/playoffs/2015/roundup-uwo-bracket

ONU gets round's first road W; WIAC, Wheaton advance


Minnesota native Ricardo Johnson had no problem with the snow in Ohio Northern's win at Franklin.
Ohio Northern athletics photo

Offensive utility man Canton Larson ran for a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter for UW-Whitewater.
Photo by Daryl Tessmann, d3photography.com

Fourteen road teams lost in Saturday's first round of the NCAA playoffs. One of those other two, however, was Ohio Northern, which rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the third quarter to win at Franklin, 27-22.

Elsewhere in the UW-Oshkosh bracket, the top seeds advanced, with Oshkosh, Wheaton and UW-Whitewater all winning handily.

Franklin scored on its first three possessions to take the lead and the Polar Bears (9-2) missed an opportunity with a short field goal attempt in the second quarter, but came out firing on both sides of the ball in the second half. ONU scored on its next three possessions and outgained the Grizzlies (8-3) 226-6 in total offense during that span.

"I thought our guys showed tremendous resolve," ONU head coach Dean Paul said. "We have been down before this season and our guys knew how to respond. We just kept fighting and got on a roll in the second half and beat a very good football team."

Senior Justin Magazine ran 36 times for 153 yards and two touchdowns and sophomore Ricardo Johnson completed 13 of 17 passes for 190 yards and a TD to lead Ohio Northern.

The Polar Bears face UW-Oshkosh next and will travel to Wisconsin, although the NCAA won't announce host sites officially until Sunday. The Titans (10-1) made it look easy in a 48-0 win vs. St. Scholastica. Oshkosh picked off Saints quarterbacks four times, as four signal-callers combined to go 15-for-42 for 189 yards for St. Scholastica (9-2). Brett Kasper threw for 336 yards and two scores for the Titans, who advanced to the second round for the second time in two playoff trips.

On the bottom half of the bracket, we will have a matchup of the No. 5 and No. 6 teams in the country in the second round, after UW-Whitewater rolled past St. Norbert 48-0 and Wheaton cruised to a 55-6 win vs. Lakeland. Wheaton scored twice in the first 62 seconds. Noah Roberts returned the opening kickoff 56 yards and Sola Olateju was in the end zone two plays later to give the Thunder (11-0) an early 7-0 lead. Adam Dansdill made it 14-0, intercepting Lakeland sopomore quarterback Michael Whitley on the second play of the Muskies' drive and returning it 35 yards for the score. With the snow coming down at Wheaton as well, the Thunder attempted just nine passes all day and rode their run game to the win, with four running backs gaining between 61 and 77 yards.

Whitewater had a similarly easy time vs. St. Norbert, as starting quarterback Chris Nelson threw just six times in a 48-0 victory. Jordan Ratliffe ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, while Canton Larson, who has lined up a few different places on offense for the Warhawks (10-1) ran for a 61-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jack Becker was sacked four times for the Green Knights (10-1), twice by Tim Regan. Ryan Winske ran an interception back for a touchdown for the second consecutive game. Defensive backs Vince Mason and Mickey Morgan also had an interception apiece.

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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