October is over and it went out with a burst in the FCS. Halloween weekend was full of postseason-shaping contests across the country and as November arrives, some teams are set up for success while others are have their backs now thrust against the wall. There are just three weeks to go before the playoff committee gets together and determines everyone’s fate. A lot of what happened in Week 9 will surely play into those decisions.
Dartmouth Picks off Five Passes, Upsets Harvard in Friday Night Showcase
The FCS weekend began with a bang on Friday evening when Dartmouth handed previously-undefeated Harvard its first loss of the season. The Big Green defense was on fire, picking off Crimson quarterback Charlie Smith five times. Defensive back Cameron Best-Alston was responsible for two of those interceptions and was the team’s tackle leader with eight. Turnovers aside, the Harvard offense was off-rhythm for most of the night, going just 3-of-10 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth. Even with intercepting three passes of their own off of Dartmouth signal caller Grayson Saunier, the Crimson could not stop the run. Saunier rumbled for 109 yards and score despite only completing five passes. Dartmouth came away with a turnover-laden 24-14 win that shuffles the Ivy League standings. Now at 3-1 in conference play with a the head-to-head over Harvard, the Big Green sit tied atop the league with Princeton whom they play next Saturday.
UAlbany Hands Campbell First FCS Loss to Shake Up CAA
Just it when it appeared as though Campbell might run away with the CAA, UAlbany landed a haymaker that keeps the conference open at the top. The Great Danes hosted and defeat the Camels 45-35 thanks to another strong performance from quarterback Kai Colon and running back Rahshan La Mons. Colon threw for two touchdowns and ran for another while La Mons ran for 119 yards and a score. UAlbany opened up a 21-7 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. Campbell QB Kamden Sixkiller left the game with an apparent injury but returned later. He finished his day with 27 completions for 271 yards and two scores. The Danes survived nine penalties and two turnovers to come out on top and improve to 6-3 overall (4-1 CAA). They will look to keep pace with Monmouth as they take on Bryant next weekend. Campbell slips to 7-2 (4-1 CAA) and returns home to battle Stony Brook.
YSU Edges North Dakota 31-28
North Dakota all but watched it Missouri Valley title hopes slip away on Saturday afternoon as it suffered its second defeat in as many weeks, this time at the hands of high-flying Youngstown State. Penguins quarterback Beau Brungard threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, all of which went to receiver Lynn Wyche-El. Wyche-El torched the Hawks secondary for 148 yards on six catches. UND struggled to move the ball consistently throughout the day. Jerry Kaminski tossed a pair of interceptions and only completed 54.5% (18-for-33) of his passes. Defensive back Grant Noland continued to flash with 10 tackles and two PBUs. Kaminski’s second pick of the day, though, with just 1:15 left sealed it. The Hawks fall to 6-4 (3-3 MVFC) and now likely need to win out to make the playoffs. They face Illinois State next weekend. Youngstown State improves to 7-2 (5-1 MVFC) as they get ready for Murray State.
Holy Cross Gives Richmond’s Playoff Hopes Blow with 33-14 Beatdown
Richmond just climbed into the Top 25 two weeks ago but will probably drop out again after a surprising 19-point loss to Holy Cross. The Spiders offense fell flat, putting up just 81 passing yards. They scored both of their touchdowns in the first quarter then were blanked the rest of the way by a Crusaders defense that held them to just 13 first downs. Holy Cross running back Joseph Williams exploded for 206 yards on his own and three touchdowns. He averaged over 10 yards per carry. Senior linebacker Adam Due had 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks. The Crusaders, despite an 0-4 start to their season, are now 4-2 in Patriot League play as they get ready to take on Georgetown. Richmond holds a similar conference record but faces a much tougher final stretch as Villanova and Lehigh await over the next two weeks.
Tennessee Tech Regains Control of SoCon with Win over ETSU
Tennessee Tech re-affirmed itself as one of the top teams in the SoCon on Saturday with a hard-fought 24-17 win over ETSU on the road. Jax Leatherwood did not throw any touchdowns but kept the ball out of harm’s way and ran for the game-winning score with just over four minutes left. The Golden Eagles defense made a late red zone stop to prevent the Buccaneers from potentially forcing overtime and sealed their eighth win of the season. East Tennessee State running back T.J. Peyton ran for 123 yards and a TD but that was the most production they got from any of their skill players on offense. Tennessee Tech linebacker Josh Hand was all over the place, getting in on a sack and making five solo stops. The Golden Eagles will take on VMI next weekend before a monster matchup with Mercer. ETSU faces Samford next Saturday.
Jackrabbits Down Coyotes in South Dakota Showdown
One of the most consequential games of the weekend went down in Brookings on Saturday evening and it was #5 South Dakota State that prevailed 31-21 over #6 South Dakota. The Jackrabbits stormed out to a 28-0 lead before the Coyotes clawed their way back in with 21 unanswered points. A late SDSU field goal was too much to overcome, however, and USD fell for the third time this season in spite of another big showing from freshman quarterback Austyn Modrzewski who threw for 233 yards and three scores. South Dakota State running back Josiah Johnson ran for 126 yards and a TD while quarterback Chase Mason completed 16 passes for 232 yards and two scores. USD was forced to punt seven times and only ran for 19 total yards in their worst rushing performance of the year. Charles Pierre Jr. mustered just 13 yards on seven attempts. South Dakota is now 4-2 in MFVC action while SDSU is 4-1. The ‘Yotes now have a bye while the Jackrabbits travel to Northern Iowa.
Tarleton State Survives EKU to Stay Perfect
It took a 25-yard touchdown pass from Kaeden Anderson with under two minutes to go but #1 Tarleton State escaped an upset bid from Eastern Kentucky to remain undefeated. The Colonels came in and gave the Texans all they could handle on Saturday night as Brady Hensley ran for 139 yards and two scores. Myles Burkett averaged 22.5 yards per completion (11) and a TD pass as well for EKU. Tarleton State got big performances from a pair of receivers in Marquis Willis and Tanner Schmidt but also struggled with turnovers as Anderson tossed two picks. Running back Miequle Brock lost a fumble as well. TSU still prevailed off the back of their big-play offense. Their final scoring drive went 75 yards in just three plays. The Texans are now 9-0 (4-0 UAC) and will host an Abilene Christian squad that has won four straight.
