ursus arctos horribilis
September 26th, 2019, 12:35 PM
FCS HEADLINES
All year long FCS conferences and institutions will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football. Schools will be wearing a CFB150 patch or helmet decal this year. Schools and conferences should use the hashtag #FCS_CFB150 for all FCS social media posts.
* #FCSonGameDay -- got a suggestion for an FCS matchup or content for College GameDay -- tweet it.
* #FearTheFCS -- Following a 27-24 overtime win by The Citadel at Georgia Tech on Sept. 14, there are now three FCS wins over FBS schools this year (Central Arkansas over Western Kentucky, 35-28; and Southern Illinois over UMass, 45-20). In 2018, FCS teams recorded seven wins against FBS schools. Since 1978, FCS schools have recorded double-digit win totals against the FBS six times, most recently in 2016 (10 that year). The FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS schools. There are 114 matchups this year between FBS and FCS schools.
* This year, a whopping 167 players from current FCS schools were part of the 32 opening-day rosters for the NFL's 100th season. Add in 43 players that were signed to practice squads (which go through frequent changes) and the FCS haul in the NFL is 210 (data courtesy Craig Haley of STATS). Notably, there are 39 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions.
* This week, 20 of 25 ranked teams (STATS FCS poll) are in action. Three ranked teams face FBS opponents this week, and there are four games on the schedule that feature two ranked FCS teams. (Rankings below are STATS FCS rankings.)
#9 UNI (2-1) at #5 Weber State (1-2), 8 pm ET (Pluto)
#18 Montana (3-1) at #4 UC Davis (2-2), 4 pm ET (ROOT)
#2 James Madison (3-1) at #24 Elon (2-2), 2 pm ET (FloFootball)
#12 Maine (2-2) at #8 Villanova (4-0), 3:30 pm ET (FloFootball)
* Brown's E.J. Perry, Idaho's Charles Akanno, Maine's Earnest Edwards and Gardner-Webb's Devron Harper were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for Week 4 games ending Sept. 21.
* Villanova was named the STATS FCS Team of the Week after the No. 18 Wildcats completed a 52-45 overtime win at No. 5 Towson in their CAA Football opener. Their first victory over a top-five opponent in six years also improved them to 4-0 for the first time since their 2009 FCS national championship season. HONORABLE MENTION: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (37-31 win over Tennessee State); Idaho (35-24 win over No. 11 Eastern Washington); Robert Morris (31-21 win over VMI); Sam Houston State (45-6 win over UIW).
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION (42nd Season -- first year was in 1978)
TEAM COMPOSITION -- (24 TOTAL TEAMS) There are 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee makes 14 at-large selections.
DATES -- Selection Sunday is on Sunday, Nov. 24. First-round games take place Saturday, Nov. 30. The top eight seeds receive a first-round bye. The title game will take place Saturday, Jan. 11, in Frisco, Texas.
SITE -- In January 2019, the NCAA announced it agreed to a five-year extension with Frisco, Texas, and Toyota Stadium will host the championship through 2025 (for the 2024 season) with an option for the 2026 championship.
ESPN provides coverage for all 23 games, and the championship game has aired on ESPN2 since 2002.
North Dakota State is the two-time defending champion. NDSU has won 7 of the past 8 titles (James Madison is the other.) Last year, NDSU beat Eastern Washington in the title game.
Conferences with the most titles: Missouri Valley (9), Southern (8), Big Sky (6), CAA Football (6).
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
INDEPENDENTS -- RV/25 North Dakota hits the road for its first trip outside the state of North Dakota on Saturday, battling No. 21 Eastern Washington in Cheney. Kickoff is slated for 4:05 p.m. (CT) and can be seen live on MidcoSN or on the radio through the Home of Economy Radio Network. This will be the fifth meeting between UND and EWU, with the Eagles enjoying success in the series. North Dakota will be searching for some success on The Inferno, losing by an average of 44.5 points in the previous pair of contests in Cheney. UND's last visit to Roos Field was Nov. 1, 2014, a 54-3 defeat in what was Keaton Studsrud's first-career start.
BIG SKY -- It's finally time for Big Sky conference play! Five league games will take place this week, including a Top 25 match-up of No. 18/17 Montana at No. 4/5 UC Davis which will be the ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week.
Idaho's Charles Akanno led the Vandals to an upset win over then-No. 11 Eastern Washington to earn Big Sky and STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors. It's the second STATS national honor for a Big Sky player this season.
The Big Sky has a new channel lineup for Pluto TV this season. Make sure to go to www.Pluto.TV (http://www.Pluto.TV) to check out games all season long.
Despite some tough losses for a couple of the Big Sky teams, the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 is still filled with five teams. The league has four additional teams receiving votes between both polls.
The Big Sky Conference has five student-athletes on the Walter Payton Award Watch List and one student-athlete on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
BIG SOUTH -- The Kennesaw State rushing tandem of BRONSON RECHSTEINER and ISAAC FOSTER combined for 404 rushing yards last Saturday at Missouri State, the second-highest total in a game by two Big South teammates. Rechsteiner gained 221 on 10 carries against the Bears, while Foster added 183 on eight rushes for a combined average of 22.4 per attempt. The Big South single-game record for most combined rushing yards by two teammates is 483 -- accomplished twice by Stony Brook duo EDWIN GOWINS and CONTE CUTTINO in 2008.
Gardner-Webb freshman DEVRON HARPER amassed 304 all-purpose yards last Saturday at Wofford, the seventh-highest single-game total in Big South history. Harper's overall total vs. the Terriers featured 235 yards on kickoff returns, the fourth-most in a game in the conference record book. Harper has already surpassed 200 all-purpose yards twice in four appearances this season.
Kennesaw State RB ISAAC FOSTER became the first player in Big South history to score two rushing touchdowns from at least 67 yards out in the same game when he accomplished the feat last Saturday at Missouri State. His first score was on a 75-yard run late in the second quarter, and then he reached the end zone on a 67-yard sprint to open the third stanza. The two scores give Foster four of his five career touchdowns from a distance of at least 67+ yards -- Saturday's two rushes, plus his two 100-yard kickoff returns as a freshman last season.
CAA FOOTBALL -- The Week 5 schedule features four conference games, highlighted by a pair of Top 25 matchups on FloFootball.com. No. 8/13 Villanova hosts No. 12/16 Maine and No. 2 James Madison visits No. 24 Elon. A year ago, Maine edged Villanova, 13-10, on a field goal as time expired, while Elon got past JMU, 27-24, ending the Dukes' record 20-game conference winning streak. This week's conference slate also includes William & Mary heading to UAlbany in the opener for both teams and Rhode Island entertaining Stony Brook at Meade Stadium.
Three of the five CAA games played this season have gone down to the wire. Last Saturday, Villanova outlasted Towson, 52-45 in overtime, and New Hampshire got past Rhode Island, 27-24, on a field goal as time expired. Delaware pulled out a 36-33 triple OT win at Rhode Island on Sept. 7. Road teams are 4-1 in conference games so far.
Towson All-America kicker Aidan O'Neill has 57 career field goals, which is two shy of the CAA all-time record of 59 set by W&M's Greg Kuehn (2002-05). O'Neill is 4-for-6 on field goals this season.
Rhode Island wide receiver Aaron Parker leads FCS in receiving yards per game (171.7 ypg) and is 2nd in receptions per game (10.0). The senior has topped the 100-yard mark in all three games, including a 12-catch, 227-yard effort vs. Delaware. He ranks 2nd in career receiving yards (2,751) at URI.
IVY LEAGUE -- Fourteen Ivies appeared in Week 3 of the 2019 National Football League (NFL) season, including seven started for their respective teams. Harvard alumnus and San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk—a three-time Pro Bowler—starred with 51 receiving yards on three catches, including a headline-grabbing stiff arm and a highlight-reel diving catch. Fellow Crimson alum Cameron Brate, a tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recorded his third-straight game with a pair of receptions—this time for seven yards.
The Ivy League posted a 6-2 (.750) opening weekend record against non-conference opposition. The League is coming off back-to-back seasons with an FCS-leading .750 non-conference winning percentage and owns a 71-49 (.592) opening weekend record over the past 15 campaigns.
The Ivy League is in the midst of celebrating its storied tradition, modern success and continued impact on the game of football throughout college football's 150th year anniversary. From June 26 to November 23, the final day of the Ivy League football regular season, the league will feature 150 consecutive days of original content at 1:50 p.m. ET.
MEAC -- Conference play begins in earnest this week for the MEAC, and things kick off on Thursday with the first ESPNU contest of the season – where Delaware State will hit the road to face two-time defending MEAC champion North Carolina A&T State at BB&T Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, and all three of Saturday's contests will be live on ESPN3 via the MEAC Digital Network.
Delaware State faces North Carolina A&T in Greensboro (ESPNU). The Hornets are coming off a 24-9 loss to Howard this past weekend to drop their conference opener. North Carolina A&T State is coming off its bye week, sitting at No. 17 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll. The Aggies won the last meeting between the two schools 34-6 last season, and they lead the all-time series between the schools 24-22-1.
Bethune-Cookman faces Howard Bison on Saturday. Bethune-Cookman has won five of the last eight meetings between the two schools, although Howard has taken the last two, including last year's 41-35 thriller in the Circle City Classic.
Last week, Florida A&M renewed its rivalry with Southern with a 27-21 win over the Jaguars this past Saturday. Quarterback Ryan Stanley threw for a career high 355 yards and became the program career leader in completions. Stanley was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week for his play, and sophomore wideout Xavier Smith had nine receptions for a career-high 201 yards and a touchdown. Juwan Carter threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans' 56-21 loss to No. 8 Montana State this past weekend, while running back Kevin Johnson added eight carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. His 84-yard touchdown run was the longest in school history, and Johnson was named MEAC Co-Rookie of the Week for his play.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- By virtue of a 5-0 sweep in games of Saturday, Sept. 21, the MVFC captured its third-straight series win in the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series. Eight of the 10 games in this year's series featured at least one ranked team, and in two of the games both teams were ranked. Ten MVFC-Big Sky matchups are on the slate this year, including the remaining game this week (Sept. 28). The MVFC currently leads this year's series, 6-3. Playoff results do not count toward the series.
The MVFC wraps up its regular-season non-conference portion of the schedule as UNI (at Weber State) and Youngstown State (vs. Robert Morris) play their final regular-season non-league tilts on Sept. 28. The league has gone 19-9 against its FCS peers this year and was 1-8 against FBS foes.
All 10 league teams will open MVFC action on Saturday, Oct. 5, in what is the 35th season of the Conference's existence. North Dakota State (8) has the longest active win streak in MVFC season-opening games. Southern Illinois and Missouri State played in the league's first conference game on Sept. 7, 1985.
North Dakota State picked up its second win against a top-25 team in as many games as the Bison knocked off No. 4 UC Davis on Sept. 21, 2019. The Bison closed the 2018 season with four-straight wins against ranked foes (#23 Montana State, #7 Colgate, #5 South Dakota State and #3 Eastern Washington.) Notably, during its current 25-game winning streak, the Bison have beat 13 teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the game. NDSU's next game (at Illinois State on Oct. 5) will also be against a ranked team.
NORTHEAST -- For the second time this season, a NEC team put a serious scare into a FBS member. Central Connecticut took a 29-28 lead on a 68-yard TD reception by Tyshaun James with 2:05 remaining at Eastern Michigan, which needed a blocked punt in final seconds to avoid the upset. Wagner dropped a 24-21 decision at UConn in Week 1. NEC teams finish the season with an 0-4 record vs. FBS foes.
Sacred Heart QB Logan Marchi has thrown for at least 316 yards and three touchdowns in each of the past three games, all of which were wins. SHU rookie WR Tyrese Chambers totaled 371 yards and five touchdowns on 21 catches over that same span. Pioneers' RB Julius Chestnut ranks second amongst FCS leaders in rush yards (449).
With both teams looking to rebound from Week 4 home losses to Ivy Leaguers, Bryant hosts Saint Francis in the NEC opener for both teams Saturday at 1:00 pm (Watch via NECFrontRow.com). In his first collegiate start, Bryant QB Kory Curtis threw for a single-game program-record 394 yards vs. Brown. SFU WR EJ Jenkins has TD receptions in four straight games.
Wagner lifts the lid off its league schedule by hosting NEC newcomer LIU at 12:00 pm Saturday in the conference's featured Game of the Week on ESPN3.
OHIO VALLEY -- At 3-1 Tennessee Tech is off to its best start since 2011 after a 38-24 road victory over Western Illinois. That marked the first non-conference road win for the team since 2013 for the Golden Eagles. TTU quarterback Bailey Fisher accounted for 404 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing) in the win over WIU.
Two different players had multiple interceptions in games last week, as Tennessee Tech linebacker Seth Carlisle had two picks against Western Illinois and Tennessee State safety Larry Wilhoite had two interceptions against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Murray State played in front of its largest home crowd (11,921) since 2008 in a 59-7 victory over Morehead State last week.
Jacksonville State wide receiver Josh Pearson had three touchdown passes in the Gamecocks win over North Alabama. He is just one touchdown away from tying the school's career record.
Co-Offense: WR Josh Pearson, Jacksonville St, | Co-Offense: QB Bailey Fisher, Tenn. Tech | Defense: LB Seth Carlisle, Tenn. Tech | Co-Specialist: P Jason Pierce, Jacksonville St. | Co-Specialist: RS Ty Terrell, Murray St. | Newcomer: Metrius Fleming, Tennessee Tech
PATRIOT -- Bucknell fifth-year punter Alex Pechin, Colgate senior placekicker Chris Puzzi and Holy Cross senior tight end Derek Mountain were named among the 185 semifinalists for the 30th Annual William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to college football's top student-athlete. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a senior or graduate student with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (GPA), have outstanding football ability and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Finalists will be announced on Oct. 30.
That Patriot League portion of the schedule gets underway on Oct. 5 when Colgate hosts Lehigh in the Stadium Game of the Week. Bucknell will also welcome Holy Cross in the opening weekend of League play. Georgetown and Fordham square off the following week on Oct. 12. Lafayette will be the last team to start League play when they travel to Georgetown for its Oct. 19 meeting.
The Patriot League boasts four of the top five FCS active leaders in tackles for loss per game, led by Fordham sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, the back-to-back League defensive player of the week. Junior linebacker and teammate Glenn Cunningham is third in the nation after leading the Patriot League and placing fourth in the FCS with 21.5 tackles for loss in 2018. Bucknell junior linebacker Simeon Page has 23.0 TFL's in 19 career games to place fourth while preseason player of the year Nick Wheeler, a senior defensive lineman at Colgate, has 42.0 TFL's in 34 games for the Raiders' defense.
Page is third among active FCS players with 0.76 sacks per game. The Bison junior LB has recorded 14.5 sacks for a loss of 112 yards in 19 career games. Wheeler is tied for the lead among active FCS players with 25.5 total sacks and is fourth in sacks per game with 0.75.
PIONEER -- A light Week 5 schedule is the calm before the storm in the PFL with a next week's slate featuring all 10 PFL teams in league action. Marist will already have two conference games in hand when Week 6 starts thanks to a Week 3 win against Stetson and its Week 5 outing against Drake.
PFL teams are 10-6 at home after posting a 2-3 record in Week 4. Davidson (3-0), Stetson (2-0) and Morehead State (2-0) enter their Week 5 off week with unblemished home marks. Marist's hosts Drake with its home win coming in league action against Stetson in Week 3.
PFL teams enter Week 5 with a 3-12 record in road games. Dayton owns a four-game road winning streak entering its off week this week. That is tied for the third longest active home win streak in the FCS. Drake is the lone PFL team on the road this week, traveling to Marist for a PFL battle.
Davidson running back Wesley Dugger pushed past the 2,500 career yard mark against Campbell, Sept. 21. One of two juniors among the FCS Top 10 Active Career Leaders, he is ranked fourth in total rushing yardage (2,571) after Week 4, averaging 107.1 yards per game. He is just ahead of Monmouth junior Pete Guerriero (2,419 yards) on the list.
SOUTHERN -- Four Southern Conference games highlight Saturday's five-game schedule, with The Citadel and Chattanooga playing their league openers and Mercer hosting Campbell in the lone non-conference contest.
Also on the slate, the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week features ETSU visiting Furman in a contest between two of the three SoCon champions from last season, while VMI hosts Wofford in a game that pits the league's second-most prolific passing team (284.2 yards per game) vs. its most prolific rushing offense (312.7 yards per game), respectively.
Furman earned its first league win on Sept. 21, piling up exactly 600 yards of total offense in a 45-10 win over Mercer. The Paladins rolled up 410 rushing yards, with Devin Wynn running for 99 yards and Corey Watkins running for 97 and a pair of touchdowns.
Wofford ran for 489 yards in its 49-10 win over Gardner-Webb on Sept. 21, while its defense held the Runnin' Bulldogs to just 9 rushing yards. The Terriers accumulated 575 yards of total offense on the day, highlighted by quarterback Joe Newman's 155 yards on the ground and 67 yards through the air.
Wofford's and Furman's rushing totals from the weekend are the top two marks in the league this season, as are their total offense totals.
SOUTHLAND -- With a 44-yard reception in the second quarter of Sam Houston State's 45-6 win over UIW on Saturday, senior wideout Nathan Stewart became the Southland Conference all-time leader in receiving yards (4,010), passing former teammate Yedidiah Louis.
Stewart and Schmid, along with Central Arkansas running back Carlos Blackman (176 all-purpose yards, 3 touchdowns) and Houston Baptist linebacker Brennan Young (nine tackles, two interceptions), were Honorable Mention selections for STATS FCS National Players of the Week.
Houston Baptist leads the nation in first downs (111) and ranks third in passing yards per game (356.3), total offense per game (541.3) and turnovers gained (11). Nicholls is one of nine FCS schools that has yet to surrender a fourth-down conversion (0-for-6).
Southeastern Louisiana is averaging an FCS-high 12.5 tackles for loss per game. Lamar ranks third with 11.7 per game and Sam Houston State comes in at fifth (10.0).
SWAC -- Alcorn State QB Felix Harper accounted for three touchdowns in Alcorn's 45-41 victory over Prairie View A&M last week and earned SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Harper, the backup who got the start in-place of an injured Noah Johnson, threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for a score.
Alcorn State LB Solomon Muhammad was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week. Muhammad turned in a heroic defensive effort for the Braves with a whopping 18 tackles. The career-high went along with 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. It topped his previous career-high of 13 tackles set in 2017.
Southern will open SWAC play on the road to a red hot Arkansas Pine Bluff team. The Jaguars have won the last six meetings between the two. Junior QB Ladarius Skelton will make his first trip home since joining the Jaguars last season. The game is featured on ESPN3 this Saturday.
All year long FCS conferences and institutions will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football. Schools will be wearing a CFB150 patch or helmet decal this year. Schools and conferences should use the hashtag #FCS_CFB150 for all FCS social media posts.
* #FCSonGameDay -- got a suggestion for an FCS matchup or content for College GameDay -- tweet it.
* #FearTheFCS -- Following a 27-24 overtime win by The Citadel at Georgia Tech on Sept. 14, there are now three FCS wins over FBS schools this year (Central Arkansas over Western Kentucky, 35-28; and Southern Illinois over UMass, 45-20). In 2018, FCS teams recorded seven wins against FBS schools. Since 1978, FCS schools have recorded double-digit win totals against the FBS six times, most recently in 2016 (10 that year). The FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS schools. There are 114 matchups this year between FBS and FCS schools.
* This year, a whopping 167 players from current FCS schools were part of the 32 opening-day rosters for the NFL's 100th season. Add in 43 players that were signed to practice squads (which go through frequent changes) and the FCS haul in the NFL is 210 (data courtesy Craig Haley of STATS). Notably, there are 39 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions.
* This week, 20 of 25 ranked teams (STATS FCS poll) are in action. Three ranked teams face FBS opponents this week, and there are four games on the schedule that feature two ranked FCS teams. (Rankings below are STATS FCS rankings.)
#9 UNI (2-1) at #5 Weber State (1-2), 8 pm ET (Pluto)
#18 Montana (3-1) at #4 UC Davis (2-2), 4 pm ET (ROOT)
#2 James Madison (3-1) at #24 Elon (2-2), 2 pm ET (FloFootball)
#12 Maine (2-2) at #8 Villanova (4-0), 3:30 pm ET (FloFootball)
* Brown's E.J. Perry, Idaho's Charles Akanno, Maine's Earnest Edwards and Gardner-Webb's Devron Harper were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for Week 4 games ending Sept. 21.
* Villanova was named the STATS FCS Team of the Week after the No. 18 Wildcats completed a 52-45 overtime win at No. 5 Towson in their CAA Football opener. Their first victory over a top-five opponent in six years also improved them to 4-0 for the first time since their 2009 FCS national championship season. HONORABLE MENTION: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (37-31 win over Tennessee State); Idaho (35-24 win over No. 11 Eastern Washington); Robert Morris (31-21 win over VMI); Sam Houston State (45-6 win over UIW).
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION (42nd Season -- first year was in 1978)
TEAM COMPOSITION -- (24 TOTAL TEAMS) There are 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee makes 14 at-large selections.
DATES -- Selection Sunday is on Sunday, Nov. 24. First-round games take place Saturday, Nov. 30. The top eight seeds receive a first-round bye. The title game will take place Saturday, Jan. 11, in Frisco, Texas.
SITE -- In January 2019, the NCAA announced it agreed to a five-year extension with Frisco, Texas, and Toyota Stadium will host the championship through 2025 (for the 2024 season) with an option for the 2026 championship.
ESPN provides coverage for all 23 games, and the championship game has aired on ESPN2 since 2002.
North Dakota State is the two-time defending champion. NDSU has won 7 of the past 8 titles (James Madison is the other.) Last year, NDSU beat Eastern Washington in the title game.
Conferences with the most titles: Missouri Valley (9), Southern (8), Big Sky (6), CAA Football (6).
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
INDEPENDENTS -- RV/25 North Dakota hits the road for its first trip outside the state of North Dakota on Saturday, battling No. 21 Eastern Washington in Cheney. Kickoff is slated for 4:05 p.m. (CT) and can be seen live on MidcoSN or on the radio through the Home of Economy Radio Network. This will be the fifth meeting between UND and EWU, with the Eagles enjoying success in the series. North Dakota will be searching for some success on The Inferno, losing by an average of 44.5 points in the previous pair of contests in Cheney. UND's last visit to Roos Field was Nov. 1, 2014, a 54-3 defeat in what was Keaton Studsrud's first-career start.
BIG SKY -- It's finally time for Big Sky conference play! Five league games will take place this week, including a Top 25 match-up of No. 18/17 Montana at No. 4/5 UC Davis which will be the ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week.
Idaho's Charles Akanno led the Vandals to an upset win over then-No. 11 Eastern Washington to earn Big Sky and STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors. It's the second STATS national honor for a Big Sky player this season.
The Big Sky has a new channel lineup for Pluto TV this season. Make sure to go to www.Pluto.TV (http://www.Pluto.TV) to check out games all season long.
Despite some tough losses for a couple of the Big Sky teams, the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 is still filled with five teams. The league has four additional teams receiving votes between both polls.
The Big Sky Conference has five student-athletes on the Walter Payton Award Watch List and one student-athlete on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.
BIG SOUTH -- The Kennesaw State rushing tandem of BRONSON RECHSTEINER and ISAAC FOSTER combined for 404 rushing yards last Saturday at Missouri State, the second-highest total in a game by two Big South teammates. Rechsteiner gained 221 on 10 carries against the Bears, while Foster added 183 on eight rushes for a combined average of 22.4 per attempt. The Big South single-game record for most combined rushing yards by two teammates is 483 -- accomplished twice by Stony Brook duo EDWIN GOWINS and CONTE CUTTINO in 2008.
Gardner-Webb freshman DEVRON HARPER amassed 304 all-purpose yards last Saturday at Wofford, the seventh-highest single-game total in Big South history. Harper's overall total vs. the Terriers featured 235 yards on kickoff returns, the fourth-most in a game in the conference record book. Harper has already surpassed 200 all-purpose yards twice in four appearances this season.
Kennesaw State RB ISAAC FOSTER became the first player in Big South history to score two rushing touchdowns from at least 67 yards out in the same game when he accomplished the feat last Saturday at Missouri State. His first score was on a 75-yard run late in the second quarter, and then he reached the end zone on a 67-yard sprint to open the third stanza. The two scores give Foster four of his five career touchdowns from a distance of at least 67+ yards -- Saturday's two rushes, plus his two 100-yard kickoff returns as a freshman last season.
CAA FOOTBALL -- The Week 5 schedule features four conference games, highlighted by a pair of Top 25 matchups on FloFootball.com. No. 8/13 Villanova hosts No. 12/16 Maine and No. 2 James Madison visits No. 24 Elon. A year ago, Maine edged Villanova, 13-10, on a field goal as time expired, while Elon got past JMU, 27-24, ending the Dukes' record 20-game conference winning streak. This week's conference slate also includes William & Mary heading to UAlbany in the opener for both teams and Rhode Island entertaining Stony Brook at Meade Stadium.
Three of the five CAA games played this season have gone down to the wire. Last Saturday, Villanova outlasted Towson, 52-45 in overtime, and New Hampshire got past Rhode Island, 27-24, on a field goal as time expired. Delaware pulled out a 36-33 triple OT win at Rhode Island on Sept. 7. Road teams are 4-1 in conference games so far.
Towson All-America kicker Aidan O'Neill has 57 career field goals, which is two shy of the CAA all-time record of 59 set by W&M's Greg Kuehn (2002-05). O'Neill is 4-for-6 on field goals this season.
Rhode Island wide receiver Aaron Parker leads FCS in receiving yards per game (171.7 ypg) and is 2nd in receptions per game (10.0). The senior has topped the 100-yard mark in all three games, including a 12-catch, 227-yard effort vs. Delaware. He ranks 2nd in career receiving yards (2,751) at URI.
IVY LEAGUE -- Fourteen Ivies appeared in Week 3 of the 2019 National Football League (NFL) season, including seven started for their respective teams. Harvard alumnus and San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk—a three-time Pro Bowler—starred with 51 receiving yards on three catches, including a headline-grabbing stiff arm and a highlight-reel diving catch. Fellow Crimson alum Cameron Brate, a tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, recorded his third-straight game with a pair of receptions—this time for seven yards.
The Ivy League posted a 6-2 (.750) opening weekend record against non-conference opposition. The League is coming off back-to-back seasons with an FCS-leading .750 non-conference winning percentage and owns a 71-49 (.592) opening weekend record over the past 15 campaigns.
The Ivy League is in the midst of celebrating its storied tradition, modern success and continued impact on the game of football throughout college football's 150th year anniversary. From June 26 to November 23, the final day of the Ivy League football regular season, the league will feature 150 consecutive days of original content at 1:50 p.m. ET.
MEAC -- Conference play begins in earnest this week for the MEAC, and things kick off on Thursday with the first ESPNU contest of the season – where Delaware State will hit the road to face two-time defending MEAC champion North Carolina A&T State at BB&T Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU, and all three of Saturday's contests will be live on ESPN3 via the MEAC Digital Network.
Delaware State faces North Carolina A&T in Greensboro (ESPNU). The Hornets are coming off a 24-9 loss to Howard this past weekend to drop their conference opener. North Carolina A&T State is coming off its bye week, sitting at No. 17 in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll. The Aggies won the last meeting between the two schools 34-6 last season, and they lead the all-time series between the schools 24-22-1.
Bethune-Cookman faces Howard Bison on Saturday. Bethune-Cookman has won five of the last eight meetings between the two schools, although Howard has taken the last two, including last year's 41-35 thriller in the Circle City Classic.
Last week, Florida A&M renewed its rivalry with Southern with a 27-21 win over the Jaguars this past Saturday. Quarterback Ryan Stanley threw for a career high 355 yards and became the program career leader in completions. Stanley was named MEAC Offensive Player of the Week for his play, and sophomore wideout Xavier Smith had nine receptions for a career-high 201 yards and a touchdown. Juwan Carter threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans' 56-21 loss to No. 8 Montana State this past weekend, while running back Kevin Johnson added eight carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. His 84-yard touchdown run was the longest in school history, and Johnson was named MEAC Co-Rookie of the Week for his play.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- By virtue of a 5-0 sweep in games of Saturday, Sept. 21, the MVFC captured its third-straight series win in the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series. Eight of the 10 games in this year's series featured at least one ranked team, and in two of the games both teams were ranked. Ten MVFC-Big Sky matchups are on the slate this year, including the remaining game this week (Sept. 28). The MVFC currently leads this year's series, 6-3. Playoff results do not count toward the series.
The MVFC wraps up its regular-season non-conference portion of the schedule as UNI (at Weber State) and Youngstown State (vs. Robert Morris) play their final regular-season non-league tilts on Sept. 28. The league has gone 19-9 against its FCS peers this year and was 1-8 against FBS foes.
All 10 league teams will open MVFC action on Saturday, Oct. 5, in what is the 35th season of the Conference's existence. North Dakota State (8) has the longest active win streak in MVFC season-opening games. Southern Illinois and Missouri State played in the league's first conference game on Sept. 7, 1985.
North Dakota State picked up its second win against a top-25 team in as many games as the Bison knocked off No. 4 UC Davis on Sept. 21, 2019. The Bison closed the 2018 season with four-straight wins against ranked foes (#23 Montana State, #7 Colgate, #5 South Dakota State and #3 Eastern Washington.) Notably, during its current 25-game winning streak, the Bison have beat 13 teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the game. NDSU's next game (at Illinois State on Oct. 5) will also be against a ranked team.
NORTHEAST -- For the second time this season, a NEC team put a serious scare into a FBS member. Central Connecticut took a 29-28 lead on a 68-yard TD reception by Tyshaun James with 2:05 remaining at Eastern Michigan, which needed a blocked punt in final seconds to avoid the upset. Wagner dropped a 24-21 decision at UConn in Week 1. NEC teams finish the season with an 0-4 record vs. FBS foes.
Sacred Heart QB Logan Marchi has thrown for at least 316 yards and three touchdowns in each of the past three games, all of which were wins. SHU rookie WR Tyrese Chambers totaled 371 yards and five touchdowns on 21 catches over that same span. Pioneers' RB Julius Chestnut ranks second amongst FCS leaders in rush yards (449).
With both teams looking to rebound from Week 4 home losses to Ivy Leaguers, Bryant hosts Saint Francis in the NEC opener for both teams Saturday at 1:00 pm (Watch via NECFrontRow.com). In his first collegiate start, Bryant QB Kory Curtis threw for a single-game program-record 394 yards vs. Brown. SFU WR EJ Jenkins has TD receptions in four straight games.
Wagner lifts the lid off its league schedule by hosting NEC newcomer LIU at 12:00 pm Saturday in the conference's featured Game of the Week on ESPN3.
OHIO VALLEY -- At 3-1 Tennessee Tech is off to its best start since 2011 after a 38-24 road victory over Western Illinois. That marked the first non-conference road win for the team since 2013 for the Golden Eagles. TTU quarterback Bailey Fisher accounted for 404 yards of total offense and 5 touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing) in the win over WIU.
Two different players had multiple interceptions in games last week, as Tennessee Tech linebacker Seth Carlisle had two picks against Western Illinois and Tennessee State safety Larry Wilhoite had two interceptions against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Murray State played in front of its largest home crowd (11,921) since 2008 in a 59-7 victory over Morehead State last week.
Jacksonville State wide receiver Josh Pearson had three touchdown passes in the Gamecocks win over North Alabama. He is just one touchdown away from tying the school's career record.
Co-Offense: WR Josh Pearson, Jacksonville St, | Co-Offense: QB Bailey Fisher, Tenn. Tech | Defense: LB Seth Carlisle, Tenn. Tech | Co-Specialist: P Jason Pierce, Jacksonville St. | Co-Specialist: RS Ty Terrell, Murray St. | Newcomer: Metrius Fleming, Tennessee Tech
PATRIOT -- Bucknell fifth-year punter Alex Pechin, Colgate senior placekicker Chris Puzzi and Holy Cross senior tight end Derek Mountain were named among the 185 semifinalists for the 30th Annual William V. Campbell Trophy, presented to college football's top student-athlete. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a senior or graduate student with a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (GPA), have outstanding football ability and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. Finalists will be announced on Oct. 30.
That Patriot League portion of the schedule gets underway on Oct. 5 when Colgate hosts Lehigh in the Stadium Game of the Week. Bucknell will also welcome Holy Cross in the opening weekend of League play. Georgetown and Fordham square off the following week on Oct. 12. Lafayette will be the last team to start League play when they travel to Georgetown for its Oct. 19 meeting.
The Patriot League boasts four of the top five FCS active leaders in tackles for loss per game, led by Fordham sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, the back-to-back League defensive player of the week. Junior linebacker and teammate Glenn Cunningham is third in the nation after leading the Patriot League and placing fourth in the FCS with 21.5 tackles for loss in 2018. Bucknell junior linebacker Simeon Page has 23.0 TFL's in 19 career games to place fourth while preseason player of the year Nick Wheeler, a senior defensive lineman at Colgate, has 42.0 TFL's in 34 games for the Raiders' defense.
Page is third among active FCS players with 0.76 sacks per game. The Bison junior LB has recorded 14.5 sacks for a loss of 112 yards in 19 career games. Wheeler is tied for the lead among active FCS players with 25.5 total sacks and is fourth in sacks per game with 0.75.
PIONEER -- A light Week 5 schedule is the calm before the storm in the PFL with a next week's slate featuring all 10 PFL teams in league action. Marist will already have two conference games in hand when Week 6 starts thanks to a Week 3 win against Stetson and its Week 5 outing against Drake.
PFL teams are 10-6 at home after posting a 2-3 record in Week 4. Davidson (3-0), Stetson (2-0) and Morehead State (2-0) enter their Week 5 off week with unblemished home marks. Marist's hosts Drake with its home win coming in league action against Stetson in Week 3.
PFL teams enter Week 5 with a 3-12 record in road games. Dayton owns a four-game road winning streak entering its off week this week. That is tied for the third longest active home win streak in the FCS. Drake is the lone PFL team on the road this week, traveling to Marist for a PFL battle.
Davidson running back Wesley Dugger pushed past the 2,500 career yard mark against Campbell, Sept. 21. One of two juniors among the FCS Top 10 Active Career Leaders, he is ranked fourth in total rushing yardage (2,571) after Week 4, averaging 107.1 yards per game. He is just ahead of Monmouth junior Pete Guerriero (2,419 yards) on the list.
SOUTHERN -- Four Southern Conference games highlight Saturday's five-game schedule, with The Citadel and Chattanooga playing their league openers and Mercer hosting Campbell in the lone non-conference contest.
Also on the slate, the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week features ETSU visiting Furman in a contest between two of the three SoCon champions from last season, while VMI hosts Wofford in a game that pits the league's second-most prolific passing team (284.2 yards per game) vs. its most prolific rushing offense (312.7 yards per game), respectively.
Furman earned its first league win on Sept. 21, piling up exactly 600 yards of total offense in a 45-10 win over Mercer. The Paladins rolled up 410 rushing yards, with Devin Wynn running for 99 yards and Corey Watkins running for 97 and a pair of touchdowns.
Wofford ran for 489 yards in its 49-10 win over Gardner-Webb on Sept. 21, while its defense held the Runnin' Bulldogs to just 9 rushing yards. The Terriers accumulated 575 yards of total offense on the day, highlighted by quarterback Joe Newman's 155 yards on the ground and 67 yards through the air.
Wofford's and Furman's rushing totals from the weekend are the top two marks in the league this season, as are their total offense totals.
SOUTHLAND -- With a 44-yard reception in the second quarter of Sam Houston State's 45-6 win over UIW on Saturday, senior wideout Nathan Stewart became the Southland Conference all-time leader in receiving yards (4,010), passing former teammate Yedidiah Louis.
Stewart and Schmid, along with Central Arkansas running back Carlos Blackman (176 all-purpose yards, 3 touchdowns) and Houston Baptist linebacker Brennan Young (nine tackles, two interceptions), were Honorable Mention selections for STATS FCS National Players of the Week.
Houston Baptist leads the nation in first downs (111) and ranks third in passing yards per game (356.3), total offense per game (541.3) and turnovers gained (11). Nicholls is one of nine FCS schools that has yet to surrender a fourth-down conversion (0-for-6).
Southeastern Louisiana is averaging an FCS-high 12.5 tackles for loss per game. Lamar ranks third with 11.7 per game and Sam Houston State comes in at fifth (10.0).
SWAC -- Alcorn State QB Felix Harper accounted for three touchdowns in Alcorn's 45-41 victory over Prairie View A&M last week and earned SWAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Harper, the backup who got the start in-place of an injured Noah Johnson, threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for a score.
Alcorn State LB Solomon Muhammad was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week. Muhammad turned in a heroic defensive effort for the Braves with a whopping 18 tackles. The career-high went along with 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. It topped his previous career-high of 13 tackles set in 2017.
Southern will open SWAC play on the road to a red hot Arkansas Pine Bluff team. The Jaguars have won the last six meetings between the two. Junior QB Ladarius Skelton will make his first trip home since joining the Jaguars last season. The game is featured on ESPN3 this Saturday.