Temperatures are cooling off across the Old North State, but the action is certainly heating up across the North Carolina FCS football landscape.
All seven of our FCS teams will be in action today (Saturday, Oct. 11). Results will shape conference races and the trajectory for the final month and a half of the regular season.
A week after setting an NCAA record for consecutive completions (46), Taron Dickens and the Western Carolina Catamounts host Furman in a battle for Purple Supremacy. North Carolina A&T, Elon and Davidson also will be home today. Campbell travels to north, North Carolina Central south and Gardner-Webb to the midwest.
Follow our Game Day thread for live updates and scores from today’s North Carolina FBS football action. Bookmark and check back throughout the weekend. We’ll add quick hitters and top performers as the day concludes.
🔗 Jump To: Live FCS Scoreboard | Wrap-Up
🏆 More Scores: Full North Carolina College Scoreboard
🔥 Big Headlines Today
- Western Carolina’s run game makes serious noise this week one week after QB Taron Dickens set new NCAA passing records. Catamounts rush for 300+ and cruise past Furman 52-7. Dickens still threw 4 TDs passes, and the WCU defense returned an INT for a score.
- Gardner-Webb stays on top of the OVC/Big South with a 21-10 win at Eastern Illinois. The Runnin’ Bulldogs (4-2, 2-0) get two long TD runs from Carson Gresock (64, 55 yards).
- Eric Adams returns an interception for a touchdown as part of an explosive first half for North Carolina Central (28-0 lead over Florida A&M). The Eagles cruise home for their fourth victory in a row and their second dominant win over a SWAC opponent.
- Former Triton High standout JJ Cowan had one of his best days as a collegiate, rushing for 142 yards and 3 TDs in Campbell’s road win at Hampton. It was hist first 100-yard rushing performance as a Camel.
- Elon’s bid for another home win over a ranked CAA opponent fell short. The Phoenix couldn’t hold a 14-3 halftime edge against No. 18 Villanova. The visiting Wildcats returned a kickoff 97 yards for a TD in the fourth quarter to retake the lead.
- North Carolina A&T can’t hold a 9-point halftime lead and falls to South Carolina State on homecoming. The Aggies (1-6) have lost four games this season by a touchdown or less.
- The Davidson rebuild under new coach Saj Thakkar hits another speedbump. St. Thomas has three QBs throw touchdown passes in a lopsided win, while Joseph Koch rushed for three scores. Davidson is now 1-5, with the lone win over a D3 opponent.
📊 Live Scoreboard: North Carolina FCS Football
| TOTAL | ||||||||
| SC State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 22 | Final | ||
 | NC A&T | 0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 16 | FloFootball | |
| St. Thomas | 7 | 22 | 21 | 7 | 57 | Final | ||
 | Davidson | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 | ESPN+ | |
 | Campbell | 0 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 38 | Final | |
 | Hampton | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 | FloFootball | |
| Villanova | 0 | 3 | 14 | 12 | 29 | Final | ||
 | Elon | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 | FloFootball | |
 | Furman | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | Final | |
 | WCU | 0 | 24 | 14 | 14 | 52 | ESPN+ | |
 | Gardner-Webb | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 | Final | |
| Eastern Illinois | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | ESPN+ | ||
 | NC Central | 7 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 45 | Final | |
| Florida A&M | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | HBCUGO |
✅ North Carolina FCS Wrap-Up
Four of our seven FCS teams earned wins on Saturday, Oct. 11. None of the winning margins were all that close (for a change). Here is what stood out to us:
🏆 Biggest Win of the Day
While it’s great to see so many of our FCS team coming out on top, Western Carolina’s 52-7 triumph over Furman proved the most impressive of the bunch. Furman’s pass rush was expected to give the Catamounts problems, but WCU sent in the ground troops to soften up the battlefield.
Coach Kerwin Bell’s team rushed for 300+ yards and quarterback Taron Dickens still threw for 4 TDs. Best of all: the defense flexed, picking off three passes and recovering a fumble. The game was never close and WCU mauled the Paladins for the second year in a row.
Remember when Western Carolina was 0-3 and the sky was falling? We don’t either.
💪 Standout Performances
NC A&T kicker Andrew Brown hit a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, the longest in the state this season. He also nailed 33- and 43-yarders in the opening half as A&T built a 9-0 lead.
North Carolina Central’s Walker Harris had an efficient day under center, completing 21-of-27 passes for 278 yards and four TDs. Chris Mosley added to the balanced NCCU attack with 131 rushing yards and another score.
Eric Adams (NCCU) and Ken Moore (Western Carolina) returned interceptions for touchdowns. Moore had two picks on the day.
We mentioned Campbell’s JJ Cowan (142 yards, 3 TDs) and Gardner-Webb’s Carson Gresock above. Gresock rushed for 137 yards on just six carries, galloping to the end zone on runs of 64 and 55 yards.
Villanova’s Ja’briel Mace returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, a backbreaker for Elon, which had just moved ahead 21-20 moments earlier
⚡ Biggest Upset
Elon had it within reach, putting No. 18 Villanova’s back against the wall in the first half. But the Wildcats scored 26 points in the second half to rally from double digits and avert the loss.
We would have considered a North Carolina A&T victory over South Carolina State an upset. But the Aggies couldn’t hold a 9-0 halftime advantage. SCSU won the MEAC last season and is 4-3 this season.
🔥 Other Highlights & Takeaways
WCU has now won four games in a row … North Carolina Central, which plays in a six-team conference, will finally begin league play next week. The Eagles have been impressive in the non-conference, posting 5 wins and 1 loss against FCS opponents.
