The playoff field is set, Division II has a new career passing champion, and what on earth is going on in the Gulf South? All this and more, next.
Note: Final regular season poll rankings are noted in the final standings, last week’s poll rankings in the scores sections, regional seed information replaces those rankings in the upcoming games sections.
Gulf South: (Region Two)
at West Alabama 24, #7 Valdosta State 21 (Thursday)
at South Alabama 31, Arkansas-Monticello 14 (non-conference, Thursday)
at Harding 29, #15 North Alabama 28
Delta State 41, at Lambuth 17 (non-conference)
at Henderson State 40, West Georgia 6
Ouachita Baptist 52, at Southern Arkansas 34
at Arkansas Tech 42, Southwest Baptist 14 (non-conference)
Cannibalism is both morally questionable and illegal, but apparently the Gulf South has taken the practice to heart this season. The end result of all the internicene warfare here is that the conference ends the season with exactly one ranked team, and even that only at #17. Don’t let it fool you.
Valdosta ended up in this mess pretty much of their own accord, as they coughed up a 15-0 lead in the third quarter — to a team which had beaten them exactly one time previously. Ever. That was in 1985. Valdosta should have been leading 17-0, but West Alabama had blocked the PATs on both Blazer touchdowns. UWA then scored two third-quarter touchdowns and converted two-point conversions on each to take a 16-15 lead. Valdosta retook the lead early in the fourth, but failed to convert the two-point try, meaning they’d left three points on the field they should have gotten. When the Tigers scored late in the fourth and converted yet another two-pointer, those three points comprised the margin of the game.
Delta State simply hammered Lambuth, although the scoreboard doesn’t reflect the extent of the damage. The Statesmen set a school record, racking up 711 total yards of offense.
Terry Bowden’s North Alabama squad dropped another game, and they’ll be wondering how you can possibly force seven turnovers and still lose. (Those of us who watched the UNA-Valdosta game can answer that question. For that matter, so can Auburn fans.) Harding jumped out to a 16-point lead in the first half, which UNA cut to nine before the break. Harding then had five straight drives end in turnovers, which allowed UNA to take a 28-23 lead, but Harding scored the winning TD in the final minute. The loss dumped the Lions out of the poll, but not out of the regional rankings.
Valdosta State’s loss, combined with Henderson State’s win and Delta State’s non-conference game, left the 2010 Gulf South race in a three-way tie. It’s the Blazers’ sixth title, Delta’s fifth, and Henderson’s first ever. The Gulf South does not break ties; if they did, and head-to-head was the first tiebreaker, Delta State would be the champion based on beating both Valdosta and Henderson.
Delta State was ranked #2, Valdosta State #3, and North Alabama #6 in the final Super Region Two rankings, and each received a playoff bid.
Saturday:
Super Region 2 Quarterfinal: (6)North Alabama at (3)Valdosta State
(2)Delta State idle
Final Standings:
Delta State 8-3 6-2 #17 Valdosta State 8-2 6-2 Henderson State 7-4 6-2 North Alabama 8-3 5-3 West Alabama 7-4 5-3 Ouachita Baptist 6-4 4-4 Harding 6-4 4-4 Arkansas-Monticello 4-7 3-5 Arkansas Tech 4-7 2-6 West Georgia 3-7 2-6 Southern Arkansas 1-9 1-7
Mid-America: (Region Four)
“at” #3 Northwest Missouri State 22, Pittsburg State 16 (at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City)
at Missouri Western 48, Fort Hays State 21
Washburn 23, at Missouri Southern 7
Nebraska-Omaha 62, at Truman 61
#12 Central Missouri and Emporia State idle (seasons complete)
Northwest captured the conference title outright with their win over the Gorillas in the Fall Classic at Arrowhead. Jordan Simmons, who grew up just a few miles from Arrowhead, scored on runs of 54 and 58 yards to provide the spark in an otherwise closely-contested game. Taking away Simmons’ two big runs, the Gorillas held Northwest to 12 yards on the ground, while rushing for 292 themselves. The Bearcats led 20-3 late in the third quarter before Pittsburg mounted a comeback, scoring two quick touchdowns early in the fourth quarter, recovering an onside kick between the scores. Pittsburg had a chance to pull off a major upset, driving to the Northwest 12 yard line in the final minute, but the Bearcat defense held in the end.
Missouri Western opened the game with a 100-yard TJ Fannin kickoff return and never looked back, rolling to an easy win over Fort Hays which secured them the final playoff spot from Super Region Four.
In Kirksville, Nebraska-Omaha and Truman decided to play a little basketball. The two teams combined for over 600 yards of offense in the first half, and spent the afternoon trading punches. It was 28-26 Omaha at the half; Truman scored on the opening kickoff of the second half, then forced a turnover and scored again to take a 12-point lead. The teams continued trading scores from that point until the closing minutes. Omaha narrowed the gap to 61-55, and then forced a turnover on downs at the UNO 35 with under two minutes to go. From there, they drove to the Truman 20, but faced a fourth-and-10 with 38 seconds left. A pass interference call saved the Mavericks, and on the next play Omaha scored the winning touchdown.
Northwest Missouri State finished #3, Central Missouri #4, and Missouri Western #6 in the final Super Region Four rankings. All three teams received playoff bids.
Saturday:
Super Region 4 Quarterfinal: (5)West Texas A&M at (4)Central Missouri
Super Region 4 Quarterfinal: (6)Missouri Western at (3)Northwest Missouri State
Saturday, December 4:
Kanza Bowl (Topeka, KS): Midwestern State vs. Washburn
Mineral Water Bowl (Excelsior Springs, MO): Concordia-St. Paul vs. Pittsburg State
Final Standings:
#3 Northwest Missouri State 9-1 9-0 #8 Central Missouri 9-2 8-1 Missouri Western 8-3 6-3 Washburn 7-4 6-3 Nebraska-Omaha 5-6 5-4 Pittsburg State 5-6 3-6 Emporia State 5-6 3-6 Missouri Southern 4-7 2-7 Truman 4-7 2-7 Fort Hays State 3-8 1-8
Great Lakes IAC: (Region Three)
#6 Grand Valley State 28, at Saginaw Valley State 7
at #13 Hillsdale 31, Tiffin 24
#17 Wayne State (MI) 44, at Findlay 27
at #22 Michigan Tech 12, Northern Michigan 0
at Ashland 87, Lake Erie 17
at Northwood 41, Ferris State 35
at Indianapolis 31, Ohio Dominican 17
Ashland WR Joe Horn… I must digress. This threw me because, of course, Joe Horn was an NFL wide receiver, and he’s retired now. He’s sort of famous for not having been able to even get into an actual four-year college. This Joe Horn is a white guy, and looks like he could have been Nick Nolte’s stuntman in North Dallas Forty. Anyway, Horn hauled in four touchdown receptions, rushed for a fifth, and added a sixth for good measure on a 93-yard kickoff return in the Eagles’ destruction of Lake Erie. The loss ended the Storm’s three-game winning streak.
Grand Valley claimed the North Division title and the conference title outright with their win over Saginaw Valley. In the South, Wayne State claims the division title due to a head-to-head win over Hillsdale.
Grand Valley State finished #3 and Hillsdale #5 in the final Super Region Three rankings, and both teams received playoff bids.
Saturday:
Super Region 3 Quarterfinal: (5)Hillsdale at (4)St. Cloud State
Super Region 3 Quarterfinal: (6)Colorado Mines at (3)Grand Valley State
Final Standings:
North Division: #5 Grand Valley State 10-1 9-1 #21 Michigan Tech 8-2 8-2 Indianapolis 6-5 5-5 Ferris State 5-6 5-5 Northern Michigan 5-6 5-5 Northwood 5-6 5-5 Saginaw Valley State 4-7 4-6 South Division: #10 Hillsdale 9-2 8-2 #12 Wayne State (MI) 9-2 8-2 Ashland 8-3 7-3 Lake Erie 3-8 3-7 Ohio Dominican 2-8 2-8 Findlay 1-10 1-9 Tiffin 1-10 0-10
South Atlantic: (Region Two)
Wingate 49, at Newberry 33
Carson-Newman 49, at Tusculum 48
at Lenoir-Rhyne 31, Catawba 17
Brevard 35, at Mars Hill 28
QB Doug Belk rushed for 208 yards and scored the go-ahead points on a two-point conversion to put Carson-Newman over Tusculum. The Eagles rolled up 452 yards on the ground overall. The Pioneers had a chance to retake the lead and win the game as time expired, but a 53-yard attempt by Gareth Rowlands had the distance yet doinked off the left upright.
Lenoir-Rhyne beat Catawba at home for the first time since 1993, and finished their best season since 1994. Brevard picked up their first conference win of the season, mercifully ending Mars Hill’s painful slide from first place to below-.500.
Wingate ensured that they would not be sharing their first conference title with anyone by defeating Newberry.
Wingate was ranked #4 in the final Super Region Two rankings, and received a playoff bid.
Saturday:
Super Region 2 Quarterfinal: (5)Morehouse at (4)Wingate
Final Standings:
Wingate 8-2 6-1 Carson-Newman 7-4 5-2 Lenoir-Rhyne 7-4 4-3 Catawba 6-4 4-3 Mars Hill 5-6 3-4 Newberry 4-6 3-4 Tusculum 6-5 2-5 Brevard 4-7 1-6
Northern Sun: (Region Three)
at #14 Augustana (SD) 32, Upper Iowa 0
#18 St. Cloud State 42, at Minnesota State-Moorhead 16
Concordia-St. Paul 32, at Southwest Minnesota State 14
at Bemidji State 45, Minnesota-Crookston 3
at Winona State 24, Wayne State (NE) 13
at Mary 48, Northern State 3
#1 Minnesota-Duluth 45, “at” Minnesota State-Mankato 21 (postponed to Sunday, moved to Marshall MN)
The Duluth-Mankato game was postponed due to horrific travel conditions caused by a large snowfall. The game was played Sunday morning and was moved from Mankato to Southwest Minnesota State’s home field, which is an indoor venue.
Minnesota-Duluth had already clinched the North Division title outright (I screwed up last week and failed to notice they were playing a crossover game this week), and a share of the overall conference title. Augustana and Winona State finished in a tie for the South. The NSIC doesn’t break ties; if they did, Augustana would have taken the division based on head-to-head.
Minnesota-Duluth finished #1, Augustana #2, and St. Cloud State #4 in the final Super Region Three rankings. All three teams received playoff bids.
Saturday:
Super Region 3 Quarterfinal: (5)Hillsdale at (4)St. Cloud State
(1)Minnesota-Duluth and (2)Augustana (SD) idle
Saturday, December 4:
Mineral Water Bowl (Excelsior Springs, MO): Concordia-St. Paul vs. Pittsburg State
Final Standings:
North Division: ALL CON DIV #1 Minnesota-Duluth 11-0 10-0 6-0 #15 St. Cloud State 9-2 9-1 5-1 Bemidji State 7-4 6-4 4-2 Mary 4-7 4-6 3-3 Northern State 2-9 2-8 2-4 Minnesota State-Moorhead 2-9 2-8 1-5 Minnesota-Crookston 1-10 0-10 0-6 South Division: ALL CON DIV #9 Augustana (SD) 10-1 9-1 5-1 Winona State 7-4 6-4 5-1 Concordia-St. Paul 8-3 7-3 4-2 Minnesota State-Mankato 6-5 5-5 3-3 Wayne State (NE) 6-5 5-5 2-4 Southwest Minnesota State 4-7 3-7 1-5 Upper Iowa 2-9 2-8 1-5
Great Northwest: (Region Four)
at Central Washington 21, Western Oregon 16
at Humboldt State 66, Simon Fraser 20
Dixie State idle (season complete)
Central Washington captured the conference title outright by taking care of business against Western Oregon. However, they were left out of the playoff field.
Final Standings:
Central Washington 8-3 7-1 Humboldt State 8-3 6-2 Western Oregon 7-4 5-3 Dixie State 2-8 2-6 Simon Fraser 1-9 0-8
Lone Star: (Region Four)
all games crossovers, with South Division teams hosting
at #2 Abilene Christian 47, Southwestern Oklahoma State 17
at #4 Texas A&M-Kingsville 38, Southeastern Oklahoma State 24
at #19 West Texas A&M 52, East Central 21
at #25 Midwestern State 28, Northeastern State 8
at Incarnate Word 17, Texas A&M-Commerce 16
at Angelo State 49, Central Oklahoma 35
Eastern New Mexico 35, at Tarleton State 10
The division titles were already wrapped up last week, with the conclusion of divisional play. Abilene Christian won the North, and Northeastern State and East Central tied for the South. By beating Southwestern Oklahoma State, Abilene clinched the outright conference title and an unbeaten regular season.
Abilene Christian finished #1, Texas A&M-Kingsville #2, and West Texas A&M #5 in the final Super Region Four rankings. All three teams received playoff bids.
Saturday:
Super Region 4 Quarterfinal: (5)West Texas A&M at (4)Central Missouri
(1)Abilene Christian and (2)Texas A&M-Kingsville idle
Saturday, December 4:
Kanza Bowl (Topeka, KS): Midwestern State vs. Washburn
Final Standings:
North Division: Northeastern State 6-5 5-1 East Central 5-6 5-1 Eastern New Mexico 5-6 3-3 Southwestern Oklahoma State 3-8 3-3 Southeastern Oklahoma State 3-8 2-4 Texas A&M-Commerce 3-8 2-4 Central Oklahoma 2-9 1-5 South Division: #2 Abilene Christian 11-0 6-0 #4 Texas A&M-Kingsville 10-1 5-1 #14 West Texas A&M 8-3 4-2 #24 Midwestern State 8-3 3-3 Tarleton State 3-8 2-4 Angelo State 5-5 1-5 Incarnate Word 3-8 0-6
Pennsylvania: (Region One)
at #16 Mercyhurst 56, #11 Bloomsburg 37 (State Game)
at #10 California (PA) 57, Cheyney 6
#20 Kutztown 27, at Gannon 24
Shippensburg 41, at Lock Haven 17
CW Post 42, at Slippery Rock 38
at Clarion 49, Millersville 10
at Indiana (PA) 27, West Chester 10
at Edinboro 28, East Stroudsburg 25
With their win over Bloomsburg in the State Game, Mercyhurst claims their first PSAC championship. The Lakers jumped out to an 11-point lead in the first quarter, extended it to 18 by the half, and maintained it the rest of the afternoon. Trevor Kennedy had 163 receiving yards and two touchdowns, plus a 78-yard punt return and a 56-yard pass completion to earn game MVP honors. Bloomsburg’s Franklin Quiteh, who’s carried the load for the Huskies all season, gained 104 yards before being forced out due to injury early in the third quarter. His availability for the playoffs is questionable.
Kutztown was ranked #1, Mercyhurst #2, California (PA) #3, and Bloomsburg #6 in the final Super Region One rankings. All four teams received playoff bids.
Saturday:
Super Region 1 Quarterfinal: (6)Bloomsburg at (3)California (PA)
(1)Kutztown and (2)Mercyhurst idle
Final Standings:
Eastern Division: #20 Bloomsburg 9-2 7-1 #13 Kutztown 10-1 7-1 CW Post 7-4 6-2 West Chester 4-7 4-4 Shippensburg 5-6 4-4 East Stroudsburg 3-8 2-6 Cheyney 1-10 1-7 Millersville 2-9 0-8 Western Division: #11 Mercyhurst 9-2 7-1 #7 California (PA) 10-1 7-1 Gannon 6-5 4-4 Edinboro 7-4 4-4 Indiana (PA) 6-5 4-4 Clarion 4-7 4-4 Slippery Rock 6-5 3-5 Lock Haven 0-11 0-8
West Virginia: (Region One)
Glenville State 28, at #9 Shepherd 24
West Liberty State 56, at Concord 33
at West Virginia Wesleyan 41, Charleston 21
at Fairmont State 63, West Virginia State 38
Seton Hill idle (season complete)
Shepherd wrote their own demise, allowing Glenville to build a 21-10 lead before coming back to move ahead 24-21. With 21 seconds left, Gabe Profitt hit Jordan Griffin from five yards out to give Glenville the win and ruin Shepherd’s unbeaten season. With Shepherd’s loss, only three teams enter the playoffs without a defeat.
West Liberty State’s Zach Amedro padded his career-record passing yardage line with 356 aerial yards — his worst output in nine games. He finishes his career with 14,733 passing yards, a Division II record. Amedro averaged 334.8 yards per game through his career, which is also a D-II record.
Shepherd had already clinched the conference title two weeks ago. Their loss dropped them from #1 in the regional rankings to #4, costing them the quarterfinal bye.
Saturday:
Super Region 1 Quarterfinal: (5)Shaw at (4)Shepherd
Final Standings:
#18 Shepherd 9-1 7-1 West Virginia Wesleyan 9-2 6-2 Concord 8-3 5-3 West Liberty State 7-3 6-2 Charleston 6-5 4-4 Glenville State 5-6 4-4 Fairmont State 5-6 3-5 Seton Hill 2-9 1-7 West Virginia State 0-10 0-8
Rocky Mountain: (Region Three)
at #21 Colorado Mines 55, #8 Nebraska-Kearney 53 (3OT)
Colorado State-Pueblo 45, at Western New Mexico 17
Chadron State 31, at Mesa State 21
Adams State 28, at Western State 19
at Fort Lewis 36, New Mexico Highlands 13
What a game, with everything on the line. Colorado Mines jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead before Kearney fought back to within three. As time expired, Kearney’s Michael Gruber hit a 39-yard field goal to send the game into extras. The teams traded touchdowns in the first overtime, then field goals in the second, before Kearney scored to open the third overtime. The mandated two-point conversion was unsuccessful, and after the Orediggers answered with the tying score, Clay Garcia hit Robbin Vinnola for the conversion and the win. Garcia threw for 417 yards on the day. The loss ended Kearney’s 18-game conference winning streak, dumped the Lopers out of the playoffs, and was the most points scored on UNK since 2004.
With the win over the Lopers, Colorado Mines claimed a share of the conference title with (and stole a playoff berth from) Kearney. The RMAC doesn’t break the tie, but if they did Mines would have the claim.
Colorado Mines finished #6 in the final Super Region Three rankings, and received a playoff bid.
Saturday:
Super Region 3 Quarterfinal: (6)Colorado Mines at (3)Grand Valley State
Rocky Mountain:
#16 Colorado Mines 9-2 8-1 #19 Nebraska-Kearney 9-2 8-1 Colorado State-Pueblo 9-2 7-2 Chadron State 8-3 7-2 Adams State 5-6 4-5 Western New Mexico 4-7 3-6 Mesa State 3-7 3-6 Fort Lewis 3-7 3-6 Western State 1-10 1-8 New Mexico Highlands 1-10 1-8
Southern: (Region Two)
at Stillman 44, Central State (OH) 13 (non-conference)
#5 Albany State, #23 Fort Valley State, #24 Morehouse, Tuskegee, Clark Atlanta, Benedict, Miles,
Kentucky State, and Lane idle
Stillman led 17-13 at the half before ripping off 27 unanswered points to bury Central State.
Albany State won the conference title outright last week.
Albany State finished ranked #1 and Morehouse #5 in the final Super Region Two rankings, and both schools received playoff bids. Fort Valley State was thought by many to be in line for the #6 spot, but was passed over.
Saturday:
Super Region 2 Quarterfinal: (5)Morehouse at (4)Wingate
(1)Albany State idle
Thanksgiving:
Tuskegee (8-2, 7-2) at Alabama State (7-3, FCS) (non-conference)
Saturday, December 4:
Pioneer Bowl (Columbus GA): St. Augustine’s vs. undetermined (probably Fort Valley State)
(Almost) Final Standings:
#4 Albany State 10-0 9-0 #22 Fort Valley State 8-2 7-2 #23 Morehouse 8-2 7-2 Tuskegee 8-2 7-2 (one regular season game remaining) Benedict 5-6 4-5 Clark Atlanta 4-6 4-5 Miles 3-8 3-6 Kentucky State 3-8 2-7 Stillman 3-8 2-7 Lane 0-10 0-9
Northeast Ten: (Region One)
at Southern Connecticut State 52, St. Anselm 21
American International 35, at Assumption 10
at Bentley 27, Stonehill 17
Merrimack 46, at Pace 14
New Haven idle (season complete)
Southern Connecticut, American International, and Bentley all claimed their shares of the conference title (along with idle New Haven) by winning Saturday. (Bentley got in on the fun as a result of the conference ruling that their cancelled game with Pace would be ruled as a win for Bentley and a no-contest for Pace.) New Haven was declared the “official” champion via tie-breakers.
No Northeast-10 team received a playoff berth.
Final Standings:
New Haven 8-2 6-2 Southern Connecticut State 6-4 6-2 American International 6-4 6-2 Bentley 6-4 6-2 Merrimack 4-6 4-4 Assumption 6-5 3-5 Stonehill 5-5 3-5 St. Anselm 2-8 2-6 Pace 0-9 0-7
Central: (Region One)
CIAA Championship Game: Shaw 14, Virginia State 7 (Durham County Stadium, Durham NC)
Shaw was ranked #5 in the final Super Region One rankings, and received a playoff bid. They finish the regular season ranked #25 in the poll.
Saturday:
Super Region 1 Quarterfinal: (5)Shaw at (4)Shepherd
Saturday, December 4:
Pioneer Bowl (Columbus GA): St. Augustine’s vs. undetermined (probably Fort Valley State)
Great Lakes FC:
Urbana 32, at Notre Dame (OH) 0 (non-conference)
at Lincoln (MO) 21, Missouri S&T 20 (non-conference)
at Concordia (AL) 36, Kentucky Wesleyan 35 (non-conference)
St. Joseph’s (IN) idle (season complete)
As noted, everyone but Kentucky Wesleyan tied for the title last week. The conference received no playoff bids.
Final Standings:
St. Joseph's (IN) 5-5 2-1 Urbana 5-6 2-1 Missouri S&T 2-8 2-1 Kentucky Wesleyan 5-6 0-3
Independents:
at Arkansas Tech 42, Southwest Baptist 14
at Oklahoma Panhandle State 21, Bacone 20
at Lincoln (MO) 21, Missouri S&T 20
at Stillman 44, Central State (OH) 13
North Greenville and North Carolina-Pembroke idle (seasons complete)
No independent received a playoff invitation.
Saturday:
Oklahoma Panhandle State (6-4) at Lamar (4-6, FCS)
(Almost) Final Standings:
North Greenville 8-3 Southwest Baptist 7-4 Oklahoma Panhandle State 6-4 North Carolina-Pembroke 5-5 Lincoln (MO) 2-9 Central State (OH) 1-10