FCS Roundup Week 8

What an unbelievably wild weekend, there were upsets galore and a lot of conference races have become incredibly unpredictable. Let’s unpack it all.

The major showdown this week was of course in Fargo, ND where North Dakota State hosted South Dakota State in search of winning the Dakota Marker for the first time since 2019. It was a true slobber knocker of a game where each yard had to be earned. Late in the game it appeared Mark Gronowski was set to do what he always does, he was making great throws and the Jackrabbits were getting in position to close the game out, but the Bison defense didn’t let it happen. They stepped up and kept South Dakota State out of FG range. Cam Miller then led the Bison offense on a drive that will be remembered by Bison faithful for ages to come, they would score a TD to take a 13-9 lead late and hold on to finally win the Marker once again. Baring something surprising the Bison likely forced the championship race to go through Fargo. Their defense deserves a lot of praise, there were questions about the unit early in the year especially when ETSU almost beat them but they’ve gotten better with each passing week and stepped up big time here.

That being said, surprising things do happen and Saturday was a fine example of that. First, Maine shockingly boatraced Villanova 35-7. Maine’s defense led the way with 4 turnovers, 7 sacks and a blocked FG. It was shocking to see the Black Bears throttle the Wildcats like that but hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for Maine’s program. Looking to see what they do with the momentum, it will be fun to see if Maine could continue to build a resume to crash the playoffs.

The other major shocker occurred in the SOCON with Mercer getting run off the field by Samford. Mercer’s defense had been impenetrable this season and Samford just torched them out of nowhere. QB Quincy Crittendon threw 4 TD passes in the FIRST QUARTER as the Bulldogs led 42-7 at halftime. At one point it looked like Mercer could rally in the 2nd half but Samford shut it down with 2 defensive TDs.

Going back to the CAA, a team I had been keeping my eye on was the Rhode Island Rams. This is a program that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1985, to give further context their last FCS playoff win is over the Akron Zips. The Rams entered the weekend undefeated against FCS competition, part of me was excited about the start but the pessimistic side was worried about what would happen against tougher competition. We got our answer, Rhode Island faced a ranked New Hampshire team on the road and absolutely dominated on their way to a 26-9 victory. It’s a long road ahead still, but I think we can begin to get excited about what possibilities this season has ahead for the Rams.

Richmond vs Delaware was another key battle in the CAA. Despite not being eligible for the playoffs with the transition, Delaware had been looking strong with an undefeated start but Richmond put that to rest with a dominating 28-9 win. I wasn’t sure what to think of the Spiders after they lost to Wofford earlier in the year (and that loss is starting not to age well) but they seem to be rounding into form.

Towson was a team I thought was underrated and had been advocating for lately but maybe my eyes were on the wrong CAA team? Stony Brook thrashed the Tigers 52-24 behind an incredible effort from QB Tyler Knoop who threw for as many TDs (6) as incompletions. The SeaWolves (always loved the name) are now 5-2 with their only losses to Marshall and Villanova. There’s a lot of competitive teams, and now that Villanova lost it’s clear the CAA is wide open.

In SOCON action, the Battle for the Silver Shako (The Citadel vs VMI) was one of the tightest games of the day. It was a battle all game, but VMI led most of the way coming so close to their first win of the year until a late touchdown pass lifted The Citadel to the win. The Bulldogs are making marginal improvements this season on their way to a 3-5 record so far.

One of the best performances from the weekend was from Western Carolina QB Cole Gonzales who threw for 620 yards and 5 TDs in a 52-20 destruction of Furman. Western Carolina has some early season regrets, but conference play has been a whole new season for them and their offense is peaking at the right time. Is this start to conference play for real and can they win the SOCON? We aren’t going to have to wait long to find out Mercer, Chattanooga and ETSU are the next 3 games.

The remarkable start to the season for Dartmouth continued with another tight victory, this time over Central Connecticut State who has been a tough matchup for everyone all season. Dartmouth’s undefeated record will be tested this next weekend because…

Columbia is proving to be a potential challenger. The Lions took down Penn on the road to move to 4-1 on the season. If they can beat Dartmouth they really could start thinking about a historic season. Columbia has only won the Ivy League once and it was back in 1961 (they do also have a Rose Bowl and claimed a national title in 1933.) More recently than their accomplishments Columbia once had a 44 game losing streak in the 1980s. That paints a picture of what’s at stake for this program next week.

One of the most thrilling games of the weekend was Southeastern vs Stephen F Austin. It was back and forth battle between the Lions and Lumberjacks. SFA took control of the game in the 4th quarter until Southeastern went on a dramatic late game drive ending with a TD pass with 2 seconds left from QB Eli Sawyer. Southeastern is 4-4 with 2 of their losses to FBS teams and to South Dakota State/Tarleton State so the Lions might be positioning themselves right into the playoff race.

South Dakota faced Youngstown State on the road, and while the Penguins have struggled this season but this is still traditionally a house of horrors for the Coyotes, they entered 0-6 at Youngstown State. They’ve been on a roll lately but Youngstown State still challenged them. The Penguins led 17-14 at halftime, but the Coyotes took over the 2nd half to win it. Now they can set their sights on rival South Dakota State.

Perhaps the craziest game of the day was Northern Arizona vs Idaho State. This game truly has it all. Both teams traded leads throughout the game, and the refs also completely lost control. At one point there was a call nobody liked, the players fought on the field and received unsportsmanlike penalties. Meanwhile the fans started throwing bottles and other objects on the field. Eventually they cleared that up and play continued. Idaho State grabbed the late in the 3rd quarter on a weird TD play where most of the offense pretended to be confused and not expecting the snap, but the QB received it and immediately threw it down field for a TD. It angered the fans yet again who proceeded to throw more bottles, cans, etc on the field, it was so bad that NAU head coach Brian Wright had to get on a microphone and ask the students to stop. The lead changes didn’t stop in the 4th quarter as NAU tied it up, Idaho State retook the lead and then NAU took it for good. They did withstand a late Idaho State drive that was helped by a lot of Northern Arizona penalties but the Lumberjacks came up with the stop at the end.

Survival was the name of the game for some. Idaho finally didn’t play a FBS or ranked FCS team in a home game against Cal Poly and the Vandals led most of the game before holding off a late Cal Poly rally, meanwhile UC Davis had to go on the road to the Red Turf, a place where the Aggies have never won before. UC Davis was determined to leave no doubt taking a quick 28-9 lead. Eastern Washington briefly rallied to get within a score but UC Davis answered and led by double digits the rest of the way.

I feel like I haven’t talked about Montana State enough because there’s usually a lot of close Big Sky games, but the Bobcats games aren’t among them. Montana State is just a straight up wagon this season. This has been a situation in the past where Montana State would be on upset alert before eventually winning the game but this year they’ve hardly been involved in any close games and are destroying everyone in their path. The Bobcats are on a warpath with the goal of winning it all.

Tennessee State is having a great season. The Tigers took down Howard 27-14 on the road to move to 6-2. Eddie George was given time to build up the program and it’s paying off. Their conference race now comes through Nashville as they host top challengers UT Martin and SE Missouri State.

It was a loaded slate for the SWAC this week. The headliner was Jackson State hosting Florida A&M, a game that is likely a critical one toward deciding who would be the top team in the conference, or at least the East division. It was close battle with multiple lead changes for most of the game until it was Florida A&M that broke in the 4th quarter. They fumbled twice in 2 possessions, one was returned for a Jackson State TD and the other led to the Tigers putting the game away. Massive win for the Tigers who now control the SWAC East.

The West division lead was also up for grabs with Southern facing Alcorn State. It followed a similar plot to Jackson State’s game. Both teams were in a tight battle, but Southern took over in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter to win by 10.

In other games Grambling took down UAPB to notch a conference win and Bethune-Cookman took down Mississippi Valley State to get their first win of the season. I’m hoping Mississippi Valley State can get a win soon…poor Delta Devils.