Full recaps of the second round of the D-II playoffs (Super Regions Three and Four), and previews and predictions for the quarterfinals, after this brief non-commercial hyperlink.
Super Region Three:
4 Minnesota-Duluth 24, 1 Colorado State-Pueblo 21
at Neta & Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl, Pueblo CO; attendance 9117
Back and forth, back and forth; Duluth scored last, and that’s what mattered in the end.
Pueblo had first crack at it, and churned out an 11-play 80-yard drive which ended with J.B. Mathews rolling in from 14 yards out after Ross Dausin hit Josh Sandoval on a 27-yard pickup to put the Thunderwolves in the red zone. The teams then traded punts, but Pueblo’s punt was a shanked mess that gave Duluth the ball at the Pueblo 34; although the Bulldogs were only able to tack on five more yards before fourth down rolled around, that was enough to get in range for David Nadeau to hit a 46-yard field goal. The next three possessions all ended in punts or turnover on downs, and Duluth took over with a minute to go in the first quarter, trailing 7-3. Runs of 25 and 6 yards by Zach Hulce sandwiched around a 10-yard keeper by Chase Vogler brought the Bulldogs into the red zone as the gun sounded.
On the first play of the second quarter, Vogler hit Joe Reichert from the 14, and Duluth had the lead. Pueblo wasn’t able to do much on the next possession, which ended with a 56-yard attempt by Kyle Major; it had the distance, but was wide right. After a trade of punts, Duluth took over on their own 17; five plays later, Vogler was sacked and fumbled, and Corey Orth gathered up the loose ball and scored from 14 yards out to give the Thunderwolves a 14-10 lead. Duluth was unable to even get to midfield before halftime.
Duluth got the ball to start the second half and mounted a 15-play drive that chewed up over eight minutes. Hulce capped the drive with a 1-yard run to put Duluth back on top. Pueblo answered with their own lengthy drive, going 80 yards on 12 plays before Dausin scored from the 18 on a keeper, and the lead changed hands again. After only one possession each in the quarter, only 18 seconds remained when Duluth lined up; at the gun, they trailed 21-17 and had the ball on their own 46.
The Bulldogs drove to the Pueblo 22, but Vogler was picked off at the goal line by Stephan Dickens, who got back out to the 20. The Thunderwolves went three-and-out, though, having to punt from their own five after a sack and a false start; Duluth took over on the Pueblo 49. After a Hulce run for four yards, Vogler broke free for a 31-yard scamper; he was fumbled when hit, but that just added another four yards to the play when Joe Reichert covered the fumble for the Bulldogs on the nine. Three handoffs to Brian Lucas, and Duluth had a 24-21 lead. Pueblo was forced three-and-out, but Duluth had to punt as well. However, stuck deep in their own territory, the Thunderwolves were only able to advance to their own 24, and Dausin was sacked on 4th and 13 with 2:34 to go. Duluth was able to run out the clock, taking a knee on 1st and goal from the Pueblo 4 to ice the game.
Vogler was only 8-14 for 83 yards with a touchdown and a pick, but had 60 yards on 14 carries on the ground. Hulce added 84 on 21 carries with a touchdown, while Lucas ran the ball 18 times for 62 yards and a score. For Pueblo, Dausin was 14-24 for 133 yards, 72 of which were to Josh Sandoval who had three catches. Jesse Lewis had 59 yards on 15 carries to lead Pueblo’s stifled running attack.
My pre-game prediction: Colorado State-Pueblo 27, Minnesota-Duluth 13. Pueblo’s vaunted run defense simply didn’t on Saturday, while Duluth put the hammer down on Pueblo’s offense.
6 Wayne State (MI) 38, 2 Nebraska-Kearney 26
at Cope Stadium/Foster Field, Kearney NE; attendance 2219
On a day when the wind was gusting up to 60 mph, Nebraska-Kearney won the second half 26-7. The problem for the Lopers was the wind helped Wayne State win the first half 31-0 as Kearney committed five first-half turnovers.
Wayne started with a five and a half minute drive which ended with a 1-yard Josh Renel touchdown run. On the very first play of the ensuing drive, Jake Spitzlberger was picked off by Jeremy Jones at the Kearney 47, and Jones ran it back for a score. On the next drive, Spitzlberger was hit in the backfield and fumbled; Chris Pyant recovered at the Kearney 27. The Warriors couldn’t capitalize, however; Mickey Mohner’s toss to Renel on 4th and 3 at the 20 was incomplete. Kearney got to midfield before having to punt; Wayne went three-and-out, but Ryan Lendrum fumbled the punt and Wayne recovered at their own 46. After a Renel run of 23 yards, the quarter ended with Wayne up 14-0.
The drive reached the Kearney 9, and Toney Davis picked up what should have been a first down on a five-yard run to the 4, but an illegal block penalty pushed the Warriors back to the 24. After an offside call on the Lopers, Stefan Terleckyj missed a 36-yard field goal wide left. Kearney drove into Warrior territory, but Spitzlberger was picked off again by Jones, who returned the ball 66 yards before being hauled down at the Kearney 4. Davis immediately took a handoff and scored. On the ensuing drive, Jones intercepted Spitzlberger for the third time at his own 23, ripping off a 31-yard return; three plays later Mohner hit Troy Burrell from 26. Kearney avoided a turnover on their next try, but went three-and-out; the disaster this time was a partially-blocked punt, giving Wayne the ball on the Loper 43. Four plays later, Terkeckyj booted a 43-yard field goal to put Wayne up 31-0. Kearney managed to push to the Warrior 21 on the ensuing drive, but Spitzlberger was sacked twice; the second came on 4th and 21 with 40 seconds left in the half. Wayne tried to get on the board again, but were forced to punt; the clock expired on the play.
Kearney got the ball first in the second half, but turned it over on downs at the Wayne 33. Wayne went three-and-out, and Kearney pressed all the way to the Warrior 9-yard line before Spitzlberger fumbled again. Wayne was forced to punt, and the wind killed it; Kearney took over on the Warrior 35. An 11-play drive resulted in Rustin Dring scoring on a 2-yard carry, finally getting the Lopers on the board. Wayne drove into Kearney territory, but were pulled back by a personal foul; as the quarter ended, they were on their own 38 with a commanding 31-7 lead. But it wasn’t over yet.
On the third play of the final period, Davis was stopped for a loss of a yard on 4th and 1. The Lopers drove quickly, scoring on an 8-yard Stephan Rush run. Wayne’s ensuing drive stalled at the Kearney 15, and Terleckjy missed a 37-yarder. Kearney was forced three-and-out, and Wayne drove 44 yards on 7 plays, Renel scoring from six yards out to effectively ice the game. Wayne never actually had possession again; Kearney scored on a 2-yard Spitzlberger run, but the two-point conversion failed; after recovering an onside kick, they again drove quickly and scored on a Spitzlberger pass to Adam Lehner from the five. Again, the conversion failed; again, an onside kick was recovered but the clock ran out.
It was a horrible day for Jake Spitzlberger. He was 19-40 for 230 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions; on the ground, he had 92 yards and a score on 25 carries, but lost two fumbles. Dring had 101 yards on 25 carries, with a score. Lehner caught two passes for 88 yards and a TD, and Tommy Flanagan added five catches for 90. For Wayne State, Toney Davis did not rush for 300 yards. He only had 69 on 22 carries, with a score. Renel ran for 121 and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Mohner was 8-17 for 122 yards and a score, with Troy Burrell’s 4 catches for 73 yards leading the way.
My pre-game prediction: Nebraska-Kearney 32, Wayne State 28. I was pretty much wrong about everything here. Mohner did not, in fact, do more against Kearney than he had against Saint Cloud, mostly because the weather conditions weren’t conducive and with a big lead he didn’t have to. Wayne racked up rushing yardage heretofore unseen by the Kearney defense, and Kearney’s powerful running game was no problem for the Warriors (partially due to the Lopers being forced into a passing game due to being so far behind).
Next up:
6 Wayne State (MI) (10-3) at 4 Minnesota-Duluth (11-2)
Malosky Stadium, Duluth MN, 1pm ET
Video available via NCAA.com. Audio available via KQDS. Live stats available via NCAA.com.
Series: first meeting.
Jon’s Prediction:
Wayne State 27, Minnesota-Duluth 26. It’s that tight, in my mind. I’ve undersold Wayne two weeks in a row, and while it’s true that a couple of breaks would have turned the game Kearney’s way, I can’t dismiss what the Warriors have done thus far. Duluth did put in a strong defensive effort against the #1 team in the country, but Pueblo didn’t win their first 11 games by scoring lots of points anyway. Really, this game could go either way, but I’m going to roll with the narrow upset here.
Super Region Four:
5 Northwest Missouri State 38, 1 Midwestern State 31 (OT)
at Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls TX; attendance 7238
Northwest came back from an 18-point deficit to force overtime, and kept Midwestern off the board after scoring first to advance to a grudge match quarterfinal.
After Midwestern started the game with a three-and-out and an awful punt, Northwest took over at the Mustang 39. Five plays and fourteen yards later, Todd Adolf popped a 42-yard field goal to give the Bearcats the early lead. Midwestern responded, running the ball right down Northwest’s gut — only one pass attempt the entire drive, and it was an incompletion — for a 12-play 80-yard drive capped by a one-yard Lester Bush score. Northwest’s response? Nyah nyah we can do that too, except they finished what had been a run-only 9-play drive with a five-yard pass from Trevor Adams to Kyle Kilgore to retake the lead. Midwestern took over at their own 20 after the kickoff and drove, reaching midfield as the quarter ended with the Bearcats leading 10-7.
After an 11-play drive, Brandon Kelsey hit Edgar Theliar for a 3-yard score, and the Mustangs regained the lead. Northwest was forced three-and-out, and Midwestern struck quickly; on 4th and 3 on the first series, Keidrick Jackson busted a 32-yard run for a score. Again, the Bearcats punted without achieving a first down; the Mustangs again scored quickly, this time a five-play drive topped off by a one-yard Bush run. Northwest then methodically drove downfield, scoring on a six-yard James Franklin run, and it was 28-17 Midwestern with 1:58 to go in the half. The Mustangs didn’t put much effort into hurrying, and the clock expired on them near midfield.
On the opening drive of the second half, Northwest started at their own 24 and ended there thanks to a couple of penalties. The end of the drive, however, was a fumble by Adams, recovered by Kevin Birdow for the Mustangs. They got as far as the one-yard line, but a false start on third down pushed them back, and they settled for a 22-yard Greg Saladino field goal. The penalty very well may have cost them the game. Northwest reached midfield on the ensuing drive before failing to convert on 4th and 6. The Mustangs were again victimzed by penalties; they reached as far as the Bearcat 23, but ended up at the 33 where Saladino missed a 50-yarder wide left. Northwest got across midfield, but Adams was intercepted by Ronnie Blaylock, and the quarter ended with the Mustangs leading 31-17.
Midwestern went three-and-out, and Northwest drive from midfield to the Mustang 1. On 4th and goal, Franklin was stopped for no gain. That led to another three-and-out with Midwestern forced to punt from their own two, and Northwest took over on the Mustang 27. This time, they found the end zone on a six-yard pass from Adams to Kilgore to close to within a touchdown. Midwestern was forced three-and-out for a third straight drive, and another lousy punt left them defending a short field again. Four plays later, Franklin ran in from the 11 and the game was tied with 4:56 remaining. Midwestern ground out 14 plays and got to the Northwest 9-yard line, but with five seconds to go Saladino missed wide right from 27. Northwest took a knee, and overtime ensued.
On the fourth play of their first possession, Adams again found Kilgore for a score from the 13. Midwestern faced 4th and 1 from the 16, and converted, but on 4th and 6 from the 6 four plays later, Kelsey tried to hit David Little and missed, and the Bearcats escaped with the win.
Adams was 15-25 for 131 yards and three scores, plus a pick. Franklin ran for 146 yards and two scores on 26 carries. Kyle Kilgore only had 34 yards on 4 catches, but three of them were for touchdowns. For Midwestern, Kelsey was 10-17 for 83 yards and a score. Jackson had 184 yards on 29 carries.
My pre-game prediction: Northwest Missouri State 45, Midwestern State 37. Interestingly, I had suggested Northwest’s superior turnover advantage would be a key, but they were -2 on the day. Their ability to silence Kelsey as a passing threat was critical, as were several sequences where they forced excellent field position through special teams failures on the part of the Mustangs; punter Gunter Elenburg had a truly horrific day, only averaging 18.5 yards per punt.
2 Pittsburg State 31, 3 Washburn 22
at Carnie Smith Stadium/Brandenburg Field, Pittsburg KS; attendance 6936
Pittsburg fell behind early, but 24 unanswered points and a late score put away the Ichabods and avenged a regular-season loss.
Pittsburg state went three-and-out to open the game; worse, a bad snap on the punt resulted in a safety. Washburn was then able to start in Gorilla territory, and Dane Simoneau connected with Matt Kobbeman from 17 yards out after an 8-play drive to put Washburn up 9-0. The teams traded punts the rest of the quarter.
After Washburn punted a minute into the second, Pittsburg State took over at midfield; seven plays later, Mandel Dixon bulled in from a yard out to narrow the gap. Washburn went three-and-out, and the Gorillas drove into Washburn territory; Zac Dickey was picked off in the backfield by Bryce Atagi, who dashed 50 yards unimpeded into the end zone. The Gorillas responded with an 8-play drive capped by another Dixon score from the two. After another Ichabod three-and-out, Dickey hit Andrew Castaneda for a 38-yard score to put Pittsburg up 21-16. The half concluded when Simoneau was intercepted by Bryant Sanchez, and the Gorillas killed the final minute.
The teams traded punts to start the third, and Pittsburg began their second drive on their own 20. The Bataan Death March ensued; a 19-play drive consuming eleven minutes and fourteen seconds ended with a 21-yard Chase McCoy field goal to extend the lead to 24-16. Washburn had enough time left in the quarter to have to punt again, and Pittsburg was pinned at their own four to start the final frame.
Dickey was picked off by Devon Connors at midfield four plays later, and Connors returned it to the 28, but Washburn was only able to reach the 22 before failing to convert on 4th and 4. The Gorillas went three-and-out; Washburn drove all the way to the Pittsburg one yard line. Two rushes for no gain and a loss of two later, and they faced 4th and goal from the three; Simoneau tried to connect with Kobbeman but the pass fell to the ground. Seven plays and 97 yards later, Jason Spradling had scored on a 16-yard run. When Simoneau was intercepted by Nate Dreiling on the second play after the kickoff, the game was all but over. Pittsburg was forced three-and-out while Washburn used their timeouts, and Simoneau drove the Ichabods downfield quickly before finding Tore Hurst for a 17-yard score, but that left 1:18 on the clock with no timeouts. The failed PAT, however, made even the recovery of the onside kick useless; they still tried it, but failed, and Dickey took a knee to end it.
Dickey had a fairly poor day in the air, going 11-24 for 202 yards with a score and two interceptions; he added 94 yards on the ground on 19 carries. Spradling had 80 yards on 17 carries and a score. John Brown led the receivers with 119 yards on 6 catches. For Washburn, Simoneau had an even worse time of it; he was 14-40 for 216 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. Pittsburg held Washburn to 20 net yards on the ground.
My pre-game prediction: Pittsburg State 35, Washburn 32. I put too much stock in the Gorillas’ regular-season letdown against Washburn, apparently. I also, to be honest, didn’t see the total shutdown of the Ichabods’ running game coming. That was some stellar defense.
Next up:
5 Northwest Missouri State (11-2) at 2 Pittsburg State (11-1)
Carnie Smith Stadium/Brandenburg Field, Pittsburg KS, 2pm ET
Video available via NCAA.com. Audio available via KKOW. Live stats available via NCAA.com.
Series: tied 22-22 (last: Pittsburg 38-35 on 10/1/2011 at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City)
Jon’s Prediction:
Pittsburg State 38, Northwest Missouri State 35. It all comes down to this as the hated rivals clash for the Super Region Four title. Pittsburg won by a field goal earlier this year, and I’m just going to roll with that as my prediction here as well, even though Pittsburg gets more of an edge with this game at home.