HIGHLIGHTS 

William & Mary vs. Weber State | Southern Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois |

The overall No. 1 seed and the most well represented conference in the NCAA Div. I Football Playoffs certainly proved their respective standings in opening round play.

Montana battled from a four-touchdowns-and-three-extra-points deficit to top South Dakota State, and all four Colonial Athletic Association playoff participants advanced.

Montana's win was the result of a whirlwind 20 minutes and change. Trailing by 27 with a little under six minutes to go in the third quarter, the top seeded Grizzlies' championship fate was in good hands.

Marc Mariani's hands, that is.

He scored the first of his three touchdowns at that juncture, a 98-yard kick return, and sparked Montana's 40-0 explosion against the nation's top scoring defense.

A very game South Dakota State came into Missoula, Mont. yielding just over 13 points per game, tied for Elon as the nation's stingiest defense.

The Jackrabbit triad of quarterback Thomas O'Brien, wideout Colin Cochart and running back Kyle Minnet set the pace with five combined touchdowns through the early third quarter.

The cushion wasn't enough to hold off the Championship Subdivision's only unbeaten. Montana's head-spinning rally puts it at 12-0 and into the second round, when it will host Stephen F. Austin.

The CAA's own brand of "unbeaten" came in the form of 4-0 -- as in the conference's record through first round play. Exactly half of the quarterfinal field is made up of CAA representatives with Richmond, Villanova, William & Mary and New Hampshire all advancing.

The defending national champion UR Spiders needed every point it could muster against the powerful Elon defense. Senior quarterback Eric Ward eclipsed 10,000 yards of total offense on his career with a game that included over 100 yards rushing and passing.

The Phoenix attempted a long field goal in the game's waning seconds, trying to force overtime, but the try was unsuccessful. That sets up a showdown of the last four combined national champions, with Richmond and Appalachian State squaring off in the next round.

The Mountaineers, champions from 2005 to 2007, got a late touchdown to pull ahead of South Carolina State in a 20-13 victory.

Villanova doubled up Holy Cross in the first half, and that proved enough for the Wildcats to ride to victory 38-28. The Villanova offense used a balanced attack with five different players accounting for touchdowns.

Villanova now has the rare opportunity to avenge its lone regular defeat. CAA mate and the only team to knock off Villanova, New Hampshire, cruised past McNeese State with five unanswered touchdowns.

William & Mary had a similarly pain-free win in its opening round game, blanking Weber State 38-0. Once the Tribe got its offensive motor humming after a scoreless first quarter, it never looked back.

Southern Illinois had to play catch-up against Eastern Illinois -- in the first quarter. After trailing 7-0 though, it was all Salukis. The Missouri Valley champions and annual Playoff entrant Southern Illinois scored the next 48 points to advance. William & Mary come to Carbondale, Ill. for the second round.

STARS OF SATURDAY

• Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin

Moses was the nation's leading passer throughout the regular season, and the Playoffs proved no different. He completed a ridiculous 75 percent of his attempts en route to 432 yards and four scores -- more than enough to offset his three turnovers.
• Marc Mariani, Montana

His 98-yard score in the late third quarter was the first of three touchdowns during the Grizzlies' 40-0, gamebreaking run.
• RJ Toman, New Hampshire

One out of nearly every five Toman pass attempts was good for a touchdown in the Wildcats' road romp of McNeese State. He went 17-for-25 with three scores and 240 yards.

  Few things are as rare as a playoff without Montana.

Since qualifying for the first 16-team field in 1982, Montana has appeared in 19 Div. I Playoffs. Sixteen of those have come consecutively, dating back to 1993.

Montana football displays consistency that might make Old Faithful jealous, and according to running back Chase Reynolds, "that's why most guys come here, to part of that winning program."

This year's overall No. 1 seed begins its hunt for a third national championship Saturday against 8-3 South Dakota State of the Missouri Valley. The Jackrabbits had a strong campaign, suffering just two losses against the Championship Subdivision en route to a program-first postseason.

While SDSU is new to this dance, Montana knows it well. The model of Div. I consistency with 13 conference titles in the last 16 years, the Grizzlies' path is one spelled out quite clearly.  

"We have a saying in our locker room with our goals: No. 1 is get your degree, No. 2 is beat [Montana State], No. 3 is win the Big Sky and No. 4 is win the National championship."

It's a sentiment linebacker Shawn Lebsock echoed.

"Anything short of a playoff run is unacceptable. We've come to expect that of ourselves," he said.

Lebsock is the Grizzlies' leading tackler through the regular season with 73, and made over 100 tackles for a 2008 squad that fell just short of Goal No. 4. The Grizzlies lost in the National Championship game to Richmond 24-7.

This time, Montana enters as the only unbeaten participant. But said Reynolds, that has no bearing on the team's overall mindset.

"We look at [the playoffs] like a new season. Everyone is 0-0," he said. "We have to keep doing what we've been doing all season."

What the junior Reynolds has done all season is serve as a key contribution to a Montana offense averaging 34.5 points per game, ninth best in the nation.

For his efforts, Reynolds is a Walter Payton Award finalist. He's accrued 1,159 yards rushing on the season with 15 touchdowns. For his career, Reynolds has 37 scores and over 2,700 yards.

Reynolds said a program theme is weekly improvement, which his individual numbers serve as a testament to. Four of his six 100-plus yard outings came in the campaign's final months, included among them a 241-yard day against playoff qualifier Weber State.

Improvement is indeed a buzzword in the locker room, according to Lebsock.

"Playoffs aren't the time to get complacent," Lebsock said. "There's no point in being 11-0 if you're not pushing for the national championship."





 

Defensive end Brandin Jordan described Southern Illinois' season opening loss to Marshall as leaving "a bad taste in our mouths."

The senior, a starter on four consecutive postseason qualifiers, similarly laments the Salukis' 2007 semifinal loss to Delaware.

"That was a bad game," Jordan said. "We had a lot of miscues, a lot of penalties that cost us."

The Blue Hens won that one 20-17 in Carbondale behind Joe Flacco's two touchdown performance. It was a game that Jordan said SIU's 23 seniors use as motivation heading into the 2009 postseason, and Saturday's tilt with Eastern Illinois.

If the regular season is any indication, using a loss as motivation works for these Dogs.

That aforementioned 31-28 defeat against bowl-eligible Marshall occured Sept. 5. It was the last time SIU left the field on the losing end.

Ten wins later, SIU has the nation's second longest win streak, trailing only that of No. 1 overall seed Montana and its 11-gamer.

The streak was enough for SIU to seal its second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference title, fifth since 2003, and first outright since 2004.

"Winning the conference was Goal No. 1," Jordan said. "It's great for us...It's not the same when you have to share it."

The next goal, said running back Deji Karim, is for SIU to end its season knowing it gave all it had toward winning a national championship.

"I was watching from the sidelines," remembered Karim, a Walter Payton Award finalist and the nation's second-leading rusher. Karim began to establish himself as a danger out of the backfield upon his arrival from Northeast Oklahoma JC, but a knee injury that would sideline him throughout 2008 left him off the field against Delaware.

"Everybody learned from that experience and coming one game away [from the championship]," he said.

Karim, the latest in a string of standout Saluki ball carries said he has played all season with the same mentality.

"Every play could be your last," he said.

Karim has made the most of that outlook, racking up over 1,500 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in 2009.

And Saturday in the do-or-die atmosphere of the postseason, it will truly be the case. It's a scenario SIU has had ample opportunity to get acquainted with this decade.

This season is the Salukis' seventh straight reaching the Playoffs. Only Montana has been more consistent.

But in the previous six appearances, SIU has fallen short of the national championship. The Salukis won their only title in 1983.

It's a drought the team seeks to end, beginning Saturday when it hosts Eastern Illinois.

"They've got a good offense that goes three-deep at running back," Jordan said of SIU's in-state foe. "You can't focus on any one player."



 

Every Friday walk-through before game day, the Elon Phoenix sport shirts with the word "Focus" printed on them, said senior defensive lineman Eric Ludwig.

"[Focus] has been our saying this year," Ludwig explained. "Last year we weren't focusing at the end of the season, and you know what happened -- Liberty skunked us. This year we've been more focused, and coach reiterates that to us throughout the week."

The 2008 campaign ended with Elon sitting at 8-4, the program's second consecutive winning season. But the Phoenix had fallen short of their ultimate goal -- an FCS playoff berth -- when they lost three of their final four games. The finale was a 26-3 disappointment against Liberty, effectively sealing the team's postseason fate.

Working to avoid a repeat, Elon finished this campaign with a defeat of Samford in rebounding from the team's lone loss to another FCS program. That came Nov. 14 to Southern Conference powerhouse Appalachian State.

That defeat of Samford was Elon's ninth win of the season, good for a playoff berth -- the Phoenix's first since joining the Division I ranks in 1999. Now Elon is chasing a national championship, something it's football program hasn't done since 1981 when it repeated as NAIA champions.

Focus has paid off for the Phoenix, and to that end  said quarterback Scott Riddle, "[Saturday's first round match-up at Richmond] is a business-like trip.

"Thanksgiving's a great holiday and with Christmas coming up we're all excited about spending time with our families," he said. "A lot of our families are making the trip to Richmond...but we're approaching this like we have every other week."

Both Ludwig and Riddle said last season's stumble was just one of the many building blocks that led to Elon finishing 9-2 and reaching its first playoff this year.

"When I first got here there was talent. My freshman year of 22 starters, there were eight true freshmen who were playing and eight true sophomores who were playing. That's a good chunk of your team being underclassmen," Riddle said. "The coaches who were here before did a good job of getting in players who are key now.

"Those guys who have been here four, five years and the coaches...I give them all the credit. They're the reason we've gotten to this point."

The current coaching staff, said Ludwig, helped unlock those players' potential.

"A lot of [the turnaround] was getting people to buy into what the coaches' taught. The coaches when I got here were really great guys, really good coaches but some of the guys weren't buying into what the coaches wanted to do. There was a lot of individualism.

"Since coach [Pete] Lembo's been here everybody's bought into his plan," Ludwig said.  

Lembo came on as Elon's head coach in 2006 and in that time has amassed a 20-14 record.

And Lembo's plan is one that Ludwig said is expressed through the annual mottos. What is now "focus" began in Ludwig's redshirt season as "together", he said.

"[The 'together' motto] was about getting us on the same page. Then the next year it was 'respect,' since we were looking for respect in the Southern Conference" he said.

With wins, respect has come. Respect was shown in the form of this at-large playoff berth, a major milestone for the Elon program.

"It means a lot to me personally, having come in when Elon was 3-8 and building it up with the seniors who are here now," Ludwig said.

View the Interactive Bracket!

Read about the 2009 Walter Payton Award Nominees

Nearly three months have past and 16 teams have emerged as the final contenders for the 2009 national championship.

The field was announced yesterday and features some familiar faces like Montana, Appalachian State and Richmond, as well as two new to the playoff scene.

Elon and South Dakota State each received their first bids to the Championship Subdivision playoff, each coming off program-best campaigns.

The Jackrabbits are in just their fifth season since moving up from Div. II. SDSU earned its place with a second place finish in the Missouri Valley - a position it earned with one of the nation's premiere defenses. Opponents scored just 13.5 points per game against the Jackrabbits, fifth lowest number of any FCS program.

Leading the effort is defensive end Danny Batten. Batten is among the nation's leaders in breaking through to opposing backfields. He ranks 12th nationally with nine sacks, and eighth in tackles-for-loss with 17.

Batten is also one of four Jackrabbits boasting more than 70 tackles on the season at 82. Joining him are Derek Domino (88), Conrad Kjerstad (76) and Chris Johnson (71).

Elon punched its first playoff ticket in similar fashion. Only four seasons removed from a last place finish in the Southern Conference, Pete Lembo and Co. had the Phoenix rising near the top of the league this season with a 9-2 overall mark and the second place spot in the Southern Conference.

The 12.9 points per opponents averaged against the Phoenix defense was second fewest nationally. The Phoenix offense complemented this stingy defense with a potent passing attack.

Quarterback Scott Riddle threw for over 3000 yards. Among his top targets has been Terrell Hudgins, a Walter Payton Award nominee and the career touchdown receptions leader for Division I.

Others receiving playoff berths are the conference champions and automatic qualifiers: Holy Cross from the Patriot League; Appalachian State representing the SoCon; Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley; Stephen F. Austin of the Southland; South Carolina State from the Mid-Eastern Athletic; Villanova from the Colonial Athletic Association; the Ohio Valley's Eastern Illinois; and No.1 overall seed Montana of the Big Sky.

Among the at-large bid recipients are three schools from the CAA. Joining Villanova to make up one-quarter of the entire field, defending national champion Richmond, William & Mary and New Hampshire all got the call yesterday.

The CAA has boasted no fewer than five ranked teams in each of the weekly polls. William & Mary and New Hampshire both finished CAA play with two losses, but the conference's overall strength gave them bids - and in William & Mary's case, first round hosting duties.

The Big Sky was also well represented in the field of 16. Joining overall No. 1 Montana are Weber State and Eastern Washington.

The Wildcats and Eagles finished tied for second behind the unbeaten Grizzlies, both at 6-2. Each team draws first round road tests in Stephen F. Austin (Eastern Washington) and William & Mary (Weber State).

Rounding out the multiple bid leagues is the Southland. One conference coordinator said the Southland would likely garner just one bid, but with Stephen F. Austin and McNeese State finishing tied atop the standings, both received invitations.

Both squads have been potent offensively, with SFA relying on one of the most prolific passing games in all of college football while McNeese employs a one-two punch of quarterback Derrick Fourroux and running back Toddrick Pendland.

McNeese and SFA each garnered first round home games. While the Lumberjacks welcome EWU, MSU plays host to a 9-2 New Hampshire team.

2009 Walter Payton Award Nominees

The list of nominees for this season's top offensive and defensive performers, as well as the Championship Subdivision Coach of the Year, were released this week. Other nominees will be recognized later this week. Today, here are the Walter Payton Award nominees.

Walter Payton Award

QB Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State

Edwards won last season's award thanks to his dual threat ability as a passer and ball carrier. He suffered a serious foot injury in the off-season, but returned to lead ASU to a 10-1 mark and another SoCon title with 10 passing and 16 rushing touchdowns to cap nearly 3,100 yards of total offense.

WR Terrell Hudgins, Elon

His name will appear throughout college football record books, and this season Hudgins helped power the Phoenix offense with 15 touchdown receptions and over 13 yards a catch.
• QB Pat Grace, Northern Iowa
Grace is a player UNI head coach Mark Farley touted as among the toughest he's coached. Grace passed for 20 touchdowns and rushed for another eight.
• QB Pat Devlin, Delaware
With 16 passing touchdowns, a 64 completion percentage, four rushing touchdowns and a shade below 2,800 yards of total offense, Devlin was a key cog in the Delaware offense.
• QB Cameron Higgins, Weber State
Higgins ranked as the nation's eighth most prolific passer with 3,154 yards. That moved him up just below 10,000 on his WSU career. He made those yards count in the form of scores, too, racking up 30 touchdowns.
• QB Ryan Perrilloux, Jacksonville State
Perrilloux led all of college football in quarterback efficiency and threw just two touchdowns the entire season. The former LSU standout gained plenty of attention for his play. According to JSU head coach Jack Crowe, "every NFL team has been through - some twice."
• RB William Ford, South Carolina State
The MEAC career rushing leader went for over 1,000 yards this seasons. Not limited to a ground game, Ford finished the regular season with nearly 2,000 yards of total offense.
• QB Michael Herrick, Northern Arizona
Herrick bolstered the Lumberjack offense with better than 3,300 passing yards, a complement to top 10 rusher Alex Henderson. Herrick completed over 66 percent of his attempts and scored 22 touchdowns through the air.
• RB Deji Karim, Southern Illinois
A threat both out of the backfield and in special teams, Karim earned praise from conference rival SDSU's Derek Domino who called Karim one of the best rushers in all FCS. He scored 16 touchdowns off carries and one on a kick return. His more than 1,500 yards rushing beat out Monmouth's David Sinisi for the nation's best.
• QB Dominic Randolph, Holy Cross
Randolph finished the '09 regular season the nation's fourth best passer at 3,429 yards. His 31 touchdown passes put him just behind SFA's Jeremy Moses, and he tacked on another six via rush. Randolph led HC to a Patriot League title and automatic bid to the Playoffs.
• RB David Sinisi, Monmouth
Second nationally in total rushing yards, third in yards per game, Sinisi had a stellar campaign in the Northeast Conference. He registered 13 rushing touchdowns and proved to be a threat catching passes. He tacked on another four receiving scores to his resume.
• RB James Mallory, Central Connecticut State
A part of a group of seniors CCSU head coach Jack McInerney praised for their determination, Mallory helped the Blue Devils to an outright NEC championship. He was active carrying the ball at over 1,200 yards with 15 touchdowns. But he also contributed on special teams as a kick blocking specialist with three.
• RB Chase Reynolds, Montana
Reynolds ranked seventh in the nation averaging just over 107 yards rushing per game. He had four consecutive outings with over 100 yards on the ground late in the season, including a whopping 241 against Weber State.
• QB Bryant Lee, Southern
Lee solidified himself as the SWAC's top offensive weapon in accounting for 27 touchdowns - 21 through the air, and another six on the ground. Lee passed over 200-plus yards in all but one outing this season - and that one was a rout of Fort Valley State in which he played sparingly.
• QB Matt Nichols, Eastern Washington
This Eagle flew high, boasting one of the nation's best score-to-turnover margins. He threw for 30 touchdowns while giving up only five interceptions. Nichols dolled out better than 400 yards in two of EWU's final three games. In the third game he had 380 yards.



• RB Toddrick Pendland, McNeese State
Pendland is a player some inside the MSU program called surprisingly powerful at 5'10, 180 pounds. He put that on display in many goal line sets en route to 15 rushing touchdowns.
• RB Trevyn Smith, Weber State
Finishing just below 1,000 yards rushing, Smith helped set the table for a Wildcat offense that registered better than 30 points per game. He accounted for seven touchdowns on the year, and against Idaho State had 177 yards.
• QB Jeremy Moses, Stephen F. Austin
The free-wheeling, high octane Lumberjack offense got much of its get-up from Moses. The snap-taker led this SFA bunch to a 9-2 record and share of the Southland title with just under 3,500 yards passing and 36 touchdown strikes.
• WR Andre Roberts, The Citadel
Roberts hauled in just under 800 yards' worth of receptions on the campaign and twice registered more than 100 yards in single games. His showing against Presbyterian was one of the best in a game by any receiver this season, when he had 184 yards and four touchdowns.
• QB Curtis Pulley, Florida A&M
A dual threat in every sense of the term, Pulley reached a milestone with over 1,000 yards in both passing and rushing. His style kept opposing defenses guessing as he racked up 12 passing touchdowns and six on the ground.

A share of the Colonial Athletic Association championship is on the line Saturday when Richmond hosts William & Mary for the 119th installment of their rivalry -- and first installment of the Capital Cup.

This year's duel marks the first wherein the winner will receive the new trophy, a replacement of the former I-64 Trophy.

"A lot's riding on this," said Richmond cornerback Eric McBride. "This is a good way to measure our team. We're playing this like it's our first playoff game."

The winner claims not just a share of the CAA crown, but makes a statement to the selection committee on the eve of the playoff bracket release.

Sunday, the NCAA announces the field of 16 teams that will vie for an appearance in Chattanooga, Tenn. and the national championship game.

Villanova already has an inside track from the CAA. The Wildcats control their own destiny, boasting wins over both Richmond and W & M. If it defeats 25th ranked Delaware, Villanova will share the conference championship with the Capital Cup winner.

So with a select few at-large berths to be had, and three CAA teams in the top 10, does the loser of the Capital Cup get that call Sunday with two conference mates already potentially locked in?

"I would think so," said William & Mary quarterback RJ Archer. "Coming out of the CAA with a 9-2 record would be enough to get you into the playoffs.

"I think the CAA is the toughest [Championship Subdivision] conference. I feel like any of the 12 schools can beat each other on a given day," he said.

That is a benefit, said Archer.

"It's fun. You want to play the best teams in the country when you can."

There's no hyperbole when calling the cream of the CAA crop "best in the country." Richmond is the defending national champion and spent the season's first 10 weeks ranked No. 1. Three of the conference's squads -- UR, Villanova, and W & M -- have hovered in or around the top 5 throughout the campaign.

"This is a quality opponent that could very well end up deep in the playoffs," said UR quarterback Eric Ward. "[William & Mary] will get us prepared for what we're going to face the next few weeks."

The Tribe are indeed a team that stack up favorably with the likely playoff field. W & M boasts a defense that ranks fourth nationally in yards allowed, and an offense that averages 28 points per game.

McBride had high praise for the Tribe offense, particularly its multifaceted ground attack.

"They've got two great runners: a power guy and a speed guy [Terrence Riggins and Jonathan Grimes]. The quarterback likes to boot out. He's real athletic," McBride said.

Archer's 20 rushing yards per game make him the fourth player to average at least that figure on the ground. Grimes leads the squad at 92.2, Riggins averages 24.6, and Courtland Marriner is posting 40.9.

Conversely, the Spider defense is yielding just 70.7 rushing yards per game. Mustering yards and scoring opportunities against UR is a challenge, said Archer.

"Everybody does their jobs. There's really not any missed assignments, so it's going to be our job to exploit little things," he said.

Ward had a similar assessment of the Tribe's defense.

"They'll bring a lot of looks at you. Up front, all four of those guys [are experienced], and they have one of the best defensive ends with Adrian Tracy," he said.

Tracy has found his way into opposing backfields for 10 sacks on the campaign. He is one of 14 seniors looking to reach two milestones this week that no W & M team has since 2004. The first, reach the playoffs.

The second?

"We haven't beat Richmond since [the senior class has] been here. One of our goals was to beat [James Madison], and we did that. Richmond was the team we've never beat, so in that way it's a big game for us," Archer said. "There's added excitement: big rivalry game, two teams that are 9-1 You could say there's a little more incentive."

Watch the Spiders and Tribe tangle on Richmond All-Access or follow via Gametracker.

AROUND THE NATION

Central Connecticut State rallied for 20 fourth quarter points last week to top Monmouth and put itself in position to win the Northeast Conference. The Blue Devils can seal the championship and an automatic playoff bid went it travels to St. Francis.

Wagner can still stake a claim to the NEC title. It hosts Albany in a matchup of two of the top three NEC squads.

Northern Iowa dropped back-to-back close calls to South Dakota State and Southern Illinois, two of the nation's top 10 teams. The Panthers have themselves been near the top of the rankings all season though, and could snag an at-large bid. A win Saturday over Illinois State would be a step in that direction.

Eastern Illinois' loss last night to Tennessee State opens the door for Eastern Kentucky to slip into playoff contention -- or for Jacksonville State to claim the Ohio Valley championship.

JSU is not eligible for postseason play, but at 5-1 would have the league's best record should it defeat the visiting Colonels.

Montana locked up its 13th Big Sky championship in the last 16 seasons, and the only thing standing between it and a perfect regular season is rival Montana State. The two tussle in Missoula Saturday.

Members of the 2009 William & Mary football team didn't spend their summer bumming it on the beach or holding lazy day cookouts.

"A camaraderie, a brotherhood was formed in the summertime. We pushed ourselves to the limit," said senior defensive end Adrian Tracy, a pre-season All-America selection and the Tribe's sack leader.

"When you look to your left and right and you see someone in the same position as you, having those extra sprints left to go or that extra weight to max-out, that motivates you to give your best effort.

"That's something you can't simulate without having everyone down here, week in and week out," he said.

Indeed, the summer months weren't about R & R for the Tribe - they were about Ws & Ls, as in increasing the former and lowering the latter.

Tracy and senior quarterback RJ Archer said those extra hours in the summer are paying off, and the numbers show it. W & M enters Saturday's season finale against Richmond 9-1 and the nation's fifth ranking.

"It's a testament to our hard work in the off-season," Archer said. "More guys stayed in the summer than ever to work out together."

Included in the team's daily regiment: "Running, lifting weights...the receivers and quarterbacks threw three times a week," Archer explained.

Not only has it translated into results on the scoreboard, but individual members of the Tribe have stuffed the stat sheet. Archer is completing 65 percent of his pass attempts for nearly 200 yards per game. He has also scored 14 passing touchdowns to just five interceptions, and tacked on another three rushing scores for good measure.

Tracy has flourished on the other end of the ball with 10 sacks, and last week earned national recognition from The Sporting News.

Such team and individual marks are the culmination not just of a summer spent on the field and in the weight room, but of a steady progression the W & M seniors saw begin in 2006.

That's the season Tracy and Archer were freshmen, and the Tribe finished 3-8 with just a single conference win. Those tallies bumped up to 4-7, 2-6 respectively in 2007.

In 2008, William & Mary was above the .500 mark both in conference play (5-3) and overall (7-4) for the first time since 2004 - a season in which the Tribe finished 11-4 and reached the national semifinals.

W & M had experienced winning, and its players were hungry for more.

"It dated back to last season," Tracy said of this season's success. "We had some really great captains: Jake Phillips, Derek Cox, Josh Rutter and Elliott Mack. Those guys came to the some of the upperclassmen and said 'continue to build on what we have so far, that formula for success and make sure you instill that next year.'

"'Every team has different strengths, different weaknesses, and it's [the captains'] job to know what those are,'" Tracy continued. "That's something the five captains this year have taken -- keep the team focused throughout the season," he said.

The lessons passed on from the '08 captains to this year's group has helped W & M on its designs for a finish not seen since that '04 campaign.

In Richmond, William & Mary faces not just a rival, not just competition for a share of the CAA crown, but the defending national champion.

The Spiders were ranked No. 1 and unbeaten until two weeks ago, when they lost a fourth quarter heartbreaker to Villanova -- the same Villanova team to hand W & M its only defeat.

"The feeling you have after losing a football game, it's not much fun," Archer said of the Oct. 3 Villanova defeat. "It's not like other sports where you get 30, 40 games a season. You get 11 games in the regular season, so you want make each one count.

"The way we felt after that game, we don't want to have that feeling like we left something on the field ever again," he said, citing that as a chief motivator heading into Saturday's Capital Cup.

With nearly 70 underclassmen still in the Tribe program after Archer, Tracy and Co. depart, it might not be a feeling William & Mary football will have to feel much for years to come.

At least six of the 16 available Championship Subdivision Playoff berths were filled Saturday.

Appalachian State won its fifth consecutive Southern Conference title in a win over a game Elon team. The Mountaineers jumped ahead of the Phoenix early, scoring 21 of their 27 points in the first half. Elon failed to get on the board in that time.

Making a case for a second straight Walter Payton Award, ASU quarterback Armanti Edwards scored each of the Mountaineers' three touchdowns, all on rushes.

Postseason aspirations weren't snuffed out for Elon, however. A top 10 team with one of the best scoring defenses in college football, the Phoenix can finish 9-2 with a victory over Samford this week.

With its rout of Missouri State, Southern Illinois finished the Missouri Valley slate undefeated and as conference champions.

The Salukis navigated their schedule with just one loss, that coming at Marshall 31-28 in Week 1. Since, only one team has even been within single digits of SIU.

SIU tailback Deji Karim had what one could call an OK Saturday - three touchdowns, including a 73-yarder.

Holy Cross escaped a Lafayette rally to knock off the Leopards 28-26, and take the Patriot League crown. UL scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, but a pair of failed point-after attempts would come back to haunt the homestanding Leopards.

As he has all year, HC quarterback Dominic Randolph powered the Crusader offense. He was involved in all four HC touchdowns through the second and third quarters, one rushing and three passing.

Meanwhile, the Crusader defense overcame a scoreless final period, holding Lafayette to a single touchdown - enough to preserve the win and conference championship.

South Carolina State's 37-13 romp of Morgan State, combined with Florida A&M's 25-0 loss to Hampton sealed the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship for SCSU. Bulldog quarterback Malcolm Long threw for four touchdown passes in the SCSU win.

By virtue of its seven straight Big Sky win and a Northern Arizona loss at Weber State, Montana is again conference champions. For those keeping score, that's a share of 14 out of the last 16 and a 12th straight Big Sky title for the Grizzlies.

The Northeastern Conference became the (Blue) Devils' Workshop when leader Wagner suffered a 37-10 setback against Robert Morris. The two had been even at 10, but 27 unanswered Robert Morris points in the second half made the difference.

That loss allowed Central Connecticut State to jump back into first, and ultimately the championship, with its frantic comeback vs. Monmouth.

All 20 of the Blue Devils' points came in the second half, the final six on an Aubrey Lewis touchdown pass to Josue Paul.

While other league championships won't be doled out until this upcoming final week, the races certainly became interesting.

William & Mary put on a clinic against New Hampshire. It was UNH's second Colonial Athletic Association loss, putting them behind W & M, Richmond and Villanova, all of which have just one loss.

Two of those squads - Richmond and W & M - meet Saturday in the newly renamed Capital Cup. The winner will have a stake in the CAA crown, but only earn the conference's automatic playoff bid with a Villanova loss.

Villanova earned wins over both the Tribe and Spiders to control its own destiny.

Josh Lewis' 28-yard field goal gave McNeese State a road win over Texas State, and put the Cowboys in position to claim a share of the Southland Conference championship.

However, MSU might be scoreboard watching in its finale vs. Central Arkansas. The Cowboys' lone Southland defeat came to Stephen F. Austin, the team that shares the league lead.

Texas State defensive coordinator Fred Bleil said earlier this season he believed the Southland would be a one-bid conference. If those words prove prophetic, the Cowboys need to defeat the Bears and hope for a Lumberjack loss at Northwestern State.  

Appalachian State won the first of its unprecedented three consecutive national championships in 2005 -- which was the same season Elon finished 0-7, last place in the Southern Conference.

Four years later ASU is battling for another SoCon title. Some things don't change.

In the Mountaineers' way? The Elon Phoenix. Some things do change.

"We came from the bottom. [Head] coach [Pete] Lembo came and now we're near the top," said sophomore linebacker Joshua Jones. "Now we just need to get over the hump and win this game."

Jones is the leading tackler of a defense yielding a Championship Subdivision best 12 points per game.

Wide receiver Terrell Hudgins was a freshman the season after Elon's last placed finish, and in helping the Phoenix become a SoCon contender has shattered countless individual records.

According to him though, no accomplishment could stack up to a conference title.

"The records and those things are great, but it's more about winning. Getting the conference championship...that would be a great way to close the book," he said, adding: "It would be the biggest win in the history of Elon."

Given how these programs reached this point, Hudgins' assessment doesn't seem at all hyperbolic.

ASU has won at least a share of each of the last four SoCon titles, building a dynasty while Elon just built.

A catalyst for some of that recent Appalachian State will be on the field Saturday, and is someone Jones called "one of the best players in all of college football."

That player is do-everything quarterback Armanti Edwards, winner of the 2008 Walter Payton Award.

"It's always a challenge facing a dual threat quarterback, especially one as high caliber as he is," Jones said. "Sometimes you've just got to pick your poison."

Edwards' ability to effectively pass and rush the ball has helped ASU in scoring five-plus touchdowns in each of its last five games. Conversely, the Mountaineer defense has contained conference opponents, allowing more than 21 points just three times.

"They're one of the best teams we'll play all season, but we're not scared," Hudgins said. "We have guys in our locker room just as good as some of their guys.

"We're not going to back down," he said.

Another conference championship is on the line Saturday when Lafayette faces Holy Cross for the Patriot League crown. The two squads salvaged perfect marks last week to set up the showdown.

In its win, UL posted 56 points -- 42 of which quarterback Rob Curley accounted for with seven touchdown passes.

"Winning the conference championship is one of the goals, year in and year out," Curley said.

Curley and HC quarterback Dominic Randolph have been the Patriot League's most prolific passers. Curley acknowledged Randolph's standout play for the 8-1 Crusaders.

"You go into every game trying to outduel the other team, but especially against Randolph we know we're going to have to bring everything we've got," he said.

And according to Curley, UL is looking prepared to bring just that.

"This week's practice has been the most intense in the entire time I've been [at Lafayette]," Curley said.

The Leopards and Crusaders' championship showdown is broadcast live online via Lafayette All-Access.

Other big match-ups in the season's penultimate weekend include:

• McNeese State at Texas State

• Northern Arizona at Weber State

• Tennessee Tech at Jacksonville State

• New Hampshire at William & Mary

"The middle of the field was open. I saw that, so I had to get off the first defender who was covering me and get to the middle."

This is Villanova wide receiver Brandyn Harvey describing the game winning play for his Wildcats Saturday against top ranked Richmond.

"I had a post route. I had to make a move at the line because one of the [defensive backs] was pressing me," he said. "I went up to catch the ball, but there was another safety going for the interception.

"But he didn't - so everything worked out."

And how.

The Wildcats' 21-20 victory ended a 393-day, 17-game unbeaten streak for Richmond and forced a tie atop the Colonial Athletic Association South Division. Villanova, Richmond and William & Mary all have one loss with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

 The Spiders and Wildcats were locked in a back-and-forth struggle wherein host UR led 20-14. Richmond had failed to convert the point-after on its previous touchdown, and a kickoff gaffe gave visiting Villanova the ball at its own 41-yard line.

"We were confident we were going to score," Harvey said. "It was two minutes left, but we only had to go 60 yards."

That game-winning grab couldn't have come without proper delivery, which is what quarterback Chris Whitney provided.

"I saw that they were bringing everybody and basically playing Cover-0 behind [the line]. They were blitzing everybody like they had the past three downs, and they were having success with that."

The Wildcats moved into Spider territory, but Richmond's defense buckled down to force a must-convert fourth down.

With the Spiders bringing the house, Whitney saw a cutting Harvey in the end zone and struck.

"I knew if I put it up, [Harvey] would come down with it," Whitney said.

Harvey used his 6-foot-4 frame to come down with the ball, his sixth reception on the afternoon.

"In the second half...they were switching up what they were doing, blitzing a lot and playing some man [defense]," Whitney said. "[Harvey] was just beating the corner[back]."

Villanova now holds tiebreakers over both UR and William & Mary. The Wildcats defeated the Tribe Oct. 3, 28-17.

Appalachian State and Elon each handled their respective duties to set up a Southern Conference championship game Nov. 14.

Each extended its league mark to 6-0 this past weekend. Chattanooga has had its most successful season of recent years, but couldn't stop an ASU offense now clicking on all cylinders. The Mountaineers poured on 35 points, marking their fifth straight game with five or more touchdowns.

Meanwhile Elon's signature defense flexed its muscles against Western Carolina, and the offense added on with 42 points as the Phoenix remained perfect.

The Patriot League set the stage for a championship showdown when conference undefeateds Holy Cross and Lafayette won.

Lafayette quarterback Rob Curley had a video game sort of day: seven touchdowns off 373 yards passing.

That's no typo - the Leopard quarterback's half-dozen-plus-one scoring strikes smashed the program record.

HC marched 81 yards in the final stanza to top Lehigh in a 24-20 final. Quarterback Dominic Randolph completed the drive on a four-yard scoring strike to Freddie Santana with just over a minute remaining.

Butler kept Dayton at arm's distance in its Pioneer League win, which sets up a Bulldog showdown for the title. Butler jumped ahead 13-0 and never trailed despite a furious Flyer rally that included a Steve Valentino touchdown pass and two point conversion in the game's final minute-and-a-half.

If Drake and Butler win Saturday against Dayton and Jacksonville respectively, the two will be perfect in the Pioneer League come Nov. 21 when they square off.

Saturday's Stars

Shawn Leonard, Rhode Island
Though his Rhode Island Rams fell short against New Hampshire, Shawn Leonard had an amazing Saturday. He hauled in 275 yards' worth of receptions including four touchdowns in the 55-42 scoreboard-igniting contest.

Toddrick Pendland, McNeese State
 Cowboy tailback Toddrick Pendland made good use of his rushes in a 63-42 MSU romp of Sam Houston State - 20 percent of them were for scores.

Pendland finished with four touchdowns and 171 yards rushing on 20 carries as MSU kept pace with Texas State and Stephen F. Austin atop the Southland Conference.

Duane Brooks, Stephen F. Austin
 Duane Brooks snared the game-winning score to secure a Lumberjack come-from-behind victory over Nicholls State. The touchdown was quarterback Jeremy Moses' third of the day, and the connection with Brooks keeps SFA in contention for the Southland title.

Andrew Cialino, Holy Cross
 Linebacker Andrew Cialino had 15 tackles in the Crusaders' road defeat of Lehigh. His performance helped the Crusader defense as it held Lehigh to just a field goal in the final quarter, setting up the offense's game-winning drive.

Five conference championships could be decided in crucial tilts tomorrow, rendering this Judgment Saturday.

No. 1 Richmond puts its unblemished record and 17-game win streak on the line against No. 4 Villanova in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"Our goal is to make them a one dimensional, passing offense," said UR defensive end Martin Parker. Parker has four sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss to help anchor a Spider defense ranked 11th nationally in points yielded (15.4).

Parker and his teammates will have a full plate as they try to a stop one of the nation's premiere rushing games.

Villanova's found success with a balanced attack, showing opposing defenses shotgun spread option and Wildcat sets. Tailback Aaron Ball, wide receiver Matt Szczur, and quarterback Chris Whitney combine for over 170 of the Wildcats' 223 rushing yards a game.

And according to Parker, those Villanova rushers have plenty of opportunities thanks to the team's work in the trenches.

Villanova QB Chris Whitney

"That's a very veteran offensive line -- very big, very well coached. That's the No. 1 key to their rushing game. If our defensive line can stop their offensive line, that's going to be a big key to us stopping their rushing game."

UR has a match in the Villanova defense, which has held opponents below 17 points per game. Included on the Wildcats' defensive resume is holding Temple freshman sensation Bernard Pierce to 44 yards, his second lowest output and stifling fifth ranked William & Mary to 17 points.

This pairing of Top 5 foes is the culmination of Richmond's Homecoming Week.

Follow it online via Gametracker, and streaming live through Richmond All-Access .

Defenses take center stage in the Missouri Valley when Southern Illinois travels to South Dakota State. The Salukis and Jackrabbits both boast perfect MVFC records, and top 10 ranked defenses.

And for SDSU, a program that joined Division I ranks in 2004, it's a showdown that linebacker Derek Domino called "the biggest in program history.

"This could put us on the map. Hopefully we can show we're here, and we're here to stay."

Southern Illinois ILB Brandin Jordan

"Stop the run, put pressure on the quarterback, cause some turnovers, try to force them to make mistakes," SIU senior linebacker Brandin Jordan said of the Salukis' gameplan vs. SDSU.

Through eight games the Salukis have hit those goals. SIU opponents are averaging just 14.1 points per game and forced into 19 turnovers. Jordan has done his share with 47 tackles and three sacks.

But if there's any defense that has equaled SIU, it's the Jackrabbits'. In fact, SDSU is tied with Elon for the stingiest scoring defense in the Championship Subdivision.

"We always go in with the mindset, 'they can't score, they can't win,'" said Domino.

Chief among the Jackrabbits' challenges against a potent SIU squad: stopping tailback Deji Karim, the MVFC leading rusher with 139 yards per game.

"[Karim]'s a great running back. He's having an All-America type season," Domino said. "When he gets out on the edge, there's no one in the country that can catch him.

"Hopefully we can just contain him -- not let him get out on the edge, keep him in the box with limited space to move," he said.

Follow the action via SDSU Live Stats.

Dayton quarterback Steve Valentino said tomorrow's Flyer match-up with Butler is "one of the games, if not the game, that's going to decide the [Pioneer] League championship."

UD claimed the 2008 crown, and is gunning for a second. But the visiting Bulldogs are unbeaten on the campaign and tomorrow are seeking a measure of retribution.

"It's an unbelievable chance to play a championship game in November," said Butler quarterback Andrew Huck.

The Bulldogs had a similar opportunity a season ago, but dropped a late season road contest to this same Dayton bunch.

In that vein, Huck said Butler has "focused on finishing all week in practice."

"Butler's always a tough game, and last year I'm sure they think they should have won it," Valentino said.

The 2008 game featured a Butler rally from a two-touchdown deficit. That gap was bridged with less than a minute remaining in regulation, forcing an overtime wherein Dayton persevered.

This time around the teams have new starters under center, but the implications remain the same. And as for Huck and Valentino, the two have registered almost identical numbers: 256.5 yards per game of total offense and 21 touchdowns for Huck; 255.6 total yards and 16 touchdowns for Valentino.

Similarly, the Bulldogs and Flyers boast lofty point differentials of plus-15.3 and plus-12.2 respectively.

According to Huck, that total could be higher for the undefeated Bulldogs.

Dayton QB Steve Valentino

"We've been able to get down in the red zone, but we haven't been able to get the points equivalent to the yards we're making," he said.

The ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities is vital for Butler against a UD defense giving up just 12 points per game.

"Our defense has carried us all year. We have one of the best defenses in the entire league," Valentino said.

Dayton has the game covered via Gametracker and All Access

The Keystone State is home to two key match-ups in the Patriot League. A week after pulling ahead of Colgate, Holy Cross travels to Lehigh with a chance to stay atop the conference. But fellow pace setter Lafayette takes on an 8-1 Colgate squad that just suffered its first loss.

HC quarterback Dominic Randolph has been among the nation's most prolific passers, but in Lehigh faces a passing defense that has ranked fifth in FCS. The cross-state contest features a similar angle, with Colgate's offense scoring just shy of 30 points per game but Lafayette yielding only 15.9 points.

Last but certainly not least in the Judgment Saturday lineup is a Northeast Conference bout featuring Central Connecticut State and Wagner, the league's two unbeaten leaders. CCSU has made a habit of winning nailbiters. Five of the Blue Devils' seven victories are by single digits, and the two most recent were by a field goal -- combined.

Wagner has won in similar heartstopping fashion, tallying three of its five conference wins by fewer than 10 points.

The formula could make for another classic as the two pursue an NEC title.

Season	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Completion Pct.	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs
2006	2251	15	60.9	1153	15
2007	1948	17	66.7	1588	21
2008	2902	30	64.1	941	11
2009*	2083	10	72.1	450	12
*= Through eight games

It's been quite a career for Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards: two national championships, a Walter Payton Award, at the center of one of college football's greatest ever upsets.

Last week, Edwards reached another milestone in his tenure when against Furman he surpassed 9,000 passing yards, making him the only player in Division I history with over 9,000 passing and 4,000 rushing yards.

"That I've accomplished so many things, I have to thank my coaches and teammates," Edwards said.

The bar is set high in Boone, N.C. Edwards' individual accomplishments are numerous and impressive.

There is the Walter Payton Award, given to the top Championship Subdivision offensive performer, which he garnered after a junior season of 2902 yards passing and 30 touchdowns. He also rushed for another 900-plus yards, breaking the Southern Conferece's career record for total yards en route to its Offensive Player of the Year honor.

Over the summer, he was the only FCS player selected to the 21-quarterback list of Johnny Unitas Award candidates.

"Everybody's done their part. Without those 10 other guys it's hard to get all those yards."

It should then come as no surprise Edwards said two very specific landmarks top his laundry list of college accomplishments.

"There are a lot of great memories, but the definitely championships are one and two," he said.

Edwards stepped in as starting quarterback his freshman season, on the heels of an ASU championship -- a high benchmark for any first-time starter.

His response was to lead the Mountaineers to two more in 2006 and 2007.

He gained national headlines Sept. 1, 2007 when his three touchdowns helped power the Mountaineers to a 34-32 defeat of fifth ranked Michigan, and ASU made history as the first FCS team to receive votes in the Associated Press Top 25.

ASU fell short of winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive national championship, losing to eventual champion Richmond. The Mountaineers returned though with 17 All-SoCon pre-season selections looking primed for another championship run.

But the team dropped its first two games to begin the campaign: the first, a 29-24 defeat against East Carolina and the second, a 40-35 home loss to McNeese State.

Since then, ASU has rattled off six straight including decisions of 25, 34 and 36 points.

"We're jumping on teams quick in the first half, that's given us some breathing room," Edwards said of recent Mountaineer routs.

In the process, ASU has compiled a perfect SoCon record and Edwards has amassed 10 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns, and just shy of 2600 total yards.

With the team rolling and ASU in the top 10, thoughts of a third national championship to cap off his career could be at the forefront of Edwards' mind, but he said first and foremost is securing the SoCon crown.

Currently, ASU is tied with Elon for the league lead. The two meet Nov. 14 in a likely SoCon title game.

Regardless of the final score that day, Edwards will leave Boone with an historic legacy. And beyond?

"I just hope I can continue to play football at the next level," he said.

Defensive players for the Texas State Bobcats knew they would need an outstanding effort Saturday against then-11th ranked Stephen F. Austin.

The Lumberjacks' spread offense came into the tilt averaging better than six touchdowns a game, best in the nation, and according to Texas State defensive coordinator Fred Bleil the Bobcats had heard criticism of their defense against such sets.

"We had performed better against running teams than against spread offense. The kids were tired of hearing we weren't playing well against spread offenses after Southeast Louisiana had done so well against us," he said.

Texas State answered those criticisms authoritatively, holding SFA 37 points below its season average and in the process, catapulting itself into the thick of the Southland Conference title chase.

"It's the best effort through all four quarters. We've shown what we can do, just not for four quarters," said linebacker Marcus Clark. Clark finished the day with 16 tackles and recovered a Lumberjack fumble with SFA driving, one of a few key stops Texas State made in the red zone.

"We've been a good red zone D throughout the year, so we were just trying to keep that going," he said.

SFA finished the day with 416 total yards, and while the Lumberjacks moved the ball effectively, there's one place the Bobcats kept them from where it mattered most -- the end zone.

"Bend not break," is how linebacker Joe Bell described the Bobcats' red zone defensive mindset. Bell finished the day with 15 tackles and a sack.

Bending for Texas State case meant forcing Lumberjack turnovers -- three to be exact, including the fumble Bell caused at the Texas State 11-yard line.

"We got breaks, but that's what you've got to do: work hard, and take those breaks," said Texas State defensive coordinator Fred Bleil.

Getting breaks -- or causing them in the red zone has been a hallmark of this Bobcat defense, he added.

"We've not been a good yardage defense, but we've been a good red zone defense," Bleil said. "We may not have the speed in the back end, but once we get down there in those close spaces we can make some plays."

And showing what it was capable of was a motivator for this unit, Clark said.

"Keeping them to seven...that was a statement that we're a defense that can play against anybody."

Bell added that the Lumberjacks' ranking coming in and challenge they posed to the Bobcat defense was just icing on the proverbial cake, as this is a game Texas State marks on its calendar yearly.

"One of our goals that we make every year is to beat SFA and Sam Houston," he said.

The Bobcats are halfway to that goal. Sam Houston is Texas State's finale, Nov. 21 at home, and another important test in the conference race.

Bleil said he believes winning the conference title is essential to earning a postseason berth. The next challenge in that quest comes this weekend against Central Arkansas.

The Bears are not eligible for postseason play until 2010 as a provisional member of the Southland, but have made themselves at home in the conference. UCA is 5-3 on the season, with a win over a Bowl Subdivision opponent (Western Kentucky) and a four-game win streak earlier this season to its credit.

Blue Devil Magic
Central Connecticut State continues to find ways to win games late. One week after defeating Bryant by a point in the final stanza, the Blue Devils rallied for 20 second half points to topple Albany, 31-29. The win keeps CCSU atop the Northeast Conference at 5-0, 7-1 overall.

Sioux Fight
North Dakota blanked a prolific Cal Poly offense through the entire second half to down the visiting Mustangs, 31-17. UND forced three Mustang turnovers in the second half after battling back from a double-digit point deficit to move to 4-4 on the season.

Dukes Break Through
James Madison met some struggles through October, racking up losses to Colonial Athletic Association leaders Villanova and William & Mary. But JMU closed the month strong with a 20-6 defeat of 18th ranked Delaware, its first conference victory of the campaign.

Quarterback Justin Thorpe earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors for his 262 yards passing, 42 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Dukes' win.

An Honor for the Spiders
As Richmond chases down its second straight national championship, attention continues to come the Spiders' way. After defeating Towson 42-14, UR joined Appalachian State (2007) and Northern Iowa (2009) as the only teams in Championship Subdivision history to garner votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Spiders were a vote behind 7-2 Idaho and two behind the Southeastern Conference's Tennessee.

Latest Top 25

Rank	Team (1st Place Votes)	Record	Points	Prev.
1	Richmond (28)	8-0	700	1
2	Montana	8-0	667	2
3	Southern Ill.	7-1	646	3
4	Villanova	7-1	614	4
5	William & Mary	7-1	580	5
6	Elon	7-1	552	6
7	New Hampshire	7-1	510	7
8	Appalachian St.	6-2	508	8
9	South Dakota St.	7-1	475	9
10	South Carolina St.	7-1	453	10
11	McNeese St.	6-2	419	11
12	UNI	5-3	374	14
13	Eastern Ill.	7-2	323	19
14	Holy Cross	7-1	317	17
15	Jacksonville St.	5-3	273	20
16	Eastern Wash.	6-3	225	21
17	Liberty	6-2	201	24
18	Stephen F. Austin	6-2	200	15
19	Central Ark.	5-3	181	12
20	Colgate	8-1	161	25
21	Weber St.	5-4	149	13
22	Prairie View	5-1	116	25
23	Florida A&M	6-2	81	NR
24	Lafayette	7-1	74	NR
25	Delaware	5-3	71	18