AREA COLLEGE FOOTBALL UPDATE

DIV. III PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND

Aurora (9-1) at St. John's (9-1), noon: The first-ever meeting between the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference champion and the MIAC co-champion will feature two of the top offenses in Division III. The Spartans are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 under first-year coach Don Beebe, the former NFL wide receiver and the father of current Vikings receiver Chad Beebe. They are fourth in Division III in scoring (49.4 points per game) and sixth in total offense (518.0 yards per game). The Johnnies, who are making their sixth consecutive playoff appearance, are fifth in total offense (521.7) and 20th in scoring (41.0). Johnnies QB Jackson Erdmann leads Division III with 3,352 passing yards.

Martin Luther (9-1) at Wheaton (10-0), noon: UMAC champion Martin Luther is making its second consecutive playoff appearance. Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion Wheaton, ranked No. 3 in Division III, is making its first appearance since 2016. The Knights are second in Division III in rushing (335.8 yards per game), and Austin DeNoyer is sixth in rushing yards per game (144.2). The Thunder has five shutout victories on the season. Luke Anthony has thrown for 2,121 yards and 24 TDs.

DIVISION II PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND

NSIC champion Minnesota State Mankato (11-0) has a first-round bye and will host the Augustana/Colorado State-Pueblo winner on Nov. 30. Augustana (9-2) is also a member of the NSIC, as is Sioux Falls (8-3), which will play Saturday at Colorado Mines.

JOEL RIPPEL

Correction: A previous version of this article included a headline that incorrectly stated where the St. John's game will be played.