Ben Moore and the Scots ran away from Wartburg, improving to 2-0. Photo courtesy Monmouth Athletics

Week 2 showed us that there is plenty of room for improvement across Division III.

For some teams, that just means reviewing the game film and cleaning up certain areas of play. For others, times are more desperate.

Most squads still have their ultimate goal of a conference championship in front of them, but starting the season with a disappointing loss or two has got to rattle their confidence.

Albright and St. Norbert, both 2015 playoff teams and defending conference champions, have a long road back to the postseason. The Lions are 0-2 and have already lost as many conference games as they did all of last season, falling to Stevenson on Saturday. The Green Knights have a bit more breathing room, as both of their season-opening losses were to non-conference opponents.

Wartburg, which lost just one regular season game over the past two seasons, opened with a loss. The Knights had not lost a season opener since 2009. Monmouth defeated Wartburg, 29-22, in the Scots' second game of the season. It is hard to predict how much of a disadvantage the Week 1 bye can be. The Scots certainly looked like the sharper team on Saturday.

Coaches are fond of saying that they don't know what their team is capable of until they see live game action. Utica coach Blaise Faggiano saw what his team could do in a 44-6 opening win over Misericordia. That gave the Pioneers momentum and confidence heading into a showdown with No. 18 Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears, on the other hand, were making their 2016 regular season debut. It looked like ONU would be unfazed by a road game against a team that already had a game under its belt, then the Pioneers dominated the fourth quarter. Would Utica have had the confidence and mental toughness to rally from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit for a 34-30 victory if they hadn't already played and won a game this season?

"Being able to have that Week 1 game and have a very strong scrimmage [against Kean], no doubt all that helps," said Faggiano. "We were confident it would be a great game and we could win it, based on last year [a 29-22 loss at Ohio Northern]. We're better than last year."

Five of Utica's six losses last season were by seven points or less. The Pioneers are determined to learn from those close losses this year. They were able to avenge one of 2015's defeats on Saturday. 

"As a program, if you ask any of our kids, we're tired of being close. Last year was frustrating," said Faggiano. "I think we've earned people's respect that we've built a strong program. At the end of the day, you want to win more than you lose." 

Hampden-Sydney and Bethel both fell to 0-2 and both need to immediately address defensive shortcomings. The Royals have allowed 110 points this season. The Tigers have given up 83. Fortunately for the Tigers, they get one more non-conference tune up. The Royals have no such opportunity, and enter MIAC play needing to generate momentum.

Pacific opened with two home games against teams who had to make long road trips from the Midwest. The Boxers dropped a pair of nailbiters by a total of six points. They now have to travel to Hawaii for Week 3's neutral site game against Occidental. The change of scenery might be a good thing for Pacific at this point.

Few expected Texas Lutheran to be undefeated after a Week 2 showdown with Mary Hardin-Baylor. But the Bulldogs have been bowled over in consecutive weeks, first by East Texas Baptist, then by the Crusaders. Texas Lutheran has been outscored 100-41, and now must get right while traveling for two straight road games (Louisiana College and Hardin-Simmons).

Even teams with the highest of expectations started slow. It took Mount Union nearly 18 minutes to get on the board against N.C. Wesleyan, a team playing its second game of the season. The Purple Raiders eventually imposed their will, but a Week 1 bye coupled with a long road trip to North Carolina--not to mention splitting time between two freshmen quarterbacks--seemed to affect the defending champions. Linfield needed a quarter and a half before it pulled away from Chapman. Both of those teams were playing their first game of the 2016 season. The Wildcats gave up a 97-yard punt return for the game's first score and Chapman remained within striking distance midway through the second quarter. Linfield then scored the game's final 28 points to cruise to victory.

We also saw teams in danger of starting 0-2 rally late to avoid that result. Washington and Lee trailed 17-0, but came back on the road to defeat Sewanee 21-17. Rose-Hulman's offense still hasn't clicked as expected, but the Fightin' Engineers did enough to improve to 1-1 on the season.

Thomas More and Wesley both bounced back after disappointing losses in Week 1. The Wolverines began conference play and are seeking their first NJAC title. The Saints have a huge test in Week 3 against PAC rival Washington and Jefferson. Every conference game is going to be critical for Thomas More and Wesley, because the margin for error is now so razor-thin after season-opening losses.

It might be too early for desperation, but for the teams that started 0-2 something has to change, and soon.

D-III represent

The nice thing about scheduling non-D-III opponents is that all of your rivals are rooting for you. As Division III fans, players, and coaches, we want to see D-III programs stand up and show out against programs from other divisions.

Four Top 25 programs faced competition from outside D-III on Saturday. North Central, UW-Platteville, and East Texas Baptist each won big. The only loss was Franklin's to Division I non-scholarship Butler. Not a bad showing for D-III.

Look ahead

We're going to need to be hydrated and caffeinated for Week 3. The fun starts at noon when Washington and Jefferson travels to Thomas More for a clash between ranked conference rivals. The night will end on Sunday morning, watching from afar as Occidental and Pacific play in Honolulu. That game kicks off at 11 p.m. EST.

St. John Fisher travels to Cortland, and Christopher Newport hosts Wesley in two other conference games featuring ranked teams. It's only Week 3 and we're already faced with games that will directly impact the playoff selection committee in November.

There's also the most anticipated non-conference game of 2016, as Linfield travels to Mary Hardin-Baylor for a Top 5 battle. That game kicks off at 7 p.m. EST. I'll be at a wedding. Don't plan Fall weddings, people. Respect college football.

On tap:

Here's what to watch for on D3football.com this week.

Later today-- new Top 25 poll released

Monday--Around the Nation podcast featuring Pat Coleman and Keith McMillan. Also, Play of the Week. Submit nominations today if you haven't already.

Tuesday/Wednesday--Around the Region columns

Thursday--Around the Nation column.

Friday--Quick Hits (the new, improved version of Triple Take featuring our panel's predictions and insight into the weekend's games)

Saturday--Game day. You know what Saturdays are for.

We've got great content coming at you all week, every week. Follow along and get to know D-III football beyond just your favorite team.

If you have ideas for an upcoming column or just want to talk some D-III football, get at me at @adamturer on Twitter or adam.turer@d3sports.com.