FCS Football Recap: Week 5 Takeaways

Week 5 left a major impact across the FCS football landscape as eight ranked teams suffered losses this weekend. Six of the eight losses by ranked teams were to unranked opponents, including three Top-6 programs suffering losses to unranked programs.

Below are some major takeaways from all the Week 5 FCS football action.

South Dakota Knocks Off No. 2 North Dakota State

South Dakota took an early 7-0 lead with 11:23 remaining in the first quarter and led until the clock hit zero in the Fargodome. It was the first win over the Bison since 2015 for the Coyotes, while also extending a streak of beating a ranked team in every season since 2013.

Quarterback Aidan Bouman completed 10-of-12 attempts for 168 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Wide receiver Carter Bell led the Coyotes with five receptions for 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The South Dakota offense scored on all three drives in the first half, taking a 21-3 lead into halftime. It was an efficient performance for the Coyotes against the Bison, despite only running 38 total plays for the game.

Defensive back Dennis Shorter had a breakout performance with 13 tackles and one interception, which set up the final touchdown drive of the first half. The Bison out-gained the Coyotes and dominated the time of possession, but South Dakota's defense made key stops in the biggest moments. The Coyotes held the Bison to two field goals deep in South Dakota territory, which became the difference in this game.

Harvard Ends 19-Game Holy Cross Winning Streak

Holy Cross entered Saturday with a 19-game regular-season winning streak against FCS opponents, but Harvard shocked the Crusaders in a 38-28 upset at Polar Park. The Crimson have now won seven of the last 10 meetings against the Crusaders and improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2021. Harvard has not lost back-to-back meetings against the Crusaders since 1991-92.

The Crimson defense forced five total turnovers on Saturday, including three turnovers in Harvard territory to stop multiple potential scoring drives. Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka ended the game with three interceptions, including a pick-six by AJ Lopez late in the second quarter. Harvard turned three interceptions into 17 points, which was enough to pull off the Top-10 upset. Defensive lineman Thor Griffith recorded six tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack.

Quarterback Charles DePrima led Harvard with 151 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and 89 rushing yards. Wide receiver Cooper Barkate had a career game with five receptions for 73 receiving yards and two total touchdowns. The Crimson offense converted on two crucial fourth down attempts and scored on all three red-zone opportunities.

CAA Chaos Continues As Elon, UAlbany Emerge As Contenders

The CAA championship is wide open as No. 5 William & Mary, No. 14 New Hampshire, and No. 16 Villanova all suffered losses this weekend. Elon currently sits atop the CAA standings with a 3-0 record in conference play, but three other teams (Delaware, Hampton, UAlbany) are currently undefeated in conference after Week 5.

Elon continues to improve after a 0-2 start as quarterback Matthew Downing threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to upset William & Mary. The Phoenix has now won three consecutive games over North Carolina A&T, Campbell, and William & Mary. Elon may have been counted out of the CAA race after a disappointing loss to Gardner-Webb in Week 2, but this team has found some momentum and will face another big test against No. 15 North Carolina Central next week.

UAlbany is now 3-0 against FCS competition after an impressive 31-10 win over No. 16 Villanova. Defensive lineman AJ Simon and Anton Juncaj combined for five tackles for loss and five sacks, while Ori Jean-Charles also totaled two sacks against the Wildcats. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger continues to develop as he finishes with 244 passing yards and three touchdowns in the upset win. The Great Danes are a team built to compete with the top contenders in this conference and could be the Cinderella story of the 2023 season in the CAA.

New Hampshire's skid continues as the Wildcats fall in a 54-51 overtime loss to Towson. Quarterback Nathan Kent had a massive performance with 252 passing yards and five passing touchdowns for the Tigers. D'Ago Hunter and Devin Matthews combined for 232 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Towson totaled 309 rushing yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry against the Wildcats.

Grambling Controls Fate In SWAC West After State Fair Classic

Grambling State defeated Prairie View A&M in the State Fair Classic for the first time since 2017. The Tigers scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Panthers, including the game-clinching touchdown run by Floyd Chalk. Grambling State moves to 2-0 in conference play and controls its own destiny to the SWAC Championship.

Quarterback Myles Crawley had his breakout game with 241 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Crawley's connection with Lyndon Rash was unstoppable as Rash finished with seven receptions for 73 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Grambling rushing attack was impressive as the Tigers rolled up over 200 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Floyd Chalk led the Tigers with 86 rushing yards, while Chance Williams also contributed 76 rushing yards and one touchdown. Grambling may have the most explosive offensive attack in the SWAC, which could lead the Tigers back to the SWAC Championship for the first time since 2017.

The Tigers sacked quarterback Trazon Connley four times, led by defensive lineman Javon Cater with two tackles for loss and two sacks. Linebacker Lewis Matthews led the Tigers with nine total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Grambling held a dynamic Prairie View rushing attack to only 126 yards and less than 4.5 yards per carry. Many experts had questions about the potential of this Grambling State defense, but the Tigers answered the bell in the biggest test of the season.

North Carolina Central Escapes With OT Win vs. Campbell

North Carolina Central avenged last season's blowout loss to Campbell in a come-from-behind overtime win over the Camels. The Eagles trailed 35-14 with 6:17 remaining in the first half but scored 28 unanswered points to take its first lead of the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Eagles blocked a Campbell extra point in overtime, then sealed the game on a 25-yard touchdown run from Latrell Collier.

Quarterback Davius Richard was spectacular for the Eagles; totaling 265 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 86 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns. The Eagles were able to rack up 447 yards of total offense and dominated the time of possession, controlling the ball for over 40 minutes. Wide receiver Devin Smith led the Eagles with five receptions for 90 receiving yards, while Latrell Collier accounted for 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The defense allowed some early explosive plays but was able to make key stops to spark the comeback win. Cornerback Jason Chambers made a crucial interception, which set up the first touchdown in the comeback bid for the Eagles. Linebacker Jayden Flaker led the Eagles with 15 total tackles, while defensive back Khalil Baker totaled seven tackles.

Other Notable Scores:

No. 1 South Dakota State 42, No. 12 North Dakota 21
No. 3 Montana State 38, Portland State 22
No. 4 Idaho 44, No. 19 Eastern Washington 36
No. 8 Sacramento State 31, Northern Arizona 30
No. 10 Southern Illinois 33, Missouri State 20
No. 13 Weber State 28, Northern Colorado 21
No. 17 Western Carolina 49, The Citadel 14
No. 18 Montana 28, Idaho State 20
No. 20 Florida A&M 31, Mississippi Valley State 7
No. 21 UC Davis 31, Cal Poly 13
No. 22 UT Martin 20, Tennessee State 10
Northern Iowa 44, No. 23 Youngstown State 41
No. 25 Central Arkansas 29, Southern Utah 27
Tarleton State 14, Southeastern Louisiana 13
Eastern Kentucky 32, North Alabama 22
Georgetown 28, Fordham 24