FCS Football Recap: Week 9 Takeaways

Below are the biggest takeaways from all the Week 9 FCS football action.

No. 1 NDSU Dominates No. 2 SDSU In The Dakota Marker

There was no shortage of hype for this No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup, but this game was over by the end of the first quarter. No. 1 North Dakota State completely dominated the Dakota Marker, routing No. 2 South Dakota State 38-7 in a blowout win.

Quarterback Cole Payton put on an absolute clinic, leading the team with 137 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 8.1 yards per carry. He also completed 18-of-23 passes for 243 yards and one interception. The Jacks also had no answer for Bryce Lance, who ended with five receptions for 103 receiving yards. All five of his receptions went for a first down, averaging 20.6 yards per reception.

South Dakota State struggled to find any success offensively without quarterback Chase Mason. The Jacks only generated 166 total yards, averaging 3.5 yards per play. They failed to make plays on third and fourth down, going 3-of-13 on those opportunities. Outside of their lone scoring drive, the Jacks did not have a first-half drive that spanned over 20 yards, including four drives that totaled five yards or fewer.

Redshirt freshman Luke Marble completed 7-of-16 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown in his first career start. The Bison generated pressure on 58.3% of Marble's dropbacks, finishing with three sacks and five tackles for loss. South Dakota State was unable to find any success on the ground, only posting 43 rushing yards on 1.5 yards per carry. The lack of success on the ground only compounded SDSU's offensive issues on Saturday night.

North Dakota State Bison safety Darius Givance — Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Montana Silences Sacramento State In Friday Night Showdown

No. 4 Montana improved to 8-0 overall, with an impressive 49-35 road win over Sacramento State. It was a shootout on Friday night, with over 860 total yards and 84 points scored between the two teams. The Grizzlies were able to get a few key defensive stops, which ended up being the difference in the game.

Michael Wortham remains the most versatile athlete in the FCS. He led the Griz with 89 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while also posting a team-high 80 receiving yards and one touchdown. If that wasn't enough production, he also added 69 return yards, which brought him to over 230 total yards.

Defensively, the Griz allowed nearly 500 yards of total offense and 6.3 yards per play, but were able to generate six sacks and 10 tackles for loss, which led to some key stops in the second half. Peyton Wing was excellent, leading the defense with three tackles for loss and three sacks. Diezel Wilkinson also had an outstanding game with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Sacramento State wide receiver Ernest Campbell was electric, finishing with nine catches for 206 yards and one touchdown. Cardell Williams has struggled at times this season, but played very well this week. He completed 25-of-32 passes for 332 yards, three total touchdowns, and 49 rushing yards. The rushing attack scored four touchdowns but averaged only 3.3 yards per carry, which is largely due to Montana's second-half adjustments.

Grambling State Stuns No. 12 Jackson State In Las Vegas

For the second consecutive season, Grambling State pulls off an upset over No. 12 Jackson State, defeating the Tigers 26-24 in the Las Vegas HBCU Classic. Kicker Josh McCormick hit a 44-yard game-winning field goal with 21 seconds remaining.

Jackson State quarterback JaCobian Morgan left the game with a foot injury, which completely changed the momentum in Allegiant Stadium. Despite JSU holding a 10-0 lead, Grambling State scored 23 unanswered points after Morgan's injury, which was too much to overcome, even with two late touchdown drives by freshman Jared Lockhart. Nate Rembert was excellent for Jackson State, leading the team with four receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown.

Grambling State scored on five of its last six drives, including an 11-play, 38-yard game-winning drive. Quarterback C'zavian Teasett completed 16-of-26 passes for 232 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. He was also dynamic with his legs, rushing for another touchdown. Teasett left the game after a scary injury on Grambling State's final drive, but A'Myne Darensbourg converted on a massive 4th-and-9 to put the Tigers in scoring position.

Tight end Covadis Knighten led the Tigers with five receptions for 96 receiving yards and one touchdown. Running backs Tre Bradford and Andre Crews combined for 98 rushing yards on 17 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

Other Key Storylines Around The FCS:

No. 18 Illinois State picked up an important ranked win over No. 21 South Dakota, defeating the Coyotes 21-13 on Saturday. The box score doesn't tell the story of this game. South Dakota finished with more total yards, more rushing yards, more passing yards, won the time of possession, and went 10-of-19 on third downs. Despite this, the Coyotes were unable to score touchdowns in the red zone, which was the difference in the game. Illinois State scored three touchdowns on four red zone attempts, while USD was held to three field goal attempts and only one touchdown.

Dayton pulled off a massive 35-19 upset over No. 19 Presbyterian, ending the Presbyterian's undefeated season. The Flyers forced three interceptions against Collin Hurst, including a 20-yard pick-six in the second half, securing the upset. Gavin Lochow was outstanding, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He led a Dayton rushing attack that finished with 274 yards and three scores against one of the best defenses in the Pioneer League. Presbyterian's loss puts Drake in full control of the conference race as the only undefeated team left in conference play. Dayton will host Drake on Nov. 15 in another huge PFL matchup.

Fordham linebacker James Conway made FCS history on Saturday, breaking the all-time record for career tackles against No. 7 Lehigh. Conway posted a team-high 16 total tackles in the loss, pushing his career total to 555, which surpassed former Illinois State linebacker Boomer Grigsby (550). In eight games, Conway has recorded 119 total tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception, averaging nearly 15 tackles per game this year.

No. 14 Harvard continued to roll through Ivy League play, moving to 3-0 in conference and 6-0 overall with a 35-14 win over Princeton. The Crimson rushed for 259 yards and three scores on 6.3 yards per carry, led by Xaviah Bascon with 101 yards. The defense had three sacks and held Princeton's rushing attack to only 98 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. Harvard is the only undefeated team left in the Ivy League race, but it still has tough games against Dartmouth and Yale on the schedule.

No. 17 Mercer dominated VMI in a 62-0 rout, which featured a single-game program record 834 total yards. Freshman Braden Atkinson had another record-setting performance, breaking the single-game passing record and tying the single-game passing touchdown record. He finished with 533 passing yards and five touchdowns, completing 82.8% of his passes. Mercer is now 6-1 overall (5-0 SoCon) and controls its own destiny in the SoCon race.

UTRGV has wasted no time making waves in its inaugural season, improving to 6-2 (2-2 SLC) with a 56-28 win over Incarnate Word. Quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger was spectacular, throwing for 440 yards and six touchdowns, also adding a rushing touchdown. Tony Diaz led the Vaqueros with 17 receptions for 172 receiving yards and one touchdown. It was another statement win for UTRGV, which has exceeded all expectations this season.

Delaware State stunned North Carolina Central in a 35-26 upset on the road, the program's first win in Durham since 1977. The Hornets continued to dominate on the ground, rushing for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Kaiden Bennett wasn't asked to do a ton through the air, but finished with 212 passing yards and three touchdowns on only nine completions. The Hornets forced two key turnovers inside their own territory, securing their first MEAC win since 2022.

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