In the FCS Huddle: Where did EIU and Towson go?

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – When many people last saw Eastern Illinois and Towson, they were matched in one of the really fun games of the 2013 FCS season.

The two teams squared off last December in a nationally television FCS quarterfinal on a snowy yet offense-filled Friday night in Charleston, Illinois.

But the two players whom most remember playing in that game won by the visiting Tigers – Towson running back Terrance West and Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo – are no longer around to bail their teams out from a really rough start to the 2014 season.

On that night, West romped for a playoff-record 356 rushing yards as well as five touchdowns en route to setting FCS single-season records in both statistics, while Garoppolo chucked the ball 50 times for 321 yards and two scores on his way to winning the Walter Payton Award.

Of course, last season EIU was the second-best team in the FCS regular season and Towson finished second-best overall as the national runner-up to North Dakota State.

Each team has lost at home to an FCS opponent and been blown out on the road against an FBS opponent. The 0-2 start is even more surprising with Towson considering its opener against Central Connecticut State (4-8 last season) was supposed to be the lock of the season on the Tigers’ schedule. Granted, head coach Rob Ambrose is an Eddie Robinson Award winner, so all isn’t lost.

While the fault is widespread on both teams, they are desperate to replace their most visible identity from last season. Garoppolo was the first FCS player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft (second round, New England Patriots) and West went a round later (third round, Cleveland Browns).

The continuity hasn’t been there for EIU’s offense with Andrew Manley and Jalen Whitlock both taking snaps and trying to wrestle the quarterback job from each other in coach Kim Dameron’s first season.

At Towson, you just don’t replace over 2,500 rushing yards easily, even with the return of last year’s CAA Football offensive rookie of the year, Victor Darius. He doesn’t have the power of West and, worse, a veteran offensive line like his predecessor.

Both teams head to the road next weekend in search of their first win. Towson has the easier opponent in Delaware State, while Eastern Illinois visits a potentially underrated Illinois State squad.

SECOND AND 10

While EIU and Towson try to figure out some answers, there were plenty of other observations from Week 2. Here are 10 more:

– Let’s be honest, everybody is chasing Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. for the 2014 Walter Payton Award. The runner-up to Garoppolo last year, Adams has been electric while starting his junior season. After throwing for a career-high 475 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns in Eastern Washington’s 59-52 loss to Washington, he has completed 85-of-125 pass attempts for 1,147 yards and 16 TDs against only one interception through three games. With 91 career TD passes, he’s five shy of matching the school record.

– There’s been a lot of national attention paid to Eastern Washington and three-time defending national champion North Dakota State, but reigning Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana entered the season as the other biggest national title contender, and the Lions may move up to No. 2 in the national poll on Monday. Dual-threat quarterback Bryan Bennett is perhaps the chief threat to Adams in the Payton race and the defense is quite athletic behind linebacker Isiah Corbett. Next Saturday, the Lions seek an FBS win against Tulane.

– The element of surprise is clearly gone as FCS teams weren’t any better against FBS opponents in Week 2 than in Week 1. Eastern Kentucky’s 17-10 victory over Miami of Ohio on a trick play in the final five minutes provided the only win in 29 games, although McNeese State and Eastern Washington had some high-profile near-misses. Through two weeks, FCS teams are 3-72 against the larger-conference schools.

– Statistically, FCS offenses are still running more than FBS teams in this age of passing. Rushes have accounted for 56.3 percent of the plays and passes just 43.7 percent of the time.

– Coach Bo Pelini said Nebraska won’t schedule any more FCS opponents because of the Big Ten’s unofficial policy, and this was before his Cornhuskers escaped McNeese State, 31-24, on a touchdown with 20 seconds remaining. The Cowboys weren’t the least bit surprised by their terrific play. “The guys are down now,” said McNeese coach Matt Viator, whose No. 7 Cowboys might rise in the Top 25 despite their loss. “There is no cheering in there. We are going to be fine, though. We will get them up as coaches. But you say it during the week, we are supposed to win. That is what McNeese is about.”

– Chris Klieman (North Dakota State), Greg Gattuso (Albany) and Harold Jackson (Jackson State) are each 2-0 to open a campaign that has 28 new FCS coaches. Albany already has one more win than last season. Conversely, nine of new coaches are looking for their first win.

– Watch out, one of the supporting actors might steal the lead role. With the attention resting elsewhere on the favorite within their conference, some teams are foreshadowing some pretty big seasons, including Southern Illinois (2-0) in the Missouri Valley, Eastern Kentucky (2-0) in the Ohio Valley, Bucknell (2-0) in the Patriot League, North Carolina A&T (1-1) in the MEAC, Liberty (1-1) in the Big South and Central Arkansas (1-1) in the Southland. OK, those are conferences with big-time teams, but just saying …

– The importance of depth can’t be overstated, especially at the quarterback position. A backup at an FCS school is often anonymous, but his talent is usually better than what people realize – he just needs an opportunity. Montana’s fifth-year senior Shay Smithwick-Hann was pressed into the starter’s role this weekend because Walter Payton Award candidate Jordan Johnson suffered a concussion a week ago. No opponent is going to let up when the starter is sidelined, so teams need their players to prepare themselves on game week.

– Keep fighting. That’s the rallying cry for some teams that are the most hard- luck in the FCS. Morgan State, Chattanooga, Abilene Christian and Stony Brook are each 0-2 after losing two straight games by under a touchdown.

– Incarnate Word must be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, ESPN’s “College GameDay” won’t be returning to Fargo, North Dakota, next Saturday to focus on the Cardinals. North Dakota State will get the royal treatment again when the popular national pre-game show hits town before the Bison host a non- conference game. No doubt NDSU recruiting coordinator Nick Goesner hasn’t stopped smiling since he got word of it.

WEEK 1 SCOREBOARD

A roundup of games in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/kpq4bkw.

The full FCS scoreboard can be found at http://tinyurl.com/pmg6o2b.

STOCK RISING, STOCK FALLING

Stock Rising – There have been a number of good early signs in a Southwestern Athletic Conference that has been declining through the years. Offense is up in a season of veteran quarterbacks within the conference, and there are some determined teams. Alabama State’s 27-21 upset of Ohio Valley Conference power Tennessee State on Saturday was particularly eye-catching, and Alcorn State defined the term Southern Miss with a 26-20 loss to the FBS school. While most of the non-conference wins have been over sub-Division I opponents, SWAC teams are a combined 9-8 out of conference. Last year, they were 5-21 in such games.

Stock Falling – Credit Southern Utah for not playing NAIA and Division II cupcakes, but the non-conference schedule is threatening to eat up a 2013 playoff team before it even gets to Big Sky action. After falling to Nevada and Southeastern Louisiana, the Thunderbirds surely need to beat South Dakota State and new all-time Missouri Valley rushing leader Zach Zenner next Saturday with a second FBS opponent (Fresno State) on the schedule a week later.

OTHERWORDLY

The Flyers nickname may not work at Dayton this season. Senior running back Connor Kacsor set a program record with 301 rushing yards on 34 carries and he scored a touchdown as the Flyers grinded out a 23-14, season-opening victory over Georgetown.

PLAYOFF FIELD

Projecting where teams will stand on Selection Sunday, Nov. 23:

Automatic qualifiers: Chattanooga, Coastal Carolina, Eastern Washington, Fordham, Jacksonville State, New Hampshire, North Dakota State, Sacred Heart, San Diego, South Carolina State and Southeastern Louisiana; at-large bids: Bethune-Cookman, Furman, Liberty, McNeese State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Iowa, Richmond, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Tennessee State, Villanova and William & Mary.

A LOOK AHEAD

Non-conference games will remain at the forefront of Week 3 action next Saturday.

Some of the key games are Central Arkansas at Montana State, South Dakota State at Southern Utah, Dayton at Duquesne, Maine at Bryant, Eastern Illinois at Illinois State, Lehigh at New Hampshire, Grambling State at Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State at Coastal Carolina, Southeast Missouri at Southern Illinois, Norfolk State at William & Mary and Jackson State versus Tennessee State at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.

The exotic venues of the week will be Nassau, Bahamas, where Texas Southern will take on Division II Central State, and Honolulu, where Northern Iowa will try to upset the University of Hawaii.

Southeastern at Tulane is another of the seven matchups between FBS and FCS programs.

In a light conference schedule, the highlight is San Diego at Jacksonville in the Pioneer Football League.

Categorized in: NCAA Football