Note: As you read through this post, please be aware that I list the matchup of next week’s games in every other recap.
Washington & Jefferson (8-2) at Mount Union (10-0)
Mount Union raced to a 21-7 lead in the 1st quarter and never looked back. RB Bradley Mitchell ran for 181 yards on 31 carries and added a TD as Mount Union won 34-20. Mount Union is now 11-0 on the year and will face the winner of the Lebanon Valley-Wittenberg game.
Lebanon Valley (8-2) at Wittenberg (9-1)
Wittenberg QB Reed Florence threw 3 first quarter touchdowns as Wittenberg crushed Lebanon Valley 59-17 to move onto the Round of 16. Florence finished 15 of 21 for 344 yards and 6 Touchdowns on the game. Wittenberg WR Desi Kirkman had 5 catches for 188 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now Wittenberg will put that offense up against Mount Union next week.
Framingham State (9-1) at Ithaca (8-2)
Ithaca erased a 17-3 halftime deficit to keep their National Title hopes alive. Down 17-13 with 3:40 left in the 4th quarter, Ithaca QB Tom Dempsey threw a 10 yard TD pass to Vito Boffoli for the game winning score. Brian Garvey of Ithaca intercepted a pass by Framingham State late in the game to seal the victory. Ithaca will face the winner of Wesley at Johns Hopkins.
Wesley (8-2) at Johns Hopkins (10-0)
An entertaining game from the start, Wesley held a 17-14 halftime lead until the 4th quarter when Wesley QB Joe Callahan hit WR Steve Koudossou to go up 23-14 after the missed extra point. Johns Hopkins hit a Field Goal with 10 minutes remaining to cut the lead to 23-17. With 50 seconds left in the game, Johns Hopkins QB Robbie Matey found Daniel Wodicka from 10 yards out to give JHU a 24-23 lead. With 44 seconds left, Joe Callahan led Wesley into JHU territory. With 20 seconds remaining, Joe Callahan found Steve Koudossou again, this time from 33 yards out to give Wesley the last second win, 29-24. Wesley will face Ithaca in the Round of 16 next week.
Albion (8-2) at North Central (ILL) (10-0)
North Central raced out to a 14-0 by the end of the 1st quarter and it was over from there. NCC put up 557 yards of Total offense on their way to a 63-7 thrashing of Albion. NCC QB Spencer Stanek threw 4 touchdown passes and North Central will face the Concorida-UW Platteville winner.
Concordia (WIS) (8-2) at UW-Platteville (9-1)
Behind Quarterback John Kelly’s 422 yards passing, UW-Platteville cruised to a 54-20 victory over Concordia. Andy Puccini added 117 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground for UW-Platteville as they amassed 679 yards of total offense. QB Austin Damaschke had 325 yards of his own for Concordia, but to no avail. UW-Platteville will now face North Central College next week.
Wartburg (8-2) at Illinois Wesleyan (9-1)
Wartburg scored the first 35 points of the game en route to their 41-7 victory over Illinois Wesleyan. Wartburg used the legs of running back Brandon Domeyer who had 161 yards and 3 touchdowns on 34 rushing attempts. Wartburg will face the winner of the St. Scholastica at Bethel game.
St. Scholastica (9-1) at Bethel (10-0)
Bethel scored the first 22 points in the game as they blitzed St. Scholastica 70-13 to reach the Round of 16. Bethel QB Erik Peterson threw for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns while RB Brandon Marquardt added 115 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. Bethel amassed a 43-13 lead at halftime. Bethel will face Wartburg next week.
St. Norbert (8-2) at UW-Whitewater (10-0)
Perennial title contender UW-Whitewater used a stingy defense along with a balanced offense to beat St. Norbert 31-7. St. Norbert was only able to gain 169 yards of total offense, including only 74 yards passing. Whitewater QB Matt Behrendt thew for 279 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. UW-Whitewater will face either Washington U or Franklin in their next game.
Washington U (8-2) at Franklin (7-3)
In a tightly contested ballgame, Franklin used 10 4th quarter points to push past Washington U, 17-10. Mike Wood tied the game at 10-10 with 4:33 remaining, before a last minute TD Pass from Jonny West to Kendal Butler gave Franklin the victory. Franklin will now face UW-Whitewater in hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals.
Maryville (8-2) at Hampden-Sydney (8-2)
This offensive battle went back and forth throughout the entire first half. Each team traded touchdowns until Hampden-Sydney took a 35-20 lead with 2:35 left in the 2nd quarter. Maryville got a touchdown back with 9 seconds remaining in the 1st half to cut the deficit to 35-27. Midway through the 3rd quarter, Travis Fielder of Maryville got his 3rd rushing touchdown of the day and the lead was 35-34 in favor of Hampden-Sydney. Early in the 4th quarter, Hampden-Sydney QB Nash Nance threw his 5th touchdown of the game and gave Hampden-Sydney a 42-34 cushion. The game would end at that score of 42-34. They will face either Pacific-Lutheran or Linfield.
Pacific Lutheran (8-1) at Linfield (9-0)
Linfield opened up a 28-0 by halftime and never looked back. Linfield QB Josh Yoder threw for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns, while adding 2 rushing touchdowns on the ground. Dalton Ritchey threw for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns for Pacific Lutheran in a losing effort. Linfield won the game 42-21 and will take on Hampden-Sydney next week.
Gallaudet (9-1) at Hobart (9-0)
The spectacular Gallaudet season came to end on Saturday with Hobart defeating them 34-7. Both teams stuck to the ground game throughout, with only 53 yards passing total for the entire game. Hobart went up 27-0 at halftime and were on cruise control from there. Gallaudet did get a TD early in the 4th quarter thanks to a 1 yard BJ Flores score. Hobart will take on the St. John Fisher at John Carroll victor.
St. John Fisher (8-2) at John Carroll (9-1)
John Carroll got out to a 13-0 start midway through the 2nd quarter before a St. John Fisher got a TD back with 3:37 left in the 1st half. St. John Fisher had a pick 6 by Ryan Seymour to take the lead 14-13 halfway through the 3rd quarter. John Carroll got the lead back at 16-14 on a 34 yard field goal. With 6 minutes left in the game, Tyler Fenti threw a 15 yard TD pass to Nathan Nigolian to give St. John Fisher a lead they would not relinquish. St. John Fisher would add a late Field goal and win 25-16. St. John Fisher will take on Hobart next week in the Round of 16.
Endicott (8-2) at Rowan (8-2)
Rowan used a stifling defensive performance to shutout Endicott 24-0. Rowan opened the scoring in a defensive manner no less with a pick 6 from Darren Dungee. Rowan only gave up 113 yards to Endicott’s offense and totaled 3 interceptions. Rowan will now face the Redlands at Mary Hardin-Baylor winner.
Redlands (8-2) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-0)
Mary Hardin-Baylor rushed their way to a 35-7 win over Redlands. Running backs Zach Anderson and Elijah Hudson both had 2 rushing touchdowns for MBH. With their victory, Mary Hardin-Baylor will face Rowan next week in the Round of 16.
Round of 16 Schedule
Wittenburg (10-1) at Mount Union (11-0)
Wesley (9-2) at Ithaca (9-2)
UW-Platteville (10-1) at North Central College (11-0)
Wartburg (9-2) at Bethel (11-0)
Franklin (8-3) at UW-Whitewater (11-0)
Hampden-Sydney (9-2) at Linfield (10-0)
St. John Fisher (9-2) at Hobart (10-0)
Rowan (9-2) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-0)