By THOMAS STOKES
SoCon Grades for Week 0
Tennessee Tech 1-0 (A)
Tennessee Tech opened its first year in the Southern Conference with an impressive 38-14 win against a very good ranked opponent in Monmouth. Southeast Missouri transfer Jax Leatherwood ended the day with four touchdowns and 289 yards passing. MJ Flowers tacked on another touchdown rushing.
Up Next: Tech now travels to face SoCon colleague Chattanooga in a non-conference game. Yeah, we know …
Wofford 1-0 (1-0) (A-)
Wofford started 2026 with a conference win over The Citadel at home. The Terriers took care of business again, extending their overall winning streak to five, which is the fourth longest in FCS. Wofford scored the first 21 points of the contest and led 35-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. J.T. Fayard threw two interceptions and needs to take care of the ball a little bit better. He will need to be a key player this year if Wofford wants to prove the coaches wrong in their preseason poll.
Up Next: Wofford hosts Gardner-Webb this Saturday.
Western Carolina 1-0 (B)
Lex Thomas came out Saturday night saying Taron Dickens who? The NC State transfer led the Catamounts offense to a huge day in a 45-21 win against Eastern Kentucky. Thomas alone accounted for almost 400 yards passing and rushing along with four touchdowns, but the biggest takeaway was the defensive play of WCU, especially in the second half, as the Catamounts held the Colonels to only seven points to run away with the game.
Up Next: Western Carolina goes on the road to face Campbell.
Chattanooga 1-0 (B-)
On paper if you saw the quarterback throw for almost 200 yards you may say that was a good night. Battle Alberson threw an 80-yard pass to start the second half Thursday against West Georgia, meaning that almost half his yards for the entire game were in that one play. The real player of the game for the Mocs was RB Kevin Lalin, who ran for 128 yards and a touchdown. I may have graded UTC higher, but an hour before kickoff, West Georgia head coach Steve Englehart took himself out of the game for a self-imposed suspension due to an NCAA compliance issue. This change gave Chattanooga a huge advantage.
Up Next: Chattanooga hosts nationally ranked Tennessee Tech in a non-conference game. Nope, doesn’t make sense from this angle either.
Mercer 1-0 (C+)
The Bears could have gotten a higher grade if they continued to play like they did in the first half. At halftime they were winning 23-0 against East Texas A&M 23-0 but did not score at all in the second half. East Texas A&M was fingertips away from a touchdown that, with a two-point conversion, would have tied the game in the last few seconds. Mercer held on to win at home 23-15.
Up Next: Mercer will host Presbyterian next week looking for revenge from last year’s game.
Furman 1-0 (C)
The Paladins’ offense did not impress anyone Thursday night, generating 451 yards but only 20 points in a 20-3 win over Division II Anderson University. Anderson held the Paladins out of the end zone until late in the second quarter. for the entire first half until late in the second quarter to end the half 10-0 Furman. Paladins DE Joshua Stoneking was the player that stood out for me, as he only recorded two tackles for the game. Stoneking has a big chance to impress pro scouts this coming week.
Up Next: Furman travels to Knoxville to play at the University of Tennessee.
East Tennessee State 0-1 (C-)
I have been personally hyping up Campbell QB Kamden Sixkiller and the Camels all summer. He did not disappoint Saturday night. He accounted for four touchdowns and almost 450 yards. As for ETSU, after all the talk about how the secondary has been improved, that was not the scene in William B Greene Stadium Saturday night. A lot of the same issues fans saw all last year showed up in the 2026 opener, which is worrisome. Coach Will Healy and staff will have to work on both the pass rush and the secondary during this portion of the schedule. With the loss in the home opener, it may now take a conference championship for the Bucs to reach the FCS playoffs. My boss agrees.
Up Next: ETSU hosts former Buc and former defensive coordinator Billy Taylor and Tusculum.
VMI 0-1 (D)
I had a hard time grading these last three teams. I gave the Keydets the edge since Idaho State might be a playoff team once everything plays out. VMI also introduced a new style of offense this year, as it has adopted an option scheme. The Keydets had 230 yards rushing but were held scoreless until the fourth quarter and the game was already decided.
Up Next: VMI goes to its money game and faces Virginia Tech and new coach James Franklin inside Lane Stadium.
The Citadel 0-1 (0-1) (D-)
Preseason All-SoCon QB Quentin Hayes did not have a bad game, but he just did not produce enough to help lead the team over Wofford. Hayes accounted for 179 combined yards and one interception. This game puts The Citadel behind everyone else in the SoCon.
Up Next: The Citadel travels to FBS opponent Charlotte for its money game this Saturday.
Samford 0-1 (F)
Samford had a very rough day rushing the football, finishing with minus-8 yards in a 22-10 loss to North Alabama. This is an early concern for Samford fans. The Bulldogs cannot rely on passing alone.
Up Next: Samford hosts Southern Illinois Thursday night.
Week 1 Viewership Guide (All Times Eastern)
#25 West Florida at Central Arkansas (Receiving Votes) (7 PM, ESPN+)
Both schools started the season by upsetting ranked teams. West Florida, in its first ever Division I game, beat #16 Southern Illinois at home. Now West Florida goes to its first United Athletic Conference game. I think ranking West Florida this early is an interesting choice by the Stats FCS poll voters. The Argonauts did beat a top 20 team in SIU, but that team was without its all-conference quarterback after the middle of the first quarter. Central Arkansas went to Martin, TN and upset #23 UT-Martin. The breakout player out of these two teams last week must be Central Arkansas QB Donovyn Omolo. The sophomore quarterback went 20 of 27 for 243 yards and three TDs, tacking on 118 rushing yards. If Omolo can keep up the production, UCA may become a team to watch for the UAC automatic bid..
Delaware State (RV) at #17 William & Mary (6 PM, ESPN+)
A weak slate for FCS vs FCS matchups as teams are either playing a FBS school for a money game or a lower divisional school. William & Mary made an unbelievable comeback last week to shock a top 10 Villanova team on the road, and used the win to move into the Stats FCS Poll. DSU opened at home, successfully, beating Stony Brook 41-34. The Hornets almost coughed this game up at one point and they looked dominant early, leading in the second quarter 24-6. NFL legend and Delaware State head coach DeSean Jackson has the Hornets in a better place already compared to where they were when he got to Dover. If Delaware State had not had two non-Division I games on the schedule, this team might be in conversation for an at-large bid down the line. But if a 10-2 Presbyterian team could not get in, I doubt DSU will get in this year.
#24 Western Carolina at Campbell (ESPN+ 3:30 PM)
After an impressive win on the road against ETSU. Campbell now hosts another SoCon school in its home opener. Both teams looked like they vanquished their demons from the previous year. Campbell looked a lot different in the fourth quarter, while ETSU lowered the 18-point deficit down to five before Sixkiller put in the dagger on a late rushing touchdown. Western Carolina’s defense looks much improved from the unit that gave up almost 35 points per game in 2025. Whoever wins will have an easier route to an at-large playoff spot, sporting two solid out-of-conference wins early in the season.
FCS News
Coaching Change: Gardner Webb University announced Wednesday that first-year head coach Kris McCullough was relieved of duties after being suspended earlier in the week. McCullough was suspended for an off-field investigation but today the university decided to move on from him after just one game. Pete Bennett, special teams and tight ends coach, was named the interim head coach for the year. Gardner-Webb now has to try to focus on Wofford this Saturday. Good luck.
Joint Practices: The FCS rules committee voted to change how the spring and summer practice sessions will be handled. This is still waiting to go in front of the Division I council in October to be passed but if enacted, FCS schools will be able to have joint practice with any four-year institution. Could this mean locally that Tennessee, Virginia Tech, or Appalachian State visits Johnson City for a joint practice in the spring? They also voted on changing the calendar. FCS teams will now have 21 practices between spring and summer.