FCS Football Week 7 Breakdown
Can it be possible? Have we reached the halfway point of the 2011 Football Championship Subdivision season?
The first six weeks seem like they just flew by, but there have been plenty of things to talk about. Eastern Washington’s fall from grace, for example. Schools like Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and Maine have been on the rise, providing big discussion points among FCS fans.
Between now and the end of November, when the playoff field is set, there will be much more to ponder. As for the seventh week of the season, it is thin on top-25 matchups but not light on big games.
#7 NEW HAMPSHIRE AT #18 WILLIAM AND MARY (12:00 pm Saturday at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Virginia)
Only three top-25 matchups are on this week’s agenda, with the best one coming in a Colonial Athletic Association contest. New Hampshire (4-1 overall, 2-0 CAA) needs this game to stay in a tight CAA race that includes Maine and Towson, while William and Mary (3-3, 1-2) simply needs this game to stay in the playoff picture. A fourth loss would indeed be devastating for the Tribe. New Hampshire easily handled Villanova last week, 47-17, behind a 395-yard, three-touchdown performance by Kevin Decker and a seven-catch, 190-yard effort from R.J. Harris. Decker accounted for 411 all-purpose yards last week, so expect William and Mary to zero in on the quarterback and make his life miserable. As for William and Mary… let’s just say last week wasn’t pretty. The Tribe had only three rushing first downs and 11 total in a 21-0 loss to Delaware, as Delaware held William and Mary to 71 yards rushing and quarterback Michael Paulus was picked off twice.
#19 MASSACHUSETTS AT #13 DELAWARE (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Delaware)
Massachusetts is making a name for itself as a football independent, so to speak. The Minutemen are members of the Atlantic-10 Conference except in football, where they are associate members of the CAA. As a result, they are not in the conference-title picture despite a 3-2 overall record. Delaware (4-2, 2-1) is tied with Old Dominion and James Madison for fourth in the CAA behind Maine, New Hampshire and Towson. Delaware racked up 338 yards total in its shutout win over William and Mary, sparked by Andrew Pierce’s 143 yards and a rushing touchdown and the efficient work of quarterback Tim Donnelly (124 yards, two touchdowns). Massachusetts had a more difficult time with Central Connecticut State but won 42-26 as it scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. This happened despite the Minutemen being outgained 359-339; Jonathan Hernandez ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns and Brandon Hill had 169 yards passing and one TD.
#24 COASTAL CAROLINA AT #20 LIBERTY (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia)
It is only the second week of Big South Conference play, but a big showdown is already on tap as the Chanticleers travel to Virginia to face Liberty, a team fighting to stay afloat in the playoff picture. Coastal Carolina (4-1, 1-0) picked up 245 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Aramis Hillary in a 34-10 win over VMI, and he also ran 14 times for 114 yards. Like Kevin Decker at New Hampshire, Hillary appears to be the big horse for the Chanticleers and if Liberty can slow Hillary down they might have a shot against Coastal Carolina’s offense. The CC defense may be one to watch as well, as it sacked VMI quarterbacks three times last week. Liberty (3-3, 1-0) scored a convincing 35-3 win over Gardner-Webb behind a 14-point first-quarter outburst and a strong 494-288 advantage in total yards. Keep an eye on Liberty QB Mike Brown, who passed for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Brown’s legs may not be as strong as Hillary when it comes to rushing, but a cannon arm can make up the difference in a hurry. The winner of this game could be the Big South champions at the end if all goes well.
TOWSON AT OLD DOMINION (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Foreman Field in Norfolk, Virginia)
The CAA has more than just two top-25 matchups on tap this week. Old Dominion (5-1, 2-1) isn’t ranked but could be considered a bubbling-under candidate by a lot of schools. Towson (4-1, 2-0) has a share of first place in the CAA, but a win by Old Dominion would be big for the school’s championship and playoff hopes at season’s end. Old Dominion is coming off a big 31-23 win over Rhode Island in a game where it gained just 297 yards to Rhode Island’s 313. The big key was Rhode Island’s two interceptions, which could be argued were key to ODU’s victory. Keep an eye on quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who passed for 205 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 13 yards and another score. Towson held off Richmond as D.J. Soven kicked a 27-yard field goal with no time remaining. The big threat for Towson is running back Terrance West, who ran for 128 yards and four touchdowns in victory.
#1 NORTHERN IOWA AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (7 p.m. Saturday at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota)
This is not a top-25 matchup by any means, but since Northern Iowa (4-1, 3-0) is atop the Missouri Valley Conference and the nation it might be worth a look at what the nation’s top team is up against. The big league matchup is not until October 29, but until then Northern Iowa can’t have any surprises. The Panthers are coming off a surprisingly difficult 23-9 win over Indiana State, a victory where Tirrell Rennie passed for 142 yards and ran for 93 more in victory. David Johnson also rushed for 92 yards, and Rennie and Johnson each scored a touchdown. South Dakota State (2-4, 1-2) had an even more difficult time with Youngstown State in a 35-28 win, as Aaron Rollin needed two touchdown passes of 5 and 73 yards to Austin Sumner to pull out the victory.
