Division II Football Notes and Thoughts on College Football Every Day

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September 5th:

  • Last night two teams that are familiar with each other from their NJCAA days, faced off as they both transition to NCAA Division II football. The Monroe Mustangs won their first NCAA football game, while the Lackawanna Falcons can say that they played in their first NCAA football game. Monroe beat Lackawanna 20-12.

  • Traditionally played as the season finale in November, the historic college football rivalry between the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and the Clark Atlanta University Panthers has been moved to Labor Day weekend this year. Clark Atlanta has taken home the Big Cat Trophy the last two seasons. The two schools are a half mile apart and share the Atlanta University Center throughout the academic year.

  • Tonight will be the 104th all-time meeting between Pitt State and Emporia State in a series that dates all the way back to the 1915 season. The Gorilla-Hornet series is the ninth-longest rivalry in NCAA Division II football. Pitt State holds a commanding 66-35-2 advantage in the series and the Gorillas are 37-8 in their last 45 meetings against ESU.

September 4th:

  • It wasn’t surprising that Western Colorado beat Angelo State for the first-time ever (Rams lead 8-1), but I was surprised that the game was close - especially with Angelo State playing in an elevated stadium.

  • Harding beat up on Northwestern Oklahoma, 76-0, and that’s only because the game was called pretty early in the fourth quarter. The Bison amassed a school-record 747 yards of total offense (608 of it on the ground), while not allowing the Rangers to get a first down! In fact, NW Oklahoma had -26 yards of total offense…

  • CSU-Pueblo extended their Division II-leading road win streak to 16 consecutive wins with a balanced offensive attack and strong defensive performance at Fort Hays State. The ThunderWolves came away with a 35-17 non-conference victory.

August 30th:

  • Yesterday, West Virginia Wesleyan ended a 35-game losing streak that dated to October 22, 2022. The Bobcats endured three straight winless seasons and their last win was so long ago, it was over Alderson-Broaddus, a school that no longer exists.

  • In their win over Gannon, Davenport rushed for 420 yards, with Cephus Harris getting 351 yards on 26 carries. The team and individual totals were new school records. 

  • Benedict got a very impressive 32-10 win over defending CIAA champ Johnson C. Smith. The Tigers defense was physical and their offensive attack was balanced.

  • And Western Oregon showed that they might be the best team in the Lone Star Conference this year as they came up with a key road win over Colorado School of Mines.

August 29th:

  • There were only two games played last night in Division II - and instead of two competitive non-conference games, we got two statement games. Northeastern State (OK) dismantled what was supposed to be a solid Delta State team, 52-0 while unranked Lenoir-Rhyne handled #14 Virginia Union easily, 45-3.

  • In another statement game, Ferris State went on the road and beat #4 Pittsburg State, 42-14. The Bulldogs could be on their on to back-to-back-to back national titles!

  • Morehead State erased a 34-12 deficit with a trio of fourth-quarter passing touchdowns, but the Eagles ultimately saw their fate fall by the wayside in triple overtime as MSU fell to Ohio Dominican 42-40, a team that is expected to finish in the bottom half of the G-MAC.

  • Meanwhile, South Dakota Mines opened the 2026 season with a historic 38-35 upset victory over Drake on Thursday night - as it was their first-ever Division I win!

  • Not all was good for the G-MAC though as Kentucky Wesleyan, who went winless in 2025, lost to their NAIA opponent, Kentucky Christian, 44-24.

  • Michael Engle, the new Saginaw Valley State head coach, got his first-ever win, with a fairly routine effort against McKendree, 48-24, while Carson-Newman overcame a 17-point second-quarter deficit against a tough Tiffin team, to give new head coach Tyler Almond his first-ever win as a college head coach.

August 27th:

  • Seven matchups tonight with FCS teams: Ohio Dominican at Morehead State, Anderson (SC) at Furman, Concord (WV) at Davidson, Glenville State at Elon, UVA Wise at Presbyterian, Winona State at St. Thomas, and South Dakota Mines at Drake.

  • Ferris State, the winner of back-to-back Division II national championships and the current owners of a 30 consecutive wins, visit Pittsburg tonight. The Gorillas were the last team to beat the Bulldogs, 19-3 in 2024.

  • Slippery Rock hasn't lost its home opener since 2005, winning its first home game of the season in each of the last 19 seasons, but that streak is in jeopardy when they host the 12th ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. A great matchup!

  • Tonight’s pillow fight might be the game between former RMAC opponents, Adams State and Western New Mexico. Combined, they were 2-20 in 2026, with both wins belonging to Western New Mexico - and one of them was over Adams State.