Week 3 in the Coastal Athletic Association delivered thrilling finishes and record-setting performances, like Seth Morgan's six passing touchdowns for New Hampshire and Monmouth's Derek Robertson going for 390 yards against his former team. 

What does Week 4 have lined up for an encore? 

As conference matchups continue in Week 4, CAA teams also have marquee non-league showdowns on the docket. Among them is The Real HU, Hampton's history-rich rivalry series against Howard. The Pirates and Bison return to Washington D.C.'s Audi Field, where Hampton won a 35-34 nail-biter a season ago. Last year's victory extended the Pirate's winning streak in the rivalry to seven games. 

"You're playing for the community, you're playing for the university," first-year Hampton head coach Trent Boykin said of facing Howard. "We recruit in that area [the DMV]. They recruit in this area [the Tidewater Region]. It's bragging rights again for another 364 days [as to] who's the real HU." 

Elsewhere in CAA non-conference play for Week 4, Towson travels to Fargo to meet the longtime benchmark of greatness in the FCS, North Dakota State. 

The Bison are Towson's second top-five-ranked opponent in as many weeks, coming off a CAA classic between the Tigers and Villanova. Towson took the Wildcats to the brink in a 14-13 defensive struggle. 

Highlights: Towson vs Villanova Football

Will Middleton and Terry Xavier each forced fumbles for the Towson defense in their visit to the Mainline, while the Tigers offense showed glimpses of being ready to start rolling. Devin Matthews averaged 9.6 yards per carry for 134 in total and tight end Carter Runyon hauled in six receptions including a touchdown. 

Towson coach Pete Shinnick said the Tigers are close, as is evidenced in their results, “We just got to find ways to put the final touches on it. I really do like where we're at. I like everything about us except our record right now.

Shinnick came to Towson with national championship credentials, coaching West Florida to the 2019 NCAA Div. II title. Having that experience gives Shinnick unique insight into the approach of a program like North Dakota State.

“Playing a team like North Dakota State, there's no place to hide,” he said. “You got to show up and be at your best.”

Stony Brook at Campbell 

Stony Brook heads into Buies Creek for its first-ever matchup with Campbell, and the Seawolves are bringing their first winning streak since running off three straight in the 2021 season. Last week’s 27-21 defeat of Fordham was Stony Brook’s first gut-check win of the fledgling Billy Cosh era. 

The Seawolves rallied with a pair of fourth-quarter scores to upend the Rams, capitalizing on an outstanding defensive game. Stony Brook allowed only one offensive touchdown on the day, and the only time the Seawolves defensive first string has allowed an FCS opponent to reach the end zone. 

"Coach [Scott] Lewis and his staff did a great job preparing our players, had a really good scheme," Cosh said of the defense's showing at Fordham. "[Fordham was] 2-of-14 on third down, [so] we got off the field. Rushawn Lawrence and Rudy Sivera had great individual efforts."

Lawrence is making plays all over for the Seawolves with two sacks, an interception, a broken-up pass, a quarterback hurry and nine tackles coming off the line. The cornerback Sivera has already broken up six passes and picked off two passes. He leads the FCS in passes successfully defended this season. 

Highlights: Stone Hill vs Stony Brook Football

Campbell's defense has been stout in its own right, limiting 2023 Fiesta Bowl participant and College Football Playoff hopeful Liberty for the better part of three quarters in Week 1, then shutting down Western Carolina in Week 2. 

The Fighting Camels come into Saturday's home opener off of a tough start to CAA play, though, falling at Rhode Island in Week 3, 21-9. 

"We had a lot of good things come from that game...[but] we were 1-of-4 on fourth down, and they were 1-of-2 on fourth downs," said Campbell coach Braxton Harris. "We've got to be able to finish drives and be able to get in the end zone."

While the Camels look to build consistency on offense, they lean on one of the most talented defenses in the CAA. Linebacker CJ Tillman already has 27 tackles on the season to lead the way, while Jalen Brooks came up with his third takeaway in as many games at Rhode Island, recovering a fumble. 

PREDICTION: Campbell 23, Stony Brook 17 

Bryant at New Hampshire 

Though only 125 miles separate the campuses of Bryant and New Hampshire, the two New England-based football programs have played only once. UNH won a 45-17 rout over the Bulldogs in 2017 behind three passing touchdowns from Trevor Knight and a pair of rushing scores from Evan Gray.

Knight’s three touchdown throws against Bryant seven years ago were solid, but only half of the output Seth Morgan delivered in Week 3 vs. Stonehill. The Shepherd transfer tied New Hampshire’s single-game mark, held by Wildcats head coach Rick Santos.

”We need to do a better job running the ball a little bit,” Santos said of the UNH offense’s performance. “But the way they were in pass protection all game long…to give up no sacks and keep Seth upright was awesome.”

Santos noted Stonehill throwing multiple blitz packages at the Wildcats and the offensive line’s response, as well as Morgan’s ability to get passes out quickly, as major positives. UNH will try to keep that going against a Bryant defense featuring a number of aggressive pass-rushers.

Linebackers Cole Nilles and Devon Anderson have combined for seven tackles for loss through the Bulldogs’ first three games. In a similar vein, Bryant special teams blocked a Holy Cross punt last week that gave the Bulldogs an early 16-7 lead.

”The results of these games might not show up, but our guys have steadily gotten a little bit better,” said Bryant coach Chris Merritt. “But we know can't give up 40 and [not be able to] score more than 20. And those are the things that we're slowly trying to rectify. The efforts there is just we have a lot of inexperienced kids playing right now and [have played] some really good teams are taking advantage of it.”

In losses against both Delaware and Holy Cross, the Bryant offense has not been able to find its footing for a full 60 minutes. Keeping pace with New Hampshire as it seems to be rounding into form offensively might be a tall order for the Bulldogs this week.

PREDICTION: New Hampshire 42, Bryant 21

ETSU at Elon 

East Tennessee State, which relaunched its football program less than a decade ago, has never faced Elon. The Phoenix coaching staff knows the Buccaneers well, though, as Tony Trisciani explained. 

”There’s a lot of familiarity not necessarily between our two programs, but between [Bucs coach] Tre [Lamb] and us from his time at Gardner-Webb,” said Trisciani.

The first-year ETSU head coach is part of a successful family tree with roots throughout Southeastern football. Taylor Lamb is the quarterbacks coach at the University of Virginia, and Tre’s uncle Bobby Lamb has overseen the launch of the Anderson University program in the South Atlantic Conference.

Tre Lamb coached Gardner-Webb to a pair of conference championships and NCAA playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. GWU and Elon had some battles in Lamb’s tenure with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, including a 30-24 thriller at Rhodes Stadium in 2022.

Highlights: Gardner-Webb vs Elon Football

ETSU’s opening stretch under Lamb included the game of the Week 3 in FCS, a 38-35 nailbiter against powerhouse North Dakota State. In defeat, the Bucs showed potential to be not just a playoff team, but contenders to reach Frisco. That puts a high premium on their visit to Elon this week.

Second-half offensive struggles and failing to cash in on red-zone opportunities cost the Phoenix in a Week 3 heartbreaker vs. Western Carolina, another team that will be jockeying for a playoff berth come November.

Part of Trisciani and the Elon coaching staff’s familiarity with Lamb is recognizing his teams’ offensive creativity. ETSU showed that off in putting up 35 points against the typically stingy NDSU defense, running circles around the Bison to the tune of 270 rushing yards.

Elon’s defense has been stout in all three outings this season and should be up to the task of limiting the Bucs. The onus will be on the Phoenix offense converting with more consistency than in Week 3.

PREDICTION: Elon 30, ETSU 27

Furman at William & Mary

Two teams tabbed with lofty preseason expectations meet at Zable Stadium in a potentially pivotal non-conference showdown. For William & Mary, which opened the campaign ranked No. 15, Saturday is an opportunity to take a three-game winning streak into the CAA season. 

The Tribe are coming off a hard-fought win over Furman’s SoCon counterpart Wofford, which was off to a 2-0 start building off the positive momentum from stunning Furman to close the 2023 season. The Paladins, meanwhile, try to avoid a 1-3 hole ahead of the SoCon season. 

The reigning SoCon champion Furman opened 2024 ranked No. 12, but kicked off with a bad matchup against FBS top 10-ranked opponent Ole Miss. Dropping a 24-20 stunner to Charleston Southern in Week 2 dropped the Paladins from the polls altogether. 

Furman since recovered with a 48-7 rout of Pioneer League opponent Stetson, with quarterback Trey Hedden going 20-of-27 for 267 yards and two touchdowns. A defense that was the pillar of the Paladins’ success in 2022 and 2023 came alive to make seven tackles for loss in the blowout.

If this is indicative of Furman regaining its past championship form, William & Mary can expect another hard-fought contest decided deep in the fourth quarter like last week’s win. The Tribe went on a 12-play, 91-yard drive in the final period, capped with Bronson Yoder’s second touchdown carry of the day, to break a 21-21 stalemate with the feisty Wofford Terriers.

The game-winning drive mirrored previous scoring possessions for William & Mary, which showed the Tribe offense at its best as coach Mike London described.

”The first drive [went] 16 plays and got a touchdown. There were two drives of 12[-plus] plays that resulted in touchdowns, and a drive of nine plays,” he said. “And that’s [contingent] on converting some third downs — one was a third-and-long.

”The offensive line played great up front, and you have guys like Bronson Yoder and Malachi Imoh,” London added. “Those guys have done a really good job, the grit and the continuing [to grind for yards].”

The Furman defense has allowed 152.7 rushing yards per game, though the figure’s thrown off a bit by Ole Miss going for 254 in Week 1. Still, the Paladins have been more susceptible overall to giving up yards on the ground than a season ago when they averaged less than 100 rushing yards a contest.

If William & Mary can successfully establish the tandem of Yoder and Imoh, the Tribe will go to 3-0 vs. the SoCon and be in good position ahead of their CAA opener next week.

PREDICTION: William & Mary 24, Furman 17

How To Watch College Football 2024

Hundreds of FCS, Division 2 and Division 3 games will stream live on FloFootball and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will be on both platforms. 

College Football Rankings 2024 - Week 3

AFCA FCS Coaches Poll

1. South Dakota State (22) 2-1 (Prev: 1)
2. North Dakota State (1) 2-1 (Prev: 2)
3. Montana State (3) 3-0 (Prev: 3)
4. Villanova 3-0 (Prev: 4)
5. Idaho 2-1 (Prev: 5)
6. South Dakota 1-1 (Prev: 6)
7. Southern Illinois 2-1 (Prev: 8)
8. Central Arkansas 2-1 (Prev: 7)
9. North Dakota 2-1 (Prev: 10)
10. Montana 2-1 (Prev: 9)
11. Sacramento State 1-2 (Prev: 11)
12. UC Davis 2-1 (Prev: 12)
13. William & Mary 2-1 (Prev: 13)
14. Lafayette 2-1 (Prev: 18)
15. Illinois State 2-1 (Prev: 19)
16. Mercer 3-0 (Prev: 24)
17. Tarleton State 2-1 (Prev: 17)
18. UIW 1-2 (Prev: 14)
19. Northern Iowa 2-1 (Prev: 21)
20. Florida A&M 2-1 (Prev: 22)
21. Southeast Missouri State 2-1 (Prev: NR)
22. UAlbany 1-2 (Prev: 15)
23. Abilene Christian 2-1 (Prev: NR)
24. Chattanooga 0-3 (Prev: 16)
25. Youngstown State 1-2 (Prev: 20)

Others Receiving Votes: Richmond, New Hampshire, Northern Arizona, Furman, Weber St., Lamar, Wofford, Western Carolina, McNeese, Rhode Island, Delaware St., Elon, Nicholls, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jackson St., Alabama A&M, Central Connecticut St., The Citadel, Yale, Duquesne, Lehigh, Monmouth (N.J.), Wagner, Drake, Indiana St., North Carolina Central, Southern Utah, UT Martin, Butler, Tennessee St., Murray St., Stony Brook.

Stats Perform FCS Top 25

1. South Dakota State (41) 2-1 (Prev: 1)
2. North Dakota State (5) 2-1 (Prev: 2)
3. Montana State (7) 3-0 (Prev: 3)
4. Idaho (3) 2-1 (Prev: 4)
5. Villanova 3-0 (Prev: 5)
6. South Dakota 1-1 (Prev: 6)
7. Southern Illinois 2-1 (Prev: 9)
8. Central Arkansas 2-1 (Prev: 7)
9. Montana 2-1 (Prev: 8)
10. North Dakota 2-1 (Prev: 10)
11. Sacramento State 1-2 (Prev: 11)
12. William & Mary 2-1 (Prev: 13)
13. UC Davis 2-1 (Prev: 15)
14. Mercer 3-0 (Prev: 23)
15. UIW 1-2 (Prev: 12)
16. Tarleton State 2-1 (Prev: 16)
17. Illinois State 2-1 (Prev: 18)
18. Lafayette 2-1 (Prev: 19)
19. Abilene Christian 2-1 (Prev: 25)
20. UAlbany 1-2 (Prev: 17)
21. Southeast Missouri 2-1 (Prev: NR)
22. Lamar 2-1 (Prev: NR)
23. Chattanooga 0-3 (Prev: 14)
24. Western Carolina 1-2 (Prev: NR)
25. Northern Iowa 2-1 (Prev: NR)

Others Receiving Votes: Florida A&M, Wofford, Richmond, Eastern Illinois, Rhode Island, Weber State, Youngstown State, Elon, Furman, Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, Nicholls, North Carolina Central, Duquesne, Campbell, ETSU, Harvard, Drake, New Hampshire, McNeese, Towson.

Watch FCS Football On FloFootball

Here's the FCS broadcast schedule on. FloFootball for week 3 of the college football season. Subscribe to watch. 

Saturday, September 21

All Times Eastern

• Bryant vs New Hampshire - 3:00 p.m.
• Stony Brook vs Campbell - 5:00 p.m.
• East Tennessee State vs Elon - 6:00 p.m.
• Furman vs William & Mary - 6:00 p.m.
• Pennsylvania vs Delaware - 6:00 p.m.

Archived Footage On FloFootball

Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloFootball subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.

Watch The 2024 College Football Season On FloFootball 

FloFootball is the home of the best FCS, Division II and Division III football action all season long. 

Don't miss the latest college football action by bookmarking the FloFootball schedule page for the lastest games. 

Join the College Football Conversation

• Follow us on Twitter @FloFootball
• Follow us on Instagram @FloFootball
• Follow us on TikTok @FloFootball
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook