What We Learned About D2 Football In Week 0? Well, Lenoir-Rhyne = Good

Week 0 featured 18 D2 Football matchups over three days of action. Here at FloCollege, we learned a lot about D2 Football during Week 0.

Sep 2, 2026 by Cristiana Rosa

Replay: Virginia Union vs Lenoir-Rhyne | Aug 28 @ 6 PM3:08:29

The most wonderful time of the year is finally upon us - football season.

Week 0 featured 18 D2 Football matchups over three days of action. From top-five clashes to first-time meetings between teams, fans truly got a taste of everything last weekend.

It’s easy to look at the final scores and give a thumbs up or a hearty cheer for the winning team. However, here at FloCollege, we learned a lot about D2 Football during Week 0 - more than just who won or who tallied the most rushing yards.

We Watch D2 Football For A Reason

The majority of self-proclaimed football fans typically tune into NCAA D1 games, specifically teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference (B1G), Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference (SEC). However, tuning into a D2 game is more than worth your while.

First and foremost, unranked Ohio Dominican notched a massive upset over FCS team Morehead State this weekend.

In triple overtime, the Panthers stunned the college football world with a 42-40 win over the Eagles. Quarterback Carson Parker went 23-for-48 passing, totaling 277 yards on four touchdowns. The remaining 84 yards of 361 total offense came from 84 rushing yards, which included a touchdown. Central Michigan transfer Mekhi Jenkins ran for 101 yards to lead the run game, finding the end zone once in his debut as a Panther. Defensively, Taliq Black led with nine tackles, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. Ohio Dominican held Morehead State to 126 rushing yards, broke up 11 passes and notched four interceptions.

But wait, there’s more!

In a 42-7 win over Bluefield State, Tusculum snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season’s 49-23 opening win at Bluefield State. The highlight of the game? Junior defensive back Kevin Jordan’s 100-yard pick-six just seven seconds before halftime.

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Last, but certainly not least, 10 teams across nine games scored 50 or more points against other D2 teams this weekend. As a point of reference, no FBS team scored more than 50, and just one team eclipsed the 40-point mark (USC vs San Jose State, 42-26). The average points scored per team during Week 0 was just under 23.

SC State 87, Savannah St. 0
Norfolk State 56, Winston-Salem 0
West Virginia St. 56, Chowan 24
Shorter 65, Andrew 6
Western New Mexico 62, Adams State 45
Augustana 63, Missouri Western 58
Southwest Baptist 63, William Woods 6
Central Oklahoma 59, Texas Wesleyan 7
Western Colorado 52, West Texas A&M 21

Lenoir-Rhyne Deserves A Top-25 Spot

Though they narrowly missed a spot in this week’s FloCollege D2 Football Rankings, we expect Lenoir-Rhyne to find a spot in the Top-25 sooner rather than later.

The Bears hosted then-No. 10-ranked Virginia Union on Friday, taking down the Panthers 45-3 to open the 2026 campaign. By halftime, Lenoir-Rhyne had put up 31 unanswered points. The massive win was the largest ranked win in program history.

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Redshirt freshman quarterback Wells Bettenhausen made a name for himself in his second career start, going 18-for-26 for 261 yards and a touchdown. LJ Turner, Eddie Clark, and Mikel McClellan combined for 224 yards and four touchdowns. Shermon Davis led the team with 109 rushing yards with a 70-yard carry in the fourth.

Defense was lights out; Lenoir-Rhyne out-gained Virginia Union 505-183 on offense and held the Panthers to a combined 0-10 on third and fourth down conversions.

Ferris State Is Still The Undisputed No. 1

We didn’t learn this in week 0, but we definitely doubled down on the fact.

On Thursday night, two-time defending NCAA D2 Champion Ferris State opened up the 2026 season with a massive 42-14 win at (then) No. 4 Pittsburg State. This was the Bulldogs’ 31st consecutive win, dating back to a season-opening loss to the Gorillas in 2024. Ferris State tallied more than 500 offensive yards, dominating the ground game with 385 rushing yards and five rushing scores.

UPCOMING

2026 Bentley vs Ferris State

Fri, Sep 4 · 10:00 PM UTC

WATCH

D2 Football Rankings 2026: Week 0 Top 25

Ferris State (1-0)
Harding (0-0)
Kutztown (0-0)
CSU Pueblo (1-0)
Central Washington (0-0)
Northwest Missouri State (1-0)
Minnesota State (1-0)
Indianapolis (1-0)
Western Colorado (1-0)
Grand Valley State (1-0)
Findlay (0-0)
Augustana (SD) (1-0)
Ashland (0-0)
Newberry (0-0)
Western Oregon (1-0)
Northeastern State (1-0)
Slippery Rock (1-0)
Frostburg State (0-0)
Pittsburg State (0-1)
Michigan Tech (1-0)
Kentucky State (1-0)
Benedict (1-0)
Upper Iowa (1-0)
East Stroudsburg (1-0)
UNC Pembroke (1-0)

Also receiving votes:

Northwood, Wayne State (Neb.), Valdosta State, Lenoir-Rhyne, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State Moorhead, Assumption, Virginia Union, Catawba, Johnson C. Smith.

D2 Football Week 1 Schedule On FloCollege

Here's every Division 2 football game happening on FloFootball this week.

Thursday, Sep 3

Friday, Sep 4

Saturday, Sep 5

How To Watch D2 Football In 2026

Hundreds of Division 2 football games will stream live on FloCollege and the FloSports app.

Game replays, highlights and breaking news will also be available on both platforms.

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