FCS Football Week 8 Breakdown
Call this week the calm before the storm. After a strong seven weeks that featured numerous top-25 matchups, the Football Championship Subdivision has a somewhat lighter schedule this week with two matchups that feature top-25 ranked squads. That doesn’t mean this schedule is boring by any means… after all, you can’t have really good matchups every week… but week 8’s schedule features a couple of top-ranked matchups and some solid divisional showdowns.
Let’s take a look at the eighth week of the season:
#14 NEW HAMPSHIRE AT #13 MASSACHUSETTS (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts)
This first Colonial Athletic Association showdown, dubbed the “Colonial Clash”, features a pair of teams with above .500 records but with one catch. Massachusetts (4-2 overall, 2-1 CAA) is not eligible for the conference championship but a win here would do wonders for the team’s playoff-qualification chances. New Hampshire (4-2, 2-1) is a half-game behind James Madison and a full game behind Maine and Towson, so a win and a few well-placed losses could put New Hampshire in a better position. Massachusetts defeated Delaware, 21-10, in a game where the Minutemen put all 21 points on the board in the first quarter. Kellen Pagel passed for 245 yards and a touchdown in the win, and Jonathan Hernandez added 69 yards and a rushing touchdown. New Hampshire suffered its first loss of the CAA season when it lost 24-10 to William and Mary. Although New Hampshire quarterback Kevin Decker threw for 422 yards and a touchdown, he was sacked six times and picked off twice.
#20 TOWSON AT #15 WILLIAM AND MARY (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Virginia)
The second CAA showdown definitely has conference implications. William and Mary (4-3, 2-2) is for all intents and purposes out of the title hunt, but if the Tribe can beat Towson this weekend then they might get a huge Christmas card from Maine fans. Towson (5-1, 3-0) is tied with Maine for the league lead, and that big matchup takes place Nov. 5. Towson can ill afford to look ahead with games against William and Mary and Delaware before then. Towson won a wild 39-35 affair against Old Dominion last week, as Grant Enders threw a 63-yard pass to Tom Ryan with 1:07 remaining in the game. Towson had 535 total yards to Old Dominion’s 482… so much for defense… and Enders survived five sacks to throw for 314 yards. William and Mary quarterback Brent Caprio threw only seven completed passes, but Caprio had 167 passing yards and a pair of scores to Jonathan Grimes (126 yards, two touchdowns).
#5 APPALACHIAN STATE AT SAMFORD (3:30 p.m. Saturday at Kidd/Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina)
Unranked Samford could give Appalachian State a few fits in this Southern Conference showdown. Although Georgia Southern is far and away the cream of the conference crop, Appalachian State (4-2, 2-1) could forge a tie for second place with a win and a loss by Wofford. Appalachian State nearly was taken down by The Citadel last week before it recovered for a 49-42 win. Jamal Jackson proved a more than adequate replacement for injured quarterback DeAndre Presley, completing 21 of 27 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The Mountaineers ground out 552 total yards in a close victory. Samford also survived a high-scoring game but it beat Elon, 43-31, behind six Samford turnovers and 191 yards rushing by Fabian Truss.
CAL POLY AT #16 NORTH DAKOTA (2:00 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Grand Forks, North Dakota)
North Dakota, South Dakota and Cal Poly all sport 1-0 records in the Great West Conference, so this matchup may be a bit premature in determining a conference championship. Still, given the fact the conference only has five teams, every win in the conference counts. North Dakota (4-2, 1-0) had a two-week break, with its last game played on Oct. 8 (a 42-9 win over Montana Western). Keep an eye on North Dakota running back Jake Miller, who rushed for four touchdowns and 152 yards in the convincing victory. Cal Poly (3-3, 1-0) held off Southern Utah, 31-27, behind a four yard touchdown run from Andre Broadous with 45 seconds remaining.
FLORIDA A&M AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE (1:30 p.m. Saturday at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium in Orangeburg, South Carolina)
South Carolina State (4-3, 3-1) is in a tie for third place with Morgan State in the MEAC, and Florida A&M (4-3, 2-2) is just below. Norfolk State leads the conference by a half-game over North Carolina A&T, so a win by South Carolina State would help that team keep pace with the leaders. Richard Cue replaced injured quarterback Derrick Wiley in SCSU’s 23-13 win over Georgia State, throwing for 213 yards and rushing for 56 yards and a pair of scores. Meanwhile, Florida A&M trounced Savannah State 47-7. Although FAMU quarterback Damien Fleming was sacked five times and only threw for 83 yards, Al-Terek McBurse made up for it by running for three touchdowns and 218 yards in the victory.
