IUP Upended by West Florida in NCAA DII Football Semis
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NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL
No. 4 West Florida 27, No. 1 IUP 17
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NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL (Indiana, PA)
No. 4 West Florida at No. 1 IUP - Dec. 7 - 12 PM
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IUP welcomes West Florida to George P. Miller Stadium for a chance at their first National Championship since 1993. The Crimson Hawks are the lone undefeated team in the country remaining after their comeback victory over Assumption.
West Florida is in their second year as a program after posting a 5-6 record in their inagural season. An incredible two-year start for the Argonauts that no one could have predicted has them eyeing a National Championship. West Florida has three losses on the season with only one coming by one score or less (25-28 loss to #20 Delta State). Valdosta State beat West Florida 30-11 and West Alabama 18-35. The Argonauts defeated West Alabama in the Super Regional Two Championship game, 28-21 as revenge. West Flroida is led by QB Mike Beaudry who has thrown for 2,811 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on the season. Argonaut DL Williamson anchors the defense with a team-high 11.5 sacks of the teams 43 which ranks 10th in the country. IUP has given up just 11 sacks in 13 games.
The Crimson Hawks are ride the arm and legs of QB Lenny Williams. Williams is now in sole possesion of the IUP single-season total yards record with 3,085. IUP WR Allen Wright has 73 catches and is one reception away from tying an IUP record that has lasted since 1975. IUP has a plus-13 turnover margin which ranks 5th in the country and have forced 31 total on the season. DB Max Redfield is expected to miss the game with a hip injury. IUP's DL combo of Deandre Easterling and Dondrea Tillman have combined for 27.5 TFL and 17 sacks.
The winner advances to the national championship game at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. on Dec. 16; They will meet the winner of Texas A&M-Commerce and Harding.
NCAA SUPER REGIONAL ONE CHAMPIONSHIP (Indiana, PA)
No. 1 IUP 27, No. 3 Assumption 22
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IUP advances to their first national semifinal since 1999 after defeating Assumption in a classic, 27-22. RB
Duane Brown scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09 remaining in the game. Assumption returned the following kickoff to their own 46-yard line. With 7 seconds remaining from IUP's 44-yard line, Assumption scored a 44-yard touchdown pass but an illegal forward pass negated the score and the Greyhounds opted to a Hail Mary that was batted down by an array of Crimson Hawks.
IUP led 14-13 entering halftime despite QB Lenny William's throwing three interceptons. Williams ended the day 10-of-13 passing for 103 yards, 63 rushing yards and a passing touchdown. Williams became the PSAC's all-time leading rusher for a quarterback with 2,205 yards in his career. The three headed stable of RB's totaled 285 yards on the ground. Justice Evans led the way with 167 yards rushing yards on 21 carries. Duane Brown and Samir Bullock had 59 yards a piece while Brown had two touchdowns and Bullock one.
DB Max Redfield was injured an carted off the field with a hip injury in the second quarter after making a tackle. His status is uncertain for Saturday's game. Redfield earned PSAC All-Conference First Team after posting 78 tackles, four interceptions and nine PBU.
The NCAA National Championship Semifinal were reseeded follwoing the conclsion fo the quarterifnal games and IUP was awarded the No. 1 seed followed by No. 2 Texas A&M Commerce, No. 3 Harding and No. 4 West Florida.
NCAA SUPER REGIONAL ONE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW
No. 3 Assumption at No. 1 IUP - Dec. 2 - 12 PM
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IUP was running on all cyclinders Saturday toppling West Chester 44-10. QB Lenny Williams Jr. scored four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing along with 275 total yards through the air and on the ground. The gunslinger connected with Dom McNeil, Allen Wright and Walt Peguees over the first three quarters for scores.
PSAC West Freshman of the Year, Justice Evans, only carried the ball five times but finished with 133 yards and a 68-yard touchdown run. West Chester was held to 232 total yards, while IUP pitched a shutout until 3:33 remained in the third quarter. DB Max Redfield led the Crimson Hawks defensively with six tackles, a forced fumble on WCU QB A.J. Long and two PBU. The Crimson Hawks will prepare for the Assumption Greyhounds who have beaten two PSAC schools already this season; Kutztown in the opener 31-28 and California in the NCAA First Round 40-31. The Greyhounds beat Findlay Saturday 45-26 to advance to the Quarterfinals. Assumtpion averages 45.2 points per game and allows 14.5 per game. IUP posts 37.8 points per game compared to their 14.3 allowed points.
The winner of IUP/Assumption will advance and be one of the final four teams remaining in the Div. II and will be re-seeded before discovering who the next opponent will be in the semifinals. The semifinals will take place December 9 and the Championship December 16.
NCAA SECOND ROUND
No. 1 IUP 44, No. 5 West Chester 10
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NCAA SECOND ROUND PREVIEW
No. 5 West Chester at No. 1 IUP - Nov. 25 - 12 PM
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Two weeks ago West Chester hosted the PSAC Football Championship and the Golden Rams fell to IUP, 24-7 and now the two teams will face each other again in the second round of the NCAA's Super Region One in Indiana. The Golden Rams advanced to the second round of the NCAA II Playoffs with a 27-6 victory over Shippensburg in the pouring rain last Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium. WCU beat Shippensburg for the second time this season giving the Red Raiders there only two losses on the season.
The 9-3 squad held SU scoreless until 8:16 remained in the game. PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year, Jarel Elder finished the game with 148 total yards on 31 total touches and a 29-yard touchdown reception. WCU ran their two quarterback system with Paul Dooley and A.J. Long. Dooley was 10-of-19 for 121 yards and a score through the air while Long was 3-of-4 for 86 yards, 2 touchdowns and one interception. Long also finished with 70 rushing yards while Dooley added a 4-yard rushing score and 21 yards on the ground.
PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, Tyler Morrissey, had a team-high 10 tackles to go along with a sack and forced fumble. Saturday's game marks the third time in the last five years that WCU has ventured into the second round of the NCAA II Playoffs and the sixth time overall that the Golden Rams have advanced this far. WCU is 2-3 in its previous five appearances. WCU is 1-3 in second-round games played on the road.
The Crimson Hawks come into this game riding a defense that has allowed 17 points combined in their past two games and with a week off after being the one seed, IUP should be well-rested and ready for a rematch with WCU. IUP has allowed just one 100-yard rusher this year (ESU's Jaymar Anderson) and is 5th in Division II giving up 75.4 yards. The IUP defense picked off WCU four times and held the Golden Rams to 197 total yards in the PSAC Championship game.
QB Lenny Williams won MVP honors by totaling 248 yards and three touchdowns. Williams is completing 67.6 pct. of his passes for 234.3 yards per game, 16 TDs and 2 INTs in six home games. IUP is 9-2 all-time in home Division II playoff games, including two straight - 27-17 over Shepherd in 2012 and 27-23 over Saginaw Valley State in 2002. This marks IUP's 18th NCAA playoff appearance, third straight, and fourth in the last six seasons.
NCAA FIRST ROUND
No. 5 West Chester 27, No. 4 Shippensburg 6
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No. 3 Assumption 40, No. 6 California 31
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NCAA FIRST ROUND PREVIEW
No. 5 West Chester Golden Rams (8-3) at No. 4 Shippensburg Red Raiders (10-1)
Seth Grove Stadium, Shippensburg, PA
Saturday, Nov. 18, 12 p.m.
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Shippensburg is led by All-PSAC Second-Team quarterback, Ryan Zapoticky. Zapoticky had the best Touchdown-Interception Ratio in the PSAC at 5-1 with 25 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. PSAC East Division Freshman of the Year and LaSalle College transfer, Winston Eubanks has become one of the NCAA’s most lethal deep threats. He leads the PSAC at 27 yards per catch and ranks third in receiving yards with 1,160 and second in touchdowns with 12. A balanced rushing attack between Cole Chiappalle (688 yards) and Colin McDermott (697) rounds out the PSAC’s third-leading scoring offense.
Dakota Thompson, Richard Nase and John Durkin have recorded five sacks or more for the Red Raiders this year. Kevin Taylor II earned All-PSAC First-Team honors after leading the team and being one of seven players to record five interceptions this season.
The Red Raiders are 3-5 all-time in the NCAA Football Playoffs and first game since 2012 when beat Bloomsburg, 58-20, before falling to Winston-Salem State, 37-14.
West Chester is led by Jarel Elder, the school’s
seventh all-time school's leading rusher with 3,087 rushing yards and fifth all-time on the school's all-purpose yards list with 5,574 yards. Elder earned PSAC East Offensive Athlete of the Year honors after being one of five PSAC running backs to surpass 1,000 rushing yards this season. LB Tyler Morrissey was named PSAC East Division Defensive Athlete of the Year with a team-best 112 tackles thus far this and is second in the PSAC along with a team-high 12 TFL.
Diquan Gilbert (8) and George Shipp (7.5) lead a ferocious Golden Rams defensive line with 15.5 sacks combined while Morrissey isn’t too far behind with six. Shaquille James leads the team with three interceptions.
The last first round victory and appearance for the Golden Rams happened in 2014 defeating Slippery Rock by a final score of 46-20.
The Golden Rams are 9-11 in their previous playoff appearances. West Chester's 12 postseasons are the 11th-most among current NCAA Division II participants.
The winner of Saturday's WCU/SU contest will travel to IUP Saturday, Nov. 25 for a second-round matchup against IUP (11-0), who earned the top seed in the region.
No. 6 California Vulcans (9-2) at No. 3 Assumption Greyhounds (9-1)
Multi-Sport Stadium, Worcester, MA
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1 p.m.
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California will travel to Assumption in a PSAC-NE-10 matchup that has been all but familiar. Assumption opened the season with a 31-28 victory over Kutztown and has faced a PSAC opponent for three-consecutive years and traveled to Slippery Rock in the 2015 NCAA Playoffs.
The Vulcans are led by quarterback, Michael Keir, who posted 19 passing touchdowns to 6 interceptions this season. His top target was All-PSAC Second-Team representative wide reciever Tom Greene. Greene caught 1,032 of Keir’s 3,032 passing yards. On the defensive side, Luke Hrapchak was one of five defenders to record 100 tackles in the PSAC. Lamont McPhatter II is the main ball-hawk in the secondary leading California with 5 interceptions. Both Hrapchak and McPhatter II were All-PSAC First-Team selections this year.
CU holds a 9-6 record in the NCAA Playoffs and has made it for the second consecutive season. The Vulcans beat IUP, 44-23, in second round before losing to Shepard, 41-30. The winner of this game will play the winner of Shepard/Findlay Nov. 25.
BRACKET RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference football teams were selected to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship, the NCAA announced Sunday afternoon.
The championship consists of 28 teams from four different regions. All contests are set to be played at 1 p.m. unless approved by the committee.
With four selections, it marked the first time the PSAC put four teams in championship since 2010.
The No. 3/1 IUP Crimson Hawks earned the No. 1 seed in the Super One Region and a first-round bye. The Crimson Hawks won the PSAC title Saturday, Nov. 11, following a 24-7 victory at West Chester.
IUP earned home-field advantage throughout regional play and will open its postseason push on Saturday, Nov. 25. IUP will play the winner of the No. 4/No. 5 contest.
IUP posted an unblemished 11-0 record and is tied for 11th in DII in scoring defense with a 14.6 clip. Lenny Williams will pace the offense after leading the league in efficiency (170.1).
The Shippensburg Red Raiders claimed the No. 4 slot and will host a first-round contest Saturday, Nov. 18. SU impressed with a 10-1 mark while its defense stymied offenses throughout the year after allowing only 11.7 points per game. That is the best in the PSAC and fourth-best in DII.
Red Raider quarterback Ryan Zapoticky has tossed 25 touchdowns while throwing only five interceptions on the season. It is SU’s first appearance in the postseason since 2012.
The West Chester Golden Rams swiped the No. 5 seed and will travel to SU for a first-round contest. This is WCU’s first postseason appearance since 2014.
The Golden Rams defeated SU, 37-27, Oct. 7 in West Chester. Quarterback Paul Dooley averages 246.9 yards of offense per game, which is fifth-best in the PSAC.
The California Vulcans earned the No. 6 seed and will travel to No. 3 Assumption Saturday, Nov. 18.
Cal boasts a 9-2 record and has won five consecutive contests following back-to-back losses. The Vulcans appear in the tournament for the seventh time (all since 2007) and in consecutive seasons. Cal earned the No. 1 seed in 2016 and fell to Shepherd in the quarterfinals.
The Vulcans quarterback Michael Keir has thrown 19 touchdowns, compared to six interceptions. Linebacker Luke Hrapchak finished fifth in the PSAC in tackles with 104.
The championship game will be played December 16, at 6 p.m. Eastern time at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 HD/ESPN3.com.
Super Region One Final Rankings
1. IUP
2. Shepherd
3. Assumption
4. Shippensburg
5. West Chester
6. California
7. Findlay