Two more DII football Power 10 teams — and five total top 25 teams — fell this weekend. There were thrilling comebacks, upsets galore and tightly fought battles that proved teams' grit. It also led to a shuffled Power 10 rankings and will shake up the .
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No. 4 Grand Valley State was one of the upsets, losing to Pittsburg State 17-14. The Gorillas, of course, entered the season in the Power 10, but fell out after two losses. This was a must win for Pitt State and it delivered. Minnesota Duluth stunned Minnesota State on a 25-yard field goal from Jadon Apgar as time expired. It is the third-straight season the Bulldogs have upset the Mavericks. Elsewhere, No. 15 Virginia Union, No. 19 Delta State and No. 20 Ashland fell as Slippery Rock and yes, even the mighty Ferris State, battled to the very last second to escape the DII football upset train.
This was a particularly hard week to rank, because aside from the upsets, so many top 25 teams were idle. No. 6 Western Colorado was off, as was UT Permian Basin, Central Oklahoma and Central Washington. Do those teams move up simply because others lost?
It's time to find out. If you are new to the Power 10, these are my rankings, which means there is no voting committee. It is just me, my spreadsheets, and endless notes from coaches and other media members. I try to combine the selection metrics — like KPI, strength of schedule and common opponents, just to name a few — with the eye test for a ranking that falls somewhere between the national media polls and the regional rankings that come out in November.
The DII football Power 10: Week 2
No. 1 Ferris State | Previous: 1. Let's hand it to Tiffin; the Dragons never went away. They played Ferris State tougher than anyone else this season, losing by just one score in an exciting 41-34 finish. Quarterback Wyatt Bower had another strong week, completing 232 yards passing for two touchdowns, while rushing for 146 yards and three more touchdowns — the last of which proved to be the game winner.
No. 2 Harding | Previous: 2. The Bisons continue their GAC attack, now 2-0 while outscoring their opponents 104-7. This week, that flexbone offense piled up 436 yards on the ground with five different players scoring a touchdown. Southern Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist should be strong tests over the next two weeks, but it would take a massive upset to stop this herd from rolling.
No. 3 West Florida | Previous: 3. Quarterback Marcus Stokes threw three touchdowns to three different wideouts, while potential All-American and Harlon Hill hopeful Corey Scott led all receivers with 95 yards. The Argos never led by fewer than two scores in another dominating victory. The defense has allowed fewer than 225 total yards two weeks in a row. Things are clicking in Pensacola.
No. 4 Kutztown | Previous: 5. The Golden Bears finished off their fourth shutout since the start of last season in an utterly dominating performance. The defense allowed 212 total yards in a complete victory; there was a special teams score, a long touchdown run from Jaedyn Stewart and a long touchdown pass from Judd Novak. The 0-3 Gannon Golden Knights come to town next weekend and the Golden Bears could have another shutout looming.
No. 5 Western Colorado | Previous: 6. The Mountaineers were idle this week. I don't typically like boosting a team that doesn't play, but Western Colorado had the good fortune of both Grand Valley State and Minnesota State falling this week, so the Mountaineers move on up a spot.
No. 6 Angelo State | Previous: 8. The Rams jump up two spots after they battled their way — and the weather — to victory. The defense made big play after big play (more on them later) while the offense — minus Harlon Hill hopeful Braeden Fuller — ran its way to victory despite the Rams being outgained offensively 313-147. The have an intriguing matchup next week against a Western New Mexico team that has been putting up serious points.
No. 7 Grand Valley State | Previous: 4. Yes, the Lakers hang tough and don't fall too much. The Gorillas defense had the Lakers' number on Saturday night, but the Lakers still fought and only lost by a field goal. Despite that 0-2 record, Pittsburg State is one of the best teams in DII, so the Lakers can't be dinged too much for a tightly contested, defensive battle. They should be back on track next week against Davenport.
No. 8 Slippery Rock | Previous: 9. The Rock were almost a casualty of the DII football upset train, trailing 28-14 to unranked Shepherd late in the fourth quarter. In a stunning move, head coach Shawn Lutz pulled starting quarterback Anthony Vespo and turned to redshirt-freshman DaOne Owens to attempt the comeback. Owens led two touchdown drives in the final three minutes to tie it and then JayJay Jordan punched in his second touchdown of the day to win it in overtime. It keeps The Rock in the top 10 and on the rise.
No. 9 CSU Pueblo | Previous: 10. The ThunderWolves faced their second MIAA team in two weeks and this time prevailed, coming from behind with a late score from Kiahn Martinez to defeat Central Missouri, 29-24. Let's not forget, the ThunderWolves are a blocked extra point away from potentially being 3-0, so I have no problem keeping them in the top 10. Colorado Mesa — which the ThunderWolves have beaten seven straight times — is on deck.
No. 10 Minnesota State | Previous: 7. Yes, the Mavericks lost, but there are a few factors that keep them in the top 10 for at least another week. Augustana (SD) had to come back from a 17-0 deficit to a UMary team it should have handled; Central Oklahoma — a team itching to get back in the top 10 — was off; Minnesota Duluth is a really good football team, so the 17-14 loss should not be a death sentence. TreShawn Watson remains unstoppable with his third-straight 100-yard, one touchdown performance of the season.
The first five out (in alphabetical order)
- Augustana (SD): The Vikings are 3-0 but have been in two close games against teams I feel they should have defeated handily. Still, this is a team transitioning with new-look faces and to start the season perfect — with a thrilling come-from-behind win — is bad news for the NSIC.
- Cal (PA): The Vulcans held off West Chester in a 26-24 victory and are now 2-0 against a nationally ranked team and a PSAC rival. They look like a playoff-bound team once again.
- Central Oklahoma: The Bronchos were off, but keep their spot because they beat Pittsburg State, which finds its way back into the first five out this week.
- Lenoir-Rhyne: The Bears were the potential victims of my "upset watch," but they found a way in an exciting 31-28 win over Emory & Henry decided by a Daniel Deneen Jr. 32-yard field goal as time expired. Quarterback Khamoni Robinson is for real, throwing for 180 yards, rushing for 154 and totaling three touchdowns.
- Pittsburg State: The Gorillas are back in the first five out with that huge win over GVSU. I can't remember a team that has started with a tougher schedule — they have played three ranked teams in a row — and guess what? Next week, nationally ranked Fort Hays State awaits. They win that one, the Gorillas may be back in the top 10.
Fell out: Central Washington
The rest of my top 25 (in order): West Alabama, UT Permian Basin, Fort Hays State, Central Washington, MSU Moorhead, Minnesota Duluth, Michigan Tech, Virginia Union, Tiffin, and in a three-way tie at 25 is UIndy, Ashland and Johnson C. Smith.
Offensive player of the week: Jack Strand, MSU Moorhead (pictured above). I almost went with Michigan Tech's Alex Bueno here, but Strand's numbers thus far are insane. Strand passed for 372 yards this week. It was his third week in a row of passing for at least 319 yards. Strand threw for four touchdowns this week. It was his third week in a row passing for at least four touchdowns. Strand also rushed in a touchdown this week. It was his third week in a row that he was responsible for at least five touchdowns. Though this week was his lowest completion percentage of the season, he also didn't commit a turnover. Through three games he has 1,027 yards passing, 16 total touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 66 percent of his passes.
Co-defensive players of the week: Owen Seaver and Xavier Walton, Angelo State. Seaver was huge in the Rams' win, totaling eight tackles, three of which were for a loss and seven solo. He also sacked the quarterback twice, forced a fumble and recovered it. Walton, a junior defensive back, recorded four solo tackles, recovered a fumble which he returned for 26 yards and picked off a pass that he returned for 42 yards.
Freshman of the week: Wyatt Bower, Ferris State. Bower appears to be the next stat-machine under center for Ferris State. He was particularly impressive being responsible for five scores — including the game winner — with no interceptions. The Bulldogs are in good hands, and Bower seems to be getting even better each week.
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