Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
Sorting through the truth, exaggerations and smokescreens at I-AA media days
can get exhausting. But it looks like a few coaches really did know what they
were talking about.
Back at Big Sky media day, Montana State head coach Mike Kramer said the
Bobcats should have the best defense in the Big Sky. Portland State head coach
Tim Walsh insisted that he wouldn’t want to face his own defense.
After witnessing a 44-41 game between the schools in 2005, I had my doubts
about those assertions. After an exhibition of suffocating defense in upset
victories on Saturday, no one would question the coaches’ assertions now.
Montana State pulled off I-AA’s biggest win against a I-A team by taking out
Colorado, 19-10. Portland used a 17-0 second-half effort to beat New Mexico,
17-6. And a Richmond defense that nobody questions after last season showed it
might just be better after controlling Duke’s offense in a 13-0 win. That’s
right, after scoring just two victories against I-A foes last year and only
three in 2004 (six if you are actually going to count then transitional I-A
Florida International), three I-AA teams took down I-A opponents Saturday. In
the process, Montana State, Richmond and Portland State showed their big-time
opponents what a strong defense looks like by allowing a combined 16 points in
the victories.
Montana State pulled off the weekend’s biggest shocker. The Bobcats went in
to Colorado for the first game of Buffs head coach Dan Hawkins’ tenure and came
away with a convincing, 19-10, victory. Quarterback Cory Carpenter, in his first
start taking over for the departed Travis Lulay, was efficient with 229 yards
and one touchdown on 23-for-31 passing. The Bobcat defense held the Buffs to 216
yards of total offense and kept them off the scoreboard in the second half to
ignite a rally from a 10-6 halftime deficit. The special teams did its part as
well, as kicker Jeff Hastings nailed all four of his field goal attempts and a
forced fumble on a fourth-quarter kickoff helped seal the win.
Richmond’s win was not as shocking, but the Spiders made a statement by
handling Duke. The Spiders held the Duke rushing game to 51 yards, and
surrendered only 210 yards of total offense in a 13-0 shutout victory. Redshirt
freshman Eric Ward (120 yards, 1 TD) was solid as the Spiders built a 10-0
halftime lead and never looked back. Richmond could have ultimately won by an
even greater margin, but settled for a pair of short field goals on drives
inside the five yard line.
Portland State did not beat a BCS-level team, but a dominating second half at
a tough place to play and against a usually strong New Mexico program was a very
impressive feat for the Vikings. After falling behind, 6-0, at halftime, the
Vikings scored 17 unanswered points in the second half. Quarterback Sawyer Smith
threw a 39-yard scoring strike to Brendan Ferrigno to put the Vikings ahead in
the third quarter, and a fourth-quarter TD pass to Tremayne Kirkland essentially
put the game away. New Mexico never seriously threatened in the fourth quarter,
and the Vikings held the Lobos to 65 yards of net rushing.
A near-miss by Illinois State almost gave I-AA teams a fourth win against
their I-A counterparts, but a pair of special teams touchdowns and a failed
two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter left the Redbirds just short in
a 24-23 loss at Kansas State. While the three winners and Illinois State did
I-AA proud and earned headlines, a bunch of competitive and sometimes surprising
results in games between I-AA foes also made the first weekend one with
potential implications in November.
I attended the MEAC-SWAC challenge for the second year in a row, and this
year’s contest between Hampton and Grambling State will be remembered for much
more than the bands, festival-like atmosphere and tailgating. The only matchup
of the weekend between ranked opponents lived up to its billing, with Hampton
fighting back and coming up with huge plays in the fourth quarter and overtime
of a 27-26 victory.
The Pirates were in trouble in the third quarter, as Grambling State surged
ahead for a 20-10 lead and Hampton was left to play without starting quarterback
Princeton Shepherd and Payton Award candidate running back Alonzo Coleman, who
both left with severe cramps. But the Pirate defense hung tough when it counted.
After a fumbled punt gave the Tigers possession inside the five-yard line,
Hampton forced an incompletion on first down, linebacker Justin Durant stuffed a
run for a six-yard loss on second down, and a false start and incompletion
forced a field goal attempt. Calvin Bannister blocked Tim Manuel’s attempt from
32 yards out, and the Pirates stayed within seven points with 8:41 left.
But the Pirate defense wasn’t done. With Grambling facing a long third down
play inside its own 20, Hampton’s Alden Blizzard sacked and forced a fumble by
Brandon Landers, and the Pirates took over inside the Grambling 15. A nine-yard
touchdown pass from T.J. Mitchell to Onrea Jones followed to tie the score at 20
with 1:11 remaining, and a missed field goal by Manuel as time expired sent the
game to overtime.
Hampton scored a touchdown on its possession in the overtime, but allowed a
scoring strike from Landers to Tim Abney on the Tigers’ possession. But the
Pirates had one big play left to keep the game from a double overtime. Derius
Swinton broke through the line and nearly took the ball right off Manuel’s foot
on the extra point, and the Pirates survived for a huge win. Hampton gains an
edge on Grambling State in the Sheridan Black College poll, but more importantly
keeps itself in good standing if an at-large bid is needed for the playoffs.
While Hampton notched a significant win, a few playoff hopefuls might already
be in jeopardy. Coastal Carolina and Lehigh suffered the day’s biggest upsets,
and both teams fell at home. Elon trumped Coastal Carolina, 23-20, while Lehigh
was upset by Albany, 17-16. There was plenty of quality action in games between
I-AA teams, with Furman beating Jacksonville State in the final minute for the
second year in a row and Massachusetts sending a message across the country by
routing a good Colgate team. Impressive wins for Delaware State, Chattanooga and
Wofford showed that those teams might be on the rise.
There were a few down spots on Saturday, with teams that struggled in
matchups against average I-A opponents and pedestrian efforts by James Madison
and Texas State in wins against ranked Division II teams. South Dakota State’s
loss to Division III UW-Lacrosse was the darkest black mark. But the first
Saturday of the 2006 season will be remembered for the triumphs by Montana
State, Richmond and Portland State, and might just set the foundation for more
wins to come with nearly 50 games left against I-A teams.
Below is a look at some of the key happenings, plays, wins and losses for
I-AA teams for games played on the first weekend.
