FCS Playoffs Round One Game Breakdowns
After 12 weeks of Football Championship Subdivision regular-season action, we have reached the beginning of the real fun. Welcome to the first round of the postseason, where eight of the 20 teams compete and narrow the field to 16 teams for second-round play next week.
ALBANY AT STONY BROOK (2 p.m. Saturday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, New York)
The first of two intra-state matchups in the first round of the postseason involves two New York programs. Albany travels nearly 200 miles south and east onto Long Island to take on Stony Brook, which won the Big South Conference alone for the first time in school history. Albany owns a 9-4 edge in the all-time series, which had its last game during the 2006 season. This is the Great Danes’ first appearance in an NCAA postseason tournament since the Division III playoffs in 1977; Albany moved to the FCS level in 1999. Albany (8-3 overall) carried a 7-1 record in Northeast Conference play. The Great Danes got off to an 0-2 start with losses to Colgate (in overtime) and Maine, and they rattled off a six-game winning streak afterwards before a 31-17 loss to Bryant. Wins over Monmouth and Sacred Heart closed the season. Drew Smith is the team’s leading rusher with 1,052 yards and nine touchdowns, while quarterback Dan DiLella has passed for 2,325 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Stony Brook (8-3, 6-0) won eight games in a season for the first time since the 2002 campaign. The Seawolves got off to an 0-3 start with losses to UTEP, Buffalo and Brown before embarking on an eight-game win streak, including an impressive 41-31 win over Liberty in the last game of the regular season. Stony Brook has a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Miguel Maysonet (1,485 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Brock Jackolski (1,229 yards, 13 touchdowns), and quarterback Kyle Essington has 1,435 yards passing and 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Stony Brook has a really good chance to win this game and move on to a second-round battle against Sam Houston State.
CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE TECH (3 p.m. Saturday at Tucker Stadium in Cookeville, Tennessee)
The second matchup features a showdown between Southland and Ohio Valley Conference teams. Central Arkansas (8-3, 6-1) took second place in the Southland behind Sam Houston State, which ended up with the top seed in the whole postseason. Central Arkansas lost to Sam Houston State, and the Bears also have losses to Louisiana Tech and Arkansas State, two Football Bowl Subdivision squads. Central Arkansas hasn’t been in postseason play since an appearance in the 2005 NCAA Division II tournament. The Bears were Southland Conference champions in 2008 but were ineligible for postseason play that year because it was a transition between Division II and the Division I FCS level. Central Arkansas doesn’t have a strong rushing attack, as top rusher Jackie Hinton only had 579 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Nathan Dick threw for 2,691 yards and 28 touchdowns while being picked off eight times. Tennessee Tech (7-3, 6-2) claimed its first OVC title since 1975 with a 49-7 win over Austin Peay on Saturday. The Golden Eagles have losses against Iowa, Tennessee State and Murray State, the latter two losses by a combined two points. Tech has outscored opponents 341-245, led by Dontey Gay’s 1,009 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Quarterback Tre Lamb has been a little suspect with 2,051 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to go with nine interceptions.
NORFOLK STATE AT OLD DOMINION (1:30 p.m. Saturday at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia)
Not only is this the second of the in-state matchups, this is also an inter-city showdown for bragging rights in Norfolk. Norfolk State (9-2, 7-1) won its first-ever Mideastern Athletic Conference championship and claimed the automatic berth for the FCS playoffs. This is a preview of a future series between these teams, a six-year home-and-home series which begins in 2013. Norfolk State has a lopsided 55-12 loss to FBS opponent West Virginia (in the second game of the season) and a much closer loss (14-6) to Bethune-Cookman. Norfolk State topped Morgan State 47-14 in the last game of the regular season. Top rusher Takeem Hedgeman has only 669 yards and three touchdowns to his credit, while top quarterback Chris Walley has thrown just four interceptions to go with 17 touchdowns and 2,309 passing yards. Old Dominion’s football program has come a long way since starting up again three years ago. The Monarchs (9-2, 6-2) tied for second in the Colonial Athletic Association and earned an at-large bid to the 20-team field. Their two losses came against Delaware and Towson, by a combined 14 points. Angus Harper only has 569 rushing yards for Old Dominion but has scored nine times, while quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke (1,770 yards, 15 touchdowns, one interception) and Thomas DeMarco (1,034 yards, seven touchdowns, five pickoffs) have split time. Heinicke took over for DeMarco in October and has been strong ever since. Old Dominion could have a stronger time thanks to the tougher schedule. The winner faces Georgia Southern in round two.
JAMES MADISON AT EASTERN KENTUCKY (Noon Saturday at Roy Kidd Stadium in Richmond, Kentucky)
The CAA has two teams playing in the first round of the postseason as James Madison travels from Harrisonburg, Virginia to Kentucky for its first-ever meeting against the Colonels. It is also the second time James Madison coach Mickey Matthews has coached against the OVC, having defeated Morehead State in a 2010 contest. James Madison is one of five CAA teams in the postseason, proving this league may have been the toughest in the nation in FCS football. James Madison finished 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the CAA with losses against North Carolina, Maine, Old Dominion and New Hampshire. The losses to Maine and Old Dominion were by a combined four points and the Maine loss was a one-point defeat in overtime. Most of James Madison’s strength lies around running back Dae’Quan Scott and his 1,166 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterbacks Jace Edwards (733 yards, three touchdowns) and Justin Thorpe (541 yards, four touchdowns) split time, and it appears Thorpe will be under center on Saturday. Eastern Kentucky (7-4, 6-2) lost 28-21 to Tennessee Tech in the second to last game of the regular season, but the Colonels went 6-1 following a 1-3 start that included losses to Kansas State, Chattanooga and Austin Peay. Matt Denham had 1,445 rushing yards and nine touchdowns for Eastern Kentucky, and T.J. Pryor passed for 1,511 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Eastern Kentucky’s offense may appear stronger, but James Madison has run the gauntlet and could move on to face North Dakota State.
