Highlights From Opening Night
August 29th, 2025 6:00am
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Opening night for the 2025 Division II football season was full of excitement, drama, a few surprises and in some spots, gnarly weather. Here are some of the most notable results from day one…
No. 1 Ferris State did everything they failed to do in last season’s opener against the same team. The Bulldogs started fast and forced visiting No. 10 Pitt State to play from behind the entire game. Redshirt freshman Wyatt Bower got the start at quarterback and accounted for three touchdowns on the night. He passed for 112 yards and added 99 on the ground. Brady Rose and Zak Ahern added rushing TDs . The home team built an early 20-3 lead but the Gorillas responded shortly before halftime with a 60 yard touchdown pass that would trim the Bulldogs’ halftime lead to 10 points. The teams traded third quarter touchdowns before the Bulldogs would get separation and win by a final of 34-17. The Gorillas were able to accumulate 294 passing yards, but completed less than 50% of pass attempts. Ferris State now turns their attention to the first road game of the season at Lake Erie College. Pitt State must regroup quickly for a meeting with Central Oklahoma.
In the other Top 25 matchup on the night, No. 12 Angelo State led from start to finish at No. 20 Fort Hays State. 2024 Harlon Hill Trophy finalist Braeden Fuller tossed three touchdown passes in a performance that produced 177 yards. The Rams’ defense limited The Tigers to just 268 total yards while controlling all the action in a 28-7 victory. The Rams return home but stay in the MIAA portion of the schedule, hosting Emporia State next Saturday.
No. 4 Minnesota State dominated visiting Northwest Missouri for the second year in a row. That was unsurprising, but the pop-up rain storm that rolled through The Blake appeared to catch many off guard. It would do little to disrupt the Mavericks though. A 21-0 halftime lead swelled to 35-0 before Northwest responded with a pair of third quarter TDs. The Mavs cruised home with a 38-14 win. Sam Backer rushed for 116 yards and two scores while standout receiver TreShawn Watson caught seven balls for 155 yards and a TD.
No. 15 Indianapolis left no doubts in their cross-town meeting with Top 25 NAIA program Marian. The Greyhounds built a 28-0 lead by the end of the first half and kept Marian at arm's length in the second to pick up a 45-21 victory. The Greyound defense was dominant, especially in the first half. Marian’s four first half possessions resulted in three punts and a turnover. Gavin Sukup rarely missed, hitting 22 of 29 pass attempts for 380 yards and 3 TD. Ten different Greyhounds registered at least one pass reception.
A steady rain led to tricky conditions for No. 24 Central Missouri's visit to Delta State. A wet ball and a wet track produced a handful of errant snaps and mishandled balls. Despite the conditions, the Statesmen were able to build a lead that swelled to 19 points in the third quarter.The Mules responded with 11 points later in the quarter. UCM had opportunities to draw closer in the final period but the Delta State defense stood tall to secure a 31-23 victory. Cole Kirk passed for 282 yards and rushed for 95. Curtis Rearden had 123 receiving yards and a touchdown. Hogan Wasson was a weapon for the Mules, catching 11 balls for 121 yards.
Michigan Tech earned an impressive Top 25 win over visiting No. 19 Bemidji State. The Huskies trailed 17-16 at the half, but shutout the Beavers in the second half while posting three touchdowns of their own. The defense held a normally strong Bemidji offense to 258 yards. Joe Marano had two sacks for the Huskies. Offensively, Alex Bueno passed for 188 yards and ran for 102, with three total touchdowns.
A game I didn’t expect to be captivated by was Northeastern State visiting Saginaw Valley State. The Riverhawks showed signs last year that things were changing. Competitive outings with a few MIAA programs left an impression, but the results were still slightly out of reach. That changed on Thursday night with a thoroughly impressive 28-21 win at Saginaw Valley State, who was receiving votes in the preseason Top 25. The Riverhawks showed some offensive pop with 403 total yards against a normally robust Saginaw defense. Quarterback Donnie Smith was a tidy 24-35 with 284 yards, no turnovers and only one sack allowed. La’Vontae Shenault caught 11 of those completions for 162 yards. The moment of the night: With the score tied at 21 with about 10 minutes remaining, Northeastern State executed a 99-yard scoring drive that took more than six minutes off the clock. Saginaw Valley marched down the field on their final drive and had themselves in scoring position. The Riverhawks defense sealed the win with an interception in the end zone.
Edinboro served notice to the PSAC. The Fighting Scots scored on the opening drive and led all night in a 29-14 win in front of a standing room only crowd at East Stroudsburg. It was the first game and first win for new head coach Matt Scott. The Boro defense frustrated a struggling ESU offense all night, limiting the Warriors to just 254 yards. Boro wide receiver Jaret Frantz had three touchdown receptions in the upset victory.
Central Washington hosted the first kickoff of the season. The matinee against Colorado Mesa was competitive for most of the first half, but the Wildcats erupted with 34 points in the second half. Kennedy McGill ended the day with two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns.
No. 22 Charleston kicked off their MEC title defense with a win at home over Livingstone. It was the Eagles’ first game under new head coach Mike Tesch.
Virginia State rolled to a 35-7 win over Barton, spoiling the debut of the Conference Carolinas logo on the home field. The Trojan defense put in the best unit performance of the night. They held the Bulldogs to negative rushing yards (-3) and just 115 total. Barton had 10 total possessions that resulted in eight punts, one turnover and a garbage time touchdown. VSU forced six three-and-out possessions. VSU’s offense rolled up 569 yards and a whopping 32 first downs. Rahshan Matthews passed for 343 yards and a pair of scores. Kevin Gales caught six passes for 131 yards a score.
No. 8 Western Colorado got a good fight from visiting West Texas A&M. The Buffs had the score tied at 28 late in the third quarter, but the Mountaineers then asserted control with 17 unanswered points. They would close it out with a 45-28 home win. Drew Nash accounted for four touchdowns.
After a slightly sluggish start, No. 7 CSU Pueblo blasted visiting South Dakota Mines in one of the few conference games of the night. The Thunderwolves shutout the Hardrockers, 43-0.
Nebraska-Kearney held up honors on a rough night for the MIAA. A late score earned the Lopers a road win over in-state rival Wayne State, 28-21.
New Mexico Highlands earned state bragging rights with a 34-28 win over Eastern New Mexico. The win snapped Eastern's five game winning streak in this rivalry. Jeffrey Jones rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Grand Valley State transfer Ike Udengwu started at quarterback for New Mexico Highlands.
Sioux Falls held on for a 27-21 win at Black Hills State. The Coo jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter but the remainder of the game was very hotly contested. Black Hills outgained USF 448 to 306, but the Coo mounted scoring drives of 78, 60, 77 and 75 yards.
Clarion, who was picked to finish last in the PSAC West coaches poll, pitched a shutout at home, beating Wheeling 34-0. Quarterback Anthony Guercia accounted for four touchdowns. Defensively, Zay Brisbane was credited with four pass breakups.
