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Two-time defending FCS champion South Dakota State goes from a close loss at then-No. 2 North Dakota State to facing another rival, No. 4 South Dakota, just one week later.
There’s really no rest during FCS conference play.
OK, so that example is a tad extreme, but the storyline across FCS conferences is enough to spook everybody even before Halloween. Whether it’s the SoCon, Southland, UAC, MEAC, Patriot or Ivy League – and perhaps others – most teams in a bunch of FCS conferences have a legitimate chance to defeat any of their brethren.
Just look at how No. 5 Villanova (to Maine) and No. 7 Mercer (to Samford) got trounced in ways few saw coming last week.
Is more of that in store this week?
FCS Football Week 9 Preview
FCS Game of the Week
No. 24 Western Carolina (4-3, 3-0 SoCon) at No. 14 Mercer (6-1, 3-1)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Five Star Stadium in Macon, Georgia (ESPN+)
Notable: Neither program has ever captured the Southern Conference title. WCU quarterback Cole Gonzales is coming off a SoCon record 620 passing yards against Furman and Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week. Last Saturday’s results underscore the Catamounts’ nonconference schedule was considerably tougher than Mercer’s, as the Bears had been to its first 6-0 start in program history before falling behind Samford 28-0 early in a 55-35 upset loss. Despite the defeat, the Bears still rank No. 1 in the FCS in rushing defense (41.3 yards per game) and top five in total defense, scoring defense and passing efficiency defense. They’re plus-8 in turnover margin with TJ Moore and Myles Redding having five interceptions each. Mercer going with a heavy dose of running back Dwayne McGee (519 yards, five touchdowns) would keep the ball away from Gonzales. The Catamounts junior spreads the wealth, with nine of his teammates having 10+ receptions, including leading rusher Branson Adams out of the backfield. Mercer is 3-0 at home this season and 20-4 during the 2020s.
The Pick: Mercer
Second-and-10
1. The last time a reigning FCS champion lost back-to-back games occurred in 2011 when Eastern Washington opened 0-3. The team that delivered the second consecutive loss that season was South Dakota. Well, the No. 4 Coyotes (6-1, 4-0) have the chance to do it again and maintain first place in the MVFC when they travel to No. 3 South Dakota State (5-2, 2-1), the two-time defending national champion. Coach Bob Nielson’s Coyotes lead the conference in scoring offense, scoring defense, total offense and total defense, and SDSU would be No. 2 in each stat if not for being just behind Missouri State in total offense. The Jackrabbits have won the last two meetings and six in a row in Brookings.
2. Here’s a fact about ball security and top teams that makes too much sense: Montana State senior Tommy Mellott has the most touchdown passes (17) without an interception among FCS quarterbacks and the Bobcats (8-0) are ranked No. 2 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. North Dakota State senior Cam Miller has the second-most TD passes (14) without a pick and the Bison (7-1) are ranked No. 1.
3. How’s this sound for a Southeast Missouri squad picked third in the Big South-OVC preseason poll: A top-four seed in the FCS playoffs? It’s increasingly possible for coach Tom Matukewicz’s 7-1 squad, which is ranked No. 6 nationally, only has a seven-point loss to FBS New Mexico State and figures to be favored in its final four regular-season games (Gardner-Webb on Saturday). Paxton DeLaurent, the Redhawks’ all-time passing leader, clearly enjoys having the only FCS trio of 500-yard receivers (Dorian Anderson, 640; Tristan Smith, 515; and Cam Pedro, 508).
(There’s instant impact with FCS freshmen on the Jerry Rice Award Watch List)
4. Four of the last five meetings between UIW and Southeastern Louisiana have been decided by seven or fewer points, adding to the anticipation of a matchup of Southland unbeaten squads. SLU (4-4, 3-0) will sit in the driver’s seat with an upset of No. 10 UIW (5-2, 2-0). The last time they met in Hammond, SLU won 41-35 on a walk-off – quarterback Eli Sawyer’s 59-yard touchdown pass. Sawyer is still directing the Lions offense, but the first option is conference rushing leader Antonio Martin Jr., a workhorse with 571 yards and seven touchdowns in the Lions’ last four games. Following a porous start, UIW’s rush defense has tightened, allowing just 119.3 yards per game and two TDs in a four-game winning streak.
5. After a shared bye week, the action is set to resume for the United Athletic Conference running backs who form the top three in FCS rushing yards per game: Tarleton State’s Kayvon Britten (165.7); Central Arkansas’ ShunDerrick Powell (158.1); and Southern Utah’s Targhee Lambson (156.9) – with a sizable gap to Davidson’s Mari Adams (126.3) at No. 4. The last time even two players from the same conference finished a season atop rushing yards per game (including the postseason) was the SoCon in 2000 with Furman’s Louis Ivory and Georgia Southern’s Adrian Peterson.
6. The season’s biggest FCS vs. FCS crowd to date is expected at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, when SWAC rivals Alabama A&M (3-3, 1-1) and Alabama State (3-3, 2-1) square off in the Magic City Classic. ASU won the last two matchups before 69,210 fans last year and 67,532 in 2022. The FCS HBCU schedule is strong, also including SWAC West Division leader Southern at defending conference champion Florida A&M in the SWAC and the start of the MEAC’s five-week dash, featuring Morgan State at No. 20 North Carolina Central.
7. That four CAA Football teams are ranked between No. 13 and 18 nationally reflect the tight feel of the conference race. Ten teams are 4-3 or better overall and eight are either 3-0 or 2-1 in conference. New Hampshire travels to No. 13 Villanova and Stony Brook hosts No. 16 William & Mary, and they’re all 2-1 in conference. Richmond (5-2, 3-0) travels to Bryant to play in the same state and just 40 miles away from its fellow co-leader, No. 15 Rhode Island (6-1, 3-0), but they won’t be facing each other in the 16-team CAA’s eight-game conference schedule. While both teams are on five-game winning streaks, the remaining schedule favors the No. 18 Spiders the most among title contenders: Their next four games are against teams that are a combined 2-10 in conference, then they’re home against rival William & Mary.
8. Two key storylines stand out in the Patriot League. Lafayette (4-3, 1-1) hosts Holy Cross (3-5, 2-0) in a matchup of last year’s co-champs, and it’s a must-win for the Leopards given the Crusaders have the early jump on extending their league-record five consecutive titles. Also, Fordham travels to Lehigh, and senior linebacker James Conway could move from sixth place to first on the PL’s career tackles leaderboard. His 417 stops (the active high in the FCS) are just 15 behind all-time leader Jacob Dobbs’ record 432 at Holy Cross from 2019-23, and he’s had 15+ in seven career games.
9. Ivy League co-leader Dartmouth (5-0) – one of two unbeaten FCS teams along with No. 2 Montana State (8-0) – is just scraping by opponents, given its last four wins are by a combined 10 points. But the No. 22 Big Green also can consider it as clutch play under second-year Sammy Corkle, having rallied from fourth-quarter deficits in three of those wins. They’ll hope to escape from New York with first place after taking on Columbia (4-1, 2-0). While Dartmouth has a record 21 Ivy titles, Columbia has the fewest with just one in 1961, but first-year coach Jon Poppe has the Lions in contention.
10. The way offenses pass to the slot and perimeter basically reflects in FCS receiving statistics. Twelve of the 17 players with 600+ receiving yards are listed as 6 feet or taller, while seven of the nine players with 45+ receptions are listed 5-11 or shorter. The leaders in those categories are Arkansas-Pine Bluff 6-3 wideout JaVonnie Gibson with 842 receiving yards and Eastern Washington 5-11 wideout Efton Chism III with 69 receptions. The TD catches leader is UIW’s 6-2 Jalen Wathall with 10.
FCS Football Week 9 Top 25 Schedule
All Times ET Saturday
1. North Dakota State (7-1, 4-0 MVFC): at Murray State (2 p.m., ABC North Dakota/ESPN+)
2. Montana State (8-0, 4-0 Big Sky): No game
3. South Dakota State (5-2, 2-1 MVFC): then-No. 3 South Dakota(7:30 p.m., ESPNU)
4. South Dakota (6-1, 4-0 MVFC): at then-No. 4 South Dakota State(7:30 p.m., ESPNU)
5. UC Davis (7-1, 4-0 Big Sky): No game
6. Southeast Missouri (7-1, 4-0 Big South-OVC): Gardner-Webb(3 p.m., ESPN+)
7. North Dakota (5-2, 2-1 MVFC): at Youngstown State (6 p.m., ESPN+)
8. Tarleton State (6-1, 3-0 UAC): at Austin Peay(4 p.m., ESPN+)
9. Montana (5-2, 2-1 Big Sky): at Northern Colorado (3 p.m., MTN/ESPN+)
10. UIW (5-2, 2-0 Southland): at Southeastern Louisiana (7 p.m., ESPN+)
11. Idaho (5-3, 2-2 Big Sky): Eastern Washington (9 p.m., SWX/ESPN+)
12. Central Arkansas (5-2, 2-1 UAC): North Alabama (5 p.m., ESPN+)
13. Villanova (5-2, 2-1 CAA): New Hampshire (3:30 p.m., FloFootball)
14. Mercer (6-1, 3-1 SoCon): then-No. 24 Western Carolina (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
15. Rhode Island (6-1, 3-0 CAA): Maine (1 p.m., FloFootball)
16. William & Mary (5-2, 3-1 CAA): at Stony Brook (3:30 p.m., FloFootball)
17. Abilene Christian (5-3, 4-1 UAC): No game
18. Richmond (5-2, 3-0 CAA): at Bryant (noon, FloFootball)
19. Chattanooga (4-3, 3-1 SoCon): VMI (4 p.m., ESPN+)
20. North Carolina Central (5-2, 2-0 MEAC): Morgan State (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
21. Illinois State (5-3, 2-2 MVFC): No game
22. Dartmouth (5-0, 3-0 Ivy): at Columbia (1:30 p.m., ESPN+)
23. ETSU (4-3, 2-1 SoCon): at Wofford (2 p.m., ESPN+)
24. Western Carolina (4-3, 3-0 SoCon): at then-No. 14 Mercer(3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
25. Tennessee State (6-2, 3-1 Big South-OVC): No game
Top Photo of 2023 South Dakota State at South Dakota matchup. (Dave Eggen/Inertia)
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