Bemidji State’s climb, plus two other things to know about Minnesota college football

With three weeks remaining in the regular season, Bemidji State’s fourth consecutive berth in the Division II playoffs was in jeopardy.

After losing at Winona State 31-28 on Oct. 26, the Beavers were 5-3 and in sixth place in the NSIC. The first regional rankings, which are used to determine the 28-team Division II playoff field, were released two days later, and the Beavers were not among the 10 teams included in Super Region IV.

On Nov. 2, the Beavers defeated Wayne State 37-20 in Bemidji to improve to 6-3. But when the new regional rankings were released on Nov. 4, the Beavers were still absent.

After defeating MSU Moorhead 25-14 on Nov. 9 in Moorhead, the Beavers were ranked No. 7 in the final regional rankings on Nov. 11.

On Nov. 16, the Beavers closed out the regular season with a 17-10 victory over NSIC-leading Augustana, which was ranked No. 2 in the region.

That victory helped the Beavers secure a spot in the playoffs. The Beavers have followed the victory over Augustana with victories over Angelo State and Western Colorado on the road to reach the quarterfinals of the Division II playoffs for the first time in program history.

Last Saturday, the Beavers rallied in the final four minutes for a 20-19 victory over Western Colorado in Gunnison, Colo. The Mountaineers were leading 19-14 and driving when the Beavers’ Gabe Wood recovered a fumble at the Beavers 25-yard line and raced 75 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

“We’ve won [in] some unique ways this season,” Beavers coach Brent Bolte said in the postgame news conference. “It was fitting that the defense was able to get one there [to] get the win. Proud of the guys, resilient group.”

On Saturday, the Beavers will meet NSIC rival Minnesota State Mankato in Mankato. The Mavericks advanced to the quarterfinals after rallying in the fourth quarter in victories over Augustana and Colorado State Pueblo, the top-seeded team in the region, on the road.

The Mavericks defeated the Beavers 31-29 on Sept. 7 in Mankato. The Mavericks have won the last five meetings between the teams.

The winner Saturday will play either Ferris State or Harding in the semifinals on Dec. 14.

Here are two other Minnesota college football story lines this week:

St. John’s, the top overall seed in the Division III playoffs, will play host to Susquehanna in the third round on Saturday.

The Johnnies (11-0), who had a first-round bye, defeated Wisconsin La Crosse 24-13 to reach the third round for the first time since 2019. Susquehanna (10-1), which also had a first-round bye, defeated Hobart 42-35 in the second round to advance. The victory was the River Hawks’ first postseason victory since 1991.

On Wednesday, Johnnies receiver Dylan Wheeler was named to the first team and quarterback Aaron Syverson was named to the second team on the AFCA All-America team.

The Johnnies and Susquehanna have never met in football.

Bethel will play at Wartburg in Waverly, Iowa, in the third round of the Division III playoffs.

The Royals (10-2) advanced with a 48-21 victory over previously unbeaten Lake Forest at home. The Royals outscored Lake Forest 35-7 over the final 30 minutes.

Wartburg (10-1) outlasted Wisconsin Platteville 19-14 in Waverly to reach the third round. Wartburg’s only loss this season was to St. John’s 35-13 in Week 2 in Collegeville.

The Royals and Wartburg met in the 2023 regular season with the Knights wining 16-2 in Arden Hills.

Bethel defensive back Matt Jung was named a first-team All American and defensive lineman Caden DeWall was named second team by the AFCA on Wednesday.