October 25th, 2026 5:00am
Canon Wiese scored all four Angelo State touchdowns in the Rams's win Saturday night (photo: Arthur Spragg)
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Top stories
No. 16 Grand Valley State desperately needed a win at Saginaw Valley State in the Battle of the Valleys to keep playoff hopes alive. But the Lakers put themselves in a deep hole and were not able to do enough to dig themselves out. Three Connor Wolf touchdown passes in the first 16 minutes of the game helped the Cardinals build a 21-0 lead. The second and third immediately followed Laker turnovers. Grand Valley would get off the mat with a 10-0 run to close the half, but were unable to sustain the momentum. The Laker defense played well after the break but the offense never found enough consistency to complete a comeback. GVSU turned the ball over five times and rushed for only 38 yards. The loss extends the Lakers’ losing streak to three games, something that hasn’t happened since 2011. The win is the second straight in this series for Saginaw Valley (the first time that’s happened since 1985-86) as the Cardinals improve to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in GLIAC play.
In a battle for first place in the Northeast 10, Pace scored a touchdown on the final play of the game to beat Franklin Pierce, 20-19. The Setters completed a pass on 4th and 12 that was good enough for a first down. That temporarily stopped the clock with 1.4 seconds remaining. With a first and goal at the 9 yard line, Pace ran a snap as soon as the officials put the ball in play. The Franklin Pierce defense did not react quickly enough and gave up a touchdown pass as time expired. With the victory the Setters move to 4-0 in the Northeast 10 standings, tied with Assumption.
Things didn’t start great for No. 9 Emporia State. Central Missouri’s offense looked unstoppable after three possessions, but the Hornets withstood the early onslaught. They swung the game with a 100-yard pick-six by Clem McCullough shortly before halftime and a 91-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Corey Turner to open second half. The Hornets exploded for 31 points in the third quarter and pulled away for a 58-38 win. ESU's defense gave up more than 600 yards to the Mules' offense, but also intercepted Jordan Pachot four times
Coming off the huge win at Grand Valley last week, No. 1 Ferris State faced a red-hot Michigan Tech team that entered the weekend ranked No. 14. The Bulldogs were seemingly in control early in the second half after a 24-0 run, but the Huskies scored 17 of the last twenty points to give themselves a shot down the stretch. The Bulldogs were held to season lows in points and total offense but the end result is their 38th win in a row - just two shy of the all-time Division II record. For Michigan Tech, its hard to see them moving far in the polls after this. Their two losses are at Emporia State and at Ferris State.
Around the Top 25
No. 3 Minnesota State left no doubt in a 35-0 beatdown of No. 22 Wayne State. The Mavericks, playing in front of the third largest crowd in Blakeslee Stadium history (7,024) held the Wildcats to just 177 total yards. Wayne’s normally strong run game produced only 61 yards.
After beating their previous three opponents by a combined score of 160-14, No. 4 Kutztown expected to see a little more resistance from West Chester. Not really. The Golden Bears scored the first 27 points of the game, led 34-7 at the half and cruised home with a 41-14 Homecoming victory in front of 6,000 fans. QB Judd Novak led the team in rushing with 116 yards from just five carries. He scored two rushing touchdowns and passed for three scores. The Golden Bears should see their toughest challenge of the season next week at East Stroudsburg.
No. 5 CSU Pueblo endured difficult conditions at Fort Lewis. Rain left both teams with a slick, muddy surface that made it difficult to move the ball. The final score of 27-21 was eye-raising but the Thunderwolves were in control most the way and the defense did finish the job after surrendering two second half scores.
No. 6 Western Colorado had to face a Black Hills State team coming off a big win in the Black Hills Brawl, but the Mountaineers were ready for it. Both sides of the ball delivered with Western outgaining the Yellow Jackets in total offense 562-245. Josiah Roy passed for 348 yards in the 42-10 win and completed passes to 12 different receivers.
No. 8 Slippery Rock kept rolling with a dominant 66-7 win over Lock Haven, who was 3-1 in PSAC West play. JayJay Jordan returned two punts for touchdowns from distances of 71 and 75 yards. With the win The Rock secured the PSAC West division title with two games to spare. They will host the PSAC East champ in the PSAC Championship game on Nov. 14.
No. 10 Northwest Missouri State held a slim 14-10 lead over Nebraska-Kearney heading to the final period but the Bearcats finished strong with two scoring drives and three forced punts in the fourth quarter.
No. 11 Northwood survived a scare from an inspired Ohio Dominican team. In what may have been the most entertaining game of the day, the back and forth affair wasn’t decided until Northwood connected on a game winning field goal as time expired. The Wood stays perfect with a 37-35 win. Northwood’s Ethan Hamby passed for 434 yards and 2 TD, and Ohio Dominican’s Carson Parker put up 369 with three TD.
If you’re going to win the Harlon Hill Award as a running back, you have to be near the 200 yards per game threshold to have a serious shot. No. 12 Davenport’s Cephus Harris rushed for exactly 200 yards in the Panthers’ latest win (49-0 over Wayne State) and is averaging 198.4 per game.
No. 13 Valdosta State returned to action for the first time since Oct. 3. The Blazers beat Shorter 41-31. The Blazers defenses produced five interceptions in the game.
Cameron Wright needed just three receptions to put up 120 receiving yards in No. 15 Findlay’s 49-3 win over Walsh. The Cavs have lost four in a row since making their first ever appearance in one of the two major polls.
No. 17 Minnesota Duluth won by 15 at UMary, but that’s not a clear picture of how the game went. It was a scoreless tie at the half and Mary had a shot at a go-ahead two-point play midway through the fourth before things fell apart. Not a great look for the Bulldogs, but its a win.
Bowie State celebrated homecoming with a 16-13 upset win over No. 21 Johnson C. Smith. Bowie State’s offense produced only 194 yards for the day, but delivered when it mattered the most. Trailing 16-9 in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs executed a 13-play, 85-yard scoring drive and put the game-winner on the board with just 0:34 remaining.
East Stroudsburg entered the rankings last week at No. 22 and backed it up with a 31-7 win at home over Shepherd. The Warriors used a punishing run game to grind out 244 yards.
No. 25 Virginia State deployed the effective strategy of entering the poll during a bye week.
National Roundup
Southern Nazarene earned an emotional victory in their return to the field. A week after canceling their contest with Southwestern Oklahoma due to the tragic death of teammate Tyler Ulrich, the Storm won 60-37 at Northwestern Oklahoma. Southwestern Oklahoma also picked up a good win beating East Central 23-21.
William Jewell was down 18-3 at the start of the fourth quarter at Upper Iowa but the Cardinals rallied with 16 points to close the game and steal a win. The comeback culminated in Bleu Renfrow’s 30 yard game winning field goal with 0:23 remaining. The win keeps William Jewell at the top of the GLVC standings at 4-1 in conference and 5-2 overall.
Two weeks ago IUP was on the cusp of the Top 10. Now, they’re just seeing out the season. Barely. The Crimson Hawks lost their third in a row and this one was UGLY. The 49-0 loss at California was one of the worst performances in the long and storied history of IUP football. California held the Crimson Hawks to 89 yards of total offense and -14 on the ground. The 49-point defeat set a new program record for most lopsided loss.
Northern State gutted out a close 14-13 win on the road at MSU Moorhead. It was a defensive affair but the Wolves had just enough offense in them for a fourth quarter game winning drive. The win keeps Northern State in the playoff mix while Moorhead is likely out of the running.
Gannon got their first win of the season. The Golden Knights played like a team that wanted it, jumping out to a 28-0 first half lead. They’d get home with a 31-14 win over Edinboro. Donnell “Tank” Mason set a new program record for receiving yards in a career (2,421) during the game.
Speaking of first wins, Lane is on the board too. Just a few days after making a coaching change, the Dragons won for the first time since 2024. They won at Fort Valley State, 16-6.
Northern Michigan also hit the pay window for the first time in 2026, knocking off Roosevelt for the second straight year, 27-10.
In the SIAC, Central State is a team we haven’t mentioned much this year, but the Marauders are still in the mix at 5-1 in league play. They knocked off Miles 48-20 behind four touchdown passes from Jackson Wasik.
Tavion Faulk returned to form, passing for five touchdowns to five different receivers in Edward Waters’ 62-14 win over Clark Atlanta.
Missouri Southern picked up one of their bigger wins in a while. The Lions beat MoWest 38-14 for their first MIAA win of the year.
Angelo State has had a tough season, but a 28-14 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville as a good result. The Rams limited a TAMUK offense that had been putting up all kinds of points. ASU held a 21-0 lead after three quarters. Canon Wiese scored all four touchdowns for the Rams with three rushing and one receiving. He finished the day with 191 yards of total offense.
West Texas A&M rushed for 405 yards and passed for 301 in a 69-14 win over Western New Mexico.
Tiffin stayed in the running in the G-MAC with a 21-14 win over Hillsdale. The Dragons were shut out in the second half but made their three first half scores hold up. Jacob Tuiemeh opened the scoring with a 52-yard pick-6 and it would be the difference in the ball game.
There was lots of offense for Ashland in their 56-0 win over Kentucky Wesleyan but the most exciting play of day may have been Trevor Johnson’s 99-yard pick-6 in the final minute of the game.
Bubba Tann, III rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns in Sioux Falls’ 49-29 win over Minot State. Teammate Hank Brown, Jr was similarly impressive with 167 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Colorado Mines won a defensive battle with South Dakota Mines, 17-10. Both offenses were held in check all day but a 17-point second quarter was enough for the Orediggers to get the job done.
Colorado Mesa had two ball carriers break the 100 yard mark in their 59-12 win over Adams State. Jaden Thermidor led the way with 134 yards and two scores, Amari Brown added 105 and a touchdown.
Washburn rode two defensive touchdowns to a 31-22 win at Fort Hays. Melvin Lester’s 60 yard fumble recovery in the first half gave the ‘Bods a two score lead and Joshua Flash’s 37-yard pick six in the fourth sealed the win.
West Liberty jumped to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the MEC with a 44-22 win over Glenville State. In the Harlon Hill watch, Hunter Patterson carried only nine times, put posted 133 yards and touchdown jaunts of 69 and 47 yards. (Correction - the box score was incorrect. Patterson had 10 carries for 161 yards and three touchdowns).
Charleston’s postseason hopes are probably gone, but the Eagles played with fire on Saturday, outdueling Fairmont State, 52-49. Matt Frye passed for 358 yards with five touchdowns. Tyler Thompson and Zion Gray both had over 100 receiving yards.
Quincy snapped a three game losing streak with a 34-31 win over Missouri S&T. The Hawks were down 31-10 late in the third quarter but went off with four unanswered touchdowns. Hawks QB Bradyn Little put in another good performance going 38-57 for 368 yards and a score.
We'll leave it at that for now because we have to get ready for the latest update to the NPI rankings expected to be released on Sunday morning. We'll break all that down tonight on Inside D2Football at 8pm, eastern.
Questions, suggestions, comments, complaints? Email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter @D2Chuck