Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – If an opponent doesn’t score enough
points on North Dakota State in the first half, there’s little hope for
success.
The Bison know how to shut the door on the opposition.
The historic run of excellence that the top-ranked Bison hope to continue on
Saturday against fourth-ranked Montana in the premier FCS non-conference
matchup of the season has grown out of their defense making terrific in-game
adjustments and finishing off victories.
NDSU (3-0) has won the last three FCS national titles and extended its winning
streak to 27 games – an FCS record – as it gets set to host a Montana program
that has even more history in the division with two national titles and five
other championship game appearances.
Montana (2-1) brings with it one of the better set of skill position players in
the FCS with quarterback Jordan Johnson, running backs Jordan Canada and Travon
Van, and wide receivers Ellis Henderson and Jamaal Jones.
But few teams have solved the NDSU defense, not even this season while the team
has undergone a number of changes, including Chris Klieman moving from
defensive coordinator to head coach and Matt Entz entering the program as the
defensive coordinator.
“We don’t try to reinvent the wheel on defense,” Klieman said. “For starters,
we don’t try to come up with a bunch of different blitz schemes, a bunch of
different coverages on a week-to-week basis. We adjust a few things so some of
the adjustments we make in-game from a coaches standpoint aren’t drastic
changes.
“And I guess the other thing is, you just have to credit our players,
especially those kids that have played a lot of football games. They just
continue to see the stuff whether it’s on the film throughout the week (or)
what they’re seeing from the first quarter through the second quarter and early
third quarter, they do a great job of communicating amongst themselves whether
it’s on the field or on the sideline of what they’re seeing. Everybody is
trying to get on the same page, and I think that’s the whole key to being
successful.”
How the Bison (pronounced Bizon) decrease an opponent’s offensive continuity
and success throughout a game is alarming. They have gone the last 17 games
without allowing more points in the second half than in the first half. Ten of
those 17 opponents haven’t scored on NDSU in the second half, including the
last four, and only three of the last 23 opponents have scored in the fourth
quarter.
The Bison have consistently written this script while posting a 46-2 record
since the start of their first national championship season in 2011. Even in
the two losses – a 17-14 defeat to Indiana State on Oct. 13, 2012, and
previously to Youngstown State, 27-24, on Nov. 12, 2011 – they allowed fewer
points in the second half than in the first half.
In their three national championship game victories, the Bison have allowed
only 26 points, and just a mere three in the second half – a field goal to Sam
Houston State in the 2012 final.
Said Montana coach Mick Delaney: “They’re very disciplined, they’re very fast,
they’re not overly big, but man, they run to the ball, they’ve got great
strength and they’re very, very disciplined. They fit their gaps like they’re
supposed to, they don’t take chances and run all over the place. They’re just a
very disciplined, physical, defensive football team.”
“We break off (at halftime) as coaches offense and defense,” Klieman said, “and
we break off more as segment groups, not as unit groups, so the DBs are
together, the linebackers are together, the D-line is together, and, obviously,
the coaches come back together and say ‘here’s the adjustments we’re making’ to
a defensive side.
“We don’t bring them together as a unit at all, we try to stay segmented and
let the coaches coach and let the players kind of talk among themselves as well
to see what they’re seeing. We take a lot of input from our guys, especially
the guys who have played a multitude of football games. I listen to what
(strong safety) Colten Heagle says, I listen to what (linebacker) Carlton
Littlejohn and (defensive end) Kyle Emanuel say – maybe it’s about a stunt that
may work, maybe it’s a coverage, maybe it’s a pressure. We’ve got a lot of
faith in those kids. And they’re vested because they know that their input is
critical to us.”
It works on both sides of the ball. Klieman believes the best adjustment of the
season came from the offense, and coordinator Tim Polasek and his staff, when
they changed some blocking schemes at halftime of the Iowa State opener, and
then rolled in the second half to a 34-14 victory.
With seven of last season’s top nine tacklers back this season, NDSU has an
experienced defense, with the exception of the rotation at defensive tackle.
But some of last year’s understudies learned from the best, so it’s not
surprising the Bison have allowed only 21 points in three games, and none in
the second half.
They continue to get better throughout a game.
OFF AND RUNNING (AND PASSING)
The Ivy League will usher in its 59th season this weekend and play 10 straight
weeks through Nov. 22.
Harvard will have an earlier start to the season by welcoming in Holy Cross
Friday night. The other seven Ivy teams will be in action Saturday, with slight
preseason favorite Princeton going across the country to San Diego to try to
end a seven-game season-opening losing streak.
FCS TOP 25 AND AWARDS
The Sports Network FCS Top 25 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/88q2k7t.
The FCS Awards package can be found at http://tinyurl.com/n5ysh8x.
WEEK 4 PREDICTIONS
Last Week’s Record: 54-11 (.831)
This Season’s Record: 197-31 (.864)
X-Predicted Winner
Top 25
Oh, yes, the “other” big games.
Montana-NDSU might be the biggest game of the week, but there are two other
notable matchups within the Top 25 – No. 2 Eastern Washington at No. 14 Montana
State, although it doesn’t count in the Big Sky standings, and No. 7 New
Hampshire at No. 17 Richmond, which is the CAA Football opener for both teams.
Saturday, Sept. 20
No. 16 Southern Illinois (3-0) at X-Purdue (1-2), noon. The Missouri Valley is
a mere 2-49 all-time versus Big Ten teams (including an SIU win over Indiana in
2006), but Purdue has been unimpressive this season. The Salukis want to turn
this into a wide-open affair considering the non-conference exploits of
quarterback Mark Iannotti (10 TD passes) and running back Malcolm Agnew (eight
TDs). They are averaging 44.3 points per game; Purdue is surrendering 34 per
game.
James Madison (2-1, 0-0 CAA) at X-No. 8 Villanova (1-1, 0-0), 12:30 p.m. Lost
in quarterback John Robertson’s brilliance for ‘Nova is that junior linebacker
Don Cherry is playing equally as well on the other side of the ball. A lot of
his focus will be on keeping JMU quarterback Vad Lee in the backfield to take
away his dual threat. The Dukes sacked Robertson seven times in last year’s
home win, but have only one in their first three games this season.
X-No. 18 Fordham (2-1) at Columbia (0-0), 12:30 p.m. With struggling Ivy League
member Columbia playing for the first time after going 0-10 last season,
Fordham should score over 50 points for the third time this season. The
nationally ranked Rams have won eight times in the 12 annual meetings since the
two schools began playing for the Liberty Cup following 9/11.
No. 23 Eastern Kentucky (3-0, 0-0 OVC) at X-UT Martin (1-2, 0-0), 1 p.m. Tiny
Graham Stadium (7,500) will be rocking with the arrival of a surprise Top 25
team in EKU. The visitors lead the all-time series by a 22-2 margin, but both
of UT Martin’s wins have come in the last four years, and the Skyhawks have won
seven of their last nine conference openers. EKU, though, has the prescription
for success, ranking fourth in the FCS in both rushing offense (280.7 yards per
game) and rushing defense (49.3 ypg).
Tennessee Tech (1-1, 0-0 OVC) at X-No. 20 Tennessee State (2-1, 0-0), 3 p.m.
Tennessee State has been ridiculously good in defending third downs as its
opponents’ 14.3 conversion percentage (only seven first downs in 49 attempts)
is the best in Division I. Yes, the Tigers must solve Tech’s QW scheme –
quarterback at wing with Darion Stone. Tigers starting quarterback Michael
German is expected to play against Tech after getting knocked out of last
Saturday’s win.
No. 22 Northern Arizona (2-1) at X-South Dakota (1-2), 3 p.m. In recent
seasons, NAU has learned how to manage a game with offensive efficiency and
opportunistic defense. Quarterback Kyren Poe has come on strong this season.
Incredibly, this is the sixth consecutive nationally ranked opponent for USD.
The Coyotes have learned from the five losses.
X-No. 2 Eastern Washington (2-1) at No. 14 Montana State (2-1), 3:10 p.m. EWU
has won nine of the last 11 meetings even while Montana State has finished with
a winning record in each season. The Bobcats need to play physical defense
against Vernon Adams and the fast-paced EWU offense, which leads the FCS in
total offense, passing offense and scoring offense. The Eagles had a bye last
weekend in prepping for the trip to Bozeman. Behind rising sophomore
quarterback Dakota Prukop, the Bobcats have put up 1,165 yards of offense in
the last two games.
FCS Game of the Week: No. 4 Montana (2-1) at X-No. 1 North Dakota State (3-0),
3:30 p.m. The series is even at 3-3, but the Griz have never played in Fargo
before and the two tradition-rich programs haven’t played since the Bison
rallied to win in Missoula in 2003 as a Division II team. Since the start of
the second half of their season-opening win at Iowa State, the Bison have
played three more quarters (10) than allowed points (seven).
West Alabama (2-0) at X-No. 9 Jacksonville State (1-1), 4 p.m. These former
Division II rivals have not played since 1992, with Jax State holding a 32-12-1
series lead. John Grass is making his home coaching debut following a bye
weekend. No, this will not be a repeat of Colorado State-Pueblo against Sam
Houston State.
X-No. 7 New Hampshire (1-1, 0-0 CAA) at No. 17 Richmond (2-1, 0-0), 4 p.m. UNH
played in a number of tough road venues last season, so its veteran team should
be ready for this pivotal CAA opener. Wildcats quarterback Sean Goldrich is
coming off 486 total yards and four touchdown passes against Lehigh, which
named him national offensive player of the week. Richmond quarterback Michael
Strauss is always a candidate to win that honor.
X-No. 5 Coastal Carolina (3-0) at Florida A&M (0-2), 5 p.m. Coastal’s De’Angelo
Henderson toiled in Lorenzo Taliaferro’s shadow last season, but the speedy
sophomore running back (130.3 ypg) has emerged this season, although his 6.9
yards per carry is actually below his average last season. It’s a tricky game
for the Chanticleers considering A&M is coming off a bye week and will be
emotionally high at a loud, energetic home opener.
Northern Colorado (1-1) at X-No. 11 Northern Iowa (0-2), 5 p.m. The visiting
Bears, who played well for the first three quarters in a loss to Northern Iowa
last year, will want to come out strong because the Panthers are still
adjusting after a trip to Hawaii. The Bears have been strong against the pass,
so it might not be the week for UNI to rely on quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen,
even though he’s playing well. It might be time to get 100-plus rushing yards
from NFL-bound David Johnson.
X-No. 21 Furman (2-1) at South Carolina State (1-2), 6 p.m. Both Palmetto State
teams are coming off poor outings – Furman a shocking loss to Presbyterian and
South Carolina State a blowout defeat against Coastal Carolina. The two met at
Dawson Stadium in an FCS first-round playoff game last November, with Furman
prevailing, 30-20. Paladins QB Dillon Woodruff is under 50 percent (27-for-57)
since starter Reese Hannon was lost to a fractured ankle in the season opener.
No. 12 Bethune-Cookman (2-0) at X-UCF (0-2), 6 p.m. Bethune returns to the
buffet table for another serving of FBS alphabet soup, but UCF is a major step
up in class from the Wildcats’ season-opening win at FIU. Success is possible
if they keep allowing only 1.4 yards per opponent carry.
Wisconsin-Oshkosh (0-2) at X-No. 10 South Dakota State (2-1), 7 p.m. There
won’t be much need to play SDSU tailback Zach Zenner in the second half. Maybe
he can go for 200 in the first half while surpassing 5,000 yards in his career
(he’s 35 shy). By notching his 114th career win with the Jackrabbits, coach
John Stiegelmeier will establish a new all-time high in program history.
X-No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana (2-1) at Southeast Missouri State (1-2), 7 p.m.
The visiting Lions hope to shake the cobwebs from a loss at Tulane, when
quarterback Bryan Bennett had a rare off game and they failed to make a
much-coveted statement against an FBS opponent. Despite the loss, senior
linebacker Isiah Corbett was named the Southland Conference defensive player of
the week for the second time this season. In a first-ever meeting last year,
the Lions beat Southeast Missouri, 45-7, in Hammond, Louisiana.
Bryant (3-0) at X-No. 24 Liberty (2-1), 7 p.m. Just before this first-ever
matchup, Liberty moved into the Top 25 this week while Bryant fell one spot shy
of it at No. 26 following an upset of defending CAA Football champion Maine.
Although the competition was only Division II Brevard, Liberty needed only 39
plays to amass 625 yards – an average of over 16 yards per play – last
Saturday. Quarterback Josh Woodrum is ranked inside the top 25 nationally in
eight different categories.
Lafayette (1-1) at X-No. 13 William & Mary (2-1), 7 p.m. In the prior two
meetings between these programs, neither side has won on its home field.
Defending Patriot League champion Lafayette had yet to unveil then-freshman
quarterback Drew Reed when the Tribe won in Easton, Pennsylvania, last season.
It’s great that Tribe place-kicker John Carpenter is 7-for-8 on field goal
attempts, but the CAA team needs to find the end zone more often.
Saint Francis (1-2) at X-No. 19 Youngstown State (2-1), 7 p.m. It’s puzzling
that Penguins coach Eric Wolford doesn’t schedule tougher non-conference FCS
opponents, especially at home. At least his team gets an unexpected test from
SFA junior Khairi Dickson, whose 202.7 rushing yards per game rank No. 1 in the
FCS. The Penguins have allowed only 343 yards and one touchdown against the run
in three games.
Conference
Conference play will heat up quite a bit next weekend, except in the
Southwestern Athletic Conference, which has a full schedule of five games this
week as part of the only nine-game conference season within the FCS. Among the
SWAC games is Grambling State’s visit to Jackson State, only 11 months after
GSU forfeited what would have been JSU’s homecoming game because of its six-day
player walkout.
Thursday, Sept. 18
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-1, 0-0 SWAC) at X-Alabama State (2-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20
X-Morehead State (1-2, 0-0 Pioneer) at Davidson (1-2, 0-0), 1 p.m.
X-Albany (2-0, 0-0 CAA) at Rhode Island (0-2, 0-0), 1 p.m.
Marist (0-3, 0-0 Pioneer) at X-Drake (1-2, 0-0), 2 p.m.
Austin Peay (0-2, 0-0 OVC) at X-Eastern Illinois (0-3, 0-0), 2:30 p.m.
VMI (1-2, 0-0 SoCon) at X-Samford (1-1, 0-0), 3 p.m.
X-Howard (1-2, 0-0 MEAC) vs. Morgan State (1-2, 0-0) in East Rutherford, New
Jersey, 4 p.m.
Incarnate Word (0-3, 0-0 Southland) at X-Abilene Christian (1-2, 0-0), 4:05
p.m.
X-Alcorn State (2-1, 0-0 SWAC) at Mississippi Valley State (1-2, 0-1), 5 p.m.
Grambling State (0-3, 0-0 SWAC) at X-Jackson State (2-1, 0-0), 7 p.m.
X-Southern (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) at Prairie View A&M (0-2, 0-1), 7 p.m.
Alabama A&M (1-2, 0-0 SWAC) at X-Texas Southern (3-0, 1-0), 8 p.m.
Non-Ranked FCS-FBS
Interim coach Chuck Hepola will lead Nicholls into action at North Texas
following Charlie Stubbs’ resignation on Sunday. FCS teams are a mere 5-77
(.061) against the FBS this season.
Saturday, Sept. 20
Western Illinois (2-1) at X-Northwestern (0-2), noon
Delaware State (0-3) at X-Temple (1-1), 1 p.m.
Maine (1-1) at X-Boston College (2-1), 1 p.m.
Norfolk State (0-3) at X-Buffalo (1-2), 3:30 p.m.
Nicholls (0-3) at X-North Texas (1-2), 3:30 p.m.
Presbyterian (2-1) at X-North Carolina State (3-0), 6 p.m.
Northwestern State (1-2) at X-Louisiana Tech (2-1), 7 p.m.
Murray State (1-1) at X-Western Michigan (1-1), 7 p.m.
Southern Utah (0-3) at X-Fresno State (0-3), 10 p.m.
Non-Ranked Non-Conference
They may be outside the Top 25, but there’s a bevy of notable non-conference
clashes on Saturday, especially Bucknell at Sacred Heart (two unbeaten teams),
Wofford at Gardner-Webb (the Runnin’ Bulldogs stunned Wofford in a rainstorm
last year) and Missouri State at Central Arkansas (no break in UCA’s tough
schedule).
Friday, Sept. 19
Holy Cross (2-1) at X-Harvard (0-0), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20
Monmouth (2-0) at X-Duquesne (1-2), noon
Brown (0-0) at X-Georgetown (1-2), noon
X-Lehigh (0-2) at Yale (0-0), noon
Robert Morris (0-3) at X-Dayton (1-1), 1 p.m.
X-Houston Baptist (0-2) at Texas College (0-3), 1 p.m.
Cornell (0-0) at X-Colgate (0-2), 1 p.m.
X-Penn (0-0) at Jacksonville (1-1), 1 p.m.
Bucknell (2-0) at X-Sacred Heart (3-0), 1 p.m.
Valparaiso (0-2) at X-William Jewell (1-0), 2 p.m.
Stetson (1-2) at X-Birmingham Southern (0-1), 2 p.m.
X-Princeton (0-0) at San Diego (1-1), 4 p.m.
North Carolina Central (1-2) at X-Towson (1-2), 6 p.m.
X-Wofford (1-1) at Gardner-Webb (1-2), 6 p.m.
Ave Maria (0-2) at X-Mercer (2-1), 6 p.m.
Chowan (1-1) at X-North Carolina A&T (2-1), 6 p.m.
Miles (1-1) at X-Hampton (0-3), 6 p.m.
X-The Citadel (0-2) at Charleston Southern (3-0), 6 p.m.
Taylor (2-1) at X-Butler (1-1), 6:30 p.m.
X-Missouri State (2-1) at Central Arkansas (1-2), 7 p.m.
Weber State (0-3) at X-Stephen F. Austin (2-1), 7 p.m.
X-Central Connecticut State (1-2) at Dartmouth (0-0), 7 p.m.
X-Stony Brook (1-2) at North Dakota (1-2), 7 p.m.
X-Charlotte (3-0) at Elon (0-2), 7 p.m.
Mississippi College (0-2) at X-Lamar (2-1), 8 p.m.
Menlo (1-2) at X-Sacramento State (2-1), 9 p.m.
Portland State (1-2) at X-Cal Poly (0-2), 9:05 p.m.
