ursus arctos horribilis
April 9th, 2021, 03:11 PM
FCS FOOTBALL – KEY LINKS
NCAA Statistics -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs) | NCAA Scoreboard / Schedule -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/scoreboard/football/fcs)
Standings -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/standings/football/fcs) | Rankings / Polls -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll)
FCS Insider -- Click Here (https://fcsinsider.com/) | Stats Perform – Click Here (http://www.fcs.football/fcsfront.asp) | HERO Sports -- Click Here (https://herosports.com/college-football/fcs/)
HEADLINES
What’s Left – There are 51 FCS games on the schedule prior to the FCS playoffs (which begin the weekend of April 24). The FCS has completed approximately 83 percent of its scheduled games (compared to 86.9 percent success rate of FBS teams in the fall).
AQs – Leagues that could/will have their AQ determined this weekend include: Big Sky, Big South, NEC, OVC, Patriot League
NCAA Championship News -- The NCAA Division I Football Championship committee announced Thursday 14 predetermined preliminary round sites for this year’s Division I Football Championship (see attached PDF for full story.)
Stats Perform National Players of the Week – Click Here (https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/04/stats-perform-fcs-week-8-national-award-winners/)
Craig’s Take (Must See Games This Week) -- Story (https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/04/fcs-college-football-five-must-see-games-in-week-9/)
BIG SKY -- Link to Football Home Page (https://bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Weber State Wildcats are the lone undefeated team left in the Big Sky with a 4-0 record. Weber State looks to become the first team since 2016 to finish the regular season with a perfect league record. Both Eastern Washington and North Dakota went 8-0 in 2016.
The Big Sky Championship will be on the line Saturday for the Wildcats. With a win, Weber State would clinch the outright title, the first outright conference crown in school history. WSU would also win its fourth straight conference title and eighth all-time. It would be just the second time in conference history that a team has won four straight Big Sky titles.
Montana opens the season on Saturday with a game versus Central Washington.
BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://bigsouthsports.com/index.aspx?path=football&)
The Big South’s automatic bid will be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s Kennesaw State at Monmouth showdown between the nationally-ranked teams. Each year since 2017, the winner of this head-to-head meeting has gone on to earn the league’s AQ.
Kennesaw State is off to its best start in program history at 4-0. The Owls’ 35-0 win over new Big South member Robert Morris last week marked KSU’s fifth consecutive season with a shutout, a Big South record.
Gardner-Webb’s Devron Harper set the Big South record for longest punt return in league history with his 93-yard return TD against Monmouth last week. He has two punt return touchdowns in three games this spring.
When Charleston Southern kicks off against Robert Morris this Saturday, it will extend CSU’s streak to 30 consecutive seasons with at least one new first-time opponent dating back to the program’s start in 1991.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Link to CAA Football Home Page (https://caasports.com/index.aspx?path=football&)
CAA Football has announced that the football game between Richmond and William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. on Saturday, April 10 has been cancelled due to CoVID-19 related protocols within the William & Mary program. The conference also announced that one of the previously postponed games between Richmond and James Madison has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va. The 12th-ranked Spiders (3-0, 3-0 CAA) and top-ranked Dukes (4-0, 2-0 CAA) are currently tied atop the CAA’s South Division. The Richmond/JMU game can be seen on FloFootball.com and NBC Sports Washington Plus.
Rhode Island's football program has entered a shutdown as a result of multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program, effectively ending the team's The Rams were scheduled to host Maine on Saturday and then play at Stony Brook on April 17 in the regular-season finale. Because all team activities must be halted for 10 days, there is not enough time to complete an acclimation period and be ready to play either game. Rhode Island will end the abbreviated Spring season with a record of 2-1. Rhody was ranked No. 22 in the latest STATS Perform FCS Top 25, and it was No. 24 in this week's AFCA FCS Coaches Poll as well.
IVY LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (https://ivyleague.com/index.aspx?path=football)
MEAC FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://meacsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference informed the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) that it will not meet the criteria to maintain its automatic qualifier (AQ) because the three programs, Howard, Delaware State and South Carolina State, playing this spring will not play each other as required by the NCAA/FCS.
The Bison and Bulldogs will not play each other this spring due to the District of Columbia’s restrictions on travel to and from the state of South Carolina. The cancellation of Howard’s contest against South Carolina State, originally scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 10, prevented the three teams from playing each other, as required to be eligible for the FCSs AQ.
The MEAC suspended its spring 2021 football season on Feb. 11 after six of the league’s nine programs opted out. Conference policy states that if 50% or more institutions cannot participate in any championship, the championship for that sport will be suspended.
MISSOURI VALLEY – Link to Football Home Page (https://valley-football.org/)
After its last two regular-season opponents opted out, Southern Illinois has added Southeastern Louisiana to its spring schedule in an intriguing matchup of ranked FCS teams with playoff aspirations. The No. 16-ranked Salukis (4-3) will host the No. 19-ranked Lions (3-2) on Saturday, April 17, at noon at Saluki Stadium. The game replaces the Western Illinois contest, which was originally scheduled for April 10, until the Leathernecks opted out of their season on Monday.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference continues to dominate the Top 25 rankings, with an FCS-best six teams in the Stats Perform poll this week. The CAA (5) and Southland (4) are next best. The MVFC also leads all FCS leagues with three teams in the Top 10. The Big Sky and CAA each have two teams among the Top 10 in the Stats poll.
Four Conference teams are tied with identical 4-1 records with two weekends remaining. With a win against Youngstown State on Saturday (April 10), Missouri State can earn at least a share of its first league title since 1990. MSU has two all-time MVFC titles to its credit (1989 and 1990). (Due to the imbalanced schedule this year brought about by cancelations, teams with the same number of conference losses but a different number of conference wins shall be considered ‘tied.’)
NEC FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://northeastconference.org/index.aspx?path=fball&)
With Rooney Field as the battleground, the combatants in the first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) football championship game have been solidified. Unbeaten NEC regular season champion Duquesne (4-0) will host Sacred Heart (2-1) on April 11 with an automatic berth to the FCS Playoffs at stake. Kickoff time is 2 pm ET. The game will air live on ESPN3.
The matchup was formalized after the application of NEC postseason qualification and tiebreaker procedures once the regular season came to a close with the announcement that Wagner's games against Sacred Heart and Merrimack would not be made up.
Duquesne has won five NEC football crowns since joining the NEC as an associate member in 2008, while Sacred Heart is a four-time NEC champion.
OHIO VALLEY – Click for More Info (http://ovcsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Ohio Valley Conference football game between Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois originally scheduled for Sunday, April 11 in Charleston, Illinois has been postponed. Under the OVC’s COVID-19 protocols, Austin Peay does not have the requisite number of student-athletes to compete this weekend, forcing the postponement. A decision if the game can be rescheduled for the final day of the regular season (Saturday, April 17) will be made at a later point.
Jacksonville State and Murray State are tied for first place and will play on Sunday in Murray with the winner claiming the OVC Championship and automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. Both teams have won 8 OVC Championships; Murray State's last OVC crown came in 2002 while JSU won six-straight from 2013-18.
JSU is the only FCS team with eight total wins...Murray State started 5-0 (one of two FCS teams with that mark), which marked its best start since 1995 when the team won the OVC Championship under Houston Nutt
PATRIOT LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (https://patriotleague.org/index.aspx?path=football&)
The Patriot League North Division football game between Colgate and Holy Cross, scheduled for Saturday, April 10, has been cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Colgate football program’s Tier 1.
With the cancellation of the contest, Holy Cross has clinched the North Division title and will meet South Division champ Bucknell on Saturday, April 17 in the first Patriot League Football Championship Game. Live coverage of the Patriot League Football Championship Game will begin on CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m. CT with Jason Knapp and Ross Tucker handling the call.
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (http://www.pioneer-football.org/)
Davidson moved to the top of the PFL standings with its April 3 victory at San Diego and controls its own destiny en route to the PFL regular-season title. If the Wildcats win their two remaining games, they claim their first-ever title and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs outright.
Davidson broke out to a 28-10 halftime lead then held on to defeat No. 25 San Diego, 31-25, at Torero Stadium. Quarterback Tyler Phelps, the PFL Offensive Player of the Week, threw three touchdowns in the win, completing 10-of-15 passes for 189 yards. STATS PERFORM FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Jeffrey Smyth returned two interceptions for touchdowns as Presbyterian downed Stetson, 26-3, at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in a game that saw only six points scored on offensive drives.
SoCON FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://soconsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
ETSU visits Mercer on Saturday in a game with Southern Conference title implications and The Citadel hosts Furman in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week on select Nexstar affiliates.
ETSU, Mercer and idle VMI are vying for the SoCon title and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. The loser of Saturday’s ETSU/Mercer tilt will be mathematically eliminated from winning either.
The Bucs and the Bears both beat ranked squads last week. ETSU toppled previously unbeaten VMI, then ranked No. 10 in both major polls, 24-20, and Mercer earned its second straight win over a ranked opponent, taking down then-No. 17/21 Furman, 26-14, a week after beating No. 10/9 Chattanooga 35-28. ETSU will be Mercer’s third straight ranked opponent.
With its win over VMI pushing its season record to 4-1, ETSU moved into the national polls for the first time since 2018 at No. 20 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and at No. 21 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The Keydets dropped to Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, while Furman and Mercer received votes in both polls.
SOUTHLAND -- Link to Football Home Page (https://www.southland.org/index.aspx?path=football)
McNeese QB Cody Orgeron, this week’s Offensive Player of the Week, became the eighth in program history to eclipse 4,000 career passing yards after throwing for a career-high 354 yards in a 43-31 upset of then-No. 11 Nicholls.
Northwestern State QB Bryce Rivers became just the second Demon to top the 400-yard passing mark in school history as the junior slung the ball for 410 yards in his first start. The work fell on his shoulders with NSU unable to budge against the seventh-best rushing defense in the FCS.
UIW QB Cameron Ward leads all FCS players in points responsible for per game (33.5), a number that would singlehandedly outscore all but 13 programs.
SWAC – Link to Football Home Page (https://swac.org/index.aspx?path=football)
The SWAC has named Southern’s Devon Benn and Jordan Lewis, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Tyrin Ralph and Alabama State’s Ryan Nettles it’s SWAC Football Players of the Week for their outstanding performances during conference play this past week the league announced on Monday. Benn (New Orleans, La.) rushed for 75 yards on 18 total carries versus Jackson State on Saturday. He was a significant contributor for a Southern offense that amassed 294 total rushing yards and won the time of possession battle 42:49 to 17:11. He tallied two rushing touchdowns with a long TD run of 20-yards. Benn averaged 4.2 yards per carry during the Jaguars 34-14 victory over JSU.
Lewis (Ocala, Fla.) contributed a solid outing during Southern’s 34-14 victory over Jackson State. He tallied four total tackles on Saturday including 3.5 tackles for loss (20 yards). Lewis was a significant contributor for a Jaguars defense that held Jackson State to 66 total rushing yards and limited JSU to converting 1-of-8 third down attempts.
NCAA Statistics -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs) | NCAA Scoreboard / Schedule -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/scoreboard/football/fcs)
Standings -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/standings/football/fcs) | Rankings / Polls -- Click Here (https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/fcs-coaches-poll)
FCS Insider -- Click Here (https://fcsinsider.com/) | Stats Perform – Click Here (http://www.fcs.football/fcsfront.asp) | HERO Sports -- Click Here (https://herosports.com/college-football/fcs/)
HEADLINES
What’s Left – There are 51 FCS games on the schedule prior to the FCS playoffs (which begin the weekend of April 24). The FCS has completed approximately 83 percent of its scheduled games (compared to 86.9 percent success rate of FBS teams in the fall).
AQs – Leagues that could/will have their AQ determined this weekend include: Big Sky, Big South, NEC, OVC, Patriot League
NCAA Championship News -- The NCAA Division I Football Championship committee announced Thursday 14 predetermined preliminary round sites for this year’s Division I Football Championship (see attached PDF for full story.)
Stats Perform National Players of the Week – Click Here (https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/04/stats-perform-fcs-week-8-national-award-winners/)
Craig’s Take (Must See Games This Week) -- Story (https://theanalyst.com/na/2021/04/fcs-college-football-five-must-see-games-in-week-9/)
BIG SKY -- Link to Football Home Page (https://bigskyconf.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Weber State Wildcats are the lone undefeated team left in the Big Sky with a 4-0 record. Weber State looks to become the first team since 2016 to finish the regular season with a perfect league record. Both Eastern Washington and North Dakota went 8-0 in 2016.
The Big Sky Championship will be on the line Saturday for the Wildcats. With a win, Weber State would clinch the outright title, the first outright conference crown in school history. WSU would also win its fourth straight conference title and eighth all-time. It would be just the second time in conference history that a team has won four straight Big Sky titles.
Montana opens the season on Saturday with a game versus Central Washington.
BIG SOUTH FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://bigsouthsports.com/index.aspx?path=football&)
The Big South’s automatic bid will be awarded to the winner of Saturday’s Kennesaw State at Monmouth showdown between the nationally-ranked teams. Each year since 2017, the winner of this head-to-head meeting has gone on to earn the league’s AQ.
Kennesaw State is off to its best start in program history at 4-0. The Owls’ 35-0 win over new Big South member Robert Morris last week marked KSU’s fifth consecutive season with a shutout, a Big South record.
Gardner-Webb’s Devron Harper set the Big South record for longest punt return in league history with his 93-yard return TD against Monmouth last week. He has two punt return touchdowns in three games this spring.
When Charleston Southern kicks off against Robert Morris this Saturday, it will extend CSU’s streak to 30 consecutive seasons with at least one new first-time opponent dating back to the program’s start in 1991.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Link to CAA Football Home Page (https://caasports.com/index.aspx?path=football&)
CAA Football has announced that the football game between Richmond and William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. on Saturday, April 10 has been cancelled due to CoVID-19 related protocols within the William & Mary program. The conference also announced that one of the previously postponed games between Richmond and James Madison has been rescheduled for Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va. The 12th-ranked Spiders (3-0, 3-0 CAA) and top-ranked Dukes (4-0, 2-0 CAA) are currently tied atop the CAA’s South Division. The Richmond/JMU game can be seen on FloFootball.com and NBC Sports Washington Plus.
Rhode Island's football program has entered a shutdown as a result of multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program, effectively ending the team's The Rams were scheduled to host Maine on Saturday and then play at Stony Brook on April 17 in the regular-season finale. Because all team activities must be halted for 10 days, there is not enough time to complete an acclimation period and be ready to play either game. Rhode Island will end the abbreviated Spring season with a record of 2-1. Rhody was ranked No. 22 in the latest STATS Perform FCS Top 25, and it was No. 24 in this week's AFCA FCS Coaches Poll as well.
IVY LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (https://ivyleague.com/index.aspx?path=football)
MEAC FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://meacsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference informed the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) that it will not meet the criteria to maintain its automatic qualifier (AQ) because the three programs, Howard, Delaware State and South Carolina State, playing this spring will not play each other as required by the NCAA/FCS.
The Bison and Bulldogs will not play each other this spring due to the District of Columbia’s restrictions on travel to and from the state of South Carolina. The cancellation of Howard’s contest against South Carolina State, originally scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 10, prevented the three teams from playing each other, as required to be eligible for the FCSs AQ.
The MEAC suspended its spring 2021 football season on Feb. 11 after six of the league’s nine programs opted out. Conference policy states that if 50% or more institutions cannot participate in any championship, the championship for that sport will be suspended.
MISSOURI VALLEY – Link to Football Home Page (https://valley-football.org/)
After its last two regular-season opponents opted out, Southern Illinois has added Southeastern Louisiana to its spring schedule in an intriguing matchup of ranked FCS teams with playoff aspirations. The No. 16-ranked Salukis (4-3) will host the No. 19-ranked Lions (3-2) on Saturday, April 17, at noon at Saluki Stadium. The game replaces the Western Illinois contest, which was originally scheduled for April 10, until the Leathernecks opted out of their season on Monday.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference continues to dominate the Top 25 rankings, with an FCS-best six teams in the Stats Perform poll this week. The CAA (5) and Southland (4) are next best. The MVFC also leads all FCS leagues with three teams in the Top 10. The Big Sky and CAA each have two teams among the Top 10 in the Stats poll.
Four Conference teams are tied with identical 4-1 records with two weekends remaining. With a win against Youngstown State on Saturday (April 10), Missouri State can earn at least a share of its first league title since 1990. MSU has two all-time MVFC titles to its credit (1989 and 1990). (Due to the imbalanced schedule this year brought about by cancelations, teams with the same number of conference losses but a different number of conference wins shall be considered ‘tied.’)
NEC FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://northeastconference.org/index.aspx?path=fball&)
With Rooney Field as the battleground, the combatants in the first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) football championship game have been solidified. Unbeaten NEC regular season champion Duquesne (4-0) will host Sacred Heart (2-1) on April 11 with an automatic berth to the FCS Playoffs at stake. Kickoff time is 2 pm ET. The game will air live on ESPN3.
The matchup was formalized after the application of NEC postseason qualification and tiebreaker procedures once the regular season came to a close with the announcement that Wagner's games against Sacred Heart and Merrimack would not be made up.
Duquesne has won five NEC football crowns since joining the NEC as an associate member in 2008, while Sacred Heart is a four-time NEC champion.
OHIO VALLEY – Click for More Info (http://ovcsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
The Ohio Valley Conference football game between Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois originally scheduled for Sunday, April 11 in Charleston, Illinois has been postponed. Under the OVC’s COVID-19 protocols, Austin Peay does not have the requisite number of student-athletes to compete this weekend, forcing the postponement. A decision if the game can be rescheduled for the final day of the regular season (Saturday, April 17) will be made at a later point.
Jacksonville State and Murray State are tied for first place and will play on Sunday in Murray with the winner claiming the OVC Championship and automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs. Both teams have won 8 OVC Championships; Murray State's last OVC crown came in 2002 while JSU won six-straight from 2013-18.
JSU is the only FCS team with eight total wins...Murray State started 5-0 (one of two FCS teams with that mark), which marked its best start since 1995 when the team won the OVC Championship under Houston Nutt
PATRIOT LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (https://patriotleague.org/index.aspx?path=football&)
The Patriot League North Division football game between Colgate and Holy Cross, scheduled for Saturday, April 10, has been cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Colgate football program’s Tier 1.
With the cancellation of the contest, Holy Cross has clinched the North Division title and will meet South Division champ Bucknell on Saturday, April 17 in the first Patriot League Football Championship Game. Live coverage of the Patriot League Football Championship Game will begin on CBS Sports Network at 2 p.m. CT with Jason Knapp and Ross Tucker handling the call.
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE -- Link to Football Home Page (http://www.pioneer-football.org/)
Davidson moved to the top of the PFL standings with its April 3 victory at San Diego and controls its own destiny en route to the PFL regular-season title. If the Wildcats win their two remaining games, they claim their first-ever title and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs outright.
Davidson broke out to a 28-10 halftime lead then held on to defeat No. 25 San Diego, 31-25, at Torero Stadium. Quarterback Tyler Phelps, the PFL Offensive Player of the Week, threw three touchdowns in the win, completing 10-of-15 passes for 189 yards. STATS PERFORM FCS National Defensive Player of the Week Jeffrey Smyth returned two interceptions for touchdowns as Presbyterian downed Stetson, 26-3, at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in a game that saw only six points scored on offensive drives.
SoCON FOOTBALL -- Link to Football Home Page (https://soconsports.com/index.aspx?path=football)
ETSU visits Mercer on Saturday in a game with Southern Conference title implications and The Citadel hosts Furman in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week on select Nexstar affiliates.
ETSU, Mercer and idle VMI are vying for the SoCon title and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. The loser of Saturday’s ETSU/Mercer tilt will be mathematically eliminated from winning either.
The Bucs and the Bears both beat ranked squads last week. ETSU toppled previously unbeaten VMI, then ranked No. 10 in both major polls, 24-20, and Mercer earned its second straight win over a ranked opponent, taking down then-No. 17/21 Furman, 26-14, a week after beating No. 10/9 Chattanooga 35-28. ETSU will be Mercer’s third straight ranked opponent.
With its win over VMI pushing its season record to 4-1, ETSU moved into the national polls for the first time since 2018 at No. 20 in the AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 and at No. 21 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The Keydets dropped to Nos. 13 and 14, respectively, while Furman and Mercer received votes in both polls.
SOUTHLAND -- Link to Football Home Page (https://www.southland.org/index.aspx?path=football)
McNeese QB Cody Orgeron, this week’s Offensive Player of the Week, became the eighth in program history to eclipse 4,000 career passing yards after throwing for a career-high 354 yards in a 43-31 upset of then-No. 11 Nicholls.
Northwestern State QB Bryce Rivers became just the second Demon to top the 400-yard passing mark in school history as the junior slung the ball for 410 yards in his first start. The work fell on his shoulders with NSU unable to budge against the seventh-best rushing defense in the FCS.
UIW QB Cameron Ward leads all FCS players in points responsible for per game (33.5), a number that would singlehandedly outscore all but 13 programs.
SWAC – Link to Football Home Page (https://swac.org/index.aspx?path=football)
The SWAC has named Southern’s Devon Benn and Jordan Lewis, Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Tyrin Ralph and Alabama State’s Ryan Nettles it’s SWAC Football Players of the Week for their outstanding performances during conference play this past week the league announced on Monday. Benn (New Orleans, La.) rushed for 75 yards on 18 total carries versus Jackson State on Saturday. He was a significant contributor for a Southern offense that amassed 294 total rushing yards and won the time of possession battle 42:49 to 17:11. He tallied two rushing touchdowns with a long TD run of 20-yards. Benn averaged 4.2 yards per carry during the Jaguars 34-14 victory over JSU.
Lewis (Ocala, Fla.) contributed a solid outing during Southern’s 34-14 victory over Jackson State. He tallied four total tackles on Saturday including 3.5 tackles for loss (20 yards). Lewis was a significant contributor for a Jaguars defense that held Jackson State to 66 total rushing yards and limited JSU to converting 1-of-8 third down attempts.