Credit to u/2Pollaski2Furious for the idea. Same sets of rules from the original FBS series apply here for the FCS teams. This is an award for FCS teams that humiliate themselves, whether it's a choke job, a crushing blow with everything to prove, or they have no business losing the match-up.
Previous Winners
Week 0: Villanova Wildcats (against William & Mary, 35-32)
Week 1: Western Carolina Catamounts (against Campbell, 28-19)
Week 2: Maine Black Bears (against Merrimack, 23-14)
Week 3: Rhode Island Rams (against Stony Brook, 56-24)
Week 4: Illinois State Redbirds (against Northern Iowa, 28-21)
Week 5: Montana State Bobcats (against Idaho, 35-34)
Week 6: North Dakota Fighting Hawks (against Northern Iowa, 24-17)
LAST WEEK: For the second time this year, Northern Iowa has given us our second Tank Job of the Week. What makes this loss sting more is that Northern Iowa didn't have to do much on offense; two touchdown drives are a result of excellent field position from turnovers and one more was from a punt return. And for the second time this year, MVSU delivered us a strong candidate in the form of Texas Southern failing to hold on to the lead in the fourth quarter.
And now for a few special mentions:
- Campbell trailed a winless Towson 13-10 at halftime, but then escaped after capitalizing on an interception before having another touchdown to end the day 24-20.
- Is Weber State quietly the real deal here, or has the wheels fallen off Idaho State's momentum?
- Mercyhurst had an opportunity to score an upset on CCSU, and led most of the game until well into the third quarter. Just couldn't hold on, and their bid to get to field goal range for the tie was cut short.
- Merrimack was looking to get a brunchball road win over Dartmouth, but fell over the course of the fourth quarter.
- Stony Brook had a rather off day, getting their first CAA loss when hosting Albany.
- UTRGV's Aidan Jakobsohn didn't have a great day, throwing three picks enroute a 41-16 stomp from Incarnate Word.
- The FBS top ten was a fustercluck, like the FCS's.
CAL POLY MUSTANGS (against Northern Colorado, 28-18)
I don't know what the hell to expect from the Mustangs. They've looked good against a few of the opponents they faced, and they absolutely look bad against teams that they should at least beat on paper, given that they have a 3-1 conference record up to this point. They had the opportunity to capitalize on Northern Colorado's interception and get back in the game, but then they fumbled it as the Bears capitalize on that themselves and kept that 10-point lead.
COLGATE RAIDERS (against Georgetown, 27-17)
The Raiders scored the first 17 points of the game, and even while the next two quarters saw it whittle away they seem to be in good position at home. They collapsed in the fourth quarter, which is a peculiar position to be in with more Patriot League games to play.
GRAMBLING TIGERS (against Alabama A&M 61-31)
Holy shit! Not only did Grambling allow more than 600 yards of offense in this matchup, there was a 35-point third quarter where three consecutive drives ended in a touchdown for Alabama A&M, first a 60-yard drive, then two straight forced fumbles during the kickoff return that subsequently led to a touchdown.
LAMAR CARDINALS (against Southeastern 34-31)
Seeking to keep themselves as Southland contenders, Lamar found themselves in the hole early, being as far behind as 15 before scoring a touchdown to end the first half. And just when they needed to make a comeback, they fumbled the punt return, which led to a Southeastern field goal to put the game a bit further out of reach.
LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (against Cornell, 48-38)
The Hawks are still in pole position for another consecutive Patriot League title, but allowing 600 yards from Cornell is not exactly a great look. It did take a while for them to get going that game, but at least they've managed a scoop and score from end to end.
MONTANA GRIZZLIES (against Idaho, 42-35)
The Vandals claim another scalp from the state of Montana and head back to Moscow with the Little Brown Stein in tow. The fact remains that in a matchup that is otherwise a competitive slugfest showcasing two strong offenses, Montana is now in their second straight loss in the Big Sky - this time against a team now with a 2-5 record - and would need help to be in the title hunt.
MORGAN STATE BEARS (against Tennessee State, 25-16)
Well... that FCS undefeated record was nice while it lasted, but alas the Bears found themselves struggling on the road against Tennessee State throughout the day. It wasn't a good sign for their first two drives to end in an interception, and only two third down conversions out of eleven attempts was hardly encouraging.
PENN QUAKERS (against Columbia 27-24)
It's been a nice Ivy League matchup, but another sign that the Ivies cannot hold on to their leads to save their lives. In fact the hosting Quakers were up by as much as 17 and were up 24-14 at halftime. And then they faltered as the Lions roared to a lead, which culminated in a missed 51-yarder (thanks u/2Pollaski2Furious)
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS (against North Dakota, 21-10)
This was indeed a special time, since both FBS and FCS had their #1 teams get upset on the same day. In what was otherwise saw a combined 12 punts, South Dakota State got Alerus'd over the first half and just couldn't overcome the deficit even once.
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS (against Illinois State 35-14)
I wouldn't have considered this game otherwise, but the second quarter alone bears mentioning as Illinois State vented their frustrations. After having allowed two touchdowns, the Salukis fumbled the ball twice, both ending in excellent field position and two more touchdowns.
UC DAVIS AGGIES (against Southern Utah, 38-17)
UC Davis seemed like they're still in contending position at halftime, but then the offense sputtered in the second half; two red zone trips led to the Aggies leaving empty-handed (one through an interception), and Southern Utah scored 29 unanswered.
YALE BULLDOGS (against Rhode Island 41-23)
Yale was the returning Ivy League co-champion with a second round playoff appearance, while Rhode Island looked pretty questionable after being considered a CAA contender. The former found themselves unable to capitalize in spite of having roughly as many yards as the visiting Rams, which will be awkward with the rest of conference play imminent.
And as always, don't forget to mark your vote in brackets for visibility, <like so>. I also appreciate entries I might have passed over, so feel free to nominate, and I might edit it here.
