| 2015 NCAA Division I FCS season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
NCAA logo.svg | |||
| Regular season | August 29 – November 21 | ||
| Playoffs | November 28 – December 19 | ||
| National Championship | Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas | ||
| Champions | North Dakota State | ||
| Payton Award | Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington | ||
| Buchanan Award | Deon King, LB, Norfolk State | ||
Division I FCS football season
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The 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on August 29, 2015, and concluded with the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game played on January 9, 2016, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Conference changes and new programs[]
One team left the FCS to transition to FBS while two schools added football at the FCS level, all moves officially taking effect on July 1, 2015.
| School | 2014 conference | 2015 conference |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | Independent | C–USA (FBS) |
| East Tennessee State | No program | Independent |
| Kennesaw State | No program | Big South |
Updated stadiums[]
No FCS schools opened new stadiums for the 2015 season, however two new programs debuted in the season:
- East Tennessee State plays at Kermit Tipton Stadium located on the campus of Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1]
- Kennesaw State plays on campus at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, which has a capacity of 8,318. There are plans to expand the capacity to over 10,000.
FCS team wins over FBS teams[]
(FCS rankings from the STATS poll)
- September 4:
- September 5:
- North Dakota 24, Wyoming 13
- Portland State 24, Washington St 17
- #16 South Dakota State 41, Kansas 38
- September 19:
- Furman 16, UCF 15
- September 26:
- #9 James Madison 48, SMU 45
- October 3:
- #18 Liberty 41, Georgia State 33
- October 10:
- #25 Portland State 66, North Texas 7
- This game saw the largest victory margin ever by an FCS team over an FBS team, surpassing Lehigh's 58–0 win over Harvard in 1981, the year before Harvard and the rest of the Ivy League moved from FBS to FCS (then Divisions I-A and I-AA respectively). Portland State also became the first FCS team to defeat two FBS teams in the same season since North Dakota State in 2007.[2] North Texas' head coach, Dan McCarney, was fired later in the day.
- #25 Portland State 66, North Texas 7
- November 21:
- #25 The Citadel 23, South Carolina 22
Conference standings[]
| Template:2015 Big Sky Conference football standings | Template:2015 Big South Conference football standings | Template:2015 Colonial Athletic Association football standings |
| Template:2015 Ivy League football standings | Template:2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football standings | Template:2015 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings |
| Template:2015 Northeast Conference football standings | Template:2015 Ohio Valley Conference football standings | Template:2015 Patriot League football standings |
| Template:2015 Pioneer Football League standings | Template:2015 Southern Conference football standings | Template:2015 Southland Conference football standings |
| Template:2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings | Template:2015 NCAA Division I FCS independents football standings |
Conference summaries[]
Championship games[]
| Conference | Champion | Runner-up | Score | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAC | Alcorn State | Grambling State | 49–21 | Johnathan Williams (Grambling) |
Kourtney Berry (Alabama State) |
Broderick Fobbs (Grambling) |
Other conference winners[]
Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games.
| Conference | Champion | Record | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Coach of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky | Southern Utah | 8–3 (7–1) | Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington) |
James Cowser (Southern Utah) |
Bruce Barnum (Portland State) |
| Big South | Charleston Southern | 9–2 (6–0) | De'Angelo Henderson (Coastal Carolina) |
Chima Uzowihe (Liberty) |
Jamey Chadwell (Charleston Southern) |
| CAA | James Madison Richmond William & Mary |
9–2 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) 8–3 (6–2) |
Vad Lee (James Madison) |
DeAndre Houston-Carson (William & Mary) Victor Ochi (Stony Brook) |
Danny Rocco (Richmond) |
| Ivy | Dartmouth Harvard Penn |
9–1 (6–1) 9–1 (6–1) 7–3 (6–1) |
Scott Hosch (Harvard) |
Tyler Drake (Yale) |
Ray Priore (Penn) |
| MEAC | Bethune-Cookman North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central |
9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) 8–3 (7–1) |
Tarik Cohen (North Carolina A&T) |
Javon Hargrave (South Carolina State) |
Terry Sims (Bethune-Cookman) |
| MVFC | Illinois State North Dakota State |
9–2 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) |
Marshaun Coprich (Illinois State) |
Deiondre' Hall (Northern Iowa) |
Bob Nielson (Western Illinois) |
| NEC | Duquesne | 8–3 (5–1) | Ricardo McCray (Bryant) |
Christian Kuntz (Duquesne) |
Chris Villarrial (Saint Francis) |
| OVC | Jacksonville State | 10–1 (8–0) | Eli Jenkins (Jacksonville State) |
Dino Fanti (Eastern Illinois) Noah Spence (Eastern Kentucky) |
John Grass (Jacksonville State) |
| Patriot | Colgate | 7–4 (6–0) | Chase Edmonds (Fordham) |
Clayton Ewell (Bucknell) |
Dan Hunt (Colgate) |
| Pioneer | Dayton San Diego |
10–1 (7–1) 9–2 (7–1) |
Austin Gahafer (Morehead State) |
Donald Payne (Stetson) |
Rick Chamberlin (Dayton) |
| Southern | Chattanooga The Citadel |
8–3 (6–1) 8–3 (6–1) |
Jacob Huesman (Chattanooga) |
Mitchell Jeter (The Citadel) |
Mike Houston (The Citadel) |
| Southland | McNeese State | 10–0 (9–0) | Kade Harrington (Lamar) |
Wallace Scott (McNeese State) |
Matt Viator (McNeese State) |
- ↑ Nathan Baker (November 25, 2014). "ETSU looks to Science Hill for home field advantage over next 2 seasons". Johnson City Press. http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2014/11/25/ETSU-looks-to-Science-Hill-for-home-field-advantage-over-next-2-seasons. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Rodger Sherman (October 10, 2015). "FCS Portland State beat North Texas so badly, the Mean Green immediately fired their head coach". SB Nation. https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/10/10/9494755/portland-state-vikings-football-washington-state-north-texas-fcs-win-records. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
Playoff qualifiers[]
Automatic berths for conference champions[]
| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Conference | Southern Utah | 2nd | 2013 | First Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Big South Conference | Charleston Southern | 1st | – | – |
| Colonial Athletic Association | Richmond | 10th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Coastal Carolina) |
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | North Dakota State | 6th | 2014 | National Champions (W – Illinois State) |
| Northeast Conference | Duquesne | 1st | – | – |
| Ohio Valley Conference | Jacksonville State | 6th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Sam Houston State) |
| Patriot League | Colgate | 10th | 2012 | First Round (L – Wagner) |
| Pioneer Football League | Dayton | 1st | – | – |
| Southern Conference | Chattanooga | 3rd | 2014 | Quarterfinals (L – New Hampshire) |
| Southland Conference | McNeese State | 16th | 2013 | Second Round (L – Jacksonville State) |
At large qualifiers[]
| Conference | Team | Appearance | Last bid | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sky Conference | Montana | 24th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Eastern Washington) |
| Portland State | 2nd | 2000 | First Round (L – Delaware) | |
| Big South Conference | Coastal Carolina | 6th | 2014 | Quarterfinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Colonial Athletic Association | James Madison | 11th | 2014 | First Round (L – Liberty) |
| New Hampshire | 14th | 2014 | Semifinals (L – Illinois State) | |
| William & Mary | 10th | 2010 | Second Round (L – Georgia Southern) | |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | None | |||
| Missouri Valley Football Conference | Illinois State | 6th | 2014 | Championship Game (L – North Dakota State) |
| Northern Iowa | 18th | 2014 | Second Round (L – Illinois State) | |
| South Dakota State | 5th | 2014 | Second Round (L – North Dakota State) | |
| Western Illinois | 10th | 2010 | Second Round (L – Appalachian State) | |
| Northeast Conference | None | |||
| Ohio Valley Conference | Eastern Illinois | 16th | 2013 | Quarterfinals (L – Towson) |
| Patriot League | Fordham | 5th | 2014 | Second Round (L – New Hampshire) |
| Pioneer Football League | None | |||
| Southern Conference | The Citadel | 4th | 1992 | Quarterfinals (L – Youngstown State) |
| Southland Conference | Sam Houston State | 9th | 2014 | Semifinals (L – North Dakota State) |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference | None | |||
Abstentions[]
- Ivy League – Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn
- Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – North Carolina A&T
- Southwestern Athletic Conference – Alcorn State
Postseason[]
NCAA FCS Playoff bracket[]
Template:24TeamBracket-Byes2
* Home team
† Overtime
Winner
Bowl Games[]
| Game | Date/TV | Location | Winning Team | Losing Team | Score | Offensive MVP | Defensive MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebration Bowl | December 19 ABC |
Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia |
North Carolina A&T 10–2 (7–1) |
Alcorn State Braves 9–4 (7–2) |
41–34 | Tarik Cohen (RB, North Carolina A&T) |
Denzel Jones (LB, North Carolina A&T) |
Coaching changes[]
Preseason and in-season[]
This is restricted to coaching changes that took place on or after May 1, 2015. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2015, see 2014 NCAA Division I FCS end-of-season coaching changes.
| School | Outgoing coach | Date | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State | Harold Jackson | October 7 | Fired | Derrick McCall (interim)[1] Tony Hughes[2] |
End of season[]
| School | Outgoing coach | Date announced | Reason | Replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | Joe Glenn | November 22 | Retired[3] | Bob Nielson[4] |
| Austin Peay | Kirby Cannon | November 23 | Fired[5] | Will Healy[6] |
| Montana State | Rob Ash | November 23 | Fired[7] | Jeff Choate[8] |
| Eastern Kentucky | Dean Hood | November 23 | Fired[9] | Mark Elder[10] |
| Maine | Jack Cosgrove | November 24 | Transferred to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for UMaine[11] | Joe Harasymiak[12] |
| Texas Southern | Darrell Asberry | November 29 | Resigned[13] | Michael Haywood[14] |
| Southern Illinois | Dale Lennon | November 30 | Fired[15] | Nick Hill[16] |
| Tennessee Tech | Watson Brown | December 2 | Retired[17] | Marcus Satterfield[18] |
| Jacksonville | Kerwin Bell | December 3 | Fired[19] | Ian Shields[20] |
| Fordham | Joe Moorhead | December 12 | Hired as offensive coordinator by Penn State[21] | Andrew Breiner[22] |
| McNeese State | Matt Viator | December 14 | Hired as head coach by Louisiana–Monroe[23] | Lance Guidry[24] |
| Western Illinois | Bob Nielson | December 16 | Hired as head coach by South Dakota[4] | Charlie Fisher[25] |
| Southern Utah | Ed Lamb | December 26 | Hired as assistant head coach by BYU[26] | Demario Warren |
| James Madison | Everett Withers | January 7 | Hired as head coach by Texas State | Mike Houston[27] |
| The Citadel | Mike Houston | January 18 | Hired as head coach by James Madison[27] | Brent Thompson[28] |
| Morgan State | Lee Hull | February 8, 2016 | Resigned | Fred Farrier (interim) |
See also[]
- 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings
- 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season
- 2015 NCAA Division II football season
- 2015 NCAA Division III football season
References[]
- ↑ Ray Coleman (October 7, 2015). "JSU fires Harold Jackson as football coach". WAPT. http://www.wapt.com/sports/jsu-fires-harold-jackson-as-football-coach/35686168. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Antonio Morales (December 14, 2015). "Jackson State hires Tony Hughes as next coach". The Clarion-Ledger. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/jackson-state/2015/12/14/report-jsu-plans-hire-tony-hughes-next-coach/77275104/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Mick Garry (November 22, 2015). "USD's Joe Glenn to retire". http://www.argusleader.com/story/sports/college/university-of-south-dakota/2015/11/22/usds-joe-glenn-retire/76224742/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Brad Pautsch (December 16, 2015). "South Dakota AD Herbster finds new football coach at conference rival". KTIV. http://www.ktiv.com/story/30770668/2015/12/16/south-dakota-ad-herbster-finds-new-football-coach-at-conference-rival. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Autumn Allison (November 23, 2015). "Austin Peay football coach Cannon is out". The Leaf Chronicle. http://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/sports/college/apsu/football/2015/11/23/apsu-football-coach-cannon-out/76282302/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Will Healy, head football coach". http://letsgopeay.com/coaches.aspx?rc=484&path=football. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Jon Maletz (November 23, 2015). "MSU ousts Ash as head football coach". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/msu-fires-head-football-coach-rob-ash/article_70470436-318d-53a1-a07c-61f30d377f56.html. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Jeff Choate Joins Montana State University as Bobcat Head Football Coach". http://msubobcats.com/news/2015/12/4/FB_1204153650.aspx?path=football. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Mark Cornelison (November 23, 2015). "EKU Relieves Dean Hood As Head Football Coach". http://www.ekusports.com/news/2015/11/23/FOOTBALL_1123154315.aspx. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Josh Moore (December 10, 2015). "‘Humbled’ Mark Elder introduced as new Eastern Kentucky football coach". Lexington Herald Leader. http://www.kentucky.com/sports/college/article49079410.html. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Jack Cosgrove to transfer to Senior Associate Director of Athletics for UMaine". November 24, 2015. https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2015/11/24/jack-cosgrove-to-transfer-into-senior-associate-director-of-athletics-role/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Pete Warner (December 16, 2015). "UMaine selects new head football coach". Bangor Daily News. https://bangordailynews.com/2015/12/16/sports/umaine-names-joe-harasymiak-new-head-football-coach/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Mark Berman (November 29, 2015). "Darrell Asberry resigns as head football coach at Texas Southern". KRIV. http://www.fox26houston.com/sports/darrell-asberry-resigns-as-head-football-coach-at-texas-southern. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Texas Southern hiring Michael Haywood as football coach". USA Today. AP. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2015/12/03/texas-southern-hiring-michael-haywood-as-football-coach/76737114/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Zach Barnett. "Southern Illinois head coach Dale Lennon will not return". http://footballscoop.com/news/southern-illinois-head-coach-dale-lennon-will-not-return/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Dale Lennon Fired/Nick Hill hired as SIU's football coach". http://thesouthern.com/dale-lennon-fired-nick-hill-hired-as-siu-s-football/article_56a9695c-7cfd-5398-acd6-e99300565a2d.html. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Mike Organ (December 2, 2015). "Watson Brown retires as a college football coach". The Tennessean. https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2015/12/02/report-watson-brown-tech/76668686/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Satterfield selected Tennessee Tech's new coach". Columbia Daily Herald. January 4, 2016. http://columbiadailyherald.com/sports/college/satterfield-selected-tennessee-tech-s-new-coach. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Gene Frenette (December 3, 2015). "Kerwin Bell out as Jacksonville University football coach". Florida Times Union. http://www.jacksonville.com/sports/college/jacksonville-dolphins/2015-12-03/story/kerwin-bell-out-jacksonville-university. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Jeff Elliott (December 8, 2015). "Coach Ian Shields bringing new approach to JU football". Florida Times Union. http://jacksonville.com/sports/college/jacksonville-dolphins/2015-12-08/story/coach-ian-shields-bringing-new-approach-ju. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Joe Moorhead to take over Nittany Lions' offense". ESPN. December 12, 2015. http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/14350817/penn-state-hires-joe-moorhead-new-offensive-coordinator. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Andrew Breiner Named Head Football Coach at Fordham". December 17, 2015. http://fordhamsports.com/news/2015/12/17/FB_1217152411.aspx. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Matt Viator named head football coach at ULM". December 14, 2015. http://www.ulm.edu/news/2015/matt-viator-named-head-football-coach-at-ulm.html. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Lance Guidry named McNeese head coach". December 17, 2015. http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/2015/12/17/lance-guidry-named-mcneese-head-coach/77505772/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "Western Illinois tabs Charlie Fisher new football coach". Peoria Journal-Star. January 2, 2016. http://www.pjstar.com/article/20160102/SPORTS/160109957. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ "SUU football: Ed Lamb accepts position at BYU". The Spectrum (Gannett Company). December 26, 2015. https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2015/12/26/suu-football-ed-lamb-accepts-position-byu/77919022/. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Scott Eisberg and Sam Tyson. "Citadel head football coach Houston leaving for James Madison". WCIV. http://abcnews4.com/sports/college-football/citadel-head-football-coach-houston-leaving-for-james-madison. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
- ↑ Jeff Hartsell (January 18, 2016). "Citadel names Brent Thompson new head football coach". The Post and Courier. http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20160119/PC20/160119295/1032/citadel-names-brent-thompson-new-head-football-coach. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
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