FCS Football Recap: Week 1 Takeaways

Below are the biggest takeaways from all the Week 1 FCS football action.

Tarleton State, Austin Peay Notch The First FBS Wins Of 2025

It's hard to find a more impressive FCS team than Tarleton State over the first two weeks of the 2025 season. The Texans dominated Portland State in Week 0, following that up with a two-overtime upset over Army on Friday night. It was the second FBS win in program history, putting this team in a perfect position to break into the top five of Monday's updated top 25 rankings.

After falling down 24-10 early in the third quarter, the Texans scored 14 unanswered to send the game to overtime. The upset bid was capped by Brad Larson's 37-yard game-winning field goal. The rushing attack was dominant, rolling up over 190 yards and two touchdowns. Caleb Lewis led the Texans with 107 rushing yards, while freshman sensation Tre Page III added another 89 yards. Cornerback Kasyus Kurns had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Austin Peay stunned Middle Tennessee State, defeating an FBS opponent for the first time since 1987. It also snapped a 12-game losing streak to MTSU, giving the Govs their first win since the Blue Raiders made the jump to the FBS level.

The defense was dominant, holding the Blue Raiders to 153 total yards and only 2.6 yards per play. The Blue Raiders were 0-for-12 on third down and an abysmal 1-of-4 on fourth down. Austin Peay's defense recorded eight tackles for loss and five sacks, including five different players recording at least half a sack. Quarterback Chris Parson finished with 142 passing yards, throwing two key first-half touchdowns.

South Dakota State's Defensive Statement

If anyone had any doubts about South Dakota State's defense, they were put to rest on Saturday night. The Jackrabbits defeated No. 15 Sacramento State 20-3 in head coach Dan Jackson's head coaching debut. It was a dominant performance, as the Jackrabbits held the ball for over 41 minutes of the game.

Sacramento State's "Go-Go" offense was completely neutralized, finishing with only 131 total yards and an average of 2.6 yards per play. Most notably, the Hornets were only able to generate 24 rushing yards on 24 attempts, despite entering the season with one of the most hyped running back rooms in the nation. Sacramento State quarterback Jaden Rashada struggled, completing 11-of-27 passes for 107 yards and an interception.

On the other side, South Dakota State's offense rolled up 240 rushing yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Fordham transfer Julius Loughridge led the Jackrabbits with 159 rushing yards on 22 carries (7.2 YPC). Quarterback Chase Mason showed promise in his first start, completing 73.9% of his passes for 190 yards and one touchdown. He added another 30 yards with his legs on 18 attempts.

Lehigh Takes Control Of The Patriot League Race

In one of the biggest wins of the weekend, No. 14 Lehigh notched a key conference win over No. 25 Richmond. It gives the Mountain Hawks an early lead in the Patriot League and a potential tiebreaker over the Spiders. It also served as the first season-opening win for Lehigh since 2018.

It all started with a dominant defensive performance. Lehigh's defense held the Spiders to 181 yards of total offense and only 3.5 yards per play. Richmond's offense only had one drive that spanned more than 30 yards and was held under five total yards on five different drives. Linebacker Brycen Edward led the defense with eight tackles, while defensive back Mason Moore added four tackles and two tackles for loss.

Former Freshman All-American Jaden Green led the offense with 88 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. His four-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter ended up being the game-winning touchdown. Geoffrey Jamiel had a solid game, leading the team with four catches for 68 yards and one touchdown.

Monmouth Avoids Disaster With Historic Comeback

Colgate had No. 22 Monmouth on the ropes with a 31-7 lead in the third quarter, but it was still not enough. The Hawks scored 35 unanswered points before a late Colgate touchdown to escape with the 42-39 victory on Thursday night. It was the largest comeback in program history.

Despite throwing four interceptions in the first half, quarterback Derek Robertson ended the game with 491 passing yards and four touchdowns, including three scores in the second half. He connected with Gavin Nelson on all three second-half scores, with Nelson finishing with 176 receiving yards. Josh Derry and TJ Speight both topped the 100-yard mark, combining for 203 receiving yards.

Running back Rodney Nelson was special, leading the offense with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Monmouth's offense finished with 678 total yards and averaged 9.3 yards per play. The concern for the defense remains. The unit struggled all night to limit a Colgate offense that struggled all last season. Can the offense continue to bail out this team? That'll determine if Monmouth can be a real threat to win the CAA.

Other Key Storylines Around The FCS:

Northwestern State ended its 20-game losing streak, which spanned over 1,000 days since Nov. 5, 2022. The Demons defeated Alcorn State 20-10, forcing three turnovers, including two massive interceptions in the end zone. Quarterback Abram Johnston may have only had 85 passing yards, but he added another 69 yards on the ground.

We saw the first two FBS upsets of the year, but there were plenty of close calls in Week 1. Holy Cross fell to Northern Illinois 19-17, while Kent State escaped an upset bid from Merrimack in a 21-17 battle. No. 17 Kansas State avoided disaster with a game-winning drive against North Dakota, which had four rushing touchdowns against the Wildcats. Washington State also needed a game-winning field goal to escape against No. 12 Idaho.

In another close FBS loss, it was the Andrew Body show for Alabama State. Body finished with 312 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 119 rushing yards, and another rushing score. He helped the Hornets build a 28-17 lead before the defense failed to stop the UAB offense in the fourth quarter. It was a masterclass by the redshirt junior, who will be must-watch TV every weekend.

It was a long weekend for the SoCon, which saw two ranked teams collapse after an offseason full of hype. No. 18 Western Carolina blew a 35-7 lead over Gardner-Webb, allowing 31 points in the second half. Gardner-Webb quarterback Nate Hampton exploded for 263 passing yards, 132 rushing yards, and six touchdowns. The Catamounts were without starting quarterback Taron Dickens. No. 11 Mercer had one of the worst losses of the weekend, falling to Presbyterian 15-10 a week after its no-contest in Week 0. Mercer's offense was anemic, while the defense had no answer for quarterback Collin Hurst, who had 303 passing yards and one touchdown.

No. 1 North Dakota State opened the season with a dominant 38-0 win over The Citadel. Quarterback Cole Payton delivered in his debut after a slow start, finishing with 192 passing yards, 101 rushing yards, and one touchdown. Barika Kpeenu stepped up at running back with 79 yards and two scores. The defense suffocated The Citadel's offense, allowing only 126 yards and an average of 2.7 yards per play.

It's finally time to welcome UTRGV to the FCS. The Vaqueros won their debut game 66-0 over Sul Ross State, in front of over 12,000 fans. Quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger completed 18-of-19 passes for 365 passing yards and five touchdowns. We'll get to see exactly how good this program could be in 2025 as they travel to face Prairie View A&M.

It was a disappointing debut for Norfolk State in the Michael Vick era. Towson topped the Spartans 27-7 on the road on Thursday night. The Spartans were dominated along the line of scrimmage, only posting 36 rushing yards on 1.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Israel Carter was benched for Otto Kuhns, who looked much more comfortable, but was unable to lead a comeback. Towson's true freshman quarterback, Andrew Indorf, was solid, throwing for 187 yards and three touchdowns.

Southern Utah picked up a major out-of-conference win over Idaho State, defeating the Bengals 46-24. Quarterback Bronson Barron had 240 yards and three touchdowns, while Joshua Dye had a breakout performance with 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It was a key win for the Thunderbirds, who have found themselves on the wrong side of the playoff bubble the past two years.

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