Who: No. 23 Chattanooga Mocs at No. 1 Georgia Southern Eagles
When: Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. ET

Who: No. 5 North Dakota State Bison at No. 17 Southern Illinois Salukis
When: Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. ET

Who: Maine Black Bears at No. 6 James Madison Dukes
When: Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Who: No. 22 Southern Utah Thunderbirds at No. 18 South Dakota Coyotes
When: Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. ET

Who: No. 19 Indiana State Sycamores at No. 2 Northern Iowa Panthers
When: Oct. 8 at 5 p.m. ET

Who: No. 9 William & Mary Tribe at No. 11 Delaware Blue Hens
When: Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. ET

Fort

UNI

27 L.J. Fort
Northern Iowa
6-1 | 232 | Senior | LB

Key Notes: Northern Iowa senior linebacker L.J. Fort is one of three players added to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award this week. The Buck Buchanan Award is presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Fort is tied for the national lead with four forced fumbles this season, and he is currently No. 2 in the nation with an average of 12.8 tackles per game. The senior has notched at least 12 tackles in each game for the Panthers, including a career-high 14 stops in UNI’s 42-7 win against Missouri State last week. On tap next, the No. 2 Panthers play host to No. 19 Indiana State on Saturday.

Other Players to Watch this Week: Brad Sorenson, Southern Utah (Jr., QB); Kevin Decker, New Hampshire (Sr., QB); Shakir Bell, Indiana State (So., RB); Bryce Robertson, Bucknell (Sr., DB); Doug Johnson, Rhode Island (Jr., LB); Ryan Spadola, Lehigh (Jr., WR).

• No. 1 Georgia Southern has rolled through its competition so far this year. Will the Eagles finally get a test this week? No. 24 Chattanooga stumbles into town on a two-game losing streak. The top team in the nation has outscored opponents 46.5-18 through their first four games, while the Mocs blew a 27-0 lead to The Citadel last week in a 28-27 loss. The good news for the Mocs? They won last year’s contest 36-27 at home against GSU. Chattanooga will have to stop the run, with the Eagles sporting the famous triple-option attack, which leads the nation in rushing with 387.0 yards per game.

• One of only three undefeated teams remaining in the FCS, No. 5 North Dakota State has trailed only one time all season — at Minnesota in an eventual blowout victory. The Bison face a huge test this week when they travel to No. 17 Southern Illinois for a Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown. NDSU enters with the top scoring defense in the country, allowing only 10.8 points per game in four wins. The Salukis will put that to the test, as they enter the game with the 13th-ranked offense. Bison QB Brock Jensen is No. 2 in the nation in passing efficiency with a mark of 173.9.

• Another week, another showdown in the Colonial Athletic Association. Maine is coming off a stunning win at Delaware last week and will put its 3-1 record on the line against No. 6 James Madison. The Black Bears’ only loss this season came against FBS opponent Pittsburgh, but looked dominant in their other three games. The Dukes come off a dominating victory of their own against Richmond a week ago. Maine will have to stop one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, as the Dukes average 228.4 yards on the ground per game.

• There could be some fireworks on display this Saturday at Northern Iowa when the Panthers host newly-ranked Indiana State. Two of the more exciting offensive players in the nation will take the field in Sycamores’ RB Shakir Bell and UNI QB Tirrell Rennie. Bell missed back-to-back 200-yard performances by one yard last week, while Rennie is averaging 99 yards per game on the ground and has nine total touchdowns.