FCS Week 3 Recap: Unmet Expectations

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Week 3 in the FCS was a strange one to say the least. While some results panned out like most thought they might, several more did not. Even some of the heavy favorites that did end up winning did not look at all like themselves while doing so. Mix that in with another healthy amount of upsets and it made for a weird and whacky weekend across the subdivision.

Harvard, Yale Begin Push to Hopeful Playoff Return

Last year the Ivy League sent two of its teams to the postseason in its playoff-debut and, on Saturday, both of those teams made a strong start in the push to get back. Harvard kicked off its 2026 campaign with an impressive 31-7 win at New Hampshire. The Crimson are now officially in the post-Jaden Craig era with Charlie Smith. Smith completed 11 of his 19 passes against the Wildcats for 71 yards and a touchdown. Harvard found most of its success on the ground and on defense, though. Three different ball carriers scored and the D recorded seven sacks against UNH signal caller Brooks Bentley. The unit also forced three takeaways and made 11 third down stops. Harvard is 1-0 as it now turns its attention to Brown.

Yale also got its season underway with new head coach Kevin Cahill on Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 38-28 win over Holy Cross. The defending Ivy League champions rode the arm of quarterback Dante Reno who looked as sharp as ever. Reno tossed five touchdowns and had 454 passing yards on 30 completions. He had no interceptions and averaged 10.6 yards per throw. Both Jaxton Santiago and Lucius Anderson had multiple receiving scores. The Bulldogs, despite the strong passing numbers, are adjusting to life without star running back Josh Pitsenberger who graduated last year. They only ran for 70 yards with freshman Hugo Djeumeni Kemeni leading the way with 54 yards on 12 touches. Yale will face Cornell next weekend.

St. Thomas, San Diego Take Down Big Sky Foes

Both Southern Utah and Cal Poly fell victim to Pioneer League teams over the weekend in losses that change the perception about both being potential Big Sky dark horses. The Thunderbirds, who previously pushed Montana to the brink in Week 0 and defeated Weber State in a shootout a week later, dropped a head-scratcher at home on Saturday to St. Thomas and are now suddenly 1-3. SUU gave up over 400 yards of offense to the Tommies and had no answers in particular for receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler who went for 108 on four catches and had a TD. St. Thomas running back Gabriel Abel ran for 120 yards and a score as well. Will Burns did connect with Mark Bails on a late touchdown that could have tied the game but the two-point try failed.

Later on Saturday night, Cal Poly also squandered their home game against San Diego. Toreros running back Adam Criter diced the Mustangs defense to the tune of 179 yards and it seemed like no matter what Cal Poly did offensively, San Diego had an answer for. USD opened up a 35-21 lead early in the second half and from there the Mustangs were playing from too far behind. A turnover on downs in the fourth quarter after 14-play drive that ate up over six minutes was a backbreaker. Toreros kicker Emiliano Salazar drilled 38-yard field goal in the waning seconds to secure the 38-35 win and send Cal Poly to 2-2 on the year. It’s a really ugly loss after what was a promising start the season in San Luis Obispo.

Stony Brook Runs Through #8 Rhode Island

One of the real stunners of the weekend was Stony Brook’s complete domination of Rhode Island. The Rams defense got gashed over and over again by the Seawolves run game which piled up 321 total yards and accounted for seven touchdowns. All of those scores came from two different guys in Jeremiah Coney and C.J. Hester. Quarterback Quinn Boyd also tore it up, running for 153 yards and throwing for another 198. It was as flat of a performance as Rhody has put out in quite some time on both sides of the ball. Still without usual starting quarterback Devin Farrell, Tyler Budge led the Rams offense. He threw for 209 yards with a touchdown but also had an interception and was sacked four times. Rhode Island could not get anything going in the lopsided 56-24 loss and now sit 1-1 in CAA play with a date with North Carolina A&T on the horizon. Stony Brook is 1-0 in conference as it gets ready for Fordham.

Central Connecticut State scares #1 Montana State

Rhode Island was not the only Top 10 team was out of sorts in Week 3. The top team in the country had to scrap and claw to escape with a puzzling 35-30 win at home. Montana State struggled all day with unranked Central Connecticut State in its own building. An uncharacteristic fumble from running back Adam Jones in the third quarter resulted in a defensive touchdown for the visiting Blue Devils who went up 21-7. The MSU defense and Justin Lamson helped rally the Bobcats in the final 20 minutes, however. Aided by a flurry of CCSU penalties, Montana State scored four touchdowns following Jones’ fumble, two of them coming from Jones himself. Lamson threw two TD passes as well and the defense authored six tackles for loss. Even though it was a win, MSU was dangerously close to being on the wrong end of what would have been an all-time FCS upset. The Blue Devils had their chances but were plagued by 14 penalties, most of them pre-snap. QB Brett Griffis threw for 228 yards and two scores with no picks in the gallant effort. Montana State moves to 4-0 while CCSU remains winless at 0-3.

Southeastern Louisiana Downs ULM

Southeastern Louisiana became the sixth FCS team to defeat an FBS opponent this year when it beat Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. The Lions withstood a Warhawks rally in the fourth quarter and made a big defensive stop in the closing seconds to preserve the 38-35 victory. Senior defensive back Richard McKneely picked off ULM signal caller Austin Carlisle early in the fourth quarter and took it back 11 yards for the touchdown, putting a stamp on a big night for the defense that took the ball away three times. Linebacker Carter Hanberry also had a strong performance, logging 13 tackles (six solo). Despite their own offensive shortcomings, SLU still managed to eek out the win even without winning the time of possession battle and having fewer rushing and passing yards. The Lions are 2-2 and will play Northwestern State next weekend.

SDSU Beats Youngstown State but Loses Mason

The Jackrabbits picked up a big win in their Top 10 battle with Youngstown State but it came at a cost. Quarterback Chase Mason exited the contest with an apparent knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. The offense picked up the slack without him to still get the 27-20 win. Running back Josiah Johnson exploded with 238 yards and two touchdowns all on 30 touches. Backup quarterback Josh Holst came in for the Jackrabbits but was not asked to do a lot as he attempted just eight passes. The SDSU defense did a solid job of keeping Beau Brungard contained, allowing him just 32 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns on the other side. Still, the main concern is with Mason. Last year when he was out for an elongated stretch the Jacks struggled, winning just one of six games. Head coach Dan Jackson said following the game that it appeared that Mason avoided a serious injury but nothing was confirmed yet. The Jackrabbits play Eastern Illinois at home next weekend.

South Carolina State Remains Unbeaten with 20-17 Win at Furman

One of the more impressive teams in the entire country through the first month has been #18 South Carolina State. The Bulldogs, winners of last year’s Celebration Bowl, are off to a blazing 4-0 start after taking down Furman in a big in-state battle over the weekend. SC State jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead thanks to two quick touchdowns. In fact, the Bulldogs scored on their first play of the game with a deep bomb from quarterback Keeley Watson to D.J. Maultsby. Maultsby would finish his day with 118 yards on four catches. The Paladins did make a push in the second half but it was not enough. Furman lost QB Jake Garcia to an injury in the third quarter and backup Connor Ackerley came in as his replacement. Ackerley tossed a touchdown and had 164 yards through the air. Furman is now 2-2 as it gets ready for Richmond. SC State will look to make it 5-0 against Bethune-Cookman next Saturday.

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