NCAA Football Championship: The Rock Falls to #5 Shepherd in the NCAA Quarterfinals
NCAA QUARTERFINAL
#2 Slippery Rock falls #1 Shepherd | Box Score | Slippery Rock Recap
Shepherdstown, W.Va. - Slippery Rock football was unable to advance to the second NCAA Semifinals in school history on Saturday afternoon, falling to the top seed in Super Region One and the fifth-ranked team in the country, Shepherd.
It was the first appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals for The Rock since 1998. Slippery Rock finishes 2015 with a record of 12-2, a PSAC West Championship, and the PSAC crown for the second straight season.
SRU opened the scoring in the game, scoring on a fourth and goal midway through the first quarter. First Team All-PSAC performer Shamar Greene was able to punch it in the endzone from the two-yard line to cap a 57-yard drive.
Shepherd responded and the halftime score was 7-7.
Despite an interception by the Slippery Rock defense on the first Shepherd possession of the second half, the Rams were able to jump on top of The Rock, scoring three straight times in the third quarter.
The Rock was able to cut into the SRU advantage, but could not fully complete the comeback, falling by the final score of 28-16.
Slippery Rock Advances to NCAA Quarterfinals with a 41-39 Win
Courtesy of Slippery Rock Sports Information
Slippery Rock, Pa. - The longest active home winning streak in Division II football belongs to Slippery Rock University after the 10th ranked Rock held off No. 19 Assumption College, 41-39, Saturday in the second round of the NCAA playoffs at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
The victory is the 17th straight at home for Slippery Rock and sends the team to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1998. The Rock (12-1), seeded second in Super Region One, will travel to the region's top seed, Shepherd, next Saturday to play for a spot in the national semifinals. Shepherd (11-0) rallied back to defeat Indiana (Pa.) 17-13 with a late TD Saturday.
Assumption, the third seed in the region, was making its first NCAA Division II playoff appearance and finishes the year with an 11-2 overall record.
The Rock will now turn their focus to undefeated Shepherd and the quarterfinal round next Saturday.
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IUP Falls to Top-Seeded Shepherd, 17-13
Courtesy of IUP Sports Information
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – Shepherd quarterback Jeff Ziemba threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to receiver Billy Brown with 2:03 left in the game, proving to be the winning score as IUP lost to the Rams 17-13 in the second round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.
The Crimson Hawks end their season with a 9-3 overall record, clinching a share of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division title. They earned the fifth seed in Super Region One, defeating Charleston 47-21 last week in West Virginia in the opening round of the playoffs. Shepherd improved to 11-0 with the win and will host Slippery Rock (12-1) for the regional title next Saturday.
The Crimson Hawks were picked to finish fifth in the PSAC West in the preseason coaches' poll at the beginning of the year. Playing 42 sophomores and freshmen, IUP surpassed expectations to win a share of the division and advance to the playoffs.
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Rock Advanced With a 40-21 Win Over Virginia Union
Courtesy of Slippery Rock Sports Information
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.
– The 10th ranked Slippery Rock University football team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs with a 40-21 victory over Virginia Union University in the opening round Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
The game marked the first home playoff game for The Rock since 1999 and the first playoff victory since 1998, when the team reached the national semifinals.
Slippery Rock, the No. 2 seed in Super Region One, improves to 11-1 on the season and will host No. 3 seed Assumption in the second round next Saturday, Nov. 28, at noon with a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals on the line. Assumption handled No. 6 seed Bowie State in the opening round Saturday with a 51-29 home win.
The Rock are now 6-0 at home this season and have won 16 straight home games, tied with Minnesota Duluth for the longest active home winning streak among all Division II programs.
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Second Half Fireworks Lead IUP to 47-21 Comeback Win
Courtesy of IUP Sports Information
CHARLESTON, W. Va. – The Crimson Hawks forced four second half turnovers, blocked a punt, and scored 34 unanswered points to end the game as IUP defeated Charleston 47-21 in the opening round of the 2015 NCAA Division II football playoffs on Saturday afternoon at UC Stadium.
The Crimson Hawks improve to 9-2 overall and will advance to face Shepherd (10-0) in the second round. IUP is the fifth seed in Super Region One while Shepherd is the top seed, earning the first round bye.
The IUP defense totaled five sacks and four pass breakups, limiting the high-scoring Charleston offense to 21 points and 390 total yards. Charleston quarterback Jeremy Johnson, another Harlon Hill candidate, was limited to 11-of-22 passing for 172 yards and a touchdown, and ran for just seven yards on 10 carries.
The Crimson Hawks converted 4-of-5 third down conversions in the second half, and scored on seven of their eight red zone possessions. IUP also won the time of possession battle 37:27 to 22:33.
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NCAA TOURNAMENT ANNOUNCEMENT
Indianapolis, Ind. - Slippery Rock University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania will represent the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in the NCAA Division II Football Tournament.
These two teams tied for the PSAC West Championship this season.
Slippery Rock, the PSAC Champions, are the number two seed in Super Region One and will host Virginia Union in a first round matchup. The Rock will host the Panthers from Virginia Union on Saturday, November 21 at noon.
SRU has the number one scoring offense in DII, averaging 48.7 points per game. The Rock is also only one of four teams in Division II to average more than 500 yards of total offense per game (517.1).
IUP will travel to Charleston, W.V. to take on the Golden Eagles of Charleston. IUP is the fifth seed in Super Region One. The Crimson Hawks went 8-2 this season, losing those two games by a combined two points. Led by
Chris Temple and
Lenny Williams, IUP had the sixth-best rushing attack in Division II this season, averaging more than 300 yards per game on the ground.
The IUP/Charleston game will also be played at noon this Saturday, November 21.
SRU and IUP would need to each win two games before potentially meeting in the tournament.
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