FCS Football Recap: Week 4 Takeaways

The FCS football season is in full swing as Week 4 comes to a close. The weekend was headlined by five ranked matchups, including two FCS Top 10 matchups in the Big Sky.

Below are some major takeaways from all the Week 4 FCS football action.

Idaho Continues To Shine In Eck’s Second Season

Ricardo Chavez’s 30-yard game-winning field goal sealed the win for the Vandals, but Ormanie Arnold returned a fumble on the final play of the game to give Idaho a 36-27 victory over Sacramento State. The Vandals utilized a balanced offensive attack to keep Sacramento State’s defense on the field for over 38 minutes on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Gevani McCoy completed 15-of-21 passes for 234 passing yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Hayden Hatten led the Vandals with seven receptions for 72 receiving yards while running back Anthony Woods exploded for 117 rushing yards and one touchdown. Idaho racked up 412 total yards and averaged 6.3 yards per play against a talented Sacramento State defense. Defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby continues to impress in his first season with four tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.

Idaho entered this season with plenty of hype and some experts questioned whether the Vandals would be able to live up to the high expectations. Head coach Jason Eck has the Vandals playing at an extremely high level in his second season. Idaho already has a dominant FBS win over Nevada and a ranked FCS win over Sacramento State, with a chance to add another against Eastern Washington next weekend. If the Vandals continue on this trajectory, this program will be ready to compete for the Big Sky championship and potentially a run at the FCS national championship.

Montana State Makes A Statement In 40-0 Blowout Win

This matchup was supposed to be a competitive FCS Top 10 matchup, but the Bobcats dominated the Wildcats in a 40-0 rout on Saturday afternoon. Montana State’s offense rolled up 518 total yards, 8.4 yards per play, and 346 rushing yards against the Wildcats. It was another example of why the Bobcats should be a consensus top-three team in the country.

Running back Julius Davis led the Bobcats with 132 rushing yards and averaged 9.4 yards per carry. Quarterback Sean Chambers totaled 172 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 86 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns as he stepped into the full-time QB1 role in the absence of Tommy Mellott. Tight end Treyton Pickering had a massive game with 83 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The Montana State defense was dominant on Saturday, holding Weber State to only 208 total yards and 3.0 yards per play. Linebacker McCade O’Reilly led the team with 11 total tackles and one forced fumble. Defensive linemen Ben Seymour and Brody Grebe combined for 10 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks.

Delaware, Villanova Emerge As CAA Championship Contenders

William & Mary was the overwhelming favorite to win the CAA this preseason, but two contenders emerged in Week 4 with impressive conference wins. The Tribe has looked beatable over the first four games of the season, while Delaware and Villanova picked up statement wins this past weekend.

The Blue Hens scored 22 unanswered points, after trailing 18-0, to upset New Hampshire. Quarterback Ryan O’Connor played his best game of the season, completing 24-of-37 passes for 336 passing yards and three touchdowns. Running back Marcus Yarns continues to shine with 105 rushing yards and one touchdown. Delaware’s defense held New Hampshire to only three scores on six red zone opportunities, while eight different players recorded at least 0.5 tackles for loss. The Blue Hens had to replace a lot of talent from last year’s squad, but this team could be a conference championship contender if O’Connor continues to find his rhythm.

Villanova dominated in every phase of the game in a 35-9 win over Rhode Island. The Wildcats totaled 287 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, and averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a team. Quarterback Connor Watkins was dominant as he recorded 166 passing yards, 113 rushing yards, 11.3 yards per carry, and three rushing touchdowns. Running back TD Ayo-Durojaiye contributed 103 rushing yards on only seven carries (14.7 YPC) and one touchdown. The linebacker duo of Brandan Bell and Turner Inge combined for 13 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and one sack. The Wildcats are proving last season was a fluke as this program looks to win the second conference championship in the past three seasons.

Montana Exposed In 28-14 Loss To Northern Arizona

The signs were there throughout Montana’s 3-0 start to the season. The Grizzlies consistently struggled offensively and those issues led to a massive upset as Northern Arizona knocked off Montana, 28-14, on Saturday. The Lumberjacks never trailed in the game as Hendrix Johnson’s 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter gave Northern Arizona the early lead.

Running back Devon Starling led the Lumberjacks with 67 rushing yards and one touchdown, but it was the defense that earned MVP honors this weekend. Eloi Kwete and George Steele combined for 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as Northern Arizona sacked quarterback Sam Vidlak five times. The Lumberjacks held the Grizzlies to only 31 rushing yards and 1.3 yards per carry, while only allowing 244 total yards for the game.

Montana struggled to establish any offensive consistency as their first touchdown drive was set up by an interception in the second quarter. The offense only had three drives over 30+ yards and finished 2-of -12 on third down attempts. Montana’s offensive line was dominated throughout the game, while quarterback Sam Vidlak was not able to generate many explosive plays through the air. This team looks ill-equipped to compete in the Big Sky this season and seems primed to finish in the bottom half of the conference.

Is There A More Chaotic Conference Than The SoCon?

The SoCon has had a different conference champion for four consecutive seasons and is primed to extend that streak this year. Preseason favorite Samford fell to 0-2 in conference play after a 47-24 loss to Chattanooga this past weekend. The Bulldogs are now 1-3 this season with their only victory coming against Shorter in Week 1. After a disappointing Week 1 loss to North Alabama, Chattanooga has rebounded with three consecutive wins and back-to-back conference wins over The Citadel and Samford.

Furman also entered the season as favorites to win the first SoCon championship since 2018. The Paladins are 3-1 and defeated Mercer, 38-14, in an impressive conference win this past weekend. Quarterback Tyler Huff continues to impress as he leads Furman with 706 passing yards, 218 rushing yards, and six total touchdowns. The Paladins are going to be heavy favorites over The Citadel and Samford over the next two weeks, which sets a collision course for a massive matchup against Western Carolina on Oct. 21.

The biggest surprise in the conference is Western Carolina as the Catamounts currently sit at 3-1 and are projected to jump into the Top 15 after a dominant win over Charleston Southern. Kerwin Bell led the Catamounts to back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes in the SoCon and that success is translating to the field this season behind outstanding sophomores Cole Gonzales, Desmond Reid, Censere Lee, and AJ Colombo.

Other Notable Scores:

No. 4 William & Mary 28, Maine 3

No. 6 Holy Cross 47, Colgate 7

No. 18 North Carolina Central 45, Mississippi Valley State 3

No. 22 Florida A&M 23, Alabama State 10

No. 25 Villanova 35, No. 17 Rhode Island 9

Eastern Washington 27, No. 15 UC Davis 24

UT Martin 37, North Alabama 21

Houston Christian 34, Southeastern Louisiana 19

Elon 28, Campbell 24

Central Arkansas 52, Abilene Christian 17

Austin Peay 22, Stephen F. Austin 20

Prairie View A&M 23, Alcorn State 20

Eastern Illinois 31, McNeese State 28

Harvard 34, Brown 31

Jackson State 22, Bethune-Cookman 16