Our annual "Behind the Numbers" series is back and in full swing as we have finally reached the start of the 2026 FCS football season.

The goal with this new addition is to highlight teams every week and bring you what I think will be the most important statistic to monitor for that specific game. This isn't a comprehensive preview of the game; we will have that in another article each week, but it will allow me to give you important tidbits on a wide variety of games throughout the season.

We kicked off the series with previews of the biggest Big Sky, MVFC, CAA, Patriot League, and OVC games earlier this week, but now we take our series to the UAC, SWAC, and SoCon. The games are listed in chronological order and do not include any games against non-Division I opponents.

Campbell at ETSU

Can Campbell build on any of its late-season success from 2025?

Campbell struggled last season, finishing with a 2-10 record, but quietly started to play better on the field as conference play went on. This team has a lot of returning production, which could be interesting after they had a Top 5 rushing offense in the CAA during conference play, averaging over 4.5 yards per carry.

ETSU has been stingy defensively, but will be relying on a lot of talented but unproven transfers on that side of the ball. It's a matchup that, if Campbell wins, could make this game much more competitive than people are expecting.

The Citadel at Wofford

Can The Citadel keep Wofford's defense out of the backfield?

The SoCon features an important conference battle in Week 0. Last year, this game was a tight, defensive slugfest with Wofford winning 16-14. Both teams bring back their starting quarterback, along with most of their offensive production.

On the other side, Wofford returns a lot defensively, while The Citadel will have a ton of new faces. Wofford's front seven was dominant at times last year, especially against The Citadel. That unit finished with 11 tackles for loss in only 66 plays. The Citadel can't afford to allow that many negative plays again this season.

No. 15 Abilene Christian at No. 20 Lamar

Can Lamar move the ball consistently against Abilene Christian's defense?

This game is a rematch of the 2025 first-round playoff matchup that Abilene Christian won 38-20. The problem was that the game was really 38-14, and Lamar really only had one successful TD drive before garbage time.

In fact, if you remove that one explosive play, Lamar averaged 4.2 yards per play, punted four times, and turned it over on downs another four times. They have to convert some of these drives and keep their defense off the field if they want to stay in this game.

Eastern Kentucky at Western Carolina

Can Eastern Kentucky take advantage of the Western Carolina defense?

Most FCS fans know what they are going to get with Western Carolina. The offense will likely score a ton of points, while the defense struggles to get off the field. I don't expect anything different from Lex Thomas at quarterback, especially with AJ Colombo returning at wide receiver.

Eastern Kentucky had one of the least effective offenses in the country last season, averaging a very poor 4.6 yards per play and 263 yards per game. Latham is a solid running back, but it comes down to improved quarterback play for the Colonels.

Prairie View A&M at No. 5 Tarleton State

Can Tarleton State establish its rushing attack?

On paper, Tarleton State is a big favorite at home in this matchup. However, Prairie View A&M continued to improve throughout the season and became one of the best defenses in the country. The transfers that Tarleton State took at quarterback have had some turnover issues, which is something that Prairie View A&M's secondary could exploit and make this game extremely uncomfortable.

The easiest way for the Texans to avoid this is to lean on their explosive rushing attack, keeping them out of danger. Tylan Hines averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season, plus had one of the highest rushing success rates in the country. Meanwhile, the Panthers had an incredibly effective run defense, allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. If the Panthers want to pull off the upset, it will require them to frustrate this rushing attack and force the quarterback into errors.

Both Prairie View A&M's defensive line and Tarleton State's offensive line had a lot to replace. Look for that battle to determine what kind of game we get Saturday night.

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