Nov. 23, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The 2008 NAIA Football Championship Series (FCS) Quarterfinals have been officially announced by the NAIA office today (Nov. 23). Two undefeated teams will play host and one 10-1 program welcomes another one-loss team in three Quarterfinal games scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29. Carroll (Mont.), who is riding a 27-game overall winning streak, advances to the Semifinals (Dec. 6) due to a forfeit by Northwestern Oklahoma State (see related story).
Sioux Falls (S.D.), which is riding a 33-game home winning streak, takes on Langston (Okla.) in Sioux Falls, S.D. These two teams have never faced each other in FCS play. USF is looking for its eighth shut-out on the year, which would tie the national record in a single-season. On a 51-game home winning streak, St. Francis (Ind.) looks to extend that mark by hosting Cumberlands (Ky.). The Patriots of U of C notched its first ever FCS win on Saturday (Nov. 22) over Shorter (Ga.) 31-7.
In the fourth Quarterfinal game, Morningside (Iowa) plays host to Lindenwood (Mo.) Both are 10-1 teams and boasting high-powered offenses. The Mustangs and Lions combined for 130 points and over 1,100 yards of total offense in wins yesterday.
The Quarterfinal winners will meet up on Dec. 6 on campus sites. The 53rd Annual Russell Athletic-NAIA Football National Championship is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 at Rome, Ga. Rome-Floyd County and Shorter (Ga.) College will host the event at Barron Stadium. The event will be televised live on CBS College Sports Network with kick-off slated for 12 p.m. EST. For ticket information, call (706) 233-7288 or click here to download the order form.
For complete Championship history and records, click here.
For more information on the 2008 National Championship, click here.
For scores and stats from the Football Championship Series Opening Round, click here.
Football Championship Series Quarterfinal Pairings | Saturday, Nov. 29
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Game 1:
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Carroll (Mont.) advances to Semifinals (see story)
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Game 2:
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Sioux Falls (S.D.) hosts Langston (Okla.), 12 p.m. CST
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Game 3:
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Saint Francis (Ind.) hosts Cumberlands (Ky.), 12 p.m. EST
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Game 4:
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Morningside (Iowa) hosts Lindenwood (Mo.), 1 p.m. CST
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Football Championship Series Records Set or Tied in the First Round: Lindenwood (65) and Lambuth (48) combined to tie the most combined points (113) joining Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Western Montana for the all-time high… Lambuth set the most first downs (41) ever breaking the 38 by Hardin-Simmons (Texas) in 1994… The 108 total plays by Lambuth set the record breaking the 106 by Hardin-Simmons in 1994… Morningside QB Ian Gilworth threw a FCS record seven touchdowns breaking the 6 done six times with the last occurrence coming in 2000.
Football Championship Series Notes: St. Francis leads the active group in consecutive FCS appearances with 10… Carroll holds the most current wins in the FCS with a 29-11 record after the First Round win over Dickinson State… St. Francis (Ind.) kept alive its home game winning streak with 51 in-a-row… Sioux Falls extended its home winning streak to 33 straight… Carroll has not lost (a span of 27 games) since the 2006 FCS Quarterfinals… Sioux Falls is one shut-out shy of equaling the national season record of eight shut-outs… Carroll improved to 6-1 all-time versus Dickinson State in FCS action… Since 2000, the home teams in the FCS First Round move 53-19 overall… Three teams will enter the FCS Quarterfinals with an undefeated record -- Carroll, Sioux Falls, St. Francis… Two programs in this FCS hold at least one National Championship ring – Carroll (Mont.) has five followed by Sioux Falls (S.D.) with two.
2008 NAIA Football Championship Series
• Quarterfinal Team Notes (Listed Alphabetically)
2008 Championship Series
Team (Overall W/L Record) Notes Appearances* Record# Titles
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Carroll (Mont.) (12-0)
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Champions of the Frontier Conference… Riding 27-game winning streak… Has won 59 of last 61 overall games… Stands 111-12 (.902) since 2000, holding the most wins of any NAIA school during that span… Finished regular season undefeated for the fourth time in the last six years… Won its ninth straight Frontier Conference Championship… Head coach Mike Van Diest is No. 1 among all NAIA active coaches in win percentage at (.867) and is 116-18 in his 10th year… Has won 22 of last 23 games in the Football Championship Series (only loss in that streak vs. St. Xavier (Ill.) in 2006)… Has won five of last six national championships – the most ever in a six-year span… Has won 15 of last 16 FCS home games and is 17-5 overall at home.
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17th (9th straight)
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29-11
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5
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Cumberlands (Ky.) (10-1)
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Champions of the Mid-South Conference East Division… Currently riding a 10-game winning streak… Lone loss of the year came in opener against NCAA Division II Mars Hill (N.C.)… Averages over 285 rushing yards per game… Has never faced St. Francis (Ind.) in the FCS.
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3rd (2nd straight)
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1-2
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0
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Langston (Okla.) (10-2)
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Champions of the Central States Football League – first time in school history… First Football Championship Series appearance since 1994… Lone win came in 1994 in a 56-42 victory against Arkansas Tech… Defense records nearly four sacks (3.9) per game… Both losses this year came against NCAA Division I opponents (Grambling State and Stephen F. Austin)… Has never faced Sioux Falls in the FCS.
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4th (1st since 1994)
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2-3
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0
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Lindenwood (Mo.) (10-1)
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Qualified based on at-large selection from the Heart of America Athletic Conference… Offense averages over 40 points per game hitting 50-plus points four times… Lone loss of the year came in the season-opener vs. MidAmerica Nazarene 26-16… Is appearing in first ever Quarterfinal… Has never faced Morningside in the FCS.
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4th (2nd straight)
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1-3
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0
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Morningside (Iowa) (10-1)
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Qualified based on at-large selection from the Great Plains Athletic Conference… Defense has pitched two shut outs this year and held six opponents under 10 points… Advances to fifth straight Football Championship Series and is 4-1 all-time in the First Round… Has never faced Lindenwood in the FCS.
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5th (5th straight)
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5-4
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0
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Saint Francis (Ind.) (11-0)
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Champions of Mid-States Football Association Mideast Division – ninth conference title in the last 10 years… Has won 51 straight home games overall… Finished regular season undefeated for the fourth time in the last five years… Has now appeared in five straight Football Championship Series Semifinal round games winning three of them… Holds the most consecutive FCS appearances among current schools with 10… Offense scores 49.0 points per game, which ranks first nationally… Stands 103-11 (.903) since 2000 and holds the second most wins of any NAIA school during that span… Has never faced Cumberlands in the FCS.
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10th (10th straight)
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16-9
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0
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Sioux Falls (S.D.) (11-0)
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Champions of Great Plains Athletic Conference… Has won 33 straight home games overall… Held seven of 11 opponents this year without a point (national record is 8 shut outs) and forced two opponents into negative total yardage in offense… Ranks No. 1 in the country in all major defensive statistical categories: scoring defense (5.7 ppg), total defense (92.9 ypg), rushing defense (11.7 ypg) and passing defense (81.2 ypg)… Finished regular season undefeated for the third straight year and sixth in the last seven years… Advanced to the Semifinal round in each of the past three years winning the last two… National champions in 2006 and 1996… Has never faced Langston in the FCS.
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14th (8th straight)
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26-11
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2
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* Includes 2008 Championship Series
# Based on available records
