Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 2009434, member: 289"] NCAA FCS SEMI-FINALS That wasn’t an earthquake on the Richter Scale- it was the falling of a giant. After winning five straight national championships and 22 straight playoff games, the Bison of North Dakota State were defeated in their own Fargo Dome by JAMES MADISON. The Dukes, who had obliterated #1 ranked Sam Houston State 65-7 in their previous game, kept right on rolling against the Bison herd, rolling up a 17-0 in the first 23 minutes. But they weren’t playing Sam Houston. The Bison rose up and turned the game around, scoring 17 unanswered points of their own to tie the game by the end of the third quarter and they looked like they might keep going and win going away, as they have done so many times. But a 45 yard pass play on third and 9 followed by a penalty that negated a 3rd and 10 sack set up a JM field goal to open the fourth quarter. After forcing a punt, the Dukes went 80 yards for the clincher, Khalid Abdullah bursting for 55 yards and John Miller catching a 25 yarder for the winner in a 27-17 James Madison victory that sent all those rabid Bison fans home muttering something they haven’t said in a long time: “Wait till next year!” For James Madison this year might be “next year”. They looked a lot like the North Dakota State championship teams, a big brawny team that loves to pound away at their opponent until they give in and an opportunistic team that gives no quarter but takes advantage of any opportunity they can to beat you. They looked like a championship team. [URL="http://www.ncaa.com/game/football/fcs/2016/12/16/james-madison-north-dakota-st/recap"]James Madison vs North Dakota St. - FCS Football[/URL] I’m sure they will be heavily favored over YOUNGSTOWN STATE, whose presence in the final makes little sense. They won it by winning a game that made little sense – but was one of the greatest games you’ll ever see. Coach Bo Pellini had to suspend four key players for failing drug tests: [URL]http://wkbn.com/2016/12/17/sources-name-4-ysu-football-players-not-playing-in-eastern-washington-game/[/URL] …and then go out and play perennial power Eastern Washington, who had dominated their playoff opposition, on their own fire-red field and somehow win – and they did, in one of the great games you’ll ever see. They did it by just refusing to go away. it was a classic case of an underdog team staying in a game until they realized that they just had to win the last few plays and they’d win the game. And the winning play was one for the ages. The Penguins seemed at home on the snow-covered field, perhaps even moreso because red is Youngstown’s color too, while the Eagles abandoned their normal red and white and went for an all-black look. Bad idea. Youngstown scored first to make it 7-0 but then gave up 17 unanswered points. The Penguins kicked a field goal but the Eagles answered with a touchdown to soar to a 24-10 advantage. The Penguins waddled to a touchdown and then a field goal to make it 20-24. The home team regained control at 31-20 but the Penguins swam into the lead with two more touchdowns. The Eagles thought maybe they’d finally won it with a 1 yard TD run with 4:30 left to make it 38-34. But Youngstown had one more shot and they took advantage of it- barely. With 6 seconds left, quarterback Hunter Wells dropped back and found everyone covered. He took a chance by throwing a bullet pass to Kevin Rader, whose defender had turned his back. Rader was already tangled up with him, (there might have been an interference call if the catch hadn’t been made). But Rader did something David Tyree would admire: he reached beyond the defender’s out-stretched arms with one hand, gained control of the ball and pinned it against the defender’s shoulder. That’s a good catch and the referees signaled touchdown. A try for two failed and there was time only for a kick-off and poorly executed Stanford band-type play and the Penguins were in the finals against mighty James Madison. [URL="http://www.ncaa.com/game/football/fcs/2016/12/17/youngstown-st-eastern-wash/recap"]Youngstown St. vs Eastern Wash. - FCS Football[/URL] FINALS MATCH-UP The FCS championship game will be played at Noon on January 7th in Fisco, Texas and will be televised on ESPN2. JAMES MADISON 13-1 (672-304) ranked #5 / lost to North Carolina 28-56 / 12-11 (1) Vs. YOUNGSTOWN STATE 12-3 (438-291) ranked #13 / lost to West Virginia 21-38, South Dakota State 10-24 and North Dakota State 3-24 / 32-10 (4) I always wonder about “Cinderella teams” when they get to championship games. There are all kinds of reasons to think they cannot win those games but they are the same reasons they weren’t supposed to get to those games in the first place. The Dukes will be the clear favorite and deservedly so but do the Penquins have any miracles left? [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?