5 DII football games to watch this weekend

We are two weeks in, and it has already been a wild DII football season. Top 10 teams have fallen two weeks in a row, and even more top 25 upsets have transpired. Are there more of the upsets in the wings in Week 2?

As a national beat writer, I need to have eyes on every game each weekend. However, when it comes down to focusing on which games I really want to watch closely, I tend to pick five per week that stand out. This week, I’ll share those games with you until the tournament begins, trying to point out exactly why I find each of these games so interesting.

DII football 101: Latest Power 10 | Player of the year watchlist | DII in the NFL 

Wayne’s 5 can’t-miss games: Week 2

Ashland at UIndy. UIndy is in a must-win situation, while Ashland continues to climb the national rankings. This is a matchup with early postseason implications — the Greyhounds cannot start their DII slate 0-2, while for Ashland, now in Super Region Three, every win over a ranked team matters.

Ashland opened its season last week against Indiana (PA), finally picking up a win against the Crimson Hawks. The Eagles took some time to gel with a somewhat new-look offense, but defensive end Michael Shimek recorded 3.5 sacks (half a sack shy of his own program record) to help the comeback victory. UIndy lost in a shootout to Findlay after a dominating Week 1 victory against non-DII Marion. We know these Greyhounds can score, averaging 40 points per game through their first two. Quarterback Gavin Sukup was strong even in defeat, throwing for 255 yards and totaling three touchdowns.

• Matchup to watch: Shimek against UIndy offensive line and Sukup. Sukup isn't a dual-threat quarterback per say, but he is no tree either. Shimek lives in opponents' backfields, but Sukup has the agility to elude him.
• Number to know: 21-13. That is Ashland's all-time record against UIndy, so history is against UIndy this weekend. 

Grand Valley State at Pittsburg State. The magnitude of this game for the Gorillas is simple: One more loss and the season is in dire straits. The Gorillas should be applauded for the grueling schedule they planned for 2025, but thus far, it has been a challenge. They lost by two scores to Ferris State and a tight one against fellow MIAA favorite Central Oklahoma last week. Two losses to two nationally ranked teams are not a death sentence, but three? That will be hard to come back from — especially with Fort Hays State looming in Week 4.

For Grand Valley State, it is the Lakers' first big test of the season. They rolled Lincoln (PA) in Week 1 and battled Black Hills State in Week 2. This was the start they needed with a very new-look offense. We now know these Lakers can score, having put up 93 points in their first two games. Redshirt-freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster is averaging 321 yards per game with seven touchdowns to just one interception in leading a rather efficient offense thus far.

• Matchup to watch: The Gorillas defense against Schuster. Thus far, the Gorillas have been unable to stop the run but are only allowing 156 yards per game through the air forcing two interceptions, with quarterbacks accounting for only one score. This is a good test for the young Schuster against a playoff-proven team.
• Number to know: 11/25/2023. That was the first and only matchup against these two powerhouses — and was it a good one. The second round playoff game saw a furious 10-point, fourth quarter comeback from Grand Valley State to win and advance.

Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth. We are only two games in, but these two teams look like they are the teams to beat in what should be another tough NSIC gauntlet. There is no love lost here — Minnesota State may have the more glamorous postseason tournament record, but Minnesota Duluth has been in charge, winning three of the last four matchups, including the last two. 

If defense wins out, the Bulldogs have an advantage. This is a showdown of the NSIC's top-ranked scoring offense (Minnesota State is averaging 48.0 points per game) and top-ranked scoring defense (the Bulldogs have allowed just one touchdown in each game). We can argue whether Duluth's quarterback Kyle Walljasper is the best overall player on the field, but he is without question the most athletic. One of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in DII for two years running, Walljasper has thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for two more while only turning it over twice. 

• Matchup to watch: Wide receiver TreShawn Watson against the stingy Duluth defense. No one has stopped Watson yet (he is averaging 134 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game), but this is the toughest D he's faced yet.
• Number to know: Three. The Mavericks entered the season as No. 3 in the D2 Football media poll, a tad higher than I had them in the preseason. Thus far, they have showed why — can they maintain that this week against a red-hot Bulldogs' squad. 

Tiffin at Ferris State. There are two teams left on Ferris State's schedule that could potentially give the Bulldogs trouble, and Tiffin is one of them (of course, archrival Grand Valley State is the other). That said, this is a much bigger test for Tiffin than it is for Ferris State because the Bulldogs look unbeatable. 

Ferris State has scored 97 points already this year while allowing 23. As discussed in this week's Power 10, the Bulldogs may have the best offensive line they have ever had, which will make life so much easier for Wyatt Bower, Brady Rose and company. The reason I think Tiffin can at least hang for a little bit is that the Dragons have true DII playmakers in running back Ronald Blackman, quarterback Alex Johnson and wide receiver Ethan Holbrook. That said, I don't know that Ferris State still doesn't win this game by two scores.

• Matchup to watch: Blackman against the Ferris State front seven. The Bulldogs have allowed 128 yards on the ground in two games this year. Blackman averaged 125.9 yards per game last year and had a solid 88-yard performance last week. He needs to help Tiffin keep the Bulldogs' offense off the field. 
• Number to know: Four. Ferris State has won three of the last four national championships, and each one of those championship teams had a different starting quarterback. So far, Bower looks like he could be the fourth different quarterback to lead the Bulldogs to a title. The dual-threat quarterback has thrown for 332 yards, rushed for 206 yards and is responsible for six touchdowns and no turnovers.

UPSET WATCH: Emory & Henry at Lenoir-Rhyne. The Wasps improved from a 5-6 team in 2023 to 9-2 last year, finishing on the cusp of the regional rankings. One of those nine wins was an upset over then-No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne. There is no reason to think that it can't happen again.

This has the makings of an upset because the Bears are ranked No. 17 in the D2 Football poll, but Emory & Henry isn't far behind. The Wasps are 2-0, outscoring their opponents 80-24. Lenoir-Rhyne is going through some learning curves, having to replace one of the best quarterbacks in program history. After an opening weekend loss to West Florida, the Bears sure looked like they righted the ship last week: Khamoni Robinson threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns in a 28-7 win. 

• Matchup to watch: The Wasps' rushing attack vs. Lenoir-Rhyne. Emory & Henry's Jordan Jackson is off to a fast start 253 yards on the ground, while quarterback Charles Mutter III is also an effective weapon in the ground attack, adding 145 yards rushing and five touchdowns already. The Bears have been nearly doubled up on the ground this year, 413-210, so this is the matchup that can dictate the outcome. 
• Number to know: 106. That's LJ Turner's total rushing yards through two games. Lenoir-Rhyne has been a successful passing team so far; however, LJ Turner — who transferred to Lenoir-Rhyne from Catawba — is coming a 1,224-yard, 13-touchdown season. Look for the Bears to get him going this weekend.