A record 121 FCS versus FBS games were played in 2024 and plenty produced exciting finishes. Six FCS teams ultimately prevailed over the FBS while another handful could have gone the same way. Below is a highly subjective list looking at the top ten(ish) FCS versus FBS games for the 2024 season with all five wins making the list but not automatically the top five simply because the FCS team won.
1. Monmouth at Florida International – September 21
The top spot goes to a team that needed every last inch of the field to secure its first win against an FBS opponent. Monmouth’s offense was excellent in the 45-42 win against Florida International but the defense made the biggest plays when needed. Deuce Lee’s incredible individual effort at the one-yard resulted in stopping the receiver from scoring while forcing a fumble and then recovering the ball in the final minute. Derek Robertson threw for 361 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception on 35 of 51 passing with Rodney Nelson adding in 117 yards and a TD on the ground along with Sone Ntoh’s 3 rushing touchdowns. It was a fantastic game to watch and never felt out of reach for either team with Monmouth able to do enough to post the program’s first-ever FCS over FBS victory.
2. Abilene Christian at Texas Tech – August 31
Even though Abilene Christian lost this game 52-51, it gets a high ranking near the top FCS-FBS games list for 2024 because they were 5-touchdown underdogs, produced a double-digit fourth quarter comeback, and it was one of the most entertaining FCS-FBS matchups (all due respect to some other fantastic FCS-FBS games). Maverick McIvor – a three-year player at Texas Tech – threw for 506 yards and 3 touchdowns while Isaiah Johnson added 3 touchdowns on the ground. ACU trailed 22-7 after the first quarter, 32-14 late in the second quarter, and entered the fourth quarter down 39-28. The Wildcats had chances in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter to take the lead and then opted to attempt a 2-point conversion in overtime. While the outcome wasn’t what FCS fans wanted, it was a great effort by the Wildcats.
3. Montana State at New Mexico – August 24
Montana State didn’t make things easy in this game as a two-touchdown favorite falling behind by as many as 17 points on two separate occasions. Tommy Mellott accounted for 5 total touchdowns with 2 touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, and two fumbles that were returned for a touchdown by New Mexico. Montana trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter, came back to make it 17-14, and then fell behind 31-14 following Mellott’s second fumble that was returned for a score. The Bobcats scored 21 points in the final quarter with touchdown runs from Mellott, Adam Jones, and Scottre Humprehy’s game-winning score with 10 seconds left to complete an incredible comeback. Montana State won 35-31 in the 2024 season’s first FCS over FBS win.
4. Central Arkansas at Arkansas State – August 31
Central Arkansas trailed Arkansas State 27-10 with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter but both sides of the ball came alive at that point. The offense put together three touchdown drives, each lasting less than two minutes while the defense stopped Arkansas State’s offense four times, including forcing a fumble that led to the final TD drive. The defense had Arkansas State’s offense in a fourth and four with 31 seconds remaining, which the Wolves converted on a long pass play. UCA allowed a touchdown with 3 seconds left but it took a “great catch” by Arkansas State’s Corey Rucker to defeat the Bears – a catch that Sun Belt officials later admitted should have been called incomplete. ShunDerrick Powell shined for Central Arkansas in the 34-31 heartbreaking loss as he ran for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries. One of Powell’s touchdowns went for 81 yards and jumpstarted the offense to 21 points in the final quarter.
5. Southern Utah at UTEP – September 7
The fact that Southern Utah’s overtime victory against UTEP ranks as the fifth-best FCS-FBS game is a testament to how good some of these games turned out to be. The Thunderbirds trailed 17-6 at halftime and used a punishing ground game led by Targhee Lambson to take a 21-17 lead in the fourth quarter and pushed the margin to 24-17 before UTEP used a “Philly Special” trick play to tie the game as time expired. SUU then had to survive not one but two field goal attempts by UTEP to keep the game alive in overtime. UTEP went wide left on both kicks including the first one that SUU was called offsides and gave UTEP another chance. Lambson ran for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries with SUU winning 27-24 for its first win over the FBS since 2013.
6. Saint Francis at Kent State – September 7
It’s a bit unfair to rank Saint Francis sixth considering the 23-17 win over Kent State was the first over an FBS opponent in school history. The Red Flash raced out to a 17-0 lead with an offense that looked comfortable the entire game. Even when SFU held a 23-14 lead and turned the ball over to Kent State, the defense was up to the task. The Red Flash intercepted a pass in the end zone to keep the 9-point lead intact while the offense made plenty of big plays despite this game representing Jeff Hoenstine’s (245 total yards and 2 touchdowns) first collegiate start.
7. Gardner-Webb at Charlotte – September 14
Gardner-Webb had a dominant defensive start against Charlotte building a 17-3 lead at halftime thanks to two turnovers including one that was a pick-six. Entering the 4th quarter, GWU led 20-6 before Charlotte began making a comeback. The Bulldogs led 20-12 late into the fourth quarter but saw that lead evaporate in a span of three plays. Charlotte scored a touchdown, intercepted a GWU pass, and then scored another TD on the first play following the pick to take a 27-20 lead. Undeterred, the Bulldogs rallied with a touchdown drive of their own with Carson Gresock scoring from a yard out while opting to go for two but failed to convert. It was a brutal 27-26 loss for a team that had dominated much of the game.
8. Tennessee Tech at Middle Tennessee – August 31
August 31 was a rough day for the FCS as it had no less than a half-dozen winnable games slip away in the final minutes, including Tennessee Tech’s 32-25 loss at Middle Tennessee. TTU trailed 21-0 midway through the second quarter, had to contend with a long weather delay, and then staged an incredible comeback. The Golden Eagles were trailing 21-11 when they had a pick 6 overturned due to a questionable targeting call that MTSU turned into a field goal for the 24-11 lead. That didn’t stop TTU from putting together two touchdown drives in the final 9 minutes to take a slim 25-24 lead with 1:06 left on the clock. Unfortunately, it was too much time as Middle Tennessee would march down the field for its own TD and win 32-25. Jordyn Potts had a great game with 256 yards passing and 3 touchdowns without an interception while Ashton Maples caught two touchdown passes from Potts.
9. Tennessee Martin at Kennesaw State – September 28
UT Martin’s 24-13 victory over Kennesaw State wasn’t flashy nor as exciting as other FCS-FBS matchups but it was an impressive defensive effort. The Skyhawks allowed 2.2 yards per carry and gave up only 4 of 17 third-down conversions to Kennesaw State, to say nothing of the Oshae Baker pick-6 to start the second half that propelled them to the win. UT Martin threw its own pick-6 that made the game look closer than it was. Patrick Smith ran for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries to lead the offense for UT Martin.
10. Idaho at Wyoming – September 7
A game that ended with a 17-13 win for the FCS is ranked 10th? With as many exciting games as we saw in 2024, some tough calls have to be made. This contest looked like a potential shootout early on with the teams trading multiple scoring drives in the first half including Idaho’s back-to-back drives that were capped off by fourth-down conversions for touchdowns. The Vandals led 17-10 at halftime and, other than a field goal by Wyoming to start the fourth quarter, felt in control throughout the final 30 minutes. Idaho had 87 yards of total offense in the second half compared to Wyoming’s 80 yards. The fourth quarter saw Idaho gain 45 yards on offense while Wyoming registered a whopping negative one yard. Idaho’s win over Wyoming was the second straight year they defeated a team from the Mountain West following the 33-6 win over Nevada in 2023.
Bonus: North Dakota State at Colorado – August 29
There was a lot of hype and excitement for this game and the Bison didn’t disappoint even if they came up short. Cam Miller led an effective passing night for North Dakota State right from the start while the Bison scored on their opening 4 possessions. NDSU led 20-17 at halftime but sputtered offensively after the break, failing to put up any second-half points until the game’s final three minutes. Despite the offensive struggles, NDSU still had a chance to win on the final play as the final Hail Mary from Miller was caught five yards short of the end zone. Miller accounted for 277 yards and 1 touchdown through the air (on 18 of 22 passing) while adding another 81 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground in a 31-26 loss to Colorado.
Bonus: Southeast Missouri State at New Mexico State – August 31
While this was another game where the FCS team lost its lead late, this one was a bit less entertaining than the others. Both Southeast Missouri State and New Mexico State struggled to move the ball at times. SEMO had only 57 yards rushing on 21 carries with one attempt counting for 27 yards, which means the other 20 carries went for 30 yards total. NMSU couldn’t throw the ball with three players combining to go 7 of 23 for 60 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception. SEMO had a tenuous 16-10 early in the fourth quarter that was slowly eroded by NMSU via a safety and field goal. The Redhawks still held a 16-15 lead with 4 minutes left in the game when they decided to go for it on 4th and 1 at their own 34. The attempt failed and the Aggies punished them with a TD for the ultimate final score of 23-16. Paxton DeLaurent went 27 of 45 for 295 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, which came a week after leaving the FCS Kickoff early due to an injury. Dorian Anderson caught 6 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown while Cam Pedro racked up 74 yards on 9 receptions.
Bonus: Central Connecticut State at Massachusetts – September 21
Central Connecticut State started the game down 14 against Massachusetts but battled back to make it 14-14 in the second quarter. The final few minutes of the second half were wild with tons of penalties, a UMass touchdown followed by a squib kick that CCSU returned inside the 30-yard line, and finally, a CCSU touchdown to tie the game 21 before the half. The Blue Devils were the better team for the majority of the 3rd quarter and took a 28-21 lead before the UMass offense found a spark to tie the game. Central Connecticut even led 31-28 early in the fourth quarter but UMass once again took the lead on the subsequent drive. Overall, it was a sloppy game for both teams with a combined 26 penalties for 241 yards but CCSU gave a valiant effort despite being outgained by 200 yards and 15 minutes in the time of possession categories.
Photo Credit to Monmouth University Athletics
