As October fades, playoff talk turns real for North Carolina D2 football programs. Fayetteville State keeps winning, Johnson C. Smith’s offense keeps humming, UNC Pembroke is making national noise, and Wingate looks like a team no one wants to see in November.
From CIAA fireworks to Conference Carolinas rivalries and the rugged SAC race, here’s everything you need to know before kickoff of this week’s games.
Jump to D2 Power Rankings | Stat Leaders | Playoff Buzz | Game Previews | Extra Points
D2 Football Scores & Standings | Saturday, Oct. 25
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
- Johnson C. Smith 52, Winston-Salem State 27
- Elizabeth City State 62, Lincoln (PA) 14
- Fayetteville State 31, Shaw 13
- Virginia Union 24, Bowie State 7
- Virginia State 51, Bluefield State 34
- Livingstone 44, Virginia-Lynchburg 22
Conference Carolinas
- Ferrum 35, Erskine 33
- Shorter 33, Barton 7
- Valdosta State 35, North Greenville 24
- UNC Pembroke 42, Chowan 10
South Atlantic Conference
- Lenoir-Rhyne 45, Mars Hill 0
- Wingate 30, Anderson 3
- Carson-Newman 35, UVA Wise 14
- Newberry 36, Emory & Henry 34
- Catawba 38, Tusculum 3
𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄, 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 🏈@CatawbaFootball puts on a defensive masterclass, holding Tusculum to 0️⃣ second-half points in a 38-3 HOMECOMING WIN!
P. Brown: 15-24, 239 yds, 3 total TDs
Q. Williams: 108 total yds, 2 TDs
Hinton: 9 tkls (7 solo)#BleedBlue | #CatawbaCulture pic.twitter.com/PO8GCsZDuQ — Catawba College Athletics (@CatawbaIndians) October 26, 2025
North Carolina D2 Power Rankings
Here’s how we rank the top NCAA Division II college football teams in North Carolina heading into Nov. 1 games:
- Johnson C. Smith (7-1): The Golden Bulls have bounced back well from their lone loss to Virginia Union, winning four straight and outscoring foes 204-60 in that span. JCSU made the initial D2 Super Region rankings and own the best W-L record in North Carolina college football.
- UNC Pembroke (7-2): The Braves appear in the debut D2 Region Rankings ahead of North Greenville, despite losing to NGU head-to-head a few weeks ago. UNCP has stronger resume but still will need to win the conference championship game to assure an automatic berth.
- Wingate (6-2): The Bulldogs will need help to retain the SAC championship trophy but still are looking good for a playoff berth provided they win out.
- Fayetteville State (5-3): The Broncos played the role of spoiler last season against Johnson C. Smith. If the Broncos beat the Golden Bulls on Saturday, they’ll have the inside track to the CIAA title game in a few weeks.
- Catawba (6-2): One of our state’s most improved teams has doubled its win total from last season – and is the only SAC school to pin a loss on league-leading Newberry (7-1, 6-1 SAC).
- Lenoir-Rhyne (5-4): The Bears are likely out of conference contention – unless some crazy stuff happens – but can still wreak havoc among its in-state peers, Wingate and Catawba.
- Livingstone (4-4): The Blue Bears have played their way into the top half of the CIAA with one of the fiercest defenses in the league.
D2 IS FABULOUS: North Carolina Division II football teams make up nearly half of this week’s Fabulous 15 statewide rankings.
North Carolina D2 Stat Leaders
Through Oct. 25, 2025 Games
Rushing Yards
811 – Xavier Pugh (Wingate)
720 – Jackson Parrish (Barton)
681 – Jon Gullette (Mars Hill)
644 – Bobby Smith (Johnson C. Smith)
Rushing TDs
15 – Xavier Pugh (Wingate)
11 – Bennett Galloway (Catawba)
8 – Jackson Parrish (Barton), Kelvin Durham (Johnson C. Smith)
Passing Yards
2,071 – Kelvin Durham (Johnson C. Smith)
1,979 – Tre Robinson (UNC Pembroke)
1,853 – Daylin Lee (Winston-Salem State)
1,846 – Khamoni Robinson (Lenoir-Rhyne)
Passing TDs
22 – Tre Robinson (UNC Pembroke)
21 – Daylin Lee (Winston-Salem State)
19 – Kelvin Durham (Johnson C. Smith)
17 – Preston Brown (Catawba)
Receiving Yards
789 – Jaquan Albright (UNC Pembroke)
693 – Jaylen Himes (Wingate)
674 – Que Kennedy (UNC Pembroke)
623 – Brian Lane (Johnson C. Smith)
Receiving TDs
11 – Que Kennedy (UNC Pembroke)
6 – Davontay Deloatch (Winston-Salem State), Deandre Proctor (Johnson C. Smith), Jaylen Himes (Wingate), Malik Brown (UNC Pembroke)
Tackles
93 – Keno Jones (Barton)
75 – Savionne Rogers (Barton)
73 – Steven Reid (Mars Hill)
67 – Ja’Correy Bible (Barton)
Tackles-For-Loss
23.0 – Kenyon Garner (Livingstone)
11.0 – Isi Etute (UNC Pembroke), Jamieson Alston (Winston-Salem State)
10.5 – Mandjou Berte (Wingate)
Sacks
13.0 – Kenyon Garner (Livingstone)
6.0 – Kaydin Thomas (Fayetteville State)
5.0 – Evan Simons (Catawba)
4.0 – Elihu Lipscomb (Wingate), Maddox Aprile (Lenoir-Rhyne), Shawn Robinson (Fayetteville State)
Interceptions
4 – Donovan Woods (UNC Pembroke)
3 – Desmond Greene (Lenoir-Rhyne), Elijah Wilson (Johnson C. Smith), Keyshawn Monk (Fayetteville State)
Kicker Points
64 – Caleb Bonesteel (Wingate)
55 – John Hernandez-Vargas (Fayetteville State)
52 – Taylor Harris (UNC Pembroke)
48 – Bryson Sims (Catawba), Lukasz Smolen (Johnson C. Smith)
Punting Average
44.1 – Stewart Simmons (Lenoir-Rhyne)
42.1 – Lukasz Smolen (Johnson C. Smith)
41.5 – Rivers Teeter (Wingate), Andrew Bontekoe (Barton)
* Source: NCAA.com
D2 Football Playoff Buzz
Four North Carolina D2 football teams made the initial set of Super Region rankings, released earlier this week – Johnson C. Smith, Fayetteville State, UNC Pembroke and Wingate.
These rankings don’t guarantee a playoff berth for any of the schools but shine a light on who is contention to make the field, according to the NCAA Division II playoff selection committee, with just a few weeks left in the regular season.
Two more sets of regional rankings will be released between now and the selection committee setting the brackets over the weekend of Nov. 15. This year, the D2 tournament has expanded from 28 to 32 teams, with no byes for top regional seeds and each conference guaranteed an automatic qualifier.
READ MORE: Breaking down the first set of NCAA Division II Super Region rankings, released Monday.
North Carolina D2 Game Previews
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 Games
Spotlight Game: Johnson C. Smith at Fayetteville State
Saturday, 1 p.m. | Luther “Nick” Jeralds Stadium | HBCUGo
Johnson C. Smith jumped out to an historic 8-0 start last season before Fayetteville State cut in front of the Bulls and derailed their season. The Broncos beat JCSU for the eighth straight time, ultimately keeping them out of the CIAA title game and D2 playoffs.
There are plenty of juicy storylines heading into Saturday’s rematch/latest showdown:
- Johnson C. Smith’s redemption arc: Can the Bulls finish what they couldn’t complete last season? Will FSU be their foil yet again?
- Fayetteville State’s own quest to get back to the CIAA title game: Coach Richard Hayes Jr.’s bunch had made six trips in a row until getting knocked out of contention in 2024. A win Saturday puts the Broncos in a prime spot to make an amazing seventh appearance over eight seasons.
- Elite Offense vs. Elite Defense: We can’t wait to watch Fayetteville State’s stout stopping unit – which has allowed just 13.6 points per game against CIAA opponents – face Johnson C. Smith quarterback Kelvin Durham and one of the most dynamic offenses in the conference. FSU has forced 15 turnovers in the past three outings, all lopsided wins. JCSU averages 38.5 points and 425.4 yards of offense per game.
- Is this the new big North Carolina CIAA rivalry? There is no love lost between Fayetteville State and Winston-Salem State, but FSU vs. Johnson C. Smith has had the most stakes the past few seasons.
Other North Carolina D2 Matchups
Catawba at Carson-Newman – Saturday, 1 p.m. (FloCollege)
A battle between two second-place conference teams (4-2 SAC records), with the winner staying in the title conversation.
Elizabeth City State at Bowie State – Saturday, 1 p.m. (CIAA Sports Network)
Third-straight road game for the Vikings, who demolished Lincoln (PA) 62-14 a week ago for its highest scoring output since beating Virginia-Lynchburg 71-0 in September 2015.
Chowan at Erskine – Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (Conference Carolinas Digital Network)
Both the Hawks and Flying Fleet will be vying for their second conference victory. Chowan has been solid in the red zone, ranking fourth nationally with a 95.7 percent success rate.
Mars Hill at Tusculum – Saturday, 2 p.m. (FloCollege)
The Lions will look to bounce back after a 45-0 humbling at the hands of Lenoir-Rhyne last Saturday – the first time the Bears have shut them out in nearly a century.
Shaw at Livingstone – Saturday, 2 p.m. (CIAA Sports Network)
Shaw freshman quarterback Alexander Marsh will go from the frying pan into the fire, facing yet another stellar defensive unit. Marsh has been promising thus far for the Bears, throwing for 221 yards last week against a great Fayetteville State team.
Barton at UNC Pembroke – Saturday, 3 p.m. (Conference Carolinas Digital Network)
As cited above, Barton features three of our state’s top four Division II tacklers. Keno Jones ranks fourth nationally in total tackles per game. UNCP’s offensive weaponry will be a handful, though, with playmakers all over the field.
Lenoir-Rhyne at Wingate – Saturday, 3 p.m. (FloCollege)
This matchup will feature a battle of the past two NC Football News’ Fabulous 15 champions. Lenoir-Rhyne won the Fab 15 crown in 2023, while Wingate claimed the illustrious distinction last season. The Bulldogs need this head-to-head victory to stay in D2 playoff hunt. Lenoir-Rhyne hasn’t won in this series since 2021.
Winston-Salem State: bye
Extra Points
Johnson C. Smith is the only North Carolina D2 football team ranked in the top 25 this week. The Golden Bulls come in at No. 19 in both major polls, moving up three spots in the AFCA coaches poll and two spots in the latest D2Football.com media poll. UNC Pembroke received votes in the coaches poll.
Multiple players from UNC Pembroke are leaving their mark among the national stat leaders. Quarterback Tre Robinson ranks fifth in D2 football with 22 TD passes. Que Kennedy’s 11 receiving touchdowns is second-best nationally – one shy of the leader. Jaquan Albright, our statewide leader in receiving yards (789), is fourth in D2.
As a team, UNC Pembroke’s defense has picked off 10 passes this season, ranking 19th in D2. The Braves have allowed just 149.8 yards per game through the air, eighth-best nationally.
Seven D2 quarterbacks in our state have thrown for at least 1,800 yards so far this season. We listed the top four above in our stats roundup – Kelvin Durham (JCSU), Tre Robinson (UNCP), Daylin Lee (WSSU) and Khamoni Robinson (Lenoir-Rhyne). The other three are Catawba’s Preston Brown (1,836 yards, 17 TDs), Wingate’s Elijah Holmes (1,829, 15 TDs) and Mars Hill’s JR Martin (1,828, 14 TDs). Just throw the dang ball?
Winston-Salem State announced earlier this week that athletics director Etienne Thomas has resigned, effective Dec. 31. It will be interesting to watch how this decision impacts football going forward. Robert Massey was hired to lead the Rams in 2019, compiling a 25-33 overall mark, 20-22 in CIAA play since then. Will WSSU consider a change in the football program leadership during this time of transition?
Elizabeth City State became the seventh North Carolina college football team this season to score at least 60 points in a game. The Vikings beat Lincoln 62-14 on Saturday. The season high for points in a game was set by Wingate in a 72-7 triumph over Bluefield State in September. Johnson C. Smith also beat Bluefield State by a wide margin, 69-13. Christopher Perkins threw 4 TD passes. The defense forced five fumbles and Jamari Blake returned a blocked punt for score.
Lenoir-Rhyne got two special teams touchdowns against Mars Hill – an 87-yard opening kickoff return by Tye Roberson and a 70-yard punt return from Songa Yates.
Chowan’s Dominic Haney led all D2 rushers this past Saturday, picking up 151 yards on 27 carries against UNC Pembroke. His longest run covered 58 yards.
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