FCS ALL-IN returned Friday, Aug. 25, on ESPN+ (at 11 a.m. CT). The show -- produced by Big Sky Conference staff in collaboration with communications directors and video managers at all FCS Conferences -- features Craig Haley (Stats Perform) and Sam Herder (HERO Sports) with host Alex Eschelman. It airs every Friday throughout the season.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE
- Big Sky Takes on the FBS -- Half of the league will face FBS foes this Saturday, as the Big Sky looks for an upset win to add to its total from recent years. Big Sky teams have earned six victories over FBS opponents since 2021, with Idaho State's Week 2 opponent Utah State being one of those victims after a 35-7 loss to Weber State last year.
- FCS ALL-IN Returns to ESPN+ -- FCS ALL-IN returns for its second season on ESPN+, with the show airing every Friday at 10 a.m. MT/9 a.m. PT. The Big Sky’s Alex Eschelman will serve as host, while Craig Haley (Stats Perform/The Analyst) and Sam Herder (HEROSports) provide in-depth analysis each week. Montana State's ranked showdown at South Dakota State will be the “Game of the Week” for Week 2’s episode.
- Three New Coaches Get First Wins -- The Big Sky had five new head coaches to start the year in 2023, as three of those opened tenures with their new teams with a win. Cal Poly's Paul Wulff, Sacramento State's Andy Thompson, and Weber State's Mickey Mental all picked up wins in their first outings for their new squads last week.
BIG SOUTH-OVC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
- The first conference game of the Big South-OVC Association is Saturday, as Lindenwood visits preseason favorite Southeast Missouri in the second annual “Game Ball Brawl” between the schools located just two hours apart. SEMO carries a 6-game conference win streak into Saturday’s league lidlifter. The Redhawks won all five OVC games last season, as well as the 2021 season-finale vs. UT Martin. Lindenwood is playing its third nationally-ranked opponent during its FCS transitioning period, all of which have been conference games. Last year, the Lions fell to No. 18/19 UT Martin, and No. 24 Southeast Missouri State … The first cross-over game between the two conferences is next week when Gardner-Webb travels to Tennessee State.
- The Association went 1-1 last week against FCS foes, as Eastern Illinois picked up a 27-0 road win at Missouri Valley member Indiana State – the first victory in the history of the Big South-OVC Football Association. It was the Panthers’ first season-opening shutout since 2003 (W, 27-0 vs. California-Pa. on Aug. 30, 2003) … Five non-conference FCS match-ups are scheduled for Saturday, notably Tennessee State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 34th annual Southern Heritage Classic at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The Tigers are 17-14 all-time in the event.
- Justin’s Bowick’s 35-yard TD catch for EIU marked the first points in Association history … With his first quarter sack at Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb’s Ty French tied the Big South Conference career record of 25.0 sacks … This week, Charleston Southern is looking to officially start 2-0 for the first time since 2013; Eastern Illinois is seeking its first 2-0 open since 2013 (3-0), and Lindenwood is looking to open 2-0 for the second consecutive season.
CAA FOOTBALL
- WE'RE NUMBER 1: Several CAA players are atop FCS stats leaders after Week 1. Rhode Island quarterback Kasim Hill tops the nation in passing yards (408.0 ypg) and total offense (425.0 ypg), New Hampshire quarterback Max Brosmer leads in pass efficiency (237.4), Campbell quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams is #1 in completion percentage (84.6%), New Hampshire's Dylan Laube tops FCS in all-purpose yards (229.0 ypg) and Stony Brook's Nick Chimienti is tied for first in interceptions (2).
- RUNNING WILD: Seven CAA players topped the 100-yard mark on the ground in Week 1. Villanova backs Jalen Jackson (144) and DeeWil Barlee (102) reached the milestone as did Hampton quarterback Chris Zellous (114) and RB Darran Butts (103). Other 100-yard rushers were W&M's Bronson Yoder (124), Maine's Tristen Kenan (108) and Delaware's Marcus Yarns (107). All seven are ranked among the top 23 in FCS in rushing.
- CAA WELL-REPRESENTED ON NFL ROSTERS: There are 16 players from current CAA schools on NFL rosters as the season gets underway. Nine are on active rosters - Villanova CB Christian Benford (Buffalo) and DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (New Orleans), William & Mary LS Luke Rhodes (Indianapolis) and OL Colby Sorsdal (Detroit), Campbell TE Julian Hill (Miami), Delaware DT Bilal Nichols (Las Vegas), Maine FB Patrick Ricard (Baltimore), Elon OL Oli Udoh (Minnesota) and Stony Brook OL Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. (New England).
IVY LEAGUE
- Reigning Ivy League Football champion Yale was voted the preseason favorite in the 2023 Ivy League Football Preseason Media Poll. The poll was voted on by 16 media members that cover the league. The Bulldogs earned 122 points in the poll and garnered 13 first place votes. Yale finished last season with an Ivy record of 6-1 and went 8-2 overall. The Bulldogs ranked ninth in the FCS in rushing offense (232.8 yards per game) and fifth in scoring defense (19.5 points per game). Princeton and Penn, which finished tied for second in the league, were voted to finish second and third, respectively. The Tigers, which led the FCS in scoring defense last season, earned 103 points in the poll and one first place vote. The Quakers, which had the No. 2 rushing defense in the nation, collected 90 points.
- The Ivy League had a total of nine players from five different schools named to initial 53-man rosters on Tuesday, Aug 29. The group includes Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Foye Oluokun, the NFL’s leading tackler each of the last two seasons, and Kyle Juszczyk (Harvard), a seven-time Pro Bowl selection at fullback for the San Francisco 49ers. A pair of Super Bowl champions in Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson (Penn) and Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht (Brown) made 53-man rosters. Since 2008, the Ivy League has produced 15 Super Bowl champions.
- For the second consecutive year, the Ivy League will be participating in Japan’s National Football Association’s Dream Japan Bowl in Tokyo on Jan. 21, 2024. The league’s 52-person roster will be comprised of senior and graduate student-athletes from all eight Ivy League programs. The squad will be led by Brown head coach James Perry. The Japan All-Star team will be a combined team of X League (Japan’s top American football league) players, including nine Americans, college players and crossover sport athletes.
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
- Saturday’s slate of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) football will see all six teams in action, and two of them will square off on the road against in-state rivals and former conference foes.
- Delaware State comes into this weekend’s contest at Army – the Hornets’ first road game of the season – looking to bounce back after this past Saturday’s loss to Bowie State. Army is also looking to get into the win column for the first time in 2023, as the Black Knights fell 17-13 at Louisiana Monroe this past weekend.
- Morgan State got year two of the Damon Wilson era off to a fine start this past Saturday, defeating nationally ranked Richmond 17-10 on the road. The Bears defense created four turnovers in that contest, helping the program earn its first season-opening win since 2012. Morgan State, the Stats Perform FCS FedEx Ground National Team of the Week, will hit the road again this weekend to square off against Akron out of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) – a program coming off a 24-21 loss to Temple this past weekend. This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two teams (the first since 2018), with the Zips owning a 3-0 edge. Akron is in its second season under head coach Joe Moorhead, and the program was picked to finish fifth in the MAC East Division this year.
- This year’s Battle of the Bay heads to Armstrong Stadium, as the Norfolk State Spartans and Hampton Pirates meet for the 58th time on Saturday. Norfolk State leads the all-time series 29-27-1, though Hampton has won two of the last three meetings (including 17-7 at Dick Price Stadium in 2022). Norfolk State, in its third season under head coach Dawson Odums, is coming off a 33-24 loss to Virginia State this past weekend, while the Pirates won their season opener this past Saturday, defeating Grambling State 35-31 in the Brick City Classic. Hampton is in its fourth season under head coach Robert Prunty, and the Pirates were picked to finish 15th in the CAA this season.
MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
- Six MVFC teams are ranked in both Top 25 polls this week as Southern Illinois and Youngstown State climbed into the rankings after wins last week.
- The MVFC has 9 of its 12 programs ranked in the Top 32 of the Sagarin Ratings, including five of the Top 8 (and four of the Top 5) among FCS programs. The MVFC is the top-rated FCS league in the Sagarin Ratings. South Dakota State is ranked No. 1 across the board (Sagarin, Massey, Stats Perform, and AFCA rankings); while North Dakota State is ranked No. 2 in all metrics.
- Illinois State takes on Western Illinois in Macomb this Saturday (Sept. 9). Notably, North Dakota beat UNI on Sept. 10, 2022. The UND-UNI game was the earliest start for an MVFC game since Sept. 11, 2010 (#13 UNI hosted and beat #21 NDSU, 16-9). The MVFC is celebrating its 39th anniversary in 2023. Notably, Southern Illinois and Missouri State played the league’s first conference game (Sept. 7, 1985).
- In an effort to publicize current matchups and promote future non-conference scheduling between two of the premier FCS conferences, the MVFC and the Big Sky Conference announced a Challenge Series between the two leagues before the 2017 season. (Only regular-season contests count in the series standings.) Five MVFC-Big Sky regular-season matchups are on the slate for 2023. Three Big Sky-MVFC matchups are on the slate this weekend, and the MVFC currently leads the series in 2023, 1-0.
NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
- All eight teams were in action in Week One to kick off the 28th season of Northeast Conference football. Central Connecticut and Duquesne were each victorious on opening weekend, defeating AIC and Edinboro, respectively. The Blue Devils’ 44-0 victory marked their first shutout since they took down LIU by a 28-0 final on Oct. 26, 2019, while the Dukes’ 42-point win (49-7) was the program’s largest margin of victory since Nov. 20, 2021, a 44-0 triumph at Wagner. Central Connecticut’s win also marked the first for Adam Lechtenberg, who made his head coaching debut on Saturday.
- Saint Francis U and LIU opened their seasons against FBS opponents, taking on Western Michigan and Ohio University, respectively. The Red Flash hung around with the Broncos and trailed by a single possession in the second half, but Western Michigan ended the game with a 14-0 run to seal a 35-17 victory. The Sharks came up short in their 2023 debut in a 27-10 final.
- Two NEC teams were pitted against FCS squads that were listed in the top half of the FCS national rankings on opening weekend. Merrimack, which led at the half at Holy Cross, fell victim to a late run by the fifth-ranked team in the nation (42-20), while Stonehill dropped a 51-17 decision to No. 11 New Hampshire.
- NEC play begins Saturday when Central Connecticut plays hosts to Stonehill at noon. Duquesne also highlights the Week 2 slate with a trip to FBS opponent West Virginia on Saturday at 6 p.m.
PATRIOT LEAGUE
- CRUSADERS REMAIN NO. 5 IN STATS AND COACHES POLLS - Holy Cross remained No. 5 in the Stats Perform and AFCA FCS Coaches Polls when they were announced earlier this week. The Crusaders defeated Merrimack, 42-20, in their Week One opener on Saturday, Sept. 2. The Crusaders opened the season at No. 5 in both polls, the highest a League team has ranked entering the season Colgate opened the 2004 season ranked No. 5 by The Sports Network. Holy Cross finished the 2022 season ranked No. 6 in the FCS Coaches Poll and No. 7 in the Stats Perform Poll.
- JORDAN FULLER NAMED FEDEX GROUND FCS NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Holy Cross Jr. RB Jordan Fuller was named the FedEx Ground FCS National Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by Stats Perform on Monday. Fuller totaled five touchdowns, four rushing, the most by a Patriot League football student-athlete since Fordham’s Chase Edmonds on Oct. 10, 2015 against Penn. The North Hampton, N.H. native rushed for a career-high 120 yards on 13 carries, with all four of his rushing touchdowns coming in the second half to help the Crusaders overcome a 3-point halftime deficit in their 42-20 win. Three Patriot League football players, including Fordham’s Tim DeMorat and Fotis Kokosioulis and Holy Cross’s Matthew Sluka received national offensive player of the week honors last season.
- THREE PATRIOT LEAGUE STUDENT-ATHLETES NAMED TO WILLIAM V. CAMPBELL TROPHY WATCH LIST - Colgate fifth-year DL Zack Pelland, Holy Cross fifth-year LB Jacob Dobbs and Lehigh senior OL Christian Jablonski were selected to the preseason watch list for the 2023 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award, presented by the National Football Foundation (NFF). Pelland (neuroscience, 3.97 GPA) was a 2022 Academic All-Patriot League selection. Dobbs was a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, Academic All-Patriot League and FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team selection in 2021. Jablonski is a multi-year Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selection. Fordham’s Ryan Greenhagen and Holy Cross’s Peter Oliver were named finalists for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy.
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
- ST. THOMAS’ CARUSO NOTCHES 150TH WIN IN SEASON OPENER -- St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso secured his 150th career victory in the Tommies’ season-opening victory against Black Hills State. Now he turns his attention to his 150th victory as St. Thomas head coach, entering this week with 144 wins in St. Paul.
- LAST TURN FOR DAVIDSON’S RICHARDSON STADIUM -- When Davidson hosts Barton College to open its 2023 home schedule, it will be Richardson Stadium's final football home opener. The facility opened in 1923 and is scheduled to be replaced by a new on-campus home for the football team. Construction on the new football facility began in April and it is scheduled to be completed in time for Davidson’s 2024 home opener.
- MARIST, STETSON, & VALPARAISO NEAR PROGRAM MILESTONES -- Three PFL programs enter 2023, looking ahead to program victory milestones. Valparaiso begins the year with 398 wins, two shy of the 400-win milestone. Marist and Stetson each begin to work toward 200 program victory, with the Hatters needing one wins in 2023 while the Red Foxes are five wins away.
- PFL’S 31ST CAMPAIGN -- The 2023 season marks the 31st year for the Pioneer Football League – the nation’s only non-scholarship, football-only NCAA Football Championship Subdivision conference. The league will feature 11 teams – tied for most in league history – each playing an eight-game schedule to determine the league champion and recipient of the automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA FCS Championship.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
- All nine Southern Conference football squads are in action this week on Saturday, including the first conference game of the season when Samford travels to Western Carolina.
- Furman, Samford and Mercer each appeared on the AFCA and Stats Perform Top 25 poll. The Paladins are sixth in both polls, the Bulldogs are seventh in the AFCA poll and eighth in the Stat Perform poll and the Bears are 24th in the AFCA and 20th in the Stats Perform poll.
- Western Carolina is looking for its first win over Samford since the 2017 season. Samford has won the last five contests, with last season’s game in Birmingham ending 35-12 in favor of the Bulldogs.
- The Citadel, ETSU and Chattanooga will each play its home opener this Saturday. The Citadel hosts Campbell. ETSU welcomes Carson-Newman and Chattanooga plays Kennesaw State.
- Furman heads to Columbia, South Carolina to face SEC opponent South Carolina. The Gamecocks won the last meeting, 41-10, in 2014. Furman’s last win over South Carolina was in 1982 with a score of 28-23.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
- Road Warriors -- The Southland Conference is in its 60th season of football as all eight members are on the road and in action this upcoming Saturday.
- UIW, Southeastern Ranked -- The Southland Conference has two teams ranked in the two major FCS Top 25 polls. Despite both UIW and Southeastern dropping their opening contests to FBS opponents, the two sides remain locked into the Top 25 poll. UIW comes in at No. 10 in both the Stats Perform and AFCA polls, while Southeastern checks in at No. 16 and No. 17.
- High-Flying Huskies -- The HCU football program officially kicked off a new era of Husky football under head coach Braxton Harris with a resounding 66-0 season-opening victory over visiting Arkansas Baptist last Saturday evening at Husky Stadium. The Huskies’ 66 points is the third-highest single-game point total in program history and the highest by an HCU team since the 2019 season in a 68-31 victory over Texas Southern.
- Upset-Minded -- Six Southland members will take on FBS opponents this upcoming Saturday as the conference eyes an upset. Excluding the 2020 season, in which the FCS only played a spring season against other FCS opponents, the Southland has knocked off a FBS opponent in four straight seasons as well as nine of the last 12 seasons. In total, the Southland has notched 56 wins over FBS opponents since 1982.
- Commissioner Grant Named to NCAA Division I FCS Oversight Committee --Southland Commissioner Chris Grant has been selected to the NCAA Oversight Committee on Football Championships. Grant will start a four-year term on the committee and will ensure that appropriate oversight of football for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) is maintained, enhance the development of the sport, and make recommendations related to regular-season and postseason football.
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
- The T.C. Taylor era of Jackson State football debuted in impressive fashion on national television as the Tigers beat South Carolina State 37-7 in the Cricket MEAC-SWAC Challenge Kickoff.
- Mississippi Valley State University Director of Athletics Hakim McClellan has been selected to serve on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee FCS).
- Florida A&M moved into the FCS Stats Perform national media rankings at No. 23 on Monday, marking their first appearance since the 2021 season-ending poll.
- Florida A&M’s Jeremy Moussa was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Grambling State’s Sundiata Anderson was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
- Florida A&M (116) was selected to finish in first place in the SWAC Eastern Division. Southern (122) was tabbed to finish in first place in the SWAC Western Division.
- The 2023 Cricket SWAC Football Championship will be carried live on ESPN on Saturday, December 2 at 3:00 pm CST.
UNITED ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Saturday is an historic day for the UAC, as North Alabama travels to Tarleton State for the first UAC head-to-head clash in conference history
UNA senior wideout Takairee Kenebrew not only claimed the inaugural UAC Offensive Player of the Week honor but also currently leads the FCS in receiving yards having tallied 172 yards on five catches including three for touchdowns
A trio of UAC squads hit the road for contests against FBS programs on Saturday with Southern Utah facing BYU, EKU playing Kentucky, and Austin Peay taking on No. 9 ranked Tennessee. In addition, Utah Tech battles its second consecutive ranked FCS foe when the Trailblazers visit #13 Montana.