The first two rounds of the 2024 DII football championship were filled with high drama. There were stunning upsets and multiple last-second victories. The majority of the national quarterfinals were quite the opposite as DII football heavyweights Slippery Rock, Ferris State and Valdosta State dominated their way to the semifinals. Of course, Minnesota State had to wait until the waning seconds of the ball game to win, because what's a week of DII football without the cardiac kids?
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This is becoming all too common for Ferris State. This is the Bulldogs' sixth trip to the semifinals since 2016 — and when you remember there was no tournament in 2020, that means Ferris State has been in 75 percent of the last eight semifinals. This is the third time since 2018 that both Ferris State and Valdosta State are among the final four teams standing, having squared off for the national championship in both 2018 and 2021. It is also the third time Ferris State and Minnesota State have been among the final four teams — the Mavs were part of that 2018 semifinals with Valdosta State and Ferris State, were back again in 2019, and are ready for semifinals action in 2024.
Speaking of Minnesota State...
Another nail-biter from the Mavericks
Minnesota State was looking to extend its legacy and make its third trip to the semifinals in the past six years. Bemidji State was looking to add to its history after winning its first-ever second-round postseason game. This was a hard-nosed battle between two conference rivals with everything on the line.
And it completely delivered.
Minnesota State has won its first two games of this 2024 tournament on the leg of Matthew Jaeger with two game-winning field goals in the final seconds. While this week didn't need his heroics, it still went right down to the final whistle. The Mavericks seemed to answer every Bemidji touchdown and went back and forth until taking their first lead of the game with 11:07 remaining on the clock. The Beavers didn't go away, though, and drove into the red zone where their attempted game-winning drive stalled out with just seconds remaining. Fun fact: one of those touchdown passes tied Mavs' quarterback Hayden Ekern for the most career touchdown passes (72) in Minnesota State history.
Since 2010, Minnesota State has cemented itself as one of the few superpowers of Super Region Four. This is its 10th appearance in the tournament since 2010 and half of those appearances have led to at least the national semifinals.
Former champs alive and well
Super Region Three saw the last two national championships go head-to-head for a spot in the semifinals. In fact, one of these two superpowers has been the Super Region Three representative in the semifinals every year since 2016 — Harding went in 2017 and 2023, and Ferris State all the rest. It had all the makings of potentially the best game in the entire tournament.
Apparently, Ferris State felt differently. The Bulldogs came out and immediately set the tone, stuffing Harding to the tune of a three and out on its opening drive and then driving down the field with big chunk plays to score first. It was 41-0 before Harding scored late in the game. It is the largest loss for Harding in what seems an eternity. The Bisons were bumped from the bracket by Northwest Missouri State 28-9 in 2021, but outside of that, Harding always finds itself in close games. In fact, the Bisons have just 10 losses since 2018 (the Northwest Missouri loss included) and eight of those losses have been by fewer than five points.
The Bulldogs' defense was relentless and held Harding to just 130 yards rushing. That was the fewest yards rushing in nearly a decade since the Bisons ran for just 119 yards against Northwest Missouri State on Dec. 3, 2016. Being able to get Harding in a deep hole with that flexbone offense and limited passing game is the recipe, and Ferris State executed almost flawlessly.
Speaking of former champs, Valdosta State won yet another big one, taking down Virginia Union 49-14. The Blazers are looking to make their seventh national championship game appearance, last winning it all in 2018. Thus far, the Blazers have had little issue, outscoring their opponents 82-31 in the tournament.
A 21-point second quarter, fueled by two of Sammy Edwards four touchdown passes, put the game out of reach. Virginia Union's Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Jada Byers still had a day — rushing for 109 yards and a score, while catching 10 more yards — but he was about the only one, as the Blazers held the Panthers to just 88 yards passing while piling up 636 yards offensively.
Every year that Valdosta State has made the semifinals it has reached the national championship game. Its semifinal opponent — Minnesota State — knows this first-hand. The two met in 2012 in the national semifinals. Two-time NFL Pro Bowler Adam Thielen actually put the Mavs up 10-0 in that game; however, the Blazers came storming back to win 35-19 and eventually, their third national championship.
Harlon Hill Trophy finalists are now DII football semifinalists
Earlier in the week, the eight Harlon Hill Trophy finalists were announced.
Just in: Harlon Hill 2024 finalists
— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2)
Brayden Long, SRU
Chavon Wright, UCWV
Jada Byers, VUU
Sammy Edwards, Valdosta
Trinidad Chambliss, Ferris
Zach Zebrowski, UCM
Reggie Retzlaff, CSU Pueblo
Braeden Fuller, Angelo
Byers had himself a day in a losing effort, but Slippery Rock's Brayden Long, Ferris State's Trinidad Chambliss and Valdosta State's Sammy Edwards are all moving on to next Saturday. Chambliss had yet another monster game, showcasing his athleticism as arguably the best dual-threat quarterback in DII football. He ran for 86 yards and two scores while throwing for 145 yards and two more touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception in the postseason. Edwards threw it for 302 yards — his most since Oct. 5 — and four touchdowns. He hasn't thrown an interception in three weeks.
With Long at the helm, Slippery Rock was finally able to win a game without hyperventilating for 60 minutes. The Rock defeated New Haven 14-7 in Round 1 and then snuck by No. 1 Kutztown 25-24 in overtime last weekend. This week, Long was highly efficient, completing 81 percent of his passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns without turning over the football. That puts Slippery Rock back in the semifinals for the first time since 2019. That year, Slippery Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III was the Harlon Hill Trophy winner... can Long repeat that success?
A win in the semifinals would help. But there are two things of note here. For one, Slippery Rock drew Ferris State. Ferris State is rolling since its opening-day loss to Pittsburg State and won two very decisive victories by shutting down two very potent offenses in Central Oklahoma and Harding. Secondly, just looking at the 2000s, no Super Region One team has won a national championship. In fact, over that same span, only two Super Region One schools — Bloomsburg in 2000 and Shepherd in 2015 — made it to the national championship game. The odds are stacked against Long and The Rock, but then again, they were when they upset No. 1 Kutztown and No. 3 Cal (Pa).
Top performers from the DII football quarterfinals
| Player | Position | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ferris State | 145 pass, 86 rush, 4 total TD |
| Sammy Edwards | QB | Valdosta State | 302 pass, 21 rush, 4 TD |
| Brayden Long | QB | Slippery Rock | 154 pass, 36 rush, 3 TD |
| Jada Byers | RB | Virginia Union | 109 rush, 10 rec., 1 TD |
| Connor Carver | RB | Bemidji State | 137 rush, 2 TD |
| Idris Lawrence | RB | Slippery Rock | 162 rush |
| Rodney Bullard | WR | Valdosta State | 158 rec., 3 TD |
| Logan Ramper | WR | Slippery Rock | 73 rec., 2 TD |
| TreShawn Watson | WR | Minnesota State | 69 rec., 1 TD |
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