October 17th, 2021 6:00am
Well, I can't say I didn't know what we were in for. I said going in, this was unlike any other Saturday I could recall in the 20+ years I have been immersed in Division II football. It was a remarkable day with eight ranked teams losing. Five lost to ranked opponents while three others lost to unranked teams. All three teams that lost to unranked opponents started the day ranked in the Top 8. I feel like an NTSB accident investigator trying to piece together the Top 25 this morning. There were also a handful of critical games outside the Top 25 that have a huge impact on conference standings. Be sure to join us Sunday night at 8 eastern / 7 central for the D2 Nation Show. There will be a lot to talk about! Here are some of the headlines from Saturday's amazing day of football.
#1 West Florida falls at home
It was the first game at Blue Wahoos Stadium since November, 2019 but things did not go as planned for the top ranked Argos. For the second time in three weeks, they put themselves into an early hole and this time it was too much to recover from. Visiting West Georgia jumped out to a 17-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. Although West Florida would recover and claim the lead twice in the second half, mistakes were too numerous to overcome. The turning point came late in the third quarter. West Florida had scored 21 unanswered to take the lead, and after retaking possession, appeared ready for another scoring drive to take firm control of the game. However, the West Georgia defense came up with the play of the day, forcing a fumble after a completed pass to David Durden and returning it 34 yards for a touchdown. The Argos did respond, but West Georgia then took the lead for the final time with their best drive of the second half, marching 76 yards on 10 plays to go back ahead 30-26. West Florida had a chance after that, but following a turnover on downs in the red zone, West Georgia closed the game by holding the ball for the final 6:27. Read that again. West Georgia killed the final 6:27 of the game, churning out five first downs. West Florida has been impressive all year, but they've been flirting with danger by not piecing together complete 60 minute games. This could prove be something that needed to happen for them to correct that. There is still an opportunity to win the GSC championship and get right back to where they want to be. But West Georgia is very clearly in the race as well, with a tremendous road victory in front of a record crowd at UWF.
#2 Ferris State beats rival Grand Valley
Speaking of record crowds, a Lubbers Stadium record 17,007 turned out for the Anchor-Bone Classic between rivals Grand Valley and Ferris State. Bulldog quarterback Jared Bernhardt made his return to football after missing multiple games with injury. In his first ever meeting with GVSU, he passed for 216 yards, with 2 TD passes and ran for 116 yards. The Lakers rushed for 206 yards and outgained Ferris State in total offense but a few crushing bad breaks turned the tide. The key moment in this game occurred just moments before the half. Trailing 14-7, the Lakers were at the goal line attempting to punch it in for a halftime tie when the ball popped free and Ferris turned it into a 99 yard scoop-and-score. That's a fourteen point swing in the final minute of the first half. Adding to the devastation for GVSU, Ferris State received the second half kick and marched 75 yards to book-end the half with scores and make the Lakers play from behind for the remainder of the game.
#3 Valdosta State rolls over #10 West Alabama
Eyebrows were raised for a few minutes in Livingston, Alabama as the home Tigers took the opening kick off and marched 75 yards for a score, and then immediately followed that with a 66 yard drive. Those two drives gave West Alabama a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter. Unfortunately, that was about all the good that would happen for the Tigers. It took Valdosta less than five minutes to even the score and they quickly surged ahead, closing the game on a 42-3 run. The Blazers put up 504 yards of offense, led by Ivory Durham's 341 passing yards. On the downside for VSU, their best defensive player. Nick Moss, did leave the game with an injury.
#4 Northwest Missouri upset by Washburn
For the second week in a row, Northwest Missouri State was shutout in the first half. This week, Bearcats faced only a 3 point deficit at the half, but with each team trading touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, the first half field goal by Washburn was enough to make the difference. Washburn posted only 218 yards of offense in the game, significantly less than Northwest's 392. The Bearcats missed out on multiple scoring opportunities. Two of their three best drives marched 80+ yards but resulted in missed field goal attempts, one in each half. A red zone interception also doomed a first half drive. Too many mistakes in a game where each team had just 10 possessions.
#7 Slippery Rock blown out by rival IUP
IUP forced four turnovers and rode an efficient passing game to an impressive 48-21 win at Slippery Rock to ruin their rival's homecoming game. It was a tight game early, but IUP came to life in the second quarter, scoring 21 total including a pair of scores in the final four minutes of the half. They added another 10 points early in the third to make a comeback all but impossible for the Rock. The IUP defense kept the Rock offense out of synch from start to finish. At 5-1 overall, with a win over a top 10, the Crimson Hawks made a good argument for returning to the Top 25.
#8 Wingate upset by Barton in OT
Barton earned the biggest win in program history with an upset of #8 Wingate. By the way, Barton's history is about 10 games. They are a first year program, playing this season as an independent before joining the SAC next season as an associate member. Jordan Terrell, who entered the weekend as the leading rusher in D2, ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner in OT. Here is a trivia question I need to find an answer for...what was the hightest ranked team every defeated by a first year program? I have to think this might have set the record. Not even West Florida beat a top 10 in their first year (although they did beat #16 Florida Tech).
#9 Harding runs past #18 Henderson State
Harding used its bruising rushing attack to roll up 438 yards on the ground. It was the most rushing yards they had ever accumulated over Henderson State. Cole Chancey led the way with 231 yards and four TDs. The defense limited one of the top offenses in Division II to 356 yards - well below their seasn average - and forced three turnovers.
Quick Hits..
#19 Augustana kicked off what will be a brutal month with a big road win at #23 Wayne State. Augie now faces Minnesota State, Winona State and Minnesota- Duluth in the next three weeks.
#25 Kutztown took control of the PSAC east division with a dominant win over Shippensburg.
Lindenwood rallied from 13 points down at the half to win at Indianapolis and claim first place in the GLVC. The Lions shut out UIndy in the second half to spark the victory but did lose quarterback Cade Brister to injury late in the game. UIndy running back Toriano Clinton rushed for 229 yards for the Greyhounds.
Findlay beat Ohio Dominican in overtime to take first place in the G-MAC. The Oilers missed a potential game winning field goal on the final play of regulation, but managed to get the win in the first OT period. Receiver Ruben Flowers played a big role in the victory, catching 10 balls for 136 yard and two scores.
We have mentioned a couple of times on our Sunday night show that the SIAC is possibly the best it has been for a few years. Albany State and Savannah State won again. Both are 6-1 overall with their only loss to Valdosta State, who might be the new number one in D2.
Simmon Fraser, the NCAA's only football team in Canada, earned their first win of the season 30-3 over NAIA member Montana State-Northern. Place kicker Kristie Elliot became the first Canadian woman to record a field goal, hitting a 23 yarder. She tallied six points in the game.
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