Bethlehem, PA – Perhaps last weekend's loss to Boston College was more telling than people had imagined for Villanova.
The Wildcats dropped their second straight game in as many weeks Saturday, this time to Fordham in a 27-24 surprise at Coffey Field. The No. 8-ranked team in the nation was outplayed in the second half, just like it was last weekend.
Villanova led 21-17 at halftime after coming back from an early deficit, and built on that lead with a field goal to open the third quarter. But Fordham quarterback Michael Nebrich didn't allow it to remain that way.
After a third-quarter field goal, Nebrich scampered for a 4-yard score early in the fourth quarter to give Fordham (2-0) the 27-24 lead.
Nebrich and Carlton Koonce combined to rush for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
Villanova lost five fumbles. Quarterback John Robertson threw for 164 yards and rushed for two touchdowns.
Saturday, Sept. 7
No. 1 North Dakota State (2-0) 56, Ferris State (0-1) 10
Led by quarterback Brock Jensen, the Bison had a much easier time in Week 2 versus Division II Ferris State than they did in their Week 1 matchup with Kansas State. Jensen was 19-of-23 for 259 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown.
The Bison defense forced three turnovers, and scored on one of them - a 44- yard interception return by Zach Colvin.
No. 2 Eastern Washington (2-0) 43, Western Oregon (0-1) 14
EWU sophomore quarterback Vernon Adams finished 18-of-24 for 298 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Shaquille Hill caught eight passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns.
SMU (1-1) 31, No. 3 Montana State (1-1) 30
SMU avoided the upset when Garrett Gilbert connected with Darius Joseph for a 4-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left.
Montana State had a 22-5 lead in the second quarter. Cody Kirk rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Texas A&M (2-0) 65, No. 4 Sam Houston State (1-1) 28
The score looked bad, but all things considered it's not as horrible as it first appears. Remember, Texas A&M is the seventh-ranked team in the FBS.
Johnny Manziel outperformed everyone with a 426-yard, three-touchdown passing performance while adding a rushing touchdown. But Sam Houston State got a nice showing from Walter Payton Award candidate Timothy Flanders (170 yards, two touchdowns rushing and one receiving score) for the second straight year in which the Bearkats put up 28 points on the Aggies.
No. 5 Towson (2-0) 49, Holy Cross (0-2) 7
Peter Athens was 17-for-23 for 232 yards and two touchdowns and scored on a 24-yard run, sparking Towson to its fifth straight win dating back to last season.
Terrance West rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, while Thomas Bradley scored on a 90-yard interception return.
No. 6 South Dakota State (2-0) 35, North Dakota (1-1) 28
North Dakota's 10-year streak of Potato Bowl wins came to an end at the hands of South Dakota State.
Zach Zenner, last season's 2,000-plus-yard rusher, tied his school record with 295 yards on the ground and scored four touchdowns to lift the Jackrabbits.
Colorado (2-0) 38, No. 7 Central Arkansas (1-1) 24
The visiting Bears led 24-17 in the fourth quarter, but surrendered the game's final 21 points.
In the loss, Wynrick Smothers was 33-for-55 for 280 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, with one rushing touchdown.
No. 9 Northern Iowa (2-0) 45, Drake (0-2) 14
Last week, Northern Iowa won at FBS Iowa State. The Panthers kept that momentum rolling Saturday with the decisive victory over Drake.
Walter Payton Award candidate David Johnson (who rushed for 199 yards and two scores last week) ran for 143 yards and a touchdown - his eighth straight game over 100 yards. As a team, Northern Iowa gained 267 yards on the ground.
No. 10 Georgia Southern (2-0) 59, Saint Francis (Pa.) (0-1) 17
Georgia Southern had 551 total yards against the overmatched Red Flash, who were making their season debut.
William Banks rushed for three touchdowns and Jerick McKinnon completed his three pass attempts, including two for touchdowns, as he and Kevin Ellison combined on 245 passing yards.
Central Michigan (1-1) 24, No. 11 New Hampshire (0-1) 21
The only time Central Michigan led was at the final whistle on Ron Coluzzi's game-ending 27-yard field goal.
Cooper Rush, who didn't start at quarterback for Central Michigan but entered late in the first quarter, dominated the UNH passing defense by passing for 326 yards and three touchdowns, including a 97-yard strike to Titus Davis, who totaled 184 yards and two scores receiving.
Quarterback Andy Vailas led the Wildcats in their first game of the season with 156 yards passing and a touchdown.
Fresno State (2-0) 41, No. 12 Cal Poly (1-1) 25
Cal Poly trailed 34-0 at halftime before quarterback Chris Brown rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one off the bench.
Kristaan Ivory rushed for 97 yards on 20 carries.
No. 14 Eastern Illinois (2-0) 40, Southern Illinois (0-2) 37, 2 OTs
Cameron Berra's 36-yard field goal in the second overtime produced the game- winning points.
Eastern Illinois gained 622 yards of total offense, including Jimmy Garoppolo's 440 passing yards.
Wide receiver Erik Lora produced for the second straight week with 136 yards and a touchdown. Taylor Duncan gained 100 yards on the ground and contributed a score.
The Salukis totaled 503 yards on offense without turning the ball over.
North Carolina State (2-0) 23, No. 15 Richmond (1-1) 21
In what was largely a defensive game, North Carolina State fought its way back from a 21-10 second-quarter deficit to pull out the win.
Richmond quarterback Michael Strauss completed 29 pass attempts for 300 yards and two touchdowns, though it wasn't enough to match N.C. State's well-balanced attack. There were six total turnovers in the game - four by the Wolfpack and two by the Spiders.
No. 16 Wofford (1-1, 1-0 SoCon) 21, The Citadel (0-2, 0-1) 10
Wofford's Michael Weimer threw for two touchdowns, overcoming an interception that was returned for a score, and Donovan Johnson rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown as the Terriers won the Southern Conference opener for both teams.
In a matchup of triple option offenses, Wofford outrushed The Citadel, 280 yards to 154. The win was the Terriers' 15th straight in the series.
No. 17 Stony Brook (1-0, 1-0 CAA) 24, Rhode Island (0-2, 0-1) 0
Stony Brook pitched a shutout in its first-ever CAA Football game, forcing three fumbles and limiting Rhode Island to 67 rushing yards on 31 carries. Reuben Johnson collected two of the fumbles and forced the other one.
Quarterback Lyle Negron was efficient offensively, completing 12-of-19 pass attempts for 186 yards and one touchdown and breaking off a 59-yard run en route to 65 yards on the ground. Marcus Coker (23 carries, 78 yards) and Jamie Williams both scored touchdown runs.
No. 18 McNeese State (2-0) 58, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2) 14
The Cowboys' Marcus Wiltz rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries, while quarterback Cody Stroud passed for 251 yards and two touchdowns.
Jamie Smith and Jeremiah Young scored on touchdown runs for UAPB, the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champion.
Akron (1-1) 35, No. 20 James Madison (1-1) 33
James Madison quarterback Michael Birdsong and running back Dae'Quan Scott did all they could to make a comeback against the Zips, but the attempt fell short in the end.
Birdsong had 255 yards passing with three touchdowns and an interception, while Scott rushed for 107 yards and scored on a run and a reception. JMU outgained the Zips, 498 yards to 356.
North Carolina A&T (1-0)) 24, No. 21 Appalachian State (0-2) 21
Coming off its first winning season since 2003, North Carolina A&T opened its campaign with a surprising win at Appalachian State, which fell to 0-2 for only the third time in 20 years.
A&T scored touchdowns on two returns, Tony McRae on a 91-yard kickoff return and D'Vonte Grant on a 57-yard interception return.
Kameron Bryant, in relief of ASU starting quarterback Jamal Jackson-Londry, threw two touchdown passes in the final 5:23, but the Mountaineers' rally fell short.
No. 23 Lehigh (1-0) 51, Central Connecticut State (0-2) 44, 2 OTs
Lehigh rallied from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit and didn't lead until Sean Farrell scored on an 11-yard run in the second overtime.
Lehigh (1-0) stunned CCSU (0-2) by overcoming a 37-17 deficit in the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, including two of Brandon Bialkowski's four touchdown passes.
Farrell's 2-yard run with 3:32 left tied the game at 37-37, but Lehigh failed to convert the extra point, which forced the overtime.
Bialkowski finished 18-of-29 for 366 yards, completing seven passes to Lee Kurfis for 222 yards. Nick SanGiacomo threw for three touchdowns and Rob Hollomon rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns for CCSU.
No. 24 Coastal Carolina (2-0) 35, Furman (0-2) 28
It took everything Coastal Carolina had to hold off a relentless Furman attack, but when a fourth-down conversion attempt came up short, the Chanticleers were able to kneel out the clock.
Running back Lorenzo Taliaferro and receiver Matt Hazel led the way for Coastal, each with a rushing touchdown. Quarterback Alex Ross accounted for a touchdown through the air and on the ground.
No. 25 Bethune-Cookman (2-0) 66, Virginia Union (0-1) 14
This week's scoring explosion was a complete 180 of Bethune-Cookman's Week 1 performance - a 12-9 win at Tennessee State - as the Wildcats took advantage of a weaker Virginia Union team for the lopsided victory.
Defense ruled for B-CU, which forced three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Three different quarterbacks - Quentin Williams, Jackie Wilson and Brodrick Waters - threw a touchdown.
Idle Teams
No. 13 Montana (1-0)
No. 19 Illinois State (0-1)
No. 22 Northern Arizona (0-1)
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