NCAA Playoffs - Week 1 Notes (pdf)
Three PSAC teams will begin their quest for a national championship in the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs this week as Edinboro travels to East Stroudsburg and California hosts Fayetteville State. The Edinboro-East Stroudsburg game will be televised live on the PA SportsFever Network and the broadcast will also be picked up nationally by ESPN GamePlan and ESPN360. The FSU-Cal game will be available for free on B2livetv.com.
PSAC Football - NCAA Playoff Week 1 Notes - 11/12/09
Quick Hits
- Shippensburg won its first PSAC championship since 1981 with a win over California last week.
- California will be making its third straight NCAA playoff appearance. The Vulcans are the two-time defending Super Region One champions.
- East Stroudsburg will be making its first NCAA playoff appearance since 2005.
- Both Edinboro and Shippensburg will be making their first NCAA playoff appearances since 2004.
- The Edinboro-East Stroudsburg game will be televised live by the PA SportsFever Network. ESPN GamePlan, the subscription-based premium package available on most cable and satalitte outlets, as well as ESPN360.com, an internet based subscription service, will be picking up the broadcast as well.
- The PSAC placed four teams in the NCAA playoffs this year for only the second time in history. The only other time was in 2004.
- In those 2004 playoffs, three of the four PSAC teams were the same as this year - Edinboro, East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg.
- East Stroudsburg is making its fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA playoffs with their previous appearances coming in 1991, 2004 and 2005. The furthest the Warriors have been in the playoffs was the semifinals in 2005.
- Edinboro is making its ninth NCAA playoff appearance, with their previous ones coming in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2003 and 2004. The furthest the Fighting Scots ahve been in the playoffs was the quarterfinals in 1990.
- California is making its third overall and straight appearance in the NCAA playoffs, with their previous two coming in each of the last two seasons, in both of which they made the semifinals.
- The PSAC ended the regular season with two punters ranked in the top three in the country in average yards per punt. Shippensburg’s Kyler Ford and Slippery Rock’s Kyle Witman are ranked 2-3 in the country in average yards per punt. Witman’s season, as well as that of Joe Kok of Northeastern State, the punter in first place, are both finished, meaning that with at least one game left, Ford has a chance to become the second straight PSAC punter to lead the nation in punting, following East Stroudsburg’s Nick Krut last year.
A Week for Highs
Week 8 was a week for some big offensive performances all around the PSAC. League single-game highs this season were set in rushing yards, passing yards, total offense, receiving yards and receptions as well as total kickoff return yards. The players listed below set those respective PSAC single-game highs.
Rushing Yards - Harvie Tuck, IUP (218)
Passing Yards - Matt Marshall, East Stroudsburg (430)
Receiving Yards - Steve Miller, West Chester (181)
Receptions - Ed Kiser, East Stroudsburg and Steve MIller, West Chester (11)
Total Offense - Matt Marshall, East Stroudsburg (471)
National Leaders
The PSAC has one individual and one team that is leading the country in various categories as of the latest NCAA statistical report. He is listed below.
- West Chester punt returner Kevin Garland leads the country in average punt return for the fifth straight week at 20.57 yards per return.
- Edinboro is tied with three other teams for the national lead in fewest fumbles lost. The Fighting Scots have lost just three fumbles on the year.
PSAC in Non-Conference Action
The PSAC went 9-5 this year against Division II non-conference competition, and 9-6 overall. This is a large improvement over last year’s 6-9 overall non-conference record (6-8 vs. Division II opponents). Listed below is the conference and record breakdown of the PSAC’s non-conference opponents this year, followed by the PSAC’s record last year in non-conference action.
2009 - 9-6 overall (9-5 vs. Division II)
Northeast 10: 3-1 (Wins - IUP over Southern Connecticut State, Millersville over Assumption, Kutztown over St. Anselm; Losses - American International over C.W. Post)
WVIAC: 2-1 (Wins - Clarion over Fairmont State, Edinboro over West Liberty State; Losses - Shepherd over Shippensburg)
CIAA: 2-1 (Wins - East Stroudsburg over Virginia Union, Slippery Rock over Bowie State; Losses - Lincoln over Cheyney)
GLIAC: 1-2 (Wins - Bloomsburg over Ashland; Losses - Wayne State over Mercyhurst, Saginaw Valley State over California)
Independents: 1-0 (Gannon over Lake Erie)
Division I FCS (CAA): 0-1 (Losses - Delaware over West Chester)
2008 - 6-9 overall (6-8 vs. Division II)
WVIAC: 1-4 (Wins - Edinboro over West Liberty State; Losses - Fairmont State over Clarion, Glenville State over Lock Haven, Shepherd over Shippensburg, Seton Hill over Slippery Rock)
Northeast 10: 1-2 (Wins - Kutztown over St. Anselm; Losses - AIC over C.W. Post, Bentley over Millersville
GLIAC: 1-1 (Wins - Bloomsburg over Ashland; Losses - Wayne State over Mercyhurst)
CIAA: 1-1 (Wins - East Stroudsburg over Virginia Union; Losses - Bowie State over Cheyney)
Independent: 2-0 (Wins - Gannon over Lake Erie, California over Lake Erie)
Division I FCS (CAA): 0-1 (Losses - Delaware over West Chester)
Long Ones are Rare
Bloomsburg K Jon Koenig booted a career-long 50-yard field goal on September 19 in the Huskies’ win over Kutztown. It marked the third straight year that a PSAC kicker made a field goal from at least 50 yards but it also marked only the fifth FG made from 50+ yards in the PSAC in the last nine seasons dating back to 2000. Koenig and Millersville’s John Banzhof are the only active PSAC kickers that have made FGs from 50 yards or more. Listed below are the PSAC kickers that have made FGs from 50+ yards in this decade.
53 - Greg Knauss (East Stroudsburg) vs. IUP, 2007
53 - Sean McNicholas (Edinboro) vs. East Stroudsburg, 2000
52 - John Katsaouni (Slippery Rock) vs. Shippensburg, 2003
50 - John Banzhof (Millersville) vs. Bloomsburg, 2008
50 - Jon Koenig (Bloomsburg) vs. Kutztown, 2009
Streaks
There are a couple of streaks in the PSAC that teams will take into next season, some of which teams want to keep going, and others that teams want to break. California has a 20-game winning streak in PSAC West play, which it will take into next season with PSAC divisional play having wrapped up for the season.
On the opposite end, Cheyney will take a 23-game losing streak in PSAC East play into next season and the Wolves are also looking to break an overall 28-game losing streak. Lock Haven will take a 14-game losing streak in PSAC West play into next season and will have one more chance to break an overall 21-game losing streak.
Game Previews
Edinboro (8-3, 5-2 PSAC West) at East Stroudsburg (8-3, 4-3 PSAC East)
Nov. 14 - 12:00 p.m.
East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Eiler-Martin Stadium (6,000)
NCAA Playoffs - First Round
TV: PA SportsFever Network/ESPN Gameplan/ESPN360.com
Radio/Internet: edinboro.ezstream.com/WVPO 840 AM/RedZoneMedia.com
Edinboro Conference(PSAC)/NCAA Ranks
Scoring Offense: 27.9 - 7th/67th Rush Offense: 126.6 - 13th/100th
Scoring Defense: 24.2 - 10th/67th Rush Defense: 154.3 - 11th/93rd
Pass Offense: 244.7 - 3rd/37th Total Offense: 371.4 - 6th/61st
Pass Defense: 166.7 - 2nd/25th Total Defense: 321.0 - 8th/50th
East Stroudsburg Conference (PSAC)/NCAA Ranks
Scoring Offense: 30.5 - 4th/50th Rush Offense: 133.6 - 11th/90th
Scoring Defense: 21.5 - 6th/47th Rush Defense: 161.4 - 13th/100th
Pass Offense: 267.5 - 2nd/23rd Total Offense: 401.1 - 2nd/37th
Pass Defense: 189.4 - 13th/55th Total Defense: 350.7 - 12th/78th
Coaches
Edinboro: Scott Browning (4th year; 30-14 career record)
East Stroudsburg: Denny Douds (36th year; 226-145-3 career record)
What to Expect
With or without Trevor Harris, Edinboro’s standout quarterback who is questionable for this game after missing last week’s regular season finale with a knee injury sustained the week prior against Clarion, this figures to be a high-scoring game, with most of the yards and points coming through the air, as both teams are pass-happy and have run the ball with less success as the year as gone on. Part of that is due to the fact that both are without two star running backs. East Stroudsburg lost leading rusher Zack Krise for the season with an injury, while injuries have limited Edinboro back Junior Jabbie to just four games, and neither are likely to play. As always, turnovers could play a big role in the game, as these are the top two teams in turnover margin in the PSAC, but they both arrived there in different ways. ESU leads the league takeaways with a league-best 15 fumble recoveries and 18 interceptions, but they have also turned the ball over 21 times. Edinboro, by contast, has a league-low 11 turnovers, including just three fumbles lost, also tops in the league, and has gained 18 turnovers.
Harris will likely be a game-time decision. If he is unable to go, fifth-year senior Joe Wanson, who threw three touchdowns in last week’s win, will get the nod. Whichever QB gets the start, he will have a wide array of weapons to spread the ball around to, as Edinboro had spread the wealth around all year in the passing game. Four different receivers have caught more than 20 passes while 10 have at least 10 catches and eight have at least one touchdown grab. Although ESU’s pass defense is ranked in the bottom half of the PSAC, the Warriors lead the PSAC in interceptions, so Harris or Wanson will have to be cautious of Nick Artinger (7 INTs) and Shawnte Carroll (5 INTs)., who are 1-2 in the PSAC in picks.
East Stroudsburg will ride the right arm of QB Matt Marshall if they are to be victorious in this game, just as they have all year long. Marshall is second in the PSAC in passing yards and third in touchdown passes and like Edinboro, the Warriors spread the wealth in their passing game, as five receivers have at least 20 catches, nine have at least 10, and eight have at least one TD grab. Edinboro’s pass defense is ranked in the top 25 in the country, however, so if the Scots are able to limit ESU’s success in the air, then the Warriors will need to rely on freshmen RBs Kendrick Williams and Eric Deery, who have combined for over 700 yards.
Both teams are solid in the kicking game, with ESU’s Drew Reinhard and Alex Romanias of Edinboro. Edinboro has a big advantage in the punt return game, however, as the Scots average a PSAC-best 15.0 ypr on punts, while ESU averages just 4.5, although Edinboro has just 11 punt returns on the year. The Fighting Scots also have a slight advantage in average net punting by about three yards per punt, but they allow an average of 5.2 yards per punt return, while ESU allows just 2.3, so that could also come into play. On kickoffs, both squads are similar, averaging only around the 20 ypr mark, but both have the potential for a big return with their kick returners.
Series/Game Notes
East Stroudsburg leads the all-time series with Edinboro 10-4...The teams last met in the 2006 regular season, with the Warriors coming away with a 12-0 victory at Edinboro...Edinboro’s last win in the series came in 2005, a 23-21 win at East Stroudsburg, which was Edinboro’s last visit to ESU...East Stroudsburg defeated Edinboro 36-32 in the second round of the 2004 NCAA playoffs, which was the teams’ only previous meeting in the NCAA postseason...The teams met for seven straight seasons from 2000-2006 but prior to 2000, had not met since 1985.
Fayetteville State (8-3, 6-1 CIAA) at California (8-3, 7-0 PSAC West)
Nov. 14 - 12:00 p.m.
California, Pa.
Adamson Stadium (6,500)
NCAA Playoffs - First Round
TV: B2livetv.com (free viewing)
Fayetteville State Conference (CIAA)/NCAA Rank
Scoring Offense: 30.2 - 3rd/52nd Rush Offense: 153.0 - 4th/63rd
Scoring Defense: 17.1 - 2nd/13th Rush Defense: 118.3 - 6th/39th
Pass Offense: 167.3 - 5th/106th Total Offense: 320.3 - 5th/103rd
Pass Defense: 142.3 - 2nd/9th Total Defense: 260.5 - 2nd/8th
California Conference (PSAC)/NCAA Ranks
Scoring Offense: 34.4 - 1st/20th Rush Offense: 171.8 - 4th/44th
Scoring Defense: 19.6 - 3rd/27th Rush Defense: 103.9 - 2nd/26th
Pass Offense: 225.7 - 4th/56th Total Offense: 397.5 - T3rd/T41st
Pass Defense: 183.8 - 10th/45th Total Defense: 287.7 - 2nd/21st
Coaches
Fayetteville State: Kenny Phillips (10th year; 64-43 career record)
California: John Luckhardt (8th year; 202-64-2 career record; 65-27 at Cal)
What to Expect
Strong defense has been responsible for most of both California’s and Fayatteville State’s wins this year. Both teams have had a defensive breakdown in a game this year in which they have given up more than 40 points and in both games, the teams have lost, Fayetteville State to fellow NCAA playoff team UNC-Pembroke back in Week 1 and Cal to Shippensburg last week in the PSAC title game. Both teams’ defenses are strong but Cal appears to have the edge on offense, as the Vulcans gain nearly 80 yards more per game than the Broncos but only outscore them by about four points per game.
Most of Fayetteville State’s damage done on offense is via the run, and they have a two-back platoon of Calvin Harris and Richard Medlin, who have combined for nearly 1300 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. Stopping the run will be paramount for Cal, which gave up a season-high fo 195 rushing yards to Shippensburg last week, against a similar attack that employs a running back platoon, albeit a different offense in the Wing-T. FSU has somewhat of a quarterback controversy entering the game. Benjamin Williams, who started the year as the starter before being benched, came off the bench to help FSU win the CIAA title game last week and was named the Player of the Game, while Tyler Hosler replaced Williams as the starter about halfway through the season before going out of the game last week. Either way, the passing game is not the forte of FSU’s offense, and Cal’s athletic corners appear to match up well with FSU’s receivers who are athletic, who do not have anywhere near the numbers the Cal’s receivers have, so stopping the run will likely decide this matchup.
Cal’s offense has a fine balance between the run and the pass. RBs Freddie Bacco and Windell Brown have combined for just over 1100 yards and 13 TDs and both have different styles, as Bacco is more of a grinder while Brown has more big-play potential. QB Josh Portis is also a running threat, but he has been most potent through the air this year, as his 26 TD passes lead the PSAC while having just six interceptions. The Vulcans will likely go for the long ball a few times in the game, with A.J. Jackson, the PSAC’s leading receiver, as well as Terrance Moore and Chedrick Cherry all being threats to haul in the long ball or break-off a long run after the catch. They will be going up against a pass defense that ranks in the top 10 in the country, so if the Broncos are able to contain Cal’s tall wideouts, the running game may be all the more important for the Vulcans.
Both teams have big-play threats on special teams, so one or two big plays on special teams could also turn the tide in a close game. Cal’s Cherry is second in the country in average kickoff returns at 30.7 ypr. The Broncos hold the slight edge in punt returns, as Michael Staton averages 12.2 ypr. The teams are within less than a yard of each other in net punting average, so that appears to be a wash. FSU kicker Austin Turner has made an impressive 17 field goals, which would rank tied for first in the PSAC, but he has also missed 14 FGs and three PATs. By contrast, Marc Domonkos has just three FG misses and is perfect on PATs after taking over the job a few games into the season.
Series/Game Notes
This will mark the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between California and Fayetteville State...Both teams lost their first two games of the year, with Cal battling back to win eight straight before falling in the PSAC championship game to Shippensburg last week, while Fayetteville State was 2-3 at one point before going on their current six-game winning streak, which included a win over Bowie State in the CIAA championship game last week...This will be both programs’ third all-time NCAA playoff appearance...FSU is making its first appearance since 2004, while Cal has made it the last two seasons and has won the regional championship both times, advancing to the NCAA semifinals in each of the last two years.