RMU, Charleston Southern Matchup Receives Buzz Despite Records
On Saturday, two of the lowliest teams in the FCS will gather in Charleston S.C. as the 0-8 Robert Morris Colonials will look for its first win against the 1-7 Charleston Southern Buccaneers.
Despite the woeful records, the game is still receiving some buzz as the Sickos Committee – a group on Twitter that highlights the under-appreciated, not-so-good moments in college football – has the matchup on their FCS games to watch list.
As for the game itself, Robert Morris has its best chance to avoid a winless season. However, under Bernard Clark, the Colonials have been dreadful on the road with a record of 3-21, including zero wins in the Big South.
Consistency has finally been found at the quarterback position for the Colonials as Anthony Chiccitt (Bethel Park) will start for the third consecutive week. After throwing an interception on the very first play last week against Appalachian State, Chicitt played a clean game the rest of the way.
For Charleston Southern, the Buccaneers are in a similar predicament as the Colonials as they have struggled to find their replacement for Jack Chambers who left the program after last season. Last week redshirt freshman quarterback Deymon Fleming stepped in during the second half and completed 13 of 15 passes in the losing effort.
Gannon Looks to Build Momentum After Upset Win
With its upset win over ranked Indiana (Pa.) last week, Gannon now has an opportunity to fight for a spot in the PSAC Championship game and bid in the NCAA Division II Super Region I Playoffs when it takes on California (Pa.).
Leading last week’s momentous win for Gannon, Kory Curtis threw four touchdowns and ran for two more, including the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter. With that performance, Curtis was named the D2Football.com Offensive Player of the Week.
Last week’s win now situates the Golden Knights in a three-way tie atop the PSAC West standing with Slippery Rock and IUP. This week, Gannon has to get past a pesky Cal U squad that has had its ups and downs this year. The Vulcans are coming off a 24-point victory over Mercyhurst where the run game moved the ball for 268 yards.
Slippery Rock Seeks Share of Division Title
Despite a loss to rival IUP a few weeks ago, No. 10 Slippery Rock is now in a position to clinch a share of the PSAC West Title when The Rock takes on Edinboro.
With a win, it will be the fourth consecutive season that The Rock has received a share of the division title. Since that loss to IUP, Slippery Rock has rattled off four consecutive dominant wins, including a 26-point win over Gannon who is also tied for the number one spot in the division.
Slippery Rock continues to be the best defensive team in the conference, holding teams to 12.8 points per game and 260.2 yards per game. Last week The Rock held Clarion scoreless for their first shutout of the season. As for Edinboro, the Fighting Scots are looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Seton Hill, 45-14. The defense struggled the entire game as they failed to pressure the quarterback and stop the run game.
IUP Searches for Bounce Back Win Against Clarion
Last week, IUP saw several winning streaks snapped as Gannon pulled an upset to force a three-way tie in the PSAC West. This week, the Crimson Hawks will look to return to their winning ways against Clarion.
With a win, IUP will secure a spot in next week’s conference championship game. The Crimson Hawks are also looking to continue another streak as they have won 10 straight against Clarion in the all-time series.
The biggest matchup to watch in this contest is IUP’s air attack against Clarion’s pass defense. With quarterback Mak Sexton, the Crimson Hawks boast the second-best passing attack in the conference, averaging 280.3 yards per game. As for Clarion, the Golden Eagles give up 258 yards per game, the most in the PSAC.
Seton Hill Attempts to Build On First Win of Season
Seton Hill proved in a big way last week that it would not be a winless team in 2022 after a dominating win over Edinboro. Now, the Griffins have an opportunity to build on that win when they face Mercyhurst.
Thanks to a handful of running backs, the Griffins moved the ball for 252 yards and four touchdowns in their first win of the season. They will look to carry that ground attack into the matchup with Mercyhurst as the Lakers are in the bottom tier of run defenses in the conference. The Lakers are also trying to snap a winless conference schedule as well.
Grove City Looks to End Long Streak Against W&J
The matchup between Grove City and Washington and Jefferson will be an important matchup as both teams will be jockeying for third in the President’s Athletic Conference standings.
Both squads enter the contest with a 4-2 mark in conference play. On top of that, Grove City will be fighting for more as the Wolverines look to end a long drought against the Presidents – one that dates back to 2011.
W&J is coming off a 55-0 thumping of Thiel thanks to a strong balanced offensive approach and a stout defense. Grove City is coming off of its bye week as the Wolverines look to get back on track. Two weeks ago, the Wolverines lost a close defensive battle against Westminster where their comeback came up just short.
Westminster Seeks Critical Win at Home
Another PAC game with important implications in the top half of the standings will see Case Western Reserve travel to Westminster.
Case Western Reserve sits right behind PAC-leading Carnegie Mellon with a 5-1 conference record. The Spartans have strung together three-straight solid wins against teams near the bottom of the conference.
Now, the Spartans have to shift their focus to a 4-2 Westminster team in the conference. The Titans continue to own one of the top defenses in the conference, holding teams to 223.6 total yards per game. Westminster has also put its own three-game winning streak together.
Saint Vincent, Waynesburg Battle for Bounce Back Performance
Last week, both Saint Vincent and Waynesburg fell to teams above them in the conference standings as they now look to return to the win column.
Saint Vincent failed to take care of the football as the Bearcats’ offense threw six interceptions in the losing effort. For Waynesburg, the Yellow Jackets were also involved in a defensive battle as they were limited to 10 points against Westminster. Both teams now look to find bounce-back wins as the season comes to a close.
Thiel Searches for First Win Against Geneva Since 2012
While Thiel finally ended a long losing streak that spanned five years, the Tomcats will look to end another drought against Geneva.
The Tomcats have not won against the Golden Tornadoes since 2012. Geneva is looking to carry its momentum from last week’s win against Bethany where the offense found success through the ground game with 347 yards.
Allegheny Closes Season with Test Against Bethany
Allegheny will close its season against Bethany as the Gators look to end the season on a high note.
The Gators have dropped their last five games as they look to take advantage of another lowly team in Bethany. The Bison are winless in conference play as they have lost seven-straight games. Both teams own the two worst defenses in the conference.
