When College Football Feels Lost, the FCS Shows the Way
- Stone Labanowitz
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Two players. Two locker rooms. Two entirely different sidelines.
And yet, as Illinois State and Montana State arrive in Nashville for the FCS National Championship, Eddie Kasper and Taco Dowler are already standing shoulder to shoulder, united by something a whole hell of a lot bigger than a trophy.
On Monday night, January 5, under the lights at Vanderbilt Stadium, the Redbirds and Bobcats will meet in the FCS National Championship for the first time the title game has ever been played in Nashville. It’s a moment years in the making for both programs. But before a single snap is taken, two wide receivers from opposite ends of the field have already helped turn championship weekend into something unforgettable.
Through the Northwestern Mutual x FCS Nation x Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation Challenge, Kasper and Dowler are using the sport’s biggest stage to fight childhood cancer, transforming rivalry into responsibility and competition into community.
Championship Weekend, Nashville Style
Illinois State vs. Montana State Monday, January 5 | 6:30 p.m. CT | ESPN Vanderbilt Stadium | Nashville, Tennessee
It’s the FCS’s first championship game in Music City, and the spotlight is brighterrrrrrrrrrrr than ever! That spotlight is exactly what this initiative was built for.
A Cause Bigger Than Football
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation was born from the courage of Alex Scott, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma before her first birthday. At just four years old, Alex set up a lemonade stand with a simple goal: raise money to help doctors find a cure for childhood cancer. Before she passed away at age eight, she had sparked a movement that has since raised more than $300 million, funded over 1,500 research grants, and supported countless families nationwide.
Northwestern Mutual, a longtime partner of the foundation, teamed up with FCS Nation to give FCS athletes something rare in college football: the chance to lead a charitable charge themselves.
This season, 18 athletes from 18 programs accepted that responsibility. Together, they’ve raised $128,409, and counting, with donations closing at midnight on January 5, the night before the national championship game.
Among them, two receivers now headline the sport’s biggest weekend.
Taco Dowler (Montana State): $20,610 raised
Eddie Kasper (Illinois State): $2,504 raised
Taco Dowler: Playing for Montana ... and for More
Few players in the FCS embody versatility and leadership like Montana State wide receiver Taco Dowler.
A Billings, Montana native, Dowler has grown from an electric newcomer into one of the most complete weapons in the subdivision. Entering the championship game, he’s 96 yards shy of a 1,000-yard season, already leading the Bobcats in receiving yards and ranking among the FCS leaders as a return specialist.
Dowler earned All-America honors in 2024, was named Preseason All-America and All-Big Sky in 2025, and has been a difference-maker everywhere he lines up, from inside receiver to punt returner. But this week in Nashville, his impact extends far beyond the stat sheet.
Joined by Devin Coyle, District Director for Northwestern Mutual in Bozeman, Dowler recently sat down with Stone Labanowitz & FCS Nation Radio as an Honorary Captain of the Week leading up to his big game, reflecting on leadership, accountability, and what it means to represent a program, and a cause, on the national stage.
This Bobcats team has leaned on belief, chemistry, and trust all season. Dowler has embodied that identity, not just by making plays, but by using his platform to rally a community behind children and families facing cancer.
Eddie Kasper: The Heart of Redbird Nation
On the other sideline stands Eddie Kasper, Illinois State’s steady, reliable presence at wide receiver and one of the emotional leaders of a Redbirds team chasing its first national title since 2014.
Kasper is a target for quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, helping fuel a top-10 Illinois State squad that reflects its head coach’s identity: tough, disciplined, and deeply rooted in loyalty.
Through the challenge, Kasper has dedicated his season to kids battling cancer, raising funds, spreading awareness, and representing Redbird Nation with humility and purpose. Alongside Ryan Kramer, Managing Partner of Northwestern Mutual’s Chicagoland office, Kasper has helped mobilize the Normal community around a cause that transcends wins and losses.
“This isn’t just football,” Kasper has said. “It’s about fighting for something bigger.”
Why This Matters ... And Why It’s Different
In a college football world defined by transfer portals, NIL chaos, and constant uncertainty, this initiative feels almost foreign.
And that’s exactly the point.
Here, athletes aren’t chasing endorsements, they’re leading movements. They aren’t waiting to be told what matters. they’re showing us.
This kind of athlete-driven, community-first, cause-backed, NIL-adjacent partnership doesn’t exist elsewhere in the FCS. Frankly, it barely exists anywhere in college football in 2025. It operates in a space that values relationships overreach, loyalty over leverage, and impact over image.
That ethos mirrors the foundation of Illinois State football itself, where head coach Brock Spack has spent more than a decade proving that authenticity still wins. In an era built on instability, Spack’s loyalty, to his players, his program, and the game, stands as a reminder that college football can still be pure.
That same purity is what fuels this challenge.
A Nationwide Effort
The 2025 challenge includes fundraisers from across the country, including:
Aidan Bouman (South Dakota) – $40,585
Chase Mason (South Dakota State) – $33,591
Taco Dowler (Montana State) – $20,610
TJ Baldwin (Richmond) – $11,281
Julian Fox (Mercer)
Cam Stodghill (Albany)
Bradlee Jones (The Citadel)
Eddie Kasper (Illinois State)
David Avit (Villanova)
Donovan Woolen (North Dakota State)
Noah Bennee (Weber State)
Chris Presto (Southern Illinois)
Mikah Kent (Davidson)
Jackson Pryor (Furman)
Jordan Cumberbatch (Florida A&M)
Ty Pennington (Northern Arizona)
Jamal Mull (Central Arkansas)
Supported by managing partners and offices across the country, the challenge has become a blueprint for how FCS athletes can lead meaningful change.
Final Whistle
Monday night will bring a slugfest. Montana State’s physicality versus Illinois State’s desire to just literally never give up. Stars will shine. Legacies will be written. And that ... I cannot wait for!
My Prediction: Montana State 31, Illinois State 21.
And yet, win or lose, there’s something undeniably powerful about watching Eddie Kasper and Taco Dowler share this moment, knowing they’ve already made an impact that outlasts whatever the heck the score is.
This is FCS football at its best. This is bigger than football.
