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(STATS) -- The most successful new coaches in the FCS this year coached together for the last six years.Its no surprise The Citadels Brent Thompson and James Madisons Mike Houston are leading the way considering their championship-winning ability.Besides them going separate ways last offseason, the difference is that Thompson kept the triple option offense that he and Houston utilized together at The Citadel and previously at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, while Houston wisely kept the spread attack that was in place among the great talent at James Madison.After beating Samford on Saturday, fifth-ranked The Citadel (9-0) has clinched at least a share of its first back-to-back Southern Conference titles and secured an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs. James Madison (8-1) sits in first place in CAA Football and will move up to the No. 6 ranking following a great win over rival Richmond, and it can clinch the conference title and a playoff bid with a victory at Villanova next Saturday.Houston and Thompson first coached together as assistants on the Lenoir-Rhyne staff in 2010, with Houston coordinating the defense and Thompson the offense under head coach Fred Goldsmith. When Goldsmith retired after the season, Houston was elevated to head coach and Thompson remained on with the Paul Johnson/Fisher DeBerry form of the triple option, which took Lenoir-Rhyne to the 2013 D-II national championship game and set an NCAA record for rushing yards in a season.Houston left for The Citadel before the 2014 season and named Thompson as his offensive coordinator. Last year, they led the Bulldogs to their first SoCon title since 1992.When Houston took over at James Madison after last season, Thompson remained at The Citadel to become its 25th head coach.Theyre both winning with high-powered offenses this season. James Madison, which has lost only to North Carolina, ranks second in the FCS in scoring offense and third in total offense behind quarterback Bryan Schor and running back Khalid Abdullah. The Citadel leads the nation in rushing offense behind fullback Tyler Renew and four of the top 10 rushers in the SoCon.Six of the 19 FCS teams with new coaches are enjoying winning seasons. The others are Fordham (Andrew Breiner), Maine (Joe Harasymiak), Southern Utah (Demario Warren) and Western Illinois (Charlie Fisher).---=SECOND AND 10=Ten more observations from the FCS weekend:1.) James Madisons 47-43 win over Richmond in a Top 10 matchup was among the games of the season. It was two interstate rivals and defending champions in CAA Football playing for first place again and going back and forth at each other (the lead changed five times, including three times in the fourth quarter). Quarterbacks Schor and Richmonds Kyle Lauletta combined for 10 total touchdowns and no turnovers. Its a shame there has to be a winner and loser in this ball game, considering the way these two teams competed, Houston said, but for us, its certainly a huge win.2.) Gardner-Webb is the team of the week after stunning No. 8 Charleston Southern 17-10 on the road in the Big South. The Runnin Bulldogs (4-6), though inconsistent, make it a habit of beating ranked teams, this time behind quarterback Tyrell Maxwell, who amassed 360 total yards (195 passing, 165 rushing) and two total touchdowns. They capped a game-winning, 85-yard touchdown drive with Maxwells 1-yard TD pass to tight end Mike Estes with 27 seconds remaining.3.) The Citadel and Lehigh are the first qualifiers to the FCS playoffs, so whos next? Next weekend, Liberty (Big South), James Madison (CAA), Saint Francis (Northeast) and San Diego (Pioneer Football League) can clinch automatic bids with wins.4.) Can the MEAC runner-up earn an at-large bid to the playoffs? Dont forget the team not headed to the Celebration Bowl is eligible, and its looking more possible for No. 11 North Carolina A&T (8-1) or North Carolina Central (7-2). They are both 6-0 in the conference and on a collision course for a Nov. 19 matchup at Central. Their three combined losses are against FBS teams and A&T owns a win over MAC member Kent State. The MEAC has had at-large qualifiers in the past.5.) Speaking of the selection committee, chair Brian Hutchinson was forthcoming in an interview with Bison 1660 in Fargo, North Dakota, about the initial rankings last week. His revealing that the committee will look deeper into the data as it advances toward the release of the Nov. 20 pairings brings into question why that wasnt done prior to the first rankings. After Jacksonville States 17-10 struggle past Southeast Missouri, the Gamecocks could fall from the No. 1 ranking. Their 101st schedule ranking, according to NCAA statistics, is the lowest of the 10 teams in the first committee rankings.6.) If any team is going to get an at-large bid with a 6-5 record, it would likely come from the toughest conference, the Missouri Valley, where Western Illinois was the first team to accomplish the feat a year ago. Northern Iowa (4-5) and Illinois State (5-5) were Top 10 teams entering the season, but both have been frustrated by close losses this season. Illinois State figures to beat Missouri State next weekend and get to 6-5 with impressive wins over Northwestern, South Dakota State and Western Illinois. UNI also would have wins over SDSU and WIU if it wins out and an FBS win (Iowa State). Ironically, they are not playing each other in the MVFCs unbalanced schedule.7.) Teams wont lose if theyre not giving up points. The top 13 FCS teams in fewest points allowed are a combined 93-21, with none worse than 6-3. San Diego (7-1) leads the way at 11.6 points per game.8.) Its getting overlooked because of Eastern Washingtons weekly offensive firepower, but the Eagles defense is progressing down the stretch -- more bend than break. Second-year defensive coordinator Jeff Schmeddings defense has allowed its three-lowest point totals of the season in the last three games, including the No. 3 Eagles 42-21 win at No. 14 Cal Poly in the Big Sky on Saturday night. The Eagles are seeking their fourth conference title in five years.9.) Junior quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe set the Sam Houston State record for touchdown passes in a season when he reached 40 in a 56-43 win over McNeese. With two more regular season games and a potentially deep playoff run ahead, the FCS record of 56 -- held by Mississippi Valley States Willie Totten (1984) and Grambling States Bruce Eugene (2005) -- appears within Briscoes reach.10.) Texas Southern (3-6, 3-4) sits 3 1/2 games out of first place in the SWACs West Division. It would be tied for first place in the East, where none of the five teams has a winning record. Alcorn State (3-5, 3-4) and Jackson State (3-6, 3-4) are expected to play for the East Division spot in the SWAC championship game on Nov. 19. Grambling State (6-1, 6-0) and Southern (6-2, 6-0) have an edge over Prairie View A&M (6-3, 6-1) in the West Division standings.---=A LOOK AHEAD=Next weekends action kicks off Friday night with a big matchup in the Ivy League -- Harvard at Penn. With a win, the visiting Crimson would clinch at least a share of their fourth straight title.On Saturday, James Madison will have its second straight Top 10 matchup in the CAA when it goes to Villanova.Other pivotal conference matchups include: Big Sky, Northern Arizona at North Dakota, Cal Poly at Weber State and Montana at Northern Colorado; Big South, Charleston Southern at Liberty; Ivy, Princeton at Yale; Missouri Valley, Northern Iowa at Western Illinois and South Dakota at South Dakota State; NEC, Sacred Heart at Duquesne; OVC, Southeast Missouri State at UT Martin; Southern, Wofford at Chattanooga; Southland, Nicholls at Central Arkansas; and SWAC, Southern at Prairie View A&M and Alabama State at Grambling State.Southern Utah will go to Provo to take on BYU. Luka Samanic Jersey . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. San Antonio Spurs Gear . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.cheapspurs.com/776j-george-t-johnson-jersey-spurs.html . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Terry Cummings Jersey . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Wholesale Spurs Jerseys . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. The New Orleans Saints wore 1960s throwback uniforms last Sunday -- part of their year-long celebration of the teams 50th season. They were the eighth NFL team to wear throwbacks this season, following the Bears, Dolphins, Bills, Rams, Steelers, Packers and Washington (plus the Falcons wore a hybrid design that included throwback elements).This years throwbacks -- like all NFL throwbacks that have been worn since 2013 -- have had one thing in common: The teams used their existing helmet shells and either swapped out or removed their usual helmet logos, striping tape and face masks. Thats due to the NFLs one-shell rule, which aims to decrease the risk of concussions by preventing teams from switching to new sets of helmets in the middle of the season. So teams can still wear throwbacks if they use their existing shells, but throwbacks that would require a different-colored helmet -- like New Englands Pat Patriot design or Tampa Bays Creamsicle set -- are now off-limits. (For more information on the thinking behind the one-shell rule, and answers to many questions about it, look here.)The one-shell rule now has been with us for four seasons, and its become a truism among many fans that the rule has ruined the NFLs throwback scene. But is that really accurate? Its true that a few beloved fan favorites like Pat Patriot and the Creamsicles have essentially been kicked to the curb. But some of the other throwbacks that are now verboten were never that great to begin with. In many cases, mothballing them has been a case of addition by subtraction.To further that point, lets look at all the past NFL throwbacks that have been affected by the one-shell rule -- by your friendly uniform columnists count, there are 16 such designs -- and see if were really worse off without them. We wont be looking at every conceivable throwback that could be worn -- only the ones that already have been worn as throwbacks but are now off-limits due to the rule. For example, lets consider the Jets: The rule prevents them from wearing their old 1980s and 90s uniforms because theyd need a new set of green helmets, but we wont include that on our list because theyve never worn that design as a throwback. But we will include their Titans of New York throwback on our list, because theyve worn it as a throwback in the past but cant do so now.Got all that? Here we go, one off-limits throwback at a time, listed alphabetically by team name:1. Broncos: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-61Worn as a throwback: 2009Great loss for humankind? Uh, no. Although theres something amusing about grown football players wearing vertically striped socks, its safe to say that nobodys mourning the loss of this throwback, least of all Broncos fans. Good riddance.2. Broncos: Mid-60s designOriginally worn: 1965-66Worn as a throwback: 1994Great loss for humankind? Yup. Although the bucking bronco helmet logo is a bit cheesy, this is an underrated uniform that deserves to be revived. Too bad the one-shell rule prevents that.3. Broncos: Orange Crush designOriginally worn: 1968-1996Worn as a throwback: 2001Great loss for humankind? Definitely. For many fans, this is still the uniform they think of when they think of the Broncos, and it would be great to see it on the field again. Although the helmet is a lighter shade of blue than Denvers current navy shell, the team wore a reasonable facsimile of the old look for this seasons Color Rush game by using the throwback logo and striping on the current shell. Would that be close enough for a throwback uniform, or would fans complain that the helmet color wasnt right? Only one way to find out: Try it.4. Buccaneers: Creamsicle designOriginally worn: 1976-96Worn as a throwback: 2009-12Great loss for humankind? Yes. Ridiculed for years before emerging as a nostalgia-driven favorite, the Bucs original uniform set, complete with Bucco Bruce on the helmet, has become the poster child for the one-shell rules collateral damage on the throwback scene. Its a big part of the teams heritage -- and, arguably, the NFLs heritage -- and its a shame it cant be worn anymore. Free Bucco Bruce!5. Colts: Mid-50s designOriginally worn: 1954-55Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss for humankind? Nah. Putting the horseshoes on the back of the helmet, instead of the sides, is interesting (the idea being thats what you see when a colt -- or a Colt -- is galloping away from you), but its more of a novelty than a good design. And if the Colts really want to wear something like this, they could do a throwback to 1956, when they wore the same helmet concept on a white shell.6. Cowboys: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-63Worn as a throwback: 2004-12Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great loss, but still a loss. The Cowboys white-helmeted throwbacks had become a Thanksgiving tradition thats now been shelved. Too bad.7. Eagles: Kelly Green designOriginally worn: 1954-64, 1985-95Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss for humankind? For sure. The only thing that would be better than reviving this design as a throwback would be reviving it as the teams primary look.8. Eagles: City flag designOriginally worn: 1934Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Nope. This uniform was good as a history lesson (its colors are based on the design of the Philadelphia city flag, which in turn was based on the Swedish national flag, because of the original Swedish colonization of the Philly region) but not as an Eagles uniform. Fans hated it, and theres no chance itll be worn again, rulle or no rule.dddddddddddd9. Falcons: Original designOriginally worn: 1966-1969Worn as a throwback: 2009-11Great loss for humankind? A little bit, yeah. Atlantas original helmet design had a red shell, to honor the University of Georgia, and gold striping, to honor Georgia Tech -- a nice dual shout-out to Atlantas two college football teams. Symbolism aside, its also a very solid look -- one that would be nice to see again.10. Jets: Titans of New York designOriginally worn: 1960-62Worn as a throwback: 2007-09, 2011Great loss for humankind? Nope. True, the Jets franchise was known as the Titans for the first three years of its existence, but thats more of a historical footnote, or maybe the answer to a trivia question, than a key chapter in the teams history. Fans never warmed up to this throwback design, and the team is better off without it.11. Packers: Acme Packers design with brown helmetOriginally worn: 1929-30Worn as a throwback: 2010-11Great loss for humankind? Nope. The Packers original Acme Packers uniform, worn back during the Great Depression, featured brown leather helmets, so the team opted for brown shells when reviving that design as a throwback in 2010. But the brown lids never looked right, so it was actually an improvement when the one-shell rule forced the team to switch to its regular yellow shells with the decals removed in 2013. Theres a lesson there: Sometimes being less historically accurate can be more aesthetically pleasing.12. Patriots: Pat Patriot designOriginally worn: 1961-92Worn as a throwback: 1994, 2002, 2009-12Great loss for humankind? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Fans can debate whether the Pats original Minuteman mascot character, Pat Patriot, is better than the teams current Flying Elvis logo (some prefer Pat and wish hed never gone away, while others prefer Elvis because he symbolizes the success of the Brady/Bellichick era), but just about everyone agrees that Pat should get to come out and play at least once a year. This is probably the single biggest casualty of the one-shell rule.13. Steelers: 1962 designOriginally worn: 1962Worn as a throwback: 2009-10Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great loss, but a loss all the same. Its a nice change of pace to see that familiar Steelers logo against the yellow helmet, and the rest of the uniform is very solid.14. Titans: Oilers designOriginally worn: 1960-65Worn as a throwback: 1994, 2009Great loss for humankind? Yes, but with an asterisk. Its been great when the Titans have honored their franchises Oilers root, but they can still do that by throwing back to the Oilers white-helmeted era -- which was actually the teams strongest look. Luv ya, blue!15. Washington: Lombardi-era designOriginally worn: 1970-71Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Its complicated. Anything involving Washingtons branding is a loaded proposition due to the teams use of Native American iconography. But with that caveat in mind, this design, which they wore when coach Vince Lombardi moved from Green Bay to Washington and gave the team a somwehat Packers-esque makeover, is one of the better looks from the teams visual history.16. Washington: Leatherhead helmetOriginally worn: 1937Worn as a throwback: 2012A great loss for humankind? From a helmet perspective, yes. Washingtons modern interpretation of the old leatherhead helmet had the illusion of a textured surface -- a really neat effect, and much better than the plain brown shell that the Packers used for their own leatherhead simulation (see above). Once the one-shell rule went into effect, Washington kept wearing this throwback uniform with their current helmet shells -- not bad, but its a shame that they cant go with the leatherhead treatment (and that nobody else can go that route either).If you tally up the assessments, you get 11 cases of Too bad we cant see that again! versus five of Eh, no biggie. So yes, the one-shell rule does appear to have been a net negative from an aesthetic standpoint. Moreover, there are potentially great throwbacks that have never been worn and currently cant be worn due to the rule, such as the Seahawks original design, the Chargers Air Coryell design and the Jets New York Sack Exchange design. The rule also prevents the Thursday-night Color Rush uniforms from reaching their full potential, because the helmets often dont match the rest of the uniforms. (You can decide for yourself if inhibiting the scope of the Color Rush program is a good or bad thing.)Will the one-shell rule stay in place forever? Probably not. It seems likely that some sort of workaround, such as full-shell vinyl wraps, will eventually be developed. And with college teams continuing to routinely wear multiple shells each season with no apparent ill effects, maybe the NFL will simply drop or modify the rule. Until then, though, well have to live without Pat Patriot and Bucco Bruce -- which will just make their eventual return, if and when it happens, that much sweeter.Paul Lukas wishes the NFL had gone with Throwback Thursdays, instead of the Color Rush program, for Thursday-night games. If you like this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Want to learn about his Uni Watch Membership Program, be added to his mailing list so youll always know when a new column has been posted or just ask him a question? Contact him here. ' ' '