SLC Review 2015.4

SLC Week 4 Review:

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | September 28, 2015

Saturday’s scores:
Abilene Christian 35, Stephen F. Austin 32
Central Arkansas 49, Northwestern State 21
Sam Houston State 63, Houston Baptist 14
McNeese State 37, Mississippi College 0
Texas- El Paso 27, UIW 17
Colorado 48, Nicholls 0

Abilene Christian 35
SFA 32

It took a fourth quarter rally and some impressive running by ACU running back De’Andre Brown (132 yards and 3 TDs) for ACU to top SFA at home Saturday. SFA was very effective on offense racking up 577 yards of offense. ACU also amassed 425 yards of offense. ACU went 2 for 3 on fourth down conversions showing the Wildcats weren’t afraid to gamble. A blocked kick by the Wildcats in the first quarter proved to be the difference in the score and in the end the game.

SFA plays Sam Houston in the annual Battle of the Piney Woods on Saturday at 3 p.m.

ACU travels to UCA to take on the Bears at 6 p.m. in Conway.

UCA 49
NWST 21

For the fourth week in a row and its third road game without a home game UCA traveled to Natchitoches, LA to take on the Demons of Northwestern State. UCA is 2-2 at Turpin stadium since joining the Southland. UCA racked up 521 yards of offense and didn’t punt until 6 minutes left in the second quarter but even that was muffed and UCA recovered it. The game proved to be one sided throughout as UCA coach Campbell gave second team players game time early in the second quarter. The Demons were led by wide receiver Ed Eagan (108 yards 2 touchdowns) who caught a great pass at the UCA 6 yard line, faked right and cruised left to the end zone leaving the Bear defender falling backwards. The Demons racked up 346 yards of offense with 275 coming in the air.

UCA finally gets a home game on Saturday at 6 p.m. as the ACU Wildcats come to Estes Stadium.

NWST travels to UIW to take on the Cardinals at 2 p.m.

Sam Houston 63
HBU 14

This game was close until the half (28-14) when starting the third quarter the Bearkats of SHSU scored 4 quick touchdowns aided by 3 picks from their defense to put the game away. They also assaulted the record book with 727 yards of total offense, went 5-5 in the red zone, threw for 472 yards passing, completed 15.2 yards per pass and amassed 32 first downs. HBU’s offense got 296 yards net with 208 rushing and 88 passing. SHSU also got 21 points off turnovers.

Sam Houston plays SFA in the Battle of the Piney Woods on Saturday at 3 p.m.

HBU hosts College of Faith on Saturday at home in Houston at 7 p.m.

McNeese 37
Mississippi College 0

It was a game of defense for the Cowboys of McNeese as they held the visiting team from Mississippi to just 114 yards overall. McNeese amassed 506 yards of offense and fumbled the ball 6 times and lost it four times. Even with those mistakes the Cowboys easily handled Mississippi College by half 20-0. Mississippi College played the run game to keep the ball out of the Cowboys hands but the defense was too much as McNeese went on to win 37-0.

McNeese travels to Nicholls State to take on the Colonels at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

UTEP 27
UIW 17

Three turnovers were the main difference in this game as the Cardinals of UIW played a strong game against their FBS opponent UTEP. The game was back and forth with the Miners finally coming out on top in the fourth quarter. UIW amassed 414 yards of offense with 285 passing yards. UIW QB Brittain threw 18 of 38 passes and ran for another 73 yards giving him 358 yard of offense. The defense also got 7 tackles for loss but it was UTEPs defense that made critical stops to hold off the Cardinals.

UIW hosts Northwestern State Saturday at 2 p.m.

Colorado 48
Nicholls 0

The Buffaloes of Colorado were just too much for the Colonels as this game was never in doubt. Colorado scored on its first 3 possessions to take a 21-0 lead and never looked back. Nicholls QB Figaro threw for just 40 yards and the team ran for 126 yards. The Colonels fall to 0-3 and will hope to rebound this week at home.

Nicholls hosts McNeese State this week for homecoming.

The Good: UIW proved it could hang with an FBS team showing the rest of the SLC they are a team to watch out for this year.

The Bad: Undefeated conference team ACU will not be eligible for a conference championship or post season play… reminds me of what happened to UCA in 2008.

The Ugly: Both NWST an SFA are 0-4 this year and have to win out to possibly make the post season consideration list.

MVFC Review 2015.4

MVFC Week 4 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | September 28, 2015

A very short article this week as the MVFC was almost entirely off this week.  These two games was all there is.

Chad says-

Southern Illinois – 34
Liberty – 13

I mentioned last week that Liberty may be ripe for the picking with a let down after the win against Montana and that’s exactly what happened. The Salukis opened up their home schedule in dominating fashion over a top 10 ranked Liberty team in front of 11,886 fans. The first couple weeks the Salukis showed flashes of a good offense and flashes of a good defense, but never at the same time. The Saluki offense exploded in the season opener with 47 points, but the defense gave up 48. Then against SEMO the defense looked pretty good, but the offense had 7 turnovers. This past weekend we saw what SIU is capable of when all three phases of the game click at once. The Salukis racked up 482 yards of total offense, and the defense forced two strip-sacks and stopped two fourth down conversion attempts. We also saw the rise of the next potential start SIU running back as true freshmen Daquan Isom finished with 123 rushing yards on 10 carries and 29 yards receiving. The Flames averaged just 2.2 yards per carry and just 6 yards per passing attempt. Liberty put some yards up but this was a complete domination by Southern Illinois.

 

JT Says-

South Dakota State – 34
Robert Morris – 10

The Jackrabbits continue to roll with a 34-10 victory over Robert Morris. Zach Lujan continues to campaign for Missouri Valley MVP honors with a 395 yard passing 3 touchdown day. The 2 interceptions were surprising but certainly not a sign of things to come. SDSU’s passing defense had an incredible performance, only allowing 43 yards for the entire game on 4-17 passing. Not sure how Robbert Morris forced Youngstown to OT a few weeks ago but they were absolutely no match for SDSU. The Jackrabbits will use this game the final tune-up before facing NDSU this week.

ICYMI: Week 4

In Case You Missed It – Week 4

While almost the entire city of Philadelphia focused on getting ready for the Papal visit over the weekend, something else had been brewing up on the Villanova campus Thursday night – just a few miles from where Pope Francis would address hundreds of thousands of people.

An upset for the masses, so to speak.

UPenn and Villanova share the power struggle for FCS dominance in the City of Brotherly Love, and for the last century it’s been a pretty one-sided affair.

And while the global attention fell on the Pontiff, the Ivy league member Penn pulled out a 24-13 victory over the Colonial Athletic Association powerhouse for the first time in 14 meetings on Thursday.

It was Penn’s first victory over intra-city rival Villanova since Oct. 14, 1911.

The loss for the Wildcats was especially hard, considering reigning FCS player of the year John Robertson wasn’t under center. Instead, Zach Bednarczyk made his first career start for Villanova, throwing for 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception. ‘Nova had just 96 rushing yards in the loss, a clear indicator that Robertson was missed.

Penn coach Ray Priore picked up his first victory with his new program, and now has additional time to get ready for an Ivy League clash against current conference titan Dartmouth.

The Penn victory Thursday was just the precursor for an exciting weekend of FCS football. In case you missed the action, here are some notable stats and headlines to remember:

In Pioneer Football League action, Butler narrowly took down Campbell thanks to a one-handed touchdown snare by Brandon Collins with 37 seconds remaining. Butler (3-1,1-0 PFL) defeated the Fighting Camels, 25-24.

Staying in the Pioneer League, Jacksonville quarterback Kade Bell attempted 63 passes Saturday against Marist, which is the second-highest single-game total for a quarterback this season behind Montana’s Brady Gustafson (64).

Bethune-Cookman hasn’t always been a well-rounded offensive unit, but the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Wildcats this season seem to be focusing a little more on the passing game than in years past. They have, however, always been a program that commits plenty of penalties. In the team’s 42-12 win over Savannah State Saturday, B-CU was flagged 23 times for 212 yards.

Perhaps an easy choice for offensive player of the week, Grambling State quarterback Johnathan Williams put on a show Saturday in his Tigers’ 70-54 victory over Prairie View A&M. Williams accounted for seven touchdowns (six passing, one rushing) and 449 total yards (429 passing) in the offensively dominated clash. Grambling State is 2-0 against Southwestern Athletic Conference competition.

The two teams combined for a whopping 56 first downs and 845 passing yards. Williams is tied for the FCS lead in points responsible for per game (24.0 ppg) with North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. The difference: Williams has played in four games, while Wentz has only played three.

Coastal Carolina running back De’Angelo Henderson has almost silently been helping his Chanticleers defeat their opponents. On Saturday, the junior ball carrier galloped for 136 yards and two touchdowns as his Chants took down Bryant, 31-17. Henderson is part of a six-way tie for most rushing touchdowns (six) in the FCS this season.

Henderson is also second in the nation with 133.0 rushing yards per game. He likely won’t be catching Dayton’s Connor Kacsor anytime soon, though.

Kacsor had another stellar outing Saturday following up his 2015 breakout performance last weekend. The senior back clearly doesn’t have a problem handling a hefty workload, considering he carried the ball 44 times in the Flyers’ 31-27 win over Kennesaw State. Kacsor rushed for 229 yards (fourth most in a single game in the FCS this season) and three touchdowns.

The Dayton running back has carried the ball 84 times in the last two games. His 44 and 40 totes over the last two weeks, respectively, are the two highest single-game totals in the FCS this year. Kacsor is averaging 181.7 rushing yards per outing.

Speaking of single game rushing performances, does James Madison’s Vad Lee know he’s technically listed as a quarterback? It sure didn’t seem like it Saturday when his Dukes took down FBS opponent SMU, 48-45.

Lee shattered Kacsor’s single-game rushing mark by springing loose for 276 yards on the ground, adding two touchdowns on 20 carries. Lee was responsible for five touchdowns and 565 total offensive yards in the contest, which is the highest single-game yardage total this season.

Lee leads the FCS with 424.5 total yards per game, is tied for second in points responsible for (90) and is tied for fourth in points responsible for per game (22.5). James Madison as an offensive unit tops the nation in total offense (671.3 ypg), rushing offense (356.3 ypg), and is second in scoring offense (50.3 ppg).

The Dukes’ win over SMU means the FCS now has six victories over FBS competition this season.

Murray State quarterback KD Humphries did everything he could for his Racers on Saturday, but his team still lost to Tennessee Tech, 31-29. Humphries accounted for four total touchdowns and tied Eastern Washington quarterback Jordan West for most single-game passing yards with 491. Humphries ranks fourth in the FCS this season with 377.8 total ypg.

Finally, your weekly Cooper Kupp update. Kupp caught two more touchdown passes and hauled in 133 receiving yards on 10 receptions in EWU’s 28-20 win over Sacramento State, giving Kupp 10 touchdown catches through four games to lead the nation.

But watch out for South Dakota State’s Jake Wieneke, who brought in two scoring grabs of his own on Saturday. Wieneke has six receiving touchdowns in only three games played.

SWAC Preview 2015.4

SWAC week 4 Preview

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | September 24, 2015

 

NO. 7 GEORGIA vs. SOUTHERN
Saturday  September 26  11:00 a.m. CST
Sanford Stadium (92,746)  Athens, Ga.
TV: SEC Network
Series: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None

The Jaguars have been explosive in their last two games scoring 50 points in each, they’ve done it with all three phases of the game. Strong running, big passing plays, turnovers by the defense, and special teams TDs. This week the challenge is much, much greater. The Bulldogs are on a role and are the favorites to win the SEC East. The Bulldogs will be led by Nick Chubb at running back and QB Grayson Lambert (who had an historical performance last week). As usual with FBS games my mentality is to use them as an opportunity to work on things that have shown up in previous games. Regardless of the outcome, Southern has shown they are a contender in the SWAC. So the key is to survive now and thrive later.

Prediction: UGA 65 Southern 14

ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF @ ALABAMA A&M
Saturday  September 26  1:00 p.m. CST
Louis Crews Stadium (21,000)  Normal, Ala.
TV: None
Series: Alabama A&M leads, 15-6
Last Meeting: November 22, 2014 – Pine Bluff, Ark.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20, Alabama A&M 19

This is a battle of two teams trying to find an identity, AAMU seems to be closer to finding it than UAPB. Last week AAMU played decent but couldn’t stop Prairie View, while UAPB could have beaten Texas Southern if they could have stayed out of their own way. AAMU may have found their QB, De’Angelo Ballard had a big game last week earning newcomer of the week honors. If that’s the case then this game will lean more towards the Bulldogs. I firmly believe they have the better running game. UAPB is showing the signs of a young team consistent inconsistency. Turnovers continue to plague them and until they get that fixed, I can’t confidently pick them. Brain Handley will have to get the running game going and while Marcus Terrell appears to be their QB he’ll have to be smart with the ball and manage the game. AAMU’s defense will apply plenty of pressure. Last year’s game was close, I don’t see it this year.

Prediction: AAMU 31 UAPB 12

ALCORN STATE VS CONCORDIA (AL)
Saturday  September 26  2:00 p.m. CST
Jack Spinks Stadium (22,500)  Lorman, Miss.
TV: None
Series: Alcorn State leads 1-0
Last Meeting: October 22, 2011 – Lorman, Miss
Alcorn State 58, Concordia 16

After a season opening loss to Georgia Tech, Alcorn has won two straight SWAC games to jump to the top of the East Division. The Braves will win this easily as Concordia has no answer for what the Braves are doing on offense. The Braves will run, run, run, and pass when necessary. John Gibbs, Jr. is settling in this season as he had a huge game against Valley last week. This one won’t be close as the Braves will get their big plays in and get ready for the rest of SWAC play.

Prediction: ASU 64 Concordia 3

ALABAMA STATE @ MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE
Saturday  September 26  6:00 p.m. CST
Rice-Totten Stadium (10,000)  Itta Bena, Miss.
TV: None
Series: Alabama State leads, 25-16-1
Last Meeting: September 13, 2014 – Montgomery, Ala.
Alabama State 47, Mississippi Valley State 22

Valley is the cure for what ails ya, this week it’s Alabama State’s turn. It’s unfair to pick on Valley at this point as they are very young and have kids playing who shouldn’t be at this point. But it’s gone worse than even I thought. The defense is getting shredded weekly and they can’t generate pass rush or stop the run. And the offense has no flow, because they can’t decide on a QB or a RB. This week should be they week ASU finally gets over the hump, they’ve had injuries at the QB position and turnovers have cost them. Last week they did not look good against Grambling, I expect them to get the running game going early and take control. LB Kourtney Berry should have a field day.

Prediction: ASU 42 Valley 9

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M VS GRAMBLING STATE
Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic
Saturday  September 26  6:00 p.m. CST
Cotton Bowl (92,100)  Dallas, Texas
TV: None
Series: Grambling State leads, 49-18-1
Last Meeting: September 27, 2014 – Dallas, Texas
Grambling State 26, Prairie View A&M 20

This is the SWAC game of the week and it should be filled with offense. Both teams will look to put plenty of points on the board. I don’t envy the defensive coaches in this one. Grambling’s offense is led by QB Johnathan Williams and he will look to put the ball in the air frequently. He has multiple targets led by Chad Williams (19 catches on the year). Grambling isn’t consistent with the ground game yet which could be a factor. PVU on the other hand can run the ball as well as pass it. QB Trey Green has been a pleasant surprise for the Panthers and their two headed RB combo of Courtney Brown and Johnta Hebert can pile up the yards. This is a big game in the West Division, the loser will face the possibility of falling too far behind.

Prediction: PVU 38 GSU 31

JACKSON STATE VS TEXAS SOUTHERN
Saturday  September 26  6:00 p.m. CST
Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (60,492)  Jackson, Miss.
TV: None
Series: Jackson State leads, 40-18-1
Last Meeting: October 25, 2014 – Houston, Texas
Jackson State 15, Texas Southern 10

Texas Southern is in search of momentum and Jackson State is in search of a victory. TSU has won two games (one an easy blowout and the other a sloppy closer than it needed to be affair) and we still don’t know what the Tigers are yet. The Blue Bengals of JSU have given up lots of points. The key to this game is defense, JSU has proven it can move the ball in the air and although they don’t run much they do have capable runners. TSU has to be ready to get pressure on QB LaMontiez Ivy and hope the secondary can cover Dan Williams and Jarious Moll. IF the D struggles then TSU is in for a long night. Texas Southern is still developing their offensive attack although Johnathan Bowen has stepped up at QB. The Maroon Tigers do have weapons, the key will be can they take care of the ball. This is a close to a must win as you can have at this point in the season. If JSU doesn’t win the coach’s seat will be on fire and they may not have another game they are favored in until October 24. TSU is already 1-1 in SWAC and they can’t afford losses to teams who may not contend.

Prediction: JSU 28 TSU 17

SLC Preview 2015.4

SLC Week 4 Preview – for September 26 Games

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | September 24, 2015

Before we go into the previews let’s look at the Southland teams and the leaders in the conference so far. Keep in mind these stats are not true indicators of a team’s status in conference.

Points per game- Lamar and Sam Houston are leading the conference with about 45 per game.

Scoring defense- McNeese is leading the way with just 10 points per game.

Yards per game- Sam Houston leads the conference at nearly 600 per game but allows nearly 600 per game also.

Total Defense- UIW, McNeese and HBU are only allowing around 315 per game but only get 300 per game.

Rushing offense is led by Sam Houston, Lamar, and SLU at about 252 YPG.

Rush Defense is led by SLU and McNeese at about 80 per game.

Passing leader is Sam Houston at 343 per game.

Passing defense leader is ACU at 145 per game.

Keep in mind these stats come from the SLC playing lower division schools, FCS opponents, and FBS schools. True conference numbers can’t be figured out until conference play begins for all teams.

This week’s games:

SFA (0-3) at ACU (1-1)
Stephen F. Austin is averaging 16 PPG and allowing 44 PPG.
ACU is averaging 31 PPG and allowing 27 PPG.

This is my toss up game of the week. I think with SFA’s defense struggling and giving up 44 PPG, this should be an ACU win by a small amount.

Rushing- ACU is only rushing 109 YPG and allowing 215 YPG.
Passing- ACU is passing for 227 YPG and allowing 145 YPG.

Rushing- SFA is rushing for 153 YPG and allowing 243 YPG.
Passing- SFA is passing for 188 YPG and allowing 281 YPG.

It appears from the stats that ACU will use the pass game to its advantage against SFA. With the home field advantage for ACU and SFA’s defense struggling I see ACU winning. While you can’t count either coach out, SFA’s coach Clint Conque just doesn’t have the weapons he’s had in the past.
ACU BY 3.

UCA (0-2) at NWST (0-3)
This appears to be the battle of the defeated. But it’s not. UCA has had massive struggles with the Demons at their place. However UCA had a bye week last week after a good performance against top 25 FBS school Oklahoma State.

UCA Rushing 105 YPG vs. NWST Rush Defense allowing 358 YPG. UCA has the edge.  NWST Rushing for 162 YPG vs. UCA Rush Defense allowing 164 YPG. TIE

UCA is passing for 235 YPG and NWST is allowing 191 YPG. TIE
NWST is passing for 133 YPG and UCA is allowing 393 YPG. NWST has the edge.

Game is at NWST. UCA allows too many YPG passing however NWST allows too many rushing yards. Toss up.

I will say UCA by the thinnest of margins only because of the UCA run game eating up the clock. UCA also had a week off for rest and game planning.

BEARS BY 7.

Mississippi College D2 (2-1) at McNeese (2-0)
McNeese is rushing for 240 YPG and only allows 85 YPG. They pass for 162 and allow 231 YPG. But I don’t think this will make much of a difference against Mississippi College. MC recently lost to North Alabama and McNeese is on a higher level than UNA. I dub this one the BLOODBATH game. No need to preview this shutout.

MCNEESE BY 35

HBU (1-2) at SHSU (0-2)
The perennial whipping child comes to Sammy land to get its yearly dose of smack-down. After the Bearkats fell to Lamar, the next victim, had better be ready to play.

Sam rushing 255 YPG vs. HBU rush defense 142 YPG. Sam has the edge.
HBU rushing 213 YPG vs. Sam rush defense 251 YPG. TIE

Sam passing 343 YPG vs. HBU pass defense 174 YPG. Sam has the edge.
HBU passing 160 YPG vs. Sam pass defense 330 YPG. HBU slight edge.

Comparing the rushes and passing tendencies of both teams leads me to believe that Sam’s rushing and passing game will be far too much for HBU.

SAM BY 35

UIW (2-1) at UTEP (FBS) (1-2)
Hard for me to pick UIW in this matchup against an FBS opponent. UTEP has played Arkansas and Texas Tech to start the season. UIW has slipped by Texas A&M-Kingsville and Nicholls State.
UTEP is just too much for UIW.

UTEP BY 21

Nicholls (0-2) at Colorado (FBS) (2-1)
Colorado is on a roll beating in state opponent Colorado State. Nicholls has lost to UIW and UL-Monroe and scored a total of 10 points all season. This one should not be close either.

Nicholls allows 182 YPG rushing and 261 YPG passing.
Colorado gains 300+ YPG rushing and nearly 200 YPG passing.
Colorado is just too strong for Nicholls.

COLORADO BY 28 or more.

Big Sky Preview 2015.4

BSC  Week 4 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC  Contributors | September 24, 2015

Kris Says-

Cal Poly @ Montana State
Cal Poly’s amazingly difficult opening schedule continues as they face a Bobcat team with one of the best duel threat quarterbacks in the country in Dakota Prukop. While Montana State will get its points, their new defense got pummeled last week in Cheney including giving up 259 rushing yards to EWU. This doesn’t bode well facing the #2 rushing offense in FCS. Expect a bit of a shootout here.

Western Oregon @ Portland State
The DII Wolves were tied with Portland State in the 4th quarter of last year’s game before losing by a touchdown. This appears to be a different Viking squad in 2015 but Western Oregon is a winning program and typically has some solid athletes. Don’t be surprised if the outcome is a little closer than expected.

Idaho State @ UNLV
The Bengals could get nothing going last week against Boise State and the 0-3 Rebels might provide Idaho State with an opportunity to keep it close and at least gain some much needed confidence.

Eastern Washington @ Sacramento State
The Hornets will need to get something going on offense if they’re going to hang with the Eagles. Sacramento State as a team has one less touchdown (7) on the season than Eastern’s Cooper Kupp has on his own (8). Not to jinx the Eagles, but they’ve never lost in Sacramento and I don’t see much of a reason to believe that will change this season.

Lance says-

UC Davis @ North Dakota
I wonder if during the pregame coin toss, the two teams will just say “Ok, first team to score a touchdown wins.” All jokes aside, neither team has shown much of an impressive offense this season, and we could very well see each team’s defense put up more points than their respective offenses. Players to watch for UND will be lead LB Will Ratelle who has 20 total tackles and running back John Santiago. For UC-Davis look for veteran quarterback Ben Scott and a very balanced attack on defense. I might be wrong, but this should be a very low scoring game.

Weber State @ Northern Colorado
Sure, Northern Colorado has the better record here, but Weber State essentially started the season with two FBS level games, while Northern Colorado basically had two D-II opponents. I think Weber has to be the favorite here coming off an impressive performance last weekend. Led by a QB-WR combo of Jadrian Clark and Cam Livingston along with a balanced rushing attack, the Wildcats offense has been improving and their defense has also stepped it up so far. The Bears, on the other hand, started well on offense, but laid an egg against Southern Utah and will need their offense to perform well to have a chance against the Wildcats. I think Weber State runs away with this one.

ORV Northern Arizona @ #13 Montana
A matchup between two teams who started better than people thought they would, but are now looking more like they originally seemed. While usually a defensive battle, this one should be much more high scoring with both offenses having a lot of firepower and both defenses having given up a fair amount of points. The Griz need to improve inside the red zone. On the season they are scoring a touchdown just 33% of the time, while allowing a 71% touchdown rate to opponents. Key players for NAU will be the duo of Case Cookus and Emmanuel Butler. Montana has done pretty well against the run so far this season, so the Lumberjacks will likely need to rely on their passing ability, which has been their strength so far. For Montana it will be the quarterback position. With Gustafson out, Chad Chalich, who played the last three quarters last weekend will likely start, but Makena Simis might also see a few reps if Stitt gives him the green light. Montana’s offense will heavily rely on if they can smoothly transition to the next man up.

D-II Brevard @ Southern Utah
After posting an amazing 6-1 turnovers advantage in their win over Northern Colorado, Southern Utah gets their home opener against an over matched D-II school from North Carolina. Brevard barely goes out of state for most of their games, so I’m surprised this one even got scheduled. Anyways, this should be a fun game for the T-Birds to showcase their team in front of their fans before more Big Sky action. Southern Utah has a relatively favorable conference schedule, so look for them to potentially make noise the next few weeks.

 

TIME (ET) MATCHUP
2:00 PM UC Davis @ North Dakota
3:35 PM Cal Poly @ Montana State
3:35 PM Weber State @ Northern Colorado
4:00 PM Northern Arizona @ Montana
5:05 PM Western Oregon @ Portland State
8:00 PM Brevard College @ Southern Utah
9:00 PM Idaho State @ UNLV
9:05 PM Eastern Washington @ Sacramento State

MVFC Preview 2015.4

MVFC Week 4 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | September 24, 2015

This is one of the shortest preview weeks we’ll probably ever have as there are only two games in the NVFC this week.

Chad says-

Liberty @ Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is looking to prove that the loss to Southeast Missouri State was a one off event, and get the momentum from the Indiana game back. Liberty is coming off of a massive win, at home, over Montana. This may mean the Flames are a legitimate top FCS team. I could also leave them in a bit of a mental let down and allow the Salukis to take the game in Carbondale. Which Iannotti shows up this week? The one that set yardage records in week 1, or the one that threw 3 picks and lost a fumble? If it’s the one that makes smart reads I like the Salukis chances.

 

JT Says-

Robert Morris @ South Dakota State
South Dakota State remains my pick to win the Missouri Valley this year. They beat Kansas 41-38 and just dominated Southern Utah 55-10 last game. After Southern Utah scored the first TD, SDSU scored 48 unanswered. The Jackrabbits now get Robert Morris for the second game of a 4 game home stand. Zach Lujan has 607 yards passing with 5 TD’s and no INT’s to lead the SDSU aerial attack while Isaac Wallace and Brady Mengarelli lead on the ground, combining for 356 yards and 6 touchdowns. Robert Morris was a worthy opponent for Dayton, forced Youngstown into OT, and beat Notre Dame of Ohio 35-24. Though the Robert Morris defense held Notre Dame to only 82 yards rushing, they allowed 248 yards through the air. This will spell disaster this week against Zach Lujan who is making his case as one of the best quarterbacks in the MVFC. Robert Morris will make it interesting for a while but fall late, and SDSU will remain undefeated heading into conference play.

 All Times Central

5:00 PM Robert Morris @ South Dakota State Midco Sports Network and ESPN3
6:00 PM Liberty @ Southern Illinois ESPN3

TSOTN Week 4

National Notes Week 4

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | September 24, 2015

The Review

 Last week in the FCS had it all! We saw a great rivalry renewed, a good win over an FBS, and a top 5 team upset by the Lamar Cardinals. North Dakota State dominated North Dakota from the first whistle and won the game that some said would never take place. The Furman Paladins defense and special teams led them to an impressive win over FBS Central Florida. Much to the surprise of the blog writers in the Orlando newspaper. The Lamar team jumped all over the Sam Houston State Bearkats and held on for a three point victory. Record crowds at Jacksonville State, Liberty, and Coastal Carolina helped the home teams win against tough competition. Northern Iowa really helped themselves with a dominant performance on defense to throttle Cal Poly. Villanova won perhaps the most Pyrrhic  victory in recent memory over Delaware. 2014

Walter Payton Award winner John Robertson was injured and has perhaps played his last down in a Wildcat uniform. Eastern Washington rolled up 667 yards of total offense in their win while Stony Brook and Chattanooga used defense to win Conference games. Game balls to all of those victorious squads.

The Interviews

We are stoked to be joined by Gary Rima, Voice of the Northern Iowa Panthers, in the Voices of the FCS Segment. Bruce Barnum, Head Coach of the undefeated Portland State Vikings, is our Coach interview this week. Many thanks to both of those gentlemen for giving of their time.

The Preview

Liberty @ Southern Illinois
The Flames raised their standing nationally last week with their win against Montana. The question is can they stand prosperity or will there be a letdown on the road against the Salukis? Liberty 27-21.

Stony Brook @ William and Mary
Stony Brook used its fine defense to hold New Hampshire to six points last week. That defense will have to play just as well this week to beat the Tribe in Williamsburg. Tribe 20-17.

Cal Poly @ Montana State
Both of these squads are coming off disappointing performances last week. The Bobcat offense scored 50 points and they LOST. The Mustangs were never really in the game against UNI. Bobcats 35-31.

Charleston Southern @ The Citadel
The Battle of Charleston will be tough and a hard hitting affair. These two teams have developed a real dislike of one another. Both want to run the ball and impose their will on their opponents. I think The Citadel has a few more athletes this year. Bulldogs 31-24.

Lehigh @ Princeton
The Tiger secondary should be the difference in this matchup. Lehigh needs to be a little more imaginative when they have the ball and use some misdirection to get the Princeton defense out of position. The Mountain Hawks will confuse them some but not nearly enough. Princeton 34-17.

Robert Morris @ South Dakota State
The Jackrabbits keep rolling and Robert Morris has no answer. SDSU 38-10.

Presbyterian @ Chattanooga
The Blue Hose are rebuilding and should not prove too tough for the Mocs. Chatty 38-17.

Northern Arizona @ Montana
Montana will be without its starting quarterback for quite some time. The Lumberjack defense will be sharpening their  blades and are going to come after Chad Chalich and attempt to make him beat them. I think he can. Griz 28-17.

The FCSTV Guide For Week 4

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

AGS Top 25 Match-ups – Week 4

Thursday, September 24th:

Pennsylvania at (7) Villanova 7pm (CS Live $)
Villanova loses Robertson last week but Penn is just the opponent they need right now.

Saturday, September 26th:

(1) Jacksonville State at Tennessee-Martin 3pm ESPN3
The surprise #1 team looks to keep rolling as they dive into OVC play.

Bryant at (3) Coastal Carolina 6pm
This should be a routine, early season tune-up for Coastal.

Robert Morris at (4) South Dakota State 6pm ESPN3
While most MVFC teams take this week off, SDSU plays what would normally be an easy opponent.  This walkover did take YSU to overtime a couple weeks ago but SDSU should handle RMU.

(8) James Madison at Southern Methodist 7pm ESPN3
The Dukes could beat SMU, but they hung tight with Baylor and TCU. However, they barely beat a bad North Texas team. The Dukes could win, but likely won’t without forcing some turnovers.

(9) Liberty at Southern Illinois 7pm ESPN3/LFSN
Liberty with the likely biggest win last week. They face a stiff test on the road against SIU.  This was runner up game of the week on AGS this week.

(10) Eastern Washington at Sacramento State 9pm
Eastern Washington visits Sacramento to get what should be an easy Big Sky win.

(11) Chattanooga at Presbyterian 7pm
Chattanooga has an easy road trip this week and PC shouldn’t pose much challenge…or so it usually seems and then they do pose a challenge.  Should be a good road test and a win for the Mocs but might not be a blowout.

(D2) Western Oregon at (12) Portland State 5pm
Portland State has a D2 opponent prior to starting Big Sky play.  Western Oregon has proved challenging in the past but don’t see it being that way this time around.

Northern Arizona at (13) Montana 4pm RootSN/DTV: 101
Montana needs to prove they’re a top 10 FCS team and ORV NAU wants an upset. The Griz should win.

Monmouth at (14) Fordham 1pm
Fordham with an easy early season match-up.

(15) Cal Poly at (18) Montana State 3:30pm Cowles Media/KSBY/(ABC/FOX) MT
The Mustangs travel to Montana State for a battle of two very good rushing QB’s. The Big Sky has some strong teams this season and the winner of this one is in a good position early in the BSC.

Houston Baptist at (17) Sam Houston State 7pm FCSC
Sam Houston State has an easier task this week after the devastating upset to Lamar.  Look for them to get it right and stack up some points and yards this week.

(22) Stony Brook at (19) William & Mary 7:30pm Comcast Sportsnet
Is SBU for real, or is UNH going to have an off-year? This game will help to show if SBU or WM will start to fade in the rankings.  This is your AGS game of the week and it’s gonna be a good one!

Austin Peay at (23) Eastern Kentucky 6pm OVC Video
Eastern Kentucky should win convincingly against bottom dweller Austin Peay.

Brown at (25) Harvard 7pm FCSA
Eastern Kentucky should win convincingly against bottom dweller Austin Peay.

(D2) Mississippi College at (24) McNeese State 7pm
McNeese with a D2 opponent before diving into the Southland.

Brown at (25) Harvard 7pm FCSA
Ivy League play is here and Harvard wants to prove they belong in the Top 25.

Bye Week:
(2) North Dakota State
(5) Northern Iowa
(6) Illinois State
(16) Youngstown State
(20) Southeastern Louisiana
(21) Indiana State

Others Receiving Votes (26-30):
(26) Samford at Louisville 6pm ESPN3
Central Connecticut State at (27) New Hampshire 6pm
Virginia Military at (30) Furman 3pm ESPN3

Games above the line are included with ET designations, Below this line all times are in Central time and be sure to check back for updates…

TV Guide
9/26 Southern at Georgia 11:00 a.m. SEC Nework
Colgate at Holy Cross 11:00 a.m. Comcast Sports NE/Comcast Sports CA
Delaware at North Carolina 11:30 a.m. Fox Sports Affiliates/NESN/Comcast Sports MA/STO/Root Pittsburgh
Nicholls St at Colorado 12:30 p.m. Pac 12 Network
UC Davis at North Dakota 1:00 p.m. Midco
SFA at Abilene Christian 2:30 p.m. Altitude/ASN
URI at Maine 2:30 p.m. Altitude
Northern Arizona at Montana 3:00 p.m. Root Sports NW/Direct TV 101
Houston Baptist at Sam Houston State 6:00 p.m. Fox College Sports Central
Stony Brook at William and Mary 6:30 p.m. Comcast Sports Mid-Atlantic/SNY
Tenn Tech at Murray State 6:30 p.m. MASN

FCS on ESPN3
Delaware at North Carolina 11:30 a.m.
San Diego at Valpo 12:30 p.m.
Jax State at UT Martin 2:00 p.m.
VMI at Furman 2:00 p.m.
Morgan State at Howard 3:30 p.m.
Samford at Louisville 5:00 p.m.
Charleston Southern at The Citadel 5:00 p.m.
Lafayette at Wagner 5:00 p.m.
RMU at SDSU 5:00 p.m.
UCA at Northwestern St 6:00 p.m.
Liberty at SIU 6:00 p.m.
JMU at SMU 6:00 p.m.

FCS on ESPN College Extra
9/26 Delaware vs. North Carolina 11:30 p.m.
San Diego vs. Valparaiso 12:30 p.m.
Robert Morris vs. South Dakota State 5:00 p.m.
Liberty vs. Southern Illinois 6 p.m.
James Madison vs. SMU 6 p.m.

Where to find other FCS games(FREE) online….
http://lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm (Guide to all games on TV or online webcasts)
OVC Conference…http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch/
Big Sky Conference…http://eversport.tv/big-sky
Big South Conference…http://www.bigsouthsports.com/live/8589
Northeast Conference…http://www.necfrontrow.com/
Patriot League…http://www.campusinsiders.com/networ…ot_league/live
SoCon Digital Network…http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com

 

$ – Means it is not a free cast but prices vary so check it out for yourself.

SWAC Review 2015.3

SWAC Week 3 Review:

Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | September 22, 2015

Southern 50, Jackson State 31
Southern defeated Jackson State at A.W. Mumford Stadium Saturday night for the first time since 2005 with a 50-31 victory over its arch rival in front of a sellout crowd. The Jaguars tallied 675 yards of total offense (272 rushing and 395 passing) handing the Tigers its third loss in a row.  JSU is now 0-3 for the first time since 2009.

Austin Howard scored on a four yard run for Southern within the first two minutes of action and connected on a 43 yard touchdown pass to Willie Quinn establishing an early 15-0 lead. La Montiez Ivy found Dan Williams on a 24 yard touchdown toss to get JSU on the board bringing the score to 15-7. A pair of Jaguars’ scores by Malcolm Crockett and Howard made the score 50-24 in the fourth quarter, Ivy connected once more with Dan Williams for its final score with 2:03 remaining in the game. Ivy passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns, connecting with eight different receivers. Jairus Moll led all receivers with 130 yards and a touchdown. Williams caught a game high seven passes gaining 90 yards for JSU.

Prairie View A&M 53, Alabama A&M 49
Trey Green threw four touchdown passes and Courtney Brown ran for two consecutive fourth-quarter scores to rally Prairie View A&M over Alabama A&M 53-49 on Saturday. Green completed 27 of 40 passes for 345 yards with one interception for the Panthers (2-1, 2-0). Nick Pitre caught eight passes for 196 yards and three TDs, and Brown’s 12-yard scoring run put the Panthers up 26-14 at halftime.

The Bulldogs (0-2, 0-1) rallied to a 43-40 fourth-quarter lead after scoring 15 unanswered points capped by a two yard run by Harvey Harris. Brown put the Panthers back on top 47-43 with a 21-yard run with 3:10 to play, then, after an AAMU fumble, scored on the Panthers’ next possession on a 16-yard run. Brown gained 113 yards on 14 carries. De’Angelo Ballard threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more for the Bulldogs. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 352 yards. Devonte Simon finished with 10 tackles for AAMU with nine solo stops.  Brown Foster led PVAMU with seven tackles.

Grambling State 34, Alabama State 10
Johnathan Williams completed 20 of 37 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns to help lead Grambling State to a 34-10 victory over Alabama State on Saturday. All four of Williams’ scoring throws went to different receivers, including a 36-yard strike to Chad Williams who led the Tigers with six catches for 86 yards. Ka’Jandre Domino, Verlon Hunter, and Martez Carter each added touchdown catches and Carter finished with 71 yards rushing on nine carries for Grambling State (1-2, 1-0).

David Albert connected on a 33-yard field goal that gave Alabama State (0-3, 0-2) its only lead of the game after the first quarter. From there the Tigers scored 34 unanswered points to take a commanding lead late into the fourth. Ellis Richardson scored the Hornets only touchdown on a seven yard  run with 2:42 left in the game. Quinteris Toppings, who made his first appearance of the season at quarterback led ASU with 159 yards passing.  The Hornets 0-3 start is its worst since 2008.

Texas Southern 24, Arkansas Pine Bluff 20
Darrell Robinson scored from two yards in the third quarter and Eric Medina tacked on an insurance field goal with 1:34 left and Texas Southern topped Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 24-20 Saturday night. UAPB (1-2, 0-1) took a 10-0 lead and held a 13-7 advantage at intermission, but Robinson scored his first touchdown early in the second half to give TSU a 14-13 lead. Nicholas Woodfork scored less than a minute later to put the Golden Lions back on top, 20-14, but the Tigers (2-1, 1-1) scored the final 10 points to secure the win. Jamal Lucas was by far the star defensively for TSU finishing with 14 tackles and an interception.  Kyle Walker led UAPB with eight tackles and a sack.

Robinson finished with 16 carries for 57 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers while Johnathan Bowen was 12 of 24 for 178 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Terrell was 18 of 32 for 189 yards to lead UAPB, but was picked off twice.

Alcorn State 55, Mississippi Valley State 14
John Gibbs, Jr. rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 118 yards and a score as Alcorn State topped Mississippi Valley State 55-14 Saturday night. Gibbs accomplished the feat despite handling just seven carries for the Braves (2-1, 2-0). His 72-yard scoring run early in the second quarter put his team up 28-0. They totaled 304 yards rushing, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Arron Baker rushed for 53 yards adding two touchdowns to the tally in the third quarter.

Thomas Stokes, Jr. finished with 37 yards rushing, Edwin Faison Jr. had 32 and Ruban Thurston passed for 110 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi Valley State (0-3, 0-2), which managed just 191 total yards. Each team struggled with penalties and finished with double-digit disciplines.

Football Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week
Austin Howard, Southern
Quarterback
Southern’s signal-caller shined during Southern’s 50-31 victory over Jackson State, as he threw for a career-high 395 yards and a score on 21-of-32 passing while running for 29 yards and two more scores. It was the second-straight week that the Jaguars put 50 points on the board.

Defensive Player of the Week
Kourtney Berry, Alabama State
Berry was a bright spot for the Hornets in their 34-10 loss to Grambling State, as the senior linebacker racked up 19 stops (0.5 TFL) during the contest. Berry was the lone player on either side to accumulate double-digit tackles in the contest, and he is averaging 16 tackles per game thus far this year.

Special Teams Player of the Week
Marc Orozco, Grambling State
Grambling State kicker Marc Orozco was 2-for-2 in field goal attempts for the Tigers in their 34-10 win over Alabama State, and also averaged 46.2 yards per punt during the game, twice pinning Alabama State inside its own 20-yard line.

Newcomer of the Week
De’Angelo Ballard, Alabama A&M
Alabama A&M’s junior quarterback tossed for 352 yards and three scores – on 14-of-29 passing – and also added in 96 yards on the ground and two more scores during the Bulldogs’ 53-49 shootout loss to Prairie View A&M.