FCS Week 4 Top Ten Twitter Highlights

Top 10 Twitter Highlights

The Bryant University football team put up a program-record 608 yards of total offense and came from 11 points down in the third quarter to defeat Fordham University, 45-40, in front of a raucous crowd of 7,532 fans on Homecoming and Reunion Weekend.

The Bulldogs (2-2) flexed their offensive muscles on Saturday, running 90 plays and putting up over 600 yards of offense for the first time in program history. Bryant rushed for 215 yards and redshirt junior Price Wilson (Marietta, Ga.) threw for a single-game program record 393 yards and two scores.

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Dartmouth’s Jeremiah Douchee blocked a PAT attempt with his hip in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, then thwarted a two-point conversion in overtime to clinch a thrilling, 27-26, home-opening victory over the visiting 25th-ranked Holy Cross Crusaders (2-2) on Saturday night at Memorial Field. Junior linebacker Jake Moen came up with the stop on the two-point pass attempt, giving the Big Green (2-0) its second victory over a ranked opponent in as many seasons and ninth straight over a non-conference team.

Senior tight end Stephen Johnston shed a tackler to turn a short gain into a 10-yard touchdown pass on Dartmouth’s possession to begin overtime, which combined with the PAT kick by senior David Smith gave the Green a seven-point lead. Although the Crusaders scored a touchdown of their own one play after converting on fourth down for the sixth time in as many attempts, the Dartmouth defense sniffed out the screen pass on the two-point attempt with Moen making the initial hit and senior Danny McManus securing the stop to preserve the win.

Eli Mencer brought back a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown in overtime to complete the University at Albany’s 19-10 victory over No. 7/8 Villanova on Saturday night at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.

The win was the program’s first over a Top 10 opponent and the first over Villanova, who’d beaten UAlbany in the teams’ first three meetings.

Ethan Stark kicked two field goals and Karl Mofor also scored on a 4-yard touchdown run for the Great Danes, who bounced back in overtime after giving up the game-tying touchdown with no time remaining in regulation.

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For the second straight week Malcolm Summers did the heavy lifting on offense as he carried the ball 40 times for 294 yards to help the Elon University football team to a 36-33 victory over the sixth-rated Richmond Spiders in the CAA Football opener for both squads.

The win, Elon’s first in eight tries against Richmond, ran the Phoenix’s winning streak to three games, its longest since 2011, and improved the squad to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Spiders fell to 2-2, 0-1.

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North Carolina Central University overcame a 14-point, first-half deficit and scored the only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to earn a 33-28 victory over MEAC foe South Carolina State University during a nationally-televised ESPNU contest on Thursday night at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium.

A swarming NCCU defense registered 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks, while holding the Bulldogs to only 80 yards of total offense in the second half. Junior safety Alden McClellon paced the Eagles with 3.0 stops for a loss with a sack and eight total takedowns. Senior linebacker Reggie Hunter collected a team-best nine tackles with 2.5 hits for a loss and a pass break-up, while fellow linebacker Kenneth O’Neal added eight tackles with 2.0 stops for a loss.

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Western Illinois scored 45 unanswered points from the second quarter on, rolling to a 52-10 FBS victory over Coastal Carolina. The Leathernecks, who opened with three road games to start the season, improved to 3-0 for the second straight year under head coach Charlie Fisher.

“We have a lot of veteran players and a lot of confidence. We believe in what we are doing on both sides of the ball and when you have a good scheme, you believe in it and you have good players, you always have a chance. All the credit goes to our players, offensive and defensive staff and the job that they did. I tip my hat to the way we played tonight,” said Fisher. “We played for all four quarters. All offseason we talk about ‘Finishing the Fight’, don’t let up, keep playing hard and play with great effort. That is what we are doing right now.”

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Neither Mother Nature or No. 16 Liberty could put a damper on fifth-ranked Jacksonville State’s home opener.

The Gamecocks (2-1) shook off a slow start offensively to knock off the Flames 31-10 before a record crowd of 23,944 at Burgess-Snow Field Saturday night. The opening kickoff was delayed for nearly one hour when lightning was detected in the vicinity of the stadium.

Roc Thomas ran for two touchdowns and Trae Barry caught an 80-yard touchdown pass – JSU’s longest in three years – as Jacksonville State wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a decisive win against a Flames team that stunned FBS member Baylor in the season opener.
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The No. 24 ranked University of Tennessee at Martin football team made a piece of history on Saturday night, notching the team’s first pair of victories over ranked opponents in consecutive weeks in program history with a decisive 31-16 win over No. 20 ranked Tennessee State.

The Skyhawks (3-1, 1-0 OVC) opened Ohio Valley Conference play on a high after taking care of business on their home field of Hardy M. Graham Stadium. After the team’s first home contest was hampered by a heavy downpour, the Skyhawks welcomed 6,484 fans to today’s Family Weekend contest which paired two nationally ranked opponents and a barrage of other festivities both in pregame and postgame. The win also gave the Skyhawks an early lead in the team’s quest for a fourth consecutive Sgt. York Trophy.

With a lively crowd behind them, UT Martin took advantage of its home field by controlling the tempo for much of the contest. In a game with saw two of the nation’s best defenses square off on the same field, the Skyhawks controlled possession at 33:25 minutes while slowing the tempo to feature just 67 offensive plays.

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Western Carolina tailback Detrez Newsome rumbled for a go-ahead touchdown, hitting the right pylon to put the Catamounts ahead with 93 seconds remaining in regulation on Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. But it wasn’t until a last-second pass deflection would allow what remained of 12,018 fans to unleash a post-game celebration that was over a decade in the making.

Senior defensive back Keion Crossen batted away a pass attempt in the back of the end zone as time expired on the final play of the game as Western Carolina upset the 17th-ranked Samford Bulldogs, 38-34, in the Southern Conference opener for both squads. The victory was WCU’s first over a nationally-ranked NCAA Football Championship Subdivision team since 2006, halting a 27-game slide.

After the Catamounts pulled back in front of Saturday’s see-saw affair, Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges orchestrated a 98-yard drive, moving his squad off their own 1-yard line to the corresponding hash at the other end of the field. With first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, the Bulldogs had a pair of one-yard rushes sandwiched around an incomplete pass to heighten the drama in setting-up a fourth-and-goal play.

Rolling to his right with his eyes in the end zone, Hodges kept the play alive with his scramble before hurling a bullet towards an open receiver in the end zone. However, using a burst of speed that helped him win the Southern Conference 100-meter dash last spring, Crossen closed the gap and knocked the ball away from an open Andrew Harris to set-off the wild celebration.

It was all about opportunity in the Big Sky Conference opener for the Eagles and Grizzlies, and the Eagles took advantage in the second half.

The 11th-ranked Eastern Washington University football team scored 42 second-half points to rally from a 24-6 halftime deficit and opened the 2017 Big Sky Conference season with a 48-41 victory over Montana Saturday (Sept. 23) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Montana.

Eastern has now won 22 games since 2010 when trailing or tied in the fourth quarter. Aaron Best became the first head coach in school history to beat the Grizzlies in his first try.

“I’m just so happy for our players for overcoming so much,” said Best. “We had guys going down with cramps, we had turnovers and penalties, and didn’t have great results in the first 30 minutes. But in the next 30 minutes it was like we tore a mask off and we were a whole new team.

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