FCS Playoffs 2014: 1st-Round Results, Round 2 Schedule and Bracket Update
The first day of the FCS Playoffs kicked off on Saturday with eight games. There were blowouts, close calls and plenty of action. Here's a look at all of the first-round scores. Just below the table is a breakdown of the games and the top individual performances.
| Fordham 44, Sacred Heart 22 | New Hampshire |
| Indiana State 36, Eastern Kentucky 16 | Chattanooga |
| Montana 52, San Diego 14 | Eastern Washington |
| Northern Iowa 44, Stephen F. Austin 10 | Illinois State |
| South Dakota State 47, Montana State 40 | North Dakota State |
| Richmond 46, Morgan State 24 | Coastal Carolina |
| Liberty 26, James Madison 21 | Villanova |
| Sam Houston St. 21, Southeastern Louisiana 17 | Jacksonville State |
Michael Nebrich Pushes Rams Past Pioneers
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
On Friday, Fordham Rams quarterback Michael Nebrich vowed to "define the moment" on his Twitter account.
He proved to be a man of his word as he threw for 423 yards and four touchdowns in leading his team past the Sacred Heart Pioneers 44-22 on Saturday at Coffey Field in the Bronx, New York.
Brian Wetzel and Tebucky Jones Jr. were Nebrich's favorite targets. Both young men had eight receptions, two touchdowns and over 135 yards receiving. The Rams will face the top-seeded New Hampshire Wildcats on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m ET.
Mike Perish Leads Comeback Win over Eastern Kentucky
The Indiana State Sycamores came back from a 16-point deficit to thump the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 36-16.
Mike Perish completed 41 of 57 throws for 407 yards and three touchdowns. The 41 completions established a new school record, while the 407 yards pushed Perish to a career school record for passing yards. He and the Sycamores will try to keep it going against the No. 8-seeded Chattanooga Mocs on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m ET.
The Grizzlies Maul the Toreros
This game was over at halftime. The Montana Grizzlies jumped out to a 52-0 lead before the San Diego Toreros scored two meaningless touchdowns late in the fourth quarter. Ultimately the Grizzlies prevailed 52-14.
Jordan Johnson threw three touchdown passes, and his backup Shay Smithwick-Hann even threw two before the rout was finished. Montana will take on the No. 4-seeded Eastern Washington Eagles in the next round on Dec. 6 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
South Dakota State Escapes Montana State
The Jackrabbits hopped past the Montana Bobcats 47-40 on Saturday in a first-round thriller. Check out the conditions these two teams battled in, per this tweet from Greg Rachac of the Billings Gazette.
Quite obviously, the running games were big. Both the Jackrabbits' Zach Zenner and the Bobcats' Chad Newell were huge, but Zenner was just a bit better.
He had five touchdowns and 252 yards rushing to lead his team to victory. Newell scored five times and had 101 yards rushing. South Dakota will travel to Fargo, North Dakota, to take on the North Dakota State Bison on Dec. 6 at 3:30 p.m ET.
The Spiders Stop the Bears
The Richmond Spiders handed the Morgan State Bears a 46-24 loss on Saturday afternoon at Robins Stadium. Spiders quarterback Michael Strauss threw four touchdown passes, and running back Seth Fisher accounted for three scores.
Sports Network's Craig Haley noticed a common theme in Saturday's games.
This one was never in doubt. The Spiders led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter and coasted to victory from there. Richmond will take on the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Dec. 6 at 1 p.m ET.
Flames Overcome Four Turnovers to Burn Dukes
A strong second-half performance erased a 21-10 halftime deficit for the Liberty Flames and offset four turnovers. Somehow the Flames fumbled four times, lost two of them, threw two picks and still found a way to defeat the James Madison Dukes 26-21.
A persistent run game that saw the Flames run the ball 46 times was the primary bright spot. Liberty's defense also held the Dukes scoreless in the second half, despite being put on the field in less than advantageous positions.
The Flames will face the Villanova Wildcats next on Dec. 6 at 3:30 p.m ET.
Sam Houston State Nips Southeastern Louisiana
With a fourth-quarter touchdown run from Donovan Williams, the Sam Houston State Bearkats took down the Southeastern Louisiana Lions 21-17. The Bearkats didn't pick up huge chunks of yardage on the ground, but Williams, Jared Johnson and Jalen Overstreet combined to run the ball 47 times for 150 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bearkats face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in the next round on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.
Panthers Jump All over Lumberjacks
It didn't take long for the Northern Iowa Panthers to prove their superiority over the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Saturday. When the beating was over, Northern Iowa was on top 44-10.
The Panthers defense held the Lumberjacks to four third-down conversions out of a possible 17, and Northern Iowa running back David Johnson scored three touchdowns. Northern Iowa will face the Illinois State Redbirds on Dec. 6 at 2 p.m ET.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
