Playoffs! The Small Colleges (Updated)

[SWC75]

Here are the match-ups for the NAIA, NCAA D3, NCAA d2 and FCS playoffs this year:

NAIA

First Round:
#1 ranked Marian shut out Grand View 31-0 after blowing out to a 24-0 halftime lead on three touchdown passes by Adam Wiese. Marian held grand View to only 30 yards total offense.
#2 Carroll did even better, blowing out Valley City 47-0 on three TD passes by Dane Broadhead and two short TD runs by Chance DeMarais. The third quarter score was the final.
#3 Georgetown also held service in beating Benedictine 21-7. Neal Pawsat came back from an early pick 6 to throw for 267 yards and two scores.
#4 MidAmerica Nazarene, which is in Kansas beat Southern Nazarene, from Oklahoma in a wild 40-28 offensive duel. Brady Wardlaw threw for four scores but also had a pick 6. Tyler Herl of Southern had three TD passes of his own. But two first quarter rushing touchdowns for the home team held up.
#5 St. Xavier (Illinois) had no problems with Bethel (Tennessee), gaining 665 yards- 408 through the air- in a 51-17 win. Jimmy Coy threw for four scores and Cordarious Mann ran for two more.
#6 Morningside was beaten by visiting St. Francis (Illinois), 17-21 despite having the lead three times. EJ White threw his second touchdown pass to Lexus Jackson on a 70 yard play with 6:56 left on the clock.
#7 Missouri Valley went down to St. Francis (Indiana) 14-28, who broke a tie with two fourth quarter scores. Antoin Campbell scored twice for the winners.
#8 Azusa Pacific exploded by Ottawa 49-26 thanks to three touchdowns in both the first and third quarters. A 21-0 lead became 20-13 and then 49-20. AP ran for 371 yards and had 587 yards total offense. Terrell Watson ran for three touchdowns and Dave Trifeletti for two more.

Second Round
#1 Marian destroyed St. Francis 49-7, scoring twice in each of the last three quarters. They had 454 yard total offense and were aided by six turnovers. Adam Wiese passed for three scores and Trevian Lake ran for three. St. Francis avoided the shut out by scoring with 1:38 left.
#2 Carroll took the whole game to overcome an early deficit vs. Azusa Pacific, scoring with 1:51 left and on a one yard plunge by Chance Demarais to advance, 17-14.
#3 Georgetown, after going in at halftime with a 3-0 lead, scored 23 of 37 second half points to beat St. Francis, 26-14. Neal Pawsat had three more TD passes.
#4 MidAmerica Nazarene went down to visiting St. Xavier, 14-29. MidAmerica was leading 14-13 when the Saints came back with two touchdowns and a field goal unanswered, the last score a pick 6 from 42 yards out. Jimmy Coy had three TD passes.

Remaining games, (12/3/11)
St. Xavier (Illinois) 12-1 (612-243) at Marian (Indiana) 12-0 (498-66)
Georgetown (Kentucky) 12-0 (424-149) at Carroll (Montana) 12-1 (442-194)
Comment: St. Xavier’s one loss was at Marian on November 5th , 9-27. Neither has ever won the title. Carroll is the defending champion and has won the NAIA six times since 2002. Their opponent, Georgetown, won D2 in 1991 and the overall title in 2000-2001.

UPDATE:

St. Xavier beat Marian 30-27 in a back and fourth game that came down to a final stand after top-ranked Marian had a first and goal from the St. Xavier one in the final minute. A bobbled snap and a false start and they had the ball ten yards back. On third down Marian quarterback Adam Wiese fired the ball into the end zone where it was intercepted by Clayton Fejedelin of St. Xavier to clinch the win. Jimmy Coy was 25 of 33 for 287 yards and three scores for the winners.

Carroll had no problem with Georgetown 35-3, out-rushing them 273-60 and getting touchdowns from five different players. They will now go for their seventh NAIA title in 10 seasons.

The National Championship Game will be played in Rome, Georgia on Saturday, December 17 at 4:30. The game will be televised by CBS.

 

[SWC75]

NCAA Division 3

First Round
#1 and two time defending champion Wisconsin Whitewater destroyed Albion 59-0, starting with a three touchdown first quarter outburst by Levell Coppage. They gained 475 yards and were aided by four turnovers.
#2 Mount Union crushed Benedictine 47-7 aided by three scores by Jeremy Murray. They had 444 yards and a 29-8 edge in first downs.
#3 St Thomas (Minnesota) had a similarly easy time against another Minnesota school with the odd name of St. Scholastica, (yes there was one: patron saint of nuns and convulsive children), winning 48-2, thanks to three touchdown runs by Colin Tobin. St. Scholastica only managed 73 yards total offense.
#4 Mary Hardin-Baylor built up a 34-0 lead through three quarters and withstood two late scores to beat #14 Redlands 34-13. They rushed for 336 yards.
#5 Linfield won a 30-27 shoot-out with #8 Cal Lutheran. They were actually outgained 296-444 but got their yards early in building up a 20-3 lead. Josh Kay kicked three field goals for the winners.
#6 North Central rolled over Dubuque 59-13, out-rushing their opponents 411-49. unanswered points broke a 7-7 tie and three fourth quarter scores turned it into a blow-out. The final score was 73 yard run in the last minute of play.
#7 Wesley held on to beat Hobart, 35-28, helped by 72 and 66 yard pass plays to Steve Koudossou.
#9 Wabash easily beat Illinois College 38-20. They had a 38-6 lead going into the final period. They out-rushed their opponent, 266-29.
#10 Salisbury blew by Western New England, 62-24, rushing for 568 yards. Dan Griffin ran for 175 yards and 3 scores on 11 carries. Five different players averaged 12 yards a carry or better.
#11 Delaware Valley did even better, rushing for 602 yards in a 62-10 win over Norwich. Norwich had closed to 10-21 with 43 seconds left in the first half but DV scored 32 seconds later on a 32 yard pass play, then added 34 unanswered points in the second half.
#12 Kean handled Christopher Newport 34-10, despite being out-gained 261-328. The key was 6 takeaways, including 5 interceptions.
#13 Johns Hopkins was upset by St. John Fisher 12-23. A big part of the difference was three field goals by Chad Monehim.
#15 Trinity (Texas) was upset by #19 McMurray 16-25, Am 18-7 lead melted to 18-16 when DJ Baiza returned a punt 52 yards for the clinching score with 5:12 left.
#16 Illinois Weslayan lost to Monmouth 27-33 after having a 17-0 lead. The game ended 17-17 in regulation and went to three overtimes. Both teams scored a touchdown, then both scored a field goal. Trey Yocum scored a TD on a 7 yard run for Monmouth who then kept Weslayan out of the end zone for the win.
#17 Franklin beat #20 Thomas More 24-21 after taking a 17-0 halftime lead. Domonique Hayden scored his second TD for Thomas Moore with 3:38 to get within 3 left but the Saints couldn’t score again.
#25 Centre won a wild one, 51-41 over Hampden-Sydney, making a 20-0 first quarter lead barely stand up. Five different players scored seven TDs for Centre. Kyle Vance, Sean Cavanaugh and Kirk Rohle each scored twice for HS. Centre ran for 302 yards while HS passed for 406.

Second Round
#1 Wisconsin Whitewater took care of Franklin 41-14. Levell Coppage scored three more times in leading the Warhawks to a 28-7 halftime lead. Franklin had -5 yards rushing.
#2 Mount Union advanced with a 30-10 win over #25 Centre. The Purple Raiders opened a 16-0 lead with a second quarter safety. Centre came back to make it 10-16 but an 80 yard third quarter drive made it 23-10. Jason Osterman of Centre dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone and the Colonels missed a field goal. Later they turned the ball over on downs at the MU 14. After a facemask penalty on a punt, Mount Union drove 39 yards for the fourth quarter clincher.
#3 St. Thomas broke open a 10-10 tie with Monmouth with two touchdowns each in the third and fourth quarters to win going away, 38-10. The onslaught began with a 100 yard kick-off return of the second half kick-off by Fritz Waldvogel. St. Thomas out- rushed Monmouth 391-4.
#4 Mary Hardin- Baylor beat #19 McMurry 49-20, breaking open a close game with three fourth quarter scores, including a fumble recovered in the end zone and a 40 yard interception return.
#7 Wesley knocked off #5 Linfield 49-34. It was a game of two halves as Linfield led 27-7 at the half only to see Wesley, (the home team despite the lower ranking), score six unanswered touchdowns. Shane McSweeney threw four TD passes and ran for another score.
#9 Wabash came back from a another three touchdown deficit to top #6 North Central, 29-28. Tyler Burke threw four TD passes and a tipped two point conversion to win it.
The game of the day was #10 Salisbury vs. #12 Kean, a 49-47 three overtime thriller. Salisbury jumped out to a 21-7 lead and held it until Kean tied the game at 34 with 45 seconds left on one of three straight TDs by Darius Kinney. It came down to two point conversions in the third overtime and Salisbury made theirs on a run and Kean didn’t on a pass.
#11 Delaware Valley was upset by St. John Fisher, 27-14 The Cardinals got their second straight win over an unbeaten team despite being out-gained 288-385. They took the lead with a field goal just before the half and added ten second half points for the win. Five takeaways were the key to game.

This weeks games:
Salisbury 11-1 (570-237) at Wisconsin-Whitewater 12-0, (448-138)
Wabash 12-0, (407-148) at Mount Union 12-0, (496-88)
Wesley 11-1, (502-170) at Mary Hardin-Baylor 12-0, (540-197)
St. John Fisher 10-2, (370-223) at St. Thomas 12-0, (476-112)

Comment: It’s the greatest rivalry in sports, probably ever. They call then the “Purple Powers”. For years Mount Union was by far the dominant team in NCAA Division 3, winning 7 national championships in ten years. Could anybody compete with them? Then Wisconsin Whitewater became a second Mount Union, even to the point of having similar uniforms, (when they play each other the only way to tell them apart is by who is wearing the white jerseys). They have played for the last six national championships and the scores, (Mount Union’s score first) have been: 35-28, 35-16, 21-31, 31-26, 28-38, 21-31. That’s three wins each with a combined score of 171-170!!! It seems inevitable that there will be a “rubber match” this year.

Whitewater has won it’s last 42 games and is 97-5 since 2005, with three of the losses being to Mt. Union. (They lost to St. Cloud State 16-26 on 9/15/07 and to Wisconsin-Stevens Point 16-17 on 10/25/08.) Mount Union is 98-4 over the same period with three of the losses coming to Whitewater. (They lost to Ohio Northern 14-21 on 10/22/05.) Since 1990, Coach Larry Kehres is 271-12-1 with 10 national championships. The Purple Raiders broke Oklahoma’s record with a 54 game winning streak from 1996-1999 and then broke it again with a 55 game winning streak from 2000-2003.

You wonder how long they can keep this up- and if it would be good or bad if they did. Augustana won four straight national titles from 1983-86 but from 1987-95 fourteen different schools played for the national title and eight different teams won them. The pleasure of watching a Division 3 national title game is that schools that are normally just scores in the Sunday paper get to be on national TV and we get a chance to see what they look like and how they play. I’d love to see Carroll, who has won 6 NAIA titles since 2002 or Northwest Missouri, who’s played for the Division 2 title 7 times since 1998 and won 3 or Grand Valley State, who’s played for 6 D2 titles since 2001 and won 4, get a shot at these two in a combined Division 3. Nobody else seems able to stop them from playing each other for the title every year. I’m kind of hoping for the rubber match but also to see a couple of other teams playing for the title next year.

On the other end of the scale, St. John Fisher lost to Hobart 20-56 and Salisbury 21-41 but managed to make the tournament and has pulled off two upsets over previously undefeated teams to get to the quarterfinals. Salisbury’s only loss was to Wesley, 14-23. Wesley’s only loss was to Kean, 28-31.

UPDATE:
Levell Coppage ran for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns as top ranked and two time defending champion Wisconsin-Whitewater beat Salisbury, 34-14. He’s now the second leading rusher in NCAA history with 7,594 yards.
Mount Union, coached by Larry Kehres, beat Wabash, coached by his nephew, Erik Raeburn, 20-8 holding the Little Giants to 194 yards total offense. Jeremy Murray ran for 152 yards and two scores and Nick Driscoll blocked a punt and recovered a muffed punt return for the Purple Raiders.
In a battle of saints. St. Thomas ended St. John Fisher’s Cinderella run with a convincing 45-10 verdict. The Tommies outgained the Cardinals 408-133 and got an 85 yard kickoff return for a score and led 35-10 by halftime.
Wesley upset Mary Hardin-Baylor 27-24, building up a 21-3 halftime lead and withstanding a 21 point fourth quarter by the host team, who failed on a fourth and three pass at the Wesley 41 yard line in their last possession. Shane McSweeney threw for 253 yards and 4 scores for the winners.

The Semi-Finals:
#3 St. Thomas 13-0 (521-122) at #1 Wisconsin Whitewater 13-0 (482-152)
#7 Wesley 12-1 (529-194) at #2 Mount Union 13-0 (516-96)
Comment: Will it be the “Purple Powers” for the national championship for a seventh straight year? St/ Thomas Coach Glen Caruso, (and Ithaca graduate) said that Whitewater and Mount Union are “the standard of excellence in our division” but that ”We’ll get their best and they’ll get ours”.

FURTHER UPDATE:

Yes, it will be the “rubber match” of the “Purple Powers“, the first true rubber match because the pattern of the last six title games: MU, MU, WW, MU, WW, WW, is such that they were never tied until now. Mount Union, (419-71) had an easier time getting through the regular season than Whitewater, (348-124) but the Warhawks have had an easier ride in the playoffs, beating Albion 59-0, Franklin 41-14, Salisbury 34-14 and now St. Thomas 20-0, for it‘s 44th straight win. Whitewater scored on three of four first half possession to take a 17-0 halftime lead and never let the Tommies dent their end zone.

Quarterback Matt Blanchard threw for one touchdown and passed for another. Levell Coppage ran for 110 yards. The only thing that went wrong was a blocked field goal just before the half but they corrected that with a 16 play drive to open the second half that produced the final margin. The defense did the rest, stopping the Tommies on fourth down four times and intercepting two passes.

The Purple Raiders easily beat Benedictine 47-7 and got past Centre, 30-10 but struggled to beat Wabash 20-8 and Wesley 28-21. The Wolverines surprised the home crowd by taking a 14-13 halftime lead into the locker room but fumbled on the first play of the second half. The home team took advantage of that, scoring one of 6-6 230 pound Matt Polito’s four touchdown passes and a two point conversion, (also a pass). Then Wesley fumbled again and again Polito found Jasper Collins in the end zone from 18 yards out, Collin‘s third score. Wesley came back with an 81 yard play, the second long hook-up between quarterback Shane McSweeney and Matt Barile, (they had a 70 yarder in the first half), this one of 81 yards. But that was as far as they could get. Wesley had 496 yards total offense but 6 turnovers killed them.

Championship Game:
#1 Wisconsin-Whitewater 14-0 (502-152) vs.#2 Mount Union 14-0 (544-117)

The Championship game will be televised Friday night, (December 16), at 7PM on ESPN2.

 

[SWC75]

NCAA Division 2

First round
(The top two seeds in each region- it’s not necessarily related to their ranking- get byes)
#20 North Greenville had an easy time with #24 Albany State, 63-14. They built up a 35-0 second quarter lead, giving them an incredible run of 145 straight points, (they scored the last 38 in a 54-7 win over Wingate and then beat Notre Dame College 62-0). Albany finally scored only to commit a personal foul on the extra point. They kicked off and the kick was retuned 75 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds left in the half.
#13 North Alabama beat #18 West Alabama, 43-27. The Lions, who had won three D2 titles back in the 90’s under Bobby Wallace, ripped off 6 straight wins to open the season and had dreams of adding to their trophy case until losing to Delta State 24-30 and then West Alabama 26-31. They avenged their second loss in the playoffs with a 36-17 first half before coasting home. Quarterback Lee Chapple was 27 for 33 for 320 yards and two touchdowns while Chris Coffey ran for two scores. Now they get another shot at Delta State.
#5 Abilene Christian lost another wild one to #14 Washburn 49-52. They are famous for their shoot-outs. In 2008 they won the highest scoring college football game in history, a 93-68 duel with West Texas A&M, (formerly state). Last year they were eliminated in 41-55 loss to Central Missouri. This time 688 yards total offense, including 506 passing yards by Mitchell Gale weren’t enough. Gale paid a price with 7 sacks and three interceptions. Washburn scored on their first seven possessions to take a 45-21 and held on to win it, withstanding a 21 point run by the Wildcats. The “Ichabods”, (I kid you not), had 548 yards of their own. The clincher was a 61 year pass from Dane Simoneau to Ronnell Garner with 4:07 left. AC scored with 37 second remaining but Washburn recovered an onsides kick and ran out the clock.
Perennial power #7 Northwest Missouri bounced #17 Missouri Western 35-29. In a dominant regular season in which they’d scored 593 points, the Bearcats had lost only to Pittsburg State, 35-38 and Missouri Western 28-31. They are team to reckon with having played for the D2 title seven times since 1998 and won it three times. They got their revenge on Western despite giving up 16 points in the first four minutes of the game due to a fumble, a pick 6 and a 58 yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, who later kicked field goals of 57 and 52 yards. But the Bearcats would not be denied, out-gaining the Griffons 455-186 and winning it with a 28-7 second half.
#10 Kutztown State squeaked by Concord 17-14. The Golden Bears won their first ever postseason game despite giving up 338 yards passing and being out first downed 11-26. The Mountain Lions had five turnovers, scored only twice in two red zone penetrations and were 1 for 4 on fourth down. 17 unanswered points in the second and third quarters held up for Kutztown.
#15 California of Pennsylvania shut out Elizabeth City State 44-0. The Vulcans, (I kid you not) held the Vikings to 197 yards and forced four turnovers while their quarterback, Peter Lalich, threw for was 26 of 34 for 357 yards and 3 TDs.
Wayne State upset #12 St. Cloud 48-38. The Warriors rallied from a 6-21 second quarter deficit. Toney Davis had a huge game, rushing for a school record 326 yards and 5 touchdowns.
#9 Minnesota-Duluth, winner of two of the last three national championships, slipped by Saginaw Valley State 30-27. The Bulldogs lost the passing battle, 84-324 but won the rushing battle 260-34. The game went into overtime and a 42 yard field goal by Saginaw’s Scott Sanford couldn’t match a 1 yard run by Chase Vogler.

Second Round
#20 North Greenville stayed on a roll, steaming past #19 Mars Hill, 58-32. Mars Hill had been the last team to beat them, 28-38 on September 24th and was the #1 seed in the region. It didn’t matter. North Greenville scored on the last play of the first half to take a 23-16 lead and then, in a disastrous third quarter for the favorite, they batted down a fourth down pass, recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass and in each case drove for a touchdown. Then they returned an interception for a touchdown to make it 51-16. They got another pick six in the fourth quarter.
#8 Delta State had no trouble with #13 North Alabama, 42-14, proving their superiority by responding to a 7-14 first quarter deficit with 35 unanswered points. Their six touchdowns were scored by six different players. They out-rushed the Lions 228-44 and out-gained them 466-298.
#6 Pittsburg State eliminated Washburn #14, 31-22. It hardly seems far to match the Ichabods with the Gorillas but it was a good game. The underdogs scored first on a safety due to a bad snap on a punt and then a 17 yard touchdown pass from Daune Simoneau to Matt Kobbeman to take a 9-0 lead. A second quarter pick 6 made it 16-7 before Pitt State scored twice just before the half, on a two yard run by Mandell Dixon and a 38 yard pass from Zac Dickey to Anthony Castenanda. That was the turning point. The Gorillas added 10 more third quarter points to take control of the contest. They out-gained the Ichabods 408-238.
#7 Northwest Missouri bumped off #1 Midwestern State, 38-21. Midwestern State came in averaging 548 yards per game and like Missouri Western, dominated the early going, bolting out to a 28-10 second quarter lead. But the Bearcat scored just before the half and came back to tie the game at 41-31 with 4:56 left. The Mustangs missed a 27 yard field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation. Trevor Adams found Kyle Kilgore in the end zone from 13 yards for the winner. NW Missouri then held on fourth down to clinch it. This was a game between the two most productive offenses in D2 but blustery winds made passing difficult and the two teams combined for only 214 yards passing but rushed for 552.
#11 New Haven won a shoot-out over #10 Kutztown State, 44-37, Ryan Osiecki threw for 433 yards for the Chargers while Marshall Vogel threw for 356 yards for Kutztown. Both threw 5 touchdown passes. They key was 17 unanswered points New Haven got on a series of fourth quarter turnovers that gave them a 44-31 lead with 1:38 left. Kutztown scored on a 25 yard pass on the game’s last play but it was too little too late.
#4 Winston-Salem eliminated #15 California of Pennsylvania 35-28. The Vulcans had a much harder time with this Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, (all historically black colleges), opponent, going down despite 387 yards and two scores from quarterback Peter Lalich, who also threw three interceptions. The Rams built up a 35-14 lead and held on to win behind 122 yards rushing and two scores from Nicholas Cooper.
Wayne State pulled off another upset, this time over #3 Nebraska-Kearney, 38-26. This time they jumped out to a 31-0 lead halftime, thanks to a couple of interceptions that produced scores. Toney Davis was held to 69 yards rushing but Josh Renel got 122 and 2 TDs. Kearney, who actually outgained the Warriors 434-329, mounted a second-half comeback but never got closer than the final score , which was achieved with 3 seconds left in the game.
Minnesota-Duluth knocked off #2 Colorado State-Pueblo 24-21. The Bulldogs pulled out another tight one on a one yard run by Brian Lucas with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter. It was a defensive duel and Duluth only had 287 yards but Pueblo only got 224, including a 204-91 difference on the ground.

This week’s games:
#20 North Greenville 11-2 (538-240) at #8 Delta State 10-2 (417-293)
#7 Northwest Missouri 11-2 (665-283) at #6 Pittsburg State 11-1 (438-222)
#11 New Haven 11-1 (516-280) at #4 Winston-Salem 12-0 (513-196)
Wayne State 10-3 (477-308) at #9 Minnesota-Duluth 11-2 (387-234)

Comments: Northwest Missouri, Delta State and Minnesota Duluth have won 6 of the last 13 national championships in this division between them. Pittsburg State won two NAIA titles decades back and the 1991 NCAA D2 title. No historically black college ahs ever won this division but Winston Salem is both the highest ranked remaining team and the only undefeated one.

UPDATE:
Delta State ended North Greenville’s run, 28-23. Richard Freelon rushed for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Delta dominated the first half except for turnovers, scoring on two long drives but turning the ball over in their own territory twice and giving up scores. A late field goal gave the visitors a 17-14 halftime lead. After a scoreless third period, three more long fourth quarter drives clinched it for the Statesmen, the first two resulting in touchdowns and the third allowing them to run out the clock.
Wayne State’s run of upsets continued as they toppled Minnesota-Duluth, who had won last year’s title and two of the last three, 31-25.

Pittsburg State looked impressive in demolishing Northwest Missouri, 41-16, following up a 38-35 regular season win over the same team. After spotting the visitors a 0-10 first quarter lead, the Gorillas outscored them 41-6 in the last three quarters. Zac Dickey threw four touchdown passes, three to John Brown. State outgained NWM 527-297. .
Winston Salem, looking to be the first historically black college to win this division, had no trouble with New Haven, 27-7. Kameron Smith hit Jameze Massey for TD passes of 48 and 33 yards while Nicholas Cooper ran for 152 yards and a score, including a 72 yarder in which he was caught on the one yard line.

This week’s games:
#8 Delta State 11-2 (445-315) at #6 Pittsburg State 12-1 (479-238)
Wayne State (11-3 508-333) at #4 Winston-Salem 13-0 (540-203)

FURTHER UPDATE: Wayne State continued their Cinderella run to the finals by knocking off Winston-Salem, the only undefeated team in the division, 21-14. The Rams had been averaging 42 points a game. The 14 points they scored in this game were a season low. Wayne got a touchdown pass from quarterback Mickey Mohner and he ran for another. The third score came after a fumble was run to the one yard line from where Chet Privett bulled over to make it 21-7. Wayne State has never been close to winning a title and was unranked. Winston Salem was trying to become only the second historically black college, (and the first since Florida A&M won the initial 1AA title in 1978), to win an NCAA divisional championship.

Pittsburg State, who’d won NAIA titles in 1957 and 1961, (they were also the wire service polls selection as “National Small College Champion the latter year), and an NCAA Division II title in 1991, (they’ve played in the title game three times since) will be their opponent. They crushed Delta State 49-23. The Gorillas blew the game open with three touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half. Taking advantage of a couple of turnovers, they got TD passes of 38 yards, 30 yards and 36 yards to take a 35-13 halftime lead. The opportunistic winners also got a 76 yard punt return and a 91 yard interception return for a score. Delta State actually gained more yards, 465-450 but the Gorillas, (who sit where they want to), got all the big plays.

Championship Game:
#6 Pittsburgh State 13-1 (528-261) vs. unranked Wayne State 12-3 (529-347)

The Championship Game will be played on Saturday, December 17th at 11AM, (yes 11AM EST), and will be televised on ESPN2

 

[SWC75]

NCAA FCS, (Division 1AA)

(The first weekend was essentially four “play-in” games)

First Round
Stony Brook rallied from a 10-28 third quarter deficit to beat Albany 31-28. Brock Jackolski scored three times, including a 55 yard pass reception and an 11 yard run with 12:40 left to give the Seawolves the lead, which they held onto for the rest of the game.
Central Arkansas beat Tennessee Tech 34-14 behind Nathan Dick who had two TD passes and ran for another. Dick passed for 319 yards
Old Dominion blew out to a 35-7 lead and held on to beat Norfolk State 35-18. Taylor Heinke passed for 5 touchdowns.
James Madison, who won the 2004 championship, downed Eastern Kentucky who had won back in 1979 and 2002, 20-17, thanks to a ten point fourth quarter rally. Cameron Starke kicked a 35 yard field goal on the last play to win it.

This week’s games: (with ranking, not seeding)
Stony Brook 9-3 (467-269) at #1 Sam Houston State 11-0 (434-140)
#12 New Hampshire 8-3 (369-353) at #7 Montana State 9-2 (376-244)
#11 Wofford 8-3 (367-264) at #3 Northern Iowa 9-2 (301-178)
#15 Central Arkansas 9-3 at #5 Montana 9-2 (321-214)
#10 Old Dominion 10-2 (429-306) at #2 Georgia Southern 9-2 (395-224)
#13 Maine 8-3 (343-263) at #8 Appalachian State 8-3 (332-252)
#6 Lehigh 10-1 (380-200) at #9 Towson 9-2 (380-272)
#19 James Madison 8-4 (275-229) at #4 North Dakota State 10-1 (368-164)

Comments: These teams have played a lot of games against FBS teams. Georgia Southern lost to Alabama. Montana lost to Tennessee. Montana State lost to Utah. New Hampshire lost to Toledo. Maine lost to Pittsburgh. James Madison lost to North Carolina. App State lost to Virginia Tech. Wofford lost to Clemson. Northern Iowa lost to Iowa State. Sam Houston beat New Mexico. Stony Brook lost to UTEP and Buffalo, (they lost their first three games and have won 9 in a row). The best won-lost records tend to belong to the teams that stayed within the division. But that doesn’t mean they are the best teams.

The biggest names where are Georgia Southern with 6 national championships and North Dakota State with 8. But the Bison’s titles are poll championships form the 60’s and D2 titles from the 80’s. Both teams have been ranked #1 this season. App State won three straight titles from 2005-2007, including that legendary win at the Big House. They were the team that knocked off #1 Georgia Southern before Alabama later beat them. The Montana teams are always good. The Bobcats won an NAIA title in 1956 and D2 title in 1976 and then the 1AA (FCS) title in 1984. The Grizzlies won 1AA titles in 1995 and 2001 and beat State 36-10 to end the regular season. Lehigh won the 1AA title in 1977 and James Madison did in 2004. Central Arkansas has three NAIA titles and Sam Houston has one.

UPDATE:
Top-ranked Sam Houston State scraped by Stony Brook 34-27. Both teams scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, the final score a 7 yard run by the Bearkats’ Tim Flanders with a minute left to win it.
Georgia Southern outscored Old Dominion 55-48. The Eagles, who run the wishbone like nobody else, had rushed for 302 yards against Alabama so the Monarch had little hope to stop them and they didn’t, Southern gaining 607 yards, 4777 on the ground. But they gained 560 yards of their own, quarterback Taylor Heinke throwing for 341 and rushing for 75 more. The game was tied 28-28 at the half. Southern’s Dominqiue Swope bolted for 76 yards and a score on the first play of the third quarter. Two more long drives and they pulled ahead to 49-35 and Monarchs were never able to catch up. It was the second highest scoring 1AA/FCS playoff game in history.
Northern Iowa beat Wofford 28-21 despite being out-gained 238-478, thanks to three costly turnovers by the Terriers. The Panthers overcame a 7-14 halftime deficit with three straight second half touchdowns. One was set up by a Wofford fumble and another scored on a fumbled kick-off. A second half Wofford drive ended with a fumble in UNI territory.
North Dakota State beat James Madison 26-14. DJ McNorton rushed for 154 yards, including the clinching 60 yarder with 7:13 left.
Montana crushed Central Arkansas 41-14, exploding to a 31-0 halftime lead and coasting the rest of the way. The Grizzlies outgained the Bears 415-290 and were the beneficiaries of four turnovers.
Leigh topped Towson 40-38 Down 31-38, the Mountain Hawks, (they used to be the Engineers), scored on a quarterback sneak by Chris Lum, then got a safety on a sack in the end zone with 5:14 left. After the Towson kickoff, they were able to run out the clock. Lum was 36 of 48 for 351 yards and a score.
Montana State nipped New Hampshire 26-25. The Wildcats scored on a 29 yard pass with 6 seconds left to play but shanked the extra point attempt. Denarius McGhee passed for 167 yards and a score and ran for 96 more and two scores for the winners, who overcame a 0-10 first quarter deficit.
Our old pals Maine shocked Appalachian State 34-12. It was no fluke. The Black Bears out-gained the Mountaineers 466- 275 as Warren Smith threw for three touchdowns.

The quarterfinal match-ups:
#7 Montana State 10-2 (402-269) #1 at Sam Houston State 12-0 (468-167)
#13 Maine 9-3 (377- 275) at #2 Georgia Southern 10-2 (450-272)
#5 Montana 10-2 (362-228) at #3 Northern Iowa 10-2 (329-199)
#6 Lehigh 11-1 (420-238) at #4 North Dakota State 11-1 (394-178)

FURTHER UPDATE
I saw two of the quarterfinal games on TV.

Montana had some early trouble with Northern Iowa- the game was only 14-10 midway through the second quarter. Then Jordan Johnson got going, throwing for three scores and running for another as Montana scored 34 unanswered points to close out the game. They completely dominated the game on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Panthers 463-257 and had the look of a national champion.

Montana State tried to duplicate the Grizzlies’ success the next day against #1 ranked Sam Houston State. The Bobcats were once the Kings of the State. From 1956-1985 they beat Montana 22 times in 30 years and won three national titles: an NAIA co-championship with St. Joseph’s in 1956, an NCAA Division 2 title in 1976 and a 1AA title in 1984. But Montana turned that around and has won 22 of 26 games since, including two 1AA national championships, (and five other appearances in the title game.) The Bobcats appeared to have risen to their rivals level this year when they achieved the #1 ranking going into their annual battle but they went down hard, 10-36 and were thus bracketed with the new #1, Sam Houston State. They naturally hoped to beat the Bearkats and get another shot at the Grizzlies and they got off to a good start.

The home team seemed tentative early and Montana State seemed to be there whatever lane they ran to in their triple option attack. The Bobcats were moving the ball well, (there was catch by wide-out Elvia Akpla you will see on all the highlight shows and probably on the ESPYs as well), but they had red zone troubles and their first half output consisted of four field goal attempts. They made the first two, missed the third and had the fourth one blocked. Meanwhile the Bearkats broke through with along run by Richard (How can we lose when we’re so..) Sincere. The Bobcats started over-reacting to the successful plays and not covering lanes and missing tackles. The killer was a tipped pass from quarterback Brian Bell to Sincere that should have been intercepted but instead was caught by the a quarterback, who pulled it out of the hands of a defensive back and then dodged two other tackler to score. State tied mounting a comeback with a 77 yard drive to start the second half when they finally scored a touchdown to make it 13-21 but the home then decided the issue with touchdowns in their next possessions and another in the fourth quarter. They wound up rushing for 428 yards after getting just 7 yards in their first two possessions.

In games I didn’t see, Georgia Southern fought off our old friends, the Maine Black Bears. They rushed for 360 yards but didn’t take a commanding lead until two third quarter scores put them up 35-17. Maine immediately responded with a scoring drive of their own but couldn’t convert on a two point try and either team scored in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jabo Shaw ran for two scores and passed for another for the winners.

North Dakota State shut out Lehigh, 24-0. It was their first shut out since entering the division in 2008 and their first against anybody since 2006. The Bison harassed Lehigh quarterback Mike Lum, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the division’s top player into misfiring on 27 of 52 passes and throwing two interceptions. The Bison took a 17-0 halftime lead on a 38 yard pass play and a 97 yard drive. San Ojuri had 136 yards rushing for the winners.

This week’s Semi-Finals:
Friday, December 16th at 8PM on ESPN
#5 Montana 11-2 (410-238) at #1 Sam Houston State 13-0 (517-190)
Saturday, December 17 at 2:30PM on ESPNU
#4 North Dakota State 12-1 (418-178) at Georgia Southern 11-2 (485-295)

Comment:
It will be a summit meeting of hugely successful historical programs when the Bison of North Dakota State take on the Eagles of Georgia Southern. The home team has won 6 national championships and the visitors 8. But the Bison have not won a title since 1990. They were voted “National Small College Champions” three times in the 1960’s. and won five Division II titles from 1983-90. They just moved up to 1AA/FCS in 2008. The Eagles won this division in in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999 and 2000. They’ve also been runners-up twice. But they haven’t made the finals in 11 years. Both teams have been ranked #1 at different points this season. Georgia Southern gave Alabama a scare before going down 21-45. They run the wishbone better than anybody and used it to gain 302 yards on Alabama’s mighty defense. Their other loss was to another perennial power, Appalachian State, (3 national titles). The Bison have lost only to still another power, Youngstown State, (4 national titles).

Having taken care of Montana State, ol’ Sam Houston will now take on Montana but this may be a tougher nut to crack. The Grizzlies beat the Bearkats in the 2004 semis and have won two national titles in this division, (1995 and 2001), while playing for five more, (they were runners-up in 2008 and 2009). Montana lost to Tennessee in their opener and to Sacramento State in their fourth game but they have won 9 in a row since and they’ve been taking no prisoners recently. They ’upset’ #1 Montana State 36-10 in their final regular season game and then crushed Central Arkansas, 41-14 and Northern Iowa, 48-10 in the playoffs. Sam Houston doesn’t have quite the same pedigree but they do have a #1 rankings and an undefeated record. They also have two common opponents. They beat Central Arkansas 31-10 in their second game and Montana State 49-13 in the quarterfinals. In both the quarterfinal games I saw the opposition got off to a competitive start against these teams but then fell behind as the eventual winner took control of the game. Now they are playing each other. It’s what “playoffs” are all about!

The Championship Game for FCS won’t be played until January 7th, 1PM EST and will be televised on ESPN2HD and ESPN3.

 

[texascpa]

I will definitely be watching the whitewater-mount union game