Around the FCS: ASU upset shakes up national poll

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/26/2007 - Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every year in FCS, there seems to be a week where a series of upsets turns the polls upside down. Last Saturday, it took just one surprise to do the same.

Following Wofford's 42-31 pounding of top-ranked Appalachian State, a total of eight different teams received first-place votes in The Sportsbook Betting Lines's Top-25 poll, with fans and voters from coast to coast asking the question, who should be No. 1?

Montana may have moved to No. 1 by virtue of its previous No. 2 ranking. However, there are many observers, including plenty in Missoula, who would just as soon avoid the attention of being top-ranked.

Grizzly coach Bobby Hauck said that he still considers Appalachian State to be the team to beat, until someone stops the Mountaineers in the playoffs. Hauck also said that the No. 1 ranking is irrelevant until the FCS title is decided in December.

Montana laid its claim to No. 1 with a workman-like 35-14 victory over Albany at home. The Grizzly offense couldn't have been much more balanced as it logged 281 yards rushing and 283 passing for a total of 564 yards.

Tailback Lex Hilliard plugged out 138 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and quarterback Cole Bergquist showed he can run as well as pass with 107 yards on the ground and a score on just nine attempts.

Eight different Montana receivers caught passes from Bergquist, who finished 21-of-32 for 238 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.

Montana, Massachusetts, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, McNeese State, Southern Illinois, Wofford and Appalachian State all received first-place ballots, showing what a disparity there was among the voters. Appalachian State had received every first-place vote since its 34-32 upset of Michigan in the first week of the season.

ANATOMY OF AN UPSET

Wofford had been looking forward to Appalachian State's trip to Spartanburg, SC ever since dropping a 14-7 decision to the Mountaineers last season. The Terriers played ASU as close as any team had in the course of a nearly two- year win streak against FCS competition.

The Terriers, who had only won one previous game against Appalachian State at home since joining the Southern Conference in 1997, controlled the ball with 291 yards on the ground and were also efficient in the passing game, completing 10-of-13 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

Starting quarterback Josh Collier was 7-of-9 for 110 yards and added 43 rushing yards on 15 carries. The Terriers used nine different ball carriers, with Kevious Johnson leading the way with 98 yards on 14 attempts and a game- clinching 27-yard TD burst to clinch the game with 38 seconds left.

It was the most points allowed for ASU since a 59-56 loss to Chattanooga in 2004. The loss snapped the Mountaineers' Division I-leading 17-game win streak, its FCS string of 23 games and its Southern Conference tally of 12 straight games.

The Wofford defense limited ASU to 112 rushing yards, the Mountaineers' lowest total since gaining only 67 yards in a season-opening 2006 loss to North Carolina State. All-American running back Kevin Richardson was held to 27 yards on two carries, but scored two fourth-quarter TDs to keep the game close.

ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards, who lost his first college game as a starter after 19 consecutive wins had 103 yards passing and 37 yards rushing before aggravating a shoulder injury and leaving the game.

Wofford trailed 17-14 in the third period before back-to-back touchdown drives allowed the Terriers to take control. The Terriers also won the turnover battle 3-1.

With Appalachian State's earlier win over Michigan, Wofford's upset received national attention. On Wednesday morning, ESPN2 and ESPN Radio discussed Terrier statements that now they were ready to take on Michigan.

Instead, Wofford will have to contend with FCS opponents the rest of the season.

MAKING A STATEMENT

It's one thing when an FCS scratches out a win over an FBS opponent, hanging on at the end of a game, or scoring in the final moments for a come-from- behind victory. It is an entirely different thing when an FCS club destroys its FBS competition as North Dakota State did on Saturday.

The Bison are no strangers to beating schools with more scholarships. Even before officially moving into Division I-AA, North Dakota State went into Washington-Grizzly Stadium and overcame a 24-0 deficit to win 25-24.

Last year, the Bison beat Ball State and only lost to Minnesota when their kicking game let them down in a 10-9 setback.

But against Central Michigan, North Dakota State took things a step further. Not only did the Bison beat the Chippewas, they dominated them in a 41-14 victory.

The Bison defense forced three turnovers and held Central Michigan to 91 rushing yards, while the offense piled up 436 yards. After building a comfortable 16-7 halftime lead, NDSU pretty much put CMU away with touchdowns on its first two drives of the second half and scored twice more in the fourth quarter to turn the game into a rout.

For those who questioned whether the Bison could replace running back Kyle Steffes, junior Tyler Roehl has answered those concerns. Roehl had 30 carries for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Steve Walker completed 25-of-30 passes for 261 yards and another score.

EXACTING REVENGE

James Madison had to wait two years to get even with Coastal Carolina, but the Dukes did it in impressive fashion on Saturday night. Coastal Carolina beat the then-defending national champions 31-27 in 2005, ultimately costing the Dukes a chance to defend their title.

But JMU dominated this game, scoring 21 second-period points on the way to a 28-0 halftime lead. The Dukes finished things off with a 45-10 victory.

Quarterback Rodney Landers was again the Dukes' catalyst, completing 9-of-13 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown and running 19 times for 129 yards and another score.

In all, JMU rolled up 395 yards of offense, while allowing the Chanticleers just 178.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES

Last season was a storybook one for Tennessee-Martin, which shared an Ohio Valley Conference title, won an automatic bid to the playoffs and came within a few seconds of upsetting Southern Illinois in the first round.

But this year, the Skyhawks have struggled an 0-4 start and they ran into a Cinderella of their own on Saturday. Austin Peay, returning to scholarship football and the OVC this season, improved to 3-1 with a 17-14 victory over UT-Martin.

Only a 33-32 overtime loss last week to Tennessee State has prevented Austin Peay from a 4-0 start.

A 21-yard touchdown pass by Mark Cunningham to Adrian Mines and Cunningham's one-yard plunge in the third quarter helped the Governors overcome a 14-3 deficit on the way to a 17-14 victory. Chris Fletcher added 107 yards on the ground for APSU.

Austin Peay's defense held All-American running back Donald Chapman to 46 yards on 14 carries and forced a pair of interceptions off UTM quarterback Dexter Anoka as the Governors claimed their first OVC win since leaving the league in 1996 and de-emphasizing football.

DOUBLE DUTY

With injuries at the quarterback position, Nicholls State turned to defensive back Ladarius Webb to lead them to a 30-28 victory over Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

Webb, who earlier this year intercepted three passes in Nicholls State's 16-14 victory over Rice, had eight carries for 120 yards and a 78-yard touchdown. Alex Romero's 23-yard field goal with nine seconds left lifted the Colonels to the win after they had blown a 20-0 lead.

Azusa Pacific scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to take a 28-27 advantage.

Webb, a junior who hadn't played quarterback since high school, also took snaps on defense for a unit that shutout Azusa Pacific for three quarters.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF IOWA

Is there any doubt that Northern Iowa is the cream of Iowa's crop after the Panthers overwhelmed previously unbeaten Drake 45-7 on Saturday?

Offensively, the Panthers received another efficient game from senior quarterback Eric Sanders, who was 11-of-14 for 167 yards, with one TD and one interception. Corey Lewis keyed the UNI running game, which piled up 345 yards, with 108 yards on 20 carries.

Drake's hopes were crushed early when the leading career rusher in FCS, Scott Phaydavong, went out with an ankle injury. The speedy, little back with 5,163 yards (990 more than anyone else) had 13 carries for 29 yards, trying to play despite the injury.

Drake, which came into the game as the No. 1 ranked Mid-Major team, upset then No. 7-ranked Illinois State 27-24 in its season opener on the road. Ironically, Northern Iowa faces Illinois State this Saturday in Bloomington, Ill.

In other unofficial regional battles on Saturday, New Hampshire crushed Dartmouth for state superiority 52-31 as Ricky Santos threw for 199 yards and two TDs and Villanova beat crosstown rival Penn in the fight for Philadelphia 34-14.

Trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Wildcats came back by forcing eight Quaker turnovers, including a school-record-tying seven interceptions. Antwan Young passed for 241 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Phil Atkinson, who had five catches for 112 yards.

The turnovers overshadowed Braden Lepisto's 11 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown for Penn.