Alabama’s last 10 matchups against FCS programs

Alabama has outscored FCS opponents 498-53 in previous 10 match ups

The Alabama Crimson Tide has dominated at the highest level of college football for the past decade and a half under head coach Nick Saban. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that teams from the Football Championship Series (FCS) haven’t put up much of a fight against the Tide.

In the Tide’s previous ten match-ups against FCS opponents, Alabama has outscored them 498-53. Yikes.

So, the Austin Peay Governors certainly have a lot to handle this weekend as they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. The game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network.

Alabama may be eliminated from playoff contention, but the team still has some anger to let out after the two tough losses. Coach Saban won’t let this team quit either as he still has aspirations of a 10-win season and New Years Six bowl appearance.

Josh Heupel’s offense projected to compete for national championship in FBS, FCS playoffs

Josh Heupel’s offense projected to compete for a national championship in the FBS and FCS playoffs.

Josh Heupel’s offense is transforming the sport of college football in the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision.

Tennessee has played one less game than most FBS teams due to having an open date in Week 5. The Vols’ offense under Heupel ranks first nationally in yards per game (551) in the FBS.

Tennessee and Heupel’s entire statistics and where they currently rank nationally can be viewed here.

In the FCS, Fordham ranks first in the following categories:

Total points: 344 (First in FCS)

Points per game: 49.1 (First in FCS)

Total yards: 4,347 (First in FCS)

Total yards per game: 621.0 (First in FCS)

Yards per play: 8.17 (First in FCS)

Passing yards: 3,058 (First in FCS)

Passing yards per game: 436.9 (First in FCS)

Passing touchdowns: 34 (First in FCS)

Fordham quarterback Tim DeMorat (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)

Fordham has experienced offensive success under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kevin Decker and tight ends coach David Weeks.

Weeks was brought in to help install Heupel’s offense at Fordham. He has served as the Rams’ tight ends coach from 2021-22.

Weeks came to Fordham after serving as a student assistant quarterbacks coach from 2018-19 at UCF under Heupel. At UCF under Heupel, Weeks was responsible for helping provide input and breaking down opponent and self-scout film, creating cutups of opponents and self-scout specific film, creating weekly post-game packets and charts, a weekly red zone report, and drawing weekly installs.

Both Tennessee and Fordham’s success offensively and winning games have resulted in the two programs receiving projections to play in the College Football Playoff and the FCS playoffs.

The Vols (6-0, 3-0 SEC) have recorded four top 25 wins through six games, while Fordham (6-1, 2-0 Patriot League) has scored 40-plus points in every contest this season. Fordham’s only loss this season took place Sept. 24 against FBS, Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio. Ohio defeated the Rams, 59-52.

Below are recent playoff projections for Tennessee and Fordham.

Pittman expects his team to be geared up for FCS opponent

Sam Pittman expects his team to be ready for the FCS showdown against Missouri State.

There have only been five FCS teams to beat ranked FBS opponents, but none of those ranked opponents were a part of the SEC. 

And Sam Pittman doesn’t expect his Hogs to go against tradition.

“These weeks are about trying to get better,” Pittman said about getting his team pumped up for an FCS opponent.

“Trying to see who can help us win ball games. These kinds of weeks, like last week, we took the approach we have to get better ourselves. We certainly have enough things to work on before we worry about who we’re playing. I’ve been proud of our team ever since we’ve been here by putting the game before away. I’m confident we’ll get them focused and ready to play.”

The Hogs are currently on a 16-game win streak against FCS schools, facing Missouri State three times during that span, outscoring the Bears 148-34.

But these games can be trap games and in a historical fashion. This matchup brings a little bit more drama, with Bobby Petrino making his return to Fayetteville, and they are No. 5 in the FCS coaches poll.

Opposition Research: North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Get to know the North Dakota Fighting Hawks before kickoff on Saturday!

On Saturday afternoon at 2:30 pm CT, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will play their home opener for the 2022 season. They will welcome FCS opponent North Dakota to Lincoln for a non-conference showdown. Nebraska will be coming off a 31-28 loss against the Northwestern Wildcats last week in Dublin, Ireland, while North Dakota will be kicking off their first game of the season.

Saturday will be the 14th time that Nebraska has played an FCS team. The Huskers are 13-0 in the previous FCS meetings. They last played a non-FBS squad last season, which was a 52-7 victory over Fordham.

Memorial Stadium will be the home venue for the Huskers during the 2022 season. The stadium, which currently has a capacity of 85,458, opened in 1923 and has been the home of the Cornhuskers since that date.

But enough about Nebraska. Now is the time to look at the Fighting Hawks and learn what’s in store for Scott Frost’s team on Saturday afternoon.

Top LB transfer Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey will visit Texas this week

Tucker-Dorsey could help turn the Texas defense around in 2022.

Football Championship Subdivision All-American linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey is headed to Austin May 23-25 for an official visit. Continue reading “Top LB transfer Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey will visit Texas this week”

Brady Quinn is ticked Notre Dame scheduled Tennessee State

Do you agree with Brady?

Count Notre Dame great [autotag]Brady Quinn[/autotag] among those not on board with the Fighting Irish ending their run of having never played an FCS opponent.  Quinn was discussing Notre Dame scheduling [autotag]Tennessee State[/autotag] on the FOX Sports podcast “2 Pros and a Cup of Joe” and he ripped the decision.

You can’t schedule this and go, ‘Well, it’s historic for this reason.’ I get all that. I don’t care about that. This isn’t about equity and all that stuff or trying to say hey, we’re helping out an HBCU school. It’s not about that. It’s about trying to win a National Championship…

This a no win scenario for Notre Dame, no matter what way you go about it. It does not help elevate their program. You’re not winning a recruit for this. You’re not winning in the eyes of the College Football Playoff Committee, or the AP, or whatever else want to talk about recruiting…

It’s just a dramatic departure from what it used to be and it it crushes me to see it. Notre Dame in this instance, when it’s always kind of been something of its own, is now really trying to almost blend in with everyone else. And that hasn’t been their MO.” – Brady Quinn

Personally, I’m not thrilled with the idea of playing an FCS opponent, even if it is a HBCU like Tennessee State is, but I’m missing where this hurts Notre Dame’s resume so badly.

Sure, recruits aren’t going to look at Tennessee State on Notre Dame’s schedule and see it as a reason to play football for the Irish but let’s be real, were any doing that when UMass, Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio), New Mexico, or plenty of others showed up at Notre Dame Stadium in recent years?

And can we get over the fear of Notre Dame being punished by the committee for this game?  I get it, it was fun to make fun of the SEC for their scheduling of FCS opponents and it’s not fun to have to give credit to USC for anything, and this leaves us now doing that, but does anyone in their right mind think Notre Dame playing Tennessee State instead of, say, an even middle-of-the-road MAC team make any difference?

Now is the time I give you the kind reminder that a trip to Clemson as well as home dates with both Ohio State and USC are on Notre Dame’s 2023 schedule as well.  Going 11-1 with that slate would make it incredibly difficult to keep Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff, Tennessee State or not.

Again, I’m not dancing in the streets for the fact this happened but I really feel a good chunk of Notre Dame fans have a misunderstanding of games that have been being scheduled for years.

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Tennessee State’s all-time records against FBS programs

Get to know the Irish’s 2023 home opener opponent a bit.

Notre Dame has announced that its 2023 home opener will be played against Tennessee State, a Historically Black College and University. On the surface, it’s a great opportunity for a lesser-known program to receive national exposure. However, it also will be the first time the Irish have played a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. The reaction to this news within the fan base mostly has been lukewarm at best and outright negative at worst.

Notre Dame presently is the only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent the Tigers have scheduled for the future. That makes the decision either more of a headscratcher from the Irish’s point of view or it merely makes the Irish an outlier. Either way, the Tigers don’t get to play FBS schools very much, so you better believe they will be hyped for the opportunity. In the spirit of that, let’s take a look at how they have done against teams from college football’s top level:

Notre Dame to end streak of not playing FCS football program

How do you feel about this decision?

Notre Dame will open the home portion of the 2023 football season against Tennessee State.  It will be Notre Dame’s first game in program history against an FCS program.

I’ll have more thoughts on this later but initially I’m not thrilled.  I will say that if it is ending that I’m happy to see it occur against a Historically Black College and University like Tennessee State is, but that aside, I was a fan of the Irish having never previously played an FCS team.

The Ohio State connection will be strong come Sept. 2, 2023 as Marcus Freeman will be coaching the Irish and the [autotag]Heisman Trophy[/autotag] winning Buckeye [autotag]Eddie George[/autotag] is currently the Tennessee State head coach.

Related – Notre Dame football future schedule and opponents

The official release from Notre Dame reads as follows…

Hunter Luepke smashing a dude into bits was the perfect parallel to North Dakota State’s FCS title win

Hunter Luepke smashing into people set the tone for another North Dakota State title.

North Dakota State isn’t an FCS powerhouse. It’s *the* FCS powerhouse. And the guy who drove the Bison to their ninth NCAA title in 11 years was a 236-pound fullback.

On Saturday, North Dakota State took advantage of Montana State’s awful injury luck to thoroughly mush the Bobcats 38-10 and end a perilous one-year title drought. The engine behind that win was Hunter Luepke, a former two-star recruit from Spencer, Wisconsin and 2021 first-team All American.

The junior running back set the tone early to send a message to Montana State; we don’t care where you are or whether it’s even necessary, we’re gonna beat the crap out of you.

Sometimes the Xs and Os of college football can be a little overwhelming. Fortunately, I’ve broken down the play for our convenience here:

Luepke, a fullback whose job it is to crash into things chose option B: crash into things.

That was the first of three Luepke touchdowns on the day — all in the first two quarters of the game — and it gave the Bison a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Since his third score didn’t involve nearly enough contact, the NDSU star celebrated by kicking himself in the head.

You know, normal fullback stuff.

Unfortunately for the rest of the FCS, Luepke is slated to return to the Bison in 2022. Expect him and the rest of an eternally-stacked North Dakota State roster to start next season as the nation’s top-ranked program once again.

Deion Sanders earns major FCS coaching honor

Deion Sanders has won the Eddie Robinson Award as best FCS coach

Jackson State coach Deion Sanders can add another honor to his star-studded resume.

The Pro and College Football Hall of Famer was named winner of the Eddie Robinson Award, which is presented to the national coach of the year in the Division I subdivision (FCS).

Sanders led the Tigers to 11 wins in 2021 and a berth in the Celebration Bowl against South Carolina State. The game will take place on Saturday in Atlanta.

“This is a team effort, it’s a valiant effort, it takes a lot, it does not just take me. I know it takes a visionary, but people have to really support the vision. And that’s what we did,” Sanders said.

Jackson State is 11-1, including 9-0 against conference opponents.

An average of 42,293 fans attended six home games – a single-season record for an FCS school.

One of 17 finalists for the award, which is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, Sanders will be honored at the FCS National Awards Banquet on Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.

2021 Eddie Robinson Award Voting Results
A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point.
1. Deion Sanders, Jackson State: 9-7-8-10-6-123
2. K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston: 9-5-5-6-7-99
3. Randy Sanders, ETSU: 11-4-7-2-1-97
4. Troy Taylor, Sacramento State: 7-7-5-3-4-88
5.(tie) Matt Entz, North Dakota State: 1-7-3-3-2-50
5.(tie) Brent Vigen, Montana State: 1-5-5-4-2-50
7. Eric Morris, UIW: 2-2-6-3-2-44
8. Jason Simpson, UT Martin: 3-3-1-3-2-38
9. Glenn Caruso, St. Thomas: 2-3-2-0-1-29
10. Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State: 0-2-2-4-4-26
11.(tie) Mark Ferrante, Villanova: 1-1-2-2-5-24
11.(tie) Bobby Petrino, Missouri State: 0-3-1-4-1-24
13. Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth: 2-0-2-3-0-22
14. Colby Carthel, Stephen F. Austin: 1-1-0-3-3-18
15. Bob Chesney, Holy Cross: 1-0-1-0-5-13
16. Buddy Pough, South Carolina State: 0-0-0-0-5-5
17. Chris Merritt, Bryant: 0-0-0-0-0-0