Shepherd's Connor Jessop had his fifth five-touchdown game of the season.
Weeks 9 and 10 in DII football were relatively calm. After a season's worth of upsets and the Top 25 Shuffle, things played out as expected with little movement in the Top 25.
RELATED: Who has the best uniform in DII football? | Stadium?
Then came Week 11.
Eight Top 25 teams lost on the final football Saturday of the season. Let's take a look at how it happened behind the numbers.
3 -- Ranked teams who lost to other ranked teams. No. 13 Sioux Falls lost a heartbreaker in the closing minute against No. 1 Minnesota State, 27-23. No. 16 Humboldt State lost in what essentially became the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship game, 42-28 to No. 7 Central Washington. No. 20 Eastern New Mexico lost in a shootout to No. 4 Midwestern State 56-43.
No. 4 Midwestern State defeats No. 20 Eastern New Mexico 56-43 to finish the regular season undefeated! #D2FB pic.twitter.com/3ec0InwbLk
— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) November 12, 2017
5 -- Upsets in the Top 25. No. 8 (tied) Assumption lost 35-31 to Bentley. No. 12 Wingate lost its perfect season, falling to Tusculum 25-17. Azusa Pacific put together one of its best games of the season in dropping No. 14 Colorado Mesa 56-35. No. 21 Findlay lost its shot at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference title, falling to Ohio Dominican 49-24. No. 24 West Georgia continues its Top 25 rollercoaster ride, losing to West Florida 34-29.
275 -- Margin of victory of Top 25 opponents over its foes. It is the narrowest margin of victory all season.
5 -- Amount of Top 25 teams that scored more than 45 points this weekend, down six from last week.
1 -- Shutouts by ranked teams. No. 18 Northwest Missouri State got back in the win column with a 30-0 victory over Missouri Western State.
63 -- Most points scored by a winning Top 25 team this week. No. 2 Shepherd defeated UVa-Wise 63-35.
RELATED: UVa-Wise wide receiver pulls down catch of the year
-50 -- Total net rushing yards Central Washington held Humboldt State to in the season finale.
Honorable mention: 31 -- Number of consecutive road wins by Henderson State, a streak which came to an end this weekend at Ouachita Baptist.
MORE: Drew Harris scores seven TDs, as Tigers end Henderson State's road streak
Here is a position by position breakdown of this weekend's top performers.
QUARTERBACKS
| Quarterback | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Perez | Texas A&M-Commerce | 482 yards, 3 TD |
| Connor Jessop | Shepherd | 424 total yards, 5 total TD |
| Layton Rabb | Midwestern State | 383 yards, 6 TD |
| Harry Satterwhite | West Alabama | 367 yards, 3 TD |
| Jake Purichia | Indianapolis | 348 yards, 5 TD |
| Ryan Zapoticky | Shippensburg | 272 yards, 5 TD |
| Travis Russell | Ferris State | 212 total yards, 5 total TD |
| Willie Candler | West Georgia | 295 yards, 3 TD |
VIDEO: Watch all of @ShipFootball's touchdowns in today's 51-13 Senior Day victory over Seton Hill! #RedRaiderPride pic.twitter.com/ut4XCr2EVd
— SHIP Sports Info (@ShipURaiders) November 12, 2017
RUNNING BACKS
| Running Back | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Kamal Cass | Eastern New Mexico | 276 yards, 3 TD |
| Austin Pernell | Central Washington | 196 yards, 3 TD |
| Trenton Cannon | Virginia State | 186 yards, 3 TD |
| Daouda Sylla | Findlay | 134 yards, 2 TD |
| Ja'Quan Gardner | Humboldt State | 127 total yards, 2 total TD |
| Adrian Seales | Midwestern State | 117 yards, 2 TD |
| Jabre Lolley | Shepherd | 115 total yards 3 TD |
| Marcheé Dennard | Colorado State-Pueblo | 110 rush, 2 TD |
| Kenneth Iheme | Fort Hays State | 100 yards, 1 TD |
RECEIVERS
| Wide Receiver | School | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Malik Higgins | UIndy | 197 yards, 2 TD |
| Buck Wilson | Texas A&M-Commerce | 193 yards, 1 TD |
| Ryan Feiss | Shepherd | 173 yards, 1 TD |
| Kyle Self (TE) | Central Washington | 122 yards, 1 TD |
| Wanya Allen | Shepherd | 118 yards, 2 TD |
| Marquis Wilson | Texas A&M-Comerce | 113 yards, 1 TD |
| Ty Smith | Sioux Falls | 110 yards, 1 TD |
| Chase Krivashei | Humboldt State | 109 yards, 37-yard TD pass |
| Shane Zylstra | Minnesota State | 102 yards, 2 TD |
Triple threat
Winona State concluded its 10-1 season in dominant fashion, upending Augusta (SD) 52-21. The Warriors defense and special teams continued to show they are amongst the best in DII football -- scoring on a 90-yard kick return, a 78-yard interception return and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Upset central
There were upsets aplenty on DII football's final Saturday. That was thanks to a lot of tremendous individual performances.
Azusa Pacific upset No. 14 Colorado Mesa in lopsided fashion, winning 56-35. Quarterback Andrew Elffers threw for 333 yards and six touchdowns, connecting with his favorite target Weston Carr for 203 yards and three touchdowns. Kurt Scoby had a day on the ground as well, adding 160 yards and two touchdowns.
Bentley's wide receiver Austin Ryan, a freshman, set a school record with 284 yards on the day as the Falcons upset undefeated No. 8 (tied) Assumption 35-31. He also added four touchdowns to his impressive collegiate debut season.
Bentley stuns No. 8 Assumption 35-31 behind freshman Austin Ryan's four-touchdown day: https://t.co/bJP6u5ejHi pic.twitter.com/YMSqSMeuMj
— NCAA Division II (@NCAADII) November 11, 2017
Ohio Dominican upset No. 21 Findlay, and they won the GMAC in doing so. Quarterback Grant Russell continued his incredible season, throwing for 339 yards and six touchdowns, half of which went to wide receiver Cory Contini who also caught 180 yards through the air. Running back E.J. Colson added 141 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Don't be fooled by Ohio Domincan's 7-3 record. The Panthers tested themselves with a brutal out-of-conference schedule to open the season. Their three losses were against No. 3 Indiana (Pa), No. 10 Ashland and FCS Ivy Leaguers Penn.
