FCS Quarterfinal-Round Playoff
The Matchup – No. 7 seed Maine (9-3) at No. 2 seed Weber State (10-2)
Kickoff – 8 p.m. ET at Stewart Stadium (17,500) in Ogden, Utah
Coverage – ESPN2
Series – First meeting
Coaches – Maine: Joe Harasymiak (19-14, three seasons); Weber State: Jay Hill (36-25, five seasons)
3 Players to Watch – Maine: QB Chris Ferguson (166 of 287, 1,877 yards, 19 TDs, 8 INTs), WR/KR Earnest Edwards (46 receptions for 722 yards, 28.4-yard KO return average, 13 total TDs), LB Sterling Sheffield (73 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks); Weber State: Josh Davis (239 carries, 1,350 yards, 9 TDs), LB LeGrand Toia (79 tackles, 13 TFL, 6.5 sacks), LB Landon Stice (69 tackles, 11 TFL, 6 takeaways)
The Skinny – The week’s prime time FCS playoff game is a first-time meeting between two programs that are coming off season-high point totals in the second round. CAA champ Maine, which beat Jacksonville State 55-27, is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011 and the fourth time overall. Ferguson, who threw for five touchdowns in the win, can spread the ball to five receivers with at least 29 receptions, led by Edwards and including Micah Wright, who has caught 163 passes and 21 TDs in his career. Freshman RB Ramon Jefferson (156 carries, 884 yards, 7 TDs) has rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the last four games. The defense is stout against the run, allowing just 2.2 yards per carry. Sheffield and fellow LB DeShawn Stevens (103 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 14 sacks) get into the opposing backfield, and Manny Patterson is an All-CAA cornerback. Weber State enters on a seven-game winning streak, most recently a 48-23 rout of Southeast Missouri, while reaching the quarterfinals for the second straight year. QB Jake Constantine reeled off five straight TDs (four passing, one rushing) last week and is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes. Davis has been the top offensive threat for the Big Sky automatic qualifier, leading all FCS freshmen in rushing and all-purpose yards, but senior Treshawn Garrett returned to action last week to rush for a game-high 134 yards. Incredibly, the defense placed eight players – DT Filipe Sitake, DEs Adam Rodriguez and Jonah Williams, LBs Stice and Toia, CB Keilan Benjamin and safeties Jordan Preator and Jawian Harrison – on the all-conference first team. The Wildcats are plus-11 in turnover margin. Edwards’ return ability for Maine is matched by Wildcats sophomore Rashid Shaheed.
Up Next – The winner will play either No. 6 seed UC Davis (10-2) or No. 3 seed Eastern Washington (10-2) in the semifinals Dec. 14 or 15.
Prediction – In a close matchup of mirror-image teams, home-field advantage is a potential difference maker for Weber State because it’s won nine in a row at Stewart Stadium. Weber State, 24-21.
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