Our FCS football coverage is the home for the Top 25 media poll, FCS National Awards and much more. Here’s a review of the Week 4 action.
There were three FCS nonconference rivalry games that turned at least 93 on Saturday.
They were won by 43, 28 and 27 points.
Make no mistake, it’s already time to put the pedal to the mettle because the conference schedule is oh so near.
The hostilities aren’t for the faint of heart. Even the playoff-bound Ivy League has raised the stakes.
So, yeah, full steam ahead.
Here’s a review of Week 4 across FCS football:
Monmouth Powers Past Villanova
Monmouth has a Walter Payton Award candidate.
Which one?
Quarterback Derek Robertson has drawn much of the early season attention, but wide receiver Josh Derry and running back Rodney Nelson have put themselves in the conversation as well.
The Stats Perform FCS Game of the Week really wasn’t as close as the final score as the No. 21 Hawks handled No. 11 Villanova 51-33 in CAA Football. Derry caught the first of Robertson’s four touchdown passes in the first minute and went on to finish with eight receptions for 177 yards and two scores, while Nelson set career highs with 33 carries and 198 yards, scoring twice.
The trio’s gaudy numbers in the Hawks’ 3-1 start: Robertson (120-for-168, 1,662 yards, 18 TDs, five interceptions); Derry (32 receptions, 534 yards, eight TDs); and Nelson (90 carries, 512 yards; 16 receptions; five TDs).
NAU Wins Showdown Against UIW
In another Top 25 showdown and one of the top nonconference matchups of the FCS season, No. 19 Northern Arizona (3-1) held on to beat No. 17 UIW 31-23 for its program-record ninth straight home win. Ty Pennington continued his big season with 286 passing yards and three TD passes, while linebacker Travis Arena (11 tackles, sack, three QB hurries) was the defensive standout.
The loss dropped No. 19 UIW, the preseason No. 5, to 1-3. The Cardinals’ difficult first half of the season continues the next two weeks at home against defending United Athletic Conference champ Abilene Christian and Stephen F. Austin.
Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Needs Reimaging
Even with Big Sky power Montana beating Indiana State 63-20 to gain a second win in the 2025 Big Sky-MVFC Challenge, the annual regular-season series between the two top FCS conferences likely needs to be reimagined, if not reassessed for possibly ending it.
The MVFC clinched this year’s seven-game series after four games, finishing with a 5-2 record. The Valley has never lost the annual series with six wins and one tie, going 34-19 (.642) overall.
The participation level is unequal, with anywhere from the high of 10 games in 2019 to the low of three last year. Among team discrepancies: Northern Iowa has participated a series-high 11 times, with Montana and South Dakota right behind at 10 each; Portland State’s game this year was its first in the series.
No. 5 Montana (3-0) 63, Indiana State (2-2) 20Griz: 647 yards, 33 first downs, 38:22 TOPQB Keali'i Ah Yar: 22 of 27, 313 yards, 2 TDsRB Eli Gillman: 13 carries, 120 yards, 3 TDs@MontanaGrizFB pic.twitter.com/szbUHElgCe
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) September 20, 2025Ivy Teams Start Strong Again
Ivy League teams went 5-3 to open their season, which means they’ve gone .500 or above in their kickoff weekend in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
Dartmouth gained a nationally ranked win by slipping past No. 25 New Hampshire 27-20 to claim the Granite Bowl. D.J. Crowther rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Grayson Saunier scored from 1 yard out to provide the game-winner with 2:53 left.
Preseason favorite Harvard shredded Stetson 59-7, while Yale defeated Holy Cross 28-10 behind running back Josh Pitsenberger (127 yards, three TDs).
The Ivy team champion will compete in the FCS playoffs for the first time.
Dickens Makes Up for Lost Time
After sitting out the first three games due to academic ineligibility, Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens had an incredible season debut as the Catamounts passed by Samford 50-36 for their first win.
The super soph was 35-for-46 for 582 yards and six touchdowns. Add in four carries for 42 yards, and Dickens has 624 yards of total offense.
Rivalries Go Dud
Week 4’s big rivalry games failed to live up to the anticipation.
In the 100th “Battle for the Real HU,” Travis Kearney rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns as Howard beat Hampton 34-7 to end an eight-game losing streak in the series.
North Carolina Central racked up 765 yards to hammer North Carolina A&T 63-20 in the 97th Aggie-Eagle Classic. Chris Mosley and Arthur Rodgers Jr. combined for 317 yards and five TDs on just 23 carries.
Additionally, No. 13 Southern Illinois beat Southeast Missouri 59-31 to set a series scoring record as the “War for the Wheel” rivalry turned 93. Quarterback D.J Williams accounted for 493 yards of total offense and six touchdowns.
Around FCS Nation
With No. 1 North Dakota State and No. 2 South Dakota State on byes, No. 3 Tarleton State (5-0) scored enough for everybody, beating Chattanooga 52-24. The good news: Peyton Kramer caught seven passes for 190 yards and three TDs. The bad news: standout QB Victor Gabalis was forced out of the game with a foot injury. … Both teams had only six possessions as No. 4 Montana State shut out Mercyhurst 17-0. Mercyhurst had a 19-play drive that lasted 10 minutes, 55 seconds – and it ended with a punt.
FCS Longest Active Winning StreaksOverall8 – Presbyterian, Tennessee Tech7 – North Dakota State5 – Tarleton State, West GeorgiaHome31 – South Dakota State17 – Villanova14 – North Dakota StateRoad4 – Harvard, Presbyterian
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) September 21, 2025Following two different weather delays that lasted 1 hours, 14 minutes each, No. 6 Illinois State avoided a major upset by outlasting North Alabama 38-36 in two overtimes. UNA missed a potential go-ahead PAT after tying up the Redbirds 27-27 with 33 seconds left. In the second OT, wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz caught a 25-yard touchdown and the two-point conversion. … Neither of the first two teams sitting outside the Top 25 allowed a touchdown. Presbyterian improved to 4-0 for the second time (last in 1959) with a 76-3 rout of Bluefield, while defending Southern Conference champion Mercer (2-1) shut out The Citadel 38-0 as freshman Braden Atkinson threw four touchdown passes.
Eighth-ranked Idaho (2-2) fell just shy of beating an FBS program for the third consecutive season, 31-28 at San Jose State. The Spartans went ahead on Denis Lynch’s 48-yard field goal with seven seconds left. Vandals QB Joshua Wood accounted for three TDs (two passing, one rushing) in the loss. … Youngstown State place-kicker Andrew Lastovka provided the heroics in a 31-28 win at Towson. He tied the game at 28 with a 48-yard field goal at the 1:37 mark, then connected from 42 yards for a walk-off winner.
Tenth-ranked Lehigh (4-0, 2-0 Patriot) earned a key road within the Patriot League, powering past Bucknell and quarterback Ralph Rucker IV 41-24. Luke Yoder rushed for 174 yards and a touchdown. … Lafayette has done well to replace All-America running back Jamar Curtis. Since the Leopards’ opening loss to Bowling Green, junior Kente Edwards (16 carries in his first two seasons) has rushed for 532 yards and 10 touchdowns in three consecutive wins (with Friday night’s 38=14 triumph over Columbia the largest). … William & Mary coach Mike London earned his 100th career win as the Tribe downed Charleston Southern 34-7.
Top photo, from left, from Samuel Wallace/WCU Athletics, Connor Graf/Monmouth Athletics and NAU Athletics.
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FCS Football Week 4 Review: Monmouth, NAU, Rivalry Wins Show It’s Full Steam Ahead Opta Analyst.
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