| Derrick Yoder ran for 164 yards and a touchdown in
Wabash's big win. |
Wabash posted the first shutout in 43 years in the Monon Bell game and did it in a huge way, crushing previously unbeaten DePauw 47-0 to hold on to that bell, tightly. Cortland State defeated Ithaca in the Cortaca Jug game 20-17, Hampden-Sydney held off Randolph-Macon 31-28 in The Game and Williams defeated Amherst 31-16 to finish the season unbtean.
But the biggest shocker of the day so far might have been for a much less-heralded trophy, the Keystone Cup. That was taken by force by Widener, which upset Delaware Valley 28-27. The Pride converted four fourth downs on the final drive, including on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Chris Haupt to Michael Penna with no time remaining. Widener went for two and the win, converting when Haupt hit Cedrick Clayton for the 28-27 win.
Clinchers: Mike Lane ran for 128 yards,
including the game-winning touchdown with 56 seconds left as Endicott defeated Maine Maritime 38-35 to
win the New England Football Conference title game. MMA had one
last drive to keep its NCAA hopes alive but a Matthew Rende pass to
Nate Duford in the end zone as time expired was ruled out of
bounds. Cortland State won the NJAC automatic
bid via tiebreaker.
Trine rolled past Albion 58-16 to clinch the MIAA title for the third year in a row. Wittenberg rallied past Wooster 22-17 to save itself from the playoff bubble. Franklin defeated Hanover 48-25 to win the HCAC automatic bid as Kyle Ray completed 34 of 41 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns. Christopher Newport had little trouble with Methodist, winning 49-10 to clinch the USA South automatic bid.
Pool B: The University of Chicago defeated Washington U. 13-10 to keep its playoff hopes alive, but didn't get much help. Wesley crushed Kean 48-10 to remain undefeated and Salisbury did the same to cross-state rival Frostburg State 37-6 to make sure it stays in the regional rankings. SUNY-Maritime is in the clubhouse at 10-0.
| Justin Autera ran for 232 yards for Cortland State
in the Red Dragons' 20-17 win against Ithaca. Photo by Matt Milless, d3photography.com |
Pool C: Hardin-Simmons took the only loss among Pool C candidates. The Cowboys rallied from a 44-35 deficit to reach the end zone, then recovered an onside kick. But their 39-yard field goal attempt fell well short with three seconds left and Louisiana College held on for a 44-42 win.
Other than that, though, the at-large picture didn't get much clearer on Saturday. The three-way tie atop the NJAC didnt get resolved, as Montclair State and Rowan each won their conference games and remain knotted with one loss. Hampden-Sydney remains in contention with one loss after beating Randolph-Macon, while Bethel beat Augsburg (with the snow in the midwest, this was a big chance for an upset). Ohio Northern beat Heidelberg 35-14 behind 173 yards passing and 142 rushing by Kyle Simmons. Wheaton shut out Millikin 46-0 to remain in the hunt as well. Coe defeated Cornell 47-7, but taking a huge hit to its strength of schedule in the process. Pacific Lutheran and Redlands, which are further down the pecking order in the West for at-large consideration, each narrowly defeated their in-region opponents.
Montclair State's win, 21-8 against William Paterson, was the 200th in the career of coach Rick Giancola.
Stumblers: The Delaware Valley and DePauw losses cost each of their teams playoff seeding and potential home games in the bracket, while Muhlenberg had two second-half kicks blocked and lost to archrival Moravian 14-13.
Outside the playoff picture, Maranatha Baptist ended a 33-game losing streak, defeating Rockford 14-6. The Crusaders' last win came in 2007, against Principia, which no longer plays football. And Pacific, which restarted football this fall, held a lead for the first time all season this week against Menlo but fell 44-42.