Though Monmouth and Delaware have only this Saturday’s 1:00 PM kickoff remaining in their short-lived FCS series, the Hawks and the Hens might pack the points while going out with a bang. 

Monmouth has successfully persisted through one of CAA Football’s most challenging nonconference schedules, beginning the year by crossing the country in a 42-27 loss at Eastern Washington. MU followed up that excursion with a 40-35 home heartbreaker to Lafayette, a 2023 FCS playoff team that took Delaware to the edge. 

Getting back in the air, the Hawks opened their CAA slate by hanging 51 points in a win at Maine, which is naturally one of the most remote road stops in the FCS along with EWU.

Monmouth then migrated from north to south to snag its signature win over FBS FlU, 45-42 – all before returning to New Jersey to run over Fordham in a 63-21 final. 

Delaware head coach Ryan Carty sees the Hawks as forged by that fire in the early going. 

“Shoot, they start out [by] jet-lagging themselves and playing against a team that’s perennially good,” Carty said about Monmouth opening the season in Cheyney before splitting close games elsewhere OOC. “…They’re not that team that’s been blowing people out every game and then can’t play in a close game. They’ve played in those. Hopefully, we’re able to stack up against that.”

How the Monmouth and Delaware offenses stack up is a major draw in this one. The Hawks lead the FCS in scoring offense (44.2 PPG), total offense (524.2 YPG), and passing offense (334 YPG). Monmouth QB Derek Robertson, a senior Maine transfer who is a younger brother of MU quarterbacks coach Jimmy Robertson, tops the nation in passing touchdowns with 14 and is first in passing yards per game at 335.2.

Monmouth – which has a tradition of strong running backs tracing to Pete Guerriero and Jaden Shirden – is also balanced offensively with its current tandem of tailbacks, Rodney Nelson and Sone Ntoh. Nelson ranks sixth in the CAA with 75 rushing yards per game to go with Ntoh’s 57 RYPG, good for 12th in the conference.

Ntoh is the scoring threat of the two, pacing the CAA with 12 touchdowns on the ground as the lone CAA rusher to hit double digits in the category through September.  

Nelson takes his chunks as well, entering Saturday third in the league at 7.1 yards per carry.

Fittingly for symbolism of the offensive matchup, Delaware’s Saeed St. Fleur is just ahead of Nelson at 7.2 yards per attempt.

The Blue Hens are also averaging greater than 40 points per contest (42). The Hens’ hot start has come despite a wave of offensive line injuries that are now turning the corner, including at center. It’s a start that additionally came in the face of losing star RB Marcus Yarns in a win at North Carolina A&T. Yarns’ injury caused him to miss Delaware’s wins over Penn and Sacred Heart.

While UD does not have the strength of schedule boasted by Monmouth (Massey has the Blue Hens 52 slots behind MU in SoS), Hawks head coach Kevin Callahan knows well that Delaware can move it with a variety of personnel.

“They play a lot of people,” Callahan said of the Delaware offense. “They play three different quarterbacks, all who have been able to move the ball… They’ve played 10 or more receivers, all who have caught the ball and had big plays. They use five different running backs and their offensive line is the biggest that we’ve played so far, so they have the ability to run the ball and be dominant on the line of scrimmage.”

Delaware’s variety of QB play is by necessity at the moment, though it plays into a strength in depth dating back to a year ago. Ryan O’Connor is the starter this season for UD and his 294 passing yards per game are fifth in the FCS. O’Connor had to miss the Sacred Heart game on Saturday with what was characterized as an upper-body injury. Backup Nick Minicucci suffered his own upper-body injury early in the SHU game, leading Zach Marker, Delaware’s 2023 QB1B, to be thrust into a return from last season’s year-ending knee injury. 

Marker could be the guy for Delaware at Monmouth, as he is not a typical so-called “third quarterback.” Rather, he made starts in 2023 at Hampton and at Towson and appeared for the Hens against Villanova prior to suffering the knee injury.

While Delaware’s banged-up theme on offense extends to WR JoJo Bermudez’ absence in recent games, fellow wideout Phil Lutz has come on solidly in his expanded role for ’24. Lutz’ 80.8 receiving yards per game are inside the top 30 nationally while his 24.85 yards per catch are No. 3 in the subdivision. 

In short, Delaware and Monmouth will pit strength-on-strength on Saturday. Delaware is on its way to the FBS and has looked steady as it goes on defense, but it has not seen an offense like Monmouth’s in 2024. At least, not outside practice.

The Hawks, therefore, would love to make it a CUSA combo hit this season after knocking off FIU.             

The post Monmouth Confronts Newest Challenge In Matchup Of High-Octane Offense With Delaware appeared first on HERO Sports.

Harvard went 8-2 overall in 2023, including a Senior Day, championship-clinching, triple-overtime win over Penn. The next week, the Crimson fell to Yale 23-18 in The Game, getting the Bulldogs their share of the Ivy championship and embodying the weekly thrills of late-season Ivy ball.

November in the Ivy League, of course, carries special significance as the conference holds out from the FCS playoffs and its would-be auto-bid to the dance. The league title is the ultimate, and really sole, crown for these historic rivals, the majority of which see more transfers out than in – yet the programs’ depth in the upper echelon of the league almost guarantees a photo finish.

Preseason All-Americans

Via FCS Football Central

Brown (1) – DB Isaiah Reed (2nd Team)

Penn (1) – WR Jared Richardson (2nd Team)

Names To Know

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Jared Richardson, Penn WR — Richardson lit it up last year, breaking out for the Quakers with team highs in receptions (67), receiving yards (788), and receiving touchdowns (8). In order for Penn to crack the ceiling formed by Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton atop the Ivy, the Quakers will have to score at a rate even better than last season’s 26.2 PPG. Richardson, a 6-2, 215-pound junior, will have a large hand in that – though it will be intriguing to see defenses give him extra attention after his 2023 turned heads.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Isaiah Reed, Brown DB — Reed, in fairness, has a great argument to occupy his teammate’s slot as a top NFL prospect (below). The 6-0, 185-pound ballhawk led the Ivy League in interceptions a year ago with five. All five picks came against Ivy opponents that finished ahead of Brown in the standings. Reed is all over the place on the national radar, appearing on the Reese’s Senior Bowl watch list this preseason in addition to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list and a 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 selection. Reed’s Brown defense will need his takeaways to get off the field if last year’s 30.1 PPG allowed in Ivy action doesn’t improve.

TOP NFL PROSPECT: Jake Willcox, Brown QB — Willcox is guided by Bears quarterbacks coach Heather Marini, the first female position coach in Division I history who remains the only female position coach in DI in 2024. Willcox’s play adds to that great story. The fifth-year QB has ascended since first getting starts in 2022. A year ago, Willcox led the Ivy League with 2,924 passing yards and concluded second in the Ivy with 18 touchdown passes. He was asked to sling it as a senior, wrapping up at 292.4 passing yards per game to go with 28.5 completions per game. The former figure made Willcox the top returning FCS passer per game entering this fall. With another productive year, it’s possible that the Everett, Massachusetts native follows the footsteps of fellow Brown QB (turned NFL practice squad member) EJ Perry.   

HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish

1. Harvard
2. Penn
3. Yale
4. Princeton
5. Dartmouth
6. Brown
7. Columbia
8. Cornell

The Ivy League has long been something of a unicorn in the FCS (let alone its academic prestige), as its slightly shorter regular season tradition throws national fans off its calendar to an extent. Some of these fans might discount the Ivy for its postseason choice, but the conference is also a one-score-game factory at times, producing ample excitement with some of the subdivision’s legendary brands. All battle for similar recruits in similar areas. 

One storied brand, Harvard, returns a great deal of production to make a run. The Crimson are experienced with top QBs Charles DePrima and Jaden Craig back in the fold. That’s not to mention the return of Shane McLaughlin, the 2023 Ivy League rushing leader with 830 yards on 155 attempts. Top wide receiver Cooper Barkate adds to the list of reliable faces for first-year Harvard head coach Andrew Aurich. Former head coach Tim Murphy retired in January after three decades steering the Crimson. Murphy left Aurich a good situation in Cambridge, albeit with the obvious big shoes to fill following that longevity.

It’s also a situation with high competition for first place this season. Penn brings back quarterback Aidan Sayin as a senior. His 279.1 passing yards per game were fifth in the FCS last season. Yale, meanwhile, has to be one of the premier preseason No. 3s in any FCS conference. The Bulldogs are coming off the Nolan Grooms era at QB, but they maintain numerous all-conference types in 2022 Ivy League Rookie of the Year RB Josh Pitsenberger, 6-4 tight end Ry Yates, and defensive lineman Dylan Yang.

One of the more remarkable parts of the Ivy League order is that Princeton, Dartmouth, and Brown create a rock-solid tier in the middle. Only one of these three teams can find the top half of the projection here, though, and Princeton is trustworthy under Bob Surace. Even in a down year (by the Tigers’ standards) a year ago at 5-5, there were wins over Harvard and Penn alongside one-score losses to Lafayette, Brown, Dartmouth, and Yale.

It’s worth noting that the Ivy’s start this week means that we will begin to see some more interesting nonconference meetings trickling in in the northeast. These involve Ivy programs unafraid of testing matchups that would hypothetically make for nice playoff games regionally:

Week 1 – Yale at Holy Cross, Penn at (FBS-transitioning) Delaware

Week 3 – New Hampshire at Harvard, UAlbany at Cornell 

Week 4 – Brown at Rhode Island, Princeton at Mercer

The post 2024 Ivy League Football Preview appeared first on HERO Sports.

Drake, Davidson, St. Thomas, Butler, and San Diego form a compelling top five as San Diego looks to hold off the emergence of Davidson and St. Thomas in recent years. St. Thomas remains one of the best storylines in college football as it progresses since its elevation directly from Division III to Division I. Dating back to fall 2021, the Tommies are 21-3 in PFL games, with the losses coming to San Diego, Davidson, and Drake. 

Drake is coming off an 8-0 PFL record in 2023 and has in its corner that lone PFL preseason AA pick. He leads this preview of the 2024 Pioneer. 

Preseason All-American

Via FCS Football Central

Drake (1) – DL Finn Claypool (2nd Team)

Teams Bringing In The Most D1 Transfers

FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers

Butler — 12 (3 FBS, 9 FCS)  

Marist — 12 (2 FBS, 10 FCS)

Valparaiso — 11 (3 FBS, 8 FCS)

Stetson — 8 (7 FBS, 1 FCS)

San Diego — 8 (6 FBS, 2 FCS)

Morehead State — 4 (4 FBS)

Names To Know

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Ryan Upp, Morehead State WR — After Upp combined for nine games played in 2021 and 2022 with MSU, production and playing time took off in 2023. Upp had 55 receptions in 11 games for 833 yards, checking in at third and first in the PFL, respectively. Upp’s 1,140 all-purpose yards were keyed by 263 kick-return yards. With Morehead State losing fellow receiver Kyle Daly from a season ago, who had at least one touchdown in each of his three seasons and who was just shy of 700 receiving yards last year, the Eagles will go to Upp all the more often in an offense that finished ’23 last in the PFL in rushing attempts and yards per rush.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Alex Herriott, Presbyterian LB — Herriott enters his senior season having played in all 33 possible games in his Blue Hose career, including making 19 starts in his first two years. 2023 was good to Herriott as he concluded inside the nation’s top 10 in tackles per game (10.7) and wrapped up fourth in the FCS in solo stops (70). Herriott will be instrumental once more this fall if Presby is able to compile an encore to its ’23 No. 1 PFL total defense (314.5 YPG).   

TOP NFL PROSPECT: Finn Claypool, Drake DL — Claypool may well be the face of the Pioneer nationally, leading the Bulldogs in last year’s title run with 12.5 sacks, six more than the second-place PFL finisher in the category. Claypool set career highs in total tackles (57), tackles for loss (19), and forced fumbles (5) in 2023 to win PFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 2022, the Des Moines, Iowa native followed up a fall 2021 redshirt by earning a HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American nod. Claypool’s PFF scores last fall ranked third (91.1 overall grade) and second (92.8 pass-rush grade) among FCS edge defenders.    

HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish

1. Davidson 
2. Drake
3. St. Thomas
4. Butler
5. San Diego
6. Marist
7. Morehead State
8. Dayton
9. Presbyterian 
10. Valparaiso 
11. Stetson

It’s hard to dispute St. Thomas, even in a conference with parity, finishing 2024 in the PFL’s top three barring something unforeseen injury-wise. The Tommies have the well-earned D1 precedent established by now, not missing much of a beat in their move-up, and just lacking the postseason access to prove it further. Although not playoff-eligible until 2026, UST is a problem for the opponent every week with offensive tackle Alec Rasmussen standing at 6-7 and 319 pounds. He played over 90% of the Tommies’ offensive snaps as a yearlong starter last time around.

The trifecta atop the PFL preseason outlook is complete with Davidson and Drake.

Davidson secured FCS playoff berths in three straight seasons from 2020 to 2022, but it faltered to end 2023 when it dropped to Morehead State and Dayton by an average score of 46-15.5. That opened the door for Drake, which benefited from last season’s six one-score Pioneer triumphs. 

Thus, the Bulldogs are pretty battle-tested as they bring back starting quarterback Luke Bailey, the Walter Payton Award preseason watch list choice who is unbeaten against PFL teams as a starter. 

Butler bears watching with Dartmouth grad and midyear transfer QB Nick Howard joining the fold. Howard had an offer from CAA member Campbell and visited Notre Dame before landing on Butler, which stands to gain from his rushing prowess (1,925 yards in 29 career games at Dartmouth). 

Marist ties Butler at a dozen for the most D1 transfers in the Pioneer. The Red Foxes added Monmouth transfer QB Enzo Arjona, who saw time for the Hawks as a true freshman in 2022 when he started MU’s final three games. The best outing among those was his collegiate debut vs. Towson in which he tossed three touchdowns on 18-of-25 passing for 213 yards. Arjona got in four games in his sophomore year of 2023 while playing behind Sacred Heart grad transfer Marquez McCray.

Former LSU walk-on QB Matt O’Dowd is also new to Marist. O’Dowd did not play in any of his three years in Baton Rouge, serving as scout team QB and sideline signaler in games.

San Diego will have an important role in the PFL mix as it aims to flip from 2023’s narrow defeats that included two in overtime. There was also a last-second setback to Drake, 25-20. The Toreros host Davidson on Nov. 2 in Davidson’s only road game against a fellow HERO Sports preseason PFL top-five pick. The Wildcats’ schedule gives them the edge in our POOF for a league lineup that should be closely matched. 

The post 2024 Pioneer Football League Preview appeared first on HERO Sports.

The largest league in the subdivision lacks the national championship-contending standard-bearers found to the west. And ever still, the CAA remains stocked with teams throughout its top half that can reasonably lay claim to, “We can make the playoffs without surprising many folks.” Once there, though, the ceiling seems to be the final four.

Whether CAA Football is actually past its glory days depends on how one views the parity seen in each half of the conference – because whether you are a skeptical fan of a top-five-team in the Missouri Valley or Big Sky, or you are a SoCon fan angling for East Coast supremacy in the 2020s, the CAA remains among the most entertaining playoff races in the country. The very middle of the conference, Rhode Island and Towson, represents the fun of a bubble that only has so much real estate for candidates from one (big) league that don’t always cross over in the regular season. That’s sure to be discussed in November.

In the meantime, here is our preseason assessment of the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference. 

Preseason All-Americans

Via FCS Football Central

Villanova (2) – DB Isas Waxter (1st Team), LB Shane Hartzell (2nd Team)

William & Mary (2) – OL Charles Grant (1st Team), RB Bronson Yoder (2nd Team)

Delaware (1) – AP Marcus Yarns (1st Team)

Elon (1) – DB Caleb Curtain (2nd Team)

Rhode Island (1) – LB AJ Pena (2nd Team)

Richmond (1) – WR Nick DeGennaro (1st Team)

Towson (1) – TE Carter Runyon (2nd Team)

UAlbany (1) – AP Griffin Woodell (2nd Team)

Teams Bringing In The Most D1 Transfers

FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers

UAlbany — 21 (10 FBS, 11 FCS) 

Campbell — 20 (12 FBS, 8 FCS)

Bryant — 17 (12 FBS, 5 FCS)

Hampton — 17 (9 FBS, 8 FCS) 

Rhode Island — 14 (6 FBS, 8 FCS)

Delaware — 11 (9 FBS, 2 FCS)

Elon — 10 (7 FBS, 3 FCS) 

Stony Brook — 10 (4 FBS, 6 FCS)

Names To Know

TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Marcus Yarns, Delaware RB — For a Blue Hen offense better known for passing under head coach Ryan Carty, Yarns showed that the Hens’ tempo spread can be RB-friendly, too. Yarns broke through in 2023 to the tune of 939 rushing yards and 15 ground touchdowns, and his five total TDs in a win at Towson were the standout among six games with multiple TDs. With pro scouts parading through fall camp and Yarns turning into Delaware’s undisputed lead back (he started only once in 2022’s 13 appearances), there’s a lot riding on what Yarns displays in the backfield and in the slot in his graduate season.

TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: AJ Pena, Rhode Island LB — Now a junior, Pena has put together two consecutive productive seasons, coming into his own in the way of sacks last year. Pena’s nine sacks in ’23 (after 5.5 in ’22) make him the CAA’s leading returner in the category. The 6-2, 243 ’backer added greater disruption to his resume a season ago, forcing two fumbles and notching an interception in addition to his 15.5 tackles for loss that ranked top-20 nationally per game. On a Rams squad trying to extend its playoff window with reinforcements such as former Sacred Heart running back Malik Grant, Pena will be one to watch on defense as URI contends with opposing QBs including Monmouth’s Derek Robertson and Delaware’s Ryan O’Connor late in the year. 

TOP NFL PROSPECT: Charles Grant, William & Mary OT — W&M’s 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman built on being a 2022 HERO Sports Sophomore All-American by turning in 2023’s best pass-blocking efficiency mark among CAA tackles. (He allowed one sack on 334 pass-blocking snaps.) The consensus All-American ranks as Josh Buchanan’s No. 5 “small school” prospect in the 2025 class. Grant is back for his fifth year with the COVID eligibility relief dating back to his true freshman season as a reserve. Seeing as the Tribe figures to continue running the ball authoritatively, Grant has the opportunity to put all facets of his game on display starting with the continuation of his 24-game starting streak. 

HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish

1. Villanova
2. UAlbany
3. Elon
4. William & Mary
5. Richmond
6. Delaware
7. New Hampshire
8. Rhode Island
9. Towson
10. Monmouth
11. Stony Brook
12. Bryant
13. Maine
14. Hampton
15. Campbell
16. North Carolina A&T

The more time that passes from James Madison’s era in which it was affixed to the ‘1’ line in predicted finishes, the harder it gets to decipher the CAA in the preseason. That doesn’t mean there isn’t power in the pecking order, though, and someone will jump this line in late October or so, too. 

Villanova passes the sniff test to be the favorite in August. The Wildcats return quarterback Connor Watkins, the conference preseason OPOY. They have two All-Americans on defense entering the year, which should assist in a stingy identity on ‘D,’ compensating for losses on the flip side (in offensive skill positions other than QB). The Wildcats are led by a head coach in Mark Ferrante who has presided over three playoff appearances in six fall seasons at the helm, two of which included at least a share of the CAA title. Nova has not finished a fall campaign with fewer than five overall wins since going 2-9 in 2011; Ferrante has been there for all of it.

Villanova’s schedule this season is soft in conference on the road, as the ’Cats need only to travel to Stony Brook, Maine, Hampton, and nearby Monmouth – those teams average No. 12 in the POOF above. Plus, Nova tends to finish regular seasons strongly, namely in its now-endangered rivalry with FBS-bound Delaware.

Although Delaware isn’t punting on its playoff-ineligible transition season (nor is it redshirting the farm), seeing as it is playing a full CAA lineup on top of its opener against Bryant that was and is scheduled as nonconference, the teams surrounding the Blue Hens in this POOF benefit from UD staying out of the postseason mix. It simplifies what will be a jammed at-large bunch anyway.

In our math predicting the league schedule (game-by-game) to produce the projected standings, Delaware ties Elon, William & Mary, Richmond, and New Hampshire at 6-2 in CAA play, but all four of the former are the playoff beneficiaries pending the at-large picture nationally. 

Elon feels frequently underrated in conference preseason polls given that it has hit a minimum of four league victories in every fall season since 2017, the year head coach Tony Trisciani started as defensive coordinator there. The trick for the Phoenix in 2024 is navigating a nonconference slate that includes FBS Duke and North Carolina Central, plus Western Carolina – it’s apparent that Elon isn’t partaking in the OOC cupcakes seen elsewhere, really leaning into playing tests vs. the region.

In the arms race on offense, the Phoenix can pit seventh-year/CAA preseason honorable mention QB Matthew Downing and his all-league receiver, Chandler Brayboy, against William & Mary’s All-America tailback Bronson Yoder and Richmond’s AA counterpart, Nick DeGennaro. New Hampshire has to ID its offensive linchpins in life after QB Max Brosmer and AP phenom Dylan Laube, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a strong tradition like UNH flip several of last season’s close results, as the Wildcats lost four one-score games.

The UAlbany lede has been buried, but the Great Danes are a fascinating reload story after being semifinalists a year ago. As much as transfer departures have a say in the ’24 outlook, the program was active this offseason in welcoming newcomers who can attempt to bridge 2023 to a real run under HC Greg Gattuso. The chance is there this fall with CAA games having the Danes likely favored against Maine, Bryant, rival Stony Brook, and Hampton while they host Elon and New Hampshire in harder affairs on paper. Particularly intriguing is the possibility of UAlbany partly replacing Reese Poffenbarger’s aerial production with Wisconsin QB transfer Myles Burkett throwing to Georgia State WR transfer Jacari Carter. That’s not to mention retaining Griffin Woodell after the running back’s 2023 insurgence of touches won him CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year.  

The post 2024 CAA Football Preview appeared first on HERO Sports.

Only one will advance to the semis to take on the winner of Villanova and South Dakota State’s quarterfinal. Idaho is in its first quarters since 1993 after surviving Southern Illinois’ second-round push to overtime last week, while UAlbany is making its first appearance this deep in the FCS bracket in program history. 

Idaho’s Offense vs. UAlbany’s Defense

UAlbany’s best season in recent memory, arguably ever, begins with the Great Danes’ defense, which boasts Buck Buchanan Award finalist senior linebacker Dylan Kelly and a fellow senior in defensive end Anton Juncaj holding down the front. Kelly has mowed down ball carriers this fall to the tune of 148 total tackles, including 84 solo. Juncaj finished fifth in Buchanan voting and has an FCS-best 14 solo sacks to his name in 2023.

Idaho is coming off a challenging outing on offense against SIU in which the Vandals scored three first-half points and finished 4-of-13 on third down vs. the Salukis’ 8-of-16.

While the Danes bring the aforementioned imposing defense (27 turnovers gained) westward this Saturday, you wonder if Idaho is more likely to get back on track offensively in its second playoff game of this run. UAlbany has logged a lot of miles this season with its two FBS games (one at Hawaii), and that could catch up to the visitors in the dome this week. New York State to Moscow is reminiscent of Maine schlepping to Eastern Washington as far as CAA Football/Big Sky playoff trips go.

Idaho redshirt sophomore quarterback Gevani McCoy and redshirt junior receiver Hayden Hatten form one of the best connections in the FCS. Hatten is third nationally with his 1,096 receiving yards and has notched nine touchdown catches. 

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UAlbany’s Offense vs. Idaho’s Defense

On paper, UAlbany can make this thing a shootout if necessary: QB Reese Poffenbarger leads the CAA with 33 touchdown passes. Poffenbarger is aided by Griffin Woodell’s 790 rushing yards on the season and by Brevin Easton’s 827 receiving yards.

Idaho will look to limit all the above with its FCS No. 6 total defense (294 YPG allowed). That figure is remarkable when one takes into account Idaho’s Big Sky schedule including the likes of Montana and Montana State, plus the non-conference resume adding games against FBS Nevada and Cal.

The strength of schedule adds to the proven Idaho defense. Last time out vs. Southern Illinois, though, the Vandals’ best defense came in the well-rounded form of…  

Special Teams

Special teams sent Idaho into the quarterfinals. The Vandals scored their first touchdown of the SIU game over halfway through the third quarter via Jermaine Jackson’s 86-yard punt return.

Idaho converted field goals of 40 and 29 yards by Ricardo Chavez, the latter of which sealed the OT victory.

The home team also came up clutch with Xe’Ree Alexander’s block of the Salukis’ attempted game-winning FG at the end of regulation. 

These special, special teams bolstered Idaho to overcome being outgained, though slightly and for the first time this season, 310-293.

As for UA, the Great Danes will need to give McCoy plenty of long fields to drive in the comfort of his own building in a second straight week. The trouble is that UAlbany has just two kickoff touchbacks booted this season and is netting the fewest yards on kickoffs in the CAA.  

The post FCS Playoffs: #5 UAlbany at #4 Idaho Preview appeared first on HERO Sports.

The Jackrabbits are coming off a steamrolling of Mercer 41-0 and, while it would be a surprise to see SDSU win that comfortably vs. Nova, the Jacks are clicking for Eddie Robinson Award-winning head coach Jimmy Rogers. South Dakota State leads the nation in third down conversion percentage (.563) and in red zone offense (.979 scoring).

This unrelenting offense will be Villanova’s problem in the FCS quarterfinals.

SDSU’s Offense vs. Villanova’s Defense

Jackrabbits junior quarterback Mark Gronowski is tops in the country in passing efficiency (182.51), jolted by a pristine 24:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Gronowski annually has the best running back in the playoffs by his side, as senior Isaiah Davis this season is averaging 6.7 yards per carry to go with 1,192 rushing yards and 14 ground TDs.

It seems like each postseason, Davis gets three times more difficult to tackle, giving Villanova its obvious work cut out to avoid showing up on Twitter whiffing on Davis truckings on national television. The Wildcats do possess an FCS top 20 rushing defense (110.4 YPG allowed) and are 11th nationally in third-down defense (allowing .323 conversion).

With the discrepancy in SDSU’s third-down offense and Nova’s third-down defense, something has to give in third down scenarios when SDSU has the ball. If Villanova can get off the field defensively enough in the first half to keep it interesting through the break, paired with a takeaway or two, that would be the likely formula to give a promising Wildcats offense a chance to play its game with the game script under control. Of course, that requires VU getting South Dakota State to third downs to begin with. 

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Villanova’s Offense vs. SDSU’s Defense

Villanova senior QB Connor Watkins is the FCS No. 1 in passing yards per attempt (10.39), nosing out Gronowski (10.15). Watkins has grown into quite the reliable starter for Nova, helped by his star-studded receiving corps. 

Villanova turns to a duo of yardage monsters through the air in wide receivers Jaylan Sanchez and Rayjuon Pringle. Sanchez (25.57) and Pringle (25.16) rank first and second in the FCS in yards per reception. Each has yards-after-catch ability and is playable across the offense, liable to spring loose at any time.

Breakaways won’t come easily against South Dakota State, which is the national leader in scoring defense (10.33 PPG allowed). It is particularly impressive that the Jackrabbits rank as highly as they do in passing yards allowed (seventh overall and best in playoffs, 166.3 YPG) while being ahead in many games and having opponents trying to throw their way back into it.

If Villanova falls behind Saturday by a considerable margin, despite its offensive resume to date, it has yet to encounter a defense this well-equipped to put a stop to explosive runs-after-catch. The Wildcats would probably be happy to mimic the manner in which Holy Cross pushed SDSU in last season’s quarterfinal in Brookings. 

Special Teams

Many (competitive) FCS games come down to the raw number of possessions by each squad, coupled with the field position therein. Villanova is not doing much to flip the field it’s dealt on punts (second-to-last punt return average in CAA Football, 3.7 YPR).

Elsewhere, field goals alone won’t get it done for the Wildcats at the Jacks, but Nova is OK there, kicking 8-of-11 on the season.

South Dakota State’s home-field advantage could appear in special teams, too, with the comfort of the setting and the crowd helping SDSU junior kicker Hunter Dustman (15-of-20 FG) as opposed to Wildcat specialists dealing with the cold and noise after the wear of a long trip.

The post FCS Playoffs: #8 Villanova at #1 South Dakota State Preview appeared first on HERO Sports.

On Saturday, though, both the Wildcats and the Blue Hens will wake up with the resume insurance necessary to be confident about a playoff bid regardless of a loss in the BOTB.

However, a win in Week 12 will give the Battle of the Blue victor (and minimum CAA Football co-champ) a safe shot at a seed and home field in the second round. Other seed contenders in the subdivision will want to monitor how UD/Nova shakes out and in what fashion or margin of victory.

Delaware is 8-2 with one then-ranked win over No. 11 New Hampshire and one FCS loss to unranked Elon. The Hens’ Massey strength of schedule is currently 60th.

Villanova is 8-2 with one then-ranked win over No. 17 Rhode Island and one FCS loss to No. 12 UAlbany. The ’Cats’ Massey strength of schedule is currently 47th.

What does this weekend’s result mean for both teams for playoff positioning? Let’s start with if the home team wins.  

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If Delaware Wins…

For Delaware

It would be the Blue Hens’ first home W over Villanova since 2004 and would give Delaware its second Battle of the Blue win in the last four meetings after Nova took eight straight BOTB trophies from 2012 to 2019.

Setting that series history aside, Delaware would lock up not only its second straight playoff appearance that seems safe as it is, but it also would keep its hold on a seed as a Top 10-ranked team that was high in the committee’s in-season Top 10 and would be adding a Top 10 win to close the regular season. Villanova would be Delaware’s best ranked win of the year.

Elsewhere on the resume, by losing to a quality but unranked/fringe receiving-votes Elon, the Blue Hens took themselves out of top-4 seed consideration by our estimation, but a win over Nova jets them into the No. 5-8 seed picture. We figure that Delaware would like to avoid the 8 line that pipes the winner into a most likely date with No. 1 South Dakota State before the semifinals, but the Hens seem like a 6/7 candidate pending Big Sky and Missouri Valley results.  

For Villanova

Villanova losing to Delaware for just the sixth time since 2001 would be a downer for the 2023 Wildcats, a squad that, just like those before it, seeks to preserve the tradition of rivalry dominance attained by other classes.

As mentioned, Villanova would still have plenty of reason to watch the selection show the next day, as the ’Cats’ eight wins overall keep them in position for an at-large bid despite missing out on the fun of involvement in an AQ tiebreaker in the CAA.

Saturday’s Richmond/William & Mary game is between teams behind Nova in the at-large pecking order. The hot, 7-3 overall Spiders must win to put themselves squarely in the conversation as the fourth CAA playoff entrant and the conference’s third at-large recipient (unless the AQ tiebreaker goes their way). The 6-4 overall Tribe can (and probably will) still be left out of the field coming off a win over UR, though such a triumph would have the punch to potentially eliminate Richmond.

In other words, there is breathing room for Villanova, which is helpful given how messy the bubble behind it could become as Saturday progresses.   

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If Villanova Wins…

For Villanova

The victorious scenario is a mirror one for Villanova, which would also pick up its best ranked win of the season by denying Delaware years’ worth of pent-up revenge on Saturday.

The Wildcats would carry seed-candidacy momentum into Selection Sunday and likely earn one in the range occupied by Delaware above. CAA counterpart UAlbany would love this development, as the Great Danes would (assuming a win over Monmouth in Week 12) have their 31-10 win over Nova look that much better and guarantee a UA seed at 9-3.

A Villanova win this week also delivers the rivalry-sweetened satisfaction of sending Delaware to the first round and keeping the Blue Hens on the road in a potential Round 2, a fate that caps the Hens’ realistic chances of making a deep run. Nova, meanwhile, would enjoy the week off all the more and would dodge a bracket setup that could feed it into a seeded UAlbany in the second round, let alone a challenge like a trip to a Midwest or West Coast power. The CAA has not fared all that well in those settings lately.

For Delaware

Much like a hypothetical-Week 12-losing Villanova, Delaware is staring at hosting the Patriot League automatic qualifier (Lafayette or Holy Cross) in the first round in the event of falling to Villanova.

Because UD beat Duquesne in the regular season and the committee avoids immediate first-round rematches, the Blue Hens would not entertain the Dukes in Round 1 even if Duquesne is the NEC champ. Delaware hosting Merrimack is a possibility if the Warriors win their auto-bid by knocking out Duquesne head-to-head Saturday.

The post FCS: What’s At Stake For No. 7 Delaware vs. No. 10 Villanova? appeared first on HERO Sports.

The Phoenix joined the Blue Hens in the CAA’s five-way tie for first entering the penultimate week of the regular season. UAlbany, Villanova, and Richmond round out the bunch of teams vying for postseason security in a conference that might only snatch two at-large berths this month. Just seven wins total likely won’t be enough for any of the above (more on that to come).

What’s the path to the playoffs for each squad with a 5-1 league record?

Let’s start with the cluster’s highest-ranked team in the FCS media poll and descend from there, though Top 25 positioning alone is not an indicator of one program’s playoff probability over another.

No. 8 Delaware

Overall record: 7-2 (vs. FCS: 7-1)

Best win: over New Hampshire, 29-25

Worst loss: to Elon, 33-27

Coming up: at Campbell, vs. Villanova

Delaware tripped up for the first time in its conference schedule on Saturday, becoming Elon’s second top-5-ranked upset victim this season (the first was then-No. 5 William & Mary on September 30).

The Blue Hens are banged up, nursing the second-quarter exit of star running back Marcus Yarns in the Elon loss. Adding to the backfield concerns, Delaware has spent the last several weeks almost alternating which of its quarterbacks (Ryan O’Connor and Zach Marker) is hurt and unavailable.

Marker is more mobile and sure-handed carrying the football, while O’Connor is coming off likely his worst game as a Blue Hen in returning from an upper-body injury (23-of-48 passing for one touchdown, one interception, a lost fumble, and four sacks vs. Elon).

The (healthy) quarterback who can better manage Delaware’s other offensive injuries will have to lead UD to at least one win in its next two games for a playoff ticket. The Hens continue to miss starting wide receivers Chandler Harvin and Kym Wimberly.

Up next for Delaware is a road tilt at Campbell, a game the Blue Hens would love to have in order to hit eight wins before rival Villanova looks to continue its dominance in the Battle of the Blue series on November 18.

Delaware backed into the bracket last fall while on the skids, crumbling at Villanova in the regular season finale. The route to a more safe bid this time around is there by beating Campbell. A seed is not out of the question if the Hens go 2-for-2 to finish the regular season.

A loss to Campbell bumps UD to the bubble, which history says will burst in a win-and-in situation vs. Nova. Again: Seven wins (with the exception of a potential Elon scenario outlined below) won’t cut it in the CAA this Thanksgiving.

No. 13 Villanova

Overall record: 7-2 (vs. FCS: 7-1)

Best win: over Elon, 21-0

Worst loss: to UAlbany, 31-10

Coming up: vs. Towson, at Delaware

Villanova is in prime position for a bid despite the defeat to UAlbany clouding the Wildcats’ path to the automatic qualifier.

Nova is coming off a win at New Hampshire that matches Delaware’s best CAA triumph. After getting Towson this week, Villanova plays at its BOTB nemesis, and it hasn’t lost at Delaware since 2004.

Winning out is thus very much in reach and would put the Wildcats among the seed candidates. Splitting the final pair of games in the regular season also assures an at-large bid, but where VU could go in the first round is something of a question given that a hosting bid might not carry overwhelming weight for the ’Cats, whereas it’s hard to see a first-round-playing Delaware being anywhere other than Newark.

Regardless, Villanova has an inside track to a playoff berth. The Wildcats own a top-5 CAA scoring offense and scoring defense and quarterback Connor Watkins leads the conference in pass efficiency (160.0). Running back Jalen Jackson is third in the league with his 88.3 rushing yards per game.

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No. 18 UAlbany  

Overall record: 7-3 (vs. FCS: 7-1)

Best win: over Villanova, 31-10

Worst loss: to New Hampshire, 38-31

Coming up: at Stony Brook, vs. Monmouth

UAlbany is arguably already in the playoff field if you stick with the projection that the Great Danes will roll rival Stony Brook, which is winless this season.

In the following game on the Danes’ slate, another eliminated team awaits in Monmouth. Similarly to Delaware and Villanova, it’s not difficult to picture UAlbany finishing with nine wins, but fortunately for the Great Danes, UD and Nova can’t both finish at that number due to their head-to-head.

Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger’s 23 touchdown passes and linebacker Dylan Kelly’s 120 total tackles this season headline UAlbany’s sneaky run to at least a share of the CAA regular-season title if projections hold.

The Great Danes are in the somewhat funky position of being ranked outside the top 15 nationally, yet owning the best playoff chances in the conference. Had they taken down one of their two FBS opponents earlier this season, this would be a team more on the radar and one able to plan the postseason with ease.

Setting that aside, UAlbany’s comfortable win over Villanova is in the running for best victory by any conference team in league play.

(RV) Elon

Overall record: 5-4 (vs. FCS: 5-3)

Best win: over Delaware, 33-27

Worst loss: to Gardner-Webb, 34-27

Coming up: at Richmond, vs. Hampton

Elon takes momentum into an elimination game at Richmond this Saturday, as its best win was just days ago over the Blue Hens. The Phoenix is one game behind Richmond in overall record and while the best Elon can finish is 7-4, that hypothetical resume’s wins over Delaware, Richmond, and even William & Mary earlier in the year will be hard for the committee to exclude off the bat. Elon needs UD to stabilize for the duration of the season, giving the Phoenix a “win over a team in the field.”

For Elon, the best part of beating Richmond on Saturday would be knocking out the Spiders in the at-large picture, let alone the AQ crowd. That is because the worst losses in the CAA (among contenders) this fall belong to…

(RV) Richmond

Overall record: 6-3 (vs. FCS: 6-2)

Best win: over Rhode Island, 24-17

Worst losses: to Morgan State, 17-10, and to Hampton, 31-14

Coming up: vs. Elon, at William & Mary

Richmond is one of the stories of the year in the CAA for its recovery from tough losses, its only two against FCS opponents coming to Morgan State and Hampton.

The schedule easing up has helped UR, but the win over URI was a major help in separating from the middle pack in the league standings. 

Rhody, like Richmond’s regular-season finale opponent in W&M, is 5-4 overall with little ability to crack the field. With the CAA almost guaranteed to send UAlbany and at least one of Villanova or Delaware to the bracket, there is not nearly as much opportunity for four-loss teams.

Where does that leave the Tribe’s psyche in Week 12? William & Mary is capable of beating Richmond, but will it show up emotionally with the season ending after much preseason hype? If Richmond overcomes Elon and wins the Capital Cup against W&M, an at-large selection at eight wins, including those over Rhody and W&M, looks good–right?

One would think so, but even upon winning out, the Spiders would be wise to track the rest of the bubble nationally due to some detractions out of their control at this point. With Massey’s 85th strength of schedule that avoids Delaware, Villanova, and UAlbany and with losses to two big underdogs/one of them being out-of-conference, Richmond is a good test of the CAA’s perception if it concludes 8-3. 

There would be a lot of commotion in certain corners if the Spiders are passed over at eight wins in favor of a seven-win Missouri Valley Football Conference candidate, but it is not impossible, nor is it that far-fetched to see the committee considering a Holy Cross team with an FBS win (if it beats Army Saturday) vs. Richmond’s resume.

There’s plenty to be decided over in the Patriot League between Lafayette and HC, but by itself, Richmond is a symbol of the CAA entering Week 11. The Spiders can win out to keep themselves in the regular-season title crew and in an AQ-tiebreaking decision, but due to the conference’s imbalanced schedule as it’s larger than ever, that win over URI is doing a lot of work for the resume. Headache-inducingly, Richmond beating Elon would be a quality win, but the very act of defeating the Phoenix would keep Elon unranked for the rest of the year, preventing the addition of a ranked win that could help when competing for a bid against other leagues’ at-large hopefuls.

The post Making Sense Of CAA Football’s Tie For First Entering Week 11 appeared first on HERO Sports.

UAlbany is 6-3 overall and 6-1 vs. the FCS with one ranked win. Its Massey strength of schedule is 31st in the FCS, boosted by a pair of FBS games, including one at Hawaii. More on that later.

After opening as the preseason favorite in the CAA, William & Mary is 5-3 overall and 5-2 vs. the FCS. Its resume has disappointing losses at contending Elon and at home vs. now-eliminated Towson, plus no ranked wins. The Tribe’s Massey strength of schedule is 62nd in the FCS.

What does this weekend’s result mean for both teams for playoff positioning? Let’s start with if the home team wins.

If UAlbany wins…

For UAlbany

The Great Danes are highly likely to be playoff-bound. With a win over W&M, UA moves to 7-3 overall and picks up a second ranked win before it gets an appetizing matchup with rival Stony Brook (0-8) the next week.

With the SBU game on November 11 and eliminated Monmouth visiting UAlbany on November 18, the Danes have a very feasible path to nine wins against the FCS in the event they take down William & Mary. 

While finishing with over eight DI wins obviously assures UAlbany at least an at-large berth, the Great Danes can also keep themselves in the CAA’s automatic-qualifier mix by winning Saturday. Although Delaware currently leads the pack at 5-0 in conference games, all it takes is one Blue Hens stumble (vs., say, Villanova on the 18th) and UAlbany can swoop in with its head-to-head poker chip over Nova (a 31-10 UA win on September 30).

A nine-win, CAA auto-bid UAlbany with multiple ranked wins puts itself in the seed discussion, especially if Delaware’s first league loss comes to Villanova on Selection Sunday eve. It is hard to envision multiple seeds coming out of the CAA with its imbalanced strength-of-schedule outcomes vs. the Big Sky heavyweights’ round-robin.

A note on UAlbany’s schedule: Yes, the Great Danes will play a total of 12 regular-season games in what is an 11-game FCS calendar this fall. This is doable thanks to the Hawaii Exemption, which affords a team that travels to play at Hawaii in a given year the opportunity to schedule an additional game than the norm. This is said to assist in offsetting the cost of trekking outside the continental U.S. for the Hawaii game week.

UAlbany’s slate works out this way with its Week 0 quality win over playoff contender Fordham and its extra FBS game at Marshall, which presumably made the Hawaii trip possible.

For William & Mary

If W&M loses at UAlbany, the Tribe has played itself to the edge of the bubble in just the first week of November.

William & Mary would fall to 5-4 overall with two games remaining (at Hampton and at home vs. Richmond).

While we’ll project the Tribe to handle Hampton to advance to 6-4, rivalry week vs. Richmond with a 7-4 finish on the line would be far from a gimme game. The Spiders (6-3 overall, 5-1 CAA) have shaken off a cold start and have worked themselves into bracketology. Whether they provide W&M with a ranked win opportunity depends on how UR plays Elon on November 11 after a bye.

William & Mary should root for Richmond to be ranked when the two meet to end the regular season, regardless of the Tribe’s footing but especially in the case that W&M can finish 7-4 at best.

With the east counterpart SoCon flirting with three to four bids, there is no guarantee that merely seven overall wins on an uninspiring strength of schedule can carry William & Mary into the field. A Tribe defeat at UA is asking for a Selection Sunday on which Delaware, Villanova, and UAlbany leave W&M behind on the couch. 

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If William & Mary wins…

For UAlbany

The Great Danes can recover. Sure, getting a fourth overall loss with two more November games on the docket is typically stressful bubble territory, especially in a down CAA with not enough crossover of contenders head-to-head and possibly the non-AQ team between Delaware and Villanova destined for an at-large.

UAlbany, though, has capitalized on most of its key chances to date, earning the aforementioned three-touchdown win over Nova and a helpful head-to-head over bubble Rhode Island 35-10.

With its favorable schedule to follow the W&M game, UAlbany maintains its route to eight wins. The Great Danes might prefer that Richmond cool off and not finish 8-3 overall, but the Spiders might be held back, even at that record, by blemishes in early-season losses to Morgan State and Hampton.

On the other hand, if UAlbany loses to William & Mary and an 8-3 Richmond has, by definition, beaten the Tribe to close the regular campaign, that does create a recency-inflamed head-to-head discrepancy. Who’s left behind in a three-bid CAA is one of the more intriguing facets of the bubble, which could itself be crowded in the east by a Patriot League that has multiple contenders trailing current AQ leader Lafayette. 

For William & Mary

By winning at UA, the Tribe gets itself a ranked win and likely hits seven wins its next time out vs. Hampton. To have seven wins entering the Capital Cup vs. Richmond equates to William & Mary facing a win-and-in situation in Week 12.

The Tribe, in that scenario, could also deal Richmond a death blow for its at-large hopes, keeping the Spiders from arriving at eight total wins.

Additionally, William & Mary would benefit greatly from a head-to-head advantage over UAlbany if each finishes with eight in the win column. This is especially true since W&M does not get a crack at Villanova in the regular season, an opponent that is UA’s top resume booster. 

The post FCS: What’s At Stake For No. 23 UAlbany vs. No. 24 William & Mary? appeared first on HERO Sports.

With its 38-35 win at Holy Cross, Lafayette unseated the Crusaders from their perch atop the conference on Saturday. The upset extended the Leopards’ winning streak to five and kept the new Patriot League No. 1 unbeaten in FCS games. Other resume highlights accrued during this run include quality wins over the CAA’s Monmouth (28-20) and at traditional Ivy League power Princeton (12-9).

Lafayette’s ascension to a Top 25 breakthrough, checking in at No. 21 in the Stats Perform media poll this week, has been keyed by the Leopards’ defense and running game.

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Lafayette owns the Patriot’s best scoring defense at 20.7 PPG allowed. Sure, Holy Cross managed to put up 35 points in defeat to the Leopards, but the ’Saders trailed 21-7 at halftime, a rare circumstance when in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Lafayette defense is led by senior linebacker Billy Shaeffer in tackles for loss (12.5 total) and sacks (7.0), both of which are marks that pace the Patriot League, edging out Holy Cross’ Jacob Dobbs. 

While Lafayette’s ability to outthrow Holy Cross was notable on Saturday (the Leopards’ Dean DeNobile went 12-of-17 passing for 262 yards versus ground-dominant Matthew Sluka’s 85 yards on 7-of-21), the rushing competitiveness despite Sluka’s efforts was most glaring.

Lafayette sophomore running back Jamar Curtis went off for a career-best 229 yards on 30 carries that included two touchdowns, bolstering the Leopards to overcome Sluka’s staggering rushing total of 330 yards and three touchdowns. Curtis’ performance was emblematic of Lafayette proving it belongs with (or as) the best in the league entering the home stretch of the regular season.

Curtis occupies the Patriot driver’s seat in rushing YPG at 132.4 with six touchdowns on the season. Lafayette will need him to continue to propel the offense when it encounters fellow top-half Patriot member and playoff at-large candidate Fordham on November 11 in Easton, Pennsylvania — one week before Lafayette meets rival Lehigh for the 159th time. That will be a highly emotional back-to-back for the Leopards, who are taking aim at their first FCS playoff berth since 2013’s League title.

Lafayette-Fordham figures to be monumental for the Patriot’s automatic qualifier to the playoffs, especially if the Rams can knock off Holy Cross at home this Saturday. Fordham boasts an FBS win at Buffalo, a convenient chip to bring to the at-large table next month. Since Lafayette lacks that booster (its lone loss came at Duke 42-7), as much as there are quality FCS wins present, the Leopards are best served by clinching the AQ to avoid the stress of being compared against bubble CAA teams in the region.

Speaking of the bubble, that’s exactly where Lafayette sent Holy Cross last week, putting the Patriot League (and the pollsters) on notice: One can no longer chalk up the conference for the Crusaders. 

The post Lafayette Using Defense, Rushing To Lead Patriot League, Crack Top 25 appeared first on HERO Sports.