Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sometimes it doesn't matter if you win by
an inch or a mile. Any win this late in the season shouldn't be taken for
granted.
In Week 9 of the 2012 season, a handful of teams were able to learn that
lesson and keep their postseason dreams alive.
In the FCS Top 10 alone, five teams had to persevere for hard-fought
victories. Georgia Southern survived three overtimes to take down an improved
Chattanooga squad, North Dakota State had to hold off the Missouri Valley
Football Conference's hottest team, Southern Illinois, to escape with a six-
point victory at home.
Likewise, Old Dominion avenged an early 2011 defeat by taking down Delaware
at home by five points, Wofford won the battle of triple option offenses with
a three-point victory over The Citadel. And despite starting a freshman
quarterback, James Madison overcame a scare versus a one-win Georgia State
team to hold on by seven at home.
Other teams, like Northern Arizona, Albany and Tennessee State, who will have
a say in the national playoff picture when the regular season ends in three
weeks, also squeaked out wins in Week 9.
On top of that, the teams which survived in Week 9 could be rewarded in the
FCS Top 25, with No. 1 Eastern Washington falling by a last-second field goal
versus Southern Utah.
Survivor-mode was in full effect in Week 9, proving once again, for all the
promise in its teams, some things can never be ignored.
Whether it be scores, statistics or standout performances, the numbers never
lie.
Here are some important figures from Week 9 of the 2012 FCS season that should
not be overlooked:
Six wide receivers in Week 9 had at least 12 receptions for 120 yards or more.
They were Brown's Tellef Lundevall (17 receptions, 170 yards), Liberty's Pat
Kelly (16 receptions, 122 yards), Elon's Aaron Mellette (14 receptions, 194
yards), Davidson's Larry Funsten (13 receptions, 131 yards), Cornell's Grant
Gellatly (12 receptions, 215 yards) and Dartmouth's Michael Reilly (12
receptions, 165 yards). The only player whose team won in Week 9 was Gellatly.
In Alabama State's 31-13 victory over Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic,
played at Legion Field in Birmingham, 58,201 fans were in attendance. That
marked the 2012 FCS single-game high for attendance through nine weeks of the
season. The next five games for single-game attendance highs in the 2012
season all involved at least one SWAC team.
Towson and South Dakota State both rank in the Top 25 of the FCS for rushing
offenses through eight games this season. Towson ranks No. 18, averaging 208
rushing yards per game compared to SDSU, which ranks No. 23 with 201 yards per
game on the ground. However, both teams utilized their quarterbacks in Week 9
victories as Towson's Grant Enders threw for four touchdowns and South
Dakota State's Austin Sumner threw for five touchdowns.
In Butler's 31-20 victory over Davidson, running back Trae Heeter rushed for a
career-high 231 yards and scored two touchdowns. He gained a total of 256
yards on his way to helping the Bulldogs improve to 7-2 and take a half-game
lead on Drake in the Pioneer Football League title race. Heeter's 231 yards
were the most by a Butler player since 1996.
In other PFL Week 9 action, Marist scored four touchdowns of over 75 yards,
including the longest play from scrimmage in program history, as the Red Foxes
took down winless Valparaiso, 44-7. Quarterback Chuckie Looney connected with
receiver Michael Rios for touchdowns of 97 and 78 yards and Marist had two
100-yard rushers. Running backs Max Jacques had 128 yards and a touchdown, and
sophomore Emmanuel Onakoya ran for 110 yards and one touchdown. Jacques scored
on a 96-yard run and Onakoya scored on an 85-yard run in the win.
In Appalachian State's 38-27 win over Western Carolina, running back Steven
Miller and receiver Sean Price accounted for 387 of the team's 579 yards of
offense. Miller rushed for a career-high 245 yards and one touchdown and Price
had 10 receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown. Miller is the first
Mountaineers running back since 2009 to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark,
and he now has 1,077 yards on the season.
In Week 9, every team ranked in Top 10 came away with victories except No. 1
Eastern Washington. Five ranked teams outside the Top 10 were defeated this
week, including No. 11 Cal Poly, No. 18 Eastern Kentucky, No. 19 Towson, No.
20 Delaware and No. 22 Youngstown State.
Last week, North Dakota quarterback Braden Hanson threw for 660 yards in a win
over Montana. In Week 9, he threw for 495 less yards, managing just 165
passing yards in a 55-10 beatdown at Montana State. Montana State totaled a
school-record 695 yards of offense in the win and quarterback DeNarius McGhee
threw for three touchdowns and has now thrown a touchdown pass in 33 straight
games in his career.
Tennessee State place-kicker Jamin Godfrey tied the 2012 FCS single-game high
by going a perfect 5-of-5 on field goal attempts in a thrilling, 22-21 victory
over rival Tennessee Tech. Godfrey made kicks of 37, 32, 27, 41 and 22 yards,
but his biggest kick of the game came on an extra point attempt - after a
touchdown which tied the game as time expired - to give the Tigers a one-point
victory and 8-1 overall record on the season. Godfrey also punted four times,
with an average of 36 yards per boot.
Last year's national championship game participants, Sam Houston State and
North Dakota State, came away with victories in Week 9. Collectively, they
allowed just 358 total yards. The Bison won versus Southern Illinois, 23-17,
but they only yielded 177 total yards, including 11 yards on the ground. SHSU
beat Lamar, 56-7, while running back Timothy Flanders rushed for 131 yards and
four touchdowns. The Bearkats outgained the Cardinals 501 to 181 in total
yards.
The Sports Network