels on Saturday. It was a game of fumbles as both teams dropped the rock 7 times. SFA amassed 458 yards of offense while Nicholls went for 356 yards. But it was that fourth quarter comeback with two touchdowns that doomed the Colonels and gave the Lumberjacks their first win of the season.

SFA travels to SLU on Saturday.
Nicholls hosts Houston Baptist also that day.

Sam Houston 59, UIW 7
This game wasn’t close from the start. The Bearkats scored 3 touchdowns in under a minute and a half in the first quarter because of two great defensive plays by Hall and Everette. Sam Houston amassed 596 yards of offense to UIW’s 177 for the game. It was 52-0 at the half and it appears that’s when the Bearkats let the foot off the gas for this game.

Sam travels to ACU Saturday.
UIW has that Saturday off.

Lamar 44, ACU 28
Lamar controlled this game scoring in every quarter and outgaining the Wildcats in rushing 391 yards to just 24. Along with four sacks, the Cardinals were 6 for 6 in the redzone. Lamar was led in rushing by Kade Harrington who had 354 yards total while Jonathan Epps led ACU with 99 yards receiving.

Lamar travels to Northwestern State on Saturday.
ACU hosts Sam Houston also.

McNeese 21, Southeastern Louisiana 7
The Cowboy defense did it again as they held yet another opponent under 10 points for the fourth straight game. McNeese amassed 369 yards of offense and the Lions totaled 231 yards. But it was all McNeese and their defense as the Lions only gained 59 yards rushing the whole game. Next week undefeated McNeese takes on undefeated conference foe UCA for outright first place.

SLU hosts SFA on Saturday.
McNeese travels to UCA also.