Upsets rock the DII football championship second round

The upset train keeps rolling in the DII football championship. The No. 1 seeds returned to action this week after a first-round bye, and they suffered the same fate as the higher seeds did one week prior. Both CSU Pueblo — No. 1 in Super Region Four — and Kutztown — No. 1 in Super Region One — had a short stay in the bracket, both upset in Saturday's action. There is nary a No. 2 seeds remaining, and a combined two Nos. 3 and 4 seeds left. 

That means there are four unseeded teams in the quarterfinals. Since the DII football championship changed its format in 2019 to not seeding the final three teams in each Super Region, only four total unseeded teams have made it to the quarterfinals... in all four years combined. That has been matched alone this year, and we are guaranteed at least one team in the national semifinals thanks to a matchup of unseeded teams in Super Region Four — also a first in this new era of DII football. 

In short, this is the wackiest DII football championship we have seen in a long time. And it's not simply upsets, DII fans. Much like last week's first round, four games were decided in the final minutes — if not seconds — of play. You simply cannot leave your seat during these playoffs... you may miss a comeback for the ages. 

DII FOOTBALL NEWS

⎡⎦ The 2024 bracket
☝🏻 What we learned in the first round of the DII football championship
🚨 Updates, scores and more from the DII football championship
🔮 Wayne Cavadi's bracket
🏈 Most championships in DII football history

No one is safe in the bracket. No ONE.

Slippery Rock Athletics

No. 1 Ferris State and No. 1 Valdosta State survived Saturday's action. Of the six combined Nos. 1 and 2 seeds that played yesterday, they are the only two to do so.

No. 4 Slippery Rock and No. 1 Kutztown played in yet another 2024 DII football championship game that came down to the final play on Saturday. At the end, The Rock rolls on, winning 25-24. This was back and forth the whole way, as these two PSAC powers exchanged scores late into the fourth quarter. Earlier this week, The Rock's quarterback Brayden Long was named a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate, and he showed why on Saturday by engineering the game-tying and game-winning drives with touchdown passes. Long hit Kam Kruze with 1:53 left in regulation for a touchdown and tied it with a two-point conversion to Logan Ramper on the following play. After Kutztown took the lead in overtime, it was Long who connected with Ramper again for the score before winning the game on a walk-off two-point conversion.

FB: WALK IT OFFFFFFFF!!!! Slippery Rock goes for 2 in OT and converts with Dris Lawrence taking the lateral from Mike Solomon and walking in for the win! No. 11 Slippery Rock defeats No. 3 Kutztown 25-24 to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals!!!

— Rock Athletics (@Rock_Athletics)

Minnesota State and No. 1 CSU Pueblo also went back and forth right down to the final seconds. Neither team scored an offensive touchdown until the fourth quarter, and then the fireworks began.  Minnesota State fought hard to get the lead back, scoring consecutive touchdowns in roughly three minutes, only to see CSU Pueblo get its first offensive touchdown three minutes later. Matthew Jaeger tied the game with his third field goal of the day with one minute remaining and a Cade Stingle interception 18 seconds later put Jaeger in position to be the hero once again. It is the second week in a row that the Mavericks scored multiple times in the final two minutes and the second week in a row that Jaeger kicked the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. 

A year of firsts

Not only is this the first time we have seen four unseeded teams in the quarterfinals, but there have been several program firsts along the way. Four years in a row, Bemidji State has made the tournament. And in each of those four years, the Beavers won their first-round game. What they haven't done is win a second-round matchup... until Saturday.

The Beavers looked out of it on Oct. 26, outside of the DII football championship conversation and at risk of seeing their playoff streak end. And then the winning streak started: First came regionally ranked Wayne State (Neb)., then came then-5-4 MSU Moorhead and that explosive offense, and finally the Beavers closed the season with the first of three upsets in a row, taking down nationally ranked Augustana (SD) to secure their playoff hopes. This week, No. 2 Western Colorado suffered the same fate as No. 3 Angelo State did a week prior, falling to the upset-minded Beavers 20-19 and giving Bemidji its first second-round win in program history. It was a 75-yard fumble scoop-and-score that proved to be the game-winner. 

Virginia Union Athletics

Last week, Virginia Union made program history with its first-ever DII football championship victory. This week, the Panthers kept it going, advancing to their first quarterfinals in utterly dominant fashion, going on the road and downing Lenoir-Rhyne 44-12. Harlon Hill Trophy nominee Jada Byers went off for 185 yards and two scores and his backfield mate, Curtis Allen, nearly matched him with 132 yards and two touchdowns of his own. They are the first CIAA team to reach the quarterfinals since Bowie State did in 2021. Bowie State lost to No. 1 Valdosta State that year, the same matchup the Panthers face this coming weekend. Virginia Union has one of the most explosive scoring offenses in DII (No. 9 at 42.1 points per game), but hasn't faced a defense like Valdosta State's (No. 2 in scoring defense, allowing fewer than 10 points per game). Reciprocally, you can argue that Valdosta State hasn't seen an offense like the Panthers, so perhaps there is another upset waiting in the wings.

Perhaps defense DOES win championships

We have seen some tremendous offenses enter the tournament this year, like Charleston (WV), CSU Pueblo and Central Oklahoma. What we have learned is that when push comes to shove, a stout defense will truly have the last word, whether it is in utter domination or simply making the big stop at the right (game-winning) moment. 

Want proof? Top scoring defenses Harding (No. 1), Valdosta State (No. 2) and Ferris State (No. 4) are all still standing. They are also three of the last four national champions. And none of the three had much of a problem advancing to the national quarterfinals next week.

Keeping in this wacky season full of upsets, Harding went into Lubbers Stadium in a heavy downfall of snow and once again rushed its way to victory. The Bisons ran for a lot of yards and allowed very little. Andrew Miller led the Bisons' seven-headed backfield with 202 of the 475 yards rushing and three of the six touchdowns scored on the ground. Defensively, the Bisons held Grand Valley State — which averaged the ninth-most rushing yards per game in DII this season with 232.2 per game — to a mere 44 yards on the ground. This is the second year in a row Harding has eliminated the Lakers from the bracket.

Ferris State Athletics

In another snow bowl down the road from Allendale, Michigan, Ferris State took care of business in dominating fashion. The Bulldogs flexed their postseason might in a 78-17 victory over Central Oklahoma, the most lopsided victory of the postseason. Trinidad Chambliss, another Harlon Hill Trophy candidate, led the charge, throwing for 203 yards, rushing for 116 yards and totaling five touchdowns. The Bulldogs ran wild, amassing 485 yards with Kannon Katzer racking up 200 yards and three of the 10 Ferris State rushing touchdowns.

Now we are set for a showdown of the previous two national champions next week as the Bulldogs host Harding. That game could be 10-7 as easily as it could be 35-32. Harding is the No. 1 scoring offense and defense, while Ferris State is the No. 8 scoring offense and No. 4 scoring defense. These teams are very similar and deep in talent. It will come down to which team makes the last mistake.

Let's not forget Valdosta State. You know, the last undefeated team remaining in the tournament? This game wasn't as close as the 33-17 score may make it appear: Miles scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. The Blazers held Miles to just 83 yards rushing, but more importantly, didn't turn the ball over against a Miles' defense that caused the most turnovers in DII. 

Standout performances from the second round

Cal (PA) nearly had its ticket on the upset train back home. Trailing 33-21 in the fourth quarter, Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Davis Black led a pair of touchdown drives to win a nail-biter 34-33 for the Vulcans. That performance sees Black land as one of the stars of the week. Let's take a look around the Super Regions at the top statistical leaders at quarterback, running back and wide receiver.