If you are looking for championship level football, look no further than the 2022 FCS Championship Saturday January 8th in Frisco, Texas. Both of these programs have put together a 

championship formula that other teams need to emulate

Montana State is led by Brent Vigen who is a former NDSU player and coach. While at NDSU he won three national titles as their offensive coordinator. MSU has run into the Bison during the 2018 and 2019 playoffs, and even though the program was improving, there were still significant gaps. However, this year the Bobcats are playing at a higher level having beaten SHSU and SDSU in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Both of these teams beat NDSU in 2020 with SHSU beating them in the spring playoffs and SDSU beating them earlier this season.

The Bobcats have more depth on defense, and have become more physical in the box with one of the best defensive players in the FCS at linebacker in Troy Anderson. On the offense, freshman Tommy Mellott has been a huge difference maker at quarterback since being named the starter after Matthew McKay entered the transfer portal right before the playoffs. Opposing defenses not only have to stop All-American running back Isaiah Ifanse, but also the QB run.

North Dakota State’s defense is playing at an all-time high, holding James Madison’s passing attack to only 14 points in the semifinals. Even though Montana State was able to take advantage of their previous opponents with fade routes, NDSU’s corners have been playing some of their best games this playoff season. If Mellott can’t take advantage of NDSU’s inability to stop the quarterback run, MSU is going to have a tough time scoring.

The Bison offense is going to have to rely heavily on Hunter Luepke running the back due to star wide receiver Christian Watson being sidelined during the playoffs and the rest of the wide receiver group not stepping up. Hunter Luepke was the Bison’s leading rusher and receiver during their 20-14 win over JMU. NDSU will need to mix in some play-action passes from quarterback Cam Miller to help the younger wide receivers contribute more in the passing game.

Although the automatic pick for most people will be NDSU, I myself am going for the "underdog" in this fight and picking Montana State. I have faith in Brent Vigen getting his team ready to basically out Bison the Bison. My prediction is Montana State 35, NDSU 31.

FCS Championship Montana State vs NDSU

Earlier this week, we broke down what could be the SoCon game of the week with 

. Now we take a look at the rest of the SoCon games happening this weekend.

No. 10 Chattanooga (3-1, 1-0 SoCon) at East Tennessee State (2-2, 0-2 SoCon)

The game will be hosted at William B. Greene stadium which holds 7,694 fans at 3 p.m. EST. Chattanooga heads into this game leading the series overall with 24 wins, 19 losses and 1 tie.

While the cone of uncertainty makes its ultimate decision as to just how it will affect the football around the college football landscape Saturday, and in particular the Southern Conference, the Bucs and Mocs made the decision to move their kickoff up from 7 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

The Rail Rivalry game has become one of the more fun rivalries in the Southern Conference, however, the Mocs have owned the series since the Bucs returned to the gridiron back in 2016.

The Mocs handed ETSU its lone Southern Conference loss last season, as the Mocs posted a 21-16 win over ETSU in the Scenic City, in what was a game between the preseason favorite to claim the league title, and the team that would eventually win the league crown.

In what was no doubt Chattanooga’s biggest win of the 2021 season, the Mocs got a banner day from their ground attack, as the running back duo of Ailym Ford and Tyrell Price combining to rush for 193 yards, as Chattanooga rushed for 235 of its 317 total yards in the contest.

Price scored the only points of the opening half of play, scampering eight yards for a touchdown to give the Mocs a 7-0 halftime lead. After a career long 51-yard field goal by ETSU’s Tyler Keltner got the Bucs to within four wiith nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ford would answer with one of two scoring runs for the Mocs on the sun-splashed fall Saturday in the Scenic City, sprinting 49 yards for a score to bring the Finley Stadium crowd to its feet and give the Mocs a 14-3 lead with 4:42 left in the third quarter.

ETSU’s Jacob Saylors answered with a big play in the Bucs ground attack, racing 58 yards for a score to get the Bucs back within four, offering an answer by the eventual league champions just sixty-five seconds after Ford’s long run.

Chattanooga’s Tyrell Price would continue the theme of big plays on the ground just past the midway point of the final quarter, as his 54-yard scamper with 6:43 remaining in the contest gave the Mocs a seemingly comfortable 21-10 lead.

The Bucs would answer late, as quarterback Tyler Riddell, who ran for his life most of the afternoon, having been chased and hit by Mocs defensive linemen, found Will Huzzie for a 22-yard scoring strike with just 35 seconds remaining, getting the Bucs within five (21-16) after the failed two-point conversion. The Mocs recovered the ensuing onside kick, however, to close out the win.

A big part of the Mocs’ third-straight win in the ‘Rail Rivalry’ was defensive end Devonnsha Maxwell, who broke his own single-game sacks record set earlier in the season in a win over North Alabama, as he finished the contest against the Bucs with 4.5 sacks, which was one more sack than he had in the road win over the Lions.

The 4.5 sacks were a school record, and the Mocs’ win over top 10 opposition marked their first since defeating No. 8 Samford, 23-21, on Oct. 28, 2017.

Saturday’s clash between the Bucs and Mocs will mark the 45th all-time meeting between the Mocs and Bucs, with Chattanooga holding a 24-19-1 all-time series edge.

The Mocs will be looking to rebound from their first loss of the 2022 campaign, as Chattanooga fell, 31-0, last Thursday night at Illinois, which was a game that saw the Mocs limited to just 49 passing yards.

ETSU, meanwhile, ended what was a two-game losing streak, dropping Robert Morris, 45-3, in Moon Township, PA. George Quarles has lost his first two Southern Conference games as the head coach of the Bucs, and to avoid a third-straight setback, he’ll have to beat the prohibitive league favorite.

The Bucs have shown some signs of explosiveness on offense that they didn’t necessarily have under predecessor Randy Sanders. With losses at The Citadel (L, 17-20) and at home to Furman (L, 14-27), snapping what was previously a nine-game home winning streak for the Bucs. That makes Saturday’s game against the nemesis Mocs a “must have” for Quarles and the Bucs.

That said, ETSU has all the talent on both sides of the ball to pull off such a win, which wouldn’t necessarily be a major upset or anything, but it would be a minor one and would raise at least a few eyebrows around the league.

On offense, the Bucs will have to find a way to neutralize the UTC defensive front, and in particular, Devonnsha Maxwell (12 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks1 QBH) and Ben Brewton (8 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 2 FF, 1 FR, 2 QBHs), who have already terrorized the 

 competition the duo have faced this season.

The Bucs must protect quarterback Tyler Riddell (56-of-95 passing, 751 yds, 7 TDs, 5 INTs/64 rush yds), who will once again be facing off against the league’s top defensive line. It was a unit that the Bucs had trouble blocking last season in what ended up being a five-point loss.

In Riddell’s backfield resides Jacob Saylors (73 rush att, 467 yds, 6 TDs, 6.4 YPC), who has lived up to the title of the league’s top offensive player—at least until this point in the season. Saylors was solid in the five-point setback to the Mocs last season, leading the ETSU ground game by rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries.

Saylors, as you might imagine, is also a threat catching the football out of the backfield, as he has hauled in eight passes for 91 yards and a touchdown so far this season. Riddell’s top two options when going to the air are Savannah State transfer Einaj Carter (10 rec, 199 yds, 3 TDs, 19.9 YPR) and All-SoCon wideout Will Huzzie (15 rec, 18 yds, 3 TDs, 12.5 YPR).

The Bucs come into the contest ranking 53rd nationally in total offense (365.2 YPG) and are averaging 30.0 PPG, which ranks the Bucs 41st nationally in scoring offense.

ETSU welcomed four veteran starters back along its offensive line for the 2022 season, and the play has been spotty along the offensive front at times this season, and that was especially true in back-to-back losses to both The Citadel and Furman to open Southern Conference play. The unit is anchored by center Joe Schreiber and preseason All-SoCon selection Tavon Matthews at right guard.

If having to contain Maxwell and Brewton wasn’t enough of an assignment to begin with for the ETSU offensive front, they also have to do with arguably the league’s top linebacking corps as well, led by Ty Boeck (31 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FR, 1 PBU, 1 TD) and Jay Person (11 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 QBH). The two primary playmakers in the Mocs secondary include ‘rover’ Reuben Lowery III (22 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1 INT, 1 QBU, 1 TD) and experienced cornerback CaMiron Smith (15 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU).

The Mocs defense had surrendered just 34 points through the first three games of the season until facing off against Illinois last Thursday night. Chattanooga currently ranks 27th nationally in total defense (325.5 YPG) and 12th in scoring defense (16.2 PPG).

All told, the Mocs defensive unit managed to sack ETSU quarterback Tyler Riddell five times in the contest, with all five coming from Maxwell. Prior to the loss to the Mocs last season, the Bucs offensive line had allowed only four sacks total in the six games prior to facing UTC last season.

Mocs head coach Rusty Wright (18-14, 4th yr) knew following the 6-5 finish a year ago, a change needed to be made under center, although he was willing to allow an open competition during fall camp between incumbent Cole Copeland and newcomer Preston Hutchinson (56-of-94 passing, 801 yds, 5 TDs, 4 INTs).

Until last Thursday night’s 31-0 loss at Illinois, the Mocs had been among the most explosive and balanced offensive units in the country, with the Eastern Michigan transfer Hutchinson leading the way.

Hutchinson had been the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks until he and the Mocs were humbled by the Illini defense nine days ago.

Like ETSU, the Mocs have one of the premier running backs in all of Division I college football—FBS or FCS—as Ailym Ford (78 rush att, 423 yds, 4 TDs, 5.4 YPC) is off to another outstanding start to a season as Chattanooga’s leading ground-gainer. In two games against the ETSU defense prior to today, Ford has rushed for 295 yards and three scores on 45 rush attempts against the ETSU defense.

Ford is the sixth Mocs running back in program history to rush for 2,500 yards in a career, as he has rushed for 2,.667 yards, which currently ranks as the sixth-highest career rushing total. With 331 more rushing yards this season, Ford will move past 2016 UTC graduate Derrick Craine into the top five on the Mocs all-time career rushing ledger.

Perhaps the most surprising unit for the Mocs offense this season has been its talented group of big-play threats at wide receiver. with 11 different players having caught at least one pass for the Mocs this season.

The top options in a passing attack that has several deep threats are Jamoi Mayes (9 rec, 99 yds. 1 TD, 11.0 YPR) and Sam Phillips (8 rec, 146 yds, 18.2 YPR). Javin Whatley (7 rec, 112 yds, 1 TD, 16.0 YPR). Whatley is a redshirt freshman and has been one of the top newcomers on either side of the football in the SoCon this season.

The native of Rockmart, GA, actually played quarterback as a prep, finishing his senior season at Rockmart HS in 2019 with 1,533 passing yards and 1,150 rushing yards and had 36 combined touchdowns as a quarterback and rushing threat in his final season as a prep.

The Mocs, which have been known for their veteran offensive line each of the past couple of seasons, had to replace three starters along the offensive front coming into the 2022 season, which of course was no easy feat.

The reality is that many of those growing pains weren’t going to show up against weaker FCS competition in the first three games of the season, however, issues and some inexperience would show glaringly against a pretty stout Illini defensive unit. UTC surrendered four of its five sacks this season in last week’s 31-0 loss in Champaign. The offensive line, however, is anchored by two of the league’s best, in both right guard McClendon Curtis and right tackle Colin Truett.

While much has been made of UTC’s defense coming into Saturday’s contest, it should be noted that esteemed defensive coordinator Billy Taylor has his ETSU performing at an extremely high level once again this season. The Bucs, who utilize a 3-4 front, come in ranked 14th nationally in total defense (296.8 YPG) and ninth in scoring defense (14.2 PPG) through the first four games of the season. ETSU’s defense has played like a defending league champion through the first four weeks.

Leading the Bucs defensive in the trenches are defensive end Max Evans (11 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU) and defensive tackle Timmy Dorsey (16 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FR, 1 QBH), while Chandler Martin (47 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1.0 sack) has been a tackle machine among the talented ETSU linebacking unit.

Martin’s speed and athleticism reminds me of former Appalachian State linebacker and two-time Buck Buchanan Award winner Dexter Coakley. In Johnson City, they might refer to that same player as being Mario Hankerson-esque. Hankerson was a beast for four years in the middle of the Bucs defense from 1994-97, finishing his outstanding ETSU career as the program’s all-time leading tackler with a total of 452 stops.

While the front seven is strong, the Bucs strength on defense could be its secondary, which features all-conference performers, in cornerback Alijah Huzzie and strong safety and App State transfer Mike Price (15 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PBUs).

Final Prediction: Chattanooga 21, ETSU 20

The Citadel (1-2, 1-1 SoCon) at Appalachian State (2-2, 1-1 SBC)

The Citadel heads to Boone, North Carolina to face App State who leads the series with 29 wins and 13 losses.

An old Southern Conference rivalry will be renewed in the lone non-conference game of the weekend, as The Citadel travels to Watauga County for the first time since 2012, when the Bulldogs delivered a 52-28 beat down of the Mountaineers at The Rock.

The Bulldogs and Mountaineers will be battling on the gridiron for the 43rd time in the series on Saturday, with App State holding a 29-13 all-time series advantage. App State and The Citadel will be meeting for the first time with the two at different classifications of Division I football, however.

The Mountaineers will still be smarting from somehow surrendering a 28-3 lead to Sun Belt newcomer James Madison last Saturday at The Rock. The shocking loss to the Dukes left the Mountaineers at .500 overall and in Sun Belt Conference play.

The meeting between the Mountaineers and Bulldogs will mark the sixth time in program history that App State has faced both James Madison and The Citadel in back-to-back weeks, however, only the second time in its rich football history will the Mountaineers face the Bulldogs following a game against the Dukes.

The Mountaineers have faced the Bulldogs and Dukes in back-to-back weeks on the gridiron slate in 1980, ‘88, ‘89, ‘92, and ‘95, however, only the 1980 schedule saw the James Madison game occur before the clash with the Bulldogs.

App State probably entered that ‘80 clash with the Bulldogs in much better spirits than they will enter Saturday’s 3:30 showdown at The Rock, as the meeting some 42 years ago saw the Black and Gold post a 34-6 on the road in Harrisonburg to open the season against the Dukes before capturing what was a hard-fought 17-14 win over the Bulldogs in the home opener.

Not only is the opponent familiar to the Mountaineer fans, but also to its head coach—Shawn Clark—now in his third full year since taking over prior to the 2019 R+l Carriers New Orleans Bowl against UAB—faced off against a Bulldogs team, which was still a particularly bitter Southern Conference rival during Clark’s time as a player at Appalachian State from 1994-98.

The bitterness can be gleaned from the fact that both the Mountaineers and Bulldogs were at a point in their respective football histories in which the two were highly successful as both SoCon title contenders, as well as being Division I-AA playoff contenders.

The Citadel handed App State one of its worst whippings in Kidd Brewer Stadium history, as the ‘92 Bulldogs, which was arguably the best team in The Citadel football’s rich history, blanked the Mountaineers 25-0 at The Rock.

Led by quarterback Jack Douglas and running back Everette Sands, a good App State defense had no answers to solve that riddle on that particular afternoon.

The series between App State and The Citadel also features one of the lowest scoring games between conference foes in league history, as the Mountaineers claimed an 8-6 win in Charleston back in 2001. The Mountaineers went 4-0 against the Bulldogs during Shawn Clark’s time suiting up at offensive tackle for the Black and Gold, as Appalachian State is 17-4 all-time against the Bulldogs in Boone.

One of the major reasons for App State’s sterling record during at least part of Clark’s career as a player was two-time Buck Buchanan Award winner Dexter Coakley (1993-96) at linebacker.

Coakley, who is a native of the LowCountry, hailing from Mount Pleasant, S.C., actually had a military background and wanted to go to The Citadel upon his graduation from Wando High School in Charleston. However, after then-Bulldogs head coach Charlie Taafe forgot about Coakley, who spent a year in prep school at Fork Union Military Academy prior to deciding where he wanted to play college football, and so, Appalachian State and Jerry Moore came calling. The rest, as they say, is history, as Coakley went on to become a one of the greatest defensive players in the history of Division I-AA football, finishing his Mountaineer career with an astounding 616 stops, which included school records for solo stops (350) and assisted tackles (266). Coakley suited up in 37 games during his Hall-of-Fame career for the Mountaineers.

To give you an idea of how athletic and fast Coakley was as a linebacker during his career with the Black and Gold, he returned both kickoffs and punts during his freshman campaign of 1993. He was a phenomenon in the SoCon at that particular time.

As for Saturday’s clash in Boone, it shouldn’t be that close. Appalachian, which is led by quarterback Chase Brice (79-of-128 passing, 1,008 yds, 11 TDs, 2 INTs) and running back Cam Peoples (53 rush att, 264 yds, 2 TDs, 5.0 YPC) has been able to maintain a pretty good balance offensively this season, averaging 256.3 YPG through the air and 171.8 YPG on the ground for an impressive total output of 428.0 YPG to go along with a solid 35.4 PPG average this season. If The Citadel is going to stay in the game, it might have to do it in an area that it has struggled all season—on offense. It’s why this game will likely get out of hand early. The Bulldogs were shutout 17-0 two weeks ago at Mercer, and head into Saturday’s clash averaging just 232.0 YPG, which ranks 117th in FCS football.

The most intriguing side-bar might be the story of The Citadel quarterback Peyton Derrick (17-of-34 passing, 176 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs/44 rush att, 96 yds, 2.2 YPC), who like App State’s Brice, has ties to both the Palmetto State and App State.

Derrick grew up in Conway, S.C., watching his brother (Dakota Derrick) play quarterback at Furman against the three schools he would eventually play for—App State, Wofford and The Citadel. Derrick’s father, Dirk Derrick, also has ties to a SoCon school, as he played football at Wofford. The Conway, S.C. product ended up in Boone, N.C., seeing significant action as a freshman in 2018 after App State starter Zac Thomas went down with an injury in a driving, cold rain at Georgia Southern. He ended up logging action in six games for App State during that season before transferring to Wofford in the spring.

So when Derrick showed up in Charleston at head coach Brent Thompson’s house to be a graduate assistant on The Citadel’s staff, he ended up playing quarterback following the sudden departure of Jaylan Adams on the third day of spring practice at The Citadel. Derrick’s story at least has one bright moment in his bonus season as a college quarterback, as he helped lead the Mountaineers to a 20-1 7 win over East Tennessee State. While Derrick has a unique story, the story written about this game will be more cut-and-dry.

Final Prediction: Appalachian State 45, The Citadel 10

Mercer (3-1, 1-0 SoCon) at Wofford (0-4, 0-1 SoCon)

Wofford is set to host Mercer this Saturday in a game that will have either team coming out as the series leader as the series is tied 7-7.

For Wofford, it’s a return to the scene of the Terriers’ last Southern Conference win, which was a 31-14 win over Mercer on Feb. 20, 2021 in what was the season-opener of the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. No one could have foreseen that the Terriers would literally win just one of their next 19 games leading up to Saturday’s clash with the Bears.

You read that right, as Wofford, which was the three-time defending SoCon champion prior to the 2019 campaign, has gone just 1-18 since opening the rare spring season back in 2021 as defending SoCon champions.

Wofford’s 0-4 start is it’s worst since that dreadful 1-10 campaign of 1987, which ultimately led to the end of the Rick Gilstrap era, which gave way to the Mike Ayers era and the most successful three decades the Terrier football program has ever enjoyed in its rich history of existence.

Since defeating Elon, 24-22, last season in Burlington, the Terriers have lost 14-straight games overall, and have dropped their last 13 games in league play, getting blanked, 31-0, by league favorite Chattanooga to open SoCon play. Only Wagner’s 23-game losing streak has lasted longer than that of the Terriers. Last week’s performance in a 24-22 loss at Kennesaw State was at least promising for the Terriers.

In fact, the past two weeks Wofford has shown signs that it might be able to break through and win a game for what will likely end up being embattled head coach Josh Conklin’s (14-19) last season at the helm of the Terrier football program.

Quarterback Jimmy Weirick (59-of-96 passing, 706 yds, 1 TD, 4 INTs) had a record-setting Saturday for the Wofford offense last week, throwing for a school record 358 yards and a TD in the setback to the Owls.

The Terrier defense has been at least respectable this season, despite spending plenty of time on the field against the opposition. The Terriers have ranked 61st nationally in total defense (382.5 YPG), despite a Terrier offense, which currently ranks 116th overall (237.8 YPG) in FCS football. I can’t remember a time ever in my lifetime that Wofford has ranked as low as it is now in rushing offense, as the Terriers rank 121st nationally in ground output (59.8 YPG).

While Wofford is looking to put an end to an eight-game losing streak at Gibbs Stadium, the Bears, who joined the SoCon as an official member in 2014, will be looking to win their first-ever win in the same venue. Mercer is 0-4 all-time against the Terriers at Gibbs Stadium, and just 1-7 against the Terriers since joining the SoCon.

In fact, last season’s 45-14 win was the Bears first win in the series since joining the SoCon, and also marked the first win by Mercer in the series since 1941, and the Bears will be in search of their first win in Spartanburg since 1939. Saturday’s clash between the two marks the 15th all-time clash between the two, with the series tied, 7-7.

Mercer head coach Drew Cronic (62-16/6th year as a college football coach) has quietly assembled an explosive offense this season to match its elite defense. The offense has big-play ability all over, with quarterback Fred Payton (63-of-100 passing, 856 yds, 11 TDs, 0 INTs ) and his two top receiving weapons Devron Harper (19 rec, 228 yds, TDs, 12.0 YPR) and Ty James (15 rec, 372 yds, 5 TDs, 24.8 YPR).

On defense, a unit that ranks 17th nationally in scoring defense (17.2 PPG) and 21st nationally in total defense (312.8 YPG), is led by linebacker Isaac Dowling (34 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 FF) and defensive back Lance Wise.

I don’t think this game will be close, but Wofford’s effort each of the past two weeks has been commendable, so if they can survive an early potential onslaught by the Bears, and can find a way to frustrate Mercer, things could get interesting in Spartanburg. Anything is possible on any given Saturday, however, my prediction won’t reflect that below.

VMI (1-2, 0-0 SoCon) at Western Carolina (2-2, 0-1 SoCon)

VMI heads down to Cullowhee, NC after a bye week in their first Southern Conference mathup. Western Carolina currently leads the series with 24 wins and 4 losses.

Maybe the most undervalued matchup of Saturday’s Southern Conference action is the one between Western Carolina and VMI. The Catamounts, however, have enjoyed one of the most dominant advantages in any conference series in the league, owning a 24-4 all-time edge in the series between the two.

It was in the spring season of 2021 in which VMI was able to snap a long losing skid to the Catamounts, with the Keydets 30-7 win in Cullowhee snapping what had been a 17-game losing streak by VMI in the all-time series. However, the Catamounts seized back momentum in the series last season when they went on the road to face the defending Southern Conference champions, who were clinging to hopes of garnering an at-large FCS playoff bid. The Catamounts simply didn’t care, as head coach Kerwin Bell’s (99-49/14th yr as a college football head coach) club was starting to hit its stride and were able to come away from Lexington, VA., with a resounding 51-24 win over the Keydets. It all but ended any hopes of the Keydets returning to the postseason for a second-straight season.

Head coach Scott Wachenheim (17-40), was the FCS Coach of the Year in the spring of 2021 after leading the Keydets to their first Southern Conference football crown for the first time since 1977. VMI is the last team to open Southern Conference play, with all eight of the other programs having already played at least one league contest.

Reviews haven't been all that great thus far for the normally explosive VMI offense. The Keydets enter the contest against the Catamounts looking to find its rhythm on that side of the football for the first time this season, as the Keydets rank 91st in the FCS in total offense (301.3 YPG) and tied for 84th in scoring offense (18.7 PPG).

Retaining playmakers for the Keydet offense in recent history has been tough for Wachenheim, losing the school’s all-time leading receiver Jakob Herres to Richmond and the transfer portal, with Reece Udinski, who started the 2021 spring season as the All-American under center during the spring of 2021 before an injury ended his season abruptly, eventually joining Herres at Richmond after spending a season at Maryland. The turnover on offense has been most drastically felt along the offensive line, having lost four starters to the portal.

Heading into the season the Keydets had 10 all-conference selections in the preseason, which was the second-most in the SoCon behind only East Tennessee State’s 11 preseason all-league picks. Despite that, and the fact that 17 starters returned, which included seven on the offensive side of the ball, that's the area that has surprisingly encountered most of the issues through the first three games.

Wachenheim will hope a week off is enough to help the Keydets to recover and re-group from what was a surprising 28-22 loss to Cornell in a game that the Keydets trailed 28-2 at one point before making a furious rally late.

With the struggles came an unsurprising change under center, with Colin Ironside (24-of-33 passing, 345 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT) replacing Seth Morgan (34-of-64 passing, 300 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs) under center as the starting quarterback. Ironside was one of the bright spots for the offense in the loss to the Big Red, as he connected on an impressive 16-of-18 passes for a career-high 275 yards and a touchdown toss. Ironside also had a 6-yard scoring run late in the game. He leads an offense looking to produce some big plays through the air, as both Chance Knox (18 rec, 159 yds, 1 TD, 8.8 YPR) and Leroy Thomas (14 rec, 109 yds, 7.8 YPR) have yet to hit their stride in the big play department this season. Preseason All-SoCon pick Aidan Twombly (3 rec, 47 yds, 15.7 YPR) is at tight end, where he provides another option for Ironside should he need a safety valve in the air raid Keydet passing attack.

A trio of capable running threats highlight the VMI backfield, with Hunter Rice (33 rush att, 139 yds, 2 TDs, 4.2 YPC), Rashad Raymond (25 rush att, 110 yds, 1 TD, 4.4 YPC) and Korey Bridy (6 rush att, 28 yds, 4.7 YPC) all providing viable threats in the ground game.

The Keydet defense has been a surprise package this season, and its turnaround on defense is similar to the remarkable turnaround made by Samford from last season to this season.

At the heart of that defensive improvement are veterans Eric Weaver (8 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 2 TFL, 1 SAF), who is in his final season lining up along the defensive front for the Keydets, while Stone Snyder 36 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 FF), is once again doing Stone Snyder things at linebacker for VMI this season.

‘SPUR’ linebacker and preseason All-SoCon selection Aljareek Malry (16 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 2 QBHs) has been especially effective after moving from the defensive backfield to linebacker.

The defensive backfield is another strength for VMI, and it's a unit that features maybe as much depth as it ever has in Wachenheim’s seven seasons at the helm. Safety Josh Knapp (15 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 INTs, 1 PBU) has picked off two of the three passes VMI has intercepted this season. Cornerback Alex Oliver (25 tackles, 0.5 TFL) ranks third on the team in tackles heading into the SoCon opener.

All told, through the first three games, the Keydets currently rank 24th in the FCS in total defense (318.3 YPG) and 56 nationally in scoring defense (28.7 PPG).

VMI’s defense will have its hands full Saturday. The Catamounts were good when they dropped 51 points in Lexington against VMI last season, and the Carlos Davis (75-of-107 passing, 967 yds, 8 TDs, 6 INTs/30 rush att, 62 yds, 2.1 YPC)-led version of the Catamount offense might even be better than the one led by Rogan Wells last season.

Currently the Catamounts rank second in the FCS in total offense (557.0 YPG), while ranking fourth in passing offense (349.0 YPG). The last time the Catamounts took the E.J. Whitmire Stadium turf, they torched Presbyterian for a school-record tying 77 points to go with a school-record 766 yards of total offense. The Catamounts come in ranking 12th nationally in scoring offense (39.5 PPG).

SoCon Week 5 Preview

Prior to the start of the season, many circled Oct. 1 and the Chattanooga and East Tennessee State game as being the game of the week in the SoCon, however, with the way things have played out early this season, that game might well be in Greenville this weekend rather than in Johnson City. Whatever the case might be, few would disagree that this is the most appetizing slate of games to this point in the season, with four league clashes highlighting the league’s slate on the first day of October. Both the Furman-Samford game and the Rail Rivalry game are ones that have both SoCon title and 

Now the real season begins as they say. Few would have thought that this game would eclipse the ETSU-Chattanooga as the SoCon Game of the Week, as many had the Rail Rivalry circled as potentially the league’s “Game of the Year” coming into the campaign. No FCS team has faced higher ranked FBS opposition than Samford and Furman, and both were respectable in losses. The Paladins were a 35-12 loser at No. 5 Clemson, while Samford dropped a 33-0 contest at No.3 Georgia the very same day.

One of the reasons that both teams find themselves in such a position as a part of the SoCon’s upper echelon, with an opportunity to well exceed preseason expectations and prognostications by both the coaches and media has to do with the transfer portal.

The Bulldogs, who have the second-most additions from the portal with 15 (10-FBS, 5-FCS) behind only Chattanooga’s 19 (17-FBS, 2-FCS), have seen almost all 15 of those make a key contribution, and that doesn’t even include Michael Hiers, who is a JUCO transfer and has arguably been the SoCon’s Offensive Player of the Year if the award were given out tomorrow.

That said, like Samford, Furman has also made some impactful additions via the transfer portal, with almost all of their eight acquisitions having contributed in some form or fashion this season, with the most notable of those being quarterback Tyler Huff (71-of-104 passing, 719 yds, 5 TDs, 2 INTs). Huff, a graduate transfer from Presbyterian College, won’t be available for action Saturday due to an injury he suffered in last week’s win at Charleston Southern.

Both the Bulldogs and Paladins have gotten off to strong starts in Southern Conference play, with Samford beating Western Carolina 35-12 at home llast Saturday at Seibert Stadium.

Michael Hiers, who has passed for 970 yards and 12 TDs, with only one INT, picked up his second SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honor this season, throwing for 292 yards and four touchdowns in the win over the Catamounts. Hiers has been a breath of fresh air this season for the Samford offense. His 12 TD throws so far are sixth nationally. His favorite target when going to the air this season has been Chandler Smith (18 rec, 263 yds, 6 TDs, 14.6 YPR), who has really come on for the Bulldogs as a senior in 2022.

It’s been a collective effort for the Bulldog receivers, who came into the 2022 season having to replace the two top receivers from a year ago, in Montrell Washington, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, while top tight end Michael Vice, transferred out to play for Troy. The other options that have stepped up in a big way for the Bulldogs this season, include Ty King (13 rec, 200 yds, 1 TD, 15.4 YPR), who had an 85-yard scoring catch in the loss at Furman the last time the Bulldogs came to town back in the spring season of 2021, and he will be joined by other capable wideouts Kendall Watson (18 rec, 239 yds, 2 TDs, 13.3 YPR), and Judd Cockett (12 rec, 139 yds, 1 TD, 11.6 YPR), who hauled in one of those four Hiers scoring tosses last Saturday.

The ground attack is never going to be a feature aspect of a Chris Hatcher offense, however, it will almost always be capable of hurting opposing defenses with the big play. Behind a seasoned offensive front that returned four starters from a year ago and is anchored by graduate right tackle Gavin Orr.

The Bulldogs have a veteran in the backfield, in Jay Stanton (55 rush att, 286 yds, 1 TD, 5.2 YPC). Stanton showed his explosiveness last Saturday in the win over the Catamounts, racing 49 yards for a score to close out a big home win to open league play. Jaylan Thomas (28 rush att, 134 yds, 4.8 YPC) is a nice compliment to the talented Stanton. Thomas is also a capable receiving threat out of the backfield, and has six catches for 76 yards on the season, which includes a 60-yard scoring catch vs. Western Carolina last Saturday.

Thomas acts as a safety option in the passing game, acting as a capable receiving threat coming out of the backfield for the Bulldogs. While the offense has been more balanced than usual, the major reason the Bulldogs find themselves ranked inside the FCS Top 20 coming into the month of October has everything to do with their play on the defensive side of the ball this season.

The Bulldogs are led up front along the defensive line by Tay Berry (13 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sack) and Seth Simmer (14 tackles, 1.0 TFL, and a PBU), while Nathan East (17 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, 1 INT, 1 PBU) anchors the middle of the defense at strong side linebacker. The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week resides in the Bulldogs secondary, as free safety Isaiah Richardson (28 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU) claimed the award following his performance last week, after leading the Bulldogs with eight tackles to go along with his game-clinching INT.

With Huff sidelined with a minor injury for Furman’s battle against Samford, The Paladins will once again be reliant on Jace Wilson (15-of-24 passing, 186 yds, 1 TD) to do what he was able to do last season in the regular-season finale against Samford.

Wilson would play maybe his best game of the season under center for the Paladins, as he completed the contest leading a Furman offense that was able to roll up an impressive 503 yards of total offense, which included a season-best 358 yards on the ground. Wilson wasn’t the only one on the Paladin offense playing well, however, as Dominic Roberto rushed for a career-high 216 yards on 22 rush attempts in the win.

Roberto was one of two players to rush for 100 or more yards against the Bulldogs last season, with Devin Abrams (32 rush att, 118 yds, 3.7 YPC) also completing the contest with 18 attempts for 110 yards.

Roberto, Wilson, and Abrams were a huge part of the Paladin ground attack last Saturday, which survived to get a 24-19 win over winless Charleston Southern in the LowCountry. The trio combined to rush for 169 of the Paladins’ 216 yards last Saturday in Furman’s final non-conference game.

Wilson has one of the top tight ends in the nation to throw to, in Ryan Miller (28 rec, 313 yds, 4 TDs, 11.2 YPR), who has a string of seven-straight games with a TD catch. Wilson and Miller have been a dynamic quarterback-receiver combo, dating back to Wilson’s first start of his career, which came against Wofford last season.

In the 41-34 win at Samford in the regular-season finale, Miller was able to haul in a pair of passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. Wilson has plenty of options other than Miller at his disposal in the Paladin offense this season—an area that was at times lacking last season. Joshua Harris (15 rec, 148 yds, 9.9 YPR) converted running back Wayne Anderson Jr. (14 rec, 138 yds, 2 TDs, 9.9 YPR), Luke Shiflett (5 rec, 85 yds, 17.0 YPR), and James Madison transfer Kyndel Dean (12 rec, 99 yds, 8.3 YPR) account for three more capable big-play threats in the Paladins aerial attack.

The Paladins have arguably the league’s top offensive line, which is anchored by preseason all-league picks, in offensive tackles Pearson Toomey and Anderson Tomlin. The Paladins were without starting center Evan Jumper last Saturday against Charleston Southern, as Jumper was forced to miss the game under concussion protocol. Wyatt Hughes moved over from guard to center to play his first game at the position and did an outstanding job. Jumper could return to his starting center position this week against the Bulldogs.

Furman’s defense has been outstanding through the first four games of the season, with only Clemson scoring more than 19 points against the Paladins. In fact, the 35 points that Furman held Clemson to earlier this season is its lowest scoring output in any game this season.

The 376 yards of total offense put up by the Tigers against the Furman defense also ranks as a season-low for the No. 6 Tigers. Nationally, the Paladins enter Saturday’s showdown with the Bulldogs ranking 31st in the FCS in total defense (330.2 YPG). The Paladins lead the SoCon and rank second nationally with eight INTs as a team this season.

The Paladins’ +1.5 turnover margin through the first four games is tied for fifth nationally. The Paladins have veterans at all three levels of the defense, starting up front with defensive tackle Matt Sochovka (7 tackles, 1.0 TFL) and preseason All-SoCon nose tackle Cameron Coleman (7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 QBH).

Braden Gilby (24 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 QBH, 1 FF), Bryce McCormick (18 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 QBH) and Jalen Miller (13 tackles, 1 INT, 1 QBH, 1 FF) have all played a key role at linebacker in the first four games of the season for the Paladins, with Miller contributing arguably two of the biggest plays of the season each of the past two weeks against the ETSU Bucs and the Charleston Southern Bucs.

In the 27-14 win over ETSU, it was Miller’s INT off a tipped pass that helped turn the tide of the game against the defending SoCon champs. In last week’s come-from-behind win at Charleston Southern, it was Miller to the rescue once again, causing the fumble that would eventually lead to what would turn out to be the game-winning TD.

Finally, the strength of the defense might be the Paladin secondary. Travis Blackshear (8 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 PBU), a graduate senior and All-America candidate, anchors the unit following a 2021 campaign, which saw him tie for the league in INTs with five last season. Blackshear hasn’t picked one off yet this season but is one of Furman’s most fundamentally-sound tacklers.

He missed last week’s game with a minor injury. Dominic Morris leads the Paladin defense with a pair of INTs this season, while Kam Brinson (9 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 FRs) and Hugh Ryan (24 tackles, 0.5 TFL) have arguably been the top safeties tandem in the SoCon this season.

 This game will be a fourth quarter-type contest, and it could very well come down to a game-winning field goal from Furman’s Axel Lepvreau (4-for-4 on FGs this season) or Ian Williams (2-of-3 on FGs this season), or for Samford’s Zach Williams (2-of-4 on FGs this season). I think the Paladins survive another close one again this week and move to 2-0 in league play with a narrow win.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the rest of the 

SoCon Game of the Week: No. 17 Samford at Furman

Saturday, Howard, and Yale meet at the iconic Yale Bowl for an almost unprecedented matchup in the schools’ first meeting ever in a game coined the “NAACP Harmony Classic” This will be only the third game between an Ivy League school and an HBCU. One of the other two games was recent and fairly well-known as 

 and beat the Bison 62-17. However, not many people know about the very first matchup between an HBCU and an Ivy League school.

 Yale Bulldogs hosted Morgan State, a Division II school at the time. Both schools were in dark eras of their proud football histories with Morgan State going 2-8 the previous year under James Phillips and Yale going a stunning 1-9 the year before under legendary Coach Cozza. The low light of the season was a loss to Columbia, which would be the Lions’ last win before they lost 44 straight games.

Interestingly, Yale’s reputation was not enough to earn favor with some of the media as the Baltimore Sun

. Unfortunately for the Bears, they could not be more wrong.

Here is what America was like on October 6, 1984:

: Let’s Go Crazy by Prince and the Revolution

On October 6th, 14,420 fans flocked to the Yale Bowl to see the 

. The Bulldogs jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead and did not look back. The Yale defense dominated, holding Morgan State to 204 yards of offense and forcing two turnovers. A strong rushing attack anchored Yale as they ran for 257 yards and five touchdowns. Alphonso Harris was Morgan State’s lone bright spot as he crossed the century mark running the ball with 100 yards on 22 carries.

Yale ended up drastically improving from their nightmare 1983 campaign going 6-3, capping the season with a thrilling 30-27 win over Harvard. On the other hand, Morgan State would not be so lucky, ending the season winless and going 18 more years without a winning season.

HBCUs are 0-3 against the Ivy League. The odds are against Howard, but a win over Yale would be monumental for Black College Football and a feat almost 40 years in the making.

Morgan State football’s History & Records Book

FCS Championship Montana State vs NDSU

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