FCS Podcast: How To Gauge FCS-FBS Results + 2 Ranked Matchups Highlight Week 2

Welcome to the FCS Football Talk podcast.

On this episode, Sam Herder and Zach McKinnell discuss:

-3 Game Balls and a Flag from Week 1

-NDSU’s battle against Colorado 

-No. 6 Villanova’s win over No. 25 Youngstown State

-Missed opportunities for FCS programs to pull off FBS upsets

-No. 12 UIW at No. 1 SDSU will tell us a lot about both teams

-Can No. 23 North Dakota pull off the upset against No. 4 Montana?

-Other FCS matchups to watch in Week 2

You can also find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and Spreaker.​​

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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 1.

Zach’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag

• Game Ball: David Walker (Central Arkansas, EDGE)
  • 4 total tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
  • 91.6 PFF pass-rush grade & 88.3 PFF Grade
  • Walker shined against FBS competition, showing why he was ranked the No. 1 FCS prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft
    
• Game Ball: Rhode Island
  • Rhode Island escaped with a 20-17 win over Holy Cross in a huge out-of-conference matchup
    • Devin Farrell found Shawn Harrison for the game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds remaining
      • Led 13-3 entering the 4^th quarter before two Holy Cross TDs 
  • Despite the QB question mark for the Rams, Devin Harrell shined in his first career start
    • Farrell: 20-of-33 for 287 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, 54 rushing yards
  • Wide receiver Marquis Buchanan led the Rams with 4 receptions for 88 receiving yards, building on a stellar freshman campaign in 2023
  • Defensively, the Rams held Holy Cross to 101 passing yards and only 271 total yards

• Game Ball: Villanova
  • The Wildcats earned the first Top 25 win of the season, defeating Youngstown State 24-17
    • It was the eighth consecutive season-opening win for the Wildcats
    • The second consecutive victory against the Penguins after last year’s matchup in the FCS Playoffs
  • Quarterback Connor Watkins and running Isaiah Ragland shined offensively for Villanova
    • Watkins: 107 rushing yards & 2 rushing TDs (10.5 YPC)
    • Ragland: 65 rushing yards & 1 rushing TD on only seven carries
  • The Wildcats forced three key turnovers, which were the biggest difference in this game
    • Villanova was missing All-American cornerback Isas Waxter
      • Freshman Zahmir Dawud recorded 1^st career INT
    • Linebackers Shane Hartzell & Brendan Bell combined for 22 total tackles 

• Flag: Prairie View A&M
  • Texas Southern defeated Prairie View A&M for the first time in nine seasons
    •  The Tigers held the Panthers without a touchdown for the first time since 2003
  • The offense struggled throughout the game, posting only 259 total yards and 3.9 yards per play
    • The Panthers only rushed for 40 yards on 22 carries, being limited to 1.8 yards per carry
    • New quarterback Lucas Coley struggled before his injury, while Cam Peters failed to deliver in his limited action
      • Combined for 18-for-40 (45%) for 219 passing yards and zero touchdowns
    • Only held the ball for 23 minutes of possession time, allowing Texas Southern to control the pace of the game
  • Penalty Issues: 9 penalties for 89 yards
    • TXSO: 2 penalties for 25 yards

Sam’s 3 Game Balls And A Flag

• Game Ball: West Georgia
  • Beats Samford 38-29 in its FCS debut
  • West Georgia brought in 13 FBS transfers
    • Ole Miss transfer Davin Wydner threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns
    • Michigan transfer Karmello English had six catches for 108 yards
• Game Ball: Idaho
  • As a nearly 50-point underdog, Idaho loses to FBS No. 3 Oregon 24-14
  • Trailed 17-14 in the fourth
  • Held Oregon to 2.9 yards per carry (37 carries for 107 yards)
  • Jack Layne ran for a touchdown and threw for 168 yards, but he’ll miss several weeks with a broken collarbone
• Game Ball: Cam Miller
  • NDSU loses to Colorado 31-26
  • Miller played arguably his best game as a Bison
  • He went 18/22 passing for 277 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 81 yards and two scores
• Flag: UAlbany
  • No. 16 UAlbany beats LIU 27-21 at home
  • LIU went 4-7 last year and 4-3 in the NEC
  • LIU took a 21-17 lead in the third quarter
  • UAlbany offensive strength should be running the ball with an experienced o-line and Griffin Woodell returning, but it averaged only 3.2 yards per carry (28 attempts for 90 yards)
  • LIU rushed for 179 yards on 31 carries (5.8 YPC)
  • LIU’s Luca Stanzani went 20/31 for 179 yards and 3 TDs vs. UAlbany’s Myles Burkett (a Wisconsin transfer) going 12/26 for 165 yards and 1 TD