ursus arctos horribilis
November 5th, 2021, 02:49 PM
FCS ALL IN -- "FCS ALL IN" is a weekly news program dedicated to promoting all FCS 15 conferences. Content will be provided by each participating conference, and the program will be distributed via a YouTube channel (//YouTube.com/c/FCSALLIN) and launched each Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. In addition to providing an overview of FCS games, each episode will include interviews with special guests and national media correspondents.
Through games of Saturday, Oct. 30, there are only three FCS teams who still have a perfect record. Princeton travels to Dartmouth (6-1) on Thursday at 5 pm CT (ESPNU). North Dakota State is on the road at nationally ranked South Dakota State on Saturday at 2 pm CT (ESPN+)
8-0 North Dakota State
7-0 Princeton, Sam Houston
Stephen F. Austin's Trae Self, UT Martin's Eyabi Anoma, Weber State's Rashid Shaheed and Texas Southern's Andrew Body were selected Monday as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week. In addition, Northern Iowa earned FCS National Team of the Week.
Twenty-two players highlight the watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision. MORE: https://bit.ly/2Zz80B7
All 25 ranked teams will play this weekend, starting with Princeton tonight. Where to watch those key matchups (AFCA rankings denoted) are below. Four games on Saturday (Nov. 6) features two ranked teams playing one another.
No. 18 VMI at No. 14 East Tennessee State, 12 pm CT (ESPN+)
No. 20 Missouri State at No. 9 Southern Illinois, 12 pm CT (ESPN3)
No. 2 North Dakota State at No. 12 South Dakota State, 2 pm CT (ABC ND / Midco Sports / ESPN+)
No. 4 Montana State at No. 5 Eastern Washington, 3 pm CT (ESPN+)
#FearTheFCS -- In Week 1, the Big Sky became first FCS conference to post three wins over FBS opponents in the same week since CAA Football in 2009. Montana knocked off No. 20 Washington, becoming just the sixth FCS school to post a win over a nationally ranked FBS foe. There have been 10 FCS wins over FBS programs this season, including four wins over teams from "Power 5" programs. In 2016, five FCS teams knocked off Power 5 teams (the last time as many as three-such wins have occurred in one season). The last time the FCS had more than 10 wins in one season against FBS schools was in 2013 (16 that year).
There are two FCS-FBS matchups this weekend.
FCS in the NFL – There were more than two full teams worth of FCS players on NFL opening-day rosters. Better than 130 former FCS players made teams' 53-man rosters. Despite low draft numbers this spring (6) and last (6 in 2019), the number of FCS players on NFL rosters has not altered much --- with more than 210 FCS players on NFL Opening Day rosters in each of the previous three seasons (that number includes 53-man rosters and practice squads). Research compiled by Craig Haley (Stats Perform) has the current number at 126 on active rosters and 199 overall. Read more: https://bit.ly/3BUurhe
The 2021 season marks the debut of two new FCS conferences. The ASUN has three members this season: Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, and Central Arkansas. The WAC has four post-season eligible teams in the fall: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and SFA. The two leagues have agreed on a one-year scheduling alliance for this fall.
ASUN -- This weekend's ASUN Conference Football slate features No. 19/25 Eastern Kentucky in a road contest against Stephen F. Austin. The Colonels are looking to remain undefeated in AQ7 matchups. Central Arkansas and Jacksonville State are both in action on their home fields as the Gamecocks face Abilene Christian in an ASUN-WAC Challenge game and the Bears play Texas Wesleyan.
Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State have a combined 7-4 record in AQ7 matchups this season with UCA and EKU having three wins apiece. Current and future ASUN Football programs have accumulated four wins against FCS Top-25 opponents this fall with wins by Austin Peay, EKU, JSU and Kennesaw State.
BIG SKY -- Weber State's Rashid Shaheed broke the FCS record for most kickoff return TDs last weekend, earning seven for his career. Shaheed also became the fourth player in program history to eclipse the 5,000 career all-purpose yard mark at Weber State. The Wildcat was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week and the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
No. 5 EWU and No. 4 Montana State faces off this Saturday for another ranked showdown in the Big Sky. The Eagles have won the last seven meetings in the contest, with the last Bobcat win coming in 2011.
Montana State's defense has put together an impressive streak, with the Bobcats holding their last 13 regular-season foes to less than 20 points. Additionally, MSU has held four-straight opponents under 10 points.
Montana's Justin Ford earned his sixth-straight game with an INT last weekend, which he returned for a TD. Ford also became the first Grizzly with six INTs in a season since Matt Hermanson in 2014.
BIG SOUTH -- First-place teams Kennesaw State (4-0) and Monmouth (4-0) will look to improve to 5-0 this Saturday in their respective games. Monmouth's only previous 5-0 Big South start was during its 6-0 run to the conference title in 2019, while the Owls have been 5-0 twice -- as back-to-back Big South champions in 2017 and 2018. The Big South has had two teams open league play 5-0 in the same season just once -- in 2011 (Liberty and Stony Brook).
Hampton QB Jett Duffey set a Big South single-game record with five rushing touchdowns last week at Robert Morris, breaking the old mark of four that was reached 16 times and most recently by Monmouth's Juwon Farri during the 2021 spring season. Duffey matched the league's overall single-game record of five touchdowns scored that was established by Stony Brook's Brock Jackolski in 2011 at Gardner-Webb.
Charleston Southern QB Jack Chambers has amassed more than 300 yards of total offense in a Big South-record five consecutive games. During his record streak, Chambers has totaled yardage of 459, 373, 374, 324 and 357, and his season average of 351.71 yards is pacing ahead of the Big South single-season record of 346.4.
Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon is second all-time in Big South history with 59 career victories -- one away from becoming just the second coach with 60 wins and four shy of tying the league record of 63. In addition, Bohannon's 26 Big South wins rank tied for second all-time, and he needs one league victory to equal the record of 27. Meanwhile, Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan is fourth on the Big South's all-time coaching wins list with 51, as well as fourth on the conference-game victory chart with 25.
CAA FOOTBALL -- There are five conference contests as part of a busy seven-game schedule on Saturday. Highlighting the slate is 20th-ranked William & Mary visiting Delaware and 10th-ranked Villanova traveling to Elon. Other CAA contests include Maine hosting Stony Brook, Richmond entertaining Towson and New Hampshire heading to UAlbany. Third-ranked James Madison faces Campbell from the Big South, while Rhode Island is on the road at FBS foe UMass.
Five teams are separated by only 1.5 games at the top of the CAA standings and all are playing well. JMU is on a 3-game win streak and William & Mary has won 6 of its last 7. Elon, Towson and Villanova have all won 3 of their last 4 games.
Seven CAA teams are among the top 40 in FCS in turnover margin. JMU is +8, New Hampshire and Villanova are +6 and William & Mary, Maine and Elon are both +5. Individually, Rhode Island's Jordan Jones and Villanova's Christian Benford are tied for second in FCS in interceptions with five.
IVY LEAGUE -- This weekend's slate begins Friday evening on national television with a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in the league. No. 16 Princeton (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) and Dartmouth (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) will clash in a game with Ivy title implications on ESPNU. Saturday's slate features three games including a matchup between teams with 5-2 overall records and 2-2 Ivy League records in Columbia and Harvard.
The race for the Ivy League title is heating up. Princeton, one of three remaining unbeatens in the FCS, is currently atop the Ivy standings with a 4-0 record. Heading into last weekend there were four teams deadlocked for second place. After wins, Dartmouth and Yale enter this weekend tied for second in the Ivy standings with a 3-1 record. Just behind them are Harvard and Columbia with 2-2 conference marks. The top five teams in the standings have either earned rankings or have received votes for the FCS Coaches Poll at some point during the season. The Tigers have a chance to claim a share of the Ivy League title this weekend. Princeton would need a win and a Yale loss in order to claim its 13th Ivy League championship.
Six of the Ancient Eight teams rank in the top 25 in the nation in scoring defense: Harvard (12.9, third), Dartmouth (14.6, fifth), Princeton (15.6, eighth), Columbia (19.0, 21st), Yale (20.0, 23rd) and Penn (20.4, 25th). The league's six teams in the top 25 is the most of any conference in the FCS. The next closest conference is the MVFC with four teams.
The league wrapped up non-conference play with a collective record of 17-7. The league's non-conference success is not a new trend. Since 2010, Ivies have posted a mark of 158-106 (.598).
MEAC -- Current MEAC leader South Carolina State (4-4, 3-0 MEAC) will host the Howard Bison (2-6, 1-2 MEAC) in a MEAC Digital Network/ESPN+ game in Orangeburg, S.C., while the Norfolk State Spartans (6-2, 2-0 MEAC) will look to remain unblemished in MEAC play when they travel to Durham, N.C. to face the North Carolina Central Eagles (3-5, 1-1 MEAC) on NCCU's Homecoming, The Spartans-Eagles contest will be televised live on ESPN3 and rebroadcast on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Morgan State upended Delaware State, 20-14, last night.
In addition to the games on tap for this week, prior to Saturday's NSU-NCCU game in Durham, the second episode of the MEAC's pregame football show, MEAC Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Coca-Cola, will air live on ESPN+ starting at 12 p.m. Charlie Neal and Nicole Hutchison will host this festive pregame show that will include interviews with Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums, North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver, North Carolina Central chancellor Dr. Johnson O. Akinleye, new MEAC commissioner-elect Sonja Stills and others.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- North Dakota State travels to Brookings to face South Dakota State on Saturday, while Missouri State meets Southern Illinois in Carbondale. The SDSU-NDSU matchup features teams that have played one another while both have been ranked 13-straight times (dating back to 2012). Missouri State and Southern Illinois have played each other as ranked teams just once previously (Oct. 5, 1991). MSU beat SIU in their previous-such matchup, 17-13, at SIU.
North Dakota State is off to an 8-0 start for the eighth time in 18 years as a Division I program. Coincidentally, the last time the Bison lost their ninth game of the season after an 8-0 start was NDSU's first trip to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in 2017, which South Dakota State won 33-21. The Bison are 5-0 in MVFC play for the seventh time since joining the league.
All 11 MVFC schools rank in the Top 30 of the Massey Index "Strength of Schedule." In fact, the league holds the top four positions (Youngstown State, UNI, Western Illinois and Missouri State). Only 10 FCS schools are ranked in the Top 30 of the Massey SOS rankings and are also ranked in the Top 25 polls (Stats Perform & AFCA coaches) -- the six ranked MVFC schools are joined by Big Sky schools Eastern Washington, Montana, Sacramento State, and Weber State.
NORTHEAST -- BRYANT (3-1), SACRED HEART (3-1) and SAINT FRANCIS (3-1) are all tied atop the Northeast Conference standings heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
BRYANT comes off a bye week to face CENTRAL CONNECTICUT in the featured #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3. The visiting Bulldogs have posted four wins in their last five games and freshman QB Zevi Eckhaus has thrown 2+ TD passes in all five. CCSU, which posted its second NEC road win last week at Merrimack, tries for its first home win of the season in a game that will kick off at 12:00 pm ET and will stream live on the ESPN app.
SACRED HEART, which was idle in Week 9, travels to SAINT FRANCIS for a meeting with major NEC title implications. Despite last week's bye, SHU RB Malik Grant holds the national lead for rushing yards (1,039). SFU has held the opponent to 17 points or fewer in each of its last four games, including a 17-10 road win over Keystone State rival Duquesne last Saturday.
MERRIMACK QB Westin Elliott enters Week 10 with 26 TD passes - two shy of tying the NEC single-season record. LIU has won two games in a row for the first time at the FCS level.
OHIO VALLEY -- Despite not allowing an offensive touchdown, UT Martin fell behind 16-0 to Austin Peay on Saturday. But in the fourth quarter the team hit a 42-yard field goal, had a 96-yard touchdown drive and blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds to escape with the 17-16 victory. It marked the team's seventh-straight win (its longest streak since 2006). UTM leads the OVC in scoring and total offense.
UT Martin will host Tennessee State Saturday. The Tigers have won four in a row under first year coach Eddie George. It is the longest winning streak for the Big Blue since the 2016 season. The Tigers (who are 3-1 in OVC play) lead the OVC in scoring and total defense.
Southeast Missouri also enters this week with just one Conference loss, a game behind UTM. Running back Geno Hess scored his 13th touchdown of the season last week; he now ranks second nationally in that category and is sixth in rushing yards/game (111.8).
PATRIOT -- The week ten schedule features three important League games on Saturday. The day kicks off with Holy Cross hosting Lafayette at Fitton Field. Live coverage begins on ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. Fordham also travels to Georgetown with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Cooper Field on ESPN+. Lehigh travels to Bucknell for a 1 p.m. game at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Mountain Hawks - Bison matchup will be available on ESPN+ with audio available on WVLY 100.9 FM and Fox Sports Radio Lehigh Valley 1320/1230 AM. Home Patriot League games can be viewed internationally at https://patriotleague.org/watch.
Colgate senior defensive back/return specialist Will Gruber has returned kickoffs for touchdowns in consecutive weeks, tying the Patriot League single-season and career kickoff return for touchdown record with two. The back-to-back Patriot League GEICO Special Teams Player of the Week first struck with a 100-yard return for a score at Cornell on Oct. 15. Against Holy Cross on Oct. 23, he scored on a 99-yard return. Gruber joins 10 Patriot League football student-athletes in a tie for the career record. He has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season, joining Bucknell's Dante Ross (2004) and Lafayette's Matt Smalley. He is also tied for the FCS lead with two kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.
Fordham Sr. WR Fotis Kokosioulis caught three touchdown passes in the Rams' 66-21 victory over Bucknell (10.16) and has reached the end zone five times in the last three games. He is tied for second in the FCS with nine touchdown catches in Fordham's eight games this season. Junior teammate Dequece Carter is tied for sixth in the FCS with eight touchdown receptions. Former Lehigh standout and current Bucknell Head Coach Dave Cecchini holds the Patriot League's single-season touchdown record with 15.
PFL -- Presbyterian's Ren Hefley and Morehead State's Mark Pappas are both ranked among the FCS Top 10 in passing entering this week's action. Hefley is third in the FCS with 2,926 passing yards in eight games (365.8 ypg), including 28 touchdown tosses. Pappas is seventh nationally with 2,422 yards in eight games (302.8 ypg), and has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
Morehead State senior receiver BJ Byrd and Presbyterian freshman wideout Jalyn Witcher are second and fifth, respectively, in FCS receiving yardage. Byrd has 67 receptions (2nd in FCS) for 891 yards (3rd in FCS) and nine touchdowns (2nd in FCS) for the Eagles. Witcher has caught 56 passes (5th in FCS) for 852 yards (6th in FCS) and an FCS-best 10 touchdowns for the Blue Hose.
Valparaiso blocked a PFL-record-tying three kicks – two punts and a field goal – in its Oct. 30 loss to San Diego. The Beacons have blocked an FCS best seven kicks this season with Brett Bittner blocking an FCS-leading three kicks, including a blocked punt at San Diego.
SOUTHERN -- A ranked-on-ranked matchup with major postseason implications between ETSU and VMI highlights this week's Southern Conference football slate.
ETSU, ranked No. 14 in both the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 and the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, welcomes VMI, ranked 18th in both polls. Both squads are 4-1 in SoCon play and looking up at idle Mercer, which has a half-game lead in the standings at 5-1.
Also Saturday, No. 25 Chattanooga visits Wofford, Western Carolina hosts Furman and The Citadel heads to Samford.
The Mocs returned to the national rankings this week after a three-week absence by grabbing the last spot in the AFCA poll. Chattanooga, which appeared in the first six editions of the poll this season, boasts one of the top defenses in the FCS. The Mocs rank first in the subdivision in interceptions (14), second in turnover margin (1.25), third in turnovers gained (20), ninth in sacks per game (3.25), 15th in total defense (294.4) and 17th in scoring defense (18.0).
SOUTHLAND -- UIW quarterback Cameron Ward, the Southland Offensive Player of the Week, completed a career-best 73.9 percent of his passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns in just three full quarters of work against HBU.
The reigning Jerry Rice Award winner broke his own program record for single-season touchdown passes with 26 scoring strikes on the year. Also, Ward has topped 300 yards in all but one of his 14 career starts.
Nicholls quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. has seven-straight outings with at least 100 yards passing and 90 yards rushing, averaging 369.4 yards of total offense per game in that span with 15 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns. Averaging 7.6 yards per tote, he has led the team in rushing in all but one of those contests.
Scott needs just 102 passing yards and 94 rushing yards to become the 15th quarterback in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
SWAC -- SWAC Offensive Player of the Week Andrew Body was a dual-threat for the Tigers as he rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown while passing for 271 yards and four touchdowns in TSU's 59-17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He was responsible for a total of five touchdowns during the game.
SWAC Defensive Player of the Week Ray Anderson had an impressive performance for the Jaguars' defense leading them with 11 tackles. He also contributed 4.0 tackles for loss (-16 yards), one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery for five yards and a game changing pass break up.
The Jackson State Tigers enter Week Ten with a #17 ranking in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll and a #19 ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. The Tigers currently have a 7-1 overall record and a 5-0 record in league play.
Texas Southern's Andrew Body Named was named the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week.
The 2021 Cricket SWAC Football Championship game is slated for Saturday, Dec. 4 at 3:00 pm CST live on ESPN2.
WAC -- Just three weeks remain in the regular season with all six teams playing either WAC or AQ7 games this week. Dixie State and top-ranked Sam Houston leads things off with a noon CT kickoff in Huntsville, Texas, followed by Abilene Christian at Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. CT. Stephen F. Austin hosts nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky in a pivotal AQ7 matchup beginning at 4 p.m. CT with Lamar and Tarleton wrapping things up with WAC action beginning at 6 p.m. CT in Stephenville. All games are available on ESPN+.
With its 45-27 win over Tarleton on Oct. 30, Sam Houston set a new collegiate record for wins in a calendar year. The game was the 17th for the Kats in 2021, setting an all-time college football record. Previously four teams – Yale (1894 & 1889), Chicago (1899) and North Dakota State (2019) – had won 16 games in calendar years
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Trae Self was named Stats Perform FCS Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1 after racking up 346 yards on 32-of-39 attempts for five touchdowns to lead the 'Jacks to a 41-27 win over visiting Abilene Christian on Oct. 30. Posting a 198.9 pass efficiency, he was also efficient on the ground, running the ball nine times for 42 yards.
Mike Kern
Associate Commissioner
Through games of Saturday, Oct. 30, there are only three FCS teams who still have a perfect record. Princeton travels to Dartmouth (6-1) on Thursday at 5 pm CT (ESPNU). North Dakota State is on the road at nationally ranked South Dakota State on Saturday at 2 pm CT (ESPN+)
8-0 North Dakota State
7-0 Princeton, Sam Houston
Stephen F. Austin's Trae Self, UT Martin's Eyabi Anoma, Weber State's Rashid Shaheed and Texas Southern's Andrew Body were selected Monday as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week. In addition, Northern Iowa earned FCS National Team of the Week.
Twenty-two players highlight the watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's Division I subdivision. MORE: https://bit.ly/2Zz80B7
All 25 ranked teams will play this weekend, starting with Princeton tonight. Where to watch those key matchups (AFCA rankings denoted) are below. Four games on Saturday (Nov. 6) features two ranked teams playing one another.
No. 18 VMI at No. 14 East Tennessee State, 12 pm CT (ESPN+)
No. 20 Missouri State at No. 9 Southern Illinois, 12 pm CT (ESPN3)
No. 2 North Dakota State at No. 12 South Dakota State, 2 pm CT (ABC ND / Midco Sports / ESPN+)
No. 4 Montana State at No. 5 Eastern Washington, 3 pm CT (ESPN+)
#FearTheFCS -- In Week 1, the Big Sky became first FCS conference to post three wins over FBS opponents in the same week since CAA Football in 2009. Montana knocked off No. 20 Washington, becoming just the sixth FCS school to post a win over a nationally ranked FBS foe. There have been 10 FCS wins over FBS programs this season, including four wins over teams from "Power 5" programs. In 2016, five FCS teams knocked off Power 5 teams (the last time as many as three-such wins have occurred in one season). The last time the FCS had more than 10 wins in one season against FBS schools was in 2013 (16 that year).
There are two FCS-FBS matchups this weekend.
FCS in the NFL – There were more than two full teams worth of FCS players on NFL opening-day rosters. Better than 130 former FCS players made teams' 53-man rosters. Despite low draft numbers this spring (6) and last (6 in 2019), the number of FCS players on NFL rosters has not altered much --- with more than 210 FCS players on NFL Opening Day rosters in each of the previous three seasons (that number includes 53-man rosters and practice squads). Research compiled by Craig Haley (Stats Perform) has the current number at 126 on active rosters and 199 overall. Read more: https://bit.ly/3BUurhe
The 2021 season marks the debut of two new FCS conferences. The ASUN has three members this season: Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, and Central Arkansas. The WAC has four post-season eligible teams in the fall: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and SFA. The two leagues have agreed on a one-year scheduling alliance for this fall.
ASUN -- This weekend's ASUN Conference Football slate features No. 19/25 Eastern Kentucky in a road contest against Stephen F. Austin. The Colonels are looking to remain undefeated in AQ7 matchups. Central Arkansas and Jacksonville State are both in action on their home fields as the Gamecocks face Abilene Christian in an ASUN-WAC Challenge game and the Bears play Texas Wesleyan.
Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State have a combined 7-4 record in AQ7 matchups this season with UCA and EKU having three wins apiece. Current and future ASUN Football programs have accumulated four wins against FCS Top-25 opponents this fall with wins by Austin Peay, EKU, JSU and Kennesaw State.
BIG SKY -- Weber State's Rashid Shaheed broke the FCS record for most kickoff return TDs last weekend, earning seven for his career. Shaheed also became the fourth player in program history to eclipse the 5,000 career all-purpose yard mark at Weber State. The Wildcat was named the Big Sky Special Teams Player of the Week and the Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
No. 5 EWU and No. 4 Montana State faces off this Saturday for another ranked showdown in the Big Sky. The Eagles have won the last seven meetings in the contest, with the last Bobcat win coming in 2011.
Montana State's defense has put together an impressive streak, with the Bobcats holding their last 13 regular-season foes to less than 20 points. Additionally, MSU has held four-straight opponents under 10 points.
Montana's Justin Ford earned his sixth-straight game with an INT last weekend, which he returned for a TD. Ford also became the first Grizzly with six INTs in a season since Matt Hermanson in 2014.
BIG SOUTH -- First-place teams Kennesaw State (4-0) and Monmouth (4-0) will look to improve to 5-0 this Saturday in their respective games. Monmouth's only previous 5-0 Big South start was during its 6-0 run to the conference title in 2019, while the Owls have been 5-0 twice -- as back-to-back Big South champions in 2017 and 2018. The Big South has had two teams open league play 5-0 in the same season just once -- in 2011 (Liberty and Stony Brook).
Hampton QB Jett Duffey set a Big South single-game record with five rushing touchdowns last week at Robert Morris, breaking the old mark of four that was reached 16 times and most recently by Monmouth's Juwon Farri during the 2021 spring season. Duffey matched the league's overall single-game record of five touchdowns scored that was established by Stony Brook's Brock Jackolski in 2011 at Gardner-Webb.
Charleston Southern QB Jack Chambers has amassed more than 300 yards of total offense in a Big South-record five consecutive games. During his record streak, Chambers has totaled yardage of 459, 373, 374, 324 and 357, and his season average of 351.71 yards is pacing ahead of the Big South single-season record of 346.4.
Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon is second all-time in Big South history with 59 career victories -- one away from becoming just the second coach with 60 wins and four shy of tying the league record of 63. In addition, Bohannon's 26 Big South wins rank tied for second all-time, and he needs one league victory to equal the record of 27. Meanwhile, Monmouth head coach Kevin Callahan is fourth on the Big South's all-time coaching wins list with 51, as well as fourth on the conference-game victory chart with 25.
CAA FOOTBALL -- There are five conference contests as part of a busy seven-game schedule on Saturday. Highlighting the slate is 20th-ranked William & Mary visiting Delaware and 10th-ranked Villanova traveling to Elon. Other CAA contests include Maine hosting Stony Brook, Richmond entertaining Towson and New Hampshire heading to UAlbany. Third-ranked James Madison faces Campbell from the Big South, while Rhode Island is on the road at FBS foe UMass.
Five teams are separated by only 1.5 games at the top of the CAA standings and all are playing well. JMU is on a 3-game win streak and William & Mary has won 6 of its last 7. Elon, Towson and Villanova have all won 3 of their last 4 games.
Seven CAA teams are among the top 40 in FCS in turnover margin. JMU is +8, New Hampshire and Villanova are +6 and William & Mary, Maine and Elon are both +5. Individually, Rhode Island's Jordan Jones and Villanova's Christian Benford are tied for second in FCS in interceptions with five.
IVY LEAGUE -- This weekend's slate begins Friday evening on national television with a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top teams in the league. No. 16 Princeton (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) and Dartmouth (6-1, 3-1 Ivy) will clash in a game with Ivy title implications on ESPNU. Saturday's slate features three games including a matchup between teams with 5-2 overall records and 2-2 Ivy League records in Columbia and Harvard.
The race for the Ivy League title is heating up. Princeton, one of three remaining unbeatens in the FCS, is currently atop the Ivy standings with a 4-0 record. Heading into last weekend there were four teams deadlocked for second place. After wins, Dartmouth and Yale enter this weekend tied for second in the Ivy standings with a 3-1 record. Just behind them are Harvard and Columbia with 2-2 conference marks. The top five teams in the standings have either earned rankings or have received votes for the FCS Coaches Poll at some point during the season. The Tigers have a chance to claim a share of the Ivy League title this weekend. Princeton would need a win and a Yale loss in order to claim its 13th Ivy League championship.
Six of the Ancient Eight teams rank in the top 25 in the nation in scoring defense: Harvard (12.9, third), Dartmouth (14.6, fifth), Princeton (15.6, eighth), Columbia (19.0, 21st), Yale (20.0, 23rd) and Penn (20.4, 25th). The league's six teams in the top 25 is the most of any conference in the FCS. The next closest conference is the MVFC with four teams.
The league wrapped up non-conference play with a collective record of 17-7. The league's non-conference success is not a new trend. Since 2010, Ivies have posted a mark of 158-106 (.598).
MEAC -- Current MEAC leader South Carolina State (4-4, 3-0 MEAC) will host the Howard Bison (2-6, 1-2 MEAC) in a MEAC Digital Network/ESPN+ game in Orangeburg, S.C., while the Norfolk State Spartans (6-2, 2-0 MEAC) will look to remain unblemished in MEAC play when they travel to Durham, N.C. to face the North Carolina Central Eagles (3-5, 1-1 MEAC) on NCCU's Homecoming, The Spartans-Eagles contest will be televised live on ESPN3 and rebroadcast on ESPNU at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Morgan State upended Delaware State, 20-14, last night.
In addition to the games on tap for this week, prior to Saturday's NSU-NCCU game in Durham, the second episode of the MEAC's pregame football show, MEAC Countdown to Kickoff, presented by Coca-Cola, will air live on ESPN+ starting at 12 p.m. Charlie Neal and Nicole Hutchison will host this festive pregame show that will include interviews with Norfolk State head coach Dawson Odums, North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver, North Carolina Central chancellor Dr. Johnson O. Akinleye, new MEAC commissioner-elect Sonja Stills and others.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- North Dakota State travels to Brookings to face South Dakota State on Saturday, while Missouri State meets Southern Illinois in Carbondale. The SDSU-NDSU matchup features teams that have played one another while both have been ranked 13-straight times (dating back to 2012). Missouri State and Southern Illinois have played each other as ranked teams just once previously (Oct. 5, 1991). MSU beat SIU in their previous-such matchup, 17-13, at SIU.
North Dakota State is off to an 8-0 start for the eighth time in 18 years as a Division I program. Coincidentally, the last time the Bison lost their ninth game of the season after an 8-0 start was NDSU's first trip to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in 2017, which South Dakota State won 33-21. The Bison are 5-0 in MVFC play for the seventh time since joining the league.
All 11 MVFC schools rank in the Top 30 of the Massey Index "Strength of Schedule." In fact, the league holds the top four positions (Youngstown State, UNI, Western Illinois and Missouri State). Only 10 FCS schools are ranked in the Top 30 of the Massey SOS rankings and are also ranked in the Top 25 polls (Stats Perform & AFCA coaches) -- the six ranked MVFC schools are joined by Big Sky schools Eastern Washington, Montana, Sacramento State, and Weber State.
NORTHEAST -- BRYANT (3-1), SACRED HEART (3-1) and SAINT FRANCIS (3-1) are all tied atop the Northeast Conference standings heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
BRYANT comes off a bye week to face CENTRAL CONNECTICUT in the featured #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3. The visiting Bulldogs have posted four wins in their last five games and freshman QB Zevi Eckhaus has thrown 2+ TD passes in all five. CCSU, which posted its second NEC road win last week at Merrimack, tries for its first home win of the season in a game that will kick off at 12:00 pm ET and will stream live on the ESPN app.
SACRED HEART, which was idle in Week 9, travels to SAINT FRANCIS for a meeting with major NEC title implications. Despite last week's bye, SHU RB Malik Grant holds the national lead for rushing yards (1,039). SFU has held the opponent to 17 points or fewer in each of its last four games, including a 17-10 road win over Keystone State rival Duquesne last Saturday.
MERRIMACK QB Westin Elliott enters Week 10 with 26 TD passes - two shy of tying the NEC single-season record. LIU has won two games in a row for the first time at the FCS level.
OHIO VALLEY -- Despite not allowing an offensive touchdown, UT Martin fell behind 16-0 to Austin Peay on Saturday. But in the fourth quarter the team hit a 42-yard field goal, had a 96-yard touchdown drive and blocked a potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds to escape with the 17-16 victory. It marked the team's seventh-straight win (its longest streak since 2006). UTM leads the OVC in scoring and total offense.
UT Martin will host Tennessee State Saturday. The Tigers have won four in a row under first year coach Eddie George. It is the longest winning streak for the Big Blue since the 2016 season. The Tigers (who are 3-1 in OVC play) lead the OVC in scoring and total defense.
Southeast Missouri also enters this week with just one Conference loss, a game behind UTM. Running back Geno Hess scored his 13th touchdown of the season last week; he now ranks second nationally in that category and is sixth in rushing yards/game (111.8).
PATRIOT -- The week ten schedule features three important League games on Saturday. The day kicks off with Holy Cross hosting Lafayette at Fitton Field. Live coverage begins on ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. Fordham also travels to Georgetown with a 12:30 p.m. kickoff at Cooper Field on ESPN+. Lehigh travels to Bucknell for a 1 p.m. game at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Mountain Hawks - Bison matchup will be available on ESPN+ with audio available on WVLY 100.9 FM and Fox Sports Radio Lehigh Valley 1320/1230 AM. Home Patriot League games can be viewed internationally at https://patriotleague.org/watch.
Colgate senior defensive back/return specialist Will Gruber has returned kickoffs for touchdowns in consecutive weeks, tying the Patriot League single-season and career kickoff return for touchdown record with two. The back-to-back Patriot League GEICO Special Teams Player of the Week first struck with a 100-yard return for a score at Cornell on Oct. 15. Against Holy Cross on Oct. 23, he scored on a 99-yard return. Gruber joins 10 Patriot League football student-athletes in a tie for the career record. He has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single season, joining Bucknell's Dante Ross (2004) and Lafayette's Matt Smalley. He is also tied for the FCS lead with two kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.
Fordham Sr. WR Fotis Kokosioulis caught three touchdown passes in the Rams' 66-21 victory over Bucknell (10.16) and has reached the end zone five times in the last three games. He is tied for second in the FCS with nine touchdown catches in Fordham's eight games this season. Junior teammate Dequece Carter is tied for sixth in the FCS with eight touchdown receptions. Former Lehigh standout and current Bucknell Head Coach Dave Cecchini holds the Patriot League's single-season touchdown record with 15.
PFL -- Presbyterian's Ren Hefley and Morehead State's Mark Pappas are both ranked among the FCS Top 10 in passing entering this week's action. Hefley is third in the FCS with 2,926 passing yards in eight games (365.8 ypg), including 28 touchdown tosses. Pappas is seventh nationally with 2,422 yards in eight games (302.8 ypg), and has thrown 21 touchdown passes.
Morehead State senior receiver BJ Byrd and Presbyterian freshman wideout Jalyn Witcher are second and fifth, respectively, in FCS receiving yardage. Byrd has 67 receptions (2nd in FCS) for 891 yards (3rd in FCS) and nine touchdowns (2nd in FCS) for the Eagles. Witcher has caught 56 passes (5th in FCS) for 852 yards (6th in FCS) and an FCS-best 10 touchdowns for the Blue Hose.
Valparaiso blocked a PFL-record-tying three kicks – two punts and a field goal – in its Oct. 30 loss to San Diego. The Beacons have blocked an FCS best seven kicks this season with Brett Bittner blocking an FCS-leading three kicks, including a blocked punt at San Diego.
SOUTHERN -- A ranked-on-ranked matchup with major postseason implications between ETSU and VMI highlights this week's Southern Conference football slate.
ETSU, ranked No. 14 in both the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 and the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, welcomes VMI, ranked 18th in both polls. Both squads are 4-1 in SoCon play and looking up at idle Mercer, which has a half-game lead in the standings at 5-1.
Also Saturday, No. 25 Chattanooga visits Wofford, Western Carolina hosts Furman and The Citadel heads to Samford.
The Mocs returned to the national rankings this week after a three-week absence by grabbing the last spot in the AFCA poll. Chattanooga, which appeared in the first six editions of the poll this season, boasts one of the top defenses in the FCS. The Mocs rank first in the subdivision in interceptions (14), second in turnover margin (1.25), third in turnovers gained (20), ninth in sacks per game (3.25), 15th in total defense (294.4) and 17th in scoring defense (18.0).
SOUTHLAND -- UIW quarterback Cameron Ward, the Southland Offensive Player of the Week, completed a career-best 73.9 percent of his passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns in just three full quarters of work against HBU.
The reigning Jerry Rice Award winner broke his own program record for single-season touchdown passes with 26 scoring strikes on the year. Also, Ward has topped 300 yards in all but one of his 14 career starts.
Nicholls quarterback Lindsey Scott Jr. has seven-straight outings with at least 100 yards passing and 90 yards rushing, averaging 369.4 yards of total offense per game in that span with 15 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns. Averaging 7.6 yards per tote, he has led the team in rushing in all but one of those contests.
Scott needs just 102 passing yards and 94 rushing yards to become the 15th quarterback in FCS history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
SWAC -- SWAC Offensive Player of the Week Andrew Body was a dual-threat for the Tigers as he rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown while passing for 271 yards and four touchdowns in TSU's 59-17 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He was responsible for a total of five touchdowns during the game.
SWAC Defensive Player of the Week Ray Anderson had an impressive performance for the Jaguars' defense leading them with 11 tackles. He also contributed 4.0 tackles for loss (-16 yards), one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery for five yards and a game changing pass break up.
The Jackson State Tigers enter Week Ten with a #17 ranking in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll and a #19 ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. The Tigers currently have a 7-1 overall record and a 5-0 record in league play.
Texas Southern's Andrew Body Named was named the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week.
The 2021 Cricket SWAC Football Championship game is slated for Saturday, Dec. 4 at 3:00 pm CST live on ESPN2.
WAC -- Just three weeks remain in the regular season with all six teams playing either WAC or AQ7 games this week. Dixie State and top-ranked Sam Houston leads things off with a noon CT kickoff in Huntsville, Texas, followed by Abilene Christian at Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. CT. Stephen F. Austin hosts nationally-ranked Eastern Kentucky in a pivotal AQ7 matchup beginning at 4 p.m. CT with Lamar and Tarleton wrapping things up with WAC action beginning at 6 p.m. CT in Stephenville. All games are available on ESPN+.
With its 45-27 win over Tarleton on Oct. 30, Sam Houston set a new collegiate record for wins in a calendar year. The game was the 17th for the Kats in 2021, setting an all-time college football record. Previously four teams – Yale (1894 & 1889), Chicago (1899) and North Dakota State (2019) – had won 16 games in calendar years
Stephen F. Austin quarterback Trae Self was named Stats Perform FCS Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 1 after racking up 346 yards on 32-of-39 attempts for five touchdowns to lead the 'Jacks to a 41-27 win over visiting Abilene Christian on Oct. 30. Posting a 198.9 pass efficiency, he was also efficient on the ground, running the ball nine times for 42 yards.
Mike Kern
Associate Commissioner