We’re previewing key games and storylines each week throughout the college football season. Our FCS coverage is the home of the Top 25 media poll, FCS National Awards and much more.
Gas up the RV, we’re headed off to another important schedule of FCS football games.
Better yet, gas up the RV teams – the ones receiving votes just outside the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. Some are in position to change the direction of the season this weekend.
Yes, imagine Southeast Missouri going into the Fargodome and stunning top-ranked North Dakota State.
The Redhawks do.
Let’s span FCS nation heading into Week 3.
FCS Football Week 3 Preview
FCS Game of the Week
No. 15 North Dakota (1-1) at No. 6 Montana (1-0)
Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET Saturday at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula, Montana (ESPN+)
Series: Montana leads 15-10-1 (last meeting: North Dakota scored the final 20 points of a 27-24 win on Sept. 7, 2024 in Grand Forks, North Dakota)
Notable: North Dakota fell late at Kansas State 38-35 in Week 1 before putting first-year coach Eric Schmidt in the win column against Portland State 50-20. Sophomore Jerry Kaminski (five touchdown passes, zero interceptions; team-high 117 rushing yards) has spread the ball nicely, with UND having 14 different pass catchers (Xavier Leigh leads with six). The defense, led by linebacker Malachi McNeal (156 career tackles), has switched from a 3-4 base to a 4-2-5 alignment. Playing at home and on the road are vastly different with the Fighting Hawks as they’ve dropped their last seven road games and 12 of the last 13, while also winning 31 of the last 36 inside the Alerus Center. And then there’s Montana, which pushed its all-time record inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium (40th season) to 237-37 (.865) with a 42-17 win over Division II Central Washington. Eli Gillman cranked out 198 yards and three TDs on the ground, making the Grizzlies 16-1 when he gains 75+ rushing yards. Keali’I Ah Yat hopes to settle in as QB1, quite happy to get the ball to Eastern Washington transfer Michael Wortham (120 receiving yards, 240 all-purpose yards in his debut). Coach Bobby Hauck had to replace all 11 starters from last season, so the unit must jell, although cornerback Kyon Loud began his potential breakout with an excellent opener.
The Pick: Montana
Second-and-10
1. UT Martin has won a conference title in four straight seasons, posting a playoff win in two of them. But this season, the transfer-bolstered Skyhawks (No. 33 ranking using RV) have a front-loaded schedule, and coach Jason Simpson’s squad has yet to enjoy a lead through two FBS losses. Quarterback Jase Bauer is coming off a strong performance against UTEP, but the Skyhawks need to get their rushing offense going against No. 17 Southern Illinois – they’re averaging just 96.0 yards per game and 2.5 yards per carry – to avoid starting 0-3 for the first time since 2018.
2. Another OVC-Big South power, Southeast Missouri (No. 29 RV), will face Southern Illinois next week, but first the Redhawks will take their shot at a different Missouri Valley Football Conference team, top-ranked North Dakota State. Transfer QB Jax Leatherwood is must-see due to his 6-foot-8, 253-pound size, but he’s also meeting the big expectations, passing for 497 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions and a 68.1 completion% through the team’s 1-1 start. While the Redhawks are 0-5 all-time against No. 1 FCS teams, nine of the 12 ranked wins in their Division I era have occurred under coach Tom Matukewicz, including against No. 3 Southeastern Louisiana in 2014, his first season.
3. Entering the season, ETSU figured to be the ranked team entering a game with West Georgia, but it’s the No. 25 Wolves (2-0) holding a first-ever FCS ranking in just their second D-I season. Two-quarterback systems tend to work with strong FCS teams, and ETSU (No. 30 RV) is off to an interesting start with its transfer signal-callers – one with the stronger statistics, but the other leading more scoring drives: Cade McNamara (23-for-35, 231 yards, two TDs, one interception; four scoring drives, including three TDs) and Jacolby Criswell (12-for-20, 110 yards; six scoring drives, including five TDs).
Graphic by Graham Bell.4. Southern Utah had a big rankings drop from No. 24 to No. 36 RV due to a loss at San Diego, but it has a big bounce-back opportunity in a visit by No. 18 Northern Arizona. It’s the Grand Canyon Trophy game and also one of SUU’s three nonconference matchups against the Big Sky, where the Thunderbirds will return to next year following a departure in 2022. Dating to 2021, the T-birds had lost 14 straight games against Big Sky teams, but a 46-24 win over Idaho State to open this season halted the streak. Second-year QB Bronson Barron, whose career began in the Big Sky at Weber State, has thrown three TD passes in each of the first two games. Only one other FCS QB without an interception has more TD passes (Tarleton State’s Victor Gabalis with eight).
5. In many past years, a meeting between Eastern Washington and Northern Iowa would be the FCS game of the week and perhaps the top nonconference matchup of the season. Since 2000, UNI has the third-most (191) and EWU the fourth-most (190) wins among FCS programs. In fact, their last meeting occurred in the 2021 playoffs, with the Eagles winning 19-9 in Cheney. But it’s all different as UNI gets set to host the Eagles (the Panthers lead the overall series 6-2, with home field protected every time). EWU, coming off three straight losing seasons after 15 consecutive winning records, is rarely below 300 offensive yards in any game, but the Eagles (0-2) have done it in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2009. UNI (1-1) is seeking to get back to glory under coach Todd Stepsis after Mark Farley’s banner 24-year run ended with a 3-9 record last year.
6. While South Dakota State is No. 2 and the only FCS team with two ranked wins to date (Sacramento State and Montana State), it has allowed the most sacks among the 129 teams with 11. That has a lot to do with quarterback Chase Mason rolling out of the pocket for carries (Pro Football Focus has credited nine of the sacks as a result of Mason’s running and only two against the offensive line). Heading into a home game against Drake, Mason’s 32 carries are the fifth-most among FCS QBs.
FCS Longest Active Winning StreaksOverall7 – Tennessee Tech6 – NDSU, Presbyterian5 – Towson4 – MonmouthHome30 – SDSU17 – Villanova13 – NDSU10 – Rhode IslandRoad4 – Presbyterian3 – Harvard, Monmouth, New Hampshire, Towson, West Georgia
— Opta FCS Football (@OptaAnalystFCS) September 7, 20257. Behind Presbyterian’s victories over the last two Southern Conference champions (Mercer and Furman), the Pioneer Football League has five against FCS opposition, tying for the most since 2019 (the last time there was six was 2009). The league has 15 more non-league FCS matchups, including seven on Saturday, with its regular-season schedule ending with St. Thomas at defending FCS champion North Dakota State on Nov. 22.
8. Holy Cross, which has been a part of six straight Patriot League titles, is giving its fans their money’s worth with exciting games against Northern Illinois and New Hampshire (losses by a combined five points) and an upcoming non-league schedule of strong matchups (No. 6 Rhode Island as well as Ivy League powers Yale and Harvard). But close losses are the difference in coach Dan Curran’s two seasons. The Crusaders have played 10 one-possession games (those decided by eight or fewer points) – more than any other FCS program – yet have a 3-7 record in them.
9. It was one thing for NAIA member Arkansas Baptist to go 0-for-16 on third-down attempts against Houston Christian, but Eastern Kentucky was a mere 1-for-16 against the Huskies. That means the Southland Conference squad has allowed one first-down conversion in 32 attempts (a 3.1% conversion rate). New defensive coordinator in Zach Wilkerson’s unit will be put to an even bigger test this week as the Huskies (1-1) visit Nebraska.
10. Speaking of FCS vs. FBS, there are 23 matchups in Week 3. The upset possibilities include No. 20 Monmouth (win over Middle Tennessee last season) at Charlotte, No. 14 UIW (2021 and ’22 FBS wins) at UTSA and No. 23 New Hampshire (six all-time FBS wins) at Ball State. Monmouth QB Derek Robertson leads the FCS in passing yards per game (416.5), touchdown passes (10) and points responsible for (82), and is tied for the most interceptions (five).
FCS Football Top 25 Schedule – Week 3
All times ET on Saturday; Predicted winner in boldface
Last Week’s Record: 15-6 (.714); Season Record: 35-11 (.761)
1. North Dakota State (2-0): Southeast Missouri (3:30 p.m., ABC ND/ESPN+)
2. South Dakota State (2-0): Drake (7 p.m., ESPN+)
3. Tarleton State (3-0): at Central Arkansas (7 p.m., ESPN+)
4. Montana State (0-2): San Diego (3 p.m., ESPN+)
5. Montana (1-0): No. 16North Dakota (3 p.m., Scripps/ESPN+)
6. Rhode Island (2-0, 2-0 CAA): at Holy Cross (2 p.m., ESPN+)
7. Illinois State (1-1): at Eastern Illinois (3 p.m., ESPN+)
8. Idaho (1-1): Utah Tech (4 p.m., SWX/ESPN+)
9. UC Davis (1-1): No game
10. Lehigh (2-0, 1-0 Patriot): at Duquesne (noon, NEC Front Row)
11. Villanova (1-0): at Penn State (3:30 p.m., FS1)
12. South Dakota (0-2): Northern Colorado (2 p.m., ESPN+)
13. Abilene Christian (1-1): at TCU (8 p.m., ESPN+)
14. UIW (1-1, 0-1 Southland): at USTA (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
15. Tennessee Tech (2-0): Davidson (2:30 p.m., ESPN+)
16. North Dakota (1-1): at No. 5 Montana (3 p.m., Scripps/ESPN+)
17. Southern Illinois (1-1): at UT Martin (7 p.m., ESPN+)
18. Northern Arizona (1-1): at Southern Utah (8:30 p.m., ESPN+)
19. Jackson State (1-1): Tuskegee (3 p.m., SWAC TV)
20. Monmouth (2-0): at Charlotte (6 p.m., ESPN+)
21. Sacramento State (0-2): Mercyhurst (9 p.m., KMAX31/ESPN+)
22. Austin Peay (1-1): Morehead State (7 p.m., ESPN+)
23. New Hampshire (2-0): at Ball State (2 p.m., ESPN+)
24. Lamar (1-1): at Texas Southern (7 p.m., SWAC TV)
25. West Georgia (2-0): ETSU (6 p.m., ESPN+)
Top photo, from left, from Monmouth Athletics, Russell Hans/UND and SEMO Athletics.
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FCS Football Week 3 Preview: North Dakota vs Montana and the Potential Upsets Opta Analyst.
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