Week 2 recap / Week 3 Preview
Week 2 Recap
North Alabama (2-0) 30
Cheyney (0-2) 29
North Alabama came into the game ranked #7 in the Press Poll and #9 in the Coaches Poll. Cheyney came up short against defending champion Bloomsburg in the first game, but they were ready for this one.
My prediction was:
"I expect North Alabama to win the game but don't be surprised if Cheyney keeps it close late in an upset bid."
Wow. Was that an understatement. With 6:50 left to go in the game, North Alabama trailed by 6, but went right down the field and score a TD and PAT to take a 27-26 lead with 4:42 left. Cheyney marched right back down the field off strong running by Raymond Shapiro, but was stopped at the 18 yard line where they kicked a 35 yard field goal with 49 seconds left to take a 2 point lead, 29-27. North Alabama had all their time outs and Andrew Browing completed passes of 45 and 17 yards to get down to the Cheyney 13 yard line. After a couple of plays, North Alabama kicked a 21 yard field goal with no time left for the win.
Cheyney controlled the ball on the ground, but only went 2/13 on 3rd down, and a fumble by Shapiro at the end of the end of the 2nd half when they could have tried a 42 yard field goal as time expired if he had held on, proved to be too much to overcome.
Virginia State (2-0) 31
Hillsdale (1-1) 16
Virginia State came in ranked #6 Coaches / #10 Press after coach lsteenburg led his squad to their 4th CIAA title in the 4 seasons that he has been there. Hillsdale was thinking upset and came out hot to start the game, but over time, Virginia State was able to wear them down and pull away.
Both teams struggled passing and running the ball, but a big kickoff return for a score by Virginia State in the opening quarter and some timely third down conversions were enough to let Virginia State bring home the win.
The difference was Virginia State's running backs. Matthew Lawson and Jerry Ponce combined for 111 yards rushing while Mark Carrillo caught 11 balls out of the backfield for 113 yards.
Week 3 Preview
There are two more big games on tap for tomorrow that we will take a closer look at.
#13 Morehouse (2-0)
#11 Valdosta State (2-0)
Neither team has been particularly tested in their first two games, so this will be an interesting matchup of what seems to be two evenly matched teams.
Morehouse features RB Andre Pope (179 rushing yards per game) and RB Eugene Goins (8.5 receptions per game). With Morehouse, they love to keep you guessing. Out of the Pro-Set, they may go on an extended streak of running and then with no warning, start relentlessly attacking you in the air.
Valdosta State is led by the dynamic duo of RB David Harris (236 rushing yards per game) and RB John Akins (10.5 receptions per game). DL Robert Cox has tallied 13 tackles and 2 sacks over their first two games. Valdosta State likes to stay in Trips and rotate running backs based on situation to feature each back's unique skill set.
I have Morehouse at #3 in my Top 10, and there has been nothing so far to convince me otherwise. I think their upperclassmen filled team will be too much for Valdosta State to handle at this point.
Long Island (2-0)
Cheyeney (0-2)
This is week 3 of Cheyney's 4 week gauntlet which will end with Humboldt State in their next game. For now, Cheyney is taking on Long Island, my favorite to win it all this season.
Long Island has breezed to two wins versus inferior competition, but it feels like they've been holding something back for this game. They are led by QB Edward Boyd (245 passing yards per game) and RB Edward Brown (109 rushing yards per game). Their freshman kicker is only 6/8 on the season, so I'm sure they'd like to keep the game far enough out of reach to not call on him in a clutch situation. Their defense has forced 5 interceptions and 3 fumbles in the first two weeks of the season, so they will certainly be looking to get some big turnovers in this game. They feature a Pro Set attack that keeps their plays mixed up pretty well throughout the game. The key to their success in this game will be the defense, which if it plays up to expectations, could keep Cheyney's punter working overtime.
Cheyney features QB Gary Hall (228 passing yards per game) and RB Raymond Shapiro (148 rushing yards per game), but this has come against ridiculously stiff competition. Their I Formation attack is pretty balanced and will have to convert on 3rd down if they want to make another upset bid in this game. After last week's heartbreaker against North Alabama, will it be a case of the team running out of gas and getting disheartened by the winless early start, or will their experience in these big games early lead them to the upset in this game? Although on paper I would give a heavy edge to Long Island, I wouldn't be surprised if Cheyney has a little magic left in their bag.
Well that's it for this week. We will be back for more next week, with maybe a few more bells and whistles from our new broadcast partner ESPN+ who apparently wants to ultimately cover every sporting event, even a simulation of D2 football in some strange multi-universe setup with multiple e-realities that only an astrophysicist could dream up.