FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION
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Around FCS: Grabbing the Spotlight
By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - FCS fans will long remember this past weekend for the games that didn't get played, first and foremost a showdown between Cal Poly and McNeese State.
After seeing Cal Poly go down to the wire in a win over San Diego State and a loss in the final seconds to Montana, and following McNeese State's near-upset of North Carolina, you have to wonder what might have been this past Saturday night in Lake Charles, LA.
With Hurricane Ike tearing through Louisiana and the Texas coastline, we also saw a game between Prairie View and Sam Houston State fall by the wayside depriving us a glimpse of Panthers linebacker Zach East chasing after SHSU quarterback Rhett Bomar.
We're still waiting for the 2008 debut of Buchanan Award candidate Lardarius Webb, with Nicholls State having to cancel its second game of the season, a home contest with Bowie State.
Stephen F. Austin had to postpone its scheduled contest with Kentucky Wesleyan, though the Lumberjacks hope to play that game later in the season.
But despite all of the games we lost, there was plenty of exciting stuff to focus on this weekend.
CATCH US IF YOU CAN No. 13 South Dakota State wasn't expected to walk into its first year of Missouri Valley Football Conference play and establish itself as a title contender, but the Jackrabbits have taken an early lead in the league with back-to-back wins over Youngstown State and Western Illinois at home.
A week after shelling Youngstown State, 40-7, SDSU jumped out the gate for a 24-0 lead over No. 15 Western Illinois and then weathered a second-half storm.
Quarterback Ryan Berry (17-of-28 for 191 yards and one interception) got the Jackrabbits off and rolling with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colin Cochart, then scored with 21 seconds left in the first half on a two-yard bootleg run that gave South Dakota State its 24-0 lead at the break.
On defense, the Jackrabbits held All-American Herb Donaldson to 17 yards in the first half, on a day when this big, strong back would manage just 18 carries for 43 yards.
Western Illinois came back with a vengeance after the intermission, as sophomore quarterback Matt Barr showed some of the promise that the Leathernecks had been expecting from him.
The Leatherneck defense also came on to limit the Jackrabbits to only 33 second-half yards. Travis Cherry sparked Western Illinois early in the second half with an interception and 21-yard return to the SDSU two-yard line to set up the Leathernecks' first touchdown on Donaldson's two-yard smash.
But South Dakota State came up with one of the key plays of the game when Eric Schroeder crashed through the line to block Taylor Rowan's PAT. Rowan later booted a 33-yard field goal, but the missed extra point would ultimately haunt the Leathernecks.
Barr finished 27-of-48 for 284 yards passing, with just one interception. His 10-yard scoring pass to Paul Anderson made it a 24-16 game with 7:54 remaining and Barr's 18-yard scoring scamper with 2:04 to play pulled WIU within two points.
Western Illinois went for two points and a Barr incompletion was negated by a defensive holding penalty. On its second two-point try from the one and a half, Barr was sacked by Derek Domino. Domino then recovered an onside kick attempt to give the ball back to South Dakota State.
The Leathernecks held the Jackrabbits without a first down on the ensuing possession, but Dean Priddy's punt was downed at the two-yard line with 50 seconds left and WIU only got as far as its own 20 in the final seconds of a narrow 24-22 loss.
Now 2-0 in the league, South Dakota State will get its next test Saturday when its travels to play defending conference champion Northern Iowa at the UNI- Dome.
MAKING A STATEMENT No. 7 James Madison and No. 3 Massachusetts were voted in the preseason as the teams to beat in the Colonial Athletic Association this season, so it was an interesting coincidence that the two were showcased against each other in the league opener for both schools.
But this game didn't turn out quite the way most would have expected it to go. The UMass defense proved to be missing in action for the second week in a row, and this time Liam Coen and the Minutemen attack couldn't pull one out at JMU's Bridgeforth Stadium.
The Dukes, 52-38 winners, slashed the middle of the UMass defense behind the running of quarterback Rodney Landers (26 carries, school-record 206 yards, two TDs rushing, 4-of-6, 85 yards, one TD passing) as James Madison built leads of 21-3 and 31-10 before departing for the locker room at halftime.
UMass had closed to within 21-10 on a one-yard scoring plunge by Tony Nelson (20 carries, 109 yards, two TDs rushing) with 1:47 left in the first half, but Landers killed the Minutemen with a 47-yard scoring strike to Kerby Long, and a Evan McCollough interception of a Coen pass led to Dave Stannard's 46-yard field goal at the end of the half.
Coen (26-of-39, 339 yards, three TDs, one interception) and Victor Cruz (13 catches, 262 yards, two TDs) went on a tear in the second half to bring the Minutemen back, but the defense couldn't contain Landers.
Nelson plowed in from the two for a touchdown that cut JMU's lead to 45-38 with six minutes remaining, but the Dukes' big offensive line opened holes for Landers and Griff Yancey (19 carries, 88 yards rushing) on a drive that took more than four minutes off the clock and clinched the win. Yancey, starting in place of an injured Eugene Holloman (bruised leg), banged into the end zone from the 1-yard line to seal the 14-point win with 1:56 left.
But both defenses will need to improve in a hurry as the two teams venture into the heart of their respective tough schedules.
UMass has allowed 94 points in its past two games against Holy Cross and JMU, and travels to face another offensive powerhouse next Saturday, Texas Tech.
James Madison, meanwhile, awaits another shot at three-time defending national champion Appalachian State - a team that beat the Dukes by one excruciating point in the first round of last year's playoffs. This time, JMU gets the high-flying Mountaineers at Bridgeforth Stadium.
EARNING ACCESS Albany and Liberty took big steps towards meeting the NCAA's new criteria for earned access to the playoffs for the Northeast Conference and the Big South, with wins over teams from automatic-bid leagues.
Albany held off Hofstra of the Colonial Athletic Association, 22-16, in overtime. Hofstra tied the score at 16 when freshman running back Brock Jackloski scored on a three-yard run and Brian Hanly added an extra point with 10:34 remaining in regulation.
Albany's Dave Casale then saved the game for Albany at the end of the fourth quarter by blocking Hanly's 34-yard field goal attempt to force overtime. Hanly had another chance to give the Pride the lead on the first possession of the extra session, but Raphael Nguti blocked a 30-yarder this time to keep the game tied.
David McCarty then finished of the win and a great day of rushing with a seven-yard touchdown burst. McCarty ended up with 27 carries for 178 yards.
Five days after earning its first spot in the top-25 in 11 years, No. 25 Liberty struggled at Western Carolina, but held off its Southern Conference opponent, 19-16. Rashad Jennings carried the ball 28 times for 116 yards as the Flames controlled the ball for 37 minutes.
Defensively, Ryan Grieser helped kill off Western Carolina's last threat with a crucial pass breakup.
One of the key elements of earning a playoff berth for the NEC and the Big South is winning two games against teams from the auto-bid conferences. Albany will have two shots to meet that demand when it faces Delaware and New Hampshire, while Liberty can secure that second weighted win by beating Youngstown State, Lafayette or Elon.
DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN Fordham had circled its game at Dayton since dropping a 31-24 homecoming decision to the Flyers last season. But the Rams, coming off an impressive 16-0 opening-week victory over Rhode Island, fell victim to UD again.
Dayton hung on for a 23-20 win, due largely to the special teams play of Scott Vossler. Vossler blocked a punt in the final minute of the first half, and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to give the Flyers a 21-7 edge at the break. After Fordham cut the score to 21-13 on John Skelton's quarterback sneak, Vossler blocked the Adam Danko extra point and teammate Joe Castenada scooped up the ball and returned it 90 yards for a two-point defensive conversion.
FCS VS FBS -No. 2 North Dakota State became the latest team to come up just short of an upset over a FBS opponent, blowing a 13-0 first-half lead in a 16-13 loss in the 7,200-foot altitude of Wyoming.
Wyoming's Jake Scott kicked three second-half field goals, including a 29- yarder with four seconds left for the game-winning points. The final Cowboy possession was set up by the third of NDSU quarterback Nick Mertens' interceptions, and was one of four Bison turnovers.
The Bison defense limited Wyoming to 266 yards, but North Dakota State couldn't overcome mistakes and injury problems. Among the walking wounded was Payton Award candidate Tyler Roehl, who had three carries for four yards while playing on a sprained ankle.
Kole Heckendorf had another great game in the loss, catching three passes for 103 yards (34.3 average).
-Charleston Southern led Miami-Ohio 27-24 before Miami scored two fourth- quarter TDs for a 38-27 win.
Tribble Reese completed 26-of-39 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns to give the Buccaneers the lead, but Miami's Daniel Raudanbaugh was 19-of-30 for 305 yards and an 18-yard scoring strike to Armaud Robinson that put the Bucs behind for good with 9:45 remaining.
-Montana State stayed competitive with Minnesota throughout its game before falling, 35-23. The Bobcats led most of the first half off a 32-yard TD pass from Cody Kempt to DeAndre Green, but the Gophers came back with 21 points in the second quarter and 14 more in the third period.
One of the highlights for Montana State was a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Demetrius Crawford, who added 17 carries for 76 yards and one catch for three yards.
-Delaware State showed a tough defense before being outlasted by Kent State, 24-3 and Alabama A&M gave a good account for most of its 37-15 loss to Louisiana-Monroe in a game that was quickly rescheduled from Saturday to Friday night to avoid Hurricane Ike.
OTHER GAMES OF NOTE -Furman won a key inter-conference game on the road, 42-21 over Colgate. Ahead 28-21 in the fourth quarter, the Paladins used their big offensive line and the running of Mike Brown (130 yards rushing) to grind out the victory. The Paladin defense limited Jordan Scott to 119 yards.
Furman will have another interesting inter-conference game this Saturday when it hosts No. 6 Delaware in a game that could hold a key to both teams' seasons.
-Bucknell's Sam Nana-Sinkam blocked a Robert Morris field goal as the Bison held off the Colonials, 17-14. The defense forced three fumbles to give Bucknell its first 2-0 start since 2003.
-Tennessee State spotted Jackson State a 10-0 lead in its game in Memphis, TN, but rallied behind quarterback Antonio Heffner for a 41-18 victory. Heffner was 11-of-16 for 137 yards and a touchdown passing and rushed 12 times for 48 yards and another score.
-Those who watched the first quarter of the New Hampshire-Rhode Island game at URI's Meade Stadium didn't expect much when UNH took a 3-0 lead after one quarter, then the two teams erupted for 91 points the rest of the way.
New Hampshire finally won it, 51-43, despite being outgained 517-509. R.J. Toman was 29-of-40 for 309 yards and five TDs for the Wildcats, while Chad Kackert ran the ball 11 times for 164 yards, including a 72-yard score. Mike Boyle had nine catches for 132 yards.
Former option quarterback Derek Cassidy finished 34-of-61 for 436 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and Jimmy Hughes grabbed six passes for 153 yards and one TD.
09/15 15:53:01 ET