FCS Top 25 Roundup - Week 13
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(SportsNetwork.com) - It was a perfect, yet ironic, ending to the FCS regular season Saturday.
The only team to finish with an unbeaten record in the regular season is not headed to the FCS playoffs.
Still, 15th-ranked Harvard couldn't be any happier to be 10-0 after it beat Ivy League rival Yale, 31-24, for the eighth straight year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Ivy League is one of the two FCS conferences that doesn't send its champion to the playoffs. The Southwestern Athletic Conference stages a conference championship game and doesn't send its champion to the playoffs, although the teams not in the title matchup are eligible for at-large bids - which has never happened previously.
Second-ranked Coastal Carolina (11-1) fell short of a perfect regular season when Liberty blocked a game-ending field goal attempt and nipped the Chanticleers, 15-14, for the Big South Conference's automatic bid to the playoffs.
The two rivals shared the Big South title. Coastal will gain an at-large bid when the NCAA announces the 24-team field on Sunday in addition to Liberty (8-4) automatically moving in with its first-ever bid.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 11 teams to earn automatic bids were Eastern Washington (Big Sky), Liberty (Big South), New Hampshire (CAA), Morgan State (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), three-time reigning national champion North Dakota State (Missouri Valley), Sacred Heart (Northeast), Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley), Fordham (Patriot), San Diego (Pioneer), Chattanooga (Southern) and Sam Houston State (Southland). There will be 13 at-large bids as well.
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Thursday, Nov. 20
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No. 10 Southeastern Louisiana (9-3, 7-1 Southland) 62,
Nicholls (0-12, 0-8) 3
Southeastern Louisiana piled up 634 yards while earning a share of the Southland Conference championship - its second straight - with Sam Houston State.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Devante Hayes caught seven passes for 196 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown from starting quarterback Bryan Bennett for the Lions' first score. Backup quarterback Jordan Barnett completed 12-of-19 pass attempts for 193 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Bennett.
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Friday, Nov. 21
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No. 5 Eastern Washington (10-2, 7-1 Big Sky) 56,
Portland State (3-9, 2-6) 34
Eastern Washington won the Big Sky title for the third straight season as well as the conference's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Eagles scored 21 points in both the third and fourth quarters to break away from a 14-14 halftime tie. Jabari Wilson finished with three touchdowns and a career-high 132 yards on the ground, while quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was 21- for-33 with two touchdowns and an interception, adding a 1-yard scoring run early in the third quarter.
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Saturday, Nov. 22
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No. 1 New Hampshire (10-1, 8-0 CAA) 20, Maine (5-6, 4-4) 12
New Hampshire finished off a perfect season in CAA Football and earned the conference's automatic bid to the playoffs despite committing six turnovers.
Quarterback Sean Goldrich threw a touchdown and rushed for one.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Wildcats held rival Maine to 179 yards while retaining the Brice-Cowell Musket.
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Liberty (8-4, 4-1 Big South) 15, No. 2 Coastal Carolina (11-1, 4-1) 14
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Liberty ended Coastal's perfect season and earned the Big South's automatic playoff bid, erasing a 14-12 deficit with John Lunsford's third field goal with 1:20 left - a 32-yarder - and then getting an even bigger special teams play on Chima Uzowihe's game-ending block of Alex Catron's 24-yard attempt.
The Flames' Darrin Peterson caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Stephon Marsha and finished with four receptions for 113 yards. Gabe Henderson had 10 receptions for 114 yards, while D.J. Abnar rushed for 122 yards on 35 carries.
For Coastal, Alex Ross threw for 171 yards and a touchdown and added 60 rushing yards. Senior linebacker Quinn Backus had a program-record 20 tackles with one sack.
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No. 3 North Dakota State (11-1, 7-1 Missouri Valley) 38,
No. 20 Youngstown State (7-5, 4-4) 14
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}North Dakota State clinched a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with Illinois State, but gained the automatic playoff bid on the basis of its higher Gridiron Power Index rating.
Quarterback Carson Wentz passed for 126 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 120 yards and one score, while John Crockett carried the ball 28 times for 168 yards and one touchdown.
The Bison scored touchdowns off all four Youngstown turnovers, including a pair of interceptions and a forced fumble by Christian Dudzik, and had a 479-216 advantage in yards.
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No. 4 Jacksonville State (10-1, 8-0 OVC) 49,
Southeast Missouri State (5-7, 3-5) 30
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jacksonville State finished off a perfect season in the Ohio Valley Conference as Eli Jenkins threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and running backs Troymaine Pope (114 yards, one touchdown) and DaMarcus James (111 yards, two touchdowns) both went over 100 rushing yards.
The Gamecocks gained 612 yards in their 10th straight win.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No. 6 Villanova (10-2, 7-1 CAA) 35, Delaware (6-6, 4-4) 28
John Robertson's 21-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Gulyas with 23 seconds left erased Villanova's 28-27 deficit and Robertson added a 2-point conversion to Poppy Livers as the Wildcats reached the 10-win mark.
Robertson was 14-for-25 for 217 yards and three touchdowns and carried the ball 23 times for 117 yards.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}'Nova running back Kevin Monangai scored three touchdowns, two on runs and one on a reception.
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Army (4-7) 42, No. 7 Fordham (10-2) 31
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Patriot League champion Fordham had a nine-game winning streak snapped despite quarterback Mike Nebrich throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Brian Wetzel hauled in 12 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown.
Army rushed for 382 yards, led by Larry Dixon (158 yards, three touchdowns).
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No. 8 Illinois State (10-1, 7-1 Missouri Valley) 44,
Southern Illinois (6-6, 3-5) 29
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tre Roberson passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 94 yards and another touchdown as Illinois State clinched a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title. The Redbirds completed their first-ever 10-win regular season.
Marshaun Coprich rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while Cameron Meredith (eight receptions, 182 yards, one touchdown) and Lechein Neblett (four receptions, 125 yards, two touchdowns) had big receiving games in the win.
The Redbirds have gone unbeaten at home in two straight seasons - a run of 12 wins.
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No. 9 Chattanooga (9-3, 7-0 Southern) 45, Furman (3-9, 2-5) 19
Quarterback Jacob Huesman collected 360 total yards and four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) to help Chattanooga complete a perfect record in the Southern Conference.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Keon Williams also rushed for two touchdown, gaining 97 yards on 18 carries.
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No. 11 Northern Iowa (8-4, 6-2 Missouri Valley) 38,
Missouri State (4-8, 1-7) 24
Northern Iowa surely punched a playoff ticket with its fifth straight win.
David Johnson ran for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. He scored on a 31-yard on the final play of the first half, breaking a 14-14 tie.
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No. 13 Montana (8-4, 6-2 Big Sky) 34, No. 12 Montana State (8-4, 6-2) 7
Montana likely clinched an FCS playoff bid with a rout of rival Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild.
The Grizzlies' Jordan Canada rushed for two touchdowns in the first, Jordan Johnson passed for two touchdowns in the second half and Daniel Sullivan kicked a field goal in each half.
Montana State would have earned a share of the Big Sky title with a victory.
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Florida (6-4) 52, No. 14 Eastern Kentucky (9-3, 6-3) 3
Andrew Lloyd's 51-yard field goal in the first quarter accounted for Eastern Kentucky's only points as Florida scored the final 42 points inside The Swamp.
EKU, hoping to earn an at-large playoff bid on Sunday, was held to 142 yards.
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No. 15 Harvard (10-0, 7-0) 31, Yale (8-2, 5-2) 24
Harvard quarterback Conner Hempel connected with wide receiver Andrew Fischer for a 35-yard touchdown pass with 55 seconds left to lift the Crimson to a season-ending victory over Yale in "The Game" and complete a perfect season.
Harvard completed the outright Ivy title, its 16th overall crown and eighth under coach Tim Murphy, while defeating Yale for the eighth straight year and 12th time in the last 13 years.
Fischer finished with eight receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Harvard overcame Tyler Varga's 173 all-purpose yards, including 127 yards on 30 carries, and three touchdowns.
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No. 16 South Dakota State (8-4, 5-3 Missouri Valley) 37,
South Dakota (2-10, 0-8) 14
South Dakota State beat its intrastate rival and likely clinched an at-large bid to the playoffs with its third straight win.
Austin Sumner passed for 395 yards and three touchdowns. Jake Wieneke caught six passes for 177 yards and one touchdown.
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No. 17 James Madison (9-3, 6-2 CAA) 59, Elon (1-1, 0-8) 27
James Madison will take a seven-game winning streak into the playoffs after quarterback Vad Lee accounted for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and Jauan Latney (100 yards) and Khalid Abdullah (92) rushed for two touchdowns each.
Lee was 23-for-25 for 257 yards.
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Western Illinois (5-7, 3-5 Missouri Valley) 34,
No. 18 Indiana State (7-5, 4-4) 20
Indiana State's bid for a playoff spot took a jolt as Western Illinois quarterback Trenton Norvell threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one.
Buck Logan and Dimitri Taylor both rushed for Indiana State touchdowns.
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Lamar (8-4, 5-3 Southland) 27, No. 19 McNeese State (6-5, 4-4) 24
Juan Carranco kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired to lift Lamar past McNeese State, which ended the season on a three-game losing streak.
Lamar's Caleb Berry passed for 327 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 91 yards.
McNeese's Will Briscoe threw for two touchdowns and Tyler Bolfing one.
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No. 21 Richmond (8-4, 5-3 CAA) 34, No. 22 William & Mary (7-5, 4-4) 20
Richmond ended a two-game losing streak with a road win in what was considered to be a matchup to earn an at-large playoff bid.
Seth Fisher's 42-yard touchdown run capped the opening drive of the third quarter and snapped a 20-20 halftime tie. He also scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Quarterback Michael Strauss threw for a pair of touchdowns.
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No. 23 Sam Houston State (8-4, 7-1) 38, Central Arkansas (6-6, 5-3) 31
Sam Houston's Keshawn Hill rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns to power the Bearkats to a share of the Southland Conference title with Southeastern Louisiana. Sam Houston claimed the automatic bid to the playoffs.
The Bearkats overcame Ryan Howard's four touchdown passes for Central Arkansas.
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North Carolina Central (7-5, 6-2) 21, No. 24 North Carolina A&T (9-3, 6-2) 14
North Carolina A&T failed to clinch an outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference crown and fell into a five-team tie for the title with North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman, South Carolina State and Morgan State, which earned the automatic bid to the playoffs.
North Carolina Central quarterback Malcolm Bell had 195 total yards and both passed and rushed for a touchdown. The Eagles beat a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time since transitioning to the FCS in 2007.
A&T sophomore Tarik Cohen rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
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No. 25 Bethune-Cookman (9-3, 6-2 MEAC) 18, Florida A&M (3-9, 3-5) 17, OT
Bethune-Cookman slipped past rival Florida A&M on quarterback Larry Brihm's two-point conversion in overtime to earn part of a five-way share of the MEAC title - its fourth for fifth-year coach Brian Jenkins.
The win was the Panthers' fourth straight in the Florida Classic at the newly renovated Florida Citrus Bowl.