Note: As you read through this post, please be aware that I list the matchup of next week’s games in every other recap.
Wittenberg (10-1) at Mount Union (11-0)
An entertaining first half that saw Mount Union take a 21-14 lead into halftime, gave way to a blow out victory in favor of Mount Union, 56-21. Wittenberg actually had the leads of 7-0 and 14-7 before Mount Union went ahead for good with 27 seconds left in the 1st half. Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke had 326 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air while adding another 83 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground. Mount Union ended up with 601 yards of total offense and will face the Ithaca-Wesley winner.
Ithaca (9-2) at Wesley (9-2)
Wesley College used a suffocating run defense to beat Ithaca 23-15 in their Round of 16 clash. Wesley held Ithaca to NEGATIVE 50 yards rushing on the day. Ithaca completely abandoned the run in the 2nd half only attempting 2 rushes. The final score does not indicate how comfortable of a win this was for Wesley. Jamar Baynard led Wesley’s rushing attack with 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. Vito Boffoli had 9 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown for Ithaca in the loss. Wesley will now face Mount Union in the National Quarterfinals next Saturday.
UW-Platteville (10-1) at North Central (IL) (11-0)
North Central used a monster 1st quarter to get a 21-3 lead and did not look back on their way to an impressive 52-24 win against UW-Platteville. Ryan Kent had 257 yards and 4 touchdowns rushing for North Central as he enjoyed a red-letter-day. John Kelly had 249 yards passing and 2 touchdowns for Platteville as he had some trouble again the NCC defense. North Central will now face either Wartburg or Bethel (MN) in the quarterfinals.
Wartburg (9-2) at Bethel (MN) (11-0)
This entertaining battle came down to the 4th quarter. After a scoreless 1st quarter, both teams exchanged touchdowns before Bethel quarterback Erik Peterson hit Jared Schultz for an 80 yard touchdown as Bethel took a 14-7 lead into halftime. Wartburg tied the game on their first possession of the 3rd quarter before we got to the wild 4th quarter. Bethel hit a field goal early in the 4th and then on the next ensuing offensive play for Wartburg, they got a 73 yard touchdown reception. However, Wartburg’s extra point was blocked and returned for 2 points by Bethel’s Matt Mehlhorn. Wartburg still retained the lead at 20-19. With Bethel getting the ball back, quarterback Tom Keefe found Jared Schultz for a 56 yard touchdown pass. With 3 minutes left in the game, Wartburg drove down and tied the game at 27 on Brandon Domeyer’s 5 yard touchdown run. Bethel then took the ball right down for another score to give them a 34-27 lead. Wartburg mounted one last comeback attempt and eventually got down to the Bethel 13 yard line, but were unable to get a touchdown as the clock expired.
Bethel had 2 quarterbacks play in the game and both were impressive. Erik Peterson went 15 of 22 for 239 yards and a touchdown while Tom Keefe went 9 of 12 for 148 yards and 2 touchdown. Wartburg’s Logan Schrader had 347 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. Bethel will face North Central (IL) next week in the quarterfinals.
Franklin (8-3) at UW-Whitewater (11-0)
For the 2nd week in a row, Whitewater used a strong defensive performance to continue their journey for a National Title with a 33-3 victory. Franklin only managed to get 4 yards rushing for the entire game. Matt Behrendt had an effective game throwing for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns, including 2 of those to Jake Kumerow. UW-Whitewater will take on the Hampden-Sydney at Linfield winner.
Hampden-Sydney (9-2) at Linfield (10-0)
Despite a 387 yard passing performance from Hampden-Sydney quarterback Nash Nance, Linfield won 31-21 to advance to the quarterfinals. Hampden-Sydney led 21-3 with 9:43 left in the 2nd quarter before Linfield scored 28 unanswered points to end the game. Linfield forced 2 fumbles, including one returned for a touchdown, and turned them into 14 points. Linfield will face UW-Whitewater next week.
St. John Fisher (9-2) at Hobart (10-0)
St. John Fisher held Hobart under 250 yards of total offense and held them scoreless for 59 minutes and 4 seconds in a 27-6 victory. St. John Fisher quarterback Tyler Fenti threw for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also managed to complete all 18 of his passes to only 3 receivers. St. John Fisher will face the winner of the Rowan at Mary Hardin-Baylor game.
Rowan (9-2) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-0)
As with last week, Mary Hardin-Baylor ran their way to a big victory, this time over Rowan by a score of 59-8. Elijah Hudson had 136 yards and a touchdown, while Zach Anderson added 116 yards on the ground. Zach Anderson also threw for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns to give him a stellar day. Mary-Hardin Baylor held Rowan to 209 yards of total offense and caused 3 turnovers. Mary Hardin-Baylor will face St. John Fisher next week in the quarterfinals.
Quarterfinals Schedule
All quarterfinal games are to be played on December 7th.
Wesley (10-2) at Mount Union (12-0)
North Central (IL) (12-0) at Bethel (MN) (12-0)
Linfield (11-0) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0)
St. John Fisher (10-2) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (12-0)