The final edition of the 2026 Football Coaches’ Poll is in place, turning things over next Tuesday to the National Selection Committee for a Top 15, plus a variety of impactful featured games, including two between current Top 25 teams. Those notes, plus a full feature on Gianna Bennett, the new female scoring leader in college football history, in this week’s edition of the NAIA Football Notebook: Week 8.
Download the notebook in PDF form for print here.
THREE OVER 1,000: Three NAIA running backs have surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season. McPherson’s Jalil Brown leads the nation with 1,060, followed by IWU’s Ryan Whitwell (1,035) and Lindsey Wilson’s Davontaye Saunders (1,024). Saunders leads the trio with 16 rushing TDs, followed by Whitwell with 15 and Brown with 14.
PASSING TOUCHDOWN RACE: Dakota State’s Tray Hettick and Midland’s Brodey Johnson share the national lead with 26 touchdown passes. Hettick has thrown for 2,624 yards, while Midland leads the NAIA with 27 team passing touchdowns.
FALCONS’ GROUND GAME: Friends has rushed for 3,109 yards and 40 touchdowns through seven games. The Falcons average an NAIA-best 444.1 rushing yards per game and 8.1 yards per attempt, fueling the nation’s highest-scoring offense at 63.4 points per contest.
PERFECT IN THE RED ZONE: Dordt and Evangel have converted every red-zone opportunity this season. Dordt is 30-for-30 on scoring chances inside the 20, while Evangel has converted all 21 of its opportunities.
A DIFFERENCE-MAKING RETURNER: Friends’ Michael Lopez has accumulated 1,192 all-purpose yards, including 532 on kickoff returns and 233 on punt returns. Lopez has scored two TDs on kickoff returns and another on a punt return.
TAKEAWAY LEADERS: Montana Tech leads the NAIA in turnover margin at +2 per game, forcing 20 turnovers while committing just six. The Orediggers have intercepted 15 passes, trailing only Dakota Wesleyan’s 16.
TWO SAFETIES, ONE DEFENDER: Faulkner LB RJ Randolph recorded 2.5 sacks, including two that resulted in safeties, during the Eagles’ 46-21 victory over Andrew. The senior also forced a fumble that led to a score, earning NAIA Defensive Player of the Week honors.
THE COMPLETION LEADERS: Morningside’s Tyler Smith and Missouri Valley’s Tomele Staples share the NAIA lead in completion percentage at 76.3. Smith also ranks nationally with 185.3 passing efficiency, while Morningside converts 61 percent on third-down.
Two nationally ranked KCAC teams meet in Wichita as unbeaten Friends hosts
Southwestern. The Falcons lead the NAIA in scoring at 63.4 points per game
and rushing at 444.1 yards per game. Southwestern counters with one of the
nation’s top rush defenses, allowing just 68.9 per game, averaging 254.6 rushing
yards of its own. Both teams carry +1.57 turnover margins into the matchup.
Benedictine takes a seven-game winning streak into Saturday following a 59-17 win over MidAmerica Nazarene. The Ravens have totaled 3,253 offensive yards and carry a plus-1.12 turnover margin per game. William Woods has won four of its last six games as it looks to upset the second-ranked Ravens.
Morningside boasts one of the NAIA’s top offenses, averaging 561.4 yards and 49.3 points per game. The Mustangs lead the nation with a 61 percent third-down conversion rate. Concordia counters with a plus-1.17 turnover margin per game as it looks to slow the high-powered Mustangs.
Montana Tech looks to maintain its Frontier East lead against Mayville State in a matchup with divisional implications. The Orediggers lead the NAIA in total defense (216.0 yards allowed per game) and turnover margin (+2.00), having intercepted 15 passes. Mayville State enters 2-1 in divisional play.
Indiana Wesleyan returns home after a 53-12 win over Defiance, highlighted by quarterback Arjun Lothe’s seven touchdown passes. The NAIA Offensive Player of the Week completed 22 of 25 passes for 366 yards. Lothe leads the nation in passing efficiency (204.3), while the Wildcats average an NAIA-best 621.7 offensive yards per game.
A matchup of nationally ranked teams in The Sun Conference features two of the NAIA’s stingiest defenses. Unbeaten St. Thomas allows just 10.7 points and 51.0 rushing yards per game, while Southeastern limits opponents to 256.8 total yards on average and 132.2 passing yards per contest. Both teams also rank among the national leaders in turnover margin.
Cumberland brings one of the NAIA’s top defenses into this Mid-South matchup, allowing just 242.3 total yards and 129.9 passing yards per game. Cumberlands counters with a dangerous return game that has produced two kickoff-return touchdowns.
Pikeville seeks its fourth straight victory after defeating Point 36-10 to improve to 2-0 in AAC play. Bluefield features Kyree Edwards, who ranks fourth nationally with 962 rushing yards after rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns against Reinhardt last week.
Unbeaten College of Idaho hosts Eastern Oregon in a Frontier Conference matchup featuring two prolific offenses. The top-ranked Yotes average 50.3 points and 280.2 rushing yards per game, while Eastern Oregon scores 41.3 points per contest and converts 52 percent of its third-down opportunities.
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