Covering All College Sports Since 2012
CSJ’s Predicted Order of finish: 1. Jacksonville State 2. UT Martin 3. Tennessee State 4. Eastern Illinois 5. Murray State 6. Tennessee Tech 7. Eastern Kentucky 8. SEMO 9. Austin Peay Jacksonville State Fearless Prediction: Normally you’d expect some regression when you see that a football team loses their record-holding QB that is now in.
Jacksonville State, Jacksonville State, Jacksonville State. You’re forgiven if you had the impression last season that the story of the OVC was all about Jacksonville State, their star quarterback, Eli Jenkins, and their star pass rusher, Darius Jackson. But the Gamecocks didn’t only win with those two players – they had breakout seasons from a.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – In a way, it’s hilarious. This weekend, relatively quietly, two more teams of the FCS played, and beat, FBS schools. Granted, the Huskies of Northern Illinois are struggling, at 0-4 competing in the MAC. But the Huskies still were in one of the biggest bowls in college football -the Orange Bowl.
It is rare that a FCS team beats an FBS team. It is even rarer for two FCS teams that defeated an FBS team in the previous week to meet the following week. But that is the case when Eastern Illinois and Illinois State meet this Saturday afternoon in Normal. This game pits the oldest.
By Rich Moser Special to College Sports Journal This story is courtesy of Eastern Illinois athletics OXFORD, Ohio – Following a two hour, forty-five minute weather delay Saturday’s game between Eastern Illinois and Miami came down to the final 56 seconds as the Mitch Kimble hit Devin Church for a seven-yard touchdown pass and EIU.
Everyone knows about Eastern Washington, Northern Iowa and Richmond this past weekend. As so often happens seemingly every year, the best of the best in FCS surprise everyone but themselves in the first week of the college football season, taking down members of the “Power Five” conferences that didn’t see it coming – Washington State,.
CHARLESTON, IL – Western Illinois sophomore running back Steve McShane rushed for 207 yards — 70 on the game-clinching touchdown to end the game’s scoring. The Leathernecks opened the season with a 38-21 victory over Eastern Illinois in front of 7,618 in attendance at O’Brien Stadium. It was the first win for new coach WIU.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see Eastern Washington’s star wideout Cooper Kupp as one of the best receivers at the FCS level, or dominating Sam Houston State defensive end P.J. Hall as a great pass rusher. It seems, in fact, that all anyone talks about in the FCS preseason is the painfully obvious..
This week, I will be traveling to Charleston, IL to attend the Western Illinois – Eastern Illinois football game. This is a match-up I circled a few months ago as a great season opener for two 2015 FCS playoff teams. It should be an entertaining start to each school’s season. Since I am traveling this far.
There are few things more exciting in the kickoff of the college football season than a Jacksonville State putting The Fear Of The Big Guy Above into Auburn, or Portland State delivering probably the most humiliating upset on FCS over FBS history over North Texas. There’s an extra jolt of adrenaline when a sixty-three scholarship.
