The Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Saturday's FCS playoff action features 16
teams that bring unique styles of offense and defense.
Of the 16 remaining teams, 10 are ranked in the FCS' top 25 for total offense,
eight teams are ranked in the top 25 for total defense and there are a handful
of individual players who rank among the Top 10 in the FCS in many different
categories.
Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke ranks first in the FCS in passing
yards per game with 378. He's passed for an FCS-high 35 touchdowns and 4,158
yards.
South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner leads the FCS in rushing with 166
yards per game and in rushing yards with 1,998. Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet
ranks second with 156 yards per game and 1,881 yards.
Appalachian State receiver Sean Price ranks eighth in the FCS with 7.6
receptions per game and Eastern Washington receiver Brandon Kaufman ranks
fifth in the FCS with 115 receiving yards per game.
Illinois State defensive end Colton Underwood ranks sixth in the FCS with over
1.6 tackles for loss per game, and he's totaled 18 in 11 games this season.
Montana State defensive end Caleb Schreibeis is tied for third in the FCS with
12 sacks in 11 games and averages 1.2 sacks per game.
Cal Poly defensive back Nico Molino is tied for fourth in the FCS in passes
defended with 16 and averages nearly 1.5 passes defended per game, while
Illinois State defensive back Ben Erickson leads the FCS with seven
interceptions in 11 games.
Five teams ranked in the top 6 in the FCS for rushing offense made the
playoffs this season. They are No. 1 Georgia Southern (392 rushing yards per
game), No. 2 Wofford (348 rushing yards per game), No. 3 Cal Poly (333 rushing
yards per game), No. 5 Stony Brook (288 rushing yards per game) and No. 6 Sam
Houston State (284 rushing yards per game). Georgia Southern, Wofford and Cal
Poly run triple option offenses.
The three players who were announced as Walter Payton Award finalists -
Wofford fullback Eric Breitenstein, Heinicke and Maysonet - all play games in
the second round Saturday.
The Sports Network