FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION

• Around FCS: Week Four Predictions

  
  

  Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Here is a look at the FCS Top-25 games and other select games from the upcoming weekend.

  THURSDAY NIGHT Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) at Alcorn State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC), 7:30 p.m.

  Two teams that are trying to right their respective ships after slow starts meet in a SWAC opening game that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

  Arkansas-Pine Bluff has dropped two games to sub-Division I teams, losing 21-7 to Arkansas-Monticello and 34-0 to Henderson State before last week?s 41-17 defeat to Central Arkansas in a neutral site game in Little Rock.

  The Golden Lions have struggled offensive, despite 275 yards rushing from Mickey Dean (7.1 average) and a combined 29 receptions for Raymond Webber and Bruce Peters. Quarterbacks Jonathan Moore and Gvona Turner have had their troubles, completing just 48% of their passes for 519 yards.

  Despite giving up 32 points per game on defense, APBU has seen defensive end Ledarius Anthony sparkled with three sacks for 19 yards in losses to tie him for seventh nationally.

  Alcorn State was competitive in a season-opening 34-28 loss to Southeastern Louisiana, but has since been blanked 29-0 by Grambling and 65-0 to former I- AA powerhouse Troy.

  Brave quarterbacks Tim Buckley and Tony Hobson, Jr. have combined for just 472 yards, 10 interceptions and three TDs and no Alcorn State runner has gained 100 yards for the season. Buckley is the top rusher with 95 yards.

  But Elliott Moore (16 catches), Kris Williams (12 catches) and Edward Johnson (11 catches) are capable receivers when someone can get them the ball.

  The Brave defense has allowed 424 yards and nearly 43 points per game. Safety Idly Etienne has a team-leading 20 tackles and freshman defensive end Brandon Morris has four tackles for loss.

  Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24, Alcorn State 20 North Dakota (3-0) at Idaho State (0-2), 8:35 p.m.

  It's been a season of many firsts for FCS newcomer North Dakota and they will experience another tonight as they travel to face Idaho State in Pocatello, ID., taking on their first FCS opponent of the year.

  The game also marks the first on the road for the Fighting Sioux, who have won their first three games against lower-division opponents with relative ease. Offensively, the Fighting Sioux have shown a balanced attack, averaging 428.3 yards (247 passing, 181 rushing).

  Quarterback Danny Freund has been especially impressive, having completed 59- of-80 passes for 664 yards and seven touchdowns, without an interception.

  Two other offensive weapons the Fighting Sioux's arsenal this season are wide receiver Brandy Trenbeath (20 receptions, 316 yards, four touchdowns) and running back Josh Murray (51 attempts, 313 yards, four touchdowns).

  The Fighting Sioux have been equally impressive on defense, holding opponents to an average of 12 points per game and 284 yards. Rory Manke leads a solid defensive backfield at strong safety, tied for the team lead with 12 tackles.

  Idaho State is opening its home slate after consecutive road losses to Boise State and Idaho to open the season.

  Offensively, pretty much everything goes through All-American Eddie Thompson at wide receiver (27 receptions), while the defense has been led by defensive end Phillip Arias, who has totaled 14 tackles and a sack on the season.

  Idaho State 35 North Dakota 17 FRIDAY NIGHT Holy Cross (1-1) at Harvard (0-0), 7 p.m.

  Harvard begins defense of its Ivy League title on Friday night with an intriguing matchup with Patriot League contender Holy Cross that will mark just the second football night game in Harvard Stadium history. The game is being televised nationally on ESPNU.

  Holy Cross pulled out a 31-28 win over Harvard last year at home when Dominic Randolph tossed a 40-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Harrison with 19 seconds left. Harvard had a pass knocked down in the end zone on the final play.

  With the return of 13 starters for the 2008 season, plenty is expected out of the Crimson yet again in 2008, especially when you consider that the starting quarterback at defending FBS national champion LSU, Andrew Hatch, was once a third-stringer for Harvard.

  Chris Pizzotti (3,185 career passing yards, 20 TDs) is one of the top signal- callers in Ivy League entering the 2008 season, and will lead what figures to be a powerful Harvard offense this fall. Liam O'Hagan, Pizzotti's understudy, has been impressive in his own right during his time.

  Running back Chen Ho (722 yards) and receiver Matt Luft (43 receptions, 16.8 average) are among the other offensive threats and All-American tackle James Williams leads a veteran offensive line.

  The Crimson had the top-ranked defense in the Ivy League last year (third against the rush and fifth overall nationally) and should be strong again.

  Defensive tackle Matt Curtis (40 tackles) anchors the line and the linebacking group is superb with Matthew Thomas, Glenn Dorris and Eric Schultz all returning. Andrew Berry is one of the nation's top cornerbacks and had eight interceptions last fall.

  Holy Cross put up 42 points on UMass in a three-point loss in its opener. The Crusaders are led by Randolph, who has 6,090 career yards and 52 touchdowns. He was 28-of-44 for 249 yards and three TDs against the Minutemen. Terrance Gass and Mike Kielt give Holy Cross an improved running attack to balance Randolph?s passing.

  The Crusader defense is a work in progress. Anthony DiMichele had nine tackles to lead the team against UMass.

  Harvard 38, Holy Cross 35 Top-25 Games Maine (2-1, 0-0 CAA) at No. 2 Richmond (2-1, 1-0 CAA), 3 p.m.

  Richmond climbed to No. 2 in the polls this week after throttling Towson, 45-14, in its CAA opener. The No. 2 ranking is the Spiders' highest mark in the FCS polls since 1985, when they held that post for five-consecutive weeks during that particular campaign.

  After being blanked 17-0 by the Virginia Cavaliers a couple of weeks ago, the Richmond offense found itself in a lopsided 45-13 win over Towson last Saturday at home.

  In the win over the Tigers, Richmond senior quarterback Eric Ward was an efficient 11-of-16 passing for 148 yards and a pair of TD passes and Josh Vaughn rushed for 103 yards to post his sixth 100-yard rushing performance in his Richmond career.

  Kevin Grayson has continued from where he left off last fall, hauling in 18 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown on the season thus far, averaging 102.7 yards receiving per contest.

  Defensively, the Spiders picked off five Sean Schaefer passes. Cornerback Justin Rogers and Derek Hatcher intercepted two passes apiece,. Linebacker Colin McNogahy leads the Spiders defense with 20 tackles on the season. The Richmond defense has been staunch so far in 2008, yielding just 13.3 points per game and an average of 56 yards rushing.

  Maine will face a true barometer of just how much they have improved Saturday against the Spiders. The Black Bears are coming off their second-straight win with a 28-13 victory over Stony Brook.

  Quarterback Kevin Farkes connected on 12-of-22 passes for 148 yards and was responsible for four Maine touchdown strikes. Jhamal Fluellen led the rushing attack with 108 yards on 17 carries and has 314 yards in three games.

  Maine has allowed 17 points per game, due in a large part to the play of Buck Buchanan Award candidate Jovan Belcher, a defensive end with 27 tackles and 4.5 sacks in three games. He had 17 tackles alone in Maine's win over Stony Brook.

  Richmond 24, Maine 14 No. 3 North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) at Youngstown State (1-2, 0-1 MVFC), 6 p.m.

  All the anticipation of being a rookie member of one of the toughest leagues in the FCS will be realized as North Dakota State plays its inaugural game as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, at the Ice Castle against Youngstown State.

  The Bison are coming off a heartbreaking 16-13 loss at Wyoming. NDSU led 13-0 early in the third quarter, but the Cowboys scored 16 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes to win 16-13 at 7,220-foot War Memorial Stadium.

  The Bison were by the early departure of Walter Payton Award candidate Tyler Roehl, who re-aggravated an ankle injury he suffered a week earlier in a 50-14 win over Central Connecticut State. Pat Paschall has paced the running game for the Bison in Roehl?s absence, rushing for 197 yards and a touchdown in three contests.

  NDSU quarterback Nick Mertens connected on 16-of-30 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, but was victimized by three interceptions. Kole Heckendorf was the most productive offensive weapon for the Bison, hauling in three passes for 103 yards (34.3 average).

  Defensively, the Bison have been stout, allowing just 12 points per game and 75.3 yards. Linebacker Ramon Humber has 27 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

  Things got a little better for Youngstown State in a 38-0 win over Division II Central State at the Ice Castle last Saturday.

  The Penguins have lost two of three defensive linemen to injury, including All-American defensive end Mychal Savage, and quarterback Todd Rowan left the program after the loss at South Dakota State. Taking over for Rowan was Brandon Summers, who completed 6-of-8 passes for 101 yards and two scores.

  Running back Jabari Scott has been one of the few bright spots offensively on the campaign for Youngstown. He rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

  After giving up 83 points in the first two contests of the season, the Penguins posted a shutout, forced three turnovers and held the Marauders to just 198 yards of total offense. The Penguins have been led defensively by defensive back Andre Elliott, who has totaled 19 tackles and linebacker Lenny Wicks (18 tackles) North Dakota State 42 Youngstown State 10 No. 6 Delaware (1-1) at No. 24 Furman (2-1), 2 p.m.

  For the first time in since its only championship season in 1988, Furman will play host to Delaware. In that initial meeting between the two FCS powerhouses, Furman was able to emerge with a 21-7 first round win.

  Rob Schoenhoft has shown potential despite struggling in his initial two starts against Maryland and West Chester. In two games so far in 2008, Schoenhoft has completed 28-of-48 passes for 322 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In the 48-20 triumph over West Chester, Schoenhoft completed 14-of-26 passes for 194 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception.

  Jonathon Smith enjoyed his best night, accounting for three rushing scores and 101 yards to help lead Delaware to a win in its home opener. Delaware has a talented trio of wide receivers in Aaron Love, Mark Duncan and Kervin Michaud and one of the nation's premier tight ends, Rob Agnone, and could give trouble to a questionable Furman secondary.

  Defensively, the Blue Hens have been as good as expected. Defensive ends Matt Marcorelle and Ronald Talley, linebackers Erik Johnson and Walter Blair and cornerback Anthony Waters have been among the leaders. But Delaware lost strong safety Anthony Bratton for the season with a knee injury.

  Furman enters Saturday's contest coming off an impressive 42-21 victory at Colgate. The Paladin offense rolled up 515 yards, including 304 yards on the ground.

  Quarterback Jordan Sorrells turned in his best performance this season, completing 15-of-23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Mike Brown had a career day for the Paladins rushing the football, finishing the day with 130 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Tight end Larry Hedden had one of Furman's two receiving scores, hauling in a 23-yard scoring strike.

  Furman's defense is leading the Southern Conference with 18 sacks. Defensive tackle Justin Brown has posted 11 tackles and two sacks and linebacker Brandon Williams has posted team highs in tackles (23) and sacks (5.0).

  This game will have a big impact on each clubs playoff aspirations, as both ready themselves to enter play in arguably the two toughest league's in the nation.

  Furman 21, Delaware 20 UC Davis (1-2) at No. 4 Montana (2-0), 3:05 p.m.

  Montana looks to continue its strong start against Great West Conference member UC Davis in its final tune-up before entering Big Sky Conference play.

  Montana is coming off an impressive 46-10 victory over Southern Utah. Junior wide receiver Marc Mariani (eight catches, 298 all-purpose yards) tied a school record with four touchdown receptions as the Montana offense rolled up 497 yards of total offense, including 332 yards through the air.

  Senior quarterback Cole Bergquist completed 7-of-15 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while backup signal-caller Andrew Selle connected on 13-of-20 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception. The Grizzlies are averaging 247.5 passing yards per game and a of 406.5 yards of total offensive output per game.

  The Grizzlies have also been impressive defensively this season, yielding just 312.0 yards of total offense in two games. Leading the way is Buchanan Award candidate Colt Anderson, who has compiled 11 tackles on the season thus far for the Grizzlies in 2008. Linebacker Craig Mettler leads Montana in total tackles with 14 stops.

  UC Davis was impressive in getting its first victory of the 2008 campaign, defeating Jerry Glanville's Portland State Vikings 38-24 in its home opener. The Aggies got a big night from running back Joe Trombetta, who rushed for 156 yards and two scores, while quarterback Greg Denham threw for 361 yards as UC Davis rolled up 588 yards of total offense.

  Montana 38 UC Davis 21 No. 12 South Dakota State (2-1, 2-0 MVFC) at No. 8 Northern Iowa (1-1, 0-0 MVFC), 5:05 p.m.

  South Dakota State goes in search of its third-straight league win as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference against perennial power Northern Iowa.

  This week will mark the Jackrabbits' third-straight week against a ranked team. Last year, the Panthers shocked the Jackrabbits by scoring 18- consecutive second-half points for a 31-17 victory at Coughlin-Memorial Stadium.

  Last week, the Jackrabbits came up with a solid 24-22 win over Western Illinois to further strengthen their respect among the FCS ranks.

  Senior quarterback Ryan Berry (17-of-28, 191 yards, one TD passing) turned in his second-consecutive impressive performance in the win over the Leathernecks. So far this season, Berry has completed 59-of-95 passes for 680 yards, with two touchdowns and six interceptions.

  Kyle Minett continued his strong play in the backfield for the Jackrabbits this season, rushing for 71 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Leathernecks last Saturday. He has now rushed for 305 yards and four touchdowns.

  On the defensive side of the football, the Jackrabbits have been especially impressive. They have managed to yield less than 100 yards on the ground in wins over Youngstown State and Western Illinois the past couple of weeks. Linebacker Jimmy Rogers posted another double-digit tackle performance, with 10 stops against WIU. He tops the SDSU defense with 28 total tackles on the season.

  Northern Iowa has had a week off to prepare for South Dakota State. The Panthers will begin defense of their league title with Pat Grace (21-of-32, 65.6%) at the quarterback controls.

  Running back Corey Lewis needs just 120 rushing yards to reach the 3,000-yard plateau for his illustrious career. Lewis has rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown so far this season. He has done particularly well in games against the Jackrabbits, rushing for 321 yards and caught 12 passes for 183 yards in two games.

  Talented linebackers Darrell Lloyd and Josh Mahoney continue to lead the defensive unit, having combined