With 8 games played on Saturday, the 2014 NCAA Division 3 Playoffs is now down to the final eight teams. It was another exciting day of action and a recap of each game is below. Be sure to compare the results of each game to the predictions made in this posting on Friday. A schedule for the quarterfinals matchups can be found at the bottom of the page.
Wisconsin-Whitewater Bracket
Wabash (10-1) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (11-0)
It was 10-7 at halftime, but Wisconsin-Whitewater got their offense going in the second half to win 38-14 over Wabash. Quarterback Matt Behrendt threw four touchdown passes, including three to wide receiver Justin Howard, to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division 3 Playoffs.
The Warhawks began with Behrendt’s first touchdown pass to Howard from 18 yards out. The Warhawks next drive ended with a lost fumble at the Wabash 28 yard line, but the Little Giants were unable to take advantage of the turnover. The first quarter ended with Behrendt’s first interception at the Wabash 10 with Delon Pettiford returning it 30 yards.
The Warhawks would escape any punishment by forcing a Wabash fumble and returning it back to the 46 yard line. The Warhawks would attempt a 31 yard field goal, but it was blocked by Tyler McCullen with Ethan Buresh returning it 79 yards for a touchdown. Will Meyer hit a 27 yard field goal to make it 10-7 at the break.
The second half began with Behrendt’s second interception at his own 17 yard line. Wabash would end up missing a 47 yard field goal to the left. Wabash’s next drive ended with a lost fumble and Behrendt hit Jake Kumerow for an 18 yard touchdown. The Warhawks made it 24-7 when Behrendt and Howard connected for a 46 yard touchdown. That 24-7 score line would hold up until the end of the quarter.
An early fourth quarter touchdown pass from Behrendt to Howard made it 31-7 and an interception returned for a touchdown on Wabash’s ensuing drive made it 38-7. Brady Grayvold was the man who made the interception and brought it back 34 yards for the score. Wabash got a small consolation touchdown from Mason Zurek from a yard out late in the game to make the final score 38-14.
Connor Rice went 7 of 17 for 88 yards and an interception for Wabash. Mason Zurek had 77 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Houston Hodges had 6 catches for 60 yards. Wabash was only able to get 234 yards on offense for the entire game.
Matt Behrend went 19 of 30 for 299 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 picks. Dennis Moore had 22 rushes for 107 yards while Jordan Ratliffe had 15 carries for 68 yards. Justin Howard had 6 catches for 126 yards with 3 touchdowns. Jake Kumerow had 3 catches for 75 yards and a touchdown while Joe Worth had 6 catches for 73 yards.
St. John’s (MN) (10-1) at Wartburg (11-0)
Wartburg scored 14 fourth quarter points to put away St. John’s 21-10 in a close battle. The Knights ran for 255 yards to pave their path to the 2014 NCAA Division 3 Playoffs quarterfinals.
The first half was quite boring with a lot of punts and not a lot of action. The first big swing of the game came when St. John’s Josh Bungum lost a fumble at his own 33. Wartburg drove down to the Johnnies 17 yard line, but missed a 39 yard field goal. The first half would end scoreless, but the action would pick up in the final 30 minutes.
Wartburg’s second drive produced the first points of the game with Logan Schrader connecting with Taylor Jacobsme for a 4 yard touchdown. The Johnnies responded in kind with a 15 yard touchdown pass from Nick Martin to J.T. Ford to tie the game at 7. The Johnnies ended the third quarter driving deep into Wartburg’s red zone to take a potential lead.
The Johnnies would take a 10-7 lead with Alexi Johnson’s 25 yard field goal. Wartburg responded immediately to take a 14-10 lead with Brandon Domeyer getting in from a yard out. The Johnnies had every chance to close the 4 point deficit. On third and 10 from the Wartburg 12 yard line, Martin fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Wartburg at the 16. The Knights made them pay with an 84 yard, 7 play drive to take a 21-10 lead. Schrader’s 56 yard touchdown run put the game on ice as the Johnnies failed to threaten score for the remainder of the game.
Nick Martin went 11 of 26 for 154 yards and a touchdown. He ran 13 times for 22 yards and lost a fumble. Josh Bungum had 24 carries for 81 yards and also lost a fumble. Bungum was also the leading receiver with 3 catches for 65 yards while J.T. Ford had 4 catches for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Logan Schrader did not have a great game passing going 13 of 26 for only 87 yards and a touchdown pass. However, he got it done with his legs on 12 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Domeyer had 21 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown. The top receiver for the Knights was Donald Miller with 3 catches for 23 yards.
Mary Hardin-Baylor Bracket
Christopher Newport (8-3) at Widener (11-0)
Widener opened up a 24 point lead and held on for the victory with a 37-27 win over Christopher Newport.
The Pride started with a quick touchdown drive to begin the game. Couve LaFate ran for an 11 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead in a drive that took only 1:25 off the clock. The Captains responded with a 29 yard field goal with a 9 minute drive.
The next drive for Christopher Newport saw them take a 10-7 lead on Marcus Morrast’s 39 yard touchdown pass to Rudy Rudolph. Widener responded to losing the lead with a touchdown drive to reclaim it for good. Seth Klein threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to Montrell Hicks-Taylor. After several series of punting the ball, Widener took a late first half lead of 21-10 with Klein running in from a yard out.
The Captains hit a 35 yard field goal to cut the deficit to 8 points at 21-13, but Widener answered yet again. Terrant Morrison ran for a 1 yard touchdown to make it 27-13 after a failed two point attempt. The Pride made it 34-13 on the following drive Klein connecting with Brian DiGiovanni for a 14 yard touchdown.
An early fourth quarter field goal made it 37-13 in favor of Widener. CNU came back with a 31 yard touchdown run from Daquan Davis to make it 37-20. The Captains forced a fumble and turned it into a 3 yard touchdown pass from Morrast to Rudolph to close it to a 37-27 game. CNU recovered the ensuing onside kick, but failed to move the ball. The Pride would run the clock out two drives later to move on in the NCAA Division 3 Playoffs.
Marcus Morrast went 25 of 45 for 269 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air for Christopher Newport. He also ran for 53 yards on 18 carries. Daquan Davis finished with 36 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries. Rudy Rudolph had 8 catches for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Seth Klein went 21 of 29 for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. Couve LaFate had 12 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Davis caught 13 passes for 146 yards to lead the Pride.
Linfield (9-1) at Mary Hardin-Baylor (11-0)
An entertaining back and forth game between Linfield and Mary Hardin-Baylor saw Linfield squeak out a 31-28 win on the road.
The game began inauspiciously with three turnovers. UMHB forced a punt from Linfield, but fumbled the ball on the return to give the Wildcats the ball back at the 23 yard line. Sam Riddle threw an interception for Linfield to give the ball over to UMHB. Blake Jackson turned around an threw an interception for UMHB to give Linfield the ball back. However, Linfield would punt it back to UMHB at their two yard line.
On first and 10 from their own 2, UMHB gave the ball to Zach Anderson who was hit in his end zone and fumbled. Linfield’s Mikey Arkans jumped on the ball for a Linfield touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Crusaders came right back with a 74 yard touchdown run from Malcolm Miller to tie the game at 7. The Wildcats answered right back with a one yard touchdown run from Sam Riddle to take a 14-7 lead.
The Crusaders needed a few drives to have an answer, but they did with a 15 play, 81 yard drive capped off by Anderson’s 5 yard touchdown run. Linfield’s 46 yard field goal as time expired made it 17-14 at halftime.
The Crusaders started off with the ball to start the second half and took their first lead of the game. Anderson threw a 26 yard touchdown pass to Kamray Runnels to make it 21-17. Riddle’s 57 yard touchdown pass to Erick Douglas midway through the third quarter gave Linfield a 24-21 lead. It became 31-21 on the next Linfield drive with Riddle hitting Charlie Poppen for a 23 yard touchdown pass. With just a few seconds remaining in the third quarter, Runnels returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown. At the end of three quarters, Linfield clung to a 31-28 lead.
The fourth quarter saw Linfield keep the Crusaders in the game. First, they missed a 34 yard field goal wide right with 10:31 to go in the game. Their second drive ended with a lost fumble from Spencer Payne at their own 30 to give UMHB a great opportunity. However, the Wildcats defense stood tall and forced an interception with Jordan Giza returning it 47 yards. The offense did the rest to run out the clock and complete the upset of the Crusaders.
Sam Riddle went 19 of 31 for 280 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also ran 15 times for 57 yards and a touchdown. Spencer Payne had 28 carries for 59 yards to lead the Wildcats. Levi Altringer had 6 catches for 92 yards and Erick Douglas had 4 catches for 89 yards with a touchdown.
Zach Anderson had a rough game for UMHB. He went 9 of 24 for 106 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also ran 17 times for 45 yards with a touchdown also lost a fumble. Malcolm Miller had 8 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. Eric Nelson’s 5 catches for 61 yards was enough to lead the team in receiving.
Wesley Bracket
MIT (10-0) at Wesley (10-1)
For the second straight week, Wesley used a massive first quarter to overwhelm their opponent. Last week Wesley scored 42 points and this week it was 35. Wesley went on to 59-0 over MIT and end the Engineers’ dream season in the NCAA Division 3 Playoffs.
It took over 5 minutes of game time for a score to be made, but it was Bryce Shade who broke the deadlock with a 16 yard touchdown run. The next play from scrimmage would put Wesley up 14-0 when Leroy Cheatham picked off MIT quarterback Peter Williams and returned it 42 yards for the score. After stopping MIT at the Wesley 47, the Engineers were punting, but Roderick Caine blocked the punt and Andre Connally returned it 35 yards for the score.
The onslaught continued with MIT’s next drive ending in an interception. The next play was Joe Callahan hitting Steve Koudossou for a 41 yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead. The lead became 35-0 with 19 seconds left in the first quarter when Callahan hit Shade for a 16 yard touchdown.
Another Peter Williams pick led to a third Callahan touchdown pass in the second quarter. This one went to Andrew Monaghan from 12 yards out. MIT drove back down the field looking for their first points of the game, but lost a fumble at the Wesley 15. Wesley did not capitalize on that turnover, but they did on the next one, which occurred on a punt return. Callahan connected with Shade for a 32 yard touchdown and a 49-0 lead.
The second half consisted of Wesley continuing their shut out. The Wolverines scored 10 points in the third quarter with a 69 yard touchdown run by Ben Martin and a 24 yard field goal from Eric Speidel. The Wesley defense recovered a fumble and forced a fourth interception from Peter Williams to keep their shutout intact.
Peter Williams went 13 of 30 for 138 yards with no touchdowns and 4 interceptions for MIT. Brad Goldsberry ran for only 61 yards while Seve Esparrago had 5 catches for 35 yards. MIT could only muster 206 yards of total offense.
Joe Callahan went 21 of 26 for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air. He completed 6 passes to Bryce Shade for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. Steve Koudossou had 6 catches for 70 yards and a score as well. The top rusher was Ben Martin with 9 rushes for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Johns Hopkins (11-0) at Hobart (11-0)
Hobart rallied for a second straight week to move on to the quarter finals. A touchdown with 1:26 left in the game proved to be the difference in their 24-21 win over Johns Hopkins.
Unlike last week, Hobart got off to a much better start. They got a 42 yard field goal on their first drive and then went 80 yards in 10 plays on their next drive. Bradley Burns punched the ball in from a yard out to take a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Blue Jays tried to respond, but their drive ended at the Hobart 43 yard line with a lost fumble. Hobart was unable to make them pay but Johns Hopkins finally got on the board on their next drive. Braden Anderson’s 48 yard pass to Bradley Munday set up Stuart Walters‘ 5 yard touchdown run. After both teams punted, Hobart would add to their lead with a 4 yard touchdown run from Alex Furtado to take a 16-7 lead with the extra point blocked by Matthew Connery. With 2:31 left in the first half, the Blue Jays used up nearly all the time to score a touchdown. Anderson hit Quinn Donaldson for a 3 yard strike and Hobart led 16-14 at halftime.
The third quarter lacked the amount of offense that the second quarter showed, but there was a big opportunity for Hobart to extend their lead. On fourth and one from the Johns Hopkins 13 yard line, Hobart went for it with Patrick Conlan, but he was stopped for a one yard loss. The third quarter ended scoreless with Hobart clinging to a 16-14 lead with the Blue Jays mounting a drive to take the lead to start the final quarter.
On first and 10 from the Hobart 28, Anderson hit Donaldson for the second time in the game to take a 21-16 lead. The Blue Jays appeared to be in command with under 6 minutes to go. On second and goal from the 8 yard line, Anderson was hit and lost the ball with Hobart’s Jake Russell recovering the ball. Hobart would mount a game winning drive, but not without some obstacles. They faced a second and 23 from the JHU 49 yard line, but Conlan’s 22 yard pass to Troy Robinson made it a manageable third and one. Two plays after that, Conlan found John Fasano for a 14 yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion was good and Hobart took a 24-21 lead with 1:26 left in the game.
The Blue Jays did have a great final chance to win or tie the game. They got down to the Hobart 8 yard line, but were called for a pass interference. The next play from the 22 yard line was intercepted by at the two to seal the victory for Hobart.
Braden Anderson went 17 of 29 for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also lost one fumble and ran for 71 yards on 14 carries. Stuart Walters ran 13 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. Bradley Munday caught 6 passes for 79 yards while Quinn Donaldson had 5 catches for 63 yards and 2 scores.
Patrick Conlan led Hobart with 237 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 of 30 passing. Conner Hartigan ran 18 times for 60 yards. John Fasano caught 6 passes for 79 yards and a score with Troy Robinson having 4 catches for 68 yards.
Mount Union Bracket
John Carroll (10-1) at Wheaton (IL) (11-0)
An ugly, defensive, and mistake filled game took place between John Carroll and Wheaton , but JCU was able to hold on for a 14-12 win after a missed field goal from Wheaton with just over a minute remaining.
Wheaton had a brilliant opportunity for an early advantage, but Johnny Peltz was stopped for no gain on fourth and one from the John Carroll 18 yard line to keep the game scoreless. JCU would take that stop and turn it into a touchdown with Tommy Michals pounding the ball in from a yard out to take a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, both quarterbacks made mistakes in the opponent’s territory. First Mark Myers threw an interception at the Wheaton 28 yard line to end a scoring opportunity. That would be outdone by Peltz’s interception at the John Carroll 5 yard line to keep it 7-0 in favor of JCU. Late in the second quarter, Wheaton finally got on the board, but it took four downs. On fourth and goal from the one yard line, Danny Puknaitis punched the ball in to make it 7-6. However, the extra point was blocked by Michael Hollins to keep it 7-6 at the break.
John Carroll opened the second half taking a 14-6 lead after Myers hit Zach Strippy for a 22 yard touchdown pass. On the next John Carroll drive, Myers was picked off by Brendan Carozzoni at the 18 yard line. Wheaton turned that into a touchdown with Peltz completing a 3 yard touchdown pass to Zach Lindquist. The Thunder opted to go for two, but it failed and JCU held a narrow 14-12 lead at the end of three quarters.
Early in the fourth quarter, JCU attempted a 25 yard field goal after a false start penalty on the play earlier. Wes Keller’s attempt was blocked by Mikey Swider. The Thunder marched down the field to the John Carroll 14 yard line. On fourth and one, Keegan Kemp was stuffed and the ball was turned over to JCU. JCU ended up punting back to Wheaton, who had 2:18 to go down the field and win the game with a field goal or touchdown. The drive stalled out at the John Carroll 29 yard line where the Thunder attempted a 46 yard field goal. The attempt was blocked by Jimmy King, but JCU was called offside and the Thunder got a second chance to win the game. The 41 yard attempt would be wide left and JCU held on for the 14-12 win.
Mark Myers went 19 of 29 for 229 yards with 1 touchdown and an interception for John Carroll. Tommy Michals ran 22 times for 81 yards and a score while also catching 6 passes for 34 yards. The top receiver was Marshall Howell with 5 catches for 85 yards. Brendan Carozzoni had 5 catches for 67 yards.
Johnny Peltz went 18 of 33 for 243 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception. He was held in check on the ground with only 28 yards on 20 carries. Those 28 yards were enough to be tops on the team. The top receiver was Zach Lindquist with 5 catches for 80 yards and a score.
Washington & Jefferson (10-1) at Mount Union (11-0)
Mount Union put 45 first half point to breeze into the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Division 3 Playoffs. Washington & Jefferson failed to register any points in the crushing 67-0 defeat. Kevin Burke threw for 402 yards and 6 touchdowns in another typical Mount Union playoff performance.
Mount Union wasted little time taking the advantage with Burke completing a 4 yard touchdown pass to Roman Namdar. The Presidents had a chance to get precious points, but a 38 yard field goal from Blake Davis was wide left. At the end of the first quarter, Mount Union had a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, Mount Union took a 10-0 lead after a 28 yard field goal. On their next drive, it took only play to make it 17-0 with Burke and Namdar connecting for a 46 yard touchdown. Burke’s 5 yard touchdown pass to Luc Meacham made it 24-0 before a lost fumble by the Presidents was turned into a 4 yard touchdown pass from Burke to Namdar. Burke had two more touchdown passes in the final 2:02 to make it 45-0 at the break. First, he hit Taurice Scott for a 4 yard touchdown and then hit Sherman Wilkinson for a 35 yard touchdown.
The Purple Raiders scored 13 points in the third quarter with two field goals from kicker Edward Ruhnke and a 78 yard touchdown run from Jamal Johnson. The fourth quarter produced a safety on a blocked punt while Dwayne Aaron ran for a 71 yard touchdown to cap the scoring at 67 for Mount Union.
Pete Coughlin found it difficult to pass going 15 of 37 for 98 yards and an interception. Ryan Ruffing had 62 yards rushing on 16 carries. The top receiver for the Presidents was Max Creighan with 55 yards on 8 catches.
Mount Union’s Kevin Burke went 30 of 41 for 402 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jamal Johnson ran for 118 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Dwayne Aaron had 84 yards and a score on only 5 rushing attempts. Luc Meacham had 9 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown while Roman Namdar had 8 catches for 112 yards and 3 touchdown catches.
Quarterfinals Schedule (All games to be played on Saturday, December 6)
Wartburg (12-0) at Wisconsin-Whitewater (12-0) – 1 PM ET
Linfield (10-1) at Widener (12-0) – 12 PM ET
Hobart (12-0) at Wesley (11-1) – 12 PM ET
John Carroll (11-1) at Mount Union (12-0) – 12 PM ET