GSC/Conference Carolinas Week Nine Preview & Picks

October 31st, 2025 7:00am

Just a few more weeks are left in the regular season, and the standings in both Conference Carolinas and the Gulf South Conference are taking shape. As we head toward the postseason, the next few Saturdays are sure to play a major role in seeding and playoff matchups.

Last Week’s Results
Home team in bold
*denotes Conference Carolinas game
^denotes Gulf South Conference Game

• Ferrum 35, Erskine 33*

• Shorter 33, Barton 7*

• Valdosta State 35, North Greenville 24

• No. 19 Delta State 41, No. 17 West Alabama 38^

• No. 4 West Florida 55, West Virginia State 6

• UNC Pembroke 42, Chowan 10*

Must-See Matchup

^No. 4 West Florida (8-0, 1-0 GSC) at No. 16 Delta State (7-1, 1-0 GSC) | Cleveland, Miss. | Nov. 1 | 4:00 p.m. | Audio | Stats | Video

West Florida remained perfect after last week’s non-conference victory over West Virginia State, putting up 50+ points for the first time this season and scoring over 40 points for the fourth time during the 2025 season. Running back TJ Lane had three more rushing touchdowns, bringing his season total to nine (six rushing, three receiving), and linebacker Ja’Kobe Clinton collected nine total tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, and one fumble recovery as the defense limited WVSU to 132 total yards of offense. Marcus Stokes was able to toss three touchdown passes, but also turned the ball over twice via interception, as he now has nine giveaways in eight games.

The Statesmen continue to rise up the rankings after a road win over then-No. 17 West Alabama, leaning on the dual threat capabilities of quarterback Cole Kirk, who finished with 222 passing yards and three touchdowns on just six completed passes to go along with 29 rushing yards and a score on the ground. Running back Nick Clark carved his way to 101 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, while the defense forced the Tigers into two turnovers. Delta State’s defense now has 10 interceptions on the year and 57 tackles for loss as the front seven continues to force opposing quarterbacks into mistakes downfield.

Delta State’s strength is in its run game, where the backfield averages 188.1 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry; however, West Florida’s strength is its run defense, which ranks first among NCAA Division I schools and third across all NCAA Divisions, allowing just 41.9 rushing yards per game and only four touchdowns on the ground. The Argos seem to be two different teams, whether playing at home or on the road - sporting an average margin of victory of +32 ppg at Pen Air Field compared to just 10.8 ppg on the road - so this game may be close, but the UWF defense should create enough stops to return home victorious.

My pick: No. 4 West Florida

Week 9 Schedule at a Glance
All times Eastern
*denotes Conference Carolinas game
^denotes Gulf South Conference game

Saturday, Nov. 1 

*Ferrum (3-5, 2-2 CC) at North Greenville (4-4, 4-0 CC) | Tigerville, S.C. | 12:00 p.m. | Stats | Video

Ferrum evened its Conference Carolinas record last weekend with a narrow 35-33 victory over Erskine. The defense gave up 442 yards of offense to the Flying Fleet but forced three interceptions, including two by defensive back Zamari Copley. Offensively, running back Jahylen Lee was a workhorse, carrying the ball 23 times for 96 yards and collecting three touchdowns, while quarterback Eli Foutz passed for 164 yards and a touchdown as well as rushing for 40 yards on 13 carries. The Panthers’ defense has struggled for the majority of the year, having allowed 34.6 points and 403.6 yards per game thus far.

The non-conference struggles continued for North Greenville in a 35-24 loss to Valdosta State last week, but the Trailblazers are still a perfect 4-0 in League play. Against VSU, the offense committed three costly turnovers (two fumbles, one interception), which is uncharacteristic of the 2025 season so far, and the special teams unit gave up another big play in the way of a 95-yard kickoff return in the second quarter. The defense was able to generate plenty of pressure with eight tackles for loss as well as collecting two takeaways (one fumble recovery, one interception), and quarterback Dylan Ramirez did damage with his legs, scoring two touchdowns on the ground while also tossing a touchdown to Eric Rasheed (eight receptions, 172 yards, one touchdown).

North Greenville ranks among the nation’s Top 10 in turnover margin - 1.25 -, while the Panthers have given the ball away 12 times this season, ranking among the bottom half of the country in turnover margin at -0.25. The Trailblazers are a dangerous team on their home turf, and I expect that conference record to remain unblemished after Saturday.

My pick: North Greenville

^No. 23 West Alabama (5-2, 0-2 GSC) at Valdosta State (3-4, 0-0 GSC) | Valdosta, Ga. | 1:00 p.m. | Audio | Stats | Video

It has been a rough two-week stretch for West Alabama, having lost back-to-back games against Top 25 foes West Florida and Delta State. A week ago, the Tigers fell by just three points to the Statesmen, allowing 41 points and 453 total yards of offense. Statistically, UWA and DSU were practically even across the board, but an early 13-0 first-quarter deficit proved just a bit too much for West Alabama to overcome. On the season, the UWA offense is averaging over 35 points and 400 yards per game, as quarterback Spencer Arceneaux leads the charge with 1,572 passing yards, 447 rushing yards, and 22 total touchdowns.

Valdosta State rebounded from a three-game losing streak with a Homecoming victory over North Greenville last Saturday, gaining 209 rushing yards on the ground while quarterback Jameson Holcomb provided the first spark of consistency under center for the Blazers with 179 yards through the air and a touchdown. VSU is being outscored by just one point per game on average, but turnovers have been the Achilles heel as the quarterback room has tossed 10 interceptions compared to just four touchdowns.

West Alabama’s slide down the Top 25 comes to an end this week as they should be able to right the ship on the road and avoid a winless season in Gulf South competition.

My pick: No. 23 West Alabama

*Chowan (2-6, 1-3 CC) at Erskine (1-7,  1-3 CC) | Due West, S.C. | 1:30 p.m. | Stats | Video

Chowan was on the wrong end of last week’s result against a UNC Pembroke team looking to bounce back from a loss, scoring just 10 points with just 250 total yards in a home loss. The Hawks gave up 271 rushing yards on the day, marking the sixth time in eight games that the defense has allowed over 200 rushing yards, as the unit’s 237.6 rushing yards allowed per game ranks 148th out of 157 qualified Division II programs. Quarterback NyJale Johnson struggled with his accuracy for a second straight game, completing just 4-of-16 pass attempts for 65 yards, while running back Dominic Haney had a breakthrough performance with 27 carries for 151 yards on the ground. 

Despite last week’s loss, Erskine has found its identity in the run game by relying on Logan Coldren. Coldren collected 161 rushing yards and three touchdowns a week ago, turning in his third 100-yard rushing performance of the season. Across the last three weeks, the Limestone transfer has totaled 358 yards and four touchdowns on the ground; however, inconsistent play under center has kept the Flying Fleet offense in check. Against Ferrum, starting quarterback Ryan Killmer was pulled after throwing three interceptions and has now completed just 38.7 percent of his passes with five interceptions and just two touchdowns over the last three contests.

Erskine should give the ball to Coldren on every play and force Chowan to show they can stop the run - something they have not done in any of the eight games on the schedule so far. If the Flying Fleet continues to dominate up front as they have in recent weeks, they’ll come away with their second Conference Carolinas win of the year.

My pick: Erskine

*Barton (2-6, 2-2 CC) at UNC Pembroke (7-2, 4-1 CC) | Pembroke, N.C. | 3:00 p.m. | Stats | Video

Barton’s string of recent success came to an abrupt end in last Saturday’s loss to Shorter as the offense sputtered to just 166 total yards of offense and 11 first downs. The quarterback situation, which looked to be resolved over the previous two weeks, took a step back as Al Lee and Trevor Nored combined to complete just 10-of-24 pass attempts for 115 yards and an interception, while the Bulldogs’ run game was held in check with 51 yards on 22 carries. The linebacker duo of Keno Jones and Ja’Correy Bible continues to be a bright spot for BC as Jones recorded eight tackles and recovered a fumble 36 yards for the team’s lone touchdown, and Bible had a game-high 14 tackles. Jones now ranks fourth in Division II with 93 total tackles to go along with seven tackles for loss, three sacks, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble, making a case for Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year.

The Braves found a way to right the ship after a loss, defeating Chowan by 32 points on the road. UNCP outgained Chowan 487-250 in total yards, and the run game had its best output of the season with 271 rushing yards and 8.5 yards per carry. Four different Braves rushed for over 50 yards in the contest, and receivers JaQuan Albright (seven receptions, 125 yards, one touchdown) and Que Kennedy (nine catches, 75 yards, two touchdowns) did the damage in the pass game. UNC Pembroke is outscoring opponents by an average of 16.4 points per game, holding the competition to 10 or fewer points on four occasions this season.

Saturday marks the regular season finale for UNC Pembroke as they have their eyes set on a spot in the Conference Carolinas Championship, scheduled for Nov. 15. The Braves are all but guaranteed a win in this week’s mismatch, and the defense could very well record its second shutout of the season.

My pick: UNC Pembroke

BYE WEEK: Shorter

Gulf South Players to Watch

• Carl Hopkins, Delta State, Sr., DB – Hopkins is turning it on at the right time, totaling two interceptions across the last three games. The senior has seven pass breakups on the season to go along with 31 total tackles on the back end, and will have his hands full on Saturday against a West Florida offense boasting options all across the field. Hopkins’ leadership will need to be on display if DSU hopes to pull off the upset.

• Mark Robinson, Valdosta State, Sr., DL – The d2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week, Robinson had nine total tackles in the win over North Greenville, including four tackles for loss - all sacks - to go along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. If VSU has a chance to keep up with West Alabama this week, Robinson and the rest of his defensive lineman will have to pressure UWA quarterback Spencer Arceneaux all game long.

• Corey Scott, West Florida, r-So., WR – West Florida’s top weapon outside will need to be at his best on Saturday against an experienced Delta State secondary. Scott has recorded 42 catches for 700 yards on the year, but just two touchdowns. If West Florida wins this game, it will be because Scott has a heavy involvement in the outcome.

Conference Carolinas Players to Watch

• Logan Coldren, Erskine, r-So., RB– As mentioned above, Coldren has 358 yards and four touchdowns in his last three games and now faces one of the nation’s worst run defenses in Chowan. The Simpsonville, S.C. native has found his footing as a workhorse back, and Saturday’s matchup provides more opportunity to continue punishing opposing defenses.

• Que Kennedy, UNC Pembroke, So., WR – Kennedy has shown solid progress in his second season as a Brave, providing 42 receptions for 674 yards (16.1 ypc) and 11 touchdowns, a total that ranks second in NCAA Division II. The sophomore has five games this season with multiple touchdown receptions and now faces a Barton defense that has given up almost 250 passing yards per game during the 2025 season.

• Eric Rasheed, North Greenville, r-So., WR – Rasheed has made an immediate impact during his first season in Tigerville, leading the team with 30 receptions for 550 yards and six touchdowns while also returning five punts for 97 yards and a score. The Fletcher, N.C. native has six games of 50 or more receiving yards, and last week erupted for a career-high 172 yards on eight catches as quarterback Dylan Ramirez’s favorite target.

Conference Carolinas Standings

Gulf South Conference Standings