It’s crunch time in North Carolina FCS football, and November arrives with plenty still to play for.
Gardner-Webb and Western Carolina are both in the thick of their conference title races. North Carolina A&T looks to keep positive momentum going after a comeback win, while North Carolina Central hopes to bounce back from a rare setback.
Before we dive into this weekend’s matchups, here’s a look back at how Week 9 unfolded across the state.
Jump to FCS Power Rankings | Stat Leaders | Recruiting Buzz | Game Previews | Extra Points
North Carolina FCS: Week 9 Rewind
Here’s Who Won on Saturday, Oct. 25
- Gardner-Webb 48, Lindenwood 20
- North Carolina A&T 28, Campbell 24
- Maine 35, Elon 14
- San Diego 40, Davidson 28
- Delaware State 35, North Carolina Central 26
Player Notables
- North Carolina A&T’s Elijah Kennedy propelled the Aggies past Campbell in comeback fashion, returning a punt 96 yards for a touchdown and a kickoff 85 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Kennedy was named CAA Special Teams Player of the Week, the NC Football News Special Teams Player of the Week, Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week and the HBCU Co-Player of the Week from BOXTOROW.
- Gardner-Webb put two players on the OVC/Big South Football Association weekly honor roll. Carson Gresock earned Offensive Player of the Week after his 119-yard, four-touchdown rushing performance in the win at Lindenwood (he also was an NC Football News award winner). Placekicker Charlie Viorel earned his third Special Teams Player of the Week honor, accounting for 12 points (2 FGs, 6-6 PATs).
- Despite the loss to Delaware State, NCCU quarterback Walker Harris had a prolific stat line – 22-of-32 passing for 354 yards and 2 TDs.
Week 9 Game-Day Thread: Read more about last week’s North Carolina FCS results and top performers.
It’s Victory Monday! What a game this past weekend!#AggiePride | #PoundTheStone | #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/1qCh8gBXZc — Aggie Pride (@NCATFootball) October 27, 2025
North Carolina FCS Power Rankings | After Week 9
Ranking our state’s seven FCS teams heading into Nov. 1 games
- Western Carolina (5-3): Yes, the Catamounts lost to Gardner-Webb on opening night, but has any team been running hotter in our state over the past six weeks? A monumental four-game stretch now awaits after the bye week. The goals: First playoff berth since 1983, first SoCon football since … ever.
- Gardner-Webb (5-3): The Runnin’ Bulldogs have a 3-1 conference record and still find themselves in the title hunt in the OVC/Big South thanks to a power run game.
- North Carolina Central (5-3): MEAC title hopes took a huge hit with the (surprising?) loss to Delaware State. The Hornets, who led FCS in rushing, are the real deal under new coach DeSean Jackson.
- Elon (4-5): The Phoenix have played tough with CAA front-runners but leads have slipped away late against teams like Villanova and William & Mary
- North Carolina A&T (2-6): Aggies have taken big steps this season to getting back to what fans expect from their football team. North Carolina FCS football needs A&T to be good.
- Campbell (2-7): Close losses? Let us count the ways. Rhode Island, Furman, Western Carolina, North Carolina A&T. Camels not that far from being an above .500 team. How to get over the hump (pun intended)?
- Davidson (1-7): Struggling Wildcats played preseason conference favorite San Diego to a 28-28 draw into the fourth quarter before Toreros pulled away. Baby steps.
North Carolina FCS Stat Leaders | After Week 9
Rushing Yards
821 – Chris Mosley (NCCU): 6 TDs
607 – Carson Gresock (GWU): 9 TDs
596 – Quasean Holmes (GWU): 4 TDs
Rushing TDs
9 – Carson Gresock (GWU)
7 – Landen Clark (Elon)
6 – Arthur Rodgers (NCCU), Chris Mosley (NCCU), JJ Cowan (Campbell), TJ Thomas (Elon)
Passing Yards
2,146 – Walker Harris (NCCU): 14 TDs, 6 INTs
1,976 – Taron Dickens (WCU): 22 TDs, 1 INT
1,630 – Landen Clark (Elon): 10 TDs, 7 INTs
Passing TDs
22 – Taron Dickens (WCU)
14 – Coulter Cleland (Davidson), Walker Harris (NCCU)
11 – Kamden Sixkiller (Campbell)
Receiving Yards
615 – Ivan Hoyt (Davidson): 8 TDs
570 – Isaiah Fuhrmann (Elon): 4 TDs
569 – James Tyre (WCU): 7 TDs
Receiving TDs
8 – Ivan Hoyt (Davidson)
7 – James Tyre (WCU)
5 – Randall King (Campbell)
Tackles
66.0 – Brody Carroll (Elon): 8.3/game
65.0 – Jordan Thompson (WCU): 8.1/game
56.0 – Logan Livermon (Campbell): 6.2/game
Tackles-For-Loss
10.0 – Robert Holtz (GWU)
9.5 – Kahmari Brown (Elon)
9.0 – Thomas Johnson (NCCU)
Sacks
6.5 – Thomas Johnson (NCCU)
6.0 – Kahmari Brown (Elon), Robert Holtz (GWU)
5.5 – Marquis Hood (NC A&T), Tim Alderman (NC A&T)
Kicker Points
65 – Kaleb Robison (NCCU)
57 – Luke Barnes (Elon)
54 – Charlie Viorel (GWU), Alex Crabb (Campbell)
Punting Average
49.6 – Brady Braun (GWU)
48.2 – Jeff Yurk (Elon)
45.0 – Stephen Brantley (WCU)
FCS Recruiting Buzz
Two North Carolina 2026 standouts announced commitments to Gardner-Webb earlier in October:
- Bobby Bah (Northern Guilford): Per MaxPreps, Bah has recorded 68 career tackles, with five interceptions the past two seasons.
- Aedyn Buchanan (Page HS): The 6-6, 262-pounder plays offensive tackle and on the defensive lines for the Pirates. He announced his commitment on social media Oct. 8. He has 32 tackles and two sacks for Page this season, per MaxPreps.
Committed 100% @GWUFootball pic.twitter.com/M8Dolv41cJ — Bobby Bah (@Bobby_Bah08) October 10, 2025
Elon picked up an in-state commitment from former Cox Mill defensive standout Nick Jones earlier this month. Jones, a free safety/strong safety, played the 2024 season at Fort Union Military Academy.
North Carolina FCS Week 10 Game Previews
Spotlight Game: Gardner-Webb at No. 8/9 Tennessee Tech
Saturday, 1 p.m. (ESPN+) | Cookeville, TN
Tennessee Tech has won 13 straight games dating back to mid-season 2024 and average 50.5 points per contest this year. Saturday’s match-up features the top two rushing attacks in the OVC/Big South. Tennessee Tech ranks third nationally in rushing offense (244.6 yards per game). Even more impressively the Golden Eagles lead FCS in rushing defense, allowing just 43.0 yards per game on the ground and just two rushing touchdowns all season.
Tennessee Tech is fourth in FCS in total defense (271.2 ypg). Defensive lineman Theron Gaines leads the team with 52 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Gardner-Webb had two running backs go over 100 yards this past Saturday at Lindenwood, Carson Gresock (119 yards, 4 TDs) and Quasean Holmes (111 yards, 1 TD). Coach Cris Reisert knows it will be a challenge for his team to move the football Saturday.
“We understand fully what this is, a really high-level quality football team,” Reisert said during Monday’s OVC/Big South teleconference. “Quite frankly, we need to have a tremendous week of practice, the best of all year. To say we are eager for the test, I think would be an understatement.”
Reisert praised his team’s bounce-back ability this past Saturday. Gardner-Webb followed up its worst performance of the season – a 37-7 loss to UT Martin at home – with one of its most complete, the 48-20 trouncing of Lindenwood in a road environment.
“The season is hard and long,” he said. “To see them weather a bad defeat at home, to stick together and to rally, I was really proud of that.”
While Gresock, Holmes and players like quarterback Cole Pennington get the headlines on offense, Reisert was quick to praise his offensive line for paving the way for the Bulldogs’ 3-1 start in conference play. The starting five up front include Andrew Threatt, Aaron McIver, Luke Rector, CJ Dawson and Will Fitzpatrick.
“Those guys are playing lights out,” Reisert said. “I am excited for them.”
Other NC FCS Matchups
Western Carolina at Chattanooga – Saturday, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
The Catamounts (4-0 SoCon) are riding a five-game win streak, while Chattanooga (3-1 SoCon) has won the last three. It’s a must-win game for both teams chasing Mercer (5-0) in the standings. WCU has won the last three against Chattanooga, each by margins of 4 points or less.
Towson at North Carolina A&T – Saturday, 12 p.m. (FloCollege)
Another winnable game for the Aggies, who are 2-2 in the CAA after being 0-16 their first two seasons in the conference. Towson sits at 1-3 in the league, 3-5 overall.
Davidson at Morehead State – Saturday, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
The Wildcats, still searching for their first Pioneer Football League win, have played recent foes close. Can they get over the hump against the 4-5 Eagles?
North Carolina Central at Howard – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
NCCU has won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Bison (the lone loss in 2023). But the Eagles had a similar streak going against Delaware State before last week’s upset loss. Howard (4-4 overall) beat Morgan State 33-27 in OT in its MEAC opener last weekend.
Extra Points
Stan Becton, who writes for NCAA.com, released his first FCS playoff bracket predictions this week. Becton projects Gardner-Webb to make the field as an at-large but believes Western Carolina will be left out unless the Catamounts overtake Mercer to win the SoCon. “WCU doesn’t have any notable wins,” Becton wrote. The Catamounts’ early losses to GWU and Elon – played without QB Taron Dickens – may haunt them if they don’t finish capture the Southern Conference championship.
Gardner-Webb’s Carson Gresock currently leads all of FCS football in rushing yards per carry. He’s averaging 7.59 yards per attempt. “Don’t tell him that,” GWU coach Cris Reisert quipped during Monday’s conference teleconference. “We’ll tell him after the season … We do believe in our ability to run it … He’s a dynamic kid.”
GWU’s Brady Braun and Elon’s Jeff Yurk enter the weekend ranked 1-2 in FCS in punting. Braun’s average of 49.61 yards also would lead FBS football. Yurk’s average of 48.54 yards per kick would rank him third in FBS. Yurk earned All-America status in 2024.
Known for its rushing attack during the Scott Abell era, Davidson features one of the top pass-catchers in the Pioneer Football League this season. Ivan Hoyt ranks first in touchdowns (8) and receiving yards per game (87.9). Fourteen of Davidson’s TDs this season (out of 22) have come through the air. Coulter Cleland has thrown for 1,521 yards and all 14 TDs.
North Carolina Central quarterback Walker Harris will face the MEAC’s top passing defense on Saturday. Howard has held foes to just 142.5 yards through the air per game thus far.
Western Carolina and Gardner-Webb continue to receive votes in the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Top-25 rankings. WCU earned enough votes for 27th in both polls.
Former North Carolina high school standouts swept the Southern Conference’s top player awards this past week: QB Braden Atkinson (Rolesville –> Mercer), DE Joshua Stoneking (Cardinal Gibbons –> Furman) and PK Ian Williams (Weddington –> Furman). Stoneking leads all of FCS in TFLs, sacks.
Elon and Campbell are off from game action this week. The Phoenix will host Rhode Island, currently 7-2 and ranked No. 12/13, on Saturday, Nov. 8. Campbell will host William & Mary (4-4) when it returns to play Nov. 8.
