11/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Buccaneers take a third crack at a Big South victory with a match-up against the VMI Keydets Saturday afternoon at Foster Stadium in Lexington, Va. CSU (3-5, 0-2 Big South) has dropped its first two conference contests this season including a 29-25 heartbreaker at first-place Gardner-Webb last week.
VMI (2-6, 0-2 Big South) is also winless in the conference but has held a lead with under seven minutes remaining in each of its Big South contests. The Keydets possess the nation's fourth-leading rushing attack with an average of 293 yards per game on the ground. CSU, which is playing its final road game of the season, will be looking for its first-ever win at Foster Stadium where in three previous losses the team has been outscored by a total of 124-26. The Bucs need victories in their final three contests to secure a third consecutive winning season.
HEAD-T0-HEAD HISTORY
CSU and VMI are meeting for the sixth straight season, five of
which will have come since the Keydets joined the Big South in
2003. VMI leads the all-time series 4-wins-to-2, which also
includes a meeting between the teams in 2000. The Bucs lost the
first three meetings between the schools by a combined score of
117-38, but have won two of the last three affairs (25-24 in '04
and 27-22 in '06.) The Keydets are 3-0 against Charleston Southern
at home, but only 1-2 when playing at CSU Stadium. Since the
arrival of Head Coach Jay Mills in 2003, CSU has a 2-2 record
against VMI.
BACK-AND-FORTH THRILLER
Duvaughn Flagler's 11-yard TD catch with 4:32 remaining in the
fourth quarter catapulted the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs past
CSU 29-25 in a Big South match-up last Saturday in Boiling Springs,
N.C. In a game that featured four second-half lead changes, the
final one belonged to GWU and upstaged a solid second half
performance from CSU back-up QB Sydney Bryant playing in place of
the injured Eli Byrd.
Byrd continued to struggle with a shoulder injury that has forced him out of large portions of the last three games and was pulled late in the second quarter with CSU trailing 12-10. Bryant led the Bucs on two TD drives in the second half, capping the first with a nine-yard strike to Ryan Ard that gave CSU an 18-15 lead. Then after GWU's freshman RB Patrick Hall scored his second TD of the night, Bryant connected with Vernon Huger on a five-yard TD pass to give CSU its final lead at 25-22 with 11:43 left.
Following Flagler's go-ahead score, CSU drove the ball to the Gardner-Webb 46-yard line where Bryant was intercepted by all-conference LB Mario Brown with 3:48 remaining to seal the victory. GWU improved to 2-0 in conference while the Bucs fell to 0-2.
SECOND HALF STRUGGLES
Through eight games this season, CSU has been outscored in the
second half 149-84 by its opponents, including 71-45 in the fourth
quarter. During the Bucs' five losses, opponents have outscored
CSU by a whopping 123-25 after halftime (including 65-7 in the
fourth quarter.) In CSU's three victories, the Bucs are outscoring
opponents 59-26 in the second half (and 38-6 in the final
period.)
THE DEFENSE RESTS
Aside from a commanding performance against Savannah State on Oct.
6, CSU's defense has struggled this season. The Bucs are currently
allowing an average of 36 points per game (101st in the nation out
of 116 FCS teams) and 387 total yards per game (79th/116) through
the first eight contests.
Against Savannah State, the Bucs D permitted a total of 66 yards and no points while holding the Tigers to five first downs. That is the only game, however, that CSU has held its opponent to fewer than three touchdowns scored. In their five losses, the Buccaneers are allowing an average of 46 ppg (232 total points) and 451 ypg (2,253 total yards.)
WHO'S THE ROSS?
Redshirt senior linebacker Jada Ross is currently 13th in the
nation in tackles per game (11.0/gm). Ross, who became the Big
South's all-time leading tackler at Hawai'i on Sept. 22, surpassed
400 career stops Oct.20 against Liberty. He now has 411 career
tackles, 47 more than former Coastal Carolina Chanticleer LB Jamar
Leath (364 from '03-'06).
The Summerville, SC native was named a preseason all-conference selection and a TSN second-team preseason all-American before the start of the campaign. Ross has led the Bucs in tackles in six of the team's eight games this season (16 at The Citadel, 11 at Wofford, 10 at Hawai'i, 9 at North Greenville, 13 vs. Savannah St., 17 vs. Liberty).
BYRD IN FLIGHT
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Eli Byrd has started the first eight
contests behind center for the Bucs in 2007, making him CSU's first
starting QB other than Collin Drafts since the beginning of the
2003 season. Byrd, currently leading the Big South and ranking
43rd in the nation in total offense (206 yards/gm), has completed
125-of-220 passes this season for 1,412 yards and 10 TDs (also 11
INTs). He is also second on the Bucs with 239 rushing yards.
Byrd had played QB only one game in his career entering the season, taking over for an injured Drafts in the second half of a loss at Liberty on Nov. 11, 2006. The former football and basketball standout at Fletcher High School in Jacksonville, Florida saw time as a wide receiver in two games last season, totaling two catches for 13 yards and also a two-point conversion.
EL SID
Redshirt junior Sidney Bryant serves as Byrd's back-up at
quarterback. Bryant, who backed up Drafts for each of the last two
seasons, has appeared in 17 games during his three-year career
(including 6 this season) but has not made a start.
The Tampa, Florida native had totaled only 30 career pass attempts in his first 14 games played before throwing a combined 68 passes the last three weeks in relief of the injured Byrd against Savannah State, Liberty and Gardner-Webb. In those games Bryant has completed 40-of-68 attempts for 401 yards, with three TD passes and four INTs thrown.
DEE DAY
Transfer WR Dee Brown has quickly become Eli Byrd's favorite target
this season. Brown, who has five TD receptions in the last five
games, leads the Big South with 49 catches and is second with 580
receiving yards this season. CSU has had a WR lead the conference
in receptions every year in Big South football history (five total
seasons, since 2002).
The junior's 13 receptions at Wofford on Sept. 8 tied a school
record for most catches in a game, also held by Maurice Price and
the late Eddie Gadson. Brown's 13 grabs, only one shy of matching
a Big South single-game record, came in only his second game played
with the Bucs after transferring from Garden City CC in Kansas.
MOON RISING
Playing extensively in the CSU backfield as a true freshman,
running back DeMarcus Moon has established himself as the team's
leading rusher through eight games. The McDonough, Georgia native
has totaled a team-best 271 yards on 55 carries this season while
averaging a team-best 4.9 yards per attempt. In the team's Oct.
6th game against Savannah State, Moon topped the 100-yard mark for
the first time in his career, carrying 16 times for 103 yards in
the contest.
INFIRMARY REPORT
CSU has been hard hit by the injury bug this season, but the Bucs
are about as close to full strength heading to VMI as they've been
since the season opener.
Quarterback Eli Byrd suffered a bruised right shoulder against Savannah State Oct. 6 and has missed large portions of the last three games, but he is expected to start against GWU. Sophomore RB Michael Jefferson, who has only two carries since his breakout 104-yard effort against Johnson C. Smith Sept. 15 and has missed four straight games, remains questionable for VMI because of an ankle injury.
Senior running back Kenny Harper, who played sparingly in three games this year, suffered a season-ending injury at North Greenville Sept. 29. On the offensive line, projected starters entering the season Zach Mitchell, J.W. Myers and Jordan Lancaster are all out for the year.
On the defensive side, CSU returned one of its top linebackers when redshirt senior Jonna Lee suited up for the first time this season against Liberty on Oct. 20. Lee, second on the Bucs with 80 tackles last year, missed the first six games in 2007 but has already contributed 15 stops in his two games back.
Senior safety C.J. Hirschman returned to the starting line-up at Gardner-Webb after playing sparingly the previous two games with an ankle injury. Senior LB Josh Mitchell, fourth on the team in tackles in 2006, will miss the entire 2007 season.
HOLD ONTO THAT BALL!
CSU's offense has been hurt by the turnover bug this season, with
the team currently averaging 3.3 TO's per contest. The Bucs have
turned the ball over at least twice in every game, including two
contests with five turnovers (at Wofford 9.8 and vs. Liberty
10.20).
Of the team's Big South-leading 26 turnovers, 19 have been on interceptions. QB Eli Byrd leads the conference with 11 interceptions thrown, while back-up Sidney Bryant is tied for second in the Big South with six picks thrown. No other Big South squad has committed more than 17 turnovers this season. CSU is currently 97th out of 116 FCS teams in turnover margin (-1.00/gm).
GROUNDED
Redshirt senior Kenny Harper, the leading returning ball carrier
for CSU this season, played sparingly in '07 because of injury and
will miss the remainder of the campaign. Harper, who rushed 100
times for 417 yards and five TDs in 2006, had only three carries
for 20 yards this season.
True freshman DeMarcus Moon (55 rush, 271 yds) heads a committee of running backs besides Harper to see action for the Bucs thus far this season. Moon has been joined in the backfield by redshirt junior Alexius Ferguson (54 rush, 164 yds), transfer Michael Jefferson (23 rush, 110 yds) and redshirt sophomore Reggie Ellington (12 rush, 37 yds). CSU is only 102nd out of 116 FCS teams in rushing yardage this season (107 rush ypg).
NICK THE KICK
With 51 points this season, redshirt senior PK Nick Ellis now has
203 career points. Last week at Garnder-Webb, Ellis became the
fifth player in Big South history with at least 200 career points.
Also with 119 career extra points made, Ellis has moved into
second place in the Big South annals, but is still 59 away from
passing Coastal Carolina's Josh Hoke for the top spot in conference
history (177). The Stockbridge, GA native is 31-34 on kicks this
season (10-13 FGs and 21-21 PATs).
THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
Redshirt junior DB Josh Warrior, only two years removed from a
serious back injury that forced him to miss the entire 2005 season,
has turned himself into one of the top secondary players in the Big
South. The Orange Park, Florida native is second on the Bucs with
58 tackles this season (7.3/gm.) A big playmaker for the CSU
defense, Warrior leads the team with two forced fumbles and is tied
for the top spot with three interceptions, while he is second on
the squad with 6.0 tackles for loss.
WIDE MARGINS
The Bucs 29-25 loss at Gardner-Webb last week represented the
team's first close game this season, as the team's previous closest
contest was a 13-point margin at N. Greenville Sept. 29th. CSU's
three victories have come by an average of 22 points (65 total
pts.) while the squad's five losses are by an average of 30 points
(149 total pts.)
TRY TO KEEP 'EM CLOSE
The Bucs have had remarkable success in close games (games decided
by eight points or fewer) since Jay Mills took over as head coach
in 2003. CSU is 10-4 in such games under Mills, including 3-2 in
close Big South contests. In games decided by more than eight
points under Mills, the Buccaneers are only 15-23 overall including
2-11 in conference match-ups.
LONG ROAD TO HOE
As is usually the case in college football, CSU has found the going
difficult when it plays away from home. In now six seasons of Big
South football, the Bucs have only one conference road victory, at
Gardner-Webb on Nov. 5, 2005. CSU is 1-9 all-time in Big South
road contests (and 5-6 at home.)
With its victory at North Greenville on Sept. 29, CSU snapped a five-game road losing streak that dated back to 11.11.06 at Liberty. CSU is only 7-18 in road games under Jay Mills, while the squad is 18-9 at home during Mills' five-year tenure. The Bucs have only one road contest remaining this season (this week at VMI).
Three of this season's four road losses have come against teams currently receiving national attention in the polls. CSU began the campaign with road games against Southern Conferences foes The Citadel and Wofford (The Citadel is receiving votes in TSN's FCS Poll while Wofford is ranked #10), and later traveled to play Hawaii, an FBS opponent currently ranked #12 by the A.P.
HITTING SOME MILESTONES
-Sophomore QB Eli Byrd established new single-game Big South
records for completions (34) and pass attempts (54) Sept. 29 at
North Greenville. Byrd also totaled 398 passing yards in the
contest, the third-most in a single game in conference history. In
only his second season, Eli has already tied for eighth in Big
South history with 11 career TD passes.
-Junior WR Markus Murry returned from injury Sept. 29 at North Greenville and caught six passes for 88 yards to become the 15th player in Big South history with 1,000 career receiving yards. Murry (1,117 career yards) is the fourth Buc to accomplish that feat, tying CSU with Gardner-Webb for the most players on the 1,000 yards receiving list in Big South history.
HOME COOKIN'
CSU had its 12-game home winning streak snapped with its loss to
Liberty on Oct. 20. The streak, which began Oct. 15, 2005 against
West Virginia Wesleyan, was the third-longest in the nation at the
time it ended and matched the longest home run in Big South
history. Coastal Carolina also won 12 consecutive home games from
9.11.04 through 11.12.05.
DRIVING A-LEXIUS
Redshirt junior running back Alexius Ferguson has established
himself as one of CSU's primary ball-handlers in 2007 after serving
as a back-up the previous two years. Ferguson had 43 total carries
over three seasons before getting 22 rushes for 92 yards and a TD
at North Greenville Sept. 29. He also recovered a fumble for the
go-ahead score late in that contest. Ferguson is second on the
Bucs in all-purpose yards (551), first in return yards (270) and
third on the team in rushing yards (164) .
MOVIN' ON UP!
Redshirt sophomore running back Michael Jefferson made an immediate
impact in his first season after transferring to CSU from
Carson-Newman College. In only his third collegiate game,
Jefferson rushed for 104 yards and three TDs on 15 carries against
Johnson C. Smith on Sept. 15. The former Wando High School
standout (in nearby Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), who was that school's
Homecoming King in 2004, redshirted at Carson-Newman in 2005 but
never played a down. He has been limited by an ankle injury to
only two carries in the team's five games since the J.C. Smith
contest.
VS. FBS OPPONENTS
After losing at Hawai'i Sept. 22, CSU has played four games against
FBS competition (Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as
Division I-A) in program history. Below is a list of CSU's games
against FBS opponents.
Date Opponent Conference Result
Nov. 21, 1996 @UAB Independent L 49-13
Nov. 2, 2002 @South Florida Independent L 56-6
Oct. 18, 2003 @South Florida Conf. USA L 55-7 Sept. 22, 2007 @#19
Hawai'i WAC L 66-10
VS. NON D-I OPPONENTS
Including wins this season against Johnson C. Smith and North
Greenville, the Bucs have won eight straight games against
non-Division I opponents dating back to the 2005 season (seven
against Division II schools and one against NAIA opposition). The
team's last loss to a non-Div. I opponent came on 9.10.05 at home
to Division II Presbyterian. CSU is 12-6 under Jay Mills against
non-Div. I opposition (and 13-19 against D-I schools).
SCOUTING THE KEYDETS
VMI enters Saturday's contest at 2-6 (0-2 Big South) following a
42-35 loss at Coastal Carolina last Saturday. Coach Jim Reid's
squad has squandered a late lead in each of its conference
losses.
The Keydets led Coastal 35-28 with just under seven minutes remaining, but the Chanticleers scored the game's final 14 points on two TDs in a span of 3:49 to earn the come-from-behind victory. In its first Big South game vs. Gardner-Webb, VMI led 22-21 with just over five minutes remaining, but the Runnin' Bulldogs scored the game's final 15 points on two TDs in a span of 2:15 to get the win.
The Keydets, picked fifth in the preseason Big South poll, are 1-3 at home this season and 1-3 on the road. VMI boasts the nation's fourth-best rushing attack at an average of 293 yards per game on the ground and are on pace to set a new conference record for rushing yards in a season. Sophomore FB Howard Abegesah leads the squad and all Big South players with 883 rushing yards this season (110 ypg).
Sophomore QB Kyle Hughes is averaging only 87 passing yards per game, but is second on the team with 389 rushing yards (49/gm). Head coach Reid is in his 2nd season at the helm for VMI, and thus far has only three victories at the school (3-16 record.)
CONFERENCE KUDOS
Because of solid performances against Savannah State Oct. 6th, the
Big South named senior DB Josh Warrior the conference's defensive
player of the week and senior K Nick Ellis the Big South special
teams player of the week. Warrior recorded three tackles for loss
(including a tackle of the opposing punter for the second straight
game) and his third interception of the season in the shutout win.
Ellis kicked a career-high four FGs during the victory, matching a
conference record for the most FG made in a game.
After CSU's Sept. 15th victory against Johnson C. Smith, sophomore DB Philip Ashley was named the Big South defensive player of the week while freshman RB DeMarcus Moon earned conference freshman of the week honors. Ashley returned a blocked field goal 68 yards for a TD against the Golden Bulls (the first blocked FG TD for CSU since 10.18.98), while Moon rushed for 74 yards and a TD on seven fourth-qaurter carries.
DRAFTS DAY NO MORE
Four-year starting quarterback Collin Drafts, no longer the signal
caller for the Bucs, has returned to the CSU program as an
assistant coach working with the QBs. Drafts, a three-time
All-Conference selection and the school's all-time leader in
passing and total offense, recently finished his first professional
season as a back up for the Tri-Cities (Wa.) Fever of the Arena
Football 2 League. The Beaufort, SC native started the final two
games of the 2007 season behind center for the Fever, including a
playoff contest, because of an injury to the starting signal
caller. In two impressive starts, Drafts combined to complete
40-of-71 pass attempts for 488 yards and 10 touchdowns.
NO "MO"
Maurice Price, CSU's all-time leading receiver and an AP and TSN
All-American in 2006, decided to leave the Bucs prior to his senior
season and turn professional. Though going undrafted, Price signed
a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs and was having a
strong training camp before injuring his shoulder in mid-August.
The Chiefs placed the Orlando, Florida native on injured reserve,
meaning he will miss the entire 2007 season. Price caught 202
passes in three seasons with the Bucs, totaling 2,429 yards and 19
touchdowns.
PRE-SEASON HONORS
The Bucs placed six players on the Big South's Preseason
All-Conference Team, led by four members of coach Darrell Perkins'
defense. Seniors Dennis Justiniani, Jada Ross and C.J. Hirschman
in addition to redshirt junior Okeba Rollinson were all selected to
the list that was voted on by coaches, media members and sports
information directors. Senior center Rick Howell, the leader of
the Bucs offensive line, was the lone member of the CSU offense
selected to the team, while senior kicker Nick Ellis was voted as
the place kicker for the All-Conference unit.
RUN OF THE MILLS
Head Coach Jay Mills is in his fifth season as the head coach at
CSU and currently holds a career record of 25-27. Until this
season, the Bucs program has improved every season under his
leadership, going from one win in 2003 to five in 2004, then to
seven victories and a Big South championship in 2005. Last season,
CSU opened the campaign 9-0 before losses at Liberty and at Coastal
Carolina left the team with a 9-2 mark, the best in school
history.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
In addition to winning a school-record nine games in 2006, the Bucs
established many school firsts last season. CSU football compiled
a 14-game overall winning streak dating back to the final five
games of the '05 campaign, the longest overall winning streak in
Big South history and second longest in the nation last season (the
University of San Diego had an 18-game streak). With nine
victories, CSU broke the school record for wins in a season for a
second consecutive year, besting the seven-win total for 2005.
