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FCS Power Rankings: NC Central shines with Aggie-Eagle Classic on deck

Central at A&T, Elon at Gardner-Webb part of this weekend’s slate

Published

September 4, 2023

It was tough to a get a good read on North Carolina’s FCS football contingent during Week 1 of the season.

Six of the state’s seven FCS schools lost. Four teams — Western Carolina, Gardner-Webb, NC A&T and Elon — played road games against FBS opponents, where, theoretically, they were expected to lose. Each did.

Campbell hosted one of the top teams in the FCS, No. 4 ranked William & Mary. While the Camels held their own for a stretch, the Tribe pulled away late in the second quarter for a 34-24 triumph. Davidson fell at VMI 12-7, giving up a late touchdown.

NC Central was the lone FCS team to enjoy a triumphant final score, doing what most expected and waltzing past Division II rival Winston-Salem State, 47-21.

With all those results in mind, our latest FCS rankings don’t change much from the preseason. The only shift is bumping Davidson down into the No. 7 spot.

For some reason, the Wildcats have been vexed by VMI dating back a number of years. Saturday’s defeat proved the 12th in a row in the series. VMI, 1-10 a year ago and picked last in the Southern Conference this year, improved to 29-12 all-time at home against the Wildcats.

We also put NC A&T and Campbell in a tie for fifth place for now. Just hard to find any reason to separate the two at this point, other than the alphabet. The top four remains unchanged.

This weekend could bring an early shake-up to our rankings, though. No. 1 NC Central visits No. 5 NC A&T, while No. 3 Elon travels to No. 2 Gardner-Webb in a pair of intrastate FCS showdowns. Until then, here is a recap of our FCS rankings:

Best In State FCS Power Rankings

Sept. 4, 2023 * Read More Below

1. North Carolina Central (1-0): The Eagles picked up three MEAC player awards coming out of week one: senior quarterback Davius Richard (Offensive Player of the Week), Da’Quan Thomas (Offensive Lineman of the Week) and Brandon Codrington (Specialist of the Week).

Richard threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score against overmatched Winston-Salem State, piling up 278 total yards. He completed an 86-yard TD throw, the longest play for the Eagles since 2018. Codrington returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. Thomas amassed eight pancake blocks and graded out at 93 percent on all blocking assignments. Yes, Central is good and deserves to be No. 1.

2. Gardner-Webb (0-1): The Bulldogs acquitted themselves well in front of a sell-out crowd in Boone. A Matthew Caldwell-to-Jayden Brown touchdown pass covering 41 yards midway through the third quarter gave the ‘Dawgs a 24-21 lead. But three turnovers down the stretch ultimately doomed the upset chances. App prevailed 45-24.

Brown earned Big South/OVC honors with a three touchdown performance, two rushing and one receiving. Ty French tied the Big South’s career sacks record (25) and needs just to wrangle a few quarterbacks to the turf to reach the all-time Gardner-Webb mark. Both were honorable mention FCS top players (see more below under Weekly Awards Bulletin Board)

3. Elon (0-1): The Phoenix fell behind 27-0 at Wake Forest and lost 37-17. But coach Tony Trisciani found plenty that he liked coming out of the nationally televised contest. The defense held Wake Forest to 98 yards rushing. Elon outscored the Deacs 17-13 in the second half. Caleb Curtain returned an interception for a touchdown. Jalen Hampton had a 49-yard TD run.

4. Western Carolina (0-1): Best In State kicker Richard McCollum booted a field goal as time expired at Arkansas on Saturday. While that successful kick didn’t affect the outcome (WCU lost 56-13), the hope is that momentum will carry over into this week. Western Carolina hosts defending SoCon champion Samford in a much more important contest in terms of season goals.

Coach Kerwin Bell talked boldly in the preseason of his own team’s championship DNA. This will be a chance to see if his words hold true.

T-5. Campbell (0-1): The Camels learned where they stack up in their new conference. William & Mary has been projected as a favorite to win the 15-team league. Coach Mike Minter should be encouraged in some phases. Quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams was sharp, completing 22 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown. The defense will need shoring up after giving up 450-plus total yards.

T-6. NC A&T (0-1): This week needs no introduction for Aggie fans. Saturday will mark the renewal of the Aggie-Eagle Classic between A&T and rival NC Central. Coach Vincent Brown came out of last week’s loss to UAB bemoaning the lack of a passing attack. The A&T ‘O’ will face another stern test against a stout defense which held Winston-Salem State in check until garbage time.

7. Davidson (0-1): What to make of the Wildcats’ opening weekend? Davidson has led the FCS in rushing yards the past few seasons, routinely churning out 300-plus yards per game on the ground. VMI held the Wildcats to 101 rushing and 184 total yards Saturday.

The Davidson defense bent but didn’t break — until the final drive. VMI marched 85 yards in 12 plays, capped by a 25-yard scoring play with 51 seconds left for the 12-7 triumph. Ouch.

The ‘Cats will host a Division II foe this week when Barton comes to town. The Bulldogs flexed a much-improved lineup in a 41-0 win over Chowan last Thursday.

This Week’s FCS Schedule

Saturday, September 9
Campbell at The Citadel	4 p.m.
Barton College at Davidson	7 p.m.
Elon at Gardner-Webb	6 p.m.	ESPN+
NC Central at NC A&T	7 p.m.	FloFootball
Samford at Western Carolina	2:30 p.m.