Around the NAIAtion for September 20th: Undefeated Teams, Featured Games and the Anticipation

There are 22 unbeaten teams left in NAIA football, and plenty of programs are riding high. That early-season passion and optimism is what makes this time of year so fun. Some of the names on that list are surprises—William Penn, Mount Marty, Faulkner, and Olivet Nazarene weren’t teams I expected to see undefeated based on their early schedules. Credit to them for proving people like me wrong.

Another surprise? Arkansas Baptist starting the year 2-1. That wasn’t on my NAIA bingo card. The Buffalos picked up wins over Texas College and NCAA DIII Lyon College, and in the Lyon game, QB Tyler Stickland put on a show with 161 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 131 rushing yards and another score. It’s good to see ABC finding some early success.

On the flip side, I didn’t expect Baker to still be searching for a win. To be fair, Peru State and William Penn are both playing excellent football right now.

The most impressive 3-0 start, though, clearly belongs to Lindsey Wilson. The Blue Raiders already have two wins over preseason Top 10 teams, and their next four games are brutal—Reinhardt, No. 6 Georgetown, Cumberlands, and No. 16 Campbellsville. If they get through that stretch undefeated, the rest of the NAIA better take notice.

As for the Top 5, they’re steady but not surprising. Grand View is doing what Grand View does. Keiser hasn’t missed a beat. They’re both excellent, but they’re performing exactly as expected. The real intrigue lies in the 6–25 range, where movement is already happening and more shake-ups are coming this weekend.

Excitement is high across NAIA football, and it feels like we’re just getting started.

New NAIA Football Top 25 from the Coaches

By and large, I have no real issues with the NAIA Coaches Top 25. It’s still very early in the season, and with so many teams sitting at 2-0 or 3-0, it’s tough to make big moves in the rankings. That said, I do take issue with how Montana Tech and Indiana Wesleyan are positioned. IWU comes in at No. 5, while Montana Tech is at No. 7.

Here’s the problem: In Week 0, Indiana Wesleyan lost at home to No. 2 Keiser. That same week, Montana Tech shocked the NAIA landscape with a win over then-No. 5 Montana Western. Tech then followed that up with a road win against now-No. 25 Carroll College. Two of Tech’s three wins came against ranked opponents, moving them from No. 11 to No. 7. Meanwhile, IWU actually moved up from No. 6 to No. 5 despite the loss to Keiser. I’m not saying IWU should be punished harshly—but based on results, those two should have flipped spots.

No surprise seeing Lindsey Wilson jump to No. 10. I had them at No. 11, just behind Campbellsville. Thankfully, the Mid-South schedule will let us see that head-to-head soon enough. Right now, LWU is arguably the hottest team in the NAIA.

I also liked seeing Southeastern climb four spots to No. 13 after their win over Reinhardt. The Fire look legitimate this year. I know some of their fans probably think I’m a hater since I kept them at No. 17 in my own rankings, but I’m far from that. I fully expect SEU to keep climbing.

As usual, a loss typically results in a 6–9 spot drop in the Coaches’ Poll. That trend held true for St. Thomas, Northwestern, Texas Wesleyan, and Southwestern this week. Things could get messy late in the season if those teams keep winning while upstarts like Evangel and Mount Marty continue their hot streaks. But for now, it’s too early to read too much into the middle of the poll.

One thing that did puzzle me was the “other receiving votes” section. Baker got 7 votes, while William Penn and Peru State received 5 and 2, respectively. Those are the two teams that beat Baker, so seeing the Wildcats ahead of them feels inconsistent. Still, it’s early, and this will probably sort itself out over the next week or two.

Top Performances from Last Weekend

Sometimes the best performances aren’t the winners of the conference or national player of the week awards. I like to highlight some of the ones that stood out to me in big games or ones I felt just needed to be mentioned. This is never a list of every great performance in NAIA football, that could go on for days.

Ottawa University’s Teagan Flynn officially had 6.5 sacks in the Braves win over Sterling College on Saturday. Teammate Bryson Nolan added three sacks as the Braves defense combined for 15 tackles for loss against the Warriors. The 12 sacks by Ottawa were just two shy of the NAIA record of 14.

Destynd Loring of William Penn University put up 203 yards on 26 carries in the Statesmen’s win over previously ranked Baker University. He also added three TDs in the game. In three games this year he’s rushed for 420 yards, 140 ypg.

Justin Williams of Montana Tech had two interceptions for the Orediggers. He returned his first of the game for a touchdown to give Tech a 13-0 lead. He also registered a broke up pass and made four tackles

Evangel’s Eric Williams II led the rushing attack for the Valor in their 35-25 win over Southwestern. Williams had 153 yards and two touchdowns along with six receptions for 20 yards and another score. He’s averaging 149.6 yards per game this season.

Since I’m on the subject of running backs, it feels fitting to mention Wykece Johnson of Montana Tech, again. 27 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown. Just another day at the office for the Orediggers and Johnson.

Carson Fehlhafer of Concordia University piled up 13 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and two blocked kicks (one field goal and one PAT) in Concordia’s 27-22 win over Dakota Wesleyan. He was also credited with three quarterback hurries.

OUAZ wide receiver Marques Reese pulled down five catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in the Spirit’s 28-7 win over Nelson. He also added a four yard rushing touchdown to his tally.

Drew Dutton etched his name in the IWU record book Saturday, becoming the first Wildcat to post two kick returns for touchdowns in the same game. His first TD was a 75-yard return in the first half, followed by a third-quarter 95-yard return to the house, totaling 170 kick-return yards in a 58-point Indiana Wesleyan win over Judson (Ill.).

Madonna quarterback Nathan Patterson set a program record with 322 yards passing in their 45-28 win over DIII Olivet (Mich.). Patterson was 20-37 with three touchdowns for the Crusaders in their first on field win in program history.

Nathan Parker of Taylor University was an absolute workhorse in the Trojans win over Kentucky Christian. Parker carried the ball 30 times for 251 yards and four touchdowns. Teammate Ethan Albert added 15 carries for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

Lindsey Wilson running backs Davontaye Saunders and Stevin Mack both went over 100 yards in their win over St. Thomas University. Saunders had 8 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns while Mack added 11 carries for 128 yards. The Blue Raiders have started 2025 rolling.

The Pikeville/Campbellsville game was full of outstanding offensive performances. U-Pike QB Xavier Malone threw for 437 yards and two touchdowns. Two of his wide receivers, Brandon Newtown and Jordan Williams, both went over 100 yards while Grant Scott finished with 94 yards. Campbellsville QB Jett Engle threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns. He had two wide receivers over the century mark as Roland Hazard Jr and Easton Barlow had 121 yards and 101 yards, respectively.

In the same game, Campbellsville’s Jerrod Johnson was Mr. Turnover with a 60 yard interception return for a touchdown, plus a fumble recovery to go with three solo tackles.

Southeastern University’s rushing attack looked next level against Reinhardt over the weekend. Jocquet Jiles had 12 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns while Curtis Kimmons added 60 yards and two scores. QB Nate Mikell had 57 yards on the ground to go with his 128 yards and a TD through the air.

Indiana Wesleyan running back Brock Short was 2/7 while his battery mate Cameron Morrison was 2/7. That’s two touchdowns in six carries. Short finished with 127 yards and Morrison with 79. Wide Receiver Grant Irwin had 115 yards on two catches and also added a touchdown. A lot of people get on the stat sheet when you put up 79 points.

Texas Wesleyan got their running game going against Texas College with their first 100+ yard rusher of the season. Jalen March finished with 135 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns in their win over Texas College.

Dordt University’s defense shutout Doane and only allowed 173 total yards including just 10 yards rushing. Isaac Kacmarynski had 7 tackles, a sack and forced a fumble while Nolan Buckholtz added two sacks and also forced a fumble.

Louisiana Christian marked up the stat sheet Saturday in their win over Wayland Baptist. QB Bryce Perkins threw for 354 yards and a touchdown while his two main targets, Edward Scott Jr. and Omarius Davis, each had 100+ yards receiving. RB Datlan Cunningham carried the ball 30 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns while Jaterrius Johnson added 93 yards and two touchdowns.

Featured NAIA Football Games

No. 2 Keiser University at University of the Cumberlands: I’m loving the Sun/MSC crossover matchups, and this one is a big test. Cumberlands hosts Keiser in Williamsburg, KY with a chance to grab a signature win. For Keiser, this game is crucial after last week’s travel debacle led to a forfeit against Bethel. The Seahawks are the stronger team on paper, and I expect Shea Spencer and company to get the win. Still, this matchup will tell us a lot about UC and how competitive they’ll be in conference play later this season. I’ll take Keiser to win, but don’t be surprised if the Patriots make things interesting.
Keiser 31 Cumberlands 17

No. 6 Georgetown at No. 14 St. Thomas: Another great MSC/Sun crossover matchup, and the jury is still out on both teams this season. We know they’re good, but are they truly great — the kind of teams that can contend for a title? St. Thomas didn’t look the part last week against Lindsey Wilson, and Georgetown has had its share of struggles this year. That makes this a classic “get right” game for both programs. Both teams leaned heavily on the run game last season, but neither has really found its rhythm yet. My pick: the Bobcats get revenge for last year’s postseason loss to the Tigers.
St. Thomas 24 Georgetown 21

No. 7 Montana Tech at No. 24 Southern Oregon: Two of the top running backs in NAIA football square off in this matchup. Southern Oregon’s Gunner Yates, a returning All-American, goes head-to-head with Wykece Johnson, the Mississippi State transfer who’s quickly made his mark at Montana Tech. The Orediggers pulled out a hard-fought win last year in Butte, but traveling to Ashland won’t make things any easier this time around. The difference in this game will come from the “other half” of each offense — whichever quarterback takes care of the football and avoids turnovers will give his team the edge. This one has all the makings of a battle, and I expect it to be the best game in NAIA football this week.
Tech 35 SOU 31

No. 25 Carroll College at No. 11 Dickinson State: Another great Frontier Conference matchup, with both teams still figuring out what their offenses can become while leaning on solid defensive play. Dickinson State has found success through the air, averaging 257 passing yards per game with just one interception, while adding 109 yards on the ground. Carroll counters with a balanced attack, averaging 211 yards passing and just over 100 rushing per game. Both squads are led by quarterbacks who don’t yet have much experience in their systems, which points to this being more of a defensive battle. In the end, turnovers will likely determine the winner.
Carroll College 14 Dickinson State 10

MidAmerica Nazarene at William Penn: It’s a showdown of undefeated teams in the Heart Conference. William Penn turned heads last week with an impressive road win over Baker and now has another chance to prove themselves. Meanwhile, MidAmerica Nazarene is 3-0, but their performances haven’t exactly been dominant. After jumping out to a 27-0 lead on Culver-Stockton, they let it slip to 27-21 before finally pulling away. Last week, they even trailed Clarke 20-17 at halftime before regrouping. This will be a major test for MNU if they want to stay perfect. I’m calling for the upset — give me Billy Penn.
William Penn 24 MNU 21

McPherson at No. 22 Evangel: It’s a clash of unbeatens in the KCAC! Evangel rolled to an impressive win last week over Southwestern College, while McPherson has quietly built their perfect start behind a stingy defense that’s allowing just 7 points per game. That streak will be tough to maintain this week. These two teams are evenly matched, and this game has all the makings of a classic. The outcome will hinge on turnovers and who controls the line of scrimmage. Adding to the intrigue, fans will get to watch two of the NAIA’s top rushers go head-to-head: Evangel’s Eric Williams and McPherson’s Jalil Brown. This one should be a fun battle.
Evangel 31 McPherson 28

Ramblings of Dannelly

Just a reminder to all fans, coaches and administrators that if you email me or send me a private DM on social media, that conversation stays between us.

However, if you @ me and want to call me out publicly over something stupid I’ve said or done that you disagree with, I will put you on blast.

I’m a nice guy, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. I’m all for healthy debate. But when you continue to come at me even after I’ve tried to be nice, Blogger/Talk Show Jason who just DGAF will appear. Keep in mind, I’m from the old school message board days and hosted a morning radio show in the mid 2000’s. It is entertaining for me to eviscerate people verbally. I try hard not to, but at the end of the day I can and will do it if you’re being an idiot. Mail@victorysportsnetwork.com is a great place to have those conversations unless you feel like you’re up for a public verbal spat.

Changing gears, I’m very happy for Madonna University as they picked up their first win in program history this week over Olivet. The losing streak was becoming a monkey on their backs and with that gone they can truly focus on building up their program.

With that said, Waldorf. . .you’re on the clock with a 17 game losing streak.

There’s a lot of great NAIA football this week, get out to a game if you can or check out a stream. Find one of a team that’s not in your conference and just watch for like 5-10 minutes, see what else is out there and see just how good NAIA football is around the country.