Week 7 FCS Review

In a week with some pivotal matchups, last week’s FCS slate did not disappoint. James Madison got most of the publicity since it was hosting College GameDay, but there was plenty of other great action this week.

North Dakota State 27, Youngstown State 24 (OT)

The Bison were pushed to the brink by a game Penguins team that keeps falling just a little bit short against quality teams. Youngstown State is now sitting at 3-3 and can only afford one more loss if it wants to feel good about its chances of making the postseason. The Penguins lost to Pittsburgh in overtime, South Dakota on a last-second field goal, and now North Dakota State in overtime. This is a very good team and should be favored the rest of the way after beating South Dakota State, but the Missouri Valley is a brutally tough conference.

Wofford 20, The Citadel 16

In this battle of triple option teams, it was the Terriers passing game that proved to be the difference maker. The Citadel was somewhat successful in establishing a ground game against Wofford, but was dreadful through the air. The Bulldogs completed just 4 of 14 passes for 32 yards and couldn’t fight back once they fell behind. Wofford QB Brandon Goodson was the star of the game hitting 11 of 17 passes for 219 yards and a score, while adding another touchdown on the ground.

Southern Utah 32, Weber State 16

This one was dead even in the second quarter, but an injury to Weber State’s quarterback left the Wildcats dead in the water. Stefan Cantwell left the game with concussion symptoms and the Wildcats managed just a field goal the rest of the way. Give Southern Utah some credit though. Weber State has a decent defense, and the Thunderbirds were able to have a decent amount of success on the ground and through the air.

Stony Brook 38, New Hampshire 24

New Hampshire failed to establish a ground game against Stony Brook’s defense, as the Seawolves continued to impress after a 5-6 effort in 2016. Stony Brook has a real chance to make the postseason for the first time since joining the Colonial with a win, but the schedule is about to get really tough. The Seawolves’ next two games are on the road against Richmond and at home against Albany, and they need to win at least one of those.

James Madison 30, Villanova 8

The Wildcats failed to find any semblance of a passing game against the Dukes and that was the difference here. Give Villanova’s run defense credit, they really shut down this James Madison run game, holding them to just 1.6 yards per carry. However, the secondary was consistently beat by Bryan Schor, who helped the Dukes cruise to an easy win.