Week 7

We have reached the halfway pole and boy oh boy was it a fun time getting there. Between the upsets, the thinning of the herd, the continued dominance and more it sure was one fun ass weekend in the FCS.

Midterms - Passing Grades

A number of top 25 teams had some tricky matchups in week 7 and there were some mixed results among them. You have to say the one team that passed with flying colors...North Dakota St. Any night game at WIU is a hard matchup because the environment is dull at best (students care more about the night's adventures than any football game), add the first outdoor game and the temperatures and one would understand the slow start. But the response after WIU went up 7-3 shows why they are in the masterclass of the FCS...31 straight points and a very dominating performance shows that NDSU should cruise to the home-field throughout the FCS playoffs

Elsewhere, you have to give high marks to Colgate as well...after the 31-0 beatdown of Cornell, the Raiders have allowed more than 3 points once and that was in the opening game versus Holy Cross. You want to see what they can do against someone of a higher class but the redemption tour 2018 is in full swing and we might see how good they are til the first or second round of the playoffs.

James Madison, Central Arkansas, ETSU, Sam Houston St., Maine (more on that game in a bit), UC-Davis and Weber St all get passing grades for their wins over some tricky opponents, most of them on the road. The last three with some huge conference wins as well.

Midterms - Failing Grades

So with the good, there is the bad and no team had a worse Saturday than Montana. The 41-14 loss to North Dakota looks so much when you see the possessions the Grizz had that led up to the first touchdown in garbage time (INT, Fumble, Fumble, Punt, Punt, Missed FG, Downs, Fumble, Punt, Half, Punt, Punt). For those scoring at home, that's five punts, three fumbles, an interception, missed FG, and the half...that is just, ouch. Montana's good start might be going up in smoke

Another team who gets a failing grade is Eastern Washington. Weber State is no slouch but the Eagles had a rough go of it in the 14-6 loss. The 2 for 17 on third down was the big difference in the game but also the 62 yards on the ground on 36 carries just isn't gonna cut it. 

Nicholls is another team that stumbled at the midterm with the loss @Abeline Christian. Just like EWU, Nicholls struggled on third down going 3 for 15 and turning the ball over on downs three times. Just like Montana, the Colonels are dead set in the playoff bubble

The one surprise of the bunch has to North Carolina A&T...the loss to Florida A&M has them now three games behind the Rattlers (add a game for the head-to-head tiebreaker). And like the other teams, the loss was really self-inflicted...5 for 14 on third down, 74 yards rushing on 29 carries, and 13 penalties for 131 yards. The Aggies are in an interesting spot...the MEAC title is probably out of reach given the schedule of A&M but an at-large bid is a possibility if they win out. The wins over E. Carolina and Jacksonville St. really make for an interesting argument

Well wasn't that exciting?

Beginning with the excitement of the Harvard/Holy Cross game on Friday (a very underrated game), week 7 had plenty of excitement and some really good finishes. How good? How about 15 games decided by one possession, game-winning FGs, a lateral that won a game, blocked FG returned for a game-winning touchdown, and a reverse pass....oh yeah fun stuff

• The ending to the Lamar/Incarnate Word game is a rough way to lose. Btw...the reaction of the players is priceless, most don't realize they won and aren't sure how to celebrate
• The way the Wagner/St Francis (PA) is just crazy. After a lengthy review, on a 3rd and 4 on the 19, with a running clock, down by 6, the guts the throw a double reverse pass just amazing. And what makes it even better, it was almost blown up by the linebackers, the CB notices the corner route by the TE at the last second an almost makes the play and the throw was good enough for the 23-22 win by Wagner. I gotta find a clip
• So the finish of the week has to go to the end of the Drake/Stetson game. First off, down 17-14, Drake hits a 76 yard TD pass to go up by 4. That's when all the fun began. One the last play of the game the Stetson WR fumbled the ball around the five, Drake starts celebrating, while the players on running on to the field another Stetson player picks up the ball runs into the endzone and the Stetson sideline starts celebrating. Naturally, there is no replay so while both teams are on the field, the refs get together, confirm the call Stetson wins 23-21. You can't make this up. If you want to see the final play, click to around the 3:20:00 mark