The FCS football season rarely fails to thrill. It was at it again in Week 3 as part of a schedule that included four games matching nationally ranked teams.
To underscore the continued competitive nature of the 2024 FCS football season, look no further than the top five of the national rankings on Saturday.
It’s even dicey there.
North Dakota State, No. 2 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll, coulda, shoulda, woulda lost at ETSU only to rally in the closing minutes for a 38-35 escape.
Fifth-ranked Villanova survived a scare as well, edging Towson 14-13 in a CAA Football opener only after the visiting Tigers misfired on two field-goal attempts in the final 1:13.
No, don’t be getting ahead of yourself this FCS season.
FCS Football Week 3 Review
Miller Fuels North Dakota State’s Rally; Sanchez Keys Villanova
North Dakota State’s only nonconference loss during the regular season since its first FCS national championship season in 2011 was the 38-35 defeat to Montana to open the 2015 Division I season.
To sidestep an upset loss at ETSU, the Bison won by the same score.
Escape was an understatement. North Dakota State overcame a 35-23 deficit with two touchdowns and the recovery of an onside kick in the final two minutes. Quarterback Cam Miller accounted for 297 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the win, with an 11-yard scoring scramble up the middle with 50 seconds remaining the difference.
ETSU appears revitalized under first-year coach Tre Lamb. In the loss, Bryson Irby rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
The Villanova win saw wide receiver Jaylan Sanchez catch a pair of touchdowns. The Wildcats are 3-0.
(Here’s the full Top 25 Scoreboard)
Different Season, Different Outcome
Idaho and Duquesne each exacted some revenge against an opponent it lost to in the 2023 FCS playoffs.
The Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week didn’t live up to the billing as No. 4 Idaho handled No. 17 UAlbany 41-13. Jack Wagner threw a pair of touchdowns to Jordan Dwyer and Nate Thomas scored on two short runs as the Big Sky squad cruised despite possessing the ball for only 24 minutes, 30 seconds.
Duquesne was overmatched at Youngstown State in the playoffs, but this time the defending Northeast Conference champ held on for a 28-25 road triumph. Darius Perrantes threw two touchdowns to Tedy Afful, JaMario Clements needed only 12 carries to rush for 204 yards and a TD, and linebacker Luke Miller had 14 tackles.
Ranked vs. Ranked Games
In addition to Idaho beating UAlbany, there were three other games that matched nationally ranked teams.
Southern Illinois quarterback DJ Williams racked up 380 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to power the No. 9 Salukis past No. 12 UIW 35-28.
In a huge Southern Conference opener, No. 23 Mercer won a 10-3 defensive slugfest over No. 14 Chattanooga, which fell to 0-3. Brayden Smith scored the game’s only touchdown on a 9-yard run in the second quarter, helping the Bears to remain as the only non-Ivy League FCS team yet to trail this season.
Like Chattanooga, No. 24 Nicholls fell to 0-3 as No. 11 Sacramento State topped the Colonels 34-7. Carson Conklin passed for 264 yards and a pair of TDs in the win.
MVFC Wins Series Over Big Sky Again
North Dakota’s back-to-back wins over Montana (27-24) and Idaho State (52-28) provided the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 2-1 triumph in this year’s abbreviated Big Sky-MVFC Challenge. Bo Belquist had eight receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown in the No. 10 Fighting Hawks’ series clincher over Idaho State.
The MVFC has captured five of the six regular-season series, with the exception a 3-3 tie in 2022. North Dakota is 4-1 all-time in the series, including a split of two games as a Big Sky member in the inaugural season of 2017.
This year’s series lost a game when Portland State canceled a matchup with No. 6 South Dakota due to members of the Vikings team being exposed to pertussis (whooping cough).
Stock Up, Stock Down
Stock Up: The three teams that fell out of the Top 25 last Monday after falling to 0-2 rebounded with impressive victories. Furman routed Stetson 48-7 behind true freshman QB Trey Hedden; Richmond shut out Charleston Southern 38-0 just one week after the Bucs had stunned Furman; and Western Carolina won at Elon 24-17.
Stock Down: Fordham was expected to contend for the Patriot League title, but there’s been little sign the Rams are headed that way during an 0-3 start. Standout linebacker James Conway hasn’t played this season and quarterback CJ Montes was lost to injury during the Rams’ 27-21, Homecoming loss to Stony Brook. They have scored only one offensive touchdown in their last two games.
Around FCS Nation
Top-ranked South Dakota State (2-1) beat Division II Augustana 24-3 as Amar Johnson rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown. … FCS teams were winless in 11 games against FBS competition. Gardner-Webb narrowly fell at Charlotte 27-26 – the only result under double digits. … One week after Saint Francis beat Kent State for its first-ever win over an FBS program, Central Connecticut State toppled the Red Flash 27-20 in the NEC. The game included a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown (SFU’s DeMario Crawford), a 97-yard TD run (SFU’s DeMarcus McElroy), an 84-yard punt (CCSU’s Aidan Clark) and a fumble return TD for each team (CCSU’s Kimal Clark broke a 20-20 tie on a 10-yard score with 1:45 left).
The No. 25 Abilene Christian Wildcats walked off a 24-22 win at Northern Colorado when Ritse Vaes drilled a 54-yard field goal. … Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson passed for 390 yards and four touchdowns in a 51-22 at Maine, where he had played the last four seasons in the CAA. He connected with Josh Derry for a program-record 94-yard touchdown pass. … New Hampshire’s Seth Morgan tied the school record with six TD passes, including three to Riley Corcoran, in a 45-6 victory over Stonehill. … FCS independents Sacred Heart and Merrimack beat Patriot League opponents. Myles Talley had an interception and a fumble recovery in Sacred Heart’s 40-14 takedown of Georgetown. Jermaine Corbett rushed for 166 yards and a TD in Merrimack’s 31-21 win over Bucknell.
Eighth-ranked Montana (2-1) hammered Morehead State 59-2 with an eye-popping 576-45 advantage in yards. In his first college game, true freshman Malae Fonoti rushed for 176 yards and a TD on 24 carries. Additionally, All-America wide receiver/returner Junior Bergen made his season debut after missing the first two games. … Running backs Irv Mulligan and J.D. Martin both scored a touchdown while making their season debut in Jackson State’s 33-15 win over Southern. The rivalry game drew 32,027 to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. … Tennessee State beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 41-28 in the Southern Heritage Classic in Memphis. Draylen Ellis had three TD passes. … Bethune-Cookman’s Darnell Deas scored on 95- and 98-yard kickoff returns in the Wildcats’ 59-31 loss at Western Michigan. He is up to six kickoff return TDs in his 35-game career, one shy of the FCS record. … Northwestern State’s 87-10 loss at South Alabama Thursday night marked the most points allowed in Demons program history and the most by an FCS team since Arkansas-Pine Bluff fell 90-6 at South Dakota State on Sept. 15, 2018.
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