No. 1 HBCU football team falls Grambling State handed Jackson State its first loss of the 2026 season, defeating the top-ranked HBCU football team 45-38. The game was wild, with 31 points in the fourth quarter. JSU got off to a 14-0 start before Grambling found a way to tie the game at 21-21 at halftime. Halftime turned out to be a major turning point in this game, as Jackson State lost starting quarterback and reigning SWAC Freshman of the Year Jared Lockhart to injury during the second half. The injury proved costly as backup quarterback Caron Tyler threw two interceptions, including a late fourth-quarter pick when JSU had a chance for a game-winning drive. With the win, Grambling State, the No. 7 team in the Black college football poll, defeats the top-ranked Jackson State Tigers, who are also ranked No. 22 in the FCS Coaches Poll. Ty Pennington has one day, NAU beats No. 2 Montana. It’s hard to lose a game when a quarterback completes 68 percent of his passes for 322 yards and a touchdown. It’s even harder to lose when the same quarterback runs for four touchdowns and catches one touchdown. That was Northern Arizona’s Ty Pennington’s stat line, and it’s why the 14th-ranked Lumberjacks defeated the No. 2 Montana Grizzlies. NAU had over 400 yards of total offense, but the most notable statistic of the game might be how the Lumberjacks kept Montana All-American running back Eli Gilman in check. Gilman only rushed for 94 yards, albeit with two rushing touchdowns. However, NAU wins a crucial victory in Big Sky. TY PENNINGTON CAN DO IT ALL!!! 🤯 @JosephAStout13 to @TyPennington14!!! #RaiseTheFlag | #7KBuilt https://t.co/YSuYVzyufM — NAU Football (@NAU_Football) October 10, 2026 No. 7 North Dakota falls to unranked Northern Iowa Northern Iowa showed that a win over then-No. 4 Illinois State two weeks ago was no fluke, defeating No. 7 North Dakota today to move to 2-0 in MVFC play. UNI took a 24-7 lead into the second quarter and never looked back, forcing five turnovers and blocking one punt in the game. The game was so bad for North Dakota that they benched starting quarterback Jerry Kaminski. Substitute for meatballs to Kolben Miller!!! #AlwaysLoyal | #EraLegacy | #UNIFootball https://t.co/Ebj5NJUPHL — UNI Football (@UNIFootball) October 10, 2026 Possible interception of the year defeats No. 17 Idaho State A one-handed interception secured Cal Poly’s upset victory over Idaho State. The Mustangs escaped the Bengals 25-24. Cal Poly forced Idaho State’s top quarterback, Jordan Cooke, to throw two interceptions, including this game-winner. Upset in Pocatello 👀 The INT that sealed @calpolyfootball’s victory at Idaho State https://t.co/uacROLm1xC — Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) October 11, 2026
