FCS Football Week 1: Bobcats Open Title Defense, Shockers, and FCS Over FBS Winners

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Week 1 of the 2026 FCS football season delivered an opening weekend of major shakeups, as featured programs fell to FBS power-four opponents and non-conference spoilers. Tarleton State, Idaho State, and The Citadel took down Group of Five hosts on their home turf, and Montana St. began the defense of its national championship on cruise control.

Let’s take a look at the storylines and drama from Week1 of FCS football.

Bobcat Title Defense Steps Into High Gear

Defending champion Montana State asserted its dominance at Bobcat Stadium with a convincing 51–24 victory over Butler. Operating with high tempo and ruthless efficiency, the top-ranked Bobcats built an early cushion, following up their Week 0 win over Utah Tech with another prolific offensive showcase. Quarterback Justin Lamson ( 15-20, 239 yards, 2 TDs), running back Adam Jones (13 carries, 77 yards), and Taco Dowler (5 catches, 97 yards, TD) paced an offense that scored on six of its first seven possessions, proving that the road to Nashville still runs firmly through Bozeman.

Giant Killers and FBS Shockers

The biggest national headline of Week 1 belonged to Idaho State, which traveled to Logan and stunned FBS opponent Utah State 29–17. The Bengal defense generated four sacks and four turnovers, holding Utah State to one score in the second half to secure one of the biggest wins in program history. Meanwhile, NAIA power Louisiana Christian created shockwaves of its own, traveling to Natchitoches and pulling off a dramatic 42–37 upset over Northwestern State despite being outgained on offense 525-337, and losing the time of possession battle 36:53 to 23:07.

SDSU Falls Late in Evanston After 3rd-Quarter Scare

In Big Ten territory, No. 3 South Dakota State went toe-to-toe with Northwestern before falling 34–18 in Evanston. The Jackrabbits trailed by just six points late in the third quarter before Northwestern’s depth wore down the SDSU secondary in the final 15 minutes.

After trailing 20–12, SDSU punched in a fourth-quarter touchdown to bring the deficit within two points at 20–18. However, Northwestern held firm on the crucial two-point conversion attempt to preserve the lead. From there, the Wildcats’ Big Ten depth took over as quarterback Aidan Chiles orchestrated two unanswered late scoring drives to put the game out of reach.

Late-Game Drama in Lewisburg

No. 18 Villanova avoided an opening-weekend disaster on Saturday, staging a fourth-quarter comeback to edge Bucknell 17–16 at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Bucknell built a 16–14 lead midway through the fourth quarter following a Juan Garanton 40-yard field goal with 12:06 left in the game. The Bison would follow up with what would be the game-winning field goal from Dominic LeBlanc from 22 yards out to seal the victory.

Other FCS-Over-FBS Upsets of Week 1

1. No. 5 Tarleton State 20, Bowling Green 13

The Texans opened Saturday morning with an authoritative defensive display on the road in Ohio. Tylan Hines scored twice from 83 and 72 yards, finishing with 250 yards rushing; Tarleton State’s defense made the big fourth-and-1 stop as Bowling Green was driving for the tying or go-ahead score late in the fourth. The Texan defense had to lock down the MAC host as both teams struggled to score in the second half.

2. The Citadel 43, Charlotte 41 (3OT)

The most dramatic contest of opening weekend unfolded in Charlotte, where The Citadel outlasted the 49ers in a three-overtime marathon. The Bulldogs’ ground attack wore down Charlotte’s front seven for 268 rushing yards. After both teams traded touchdowns through the first two overtime periods, The Citadel punched in a short goal-line run in the third overtime and converted the mandatory two-point pass before making a final defensive stop to seal the upset.