Highlights: CSJ FCS Top Five Games and Recap of Week 1
Week One saw quite a few Power 5 FBS teams celebrate wins against powerful FCS teams as if they had won a bowl game. Only one FCS program, Central Arkansas, managed to knock off an FBS opponent: for the second straight year, Western Kentucky was defeated by an FCS program.
The best of the Missouri Valley scared the pants off of Power 5 schools Iowa State, Kansas and Minnesota. The Cyclones required triple overtime to knock out UNI 29-26, the Sycamores gave the Jayhawks all they could handle before a late TD gave Kansas a 24-17 victory.and the Golden Gophers were taken to the limit by South Dakota State, scoring very late then holding off a late Jackrabbit surge to secure a 28-21 victory.
Wagner of the NEC had UConn on the ropes as well before falling 24-21, Portland State gave Arkansas everything they could handle in a narrow 20-13 defeat, and perhaps the biggest shock of all, Houston Baptist, who has one Division I win in the last two years, came within a whisker of a massive upset of UTEP, ultimately falling 36-34.
Only Central Arkansas managed to finish off their FBS opponent, beating Western Kentucky 35-28 in Bowling Green, KY.
Additionally, two marquee FCS matchups also provided thrilling endings. North Carolina A&T’s 52 yard FG as time expired cemented a thrilling 24-21 win over Elon, and Montana surged to a 31-17 win over their hosts, South Dakota thanks to a late touchdown from QB Dalton Sneed to RB Marcus Knight.
Finally, there were two FCS Top 25 upsets that caused voters to scramble their rankings this week. South Carolina State upset Wofford 26-13, in a game led wire to wire by the Bulldogs, and Southeastern Louisiana dominated Jacksonville State 35-14 in one of the more shocking upsets of Thursday.
Below are some video highlights of these games. And the scores have a gap recap link.
1. Southeastern Louisiana 35 Jacksonville State 14 (Hammond, LA)
2. Iowa State 29 UNI 26, 3OT (Ames, IA)
3. North Carolina A&T 24 Elon 21 (Elon, NC)
4. Central Arkansas 35 Western Kentucky 28 (Bowling Green, KY)
Chuck has been writing about Lehigh football since the dawn of the internet, or perhaps it only seems like it. He’s executive editor of the College Sports Journal and has also written a book, The Rivalry: How Two Schools Started the Most Played College Football Series.
Reach him at: this email or click below:
