FCS action was aplenty in Week 1.
Here are some scattered thoughts and takeaways from the week, which will be updated as more come in.
–Northwestern State, a 10.5-point home underdog vs. Alcorn State, snapped a 20-game losing streak, defeating the Braves 20-10. It was the longest losing streak in the FCS. Shoutout to second-year head coach Blaine McCorkle. He took over a program in a really tough spot on and off the field. He was hired after Northwestern State canceled its 2023 season halfway through following the shooting death of junior safety Ronnie Caldwell. You can see the emotion of the win after the game:
–Alabama State gave FBS UAB a scare. ASU once led 28-17. UAB then took command and led 45-35. ASU clawed back within 45-42, but UAB put the game away with a late third-and-goal touchdown run, winning 52-42. Alabama State was a 20.5-point underdog. Andrew Body was terrific in the loss, going 18/24 for 312 yards, four TDs, and no interceptions while rushing for nearly 120 yards and another score.
–Youngstown State, which received votes in the preseason Top 25, had to run QB Beau Brungard 28 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns to beat D1 newbie Mercyhurst 24-15, not a confidence-boosting start for a YSU team with playoff aspirations. Mercyhurst went 4-7 last season.
-Two headline head coaching hires made their debuts on Thursday. Michael Vick and Norfolk State lost 27-7 to Towson. That’s a good win for Towson, which looks to be in the playoff conversation. DeSean Jackson and Delaware State lost 35-17 at Delaware, which was making its FBS debut in front of 17,895 fans.
–West Georgia earned an impressive 34-3 road win at Samford. UWG went 4-7 last season in its first year in the FCS, including beating Samford. The Wolves went just 1-7 in the UAC, but four losses were by 11 points or less. We’ll see where these two teams go from here, but this result could be a data point when deciphering who is the No. 3 FCS conference.
-Non-scholarship St. Thomas beat the OVC-Big South’s Lindenwood 35-13. The Tommies put the hammer down with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. It’s a rough loss for Lindenwood, which went 5-7 last year and 4-4 in conference play.
-Two ranked CAA teams had comeback wins Friday night. No. 9 Rhode Island beat Campbell 31-20 after trailing 17-14 at halftime. And No. 22 Monmouth completed an incredible comeback, defeating Colgate 42-39 after trailing 31-7. Derek Robertson threw for nearly 500 yards, four TDs, and four interceptions in the win. Colgate’s Treyvhon Saunders had 13 catches for 223 yards and two TDs. Monmouth’s defense still has some work to do. But mercy, when this offense gets rolling, it is tough to stop. The returning production offensively was the main reason the Hawks got preseason love despite going 6-6 last fall.
-Friday was highlighted by No. 10 Tarleton State beating Army 30-27 in double OT for the first FCS over FBS win of the season. Brad Larson hit the 30-yard field goal for the win. It’s the second FBS win in Tarleton State’s young D1 history. The Texans were a 2-TD underdog tonight against an Army team that went 12-2 last year and was picked sixth in the AAC preseason media poll. Tarleton is now 2-0, including a blowout road win at Portland State. It has a serious argument to be ranked around No. 5 in next week’s Top 25 polls. I had the Texans No. 8 on my preseason ballot. Big picture, defeating an FBS opponent doesn’t necessarily put you in the national title conversation (4 of the 6 FCS teams that beat FBS opponents in 2024 either didn’t make the playoffs or didn’t make it past the second round). But this certainly puts the Texans on the radar. Their d-line needed to improve to compete with the Tier 1 FCS teams, and it looked strong against the option attack of Army.
-After a shaky first quarter, not helped by rainy conditions, NDSU QB Cole Payton settled in and had a strong debut at The Citadel. He went 10/16 for 192 yards and one TD, plus 101 rushing yards on 11 attempts. The Bison won 38-0, completely overmatching The Citadel. The Bison should roll through their non-conference slate before we really find out about them in MVFC play. But it’s a promising start for the offense. NDSU looks loaded on defense.
-No. 14 Lehigh got a key Patriot League win to start the season in a ranked FCS matchup, beating No. 25 Richmond 21-14. It was Richmond’s debut game in the Patriot League and a rematch from last year’s playoff, which Lehigh won. The Mountain Hawks looked very good defensively.
-Two top five teams got throttled by FBS opponents. FBS No. 22 Iowa State beat No. 4 South Dakota 55-7, and FBS No. 7 Oregon beat No. 2 Montana State 59-13. It was two ugly performances. Not ideal. But really, how much can we take away from them? FCS vs. FCS competition is the best gauge. FWIW, MSU lost 68-28 to Oregon State in 2022 and then went on to make the semifinals.
-In his debut game, new Montana State starting QB Justin Lamson went 23/31 for 198 yards. Taco Dowler had 12 catches for 107 yards.
-It was not a good day for the SoCon’s two ranked teams. No. 11 Mercer lost 15-10 to a non-scholarship Presbyterian. Brutal. No. 18 Western Carolina lost 52-45 to Gardner-Webb. It was a huge comeback for Gardner-Webb, which once trailed 35-7. WCU was without starting QB Taron Dickens. Meanwhile, G-W’s Nate Hampton threw for nearly 300 yards.
–Austin Peay got the second FCS over FBS win so far this season, joining fellow UAC member Tarleton State. The Govs beat Middle TN State 34-14 in a statement performance.
-Is the UAC the No. 3 conference in the FCS?
–North Dakota was oh-so close to knocking off FBS No. 17 Kansas State for a monumental win. The Fighting Hawks went up 35-31 with 4:19 to go. But K-State scored the game-winner with 42 seconds remaining, winning 38-35. A tough loss for UND, but first-year head coach Eric Schmidt and the team showed something tonight. There’s a different feel around UND, which is why I preseason ranked the Hawks.
-No. 3 South Dakota State shut down No. 15 Sac State, winning 20-3. Watching this game, one could reasonably say that SDSU could have won something like 34-3. The Jacks totally controlled this game, out-gaining the Hornets 430-131 in total yards, including a 240-24 rushing yards advantage. Multiple trips to the red zone fell short of getting 6. But give some credit to Sac State, who I thought played much better defensively after being down 17-3 at halftime. The Hornets got some big third-down stops. SDSU’s defense was terrific. And Chase Mason showed how physically gifted he is at QB. He went 17/23 for 190 yards and a touchdown. The ball soars off his hand with a flick of his wrist and a quick release. RB Julius Loughridge rushed for 159 yards in another great debut. Mason and SDSU’s offensive line did struggle with some pressure. But there is a lot of promise there. It was interesting that Mason was getting some NFL attention before he even started a game. Felt a little premature, right? Well, his right arm and legs tonight showed why there is that interest.
-It was a dud of a performance for Sac State’s Go-Go Offense. The problem with smack talk and too much hype from President Luke Wood, and not someone on the football team or coaching staff, is that it sets the team up poorly if they can’t deliver. I wonder how many people internally also weren’t fans of the online shenanigans. I backed up Sac State and its FBS push. I’ve even said it’d be enjoyable if they won a national title this year. This isn’t hate. Just the reality of the situation Sac State put itself in. When there is too much talk and not enough substance, it can come back to bite you when the offense that was supposed to score 50 looked overwhelmed, a new on-campus stadium push didn’t happen, and a guarantee of playing FBS in 2026 has been blocked for the time being. All hat and no cattle, some would say.
-By the way, Sac State currently has two games scheduled and no conference home for football in 2026.
–UTRGV won its football debut game, beating Sul Ross State 66-0. This program has great support, selling out its season tickets and all of its suites. It has great facilities. It doesn’t have any D1 football competition in a 3.5-hour radius within Texas. And it’s in a huge metro area. Keep an eye on the Vaqueros. There could be some growing pains as they start their program from scratch. But the pieces are there to build something strong as a Southland member.
–Southern Utah had an impressive 46-24 win over Idaho State, a week after ISU nearly beat UNLV. Bronson Barron threw for 240 yards and three TDs in the win, while Joshua Dye ran for 180 yards and two scores.
-No. 8 UC Davis erased a 24-7 deficit to beat Utah Tech 31-24. It would have been a disastrous loss against a Utah Tech team that went 1-11 last year. A helluva battle by the Trailblazers, though, who are Big Sky-bound in 2026.
-No. 12 Idaho gave FBS Washington State a scare, but WSU hit a game-winning field goal to win 13-10. It’s the fifth one-score FCS vs. FBS loss so far this season. Idaho looked great defensively, allowing three net rushing yards on 22 attempts. But too many team mistakes and miscues were costly. WSU, whose staff came over from South Dakota State this offseason, had several former Jackrabbit players make key plays.
-One score FCS vs FBS losses so far this season. Last year, there were a dozen.
Idaho State-UNLV (38-31)
Merrimack-Kent State (21-17)
Holy Cross-NIU (19-17)
UND-Kansas State (38-35)
Idaho-Washington State (13-10)
