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NCAA DIVISION I FCS – WEEKLY ROUNDUP (Nov. 19, 2015) ®
EVERY DOWN. EVERY DAY.
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NCAA INFO: ncaa.com/fcs • STATS: ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs
FCS HEADLINES u The NCAA Football Championship Selection Show is Sunday at 11 am ET (ESPNU). Several leagues have secured their AQ already. Other scenarios outlined in conference recaps. Big South: Charleston Southern | Ohio Valley: Jacksonville State Patriot: Colgate | Pioneer Football League: Dayton Southern: Chattanooga | Southland: McNeese State
u Two FCS teams are perfect: Dayton and McNeese State. Five additional FBS teams are perfect. The final Big South game between Liberty and Coastal Carolina is tonight at 7:00pm u on ESPNEWS. It will be the first time a conference game will air on one of ESPN’s linear networks, as well as the first league contest to be played on Thursday night. The teams are meeting the final week for the second consecutive year, and the series is tied, 6-6. u The FCS has 8 wins vs. FBS schools this year. A total of eight FCS teams defeated FBS schools in 2014. In 2013, the FCS set an all-time record with 16. Three top-25 FCS teams take on FBS schools this weekend. u A total of 23 STATS top-25 teams are in action, with a handful of intra-conference matchups this weekend. Ranking listed below is STATS Top-25 poll. CAA Football: #7 William & Mary at #14 Richmond, Saturday, 12 pm ET (ASN) Big Sky: #24 Northern Arizona at #20 Southern Utah, 5 pm ET (WatchBigSky.com) Big Sky: #11 Portland State at #18 Eastern Washington, 5 pm ET (SWX/ WatchBigSky.com) Southland: #10 Sam Houston St. at C. Arkansas, 7 pm ET (ESPN3) (UCA is #25 in the Coaches poll)
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FACES of the FCS
Drafted in 2008 (from Delaware), Joe Flacco became just the second FCS QB ever selected in the first round and first since Steve McNair (Alcorn State) was the third-overall pick in 1995. He was the Super Bowl XLVII MVP.
BIG SKY -- Southern Utah, Portland State, Montana and Northern Arizona still can earn the Big Sky’s automatic bid, while Eastern Washington and North Dakota are in position to earn at-large bids. Portland State bested Southern Utah, 24-23, this past weekend to move to 8-2 on the season, with seven Division I wins, including two FBS wins. The Vikings are 4-0 against ranked teams this season, and can win the Big Sky’s bid with a win over Eastern Washington and a Northern Arizona win over Southern Utah.
In order to earn the conference’s AQ, Southern Utah needs to beat Northern Arizona at home, in the “Grand Canyon Rivalry.” Regardless of this weekend’s outcome, Southern Utah is guaranteed at least a share of the conference title. Montana stayed in playoff contention with a 57-16 win over Eastern Washington. Montana can win the Big Sky bid with a win over Montana State in the “Brawl of the Wild,” an Eastern Washington win over Portland State and a Northern Arizona win over Southern Utah. Northern Arizona can earn the bid with a win over Southern Utah, an Eastern Washington win over Portland State and a Montana State win over Montana. This week’s Big Sky football game on ROOT SPORTS features one of the league’s most storied rivalries, as Montana travels to Montana State for the “Brawl of the Wild,” in the quest to claim the Great Divide Trophy. The game will be nationally-televised on ROOT SPORTS, as well as DirecTV’s Audience Network. Fans and media can engage with the game using #BrawloftheWild, as well as #WHEREiROOT. OFFENSE: QB Case Cookus, N. Arizona | DEFENSE: DE Tyrone Holmes, Montana/CB Xavier Coleman, Portland St. | SPECIAL TEAMS: P Luke Daly, Montana St. BIG SOUTH -- Charleston Southern is the outright Big South Champion with its perfect 6-0 conference record. It is the Bucs’ first outright title
and second-ever conference crown, the first coming in 2005. CSU is just the second team in league history to finish 6-0 in Big South games, and marks the eighth time that the Big South champion completed an undefeated conference campaign. The Buccaneers are the fourth different program to capture the league’s automatic bid in the six seasons the Big South has been an AQ conference (since 2010).
Presbyterian College LB Donelle Williams needs seven tackles to become the third player in Big South history with 400 in a career, as he is third in league annals with 393 career stops. In addition, Williams is second all-time with 211 career solo tackles. Coastal Carolina RB De’Angelo Henderson and Monmouth RB Lavon Chaney are tied for second all-time in Big South history for most receptions by a RB (71). The record is 75 by Gardner-Webb’s David Montgomery (2006-09). Henderson is the Big South’s career leader for receiving yards by a RB (628), while Chaney is sixth (530).
OFF: WR Nathan Perera, Charleston Southern/QB Alex Ross, Coastal Carolina | DEF: DT Jabarai Bothwell, Coastal Carolina | STEAMS: P Truett Burns, Charleston Southern CAA FOOTBALL -- William & Mary’s week 11 victory over Towson secured the Tribe at least a share of the CAA Football title. William & Mary
can win the outright league title with a victory over Richmond. Richmond, JMU and Villanova each also remain alive for a share of the title.
Richmond RB Jacobi Green was added this week to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year watch list. He is second in CAA Football with 1,068 rushing yards, and leads the conference with 14 rushing TDs. He is also Richmond’s third-leading receiver with 22 catches for 299 yards. Stony Brook DL Victor Ochi continues his torrid stretch run of the season. He now has a CAA Football-best 11 sacks on the season, including 7.5 over his last four games.
OFFENSE: QB Steve Cluley, William & Mary | DEFENSE: S Cameron McCurry, Villanova | SPECIAL TEAMS: DB Kye Morgan, Stony Brook
IVY LEAGUE -- Harvard, Dartmouth and Penn enter the final weekend with a chance to share the 2015 Ivy League title. If all three win in their
season finales, it will be the first time the title is shared by three teams since 1982 (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth at 5-2) and will be just the fourth occurrence in the League’s 60 official seasons. The other two were 1966 (Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton at 6-1) and 1969 (Dartmouth, Yale and Princeton at 6-1).
Penn has defeated two ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2006 (at No. 22 Lafayette and vs. No. 17 Harvard). This year, the Quakers defeated No. 5/4 Villanova on Sept. 24. Former Harvard standout and current New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick became the all-time Ivy League leader in touchdown passes in the National Football League, tossing his 138th career pass on Nov. 12 against the Buffalo Bills. He surpassed Columbia’s Sid Luckman, who threw for 137 touchdowns with the Chicago Bears. The League closes the 2015 campaign with three nationally televised games -- back-to-back games on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra with Brown at Columbia on Friday night and 132nd playing of “The Game,” Harvard at Yale on Saturday and Princeton at Dartmouth on American Sports Network and The Ivy League Digital Network (ILDN) on Saturday. ILDN is also set for live coverage of Cornell at Penn on Saturday.
OFFENSE: WR Justin Watson, Penn | DEFENSE: CB Vernon Harris, Dartmouth | SPECIAL TEAMS: RB/RS Ryder Stone, Dartmouth
MEAC -- The MEAC’s tiebreaker is used to determine which team will serve as the MEAC representative in the Celebration Bowl against the SWAC champion. In the event of a tie for the Conference title, all teams included in the tie will share the title and be named Co-Champions. Any MEAC team that does not compete in the Celebration Bowl game is eligible to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I (FCS) Football Subdivision Championships.
If North Carolina A&T State defeats North Carolina Central, then North Carolina A&T State would be the conference’s outright regular season champion and serve as the MEAC’s representative in the inaugural Celebration Bowl game. Should North Carolina Central defeat North Carolina A&T State, coupled with a Bethune-Cookman loss, then North Carolina Central would share the conference title with North Carolina A&T State, however, North Carolina Central would receive the berth to the Celebration Bowl because of its head-to-head victory over N.C. A&T. In the event of a three-way tie, featuring Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, and North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T State would tentatively be the conference’s representative in the Celebration Bowl and all three teams would be named Co-Champions. North Carolina Central would be eliminated from the tiebreaker formula as the Eagles did not earn any points in the tiebreaker process with any wins against FBS or FCS teams, compared to Bethune-Cookman’s and North Carolina A&T State’s FCS non-conference victories. OFFENSE: QB David Watford, Hampton | DEFENSE: LB Deon King, Norfolk State | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Nigel Macauley, N.C. Central
MISSOURI VALLEY -- North Dakota State will earn the MVFC AQ with a win against Missouri State. The Bison could also earn the AQ with an Illinois State loss and a South Dakota State loss. Illinois State can only earn the AQ with a win (against South Dakota) and an NDSU loss. South Dakota State can only win the AQ with a win (at Western Illinois) and losses by NDSU and Illinois State. Four teams are ranked in the Top 15 for the seventh time this season (NDSU-2, South Dakota State-5, Illinois State-6, UNI-15). For the fourth time this season, three league teams are ranked among the Top 6. Illinois State will be looking to extend its FCS-best 17-game home win streak when it hosts South Dakota. South Dakota, meanwhile, will be looking to finish above .500 for the first time since joining the MVFC in 2012. The Coyotes are 5-5 headed into this weekend. As many as seven league teams could finish .500 or better this year. OFFENSE: RB Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State | DEFENSE: FS Nick Farina, South Dakota State | SPECIAL TEAMS: P/K Miles Bergner, South Dakota
NEC -- CSaint Francis, which can secure its first-ever Northeast Conference crown with a Week 12 win, features two of the nation’s top-ranked specialists. Junior Lorenzo Jerome (32.9 ypr) leads FCS in kickoff return average while classmate Lance Geesey (.941) owns the country’s highest field goal conversion percentage. Duquesne linebacker Christian Kuntz has played his way onto the STATS Inc. FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. After missing 2014 due to injury, the former All-American is tied for second in the nation with 20.5 tackles for loss and his four interceptions lead the NEC. Duquesne and Saint Francis will meet on November 21 at 12:00 pm ET in a game that can be seen live on ESPN3. The winner claims the NEC’s automatic FCS playoff berth.
OFFENSE: RB Otis Wright, Wagner | DEFENSE: DB Tim Hayes, Wagner | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Lance Geesey, Saint Francis
OHIO VALLEY -- With its win over Southeast Missouri last week Jacksonville State clinched at least a share of its fifth OVC Championship and second-straight. The Gamecocks have also won OVC Championships in 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The five titles are the seventh-most in OVC history. If the team tops Murray State this weekend and completes a perfect 8-0 season, they would be only the 11th team to go 8-0 in OVC history and just the third program in OVC history to complete back-to-back perfect 8-0 seasons, joining the 1993 & 1994 Eastern Kentucky teams and the 1995 & 1996 Murray State squads. Tennessee Tech sophomore Brock McCoin is among rare company after the star wide receiver has been forced into playing quarterback. This season McCoin has a 200-yard receiving game, a 200-yard passing game and a 100-yard rushing game. McCoin had 264 receiving yards in the season opener at Houston, passed for 206 yards (and 3 touchdowns) against Austin Peay and also rushed for 115 yards in that game against the Governors. He is the only Division I (FBS or FCS) player since 1996 to accomplish that feat in a single season.
OFFENSE: QB Bennie Coney, E. Kentucky/ RB Ladarius Vanlier, Tennessee Tech | DEFENSE: DL Dino Fanti, EIU | SPECIAL TEAMS: RS Cameron Sanders, SEMO
PATRIOT –- After claiming a share of the Patriot League title and the League’s automatic FCS Playoff berth last week, Colgate looks to finish the job with an unbeaten League record and outright title when it hosts Bucknell on Saturday. The Raiders have won their eighth Patriot League title overall, and now go for their fifth outright crown and fifth undefeated season with the previous years in each category coming in 1997, 2003, 2008 and 2012. Fordham finished its regular season at 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League with a 38-31 win over Georgetown on Saturday. The Rams are ranked at No. 13/14 in the national polls, and will now wait until Sunday to find out if they make the FCS Playoffs with an at-large bid. Fordham would also share the Patriot League title if Colgate loses to Bucknell on Saturday. The Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry heads to its 151st meeting with the Leopards holding a 78-67-5 advantage in the series and wins in the past two meetings. The teams first met in 1884, and the matchup has been played at least once every year since with the exception of 1896 to land as the most-played rivalry in all of college football. OFFENSE: QB Jake Melville, Colgate | DEFENSE: LB Stephen Hodge, Fordham | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Alejandro Cardenas, Fordham
STATS NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (NOV. 14) OFFENSIVE: Justin Watson, Penn, WR, So., 6-3, 210, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania DEFENSIVE: Dino Fanti, Eastern Illinois, DT, R-Sr., 6-1, 265, Venice, Florida SPECIAL TEAMS: Luke Daly, Montana State, PK, R-So., 6-2, 185, Billings, Montana FRESHMAN: Sean McGuire, Western Illinois, QB, R-Fr., 6-3, 220, Franklin, Wisconsin COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS ALL-STARS (NOV. 14) Case Cookus Northern Arizona, QB, Fr., 6-4, 200, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State, RB, Sr., 5-9, 205, Sr., Victorville, Calif. Justin Watson, Pennsylvania, WR, So., 6-3, 210, Bridgeville, Penn. Bennie Coney, Eastern Kentucky, QB, Jr., 6-2, 211, Plant City, Fla. Dino Fanti, Eastern Illinois, DT, R-Sr., 6-1, 265, Venice, Florida
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PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE -- Dayton has clinched its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship (owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with San Diego in case of a tie) and now seeks sole possession of its 12th PFL Championship (it claimed a share with its Week 11 win) when it travels to Drake. The Flyers, whose 12-game win streak now is the longest in the FCS, enter the regular season’s final week as one of only two FCS teams without a loss this season (McNeese State). Drake will seek to put a mark on Dayton’s clean slate in a game played at Drake Stadium where it is 4-0 this season, the Bulldogs also have won the last two meetings in the series.
San Diego looks to cap its fourth straight one-loss PFL campaign when it hosts Butler which enters the game seeking to stay above .500 in PFL play with a win. The Toreros posted their fifth-straight win at Davidson last Saturday, scoring more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game. Morehead State will seek to cap its best season since 2007 (winning overall record and third in PFL race) when it travels to Marist, which has won its last three at home. OFF: Jake Raymond, MSU/Matt Shiltz, Butler | DEF: Justin Grier, MSU/Andrew Hooks, Jacksonville | ST: Brandon Behr, Jacksonville
SOUTHERN -- With a 31-23 win over The Citadel on Saturday, Chattanooga earned a share of the Southern Conference regular season title and won the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. It is the third straight season the Mocs have won at least a share of the league championship. Chattanooga travels to Florida State while The Citadel visits South Carolina on Saturday. Southern Conference teams have combined for 28 wins over FBS programs, including Furman’s 16-15 win at Central Florida on September 19. With a win at VMI Saturday, Western Carolina can post back-to-back seven-win seasons for the first time since 1983-84.
OFFENSE: QB Jacob Huesman, Chattanooga | DEFENSE: S Zach Jackson, Mercer | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Anthony Pistelli, Samford
SOUTHLAND -- McNeese State can win the Southland championship outright Saturday with a win against Lamar. The Cowboys, who have already secured the league’s automatic bid, have a one-game lead over Central Arkansas. The Bears will face Sam Houston State in a pivotal conference game for postseason hopes. The Bears can share the conference crown with a win and a McNeese loss. Lamar junior running back Kade Harrington has shattered the league’s single-season rushing record and is now only the seventh player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000+ yards in only 10 games. Harrington, who has 2,022 yards so far this season, is now Lamar’s all-time leading rushing and has set the school record for most 100-yard rushing games in his career. McNeese State will look to become only the ninth team in the 52 years of Southland football to finish the regular season undefeated (Arkansas State – 1970, 1975; Louisiana Tech – 1972, 1974; McNeese State – 1979, 1995, 2007; Sam Houston State – 2011). OFFENSE: QB Zach Conque, Stephen F. Austin | DEFENSE: CB Brendan Langley, Lamar | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Jace Denker, Central Arkansas
SWAC -- Thanks to Grambling State’s 49-31 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, half of the 2015 Toyota SWAC Football Championship is set. The Tigers have clinched the SWAC Western Division and will face the Eastern Division champion. Their first appearance since 2011 In the SWAC Eastern Division, Alcorn State is poised to clinch a chance to defend the SWAC Championship. If the Braves defeat Alabama A&M this weekend, they will wrap up the Eastern Division. However, both Alabama State and Jackson State are mathematically still alive in the division race. The Hornets have completed their conference slate with a 5-4 record, and if Jackson State wins out -- the Tigers play Alcorn State in their season finale -- JSU would also have a 5-4 conference record. At this point, various tie-breakers come into play. Lenard Tillery is officially the all-time leading rusher in Southern University history after his fifth-straight 100-yard outing last week. Tillery is the only player in the conference that has rushed for 1,000 yards this season, as he sits on 1121 rushing yards (ninth in FCS) and 13 scores (sixth in FCS). Tillery, who is a junior, has amassed 3,050 yards thus far at SUBR and needs 87 yards in his season finale vs. Grambling State to top his rush total from last season. OFFENSE: QB Lenorris Footman, Alcorn State | DEFENSE: LB Aaron Tiller, Southern | SPECIAL TEAMS: P Jonathan Wallace, Grambling State
2015 FCS STANDINGS (thru Nov. 14)
Conf | All Games
Big Sky Conference Standings
Northeast Conference Standings
Southwestern Athletic Conference Standings
Team
Team
Team
W L
W L Streak
Southern Utah (20) 6 1 7 3 Lost 1 Portland State (11) 5 2 8 2 Won 1 Montana (17) 5 2 6 4 Won 2 Northern Arizona (24) 5 2 7 3 Won 4 Eastern Washington (18) 5 2 6 4 Lost 2 Weber State 4 3 5 5 Won 1 North Dakota 4 3 6 4 Won 2 Montana State 3 4 5 5 Won 1 Cal Poly 3 4 4 6 Won 2 Northern Colorado 3 5 5 5 Lost 1 Idaho State 1 6 2 8 Lost 4 Sacramento State 1 6 2 8 Lost 2 UC Davis 1 6 1 9 Lost 4 Big South Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Charleston Southern (9) 6 0 9 1 Won 8 Coastal Carolina (4) 4 1 9 1 Won 2 Kennesaw State 2 3 6 4 Lost 2 Monmouth 2 3 4 6 Won 1 Gardner-Webb 2 3 4 6 Won 1 Liberty 2 3 5 5 Lost 1 Presbyterian 0 5 1 9 Lost 7 CAA Football Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
William & Mary (7) 6 1 8 2 Won 6 Villanova 5 2 6 4 Won 3 Richmond (14) 5 2 7 3 Lost 2 James Madison (12) 5 2 8 2 Won 1 New Hampshire 4 3 6 4 Won 3 Towson 4 3 6 4 Lost 1 Elon 3 4 4 6 Won 1 Maine 3 4 3 7 Lost 3 Albany 2 5 3 7 Lost 1 Stony Brook 2 5 4 5 Won 2 Delaware 2 5 3 7 Lost 3 Rhode Island 1 6 1 9 Lost 4 Ivy League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
Harvard (19) 5 1 8 1 Lost 1 Dartmouth (21) 5 1 8 1 Won 2 Penn 5 1 6 3 Won 5 Yale 3 3 6 3 Won 2 Brown 2 4 4 5 Lost 3 Princeton 2 4 5 4 Lost 2 Cornell 1 5 1 8 Won 1 Columbia 1 5 2 7 Lost 2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
North Carolina A&T (16) 7 0 9 1 Won 8 Bethune-Cookman 6 1 8 2 Won 3 North Carolina Central 6 1 7 3 Won 6 South Carolina State 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Hampton 5 3 6 5 Won 2 Morgan State 4 3 4 5 Won 1 Norfolk State 3 4 3 7 Lost 1 Howard 1 6 1 9 Lost 2 Savannah State 1 6 1 8 Lost 5 Florida A&M 1 6 1 9 Lost 3 Delaware State 0 7 0 10 Lost 10 Missouri Valley Football Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
North Dakota State (2) 6 1 8 2 Won 4 Illinois State (6) 6 1 8 2 Won 1 South Dakota State (5) 5 2 8 2 Won 3 Western Illinois 4 3 5 5 Won 1 UNI (15) 4 3 6 4 Won 4 Youngstown State 3 4 5 5 Lost 1 South Dakota 3 4 5 5 Lost 1 Indiana State 2 5 4 6 Lost 4 Southern Illinois 2 5 3 7 Lost 3 Missouri State 0 7 1 9 Lost 8
W L
W L Streak
Duquesne 4 1 7 3 Won 3 Saint Francis U 4 1 6 3 Won 3 Bryant 3 2 5 5 Lost 1 Central Connecticut State 3 3 4 7 Lost 2 Sacred Heart 2 3 5 5 Won 1 Robert Morris 1 4 3 7 Lost 1 Wagner 1 4 1 9 Won 1 Ohio Valley Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Jacksonville State (1) 7 0 9 1 Won 8 Eastern Illinois 6 1 6 4 Won 1 UT Martin 5 2 6 4 Lost 1 Eastern Kentucky (23) 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Southeast Missouri State 3 3 4 6 Lost 1 Tennessee Tech 2 5 3 7 Won 1 Murray State 2 5 3 7 Lost 1 Tennessee State 1 5 4 5 Lost 1 Austin Peay 0 8 0 11 Lost 11 Patriot League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Colgate 5 0 6 4 Won 4 Fordham (13) 5 1 9 2 Won 2 Lehigh 3 2 5 5 Lost 1 Holy Cross 2 3 5 5 Won 1 Georgetown 2 3 4 6 Lost 2 Bucknell 1 4 4 6 Lost 2 Lafayette 0 5 1 9 Lost 6 Pioneer Football League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Dayton 7 0 10 0 Won 10 San Diego 6 1 8 2 Won 5 Jacksonville 5 2 8 2 Won 2 Morehead State 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Marist 4 3 5 5 Lost 1 Butler 4 3 6 4 Won 2 Drake 3 4 4 6 Lost 2 Campbell 3 5 5 6 Lost 2 Stetson 1 6 3 7 Won 1 Valparaiso 1 6 1 8 Lost 5 Davidson 0 7 1 9 Lost 5 Southern Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Chattanooga (8) 6 1 8 2 Won 1 Citadel (25) 6 1 7 3 Lost 1 Western Carolina 4 2 6 4 Lost 1 Samford 2 4 5 5 Won 2 Mercer 2 4 5 5 Won 2 Wofford 2 4 4 6 Lost 1 Furman 2 4 4 6 Lost 2 VMI 1 5 2 8 Lost 2 Southland Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-McNeese State (3) 8 0 9 0 Won 9 Central Arkansas 7 1 7 3 Won 4 Sam Houston State (10) 6 2 7 3 Won 1 Lamar 4 4 5 5 Won 1 Stephen F. Austin 4 4 4 6 Won 1 Incarnate Word 4 4 5 5 Lost 1 Southeastern Louisiana 3 5 4 6 Lost 3 Northwestern State 3 5 3 7 Lost 1 Abilene Christian 3 6 3 7 Won 1 Nicholls 2 6 2 8 Lost 1 Houston Baptist 0 7 1 8 Lost 8 z - indicates automatic bid
W L
W L Streak
East Alcorn State 5 2 6 3 Won 1 Alabama State 5 4 5 5 Lost 1 Jackson State 3 4 3 6 Lost 1 Alabama A&M 2 5 2 7 Lost 3 Mississippi Valley State 1 7 1 9 Won 1 West Grambling State (22) 8 0 8 2 Won 8 Prairie View A&M 7 1 7 2 Won 5 Southern University 6 2 6 4 Won 2 Texas Southern 2 6 3 6 Lost 3 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 8 1 9 Lost 8 Independents ETSU
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1
9
Lost 2
WEEKLY COACHES TOP-25 RANKINGS Nov. 16, 2015 -- Team Rec. Pts. Prev 1. Jacksonville State (24) 2. McNeese State (2) 3. North Dakota State 4. Coastal Carolina 5. South Dakota State 6. Illinois State 7. William & Mary 8. Charleston Southern 9. Chattanooga 10. James Madison 11. Portland State 12. Sam Houston State 13. North Carolina A&T 14. Fordham 15. Northern Iowa 16. Richmond 17. Montana 18. Southern Utah 19. Eastern Washington 20. Northern Arizona 21. Harvard 22. Bethune-Cookman 23. Dartmouth 24. The Citadel 25. Central Arkansas
Nov. 16, 2015 -- Team 1 Jacksonville State (145) 2 North Dakota State 3 McNeese State (10) 4 Coastal Carolina 5 South Dakota State 6 Illinois State 7 William & Mary 8 Chattanooga 9 Charleston Southern (1) 10 Sam Houston State 11 Portland State 12 James Madison 13 Fordham 14 Richmond 15 UNI 16 North Carolina A&T 17 Montana 18 Eastern Washington 19 Harvard 20 Southern Utah 21 Dartmouth 22 Grambling State 23 Eastern Kentucky 24 Northern Arizona 25 Citadel
9-1 9-0 8-2 9-1 8-2 8-2 8-2 9-1 8-2 8-2 8-2 7-3 9-1 9-2 6-4 7-3 6-4 7-3 6-4 7-3 8-1 8-2 8-1 7-3 7-3
Pts. 3886 3655 3555 3280 3247 3133 2949 2720 2589 2304 2212 2197 1746 1735 1618 1418 1270 1211 1127 942 718 491 464 414 398
648 616 592 559 544 531 486 464 440 408 368 327 312 295 256 229 188 185 184 138 114 111 93 92 70
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 16 18 14 17 19 12 22 15 10 25 13 23 24 20 NR
Rec. Prev. 9-1 1 8-2 2 9-0 3 9-1 4 8-2 5 8-2 6 8-2 7 8-2 8 9-1 11 7-3 13 8-2 15 8-2 14 9-2 16 7-3 9 6-4 17 9-1 19 6-4 22 6-4 10 8-1 12 7-3 18 8-1 23 8-2 25 6-4 24 7-3 NR 7-3 21
STATS ANNOUNCES WATCH LIST UPDATES
Nov. 17 -- Six players were added to the list of nominees for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Voting for the national honor will take place next week, with the top three vote-getters from 25 finalists getting invited to the STATS FCS Awards Banquet on Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, where the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year will be named. Case Cookus, Northern Arizona, QB, R-Fr., 6-4, 200, Thousand Oaks, California The Big Sky is a conference with a history of great quarterbacks, and Cookus stands out this year as the first freshman named to the Watch List. He has soared to a new level in the last month, accounting for seven touchdowns in a game twice and throwing for 18 TD passes with only one interception during Northern Arizona’s four-game winning streak. He has completed 189 of 266 attempts this season for an FCS-leading 71.1 completion percentage. He also leads the nation in passing efficiency (196.33) while throwing for 2,761 yards and an FCS freshman-record 33 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Austin Gahafer, Morehead State, QB, Jr., 6-0, 187, Louisville, Kentucky Like Cookus, Gahafer has earned a STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week accolade this season. The third-year starter is fourth among active FCS quarterbacks in career passing yards (8,247) and he’s the only non-senior among the group. He’s posted his best season as a junior, leading the Pioneer Football League in passing yards (2,977), passing yards per game (297.7), attempts (454), completions (259), touchdown passes (23) and total offense per game (294.6). Most importantly, he has helped lift Morehead to the upper echelon of the PFL standings. Jacobi Green, Richmond, RB, Sr. 5-9, 192, Jacksonville, Florida While enjoying his first 1,000-yard rushing season, Green has used a hard-charging style to rank second in CAA Football in rushing yards per game (106.8) and third in all-purpose yards per game (144.1), and he’s tied for the conference lead with 14 touchdowns. He’s an excellent pass catcher and can return kicks. His profile really took off after a career-high 236 rushing yards with five touchdowns (which tied a school single-game record) as the Spiders handed James Madison its first loss on Oct. 24. He’s hoping to help Richmond earn a share of the CAA title this weekend. KD Humphries, Murray State, QB, R-Jr., 6-3, 225, Montgomery, Alabama Asked to carry the Murray State offense, Humphries has responded all season. The Ohio Valley Conference standout has followed last year’s breakout campaign to rank among the top FCS quarterbacks as a redshirt junior. He leads all signal callers in the nation in passing yards (3,492), passing yards per game (349.2), completions (308) and attempts (487), throwing for 21 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He has a comfortable lead in completions per game (30.8) as he attempts to lead the FCS in that category for a second consecutive season. Mark Iannotti, Southern Illinois, QB, R-Sr., 6-2, 220, Schaumburg, Illinois After opening the season with a school-record 517 total yards (411 passing, 106 rushing) and five total touchdowns in Southern Illinois’ 48-47 loss at Indiana, Iannotti let it be known he would be among the top quarterbacks in not only the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but the FCS. He earned STATS FCS National Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. The gritty, accurate signal caller has the fifth-most passing yards (2,931) in the nation and ranks second in total offense (358.7 yards per game). He’s accounted for 31 touchdowns (22 passing, nine rushing) overall. Daniel Sams, McNeese State, QB, R-Sr., 6-2, 198, Slidell, Louisiana McNeese State coaches are smart - they want the ball in Sams’ hands as much as possible. The elusive signal caller has rushed for over 1,000 yards at two different schools - first at Kansas State before he transferred to McNeese before his junior campaign. He’s saved his best for last as he’s become a more polished passer while leading McNeese to an undefeated season and a Southland Conference championship. He’s averaging 241.9 total yards per game, which ranks second in the Southland Conference, passing for 1,404 yards and rushing for 773 more in nine games. He has 10 rushing touchdowns and nine passing scores. Other players on the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List are quarterbacks Scott Hosch of Harvard, Jacob Huesman of Chattanooga, Eli Jenkins of Jacksonville State, Troy Mitchell of Western Carolina, Dakota Prukop of Montana State, Alex Ross of Coastal Carolina, Dalyn Williams of Dartmouth and Johnathan Williams of Grambling State; running backs Kendell Anderson of William & Mary, Tarik Cohen of North Carolina A&T, Marshaun Coprich of Illinois State, Chase Edmonds of Fordham, Kade Harrington of Lamar, Johnta’ Hebert of Prairie View A&M and De’Angelo Henderson of Coastal Carolina; wide receivers Tyler Dube of Sacred Heart, Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington and Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State; and offensive tackle Joe Haeg of North Dakota State.
Nov. 18 -- Five new players dot the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, announced Wednesday of this week. Tyler Drake, Penn, LB, Sr., 6-2, 220, Plantation, Florida Penn has enjoyed a resurgence after two straight losing seasons with Drake as its top defensive playmaker working all over the field. He ranks first in the Ivy League in sacks (8.5), tackles for loss (12) and forced fumbles (four), and third in tackles per game (8.1). He helped the Quakers move into a tie for first place Saturday by ending Harvard’s FCS-high 22game winning streak. His younger brother Dylan also plays in the conference at Yale, with Tyler earning family bragging rights with a win last month. P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, DE, R-So., 6-1, 270, Seguin, Texas Hall had a slower-than-expected start this season while continually facing double-teams from opponents, but the third-place finisher for 2014 national freshman of the year has been on a recent tear in Southland Conference play, wrecking so many of his opponents’ game plans. He leads Sam Houston in tackles (45) - which isn’t common for a defensive end - as well as tackles for loss (12) and sacks (seven). He also has intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, forced a fumble, blocked a kick and broken up two passes. A year ago, he blocked an FCS-high five kicks. Stephen Hodge, Fordham, LB, R-Sr., 6-2, 196, Medford, New Jersey Hodge won the 2013 Patriot League defensive player of the year award and may win it again for Fordham’s nationally ranked team as he’s come back in a big way from a preseason knee injury a year ago. He fills the box score, as evident through his 109 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick. A wide receiver in high school, he uses his speed to his advantage as he flies around the field. John Hugunin, Drake, LB, R-Sr., 5-11, 232, Oswego, Illinois To emphasize Hugunin’s stellar play this season, note that his nine forced fumbles are four more than any other player in the FCS. He was named the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week for his 20-tackle game against Jacksonville, including 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He ranks third in the Pioneer Football League with 10.3 tackles per game and his 14 tackles for loss are tied for the second-most. In 10 games, he has 104 tackles with five sacks, three fumble recoveries, one interception, three pass breakups, one blocked punt and one safety. He will finish as Drake’s tackle leader for the third time in his career. Christian Kuntz, Duquesne, LB, R-Jr., 6-1, 210, Pittsburgh Like Hodge, Kuntz missed the 2014 season with a knee injury, but he’s made up for lost time while helping Duquesne move into first place in the Northeast Conference with a chance to earn the title and a first-ever bid to the FCS playoffs. While starring for the Dukes in his hometown of Pittsburgh, he has surpassed his 2013 total of 19.5 tackles for loss with 20.5 this season, which ranks third nationally. He’s third in the NEC with 6.5 sacks, and he has 59 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups, six quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Other players on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List are defensive ends James Cowser of Southern Utah, Keionta Davis of Chattanooga, Tyrone Holmes of Montana, Victor Ochi of Stony Brook, Derek Rivers of Youngstown State, Noah Spence of Eastern Kentucky and Chima Uzowihe of Liberty; defensive tackles Javon Hargrave of South Carolina State and O.J. Mau of Gardner-Webb; linebackers Kourtney Berry of Alabama State, Don Cherry of Villanova, Deon King of Norfolk State, Darnell Sankey of Sacramento State and Myke Tavarres of Incarnate Word; cornerbacks DeVonta “Dee” Delaney of The Citadel, Deiondre’ Hall of Northern Iowa, Jermaine Hough of Jacksonville State and Harlan Miller of Southeastern Louisiana; and safeties DeAndre Houston-Carson and William & Mary and Patrick Onwuasor of Portland State. A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the award winner.
EVERY DOWN. EVERY DAY.
FCSINSIDER.COM
NCAA INFO: ncaa.com/fcs • STATS: ncaa.com/stats/football/fcs
FCS HEADLINES u The NCAA Football Championship Selection Show is Sunday at 11 am ET (ESPNU). Several leagues have secured their AQ already. Other scenarios outlined in conference recaps. Big South: Charleston Southern | Ohio Valley: Jacksonville State Patriot: Colgate | Pioneer Football League: Dayton Southern: Chattanooga | Southland: McNeese State
u Two FCS teams are perfect: Dayton and McNeese State. Five additional FBS teams are perfect. The final Big South game between Liberty and Coastal Carolina is tonight at 7:00pm u on ESPNEWS. It will be the first time a conference game will air on one of ESPN’s linear networks, as well as the first league contest to be played on Thursday night. The teams are meeting the final week for the second consecutive year, and the series is tied, 6-6. u The FCS has 8 wins vs. FBS schools this year. A total of eight FCS teams defeated FBS schools in 2014. In 2013, the FCS set an all-time record with 16. Three top-25 FCS teams take on FBS schools this weekend. u A total of 23 STATS top-25 teams are in action, with a handful of intra-conference matchups this weekend. Ranking listed below is STATS Top-25 poll. CAA Football: #7 William & Mary at #14 Richmond, Saturday, 12 pm ET (ASN) Big Sky: #24 Northern Arizona at #20 Southern Utah, 5 pm ET (WatchBigSky.com) Big Sky: #11 Portland State at #18 Eastern Washington, 5 pm ET (SWX/ WatchBigSky.com) Southland: #10 Sam Houston St. at C. Arkansas, 7 pm ET (ESPN3) (UCA is #25 in the Coaches poll)
AA E
FACES of the FCS
Drafted in 2008 (from Delaware), Joe Flacco became just the second FCS QB ever selected in the first round and first since Steve McNair (Alcorn State) was the third-overall pick in 1995. He was the Super Bowl XLVII MVP.
BIG SKY -- Southern Utah, Portland State, Montana and Northern Arizona still can earn the Big Sky’s automatic bid, while Eastern Washington and North Dakota are in position to earn at-large bids. Portland State bested Southern Utah, 24-23, this past weekend to move to 8-2 on the season, with seven Division I wins, including two FBS wins. The Vikings are 4-0 against ranked teams this season, and can win the Big Sky’s bid with a win over Eastern Washington and a Northern Arizona win over Southern Utah.
In order to earn the conference’s AQ, Southern Utah needs to beat Northern Arizona at home, in the “Grand Canyon Rivalry.” Regardless of this weekend’s outcome, Southern Utah is guaranteed at least a share of the conference title. Montana stayed in playoff contention with a 57-16 win over Eastern Washington. Montana can win the Big Sky bid with a win over Montana State in the “Brawl of the Wild,” an Eastern Washington win over Portland State and a Northern Arizona win over Southern Utah. Northern Arizona can earn the bid with a win over Southern Utah, an Eastern Washington win over Portland State and a Montana State win over Montana. This week’s Big Sky football game on ROOT SPORTS features one of the league’s most storied rivalries, as Montana travels to Montana State for the “Brawl of the Wild,” in the quest to claim the Great Divide Trophy. The game will be nationally-televised on ROOT SPORTS, as well as DirecTV’s Audience Network. Fans and media can engage with the game using #BrawloftheWild, as well as #WHEREiROOT. OFFENSE: QB Case Cookus, N. Arizona | DEFENSE: DE Tyrone Holmes, Montana/CB Xavier Coleman, Portland St. | SPECIAL TEAMS: P Luke Daly, Montana St. BIG SOUTH -- Charleston Southern is the outright Big South Champion with its perfect 6-0 conference record. It is the Bucs’ first outright title
and second-ever conference crown, the first coming in 2005. CSU is just the second team in league history to finish 6-0 in Big South games, and marks the eighth time that the Big South champion completed an undefeated conference campaign. The Buccaneers are the fourth different program to capture the league’s automatic bid in the six seasons the Big South has been an AQ conference (since 2010).
Presbyterian College LB Donelle Williams needs seven tackles to become the third player in Big South history with 400 in a career, as he is third in league annals with 393 career stops. In addition, Williams is second all-time with 211 career solo tackles. Coastal Carolina RB De’Angelo Henderson and Monmouth RB Lavon Chaney are tied for second all-time in Big South history for most receptions by a RB (71). The record is 75 by Gardner-Webb’s David Montgomery (2006-09). Henderson is the Big South’s career leader for receiving yards by a RB (628), while Chaney is sixth (530).
OFF: WR Nathan Perera, Charleston Southern/QB Alex Ross, Coastal Carolina | DEF: DT Jabarai Bothwell, Coastal Carolina | STEAMS: P Truett Burns, Charleston Southern CAA FOOTBALL -- William & Mary’s week 11 victory over Towson secured the Tribe at least a share of the CAA Football title. William & Mary
can win the outright league title with a victory over Richmond. Richmond, JMU and Villanova each also remain alive for a share of the title.
Richmond RB Jacobi Green was added this week to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year watch list. He is second in CAA Football with 1,068 rushing yards, and leads the conference with 14 rushing TDs. He is also Richmond’s third-leading receiver with 22 catches for 299 yards. Stony Brook DL Victor Ochi continues his torrid stretch run of the season. He now has a CAA Football-best 11 sacks on the season, including 7.5 over his last four games.
OFFENSE: QB Steve Cluley, William & Mary | DEFENSE: S Cameron McCurry, Villanova | SPECIAL TEAMS: DB Kye Morgan, Stony Brook
IVY LEAGUE -- Harvard, Dartmouth and Penn enter the final weekend with a chance to share the 2015 Ivy League title. If all three win in their
season finales, it will be the first time the title is shared by three teams since 1982 (Harvard, Penn and Dartmouth at 5-2) and will be just the fourth occurrence in the League’s 60 official seasons. The other two were 1966 (Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton at 6-1) and 1969 (Dartmouth, Yale and Princeton at 6-1).
Penn has defeated two ranked teams in the same season for the first time since 2006 (at No. 22 Lafayette and vs. No. 17 Harvard). This year, the Quakers defeated No. 5/4 Villanova on Sept. 24. Former Harvard standout and current New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick became the all-time Ivy League leader in touchdown passes in the National Football League, tossing his 138th career pass on Nov. 12 against the Buffalo Bills. He surpassed Columbia’s Sid Luckman, who threw for 137 touchdowns with the Chicago Bears. The League closes the 2015 campaign with three nationally televised games -- back-to-back games on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra with Brown at Columbia on Friday night and 132nd playing of “The Game,” Harvard at Yale on Saturday and Princeton at Dartmouth on American Sports Network and The Ivy League Digital Network (ILDN) on Saturday. ILDN is also set for live coverage of Cornell at Penn on Saturday.
OFFENSE: WR Justin Watson, Penn | DEFENSE: CB Vernon Harris, Dartmouth | SPECIAL TEAMS: RB/RS Ryder Stone, Dartmouth
MEAC -- The MEAC’s tiebreaker is used to determine which team will serve as the MEAC representative in the Celebration Bowl against the SWAC champion. In the event of a tie for the Conference title, all teams included in the tie will share the title and be named Co-Champions. Any MEAC team that does not compete in the Celebration Bowl game is eligible to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I (FCS) Football Subdivision Championships.
If North Carolina A&T State defeats North Carolina Central, then North Carolina A&T State would be the conference’s outright regular season champion and serve as the MEAC’s representative in the inaugural Celebration Bowl game. Should North Carolina Central defeat North Carolina A&T State, coupled with a Bethune-Cookman loss, then North Carolina Central would share the conference title with North Carolina A&T State, however, North Carolina Central would receive the berth to the Celebration Bowl because of its head-to-head victory over N.C. A&T. In the event of a three-way tie, featuring Bethune-Cookman, North Carolina A&T State, and North Carolina Central, North Carolina A&T State would tentatively be the conference’s representative in the Celebration Bowl and all three teams would be named Co-Champions. North Carolina Central would be eliminated from the tiebreaker formula as the Eagles did not earn any points in the tiebreaker process with any wins against FBS or FCS teams, compared to Bethune-Cookman’s and North Carolina A&T State’s FCS non-conference victories. OFFENSE: QB David Watford, Hampton | DEFENSE: LB Deon King, Norfolk State | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Nigel Macauley, N.C. Central
MISSOURI VALLEY -- North Dakota State will earn the MVFC AQ with a win against Missouri State. The Bison could also earn the AQ with an Illinois State loss and a South Dakota State loss. Illinois State can only earn the AQ with a win (against South Dakota) and an NDSU loss. South Dakota State can only win the AQ with a win (at Western Illinois) and losses by NDSU and Illinois State. Four teams are ranked in the Top 15 for the seventh time this season (NDSU-2, South Dakota State-5, Illinois State-6, UNI-15). For the fourth time this season, three league teams are ranked among the Top 6. Illinois State will be looking to extend its FCS-best 17-game home win streak when it hosts South Dakota. South Dakota, meanwhile, will be looking to finish above .500 for the first time since joining the MVFC in 2012. The Coyotes are 5-5 headed into this weekend. As many as seven league teams could finish .500 or better this year. OFFENSE: RB Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State | DEFENSE: FS Nick Farina, South Dakota State | SPECIAL TEAMS: P/K Miles Bergner, South Dakota
NEC -- CSaint Francis, which can secure its first-ever Northeast Conference crown with a Week 12 win, features two of the nation’s top-ranked specialists. Junior Lorenzo Jerome (32.9 ypr) leads FCS in kickoff return average while classmate Lance Geesey (.941) owns the country’s highest field goal conversion percentage. Duquesne linebacker Christian Kuntz has played his way onto the STATS Inc. FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. After missing 2014 due to injury, the former All-American is tied for second in the nation with 20.5 tackles for loss and his four interceptions lead the NEC. Duquesne and Saint Francis will meet on November 21 at 12:00 pm ET in a game that can be seen live on ESPN3. The winner claims the NEC’s automatic FCS playoff berth.
OFFENSE: RB Otis Wright, Wagner | DEFENSE: DB Tim Hayes, Wagner | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Lance Geesey, Saint Francis
OHIO VALLEY -- With its win over Southeast Missouri last week Jacksonville State clinched at least a share of its fifth OVC Championship and second-straight. The Gamecocks have also won OVC Championships in 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2014. The five titles are the seventh-most in OVC history. If the team tops Murray State this weekend and completes a perfect 8-0 season, they would be only the 11th team to go 8-0 in OVC history and just the third program in OVC history to complete back-to-back perfect 8-0 seasons, joining the 1993 & 1994 Eastern Kentucky teams and the 1995 & 1996 Murray State squads. Tennessee Tech sophomore Brock McCoin is among rare company after the star wide receiver has been forced into playing quarterback. This season McCoin has a 200-yard receiving game, a 200-yard passing game and a 100-yard rushing game. McCoin had 264 receiving yards in the season opener at Houston, passed for 206 yards (and 3 touchdowns) against Austin Peay and also rushed for 115 yards in that game against the Governors. He is the only Division I (FBS or FCS) player since 1996 to accomplish that feat in a single season.
OFFENSE: QB Bennie Coney, E. Kentucky/ RB Ladarius Vanlier, Tennessee Tech | DEFENSE: DL Dino Fanti, EIU | SPECIAL TEAMS: RS Cameron Sanders, SEMO
PATRIOT –- After claiming a share of the Patriot League title and the League’s automatic FCS Playoff berth last week, Colgate looks to finish the job with an unbeaten League record and outright title when it hosts Bucknell on Saturday. The Raiders have won their eighth Patriot League title overall, and now go for their fifth outright crown and fifth undefeated season with the previous years in each category coming in 1997, 2003, 2008 and 2012. Fordham finished its regular season at 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League with a 38-31 win over Georgetown on Saturday. The Rams are ranked at No. 13/14 in the national polls, and will now wait until Sunday to find out if they make the FCS Playoffs with an at-large bid. Fordham would also share the Patriot League title if Colgate loses to Bucknell on Saturday. The Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry heads to its 151st meeting with the Leopards holding a 78-67-5 advantage in the series and wins in the past two meetings. The teams first met in 1884, and the matchup has been played at least once every year since with the exception of 1896 to land as the most-played rivalry in all of college football. OFFENSE: QB Jake Melville, Colgate | DEFENSE: LB Stephen Hodge, Fordham | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Alejandro Cardenas, Fordham
STATS NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (NOV. 14) OFFENSIVE: Justin Watson, Penn, WR, So., 6-3, 210, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania DEFENSIVE: Dino Fanti, Eastern Illinois, DT, R-Sr., 6-1, 265, Venice, Florida SPECIAL TEAMS: Luke Daly, Montana State, PK, R-So., 6-2, 185, Billings, Montana FRESHMAN: Sean McGuire, Western Illinois, QB, R-Fr., 6-3, 220, Franklin, Wisconsin COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS ALL-STARS (NOV. 14) Case Cookus Northern Arizona, QB, Fr., 6-4, 200, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State, RB, Sr., 5-9, 205, Sr., Victorville, Calif. Justin Watson, Pennsylvania, WR, So., 6-3, 210, Bridgeville, Penn. Bennie Coney, Eastern Kentucky, QB, Jr., 6-2, 211, Plant City, Fla. Dino Fanti, Eastern Illinois, DT, R-Sr., 6-1, 265, Venice, Florida
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PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE -- Dayton has clinched its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship (owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with San Diego in case of a tie) and now seeks sole possession of its 12th PFL Championship (it claimed a share with its Week 11 win) when it travels to Drake. The Flyers, whose 12-game win streak now is the longest in the FCS, enter the regular season’s final week as one of only two FCS teams without a loss this season (McNeese State). Drake will seek to put a mark on Dayton’s clean slate in a game played at Drake Stadium where it is 4-0 this season, the Bulldogs also have won the last two meetings in the series.
San Diego looks to cap its fourth straight one-loss PFL campaign when it hosts Butler which enters the game seeking to stay above .500 in PFL play with a win. The Toreros posted their fifth-straight win at Davidson last Saturday, scoring more than 30 points for the fourth consecutive game. Morehead State will seek to cap its best season since 2007 (winning overall record and third in PFL race) when it travels to Marist, which has won its last three at home. OFF: Jake Raymond, MSU/Matt Shiltz, Butler | DEF: Justin Grier, MSU/Andrew Hooks, Jacksonville | ST: Brandon Behr, Jacksonville
SOUTHERN -- With a 31-23 win over The Citadel on Saturday, Chattanooga earned a share of the Southern Conference regular season title and won the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. It is the third straight season the Mocs have won at least a share of the league championship. Chattanooga travels to Florida State while The Citadel visits South Carolina on Saturday. Southern Conference teams have combined for 28 wins over FBS programs, including Furman’s 16-15 win at Central Florida on September 19. With a win at VMI Saturday, Western Carolina can post back-to-back seven-win seasons for the first time since 1983-84.
OFFENSE: QB Jacob Huesman, Chattanooga | DEFENSE: S Zach Jackson, Mercer | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Anthony Pistelli, Samford
SOUTHLAND -- McNeese State can win the Southland championship outright Saturday with a win against Lamar. The Cowboys, who have already secured the league’s automatic bid, have a one-game lead over Central Arkansas. The Bears will face Sam Houston State in a pivotal conference game for postseason hopes. The Bears can share the conference crown with a win and a McNeese loss. Lamar junior running back Kade Harrington has shattered the league’s single-season rushing record and is now only the seventh player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000+ yards in only 10 games. Harrington, who has 2,022 yards so far this season, is now Lamar’s all-time leading rushing and has set the school record for most 100-yard rushing games in his career. McNeese State will look to become only the ninth team in the 52 years of Southland football to finish the regular season undefeated (Arkansas State – 1970, 1975; Louisiana Tech – 1972, 1974; McNeese State – 1979, 1995, 2007; Sam Houston State – 2011). OFFENSE: QB Zach Conque, Stephen F. Austin | DEFENSE: CB Brendan Langley, Lamar | SPECIAL TEAMS: PK Jace Denker, Central Arkansas
SWAC -- Thanks to Grambling State’s 49-31 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, half of the 2015 Toyota SWAC Football Championship is set. The Tigers have clinched the SWAC Western Division and will face the Eastern Division champion. Their first appearance since 2011 In the SWAC Eastern Division, Alcorn State is poised to clinch a chance to defend the SWAC Championship. If the Braves defeat Alabama A&M this weekend, they will wrap up the Eastern Division. However, both Alabama State and Jackson State are mathematically still alive in the division race. The Hornets have completed their conference slate with a 5-4 record, and if Jackson State wins out -- the Tigers play Alcorn State in their season finale -- JSU would also have a 5-4 conference record. At this point, various tie-breakers come into play. Lenard Tillery is officially the all-time leading rusher in Southern University history after his fifth-straight 100-yard outing last week. Tillery is the only player in the conference that has rushed for 1,000 yards this season, as he sits on 1121 rushing yards (ninth in FCS) and 13 scores (sixth in FCS). Tillery, who is a junior, has amassed 3,050 yards thus far at SUBR and needs 87 yards in his season finale vs. Grambling State to top his rush total from last season. OFFENSE: QB Lenorris Footman, Alcorn State | DEFENSE: LB Aaron Tiller, Southern | SPECIAL TEAMS: P Jonathan Wallace, Grambling State
2015 FCS STANDINGS (thru Nov. 14)
Conf | All Games
Big Sky Conference Standings
Northeast Conference Standings
Southwestern Athletic Conference Standings
Team
Team
Team
W L
W L Streak
Southern Utah (20) 6 1 7 3 Lost 1 Portland State (11) 5 2 8 2 Won 1 Montana (17) 5 2 6 4 Won 2 Northern Arizona (24) 5 2 7 3 Won 4 Eastern Washington (18) 5 2 6 4 Lost 2 Weber State 4 3 5 5 Won 1 North Dakota 4 3 6 4 Won 2 Montana State 3 4 5 5 Won 1 Cal Poly 3 4 4 6 Won 2 Northern Colorado 3 5 5 5 Lost 1 Idaho State 1 6 2 8 Lost 4 Sacramento State 1 6 2 8 Lost 2 UC Davis 1 6 1 9 Lost 4 Big South Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Charleston Southern (9) 6 0 9 1 Won 8 Coastal Carolina (4) 4 1 9 1 Won 2 Kennesaw State 2 3 6 4 Lost 2 Monmouth 2 3 4 6 Won 1 Gardner-Webb 2 3 4 6 Won 1 Liberty 2 3 5 5 Lost 1 Presbyterian 0 5 1 9 Lost 7 CAA Football Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
William & Mary (7) 6 1 8 2 Won 6 Villanova 5 2 6 4 Won 3 Richmond (14) 5 2 7 3 Lost 2 James Madison (12) 5 2 8 2 Won 1 New Hampshire 4 3 6 4 Won 3 Towson 4 3 6 4 Lost 1 Elon 3 4 4 6 Won 1 Maine 3 4 3 7 Lost 3 Albany 2 5 3 7 Lost 1 Stony Brook 2 5 4 5 Won 2 Delaware 2 5 3 7 Lost 3 Rhode Island 1 6 1 9 Lost 4 Ivy League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
Harvard (19) 5 1 8 1 Lost 1 Dartmouth (21) 5 1 8 1 Won 2 Penn 5 1 6 3 Won 5 Yale 3 3 6 3 Won 2 Brown 2 4 4 5 Lost 3 Princeton 2 4 5 4 Lost 2 Cornell 1 5 1 8 Won 1 Columbia 1 5 2 7 Lost 2 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
North Carolina A&T (16) 7 0 9 1 Won 8 Bethune-Cookman 6 1 8 2 Won 3 North Carolina Central 6 1 7 3 Won 6 South Carolina State 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Hampton 5 3 6 5 Won 2 Morgan State 4 3 4 5 Won 1 Norfolk State 3 4 3 7 Lost 1 Howard 1 6 1 9 Lost 2 Savannah State 1 6 1 8 Lost 5 Florida A&M 1 6 1 9 Lost 3 Delaware State 0 7 0 10 Lost 10 Missouri Valley Football Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
North Dakota State (2) 6 1 8 2 Won 4 Illinois State (6) 6 1 8 2 Won 1 South Dakota State (5) 5 2 8 2 Won 3 Western Illinois 4 3 5 5 Won 1 UNI (15) 4 3 6 4 Won 4 Youngstown State 3 4 5 5 Lost 1 South Dakota 3 4 5 5 Lost 1 Indiana State 2 5 4 6 Lost 4 Southern Illinois 2 5 3 7 Lost 3 Missouri State 0 7 1 9 Lost 8
W L
W L Streak
Duquesne 4 1 7 3 Won 3 Saint Francis U 4 1 6 3 Won 3 Bryant 3 2 5 5 Lost 1 Central Connecticut State 3 3 4 7 Lost 2 Sacred Heart 2 3 5 5 Won 1 Robert Morris 1 4 3 7 Lost 1 Wagner 1 4 1 9 Won 1 Ohio Valley Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Jacksonville State (1) 7 0 9 1 Won 8 Eastern Illinois 6 1 6 4 Won 1 UT Martin 5 2 6 4 Lost 1 Eastern Kentucky (23) 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Southeast Missouri State 3 3 4 6 Lost 1 Tennessee Tech 2 5 3 7 Won 1 Murray State 2 5 3 7 Lost 1 Tennessee State 1 5 4 5 Lost 1 Austin Peay 0 8 0 11 Lost 11 Patriot League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Colgate 5 0 6 4 Won 4 Fordham (13) 5 1 9 2 Won 2 Lehigh 3 2 5 5 Lost 1 Holy Cross 2 3 5 5 Won 1 Georgetown 2 3 4 6 Lost 2 Bucknell 1 4 4 6 Lost 2 Lafayette 0 5 1 9 Lost 6 Pioneer Football League Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Dayton 7 0 10 0 Won 10 San Diego 6 1 8 2 Won 5 Jacksonville 5 2 8 2 Won 2 Morehead State 5 2 6 4 Won 1 Marist 4 3 5 5 Lost 1 Butler 4 3 6 4 Won 2 Drake 3 4 4 6 Lost 2 Campbell 3 5 5 6 Lost 2 Stetson 1 6 3 7 Won 1 Valparaiso 1 6 1 8 Lost 5 Davidson 0 7 1 9 Lost 5 Southern Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-Chattanooga (8) 6 1 8 2 Won 1 Citadel (25) 6 1 7 3 Lost 1 Western Carolina 4 2 6 4 Lost 1 Samford 2 4 5 5 Won 2 Mercer 2 4 5 5 Won 2 Wofford 2 4 4 6 Lost 1 Furman 2 4 4 6 Lost 2 VMI 1 5 2 8 Lost 2 Southland Conference Standings Team
W L
W L Streak
z-McNeese State (3) 8 0 9 0 Won 9 Central Arkansas 7 1 7 3 Won 4 Sam Houston State (10) 6 2 7 3 Won 1 Lamar 4 4 5 5 Won 1 Stephen F. Austin 4 4 4 6 Won 1 Incarnate Word 4 4 5 5 Lost 1 Southeastern Louisiana 3 5 4 6 Lost 3 Northwestern State 3 5 3 7 Lost 1 Abilene Christian 3 6 3 7 Won 1 Nicholls 2 6 2 8 Lost 1 Houston Baptist 0 7 1 8 Lost 8 z - indicates automatic bid
W L
W L Streak
East Alcorn State 5 2 6 3 Won 1 Alabama State 5 4 5 5 Lost 1 Jackson State 3 4 3 6 Lost 1 Alabama A&M 2 5 2 7 Lost 3 Mississippi Valley State 1 7 1 9 Won 1 West Grambling State (22) 8 0 8 2 Won 8 Prairie View A&M 7 1 7 2 Won 5 Southern University 6 2 6 4 Won 2 Texas Southern 2 6 3 6 Lost 3 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 0 8 1 9 Lost 8 Independents ETSU
---- ----
1
9
Lost 2
WEEKLY COACHES TOP-25 RANKINGS Nov. 16, 2015 -- Team Rec. Pts. Prev 1. Jacksonville State (24) 2. McNeese State (2) 3. North Dakota State 4. Coastal Carolina 5. South Dakota State 6. Illinois State 7. William & Mary 8. Charleston Southern 9. Chattanooga 10. James Madison 11. Portland State 12. Sam Houston State 13. North Carolina A&T 14. Fordham 15. Northern Iowa 16. Richmond 17. Montana 18. Southern Utah 19. Eastern Washington 20. Northern Arizona 21. Harvard 22. Bethune-Cookman 23. Dartmouth 24. The Citadel 25. Central Arkansas
Nov. 16, 2015 -- Team 1 Jacksonville State (145) 2 North Dakota State 3 McNeese State (10) 4 Coastal Carolina 5 South Dakota State 6 Illinois State 7 William & Mary 8 Chattanooga 9 Charleston Southern (1) 10 Sam Houston State 11 Portland State 12 James Madison 13 Fordham 14 Richmond 15 UNI 16 North Carolina A&T 17 Montana 18 Eastern Washington 19 Harvard 20 Southern Utah 21 Dartmouth 22 Grambling State 23 Eastern Kentucky 24 Northern Arizona 25 Citadel
9-1 9-0 8-2 9-1 8-2 8-2 8-2 9-1 8-2 8-2 8-2 7-3 9-1 9-2 6-4 7-3 6-4 7-3 6-4 7-3 8-1 8-2 8-1 7-3 7-3
Pts. 3886 3655 3555 3280 3247 3133 2949 2720 2589 2304 2212 2197 1746 1735 1618 1418 1270 1211 1127 942 718 491 464 414 398
648 616 592 559 544 531 486 464 440 408 368 327 312 295 256 229 188 185 184 138 114 111 93 92 70
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 16 18 14 17 19 12 22 15 10 25 13 23 24 20 NR
Rec. Prev. 9-1 1 8-2 2 9-0 3 9-1 4 8-2 5 8-2 6 8-2 7 8-2 8 9-1 11 7-3 13 8-2 15 8-2 14 9-2 16 7-3 9 6-4 17 9-1 19 6-4 22 6-4 10 8-1 12 7-3 18 8-1 23 8-2 25 6-4 24 7-3 NR 7-3 21
STATS ANNOUNCES WATCH LIST UPDATES
Nov. 17 -- Six players were added to the list of nominees for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. Voting for the national honor will take place next week, with the top three vote-getters from 25 finalists getting invited to the STATS FCS Awards Banquet on Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, where the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year will be named. Case Cookus, Northern Arizona, QB, R-Fr., 6-4, 200, Thousand Oaks, California The Big Sky is a conference with a history of great quarterbacks, and Cookus stands out this year as the first freshman named to the Watch List. He has soared to a new level in the last month, accounting for seven touchdowns in a game twice and throwing for 18 TD passes with only one interception during Northern Arizona’s four-game winning streak. He has completed 189 of 266 attempts this season for an FCS-leading 71.1 completion percentage. He also leads the nation in passing efficiency (196.33) while throwing for 2,761 yards and an FCS freshman-record 33 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Austin Gahafer, Morehead State, QB, Jr., 6-0, 187, Louisville, Kentucky Like Cookus, Gahafer has earned a STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week accolade this season. The third-year starter is fourth among active FCS quarterbacks in career passing yards (8,247) and he’s the only non-senior among the group. He’s posted his best season as a junior, leading the Pioneer Football League in passing yards (2,977), passing yards per game (297.7), attempts (454), completions (259), touchdown passes (23) and total offense per game (294.6). Most importantly, he has helped lift Morehead to the upper echelon of the PFL standings. Jacobi Green, Richmond, RB, Sr. 5-9, 192, Jacksonville, Florida While enjoying his first 1,000-yard rushing season, Green has used a hard-charging style to rank second in CAA Football in rushing yards per game (106.8) and third in all-purpose yards per game (144.1), and he’s tied for the conference lead with 14 touchdowns. He’s an excellent pass catcher and can return kicks. His profile really took off after a career-high 236 rushing yards with five touchdowns (which tied a school single-game record) as the Spiders handed James Madison its first loss on Oct. 24. He’s hoping to help Richmond earn a share of the CAA title this weekend. KD Humphries, Murray State, QB, R-Jr., 6-3, 225, Montgomery, Alabama Asked to carry the Murray State offense, Humphries has responded all season. The Ohio Valley Conference standout has followed last year’s breakout campaign to rank among the top FCS quarterbacks as a redshirt junior. He leads all signal callers in the nation in passing yards (3,492), passing yards per game (349.2), completions (308) and attempts (487), throwing for 21 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He has a comfortable lead in completions per game (30.8) as he attempts to lead the FCS in that category for a second consecutive season. Mark Iannotti, Southern Illinois, QB, R-Sr., 6-2, 220, Schaumburg, Illinois After opening the season with a school-record 517 total yards (411 passing, 106 rushing) and five total touchdowns in Southern Illinois’ 48-47 loss at Indiana, Iannotti let it be known he would be among the top quarterbacks in not only the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but the FCS. He earned STATS FCS National Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. The gritty, accurate signal caller has the fifth-most passing yards (2,931) in the nation and ranks second in total offense (358.7 yards per game). He’s accounted for 31 touchdowns (22 passing, nine rushing) overall. Daniel Sams, McNeese State, QB, R-Sr., 6-2, 198, Slidell, Louisiana McNeese State coaches are smart - they want the ball in Sams’ hands as much as possible. The elusive signal caller has rushed for over 1,000 yards at two different schools - first at Kansas State before he transferred to McNeese before his junior campaign. He’s saved his best for last as he’s become a more polished passer while leading McNeese to an undefeated season and a Southland Conference championship. He’s averaging 241.9 total yards per game, which ranks second in the Southland Conference, passing for 1,404 yards and rushing for 773 more in nine games. He has 10 rushing touchdowns and nine passing scores. Other players on the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List are quarterbacks Scott Hosch of Harvard, Jacob Huesman of Chattanooga, Eli Jenkins of Jacksonville State, Troy Mitchell of Western Carolina, Dakota Prukop of Montana State, Alex Ross of Coastal Carolina, Dalyn Williams of Dartmouth and Johnathan Williams of Grambling State; running backs Kendell Anderson of William & Mary, Tarik Cohen of North Carolina A&T, Marshaun Coprich of Illinois State, Chase Edmonds of Fordham, Kade Harrington of Lamar, Johnta’ Hebert of Prairie View A&M and De’Angelo Henderson of Coastal Carolina; wide receivers Tyler Dube of Sacred Heart, Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington and Jake Wieneke of South Dakota State; and offensive tackle Joe Haeg of North Dakota State.
Nov. 18 -- Five new players dot the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, announced Wednesday of this week. Tyler Drake, Penn, LB, Sr., 6-2, 220, Plantation, Florida Penn has enjoyed a resurgence after two straight losing seasons with Drake as its top defensive playmaker working all over the field. He ranks first in the Ivy League in sacks (8.5), tackles for loss (12) and forced fumbles (four), and third in tackles per game (8.1). He helped the Quakers move into a tie for first place Saturday by ending Harvard’s FCS-high 22game winning streak. His younger brother Dylan also plays in the conference at Yale, with Tyler earning family bragging rights with a win last month. P.J. Hall, Sam Houston State, DE, R-So., 6-1, 270, Seguin, Texas Hall had a slower-than-expected start this season while continually facing double-teams from opponents, but the third-place finisher for 2014 national freshman of the year has been on a recent tear in Southland Conference play, wrecking so many of his opponents’ game plans. He leads Sam Houston in tackles (45) - which isn’t common for a defensive end - as well as tackles for loss (12) and sacks (seven). He also has intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, forced a fumble, blocked a kick and broken up two passes. A year ago, he blocked an FCS-high five kicks. Stephen Hodge, Fordham, LB, R-Sr., 6-2, 196, Medford, New Jersey Hodge won the 2013 Patriot League defensive player of the year award and may win it again for Fordham’s nationally ranked team as he’s come back in a big way from a preseason knee injury a year ago. He fills the box score, as evident through his 109 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick. A wide receiver in high school, he uses his speed to his advantage as he flies around the field. John Hugunin, Drake, LB, R-Sr., 5-11, 232, Oswego, Illinois To emphasize Hugunin’s stellar play this season, note that his nine forced fumbles are four more than any other player in the FCS. He was named the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week for his 20-tackle game against Jacksonville, including 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He ranks third in the Pioneer Football League with 10.3 tackles per game and his 14 tackles for loss are tied for the second-most. In 10 games, he has 104 tackles with five sacks, three fumble recoveries, one interception, three pass breakups, one blocked punt and one safety. He will finish as Drake’s tackle leader for the third time in his career. Christian Kuntz, Duquesne, LB, R-Jr., 6-1, 210, Pittsburgh Like Hodge, Kuntz missed the 2014 season with a knee injury, but he’s made up for lost time while helping Duquesne move into first place in the Northeast Conference with a chance to earn the title and a first-ever bid to the FCS playoffs. While starring for the Dukes in his hometown of Pittsburgh, he has surpassed his 2013 total of 19.5 tackles for loss with 20.5 this season, which ranks third nationally. He’s third in the NEC with 6.5 sacks, and he has 59 tackles, four interceptions, six pass breakups, six quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Other players on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year Watch List are defensive ends James Cowser of Southern Utah, Keionta Davis of Chattanooga, Tyrone Holmes of Montana, Victor Ochi of Stony Brook, Derek Rivers of Youngstown State, Noah Spence of Eastern Kentucky and Chima Uzowihe of Liberty; defensive tackles Javon Hargrave of South Carolina State and O.J. Mau of Gardner-Webb; linebackers Kourtney Berry of Alabama State, Don Cherry of Villanova, Deon King of Norfolk State, Darnell Sankey of Sacramento State and Myke Tavarres of Incarnate Word; cornerbacks DeVonta “Dee” Delaney of The Citadel, Deiondre’ Hall of Northern Iowa, Jermaine Hough of Jacksonville State and Harlan Miller of Southeastern Louisiana; and safeties DeAndre Houston-Carson and William & Mary and Patrick Onwuasor of Portland State. A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the award winner.
