With six Colonial Athletic Association teams finishing the season in the top 25 of the Football Championship Subdivision, it wasn't a big surprise that five of the teams made the FCS playoffs. The CAA conference also proved its quality of teams by notching a 4-1 record in the first round.
No. 1 James Madison 38, No. 8 Wofford 35
With the top ranking and an 8-0 conference record , James Madison will advance as it held off Wofford's second-half surge. At the end of the second half, the typically dominant Dukes led 28-14. But by keeping possession for over two-thirds of the third quarter, Wofford scored two unanswered touchdowns and evened the score.
With James Madison reclaiming dominance in the fourth quarter by putting up 10 points, Wofford made a final attempt. The Terriers scored on a 12-yard run with just more than a minute left, but the Dukes finished off the game by recovering a Wofford onside kick.
Much of the game was kept on the ground, which was the trend for the James Madison offense for most of the season. The two teams combined for 644 rushing yards, with two players from each side garnering more than 100.
No. 6 Villanova 55, No. 16 Colgate 28
Villanova bowled over Colgate in its first game of the postseason. Villanova made a quick presence on the field by returning the starting kickoff for a touchdown. Once the flood gates opened, the Wildcats couldn't be stopped.
Like JMU, Villanova kept the ball out of the air, tallying 386 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Villanova also made use of its chances with the ball by scoring on eight of its 12 possessions.
Villanova will now head into the quarterfinals this weekend against James Madison. The game is scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
No. 7 Richmond 38, No. 21 Eastern Kentucky 10
Holding Eastern Kentucky to 269 offensive yards, Richmond's defense kept solid like it had throughout the season. The Spiders led by a touchdown at the end of the second half, but it was Eastern Kentucky's only visit to the end zone.
Richmond also took advantage of its defensive performance, with a big portion coming from Eric Ward. The quarterback led the Spider offense down the field, throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns, including a 45-yarder in the first half.
Richmond travels to three-time defending national champion Appalachian State next weekend. The Mountaineers have defeated two CAA teams in the national championship game - Massachusetts and Delaware - during their run.
No 10 New Hampshire 29, No. 9 Southern Illinois 20
New Hampshire also came out on top this weekend as it defeated Southern Illinois. The Wildcat offense reached the end zone once this weekend, but kicker Tom Bishop picked up the slack. Bishop, kicking for 17 points, made five field goals to keep New Hampshire from falling behind. The UNH special teams also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.
New Hampshire heads to Northern Iowa for its quarterfinal match on Saturday.
No. 4 Northern Iowa 40, No. 20 Maine 15
Northern Iowa was again be too much for Maine to handle. It was the second time the teams met this season; Maine lost the first meeting, 46-3. The Black Bears put up more of a fight than the last match, but Maine was still outplayed.
The UNI defense limited Maine to 264 total offensive yards, including four interceptions. The Black Bear defense allowed for 422 yards and five touchdowns.
Kyle Predki can be reached at kpredki@student.umass.edu.
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