FCS Top 25 Roundup – Week 12
(SportsNetwork.com) – The James Madison Dukes surely have been asking, “What took so long?”
The Dukes finally made it into The Sports Network FCS Top 25 this past week, and the nation’s 25th-ranked squad more than validated it on the road Saturday with a 55-20 rout of No. 14 Richmond in a key CAA Football matchup.
JMU (8-3, 5-2) pushed its winning streak to six games and remained one of the hottest teams in the FCS while handing Richmond (7-4, 4-3) its second straight defeat and putting the Spiders in must-win mode next Saturday night against William & Mary as far as their playoff chances are concerned.
All JMU has to do to reach the postseason in coach Everett Withers’ first season is win a home game over struggling Elon next Saturday.
“Our guys have stepped up and made plays. Very consistent when we’ve had to (be) in the last six weeks,” Withers said.
Taylor Reynolds ignited JMU’s win by returning two interceptions for touchdowns (55 and 46 yards). He also forced two touchdown-saving fumbles, had eight tackles and two pass breakups.
Quarterback Vad Lee threw for a school-record 433 yards with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), opening the scoring with a 93-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre’ Smith in the first quarter. Lee set a new single- season passing yardage record with 3,066 yards.
JMU forced five turnovers. That makes Richmond minus-16 on turnovers in its four losses.
Spiders quarterback Michael Strauss returned from an ankle injury after missing four straight games and passed for 225 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions.
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Thursday, Nov. 13
Hampton (3-8, 2-5 MEAC) 40, No. 20 Bethune-Cookman (8-3, 5-2) 35
Bethune-Cookman was knocked out of first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and suffered a blow toward earning an FCS playoff bid.
On Senior Night at Hampton, freshman quarterback Jerrell Antoine keyed the upset by completing 21-of-34 passes for a career-high 249 yards and five touchdowns.
Bethune entered the game ranked No. 1 in the FCS in allowing 225.7 yards per game, but surrendered 422 yards to Hampton. Anthony Jordan ran for 81 yards and three TDs to pace Bethune’s offense.
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Saturday, Nov. 15
No. 1 New Hampshire (9-1, 7-0 CAA) 43, Delaware (6-5, 4-3) 14
Back at No. 1 for the first time since 2006, New Hampshire clinched at least a share of the CAA Football title. The Wildcats also tied a single-season school record for consecutive wins and matched the program’s all-time longest winning streak (last accomplished 1950-51).
Quarterback Sean Goldrich completed 24-of-33 pass attempts for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Tight end Harold Spears caught eight passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns.
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No. 2 Coastal Carolina (11-0, 4-0 Big South) 52,
Monmouth (5-5, 0-4) 21
Coastal Carolina quarterback Alex Ross threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another 66 yards and a score.
De’Angelo Henderson rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown. The Chanticleers have won 26 of their last 27 regular-season games against FCS opponents.
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No. 3 Jacksonville State (9-1, 7-0 OVC) 27, Eastern Illinois (5-6, 5-2) 20
Jacksonville State captured the Ohio Valley Conference title and its automatic bid and ended Eastern Illinois’ hope for a postseason bid.
Quarterback Eli Jenkins passed for 288 yards and a touchdown, while running back DaMarcus James rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown.
EIU quarterback Jalen Whitlow was intercepted twice, including Darius Jackson’s 27-yard return for a touchdown which gave the Gamecocks a 27-17 lead in the fourth quarter.
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No. 4 North Dakota State (10-1, 6-1 Missouri Valley) 45,
Missouri State (4-7, 1-6) 10
One week after its FCS-record 33-game winning streak ended, three-time reigning national champion North Dakota State rolled behind quarterback Carson Wentz’s five touchdown passes, which included two to tight end Connor Wentz, who is unrelated to him.
John Crockett carried the ball 27 times for 177 yards and one touchdown.
Defensive end Kyle Emanuel had a team-high 10 tackles with two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception for the Bison.
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No. 5 Eastern Washington (9-2, 6-1 Big Sky), Idle
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Albany (6-4, 2-4 CAA) at No. 6 Villanova (8-2, 5-1), (n)
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No. 7 Fordham (10-1, 6-0 Patriot) 52, Georgetown (2-8, 0-5) 7
Kendall Pearcey rushed for three touchdowns as Fordham completed an undefeated season in the Patriot League.
Quarterback Peter Maetzold threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Nebrich, who had missed the last two games following an appendectomy, returned to go 12-for-17 for 67 yards.
Fordham, which has won nine straight games, will close the regular season at Army next Saturday.
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No. 8 Illinois State (9-1, 6-1 Missouri Valley) 45,
South Dakota (2-9, 0-7) 26
Illinois State running back Marshaun Coprich rushed for 221 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and quarterback Tre Roberson had 297 total yards with three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing).
Cameron Meredith caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
The Redbirds are tied for first place in the Missouri Valley with North Dakota State.
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No. 9 Chattanooga (8-3) 38, Tennessee Tech (4-67) 17
Chattanooga quarterback Jacob Huesman was 21-for-27 for 234 yards and four touchdowns with one interception, and rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown.
The Southern Conference champion Mocs have won five straight games and eight of nine.
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No. 11 Northern Iowa (7-4, 5-2 Missouri Valley) 40,
Southern Illinois (6-5, 3-4) 21
UNI quarterback Brion Carnes threw for two touchdowns and running back David Johnson rushed for a pair.
Panthers defensive back Tim Kilfroy scored on a 7-yard interception return – one of four Southern Illinois turnovers.
The Salukis got a pair of touchdown receptions from tight end MyCole Pruitt.
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No. 12 Montana State (8-3, 6-1 Big Sky) 44,
Idaho State (7-4, 5-2) 39
Montana State quarterback Jake Bleskin started the game and passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while Anthony Knight rushed for three scores.
For Idaho State, whose five-winning streak was snapped, quarterback Justin Arias was 20-for-31 for 343 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
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No. 10 Southeastern Louisiana (8-3, 6-1 Southland) 28,
No. 13 McNeese State (6-4, 4-3) 9
Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Bryan Bennett threw for four touchdowns on his 10 completions to keep Southeastern Louisiana in a tie for first place in the Southland Conference with Sam Houston State.
Jeff Smiley had three receptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
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No. 23 Indiana State (7-4, 4-3 Missouri Valley) 27,
No. 15 Youngstown State (7-4, 4-3) 24, OT
Indiana State place-kicker Eric Heidorn ended overtime with a 28-yard field goal after Mark Sewall intercepted Youngstown State quarterback Hunter Wells on the first play of the Penguins’ possession.
Sewall also tallied 12 total tackles, including seven solos, recovered two YSU fumbles, broke up two passes and recorded a quarterback hurry.
Mike Perish threw for 353 yards and a touchdown for the visiting Sycamores. Martin Ruiz rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
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No. 16 Montana (7-4, 5-2 Big Sky) 35, Southern Utah (2-9, 2-5) 17
Montana scored the final 21 points of the second half to defeat Southern Utah. Jordan Canada scored two of those three touchdowns and finished with a career- high 206 yards on 28 carries.
Jordan Johnson threw for a pair of touchdowns and the Grizzlies forced three SUU turnovers.
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No. 17 Harvard (9-0, 6-0 Ivy) 34, Penn (1-8, 1-5) 24
Harvard clinched at least a share of its second straight Ivy League title behind Paul Stanton Jr.’s 235 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
The Crimson have won eight league titles under coach Tim Murphy and 16 overall.
The game was the final one at Franklin Field for retiring Penn coach Al Bagnoli.
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No. 18 Eastern Kentucky (9-2, 6-2 OVC) 43, Murray State (3-8, 1-6) 36
Eastern Kentucky overcame a 27-7 halftime deficit and Dy’Shawn Mobley finished with all six Colonels’ touchdowns for a new school record. He rushed for 224 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries, and caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Bennie Coney.
The six TDs were the most by an FCS player this season.
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No. 19 South Dakota State (7-5, 4-3 Missouri Valley) 59,
Western Illinois (4-7, 2-5) 24
South Dakota State quarterback Austin Sumner (21-for-37, 366 yards) threw for a school-record six touchdowns, including three to freshman wide receiver Jake Wieneke (10 receptions, 159 yards).
Zach Zenner rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
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Sacred Heart (9-2, 5-1 Northeast) 14, No. 21 Bryant (8-2, 4-1) 7
Sacred Heart clinched at least a share of the Northeast Conference title and the automatic bid to the playoffs for the second straight year.
Quarterback RJ Noel’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Dube with 2:30 remaining broke a 7-7 tie and capped a 10-play, 91-yard drive. The Pioneers held Bryant’s running game to 62 yards – 142 below its average entering the game.
Next Saturday’s Wagner-Bryant winner will earn a share of the NEC title with Sacred Heart. Bryant hopes a 9-2 finish would lead to the conference’s first- ever at-large playoff bid.
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North Dakota (4-7, 2-5 Big Sky) 30, No. 22 Northern Arizona (7-4, 5-2) 28
Northern Arizona’s four-game winning streak ended, and perhaps its playoff aspirations, after North Dakota’s Reid Taubenheim kicked a game-winning, 35- yard field goal with four seconds remaining.
NAU had overcome a 24-7 halftime deficit to go ahead 28-27 on tight end Beau Gardner’s 58-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Alex Holmes.
UND’s Jer Garman rushed for a career-high 235 yards and two touchdowns. Marquice Paige rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
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No. 24 William & Mary (7-4, 4-3 CAA) 37, Towson (4-7, 2-5) 14
William & Mary running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor stayed on a roll with 141 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, outdueling Towson sophomore Darius Victor (22 carries, 136 yards, one touchdown).
Towson committed four turnovers, including three on fumbles.
Categorized in: NCAA Football