September 6th, 2026 1:30am
Pictured: Oklahoma Baptist celebrates an upset victory over Southern Arkansas
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Happy Labor Day everyone. If you’re off on Monday, enjoy the day….but not until you join us for Inside D2Football on Sunday night to wind down the weekend. Here is a recap from week one.
No. 1 Ferris State predictably beat Bentley on Friday. The Falcons did some good things offensively in this game but at the end of the day, it's a 35-point win over a team that was picked to win its conference. A perfect day for the Bulldogs? Probably not. A result to feel good about? Definitely.
No. 2 Harding won the opener over Northwestern Oklahoma State 76-0. Remarkably, the stat sheet is even uglier than the score. In fact, it might be the most lopsided box score I’ve ever looked at. Harding rolled up 747 yards of total offense while NWOSU went backwards. The Rangers had -26 yards of total offense. They did not get a first down all night and their longest possession lasted just three plays and traveled eight yards. When the offensive production is so bad we have to spell out the numbers…ooof. Harding did fumble the ball away twice in the second quarter but the other 11 possessions ended with touchdowns. This game ended early in the third quarter when emergency medical aid was needed for a Harding player. Harding later reported his condition as good.
No. 4 Kutztown won by three touchdowns at Assumption. The Greyhounds battled early, but a 21-0 second quarter run by Kutztown gave the Bears a cushion they could manage for the rest of the night. Assumption’s effectiveness throwing the ball is a good sign for the rest of their season, but Kutztown forced them to be one-dimensional in the 56-35 outcome.
Findlay led for nearly the entire game and pulled away from No. 6 UIndy for a 30-10 road win. For the second year in a row, the Oilers soundly outplayed the Greyhounds, putting gup 466 yards to Indy’s 250. Delon Hurt sparked the offense with 124 receiving yards on 8 catches, with one TD. Nice way for one of the top dogs in the G-MAC to welcome UIndy to the league for next year.
Respect to West Texas A&M for scheduling tough out of conference opponents. Hopefully it makes them better and they’ll be ready for LSC play, but they’ve taken their lumps so far. Saturday night’s visit to No. 7 Grand Valley State started off great but the Lakers reeled off 56 unanswered points in a drubbing of the Buffs. Andrew Shuster tossed five TDs on just 15 attempts. Three of those went to Kellen Reed who had 155 yards on the night. Troy Temple led the Laker D with two interceptions.
No. 9 CSU Pueblo plays in the RMAC, but they currently sit atop the MIAA standings with a 2-0 record. A week after pulling away from Central Missouri, the Thunderwolves went to No. 23 Fort Hays and picked up a 35-17 win. Rushing for 259 and passing for 280 in the same game is a recipe for a lot of wins. The Thunderwolves now have a few extra days to prepare for a visit from Colorado Mines to open conference play on Sept. 12.
No. 10 Western Colorado entered Thursday night 0-6 all time against Angelo State. Things looked iffy at the halftime break but the Mountaineers rallied and then held on late for a 23-21 win, their second straight over an LSC opponent.
A 28-point loss to Ferris State in the opener was disappointing, but forgivable for No. 11 Pitt State. They needed a rebound at Emporia State but the offense wasn’t up to it. The Gorillas fell to 0-2. Patience, a stingy pass defense and three takeaways helped do the job for Emporia. Remember, the Gorillas started last year 0-2 but went on to win the next nine regular season games and secured a share of the MIAA. They even won a first round playoff game. The season is not a loss yet, but there are fewer things to feel good about than there were in this same situation a year ago.
I admit that I had a lot of questions about IUP heading into their opener at No. 12 Ashland. Not because I didn’t think they could or would be good, I just didn’t know much about what they had. They answered a lot of questions by controlling the action from start to finish in a 34-24 win. They led by as much as 18 points in the second half and ripped off 24 unanswered before Ashland finally recovered and got back in the game. Mason Maggs, an Ohio State transfer, hit 25 of 36 passes for 264 yards and a pair of scores.
No. 13 Augustana led 23-22 over No. 24 Minnesota Duluth when lightning warnings forced an evacuation that lasted nearly 90 minutes. When play resumed, UMD marched the field to score the game winner with just 0:37 remaining.
No. 14 Western Oregon hosted Southern Oregon (NAIA) on Saturday. The Wolves rushed for 453 yards and passed for 251, for 704 total yards. That’s impressive, but they did also yield 504. They did win the game, 65-35.
Shepherd jumped all over No. 16 Frostburg State, building a lead of 28-3 in the first half. The Bobcats responded with a second half rally but a fourth quarter turnover doomed their efforts. Shepherd avenged last year's loss a Frostburg with a 34-26 win at home.
Speaking of avenging losses, one year ago, Missouri S&T tripped up Northeastern State after an impressive season opening win. Not the case this year. The No. 18 Riverhawks won 27-7 on the road.
West Alabama stunned No. 21 Lenoir-Rhyne with two defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Legend Doggett was responsible for both. He returned a fumble 40 yards for a score to give the Tigers a one point lead. With under two minutes to play, he sealed the win with an 80-yard pick-six. The Tigers won 34-23.
The No. 25 spot can be a kiss of death, but Michigan Tech bucked the trend. The newly-raked Huskies won at home over Midwestern State, 48-27. A balanced offensive attack and defensive takeaways were the keys to victory.
Around the nation
Oklahoma Baptist may have earned one of the bigger upsets of the weekend. The Bison kicked off the season with a 38-20 home win over Southern Arkansas. For context, Southern Arkansas was picked to finish third in the GAC coaches poll. Oklahoma Baptist was projected to finish 10th out of 12 teams. Nick Harris led a very productive offense with 127 receiving yards on 7 catches.
Wayne State (Neb.) delivered the dramatics again. A week after winning with a walk-off field goal, the Wildcats scored the game winner at Minot State with just 0:36 remaining.
California and Charleston waited out over three hours of weather delays but conditions did little to hamper the Vulcans. They put up 42 first half points and cruised to a 49-24 win. New Vulcan QB Eric Gibson, Jr. had a nice debut, tossing four TDs on a 17 for 25 night.
Washburn and Colorado Mines ended their game when conditions were deemed unsafe to continue due to heat. They had already played 60 minutes and were awaiting the overtime period when the game was stopped and ruled a tie.
Northwood also put up a 42-point first half in a 52-0 dismantling of Wayne State.
Missouri Southern got their first win of the year and it was a good one. They beat an Upper Iowa team that has been trending upwards. Isaiah Green was a standout for the Lions. He notched seven catches for 144 yards and a TD.
Edinboro’s offense hadn’t done a lot through nearly three quarters but came to life late. Scoring drives of 81 and 95 yards allowed them to extend the contest with Ohio Dominican. The Fighting Scots scored on all three OT possessions and walked it off with a two-point play in the third OT.
Central Missouri erased the memory of a tough outing at CSU Pueblo with a 49-10 home win over Missouri Western. Jordan Pachot threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers.
Chadron State shook off a tough opening night loss a week ago to earn a great home opening win over in-state rival Nebraska-Kearney. Devon Sundgren needed just three catches to roll up 144 yards and score a touchdown.
East Central beat Ouachita Baptist for the second year in a row. ECU kept the home team in check most of the night, limiting Ouachita to 260 yards and only 13 first downs.
Saginaw Valley State is 2-0 under new head coach Michael Engle. The Cardinals pulled away from Texas A&M Kingsville, 41-24. Connor Wolf threw four TDs while JT Webber was responsible for 132 receiving yards.
For the third time in four years, Bloomsburg opened on the road at Fairmont State. The Huskies suffered heartbreaking, close losses in 2023 and 2025 but this year’s bout was all Bloom. The Husky defense allowed just 175 yards, and produced six sacks and three takeaways in a 35-13 win.
New Mexico Highlands retains home state bragging rights for another full year. The Cowboys beat Western New Mexico 55-32, one week after beating Eastern New Mexico. It is the second year in a row that they beat both of their in-state rivals.
Hillsdale ran for 314 yards in a blowout win over McKendree. Most of that came from Ben Ngishu who ran for 212 and a pair of touchdowns.
West Liberty earned their first win for new head coach Chad Salisbury. The Hilltoppers won an unplanned home game over Seton Hill, 28-24. The game had originally been scheduled for Seton Hill’s home field but was relocated due to field conditions caused by weather..
American International picked up a nice win over Lock Haven. The four interceptions produced by the Yellow Jacket defense played a huge role in the victory.
Virginia State pulled away from Bowie State in a 42-13 win at home. Elite 100 Watch List quarterback Rahsaan Matthews, Jr. passed for 401 yards with 5 TDs. Jaylen Pretlow was his top target, grabbing six balls for 129 yards and a pair of TDs.
South Dakota Mines is 2-0. The Hardrockers won their home opener 38-17 over Southwest Baptist. Dawson Dunbar went over 100 yards rushing for the second week in a row.
Lake Erie was just 2-9 a year ago but they started the new season with an impressive 35-7 win over St. Anselm. The Storm held possession in this game for 42:31.
North Greenville and Catawba played one of the more entertaining games of the weekend. The back-and-forth affair came down to a Catawba 2-point try with under a minute remaining. NGU’s defense held and the Trailblazers got the win, 40-38.
Bemidji State allowed only 57 total yards in a 38-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State.
West Chester squeaked by Lincoln, 21-13 despite being shut out in the second half. Both teams were held under 250 total yards and there were a combined 27 penalties.
A week after a dismal offensive display, Virginia Union regained form. The Panthers put up 49 points in a win over Livingstone.
Roosevelt is 2-0 for the first time as a D2 member. The Lakers beat Quincy on Saturday evening. Another winnable matchup awaits with a trip to Southwest Baptist.
Mars Hill and Winston-Salem State were scoreless for almost three quarters, but the Lions would pull away down the stretch for a shutout win on the road. Winston-Salem State has yet to score a point through two games.
Fayetteville State is still holding up the flag for the CIAA. The Broncos ground out a hard earned 10-7 win over UNC Pembroke.
Things are looking grim at Delta State. Another lopsided loss, this time at home to Wingate, has 2026 looking like a rebuilding year. Good road win for Wingate on the bounce back from last week's disappointing loss to UNC Pembroke.
And we’ll close with this. Sul Ross hadn’t won since Nov. 2, 2024. They got their first win with head coach Lee Hays, 53-26 over Adams State.
That’s a wrap for week one. Please remember, this is not an attempt to mention every game that occurred. It’s a tight turnaround to have this published on Sunday mornings so If we didn’t mention your game, even if something spectacular happened, its not a deliberate omission. Feel free to drop me a note at [email protected] if we missed something important.