The CSN Way: Center Stage

[CSN-info]

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The CSN Way: Center Stage
By Chuck Burton, The CSN Way Columnist

floatedleftFace it: for the casual college football fan, there is lots of competition for viewership in the fall. There’s weekday football. Big FBS matchups. The schools even non-football fans have heard of: USC. Notre Dame. Michigan. Sometimes it seems like it’s difficult to get the word out that: yes, Virginia, there are FCS teams playing this weekend. (Though I think Michigan is still very well aware about the Football Championship Subdivision.)

This weekend, though, three championship FCS games take center stage. One is the SWAC Championship game, pitting a resurgent Prairie View A&M team against an Alabama A&M squad that is itching to prove they are the top dogs once again since their last SWAC championship in 2006. The other games will determine the participants in next weekends’ Division I National Championship game in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which will feature the winner of the de-facto CAA championship game (William & Mary vs. Villanova) versus the winner of a clash of FCS royalty (Appalachian State vs. Montana).

Championship football takes center stage in the college football world this weekend - and the only championship games at play this weekend are in the FCS. Here are three championship previews.

Read more ... (http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2009/12/10/the-csn-way-center-stage?blog=5)

[TribeGuy09]

Archer is a senior, not a freshman.

[TribeGuy09]

Also, you really need to check your facts on that Oct. 3 Villanova game....Nova had 114 rushing yards in that contest...not 410! A simple ESPN search would have told you that.

I would certainly not call that game a laugher...W&M actually gained more yards than Nova did. Jeez.

[CAAisBOSS]

The past few weeks I've lost all respect for the CSN writers. They have no idea what is going on.

[GoneTribal]

Thomas' dad wasn't as biased as that guy...whatever. I love reading stuff like this cause it makes the 'egg on the face' moment that much better.

[Tribe07]

No one has picked us to win. That's the way I like it. Ready to shock the FCS world Tribe?

[WMTribe90]

when they smothered William & Mary’s offense.

Yes, VU's defense smothered our offense by limiting it to just over 400 yards.

[Tribe4SF]

Yes, VU's defense smothered our offense by limiting it to just over 400 yards.

Actually alot over 400. It was 472, to be exact. Tribe outgained Nova in both halves, with Nova getting 283 for the game.

[CSN-info]

No idea what a couple of the complaining WM fans are reading but this is the game preview (http://tiny.cc/x3HDx) from the column:
December 11th, 8PM Eastern (TV: ESPN2)
William & Mary at Villanova

It’s difficult to find a head coach that is more dry than Villanova head coach Andy Talley. Even after a 46-7 humiliation of New Hampshire last weekend on a cold, wet, snowy afternoon at Villanova, you never really seem to know when he’s serious or when he’s joking.

“I would prefer to play a nonconference team, not anybody in the CAA, and most definitely not William and Mary,” Talley said about facing the Tribe in this Friday’s semifinal. “It’s not the team that I want to see. They know us very well.” adding they are the “hottest football team in the country".

That may very well be true - but their recent record against the Tribe doesn’t show it. The last five meetings against William & Mary were all victories - four of which were double-digit victories, including a 28-17 win earlier this year - and the Tribe haven’t beaten the Wildcats at Villanova Stadium since 2000.

“They’re playing with reckless abandon, they have a swagger about them,” Talley added in the CAA conference call this week, “[and] they’re a difficult draw for Villanova. They’re going to be extremely well prepared (for us).”

Certainly judging by their 24-3 beatdown of Southern Illinois last weekend, this looks to be true. The Tribe made dead sure that head coach Jimmye Laycock’s 200th career head coaching victory would be a memorable one.

Physically, a fearsome defensive line led by Adrian Tracy (72 tackles, 11 sacks) and Sean Lissemore (64 tackles, 6 1/2 sacks) just wore down the vaunted Saluki running attack as the game went along, ultimately limiting Payton Award finalist running back Deji Karim to 27 yards on 12 carries. Add to this an aggressive secondary, too, led by freshman senstaion B.W. Webb (22 tackles, 8 INTs) and you have a defense nobody wants to face.

The Tribe offense has improved by leaps and bounds over the year, and the all-purpose running of Jonathan Grimes (1,508 all-purpose yards, 10 TDs) has been a major factor - his three TDs against Southern Illinois was the difference in that game. Quarterback R.J. Archer (2,539 yards passing, 240 yards rushing, 20 TDs) has also just gotten better behind an offensive line (led by Keith Hill) that is playing its best ball of the year.

Ask head coach Jimmye Laycock about their last trip to Villanova stadium, and he claims that he doesn’t remember in his “aw, shucks” way, saying the they’re just “going one week to the next, and we’re back to work with a solid win last week". There’s a reason for that: the last time they went up North to face the Wildcats, it was they who were physically manhandled.

In a nationally-televised game in October, what was billed as the “game of the week” ended up being a bit of a laugher. While the final score was 28-17 Villanova, it really wasn’t that close: without a late touchdown the final score would have been even worse. Cornerback James Pitts (15 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT), linebacker Terence Thomas (14 tackles) and linebacker Marquis Kirkland (11 tackles, 1 INT) had banner days against the Tribe last time - and that’s not even counting the contributions of stars like defensive end Tim Kukucka (57 tackles, 9 sacks on the season) and safety Ross Ventrone (65 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 INTs, 1 fumble return, 6 passes defended) when they smothered William & Mary’s offense.

When they did take the field, Villanova’s Wildcat offense posed some problems for William & Mary’s defensive front last time, too, and they seem to be getting stronger as the season has gone along. Running back Angelo Babbaro (385 yards rushing, 6 TDs) seems to finally be fully back from injury, while “slash” back Matt Szczur (562 yards, 7 TDs), running back Aaron Ball (708 yards, 6 TDs) and quarterback Chris Whitney (848 yards, 5 TDs rushing) pose a daunting array of problems for defensive coordinators. When Whitney does put it in the air, Szczur (534 yards, 4 TDs) and wideout Brandyn Harvey (629 yards, 5 TDs) have shown ample ability to make defenses pay as well.

Have the Tribe improved enough to beat Villanova on the Main Line this time, and make it to Chattanooga? Or will, once again, Talley’s troops be too tough at home, giving the de-facto “CAA Championship game” to the Wildcats? If the Tribe’s defensive front has improved enough to slow down the Wildcat this time around - and can play in what promises to be frigid temperatures come gametime on Friday - they’ll have a chance. But I think the Wildcat, and the Wildcats, won’t be stopped this Friday night.

Szczur The Day 21, Yo, Adrian - You Lose! 10

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Gonna be cold. Brrr...

[wideright82]

Yes, VU's defense smothered our offense by limiting it to just over 400 yards.

Yards don't win football games. Points do. Having 9 points with 4 minutes to go in the game would be "getting smothered" in my eyes. Ask Delaware if they got smothered. They had over 400 yards passing against us.

[SpeedkingATL]

I find it difficult to believe that almost 100 points will be scored in the ASU/Montana contest. I could be wrong, but both of these defenses are too good to give up over 40 points each. I see total points more in the 70 range unless it becomes a turnover fest.