FCS Notes: Coastal Carolina on a roll

In the latest set of FCS statistical leaders the Ohio Valley Conference features both the No. 1-ranked offense and No. 1-ranked defense in the nation. Eastern Illinois has the top spot on the offensive side as the Panthers are averaging 598.0 yards a game, while Tennessee State has the stingiest defense in the land as the Tigers are only allowing just 248.8 yards a game.

Great starts

• Sacramento State beat Northern Colorado 37-21 to move to 2-0 in Big Sky play for the first time in school history. Sacramento State joined the Big Sky Conference in 1996.

• Coastal Carolina is the first team in Big South history to score 50 points, rush for 300 yards and gain 500 yards of offense in three consecutive games. The Chanticleers have a five-game Big South win streak, and has won its past 10 regular-season contests.

• North Dakota State has 14 wins in a row, setting a Missouri Valley Football Conference record for consecutive victories. The previous record of 13 was established most recently by UNI (2006-07). NDSU is one of seven remaining perfect FCS teams.

• Marist has posted its first 2-0 start since joining the Pioneer Football League in 2009 and its three-game win streak is its first since that season. The Red Foxes will travel to face fellow unbeaten conference foe San Diego this weekend. Meanwhile, Morehead State sits in fourth place with a 2-1 mark, its best start in PFL action since 2007 when it finished third with a 5-2 mark.

Pretty in pink

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference officials are using pink whistles and wearing pink hats and wrist bands throughout all conference homes games in October.

Numbers in the FCS

• Murray State’s Walter Powell is the only player in Division I (FBS or FCS) with two 300-plus all-purpose yard games in 2013. Powell had 306 all-purpose yards in a win against Missouri State and added 310 all-purpose yards in a victory against Tennessee Tech. He is one of just two players in the FCS this season to return both a kickoff and a punt for a TD (North Carolina Central’s Adrian Wilkins is the other.)

• Bethune-Cookman has not given up a fumble all season and tops the FCS in that category.

• Lafayette’s defensive performance last Saturday was a much more entertaining shutdown than the one in Washington. The Leopards held Bucknell to just 80 yards on 60 plays (1.3 avg) in a 31-7 Patriot League-opening win in Easton. Lafayette limited Bucknell to only 16 rushing yards in the game, and forced the Bison to punt a Patriot League-record 13 times. Lafayette stands in the top 20 nationally in both total and passing defense this season.

• At No. 25, Charleston Southern is nationally ranked for the first time since 2006. The Buccaneers are the third Big South ranked team this year -- the second time that three Big South teams were nationally ranked at any point of the season.

• Montana is the only team remaining in the FCS that has yet to throw an interception this season. QB Jordan Johnson leads the nation in pass efficiency. Johnson is completing 60 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns.

• Towson set a school record with 731 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 44-28 win against New Hampshire to shatter the previous record of 670 yards set in 1996.

• The Southern Conference has had nine league games through the first six weeks of the season. Five of those nine conference matchups have been decided by one possession.

• Sam Houston Statte begins Southland Conference play against Lamar. The Bearkats are trying to become the first team in the conference to win three consecutive titles since McNeese St. (2001-03). Only three other teams have won three in a row: Lamar (1964-66), Arkansas State (1968-70) and Louisiana Tech, which won four consecutive titles from 1971-74. The Bearkats’ 18-game home win streak leads the FCS and is tied with Michigan as the longest in Division I.

• With its 42-33 come-from-behind win at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jackson State remains the only unbeaten team in Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

• With two wins in the final six non-conference games of the season, the Ivy League can post a .500 or better record for the third time in four years and for the seventh time in the past 11 seasons.

Career milestones

• QB Brock Jensen of North Dakota State has climbed to seventh all time in the FCS with 38 career wins. The record is 43, established by Armanti Edwards of Appalachian State (2006-09).

• Currently only four active running backs have rushed for 4,000 or more yards in a career in all of Division I football, and all four are FCS student-athletes. Leading the charge is Sam Houston State's Timothy Flanders, with an even 5,000, followed by Shakir Bell of Indiana St. with 4,125 and Zach Bauman of Northern Arizona with 4,098. The newest member of this club, Andrew Pierce of Delaware, became just the third player in program history to reach 4,000 career rushing yards and now ranks 10th all time on the Colonial Athletic Association rushing list with 4,041 yards after rushing for 62 yards last weekend against Maine. Wagner’s Dominque Williams of Wagner could join this group this weekend if he gains 53 yards against Duquesne.

• Kurt Hess of Youngstown State (7,887 career yards) and Austin Sumner of South Dakota State (6,165 yards) both set school records in total yards this past weekend.

• Cornell senior quarterback Jeff Mathews is now the Ivy League’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,303) and 300+-yard passing games (15) after throwing for 351 yards and two touchdowns in the Big Red’s loss to Colgate. He goes into the Harvard game with 58 career touchdown passes, tied for second all-time in League history with Dartmouth’s Jay Fiedler (1991-93). Brown’s James Perry (1997-99), currently offensive coordinator at Princeton, holds the top spot with 74 career TD passes.