Unfinished Business: TLP's Games Of The Week, Week 6

Nobody forgot the two-point try. Nobody forgot the split. Nobody forgot who won last time.

That’s Week 6.

Every week, TLP reads the whole slate, Thursday through Saturday, at every level of the sport. This week that meant more than 170 games across the FBS, the FCS, the HBCU ranks, and junior college. Each level is scored by its own measuring stick, because the levels are not built alike, and every game gets a TLP Watch Score (TWS). The highest score at each level goes on the board. The next best at each level is an Honorable Mention, with two from the FBS, and when games tie, TLP presents them both. And one FBS game wears the crown.

Every game on this week’s board is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10; one Honorable Mention is a Thursday-night game.

Start where the big networks never look.

Two junior college games tied for the top score this week, so TLP presents both.

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at Iowa Western

A first loss, a defending champion, and noon on Saturday.

No. 10 Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEO), 5–1, travels to No. 3 Iowa Western, 4–1, in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, as reported Oct. 5. Kickoff is noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central, at Titan Stadium in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Iowa Western won the national championship last year and is 3–0 at home.

NEO’s first loss came last Saturday at home in Miami, Oklahoma, 28–21, when Dodge City’s Sherrod Lay returned a punt 86 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:22 left. Iowa Western lost 26–0 at Hutchinson earlier this season, then beat Garden City 37–10. Neither team is perfect. Both are ranked, and both arrive off opposite Saturdays.

The TLP Watch Score: junior college has no published power rating that covers both teams, so team quality and how close the game looks don’t count, and the scale is 50. Stakes, 16 of 20, because both teams are ranked in Division I. Story, 5 of 15, a contrast in last week’s results around the defending champion. Coverage, 10 of 15, because very few people will see this game.

Scott Strohmeier is in his 18th season at Iowa Western, and last year’s title was the program’s fourth NJCAA Division I national championship. Zach Crissup coaches NEO. NEO quarterback Jackson Jensen has 91 completions in 156 attempts for 1,185 yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions in six appearances. Running back Nathaniel Stanley has 113 carries for 677 yards and 11 touchdowns. Receiver Ashford Landheart has 21 catches for 373 yards and four touchdowns. (Those are the NJCAA’s official figures through Oct. 3.)

Iowa Western ran 53 times and threw 24 in its 37–10 win, allowed no sacks, and recorded four sacks and two interceptions. Garrett Ames was 7-of-15 for 141 yards and a touchdown and ran for 69 yards and a score. Dylan VanDyke was 5-of-8 for 109 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Both played quarterback, and no starter has been announced. Those are one-game numbers, not a permanent scheme.

Iowa Western’s official archive lists one meeting between the two, a 48–0 Iowa Western win on May 1, 2021, in Miami, Oklahoma, in a spring season. TLP’s pick is Iowa Western, 31–24: a defending champion at home is the edge, and Stanley is why NEO stays in it.

No video network or radio broadcast was verified for this game, and its Hudl event page says no video is published yet. Official live stats are on Iowa Western’s schedule page. The Reiver Sports Network (KIWR 89.7 FM) carried the Oct. 3 home game, so check there Saturday morning. Check the provider for access or subscription requirements.

Allan Hancock at Ventura

A thirteen-game streak, and a team that hasn’t won at home.

Allan Hancock, 3–2 and 2–0 in the National Northern League, visits Ventura College, 3–2 and 1–1, at the VC Sportsplex in Ventura, California. Kickoff is 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern, on Youth Sports Night. Both teams had October 3 byes. Ventura is 3–0 on the road and 0–2 at home, and Hancock has won two straight.

The TLP Watch Score: junior college is scored out of 50, with team quality and closeness not counted. Stakes, 16 of 20, because both teams are ranked in the California junior college poll of Sept. 29, Ventura No. 16 and Allan Hancock No. 23. Story, 5 of 15, for Youth Sports Night. Coverage, 10 of 15, because very few people will see this one. That is 31, tied with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M at Iowa Western.

Rick Aguilar, who returned as Hancock’s head coach in 2023, has a defensive-coordinator background. Kris Dutra is associate head coach and offensive coordinator, and Don Cross is defensive coordinator. Steve Mooshagian is in his 17th year at Ventura, with Jake Colman as offensive coordinator, Jake Geringer handling the passing game and quarterbacks, and Terry Morris and Mike Haydon as co-defensive coordinators. Hancock runs the ball, averaging 262.2 rushing yards and 140.8 passing yards, with 218 rushes against 79 passes. Ventura is balanced, at 252.4 rushing and 246.0 passing yards.

Per game, through Sept. 26	Hancock	Ventura
Points scored	30.8	32.6
Total offense	403.0	498.4
Rushing offense	262.2	252.4
Passing offense	140.8	246.0
Points allowed	23.0	21.0
Rushing yards allowed	102.2	107.2
Passing yards allowed	183.0	197.4

Hancock quarterback Max Perrett is 37-of-56 for 582 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions; he was 9-of-15 for 212 yards and two touchdowns against Long Beach. Running back Trevin Young has 41 carries for 306 yards and four touchdowns, 7.5 yards a carry. Receiver Aidan Good has 17 catches for 318 yards in four appearances, and he had five catches for 189 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown, in the last game. Ventura quarterback Braden Graham is 74-of-123 for 963 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions, and he threw five touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing for 351 yards at Santa Barbara. Running back LaRevious Woods has 104 carries for 672 yards and five touchdowns, and receiver Jude Walker has 24 catches for 343 yards and three touchdowns. These are the schools’ official figures through Sept. 26.

Hancock beat Long Beach 38–21, building a 28–0 lead early in the fourth quarter and finishing with four takeaways. Ventura won 76–25 at Santa Barbara, gaining 849 yards. Santa Barbara is 0–5, so that output is not the expected result against Hancock. Ventura’s defense allows 107.2 rushing yards a game and Hancock’s allows 102.2, so if Hancock’s run game is slowed, Perrett and Good have to carry it.

Hancock’s official series archive records 43 meetings from 1972 through Oct. 11, 2025, with Ventura leading 25–18 and winning the last 13. The last meeting was Oct. 11, 2025, at Allan Hancock, a 31–14 Ventura win. Hancock’s last win was 28–21 at Ventura on Nov. 7, 2009. TLP’s pick is Ventura, 35–28: the passing threat and the streak carry it, and Hancock’s ground game keeps it close.

Official live stats are on Ventura’s site.

Tarleton State at Austin Peay

Last November, Austin Peay scored a touchdown in overtime, went for two, and didn’t get it. Tarleton State won 45–44.

Now unbeaten Tarleton, 5–0 and ranked No. 3 in the Stats Perform poll through Oct. 3, returns to Maynard Family Field at Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee, to face No. 9 Austin Peay, 5–1 and 1–0 in the United Athletic Conference. Kickoff is 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central. It is Tarleton’s conference opener and Austin Peay’s Community Night.

The TLP Watch Score: team quality, 25 of 25, because both are top five in the model ratings and top 10 in the poll. How close the models see it, 20 of 25: the published model gives Austin Peay about a four-point edge, 29.4 to 25.5. Stakes, 16 of 20, a ranked pair and a league game. Story, 5 of 15, for Community Night. Coverage, 10 of 15, because it streams on ESPN Plus instead of a broadcast network. That is 76, the highest score outside the FBS this week.

Todd Whitten is 126–59 at Tarleton entering this season, and last year he won a share of the UAC title, went 12–2, and reached the quarterfinals. Jeff Faris is in his third season at Austin Peay after a decade at Duke, including work as quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator. The numbers describe the styles. Tarleton averages 516.2 yards and 39.4 points a game and splits 162 rushes and 163 passes, about 50 percent runs. Austin Peay averages 408.8 yards and 37.0 points and runs 61.1 percent of the time, and it allows 16.2 points a game to Tarleton’s 21.6. Those are attempt shares, not formation labels.

The quarterbacks have combined for 23 touchdown passes and one interception. Tarleton’s Kaden Anderson is 92-of-147 for 1,345 yards, 12 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Austin Peay’s Cameron Parson is 81-of-117 for 1,396 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one interception, and he threw four touchdowns against New Haven on 19-of-23 passing for 309 yards. Tarleton receiver Marquis Willis has 30 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns. Austin Peay’s Marvin Sims has 24 catches for 450 yards, and Denver Harper has 11 for 304 and five touchdowns, plus a punt-return score and a missed-field-goal-return score on Oct. 3. Tarleton running back Tylan Hines has 575 yards on 68 carries in three appearances, but Press Break’s Kyle Kensing reported Sept. 28 that he had an arm injury. His Oct. 10 status has not been announced. Miequle Brock ran 16 times for 149 yards against Chicago State.

Here is the matchup. Austin Peay has 18 sacks and has allowed 13. Tarleton has allowed two. Tarleton converts 46.4 percent of its third downs to Austin Peay’s 35.5. Tarleton has one giveaway and eight takeaways; Austin Peay has four and seven.

Tarleton leads the series 2–0: 27–17 in Clarksville on Oct. 26, 2024, and 45–44 in overtime in Stephenville last year, when Parson scored on a 25-yard overtime run and the two-point try that followed fell short. Austin Peay is 4–0 at home. The National Weather Service forecast for Clarksville has about 79 degrees at 6 p.m. Central, a light east-southeast wind, and a 6 percent chance of rain.

TLP’s pick is Austin Peay, 31–28. Home field and a defense that allows 16 carry it, and Tarleton’s quarterback and running depth keep it a one-score game.

It is on ESPN Plus, with official Watch links on both schools’ schedules. Audio is Austin Peay’s radio stream, and Tarleton lists its own radio route. Check the provider for access or subscription requirements.

Jackson State at Grambling State

Jackson State is unbeaten. Grambling State is the team that beat it twice running.

No. 2 Jackson State, 5–0 and 2–0 in the SWAC, visits Grambling State, 3–2 and 1–1, at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in Grambling, Louisiana. Kickoff is 5 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Central, on SWAC TV. Grambling won the last two meetings, 41–20 in 2024 and 26–24 last year. Jackson State beat Alabama A&M 31–28 on Oct. 3. Grambling rallied from 59–42 down with 10:18 left to beat Alcorn State 63–59, with Tyson George’s 11-yard catch coming with 19 seconds left. (The poll is the BOXTOROW HBCU media poll through Sept. 26, with Jackson State at No. 2 and Grambling State tied for No. 10.)

The TLP Watch Score: team quality, 25 of 25, because both are top 10 in the HBCU media poll. How close the models see it, 8 of 25, because the models have Jackson State by about 14. Stakes, 16 of 20, ranked against ranked in a league game. Story, 10 of 15, because Grambling’s two straight wins meet an unbeaten visitor. Coverage, 15 of 15, two HBCU programs on a stage the national outlets do not cover.

T.C. Taylor is in his fourth season at Jackson State, and Mickey Joseph is in his third at Grambling. Jackson State averages 207.6 rushing and 264.0 passing yards a game, runs 61 percent of the time, and allows 86.2 rushing yards a game. Grambling averages 181.0 rushing and 260.0 passing yards and allows 163.6 on the ground and 270.2 through the air. Jackson State’s Jared Lockhart is 82-of-131 for 1,320 yards, 13 touchdowns, and no interceptions, and Nate Rembert has 21 catches for 430 yards. Jabari Jones has 15 for 287.

Grambling has used two quarterbacks. In the Alcorn State game, Ashton Frye was 11-of-17 for 203 yards, two passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns, and Jacobe Robinson was 13-of-17 for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Reginald Johnson, who has 581 passing yards in three appearances, missed time with an undisclosed health issue, according to the Ruston Daily Leader’s Sept. 30 report, and no return has been announced. Tyson George has 23 catches for 319 yards and five touchdowns, and Jordan Bride has 23 for 352. Jackson State running back Nate Blount IV left the Alabama A&M game late in the third quarter with an unspecified injury, according to the Clarion Ledger, and Taylor said he expected him to be fine; no official designation exists. Backup Li’Darius Pryor ran 12 times for 72 yards and a touchdown. No starter has been announced for Grambling.

Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium holds 19,600, with an artificial surface, and Grambling is 3–0 at home. Oct. 10 is Breast Cancer Awareness Day. TLP’s pick is Jackson State, 34–27. The run defense and a quarterback with no interceptions get it done, and Grambling’s offense keeps it within a touchdown.

SWAC TV carries it (tv.swac.org). Its pricing and access were not verified, so do not count on free video. Jackson State’s schedule links WJSU for audio. Check the provider for access or subscription requirements.

The Honorable Mentions — the next best at every level

Junior college — Diablo Valley at Butte — 26 out of 50. Behind the two 31s, and the best ranked pairing among the games that tied for that spot: No. 9 Diablo Valley against No. 10 Butte in the California junior college poll (Sept. 29), as Butte opens conference play. Saturday, 1 p.m. Pacific, 4 p.m. Eastern, at Cowan Stadium in Oroville, California, on Butte College Athletics’ Team1Sports stream. Check the provider for access or subscription requirements.

FCS — Southern Illinois at South Dakota — 71 out of 100. No. 10 South Dakota, 4–2 and 1–1 in the Missouri Valley, hosts No. 25 Southern Illinois, 3–3 and 1–1. South Dakota leads the series 7–4 and has won four straight, including 53–51 in five overtimes in Carbondale last Nov. 15. Southern Illinois’ last win in the series was 22–10 in Vermillion on Nov. 27, 2021. Last Saturday, Southern Illinois lost 28–16 to Youngstown State after a fourth-quarter possession that reached the seven-yard line was pushed back by two penalties and ended in a tipped interception. DJ Williams threw for 288 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and the Salukis allowed five sacks and had 10 penalties for 75 yards. South Dakota beat Indiana State 44–14, forced five turnovers, and scored 34 points off them. Austyn Modrzewski has 1,313 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. Saturday, 2 p.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. Central, indoors at the DakotaDome, on Hall of Fame Weekend, on ESPN Plus and Midco Sports, with the Varsity Network for audio. The model projects South Dakota 35.8, Southern Illinois 26.8. Tarleton and Austin Peay scored 76, which is why this one is an Honorable Mention.

HBCU — Savannah State at Morehouse — 61 out of 100. Savannah State’s first-year coach, Thomas Howard, is a Morehouse graduate and a former Morehouse defensive back and captain, according to Savannah State, and he returns to his alma mater on Morehouse’s Homecoming. Morehouse is led by first-year coach Brad Sherrod. Both teams won close ones last Saturday: Morehouse 30–28 over Tuskegee at the neutral Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, and Savannah State 38–36 over Allen. Morehouse is 2–4 and 0–3 at home, and Savannah State is 1–4. The score came from closeness, 25 of 25, with the models separating the teams by about three points, plus a coach’s return and the HBCU coverage award. Saturday, 1 p.m. Eastern at B.T. Harvey Stadium in Atlanta, on the SIAC Network. No radio link was found, and the network’s pricing was not established.

HBCU — Bethune-Cookman at Alabama A&M — 61 out of 100. It tied Savannah State–Morehouse at 61, so both are here. Alabama A&M is 4–2 and No. 6 in the BOXTOROW HBCU media poll (through Sept. 26) after losing 31–28 to Jackson State on Oct. 3. Bethune-Cookman is 3–2 after beating Alabama State 16–10 and is receiving votes. Bethune-Cookman won last year’s meeting 41–34. The score came from team quality (20 of 25), closeness (20 of 25, with the models separating the teams by about six points), the HBCU coverage award (15 of 15), and a small stakes award (6 of 20); no extra story points were found. Saturday, 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 Central, at Louis Crews Stadium in Huntsville, Alabama, on SWAC TV, with 1380 WELE as Bethune-Cookman’s audio route (confirm on game day). SWAC TV pricing was not verified, and Alabama A&M’s Homecoming is Oct. 17, not this week.

FBS — Texas vs. Oklahoma — 62 out of 100. The Red River Rivalry fills the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and Texas lists the game as sold out. No. 1 Texas is 4–0 and 1–0 in the SEC after a 20–17 win at Tennessee. Oklahoma is 2–2 and 0–1 after a 41–13 loss at Georgia, and quarterback John Mateer has six turnovers in three games. ESPN reports that Mateer remains the starter, and coach Brent Venables said Whitt Newbauer and Bowe Bentley got substantial practice reps. Nothing indicates a change. Both teams had Oct. 3 byes. SP+ has Texas eighth and Oklahoma 23rd, with a neutral-site gap of about 10 points. Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Eastern, 2:30 Central, on ABC, with the Varsity Network for radio.

FBS — South Florida at UTSA — 61 out of 100. A Thursday-night game: Thursday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m. Eastern, 6:30 Central, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, on ESPN. South Florida is 4–1 and 1–1 in the American after a 17–13 loss to Temple. UTSA is 4–1 and 1–0, and has a 25–1 conference home record since 2020, which includes its previous conference. The models see it as even. Radio is South Florida’s Q105 FM and Bulls Unlimited, and UTSA’s Ticket 760. Check the provider for access or subscription requirements.

The Week in One Line

Pick a game. Turn it on. See who remembers.

Sources. PFF grades are from PFF’s 2026 data, filtered to NCAA, regular and postseason, five completed games per team, pulled Oct. 4. There is no comparable PFF team table for FCS, HBCU, or junior college games, so those segments use official team and conference sources. Expected margins are power-model projections (ESPN’s SP+ for the FBS, the Week 6 published model for the others).

Other sources: each school’s game center, schedule, statistics, roster, and coaching pages; Alabama’s and Georgia’s official statistics and postgame notes; the AP Top 25 and Stats Perform FCS poll through Oct. 3; the Sept. 29 NJCAA Division I poll; the Sept. 26 BOXTOROW HBCU media poll; the Sept. 29 California junior college poll; the NJCAA’s official statistics; the Allan Hancock, Ventura, Butte, South Florida and UTSA schedules, statistics, recaps, previews and series archive; the Southern Illinois, South Dakota, Jackson State, Grambling State, Tarleton State, Austin Peay, Iowa Western, Allan Hancock, and Ventura official recaps; Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, Georgia On SI, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Athens Banner-Herald, UGA Wire, the Ruston Daily Leader, the Clarion Ledger, KSNF/KODE, Press Break, ESPN, and Covers for availability reporting; and the National Weather Service. Broadcast, streaming, and radio details are as of Oct. 5, 2026. Verify all entitlements before kickoff.

Harry B. and TLP use AI to research and assist in the publication of this article. AI makes mistakes, so please check for yourself.