ursus arctos horribilis
September 10th, 2021, 02:38 PM
FCS ALL IN -- "FCS ALL IN" is a weekly news program dedicated to promoting all FCS 15 conferences. Content will be provided by each participating conference, and the program will be distributed via a YouTube channel (//YouTube.com/c/FCSALLIN) and launched each Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. In addition to providing an overview of FCS games, each episode will include interviews with special guests and national media correspondents.
#FearTheFCS -- Last week, the Big Sky became first FCS conference to post three wins over FBS opponents in the same week since CAA Football in 2009. Montana knocked off No. 20 Washington, becoming just the sixth FCS school to post a win over a nationally ranked FBS foe. ETSU also posted a win against a power conference, holding Vanderbilt without a TD in a 23-3 result. There are 37 FCS-FBS matchups on the schedule this weekend. Last season, with fewer FCS-FBS matchups due to COVID, there were only 2 FCS victories over FBS opponents. Notably, the 2019 campaign yielded just three FCS wins in those matchups.
FCS Wins Vs. FBS (2021)
Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 (2OT)
UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17
South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23
Montana 13, No. 20 Washington 7
Holy Cross 38, UConn 28
ETSU 23, Vanderbilt 3
FCS Wins vs. Ranked FBS Teams
1983 -- *Cincinnati 14, #20 Penn State 3
2007 -- Appalachian St. 34, #5 Michigan 32
2010 -- JMU 21, #13 Va. Tech 16
2013 -- E. Washington 49, #25 Oregon St. 46
2016 -- NDSU 23, #13 Iowa 21
2021 -- Montana 13, #20 Washington 7
*UC temporarily was reclassified as FCS
FCS in the NFL – There are more than two full teams worth of FCS players on NFL opening-day rosters. Better than 130 former FCS players made teams' 53-man rosters as of Aug. 31. Additional updates will be provided when practice rosters are established. North Dakota State has the most former players of any FCS team, with nine.
Despite low draft numbers this spring (6) and last (6 in 2019), the number of FCS players on NFL rosters has not altered much --- with more than 210 FCS players on NFL Opening Day rosters in each of the previous three seasons (that number includes 53-man rosters and practice squads). The Southland (1) and MVFC (5) were the only two FCS leagues represented in this year's draft.
The 2021 season marks the debut of two new FCS conferences. The ASUN has three members this season: Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, and Central Arkansas. The WAC has four post-season eligible teams in the fall: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and SFA. The two leagues have agreed on a one-year scheduling alliance for this fall.
Presbyterian's Ron Hefley, New Hampshire's Pop Bush, Fordham's Ryan Greenhagen, Samford's Montrell Washington and Hampton's Elijah Burris were named Monday as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week for both Week 0 and 1 games. Montana received the National Team of the Week honor.
Missouri State (25) hosts Central Arkansas (16) on Saturday in the lone matchup of AFCA Top-25 opponents this week.
ASUN -- On Sept. 4, Eastern Kentucky produced the first-ever victory by an ASUN Conference Football program as the Colonels defeated Western Carolina on the road, 31-28. WCU's last second game-tying field goal missed as EKU improved to 1-0 on the season for the third time in the past four years.
This week marks the fourth meeting between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Florida State Seminoles, with JSU winning the first meeting 7-0 in 1947 and FSU claiming the other matchups. This week's game will be JSU's third trip to the state of Florida in the last 12 months after not making a trip to the Sunshine state from 2013-2019. JSU is 2-7 all-time in the Sunshine State: 1-2 at FSU, 1-0 at FIU, 0-1 at Florida, 0-1 at USF and 0-3 at Tampa.
The UCA Bears and Missouri State Bears will be meeting for the 11th time on Saturday night, with UCA leading the overall series 6-4. UCA swept a rare two-game series from MSU last year, winning 27-20 at home on Sept. 26, then taking a 33-24 victory in Springfield on Oct. 17. The Purple Bears are 3-3 in games played in Springfield, and are 3-1 in games played in Conway. The first meeting between the teams was way back in 1937, with UCA winning 26-0 in Springfield in the season opener.
BIG SKY -- #FearTheFCS was in full force last week as the Big Sky shocked the college football world with three FBS victories. The three FBS wins in one week were the most ever for the Big Sky and the most for any FCS league since the CAA did it back in 2009.
The biggest of those three FBS wins came when Montana upset No. 20 Washington, as the Griz put the nation on notice. The ranked FBS victory was just the second overall for the Big Sky and first since Eastern Washington upset No. 25 Oregon State back in 2013. Additionally, there have only been six total ranked FBS wins for the FCS, with the last being North Dakota State's win over No. 13 Iowa in 2016.
Entering Saturday's game, Montana was 1-17-1 all-time against Washington with its last win coming in 1920 against the Huskies. The victory over a Pac-12 foe was the first for Montana since 1996, and the first FBS win overall for the Griz since 2003.
Eastern Washington downed UNLV in double overtime last Thursday. EWU is no stranger to FBS upsets however, as the Eagles have earned 11 total for their storied history. EWU has earned six of its FBS wins since 2000, which is the most for the Big Sky during that time.
UC Davis topped FBS and American Athletic Conference member Tulsa to open the year. The win was the first for a Big Sky team over an AAC member. The victory for UC Davis was its fourth FBS win since its current Division I era that began in 2007.
BIG SOUTH -- Hampton and Kennesaw State won their respective openers last week, while Charleston Southern and Robert Morris are scheduled to play their season-openers this weekend. Hampton has now started a season 1-0 for the third consecutive time, while Kennesaw State is also 1-0 for the third consecutive season and fourth time in its 7-year history. Charleston Southern will look for its first 1-0 start since 2013, while Robert Morris is looking to open 1-0 for the first time since 2017.
North Alabama QB Jaylen Gipson passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns in the season-opener against Southeastern Louisiana, the first Big South quarterback to reach those totals in a season-opening game in league history. It was the most passing yards by a Big South signal-caller in a season-opener since 2017 (Liberty's Stephen Calvert with 447 at Baylor), and the first 4-TD pass game to open a season since 2010 (Liberty's Mike Brown and Charleston Southern's A.J. Toscano with four each).
Gardner-Webb QB Bailey Fisher was 27-of-45 passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions at Georgia Southern -- the most passing yards and TDs for a quarterback in his Gardner-Webb debut since the move to Division I football in 2000. He was 6-for-10 on third down against the Eagles, converting all six into first downs or touchdowns.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Three conference games highlight Saturday's slate, which sees all 12 CAA Football squads in action. James Madison hosts Maine at 4 p.m., Towson visits New Hampshire at 6 p.m., and UAlbany entertains Rhode Island at 7 p.m. There were a pair of CAA contests to open the 2021 season on Sept. 2 and both road teams earned victories as New Hampshire held off Stony Brook, 27-21, and Delaware got past Maine, 34-24.
CAA Football teams went 5-2 against FCS non-conference foes in Week 1. All five victories came in dominant fashion as JMU, Rhode Island, Richmond, Towson and Villanova each won by at least 24 points.
Five CAA Football quarterbacks are ranked among the top 16 in FCS after the first week of the season. Rhode Island's Kasim Hill (219.5) is fourth, followed by JMU's Cole Johnson (5th), UNH's Bret Edwards (7th), Villanova's Dan Smith (10th) and Richmond's Joe Mancuso (16th).
IVY LEAGUE -- Princeton was selected as the League favorite in the 2021 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll, which was voted on by a panel of 16 media members from across the league. The Tigers, who claimed a share of the Ivy crown in 2016 and won it outright in 2018, received eight first-place votes and accumulated 113 total points. Yale ranked second with a total of 104 points in the poll to go along with six first-place votes. The Bulldogs went 9-1 in 2019 on their way to claiming their 16th Ivy League title.
Princeton LB Jeremiah Tyler was tabbed to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. In 2019, he led the league and was 25th in the nation with 14.5 tackles for a loss. His 62 total tackles ranked ninth in the Ivy League. Brown QB EJ Perry was named to the Walter Payton Award watch list. He led the nation in total offense with 367.8 yards per game as a sophomore in 2019. His 3678 yards of total offense marked an Ivy League record, topping Princeton's Chad Kanoff's record (3,553), which was set in 2017. Harvard punter Jon Sot, twice an All-Ivy First Team selection, was named to the FCS Punter of the Year Award watch list. The Clark, N.J., native led the Ivy League in punting average in 2019 with 42.3 yards per kick.
Twelve Ivies earned spots on initial NFL 53-man rosters, which were finalized on Tuesday. Seven of the eight Ivy League schools placed at least one player on an NFL squad. Harvard led the way with five former Crimson earning a spot, which is tied with North Dakota State for the second-most players from an FCS school. The Falcons have a trio of Ivy Leaguers on their roster in Penn's Brandon Copeland, Yale's Foyesade Oluokun and Columbia's Cam Nizialek.
MEAC -- The MEAC is about to join the ranks of eight FBS conferences when the league provides all of its members with sideline timeout countdown clocks for use at home football games during the 2021 season, at no cost to the institutions. The timeout countdown clock, manufactured by Alabama-based Victory Game Clocks (VGC), is a first-of-its-kind clock used on sidelines of football games that allows coaches, game officials, players and game staffs to keep track of the exact time remaining before play resumes once timeouts are called.
Both Morgan State and Tulane will be looking to secure their first victory of the season; the Bears fell to Towson 31-0 and the Green Wave lost to Oklahoma 40-35 this past Saturday. Originally scheduled to be played at Tulane's Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Saturday's game has been relocated to Birmingham's Legion Field due to the effects of Hurricane Ida on the state of Louisiana. This will be a first-ever meeting of the two football programs.
Saturday's game between South Carolina State and Clemson will be the fourth all-time meeting between two universities which are located less than three hours from each other, and the game will also represent two programs predicted to sit atop their respective conferences come season's end. Both, however, will be looking to bounce back from season-opening losses. S.C. State lost a 42-41 offensive shootout on the road to Alabama A&M last weekend, while No. 3 Clemson fell to No. 5 Georgia 10-3 in a defensive slugfest in Charlotte, N.C.
The Delaware State Hornets face Georgetown after they opened their season last weekend with a 32-24 victory over Bowie State, seeing three of their players sweeping the conference's weekly football honors. Freshman Sy'Veon Wilkerson won both Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, defensive back Esaias Guthrie won Defensive Player of the Week and defensive tackle Kevin DeShields won Specialist of the Week.
MISSOURI VALLEY --The 2020-21 campaign had limited opportunities for non-conference matchups, but the Missouri Valley Football Conference started the 2021 fall campaign on a high note, recording a 6-0 record in the opening week against peer conferences. Overall, the MVFC went 7-4, which included a 1-4 mark in five meetings against FBS schools.
MVFC teams will face five FBS foes this weekend. Counting South Dakota State's win at Colorado State last Friday, Sept. 3, MVFC schools have combined for 47 wins all-time against FBS opponents. The league had a streak of 10-straight seasons with at least one FBS win (2010-19), which was snapped last season -- only one meeting occurred last year. During that last decade, the MVFC combined for 19 wins against FBS schools. The FCS combined for six FBS wins during the first weekend of the 2021 fall season.
The 2021 season is the fifth year of the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series. Last year's series had no regular-season games, but the MVFC won both playoff meetings. The previous three seasons (2017-19) featured 26 total regular-season matchups. Following last Saturday's UND win at Idaho State, MVFC schools have a 17-10 overall edge in games played and have won the series each season (5-3 in 2017, 5-3 in 2018, 6-4 in 2019).
NORTHEAST -- NEC Preseason favorite Sacred Heart won for the third consecutive time in its series with Patriot League member Bucknell. The Pioneers' 21-0 triumph was the team's first shutout since 2013. Helping SHU improve to 10-0 in home openers under head coach Mark Nofri, Walter Payton Award hopeful Julius Chestnut rushed for 170 yards and one TD in three quarters.
Fans will get an early taste of conference play in September with two battles on the Week 2 slate. Sacred Heart begins its title defense at Bryant in a game carried live via ESPN3 and the ESPN app (7:00 pm ET). Meanwhile, Central Connecticut and Wagner both hope to rebound from Week 1 losses when they meet on Grymes Hill on the 20th anniversary of September 11.
QB Westin Elliott had a fruitful debut for Merrimack, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns as the Warriors out-classed Division II Saint Anselm, 55-23.
Duquesne (Ohio) and LIU (West Virginia) will face FBS member for the second week in a row. Saint Francis, which faced a FBS foe for the first time last week at Eastern Michigan, travels to FCS spring semifinalist Delaware in Week 2.
OHIO VALLEY -- In the only matchup of two nationally-ranked FCS teams in Week 1, Austin Peay toppled SoCon preseason favorite Chattanooga 30-20. It marked the Governors first win in seven all-time meetings with the Mocs. Austin Peay moved up three spots to No. 17 in the Stats Perform Top 25 with the victory.
Murray State recorded its first shutout since 2011, in blanking Mississippi Valley State 35-0. MSU held MVSU to just 162 yards of total offense, the fewest by a Division I opponent against the Racers since 2004. MSU quarterback Preston Rice ran for four touchdowns in the win, tying a school record. It was the most rushing touchdowns by a FCS player in Week 1.
With the NFL season beginning, 14 former OVC players find themselves on roster to begin the 2021 season.
PATRIOT -- All seven Patriot League football programs will be in action Saturday, including three teams opening their home schedule. Colgate kicks off the day by hosting Stony Brook on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. No. 24 Holy Cross begin their home slate against Merrimack at 2 p.m. Georgetown returns to action for the first time since 2019 when they take on Delaware State at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Lehigh travels to No. 22/25 Richmond for a 2 p.m. game on FloFootball.com. Three more games will kick off at 6 p.m. with Fordham hosting No. 21/20 Monmouth on ESPN+, Bucknell travels to No. 11/11 Villanova, and Lafayette plays William & Mary with both games streamed on FloFootball.com.
Fordham senior linebacker Ryan Greenhagen recorded 31 tackles and one sack in the Rams' season-opening loss at Nebraska on Sept. 4. The performance broke the NCAA Division I single-game tackles record of 30, previously shared between Chattanooga's Josh Cain (2001), Norfolk State's Kevin Talley (2004) and Stetson's Donald Payne (2014). The previous Patriot League record was 28 total tackles, set in 1990 by Lehigh's Lee Picariello, a two-time All-League honoree. Greenhagen was named the Stats Perform National FCS Defensive Player of the Week after his NCAA Division I and Patriot League record-breaking 31-tackle performance against Nebraska.
Holy Cross climbed to No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll when released on Monday, Sept. 6. The Crusaders recorded a 38-28 upset win over UConn, its first win over an FBS opponent since 2002, and the first by a Patriot League team since 2015. This is Holy Cross's first in-season ranking since Sept. 18, 2017. Chesney's Crusaders are receiving votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
PFL -- QB Ren Hefley began his Presbyterian career by setting the NCAA FCS record with 10 touchdown passes in an 84-43 victory against St. Andrews, Saturday. He also set a program record with 38 completions, going 38-of-50 passing for a PFL-record 576 yards in 45:05 of playing time without throwing an interception.
Both Presbyterian and Stetson underwent coaching changes during the summer. Stetson named former defensive coordinator Brian Young as its 10th head coach and he led the Hatters to a season-opening win against Wagner. Meanwhile, Presbyterian turned to Kevin Kelley as its 16th head coach following an 18-year career at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock and he promptly took Presbyterian to a smashing season-opening win against St. Andrews.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame released a list of 3,284 student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and will be playing college football this fall while pursuing second diplomas, including 37 Pioneer Football League student-athletes. This season marks the fourth year the NFF has compiled the list of graduated players.
SOUTHERN -- ETSU had one of six FCS wins over FBS opponents last week, thrashing Vanderbilt 23-3 for its first FBS win since 1987 and handing the Commodores their first-ever loss to an FCS program. Quay Holmes ran for 149 yards on 23 carries, while the ETSU defense forced three fourth-quarter turnovers, including a 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Stephen Scott. The game marked just the second time that an FCS school held an SEC program without a touchdown since the Division I split in 1978. The only other instance also belongs to a Southern Conference squad, as The Citadel beat Arkansas 10-3 in 1992.
Following their marquee win, the Bucs jumped into the national rankings at No. 15 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 19 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25. VMI, a 45-24 winner over reigning Pioneer League champion Davidson, moved to No. 18 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll, while Chattanooga, which fell 30-20 to a ranked Austin Peay squad, fell to six spots to No. 24 in the AFCA poll and out of the Stats Perform poll. Furman and Samford are receiving votes in both polls.
Furman picked up a win over a ranked opponent in its season debut, downing then-No. 24/25 North Carolina A&T 29-18. Quarterback Hamp Sisson threw for a career-best 362 yards and three touchdowns on the day, posting the second-most passing yards in a game in program history. On the other side of the ball, cornerback Travis Blackshear had a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.
SOUTHLAND -- Southeastern cornerback Ferlando Jordan, the Southland Defensive Player of the Week, set a league record with his fifth career interception return for a touchdown in the Lions' 49-28 win over North Alabama. He also moved to third on the Southland's career interception yards leaderboard (376).
With 107 yards in the season opener, Nicholls wideout Dai'Jean Dixon moved to sixth on the conference's career receiving yards leaderboard (2,907), and he ranks eighth in career receiving touchdowns (27).
UIW running back Kevin Brown eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fifth time in his last seven games with 118 yards against Youngstown State last Thursday. Defending Jerry Rice Award winner Cameron Ward of UIW has averaged 393 yards passing with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions over his last five games.
SWAC -- Jackson State and Tennessee State have met on the gridiron 53 times with the Tigers from Nashville holding a 30-21-2 series record. The two programs have met in the Southern Heritage Classic 28 times and TSU leads the series 17-10-1. JSU won the last game between the two programs in 2019, which was a 49-44 shootout and ended a six-game series skid.
SWAC Offensive Player of the Week Aqeel Glass (Alabama A&M) showed the skill set that helped elevate him to the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year crown at the conclusion of the spring season. His stellar play at quarterback helped lead Alabama A&M to a thrilling 42-41 victory over South Carolina State to open the 2021 season. Glass went 28-of-49 for 426 yards and four touchdowns through the air while adding one touchdown on the ground. Over the course of the game he would connect on 32 and 35-yard strikes before rushing the ball for the game winning score from one yard out, to give AAMU a 42-41 lead with 6:30 left to play in regulation.
The East-West Shrine Bowl, which supports Shriners Hospitals for Children, announced a partnership with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) to provide opportunities for HBCU players and coaches at the event.
WAC -- After an exciting week one, there is a full schedule for the WAC this week. Lamar will be the first to kickoff, making the trip to San Antonio to take on UTSA in the Alamodome while Stephen F. Austin heads to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech out of the Big 12. Sam Houston will play in front of the Bearkat faithful for the first time since bringing home the national championship when they host Southeast Missouri. Abilene Christian and Tarleton will also make their home debuts, hosting Louisiana College and Fort Lewis respectively. Finally, Dixie State hosts in-state foe and 10th-ranked Weber State in a Saturday Night matchup.
One week into the season, Sam Houston leads the WAC in scoring offense (42.0), touchdowns scored (6), total offense (560.0), rushing offense (285.0), pass offense (275.0) and first downs (24). Stephen F. Austin is the leader in total defense (327.0), scoring defense (10.0), rushing defense (70.0), pass efficiency (157.8), field goals (2) and kickoff return (46.2). Dixie State has the lead in pass defense (193.0).
After one week of play, Sam Houston remains the top team in the two major FCS polls, ranking first in both the STATS Perform Top 25 and AFCA Coaches' Top 25. The Bearkats are also third in the College Sports Madness Top 25 and fourth in the Athlon Sports Top 25. Stephen F. Austin is among those receiving votes in both the STATS and AFCA polls.
Mike Kern
Associate Commissioner
#FearTheFCS -- Last week, the Big Sky became first FCS conference to post three wins over FBS opponents in the same week since CAA Football in 2009. Montana knocked off No. 20 Washington, becoming just the sixth FCS school to post a win over a nationally ranked FBS foe. ETSU also posted a win against a power conference, holding Vanderbilt without a TD in a 23-3 result. There are 37 FCS-FBS matchups on the schedule this weekend. Last season, with fewer FCS-FBS matchups due to COVID, there were only 2 FCS victories over FBS opponents. Notably, the 2019 campaign yielded just three FCS wins in those matchups.
FCS Wins Vs. FBS (2021)
Eastern Washington 35, UNLV 33 (2OT)
UC Davis 19, Tulsa 17
South Dakota State 42, Colorado State 23
Montana 13, No. 20 Washington 7
Holy Cross 38, UConn 28
ETSU 23, Vanderbilt 3
FCS Wins vs. Ranked FBS Teams
1983 -- *Cincinnati 14, #20 Penn State 3
2007 -- Appalachian St. 34, #5 Michigan 32
2010 -- JMU 21, #13 Va. Tech 16
2013 -- E. Washington 49, #25 Oregon St. 46
2016 -- NDSU 23, #13 Iowa 21
2021 -- Montana 13, #20 Washington 7
*UC temporarily was reclassified as FCS
FCS in the NFL – There are more than two full teams worth of FCS players on NFL opening-day rosters. Better than 130 former FCS players made teams' 53-man rosters as of Aug. 31. Additional updates will be provided when practice rosters are established. North Dakota State has the most former players of any FCS team, with nine.
Despite low draft numbers this spring (6) and last (6 in 2019), the number of FCS players on NFL rosters has not altered much --- with more than 210 FCS players on NFL Opening Day rosters in each of the previous three seasons (that number includes 53-man rosters and practice squads). The Southland (1) and MVFC (5) were the only two FCS leagues represented in this year's draft.
The 2021 season marks the debut of two new FCS conferences. The ASUN has three members this season: Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, and Central Arkansas. The WAC has four post-season eligible teams in the fall: Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, and SFA. The two leagues have agreed on a one-year scheduling alliance for this fall.
Presbyterian's Ron Hefley, New Hampshire's Pop Bush, Fordham's Ryan Greenhagen, Samford's Montrell Washington and Hampton's Elijah Burris were named Monday as the Stats Perform FCS National Players of the Week for both Week 0 and 1 games. Montana received the National Team of the Week honor.
Missouri State (25) hosts Central Arkansas (16) on Saturday in the lone matchup of AFCA Top-25 opponents this week.
ASUN -- On Sept. 4, Eastern Kentucky produced the first-ever victory by an ASUN Conference Football program as the Colonels defeated Western Carolina on the road, 31-28. WCU's last second game-tying field goal missed as EKU improved to 1-0 on the season for the third time in the past four years.
This week marks the fourth meeting between the Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Florida State Seminoles, with JSU winning the first meeting 7-0 in 1947 and FSU claiming the other matchups. This week's game will be JSU's third trip to the state of Florida in the last 12 months after not making a trip to the Sunshine state from 2013-2019. JSU is 2-7 all-time in the Sunshine State: 1-2 at FSU, 1-0 at FIU, 0-1 at Florida, 0-1 at USF and 0-3 at Tampa.
The UCA Bears and Missouri State Bears will be meeting for the 11th time on Saturday night, with UCA leading the overall series 6-4. UCA swept a rare two-game series from MSU last year, winning 27-20 at home on Sept. 26, then taking a 33-24 victory in Springfield on Oct. 17. The Purple Bears are 3-3 in games played in Springfield, and are 3-1 in games played in Conway. The first meeting between the teams was way back in 1937, with UCA winning 26-0 in Springfield in the season opener.
BIG SKY -- #FearTheFCS was in full force last week as the Big Sky shocked the college football world with three FBS victories. The three FBS wins in one week were the most ever for the Big Sky and the most for any FCS league since the CAA did it back in 2009.
The biggest of those three FBS wins came when Montana upset No. 20 Washington, as the Griz put the nation on notice. The ranked FBS victory was just the second overall for the Big Sky and first since Eastern Washington upset No. 25 Oregon State back in 2013. Additionally, there have only been six total ranked FBS wins for the FCS, with the last being North Dakota State's win over No. 13 Iowa in 2016.
Entering Saturday's game, Montana was 1-17-1 all-time against Washington with its last win coming in 1920 against the Huskies. The victory over a Pac-12 foe was the first for Montana since 1996, and the first FBS win overall for the Griz since 2003.
Eastern Washington downed UNLV in double overtime last Thursday. EWU is no stranger to FBS upsets however, as the Eagles have earned 11 total for their storied history. EWU has earned six of its FBS wins since 2000, which is the most for the Big Sky during that time.
UC Davis topped FBS and American Athletic Conference member Tulsa to open the year. The win was the first for a Big Sky team over an AAC member. The victory for UC Davis was its fourth FBS win since its current Division I era that began in 2007.
BIG SOUTH -- Hampton and Kennesaw State won their respective openers last week, while Charleston Southern and Robert Morris are scheduled to play their season-openers this weekend. Hampton has now started a season 1-0 for the third consecutive time, while Kennesaw State is also 1-0 for the third consecutive season and fourth time in its 7-year history. Charleston Southern will look for its first 1-0 start since 2013, while Robert Morris is looking to open 1-0 for the first time since 2017.
North Alabama QB Jaylen Gipson passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns in the season-opener against Southeastern Louisiana, the first Big South quarterback to reach those totals in a season-opening game in league history. It was the most passing yards by a Big South signal-caller in a season-opener since 2017 (Liberty's Stephen Calvert with 447 at Baylor), and the first 4-TD pass game to open a season since 2010 (Liberty's Mike Brown and Charleston Southern's A.J. Toscano with four each).
Gardner-Webb QB Bailey Fisher was 27-of-45 passing for 315 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions at Georgia Southern -- the most passing yards and TDs for a quarterback in his Gardner-Webb debut since the move to Division I football in 2000. He was 6-for-10 on third down against the Eagles, converting all six into first downs or touchdowns.
CAA FOOTBALL -- Three conference games highlight Saturday's slate, which sees all 12 CAA Football squads in action. James Madison hosts Maine at 4 p.m., Towson visits New Hampshire at 6 p.m., and UAlbany entertains Rhode Island at 7 p.m. There were a pair of CAA contests to open the 2021 season on Sept. 2 and both road teams earned victories as New Hampshire held off Stony Brook, 27-21, and Delaware got past Maine, 34-24.
CAA Football teams went 5-2 against FCS non-conference foes in Week 1. All five victories came in dominant fashion as JMU, Rhode Island, Richmond, Towson and Villanova each won by at least 24 points.
Five CAA Football quarterbacks are ranked among the top 16 in FCS after the first week of the season. Rhode Island's Kasim Hill (219.5) is fourth, followed by JMU's Cole Johnson (5th), UNH's Bret Edwards (7th), Villanova's Dan Smith (10th) and Richmond's Joe Mancuso (16th).
IVY LEAGUE -- Princeton was selected as the League favorite in the 2021 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll, which was voted on by a panel of 16 media members from across the league. The Tigers, who claimed a share of the Ivy crown in 2016 and won it outright in 2018, received eight first-place votes and accumulated 113 total points. Yale ranked second with a total of 104 points in the poll to go along with six first-place votes. The Bulldogs went 9-1 in 2019 on their way to claiming their 16th Ivy League title.
Princeton LB Jeremiah Tyler was tabbed to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. In 2019, he led the league and was 25th in the nation with 14.5 tackles for a loss. His 62 total tackles ranked ninth in the Ivy League. Brown QB EJ Perry was named to the Walter Payton Award watch list. He led the nation in total offense with 367.8 yards per game as a sophomore in 2019. His 3678 yards of total offense marked an Ivy League record, topping Princeton's Chad Kanoff's record (3,553), which was set in 2017. Harvard punter Jon Sot, twice an All-Ivy First Team selection, was named to the FCS Punter of the Year Award watch list. The Clark, N.J., native led the Ivy League in punting average in 2019 with 42.3 yards per kick.
Twelve Ivies earned spots on initial NFL 53-man rosters, which were finalized on Tuesday. Seven of the eight Ivy League schools placed at least one player on an NFL squad. Harvard led the way with five former Crimson earning a spot, which is tied with North Dakota State for the second-most players from an FCS school. The Falcons have a trio of Ivy Leaguers on their roster in Penn's Brandon Copeland, Yale's Foyesade Oluokun and Columbia's Cam Nizialek.
MEAC -- The MEAC is about to join the ranks of eight FBS conferences when the league provides all of its members with sideline timeout countdown clocks for use at home football games during the 2021 season, at no cost to the institutions. The timeout countdown clock, manufactured by Alabama-based Victory Game Clocks (VGC), is a first-of-its-kind clock used on sidelines of football games that allows coaches, game officials, players and game staffs to keep track of the exact time remaining before play resumes once timeouts are called.
Both Morgan State and Tulane will be looking to secure their first victory of the season; the Bears fell to Towson 31-0 and the Green Wave lost to Oklahoma 40-35 this past Saturday. Originally scheduled to be played at Tulane's Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Saturday's game has been relocated to Birmingham's Legion Field due to the effects of Hurricane Ida on the state of Louisiana. This will be a first-ever meeting of the two football programs.
Saturday's game between South Carolina State and Clemson will be the fourth all-time meeting between two universities which are located less than three hours from each other, and the game will also represent two programs predicted to sit atop their respective conferences come season's end. Both, however, will be looking to bounce back from season-opening losses. S.C. State lost a 42-41 offensive shootout on the road to Alabama A&M last weekend, while No. 3 Clemson fell to No. 5 Georgia 10-3 in a defensive slugfest in Charlotte, N.C.
The Delaware State Hornets face Georgetown after they opened their season last weekend with a 32-24 victory over Bowie State, seeing three of their players sweeping the conference's weekly football honors. Freshman Sy'Veon Wilkerson won both Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, defensive back Esaias Guthrie won Defensive Player of the Week and defensive tackle Kevin DeShields won Specialist of the Week.
MISSOURI VALLEY --The 2020-21 campaign had limited opportunities for non-conference matchups, but the Missouri Valley Football Conference started the 2021 fall campaign on a high note, recording a 6-0 record in the opening week against peer conferences. Overall, the MVFC went 7-4, which included a 1-4 mark in five meetings against FBS schools.
MVFC teams will face five FBS foes this weekend. Counting South Dakota State's win at Colorado State last Friday, Sept. 3, MVFC schools have combined for 47 wins all-time against FBS opponents. The league had a streak of 10-straight seasons with at least one FBS win (2010-19), which was snapped last season -- only one meeting occurred last year. During that last decade, the MVFC combined for 19 wins against FBS schools. The FCS combined for six FBS wins during the first weekend of the 2021 fall season.
The 2021 season is the fifth year of the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series. Last year's series had no regular-season games, but the MVFC won both playoff meetings. The previous three seasons (2017-19) featured 26 total regular-season matchups. Following last Saturday's UND win at Idaho State, MVFC schools have a 17-10 overall edge in games played and have won the series each season (5-3 in 2017, 5-3 in 2018, 6-4 in 2019).
NORTHEAST -- NEC Preseason favorite Sacred Heart won for the third consecutive time in its series with Patriot League member Bucknell. The Pioneers' 21-0 triumph was the team's first shutout since 2013. Helping SHU improve to 10-0 in home openers under head coach Mark Nofri, Walter Payton Award hopeful Julius Chestnut rushed for 170 yards and one TD in three quarters.
Fans will get an early taste of conference play in September with two battles on the Week 2 slate. Sacred Heart begins its title defense at Bryant in a game carried live via ESPN3 and the ESPN app (7:00 pm ET). Meanwhile, Central Connecticut and Wagner both hope to rebound from Week 1 losses when they meet on Grymes Hill on the 20th anniversary of September 11.
QB Westin Elliott had a fruitful debut for Merrimack, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns as the Warriors out-classed Division II Saint Anselm, 55-23.
Duquesne (Ohio) and LIU (West Virginia) will face FBS member for the second week in a row. Saint Francis, which faced a FBS foe for the first time last week at Eastern Michigan, travels to FCS spring semifinalist Delaware in Week 2.
OHIO VALLEY -- In the only matchup of two nationally-ranked FCS teams in Week 1, Austin Peay toppled SoCon preseason favorite Chattanooga 30-20. It marked the Governors first win in seven all-time meetings with the Mocs. Austin Peay moved up three spots to No. 17 in the Stats Perform Top 25 with the victory.
Murray State recorded its first shutout since 2011, in blanking Mississippi Valley State 35-0. MSU held MVSU to just 162 yards of total offense, the fewest by a Division I opponent against the Racers since 2004. MSU quarterback Preston Rice ran for four touchdowns in the win, tying a school record. It was the most rushing touchdowns by a FCS player in Week 1.
With the NFL season beginning, 14 former OVC players find themselves on roster to begin the 2021 season.
PATRIOT -- All seven Patriot League football programs will be in action Saturday, including three teams opening their home schedule. Colgate kicks off the day by hosting Stony Brook on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. No. 24 Holy Cross begin their home slate against Merrimack at 2 p.m. Georgetown returns to action for the first time since 2019 when they take on Delaware State at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Lehigh travels to No. 22/25 Richmond for a 2 p.m. game on FloFootball.com. Three more games will kick off at 6 p.m. with Fordham hosting No. 21/20 Monmouth on ESPN+, Bucknell travels to No. 11/11 Villanova, and Lafayette plays William & Mary with both games streamed on FloFootball.com.
Fordham senior linebacker Ryan Greenhagen recorded 31 tackles and one sack in the Rams' season-opening loss at Nebraska on Sept. 4. The performance broke the NCAA Division I single-game tackles record of 30, previously shared between Chattanooga's Josh Cain (2001), Norfolk State's Kevin Talley (2004) and Stetson's Donald Payne (2014). The previous Patriot League record was 28 total tackles, set in 1990 by Lehigh's Lee Picariello, a two-time All-League honoree. Greenhagen was named the Stats Perform National FCS Defensive Player of the Week after his NCAA Division I and Patriot League record-breaking 31-tackle performance against Nebraska.
Holy Cross climbed to No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Poll when released on Monday, Sept. 6. The Crusaders recorded a 38-28 upset win over UConn, its first win over an FBS opponent since 2002, and the first by a Patriot League team since 2015. This is Holy Cross's first in-season ranking since Sept. 18, 2017. Chesney's Crusaders are receiving votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
PFL -- QB Ren Hefley began his Presbyterian career by setting the NCAA FCS record with 10 touchdown passes in an 84-43 victory against St. Andrews, Saturday. He also set a program record with 38 completions, going 38-of-50 passing for a PFL-record 576 yards in 45:05 of playing time without throwing an interception.
Both Presbyterian and Stetson underwent coaching changes during the summer. Stetson named former defensive coordinator Brian Young as its 10th head coach and he led the Hatters to a season-opening win against Wagner. Meanwhile, Presbyterian turned to Kevin Kelley as its 16th head coach following an 18-year career at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock and he promptly took Presbyterian to a smashing season-opening win against St. Andrews.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame released a list of 3,284 student-athletes who have already earned their undergraduate degrees and will be playing college football this fall while pursuing second diplomas, including 37 Pioneer Football League student-athletes. This season marks the fourth year the NFF has compiled the list of graduated players.
SOUTHERN -- ETSU had one of six FCS wins over FBS opponents last week, thrashing Vanderbilt 23-3 for its first FBS win since 1987 and handing the Commodores their first-ever loss to an FCS program. Quay Holmes ran for 149 yards on 23 carries, while the ETSU defense forced three fourth-quarter turnovers, including a 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Stephen Scott. The game marked just the second time that an FCS school held an SEC program without a touchdown since the Division I split in 1978. The only other instance also belongs to a Southern Conference squad, as The Citadel beat Arkansas 10-3 in 1992.
Following their marquee win, the Bucs jumped into the national rankings at No. 15 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 19 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25. VMI, a 45-24 winner over reigning Pioneer League champion Davidson, moved to No. 18 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 20 in the coaches poll, while Chattanooga, which fell 30-20 to a ranked Austin Peay squad, fell to six spots to No. 24 in the AFCA poll and out of the Stats Perform poll. Furman and Samford are receiving votes in both polls.
Furman picked up a win over a ranked opponent in its season debut, downing then-No. 24/25 North Carolina A&T 29-18. Quarterback Hamp Sisson threw for a career-best 362 yards and three touchdowns on the day, posting the second-most passing yards in a game in program history. On the other side of the ball, cornerback Travis Blackshear had a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.
SOUTHLAND -- Southeastern cornerback Ferlando Jordan, the Southland Defensive Player of the Week, set a league record with his fifth career interception return for a touchdown in the Lions' 49-28 win over North Alabama. He also moved to third on the Southland's career interception yards leaderboard (376).
With 107 yards in the season opener, Nicholls wideout Dai'Jean Dixon moved to sixth on the conference's career receiving yards leaderboard (2,907), and he ranks eighth in career receiving touchdowns (27).
UIW running back Kevin Brown eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the fifth time in his last seven games with 118 yards against Youngstown State last Thursday. Defending Jerry Rice Award winner Cameron Ward of UIW has averaged 393 yards passing with 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions over his last five games.
SWAC -- Jackson State and Tennessee State have met on the gridiron 53 times with the Tigers from Nashville holding a 30-21-2 series record. The two programs have met in the Southern Heritage Classic 28 times and TSU leads the series 17-10-1. JSU won the last game between the two programs in 2019, which was a 49-44 shootout and ended a six-game series skid.
SWAC Offensive Player of the Week Aqeel Glass (Alabama A&M) showed the skill set that helped elevate him to the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year crown at the conclusion of the spring season. His stellar play at quarterback helped lead Alabama A&M to a thrilling 42-41 victory over South Carolina State to open the 2021 season. Glass went 28-of-49 for 426 yards and four touchdowns through the air while adding one touchdown on the ground. Over the course of the game he would connect on 32 and 35-yard strikes before rushing the ball for the game winning score from one yard out, to give AAMU a 42-41 lead with 6:30 left to play in regulation.
The East-West Shrine Bowl, which supports Shriners Hospitals for Children, announced a partnership with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) to provide opportunities for HBCU players and coaches at the event.
WAC -- After an exciting week one, there is a full schedule for the WAC this week. Lamar will be the first to kickoff, making the trip to San Antonio to take on UTSA in the Alamodome while Stephen F. Austin heads to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech out of the Big 12. Sam Houston will play in front of the Bearkat faithful for the first time since bringing home the national championship when they host Southeast Missouri. Abilene Christian and Tarleton will also make their home debuts, hosting Louisiana College and Fort Lewis respectively. Finally, Dixie State hosts in-state foe and 10th-ranked Weber State in a Saturday Night matchup.
One week into the season, Sam Houston leads the WAC in scoring offense (42.0), touchdowns scored (6), total offense (560.0), rushing offense (285.0), pass offense (275.0) and first downs (24). Stephen F. Austin is the leader in total defense (327.0), scoring defense (10.0), rushing defense (70.0), pass efficiency (157.8), field goals (2) and kickoff return (46.2). Dixie State has the lead in pass defense (193.0).
After one week of play, Sam Houston remains the top team in the two major FCS polls, ranking first in both the STATS Perform Top 25 and AFCA Coaches' Top 25. The Bearkats are also third in the College Sports Madness Top 25 and fourth in the Athlon Sports Top 25. Stephen F. Austin is among those receiving votes in both the STATS and AFCA polls.
Mike Kern
Associate Commissioner