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FCS HEADLINES SCHEDULE/RESULTS FIRST-ROUND GAMES - NOV. 24 2018 FCS Playoff Participation (Bids/Teams Remaining) Big Sky (4/4): Weber State (9-2); E. Washington (9-2); Montana State (7-4); UC Davis (9-2) Montana State 35, Incarnate Word 14 James Madison 20, Delaware 6 Big South Conference (1/1): Kennesaw State (10-1) Duquesne 31, Towson 10 CAA (6/2): Maine (8-3); Delaware (7-4); Elon (6-4); JMU (8-3); Stony Brook (7-4); Towson (7-4) Wofford 19, Elon 7 Missouri Valley (3/3): North Dakota State (11-0); South Dakota State (8-2); UNI (6-5) Nicholls 49, San Diego 30 Northeast Conference (1/1): Duquesne (8-3) UNI 16, Lamar 13 Ohio Valley Conference (2/2): Jacksonville State (8-3); Southeast Missouri State (8-3) Jacksonville State 34, ETSU 27 Patriot League (1/1): Colgate (9-1) SE Missouri State 28, Stony Brook 14 Pioneer Football League (1/0): San Diego (9-2) Southern Conference (2/1): Wofford (8-3); ETSU (8-3) SECOND-ROUND GAMES - DEC. 1 Southland Conference (3/1): Nicholls (8-3); Incarnate Word (6-4); Lamar (7-4) Montana State (8-4) at #1 NDSU (11-0) u In the past eight+ playoffs (2010-18), five leagues (Big Sky, CAA Football, MVFC, South- at Fargo, N.D., 2 p.m. CT (ESPN3) ern and Southland) have combined to win 151 of 180 total games. James Madison (9-3) at #8 Colgate (9-1) at Hamilton, N.Y., 12 p.m. CT (ESPN3) u Longest consecutive tournament appearances in championship history (including 2018): Duquesne (9-3) at #5 S. Dakota State (8-2) North Dakota State – 9 | South Dakota State – 7 | Jacksonville State – 6 at Brookings, S.D., 2 p.m. CT (ESPN3) James Madison – 5 | Wofford – 3 Wofford (9-3) at #4 Kennesaw State (10-1) u Most tournament appearances in the championship (of 2018 playoff teams): at Kennesaw, Ga., 1 p.m. CT (ESPN3) UNI – 20 | Delaware – 16 | James Madison – 15 | Eastern Washington – 13 | Colgate – 11 Nicholls (9-3) at #3 E. Washington (9-2) u Voting for the 2018 STATS FCS legacy awards, which honor the national players and coach of at Cheney, Wash., 4 p.m. CT (ESPN3) the year, began Nov. 19. A watch list of nominees was pared to finalists with the STATS FCS Walter UNI (7-5) at #6 UC Davis (9-2) Payton Award (FCS offensive player of the year), STATS FCS Award (FCS defensive at Davis, Calif., 6 p.m. CT (ESPN3) player of the year), STATS FCS Award (FCS freshman player of the year) and STATS FCS Jacksonville State (9-3) at #7 Maine (8-3) (FCS coach of the year). All four awards plus the STATS FCS Doris Robin- at Orono, Maine, 11 a.m. CT (ESPN3) son Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be celebrated at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presenta- SE Missouri St. (9-3) at #2 Weber State (9-2) tion, scheduled for Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the national championship game. at Ogden, Utah, 3 p.m. CT (ESPN3) u For the ninth-straight year, the National Football Foundation & Hall of Fame # indicates playoff seed (NFF) has partnered with the Ivy League to co-host the 2018 Asa S. Bushnell Cup Presentation, presented by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses. As part of the festivities surrounding the 61st NFF 2018 Playoffs Teams W L Pct. Annual Awards Dinner, four Ivies will travel to New York City for the press conference and recep- tion, honoring the Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, on Dec. 3, at the Mercury Ohio Valley 2 2 0 1.000 Ballroom of the New York Hilton Midtown. It will be on ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET. Princeton senior Big Sky 4 1 0 1.000 QB John Lovett and Princeton senior WR Jesper Horsted are the Offensive Player of the Year final- Missouri Valley 3 1 0 1.000 Northeast 1 1 0 1.000 ists, while Dartmouth junior DB Isiah Swann and Harvard senior DL Stone Hart are the Defensive Southern 2 1 1 .500 Player of the Year finalists. Southland 3 1 2 .333 u Kennesaw State, which has won a Big South-record 14 consecutive home games, will host CAA Football 6 1 4 .200 No. 12/13 Wofford in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. It will be the Big South’s third home Big South 1 0 0 .000 Patriot 1 0 0 .000 game in the second round, and the conference is 2-0 in such contests (4-4 overall in the second Pioneer 1 0 1 .000 round). The Big South is 2-3 in the FCS Playoffs against SoCon members (1-0 in second round). Meanwhile, Saturday’s playoff meeting will be the 33rd time a ranked Big South member will face a nationally-ranked non-conference opponent. u The Alcorn Braves (8-3, 6-1 SWAC) earned home field advantage after posting the league’s best conference record. They will take on the SWAC’s West Division winner Southern (7-3, 6-1 SWAC), who topped Grambling State 38-28 on Saturday in the 45th annual Bayou Classic from New Orleans, La. The Braves defeated the Jaguars earlier this season 20-3. The Toyota SWAC Football Championship will be in Lorman, Miss., at 3:30 pm CT (ESPNU). BIG SKY -- The Big Sky Conference earned three of the top eight seeds and four picks overall in the 24-team field of the 2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoff bracket. Co-Big Sky Champions Weber State, Eastern Washington and UC Davis all earned a first-round bye. The Big Sky was the only conference to get three teams in the top eight. With Montana State’s 21-point win over Incarnate Word in the first round, the Big Sky leads all FCS conferences with a league best four teams set to compete in the second round of the playoffs. Weber State (No. 2), Eastern Washington (No. 3) and UC Davis (No. 6) were all ranked in the top eight and were rewarded with first-round byes. Mon- tana State was the Big Sky’s fourth team in , and is the only league team on the left side of the 24-team bracket. There were 10 automatic playoff bids given to conferences with an additional 14 teams receiving at-large bids for the playoffs. The FCS Playoffs begin on Nov. 24 with the first-round games, followed by the second round on Dec. 1, the quarterfinals on Dec. 7 and 8 and the semifinals on Dec. 14 and 15. The NCAA Division I Football Championship game will be played in Frisco, Texas, on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 9 a.m. Pacific time on ESPN2.

BIG SOUTH -- Kennesaw State QB CHANDLER BURKS is the Big South’s all-time leader for career touchdowns with 56 and points scored with 336 -- breaking the previous record of 53 touchdowns and 318 points set by Stony Brook’s MIGUEL MAYSONET from 2010-12. Burks’ TD total also stands as the league record for most career rushing touchdowns, as he is the only Big South player with at least 50 career rushing scores. Also the lone player in conference annals with 30 career rushing (56) and 30 passing (33) TDs, Burks is third all-time with 89 touchdowns responsible for -- two away from matching the all-time record of 91 held by Coastal Carolina’s ALEX ROSS (passed for 72, scored 19). Kennesaw State owns a +174 scoring margin in the first half of games this season, as the Owls hold a 254-80 advantage in the opening 30 minutes -- including a remarkable 170-38 margin in the second quarter. What may be even more impressive is KSU’s third quarter scoring exploits -- 159-to-17. Kennesaw State has scored in 40 of 44 quarters this year, including 23 in double-digits. The Big South is 12-10 this season against non-conference FCS foes -- officially clinching its fifth consecutive winning regular-season against non-league competition. Since the start of the 2013 campaign, the Big South is 92-53 ( =63.4 winning percentage) in regular-season competition and 99-61 ( =61.9) when including postseason games in that span.

CAA FOOTBALL -- CAA Football teams have a combined record of 14-13 in second-round FCS playoff games since the field expanded in 2010. The conference has had at least one team reach the quarterfinals every year since 1991. No conference has proven to be as strong from top to bottom as CAA Football in recent years. Ten of the league’s 12 teams have participated in the FCS playoffs since 2015. CAA Football had 14 conference games that featured two nationally ranked teams this season and the majority of them went down to the wire as 8 of the 14 contests were decided by seven points or less.

MISSOURI VALLEY -- In 2014, Indiana State became the first five-loss team to earn an at-large spot. The Sycamores were 7-5, won a first-round game at Eastern Kentucky (36-16) before falling at No. 8 seed Chattanooga in the quarterfinals. Western Illinois (6-5 in 2015), Illinois State (6-5 in 2016) and UNI (6-5 in 2018) have been selected as an at-large entry with five losses. Western won a first-round game in 2015 (at Dayton), Illinois State lost its game in 2016 (at Central Arkansas), and UNI won its first game this year (vs. Lamar). The MVFC is the only league to have earned at-large spots from a five-loss team. The MVFC is 53-23 since 2010 in the playoffs -- better than any other league. Over the last four-plus years the MVFC has a 34-16 record in the play- offs, which includes seven intraconference games, meaning the league is 27-9 vs. other leagues. Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS (Sagarin Rankings), and also ranks ahead of a two FBS divisions, including Confer- ence USA (West division), and the Sun Belt (West Division). Since the playoff bracket expanded to 20 teams in 2010 (3 years) and 24 in 2013 (6 years), the MVFC has had a minimum of two teams in the Round of 16 every year. Five MVFC teams made the Round of 16 in 2014; 4 teams reached the Round of 16 in 2015 and in 2017; while three teams advanced in 2012, 2016 and this year.

NORTHEAST -- Duquesne became the second NEC program to record a FCS Playoffs victory, running past Towson on Saturday at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The meeting marked the fourth consecutive year that the NEC’s automatic qualifier visited a CAA member for a first round affair. Wagner was the first-ever NEC team to win a FCS first round game when the Seahawks beat Colgate, 31-20, in 2012. Duquesne RB AJ Hines, the reigning NEC Offensive Player of the Year, has totaled more than 200 yards from scrimmage five times in his last six -ap pearances. The 2016 winner rushed for 175 yards and one touchdown while also taking a screen pass 71 yards to paydirt in the 31-10 win over Towson, which was held to its lowest offensive output of the season by the Dukes. The Dukes’ second round matchup at South Dakota State will mark the second-ever meeting between a NEC member and a MVFC team in the FCS Playoffs. Robert Morris held a 7-6 halftime lead before succumbing to North Dakota State, 43-17, in the 2010 NCAA FCS First Round. OHIO VALLEY -- For the first time since 2013, multiple OVC teams have won games in the same postseason. Jacksonville State topped ETSU while Southeast Missouri knocked off Stony Brook in the first round. For Jacksonville State, its win snapped a three-game FCS Playoff losing streak dating back to the 2015 national championship game. The Gamecocks improved to 6-8 all-time in the playoffs. Sophomore quarterback Zerrick Cooper threw for three touch- downs and now ranks in the Top 10 in OVC single-season history in touchdown passes and total offense. Southeast Missouri scored its first-ever playoff win in its come-from-behind victory over Stony Brook. After trailing 14-0 at halftime, the Redhawks scored 28 points in 11 minutes of game time to win 28-14. Southeast, who leads the FCS with 35 turnovers gained this season, forced four turnovers (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions) in the victory.

PATRIOT -- No. 8 Colgate clinched its 10th Patriot League Championship and became the first League team to earn a first- round bye in the FCS Playoffs since Lehigh accomplished the feat in 2011. This will be the seventh time a League team has hosted an FCS Playoff game and the first since Fordham hosted Sacred Heart in 2014. Colgate defeated UMass (19-7) and Western Illinois (28-27) in Hamilton in 2003 on its way to the championship game. Head coach Dan Hunt and the Raiders advanced to the quarterfinals after winning road games at New Hampshire (27-20) and James Madison (44-28) in 2015. This season’s Raiders’ defense has played at a historic level, tying the FCS single-season shutout record of five, set by South Carolina State in 1978. The Raiders lead the nation in total defense (201.7 yds allowed/gm), scoring defense (5.7 pts allowed/gm) and pass efficiency defense (82.02), are second in red zone defense (.500) and third in rushing defense (77.1 yds allowed/gm). They had gone 29 straight quarters without allowing a touchdown, dating back to the fourth quarter in their Sept. 1 season opener, until the second quarter of their Nov. 10 win over Lehigh. Colgate had 19 All-Patriot League selections, one behind the League record of 20 set by Fordham in 2014. Patriot League teams are 6-10 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one game in the postseason in five of the last eight seasons. Colgate advanced to the quarterfinal round by defeating New Hampshire (27-20) and James Madison (44-38), before falling to Sam Houston State (48-21) in their last trip to the postseason in 2015. Colgate advanced to the championship game in 2003.

SOUTHERN -- Southern Conference tri-champion and 2018 NCAA Division I Football Championship automatic qualifier Wofford won its first-round game against Elon on Nov. 24, 19-7. The Terriers advance to face No. 4 seed Kennesaw State on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Terriers improved to 9-3 on the year and are seeking their third straight 10-win season. Wofford was joined in the NCAA field by fellow SoCon tri-champion ETSU, which earned an at-large selection. The Bucs, making just their second-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs, led 20-10 at the half but fell 34-27 at Jacksonville State on Nov. 24. SoCon teams are 3-2 (.600) against Big South Conference teams in the FCS playoffs. Kennesaw State topped Samford in the postseason in 2017. The SoCon put multiple teams in the field for the fourth straight season and the 31st time in the last 37 seasons. The league has gone 109-74 (.596) all- time in the FCS playoffs, winning eight national titles.

SOUTHLAND -- Nicholls is reeling after a 49-30 first round win over San Diego (Nov. 24) where the Colonels registered five first half touchdowns. Chase Fourcade boosted the Nicholls squad to the win over San Diego after throwing for a season-high 337 yards while tacking on two rushing and two passing touchdowns. Throughout their last five contests, the Colonels have created a five-game winning streak that began in week nine with a 48-21 homecoming win over Incarnate Word. In each of those five victories, Nicholls’ offense has recorded 40-plus points. Their closest result was the first-round matchup against San Diego where the Colonels downed the Toreros by a 19-point margin. Fourcade has been a staple for the Nicholls offense throughout the season averaging 232 passing yards per game while accounting for 21 passing touch- downs and 11 rushing touchdowns. The junior boasts a 150.98 quarterback rating and is a Southland First Team All-Conference selection. Fourcade was also named the 2018 Southland Player of the Year for his efforts. Nicholls’ matchup against Eastern Washington will mark the 10th consecutive season where a Southland Conference program has appeared in a game past the opening round of the FCS Football Championship. Big Sky Northeast Team W L W L Streak Team W L W L Streak STATS FCS TOP-25 RANKINGS Eastern Washington 7 1 9 2 Won 4 Duquesne 5 1 9 3 Won 6 UC Davis 7 1 9 2 Won 1 Sacred Heart 5 1 7 4 Won 1 Team Rec. Pts. Prev. Weber State 7 1 9 2 Won 6 Central Connecticut State 4 2 6 5 Lost 1 1 North Dakota State (155) 11-0 3875 1 Montana State 5 3 8 4 Won 4 Wagner 3 3 4 7 Won 2 2 Kennesaw State 10-1 3677 2 Idaho State 5 3 6 5 Lost 2 Bryant University 2 4 6 5 Won 1 3 Weber State 9-2 3520 3 Montana 4 4 6 5 Lost 1 St. Francis (PA) 2 4 4 7 Lost 2 4 Eastern Washington 9-2 3413 4 Cal Poly 4 4 5 6 Won 2 Robert Morris 0 6 2 9 Lost 4 Northern Arizona 3 4 4 6 Won 1 5 South Dakota State 8-2 3274 5 Idaho 3 5 4 7 Lost 2 Ohio Valley 6 James Madison 8-3 2978 7 Portland State 3 5 4 7 Lost 3 7 UC Davis 9-2 2761 9 Northern Colorado 2 6 2 9 Lost 2 Team W L W L Streak 8 Jacksonville State 8-3 2649 6 Southern Utah 1 7 1 10 Lost 5 Jacksonville State 7 1 9 3 Won 1 9 Colgate 9-1 2521 8 Sacramento State 0 7 2 8 Lost 7 Southeast Missouri State 6 2 9 3 Won 2 10 Princeton 10-0 2322 11 Eastern Kentucky 5 2 7 4 Won 4 11 North Carolina A&T 9-2 2273 12 Big South Murray State 5 3 5 6 Lost 1 12 Maine 8-3 2218 16 Tennessee State 3 4 4 5 Won 1 13 Wofford 8-3 2185 13 Team W L W L Streak Austin Peay 3 5 5 6 Won 1 14 Nicholls 8-3 1906 18 Kennesaw State 5 0 10 1 Won 10 Eastern Illinois 3 5 3 8 Lost 1 15 Stony Brook 7-4 1413 10 Monmouth 4 1 8 3 Won 1 Tennessee-Martin 2 6 2 9 Lost 1 16 Towson 7-4 1359 15 Charleston Southern 3 2 5 5 Won 2 Tennessee Tech 1 7 1 10 Lost 2 17 Elon 6-4 1272 14 Gardner-Webb 2 3 3 8 Lost 2 18 Dartmouth 9-1 1188 20 Campbell 1 4 6 5 Lost 1 Patriot League 19 San Diego 9-2 918 21 Presbyterian 0 5 2 8 Lost 7 Team W L W L Streak 20 Southeast Missouri State 8-3 896 23 21 Delaware 7-4 791 17 Colonial Athletic Association Colgate 6 0 9 1 Lost 1 22 ETSU 8-3 642 19 Georgetown 4 2 5 6 Lost 1 23 Montana State 7-4 550 25 Team W L W L Streak Holy Cross 4 2 5 6 Won 4 Maine 7 1 8 3 Won 4 Lafayette 2 4 3 8 Lost 3 24 UIW 6-4 484 24 James Madison 7 2 9 3 Won 3 Lehigh 2 4 3 8 Won 1 25 Indiana State 7-4 350 NR Stony Brook 5 3 7 5 Lost 2 Fordham 2 4 2 9 Won 1 Towson 5 3 7 5 Lost 2 Bucknell 1 5 1 10 Lost 6 Delaware 5 4 7 5 Lost 3 Elon 4 3 6 5 Lost 3 Pioneer League AFCA FCS COACHES TOP-25 RANKINGS Rhode Island 4 4 6 5 Won 1 Team Rec. Pts. Prev. William & Mary 3 4 4 6 Lost 1 Team W L W L Streak New Hampshire 3 5 4 7 Lost 1 San Diego 8 0 9 3 Lost 1 1 North Dakota State (26) 11-0 650 1 Villanova 2 6 5 6 Won 1 Stetson 6 2 8 2 Won 1 2 Kennesaw State 10-1 622 2 Richmond 2 6 4 7 Won 1 Drake 6 2 7 3 Won 2 3 Eastern Washington 9-2 593 3 Albany 1 7 3 8 Won 1 Dayton 5 3 6 5 Won 3 4 Weber State 9-2 571 4 Marist 5 3 5 6 Lost 2 5 South Dakota State 8-2 549 5 Independents (FCS) Davidson 3 5 6 5 Won 1 6 James Madison 8-3 491 8 Butler 2 6 4 7 Lost 1 7 Colgate 9-1 468 6 Team W L W L Streak Morehead State 2 6 3 8 Lost 4 8 Princeton 10-0 459 9 North Dakota 0 0 6 5 Lost 1 Valparaiso 2 6 2 9 Lost 1 9 Jacksonville State 8-3 451 7 Hampton 0 0 7 3 Won 6 Jacksonville 1 7 2 8 Lost 2 10 UC Davis 9-2 437 11 North Alabama 0 0 7 3 Won 4 11 North Carolina A&T 9-2 389 13 Southern 12 Wofford 8-3 366 14 Ivy League 13 Nicholls 8-3 327 15 Team W L W L Streak 14 Maine 8-3 317 19 Team W L W L Streak Wofford 6 2 9 3 Won 3 15 Dartmouth 9-1 255 20 Princeton 7 0 10 0 Won 10 East Tennessee State 6 2 8 4 Lost 2 16 Stony Brook 7-4 230 10 Dartmouth 6 1 9 1 Won 2 Furman 6 2 6 4 Won 4 17 Elon 6-4 196 12 Harvard 4 3 6 4 Won 3 Samford 5 3 6 5 Won 1 18 San Diego 9-2 192 22 Columbia 3 4 6 4 Won 2 Chattanooga 4 4 6 5 Lost 3 19 Towson 7-4 179 16 Pennsylvania 3 4 6 4 Lost 2 Mercer 4 4 5 6 Lost 1 20 Southeast Missouri State 8-3 178 23 Yale 3 4 5 5 Lost 2 Citadel 4 4 4 6 Lost 1 21 East Tennessee State 8-3 132 17 Cornell 2 5 3 7 Lost 4 Western Carolina 1 7 3 8 Lost 8 22 Indiana State 7-4 111 24 Brown 0 7 1 9 Lost 7 Virginia Military Institute 0 8 1 10 Lost 2 23 Delaware 7-4 90 18 24 Montana State 7-4 58 NR Mid-Eastern Athletic Southland 25 UIW 6-4 45 NR Team W L W L Streak Team W L W L Streak North Carolina A&T 6 1 9 2 Won 4 Nicholls State 7 2 9 3 Won 5 Bethune-Cookman 5 2 7 5 Won 3 Incarnate Word 6 2 6 5 Lost 1 Florida A&M 5 3 6 5 Lost 3 Lamar 6 3 7 5 Lost 1 South Carolina State 5 4 5 6 Lost 1 Abilene Christian 5 4 6 5 Lost 1 Howard 4 3 4 6 Lost 2 Central Arkansas 5 4 6 5 Won 1 North Carolina Central 3 4 5 6 Won 1 McNeese State 5 4 6 5 Lost 3 Morgan State 3 4 4 7 Won 2 Sam Houston State 5 4 6 5 Won 1 Norfolk State 3 5 4 6 Lost 1 Northwestern State 4 5 5 6 Won 2 Delaware State 2 5 3 8 Won 1 Southeastern Louisiana 4 5 4 7 Lost 1 Savannah State 1 6 2 8 Lost 3 Stephen F. Austin 2 7 2 8 Lost 3 Houston Baptist 0 9 1 10 Lost 10 Missouri Valley Southwestern Athletic Team W L W L Streak North Dakota State 8 0 11 0 Won 11 Team W L W L Streak South Dakota State 6 2 8 2 Won 4 EAST Indiana State 5 3 7 4 Won 5 Alcorn State 7 1 8 3 Won 1 Northern Iowa 5 3 7 5 Won 2 Alabama A&M 5 3 6 5 Won 1 Western Illinois 4 4 5 6 Lost 2 Jackson State 4 3 5 5 Lost 1 Illinois State 3 5 6 5 Won 1 Alabama State 3 4 4 7 Won 1 South Dakota 3 5 4 7 Lost 1 Mississippi Valley State 1 6 1 10 Lost 5 Youngstown State 3 5 4 7 Lost 1 WEST Missouri State 2 6 4 7 Lost 5 Southern University 6 1 7 3 Won 5 Southern Illinois 1 7 2 9 Lost 3 Grambling State 5 3 6 5 Lost 1 Prairie View A&M 4 3 5 6 Won 2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1 6 2 9 Won 1 Texas Southern 1 7 2 9 Lost 3