The two semi-finals were all action and the rankings got it right.
I was not surprised by the NDSU victory over Georgia Southern. I still believe they will win it all. Georgia Southern was excellent all year against ground games, but struggled to stop good passing games. They barely beat a passing UTC. They lost to a passing App St. Brock Jensen was poised to take them down. Oddly enough, NDSU did it on the ground. Jensen did pass for a TD to open scoring and hit a 2 pt conversion pass later, but he was only 10 for 15. Although Jensen did a lot with his legs including a 55 yard TD run. NDSU ended up with one 100 yard rusher and two more players with 94 yards a piece (one was Jensen). Even more impressive was the fact that Swope was held under 100 yards rushing. He did get one TD early in the game, but NDSU was ready for him all day. It was a big day in the Fargo Dome for the NDSU defense.
The shocker for me was Sam Houston State taking down Montana. I thought for sure Montana was going to win this game, and I have been discounting Sam Houston most of the season. The jumped out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and Montana had to fight back to simply be close. Sam Houston actually had a bad day as a team. They were only 5 for 13 on 3rd down, but they did convert both their 4th down attempts. They simply road Flanders their RB to this victory. They had over 400 yards of offense, but over half of that was Flanders. He had an unbelievable 287 yards on the ground. Which by the way means the O-Line had a great game as well. I would never have thought Montana could get pushed around the way they did. His early runs including a 1st Quarter TD along with a running TD by Bell the QB made Montana vulnerable to the pass. This led to a 2nd Quarter TD where the Montana men were not ready for it. Still they were ready the next time and returned one to the house to make the half time score 28-14. Sam Houston only managed a field goal in the second half, but held on to win 31-28.
The game really turned on two key plays late in the game. Montana was marching back, and had scored to pull within three with over 10 minutes left in the game. Montana had gotten it back on a three and out, and was now in Sam Houston territory, but on a second and seven Jordan Canada ran the ball, but was stuffed for a 4 yard loss. This made a passing down, and it was incomplete. A punt with 6 minutes left made a stop important. The next big play came after Sam Houston had converted one of those 5 converted 3rd downs on a Flanders run. They responded to that big moment with a false start penalty for a 1st and 15. This was the time for Montana. A stop here and the ball is in your hands with a chance to win the game. Flanders rushes for 9. Rushes again for 5. Then he is stopped on 3rd down for no gain. It is now 4th and 1 at their own 47. Montana would not need much for a game tying field goal, and momentum would be on their side if you failed the conversion. A punt leaves it up to your Defense. They go for it and Flanders rambles off a 22 yard run. That ended the game and all hopes of Montana getting back to the finals.
NDSU versus Sam Houston State. The power conferences come up empty this year, and it is going to be a great game. NDSU just held one of the best rushers in the nation to under 100 yards. Now they face a red hot Flanders for the title on Jan. 7. Looking forward to it.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Quarterfinals
Just so we know Grambling St beat Alabama A&M 16 - 15 for the SWAC championship.
Sam Houston State dominated this game showing their defense was not going to collapse against a good offense. They picked off a pass, recovered fumbles, and turned them all into points. They ran a kick back on their first possession of the second half breaking Montana State in half. The running game was halted by Sam Houston State. Kirk did not even get 2 yards a run on 12 runs, and he did break an 11 yard rumble on their TD drive. The speed on Sam Houston State was impressive, but Montana State was not ready for it, and they gave up on tackling early in the second half. The #1 team won 49-13.
North Dakota State blanked Lehigh in a 24-0 win. It is going to be hard to go into Fargo and win. Brock Jensen was effective, but did not have anything great. He threw 1 TD, but it was the 200+ yards on the ground that won it for NDSU. The defense was great as they picked off 3 passes. A shut out should have been enough to show everyone that NDSU was great and is still my choice to win it all.
Georgia Southern put up 330+ yards to ensure their win. Maine had a kick return for a TD in the first quarter to keep it interesting at 14-7. However, Georgia Southern took over after that. They have a lot of offensive talent but they can give up a lot of points. Maine was not the team that was going to be able to do it, but next weeks opponent of NDSU ought to be able to do it with Jensen throwing it around.
Friday night Montana defeated Northern Iowa. The option attack was too much. Canada and Nguyen kept the running going when it was not kept by Johnson their QB. It was not close as Montana dominated the game. Their defense also picked off three passes taking one to the house as UNI ran out of the strange luck that won them the last game.
All four ranked teams advance and next week will be very entertaining.
Sam Houston State dominated this game showing their defense was not going to collapse against a good offense. They picked off a pass, recovered fumbles, and turned them all into points. They ran a kick back on their first possession of the second half breaking Montana State in half. The running game was halted by Sam Houston State. Kirk did not even get 2 yards a run on 12 runs, and he did break an 11 yard rumble on their TD drive. The speed on Sam Houston State was impressive, but Montana State was not ready for it, and they gave up on tackling early in the second half. The #1 team won 49-13.
North Dakota State blanked Lehigh in a 24-0 win. It is going to be hard to go into Fargo and win. Brock Jensen was effective, but did not have anything great. He threw 1 TD, but it was the 200+ yards on the ground that won it for NDSU. The defense was great as they picked off 3 passes. A shut out should have been enough to show everyone that NDSU was great and is still my choice to win it all.
Georgia Southern put up 330+ yards to ensure their win. Maine had a kick return for a TD in the first quarter to keep it interesting at 14-7. However, Georgia Southern took over after that. They have a lot of offensive talent but they can give up a lot of points. Maine was not the team that was going to be able to do it, but next weeks opponent of NDSU ought to be able to do it with Jensen throwing it around.
Friday night Montana defeated Northern Iowa. The option attack was too much. Canada and Nguyen kept the running going when it was not kept by Johnson their QB. It was not close as Montana dominated the game. Their defense also picked off three passes taking one to the house as UNI ran out of the strange luck that won them the last game.
All four ranked teams advance and next week will be very entertaining.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Round 2 - preview
There are some really good games this weekend. I will give a look and my prediction.
Stony Brook vs. Sam Houston St. - Overall #1 Sam Houston should have no problem with Stony Brook. I think Sam Houston is a weak overall #1, but this is one they ought to win.
James Madison vs. North Dakota St. - #2 NDSU is really good and lost one slip up game. They have an accurate QB, and a defense that can play. I know JMU has history, but it was a four loss team.
Old Dominion vs. Georgia Southern - #3 overall Georgia Southern has the toughest opponent of any ranked team in ODU. ODU is 10-2, and used to big games coming out of the CAA. However, Georgia Southern has a rushing attack that is hard to slow down, just ask Alabama. They were number 1 most of the year, and I think they get through.
Central Arkansas vs. Montana - Montana is #4 and playing at home. It is hard to win at Montana. This is a program that has been in 7 of the 16 FCS title games. Central Arkansas looked good last weekend, but this weekend they lose.
New Hampshire vs. Montana St. - This game looks tough on paper. Montana State played well all year, and was briefly the top ranked team until they hit Montana. But New Hampshire is overrated. They avoided ODU and Delaware in the CAA, and lost to Towson and William and Mary on the road. The only big game the won was James Madison at home and an early season overtime victory at Leigh. Montana St.
Maine vs. Appalachin St. - This is not the same App St. team that lost to Wofford and was blown out by Va Tech. They changed their QB and shared the RB duties more, and since then they have looked pretty good. App. should win with ease in Boone.
Leigh vs. Towson - Leigh is on the road, but they have been over looked most of the season. They are on a 9 game win streak, and they beat Yale and Princeton pretty ease this year. Their only loss is the aforementioned overtime loss to New Hampshire. I just don't have faith that surprising Towson can keep it up. Leigh in the upset.
Wofford vs. Northern Iowa - This game is also interesting. UNI had a great season that included only a loss to NDSU and Iowa St both of which were close (a combined total of 9 points). They did struggle in the last game of the season and have to pull out an OT win over a good Illinois State team. They also beat SF Austin on the road, which is a good win. They are battle tested. However, Wofford has a hard to read rushing attack that has not been stopped often this year. They are senior laden in the D-Line and in their rushing attack. They were here last year and won on the road in the playoffs. So I am going with the upset with Wofford. But then again I am an alum.
Enjoy!
Stony Brook vs. Sam Houston St. - Overall #1 Sam Houston should have no problem with Stony Brook. I think Sam Houston is a weak overall #1, but this is one they ought to win.
James Madison vs. North Dakota St. - #2 NDSU is really good and lost one slip up game. They have an accurate QB, and a defense that can play. I know JMU has history, but it was a four loss team.
Old Dominion vs. Georgia Southern - #3 overall Georgia Southern has the toughest opponent of any ranked team in ODU. ODU is 10-2, and used to big games coming out of the CAA. However, Georgia Southern has a rushing attack that is hard to slow down, just ask Alabama. They were number 1 most of the year, and I think they get through.
Central Arkansas vs. Montana - Montana is #4 and playing at home. It is hard to win at Montana. This is a program that has been in 7 of the 16 FCS title games. Central Arkansas looked good last weekend, but this weekend they lose.
New Hampshire vs. Montana St. - This game looks tough on paper. Montana State played well all year, and was briefly the top ranked team until they hit Montana. But New Hampshire is overrated. They avoided ODU and Delaware in the CAA, and lost to Towson and William and Mary on the road. The only big game the won was James Madison at home and an early season overtime victory at Leigh. Montana St.
Maine vs. Appalachin St. - This is not the same App St. team that lost to Wofford and was blown out by Va Tech. They changed their QB and shared the RB duties more, and since then they have looked pretty good. App. should win with ease in Boone.
Leigh vs. Towson - Leigh is on the road, but they have been over looked most of the season. They are on a 9 game win streak, and they beat Yale and Princeton pretty ease this year. Their only loss is the aforementioned overtime loss to New Hampshire. I just don't have faith that surprising Towson can keep it up. Leigh in the upset.
Wofford vs. Northern Iowa - This game is also interesting. UNI had a great season that included only a loss to NDSU and Iowa St both of which were close (a combined total of 9 points). They did struggle in the last game of the season and have to pull out an OT win over a good Illinois State team. They also beat SF Austin on the road, which is a good win. They are battle tested. However, Wofford has a hard to read rushing attack that has not been stopped often this year. They are senior laden in the D-Line and in their rushing attack. They were here last year and won on the road in the playoffs. So I am going with the upset with Wofford. But then again I am an alum.
Enjoy!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Playoffs 2011 Round 1
Round 1 is in the books and it was a pretty good one with a surprise or two.
The Bayou Classis, not a playoff game, went to Grambling again. They were the better team, but at least on paper it looked more competitive than in years past. 36-12 this one was out of hand pretty quick in the second half. I will leave it to you all to decide who won the Battle of the Bands.
Old Dominion won as expected and it was not all that close. Norfolk State was game early and kept it 14-7 after 1, but it was all down hill from there. ODU will advance and give their next opponent a handful for sure.
Tennessee Tech lost at home to Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas just exposed Tennessee Tech's secondary. The two freshman safety's in particular got hammered. At least twice they were just beat for long touchdowns. One was a trick play (fake reverse throw back to the reversee), so maybe they can be forgiven for that one, but they gave up a costly one on a TE post where no one was around and he was behind everyone. Central Arkansas shut down the run game. Their best receiver got an ankle sprain. He returned and made some wonderful catches, but his being out hurt their game. Tennessee Tech is going to be back next year with a more experienced secondary and a senior QB (Lamb), who looked pretty good throwing.
Stony Brook shocked the world when it won as well. Albany was up 21-10 at half and scored first in the second half to go up 28-10. Stony Brook put together a drive featuring Jackoiski, who ran it in. Then a quick TD on a pass to Jackoiski for a 55 yard TD really changed the game. That meant the 4th quarter was up for grabs and a defensive struggle. Jackoiski ran it from 11 yards out to grab a 31-28 lead with 12 minutes to go. No one scored again as the D held up for both teams. Jackoiski had a great game and over 100 yards with 3 TDs. Maysonet also ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards as Stony Brook wore down Albany with their run game.
Eastern Kentucky lost at home to James Madison. They had the half time lead (10-7). The lead at the end of the 3rd Quarter (17-10), and were up 17-7 with under 30 seconds to go in the 3rd Quarter. But James Madison's experience in the playoffs showed in the 4th Quarter. Overall the game was controlled by the James Madison defense. They controlled the game. Eastern Kentucky's star running back Matt Denham did get 125 yards, but 66 were on one scamper. They only converted 1 third down. JMU put up just enough offense to win.
A bad week for the Ohio Valley Conference and a good one for the CAA. Still I don't expect any of these teams to win next week with ODU being the best team going forward.
The Bayou Classis, not a playoff game, went to Grambling again. They were the better team, but at least on paper it looked more competitive than in years past. 36-12 this one was out of hand pretty quick in the second half. I will leave it to you all to decide who won the Battle of the Bands.
Old Dominion won as expected and it was not all that close. Norfolk State was game early and kept it 14-7 after 1, but it was all down hill from there. ODU will advance and give their next opponent a handful for sure.
Tennessee Tech lost at home to Central Arkansas. Central Arkansas just exposed Tennessee Tech's secondary. The two freshman safety's in particular got hammered. At least twice they were just beat for long touchdowns. One was a trick play (fake reverse throw back to the reversee), so maybe they can be forgiven for that one, but they gave up a costly one on a TE post where no one was around and he was behind everyone. Central Arkansas shut down the run game. Their best receiver got an ankle sprain. He returned and made some wonderful catches, but his being out hurt their game. Tennessee Tech is going to be back next year with a more experienced secondary and a senior QB (Lamb), who looked pretty good throwing.
Stony Brook shocked the world when it won as well. Albany was up 21-10 at half and scored first in the second half to go up 28-10. Stony Brook put together a drive featuring Jackoiski, who ran it in. Then a quick TD on a pass to Jackoiski for a 55 yard TD really changed the game. That meant the 4th quarter was up for grabs and a defensive struggle. Jackoiski ran it from 11 yards out to grab a 31-28 lead with 12 minutes to go. No one scored again as the D held up for both teams. Jackoiski had a great game and over 100 yards with 3 TDs. Maysonet also ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards as Stony Brook wore down Albany with their run game.
Eastern Kentucky lost at home to James Madison. They had the half time lead (10-7). The lead at the end of the 3rd Quarter (17-10), and were up 17-7 with under 30 seconds to go in the 3rd Quarter. But James Madison's experience in the playoffs showed in the 4th Quarter. Overall the game was controlled by the James Madison defense. They controlled the game. Eastern Kentucky's star running back Matt Denham did get 125 yards, but 66 were on one scamper. They only converted 1 third down. JMU put up just enough offense to win.
A bad week for the Ohio Valley Conference and a good one for the CAA. Still I don't expect any of these teams to win next week with ODU being the best team going forward.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Playoffs 2011
The season is over and brackets released.
No surprise Sam Houston State is the top seed and North Dakota St. comes in as the second seed. Georgia Southern is the #3 seed thanks to Montana beating Montana State this weekend. And they did not just beat them, they thumped them. That gave the #4 seed to Montana, but Montana State could earn a possible rematch if they make it to the Semi-Finals.
Two things stand out as I look at this bracket. First is how many CAA teams made it in what I thought was a down year for the conference over all. Towsen was in as the champs, but their second game will be against ND St. Not a good draw. New Hampshire frankly had a better draw and will play Montana State in round one, but has to travel so it kind of evens out. Maine probably deserved to get in, but in my opinion that should have been a close call. They start with App St. Old Dominion got in, and I thought they would, but they have to play in round one. They do host round one. Then James Madison got in. Now, I don't think they deserved to get in. They travel in round one to Eastern Kentucky. I thought the CAA would be three deep, but not five. Some polls had Delaware higher than James Madison. I am not sure why they got in. Liberty, Jackson State, Harvard, and Illinois State have legitimate gripes tonight at James Madison.
The other thing that stuck out was how weak the top part of the bracket turns out to be. Sam Houston State is a bit of a soft overall #1. They deserve it as the lone undefeated, but I don't actually think they are a better team than North Dakota State or Georgia Southern. Don't be surprised if they are the first ranked team to go down. Their next game would be against Montana State or New Hampshire. Two teams that suffered major defeats at the end of the season that might just be demoralizing. The Big Sky was weak this year, and New Hampshire lost some big games especially on the road. Northern Iowa is the 5th ranked team playing Wofford. Wofford lost huge against Georgia Southern late in the year (but did rally to beat UTC on the road), and Northern Iowa lost their big game. Montana plays the winner of Tennessee Tech/Central Arkansas. Again Montana is not a team that played a lot of great teams this year since the Big Sky was down. And they lost one of those games. Montana is probably the second best team in this group, and maybe the best. It is a weak grouping.
Compare it to the bottom bracket than has Three time champ App State as an unranked team. It has one time champ James Madison in a play in game. It has a 9-2 ODU squad in their play in (first round) game playing another 9-2 Norfolk State team. The CAA champ Towsen is in that grouping, as is 10-1 Leigh. Five time champ Georgia Southern and recent power house North Dakota State (who beat Minnesota this year) are also in this group. It is insane.
The fun begins next weekend. I am ready to watch.
No surprise Sam Houston State is the top seed and North Dakota St. comes in as the second seed. Georgia Southern is the #3 seed thanks to Montana beating Montana State this weekend. And they did not just beat them, they thumped them. That gave the #4 seed to Montana, but Montana State could earn a possible rematch if they make it to the Semi-Finals.
Two things stand out as I look at this bracket. First is how many CAA teams made it in what I thought was a down year for the conference over all. Towsen was in as the champs, but their second game will be against ND St. Not a good draw. New Hampshire frankly had a better draw and will play Montana State in round one, but has to travel so it kind of evens out. Maine probably deserved to get in, but in my opinion that should have been a close call. They start with App St. Old Dominion got in, and I thought they would, but they have to play in round one. They do host round one. Then James Madison got in. Now, I don't think they deserved to get in. They travel in round one to Eastern Kentucky. I thought the CAA would be three deep, but not five. Some polls had Delaware higher than James Madison. I am not sure why they got in. Liberty, Jackson State, Harvard, and Illinois State have legitimate gripes tonight at James Madison.
The other thing that stuck out was how weak the top part of the bracket turns out to be. Sam Houston State is a bit of a soft overall #1. They deserve it as the lone undefeated, but I don't actually think they are a better team than North Dakota State or Georgia Southern. Don't be surprised if they are the first ranked team to go down. Their next game would be against Montana State or New Hampshire. Two teams that suffered major defeats at the end of the season that might just be demoralizing. The Big Sky was weak this year, and New Hampshire lost some big games especially on the road. Northern Iowa is the 5th ranked team playing Wofford. Wofford lost huge against Georgia Southern late in the year (but did rally to beat UTC on the road), and Northern Iowa lost their big game. Montana plays the winner of Tennessee Tech/Central Arkansas. Again Montana is not a team that played a lot of great teams this year since the Big Sky was down. And they lost one of those games. Montana is probably the second best team in this group, and maybe the best. It is a weak grouping.
Compare it to the bottom bracket than has Three time champ App State as an unranked team. It has one time champ James Madison in a play in game. It has a 9-2 ODU squad in their play in (first round) game playing another 9-2 Norfolk State team. The CAA champ Towsen is in that grouping, as is 10-1 Leigh. Five time champ Georgia Southern and recent power house North Dakota State (who beat Minnesota this year) are also in this group. It is insane.
The fun begins next weekend. I am ready to watch.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Week 11 preview
There are some conference deciding games going on out there Saturday that need to be noticed.
Southern Conference has a great match up that has Wofford hosting Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern wins and they are the SoCon champs alone. Wofford wins and they have clinched a share of the title and with a win next week would have it. However a win this week for Wofford and an upset loss to UTC (who has a bye week) then the title could be shared four ways between Wofford, Georgia Southern, App. St, and Furman.
Ivy League usually only gets attention when it is Havard vs. Yale, but this week's Harvard vs. Penn game will actually decide the conference title. A Harvard victory would all but seal the deal for Harvard as they would have a tie breaker against Brown, who also has only one conference loss. A Penn victory makes a messy three way tie a top the standings between Harvard, Penn, and Brown.
Montana and Montana St each have the week off to prepare for one another. But Eastern Washington will have an interesting game with Cal Poly. The title will be decided next week.
Stony Brook is in control of the Big South. They travel to Gardner Webb. They should win easy.
CAA is always a hot bed of action, but this year it is the teams you usually don't hear about. New Hampshire at Towson is the one to watch. The winner will not have the title outright, but will do serious damage to the other teams chances of sniffing a share of the CAA title. Maine also has only one conference loss and they are hosting UMass. Sad to say that Towson needs to win as they are the lowest ranked team and without a share of the CAA title, they may have trouble finding a spot in the field that will surely take both Maine and New Hampshire and probably a two loss Old Dominion over Towson. ODU tries to win the state of Virginia outright as they go to William and Mary.
Norfolk State looks to take the MEAC. They ought to win this week against Morgan State.
The Missouri Valley ought to send two teams (at least) to the playoffs. North Dakota State just has to avoid a slip up at home against Youngstown State to win the title. They have the tie break over Northern Iowa, who plays Southern Utah out of conference. Southern Utah has had some big wins, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Albany looks to win the NEC as they have the tie breaker against Duquesne. Both are 5-1 in conference and both ought to win this weekend. Duquesne has the better over all record at 7-2 compared to 6-3, but will be on the outside looking in at the title.
The Ohio Valley Conference has been an absolute disaster this year with no one dominating. With all that said, little quite Eastern Kentucky can win it outright with a home victory against Tenn Tech this week and Tenn-Martin next week. They control their own destiny. A loss would make it ugly as Tenn Tech, E Kentucky, Tenn-Martin, and Jacksonville St would all have two losses in conference. A three way tie would seem assured. That would favor Jacksonville St for a playoff birth. This conference might pull two anyway, but Eastern Kentucky needs these last two wins to get in (in my opinion).
Patriot League title is up for grabs with Georgetown taking on Leigh. Georgetown has one conference loss and Leigh has zero, but would lose the tie breaker to Georgetown. Leigh is ranked in everyone's top 10. A win gives them the title outright. Both could make it to the playoffs, but Georgetown is not assured one, especially with a loss.
Pioneer League will probably be a split title. If Drake beats Dayton they are in the club house at 7-1 in conference after last weeks big win over Jacksonville. However, Drake has a loss to San Diego who if they win this week against Marist and next week verses Jacksonville will have the same conference record and the tie breaker. Jacksonville plays Butler, but needs Drake to lose in order to overcome last weeks loss. Campbell sits with two losses and is hoping everyone loses this week.
Southland winner is Sam Houston State if they win this week over Northwestern St. But they are playing for home field for as long as they can in the playoffs. A two seed is within their grasp.
The SWAC is interesting. If Alabama State wins against Southern, then they are done with one loss and will spend the rest of the year cheering against Alabama A&M. Alabama A&M has their biggest challenge Saturday against Jackson St. who has two losses in conference. A&M has one loss, but has the tie breaker against Alabama St. Jackson State ought to put up a good game and it will be one to watch.
Southern Conference has a great match up that has Wofford hosting Georgia Southern. Georgia Southern wins and they are the SoCon champs alone. Wofford wins and they have clinched a share of the title and with a win next week would have it. However a win this week for Wofford and an upset loss to UTC (who has a bye week) then the title could be shared four ways between Wofford, Georgia Southern, App. St, and Furman.
Ivy League usually only gets attention when it is Havard vs. Yale, but this week's Harvard vs. Penn game will actually decide the conference title. A Harvard victory would all but seal the deal for Harvard as they would have a tie breaker against Brown, who also has only one conference loss. A Penn victory makes a messy three way tie a top the standings between Harvard, Penn, and Brown.
Montana and Montana St each have the week off to prepare for one another. But Eastern Washington will have an interesting game with Cal Poly. The title will be decided next week.
Stony Brook is in control of the Big South. They travel to Gardner Webb. They should win easy.
CAA is always a hot bed of action, but this year it is the teams you usually don't hear about. New Hampshire at Towson is the one to watch. The winner will not have the title outright, but will do serious damage to the other teams chances of sniffing a share of the CAA title. Maine also has only one conference loss and they are hosting UMass. Sad to say that Towson needs to win as they are the lowest ranked team and without a share of the CAA title, they may have trouble finding a spot in the field that will surely take both Maine and New Hampshire and probably a two loss Old Dominion over Towson. ODU tries to win the state of Virginia outright as they go to William and Mary.
Norfolk State looks to take the MEAC. They ought to win this week against Morgan State.
The Missouri Valley ought to send two teams (at least) to the playoffs. North Dakota State just has to avoid a slip up at home against Youngstown State to win the title. They have the tie break over Northern Iowa, who plays Southern Utah out of conference. Southern Utah has had some big wins, so this is one to keep an eye on.
Albany looks to win the NEC as they have the tie breaker against Duquesne. Both are 5-1 in conference and both ought to win this weekend. Duquesne has the better over all record at 7-2 compared to 6-3, but will be on the outside looking in at the title.
The Ohio Valley Conference has been an absolute disaster this year with no one dominating. With all that said, little quite Eastern Kentucky can win it outright with a home victory against Tenn Tech this week and Tenn-Martin next week. They control their own destiny. A loss would make it ugly as Tenn Tech, E Kentucky, Tenn-Martin, and Jacksonville St would all have two losses in conference. A three way tie would seem assured. That would favor Jacksonville St for a playoff birth. This conference might pull two anyway, but Eastern Kentucky needs these last two wins to get in (in my opinion).
Patriot League title is up for grabs with Georgetown taking on Leigh. Georgetown has one conference loss and Leigh has zero, but would lose the tie breaker to Georgetown. Leigh is ranked in everyone's top 10. A win gives them the title outright. Both could make it to the playoffs, but Georgetown is not assured one, especially with a loss.
Pioneer League will probably be a split title. If Drake beats Dayton they are in the club house at 7-1 in conference after last weeks big win over Jacksonville. However, Drake has a loss to San Diego who if they win this week against Marist and next week verses Jacksonville will have the same conference record and the tie breaker. Jacksonville plays Butler, but needs Drake to lose in order to overcome last weeks loss. Campbell sits with two losses and is hoping everyone loses this week.
Southland winner is Sam Houston State if they win this week over Northwestern St. But they are playing for home field for as long as they can in the playoffs. A two seed is within their grasp.
The SWAC is interesting. If Alabama State wins against Southern, then they are done with one loss and will spend the rest of the year cheering against Alabama A&M. Alabama A&M has their biggest challenge Saturday against Jackson St. who has two losses in conference. A&M has one loss, but has the tie breaker against Alabama St. Jackson State ought to put up a good game and it will be one to watch.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
My Top 25
This is not really a poll, since it is just me. But this is how I think the teams ought to be ranked right now.
1. NDSU
2. Montana St.
3. Sam Houston St.
4. Georgia Southern
5. App. St.
6. Northern Iowa
7. Maine
8. Montana
9. Wofford
10. Leigh
11. Old Dominion
12. Jackson St.
13. Tennessee Tech
14. Towson
15. James Madison
16. Harvard
17. Jacksonville St.
18. Central Arkansas
19. Illinois St.
20. Liberty
21. Cal Poly
22. Indiana St.
23. Furman
24. North Dakota
25. South Dakota
1. NDSU
2. Montana St.
3. Sam Houston St.
4. Georgia Southern
5. App. St.
6. Northern Iowa
7. Maine
8. Montana
9. Wofford
10. Leigh
11. Old Dominion
12. Jackson St.
13. Tennessee Tech
14. Towson
15. James Madison
16. Harvard
17. Jacksonville St.
18. Central Arkansas
19. Illinois St.
20. Liberty
21. Cal Poly
22. Indiana St.
23. Furman
24. North Dakota
25. South Dakota
Polls in trouble
The Coaches Poll is probably the most important in determining who gets into the final spots in the playoffs. They have NDSU sitting on top with Montana St next. App St is ahead of Georgia Southern, but Georgia Southern has four first place votes still. Sam Houston St., Northern Iowa, Leigh, Montana, Wofford, and Maine round out the top 10.
The Sports Network is one of the worst in my opinion. But they too have NDSU at the top followed by Montana St., App. St., Sam Houston St., Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Maine, Leigh, New Hampshire, and Montana.
The FCS NOW Poll has NDSU at number one, but is closer with Montana St getting a large number of 1st place votes. Sam Houston St is next followed by App St. each of which gets first place votes. Georgia Southern, Maine, Northern Iowa, Wofford, Montana, and Leigh round out the top 10.
The
The Sports Network is one of the worst in my opinion. But they too have NDSU at the top followed by Montana St., App. St., Sam Houston St., Georgia Southern, Northern Iowa, Maine, Leigh, New Hampshire, and Montana.
The FCS NOW Poll has NDSU at number one, but is closer with Montana St getting a large number of 1st place votes. Sam Houston St is next followed by App St. each of which gets first place votes. Georgia Southern, Maine, Northern Iowa, Wofford, Montana, and Leigh round out the top 10.
The
Week 9 results
The big game was Georgia Southern at App. St. And Georgia Southern was just not ever really able to get their offense going. They lost 24-17, but it was really not that close. Appalachian State's quarterback change has really brought back Swift as an offensive force. He helped cap a late 1st half touchdown that ended Georgia Southern's hopes.
The other huge game was North Dakota St. vs. Northern Iowa. This one was closer, but North Dakota St. came out on top. Quarterback Brock Jensen had a great game and Northern Iowa was not able to get NDSU off the field when they needed to, and ended up losing their first conference game.
What this does is effectively give NDSU the inside track to the Missouri Valley title. Georgia Southern's loss throws the Southern Conference into chaos. Three teams now have one loss, and Wofford and Georgia Southern have yet to play. The outcome of that game will determine who the champ is, but all three have shots at it.
Sam Houston St. won their game and Maine did as well. Maine is now in control of the CAA because Delaware beat Towsen. Towsen and Maine play this weekend. Old Dominion beat James Madison to look like a playoff team coming out of the CAA.
The other game that was important was Jacksonville St. vs. Tennessee Tech. Tech was able to continue the fast paced offense and beat Jacksonville St. This means that Tech may have a shot at winning the OVC. It hurt Jacksonville St. in the polls, but has not eliminated theme from the playoff race nor the OVC title.
I will post again on polls in a bit.
The other huge game was North Dakota St. vs. Northern Iowa. This one was closer, but North Dakota St. came out on top. Quarterback Brock Jensen had a great game and Northern Iowa was not able to get NDSU off the field when they needed to, and ended up losing their first conference game.
What this does is effectively give NDSU the inside track to the Missouri Valley title. Georgia Southern's loss throws the Southern Conference into chaos. Three teams now have one loss, and Wofford and Georgia Southern have yet to play. The outcome of that game will determine who the champ is, but all three have shots at it.
Sam Houston St. won their game and Maine did as well. Maine is now in control of the CAA because Delaware beat Towsen. Towsen and Maine play this weekend. Old Dominion beat James Madison to look like a playoff team coming out of the CAA.
The other game that was important was Jacksonville St. vs. Tennessee Tech. Tech was able to continue the fast paced offense and beat Jacksonville St. This means that Tech may have a shot at winning the OVC. It hurt Jacksonville St. in the polls, but has not eliminated theme from the playoff race nor the OVC title.
I will post again on polls in a bit.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Week 9 preview 8 results
Last week the big news was the upset of Wofford College by Furman at Furman. Everything else went pretty much according to plan. Another note worth mentioning was the big win of Sam Houston State over McNeese St. That clears the way for Sam Houston State to win that division and enter into the FCS Top 10 in some polls.
Week 9:
There are two amazing games this week.
Georgia Southern vs. Appy State.
- This game is huge and how exactly will it look. Appy has revamped their offense by benching DeAndre Presley. Well that was until they needed him to play cornerback. He had 6 tackles and a forced fumble. He may have actually helped himself in the NFL draft. Georgia Southern has run over everyone, and Appy is vulnerable to the run. So we will see what happens.
Northern Iowa vs. North Dakota State
- This is a great match up of #2 vs.#4 (or sometimes #3). The MVC is on the line and North Dakota State avoided their trap game with rival South Dakota State last week. This is big time, and I am jazzed up. Both should still make the playoffs, but this is a colossal match up. Edge to NDST because they are at home.
James Madison vs. Old Dominion
- This is another Top 10 match up in most polls. It should be a nice slug fest, but thanks to other game trip ups, this is not for the CAA title. In fact, there are so many other good CAA teams that a loss here could be dangerous.
Townsen hosts Delaware to stay perfect in the CAA and Maine goes to Villanova.
Montana St hosts Idaho St and Montana hosts Weber St. Leigh also plays a very winnable game at home.
Enjoy what may be the best weekend of college football action all year.
Week 9:
There are two amazing games this week.
Georgia Southern vs. Appy State.
- This game is huge and how exactly will it look. Appy has revamped their offense by benching DeAndre Presley. Well that was until they needed him to play cornerback. He had 6 tackles and a forced fumble. He may have actually helped himself in the NFL draft. Georgia Southern has run over everyone, and Appy is vulnerable to the run. So we will see what happens.
Northern Iowa vs. North Dakota State
- This is a great match up of #2 vs.#4 (or sometimes #3). The MVC is on the line and North Dakota State avoided their trap game with rival South Dakota State last week. This is big time, and I am jazzed up. Both should still make the playoffs, but this is a colossal match up. Edge to NDST because they are at home.
James Madison vs. Old Dominion
- This is another Top 10 match up in most polls. It should be a nice slug fest, but thanks to other game trip ups, this is not for the CAA title. In fact, there are so many other good CAA teams that a loss here could be dangerous.
Townsen hosts Delaware to stay perfect in the CAA and Maine goes to Villanova.
Montana St hosts Idaho St and Montana hosts Weber St. Leigh also plays a very winnable game at home.
Enjoy what may be the best weekend of college football action all year.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Week 7 results
I have to say most things went according to plan this week. Not a whole lot of upsets.
George Southern beat down Furman 50-20, and it was not really that close.
Northern Iowa won at South Dakota St. 31-14.
Montana St. was victorious over Northern Arizona 42-24.
North Dakota St. beat winless Missouri State 51-21.
Wofford beat Virginia Wise, which is a lower division, 47-14. The third string quarterback got to play. Back-to-back kick off returns for a touchdown did happen in this game.
Appy St. held off the Citadel 49-42, but most of the Citadel's points came late in the second half. So this was not as close as it looked.
James Madison beat Villanova 31-10. They were trailing at half, but turned on the jets in the second half.
Lehigh beat Fordham 34-12. Fordham managed a safety, but was really beat down in this game.
Jacksonville State beat Austin Peay 44-14. The OVC appears Jacksonville State's to lose as Tennessee Tech went down to rival Tennessee State 42-40. Jacksonville State is now the only team undefeated in OVC play.
The CAA did have the two real upsets this week. Towson beat Old Dominion 39-35. This means Towson is 5-1 and undefeated in the CAA. Delaware lost their game to UMass. UMass put up 21 points in the first quarter and never scored again. Delaware managed only 10 points, all in the second quarter. Towson and Maine are at the top of the conference with undefeated records. Maine beat Rhode Island this week. William and Mary manages to hang around in the picture with their home win against New Hampshire.
Some good games next week, as the season marches on. Stay tuned.
George Southern beat down Furman 50-20, and it was not really that close.
Northern Iowa won at South Dakota St. 31-14.
Montana St. was victorious over Northern Arizona 42-24.
North Dakota St. beat winless Missouri State 51-21.
Wofford beat Virginia Wise, which is a lower division, 47-14. The third string quarterback got to play. Back-to-back kick off returns for a touchdown did happen in this game.
Appy St. held off the Citadel 49-42, but most of the Citadel's points came late in the second half. So this was not as close as it looked.
James Madison beat Villanova 31-10. They were trailing at half, but turned on the jets in the second half.
Lehigh beat Fordham 34-12. Fordham managed a safety, but was really beat down in this game.
Jacksonville State beat Austin Peay 44-14. The OVC appears Jacksonville State's to lose as Tennessee Tech went down to rival Tennessee State 42-40. Jacksonville State is now the only team undefeated in OVC play.
The CAA did have the two real upsets this week. Towson beat Old Dominion 39-35. This means Towson is 5-1 and undefeated in the CAA. Delaware lost their game to UMass. UMass put up 21 points in the first quarter and never scored again. Delaware managed only 10 points, all in the second quarter. Towson and Maine are at the top of the conference with undefeated records. Maine beat Rhode Island this week. William and Mary manages to hang around in the picture with their home win against New Hampshire.
Some good games next week, as the season marches on. Stay tuned.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Week 6 results
What a great week of football!!!!
Georgia Southern barely squeaks by UTC on a very controversial decision by UTC to go for two. Georgia Southern put up 21 points in the 2nd quarter to take control of the game 21-7. UTC held off Georgia Southern for the 3rd quarter and reduced the lead. Tied it early in the 4th, but Georgia Southern would go up 28-21 with 6:49 to go in the 4th. UTC responded and scored with 1:44 to go in the game. It was now 28-27 in Statesboro, and UTC decides to go for 2. They had momentum, but I would play the number 1 team in the nation in OT rather than lose outright. Georgia Southern stuffed it, and recovered the on-side kick for a big win in what was really their first test. Georgia Southern's option attack was on full display and it was enough as they had over 300 yards on the ground.
#2 Northern Iowa had no problem with their opponent in a 23-9 win. They were only up 10-9 at half, but the second half was all Northern Iowa. Indiana State drops their first conference game, but still has to play North Dakota St.
#3 Montana State won another close game that came down to a two point conversion try. This was at Portland State and it was kind of a back and forth game with the main difference being that Portland had to settle for field goals and Montana State scored TDs. However late in the fourth Portland put in a TD with 3 minutes and change left on the clock and made the two point conversion. They then recovered the on-side kick. Hit a pass in the end zone, went for a rushing two point conversion and was tackled short of the line. Game over. Montana State wins by two: 38-36.
#4 or 5 depending on the poll, North Dakota State had a tough time with Southern Illinois. But their defense was really impressive. It was 3- Southern Illinois at half, and North Dakota State's offense was non-existent. 30 yards of offense or something like that. I am pretty positive that Southern Illinois had less than 100. 76 I believe. Jensen the QB for NDSt was picked off for the first time this year. He has a nice arm, but does tend to throw into a crowd. He had a few others that were just missed, but they were often caught by his own team. A flea flicker helped NDSt get the game tying field goal in the 3rd. Then in the 4th they just picked Southern Illinois apart ending up in a beautiful TD pass and they won 3-10. McNorton had no success on the ground with only 31 total yards and nothing longer than 6 (which did come on a game icing drive). Still McNorton had a pretty good game. He caught one 10 yard pass, and was great in picking up the blitz.
#4 or 5 depending on the polls Wofford destroyed Citadel. Citadel was at home and coming off the big win over UTC. But this time they did not get the second half come back. Wofford had 14 in each of the first 2 quarters. It did not stop until the score was 43-0 (they got a safety). Citadel put 14 points up late when Wofford had emptied the benches. Breitenstein was over 100 yards and had a score. Mitch Allen had 80+ and a TD, Donavon Johnson was actually held in check, but did get a TD. Next year's quarterback Brian Kass was 3 for 3 for 56 yards passing, and 5 rushes for 11 yards. He handed it off to Alex Dunmire and Brody Hingst the majority of times. Wofford looked real good.
As a side note Furman lost in an upset to Samford. It could be the cures of looking ahead to Georgia Southern. UTC lost last week to Citadel and Furman this week. They get Georgia Southern this week.
New Hampshire had no problem with Villanova.
James Madison lost in OT to Maine.
Appy St. was off this week.
William and Mary proved me right that they are super overrated by losing to Delaware 0-21. That is right, they were shut out.
Leigh put an early strangle hold on the Patriot league with a pounding of Bucknell at Bucknell 30-6.
Sam Houston St. won.
McNeese St lost.
Jacksonville State did not play.
Those were your top 25 teams in action. Hopefully we will start to see some realistic placement of William and Mary and move Townsen up as they won again this week over Richmond.
Georgia Southern barely squeaks by UTC on a very controversial decision by UTC to go for two. Georgia Southern put up 21 points in the 2nd quarter to take control of the game 21-7. UTC held off Georgia Southern for the 3rd quarter and reduced the lead. Tied it early in the 4th, but Georgia Southern would go up 28-21 with 6:49 to go in the 4th. UTC responded and scored with 1:44 to go in the game. It was now 28-27 in Statesboro, and UTC decides to go for 2. They had momentum, but I would play the number 1 team in the nation in OT rather than lose outright. Georgia Southern stuffed it, and recovered the on-side kick for a big win in what was really their first test. Georgia Southern's option attack was on full display and it was enough as they had over 300 yards on the ground.
#2 Northern Iowa had no problem with their opponent in a 23-9 win. They were only up 10-9 at half, but the second half was all Northern Iowa. Indiana State drops their first conference game, but still has to play North Dakota St.
#3 Montana State won another close game that came down to a two point conversion try. This was at Portland State and it was kind of a back and forth game with the main difference being that Portland had to settle for field goals and Montana State scored TDs. However late in the fourth Portland put in a TD with 3 minutes and change left on the clock and made the two point conversion. They then recovered the on-side kick. Hit a pass in the end zone, went for a rushing two point conversion and was tackled short of the line. Game over. Montana State wins by two: 38-36.
#4 or 5 depending on the poll, North Dakota State had a tough time with Southern Illinois. But their defense was really impressive. It was 3- Southern Illinois at half, and North Dakota State's offense was non-existent. 30 yards of offense or something like that. I am pretty positive that Southern Illinois had less than 100. 76 I believe. Jensen the QB for NDSt was picked off for the first time this year. He has a nice arm, but does tend to throw into a crowd. He had a few others that were just missed, but they were often caught by his own team. A flea flicker helped NDSt get the game tying field goal in the 3rd. Then in the 4th they just picked Southern Illinois apart ending up in a beautiful TD pass and they won 3-10. McNorton had no success on the ground with only 31 total yards and nothing longer than 6 (which did come on a game icing drive). Still McNorton had a pretty good game. He caught one 10 yard pass, and was great in picking up the blitz.
#4 or 5 depending on the polls Wofford destroyed Citadel. Citadel was at home and coming off the big win over UTC. But this time they did not get the second half come back. Wofford had 14 in each of the first 2 quarters. It did not stop until the score was 43-0 (they got a safety). Citadel put 14 points up late when Wofford had emptied the benches. Breitenstein was over 100 yards and had a score. Mitch Allen had 80+ and a TD, Donavon Johnson was actually held in check, but did get a TD. Next year's quarterback Brian Kass was 3 for 3 for 56 yards passing, and 5 rushes for 11 yards. He handed it off to Alex Dunmire and Brody Hingst the majority of times. Wofford looked real good.
As a side note Furman lost in an upset to Samford. It could be the cures of looking ahead to Georgia Southern. UTC lost last week to Citadel and Furman this week. They get Georgia Southern this week.
New Hampshire had no problem with Villanova.
James Madison lost in OT to Maine.
Appy St. was off this week.
William and Mary proved me right that they are super overrated by losing to Delaware 0-21. That is right, they were shut out.
Leigh put an early strangle hold on the Patriot league with a pounding of Bucknell at Bucknell 30-6.
Sam Houston St. won.
McNeese St lost.
Jacksonville State did not play.
Those were your top 25 teams in action. Hopefully we will start to see some realistic placement of William and Mary and move Townsen up as they won again this week over Richmond.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Week 5 results
We are starting to see some things emerge:
Big Sky - Montana St won and is in control. Eastern Washington finally won, but it means little. Montana won keeping that Montana St. showdown important. Portland State is undefeated in the Big Sky, but will face real challenges soon enough.
Big South had a weak week. Liberty still looks tough here.
CAA - Maine's upset of Delaware was the big news, and it puts James Madison in the drivers seat. They beat Richmond. Townson is still having a good season and was in it against Maryland for a while. William and Mary beat Villanova, but they are still in big trouble. Old Dominion looks good, and is still in it. New Hampshire played out of conference and won. They are the real wild card here. How good are they?
Independents - Southern Utah may have cost themselves a shot at the tournament by losing to North Dakota.
Ivy - Yale was embarrassed by Leigh (out of conference), but they still may be the class of the Ivy. Harvard has the same record as does Brown, who put up a nice win against Rhode Island (out of conference). Those are the teams to watch.
MEAC - South Carolina State dropped a game to Norfolk State who is now in control of the MEAC race. Wow. Did not see that one coming. Norfolk State is 4-1 overall and undefeated in the MEAC.
MVC - North Dakota State and Northern Iowa both took care of business. They are clearly on a collision course. Don't sleep on an Indiana State team that is also undefeated in conference and 4-1 overall. They could mess everything up. This conference should get multiple bids this year.
NEC - Duquesne has the best record, but this conference still feels open. Robert Morris is 1-0 in the conference getting their first win. So we will see.
OVC - Tennessee Tech beat UT Martin to remain undefeated in the conference. They will have to dethrone Jacksonville State who continues to play well in conference.
Patriot - Bucknell dismantled Georgetown to remove a potential contender. That leaves Leigh. They won again and have played a nice out of conference schedule. Leigh should be favored, but the season is young.
Pioneer - Jacksonville, Drake, and San Diego all won and are all 2-0 in the conference.
Southern - Georgia Southern destroyed Elon too remain #1 in the nation in all polls. However, Wofford upset Appy St, and could have won by a bigger score. UTC on the other hand just lost to Citadel giving up a 24-0 halftime lead. Wow. With Georgia Southern and Wofford still on the schedule that may have cost UTC the playoffs. Furman is undefeated in the conference, and looking to take UTC's slot as playoff hopeful.
Southland - This conference is again coming down to McNeese State versus Sam Houston State. Both look real good. I am ready for this game.
SWAC - Jackson State and Alabama State are the leaders out of the gate.
I don't understand the national polls still ranking William and Mary so high, but this year looks to be a good year for the MVC and the Southern. CAA may be a bit down, but will still have several strong teams in the playoffs. James Madison in particular looks great.
Big Sky - Montana St won and is in control. Eastern Washington finally won, but it means little. Montana won keeping that Montana St. showdown important. Portland State is undefeated in the Big Sky, but will face real challenges soon enough.
Big South had a weak week. Liberty still looks tough here.
CAA - Maine's upset of Delaware was the big news, and it puts James Madison in the drivers seat. They beat Richmond. Townson is still having a good season and was in it against Maryland for a while. William and Mary beat Villanova, but they are still in big trouble. Old Dominion looks good, and is still in it. New Hampshire played out of conference and won. They are the real wild card here. How good are they?
Independents - Southern Utah may have cost themselves a shot at the tournament by losing to North Dakota.
Ivy - Yale was embarrassed by Leigh (out of conference), but they still may be the class of the Ivy. Harvard has the same record as does Brown, who put up a nice win against Rhode Island (out of conference). Those are the teams to watch.
MEAC - South Carolina State dropped a game to Norfolk State who is now in control of the MEAC race. Wow. Did not see that one coming. Norfolk State is 4-1 overall and undefeated in the MEAC.
MVC - North Dakota State and Northern Iowa both took care of business. They are clearly on a collision course. Don't sleep on an Indiana State team that is also undefeated in conference and 4-1 overall. They could mess everything up. This conference should get multiple bids this year.
NEC - Duquesne has the best record, but this conference still feels open. Robert Morris is 1-0 in the conference getting their first win. So we will see.
OVC - Tennessee Tech beat UT Martin to remain undefeated in the conference. They will have to dethrone Jacksonville State who continues to play well in conference.
Patriot - Bucknell dismantled Georgetown to remove a potential contender. That leaves Leigh. They won again and have played a nice out of conference schedule. Leigh should be favored, but the season is young.
Pioneer - Jacksonville, Drake, and San Diego all won and are all 2-0 in the conference.
Southern - Georgia Southern destroyed Elon too remain #1 in the nation in all polls. However, Wofford upset Appy St, and could have won by a bigger score. UTC on the other hand just lost to Citadel giving up a 24-0 halftime lead. Wow. With Georgia Southern and Wofford still on the schedule that may have cost UTC the playoffs. Furman is undefeated in the conference, and looking to take UTC's slot as playoff hopeful.
Southland - This conference is again coming down to McNeese State versus Sam Houston State. Both look real good. I am ready for this game.
SWAC - Jackson State and Alabama State are the leaders out of the gate.
I don't understand the national polls still ranking William and Mary so high, but this year looks to be a good year for the MVC and the Southern. CAA may be a bit down, but will still have several strong teams in the playoffs. James Madison in particular looks great.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Week 5 - Preview
Big Games abound as conferences start to sort themselves out.
It starts tonight with Texas Southern vs. Jackson St. in the SWAC. Both are 1-1 in conference and this will help set the order for the conference.
I will include Villanova hosting William and Mary simply because I think the losers season is done. They will have two loses in the conference with good teams still to play. A must win for both teams.
Yale at Leigh ought to be an interesting match up. They are not in the same conference, but Leigh should have a shot to win their league and Yale is undefeated in the Ivy right now. So this is big out of conference test of strength for both teams.
Georgetown vs. Bucknell is another winnowing away of contenders to Leigh and the Patriot League title. Georgetown is undefeated, so we will see how this turns out.
Delaware is at Maine so this could be interesting. Maine has played well this year even in some of their losses, and they get to be at home.
Appy St. at Wofford is a premier match up in the Southern Conference. These teams are both in the Top 10 nationally, and both fighting with Georgia Southern for the SoCon Title. All three have real playoff chances. This year they meet at Wofford, so this could be a very entertaining game.
James Madison vs. Richmond. Richmond was surprisingly upset this past week, and this is their chance to get back on the horse. Both are 3-1 overall, but RIchmond is 0-1 in the CAA. It is a big time in-state rivalry, so keep your eye on this game.
Sacramento State travels to Montana State. You never know what you are going to get with Sacramento State, but this is their chance to knock off the leader of the Big Sky. If Montana State wins it, they will have the inside track to the title.
UMass at Old Dominion is another good one. Both have one loss, but UMass is undefeated in CAA play. The winner is still in championship conversation, and will control their own destiny for the playoffs. The loser needs some real help.
Tennessee Tech at Tenn-Martin. An instate, in-conference rivalry, but Tennessee Tech ought to win. I put it on here because you never know with in-state games.
It starts tonight with Texas Southern vs. Jackson St. in the SWAC. Both are 1-1 in conference and this will help set the order for the conference.
I will include Villanova hosting William and Mary simply because I think the losers season is done. They will have two loses in the conference with good teams still to play. A must win for both teams.
Yale at Leigh ought to be an interesting match up. They are not in the same conference, but Leigh should have a shot to win their league and Yale is undefeated in the Ivy right now. So this is big out of conference test of strength for both teams.
Georgetown vs. Bucknell is another winnowing away of contenders to Leigh and the Patriot League title. Georgetown is undefeated, so we will see how this turns out.
Delaware is at Maine so this could be interesting. Maine has played well this year even in some of their losses, and they get to be at home.
Appy St. at Wofford is a premier match up in the Southern Conference. These teams are both in the Top 10 nationally, and both fighting with Georgia Southern for the SoCon Title. All three have real playoff chances. This year they meet at Wofford, so this could be a very entertaining game.
James Madison vs. Richmond. Richmond was surprisingly upset this past week, and this is their chance to get back on the horse. Both are 3-1 overall, but RIchmond is 0-1 in the CAA. It is a big time in-state rivalry, so keep your eye on this game.
Sacramento State travels to Montana State. You never know what you are going to get with Sacramento State, but this is their chance to knock off the leader of the Big Sky. If Montana State wins it, they will have the inside track to the title.
UMass at Old Dominion is another good one. Both have one loss, but UMass is undefeated in CAA play. The winner is still in championship conversation, and will control their own destiny for the playoffs. The loser needs some real help.
Tennessee Tech at Tenn-Martin. An instate, in-conference rivalry, but Tennessee Tech ought to win. I put it on here because you never know with in-state games.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Week 4 keeps us entertained
I think there will be a shake up in the top 10.
Georgia Southern did enough to show us they were still the number 1 pick. A dominating game.
But we did see a few teams falter.
Montana followed up their big win with a dud against Sacramento State. That loss in the Big Sky is going to put them behind the 8-Ball. Especially since . . .
Montana State disposed of Eastern Washington with relative ease. Admittedly E. Washington had a tough stretch of games, but they failed miserably. They are almost out of the running for the Big Sky title, and may end up missing the playoffs if they do not start winning and stopping people on defense.
William and Mary's new quarterback played well, but was not enough as James Madison ran through them for a 20-14 win. William and Mary has not looked good, and this may have been their best game. A bad start to the conference season.
Richmond gave up 28 second quarter points to lose 43-45 to New Hampshire. Richmond has a good team, but losses in the CAA at home are hard to overcome.
Appy State had a bad game, but won. They ended up coming from behind, but their win should be considered a falter. Chattanooga missed a field goal, took a 6-0 late in the third quarter and then gave up a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown on back to back drives. The next drive they took it all the way and scored. It was too late by that point and Appy hung on to win 14-12. Yes, DeAndre Presley did not lead the team to any points on offense. Not a one. That is a bad sign for the Mountaineers.
Jacksonville State, Wofford, McNeese State, and South Carolina State all had important, but expected wins. Northern Iowa played well and won too.
Delaware won the big show down with Old Dominion in what was a great game that was still in doubt late in the 4th. Delaware did it mostly with passing and Pierce was held in check and did not lead the team in rushing. Nijha White was found again and caught a 7 yard TD pass as part of his 117 yard game. He had been missing from their attack often this year, but not in this game.
North Dakota State beat Minnesota just like I called. Perhaps more impressive was Southern Utah taking down UNLV. Big wins for both those schools. Southern Utah should get some real good looks at high rankings this week.
Although the team that is a sleeper right now is Georgetown. They obliterated Marist and are now 3-1 in a weak Patriot league. Darby (QB) had a 200 yard game, and they almost had two 100 yard rushers. Durham had 103 and a TD on 8 touches including a 67 yarded. Campanella had 82 on 18 touches. He too had a TD. Darby had an even 50 and a rushing TD as well. Their lone loss was on the road at Yale, which is nothing to be ashamed of. They have some big games including next week at 3-1 Bucknell, but they could be playing the last week of the season for a playoff spot as they travel to Leigh.
I hope you all enjoyed the FCS this week as much as I did. Looking forward to the new rankings coming out.
Georgia Southern did enough to show us they were still the number 1 pick. A dominating game.
But we did see a few teams falter.
Montana followed up their big win with a dud against Sacramento State. That loss in the Big Sky is going to put them behind the 8-Ball. Especially since . . .
Montana State disposed of Eastern Washington with relative ease. Admittedly E. Washington had a tough stretch of games, but they failed miserably. They are almost out of the running for the Big Sky title, and may end up missing the playoffs if they do not start winning and stopping people on defense.
William and Mary's new quarterback played well, but was not enough as James Madison ran through them for a 20-14 win. William and Mary has not looked good, and this may have been their best game. A bad start to the conference season.
Richmond gave up 28 second quarter points to lose 43-45 to New Hampshire. Richmond has a good team, but losses in the CAA at home are hard to overcome.
Appy State had a bad game, but won. They ended up coming from behind, but their win should be considered a falter. Chattanooga missed a field goal, took a 6-0 late in the third quarter and then gave up a fumble return for a touchdown and an interception return for a touchdown on back to back drives. The next drive they took it all the way and scored. It was too late by that point and Appy hung on to win 14-12. Yes, DeAndre Presley did not lead the team to any points on offense. Not a one. That is a bad sign for the Mountaineers.
Jacksonville State, Wofford, McNeese State, and South Carolina State all had important, but expected wins. Northern Iowa played well and won too.
Delaware won the big show down with Old Dominion in what was a great game that was still in doubt late in the 4th. Delaware did it mostly with passing and Pierce was held in check and did not lead the team in rushing. Nijha White was found again and caught a 7 yard TD pass as part of his 117 yard game. He had been missing from their attack often this year, but not in this game.
North Dakota State beat Minnesota just like I called. Perhaps more impressive was Southern Utah taking down UNLV. Big wins for both those schools. Southern Utah should get some real good looks at high rankings this week.
Although the team that is a sleeper right now is Georgetown. They obliterated Marist and are now 3-1 in a weak Patriot league. Darby (QB) had a 200 yard game, and they almost had two 100 yard rushers. Durham had 103 and a TD on 8 touches including a 67 yarded. Campanella had 82 on 18 touches. He too had a TD. Darby had an even 50 and a rushing TD as well. Their lone loss was on the road at Yale, which is nothing to be ashamed of. They have some big games including next week at 3-1 Bucknell, but they could be playing the last week of the season for a playoff spot as they travel to Leigh.
I hope you all enjoyed the FCS this week as much as I did. Looking forward to the new rankings coming out.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Last week and this week 24th of Sept
I know, I know I missed last week updating everyone. But I think I am still getting over what happened to Eastern Washington in losing to Montana. Wow. Eastern Washington is looking really really bad. And I would be remiss if I did not mention Delaware beating Delaware St. Those guys never play, and Delaware looks justified in not scheduling those guys much.
This week conference play gets underway big time. The CAA has Old Dominion versus Delaware in what would usually be the match up of the week, but James Madison is playing William and Mary too. And of course Richmond is in first and they are taking on New Hampshire. Worth watching.
The Southern Conference has a big game too with Chatanooga taking on App. St. Wofford, who has looked good too, ought to beat Samford. Georgia Southern also ought to beat Western Carolina.
The Big Sky continues to entertain. Montana ought to take down Sacramento State, but they are out in Sacramento. Montana State takes on a very much in trouble Eastern Washington.
The MEAC has already had a big game when Hampton was unable to take down Behune-Cookman in a close game. South Carolina State is now the clear cut favorite. They play Delaware State today.
The Missouri Valley is also very competitive. Youngstown State takes on Indiana State. Both teams are 2-1. Also of interest is Northern Iowa hosting Western Illinois. And in what could be another big upset, North Dakota State takes on Minnesota. North Dakota state has beaten Minnesota at least twice in the last 6 years or so. Don't count them out.
There are other interesting games, like the OVC. The question there is how good is Jacksonville State? Last year the big game was SE Missouri State, who is not good this year. Tennessee State looks good, and if they knock of SE Missouri they may be the big contender to the OVC crown.
Keep your eyes on the TV guys. It should be a great week.
This week conference play gets underway big time. The CAA has Old Dominion versus Delaware in what would usually be the match up of the week, but James Madison is playing William and Mary too. And of course Richmond is in first and they are taking on New Hampshire. Worth watching.
The Southern Conference has a big game too with Chatanooga taking on App. St. Wofford, who has looked good too, ought to beat Samford. Georgia Southern also ought to beat Western Carolina.
The Big Sky continues to entertain. Montana ought to take down Sacramento State, but they are out in Sacramento. Montana State takes on a very much in trouble Eastern Washington.
The MEAC has already had a big game when Hampton was unable to take down Behune-Cookman in a close game. South Carolina State is now the clear cut favorite. They play Delaware State today.
The Missouri Valley is also very competitive. Youngstown State takes on Indiana State. Both teams are 2-1. Also of interest is Northern Iowa hosting Western Illinois. And in what could be another big upset, North Dakota State takes on Minnesota. North Dakota state has beaten Minnesota at least twice in the last 6 years or so. Don't count them out.
There are other interesting games, like the OVC. The question there is how good is Jacksonville State? Last year the big game was SE Missouri State, who is not good this year. Tennessee State looks good, and if they knock of SE Missouri they may be the big contender to the OVC crown.
Keep your eyes on the TV guys. It should be a great week.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
What we learned: Week 2
There was some real shockers!
App St. is not going to be shut out again. They demolished poor little North Carolina A&T 58-6. They have put the FCS on notice. They are back.
Sacramento State is not going to be that good. They beat Oregon State, jumped in the rankings, and promptly laid an egg against a beatable opponent in Southern Utah. Instead they lost 35-14.
South Carolina State has the early edge in the MEAC. They took down Bethune-Cookman on the road in a back and forth game. South Carolina State pulled it out late, but also had some strange coaching decisions that led to a few drive killing turnovers and points for Bethune-Cookman. The win against last year's co-champs puts SC State in the driver seat.
Jacksonville State is still not ready for prime time. They lost to UTC 38-17. Jacksonville State had the early lead, but UTC adjusted and shut down Jacksonville State after the first quarter. The SoCon is still a better conference than the OVC. Jacksonville State may win the OVC, but this loss shows where they rank against top quality teams.
Montana got their revenge. They beat Cal Poly, which derailed the Grizzles last year. Montana is now set for a real battle in the Bi Sky. They have looked good so far this year in their running game, and hopefully that defense holds. Rivals Montana State won too (against UC Davis) and of course there is the defending champs: Eastern Washington . . .
Eastern Washington LOST. No kidding. In the shocker of the week, Eastern Washington slipped up to South Dakota. South Dakota ran all over Eastern Washington. They had 5 players with double digit rushing yards, and they got the early surprise big pass play touch down. But what really helped them over the top was kicker Kevin Robb. Eastern Washington's bend but don't break defense did not account for Robb's leg. He kicked three 30+ yard field goals to help South Dakota to a 30-17 upset. Bo Levi Mitchell passed 60 times. For a team that had the leading rusher in FCS last year, this is too much. He threw two TD's and two picks, one of which was returned for a score.
The CAA is still the best, but may look different this year. Traditional top dogs may find themselves on the bottom looking up unless things change quick. Delaware under performed against Navy last week in a loss, and this week still underperformed in a win against Division II West Chester. A 28-17 win is not good. Admittedly they put up 21 in the first quarter, but did little after until they had to in order to win. Villanova lost to drop to 0-2 with an ugly game against Towson 31-10. Towson is now 2-0 and Villanova 0-2. This puts Towson technically in first in the CAA. William and Mary beat VMI 24-7 with another great defensive performance, but the offense struggled again. Paulus was 11 of 20. He needs to be sharper for them to repeat as champs. James Madison and Richmond both won. Richmond looks like it could be the top dog this year. The battle for Virginia is very interesting when you add in Old Dominion who laid a 40-17 beat down on Georgia State. New Hampshire won a close one at 48-41 over Leigh. And Maine took Pittsburgh to the wire before dropping a 35-29 decision.
Wofford also looked real good against Clemson. They had a 21-21 tie at half time and were leading 24-21 half way through the 3rd. They really lost the game when they went for a bomb, which was destined to fail. It was intercepted. It was a strange call as Wofford had moved the ball rather well on the ground. They lost when they could not pick up the 4th down on the final drive. And they were driving. Game ended 35-27.
App St. is not going to be shut out again. They demolished poor little North Carolina A&T 58-6. They have put the FCS on notice. They are back.
Sacramento State is not going to be that good. They beat Oregon State, jumped in the rankings, and promptly laid an egg against a beatable opponent in Southern Utah. Instead they lost 35-14.
South Carolina State has the early edge in the MEAC. They took down Bethune-Cookman on the road in a back and forth game. South Carolina State pulled it out late, but also had some strange coaching decisions that led to a few drive killing turnovers and points for Bethune-Cookman. The win against last year's co-champs puts SC State in the driver seat.
Jacksonville State is still not ready for prime time. They lost to UTC 38-17. Jacksonville State had the early lead, but UTC adjusted and shut down Jacksonville State after the first quarter. The SoCon is still a better conference than the OVC. Jacksonville State may win the OVC, but this loss shows where they rank against top quality teams.
Montana got their revenge. They beat Cal Poly, which derailed the Grizzles last year. Montana is now set for a real battle in the Bi Sky. They have looked good so far this year in their running game, and hopefully that defense holds. Rivals Montana State won too (against UC Davis) and of course there is the defending champs: Eastern Washington . . .
Eastern Washington LOST. No kidding. In the shocker of the week, Eastern Washington slipped up to South Dakota. South Dakota ran all over Eastern Washington. They had 5 players with double digit rushing yards, and they got the early surprise big pass play touch down. But what really helped them over the top was kicker Kevin Robb. Eastern Washington's bend but don't break defense did not account for Robb's leg. He kicked three 30+ yard field goals to help South Dakota to a 30-17 upset. Bo Levi Mitchell passed 60 times. For a team that had the leading rusher in FCS last year, this is too much. He threw two TD's and two picks, one of which was returned for a score.
The CAA is still the best, but may look different this year. Traditional top dogs may find themselves on the bottom looking up unless things change quick. Delaware under performed against Navy last week in a loss, and this week still underperformed in a win against Division II West Chester. A 28-17 win is not good. Admittedly they put up 21 in the first quarter, but did little after until they had to in order to win. Villanova lost to drop to 0-2 with an ugly game against Towson 31-10. Towson is now 2-0 and Villanova 0-2. This puts Towson technically in first in the CAA. William and Mary beat VMI 24-7 with another great defensive performance, but the offense struggled again. Paulus was 11 of 20. He needs to be sharper for them to repeat as champs. James Madison and Richmond both won. Richmond looks like it could be the top dog this year. The battle for Virginia is very interesting when you add in Old Dominion who laid a 40-17 beat down on Georgia State. New Hampshire won a close one at 48-41 over Leigh. And Maine took Pittsburgh to the wire before dropping a 35-29 decision.
Wofford also looked real good against Clemson. They had a 21-21 tie at half time and were leading 24-21 half way through the 3rd. They really lost the game when they went for a bomb, which was destined to fail. It was intercepted. It was a strange call as Wofford had moved the ball rather well on the ground. They lost when they could not pick up the 4th down on the final drive. And they were driving. Game ended 35-27.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Upcoming week
This is a great week in FCS football. There are some really good games. While some teams are still taking on BCS schools (Wofford v Clemson), most are returning to FCS action.
Game of the Week is South Carolina St. vs. Bethune-Cookman. Both teams are ranked and this one looks to have implications well beyond week one. A nice test for both teams early on in the season.
Runner Up should be Northern Iowa vs. SF Austin. Northern Iowa was impressive last week in a close loss. SF Austin won their FCS game, and are primed for a run back to the playoffs. Just how for real is Northern Iowa? This game, which is on the road, ought to go a long way to telling us.
Revenge GameCaly Poly vs. Montana. Last year Montana's season took a nose dive as they lost to Cal Poly. This year Cal Poly comes to Montana. It should be a good game, and a chance for Montana to show it is a better team than last year.
Testing Game should be Jacksonville State vs. UT Chattanooga. Jacksonville State last year was ousted from the playoffs by a lower ranked SoCon school. The champs of the Ohio Valley take on 23rd ranked UTC from the SoCon. Jacksonville State has the talent, but they play in a weak conference. UTC is probably not as talented, but they play in the SoCon, a top 3 conference. Jacksonville State wants to be considered a national title contender, they have to beat teams like UTC even on the road.
We ought to watch William and Mary versus VMI as well because Paulus looked real bad last game. WIlliam and Mary ought to get back on track, but VMI has to have a little hope. If Paulus is more than rusty, this could be a down year and a potential upset.
Appy State and Eastern Washington ought to get on track as they both take on beatable opponents.
Game of the Week is South Carolina St. vs. Bethune-Cookman. Both teams are ranked and this one looks to have implications well beyond week one. A nice test for both teams early on in the season.
Runner Up should be Northern Iowa vs. SF Austin. Northern Iowa was impressive last week in a close loss. SF Austin won their FCS game, and are primed for a run back to the playoffs. Just how for real is Northern Iowa? This game, which is on the road, ought to go a long way to telling us.
Revenge GameCaly Poly vs. Montana. Last year Montana's season took a nose dive as they lost to Cal Poly. This year Cal Poly comes to Montana. It should be a good game, and a chance for Montana to show it is a better team than last year.
Testing Game should be Jacksonville State vs. UT Chattanooga. Jacksonville State last year was ousted from the playoffs by a lower ranked SoCon school. The champs of the Ohio Valley take on 23rd ranked UTC from the SoCon. Jacksonville State has the talent, but they play in a weak conference. UTC is probably not as talented, but they play in the SoCon, a top 3 conference. Jacksonville State wants to be considered a national title contender, they have to beat teams like UTC even on the road.
We ought to watch William and Mary versus VMI as well because Paulus looked real bad last game. WIlliam and Mary ought to get back on track, but VMI has to have a little hope. If Paulus is more than rusty, this could be a down year and a potential upset.
Appy State and Eastern Washington ought to get on track as they both take on beatable opponents.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Some movement in the polls
I expected a few changes in the polls such as a jump for former number 24 Sacramento State, but this is a bit more than I thought.
The New FCS Coaches' Poll jumps George Southern over Appy State for second and keeps Eastern Washington #1.
It appears App St. (dropped from 2 to 3), William and Mary (from 3 to 5), Delaware (from 5 to 8), and New Hampshire (from 10 to 13) were really punished for sub-par outings against BCS schools. Interestingly enough Montana was not dropped much at all (12 to 15). Montana's fall is more explained by teams jumping them like Richmond and Sacramento State. Richmond (up from 16 to 9) and Sacramento State (24 to 12) jump quite a bit and each has 3 first place votes.
Bethune-Cookman, who had a great year last year, joins the Top 25 this week and is the only new team on the poll.
The New FCS Coaches' Poll jumps George Southern over Appy State for second and keeps Eastern Washington #1.
It appears App St. (dropped from 2 to 3), William and Mary (from 3 to 5), Delaware (from 5 to 8), and New Hampshire (from 10 to 13) were really punished for sub-par outings against BCS schools. Interestingly enough Montana was not dropped much at all (12 to 15). Montana's fall is more explained by teams jumping them like Richmond and Sacramento State. Richmond (up from 16 to 9) and Sacramento State (24 to 12) jump quite a bit and each has 3 first place votes.
Bethune-Cookman, who had a great year last year, joins the Top 25 this week and is the only new team on the poll.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Not much to learn from week 1
You cannot learn a lot from watching the FCS teams lose to BCS teams. Although it deserves mention the CAA continues to be a thorn in the side of the ACC. Richmond downed Duke. However, that means little. William and Mary lost to Virginia. That game would have been closer had Paulus been okay. He was off with his passes all day. He started off way to high. Then he over corrected in the second half and threw a few too low. As a result they had no offense and the D would eventually fold.
Montana did not look so good against Tenn. Joe Montana's son did not play. They had some rushing ability, but not much else.
Delaware got abused by Navy in a big surprise. Maybe their defense needs some work. They may be overrated.
Appy got killed by VaTech. This was a revenge game for VaTech. Appy can no longer sneak up on anyone, and VaTech lost to James Madison last year. No real hope there, but I was surprised at how bad it looked.
Sacramento State beat Oregon State. That was the big upset, but I don't think it says much about Sacramento State's future. Just how bad Oregon State is.
Northern Iowa looked real good against Iowa St. They lost on a late TD pass. They kicked field goals, which is a nice sign. I think they may win the Missouri Valley this year.
Eastern Washington should be number 1. They looked real good, but ultimately lost. They pass a lot more than last year, but it works. It is going to be a fun Big Sky year.
The two games to take something away from was Wofford vs. Presbyterian. Wofford was in real control, and then they seemed to quit. They gave up 21 straight points. They did manage to score one last time to win the game 34-28.
Coastal Carolina beat Furman in a bit of a surprise. This is a bad sign for Furman in the highly competitive SoCon. It is going to be a down year for Furman, but this is a real bad sign. With Appy, Georgia Southern, Wofford, and even UTC ranked the Paladins are going to need wins out of conference. They failed at that here.
Montana did not look so good against Tenn. Joe Montana's son did not play. They had some rushing ability, but not much else.
Delaware got abused by Navy in a big surprise. Maybe their defense needs some work. They may be overrated.
Appy got killed by VaTech. This was a revenge game for VaTech. Appy can no longer sneak up on anyone, and VaTech lost to James Madison last year. No real hope there, but I was surprised at how bad it looked.
Sacramento State beat Oregon State. That was the big upset, but I don't think it says much about Sacramento State's future. Just how bad Oregon State is.
Northern Iowa looked real good against Iowa St. They lost on a late TD pass. They kicked field goals, which is a nice sign. I think they may win the Missouri Valley this year.
Eastern Washington should be number 1. They looked real good, but ultimately lost. They pass a lot more than last year, but it works. It is going to be a fun Big Sky year.
The two games to take something away from was Wofford vs. Presbyterian. Wofford was in real control, and then they seemed to quit. They gave up 21 straight points. They did manage to score one last time to win the game 34-28.
Coastal Carolina beat Furman in a bit of a surprise. This is a bad sign for Furman in the highly competitive SoCon. It is going to be a down year for Furman, but this is a real bad sign. With Appy, Georgia Southern, Wofford, and even UTC ranked the Paladins are going to need wins out of conference. They failed at that here.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
I know its late, but it is football time!
I don't care much about pre-season rankings, but Eastern Washington is number 1 with Appy getting a few votes and coming in at number 2.
Games to watch this week:
I really think that William and Mary has a chance to upset Virginia. They have done it before.
Delaware can beat Navy. This is my pick for the upset of the week.
And the CAA has a chance to go 3-0 against top ranked schools with James Madison against UNC. Now, I think that UNC will prevail, but people have JMU ranked pretty well this year. They were disappointing last year, but they did take down VaTech.
The other game of great interest is Montana v. Tennessee. Could this be an upset. I am not convinced new UT coach is any good and the team is still pretty young. They had a tumultuous offseason down in Knoxville, so there is a chance. Small, but real.
Of course you need to watch Wofford v. Presbyterian because that is an old rivalry, and it is at Presbyterian. Appy is getting killed by VaTech, shut out in fact. That is disturbing and a bad sign for them.
Jacksonville State who had a great season last year started off good last night with a big win.
Will report back after the games are done. Welcome to real college football.
Games to watch this week:
I really think that William and Mary has a chance to upset Virginia. They have done it before.
Delaware can beat Navy. This is my pick for the upset of the week.
And the CAA has a chance to go 3-0 against top ranked schools with James Madison against UNC. Now, I think that UNC will prevail, but people have JMU ranked pretty well this year. They were disappointing last year, but they did take down VaTech.
The other game of great interest is Montana v. Tennessee. Could this be an upset. I am not convinced new UT coach is any good and the team is still pretty young. They had a tumultuous offseason down in Knoxville, so there is a chance. Small, but real.
Of course you need to watch Wofford v. Presbyterian because that is an old rivalry, and it is at Presbyterian. Appy is getting killed by VaTech, shut out in fact. That is disturbing and a bad sign for them.
Jacksonville State who had a great season last year started off good last night with a big win.
Will report back after the games are done. Welcome to real college football.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wofford Terriers 2011 recruiting
The Terriers made it to the second round of post-season play this year after beating Jacksonville State in their first game. The Terriers finished Second in the SoCon, and they ought to compete again as the core of their offense returns. They are a dedicated option team that prides itself on defense. They signed 20 players and will draw one transfer.
They signed 11 defensive players, which was where their need lay the heaviest. They signed 5 linemen and 2 linebackers, which probably not see a lot of playing time this year. 3 freshmen secondary players will also join that class, but the two that will make the biggest noise and have the best chance to see time are Justin Blake a 5'10" safety, who just finished a year of junior college. He had 3 picks and one fumble return for a touch down. He has a chance to push some players for real playing time. And then Caleb Lucas is a 6 foot 205 corner back, who played for 2 years at Navy. Lucas has a chance to come in and start. He has the talent to do it, and we will see what happens when he Fall Practice starts.
Offensively the team adds 9 players. 5 of them are offensive linemen, which is important for an option team. Depth at this position is crucial, and the Terriers made sure they got it in this class. 3 more are running backs, but they are not going to see time as the Terriers are set at this position. Will Irwin is a Wide Receiver and perhaps he might get in some games, but that position is not that important in the Terrier offense except for down field blocking.
The Wofford Terriers are set for a few years, and they ought to compete again this year, but are not going to overtake Appy State. What works in their favor is that they get Appy at home.
They signed 11 defensive players, which was where their need lay the heaviest. They signed 5 linemen and 2 linebackers, which probably not see a lot of playing time this year. 3 freshmen secondary players will also join that class, but the two that will make the biggest noise and have the best chance to see time are Justin Blake a 5'10" safety, who just finished a year of junior college. He had 3 picks and one fumble return for a touch down. He has a chance to push some players for real playing time. And then Caleb Lucas is a 6 foot 205 corner back, who played for 2 years at Navy. Lucas has a chance to come in and start. He has the talent to do it, and we will see what happens when he Fall Practice starts.
Offensively the team adds 9 players. 5 of them are offensive linemen, which is important for an option team. Depth at this position is crucial, and the Terriers made sure they got it in this class. 3 more are running backs, but they are not going to see time as the Terriers are set at this position. Will Irwin is a Wide Receiver and perhaps he might get in some games, but that position is not that important in the Terrier offense except for down field blocking.
The Wofford Terriers are set for a few years, and they ought to compete again this year, but are not going to overtake Appy State. What works in their favor is that they get Appy at home.
Monday, May 2, 2011
NFL Draft
Several big name players from the FCS were drafted this past weekend. Taiwan Jones, running back from Eastern Washington, was perhaps the biggest name going into the draft. He went early in the fourth round to the Oakland Raiders. However, he was not the first player taken this year. That would be Villanova offensive lineman, Ijalana, who went to the Giants 49th overall (round 2). 21 players were taken overall, an increase of 2 from last year. The most since 2008.
The conference that had the most was the Southern Conference. They had 5 taken. Big Sky had 4, Mid-Eastern had 3, 2 a piece for CAA, Missouri Valley, and Southland. The Ivy had a surprise draft pick to the Chiefs (Shane Banon) in Round 7 to join the Patriot League and Southerwestern to have 1 draftee.
Appy State had 3 players drafted at the end of the 5th and the 6th round. Citadel had their stand out cornerback, Cortez Allen, went to the Pittsburg Steelers.
A little surprisingly Pat Devlin from Delaware went undrafted. I thought for sure someone in the late rounds would take him considering the success that other Delaware QB's have had.
The 49ers took 3 players total and the Miami Dolphins took 2.
The conference that had the most was the Southern Conference. They had 5 taken. Big Sky had 4, Mid-Eastern had 3, 2 a piece for CAA, Missouri Valley, and Southland. The Ivy had a surprise draft pick to the Chiefs (Shane Banon) in Round 7 to join the Patriot League and Southerwestern to have 1 draftee.
Appy State had 3 players drafted at the end of the 5th and the 6th round. Citadel had their stand out cornerback, Cortez Allen, went to the Pittsburg Steelers.
A little surprisingly Pat Devlin from Delaware went undrafted. I thought for sure someone in the late rounds would take him considering the success that other Delaware QB's have had.
The 49ers took 3 players total and the Miami Dolphins took 2.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Appalachian State Recruiting
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are always good and they just reload and go back to the top of the FCS standings. This year they had a great regular season, but it has to be seen as a disappointment because they lost to Villanova rather early in the playoffs. Their high powered offense returns with DeAndre Presley the high octane quarterback and Travis Cadet the work horse running back returning for their senior season along with the leading receiver in catches and touchdowns Brian Quick. This is their year. They need to make it happen.
Still, the problems last year were on defense. Add to that the fact that leading tackler D.J. Smith is gone. Leading pass rushers Jabari Fletcher is also departed. They will also miss Bobby Bozo's 4 sacks. Mark LeGree, the leading interceptor, is also gone. Thus, a few major defensive pieces are missing from a defense that struggled from time to time.
This year's recruiting class is not going to pay immediate dividends, but it is a good class. The overall success of this team recruiting class is going to be the success of Kameron Bryant at QB. Appy's attack revolves around the dual threat QB. Bryant fits that mold. He has a fast step and a big arm. Not a lot of accurate passing, but a throw it deep arm. A red shirt is possilbe for this young man. To help go get his deep balls are a few incoming Wide receivers including Sean Price who is 6'4" and can go get the deep ball. They also are bringing in 3 OL with Shaq Counts having the best name. A place kicker is also getting a scholarship. The one new comer who probably will see some immediate action is Steven Miller who is a junior college All-American at running back. He could see real action and add to the offensive attack.
The defense added 10 new names. Two defensive tackles and three defensive ends to try and get a pass rush and stop the running attack of their opponents. They also got two Linebackers. Add in three more Defensive backs and there are your 10 recruits. Brandon McGowan just might be the best of the bunch although only time will tell. McGowan was ranked as a three star prospect by Rivals.com. His development will be important for an Appy Defense that can use a big play line backer. He could earn some time this year.
Things look good if not outright great on offense for the Mountaneers. But the Defensive backfield is very young. A linebacking core that has only one senior Demery Brewer. And Brewer totaled 17 tackles last year. Brandon Grier, who had 64 tackles, will have to step up his game to make up for the loss of D.J. Smith who had twice as many total tackles and had more solo tackles than Grier had total. There are a lot of question marks on the Appy defense and that could spell disaster for this team and the chances of sending out Presley as a national champion.
Still, the problems last year were on defense. Add to that the fact that leading tackler D.J. Smith is gone. Leading pass rushers Jabari Fletcher is also departed. They will also miss Bobby Bozo's 4 sacks. Mark LeGree, the leading interceptor, is also gone. Thus, a few major defensive pieces are missing from a defense that struggled from time to time.
This year's recruiting class is not going to pay immediate dividends, but it is a good class. The overall success of this team recruiting class is going to be the success of Kameron Bryant at QB. Appy's attack revolves around the dual threat QB. Bryant fits that mold. He has a fast step and a big arm. Not a lot of accurate passing, but a throw it deep arm. A red shirt is possilbe for this young man. To help go get his deep balls are a few incoming Wide receivers including Sean Price who is 6'4" and can go get the deep ball. They also are bringing in 3 OL with Shaq Counts having the best name. A place kicker is also getting a scholarship. The one new comer who probably will see some immediate action is Steven Miller who is a junior college All-American at running back. He could see real action and add to the offensive attack.
The defense added 10 new names. Two defensive tackles and three defensive ends to try and get a pass rush and stop the running attack of their opponents. They also got two Linebackers. Add in three more Defensive backs and there are your 10 recruits. Brandon McGowan just might be the best of the bunch although only time will tell. McGowan was ranked as a three star prospect by Rivals.com. His development will be important for an Appy Defense that can use a big play line backer. He could earn some time this year.
Things look good if not outright great on offense for the Mountaneers. But the Defensive backfield is very young. A linebacking core that has only one senior Demery Brewer. And Brewer totaled 17 tackles last year. Brandon Grier, who had 64 tackles, will have to step up his game to make up for the loss of D.J. Smith who had twice as many total tackles and had more solo tackles than Grier had total. There are a lot of question marks on the Appy defense and that could spell disaster for this team and the chances of sending out Presley as a national champion.
Friday, February 25, 2011
North Dakota State 2011 Preview
I think North Dakota State is a real sleeper pick for next year. They were a very young team and they are a well coached team. This is shown by their dominance in the second half of games. Their real weakness was at the Quarterback slot as they had multiple guys play the position and multiple starters throughout the year.
They return their two defensive ends, Boyer and Stroczynski, who started every game and were quite good. Boyer had 10 sacks last year. Together the DE's got more than 100 tackles. They also return DJ McNorton who was the workhorse RB and second on the team in receptions. His 19 TD's led the team.
Their biggest losses will come in the Defensive back field as they lose three productive Corner Backs and a Strong Safety. JOsh Gattlin is being looked at by the NFL, so you know they will miss him. He did lead the team in INTs. They will also lose Matt Anderson, a high tackle high interception Linebacker. Lineman always need to be replaced and it is no different here as one D-Lineman and three O-Lineman are on their way out. The offensive side of the ball is almost untouched as they lose only one major WR and the starting TE, but relatively little else in the way of serious production. They did lose their punter as well.
North Dakota State's recruiting seems to address most of those needs. They continued recruiting well in Minnesota with 5 guys coming out of that state while only 2 came from in state. They only got one scholarship Offensive lineman, but sometimes goes who come in on D-Line get switched over to O-Line. Also they have invited three more O-Line guys to walk on without a scholarship. They got two fullbacks to replace the two that left. Oddly enough they are both from Iowa, although Berkley Grimm also played linebacker, and may well end up there despite them listing him as a Fullback. They picked up a wide receiver, a punter, a couple of tight ends, and a running back, some D-line guys and a couple of Linebackers were added as well.
The real interesting pick ups were the defensive back field help and the quarterbacks. Five defensive backs including two FS's, a strong safety, and two cornerbacks. Among them Danell Miles needs to be pointed out. A free safety 4-A Arizona all state team looks like he can tackle and pick the ball off. 50 solo tackles in one season is nothing to overlook. Add 4 picks and some forced fumbles, and Miles is a name to watch. The other guy to watch is Frank Veldeman, Strong Safety. He was a Finalist for Mr. Football in Minnesota. He has 179 career tackles, and is pretty athletic. He should be an impact guy as well.
The Quarterbacks should also be noted as they have a chance to see real playing time. Jose Mohler and Brock Jensen will both be back. One as a red-shirt sophomore and the other as a junior. They each started 7 games last year and neither really left a strangle hold on the starting spot for next year. Dante Perez, who has another year to play, would not be in the mix if he returns. He has already been four years and we will see if he returns to the team or not. Mohler was the better passer completing almost 60% of his passes, but Jensen was the better runner gaining 231 net yards to Mohler's 25. Although Mohler took a lot of tackles for loss to make that total so low. Jensen actually threw for more TD's (7 to 5), but threw more Interceptions as well. So Carson Wentz and Ryan Stanford have long shots, but they do have a shot to see playing time. Stanford was the number 2 rated QB in Arizona, and has an impressive passing resume. Wentz comes from Bismarck and is more of the running QB. He played DB as well, so you know he is tough. He ran for 13 TD's his senior season. Both of these guys look pretty good.
Remember the NDST Bison only lost in Overtime to the eventual champs Eastern Washington at their place after upsetting Montana state in the playoffs. They got better as the season went on and I bet they will be even better this next season.
They return their two defensive ends, Boyer and Stroczynski, who started every game and were quite good. Boyer had 10 sacks last year. Together the DE's got more than 100 tackles. They also return DJ McNorton who was the workhorse RB and second on the team in receptions. His 19 TD's led the team.
Their biggest losses will come in the Defensive back field as they lose three productive Corner Backs and a Strong Safety. JOsh Gattlin is being looked at by the NFL, so you know they will miss him. He did lead the team in INTs. They will also lose Matt Anderson, a high tackle high interception Linebacker. Lineman always need to be replaced and it is no different here as one D-Lineman and three O-Lineman are on their way out. The offensive side of the ball is almost untouched as they lose only one major WR and the starting TE, but relatively little else in the way of serious production. They did lose their punter as well.
North Dakota State's recruiting seems to address most of those needs. They continued recruiting well in Minnesota with 5 guys coming out of that state while only 2 came from in state. They only got one scholarship Offensive lineman, but sometimes goes who come in on D-Line get switched over to O-Line. Also they have invited three more O-Line guys to walk on without a scholarship. They got two fullbacks to replace the two that left. Oddly enough they are both from Iowa, although Berkley Grimm also played linebacker, and may well end up there despite them listing him as a Fullback. They picked up a wide receiver, a punter, a couple of tight ends, and a running back, some D-line guys and a couple of Linebackers were added as well.
The real interesting pick ups were the defensive back field help and the quarterbacks. Five defensive backs including two FS's, a strong safety, and two cornerbacks. Among them Danell Miles needs to be pointed out. A free safety 4-A Arizona all state team looks like he can tackle and pick the ball off. 50 solo tackles in one season is nothing to overlook. Add 4 picks and some forced fumbles, and Miles is a name to watch. The other guy to watch is Frank Veldeman, Strong Safety. He was a Finalist for Mr. Football in Minnesota. He has 179 career tackles, and is pretty athletic. He should be an impact guy as well.
The Quarterbacks should also be noted as they have a chance to see real playing time. Jose Mohler and Brock Jensen will both be back. One as a red-shirt sophomore and the other as a junior. They each started 7 games last year and neither really left a strangle hold on the starting spot for next year. Dante Perez, who has another year to play, would not be in the mix if he returns. He has already been four years and we will see if he returns to the team or not. Mohler was the better passer completing almost 60% of his passes, but Jensen was the better runner gaining 231 net yards to Mohler's 25. Although Mohler took a lot of tackles for loss to make that total so low. Jensen actually threw for more TD's (7 to 5), but threw more Interceptions as well. So Carson Wentz and Ryan Stanford have long shots, but they do have a shot to see playing time. Stanford was the number 2 rated QB in Arizona, and has an impressive passing resume. Wentz comes from Bismarck and is more of the running QB. He played DB as well, so you know he is tough. He ran for 13 TD's his senior season. Both of these guys look pretty good.
Remember the NDST Bison only lost in Overtime to the eventual champs Eastern Washington at their place after upsetting Montana state in the playoffs. They got better as the season went on and I bet they will be even better this next season.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Eastern Washington 2011 Recruiting
The champs look to compete with the new look Montana Grizzlies by returning 15 starters from last year's team. They return Bo Levi Mitchell at QB, Brandon Kaufman at WR, but take two big losses with J.J. Sheritt, the FCS Defense Player of the Year LB, graduating and the nations leading rusher, Taiwan Jones declaring for the draft early. With these needs in mind the Eagles took to the recruiting trail with a special emphasis on lineman.
The Lineman were found. Six offensive lineman and one defensive lineman. This group includes David Delgado (DL) at 320 lbs, and Thomas Gomez (OL) at 310 lbs. Some speculate he may end up on the defensive side of the ball. Which would make 6'7" Cassidy Curtis a big catch at OL. He will probably spend some time next year trying to put on weight to match his frame.
Vernon Adams just might be the QB of the future. Clearly he will not get any time this year, but will be able to study under Mitchell. Adams passed for over 5,000 yards and 49 TD's his senior season. He got a 50th TD on the ground.
Jordan Talley and Qunicy Forte were the two running backs who came on board and have the task of trying to replace Jones. However, those two will probably not see much action this year as Eastern Washington managed to get Demetrius Bronson to transfer in from Washington University. Bronson will probably be your starting RB next year.
The defensive side of the ball was a little more shaky in recruiting. They did pull in some Andru Pulu from Washington University as a transfer. He will play DL and will probably get right into the mix. Three Defensive backs were taken. The need to replace Sheritt; however, seems to be the one big spot missed. Granted they should be fine this next year with Bobby Gentry going to be a senior and Tyler Washburn among other underclassmen coming back. But clealry Linebacker was not a priority for the coaching staff as they signed only Cody McCarthy. McCarthy did win 4A player of the year honors in Idaho.
All in all it looks to be a nice recruiting class. The Eagles did not really lose that many impact seniors. Most were on the line or in the defensive backfield, but they were not the main leaders of the defensive backs. Taiwan Jones leaving was a big shock, but the addition of a FBS transfer one can assume that this position is in decent shape. Going into next year one would think that Mario Brown would be splitting carries with Bronson. Third string might be Darriell Beaumonte who will be a senior. It shouldn't get down to him.
This looks like a nice returning team to face the vastly improved Montana squad with a Montana at QB and a deeper team to help fill out their special teams. The Big Sky Conference is once again going to be a place to watch. Eastern Washington has no reason not to start out next season at number 1.
The Lineman were found. Six offensive lineman and one defensive lineman. This group includes David Delgado (DL) at 320 lbs, and Thomas Gomez (OL) at 310 lbs. Some speculate he may end up on the defensive side of the ball. Which would make 6'7" Cassidy Curtis a big catch at OL. He will probably spend some time next year trying to put on weight to match his frame.
Vernon Adams just might be the QB of the future. Clearly he will not get any time this year, but will be able to study under Mitchell. Adams passed for over 5,000 yards and 49 TD's his senior season. He got a 50th TD on the ground.
Jordan Talley and Qunicy Forte were the two running backs who came on board and have the task of trying to replace Jones. However, those two will probably not see much action this year as Eastern Washington managed to get Demetrius Bronson to transfer in from Washington University. Bronson will probably be your starting RB next year.
The defensive side of the ball was a little more shaky in recruiting. They did pull in some Andru Pulu from Washington University as a transfer. He will play DL and will probably get right into the mix. Three Defensive backs were taken. The need to replace Sheritt; however, seems to be the one big spot missed. Granted they should be fine this next year with Bobby Gentry going to be a senior and Tyler Washburn among other underclassmen coming back. But clealry Linebacker was not a priority for the coaching staff as they signed only Cody McCarthy. McCarthy did win 4A player of the year honors in Idaho.
All in all it looks to be a nice recruiting class. The Eagles did not really lose that many impact seniors. Most were on the line or in the defensive backfield, but they were not the main leaders of the defensive backs. Taiwan Jones leaving was a big shock, but the addition of a FBS transfer one can assume that this position is in decent shape. Going into next year one would think that Mario Brown would be splitting carries with Bronson. Third string might be Darriell Beaumonte who will be a senior. It shouldn't get down to him.
This looks like a nice returning team to face the vastly improved Montana squad with a Montana at QB and a deeper team to help fill out their special teams. The Big Sky Conference is once again going to be a place to watch. Eastern Washington has no reason not to start out next season at number 1.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Big News - Montana Grizzlies Football
Okay, so Montana did get a quarterback from a BCS team, but it just was not who we thought. It turns out to be Joe Montana's son, Nate Montana. That makes the Montana off season really good.
The Grizzlies grabbed 11 guys from in state to keep their roster big on local talent. Coach Pflugrad claims that Conner Lebsock (S) and Jonathan Richards (LB) are two of the three best football players in Montana. The other got away to Nevada, but two out of three ain't bad. Two more Montana boys will line up on the O-Line, which is a place the Grizzlies need to improve. One of those on the line will be Jonathan Richards's cousin, Aschan, and he plays Tight End so that is only sort of on the O-Line. Montana pulled in some Hawaii guys, which Montana is able to do more often than you would think. This included another O-Lineman as well as a quarterback - wide receiver combo from Miliani, HI. They also signed a big hitter from South Dakota: Matt Hermanson. He is a coach's son, and should be a fine addition at the safety spot. The O-Line got more support by adding Joe Dahl from Spokane, WA, and Christian Licciardi from Orange, CA. Expect these freshman lineman to get a shot if they can learn quickly and step up in early season ball.
This class will also include two guys who were hurt and missed all of last year. Derek Crittenden (DL) from Montana and Justin Whitted (S) from Las Angles, CA. These two guys ought to make contributions this year as they have gotten to see what FCS football is like, have gone through a college off season, and should know the defense already.
But the big news is still the transfer of Nate Montana. He was not going to be the starter at Notre Dame, and was at least going to be 3rd string. And he would have had to compete for that slot. He may have been the reason Tate Forcier went to Miami instead of Montana. Expect Nate to be the starting QB right out of the gate for the Griz. This makes them immediately a contender for the title in the Big Sky. Coach Pflugrad's first year learning curve is over. He now has two classes of his guys under his belt, and he has a high profile QB that ought to put his team on the map. They were not that far off last year spending most of the season in the top 10. Expect a jump out of this team.
The Grizzlies grabbed 11 guys from in state to keep their roster big on local talent. Coach Pflugrad claims that Conner Lebsock (S) and Jonathan Richards (LB) are two of the three best football players in Montana. The other got away to Nevada, but two out of three ain't bad. Two more Montana boys will line up on the O-Line, which is a place the Grizzlies need to improve. One of those on the line will be Jonathan Richards's cousin, Aschan, and he plays Tight End so that is only sort of on the O-Line. Montana pulled in some Hawaii guys, which Montana is able to do more often than you would think. This included another O-Lineman as well as a quarterback - wide receiver combo from Miliani, HI. They also signed a big hitter from South Dakota: Matt Hermanson. He is a coach's son, and should be a fine addition at the safety spot. The O-Line got more support by adding Joe Dahl from Spokane, WA, and Christian Licciardi from Orange, CA. Expect these freshman lineman to get a shot if they can learn quickly and step up in early season ball.
This class will also include two guys who were hurt and missed all of last year. Derek Crittenden (DL) from Montana and Justin Whitted (S) from Las Angles, CA. These two guys ought to make contributions this year as they have gotten to see what FCS football is like, have gone through a college off season, and should know the defense already.
But the big news is still the transfer of Nate Montana. He was not going to be the starter at Notre Dame, and was at least going to be 3rd string. And he would have had to compete for that slot. He may have been the reason Tate Forcier went to Miami instead of Montana. Expect Nate to be the starting QB right out of the gate for the Griz. This makes them immediately a contender for the title in the Big Sky. Coach Pflugrad's first year learning curve is over. He now has two classes of his guys under his belt, and he has a high profile QB that ought to put his team on the map. They were not that far off last year spending most of the season in the top 10. Expect a jump out of this team.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Tate Forcier and Montana
I will try to get up a few posts on recruiting and previews of next season, but I am still working on it. But for now the big news I am watching is the transfer of Michigan Quarterback, Tate Forcier. Earlier he had several places in mind including three teams in the FCS: Montana, Florida A&M, and South Carolina State. Now he has narrowed his list and it still includes Montana.
I think Montana might actually have the upper hand because if he does not go there then he is going to spend another season on the bench, and we have seen how that did not go over very well with Tate at Michigan. This would be a big catch for Montana, and they outlasted those other schools from warmer climates. Tate in fact was at Michigan so does not seem to be avoiding cold temps. Some of those other schools listed might not be good places for him either. I think Kansas State may end up being the stiff competition, but I am hopeful Tate will come down to play FCS football.
Stay tuned.
I think Montana might actually have the upper hand because if he does not go there then he is going to spend another season on the bench, and we have seen how that did not go over very well with Tate at Michigan. This would be a big catch for Montana, and they outlasted those other schools from warmer climates. Tate in fact was at Michigan so does not seem to be avoiding cold temps. Some of those other schools listed might not be good places for him either. I think Kansas State may end up being the stiff competition, but I am hopeful Tate will come down to play FCS football.
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Looking ahead
It is time to look ahead to talk about next year. Why not start with National Champion Eastern Washington Eagles.
They get back Bo Levi Mitchell for his senior season. That is good news. The nations leading rusher, Taiwan Jones, is also coming back. Add in the good play of true freshman Mario Brown and you are in good shape rushing although they will lose some O-Line the couple of Juniors on that line will have to help bring the new starters along. Leading receiver Brandon Kaufmann is on his way back for a couple of more years. Kaufmann really impressed in the championship game and 15 TD's cannot be dismissed. They do lose Ashton Gant, but Edwards and Herd ought to be able to fill his void without too much damage. Eastern Washington has everything on offense to think they will be a power next year as well. Jones and Kaufmann particularly look great and Bo Mitchell is now a champion, so it will be a fun time in the Big Sky.
The problem is on defense. Defensive player of the year JC Sherritt will be gone. That is an anchor on that defense, and his presence will not easily be replaced. The two other 100+ tackle guys Zack and Matt Johnson will be back for a senior year, and thus the defense is not completely gone. They are losing multiple starters in the Secondary, but they do appear to be ready with some guys that looked good in their time this year. Jeff Minnerly in particular will have to step in and play as he showed this year with 3 INTs. Jerry Ceja, who had 5 sacks, will have to replace Tyler Jolley's pass rush on the line. He will also have to step up the run defense to replace Jolley's ability.
Overall, the Eastern Washington Eagles look to be in a very nice position to repeat as champs of at least the Big Sky.
They get back Bo Levi Mitchell for his senior season. That is good news. The nations leading rusher, Taiwan Jones, is also coming back. Add in the good play of true freshman Mario Brown and you are in good shape rushing although they will lose some O-Line the couple of Juniors on that line will have to help bring the new starters along. Leading receiver Brandon Kaufmann is on his way back for a couple of more years. Kaufmann really impressed in the championship game and 15 TD's cannot be dismissed. They do lose Ashton Gant, but Edwards and Herd ought to be able to fill his void without too much damage. Eastern Washington has everything on offense to think they will be a power next year as well. Jones and Kaufmann particularly look great and Bo Mitchell is now a champion, so it will be a fun time in the Big Sky.
The problem is on defense. Defensive player of the year JC Sherritt will be gone. That is an anchor on that defense, and his presence will not easily be replaced. The two other 100+ tackle guys Zack and Matt Johnson will be back for a senior year, and thus the defense is not completely gone. They are losing multiple starters in the Secondary, but they do appear to be ready with some guys that looked good in their time this year. Jeff Minnerly in particular will have to step in and play as he showed this year with 3 INTs. Jerry Ceja, who had 5 sacks, will have to replace Tyler Jolley's pass rush on the line. He will also have to step up the run defense to replace Jolley's ability.
Overall, the Eastern Washington Eagles look to be in a very nice position to repeat as champs of at least the Big Sky.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Eastern Washington is your Champion!
What a game. I hope everyone got to watch the only real national championship on December 7th. It was one whale of a game that saw Eastern Washington come from behind for the 6th time this season to eek out a win over Delaware.
Delaware dominated the first half shutting out Eastern Washington 12-0. A missed extra point was the problem for Delaware, but the defense was amazing. Andrew Pierce was gaining his normal 5 yards a carry, and Pat Devlin was finding receivers. Nihja White in particular looked pretty good.
Delaware came out of the locker room and hung another TD on Eastern Washington and this time they got the extra point, although it was ugly. 19-0, and it stayed that way for most of the 3rd Quarter. Somewhere the Blue Hens fell back into prevent mode and they stopped rushing. Often it seemed that they rushed only 3, and they got picked a part when that happened. Soon, it was 19-13, and the Blue Hens had the ball trying to run out the clock. A curious round of play calls. They passed on first down, and it was caught, but for short gain. Clock runs. They run the ball with Pierce, who gained 4 or so, but went out of bounds. They then threw the ball again and it was dropped by Mark Schenauer. It hit in the numbers and he had the first down. It was not a good game for Schenauer, who dropped several passes, but none more important than that one. In an attempt to run the clock out the Blue Hens threw twice and ran once when Pierce was not being stopped all game. I would have preferred to see him just run three times. They probably would have gotten a first down, and the clock would have kept going. In the end, that time cost them the game.
Bo Levi Mitchell had a so-so game. But when the pressure was taken off, he ate up the Delaware Defense. He was 29-43 overall with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Delaware's defense dominated this game, and that will be forgotten. Bo Levi Mitchell's Eastern Washington offense punted every possession of the first half, and they got only one first down after their first series. Total they got 42 yards offense in half number one. They came out in the second half and got a first down, but threw an interception on play 3. They then had a great field position after a Delaware INT, but a seven play 25 yard drive ended on a failed 4th down try. They got the ball back with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and the offense had done nothing. I really believe the decision to go conservative on the defensive play calling cost them the game. It allowed Bo Levi Mitchell to find a rhythm, and took their offense out of one.
The Eastern Washington Defense deserves some praise. They recovered after giving up a TD and two field goals on their first three times out on the field. The INT to open the 2nd half probably saved a TD as the Blue Hens were rolling and had already gone 41 yards in 4 plays. The Blue Hens had a few strange play calls and got a little tight, and Eastern Washington's defense did exactly what it had to do. A few huge 3 and outs kept the momentum and they won.
We do need to remember that Eastern Washington was minus their great running back, so this win was a huge upset. Congrats to them. Good game, good season, and I am already looking forward to next year.
Delaware dominated the first half shutting out Eastern Washington 12-0. A missed extra point was the problem for Delaware, but the defense was amazing. Andrew Pierce was gaining his normal 5 yards a carry, and Pat Devlin was finding receivers. Nihja White in particular looked pretty good.
Delaware came out of the locker room and hung another TD on Eastern Washington and this time they got the extra point, although it was ugly. 19-0, and it stayed that way for most of the 3rd Quarter. Somewhere the Blue Hens fell back into prevent mode and they stopped rushing. Often it seemed that they rushed only 3, and they got picked a part when that happened. Soon, it was 19-13, and the Blue Hens had the ball trying to run out the clock. A curious round of play calls. They passed on first down, and it was caught, but for short gain. Clock runs. They run the ball with Pierce, who gained 4 or so, but went out of bounds. They then threw the ball again and it was dropped by Mark Schenauer. It hit in the numbers and he had the first down. It was not a good game for Schenauer, who dropped several passes, but none more important than that one. In an attempt to run the clock out the Blue Hens threw twice and ran once when Pierce was not being stopped all game. I would have preferred to see him just run three times. They probably would have gotten a first down, and the clock would have kept going. In the end, that time cost them the game.
Bo Levi Mitchell had a so-so game. But when the pressure was taken off, he ate up the Delaware Defense. He was 29-43 overall with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Delaware's defense dominated this game, and that will be forgotten. Bo Levi Mitchell's Eastern Washington offense punted every possession of the first half, and they got only one first down after their first series. Total they got 42 yards offense in half number one. They came out in the second half and got a first down, but threw an interception on play 3. They then had a great field position after a Delaware INT, but a seven play 25 yard drive ended on a failed 4th down try. They got the ball back with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and the offense had done nothing. I really believe the decision to go conservative on the defensive play calling cost them the game. It allowed Bo Levi Mitchell to find a rhythm, and took their offense out of one.
The Eastern Washington Defense deserves some praise. They recovered after giving up a TD and two field goals on their first three times out on the field. The INT to open the 2nd half probably saved a TD as the Blue Hens were rolling and had already gone 41 yards in 4 plays. The Blue Hens had a few strange play calls and got a little tight, and Eastern Washington's defense did exactly what it had to do. A few huge 3 and outs kept the momentum and they won.
We do need to remember that Eastern Washington was minus their great running back, so this win was a huge upset. Congrats to them. Good game, good season, and I am already looking forward to next year.
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