ursus arctos horribilis
November 21st, 2019, 01:49 PM
Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana with a big one on ESPN+ tonight at 7 pm ET. The winner is the Southland Conference AQ.
This week, all 25 ranked teams are in action, and there are multiple games on the schedule that feature two ranked FCS teams.
#23/23 Nicholls (7-4) at #21/22 SE Louisiana (7-3) [today], 7 pm ET (COX/ESPN+)
#3/3 Montana (9-2) at #8/8 Montana State (8-3), 2 pm ET (ROOT SPORTS)
#1/1 NDSU (11-0) at RV/25 Southern Illinois (7-4), 3 pm ET (NBC ND/ESPN+)
North Dakota State has extended its winning streak to 32 games, the second-longest in FCS history. NDSU holds the FCS record with a 33-game winning streak (2012-14). NDSU is the only unbeaten team remaining in the FCS, and it is joined by FBS schools Clemson, Ohio State and LSU.
#FearTheFCS -- There have been three FCS wins at FBS sites this year:
The Citadel 27, at Georgia Tech 24 (ot)
Central Arkansas 35, at Western Kentucky 28
Southern Illinois 45, at UMass 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.
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.
FCS SELECTION SHOW: Sunday, Nov. 24 (12:30 pm ET, ESPNU)
Monmouth's Pete Guerriero, Dayton's Brandon Easterling, Lamar's Bailey Giffen and Southern Illinois' Javon Williams Jr. were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week
Cornell pulled off a stunning, 20-17 upset in the Ivy League to end Dartmouth's shot for a perfect season. The Big Red - the STATS FCS Team of the Week - entered with a 2-6 record and had lost 10 in a row in the series. HONORABLE MENTION: No. 5 Montana (35-16 win over No. 3 Weber State); Northwestern State (31-28 win over Sam Houston State); No. 8 South Dakota State (38-7 win over No. 4 Northern Iowa); No. 21 Wofford (24-7 win over No. 9 Furman); Yale (51-14 win over No. 18 Princeton)
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. But this year's title game will be on ABC. The game had aired on ABC previously in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1983.
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).
INDEPENDENTS -- UND is 3-3 this season against ranked foes, picking up wins over No. 24/21 Sam Houston State, No. 12 UC Davis, and No. 9/9 Montana State while falling to No. 1/1 North Dakota State, No. 21/21 Eastern Washington, and No. 3/3 Weber State. The No. 12 ranking by UC Davis was the second-highest ranked opponent UND has defeated in the DI era at the time, only to be eclipsed by UND's most-recent win over No. 9/9 Montana State (No. 5 Sam Houston – 2018). 2019 marks the first time in UND's DI history that the Fighting Hawks have been ranked or receiving votes in at least one poll all season.
The Hawks can cap off the fifth perfect regular season since moving indoors to the Alerus Center in 2001 with a win on Saturday. (2003, 2004, 2007, 2016)
BIG SKY -- There can be as many as five teams sharing the Big Sky title if they all end up with a 6-2 league record. Only one team can get the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and that has yet to be determined, as well. What a weekend we have in store for Big Sky fans! The ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week features Montana at Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. MT from Bobcat Stadium.
IF UM, SAC, and WSU are tied at 7-1: UM gets auto bid IF UM and WSU are tied at 7-1: UM gets the auto bid
IF SAC and WSU are tied at 7-1: WSU gets the auto bid IF UM and SAC are tied at 7-1: SAC gets auto bid
IF EWU, UM, MSU, SAC, and WSU are tied at 6-2: SAC AQ IF UM, MSU, SAC, and WSU MSU are tied at 6-2: SAC gets auto bid
For the second week in a row and the third time this season, the Big Sky Conference has four teams in the top 10. With the final weekend of the regular season upon us, the Big Sky is clogging up the top spots quite nicely in the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 polls. Montana has its highest ranking of the season at No. 3, while Sacramento State was voted No. 4 – a school best. Weber State was slotted No. 6/7, while Montana State comes in at No. 8. Eastern Washington and UC Davis received votes this week.
Northern Arizona's Case Cookus became the second player in Big Sky history to complete 100 touchdown passes. Eastern Washington's Vernon Adams holds the record with 110. Cookus and Maier are No. 4 and No. 8 on the Big Sky career passing yards chart. Cookus leads the FCS in season passing yards with 3,664 and ranks third in the nation across all divisions.
BIG SOUTH -- The Monmouth Hawks have clinched at least a share of the Big South Championship, and as secured the league's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs following their 47-10 win at Campbell this past Saturday. The Hawks have claimed their first Big South title since joining the league in 2014, and will go for the outright crown this Saturday with a chance of becoming just the second team to finish a conference season 6-0.
Gardner-Webb WR IZAIAH GATHINGS is the first player in Big South history with three consecutive 10-reception games. He started his streak in Week 10 with a career-high 14 catches against Charleston Southern, then had 10 receptions in Week 11 at Presbyterian. Gathings caught 12 balls this past Saturday against North Alabama to give him 36 in his last three outings after catching 24 in the first eight games of the year. Meanwhile, Gathings has surpassed 100 receiving yards each of the past three games (172, 120, 143 = 435) to become the first player since Monmouth's REGGIE WHITE JR. from 2016-17 with three consecutive 100-yard receiving efforts.
Monmouth and Kennesaw State are seeking their 10th win of the season this Saturday, and if both are successful, it would mark just the second time in Big South history that the league produced two 10-win teams. The first and only time was in 2013 when Coastal Carolina won 12 games and Charleston Southern won 10.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Traditional rivalry games headline the Week 13 slate. Maine visits New Hampshire in the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket, Villanova hosts Delaware in the Battle of the Blue, UAlbany travels to Stony Brook in the Battle for the Golden Apple and Richmond faces William & Mary for the 130th time for the Capital Cup. Also on the schedule, James Madison heads to Rhode Island and Towson plays its home finale against Elon.
James Madison captured its fourth CAA title in the past five years and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs following a 48-6 win over Richmond last week. It's the third outright title in four years for the Dukes.
Half (21-of-42) of the CAA games played this season have been decided by eight points or less, including four overtime contests.
CAA Football teams are 26-6 (.813) against non-conference FCS foes this season, which is the best of any conference. The league compiled a 22-9 (.710) record against non-conference FCS competition last year and went 26-6 (.813) in non-conference games against FCS opponents in 2017.
IVY LEAGUE -- Twelve Ivies competed during Week 11 of the 2019 NFL season, including six starters. Princeton alumnus and Cleveland Browns tight end Stephen Carlson scored his first NFL touchdown—on his first NFL catch, an eight-yard reception. Fellow TE Cameron Brate out of Harvard, made a career-high 10 catches for 73 yards, tying a 24-year old Tampa Bay Buccaneers record for single-game receptions by a tight end. Not to be outdone, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk—also out of Harvard—caught a career-high seven passes for 63 yards.
Three teams are in contention for the 2019 Ivy League title entering the final weekend of the regular season. Dartmouth (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) and Yale (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) each control their own destinies in pursuit of the championship, while Princeton (7-2, 4-2 Ivy) would need help on regional rivalry weekend to clinch back-to-back crowns.
Dartmouth and Penn pace the Ivy League with 18 football titles each, followed closely by Harvard (17), Yale (15) and reigning Ivy League champion Princeton (12). Dartmouth last won the Ivy League crown in 2015; Yale last won in 2017.
MEAC -- North Carolina A&T State is in the driver's seat heading into the final weekend of the regular season. A win over North Carolina Central and the Aggies win at least a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title and their third straight trip to the Celebration Bowl. If South Carolina State defeats Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T State loses, then the Bulldogs will be Atlanta-bound.
South Carolina State running back LaBron Morris ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 24-0 win over North Carolina Central this past Saturday, and South Carolina State is still in the title hunt – a Bulldogs win and an Aggies loss would give South Carolina State the outright MEAC title and Celebration Bowl bid.
State bragging rights will be on the line as longtime rivals North Carolina A&T State and North Carolina Central wrap up their season by participating in the Aggie-Eagle Football Classic. In addition, the Aggies will clinch their third straight Celebration Bowl berth with a win, and a win would – at worst – give them a share of the MEAC title. The Aggies have won the last two meetings, including 45-0 last season, and they lead the all-time series 51-34-5 between the two biggest HBCUs in the state.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- Top-ranked North Dakota State extended its record streak of MVFC championships to nine with a 49-14 victory over South Dakota. The Bison (11-0, 7-0 MVFC) clinched the title outright for the fifth time and third-straight year with second-place UNI taking its second loss of the conference season, 38-7 at South Dakota State. NDSU will take a 32-game winning streak to Southern Illinois for the regular-season finale this Saturday, Nov. 23.
The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs three times (2014, 2015, 2017). In the past five seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 22 bids. CAA Football set a record in 2018 with 6 bids in the same season (they had achieved 5 bids three previous times).
In 2014, Indiana State became the first FCS team to earn a playoff bid despite five losses (the Sycamores were 7-5 that year.) Other five-loss teams to earn an at-large bid into the field included Western Illinois (6-5 in 2015), Illinois State (6-5 in 2016) and UNI (6-5 in 2018). No other league has earned an at-large bid after losing five games. Only Illinois State failed to win its first-round game (the Redbirds lost at UCA by a TD in 2016.)
NORTHEAST -- Central Connecticut secured the NEC's automatic FCS Playoffs bid for the second time in three seasons by defeating Robert Morris in a Week 12 battle of NEC unbeatens. Reaching the 10-win mark for the first time, Central Connecticut owns a 10-0 record against FCS opponents and boasts the nation's top rushing defense (63.8 ypg).
Duquesne will host CCSU in the #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3 at 12:00 pm ET Saturday. It will be the final game in the storied career of Duquesne running back AJ Hines, who won the 2016 STATS Jerry Rice Award before becoming an All-American First Team honoree in 2018. Hines, the active FCS career rushing leader, ranks second in NEC history with 4,619 rush yards.
CCSU quarterback Aaron Winchester, who has a touchdown pass in every game this season, owns a league-high 67.1 pass completion percentage and averages 5.4 yards per rush attempt.
Saint Francis senior Da'Jon Lee (21.5) and Wagner senior Cam Gill (20.0) rank first and second, respectively, amongst DI FCS season leaders in tackles-for-loss. Sacred Heart, which aims for its first eight-win season since winning nine games in 2014, boasts the second-leading rusher in the FCS – sophomore Julius Chestnut (1,354).
OHIO VALLEY -- With a win on Saturday Austin Peay will win it second OVC Championship (and first since 1977) and earn the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, which would mark its first-ever playoff appearance. The Govs have eight overall wins on the season, the seventh time in school history they have reached eight wins in a season; APSU has never won nine games in a season.
Southeast Missouri can claim at least a share of the OVC Championship with a win on Saturday. They would win the title outright with a win and a loss by Austin Peay. The Redhawks have won only one other OVC Championship (2010). If the Redhawks are selected for the FCS Playoffs it'll mark their second-straight and third overall playoff appearance. Southeast Missouri has eight wins this season, the first time they have won eight or more games in back-to-back seasons in program history.
A win by Tennessee Tech on Saturday would give the program its seventh win of the season and its first winning season since 2011. The team had only won seven previous games over the past three years.
PATRIOT -- Six Patriot League football teams will be in action in Week 13, the final week of the regular season, with all three games available on the Patriot League Network (PLN). Holy Cross hosts Georgetown in the Stadium Game of the Week with coverage beginning at noon. Matt Martucci, Dave Owens and Morgan Uber will be on the call. Lehigh hosts Lafayette in the 155th meeting of "The Rivalry" with local television coverage on WFMZ-TV and Lafayette Sports Network in addition to the PLN, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Holy Cross clinched at least a share of the Patriot League Football regular-season title with its win over Fordham in Week 12. The Crusaders can clinch the League's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs with a victory in their season-finale against Georgetown on Saturday. The Crusaders can also claim the bid with a loss, if Lafayette falls to Lehigh. Lafayette will receive the automatic qualifier with a victory over Lehigh and a Crusaders loss to the Hoyas. Bucknell and Lehigh can both earn a share of the League title with wins and a Holy Cross loss, but cannot earn the League's AQ.
Lafayette and Lehigh will meet for the 155th time in college football's most-played rivalry game on Sunday. The Leopards lead the series, that began in 1884, 78-71-5. Lafayette was 15-14-2 in the 19th century and 56-45-3 in the 20th century. Lehigh is 12-7 in the 21st century, including 7-2 since 2010. Title hopes are on the line for the Leopards, who can clinch the League's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs with a win and a Holy Cross loss. Lehigh can claim a share of the League title with a win and a Holy Cross loss.
PFL -- San Diego won its sixth-straight PFL title (11th overall) outright with its win against Morehead State and Drake's loss to Dayton in Week 12. The Toreros will look to close the book on its fourth consecutive unbeaten PFL campaign when it heads cross country to face Jacksonville. Davidson, Dayton and Drake enter the final weekend tied for second place at 5-2 and only one is assured to finish in second as Davidson hosts Drake while Dayton hosts Butler to wrap up 2019. Marist, Morehead State and Stetson are all knotted up at 3-4 with only one of that trio assured a .500 PFL mark as Stetson travels to Morehead State while Marist heads to Valparaiso.
Dayton TE Adam Trautman has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl college all-star game in Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 25, 2020. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy extended the invitation personally to Trautman after Dayton's Nov. 6 practice. The Flyer co-captain will be the first Dayton player to play in the Senior Bowl since 1972. Only five other Flyers have played in the Senior Bowl – tight end Fred Dugan (1958), linebacker Email Karas (1959), center Bob DeMarco (1961), center Leo Dillon (1971) and running back Gary Kosins (1972).
With its win against Morehead State in Week 12, San Diego's extended its PFL win streak to 36 games. It is tied for the second-longest conference win streak in FCS history, equaling a 36-game win streak by Jacksonville State of the Ohio Valley Conference (2013-18). It trails a 39-game win streak by Duquesne in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association (1999-06).
SOUTHERN -- With one more weekend of play left in the regular season, Wofford has clinched at least a share of the Southern Conference title and the league's automatic berth to the FCS playoffs. The title is Wofford's third straight and seventh overall.
The Terriers can clinch the title outright with a win over The Citadel on Saturday. Chattanooga and Furman are still alive for shares of the title, however, as a Chattanooga win over VMI and a Wofford loss to The Citadel would create a three-way tie atop the standings for the second straight season. The Mocs are seeking their eighth title and first since 2015, while the Paladins, who finish the regular season with a non-conference game against Point University, are seeking their league-best 15th title and second straight.
Wofford downed rival and league-leading Furman 24-7 on Nov. 16 in a battle of ranked squads with the SoCon title on the line. Senior HB Blake Morgan led the Terriers on offense with 147 rushing yards and a TD, while QB Joe Newman ran for 40 yards and a pair of scores. Wofford's defense held Furman to just 265 yards of total offense, 175.7 below its season average entering the contest.
Chattanooga overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge The Citadel on Nov. 16, getting an 11-yard TD run from Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks with 7:21 left and a 12-yard scoring run from quarterback Nick Tiano with just 28 seconds remaining to stun the Bulldogs, who had scored 24 consecutive points spanning the second and third quarters to overcome an early 12-2 deficit. The Mocs then outscored The Citadel 22-7 in the fourth to keep their SoCon title hopes alive.
SOUTHLAND -- The battle for the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs has set up a River Bell Classic for the ages as the winner between Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana will be the Southland's automatic qualifier.
Central Arkansas can claim a share of the conference championship, but cannot claim the automatic bid due to losses to both Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls.
Shelton Eppler has played a vital role in Northwestern State winning three of its last four games with 1,148 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns in that span as the Demons have averaged 32.25 points per game.
Lamar kicker Bailey Giffen is the STATS FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting two 50-yard field goals and totaling 14 points against Houston Baptist.
SWAC -- The Alcorn State Braves punched their ticket to the 2019 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship game with a 34-28 win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Saturday. The Braves can secure the rights to host the championship game with a win over Jackson State on Saturday, November 23 in Jackson, Miss. The Alcorn at Jackson State regular season finale for both teams will be broadcast live on ESPN3 at 2:00 pm.
The 2019 SWAC Football Championship game is scheduled to be held on Saturday, December 7th at 3:00 pm at the home facility of the highest ranked league team at the conclusion of the regular season. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPNU.
At 5-1, Southern finds itself in sole possession of first place in the West Division. On Nov. 30, Southern faces Grambling State in the 2019 Bayou Classic (New Orleans, La. | Mercedes-Benz Superdome, NBC Sports). Alcorn currently sits atop the SWAC East division with a 5-1 overall record in SWAC play. Should the Braves stumble in their final league match-up they will have to travel to face the winner of the 2019 Bayou Classic featuring the Southern Jaguars versus (5-1) the Grambling State Tigers (4-2).
This week, all 25 ranked teams are in action, and there are multiple games on the schedule that feature two ranked FCS teams.
#23/23 Nicholls (7-4) at #21/22 SE Louisiana (7-3) [today], 7 pm ET (COX/ESPN+)
#3/3 Montana (9-2) at #8/8 Montana State (8-3), 2 pm ET (ROOT SPORTS)
#1/1 NDSU (11-0) at RV/25 Southern Illinois (7-4), 3 pm ET (NBC ND/ESPN+)
North Dakota State has extended its winning streak to 32 games, the second-longest in FCS history. NDSU holds the FCS record with a 33-game winning streak (2012-14). NDSU is the only unbeaten team remaining in the FCS, and it is joined by FBS schools Clemson, Ohio State and LSU.
#FearTheFCS -- There have been three FCS wins at FBS sites this year:
The Citadel 27, at Georgia Tech 24 (ot)
Central Arkansas 35, at Western Kentucky 28
Southern Illinois 45, at UMass 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.
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.
FCS SELECTION SHOW: Sunday, Nov. 24 (12:30 pm ET, ESPNU)
Monmouth's Pete Guerriero, Dayton's Brandon Easterling, Lamar's Bailey Giffen and Southern Illinois' Javon Williams Jr. were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week
Cornell pulled off a stunning, 20-17 upset in the Ivy League to end Dartmouth's shot for a perfect season. The Big Red - the STATS FCS Team of the Week - entered with a 2-6 record and had lost 10 in a row in the series. HONORABLE MENTION: No. 5 Montana (35-16 win over No. 3 Weber State); Northwestern State (31-28 win over Sam Houston State); No. 8 South Dakota State (38-7 win over No. 4 Northern Iowa); No. 21 Wofford (24-7 win over No. 9 Furman); Yale (51-14 win over No. 18 Princeton)
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. But this year's title game will be on ABC. The game had aired on ABC previously in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1983.
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).
INDEPENDENTS -- UND is 3-3 this season against ranked foes, picking up wins over No. 24/21 Sam Houston State, No. 12 UC Davis, and No. 9/9 Montana State while falling to No. 1/1 North Dakota State, No. 21/21 Eastern Washington, and No. 3/3 Weber State. The No. 12 ranking by UC Davis was the second-highest ranked opponent UND has defeated in the DI era at the time, only to be eclipsed by UND's most-recent win over No. 9/9 Montana State (No. 5 Sam Houston – 2018). 2019 marks the first time in UND's DI history that the Fighting Hawks have been ranked or receiving votes in at least one poll all season.
The Hawks can cap off the fifth perfect regular season since moving indoors to the Alerus Center in 2001 with a win on Saturday. (2003, 2004, 2007, 2016)
BIG SKY -- There can be as many as five teams sharing the Big Sky title if they all end up with a 6-2 league record. Only one team can get the Big Sky's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs and that has yet to be determined, as well. What a weekend we have in store for Big Sky fans! The ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week features Montana at Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. MT from Bobcat Stadium.
IF UM, SAC, and WSU are tied at 7-1: UM gets auto bid IF UM and WSU are tied at 7-1: UM gets the auto bid
IF SAC and WSU are tied at 7-1: WSU gets the auto bid IF UM and SAC are tied at 7-1: SAC gets auto bid
IF EWU, UM, MSU, SAC, and WSU are tied at 6-2: SAC AQ IF UM, MSU, SAC, and WSU MSU are tied at 6-2: SAC gets auto bid
For the second week in a row and the third time this season, the Big Sky Conference has four teams in the top 10. With the final weekend of the regular season upon us, the Big Sky is clogging up the top spots quite nicely in the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 polls. Montana has its highest ranking of the season at No. 3, while Sacramento State was voted No. 4 – a school best. Weber State was slotted No. 6/7, while Montana State comes in at No. 8. Eastern Washington and UC Davis received votes this week.
Northern Arizona's Case Cookus became the second player in Big Sky history to complete 100 touchdown passes. Eastern Washington's Vernon Adams holds the record with 110. Cookus and Maier are No. 4 and No. 8 on the Big Sky career passing yards chart. Cookus leads the FCS in season passing yards with 3,664 and ranks third in the nation across all divisions.
BIG SOUTH -- The Monmouth Hawks have clinched at least a share of the Big South Championship, and as secured the league's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs following their 47-10 win at Campbell this past Saturday. The Hawks have claimed their first Big South title since joining the league in 2014, and will go for the outright crown this Saturday with a chance of becoming just the second team to finish a conference season 6-0.
Gardner-Webb WR IZAIAH GATHINGS is the first player in Big South history with three consecutive 10-reception games. He started his streak in Week 10 with a career-high 14 catches against Charleston Southern, then had 10 receptions in Week 11 at Presbyterian. Gathings caught 12 balls this past Saturday against North Alabama to give him 36 in his last three outings after catching 24 in the first eight games of the year. Meanwhile, Gathings has surpassed 100 receiving yards each of the past three games (172, 120, 143 = 435) to become the first player since Monmouth's REGGIE WHITE JR. from 2016-17 with three consecutive 100-yard receiving efforts.
Monmouth and Kennesaw State are seeking their 10th win of the season this Saturday, and if both are successful, it would mark just the second time in Big South history that the league produced two 10-win teams. The first and only time was in 2013 when Coastal Carolina won 12 games and Charleston Southern won 10.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Traditional rivalry games headline the Week 13 slate. Maine visits New Hampshire in the Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket, Villanova hosts Delaware in the Battle of the Blue, UAlbany travels to Stony Brook in the Battle for the Golden Apple and Richmond faces William & Mary for the 130th time for the Capital Cup. Also on the schedule, James Madison heads to Rhode Island and Towson plays its home finale against Elon.
James Madison captured its fourth CAA title in the past five years and the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs following a 48-6 win over Richmond last week. It's the third outright title in four years for the Dukes.
Half (21-of-42) of the CAA games played this season have been decided by eight points or less, including four overtime contests.
CAA Football teams are 26-6 (.813) against non-conference FCS foes this season, which is the best of any conference. The league compiled a 22-9 (.710) record against non-conference FCS competition last year and went 26-6 (.813) in non-conference games against FCS opponents in 2017.
IVY LEAGUE -- Twelve Ivies competed during Week 11 of the 2019 NFL season, including six starters. Princeton alumnus and Cleveland Browns tight end Stephen Carlson scored his first NFL touchdown—on his first NFL catch, an eight-yard reception. Fellow TE Cameron Brate out of Harvard, made a career-high 10 catches for 73 yards, tying a 24-year old Tampa Bay Buccaneers record for single-game receptions by a tight end. Not to be outdone, San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk—also out of Harvard—caught a career-high seven passes for 63 yards.
Three teams are in contention for the 2019 Ivy League title entering the final weekend of the regular season. Dartmouth (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) and Yale (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) each control their own destinies in pursuit of the championship, while Princeton (7-2, 4-2 Ivy) would need help on regional rivalry weekend to clinch back-to-back crowns.
Dartmouth and Penn pace the Ivy League with 18 football titles each, followed closely by Harvard (17), Yale (15) and reigning Ivy League champion Princeton (12). Dartmouth last won the Ivy League crown in 2015; Yale last won in 2017.
MEAC -- North Carolina A&T State is in the driver's seat heading into the final weekend of the regular season. A win over North Carolina Central and the Aggies win at least a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title and their third straight trip to the Celebration Bowl. If South Carolina State defeats Norfolk State and North Carolina A&T State loses, then the Bulldogs will be Atlanta-bound.
South Carolina State running back LaBron Morris ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 24-0 win over North Carolina Central this past Saturday, and South Carolina State is still in the title hunt – a Bulldogs win and an Aggies loss would give South Carolina State the outright MEAC title and Celebration Bowl bid.
State bragging rights will be on the line as longtime rivals North Carolina A&T State and North Carolina Central wrap up their season by participating in the Aggie-Eagle Football Classic. In addition, the Aggies will clinch their third straight Celebration Bowl berth with a win, and a win would – at worst – give them a share of the MEAC title. The Aggies have won the last two meetings, including 45-0 last season, and they lead the all-time series 51-34-5 between the two biggest HBCUs in the state.
MISSOURI VALLEY -- Top-ranked North Dakota State extended its record streak of MVFC championships to nine with a 49-14 victory over South Dakota. The Bison (11-0, 7-0 MVFC) clinched the title outright for the fifth time and third-straight year with second-place UNI taking its second loss of the conference season, 38-7 at South Dakota State. NDSU will take a 32-game winning streak to Southern Illinois for the regular-season finale this Saturday, Nov. 23.
The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs three times (2014, 2015, 2017). In the past five seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 22 bids. CAA Football set a record in 2018 with 6 bids in the same season (they had achieved 5 bids three previous times).
In 2014, Indiana State became the first FCS team to earn a playoff bid despite five losses (the Sycamores were 7-5 that year.) Other five-loss teams to earn an at-large bid into the field included Western Illinois (6-5 in 2015), Illinois State (6-5 in 2016) and UNI (6-5 in 2018). No other league has earned an at-large bid after losing five games. Only Illinois State failed to win its first-round game (the Redbirds lost at UCA by a TD in 2016.)
NORTHEAST -- Central Connecticut secured the NEC's automatic FCS Playoffs bid for the second time in three seasons by defeating Robert Morris in a Week 12 battle of NEC unbeatens. Reaching the 10-win mark for the first time, Central Connecticut owns a 10-0 record against FCS opponents and boasts the nation's top rushing defense (63.8 ypg).
Duquesne will host CCSU in the #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3 at 12:00 pm ET Saturday. It will be the final game in the storied career of Duquesne running back AJ Hines, who won the 2016 STATS Jerry Rice Award before becoming an All-American First Team honoree in 2018. Hines, the active FCS career rushing leader, ranks second in NEC history with 4,619 rush yards.
CCSU quarterback Aaron Winchester, who has a touchdown pass in every game this season, owns a league-high 67.1 pass completion percentage and averages 5.4 yards per rush attempt.
Saint Francis senior Da'Jon Lee (21.5) and Wagner senior Cam Gill (20.0) rank first and second, respectively, amongst DI FCS season leaders in tackles-for-loss. Sacred Heart, which aims for its first eight-win season since winning nine games in 2014, boasts the second-leading rusher in the FCS – sophomore Julius Chestnut (1,354).
OHIO VALLEY -- With a win on Saturday Austin Peay will win it second OVC Championship (and first since 1977) and earn the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, which would mark its first-ever playoff appearance. The Govs have eight overall wins on the season, the seventh time in school history they have reached eight wins in a season; APSU has never won nine games in a season.
Southeast Missouri can claim at least a share of the OVC Championship with a win on Saturday. They would win the title outright with a win and a loss by Austin Peay. The Redhawks have won only one other OVC Championship (2010). If the Redhawks are selected for the FCS Playoffs it'll mark their second-straight and third overall playoff appearance. Southeast Missouri has eight wins this season, the first time they have won eight or more games in back-to-back seasons in program history.
A win by Tennessee Tech on Saturday would give the program its seventh win of the season and its first winning season since 2011. The team had only won seven previous games over the past three years.
PATRIOT -- Six Patriot League football teams will be in action in Week 13, the final week of the regular season, with all three games available on the Patriot League Network (PLN). Holy Cross hosts Georgetown in the Stadium Game of the Week with coverage beginning at noon. Matt Martucci, Dave Owens and Morgan Uber will be on the call. Lehigh hosts Lafayette in the 155th meeting of "The Rivalry" with local television coverage on WFMZ-TV and Lafayette Sports Network in addition to the PLN, beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Holy Cross clinched at least a share of the Patriot League Football regular-season title with its win over Fordham in Week 12. The Crusaders can clinch the League's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs with a victory in their season-finale against Georgetown on Saturday. The Crusaders can also claim the bid with a loss, if Lafayette falls to Lehigh. Lafayette will receive the automatic qualifier with a victory over Lehigh and a Crusaders loss to the Hoyas. Bucknell and Lehigh can both earn a share of the League title with wins and a Holy Cross loss, but cannot earn the League's AQ.
Lafayette and Lehigh will meet for the 155th time in college football's most-played rivalry game on Sunday. The Leopards lead the series, that began in 1884, 78-71-5. Lafayette was 15-14-2 in the 19th century and 56-45-3 in the 20th century. Lehigh is 12-7 in the 21st century, including 7-2 since 2010. Title hopes are on the line for the Leopards, who can clinch the League's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs with a win and a Holy Cross loss. Lehigh can claim a share of the League title with a win and a Holy Cross loss.
PFL -- San Diego won its sixth-straight PFL title (11th overall) outright with its win against Morehead State and Drake's loss to Dayton in Week 12. The Toreros will look to close the book on its fourth consecutive unbeaten PFL campaign when it heads cross country to face Jacksonville. Davidson, Dayton and Drake enter the final weekend tied for second place at 5-2 and only one is assured to finish in second as Davidson hosts Drake while Dayton hosts Butler to wrap up 2019. Marist, Morehead State and Stetson are all knotted up at 3-4 with only one of that trio assured a .500 PFL mark as Stetson travels to Morehead State while Marist heads to Valparaiso.
Dayton TE Adam Trautman has accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl college all-star game in Mobile, Ala. on Jan. 25, 2020. Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy extended the invitation personally to Trautman after Dayton's Nov. 6 practice. The Flyer co-captain will be the first Dayton player to play in the Senior Bowl since 1972. Only five other Flyers have played in the Senior Bowl – tight end Fred Dugan (1958), linebacker Email Karas (1959), center Bob DeMarco (1961), center Leo Dillon (1971) and running back Gary Kosins (1972).
With its win against Morehead State in Week 12, San Diego's extended its PFL win streak to 36 games. It is tied for the second-longest conference win streak in FCS history, equaling a 36-game win streak by Jacksonville State of the Ohio Valley Conference (2013-18). It trails a 39-game win streak by Duquesne in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association (1999-06).
SOUTHERN -- With one more weekend of play left in the regular season, Wofford has clinched at least a share of the Southern Conference title and the league's automatic berth to the FCS playoffs. The title is Wofford's third straight and seventh overall.
The Terriers can clinch the title outright with a win over The Citadel on Saturday. Chattanooga and Furman are still alive for shares of the title, however, as a Chattanooga win over VMI and a Wofford loss to The Citadel would create a three-way tie atop the standings for the second straight season. The Mocs are seeking their eighth title and first since 2015, while the Paladins, who finish the regular season with a non-conference game against Point University, are seeking their league-best 15th title and second straight.
Wofford downed rival and league-leading Furman 24-7 on Nov. 16 in a battle of ranked squads with the SoCon title on the line. Senior HB Blake Morgan led the Terriers on offense with 147 rushing yards and a TD, while QB Joe Newman ran for 40 yards and a pair of scores. Wofford's defense held Furman to just 265 yards of total offense, 175.7 below its season average entering the contest.
Chattanooga overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge The Citadel on Nov. 16, getting an 11-yard TD run from Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks with 7:21 left and a 12-yard scoring run from quarterback Nick Tiano with just 28 seconds remaining to stun the Bulldogs, who had scored 24 consecutive points spanning the second and third quarters to overcome an early 12-2 deficit. The Mocs then outscored The Citadel 22-7 in the fourth to keep their SoCon title hopes alive.
SOUTHLAND -- The battle for the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs has set up a River Bell Classic for the ages as the winner between Nicholls and Southeastern Louisiana will be the Southland's automatic qualifier.
Central Arkansas can claim a share of the conference championship, but cannot claim the automatic bid due to losses to both Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls.
Shelton Eppler has played a vital role in Northwestern State winning three of its last four games with 1,148 passing yards and 10 total touchdowns in that span as the Demons have averaged 32.25 points per game.
Lamar kicker Bailey Giffen is the STATS FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting two 50-yard field goals and totaling 14 points against Houston Baptist.
SWAC -- The Alcorn State Braves punched their ticket to the 2019 Cricket Wireless SWAC Football Championship game with a 34-28 win over the Alabama A&M Bulldogs on Saturday. The Braves can secure the rights to host the championship game with a win over Jackson State on Saturday, November 23 in Jackson, Miss. The Alcorn at Jackson State regular season finale for both teams will be broadcast live on ESPN3 at 2:00 pm.
The 2019 SWAC Football Championship game is scheduled to be held on Saturday, December 7th at 3:00 pm at the home facility of the highest ranked league team at the conclusion of the regular season. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPNU.
At 5-1, Southern finds itself in sole possession of first place in the West Division. On Nov. 30, Southern faces Grambling State in the 2019 Bayou Classic (New Orleans, La. | Mercedes-Benz Superdome, NBC Sports). Alcorn currently sits atop the SWAC East division with a 5-1 overall record in SWAC play. Should the Braves stumble in their final league match-up they will have to travel to face the winner of the 2019 Bayou Classic featuring the Southern Jaguars versus (5-1) the Grambling State Tigers (4-2).