2023 - Around College Football - Week 1

[ST_Lawson]

Hey...another season is rapidly approaching. Time to bring back "Around College Football". This year I'll be adding a few other teams to the regular listing...our future OVC/Big South mates.
We're still MVFC for one more year though, so I'll start there...

MVFC Games
8/31 at 6 PM - Eastern Illinois at Indiana State - EIU wins 27-0
8/31 at 6:30 PM - Valparaiso at Youngstown State - YSU wins 52-10
8/31 at 7 PM - South Dakota at FBS Missouri - Mizzou wins 35-10
8/31 at 7 PM - DII Western Oregon at South Dakota State - SDSU wins 45-7
9/1 at 7 PM - Missouri State at FBS Kansas (BIG12/ESPN+) - Kansas wins 48-17
9/2 at 12 PM - Dayton at Illinois State - Illinois State wins 41-0
9/2 at 1 PM - Northern Iowa at FBS Iowa State (BIG12/ESPN+) - Iowa State wins 30-9
9/2 at 2:30 PM - Eastern Washington at North Dakota State - NDSU wins 35-10
9/2 at 3 PM - Drake at North Dakota - North Dakota wins 55-7
9/2 at 6 PM - Austin Peay at Southern Illinois - SIU wins 49-23
9/2 at 6 PM - Presbyterian at Murray State - Murray State wins 41-10
A number of the games don't have a channel listed, but I assume most will be on ESPN+.

WIU's OOC opponents
We play at FBS New Mexico State 9/2 at 8 PM on ESPN+
Lindenwood (see OVC/Big South section)
8/31 at 9 PM - Southern Utah at FBS Arizona State - SUU makes it close but falls 24-21

Big South/OVC
8/31 at 5 PM - DII North Greenville at Charleston Southern - CSU squeaked out a 13-10 win
EIU at INSU (see above)
8/31 at 6 PM - Tennessee Tech at Furman - Furman wins 45-10
8/31 at 7 PM - DIII Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Lindenwood - Lindenwood runs away with a 77-9 victory
9/2 at 12 PM - Robert Morris at FBS Air Force - Air Force wins 42-7
9/2 at 2:30 PM - Tennessee State at FBS Notre Dame (NBC) - this is Notre Dame's first ever game with a I-AA/FCS team - Notre Dame gets their first win against an FCS program, 56-3
9/2 at 2:30 PM - Gardner-Webb at FBS Appalachian State (ESPN+) - App State wins 45-24
9/2 at 3 PM - Bryant at FBS UNLV - UNLV gets the victory 44-14
9/2 at 5 PM - UT Martin at FBS Georgia (ESPN+/SECN+) - Georgia wins 48-7
9/2 at 6 PM - Southeast Missouri State at FBS Kansas State (BIG12/ESPN+) - K-State wins 45-0

Regional DI teams
9/2 at 11 AM - Utah State at Iowa (FS1) - Iowa wins 24-14
9/2 at 11 AM - Fresno State at Purdue (BTN) - Fresno State wins 39-35
9/2 at 1 PM - Butler at Montana (ESPN+) - Montana wins 35-20
9/2 at 2:30 PM - Ohio State at Indiana (CBS) - THE Ohio State wins 23-3
9/2 at 2:30 PM - Buffalo at Wisconsin (FS1) - Badgers take the game, 38-17
9/2 at 6:30 PM - Toledo at Illinois (BTN) - Illinois wins on a last second FG, 30-28
9/3 at 11 AM - Northwestern at Rutgers (CBS)
 
 
 
 
 
 

[ST_Lawson]

In a "Week 0" game, our next week opponent, New Mexico State, lost to UMass, 41-30.

[wiu712]

Attendance for the Massachusetts at New Mexico State game = 15,356
 

[ST_Lawson]

Idk if EIU is just that much improved or if INSU is that much worse, but EIU just shut out the Sycamores, 27-0.

EIU was 2-9 overall last year with wins over Murray State and Northwestern State.

INSU was also 2-9 last year with wins over North Alabama and us.


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[rocki]

Idk if EIU is just that much improved or if INSU is that much worse, but EIU just shut out the Sycamores, 27-0.

EIU was 2-9 overall last year with wins over Murray State and Northwestern State.

INSU was also 2-9 last year with wins over North Alabama and us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I didn't know what to think of that game. Especially since I haven't seen us play yet - but could this mean a better chance against ISUb? Fingers and toes crossed.
 

[ST_Lawson]

Idk if EIU is just that much improved or if INSU is that much worse, but EIU just shut out the Sycamores, 27-0.

EIU was 2-9 overall last year with wins over Murray State and Northwestern State.

INSU was also 2-9 last year with wins over North Alabama and us.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 

Yeah, I didn't know what to think of that game. Especially since I haven't seen us play yet - but could this mean a better chance against ISUb? Fingers and toes crossed.
 

Apparently ISUb's starting QB was out with an injury, but still...that was a pretty bad performance by the Sycamores. I'd say that at this point, we're probably looking at about even odds with our game against them. We'll see how they do once their QB gets healthy though (and how we do once we actually hit the field a few times). Our game against them is in the second to last week of the season, so there's plenty of time for things to change between now and then.

[leatherneckcountry]

Southern Utah also looks to be much improved only lost by 3 to Arizona St

[wiu712]

Lindenwood beat UW-Stevens Point 77-9.  Attendance at Lindenwood = 3,827

Illinois State beat Dayton 41-0.  Attendance at Illinois State = 6,740

Iowa State beat Northern Iowa 30-9.  Attendance at Iowa State = 58,248

North Dakota State beat Eastern Washington 35-10.  Attendance at North Dakota State = 22,546

North Dakota beat Drake 55-7.  Attendance at North Dakota = 8,503 

SIU-Carbondale beat Austin Peay 49-23.  Attendance at SIU-Carbondale = 8,327

Murray State beat Presbyterian 41-10.  Attendance at Murray State = 6,953
 
 

[wiu712]

From Scooby Axson at USA Today:

 It’s Christmas time in September

This space has been used over the years to highlight the absurdity of college football teams filling the schedule with games against so-called “cupcakes” and those “cupcakes” flipping the script to earn victories and make some athletic departments look inept.

The season of giving was kicked off by the Purdue Boilermakers, who paid Fresno State $1.35 million only for the Bulldogs to put up 487 yards behind Mikey Keene’s four touchdown passes in a 39-35 victory.

Boston College, which might not have a head coach come October, was also in a generous mood, ponying up a cool $1.1 million for Northern Illinois. All the Huskies did was descend upon Chestnut Hill and come away with a 27-24 overtime victory.

And Baylor lost 42-31 to Texas State, a team that went 4-8 in 2022 and was a four-touchdown underdog entering the game. The Bobcats were more than happy to take the win, the relatively low sum of $375,000 and a two-hour trip back home down Interstate 35.

It certainly does pay to be generous in these hard times.

Payday for the underdogs: A+
 
 
 

[letsgonecks]

A look at former Leathernecks elsewhere in the FCS/FBS

Naseim Brantley - Did not play - sounds like the NCAA might not of approved his medical redshirt waiver for 2018 with Sacred Heart.  Coach Schiano is pissed!!!

Sidney Fugar - Started at LT for South Carolina in a loss vs NC  - fewest starter OL snaps and the whole line got destroyed - lost starting RT due to injury, so might be safe for another start vs Furman.

Nick D'ambra - did some long snapping for Fresno State in a win over Purdue

Brandon Malkow - participated as a backup lineman for Ball State in a loss vs Kentucky

Sam Cook - Started for SEMO in a loss vs K-State and had 2 tackles

Tyler Keinath - no participation with Boise State vs Washington

Greg Benton - started for YSU and had 6 tackles vs Valpo

Jaylen Reed - 1 carry for SIU vs Austin P.

Tahjae Mullix - 3 tackles for West Carolina vs Arkansas

Michael Ross - played, but didn't start for in ISUb's loss to EIU.