TypicalTribe
December 14th, 2010, 01:37 PM
When the Villanova Wildcats walked off the field on November 13th, it was clear that their national title defense was nearing the end. In a matchup with a fellow CAA rival also clinging to playoff hopes, Andy Talley's squad had finished on the short end of a 3rd 31-24 decision to UNH and fell to 6-4, right on the edge of playoff contention and facing a must-win game on the road at Delaware to salvage the season. As Talley discusses in the post-game press conference, the team just seemed to lack a certain emotion and wasn't able to pull out wins when they needed them. The real question, though, was what was missing more, emotion or Matt Szczur? Given the star Wildcat's uncertain outlook for the season finale, it was likely that the FCS world wouldn't get an answer.
However, a funny thing happened on the way to basketball season on the Main Line. With Cubs scouts in attendance to watch over their prized draft pick, Szczur returned to the Villanova lineup and brought enough of a lift for Talley & Co. to knock off the Blue Hens in overtime. The next day, Villanova got a double dose of good news. It wasn't a surprise that the slection committee put the Wildcats in the field, but getting a bye to the round of 16 was a welcome bit of news for the team and its recovering star.
Since making the trip to Nacogdoches, TX and falling behind Stephen F. Austin, 24-14, it's been clear sailing for the Wildcats, as they scored the last 40 points to defeat their Southland conference opponent and then rolled over #1 ranked and 3-time national champion Appalachian State, 42-24. The latter victory, peppered as it was with 5 different TDs from Szczur, firmly established the Wildcats as back to full strength and a big-time threat to repeat as national champions.
The only thing standing in their way is a third road trip, this time to the FCS outpost of Cheney, WA, and a trip to the red turf of Eastern Washington. However, this time the Wildcats get a break with the shoe being on the proverbial other foot. Or off the other foot, which may be more applicable, with the news that star Eagles running back Taiwan Jones sustained a broken foot in EWU's quarterfinal win over North Dakota State. In a matchup with a team that seems to have regained it's swagger, the absence of a key player of this magnitude may be too much for the Eagles to handle. Jones was coming off of a career-high of 230 yards in the win over the Bison and coach Beau Baldwin will have to find a way to plug the hole so that his team can generate enough offense to keep up with the Wildcats revitalized high-octane attack.
It's expected to be in the low to mid-20s on Friday night in Cheney, but this Wildcat team played in similar conditions in last year's FCS semifinals when they defeated William & Mary, 14-13. While the home crowd and the red turf at the Inferno have helped the Eagles to an undefeated home record this year, I think the experience of the Wildcats, a healthy Matt Szczur and an injured Taiwan Jones will be too much for Eastern Washington to overcome. 3 TDs from the little emperor and a solid effort from the Wildcat D will send Andy Talley & Co. to Frisco. Villanova 30 Eastern Washington 17.
On the other side of the bracket, Georgia Southern and Delaware took much different paths to the semifinals. Similar to the defending champion Wildcats, the Eagles from Statesboro found themselves at a crossroads in early November sitting on 4 losses and facing a matchup with their biggest rival and #1 team in the country. In similar overtime fashion, Coach Jeff Monken and his charges were able to knock off Appalachian State and keep their playoff hopes alive. After another narrow escape against Furman in the season finale, the young Eagles found themselves in the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
It has not been a long time between playoff appearances for Georgia Southern, but it has been a painful stretch will an ill-advised firing of Mike Sewak followed by two disappointing head coach decisions. However, the return of coach Monken and, with him, the iconic triple option attack that won the school 6 titles, has resulted in a speedy renaissance in Statesboro. With a young core, the Eagles weathered their early struggles, but have taken off since the ASU victory and looked especially impressive in their last two playoff victories over #2 William & Mary and SoCon co-champion Wofford, both on the road. In those games, the triple option has been executed expertly by QB Jaybo Shaw and the Eagles offense has taken on the look of an unstoppable force at times.
However, on the other side of the field this Saturday in Dover, Delaware, the unstoppable force will face the immoveable object. Despite being picked to finish nowhere near the top of the CAA this year, the Blue Hens, led by coach K.C. Keeler, jumped out to a 5-0 start and have not looked back. They have been arguably the most consistent team in FCS all year and their two losses came by a single point at William & Mary after a missed FG and in overtime to Villanova.
Along the way, the team has been lead by a dominant defense and the steady hand of Pat Devlin at QB. Both were in evidence last Friday night as the Blue Hens overwhelmed New Hampshire, 16-3. After falling behind 3-0, the Delaware defense controlled the potent Wildcat attack and Devlin and the offense took control, racking up a 10 minute time of poassession advantage and a large advantage in total yardage. While holding UNH to less than 4 yards per play in the passing game, the Delaware offense maintained great balance with 31 runs and 38 passes. That balance and ball control will be critical against Georgia Southern on this weekend.
It's hard to expect anything but a classic from these two teams on Saturday. Both have faced high-quality competition all year, with the Blue Hens notably having played 8 ranked teams to date. #9 will arguably present the toughest test as the triple option challenges a defense in unique ways, especially the secondary. Also, the GSU defense has shown itself to be a stout group, led by a fearsome pass rush that completely overwhelmed another CAA team, #2 William & Mary, two weeks ago. The keys to this game will come down to a couple of matchups. Can Delaware's secondary, so dominant against the pass, play solid assignment football and be as effective against the GSU ground game? Also, can the Eagle pass rush pressure Devlin enough to keep Delaware from establishing an effective passing game.
There won't be a lot of surprises style-wise at Delaware Stadium. It's going to be tough, physical, classic December football. The Delaware defense has bent a little more later in the season but with the help of the home crowd should still have enough to slow the Eagles down. Devlin and Co. will take advantage and pull out the win in a dogfight. Fighting Blue Hens 23 Eagles 20
However, a funny thing happened on the way to basketball season on the Main Line. With Cubs scouts in attendance to watch over their prized draft pick, Szczur returned to the Villanova lineup and brought enough of a lift for Talley & Co. to knock off the Blue Hens in overtime. The next day, Villanova got a double dose of good news. It wasn't a surprise that the slection committee put the Wildcats in the field, but getting a bye to the round of 16 was a welcome bit of news for the team and its recovering star.
Since making the trip to Nacogdoches, TX and falling behind Stephen F. Austin, 24-14, it's been clear sailing for the Wildcats, as they scored the last 40 points to defeat their Southland conference opponent and then rolled over #1 ranked and 3-time national champion Appalachian State, 42-24. The latter victory, peppered as it was with 5 different TDs from Szczur, firmly established the Wildcats as back to full strength and a big-time threat to repeat as national champions.
The only thing standing in their way is a third road trip, this time to the FCS outpost of Cheney, WA, and a trip to the red turf of Eastern Washington. However, this time the Wildcats get a break with the shoe being on the proverbial other foot. Or off the other foot, which may be more applicable, with the news that star Eagles running back Taiwan Jones sustained a broken foot in EWU's quarterfinal win over North Dakota State. In a matchup with a team that seems to have regained it's swagger, the absence of a key player of this magnitude may be too much for the Eagles to handle. Jones was coming off of a career-high of 230 yards in the win over the Bison and coach Beau Baldwin will have to find a way to plug the hole so that his team can generate enough offense to keep up with the Wildcats revitalized high-octane attack.
It's expected to be in the low to mid-20s on Friday night in Cheney, but this Wildcat team played in similar conditions in last year's FCS semifinals when they defeated William & Mary, 14-13. While the home crowd and the red turf at the Inferno have helped the Eagles to an undefeated home record this year, I think the experience of the Wildcats, a healthy Matt Szczur and an injured Taiwan Jones will be too much for Eastern Washington to overcome. 3 TDs from the little emperor and a solid effort from the Wildcat D will send Andy Talley & Co. to Frisco. Villanova 30 Eastern Washington 17.
On the other side of the bracket, Georgia Southern and Delaware took much different paths to the semifinals. Similar to the defending champion Wildcats, the Eagles from Statesboro found themselves at a crossroads in early November sitting on 4 losses and facing a matchup with their biggest rival and #1 team in the country. In similar overtime fashion, Coach Jeff Monken and his charges were able to knock off Appalachian State and keep their playoff hopes alive. After another narrow escape against Furman in the season finale, the young Eagles found themselves in the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
It has not been a long time between playoff appearances for Georgia Southern, but it has been a painful stretch will an ill-advised firing of Mike Sewak followed by two disappointing head coach decisions. However, the return of coach Monken and, with him, the iconic triple option attack that won the school 6 titles, has resulted in a speedy renaissance in Statesboro. With a young core, the Eagles weathered their early struggles, but have taken off since the ASU victory and looked especially impressive in their last two playoff victories over #2 William & Mary and SoCon co-champion Wofford, both on the road. In those games, the triple option has been executed expertly by QB Jaybo Shaw and the Eagles offense has taken on the look of an unstoppable force at times.
However, on the other side of the field this Saturday in Dover, Delaware, the unstoppable force will face the immoveable object. Despite being picked to finish nowhere near the top of the CAA this year, the Blue Hens, led by coach K.C. Keeler, jumped out to a 5-0 start and have not looked back. They have been arguably the most consistent team in FCS all year and their two losses came by a single point at William & Mary after a missed FG and in overtime to Villanova.
Along the way, the team has been lead by a dominant defense and the steady hand of Pat Devlin at QB. Both were in evidence last Friday night as the Blue Hens overwhelmed New Hampshire, 16-3. After falling behind 3-0, the Delaware defense controlled the potent Wildcat attack and Devlin and the offense took control, racking up a 10 minute time of poassession advantage and a large advantage in total yardage. While holding UNH to less than 4 yards per play in the passing game, the Delaware offense maintained great balance with 31 runs and 38 passes. That balance and ball control will be critical against Georgia Southern on this weekend.
It's hard to expect anything but a classic from these two teams on Saturday. Both have faced high-quality competition all year, with the Blue Hens notably having played 8 ranked teams to date. #9 will arguably present the toughest test as the triple option challenges a defense in unique ways, especially the secondary. Also, the GSU defense has shown itself to be a stout group, led by a fearsome pass rush that completely overwhelmed another CAA team, #2 William & Mary, two weeks ago. The keys to this game will come down to a couple of matchups. Can Delaware's secondary, so dominant against the pass, play solid assignment football and be as effective against the GSU ground game? Also, can the Eagle pass rush pressure Devlin enough to keep Delaware from establishing an effective passing game.
There won't be a lot of surprises style-wise at Delaware Stadium. It's going to be tough, physical, classic December football. The Delaware defense has bent a little more later in the season but with the help of the home crowd should still have enough to slow the Eagles down. Devlin and Co. will take advantage and pull out the win in a dogfight. Fighting Blue Hens 23 Eagles 20