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Around FCS: November Nail-Biters

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:00:54 GMT

College basketball has its conference tournaments to determine bids and seeding in the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. In FCS this season, we have a final weekend that will offer similar suspense.

Instead of March Madness, welcome to the November Nail Biters.

Around FCS: Defogging the playoff picture

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:32:43 GMT

The results made life a lot simpler for the NCAA football committee, packaging a bunch of games into a tidy little bunch of elimination contests in the final weekend of the regular season.

Teams like James Madison, Appalachian State and South Carolina State wrapped up automatic bids to join Weber State in the 16-team field, while Cal Poly, Montana, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Villanova and Wofford moved several steps closer to at-large berths.

FCS weekly honors go to Gowins, Barnes, Parent and Warner

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:19:50 GMT

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Edwin Gowins, Stony Brook, 5-10, 220, Freshman, Running Back, Bellport, N.Y.

Gowins completed his second incredible rushing performance in a row, piling up 250 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries to lead Stony Brook to a 40-26 Big South Conference victory over VMI. He had 278 yards and three TDs in the previous week's 68-9 victory over Iona, the top rushing game in FCS this season.

JMU clinches bid, maintains top spot in FCS Poll

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:52:48 GMT

The Dukes (9-1) received 106 of 120 first-place votes and 2,986 points of a possible 3,000 following their 48-24 victory at home against then-12th-ranked William & Mary. JMU closes out the regular season this Saturday on the road against Towson.

Along with James Madison, the rest of the top 10 stayed the same this week.

Around FCS: Starting a new tradition for the Ivies

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:38:13 GMT

Imagine if this game had determined an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championships? Riding down on the train from Sports Network headquarters in Hatboro for an hour to historic Franklin Field on a crisp Saturday morning in the fall, there is a certain feeling of anticipation as you engross yourself in the traditions of Ivy League football.

But one tradition that I've never understood, nor care to figure out, is why the Ancient Eight does not allow their teams to play postseason football? "Harvard sponsors 43 sports and the athletes get to play for national championships in 42 of them," said Jay Mills, the former Crimson offensive coordinator and now the head coach at Charleston Souther

UNI suspends football pair for drug arrests

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:03:31 GMT

The Cedar Falls Police Department and Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force served a search warrant at the home of Gray and Williams, both seniors, on Friday morning.

A police spokesman said a quantity of marijuana and items for using and selling marijuana were found during the search.

FCS Previews: Week 12

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:03:38 GMT

GAME OF THE WEEK No.12 William & Mary (7-2, 5-1 CAA) at No. 1 James Madison (8-0, 6-0 CAA), 1:30 p.m.

All that stands between James Madison and its first league title since 2006 and first top-four playoff seeding in school history are two wins. The first hurdle to be cleared is perhaps the toughest, as the Dukes will take on playoff hopeful and red-hot William & Mary.

Around FCS: So long, Southland championship

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:12:58 GMT

I don't want to hear teams having to strike all mention of certain teams from their public records, or about schools having to remove banners from their gymnasiums. Sports isn't about taking a George Orwell-1984 approach to history.

I watched with my own eyes when Villanova played and lost to UCLA in the 1971 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. It didn't matter to me, or millions of other fans, than the NCAA subsequently vacated Villanova's participation in the tournament for the alleged use of an ineligible player.

Around FCS: You've been eliminated

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:19:32 GMT

So when you get to November, losing can be a cruel fate.

Just ask Massachusetts, which dropped a 21-20 decision at home to Maine on Saturday afternoon. Only two years removed from a spot in the FCS championship game, it would take a miracle for the Minutemen to advance to the playoffs for a third straight season after they suffered their fourth loss.

Berry, Vaughan, Lindsey and Kizekai named FCS players of the week

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:28:49 GMT

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Ryan Berry, South Dakota State, 6-3, 190, Senior, Quarterback, Watertown, S.D.

Berry established Missouri Valley Football Conference and South Dakota State single-game records with seven touchdown passes in a 52-21 victory over Illinois State on Saturday. Berry completed 17-of-29 passes for 237 yards with scoring strikes of 11, 51, 40, eight and 16 yards in the first half. He add TD tosses of four and three yards in the second half.

JMU holds down top spot in FCS poll

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:49:26 GMT

The first seven spots in the poll remained the same as the previous week.

The Dukes (8-1) had their final off week before preparing for Saturday's game at home with No. 12-ranked William & Mary (7-2) in a Colonial Athletic Association contest that can clinch the automatic bid to the playoffs for the Dukes.

Villanova's luck changes in 24-13 win over UNH

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:21:14 GMT

But No. 6 Villanova saw its luck change in a more positive direction Saturday on the way to a 24-13 Colonial Athletic Association victory over No. 8-ranked New Hampshire.

There was a 27-yard touchdown pass from UNH's R.J. Toman to Terrance Fox in the second quarter that was wiped out by an illegal formation penalty. The play would have given New Hampshire a 17-14 lead, but instead UNH failed to score.

Penn holds off Princeton, 14-9

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 02:40:21 GMT

Garton scampered six yards for a first-quarter touchdown to cap a 13-play, 84 drive that drained six minutes off the clock and hit Matt Appenfelder with a 10-yard pass on the opening drive of the third period to end a 14-play, 71- yard march that sliced away another eight minutes.

"It's been a great ride," said Garton, a sophomore making his first start because of injuries to Robert Irvin (shoulder) and Kyle Olson (knee). "It was a huge win." The victory improved the Quakers to 5-3 overall and 4-1 in the Ivy League, a half-game back of Brown, which hosts Yale on Saturday afternoon.

Around FCS: Garton keeps Penn's hopes alive

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 01:53:11 GMT

Not only was it the historic 100th meeting between Penn and its biggest rival, Princeton, but it was a game being shown nationally on ESPNU and a contest where the Quakers needed a victory to keep their Ivy League title hopes alive.

Pretty heady stuff for a sophomore who had been on the field for 25 plays before Friday night, most of it in last week's 34-27 loss to Brown in a first- place showdown at Penn's Franklin Field.

FCS Previews: Week 11

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:31:17 GMT

THURSDAY NIGHT'S GAME Howard (1-7,1-6 MEAC) at No. 19 South Carolina State (7-2, 6-0 MEAC), 7:30 p.m.

South Carolina State continues to march towards a possible MEAC title and will face a Howard team that it has lost to only once (2002) in its last six meetings. The Bulldogs have won five straight and are winners of seven of their last eight.

Around FCS: Campaigning for playoff berths

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:26:47 GMT

You have an 11 or 12-game schedule for teams to state their cases before 16 squads move on to the postseason.

When the calendar turns the corner on November, you know you are in the stretch run for the regular season. Teams have just three more weekends to prove they belong.

Weber State gives McBride new contract

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:55:03 GMT

McBride, who is in the fourth year of his original contract signed in December of 2004, is 23-20 overall at WSU.

That includes a 17-12 record in Big Sky Conference regular season games.

Around FCS: Licking their wounds

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:45:28 GMT

No. 2 Appalachian State bombed No. 3 Wofford 70-24 in a first-place encounter in the Southern Conference, No. 5 Northern Iowa pummeled No. 12 Western Illinois 30-6 in a key Missouri Valley Football Conference game and Montana ripped Northern Arizona 45-10 in a Big Sky contest with huge playoff implications.

About the only competitive games of the showdown variety were Brown's 34-27 win over Penn in a battle for first place in the Ivy League, and Colgate's 21-13 decision against No. 21 Lafayette in what amounted to an elimination game for the Patriot League crown.

JMU continues to hold down top spot in FCS poll

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:28:12 GMT

JMU (8-1) received 91 of 109 first-place votes and 2,707 points, but Appalachian State gained ground with its 70-24 victory over then-No.

3 Wofford, a first-place Southern Conference showdown that was shown nationally on ESPN2.

Players of the week honors go to Edwards, LeGree and Garrett

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:07:01 GMT

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State, 6-0, 184, Quarterback, Junior, Greenwood, S.C.

Edwards passed for 367 yards and five touchdowns and added 14 carries for 73 yards rushing and another score to lead Appalachian State to a 70-24 crushing of Wofford Friday night at home in a first-place showdown in the Southern Conference.

Around FCS: Taking A Trip Into History

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:21:35 GMT

Considering that the site where Franklin Field sits has hosted Penn football games since 1895, I decided I would take an old-fashioned approach to covering the game.

My journey started at about 9:30 a.m. as I took a short trip from my home to the Hatboro train station for an hour-long ride to the Penn campus.

FCS Previews: Week 10

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:14:03 GMT

FRIDAY NIGHT GAMES Wagner (3-5, 1-3 NEC) at Sacred Heart (7-1, 3-1 NEC), 7 p.m.

Sacred Heart has been one of the biggest surprise stories in FCS this season. The Pioneers are off to their best start since 2001, when they won the Sports Network Cup as the top mid-major team in FCS, when they went 11-0.

FCS Preview: Week 10

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:01:22 GMT

FRIDAY NIGHT GAMES Wagner (3-5, 1-3 NEC) at Sacred Heart (7-1, 3-1 NEC), 7 p.m.

Around FCS: Good Intentions Gone Awry

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:44:47 GMT

Over the course of the past 22 years, other things have changed, but the championship has grown and thrived using this same un-tampered-with format. But with the playoffs moving to a 20-team bracket in 2010, and potentially 24 teams in the future, the championship committee has decided to make major changes in the title game.

Now I'll announce my disclaimer right at the top. I am a traditionalist, who lives by the motto if it's not broken, let's not fix it. I have followed FCS exclusively since 1993, covered every title game in person since 2001, and I like the way our 125 teams determine their champion.

Around FCS: Destiny's Darlings?

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:25:41 GMT

JMU pulled out its third heart-stopping win of the season on Saturday at Villanova Stadium, when Bosco Williams pulled down a 35-yard Hail Mary pass from quarterback Rodney Landers on the final play of the game to lift the Dukes to a shocking 23-19 victory in a Colonial Athletic Association first- place showdown.

Combined with JMU's 35-32 victory over three-time defending national champion Appalachian State, a game in which the Dukes trailed by 21 points at halftime, and its 38-31 win against Richmond, in which Scotty McGee raced 69 yards for the winning touchdown on a punt return with one second remaining, one begins