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    Local Colleges
    Tuesday, May 14, 2024

    NCAA football playoffs

    James Madison quarterback Bryan Schor carries the ball against Weber State during the first half of Friday night's FCS playoffs quarterfinal at Harrisonburg, Va. (Daniel Lin/Daily News-Record via AP)

    FCS quarterfinals

    South Dakota State 56, New Hampshire 14

    Taryn Christion threw two scoring passes to Jake Wieneke and both ran for another touchdown, Cade Johnson returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and fifth-seeded South Dakota State whipped New Hampshire on Saturday.

    The Jackrabbits (11-2) play at defending champion and top-seeded James Madison, winner of 25 straight, next weekend.

    Christion, Wieneke and Isaac Wallace each ran for a score in the first quarter as South Dakota State bolted to a 21-0 lead. Wieneke scored untouched from 48 yards on a reverse around the right side.

    Christion found Wieneke for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 28-0 at the half.

    Wallace added a 48-yard TD run late in the third quarter before the Wildcats (9-5) got on the board with a 75-yard scoring play, Trevor Knight hooking up with Kieran Presley. However, Johnson quickly wiped that out with his return.

    South Dakota State finished with 451 yards of offense with Wieneke having the big day with nine catches for 140 yards for his first 100-yard game of the season and 24th of his career.

    Knight passed for 236 yards but was intercepted twice. Presley had seven catches for 133 yards.

    North Dakota State 42, Wofford 10

    Easton Stick threw for three first-half touchdowns and ran for another in the second half and second-seeded North Dakota State rolled to a win over seventh-seeded Wofford.

    Bruce Anderson also ran for two scores in the first half for the Bison (12-1), who play the winner of Saturday's late game between Kennesaw State and Sam Houston State, in the semifinals next weekend at home.

    Stick completed 9 of 10 passes in the first half for 157 yards with touchdowns to Connor Wentz (48 yards), Seth Wilson (18 yards) and Jeff Illies (4 yards).

    The Bison piled up 265 yards and held Wofford to 95 with just four first downs, two coming on fourth down conversions. The Terriers got a field goal on their initial possession and a touchdown after a fumble recovery gave them a short field.

    Stick's 7-yard run accounted for the only points in the second half.

    NDSU, which won five-straight titles before losing to eventual champion James Madison in the semifinals last year, piled up 261 yards on the ground and 464 yards of total offense. While the Bison were seven yards shy of their season average on the ground, they held the Terriers (10-3) to 134, 120 below their average.

    Wofford ended up with eight first downs and 177 yards, going 1 of 12 on third down.

    James Madison 31, Weber State 28

    Ethan Ratke kicked a career-long 46-yard field goal on the final play of the game and defending FCS champion James Madison rallied to defeat Weber State on Friday night and run its winning streak to 25.

    Ratke's third field goal capped an eight-play, 39-yard drive after the top-seeded Dukes (13-0) forced the Wildcats (11-3) into a three-and-out and got the ball back on its 31 with 1:06 to play.

    In a wild fourth quarter the teams combined for 35 points, including Bryan Schor's 40-yard touchdown pass to Riley Stapleton and Trai Sharp's two-point conversion run on an inside handoff with 2:08 to play.

    Ratke, whose previous best field goal was 40 yards, kicked a 40-yarder with 7:52 to play to pull the Dukes within 21-20. Weber State followed with a 10-play, 82-yard drive capped by Stefan Cantwell's 36-yard pass that Drew Batchelor pulled down between two defenders in the end zone, making it 28-20 with 3:14 to go.

    Schor was only 21 of 45 but threw for 359 yards. Stapleton had eight catches for 189 yards and Terrence Alls snared six for 117. Marshall ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

    Cantwell was just 12-of-30 passing but had two touchdowns and 238 yard and ran for a score. Kevin Smith had a touchdown rushing and receiving for Weber State.

    Division II semifinals

    Texas A&M Commerce 31, Harding 17

    Luis Perez threw for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 90-yard hookup with D'Arthur Cowen that sealed Texas A&M Commerce's defeat of Harding.

    Commerce (13-1) will face West Florida (11-3) for the title next Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

    Harding scored on the game's opening drive when Grant Kimberlin broke loose for a 51-yard run. Perez completed six of his first seven passes to move the Lions downfield and Commerce rallied for a 7-7 tie on a Gabriel Rodriguez run from the 2-yard line.

    Kimberlin (107 yards) and Cole Chancey (98 yards) led the Bison rushing attack, which accounted for 260 of their 320 yards of total offense. The Bison led D-II with 53 rushing TDs and rushing yardage with 5,128.

    Harding (11-4) fought back and trailed 17-14 in the fourth quarter before Texas A&M Commerce struck twice in the final nine minutes. Carandal Hale scored on an 11-yard run to push the lead to 24-14 and then capped it when Perez and Cowan hooked up for the 90-yarder.

    West Florida 27, Indiana (Pa.) 17

    Mike Beaudry passed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, Austin Williams booted a pair of field goals and smothering defense on a fourth-down pass play lifted West Florida past previously undefeated and top-seeded Indiana (Pa.).

    West Florida (11-3) rolled up 376 yards total offense, scored the first 24 points of the game and was five-for-five in the red zone.

    Indiana (13-1) was clawing out of a 24-0 hole with 17 unanswered points — a touchdown run by Samir Bullock, a TD pass from Lenny Williams to Chris Wuestner and a chip-shot field goal by Dillon Sarka — to come within a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

    The Argonauts struck back with a 25-yard Williams field goal to cap a 13-play, 76-yard drive that erased 7:35 from the clock.

    Indiana was driving on its next possession, but Williams fumbled a third-down snap and lost four yards when he fell on the ball, just enough to push the Crimson Hawks out of field goal range. A fourth-down heave into the end zone was deflected by Marvin Conley and the pass also was hurried as Williams just got the pass off as he was about to be hit.

    Division III semifinals

    Mount Union 43, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 40

    Josh Petruccelli and Jawanza Evans-Morris ran for two touchdowns each and second-seeded Mount Union rallied from 25 points down in the second half to defeat No. 3 Wisconsin-Oshkosh when the Titans missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the game.

    The Purple Raiders (14-0), in the semifinals for the 23rd straight year, go after their 13th title on Friday in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Salem, Virginia. They face top-seeded Mary Hardin-Baylor (13-0).

    D'Angelo Fulford threw for a touchdown and ran for another for Mount Union, who trailed 35-10 after the Titans (12-1) scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter.

    The Raiders rallied quickly with three touchdowns in less than five minutes but trailed 35-30 on a failed two-point conversion.

    Oshkosh responded with a 35-yard field goal by Turner Geisthardt to make it 38-30 with 14:51 to play. Again Mount Union responded with Petruccelli scoring on a 1-yard run but Fulford fumbled on the tying two-point attempt and Derrick Jennings Jr. took it all the way back for a two-point defensive PAT and Oshkosh led 40-36 with 9:36 left.

    A wild sequence set up the win with Louis Berry returning a Brett Kasper interception 20 yards to the Oshkosh 45. He fumbled but recovered the ball at the Oshkosh 40. Evans-Morris cashed in with a 1-yard run at 5:41.

    Kasper was picked again but the defense held and the Titans got the ball back at their 15 with 2:24 to go. Converting two fourth downs and a third down, they got to the 28, where Geisthardt's field goal attempt came up short.

    Fulford was 28 of 42 for 330 yards. Jared Ruth had 11 catches for 130 yards and Just Hill six for 102. Petruccelli ran for 132 yards and the Raiders finished with 542 yards.

    Kasper, who entered the game with 32 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, threw for 297 yards and two scores but had the two late picks. Sam Mentkowski had seven receptions for 190 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown that helped Oshkosh take a 21-10 lead at the half.

    Mary Hardin-Baylor 24, Brockport State 0

    Markeith Miller ran for 139 yards and a touchdown as Mary Hardin-Baylor scored 21 first-quarter points and beat Brockport State.

    Carl Robinson threw for 161 yards and a touchdown, and Byron Proctor ran for a 1-yard score for Mary Hardin-Baylor. Miller surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season and pushed his career total to 2,604 yards, the sixth player in program history to surpass 2,500 career yards rushing.

    Joe Germinerio was 31 of 53 for 196 yards passing with two interceptions for Brockport (13-1), which advanced to its first semifinal.

    Kris Brown intercepted Germinerio's pass on the second play from scrimmage and ran 22 yards to the Brockport 15. Miller ran in for a 2-yard score two plays later.

    On the next series, Germinerio led a 14-play drive to the Crusaders 28, but the drive stalled on two straight incomplete passes. Mary Hardin-Baylor marched it right back, and capped the scoring drive when Proctor bullied in on fourth-and-goal.

    The Crusader's Jordan Millar forced a Justin Morrison fumble to set up Robinson's 29-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Josey, and the Crusaders led 21-0 with 3:16 left in the opening quarter.

    John Mowery kicked a 25-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

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