Big Sky QBs racking up the yards

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Leave it to an Ivy Leaguer to figure out how to crack the dominance of Big Sky Conference quarterbacks.

Four of the top five signal callers in the FCS rankings for total offensive yards per game are from the Big Sky, with Yale's Morgan Roberts the lone exception at No. 2.

The dual-threat ability of passing the ball from the pocket or taking off with it in large chunks of yards is evident with the Big Sky leaders.

Eastern Washington junior Vernon Adams ranks No. 1 in the nation with 394.3 total yards per game. However, he is expected to miss a third straight game on Saturday when the second-ranked Eagles (7-1) visit Northern Arizona. If so, he will no longer qualify for the NCAA rankings because he will not have played in 75 percent of his team's games.

The Eagles are hopeful of Adams' return next month.

Roberts ranks No. 2 nationally with 365.2 total yards per game.

Then it's a Big Sky trio, with Idaho State senior Justin Arias third (356.9), Sacramento State senior Garrett Safron fourth (351.6) and Montana State sophomore Dakota Prukop fifth (335.9).

Arias will help try to end Idaho State's 48-game road losing streak Saturday when the Bengals (4-3) travel to Northern Colorado. Sacramento State (4-4) and 10th-ranked Montana State (6-2) have byes.

With the stellar QBs leading the way, Big Sky teams rank No. 1 in the FCS in total yards per game (417.6). They also are third nationally in points per game (29.6).