Five kicks, five makes
Mason Lindberg had made exactly one field goal in his college career before Saturday. He made five more in a single afternoon.
The Idaho State redshirt sophomore connected from 28, 48, 25, 43 and 41 yards at Utah State, added two extra points, and scored 17 of his team’s 29 points in a 29-17 win. He also handled eight kickoffs and produced two touchbacks.
Stats Perform named him the FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
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Idaho State end a nine-year wait
The result carried far more weight than one kicker’s afternoon. Idaho State had not beaten an FBS opponent since 2017. The Bengals are 2-0 and climbed to 17th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, their highest ranking since 2003.
Big Sky programs rarely walk into Logan and leave with a two-score win. Idaho State managed it by keeping Utah State out of the end zone often enough to let Lindberg convert stalled drives into points, which is exactly how a smaller roster steals a game like this one.
A week that belonged to the FCS
Three FCS teams knocked off FBS opponents in Week 1, and the poll moved accordingly. Tarleton State jumped to fourth after winning 20-13 at Bowling Green. The Citadel took Charlotte to three overtimes and won 43-41, earning the Bulldogs the National Team of the Week award and a third win over an FBS side since 2015. Nick Billoups found Whit Hobgood for the two-point conversion that settled it, and Gavin Garcia carried 21 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns.
Villanova linebacker Omari Bursey took the defensive award after 14 tackles in a 17-16 escape at Bucknell, three of them on the drive that carried into Villanova territory late. He leads the FCS with 29 stops through two games.
Idaho State host San Diego on Sept. 12. Lindberg’s career record now reads six field goals from six attempts.
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