October 11th, 2026 5:15am
Eli Boyce accounted for all six Hillsdale touchdowns in the Chargers' win over Walsh. Photo by Scott Galvin
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Weather dominated the early part of the weekend with the expected impact of hurricane Isais causing diruption. Thankfully, most games in the southeast went ahead as planned, but there were a few alterations to schedules. Most notably, Northeastern State’s contest at West Florida was canceled as UWF’s campus in Pensacola was directly in the path of the hurricane’s landfall. Shorter’s homecoming game against Ferrum was moved to Friday afternoon while Johnson C. Smith moved their game with Shaw to Friday night. Morehouse and Svannah State will play on Sunday, while Clark Atlanta and Fort Valley State punted their meeting until November 12.
The schedule was lighter this week with more than a handful of teams enjoying a midseason bye week. Here is what happened around the country…
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In what was undoubtedly the game of the day, No.24 Michigan Tech outdueled No. 5 Grand Valley State for a thrilling 41-35 victory in overtime. The Huskies finished the day with only 270 yards of offense, but they stayed patient and came through with plays when they really needed them. Both quarterbacks were instrumental in the run game. The Lakers moved the ball well, but not consistently. The overtime period summarized both teams’ trends pretty well. Grand Valley had the first offensive possession but failed to move the ball on the ground and turned the ball over on downs. The Huskies then used Alex Bueno and the QB run game to cover the 25-yard distance (most of it on the first play) and take the win. More than anything else, it felt like the difference in this game was Michigan Tech's desire. They played like they wanted it more and I think it made it a difference.
Lock Haven had lost 37 consecutive meetings with IUP but that became ancient history. On Saturday, the Bald Eagles outplayed the No. 13 Crimson Hawks in front of IUP’s homecoming crowd and left with a 35-20 win. It was Lock Haven’s first ever win over a ranked opponent. The game was tied briefly in the first quarter, but Lock Haven never trailed. Three interceptions by the Bald Eagle defense were a huge factor in the outcome. Quarterback Rob Footman, Jr. completed 20 and 27 attempts with four touchdowns. Lock Haven is 4-2 overall and 3-0 in the PSAC West Division, tied with Slippery Rock at the top of the standings.
No. 11 Northwest Missouri had an extra week to sit on the stinging loss to Central Oklahoma back on Sept. 26. The Bearcats made good use of the bye week. They built an early 14-0 led over Central Missouri and never let them punch back. The lead swelled to 29 points by early in the fourth quarter. Baruch Hasabu stood out for the Bearcat defense and added to the scoring with a 37-yard pick-six.
Around the Top 25
No. 1 Ferris State has had its share of drama with Saginaw Valley State in recent years, but yesterday’s bout was total domination by the Bulldogs. 28 points in the first quarter set the tone for the day. The Bulldogs put up 30 first downs and 675 yards of offense, while holding Saginaw Valley to 5 first downs and just 128 yards of production. Its still only midseason, but it feels like the gap between Ferris State and the rest of Division II is even wider than it was at the end of last year.
No. 2 Harding hosted a feisty Southeastern Oklahoma State team that entered the weekend with a 4-1 record. The Savage Storm scored two defensive touchdowns in the first half and led the game 21-17 at the break. The Bisons turned it around the second half with a 21-3 run. The turnovers leading to points will be a sore spot, but otherwise the Bisons controlled the action.
No. 3 Minnesota State was challenged by a tough Winona State squad but finally got the separation they needed in the fourth quarter. The 34-16 final is a little deceiving. This game was tied at 10 at halftime and was a four point game going into the final period. Sam Backer ripped off TD runs of 51 and 44 yards in the final 8 minutes of the game to secure the victory.
No. 8 Central Washington entered the weekend tied at the top of the LSC standings with three other teams. One of them, Midwestern State, made the trip to Ellensburg to battle it out for first place. The Mustangs’ high powered offense had its moments, but was outdone by the Wildcats, who passed for 299 yards and rushed for 207. Isaac Torres was the offensive star with 8 grabs for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 12 Northwood survived a road contest against a Tiffin team that had won four in a row entering the day. The Timberwolves never had a huge lead but were seemingly in control, leading 17-3 at halftime and 24-10 in the fourth. But a late burst from the Dragons was nearly enough to steal the win. They scored two touchdowns in the final frame, but missed a PAT that would have tied the game at 24. Northwood escaped with a 24-23 win.
Keeping pace in the Harlon Hill discussion, No. 14 Davenport's Cephus Harris had another 200-yard day. He went for 225 and three touchdowns in a 30-0 win over Northern Michigan.
No. 16 North Greenville saw their perfect season come to an end with a surprising 16-13 upset loss at home to Chowan. The Hawks, who are now alone in the first place at the top of Conference Carolinas standings, earned their first ever win over a ranked opponent. The Chowan defense limited North Greenville to just 177 yards of offense.
No. 17 Findlay was shutout through three quarters but finally pulled together a scoring drive to punch one in the end zone and it would be enough to down Ashland, 7-6. A pivotal moment in this game was a red zone stand by the Findlay defense. Trailing 7-3 midway through the final quarter, Ashland opted for a field goal when facing a fourth and goal situation from the Findlay four yard line. They got the three points and had two more possessions after but did not get close enough.
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth manhandled No. 22 Northern State, 34-7 and Northern’s TD didn’t come until the final two minutes. The Bulldogs held the Wolves’ powerful rushing attack to just 60 yards.
No. 20 Henderson State improved to 6-0 with a dominant win over Northwestern Oklahoma. Amarion Pulliaum had 2.5 sacks for the Reddie defense. A road trip to Harding is up next.
No. 21 Mars Hill became the third ranked team to see its perfect season slip away on the same day (IUP, North Greenville). The Mountain Lions’ offense never showed up in an upset loss to Emory & Henry.
No. 23 UT Permian Basin held on for a hard-earned 24-17 win at West Texas A&M. It felt like they were the better team, but the Buffs found ways to stay in it until the end. The Falcons remain 4-0 in league play.
No. 25 Edward Waters successfully held off the course of being ranked No. 25. The Tigers were idle this week. I like this strategy.
And here is the national roundup from outside the Top 25
Texas A&M Kingsville stayed perfect in LSC play with a 58-51 shootout win at Western Oregon. Mills Dawson passed for 408 yards with three touchdowns in the win. The Javelinas started the season 0-2 with a pair of non-conference losses, but have now won four in a row. Unfortunately, the Wolves are heading in the other direction. This was their fourth straight loss, all in conference play.
Another team shaking off a tough start to the year is Charleston. The Eagles evened their record at 3-3 with a 42-35 win over Wheeling. They remain perfect in MEC action at 3-0.
Sticking with that trend, Bowie State has now won three in a row. They began the year 0-3 but two of those losses were to FCS opponents. The Bulldogs look like a player in the CIAA as we head into the second half of the year. Their latest win is a 21-0 blanking of still winless Winston-Salem State.
Thomas More was coming off a high, with their victory over a ranked Walsh team last week but Ohio Dominican got the better of them on Saturday. Quinton Robinson had two interceptions for the Panthers in the 34-24 win.
Speaking of Walsh, they dropped their second straight conference game. Hillsdale carved up their defense with 285 passing yards and 245 rushing yards in a 42-27 win. Eli Boyce accounted for all six Charger touchdowns with four rushing and two passing.
Washburn ended a four-year losing streak to Pitt State with a 16-9 win at home. On a day both offenses struggled, the kicking game was critical. Aiden Battle hit all three of his field goal attempts for Washburn and Austin Schmitt accounted for all of Pitt’s scoring.
West Virginia Wesleyan beat Fairmont State for their third win of the season. This is a program that hadn’t won a game since 2022. I knew Mike Kellar would make them relevant again, but the progress is on a much faster track than I expected.
California bounced back from a horrendous performance a week ago. That’s not easy to do in college sports. The Vulcans took out Edinboro 30-20 with a much more characteristic performance. Eric Gibson IV passed for 316 yards, with three TD.
One wouldn’t think that Eagles like windy, rainy weather being delivered by a hurricane in the region but Carson-Newman seemed unbothered. The Eagles won at home, 29-13 over Anderson to climb to 6-1 overall.
MSU Moorhead won their rivalry game with UMary, known as Battle for the Paddle. It was their 11th straight victory in the series. Drew Huebner passed for 332 yards with six touchdowns. He is only the third Dragon quarterback in program history with six touchdown passes in a single game.
In a game moved to Friday night to avoid weather impact, Johnson C. Smith totally dominated Shaw, 49-6. Damien Mazill needed just 12 pass completions to go over 300 yards for the night. The Golden Bulls have won five in a row since the season opening loss to Benedict.
Central Oklahoma won their first game since the sudden departure of coach Adam Dorrel. The Bronchos pulled together for an impressive 31-10 win over Fort Hays. It is the first win for interim head coach Cody Swanson.
Tuskegee didn’t fare as well following a coaching change. The Golden Tigers relieved Aaron James earlier in the week but lost at Central State, 27-19.
Shepherd stayed in the hunt in the PSAC East with a 28-14 road win at West Chester. The Rams held possession for nearly 37 minutes.
Newberry trailed 17-7 in the third quarter at Catawba, but reeled off 21 unanswered to take a 28-17 win. Jonah Norris had 147 rushing yards and 65 receiving yards for the Wolves.
East Stroudsburg throttled Bloomsburg 34-0 to climb to 5-1. The Huskies had no answers for the Warriors defense or run game.
Gunnar Hensley continued to put up Harlon Hill caliber performances. The Augustana quarterback completed 24 of 30 pass attempts for 329 yards and 5 TD in a win over Concordia St. Paul.
Nebraska-Kearney’s defense held Missouri Western’s offense to well below their season averages, but it wouldn’t be enough. The Griffons got the win to even their record at 3-3. The Lopers fell to 0-6.
Minot State rushed for 466 yards in a win over Jamestownn. Three players topped the 100 yard mark - Bradon Hines, Jr (198), Jett Lundeen (103) and Jaden Fox (103).
Lenoir-Rhyne’s up and down season was on the upward swing this week. Shermon Davis led the Bears offense with 243 rushing yards in a 50-24 win over UVA Wise. Davis averaged 17 yards per carry with a long of 63
Southwest Baptist outdueled McKendree in another GLVC shootout, 55-45. Both quarterbacks, Copper Owens for Southwest Baptist and McKendree’s Kendrick Lyons, passed for over 400 yards. Three receivers had more than 100 yards with Southwest Baptist’s Keivon Flint topping them all with 181 yards on 8 grabs. At 3-1, SBU is tied with William Jewell at the top of the GLVC standings.
Since we’re talking about shootouts, here is another one…East Central topped Arkansas Tech 58-56. The teams combined for just shy of 1,100 yards of offense. Eighteen of 25 total possessions resulted in points with each team punting only once. Sergio Kennedy passed for 420 yards and 4 TD for ECU. Tracy Daniels led Arkansas Tech with 175 rushing yards and 4 TD.
One more…Western New Mexico 61, Eastern New Mexico 55. The Mustangs rushed for 419 yards and the Greyhounds tallied 335 yards on the ground. Western’s Devon Nofoa-Masoe led all players with 201 yards on the ground.
Thay's all for now. Be sure to tune into Inside D2Football, Sunday night at 8pm, eastern.
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