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I disagree with this suggestion as it would further expose the student-athlete to injuries in a meaningless event. However, I think he has a point that we writers, reporters and poll voters have too little information to accurately forecast how a team will fare or how they should be ranked before its first game.
Watching teams practice against one another is not the same as watching teams go against opponents in live action. In order to protect players from injuries in August, the whistles are blown quicker, the starters are kept out of contact, and in many cases, what you see on the practice field is not too different from a pillow fight. One other aspect of the game that cannot be emulated in August, but happens quite often during games is critical coaching decisions. Whether to go for it, or kick it, whether to run or pass, what is the bread and butter play that a team has that will pick up the necessary yardage to keep the drive alive.
As I recap all of the CAA games from last weekend, I’ll discuss the expected outcomes along with the unexpected, and try and describe what, if anything we’ve learned from this first week of football.
Last Thursday, I left North Jersey and headed south down the turnpike to attend the Delaware-West Chester game. As I was passing through central Jersey at about 5 p.m., the outside temperature gauge in my car read 102 degrees. After I parked at Delaware Stadium, the gauge read 97 degrees a little after 6 p.m. It was hot. Not finding any really good pregame shots, I decided I should go up to the press box. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a gentleman standing in the corner of the field near the goal line surrounded by several people, but my memory could not place him. I dismissed it as probably a former Delaware player or ex-professional player who was on the field taking in the game. His eyes were alert and attentive as he talked among the circle he was in and watched the Delaware players warm up.
Several weeks earlier when visiting the Delaware practice facilities, sports information director Scott Selheimer mentioned that one of the things on UD’s wish list for improvements is the press box. Having never been to the UD press box, and casting an eye toward it, I didn’t understand the reason behind the comment. As I began to climb the steps of the mountainous UD bleachers on this 97-degree day, I, too, began to wish for improvements to the UD press box beginning with an elevator. As I reached the summit of the steps, I stopped to catch my breath and eye the stairway up to the booth.
Five minutes later, I entered the press box, which is narrower than I could have imagined. There was a little more space to the left of the trailer, and I prayed my name tag was in front of one of the seats in this area. It was not. I reversed direction and went right and found my nametag about four seats in behind the wall where the stairwell was. As I began to set up my laptop, I felt movement coming from my left, and I knew I would have to stand to let whomever it was pass by behind me. I rose and looked to my left and the gentleman from the field was coming in my direction. As he stood before me, we made eye contact and my memory kicked in. Standing at about 6-foot-2, wearing a tan blazer, white business shirt and brown tie, with his golden hair parted on the left and neatly combed to the side with every strand in place, bearing a relaxed smile, he stuck out his right arm and gave me a firm handshake.
I was shaking hands with ex-Northeastern head coach, Rocky Hager. After exchanging hellos while returning the smile, I inquired as to what the former coach was doing to occupy his time these days. Hager responded that he’s a technical assistant for the league. I replied, "Well, you have a lot less practice hours to attend." He responded by saying "I’d rather have it." He further said, this is the first time he has not had a full camp since 1968. Because he was not alone, I let him find his seat and tend to the business at hand. The coach is a proud warrior with some battle left in him. It’s just a matter of time before he ends up coaching college football again.
Standings:
Teams: CAA Overall
Massachusetts 1 – 0 1 – 0
Delaware 0 – 0 1 – 0
James Madison 0 – 0 1 – 0
New Hampshire 0 – 0 1 – 0
Maine 0 – 0 0 – 1
Rhode Island 0 – 0 0 – 1
Richmond 0 – 0 0 – 1
Towson 0 – 0 0 – 1
Villanova 0 – 0 0 – 1
Williams & Mary 0 – 1 0 – 1
Game recaps:
As I mentioned, it was hot at the Delaware vs. West Chester game, and undoubtedly, the heat took its toll on both teams. There really is no comparison to FCS Delaware and Division II West Chester. No offense is meant toward WCU, it’s just that the Blue Hens are bigger, faster and stronger. It would be like racing a greyhound against a bulldog. It’s an uneven contest. The Blue Hens won 31 – 0, and if it was not for Blue Hen fumbles, the score could have been more one sided.
In the Monday morning coaches teleconference call, I asked Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler whether the game told him anything about his team. He responded by saying in many ways it did, and in many ways, it did not. Keeler liked his team’s intensity and passion, but was unhappy with the fumbles and penalties. He stated that you can’t simulate game experience and appreciated the WCU game for that opportunity. Additionally, the WCU contest made for a great tuneup for SDSU. Keeler hopes his team has grown out of those Week 1 miscues and will protect the ball better against South Dakota State. Kyle Hunte, Irv Titre and Carl Batson will be back from injuries and could participate Saturday. UD only had one sack against WCU, and will attempt to get more pressure up front against SDSU. For those who have not seen greyshirt freshman Andrew Pierce, he is a special runningback and the Blue Hens can feel comforted that they will have a running game to go with the passing game in 2010. There were 19,421 in attendance, and for an FCS game, that’s a number that should be admired. However, if the Blue Hens are considering making the jump to FBS, they’ll need to come out and fill the house for all of their opponents, even those such as WCU.
As mentioned, next up for the Blue Hens will be No. 9 SDSU.
When I was first offered this assignment, I declined citing lack of time to do the job as it should be done, and I would be biased as I have a son that plays for one of the teams. I was told that all of the other writers are fans first and probably have bias in one way or another and to just be as objective as I could be. With that, I took the assignment, although my lack of time did not go away. I just managed to reprioritize some of my other volunteer activities. Well, my bias did not only extend to my son’s team, but it also extended to the CAA.
However, my bias toward the CAA is not totally unjustified. The GPI rankings suggest the CAA was the best football conference in 2009. The CAA has had a representative in the national championship game in six of the last seven seasons and four teams within the CAA have won national championships in that span. The CAA was 29 – 14 against nonconference opponents in 2009 and the only conference to win against BCS/FBS teams in 2009. Of course, everyone within the CAA, from the conference, to the universities, to the coaches, players, students and fans believe that the CAA is the best FCS football conference.
With this in mind, I picked two CAA teams to beat two NEC teams and gave the NEC teams zero chance at upsetting the CAA teams. In one case, I was right; in the other, I was wrong. With no disrespect intended toward the NEC, but this will be its first year receiving an autobid into the FCS playoffs. The NEC doesn’t offer the maximum number of scholarships allowed in FCS. Teams in the CAA are allowed to offer up to 63 scholarships to their athletes whereas the NEC offers somewhere around 40 – 44. The difference in scholarships offered is much like the difference between FBS and FCS. Add to the equation that both CAA teams were playing at home, and both were returning what appeared on paper to be much stronger teams. But, yes, they played the game anyway, and if we didn’t know why, on Thursday, we found out.
In the Maine vs. Albany game, Maine opened at home at Alfond Stadium in front of 7,610 and just simply did not execute on offense. On Maine’s second play, the quarterback made a bad read, threw a bad pass that was intercepted and led to an Albany field goal with 7:44 left in the first quarter. This score would end up being the final score: Albany 3, Maine 0. Maine had two subsequent fumbles that would kill offensive drives, was 3-of-14 on third down, and 0-for-4 on fourth down. In the Monday morning coaches teleconference, I inquired of Maine coach Jack Cosgrove as to the range of his FG kicker and Cosgrove replied that they like to be 25 yards and in before they attempt a kick. Maine reached the Albany 35 near the end of the half, and elected to go for it as opposed to try a FG and failed. In the third quarter, Maine reached the Albany 34 and again elected to go for it on fourth down and failed. In the fourth quarter, Maine reached the UA 30 and elected to go for it and failed. Cosgrove also stated that his receivers dropped six passes that could have extended drives. Maine started Warren Smith at quarterback in the first half and Chris Treister in the second half, but neither QB could produce any scoring. Smith will be the starting QB Saturday against Monmouth.
Kudos to the Great Danes defense limiting Maine to 11 first downs, 246 total yards offense, forcing the aforementioned three turnovers, as well as the 3/14 third down and 0/4 fourth-down conversions. The Black Bears can take solace in the fact that their defense played well keeping the game within striking distance. UA only had 250 yards of total offense and also fumbled twice. The Black Bears will get a second chance against an NEC team Saturday as they travel to New Jersey to take on the Monmouth Hawks.
In the Rhode Island @ Buffalo game, the Bulls won 31 – 0 in front of 16,273. Rams coach Joe Trainer stated that the Rams needed to execute better and not shoot themselves in the foot. Trainer cited several mistakes that if they weren’t made, the Rams could have been more competitive. It would appear that the Rams also were guilty of giving up big plays. The Bulls had five scoring drives, and the longest took 3:18. There were two scoring drives of 38 and 6 seconds, respectively. The Bulls had more than 400 yards of total offense with more than 300 yards in the air. It’s clear that the Bulls found something they could exploit in the air and did so. Hopefully, the Rams can make whatever adjustments they deem necessary to offer a better showing against Fordham this weekend.
In the Towson @ Indiana game, the Hoosiers won 51 – 17 in front of their home crowd of 35,242. Tiger coach, Rob Ambrose stated after the game he’s proud of his team, happy with its growth and recognizes things are going in the right directions. The program is still two years away from where it wants to be, but he can see the growth is headed in the right directions. JUCO transfer QB Chris Hart played a good game, but still has some maturation to go through before Ambrose will be completely happy with his play.
The Tigers outgained the Hoosiers in total offense 392-360. But the Hoosiers were 6-for-6 in the red zone whereas the Tigers were only 2-for-2. The Tigers also threw three interceptions. The Tigers threw interceptions on their first two possessions giving the Hoosiers short fields that led to TDs. After their first possession, the next four Hoosier possessions led to three TDss and a FG. Towson’s third interception in the third quarter also led to a Hoosier score. The Tigers will look to regroup against Coastal Carolina next weekend.
On Friday, Sept 3, 32,193 assembled to watch Villanova take on Temple for the battle of the Mayor’s Cup in Philadelphia. Those 32,000 were not disappointed as the Wildcats and Owls gave them a show that will be remembered for a long time. This was a battle of FBS Temple vs. FCS Villanova. Temple was supposed to be bigger, stronger and faster. Temple boasted a Heisman Trophy candidate in Bernard Pierce. Nova had Walter Payton candidates Chris Whitney and Matt Szczur.
In the first half, you would have thought Nova was the FBS team and Temple the FCS team as Nova completely outplayed the Owls. However, for all of its effort, Nova held only a 14 – 10 halftime lead. Coming off the field at halftime, the Temple defense appeared to be spent, and this writer thought the game was won by Nova.
After halftime, the Temple defense gained new life. The Owls were the only team to score in the third quarter as the Owls narrowed the deficit to 14 – 13. Nova struck first in the fourth quarter on a Whitney to Norman White 21-yard TD pass to push the lead back up to 21 – 13. Temple countered with nine unanswered points and took a 22 – 21 lead. With 1:51 remaining, Nova retook the lead off a 41-yard Nick Yako field goal. Yako had missed two earlier in the game from 38 and 43 yards, respectively. On that last possession, Nova recovered a Chester Stewart fumble at the Temple 22 with 2:17 left. On first down, Whitney ran and lost two yards, forcing Temple to burn its last timeout. With 2:08 remaining, Whitney threw two incomplete passes stopping the clock on both occasions. Villanova coach Andy Talley stated in the postgame news conference that where it was on the field was at the limit of the Wildcats’ kickers range. Talley was trying to get into the end zone forcing Temple to have to go the length of the field to do the same. Talley did not want to settle for the field goal and give Temple a chance to win it with a kick of its own. As fate would have it, Nova had to settle for the FG and took a 24 – 22 lead.
On Temple’s ensuing possession, Chester Stewart engineered a drive bringing the Owls to the Wildcat 26. With nine seconds remaining, Brian McManus calmly knocked through the winning kick. With three seconds left, Nova attempted the Stanford flea flicker on the return to no avail. The ball was picked off by Temple and returned for a TD making the final score: Temple 31, Nova 24.
For the city of Philadelphia, this was truly a great college football game. Regardless of what the score read in the end, both teams were winners as were the fans that were present to watch it.
In the New Hampshire vs. Central Connecticut State game, 7,419 showed up at Cowell Stadium to watch the Wildcats dismantle the Blue Devils 33 – 3. CCSU was picked to be the favorite to win the NEC conference. However, after Terrance Fox returned the opening kickoff back 91 yards for the Wildcats’ first score, it was all uphill for the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils could only muster 220 total net yards while yielding 410 to the Wildcats. Leading 26 – 0 before halftime, the Cats called off the dogs, and their fourth-quarter score came by way of an of a Randi Vines’ 30-yard interception return. This was a game where I thought CCSU had zero chance at upsetting the Wildcats, and the play on the field reinforced that belief. Watching video highlights, it appeared as CCSU was stuck in quicksand on defense while Dontra Peters and Chris Setian ran around and through the Blue Devils. Defensively, the Cats looked like men playing against boys.
Next up for the Cats is FBS Pitt.
At Bridgeforth Stadium, 16,612 came out to see the 2010 James Madison Dukes take on Morehead State. In another game where I gave the visitors zero chance for an upset and predicted a 45-7 JMU win, the Dukes didn’t let me down as they cruised to a 48 – 7 victory. JMU had eight first-half possessions and scored on all but two. JMU had 483 total yards on offense and allowed just 152. On the bad side, JMU had four turnovers and nine penalties for 75 yards. On the really bad side, the Dukes lost QB Justin Thorpe for about six to seven weeks with a knee injury. JMU coach Mickey Matthews said in his postgame interview that the Dukes played sporadic and that starting QB Drew Dudzik will have to play better. JMU has less than a week to groom Jace Edwards to be the backup quarterback. In all, not much was learned about JMU, but a win is a win, and the Dukes will take it.
On Saturday, the Dukes travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech.
In Charlottesville, Va., 54,146 saw the Richmond Spiders play the Virginia Cavaliers. When I saw the Spiders at their preseason scrimmage in August, I came away with the feeling that the Spiders would struggle on offense, and their defense would carry them through the 2010 season. From what I read about the Cavaliers, they, too, did not impress me on offense. However, after watching highlights of Saturday’s game, it appeared both teams’ offenses more than carried their own weight and, in fact, it was the defense that could use a little improvement. Richmond’s offensive line helped produce 144 net yards rushing and 333 total yards on offense. As for that rushing yardage, 70 came on one burst up the middle by All- CAA fullback Kendall Gaskins. Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp is an FBS QB playing in the FCS and looks every bit the winner. I’m not aware of any award that goes to being the best QB in the CAA, but if there was such an award, Corp would be right up there with the best. The game was 14 – 13 Virginia in the third quarter when the Cavs eventually wore the Spider defense down and scored on three consecutive possessions to pull away to a 34 – 13 win. The Cavs had 488 total yards on offense and were 7-of-14 on third down. The Spiders had nine penalties, but only gave up 40 yards for same.
The Spiders will have a bye week as they prepare for their home opener in their new stadium against Elon.
In what arguably could be called the CAA Game of the Week, the Massachusetts Minuteman hosted the William and Mary Tribe at McGuirk Stadium in front of 10,072. I wasn’t able to see these two teams in the preseason, thus my evaluation of them was in large part based on what both coaches told me about their team and what I could read about them. Thus, I came away thinking both teams’ offense would be a work in progress whereas their defenses would be the strength of each. Sitting in the press box, I saw two good offenses slug it out, there was no sign of a defense by either team, at least in the first half. The Tribe announced their starting QB on the Monday prior to their game, and all the Tribe fans would have to agree that the wait was worth it. Fifth-year senior Mike Callahan is the real deal. According to Tribe coach Jimmye Laycock all three QBs on the Tribe’s roster were close, but what distinguished Callahan was his knowledge of the offense and the way William & Mary operates. Knowing that all three were close, should anything happen to Callahan, the Tribe have two more QBs that are capable waiting in the wings.
On the Tribe’s first possession, Callahan took his team 50 yards in 12 plays, eating six minutes of clock and throwing a 5-yard TD pass to Jimmy Hobson for a 7 – 0 Tribe lead. On the day, Callahan was 21-35-1 for 221 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 rushing TD. Not bad for his first start.
UMass QB Kyle Havens is in his second year and struggled tremendously in 2009. However, UMass coach Kevin Morris had previously told me that Havens has had the time to learn the offense and had a great spring. On Saturday, Havens did not disappoint, as he was 15-of-24 for 223 passing yards, and one TD. You could say the passing game was a draw between both teams.
UMass separated itself from the Tribe on the ground. The UMass offensive line simply beat up the Tribe’s defensive front seven. The Tribe was without starting MLB Jake Trantin due to a concussion. UMass amassed 215 yards rushing as John Griffin carried 21 times for 80 yards and two TDs, and Jonathan Hernandez carried 25 times for 132 yards and one TD. UMass had fumbled five times in the first half losing one but had none in the second half. UMass also had eight penalties for 81 yards. Another point of separation for the Minutemen was their defense. The halftime score was 16 – 14 Tribe. The Minutemen stiffened after halftime and held the Tribe to a TD for the remainder of the game.
The Tribe only had 113 net yards rushing and was led by Jonathan Grimes with 67 rushing yards. The Tribe only had one turnover, and it came on their last possession, as a pass skipped off the hands of Grimes out of the backfield into the waiting arms of UMass LB Tyler Holmes. The Minutemen prevailed over No. 4 ranked William & Mary 27 – 23.
Game Previews:
Last week I was 6 – 3, again Kudos to Temple, the outcome didn’t surprise me, but the way the game was played surely did. Kudos to Albany, quite possibly the NEC’s representative in the playoffs on Thanksgiving Weekend, and kudos to UMass all three of those teams certainly deserved to win, and they did it on the field in good old fashioned football style. They took the fight to their opponent and they willed themselves a win in the end.
Rhode Island (0 – 0, 0 – 1) at Fordham (0 – 1) @ 6:00
TV: None
Radio:WFUV-FM (90.7 FM/wfuv.org)
Series: Fordham leads 5 – 4
Both teams are reeling from season opening losses, except the Rams of Rhode Island have a little more in their tank than the Rams of the Bronx. Points should be in abundance as neither team is big on defense. Look for URI to out distance the Fordham Rams as they have more scholarship athletes to get the job done.
Upset Meter [-----5-----] Rhode Island 27 – Fordham 20
Towson (0 – 0, 0 – 1) vs. Coastal Carolina (0 – 0, 0 – 1) @ 7:00
TV: None
Radio: Fox Sports Radio 1370 AM
Series: Tied 1 – 1
Both teams opened on the road losing to FBS opponents. Each team has won at home. The Chanticleers offensive line did not allow West Virginia to sack the QB in their season opener, and will look to push the Tigers all over Johnny Unitas stadium. The Tigers led by QB Chris Hart will look to put on an aerial show in front of the home crowd. Look for the Tigers to rebound and get their first win of the 2010 season.
Upset Meter [----5----] Tigers 31 – Chanticleers 21
Maine (0 – 0, 0 – 1) @ Monmouth (0 – 0, 0 – 1) @ 1:00
TV: None
Radio: Shore Sports Network WOBM 1160 AM and 1310 AM SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM
Series: Maine leads 2 – 0
Both teams opened the season with close losses. Maine was unable to get out of its own way on offense, and Monmouth on the road had a chance to tie, but went for two only to come up inches short to #22 Colgate. Both teams looking for that first win. Maine is looking for a spark on offense, while Monmouth is thinking if Albany can beat ‘em, on the road, we can certainly beat ‘em at our place. The Black Bear defense should again be able to keep the game close, but can the offense come to the rescue this time and score a win. The Hawks at home have to feel confident, and if they could mount any type of a lead (3 points may be enough), can feel good about the outcome of the game, and their season. Look for a tightly contested affair with this one going to the team who makes the fewest mistakes.
Upset Meter [---5---] Black Bears 21 – Hawks 13
Holy Cross (0 – 0, 1 – 0) @ #18/20 Massachusetts( 1 – 0, 1 – 0) @ 6:00
TV: CBS 3, and Comcast Channel 293 in Western Massachussets
Radio: WTAG 580 AM & 94.9 FM, 100.9 FM WRNX, 1510 AM WWZN, 95.5 FM WATD, 830 AM WCRN
Series: Massachusetts leads 22 – 21- 5
The Cross is probably one of a very few schools that can claim it has a winning record against the CAA. Of the schools currently competing in the CAA Hoy Cross has a record of 59-45-6. The Cross won the PL crown in 2009 and look to repeat and get back to the playoffs. The Cross averaged 32 ppg in 09 and opened up the season putting up 38 on Howard to get the win. The Cross has an abundance of experience receivers and look for them to try and exploit the Minutemen through the air. Holy Cross will try to match UMass size and strength with some beef of their own, on the defensive line.
UMass will be seeking its second straight win at home and will look to reduce the turnovers and penalties which have plagued them over the years. The Minutemen have the ground and air attack to take the wind out of their cross state rivals. This should be a high scoring affair much like the playoff game the Cross had with Nova last November.
Upset Meter [---5---] Minuteman 32 - Crusaders 27
Virginia Military Institute (0 – 0, 1 – 0) @ #11/14 William & Mary (0 – 1, 0 – 1) @ 7:00
TV: None
Radio: 6:30 p.m. - Tribe Football Radio Network, including www.TribeAthletics.com
Series: Tribe leads 51-33-2
The Missouri Valley, the NEC, the PL, and The Big South all are stepping up to play a CAA member this week. Teams from outside the CAA use the CAA game as the litmus test to determine what kind of season they will have. This time it’s the Keydets of VMI stepping up to take on the Tribe of William & Mary. Unfortunately for the Keydets, they catch the Tribe at the wrong time.
The Tribe is still brewing from the loss up in Amherst last Saturday will look to exact some revenge on their next foe which happens to be little ole VMI. The Tribe has some things to work out defensively and find their groove a little better offensively, and the Keydets are their sacrificial lamb. This game won’t even be close. The only question remaining is how much revenge does the Tribe take.
Upset Meter [0--] Tribe 48 – Keydets 14.
#12/11 James Madison (0 – 0, 1 – 0) vs. #13 Virginia Tech ( 0- 1, 0 – 0) @ 1:30
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WSVA 550 AM, WGH 1310 AM, FOX 910 AM, WREJ 1540 AM, ESPN 94.1 FM
Series: Va Tech leads 6 – 0
If you saw the game on Monday night, you noticed that Tech has a ton of offense, but could not contain the Boise State defense. While JMU is CAA good, they’re not Boise State. Expect Va. Tech to come out and try to run JMU off the field. They will try to wear the Dukes down, and run up the score. JMU will fight for a half, but Coach Matthews has already lost his backup QB for possibly the season, and will not want to risk further injuries to his starters when the prize is to get through the CAA and into the playoffs. For the Dukes the outcome will probably be close to the opposite of last week.
Upset Meter [0---] Hokies 51 – Dukes 13.
#9/9 South Dakota State (0 – 0, 0 – 0) @ #16/17 Delaware (0 – 0, 1 – 0) @ 1:00
TV: None
Radio: 94.7 FM WDSD, 570 AM WNAX
Series: First Meeting
This is the Jack’s season opener. In 09 the Jack’s opened the season with a convincing home win over Georgia Southern 44 – 6. The Jack’s went 8 – 4 in 09, and almost knocked Montana out of the playoffs in the first round. The Jack’s held a 48 – 21 lead late in the 3rd quarter before falling 48 – 61. The Jack’s have had to wait until this Saturday to get that memory out of their collective psyche. The Jack’s are coming to Tubby Raymond field to pick a fight with the Delaware Fighting Blue Hens.
The Blue Hens warmed up against WCU last week, now they will get to see firsthand what they are made of. This game has all the makings of a Heavyweight Prize fight, and surprisingly it’s not on TV for the rest of America to view.
This will be a game of field position as both of these teams duke it out to reach the endzone. UD will have its home crowd filling the stands and acting as the 12th man. Pat Devlin will put on an Air assault while Andrew Pierce will bull his way between the tackles. East vs. West, MVC vs. CAA, Hens vs. Jacks, the Game of the Week. The last man standing wins.
Upset Meter [-----9] Hens 27 – Jacks 24.
#6/5 New Hampshire (0 – 0, 1 – 0) @ Pittsburgh (0 – 0, 0 -1) @ 1:00
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Wildcats Sports Radio Network
Series: First Meeting
Pitt lost to Utah in OT last week 27 – 24. Pitt was picked to win the Big East Conference this year by the Coaches. Pitt is led by So RB, Dion Lewis who rushed for 1799 yards as a freshman in 09. On defense, Pitt is led by Co-Defensive Big East Player of the Year, Greg Romeus and fellow Sr., Jabaal Sheard make up the best defensive bookends in the nation.
Coach McDonnell had previously stated that he thinks the Wildcats bit off more than they can chew. But expect the CATS to come out and make a game out of it. The Panthers will undoubtedly wear down CATS in the 2nd half, but the CATS won’t go down without a fight.
Upset Meter [---5---] Panthers 38 – Wildcats 27
#2/4 Villanova (0 – 0, 0 – 1) @ Lehigh (0 – 0, 1 – 0) @ 12:30
TV: Service Electric 2 Sports live
Radio: ESPN RADIO 950 AM
Series: Nova leads 6 – 5
Lehigh is fresh off its victory over Drake and feeling very good about themselves. However like VMI, they find themselves facing an angered defending National FCS Champion. The good thing for Lehigh is the game is in the home confines of Goodman stadium. However, that’s only a short 30 minute ride from Villanova stadium. Lehigh jumped on Drake early with a 21 – 0 lead and held on to win 28 – 14. Lehigh’s defense led the nation in sacks in 09 (39).
Not only did Nova lose to Temple in the closing minutes of their game last Friday, but they also lost their lone returning starter from the defensive line of 09 for the season, Mario Johnson. Nova will unleash its fury onto the Mountain Hawks and will probably take their foot off the gas pedal when the score gets into the upper 30’s. Not wanting to risk further injuries a lot of backups will see plenty of time in the second half. This one won’t be as close as the final score.
Upset Meter [0---] Wildcats 45 – Mountain Hawks 17.
As always you can email your thoughts and comments to CAATODAY@YAHOO.COM
This is the CAA TODAY signing off.
Abilene Christian: ACU announces Class of 2013 Sports Hall of Fame class
05-17-2013 09:24 AM
FCS RSS Today, 03:50 AMABILENE – ACU's first academic all-America and the first female student-athlete to earn an athletic