Sep 1, 2012; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana State Sycamores running back Shakir Bell (22) runs outside and breaks away from Indiana Hoosiers linebacker David Cooper (42) at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Week 7 of the FCS season was something of a judgment week, pairing several leading contenders around the subdivision in marquee games. What ensued was madness that rocks the foundation of a playoff picture slowly developing. Top five ranked teams Old Dominion, Montana State and North Dakota State were all at home, all unbeaten…and all lost.
Montana State was paired up against high flying Eastern Washington, an explosive offensive team and top contender in the Big Sky Conference. Saturday’s match-up in Bozeman going to the wire and EWU winning isn’t shocking in what could be a de facto conference title game (though surprises Cal Poly and Northern Arizona might have some say in that).
But MSU might feel a little stunned after ground the Eagles in the first half, only to have to rally from a second half barrage of points. EWU outscored the Bobcats 24-7 before Denarius McGhee’s touchdown pass to Jon Ellis with just over two minutes remaining. Particularly demoralizing for MSU has to be that two of the Eagles’ touchdowns came on defense and special teams.
The Bobcat defense did as admirable a job shutting down EWU and freshman quarterback Vernon Adams, and still lost. EWU capitalized on a pick-six and punt block in the end zone to compensate for a lackluster offensive outing. It’s a missed opportunity MSU will rue when seeding for the playoff is unveiled next month.
More startling were the losses NDSU and ODU suffered. Old Dominion’s offense was a juggernaut coming into a Colonial Athletic Association* match-up with Villanova Saturday. At 56 points per game, the Monarchs were a touchdown, extra point and field goal better than the second most prolific FCS offense. And against Villanova, they managed all of 14.
In one of the most impressive defense performances in any division this season, the Wildcats held ODU six touchdowns below its average. I’ll re-type that for emphasis: Villanova held Old Dominion six freakin’ touchdowns below its average.
The VU offense took advantage, eventually striking on a worn down Monarch defense in the second half en route to a shockingly lopsided, 38-14 win. Twenty-eight of the Wildcats’ points came in the second half — a half in which Villanova quarterback John Robertson may have all but guaranteed himself the Jerry Rice Award, an honor given to the subdivision’s top freshman and one for which he was just added to the watch list. Robertson put on a Collin Klein-like performance, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for another.
After a very trying 2011, Villanova is back in the national discussion with today’s win. The Wildcats were NCAA champions in 2009, and made a deep tourney run the next season. Andy Talley is one of the most well-tenured coaches in all of college football, and has a proven ability to win. Today served as a reminder.
Winning with offense can be a house of cards, as West Virginia proved in the FBS today and Old Dominion learned in the FCS. Defense wins championships after all, and few programs understand that like North Dakota State. The Bison were among the nation’s best on that side of the ball on their way to a national title. So good was the NDSU defense, I asked the FCS Roundtable panelists who contribute here at SaturdayBlitz.com every week if the Bison could be stopped.
Apologies for the jinx, Fargo.
The continued, borderline miraculous turnaround Trent Miles has engineered for Indiana State football made its greatest stride with today’s 17-14 win in the Fargodome. ISU’s defense did a number on a Bison offense that operates with workmanlike efficiency. NDSU was putting up 44 a game — Saturday it could notch just 14, and its mistakes facilitated ISU’s upset. The Sycamores scored two touchdowns off interceptions of Brock Jensen.
NDSU remained solid on its defensive end. ISU was held without an offensive score, despite star running back Shakir Bell’s 96 yards rushing. Today was the kind of perfect storm underdogs sometimes need to upset heavy favorites. NDSU could very well still be the team to beat come playoff time, but today at least changes the road there.
So who ascends to No. 1? Aforementioned Poly is an oft overlooked FCS program despite its consistency, largely the result of playing the equivalent of an FCS independent schedule — in the FCS, that’s a lot less illustrious than it is in the FBS. But with a win against Wyoming and sitting tied atop the Big Sky, the Mustangs are making a case for No. 1. So is NAU, which is perfect against subdivision brethren and unbeaten since getting pasted Week 1 at Arizona State.
Other FCS unbeatens are Tennessee State, Lehigh and Harvard. Two are non-scholarship and one doesn’t participate in the FCS Playoffs (though the Crimson really should get an exemption this season).
In the same vein, the upset bug wasn’t relegated just to the conferences in the playoff picture. Alabama A&M hosted Alcorn State at 6-0, and were dispatched with a 21-20 defeat.