Harvard upset; Chattanooga wins SoCon bid
(STATS) - Pivotal conference matchups were found all across the FCS on Saturday as the regular season neared its conclusion.
Penn delivered one of the more impressive performances of the day, ending No. 12 Harvard's FCS-best 22-game winning streak with a 35-25 victory in the Ivy League.
In also stopping the Crimson's 16-game league win streak - dating to a 2013 loss to Princeton - Penn (6-3, 5-1) created a three-way tie atop the standings with Harvard (8-1) and Dartmouth (8-1).
Chattanooga claimed a share of the Southern Conference title with The Citadel and the conference's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs by defeating the No. 21 Bulldogs 31-23.
Both teams finished 6-1 in the SoCon heading into FBS matchups next Saturday. Chattanooga (8-2) travels to Florida State and The Citadel (7-3) heads to South Carolina.
The most surprising score of the day came from the Big Sky with No. 22 Montana throttling No. 10 Eastern Washington 57-16 to end a four-game losing streak in the series. Both teams likely have to win next Saturday to earn a spot in the playoffs.
All conferences but the SWAC will conclude the regular season next Saturday. The 24-team FCS playoff field will be announced next Sunday.
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STATS FCS TOP 25=
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
No. 1 Jacksonville State (9-1, 7-0 OVC) 56, Southeast Missouri State (4-6, 3-3) 28
The top-ranked Gamecocks clinched the Ohio Valley's automatic bid to the playoffs and need a win over Murray State next Saturday for its second straight unbeaten run through the conference.
Running back Troymaine Pope (137) and backup quarterback Christian LeMay (124) both rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns, while starting quarterback Eli Jenkins threw for 194 yards and three scores.
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No. 2 North Dakota State (8-2, 6-1 Missouri Valley) 27, No. 20 Youngstown State (5-5, 3-4) 24
North Dakota State outscored Youngstown State 17-0 in the fourth quarter, capping the surge with quarterback Easton Stick's 4-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds remaining.
Youngstown State, which hasn't been to the playoffs since 2006, was likely knocked out of the at-large mix.
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No. 4 Coastal Carolina (9-1, 4-1 Big South) 45, Kennesaw State (6-4, 2-3) 13
Coastal Carolina rolled to an easy win behind senior Alex Ross, who completed 20 of 27 passes for 262 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, including a pair to both Chris Jones (six receptions, 131 yards) and Tyrell Blanks.
Ross set the Big South career record for total offense with 10,689 yards.
Running back De'Angelo Henderson (103 rushing yards) scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, extending his consecutive games streak with a touchdown to 24.
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No. 5 South Dakota State (8-2, 5-2 Missouri Valley) 30, South Dakota (5-5, 3-4) 23
Kyle Parris scored on a pair of 2-yard runs and Nick Farina had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the fourth to help South Dakota State overcame a 20-10 deficit entering the quarter.
Sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieneke had six receptions for 180 yards in the win.
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No. 6 Illinois State (8-2, 6-1 Missouri Valley) 42, Southern Illinois (3-7, 2-5) 21
Marshaun Coprich had 254 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries to power Illinois State, which is tied for the Missouri Valley lead with North Dakota State.
Southern Illinois quarterback Mark Iannotti was 42 of 63 for 329 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed for 94 yards on 24 carries.
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No. 7 William & Mary (8-2, 6-1 CAA) 31, Towson (6-4, 4-3) 17
William & Mary earned its sixth straight win as senior Steve Cluley completed 21 of 23 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Kevin Hart. Cluley's 91.3 completion percentage set a school single-game record.
When Richmond later lost at Villanova, William & Mary clinched a share of its first CAA title since 2010. The Tribe can win it outright when they visit Richmond next Saturday.
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No. 8 Chattanooga (8-2, 6-1 Southern Conference) 31, No. 21 The Citadel (7-3, 6-1) 23
Chattanooga quarterback Jacob Huesman accounted for 310 yards of offense (192 passing, 118 rushing) and had two touchdown runs to lift Chattanooga to a share of its third straight Southern Conference title with The Citadel.
The Mocs scored on the first play from scrimmage on their way to a 21-0 halftime lead. Alejandro Bennifield caught a backward pass from Huesman in the flat and fired a 75-yard touchdown strike to Xavier Borishade.
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Villanova (6-4, 5-2 CAA) 21, No. 9 Richmond (7-3, 5-2) 20
Villanova remained alive for an at-large playoff bid and handed Richmond its second straight loss on Zach Bednarczyk's 12-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Gulyas and Gerard Smith's ensuing PAT with 41 seconds remaining.
Gulyas finished with eight receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns, which help offset Jacobi Green's 135 yards and two scores on the ground.
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No. 22 Montana (6-4, 5-2 Big Sky) 57, No. 10 Eastern Washington (6-4, 5-2) 16
Montana freshman Jeremy Calhoun gained only 29 yards on 18 carries, but he outscored Eastern Washington with three touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Gustafson returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 19, going 20 of 34 for 266 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren collected 16 tackles in the win.
Eastern Washington quarterback Jordan West struggled in the Eagles' second straight loss, going 7 of 19 for 119 yards and two interceptions. The three-time defending Big Sky champions likely have to beat Portland State next Saturday to make the playoffs.
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No. 11 Charleston Southern (9-1, 6-0) 31, Liberty (5-5, 2-3) 24
Big South champion Charleston Southern completed a perfect season in conference play as Austin Brown passed for 301 yards and four touchdowns, two each to Nathan Perera (seven receptions, 128 yards) and Kenny Dinkins (six receptions, 114 yards). The winning score was a 9-yarder to Perera with 5:16 remaining.
The Buccaneers wrap up their regular season with a visit to Alabama next Saturday.
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Penn (6-3, 5-1 Ivy) 35, No. 12 Harvard (8-1, 5-1) 25
Trailing 25-21 at halftime, Penn scored the only points of the second half to stop Harvard's winning streak at 22. Alex Torgersen connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Kelly early in the third quarter and wide receiver Justin Watson scored on a 79-yard run early in the fourth.
Watson was both a 100-yard rusher (five carries, 100) and 100-yard receiver (seven receptions, 149, one touchdown) to help offset Harvard's three touchdown passes, two by quarterback Scott Hosch and one by wide receiver Justice Shelton-Mosely.
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No. 13 Sam Houston State (7-3, 6-2 Southland) 59, Northwestern State (3-7, 3-5) 21
Sam Houston State's Corey Avery rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries and Jared Johnson passed for 275 yards and three scores.
The Bearkats, who finished with 668 offensive yards, will try to wrap up an at-large bid and fifth straight playoff appearance at Central Arkansas next Saturday.
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No. 14 James Madison (8-2, 5-2 CAA) 24, Delaware (3-7, 2-5) 21
JMU quarterback Bryan Schor's 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Ravenel with 17 seconds left ended a two-game losing streak and likely clinched a second straight at-large bid to the playoffs.
Schor also rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown, while running back Cardon Johnson had 98 yards and a score on the ground.
The loss was the third straight for Delaware.
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No. 15 Portland State (8-2, 5-2 Big Sky) 24, No. 18 Southern Utah (7-3, 6-1) 23
Southern Utah clinched at least a share of the Big Sky title with Eastern Washington's loss to Montana, but not the automatic bid to the playoffs with one game remaining.
Portland State denied the Thunderbirds on a two-point attempt after they pulled within 24-23 on Ammen Olsen's 14-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sharp with 1:18 left.
Alex Kuresa threw two touchdown passes and Kieran McDonagh another for the Vikings.
Portland State, Eastern Washington, Montana and Northern Arizona are all 5-2 in the Big Sky, one game behind Southern Utah.
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No. 16 Fordham (9-2, 5-1 Patriot) 38, Georgetown (4-6, 2-3) 31
Jarred Brevard's 10-yard run with 3:53 left broke a 31-all tie to lift Fordham in its regular-season finale. The Rams likely will make the FCS playoffs with an at-large bid after Colgate clinched the Patriot League's automatic bid with a 49-42 win over Lehigh.
The Rams' Kevin Anderson was 21 of 29 for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while Chase Edmonds rushed for 137 yards and a score on 20 carries.
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No. 17 Northern Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Missouri Valley) 41, Missouri State (1-9, 0-7) 0
UNI won its fourth straight as quarterback Aaron Bailey rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. Running back Tyvis Smith added 143 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers' 439-yard ground assault.
The Panthers, who allowed only 139 yards, will host Southern Illinois next Saturday, hoping a win will earn an at-large bid to the playoffs.
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No. 19 North Carolina A&T (9-1, 7-0 MEAC) 27, Delaware State (0-10, 0-7) 6
Quarterback Kylil Carter accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) and Tarik Cohen ran for 132 yards as North Carolina A&T clinched at least a share of back-to-back MEAC titles for the first time since 1991 and '92.
The Aggies will clinch the conference's automatic bid with a win over North Carolina Central or a Bethune-Cookman win over Florida A&M next Saturday.
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No. 23 Dartmouth (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) 34, Brown (4-5, 2-4) 18
In a game that had 13 turnovers - Dartmouth with six and Brown seven - the visiting Big Green built a 34-6 lead to move into a three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League with Harvard and Penn.
Running backs Kyle Bramble (93 yards, one touchdown) and Brian Grove (90 yards, one touchdown) led the Dartmouth offense, while Vernon Harris had a pair of interceptions.
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No. 24 Eastern Kentucky (6-4, 5-2 OVC) 41, Murray State (3-7, 2-5) 34, 2OT
Eastern Kentucky won on Kentayvus Hopkins' 1-yard run in the second overtime, ending a two-game losing streak to remain in contention for an at-large bid to the playoffs.
Colonels quarterback Bennie Coney had three touchdown passes and threw for a school-record 417 yards while setting career highs in completions (44) and attempts (68).
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No. 25 Grambling State (8-2, 8-0 SWAC) 49, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-9, 0-8) 31
Grambling State rolled to its eighth straight win and clinched the West Division bid to the SWAC championship game Dec. 5 in Houston.
Quarterback Johnathan Williams was 28 of 38 for 339 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. The Tigers committed four turnovers, but forced six from UAPB.
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No. 3 McNeese State (9-0, 8-0 Southland)
