Hundred yard rushers were the trend in Week 8 of DII football. Twenty-two of the top 25 teams walked away victorious behind 950 points scored, the second-highest total of the season.
Let's take our weekly look beyond the box scores and break down this week's best numbers.
MORE: AFCA top 25 | Week 7 poll takeaways
The top 25 by the numbers for Week 8
1
Margin of victory by No. 17 Tiffin over No. 25 Ohio Dominican in the only top 25 matchup of the weekend. The Dragons moved to 8-0 behind the 24-23 victory.
2
Top 25 teams that fell this week. No. 25 Ohio Dominican lost the nail-biter to Tiffin, while No. 19 West Florida was upset by a tricky Florida Tech team, 30-28.
Two was also the number of shutouts posted in the top 25. No. 4 Ouachita Baptist recorded its second shutout of the season, blanking Southern Nazarene 41-0. No. 14 Notre Dame (OH) mimicked the Tigers, shutting out West Virginia Wesleyan 41-0 as well.
MORE: 7 of the most dangerous dual-threat QBs in DII
4
Teams that had a duo of 100-yard rushers. In a week full of rushing stars, three schools were able to stuff the stat sheets with a pair of their own. West Chester saw Mark Dukes (132 yards, one touchdown) and Trael Seegars (101 yards, two touchdowns) help the Golden Rams stay undefeated. Indianapolis star sophomore Al McKellar had another big day (137 yards, two touchdowns), but was outdone by Toriano Clinton (182 yards, three touchdowns) on the way to the Greyhounds sixth-straight win. Michael Roots (117 yards, two touchdowns) and Cedric Cooper (112 yards, two touchdowns) propelled Central Washington to scoring the most points this week. Indiana (Pa)'s dual-threat quarterback Lenny Williams, Jr. put up 120 yards and a touchdown, while Justice Evans pumped out 140 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
7
Players that caught a reception for Kutztown in quarterback Collin DiGalbo's huge day. DiGalbo threw for 402 yards, completing a pass to seven receivers. Three of his touchdown passes went to different receivers. He also added 102 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Running back Craig Reynolds joined in the fun completing a touchdown pass to Diego Torres.
MORE: DII football's most scenic stadiums
21
Consecutive wins in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for No. 1 Minnesota State. The Mavericks posted another dominant victory, defeating Bemidji State 42-20.
320
Yards on the ground by Sioux Falls running back Gabriel Watson. Ok, Sioux Falls is outside the top 25 but the running back's season is simply too ridiculous to ignore. Watson has yet to rush for less than 126 yards in a week, and he has also scored at least one touchdown each week of the season. This week he reeled 320 yards and five touchdowns.
With Gabe Watson setting a school single game rushing mark of 320 yards, (5-3, 5-3 NSIC) rolls to 55-21 road win over MSUM. Watson takes over DII lead in rushing & defense has season-high 6 sacks. | | | |
— USF Cougars (@USF_Athletics)
Here is a position by position breakdown of this weekend's standout performers in the top 25.
QUARTERBACKS
| Quarterback | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Collin DiGalbo | Kutztown | 504 total yards, 4 total TD |
| Lenny Williams, Jr. | IUP | 352 total yards, 4 total TD |
| Reilly Hennessey | Central Washington | 351 yards, 4 TD |
| Ben Holmes | Tarleton State | 330 total yards, 4 TD |
| Isaac Harker | Colorado School of Mines | 316 yards, 3 TD |
| Running Back | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Nate Gunn | Minnesota State | 187 yards, 1 TD |
| Cameron Mayberry | Colorado School of Mines | 186 yards, 3 TD |
| Toriano Clinton | UIndy | 182 yards, 3 TD |
| Xavier Turner | Tarleton State | 164 yards, 4 TD |
| Devontae Jackson | West Georgia | 162 yards, 1 TD |
| Kris Oliver | Ouachita Baptist | 151 yards, 2 TD |
MORE: Adam Thielen's college numbers from Minnesota State
RECEIVERS
| Receiver | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Karonce Higgins | Southern Arkansas | 161 yards, 1 TD |
| Austin Paritee | Grand Valley State | 127 yards |
| Justin Arnold | Minnesota State | 123 yards, 1 TD |
| Zimari Manning | Tarleton State | 120 yards, 1 TD |
| Quinton Lewis | Central Washington | 112 yards, 2 TD |
| Brody Oliver | Colorado School of Mines | 112 yards, 1 TD |
Outside the top 25
Bowie State's Amir Hall was at it again. The versatile quarterback threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns while adding 47 more yards on the ground in a huge win over Virginia Union. Panther running back Tabyus Taylor had another big day in the losing effort, putting up 131 yards in the loss.
Slippery Rock's Roland Rivers continued his undefeated run at QB with 217 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 72 yards. Running back Wes Hills stole the show, however. He added to the list of big rushing days, putting up 206 yards and a touchdown.
FB: Let's talk about this guy. Clarion entered the game ranked 11th in the nation in rush defense with opponents averaging 87 yards per game. Clarion hadn't allowed a single 100-yard rusher in seven weeks. Wes Hills just ran for 206 yards. SRU has rushed for 288 yards today.
— Rock Athletics (@Rock_Athletics)
Hillsdale keeps rolling and quarterback Chance Stewart is a big reason why. He had 297 yards passing and two touchdowns this week, adding 58 more yards on the ground.
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