Balance is a key ingredient to a championship-winning formula in football. An explosive offense needs to be helped out by a strong defense and vice versa.
Only 11 FCS teams are ranked in the Top 25 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.
Here are those teams getting it done on both sides of the ball:
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*Numbers are points per game
Princeton
No. 1 offense (50.7), No. 2 defense (9.1)
Princeton is putting up just stupid numbers right now. Its lowest scoring game is 29 points against Harvard while 50 points has been reached in four of its seven games. Opponents have scored more than 10 points just one time.
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Kennesaw State
No. 2 offense (46.9), No. 5 defense (12.1)
The Owls just keep rolling thanks to a rushing attack that averages 369.4 yards per game. The time of possession battle is being won 33:56 to 26:04, helping out a strong and fast defense. KSU has scored 56 points or more four times this season.
MORE KSU: Owls Have Senior Class With a Unique Nickname
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North Dakota State
No. T7 offense (40.4), No. 6 defense (12.9)
For being a ball-control offense, the Bison are still putting up impressive numbers. While averaging 269.5 rushing yards per game, quarterback Easton Stick is pushing the ball down the field with 15.9 yards per completion. The defense, per usual, is as good as it gets in the FCS.
MORE NDSU: Bison Are As Good As Advertised
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Jacksonville State
No. 5 offense (43.1), No. 13 defense (19.1)
Zerrick Cooper injected some much-needed life into the offense this year at the quarterback position. The Gamecocks have been more explosive with big bodies as receiving threats. JSU's staple of stifling run defense continues, allowing just 70.5 yards on the ground a game.
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James Madison
No. 15 offense (36.4), No. 3 defense (9.8)
The JMU offense has received some questions after games against Elon and Stony Brook. But the unit is still producing solid numbers with first-year starting QB Ben DiNucci completing an impressive 68.9 percent of his passes, which is third in the FCS. The defense, even though breaking in a ton of new starters, remains impossible to consistently move the chains on.
MORE JMU: Mike Houston Talks To Brian McLaughlin
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Dartmouth
No. 16 offense (35.3), No. 4 defense (10.7)
Dartmouth has gotten off to a blistering 7-0 start and its game this weekend against Princeton is going to be an entertaining battle. The ground game is getting it done on offense, averaging 261.4 yards per game. On the flip side, opponents are mustering just 82.7 rushing yards a game.
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Illinois State
No. 18 offense (34.5), No. 9 defense (17.3)
It's about as balanced as you can get offensively with 204.1 rushing yards and 228.6 passing yards per game. And it's even more impressive balance considering the two-headed monster at running back with James Robinson and Markel Smith.
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South Dakota State
No. 6 offense (41.3), No. 21 defense (21.6)
SDSU's offense hasn't taken a noticeable hit with two pass catchers from last year departing to the NFL. Taryn Christion is playing like Taryn Christion at the quarterback spot. And defensively, the Jacks have taken a promising step forward, especially against the run by allowing 4.1 yards per rush attempt.
MORE SDSU: Taryn Christion Still Wants To Accomplish More
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Alcorn State
No. 24 offense (33.2), No. 12 defense (19.1)
The Braves made up for scoring zero points against Georgia Tech by putting 78 on the board against Louisiana College. The offense has continued to get better in SWAC play, scoring 35 and 33 points in the last two games. Three players (Noah Johnson, De'Shawn Waller and PJ Simmons) are right around the 600-yard rushing mark.
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Drake
No. 21 offense (33.7), No. 15 defense (20.0)
Grant Kraemer has led a terrific passing attack for Drake, throwing for 1,824 yards and 22 touchdowns while the rushing attack gets the job done as well. The defense lives in the backfield with 52 tackles for loss and 17 sacks.
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Eastern Washington
No. 11 offense (39.5), No. T25 defense (22.1)
Even with All-American quarterback Gage Gubrud out for the season, the Eagles are still putting up big-time numbers with the explosive play of sophomore Eric Barriere. And most impressive for EWU is the defense. The group has made incredible strides this season and has the top scoring defense in the Big Sky during conference games with 15.8 points allowed a game.
MORE EWU: Eagles Look Loaded And Ready For A Deep Playoff Run
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