FCS Football: Biggest Winners, Losers In Week 5

The Week 5 schedule was headlined by two huge ranked matchups and signaled the start of conference play for most teams around the country.

North Dakota State made a statement in a blowout win over South Dakota, while Montana continued to turn heads with an impressive ranked win over Idaho, giving the Grizzlies their second top-25 win of the season. We also saw some teams turn the corner after a tough non-conference schedule, winning key conference-opening games.

Below are the biggest winners and losers from Week 5.

Winner: Cole Payton

North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton continued to take the nation by storm with another eye-opening performance in a win over South Dakota. He finished with 273 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on 14-of-18 attempts. He also had 102 rushing yards and one touchdown on 11 carries, averaging 9.3 yards per carry. He's had his two best performances in the past two games, cementing himself in the Walter Payton Award race.

On Saturday, Payton showed all the different aspects of his game. On passes 20+ yards downfield, Payton completed 6-of-7 attempts for 189 yards with five big-time throws for a 71.4% big-time throw rate. He was one of the highest-graded players in the country, finishing with a 95.2 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. He also had five runs of 10 or more yards, while forcing four missed tackles and generating seven first downs with his legs.

Over the first four games of the season, Payton has completed 73% of his passes for 979 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while rushing for 277 yards and two scores on 38 carries, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. The expectations were high for Payton, but he has exceeded even the highest expectations so far this year. The next step is to continue this level of play throughout MVFC play, which features multiple ranked matchups.

Loser: South Dakota

Only a year after making a run to the semifinals, South Dakota dropped to 2-3 overall after a 51-13 loss to North Dakota State. The Coyotes were never competitive in this game, allowing over 540 yards of total offense, including seven consecutive scoring drives for the Bison over the first three quarters. Offensively, South Dakota only generated 296 total yards, most of which came in junk time after the Bison were already up by 40+ points.

The spring transfer portal window has significantly altered the outlook of this program, leading to early struggles along the offensive line. That has further impacted Aidan Bouman, who has only completed 52.7% of his passes for 767 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. The road doesn't get easier with games against Illinois State, North Dakota, South Dakota State, and Southern Illinois still remaining. If South Dakota is going to make another run to the postseason, the Coyotes will need to have a major turnaround after a disappointing start.

Winner: Mercer

Everybody sold their stock in Mercer after an upset loss to Presbyterian in Week 1, but things have turned around quickly. The Bears overcame a 10-point deficit against ETSU, winning their third consecutive conference game, improving to 3-1 overall. It puts Mercer in the driver's seat right now in the SoCon race, but road matchups against Furman and Western Carolina still loom in November.

Freshman quarterback Braden Atkinson has been the difference for the Bears. In his three starts, Atkinson has completed 75% of his passes for 803 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. The offense has found its rhythm with Atkinson at the helm, which has also sparked the rushing game. CJ Miller led the Bears with 172 rushing yards and two scores this weekend. The defense continues to improve as well. Andrew Zock is a force off the edge, leading the team with eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries this season.

Loser: Southern Utah

Southern Utah suffered another heartbreaking loss, a common theme this season. The Thunderbirds scored 21 unanswered points to overcome a 24-3 deficit in the second half, but it still wasn't enough. West Georgia escaped with a 27-24 win after Tommy Holden's 46-yard game-winning field goal with one second remaining. It was the fourth consecutive loss for Southern Utah, which fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in conference play.

Three of Southern Utah's losses have come by three points, including a shocking upset against San Diego, which started the losing streak. It doesn't get any easier for the Thunderbirds, which travel to No. 3 Tarleton State this weekend before hosting No. 19 Abilene Christian. I'm not sure what the trajectory of this team is this year. They are talented, but I'm not sure if they know how to win yet, which is evident by all the close losses this year. We'll see if the Thunderbirds can turn things around throughout conference play.

Winner: UT Martin

It was a tough start to the season for the Skyhawks. With three FBS games and a ranked FCS opponent, UT Martin started the year 0-4, and there were questions on whether this team would be a factor in the OVC-Big South race. Those questions no longer exist after the Skyhawks dominated SEMO in a 34-10 win on Saturday.

Quarterback Jase Bauer was excellent, throwing for 225 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also led the team with 107 rushing yards and another two scores, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Bryce Bailey led the Skyhawks with seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. The defense suffocated SEMO's offense, holding the Redhawks to only 239 total yards, including 30 rushing yards on 27 attempts. Keyshawn Johnson turned heads with two sacks and seven total tackles, while All-American cornerback LaMarion Pierce recorded his first interception of the season.

Loser: Sacramento State

Nothing has gone as planned for Sacramento State, which entered the season with a ton of hype after signing the No. 1 FCS transfer portal class behind head coach Brennan Marion. The Hornets have failed to impress for most of the season, but fell in a stunning 32-24 upset to Cal Poly in Week 5. It dropped the Hornets to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Sky play, a very disappointing start for a team that had postseason (and FBS) aspirations.

Many people questioned the defense before the season, but it's been the offense that has constantly held this team back. Quarterback play has been abysmal, with Cardell Williams and Jaden Rashada both underachieving this year. Williams only completed 10-of-24 passes for 164 yards and three interceptions this weekend. Rashada wasn't any better, going 1-of-6 for nine yards. It could be a very long season if the Hornets cannot figure out the quarterback position.

Winner: Alabama State

Jackson State received most of the preseason hype in the SWAC, but it's been Alabama State making waves early this season. The Hornets moved to 3-1 (1-0 SWAC) with a dominant road win over Florida A&M, snapping a five-game losing streak to the Rattlers. It appears that it'll be a Jackson State vs. Alabama State battle for the SWAC West, which is scheduled to take place in two weeks on October 11.

Highly-touted quarterback Andrew Body wasn't asked to do much, throwing for 106 yards and two scores, but it was the rushing attack that stole the show. The Hornets rolled up 299 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Jamarie Hostzclaw led the attack with 135 yards, while Body added 40 yards with his legs. Wide receiver Jalen Jones continues to emerge as a star, posting two touchdowns for the second consecutive game.

Loser: Howard

Howard had a chance to make a statement this weekend, dominating Richmond for nearly the entire game before a late collapse changed everything. The Spiders escaped with a 13-12 win, despite only generating 152 yards of total offense, averaging an abysmal 3.5 yards per play. The Bison held the ball for over 42 minutes of the game but ultimately lost due to poor execution and play-calling.

Richmond's defense forced a turnover on back-to-back drives, which led to one-play scoring drives for the Spiders. Running back Isaiah Dawson exploded for a 42-yard touchdown to cut the lead to five, while Aziz Foster-Powell found the end zone less than a minute later to take the lead. To make things even worse, Howard missed a potential game-winning 38-yard field goal with 3:07 remaining. The box score rarely tells the full story, and this game is a prime example as Richmond found a way to secure the win despite being outplayed for over three quarters.