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D2 Football: Pittburg State Wins 2nd National Title

admin — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:17:07 +0000

Courtesy Pitt State Athletics

FLORENCE, Ala. — The slipper finally fits, again.

For the first time in 20 years, the Pittsburg State Gorillas returned to the pinnacle of NCAA Division II football.

A perennial power, Pitt State annually battled for supremacy in Division II but the last three chances the Gorillas had for national championships in Alabama came up painfully close but short in 1992, 1995 and 2004.

Saturday, Pitt State finished off a magical season with a 35-21 victory over Wayne (Mich.) State in the title game before a sea of crimson & gold clad fans with dominated the official crowd of 7,276 fans at Braly Municipal Stadium.

D2 Football: Jonas Randolph Wins Hill Trophy

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 03:42:58 +0000

Courtesy Associated Press

FLORENCE, Ala. — Mars Hill College running back Jonas Randolph won the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II’s top player Friday night, two days after celebrating the birth of his son.

Randolph received the award on the eve of the national championship game after leading all NCAA divisions with a 197-yard rushing average. He collected 120 points in balloting by Division II sports information directors for a three-point edge over Washburn (Kan.) University’ quarterback Dane Simoneau. It’s the slimmest winning margin in the award’s 26-year history.

D2 Football: # 2 Delta State beats #1 North Alabama in OT

admin — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:25:13 +0000

(Courtesy DSU Athletics)

FLORENCE, Ala.– Electricity was in the air at Braly Municipal Stadium, as the No. 2 Statesmen took on top-ranked North Alabama Thursday night. The match-up did not disappoint as the two teams needed overtime to decide a winner. It was in overtime that the Statesmen found the end zone, and came away with the 30-24 win.

The game was a defensive chess match in a scoreless first quarter, as both teams traded punts. The Statesmen defense held strong throughout the quarter even stopping the Lion offense on fourth down.

Defense was still the name of the game as the second quarter got underway. After moving the ball past the 50 yard line, the Statesmen were held short on fourth down in the quarter’s first series.

North Alabama (6-1, 0-1 GSC) took advantage of their good field position, and subsequently took the lead . Quarterback Lee Chapple hit Mo Miliam for a 43-yard completion. That play set up a four yard touchdown run for Demetrious Goode. The run and the extra point that followed gave the Lions the 7-0 lead.

The Statesmen (7-1, 1-0 GSC) offense then came to life as they answered the Lion touchdown with one of their own. Senior Quarterback Micah Davis hit senior wide receiver Tim Smith for a 42-yard gain to get the drive going. Davis completed two more passes on the drive before junior Brandon Lucas found the end zone on a two yard run. The touchdown and point after tied the game up at 7-7.

The Lions would not be denied on their next drive as they retook the lead. Chapple completed all five of his passes the 52-yard drive. Goode capped the drive off with his second touchdown run of the game, a six yard scamper. The extra point gave the Lions the 14-7 advantage.

Down seven, the Statesmen drove down the field once again. Davis kept the drive alive with a two yard run on fourth and one. Just when the Statesmen seemed poised to tie the game up again, the Lion defense made a play. Bryan Thomas picked off a Davis pass on the goal line. The Lions then took a knee, as they went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead at the half.

The Lions started the second half with the ball. They marched down the field, but the Statesmen defense held tough, and forced North Alabama to kick a field goal. The 26-yard kick gave the Lions the 17-7 lead. The 14-play drive was the most plays on a scoring drive for the Lions this season.

The Statesmen were in need of offense on their next drive, and they came through with a 81-yard march to the end zone. A mix of runs and passes helped the Statesmen move the ball down the field. Davis found Smith once again on a completion, and Smith did the rest to get into the end zone. North Alabama’s Janoris Jenkins was flagged and ejected after the play. The extra point cut the Lions’ lead to three points at 17-14.

The Statesmen defense came out after the touchdown reenergized. Senior linebacker Robert Hogan came up big with a sack that helped end the North Alabama drive. The Statesmen then took over on offense, but could not convert a fourth and one which gave the ball back to the Lions.

The Lions took advantage of their defensive stop. The Lions went on a five play 52-yard drive capped off by 20 yard pass by Chapple to Miliam for a touchdown. The score put North Alabama up 24-14 early in the fourth quarter.

After the Statesmen were forced to punt, the Lions went back on the offensive. The Statesmen defense put a stop to that by forcing a turnover. Senior lineman Anthony Daniels picked off Chapple. The Statesmen took full advantage by marching down the field. A seven play 35-yard drive was capped off by Davis running the ball into the end zone. The score cut the UNA lead back down to three at 24-21 with 4:24 to go in regulation.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Lions. The Statesmen defense answered the call once again, as they forced the Lions to punt with two minutes on the clock. The punt was a good one for the Lions, as they pinned the Statesmen on their own one yard line.

The stuff of legends occurred on the next Statesmen drive. Davis and the offense engineered a 13-play, 99-yard drive to tie the game up. Senior kicker Matt Dean tied the game up with a 27-yard field goal, which sent the game into overtime.

The Lions had the ball first in the overtime period. The Lions started to march down the field, but were stymied by the Statesmen defense. Nathen O’Jibway then missed a 31-yard field goal. That meant the Statesmen took over with the game still tied.

The Statesmen offense made sure that they didn’t have to settle for a field goal try. Junior running back Brant Botill ran to the end zone from the four yard line. The score gave the Statesmen the 30-24 victory in spectacular fashion.

Davis finished the game 29-for-41 for 339 yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. The Statesmen finished the game with 512 yards of offense compared to 345 yards for UNA. The Statesmen were flagged for 11 penalties for 104 yards. The Lions were called for seven penalties for 75 yards.

The Statesmen look to keep their momentum going, as they will most likely be named the new No 1 team in the country. They will return home to take on Valdosta State on Oct. 22. The game will get underway at 3:00 p.m., and pre game will begin at 2:00 p.m.

–Courtesy DSU Athletics

D2 Football: #1 North Alabama vs. #2 Delta State

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:24:28 +0000

(Courtesy GSC)

The top-ranked University of North Alabama Lions will take on the second-ranked and GSC rival Delta State Statesmen Thursday night at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama, home of the NCAA Division II National Championship Game.

From the AFCA:

The Top 10 remained relatively unchanged, but losses to five Top 25 teams this past weekend caused a shakeup in the bottom half of the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. North Alabama still sits at No. 1, receiving 28 of a possible 29 first place votes, after the Lions handed Arkansas Tech a 44-10 loss. Delta State (Miss.) and Bloomsburg (Pa.) flip-flop positions this week with the Statesmen moving to No. 2 after a 34-20 win over Arkansas-Monticello. Bloomsburg (Pa.) is No. 3 this week after moving its record to 6-0 following a 45-10 victory over Cheyney (Pa.). No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 5 Washburn (Kan.) round out the Top 5.

Losses to Albany St. (Ga.), Shepherd (W.Va.), Central Missouri, Hillsdale (Mich.) and Edinboro (Pa.), made room for five new teams to enter the Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. West Virginia Wesleyan is 6-0 on the season and comes in at No. 21 after a 45-44 overtime victory over then-No. 14 Shepherd (W.Va.). No. 22 West Alabama enters the poll for the first time this season after a 38-10 win over Southern Arkansas, while Bemidji State (Minn.) re-enters the poll at No. 23 after a two-week layoff. Wayne State (Neb.) enters at No. 24 for the first time this season while No. 25 Mars Hill (N.C.) enters the AFCA Top 25 for the first time since September 25, 2007.

D2 Football: Pitt State upsets Top-ranked NWMSU

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:49:21 +0000

(Courtesy NorthwestBearcats.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chase McCoy booted a 26-yard field goal as time expired to help lift No. 15 Pittsburg State University to a 38-35 victory over No. 1 NW Missouri State University in The Fall Classic X at Arrowhead Stadium.

McCoy’s third field goal of the game helped the unbeaten Gorillas (5-0, 4-0 MIAA) halt the Bearcats (4-1, 3-1 MIAA) record streak of 49 consecutive MIAA regular season victories.

Pitt State became the first conference team to defeat Northwest in the regular season since the Gorillas handed the Bearcats a 56-35 defeat in The Fall Classic V on Oct. 29, 2005. Pitt State also halted a painful seven-game losing streak in the series with Northwest.

AFCA D2 Pre-Season Coaches’ Poll

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:14:03 +0000

(Courtesy UMDBulldogs.com)

Minnesota-Duluth, fresh off their second national championship in 2010, opens up 2011 as the preseason favorite to win the national championship. This is the first time since the AFCA Division II Coaches’ Poll started in 2000 that the Bulldogs have begun the season ranked No. 1. 2010 national runner-up Delta State (Miss.) starts the season at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Northwest Missouri State, who received one first-place vote, No. 4 Abilene Christian (Texas) and No. 5 Grand Valley State (Mich.). There will be four Top 25 matchups in the first week of action, including a Top 10 battle as No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth travels to No. 8 Augustana (S.D.).

1. Minnesota-Duluth [28] (15-0)
2. Delta State (11-4)
3. Northwest Missouri State [1] (12-2)
4. Abilene Christian (11-1)
5. Grand Valley State (11-2)
6. North Alabama (9-4)
7. Texas A&M-Kingsville (10-2)
8. Augustana (11-2)
9t. Albany State (11-1)
9t. Bloomsburg (10-3)
11. Shepherd (12-2)
12. California (PA) (10-2)
13. St. Cloud State (10-3)
14. Wingate (9-3)
15. Central Missouri (11-3)
16. Nebraska-Kearney (9-2)
17. Mercyhurst (10-3)
18. Washburn (8-4)
19. West Texas A&M (8-4)
20. Valdosta State (8-3)
21. Wayne State (MI) (9-2)
22. Central Washington (8-3)
23. Kutztown (10-2)
24. Henderson State (7-4)
25t. Hillsdale (9-3)
25t. Shaw (9-3)

2010 Football Countdown Poll Review

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:56:42 +0000

I’ve done a Countdown Poll two different seasons featuring a different team capsule each week as a precursor to the football season. We need summer gridiron topics, right? Last year, I added predictions to the posts. It caught several interesting comments in D2 Nation. Let us review the 2010 Top 15 Football Countdown Poll.

1. Northwest Missouri State (Prediction 13-1, MIAA Champs/National Champs) won the MIAA title and finished the season 12-2 and ranked #3 after losing to national champion UMD in the semi-finals.

2. Minnesota-Duluth (Prediction 12-2, NSIC Champs/Semis) won the NSIC and finished the season 15-0 as national champions.

3. North Alabama (Prediction 14-1, GSC Champs/Rrunner-up) finished the season ranked #22 with a 9-4 record and in the second round of the playoffs to national runner-up Delta State.

4. Central Washington (Prediction 11-2, GNAC Champs/Regional Finals) finished the season 8-3 and won the GNAC title.

5. Grand Valley State (Prediction 11-3, GLIAC Champs/Regional Finals) finished the year ranked #10 as GLIAC champions in the second round of the playoffs with an 11-2 record.

6. Texas A&M – Kingsville (Prediction 9-2, First Round) finished ranked #9 with a 10-2 record in the second round of the playoffs.

7. California – PA (Prediction 11-3, PSAC Champs/Semis) finished ranked #14 in the first round of the playoffs with a 10-2 record.

8. West Alabama (Prediction 11-2, Regional Finals) finished 7-4.

9. Washburn (Prediction 10-2, First Round) finished 8-4.

10. Valdosta State (Prediction 9-3, Second Round) finished the year ranked #17 in the first round of the playoffs with an 8-3 record.

11. Pittsburg State (Prediction 10-3, Second Round) finished 6-6.

12. Abilene Christian (Prediction 10-3, Second Round) finished in the second round of the playoffs with an 11-1 record ranked #8.

13. Delta State (Prediction 8-4, Second Round) finished with an 11-4 record as national runners-up)

14. Minnesota State – Mankato (Prediction 11-2, NSIC South Champs/Second Round)

15. Bloomsburg (Prediction 10-3, Regional Finals) finished ranked #15 with a 10-3 record in the second round of the playoffs)

What I got right

I correctly predicted eight schools that would ultimately finish the season in the Top 15 with two others that were in the Top 25. So, a little over fifty percent. Then, out of seven conference champion predictions four were accurate. The closest exact prediction was Bloomsburg with rank and record and only one week off with post-season outcome. Another mention should be of my GVSU prediction even as I caught flack on a message board for it. (I was right Laker fans!) I was also very close with my NWMSU, UMD, TAMUK, Cal-PA, VSU and ACU capsules.

Major misses

Obviously the Gorillas let me down. The Central Washington, West Alabama and Washburn predictions just show how a loss or two more will cost you a shot at the playoffs. Well, normally. My ‘homer crow-eating’ miss is UNA. The Lions had some good wins, even beating the runner-up Statesmen during the regular season, but three losses by less than a total of 7 points left most rolling their eyes when the playoff field was announced. Yet they avenged their earlier loss to VSU before running out of steam in Mississippi.

Surprises

The year definitely had some teams that had surprisingly good seasons including WVIAC Champion Shepherd (who made it to the semis), along with regional finalists Albany State, Central Missouri and Mercyhurst. Another mention should be to Kutztown for making the field for the first time ever.

D2 Football – Duluth wins second title in three years

admin — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 23:05:21 +0000

(Courtesy UMDBulldogs.com)

FLORENCE, ALA. – David Nadeau, by his own admission, has had better kicks during his three years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, but none have been more important than the one he booted early Saturday afternoon in Florence, Ala. The junior placekicker put an exclamation point on a perfect season for the Bulldogs by nailing a 32-yard field goal as time expired, sending UMD to a 20-17 victory over Delta State University in the NCAA Division II championship game.

“When it came off of my foot, I knew it would be close,” said Nadeau. “It wasn’t the best kick I ever hit before by any means, but when I saw it going up, I knew then it was going in so I just turned around and ran.”

With the win, No. 1 UMD not only took home a second national championship (only eight other schools have claimed multiple titles) but became the first NCAA II club ever to go 15-0 in a season more than once, duplicating the mark turned in by the 2008 Bulldogs on their way to the school’s first NCAA II crown of any kind. Unranked Delta State, which like the Bulldogs were making its second title game appearance, concluded the year at 11-4.

“What a great game,” said UMD head coach Bob Nielson. “It was one of those days when both teams had an opportunity to win and it could have gone either way. We just kept plugging away and believing and when you do that, good things usually happen.”

UMD, which was meeting Delta State for the first time ever, struck first by getting a 32-yard field goal from Nadeau four minutes in, eight plays after junior Zach Hulce brought back the opening kickoff 47 yards on his first return as a Bulldog. Freshman Joe Reichert recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Delta State 34-yard line, but UMD was unable to capitalize — instead giving the ball back to the Statesmen deep in Bulldog territory after Alex Miller’s punt was blocked (for the first time this season) following a muffed snap and returned to the UMD 11. Three snaps later, Micah Davis and Maurice Moore hooked up on an eight-yard scoring strike to give the Statesmen a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs answered right back on their next series as junior quarterback Chase Vogler found a wide open Ben Helmer in the end zone from 14 yards out to cap a nine-play, 76-yard drive and put the Bulldogs back on top by three. One possession after the Statesmen were snuffed by the Bulldogs on a fourth-and-goal situation at the UMD two, Davis hit Chance Davis with a 16-yard touchdown pass and Delta State went into the half up 14-10.

D2 Football – ACU hosts in second round

admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 22:40:14 +0000

(Courtesy ACU Athletics)

ABILENE – The No. 2 ACU Wildcats will open their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships on Saturday hosting No. 8 Central Missouri at Shotwell Stadium. ACU opens the second round of the NCAA Playoffs finishing an 11-0 regular season and Lone Star Conference Championship the second under head coach Chris Thomsen.

The Wildcats (11-0) will host Central Missouri (10-2) who is coming off a first round NCAA Playoff victory over West Texas A&M in Warrensburg, Missouri, 55-35. Both teams will meet for the first time ever on Saturday as the MIAA runner-up Mules will make the trip to Abilene for a 12 p.m. kickoff.

ACU is making their fifth straight appearance in the post-season and looking for their second trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals. The last quarterfinals win for the Wildcats came in 2008 after ACU took an epic 93-68 second round win over West Texas A&M in Abilene. The Wildcats fell in the quarterfinal match up with Northwest Missouri, 45-36 also the last time ACU entered the post-season as the No. 1 seed in Super Region 4.

D2 Football- Duluth wins NSIC; sits atop national poll

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 02:25:45 +0000

(Courtesy UMDBulldogs.com)

For the first time in the storied 78-year history of University of Minnesota Duluth football, the Bulldogs have pulled off a conference championship three-peat.

UMD, the No. 1-ranked NCAA Division II team in the country, captured at least a share of its third consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title Saturday afternoon by stomping the University of Minnesota Crookston 55-7 in Crookston. With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 10-0 overall and 9-0 in the NSIC and can claim the 2010 league crown outright with a win in their regular season finale next Saturday at Minnesota State University-Mankato.