September 19th, 2026 11:30pm
By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com
Here is the roundup from the week three action in Division II football...
Inside the Top 25
No. 1 Ferris State was the only Top 25 team that was idle this weekend. After fly-away trips to Pitt State and Central Washington in the first three weeks of the schedule, the Bulldogs had the weekend off. They will be back at home this coming Saturday hosting Kentucky Christian (NAIA).
Southern Arkansas was hanging around for a half at No. 2 Harding but the Bisons separated in the 3rd quarter and got home with a 52-15 win. Harding rushed for a healthy 449 yards, but did get penalized 12 times for 119 yards.
No. 25 Northern State joined the Top 25 last week but suffered their first loss soon after. The Wolves surrendered 28 second quarter points to No. 3 Minnesota State and never fully recovered. The final stats were more even than the 35-17 score, but the Mavericks’ defense created three critical takeaways.
No. 6 Grand Valley State set a new program record for points scored in a single game in a 96-0 win over Judson. Other than one drive that ended in a fumble, the Lakers scored a touchdown every time they possessed the football. The longest drive took only six plays. Nine scoring drives took three plays or less. That's one of the most wild stats I've ever seen.
No. 7 CSU Pueblo had to wait out a 2.5 hour weather delay to finish off Chadron State, but they left no doubt before or after the interruption. The Thunderwolves won their 18th consecutive road game. Marcellus Honeycutt had two TDs among his seven grabs.
No. 8 Western Colorado had a big second quarter in their road contest at Colorado Mesa and rode it to a 31-17 win. They didn’t have the best day offensively and were outgained 312-283. Special teams and defense created field position and the offense cashed in when they had opportunities.
UNC Pembroke took down No. 9 Valdosta State in a thriller at home, 44-41. This was really three different games within 60 minutes. The opening quarter was a burner with 47 total points. The middle two quarters produced just 3 total points but the action picked up again in the final period with 35 points. Five different players scored touchdowns for the Braves. On paper, this is a sizable upset but its worth remembering that UNCP pummelled Valdosta State last year, 31-0.
No. 10 Central Washington trailed by as much as 14 points in the first half to No. 11 Western Oregon. The Wildcats didn't look like the better team for the first 30-40 minutes but they stayed patient, stuck to their game plan, and started making plays. They surged a head with three unanswered touchdowns from late in the second quarter through late in the third. Both teams traded scores in the final period but Central Washington had enough of a lead to hold on for a hard-earned win. The passing game did most of the work for CWU's offense. Justin Brennan passed for 314 yards and 4 TD. Mason Juregens was the top target, catching 8 balls for 179 yards and a score.
No. 13 Northeastern State had D1 Northern Colorado on the ropes but it got away in the final minutes. Trailing 17-7, UNC scored with 1:30 to play to close the gap to 3. A successful onside kick and a 50-yard field goal later, the game was in OT. The Bears won it in the first OT period, 23-17.
No. 14 Slippery Rock had no problems on the road with a rebuilding Millersville program. Elite 100 running back JayJay Jordan scored five total touchdowns and DaOne Owens was nearly perfect, hitting 21 of 26 passes for 325 yards and 4 TD.
No. 18 IUP survived a scare for the second week in a row. The Crimson Hawks stopped a two-point play in the final minute to hold off Shippensburg, 28-26. After a three game road trip to open the season, IUP will finally play at home next Saturday against Seton Hill.
Fort Valley State took No. 20 Benedict into OT and even surged ahead, 33-27. However, a missed PAT left the door open for Benedict to take the win, and they did. After a perfectly thrown TD strike on the first play of the Tigers’ OT possession, the PAT secured the road victory.
No. 22 Carson-Newman stiff-armed the curse of being a newly ranked team. The Eagles won comfortably on the road at UVA Wise, 42-7. The Eagles had zero passing yards…but an even 500 on the ground. Five different players rushed for more than 50 yards.
No. 23 Northwood blocked a field goal with 0:17 remaining to hold on for a 10-7 win over visiting Hillsdale. The Timberwolves were shutout in the first half, but then held the Chargers off the scoreboard in the final 30 minutes.
No. 24 Lenoir-Rhyne was shutout in the first half by visiting Mars Hill. They eventually got on the board midway through the fourth quarter, but could not muster any more points after a long weather delay. The Bears fall to 2-2. Mars Hill allowed only 16 rushing yards all night.
Around the nation
Shepherd made a strong case for a spot in the Top 25 by pulling away from California in an impressive home win. Cal scored just 3 minutes into the game but the Vulcans were shut out the rest of the day. The Rams posted 21 unanswered in the second half to secure the win. Daryl Harper led the Shepherd offense with 100 receiving yards on just four grabs, including two touchdowns.
Michigan Tech got back in the win column with a dramatic 33-32 OT win over Upper Iowa. Avery Kucharski hit a 50-yard field goal in the final minute of regulation to extend the game. A blocked PAT in the first OT ended up being the difference.
Minot State entered the weekend 0-3 but all three contests were close losses to three teams that have spent at least one week in the Top 25. The Beavers took out their frustrations on Southwest Minnesota with a dominant 59-0 win. They rushed for 445 yards as a team, while holding the Mustangs to 165 total yards.
West Liberty’s most recent winning season was in 2014. The Hilltoppers are currently 3-1 under first year head coach Chad Salisbury. They earned a statement victory on Saturday taking down Frostburg State in overtime, 30-24. Elite 100 running back Hunter Patterson rushed for 199 and two TDs, including the game winner in OT.
Kentucky State picked up a great win over GLIAC member Saginaw Valley State, 21-17. Kendrick Curry led a great defensive effort from the Thorobreds with three tackles for loss and a sack.
West Chester scored on eight out nine possessions and reeled off 30 unanswered in the second half to pull away from Edinboro, 44-24. Colin O’Sullivan was a tidy 14-19 for 231 yards and 2 TD.
Newberry trailed Wingate 7-6 at halftime but owned the third quarter. Wingate pulled close late in the game but the Wolves held on for a 25-22 road win. The Newberry defense came away with three interceptions that helped swing the game in their favor.
In the only Thursday nighter of the week, Charleston overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Concord 41-38. The Eagles trailed by double-digits three different times but scored the game winner with just 0:02 remaining.
Johnson C. Smith reasserted themselves as the team to beat in CIAA with a 20-14 win over Fayetteville State. Trailing 14-13 with seven minutes to play, the Golden Bulls went on a 12 play, 75 yard, game winning drive that used up 6:15.
West Texas A&M scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to rally past Angelo State 27-19. It was the first win of the year for the Buffs while Angelo State remains winless.
Sioux Falls nearly blew a 31-point lead in their road contest at Mary. The Coo led 31-0 in the first half and 34-3 midway through the third. The Marauders then rallied for 31 unanswered points to extend the game. USF collected themselves and won it in the extra frame, their second straight OT victory.
Truman State shook of an 0-3 start to get their first win of the year, 42-14 over Missouri S&T. Dylan Hair passed for 216 yards and ran for 121, with three total touchdowns.
Franklyn Pierce won the battle for New Hampshire, beating their only in-state rival St. Anselm, 56-28. Anthony Johnson carried the load for the Ravens, totalling 226 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
West Virginia Wesleyan trailed West Virginia State 10-7 after three quarters, but the action picked up in the final period. Wesleyan persevered for their second win of the year and first on the road, 28-23. Liam McGuire threw four touchdown passes for the Bobcats.
Ashland held Ohio Dominican to 135 yards and only 6 first downs. The Eagles got their first win of 2026 by a final of 24-3.
Concordia St. Paul scored with just 0:15 remaining to beat Bemidji State 34-31. The Golden Bears won their homecoming game for the first time since 2019. Lincoln Graf passed for 352 yards with 3 TDs.
Shaw had two players break 100 yards rushing in their win over Lincoln. Trey Thorpe went for 108 and Fabian Diggs added 106.
Roosevelt remains perfect. They ran the record to 4-0 with a home win over D3 UW Stout. They’ll stay unbeaten for at least one more week as they will be idle until an Oct. 3 meeting with Michigan Tech.
East Central also stayed unblemished. The Tigers are 3-0 for the first time since 1983.
While we’re celebrating undefeated teams, a mention for Walsh as well. The Cavaliers are 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the GMAC after beating Lake Erie 28-7.
On the other end, Pitt State remains winless after falling to 0-4. The 42-17 loss at Fort Hays is the most demoralizing yet.
Midwestern State put up 708 yards of total offense in an 84-17 beat down of Western New Mexico.
It’s been a tough start to the year for Delta State, but a 21-6 win over D1 Mississippi Valley State is a good start for turning the season around.
That’s the rundown for week three. Feel free to drop me a note at [email protected] if we missed something important.