BIG SKY
FARMINGTON, Utah (Sept. 17 , 2023) — Sacramento State upset Pac-12 foe Stanford on Saturday night, as the Hornets remained undefeated on the year following the thrilling 30-23 victory against their former head coach's new team.
Marcus Fulcher scored on a 49-yard pass from Kaiden Bennett with 1:32 remaining, as the Hornet defense forced a turnover on downs in the final drive to deliver the 30-23 victory for Sacramento State.
The result also gives the Big Sky Conference its third win over a Pac-12 foe since 2021, as Sacramento State's victory against Stanford joins Montana's win over Washington and Northern Arizona's upset against Arizona, which both came in 2021.
The Hornets carry their streak of 22 straight regular-season wins and 12 consecutive road victories to Moscow in Week 4 as Sacramento State opens Big Sky play at Idaho.
Another huge win this past Saturday came in Cheney, as Eastern Washington upended ranked Southeastern Louisiana 40-29.
It was a back-and-forth, punch-for-punch affair on the red turf in Cheney as the scoring margin was never more than 7 points until a late interception for a touchdown by EWU cornerback Marlon Jones Jr. — his first career pick-six — sealed the win with under 90 seconds left.
Also earning its first win of the year this past Saturday was Portland State, who made national headlines after winning 91-0 against North American University. The 91 points broke the Big Sky's single-game scoring record, which stood for almost 40 years.
Elsewhere, Montana improved to 3-0 after closing out its non-conference slate with a 17-10 win over defending D-II national champion Ferris State, as the Griz join Sacramento State as the only two undefeated Big Sky teams heading into league play.
Cal Poly, Montana State and UC Davis all earned wins as well on Saturday to improve to 2-1 on the year, with Sam Huard tossing six touchdown passes for the Mustangs to secure their first 2-1 start since 2016.
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Big Sky Football Week 3 Scores
Saturday, Sept. 16
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform/AFCA
Utah 31, #9/7 Weber State 7
Read Full Weber State Recap
#3/3 Montana State 57, Stetson 20
Read Full Montana State Recap
Eastern Washington 40, #19/T22 SE Louisiana 29
Read Full EWU Recap
Cal 31, #5/10 Idaho 17
Read Full Idaho Recap
Portland State 91, North American 0
Read Full Portland State Recap
Utah Tech 50, Northern Arizona 36
Read Full NAU Recap
Washington State 64, Northern Colorado 21
Read Full Northern Colorado Recap
#RV/RV Northern Iowa 41, Idaho State 17
Read Full Idaho State Recap
#8/6 Sacramento State 30, Stanford 23
Read Full Sacramento State Recap
#12/T11 Montana 17, Ferris State 10
Read Full Montana Recap
Cal Poly 41, Lincoln (CA) 20
Read Full Cal Poly Recap
#16/16 UC Davis 23, Southern Utah 21
Read Full UC Davis Recap
BIG SOUTH / OVC
It was a full schedule around the Association on Saturday, including the second Conference game of the season as Tennessee State used a late field goal to upend Gardner-Webb.
TENNESSEE STATE 27, GARDNER-WEBB 25 | BOX SCORE
The Tennessee State football team took down Gardner-Webb 27-25 in the John Merritt Classic on Saturday evening for their first Big South-OVC win of the year. After a 16 yard passing TD from GWU to go up 25-24, the Tigers, led by kicker James Lowery would tack on three more points with 12 seconds left as he connected on a career-long 50-yard FG to push TSU to the win.
EASTERN ILLINOIS 14, #25 ILLINOIS STATE 13 | BOX SCORE
Eastern Illinois quarterback Pierce Holley completed his first 20-passes of the game breaking a Panthers school record set by current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton in 1986. Holley then completed seven of his final nine passes leading EIU on a game winning drive with 92 seconds remaining as the Panthers won the 111th Mid-America Classic 14-13 over No. 25 Illinois State.
UT MARTIN 66, HCU 7 | BOX SCORE
Kinkead Dent threw for 347 yards and accounted for six touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) as UT Martin tallied 707 yards of total offense in a blowout win over HCU. Sam Franklin added 127 yards and a touchdown for the Skyhawks.
LINDENWOOD 43, WESTERN ILLINOIS 40 | BOX SCORE
After falling behind with 5:09 to play, Lindenwood used a 10-play drive and marched down the field, pulling off the victory on a Cole Dugger to Jeff Caldwell connection with 1:13 to play. Caldwell caught five passes on the evening, four of which went for touchdowns; he finished with 185 receiving yards
#15/18 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 26, #13/15 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 25 | BOX SCORE
Nic Baker threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Izaiah Hartrup on a fourth down with 11 seconds left as #15 Southern Illinois (3-0) pulled off a 26-25 come-from-behind win over #13 Southeast Missouri (1-2) Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 8,613 at Houck Field. The Salukis trailed the entire game until the final 11 ticks on the clock. Paxton DeLaurent completed 26-of-46 passes for 251 yards and one touchdown, and Geno Hess ran for 99 yards and one score to lead SEMO offensively.
BROWN 29, BRYANT 25 | BOX SCORE
Ryan Clark ran 5 yards for a touchdown with 63 seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs (1-2) a 25-22 lead. But Jake Willcox needed just six plays and 43 seconds to march Brown 76 yards for the winning score with 13 seconds remaining. Zevi Eckhaus finished with 262 yards on 20-of-37 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
#4/4 WILLIAM & MARY 15, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 7 | BOX SCORE
Charleston Southern football saw its second-straight contest against a nationally-ranked program Saturday evening, falling to #4 William & Mary, 15-7, at Buccaneer Field in a low-scoring affair. Nivon Holland's kick return for a touchdown marks just the second time in program history that a kick was taken 100 yards to the house for a score. The last time it happened came back in 2010 as Gerald Stevenson did it at Buccaneer Field against Liberty. Holland's house call started two yards deep in his own endzone, but it goes in the books as a 100-yard return.
NORTH ALABAMA 20, TENNESSEE TECH 7 | BOX SCORE
Jacquez McGowan returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown but Tennessee Tech came up short in its home opener at Tucker Stadium. Brad Clark had six catches for 106 yards for the Golden Eagles. Hayes Gibson passed for a team-high 133 yards for the Golden Eagles.
#25 YOUNGSTOWN STATE 48, ROBERT MORRIS 28 | BOX SCORE
The RMU football team concluded the road portion of its 2023 non-conference schedule Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio, falling to Youngstown, 48-28. Anthony Chiccitt finished 19-for-31 passing for 171 yards and a pair of scores, hitting eight different receivers in the process. In his two starts this season, Chiccitt has completed 68.9 percent (40-for-58) of his passes for 452 yards and five touchdowns.
CAA
Rhode Island 34, Maine 17
Box Score
Kahtero Summers caught six passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and the Rhode Island defense posted a second-half shutout as the 20th-ranked Rams (2-1, 2-0 CAA) picked up a 34-17 victory at Maine (0-3, 0-1 CAA) on Friday night at Alfond Stadium. It was Rhode Island's first win in Orono since 1998.
Maine got off to a fast start, opening the game with a 12-play, 75-yard drive to take a 7-0 advantage on Tristen Kenan’s 2-yard run. URI went on top 10-7 early in the second quarter on a 35-yard scoring strike from Kasim Hill to Summers. The Black Bears took advantage of a Rams’ turnover and regained the advantage, 14-10, as Kenan reached the end zone for the second time from five yards out. However, URI answered quickly as Summers caught a 37-yard scoring pass to go back ahead, 17-14. The Rams tacked on a 17-yard TD run from Ja’Den McKenzie late in the second quarter, but a 37-yard field goal by Maine’s Cody Williams made it 24-17 at the half.
Rhode Island pushed the margin to 10 on a 42-yard Ty Groff field goal in the third quarter and then took control by completing a 12-play, 89-yard drive with a Gabe Sloat 10-yard TD run that made it 34-17 with 9:12 to play. The Rams’ defense was dominant during the second half and thwarted Maine’s only long drive when Fredrick Mallay intercepted a pass in the end zone with 5:22 to go.
Hill finished 18-of-32 passing for 234 yards and 2 TD’s, while McKenzie rushed for 121 yards on 17 carries for the Rams. Jordan Colbert and Brent Jackson made nine tackles apiece for URI.
Maine was led offensively by Kenan, who ran for 82 yards and 2 TD’s on 18 carries. Quarterback Derek Robertson was 20-of-30 passing for 164 yards. Darius McKenzie recorded a game-high 11 tackles and 2.0 TFL and Abdul Stewart had nine stops and an interception.
Campbell 45, Monmouth 31
Box Score
Na’Quari Rogers rushed for 152 yards and three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 9:37 to play, to power Campbell (2-1, 1-1 CAA) to a 45-31 road win at Monmouth. The Hawks jumped out to a 23-7 advantage late in the second quarter on scoring runs of 5 and 4 yards from Sone Ntoh and a 36-yard TD burst from Jaden Shirden. The Camels got a 12-yard TD catch from Chaney Fitzgerald and a 42-yard Caleb Dowden field goal to close within 23-17 at the half. Campbell continued its surge in the third quarter with TD runs of four yards from Rogers and three yards from Hajj-Malik Williams to go on top 31-23. Monmouth tied the game early in the fourth period on a 22-yard scoring reception by Shirden, but the Camels pulled away as Rogers found the end zone from 32 yards out and Chris McKay added a 26-yard scoring run with 1:52 remaining.
In addition to Rogers’ big day, Williams finished 16-of-25 passing for 184 yards and also ran for 32 yards. For Monmouth, Shirden ran for a game-high 165 yards. Marquez McCray passed for 211 yards, with Dymere Miller making nine grabs for 138 yards. CJ Tillman had 10 tackles for the Camels defensively and Ryan Moran had 12 stops for the Hawks.
Elon 27, North Carolina A&T 3
Box Score
Elon (1-2, 1-0 CAA) got 153 yards on the ground from Jalen Hampton and a strong performance from its defense as the Phoenix beat North Carolina A&T (0-3, 0-1 CAA), 27-3, in the CAA opener for both teams. Elon moved on top late in the first quarter, capping a 73-yard drive with a 26-yard TD pass from Matthew Downing to Jordan Bonner. The Phoenix extended the margin to 17-0 at halftime following a 4-yard scoring run from Wayne Dixie III and a 43-yard Jack Berkowitz field goal. The teams traded third-quarter field goals before Elon closed the scoring on a fake punt as Kyle Romenick hit DJ Hamilton with a 35-yard pass.
Along with Hamilton’s big night on the ground, Dixie III finished with 85 yards as Elon had 260 yards on the ground. Marco Patierno made seven tackles and 1.5 TFL for a Phoenix defense that held A&T to 143 yards. For the Aggies, Wesley Graves ran for 62 yards on 11 attempts. B.J. Turner recorded a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.
Richmond 38, Delaware State 6
Box Score
Kyle Wickersham was 21-of-26 passing for a career-high 256 yards and two touchdowns as Richmond (1-2, 0-0 CAA) rolled past Delaware State. The game was tied 3-3 early in the second quarter when the Spiders took control. Touchdown runs by Milan Howard (3 yards) and Savon Smith (2 yards) and a 56-yard scoring pass from Wickersham to Jerry Garcia, Jr. put Richmond ahead 24-3 at the half. The Spiders tacked on two more scores in the second half as Nick DeGennaro had a 44-yard TD reception and Wayne Galloway added an 81-yard pick six with 8:10 remaining.
Richmond’s defense held DSU to just a pair of field goals and 255 total yards. Tristan Wheeler made a team-high nine tackles and Zander Barnett had seven tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Hampton 35, Howard 34
Box Score
Hampton (2-1, 0-0 CAA) rallied from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to defeat Howard, 35-34, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Down 31-14 midway through the third quarter, the Pirates struck quickly with a 93-yard run by Elijah Burris. Hampton still trailed by 10 early in the fourth period, but Chris Zellous found Paul Woods with a 12-yard scoring pass with 8:02 remaining. After getting a defensive stop, the Pirates drove 63 yards and went on top for the first time all afternoon on a 1-yard TD run by Zellous with 3:02 left. A Jordan White interception sealed the victory.
Burris finished with 111 yards on the ground and Darran Butts added 87. Zellous threw for 111 yards. Qwahsin Townsel recorded a team-best eight tackles.
William & Mary 15, Charleston Southern 8
Box Score
William & Mary’s defense turned in a dominant performance as the 4th-ranked Tribe (3-0, 1-0 CAA) got past Charleston Southern, 15-8. W&M held the Buccaneers to eight first downs and 77 total yards while recording four sacks, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions and a safety. Nate Lynn led the attack with seven tackles, 2.0 TFL’s, a sack and a forced fumble, while John Pius had six stops, 2.5 TFL’s and a sack.
The Tribe held a narrow 8-7 advantage at the half after field goals of 42 and 28 yards from Caden Bonoffski and a safety that occurred after Lynn recorded a strip sack in the end zone. W&M’s offense finally got going in the third quarter as Malachi Imoh capped a 12-play, 87-yard drive with a 12-yard TD run. The Tribe defense held on from there and sealed the win when Malcolm Spencer intercepted a pass with 26 seconds left. Imoh finished with 110 yards on 13 carries, while Darius Wilson threw for 204 yards.
New Hampshire 24, Dartmouth 7
Box Score
Dylan Laube ran for a game-high 180 yards and scored TD’s running and receiving as 11th-ranked New Hampshire (2-1, 0-0 CAA) held off Dartmouth, 24-7, to capture the Granite Bowl. The Wildcats held a 10-0 halftime lead as Laube caught a 4-yard TD pass from Max Brosmer and Nick Mazzie booted a 33-yard field goal. The Big Green closed within a field goal early in the fourth quarter, but Brosmer broke loose for a 31-yard scoring run that made it 17-7 with 12:16 left. On the ensuing drive, UNH’s Max Oxendine intercepted a pass and returned it to the DC 27-yard line. Laube found the end zone on a 2-yard run five plays later.
Joe Eichman made a team-best eight tackles and 1.5 TFL for a Wildcats’ defense that forced three turnovers. Randall Harris also had an interception.
Delaware 42, Saint Francis 14
Box Score
Ryan O’Connor passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns and Marcus Yarns added 139 yards and a TD on the ground as Delaware (2-1, 1-0 CAA) cruised past Saint Francis, 42-14, in its home opener. Trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter, Yarns scored on a 30-yard run and then gave UD the lead for good on a 4-yard TD catch after the Hens’ Christian Pierce forced a fumble on a sack. O’Connor made it 21-7 at the half by connecting on a 48-yard pass to Kym Wimberly. UD pulled away in the third quarter on a 27-yard TD catch by Joshua Youngblood and a 1-yard scoring run by Jo’Nathan Silver. A 56-yard pick six by Dillon Trainer capped the Hens’ scoring.
KT Seay led the Delaware defense with seven tackles and an interception.
Towson 20, Morgan State 10
Box Score
Towson’s defense held Morgan State to 285 yards, forced four turnovers and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown as the Tigers (1-2, 0-1 CAA) claimed the Battle of Baltimore with a 20-10 triumph over the Bears. Towson built a 20-0 halftime advantage as Nathan Kent hit Da’Kendall James with a 3-yard TD pass and then scored on a 10-yard run. The Tigers also got field goals of 43 and 40 yards from Keegan Vaughan. Towson kept MSU off the board until a field goal with 5:11 remaining and the Bears returned a blocked field goal for a TD. A strip sack by TU’s Jesus Gibbs with 1:17 on the clock locked up the victory.
Kent passed for 168 yards and ran for 38, while James caught six passes for 53 yards. Gibbs recorded six tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, while Robert Javier intercepted two passes.
UCF 48, Villanova 14
Box Score
Big 12 member UCF sprinted out to a 41-0 advantage after three quarters and defeated Villanova (1-2, 0-0 CAA), 48-14. The Wildcats got on the board early in the fourth quarter as quarterback Connor Watkins had a 3-yard TD run to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Villanova added a second touchdown with 4:44 to go on an 11-yard run by TD Ayo-Durojaiye. Watkins threw for 144 yards in the contest. Devon Marshall made a team-high nine tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups.
Arkansas State 31, Stony Brook 7
Box Score
Quarterback Casey Case completed 21-of-33 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, but Stony Brook (0-3, 0-2 CAA) fell 31-7 at FBS member Arkansas State. The Seawolves trailed 17-0 after the opening quarter and extended the margin to 31-0 early in the fourth period. Stony Brook put together an 85-yard drive and got on the board when Case hit Rahmon Hart, Jr. with an 11-yard TD pass. Anthony Johnson made a career-high nine receptions for 127 yards. Aidan Kaler recorded a team-best 10 tackles and a tackle for loss.
