September 12th, 2017 12:00am
The second week of D2 football was similar to the first. After 11 ranked teams went down in week one, seven more ranked teams lost in week two- each to an unranked opponent.
To me, the most interesting upset was West Texas A&M knocking off 7th-ranked Colorado State-Pueblo 24-21. These two programs have been going back and forth with each other for the last seven years, with WTAMU now holding a 4-3 edge in what has been one of the most entertaining non-conference series in D2 football.
But with former CSU-Pueblo defensive coordinator Hunter Hughes being named head coach at WTAMU this past off-season, the series has become even more entertaining. Last Saturday*s game did not disappoint with the Buffaloes rallying from a 21-3 deficit, including 10 points in the final 2:51 to pick up the win.
It will be very interesting to follow the trajectory of WTAMU football with Hughes at the helm. For the past dozen years, the Buffaloes have been one of the most prolific passing teams in all of college football. The style has served the program well but it*s tough to take that next step and become a program to be reckoned with on the national level when you throw the football 45-50 times per game.
Hughes has completely changed the philosophy of the program. The Buffaloes are going to put a heavy emphasis on defense, which of course isn*t surprising with Hughes* coaching background. But they also are going to become a grind it out on the ground type of offense, as evidenced by the fact that they have run the ball 92 times versus just 39 pass attempts through two games. And keep in mind that the Buffaloes faced double digit deficits in both games- they lost their opener 24-13 to Azusa Pacific- so it*s not as if they were sitting on leads and running out the clock.
It will take some patience and adjustment on the part of WTAMU fans, but given time to get the right players in place to fit his system and I predict that Hughes will be very successful. I realize that college football has changed a great deal with the trend toward wide open offenses, but it*s still the teams that run the football and play great defense that win national championships.
Humboldt State Football in Trouble?
The news came out of California last week stating that HSU may need to either put a two-year moratorium on its football program or cut the program altogether due to budget issues.
This would be a sad deal for not only HSU and the Arcata community. HSU is by no means a D2 power, but it is a program that has some tradition and enjoys great support within the community. The Lumberjacks stadium- the Redwood Bowl- is a fine venue for small college football.
I also have to wonder what the potential loss of the HSU program would do to the GNAC and D2 football in the West. There aren*t enough football programs in the West as is and they certainly can*t afford to lose another one.
Humboldt State is the only surviving D2 football program at a public school in the state of California. Several others dropped football in the 90*s and UC-Davis moved to D-I in 2003. In many ways it is amazing that HSU football has survived as long as it has. Hopefully the school can find a way to keep Lumberjack football alive.
News and Notes
-After two weeks, Northwest Missouri and Fort Hays State are the only MIAA teams that are still unbeaten. The 16 team NSIC has only three unbeaten teams through two weeks.
-Bowie State looks to be the team to beat in the CIAA after a convincing 31-13 win at Winston-Salem State. The 2-0 Bulldogs are led on offense by quarterback Amir Hall and they have a defense that has allowed just 139 passing yards through two games.
-Sioux Falls was expected to take a step back this season after having to replace most of the offense and coaching staff. However, the Cougars are now 2-0 on the strength of a defense that has dominated. They have 16 sacks, have forced nine turnovers and have held their opponents to negative rushing yards through two games. Transfer linebacker Dennis Gardeck- who followed coach John Anderson from West Virginia State to USF- has seven sacks already.
-LIU-Post*s 35-34 win over New Haven was a terrific game with six lead changes and no turnovers by either team. UNH was in a great position to pull off the upset but missed on a 27-yard field goal attempt as time expired. Both of these teams will be a factor in the Northeast 10 this season.
-Slippery Rock wide receiver Marcus Johnson had himself a game in his team*s 49-42 win over West Chester. Johnson returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, caught a 37-yard touchdown pass and ran a punt back 47 yards for a touchdown.
-Ferris State quarterback Reggie Bell passed for 206 yards, ran for 216 yards and had five total touchdowns in a 48-27 win over Findlay. The 2nd-ranked Bulldogs amassed 653 yards of total offense, but were a bit shaky at times defensively against the Oilers.
-Hurricane Irma caused the cancellation of two games in D2- Midwestern State at West Florida and Fort Valley State at Valdosta State. Meanwhile, Central Washington*s game with Western Oregon had to be moved to the Seattle area because of the wildfires in the West.
Top Games this Week
Edinboro (2-0) at West Chester (1-1)
Edinboro has given up just six points through two games. WCU has scored 93 points through two games. Something is going to have to give. If the Scots were a little more explosive on offense, I*d like their chances in this game but I feel the Ram offense will be too much to handle. West Chester 34 Edinboro 23
Grand Valley (1-1) at Michigan Tech (1-1)
The Lakers got back on track last week with a 48-0 pasting of GLIAC newcomer Davenport. However, the trip up to MTU to take on the Huskies is never and easy one. The Huskies were outscored 21-0 in the 4th quarter of a 31-27 loss at Hillsdale last week. It will be interesting to see how they respond against a talented Laker offense. Grand Valley 37 Michigan Tech 24
West Georgia (2-0) at Delta State (2-0)
It appears as if the addition of Jerry Partridge to the DSU coaching staff as the defensive coordinator is paying dividends. Through two games Partridge- the former head coach at Missouri Western- has his defense allowing just 38 yards per game on the ground, down from 178 per game last season. The Statesmen will face a significant challenge against a UWG offense that is clicking. West Georgia 30 Delta State 28
Minnesota State (2-0) at Minnesota-Duluth (1-1)
It*s always fun when these two old rivals hook up. Both teams have been playing well defensively, but the Bulldogs have been struggling on offense. MSU averages 541 yards of offense through two games, including 357 on the ground, albeit against some weak teams. This should be a good game but I think the Mavericks prevail. Minnesota State 34 Minnesota-Duluth 17
North Alabama (0-1) at Valdosta State (0-1)
With UNA moving to D-I after this season, this game carries some nostalgia between these long-time rivals as this will be the last regular season GSC game. Obviously, neither team wants to start the season 0-2 so I expect this to be a hotly contested game. The two offenses struggled in their respective openers, but I think the Lions have more defensive talent. North Alabama 20 Valdosta State 10
Carson-Newman (2-0) at Wingate (2-0)
These teams like to keep the ball on the ground, as both average better than 250 yards per game rushing. It goes without saying that the team that can continue to run the football well has the best chance to win the game. Wingate 27 Carson-Newman 24
Central Washington (2-0) at Azusa Pacific (1-1)
APU suffered a relatively surprising loss to Humboldt State last week, making this a huge early game in the GNAC. The Cougars have struggled to run the football (86 yards per game) and struggled to stop the run (233 yards per game). That#s not a good formula for success, especially when facing a resurgent CWU team. Central Washington 31 Azusa Pacific 20
Mailbag
[Q] Is this the year you could see a non-traditional power step up? If so, who are your teams to watch?
[A] I think this is definitely the type of year where a team could come completely out of nowhere and win a national championship. The last time this happened was in 2008 when Minnesota-Duluth went 15-0 and won the national title after winning just four games the previous season.
It*s really difficult this early in the season, but if I had to pick one team to really keep an eye on it would probably be Fort Hays State. The Tigers are off to an outstanding start and hammered a highly regarded Central Missouri team 35-6 last week.
In his six seasons as head coach Chris Brown has built up this program going 4-7, 5-6, 6-5, 7-4, 8-4 and 8-4. They are led by a fine veteran quarterback in Jacob Mezera and they are built around their defense, which is usually how good teams can become great. Of course FHSU also has Northwest Missouri State to deal with in the MIAA, but at the very least the Tigers appear poised to make their first NCAA playoff appearance since 1995 with the potential to do more if they can somehow get by the Bearcats.
Contact
Feel free to contact me at 
with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you would like answered in the Mailbag.