Three elite FCS football teams that have combined for four national titles and eight championship game appearances during the 2020s each replaced a long-time quarterback this season. It’s going quite well.
The pre-eminent powers in FCS college football – North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Montana State – are accustomed to reloading at just about any position, but this offseason, there was the matter of doing it at football’s most important position.
While each team’s new starting quarterback would be talented, the change would disrupt the longtime continuity of who had been at the controls of the offense.
The previous QBs – North Dakota State’s Cam Miller, South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski and Montana State’s Tommy Mellott – represented:
The starter on the last four national champions (Miller and Gronowski, twice each) and with the runner-up in four of the last five seasons (Mellott twice; Gronowski and Miller once each). The last two Walter Payton Award recipients for FCS offensive player of the year (Gronowski in 2023 and Mellott last season) and the 2024 runner-up (Miller). The co-leader in career wins by an FCS starting QB (Gronowski, 49), the signal-caller who’s fourth on the list (Miller, 45) and a 33-win QB (Mellott). Together, they were a combined 127-25 (.836) in career starts dating to the 2020 FCS season which was mostly played the following spring.In stepped Cole Payton (NDSU), Chase Mason (SDSU) and Justin Lamson (Montana State).
Each has leadership skills plus the athleticism and mobility of a dual threat. Each is also off to an outstanding start, with all three ranked in the top eight of FCS completion percentage.
Cole Payton, North Dakota State
The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Payton was one of the biggest recruits during the Bison’s FCS dynasty, and he appeared in 39 games off the bench from 2021-24 while Miller started 56 consecutive games. The left-hander was often asked to run the ball more than throw it, with nearly 71 percent of his 1,610 yards of total offense and 18 of his 23 combined touchdowns coming on the ground.
As a senior, he’s threaded passes with tight spirals in top-ranked NDSU’s 3-0 start. He’s completed 39 of 55 (70.9%) pass attempts for 706 yards and six touchdowns and has a 214.7 pass efficiency rating that ranks third in the FCS. He mauled Southeast Missouri with career highs in completions (16), attempts (23), passing yards (348) and TD passes (four).
Add in 175 rushing yards and one TD on a team-high 6.5 yards per carry and Payton ranks seventh in the FCS in total offense at 293.7 yards per game. He hasn’t committed a turnover.
Chase Mason, South Dakota State
Mason is similar to Payton in that nearly 62 percent of his 1,048 yards of total offense and eight of his 11 combined touchdowns in 19 games over the 2023 and ’24 seasons were via the run. But having spent the fall 2021 semester on the Nebraska baseball team suggested his arm would be just fine when called upon extensively.
This season, the 6-4, 240-pound senior is 52 of 73 (71.2%; No. 6 in the FCS) for 589 yards, five TDs and a 161.6 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 115 yards and one TD, although he’s been sacked 11 times. Like Payton, he’s turnover-free.
Additionally, Mason’s statistical lines have been consistent in the No. 2 Jackrabbits’ 3-0 start, but with one number standing out: He accounted for a career-best four TDs (three passing, one rushing) in the season’s biggest game to date – a 30-24, double-overtime win at Montana State.
Justin Lamson, Montana State
The Bobcats are No. 4-ranked despite their tough loss to SDSU and another defeat against Oregon to make them 1-2. All Lamson has done is compile the FCS’ top completion percentage at 75.3 (64 of 85), passing for three touchdowns and one interception.
He arrived at MSU as an FBS transfer with experience. After being redshirted, then sidelined by injury in the 2021 and ’22 seasons at Syracuse, he transferred to Stanford, where he appeared in 23 games with four starts. He accounted for 1,232 yards of total offense and 17 total touchdowns (13 rushing).
The 6-2, 210-pound junior has rushed for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he’s been so accurate that the Bobcats want him to scramble less and throw downfield more. He did so against San Diego and went 23-for-26 for a career-high 293 yards.
Top FCS quarterbacks photo, from left, from Associated Press, Dave Eggen/Inertia and NDSU Athletics. Follow more FCS coverage on social media at X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
FCS Powers NDSU, SDSU, Montana State Have Answered the Quarterback Questions Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about fcs powers ndsu sdsu montana state have answered the quarterback questions was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( FCS Powers NDSU, SDSU, Montana State Have Answered the Quarterback Questions )
Also on site :
- Crews respond to large fire at Denny Hamlin's parents' house in Stanley: Sources
- Reported tornado rips roofs off multiple homes in central Illinois
- Heidi Klum ditches bikini top to cozy up to husband Tom Kaulitz during St. Barths vacation