Three of the four #3 seeds fell, and two #5 seeds knocked off #4 seeds, but the top half of all four brackets got through unscathed. The number of unbeatens has now been reduced from eleven to eight, and at least two of those eight will fall this coming Saturday. Quick recaps and previews of Saturday’s regional semifinals after the jump.

Mount Union Bracket
at (1)Mount Union 49, (8)St. Lawrence 0:
Larry Kehres earned his 300th career victory as the Purple Raiders (11-0) hammered the Saints, who end the season at 5-6. The absolutely ridiculous part of his record, however, is not the 300 wins but the 22 losses. And three ties. In twenty-five years.

at (2)Cortland State 49, (7)Endicott 35:
Cortland State (10-1) jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, and that lead was the ultimate margin as the Red Dragons traded scores with the Gulls for the rest of the game. Endicott concludes their campaign with a 9-3 mark.

at (6)Alfred 60, (3)SUNY-Maritime 0:
It was a rough day for Clayton Kendrick-Holmes, the lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve who received attention on Veteran’s Day with stories about his impending callup to active duty. The previously unbeaten Mariners fumbled the opening kickoff, and things went downhill from there as they turned the ball over an additional five times, allowing the Saxons (9-2) to cruise to a rout. Maritime finishes 10-1.

at (4)Delaware Valley 23, (5)Salisbury 12:
Delaware Valley (9-2) forced five Sea Gull turnovers, the fifth of which ended Salisbury’s final drive and sealed the victory. The Aggies held Salisbury’s triple option to only 126 yards in the first three quarters before the Gulls got untracked, too late, in the fourth. Salisbury ends the year 7-3.

Semifinal preview:
Delaware Valley will face a tough test on the road at Mount Union. Their success at game-planning for Salisbury’s option offense bodes well for the prospect of shutting down the Raiders’ offense, but ultimately, this is Mount Union. In the other semifinal, Alfred visits Cortland in what should be a tight game. They have one common opponent this season in Ithaca; Alfred handled the Bombers easily while Cortland eked out a three-point win. Home field may be the difference here for the Red Dragons.

Wesley Bracket
at (1)Wesley 53, (8)Muhlenberg 14:
The Wolverines (10-0) shredded the Mules defense for 649 yards, and held Muhlenberg to 270 themselves, to advance to the second round. Muhlenberg finishes at 7-4.

at (2)Mary Hardin-Baylor 59, (7)Christopher Newport 7:
Two early special teams plays boosted the Crusaders (11-0), as a blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown and then a kickoff inexplicably untouched by the Captains was recovered by UMHB on the Newport 34. From that point, it was a rout. Newport concludes their season at 6-5.

at (3)Thomas More 42, (6)Washington & Lee 14:
Thomas More (11-0) rolled up 432 rushing yards on the way to a convincing win over the ODAC champion Generals. It was a quick game, as the teams combined for 685 yards on the ground compared to only 161 in the air. Washington & Lee ends the season with a 8-3 record.

(5)Montclair State 16, at (4)Hampden-Sydney 14:
These two teams last met 40 years ago in the Knute Rockne Bowl, when Montclair (10-1) won 7-6 thanks to a two-point conversion attempt that was tipped and nearly intercepted. Saturday, the Red Hawks took a 16-0 lead into the fourth quarter before the Tigers mounted a comeback. A minute and a half into the fourth quarter, HSC scored and converted the two-point attempt to close to within 16-8. Eight minutes later, they found the end zone again to make it 16-14, and then history repeated itself as Andrey Green got his hand on the pass and knocked it to the ground. After a three-and-out, the Tigers took possession again but Travis Lane was intercepted by Gary Knoeppel on the first play from scrimmage, and Montclair was then able to run down the clock. Hampden-Sydney finishes the season 9-2.

Semifinal preview:
Montclair State has had a solid season, but hasn’t been overly dominant in any game against sub-par competition. Wesley has been dominant, and although a blowout is probably not in the offing here, a Wesley win probably is. In the other game, Mary Hardin-Baylor’s explosive offense and sometimes porous defense will come up against Thomas More’s strong defense and competent offense. The good news for the Crusaders is that the defense has stiffened considerably over the last several weeks, having given up no more than 12 points in a game in over a month. Go with UMHB on this one.

North Central Bracket
at (1)North Central 57, (8)Saint Norbert 7:
The Cardinals (11-0) cruised, racking up 612 yards of offense in crushing St. Norbert. The Green Knighs finish at 7-4.

at (2)Wisconsin-Whitewater 52, (7)Franklin 21:
The defending champion Warhawks (11-0) had little trouble disposing of Franklin, holding the visitors to -11 yards on the ground, although giving up 373 in the air. Whitewater quarterbacks had only been sacked three times all season, but Franklin recorded three sacks on the afternoon. The Grizzlies end the year at 9-2.

(6)Trine 45, at (3)DePauw 35:
Trine (11-0) charged out to a 27-7 lead in the first quarter before DePauw rallied to take a 28-27 lead late in the third. The two teams then traded scores before the Thunder tacked on another touchdown and a field goal. With three minutes left, the Tigers drove to the Trine 26 before Brandon Killingbeck picked off an errant pass, after which Trine was able to run out the clock. DePauw finishes 9-2. The two teams combined for 856 yards of total offense.

at (4)Ohio Northern 37, (5)Wittenberg 14:
Ohio Northern (10-1) victimized Wittenberg QB Ben Zoeller, as the Polar Bears picked off seven passes on the day. The Tigers, previously unbeaten, go home 10-1.

Semifinal preview:
Trine is unbeaten, but that probably isn’t going to last past Saturday as they run into the Whitewater buzzsaw. This game will test the question of whether Trine’s regular season schedule prepared them for much of anything. North Central and Ohio Northern may be the best game of the weekend. Northern has been dominant, with their only loss coming to Mount Union, the only game all year in which the Polar Bears failed to score at least 34 points. North Central hasn’t left any doubts as to their abilities either, and have only allowed their opponents to score more than 10 points twice all season. Irresistible force, meet immovable object…

St. Thomas Bracket
at (1)St. Thomas (MN) 57, (8)Benedictine (IL) 10:
The Tommies (11-0) methodically dismantled the Eagles, who finish 8-3. UST quarterback Dakota Tracy only had one incompletion on the day — on a hail mary to close the first half.

at (2)Wheaton (IL) 31, (7)Coe 21:
Wheaton (10-1) looked like they were in trouble, down 21-9 heading into the fourth quarter. 22 unanswered points later, the Thunder had dodged a bullet. Coe concludes their campain at 9-2.

(6)Bethel (MN) 28, at (3)Wartburg 20:
Bethel (10-1) registered 508 yards of total offense, and stuffed Wartburg’s final drive at their own seven yard line to pull off the road upset. Wartburg ends the year 10-1.

at (5)Linfield 42, (4)Cal Lutheran 26:
Linfield (9-1) pretty much doubled up CLU the entire day, leading 14-6 after one, 21-12 at the half, and 35-18 after three. With the win, the Wildcats avenge their only loss on the season, a 47-42 setback at CLU in the season opener. The Kingsmen wrap up their season with an 8-2 record.

Semifinal preview:
St. Thomas and Linfield will reprise last year’s second-round matchup, won 31-20 by Linfield. Both teams have dominated opponents, but the Tommies have the edge this time around. Wheaton and Bethel come into Saturday’s game with a single loss each, both to #1 seeds in this tournament. Bethel, however, has shown a propensity to struggle against competent opposition, while Wheaton has mostly backhanded theirs. Edge to the Thunder in this one.