In the FCS Huddle: It’s a business trip first
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – It’s 9 o’clock on a Friday night. Does a football coach know where his players are?
Sometimes teams on a road trip lose the game between Thursday and the time the game kicks off on Saturday, Northwestern State football coach Jay Thomas says.
“A lot of that is six inches between the ears,” he said.
Many people believe the road team is at a disadvantage. It doesn’t have to be, and the programs that learn to master the road trip often find themselves winning championships.
How a team leads up to playing a road game is vital to gaining an upper hand. Some of the best jobs are done each week by teams that travel to foreign territory and raise their level of concentration while avoiding the distractions that get in the way.
Northern Iowa faces a challenge this week. The Panthers are playing in Honolulu against the University of Hawaii. Travel, fun in the sun, life can get in the way.
Texas Southern could be distracted as well this week. The Tigers are playing in Nassau, The Bahamas – a neutral site for their game against Central State.
The comforts of home go away with a road trip, so every road team has to dig a little deeper and remember that it’s on a business trip first – no matter the locale.
“You try your very best, at least we do, to prepare our team,” said Furman coach Bobby Lamb, whose team will play at Presbyterian on Saturday in the middle of a three-game road swing. “The guys that have gone before are used to it, but it’s a little bit different just because you have to travel part of it, you have to stay on a schedule, you have to get to a stadium (where) you’re gonna play well before kickoff – trying to keep your focus and all those things.
“Obviously, once you start playing, I don’t think it’s any bit different – I mean, you get out there and you’ve got to perform and execute. But the lead up to it, concentration and all that, it takes a lot of work on a lot of people’s part. We try to rehearse it as much as we can without physically leaving our place. We detail talk through everything that we’re gonna do.”
Thomas, whose Southland Conference team visits Southern in the second of four straight road games, believes the focus of a team should be made easier on the road simply because the players are all together as opposed to being in separate spots on campus before a home game.
On the road, the coaches and support staff have to keep a routine with a team and usually make it all about the game preparation and bonding. The scheduling of departure and arrival, of meals, of meetings, of equipment, of the walk- through the night before a game, it’s all scripted like a playbook.
There are exceptions, like Northern Iowa’s once-in-a-lifetime week. The Panthers will leave their Cedar Falls campus on Wednesday and not touch down (pun intended) in Hawaii until 15 hours later. Their coaches are working in an educational part to the trip, including a visit to Pearl Harbor, but by Friday they will reel the players back in to the opportunity of pulling off a road victory.
“We’re going to try to embrace the trip and let ’em experience the island, but at the same time, they have to have the ability to put the environment away and get into the classroom, too, and get the mental part of it as we put our final prep together for the game,” UNI coach Mark Farley said.
“I think the routine has to be in place. Any road trip, you want some consistency to your road trip as far as when your meeting times are, what happens at the hotel, how you break out.
“As long as a player has a rhythm to his trip, that is consistent, that he knows what to expect next, I think that is less stressful to him.”
TRULY A BISON NATION
The return on Saturday of ESPN’s popular “College GameDay” show to downtown Fargo, North Dakota, for a second straight season is a recruiting boon for three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State, whose ability to draw national attention is unlike any program in the division.
Only four other non-FBS schools have hosted “GameDay” since 1993. NDSU and Air Force are the only schools outside the “Power 5” conferences and Notre Dame to host the show more than once.
OR A MISSOURI VALLEY NATION
North Dakota State’s success – a 45-2 record and the three straight national titles since the start of the 2011 season – has made the Missouri Valley the top FCS conference in recent seasons.
Everybody in the Valley is trying to get into the mix this season. All but one team – Northern Iowa (0-1, loss at Iowa) – has at least one win, yet, ironically, the Panthers are 10th-ranked in the nation. In fact, five of the teams are nationally ranked and the Missouri Valley is 8-0 against FCS opponents from six other conferences. Three of those wins were on the road, including Southern Illinois’ 17-point triumph at nationally ranked Eastern Illinois.
OLDER, WISER, BETTER
Chemistry could be a popular class with third-ranked Southeastern Louisiana, which has an incredible 45 players on its roster who transferred in from other colleges, including 13 from FBS programs.
Third-year coach Ron Roberts has brought in a high number of transfers with each recruiting class, and his team has kept a mature approach while the expectations have risen quickly.
“I think our guys have welcomed our (new) guys and helped show them things,” Roberts said, “how we want things done and how we’re doing it. I think our transfers have come in here and done a great job of trying to fit in and win and do the things that we want to do. I think it’s just made for a smooth transition.”
The Lions have a chance to make a statement this week with a short trip from Hammond down to New Orleans to face Tulane. They haven’t defeated an FBS program in 18 attempts since returning to football in 2003.
FCS TOP 25 AND AWARDS
The Sports Network FCS Top 25 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/88q2k7t.
The FCS Awards package can be found at http://tinyurl.com/n5ysh8x.
WEEK 3 PREDICTIONS
Last Week’s Record: 68-11 (.861)
This Season’s Record: 143-20 (.877)
X-Predicted Winner
Top 25
Five ranked teams are still trying to hit the win column in Week 3, including a pair of 0-2 squads, No. 14 Chattanooga and No. 25 Eastern Illinois.
X-No. 23 Maine (1-0) at Bryant (2-0), 1 p.m. Who knew the Black Bears would need two weeks to prepare for Bryant. Apparently, they do.
X-No. 25 Eastern Illinois (0-2) at Illinois State (1-0), 1 p.m. The wrong team might be ranked in the Top 25, but EIU is desperate for a win in the 103rd meeting between these rivals (ISU leads, 52-41-9). The Panthers already have as many losses as they had all of last season.
Rhode Island (0-1) at X-No. 19 Fordham (1-1), 1 p.m. After Fordham’s blowout loss last Saturday, this is not the week to be facing the Rams offense.
Incarnate Word (0-2) at X-No. 1 North Dakota State (2-0), 3:30 p.m. Lee Corso could start at quarterback and the Bison would win. This is a dress rehearsal before No. 4 Montana’s visit on Sept. 20.
Lehigh (0-1) at X-No. 7 New Hampshire (0-1), 3:30 p.m. Each of the two most recent meetings was decided by a touchdown, with Lehigh winning last season. The Wildcats offense is too diverse for the retooling Mountain Hawks.
Grambling State (0-2) at X-No. 13 Bethune-Cookman (1-0), 4 p.m. It’s a great matchup of programs, just not a great matchup of current teams.
Butler (1-0) at X-No. 21 Youngstown State (1-1), 4 p.m. Kurt Hess who? YSU quarterback Dante Nania already has four completions over 50 yards. That’s how many Hess and the Penguins had over the 2012 and ’13 seasons combined.
X-No. 14 Chattanooga (0-2) at Austin Peay (0-1), 5 p.m. After facing Central Michigan and Jacksonville State, the hard-luck Mocs are giving a game ball to the schedule-maker.
Central Arkansas (1-1) at X-No. 17 Montana State (1-1), 5:35 p.m. Two veteran teams hit a fork in the road in meeting for the first time. Both will try to force the other to go to the air.
Game of the Week: South Carolina State (1-1) at X-No. 5 Coastal Carolina (2-0), 6 p.m. It’s great how FCS teams in South Carolina stage a mini-tournament within the season. Offense (Coastal) wins out over defense (SCSU).
Hampton (0-2) at X-No. 18 Richmond (1-1), 6 p.m. The Spiders don’t have any Hampton transfers who are looking to beat their old team.
New Mexico Highlands (0-1) at X-No. 24 Northern Arizona (1-1), 7 p.m. After a strong performance on the road, NAU quarterback Kyren Poe seeks to keep the momentum going. The Lumberjacks are 16-0 in home openers under coach Jerome Souers.
X-No. 12 Furman (2-0) at Presbyterian (1-1), 7 p.m. There’s little flash to the Paladins, but they have figured themselves out, winning eight of their last 10 games after losing 14 of their previous 19 under coach Bruce Fowler.
Southeast Missouri (1-1) at X-No. 20 Southern Illinois (2-0), 7 p.m. Running back Malcolm Agnew has scored three touchdowns in each of the Salukis’ wins.
Jackson State (2-0) vs. X-No. 22 Tennessee State (1-1) (at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Tennessee), 7 p.m. An early season highlight, this is the 25th Southern Heritage Classic, with the Tigers and Tigers meeting for the 21st straight year and 23rd time in the event. The Tigers, er, TSU has won nine of the last 11 meetings.
Prairie View A&M (0-1) at X-No. 6 McNeese State (0-1), 7 p.m. Despite a heartbreaking loss at Nebraska, the Cowboys appear primed for a big run of victories.
Norfolk State (0-2) at X-No. 16 William & Mary (1-1), 7 p.m. It would be surprising if Norfolk State, which doesn’t have a touchdown through two games, gets on track against Mike Reilly and the William & Mary defense.
Colorado State-Pueblo (1-0) at X-No. 15 Sam Houston State (1-2), 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga’s schedule-maker had some pull at Sam Houston, too.
X-No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana (2-0) at Tulane (0-2), 8 p.m. There’s no truth to the rumor that more FBS players are on Southeastern’s roster than Tulane’s.
No. 11 South Dakota State (1-1) at X-Southern Utah (0-2), 8:05 p.m. This was always the most winnable game on SUU’s non-conference schedule. That’s saying something with Zach Zenner coming to town.
South Dakota (1-1) at X-No. 4 Montana (1-1), 9 p.m. The Grizzlies, who used a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the final two minutes to win last year’s game at USD, are expected to have back starting quarterback Jordan Johnson after he sat out one game following a concussion.
X-No. 10 Northern Iowa (0-1) at Hawaii (0-2), midnight. Aloha to an upset. OK, that means “hello” and “goodbye,” so we’re good either way.
Non-Ranked FCS-FBS
There are seven more FCS-FBS matchups this week, including the games involving Top-10 teams Southeastern Louisiana and Northern Iowa. FCS teams have struggled to a 3-72 record in the first two weeks of action, when the majority of their games with the FBS take place.
UC Davis (1-1) at X-Colorado State (1-1), 3 p.m.
Indiana State (1-1) at X-Ball State (1-1), 3 p.m.
Alabama A&M (1-1) at X-UAB (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
Abilene Christian (0-2) at X-Troy (0-2), 7 p.m.
Portland State (1-1) at X-Washington State (0-2), 8 p.m.
Conference
Conference schedules will soon be heating up, but the Pioneer Football League opens with one of its best matchups in preseason favorite San Diego at Jacksonville, which was picked third in the conference’s coaches poll.
San Diego (1-0, 0-0 Pioneer) at X-Jacksonville (0-1, 0-0), 1 p.m.
Mississippi Valley State (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) at X-Alabama State (1-1, 0-0), 6 p.m.
Non-Ranked Non-Conference
Texas A&M-Commerce no doubt caught the eye of Stephen F. Austin when it rolled up 98 points on an overmatched opponent in its season opener. With Gus Johnson running all over the place, the host Lumberjacks might show their old rival a thing or two offensively as well. It’s their first meeting since a SFA win in 2000, but A&M-Commerce holds a 43-12-1 series advantage.
Thursday, Sept. 11
Campbell (0-2) at X-Charleston Southern (2-0), 7 p.m.
Cumberland (1-0) at X-UT Martin (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
Stillman (0-1) at X-Samford (0-1), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13
Dayton (1-0) at X-Duquesne (0-2), noon
Wagner (1-1) at X-Monmouth (1-0), 1 p.m.
Central Connecticut State (1-1) at X-Holy Cross (1-1), 1 p.m.
Bowie State (0-1) at X-Morgan State (0-2), 1 p.m.
Davidson (1-1) at X-VMI (0-2), 1:30 p.m.
X-Towson (0-2) at Delaware State (0-2), 2 p.m.
Louisiana College (1-0) at X-Alcorn State (1-1), 3 p.m.
Catawba (1-0) at X-Western Carolina (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
Houston Baptist (0-1) at X-Northern Colorado (0-1), 3:30 p.m.
Morehouse (1-0) vs. X-Howard (0-2) (at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.), 3:30 p.m.
Drake (1-1) at X-Western Illinois (1-1), 4 p.m.
Saint Francis (Pa.) (1-1) at X-James Madison (1-1), 4 p.m.
Chadron State (1-0) at X-Idaho State (0-2), 4:35 p.m.
X-Charlotte (2-0) at North Carolina Central (1-1), 5 p.m.
Colgate (0-1) at X-Delaware (1-1), 6 p.m.
X-Mercer (1-1) at Stetson (1-1), 6 p.m.
Virginia-Lynchburg (0-2) at X-Gardner-Webb (0-2), 6 p.m.
X-Texas Southern (2-0) vs. Central State (1-0) (at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, The Bahamas), 6 p.m.
X-Georgetown (0-2) at Marist (0-2), 6 p.m.
Morehead State (1-1) at X-Eastern Kentucky (2-0), 6 p.m.
Robert Morris (0-2) at X-Lafayette (0-1), 6 p.m.
American International (1-0) at X-Stony Brook (0-2), 6 p.m.
North Carolina A&T (1-1) at X-Elon (0-1), 6 p.m.
X-Fort Valley State (0-1) at Savannah State (0-2), 6 p.m.
Assumption (0-1) at X-Sacred Heart (2-0), 6 p.m.
North Dakota (1-1) at X-Missouri State (1-1), 7 p.m.
Brevard (0-1) at X-Liberty (1-1), 7 p.m.
North Greenville (1-0) at X-Wofford (0-1), 7 p.m.
Henderson State (1-0) at X-Nicholls (0-2), 7 p.m.
Texas A&M-Commerce (1-0) at X-Stephen F. Austin (1-1), 7 p.m.
X-Northwestern State (0-2) at Southern (1-1), 7 p.m.
Texas College (0-2) at X-Lamar (1-1), 8 p.m.
Weber State (0-2) at X-Sacramento State (1-1), 9 p.m.
Categorized in: NCAA Football