There were upsets aplenty on Saturday in the first round of the DII football championship. There were wild game-changing (or in Benedict’s case, game-winning) plays and a comeback or two. Simply put, the first round didn’t disappoint.
2025 DII football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores
There were 16 winning teams on Saturday, and seven of them were unseeded. That is one more than last year's bracket, which set records in the upset department. We are guaranteed at least two unseeded teams playing for a super regional championship. While powerhouses like Ferris State and Harding did what was expected, the rest of the of this tournament has been rather unexpected.
Super Region One
This was the part of the bracket where it seemed the higher seeds may have been the safest. Instead, only No. 1 Kutztown remains as Frostburg State, Assumption and Cal (PA) are all moving on in upset fashion.
Both CIAA teams drew home seeds, and neither was able to use it to their advantage. Frostburg State went into No. 2 Johnson C. Smith, fresh off its first CIAA championship since 1969, looking for its first-ever DII tournament win. The Bobcats walked away with just that, stunning JCSU 21-7. This one was never really in doubt, as Christian Taylor helped lead a relentless defensive attack, chipping in four sacks and a forced fumble. The defense also forced two interceptions, the first game all season Golden Bulls’ quarterback Kelvin Durham threw more than one pick. KJ Smothers put the game away rushing for 115 yards and all three touchdowns.
Frostburg State will play Cal (PA), which upset No. 3 Virginia Union. The Vulcans held Curtis Allen in check — well, as much of check as one can hold Allen. Allen ran for 128 yards and one touchdown, as Vulcans quarterback Roman Purcell countered with two rushing touchdowns in the win. This makes for a very interesting Round 2. Frostburg State and Cal (PA) met on Nov. 1, and the Vulcans won a tight one 31-26. It is always tough to beat a team twice in the same football season… do the Cinderella Bobcats now have an edge?
Kutztown posted its third shutout of the season for DII football’s second-best scoring defense. Lee Coleman was a huge factor on the defense with a fumble recovery, interception and pass breakup, while Freddie Retter had two of the Golden Bears' five sacks. They will face Assumption, which upset Indiana (PA), 23-20. This is a rematch from Week 1, when Kutztown utterly dominated the Greyhounds, 51-14. This Kutztown defense is cooking and is now allowing 9.58 points and just 244.8 yards per game. It is hard to envision anyone but the Golden Bears winning Super Region One, but there are more underdogs than top seeds. We are guaranteed at least one unseeded team in the Super Region One finals. Let’s not anoint Kutztown too easily just yet.
Super Region Two
One of the craziest endings in DII football championship history happened right here in Super Region Two. Benedict, which was down 24-0 in the third quarter to a tough Wingate defense, came storming back and down 24-19 with seconds remaining, the unthinkable happened.
So this just happened after Wingate was up 24-0..and then..Benedict battles back..and then this slick last play. Craziest finish I’ve seen a long time. Benedict wins 25-24.
— Matt Witwicki (@WittD2Football)
The wild comeback helped Benedict exorcise some demons. The Tigers were the No. 1 seed in Super Region Two in both 2022 and 2023, and both times lost their first game. This time destiny had other plans. And speaking of destiny, with Albany State (GA) winning a thriller over Valdosta State, we have a SIAC rubber match in the second round.
Albany State was in a back-and-forth battle with Valdosta State, trailing in the third quarter, but quarterback Isaiah Knowles led the charge, converting for two scores (one passing, one rushing) in the second half to come from behind and help the Golden Rams advance. The defense clamped down and didn't allow the Blazers' red-hot offense to score at all in the second half. Now, the Golden Rams and Tigers square off for the third time this season and just two weeks after Albany State downed Benedict 21-16 in the SIAC championship. The Golden Rams are 2-0... beating the same team, especially one as good as Benedict, three times in the same season is a tall order. Is there another upset on the horizon?
The bottom portion of this bracket went as expected. West Florida blew out North Greenville and Newberry handled Kentucky State quite easily. That sets up a matchup between the No. 2 Argos and No. 3 Wolves, which, if both play to their capabilities, could be one of the best games of the whole tournament. Both teams are on a mission. West Florida barely missed the tournament last year with a 7-3 record, while Newberry turned around two years of struggling to sub-.500 records into one of the strongest seasons in all DII.
Super Region Three
Here we go again. You give Minnesota State an inch in November, and they'll go 100 yards... quite often, may I add. Minnesota State rolled over No. 2 Findlay in Round 1, winning by 23 points in a game that was never really in doubt outside of the first three minutes of play. The Mavericks rolled up 372 yards and 37 points on DII football's fifth-best scoring defense (14.25 points per game), fifth-best total defense (259.9 yards per game) and piled up 139 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns on DII's second-toughest rush defense (57.4 yards per game). That Minnesota State magic is once again in full effect.
The Mavs will have another very tough situation on their hands next week. This scorching hot Greyhounds' offense was up 30-0 at the half and finished with 57 points in a 43-point trouncing of Truman. It was the fifth time in the past seven weeks that this offense surpassed 55 points. Gavin Sukup was sensational again, throwing for 339 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. I don't think the Mavericks can slow down this offense, but when on, their offense can certainly keep up. This could be a good ol-fashioned November shootout.
The other matchup will pit two former GLIAC rivals against one another. Ashland's defense was perhaps the most impressive in the first round. That shouldn't be a surprise as the Eagles have one of the best units in the land. They held Kyle Walljasper in check and their sack superstars, Elisha Baldridge and Michael Shimek, combined for four sacks and a forced fumble. The Bulldogs were held to 95 yards rushing and 247 total yards, both of which were the lowest of the season. Ashland will face their old GLIAC foe, Ferris State, which scored the most points in the first round with 65. Chase Carter had a ball, throwing for 133 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 152 yards and two more scores. Carson Gulker ran for 100 yards, caught three receptions for 38 yards and scored twice, while Brady Rose rushed for two touchdowns, caught a pass and completed a pass. Sometimes it feels like there is just no way to stop this team.
Super Region Four
Two more upsets rampaged through Super Region Four, and there was nearly a third as Pittsburg State scored halfway through the fourth quarter to take the lead and hold off upstart Chadron State. Kudos to the Eagles; they trailed 14-3 late into the third quarter against a pretty stout defense. This team, which has essentially zero big-game experience, refused to go away, fought back and took a 17-14 lead late into the game. Timely sacks and three big interceptions — two of which came from Jordan Rodgers — proved too much for the Eagles, and Pittsburg State advances to face Harding.
Harding did Harding things and eliminated Northwest Missouri State 38-16. The Bearcats snapped Harding's four-game run of 500 yards rushing, but the Bisons still piled up 427 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. And kudos to the Bearcats. They had not one, but two players rush for over 100 yards against a team that allowed just 96.8 yards rushing per game all season. They came on two big touchdown runs, something the Bisons hardly ever allow. It was Harding's first-ever postseason win over the Bearcats in five tries, and now have MIAA champions Pittsburg State on deck. This is a rematch from last year's first round where Harding trounced Pittsburg State 48-3.
The bottom half of the bracket pits two upset kings against each other. UT Permian Basin came out and manhandled CSU Pueblo, 37-24. The score was not as close as it seems, as this game was 30-3 late in the third quarter until the ThunderWolves strung together some scores. It was the Falcons first-ever playoff win and if Kanon Gibson plays next week like he did this week (343 yards passing, 51 yards rushing, five total touchdowns and no turnovers), the Falcons can keep rolling.
They'll face Western Colorado, who slowed down the Central Washington offense and held them in check all game. A late pick-six by Central Washington in the first half made it a ball game, but Western Colorado was really in control the whole game. The Wildcats could hardly get their offense going and settled for field goals more often than preferred, a certain recipe for losing in the postseason. Mountaineers quarterback Drew Nash did what he had to do to win, throwing for 192 yards and two scores, while picking up 47 important yards on the ground, including another touchdown. Western Colorado now faces UTPB, a team it has only faced twice in its history. The two have split the series, and both games have been separated by one score. Expect a good one Saturday.
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