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Week 12

Well, that's over....well not quite just yet. It was one of the craziest, most unpredictable regular seasons that I can remember and it sure was a lot of fun. It was a mostly quiet week (go figure) in the FCS landscape as it was more of a week of records and accomplishments than it was intriguing. Now that isn't to say we had some really good games and finishes but at the end of the day things came out a little less exciting than the weeks prior.

Record Setter

 It really is a shame that we won't be able to see Samford QB Devlin Hodges in the playoffs. His career ended this past Saturday, and during the 38-27 victory over ETSU, Hodges set the FCS record for passing yards ending his career at 14,584 passing yards. That broke the mark set by the late, great Steve "Air' McNair. Pretty amazing that the record stood for over two decades

"Who wouldn't want to be the all-time passing leader? I'm just really glad I've had a lot of help along the way," Hodges said. "Some great guys have come through here and have helped me be the best I can be."

And while a 7-yard screen pass isn't the grandest way to set the record, it's still one that is amazing when you think about all that it takes to get to a number so high. The passing yards record wasn't all that Hodges set this year. Among the conference records, he also set the FCS mark for both completions (1,310) and attempts (1,896). Some impressive numbers we may not see anyone come close to reaching for a long time

A somber ending

 Normally a 10-6 game from two non-playoff teams don't draw much attention but when its the last game of one legendary coach you tend to take a bit more notice. Just under 10,000 people came to see the last game of William & Mary head coach Jimmye Laylock who has spent the last 39 years on the sidelines for the Tribe.

Laylock who played QB for the Tribe under both Marv Levy and Lou Holtz graduated from the school in 1970 and started is head coaching career a decade later. During his tenure, Laylock amassed 249 wins, 10 playoff births, and 5 league titles.

Oddly enough, the Tribe already announced Laylock's replacement...former assistant Mike London

Awards season

As the season ends, the finalists for the FCS awards will start trickling thru and first up are the 15 coaches who are finalists for this year's Eddie Robinson award. The finalists are as follows. And there are some really good candidates from some really good "feel good" seasons from some programs

The 2018 Eddie Robinson Award finalists

  • Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State 
  • Joe Harasymiak, Maine 
  • Dan Hawkins, UC Davis
  • Roger Hughes, Stetson 
  • Dan Hunt, Colgate 
  • Chris Klieman, North Dakota State 
  • Dale Lindsey, San Diego 
  • Curt Mallory, Indiana State 
  • Tom Matukewicz, Southeast Missouri 
  • Fred McNair, Alcorn State
  • Eric Morris, UIW 
  • Randy Sanders, ETSU 
  • Jerry Schmitt, Duquesne 
  • Bob Surace, Princeton 
  • Sam Washington, North Carolina A&T 


Voting for the other awards has started but we won't know the finalist for them until later during the playoffs

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