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….

OVC Conference

Big Sky Conference

Big South Conference

Northeast Conference

Patriot League

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.

ICYMI: Week 6

In Case You Missed It – Week 6

We as football fans have probably seen our fair share of the enigmatic; witnessed things on and off the field relating to the sport that cause us to collectively raise our eyebrows with sheer surprise.

On Saturday, something happened I had never seen before.

Granted I’m not the oldest of fans (I just turned 26 a few days ago. Don’t tell me it isn’t traumatizing to have to diverge from your parents’ health insurance plan), but Portland State’s win over FBS Conference USA member North Texas, and the events that followed, broke some new ground in my eyes.

The Big Sky Conference Vikings simply dismantled the Mean Green to the tune of a 66-7 beat down, in front of the North Texas Homecoming spectators mind you. And oh, about an hour after the last seconds had ticked away, Mean Green head coach Dan McCarney was fired.

Now, McCarney’s job at the helm of the program wasn’t all that safe to begin with. He finishes his North Texas career with a record of 22-32 in four-plus seasons, and North Texas is now 0-5 to start the 2015 campaign.

But Saturday’s destructive loss to Portland State pushed the wrong people over the edge, and for good reason.

Portland State is a solid FCS team that played like a top-10 program on the road Saturday. Alex Kuresa tossed three touchdown passes, and the Vikings scored six rushing touchdowns and gained 368 yards on the ground in the win. The team’s 31 second-quarter points put the visitors up 45-0 at halftime, and held North Texas without a point until there were 62 seconds left in the game.

One week after Portland State was edged by Big Sky foe North Dakota (that counted as a non-conference matchup), the Vikings rocketed back into everyone’s focus.

Cross “See FBS coach get fired after humiliating loss to FCS team” off the football bucket list.

In case you missed the Week 6 action from around the FCS, here are some of the more muted stats and headlines you should know:

I don’t know about you all, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the Ivy League action this season.

Harvard took down Cornell Saturday by a 40-3 margin for the Crimson’s 18th consecutive victory dating back to the 2013 campaign. Harvard has won in 13 consecutive Ivy League matchups, and has defeated Cornell 10 straight times dating back to 2006. The Big Red were held to just eight first downs in the loss.

Dartmouth quarterback Dalyn Williams somehow managed to one-up himself after a standout performance last Saturday against Penn. The Big Green signal caller threw for a career-high 435 yards which included four scoring passes as Dartmouth easily escaped Yale, 45-3.

Also in Ivy competition, Columbia put a stop to its rampant 24-game skid over the weekend when the Lions took down Wagner, 26-3. It’s the first victory for Columbia since a 34-17 win over Cornell back on Nov. 10, 2012.

Speaking of losing streaks ending, Rhode Island picked up its first win of the season with a 20-0 shutout of Delaware (which just beat William & Mary a week ago. What’s happening in the CAA?) Saturday. It was the program’s first shutout of another team since a 3-0 decision over Maine back in 2006. It was also Rhode Island’s first victory over Delaware since 2011.

Paging John Robertson. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, SOMEONE PLEASE CALL JOHN ROBERTSON! The Villanova Wildcats could really use their prized quarterback under center after another loss, this time to William & Mary, 38-16. Robertson’s injury helped cost the Wildcats their second straight game – the first back-to-back losses suffered by ‘Nova since three consecutive defeats in 2013 (to New Hampshire, Maine and James Madison, respectively).

Princeton running back John Lovett and Fordham ball carrier Chase Edmonds each rushed for four scores this weekend in their respective outings, which ties UNH’s Dalton Crossan and Sam Houston State’s Donavan Williams for the season’s single-game high.

Edmonds racked up 230 yards on the ground and also caught another score to give him five total, but was somehow overshadowed in Fordham’s 48-45 victory over Penn. Kicker Makay Redd played the role of hero by drilling a 31-yard field goal with eight seconds left to provide the Rams with a scary victory.

Sure, 230 yards and four touchdowns sounds great, right? Well try this on for size. Lamar running back Kade Harrington galloped for a cool 347 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in his Cardinals’ 44-28 win over Abilene Christian. His 347 rushing yards sets a Southland Conference record and falls 90 yards shy of the all-time FCS single-game mark of 437 yards, set by North Carolina A&T’s Maurice Hicks back in 2001. Harrington is second in the FCS behind Edmonds in terms of total rushing yards, 884 to 833. He’s also played in five games, while Edmonds has played six so far.

Southern Illinois made a splash in a 73-26 Saturday victory over Missouri State after racking up 673 total yards of offense. The 73 points scored for the Salukis sets the 2015 FCS single-game high, just narrowly edging out UT Martin and North Carolina Central, who each dropped 72 points in contests this season. SIU quarterback Mark Iannotti threw for three scores and rushed for another to help his squad.

Finally, it’s not typically the unsung heroes that get the job done for Coastal Carolina. Usually the Chanticleers are a dominant force led by quarterback Alex Ross and running back De’Angelo Henderson, rounded out with a tough defensive effort. But it was kicker Ryan Granger who made Presbyterian pay Saturday in the Chants’ 24-17 victory. Granger scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter on a fake field goal attempt to give CCU a 6-3 advantage, then proceeded to bang through three field goals (with a long of 47 yards) to power the win and keep Coastal Carolina in the unbeaten column.

TSOTN Week 6

National Notes Week 6

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | October 08, 2015

The State of the Nation

The Reviews

Last week was full of big games with lots of hype. Some of these contests lived up to their billing and others did not. Let’s focus on those that did first. In perhaps the most exciting game of the week the Blue Hens of Delaware overcame a 9 point 4th quarter deficit and defeated the William and Mary Tribe with a field goal on the last play of the game. A Southeastern Conference team, of the FBS, again needed the extra session to defeat an Ohio Valley School. Eastern Kentucky held a two touchdown advantage over the Kentucky Wildcats with only 7:39 remaining in regulation but couldn’t hold it and lost 34-27 in overtime. A great effort without the reward for the Colonels.

North Dakota and Portland State, which in the preseason most prognosticators including your humble narrator expected little from, played a great game in the Rose City. North Dakota used a strong running game to defeat the previously undefeated Vikings 19-17 and move to 2-0 in the Big Sky. Southeastern Louisiana outlasted a very tough Lamar Cardinals team 30-27. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits ran into a North Dakota State Bison team that has really seemed to hit their stride. Nothing the Jackrabbits attempted to do worked very well and the Bison held them to -4 yards rushing. The NDSU offense possessed the ball for almost 40 minutes en route to a 28-7 victory. Illinois State, who was without their fine Quarterback Tre Roberson, beat Northern Iowa 21-13 in front of a record crowd in Normal. Marshaun Coprich broke the school record for career rushing yards with his 169 yards. Congratulations to Mr. Coprich.

In flood ravaged South Carolina the Furman Paladins paddled their way to a 17-3 victory over South Carolina State. The Paladin defense was again impressive. James Madison tallied over 500 yards of total offense for the 5th consecutive game and beat a pretty good Stony Brook team 38-20. Game balls go to all those winning teams.

The Interviews

This week on The FCS Wedge the Commissioner of the Southern Conference, Mr. John Iamarino , was nice enough to make the time to join us. Jacksonville State Gamecocks Head Coach John Grass is our Coach interview. You will want to tune in to the show this week to hear what these two gentlemen have to say. Thanks again to both for making the time to appear with us.

The Previews

Furman @ Chattanooga
The Paladin defense could decide this one but unless they can score a couple of defensive touchdowns I like the Mocs at home. Chattanooga 24-21

Wofford @ The Citadel
This one is always interesting because both teams run the triple option offense. The clock will run and this one will be over before you can get good and settled in. Wofford has won 16 in a row in this series and I see no reason why that streak will not continue. Terriers 24-20.

William and Mary @ Villanova
The Tribe will have to rebound quickly from last weeks heartbreaking loss to Delaware. Coach Jimmye Laycock is one of the best motivators around and he will pick up the pieces and have William and Mary ready to play. Villanova just is not the same team without Quarterback John Robertson. Tribe 24-10.

James Madison @ Towson
All Dukes in this one. Vad Lee is putting up great numbers and more importantly has his team winning. JMU 38-17.

Yale @ Dartmouth
Yale has a potent running attack behind Deshawn Salter and Dartmouth will not be able to stop them. Yale 27-20.

Northern Iowa @ North Dakota State
The Panthers have to get better offensively to get where they feel they should this season. The Bison defense is not the group to attempt to get well against. NDSU 31-17.

Indiana State @ South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits find themselves in a similar situation as William and Mary. Luckily they have an experienced hand at the helm as well in Head Coach John Stiegelmeier.  I believe  SDSU will not let the Bison beat them twice. SDSU 27-17.

Illinois State @ Youngstown State
The health of Redbird Quarterback Tre Roberson is the big question in this one. If he can play and be effective Illinois State should win. If he can’t then the Penguins have a huge advantage. I think Coach Bo Pelini will have the Penguins ready to play regardless. Penguins in the upset 21-20.

Southeastern Louisiana @ McNeese State
The Lions have played pretty well offensively and dominated the Time of possession last week against Lamar. I look for more of the same from them this week. The Cowboys are tough at home but I like the Lions in this one. Southeastern Louisiana 31-27.

Cal Poly @ Eastern Washington
A huge contrast in styles in this one. Cal Poly is really going to need multiple 8 or 9 minute scoring drives out of their Flexbone attack just to stay in this one. The Mustangs will have a few but not nearly enough. Eagles 42-28.

Sacramento State @ Montana State
The Bobcats have to play some defense. Poor tackling and bad positioning got them whipped at Northern Arizona last week. They will be better this week. Montana State 42-31.

Weber State @ Montana
The Griz defense has kept Montana afloat so far this season. Weber State has huge problems on offense. This will be ugly. Montana 38-3.

SWAC Preview 2015.6

SWAC Week 6 Preview

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 08, 2015

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT PRAIRIE VIEW A&M

Saturday October 10 2:00 p.m. CST
Waller ISD Stadium (10,000) Waller, Texas
TV: None
Series: Mississippi Valley State leads, 29-21
Last Meeting: October 18, 2014 – Itta Bena, Miss.
Prairie View 52, Mississippi Valley State 19

Next up for the Valley tour of doom is Prairie View and the Delta Devils are Homecoming bait. The Panthers come in off of a “victory” over University of Faith. Valley was blown out by Jacksonville State. The Panthers are known for their offense as they lead the league in total offense. They are dangerous both running (3rd) and passing (2nd). Quarterback Trey Green makes the offense go and his top threat is Nick Pitre. On the ground the combo of Johnta Hebert and Courtney Brown should gash the Delta Devils league worst rushing defense. Prairie View has their issues on defense (9th in total defense) but Valley has yet to prove that they can do anything with the football (221 ypg). For Valley to have any chance they need to find a consistent way to move the ball (138 yards passing, 83 yards rushing). Ruben Thurston appears to have taken hold of the QB position. Thomas Stokes is the leading rusher for Valley. Most teams score against PVU (48 points allowed per game) but Valley won’t be one of them. Prediction: PVU 56 Valley 8

ALABAMA A&M AT GRAMBLING STATE

Saturday October 10 3:00 p.m. CST
Eddie Robinson Stadium (19,600)  Grambling, La.
TV: None
Series: Grambling State leads, 18-6
Last Meeting: October 4, 2014 – Huntsville, Ala.
Grambling State 38, Alabama A&M 28

Grambling is looking very good on offense this season, their passing game is led by QB Johnathan Williams. He has multiple targets at his disposal. Chad Williams and Chester Rogers both rank in the top 10 in the SWAC in receiving stats. One key difference in this season’s offense is that Grambling has a threat running the ball, they have a two headed monster at RB with Jestin Kelly and Martez Carter. Carter is the home run hitter, a change of pace that has made this offense even better. That only means more problems for the AAMU defense who is coming off of a throttling against Coastal Carolina. To put it lightly the Bulldogs have struggled on defense, ranking 10th in the league in total defense. If there is a bright side for AAMU that would be the fact that Grambling has struggled on defense. The Tigers rank 8th in total defense and 7th in scoring defense, that means all of their games have been high scoring shootouts. The Bulldogs will have opportunities to score, it’s up to  QB De’Angelo Ballard and RB Harvey Harris to keep the Tigers off balance. Tevin McKenzie has become Ballard’s top target. Grambling needs this game to keep pace in the West battle with Southern and PVU. AAMU can’t fall any farther behind Alcorn. I expect lots of points to be placed on the scoreboard but I think Grambling will score most of them. Prediction: GSU 49 AAMU 28

SOUTHERN AT ALABAMA STATE

Saturday October 10 6:00 p.m. CST
The New ASU Stadium (26,500) Montgomery, Ala.
TV: None
Series: Southern leads, 26-9
Last Meeting: November 1, 2014 – Baton Rouge, La.
Southern 28, Alabama State 21

This is an interesting game, although some of the luster is lost due to the Hornet’s getting off to a slow start. The matchup that interests me the most in this game is Southern’s offense against ASU’s defense. The Jags have shown they are able to score points against their first two league opponents. And even though they only generated 6 points against Georgia they were able to move the ball a bit. Southern likes to run and the Hornets are great against the run (2nd in the SWAC rushing defense). The Jags rushing attack is led by the conference’s leading rusher Lenard Tillery. Kourtney Berry is the leader of the Hornets defense and I expect another huge game for him. The key to this matchup is can Southern QB Austin Howard move the ball thru the air, with targets such as Willie Quinn, Randall Menard, and Mike Jones, the Jags could test the ASU secondary if they focus on the run. On the other side of the ball, ASU seems to have found their QB, the Hornets were stung by injury at that position. Ellis Richardson has stepped up to become a dual threat. He is the team’s leading rusher and passer. It’s important for the Jags to be able to get pressure to lighten the load on their young secondary. The X-Factor in this game will be special teams, Shawan Parks of ASU and Willie Quinn of Southern are both capable of breaking a big return. Both teams are careful with the ball, with each team being +1 in turnover margin. I expect a close game as this series is known for competitive games the last few years. Southern has won the last 2 in Montgomery. I think the streak will continue. Prediction: SU 31 ASU 27

Big Sky Preview 2015.6

BSC  Week 6 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC  Contributors | October 08, 2015

Lance says-

Weber State @ #10 Montana

With Weber State’s struggles the last few seasons, it’s crazy to think that just 7 years ago, these two faced in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs.  After a stumble against Liberty, the veteran laden Montana defense has looked very strong the last two weeks.  Weber had been looking strong against the bottom teams of the conference, but they laid an egg last week turning the ball over 6 times.  They will need to hold on to the ball to have any hope for success playing on the road at Montana.  The question heading into this one will be if the Wildcats will hang on to their two QB system after Justin Shaw threw 3 interceptions on 4 attempts.  If the Grizzlies can take a quick lead, look for them to start establishing a better footing for their running game going forward this season.

#19 Portland State @ FBS North Texas

Now, by comparison, North Texas has been much worse this season than Washington State.  So, Portland State should be the favorite, but with FBS games, you never know.  The North Texas Mean Green has been outscored or gained in nearly every statistic this season, so it’s hard to predict where they will excel.  For the Vikings, they need to establish some sort of offensive efficiency.  Yes their defense has been tough all season, but if their offense can’t do anything, they’ll continue to get stuck in low scoring games where in the fourth quarter, anyone can still win.  With the great unknown on North Texas, this one is hard to predict, but I think Portland State will at least make this one close, and has a great chance at winning their second FBS game on the season.

Sacramento State @ #23 Montana State

This game was an offensive showcase last season with the two teams combining to score 115 points, but I don’t think the Hornets have enough firepower to put up those numbers again this time.  Also, with the Bobcats having come off a tough road loss and yet another embarrassing defensive performance on the road, they are going to want to flex their muscles against the Hornets.  Sacramento State has done pretty well against the run this season, so Dakota Prukop may look to air it out early.  Key player for the Hornets will once again be linebacker Darnell Sankey who is averaging 14.2 tackles per game.  I think MSU wins this one by at least 3 TDs.

​Players of the week:

The offensive player of the week is RB Casey Jahn of Northern Arizona. As mentioned before, he tallied 175 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Lumberjacks big win over Montana State.

For the second week in a row, the defensive player of the week is a Grizzly. This time it is defensive tackle Caleb Kidder who racked up a fumble recovery, an interception, five solo tackles, and one sack.

North Dakota also goes back to back with the special teams award. Kicker Reid Taubenheim takes the honor after nailing four field goals in the road upset over Portland State.

Kris Says-

Idaho State @ North Dakota

This has turned into a rebuilding year for the Bengals before the season is even half way over. Idaho State did show some offensive life last week with Michael Sanders having a solid day passing the ball. That gives them some hope as North Dakota has been susceptible at times against the pass. Speaking of defense, Idaho State ranks last in the conference in points allowed giving up a whopping 44.8 points per game. This should help a sluggish North Dakota offense which only averages a conference low 293.8 yards per game.

Cal Poly @ Eastern Washington

Poly is a little bit beat up and their pass defense has shown it over the last couple of games. Meanwhile, Eastern should be returning four starters and a couple of important backups to the lineup this week. Both of these teams have faced high powered offenses on their schedule and are ranked at the bottom of the conference in total defense. Expect a track meet.

Northern Arizona @ UC Davis

Davis has defended the pass well this season but the Lumberjacks have some balance with Casey Jahn rushing the ball. With this game, Weber, and Northern Colorado coming up the next three weeks, Northern Arizona is another one of those teams that could have some momentum heading down the home stretch of the conference schedule. Could be a trap game for NAU, but I think they come out of Davis with the win.

SLC Preview 2015.6

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | October 08, 2015

SLC Preview
GAMES for 10/10

SLC Standings:
McNeese 3-0
Southeastern La. 2-0
UCA 2-0
UIW 2-1
ACU 2-1
Sam Houston 2-1
Lamar 1-1
Houston Baptist 0-2
Nicholls 0-2
Northwestern State 0-3
Stephen F. Austin 0-3

This week’s games:
UCA at HBU
Nicholls at SFA
UIW at Sam Houston
ACU at Lamar
SLU at McNeese

Let’s look at these games carefully:

Southeastern Louisiana (2-0) at McNeese (3-0)

Whoever wins this game gets to keep the conference lead.  This is the game of the week for the Southland conference fans. Will it be the tricky offense of the Lions beating out the potent defense  of the Cowboys? Let’s look at how these two teams stack up in the statistics.

Points allowed per game: McNeese 6 SLU 25. Advantage McNeese.
Points scored per game: McNeese 36 SLU 26. Advantage McNeese.
Rushing per game: McNeese 247 SLU 252. TIE
Rushing allowed per game: McNeese 76 SLU 102. Slight edge McNeese.
Passing yards per game: McNeese 200 SLU 135. Advantage McNeese
Passing yards allowed per game: McNeese 170 SLU 276. Advantage McNeese.

Observation: Looking at the stats above McNeese appears to have the edge in many aspects of this game. Plus it’s a home game for the Cowboys. However the schedule has been easier for McNeese comparatively for the Lions. Three wins by the Cowboys come to teams that have only won a grand total combined 25% of their games with two of the teams being completely defeated on the season.

Prediction: Cowboys finally get to play some competition this week but not enough to ruin tailgating.
McNeese 35 SLU 21

Central Arkansas (2-0) at Houston Baptist (0-2)

While Houston Baptist is much improved from last year, sometimes it’s about matchups. After defeating the Huskies 70-0 last year at Estes Stadium in Conway, the Bears look to improve on their conference record for a first ever game at the Huskies home field.  UCA has come alive the last two games holding opponents to small yardage and low scores while getting to play second string guys early in those games.

Let’s look at how the two teams compare: YEAR TO DATE CONFERENCE ONLY

Points per game: UCA 46 HBU 17. Advantage UCA
Points per game allowed: UCA 17 HBU 56. Advantage UCA
Passing yards per game: UCA 232 HBU 81. Advantage UCA
Passing Defense per game: UCA 228 HBU 353. Advantage UCA.
Rushing yards per game: UCA 263 HBU 208. Advantage UCA
Rushing yards allowed per game: UCA 81 HBU 215. Advantage UCA

Observation:  HBU is simply giving up too many points per game and only getting 81 passing yards per game. UCA’s defense will have a field day in this one.

Prediction: UCA 56 HBU 7

Nicholls (0-2) at SFA (0-3)

Battle of the defeated. But this should be a day that Lumberjack fans rejoice. This is their best shot at a victory this year as being 0-5 is the last thing fans expected. Expect a massive running game to propel the Lumberjacks to victory.

Let’s look at the conference only season stats for this matchup:

Points per game: SFA 24 Nicholls 8. Advantage SFA
Points per game allowed: SFA 32 Nicholls 28. Slight advantage Nicholls
Passing yards per game: SFA 214 Nicholls 170. Advantage SFA
Passing yards allowed per game: SFA 214 Nicholls 178. Advantage Nicholls
Rushing YPG: SFA 269 Nicholls 83. Advantage SFA
Rushing YPG Allowed: SFA 210 Nicholls 209. TIE

Observation: Looking at the above stats SFA’s rushing game should allow them to outscore the Colonels in this matchup easily minus any fumbles or loss of possessions. Plus the Lumberjacks are VERY hungry for a win.

Prediction: SFA 42 Nicholls 10

UIW (2-1) at Sam Houston (2-1)

One team will keep its conference title hopes alive while the other will fall into the middle of the pack.
This should be a game of passing and passing defense as Sam Houston leads the conference in both statistical areas.

Points per game: Sam 48 UIW 24. Advantage Sam
Points allowed per game. Sam 30 UIW 28. TIE
Rushing YPG: Sam 211 UIW 131. Advantage SAM
Rushing defense per game: Sam 290 UIW 197. Advantage UIW
Passing YPG: Sam 361 UIW 202. Advantage Sam
Passing YPG defense: Sam 145 UIW 185. Advantage Sam

Observation: While UIW is able to hold opponents under 200 yards rushing Sam Houston is able to carve out nearly 400 yards passing on any team so far. Plus their defense is held together by great CB play.

Prediction: Sam Houston 48 UIW 28

ACU(2-1)  at Lamar (1-1)

Same scenario falls to the victor of this game as does the winner of the Sam Houston and UIW game. The winner remains in the title hunt while the defeated falls back in this tight conference race. This is the closest game of the week between two pretty even teams.

Let’s look at these conference only team stats:

Points per game: Lamar 38 ACU 33. Slight advantage Lamar
Points per game allowed: Lamar 38 ACU 31. Slight advantage ACU
Passing YPG: Lamar 201 ACU 224. Slight advantage ACU
Passing YPG allowed:  Lamar 324 ACU 185. Advantage ACU
Rushing YPG: Lamar 256 ACU 150. Advantage Lamar
Rushing YPG allowed: Lamar 225 ACU 259. Advantage Lamar

Observation: Lamar may run the clock out on the Wildcats defense as they run wild on opponents however they lack a passing defense allowing too many yards per game. This may come down to who makes the least mistakes.

Prediction: Lamar 35 ACU 31

MVFC Preview 2015.6

MVFC Week 6 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | October 08, 2015

JT Says-
# 9 Northern Iowa @ #1 North Dakota State

North Dakota State and UNI. They meet again. Dome sweet dome up in the Fargo Dome this time. UNI knocked off NDSU last year in the UNI Dome in arguably the best defensive performance by a UNI team in a decade, certainly the most aggressive. The defense has been the only consistent bright spot for UN and they will need every bit of swagger if they want to knock off the Bizon on the road. Carson Wentz will look to follow his fantastic offensive line to be the cats on the ground and through the air. If he has as easy of a time as he did against SDSU, then it will make for an easy win against UNI and an easy road to the top of the Missouri Valley Title. The Panther Pass defense will keep him in check but they can not allow the big plays in the rushing game. The only UNI scoring chances came from turnovers forced by their defense. The offense needs to get it going but NDSU is the last team you want to face when trying to accomplish much of anything. NDSU is too much for the Panthers this week, they win easy.

# 5 Illinois State @ #11 Youngstown State

Youngstown State looks to move towards the top of the Missouri Valley. Illinois State travels to Youngstown as the #5 team in the nation. Although they beat UNI last week, the looked beatable. Youngstown has had some inconsistencies this season but look better than ever after their relatively easy win over South Dakota. Illinois State will ride their horse Marshaun Coprich who scored 2 touchdowns on 33 carries for 169 yards. He out gained UNI himself by 65 yards. The Penguin defense has allowed 174 yards per game this season and if they don’t find a way to stop Coprich, then they will have a long day. Youngstown is improving but they are not to Illinois State’s level yet. The Redbirds run the ball, control the clock, and win it going away.

Missouri State @ Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois will be looking for revenge after a last second loss to Western Illinois. Missouri State…looks to show up for more than one quarter this week. A 56-23 bloodletting last week shows that the Bears still have some work to do. Southern Illinois should win this, and easy. They may not be the caliber of an NDSU or Illinois State but they can still make it to the second tier in the Valley. An upper echelon Valley team will have a good argument for the playoffs. Losing home games is a surefire way to take yourself out of the playoff picture. This game is not on TV, it will not be pretty, but SIU wins and might be finally figuring things out.

Chad says-

South Dakota @ Western Illinois

USD looked to be gaining momentum through the non-conference slate, and had people on AGS thinking this might be a year that USD could challenge to stay out of the bottom 2 in the conference. Turns out UC-Davis and Drake aren’t quite MVFC level, and YSU made them look like the same USD we’ve known since they joined the conference. Western Illinois, in terms of talent, is pretty close to the Penguins. South Dakota might be improved, but I don’t see how this game turns out a whole lot different than last week. Statistically the game might look close, but I think Trenton Norvell and Lance Lenoir Jr. hook up for a couple big plays to break the score open.

#16 Indiana State @ #8 South Dakota State

Had you asked me preseason if I thought this game would be as interesting as turned out to be and I would have said no. I might have said no just one week ago. I want to see how the Jackrabbits respond to their showing last week. It could be one of those things that NDSU just has SDSU’s number, physically and mentally. If that’s the case it will be interesting to see if there is a hangover from it. I think it has the opposite effect. SDSU is 5-2 their last 7 games following an NDSU game, including beating Indiana State last season one week after losing to NDSU. I think we see a concerted effort to get Wieneke and Lujan going early with a strong dose of Mengarelli and Wallace out of the backfield to chew clock. Indiana State has a chance if they get their ground game going again, though. SDSU is giving up over 5 yards per rush as a defense. The Sycamores best chance is to control the clock and keep Wieneke off the field.

 

1:00 # 9 Northern Iowa @ #1 North Dakota State NBC North Dakota/ESPN3
3:00 South Dakota @ Western Illinois ESPN3
6:00 # 5 Illinois State @ #11 Youngstown State ESPN3
6:00 #16 Indiana State @ #8 South Dakota State Midco Sports Net/ESPN3
6:00 Missouri State @ Southern Illinois No TV