/notables/2018/11/week11-national-roundup

Rivals battle as playoff picture gets filled in

Wabash kept itself in the playoff hunt and retained the Monon Bell with a with vs DePauw.
Photo by Matthew McClure, d3photography.com
 

Union handed RPI a pre-playoff defeat and won the Dutchman Shoes, while Wabash kept its playoff hopes alive with a Monon Bell win vs. DePauw and Ithaca did the same, defeating Cortland to win the Cortaca Jug. Meanwhile, Frostburg State clinched the NJAC in overtime, Randolph-Macon rolled to the ODAC crown and Hanover ended a long losing streak to its Victory Bell rival. 

And that's just the rivalry games which had playoff implications. We'll cover the rest in this roundup as well. The NCAA Division III playoff bracket will be announced starting at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and a link will be available on D3football.com.

Freshman Ike Irabor scored three touchdowns and the Union defense forced five turnovers as the Dutchmen defeated No. 14 RPI, 34-10. The visitors finish at 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the conference and gain possession of the Dutchman Shoes Trophy for the first time in six years. The Engineers, who drop to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in the league, likely cost themselves a home game in the playoffs with the loss.

In the tournament

The following teams have qualified for the 2018 NCAA Division III playoffs:

Berry (SAA)
Brockport (E8)
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (SCIAC)
Delaware Valley (MAC)
Denison (NCAC)
Eureka (NACC)
Framingham State (MASCAC)
Frostburg State (NJAC)
Hanover (HCAC)
Husson (ECFC)
Johns Hopkins (CC)
Martin Luther (UMAC)
Mary Hardin-Baylor (ASC)
Marvyille (USAC)
Mount Union (OAC)
North Central (CCIW)
Randolph-Macon (ODAC)
RPI (LL)
St. John's (MIAC)
St. Norbert (MWC)
Trine (MIAA)
UW-Whitewater (WIAC)
Wartburg (ARC)
Washington & Jefferson (PAC)
Western New England (CCC)
Whitworth (NWC)

Isaac Avant ran for 150 yards and Jake Reid threw for two touchdowns as Wabash retained the Monon Bell with a 24-17 win vs. archrival DePauw. The Tigers fell to 4-6. DePauw cut the lead to seven with a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and intercepted Reid with 2:06 to go. But Jacob Macaluso came up with the interception near midfield with 1:21 left to seal the game.

Cortland rallied to cut Ithaca's lead to 24-21, but went three-and-out and turned the ball over on its final two possessions and the Bombers held onto the Cortaca Jug, as well as their playoff hopes. Kendall Anderson ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and Wahid Naby threw for two scores for Ithaca, which improved to 8-2 and should be the top at-large candidate from the East Region.

In a game filled with story lines and highlights, the Bobcats and Sea Gulls battled to yet another overtime thriller as FSU escaped with a 38-35 win in the final meeting between the two in-state schools and Regents Cup rivals. Frostburg State clinched the New Jersey Athletic Conference automatic bid. The series will be ending as Frostburg State is headed to Division II next fall. Connor Cox heaved a fourth down pass to sophomore Lincoln Ikwubuo for a 22-yard touchdown with 1:37 to play in the fourth and sophomore kicker Jeremy Harrison knocked home a 37-yard field goal in overtime as Frostburg rallied for their 14th consecutive regular-season win.

Randolph-Macon scored the first 27 points and held on as Hampden-Sydney scored twice in the final five minutes to cut the final deficit to 48-35. Jordan Hall ran for 99 yards and four touchdowns and Burke Estes threw for two and ran for another in the win. The Yellow Jackets clinched the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title and the automatic bid to the playoffs while beating their archrival in the oldest small-college rivalry in the South. H-SC held the ball for just 16:04 and ran just 46 plays.

Junior Ryan Jones threw three touchdown passes as Coast Guard captured the Secretaries' Cup for the first time since 2014 with a 26-12 over archrival Merchant Marine, spoiling the Mariners' hopes of a share of the NEWMAC title and a Pool B bid to the playoffs. It was Coast Guard's first win at Merchant Marine since 1996 and the first road win in the series for head coach Bill George.

Jake Hudson hit Jordan Leverette with a 30-yard touchdown with 12:12 left in the game, giving Baldwin Wallace its first lead of the afternoon at 35-34. But John Carroll scored the last 10 points of the game, however, to take home the Gold Bowl win and improve to 9-1, keeping the Blue Streaks in line for an at-large bid. Michael Canganelli was the big man on the ground for the Blue Streaks, as he ran for 270 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries. Anthony Moeglin ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns as well, while completing nine of 17 passes for 92 yards.

Trinity (Texas) scored with just 49 seconds remaining to sink No. 11 Berry, capping a five-play, 53-yard drive with a touchdown to defeat the Vikings 21-17. Berry drove down to the Trinity 22 with six seconds left, but did not throw the ball to the end zone and time ran out. It's the first loss of the season for Berry, and might change how the Vikings are seeded in the upcoming playoffs.

No. 22 Bethel limited Josh Parks to 33 yards on 17 carries and the Royals scored on a 93-yard run and a blocked punt to get past No. 9 St. Thomas 21-15. The win put Bethel first in line for an at-large bid out of the West Region, and possibly first in line overall.

Hanover won the Victory Bell for the first time since 2004 and secured its first trip to the Division III playoffs since 2003 with a win vs. archrival Franklin, 23-20. AJ Breit threw for three touchdowns on 26-for-41 passing, including finding Taylor Bleistein over the top for a 48-yard touchdown on fourth down with 3:47 left in the game. Hanover held Franklin to a season-low point total in the win.

St. Norbert rode a rock-ribbed defense to its 17th Midwest Conference football championship, forcing six takeaways in a 10-7 win over Monmouth in the Midwest Conference championship game at Schneider Stadium. The Green Knights (9-1) avenged a heartbreaking 9-6 overtime loss to the Fighting Scots (8-2) in the 2017 MWC title game, and clinched a berth into the NCAA Division III Playoffs with the win.

Lou Berry scored two long defensive touchdowns for No. 1 Mount Union and the Purple Raiders cruised to a 49-7 win vs. Marietta. Although D'Angelo Fulford left with an apparent ankle injury in the first half and Mount Union did not score in the second, the two defensive scores by Berry and a pick-six from Trey Williams were more than enough to secure the win. Marietta's season ends at 7-3, 6-3 in the OAC.

Grinnell saved its best for last as the Pioneers rolled up a season-high 481 yards of total offense, toppling Beloit 41-31 in the season finale for both teams. The win snapped a 24-game losing streak to Midwest Conference opponents dating back to the final game of 2015. The Pioneers, who defeated Beloit for the first time since 2013, finished the season with a 2-8 mark while the Buccaneers wound up 1-9. Ryan Slager finished his time in a Pioneer uniform with 605 total tackles, 271 solos, tops in Division III history.

Dec. 15: All times Eastern
Final
Cortland 38, at North Central (Ill.) 37
@ Salem, Virginia
Video Box Score Recap Photos
Dec. 9: All times Eastern
Final
North Central (Ill.) 34, at Wartburg 27
Box Score Recap
Final
Cortland 49, at Randolph-Macon 14
Box Score Recap Recap Recap Photos
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