FCS Midseason Review: Best Games, Players and Teams

Many FCS teams are reaching the midpoint of their schedule this week, if they’re not already there.

Just having South Dakota State’s 29-game winning streak end at Oklahoma State in a season opener provided a hint the 2024 national title chase is more wide-open than usual.

Just a hint. It is FCS football after all.

The two-time defending FCS champion Jackrabbits are still ranked No. 1 – 28 straight polls and running – and No. 2 North Dakota State is about to tie Montana’s record with a 195th straight appearance in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. Montana State has even held the No. 3 national ranking since Labor Day.

But the storylines are aplenty this season from coast to coast, in big and small conferences, and with the good (ETSU’s inspiring story of overcoming the adversity of a road trip in and around areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene) the bad (nine Top 25 teams losing in Week 6) and the ugly (the cloud of conference realignment, transfer portal and NIL gone bad).

Here’s an FCS midseason review, although you may consider the best is yet to come:

Five FCS vs. FCS Games to Remember

1. No. 2 North Dakota State 38-35 win at ETSU (Sept. 14) – It was coulda, woulda, shoulda for a stunning upset, but the Bison overcame a 35-23 deficit with two touchdowns and the recovery of an onside kick in between during the final two minutes. Quarterback Cam Miller’s 11-yard scramble up the middle with 50 seconds left gave the Bison their first lead since the 8:55 mark of the second quarter.

2. Weber State 55-48 OT win at No. 8 Montana (Oct. 5) – As over 25,000 looked on, the lead changed hands five times in the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter before Weber State forced overtime on Kyle Thompson’s 43-yard field goal to end regulation and won it in the extra session on Richie Munoz’s sixth TD pass.

3. Prairie View A&M 36-34 five-OT win over Grambling State (Sept. 28) – Fittingly, the season’s largest crowd to date (52,323 at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl Stadium) saw the longest FCS game since 2022. Grambling State’s touchdown in the final minute forced overtime, and the game went on until Prairie View’s Lamagea McDowell punched in a 2-point run to cap the fifth extra session.

4. Southeast Missouri 45-42 2-OT win over UT Martin (Sept. 7) – The season’s first Big South-OVC game may wind up being the most important, and surely thrilling. Paxton DeLaurent threw three of his six TD passes to Mitchell Sellers, who didn’t even play in the first three quarters. DC Pippen’s 37-yard field goal in the second OT provided the winning margin.

5. No. 14 UC Davis 28-26 win over No. 4 Idaho (Sept. 28) – Big Sky after dark always delivers: Miles Hastings passed for 248 yards and three touchdowns and UC Davis intercepted three passes in the win, but the Aggies had to stop the Vandals’ potential-tying 2-point pass attempt in the final minute.

Five FCS Midseason Awards

Offensive Player – ShunDerrick Powell, RB, Central Arkansas: The FCS leader in both all-purpose and scrimmage yards per game (203.5) and touchdowns (15). He’s averaging 36.2 yards on TDs.

Defensive Player – Jalen Jones, CB, William & Mary: Leads the FCS in passes defended per game (2.2) with 11 pass breakups (at least one in all six games) and two interceptions as well as 22 tackles.

Freshman Player – CharMar Brown, RB, North Dakota State: The Bison’s new go-to back has two 100-yard games while rushing for 449 yards, and his six TDs are tied for the high among FCS freshmen.

Coach – Jason Eck, Idaho: The Vandals have utilized three quarterbacks due to injuries, but are 4-2 against two FBS (win over Wyoming) and four FCS Top 25 opponents. The two losses were tight.

HBCU Player – J’Mari Taylor, RB, North Carolina Central: The dynamic back has a touchdown in every game with nine overall as well as 540 rushing yards and 14 receptions in the Eagles’ 4-2 start.

FCS Midseason: Five Surprises

Abilene Christian (4-2, 3-0 UAC) – Pushing Texas Tech to overtime was an eye-opener, and quarterback Maverick McIvor and Co. haven’t let up since then, including a win over then-No. 5 Central Arkansas. The Wildcats are ranked 10th in the Top 25 poll and 12th in TRACR (Team Rating Adjust for Competition and Roster).

McNeese (4-3, 1-1 Southland) – Two teams have gone from 0-10 last season to four wins this season, and here’s one of them. Included for coach Gary Goff’s squad is a Top 25 road win at Weber State.

South Carolina State (3-2, 0-0 MEAC) – The record may not be surprising under first-year coach Chennis Berry, but the Bulldogs have still impressed while playing only one home game to date – a satisfying rout of old MEAC rival North Carolina A&T.

Southeast Missouri (5-1, 2-0 Big South-OVC) – The 11th-ranked Redhawks have already surpassed last year’s four wins, including over rival UT Martin plus Southern Illinois and Eastern Illinois on the road.

Stony Brook (4-2, 1-1 CAA) – Here’s the other team to go from 0-10 to four wins. It’s occurred under a first-year coach, Billy Cosh.

FCS Midseason: Five Disappointments

Alabama State (2-3, 1-1 SWAC) – The Hornets being picked above Florida A&M and Jackson State in the SWAC’s preseason poll seemed risky from the start. Quarterback Andrew Body’s early injury seemingly hurt the chance of it coming to fruition.

Eastern Illinois (1-5, 0-2 Big South-OVC) – The Panthers had the FCS’ largest increase in winning percentage (.545) while improving from 2-9 in 2022 to 8-3 last year. Their fall to 1-5 has created this year’s largest decrease (.560).

Fordham (0-6, 0-1 Patriot) – The second-largest drop in winning percentage (.545) belongs to the Rams, who were 6-5 a year ago and were considered Patriot League contenders before a rash of key injuries.

St. Thomas (2-3, 1-0 Pioneer) – The Tommies’ 31-game home winning streak fell in stunning fashion to Division II Sioux Falls and they later lost at Lindenwood 64-0.

Southern Illinois (2-4, 0-2 MVFC) – It’s easy to praise the Salukis for taking on a challenging schedule, but they’re crumbling under it while facing quarterback injuries. They are unranked after being as high as No. 7.

Five to Watch

Mercer (5-0, 3-0 SoCon) – Under first-year coach Mike Jacobs, the Bears are dominating on defense and off to the best start in program history. Their road/home split of remaining conference games is favorable for winning a first SoCon title.

Montana (4-2, 1-1 Big Sky) – It was comforting to compare this year’s lackluster September start to last year’s because the 2023 Griz pulled it together and went on to the Big Sky title and a national runner-up finish. But allowing 49 and 55 points in their first conference games raises concern.

UIW (3-2, 0-0 Southland) – An improved nonconference schedule bodes well on their playoff resume, but the Cardinals want to guarantee an appearance by winning the Southland title. Defending champ Nicholls comes to town on Saturday.

South Dakota State (4-1, 1-0 MVFC) – The Jackrabbits may be defending back-to-back FCS titles, but the pressure is more on rival North Dakota State than them. That’s because, well, they’re the two-time defending champions, playing with house money while the Bison desperately seek to get back on top.

Villanova (5-1, 2-0 CAA) – The once-dominant CAA hasn’t had a national championship qualifier since 2019. The conference’s preseason favorite, and ranked No. 5, has displayed an ability to to win games, but it hasn’t been elite during the first half of its schedule.

Images in top photo courtesy, from left, Central Arkansas Athletics, Dave Eggen/Inertia and Zachary Lucy/NDSU Athletics

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