Pass/Fail FCS Week 9

This will be the final Pass/Fail report for the FCS in 2010. Next week I will concentrate on playoff projections and will be closely evaluating conference champion and playoff candidates. Thanks for following the Pass/Fail report in 2010.

BIG SKY

Eastern Washington 50, Portland State 17
Pass: Taiwan Jones rushed for 199 yards and 3 scores, and now the Eagles control their own destiny for the Big Sky title.
Fail: Portland State held the ball for almost 15 minutes longer than the Eagles, but mistakes were costly and the Vikings allowed the Eagles to jump out 28-10 at the half.

Weber State 30, Montana 21
Pass: Vaingamalie Tafuna busted loose for 124 yards rushing and 4 scores, as the Wildcats knocked the Grizzlies out of a first place tie.
Fail: Montana is introuble after this loss, and cannot afford another. The Montana State game is going to be huge for both.

Montana State 23, Idaho State 20 (OT)
Pass: Denaris McGhee's 25 yard run won the game for the Bobcats in OT, but this game never should have been this close. McGhee passed for 402 yards.
Fail: ISU had the Bobcats on the ropes despite having only 14 yards rushing on the day. More output by the offense may have meant an upset for the Bengals.

South Dakota 34, Northern Colorado 6
Pass: Dante Warren passed for 3 scores on the day, and the Coyotes cruised past the Bears.
Fail: NC had no run game to speak of and was held to just 47 yards rushing. The Coyotes had the Bears down 24-0 at the half.

Sacramento State 40, Northern Arizona 10
Pass: Jeff Fleming passed for 3 scores and Bryan Hilliard rushed for 2 as the Hornets pulled off the upset.
Fail: The Lumberjacks are now out of any realisitc playoff scenario. This was a game that they had to win.

BIG SOUTH

(VMI notes are in the FBS report with Army...VMI fell 29-7.)

Coastal Carolina 30, Gardner-Webb 27 (OT)
Pass: Zach MacDowell scored on an 8 yard TD run in OT to give the Chanticleers the win, and kept them alive in the Big South race.
Fail: The Bulldogs were held to well under 2 yards per carry on the day on 53 carries.

Liberty 34, Presbyterian 24
Pass: The Flames have now won 4 straight and stay in a two way tie for first with Stony Brook. Mike Brown passed for 272 yards and rushed for another 149. SirChauncey Holloway rushed for 3 scores on the day.
Fail: The Blue Hose were in this game and just found a way to give it away. Some defense might have been nice against the run.

Stony Brook 41, Charleston Southern 21
Pass: The Sea Wolves blew open a close game with 21 in the 3rd, and they stay in a tie for the conference lead with Liberty. Brock Jackolski rushed for 183 yards and Miguel Maysonet rushed for another 158 and and scored 4 times.
Fail: The Buccaneers failed to develop the run, and they were unable to keep Stony Brook off of the field. The Rush D was a piece of swiss cheese.

COLONIAL

(William & Mary notes can be found in the ACC section of the FBS report...The Tribe fell to North Carolina 21-17)

Villanova 28, Richmond 7
Pass: Chris Whitney passed for 2 scores and rushed for another as the Wildcats stay alive.
Fail: The Spiders were held to 59 yards rushing on 40 carries. The Spiders are out of the playoffs for certain at this point.

Rhode Island 30, Towson 20
Pass: URI getsa confidence builder for the rest of the season. The only question is how much longer will the Rams be playing in the CAA after rumors reported them to be considering membership in the NEC?
Fail: Chris Hart was erratic and only completed 19 of 39 passes on the day. The Tigers are the worst team in the CAA.

UMass 21, James Madison 14
Pass: The Minutemen stay alive with another huge win, as Jonathon Hernandez rushed for 137 yards and UMass outscored the Dukes 15-0 in the 4th to rally for the win.
Fail: The Dukes have watched a promising season come apart at the seams. They are now out of the playoff race.

GREAT WEST

(South Dakota notes can be found in the Big Sky section)

North Dakota 31, Lamar 6
Pass: Brent Goska passed for 229 yards and rushed for another 95 yards and the Fighting Sioux pounded the Cardinals.
Fail: The Cardinals were outmanned from the start. The defense could do nothing to stem the tide, and Lamar committed 9 penalties as well.

Southern Utah 54, UC-Davis 24
Pass: Brad Sorenson completed 30 of 36 passes for 397 yards and SUU is in charge of the Great West. If you remove the losses to Wyoming and San Jose State, the Thunderbirds are having a very nice season.
Fail: The Aggies are just the latest team to fail to adequately cover Tysson Poots, as he had 12 catches for 191 yards on the day.

Cal Poly 41, St. Francis 33
Pass: Jordan Yocum scored from 7 yards out with 0:02 left to help the Mustangs pull away from the pesky Flash.
Fail: John Kelly kept St. Francis alive in this game, but the D could not get a big stop when needed.

INDEPENDENTS

Bryant 24, Albany 7
Pass: Jordan Brown rushed for 200 yards and 2 scores for the Bulldogs and Bryant also scored on a pick 6 while dominating Albany in the second half.
Fail: The Great Danes are a bit bipolar this season, as they have never played to their full potential in any given game. The offense died after halftime.

Old Dominion 28, Hampton 14
Pass: QB Thomas DeMarco rushed for a pair of scores and the Monarchs defeated their area rival by scoring all 28 points in the first half.
Fail: Hampton was held to 80 yards on 38 carries for the game. They fall out of playoff contention and now wonder what could have been.

South Alabama 39, Georgia State 34
Pass: The Jaguars are showing that they are more than ready for their inclusion in the offical 1-AA standings in 2011. They now have wins over other 1st year program Lamar, and have a win over UC-Davis. The Jaguars rushed for 293 yards on the day, and over 23,000 people attended the game.
Fail: Every win that the Panthers pick up makes them more feared when they join the Colonial. This was one they would love to have back as they trailed 30-14 at the half.

IVY LEAGUE

Yale 31, Columbia 28
Pass: The Bulldogs raced out to a 31-7 lead at the half, and then held on to pull out the win. Patrick Witt passed for three scores to counter his 3 picks.
Fail: Sean Brackett passed for 4 scores on the day, but when you are down by 24 at the half, a comeback is a ton to ask for. The Lions almost made it work, but almost does not count.

Cornell 21, Princeton 19
Pass: The Crimson won the battle of the worst of the Ivy. Jeff Matthews passed for 2 scores, and the D held on just long enough to keep the win from turning into a loss.
Fail: A terrible 3rd quarter did the Tigers in, and they now fall to 1-6.

Penn 24, Brown 7
Pass: Billy Ragone rushed for 151 yards and passed for 92 more, and Penn stayed at the head of the Ivy League.
Fail: The Bears crumpled in the 2nd quarter, allowing the Quakers to put up 21 points, and the offense never countered.

Harvard 30, Dartmouth 14
Pass: The Crimson raced out to a 27-7 lead at the half and never looked back. Collier Winters ran for 2 scores and passed for another to keep Harvard one game back of Penn.
Fail: Conner Kempe tossed 3 picks and the D gave up 480 yards. Bad day for the Big Green, as they will not have a big year.

MEAC


Bethune-Cookman 67, North Carolina A&T 17
Pass: The Wildcats could sure use a hand, but right now they are in the driver's seat for the MEAC title. A win over Florida A&M is all that remains in the way. A win over Hampton this week is absolutely necessary. The win over the Aggies was easy, and expected. Matthew Johnson passed for 154 yards and ran for another 137 on the day.
Fail: George Hines completed only 8 of 26 passes for the Aggies, and A&T falls farther into the bottom ten.

South Carolina State 38, Delaware State 21
Pass: The Bulldogs need to win out to stay alive for either an at large birth in the FCS playoffs, or for a bid to the Legacy Bowl. Chris Merrill's 160 yards rushing led the way against the Hornets.
Fail: Delaware State falls into the -1000 point class in the PRS with the loss. Long year...again.

Norfolk State 10, Howard 9
Pass: Chris Walley led the way for the Spartans with 164 yards passing.
Fail: The Bison totalled 78 yards of total offense for the game.

NC Central 20, Edward Waters 7
Pass: The D picked of EWC QB Brandon Turman 3 times and the Eagles got a win against the NAIA Warriors. Hooray...
Fail: Why are the Eagles playing an NAIA opponent in late October? Are they trying to build themselves into an FCS player or not?

Florida A&M 31, Morgan State 17
Pass: The Rattlers stayed alive in the MEAC race as Phillip Sylvester rushed for 192 yards to lead the way.
Fail: Morgan State could not pass to save their lives (neither could the Rattlers). Once they got down, there was no coming back.

MISSOURI VALLEY

Northern Iowa 34, Youngstown State 30
Pass: Tirrell Rennie rushed for 194 yards and passed for 152 as the Panthers have somehow managed to take over 1st place in the mess that is the MVC. Rennie rushed for 2 scores and passed for another.
Fail: The Penguins fall to 3-6 and have lost 5 straight. They are a shell of their former selves form the 80s and 90s.

Missouri State 51, Southern Illinois 41
Pass: Cody Kirby passed for 348 yards as the Bears took care of business and stayed in the thick of the MVC race.
Fail: The Salukis never came together this season, and this was just one more bad loss.

Western Illinois 65, Illinois State 38
Pass: No defense, but hey, it works. The Leathernecks got back in to the thick of the FCS playoff picture with this must have win.
Fail: The Redbirds tried to run the ball and slow down the tempo, but it didn't work and the defense imploded. ISU is out of the race.

Indiana State 41, South Dakota State 30
Pass: Darrius Gates rushed for 3 scores and caught a pair of TD passes as the Sycamores out the Jackrabbits to bed for the remainder of the season. The Sycamores are probably the most improved team in the nation in 2010.
Fail: SDSU tried to come back from a slow start to the seaosn, but they hit a road block, and it was probably too little, too late anyway. There will be no return to the show this season.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE

Robert Morris 34, Duquesne 11
Pass: Jeff Sinclair rushed for 2 socres and passed for another, while Myles Russ rushed for the two scores that put the game away for the #9 Colonials. The Colonials now have a huge showdown with Central Connecticut for a spot in the FCS playoffs.
Fail: Duquesne looked like asure bet to get into the FCS playoffs early in the season, but then they fell off of the cliff. Better luck next season.

Central Connecticut 38, Wagner 20
Pass: Everett Benjamin and Chris Tolbert both rushed for a pair of scores, and the Blue Devils are getting closer to a shot at a playoff birth.
Fail: The Seahawks were held to 193 yards of offense in the loss.

Sacred Heart 26, Monmouth 25
Pass: Dale Fink passed for 228 yards and the Pioneers survived.
Fail: A failed 2 point conversion late in the 4th brought Monmouth to their knees.

OHIO VALLEY

Southeast Missouri 24, UT-Martin 17
Pass: Henry Harris had a very average day, but his 8 yard run with 3:04 left in the game gave the Redhawks the lead for good. SEMS stays alive for a showdown with Jacksonville State for the conference title.
Fail: The Skyhawks could not pass when it counted, and were held to 67 yards through the air.

Eastern Illinois 28, Austin Peay 10
Pass:  EIU recorded their first win of the season.
Fail: APSU has been on a long slow decline, and losing to the Panthers is rock bottom.

Eastern Kentucky 28, Murray State 21
Pass: TJ Pryor passed for a score and ran for 2 more, and EKU played spoiler in ending the Racers' late season run.
Fail: The Racers could only generate 74 yards rushing for the day, and they failed to control the field.

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Lehigh 44, Colgate 14
Pass: Chris Lum passed for 310 yards, and Lehigh has taken the Patriot by storm.
Fail: Colgate was red hot, and now there is nothing colder. What an absolute collapse by the Dead Raiders over the last 2 weeks.

Lafayette 33, Bucknell 22
Pass: It's one week closer to the end of the season for the leagues worst teams.
Fail: Bucknell has to play 3 more before it mercifully ends.

Fordham 24, Georgetown 19
Pass: Same as the game above.
Fail: The Hoyas were playing with so much promise, and then they hit a wall. Still trying to figure out what went wrong.

PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Dayton 37, Davidson 13
Pass: Taylor Harris rushed for 2 scores and Steve Valentino passed for 2 more as Dayton kept pace with Jacksonville for the PFL title.
Fail: Injuries killed Davidson's rushing game early this season, and they have never recovered.

Marist 42, Campbell 14
Pass: Tommy Reilly passed for 313 yards and the Red Foxes dominated.
Fail: Just another indicstor as to how far the Camels have to go to build this program.

Butler 48, Valporaiso 0
Pass: Butler is not a great team by any stretch, but this is a good win.
Pass: Valpo is so bad that it actually pisses me off that they are forced to play D1 football on any level.

Jacksonville 61, Morehead State 17
Pass: Josh MacGregor is the best QB in FCS football, and he proved it by passing for 7 TDs in the rouot over the Eagles. MacGregor hit 4 different Dolphins for scores, including 3 times to leading receiver Josh Philpart.
Fail: Nobody in the PFL canplay with the Dolphins offense. Morehead State was just the latest casualty.

Drake 38, San Diego 17
Pass: Patrick Cashmore rushed for 112 yards as the Bulldogs won at home. Building for next season.
Fail: USD was held to 68 yards rushing for the day.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

Wofford 35, Citadel 0
Pass: Eric Breitenstein rushed for 2 scores to lead the Terriers to an easy win over the Bulldogs. Wofford still has a huge showdown with Appalachian State in the coming weeks.
Fail: The Citadel was held to 143 yards on the day.

Samford 20, Georgia Southern 13
Pass: The Bulldogs pull to .500 for the season with the win.
Fail: The Eagles fall out of playoff contention and the PRS top 35 with the loss.

Elon 49, Chattanooga 35
Pass: The Phoenix have struggled this season, so a win here over a very good team will help build towards next season.
Fail: The Mocs were making a major push towards a playoff spot, but it looks shaky at best now.

Appalachian State 37, Furman 26
Pass: The Mountaineers rolled again, and they are now less than 50 points from the top spot in the PRS. An upcoming game against Florida would possibly prevent ASU from mfinishing first, unless they beat the Gators...
Fail: Furman never made a serious push this season, and always seemed to be on the edge of being good. They fell off of the edge this week.

SOUTHLAND

Texas State 27, Stephen F. Austin 24
Pass: The Bobcats went on an epic 27-0 run in the 4th quarter to upset the stunned Lumberjacks.
Fail: This loss by the Lumberjacks really screwed up the league race. SFA is still in good shape to win out, but this loss was a joke.

Central Arkansas 30, Southeast Louisiana 23
Pass: The BEars are back on a 2 game winning streak after a rough patch in the middle of the schedule. Winning out would give UCA a shot at forcing a place in the FCS playoffs.
Fail: The Lions have now lost 3 straight.

Northwestern State 23, Sam Houston State 20 (OT)
Pass: Paul Harris passed for 2 TDs and rushed for another, as the Demons are the most improved team in the SLC.
Fail: The Bearkats can say goodbye to any playoff chances, and also to their spot in the PRS top 35.

McNeese State 24, Nicholls State 14
Pass: The Cowboys rushed for 292 yards in the win.
Fail: NIcholls waqs held to just 83 yards rushing on 31 carries for the day.

SWAC

Texas Southern 38, Mississippi Valley State 7
Pass: Arvell Nelson passed for a score and rushed for another, as TSU has cracked the PRS top 25 this week.
Fail: The Delta Devils drop to 0-8.

Grambling 35 , UA-Pine Bluff 25
Pass: Frank Warren rushed for 3 TDs and the Tigers rallied from an early 10-0 deficit on the road and sits at #8 in the PRS this week.
Fail: The Lions were held to -1 yards rushing.

Alcorn State 27, Southern 20
Pass: Terrence Lewis rushed for 127 yards and a score, and the Braves held on for the win.
Fail: Southern QB Dray Joseph passed for 394 yards, but he got little rushing to back him.

Alabama State 31, Alabama A&M 10
Pass: The Hornets rushed for 212 yards on the day to knock off thier state rivals on the road. The Hornets have won 2 straight to go to 5-3.
Fail: The Bulldogs were held to 210 yards of offense.

Jackson State 30, Prairie View 13
Pass: The Tigers stayed alive in the SWAC title race, but must win out to get into the title game to play Grambling.
Fail: The Panthers managed only 27 yards rushing.