FCS HEADLINES
All year long FCS conferences and institutions will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the 150th anniversary of college football. Schools will be wearing a CFB150 patch or helmet decal this year. Schools and conferences should use the hashtag #FCS_CFB150 for all FCS social media posts.
#FCSonGameDay — got a suggestion for an FCS matchup or content for College GameDay — tweet it.
* #FearTheFCS — There have been three FCS wins at FBS sites this year:
The Citadel 27, at Georgia Tech 24 (ot)
Central Arkansas 35, at W. Kentucky 28
Southern Illinois 45, at UMass 20
In 2018, FCS teams recorded seven wins against FBS schools. Since 1978, FCS schools have recorded double-digit win totals against the FBS six times, most recently in 2016 (10 that year). The FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS schools.
* This year, a whopping 167 players from current FCS schools were part of the 32 opening-day rosters for the NFL’s 100th season. Add in 43 players that were signed to practice squads (which go through frequent changes) and the FCS haul in the NFL is 210 (data courtesy Craig Haley of STATS). Notably, there are 39 inductees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame who represent current FCS institutions.
* This week, 22 of 25 ranked teams (STATS FCS poll) are in action, and there are three games on the schedule that feature two ranked FCS teams (AFCA/STATS rankings).
#10/10 UNI (3-2) at #1/1 North Dakota State (5-0) | Fargo, N.D. • 2:30 p.m. CT [NBC ND/ESPN+]
#3/3 South Dakota State (4-1) at #17/19 Youngstown State (4-1) | Youngstown, Ohio • 6 p.m. ET [MyTV/ESPN+]
#7/5 Villanova (6-0) at #2/2 James Madison (5-1) | Harrisonburg, Va. • 1:30 p.m. ET [MASN/FloFootball.com]
* North Dakota State extended its winning streak to 26 games, which ties for the second-longest in FCS history. NDSU holds the FCS record with a 33-game winning streak (2012-14). NDSU hosts No. 10 UNI this Saturday. The Panthers ended NDSU’s 33-game streak in 2014.
* Montana’s Dalton Sneed, Sam Houston State’s Royce See, Missouri State’s Brendan Withrow and New Hampshire’s Oleh Manzyk were named Monday as the STATS FCS National Players of the Week for Week 6 games.
* The STATS FCS Team of the Week is UT Martin, which beat Eastern Kentucky, 38-28, on Saturday to take the early lead in the Ohio Valley Conference standings. HONORABLE MENTION: Furman (58-14 win over Samford); Hampton (40-34 win over North Alabama); No. 1 North Dakota State (37-3 win over No. 10 Illinois State); Sacramento State (48-27 win over No. 22 Eastern Washington); VMI (34-21 win over The Citadel).
FCS CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION (42nd Season — first year was in 1978)
- TEAM COMPOSITION — (24 TOTAL TEAMS) There are 10 conferences with automatic bids and the selection committee makes 14 at-large selections.
- DATES — Selection Sunday is on Sunday, Nov. 24. First-round games take place Saturday, Nov. 30. The top eight seeds receive a first-round bye. The title game will take place Saturday, Jan. 11, in Frisco, Texas.
- SITE — In January 2019, the NCAA announced it agreed to a five-year extension with Frisco, Texas, and Toyota Stadium will host the championship through 2025 (for the 2024 season) with an option for the 2026 championship.
- ESPN provides coverage for all 23 games, and the championship game has aired on ESPN2 since 2002.
- North Dakota State is the two-time defending champion. NDSU has won 7 of the past 8 titles (James Madison is the other.) Last year, NDSU beat Eastern Washington in the title game.
- Conferences with the most titles: Missouri Valley (9), Southern (8), Big Sky (6), CAA Football (6).
INDEPENDENTS — UND has been stubborn against the pass in its first four games of the season, allowing only 165.0 passing yards per game to rank 11th in the FCS. The Fighting Hawks have gone against three teams currently ranked inside the top-15 in the FCS for passing offense. It’s a rare break from the ranked opponents this week for the Fighting Hawks, as this game against Idaho State currently sits as the lone, non-ranked or receiving votes opponent for the green and white over an eight-week stretch.
BIG SKY — Four Big Sky teams remain undefeated in conference play after two weeks. Three Big Sky teams have three FCS wins, as seven weeks remain in Big Sky play. Last Wednesday, the Big Sky along with every FCS conference and their schools, made a social media push on Twitter with the hashtag #FCSonGameDay to draw attention to ESPN’s CollegeGameDay and the need for an FCS weekly presence on their show. The blast generated thousands of mentions and tweets between league offices, schools, fans, players and coaches all joining together for the same cause.
Montana’s Dalton Sneed was named the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Week honors. It’s the fourth STATS national honor for a Big Sky player this season. Sneed also earned his third straight Big Sky offensive weekly honor – the most since Eastern Washington’s Gage Gubrud in 2017.
Northern Arizona’s Luis Aguilar connected on a 57-yard field goal against Northern Colorado to tie for the longest in the FCS and FBS this season.
There continues to be a bit of a shakeup for the Big Sky in the STATS FCS and AFCA FCS Coaches’ Top 25 as the top 10 is highlighted by Weber State, Montana State and Montana. UC Davis comes in at No. 24/21 in the polls. The league has four additional teams receiving votes between both polls.
BIG SOUTH — Campbell is 1-0 in the Big South for the first time, and will look to start 2-0 in conference games next week when the Camels host Hampton. Campbell’s last 2-0 start to a league season was in 2017 when the Camels opened the Pioneer Football League slate with a 4-0 record. Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Hampton, Kennesaw State and Monmouth all open their Big South slates this Saturday.
Monmouth’s Anthony Budd tied a Big South record last Saturday with an interception in his fourth consecutive game, as he picked off a Wagner pass in the Seahawks’ opening possession. It was Budd’s Big South-leading fifth interception of the season.
Kennesaw State is the lone Big South member that owns a positive scoring margin in each quarter this season. Through five games, the Owls have outscored their foes 66-9 in the first quarter, 58-24 in the second period, 49-14 in the third stanza, and 17-14 in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Campbell owns a 56-9 margin over its opponents in the second quarter, while Hampton has outscored the opposition in the second quarter by a 75-24 margin. The 75 points are the most scored in any quarter by a Big South member thus far.
CAA FOOTBALL — There are five conference games on the Week 7 schedule, highlighted by No. 5 Villanova visiting No. 2 James Madison. The Wildcats are off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2003, which includes a 4-0 mark on the road. They face a Dukes’ squad that’s won five in a row and is 24-1 in their past 25 home games. Also on the league slate, New Hampshire takes a three-game winning streak to No. 22 Stony Brook, No. 9 Towson hosts UAlbany, No. 15 Delaware visits Elon and No. 18 Maine entertains Richmond. The lone non-conference contest features Rhode Island traveling to ACC member Virginia Tech.
Eight of the 13 CAA games played this season have been decided by eight points or less, including three overtime contests. Last week, JMU edged Stony Brook, 45-38 in overtime after the Seawolves kicked a game-tying field goal with five seconds left. On Sept. 29, Stony Brook edged Rhode Island, 31-27, on Tyquell Fields’ 50-yard TD run with 11 seconds to play. On Sept. 21, Villanova edged Towson, 52-45 in overtime, and New Hampshire got past Rhode Island, 27-24, on a field goal as time expired. Delaware pulled out a 36-33 triple OT win at Rhode Island on Sept. 7.
Road teams have had a lot of success in CAA play this season. Through 13 games, visiting teams have an 8-5 record.
IVY LEAGUE — No. 19/21 Princeton continues the Ivy League’s seven-game package on ESPN linear networks when it hosts Lafayette at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPNU. In what has been dubbed one of best FCS games of the weekend, the Ivy League’s other unbeatens—Dartmouth and Yale—will square off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, with a rightful place in the FCS polls on the line. Dartmouth is coming off a 9-1 season in 2018, while Yale aims to live up to the hype as the Ivy League preseason favorite entering the 2019 campaign.
Cornell senior running back Harold Coles will aim to remain 1-of-17 players averaging at least 100 rushing yards per game this season (6th, 111.0) when he goes toe to toe with one of the nation’s stoutest rushing defenses at Harvard (6th, 74.7 yards per game) at 1 p.m. Saturday. Harvard leads the all-time series 47-34-2, though Cornell has won back-to-back games. The Big Red are searching for their first win at Harvard Stadium since 2000.
Two of the five remaining unbeaten teams in the FCS will square off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday when Yale visits Dartmouth for its homecoming game. With the Big Green defensive unit allowing an FCS-low 8.0 points per game, the Bulldogs may need to rely on their defense to put some points on the board—something that unit has done in each of the past two games. For that Yale defense front, third downs may prove to be the key play. Dartmouth’s offense boasts a national-best 65.8 third-down conversion percentage, while Yale’s defense is allowing its opponents to convert on an FCS-low 23.7 percent of third downs.
MEAC — With two full weeks of conference play in the books, things are tight at the top of the MEAC standings – with four teams unbeaten in league play (including ineligible Florida A&M). This weekend, which starts on Thursday with a nationally-televised ESPNU contest between MEAC unbeaten Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central, should begin adding clarity to the picture.
Bethune-Cookman is on a roll, looking for its fourth straight victory. QB Akevious Williams completed seven of 16 passes for 156 yards and three scores (all to Jimmie Robinson) in the Wildcats’ 31-20 win over Morgan State this past weekend. Williams also ripped off 124 yards on 25 carries. North Carolina Central freshman QB Davius Richard was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks after the young signal-caller threw for 220 yards and two scores and ran for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles’ 28-21 loss to Florida A&M. Entering Saturday, the Eagles lead the nation in takeaways with 16.
Florida A&M QB Ryan Stanley completed 22 of 32 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns in the Rattlers’ 28-21 win over North Carolina Central this past weekend. was named the BoxToRow National Player of the Week on Monday, and Stanley needs just 27 yards to break Quinn Gray’s school record for career passing yards (7,378). In addition, he needs just seven touchdown passes to become the Rattlers’ all-time leader in that category.
MISSOURI VALLEY — When North Dakota State knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten James Madison in the 2017 FCS title game, It marked the 17th time an MVFC member had recorded a win vs. the nation’s top-rated team (9 of those 17 wins were against a fellow league member). UNI, which travels to Fargo to take on the nation’s No. 1 team North Dakota State, has three previous wins as an MVFC member against the top-rated team. The Panthers beat Youngstown State (1997), New Hampshire (2005) and North Dakota State (2014) for its three-such wins.
Missouri State defeated Western Illinois in three overtimes. It marks the second overtime game this year involving an MVFC member. (UNI lost at Iowa State, also in three overtimes.) The MSU-WIU game marks the second-straight year the league has had a conference game decided in 3OT (Indiana State beat South Dakota in 2018).
UNI’s Elerson Smith picked up 2.5 sacks and 3.0 tackles for loss to help No. 13 UNI shut down the vaunted Youngstown State offense this past Saturday. He leads the FCS with 1.50 sacks per game and is tied for 4th in tackles for loss (2.1 per game).
North Dakota State rookie QB Trey Lance ranks among the NCAA leaders in pass efficiency (1st with a 204.7 rating) and ‘points responsible for’ (5th with 21.6 points per game). He’s the NCAA freshman leader in both categories. Former NDSU QB Easton Stick established the league single-season record with his 172.4 passer rating in 2018.
NORTHEAST — Bryant, which broke into the win column at Merrimack in Week 6, will host Long Island University in the featured #NECFB Game of the Week on ESPN3 at 1:00 pm ET Saturday.
With both teams coming off a bye, Robert Morris visits Saint Francis in a game that can be seen live at NECFrontRow.com 12:00 pm Saturday. RMU sophomore Alijah Jackson has totaled 265 rush yards over his last two road games (VMI, Youngstown State). Saint Francis owns the third-best team passing efficiency defense rating (97.98) in the FCS.
Central Connecticut will look to add to its FCS-leading 11 interceptions during Saturday’s visit to Columbia. CCSU, which has seen eight different players make an interception, has registered a league-leading 15 takeaways to date.
Duquesne senior running back AJ Hines, a Preseason All-American, returned to action following a two-game absence due to injury. Hines carried 32 times for 140 yards and one TD in the Dukes’ triumphant NEC opener against LIU, becoming the ninth 4,000-yard rusher in NEC history in the process.
OHIO VALLEY — Three teams remain undefeated in OVC play with UT Martin at 2-0 and Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri at 1-0 entering this week. Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri will matchup on Saturday.
UT Martin topped Eastern Kentucky 38-28 on Saturday, marking just its third-ever victory in Richmond. EKU won the first 20 games in the all-time series, but over the past 10 years the series is even at five apiece. In that win the Skyhawks held the Colonels to just 96 net rushing yards, 142 yards below is season average.
Jacksonville State senior Josh Pearson caught two touchdown passes in the team’s win over Tennessee State. Pearson, who is on the Walter Payton Award Watch List, now has 26 career receiving touchdowns, most in JSU history and 11th-most in OVC history.
Tennessee Tech freshman wide receiver Metrius Fleming had 246 all-purpose yards (the second-most by an OVC player this season) against Southeast Missouri. He is averaging 140.0 all-purpose yards/game, which ranks 19th nationally and second nationally among all freshmen.
Offense: QB Zerrick Cooper, Jacksonville State | Co-Defense: DB T.J. Warren, Murray State | Co-Defense: LB TJ Jefferson, UT Martin
Specialist: K Haidar Zaidan, Tennessee Tech | Newcomer: WR/RS Metrius Fleming, Tennessee Tech
PATRIOT — The Patriot League portion of the schedule has begun with Holy Cross and Lehigh claiming road League victories during Week 6. Bucknell will travel to Colgate to continue League play in Week 7, with both teams looking for their first victory in 2019. Georgetown hosts Fordham with both games beginning League play at Cooper Field in Washington, D.C. at 2 p.m. Lafayette will begin its League schedule on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Georgetown for the Stadium Game of the Week.
Georgetown is second among FCS teams in scoring defense, allowing just 9.6 points per game during their 4-1 start. The Hoyas are also third in the FCS in total defense, limiting opponents to 251.0 yards per game. The Hoyas have also been among the most opportunistic teams in the nation, holding a 1.80 turnover margin through five games. Defensive back’s Micah McNeil and Jonathan Honore both have two interceptions.
Lehigh’s defense ranks 10th in DI FCS in team sacks at 3.20 per game and 22nd in team tackles for loss per game with 7.6. Junior defensive lineman Erik Slater is second in the FCS, averaging 2.3 TFLs per game and eighth in the nation in sacks with 1.00 per game. Teammate Keith Woetzel is 17th in sacks, averaging 0.90 per game.
The Patriot League boasts four of the top 10 FCS active leaders in tackles for loss per game, led by Fordham sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, a three-time League defensive player of the week this season. Junior linebacker and teammate Glenn Cunningham is third in the nation after leading the Patriot League and placing fourth in the FCS with 21.5 tackles for loss in 2018. Preseason Player of the Year Nick Wheeler, a senior defensive lineman at Colgate, has 46.5 TFL’s in 36 games for the Raiders’ defense. Bucknell junior linebacker Simeon Page has 25.0 TFL’s in 21 career games to place seventh.
PIONEER — Only eight of the league’s 10 teams will be in action but each of the PFL’s four unbeaten teams will be in action. An early meeting of unbeatens takes place in North Carolina when San Diego leaves California for the first time this season and heads cross country to meet Davidson in a meeting of the league’s top passing team (San Diego) and its top rushing squad (Davidson). Drake takes its 2-0 mark to Indianapolis for a meeting with Butler in the PFL’s annual Battle of the Bulldogs. Dayton also heads into Indiana after winning its PFL opener, making the trek to Valparaiso.
Seeing a PFL quarterback listed on the FCS Active Career Leaders list in passing efficiency is a normal occurrence. However, that quarterback not having San Diego next to their name is a new twist. Dayton signal caller Jack Cook is the FCS’ active career leader with a 163.06 career pass efficiency rating. That would rank second all-time on the PFL’s career pass efficiency list, behind San Diego’s Josh Johnson’s 176.68 mark (2004-07)
Meanwhile, San Diego wide receiver Michael Bandy moved past the 2,500 receiving yard plateau in Week 6. He now is ranked fifth among FCS active career leaders with 2,533 career receiving yards. Bandy needs just 374 yards to move into the PFL’s Top 10 in receiving yardage (2,907 yards, Morehead State’s Jake Raymond).
Drake’s defensive back Will Warner nabbed his first interception of 2019 against Valparaiso in Week 6. It was his 12th career interception, keeping him atop the list of the FCS’ active career leaders. With his next pick he moves into the PFL’s career Top 10 in INTs.
SOUTHERN — There are just two games on the Southern Conference slate this week, as five teams are on byes. Samford visits VMI and The Citadel hosts Western Carolina.
All five home teams lost last weekend, with Furman, Chattanooga, VMI and Wofford picking up league wins on the road.
The Keydets downed rival The Citadel on Oct. 5, 34-21, to snap a 12-game losing streak in the series and claim the Silver Shako. VMI’s win was its first over the Bulldogs in Charleston, South Carolina, since 1995. Quarterback Reece Udinski threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns, with receiver Jakob Herres on the receiving end for 175 yards and two scores. Alex Ramsey just missed his third 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 97 yards and a TD.
VMI’s Udinski has yet to throw an interception this season. With a 25-for-35 effort against The Citadel, Udinski surpassed the SoCon record for consecutive passes without an INT in a career, running his season totals to 155-for-252.
SOUTHLAND — The Southland once again has four teams in the national polls as No. 24/25 Sam Houston State returned to both the FCS Coaches and STATS Top-25, joining No. 12/12 Nicholls, No. 16/16 Central Arkansas and No. 25/23 Southeastern Louisiana.
For the ninth-straight season, Sam Houston State came out on top of the Battle of the Piney Woods, defeating Stephen F. Austin 31-20 last Saturday. The Bearkats’ six takeaways were the most in the rivalry since 2013.
Senior linebacker Royce See, the STATS FCS and Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week had a hand in four of those turnovers, snagging two interceptions, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble on a strip sack in the fourth quarter.
Lamar’s Jordan Hoy, Houston Baptist’s Jerreth Sterns and McNeese’s Cory McCoy were named Honorable Mention STATS National Players of the Week.
SWAC — Saturday marks Homecoming for the Alcorn Braves. Alcorn and Savannah State will meet for just the second time. The Braves won the only previous meeting 34-6 in 1970. Alcorn has won 13 consecutive games against non-Division I opponents. – Alcorn is riding a three-game winning-streak. Most recently, the Braves brought the thunder to Montgomery and electrified Alabama State 35-7 after a four hour lightning delay. Alcorn improved to 16-2 against SWAC East Division opponents over the last five seasons.
Prairie View A&M is looking for their third-straight win this weekend when it heads to Southern, but the Jaguars have won the past three meetings between the two teams, including a 38-0 win in 2018. That game represented the lowest point total in a single game by the Panthers in the Dooley era. The Jaguars earned their first win of the season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a score of 31-7. The Jaguars defense is one of the best in the SWAC from a statistical standpoint, as it ranks second in the SWAC allowing 24.6 points per game and is tied for the league lead with eight interceptions this season.
Alabama A&M QB Aqeel Glass was named the SWAC Offensive Player of the Week last week. Glass passed for 377 yards and four touchdowns, completing 28-of-38 attempts with no interceptions as Alabama A&M topped Texas Southern 35-28 for a conference win in overtime. Glass threw touchdown passes of 73, 57, 20 and 12 yards.