Wofford aims for upset at Clemson

Sept. 10 at 12:30 p.m. ET: No. 16 New Hampshire Wildcats at No. 14 Lehigh Hawks

Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m. ET: No. 9 Wofford Terriers at Clemson Tigers

Sept. 10 at 4 p.m. ET: No. 23 S.C. State Bulldogs at No. 24 Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. ET: No. 10 Jacksonville St. Gamecocks at No. 25 Chattanooga Mocs

Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. ET: No. 15 Southern Illinois Salukis at Mississippi Rebels

Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. ET: No. 3 UNI Panthers at No. 12 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks

Pall

WC

94 Ameet Pall
Wofford
6-0 | 245 | Sr. | DL

Key Notes: The runner-up for the 2010 Buck Buchanan Award given to the nation’s top defensive player, Pall entered 2011 as the favorite for the award after earning Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All-America honors by producing 12.5 sacks and 22.5 TFLs as a junior. In the Terrirers’ season-opening win against Presbyterian last week, Pall had four tackles including 1.0 TFL and added a quarterback hurry.    

Other Players to Watch this Week: Nate Eachus, Colgate (Sr., RB); Paul Layton, Albany (N.Y.) (So., P/PK); Anthony Peete, South Dakota State (So., LB); Alvin Scioneau, Wofford (So., LB); Dominique Williams, Wagner (So., RB); Kevin Yost, Idaho State (Jr., QB).

• Southern Illinois, ranked No. 15 this week in the FCS Coaches’ Poll, hits the road to face FBS foe Mississippi this weekend. It will be the eighth consecutive season the Salukis have played an FBS team, and they will be aiming for their third win in that stretch. If they hope to overtake the Rebels, they’ll need QB Paul McIntosh to continue providing a dual threat on offense. McIntosh threw for a career-high 246 yards last week, ranking second in the nation in passing efficiency (210.91) while rushing for 64 more yards. He now stands second on SIU’s all-time QB rushing list.

• The Colonial Athletic Association is one of the toughest FCS leagues in the country, and the depth is impressive. Take freshman Antonio Vaughan of Old Dominion, for example. Vaughan, a lanky WR got off to a strong start and hopes to continue it this weekend at Georgia State after earning CAA Rookie-of-the-Week honors by making six catches for 97 yards in his Monarch debut. Among his receptions was a 34-yard scoring strike, and he added a 30-yard touchdown run as well.  

• Northern Iowa hopes to relive a little magic on Saturday. The third-ranked Panthers will be part of the top FCS matchup of the weekend as they head south to take on No. 14 Stephen F. Austin. The contest will be the first for UNI in the state of Texas since 2005 when it won the national semifinal contest against Texas State, taking a three-point win in overtime. 

• Eastern Washington, the top-ranked team in the country, put a scare into FBS foe Washington last week, as the Huskies needed to hold on for a 30-27 win after EWU QB Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 473 yards. Wofford hopes to do the same — or better — against an in-state FBS foe this week, although history is not on its side. The No. 8 Terriers hit the road to take on SEC foe Clemson on Saturday. The teams have played a total of 13 times since 1896, including just two times since 1940, with Clemson leading the series 10-3. Wofford has never won on the road in Clemson while the last win overall was a one-point Terrier victory in 1933.

• Bethune-Cookman jumped into the top 25 this week at No. 24 after the Wildcats thrashed Prairie View A&M 63-14 on opening weekend. BC-C racked up more than 500 yards of total offense — including 281 total yards by first-year starter QB Jamaar Robinson — but did find some areas to work on. If the Wildcats hope to walk away with a top-25 victory this weekend against No. 23 South Carolina State, they will need to be more disciplined. Against Prairie View, BC-C was penalized for 132 yards on 12 flags from both sides of the ball.

• Bo Levi Mitchell led the nation with 473 passing yards last week, but a couple of youngsters showed they might be worth watching this year as well. San Diego sophomore Mason Mills was second nationally behind Mitchell and was the only other player in the FCS with at least 400 yards last week with 416 yards through the air, while freshman Eric Hoffman had an impressive debut with Valparaiso by passing for 394 yards.  

• Georgetown LB Jeremy Grasso had just 1.0 sack and 4.5 TFLs last years, but is taking his final season with the Hoyas seriously. In the opener, the senior posted a national-high 3.5 sacks in a 40-16 win against Davidson. The Wildcats passed for more than 360 yards, but GU held them to minus-seven rushing yards on 19 carries thanks to Gasso’s effort.