Published September 02, 2012
Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA – "The "identity crisis" in the Football Championship Subdivision might be overstated. After Week 1 of the new season, plenty of people across the nation know just who plays under the old Division I-AA umbrella, even if the FCS moniker gets renamed in the future. Four FCS teams opening their season with an upset of FBS competition is an eye-catching total. Maybe they can call the FCS the FC-yes.
McNeese State beat Middle Tennessee, 27-21, and Eastern Washington handled Idaho, 20-3, on Thursday night, and Youngstown State defeated Pittsburgh, 31-17, and UT Martin slipped past Memphis, 20-17, on Saturday.
None of the four teams was picked to win its conference title, but each can be a factor if it can sustain the early high level of play. That hasn't been easy, however, for many of the teams that upset FBS competition in recent seasons.
Youngstown State's win was particularly rewarding because it showed the Penguins can put the results behind the high expectations surrounding their team.
Eastern Washington, the 2010 FCS national champion, appears back on track after a disappointing, injury-plagued season a year ago, and new gunslinger Kyle Padron has his share of wide receiver talent.
McNeese State didn't get Tyrann Mathieu from LSU, but it has its own dynamic defensive back in safety Malcolm Bronson.
UT Martin's offense can be scary good at times, and with a new defensive coordinator, the Skyhawks hope to match up on that side of the ball.
All four teams went 6-5 or 5-6 last season, but returned an influential amount of starters, so better seasons clearly are in the works.
The way the four come back to action next Saturday is quite a contrast. Eastern Washington (Washington State) and UT Martin (Northern Illinois) take on more FBS competition, while McNeese State hosts a Division III school (McMurry) and Youngstown plays a non-scholarship school (Valparaiso) that has lost 33 of its last 35 games."
No comments:
Post a Comment