COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AND BOWL RESULTS FROM NOVEMBER 29th

* NAIA PLAYOFFS *

“DON’T START PLAYING TIL THE FOURTH QUARTER” – The SOUTHERN OREGON UNIVERSITY RAIDERS made THE road comeback of the season in the NAIA! In this Second Round playoff game the Raiders had traveled to face the top seeded CARROLL COLLEGE FIGHTING SAINTS. SOU trailed 28-12 by Halftime and 35-18 to end the 3rd Quarter before outscoring CC 27-7 in the 4th for a heart-pounding 45-42 come-from- behind victory! The Raiders had 4 TD’s by air and 3 on the ground.  

DEFENDING CHAMPS ELIMINATED – The MARIAN UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS pulled off the 2nd Round’s other big upset but did it in less nail-biting fashion. The Knights visited the defending champion GRAND VIEW UNIVERSITY VIKINGS and were in control from start to finish. A 7-0 Marian lead in the 1st Quarter became 13-0 at the break, then 20-6 in the 3rd. The Knights added 14 more points in the final frame for a tally of 34-6. QB Hayden Northern passed for 258 yds and 3 TD’s in the win.

COUGARS ON THE PROWL – The SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY COUGARS were the fourth of the four most recent National Champions in action yesterday. The Cougars won it all in 2011, Marian in 2012, Grand View in 2013 and Carroll College in 2010. SXU mauled the visiting LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS in a game that saw them on top 21-3 at Halftime enroute to a 30-17 victory. QB John Rhode threw for 298 yards and 4 Touchdowns for the Cougars.  

THEY NEVER KNEW WHAT HIT THEM – The MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS welcomed the MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE VIKINGS to Elwood Olsen Stadium to finish the 2nd Round for 2014. The mighty Mustangs doubled up on their guests, leading the Vikings 42-21 at the break and winning the game by a score of 56-28. Mustang QB Ryan Kasdorf threw for FIVE Touchdowns in his 315 yards through the air. 

* NCAA DIVISION TWO PLAYOFFS *

MAYHEM IN MANKATO – The MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS took the field against the visiting PITTSBURG (KS) STATE GORILLAS yesterday. The Mavericks held a 7-3 edge in the 1st Quarter but wound up trailing the Gorillas 10-7 by Halftime. A 14-13 3rd Quarter lead became 21-13 in the 4th before Pitt State scored a Touchdown and 2 point Conversion for a 21-21 tie to force Overtime. In the extra session Minnesota State shut out the Gorillas but got a Field Goal for a 24-21 OT victory!

REST OR RUST? – The old question of whether or not a First Round Bye is truly beneficial arose once again in this game. The VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS traveled to face a LENOIR- RHYNE UNIVERSITY BEARS team that sat out last Saturday. In this Instant Classic the Blazers played catch-up most of the game, trailing 7-6 at Halftime and 14-13 to end the 3rd Quarter before eking out a 23-21 4th Quarter comeback win! VSU RB Cedric O’Neal rushed for 62 yds and 2 TD’s. 

THIRTEEN AND O IN OT – The UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA AT DULUTH BULLDOGS improved to 13-0 today in an Overtime thriller on the road! The Bulldogs were visiting the OUACHITA BAPTIST TIGERS, who had a bye in last week’s First Round, and converted a 14-7 1st Quarter deficit into a 21-14 Halftime lead. The teams traded TD’s in the 3rd Quarter before the Tigers roared back in the 4th for a 42-42 tie to end Regulation. An OT Field Goal for OBU was answered by a Touchdown for UMD, who won the game 48-45. 

ON TO ROUND THREE – And another team that had a First Round Bye fell in Round Two. The rolling UNIVERSITY OF WEST GEORGIA WOLVES were at McCool Stadium to play the well-rested DELTA STATE STATESMEN. These two Gulf South Conference teams battled to a 27-27 tie at the break before the Wolves’ defense took control in the 2nd Half, shutting out the Statesmen for a 37-27 win and  a trip to the Quarter Finals!  

FOURTH QUARTER COMEBACK – And a FOURTH team that had a Bye last week  suffered defeat on Saturday! The OHIO DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY PANTHERS were the guests of the FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS and, despite leading 7-6 in the 1st Quarter trailed 20-17 at Halftime. The Bulldogs held a 27-24 advantage to start the final Quarter but the Panthers exploded for 22 points and a 46-33 victory! 

INTO THE MOUNTAIN LIONS’ DEN – The CONCORD UNIVERSITY MOUNTAIN LIONS had a Bye last week but still took care of business against the visiting WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY GOLDEN RAMS. The Mountain Lions won their first playoff game, persevering after seeing their 17-7 1st Quarter lead become a 28-27 Halftime deficit. Concord gave up just 8 points after the break, winning by a final score of 51-36.  

A THUNDERING BLOWOUT – The COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY AT PUEBLO THUNDER WOLVES welcomed the ANGELO STATE UNIVERSITY RAMS in what turned out to be a very lopsided game. The Thunder Wolves thoroughly dismantled the Rams, dominating on both sides of the ball and seeming to barely break a sweat as they totalled their visitors to the tune of FIFTY-TWO to FOURTEEN!

HUSKIES CAN STILL PLAY OFFENSE – The BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY HUSKIES made their names with defense this season but on Saturday they proved they can still put up some points as well! The Huskies took on the visiting VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY TROJANS, compiling a 21-7 lead by the break. Bloomsburg stayed in charge after that for a 35-14 win. 

* NCCAA CHAMPIONSHIP *

The 2014 Championship has already been decided for the National Christian College Athletic Association. The Victory Bowl was, as usual, the title game. The NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY CRUSADERS are the National Champions. The runners-up were the SHORTER UNIVERSITY HAWKS. 

* NCAA DIVISION THREE PLAYOFFS *

A ONE SEED GOES DOWN – One of the four 1 seeds fell yesterday! The upset was pulled off by the LINFIELD COLLEGE WILDCATS who traveled to face the UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN- BAYLOR CRUSADERS. The Wildcats led 14-7 in the 1st Quarter but the Crusaders cut that to a 17-14 edge by Halftime. After the break each team added 14 more points, with Linfield College dispatching UMHB by a score of 31-28. Winning QB Sam Riddle passed for 280 yards and 2 Touchdowns.  

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS – The other three 1 seeds polished off their Round Two opponents easily. The Defending Champion UW- WHITEWATER WARHAWKS defeated the WABASH COLLEGE LITTLE GIANTS 38-14     ###      Meanwhile UWW’s archrivals the UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS eviscerated the WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON PRESIDENTS 67-0     ###      And the WESLEY COLLEGE WOLVERINES embarrassed the MIT ENGINEERS to the tune of 59-zip. 

TALKING A BLUE STREAK – The JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY BLUE STREAKS took it on the road against the WHEATON COLLEGE THUNDER. The Blue Streaks led 7-0 in the 1st Quarter but the Thunder made it a 7-6 game by Halftime. The offenses repeated their 1st Half output in the 2nd Half, leading to a 14-12 upset triumph for JCU. Blue Streaks QB Mark Myers had 1 Touchdown on 229 yards through the air. 

INSTANT CLASSIC IN GENEVA – The HOBART & SMITH COLLEGE STATESMEN welcomed their Round Two opponents – the JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLUE JAYS – to Geneva, NY. A 10-0 lead for the Statesmen after 1 Quarter of play became a much tighter 16-14 edge for Hobart over the Blue Jays by the break. Neither team scored in the 3rd Quarter but the Statesmen put up 8 points in the 4th to the 7 by Johns Hopkins. Hobart won 24-21 with QB Patrick Conlan throwing for 237 yds and a TD. 

PERFECT IN PENNSYLVANIA – The WIDENER UNIVERSITY PRIDE improved to 12-0 for 2014 as they defeated the visiting CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY CAPTAINS. The Pride were being chased by the Captains throughout the game, leading 7-3 in the 1st Quarter, 21-10 at Halftime and 34-13 in the 3rd. The final tally wound up being Widener 37  CNU 27. QB Seth Klein had 2 Touchdowns on 268 yds through the air for the Pride.  

A “W” FOR BIG W – The WARTBURG COLLEGE KNIGHTS likewise improved to 12-0 against their guests – the SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY JOHNNIES. It was all defense in the opening Half with NEITHER team scoring! After the break the combatants exchanged a Touchdown each for a 7-7 tie to end the 3rd Quarter. An explosive 4th Quarter left the Knights with a 21-10 victory over the Johnnies. Wartburg QB Logan Schrader had 1 Touchdown by ground and 1 by air on 119 and 87 yards respectively.  

*** USCAA CHAMPIONSHIP ***

The 2014 Championship has been decided for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The IOWA WESLEYAN COLLEGE TIGERS are the National Champions. The runners-up for the 2014 season were the WILLIAMSON TRADE SCHOOL MECHANICS.  

*** NJCAA ***

The regular season in the NJCAA is over. Their Bowl Games begin December 6th. The Championship Game will be between the (1) EAST MISSISSIPI COLLEGE LIONS (Defending Champions) and the (2) IOWA WESTERN COLLEGE REIVERS.

* CCCAA PLAYOFFS *

NCFA TITLE GAME – The Championship Game in the Northern California Football Association was played between the top seeded CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO RAMS and the visiting 2 seeds – the AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE BEAVERS. The Rams got off to a 7-0 1st Quarter lead but the Beavers made it a 7-7 game by Halftime. After a scoreless 3rd Quarter CCSF outscored ARC 10-7 in the 4th for a 17-14 win. QB Jeramiah Peralta passed for 268 yds and 2 TD’s for the Rams.  

SCFA TITLE GAME – The Southern California Football Association Championship Game was a much more lopsided affair. The 3rd seeded MOUNT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE MOUNTIES thoroughly dominated their hosts – the top seeded RIVERSIDE COLLEGE TIGERS. A scoreless 1st Quarter became a 14-0 Halftime advantage for the Mounties, who went on to win the game 35-14. QB Justin Alo threw for 263 yds and 3 TD’s in the victory. It will be the Mounties vs the Rams for the CCCAA Championship! Mt SAC is trying for their 4th title, CCSF for their 7th. 

* CCCAA BOWLS *

LIVING BREATH FOUNDATION BOWL – This last of the CCCAA Bowls for 2014 pitted the CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE COMETS against the HARTNELL COLLEGE PANTHERS at Rabobank Stadium. The Comets led 21-13 after an action-packed 1st Quarter but the Panthers pulled to within 28-27 by Halftime. From there Contra Costa shut out Hartnell and added 6 points of their own for a 34-27 win.   

Some helmets provided by The Helmet Project.

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