Tyson Bagent made DII football history and a pair of undefeated teams fell.
DII FOOTBALL HUB: News, rankings, stats for 2022
In other words, it was just another wild weekend in DII football. Let's get right to it.
Ferris State ends Davenport's undefeated run
The defending champs have played a very tough schedule and that continued this past Saturday against the surprising Davenport Panthers. Ferris State showed why it is a powerhouse, utterly dominating Davenport 28-7.
The defense put on a clinic, holding Davenport to just 24 yards rushing and a mere 183 yards in total. They forced two interceptions, one of which was returned to the house, and got to the quarterback three times, including Caleb Murphy's 16.5 sack of the season. While Ferris State won't win the GLIAC once again this season, it may be the best non-No. 1 seed in the field.
West Georgia's wild comeback leads to upset over undefeated Delta State
West Georgia went into Delta State's house needing a big win. The Wolves left with a stunning victory, defeating the Statesmen 52-42 thanks to a furious fourth-quarter comeback and quarterback Harrison Frost's monster day.
The Wolves trailed 42-24 with 10:45 remaining in the game. Frost then took over, throwing three touchdown passes of 24 yards, 43 yards and the game-winner from 29 yards out with just five seconds remaining. He finished the day with 503 yards passing while adding another touchdown on the ground earlier in the game. Meanwhile, his counterpart Patrick Shegog totaled 367 yards and six touchdowns for Delta State in a premier quarterback battle. The Wolves put one more score on the board as Delta State tried a few laterals on the ensuing kickoff and scored 28 points in the quarter to take down the No. 7 team in the previous Power 10 rankings.
Newberry upsets Wingate in the wild South Atlantic Conference
One week after being upset by Limestone and bounced from the top 25, Newberry goes into Wingate and upsets the Bulldogs one week after Wingate makes its top 25 entrance at No. 20/21.
If you know Wolves' football, you know it means running back Mario Anderson needed to have a big day for Newberry to win. Anderson came through yet again with 184 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Harlon Hill Trophy candidate has no fewer than 171 yards rushing in any game over the past four weeks. This week Newberry will host Mars Hill in the SAC championship.
Wayne State (Neb) picks up huge win over Sioux Falls
The Wildcats entered this weekend ranked No. 6 in Super Region Four. Sioux Falls was right ahead of them. That will change, as Wayne State walked away winners 31-24.
Quarterback Nick Bohn led the charge, accounting for all the Wildcats' touchdowns. He threw for three and rushed for another, while rushing for 115 yards as well. Per usual, the Cougars were powered by Thuro Reisdorfer, who had yet another 100-yard day while adding a pair of touchdowns to his impressive 2022 resume. With three losses, Sioux Falls playoff hopes become very tough, while Wayne State will have MSU Moorhead in a must-win battle in a tightly contested Super Region.
The 2022 DII football Power 10 rankings: Week 10
No. 1 Grand Valley State | Previous: 1: Another week, another big win for the Lakers. They are now a top-10 scoring offense (No. 9 at 40.9 points per game) and a top-10 scoring defense (No. 4 with 10.22 allowed per game). Grand Valley State has a big matchup against Davenport next week — a team looking to make a statement to close the season.
No. 2 Angelo State | Previous: 2: The Rams pulled out a gritty victory this week in comeback fashion. Angelo State went into the half trailing 9-0 but outscored Central Washington 22-3 in the second half to improve to 10-0. Another tricky test awaits next week in Midwestern State as the Rams look to close out a tough Lone Star Conference schedule with a perfect record.
No. 3 Shepherd | Previous: 3: Tyson Bagent is now officially in a league of his own. With his 149th career touchdown pass he surpassed East Stroudsburg's Jimmy Terwilliger for the most touchdown passes in DII football history. It was one of four touchdown passes on the day for the reigning player of the year. Shepherd moves to 10-0 on the season and looks to finish the year perfect with a win in next week's PSAC championship game against Indiana (Pa).
No. 4 Ferris State | Previous: 4: The Bulldogs' defense has been outstanding, and Murphy is certainly a defensive player-of-the-year candidate. Ferris State closes against Wayne State (MI) and awaits to see what seed it will get in the bracket. Whatever it is, it is unfamiliar territory playing a first-round game, which it hasn't done all that much recently.
No. 5 Ouachita Baptist | Previous: 5: As if TJ Cole doesn't do enough, the star running back threw for a touchdown this week. Oh, don't worry, he also rushed for 143 yards and two more touchdowns and has now eclipsed the 100-yard mark six weeks in a row while scoring multiple touchdowns five weeks in a row. What should be a thrilling Battle of the Ravine against Henderson State awaits next week.
No. 6 Pittsburg State| Previous: 6: Washburn, missing its star quarterback, made the Gorillas work for this one, but in the end, Pittsburg State improved to 10-0 and locked up the MIAA title. The Gorillas outgained Washburn by more than 150 yards in this one. One last game against Fort Hays State awaits before the selection show.
No. 7 Colorado School of Mines| Previous: 9: The Orediggers just keep winning and quarterback John Matocha just seems to be getting better each week — which is scary because he was already very good. This week, the quarterback threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns... his seventh-consecutive 300-yard day. The Mines close out the regular season against Fort Lewis.
No. 8 West Florida | Previous: 8: It may be unfair the Argos don't climb a spot, but they needed to really grit one out against Valdosta State. At the end of the day, West Florida won 32-31 in overtime and if Delta State loses next week, it still has a chance to win the Gulf South Conference.* Byron Jarrett had a monster game, throwing for 309 yards, rushing for 121 yards, and tossing four touchdowns. West Florida closes against Mississippi College which has given the best teams in the GSC absolute fits this season.
(*=UPDATE: The final games for West Florida and Delta State are between conference foes, but are in fact NOT considered conference games. Thus, Delta State and West Florida are co-GSC champions no matter next week's outcome.)
No. 9 Delta State | Previous: 7: I'm leaving Delta State in the top 10 and will probably take some heat for it. The bottom line is West Georgia is a top-25 team, and the Statesmen had the Wolves on the ropes for 50 minutes. Sure, they wound up losing, but what this team has done against ranked teams and away from home this season is what keeps them so highly ranked. The final regional rankings in Super Region Two will certainly be interesting.
No. 10 Slippery Rock | Previous: 10: The Rock was able to hold off Edinboro in this one, but it wasn't easy. It took a fourth-quarter touchdown from Rock running back Chris D'Or — his second to go along with a 100-yard day. Slippery Rock improved to 9-1 and a share of its fourth-straight PSAC West title but miss out on the PSAC Championship due to its loss against IUP. That means The Rock will have their hands full with Kutztown next week in a must-win for seeding.
First five out (in alphabetical order)
- Ashland
- Benedict
- Minnesota State
- Northwest Missouri State
- Virginia Union
Harlon Hill Hopefuls, 2022: Stats that stood out
There was a slew of some of the best performances of the season all in one week this past Saturday. The goal of this list is to track the contenders throughout the season. Now that we are through 10 weeks of the season, there were some serious cuts this week. Also of note, while Toriano Clinton of UIndy is one of the best running backs in DII football, he's simply missed too much time with injury. He has been replaced by Limestone's Tre Stewart.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: The essential guide to the Harlon Hill Trophy
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | WEEK 10 STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Alt | Bemidji State | QB | 320 pass, 3 TD, 14 rush |
| Tyson Bagent | Shepherd | QB | 366 pass, 4 TD |
| TJ Davis | Nebraska-Kearney | QB | 173 pass, 2 TD, 91 rush |
| Ivory Durham | Valdosta State | QB | 196 pass, 117 rush, 3 total TD |
| Braden Gleason | Emporia State | QB | 317 pass, 4 TD, 3 Int |
| Jack Mangel | Concord (WV) | QB | 340 pass, 3 TD |
| Turner Pullen | McKendree | QB | 192 pass, 1 TD |
| Patrick Shegog | Delta State | QB | 287 pass, 80 rush, 6 total TD, 1 Int |
| Mario Anderson | Newberry | RB | 184 rush, 2 TD |
| Ronnie Brown | Shepherd | RB | 120 rush, 2 TD, 44 receiving |
| Jada Byers | Virginia Union | RB | 140 rush, 1 TD, 19 receiving |
| TJ Cole | Ouachita Baptist | RB | 143 rush, 28 pass, 3 total TD |
| Thuro Reisdorfer | Sioux Falls | RB | 135 rush, 2 TD |
| Tre Stewart | Limestone | RB | 218 yards, 2 TD |
| Emanuel Wilson | Fort Valley State | RB | 221 rushing, 3 TD |
| Michael Zeman | Colorado School of Mines | RB | 105 rush, 8 receiving, 2 total TD |
| Jeremiah Bridges | South Dakota Mines | WR | 74 yards, 1 TD |
| Marquis Gray | Southeastern Oklahoma St. | WR | 170 yards, 2 TD |
| James Letcher Jr. | Washburn | WR | 127 receiving, 1 TD |
What else you missed in Week 10 of DII football
- Limestone and Barton put on quite the show on Saturday. The Cinderella season continues for the Saints as they eked out a victory against Barton 34-28. This game featured two of the premier running backs in DII football and man did they deliver. Barton's Jordan Terrell ran for 224 yards and a touchdown while Limestone's Tre Stewart countered with 218 yards and two scores of his own.
- This Concord (WV) offense is something else. Jack Mangel had another monster day with 340 yards passing and three touchdowns, while his star wide receiver Jarod Bowie had a ridiculous day with 229 yards and three touchdowns. Bowie leads DII football in receiving with one week left.
- Minnesota Duluth won a big game against Augustana (SD), playing spoiler to the Vikings playoff aspirations. Augustana, ranked No. 9 in Super Region Four last week, fell 34-24. Bulldogs' quarterback Kyle Walljasper threw for four touchdowns.
- American International won in a stunner, 18-10 over Bentley. It was a big win for the Yellow Jackets as Bentley was ranked No. 9 in Super Region One last week. A fumble return for a touchdown as time expired sealed the deal.
- How about the season from Fort Valley State? The Wildcats won the 32nd Fountain City Classic over Albany State (GA) 31-21. Emanuel Wilson is simply too much for teams to handle, and showed that again this week, rumbling for more than 200 yards and three scores. The win could bump the Golden Rams from Super Region Two rankings come Monday.
- We need to talk more about Henderson State. The Reddies are now 8-2 after dropping a 50-spot this past Saturday. Wide receiver Xavier Malone is a stud, and had another 189 yards receiving this week, bringing his season total to 1,244. They have a win already against Harding and a victory against Ouachita Baptist would cause serious drama in Super Region Three heading into the selection show.
