Towson, Northern Iowa move into FCS Top 10

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The FCS teams that defeated FBS programs during the first week of the college football season were rewarded on Monday by voters on The Sports Network FCS Top 25 panel. Well, not so much with top-ranked North Dakota State, which didn't have anywhere to move up. But after eight FCS teams knocked down the FBS door, six of them were ranked and four were in the Top 10 of the new poll, which is selected each week by a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries. North Dakota State, which rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to a 24-21 win over Kansas State, collected 145 of the 152 first-place votes to remain a definitive No. 1. The Bison were ahead of Eastern Washington, which collected the other seven first-place votes and moved up two spots to No. 2 following its 49-46 victory over Oregon State. Also earning Top 10 spots were No. 5 Towson, which beat Connecticut, 33-18, to move up six spots, and No. 9 Northern Iowa, which posted its fifth all-time win over Iowa State, 28-20, to rise eight spots, the poll high. That was only half the FCS-FBS story, though. Defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Illinois moved up seven spots to No. 14 after its 40-19 win over San Diego State. McNeese State, which was unranked in the preseason, moved up to No. 18 after it hammered South Florida, 53-21, scoring 31 points in the second quarter. Samford, which beat transitioning FBS member Georgia State, 31-21, and Southern Utah, which slipped past South Alabama, 22-21, on a game-ending field goal, sat just outside the Top 25 following their big wins. The eight wins were the overwhelming story of the first week of the FCS season, but there were plenty of other impressive wins among Top 25 teams. Montana State and Sam Houston State actually moved down one spot each to No. 3 and 4, respectively, despite posting decisive wins. Montana State built a 39-3 halftime lead and coasted past Monmouth, 42-24, while Sam Houston State earned a 74-0 shutout of a Houston Baptist program that was playing its first-ever game. After Towson, the rest of the Top 10 consisted of No. 6 South Dakota State (1-0); No. 7 Central Arkansas (1-0); No. 8 Villanova (0-1), which fell to Boston College, 24-14; No. 9 Northern Iowa; and No. 10 Georgia Southern (1-0). New Hampshire, which was idle over the weekend and will debut at Central Michigan on Saturday, was ranked 11th ahead of No. 12 Cal Poly (1-0). Up next was No. 13 Montana, which posted a 30-6 win over fellow perennial power Appalachian State in one of the more anticipated games of Week 1. After Eastern Illinois were No. 15 Richmond (1-0), No. 16 Wofford (0-1), No. 17 Stony Brook (0-0), McNeese State, No. 19 Illinois State (0-1) and No. 20 James Madison (1-0). The poll was rounded out by No. 21 Appalachian State (1-0), No. 22 Northern Arizona (0-1), No. 23 Lehigh (0-0), No. 24 Coastal Carolina (1-0) and No. 25 Bethune-Cookman (1-0), which played in the final game of the weekend, beating Tennessee State, 12-9, Sunday night. As McNeese State rose into the Top 25, Chattanooga was the only team to fall out of the rankings. The Mocs lost to UT Martin, 31-21. In the Top 25 voting, a first-place vote is worth 25 points, a second-place vote 24 points, all the way down to one point for a 25th-place vote. During the regular season, the Top 25 will be released every Monday afternoon, except for the final weekend, when it will be released Sunday morning, Nov. 17, prior to the selection of the FCS playoff field. The Sports Network will release a final Top 25 following the FCS championship game, which will be held Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas.  

The Sports Network FCS Top 25
College Football Poll
Team (First-place votes)		2013 Record	Points	Previous Rank
1.	North Dakota State Bison (145)	1-0	3793	1
2.	Eastern Washington Eagles (7)	1-0	3564	4
3.	Montana State Bobcats	1-0	3319	2
4.	Sam Houston State Bearkats	1-0	3267	3
5.	Towson Tigers	1-0	2874	11
6.	South Dakota State Jackrabbits	1-0	2744	6
7.	Central Arkansas Bears	1-0	2557	7
8.	Villanova Wildcats	0-1	2470	5
9.	Northern Iowa Panthers	1-0	2357	17
10.	Georgia Southern Eagles	1-0	2191	9
11.	New Hampshire Wildcats	0-0	2112	10
12.	Cal Poly Mustangs	1-0	1857	14
13.	Montana Grizzlies	1-0	1842	20
14.	Eastern Illinois Panthers	1-0	1717	21
15.	Richmond Spiders	1-0	1690	15
16.	Wofford Terriers	0-1	1527	8
17.	Stony Brook Seawolves	0-0	1235	16
18.	McNeese State Cowboys	1-0	1213	NR
19.	Illinois State Redbirds	0-1	1164	13
20.	James Madison Dukes	1-0	1147	19
21.	Appalachian State Mountaineers	0-1	841	12
22.	Northern Arizona Lumberjacks	0-1	583	18
23.	Lehigh Mountain Hawks	0-0	557	22
24.	Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	1-0	484	25
25.	Bethune-Cookman Wildcats	1-0	420	23
Others receiving votes: Eastern Kentucky 374, Youngstown State 338, Samford 226, Delaware 179, UT Martin 108, Southern Utah 106, Southern Illinois 89, William & Mary 71, Wagner 51, Penn 42, Southeastern Louisiana 41, Colgate 34, Chattanooga 27, Jacksonville State 21, South Dakota 19, Tennessee State 19, Sacramento State 15, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14, Indiana State 14, Harvard 13, Gardner-Webb 10, The Citadel 10, Albany 9, Tennessee Tech 8, Liberty 7, Weber State 5, Western Illinois 5, Northwestern State 5, Duquesne 5, South Carolina State 4, Prairie View A&M 3, Charleston Southern 2, Florida A&M 1 ...

"Whatever you save today is lost forever. Whatever you give today you'll have forever."

http://www.gogriz.com/allaccess/?media=402678

Mountaineers Drop Season Opener at Montana

Courtesy: Appalachian State Sports Information

MISSOULA, Mont. – Plagued by two turnovers and a blocked punt, No. 12-ranked Appalachian State University football dropped its 2013 season opener to No. 20 Montana, 30-6, on Saturday evening at jam-packed Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

In addition to the three miscues, Appalachian State was never able to get into a rhythm offensively, was haunted by Montana’s 9-of-15 third-down conversion rate and was without the services of senior quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson for more than a quarter in the loss.

With Londry-Jackson out of the game due to a minor upper-body injury, backup quarterback Kameron Bryant nearly led the Mountaineers back from a 16-0 deficit. In the first significant action of his career, Bryant engineered field-goal drives to end the first half and open the second and had the Apps inside the red zone on his third series threatening to pull within one score. However, Bryant fumbled at the end of a 12-yard run and Montana recovered on its own three yard line to thwart the scoring opportunity.

UM punted after the turnover but on the very next play, Bryant threw the first interception of his career to give the Griz the ball back on the Appalachian 42. Six plays later, Montana punched it in to stretch the lead to 23-6 and effectively end the Mountaineers’ hopes for a comeback victory.

Appalachian was outgained, 497-328, which included Montana’s 246-123 advantage on the ground. The Grizzlies had two 100-yard rushers (Travon Van – 118 and Jordan Canada – 112) and benefitted from the return of quarterback Jordan Johnson (19-of-23, 251 yards, two TD) to the lineup. Johnson, who completed his first 12 passes of the evening, sat out the entire 2012 season due to personal reasons.

Bryant completed 8-of-12 passes for 116 yards to lead the Mountaineers offensively. Londry-Jackson managed just 89 yards – his second-lowest total in 20 career starts – in less than three quarters of action. Tony Washington led all receivers with 81 yards on six catches and Ricky Fergerson had a team-high 53 yards on the ground.

For the first time in 102 games, Appalachian State did not score a touchdown and failed to score at least 10 points – neither had happened since a 24-0 loss at LSU in 2005. The loss also dropped the Mountaineers to 0-10 all-time in games played west of the Mississippi River.

Defensively, freshman linebacker John Law and sophomore safety Kevin Walton shared game-high honors with 12 tackles apiece.

Appalachian State opens the home portion of its 2013 campaign next Saturday when it hosts North Carolina A&T at Kidd Brewer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on Hall of Fame Day at The Rock.

NOTES: The crowd of 26,293 was the largest ever for a football game played in the state of Montana … Appalachian State fell to 3-9 in its last 12 season openers … Appalachian dropped to 1-3 all-time against Montana, including an 0-3 mark at Washington-Grizzly Stadium … Londry-Jackson’s previous low passing total when taking the majority of Appalachian’s snaps was 164 versus The Citadel on Sept. 15 of last season … Drew Stewart’s 48-yard field goal as the first half expired was the longest of his career (previous long: 44 vs. Western Carolina, 2011) … Montana blocked freshman Bentlee Critcher’s third-career punt in the second quarter, marking the first time Appalachian has had a punt blocked since last season’s loss to The Citadel … UM recovered the blocked punt at Appalachian’s 13 yard line and kicked a field goal to stretch its lead to 16-0.

Montana cruises past Mountaineers

The Watauga Democrat

by Staff Reports

 

 

MISSOULA, Mont. -- The beginning of the Scott Satterfield era got off to a rocky start in the Rocky Mountains.

Montana, ranked No. 20 in the preseason Sports Network poll, ran through, over and around the No. 12 Mountaineers in a 30-6 victory in front of a Washington-Grizzly Stadium crowd 26,293 Saturday night. It was the largest crowd to watch a football game in the state of Montana.

Montana led 16-3 at halftime, and then tacked on two more fourth quarter touchdowns to complete the highly anticipated matchup of the two traditional FCS powers into a route.

Montana (1-0) had two runners rush for over 100 yards, and quarterback Jordan Johnson completed his first 12 passes. Johnson, who missed the 2012 season because of legal issues, completed 12 of his first 13 passes for 166 yards.

Appalachian State (0-1) fell behind 16-0 before backup quarterback Kameron Bryant led a scoring drive in the final minute of the first half. Bryant completed a 34-yard pass to Tony Washington and a 20-yarder to Simms McElfresh to set up a 48-yard Drew Stewart field goal as time ran out in the first half.

It was a career long for Stewart.
Bryant also led the Mountaineers to a 22-yard field goal on their first drive of the second half. The Mountaineers drove down to the Montana 1-yard line, but running back Ricky Fergerson was thrown for a 4-yard loss on a third-and-goal from the 1.

Appalachian State, which struggled to stop the Montana offense in the first half, bottled the Grizzlies in their first two drives of the third quarter. The Mountaineers looked like they were going to score more points on their second drive of the third, but Bryant fumbled after being hit on a 19-yard gain.

The Mountaineers got the ball back on their 7-yard line after a punt, but Bryant was intercepted at the Appalachian State 42. Montana converted the turnover into a Jordan Canada 1-yard touchdown run, which gave the Grizzlies a 23-6 lead.

Johnson added another touchdown, this time on a 10-yard pass TD pass to Jordan Harper.

Appalachian State's offense, which sputtered for much of the game, looked sharp on its first drive. The Mountaineers moved to the Montana 28, but Stewart missed a 45-yard field goal.

Montana moved straight down the field on its first drive, but failed to convert a fourth-and-one from the App State 26. The Grizzlies, on their second drive, moved to the App State 3-yard line before Johnson fumbled the ball away.

Montana finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter on a Johnson 6-yard pass to Ellis Henderson, who set the play up with a 50-yard completion. The extra point was blocked, but the Grizzlies led 6-0.

They took a 13-0 lead on a Travon Van 2-yard touchdown, which capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive. Montana's Derek Crittenden blocked an App State punt at the 12-yard line on the Mountaineers' next possession, but had to settle for a 25-yard field goal and a 16-0 lead.

Appalachian State's starting quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson battle an upper body injury suffered late in the first half. He finished with 89 yards passing, which was his second lowest total in his 20 career starts. He threw for 64 yards before injuring his knee against Western Carolina last season.

Bryant completed 8-of-12 passes for 116 and an interception.

In the FCS Huddle: First impressions

By Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Big Ten may want to cancel the order to cancel games against FCS programs. The opening weekend of the college football season sure showed the FCS has a lot to offer against FBS competition. As if we didn't know that already. North Dakota State can play some serious ball as the two-time defending FCS champion. Ditto for fellow national powers Eastern Washington, Northern Iowa and Towson. Even McNeese State isn't just there to collect a paycheck when it lines up against an FBS opponent - earning a win for the second consecutive season on Saturday. The first weekend left a few jaws wide open as a stunning eight FCS teams beat FBS opponents. Two of the wins were against transitioning FBS programs, but they are meaningful nonetheless. Last season's 10 FCS-over-FBS wins were the most since 2003. That number is more than within reach this season. "We just know how to fight and we know how to not let any environment get to us. That's the biggest thing," Eastern Washington coach Beau Baldwin said, explaining how his team beat Oregon State and basically how FCS teams pull the upsets. While the FBS wins were the signature first impression for Week 1, there were plenty of others. Here are 10 that stand out: - That six different FCS conferences joined in the wins over the FBS speaks to the depth nationally. The Missouri Valley (North Dakota State over Kansas State and Northern Iowa over Iowa State) and Big Sky (Southern Utah over South Alabama and Eastern Washington over Oregon State) conferences had two wins each, while CAA Football (Towson over Connecticut) and Ohio Valley (Eastern Illinois over San Diego State), Southern (Samford over Georgia State) and Southland (McNeese State over South Florida) conferences had one each. Impressive. - The offensive line can't get enough credit for how top-ranked North Dakota State has become the pre-eminent power in the FCS (two straight national titles, four straight wins over FBS opposition). The Bison big boys, led by 6- foot-6, 314-pound left tackle Billy Turner, are a treat to watch as they crash up the field and make opposing defenders look small, if not overmatched. The Bison chewed up 215 yards on the ground in their 24-21 win over Kansas State. - There's nothing like a true first impression, something you can never make again. Charlotte was out in front of the six new FCS programs that debuted in Week 1. The independent program, which is headed to the FBS level in two years, throttled Campbell, 52-7, as 16,630 looked on at Richardson Stadium. Mark Hogan set the tone in the game's opening minute by scoring off a 32-yard interception return and the 49ers forced four turnovers. Matt Johnson threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns for coach Brad Lambert. - The Pioneer Football League champion will have an automatic bid to the playoffs for the first time in November, but the league will want to put Week 1 in the rearview mirror. Some of the forgettable results: two-time defending champion Drake lost at home to Grand View, Morehead State lost at home to Pikeville (yeah, the immortal Pikeville), Marist was handled at home by Sacred Heart and Valparaiso was on the wrong end of a 69-10 result against North Dakota. - There are 19 new or interim head coaches who weren't at the helm of their program to start last season. The most impressive season-opening triumph was seemingly turned in by Charleston Southern and Jamey Chadwell, winning at The Citadel, 32-29. But give Jay Mills some credit for getting the Buccaneers going again in his final season a year ago. - Key defections haven't completely robbed the Big South and Northeast conferences. In fact, Duquesne posted an especially satisfying win by defeating Albany, which has moved to the CAA along with former Big South power Stony Brook. Both conferences did quite well this weekend, with two Big South teams (Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern) beating SoCon opponents. - They're baaaack. Or so it appears. The vaunted ground games of Montana and Northern Iowa sure made it seem last year's 5-6 records were a blip on the radar. Montana pounded Appalachian State and UNI beat Iowa State for the fifth time in its history. - There's good reason to consider this the year of the running back, and the depth may go farther than anybody realized. Few backs looked as good as juniors David Johnson (199 yards, four total touchdowns) of Northern Iowa and Terrance West (156 yards, two touchdowns) of Towson did in their teams' FBS upsets. But the top seven rushers and 14 of the weekend's top 15 played on winning teams. - If you can't beat a SDSU, beat another one. The Jimmy Garoppolo-to-Erik Lora connection at Eastern Illinois could be unstoppable again, one year after Lora set the FCS single-season record for receptions. They were on target 10 more times Saturday night - twice for touchdowns - as the Panthers passed by San Diego State University. The win over SDSU came after last season ended in the playoffs against South Dakota State University. - Maybe Eastern Washington can weather its brutally tough schedule (likely the nation's toughest). Sophomore quarterback Vernon Adams was nothing short of amazing with 518 total yards and six total touchdowns in lifting the Eagles to a 49-46 upset of Oregon State. Oh yes, the Eagles still have Toledo, Sam Houston State, Montana and Cal Poly on the road and Montana State at home. TOP 25 SCOREBOARD A roundup of games in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 can be found at http://tinyurl.com/my97uu5. FCS-FBS SCOREBOARD After the huge weekend for the FCS, its teams have an 8-23 record against FBS opponents. Week 2 will have 35 more FCS-FBS matchups. STOCK RISING, STOCK FALLING Rising: The Southland Conference might be good enough to put three teams in the playoffs. Not only are defending champions Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State in the Top 10, but McNeese State, which throttled South Florida, is senior-laden and Southeastern Louisiana, which throttled Southeast Missouri State, is transfer-laden. Falling: Granted UT Martin might be underrated, but is the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga overrated? This is supposed to be the season fifth- year coach Russ Huesman finally ends the Mocs' FCS playoff drought which dates to 1984. But the Mocs won the turnover battle (three to one) and had only a third of UTM's penalties (nine to three) yet never led in falling flat at home, 31-21. AROUND THE NATION Big Sky: Welcome back, Bo Bolen. In returning from a two-year break for a LDS mission, the Weber State junior standout had 215 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns (including a 100-yard kickoff return) in a 50-40 win over Stephen F. Austin. Big South: Gardner-Webb overcame a 21-7 third-quarter deficit in its impressive, 28-21 triumph over Furman. Running back Juanne Blount and wide receiver Kenny Cook scored two touchdowns each in Carroll McCray's coaching debut. CAA Football: William & Mary hopes it has solved the quarterback uncertainty of recent seasons. Senior Michael Graham, who has been part of the inconsistency at the position, gave a take-charge performance in the Tribe's 24-17 loss to West Virginia. He completed 18-of-27 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown with one late-game interception. He also rushed for a touchdown. Ivy: The additional week that makes this a 13-week season means four Ivy programs - Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth and Yale - will be behind their opening opponent by three games when the league kicks off play on Sept. 21. Independents: Old Dominion junior quarterback Taylor Heinicke will keep putting up huge numbers as the Monarchs move out of the FCS. Yeah, no duh, huh? The 2012 Walter Payton Award winner threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 52 yards and a score in ODU's 52-38 loss to future Conference USA rival East Conference. MEAC: Through Saturday's action, MEAC teams were winless in seven games. They then played in two spotlight games on Sunday: Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge and Bethune-Cookman at Tennessee State. Missouri Valley: Many happy returns: As Western Illinois drubbed Hampton, 42-9, Dallas Nichols and Kevin Kintzel returned interceptions for touchdowns and Ryan Demming returned a fumble for a touchdown. Nichols' return went for a school- record 97 yards yet, go figure, was only the eighth-longest in conference history. The Leathernecks forced nine turnovers. Northeast: Dominique Williams' 162 yards on the ground in Wagner's 28-21 rally past Georgetown was the 21st 100-yard rushing performance of his career. He scored the game-winning touchdown with 2:49 left. Ohio Valley: Southeast Missouri State coach Tony Samuel picked Ohio University transfer Kyle Snyder, who missed last season with a knee injury, as the starting quarterback over Scott Lathrop, who replaced Snyder last year and went on to win OVC freshman of the year honors. The Redhawks struggled in a 45-7 opening loss at Southeastern Louisiana. Patriot: Six of Holy Cross' nine losses last season were by seven points or less. Sure enough, the Crusaders opened the new campaign with a 17-16 loss as Bryant made a last-minute field goal and All-Patriot preseason kicker John Macomber missed a 43-yard attempt on the game's final play. Pioneer: While lightning and a thunderstorm interrupted Stetson's debut on Saturday and postponed the action to Sunday, Mercer got a jump on its fellow start-up program by defeating Reinhardt (an NAIA first-year team), 40-37. In the final 3:17, Josh Shutter tied the game with a short field goal and won it with another one. Southern: Appalachian State's two Walter Payton Award candidates might be out of the running before it really gets going. Wide receiver Sean Price is serving an indefinite suspension and quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson is coming off a knee injury and then suffered a hand injury in the 30-6 loss to Montana. Southland: Oregon transfer Bryan Bennett was particularly impressive in Southeastern Louisiana's 45-7 rout of Southeast Missouri State. He rushed for three touchdowns and 106 yards while throwing for another 169 yards. SWAC: Jackson State hopes senior quarterback Clayton Moore will be healthy enough for next Saturday's conference opener against Alabama State. Touted redshirt freshman LaMontiez Ivy had season-ending surgery on Friday after he replaced Moore as the starter in a 34-7 loss at Tulane Thursday night. Extra Point: When NFL teams cut down to the regular-season limit of 53 players on Saturday, nine former Appalachian State players were on rosters: running back Travaris Cadet (New Orleans Saints), wide receiver Armanti Edwards (Carolina Panthers), defensive end Jason Hunter (Oakland Raiders), offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore (San Francisco 49ers), punter Sam Martin (Detroit Lions), defensive back Demetrius McCray (Jacksonville Jaguars), wide receiver Brian Quick (St. Louis Rams), linebacker D.J. Smith (San Diego Chargers) and linebacker Jeremy Kimbrough who will spend the season on the Washington Redskins' injured reserve following shoulder surgery. A LOOK AHEAD Among the FCS-FBS matchups in Week 2 are Eastern Kentucky-Louisville, Old Dominion-Maryland, Richmond-North Carolina State, Sam Houston State-Texas A&M, Central Arkansas-Colorado, Southeastern Louisiana-TCU, Samford-Arkansas, Montana State-SMU, UT Martin-Boise State, New Hampshire-Central Michigan and Cal Poly-Fresno State. Among the big FCS games are Wofford at The Citadel in the Southern Conference and Alabama State at Jackson State in the SWAC. Cross-conference games include Tennessee State at Florida A&M, Towson at Holy Cross, Albany at Colgate, South Dakota State at North Dakota, Eastern Illinois at Southern Illinois and Arkansas-Pine Bluff at McNeese State. Stony Brook will play a CAA Football game for the first time when it visits Rhode Island, whose 14-game losing streak is the longest all of Division I. The full schedule can be found at http://tinyurl.com/qaappgo.

Week 1 FCS Top 25 Roundup

Corvallis, OR (Sports Network) - He's only a sophomore, but Vernon Adams is staking himself as one of the most exciting players in the FCS. The Eastern Washington quarterback accounted for 518 yards of total offense and six touchdowns, including a game-winning, 2-yard run with 18 seconds left, as the Eagles upset Oregon State, 49-46, in the season opener for both squads Saturday. EWU (1-0) entered the game ranked fourth in the FCS, while Oregon State (0-1) was 25th-ranked in the FBS. Adams' winning rollout around right end completed an 11-play, 75-yard drive which erased Oregon State's 43-39 lead. Adams, who threw for six touchdowns in EWU's final game last season - an FCS national semifinal loss to Sam Houston State - completed 23-of-30 pass attempts for 411 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Nine of Adams' completions went to Ashton Clark for 155 yards and one touchdown. Cooper Kupp caught five passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns. The two teams combined on 1,155 yards without any turnovers. The Sports Network FCS Top 25 All Times ET Thursday, Aug. 29 No. 11 Towson (1-0) 33, Connecticut (0-1) 18 Towson pulled the biggest surprise on the opening night of the college football season, getting two touchdowns each from junior running backs Terrance West and Sterlin Phifer in beating an FBS opponent for the first time in seven all-time games. Phifer caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Peter Athens in the first quarter and scored on a 5-yard run with 7:04 left in the second quarter to put the Tigers ahead for good, 13-7. UConn closed within 13-10 by halftime, but Athens' 1-yard scoring run capped a 95-yard drive for Towson in the third quarter, making it 19-10. In the fourth quarter, Towson put the game away on West's two touchdown runs on fourth downs. He finished with 156 yards on 36 carries and raised his career touchdown total to 46 in 22 career games. No. 2 Montana State (1-0) 42, Monmouth (0-1) 24 The Bobcats jumped to a 39-3 halftime lead and had 561 yards of total offense while cruising to the season-opening win. Walter Payton Award candidate DeNarius McGhee completed 19-of-27 passes for 270 yards, but failed to throw for a touchdown. Cody Kirk rushed for a pair of touchdowns. No. 7 Central Arkansas (1-0) 58, Incarnate Word (0-1) 7 The Bears rolled to their 13th straight win on their three-year-old gray-and- purple turf at Estes Stadium. Quarterback Wynrick Smothers was 27-of-31 for 267 yards and one touchdown. Running backs Blake Veasley and Danzel Williams and wide receiver Jatavious Wilson scored two touchdowns each. Ball State (1-0) 51, No. 13 Illinois State (0-1) 28 Ball State overcame a 21-9 deficit in the second quarter by scoring six unanswered touchdowns. Iowa State transfer Jared Barnett completed 20-of-29 passes for 282 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his debut with Illinois State. Junior college transfer Collin Keoshian scored on a pair of short runs, but only finished with 10 yards on eight carries. UT Martin (1-0) 31, No. 24 Chattanooga (0-1) 21 D.J. McNeil (134 yards) and Trent Garland (116) both went over 100 rushing yards and scored one touchdown as UT Martin earned an impressive road win. Chattanooga failed to make the most of UTM's three turnovers and 10 penalties. Quarterback Jacob Huesman had 316 yards of total offense (226 passing, 90 rushing) and threw for three touchdowns, including a pair to tight end Faysal Shafaat. Friday, Aug. 30 No. 1 North Dakota State (1-0) 24, Kansas State (0-1) 21 Manhattan, KS (Sports Network) - At some point, when North Dakota State comes knocking at the door, an FBS school will be smart not to answer it. The two-time defending FCS national champion Bison scored the game's final 17 points and stunned Kansas State for their fourth straight win over an FBS opponent, in this case the defending Big 12 co-champion. Quarterback Brock Jensen capped an 18-play drive on a 1-yard keeper with 28 seconds left to erase a 21-17 deficit and lift the Bison (1-0) before a sellout crowd at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Jensen, who accounted for three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing), completed 21-of-30 pass attempts for 164 yards. The redshirt senior engineered the game-winning drive, which went 80 yards and clipped 8 minutes, 30 seconds off the game clock. On the touchdown, he spun around after taking the snap and then forced his way into the K-State end zone. On Kansas State's final possession, Bison linebacker Grant Olson intercepted Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters to put the game away. The win was head coach Craig Bohl's 90th in 11 seasons with the Bison, leaving him one shy of Rocky Hager's school record. Arizona (1-0) 35, No. 18 Northern Arizona (0-1) 0 Arizona controlled the game with 306 rushing yards and intercepted Northern Arizona quarterback Kyren Poe three times while forcing three sacks. NAU running back Zach Bauman carried the ball 21 times for 71 yards. The senior needs 48 rushing yards to pass Marcus King and become the school record holder. Saturday, Aug. 31 No. 20 Montana (1-0) 30, No. 12 Appalachian State (0-1) 6 Quarterback Jordan Johnson returned to Montana's lineup and the Grizzlies looked like they are ready to return to an elite level in the FCS. In losing Scott Satterfield's coaching debut, the visiting Mountaineers also lost star quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson to an apparent hand injury. Johnson, a junior, completed 19-of-23 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. After leading Montana to a share of the Big Sky Conference title and the FCS semifinals in 2011, Johnson was suspended by the school for all of last season following his arrest on sexual assault charges that were later dropped. Without Johnson, Montana suffered its first losing season in 27 years. Then this offseason, the Grizzlies received NCAA penalties for illegal booster activity from past years, but their program still remains eligible for the national playoffs. A lot was restored on the field against Appalachian State as a record crowd of 26,293 looked on at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Montana rushed for 246 yards, with Travon Von and Jordan Canada gaining 118 and 112 yards, respectively. They both scored on touchdown runs. In relief of Londry-Jackson, Kameron Bryant was 8-of-12 for 116 yards. The Mountaineers' points came from Drew Stewart's two field goals. No. 3 Sam Houston State (1-0) 74, Houston Baptist (0-1) 0 The Bearkats, coming off two straight appearances in the national title game, built a 49-0 halftime lead in a win over start-up program Houston Baptist. Quarterback Brian Bell threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one. Backup running back Steven Hicks had 99 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground. Boston College (1-0) 24, No. 5 Villanova (0-1) 14 Villanova built a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but didn't score again, surrendering the game's final 17 points in the second half. For 'Nova, Jamal Abdur-Rahman scored on a 47-yard touchdown run off a fake punt and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from 2012 Jerry Rice Award winner John Robertson. No. 6 South Dakota State (1-0) 55, Butler (0-1) 14 South Dakota State's Austin Sumner threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Jason Schneider, who had 167 receiving yards. Jackrabbits junior Zach Zenner, who led the FCS in rushing last season, had 117 yards on 16 carries, including two touchdowns. No. 8 Georgia Southern (1-0) 77, Savannah State (0-1) 9 Eight different players combined on 10 rushing touchdowns in Georgia Southern's lopsided win. The Eagles had 576 yards on 68 carries, an average of 8.5 yards per attempt. Quarterback Jerick McKinnon rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown and threw for another score. Dominique Swope added 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. No. 14 Cal Poly (1-0) 38, San Diego (0-1) 16 Kristaan Ivory gained 185 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, sparking Cal Poly. His 2-yard TD run with only nine seconds left in the second quarter broke a 10-10 tie and put the Mustangs ahead for good. No. 16 Richmond (1-0) 34, VMI (0-1) 0 Richmond's Michael Strauss was 23-of-36 for 265 yards and three touchdowns. The Spiders outgained VMI, 539 yards to 174, and intercepted Keydets quarterback Eric Kordenbrock three times. No. 17 Northern Iowa (1-0) 28, Iowa State (0-1) 20 Northern Iowa suffered its first losing season since 2002 a year ago, but the perennial Missouri Valley Football Conference got the 2013 campaign off to a rousing start with a victory at Iowa State of the Big 12. Junior running back David Johnson sparked the upset, scoring all four UNI touchdowns. He rushed for 199 yards and scored twice on 23 carries, and caught four passes from Sawyer Kollmorgen for 41 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers last beat the Cyclones in 2007. No. 19 James Madison (0-0) 38, Central Connecticut State (0-1) 14 Quarterback Michael Birdsong rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one more, while Dae'Quan Scott rushed for 120 yards - nearly half of James Madison's 247 yards on the ground - and scored on a 54-yard punt return. Central Connecticut State held the ball for 13 1/2 minutes more than JMU despite the lopsided score. No. 21 Eastern Illinois (1-0) 40, San Diego State (0-1) 19 Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns and the Panthers scored the game's final 21 points. The game was tied 19-19 when the defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Panthers (1-0) went ahead for good on Taylor Duncan's 2-yard touchdown run with 7:36 left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Shephard Little scored on a 60-yard punt return to extend EIU's lead to 33-18 with 13:43 left. Duncan then scored on a 45-yard run with 4:34 to go, putting the game away. EIU's Erik Lora caught 10 passes for 87 yards, while Keiondre Gober had six receptions for 140 yards and one touchdown. EIU forced five turnovers, including four interceptions of San Diego State quarterback Adam Dingwell. No. 25 Coastal Carolina (1-0) 27, South Carolina State (0-1) 20 Coastal Carolina's Lorenzo Taliaferro rushed for 153 yards and scored on a 1- yard run with 10:52 left to snap a 20-20 tie. Taliaferro also scored on a 3-yard pass from Alex Ross to open the scoring in the first quarter. Baylor (1-0) 69, No. 8 Wofford (0-1) 3 Only Kasey Redfern's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter prevented Wofford from being shut out. Donovan Johnson had 77 yards on 18 carries in the loss. Sunday, Sept. 1 No. 23 Bethune-Cookman (0-0) at Tennessee State (0-0), 8 p.m. Idle No. 10 New Hampshire Wildcats (0-0) No. 16. Stony Brook Seawolves (0-0) No. 22. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (0-0) 09/01 09:42:23 ET

Montana blasts Appalachian State

Missoula, MT (Sports Network) - Quarterback Jordan Johnson returned to the University of Montana lineup Saturday night and the Grizzlies looked like they are ready to return to an elite level in the FCS. In a matchup of perennial national powers, 20th-ranked Montana blasted 12th- ranked Appalachian State, 30-6, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. In losing Scott Satterfield's coaching debut, the visiting Mountaineers also lost star quarterback Jamal Londry-Jackson to an apparent hand injury. Johnson, a junior, completed 19-of-23 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns as Montana (1-0) won the highly anticipated season opener for both teams. After leading Montana to a share of the Big Sky Conference title and the FCS semifinals in 2011, Johnson was suspended by the school for all of last season following his arrest on sexual assault charges that were later dropped. Without Johnson, Montana suffered its first losing season in 27 years. Then this offseason, the Grizzlies received NCAA penalties for illegal booster activity from past years, but their program still remains eligible for the national playoffs. A lot was restored on the field against Appalachian State. Montana rushed for 246 yards, with Travon Von and Jordan Canada gaining 118 and 112 yards, respectively. They both scored on touchdown runs. In relief of Londry-Jackson, Kameron Bryant was 8-of-12 for 116 yards. The Mountaineers' points came from Drew Stewart's two field goals. 09/01 09:41:41 ET