SLC Review 2015.3

SLC Week 3 Review:

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | September 22, 2015

Lamar 49 Sam Houston 46
Lamar traveled to Sam Houston to take on the 3/5 ranked Bearkats. But to the surprise of everyone in Huntsville it was the Cardinals, more specifically Kade Harrington, who ran away with the game. Harrington ran all over the Bearkat defense toting the ball 24 times and amassing 230 yards on the ground. He also caught two passes for 83 yards which all added up to 3 TD for Harrington. By halftime the Cardinals had pulled away by 3 TDs and only made it interesting as defensive mistakes allowed the Bearkats back into the game late. The Cardinals have next week off but travel to Southeast Louisiana the following week.

McNeese State 28 Stephen F. Austin 14
Propelled by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 76 yard run by Cowboy QB Daniel Sams, the 21st ranked McNeese State Cowboys improved to 2-0 on the year while the SFA Lumberjacks dropped to 0-3. Both teams were able to put up over 400 yards of offense but SFA was without its starting QB Zach Conque to start the game. The Cowboys also replaced their starting QB Sams with backup QB Ashcraft as they did the previous game. McNeese plays Mississippi College next week. SFA hosts ACU next week.

Abilene Christian 49 Houston Baptist 21
A powerful third quarter propelled ACU to a win over HBU in Abilene Texas on Saturday. The halftime score was 21-14 when the Wildcats woke up and scored 21 unanswered points to lead 42-14. The Wildcats host SFA this Saturday and HBU travels to Sam Houston State.

University of Incarnate Word 20 Nicholls State 10
The Cardinals of UIW start the season 1-0 in conference play as they struggled to defeat the Colonels of Nicholls State in San Antonio. Both teams totaled nearly 300 yards of offense and the difference in this game was the big plays by the UIW offense as running back Reeves sparked the Cardinals to late game touchdowns on several long carries. UIW travels to FBS opponent UTEP while Nicholls State travels to FBS Colorado.

Ohio  (FBS) 35 Southeastern Louisiana 14
As expected against an FBS team that has been bowl eligible for the last 6 years the Lions of SLU went down in defeat in Athens, Ohio. The Lions were without starting QB D’Shaie Landors and two starting running backs also. The game was essentially over when Ohio took a 21-0 lead in the half and held the Lions to only 4 first downs in that half. A lightning delay in the fourth quarter with 8 minutes left only delayed the scoring for the Bobcats of Ohio as just three plays after returning they scored on a 67 yard catch and run by Cope. SLU has next week off.

Mississippi State 62 Northwestern State 13
In Starkville Mississippi the SEC Mississippi Bulldogs ran away from the Demons of Northwestern State. The Bulldogs scored at least 14 in every quarter and earned 647 yards of offense. The Demons earned 257 yards of offense. The demons were unable to stop 5 scoring drives by the Bulldogs that averaged just over one minute. Northwestern State hosts Central Arkansas next Saturday.

MVFC Review 2015.3

MVFC Week 3 Review

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | September 22, 2015

Chad says-

Indiana State – 29
Southeast Missouri State – 28

Coming into this game I thought the Sycamores would need to weather an early storm to walk off the field with a win. Instead SEMO decided to save almost all of it’s scoring for the 4th quarter. The Redhawks scored 21 of their 28 points in the final 9:29 of the game, and 14 in the 2:24. Indiana State gave up the lead with 2:24 left in the game after a 1 yard Redhawk touchdown run and two point conversion. Matt Adam and Gary Owens connected for a 33 yard score, and two point conversion, with just 41 seconds left in the game. The Redhawks weren’t done as Dante Vandeven led the Redhawks right down the field and scored a touchdown as time expired. Rather than kicking the PAT and going to OT the Redhawks pulled out the “when to go for 2” card and saw “Down by 1 with no time on the clock and on the road” and went for the win. Ultimately his 2 point conversion fade route sailed high and Indiana State pulled the victory out of the jaws of defeat. The Sycamore defense, which I thought would be a strength of the team this year, has struggled to keep teams from putting up large chunks of yards. The Redhawks managed over 460 yards of offense on the day. That’s a trend that ISU will need to break.

North Dakota State – 34
North Dakota – 9

This game went almost as I predicted last week. North Dakota came out of the gates strong, forcing a NDSU punt, which resulted in a 52 yard return, giving UND the ball on the 22 yard line. Their next three plays resulted in just three yards and were forced to kick a field goal. That’s about as good as it got for UND for the next 40 minutes. This game went almost as I predicted last week. North Dakota came out of the gates strong, forcing a NDSU punt, which resulted in a 52 yard return, giving UND the ball on the 22 yard line. Their next three plays resulted in just three yards and were forced to kick a field goal. That’s about as good as it got for UND for the next 40 minutes. Then the Bison turned on the jets and scored 34 straight, including 24 to end the first half in which NDSU out-gained UND 241 yards to 5 (377 to 61 for the game).

UND’s defense looked okay, but their offense was non-existent. Carson Wentz threw for 262 yards and four scores. UND sold out on the run and did hold a potent Bison ground game to just 2.5 yards per carry. That may be something for UND to build on, and something for NDSU to address. UND’s defense looked okay, but their offense was non-existent. Carson Wentz threw for 262 yards and four scores. UND sold out on the run and did hold a potent Bison ground game to just 2.5 yards per carry. That may be something for UND to build on, and something for NDSU to address.

Western Illinois – 27
Coastal Carolina – 34

The Leathernecks continue to be the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde team. One week they look like they can’t do anything right, the next they are pushing a top 5 team to the brink on the road. Looking at the stats Western should have won going away. They had over 200 more yards of offense, 27 more plays and 17 more minutes of possession. As good as the offense looked the first 3.5 quarters they couldn’t muster a score in the final 10 minutes of the game to tie, and/or take the lead. Trenton Norvell played to his potential as he went 31-48 for 370 yards and 2 touchdowns. His favorite target, Lance Lenoir Jr, grabbed 10 passes for 116 yards. The Leathernecks also found a run game last week in Nikko Watson as he ran for 156 yards, and 2 scores, on 29 carries. If WIU could manage to put together any kind of consistency they could be a dangerous team. Unfortunately for the Leathernecks, the only consistent thing for them the last three of four years is the extreme inconsistency.

Illinois State – 34    OT
Eastern Illinois – 31

As bad as EIU looked this first 2 games they looked that good pushing the Redbirds to the brink. I don’t know if I’m impressed with the Panthers performance or starting to get concerned with Redbirds. They haven’t been overly impressive on defense, especially with the loss of Teddy Corwin to injury, and last weekend is a perfect example of that as they gave up just under 400 yards to EIU, including over 200 on the ground. Jalen Whitlow tied the game with a 5 yard touchdown run for the Panthers with just 1:48 left in the game. Eastern Illinois got the ball to start overtime, and the Redbird defense did come up with a big play and force a fumble. Illinois State did just enough to get into position to set up the game winning 32 yard field goal by Sean Slattery.

JT Says-

Northern Iowa -34
Cal Poly – 20

Cal Poly got a few touchdowns late in the game against Northern Iowa to get it closer than it really was. UNI started the game off with a well orchestrated drive down the field for a touchdown. They ran away with the game in the first quarter and never looked back. Aaron Baily had his best game as a Panther scoring 3 TD’s one by air, 2 by land with 15-25 passing. Brett McMakin is the MVFC player of the week with 15 tackles. The defense stayed disciplined minus Makinton Dorleant getting tossed from the game in the middle of a fight. They will miss him, and big, for the first half of the Illinois State game in 2 weeks. UNI wins 34-20

South Dakota – 52
Drake – 0

South Dakota shuts out Drake 52-0 at home. Trevor Bouma is becoming a household name in the Valley, 16 rushes 117 yards, and 3 touchdowns. Drake was 6 of 19 on third downs, missed 2 field goals, lost a fumble, and threw 2 interceptions. The South Dakota defense kept Drake to 116 rushing yards and 166 yards passing. Total domination in Vermilion.

Youngstown State – 48
St. Francis – 3

Youngstown State rolls St Francis 48-3. They scored 48 unanswered points before St. Francis finally connected on a 42 yard field goal to avoid the shutout with 7:40 left in the game. Youngstown got 28 first downs including 9 of 14 on 3rd. St Francis had 7 first downs in the entire game, 2 of them were penalties by Youngstown. 1 for 12 on third down played a large part. They were also 1 of 12 in passing. St. Francis managed 87 yards…for the whole game. Youngstown runs away with it on 302 yards rushing.

Missouri State – 7
Arkansas State – 70

Arkansas State pounds Missouri State 70-7. Arkansas State scored 9 touchdowns before Ryan Heaston got a 35 yard TD run for Missouri State to avoid the shutout. Arkansas State running back Johnston White had 3 touchdowns on 11 carries and 87 yards Ark State nearly doubled Missouri State with 624 yards of offense to the Bears 341. In fact Arkansas State had more rushing yards at 344 than the bears had total yards. Hard to win when you give up 7.5 yards per rush.

AGS Poll Results – WEEK 3 – 2015

#1 remains the same for the third week in a row.  NDSU is moving up a spot and eyeing getting back into their #1 position ASAP.  UNI makes a pretty big jump of 5 spots when talking about top 10 movement and wind up at #5 this week after an impressive performance at Cal Poly Saturday night.  Liberty also makes a substantial move up the ranks gaining 8 spots and moving into the top 10 at #9 after a good win over the Montana Grizzlies which fell out of the top ten dropping to #13

After a loss to Lamar, which pulls in the poll at #29, the Bearkats claim the 2nd largest drop this week going from #4 to #17 which could be an over reaction by voters but SHSU can quickly climb the charts by reaching their potential on the field in short order.   UNH drops out of the Top 25 this week for the first time in a long time.  They drop from #13 to #27 after their loss to SBU which cracks the AGS Poll with a #22 ranking.  Teams that fell out of the poll this week are listed at the very bottom.

Previous Wk. Rank Team: Total Points First Place Votes
1 1 Jacksonville State Gamecocks 1912 59
3 2 North Dakota State Bison 1774 5
2 3 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 1772 10
6 4 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 1687 2
10 5 Northern Iowa Panthers 1526
5 6 Illinois State Redbirds 1501 1
7 7 Villanova Wildcats 1497
11 8 James Madison Dukes 1344
17 9 Liberty Flames 1231
14 10 Eastern Washington Eagles 1188
16 11 Chattanooga Mocs 1171
15 12 Portland State Vikings 1038 1
8 13 Montana Grizzlies 758
19 14 Fordham Rams 756
9 15 Cal Poly Mustangs 745
20 16 Youngstown State Penguins 672
4 17 Sam Houston State Bearkats 654
12 18 Montana State Bobcats 624
22 19 William & Mary Tribe 496
18 20 Southeastern Louisiana Lions 388
24 21 Indiana State Sycamores 357
40 22 Stony Brook Seawolves 319
23 23 Eastern Kentucky Colonels 294
28 24 McNeese State Cowboys 270
27 25 Harvard Crimson 211
Most Significant Win:
Liberty Flames
Most Significant Loss:
Sam Houston State Bearkats
ORV:
21 26 Samford Bulldogs 197
13 27 New Hampshire Wildcats 172
30 28 Richmond Spiders 152
NR 29 Lamar Cardinals 137
NR 30 Furman Paladins 100
29 31 Western Illinois Leathernecks 77
25 32 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 68
32 33 Towson Tigers 61
NR 34 Bryant Bulldogs 36
NR 35T Dartmouth Big Green 29
26 35T North Dakota 29
35 37 Jacksonville Dolphins 28
34 38 Wofford Terriers 19
NR 39 South Dakota Coyotes 10
NR 40 Southern Jaguars 8

 

Falling out this week:

39        Duquesne Dukes
36        Holy Cross Crusaders
33        Idaho State Bengals
37        Sacred Heart Pioneers
38        Tennessee State Tigers
31        The Citadel Bulldogs

ICYMI: Week 3

In Case You Missed It – Week 3

Don’t you just love when a game lives up to its hype?

The hype, in this case, was concentrated on Eastern Washington and Montana State – the two Big Sky Conference teams that were interchangeable atop the league’s preseason polls prior to the start of the season – and the potential fireworks their Week 3 matchup in Cheney would provide.

Eastern Washington raced out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, then took a 34-17 advantage as the teams headed for the locker rooms at the end of the first half. But the Eagles, who were 0-2 entering the weekend, took their foot off the gas pedal in the latter portion of the contest, allowing the visitors to creep back into contention with minutes to play.

The end result: a 55-50 victory for Eastern Washington at The Inferno, highlighted by tremendous offensive efforts.

The game plan, it seemed, went a little something like this:

Defense? Why play defense? Just score a boatload of points and make sure it’s more than the other team.

Three Montana State fourth-quarter touchdowns helped pull the Bobcats back into striking distance, the last of which came with 4:13 to play – plenty of time for a defensive stop and another possession. But the scoring had come to an end, and the visitors suffered their first loss of the season.

There’s plenty from this game on which to remark. In case you missed the action this weekend, here are some highlights from this contest and many more across the FCS from Week 3:

Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way – your Cooper Kupp update. The EWU receiver is REALLY stating his case early for the STATS FCS’ Offensive Player of the Year award, and he’s pulling away from the competition. The junior pass catcher hauled in 12 receptions in his team’s win for 201 yards and three touchdowns, including a 34-yard score in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference maker for the Eagles.

This season, Kupp has brought down eight touchdown grabs to lead the nation (three more than the next-closest receiver) and has racked up 626 receiving yards (the next closest has 393). Kupp is averaging a whopping 208.7 receiving yards per outing through three games.

But he couldn’t have done it Saturday without the help of his quarterback. Jordan West (who now has likely earned himself a nickname as catchy as “Big Play VA”) threw for 410 yards – the fourth-highest single-game total for a passer this season – and added six touchdowns.

West’s counterpart, Dakota Prukop, accounted for 549 yards in the contest, which is the highest single-game total for an offensive player so far this year in the FCS. Prukop threw for 353 yards and rushed for 196, and added five touchdowns to his resume.

The two teams combined for a staggering 1,385 yards of offense and 58 first downs. Here’s the kicker: Montana State was responsible for 40 of the 58 first downs in the game, yet still lost.

OK, we got that out of the way. Let’s head elsewhere.

Ivy League action kicked off this weekend, with defending champion Harvard cruising to a 41-10 victory over Rhode Island. The Crimson have won 15 consecutive contests dating back to 2013, which included a perfect 10-0 campaign in 2014 as the only unbeaten FCS program.

Conversely, Columbia was dropped by cross-town rival Fordham, 44-24. The Lions continue to bring up the rear in the Ivy League, having now lost 22 consecutive games. Florida transfer quarterback Syler Mornhinweg did show glimpses of promise for Columbia, however, completing 21 of 25 pass attempts (with an interception) and rushing for two touchdowns.

It took three weeks, but Dayton running back Connor Kacsor finally broke loose. The senior back galloped for a 2015 FCS single-game high 244 yards on 40 (yes, 40) carries, adding three touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 28 yards in his Flyers’ 24-13 win over Duquesne.

Kacsor’s 41 touches accounted for nearly half of his team’s 84 total offensive plays.

James Madison’s wildly successful offense was at it again under the direction of quarterback Vad lee. The Dukes took down Albany, 42-28, thanks to 40 first downs and 625 yards of offense. But the Great Danes were able to stay relatively involved because Lee threw five interceptions. The Dukes turned the ball over six times and still managed to pull out a two-score victory.

The long-awaited intrastate rivalry contest between North Dakota and North Dakota State wasn’t as close as many fans had hoped (a 34-9 win for the Bison). In the first meeting between the programs in 12 years, North Dakota State held UND without a first down for more than 40 minutes into the game. North Dakota finished the contest with three total first downs and a mere 61 offensive yards, while Carson Wentz unleashed four scoring passes for the Bison. It was the first meeting between the sides since both programs were part of Division II in 2003.

Props to the Furman Paladins, who upset FBS opponent Central Florida on Saturday thanks to a monster 55-yard field goal boot by sophomore kicker John Croft Hollingsworth. The kicker split the uprights with 12:10 to play in the game, ending the scoring in the 16-15 win for Furman. It was the fifth time this season an FCS team has beaten an FBS opponent.

Finally, some of the top rushing performances of the young season occurred over the weekend. We already know about Kacsor’s breakout performance, but note Lamar running back Kade Harrington’s 230-yard, two-touchdown performance that helped his Cardinals stun Sam Houston State, 49-46. Also, Towson running back Darius Victor was let loose for 202 yards and three scores on 22 carries in his Tigers’ 29-26 win over Holy Cross. Those are the top three rushing performances in terms of single-game yardage so far this year in the FCS.

SLC Preview 2015.3

SLC Week 3 Preview

UCABEAR (AnyGivenSaturday.com), SLC Contributor | September 17, 2015

Southland Conference Preview: Games for September 19, 2015

Nicholls State at UIW- 2 p.m.
The Colonels (0-1) travel to San Antonio to take on the Cardinals (1-1) of Incarnate Word.
The Colonels fell last week to the University of Louisiana- Monroe 47-0. Nicholls relies on a run heavy game where last week they attempted 44 runs for 159 yards and only 19 passes for 101 yards. Their leading rusher was Michael Henry who rushed 15 times for 78 yards. Leading passer was Tuskani Figero who went 10 for 17 for 101 yards.

Colonel weaknesses: Passing game: 101 yards total (but it is one game)

Colonel strengths: Focus on rushing game may keep the ball out of the opponents hands which may pay off in the conference race.

The Cardinals defeated Texas A&M- Kingsville in week one by 2 points using a pass heavy game. UIW’s loss to McNeese last week by the score of 43-6 reflected the opposite game plan that the Colonels implemented in week one. UIW passed for 215 yards while only rushing for 12 yards. The Cardinals were led in receiving by Cole Wick for 92 yards.

UIW Weakness: 3rd down conversions: 12 of 32 on the year.

UIW Strengths: Tend to score more in the fourth quarter
Predicted outcome: Nicholls should win this game by controlling the clock.

Colonels 35 Cardinals 7

Houston Baptist at Abilene Christian- 6 p.m.
The Wildcats (0-1) will host the Huskies (1-1) this Saturday in Abilene.
The Wildcats rely on a pass heavy offense that has accrued 213 yards thus far this season in their one loss against Fresno State. The rushing game has been unsuccessful only gaining 34 yards on 29 attempts. However the defense had 2 picks for 46 yards that game.

ACU strengths- Good coaching and no fear of going for it on fourth down.

ACU weakness- So far no run game but they did play an FBS team.

The Huskies have played two games this year and have averaged over 30 points a game. The present a well balanced offense with over 400 yards rushing and 400 yards passing on the season. They also aren’t afraid to go for it on fourth down either hitting a 50% in that statistic.

Huskies strength: Balanced offense with strong punt return team. Scores 100% of the time in the red zone.

Huskies weakness: Eats up the clock between the 20s which may lead to disaster if they can’t get into the red zone.

Prediction: The Wildcats take this one fairly easy 42-14

Southeastern La. At Ohio- 1 p.m. Athens, Ohio
The Lions (2-0) travel to Athens to take on FBS Ohio University Bobcats (2-0).
The lions are showing their defense wins games by holding opponents to just 18 points per game. Their offense however is crippled by injury to starting QB D’Shaie Landor. It took a comeback to Florida Tech to keep the undefeated season alive. But impressive was the defense as they took 9 turnovers to defeat the Panthers.

Lion’s strength: Defense. 9 turnovers in one game. Look for more.

Lion’s weakness: No QB to replace the starter. It will be a struggle for their offense and defense can’t keep scoring like they did last game all season.

Ohio- FBS team that has been bowl eligible for the past 6 years. Averages 400 yards rushing and 400 yards passing a game. Only allows 19 points per game by the opposition.

Ohio strengths: More scholarships. Balanced offense. Home game.

Ohio Weaknesses: Poor field goal kicking.
Prediction: With little offense the lions will have their hands full with the bobcats.

Score: Ohio 52 SLU 14

Northwestern State at Mississippi State – 3 p.m. Starkville, Miss.
The Demons (0-2) travel to SEC Mississippi State (1-1) to take on the Bulldogs.
The Demons of Northwestern State are averaging 18 points per game and get 170 yards rushing and 140 yards passing per game. However teams are passing at a clip of over 10 yards per pass against the Demons. Games against SLU and UL-Lafayette are the easiest they’ve seen thus far this year.

Demons strength: Field goals. They are 3/3.

Demons weakness: Passing and rushing defense. Demons offense.

Mississippi State- SEC team that ran with LSU (loss by 2 points) and let the foot off the gas against Southern Mississippi in a HARD hitting game nationally televised last week. The Bulldogs are averaging 124 yards rushing and 286 yards passing per game against their two recent competitors.

Bulldogs strengths: Passing game. Nearly 300 yards per game.

Bulldogs weakness: Low clock time of possession. 24 minutes compared to opponents 36.
Prediction: Mississippi State runs away with this one early.

Score Mississippi State 56 NWST- 7

McNeese State at Stephen F. Austin-Nacogdoches, Texas- 6 p.m.
The Cowboys (1-0) travel to take on the Lumberjacks (0-2) this Saturday for a mark in the conference record.  The Cowboys were spared a game against LSU in week one but conference play begins in Nacogdoches against a very hungry Lumberjack team. After defeating the UIW Cardinals 43-6 last week the cowboys offense now presents it’s balanced offense (220 yards rushing, 186 passing) and it’s defense (6 sacks and 200 yards allowed) to a team that struggled last week to get any offense against a top 5 FBS team.

Cowboy Strengths: Defense. Smart reads and quick hits.

Cowboy weakness: After one game the cowboys offense has started slow.

The lumberjacks have struggled so far this year allowing 52 points per game average. The team has averaged about 150 yards rushing and passing per game also. Will starting QB and SLC favorite Zach Conque be able to handle the Cowboy defense? Is he inured and out for the game?

Lumberjack Strength: Over 4 yards per rush. Home game.

Lumberjack Weakness : Defense. Allowing too many points and too many yards so far.

Prediction: McNeese should win this by a few touchdowns. Score Cowboys 42 SFA 28

Lamar at Sam Houston State -Huntsville, Texas- 6 p.m.
The Cardinals (1-1) will travel to take on the Bearkats (0-1) this Saturday.
The Bearkats came off a good game with Texas Tech and amassed over 600 yards of offense. However their defense gave up 28 points in the second quarter which allowed the Red Raiders to pull away enough to let up on the gas. How well the Bearkats play on defense against FCS competition is yet to be seen.

Bearkat strengths: Offense. 600 yards against and FBS team is very noteworthy.

Bearkat weakness: Defense. Gotta say this because TT scored quickly against them.

The Cardinals destroyed Bacone College (as expected) and hung with FBS Baylor through halftime. Cards are hard to read this year. Averaging 48 points per game and allowing 34. They are heavily penalized at nearly 100 per game though. Averaging 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing per game.

Cardinal Strengths: Defense. The cards looked good the other day for a good part of the game against their FBS opponent.

Cardinal Weakness: Not getting a good read on this team because of the extreme opponents they have played. I’d have to say penalties per game.

Prediction. If the Bearkats move up the field like that again the Cardinals will have no chance to stay in this game AT Huntsville.

Score: Bearkats 38 Cardinals 28. (Although I do think it will be greater). This will be a good game for both teams to get a measure of where they are.

Overview: It’s paycheck for some SLC teams and gut check for others. Weather doesn’t appear to be a factor in any of these games and home crowds better show up early in the season because if the slide continues for some of these teams, the crowd sure won’t be there come hunting season.

Big Sky Preview 2015.3

BSC  Week 3 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC  Contributors | September 17, 2015

Kris Says-

Idaho State @ Boise State
Both teams are coming off of disappointing losses. The Bengals have a ton of Idaho kids on their roster. Kids that grew up Bronco fans and might have thought they were good enough to play at Boise State. I would expect Idaho State to come out chippy and swinging. I’d also look for Coach Kramer to have a couple of tricks up his sleeve. With a brutal remaining schedule, ISU really needs to pick off one of its FBS opponents to have a shot at the playoffs.

Montana State @ Eastern Washington
Question marks surround both teams. Bobcat quarterback Dakota Prukop was rusty in his first game of the season against Fort Lewis. Has Montana State’s defense improved under new defensive coordinator Kane Ioane? Eastern Washington is already riddled with key injuries. Do they have the leadership to pull things together and minimize the mistakes from a week ago. Expect a shootout with a battle over stops and turnover margin determining the outcome.

Northern Colorado @ Southern Utah
It’s early and the wins have come against a Division II team and an FCS startup, but the Bears have a chance to come out of Cedar City 3-0 on the season and with some confidence. The Tbirds on the other hand are reeling after a poor performance against South Dakota State and need their senior leaders James Cowser and Ammon Olsen to step up.

Northern Iowa @ Cal Poly
Both teams are in the midst of a brutal early schedule. In fact, Northern Iowa plays 5 of its first 6 games on the road against an FBS and 5 ranked FCS opponents. It will be interesting to see if the Panthers settle on a quarterback and I’d expect the Mustangs to attempt to pop a few passes over the top against a seemingly talented Northern Iowa secondary that was exposed a bit last week.

UC Davis @ Hawaii
The Rainbow Warriors already have a nice win against Pac 12 Colorado and only trailed #1 FBS ranked Ohio State by 17 in the 4th quarter last week, holding the Buckeyes to under 400 yards for the first time in 9 games. Davis will have it’s hands full.

Lance says-

(ORV) North Dakota @ #3 North Dakota State
Sometimes there are games that are much bigger for the fans than for the players, and considering these two haven’t played since 2003, the fans of the two schools have literally been waiting for this for over a decade. On the field, this will be a battle of two very good defenses. With the balance between the two in that category, NDSU easily holds the advantage on the offensive side. There aren’t many defenses that can keep this offense at bay, so UND will need to be efficient on offense to hang with the Bison. That especially means cleaning up the turnover problem they had against Drake. In the end, I think NDSU will win this non-conference rivalry game by at least 3 touchdowns, but it should be fun for these fans to finally have another face-off to talk about.

#8 Montana @ #17 Liberty
Under the lights and over 2,000 miles away, the Griz will have yet another exciting non-conference game. This time they face a Liberty Flames team that has made a lot of noise the past couple seasons. Liberty will be led by a running back duo that combined for over 200 yards in their first win over Delaware State. Hometown boy Desmond Rice is the lead back, but don’t go to sleep on the backup D.J. Abnar who ran for over 1300 yards last season. Veterans Josh Woodrum at QB and Darrin Peterson at WR also can be just as dangerous on offense for this four horseman attack the Flames seem to have. It will be another immense challenge for the Grizzly defense who has had to face arguably the toughest group of offenses of any FCS team in non-conference play. Kendrick Van Ackeren and Tyrone Holmes will once again need to step up to keep the defense off the field as much as possible. Also, quarterback Brady Gustafson and the rest of the Griz offense will need to clean up their play after a sloppy outing against Cal Poly.

Sacramento State @ Weber State (non-conference)
With so many of the top tier Big Sky teams having big games this weekend, these two have a chance to make some noise on their own with this battle. Weber State’s schedule in October is about as tough as anyone’s in the Big Sky, so if they want to get some momentum going, this will be the time to do so. The duo attack of Jadrian Clark and Cam Livingston should find some success against the usually porous Sacramento State pass defense. For the Hornets, Daniel Kniffin will have his first look at an FCS defense. He does have a talented group of receivers led by Nnamdi Agude and Isiah Hennie. I think Weber State will keep the homecoming fans happy with a 10 point win.

#25 Northern Arizona @ FBS #19 Arizona
I was wrong about last weekend’s Cal Poly/Arizona State game being a blowout, so I’m going to guess that this one will be close. Yes Arizona is a ranked FBS team, but their defense hasn’t looked impressive yet and NAU brings a balanced offense in Freshman QB Case Cookus, Sophomore WR Emmanuel Butler, and Senior RB Casey Jahn. The real challenge for the Lumberjacks will be defending one of the best offenses in all of college football. This will be quite the opportunity for potential All-American Marcus Alford to show his capabilities can transfer at any level.

TSOTN Week 3

National Notes Week 3

Kevin Marshall, National Contributor | September 17, 2015

The Review

We learned quite a few things in FCS World last week. In my mind the top 2 teams put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the field that is chasing them. Jacksonville State is a very legit #1 team. The Gamecocks fought all the way in a 27-20 overtime loss to the #6 FBS Auburn Tigers. The fact that a top 10 team from the Southeastern Conference couldn’t put away Jacksonville State in regulation says a great deal about the talent level, preparation, and guts of the Gamecocks.

The #2 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers dominated a pretty good South Carolina State team and won going away in Conway, SC. These two teams are the best of the FCS right now. The North Dakota State Bison really needed and took advantage of the bye week to get healthy and work out some kinks in their defense. Carson Wentz did his best Willis Reed impersonation and despite the high ankle sprain he suffered in week 0 against Montana led his team in a real crossroads moment for them.

Illinois State proved that they are a good offensive team despite the disappointing showing in week 1 against Iowa. 67 points against a playoff team from last season, Morgan State, has to have the Redbirds and Coach Brock Spack feeling a little better about themselves.

Northern Iowa looked like a different team as they were able to outlast Eastern Washington in the UNIDome. Villanova won a tough game in a monsoon against Fordham and their defense looked dominant throughout. The Citadel Bulldogs upset preseason #2 in the Southern Conference besting Western Carolina 28-10 in Charleston. Game balls go to each of those squads.

The Preview

Montana @ Liberty
At Montana Coach Bob Stitt’s press conference on Tuesday he was asked how much more he enjoys facing a more traditional offense this week than what the Griz saw against Cal Poly in their last outing when the Griz were defeated by the Mustangs. Sometimes at these press events the words don’t match what you see in a man’s eyes. Coach Stitt looked as if he really didn’t care whom or where his Griz played this week or what system the opponent runs. He looked like a man who had confidence in his team and who was ready to line up and get to hitting. Liberty will be the third tough opponent in a row for the Griz and I look for them to really show they belong in the top 10 with a signal victory. Griz 34-21

Montana State @ Eastern Washington
To say that the 2015 campaign is off to an inauspicious start for the Eastern Washington Eagles would be a severe understatement. They are staring an 0-3 start right in the face as the Montana State Bobcats roll into Cheney, Washington this week. The Eagles are bumped and bruised after two games against excellent competition and this really is a make or break moment for them. Wide Receiver Cooper Kupp was hurt and did not play in the second half one week ago against Northern Iowa. At press time his availability for this week was unknown. If Kupp plays the Eagles just may slip by the Bobcats. If not I don’t see how they can stretch the field and the Bobcats should be able to keep everything in front of them when Eastern has the ball. Bobcat QB Dakota Prukop will use his arms and his legs to make the Bobcat offense go and I don’t think the Eagles defense will have an answer for him. Bobcats 38-31

North Dakota @ North Dakota State
As someone who respects the rights of the States to handle their own affairs I will not wade into the politics of this game. I will allow the citizens of North Dakota to work out their internal affairs without any interference from someone ‘from off’. In a purely football sense this game should be a pretty good one. UND shocked everyone, including their own fans, by defeating FBS Wyoming in week 1 and last week jumped out to a lead against Drake but couldn’t put them away. The Bison, as mentioned above, got their stuff in a pile and played like they are capable of against Weber State in the Fargo Dome last Saturday. I look for this one to be close early but the Bison are the better team and unless some bounces go UND’s way the Bison should win this one pretty handily. Bison 38-17

Chattanooga @ Samford
The Mocs are a team that is highly rated but hasn’t shown the country exactly why just yet. Samford is much improved over last year especially on the defensive side of the ball. Are these the two best teams in the Southern Conference?  Perhaps we will know the answer to that question after this one. In a matchup of two excellent field generals, Jacob Huesman of the Mocs, and Michael Eubanks of Samford will be the key players for both of their teams. Both defensive lines are stout and can get pressure without blitzing. Huesman is a bit more mobile and that will be an advantage for Chattanooga. Eubanks can really spin it and if Samford can keep him upright they should win at home. Samford 28-17

Delaware @ Villanova
The Villanova Wildcats survived a tough test against Fordham last week and the Delaware Blue Hens defeated Lafayette. Both come in feeling pretty good about themselves although the Wildcat offense has not been particularly sharp so far in 2015. Qb John Robertson has an uncanny ability to escape contain and make something happen when the blocking breaks down that makes him a very special player. The Blue Hens must limit his explosive plays to have a chance to come away with the victory in this one. I don’t think they can contain him enough to get the win  Wildcats 28-10

Bonus
The Georgia Southern Eagles, late of the SoCon and now an FBS Sun Belt Member, will host The Citadel Bulldogs in Statesboro, GA Saturday evening. The Eagles’ exit from the SoCon was ugly and left a bad taste in the mouth of those whom they left behind. The Citadel, who has always given the Eagles and their faithful fits, will march down US-17 and attempt to ‘whip their fannies’ once again. FCS fans will remember Eagle Coach Willie Fritz from his days at Sam Houston State. Fritz will be facing The Citadel for the first time in his career. He is too good of a coach to allow his boys to look past the Cadets and think they can win just by showing up. This one will resemble all of the great games between these two schools from the past and will be decided in the 4th quarter. Cadets 27-24

The Interviews

The FCS Wedge unveils a new segment this week entitled “Voices of the FCS”. We will be interviewing a play by play announcer each week and when Executive Producer Troy Berndt and I discussed adding this feature the first guy that came to mind was Kooter Roberson.  Kooter is the Voice of the Sam Houston State Bearkats and is gracious enough to join us this week. As usual Kooter is GREAT radio.

Doug Fullerton, Commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, will also be joining us on the air this week. Be sure to tune in to catch what the Commish has to say about the State of the Big Sky. Thanks to Kooter and Doug for graciously giving of their time to The FCS Wedge.

MVFC Preview 2015.3

MVFC Week 3 Preview

Chad Lenz & JT Nutt, MVFC  Contributors | September 16, 2015

JT Says-

Missouri State @ Arkansas State
Missouri State takes on Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Ark, The Arkansas State rock one of the best jersey / helmet combinations in the FCS. Breck Ruddick the redshirt freshman hails from Marion, Arkansas which is an hour southeast of the Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro. Ruddick will have to lead the way by air and ground this season as the leading passer 33-58 for 229 yards 2 tds and 2nd leading rusher 22 attempts for 74 yards and a game winning score last week. Arkansas State nearly upset Missouri last week losing 27-20. They will be too much for Missouri State this week.

St. Francis (PA) @ Youngstown State
The Penquins of Youngstown State look to bounce back against the Red Flash of St Francis in Pennsylvania. Both teams are 1-1, St Francis beat Georgetown week 1 jumping out to a 21-0 lead and never looking back. Youngstown SHOULD have beat Pittsburgh but barely beat Robert Morris. The hangover could be expected last week but this week they get their focus back and take out St Francis for Bo Pelini’s second home win.

Southeast Missouri State @ Indiana State
Southeast Missouri State looks to upset another Missouri Valley school in Indiana State. Dual threat quarterback Matt Adam leads the Sycamores so far with 126 yards rushing with 1 TD to go with 27-53 passing for 358 yards and 4 TD’s. LeMonte Booker doing his best Shakir Bell impression looks to continue his 9.2 yards per run average against an over matched defense. The balanced attack from Indiana State will help them to improve to 2-1.

Drake @ South Dakota
South Dakota returns home to take on the Bulldogs of Drake. Drake’s second half comeback against North Dakota came up just short and they lost 21-18. Keaton Strudsrud led Drake with 19-30 passing for 260 yards and 3 tds. South Dakota’s defense has allowed 381 passing yards but don’t look for Drake to increase that too much. Drake will be no match for South Dakota who will be happy to be back to Vermillion.

Northern Iowa @ Cal Poly
Northern Iowa travels to Cal Poly in a pivotal FCS matchup. UNI will be deploying dual threat QB Aaron Bailey and traditional passer Sawyer Kollmorgen to keep Cal-poly off guard. Darrian Miller and a stable of running backs will also look build off of an impressive win over Eastern Washington. Cal Poly has already knocked of Montana before falling to Arizona State. Cal Poly’s passing attack has only yielded 102 yards in 2 games but 614 yards on the ground. UNI kept Eastern Washington to 26 yards and will try to force Cal Poly to the air. UNI’s defense will be disciplined enough to keep Cal Poly in check and they will escape a close one and improve to 6-1 all time against Cal Poly.

Chad says-

Southeast Missouri State @ #24 Indiana State
Indiana State has had the two extremes of their schedule the first two weeks of the season – a Pioneer League team that has relied on sub-D1 programs for a large portion of their wins and an Big Ten program. In my eyes they performed mostly as they should have in both of those games. Sadly that hasn’t gotten me a better grasp on who the Sycamores are this season. Against Butler in week one it was a group effort that punished Bulter on the ground, but last week there was nearly no production from anyone other than quarterback Matt Adams. Adams will need to up his completion percent from the 50% it’s currently at if Indiana State wants to win this game. It feels weird saying that SEMO has a legitimate shot at a MVFC program, but they did just that last weekend as they beat SIU. They key for Indiana State coming into this game is to weather the early Redhwark storm. The Redhawks have scored 57% of their season points in the first quarter, and have actually scored more points in the two first quarters than the other 6 quarters combined. If Indiana State can keep the fast start to a minimum for SEMO they should have no issue with grabbing the win. If we learned nothing else from the SIU game for the Redhawks it’s that you can’t let them hang around. Indiana State needs to throw the knockout punch early.

#26 North Dakota @ #3 North Dakota State
I don’t know if there is enough bandwidth on the internet to hold the talk of this game. This rivalry is the most played game in Division 2 history as they two have met 110 times. This, however, is the first meeting of the two since 2003; a 28-21 North Dakota win. As-a-matter-of-fact UND has actually won 10 of the last 13 meetings, though I think the two programs are in very different states than they were 12 years ago. It seems like both sides fans want to downplay the game, but I can’t imagine there is going to be a more tense atmosphere in the FargoDome this year. The Bison enter this game as massive favorites (~30 points according to betting guides….not that we advocated gambling), and I can’t argue that line. We all know who NDSU is, and with Carson Wentz healthy they are a scary team. UND has an FBS win, which looks a little less impressive as the Wyoming team they beat just got blasted by Eastern Michigan, and non-scholarship Drake nearly knocked UND off last weekend. I see this game going one of two ways, and only one of those ways. The first is what most expect and that’s NDSU coming out and rolling UND. The other is UND riding a wave of emotion and making this a game real late into the 4th (think Indiana State in 2012 Bison fans). While I expect NDSU to roll, I’m secretly pulling for a tight game.

#29 Western Illinois @ #2 Coastal Carolina
Before the season I mentioned that Western Illinois has a chance to be a very good team this year IF the secondary could find themselves. In week one, against an Eastern Illinois program with some preseason hype (that has fallen completely on it’s face three times over) it looked like the secondary would be better than expected. Then Illinois happened last week. I expected Illinois to win, I didn’t expect Illinois to dominate like they did, and it created an abundance of questions about the Leathernecks in my head. The secondary was torched for 353 yards passing. Potentially more concerning for the Leathernecks was how bad the offense was. They managed just 4 offensive first downs and 141 total yards. The offense has the talent, in my opinion, to recover. The defense has me very concerned heading into a game like this. This Coastal Carolina offense is lead by, potentially, the best quarterback/running back combo in the FCS. Quarterback Alex Ross is on just about every single watch list an FCS quarterback can be on. He completes 72% of his passes and averages just under 300 yards per game. On his own Ross is a threat, but he has AGS All American De’Angelo Henderson behind him at running back. Hunderson is averaging 5.9 yards per carry this season and well over 100 yards per game. The Leathernecks better hope the defense plays the game of the season this week or we might see a repeat of last week, unfortunately. Trenton Norvell and Lance Lenoir Jr. can’t put up enough points, or production, to matter unless the defense gets better.

#5 Illinois State at Eastern Illinois
The 104th Mid-America classic looked like a good game when scanning schedules preseason. The Panthers entered the season in the AGS Top 25 but after two games look like they belong in the bottom 25. A revitalized Redbird team has to be chomping at the bit to enter this game. Eastern Illinois has scored just 5 points all season while giving up over 200 yards rushing per game. Once again look for the Redbirds to put this game in the hands of AGS All American Marshaun Coprich early and often to punish the Panthers. After struggling against Iowa, Coprich found his groove last week against Morgan State with one of his ho-hum 130+ yard games on just 20 carries. After watching two games of this Panther defense I see no way they manage to do anything except become a minor annoyance for Coprich, Roberson, and company. I don’t know that this game gets as ugly as last week’s blowout of Morgan State, but I see no reason to expect the Redbird starters to see the field much in the second half.

 

2:00 PM Southeast Missouri State @ Indiana State NO TV
2:00 PM Drake @ South Dakota Midco and ESPN3
2:30 PM North Dakota @ North Dakota State NBC North Dakota and EPN3
3:00 PM St. Francis (PA) @ Youngstown State ESPN3
5:00 PM Western Illinois @ Coastal Carolina Big South Network (online)
6:00 PM Missouri State @ Arkansas State ESPN3
7:00 PM Illinois State @ Eastern Illinois WCIA (Central Illinois station
9:30 PM Northern Iowa @ Cal Poly KGAN (Iowa), Comcast Sports Chicago, American Sports Network, and ESPN3

 

Big Sky Review 2015.2

BSC  Week 2 Review

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

Kris Says-
Northern Iowa 38 Eastern Washington 35
The Panthers put together a great rushing performance gaining 266 yards. Eastern Washington kept the game close with quarterbacks Jordan West and Reilly Hennessey combining for a school record 526 yards on 37 of 47 passing. Jordan West’s pick six late in the game and 159 yards worth of penalties on the Eagles were the difference makers.

North Dakota State 44 Weber State 14
The Bison got back to their winning ways with a 305 yard performance on the ground and Carson Wentz adding an efficient 281 yards and three passing touchdowns.

Portland State 34 Idaho State 14
A week after grounding Washington State’s Air Raid, the Viking defense shut down the high powered Bengal offense giving up just 242 yards and holding Idaho State scoreless in the 2nd half. The Vikings were rather pedestrian on offense themselves, but made enough plays including a kick return for a touchdown by Kahlil Dawson to win it going away.

Northern Arizona 41 New Mexico Highlands 5
The Lumberjacks put away the Division II Cowboys quickly, taking a 31-0 lead at half. It seems like we’re seeing less Big Sky programs schedule down, but the advantage of spreading around some playing time and working on depth can pay dividends down the road.

South Dakota 27 UC Davis 17
Davis quarterback Ben Scott struggled, throwing 3 interceptions. The Aggies rushing attack appears to be missing Gabe Manzaneres as the Yotes hold Davis to just 60 yards on the ground. Nice road win for South Dakota.

Lance says-

FBS Washington 49 Sacramento State 0
This is sometimes what happens when a dark horse FBS team plays a rebuilding FCS team. Washington dominated Sac State shutting them out, while putting up 544 yards of offense. The only thing the Hornets can feel good about this game is the paycheck they took home.

North Dakota 21 Drake 18
Probably the most shocking part about this surprisingly close game is that UND only rushed for 25 yards on the ground after a dominating performance against Wyoming. North Dakota was extremely ineffective on offense in the second half and although Drake didn’t get a possession where they had a chance to win at the end, this was not a good win for Bubba Schweigert’s team.

South Dakota State 55 Southern Utah 10
After one quarter, this game looked like it had the makings to be a classic. The Jackrabbits weren’t about to do that, though, running away with the game lighting up the T-birds vaunted defense for 579 yards, led by Brady Mengarelli rushing for 143 yards and 3 TDs on just 17 carries and Jake Wieneke hauling in 11 receptions for 205 yards and 2 TDs.

Northern Colorado 34 Houston Baptist 10
With this game being much closer in the stats column than the score, Northern Colorado’s win came down to turnovers. They forced 4 Houston Baptist turnovers and didn’t give up any. Taylor Risner led the Bears defensive corps with 16 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

FBS Arizona State 35 Cal Poly 21
If I told you beforehand that ASU would completely shut down Chris Brown, I would have assumed they would have won by at least 40. Instead, Cal Poly showed their depth on offense and sneaky defense to hang with a very good FBS team. Freshman Joe Protheroe ran for 130 tough yards on 28 carries and 1 TD.

MVFC Review 2015.2

MVFC Week 2 Review

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

JT Says-

Northern Iowa – 38
Eastern Washington – 35

Eastern Washington has 1100 yards in 2 games, has scored at LEAST a td in every quarter and is 0-2. Cooper Kupp had 179 yards, 9 receptions, 2 TDs and an awesome one handed Gronk-like grab that got oooh’s from the UNI crowd. UNI’s offense sputtered in the first and third quarters but caught fire in the 2nd and did enough in the 4th. Special teams much improved with Kuhter as the punter. Farley has still only lost one home opener as the head coach of UNI. That’s still true after the 38-35 win.

Missouri State – 21
Chadron State (D2) – 13

Missouri State let Chadron State hang around. It was a 1 point game in the final 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter. But the Bears had a 6 play 75 yard 1:29 minute drive ending with a 55 yard rushing TD by Breck Ruddick to put the Bears up for good. Ruddick also passed for oneTD and 28 yards on 19-34 passing in addition running 12 times for 69 yards. Mo State survives 21-13.

Youngstown State – 21 OT
Robert Morris – 14

Bo Pelini must still have some Nebraska left in him when his Youngstown State team needed overtime to beat Robert Morris. They trailed twice but tied it up with 7 minutes left in regulation. Uglier than the win was Robert Morris only having 9 first downs only 168 yards of offense including 16 yards passing but 336 yards of punting. 21 – 14 the Penguins march on.

Southern Illinois – 24
Southeast Missouri State – 27

5 turnovers doomed Sourthern Illinois against Southeast Missouri State. After trailing for most of the first half, SIU’s Daquan Isom caught a Mark Iannotti pass to go up 21-17 with less than a minute left before half time. SEMO forced 2 fumbles, one or a score to go with 3 interceptions, 1 for a touchdwon in their upset effort. Too many mistakes cost SIU what should have been an easy victory, they fall 27-24 on a 42 yard field goal with 5 seconds left.

South Dakota – 27
UC Davis – 17

South Dakota used 243 rushing yards to beat UC Davis 27-17. Trevor Bouma led all 5 rushers with 18 attempts for 187 yards and 2 TD’s. UC Davis QB Ben Scott had 234 yards passing but only 1 TD to go with 3 interceptions while getting sacked 4 times. A nice road win for South Dakota who move on to face Drake this weekend.

Chad says-

Western Illinois – 0
Illinois (FBS) – 44

I thought Western Illinois had a chance, I really did, I also said that Illinois wasn’t the dumpster fire they appeared to be from the outside. I’m not sure if Illinois is considerably better than I thought they were, if Western Illinois isn’t even close to living up to the preseason potential, or it was just one of those days. The Leathernecks managed just 141 total yards of offense and 4 first downs when penalty first downs are taken out. Trenton Norvell, widely considered to be a top 3 QB in the MVFC, managed to complete just 8 of his 18 passes for a meager 22 yards. He also threw two interceptions. I thought the key would be Lance Lenoir Jr. getting his yards with support coming from elsewhere. Lenoir had just 2 catches for zero total yards, while only managing to gain 31 total yards on 4 returns. Due to the fact the offense was so anemic I have a tough time being too hard on the yards WIU’s defense gave up – 353 passing and 147 rushing. I’m not ready to push the panic button on Western Illinois just yet, but I am lifting the protective cover off of it.

Indiana State – 14
Purdue (FBS) – 38

This is the second of the MVFC/Big Ten games I thought was ripe for the picking (along with WIU/Illinois). Sycamore quaterback, Matt Adams, did what he could to get the Sycamore’s going, but couldn’t get help from anywhere else on the field. Adams was 18-37 passing for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns, but he also threw two costly interceptions. He also lead the team in rushing with 19 carries for 80 yards. After the Sycamore run game looking completely dominate the opening week of the season, Adams got no help from the trio of running backs behind him as they managed just 80 yards on 22 carries. The real surprise for me from this game was the lack of fight from the defense, which is normally solid. Purdue managed to pick up 540 yards of total offense, at nearly 7 yards per play. We knew there were going to be growing pains for the Sycamore offense this year after the loss of Mike Perrish. Those growing pains are there, but managing 354 yards of offense shows the potential the offense has, though Matt Adams is going to need the running back production to come back up. I have no reason to believe the Sycamore defense will continue to give up 500+ yards per game. I’m willing to give this game a pass for Indiana State.

North Dakota State – 41
Weber State – 14

Carson Wentz shocked pretty much everyone in the FCS, outside of those in Fargo (maybe), when he trotted onto the field for the opening series for the Bison offense. He showed zero side effects of the high ankle sprain he suffered 2 weeks ago in the loss at Montana. Wentz threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, and added 45 yards on 7 carries and two touchdowns on the ground. I thought this game might have been closer than it was, but Mr. Wentz wasn’t going to let Weber State do anything to ruin the celebration from raising another championship banner. The Bison came out and looked like the Bison of the last 4 years as nine different Bison combined for 305 yards and two touchdowns on 52 carries. It might be the most cliché thing to say but this was the most Bison ground and pound win you could imagine. The defense dominated the line of scrimmage every bit the same the offense did. Weber State averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on the ground, and outside of one 68 yard completion to Cam Livingston, managed just 85 yards through the air. Whatever bit of concern existed after the Montana game has to be gone after this performance, does it not? Even if it was against a Weber State team that is 6-29 the last three seasons.

South Dakota State – 55
Southern Utah – 10

The Jackrabbits have been known as the team that manages to find a running back to put up massive yards every single year, no matter who it is. Look at the linneage of running backs in Brookings and it’s something almost every school would be jealous of – Zenner (6,548 yards ‘11-’14), Kyle Minett (4,261 yards ‘07-10’), Cory Koening (2,990 yards ‘04-’07). Brady Mengarelli may be next in line as he has 27 carries for 212 yards (7.9 yards per carry…..I’ll say it again, 7.9 yards per carry) and 4 touchdowns through the first two weeks. What makes those number truly scary is Zach Lujan looks immensely more comfortable in the pocket this season. Lujan is 36-60 (60%) for 607 yards (303.5 yards per game) and 6 touchdowns. Southern Utah saw the entirety of that offensive attack first hand last week, and the part to really make me want to shake my head at how good the offense was last week is they did it in 2.5 quarters as the Jackrabbits didn’t score their first touchdown until halfway through the second quarter. This is a type of offense that the MVFC hasn’t seen in years. If SDSU keeps this type of production up they have to become the favorites going forward.

Illinois State 67
Morgan State 14

This game went exactly as I thought it would for Illinois State’s offense. Marshaun Coprich ran for 130 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 20 carries. Roberson threw for 259 yards and 4 touchdowns and needed just 13 passes to do it. I never lost faith in the Redbird offense, even after the disaster at the line of scrimmage against Iowa. What does give me some pause is the fact that Morgan State managed to gain 185 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.5 yards per carry) when Illinois State’s one sack and a 27 yard “team rush”, for a snap over the punter’s head, are taken out of the rushing numbers. Maybe Morgan State has a much better ground game than I realize. Maybe I’m starting to see the beginning of a trend for the Redbird defense. I would expect more than one sack and more tackles for loss for Illinois State against a MEAC program like Morgan State.

CONFERENCE POW
POW dominated by USD and UNI this week

OFFENSE
RB Trevor Bouma (BOW-muh) – South Dakota
Bouma (BOW-muh) averaged better than 10 yards per carry while piling up a career best 186 yards and 2 touchdowns.

DEFENSE
CB Deiondre’ (Dee-andre) Hall – Northern Iowa
Hall broke his right hand in the first half, got it casted, and still finished the game with 6 tackles, a pass break-up and a game securing pick six late in the 4th quarter.

NEWCOMER
QB – Aaron Bailey – Northern Iowa
Bailey totaled 225 total yards – 91 yards passing on 7-13 passing and 134 yards rushing on just 19 carries. He also had two passing touchdowns.

Special Teams
P/PK Miles Bergner (Burg-ner) – South Dakota
Miles nailed field goals of 30 and 45 yards and netted 41.1 yards per punt, including pinning 3 inside the 20.