This past week wasn’t as pretty for the Big South.
Conference play is right around the corner. That is when things will start to shift more.

Here are the updated power rankings following the action of week 4.
Note the previous week’s rankings in (parenthesis).

  1. (1) Coastal Carolina 4-0, 0-0 *Nationally ranked #1/2

Coastal and Bryant went back and forth, trading scores during the first half of their game Saturday. After going into the locker rooms with a tie, the Chanticleers came back out to hold the Bulldogs in check for the rest of the game. De’Angelo Henderson continues to produce as he rushed for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Next up: Alabama A&M, 6:00pm

  1. (2) Liberty 2-2, 0-0 *Nationally ranked #18

The Flames were unable to ride their momentum from the Montana win into Illinois on Saturday night. The passing game looked decent, as Woodrum was moving the ball around and getting everyone involved. B.J. Farrow had a great night, making 8 catches for 101 yards. The rushing attack has not lived up to its expectations this season though. In each of their last 3 games, the Flames have not rushed for over 100 yards. If Liberty hopes to have success on the field, their run game will have to improve.

Next up: @ Georgia State, 3:30pm

  1. (3) Charleston Southern 3-1, 0-0

Things were very close during the majority of the game for the Buccaneers on Saturday. The Citadel had the lead until the 7-minute mark in the 4th quarter when Darius Hammond’s only TD of the night lifted CSU for an eventual victory. Hammond, along with Mike Hollway, accounted for 301 rush yards and 4 TD’s. Their defense only let Citadel’s QB, Dominique Allen, complete 7 passes and held them to 181 rushing yards. The Citadel led the FCS in rushing with 398 yards per game.

Next up: BYE

  1. (4) Presbyterian 1-3, 0-0

Chattanooga had little issues with Presbyterian this week. The Blue Hose were shutout at home in a 21-0 loss. Of course it is a given that their offense struggled greatly. They only had 117 total yards of offense, 74 of them coming on the ground. It didn’t help that they had 3 turnovers as well.

Next up: @ Western Carolina, 3:30pm

  1. (5) Gardner-Webb 1-3, 0-0

Gardner-Webb traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina to face Wofford. Their outing was less than impressive as they were shutout for the first time this season.  Oddly similar to Presbyterian’s performance, the Bulldogs struggled on offense, only gaining 149 yards total with 91 of them from the rushing attack. Luckily Gardner-Webb has a week off to prep for the opening week of Big South play.

Next up: BYE

  1. (6) Monmouth 1-3, 0-0

It was quite a sloppy game in the Bronx on Saturday as Monmouth and Fordham combined for 9 total turnovers. Though they put up 31 points, the Hawks defense was unable to control Kevin Anderson and his impressive passing attack for the Rams. Anderson passed for 340 years with 5 touchdowns against Monmouth. The Hawks did force 4 turnovers, but that was shadowed by the 5 turnovers their offense allowed.

Next up: Vs. Bryant, 1:00pm

  1. (7) Kennesaw State 3-1, 0-0

Honestly, this game was much closer than I expected. Kennesaw put up quite a fight against the Flyers this past weekend. They had control until the 3rd quarter when Dayton took and kept the lead for the remainder of the of the game. The Owls continue to produce impressively on the ground (of course) with 342 total rushing yards. Considering how some of the other Big South teams are preforming, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kennesaw do some damage in the Big South. Only time will tell.

Next up: BYE