Philadelphia, PA – When you consider the past three Appalachian State quarterbacks, it's almost an embarrassment of riches for the Mountaineers.
With the likes of Richie Williams, Armanti Edwards and DeAndre Presley taking snaps under center since 2004, quarterback hasn't been an issue for head coach Jerry Moore.
Saturday, we learned the outstanding lineage of signal-callers on the Mountain will likely continue next season when Jamal Jackson takes the reins of arguably the most consistent FCS program this century.
Starting in place of the injured All-America and Walter Payton Award (sponsored by Fathead.com) finalist Presley, Jackson woke up what had been a dormant Mountaineers offense the past two games and led a season-high 552-yard performance against The Citadel.
"That didn't surprise any of us, that really started back in the spring," Moore said. "He's always been a talented player, he's grown up a lot in the past year. To be very, very honest I was not worried."
Jackson completed his first 15 passes in the 49-42 win before finishing 21- of-27 for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
The sophomore also showed his mettle with a late drive that burned final 6 minutes, 10 seconds off the clock, getting a key first down despite battling cramps.
"Jamal was getting cramps throughout the third quarter, so he made a great play when he pulled the ball in on a zone read and got the first down. Because he couldn't even run," Moore said.
Moore also said Presley should be available for next week, but for the Mountaineers it's an easy problem to have when Jackson is the second option.
NOW THE REAL TEST BEGINS
OK, Towson, at 5-1 and 3-0 in CAA Football, you've got our attention. But are you ready for what's next?
With all due respect to Morgan State, Villanova, Colgate, Richmond and Old Dominion - all wins for the Tigers - the next four games will really tell us whether Towson is deserving of the national accolades.
Lying immediately ahead: William & Mary (4-2, 2-2 CAA), Delaware (4-3, 2-2), Maine (5-1, 3-0) and New Hampshire (4-2, 2-1). That run makes any path to the FCS playoffs extremely difficult.
BEST DUO IN THE FCS?
Is Chris Lum more valuable to Ryan Spadola? Or is Spadola more valuable to Lum?
It's a difficult question to answer, as both the Lehigh quarterback and wide receiver have been one of the FCS' most dangerous duos this season.
Both set career highs for yards (Lum 413, Spadola 216) in a 34-12 win against Fordham on Saturday.
Lum leads the nation in passing yards (2,590) and touchdowns (26), while Spadola has an FCS-best 1,098 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
THIS OUR CONFERENCE
Liberty certainly made a point that it's still the team to beat in the Big South with a 63-27 shellacking of Coastal Carolina.
In putting up 518 yards of total offense, Liberty didn't step off the pedal until the fourth quarter. The Flames jumped out to a 42-0 lead in the first half.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Georgia Southern kicker Adrian Mora set the FCS record for consecutive extra points made when he hit his 127th career try.
Mora helped the top-ranked Eagles reach 6-0 (5-0 Southern Conference) with six extra points and a pair of field goals in a 50-20 win against Furman.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Alabama State: the Hornets (6-1) continued to prove themselves as the SWAC favorite after a 20-7 win against Prairie View A&M improved them to 5-0 in the conference's East Division.
It appears the Hornets are almost a lock to reach the SWAC Championship.
Prairie View A&M (4-3, 4-2 SWAC West) could still meet the Hornets in the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 10.
PARTING SHOTS
Davidson's Jonathan Carkhuff might need some extra ice packs this week. The Wildcats' quarterback was sacked nine times in a 28-0 loss to Dayton ... Speaking of sacks, New Hampshire quarterback Kevin Decker may have set career highs in yards (422) and completions (34), but six sacks and a pair of interceptions helped William & Mary pull off a much-needed 24-10 victory. In that same game, Jonathan Grimes set the Tribe's all-time career rushing record with 3,768 yards ... Talk about calling off the dogs. With a 47-7 lead at halftime, Wofford head coach Mike Ayers played his second- and third-teamers in the second half. The Terriers finished with a 47-14 victory against Virginia-Wise ... Montana's defense continued its impressive streak in a 30-24 win against Portland State, holding the Vikings (who have averaged more than 300 yards rushing) to just 200 yards on 52 carries ... Norfolk State kicker Ryan Estep continued his perfect field goal streak this season, connecting on a 38- and 22-yarder in a 34-24 win against Hampton. Estep has converted on all 15 tries this season, but has yet to attempt anything longer than 40 yards ... Defending FCS champion Eastern Washington continued its attempt to make it back to playoff contention after an 0-4 start. The Eagles defeated Northern Colorado, 48-27, and improved to 3-4 ... Southern Utah dropped to 0-3 in the Great West, losing to Cal Poly, 31-27. The Thunderbirds, who were the preseason favorite, were eliminated from winning the final conference title.
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