After getting off to a near perfect start to their respective seasons, both the Appalachian State and Delaware football teams took a nose dive in the Football Championship Subdivision Top 25 poll after poor performances this weekend.
Previous No.3 Appalachian State was dropped from the top five to No. 8 after a tough loss to then-No. 8 Wofford by a score of, 28-14.
The Terriers got off to a quick start, scoring fourteen unanswered points in the early going, highlighted by a 39-yard touchdown run by Donovan Johnson.
The Mountaineers would respond quickly with a 13-yard scamper into the endzone by quarterback DeAndre Presley as time expired in the first quarter to cut ASU‘s lead to 14-7, in favor of Wofford. The score stayed that way for the remainder of the first half.
After Wofford added another score late in the third quarter, ASU pulled to within seven points after Presley scored again for the Mountaineers. This time, Presley hit Andrew Peacock for a 9-yard touchdown strike to make it 21-14, Terriers.
Wofford sealed the victory with just under eight-minutes left on the clock after a 19-yard touchdown run by Derek Boyce to extend the lead to 28-14.
The Terriers improved their record to 3-1, moving them up to No. 5 in the polls. Meanwhile, Appalachian State (3-2) dropped down to No. 8.
Previously unranked Maine found its way into the top 25 after scoring seventeen unanswered points in the fourth quarter, shocking then-No. 6 Delaware, 31-17.
The Black Bears’ success was led by Colonial Athletic Association player of the week Pushaun Brown’s effort in the ground game. Brown ran for 193 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came during Maine’s fourth quarter rally.
Maine (3-1) now sits at No. 19 in the rankings, while the Blue Hens (3-2) slipped out of the top ten to No. 13.
At No. 3 is Montana State, which defeated then-No. 25 Sacramento State, 31-21, making the Hornets’ experience in the Top 25 short-lived.
Fourth-ranked North Dakota State kept its undefeated bid alive after defeating Illinois State, 20-10, this past Saturday.
The Bison got out to an early lead when quarterback Brock Jensen connected with D.J. McNorton for a 36-yard touchdown pass, putting NDSU ahead 7-0. ISU kicker Nick Aussieker retaliated with a 27-yard field goal late in the second quarter, making it 7-3 North Dakota State at the half.
With the Bison up 14-3 late in the third quarter, ISU quarterback Matt Brown made a costly mistake. His pass was intercepted by Bobby Ollman, who took it 82-yards in the opposite direction to make it 20-3, NDSU, after the extra point was blocked.
The Red Birds (2-3) added a score late, but it wasn’t quite enough as NDSU’s defense proved to be the difference-maker late in the game.
With Wofford climbing to No. 5, New Hampshire also saw positive results as it claimed the No. 6 spot following its victory over Holy Cross.
After starting the season 3-0, the No. 14 Richmond Spiders have lost two straight after falling to then-No. 9 James Madison, 31-7.
The Spiders (3-2) got off to a strong start after Kendall Gaskins scored on a 1-yard run to make it 7-0, Richmond, but James Madison took over from there. The Dukes (4-1) responded with a 31-0 scoring run led by running back Jordan Anderson’s 162 yards and two touchdowns, stomping all over the Spider defense to lead JMU to victory.
Thanks to their lopsided win, JMU moved up to No. 7 in the rankings, followed by Appalachian State, William & Mary, and Lehigh to round out the top ten.
Sam Houston State took the No. 11 spot in the polls, closing in on the top ten after its, 22-7, win over Texas-San Antonio improves their record to 4-0.
At No. 12 is Jacksonville State, followed by Delaware, Richmond, McNeese State, and Montana.
Then-No. 24 Indiana State also made a big jump in the polls, as its, 38-28, victory over South Dakota State propelled it to No. 17.
Filling in the rest of the top twenty are No. 18 South Dakota and No. 20 Southern Illinois.
Closing out the top 25 for this week is FCS poll newcomer Old Dominion at No. 21, followed by Southern Utah, Tennessee Tech, Chattanooga, and Towson.
Nick Canelas can be reached at [email protected].
