Welcome to the FCS Football Talk podcast.
On this episode, Sam Herder and Zach McKinnell discuss:
-Week 4 Three Game Balls and A Flag
-No. 4 Montana’s comeback win over No. 24 Western Carolina
-How open is the race for the FCS National Championship?
-Week 5 previews:
No. 12 Mercer at No. 23 Wofford
No. 17 SIU at No. 5 South Dakota
No. 2 NDSU at No. 18 Illinois State
No. 19 Lamar at No. 7 Central Arkansas
No. 4 Idaho at No. 14 UC Davis
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3 Game Balls and a Flag
Each week of the 2024 FCS football season, the FCS Football Talk podcast will award three game balls and a flag from the previous weekend’s action.
The game balls are awarded to three standout teams or individual players, while the flag is thrown after a disappointing performance or questionable coaching decision.
Below are the three game balls and a flag from Week 4.
Zach’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag
- Game Ball: Columbia
- The Lions opened the season with a statement win over No. 18 Lafayette
- It was the first win over a ranked opponent since 2019
- This game also served as the first win under head coach Jon Poppe
- Columbia’s offense was efficient, averaging 7.0 yards per play and recording over 447 total yards
- Chase Goodwin: 16-of-19 attempts for 180 passing yards and two touchdowns
- In limited action, Cole Freeman recorded two passing touchdowns on only eight attempts
- The Lions rushed over 200 yards and 5.5 yards per carry, led by Joey Giorgi with 90 yards
- Malcolm Terry II and Chase Goodwin also combined for 119 rushing yards
- Wide receiver Bryson Canty led the Lions with six receptions for 95 receiving yards and two touchdowns
- The Lions held a potent Lafayette rushing attack to only 3.3 yards per carry and did not allow a rushing touchdown
- Game Ball: Montana
- Earned first win over a ranked opponent this season with a 46-35 win over No. 24 Western Carolina
- Trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter but outscored the Catamounts 25-8 in the second half
- The Grizzlies recorded 349 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns
- Led by Eli Gillman with 175 rushing yards (12.5 YPC) and one rushing TD
- Keali’I Ah Yat became the first Montana QB to rush for four touchdowns in a single game
- After allowing 27 points in the first half, the Grizzlies dominated the second half
- Held the Catamounts to only 8 points, including a scoreless third quarter that helped the Grizzlies extend their lead
- The Grizzlies held Cole Gonzales to only 115 passing yards in the second half
- Game Ball: Tarleton State RB Kayvon Britten
- Britten set multiple program records with his performance against North Alabama
- Britten’s four touchdowns led the Texans to a 28-14 win over the Lions
- He accounted for over 80% of Tarleton Sate’s total offensive production
- Britten finished the game with 21 carries for 273 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns
- His 273 rushing yards set the new single-game program record
- Season-high total for an FCS running back in 2024
- His four rushing touchdowns are tied for the most in a single game this season at the FCS level
- His 96-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter was the longest rushing touchdown in the program’s Division I era
- Britten was named the FCS National Offensive Player of the Week
- Leads the nation with 660 rushing yards this season
- Flag: North Carolina A&T
- North Carolina Central defeated the Aggies 66-24 in the Aggie-Eagle Classic
- The Aggies lost their third consecutive game to North Carolina Central, the longest streak since 2014-16
- It was also the most points allowed in the history of the rivalry
- The Aggies have struggled the past two seasons under head coach Vincent Brown
- 1-10 overall record last season, finished winless in conference play
- North Carolina A&T is 0-3 against Division I opponents this season
- Only win against Winston-Salem State in overtime (27-20)
- After this weekend, North Carolina A&T ranks No. 113 nationally in total defense and No. 117 in scoring defense
- The Aggies have also struggled to find any offensive consistency, averaging only 19.3 points per game this season
Sam’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag
- Game Ball: Monmouth
- First FBS win in program history, beating FIU 45-42
- Deuce Lee forced a fumble and recovered it near the goal line after an FIU player was fighting for extra yardage to seal the win
- FCS over FBS win No. 5 this year:
- Montana State vs. New Mexico (35-31)
- Saint Francis vs. Kent State (23-17)
- Idaho vs. Wyoming (17-13)
- Southern Utah vs. UTEP (27-24)
- Monmouth vs. FIU (45-42)
- Game Ball: SEMO
- No. 21 SEMO beats No. 7 Southern Illinois 38-21
- SEMO led 16-12 at halftime, SIU took a 21-16 lead in the third quarter, but SEMO finished strong with three touchdowns to pull away
- SEMO’s Paxton DeLaurent throws for 301 yards and four touchdowns, and Payton Brown rushed for 124 yards and a score
- SIU backup-turned-starting-QB Hunter Simmons finished 28/48 for 341 yards and a touchdown, but SIU rushed for only 62 yards on 30 attempts
- SEMO LB Bryce Norman finished with 12 tackles and 1.5 TFLs
- SEMO improves to 3-1 with a near FBS win over New Mexico State
- Game Ball: ETSU
- After an emotional loss to NDSU, ETSU goes on the road and beats Elon 34-14
- Both teams were receiving votes in the media poll last week
- Jaylen King goes 17/28 for 233 yards while rushing for 93 yards and two scores
- Bryson Irby adds 96 yards and a touchdown on the ground
- Flag: Southern Utah
- After looking like a rankable team after beating FBS UTEP and battling No. 15 UC Davis in a 24-21 loss, Southern Utah loses 38-28 at Idaho State
- It was 24-7 at halftime
- Southern Utah is now 1-3 overall
