After waiting for what seemed like an eternity for college football to return this year, it's hard to believe the D2 season is already three weeks deep for most teams. And within those first few weeks of action are a group of standouts off to scorching-hot starts.
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Let's check out some of the biggest studs from the first few weeks as the D2 season continues to chug along.
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Nick Watson and Charles Holland — Tiffin
There's a reason the Dragons are off to an undefeated start despite a brutal September schedule featuring one home contest and four on the road.
The pass-catching combo of quarterback Nick Watson and wide receiver Charles Holland are tormenting defenses during the squad's 3-0 start.
Watson has thrown for 956 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with an impressive 71.4 percent completion percentage. One of the many beneficiaries of Watson's hot start is his standout receiver and 2016 All-GLIAC First-Team honoree.
Holland already has 23 catches for a whopping 387 yards and three scores. Most eye-popping of all is his average of 129 yards receiving per contest, which is 22 yards better than his fabulous 2016 campaign.
Watson, Holland, and company have two more road games against Walsh and Wayne State before returning home on October 6 for a much-needed three-game homestand.
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Jaleel McLaughlin — Notre Dame (OH)
There was a time in college football when freshmen routinely sat out their first year of eligibility or saw limited action at best. That certainly is not the case with the 5-9, 173-pound back who is taking D2 football by storm.
All McLaughlin did in his first college game was rip through Shepherd for 302 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. The rushing total set a single-game school record and is the third-most in Mountain East Conference history.
He already has runs of 76 and 73 yards and has amassed a whopping 601 yards on the ground in helping the Falcons get off to a perfect 3-0 start.
McLaughlin and the Falcons will look to improve to 4-0 on Saturday during its trip to Athens, West Virginia, to face Concord.
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Daniel Parisi — St. Anselm
How does a perfect five for five on field goals sound to open the season?
Parisi's hot start is made even more impressive considering the Hawks are only one of a handful of squads to play two games on the season thus far instead of three.
The kicker from Georgetown, Massachusetts, accounted for 16 of his team's 54 points in the season opener against Stonehill, which included a flawless four-for-four performance with a long of 45 yards.
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