An athlete is killed by police, after which the rest of this news is secondary. Two top-five upsets, one of which involved a baseball score, heartbreak induced by three placekicking failures (the first of which was with four seconds left on the clock), a bunch of realignment news I forgot to tell you about last week, a major format change and more after the jump.
Gulf South:
#19 Valdosta State 5, at #5 North Alabama 0
Harding 38, at #12 Delta State 35 (Homecoming)
at West Alabama 40, Henderson State 38 (Homecoming)
at Arkansas Tech 35, Southern Arkansas 19 (Homecoming)
at Arkansas-Monticello 31, West Georgia 24 (Homecoming)
Ouachita Baptist – idle
A safety and a field goal was all Valdosta needed to get past UNA on Thursday night; the Blazers’ defense did the rest. Valdosta held UNA to 101 yards of offense, which was their lowest offensive output ever. It was the first time the Lions had been shutout at home since 1997, also against the Blazers. … Harding exploded with four touchdowns in the second quarter to fight off a valiant comeback attempt by the Statesmen. … West Alabama scored as time expired to retake a lead that had been lost just under two minutes earlier on a blocked punt return. WAU’s Deon Williams threw for 388 yards and four TDs, while HSU QB Nick Hardesty racked up 415 yards.
Saturday:
The conference race is now on wide open throttle with the NAU and Delta losses.
#10 North Alabama (6-1, 3-1) at Ouachita Baptist (4-2, 2-2)
Arkansas-Monticello (3-4, 2-3) at #14 Valdosta State (5-1, 3-1)
#22 Delta State (5-2, 4-1) at West Georgia (3-4, 2-3)
Arkansas Tech (3-4, 2-3) at West Alabama (5-2, 3-1)
Harding (3-3, 1-3) at Henderson State (4-3, 3-2)
Southern Arkansas (0-7, 0-5) idle
Realignment: There was a lot of realignment news over the summer which I should have included in Things to Know last week, but inexplicably forgot. For the Gulf South, the impact is that the Arkansas schools (Ouachita, Henderson, Harding, and, you know, the three schools with Arkansas in their names) announced that they’d be leaving the conference after next season. They’ll be forming an as-yet unnamed league with at least some of the Oklahoma schools in the Lone Star Conference. The remaining GSC schools are apparently looking into a move to Division I.
Mid-America:
at #6 Northwest Missouri State 42, Emporia State 28
at #11 Central Missouri 43, #17 Missouri Western 21
Washburn 35, at Pittsburg State 34 (2OT)
at Nebraska-Omaha 41, Fort Hays State 29
at Truman 23, Missouri Southern 6 (Homecoming)
Northwest prevailed thanks to a pair of pick-sixes, and climbed a spot thanks to North Alabama’s loss. The win was Northwest’s 42nd straight conference win, breaking their own league record set from 1997-2001. … Central rode Anthony Stewart’s 224 rushing yards to maintain their half-game lead over Northwest. Central Missouri moved up two spots, while MWSU dropped out of the poll. … The Gorillas had rallied back from a 28-7 halftime deficit to tie the game at 28, and missed two game-winning FG attempts: a 37-yarder with four seconds in regulation, and a 37-yarder in the first OT after picking off a pass at the goal line to hold the Ichabods scoreless. Pittsburg scored on a 25-yard run in the second OT, but missed the PAT, leaving the door open for heartbreak.
Saturday:
Northwest and Central are now firmly in control. November 6 looms large on the calendar.
#5 Northwest (5-1, 5-0) at Washburn (4-3, 3-2)
UNO (3-4, 3-2) at #9 Central (7-1, 6-0)
Missouri Western (5-2, 3-2) at Missouri Southern (2-5, 0-5)
Truman (3-4, 1-4) at Emporia (5-3, 3-3)
Pittsburg (3-4, 1-4) at Fort Hays (3-4, 1-4)
Realignment: Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State aren’t joining their Oklahoma brethren in the new league with the Arkansas schools, because they’re joining the MIAA instead. Also moving to the league are Lindenwood (NAIA Heart of America Conference, moving up to D-II) and Nebraska-Kearney (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference). With the addition of Lincoln (MO) and the readmission of Southwest Baptist for football, the league will expand to 16 teams, meaning two eight-team divisions will be a requirement. This should all shake out in time for the 2013 season.
Great Lakes IAC:
at #1 Grand Valley State 57, Lake Erie 23
at #8 Hillsdale 24, Michigan Tech 17
Northern Michigan 22, at Ferris State 20
Ashland 40, at Wayne State (MI) 35
at Ohio Dominican 20, Findlay 10
at Northwood 51, Tiffin 27 (Homecoming)
at Saginaw Valley 24, Indianapolis 20
GVSU is now in sole possession of first place, as Ferris slips a game back. Wayne had a chance to stay within a game of the lead, but their hopes are all but dashed. … Lake Erie amassed 494 yards of offense in the loss, which might be a red flag for GVSU, although it should be noted that Lake Erie has racked up over 400 yards of offense four times this year; they just can’t play defense. … Hillsdale moved up two spots with the win; it is the highest ranking in school history. … Findlay has not scored more than 10 points all season.
Saturday:
Ferris (5-2, 5-1) at #1 Grand Valley (7-0, 6-0)
#6 Hillsdale (6-1, 5-1) at Wayne State (5-2, 4-2)
Saginaw Valley (3-4, 3-3) at Ashland (4-3, 3-3)
Lake Erie (0-7, 0-6) at Findlay (1-6, 1-5)
Indianapolis (3-4, 2-4) at Northern Michigan (4-3, 4-2)
Northwood (4-3, 4-2) at Michigan Tech (4-2, 4-2)
South Atlantic:
Lenoir-Rhyne 24, at Brevard 8
at Mars Hill 48, Newberry 36
Carson-Newman 42, at Catawba 16
at Wingate 33, Tusculum 27
The Sally continues to have no ranked teams, but the league does finally have a squad with a losing record as Brevard falls to 3-4. Brevard was held to 48 yards of total offense. Mars Hill, who took sole possession of first place, remains unranked but would be #28. … There were just over two minutes remaining when the Carson-Newman went ahead 28-16; the blowout score was the result of two pick-sixes as Catawba tried to throw their way back into it.
Thursday:
Mars Hill (5-2, 3-0) at Carson-Newman (4-3, 2-1) (Comcast Southeast, if you have it). An Eagles win will throw the entire conference race into absolute chaos, while a Mars Hill victory will start to clear up the picture considerably.
Saturday:
Catawba (4-2, 2-1) at Newberry (3-3, 2-1)
Tusculum (4-3, 0-3) at Lenoir-Rhyne (4-3, 1-2)
Wingate (4-2, 2-1) at Brevard (3-4, 0-3)
Realignment: Nothing which affects football, although beginning next season the league will enter a four-year scheduling alliance with D-II independent North Greenville in which NGU plays a full SAC schedule. The Crusaders will not be eligible to win the conference championship, nor will its games count in the standings; this merely guarantees the SAC members an additional regional game, and helps NGU play a full D-II schedule. (In order to qualify for the D-II playoffs, a team must play eight games against D-II schools. NGU has only been able to manage seven in recent years.)
Northern Sun:
at #2 Minnesota-Duluth 49, Mary 0 (Homecoming)
#14 Augustana (SD) 17, at Winona State 0
at St. Cloud State 14, Southwest Minnesota State 6
Concordia-St. Paul 17, at Wayne State (NE) 14
Bemidji State 14, at Minnesota State-Moorhead 6
Northern State 38, at Minnesota-Crookston 0
at Minnesota State-Mankato 48, Upper Iowa 14
Duluth racked up 531 yards of offense and cruised. The Bulldogs remain at #2 following the win, but picked up 3 of the 26 first-place votes. … Augustana may have the edge going forward since Duluth has a game remaining against third-place St. Cloud State, who entered the poll at #23 and remained in the three-way tie for first. Augustana’s toughest remaining game is against Wayne State, who essentially tumbled out of the conference race when an interception in the end zone with a minute-ten to go sealed their loss. … Bemidji won the annual Battle Axe trophy game. … Northern finally gets a win, while Crookston remains without one.
Saturday:
#2 Duluth (7-0, 6-0) at Northern State (1-6, 1-5)
#11 Augustana (7-0, 6-0) at MSU-Moorhead (2-5, 2-4)
Crookston (0-7, 0-6) at #23 St. Cloud (6-1, 6-0)
Mary (1-6, 1-5) at Bemidji (4-3, 3-3)
Winona (4-3, 3-3) at Concordia (5-2, 4-2)
MSU-Mankato (4-3, 3-3) at Wayne State (5-2, 4-2)
Southwest (3-4, 2-4) at Upper Iowa (1-6, 1-5)
Realignment: Two NAIA schools that have been approved for transition to D-II are the current subject of campus visits by NSIC officials. Nothing is certain, but expect Minot State and major NAIA bully Sioux Falls to join the league shortly. Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines are also moving up, but they’re back-burnered right now. On the down side, St. Cloud State
Great Northwest:
at Humboldt State 28, Dixie State 3
at Central Washington 19, Western Oregon 0
CWU’s second shutout in as many weeks.
Saturday:
The conference title could be all but determined this weekend.
Humboldt (6-1, 4-0) at Central (5-3, 4-1)
Simon Fraser (1-5, 0-4) at Dixie (1-6, 1-5)
Azusa Pacific (NAIA) at Western Oregon (4-3, 3-2), non-conference
Lone Star:
#5 Abilene Christian 54, Incarnate Word 17
at #9 Texas A&M-Kingsville 28, #7 West Texas A&M 24
at #15 Midwestern State 35, Angelo State 21
Tarleton State 34, at Texas A&M-Commerce 31
Northeastern State 20 at SW Oklahoma State 10
at East Central 22, Eastern New Mexico 19
SE Oklahoma 56 at Central Oklahoma 55 (OT)
West Texas fell despite roaring to a 24-6 lead midway through the second quarter. Kingsville completed the comeback on a TD pass with 3:24 remaining. The Buffaloes fall to #17, while the Javelinas replace them at #7. … Abilene moved up a spot, helped by 379 passing yards from Mitchell Gale. … Tarleton scored on a 21-yard pass from Nick Stephens to Saleem Hakim to slip past Commerce. The win gives the South a 15-3 edge in crossover games this season. … East Central took the lead on a TD with 2:07 left to get past ENMU.
Saturday:
#4 Abilene (7-0, 4-0) at Eastern New Mexico (3-4, 2-2) (crossover game)
#7 Kingsville (6-1, 3-1) at Tarleton (2-5, 1-2)
#13 Midwestern (6-1, 2-1) at #17 West Texas (5-2, 2-1)
Central Oklahoma (2-5, 2-1) at Northeastern (4-3, 3-0)
Incarnate Word (2-5, 0-3) at Angelo State (2-4, 0-4)
East Central (2-5, 2-1) at SE Oklahoma (2-4, 2-2)
SW OKlahoma (1-6, 1-3) at Commerce (2-5, 1-2)
Realignment: The LSC is getting hit hard, although the general consensus is that it’s not the worst thing in the world for the Texas schools. East Central, SE Oklahoma, and SW Oklahoma are joining the six Arkansas GSC schools in a new league, while Northeastern and Central are moving to the MIAA.
Pennsylvania:
at #4 California (PA) 28, Slippery Rock 3
#20 Bloomsburg 23, Shippensburg 3
at #23 Kutztown 38, Millersville 28
at CW Post 28, East Stroudsburg 17
at West Chester 48, Cheyney 34
Mercyhurst 22, Edinboro 21 (OT)
Gannon 42, at Lock Haven
at Indiana (PA) 21, Clarion 14
Saturday:
The West title could be decided as California would clinch the title with a win and an Indiana loss. One of the three East co-leaders will definitely fall off the pace, also.
#3 California (7-0, 4-0) at Mercyhurst (5-2, 3-1)
West Chester (3-4, 3-1) at #16 Bloomsburg (6-1, 4-0)
#18 Kutztown (7-0, 4-0) at CW Post (5-2, 4-0)
Indiana (4-3, 2-2) at Gannon (4-3, 2-2)
East Stroudsburg (1-6, 0-4) at Millersville (2-5, 0-4)
Cheyney (1-6, 1-3) at Shippensburg (1-6, 0-4)
Edinboro (4-3, 1-3) at Clarion (2-5, 2-2)
Lock Haven (0-7, 0-4) at Slippery Rock (5-2, 2-2)
West Virginia:
at #18 Shepherd 37, #21 West Virginia Wesleyan 26
West Liberty State 48, at West Virginia State 26
at Concord 49, Glenville State 14
at Charleston 24, Seton Hill 20
at UNC-Pembroke 24, Fairmont State 0 (non-conference)
Following their big game, Shepherd moves up to #15, while Wesleyan manages to barely hold on to a ranking at #25.
Saturday:
#15 Shepherd (7-0, 5-0) at West Liberty (4-2, 3-1)
#25 WV Wesleyan (6-1, 3-1) at Fairmont (2-5, 0-4)
WV State (0-6, 0-4) at Glenville (3-4, 2-2)
Concord (5-2, 3-2) at Seton Hill (2-6, 1-4)
Charleston (4-3, 3-2) at Urbana (2-5) (non-conference)
Realignment: Nothing affecting football, but Salem International is making noise about leaving.
Rocky Mountain:
#13 Nebraska-Kearney 38, at CSU-Pueblo 24
at #24 Colorado Mines 46, Mesa State 10
Chadron State 41, at New Mexico Highlands 19
Adams State 14, at Western New Mexico 10
Western State 27, at Fort Lewis 24
Kearney’s Kyle Kaiser had 282 receiving yards and scored on 71- and 73-yard TD catches. … Western State’s Ryan Walstrom blocked not one but two Fort Lewis field goal attempts in the fourth quarter to preserve the win. Walstrom blocked two PAT attempts last week against Highlands, as well.
Saturday:
New Mexico Highlands (1-6, 1-4) at #12 Kearney (6-1, 5-0)
#24 Colorado Mines (6-1, 5-0) at Western State (1-6, 1-4)
Western New Mexico (3-4, 2-3) at Chadron (4-3, 4-2)
CSU-Pueblo (5-2, 3-2) at Mesa State (2-4, 2-3)
Fort Lewis (1-5, 1-4) at Adams State (3-4, 2-3)
Realignment: The RMAC will be losing Kearney to the MIAA, and the conference may be affected by falling dominoes if the Lone Star seeks to expand to replace the lost Oklahoma schools, although the general sense is that this isn’t likely. The league is also potentially targeting Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines.
Southern:
#10 Albany State 27, at Benedict 10
at Fort Valley State 26, #16 Tuskegee 0
#22 Morehouse 38, at Stillman 24
Clark Atlanta 19, at Kentucky State 7
Miles 20, at Lane 6
A bad week for the home teams in the SAIC, as only Fort Valley defended their turf. … Benedict hung tough with Albany, trailing 14-10 going into the final period. … Tuskegee was held to 92 yards of total offense. … Morehouse, led by David Carter’s 205 rushing yards, scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to put away their victory.
Saturday:
Big game at Morehouse this weekend, but it won’t settle anything for Albany even if Fort Valley stumbles.
#8 Albany State (7-0, 6-0) at #19 Morehouse (6-1, 5-1)
Fort Valley State (6-1, 5-1) at Kentucky State (3-5, 2-4)
Tuskegee (5-2, 4-2) at Clark Atlanta (4-3, 4-2)
Benedict (2-6, 2-5) at Miles (3-5, 3-4)
Stillman (0-7, 0-6) at Lane (0-7, 0-6)
Northeast Ten:
New Haven 13, at American International 0
at Merrimack 49, Assumption 23
Bentley 36, at Southern Connecticut 26
Stonehill 27, at Pace 0
St. Anselm idle
New Haven’s Victor Jones carried the load, and that’s not just an idiom; Jones rushed a whopping 46 times for 202 yards. … In truly tragic news, on Sunday morning Pace’s Danroy Henry was shot and killed by police in Mount Pleasant, NY, during a traffic stop. Pace has cancelled Saturday’s game with Bentley, in a move supported by both opponent and league.
Saturday:
The leaders face off. A New Haven win would all but seal the conference title, as their remaining games are against the two worst teams in the league.
Merrimack (3-3, 3-1) at New Haven (6-1, 4-1)
St. Anselm (1-5, 1-3) at Assumption (5-2, 2-2)
Pace (0-6, 0-4) at Bentley (3-4, 3-2) — CANCELLED, will not be rescheduled.
Southern Connecticut (3-4, 3-2) at Stonehill (3-3, 1-3)
American International (3-4, 3-2) idle
Central:
at #25 Winston-Salem State 58, Livingstone 0
St. Augustine’s 21, at Central State (OH) 14 (non-conference)
at Shaw 34, Fayetteville State 27
at Virginia State 15, Elizabeth City State 10
at Bowie State 24, Lincoln (PA) 18
Chowan 31, at St. Paul’s 20
at Virginia Union 44, Johnson C. Smith 21
St. Augustine’s enters the poll with their victory. … With their win, Virginia State takes effective control of the North race, having beaten both Bowie and Elizabeth City.
Saturday:
UNC-Pembroke (5-2) at #21 Winston-Salem (7-1, 5-1) (non-conference)
#24 St. Augustine’s (6-1, 4-0) at Johnson C. Smith (1-6, 0-4)
Chowan (3-4, 3-1) at Shaw (5-2, 4-0)
Elizabeth City (4-3, 3-1) at Bowie (4-4, 4-1)
Lincoln (1-6, 0-4) at Virginia State (5-2, 3-1)
St. Paul’s (1-6, 1-3) at Virginia Union (2-5, 2-3)
Livingstone (0-8, 0-4) at Fayetteville (2-5, 1-3)
Great Lakes FC:
at St. Joseph’s (IN) 27, Urbana 20
at Missouri S&T 38, Kentucky Wesleyan 35 (OT)
MUST rallied for 14 points in the final three minutes of regulation, then held off KWU in overtime. KWU’s Chris Owen threw for 408 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.
The loss eliminates Kentucky Wesleyan from contention. Urbana will have to hope KWU upsets St. Joseph’s, or they’re done too.
Saturday:
St. Joseph’s (4-3, 1-0) at Kentucky Wesleyan (3-4, 0-2)
Charleston (WV) (4-3) at Urbana (2-5, 1-1) (non-conference)
Missouri S&T (2-5, 1-0) at St. Francis (IN) (, NAIA) (non-conference)
Independents:
at UNC-Pembroke 24, Fairmont State 0
Southwest Baptist 62, at Lincoln (MO) 38
North Greenville 55, at LaGrange 27
at Oklahoma Panhandle State 23, Texas College 14
at St. Augustine’s 21, Central State (OH) 14
Saturday:
UNC Pembroke (5-2) at Winston-Salem State (7-1)
Central State (1-6) at Southwest Baptist (5-2)
Edward Waters (1-6, NAIA) at North Greenville (5-3)
Southwest Assemblies of God (1-5, NAIA) at Panhandle (3-3)
Lincoln (1-6) at Peru State (2-5, NAIA)