Thirty-two teams entered the 2025 DII football championship, and just two remain. , it is Ferris State and Harding heading to McKinney, Texas for all the glory. These teams entered the season as No. 1 and No. 2 in the preseason Power 10 rankings, respectively, and did not slip from those spots all season long.
Both Ferris State and Harding dominated their semifinal matchups, proving what we have known for close to a decade. These are two of the elite programs in DII football, and both are playing for their second national championship in the past three seasons. A full preview of the game will come later this week right here on krikya18.com, so today, let's look back at the semifinals and see what we learned ahead of next weekend's big game.
Ferris State tames the Wolves
What more can we say about Ferris State? Now, Newberry was in uncharted territory. The Wolves had never made it this far, and probably hadn't played in the frigid temperatures they experienced in Big Rapids, Michigan on Saturday. Ferris State? The Bulldogs were in their element, and it showed.
The Bulldogs won 49-17 and have now outscored their opponents 222-84 in the tournament. Wyatt Bower returned to the starting lineup and got the party started with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tarick Bower, but it was the running game that took over from there. Redshirt freshman Jake Price had a career day, rushing for 85 yards and three touchdowns. He had just four touchdowns in his entire career up to that point. The takeaway is that these Bulldogs have so much depth, you don't even know which weapon is going to be the dagger in any week.
The defense was simply remarkable. , was under immense pressure all day. The highly efficient quarterback had thrown just six interceptions all season, and these Bulldogs forced him into five interceptions, four of which were in the first half. The Bulldogs scored 28 points off of turnovers in the first half, and, even though Newberry made it close for a brief moment, it was over from that point. It doesn't make sense that teams keep throwing anywhere near Justin Payoute. He has two interceptions in each of his last two tournament games and nine on the season. He is one of the most complete defensive backs in DII and a weapon. It will be interesting to see how Ferris State uses him next week against Harding, as he is also a ferocious tackler.
Harding runs its way back to Texas
Harding was not happy it had to go on the road, and they didn't waste any time sending a message. This game was 21-0 near the close of the first half and Kutztown never stood a chance. This game featured a pair of Harlon Hill trophy candidates in and , and both put on a show.
Despite throwing his first interception of the season, Novak had a monster game against a very tough defense. He threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 137 yards and another score. He knew he had to make the right decisions to keep the Golden Bears in this game, and whether it was with his arm or legs, he did manage to do that often. The game plan wasn't a secret — attack Harding and if it meant playing four-down football, so be it. That was a big difference maker, as Harding held Kutztown to two of five fourth down conversions in big situations.
Miller was unstoppable, as Harding ran for 389 yards. The Bisons are now 141 yards away from being college football's first 7.000-yard rushing team. Miller and Braden Jay both ran for more than 100 yards and a touchdown on Saturday, the fifth time this dynamic duo have done that this season. Miller ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns and heads to the championship game 23 yards shy of a 2,000-yard season. Harding scored seven rushing touchdowns and was 5-for-5 in the red zone. When you allow the Bisons to get comfortable and execute like that, it is going to be a long day for any defense, even Kutztown's second-ranked defense.
Harding is back in McKinney for a second time since its 2023 championship. Can they hang with Ferris State, which has made McKinney ISD Stadium its second home? We'll find out Saturday.
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