FRISCO – No. 13/9 SFA shined at Abilene Christian, winning one of only two matchups between ranked FCS teams this weekend. That performance headlined a very strong outing overall for the Southland in Week 2 with No. 14/17 Lamar also defending its ranking and Southeastern, East Texas A&M, Nicholls and HCU all picking up wins as well.  

No. 13/9 SFA 26, No. 23/25 Abilene Christian 7
The rematch of last year's thrilling FCS Second Round matchup turned into a mostly one-sided affair this time around. SFA conceded a first quarter touchdown to the Wildcats, but the defending Southland champions found their groove in the second and would not look back. QB Gavin Rutherford and receiver Buggs Mortimer broke things open with a 69-yard touchdown, the first six of an eventual 26 unanswered for the Lumberjacks. Rutherford threw another touchdown before the half and would scamper 26 yards for his final score, slamming the door on ACU from that point. 

No. 14/17 Lamar 23, Idaho 17
Lamar's big second quarter helped carry the Cardinals across the finish line in a grind-it-out win over the Vandals in Moscow. Big Red's defense kept Idaho at bay allowing a pair of field goals to vault them ahead midway through the second frame. An Aiden McCown rushing touchdown followed by a touchdown toss to Devin Driskell suddenly had Lamar up 20-3 at halftime. Lamar's offense went quiet through the final 30 minutes but a stout defensive effort closed out the Cardinals' second non-conference win and the first Southland win over a Big Sky program since 2022. 

Nicholls 31, RV/RV UTRGV 28
The Colonels impressed in their SLC opener, holding off a late rally attempt from a very game UTRGV squad. Nonetheless, the Colonels' offense found a spark in the connection between QB Ean Rodrigue and receiver Jackson Dufrene. Rodrigue found Dufrene for a touchdown from 18, 20 and eight yards out. The third in this trio pushed Nicholls' lead out to a 24-14 margin before Shane Lee made it a 31-14 ballgame with 2:06 to play in the third. The Vaqueros fought back, finding life in a 4th and 20 touchdown pass from Aidan Jakobsohn to Jaydon Smith. UTRGV scored once more in the final minute though their rally attempt would eventuall fall short. 

No. 4/5 Tarleton 27, McNeese 24
The Cowboys may have fallen short of their desired outcome, but McNeese went toe-to-toe with Tarleton and gave one of the nation's notable title contenders all it could handle in Lake Charles. McNeese QB Devin Lippold threw for a career high 286 yards and finished with a total of 351 yards for the Pokes. McNeese took the lead on the Texans after a Camron Deaglan 37-yard field goal in the third. The Cowboys would try to threaten on their fourth quarter possessions, but the Texans paced the final minutes of the game, setting up a game-winning field goal off the boot of Alejandro De La Poza as time expired. 

Southeastern 30, North Alabama 25
The Lions picked up their first win of the season and a much needed on at that, holding off North Alabama on the heels of a strong outing for QB Kyle Lowe and the offense. Lowe completed 13 of 25 passes for 229 yards and three touchdowns with two of those going to Dkhai Joseph who had seven receptions of 141 receiving yards. His second touchdown gave Southeastern a 21-18 lead with 11:45 to go in the third quarter, setting the table for an outstanding touchdown grab by Lawson Dixon later in the frame that gave the Lions a firm grasp on the game.

East Texas A&M 38, Northwestern State 14
East Texas A&M bounced back in its home opener, running away from Northwestern State and avoiding an 0-2 hole in SLC play. Major McBride and Micah Simpson both contributed a pair of touchdowns apiece. The Lions dominated the Demons on the ground, amassing 254 rushing yards to just 84 from the visitors. 

RV/NR HCU 88, Arkansas Baptist 0
The Huskies cruised to a win in their home opener, not once looking back after Champ Dozier returned the opening kick-off 89 yards for a score. HCU set a program scoring record in their opener at Husky Stadium with 88 points. The win matches HCU's win total from the 2025 season and sets up a key return to conference action against UIW next week. 

No. 24/23 Northern Arizona 38, NR/RV UIW 28
The Cardinals could not get out of their own way against the Lumberjacks. UIW totaled over 600 yards of total offense, but six turnovers and nine penalties spelled the demise of the Cardinals in Flagstaff. Despite their falling behind 24-7 in the first half, the Cardinals continuously managed to push the deficit to a figure of 10 on multiple occassions. Regardless, key mistakes throughout prevented them from pushing the Lumberjacks any further. 

Week 3 Outlook

Away	Home	Time	Location	Channel
Southeastern	ULM	3:30 p.m.	Monroe, La.	ESPN+
Nicholls	Sam Houston	6:00 p.m.	Huntsville, Texas	ESPN+
HCU	UIW	6:00 p.m.	San Antonio, Texas	ESPN+
East Texas A&M	Tulsa	7:00 p.m.	Tulsa, Okla.	ESPN+
SFA	Prairie View A&M	7:00 p.m.	Prairie View, Texas	ESPN+
Northwestern State	Weber State	7:00 p.m.	Ogden, Utah	ESPN+
McNeese	UTRGV	7:00 p.m.	Edinburg, Texas	ESPN+