With a new episode each Wednesday, “FCS Delivered” goes inside the action and news across the subdivision. Two-time Super Bowl champion Gary Reasons and national FCS writer Craig Haley have plenty to talk about and debate, including the latest Top 25 poll, weekly awards winners, and key matchups. The show also features “FCS National Awards on Campus,” Reasons’ weekly visit and presentation with a national player or team of the week. FCS Delivered, presented by FedEx Ground, is available on TheAnalyst.com, YouTube and podcast platforms.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE
- Sacramento State Opens Playoff Slate at North Dakota -- Sacramento State finished the season 7-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play, as the Hornets earned their fourth-straight postseason appearance overall. Sacramento State will play at North Dakota in the opening round of the playoffs this Saturday, Nov. 25, with kickoff slated for 11 a.m. MT on ESPN+. North Dakota is 6-0 at home this season and is now 110-29 all time at the Alerus Center. Two of those losses have come against the Hornets as Sacramento State won 31-7 in 2013 and 34-27 in 2017. If the Hornets win at North Dakota, they will travel to South Dakota next Saturday to face the Coyotes at 2 p.m. MT.
- Big Sky's Three National Seeds Tops FCS -- Led by Montana's No. 2 overall seed, the Big Sky Conference topped all other leagues with three national seeds as Idaho secured the No. 4 seed and Montana State earned the No. 6 slot. The Missouri Valley Football Conference (2), CAA (2) and SoCon (1) earned the remaining five seeds up for grabs by other conferences this past Sunday.
- Four Straight FCS Fall Playoff Appearances -- Only five schools have qualified for the last four fall playoffs (2019, 2021-23), with three of those being from the Big Sky. Sacramento State, Montana and Montana State join North Dakota State and South Dakota State as the only teams to achieve that feat.
BIG SOUTH-OVC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
- Big South-OVC Co-Champion Gardner-Webb captured the Association’s inaugural automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs based on its head-to-head victory over Co-Champion UT Martin. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are making their second consecutive appearance in the postseason, are 1-1 in the playoffs, and are seeking their second-straight victory in the First Round.
- Gardner-Webb’s five-game win streak entering the playoffs is the second-longest in the league this season. UTM had a league-best 6-game win streak from Sept. 9-Oct. 21 before it was snapped at GWU on Oct. 28. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are averaging 37.4 points during their current 5-game win streak, and have scored between 34-45 points in that span.
- Gardner-Webb is facing Mercer for the second time on Saturday. The Bears won the first-ever meeting during the 2022 regular season, 45-14 ...
- DL TY FRENCH is the FCS active career leader with 30.5 quarterback sacks. He also has 55 career TFL ... The Runnin’ Bulldogs rushed for a season-high 308 yards in the regular-season finale against Charleston Southern. The GWU defense held CSU to 92 net rushing yards -- the third-straight game that Gardner-Webb permitted less than 100 yards on the ground ... LB BRENDAN JACKSON ranks second on the team with 4 RUSHING touchdowns, which have been short-yardage scores.
CAA FOOTBALL
- DELAWARE, RICHMOND HOST FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF GAMES: Delaware and Richmond kick off the first round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday as the Blue Hens host Patriot League champ Lafayette and the Spiders entertain North Carolina Central. UD is making its third playoff appearance in four years and 19th overall, while the Spiders are in the playoffs for the second year in a row and 13th time overall. CAA teams are 56-39 (.589) all-time in the first round of the playoffs, including 5-1 over the past three seasons.
- FOUR CAA TEAMS EARN PLAYOFF BERTHS: The CAA had four teams earn FCS playoff berths for the eighth time in its history. In addition to Delaware and RIchmond, UAlbany received the No. 5 national seed and Villanova got the No. 8 national seed. The Great Danes are in the playoffs for the third time, and first since reaching the second round in 2019, while the Wildcats are in the playoffs for the third time in five years and 15th overall after reaching the quarterfinals in 2021. It's the 13th time that the CAA has had at least four playoff teams.
- TRI-CHAMPIONS: For the first time since 2015, three teams shared the CAA championship with 7-1 league records. UAlbany claimed a share of the title for the first time since joining the conference in 2013. Richmond won a CAA championship for the ninth time, but first since 2015. Villanova captured a CAA title for the second time in three seasons and eighth overall.
IVY LEAGUE
- For the fifth time in the 68-year history of the league, three teams earned a share of the Ivy title with Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale each finishing 5-2.
- The 2023 Ivy League All-Ivy teams were announced on Tuesday, Nov. 21. After finishing second in the league in rushing, Penn running back Malachi Hosley was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Dartmouth head coach Sammy McCorkle was voted the league’s coach of the year. He is the 10th ever head coach to win an Ivy title in his first year at the helm. The offensive and defensive player of the year will be announced at the Asa S. Bushnell Cup presentation at the famed New York Athletic Club on Monday, Dec. 11 in New York City. The league is partnering with the NFF for the 13th consecutive season for the announcement.
- A 52-player Ivy League football team is set once again to participate in Japan’s National Football Association’s Dream Japan Bowl in Tokyo on Jan. 21, 2024. The contest will be played at National Stadium, newly built for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m. JST (11 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 20).
MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
- The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced its 2023 All-MEAC Football teams, highlighting the conference football programs' hard work and talented players. North Carolina Central headlines the First Team All-MEAC honorees with ten recipients. Howard follows with seven, while Morgan State and South Carolina State received four selectees. North Carolina Central's Torricelli Simpkins II was named the Offensive Lineman of the Year, while South Carolina State's Jawarn Howell earned Rookie of the Year honors. North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver was named MEAC Coach of the Year for the second straight year.
- The conference's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year recipients will be announced during the National Football Hall of Fame as a part of the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the Aria Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.
- The North Carolina Central University Eagles will make its first trip to the NCAA Football Championship (FCS) playoffs, which was announced earlier today during the live selection show on ESPNU. The Eagles will face the University of Richmond Spiders on Saturday, November 25, at 2 p.m. at Robbins Stadium in Richmond, Virginia. The Eagles secured an at-large bid to the postseason tournament after posting a 9-2 overall record, with non-conference victories against No. 25 Elon, Campbell, North Carolina A&T, and Mississippi Valley State. N.C. Central's only non-conference loss came against nationally ranked FBS opponent UCLA.
MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
- A record-six MVFC teams earned spots into the 24-team field, tying a league mark established in 2021.
- The league has 14 title-game appearances in the last 12 years and 10 titles in that span. In those 12 seasons (2011-22), the MVFC had a total of 85 playoff victories; next best is the CAA with 49. An MVFC school has appeared in an FCS-record 12-straight title game appearances for the league. The CAA (5 in a row), OVC (4-straight) and SoCon (4 appearances in a row) are next on the list.
- South Dakota earned a seed for the first time in school history (at No. 3), while South Dakota State was tabbed the No. 1 overall seed for the third time in four years.
- North Dakota, North Dakota State, Southern Illinois, and Youngstown State will all host games this Saturday.
NORTHEAST CONFERENCE
- For the second time in as many years, a de facto championship game in North Andover was needed to decide the recipient of the Northeast Conference's (NEC) AQ to the NCAA FCS Playoffs. Duquesne used a dominant defensive effort in the second half to come out on top, 26-14, and win the NEC title outright for the third time in program history. In other league action, Saint Francis U downed Central Connecticut to finish above .500 in conference play for the third time in as many seasons, while Stonehill took care of business against LIU to finish the year with a 4-3 mark in the league. Wagner closed out the season on a strong note and finished with the most wins since 2018 after taking down Post, while Sacred Heart fell at FBS opponent UConn.
- NEC champion Duquesne will travel to Youngstown State for the first round of the NCAA Division I FCS Championship on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 5 pm. The Dukes are receiving votes in both the Stats Perform and AFCS National Polls, while the Penguins are ranked No. 21 and 23 in those polls, respectively. Duquesne is one of two NEC teams to have a win in the FCS Playoffs to their name, having defeated Towson by a 31-10 final in Opening Round-action in 2018.
- Four NEC student-athletes and one head coach have been named finalist for a series of prestigious national awards. For the third time in his career, Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt, who piloted the Dukes back to the top of the NEC, was named the finalist for the 2023 Eddie Robison Award. Saint Francis U linebacker Carter Glassmyer is a 2023 Jerry Rice Award finalist, marking the second time that a Red Flash player makes the cut for the award that recognizes the nation’s top freshman. Duquesne junior quarterback Darius Perrantes was named a finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, while LIU defensive lineman is a finalist for a national award for the second straight season after making the cut for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award. Rounding out the NEC’s honorees is Stonehill offensive lineman David Satkowski, who is a finalist for the 2023 Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
PATRIOT LEAGUE
- Four Patriot League Football Players Among the Walter Payton Award Finalists -- Fordham sophomore quarterback C.J. Montes, Holy Cross senior quarterback Matthew Sluka, and senior wide receiver Jalen Coker and Lafayette sophomore running back Jamar Curtis were named among the 30 finalists for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, presented since 1987 to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) offensive player of the year.
- Patriot League Co-Champion No. 22/24 Lafayette (9-2, 5-1 PL) will travel to take on No. 6/7 Delaware (8-3, 6-2 CAA) at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Del. when first-round play in the 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Championship begins on Saturday, Nov. 25. Live coverage of the Leopards vs. Blue Hens will begin at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN+. The winner of Lafayette at Delaware will travel to Missoula, Mont. to take on No. 2 seed Montana (10-1, 7-1 Big Sky) on Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. EST. The Leopards earned their eight Patriot League title in program and history and return to the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2013 after defeating rival Lehigh, 49-21 on Saturday.
- Patriot League teams are 9-16 in FCS Playoff games since 2010, winning at least one postseason game in eight seasons during that span. The Crusaders fell to eventual national champion South Dakota State (42-21) in the second round last season after defeating NEC champion Sacred Heart (13-10) in the first round. Colgate fell to eventual FCS Champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinal round in 2018 after defeating James Madison (23-20) in the second round. Colgate leads the Patriot League with six postseason victories, while Lehigh (5), Fordham (3) and Holy Cross (2) have all earned victories in the playoffs.
PIONEER FOOTBALL LEAGUE
- DRAKE’S SEVENTH PFL TITLE -- Drake clinched a share of the 2023 PFL title last week with its 16-14 victory against Presbyterian and Davidson’s loss at Morehead State. The Bulldogs then won the title outright with a 13-9 victory at Butler, and also earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship. It is Drake’s seventh PFL title and first since winning a share of the 2012. The Bulldogs make their first postseason appearance since winning the 2004 PFL Championship Game against Morehead State.
- PFL AWARDS SEASON -- The 31st Pioneer Football League awards will be announced starting with the league’s Major Award Winners on Monday, Nov. 27. The following day, the 31st edition of the All-PFL teams will be presented. The league’s awards schedule concludes with Wednesday’s 2023 PFL Scholar-Athlete of the Year release and the 31st Academic All-PFL squads.
- DRAKE’S STEPSIS NAMED A EDDIE ROBINSON AWARD FINALIST -- Drake head coach Todd Stepsis is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the FCS Coach of the Year. In his fifth season at Drake, he led Drake to its first PFL Championship since 2012 and its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship. The Bulldogs have won 11 straight PFL games dating back to last season and completed a turnaround from a 3-8 record last season to an 8-3 mark in 2023.
- NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP AS CLAYPOOL TABBED A BUCHANAN AWARD FINALIST -- Drake defensive lineman Finn Claypool, the reigning PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, did not suffer a sophomore slump and now is among the finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. He helped Drake win the 2023 PFL Championship behind a 55-tackle campaign that included 19.0 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two pass breakups. Claypool enters the postseason ranked second among FCS defenders in sacks and is fifth in tackles for loss.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
- The Southern Conference put multiple teams in the field for the second straight season and the 34th time in the last 42 seasons.
- The national seed gives Furman (9-2, 7-1 SoCon) a bye through next week’s first round. The Paladins won their first outright SoCon title since 1990 this season. Furman will host the winner of the game between Chattanooga and Austin Peay on Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. The Paladins hosted their first playoff game last season, defeating Elon 31-6. Furman’s nine victories mark the second straight season that the Paladins achieved that number of wins.
- Mercer (8-3, 6-2), winner of four straight games, including a 28-21 triumph over the 2022 SoCon champion Samford on Nov. 11, are making their first trip to the FCS playoffs. The Bears will host Big South-OVC champion Gardner-Webb (7-4, 5-1 Big South/OVC) on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+. The two teams faced off last season, with Mercer coming out victorious, 45-14, on Sept. 24, 2022. The Bears have won six of their last seven games entering the playoffs. Mercer outscored its 10 FCS opponents by an average score of 29.3-19.0 and have a top-30 total defense in the FCS, yielding just 330 yards per contest.
- Chattanooga (7-4, 6-2) will travel to Austin Peay (9-2, 6-0 UAC) for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. The contest will air on ESPN+. The Mocs defeated the Governors, 30-20, in the two teams’ last meeting on Sept. 2, 2021. Austin Peay won the two previous matchups before that in 2013 and 2014. The playoff berth is the fifth for Chattanooga, its first since 2016. This week’s game marks the sixth time this season that the Mocs face an FCS opponent on the road, going 4-1 in the previous five contests.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE
- Colonels Return to the FCS Playoffs -- For the first time in four playoff appearances under head coach Tim Rebowe, Nicholls will begin its quest for a national title on the road as the Colonels will head north to battle Southern Illinois on Saturday, November 25 in the opening round of the FCS playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
- Nicholls Wins Southland Title -- The Nicholls football team won their first Southland championship since 2019 as they defeated Lamar two weeks at home to claim the title and the automatic qualifier to the FCS Football Playoffs. The Colonels then clinched the title outright for the first time in school history after they defeated rival Southeastern in the River Bell Classic. It was their first-ever undefeated season in conference play.
- Colonels Sweep Up Postseason Awards -- The Southland All-Conference Football Awards were announced on Wednesday and conference champion Nicholls led the way with 16 selections to the all-conference team, including six first-team selections and ten on the second-team. Jaylon Spears was named Player of the Year, while Tim Rebowe earned Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. Additionally, Mark Barthelemy earned Offensive Lineman of the Year and Rasheed Lovelace was Freshman of the Year. UIW had 13 selections, leading the way with eight first-teamers to go with five second-team selections.
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
- The 2023 Cricket SWAC Football Championship will be carried live on ESPN2 on Saturday, December 2 at 3:00 pm CST.
- Southern and Grambling play Saturday at 1 pm CT (NBC) in the Bayou Classic in New Orleans in Caesars Superdome.
- Alabama State University had six different players reach the end zone as the Hornets routed Tuskegee University 41-3 on in the 99th Turkey Day Classic on Thursday at ASU Stadium. Damon Stewart led Alabama State's passing attack with 179 yards through the air, tossing three touchdowns without throwing an interception. Ja'Won Howell led all Hornets rushers with 70 yards and one touchdown in the contest, picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Marcus Harris II also added 36 yards on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
UNITED ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
- United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football inaugural season champion Austin Peay knew they were in the field for the 2023 FCS Playoffs and on Sunday the Govs learned they would open postseason play with a home game against at-large selection Chattanooga on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2 PM CT on ESPN+ from Fortera Stadium. The Governors, who finished the regular season with a 9-2 overall record and were undefeated in UAC play at 6-0, enter the postseason riding a nine-game win streak following a 14-12 victory in their season finale against Central Arkansas. APSU went 5-0 at "The Fort" this season.
- Finalists for four Stats Perform National FCS Awards presented by FedEx Ground were announced and United Athletic Conference (UAC) Football garnered eight selections on the prestigious listings.
- Abilene Christian linebacker Cirby Coheley was named FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week and United Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week after his spectacular performance at Texas A&M. Coheley's 51-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first two minutes set the tone for his outstanding performance in Abilene Christian's 38-10 loss at Texas A&M. He also posted a career-high 13 tackles, including eight solos, had three sacks for 20 yards in losses, and was in for two quarterback hurries. His United Athletic Conference squad trailed its SEC opponent by only 24-10 with 5½ minutes left.