Couching Notes – Week 2
Every coach has their coaching notes, right? Well as a fan of FCS football and trying to watch as many games as I can on Saturday here are my version of coaching notes – couching notes.
I’ll pick out my favorite notes from what I saw over the weekend, which could be anything from playoff chances, big wins, and even talking points at the office for any of those coworkers that want to talk real college football. Plus, I’ll add in some superlatives from the weekend.
Number 1 is back for Southern Illinois
This had to go number 1 on the list because he wears number 1. After leaving the Week 0 contest against West Florida with an injury, SIU’s Number 1, DJ Williams, made his return in its 34-20 victory against SEMO in the War of the Wheel. He made his presence known around the redzone with four rushing touchdowns all coming from 30 yards or less. His throwing numbers weren’t as impressive as I’d like to see with just over a 50 percent completion rate, but he still did DJ Williams type things with 286 passing yards and a touchdown. After a rough start against a now-Top 15 caliber team, the Salukis are one to keep an eye on in October with games against Youngstown State, South Dakota, and Illinois State – especially if DJ Williams can remain healthy.
How will teams respond after near FBS upsets?
With two FBS-over-FCS upsets coming on Saturday evening, making the season total 5, the early slate of games nearly saw a handful of FCS teams pull off upsets over FBS teams. The first being in Lynchburg, Virginia as Gardner-Webb was close to winning a game that nobody had on their radar of upsets against Liberty. It took a touchdown with under three minutes to go in the game for the Flames to win.
Wofford had a 15-14 lead over Kent State at halftime, but the Golden Flashes scored 22 unanswered points to make the score look worse than it was, 36-15. Lastly, Colgate had a chance to win or send its game against Central Michigan to overtime with a final drive that saw the Raiders get into Chippewa territory, but an interception ended the comeback bid. Cal Poly was another team that looked impressive against a San Jose State squad but fell just short in the nightcap. After these near upsets, it will be interesting to see how all these teams bounce back and look over the next few weeks.
One shining star in the Patriot League, but who is playing the background?
The Patriot League has made a lot of noise so far this year, but one team has made it known that they are the far superior team and that’s Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks dominated No. 16 William & Mary, 44-20, and has a great shot to go unbeaten in league play. The next question is who is number two? There are contenders such as Richmond and William & Mary, and don’t count out Villanova just yet. One team that can throw a wrinkle into all these teams plans is Colgate. The Raiders already have two wins in Patriot League play and have a real litmus test on September 26, as they travel to Villanova. This league has the caliber to have multiple teams in the playoffs, but if these four teams behind Lehigh all beat themselves up then there’s a real scenario where only the Mountain Hawks gets in.
Can Abilene Christian still make the playoffs?
It’s been a rough three games for Abilene Christian, now 0-3, and they have a must win against Idaho on Saturday inside the Kibbie Dome. But the short answer is, yes they can. The playoffs aren’t off the table yet for the ACU, because as we’ve seen in years past you don’t want to pick against the Wildcats when it comes to winning the UAC. The UAC has looked good through three weeks of the season, and no team on the schedule is an automatic win. Now, if we’re talking at-large slots in the FCS Playoffs, there’s some work to do for Abilene Christian. The good news, the strength of schedule is ranked 6th in the nation per Massey Ratings and is projected as the 17th best to end the season. There’s plenty of time for the Wildcats to play their way into the playoffs, but some out of conference wins are needed, quickly, even for seeding purposes if they do earn the UAC’s automatic qualifier spot.
Week 2 Superlatives
Team of the Week: Stephen F. Austin
If we’re talking playoff resumes, Stephen F. Austin is top five currently. The win over Abilene Christian gives them a big boost and they looked dominant in the 26-7 victory. With nearly 459 total yards of offense, including 219 on the ground, this offense was superior against a quality defense. This is the definition of a team win as quarterback Gavin Rutherford found nine different targets for 243 yards and four different players got rushing touches – five including Rutherford.
Game(s) of the Week: Two for the price of one
UTRGV at Nicholls
There was and still is a lot of hype for UTRGV, but a trip to Thibodaux, Louisiana can change that real quick. This one was a great one to watch. It was a little back and forth early and the stats in the game were very close. The difference in the game was the five sacks that UTRGV allowed and the 10 penalties for 85 yards it committed. It didn’t help that Nicholls went five-for-five in the redzone. UTRGV made a late push with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but Nicholls sustained the comeback en route to a 31-28 victory.
*Eastern Washington vs South Dakota
South Dakota showed out as the better team, but how cool was it to see two indigenous script helmets lined up on each side of the ball. It was the first Division I football game in which both teams wore helmets featuring Indigenous languages. Unfortunately, from a game perspective this one wasn’t one to watch much, but it was really cool to see those helmets and what it meant to show support to the Indigenous people.
Top Finish of the Week: UAPB vs Alcorn State
The 37th Southern Heritage Classic did not disappoint as both teams combined for over 100 points in a double overtime thriller. In fact, the 104 combined points marked the highest-scoring game in Southern Heritage Classic history, while the contest became just the fourth overtime game in Classic history and the first since 2006. Alcorn State seemed to lose the game in the first overtime when Armon Wright was originally called short of the goal line on a crucial 4th and 3 and down by seven. The call was overturned and he crossed the goal line. After the extra point, the game was tied at 45. The Braves scored on four plays on the ensuing possession and completed the two-point conversion. UAPB scored, then failed on the two-point attempt stamping this classic finish on the Southern Heritage Classic until next season.
Conference of the Week: Missouri Valley
The Missouri Valley shows why they’re the premier conference in the subdivision. The league touted a perfect 9-0 record in games in Week 2. Now, the level of competition wasn’t the best, but it did include wins over two Big Sky opponents, two OVC foes, and one playoff team from a year ago (Drake). The wins also included a win over FBS-foe, Northern Illinois thanks to Illinois State. The Redbirds were the favorite, but a late touchdown gave them a comeback win. Also, Youngstown State’s Beau Brungard had a Walter Payton-like game against Duquesne with eight total touchdowns – six in the air and two on the ground – and he led his team in passing with 290 yards completing 20-of-23 attempts and rushing with 111 yards on 14 carries. It was his second game this season with 200+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards.
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