It is crunch time for the DII football season. For several, such as Chardon State and Carson-Newman, the playoffs have already begun. One loss could see either (and several others) fall out of the next regional rankings.
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This week, there are several games that can help shine a brighter light on some automatic qualifiers and completely disrupt . Let's zoom in closer and see what to makes these five games so important to the bracket.
Wayne’s 5 can’t-miss Week 10 games: Week 10
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Virginia State at Virginia Union, 1 p.m.
They claim Virginia is for lovers, but there is no love lost here. This is the 116th matchup between the two, making it the third-most played rivalry in the history of DII football, and there are often playoff implications on the line. Virginia State was not in the latest regional rankings, but Virginia Union was No. 2 in Super Region One with Johnson C. Smith right on its tail. This is a must-win for the Panthers heading into the CIAA championship game next weekend.
Matchup to watch: Rahsaan Matthews Jr. vs. the Panthers defense. If the Trojans are going to win this game, it is going to be on the arm of their star quarterback. Matthews is among the CIAA leaders in passing yards (2,216), passing touchdowns (20) and completion percentage (62.5) — and he has also rushed for 418 yards and three touchdowns. Virginia Union has a stingy pass defense, allowing 175 yards per game to quarterbacks. That is well below Matthews Jr.’s 246.2 yards per game average, so if he can do what he does, the Trojans could pull off the mighty upset.
Number to know: 1,927. That’s the total number of rushing yards Curtis Allen has with at least two games remaining. It is the second-most in all college football, trailing Division III’s Montie Quinn by one yard. Allen has run for no fewer than 185 yards in each of his last six games, eclipsing the 200-yard mark four times. His 25 touchdowns are the most at any level, and he has just one game this season where he hasn’t score more than once.
Carson-Newman at Newberry, 1 p.m.
This game carries tremendous implications for Super Region Two. Newberry was No. 4 in the second regional rankings and Carson-Newman was No. 8. While a loss is not the end of the road for the Eagles, they will need quite a bit of help if they can’t walk away victorious over the Wolves. Newberry is looking to get back into the tournament since 2021 after back-to-back losing seasons, and a win here almost ensures it will.
Matchup to watch: Reed Charpia against the SAC’s top scoring defense. Carson-Newman allows 14.6 points per game, five points better than the second-best team in the SAC. Charpia has been a pleasant breakout in his first full season under center for the Wolves. He’s averaging 268.3 yards per game and has thrown 20 touchdowns and just one interception while completing 70 percent of his passes, a top-10 mark in the division. If the Wolves' defense can slow down DII’s 11th-best rushing offense (the Eagles run for 243.5 yards per game) and get the ball into Charpia’s hands, they can run — or pass — away with this one.
Number to know: 3. That’s how many wins Newberry had last year. The Wolves went 3-7 and even lost to NAIA champion Keiser. This year, the Wolves are one of the best stories in DII, sitting at 8-1 with big wins over regionally ranked Wingate and Emory & Henry.
Findlay at Ashland, 1 p.m.
Findlay is one of six remaining undefeated teams standing in DII. Standing in the Oilers' way of being 10-0 is Ashland, a team that is in the top 25 and regional rankings, as well as being undefeated in the G-MAC. While it is unofficial, this is pretty much the G-MAC championship game.
A win by Findlay would give the Oilers victories over UIndy and Ashland. While anything can happen next week, it is very hard to see Findlay not locking up the No. 2 seed in Super Region Three with a victory here. Conversely, Ashland has 1-9 Lake Erie remaining after this. Should the Eagles win and finish the season 10-1, they could jump as high as No. 3, and potentially No. 2 depending on what UIndy does. Got all that? Simply put, there is a lot riding on this game.
Matchup to watch: The defenses. This may be a good old-fashioned slugfest. Findlay allows 12.0 points per game, the third-fewest in DII. Ashland allows just 15.0 points per game, the ninth-fewest in the division. Ashland has DII’s sack leader in Michael Shimek (13.5) and fellow defensive end Elisha Baldridge (7.5 sacks) making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, while Findlay will look to shut down the running game with DII’s second-best rushing defense (47.6 yards per game).
Number to know: 2. That is how many times that Findlay has beaten Ashland in its last 12 tries. Ashland has won three in a row, two of which were pretty convincingly. This is a very different Findlay team, and a win here gives the Oilers 10, a number they haven't reached since 2017 — the last season they made the bracket.
Minnesota State at Augustana (SD), 2 p.m.
Super Region Three is very deep. How deep is it? Augustana is 9-0 and currently the No. 5 seed. Now, the Vikings have not played the toughest schedule, which hurts them for the moment, but a victory over their rival Mavericks could boost them up the ladder. For Minnesota State, a loss could be the end of the line, depending on what teams like Upper Iowa, Northwood and Michigan Tech do.
Matchup to watch: Rich Lucero Jr. vs. the Minnesota State pass defense. The Mavericks have the top scoring defense in the NSIC, allowing 16.4 points per game. They are also unfriendly to opposing quarterbacks with the best pass defense in the conference, allowing 173.2 yards per game with a 6:13 touchdown-to-interception ratio. This is the biggest game of Lucero Jr.'s career. The freshman took over as starter on Oct. 4, and through four games he has showed veteran poise by passing for 896 yards, 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Let's see if the Mavericks can disrupt his play.
Number to know: 34. That is the number of yards Matthew Jaeger kicked the ball for the game-winning field goal as time expired the last time these two faced. It was in the first round of the playoffs, when Minnesota State scored twice in the final minute and a half to come from behind and advance, sending the higher-seeded Vikings home. It's safe to say those Vikings that were there last year remember that... and will use it to fuel the fire.
Western Colorado at Chadron State, 3 p.m.
This RMAC is still a three-headed race, and this week should provide more clarity. Chadron State is currently 7-0 in conference play and tied atop the RMAC standings with CSU Pueblo. Western Colorado is right behind at 6-1 after last week's loss to the ThunderWolves. Obviously, a loss by the Mountaineers takes them out of contention in the RMAC and severely hampers their playoff chances.
Chadron State is currently No. 7 in the regional rankings, but No. 9 in the field of 32 projections. While the Eagles are enjoying one of their best seasons in program history, their final two games are against Western Colorado and CSU Pueblo. A win here keeps them in the hunt, but the Eagles have not had an eight-win season since 2014. They also haven't beaten the Mountaineers since 2018.
Matchup to watch: Chadron State. This is pretty simple. One can argue this is the biggest game the Eagles have played in since 2014... if not earlier. There is a lot of inexperience in meaningful football games, so how will these Eagles react to the RMAC's best scoring defense, which also happens to be No. 6 overall in DII with Western Colorado allowing just 14.6 points per game? Conversely, the experience runs deep with the Mountaineers, as star, dual-threat quarterback Drew Nash has led Western Colorado to the tournament in consecutive seasons.
Number to know: 4. That's how many times Chadron State linebacker Logan O'Brien has won RMAC defensive player of the week this season. He will be the key in slowing down the Drew Nash express. He leads the RMAC with 14 tackles for a loss and five sacks and also leads the Eagles with 62 tackles and two interceptions. The Mountaineers better keep an eye on O'Brien all day.
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