And then there were 11. Just 11 undefeated teams remain in DII football after another weekend full of upsets that will shake up the Power 10 rankings and leave many question marks for the regional rankings. Four undefeated teams — Charleston (WV), Delta State, Minnesota State, and Virginia State — picked up their first losses… and all four were in dramatic or stunning fashion.
Even Colorado School of Mines had a brief scare — trailing at the half — but pulled away in another lopsided victory to keep its top spot in the rankings. Here’s everything you missed from an action-packed Week 8.
WEEK 8 STATS AND SCORES: The complete scoreboard
No. 17 Augustana (SD) topples No. 3 Minnesota State
In a battle of undefeated, nationally ranked teams, the Vikings pretty much dominated throughout in a commanding 28-10 victory. Augustana stopped Shen Butler Lawson Jr. from scoring early in the game, setting the Mavericks up for a field goal with 10:46 to go in the first quarter. That was the last time the Mavericks would have the lead as back-to-back big scoring plays from running back Jarod Epperson (a rush of 86 yards and a reception for 35 yards) put the game out of reach. This was the first big test for the Vikings and it passed with flying colors.
“Really impressive effort by the Augustana defense, limiting the MSU offense to just three points until the game was out of reach,” D2Football’s Matt Witwicki — who was on hand in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — told me after the game. “I thought Augie could win, but not in the manner they did — stopping the Mankato ground and pound. It might be the biggest win for Coach OJ [Jerry Olszewski] in his time with the Vikings.”
Elizabeth City State stuns No. 20 Virginia State
Another Vikings team pulled off a shocking upset as Elizabeth City State — which was 1-6 entering the game — downed undefeated Virginia State 17-16. Two big plays — a 50-yard touchdown pass and a 25-yard pick-six — put the…
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