What a wild weekend it was in the Football Championship Subdivision. This weekend saw nine ranked teams lose, with only three of those losses coming against fellow ranked foes. Three teams in the Top 10 fell, and seven in the Top 20, which should make for quite the shakeup come this week’s rankings. Last year’s national runner-up Delaware lost, along with long-time power Appalachian State. This kind of unpredictable football is what makes the FCS so enjoyable.
Now, let’s recap some of the highlights:
Maine 31, No. 6 Delaware 17
Delaware QB Tim Donnell threw four interceptions and really hurt his team’s chances of coming away, as Maine scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a come from behind win. This was a statement game for the Black Bears who are now 3-1 on the season with their only loss to Pittsburgh. Look for them to possibly make a jump into the Top 25 this week after being only a few votes short last week.
North Dakota 26, No. 17 Southern Utah 20
In a game where Southern Utah didn’t make mistakes, they just failed to make enough stops. North Dakota RB Jake Miller had a huge day carrying the ball 32 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. His ability to keep the clock moving and sustain drives did Southern Utah in. The North Dakota defense also did its part adding six tackles for loss and three sacks in the winning effort.
No. 8 Wofford 28, No. 3 Appalachian State 14
Appalachian State has had defensive issues all season long and they were exposed badly on Saturday as Wofford put up 388 total rushing yards and four touchdowns. Wofford controlled the clock holding the ball for 38:30 and just wore down App State. Fullback Eric Breitenstein saw 33 carries for 173 yards, while RB Donovan Johnson got 10 carries for 75 yards and two scores.
No. 9 James Madison 31, No. 10 Richmond 7
Any time you finish a game with -12 rushing yards there is probably a good chance you lost. That’s what happened to Richmond as they compiled only 118 total yards and fell to James Madison. JMU RB Jordan Anderson went off on Richmond’s defense as he toted the rock 13 times for 162 yards two TD’s. Those rushing numbers are quite staggering when you factor in the fact that JMU’s starting QB was suspended earlier in the week and many expected them to lean heavily on their running game.
No. 4 Montana State 31, No. 25 Sacramento State 21
Everybody wants to talk about QB Denarius McGhee and what he is doing for Montana State, but Sacramento State will tell you that there are two other names to know. RB Cody Kirk rumbled for 135 yards and a score on 25 touches, and WR Elvis Akpla hauled in six passes for 174 yards and two TD’s. If Montana State can keep up this kind of balanced attack they may be able to punch their ticket to Frisco.
Norfolk State 17, No. 22 South Carolina State 14
Norfolk State was dominant defensively and firmly put themselves into contention for the MEAC title with this victory. Norfolk State dominated South Carolina State defensively, allowing only 220 total yards, with three sacks to go along with 13 tackles for loss, in a game where it seemed like every snap saw a Norfolk player break through South Carolina State’s offensive line. LB Jamal Giddens led the way on defense with seven tackles, two TFL’s and 1.5 sacks.
Western Illinois 27, No. 12 Southern Illinois 21
In the biggest upset of the weekend, 1-3 Western Illinois took it to Southern Illinois. QB Josh Hudson led the charge for Western Illinois as he went 20 of 30 for 307 yards and four TD’s. He found his favorite target WR Terrian Crum five times for 163 yards and two touchdowns on the way to the victory. Southern Illinois better find their game fast, as they have another big test this coming weekend in North Dakota State.
Citadel 28, No. 15 Chattanooga 27
Another SOCON game and another team that could not stop the option attack, as the Citadel got one of its biggest victories in school history. Known more for its military training and prestige, Citadel was effective in keeping the Chattanooga defense off balance and guessing. They utilized the talents of RB’s Ben Dupree, Aaron Miller, and Darian Robinson to the tune of 219 yards and three touchdowns. They also got after QB BJ Coleman who finished 19 of 33 for 253 yards with one touchdown, and 2 INT’s.
Old Dominion 48, No. 20 Massachusetts 33
Any coach will tell you that if you want a sure fire way to lose a game, just commit an obscene amount of penalties. UMass did just that with 11 penalties for 110 yards on Saturday. Despite UMass being able to knock starting QB Thomas DeMarco out of Saturday’s game back up Taylor Heinicke came in and was just as effective. Combined the two QB’s went 22 of 35 for 338 yards, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. Three ODU wide receivers went over 50 yards as the Monarchs spread the ball around and their defense got to UMass for five sacks and nine TFL.
When you play in a division of football that has the playoffs, every week and every game is vital. Unlike the upper division some losses can prove deadly and the talent disparity is just not there. Weekends like this are what make watching FCS football so enjoyable, because unlike the FBS level, it truly is any given Saturday.
Now let’s look at some games to keep an eye on this week:
Chattanooga vs. Georgia Southern
We aren’t sure where Chattanooga will fall to but we know where Georgia Southern will be: No. 1.
North Dakota State vs. Southern Illinois
ND State broke into the Top 25 last week, and they’ll move up some this week and get a shot at putting the Salukis on a losing streak.
Indiana State vs. Northern Iowa
This game may be the game to watch as both teams come in red hot and Northern Iowa is No. 2 in the country. Indiana State is explosive however and could be primed for the upset.
William & Mary vs. Delaware
Anytime these two CAA foes get together it has big time implications and this season is no different. Delaware will fall out of the top 10 with their loss last weekend, but will have a chance for revenge on Saturday.
Follow Matthew Elder on Twitter @MatthewCElder.
