The Best FSU Quarterback Might Be Jason Vander Laan.

There were some offensive fireworks going off Saturday in Big Rapids, Michigan.

Neither team could stop the run or the pass

Lake Erie put up 708 yards of total offense.

NCAA Division II #3 ranked Ferris State had 706 yards of total offense.

But FSU (Ferris State, not Florida State though the Seminoles might put up that much on Lake Erie and perhaps more) scored 10 more points than the Lake Erie Storm winning 66-56.


"It was a track meet out there and fortunately our guys pulled it out in the end," Ferris State head coach Tony Annese said.

Ferris State quarterback back Jason Vander Laan is buried way under the radar.  Saturday, against the Storm, Vander Laan rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns.  He also passed for 215 yards and three touchdowns.

Add that up and it's 499 yards of total offense and six touchdowns for the FSU quarterback. (Van Der Laan not Jameis Winston)

Like Winston last year, Vander Laan, a junior, might hear is name called when the Harlon Hill Award is given (Division II's Heisman Trophy).

Last year Vander Laan rushed for 1,607 yards which was a NCAA single season record for all divisions.

Division II Cal U. Cancels Game After Players Arrested

((ht: deadspin.com/kdka))

California University, a Division II College Football team near Pittsburgh, PA cancelled their game this Saturday vs. Gannon University after 5 Cal players were arrested and charged after attacking a man at a bar.

Witnesses told TV station KDKA and police the players jumped the victim outside Spuds restaurant. They then allegedly beat the man so severely he's in a Pittsburgh, PA area hospital in Intensive Care with a severe brain injury.

All 5 players: Jonathan Barlow, D'Andre Dunkley, Corey Ford, Rodney Gillin and James Williamson were immediately suspended from the team and as of this posting (Fri morning) were in the Washington County (PA) jail with $500,000 bonds.

The school immediately moved to cancel the game and per KDKA TV in Pittsburgh, school president Geraldine Jones issues a statement about the decision:

“California University does not tolerate violent behavior, and the five student-athletes charged in connection with this incident will face University sanctions, along with any penalties imposed by law.
“The police investigation is continuing, and the rights of these accused students will be upheld. But in light of these allegations, I asked Coach Kellar to cancel Saturday’s game. Behavior has consequences, and all Cal U students, including student-athletes, must abide by our Student Code of Conduct if they wish to remain a part of our campus community.
“At the same time, it must be clearly understood that the actions of a small group of individuals are not representative of our entire student body, nor of all Cal U student-athletes. I ask our entire campus community to recommit to our University’s core values, and to demonstrate through their words and their actions the best that our University can be.
“Our hearts and our prayers go out to the victim, his family and his friends. All else pales in comparison"

KDKA's full story is RIGHT HERE

This is a bold statement by the school. And an impressive move. Ms. Jones is right in stating behavior has consequences.

That statement is at the crux of the multiple discipline issues in college football as we speak. The smaller schools such as Cal, are in a position to take a bold step.

The FCS schools of the world, that's a different issue. With the money involved (for everyone but the players), there is no chance any of the "Big Name" schools would ever do this.

Or even come close to it.

Nevertheless we applaud Cal U for making a strong statement of support and clearly sending a message to all that behavior such as this will not be tolerated.

Your TV story via KDKA:

Ken Sparks Ties Bear Bryant

((HT: Carson Newman their own selves))

And the HQ knows what you're wondering if you're not a big fan of college football that's not Division I...

Sparks is the coach of the Carson-Newman D2 juggernaut and his team beat Tusculum this past weekend...
Evidence below...


With that win, Sparks got his 323rd career win as a head coach and ties him for 5th all-time...

Here's Sparks talking about his milestone...

QB Catches TD Pass From Himself

((HT: North Greenville/Lost Letterman))

The HQ has seen this before, but it's still pretty cool when it goes down...
Like last year with Nick Marshall...


So, we have our new example... North Greenville University QB Nelson Hughes.

Against Mars Hill University on Saturday Hughes pulled this off for a 47-yard score, but NGU lost to Mars Hill 30-27


Still cool, though...

Division II Upset: CSU-Pueblo Has 42 Game Regular Season Winning Streak Snapped By Ft. Lewis

Ft. Lewis Head Coach John L. Smith

Ft. Lewis College stopped a near record regular season winning streak and John L. Smith has
resurfaced.

Late in the fourth quarter on fourth down and trailing by five to #2 CSU-Pueblo Ft. Lewis head coach John L. Smith went to his bag of tricks and I'm sure it's a deep bag.

Smith has always been sort of a mad scientist from this days at Louisville, Michigan State and that one year at Arkansas called for a wide receiver pass, something the Skyhawks had been working on that week.

Quarterback Jordan Doyle tossed to wide receiver Jordan Gillen who found Juquelle Thompson wide open in the end zone for the go - ahead touchdown.

You can see the play below.  The play occurs at 1:42.




“We repped it all week in practice, and I was ready for it. I kept wanting coach to call it all game,” said Gillen, “I kept waiting for it, and we had run the ball hard enough before, and we had run plays that were similar to that, and we blocked good on it. They thought we were just going to run it again, so they all bit on it. Everybody bit, and Juquelle was wide open.”

CSU-Pueblo could not counter and saw their 42 game regular season winning streak come to an end as Ft. Lewis prevailed 23-22.

“That was special. ... I’ve been to Notre Dame’s stadium and beat them there, and I’ve been a lot of places, a lot of bowl games. I’ve beaten No. 1 UCLA in the Rose Bowl, and this is as big as it’s ever been in my career,” Ft. Lewis head coach John L. Smith said.  “I can’t be more proud of these guys than I am. They hung in there and fought from the bottom of their heart.”

CSU-Pueblo streak goes down as the second longest regular season win streak in NCAA Division II history.  Grand Valley State set the record winning 48 straight from 2004 - 2009.

The Good And The Bad In Thursday College Football Record Breaking

((HT: ESPN))

First, let's go with the good... well, "good" if you're a fan of Texas A&M-Commerce

98 points, 986 yards of total offense and a 78-point win over East Texas Baptist
Here's the short version...


Not surprisingly, the 986 yards is an NCAA Division II record for total offense. They also set Lone Star Conference records for points scored with 98, tied the touchdown record with 13, broke the record for the most point after attempts with 13 and tied the record with 11 PATs made. A&M-Commerce set a record for most points in a half with 57.

On the flip side, NCAA DII South Atlantic Conference power Tusculum allowed (or "didn't allow?") minus-100 total yards and minus-124 yards rushing to set the NCAA single-game records in a 71-0 victory over the College of Faith.

Here's what Tusculum thought about the match-up before the game
((HT: Tusculum Athletics))


The previous record was minus-69, by Division II school Fort Valley State against Miles in 1993. The previous record for fewest yards rushing allowed was minus-112, by Division III program Coast Guard against Wesleyan (Connecticut) in 1989.

Tusculum beat Faith last year 63-0 and here's the Frankie DeBusk show from that week

Luncheon Brawl DQ's Virginia State From Playoffs

A few days back, the CIAA made the decision to cancel their title game between Winston-Salem State and Virginia State after a VSU player allegedly beat up WSSU quarterback Rudy Johnson in a bathroom during the media luncheon promoting the game...

Now, the conference has decided Virginia State is now ineligible for the Division II playoffs.

The CIAA issued a statement Saturday night saying its board of directors made its decision during a conference call.

Forsyth County authorities say Virginia State running back Lamont Britt was charged with misdemeanor assault and inflicting serious injury.

Virginia State coach Latrell Scott apologized for the incident in a prepared statement and said one of his players was involved in the fight.

"I apologize for yesterday's unfortunate incident at the CIAA luncheon. One of our players made a mistake and cost our team the opportunity to play in the CIAA championship game today. This isolated incident does not represent us as a team or university and we extend our deepest regrets to the WSSU player involved. Due to the ongoing investigation, I cannot comment on the details of the events that took place but can clarify that only one of our players, not five as previously reported, was involved."

Britt has been charged with assault and inflicting serious injury and had bond set at $7,500. He was no longer in the Forsyth County (NC) jail Saturday.

Here was the original story from Greensboro...
((HT: MyFox8))

CIAA Title Game Canceled After Luncheon Fight

((HT: MyFox8/Winston Salem))

The CIAA football title game between Winston-Salem State and Virginia State was supposed to take place tomorrow afternoon. But it won't now because it was canceled after the Winston-Salem State QB was assaulted in a bathroom during the media luncheon...

Virginia State's Lamont Britt now faces charges of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury...

The Winston-Salem Journal, citing multiple anonymous sources, reported that five Virginia State players were involved in the assault of Rudy Johnson.

"We understand that some Virginia State University and Winston-Salem State University student-athletes were involved in an incident during the time of today's luncheon event," CIAA commissioner Jacqie Carpenter said in a statement. "The police are currently investigating the incident and are speaking with the individuals involved. Leadership from the CIAA and the participating institutions are fully cooperating. Further details and updates regarding the status of the championship game will be forthcoming."
The Journal was told by other WSSU players that Johnson would not have been able to play in the title game tomorrow because of his injuries that, according to the police report, were a swollen eye and a cut above it...

Here's the story...

West Texas A&M Puts Up 90 Points On McMurry. Buffalos Win 90-57

It was an old fashioned shoot out in Abilene, Texas Saturday.

In a battle between NCAA Division II foes as 9/16 ranked West Texas A&M put up 90 points on McMurry in a 90-57 win.

Here's the highlights, many thanks to KTAB-TV, Abilene, Texas.




West Texas A&M totaled 693 yards of total offense led by quarterback Dustin Vaughn who threw for 452 yards and six touchdowns.

Buffalo running back Aaron Harris rushed for a career high 136 yards on 11 carries.

"It was kind of a breakout game for both Harris and Alridge on the ground,"  West Texas A&M interim head coach Mike Nesbitt said.  "Our offensive line did a great job sealing up some holes and getting a good push, especially in the third and fourth quarters today."

Both teams combined for 172 offensive plays and 1,401 yards of total offense.  

Those of us at the OSG HQ want to know, where's the defense.