THURSDAY, AUG. 29 • 8 P.M. • ESPN+
ALCORN STATE at UAB
Protective Stadium (47,100/FieldTurf) Birmingham, Alabama
Television ESPN+ Nate Gatter and Jay Sonnhalter
Radio WJOX-FM 94.5 (flagship)
THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the second meeting between UAB and Alcorn State … The only previous matchup was the Blazers’ 22-0 win Sept. 15, 2007, in Birmingham … That game saw UAB get a school-record five field goals from K Swayze Waters as Neil Callaway earned his first head coaching win.
ALCORN STATE 0-0, 0-0 SWAC
Head Coach Cedric Thomas (Arkansas-Pine Bluff ’01) 0-0, first season at Alcorn State 8-14, third season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Alcorn State went 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the SWAC last year as the Braves won five of their last six games to close the 2023 season … The Braves enter the 2024 season as the favorite in the SWAC West Division … Thursday’s game at UAB will mark the head coaching debut of Cedric Thomas, who had served as Alcorn State’s defensive coordinator since 2022 and had previously been in that role with the Braves from 2016-17 … TE Tavarious Griffin and DE Malachi Bailey were chosen to the 2024 preseason All-SWAC first team, while DB Edwin Summerour earned second-team honors … Griffin had 25 receptions for 317 yards and four touchdowns last season, while Bailey registered team highs with 9.0 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss … Summerour had 63 tackles with two interceptions.
UAB 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Trent Dilfer (Fresno State) 4-8, second season
Notes
UAB went 4-8 in its first season in the American Athletic Conference and the first under head coach Trent Dilfer … The Blazers saw a streak of six consecutive winning seasons end, but UAB expects to bounce back in 2024 behind 38 returning letterwinners … QB Jacob Zeno passed for 3,126 yards and 20 touchdowns against nine interceptions in 2023 … Zeno set school records with 279 completions and a 73.6% completion rate — good for second among FBS players — and became just the third player in program history to surpass 3,000 passing yards in a season … RB Armoni Goodwin, a transfer from LSU, will look to fill a void in the backfield … The defense will get a boost from 13 incoming transfers … NB Adrian Maddox, a transfer from Alabama State, was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top play Ad as the top player in FCS
THURSDAY, AUG. 29 • 8 P.M. • ESPN+
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA at TULANE
Yulman Stadium (30,000/Hellas Synthetic) New Orleans, Louisiana
Television ESPN+ Doug Sherman and Tyoka Jackson
Radio KVDU-FM 104.1 (Tulane flagship)
THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the eighth meeting between Tulane and Southeastern Louisiana in a series that began in 1949 … Tulane has won all seven previous matchups, most recently a 35-20 decision in 2014 behind three touchdowns passes from QB Tanner Lee … Tulane has scored at least 27 points in all seven games against the Lions.
SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA 0-0, 0-0 Southland
Head Coach Frank Scelfo (Louisiana-Monroe ’81) 37-31, seventh season
Notes
Southeastern Louisiana went 3-8 overall and was 3-4 in the Southland Conference last season … The Lions finished the season with three wins in their last four games, however, to finish fifth in the Southland standings … Head coach Frank Scelfo served as an assistant coach at Tulane from 1996-2006, and was the Green Wave’s offensive coordinator from 1999-2006 … The Lions placed six players on last year’s All-Southland Conference first team, but only WR Darius Lewis is back for 2024 … Lewis had 48 receptions for 568 yards and four touchdowns and averaged 13.8 yards on punt returns … The Lions were picked third in the 2024 Southland preseason poll, while Lewis and OT Jhy Orgeron were named to the league’s preseason first team … The defense is led by LB Donte Daniels, who earned second-team preseason honors.
TULANE 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Jon Sumrall (Kentucky ’05) 0-0, first season at Tulane 23-4, third season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulane looks to continue its best run in its program history as the Green Wave welcomes new head coach Jon Sumrall to New Orleans … Sumrall went 23-4 in two seasons as head coach at Troy, where he led the Trojans to back-to-back Sun Belt titles … Tulane has alwo won 23 games in the last two seasons … Only Georgia, Michigan and Washington have had more wins since the 2022 season … Sumrall inherits a team that has 57 returning letterwinners and 11 returning starters … RB Makhai Hughes was the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year last season after he led The American with 1,378 yards … QB Kai Horton and QB Ty Thompson are battling for the starting spot … DE Patrick Jenkins , who had 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, leads a veteran defense.
THURSDAY, AUG. 29 • 8 P.M. • ESPN+
NORTHWESTERN STATE at TULSA H.A.
Chapman Stadium (30,000/FieldTurf) Tulsa, Oklahoma
Television ESPN+ James Westling and Leger Douzable
Radio KXBL-FM 99.5 (Tulsa flagship)
THE GAME
Thursday’s game will be the second meeting between Tulsa and Northwestern State … The only previous matchup came Sept. 17, 1983, when the Golden Hurricane took a 26-19 victory in Tulsa … Tulsa was coached by College Football Hall-of-Famer John Cooper that season and the Golden Hurricane went on to win the Missouri Valley title.
NORTHWESTERN STATE 0-0, 0-0 Southland
Head Coach Blaine McCorkle (LSU ’00) 0-0, first season at Northwestern State 31-25, seventh season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Northwestern State is led by new head coach Blaine McCorkle, who previously spent six seasons as head coach at Bellhaven, where he led the Blazers to their first appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship last season … Thursday’s game will be the first for Northwestern State since the Demons ended their 2023 season after six games … The game against Tulsa will be the first of two for Northwestern State against FBS opponents … The Demons visit South Alabama Sept. 14 … QB Quaterius Hawkins passed for 488 yards and a touchdown in four games last season … RB Kolbe Burrell is the top returning rusher with 165 yards and a TD on five carries … LB Cadillac Rhone is the top returner on defense with 35 tackles and three forced fumbles in 2023.
TULSA 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Kevin Wilson (North Carolina ’84) 4-8, second season at Tulsa 30-55, eighth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Tulsa enters its second season under head coach Kevin Wilson looking to bounce back from a 4-8 campaign … The Golden Hurricane has 53 new players on its 2024 roster, including 27 scholarship freshmen and 15 transfers … RB Anthony Watkins finished the 2023 season with 100-yard efforts in three of Tulsa’s last four games … Watkins rushed for 889 yards and four touchdowns last season … QB Cardell Williams and QB Kirk Francis both saw significant action in 2023, while former Utah State QB Cooper Legas comes in as a graduate transfer after throwing for 3,485 yards and 32 touchdowns in 21 career games with the Aggies … WR Kamdyn Benjamin had 47 catches for 727 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 … LB Owen Ostroski had 4.0 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss.
FRIDAY, AUG. 30 • 6 P.M. • CBSSN
LEHIGH at ARMY
Michie Stadium (38,000/FieldTurf) West Point, New York
Television CBS Sports Network Dave Ryan, Adam Breneman and Tina Cervasio
Radio WBNR-AM 1260
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the 12th meeting between Army and Lehigh in a series that began in 1893 … All 11 previous meetings have been played in West Point … Army holds an 8-2-1 series lead after a 42-9 victory in 1995 … Friday’s game will be one of two weeknight contests for Army, which plays a Thursday-night matchup at Temple Sept. 26.
LEHIGH 0-0, 0-0 Patriot League
Head Coach Kevin Cahill (Springfield ’01) 2-9, second season
Notes
Lehigh has one of the oldest college football programs nationally as the Mountain Hawks trace their roots to 1884 … Lehigh ranks 40th in all-time wins (680), while the school’s rivalry with Lafayette is the longest-standing rivalry in college football at 158 consecutive games … The Mountain Hawks, who have not won a nonconference game since a 21-19 victory against Saint Francis in the 2018 season-opener, have dropped 24 straight outside the Patriot League … The Mountain Hawks went 2-9 last season in Kevin Cahill’s first year as head coach … Lehigh was picked sixth in the Patriot League’s preseason poll … LB Mike DeNucci and S Nick Peltekian were both chosen to the preseason All-Patriot League team … DeNucci registered 87 tackles with 6.0 tackles for loss in 2023, while Peltekian had 91 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss.
ARMY 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Jeff Monken (Millikin ’89) 70-55, 11th season at Army 106-71, 15th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Army begins its first season as an American Athletic Conference member with Friday’s game against Lehigh … The Black Knights had been a college football independent throughout its history, save for a seven-year period (1998- 2004) in Conference USA … Head coach Jeff Monken has had the Black Knights at .500 or better in seven of his 10 seasons, including an 11-2 campaign in 2018 … Army has gone 6-6 in each of the last two seasons … The Black Knights have 45 returning letterwinners and 11 returning starters … Army returns its top four rushers from last year’s team, which averaged 208.2 rushing yards per game … QB Bryson Daily rushed for a team-high 901 yards and seven touchdowns last year and added 913 passing yards with seven TDs through the air. F
FRIDAY, AUG. 30 • 7 P.M. • BIG TEN NETWORK
FLORIDA ATLANTIC at MICHIGAN STATE
Spartan Stadium (74,866/Natural Grass) East Lansing, Michigan
Television Big Ten Network TBD
Radio WPEN-FM 97.5 (Temple flagship)
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the fourth meeting between Florida Atlantic and Michigan State … The schools met three times between 2008 and 2011, all in the state of Michigan … The Spartans are 3-0 against the Owls after a 44-0 win Sept. 10, 2011 … Florida Atlantic’s last game against a Big Ten opponent was a 23-17 loss at Illinois last season.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Tom Herman (Cal Lutheran ’97) 4-8, second season at Florida Atlantic 58-30, eighth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Florida Atlantic begins its second year in the American Athletic Conference looking to bounce back from a 4-8 campaign … The Owls stood at 4-4 last year, but dropped their final four games of the season … Head coach Tom Herman has gone 26-12 in three seasons as an American Athletic Conference head coach, with a .684 winning percentage that ranks fifth in conference history The Owls return 12 starters from last year, including eight on defense … QB Cam Fancher, who passed for 2,162 yards and 11 touchdowns at Marshall last season, is expected to get the Opening Day nod for Florida Atlantic … The offense will need to replace the production of its top five receivers from a year ago … LB Jackson Ambush led the Owls with 87 tackles to go with 5.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
MICHIGAN STATE 0-0, 0-0 Big Ten
Head Coach Jonathan Smith (Oregon State ’01) 0-0, first season at Michigan State 34-35, seventh season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Michigan State went 4-8 overall and was 2-7 in the Big Ten last season … The Spartans turned to former Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith to take over in East Lansing … Michigan State returns four starters on offense and six on defense … QB Aidan Chiles joined Smith in moving from Oregon State to Michigan State and is expected to be the Opening Day starter … RB Nathan Carter rushed for 798 yards and four touchdowns … WR Montorie Foster led the team with 43 receptions for 576 yards and three TDs … LB Cal Haladay has led the team in tackles in three consecutive years after he had 91 stops in 2023 … P Ryan Eckley earned Freshman All-America honors after he averaged 46.8 yards per punt last season … Michigan State has gone 8-2 in its last 10 nonconference games.
FRIDAY, AUG. 30 • 7 P.M. • ESPNU
TEMPLE at OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (80,126/Natural Grass) Norman, Oklahoma
Television ESPN Anish Shroff, Andre Ware and Paul Carcaterra
Radio WPEN-FM 97.5 (Temple flagship)
THE GAME
Friday’s game will be the third meeting between Temple and Oklahoma and will break a 1-1 tie in the series … The Sooners were 9-6 winners in Norman in 1940, while the Owls took the rematch 14-7 two years later in Philadelphia … The teams will play at Lincoln Financial Field in 2025 before returning to Norman in 2028.
TEMPLE 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Stan Drayton (Allegheny ’93) 6-18, third season
Notes
Temple has gone 3-9 in each of the last three seasons, as the Owls look to get back to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2019 in Stan Drayton’s third year in Philadelphia … The Owls return 10 starters and will have to replace their leading rusher, passer, receiver and tackler from last season … QB Forrest Brock saw limited action last year, while QB Evan Simons, a transfer from Rutgers, and redshirt freshman QB Tyler Douglas could earn the starting spot as well … RB Joquez Smith had 325 rushing yards and a touchdown in 2023 … The Owls started the same five players on the offensive line only twice last season … Temple is looking for its first win against a Top-25 opponent since 2019, when the Owls knocked off No. 21 Maryland and No. 23 Memphis … Temple plays the second of back-to-back road games next Saturday at Navy.
OKLAHOMA 0-0, 0-0 SEC
Head Coach Brent Venables (Kansas State ’92) 10-3, second
Notes
Oklahoma improved to 10-3 in Brent Venables’ second year in Norman, a four-win improvement from the 2022 season … The Sooners move to the SEC for the 2024 season after winning 14 Big 12 titles … Oklahoma’s 50 conference championships since 1915 are the most of any FBS institution … The Sooners finished second in the Big 12 last season and fell to Arizona in the 2023 Alamo Bowl … QB Jackson Arnold will get the Opening Day start after serving as the backup to Dillon Gabriel last year … RB Gavin Sawchuk rushed for 744 yards and nine touchdowns last season, while WR Nic Anderson had 38 catches for 798 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns … The defense returns its top six tackles from last year, including LB Danny Stutsman, who had 104 stops on his way to second-team Walter Camp All-America status.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • NOON • CBSSN
BUCKNELL vs. NAVY
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (34,000/FieldTurf) Annapolis, Maryland
Television CBS Sports Network Carter Blackburn, Randy Cross and Sheehan Stanwick Burch
Radio WBAL-AM 1090 (Navy flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 21st meeting between Navy and Bucknell in a series that dates to 19th century – specifically, the 1898 season … Navy holds a 9-4-1 series lead, though the teams have not met since a 13-7 Navy win in 1925 … All previous games in the series have been played in Annapolis.
BUCKNELL 0-0, 0-0 Patriot League
Head Coach Dave Cecchini (Lehigh ’95) 13-35, sixth season at Bucknell 30-73, 11th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Bucknell is looking to rebound from a 4-7 season in 2023 in which the Bison went 1-5 in the Patriot League … The Bison, who were picked seventh in the Patriot League’s preseason poll, have not had a winning season since an 8-3 ledger in 2014 … QB Ralph Rucker IV passed for program-records with 2,537 yards and 21 touchdowns against only five interceptions in his first game action since transferring from Oklahoma after the 2021 season … WR Eric Weatherly had 42 receptions for 603 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns … LB Brad Jamison led the defense with 77 tackles to go with 3.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss … K Matt Schearer earned preseason All-Patriot League honors after he hit 15 field goals and 33 PATs last season.
NAVY 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Brian Newberry (Baylor ’98) 5-7, second season
Notes
Navy was 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the American Athletic Conference in Brian Newberry’s first season as head coach … Newberry had been the Midshipmen’s defensive coordinator from 2919-22 before assuming the top spot … Navy was one of two teams nationally that had at least four different starting quarterbacks last year (Arizona had five) … QB Blake Horvath, who suffered a season-ending thumb injury in the Oct. 7 game against North Texas, which was his first career start … FB Alex Tecza earned honorable mention all-conference honors last year after he rushed for 758 yards and five touchdowns … The defense is led by LB Colin Ramos, a first-team All-AAC pick who had 110 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss …P Riley Riethman, another first-team all-conference pick, averaged 44.8 yards per punt, tying the program record
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 3:30 P.M. • ESPN+
KENNESAW STATE at UTSA
Alamodome (36,582/FusionH XP2 Synthetic) San Antonio, Texas
Television ESPN+ Jack Benjamin and LaDarrin McLane
Radio KTXR-AM 760 (UTSA flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between UTSA and Kennesaw State … It will be one of four games for UTSA this season against teams with ‘Owls’ as their nickname … UTSA was originally slated to open the 2024 season against New Mexico State, but saw that game canceled upon the Aggies’ joining Conference USA.
KENNESAW STATE 0-0, 0-0 Conference USA
Head Coach Brian Bohannon (Georgia ’93) 71-30, 10th season
Notes
Kennesaw State begins its first season as an NCAA FBS program with Saturday’s opener at UTSA … The Owls competed as an FCS independent last season as they began their transition to the Bowl Subdivision … Kennesaw State’s football program began in 2015 … The Owls registered three 11-win seasons in their first five years of competition, winning 48 games from 2015-19 … Among the Owls’ notable football alumni is Bronson Rechsteiner, who is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion as Bron Breakker … Kennesaw State went 3-6 last season … WR Gabriel Benyard played in four games and was redshirted last season, yet still led the Owls with 333 receiving yards and four touchdowns … QB Davis Bryson likewise played in four games before redshirting and rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
UTSA 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Jeff Traylor (Stephen F. Austin ’90) 39-14, fifth season
Notes
UTSA went 9-4 overall and was 7-1 in American Athletic Conference play, staying alive in the conference race until the final week of the regular season in their first season in the conference … The Roadrunners had won back-to-back Conference USA titles before joining The American … UTSA capped the year with a 35-17 win against Marshall in the Frisco Bowl … UTSA was picked second in The American’s preseason media poll, trailing only conference favorite Memphis … The Roadrunners will go with a new quarterback this season following the lengthy tenure of Frank Harris … QB Owen McCown and QB Eddie Lee Marburger both saw significant action last year when Harris was injured … RB Kevorian Barnes rushed for a team-high 715 yards with six touchdowns … TE Oscar Cardenas had 32 catches for 280 yards and two TDs.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 5 P.M. • ESPN+
NORTH TEXAS at SOUTH ALABAMA
Hancock Whitney Stadium (24,450/Power Blade HP) Mobile, Alabama
Television ESPN+ Pat Greenwood and Brian Genard
Radio KEGL-FM 97.1 (North Texas flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the second meeting between North Texas and South Alabama … The only previous meeting came in the 2012 season, when the Mean Green took a 24-14 victory in Denton, Texas … RB Brandin Byrd rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown for the Mean Green in that game.
SOUTH ALABAMA 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Head Coach Major Applewhite (Texas ’02) 0-0, first season at South Alabama 15-11, fourth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
South Alabama went 7-6 last season and scored the first bowl win in program history as the Jaguars topped Eastern Michigan in the Ventures Bowl … Major Applewhite, who was a head coach in the American Athletic Conference for two seasons at Houston, has taken over the top job at South Alabama after three years as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator … South Alabama was picked fifth in the Sun Belt’s West Division in the league’s preseason poll … S Jaden Voisin was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team, while WR Jamal Pritchett and NT Wy’Kevious Thomas were preseason second-team picks … Voisin had 66 tackles and four interceptions in 2023 … Pritchett had 49 catches for 756 yards and six touchdowns, while Thomas had 36 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
NORTH TEXAS 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Eric Morris (Texas Tech ’08) 5-7, second season at North Texas 29-25, sixth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
North Texas eyes a return to bowl eligibility in Eric Morris’ second season in Denton … The Mean Green went 5-7 overall and was 3-5 in conference play in its first season in the American Athletic Conference … North Texas led The American in total offense, averaging 495.8 yards per game last season … The Mean Green was last in total defense, however, at 476.4 yards allowed per game … QB Chandler Morris, a transfer from TCU, will be the Opening Day starter … Morris passed for 1,528 yards with 12 touchdowns in six starts for the Horned Frogs … OG Gabe Blair earned second-team all-conference honors last year … The defense is led by LB Jordan Brown, a third-team all-conference pick who had a team-high 83 tackles in 2023 … CB Ridge Texada led the squad with seven pass breakups.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 6 P.M. • ESPN+
NORFOLK STATE at EAST CAROLINA
Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (50,000/Natural Grass) Greenville, North Carolina
Television ESPN+ Joe Tordy and Reggie Walker
Radio WNCT-FM 107.9 (East Carolina flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between East Carolina and Norfolk State … The Pirates have won their last five games against FCS opponents, while the Spartans are looking for their first win against an FBS opponent … The teams are scheduled to play again exactly six years from Saturday’s game, on Aug. 31, 2030.
NORFOLK STATE 0-1, 0-0 MEAC
Head Coach Dawson Odums (North Carolina Central ’97) 11-23, fourth season at Norfolk State 75-67, 14th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Norfolk State got its 2024 season underway last Saturday on ABC as the Spartans fell 24-23 to Florida A&M in the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta … The Spartans scored a fourth-quarter touchdown with 6:29 left, but saw their two-point conversion attempt denied before the Rattlers ran out the clock … RB Kevon King rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, while QB Jalen Daniels completed 7 of 9 passes for 142 yards and added a rushing touchdown for Norfolk State … The Spartans went 3-8 in 2023 but saw four of their losses decided by one possession … Norfolk State had a league-leading 13 players on the MEAC’s preseason all-conference team, though the Spartans were tabbed for fifth in the league’s preseason poll.
EAST CAROLINA 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Mike Houston (Mars Hill ’94) 24-34, sixth season at East Carolina 104-59, 14th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
East Carolina looks to bounce back from an uncharacteristic 2-10 season last season … The Pirates had gone 7-5 in 2021 and 8-5 in 2022 … East Carolina boasted one of the better defensive units in The American as the Pirates held opponents to 341.3 yards (third in the conference) and 22.4 points per game (third) … But the offense struggled as East Carolina averaged 17.3 points and 277.3 yards, ranking last in The American in both categories … The defense will be led by CB Shavon Revel, a second-team all-conference selection last season … The defensive line returns three of its four regular starters … QB Jake Garcia, a transfer from Missouri, is expected to help stabilize the Pirates behind center … RB Rahjai Harris rushed for 485 yards and five touchdowns.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 7 P.M. • ESPN
NORTH ALABAMA at MEMPHIS
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (58,325/AstroTurf) Memphis, Tennessee
Television ESPN+ James Westling and Leger Douzable
Radio WXMX-FM 98.9 (Memphis flagship)
THE GAME
Memphis and North Alabama meet for just the second time with Saturday’s season-opener … The only previous matchup was Nov. 19, 2022, when the Tigers rolled to a 59-0 win in Memphis as LB Xavier Cullens scored on a fumble return and an interception return … The Tigers scored on offense, defense and special teams in the win.
NORTH ALABAMA 0-1, 0-0 UAC
Head Coach Brent Dearmon (Bethel ’08) 3-9, second season at North Alabama 13-10, third season as collegiate head coach
Notes
North Alabama opened the season in Week 0 as the Lions fell 37-15 to Southeast Missouri in the FCS Kickoff at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama … The Lions held a 15-13 halftime lead, but were outscored 24-0 in the second half … QB Ari Patu, a transfer from Stanford, completed 12 of 24 passes for 104 yards, but was intercepted twice, and had 52 rushing yards and a TD on 13 attempts … RB Jayvian Allen, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, rushed for 100 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown … North Alabama is in its third season as a playoff-eligible NCAA FCS program … The Lions went 3-8 last season … North Alabama competes in the United Athletic Conference, a football partnership between the WAC and the Atlantic Sun.
MEMPHIS 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Ryan Silverfield (Hamden-Sydney ’03) 31-19, fifth season
Notes
Hopes are high in Memphis this season as the Tigers return 17 starters and 42 letterwinners from last year’s team, which went 10-3 and defeated Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl … Memphis has been bowl-eligible in each of the last 10 years and is one of nine teams nationally with that distinction (joining Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Iowa) … Memphis is the favorite in The American’s preseason media poll … QB Seth Henigan is the only four-year player in FBS to start at quarterback for the same school in all four years … Henigan passed for 3,883 yards and 32 touchdowns and was second in The American in passing at 298.69 yards per game and led the league in total offense (319.7 ypg) … WR Roc Taylor had 69 catches for 1,083 yards and four touchdowns.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 7 P.M. • ESPN+
SAM HOUSTON at RIC
Rice Stadium (47,000/FieldTurf) Houston, Texas
Television ESPN+ Chuckie Kempf and Doc Holliday
Radio Varsity Network
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 18th meeting between Rice and Sam Houston … The series dates to 1912, when Rice was a 20-6 winner in Huntsville … The other 16 games have been played at Rice Stadium … The Owls have gone 15-1 against Sam Houston … The last meeting was a 14-13 Rice win in 1993 … Sam Houston’s lone win was in 1939.
SAM HOUSTON 0-0, 0-0 CUSA
Head Coach K.C. Keeler (Delaware ’81) 88-36, 11th season at Sam Houston 262-109-1, 31st season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Sam Houston went 3-9 in its first year as an FBS program as the Bearkats dropped their first eight games before rallying to go 3-1 in November … Veteran head coach K.C. Keeler was the first head coach to win NCAA FCS championships at two schools (Delaware in 2003, Sam Houston in 2020) … Sam Houston was tabbed for fifth in the Conference USA preseason poll … Six of the nine losses last year were decided by seven points or fewer, while two came in overtime … WR Noah Smith was a bright spot last year with 783 yards and nine touchdowns on 79 receptions … LB Kavian Gaither had 72 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss … QB Grant Gunnell, who started at Arizona in 2020, redshirted at Memphis in 2021 and saw limited action at North Texas in 2022.
RICE 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Mike Bloomgren (Florida State ’99) 22-46, seventh season
Notes
Rice has played in bowl games in back-to-back seasons after the Owls closed the 2024 regular season with consecutive wins to get to six wins … Rice finished 6-7 after the owls fell to Texas State in the First Responder Bowl … The Owls made waves in the offseason with the arrival of QB E.J. Warner, who was a two-year starter at Temple and was the 2022 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year … RB Dean Connors rushed for 771 yards and seven touchdowns and was the Owls’ second-leading receiver with 41 receptions for 403 yards and three TDs … The defense brings back eight starters, including three players who earned honorable mention all-conference status in 2023 … LB Plae Wyatt led the squad with 81 tackles, while LB Myron Morrison had 80 … S Gabriel Taylor had two interceptions and nine pass breakups.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 7 P.M. • ESPN+
BETHUNE-COOKMAN at SOUTH FLORIDA
Raymond James Stadium (65,000/Natural Grass) Tampa, Florida
Television ESPN+ AJ Ricketts and Patrick Murray
Radio WHPT-FM 102.5 (South Florida flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between South Florida and Bethune-Cookman … Bethune-Cookman head coach Raymond Woodie spent two seasons as assistant head coach at South Florida, including the 2016 season, when the Bulls went 11-2 … The Bulls are 25-1 all-time against FCS opponents, including 10 consecutive wins.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 0-0, 0-0 SWAC
Head Coach Raymond Woodie Jr. (Bethune-Cookman ’96) 3-8, second season
Notes
Bethune-Cookman went 3-8 last season and was 2-6 in the SWAC, though the Wildcats closed the season by winning two of their last three games … The Wildcats’ last game against an American Athletic Conference team was a 56-14 setback to Memphis in last year’s season-opener … Saturday’s game at South Florida is one of two contests against FBS opponents for Bethune-Cookman, which visits Western Michigan Sept. 14 … The Wildcats should get a boost from the return of QB Luke Sprague, who passed for 544 yards and four touchdowns before his season was cut short due to injury … LB Dearis Thomas was a preseason All-SWAC second team choice after he had 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023 … Bethune-Cookman was picked to finish fifth in the SWAC’s East Division in the conference’s preseason poll.
SOUTH FLORIDA 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Alex Golesh (Ohio State ’06) 7-6, second season
Notes
South Florida enjoyed one of the best turnarounds in college football last season after the Bulls went 7-6 in Alex Golesh’s first season in Tampa … South Florida improved by six wins from its 2022 record, trailing only Northwestern’s seven-win improvement nationally … The Bulls put an exclamation point on last season with a 45-0 win against Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl … South Florida returns 19 starters and 45 letterwinners from last year … QB Byrum Brown was one of two players nationally to pass for 3,000 yards (3,292) and rush for 800 (809) last season (Heisman Trophy-winner Jayden Daniels of LSU was the other) … WR Sean Atkins set school records with 92 receptions, 1,054 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches on his way to second-team all-conference honors … The Bulls play three of their next four on the road.
SATURDAY, AUG. 31 • 8 P.M. • ESPNU
JAMES MADISON at CHARLOTTE
Jerry Richardson Stadium (15,314/Synthetic) Charlotte, North Carolina
Television ESPNU Justin Kutcher and Charles Arbuckle
Radio WZGV-AM 730 (Charlotte flagship)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the third meeting between Charlotte and James Madison … The series began with a 34-7 win by James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in the 2013 season — the first road game in Charlotte’s program history — and continued with the Dukes’ 48-40 victory in Charlotte in 2014.
JAMES MADISON 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
Head Coach Bob Chesney (Dickinson ’00) 0-0, first season at James Madison 111-46, 15th season as collegiate head coach
Notes
James Madison, which had been one of the nation’s top FCS programs, has adjusted well at the FBS level to the tune of a 19-4 combined record in two years in the Sun Belt Conference … The Dukes began last season with 10 consecutive wins and were ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation before dropping two of their final three games … New head coach Bob Chesney has been a winner at each of his first three stops … Chesney most recently took Holy Cross to five consecutive Patriot League titles in six seasons with the Crusaders … Chesney additionally served as head coach in Division II (going 44-16 at Assumption) and Division III (going 23-9 at Salve Regina) … RB Ado Adeyi is no stranger to The American after he rushed for 1,017 yards at North Texas last season.
CHARLOTTE 0-0, 0-0 American
Head Coach Biff Poggi (Duke) 3-9, second season
Notes Charlotte enters its second season under head coach Biff Poggi looking to bounce back from a 3-9 season … Charlotte begins just its 12th season of varsity football and its 10th at the FBS level … The 49ers return 12 starters and 36 letter-winners from last season … Poggi expects to have at least 45 new players on this year’s roster, including 20 transfers on defense … Among the newcomers is QB Max Brown, a transfer from Florida who played in six games last season, including his first career start in the game against Florida State … Brown, who did not play in the Gators’ game against Charlotte, looks to stabilize the 49ers behind center after Charlotte had five quarterbacks get significant playing time last year … DB Dontae Balfour earned third-team all-conference honors last year after he registered a team-high 11 pass breakups.
