D2 Football came out with a bang to start the season, but with every great offensive performance we saw to open the year, there was a great defense waiting to shine next.
Take a look at the four best defensive performances of the opening week of contests below — one from each region of D2 play. Then it is your job at home to vote for which you believe is the best of the best and deserves to be named our defensive team of the week.
Don't forget to also vote for Offensive Performance of The Week, which you can find in the link below.
Football is finally here, now let's get to talking about the studs on defense who made it hard for the big plays to happen.
[divider]VOTE: D2FB Offense of the Week
VOTE: Play of The Week[divider]
Super Region One
West Chester
Total Defense: 213
Passing Defense: 179
Rushing Defense: 34
Turnovers: 3
One of our nominees for best returning defense for the 2017 season, West Chester showed why in their season debut against Bentley, winning the contest 51-9 and not allowing a touchdown until no time was left on the clock.
Three fumble recoveries — including a two-yard return for a score — were the biggest highlights in an effort that continuously sent the Falcons backwards on run plays, accruing 72 yards lost on rushes.
A perennial defensive power, WCU showed once again that their unit will lead them to success and results such as the one to open the season should go a long way in determining if this can be a playoff team.
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Super Region Two
Tuskegee
Total Defense: 367
Passing Defense: 173
Rushing Defense: 194
Turnovers: 2
Tuskegee faced a big challenge on the road at FCS-member Alabama State, but came up with a huge defensive stand throughout the night en route to a 14-6 victory over their in-state foe.
The biggest play was a 46-yard interception return by defensive back Jonah McCutcheon to put the game out of reach with about 11 minutes remaining. A late touchdown by ASU mattered little as the Golden Tigers pulled the big victory off.
While the above numbers may not be the most finite you'll find of some teams, the "bend-don't-break" mantra went to infinity and beyond for TU, as Alabama State was consistently shut out in opponent territory. A job well done by a D2 team to take down an FCS squad.
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Super Region Three
Northwest Missouri State
Total Defense: 246
Passing Defense: 135
Rushing Defense: 111
Sacks: 4
I will admit fully I thought Emporia State was going to beat NW for the first time in 25 tries and finally take the lead in the MIAA race for supremacy. Well, clearly the Bearcats were going to have nothing of it as they shut out the Hornets in a 34-0 decision.
The Bearcats repeatedly shut drives down for the Hornets without letting them getting into much rhythm, using four sacks to push quarterback Braxton Marstall back, and shutting down the run game for the majority of the night.
Much like another candidate Tuskegee, NWMSU made it count in the area that matters most: the scoreboard. The two-time defending champions looked as good as they have over the last two seasons, and are very much title threats once again.
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Super Region Four
Angelo State
Total Defense: 127
Passing Defense: 140
Rushing Defense: -13
3rd Down Defense: 3-18
When you can hold a team to negative rushing yards, you can pretty much guarantee its been a good night for the defense. Angelo State did just that on their to a 42-2 victory over McKendree, starting the year with the fewest rushing yards allowed since giving up -19 to Eastern New Mexico in 2008.
The two points are also the fewest allowed in a game since shutting out Bacone in 2015. In that shutout though, the Bacone offense was still able to rack up 80 yards on the ground and 172 overall.
The only thing that could have made this performance even better would have been a shutout, but that takes nothing away from the awesomeness that was the Ram defense in their opener against McKendree. The Football Gods better shine bright on the next team that tries to test their offensive mettle on the Rams.
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Who Had D2 Football’s Best Defensive Performance of Week 1?
