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10 midseason FCS football superlatives

10 midseason FCS football superlatives

We’re roughly halfway through the 2024 FCS football season. It’s time to dish out some superlatives as we reflect on the past season and look forward to the future. Here are 10 superlatives – five for teams and five for individuals.

Bright star of lights

This award goes to the player who has excelled under enormous pressure. That player is Idaho quarterback Jack Wagner. Wagner became the starting quarterback after Jack Layne was injured in a season-opening loss to Oregon as the Vandals sidelined a top-five FBS team. Those were big shoes to fill.

Wagner not only filled those shoes, but led Idaho to an FBS victory over Wyoming in his first start of the year. Wagner stepped up in a high-pressure moment and led the Vandals to the first of many victories.

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Bounceback Player of the Year

This award goes to the player who bounced back after adversity. Stephen F. Austin quarterback Sam Vidlak accepts this award after finding success in his new home.

Stephen F. Austin is Vidlak’s fourth school of his college career. Vidlak verbally committed to Montana out of high school before eventually going to Oregon State as a freshman, transferring to Boise State the next year and then transferring to Montana in 2023. Vidlak moved to the Grizzlies hoping to become a starter, but ended up becoming the backup when Montana reached the title game. Vidlak entered the transfer portal one more time before finding a home with Stephen F. Austin.

Now a Lumberjack, Vidlak ranks fourth in the FCS in passing touchdowns and efficiency and ninth in passing yards. He is making a huge recovery and most recently led SFA to a ranked victory over Lamar on October 12th.

Best individual game

Just look at this snapshot of Rob Carter Jr. from Robert Morris.

Most reliable player

The most reliable player in the FCS is Monmouth running back Sone Ntoh. He is almost a backup player for a touchdown when the football gets close to the goal line. Of Ntoh’s FCS-leading 13 touchdowns, 10 came from seven yards or closer to the end zone. He had four such touchdowns on a five-touchdown day against Fordham.

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Breakout performance

This year’s breakthrough performance belongs to Montana State running back Adam Jones. In Week 0, Jones burst into the spotlight when he ran for 167 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown was 93 yards and even without the long gain he still averaged 4.6 yards per carry. His single goal was crucial in Montana State pulling off its first FCS-over-FBS upset of the year.

The reason it’s a game-changing performance is that Jones shouldn’t be the impact player in a backfield that features returning running back Scottre Humphrey – who had eight rushing touchdowns last year – and the star dual threat quarterback Tommy Mellott performed.

Most dominant performance

Most of the time, fans expect the rivalry games to be close. That wasn’t the case at this year’s Aggie-Eagle Classic. North Carolina Central dominated North Carolina A&T 66-24 and led 40-12 at halftime. NCCU scored on special teams with a blocked punt and even had the backups play in the third quarter. It’s always nice to beat your rival, and for NC Central the win was even nicer.

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Team that lived up to the hype

The team that lived up to the offseason hype this year was Tarleton State. In its first year of FCS playoff eligibility, Tarleton State is 6-1 undefeated against the FCS. The Texans were experiencing preseason hype after posting a four-game winning streak and just two FCS losses last year. Since the start of the season, Tarleton State is ranked 21st in both polls and has moved up to No. 9 in the coaches poll and No. 10 in the STATS Perform poll.

Surprise of the year

The surprise of the year is Weber State’s victory over then-No. 8/9 Montana. The game was tough; an underdog on the road, a kickoff return for a touchdown, three 50-yard touchdowns and more.

Weber State took a 28-10 lead before Montana regained the lead in the fourth quarter. Overall, it was a game with nine draws or lead changes during regular time. Weber State forced overtime with a field goal as time expired, adding more drama. Then, after Weber State scored on its first possession of overtime, the Wildcats forced a fumble on Montana’s first play of overtime and won the game.

It was an instant classic in the Big Sky.

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Top team unity

The top unit in FCS football is Mercer’s defense. Just look at these Bears numbers on the defensive side of the ball.

You can’t walk on Mercer. The Bears have the No. 1 run defense.

You can’t pass over Mercer. The Bears are No. 1 in defensive pass efficiency.

You can’t score points at Mercer. The Bears have the No. 1 scoring defense.

Mercer takes the ball away. The Bears lead the nation in turnovers and interceptions.

Mercer scores defensively. The Bears lead the nation in defensive touchdowns.

The Mercer defense does everything.

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Sleeper team

My mid-season sleeper team is Chattanooga. You’re probably thinking, “Did Stan just list a team that was ranked 8/9th in the preseason as a sleeper team?” Yes, I did.

Chattanooga is currently unranked in the FCS Coaches’ Poll and sits at No. 19 in the STATS Perform Poll. The Mocs started the season 0-3, but only one of those losses came to an FCS team. In that FCS loss, Chattanooga lost by just one possession to a top-10 Mercer team. Since then, the Mocs have won three straight games, including a victory over then-ranked ETSU team.

Check out the rest of Chattanooga’s schedule and you’ll see that there’s a chance they won’t play another ranked opponent for the remainder of the season. The Mocs have a great chance to turn their season around and top the table. They appear to be the top 10 team they should be at the start of the season.