Eagles Move To No. 15 In AFCA Coaches Poll, Will Face No. 9 Oilers For G-MAC Lead Saturday

There will be two NCAA Division II Top 25 football match-ups on Saturday (Nov. 8), and the now-No. 15-ranked Ashland University football team will be involved in one of them.
 
In the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches Poll, released on Monday (Nov. 3) afternoon, the Eagles moved up two spots to No. 15 – marking the fourth consecutive week AU has gone up in the rankings.
 
With seven consecutive wins, the Eagles are 8-1 overall and 7-0 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference – tied with No. 9 Findlay (9-0, 7-0), Ashland's opponent on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field. The game will be Ashland's Military and First Responder Appreciation Day and reunion for the 2015 team.
 
The other Top 25 matchup this weekend is No. 16 Minnesota State at No. 5 Augustana (S.D.).
 
As a team, Ashland is tied for first in D-II in both sacks (37) and blocked kicks (seven), has the third-best rushing defense (62.3 ypg.), is tied for third-most blocked punts (three), is fifth in total defense (247.8 ypg.), is tied for eighth in fourth-down conversion percentage (75.0), is tied for ninth in first downs allowed (133), is ninth in scoring defense (15.0 ppg.), and is 10^th in third-down conversion defense percentage (28.7).
 
Individually, redshirt freshman kicker Manaki Watanabe is first in the nation in field-goal percentage (93.3, 14-for-15) and has the second-most field goals in D-II, while senior defensive end Michael Shimek is second in the country with 13½ sacks, and is tied for the third-most blocked kicks with two.
 
2025 ASHLAND UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL AFCA COACHES POLL RANKINGS: No. T-24 (preseason), No. 23 (Sept. 2), No. 20 (Sept. 8), No. T-24 (Oct. 6), No. 22 (Oct. 13), No. 20 (Oct. 20), No. 17 (Oct. 27), No. 15 (Nov. 3).